Roar and Liv
So we've tackled the subject of Book 2 before, and I think it's safe to say that Katherine, Donna, Veronica and I have each encountered challenges along the way to that second book. It's tough. There are time constraints (you want it when?), creative constraints (you mean I can't go back and change the rules for my world?) and a new kind of pressure (you mean it has to be kind of the same but completely different? As good as the first one, but better?)
The point of this is that the process is different, the pressure is different and as a writer you feel a bit like a trained monkey who has to perform on demand. But that's not to say that there aren't magic moments along the way. There comes a point where that writing mojo kicks back in and you discover the pure joy of your characters and their stories.
Roar and Liv, Veronica's short prequel to Under the Never Sky, resonates with that joy, and as a reader, I couldn't help but be swept up in it.
Roar and Liv is told from the point of view of Roar, one of my favorite characters in Under the Never Sky. He gives us great insight into the world Roar and Perry shared together with the Tides, before the events that led them both to disperse. And we finally get to me Liv, Perry's sister and Roar's love. Sigh.
Roar is as funny and sexy and wonderful as you expect, but he's also darker and more complex. And it is great to see Perry from Roar's point of view. Here is one of my favorite scenes between Roar and Perry:
"We were supposed to be bothers one day, Per. Real Brothers...family." I don't know what I'm saying. The Luster is speaking for me. But I can't take the words back.
Perry looks right at me. "What do you think we are?"
I turn to the sea and stare at it. I watch the waves until the tightness in my throat loosens and I'm breathing normally again. He's right. We are family. I'm not terrified of what I could be losing in the future. I'm scared of losing what I already have.
Beside me, I hear the slosh of the bottle as Perry takes a drink. Minutes pass before he speaks again. When he does, he's so quiet that I know the words aren't really meant for me.
"You're better than a brother." he says.
Sigh again. I love these boys so much.
Roar and Liv is the perfect companion to Under the Never Sky and gives us just enough to keep us on the edge of our seats for Through the Ever Night in January.
Can't. Wait.
The point of this is that the process is different, the pressure is different and as a writer you feel a bit like a trained monkey who has to perform on demand. But that's not to say that there aren't magic moments along the way. There comes a point where that writing mojo kicks back in and you discover the pure joy of your characters and their stories.
Roar and Liv, Veronica's short prequel to Under the Never Sky, resonates with that joy, and as a reader, I couldn't help but be swept up in it.
Roar and Liv is told from the point of view of Roar, one of my favorite characters in Under the Never Sky. He gives us great insight into the world Roar and Perry shared together with the Tides, before the events that led them both to disperse. And we finally get to me Liv, Perry's sister and Roar's love. Sigh.
Roar is as funny and sexy and wonderful as you expect, but he's also darker and more complex. And it is great to see Perry from Roar's point of view. Here is one of my favorite scenes between Roar and Perry:
"We were supposed to be bothers one day, Per. Real Brothers...family." I don't know what I'm saying. The Luster is speaking for me. But I can't take the words back.
Perry looks right at me. "What do you think we are?"
I turn to the sea and stare at it. I watch the waves until the tightness in my throat loosens and I'm breathing normally again. He's right. We are family. I'm not terrified of what I could be losing in the future. I'm scared of losing what I already have.
Beside me, I hear the slosh of the bottle as Perry takes a drink. Minutes pass before he speaks again. When he does, he's so quiet that I know the words aren't really meant for me.
"You're better than a brother." he says.
Sigh again. I love these boys so much.
Roar and Liv is the perfect companion to Under the Never Sky and gives us just enough to keep us on the edge of our seats for Through the Ever Night in January.
Can't. Wait.
2 comments
I was just commented on another blog about the pressures of book 2 and how it's a completely different ball game before publication and for the next book and so on. I have so much respect for authors who work with deadlines because I would get exhausted having that as a major issue in my career (or hobby, if writing is their main career).
Knowing that authors not only have to work under pressure from their editors/publishers, but also from fans who feel so deeply about their work that the pressure seems really intense and I give authors a lot of credit for being able to continue their work and continue enjoying it.
And I love the excerpt you posted here, I teared up reading that scene!
Me, too! What's so great about ROAR AND LIV is that it builds on what the reader already knows, so scenes like the one you excerpted take on an even deeper significance because you know what Perry's biological brother was like in UNDER THE NEVER SKY. It's all about context. And because of that it's deeply satisfying to spend time in this new perspective.
Post a Comment