If we're going by chapter count, I am more than halfway through the book. I just finished Chapter 17, which is usually a significant milestone for me. I love Chapter 17 in all of my books. That's when it all comes together and all the characters should be explained, or at least most of them. The important ones will be explained enough so that they can begin making noises and sounding somewhat normal. If you read my books, you'll understand they have a specific pattern. I didn't mean for it to become that way, but it is my style, I suppose.
"Dion" is not the name for the book that I started out with, and it's not even the second name I milled about in my head. It is, in fact, the third name I came up with, and there is a reason. There is usually a reason. I typically keep reasons with me so I can utilize them when necessary. I was going to call the book "The Grange" and it was going to be about the specific cemetery, or take place in the specific cemetery by the same name in the south part of Edinburgh. I decided against it because I didn't want anyone whose loved ones are buried there to become upset with me if I named them, and I didn't want to make up names that aren't there for the same reason.
I decided to move the cemetery west of the capital city to a little hamlet that doesn't exist, in a county that does exist. That way, there would be enough realism floating around with an equal amount of fantasy, giving the book its well-deserved fiction genre, but it would be believable at the same time. That, too, is my style. I see that sort of thing cropping up in all of my books. I can't say they are genuinely historical, and I can't say they are not giving it their best to be so.
According to what I found on the internet, the word "Dion" has a few good meanings. From the Greek connection, there is an association with Zeus, as Zeus' son is called Dion or something close to it. Zeus may have nicknamed the kid "Dion" because it was short for something a little longer. It means strength, or a divine one. From the Celtic people, the word means a fierce defender. That's what Elle is in the book. She defends her position as the rightful owner of a plot of land that has been encroached upon by the area council, who have been using part of it for overflow of their cemetery.
The word "Dion" is also associated with qualities of leadership and determination, two more words that Elle Finlay can identify with. She is quite strong and more than just determined to claim what is hers, but she will do so in the face of threat and scorn. She doesn't back down; she doesn't know how to retreat. For her, it is kill or be killed, and she's not afraid to live in a centuries-old crypt without electricity or any other form of modern amenities to make her point.
Right now, I'm at the point where she's just begun to squat in the crypt, making herself as comfortable as she can. She's purchased a small solar-powered generator for a hot plate, and some light she will need at night when she finishes her work. She takes showers at the local gym and has an actual ice chest with actual ice to keep her luncheon meats cold. She has made up her mind to face whatever is necessary to bring to light all that has to be brought to that light - she's not going to give an inch, fearing someone will try to take the proverbial mile from her.
That's where I am. She'll soon encounter some of the more earthy, less glamorous things that can happen to a woman while living in a crypt. She'll even end up making love in the shadow of several of her ancestors while fantasizing about what they would have to say about it if walls could speak. (Several of the people she was related to who died are now buried in the walls of the crypt's rooms.) She's not going to let their pious judgment stop her from taking over and making their place, her future resting place as well.
This is a fun book, but it's taking me longer than most of my books. I don't have an excuse either, it's just not a book I'm pressured to write. I'm writing a few chapters a week, and I'm OK with that - I'm not on a deadline - no publishers are crying for it to be completed -- and even if they were, I'd not feel pressured to please them. That's the really good thing about being self-published. I write because I like to write. I made $1.84 last month off my books -- woot!! If I wrote because my living depended on it, I would hurry. I know that's not the case, so I move at my own pace.
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