I glean from your fields, and you glean from mine.

My darling, my friend, hush and listen to me. If you've written something, you're not an aspiring writer. You're a WRITER. The trick is to never not be a writer. Let the words come and let the stories flow. It is a worthy endeavor, though it can make your heart bleed and your fingers cramp. It is a worthy endeavor, even though some may take your work and throw it in the trash-heap of their disdain and try to throw you in there, too. Don't let them. Listen to me. Be a maker. Be a writer. Write.

Nephilim: The Children of the Labyrinth is a "Kingdom Come" sequel in progress. Current cover art for the work is a haunting photo of a faerie child-king by Garjan Atwood.

Currently working on an alternative-universe Labyrinth story called "Seven: Descant." I'm directly inspired and obliged to Frances Osgood's story "Seven." In both stories, a musician named Jareth is abducted by a powerful sorceress and forced to compose seven songs for her to win his freedom. Two authors working on different versions of the same story: this is going to be very, very interesting. But bear in mind that Frances' story comes first; this is just the descant atop the main melody.

Labyrinth: Kingdom Come is complete. I'd like to say something stupid like "What a long strange trip it's been," but it's only been long, not strange. It's funny how much work a creative endeavor really is. It's like a movie set: all the beauty and production design that the reader sees is held up with a scaffolding of insanity and crap and 2x4s that they never see. You wouldn't like insight into my writing process; it's like looking at a needlepoint from the backside, or seeing what strange stuff gets ground up into the sausage. This does not change the fact that the story has been lovely and tasty for me to write. The Labyfic community has been incredibly supportive, particularly my beta readers, Nyllewell and Frances Osgood. Jade Cooper even made me a cover (Thank you, Jade Cooper!). Please: read, review, and root for Sarah as she brings her 32 years of experience into breaking the curse set upon the beleaguered King of the Labyrinth. I think it's pretty good stuff. But then, I would.

I'm currently working, elsewhere, on creating a film mashup of Hellraiser II and Labyrinth, which is an unusual but surprisingly felicitous combination. While attempting to add some Goblin King material to Act I, I realized that a story about a sadistic young doctor imprisoning fae royalty in an insane asylum could be fruitful and explain some of Jareth's distaste for and attraction to human beings, as well as demonstrate how Dr. Channard of Hellraiser II became fascinated by the lure of the Labyrinth--the promise of forbidden hidden knowledge, obtained in the most cowardly and unwise ways.

I'm also coming to realize that the power to rule a labyrinth is never something that can be given. It has to be earned, in agony and sacrifice, and love. Exile from the Labyrinth: the Lament Configuration is the story of the price the Goblin King had to pay to win his Kingdom. This story is a lot darker than my usual fare. It's deeply psychosexual and sadistic, and there is no doubt that the villains are powerfully evil and the heroes are fragile. The theme of this story is confrontation and struggle; like the PG-rated struggle between Sarah and Jareth is about maturity, compassion, and self-sacrifice, the R-rated fight between Jareth and Channard is about freedom, sanity, and judgment. Please read and review and root for Jareth, as this story puts HRH, GK, through mortal Hell in all its garish ugliness. Sweet shades of Jim, protect him.

In the meantime, thanks to the prompting of Anchorite, I'm working on a multi-chapter Labyrinth "travelogue" titled Triskaidekaphilion. Those looking for a fast-paced concise plot will be disappointed; those interested in florid descriptions with copious pepperings of college-level vocabulary words (and perhaps interested in fanart inspiration) will have found a goldmine. Much thanks also to Nyllewell and ZutarianNaiad for their support and encouragement in this process.

Note: Epigraphs and introductions for Precincts Seven through Thirteen of Triskaidekaphilion are published as of 9/3/13. Expanded descriptions will follow. But you know, don't you, that even when the transcription is finished, that the Labyrinth is still greater than thirteen Precincts? Of course you know. You must know, or you wouldn't be here.

I'm interested in this project because while the fan fiction community has done a lot of work dissecting the nature of "human" relationships shown in the movie (with particular attention paid to Sarah and Jareth), there isn't a lot of fiction which gives the Labyrinth itself such keen observation and lavish attention. I wanted to discuss the Labyrinth, not just as a set piece upon which the "more important stuff" of romance and adventure takes place--I want to examine the Labyrinth for its own sake. (Get through the Labyrinth! Get through the Labyrinth?) I think I have a pretty nice toolkit for investigating mythological symbols, and I've never, ever, ever in my life encountered any film so full of layered symbol, sign, and meaning. So many of us have wished to be in Sarah's shoes for the implicit romance between her and the Goblin King. I've wished that, but I've also wished to be where she is so I could see and explore the Labyrinth myself. It's such a special place. This is my love-letter to the film.

Inspiration for Triskaidekahilion is drawn from several sources, but particularly useful has been Marina Warner's book From the Beast to the Blonde, a rich book on the roots of the fairy-tale tradition in the West. The story of the mirror road in Precinct Three is directly inspired by Warner's academic investigations of legends surrounding the enigmatic fairy-tale figure of the Queen of Sheba.