Han, Book One: Phases of the Moon - Joss Whedon Inspired

I am currently working on an old project that I'm finally ready to truly work on and complete. Here's the synopsis: 

David Han is kidnapped from his place of work and is taken to an underground laboratory. A power outage allows him to escape, but later that night, his body experiences drastic transformations. He finds himself in the forest the next morning, alone and naked with no memory of the night's events. With help from zoologist Jade Lin as well as her assistant, Brian Kendall, Han discovers that his DNA contains similarities to that of a wolf's. His escape from the lab launches a manhunt for him led by the same operation that imprisoned him and reconstructed his DNA.

That is the synopsis for the first "episode." Book one will involve further confrontation between Han and his team and the government operation. The overall series will revolve around Han's struggle to accept his lycanthropy and his ultimate goal to find a cure. 

I said "episode" as opposed to "chapter" because the format of this novel will be slightly different than most novels. I originally began working on this series as a television script, but as I had no serious intention to ever become a screenwriter full time, I decided to write it as a novel instead. But I still preferred the idea of writing each section as episodes instead of chapters. Chapters are merely convenient separators for a story. They blend with each other and surround a single storyline. While television seasons of a series typically revolve around one storyline, each episode contains a separate storyline of its own. Sometimes the storyline is entirely separate to the main storyline, and sometimes it aids in telling the main story. Either way, television episodes typically have a beginning and some sort of conclusion in the same episode, and that's what I'm going for with this series. Since this series drew inspiration from the works of Joss Whedon, I'll use Buffy the Vampire Slayer as an example. Take season five for example. The main storyline of this season revolves around the gang's battle with Glory, a god who becomes trapped on Earth after being unable to find the key that opens the portal to the hell dimension she ruled. But every single episode of season five does not revolve around that. In fact, Glory doesn't even make her first appearance until the season's fifth episode. It just seems like a unique way to write a novel.

As I said, I created this series with inspiration from the work of Joss Whedon. There was a character named Oz (played by Seth Green) on Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He's introduced in the second season of the show as the quiet guitarist for a band. He begins dating main character Willow (played by Alyson Hannigan) in this season, but his storyline obtains a huge twist when he's bitten by his little cousin Jordy. Little Jordy just so happens to be a werewolf. Oz remains in the main lineup for the rest of season two and all of season three. But his time on Buffy ended at the beginning of season four. Actor Seth Green began taking movie gigs that gave him leading roles as opposed to the secondary role he had on Buffy. So, Joss Whedon and his writing staff needed to twist Oz's storyline in a way that would allow Seth to leave the cast permanently. The crew hired guest star actress Paige Moss to play Veruca, lead singer of a band that performed at The Bronze (a club in Sunnydale, the fictional setting of the series). She was also a student at UC Sunnydale, but the plot twist doesn't appear until it's discovered that she is also a werewolf. Oz finds himself drawn to her in a very primal way, and Veruca reciprocates his feelings. She believes the wolf inside of her is her true self while Oz believes that his lycanthropy is a curse. This causes friction between the two, and when Oz is afraid that she'll harm someone on the night of the full moon, he locks her in his cage with him. They sleep with each other during the night when they transform. Willow finds them spooning together in the nude the next morning and is absolutely distraught. When Willow attempts to curse the two of them, Veruca comes after her. Oz finds them in time and kills Veruca. The episode concludes with Oz packing to leave with the intent to travel the world in search of a cure. That is, ultimately, what inspired me to create Han. Oz and Han are very different characters, but the overall idea of trying to overcome and control the beast that lies within is what I intend to focus on. I believe Oz's story was continued through comic books and novels, but I've never personally read them myself.

I'll be posting character summaries, episode synopses and even the entire first episode later on. I plan to have the novel released by fall or early winter. I'll post regular updates.

I'd like to end this with a special thanks to Joss Whedon.           

Song For Jolee - Writer's Playlist

 I'm sorry, but I can't stop the bleeding.
Crying, and it's all because of you.
One look in the mirror to see,
What's real and fake, Jolee.

These are the lyrics to a song named "Song for Jolee." It was written and performed by one of my favorite bands, Kamelot. I first heard this song during the early process of writing my first novel, If Only for a Moment. I've been a fan of Kamelot since 2005. Their lyrics and melodies as well as the beautifully operatic vocals of their former singer, Roy Khan, have never failed to inspire me. Khan, who shared songwriting duties with the band's guitarist and founder Thomas Youngblood, parted ways with the band in late 2010. But the split did not affect the melodic beauty that many find in Kamelot's music. With their new singer, Tommy Karevik, Kamelot released a new album (Silverthorn) containing "Song for Jolee" as its fifth track. The song, a ballad, is part of a concept album about the tragic death of a little girl named Jolee. But Jolee's story in Silverthorn is not what inspired me. The melody and lyrics of the song as well as the level of intensity Tommy puts into the vocals is what inspired the storyline of one of my main characters, Jolee Haynes. And that rather long explanation leads me to the point of this post.

Music plays an important role in the lives of many. Athletes use it to get themselves pumped at the gym or before a game. Artists use it as a way to free their minds as they paint, sketch or sculpt. Dancers use it to connect mind, body and soul to a beat or rhythm. As a writer, music inspires me to no end. Whether it's a specific song, or whether it's a series of songs, music relaxes and frees me in a way that allows me to focus on the words escaping from the innermost workings of my mind before they take their place onto paper.

Below is a list of songs I listened to while writing If Only for a Moment. Whatever your profession or hobby may be, I invite you to create a playlist of your own. You'd be amazed by how far music can take you.

 1. "Mad World" by Adam Lambert
 2. "Whatya Want from Me" by Adam Lambert
 3. "Don't You Remember" by Adele
 4. "Lovesong" by Adele
 5. "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele
 6. "Skyfall" by Adele
 7. "Someone Like You" by Adele
 8. "Take it All" by Adele
 9. "Turning Tables" by Adele
10. "13 Horses" by Alexander Rybak
11. "Abandoned" by Alexander Rybak
12. "Стрела Амура" by Alexander Rybak
13. "Dagdrøm" by Alexander Rybak
14. "Disney Girls" by Alexander Rybak
15. "If You Were Gone" by Alexander Rybak
16. "Maria" by Alexander Rybak
17. "Song from a Secret Garden" by Alexander Rybak
18. "Suomi" by Alexander Rybak
19. "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse
20. "I Miss You" by Blink 182
21. "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars
22. "Fix You" by Coldplay
23. "Paradise" by Coldplay
24. "The Scientist" by Coldplay
25. "Honest Questions" by Daniel Bedingfield
26. "Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran
27. "Trois Vierges" by Epica feat. Roy Khan
28. "Shake it Out" by Florence + the Machine
29. "How to Save a Life" by The Fray
30. "Anthem" by Kamelot
31. "A Sailorman's Hymn" by Kamelot
32. "Don't You Cry" by Kamelot
33. "On the Coldest Winter Night" by Kamelot
34. "Song for Jolee" by Kamelot
35. "Wander" by Kamelot
36. "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane
37. "She Will be Loved" by Maroon 5
38. "Heartbeat" by Nneka
39. "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol
40. "Don't Regret" by t.A.T.u.
41. "Bittersweet" by Within Temptation
42. "In Perfect Harmony" by Within Temptation
43. "Memories" by Within Temptation
44. "Our Farewell" by Within Temptation
45. "Pale" by Within Temptation
46. "Somewhere" by Within Temptation
47. "Utopia" by Within Temptation
48. "Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant