Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Taboo Thoughts: What I'm Writing

Every now and then I have a creative outburst. Here's what I've been up to:

Disposable Culture - A cyber-terrorist calling him(?)self the Luddite threatens to delete the internet while an ambitious F.B.I. investigator tracks him-her-they to Sunrise Island, a leper colony for the digitally disgraced (and one of my favorite surreal settings). As a teacher filmed yelling at a student, a bunch of white people who were filmed saying the n-word, and a douche of a tech guru assert their agendas, they are forced to take sides based on if they think we really were better off without "that carcinogenic distraction in our pockets".

A Colossus Stirs - In a series of cities in an Egyptian fantasy setting, everyone has a choice to live among savage desert tribes, or in the cities, where the drinking water is clean and the land is fertile. The price of city living is existence under the eyes of the colossi, who destroy cities when the gods are displeased. Of course, being the gods, they never tell you exactly how you earned your genocide. When a city falls for the first time in centuries, the leaders of the known world have to figure out what the gods want before the colossi leave all the world a barren desert.

And if you're a gamer it was inspired by "Shadow of the Colossus", which features one of the best plot twists in gaming history. 

Not a Real Boy - If we create artificial life, what do we owe it? Dr. Ava knows she isn't supposed to feel anything for Jep, the synthetic child she's raising. She knows the purpose for his existence is both essential and loathsome, but it will save "real" children. What does a creator owe her creation, if anything at all?

Billy Currock is Consumed - Paternal abandonment meets shark fin soup. And...scene.

His Fascist Ex - I'm dangerously close to halfway done with my third novel, where a has-been author watches the rise of the American Hitler from his bar stool. His story could derail his ex-boyfriend's ascension among the homophobic American right, but he's reluctant to tell it because of lingering feelings of guilt and loyalty. He is talked into telling his story by a handsome newcomer, who may be with one of the leftist militias or may be testing his loyalty on behalf of his powerful, and paranoid, ex.

The Zombie Apocklips Ain't for Queers - Virus, not undead, and the way the virus works is you can save yourself by passing it on quickly to someone else. As a side-effect, the person you sacrificed to save yourself will never stop hunting you. I wanted a personal zombie apocalypse. Also, the protagonist is gay and he finds refuge among the type of people who stored a lot of ammo and canned food (Trump voters who ain't too fond a lib'ral book learnin'). And the zombie tracking him is his husband. It's all about finding the courage to reach across the aisle to defeat a common enemy.

But the President still gets to appoint Supreme Court Justices without the Senate saying no to every possible nominee in advance. Let's not have any motherfucking confusion about that one.

-James Russell

P.S. and tiny author celebration: Thanks for getting me across the 5,000 view mark!