Thursday, June 6, 2019

Welcome to Lori

UPDATE: What Happened to Lori Book 2?

The release date got pushed back!

Due to circumstances completely beyond my control, you will have to wait a little longer to find out what happened to Lori...

WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI BOOK 2: REVELATIONS will now be available on Kindle, September 29, 2019.


If you are reading this for the first time, WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI is a two-book gearshift thriller series written by me, Joe Konrath.

Currently, the 180,000 word epic is available as two ebooks.


BOOK 1 is $4.99 (or free with Kindle Unlimited) on Amazon.


BOOK 2 is $4.99 and available for pre-order on Amazon.



               

If you haven't read BOOK 1, you need to do so.


Right now.


If you'd like to know more about why I wrote LORI, check out my blog post on that topic.


So now here come some spoilers...


If you continue reading this post without reading BOOK 1, it could spoil some of the secrets in the book.


Part of the fun of WHTL is guessing what happened to Lori. There's a long tradition of this in media.

  • Does Frodo get the Ring to Mount Doom?
  • Who shot JR?
  • Who will sit on the Iron Throne?
  • Are all those Avengers really dead?
  • Will Sam and Diane ever have sex?
  • Who killed Laura Palmer?
  • Will they rescue Han Solo from Jabba?
  • Will David and Maddee ever have sex?
  • Will Number 6 escape?
  • Will Harry Potter defeat Voldemort?
  • Will Richard Kimble catch the one-armed man?
Maybe you recognize some, or all, of these pop-culture references. Call them cliffhangers. Or episodic drama. Or a single, long story told in sections. What they all have in common is they didn't answer their own questions right away.

Many people, including me, like the guessing and the waiting as much as the answers.


As Gene Wilder said as Willy Wonka, "The suspense is terrible. I hope it'll last."


Happily, you won't have to wait years to find out what happened to Lori. It will be released when the countdown clock above reaches zero.


But if you have already read BOOK 1, you probably have some guesses about what happened. And maybe you came here to discuss those ideas with other like-minded readers.


Please post your questions in the comments below. I'll be watching and moderating.


If you think you've figured something out, please announce SPOILER ALERT before you speak your mind.


And if you want some hints, keep reading.



SPOILER ALERT

See what I did there? If you read this from this point on, I'll give you some clues about what happened to Lori.


But are you really sure you want the clues? Don't you want to just wait until you read BOOK 2?


Really? You want clues?


Okay. You have been warned. Here come the spoilers...



Q: I read BOOK 1. What the $%@*&! happened to Lori!?!?!


A: I seeded enough clues in BOOK 1 for smart readers to take an educated guess. That guess may be wrong, because I also intentionally misled readers.



Q: Why would you intentionally mislead readers?


A: We all like to be surprised. We all like to keep guessing. Being handed a wrapped present and wondering what it contains is as much fun as opening it, which is as much fun as knowing what it finally is. A roller coaster isn't just a big drop. It's seeing the coaster as you approach it. It's waiting in line, anticipating the ride. There is a long climb to the top, and a drop, and then lots of twists and turns.


I'm taking readers on a journey. Journeys are about more than just the destination. There are moments of joy, and moments of disappointment, and moments of expectation, and moments of frustration, and moments of relief. Clickbait cartharsis.


Plus I'm really interested in seeing how many people read BOOK 1, and how many continue on to BOOK 2.



Q: What's with all the pictures of houseflies?


A: Do you think they're really houseflies?



Q: Sometimes in the book you put numbers next to the date, like this: 


August 13, 2014 ○ 11:33pm ○ 1407972798


What is that long string of numbers at the end?


A: I'm glad someone finally asked. It's about time. I'm sure a smart reader will post it in the comments.



Q: Who is The Watcher?


A: The Watcher is the person watching.



Q: You know what I mean! Is Grim the Watcher? Is Fabler? Is Presley? Kadir? Is the reader the Watcher, like some sort of metafiction thing?


A: Could be any of those. Probably not, though.



Q: Is Lori the Experiment?


A: All I'll say about the Experiment is he/she is really well-armed.



Q: Is Lori dead?


A: You'll meet Lori and get into her point of view in BOOK 2. But I'm not saying when she appears. Could be in the past. Could be in some other time.



Q: If Fabler a good guy or a bad guy?


A: He's a guy. We all have good and bad in us. Everything isn't always so simple.



Q: Did Fabler do something to Lori?


A: Fabler's problem isn't about what he did. It's about what he didn't do.



Q: Are all those movies that Fabler makes Presley watch a clue?


A: Yes. Or they're red herrings. One of the two. Maybe.



Q: You call this an epic gearshift thriller. What does that mean?


A: It's epic in that it's really long and expansive and deep. A gearshift thriller means it changes direction. You'll see that in BOOK 2. It gets crazy.



Q: Who is the hero? Is there even a hero? You have lots of messed-up characters doing messed-up things.


A: All three main leads are at their low points. It's up to them to see if they can pull themselves out of their slumps and be heroic.



Q: Do any of the three leads die in BOOK 2?


A: Yes. And it's probably the character you like most.



Q: There is a mention of Mu. What's that?


A: Readers of my other books may remember Mu. But I doubt it. You really have to know my backlist.



Q: Is the fact that Lori has red hair and blue eyes important?


A: It is very important.



Q: Why is Fabler making Presley do all that crazy stuff?


A: He's training her for something.



Q: I knew that, obviously. But is he training her for something real? Or is Fabler insane?


A: Fabler believes it is real. Or he wants to believe it is real. Or he's afraid it's real. Or he's afraid it isn't real.


Fabler has some issues...



Q: Does all of that training pay off?


A: It would have, if Fabler and Presley followed the rules...



Q: You've got a bunch of weird random-looking characters at the beginning of BOOK 1, and it ends with:


READY

10 RUN "WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI: PART 1 GENESIS"
20 GOTO 10. 

What is that?


A: I thought it was pretty basic. And those weird random-looking characters weren't random.



Q: This took you a whole year to write? Why? It's just a regular thriller, isn't it?


A: Yes. And no. The concept was difficult to work out. I had to think a lot about world-building, and the science behind it.



Q: World-building? Science? Where?!? This story is just two characters trying to figure out if a third character killed his wife. Right?


A: Wrong.



Q: What's with the diples? Do you have a reason for using diples for interior monologue other than trying to be clever and hip?


A: <I sure do.>



Q: Is it aliens?


A: I'll be honest with you; I have always wanted to write an alien abduction story and then take readers onto the flying saucer. We never get to see that in books or movies. The action always stays on earth.


I bet there's some really cool stuff happening on the spaceship.


But to answer your question; no. It's not aliens.



Q: BOOK 1 seems like one long teaser. You're a jerk just trying to get everyone to buy BOOK 2.

A: You mean like all writers are trying to get readers to buy their books? :)


If you're angry and feel you wasted your time because BOOK 1 ends on a cliffhanger, please feel free to write a 1 star review, and don't feel obliged to read BOOK 2. I'm cool with that. Thanks for giving it a shot.


Eventually, BOOK 1 and BOOK 2 will be combined and sold for about six bucks, which should eliminate folks being irritated that BOOK 1 ends abruptly.



Q: Will there be a BOOK 3?


A: The story I'm telling will be wrapped up in BOOK 2. If I ever do a BOOK 3, it will tell a different story within this same universe.



Q: Why was BOOK 2 delayed by 30 days?!?! You're killing me, man!

A: Even with the best supercomputers of 2019, it is impossible to accurately calculate a galactic year. We were off by about a month.


Mu apologizes for the limitations of current technology.


Q: WTF does that mean? Is that some sort of story clue?!?!?


A: Be sure to read WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI BOOK 2: REVELATIONS, available September 29 exclusively on Kindle.

End of line.

39 comments:

  1. Eight hours after the book goes live, I got a private message on Twitter from someone who figured out where I'm going in Book 2.

    I seriously didn't expect it to happen so fast. I thought I'd have a few days at least.

    That said, the guy is wicked smart and he promised not to spoil it.

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  2. I was reading some of the post and I sure didn't like hearing that one of the three leads we're going to die. I'm guessing it's going to be Grim... I'm thinking it was an alien abduction hence that big brown spot in the yard and because of the alien movies she was forced to watch. I think the green fly is him being spied on by The watcher. And I think they have Lori in there making her into some experiment... I think the ear is all he has left of her when she was alien abducted... The book was really kind of slow in the beginning and I wasn't sure if I like the punctuation but once Presley was introduced it started flying and I got used to the punctuation.

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  3. Unknown, you have guessed some things correctly! Nicely done!

    But I won't say which things. :)

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  4. So.. Spoiler, maybe...


    The gun show loophole scene was... bullshit. Private sellers with booths full of the same makes and models, along with accessories for them, charging retail or more... would be nailed to the wall by the BATFE for unlicensed dealing. (This is the basis of so many anti-gun arguments that there is a loophole constantly exploited.) Every gun show I have ever been to, in my life, has had police presence with this being one of the main reasons. It WAS however, much better than the gun show in "An Unkindness of Ravens" (Which was ridiculous, far fetched bullshit that I loved dearly.)

    Now, to the actual story.

    Mu. I'm not sure I like where this may be aimed. Remember when King decided to have an aneurysm instead of writing a real ending for Hearts in Atlantis? That sucked. All three stories in that book paid the price. And all because King couldn't help himself and had to stuff the dark tower deus ex crap into everything.

    The pawnshop stocking 600k in gold bullion? The cosplay costume guy having instant access to 3A+ armor materials and the gear to fabricate with it? (Psst, Joe, Ceramic plates shatter and become potential shrapnel after the first hit. Fabler shoulda known this and gone with AR500 steel.) But this makes me wonder less about Fabler, Presley and Grim, and more about the community surrounding them. There has to be more to it.

    Are those Fabler's rules? Or is Fabler following somebody else's rules?

    Do Lori and Brooklyn have the same blood type? Presley's body parts were out of spec for the job, but as she trained, her body would have changed, aside from the height and age.. You know, when customizing a gun sometimes you can use out of spec parts, if you fit them correctly.

    goddamit mu...

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  5. Hi Unknown!

    You should check out the gun show scene in SHOT GIRL. I'd appreciate the feedback. :)

    Did I say Fabler bought from private sellers in LORI? Shit, I need to fix that. Good catch. It's Kansas, so there isn't a cool off waiting period, he could take the guns home immediately from licensed dealers. No need for private. There would still be a background check, but his criminal record was expunged so that wouldn't be a problem. I'll kill that line in future editions. Thanks!

    You are correct that there is pretty much nothing realistic about any scene in Serial Killers Uncut, and the Ravens chapter was particularly silly. Glad you loved it!

    The cosplay costume guy having instant access to 3A+ armor materials and the gear to fabricate with it?

    Dude wasn't a cosplay guy. His job is making body armor, and it did take him a few weeks.

    Psst, Joe, Ceramic plates shatter and become potential shrapnel after the first hit. Fabler shoulda known this and gone with AR500 steel

    I like that you assume Fabler is trying to stop bullets. :)

    Do Lori and Brooklyn have the same blood type?

    That's a really interesting theory. BOOK 2 does involve a lot of body parts.

    Mu isn't deus ex. Mu is alpha omega.

    Thanks for your insights! You may be onto something...

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    1. I only read through once, so I may have gotten some things a bit off. Like armor dude. I had that backwards, and a custom armor dude would be a whiz at making cosplay gear.

      I also don't recall reading the words "rotten, putrid, decomposing, stinky, smelly, sticky or goopy..." at all when describing Lori's ear.

      Slightly off topic, but your gun knowledge has improved greatly over the years. It really helps gun dorks like me to get immersed when we're not pissing and moaning about.. well, you know. Thank you for that.

      Shot Girl is on the slate for next week.

      Delete
    2. rotten, putrid, decomposing, stinky, smelly, sticky or goopy..." at all when describing Lori's ear.

      Salty. Packed in salt. Mummification trumps putrefaction.

      your gun knowledge has improved greatly over the years.

      When I began writing, I didn't own any. Now I do. Crown jewel of my collection is a .44 Mateba Autorevolver, designed by Emilio Ghisoni. It's a semi-automatic revolver. I wrote about Ghisoni fireams in a story called RESCUE. You probably know the Chiappa Rhino. The Rhino fires like a dream. The Mateba fires like you have a mortar shooting out of your wrist.

      Delete
    3. I gotta start reading things twice before I go commenting...

      The Mateba is the unicorn for most gun dorks. So few of them exist, even fewer ever made it to the states. I have held one, but never fired. Nobody really wants to share that particular gun. The Rhino is a kitten of a 357. I haven't bought one for two reasons. The internals are a nightmare, and I feel the price is a bit high. And serious respect to you for choosing to be a legal gun owner in Illinois. That's a pretty hefty set of steps to take compared to the rest of the US.

      I broke last night and read Shot Girl, instead of waiting until next week. There is so much to unpack, and I feel that conversation deserves the second read first. Without spoiling anything on it, I really enjoyed the constant quotes. The one from Barry Eisler is spot fucking on. Everybody reading this should go read that book too.

      Back on topic. And to spoiling Lori a bit more.

      As soon as I read it again.

      Delete
    4. I've stripped my Rhino, and inside the butt looks like a grandfather clock. It's insane. If you can find one for under $300, jump on it. You can fire .38 rounds all day and it feels like plinking with a .22lr.

      Shooting the Mateba is an exercise in fear. It feels like a prototype. Gunpowder blows back in your face and cuts your forearm, something about the construction makes it even louder than shooting any other .44, and the automatic cocking makes you worry the barrel is going to snap off and smack you in the face. Plus the whole thing is held together with a tiny cotter pin.

      Gets a lot of attention at the range, though.

      Whole family has our FOIDs. But, as you know after reading SHOT GIRL, my feelings about guns are... conflicted.

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  6. I always loved the Who Killed Laura Palmer? Twin Peaks is my all time favorite!

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  7. Spoiler Alert? - Probably not, but I will add it anyway

    Is the house fly Mu? I really thing that the housefly is the Watcher/Mu. I didn't necessarily remember Mu being "evil" in the other books, but maybe I was wrong? I think Lori is in a slightly different dimension (similar to timecaster). Fabler is wanting to switch Presley out with another Lori so that he has her back. Of course, I am probably waaaay out in left field somewhere and I have a few other theories too, but this one is the most fun. August can't get here soon enough!

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  8. You have some good ideas, Brittany, and one of them is pretty close. Good observations!

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  9. !SPOILERS!

    I think the fly (not) buzzing around is how the Watcher is watching...sort of a mini-drone. It's just not normal. Always quickly gets out of swatting range and Joe refers to it far too often to not have it be significant.

    All signs point to alien abduction...the burned out circle on Fabler's lawn, the fact that Fabler is waiting for (and is afraid for) "them" to return, the fact that he thinks Lori is still alive, etc. He hates himself for not being strong enough to stop them from taking her...however they did it.

    He must have figured out the time frame for when he thinks they will return for another red-head. All the photos of blue-eyed red-heads in the secret room are maybe missing persons? And based on when they went missing Fabler has figured out the timing for the next abduction.

    So Fabler was using Presley as bait so the aliens would want her when they return, but also training her to stand up to them so she and he would have a chance of getting Lori back.

    BUT...Joe clearly stated above that it is not aliens. And honestly that makes sense since that is too obvious. So, I like Brittany's idea of it being something to do with another dimension. The Watcher is charging some device, most likely having to do with the burned out round ground, and maybe that's how victim's are transferred to this other dimension.

    But, because of all the numbers and code, I'm thinking it could also be a virtual reality situation. Red-heads are transferred into a sort of holo-deck where the Watcher does whatever he does with them.

    Wherever/however he takes them, he is using them to create something. Joe gave another clue above...saying the experiment is "well armed". This makes me believe that the Watcher is severing body parts...and moving them around or adding them to the experiment- extra limbs (arms!) and such. He is trying to create something new - he refers to the experiment as both beautiful and grotesque. He says your blood is the answer when referring to red-head 63 - blood is needed to keep the experiment alive from all the transforming activities.

    When the Watcher says God is currently locked in a cage, I think he is referring to whatever power source is enabling the transfer to the different dimension or virtual reality area.

    Finally, it is Presley who is going to croak in book 2. Because we all want her to get back to her daughter, so she is the one we will be rooting for the most, so she's done for. (I mean, Joe already broke our hearts with the Osmond fish family, so why not do more?!)

    Also, a quick question about the diples <> for inner dialogue. Do they just make actual writing faster as opposed to say, using italics? Or is there a reason related to the story? (Like related to the virtual reality code...)

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  10. Always quickly gets out of swatting range and Joe refers to it far too often to not have it be significant.

    Nicely done.

    So Fabler was using Presley as bait so the aliens would want her when they return, but also training her to stand up to them so she and he would have a chance of getting Lori back.

    That's sure what it looks like.

    I'm thinking it could also be a virtual reality situation.

    I like that idea.

    This makes me believe that the Watcher is severing body parts

    Did I accidentally send you BOOK 2?! :)

    Finally, it is Presley who is going to croak in book 2

    I wouldn't bet against that.

    Do they just make actual writing faster as opposed to say, using italics? Or is there a reason related to the story?

    Both. But it isn't aliens. And it isn't virtual reality. Probably.

    I may have to ban you from the site, JasonSki6. You seem to know too much...

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  11. Maybe Spoilers?

    So I think aliens is the red herring and maybe this experiment is a computer program? There are lots of numbers and computer code at the end. Also the well armed comment, does the severing body parts have to do with creating something with multiple arms? I believe that house flies are part of the watcher so maybe the watcher is AI. I can't figure out why the red hair and blue eyes are important, I remember something being mentioned about the blood being helpful. I really hope that Grim is not the one killed in book 2 because he is my favorite, so if he is maybe you can do like your Jack Daniels series and bring him back ;)

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  12. Mary you got some things right, and some wrong, and I won't say which. :)

    The next Jack Daniels book is CHASER. And some characters from LORI are in it.

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  13. Wow, you guys are smart! The only *possible spoiler* I came up with is that the fly is the Watcher. But since we all seemed to pick up on that, now I’m re-thinking it...hmmmm... OH, the ear. I was thinking whoever abducted Lori severed her ear and sent it to Fabler which is how he knows she's not dead. All I really know is, I feel stupid after reading everyone else's theories. Not once did alien's ever pop into my head. I guess I just figured the burn mark was left from some kind of fire - maybe to destroy evidence. Can’t wait for Book 2 to find out!

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  14. You're not stupid at all, Katie. I purposely wrote this book to confuse, and left many false clues.

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  15. So, I want to punch you in the face/thank you for taking up my entire Saturday to dedicate myself to reading/studying What Happened to Lori Book 1. I found a lot of (probably meaningless) things hidden/very visible in the story. Just past the author notes, I looked up C++ programming. I thought the number string was a personal identifier, but at this time, I think it is a timestamp which adds some knowledge about The Watcher, The Experiment and Lori, maybe. I love the diples. At some point (early on) my brain trained itself to know thoughts were indicated rather than needing to be told or led to that conclusion. I am able to read faster which feeds my need to know more as soon as possible - damn the cliffhanger. There will be sleepless nights until August 30th! Of course the large brown spot in the yard is where a spaceship landed (in anyone else's writing) and red-headed, blue-eyed women were abducted. Do not be deceived, I think this is the path most traveled, not the Konrath path though, maybe. I always thought the fly was a camera of some sort because my mind could not come up with the mini-drone theory until I read it here. What about the sensory deprivation exercises? The welding mask the flares, the earplugs. "Want to play a game"....in virtual reality? Grim, Fabler, Presley, are these tags for player #1, player #2 and player #3? Did any of this beyond Lori going missing occur in current reality? Is the fly now just a bug in the system? I am embarrassed that I cannot figure out Mu. I have read most of your work - Afraid was the starting point, but cannot remember the maniacal laughter character - maybe The List? I think the character list is much shorter than what is presented as in one of the main characters is The Watcher, one of the known characters is The Experiment, maybe some sort of life support scenario with bouts of consciousness as well as organ harvesting and possible Frankensteinian (sp?) rebuilding of a god-monster. What fun. I cannot wait! I am posting an Amazon review now.

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  16. Some things right, Tina. Some things wrong. Some things close. But great insight!

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  17. Interesting ideas here. I look forward to seeing which of them is closest to the truth.

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  18. (Tried posting this but it vanished upon submit; trying again in case my browser screwed up...)

    Speculative Spoilers (that include spoilers for other unrelated stories/movies):

    -The houseflies reminded me of an old "Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators" story that I vaguely recall involving a fly / drone / spy / out of body experience type thing. (It's driving me crazy that I can't find reference to it anywhere else.) Agree it's likely how the watcher watches.

    -The "you need to look exactly like Lori with the red hair and the blue eyes and same build" reminded me of the big twist in the spanish time travel film TIMECRIMES (AKA "LOS CHRONOCRIMINES"). It involves tricking a time traveler into thinking something happened to avoid a paradox.

    If those were intentional homages/references/inspirations, kudos! If not, track them down and check them out. (And tell me which Three Investigators book it was if you figure it out...)

    I agree with some other comments that the diples are a huge clue. No real reason to use them instead of italics -- unless there IS a very real reason to do so. I noticed the title page says in diples which must also mean something. Then the author note cites diples comes from both Ancient Greek and Computer Programming and Internet Communication -- again all likely semi-related clues. Maybe just one of them -- but maybe all three. And lastly, every time I try to type dipel my spellcheck wants to correct it to dipoles which has some extremely intriguing definitions that could also relate (though I admit that's likely coincidence since dipel is a real word too.)

    Final observation: I haven't figured out the strings of numbers, but the timestamps and character names on the very first page all correspond to the very first point of view chapter for each character -- with the exception of the very first one (for MU). That says 10-13-2014 -- but the short opening scene is August 13 2014. Close, but 2 months off. And also the exact day Fabler teases in his aborted explanation of what happened to Lori. Is the two months an important clue, a mistake, or something else?

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  19. JL--you've really noticed some things! I never read the Three Investigators story you speak of. I did see Timecrimes and enjoyed it. For other great time travel films I recommend Triangle and Primer.

    There were a few typos in the book, which are being corrected for a newly designed, really attractive edition.

    I don't believe those timestamps are a typo.

    I also find it interesting that you seem to assume that DD/MM/YYYY is the only was to tell time

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    1. I also find it interesting that you seem to assume that DD/MM/YYYY is the only was to tell time

      I picked up on your clue-bait in the above and ran with it :)

      SPOILERS?

      The number strings count seconds (maybe nanoseconds -- when I try the math it's close enough but not perfect. Could be my fault though...)

      The number strings associated with most of the main characters are 10 digits long. Comparing the difference in seconds to the dates/times roughly works in the timeline presented.

      But the number strings associated with the Watcher, The Experiment, and the final one for Lori are all 16 digits long. They also have a + sign after the time portion whereas the others do not.

      If it's counting seconds -- that means these three characters are in the far far far future. The + sign supports this theory. (Slightly less far if it's counting nano or zepto seconds as hinted in one of the watcher scenes -- but again close enough for speculative purposes.)

      Figuring that out reminded me where/what Mu is from in one of your other books...

      In the original comment my browser ate I mentioned that I haven't read all of your back catalogue, but this one is easily the best. (I forgot to re-add that to the copy/pasted version I saved just in case my browser ate it...) Ironically/luckily one of the books with Mu IS one of the handful of the others I did read.

      I think I know where you're going now -- and I love it! Gearshift indeed. Can't wait for part two...

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  20. Damn, JL, you should consider detectivework as a career choice.

    I'll give you a slight time hint. 1970. On a Thursday.

    I've been waiting to bring Mu back, albeit as a variation on a theme. The book you reference is my fave of everything I've done.

    But this is a gearshift story, and there are more than two gears. Don't be surprised if all your assumptions turn out to be smoke and mirrors...

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  21. **SPOILERS AND SOME WRONG STUFF FOR SURE**

    So here's what I've got. This is all a computer network running a program called "What Happened to Lori: Book 1 Genesis". I'm not a coding expert, but the BASIC code looks like an infinite loop to me. Anyway, each of the characters enters the program based on the timestamp provided for him/her (in both standard time and epoch time). That's why Fabler says "Just got here" at the very beginning when his character enters the program. If there's a plus after the time, I believe that represents one galactic year or approximately 225 million years into the future. The Lori character's timestamp was moved one galactic year forward, essentially big banging her into a future iteration of the program. I believe that's why The Watcher can see The Experiment (they're in the galactic future together), but we never know for sure that he/she sees any of the main characters. In any case, Lori's character has not yet entered the program. I suppose Fabler, Presley, and Grim must find a way to get a plus sign into their timestamp to send them to that future also, if they want to see Lori.

    I'm not sure whether each character is a coded AI-type character or an outside user. I'm leaning toward a coded AI character, which is why they think in machine speak and don't actually have dialogue attribution.

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  22. Holy hell, Brian! You have some really great predictions here!

    Some of your ideas are eerily spot on. Some are wrong. But, wow, am I impressed how many smart readers there are.

    I wrote LORI to be deliberately vague at times, and even misleading at times. I've never spent so much time thinking about how a book will work, and how it must be presented so all of the questions I pose are later revealed satisfactorily, and I thought I was such a big-shot smart guy to be so devious.

    But a many of the comments here have gotten REALLY CLOSE to what my intention was when I wrote LORI. No one has guessed it completely, and I think all of you are going to be in for some surprises (for example, no one has mentioned dinosaurs yet), but I am amazed at the quality of these comments! Keep them coming!

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  23. Hi Joe, Really enjoyed Lori! Decided early on not to get all analytical and just enjoy the ride. Great story as usual. Love your work. Of course I fell for the lawn circle/ufo lead but quickly decided it was a red herring. Dinosaurs!?! Hunh, ok! Did figure green flies were mini drones operated by Watcher but didn’t let it slow me down. Story was so good I didn’t worry about all the puzzle pieces. I know book 2 will answer all the questions.

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  24. Omg! What a fantastic read!! Was in edge trying ti figure it out, before it happened! Need to read book 2!!

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  25. I started reading your stories when my family was stationed in Germany I read all of the Jack Daniels books our library had to offer and I loved them!!! So I was super excited to see some of your books at the base we are st now, however I read all of them...so I decided to what I could find on Amazon, and I hit the Jack Pot! I absolutely loved this book! I am ready for part 2!

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  26. Items I got right.

    Brooklyn was a person.
    The item in the secret room was the left ear of Lori.

    Things I'm pretty sure I got right.

    A person (likely the Watcher) abducts women fitting the category of Lori.

    The collection of redheads in the secret room are victims. Just not Fabler's. Lots of serial killers have types. The individual responsible for Lori had blue eyed redheads of a certain height / weight / build as a type. Fabler's made a connection the authorities haven't.

    The question asked to the candidates about their periods is relevant. Lori was abducted when she was on hers (given the tampon evidence used as a DNA base). Fabler's timetable was based on his projection of her next cycle. The training timetable and body armor deadlines were based on that, the time when the person was likely to strike again

    Things I'll guess

    The Watcher is female. The lack of pronouns and sentence structure to avoid using them is awkward unless it was necessary to conceal the gender. The alternative is a computer (given the simple BASIC computer language program at the start), but that would veer right into a different genre.

    The cliffhanger will be resolved as the Watcher (or agents of Watcher) move to abduct Presley.

    The dead narrative person is Kadir.

    The "fifth position" was code from the training. It instructs Presley on the move to take out Kadir.

    Grim and Fabler will team up to retrieve Presley and Lori.

    Presley's training will be a big part of the finale.

    Presley's body armor might have a tracking device.

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  27. Some good guesses, Nevada.

    This book does veer into... something. Something pretty crazy. I expect some people will go along for the ride and have fun with it, and others will get angry.

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  28. Well, if you toss in the circle and the obsession with sci-fi action survival films, I suppose you can't rule out alien abduction, with the redheads being their experiments. I guess you could tie in the unusual color of the body armor if it is supposed to blend in with the walls of the Nostromo.

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  29. She got a one way ticket on the land train.

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  30. Spoilers or NOT

    Ok, first thought was aliens, occams razor. But as it continues the mention of Mu, the fly, number of red headed blue-eyed women, odd number stamping that I am nowhere near smart enough to understand, lead me to believe that our clever author was using the aliens bid as a red herring. Less than 17% of the current population has this specific coloring. I believe this has some integral meaning to the next book. Which I think takes place in the future or another dimension. The watcher is the fly. The brown spot on the lawn is where Lori was taken, and Mu presence is not accidental and will play a role in what is occurring. Thats all I have got.

    By the way, THANK YOU for bringing Mu back!! :-)

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  31. With the delay in book 2 due to circumstances beyond your control, it got me pondering enough to have more questions/theories:

    1. Why does the cover art of book 2 use italics instead of diples? If there's an important reason to use diples instead of italics in the text of the books, is there an equally important reason to NOT do so on the cover art?

    2. Does the delay have anything to do with the Lori Loughlin scandal? Previously when I searched for "What happened to Lori" the autocomplete suggestions were about your book but now they are about Lori Loughlin (and Lori Petty, and Lori Singer.) Most likely a coincidence, but interesting approach if you're waiting for the SEO dust to settle. (Conversely, if the original character name got a last minute change to Lori before the release of book one when this scandal first broke it's a brilliant marketing experiment...)

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  32. Will book 2 be available on Kobo?

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  33. Will book 2 be available on Kobo e-reader?

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