ART: Astrolosophy

A lot of people have been asking me what the next book in the ARSON series is about. Is it epic? Is there gonna be tons of action scenes? Who’s gonna die? And I’ve been pretty mum about the topic. The main reason for this is because I’m a really big jerk who likes to watch you squirm. There, now that we’re all just being honest…

snowblower. needed. now.

This last apocalyptic blizzard kinda got me thinking about ARSON. When I started writing it, I had no idea what it would one day become. I realize that sounds somewhat cheesy or cliché, but it’s the God’s honest truth. Originally, it had a different title and was going to begin and end with just one book. But after a few conversations, the ARSON universe expanded, and stuff started getting even more interesting. I think one of the main concepts in my series is the idea of duality and wearing masks. It’s one of those themes that shows up even when he’s not invited, which must mean that I’m wrestling with it at the subconscious level. (Feel free to now start analyzing my dysfunctional author brain at any time.)  But this thread of masks, and how we wear them, this thread of identity—and what that really means—this notion of two-sidedness, just leaps off the page, and really gets me thinking about my own life. What does this have to do with a Northeast blizzard? Well, a lot.

Humans are kinda weak. You can say I’m nihilistic or cynical or whatever, but we really are. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve just been walking and twisted my knee/ankle or been working out (ladies…) and threw out my shoulder or been overly freaked out about getting into a car accident because one head-on collision could spell the end of evega. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. How about stubbing your toe in the middle of the freaking night or banging your shin because you tripped walking up the stairs? (Yes, I am that lame.) And I’m not even gonna begin to dive into topics like lost love or abandonment issues and what that can do to screw up a once functioning psyche. The bottom line is we’re fragile creatures. If you don’t believe me, go shovel for five hours and then the next day do it again and then we’ll talk. We have a limit and then a breaking point. We get exhausted. We work and then our bodies pay for it later. We invest our love and energies into a relationship or a business or a faith, and a lot of times, we find ourselves falling flat on our faces, feeling isolated and defeated.

But there is another side to that coin. There is a part of us that fights it, isn’t there? A part that knows it sucks and chooses to keep warring, to endure through the struggle and the sorrow and the fear. This duality is so very real; at times it scares me because I know my heart and mind are capable of the darkest things (most of which I write about, lucky you…or maybe, unfortunate you?), but my heart and mind, like yours, is capable of the good too, an action—an art—in and of itself. We’ll never be perfect, at least not in this world, but we can choose to keep fighting. To endure this insane game where at times we are the hypocrite and at times we are the saint. This is the frustrating, painful, invigorating, powerful, fruitful, failing, chaotic arena called life. Because in this struggle, we are purged and we become. This is power, when humanity becomes something more. Sometimes this is a bad thing, and sometimes it’s not. I guess it depends who’s holding the power and at what stage in their life they’re currently residing.  There, chew on that for a while, peeps.

get some ideas.

What’s ARSON PART TRES about? A lot. It seeks to answer some questions, but probably not all of them. After all, I can’t give you everything. The main point of this book, and this series, I’m learning, is about getting to the souls of these characters, to the souls of humanity. Giving them justice and hope. It’s about rediscovering who you are, about fighting until there’s nothing left. Yes, there are cool, intense fight scenes and remarkable secrets coming to light, one of which is a nifty little…oh, not yet. And yes, there still is that hint of romance, though ish has the potential to get mighty complicated, for sure. Yup, some peeps might have to bite the bullet, as they say. But these are all things you’ve come to expect in a third book, right? To set your minds at ease, no, it will not suck. I’ve already written more than half of it, and things are getting pretty crazy.

Thanks for stickin with me. There’s gonna be some surprises with this one. Promise.

Be fearful of the thoughts of men…Be wary of the traps of the end.

evega