(This is a repost of my May 15, 2018 blog. Like last week, I’m still trying to elaborate on what I know about The Silent Invader.  What made it the most difficult is remembering what is in this book, what is only in my notes, and what is in the books to follow.  I hate to think I would give away the ending to the third or fourth book in the series, and I haven’t even written them yet!)

How do you confront something, when you’re not sure who (or what) it is?

Very Carefully. Or not very carefully.

The confrontation with The Silent Invader is something that is not at the forefront of the story.  In fact, it may not at times seem to be the story.  But, that’s what happens when you focus too close to things.

When I wrote the book, and as I’ve mentioned with characters like Becky and others, everyone has a story.  Why they’ve crossed paths with the others, and why these have gathered for this adventure.

This includes The Silent Invader.  They (I’m going to at times use an indefinite article, like ‘they,’ ‘it,’ or maybe ‘he/she,’ for The Silent Invader. It’ll be Italicized, with a capital letter for clarity.  But it’s not meant to define The Silent Invader as singular, or not define it as a group) have a story, one that I didn’t have time to touch on in this book, but will get into more in the next.  That doesn’t mean you won’t learn anything about Them in this one.

I mentioned in a past blog that I also wasn’t planning a series when I wrote this book.  That was very much true.  I was intending to write a single volume.  But, I realized that completing the story I had in mind in a single book was going to take north of 400k words. Based on the word count of this book, that would be a roughly 1100 page book.  A decision needed to be made:

-Write a single compendium, in all its exhaustive glory, and drop that on the reading public. Or …

-Complete the ‘series’ in several parts, each with a clear objective of its own.

The problem was It was a portion of what would be covered in each book, though It would not always draw the immediate attention of the other characters with its actions.

And while this book covers less than 3 weeks, the ‘entire’ story would actually span years, touching certain epochs in time.

For my own sanity (sorry), I decided to apportion the original novel. As a result, there is closure, but not finality.  This is not to diminish the threat faced in the novel. Rather it recognizes the danger in each epoch for the characters, along with how each epoch changes the views and conduct of the characters. Considering what they face in this book, it makes you wonder how they will react to any other ‘threat’ that may arise.  Will they run at it, ready to face it down?  Will they stand to the side, and watch others instead?  Will they choose to depart, possibly even running from the danger?  And just think It is still in each of these books!

It becomes important, then to start at the beginning.  The Silent Invader can seem like merely a momentary threat in this series, but realize that this book will neither be an exhaustive history of It. And despite its importance to the story It will also choose not to make itself known openly for yours (or anyone else’s) benefit.

That alone should tell you a lot about The Silent Invader.

Original Blog – The Silent Invader. (Part Two)