By
Eilis Flynn
It’s
one of those tried-and-truisms for writers that writing sequels is the way to
go. It’s not until the author further delves into the world/universe that he or
she has set up that the readers themselves become vested in the original story
and the ongoing saga, the logic goes. I’m all for that. So why is it that it’s
taken me way more than a decade to get back into the world of my super-heroine
Sonika?
I
wrote the original story in a short period of time (at least for me), from
August to November 2001. I was at the gym musing about story ideas when I
realized that what I really wanted to read was a story about a super-heroine,
done the way that comic fans would do it, with an emphasis on characterization
and proper choreography (often sadly lacking in other stories with similar
themes). And it had to be a super-heroine, because guys are still most of the
comics world and there aren’t enough logically created females of the
super-powered variety. So I sat down and wrote it. And it was a joy for me,
because unlike most stories I’ve written, Sonika’s story just came naturally.
I
loved writing INTRODUCING SONIKA. I thought it out like a comic story, with a
healthy dose of romance. Of course, that was very early in the super-hero genre
finally getting the recognition it has now, so I had a hell of a time selling
it, but my timing is usually crap for that kind of thing anyway. In any case, I
got to build a world, super-powers, a super-villain, a super-heroine, AND a
romance, and it can’t get any better than that!
And
after that...I had some sequel ideas that I noodled around with, but I didn’t
do much else with that. I usually say that I got busy at work, and I did, but
that wasn’t the only reason. It’s the challenge of fantasy: once you create a
universe, you have to populate it, you have to build the cultures, figure out
how they’re different and how they’re the same. You have to figure out the
method of money. What’s valuable, what’s not? Is the gold standard still in
effect, or is the floating dollar? You have to figure out what social changes
might have occurred in this new world. Now, Sonika’s universe is mostly like
our own so I don’t have to worry about coming up with a new type of currency,
but when you set up a situation in a parallel reality, you have to figure out
what the status quo is in a world that has those differences.
Can
you tell I was an anthropology major in college? I spent a long time thinking
about these factors. Really, I spent way too much time thinking about it. (Now
imagine those voiceover guys: “In a world where a super-heroine has chosen to
make her appearance after the murder of her parents...”) But you want your
world, no matter how close it is to our own, to work. You don’t want someone to
think about the story, either during the initial reading or afterward, and
realize: “Hey! That doesn’t make sense!” I don’t know about you, but when that
happens to me, I am so disappointed. It ruins the suspension of disbelief. When
I want to disbelieve, I want to disbelieve thoroughly, damn it.
So
building a culture can be hard work. It can be tricky, it can be frustrating
(the research involved can be both fun and arduous), it can be a pain in the
ass. But when the culture is built...it’s a sight to behold.
So
the sequel to Sonika...I finally wrote it. It took being laid off to finally
have the opportunity to jump back in. “Halloween for a Heroine” is a short
story, about how the evening patrol on All Hallow’s Eve can be weird and freaky
and even dangerous. It’s short, and the cover is going to be fun. And now that
I’m unlocked the door to that universe, I can’t wait to explore it again!
Eilis
Flynn can be found to argue with at Facebook, Twitter, or at her website at www.eilisflynn.com. Since she was laid off, she’s also been looking for a job, but in the
meantime, she’s thinking about more Sonika adventures. Currently, INTRODUCING SONIKA is available at most online retailers and certainly at the Ellora’s Cave
website. The original Sonika short story, “Halloween for a Heroine,” will be
available on September 30.