Every four months or so, I get this urge to reread Second Coming. The last time I read it was September, I believe, right after 9/11. I thought it fit well, since it was an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it book.

I really wish it was published, though, but I still have faith. Early Spring. We will see. *g*

But anyway, this wasn't going to turn out to be a rant on the slowness of Certain Publishers. I just wanted to reread the book.

It's really odd, I think, because although I wrote it, I get flashes of favorite scenes I don't remember writing every time I think about it. Mordred's death... The Butterfly Girl's murder... That last scene where what seemed to be lost was found again... I'm not really sure what interests me about Mordred and the rest of the King Arthur legends. It's not the chivalry, or the "knights in shining armor". It's certainly not Le Morte D'Arthur (which I did not read but listened to on audiotape), because by the end of that epic, I was really sick and tired of hearing "good woman". It's not the many movies, books, and stories I've read or scene about King Arthur that leaves me still interested in the characters I borrowed.

I think it's because I took a villain, and allowed him to have his moment of redemption; his moment of goodness. Am I sappy or what? *g*

Second Coming went through three or four complete and utter revisions. I axed at least (if not a lot more) 600-700 pages and countless scenes from what ended up being the final book. I let it lie fallow for close to a year. I despaired. I wrote the sucker in present tense, then changed the whole thing to past.

And yet, I ended up with a complete novel, and my life is better for writing it. I can't say it laid to rest this strange feeling inside me when I think of it, but it put that feeling, however temporarily, at peace for a little while. And it was my first acceptance. It will always have a place in my heart because of that.

Every so often, I get this urge to reread it. I start getting flashes of scenes in my mind, remembrances of what happened in the near-future of its setting. I'll probably sit down in front of my computer tonight and read a bit of it. If I remember, I'll post an excerpt here too.

Redemption is a curious thing. Perhaps my fascination with Mordred stems from the desire to see what he would do if he had a chance to redeem himself in his father's eyes. Perhaps not. I'll leave it up for you to decide.

More later...

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