Once I attempted to keep a journal on the path to a finished story. It's not a straight shot. Some stories are curvier than others. Book 3 of the Maze was like going to New Zealand to the Arctic by way of Ireland just to arrive at San Francisco.
I think I'm in Ireland.
I got 50,000 words into the rough draft. That's when it fell apart. Sort of. Other elements were popping up like bubbles in a thick stew. The kettle was getting hot. I put the story down for about a month and let it simmer.
Oh man.
I'd always envisioned all of my trilogies tying together someway. There's been plenty of crossover between Foreverland and Halfskin, elements that showed up in the Maze. This final book will finish the bow. It will bring together where those worlds started and how and why they link. Characters from the previous trilogies make an appearance.
The Maze will be the final chapter. (I think. Who knows. It's sort of like a band's final tour who end up on the road a year later.)
When I'm done, I'll be boxing Foreverland, Halfskin and Maze into a humungo arc called The Unreality Saga. There are Easter eggs from Socket Greeny, Drayton and, yes, even Claus.
The interesting thing about book 3 is that I didn't see it coming. In fact, after I finished book 2, The Hunt for Freddy Bills, I was a little concerned I was going too far in an unrelated direction. Yes, it had elements of the Maze, but it didn't feel cohesive. But book 3 is bringing it full circle.
Full circle. Hint.
Book 1 and 2 will be integral leading up to book 3. I'm still feeling my way through the Maze, but I feel the light. So here's a quick synopsis.
Micah and Dova return as main characters. Freddy Bills's duplicate, Marcus, too. (Remember Marcus in Halfskin?) The investors of Foreverland make a return. Harold Ballard, Danny, Cyn, Reed and Lucinda from Foreverland make guest appearances as does Nix, Raine, Paul and Cali from Halfskin. The inception of the Maze is resolved. Who are the investors? Why did they start the Maze? What were they hoping to get from Grey and Sunny Grimm?
More importantly, where is Sunny now? Her grand scheme is about to come full circle. Sometime this summer, the snake will eat its tail.
