Titan 2 & 3

I am very nearly done the first full draft of the new Titan book, Titan: City Under Siege. I am really trying to cram in all edits and rewrites so that it should still be out spring of 2013. the new book is much more of an action adventure story, but many of the characters from the main cast still have some great moments of development throughout. I am very excited about it and cannot wait for people to read it.

To maintain the momentum of the series I will be taking no breaks while the book is being edited. i will be starting right in on the next draft of Titan 3, Shadow Games. I still have no idea when book 3 will be releaased, but no earlier then late fall 2013 I would geuss. This is the book I have come to think of as the allies book. It has two distinct story lines with two sets of villains and two sets of allies, and scores of new characters overall. Of course the old choristers will take plenty of time mingled in as well.

Azure

When I began developing Titan I wanted there to be a guide or mentor that would help him understand his new powers and responsibilities. How, after all, could a teenager be expected to just have these powers and know how to handle all of it on there own. At first I thought of some secret order that would have been charged with overseeing the ring and laying in waiting until one day another was chosen. The problem with that is how would they be able to keep paces with Titan. In the end I decided on the disembodied spirit guide, Azure. He's been there from the beginning and is fully aware of all Titan does, and is also been given some powers of his own to match Titan. Azure is not seen but Titan but he is always there and giving advice even if it is sometimes cryptic. The fact that he is disembodied and all seeing only offers some challenges for Michael to deal with. Eventually we will get to see Azure (in book 3 and 5) but until then we will all have to imagine like Michael does.

General Stevenson

There is a new character introduced in "City Under Siege" who is veiled under mysterious motives. He is a military general who we first meet in a secret meeting with Mayor Winfield, who we already know is not happy with Titan being in his city. As the story unfolds we see General Stevenson and his men appear whenever Titan arrives at a scene of a crime, usually chasing down Dr. Melodian's henchmen. The question for Titan is, is the general here to take him in or for some other purpose. Titan  has already had issues with the Delta City police department, and the last thing he needs is a battle with the military!

Delivering the Goods

Chapters 11-15 of "City Under Siege" are going t feel like one big action adventure marathon. It has inadvertently made the climax of the story quite long, especially when compared to" The Midnight Hour". It almost becomes like a separate story that starts at chapter 11. Once Titan faces off against Hammerhead, the last of Dr. Melodian's henchmen, he is in one big battle against the mad doctor. This is why I waited throughout the story to actually bring Dr. Melodian forward in the book. He is nothing more than a shadowy figure until chapter 13. I can also guarantee that Delta City will never be the same after experiencing Dr. Melodian's wrath. His henchmen have already wreaked considerable havoc on the city, but it is nothing compared to what Melodian himself will do with his machinations at his command. There are still many loose ends but the will all be wrapped up tightly after chapter 16.

Titan mini serial part 6

The following is the concluding chapter of the first Titan  mini serial:

Titan:

In the Clutches of the Leviathan pt.6

            Regulus’s fist connected to the massive jaw of the leviathan and snapped the creatures head back with a snap. The leviathan recoiled back nearly flipping backwards completely. Regulus was toppling over with it while continuing his attack. Before the beast could regain any ground he connected with another blow that broke several long sharp teeth from its mouth. As the leviathan was flailing back one of its enormous limbs caught Regulus off guard and he was sent flying to the ground with a crash.

            “You have made a great mistake creature,” Regulus said, as he quickly got to his feet, ignoring the pain from the fall. “You have taken everything from me. Now I will take everything from you!”

            The leviathan let loose with a mighty roar as it tried to get back its footing. Regulus coiled his legs and launched himself at the creature. He stayed low and soared forward across the short distance with all his might. He connected with the knee of one of its front legs. A loud crack filled the air as the bone gave way. The leviathan roared again, but this time not in anger, as its massive upper body tumbled forward. Regulus laced his hands together and swung them upward like a club. He connected again with its jaw. The formed jaw line crumbled inward like a straw house with the force of the blow. The leviathan crumbled to the ground in agony motionless.

            Titan, do not toy with this creature. Do not lower yourself to its standards.

            “This creature deserves no better,” Regulus replied to Azure.

            Perhaps, but you are better than that. As Titan you serve a higher principle. I am greatly sorry for your loss, but had you acted differently the outcome here would have been different.

            Regulus did not answer. He walked calmly over to where his sword lay and picked it up. He came back to the leviathan and raised it high. A single tear welled up and ran down the side of his cheek.

            “To hell with you now, creature,” Regulus said in a whisper.

            He brought the sword down to the leviathan’s head with all his might. The massive beast flinched once and then lay still. It was Regulus who broke the silence as he let loose a mighty wail. His hands let go of the sword and he fell forward onto the creature sobbing. His body jerked and heaved with each sob he let loose.

            The scene then pulled back and the destruction of the town by the leviathan lay out before Michael Novak as he sat gazing into the blue jewel at the end of his staff. He gazed down at his own Titan uniform which was vastly different from the one worn by Regulus all those centuries ago.

            “Is that it?” Titan asked Azure.

            It is the end of that story, but not the story of Regulus.

            “So, what happened then, you know, after all that?"

            Regulus learned a very valuable lesson that day one that came with a very high price. Naturally he was devastated after the loss he sustained, but he did manage to pull himself away from the abyss and he became a great Titan. Many stories were passed around for some time of the great deeds he did. He recommitted his life to those in need in honour of the family he lost. In the end it is sad that he had to lose all that he had in order to become that man, but the lives he saved after that day far outweighed the lives that were lost, Regulus saw to that.

            Titan hopped off the heating duct he had been sitting on while he watched the story of Regulus. He stepped toward the edge of the rooftop and looked out over the city before him. His body was in the present as he looked over the city that was under his protection, but his mind was stuck in the past.

            “I get it. My hasty actions tonight could have hurt or even killed people. I couldn’t imagine if my actions ended up causing harm to Carly or Grandpa Dale or any of my friends. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if that happened.”

            It would be unfortunate, that is why you must always be thinking of the greater good that you represent when you don the symbol of Titan. With that symbol comes a greater responsibility. Your choices will rarely involve Michael Novak, they will involve the greater good of the people you protect.

            “Yeah, I would way rather have Carly just mad at me for being late then to have anyone hurt because of me.”

            Titan stepped on to the ledge.

            “Well, unless we come under some other trouble, let’s call it a night,” Titan said.

            Very well.

            Titan leaped forward toward home, but instead of thoughts of Carly and his plans for the night he focused himself on the sights and sounds of the city and was alert to any trouble or danger that might present itself.

 

                                                                                The End

 

Shock & Awe

Titan: City Under Siege literally will be starting off with a bang as Titan will be at the climax of a battle against pyro twins Shock and Awe. Awe is young girl gifted and creating explosives as is her twin brother Shock. They work out of a mobile blasting station taht is an old van they have converted into a fully functioning bomb factory. Together they go on a spree of destruction that is nothing more than senseless violence that is causing destruction across Delta City before Titan gets on their trail. They do not take anything or have any real mission they simply want to watch the city burn. The next mini serial, which will likely be out in the new year, will focus on the beginning of the this battle and chase of Titan and the twins an the story will end at the start of book 2.

You and What Army?

Before you ever see Dr. Melodian in 'City Under Siege' we meet his three accomplices, Hawk, Hammerhead, and Sonic. These are three of the guinea pigs that he has handpicked and either drafted, payed off, or forced to do his bidding. Sonic was lured to Dr. Melodian in the hope that he would be able to have his handicap overcome and instead was forced against his will to wear the artificial legs that gave him super speed. and armed with a series of explosives and grenades to wreak havoc upon Delta City. Hawk was another disgruntled individual who Dr. Melodian was able to manipulate into donning his mechanical wing and attacking the city from above. Hammerhead was a highly paid mercenary who was willing to ask no questions and take orders from the highest bidder. They were to be the first of Dr. Melodian's new army. Individually the were a threat, together they are extremely dangerous, and they all fear not fulfilling their goals and answering to their boss. Titan will not just have to face one mad scientist and his invention, but a small army armed with highly sophisticated and lethal weapons.

Dr. Melodian

I thought it would be a good time to elaborate on the main villain of "City Under Siege" as I am nearly done the first complete draft. Dr. Carl Melodian is the mad scientist villain of the Titan universe. He was a gifted boy with a genius level IQ that excelled in all areas of science. As he was born with no legs he quickly developed ways to overcome his handicap using the technology he could create on his own. before he graduated university he discovered that there was nothing he could not create using science and technology. He wanted to wanted to use his genius to help others the way he had been able to help himself. Before long he found himself working for the military where he was promised the opportunity to put his skills to work helping those in need. Eventually, as the years passed, he came to learn that his creations were being taken and altered and then used to cause harm to many innocent people. DR. Melodian was furious, and when he approached his peers he was essentially turned away and expected to keep at the work put forth to him. When he refused the military let him go, and he found himself without work and no credit for all he had worked on for years. He had nothing. He vowed to have revenge on the people he felt wronged him. he wanted to do to them what they had done to him. He will have his revenge, and only Titan will be able to stop him!

The Interior Artwork

One regret I had from the first Titan book is that there are only 3 illustrated pages in the entire book. Unfortunately, due to the last minute switch of artists and cost that was all I could do at the time. I do hope to have at least 6 pages for "City Under Siege". With the nature of the Titan universe I always intended to have art be one of the focal points of the series. That was one of the big factors in me deciding to independent, publishers were extremely unlikely to allow a first time writer to have the added cost of interior artwork. I had always gone back and forth as to how the interior art should be. At one point I wanted to have each chapter with its own cover page. I also contemplated just dropping in numerous character sketches within the pages. I wanted a full illustrated novel feel to the series. So, the interior artwork may evolve with the course of the series.When many people see the cover of "The Midnight Hour" the grab it quickly flip through it and then say, "Oh, this isn't a graphic novel." That used to upset me, but know I look forward to those comments. The intention, after all, was to pay homage to those comic book superheroes that I grew up with and love to this day. I wanted it to feel like a monthly comic book series, so I guess mission accomplished!

Titan Mini Serial

I am working on the last chapter of the first Titan mini serial now, and I will be posting it on the blog as well as the website by next week. It will feature the final battle of Regulus and the Leviathan, as well as our current Titan Michael, and we will at last see what Michael thinks of this story of one of the very first Titan's that Azure has shown him. I already have the idea for the next mini serial and I hope to start it early in the new year. I also see many other possibilities for other mini serial story lines as well. perhaps some stories featuring some of the other characters in the Titan world. Vince, Vicki, Chief Ross are just some of the characters I am working story angles for. I will also be dropping some new villains for Titan to face as well. I do plan on putting all the mini serials together in one collected volume once there is enough of them. For now we will just have to see just how the story of Regulus ends!

Allies

The new Titan book that I will be working on, "Shadow Games", will not only have many more new villains but there will finally be some allies in Titan's battle against evil as well. First up will be the mysterious female superhero, Myst, who has the ability to turn herself into a smoke like fog allowing her to move through areas unnoticed and easily as well as fly. Myst has been around longer than many people realise and is someone Titan can learn a great deal from. He will take on the a sidekick like role to Myst throughout the book.

Also there will be the  super trio of T.R.I. (technologically reinforced infantry) that consist of female Jane and male John and their android partner MAC. Jane and John are former soldiers that have been turned into half cyborgs and given robotic abilities much like another Titan character, Kaizen.  Jane has robotic limbs that are able to extend to great distances as well as have super strength. John has four robotic arms that are super strong and MAC is a complete robot that offers many functions to his teammates. This team is not an ally to Titan right out of the gate, but through the course of the book we find out som o f the hidden motives of the people pulling the strings on T.R.I. And none of this includes what the villains are up to in book 3! Much more to come.

Kelowna Book Signing

The book signing even at Chapters Kelowna went very well last night. Thanks to all who showed up. It is always great to talk to people at these events. I must say also that the Kelowna Chapters has been wonderfully supportive over the last couple of months. It is so great as it is hard enough getting your work out there to these stores on your own, so to have a major chain give you their support is very encouraging. I likely won't be doing any more events until after the holidays, but I do have plans for the new year.

1st Draft Blues

I am very nearly done the 1st draft of Titan: City Under Siege. I am at he point where I am finding it difficult to slug through this last bit even if it has lots of action and closes off all the plot points throughout the book. I find the 1st drafts are the hardest. You are working from scratch and ploughing through page after blank page. It's more of a marathon where as I find the subsequent drafts more of a sprint as they are typically just numerous rewrites and edits. For "The Midnight Hour" The first and second were hard but my own skills were not there as well (and I know its arguable whether they are even there now). I still think I will be able to stick to a Spring 2013 time line for "City Under Siege" as long as the next couple drafts go as smooth as I am hoping they will.

Book signing Event!

I have been asked to participate in the upcoming members shopping night at the Kelowna Chapters this Thursday November the 8th 6pm-9pm. I will be there among some other authors signing copies of Titan: The Midnight Hour. Hope to see you there.

Kaizen

The only other character in "The Midnight Hour" that is shrouded in more mystery even than Mr. Midnight is his personal bodyguard, Kaizen. She is also the only character that can physically give Titan a run for his money. She remains shrouded in that cloak of mystery even at the end of the book. We only hear vague dipictions of her by the end with the conversation between Langara and Chief Ross. When creating her I wanted to instill some good female femme fatale angle into the story. As I was developing many of the plots of teh Titan Universe I quickly realized that there was a lack of strong female villains,  by the series end there will be several more. Kaizen has no lines a very vague back story (even more than Mr. Midnight's story), she has metal covering parts of her face, and she is feared by everyone and never even utters a single line. I based her look on several comic and video game characters. She is apprehended at the end of volume 1 so we may very well get to her more about her back story (which I admit I have had a hard time trying to nail down) and we may get to see a rematch between her and Titan before too long.

Man Vs. Machine

Something that seemed to be quite big back in the heyday of the golden age of comics is the giant villains that he heroes would have to fight. You don't see much of it anymore, and I think it's too bad. When you are always looking for worthy foes for your heroes what better than a villain 10 times their size. There will be such a villain in  'City Under Siege' thanks to the mad scientist antagonist of the story Dr. Melodian. One of the creations that Dr. Melodian will unleash upon Titan and Delta City in the climax of the book is a 100 foot robot. Earlier in the book Titan will have to face off against a horde of smaller robots only to find himself facing off against a much bigger mechanical foe a short time later. This book will feature many exciting first for Titan including battling evil robots small and large.