Chapter 2: Lightning Ben

In the second sample chapter, our four mammal companions hear a story-within-a-story.

This is the second sample chapter of this still-unnamed novel. This chapter is loosely titled “Lightning Ben.”

The premise here is when I expanded the story to novel length, I also felt I should give more time to this campsite scene. Let the fire and the night breathe a little, and maybe establish a bit of backstory. At first I wanted a possum band to be playing a song but I was, as usual, unhappy with my songwriting skills, so I followed a tack common in fantasy stories and went with a story-within-a-story.

I plan to explore a lot of the Pacific Northwest in these books, though, and so my hope is this chapter hints at how wide the map is, that cross-communication between mammals is widespread, and gives some context to how these mammal communities were founded. My concern is this is only the second chapter, and that perhaps this story is too much too soon. How does this sound to you? Jarring? Would you prefer I spend more time with the four main companions? Let me know your thoughts!

Catch yourself up by reading the Prologue and Chapter 1.

Black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) | Jim Harper, Wikimedia Commons