I read the novel Descent on a whim at the recommendation of a coworker and a student in one of my summer classes.  It was a page-turner to rival the likes of James Patterson.  What I wasn’t expecting was the surprisingly intricate prose.  I was reminded of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The subject matter was dark, but written gorgeously. While on vacation in the mountains, a teenage girl goes on a run with her younger brother following on a bike for protection.  Disastrously, the brother is injured and the girl is kidnapped.  This is not too much of a spoiler since it occurs in the first few pages of the novel.  The rest of the book is varying accounts told from the perspectives of each family member (and others) spanning several years of searching for the girl, dealing with life without her, and hoping she’s still alive.

The characters are well-developed and each of their motivations, fears, and doubts is picked apart like clues at a crime scene.  Several themes that stood out for me were the ways in which we cope with tragedy, the power of survival instinct, and the lengths we go to for those we love.

Some of the scenes were too intense, gruesome, and mature for children.  One brutal rape scene in particular is much too graphic to be allowed in my psych facility school library.    But that intensity is part of what made the book hard to put down.

This DESCENT into depravity is paired with breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains, deep ravines, and forests.  Whether by escape, rescue, or death, the reader needs resolution of some kind, any kind, which makes the book impossible to put down.

I am experiencing my first Writer’s Group that Lori invited me to. at Cuppa Austin on Parmer close to Mopac. It is a nice little coffee shop. I got a breakfast taco, hot tea, and iced tea. They have a selection of loose teas to choose from and the baristas were cheerful. My kind of place.

We have a row of tables and 7 people have shown up so far. This is already more successful than any Writer’s Groups I’ve ever hosted. No one talks. They just work. It seems like a productive group. I have gotten four chapters edited. I am now halfway finished editing my BlackIce novel. Making progress!

And yesterday, my best friend Erica helped me get my website “landing” page set up so when people go to marshallpress.net they will see something (instead of a fake page.)

Today’s assignment is to:

Backwards it write but books favorite your of one from passage a copy.

“Are we as – equal, feet God’s at stood we and, grave the through passed had both if as just; spirit your addresses the spirit my is it:  flesh mortal of even nor, conventionalities, custom of medium the through now you to talking not am I.  You leave to me for now is it as, me leave to you for hard as it made have should I, wealth much and beauty some w”ith me gifted had God if and!  Heart much as full and – you as soul much as have I – wrong! think you? Heartless and soulless am I, little and, plain, obscure, poor, am I because, think you do? Cup me fro,m dashed water living of drop my and, lips my from snatched bread of morsel my have to bear can and? feelings without machine a – automaton an am I think you do.”

This is from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

I am thinking about doing a mystery/thriller course with James Patterson even though I’ve never written anything mysterious or thrilling in my life.  My next assignment is to randomly search stuff in Google and write down the auto suggestions.  I thought it might be interesting to see what happens if I search some of my ideas or terms related to this topic.

Mysterious:  skin, universe, serum, stranger, challenger

Thrilling:  adventure, intent

Missing:  you, plane, money, at 17

Fearful:  symmetry, avoidant attachment

Confusion:  hill, matrix, poem

Mystery:  room, men, movie, science theater 3000

Thriller:  lyrics, Netflix, Michael Jackson

Shadow:  doubt, Colossus, hunter, dancer, run

Dark:  side, horse, place, moom

the:  usual suspects, wall