Just another day

Hit Chapter 8 last night in editing, which puts me 99% done with this batch of chapters I set aside. I've been able to get more time so I've speeded up some. I hope it lasts, I'd love to start submitting this soon.

I've an outline done for the next Spartika City story... right now I'm calling it 'Cold Case'. The flow is really nice, very smooth. I think I'm going to really enjoy writing this one. I've got a few lines started and they have a good 'feel' to them also. As with the previous short, 'A Story to Die for' this one has Pulse Wave in it too. This time, I'll use more of his powers and reveal more about him through the story. I heard several times "I want to know his origin" and so on. I guess the whole 'Issue 1 of comic book' = 'origin story' is where it comes from. Oh well, I like to keep a reader wondering, so if they *really* want to know more about him, they'll come back for more. Its a mystery but I'm thinking of sending this off to 'Amazing Story' type of magazines and ezines to see if they'll find it more interesting.

On the day job side... burn .. out.. city. I don't mind the tech questions.. but I need time off. My concentration is shot. My mind wanders *far* too much over a span of a few minutes where I'm thinking about *anything* but programming -- actually its not programming, but converting the same software I originally wrote over and over into different languages and platforms. A week off would do me a world of good I think; that and leaving town during that week off.

Aside from that, MidSouth Con is coming up on April 1st! I can't wait. I had a blast last year, I'm hoping this year will be as fun. I've already drug out my 501st armor and started repairs and improvements on it. Since its a con, I'll wear my Storm Commando. I really should go look and see if there are any panels I want to go to.

Well, back to the day job now I suppose...

A Moment of Silence ...

I just heard that Andre Norton, the First Lady of Fantasy, has left us to go on her greatest and final journey. She passed away quietly in her sleep March 17, 2005 at 2:23a.m.

I remember her books being some of the first I ever read as a child. She was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to write. Her stories fascinated me and helped me feel better as I was always sick in some fashion or another as a little kid. Fantastic books, her mind and imagination knew no bounds... and as such taught me that such a valuable commodity as imagination should be allowed to run free and as far as it wants.

Along with Asimov, Heinlein, Tolkein, McCaffery... she stands tall. There will not be another like her again. Thank you Andre, you will be sorely missed and greatly mourned.

Slow progress is still progress!

Long week this week. As with any project put forth by the software company I while my daylight hours away for, they managed to find new and unusual ways to make it harder than necessary to accomplish... almost a self-inflicted wound if you will. Its Thursday night and I've already worked 56 hours for the work week! I wish I could say that was unusual or that they paid me for the extra hours, or that I got comp time. Well, I take that back, I could say it, but it wouldn't be true.

On to nicer topics.

I'm 99% done with a rough draft of an outline for another Spartika City story. As usual, I've no title yet, but one will come to me. I like this plot, there is plenty there for a decent story to enjoy. I'll know whether I've a short story or a novella or what on my hands after another pass through the outline. Its still too rough and I don't like how PulseWave deduces what the villans are up to. I don't want him "stumbling" across it, but on the other hand, I don't want him magically just "knowing" how to solve the problem. What is worse, its at that crucial point in the story where the hero better get his act in gear and figure it out, otherwise the bad guys will run loose and take out all my supporting characters!

Next up, work on Kinloch 2 is continuing. I'm 20 to 30 pages in ( typed pages that is ) of this round of edits and I'm adoring the flow of the story. I already can see some scenes that really need to be added. Connecting scenes if nothing else.

I'll be heading down to Birmingham on Sunday morning, hopefully, I'll get some time then to work some more.. and there is always my usual lunchtime and Sat morning.

Nothing like getting skunked

Ok, well ... got my next royalty check in, and the new fine print about how and when they pay me royalties! To make a long story short, it means that their paperwork telling me how many books 'sold' is a false number. Well, not quite false, more like the number is not going to reflect how many were purchased. For instance, if 20 books are ordered/bought, only 5 are printed, I only get credit for the 5. I lose the other 15 until printing basically. I'm under no illusions to become a millionare doing this, BUT I'd like to get paid for what I do too! I so need a new publisher. Maybe I'll go the full out 'self-publishing' route, it worked for Mark Twain.

Kinloch 2 is coming along. I like how the main characters are coming together, though I need to add a bit more turns to the plot. Kinloch gets from point a to b far too fast. Other than that, I don't have a title for the next Spartika City story, but dang I like the outline. Clean and simple. Depending on the word length, I think I'll submit this story to either Asamov Sci fi mag or that new iHero mag. I have to admit, I'd love nothing better than to turn Spartika City into a collection of serial stories. Not unlike the old pulp hero novels of the 30s but with more plot!