Plot Bunnies
Plot bunnies are those elusive creatures that hide out until you’re in the midst of a project. Then, the little jerks come out of the woodwork and give you all sorts of ideas, just out of reach until you’ve chased them silly.
What does that mean in the context of this post? Well, I caught an elusive plot bunny. The downside is its eating my brain and I must do its will. Which is, in this case, to write a new book!
Ancient Sands is in the hands of the editors at this moment, and I was working on the sequel, with the working title: Ancient Axes, a reference to the word Labyrinth. This new title is the redemption story of Layla Packett, former (and disgraced) Egyptologist who has finished her new graduate program to study ancient Crete’s mysteries. In a fortunate turn of events, she receives an internship at the Minoan Palace located in Knossus. In a slightly less fortunate turn of events, it seems this position was open to someone with her tarnished reputation for the sole fact that people kept going missing inside the Palace.
Her new mentor believes in second chances and accepting one’s fate. Layla must learn this lesson on her own.
So I’m maybe 80% of the way through outlining Ancient Axes and then CelticBlue2u strikes. We were discussing using writing as a therapeutic technique and she casually drops an idea into the chat. I’m hooked. I chase this plot bunny until all of the grand strokes of the story are done.
Meet the new main character, who hasn’t even gotten a name yet! Taking suggestions!
The year is 2150 and thanks to the Magical Revolution of 2036—where humanity measured magical energy fields for the first time—emotional support dolls called ‘poppets’ are used throughout humanity to pour their negative emotions into. It’s been slightly more than 100 years since the first poppet was discovered to absorb humans’ negative emotions. In the intervening time, humanity became dependent on these dolls. When a mysterious virus starts deactivating poppets unexpectedly, all hell breaks loose.
Our main character is a poppet monitor. Her job is to ensure that all poppets are functioning smoothly, and to deactivate the ones that are strained or stressed. As this epidemic of poppet deaths increases, she is forced to find the cause and the cure, as well as face her own darkest emotions for the first time.
What do you all think? Worth the chase?
