What's Behind That Door?

Yes, yes, I'm still alive. A bit bloodied as per the GIF in the previous post tells the story of my current struggle to overcome deadline demons. This one is particularly nasty ;-P because I'm, as usual, trying out something new--high tech spy games/mind control/inter-agency competitive politics/sexual tension, this time with emphasis on the scientific techno-wizardry.

This isn't an easy story for me to tell because it doesn't have the usual external conflict on which to fall back on. Into Danger has the McGuffin laptop. Facing Fear has a heroine's secret past and a hero's struggle with his own agency. The SEAL trilogy has the missing explosive device and the horrific tragedy of human trafficking. There is none of these in Hell's story.

Super Soldier Spy is the beginning book of a woman's potential as the winning candidate in a secret government program. There's no outward conflict since the competition between agencies is over by the time this story starts. I had no interest in writing a book about one woman's training against a bunch of others, ala similar to, let's say, female in a Navy SEAL Bud/s training. Hell's story isn't about her trying to be the best and winning, although that's part of it, but it's about her fulfilling a...but I'm getting ahead of myself ;-)...since THAT's in Book Three.

So Hell is giving me fits because she isn't my usual heroine with an agenda. She does have one, but it's so simple that there's nothing much to write about. It seems, according to her, she just wants to see what she's capable of, and hopefully, she can go beyond GEM. I mean, that's a pretty simple ambition, isn't it? A woman hitting thirty always thinks about future possibilities and Hell's just wondering what's out there besides GEM.

Of course, she, being my kinda gal, chooses to look for it in the strangest way ;-). She decides to accept the contract for the experiment to be SSS.

Very Kewl. I got A Story. But I'm at the point now where I need some kick-ass BIG ACTION. **counting off with fingers*** I have my virtual reality. I have my drug stuff. I have the jealous interagency stuff. I have the mysterious hero to intrigue the reader. I have the commandos moving in and out to steal the scenes. Okay, then TADA, here's the first big test for Hell.

I'm supposed to be there already. So why am I wading through all this inaction? I have a sense of the building-up to the big action scene and yet, I'm hesitating. I have no idea why, so don't ask me. I've asked myself a hundred thousand times the last 48 hours.

Is it fear? And if I say yeah, it is, what am I afraid of? Why can't I pull the trigger?

So I took deep breath very very early this morning, after checking out the Figure Skating Ice Dancing Nationals ;-), and took a step back. I decided to go back to the beginning prologue, which started with my mysterious hero giving a bird's eye view of the experiment. Although Book One is mainly Hell's story, I've decided to give him center stage in this coming chapter. And you know what? I think I might have found the key to unlock that action scene behind Door Number Three.

Cross your fingers for me, will ya? Mine are too bloody.

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