I’m researching as I’m writing, which is quite normal for me. The first chapter is almost finished and I’m hunting for the right paranormal element to fit in the book. With Australian (Virgin Jackson – the ranger) and North American (Nate Sixkiller – the cowboy) protagonists, it’s a delicate balance of mythologies. The book is set in Australia but Nate is here because one of the supernatural creatures from his cultural mythos is lose in our place.
I’m really attracted to the idea of the collision of culturally opposed mythological creatures. How does their interaction affect their integrity, and those of the humans around them? Which myth has more weight? They might sound like strange questions, but the strength of a myth is in the hands of the writer, and the writer is a conduit for what gone before, and what might be. I expect the myths to wage war inside me as they seek supremacy. Or maybe they’ll just get on fine!
In searching for what I want, I encountered Debbie Harry’s version of Ghost Rider’s in the Sky, which I just had to include on my playlist. Her voice is so haunting (though I could do without the tinny music accompanient), and it lifted me
to another place – just what I wanted.
One chapter down (about ten pages) but with lots of blank spaces for pertinent dialogue to be inserted when I’m more sure of the story arc. Back with chapter two news soon, as we meet our other hero, Nate Sixkiller.
