I won’t share as much from the WIP as I normally do, but since I’m pretty much neck-deep in drafting, I did want to share a tiny bit of the main characters in The Shiny Book Where People Die a Lot.
Meet Israel and Alison: they’re best friends and thoroughly mean to each other. They just got kicked from a class tour in the building where Israel’s dad works.
“Wearing sunglasses inside makes you look almost as ridiculous as that hat does. You know that, don’t you?” she says.
“I do not know that. In fact, I look awesome.” I push my glasses closer to my face—not that it’s necessary—then adjust my hat with exaggerated care. It’s a fedora. And it absolutely does make me look awesome.
(…)
“You’re just jealous,” I say.
“You caught me. I’ve always wanted to look like a douche.” She unknots her tie and yawns. “Why are you so worried about people finding out your dad works here?”
“Wow. Subject change. Also, ouch. Remember when I said you were a jerk? You’re a jerk.”
She grins at me—a real one, not the ‘I’m Alison Gomes and I am too cool for this’ half-grin she wears in class. “Sorry. But you love me. Seriously though, what’s up? If anything, people will think it’s cool. I think it’s cool.”
“It is not cool.” I don’t think she’ll let that be the end of it. I sit up straighter, which is tough, since this chair practically requires you to slump. I yank my fedora off my skull and poke at it. Instantly, I feel the curls on my head spring back to life. “Whatever. Even if it is cool, I don’t want the class to think that.”
“Because?” she prompts.
Bla bla, first draft, bla, rough, bla.
The obligatory word count meter, because I do so love progress:
The book is being tricky, but my plan is to power through and reconsider my problems when I’m finished. Whatever I come up with in this second half may provide a brilliant solution to my problems in this first half.






