Moving right along…

I spent much of today working on the next two books, VWORP!2 and WARP!1. Really did more work on VWORP!2 (which is perversely appropriate, as it’s not the one that comes out first), but some of that work helps WARP!1 too, since both books are in a very similar format.

One of the things I did today was whip up a nifty little graphic for the Short Hops in VWORP!2. For those who have gotten VWORP!1, you already know that there are plenty of asides and stories that didn’t fit comfortably under discussion of particular episodes or seasons. In many cases they’re first-person stories of odd, and often humorous, ways that my life has intersected with Doctor Who down through the years. I decided that, for VWORP!2 and VWORP!3, I wanted the Short Hops interludes to “pop” a bit more, and have a little bit of a graphic signature. Therefore:

…a bit of fun. (If anyone’s wondering where “Short Hops” comes from, it’s from Logopolis, the final Tom Baker story, in which the fourth Doctor says “The TARDIS and I are getting rather better at these short hops…“)

There will also be a new “category” or two of factoids. If you’ve looked at VWORP!1, you’re familiar with factoids like “behind the scenes,” “New Who connections,” “Classic Who connections,” “A.K.A.” and so on. VWORP!2 will introduce “Timeline,” which – since this book will be dealing with Big Finish – will let you know where “expanded universe” stories fir into the continuity of TV Doctor Who. Another one that’s turning out to be rather fun is “Same Song, Different ‘Verse,” which alerts the reader to, ahem, any duplication of concept or storyline that might occur in the Doctor Who universe. (Hey, it happens.) The “Different ‘Verse” is, of course, shortened from “different universe.” “Same Song, Different ‘Verse” will almost certainly be included as a category in the Trek book, WARP!1, as well.

I’ve also done some preliminary layout on VWORP!3 (!!), which isn’t even due to be out until 2015.

Now, on the subject of WARP!1… I’ve already laid out the “skeleton” of the book, dropping in the empty template for every episode of Star Trek that there ever was. That was a lot of work. It also brought the page count for WARP!1 – which is not quite 10% done – to nearly the page count of VWORP!1 (396 pages). Wow. So I have to admit to a faux pas here. The blurb in the back of VWORP!1 refers to WARP!1 like it’s going to be just one book… but the truth of the matter is, we’re probably looking at two books, maybe three. (What have I gotten myself into?)

That being said, I have no wish for the BBC or Paramount to stop what they’re doing on my account. You guys keep makin’ ’em, I’ll keep writing about ’em.