Table of Contents

Welcome to Anatomy of Perceval.  If you love suspenseful science fiction political thriller or “future history” novels, love or are curious about classical music or are intrigued by conductors, and if you’re curious about creative writing, classical music, and the professional writing life, I hope you’ll be my guest here regularly and tell others to visit.

The Perceval series is five novels set in a near future Europe and America with the same protagonist, American orchestra conductor Evan Quinn.  The novels blend genres: espionage, social science fiction, urban fantasy, psychological suspense and crime, on an international stage.  I post regular updates on my writing progress and occasional musings on challenges or problems I encounter, the writing life, conductors, and other ideas, thoughts, concerns and experiences related to writing and the novels.

Feel free to leave constructive and friendly comments.  I’d love to hear from all my readers, and especially from musicians, conductors, others in the classical music business, fellow writers and friends.  Enjoy!

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR ANATOMY OF PERCEVAL 

 

PAGES:

 

• Table of Contents (includes “Welcome”)
• About: “About C.C. Yager by C. C. Yager” and publication credits
• Synopses: Perceval’s Secret (Novel 1) plus summary of status of other novels in series
• Characters:  For Perceval’s Secret
• Evan Quinn: Press release bio of Evan Quinn plus notes
• Contact
• “Escape” (Excerpt)
• “Conducting” (Excerpt)

 

POSTS:

 

September 2007      

•  Writing to Date, 9/18/07
•  Research to Date, 9/19/07
•  Marketing to Date, 9/21/07
•  New Music, 9/24/07
•  Mental Tugs, 9/26/07
• “Escape” – Excerpt from Perceval, 9/28/07
•  The Shadow, 9/29/07

 October 2007           

• Who was that guy or Where do you get your ideas?, 10/6/07
•  First Chapters, 10/13/07
•  Why the Future? 10/20/07
•   Updates, 10/20/07 (Writing, Research)
•   Composer Institute, 10/27/07
•   Moving On, 10/29/07

 November 2007       

• Why an Orchestra Conductor? 11/3/07
• Published! in “Time” Magazine, 11/10/07
• Lessons from Research, 11/10/07
• Marketing Update, 11/12/07
• Essay Submission, 11/15/07
• Inside the Classics, 11/17/07
• What is He Thinking? – Part 1, 11/24/07
• Another Marketing Update, 11/26/07

 December 2007       

• What is He Thinking – Part 2, 12/1/07
• Marketing Update, 12/4/07
•  EXCERPT: “Conducting” from Perceval, 12/10/07
• Holiday Tug-of-War with Writer, 12/15/07
• Realities of the Musical Life, 12/20/07
• Why Perceval or Book Titles 101, 12/22/07
•  Perceval Plus Four, 12/29/07

 

 JANUARY 2008      

• Writing Update, 1/5/08
• That Tingling Feeling, 1/9/08
• Research Update, 1/12/08
• Essay Contest Update, 1/14/08
• Conductors and Orchestras – Research, 1/17/08
• Future Politics: China, 1/19/08
• Movie Music, 1/26/08
• Marketing Update #3, 1/30/08

 February 2008         

• Living Language, 2/6/08
• Heath Ledger, 2/9/08
• Marketing Update #4, 2/9/08
• “The Exception” – Reading as a Writer, 2/16/08
• Another Essay Submission, 2/23/08
• Research: Conducting Shostakovich, 2/23/08
• Does Height Make the Conductor?, 2/29/08

 March 2008              

• Conductors and Score Study, 3/1/08
• Getting Back on Track – Writing Update, 3/1/08
• One More Step – Marketing Update #5 for Perceval, 3/5/08
•  Inspiring Quote? 3/8/08
•  Getting to Know…Characters, 3/8/08
•  Research: Conductors and Conducting – Part 1, 3/15/08
•  Research: Conductors and Conducting – Part 2, 3/22/08
•  What We Talk About When We Talk About Terrors, 3/29/08

 April 2008                

• Reading as a Writer: “Mister Martini,” 4/5/08
• WRITING: Vocation or Avocation?, 4/12/08
• These Things Happen – Writing Update, 4/16/08
•  Language, 4/19/08
•  Character Creation – “There Will Be Blood,” 4/21/08
•  Tricky Rhythms, 4/26/08

 May 2008                 

• Reading While Writing, 5/3/08
• What Makes a Writer?, 5/10/08
• A Writer – or Not?, 5/17/08
• A Movie About a Writer, 5/24/08
• To “Maestro” or not to “Maestro,” 5/31/08

 June 2008                 

• The Life of the Long-Distance Conductor…, 6/7/08
• Books, Books, Books, 6/10/08
• Politics in 2048 – An American Dystopia?, 6/14/08
• “Ferengi” and Duck – Fun With Names, 6/21/08
• Updates, or Wassup?, 6/28/08

 July 2008                  

• “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” 7/5/08
•  Rejection, 7/14/08
•  Reading Like a Writer: Two for the Dough, 7/21/08
•  Money, Money, Money…, 7/26/08
•  Peter and the Wolf, 7/31/08

 August 2008             

• Cash Bashing or Money, Money, Money Part 2, 8/2/08
• Creative Capitalism?, 8/9/08
• Musing on Hybrids, 8/16/08
• On Waiting: A Brief Meditation, 8/23/08
• A Toe Tapping…., 8/30/08

September 2008      

• Only Beating Time?  A Gentle Guide to Classical Music Concerts, 9/6/08
• Sticks and Drones: Conductor Blog, 9/13/08 
• Inspiration Doesn’t Wait for You, 9/20/08
• Candidates as Characters, 9/27/08       

October 2008

• The Three B’s, 10/4/08
• The Change, 10/11/08
• Writer on Writing: Richard Price, 10/15/08
• Essay Submission, 10/17/08
•  Reading as a Writer: Farthing, 10/18/08
• Marketing Update: Agents and Bookstores, 10/25/08
• “The Last Enemy,” 10/28/08

November 2008

• News on the Marketing Front, 11/1/08
• Composer Institute 2008, 11/08/08
•  “The Internet vs. Books,” 11/11/08
• Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest, 11/15/08
•  Holiday Beach, the Movie, 11/15/08
•  And the score is…., 11/19/08
•  The Redhead, 11/19/08
•  Reading as a Writer: The Road, 11/22/08
• Choosing Locations in “Perceval,” 11/29/08

December 2008       

•  December Update, 12/6/08
• Writing a Daily Journal: Helpful or No?, 12/13/08
• Ho, Ho, Hodge-Podge!, 12/20/08
•  Conductors by Musicians, 12/27/08
• Reading as a Writer: Honey, 12/27/08

JANUARY 2009

• Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow…, 1/3/09
• Novel to Screenplay, 1/10/09
• Updates, 1/17/09
• Good News!, 1/21/09
• A Little Literary Agent Experience, 1/26/09
•  The Future of the Novel, 1/31/09

February 2009

• A Love Letter, 2/7/09
• Concert Programs, 2/14/09
• The Minnesota Orchestra, 2/21/09
• “The Gr8 American Txt Msg Nvl,” 2/28/09

 March 2009          

• Time and Technology, 3/2/09
• Researching the Future, 3/7/09
• One Year Anniversary, 3/11/09
• The Change, Again, 3/14/09
• A Book Reading/Q&A/Signing, 3/21/09
•  The Centipedal Question, 3/28/09

 April 2009

• Thoughts and Updates, 4/4/09
• Rachmaninoff, 4/11/09
• Paying Attention as a Writer, 4/18/09
• Mischa Santora and the Minnesota Orchestra, 4/25/09

 May 2009

• Are Jobs Important?, 5/2/09
• Quirkiness, 5/6/09
• Narrative Structure, 5/9/09
• Does Mental Illness an Artist Make?, 5/15/09
• Work in Progress, 5/18/09
• Finalists Chosen for Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, 5/23/09
• Reading as a Writer: Street Portraits, 5/30/09

June 2009

• American Fiction, 6/6/09
• What’s in a Name?, 6/13/09
• Language Grows, 6/15/09
• On Courage, 6/20/09
• Seven Pounds or About Character Motivation, 6/27/09

 July 2009                  

• Characters in Love, 7/4/09
• How to Write a Love Scene and…, 7/11/09
• Chamber Music and Conductors, 7/18/09
• The “Worst” Advice for Writers, 7/23/09
• Psychology in Fiction, 7/25/09
• Updates, 7/29/09

 August 2009             

• On Daydreaming, 8/8/09
• Another Update, 8/8/09
• What Does Publication Mean?, 8/15/09
• A Writer’s Guide to Literary Agents, 8/22/09
• A Writer’s Guide to Literary Agents, Part 2, 8/29/09

 September 2009      

• Freedom of Choice, 9/5/09
• Two Years and Counting, 9/12/09
• Quality Art, 9/19/09
• The Pianist, 9/26/09

 October 2009           

• Contest Submissions, 10/2/09
• The Story Behind the Story, 10/3/09
• Published!, 10/6/09
• What Music Makes You Cry?, 10/10/09
• For Crying Out Loud, 10/17/09
• Minnesota Orchestra Has a New Pops Conductor, 10/19/09
• To Outline or Not to Outline?, 10/24/09
• That All-Important Relationship, 10/28/09
• Coughing Mayhem…ahem…., 10/31/09

 November 2009       

• I’m Late, I’m Late, for a very important…., 11/9/0
• Update on “Two Years and Counting,” 11/14/09
• Reading as a Writer: Ace by Richard Carr, 11/21/09

 December 2009       

• Well of Creativity, 12/9/09
• Organizing a Society, 12/21/09
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, 12/31/09

JANUARY 2010

• Poet’s Corner, 1/4/10
• “Fantasy and Science Fiction” Magazine, 1/9/10
• The Three P’s, 1/16/10
•  The Past in “Battlestar Galactica,” 1/23/10
•  The Brick Wall, 1/27/10

February 2010

•  Watching Actors, 2/5/10
• Theme: What’s It All Mean?, 2/13/10
• The Nitty-Gritty: Organizing the Perceval Series for Consistency, etc., 2/20/10
• The Future as Location (What does it look like?), 2/27/10

March 2010

• The Book, 3/6/10
• Finally, a Defining Label, 3/12/10
• Influences, Part 1, 3/27/10

April 2010

• “The Ghost Writer,” 4/1/10
• The Arthur C. Clarke Award, 4/3/10
• A Conductor Website and Blog, 4/3/10
• Influences, Part 2, 4/10/10
• Creative Process, 4/17/10
• “Darkly Dreaming Dexter,” 4/24/10

May 2010

• Awesome Minnesota Orchestra, 5/1/10
• Updates on Writing and Other Things, 5/7/10
• China in 2048, 5/15/10
• Urtext in Music and Literature, 5/22/10
• The Foreign Language Factor, 5/26/10
• High Tech vs. Low Tech in PERCEVAL, 5/29/10

June 2010

• POD, 6/5/10
• Yevgeny, MO and Osmo, 6/7/10
• Philadelphia Has Chosen!, 6/14/10
• Writing a Blog: Is it a Publication Credit?, 6/19/10
• Thoughts on Michael Jackson, 6/26/10

July 2010

• Plot vs. Character, 7/2/10
• Spy Swap, 7/12/10
• Guilt, Again, 7/19/10
• Reading as a Writer: Lisbeth Salander Again!, 7/24/10
• What Does ‘Write What You Know’ Mean?, 7/31/10

August 2010

•  July 2010 Updates, 8/7/10
• Reading as a Writer: Grass, 8/14/10
• Coupling Characters, 8/23/10
• Why 2048 Will be Like 1984, 8/28/10

September 2010

• Cyberwar, 9/4/10
• Hugo Award, 9/7/10
• The Writing Life, 9/11/10
• Movie vs. Novel: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, 9/18/10
• Avatar: watching as a writer, 9/20/10
• Rejection, 9/20/10
• Good (and scary!), 9/25/10

October 2010

• Bartok and the MO, 10/8/10
• Utopia, Dystopia, Myopia, 10/16/10
• Creating Character: Lisbeth Salander, 10/23/10
• Composer Institute 2010, 10/30/10

November 2010

• How Does a Composer Know What to Write?, 11/6/10
• Author! Author!, 11/13/10
• Creating Character and Inclusionary Writing, 11/20/10
• Character: The Dark Side of Heroic, 11/27/10

December 2010

• December 2010 Updates, 12/4/10
• The Blizzard, 12/11/10
• Discovering the Zeitgeist, 12/18/10
• Words, 12/24/10
• Reading as a Writer: Child 44, 12/31/10

 

January 2011

• Most Anticipated Books of 2011, 1/8/11
• Character: Glenn Gould, 1/8/11
• To Read or To Write?, 1/15/11
• Taking Care of Business, 1/22/11
• Solving Writing Problems, 1/29/11

February 2011

• To Create or To Re-create?, 2/5/11
• Really, REALLY Good Author Interviews!, 2/9/11
• Let’s Get Really Personal: Characterization, 2/12/11
• 2010 Nebula Awards, 2/23/11
• Job Description: Creative Writer, 2/26/11

March 2011

• What Does Title of Publication Mean?, 3/5/11
• Does Writer’s Block Exist?, 3/19/11
• Reading as a Writer: ONE SLEEVE by Richard Carr, 3/26/11

April 2011

• Would You Do It Too?, 4/2/11
• Babbling Babel, 4/16/11
• Conflict Motivation, 4/23/11

May 2011

• China, the Creditor, 5/9/11
• What Does Publication Mean?, 5/14/11
• What’s the Weather Like in Your Writing?, 5/21/11
• More of “Dexter”: Reading as a Writer, 5/28/11

June 2011

• June 2011 Updates, 6/4/11
• Revision Process – Structure, 6/11/11
• Loss of Letters, 6/13/11
• Writing Tools, 6/18/11
• Revision: Character, 6/25/11

July 2011

• Revision: Dialogue, 7/2/11
• Summer Reading, 7/9/11
• Tech Issues, 7/20/11
• Perceval and the Economy Debate, 7/23/11
• Love, Love, Love…., 7/30/11