A Novel by Michael Lowell Teague
Introduction: My second novel was started with little idea as to what it should be about, beyond including more exploration of supernatural themes. It was left mostly on the back burner until my father died in February 2010. This loss brought me face-to-face with my own mortality, and this internal conflict became a catalyst to write.
Part Two was written first, and comprises roughly half the length of my completed novel. I felt less compelled to write a linear story along the lines of Icarus Transfigured, and so Liam’s encounter with a mysterious woman and her dog becomes increasingly fractured as his understanding of his situation improves. Part Two did not reach its final shape until my mother passed away in 2013.
A twin brother, Lucien, was added to pad out other aspects of spirituality and grief within the book. His story is split between timelines presented in Parts One and Three. A frightful spectre floats between the two brothers’ stories, as if passing through a shared door. Part Four sees the two brothers united, with Liam ending the book in much the way he started it. This device is similar to how the Prologues and Epilogues frame Icarus Transfigured.
House of Fairy Tales: 1, 2, 3, 4
House of Thanksgiving: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
House of Christmas: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
House of The Monster: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
House of Abiding Mystery: 1
House of Imposters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
House of Anubis: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
House of The Secret Door: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
House of The Patriarch: 1
House of The Prodigal: 1
House of Uncertain Memory: 1, 2, 3
House of Independence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
House at The End of The World: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
House of Those Yet Asleep: 1, 2
House of Those Left Behind: 1
Calendar:
June 2008: This is the earliest time stamp I can find for my manuscript, although the project existed primarily in note form until 2010.
March 2020: COVID-19 arrived and ended my daily frequenting of coffeehouses, where endless edits had been performed on The Travelers-Back by force of habit. I stopped working on the novel at this time and declared it finished—which it was for all practical purposes.
2021-2024: In the four years since, House of Anubis was reworked with a view toward making it tighter. The introductory part of this story was split off and made into House of Imposters, where a key scene from the original ending of Anubis was repurposed. Apart from this, changes to the book have been cosmetic, and are the sort of housekeeping one expects to find in any creative venture.
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