Signal In the Sky Author's Notes

Author Bits:
I'm a first gen fan who always enjoyed creative writing. Now I'm over 30, married with a young son and still dig this show. When my love for the show and writing 'married', the resulting offspring was this epic fic you're now reading notes on. True, I sometimes write some short takes on a few offshoot ideas I get, but this one is my 'baby', so to speak.

Idea Hatched:
About the time Cartoon Network re-ran the series in the late 90s, this old cat got to thinking about new characters and ideas. Although at the time Felina (the main original character I cooked up, who was known to my creative brain as Katrina and then Purrsia at first) was a horrible Mary Sue. Maybe that's still debatable, but trust me, how she ended up in the story is much better than originally planned. She scored a 47 on Al's Mary Sue Litmus Test, which was within the range of Mary Sue but not in over-the-top range. Having possession of the Book of Omens, being bound to Lion-O and Jaga's daughter really put her up there, but I do try to keep her under control. I certainly hope you don't find her annoying in that awful Mary-Sue way.

First Chapter:
Obviously, from the time CN re-ran eps til the time I got on the internet for the first time evah in 2001, these little TC fantasy stories bounced around in my brain. In that time, a lot of particulars changed. But finally, after finding the online fandom and reading some of the existing fics at the time, I was encouraged to write down my own ideas. So in July of 2001, Signal in the Sky (which for a time did not have a working title) was launched - and with it, this site. At the onset, I pumped out an average of a chapter a week. A few of you may even remember the first webpage I posted those first chapters on - a geocities site with a handful of text links heh heh. Since, this site has grown way beyond fan fiction, but at the same time I've slowed considerably in chapter production and estimate it will take me literally years to finish.
Readers should be familiar with the series and main characters, as I won't spend a lot of time on basic canon backstory/character backgrounds. If you really need a refresher course, see the character profile section. Otherwise, I just toss you into the story assuming you know who Lion-O is, what the signifigance of the Sword of Omens is, etc etc. Afterall, it's fan fiction and thus meant to be read by fans of ThunderCats. Lion-O, being my personal favorite, is focused on a lot, but my aim is to cover as many characters' innermost motivations, reveal their secrets and otherwise explain why they are who they are.

Why Songs?:
I guess I started writing 'song fics' before I even knew what they were. Basically, a lot of my early fic ideas were inspired by the mood and/or lyrics of certain music and so when I started committing the ideas to paper (or pixels as the case may be), the songs came with it. Usually, some or all of the lyrics will fit a central theme, mood or 'lesson' from that chapter and to me, ties the idea up nicely with a big musical bow. I think the concept works whether the reader knows the song or not, although it can in some cases enhance the effect if said reader is familiar with the musical work given the actual tone or mood set by the music can be just as important as the lyrics. In any case, it's not a big deal. Mostly, it's a vanity trip for me, being I'm not only a big fan of music but also deeply inspired by it. Anyone curious about these songs are encouraged to catch a broadcast of the Balkan Jukebox, which features all the existing and future chapter themes along with other oddball stuff I like.

Overview of Sorts:
The saga begins in close parallel with the television series. Thundera already expired and the ThunderCats settled for a tiny planet called Third Earth on which to rebuild their home. Lead by their unnaturally aged young Lord, Lion-O, the ThunderCats find they must not only cope with a group of their ancient enemies, the Mutants, but also with a new foe -- Mumm-Ra, the Ever-living. Chapter One begins a revised ThunderCats tale, taking place not too long after Lion-O successfully passed the Anointment Trials. In this chapter we meet Felina, the scholarly daughter of Jaga. Thought to have perished with Thundera, Felina survived and likewise landed on Third Earth. A kind jungle dwelling people known as the Emites took in the young lioness/jaguar mix. Within the Emites’ riverside village is where she spent her days until finally running into her fellow ThunderCats. Reuniting with her own kind proved to be a mixed blessing for both Felina and the Emites. Entrusted with the sacred Book of Omens, Felina must realize her destiny while struggling to survive against the various forces of evil attempting to destroy the ThunderCats and their ideals. The first Era is a time of growth and acceptance for the two main ThunderCats in focus -- Lion-O and Felina. Covering roughly two years’ consecutive time, many changes occur in this first era which ultimately will effect the very future of feline kind. There will be four Eras in all -- the first two taking place on Third Earth, and the last two occurring on New Thundera. All four Eras together will weave a tale covering perhaps 30 years of history, and well into the next generation of ThunderCats.

Co-Author:
In the spring of 2006, Spaced Angel and I began co-authoring the story together, starting with the posting of Chapter 20. I've long-admired her work, as she is the master of quality *and* quanity - plus we have a similar philosophy on how we view the series and darker elements we like to bring into stories. So it's a good fit and it's working out to be a great experience. The help has sparked my interest in the saga anew (it's only been bouncing inside my skull for almost a decade now!), for I'm finding epics tend to overwhelm me after a time. Her coming on board made me go back through and sort out the old chapters and catch myself up on what's happened so far, so I feel a lot less swamped. Plus her contributions are brilliant - it's almost scary how she envisions some scenes almost exactly as I do with just a couple-paragraphs outlne of what the chapter is supposed to deal with. We're certainly on the same page, so to speak.
I finally feel as though an end is really in sight for this story!

Of course, I was supposed to originally collaborate with Knight Writer, another author I highly respect. We started talking about it last year. Not sure what happened to him, but at some point he kinda dropped from the internet world, so I finally moved on to invite Spaced Angel to write with me. Wherever Knight is, I hope he's doing well. And email me sometime, dude! At any rate, I hope he doesn't take offense to my moving on. Nothing personal, that's for sure :) Actually, I'm flattered not one, but two authors with that kind of talent would agree to work with me.
So I am very excited to see where this partnership leads SITS. And I hope you are too! Thanks to the readers who have stuck with this story patiently over the years as well. I appreciate your interest in the story. It should at least get more consistant attention now, so keep checking in.

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