Revification Available on Amazon (Again)!
Paperback book with a new cover made by Molly
Hey! Do you have a favorite memory?
I would imagine many—if not most—people have at least one moment from their past they think of warmly. Perhaps that’s naive of me though, or more a wish than an assumed fact.
Nostalgia is bittersweet.
These circling thoughts were a part of what came together in Revification, that odd story I wrote and then didn’t promote very much.
Well, now there’s a physical version of the book!
I think the new art came out absolutely amazing. Molly did a great job of taking the initial idea and turning it into a full cover.
The words are meant to look like they were printed using a label maker. Playing on the theme of lost memories and a distorted sense of self.
Dream within a Dream
Revification sits in something of a superposition in terms of style and genre. It may very well be the most “traditionally written” book I’ve released thus far. At least in terms of how the pages turn and the sentences seem to align.
However, the story itself is by far the strangest yet. There’s an uncanny feeling to every moment that is heightened by this juxtaposition of familiar style and completely unpredictable content.
So, the whole story is transformed into a convoluted puzzle where you begin second guessing yourself as you read.
That was my goal, and I’m sure the text itself simply isn’t for everyone. Having said that, if that description piqued your interest, Amazon is waiting!
To add some hints to the riddle—better said: an awkward attempt at marketing—I want to reveal what the names mean in this one.
Shahin = Falcon
Kabosha = Nightmare
Binan/Butao = Refuge
Meng = Dream
Jvala = Flame
Hob = ???
Revification = To become a dream
Traumatic Tension
On an extremely personal level, Revification helped me work through some of my worst fears. We tend to try to hide who we are in an attempt to recreate an image of who we think we should be.
Beyond the undoubtedly negative health effects, the human mind finds a way to make us regret these dishonest actions. Whether that means an explosion of emotions or a wrist full of rashes, the lies can only be bottled up for so long.
I say that to explain many of the odd settings and harsh transitions in Revification. They are almost always directly taken from my own nightmares. Recurring or otherwise, I have memories of waking up in a cold sweat after living through a lifetime in at least one of Shahin’s realities.
I think that’s why I used this concept for NaNoWriMo. I was afraid of feeling exposed on a more “serious” project. Writing a novel in a month that will largely be ignored seemed like a safe place to explore the darker shadows hiding in my mind.
That may seem sad and that’s because it probably is.
However, I like to think there’s a happy ending here. I didn’t expect how publicly and openly talking about my internalized fears would end up feeling rather therapeutic.
I let my guard down and didn’t care about how it would look.
That felt amazing.
Lux Aeterna
Meanwhile, I’ve already started thinking about my next book. With a new season of Buildspace on the horizon, I wanted to have something else I could work on during that six-week adventure.
My initial idea was to take it easy and just polish something that was gathering dust. Some of you may even know what I’m referencing when I describe it as an anthology collection.
I think a more apt description would be a cry for help that I once kept close to my heart. Something I likely need to simply release and let go.
Originally—whether out of laziness or artistic integrity—I wanted to keep it a loose collection of short pieces of prose, but I’m beginning to steer away from that. I did develop a weak meta-story to try and hold the various excerpts together, but if I really dive in, I think I’d want to work it into the shape of a fuller narrative.
I haven’t fully committed to the idea just yet, but it’s looking like the cosmic custodian will be more than set dressing. I’m looking to add more characters and an actual plot. The only issue in this incredibly early stage is it feels like the “collection” part has less and less of a place!
At least that’s a problem that should have an easy solution.
Self Sabotage
The only thing stopping me is myself, but I’ve proven to be quite the barrier to my own ideas in the past.
I’d like to think my experience with releasing three books will make the process easier, but I never truly know until I’m neck deep into writing and editing.
In any case, what I hope most of all is that at least some of you enjoy the story.
Until next time.
Cheers,
JMB