Library Tales

In the first Commander novel, which I originally wrote from Fall of 1997 to Summer 1998, Commander found himself in Vancouver. While there, he wound up in a musty old bookstore filled with gargantuan books, that when he looked through them, were revealed as a chronicle of his life from start to finish.

I still like that idea. As I was working to change that plot into Mind & Machine, I found myself searching for some way to give these books a greater impact. My first thought was to make where they're kept be a bigger place--multiple levels, thousands of books, very scenic and impressive. Along with that, I knew that this place couldn't be musty and dark, but needed to be clear and bright (more on that in a moment).

I had a sequence prior to Commander's arrival in Vancouver where he briefly traveled with an old man named Albert, who was something of a fortune teller. The two ended up discussing Commander's back history, citing several of the simple reason why Commander became who he was. The sequence was a thin excuse to show off some benign parts of Commander's history, but Albert still holds, to me, a place of importance.

So I decide to put Albert in this library in Mind & Machine. He'd have to take on a different form, one of sage and advisor. But every myth has the old man who serves as sage an advisor. As much as I like Albert, I just couldn't make him fit, at least not alone.

I let the idea of what to do about Albert--or his replacement--sit for a while so I could figure out what this library was going to look like. I'd decided by this point that the books in the library couldn't be seen except by a specific group of people. However, if I wanted it to actually be this big, spacious library that I envisioned, I'd have to actually put it in a library. I started looking around for images of buildings in Vancouver, because I wanted the place to look distinct. I knew once I found a suitable location, I would have to find a reason why there was a library in this place, unless I put it in a public library.

Seriously, I knew an actual library wouldn't work. Libraries are too mundane for what I had in mind, especially when I decided that mine would have to store other things than just books. So I found this lovely building in Vancouver. As soon as I saw this picture, I knew it would be a great locale for the story, especially given the battle that has to take place on top of the library. Then I asked myself, "What is this place?"

It's the Vancouver Public Library. That's what I call serendipity.

With that detail firmly in place, I went back to Albert, and promptly dismissed him. He just wasn't going to fit. If I was still using the musty style from the old version, but I wasn't. I needed someting more distinct and someone still had to show Commander what was going on. Seeing some unique visual influences, I came up with a new character to serve as Commander's liason in the library.

Sandra Bright possesses an ageless beauty, has long dark blonde hair, and wears a very formal red sleeveless gown. She matches the elegance of the real library, but it a sharp contrast to what's going on around her. As I started to write out Bright's character I found her to be a gentle beacon for those fighting against the dark forces hidden away from society. Those aware of her would likely come to her in the hope of being led toward a direction; Bright doesn't point everything out, she helps people discover the truth, if at all possible.

As a side effect, along the way, I decided Bright was a telekinetic. I also decided that she had far too great a presence to have her appear only once. Soon, I'd decided that Bright and the Library would appear again in no less than two other books I have planned. As I wrote how Bright used her mind and no gesture to perform simple tasks telekinetically, I realized that Bright had become a baseline to examine the setting of The Golden Hollow. Bright niether overplays nor underplays the nature of the world or the powers at work in it. She is alwys clear and decisive in thought. And while many will think she's a villain, they might be surprised to find that she's effectively the supreme allied commander for telepaths around the world.