Kaspar Traulhaine, Approximate

This is a fantastic and grotesque mystery from author Pablo D'Stair. The titular Traulhaine is a man on the run, haunted by guilt and hunted by forces he doesn't understand. He's recently committed a murder, and seemingly gotten away with it, until one day a strange man approaches and claims to have witnessed everything. In three days time, he'll turn Kaspar over to the authorities.

Thus begins a series of mind-bending occurrences for Traulhaine, as he's increasingly tormented by this stranger, an odd, slovenly man who may or may not be mentally deficient. Kaspar struggles with his options: to flee, to fight, to turn himself in, and with each minute that ticks by, his conscience and guilt slowly devour him.

As the end approaches, time seems to become more fluid, each minute a longer agony than the one prior. Regret hammers Kaspar like torrential rain, and the ending comes in a most unexpected fashion.

D'Stair does a fine job playing inside of the sandbox of Kaspar's brain. The story led me on a bizarre adventure that had me questioning the nature of reality and the reliability of the narrator, but never losing the thread of the story, the intense and growing dread, the impending doom. A tight and tense mental thriller that I'd highly recommend!

The First Draft

On December 31, 2006 I began work on a novel that I was sure would fly from my fingertips and pretty much write itself in a couple of months. Tonight...pretty much three years later, I got to write my two favorite words of the story: THE END!

This is what it feels like to finish a novel (especially the bit around 2 minutes until the end):


And, for those too lazy to google the lyrics:

Nobody shall sleep!...
Nobody shall sleep!
Even you, o Princess,
in your cold room,
watch the stars,
that tremble with love and with hope.
But my secret is hidden within me,
my name no one shall know...
No!...No!...
On your mouth I will tell it when the light shines.
And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!...
(No one will know his name and we must, alas, die.)
Vanish, o night!
Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!

I haven't gotten to this point in quite some time, obviously, but I'm determined to be more writerly, and...you know. Write. So hopefully you'll be seeing a slew of updates this year about the progress I make selling this novel or at least getting an agent, as well as the work I'm doing on my next project (starting in late December/January). Alas, I must be a bit secretive about them at the moment, but in the new year, you'll be seeing a lot of changes to the site, with a lot more news about the books, and hopefully the beginning of something great...