5 Fun Facts About Writing The Librarian
M.N. Arzu
The Librarian is a short sci-fi novel that tells the story of Nick Logan, Seattle's resident undercover alien, who comes back from a quick trip to his home planet to tell his human wife the truth about his otherworldly origins. But he misses the spot to come back, and ends up at a military base, in the hands of a very confused General Mitchell.
All that said, here are 5 fun facts about writing The Librarian:
1. In the story, Nick goes for a hiking trip to reach Upper Lena Lake on trail 810 at a Washington's national park. When I visited a friend in Seattle back in 2009, he took me to that same trail 810, and we started our trip for the lake. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn and never made it. If I couldn't get to Upper Lena Lake, neither could Nick.
2. There's a scene where Nick thinks: "The more well-behaved he was, the easier to get through this. Kind of like an airport, really. Smile, nod, present your papers, get half-naked for the officers, keep smiling, get your stuff, get on the plane, and get out of there." This was written while I was at the airport. Inspiration does come from anywhere.
3. The story took four years to plan, and a year and a half to write, edit, and publish. When people tell me they think it's too short, or that it could easily be longer, I maniacally laugh.
4. There's a cat-clock in Jane's kitchen. There's a cat-clock in every one of my novels, as an inside joke with a dear friend. We both find them dreadfully frightful.
5. "The Librarian" refers to both Nick and Jane, but it also refers to the code name the military will assign to the incident in years to come.
Do you have a favorite part on the story? Let me know!