Tag: Portland

Old Friends

I’m aware the raw manuscript of C&DC needs attention.  Screw that.  I know I need a few more shorts for my short story collexion that will be three books hence.  As a result, I saw something from having re-read a line from “Foes and Rivals,” where sergeant John Brunelli makes a promise to Nichole 5.

How long would that take?  What sort or world would these people be living in by then?  I made some notes (mostly questions to myself), sat down, and got this.  About 1700 word; and this story is just beginning.  I wonder where it will go?

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“Friend and Ally”

Sorry, again, for going dark:  much DayJob and work on my books.  In fact, I am very pleased to announce that Friend and Ally is now officially available!

I’ve the physical proof copy of its sequel, “Foes and Rivals,” as you can see below the fold, already in hand and about half re-edited.  The usual minor mistakes and 1-2 formatting errors.  The big part is that the ending is sub-optimal, so I’ll add a few paragraphs to the last chapter and about 100 words to the epilogue.  Nonetheless, it will be out by Christmas!

What an amazing ride:  in four years… five books, four of which are novels.  What was I waiting for all these years?  Thanks for everyone’s support!

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NaNoWriMo 2018

Nope.  Not me.  Right around 2130 of Halloween, I send the third-pass edit of Foes & Rivals to my talented copyeditor, at the same time taking a vow I’d write nothing, original, in November.

I now turn to implementing her edits to Friend and Ally while she processes its sequel.  I don’t think I’ll have F&A ready for the Local Authors Fair on 17 November… maybe “limited edition” proof copies?  Like Niven’s first edition of Ringworld, where the Earth rotated in the wrong direxion.

Besides DayJob, Husband/FatherJob, and WriterJob of 173k words in 7 months, I am so, so tired.

Trifecta

Between the cheap wine, caffeine tabs, and lisinopril, I’m keeping at it every night this week.  As I was finishing this up, I was, thank God, allowed to see that a brigade of the Nation is already closing on the flimsy position the City has north of the bridge.  This will allow me to avoid any prolonged battle and instead precipitate the domino-like collapse of first Portland’s armed defense followed by its civil collapse.

In the mean time, let’s wrap things up with the Mayor.

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Drinks and Drama

Everyone that looks at Nichole, “…a seeming poster girl for Irish Tourism!…” is often taken aback by the fact that, one, of course, she’s a three year old machine, and two, was coded and raised in Japan.  Orientals and Asians are not self-loathing as Whites have been taught to be over the past 4-5 generations.  Some things obvious to her are total heresy to those about her.

Dialog!  At last!  Lots and lots of dialog!  And while everyone is talking, I set forces in motion that cannot be slowed or stopped.  We’ve Teresa firmly in the picture, a glimpse of Mackenzie; I just need Nichole’s love, Gil, back in.  Once I’ve everyone in hand, it’s ‘that famous final scene.’

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Grrlpower

Getting some of my main characters back together, even if only for a little while.  I need things in one direxion to be political and in the other, personal.  I wish it would be Mackenzie that somehow get’s ahold of Gil, who deserts and rides back to PSU once Nichole is finished with her talk with the Mayor, but Mac and Gil have no radios…

Or.  Did he just recently give her something that he and the other’s at Ludlum Electric put together?  Not so much a radio as a ‘panic button’?  Hmmm.  I’ll ponder that one.  I admit, it’s kinda lame, but it get’s Gil to Mac moments before Nichole comes busting in with her Iliad of Woes from the North.  N5 has talked the Mayor into trying to talk his way out of this… but what if Rhun and his people refuse to listen?

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Going South

Nichole finds Joe.  Most importantly, that allows me to resume dialog between characters, rather than merely giving exposition as to what Nichole is up to.  I hate that; my stories live and die based upon interaction.

So.  Nichole finds Joe.  Tells everyone “rocks are falling!  y’all gonna die!” is not much of a transition, but there it is.  At least they’re talking again, minus Joe’s accidental head-butt into N5’s plug.  Yeah:  talk your way out of that one, kid.

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