The Last Person In the World…or the Silliest?

Ah, the joys of enjoying things that don’t necessarily go together. Like apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic goodness…and humor.

I finally watched I Am Legend this week, and despite my general agreement with the critics that the third act is weaker than the rest of the film, I still loved it. Will Smith proves, once again, that he alone can carry a film. And for any fan of post-apocalyptic imagery and survival narratives, wow, the film is solid gold. In particular, I really love the first act, where we see his daily routines, and where we share his dread of night. I love the scene where he’s bathing his dog, Sam, and his alarm goes off. The fear that paralyzes him carries through nicely into the next scene, where he’s lying in the bathtub, rifle in hand, hearing the howls and screams of the infected running around outside his house. Totally creepy…

Having watched I Am Legend, as well as the original Shutter (a Thai horror flick that’s as good as any of the best J- and K-horror films out there), I’m reminded of why I wrote Solstice in the first place. My love of all things post-apocalyptic, as well as my fascination with horror and the supernatural, have had such a huge influence on the way I write and the things I write. Throughout the years, I always felt that there weren’t enough good movies or books about the end of the world. I always wanted more, and I wanted stories that fused together both sci-fi and horror elements. So I guess Solstice was my first stab at trying to add to the post-apocalyptic cannon. Wow, that sounds pretentious… Anyway, it’s also why I want to continue writing uplifting stories about the end of the world, such as The Mourning Syndrome ^_^ It’s just a lot of fun for me to sit down, envision these terrible survival scenarios, and playing them out on paper (actually, on a word processor).

There’s only one problem. I also love to laugh. As I continue to work on the next draft of my new novel, Inventing Vazquez, I’m reminded of how much fun it is to write comedy. And make no mistake, Inventing Vazquez is a comedic satire, and a very funny one according to my first two test readers, one of whom claims she nearly died laughing on the bus during this one scene. My humor tends to gravitate toward the zany, borrowing comedic elements from a wide range of influences, including The Simpsons, Monty Python, Margaret Cho, and the Coen brothers. So writing humor tends to be just as enjoyable for me as writing dreary, somber fiction about the end of the world. Probably more so, because it’s a more free-spirited writing style. Like you’re releasing your literary id or something.

So as I’m working on Inventing Vazquez, I’m already thinking of expanding the story into a sequel. In fact, if this first book is addressing the representation of Latino/as in movies, I’ve already thought that a possible sequel could involve politics. Which sounds great and all. Especially since I really love the group of characters I’m working with, and would love to continue to work with them.

This is where things get confusing for me as a writer. I want to tell very different kinds of stories. On the one hand, every time I watch a movie like I Am Legend (and there’s a slew of post-apocalyptic films coming out in the next several months), I’m inspired to write stories like it. And with The Mourning Syndrome, I definitely have a story that will again combine my favorite elements—sci-fi, apocalyptic fiction, and supernatural horror. In some ways, The Mourning Syndrome will probably be darker than Solstice…if that’s possible ^^;

But then, when I start thinking on the comedic possibilities of the Inventing Vazquez storyline, I want to keep writing that. Having had so much fun writing Liliana’s story, it’s like, I want to keep doing so. And I guess I like making people laugh. Humor tends to be my expressive model of choice (even at work, my best pieces have been the ones where I’ve been allowed to be humorous), and so it seems to flow more naturally out of me.

What to do? Who knows. In an ideal world, I’d quit my job and dedicate myself to writing full-time, using the day to write my comedies, and the night to write my apocalyptic stories. But alas, that isn’t going to happen. Not unless I win the lottery. Which would be doubly miraculous considering I don’t even play the lottery! ^^;

Still, there’s this one story I have in the back of my head, one that might be a nice way of reconciling the chasm between my writing preferences. There’s a story on the drawing board that would be sort of a comedic take on apocalyptic fiction, a story that would spoof all of us that go gaga every time something like I Am Legend hits the screens. I’ve thought of several possible scenes, and think it’s a promising enough idea to pursue sometime soon.

I guess it’s just frustrating, though. Ideas, I have plenty. My novel queue is already log jammed. Inspiration, I have lots of. The only thing I don’t have is time. And an agent ^^; Oh well, just gotta keep plugging away.

I gotta think of new ways to market Solstice. I feel like I’m missing a golden opportunity here to promote the book. The commercial success of films like I Am Legend shows that the post-apocalyptic crowd is alive and well. The fact that Hollywood is making more and more such films is a sign that it’s become trendy again. So here I am, sitting on a novel that will appeal to readers of sci-fi, apocalyptic, and post-apocalyptic fiction…and struggling to get the word out. I better get on it before this stuff goes out of style again ^_^

Hmmm, one thing I’m going to venture to ask you, kind readers. If you’ve purchased and read Solstice, would you be willing to talk about it online? It can be on a blog, or through a user review on Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com, or even on something like goodreads.com or librarything.com. Any way you choose, it’s a great way to help spread the word about Solstice. Because in the absence of a marketing budget, word of mouth is our most effective marketing tool. I’d be deeply appreciative if you’d be willing to do that. Hey, if nothing else, you’d be supporting ‘the little guy’ ^^;

Okay, I’m going to shut up now. ^_^;

So very close…

Saludos!

Well, things are a bit quiet for now. And they might be even quieter in a few days. That’s because I’m a chapter and a half away from finishing the first draft of my new novel ^^;; Total madness, I tells ya… Even my girlfriend is stunned at the insane pace I’ve been able to keep up. Although I keep telling her, it’s like this novel is writing itself. Since it’s a much more lighthearted subject matter than Solstice, it was more fun to write, and hence, easier to do so. Of course, it’s only the first draft. And I already have a laundry list of changes in mind. To say nothing of the changes that will have to be made once my editor takes a first hack at it *wink wink*.

At the rate I’m going, it’s conceivable that I’ll actually finish the novel tonight. But, for the sake of playing it safe, I’m going to say that I expect to finish it tomorrow night ^^; Maybe then I’ll share with you all the title I’ve given it ^^;

What’s funny about the whole thing is that, in a way, I’ve caught myself unprepared for the next step: starting the next novel. Yes, the next novel.

See, the thing is, my current novel is a comedic satire about a mousy, soft-spoken protagonist who, literally and figuratively, has to find her voice in order to deal with the film industry. Her character is funny, witty, conversational, and very friendly. For this past year, I’ve forced myself to see the world through her eyes to write her story. And I’ve been saying all along that this novel is a FAR cry from Solstice. Whereas Solstice is about…well…the end of the world ^^;, the new one is more about films and their portrayal of race relations in the U.S. It’s about the things we see, and don’t see, in Hollywood. And it’s supposed to be comedic ^^;

So why is all this a problem for the next one? Possibly because I’m reverting back to my doom-and-gloom style of writing ^^;; The next novel, which I’ve tentatively titled The Mourning Syndrome, is going to be another heartwarming tale about…the end of the world ^^;; Eep. And it’s going to be very eerie, very dreary, and very…um…dark (sorry, couldn’t think of another word that rhymed). In other words, it’s going to be another COMPLETE departure from my current novel.

I plan to put away my current novel for a month once I complete it. That will give me time to forget about it, and then come back to it fresh next year to start working on editing and rewriting it. In that time, I’m certain to start work on The Mourning Syndrome. Which is why I think I’ve caught myself unprepared for it given the frantic pace that I maintained writing this last one. I feel like I’m going to have to switch gears in mid-stride, and start writing a very dark, very creepy story right on the heels of something that was lighthearted and comedic.

I told my girlfriend that, in order to prep myself for it, I might just have to watch Kairo (the original Japanese version of The Pulse) 17 times just to put myself in the mood, although hopefully I Am Legend will work too (I am GEEKED about seeing that one! You know me and my love of all things apocalyptic ^^). So who knows how the transition into The Mourning Syndrome will work out. Hopefully I won’t break something ^^;;

I wonder if I should even start working on that one at all. See, one of the things I’ve also realized as I stand a chapter and a half away from finishing my next novel, is that I have quite a few options open to me. There’s The Mourning Syndrome of course. And there’s the sequel to Solstice that I have planned. And there’s another project I have in mind, a comedy about…the end of the world ^^; That one, in particular, is only on the drawing board, but I think it’ll be a great opportunity to write another apocalyptic novel, but in a way that allows me to use the writing style I used and loved with my new novel. But like I said, that idea is the least developed of all, and my girlfriend really thinks I should work on The Mourning Syndrome first. Especially since its message is more relevant to our current socio-political climate. And, well, I think it’s too soon still for the sequel to Solstice ^^; We’ll see, I guess. It’s nice to have choices, though.

So this week should be interesting. If I can finish my novel, I’m going to throw a party (well, not really), watch a movie…and then get right back to work ^^;

Oh, one more thing. There’s a chance Solstice will receive another review from Horrorwatch.com. I got in touch with one of their staff members, who kindly agreed to read and maybe review the book on their site. That would be huge, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed hard ^^;

Okay, I’ll shut up now ^^;