As my TOURING schedule slows down, I plan to double down on my Political Theory manuscript that deals with the post-Westphalian system implemented by the victors in 1945. At the same time I am writing what WILL become, ‘‘STEELSTORM III’’ - I originally was going to serialize ‘STORM III online. I’ve SINCE decided to publish all THREE volumes together as a complete novel.
Why is the publication of STEELSTORM stories erratic? Because STEELSTORM is populated by monsters that live within me.
I’m certain that sounds melodramatic and corny - but I’m being entirely sincere. Billy Wong, Anastasia Eastridge, Sorcerer, are people I knew and LOVED who I lost to horrible fates. Some are ENEMIES of mine who are also long dead, and who in my advancing age I wish were still alive on grounds I positively miss them. ZARTAX himself is the sum total of my most horrifying compulsions.
Writing about the world of STEELSTORM and the monsters that populate it is emotionally and psychically draining. I never set out to do it - the compulsion comes over me, and I type out the narrative until the mania passes. Its extraordinarily personal - and like all intimate things, it breeds ambivalence.
I believe, despite the distasteful aspects of his story, ZARTAX has something to teach us. His nightmarish world, his existential arc, the loss of his humanity (and the concomitant acquisition of god-like power) I believe is relevant to our present - in capacities if not properly profound, at least informed by a perspective most people do not approach.
Otherwise, my only outstanding project this summer is a self-shot DOCUMENTARY of sorts that I’ll be commencing at the end of JULY. I don’t wish to disclose what (or WHO) is my subject - as I prefer to generate curiosity. And in filming human subjects, I think its misguided to try and build expectations based upon a personality. It seems gauche in a way.
I hope the end product of all these efforts is worthy of my Friends, Subs, supporters. 7/88. - T
I greatly enjoyed your first two volumes of Steelstorm and am looking forward to the third.
I just finished Steel Storm a little while ago and enjoyed it very much. I envisioned the characters and times and places like they are rendered on art board in my mind as it is a habit of mine being an artist as l read also adjusting these mental renderings as l moved further through the story.
I am looking forward to reading part 2 as part 1 left me wanting to keep discovering more of ZARTAX and his world after the book concluded.
Bravo ⚡⚡