(Re)Writing God of the Hive IV
The fourth excerpt for The God of the Hive is here. (The book itself is available on April 27.) For those curious about the writing and rewriting process, each excerpt has been followed by a brief explanation of the changes made. As always, I take care to avoid major spoilers, but anyone wishing to preserve the absolute purity of the eventual reading experience should stop now and stick to the excerpts themselves, and perhaps come back to the (Re)Writing posts after reading the book itself. (Click on the images below to enlarge.)
What is now chapter four started out as the latter half of chapter one, but this (as with the chapter showing Holmes and Damian at sea) was divided in favor of a quick introduction to the various characters. When first we saw Russell, she and a child were crossing a hill at dawn. That first chapter showed us Russell and Estelle; set the scene; made reference to her brother-in-law Mycroft (whose Intelligence work will play a major role in The God of the Hive); and touched on the presence of an aeroplane and pilot, waiting ominously in the distance. (A basic rule of crime fiction: Don’t mention a gun if you’re not going to use it.)
Having met the principal players, the machinery of the plot now begins to turn, with Russell maneuvering her way across the island and absorbing the first lessons of surrogate parenting, namely, how to move about with a child in tow. This is only one of the skills she has never before had any particular need for, but Russell’s arms are already becoming accustomed to the child, as the reader begins to accept the presence of this small person in the story.
Which means that when a man turns a gun on the narrator, the reader immediately feels the threat to the child at her side.
All the elements of this chapter move towards this threat: the changed verbs of motion used to describe boarding and leaving the milk cart sharpen the senses, and the tension. The change from (in the original draft) Russell spotting the cart and instantly knowing how to get onto it change, illustrating her hesitation, even fear, due to the presence of Estelle: Russell is afraid of coming into the open.
And when the final line comes, the threat is not simply a man with a gun, it is a man threatening her heart.
I was going to post a comment on the page with the excerpts, but thought I ought to refrain until most people read it- something along the lines of “IF ONE HAIR ON THAT CHILD’S HEAD IS INJURED FURTHER–!” sort of thing. That subtle ramp-up to shock builds so effortlessly and works like it’s supposed to.
And a completely unrelated question, for the uninitiated: if one orders GOTH from either your site, or Amazon’s link through yours or what-have-you, does it arrive on the 27th? Or does it arrive later than that? I was also trying to figure out if the local independent (used) bookstore would order it and have it ready on the 27th as well….opinions?
In my experience a book ordered from Amazon arrives on publication day, but then an independent bookstore should have them to sell on that day, too. They usually arrive beforehand and are “embargoed” until the day.
Loved your explication of this scene, Laurie – one does indeed feel Russell transmuting in this from a capable young woman to a tigress defending her cub!
Another unrelated — but important — question. Amazon shows no sign of an audio version to be released. There IS going to be one, isn’t there? (Hopefully done, once again, by the remarkable Jenny Sterlin.)
I checked Recordedbooks.com the other day and they are listing GOTH for sale already, with a release of April 15th (which may or may not be the truth). Audible.com hasn’t listed GOTH as yet.
It is always such a treat to read how you put a scene together, Laurie. That chapter did indeed ramp the reader up and the last sentence made my heart stop.
April 27th can’t get here fast enough!
–Alice
According to My Man at Recorded Books: “We have a strict on-sale date of 4/27, at which time our recording will be available in retail download and library CD.”
Which I take to mean that the physical CDs for retail sale will take longer to distribute.
Laurie