I've been mostly incommunicado this evening, as I've slowly began to explore the lives of Sophie, Lucas, Oliver, and Alice on the Flipside.

The best thing about starting on a brand new story is being able to flesh out your characters and the world(s) they inhabit from the ground up. Since this is the first time my protagonists are kids (and not teenagers or adults), it's doubly intriguing. Of course, my experience with kids is limited to what I remember from my own childhood, and to the time I've spent with my nephews and nieces, but I still think (and hope) that I'll be able to make these girls and boys feel real and interesting. Part of that is giving them an interesting background, and part of that is allowing them to grow and mature during the course of the story.

Flipside is both dark and funny, both personal and epic, and I'm quite happy with the concept. Right now, it could evolve into anything, although my intention is to write a screenplay for a live-action movie. I'd love to see these character, this story, on the big screen...or the small screen. I'm not picky. Well, uh, yes, I am. But I'm not locked to one medium. It could even make a good graphic novel.

Listening to Tori Amos' Scarlet's Walk as I write - an album perfectly suited to the mood I'm in, the mood of this story. I always write better with music in the background than I do without, and her music works better than most. It's rich and complex without being intrusive or noisy. It's smooth, like red wine, and as comfortable as a soft pillow. In a word: beautiful. I've been a fan of hers since 1994, and Scarlet's Walk is, I think, her best album in years. I've yet to see her live, but the next time she's playing Norway (which, admittedly, isn't often), I have to get a ticket.

It's getting late, and I should return to my four reluctant heroes (and heroines) and their journey from this world to the Flipside.  ¶ 23:15