After The Last Disruptor, available on Amazon, got some feedback from some very kind people, I added some things, cut some things and finished it up. One of the things I added, or rather improved has become one of my favorite chapters in the book — Chapter 33: A Scattering of Leaves.
As you might know, this is a reference to Home’s Iliad, in which the poet says, “Like the generation of leaves, the lives of mortal men… and the wind scatters the old leaves across the earth.”
I’ve always liked that passage and have really felt in awe of it. It was written thousands of years ago, and yet it conveys the continuing epic of humanity and the passing of generations. How prescient was the poet to write that?
Anyway, I liked the passage and it popped into my head as I was trying to think of a way to get Crate and his friends out of a sticky situation. As you might know, or maybe you don’t, TLD is about a boy who tells stories that come true on an Earth that exists in another dimension. As one would guess, this kind of power is pretty scary and one which The Absurd, a secret research organization, wants to badly control. Anyway, they try to nab Crate and his friends and Crate thinks of this passage to help with their escape.
Originally, I imagined clouds descending with the forces of Greek warriors marching out and pushing the agents away so Crate and our heroes could escape, but then I gave this passage another thought and how Crate would really use it and I ended up with a pretty decent escape in which no one really got hurt.
I do listen to my characters when I write. I’ve even interviewed them on occasion as part of my writing routine.
I really do like this book and I think you and your family will too. I have recently made a few corrections to update the manuscript and it’s now available with those modifications.
Thank you for giving this a read and for taking a look at the book.
Robert Varnon -- R.D. Varnon 