Category: writing

New Pai, 2

Wife woke up at 0011 complaining of aches and pains. She also had – and has – a fever. One of our weekend pharmacists says influenza is endemic in central Ohio right now. Boomers panic and go to the hospitals, so now there are no beds. It’s the fookin’ flu. Yes, it sucks, but maybe it’s your time, Mr. and Mrs. “We’re spending our childrens’ inheritance.”

So, I’ll post what I have as I’m not sure when I’ll be back to the keyboard. With this RealLife illness, I also mention how Graf was sick early in their mission.

With Mindy’s Intended there, I now have a fresh set of eyes to look at what is going on. He’s obviously not comfortable with the Graf/Pai/Alix situation, but is quickly distracted in hearing of Fusions. And, Graf and Min’s father experiences a little healing, thinking what future might be for his grandchildren.

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New Pai, 1

New section, so new section title. It shall start in a calm, bucolic setting, but I hope the world catches fire in a few ten-thousand words. I do recall that Graf and Pai were married on this land, and that Alix was there, too. That was just before their, ah, agreement. Has she been back, since? I’ll find out and let y’all know.

My love of writing discussions over meals is nigh-well legendary, and this shall lead to another one. Pai will act like a maid to try to not call attention to herself, as it seems Minny’s beau, introduced below, is not sure what to think about all this, and her sitting in front of an empty plate might put him off.

In the background, we have a team of speculatores, one of many, making sure there will be no problems for Aurie’s annexation plans. I seriously doubt there will be any dialog, there. Also, there’s that secret “in two days” Pai mentioned. She knows, of course, so I do, too. Even Alix does. Poor Graf has no idea…

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PGI, 19

Modern architecture is garbage. A design reflects its designer. I have personally known two architects. They were too dumb to be engineers and too talentless to be artists. Hence, all modern buildings.

I missed not being able to talk about Hotel del Coronado again. It is a wonderful place and worth even a walk-around if you are ever in the area. But, I just write what I’m told. A bit more exposition about San Diego and Alta California before we get into the weeds with Gordon on the next segment.

Aside: I admit I do not understand how Graf can be so loyal to two women. I’m fanatically loyal to my wife but also know that if someone looking like Hatsune Miku winked at me, I’d drive her like a hammer on a bed of nails.

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PGI, 18

It’s called “hiding in plain sight” and it usually works. Pai is correct in that most hourly workers will not go out of their way to make trouble, such as asking their manager, “Why is there a UFO on the roof?”

Was able to write ahead a little, so there will be another update on Thursday and hopefully a teaser for Friday. From what they find in downtown SD, it appears Ildi is a star there, too. I’m tempted to have a quick trip up to Redding where the imperium (idolizing Aurie) polices the DMZ between the Russians (idolizing Reina) and Mexico (starting to idolize Ildi). That, historically, is a recipe for war.

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PGI, 17

I was stuck for a few days. Probably still tired from DayJob. Not wanting this to turn into a long road show, I finally came up with their likely final investigative destination before returning to Aurie. When I realized it would be San Diego, it was one of those “I’m so stupid” moments. This allows me to link this MS to my romance/horror novel, Cursed Hearts (and it’s for 18+). Like many of my stories, it ended very quickly, so what has happened over the last 150+ years of the handful who survived Maya’s rampage?

That city was quickly stabilized under the Mexican Army, commanded by Anton Alvarez’s great-to-the-fourth grandfather. There should still be a stable of characters – heck, there was a proto-Thinking Machine in that book – I can draw on for this next scouting mission.

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PGI, 16

Hard morning at DayJob. twice-per-year physical inventory. Started at 0730 and suddenly it was noon. Anyway, we learn a little bit more about Fusions and what they are capable of. Pai gives a short version of what she saw in Buenos Aires, followed by finally learning why Ildi and Doe were in the area.

A part of that is the old saw, “if you don’t believe in something, you’ll believe in anything.” In Chile, it appears their society is stable – tossing commies out of helicopters will do that for you – and so veneration of Ildi never took root there. The part about the Nazca Lines perhaps being a coded message was gifted to me late yesterday, just before I made dinner for some guests. With Graf being mostly back to health, but probably weak from lack of food, I need to ponder where they will be off to, next.

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PGI, 15

Thanksgiving week here in FUSA, so things got busy. Thus, here’s a larger segment going into the weekend. I realized I had to begin to explain this new race of modified humans, and, as many of you know, I hate walls of text. So, let’s have young (I wonder her age; she must be a teen, I guess) Doe start to bring Graf up to speed.

I’ve already dropped two hints – well, I was told to drop those hints – that there is more to Graf than we think. Fret not: I’ve no idea, either. But one of them is he seems to have an unconscious ability to charm the pants off girls. No, he doesn’t here. But, I wonder if, in the Change, he has some latent psi power to play with others’ minds? The world wonders.

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PGI, 14 (resumption)

I’m comfortable enough with where the anthology is to get back to work. This, for all contented porpoises, will be Part Three of the novel. I not only introduce the character everyone has been talking about, but here and the next few segments get off into weeds about what is a new race and what might be some of the implications of that. Very interesting.

Kinda funny that it opens with Graf recovering from his flu. Last week I was sick for four days, with the third giving me a very high fever, chills, and shakes so bad my wife had to help me to the bathroom. All one week after my flu shot. Gotta love Big Pharma. I’m sending Elon a precis for a startup making crosses; there are going to be a lot of people hanging from them shortly.

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PGA, 13 (and pause)

A rare Saturday update, but for a reason. At the post title indicates, I’m taking a break from this manuscript. I mean, 31k words and the plot has barely shown up? I need to let them talk to me, possibly for a few months. In the meantime, as I have mentioned, an informal writers’ group, birthed at Imaginarium, has entrusted me with putting together an anthology that I plan to have out by the end of the year. That is a lot of reading and editing or others’ works, which is not something I have done before. However, I shan’t let them down. So, this potentially emerging religious war goes on the shelf for a bit.

Until then, as you see in the selection below, it occurred to me that nobody ever really has gotten sick in my books, barring Lem’s brief neurological disorder (which incidentally led to the modified angelic body of Ildi). Blown up, sure, but not even the sniffles, that I recall. I’ve been sick twice over the summer and thought, why not? Interesting in that it is entirely possible Pai has never been around a sick human before; a no-brainer for Aurie’s dad and brother, both doctors, but why would a Thinking Machine have cause to visit a sick ward? I know both Earth and Mars take strong precautions to prevent cross-contaminations and outbreaks, but this seems very new to her.

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