Very tiny installment as it wraps up the Houston hospital arc. The next will have this odd family back together, with an introduction of Istvan and Llaura Hartmann and their infant son, plus a bit of a shock to Graf. Looks like a Thursday update.
Continue reading “Civil Wars 2, 6”Category: writing
Civil Wars 2, 3
Speaking of medical matters, on my day off was up at 0630 to drop off a dog for teeth cleaning. The estimate was $700-900. TF? I told my wife “next time buy a damned toothbrush.”
A rare Tuesday update, I wanted to wrap up Graf’s foray into the park across from the hospital. I also wanted to re-point out what Pai calls his gift; something he nearly considers a curse. I’m too good a writer to get into “Mary Sue” territory, so things will happen shortly to keep him on a short leash.
For those who know my works, you’ll recognize the scraggly gal Graf sees in the background for just a moment.
Continue reading “Civil Wars 2, 3”Civil Wars 2, 2
A quiet, transitional moment. I work PRN in a hospital and know how important it is to get patients out of their damn beds. With the shock of the moon attack in the past and his new throat installed, Graf also is ready to get out of his room and out of the hospital. I understand completely.
The next few segments will ease a reader back into their odd three-way relationship, with, of course, Robert Hartmann on the way; that’s likely in the segment after next. I do think Pai feels guilt for letting her husband get shot, but she’s not only hiding that from him, she’s hiding it from me. I’ll see what I can find out.
Continue reading “Civil Wars 2, 2”Nazca, 6, End
As I warned, sorry to end on such a downer. Then again, IRL I am ill again and don’t feel like a happy ending at all.
Sometimes we write the stories we’re told to. I’ll try for something lighter, next time.
Continue reading “Nazca, 6, End”Nazca, 4
Pushy Doe is pushy; most demi-humans are; Empress Aurelia’s father being a huge exception, and as you’ll know when you read Irrational Pai, Fusions can be dangerous.
Rather than spit-swapping magic rocks, this was a much faster way to convey information, even if it hurt Doe.
And, just for y’all: some pictures below the fold.
Continue reading “Nazca, 4”Nazca, 2
A bit of a “first contact” part of the story. I can just imagine what Salvy thought of an alien lizard next to him. Aleja is a clever girl and gets her visitor back to the shed where she was told to live. We do get a little foreshadowing when she sees an Anglo woman in this tiny, out of the way village.
Her uncle and aunt sound like real winners.
Continue reading “Nazca, 2”Civil War, 3
Given what we know from the prologue, Pai is increasingly in a “shoot first, ask questions later” mode. Even Graf twice mentions her acting like her mother, the most ruthless person on earth. There might be a bit more with their team, then a chapter break. Still not really decided on how to carry this kind of story forward.
I’m playing with the idea of part one of three being on the moon, part two back on earth with Alix and the children, and perhaps part three off to Mars. Or maybe somewhere more exotic. I’ll know when I’m told.
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Continue reading “Civil War, 3”Civil War, 2
One thing that is already bothering me is that a journal tends toward those “walls of text” which have never characterized my books. I am a dialog guy, from the show-don’t-tell group of writers. I’ll see how the rest of this first chapter unfolds, but am already toying with the idea of even-numbered chapters being Pai’s observational counterpoint to Graf’s writings to his children and their mother.
And, yes, that comes up again. Trust me, as a very socially conservative Catholic, it was and is a stress on me to have this three-way relationship. I know full well that cultures do drift over time, and here we are nearly 150 years from The Fourth Law, so I’ll keep on for now and try to muddle through. I also realize I’ll need to talk to my copyeditor about formatting. With Graf’s entries in italic, it would be confusing to use the same for his internal thoughts, which is what I’ve been using for ten books, now. Guess, I’ll figure that out, too.
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Continue reading “Civil War, 2”Civil War, 1
With Irrational Pai off in the hands of my copyeditor and cover designer, I was a loose ends for a bit. About 36 hours. Then, per normal, I was shown something. Most of IP was introducing the characters and the politics about fifty years on from my last novel and I knew it would be the forerunner of at least one more book. But what kind of book? Long time readers know that I like to try different things, so, borrowing from Grathew, I thought to make a kind of war diary.
This will mostly be from Graf’s POV, as he wants to leave some record for his children by Alix if he’s killed, but there will be parts where we will see that his wife, Pai, thinks of what is going on. What’s below is the a rough prologue, as I am always one to “start your story in the middle.” I’m messing about with the first chapter; as a diary, it is what I call “walls of text” versus what I normally do, which is dialog. I’m not entirely happy with the format, but am hoping to strike a balance as I keep writing.
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Continue reading “Civil War, 1”New Pai, 14. End
A bit abrupt. But, 1) this is a raw MS, and 2) it is part of at least one more book; the likely war which may involved two planets and the space in between. I’d like to have that finished by late July, but, honestly, I don’t see it. Instead, I’ve some RealLife things to get done in the spring. So, maybe I’ll just play with some micro story ideas. Some of those have turned into novels, so I never really know where I’ll be led.
I’ve gone back and broken this 52k word story into chapters. Sixteen plus an epilogue. There are still some bracketed notes at the very end as well as on paper just to my right. Like I said: raw MS. Also, while doing the chapters, I realized I’m introducing a lot here, even for those passingly familiar with Machine Civilization. So, a bit more material; but, this was designed to set the stage for the coming war, and I think it accomplishes that. Thanks for coming along for this journey.
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Continue reading “New Pai, 14. End”
machciv 