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Tag: Mettle

Let’s Head on Over to the Mettle Universe

While Mettle is a punny title, its meaning should be abundantly clear.

What happens when the world goes to hell in a handcart when the metals of the periodic table start to disappear and transmute?

But it’s also about mettle, about courage.

Will you be able to step up and stand up when you’re needed the most? Or will you fold like cheap cardboard?

Character Arcs and Journeys

Of all the books and short stories I have ever written, this one has the most in terms of character arcs. The characters all get from point A to point Z or so.

Nell and Dez both grow up. She starts off as a mousy child hiding from the world. He starts out as a young tough on a skateboard.

Mink does not grow up quite so much, but she does express compassion. And, she stops social climbing. As for Kitty, the less said, the better.

Craig gets out of what looks like his fate and comes to a different understanding of the world. A similar arc happens to Mei-Lin, who comes out of her shell.

Eleanor regains clarity for a while. Olga gets a chance to contribute in ways that do not just involve caring for Eleanor.

Elise becomes more social and a lot less of a hermit. And Noah, finally, gets the chance to, as in the book, lead his people.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Can there be a sequel to Mettle? The answer is a resounding maybe.

Character Review — Olga NicolaevCharacter Review, Josie James, Greg Shapiro, Jazminder Parikh, MD, Johnny Barnes, Dalton Farouk, Peri Martin, Carmen D’Angelo, MD, Dr. Devon Grace, Tommy 2000, Lex Feldman, Velexio, Character Reviews are Coming, Ixalla, Elise Jeffries, MD, Frances Miller Ashford, Marnie Shapiro, Ceilidh O’Malley, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Trixie LaRue, Tathrelle, Nell Murphy, Craig Firenze, Adger, Astrid Hennigsen, Benjamin Chase, Bobby/Jerry Brodie, Cyndi Mendez, Dez Hunter, Eileen Bragin, Eleanor Braverman, Judge John Lowell, Keisha Darnell, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, Noah Braverman, Olga Nicolaev, Peter Ray, Rachel Gifford, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sally Bowles/TSTO Tiles, Shannon Duffy, Student #17, Tad Lewis, Ginny Carey, TSTITO, Selkhet 3000, complex evil characters, Emma 1000, They Say This is the One, Elston Young, Trinity Hawthorne, Character Creation

Character Review — Olga Nicolaev

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on November 28, 2023

Consider Olga Nicolaev, One of My Original Characters

So, who is Olga Nicolaev?

For Mettle to work, Eleanor Braverman (an Alzheimer’s patient) had to have a caregiver. Because just letting her loose wouldn’t work. And because tying down Noah wouldn’t serve the plot. Enter Olga.

Where Did Olga Nicolaev Come From?

So you see, I had to have her. Because creating a character with Alzheimer’s means creating a caregiver for that character. But like a lot of other immigrants, I wanted Olga to have a higher education than her speech might indicate.

Therefore, when I was first writing her and getting her accent down, I wanted her to be a lot more articulate than that—in Russian. It’s … like this.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Olga Nicolaev

A lawyer in Russia, Olga can’t pass the bar in the US. So, instead, she becomes a caregiver for geriatric patients.  However, it doesn’t help that her English isn’t the best. Olga regularly skips shorter words.

However, she’s not dumb. It’s because she’s just impatient with how hard it is for her to express herself in English.

Description

Russian actress Larisa Luppian, who I see as Olga Nicolaev. Image is for reference purposes only.
Russian actress Larisa Luppian, who I see as Olga Nicolaev. Image is for reference purposes only.

I like Russian actress Larisa Luppian for Olga. But I didn’t want someone who would pretend to be Russian—I wanted an actress who really is Russian.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Olga’s initial purpose is simply to be the one to take care of Eleanor. Because I needed her! But toward the end (and I’m getting into spoiler territory here), her arguments save the day.

And all this from the least articulate character in the book!

Quotes {First, Eleanor and Olga are talking}

“Steven?”

“Not here.”

Dez and Noah returned with firewood. “We got some from going past the school and up near the post office. Somebody used a chainsaw, we figure. There were piles of it and more if we want it but a lot of it’s wet.”

“Can we put stuff in your garage?” asked Dez. “Maybe let it dry out in there?”

“Sure. We’ll just move the lawn mower and stuff.”

“Who is this boy?” Eleanor asked.

“I’m Douglas, ma’am. Here, I’ll build your fire back up again.”

“People do that for a living? I should get my purse.”

“That’s okay, ma’am.” Dez added pinecones and sticks before heaving a big log onto the fire. “I’m a volunteer.”

“You’re a good boy. Are you at college with my Noah?”

“Not yet, ma’am.” Dez got up. “Looks like you’re all set for a while. Noah, you coming?”

“Sure, just a sec.” He beckoned Olga. “Come with me a sec, could you please?”

“Yes. I be right back. You play cards with Dez, or he read you. We have Secret Garden for next book.” She followed Noah into the kitchen. “Well?”

“I don’t know how to say this. But Olga, you didn’t have to do any of this. You never had to stay. It’s been a few months, but you have been right here, as if,” he started to cry a little, “as if Ma were your mother, too. And, and I know I don’t say it enough but, fuck it, thank you. Thank you so much for, for everything. You’ve been fantastic and you went above and beyond a long, long time ago.” He clumsily wiped his face. “I don’t know what we’d all do without you.”

Olga awkwardly patted his arm. “She not patient no more. You not employer no more. You family.”

Relationships

Everyone in Mettle has some sort of a relationship with everyone else. But these are Olga’s two biggest relationships.

Olga and Eleanor

But what is any caregiver’s relationship with a patient? Because Eleanor is essentially helpless, Olga does just about everything for her. And this even includes sleeping in the same room. She is so devoted a caregiver that she is essentially on call 24/7.

When the power goes out, Olga doesn’t always tell Eleanor the full truth about what’s going on. But how can she? And, more importantly, why should she?

But telling Eleanor everything is really just a way to upset the patient. And that is something that Olga is loath to do.

Olga and Noah

Also, what is any employee’s relationship with their employer? Everyone calls her Olga. But she calls Noah ‘Mr. Braverman’, and she call Eleanor ‘Mrs. Braverman’. So, this is somewhat comparable to Caribbean caregivers calling my late mother ‘Miss Shirley’.

Conflict and Turning Point

Olga’s turning point is similar to the other characters in Mettle. But for her, it’s also a way to suddenly become the articulate, sharp friend she has really always been. But it was just English that got in the way.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

So, Olga doesn’t have any continuity with any other storylines.

Future Plans

She will definitely show up in the prequel.

Olga Nicolaev: Takeaways

Originally just a convenient plot device, Olga has a purpose. Because without her, the story wouldn’t end like it does. She is a truly necessary part of Mettle.

Olga Nicolaev — an essential part of Mettle.

Want More of Mettle?

If Mettle resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how changes in the periodic table nearly kill us all.

Character Reviews: Mettle

The Mettle Universe
Self Review: Mettle

Leave a Comment
Character Review — Eleanor BravermanCharacter Review, Josie James, Greg Shapiro, Jazminder Parikh, MD, Johnny Barnes, Dalton Farouk, Peri Martin, Carmen D’Angelo, MD, Dr. Devon Grace, Tommy 2000, Lex Feldman, Velexio, Character Reviews are Coming, Ixalla, Elise Jeffries, MD, Frances Miller Ashford, Marnie Shapiro, Ceilidh O’Malley, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Trixie LaRue, Tathrelle, Nell Murphy, Craig Firenze, Adger, Astrid Hennigsen, Benjamin Chase, Bobby/Jerry Brodie, Cyndi Mendez, Dez Hunter, Eileen Bragin, Eleanor Braverman, Judge John Lowell, Keisha Darnell, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, Noah Braverman, Olga Nicolaev, Peter Ray, Rachel Gifford, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sally Bowles/TSTO Tiles, Shannon Duffy, Student #17, Tad Lewis, Ginny Carey, TSTITO, Selkhet 3000, complex evil characters, Emma 1000, They Say This is the One, Elston Young, Trinity Hawthorne, Character Creation

Character Review — Eleanor Braverman

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on November 23, 2023

Consider Eleanor Braverman, One of My Original Characters

So, who is Eleanor Braverman?

Ellen Burstyn, who I see as Eleanor Braverman. By gdcgraphics, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5199528
Ellen Burstyn, who I see as Eleanor Braverman. By gdcgraphics, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5199528

I came up with the storyline and the characters for Mettle so quickly that it was unreal. My husband and I were on vacation on Cape Cod and it just… fell together. It was so fast that I honestly fear that I will never have that kind of ‘taking dictation’ story creation again.

But I digress.

I created Eleanor because, after gold, the first element I thought of that would go haywire was titanium. And what’s made of titanium these days? Why, artificial hips, of course! That led me directly to an elderly patient. And, after having contributed to The Longest Night Watch, the idea of giving this person Alzheimer’s was a lead pipe cinch.

Where Did Eleanor Braverman Come From?

A good 30 or so years ago, I worked on a series which was an amateur detective in Boston. These stories are printed (yes, on actual paper) and live in my house.

Yet unless I give them some extremely serious and tough editing love, they won’t see the light of day. But one chapter was on a coma patient slowly coming out of it.

I recalled that scene and that’s one of the ways I saw and still see this character. As a fog lifts, something comes back.

The apocalypse taketh away, but the apocalypse also giveth.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Eleanor Braverman

Long before her diagnosis, Eleanor is a professor of English literature at Pine Manor Junior College. Now, in real life, Pine Manor doesn’t exist any more—it was taken over by Boston College. But then again, the Garfield Middle School in Brighton doesn’t exist any more, either.

But back to the character. She’s a classical teacher, bringing the English canon to her students. In particular, it’s her favorite book, Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is almost an Easter egg in what I write. It’s, to me, shorthand for a classical work that can still speak to us today.

Eventually, I reveal that it’s how her husband proposed to her—he copied out the proposal scene and changed the names.

Description

Eleanor is like any other older woman who was originally educated and perhaps a little elegant. So, she’s still sick with Alzheimer’s, and she still has trouble getting around. Like many people of her age group, she’s usually wearing polyester slacks and sneakers or the like. But for someone who had had a sense of style, those clothes might be paired with a cashmere twinset or the like.

For her, I mainly see Ellen Burstyn although I am open to convincing if there’s a better match out there.

As for the swearing (see below), Eleanor swears because everyone in Mettle has a potty mouth. In fact, one of the first things she says is that her ass itches. But it doesn’t itch—it hurts. She’s just forgotten the word hurts.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Unlike the other characters, Eleanor goes through her changes right in the middle of the story. And, she has a very specific purpose. After all, an apocalypse can often mean it’s everyone for themselves. At the start of the story, she’s the very definition of a drain on resources. But Noah, to his immense credit, will never, ever leave his mother behind.

And, she humanizes the rest of them. Beyond a story of survival, keeping her around also cements Mettle as a story about love.

Quotes

After a few minutes, Eleanor asked, “Who the hell are you?”

“I, I’m Nell.”

“Nell who?”

“Nell, ma’am, I’m Nell Murphy. Penelope Kelly Murphy. I live at fourteen Kerr Street, and I go to Garfield Middle School.”

“What are you doing here? Do I know you?”

“Uh, not really. I mean, I live around the corner now and Noah’s been really nice about everything.”

“Where is my son?”

“He’s, he’s out shopping. With, with Mei-Lin.”

“Who’s Mei-Lin?”

“Dr. Quan. She’s from St. B’s. She’s really nice.”

“Don’t lie to me about this so-called ‘shopping’. I can tell the power is out and nobody took a car. How long has the power been out, anyway, Nell?”

“Over two months, Mrs. Braverman.” Nell went back to tending to the fire.

“Holy shit. Er, sorry. I’ve been out of it for that long?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, ma’am. I’ve never known you any other way. Until, until today, that is. What the fuck happened?” Nell turned back to look at Eleanor.

“You shouldn’t swear.”

“You just did.”

“Yes, I suppose I did. And I suppose two months without electricity would coarsen anyone’s vocabulary.”

“I don’t understand, Mrs. Braverman. You were, um, how can I put this? You were really sick. You didn’t know anyone so well. You kept asking about some guy named Steven.”

Relationships

For someone who is barely with it for most of the book, she does have some relationships. But it all starts with Steven, who has been dead for years when the story begins.

Eleanor and Steven

To her credit (and sometimes to Noah’s annoyance and own personal pain), Eleanor remembers the love of her life all too well. But Alzheimer’s, as cruel a disease as it is, is a little bit kind here.

Because if you just think your great love is at work or out shopping, they can’t be dead.

Er, right?

Eleanor and Noah

Like with anyone who finds themself with a person with Alzheimer’s, the questions and the forgetting can sometimes seem to be too much. And the continual requests to see Steven are hurtful, although Eleanor doesn’t mean anything by them. Noah has to fight to maintain his composure and patience.

But he’s around. Like some folks, even though memory care would have possibly been better for her (definitely for him), he keeps her at home. Even though she can’t put it into words anymore, she can feel his devotion. He’s a good son.

Eleanor and Olga

What is anyone’s relationship with their caregiver? Olga has done everything for Eleanor, and Eleanor often doesn’t even know who she is. Yes, this is Olga’s job. But Olga doesn’t have to stay. Yet Olga does stay—and often makes it possible for the rest of the story to move along.

In addition, Olga’s reserves of patience make up for Noah getting short with Eleanor on occasion.

Eleanor and Nell

Beyond their somewhat rocky start, Nell actually misses not just her Gran but also school. Eleanor gives Nell something intellectual to do. Nell confides in Eleanor, even telling her that she sometimes wishes that Craig was her father.

Conflict and Turning Point

Eleanor’s turning point is when she seemingly recovers. The events of Mettle are often unkind. But that is most certainly a gift.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Eleanor’s maiden name is Shapiro, so if you’ve been following this blog at all, then you know exactly where this is going….

Future Plans for Eleanor Braverman

She will show up in the Mettle prequel although I am not certain as to whether I will give her her own POV chapter. So much remains to be seen.

Eleanor Braverman: Takeaways

Intelligent and ultimately fearless, Eleanor Braverman loses a lot when she gets Alzheimer’s. And because of that, she’s a reminder of how awful that disease truly is.

I hope they cure it in our lifetimes. Don’t you?

Eleanor Braverman – because characters best show their humanity when they take care of someone who’s a drain on their resources.

Want More of Mettle?

If Mettle resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how changes in the periodic table nearly kill us all.

Character Reviews: Mettle

The Mettle Universe
Self Review: Mettle

Leave a Comment
Character Review – Dez HunterCharacter Review, Josie James, Greg Shapiro, Jazminder Parikh, MD, Johnny Barnes, Dalton Farouk, Peri Martin, Carmen D’Angelo, MD, Dr. Devon Grace, Tommy 2000, Lex Feldman, Velexio, Character Reviews are Coming, Ixalla, Elise Jeffries, MD, Frances Miller Ashford, Marnie Shapiro, Ceilidh O’Malley, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Trixie LaRue, Tathrelle, Nell Murphy, Craig Firenze, Adger, Astrid Hennigsen, Benjamin Chase, Bobby/Jerry Brodie, Cyndi Mendez, Dez Hunter, Eileen Bragin, Eleanor Braverman, Judge John Lowell, Keisha Darnell, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, Noah Braverman, Olga Nicolaev, Peter Ray, Rachel Gifford, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sally Bowles/TSTO Tiles, Shannon Duffy, Student #17, Tad Lewis, Ginny Carey, TSTITO, Selkhet 3000, complex evil characters, Emma 1000, They Say This is the One, Elston Young, Trinity Hawthorne, Character Creation

Character Review – Dez Hunter

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on November 21, 2023

Consider Dez Hunter, One of My Original Characters

So, who is Dez Hunter?

Kitty and Mink were easy and I thought of them almost immediately. But then I needed a boyfriend for Kitty.

Where Did Dez Hunter Come From?

I first decided that Kitty’s boyfriend would be a kind of bad boy. So, Dez comes with the trappings—skateboard, attitude, and a sparse goatee. Then, when I was developing his father in particular, I realized that he and his father would not get along. This works to keep him where he is—and get Dad out of the picture.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Dez Hunter

The class bad boy is growing up in a working class home, his father on a construction crew, working as a supervisor. His mother is a diabetic. I haven’t decided if she was working outside the home. But either way, they could afford some discretionary spending.

Much like Kitty, he can’t be bothered to do class work. So when he and Kitty start dating, he gets in on Mink doing his homework. It’s probably the only way he’ll pass History.

At the start of the book, he’s sent to the principal’s office—and he makes it clear that this is not going to be his first detention.

Was he kicked out of his home before the power blew? Or did he leave more or less voluntarily? I confess even I’m not 100% certain.

Description

I like Dylan O’Brien from The Maze Runner. But I’m not 100% sold on him and could potentially be persuaded to choose another young actor for this look. For one thing, he’s probably already too old.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Dez provides two things that the other characters need for their very survival. The first is the air rifle (it’s a .22). Without it, things would have gotten a lot more desperate, a lot more quickly. Craig is the one who really knows how to use it. But he wouldn’t have one in the first place without Dez.

The other gets us heavily into spoiler territory. So, let’s just say that Dez’s physical strength become vital at just the right moment.

Quotes {Craig and Dez are talking; Craig speaks first}

“My pappy was sharp as a tack to the end. It is possible.” Craig looked at the mess of electronics skeptically. “When I was younger than you, I used to take stuff apart all the time. My momma didn’t know what to do with me. I’d take apart the TV remote, put it back together, stuff like that. Used to have pieces left over. It’s a big part of why I went into engineering. And I went into civil on account of a hankering to build bridges. The Army paid my way. Then I was introduced to a guy who worked at NASA. That’s more or less how I ended up there after retiring early from the Army. You got plans?”

“Do they matter?”

“You tell me.”

“I guess they do. I don’t know. Dad was pushing me to go to college or he’d put me in his construction crew.”

“Wait, did your parents leave without you?”

Relationships

Like everyone else in Mettle, Dez has a relationship of some sort with everyone. But these two are his closest relationships.

Dez and Kitty

Of course Kitty would have a boyfriend. But they don’t treat each other well at all. They aren’t truly together due to any real affection between them. Rather, for her, it’s being with a bad boy. And for him, it’s being with the hottest girl in the school. But when all is said and done, they really don’t have anything in common.

When she goes to seek FEMA aid, it’s got to be a relief for him.

Dez and Mink

I have kind of flirted with an idea of them getting together. But I really only hint at it. So, I leave it to the reader’s imagination. So, have at it!

Conflict and Turning Point

For Dez, the conflict and the turning point are the same as they are for the other characters in Mettle. When the power goes out, he becomes unmoored. But when his father becomes somewhat unhinged, Dez has to get out. So, he and Kitty go to Mink’s.

But this also means leaving his sick mother. With no power and no way to restore it, a diabetic like her is not going to survive. To Dez’s credit, at least he realizes this. But it’s still a bitter pill to swallow.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

He doesn’t really have any continuity with any other storylines. Dez exists on his own, more or less.

Future Plans

He will definitely show up in the prequel!

Dez Hunter: Takeaways

Dez almost fancies himself James Dean—if he knew who James Dean was, that is. And the events of Mettle give this rebel a good cause.

Dez Hunter — a character who gets a chance to shine.

Want More of Mettle?

If Mettle resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how changes in the periodic table nearly kill us all.

Character Reviews: Mettle

The Mettle Universe
Self Review: Mettle

Leave a Comment
Character Review — Minka LopezCharacter Review, Josie James, Greg Shapiro, Jazminder Parikh, MD, Johnny Barnes, Dalton Farouk, Peri Martin, Carmen D’Angelo, MD, Dr. Devon Grace, Tommy 2000, Lex Feldman, Velexio, Character Reviews are Coming, Ixalla, Elise Jeffries, MD, Frances Miller Ashford, Marnie Shapiro, Ceilidh O’Malley, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Trixie LaRue, Tathrelle, Nell Murphy, Craig Firenze, Adger, Astrid Hennigsen, Benjamin Chase, Bobby/Jerry Brodie, Cyndi Mendez, Dez Hunter, Eileen Bragin, Eleanor Braverman, Judge John Lowell, Keisha Darnell, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, Noah Braverman, Olga Nicolaev, Peter Ray, Rachel Gifford, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sally Bowles/TSTO Tiles, Shannon Duffy, Student #17, Tad Lewis, Ginny Carey, TSTITO, Selkhet 3000, complex evil characters, Emma 1000, They Say This is the One, Elston Young, Trinity Hawthorne, Character Creation

Character Review — Minka Lopez

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on November 2, 2023

Consider Minka Lopez, One of My Original Characters

So, just who is Minka Lopez?

A few of the characters for Mettle came to me quickly. Minka is one of them. But she was always the second half of a duo, Kitty and Mink. But she always felt like an insecure outsider.

I originally envisioned her as a kind of hanger-on, who would essentially worship Kitty and the popularity Kitty could bring.

Where Did Minka Lopez Come From?

I think we have all seen teenage girls just like Mink. Yearning to be popular, and hitching their wagon to what they think is the likeliest star.

But then as I started to write more of her, she got a difficult backstory.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Minka Lopez

This will come out a lot more in the Nanowrimo prequel story, which may very well have to wait until 2024. But there are little flashes of her background in Mettle all the same.

After all, Kitty is clearly wearing designer this and that, whereas Minka is more of a wannabe. Kitty has someone who styles her hair, perhaps every day and certainly most days. Mink has to do this herself.

Kitty also has somewhat softer outfits, clearly selected to show off her coloring and figure to their maximum potential. Mink, on the other hand, has to guess and make do.

I only hint at Mink’s home life, nothing more. She lives with her Aunt Doreen—but why?

A Description of Minka Lopez

I see the young actress Victoria Moroles for Mink. It’s especially gratifying to me that she made a TV movie called Cloud 9 with Dove Cameron, who I have always seen as Kitty. And this image, I feel, exemplifies their earlier life perfectly.

Victoria Moroles, Dove Cameron, and Tatum Chiniquy in Cloud 9; image is for reference purposes only.
Victoria Moroles, Dove Cameron, and Tatum Chiniquy in Cloud 9; image is for reference purposes only.

Moroles and Cameron also made a TV show together, Liv and Maddie. I really love that I’m not the first person who ever thought about putting these two actresses together.

Unfortunately, they’re both past high school roles—and these are junior high/middle school roles, anyway.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Apart from trying desperately to be popular, Mink follows Kitty around a lot. Although Dez has something to say about that, at times. But while he and Mink are somewhat competitive for Kitty’s attention, they do get along.

Mink even leaves with Kitty, seeking the center of the city in the hopes of … something. Yet Kitty miscalculates horribly, and Mink barely escapes.

When she returns to Brighton, one of Mink’s main purposes comes to life—she serves as a witness to the horrors of downtown Boston during the extended power outage and other events chronicled in Mettle.

Another one of her purposes is that she has a paper calendar. Even when she’s not around, the calendar (which Dez keeps until she returns) keeps the story grounded in time.

Quotes

There was a dull ringing noise, and something grazed Nell’s foot. It was Mink’s earring, but the silver was dull and twisted. Somehow, the feather was still attached. Nell held it up for a second, it looked so strange.

“Minka, I did not tell you to stop.”

“Mrs. Davis, look.” Mink swept her dark brown hair away from her left ear. The other earring was still in, as twisted as the one Nell held in her hand. The remnants of that earring were shoved into a too-small piercing in Mink’s ear, and she bled.

Mrs. Davis sighed. “Go to the nurse’s office. With, hmm—with Penny.”

Nell froze.

Kitty spoke up. “I should go. I mean, I’m practically a nurse already. I am a total fucking angel of mercy or something.”

“No, you’re the next one to read. Now Minka and Penny, go straight to the nurse’s office.” Mrs. Davis scribbled her signature on a pair of hall passes. “Get fixed up and come right back. No dawdling and no detours, understand?”

“Yeah,” Mink and Nell said almost at the same time. They left the classroom, closing the door behind them.

The hallway was all but deserted. “You gonna punch me?” Nell asked.

“No. Why would I do that?”

“Kitty usually does.”

Mink shrugged. “Oh. Well, she’s not here. So, I won’t.”

“You do everything Kitty tells you to?”

Mink gathered her hair into a rough ponytail. “It’s important to be popular. Fuck, this thing hurts.”

“Here, I found the other one.” Nell handed over the ruined earring.

“Did you stomp on it?”

“It was like that when I picked it up.”

Relationships

Mink doesn’t really have any romantic relationships in the story. But she does have one big, fat friendship relationship.

Kitty and Mink

The first time we ever really see her, it’s in history class. And, she’s got not only her own homework, but also Dez and Kitty’s. Did Mink do their homework? I would have to say yes. In particular, I see Kitty as such a user that this would pretty much be expected. That is something like, if you want to hang around with me, this is the price of admission and access.

Mink is very much a sycophant for Kitty, going along with nearly anything and everything, in the almighty service of her attempts at social climbing.

Conflict and Turning Point

Mink’s conflict and turning points are virtually the same as for the other characters. In particular, when the power goes out, her life turns upside-down. Because her aunt is missing. Mink, essentially, becomes a homeowner at the age of 14.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

I don’t have any Easter eggs for her and don’t really see a way to add her to overall continuity or crossing over to anything else I’ve written.

Future Plans

Mink will show up in the prequel, as will the other main characters.

Minka Lopez: Takeaways

While all of the characters in the story change and grow, her change is perhaps the most radical. Because once she’s been through the events of Mettle, there is no way she will see social climbing or popularity as being important ever again.

Minka Lopez — the survivor character.

Want More of Minka Lopez and the Rest of Mettle?

If Mettle resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how changes in the periodic table nearly kill us all.

Character Reviews: Mettle

The Mettle Universe
Self Review: Mettle

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Self-Review – MettleMettle Universe Draft Cover

Self-Review – Mettle

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 14, 2023

Review – Mettle

Mettle is a punny title. And it just may be the best thing I have ever written.

The story sprung out of a dream I had where my wedding ring dissolved while still on my hand. Amateur psychologists, take note!

I had the basic plot sketched out in an afternoon. I don’t believe I have ever gotten a book together that fast. And I probably won’t ever again. This was just an insane creativity timeline.

So the characters are a mix. Some of them came very quickly. Craig Firenze sprang, almost fully formed, and almost immediately. I heard his voice the loudest and the clearest. Then, as I recall, came Elise Jeffries, Nell Murphy, and Noah Braverman. Kitty Kowalski and Mink Lopez arrived together – Kitty and Mink. But the others took longer. However, I had Mei-Lin‘s name pretty early. But I didn’t know too much about the character to start.

Background

This story was exceptionally easy to outline. I changed nearly nothing. The storyline came to me, I wrote it down quickly, and then added a few little flourishes. And then it was ready. Which is amazing and kind of rare, seeing as I am struggling over the Time Addicts outline for Everything is Up For Grabs. So even Untrustworthy was harder to put together.

Plot

In early 2020, Mount Tambora erupts as an earthquake hits Southeast Asia. So which came first? That’s sort of irrelevant, as a huge pyroclastic cloud springs up. This cloud blocks out a lot of sunlight and starlight. It gets colder, and dimmer.

Yet at the same time, Chinese students claim their experiments on chromium changed when the chromium somehow converted to vanadium. But that story is buried; Tambora and the earthquake are front page news.

When more elements convert to vanadium, people experience the effects. This includes the loss of gold, which hits financial markets hard. And losses of plutonium and uranium, which put countries on high alert, afraid of a nuclear war.

The more things change, the harder it is to live the way we all used to. So the quoted scene, below, takes place after the power goes out.

Characters

Mettle is an odd story for me because there almost isn’t a main character. Instead, the point of view shifts from chapter to chapter. The character with the most ‘screen time’ is probably Colonel Craig Firenze, but the more observational sections come from Nell Murphy. The scene is mostly Brighton, Massachusetts, although there are some scenes in Houston or in downtown Boston, plus a chapter is set mainly on an aircraft flying from Houston.

In a lot of ways, the story more or less takes place in my house.

There are about a dozen characters of note, mainly listed in order of importance:

  1. Craig Firenze
  2. Nell Murphy
  3. Noah Braverman
  4. Eleanor Braverman
  5. Olga Nicolaev
  6. Elise Jeffries
  7. Mei-Lin Quan
  8. Dez Hunter
  9. Mink Lopez
  10. Kitty Kowalski
  11. Jeannie Firenze
  12. Chet McKey
  13. Jerome Cordry
  14. Jackie (no last name)
  15. Shelley (no last name)

There are a few other named characters but these are seen the most, although Jackie and Shelley are only in one chapter. Which happens to be the same chapter. The last six on the list do not get a POV chapter.

Memorable Quotes from Mettle

He started to dump the corn into a bowl.

Mink came into the kitchen. “What’s left in the cabinets?”

“Green beans, some tuna, I think I saw tomato paste in there,” Dez said as Mink opened the cabinets and started to look for herself.

“There’s pumpkin pie filling, too, and we still have peanut butter. I wish we had bread.”

“Want some corn?” He offered her the second bowl and fork.

“Yeah, sure, thanks.” He dumped about half of his bowlful into her bowl. “Kitty, what are you gonna have?”

“I want French toast.”

“If we had eggs, we could make French toast, if we had bread. And a working toaster. Aunt Doreen used to say shit like that.”

“Yeah, she’s hysterical,” Kitty sniped. “This blows.”

Mink just shrugged and ate as did Dez. When they were done, she bussed the dishes to the sink and washed them, and then started to wash the other dishes. “Man oh man, we don’t have to live like pigs. Can somebody dry?”

Kitty made a beeline out of the kitchen. Dez came over. “Just leave ‘em on the rack. I can get ‘em later.”

Rating for Mettle

So Mettle has an MA rating. I am not kidding. While there are no sex scenes (a few are implied, though), every single main character has a potty mouth. Plus there are any number of violent scenes. Some are more graphic than others but the worst should be rather disturbing.

I 100% mean this.

Upshot

One thing which was great fun about this story was writing it with 9 1/2 points of view. I say a half because the first chapter is mainly news stories. So that one doesn’t quite count. And I have changed it to add little scenelets but the common thread is the news.

Each chapter worked as a separate POV. This is a style of writing I had not attempted before. And I found it exhilarating but it’s important to not confuse the reader. So I would really love to get beta readers on this one!

Wouldn’t the end of the world test anyone’s mettle? #amwriting

Want More of Mettle?

If the Mettle resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how changes in the periodic table nearly kill us all.

Character Reviews: Mettle

The Mettle Universe

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Character Review — Noah BravermanCharacter Review, Josie James, Greg Shapiro, Jazminder Parikh, MD, Johnny Barnes, Dalton Farouk, Peri Martin, Carmen D’Angelo, MD, Dr. Devon Grace, Tommy 2000, Lex Feldman, Velexio, Character Reviews are Coming, Ixalla, Elise Jeffries, MD, Frances Miller Ashford, Marnie Shapiro, Ceilidh O’Malley, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Trixie LaRue, Tathrelle, Nell Murphy, Craig Firenze, Adger, Astrid Hennigsen, Benjamin Chase, Bobby/Jerry Brodie, Cyndi Mendez, Dez Hunter, Eileen Bragin, Eleanor Braverman, Judge John Lowell, Keisha Darnell, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, Noah Braverman, Olga Nicolaev, Peter Ray, Rachel Gifford, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sally Bowles/TSTO Tiles, Shannon Duffy, Student #17, Tad Lewis, Ginny Carey, TSTITO, Selkhet 3000, complex evil characters, Emma 1000, They Say This is the One, Elston Young, Trinity Hawthorne, Character Creation

Character Review — Noah Braverman

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on August 1, 2023

Consider Noah Braverman, One of My Original Characters

Who is Noah Braverman?

Noah Braverman is a linchpin character in Mettle. But he was downgraded from leading man status in favor of Craig Firenze.

Where Did Noah Braverman Come From?

Noah (like Josie James in the Time Addicts trilogy) actually lives in my house. Because Mettle takes place in my neighborhood, what better place but the one I know the best?

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Noah Braverman

Noah has the best defined family in all of Mettle. Apart from Craig and Jeannie, and Nell with Gran, he is the only person who the reader ever sees with a family member.

Description

The only person I have ever seen for Noah is the actor David Schwimmer. In part, it’s the air of intelligence. Noah is no dope, even though he’s not a doctor like Elise Jeffries or Mei-Lin Quan, and he’s not a PhD like his mother, Eleanor.

It is also because I try to pair characters with actors who are similar in terms of background. I wanted only a Jewish actor to play this Jewish character.

And, it’s also because of Schwimmer’s hangdog look, which he should probably just patent already.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Noah doesn’t have the last name of Braverman by accident, of course. But his bravery is not based on anything like battle skills or the like.

Rather, it is based on trust. Without knowing much about most of the other characters, Noah takes in Craig and gets to know and truly love and appreciate people he would never normally run into, like Nell Murphy, Minka Lopez, and Dez Hunter.

In fact, he is one of the reasons why the story seems to not quite get started until chapter 7 or so. I needed for Noah to know Craig at least a little bit, for why would he take in a stranger to live with him, particularly while people are going nuts?

Quotes {the Power Outage is Happening; He is Taking Craig to Brighton}

Noah did a fast three-point turn, getting the car onto Cambridge Street and abandoning Storrow Drive altogether. He gunned the engine, running red lights and weaving in and out of traffic. “Sorry for the white-knuckle ride.”

“That’s fine. You’re handy with the jalopy.”

“I learned how to drive in this car. Hang on.”

Noah turned in front of St. Botolph’s where some flickering lights were still on. But other lights were going out all over the rest of the area. He gunned it down Adams, passing a drug store and a taco place before the car sputtered to a halt and died across the street from the organic market.

Noah and Craig got out. “This way,” Noah said, “Go here and then straight for a while. It’s a bit downhill, then left on Hancock, number three oh one if you can see anything. If you can’t, the house has smooth pillars in front.”

The two men strode quickly, Craig holding the carryon and Noah holding the briefcase. One by one, lights in the houses started going out. Striding turned into jogging and then full-blown running as they turned onto Hancock and all the lights went out and even ambient car noises went silent.

Relationships

Much like any other character, Noah has interactions with the main cast, but he also has pointed and more important ones with a select few.

Noah and Elise

Best pals for years, he has a bit of thing for her but she doesn’t really reciprocate. It’s not that she doesn’t care. It’s more that she just plain does not feel a spark with him.

But they can clown around and kid each other, and they do a lot of that. Elise is also pretty much the only person who Noah knows by name in his neighborhood, apart from the people he lives with.

And speaking of them…

Noah and Olga

Olga Nicolaev is the caregiver for Noah’s mother, and she has a semi-thankless job as Eleanor slips deeper and deeper into Alzheimer’s.

Noah involves Olga in care decisions about Eleanor and trusts (there’s that word again) her wise counsel. And this is despite the fact that Olga has major issues with English.

Yet when the story starts, and throughout it, she refers to him as Mr. Braverman whereas he calls her by her first name. Now, that is pretty much something you would expect in a relationship between and employer and employee, but still!

Considering the intimacy of their lives together (nothing romantic), you would think he would insist on her calling him Noah.

But he never gets a chance to.

Noah and Eleanor

An exceptionally devoted son, Noah has never actually left home. Rather, when his father died and his mother became ill, the best response was to simply stay.

However, when the story starts, he is getting a little tired of Eleanor continually asking about his late father. She doesn’t know any better, of course. And he does have a great deal of patience. But his reservoirs of it are not without limit.

Conflict and Turning Point

Noah’s turning points are virtually the same as those for the other characters in the story. When it seems as if the entire world has gone mad, he has but one purpose—to get home. There is nothing else he can think about.

And this should follow for a character who is, in part, defined by family and home.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Noah isn’t really the one with the Easter egg; it’s his mother, whose maiden name is Shapiro.

Future Plans for Noah Braverman

I do not have any future plans for him, but he will show up in the prequel, as will the rest of the cast.

Noah Braverman: Takeaways

Noah Braverman is a somewhat different kind of hero, sort of a hero as homebody, if you will. While Craig turned out to be the lead, it’s Noah who holds the story together.

Mettle would fall apart without him.

Noah Braverman — the character who brings everyone together.

Want More of Noah Braverman and the Rest of Mettle?

If Mettle resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how changes in the periodic table nearly kill us all.

Character Reviews: Mettle

The Mettle Universe
Self Review: Mettle

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How to Create a Writer Website: Writer SEOWeb design, Start a Writer Website, Writer SEO, Writer Website Design, Writer Website Copyright, Writer Website User Experience Design, Mobile Design, What to Write About, Website Planning, Technology to Help You With Writing, Website Plans, Website Speed

How to Create a Writer Website: Writer SEO

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on May 30, 2023

No one will know about your awesome writer website if you don’t start to pay attention to writer SEO.

And without all the connections on your website you could be making, guess what happens? You miss will out on sales. And you may also miss out on places where you can appear and promote your book. Or libraries where you can have your book.

Note: this is an overview and not the details of any form of SEO, even writer SEO. That would take up a few hundred blog posts at least.

Why Does Writer SEO Matter?

Have you ever wondered how and why the results you get in a search are in the order they’re in? Yes, some of this has to do with paid advertising. But budgets are not infinite. Or, at least, they aren’t for most of us.

But SEO is, in a way, a form of free advertising. Optimizing for search means your post gets placed further up on search results. And that’s good. But is it good enough?

Page 1 or Die

Writer SEO - Sweet Brown saying, ain't nobody got time for that, illustrating the concept of writer SEO
Preach, Sweet Brown.

We live in a hurry-up, impatient, “ain’t nobody got time for that” world. And a good 90% or more of us never bother with the second page of search results!

So, while positive changes in position are nothing to sneeze at, they do not truly matter unless you’re on page 1 of results.

If that seems unfair, odd, and maybe even a reason why the human race is doomed, well, I’m with ya on that.

Yet our preferences do not matter.

Ads Are Outta Control!

But… there’s one problem with writer SEO or really any kind of SEO. We’re all gunning for page 1. And that means that the competition is fierce.

There’s you, me, and large corporations with insanely big budgets. There are people who’ve been doing SEO since before it had a name (or at least it feels that way).  So, how do you compete?

I Got an Itch for a Niche

Exxon is enormous! Their annual ad budget may very well be more than everything I have ever made in my life. And probably ever will.

But they’re not competing in the writing space. Even if their CEO decided to write a book, they would not be my competition. And they might not even really be my competition if their CEO decides to try their hand at writing something in the exact same genre as me.

Is James Patterson my competition? Well, not exactly. Yes, we are both writers. But that’s where the comparison stops. Now, Patterson does write science fiction. But are we really in direct competition? For one thing, a lot of his sci fi stuff is aimed at teens. Mine … is not.

So, maybe I don’t have to worry about him, or at least not too much. Same with JK Rowling and Stephen King, particularly as they don’t really write in my genre.

I’ve Got a Niche to Scratch

Amazon is great about having separate categories which match a ton of niches. Consider horror. Even if vampires, werewolves, wendigos, mummies, and serial killers were all in the same novel or film, so what? They all still have their own sub-niches (if you will) within horror.

Science fiction has a number of well-known niches:

  • Space opera – this is like Star Trek. My novel The Enigman Cave fits this niche, as it’s also following people on a spaceship.
  • Dystopian – this is like Ready Player One. My novels Mettle and Untrustworthy both fit this niche, even though they’re set in different places.
  • Science fiction noir – this is like Blade Runner or I, Robot, where cops and science fiction mix. My Obolonk and Time Addicts trilogies both fit. This is not a large genre and Amazon does not have it as a filter. But the good news is that there might not be a lot of competition…
  • Time travel – this is like the old TV show, The Time Tunnel. Time Addicts fits this niche.
  • Historical science fiction – now, this one’s tricky.

Issues with Historical Science Fiction

Science fiction isn’t normally set too far in the past. Even Stranger Things just goes back to the 1980s.

Without getting into Steampunk, one of the only examples I can think of are the films Time After Time (where HG Wells himself has to chase Jack the Ripper in the modern era) and Somewhere in Time (1970s playwright Richard Collier goes to the turn of the 20th century via hypnosis and falls in love with actress Elise McKenna).

In both stories, someone in the present is writing about the past. It makes sense that it would be a vehicle for a time travel story.

My Real Hub of the Universe trilogy fits this niche of a niche, which is so small that Amazon doesn’t list it as a genre (although at least GoodReads does!). And looking it up often means you find science fiction books written earlier in history, such as The Island of Dr. Moreau.

As a result, when you put that kind of work onto Amazon or the like, your tags and keywords had better be pitch-perfect and utterly on point.

Your Writer Website and Your Niche(s)

I’m not the only author who writes in more than one niche. In fact, many authors who do so will use a pen name or even several pen names.

So, for someone like me, writer SEO means looking at competition in all of these niches. And it means looking at the keywords which the more successful posts (the ones at the top of search, which don’t necessarily belong to bestselling authors) are using.

Keyword Research for Writer SEO

People who do SEO for a living are researching keywords pretty much all the time. It’s a fancy way of trying to determine what people are looking for. If you can give it to them, then you want them to be able to find you. The closer what’s on your website matches their search, the higher up (usually) your content will be in search engine results.

Google’s mission is to match seeker and website owner as closely as possible. Because if a person has a good experience with Google, they’re more likely to use Google than, say, Bing. As a result, Google can charge more for its advertising (and yes, unfortunately, paid ads are dominating the first page of search results. So page 2 can get some love after all—but never settle for anything lower).

Synonyms and Intent

To use an example a different form of art, consider film. Or cinema. AKA movies. Or pictures. AKA Hollywood or Bollywood or the Oscars or BAFTA awards, etc.

What is the difference in intent between these two searches:

  • movie for kids not Disney
  • classic cinema for children

Now, they both pull up lists of movies for the younger set. But the first is more likely to pull up articles about The Land Before Time, whereas the latter might pull up blog posts about The Red Balloon. Between the two searches, the first is more likely to pull up animation, too.

Now consider your books. I’ll use the Time Addicts trilogy as an example.

  • time travel with robots
  • science fiction noir in the far future

Both searches would fit this trilogy. The first gets a lot more hits. But the latter pulls up much more closely-related stuff. And if I change the first one to time travel with aliens (which would also fit Time Addicts), it gets me TV programs about ancient aliens.

What’s a better set of keyword phrases (kwps) to target? Probably some mix of these:

  • science fiction noir
  • sci fi noir
  • science fiction set in the far future
  • time travel noir (although currently there are two kinds of returns on this search which are coming up a lot)

Writer SEO, Searches, and Your Buyer Persona

Who’s your ideal reader? Your ideal customer? You have got to market directly to them. And you will need to write your blog and pages, etc. with that person in mind. If your ideal reader didn’t finish high school, then a term like movies is more likely to work than cinema. And if your ideal reader is female, you may want to toss in terms like feminism or strong female character.

If your ideal reader is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, then you will need to use terms which will apply—but I would caution you to be careful here. Terms evolve quickly. What was acceptable in 1999 is not necessarily going to fly in 2023. And for God’s sake, don’t try to reclaim a slur unless you would be a subject of said slur.

Writer SEO: Takeaways

Like I said above, this barely scratches the surface. Try tools like Keywordtool.io, answerthepublic.com, and MarketMuse (or Surfer SEO, Ubersuggest, or AhRefs) for more advanced ways to better target your ideal reader.

Want More of Writer Website Development?

If my post on website speed resonates with you, then be sure to check out my other articles about how to create a writer website.

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Writing Progress Report – Fourth Quarter 2022

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on December 29, 2022

Progress Report – Fourth Quarter 2022

How was fourth quarter 2022 for writing? It was a continuation of third quarter 2022, more or less.

So I spent fourth quarter 2022 preparing for and writing for NaNo, and then I was going to be editing The Real Hope of the Universe , but that has had to wait for next quarter. So there was that…

Fourth Quarter 2022 Posted Works

First of all, I worked on NaNoWriMo. Either I was preparing for it, or I was writing it. NaNo this year consisted of two prequel works. One was for the Real Hub universe (that one got very long) and the other was for the Obolonk universe, more specifically as a Time Addicts prequel. These are called The East Side of the Universe and The Dust Between Our Stars, respectively.

Then on Wattpad I posted on the WattNaNo profile and nowhere else. Also, I gave up running the Star Trek profile. I just plain do not have the time any more.

Milestones

Also, I have written over 3.4 million words (fan fiction and wholly original fiction combined). Another 120,000 in original words, and I will have finally surpassed fan fiction. Yeah, I really did write that much fan fic! The below is but the tip of that particular iceberg. So right now my stats on Wattpad for wholly original works are as follows:

  • Dinosaurs – 40 reads, 9 comments
  • How to NaNoWriMo – 25,946 reads, 340 comments
  • My Favorite Things (like kibble) – 983 reads, 133 comments
  • Revved Up – 59,435 reads, 531 comments
  • Side By Side – 17 reads, 2 comments
  • Social Media Guide for Wattpad – 15,812 reads, 592 comments
  • The Canadian Caper – 506 reads, 37 comments
  • The Dish – 250 reads, 24 comments
  • There is a Road – 189 reads, 28 comments
  • WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2018 – 1,967 reads, 45 comments
  • WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2019 – 1,845 reads, 10 comments
  • What Now? – 2,764 reads, 104 comments

More Published Works

Also, I am amassing quite the collection of published works!

Untrustworthy, which is my first published novel. So yay!

A True Believer in Skepticism, published in Mythic Magazine.

Almost Shipwrecked, a story in the January 2019 edition of Empyreome.

Canaries, a short story in the March 29, 2019, edition of Theme of Absence.

Complications, a story in the Queer Sci Fi Discovery anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds went to supporting the QSF website.

Cynthia and Wilder Bloom, stories in the Longest Night Watch II anthology.

Props, a story in the Longest Night Watch I anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds go to Alzheimer’s research.

Surprises, a story in Book One of the 42 and Beyond Anthology set.

The Boy in the Band, a story in the Pride Park anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds go to the Trevor Project.

The Interview, the featured story in the December 14, 2018 edition of Theme of Absence. So they even interviewed me!

The Last Patient, a story in the Stardust, Always anthology. This was an anthology where the proceeds go to cancer research.

The Resurrection of Ditte, a story in the Unrealpolitik anthology.

This is My Child, a short story published in the April 8, 2019 edition of Asymmetry Fiction.

Three Minutes Back in Time, a short story published in Mythic Magazine.

Killing Us Softly, a short story published in Corner Bar Magazine.

Darkness into Light, a short story published in Corner Bar Magazine.

WIP Corner

So my current WIPs are as follows:

The Obolonk Murders Trilogy – so this one is all about a tripartite society. But who’s killing the aliens?

The Enigman Cave – can we find life on another planet and not screw it up? You know, like we do everything else?

The Real Hub of the Universe Trilogy – so the aliens who live among us in the 1870s and 1880s are at war. But why is that?

Mettle – so it’s all about how society goes to hell in a hand basket when the metals of the periodic table start to disappear. But then what?

Time Addicts – No One is Safe – so this one is all about what happens in the future when time travel becomes possible via narcotic.

Time Addicts – Nothing is Permanent – this is the second in this trilogy. What happens when time is tampered with and manipulated in all sorts of ways? It’s the ultimate in gaslighting, for one thing.

Time Addicts – Everything is Up For Grabs – as the timelines smack together and continue to diverge, it gets harder to tell the “real” timeline from all the newer fake ones. And what if some of the changes are for the better?

Fourth Quarter 2022 Prep Work

So currently, my intention, for 2024’s NaNoWriMo, is to write the third trilogy in the Time Addicts/Obolonks universe. But I need to iron out the plot! So a lot of this year has been spent on that. I have no name for this one yet.

For 2023 NaNoWriMo, I have decided to create a prequel for two or three more of the five main universes: Obolonks (while the Obolonks and Time Addicts are in the same universe, I just plain want to write two separate prequels!), Untrustworthy, The Enigman Cave, and Mettle.

If 2023 NaNo goes like 2022 NaNo did, then whichever one I do first will end up sticking to the script and complete relatively early, and then the second one will … meander.

If I had to choose two which would fill the bill in that fashion, it would either be Untrustworthy + Obolonks or Mettle + Enigman Cave. This is mainly because the first in each pairing are relatively well-defined, whereas the second of the pairings? Eh, not so much.

So, I anticipate a lot of fun and perhaps a little confusion. But it’s all good! And if I play my cards right, I can do the final pairing in 2024 and put off prepare the third trilogy till 2025.

Fourth Quarter 2022 Queries and Submissions

So here’s how that’s been going during fourth quarter 2022.

Reprint

Coming right out of the blue, Mythic Magazine wants to do a second Best of Mythic and chose A True Believer in Skepticism!!! Yay!!!!

In Progress

As of fourth quarter 2022, the following are still in the running for publishing:

This list is the name of the story and then the name of the potential publisher.

  • I Used to Be Happy – Gemini Magazine
  • Justice – Adbusters
  • Mettle – RAB
  • Soul Rentals ‘R’ Us – A Thousand One Stories
  • Who Do We Blame for This? – Sonder Review

But the truth is, I suspect all of those are ghostings at this point. I don’t honestly have the energy to submit right now.

All Other Statuses

So be sure to see the Stats section for some details on any query statuses for fourth quarter 2022 which were not in progress.

Stats

So in 2018, my querying stats were:

  • 68 submissions of 19 stories
  • Acceptances: 4, 5.88%
  • In Progress-Under Consideration: 3, 4.41% (so these don’t seem to have panned out)
  • In Progress: 10, 14.71%
  • Rejected-Personal: 14, 20.59%
  • Rejected-Form: 24, 35.29%
  • Ghosted: 13 (so these were submissions where I never found out what happened), 19.12%

So in 2019 my querying stats were:

  • 23 submissions of 11 stories (so 6 submissions carry over from 2018)
  • Acceptances: 4, 17.39%
  • In Progress: 11 (so this includes 2 holdovers from 2018), 47.83%
  • Rejected-Personal: 4, 17.39%
  • Rejected-Form: 3, 13.04%
  • Ghosted: 1 (so these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 4.35%

2020 Stats

So, in 2020 my querying stats were:

  • 37 submissions of 12 stories (so 9 submissions carried over from 2019)
  • Acceptances: 3, 8.11%
  • In Progress: 7, 18.92%
  • Rejected-Personal: 12, 32.43%
  • Rejected-Form: 4, 10.81%
  • Ghosted: 11 (so these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 29.73%

2021 Stats

So, in 2021 my querying stats were: 5 submissions of 5 stories (so 5 submissions carried over from 2020); 100% Ghosted.

2022 Stats

So, in 2022 my querying stats were:

  • 6 submissions of 6 stories (so 5 submissions carry over from 2020 and 2021), plus 1 reprint!
  • Acceptances (reprint; still waiting on it): 1,14.29%
  • Rejected-Form: 1, 14.29%
  • Ghosted: 5, 71.42%

It can be pretty discouraging and hard to go on when virtually nothing new comes up which is positive.

Fourth Quarter 2022—Productivity Killers

So it’s work, what else? I am working on a ton of things and then have to switch to fiction writing. And that isn’t always easy, and there’s no end in sight.

My focus right now, also, is to continue to redesign and overhaul this blog and website. So, that’s the priority, and creation will wait for it, and editing.

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Character Review — Craig FirenzeCharacter Review, Josie James, Greg Shapiro, Jazminder Parikh, MD, Johnny Barnes, Dalton Farouk, Peri Martin, Carmen D’Angelo, MD, Dr. Devon Grace, Tommy 2000, Lex Feldman, Velexio, Character Reviews are Coming, Ixalla, Elise Jeffries, MD, Frances Miller Ashford, Marnie Shapiro, Ceilidh O’Malley, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Trixie LaRue, Tathrelle, Nell Murphy, Craig Firenze, Adger, Astrid Hennigsen, Benjamin Chase, Bobby/Jerry Brodie, Cyndi Mendez, Dez Hunter, Eileen Bragin, Eleanor Braverman, Judge John Lowell, Keisha Darnell, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, Noah Braverman, Olga Nicolaev, Peter Ray, Rachel Gifford, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sally Bowles/TSTO Tiles, Shannon Duffy, Student #17, Tad Lewis, Ginny Carey, TSTITO, Selkhet 3000, complex evil characters, Emma 1000, They Say This is the One, Elston Young, Trinity Hawthorne, Character Creation

Character Review — Craig Firenze

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on November 8, 2022

Consider Craig Firenze, One of My Original Characters

Who is Craig Firenze?

For Mettle, the first character I came up with was the anchor. Craig is the linchpin of the piece and of the group.

He came tearing into my mind, swearing all the way, Southern accent in full swing.

Where Did Craig Firenze Come From?

I had way too many proper-ish characters. But Craig, and really everyone in Mettle, has a potty mouth. And, in fact, the first word he says (the first word anyone in the book says) is an f-bomb.

He’s sarcastic and smart. Much like Trixie LaRue, his Southern accent may fool some into thinking he’s just a good ol’ boy. But Craig is far more than that.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Craig Firenze

The head of communications at NASA is a veteran, who attained the rank of Colonel. But he’s also got two degrees in civil engineering, and a Professional Engineering license. A PE license is hard to get, so it should be obvious: Craig is no dope.

This combination of qualifications makes him uniquely suited to talk to the press about the astronauts on the International Space Station. But he’s also the one who has to report the negatives with the positives. And the negatives are really bad.

At the same time, the negatives in his life are getting worse. He just wanted to marry a beauty queen. But instead, he got a bipolar wife who doesn’t always take her medication.

Description

Craig’s look is essentially Chris Cooper in American Beauty. I have always intended for him to be and look a lot like a middle manager or midlevel military guy. Someone who you would not really notice.

He’s the short, almost Napoleon-like guy who people underestimate, but who quietly and purposefully gets things done.

But I do have an alternative, as Cooper is currently a bit too old for what I am looking for.

I also like Gary Sinise, but only a bit. Essentially, I only see Sinise when he is in a skeptical or frowning kind of pose.

But either way you slice it, Craig is not meant to have movie star good looks. And I never mean for him to have the classic look of a hero. Yet he is one anyway.

With an accent that’s Texas by way of Georgia, he sounds like he’d be sitting on a porch and dispensing homespun wisdom. But he’s a city guy with two difficult-to-get degrees and a major role in front of cameras in perhaps the most well-known government agency: NASA.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

The chief motivator for everyone in the Mettle Universe is survival. But before we get there, we have about nine or ten chapters of preliminaries. Yes, I should edit those. I get it!

For the preliminary chapters, Craig has the most screen time and you get the most detail about him.

He is essentially trying to keep above water in his personal life, and cover everyone’s tail (Craig would say something far earthier) at work.

Quotes (Craig Reads the Riot Act to Dez and Nell)

Dez and Nell got their coats and followed Craig out. “What the fuck do you want?” she asked as they walked.

“Just hold your horses.” Craig got them inside the front room. The room was cold, and the shadows had lengthened. He fumbled around for candles and matches while the kids waited. Finding them, he lit one and used it to scour the room. He pointed. “There’s a sofa. Now sit.”

Grumbling and still in their jackets, they sat down. “This blows,” Nell complained.

“Shut up,” Craig barked. “And listen, both of you. Now I know this isn’t a great situation.”

“Right, yeah,” she said. “Get to the fucking point.”

“You interrupt your pappy when he does this?”

“I don’t even know who my father is, so fuck you on that account.”

“Right, sorry. I didn’t know that. But honestly, kids. This is not a fucking country club we got goin’ on here. You gotta pull your weight.”

“What are you gonna do about it?” Dez cracked.

Craig ran a hand through his hair. “I won’t starve y’all, and I can’t ground you in any way. But you gotta understand. This power outage has gone on for, I don’t even know what fucking day it is anymore.”

“It’s June first,” Dez said. “Mink had a calendar and I’m still crossing off the days.”

“So, it’s been a good ten days. We’ve gotten nothing from nobody. No communications, no planes flying and dropping supplies, no tests of power, nothing. That tells me this power outage won’t go away any time soon. And those people who left—including your parents, Dez—are probably not coming back for a while, if ever. That means you’ve both gotta step up.”

“I’m only fucking fourteen,” Nell complained.

“Well, I’m sorry that’s so, Missy, but we can’t just wait around for you to grow up.” Craig paused. “There are only eight of us. Mrs. Braverman can’t help, and Olga is pretty much giving all of her time to her care. So, it’s more like there’s only six of us. You back out and you’re not only hurting yourself.”

“Don’t fucking call me Missy. I hate it.”

“I don’t give a flying shit what you like.”

Relationships

Craig has a relationship of some sort with all the major characters. But these four are the most significant.

Jeannie Scutter Firenze

At the start of Mettle, Craig and his wife, Jeannie, are moving from a relatively even keel to rocky, roiling waters. Craig and Jeannie have known each other since high school. She’s a former beauty queen—and he was just some guy.

But her parents in particular pushed for the union, because Jeannie isn’t what she seems on the surface. The gorgeous Alabama cheerleader has bipolar disorder. As a result, the Scutters did everything in their power to keep the marriage together. They hid the worst of Jeannie’s episodes.

But when they’ve both passed on, the truth comes out. And it is not pretty.

At the Start of Mettle

When Mettle starts, Jeannie is heading right into a manic phase, like a speeding train in the process of derailing. And Craig is finding out that he doesn’t want to tolerate it any longer.

Noah Braverman

I don’t write Craig with any siblings. But Noah is as close to a brother as I’ve got for him. Even though Noah barely knows him, he takes Craig in, all the same. While they aren’t exactly partners in crime (Noah and Elise are), they both get ‘er done. Craig helps everyone to survive. But Craig would not be able to do that without Noah taking him in.

Nell Murphy

When Craig and Nell start off, they get off on the wrong foot. Nell and Dez abandon the others to follow childish pursuits. This leaves Craig and Mei-Lin lost in Brighton. Dez leaves Elise and Noah when they’re foraging for food. Nell takes a nap and Dez does ollies on his skateboard.

Craig reads them both the Riot Act (see above).

But Nell warms up to him, and comes to realize that he is pretty much the only person standing between the group and utter starvation and despair. The no-nonsense middle manager gets things done.

Mei-Lin Quan, MD

With Jeannie, everything is a difficult slog. But with Mei-Lin, everything is easy. Although some of that may come from sharing experiences in a disaster.

She chooses him, and decides he will be the reason she goes on. But when she first comes onto him, he’s like a deer caught in the headlights. It takes him a bit to come around.

Conflict and Turning Point

Like with the other major characters, and really the book itself, the turning point is when they set off the fireworks. Until then, it feels as if Craig will be the strongest one. But he’s not. That honor, rather, falls to Dez.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Craig is one of the most easily funny characters I have ever written. He makes pop culture references effortlessly and relentlessly. But I don’t have a real continuity for him across the other universes.

Future Plans for Craig Firenze

There is no question that Craig will appear in the Mettle prequel story. That story will be a bunch of loosely-gathered vignettes, but they will all show foreshadowing of the main book. These vignettes will also introduce all of the characters, but as separate entities for the most part.

Craig Firenze: Takeaways

Before the disaster, he’s a mid-level government functionary. But afterwards? He’s the key to the group’s survival. The unlikeliest hero (and in that way, he’s a bit like Marnie Shapiro) is indispensible.

Craig Firenze — because sometimes your hero comes from middle management.

Want More of Craig Firenze and the Rest of Mettle?

If Mettle resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how changes in the periodic table nearly kill us all.

Character Reviews: Mettle

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Character Review — Nell MurphyBailee Madison, who I see as Nell Murphy

Character Review — Nell Murphy

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on August 9, 2022

Consider Nell Murphy, One of My Original Characters

Who is Nell Murphy?

For Mettle, I needed a character who would be bullied. In contrast to the wealthy and overly pretty Kitty and Mink—and the troublemaking Dez—I wanted a mousey character. Nell fills the bill perfectly.

Where Did Nell Murphy Come From?

Because I’ve been on the receiving end of bullying myself, writing those scenes was easy. And, frankly, they mainly came from real life. But it’s not just what happens to her. It’s also how she reacts to it. Since Nell has few resources at her disposal, she retreats even more into herself.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Nell Murphy

Born after the turn of the 21st century, Nell is fourteen during the entire run of Mettle. She never knows who her father is. Her mother, Julia, overdoses on opioids when Nell is only six. As a result of this harsh childhood, her Gran (Sally Murphy) is raising her.

But her family is far from wealthy. Gran scrimps to get Nell good food and keep a roof over their heads. When the book starts, Gran is having trouble paying the heating bills.

Shy, quiet, and introverted, Nell wants to be anywhere but wherever she is. Feeling undue pressure, she cuts herself.

Like many tweens, she’s mouthy at times, and mumbles at others. Sometimes, she’s responsible. But other times, she slacks off. Just like any other kid of her age.

Description

Nell is small and slight. I see her with straight, stringy mousey brown hair and large eyes. She’s pale, too. Often, she wants to disappear. If I had to describe her with one word, I would say she’s scrawny.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Like all of the other characters in Mettle, Nell’s primary motivation is to survive. And she realizes cutting won’t help anything, so she stops voluntarily. It’s one of the more mature things she does throughout the book.

Quotes

In this scene, Nell and Dez (a classmate) are trying to survive with fellow Bostonians Elise, Noah, Mei-Lin, Craig, and Olga. To save fuel and conserve their own human energy, the idea is to combine households. Even though they were classmates, Dez and Nell barely knew each other before. The others didn’t know her at all. Before, Elise was working as a medical examiner and was acquainted with Mei-Lin, another doctor at the local hospital. Olga, a Russian immigrant, is the caregiver for Noah’s mother, who has Alzheimer’s.

“Would you both live in the Carter Street house?” Elise asked, point blank. “If you don’t want to, it’s okay. But Nell, you’re right. Combining households will save us fuel.”

“I guess so.” Nell looked down. “It’ll be weird not being around Gran’s things.”

“I could live in the Carter Street house,” Dez said. “I won’t really miss anything back home. My old man saw to that. Anything I really owned or liked can’t be used except the skateboard. The rest is all computers, stuff like that. I had my own TV. That’s a waste now.”

“Bring some of your grandmother’s stuff over if you want to, Nell,” Mei-Lin suggested. “Or your mother’s.”

“I just have one thing from my mom.”

“What that?” asked Olga.

“The burgundy down jacket.”

“She’s kept you warm, then,” Noah said.

“That’s about all she ever did.”

“You don’t have to give us the gory details if you don’t want to,” Craig said.

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. My mother OD’d when I was six.”

“Opioids, right?” Elise asked. Nell nodded. “I probably did her autopsy.”

“Julia Murphy.”

“I don’t know. But it wouldn’t shock me.” Elise squeezed the girl’s hand.

Relationships

Nell is very young, so she doesn’t really have much in the way of relationships. Certainly, there’s nothing sexual. She’s probably ace. I’ve mulled that idea over a few times and it’s … possible. But even I’m not 100% sure.

Gran

Nell’s grandmother is the only family she’s got. Gran is mother, father, and tutor to Nell. Because there’s no one else, they are close. But this doesn’t mean Nell is a good little obedient girl. While she tends to keep quiet about things, she’s still not a perfect little angel, to be reared effortlessly.

Eleanor Braverman

For a few days, Eleanor has the wherewithal to become a more active member of the group. Nell latches onto her immediately, as Gran has gone out of town and there’s no way to know when or even if she’ll ever be back. Eleanor and Nell read together, and it gets Nell excited about learning in a way she never was before.

Noah Braverman

While Nell and Noah don’t have a lot of scenes together, she comes to love everyone in the group. With the Bravermans, she even takes on their name as a second middle name. In that way, she honors both Noah and his mother.

Craig Firenze

Although they don’t get off on the right foot, Nell comes to appreciate and truly respect Craig. As everything else goes to pot around them, she develops what is not really a crush. It’s more like hero worship. Because Craig offers stability and reassurance when everything else feels hopeless.

Conflict and Turning Point

Like for the other characters in Mettle, the turning point centers around things finally becoming so dire that it seems inevitable that none of them will make it. Nell is the first to really get close to the point of no return. But she’s also the first to recover, and the first to start to piece together what’s really going on.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

When I had trouble coming up with the name of a side, throwaway character in Time Addicts, I named her Nell. Although that character is Nell Shaw.

Are There Any Future Plans for Nell Murphy?

I don’t really have any future plans for her, but she’s a character I could see myself revisiting.

Nell Murphy: Takeaways

Don’t count her out. Nell may be small, but she’s mighty all the same. I see my seventh grade self in her.

Nell Murphy — small but fierce.

Want More of Nell and the Rest of Mettle?

If Mettle resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how changes in the periodic table nearly kill us all.

Character Reviews: Mettle

The Mettle Universe
Self Review: Mettle

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