Colton Verne

I started out with a very vague idea for the main character of my Sophisticuffs series, Colton Verne. I wanted him to be a post-apocalyptic lone ranger with daddy issues and a smart mouth. Oddly enough, a Wolf Parade Song entitled "You are a runner and I am my father's son" provided some inspiration (I've had Spencer Krug on loop when I write, especially during the inception of this book).

Here are the lyrics:

I got a number on me
I got a number
Won’t make it through the high noon sun
Well I am my Father’s Son
I am my Father’s Son
His bed is made

I was a hero
Early in the morning
I ain’t no hero
In the night
I am my Father’s Son
And I’ll build a house inside of you
I’ll go in through the mouth
I’ll draw three figures on your heart
And one of them will be me as a boy
And one of them will be me
And one of them will be me watching you run
Watching you run
Into the high noon sun
Watching you run
Farther than guns will go
You are a runner
With a stolen voice
ou are a runner
And I am my Father’s Son
I am my Father’s Son
I am my Father’s Son

An Odyssey of Sorts

As I write my first pulp/sci-fi/western/horror/adventure novel, I am finding myself structuring it like an epic, episodic poem. I think my current chapter is my "Night of the Lotus Eeaters." Well, they eat something, anyway, and its creepy. Cannibalism: always a must in my opinion. I mean, why not go there? Is there a reason not to? I don't think so.

This first book (I'm planning a series of four or five) jumps around from adventure to adventure as the main characters establish their role in the world. From then on, the plot thickens, and no-one is safe.

I've been reading a lot of Haruki Murakami. That guy will change the way you think about the novel. Check him out, seriously!