Meet The Books! - In Greater Hands

Bongiorno to my lovely crowd, to whom I bequeath on this day    well, you'll see soon enough. :) I am introducing my one and only, ever, of-all-time NaNoWriMo project, from NaNoWriMo 2016, an unusual story for me. And please, feel free to participate in this! All you have to do is take questions and answer them for your own project (and you're welcome to take the picture as well if you so wish). Only rule is to link it back here so I can see! :)
What is the genre?
Well, when I first talked about it on this blog, I was told by a commenter that it seemed to be a genre called Sci-Fi Contemporary. I personally have no idea what that is, but apparently I am writing it. :P
What is the title? Time period?
The title (of the first book) is In Greater Hands, named because originally (and it still might be, I don't know) it was intended as an allegory for Divine Providence. And the time period is the near future (originally I set it at about the year 1121 or so).
How is it written (point of view, MC, etc.)?
It's in my favorite POV to write in, third person (limited), except it only has one MC directing the POVs - that MC is Leta Arsteva, a young Russian cadet in a global secret service.

Who are the characters?
Cadet Leta Pyotrovna Arsteva, the MC, is a young (very young!) cadet training in a global secret service, training to be a special force active service (kind-of like a secret agent mixed with a Navy SEAL). She has been training since the age of twelve, and is at the time of the story (the main part of the story, that is) still only nineteen. Her country, Russia, was in political and cultural turmoil for years due to the government's instability when she was small, and due to the incapability of the country to deal with all the random outbursts, Leta's mother was shot in a random attack. Because of this, Leta's father, Dr. Pyotr Arsteva, devoted himself to trying to alleviate the turmoil, helping one political side to gain an edge. However, shortly after Leta turned twelve, the opposite political side gained ground for a little while and found out of Dr. Arsteva's opposition to them and aid to their enemies. Because of this, Dr. Arsteva was arrested and shot (if anyone's wondering, this political side is much like a neo-communism government - at this point it had infiltrated many nations, including Russia and the USA). Leta wandered, alone, for days in the chaos while the fight against this government continued (eventually the side her father was with won out, but this did not happen until later). She found a secret recruiting station and tried to enlist, to help the cause her father had died for, but she was too young. However, a council member of the global welfare secret service, Lady Lecta, was at the recruiting station and took a fancy to Leta. She took Leta in as her ward, and Leta has been training there ever since, up to the beginning of the story.
Lord and Lady Lecta are a couple; Lady Lecta the English council member of the global secret service, and Lord Lecta the president of its head base in Bath, England (if you have not guessed, the Lectas are British. The name 'Lecta' is not their natural name, but was changed to protect any existing family). And... as to their characters... well, they are about as boring as shortbread cookies and even more so in that they don't even go well with coffee. So much for those two. :P

Training-Sergeant Travers is a minor British character who is only being mentioned here because he is the first character you really meet after Leta, as he is her physical trainer, and an old friend of

Major Bertie Fleming, one of the three members of the numero uno top special force team for the secret service. In fact, he is the head member. One wouldn't expect from talking to this jokey Aussie guy that he is one of the world's top special force members. He is originally from Australia, and his team members, Captain Lewis Drew and Major Kate Ayura, are Australian and Indian. Bertie is one of the two main sunspots in the book, being exceeding cheerful and optimistic. He befriends Leta almost immediately when he is encamped at the main base where she is training, even though - despite being unconscious of it himself - he has met her before...

Vic Vance or Lt. Vicinius Vance in full, as he later becomes, is an unusual sort. It seems as though everything unpredictable and completely dependable was somehow mixed into one person. It's hard to predict a single thing he does or says, but somehow whatever he does do or say always seems to turn out alright, no matter how crazy it was. Initially, Leta and Vance's meeting is a bit rocky, but they soon get to be very best friends. Vance is an unusually intelligent (for being just out of college) young newspaper man (he is only a newspaper man insofar as what he does is for a news company; he programs computers and other complex technic devices). He has an enormous great dane named Rolf (who I wanted to name 'Scooby', but I vaguely remember another great dane already having that name... ;). Vance is an extremely tall American from Texas (with NO cowboy accent!), being almost six foot seven, and has dark, messily swept-back hair and lime-green eyes.

Vance (my image).

Professor Tsonja Ivanovna Ristoff is a reclusive Russian professor of engineering (she does not teach or anything; the reason I call her a professor is because she has extensive degrees. I suppose, technically, she would be called a doctor, though). She has worked in the past as a satellite tracker for both the Russian government and a little bit for the global secret service, and devotes her time to decoding cryptic messages she finds enfolded in transmissions. Because of her extensive knowledge in the realm of coding, her experience, and her being the daughter of Prof. Ivan Ristoff (who was the most proficient scientist in the global secret service once upon a time), the secret service sends Leta to gain Tsonja's services.

Captain Sam Bastikka is the Mr. Sunshine of the book besides Bertie, of course. He is a widowed Jamaican pilot - Lord Lecta's private pilot for a while, in fact - who is hired to be the special force team's pilot after a certain disaster occurs. He is one of my favorite characters, being so profoundly joyful and supportive, telling all his lovely little tales of home, and having that oh-so warm and endearing South-African accent (which I just ADORE listening to ever since I listened to our old parish priest, who had a very thick one). Ahhh. I love, love, love that accent. I wish I could replicate it in writing. Sam has a young son named Felix who is very relevant in a later part of the book, but not for the present.
Captain Ciaran Dunborough is a minor character until a later part in the book, but I had to mention him because he is an awesome Scottish guy, and this is my book where I get to go crazy patronizing all the super awesome real-life countries that I love the idea of, including Scotland (and Russia, and Australia, and Africa... which is actually technically not just one country). :P
Anyways, that about sums the characters up... finally, haha. ;)

What does the plot consist of?

It consist of the political scourge that is sweeping two major nations, Russia and America, trying to overthrow the governments (Russia has already overpowered it once - as relayed above - and replaced it with a just, reformed tsardom, but it is slowly coming back despite precautions). I named it - temporarily - ULF, the United Liberic Fraternity, which is somewhat a terroristic mix of extremist liberal and communist ideals (remember that since this was originally a analogous rather than face-valued plot, I intended merely to have an antagonistic force that could be clearly interpreted as evil). It sort-of has a rather Egalitarian set of ideals, which - don't accuse me of laying out my opinions on politics because I assure you that wasn't my intent in this book at all - I called Libericism, rooted obviously from the word 'liberty', a concept they erroneously make to uphold. Anyways, though, when it starts threatening the Russian tsardom, even to the point of attempting a kidnapping of the Tsar himself, the global secret service goes on a campaign to stop it, using its very best special force team (mentioned above). But, as the battle continues, more and more people are pulled into the fight for true freedom, including Leta, and it is wondered, are any hands great enough to fight this? (Yes, I fully realize it is haphazard. But you must pardon it in the light that a) it was written for NaNoWriMo, and b) it was intended as analogous of a larger thing, not face-valued). The analogy thing, though, I must give credit to a friend for, because I was inspired to make it so by Miss Lucy Agnes, who once upon a time also used an unusual sci-fi setting to tell an enormously analogous story (with great skill and genius too, I might add).

What is the setting?
The setting is a military secret service's bases in the year 1121, in a world that has
1. Russia with a reinstated and reformed tsardom, after a bloody and harsh Counter-Revolution.
2. America now split into two different  countries, the original USA, and a ULF-governed denomination.
3. A secret service for true global welfare unknown to all but the highest in each country, based in England (England was in a different sort of crisis from America and Russia, but it was also in need of addressing, which is why the service originally existed).
4. A sect of said secret service having discovered possible ways to bridge civilization into other galaxies (shhh about this last one - it's being saved for the sequels!).

Who are the favorite characters?
Well... um... actually, nobody but me has read more than snippets of it. However, from popular opinion of snippet-readers, I would say that Bertie and Vance are the favorites. Vance is the favorite of my writing confidante and me, and Bertie is the favorite of my only other prospective reader and the blog audience originally introduced to this book.
What is the favorite scene?
Um, so far, the scene where Leta first encounters Vance. However, that could be due to the fact that this is one of the only scenes that is in common reading circulation at present. :P
Any themes of music for this work?

Well, um... kind-of...? Once, for a writing challenge, I wrote a scene with Bertie and Leta off of the song If Ever I Would Leave You from the musical Camelot. And I Had The Craziest Dream and Too Marvelous For Words (the former by Nat King Cole, the latter by Frank Sinatra) have both been used as unofficial themes for Bertie and Tsonja before (who, both from popular demand and because they just belong together, are now officially a couple again! Yay!). Um... I really want a theme for Vance, but I cannot find the right one currently.

Any drawings?
Um, I drew a very amateur picture of Leta, but it is rather too amateur for me to want it to see the light of day, if you know what I mean. :P
Any snippets?
Definitely.

***

The figure of an aircraft sped closer overhead, as though it was trying to land. It was so close, the wind-force of it licked a wheaty bush of Leta's hair into her face. Its shadow zoomed over again - even closer - and Leta instinctively ducked and rolled for cover. Her hand flew to one of her holsters. The plane landed on the runway crudely, a loud skidding noise echoing from it. Almost as soon as it was steady, the hatch-door opened, and a man in a blue pilot suit rushed out. He immediately ran to the back of the flier.
"Get some fire extinguisher!", he yelled to come nearby workmen on the runway. "Tail's caught fire!"

***

Leta's heart raced. She rolled behind the corner of a building. She put her hand to her holster and held her breath. She peeked ever-so-slightly from the corner of the building. A shadow leapt across the path a little ways back. Leta drew her gun quickly, but not quickly enough. A bullet sped right in front of her face and banged into the building wall.

***

Travers signaled to the control man to let loose the latch for the plane's hatch-door. Then he turned back to Leta. "You remember how to land properly? The safe landing ground is to your right slightly. Follow the wind just long enough to get in position before you pull your cord. And remember", he added. "If you don't land correctly, you could cause countless injuries to yourself or others, from a twisted ankle to a twisted spine"
Leta nodded to show she understood. Thank you for giving me so much pressure...

***

"Why should a council member's arrival cause such a fuss?", Leta queried.

The woman looked hesitant. "Only one of the two expected Italian council members was present, M'am"

"What? Why was there only one of them?"

"Well, M'am...", she began pausingly. "The Italian council member - he's been assassinated!"

***

Leta almost walked headlong into a few people coming down another corridor of the hallway, two men and a woman. She stopped, embarrassed, and saluted to them in respect. They each returned the salute, but the two men saluted rather unusually, with their hand cocked.

One man, smiling, to Leta's great surprise, stepped forward and held out his hand. "Major Bertie Fleming, M'am, at your service" He spoke with a slight but distinct Australian accent, and bore no name on his uniform... neither did either of the other two, oddly enough...

***
There was Travers... but he was not alone. A very small flier, charred and wrecked was heaped on the runway behind him. But, almost worse-looking than the plane, there was a man with Travers. His leg was bleeding openly through a tear in his uniform and it looked twisted. He leaned on Travers partially, as though his leg indeed was twisted. His caramel-ish hair was rumpled, and even singed in one place, and his uniform, while mostly intact - excluding an enormous gash down the left leg - but was entirely filthy; whether with blood or with dirt was illegible.
Leta couldn't quite see his face... Who was he? Suddenly he turned a weathered face up. It was Bertie.

***

Leta happened to glance across the counter. There was that sweep-haired weirdo   whoever he was     still looking over at her from the other counter. Leta looked away. Creep.
***
"Well, that's the easy solution", the man answered nonchalantly. "Most guys would have done that in such a case"
"Why didn't you?", Leta queried dryly.
He shrugged again. "Me, I like to keep things interesting - surprise people. Didn't I make it so much more interesting this way?"
***
After what seemed a very long moment, the door of the house opened. A tall, light-blond woman with icy eyes and a keen gaze opened the door. She was far younger that Leta imagined if she was Ristoff, being probably only in her twenties.


She looked at them both scrutinizingly and then spoke. "Who are you? What is your business?" She spoke her Russian with the thick tone that went  with it, speaking easily and indicating clearly her nativity in it.
***
Leta watched the scene, careful to keep back in the crowds with Vance. Tsonja had been right - the tsar was getting away from the rest of the crowd with a ULF. Two nearby men had cases that could conceal guns. This was apparently going to be interesting...
***


Vance shook his head. "It's our job - if we don't do it, lives get lost. I'm afraid time can't be wasted, kid. Tell Sam to have an emergency take-off and escort the imperial family back to Moscow. We need to follow and see if we can find out more. We can't protest - that's an order from the captain"
Leta bit her lip anxiously. "... Affirmative, Sir"
Vance smiled at her firmly. "Just remember what I said about trusting me, Miss Leta. I won't misuse the gift"
"Just make sure to come back!", Leta shouted to him as he ran on.
Vance nodded brightly. "Always!", he called over his shoulder as he drew his gun and went after Bertie, disappearing from sight.

***
Vance's last word still sounded in Leta's mind. It had been a promise... a promise to return. She told him to come back, and he'd given her his word - to take hope that he would. Always. Leta bit her lip and looked down. What made her think she could trust him?


He'd given her a promise. A promise to return. Vance was a man of his word, and he had promised her. He promised he wouldn't misuse her trust. And so he wouldn't.
***

And that's about it for now, because those were selective snippets from only about 30k worth of the almost 50k story (which - fun fact - I have not worked on even to edit since last NaNoWriMo. Can you tell from the snippets? ;)



Strong point in story?
Well, the action is pretty constantly kept up, but I'm not sure that I would view this as a strong point. I believe I would label the characters (who are a sheer joy to write, truly) as the strong point.
Weak point in story?
Um, probably the prose. See, because it was a NaNoWriMo project, it is exceedingly messy of writing and has little beauty or poeticism to speak of. I would be surprised if - when I finally go through it - more than half of the writing is salvaged.
What are your plans for it?
Well, I'm going to write a trilogy (as once upon a time, Miss Lucy did) after the vague styles of C.S. Lewis, H.G. Wells, and some modern-ish writer who writes a lot of military fiction. The first book is In Greater Hands, the second will be Against The World, and the last will be Beyond The Stars. The first two (and part of the last one) will cover the fight against ULF and the recovery from it, and the last two books (mainly the last one) will cover a first stretch out to the stars in hope of recovering the culture so damaged in these struggles (for anyone who's wondering, I also intended the basic timeline in this book to be the preceding history to a friend's space world - we collaborated briefly upon the matter to ourselves - so if you ever read a book that has similar past events and similar country names and backgrounds to this here, then you'll know it's either a plagiarizer or my writing confidante). ;)

Any particular writing habits for it?
Yes, definitely! For instance, I wrote the WHOLE thing with scratch pens (my name for hotel pens, because they scratch the paper a lot more than other pens do). And it is also the only one of my stories which I did not write the majority of listening to music. In fact, only a few select separate scenes that aren't connected to the whole were written using any form of music. It was mostly a melody-less work (perhaps this is a factor in its rather sub-par writing quality...?).
If it were made into a movie, what would be your ideal cast?
Hmmm, I think I would take Lily James as Leta (only because Leta is loosely self-based, and somebody told me that Lily James looked like me, only much prettier, sooo... it works). I would have Grace Kelly play Tsonja Ristoff, Nelson Eddy play Bertie, and a young, darker-haired Robert Taylor play Vance. I don't know for Sam, but I would take Chris Evans as Ciaran. And I believe that sums up anyone of particular importance.
Well, that's wraps it up. What did you think? Would you read it? Who would be your favorite character? Are you - like me - still puzzling over what the heck a 'Sci-fi Contemporary' is? Is anybody else fancying some Il Divo music right now...? ;)