First, a declaration — I have no plans to write any of the plots I describe in this entry.
I am going to concentrate on songwriting, since it’s something I’ve done for far longer than fiction writing. I’m also formally trained to write music, whereas I can barely read novels nowadays.
I’ve put a lid on my literary aspirations. I’ll pursue them when the songwriting well runs dry. (Although, chances are, if that well dries up, so would the literary well.)
Regardless, I still want to update this entry. A few weeks ago, I thought I don’t have any new stories in me, no new plots to develop. That’s not quite the case.
Most of these ideas are embryonic, but at least they’re there. I’d be in worse shape if I had no ideas at all.
I’m copying directly from the old entry. Onward …
Crux novels
Crux — Already in the works. Nine months after being transformed into a vampire hunter, Crux unwitting kills the most powerful vampire in New York City. Some people want revenge. Shaun and Calvino, however, want Crux for their own purposes.
Amelia — The eldest daughter of the most powerful mortitian in the underworld has been murdered, and Crux has been asked to find the killer. Everyone thinks it was the vampire boyfriend who did it, but Crux uncovers a motive in which he may have been involved.
The Lightning-Struck Tower — A homeless man who draws Tarot decks on index cards is murdered. A shopkeeper who helps the homeless man out is killed. A Tarot deck finds its way to Crux. And someone wants to stop that deck from reaching its future owner.
Emma — Crux meets a vampire in broad daylight. She doesn’t know how her body has regained some of its mortality. Does Crux know?
Chasing Jackson Streng — The final Crux story. No details yet, but I want it to be a parody — a remake, if you will — of Murakami Haruki’s A Wild Sheep Chase. Crux is the Rat. Jackson Streng, I’m thinking, is the sheep. The chase starts in New York City, hops to Chicago, Austin, Portland and ends in Honolulu.
Gary/Mitch novels
The Courtship of Gary Huang — Finished.
Family Business — At first, this story was supposed to be about Gary’s family, and how he fumbles his relationship with Mitch just because he hadn’t made an effort to let his family become comfortable with his life. I’m not too thrilled about this particular plot now. I’m thinking of expanding the plot to include the challenges Gary and Mitch face as an interracial couple (Chinese and black, respectively.) I’m scrapping this idea.
"Sam" — Gary’s ex-boyfriend returns! Sam runs into Gary at a coffee house. Sam is in town on business, and he wants to earn Gary’s forgiveness. Mitch shows up just in time. Gary, however, discovers Mitch has been sleeping with an old flame, Kevin, on his "business trips". Gary visits Sam after learning the news, and the two spend the night. Short story — there’s not enough of a plot to stretch this out to a novel.
Trevor — The relationship of Gary and Mitch is on the skids. Mitch wants to have a child, and Gary doesn’t. Both of them have committed infidelity. When the untimely death of Mitch’s sister forces Mitch to take in his 10-year-old nephew Trevor, it looks like their relationship is over. Mitch, however, finds he’s not as equipped as he thought he was to take care of a grown child, and Gary finds himself befriending Trevor.
Crash novels
TBD Book One — Crash’s ex-boyfriend is found murdered, and Det. Mark Jack Cleary (has a better ring) catches the case. Cleary follows a drug angle, but Crash suspects something else.
TBD Book Two — I know nothing of the plot — all I know is Crash goes back into the courtroom, something he’s been avoiding for seven years.
TBD Book Three — Either Cleary gets shot, and Crash goes mad finding the shooter. Or an old rival from the DA’s office asks Crash to defend him. I don’t know if there’s enough to Crash to warrant a third book. Maybe some short stories though.
Porno stories
The Mansion — Science has uncovered the roots of homosexuality, and in a near-future world, legislation prohibits any religion from vilifying homosexuals. Matthew, raised to believe homosexual is evil, is arrested for fraud when he attempts to attain a marriage license after his blood test reveals a significant predisposition for homosexuality. He is sent to a rehabilitation center to "clarify" his orientation. That’s a lot of words for "he goes to a prison where he has sex with other men all day."
The Education of Jeff Smith — Follows the sexual development of a bisexual man in his early 40s. He meets a man who gives him in an incentive to explore sex with other men.
Fairy tales (Old ideas I can’t seem to make work very well)
Cinderella
Beauty and the Beast
Miscellaneous
As Time Goes By Parody — A gay version of the British comedy. Only, the reunited lovers in this version are still sexually active.
As Time Goes By Parody II — A similar story. An American student goes on a year-long exchange to London, where he meets an English student and falls in love. Although they vow to keep in touch when the American goes back to the US, technological SNAFUs keep them apart. They lose touch for seven years. The Englishman moves to Los Angeles, where the American now lives. Opportunities for the two to reunite keep getting missed — unbeknownst to them — but eventually, fate smiles in their favor.
Waterloo Is the Center of the Universe — I blurted this story idea out during a trip to Galveston. It’s a series of short stories in which Waterloo Records somehow figures into the background. This story has evolved into something else.
Album — Follows the impact of an album by an unknown indie rock band on the few people who listen to it and on the band itself.
Music of the Spheres — Adventures on a colony of planets named after musical modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, etc.) Power on this colonies is harnessed by manipulating energy strings, as popularized by string theory. Music becomes an essential part of the society, although entertainers are still held in the lowest regard. String engineers, on the other hand, are respected.
"Untitled teen drama" — A jock and an indie kid attempt to forge a romantic relationship in the stratified environment of high school.