Behind the Scenes of
Scotland Waits
by Denise Felt 2011
If this story seems a little rushed and fragmented, it’s because it is. Originally, this was meant to be a novel. But ten years ago when it was written, UFO fanfic readers didn’t have the patience for a tale that took that long to read, so I made it a short story instead. Doing so meant that a lot of things got left out or mentioned only in passing. If I had it to write all over again, I would flesh out many of the scenes, adding those special details that create and maintain the atmosphere I was trying to portray. However, even in its present form, this story gets lots of comments from readers – who don’t seem to be as critical of it as I am.
Title – Once I saw my first episode of UFO back in the early 70's when it first aired in the States, my life changed forever. I could make a list that never ends of all the ways in which the show affected my life, but for the purposes of this story I’ll only mention one: I spent the rest of my life wanting to visit England. I did eventually go there, and it was as if the entire country had been waiting all those years to welcome me. It was a very surreal experience for me. So in this story I gave Straker that same yearning to visit somewhere he’s never been, but always wanted to see. Scotland.
Chapter 1 – The story begins in the middle of the action. Straker is running after someone we’ve never heard of, and he’s armed. He’s also really angry – which tells the reader that he’s taking whatever Carlyle did as a personal affront. When we realize that the guy shot Alec, we know why the commander is taking such a risk by pursuing this guy himself. He shoots Carlyle, but not before he himself is injured. But that’s the least of his worries when he overshoots the bushes as he dives for cover and hits the electric fence.
The scene on the cliff was the first scene my mind gave me for this story, and it was a powerful image. Straker, standing in a long overcoat like the one he wore in the flashback scene from CCAOK, with the sea and the fog and the night all around him. I could have easily written an entire chapter just about this moment, digging deeply into everything he felt while standing there. However, he’s not left alone for long.
Desiree looks like I had always imagined Sheila would look. However, when I began the Conover Saga in 2000, I decided to give Sheila a less striking appearance. I wanted her to seem normal at a glance, and she wouldn’t have if she had that dramatic an appearance. So later I gave the long black hair and piercing green eyes to Desiree.
I love the fog. There’s something so surreal about it – as if the world you know is gone and you’re in a very different place than any you can recognize. Since the fogs in Scotland are so legendary that even a Midwesterner like me knew of them, I had to use that weather condition to emphasize the fact that Straker is somewhere he isn’t supposed to be.
I enjoyed making her a writer of sci-fi. And not just your average sci-fi either, but space bitch stories! I’ve never understood why space smugglers always had to be guys. I suppose because the stories are written by guys, but it never seemed fair to me. I wanted to read space bitch stories, but no one was supplying me with them. So this was my way of telling female sci-fi writers out there to get with it and give me something fun to read! *grin*
The business card gag was quite enjoyable to do, since I can easily picture Straker as the kind of man who always has his handy – even though I doubt if he gave them out very often. But it’s one more sign to the reader that something’s amiss here.
As anyone who’s ever spent any time in a hospital knows, there’s just something about those white ceilings that is damned annoying! It was fun to show our badass commander on morphine, and of course, Alec is there keeping an eye on him. We find out the fate of Carlyle, and that Paul is temporarily in command of HQ.
Alec’s conversation with his friend takes an odd turn once Desiree is mentioned, and the reader is as confused as Alec, trying to piece it all together. But the scene ends without any enlightenment. In fact, we find out that Straker has never been to Scotland!
The final scene of the chapter shows Alec in HQ with Col. Lake. In my early stories, I portray her as someone who knew both Alec and Paul very well. In this story, it’s evident that she and Alec have a history, although it’s never expressly stated. But they are very comfortable around each other, showing no hesitation about touching each other, so it should be obvious to the reader that they are (or were at one time) an item. And the chapter ends with Ginny as confused as the reader about what’s really going on here.
Chapter 2 – The second chapter starts almost like a repeat of a scene from the first chapter – except that it’s daytime. We find out that Straker’s on vacation. Or is he? Well, he thinks he is, at any rate. *grin*
I want to make a comment about how Desiree is drawn to the sea. I was born and raised in Illinois – which is about as inland as you can get – and never even saw the ocean until I was sixteen. But once I did, I was changed forever! Just like Desiree, it calls to me, making me wish I could always live within the sound of its waves. So it does me good to create characters that also feel the same way, and who get to live by the sea.
I wrote the heather scene as a tribute to Wuthering Heights, although it’s not one of my favorite movies. I do love the ghost story aspect of it, even if I find the lead characters unlikeable. So it fits well into my Scottish backdrop to have them relaxing in a field of heather. The dog barking should give the reader a clue that all is not as peaceful as it seems, although it’s a subtle hint and possibly unnoticeable except on a second reading.
When her sister tells her she thinks Desiree made him up, because no man could be that pretty, hopefully the reader gets the clue that this is not going to be your average love story.
I love scenes between Straker and Alec! And this one is one of my all-time favorites. Alec has no idea what’s going on with his friend and commander, but he’s not stupid, so he does manage to piece enough together to know that Ed must be imagining things. Straker, on the other hand, is quite sure he could never have imagined someone so vivid and wonderful as Desiree. There’s a lot of tension in this scene, and a great deal is left unsaid. But it’s pretty clear why Alec’s worried when he leaves the room later.
He meets up with Dr. Jackson, who has a theory about what the commander is experiencing. I had fun researching this subject. There’s just something so thrilling about studying dream research! (At least, to me there is!)
Straker goes back to Scotland, but the reader is pretty sure now that it’s all in his mind. He finds out that time is moving differently here, and Desiree thought he’d gone for good. They have a passionate scene together, then afterward discuss what the future holds for them once his ‘vacation’ is at an end. Straker is understandably nervous about considering marriage again, although everything in him wants nothing more than to marry Desiree. I think one of the saddest things I’ve ever had him say was when he told her he wasn’t good husband material. The reader should be well aware where he got that idea from, even before he tells her.
The chapter ends with him vowing to get her a ring tomorrow. But we know that sometimes – in the world of sci-fi – tomorrow never comes.
Chapter 3 – This chapter starts with a confrontation between the two friends. Now that Alec knows what’s going on, he wants it over with and his commander back. But Straker is hurting, wanting nothing more than to return to Desiree and the joy he has found in her presence. Duty is an ugly word in this story, and both men are wounded by their need to do what is required of them, rather than what they’d prefer to do. Straker needs time alone to come to grips with the demands of his job, and Alec leaves, feeling like a traitor for extinguishing the light in his friend’s eyes. He almost takes a swing at Jackson, wanting to take his pain out on someone, but in a heroic effort, he restrains himself and walks off.
Straker does get to see Desiree one last time, and the chapter ends with them realizing that the other was nothing more than a dream. He disappears after their kiss, and only the dog is a witness to their parting.
Chapter 4 – More than a love story, this tale is a set piece about friendship. I’ve always enjoyed the dynamic between Alec and Straker, and this story allowed me to play with it, giving them many opportunities to interact throughout. This chapter finds them after an awards night, heading home and discussing how it went. But the commander hasn’t been himself since his accident, and Alec is worried enough to bring up Desiree.
Straker – being Straker – has not spent his time mooning about a lost love. Instead, he researched the situation thoroughly and came up with his own theory about what happened to him. One that fits the facts. But it’s beyond what Alec can accept, so his friend remains worried.
Then the unexpected happens. Straker sees a sign in a bookstore for an author signing – and the name is too similar to Desiree’s for him to ignore. He jumps out of the car and goes to investigate. Alec follows, cursing his impulsive friend under his breath.
The scene in the bookstore was one of my favorites from this story. It made me chuckle when I wrote it, and it still makes me chuckle every time I reread it, even after all these years. Straker’s obliviousness to the way women see him is one of his sweetest traits, and it shows itself often in the series. And it makes sense in light of his reality. He’s not a film producer; he’s just playing the part. So he isn’t as aware of the way producers and actors are perceived by the general public as a real actor or producer would be. He’s military. He has more important things to think about than how people react to his appearance. So it’s always fun to put him in situations where his singlemindedness runs up against the public’s perception of him. I hope the readers found this scene as fun to read as I did writing it!
Chapter 5 – At the beginning of this chapter, it’s possible to think that the baby boy is Desiree’s child – hers and Straker’s. But then she gives him to his mother to nurse, and we find out why Desiree was visiting her sister. Because Fiona had just had a baby and needed the help.
Once more, weather enters the picture, and we have a heavy storm outside. Someone’s boat has crashed against the rocks of the cliff, and Morris and Desiree go out to see if they can help. Since this is the 5th chapter and usually by then, I’m winding down my tale, it should be pretty obvious to the reader who they’re going to find. Although even then, perhaps he’s not quite who the reader thinks he’s going to be. *grin*
The business card gag comes full circle as they find his identification, and we learn that he is Edwin Sanders, a film producer from Wessex. And his good buddy, once he calls him, is named Alan. But that’s okay, because he’s still the commander of SHADO, and still our gorgeous Ed.
And it looks like he’s going to be spending a bit of time in Scotland.
If this story seems a little rushed and fragmented, it’s because it is. Originally, this was meant to be a novel. But ten years ago when it was written, UFO fanfic readers didn’t have the patience for a tale that took that long to read, so I made it a short story instead. Doing so meant that a lot of things got left out or mentioned only in passing. If I had it to write all over again, I would flesh out many of the scenes, adding those special details that create and maintain the atmosphere I was trying to portray. However, even in its present form, this story gets lots of comments from readers – who don’t seem to be as critical of it as I am.
Title – Once I saw my first episode of UFO back in the early 70's when it first aired in the States, my life changed forever. I could make a list that never ends of all the ways in which the show affected my life, but for the purposes of this story I’ll only mention one: I spent the rest of my life wanting to visit England. I did eventually go there, and it was as if the entire country had been waiting all those years to welcome me. It was a very surreal experience for me. So in this story I gave Straker that same yearning to visit somewhere he’s never been, but always wanted to see. Scotland.
Chapter 1 – The story begins in the middle of the action. Straker is running after someone we’ve never heard of, and he’s armed. He’s also really angry – which tells the reader that he’s taking whatever Carlyle did as a personal affront. When we realize that the guy shot Alec, we know why the commander is taking such a risk by pursuing this guy himself. He shoots Carlyle, but not before he himself is injured. But that’s the least of his worries when he overshoots the bushes as he dives for cover and hits the electric fence.
The scene on the cliff was the first scene my mind gave me for this story, and it was a powerful image. Straker, standing in a long overcoat like the one he wore in the flashback scene from CCAOK, with the sea and the fog and the night all around him. I could have easily written an entire chapter just about this moment, digging deeply into everything he felt while standing there. However, he’s not left alone for long.
Desiree looks like I had always imagined Sheila would look. However, when I began the Conover Saga in 2000, I decided to give Sheila a less striking appearance. I wanted her to seem normal at a glance, and she wouldn’t have if she had that dramatic an appearance. So later I gave the long black hair and piercing green eyes to Desiree.
I love the fog. There’s something so surreal about it – as if the world you know is gone and you’re in a very different place than any you can recognize. Since the fogs in Scotland are so legendary that even a Midwesterner like me knew of them, I had to use that weather condition to emphasize the fact that Straker is somewhere he isn’t supposed to be.
I enjoyed making her a writer of sci-fi. And not just your average sci-fi either, but space bitch stories! I’ve never understood why space smugglers always had to be guys. I suppose because the stories are written by guys, but it never seemed fair to me. I wanted to read space bitch stories, but no one was supplying me with them. So this was my way of telling female sci-fi writers out there to get with it and give me something fun to read! *grin*
The business card gag was quite enjoyable to do, since I can easily picture Straker as the kind of man who always has his handy – even though I doubt if he gave them out very often. But it’s one more sign to the reader that something’s amiss here.
As anyone who’s ever spent any time in a hospital knows, there’s just something about those white ceilings that is damned annoying! It was fun to show our badass commander on morphine, and of course, Alec is there keeping an eye on him. We find out the fate of Carlyle, and that Paul is temporarily in command of HQ.
Alec’s conversation with his friend takes an odd turn once Desiree is mentioned, and the reader is as confused as Alec, trying to piece it all together. But the scene ends without any enlightenment. In fact, we find out that Straker has never been to Scotland!
The final scene of the chapter shows Alec in HQ with Col. Lake. In my early stories, I portray her as someone who knew both Alec and Paul very well. In this story, it’s evident that she and Alec have a history, although it’s never expressly stated. But they are very comfortable around each other, showing no hesitation about touching each other, so it should be obvious to the reader that they are (or were at one time) an item. And the chapter ends with Ginny as confused as the reader about what’s really going on here.
Chapter 2 – The second chapter starts almost like a repeat of a scene from the first chapter – except that it’s daytime. We find out that Straker’s on vacation. Or is he? Well, he thinks he is, at any rate. *grin*
I want to make a comment about how Desiree is drawn to the sea. I was born and raised in Illinois – which is about as inland as you can get – and never even saw the ocean until I was sixteen. But once I did, I was changed forever! Just like Desiree, it calls to me, making me wish I could always live within the sound of its waves. So it does me good to create characters that also feel the same way, and who get to live by the sea.
I wrote the heather scene as a tribute to Wuthering Heights, although it’s not one of my favorite movies. I do love the ghost story aspect of it, even if I find the lead characters unlikeable. So it fits well into my Scottish backdrop to have them relaxing in a field of heather. The dog barking should give the reader a clue that all is not as peaceful as it seems, although it’s a subtle hint and possibly unnoticeable except on a second reading.
When her sister tells her she thinks Desiree made him up, because no man could be that pretty, hopefully the reader gets the clue that this is not going to be your average love story.
I love scenes between Straker and Alec! And this one is one of my all-time favorites. Alec has no idea what’s going on with his friend and commander, but he’s not stupid, so he does manage to piece enough together to know that Ed must be imagining things. Straker, on the other hand, is quite sure he could never have imagined someone so vivid and wonderful as Desiree. There’s a lot of tension in this scene, and a great deal is left unsaid. But it’s pretty clear why Alec’s worried when he leaves the room later.
He meets up with Dr. Jackson, who has a theory about what the commander is experiencing. I had fun researching this subject. There’s just something so thrilling about studying dream research! (At least, to me there is!)
Straker goes back to Scotland, but the reader is pretty sure now that it’s all in his mind. He finds out that time is moving differently here, and Desiree thought he’d gone for good. They have a passionate scene together, then afterward discuss what the future holds for them once his ‘vacation’ is at an end. Straker is understandably nervous about considering marriage again, although everything in him wants nothing more than to marry Desiree. I think one of the saddest things I’ve ever had him say was when he told her he wasn’t good husband material. The reader should be well aware where he got that idea from, even before he tells her.
The chapter ends with him vowing to get her a ring tomorrow. But we know that sometimes – in the world of sci-fi – tomorrow never comes.
Chapter 3 – This chapter starts with a confrontation between the two friends. Now that Alec knows what’s going on, he wants it over with and his commander back. But Straker is hurting, wanting nothing more than to return to Desiree and the joy he has found in her presence. Duty is an ugly word in this story, and both men are wounded by their need to do what is required of them, rather than what they’d prefer to do. Straker needs time alone to come to grips with the demands of his job, and Alec leaves, feeling like a traitor for extinguishing the light in his friend’s eyes. He almost takes a swing at Jackson, wanting to take his pain out on someone, but in a heroic effort, he restrains himself and walks off.
Straker does get to see Desiree one last time, and the chapter ends with them realizing that the other was nothing more than a dream. He disappears after their kiss, and only the dog is a witness to their parting.
Chapter 4 – More than a love story, this tale is a set piece about friendship. I’ve always enjoyed the dynamic between Alec and Straker, and this story allowed me to play with it, giving them many opportunities to interact throughout. This chapter finds them after an awards night, heading home and discussing how it went. But the commander hasn’t been himself since his accident, and Alec is worried enough to bring up Desiree.
Straker – being Straker – has not spent his time mooning about a lost love. Instead, he researched the situation thoroughly and came up with his own theory about what happened to him. One that fits the facts. But it’s beyond what Alec can accept, so his friend remains worried.
Then the unexpected happens. Straker sees a sign in a bookstore for an author signing – and the name is too similar to Desiree’s for him to ignore. He jumps out of the car and goes to investigate. Alec follows, cursing his impulsive friend under his breath.
The scene in the bookstore was one of my favorites from this story. It made me chuckle when I wrote it, and it still makes me chuckle every time I reread it, even after all these years. Straker’s obliviousness to the way women see him is one of his sweetest traits, and it shows itself often in the series. And it makes sense in light of his reality. He’s not a film producer; he’s just playing the part. So he isn’t as aware of the way producers and actors are perceived by the general public as a real actor or producer would be. He’s military. He has more important things to think about than how people react to his appearance. So it’s always fun to put him in situations where his singlemindedness runs up against the public’s perception of him. I hope the readers found this scene as fun to read as I did writing it!
Chapter 5 – At the beginning of this chapter, it’s possible to think that the baby boy is Desiree’s child – hers and Straker’s. But then she gives him to his mother to nurse, and we find out why Desiree was visiting her sister. Because Fiona had just had a baby and needed the help.
Once more, weather enters the picture, and we have a heavy storm outside. Someone’s boat has crashed against the rocks of the cliff, and Morris and Desiree go out to see if they can help. Since this is the 5th chapter and usually by then, I’m winding down my tale, it should be pretty obvious to the reader who they’re going to find. Although even then, perhaps he’s not quite who the reader thinks he’s going to be. *grin*
The business card gag comes full circle as they find his identification, and we learn that he is Edwin Sanders, a film producer from Wessex. And his good buddy, once he calls him, is named Alan. But that’s okay, because he’s still the commander of SHADO, and still our gorgeous Ed.
And it looks like he’s going to be spending a bit of time in Scotland.