Monday 26 April 2021

 

Stars

It has occurred to me that my stories may be hard to follow if you aren’t at least aware there is an order of reading to them. I’ve listed the stories in chronological order, below, with a hyperlinked title and overview of the plot, recurring characters in the saga, and notes.

1. Wonder Woman in London 

Overview: Diana Prince travels to London to stop a gang supplying bad heroin, which is leaving an epidemic of death in the States.

Recurring characters: Radomir Semanic, Fadhila Zuma, Marsha Cross

Notes:

  • This was the first story, my least favourite, and the only one I've significantly re-edited.
  • When I first started writing Wonder Woman stories I thought I needed to please the peril fans. In this story, Diana goes from one peril situation to another. As time went on, I realised all I needed to do was write the story.
  • Although it introduces recurring characters, this first story is quite skippable.

2. Wonder Woman in Paris

Overview: Diana is in Paris to investigate the disappearance of a young I.A.D.C agent who had been working, undercover, at a circus.

Recurring characters: Christopher Dalton, Adamski, Marsha Cross (unnamed)

Notes:

  • My shortest Wonder Woman story to date. It was meant to have six parts. The missing chapter was going to be an emotional one about a hostage exchange. I scrapped it, as it didn’t feature Wonder Woman’s involvement. Its absence may have weakened the conclusion, a little.
  • Goof: vultures don’t have talons, apparently, but these Nazi ones do!

3. Wonder Woman in Rome

Overview: proceedings take on a strange twist when Diana Prince is assigned to protect an Italian princess, who appears to be already protected by another mythical heroine, known as the Lost Siren.

Recurring characters: Christopher Dalton, Serena Rocca / The Lost Siren, Mendo, Sergio Nico, Marsha Cross, Adamski, Dan Corbett, Marat Osinov (mentioned).

Notes:

  • This is still possibly my favourite story. I took a risk on writing evil as a bigger idea, which I think helps distinguish these Wonder Woman stories. By my standards, I thought there were some imaginative scenes and twists. I also introduced a couple of my fonder characters.

4. Wonder Woman in Tokyo

Overview: when a top-secret US rocket crashes in a remote part of Japan, a recently promoted I.A.D.C agent is sent to retrieve the secret technology before anybody else does.

Recurring characters: Marsha Cross, Roger Macintosh. Nathan O’Connell (unnamed)

Notes:

  • The early part of the story may be confusing if you haven’t read Wonder Woman in Rome.
  • My favourite story to write. It flowed very nicely, once I got going.

5. Wonder Woman in Boston

Overview: back in the States, Diana investigates the ghostly sightings of a dead pilot, but are cryonics involved?

Recurring characters: Roger Macintosh, Nathan O’Connell, Mendo, Dan Corbett

Notes:

  • Some potentially important events happen in this story, but it is skippable if this one doesn’t grab you.

6. Wonder Woman in Antarctica

Overview: during the Christmas holidays, Diana Prince journeys to the Antarctic Peninsula, where it’s believed a rogue I.A.D.C agent has been hiding out, but has she stepped into the wolves’ den?

Recurring characters: Texas Denton, Marsha Cross, Del Hives

Notes:

  • I’ve always liked Christmas and winter weather. I enjoyed writing the rich seasonable imagery.

7. The Return of the Lost Siren

Overview: lying low, teaching tennis at a plush hotel in the South of France, Serena Rocca is pursued by a hitman who is working for the Fourth Reich.

Recurring characters: Serena Rocca / The Lost Siren, Adamski, Radomir Semanic, Fadhila Zuma, Jacob Kruger, Sergio Nico, Marat Osinov, Abram Osinov (mentioned)

Notes:

  • An experiment into whether I could write an interesting non-Wonder Woman story. The Lost Siren was an obvious choice. I decided the central character needs to be at least drawn to really come alive.
  • The story gives an extra insight into the Lost Siren and her associates, but it isn’t a necessary read.

8. Wonder Woman in Cape Town

Overview: Diana hatches a plan to infiltrate the suspected headquarters of the Fourth Reich at a businessman’s villa in South Africa.

Recurring characters: Serena Rocca / The Lost Siren, Texas Denton, Marat Osinov, Radomir Semanic, Jacob Kruger, Abram Osinov, Adamski.

Notes:

  • My longest Wonder Woman story to date.
  • At one point, I considered killing off Wonder Woman and have her regenerate – in famous Doctor Who style – into Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, but waking up in a different Earth dimension. Fortunately, I came to my senses…

9. Wonder Woman in Moscow

Overview: Diana works undercover as a waitress, in a Moscow nightclub, to uncover a plot to obtain an experimental US military binder.

Recurring characters: Marat Osinov, Radomir Semanic, Adamski, Abram Osinov

Notes:

  • Life and writer's block delayed this story, I think, for the longest ever period.
  • The last chapter originally had an entirely different ending that I preferred. It took place underwater in the River Moskva and would have involved Wonder Woman in her diving suit for the first time in my stories. I incorrectly thought the Moskva was really deep, but I believe it's only about three metres. I could have just ignored this fact, but I like to keep some semblance of reality in the setting. It was painful deleting close to 1000 words!

10. Wonder Woman in Ankara

Overview: Steve Trevor sends Diana to investigate the assassination of a trade envoy. Is there more to it than a political terrorist attack? 

Recurring characters: Serena Rocca (mentioned)

Notes:

  • I wrote this story during a COVID-19 lockdown, hoping it might provide a little escapism for the reader.
  • I scrapped a couple of ideas: 1) Erol torturing Fadi Fakih's family; 2) Wonder Woman fighting the E-Six jet packed agents over Ankara Castle.  

11. Wonder Woman in Rio de Janeiro

Overview: When a couple of scientists are kidnapped in the Amazon rainforest, Diana arrives in Rio de Janeiro to investigate.

Recurring characters: Texas Denton

Notes:

  • The story was originally going to include a giant anaconda or a crocodilian, both of which had some basis in the real-life Amazon. In the end, I decided to go with a suitably mythical monster.
  • This is my favourite story to date. If you read only one story, I recommend it be this one.

If you spot any factual mistakes, please let me know. I don’t like reading my own writing back (I’m quite self-critical), and sometimes, I forget what I’ve written!

For further reading of Wonder Woman content written by other people, please, try The Readers' Room.

If you spot any factual mistakes, please let me know. I don’t like reading my own writing back (I’m quite self-critical), and sometimes, I forget what I’ve written!

Sunday 29 September 2013

I need a new home!

I wanted to put up the first chapter of Wonder Woman in Tokyo, tonight, but apparently I've exceeded the number of pages I can have on Blogger. I wasn't terribly happy with the host, anyway, but where shall I go?

Sunday 1 September 2013

Wonder Woman in London re-edited

Most extensively, the first chapter of Wonder Woman in London has been re-edited. I felt the needless frustrations of Steve Trevor was out of sync with my later writing style. It flows better - although I'd understand if you preferred the humour of the original.

Friday 23 August 2013

Where next for Wonder Woman?

I have a few ideas roaming my mind, at the moment, but where would you prefer the next story to be. I think we've done with European stories, at least, for the time being.

I'm hoping to start writing sooner than I originally thought...