From Austin to Waco; Trading San Francisco and Austin

There have been a lot of changes made to my plan for Wizard Punk. From being a comic book to being a trilogy of novels, I’ve revised my ideas, plans, and direction for this project.

As the project moved mediums, the protagonist found himself becoming a young woman named Honor Gale. (My protagonists are rather like actors. Honor has been around for a while, jumping from idea to idea. Much like several of my gay protagonists.) So, the project is now Witchpunk, a novel trilogy with some suitably punk titles. 

Originally, the first book is set in Austin, Texas. Book Two would have moved to Houston or New Orleans, and Book Three would have moved to Los Angeles. 

Gradually, though, I wanted to set everything at one location, Austin. The more I thought about it, the less I really wanted to set the project in Austin. Waco, Texas just called to me. 

In part because Waco is a far more conservative and depressed setting. And I want what that kind of setting brings to the conflict of the narrative.

I also think that I’m being premature in my ambitions for a trilogy. Especially if my plans pan out. Seriously, more than one novel is stretching credulity. 

If there is only one Witchpunk novel, then the lone novel will be called The Goetic High. 

So, Austin loses a novel set there, but I’ve got another project set there, don’t I? Actually, no. Austin’s losing out again, damn it.

If I were to plop a city the size of Uruk or Ur into a modern metropolis, where would make better sense, Austin’s Zilker Park or San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park? Clearly, Golden Gate Park is more suitable because of size.

Never fear, though, in exchange for Two Cities, Austin is getting Tyler Spang (the gay porn comic). I’m not sure that is much of a consolation prize, however. .. 

That’s not to say that I’ll never return to Austin as a setting. I love that city too damn much to only explore it once.

Now, I’ve got to get back to adding a third high school to Waco ISD and wholesale replacing St. Edward’s University with the fictional Webster University (I think Spinner Cypress is a better name, anyway, compared to Webster Cypress). 

I’ll end with Happy Fourth of July!!