Publishing Idea - Book Proposal

16.06.2014

Re: Wild Cards (edited by George R. R. Martin).

The 12 initial volumes were originally published by Bantam Books (1987 – 1993), Baen Books published the next three (from 1993 – 1995), then (from 2002 – 2006) ibooks Inc., released two new volumes, and reprinted the first six.

The current publisher (from 2008) is Tor Books (Tom Doherty Associates, LLC), who have released four new books and re-printed several, with a new volume due in September 2014.

Wild Cards is a science fiction/superhero series set in a shared universe. It tells the alternate history of Earth after an alien virus is released. The virus rewrites human DNA, killing 90% of those who come into contact with it. The remaining 9% mutate into deformed jokers, while 1% become aces with superpowers. Aces that acquire useless/ridiculous powers are deuces, and the unaffected human population are nats (naturals).

These books employ a naturalistic approach to storytelling; characters generally don’t have ‘secret identities’; and, modern pop culture references and celebrities are referenced to give a better sense of the world. Book titles and terms commonly represent card playing expressions.

So, I have developed a cure for the Wild Card virus.

While previous chapters have employed a variety of genres, the Wild Cards Universe has never explored horror. Horror has never been as popular as it is now, so I propose Drawing Dead, my cure for Wild Cards:

A Wild Card ‘cure’ is announced by a mysterious foreigner with a penchant for world domination, while closer to home, a formidable killer stalks the streets of Jokertown.

Backed by multi-million dollar pharmaceutical corporations, mainstream media declares Xenovirus Takis-A, a danger to the ongoing survival of the human race. With increasing force behind their campaign, nats soon force ‘immunisation’ upon the ‘infected’. Celebrity aces are the first easy targets.

Meanwhile, Mica, a deuce rejected by nats and jokers alike, struggles to find belonging. Burned by his former life, he finds solace in the mysterious joker, Talon. But Talon has secrets that will change their world. In his struggle for acceptance, has Mica allowed the biggest monster of all into his bed?

DRAWING DEAD

Based on Wild Cards (edited by George R. R. Martin).

Mica stumbled from the pub into the damp alley, morning still hours away. Above him, a weathered neon sign illuminated random letters for a shop, long since abandoned. He coughed, exchanging stagnant air for the sickly sweet odour of rot, and swiped at fresh blood that trickled down his chin. Even in the poorly lit backstreet he could see silver staining his fingers, and he knew the glitter would be everywhere. Using the back of his sleeve to wipe blood from his fractured nose, he glared at the predicted residual flash.

Pointedly ignoring his sinus ache, he glanced around, suddenly comprehending the danger of this location. He didn’t fear Jokertown, but Wild Card murders had been on a recent rise, and at night, violent gangs prowled unpoliced streets. The darkness slinked in, claustrophobia gripping his chest. Adrenaline replaced his alcohol-fuelled buzz and his stomach clenched. Buildings and streets he’d become familiar with in daylight hours became looming towers hiding nameless dread. Winds caused unlatched doors to creak and bang. Noises in the distance became pursuing footfalls.

His stride lengthened as his mind fought threads of terror through deserted backstreets. Shadows, or shrouded creatures, melted into darkness before his eyes. He stared into the gloom, fearing to blink, his eyes stinging with strain and sweat, his heartbeat in his throat.

The anticipation became too much. Losing all direction in the maze of alleyways, he fled directly into a dead end, and an incarnation of his terror, as if he’d willed it into being. 

Mica stopped dead, staring at the eviscerated carcass before him. The horse’s disembowelled organs and severed head spanned several metres. In any other place, the presence of a horse might seem absurd, but not in Jokertown, where freaks found solace.

Mica blinked, the colour draining from his face. His palms were clammy, and his clothes drenched in cold sweat, giving his whole body an otherworldly shimmer. On the ground, inches from the mutilated head, sat a single three-foot-long horn. It had been hacked from the horse, nay, unicorn, and lay tangled in bloodstained hair. Mica enjoyed horror films. He found the cheesy storylines and excessive blood amusing. Here, now, with the smell of viscera thick in the air, he staggered.  

Since moving into town, he’d familiarised himself with The Jokertown Boys. He’d planned to see them live, curious about their advertised, ‘unique twist’ on gothic rock. Knowing as little as he did about the local rock stars, he still recognised the horn from the lead guitarist, Alec ‘Alicorn’ Harner, who’d donned an impressive spiked blonde mohawk to disguise it.

Tearing his eyes from the slaughter, he finally noticed the tall, slender man staring at him. The man clutched a bloodied machete, a weapon that looked enormous in comparison to his slight frame. Mica couldn’t look away, possessed by the man’s soulless eyes. His vision distorted, and white noise filled his head. Cold hands clamped his throat. As they tightened, the white noise amplified, until the only thing Mica could comprehend was the static. It spoke. It told him he must die. It said that all those infected by the Wild Card virus would die. And he would be next. He understood, and it made sense… so he allowed it.