On Scale

One of the quiet challenges in writing The Golden Eyed Wolf was scale

Not action.

Not conflict.

But the moment when a character first encounters something far larger than themselves and realises, instinctively, that they are no longer in control.

Early in the book, John is brought face to face with a structure unlike anything he has known before. What matters in this scene is not what the building is, nor what it will later mean, but the human reaction to sudden immensity.

This is that moment.

John looked up.

And up.

And up.

The world resolved into a colossal structure of white stone and glass—a stepped, circular pyramid crowned with a vast glass dome. It rose higher than anything he had seen in Boston, higher than the Aremi Park Hotel itself. Light fractured across its many panes even beneath the clouded sky.

“Your first impression, John?” Mr. Stoddard asked mildly.

John’s mouth answered before his mind could intervene.

“Monumental, sir. Truly monolithic. And… so much glass.”

He drew a ragged breath. “Your design?”

Laughing, Mr. Stoddard shook his head.