Ramona the Brat

I don't know how long I can milk Ramona titles out of my writing updates ... or why I am at all, but just go with it, eh?

Last week I was chatting with one of my alter-ego's friends, one of the few I wish I could keep, even though I know that's impossible. Anyway, since the person is from Texas I thought I'd hit him up for some details that were nagging me as far as how accurate I am with a few things in Chapter 2. I think I more or less found out what I needed to know, and then we got into a discussion of my ideas for my second book, which may have some Texas in it as well.

If you remember my last discussion of Shannon, you might remember I mentioned a note about twisting some of that stuff into a book. Unlike the first book, where I'm trying to stick to the story, at least as far as Emma goes, this second book would be a complete extrapolation of what might have happened if the relationship between Shannon and I did what it could have ... and then went completely off the rails. Or in other words, what if Shannon and I did run off to Texas like she off-handedly suggested one afternoon? And then what if everything went horribly wrong? I think it has some merit.

And keeping with the themes that I enjoy this second book is going to be dark and very Noir-ish. I always love a good Noir story. And it's going to be bloody and violent in ways that the first book can't be. Now, wait a minute, you say. What some of you have seen of the current book is pretty damn violent in spots, yes, but it's only as violent as it needs to be to tell this story ... with maybe a little extra, thanks to the Ben character. But this Shannon and me book will be even more violent, more than it needs to be, even egregiously so. It might turn out to be something (else) my mom can't read. But to do that story I'm going to have to really cut loose and go bonkers with it, and anyone who's read some of the stories I've written for my own team of super-villainesses at the Batcave (which is a whole 'nother thing I intend to take out of there and potentially make money with) knows I can bring a shitload of violence to the table. So it would be my second book filed under: "Twisted Love Story" (or to use the shorthand -- "It's about a girl.")

I like the idea that my regular type books (as opposed to comic booky stuff) are all happening in a shared universe. So if I can figure out a way to do it I might overlap a character or two from the first book into the second (or vice versa, if I'm really sneaky about it). I also know where the two lovers on the run are going, too. There's a whole county built in Texas already where they could end up, so maybe that'll become my version of Castle Rock. Who knows.

However, while the guy in this second book will be based on me, it won't be Kelly. His story is all told in the first book. The two leads will be brand new to the second book. It's conceivable that Emma could make some sort of appearance, but only if I find the right way to do it. I wouldn't rule out Alyssa making a cameo appearance either. There's no plan for that, but I only have the bare bones of a story right now, too. I'm drawing some influence from movies like Blood Simple, and the comic book this blog is named after, as far as the feel of things. Texas is probably going to be more of an Idea Of Texas than a real representation, since I've never been there my own self. Most of my idea of what it's like to be a Texan comes from Preacher, Firefly, Lone Star, Erin, and a couple of people my alter-ego chats with. So I have the idea of the place in my noggin, which is a start.

I haven't the slightest notion of a title, though.