Misfits 3 is taking shape

Writing is slowly continuing on my work in progress. Anybody who tells you that "writing is easy" has either never actually tried it, or has an alter ego sitting over there in an alternative universe whispering words at them. I don't have one of those. Sometimes I wish I did.

This is the third Morgan's Misfits book. In a way, writing a series is easier than a stand-alone book. The characters are (mainly) already created so you, the author, already know a lot about them. The tech's created, too, so you know what ships, weapons, nifty tools and things your characters have and what they haven't. The interesting thing is that the DIS-advantage of writing a series is all the same things. You have to be careful not to change the details about your characters – eye colour, height, background. Changes to mindset have to be a progression. You can’t introduce a brand-new piece of tech without an explanation, or new aliens. It's a balancing act.

I should explain that this series is a set of stand-alone stories, a bit like a detective series or the Famous Five (ha). You'll meet a core of the same characters, but each story is about a new situation not related to the previous books. The core characters -  Toreni, Jirra, and Chet - change and grow in each book.Crossmar and Shar Burk, two massive, populated space stations, once again appear in this story. And you'll get to visit the Manesai Union's capital, Mahanadi. Morgan Selwood and Admiral Ravindra will both make appearances, and there's a brand new love story developing.

I haven't finished writing a blurb yet, but this will give you an idea of where this story will take you.

Marisa, last mistress of Governor Soldar, manages to escape alive, if battered and bruised, from an attempt to kill her. What did she overhear to earn a death sentence?

Here's a snippet.

"You said you were getting worried when Habid took you to a different apartment. Was that just because it was out of routine?" Chet asked. "Was Soldar any different? Did anything happen before that might have led to your removal? Any sign of another woman in his sights?"

Marisa shoved away Habid's assault and thought about the question. "I wasn't aware of anyone else. We had sex the night before, as normal as I'd come to expect from him." She concentrated. "Then somebody came. He left me asleep, or so he thought. Went out in a robe. I heard voices, so I got up to snoop. He caught me. He wasn't happy." He'd been angry, his eyes narrowed to slits. "I told him I heard voices, I was curious. He told me not to be curious, but he seemed to accept I'd heard and seen nothing. He fucked me hard, made it painful, making sure I knew my place."

Chet's nostrils flared. "He hurt you?"

"Sure. Not much more than usual. He was putting me in my place, issuing a warning, I think." She bit her lip. "I didn't pick it as time to go." She'd always thought she'd know when her time was up, when she'd have to run. She'd been wrong.

"Did you hear anything?"

"Not much. Soldar was very happy about something. I caught a few words. 'Success', 'ship'. Maybe it was about the ship you're looking for?" She looked at the faces. They exchanged glances.

"Anything else? Did you know who he was talking to? Did he mention names? Places?"

Marisa ran the encounter back through her mind. Muffled words, laughter from Soldar, the clink of glasses. "I didn't recognize the voice of the man he talked to. So, I'd say he wasn't one of the regular staff. I didn't recognize any place names. He was really pleased at that point. I know he shared a drink with whoever it was. I think he did say 'Dasilva' and something like 'tell someone'.  Dasilva's a Vesha Hai Sur. President of Indinara, a planet not too far from Shar Burk. In fact, he's pretty much a neighbor."

"He's not a nice man, by all accounts," Jirra said. "He and Soldar ought to get along. But maybe they're too much alike."

Marisa shrugged. "Soldar controls the media on Shar Burk. Any reports on Dasilva are always negative."

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Meanwhile, work goes on. It'll be a few weeks yet. You'll be among the first to know when it's done.