On Azrael’s Wings is available for purchase. You can get it from a number of places.

The book has about fourteen new chapters, so those of you willing to buy a copy will have a bunch new material to read. Enjoy!

Please, if you see this, drop me another email!

Heard from my tech editor. She should be getting in touch with me for On Azrael’s Wings soon. That’ll be the last of the edits, unless my publisher springs something on me at the last minute. Last I heard, it’ll be out in November.

The wife started school last Monday. It was a blissful day off for me - six hours of silence and solitude. Cats weren’t too happy, because I cleaned the hel out of the apartment, vacuuming included.

Lifestyle changes are still going well. New weight total is 14 down and counting. Yay! I’m thinking I deserve a banana split when I make it to 20…

Got to see most the season premieres I wanted: Heroes, Bionic Woman, Journeyman, Stargate Atlantis, and Chuck. Hadn’t planned on seeing Chuck, but a fellah at work said it was pretty good so I gave it a shot. I don’t normally watch Stargate Atlantis, either, but Amanda Tapping (Sam Carter) is transferring to that show after Stargate SG-1 finished last season. (What can I say? I don’t crush on blondes often, but I really like Carter!)

This time I’ve brought in other townies that she’s manipulated into putting her ideas forth at the big monthly meeting. She still steps up to the plate where necessary to clarify or direct, but she’s not the center of attention the entire time. The mayor is perfectly aware that these ideas are hers and not the people speaking them or carrying the motions. But for a woman who was brutally attacked and raped five years ago, I can’t imagine she’d enjoy the limelight.

The next chapter of Iditarod is going well enough. Like I mentioned in my last post, writing at work is non-existent unless I can get that first hour of scribbling in… and that’s when the boss is floating in and out of the office. Oh, well. Saturdays and Sundays are pretty good.

Next week I’ve an appointment with my doctor. She told me to come in ‘in a month or two to discuss treatment’ about my cholesterol levels. Since then I’ve lost eleven pounds (hopefully twelve by tonight!) and changed my diet considerably. Here’s hoping there won’t be another pill added to my already growing list of daily medications.

2) I can’t focus on a handwritten story if I use purple ink. Dunno why. I think writing in all red ink would have the same affect. I can’t get into the scene that way. Weird, huh?

Orphan Maker - I’ve uploaded all of it to Basecamp. Rereading it has given me some ideas to work on. I’ve removed a chapter from the line up to be placed elsewhere, just not certain where, yet. Since the novel is beginning to go someplace I hadn’t planned, it’s going to run a bit longer, and that particular chapter is all flashback. It can be put anywhere, so long as it remains in sequence with the other flashback scenes.

Iditarod - Still working on the next scene. I’m going to try to get it typed in the next hour before I head off to work. (No supervisor today, so perhaps I’ll get the scene finished today.)

So far today I’ve transferred notes and twelve chapters of Orphan Maker to my Basecamp project. I really had a hankering to work on it last night, but couldn’t since I hadn’t finished moving the data. (Still haven’t, but maybe by tomorrow.)

It’s anybody’s guess what I’ll do during my lunch break tonight.

A friend and I planned to write a story this summer while she was out of college. I did some research on collaboration software, something that we could both access online from wherever we were. I found Basecamp, which gives you one free project. Our brainstorming was decent, and I upgraded to the Personal account within the day. Our story is set in the cyberpunk genre, and fits very neatly between the old CyberEpic and the stalled, upcoming Kou Itten I’d been working on.

Last week, I upgraded another level to the Basic account. Part of my problem has been all these ideas and current WIPs stewing around in my head. I’m having trouble focusing on any one thing these days. By putting all my current projects into Basecamp, they’re all readily available whether I’m home, at work, or at a coffee shop on the laptop. No more arriving at a destination, only to discover that the one story I really have a hankering to work on is on the wrong computer.

To that end, it seems to be working. Here’s a list of things I’ve accomplished the last couple of weeks. It’s not much compared to what I’ve done in the past, but it’s a hundred percent better than what I’ve been doing the last year or so…

1) Lichii Ba’Cho (CyberEpic rewrite, Apache for ‘Red Wolves’) - starting a new scene in chapter 2, making the whole thing grittier, fleshing it out more, getting rid of the info dumps in the original online version.

2) Ulina Mokupuni (cyberpunk collaboration) - wading through the first scene of chapter two so my partner can get to work on her scene. She’s back in school now, so don’t know how long it’ll take to get through that.

3) Sanguire (yes… the full on rewrite from scratch) - I’m beginning chapter three, scene one. Expanding scenes, focusing on Whiskey and the next week or so of her life. It’s going to be entirely from her POV, and she’ll be looking for the love of her life rather than the other way around.

4) Iditarod (rewrite and expansion) - my publisher is interested in this novel even if i double the size of it. Just finished writing chapter two, and will begin chapter three soon.

5) Slow Movin’ (short stories) - got two of them halfway completed. Both are on Basecamp so I can go in whenever the mood strikes.

I’ve started projects for both Orphan Maker and the third cyberpunk story, Kou Itten, but haven’t worked on either of them.

Here’s hoping I’m truly back! Thanks to everyone for being so patient with my absence!

My motivation has withered on the vine, and I’m having trouble getting off my fat duff to do much of anything but work and sleep these days. I’ve been reminded by several folks that it’s been some time since I’ve posted any.  Many thanks to those who’ve asked after me (and apologies to everyone who reads this blog.) I live and am truly better than I’ve been in a good while.

For those not wanting to be bored to tears, you can move on. This post will be a loooooooooong one.

On Writing:

This is one of the major reasons for my absence online. Can’t very well update a writing blog if I ain’t writing, can I? It’d just be post after post saying, “Didn’t do anything today.”

I can’t seem to focus on anything. As noted before, I changed jobs at work to something less physically demanding. I’d hoped that’d give me the oomph to get something done. Didn’t happen. I wonder if part of the problem is that I’ve gotten out of the habit of writing. Nothing inspires, nothing motivates, no project jumps out to grab my attention. My previous job had lots of stress piled upon my shoulders. Now that it’s gone, I don’t have the gumption to do much of anything (let alone writing.)

I’m spending a lot of free time watching DVDs of TV shows and movies I’ve missed. I’ve worked through Lost, Carnivale, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Kyle XY, and am now going through Rome. I’m also reading a lot these days, both old favorites and new fiction and non-fiction. Updating my ‘Now Reading’ section will take a day or more, I’d bet.

I wonder if a lot of my issue is jet lag from the supervisor job I left. I’ve spent seven years eating, drinking, and sleeping work. Now that I’m not constantly dealing with work issues, my brain’s taking a much needed time out. I know from experience that it’ll swing back into action when it’s had enough lazing about.

Just wish it wouldn’t last so long.

Iditarod edits are on hold because I can’t get my poop in a group. Two new Slow Movin’ shorts are about a quarter completed. I AM forcing myself to slog through Azrael edits — that’s contracted work and I’m on a deadline.

On Hearing

Yet another reason for the lack of motivation, this is by far an excellent one!

My second surgery was on May 2nd. It was a success. One complication with a hole in my eardrum that no one noticed until they got in there. It’s been patched up and most the exterior healing is complete. I’ve been told it takes up to a year to fully heal from the surgery, which just means my balance issues aren’t all that unheard of.

I can hear in stereo! WOOT! There’s still some stubborn packing in the canal that I can’t get out. I’m due at the doctor’s office in August. If it ain’t out by then, they’ll remove it themselves.

My last hearing test (on the previously operated ear) showed my scores had gone up from profoundly deaf to mildly deaf. I’m seriously thinking this second surgery will show the same. Even with the packing, I hear well enough to locate people speaking behind me.

It’s been odd as I’ve relearned how to hear a second time. If I’m sitting with my left side facing a sound (the first surgery,) I have no problem identifying a sound. If I hear the same with the right, I can’t place it. Weird, but fascinating.

I’ve been listening to my music again. Anyone who has an iPod knows what the volume bar looks like on the screen. Before surgery, my volume was up to less than a quarter inch from the maximum. Now it’s the exact opposite. Whew.

Music I picked up fifteen years ago sounds so much clearer than I remember it being. Those ten years ago have more depth than I can recall. Anything I’ve picked up in the last five years is amazing! It’s like hearing them brand new all over again. I’m hearing nuances of instrument and voice that I’ve never heard before.

When I write, I plug into the iPod. I’ve got specific playlists for the stories I work on. But the music is distracting now. Rather than coast along and let the words flow, I’m constantly drawn to the tune as I hear things I didn’t know were there.

Hence another (joyful!) reason for the lack of writing motivation.

On Health

Coming off a cool, wet winter, so the joints ache a bit. Nothing big, just draining. I’d hate to think what it’d be like if I truly lived in Alaska like Scotch Fuller in Iditarod.

The arthritis is ever present, but doesn’t seem to be getting worse. Methatrexate seems to be doing the trick fairly well. I’ve had to start using Prilosec for the damage done to my stomach from ibuprofen. It was to be expected, really, and these days I don’t suffer from a constant low-grade heartburn.

Just had a full physical and all is well with one exception — cholesterol. * sigh * So I’ve just begun a pseudo Jenny Craig diet. Lots of veggies, less fat, using some information I’ve received from an acquaintance at work. My metabolism has increased, that’s for sure, but it’s still too early to see weight loss. And since my current job is far less physical than my last, I’ve taken to using the health club at work to get the exercise I need for both the weight loss and the rheumatoid arthritis. The goal is to lose forty pounds, and keep it off. Wish me luck.

On Work

As I said, it’s been fantastic! I’m no longer running a department or overseeing every meeting and banquet function the hotel brings in. What a relief! I’m sure my physical exam would have shown high blood pressure if I was still in that job!

Instead I’m in security. I’ve been in the department before. I worked with three of the four other officers eight years ago, so the transition was an easy one. I just had to retrain myself on standard procedures for emergencies, paperwork and the like.

It’s been interesting going from the constant ‘on-the-go’ mindset of Catering to the laid back Loss Prevention department. I keep looking for things I’m supposed to be doing, but there’s nothing there. I observe, I report, and I make myself available for emergencies. That’s about it.

So my mind wanders a lot. Previously, I’d spend the time thinking about whatever story I was writing, working out dialogue, character motivations, and plot points. Then I’d have at least a half hour to write. I’d hoped to do the same this time around, but most my time is spent in unproductive daydreams. Again, I think it’s a reaction to the last eight years of hel. As I work my way through the various meanderings of my mind, becoming bored with each one, I’ll eventually get back to where I used to be. Then the energy will be spent more productively.

On Artwork

Prior to writing, I was an airbrush artist. Those who’ve read the bio on this site know the story, but I’ll repeat it here.

We’d moved to a teeny loft apartment in 1998. There was, regrettably, no room for a studio. It was all packed away. Unable to create anything, I got hooked on the internet and Xena fanfic. When I’d read all I could, I began writing it. I have an overpowering need to create, and this filled the void in my life.

By the time we’d moved into a place big enough for a studio, I’d been diverted to writing instead of painting. I couldn’t focus on both, and my books were being published. So I decided to stay on the writing schtick for awhile to see what would come of it.

Then I began suffering from the rheumatoid arthritis. Eventually, I sold my compressor, airbrush and table. I knew there was no way my hands would ever allow me to paint again. It took too damned long (about two weeks) to complete a painting, and I couldn’t hold an airbrush with the proper tension on the controls for the time it would take.

But now I have a Wacom tablet, and digital art software. It takes less time to put out a piece, less physical effort. I can use both a mouse and a pen, so I can swap back and forth to ease the ache in my hands. I still have to learn the programs, though. That’s taking awhile. Photoshop is a very extensive program to figure out! Plus I have Bryce 5.5 for 3D backgrounds and ArtRage2 for drawing…

When I was doing art full time, I put out about $900 to buy the gear needed, and ended my first year a mere hundred bucks in the red. Then we moved, and it all went south.

Don’t worry, though. My motivation there is just as lacking as it is for the writing. LOL! The focus remains just as blurry.

On Winding Up

So, that’s where I’m at right now. Limbo. Nothing to be done for it but ride it through. Orycon occurs in November, and I’m hoping it’ll fire me up some, if I haven’t worked through this miasma between now and then.

I’ll try to keep up the blog entries more often. Hel, I’m not even reading that many blogs these days, so I’m completely out of touch with everyone. I have to get my head out of the clouds someday, right?

Take care. Thanks for the emails and comments. Feel free to comment here!

I’ve also got a new iMac.  What a beauty!  I’ve been playing around with drawing on Artrage 2 and a Wacom tablet.  The idea of getting back into artwork is a good one…  I was an artist long before I was a writer, and am much more comfortable with airbrush and pencil than novels.  It’ll be a learning curve as I get used to drawing on the computer versus the visceral feel of paper and pencils.

Work is going well.  I’ve been able to focus more on the storylines, the ideas, the bits and pieces of artwork that spark in my mind.  It’s such a relief from the constant stress and worry from my previous position.  I still miss the guys, but I’m glad to be out of there.  I’m a lot happier.  To combat the RA, I spend three days a week at the hotel health club after my shift.  I’ve noticed some toning of my arms and thighs… maybe I’ll get rid of my pot belly, yet!

Surgery for my right ear has been scheduled in early May.  I’ve got an endoscopy next month to check the damage from five years of popping ibuprofen tablets, too.  My doctor put me on Prisolec, and OH MY GAWDS I feel so much better!  WOOT!

Hope everyone else is doing well.  (Especially you, Zero!)

Just yesterday alone, I completely restructured Sanguire.  jrosestar, thanks for calling off the bet!  That entire novel is now defunct.  No more editing of it, and no submitting it to Tor.  The next one must be written, and sent instead.

I’ve also realized what my hang up was with Orphan Maker.  The Loomis I’ve created would never have acted that way in a joint town meeting.  Maybe when she was younger and more confident, but the trauma in her life broke her.  She wouldn’t stand up in front of everybody and their brother to discuss the way things should be going.  She’d take aside a member or two of the council and talk to them instead.

I set her up this way when the city kids arrived at the church — Loomis didn’t speak until someone demanded her opinion.  She holds a LOT of power with the townsfolk, but doesn’t use it often.  Doesn’t see that she has any.

So that last scene or two is going out the window (with the current version of Sanguire.)    What ELSE can I come up with?

I’ve finished the hard copy edits of Sanguire.  Today I start working backwards through the manuscript — ala Holly Lisle’s ‘One Pass Edit’ process — to guarantee one physical sense on every page.

How far have you gotten?

For those of you who don’t know the story, a short synopsis; A serial killer stalks the police officer that almost brought him to justice. Haunted by her failure, Detective Abby Stanfield retreats to a mountain resort where she meets Sarah Murphy, the beautiful woman in the cabin next door. What follows is a string of events that will have both women fighting for their love and their very survival.

CL Hart

www.clhart.com

There’s a group of folks at work who have a ‘Lard Ass Club.’  Every so often they get together, have an official weigh-in, and pay their dues.  Thirty bucks.  I have three months to lose weight in any fashion I choose.  At the final weigh-in, I’ll get back a buck per pound lost.  The remainder of the pot will go to whoever has lost the most weight.

I think there are nine or ten of us, so that works out to a pot near three hundred dollars. I’ll just be happy to make my thirty back.

But it would be cool to take the pot!  LOL!

In honor of my membership, I did some stomach crunches and leg lifts this morning.  Not many, believe me!  After surgery on my ear, I was on ultra-light duty for weeks.  Then business slowed to a trickle.  I haven’t had much work out time on the floor.  And that’s going to change soon, as I’m transferring into another department that’s more sedentary.

Thank the gods I can use the hotel health club!

Besides, up until now, I’ve used my job as a means to keep moving.  My arthritis isn’t going to go away, and this transfer (and LAC) will force me to take responsibility for my own health.  I have got to keep moving while I can!

I’ve gotten about a third of the way through.

Next up will be the final typing.  This thing will get to a SF publisher this year!

The first site I hit today was this one. Talk about a healthy toy for your children! LOL! “Sweetheart, bodily functions are nothing to be ashamed of…”

Here’s an intriguing site. The Mouth & Foot Painting Artists. Wild. I really like Kim Howard’s work. No way could I do that! And Jean Michalski? It’s amazing!

Another art site, Final Redemption, has this tutorial on human proportions. Not much else there except a gallery, though.

Oh, wow! I just found my new favorite artist! I’m off to drool. See ya!

Then there’s the World…  Looks mighty cool.  If I was a multibillionaire with money to burn, I’d buy one for the bragging rights.  But honestly, a man made island?  Has no one mentioned to these people that the ice shelves are melting at an outrageous pace these days?  That global warming may mean they’ll be buying LOTS of sand to raise the beaches?

They’ve discovered what they believe to be the secret cave that Romulus and Remus were raised before they founded Rome…  Hmmm…  There’s some story fodder.  What if Remus was a woman?  Alternate history line — Remus survived and Romulus died.  Or bring it up to more contemporary times — a child raised by wolves in the here and now.  (Can’t put too much of a SF twist on this without echoing Wen Spencer’s Ukiah Oregon series.  Speaking of which, go out and get it!  The hero’s parents are lesbians who adopted him, for one thing.)

Here’s a Damn Interesting article called The Association of the Dead by Gerry Matlack.   Seems in some countries the proper bribery of officials can get you pronounced dead, whereupon your relatives inherit your wordly goods.  It took one fellow eighteen years to get his death certificate revoked, and in that time he couldn’t get loans, own property, or even get arrested.

I gotta wonder, would he have been able to get away with murder?  Literally?  What kind of society produces such a weird bureaucracy that allows this to happen?  Why did it take eighteen years to overturn?  In my cyberpunk future, I can see enclaves of the living dead — people who can’t get assistance, can’t get legal work, can’t have a voice because they’re legally dead…  That’d be a hel of a story…

My best friend at the time, Laurie, introduced me to this place in 1995.  I only lived a few blocks away, so it became a favorite place to hang out with my wife and son.  I didn’t get hooked on the Slamma Hamma that Laurie enjoyed, but the milder Velvet Hammer was mmmm mmmm nummy!

At that time in my life, I didn’t visit often.  I was hip deep in airbrush illustrations rather than writing, so most of my off time was spent at home.  However, after Laurie got a job elsewhere, it was the place to meet when we hung out together.

In early 1998, we left our apartment and the city for Spokane, Washington.  I remember looking up Coffee People online, and emailing them.  There weren’t any in Washington, and I wanted to know if they had plans to open any there.  I never received a response, and it was a long, dry year I spent there.

The airbrush studio was shoved under the stairs in our itty bitty loft apartment, and the computer became my fixation instead of my art.  That’s when I discovered the fanfic that changed my life.  After reading all I could read, I yearned for more.  No one else was writing what I wanted, so I began writing my own.

Upon my return to Portland in late ‘98, I was working on Warlord Metal, hand writing each page when away, laboriously typing it into my Gateway computer when at home.  I’d say at least one third of the novel was written at the back table of Coffee People.  That winter was a cold, wet one, and I’d just come from a desert environment.  Velvet Hammers warmed me through the rainy season.  (I put an acknowledgement to Coffee People in Warlord Metal.)
The next novel CP witnessed was Tiopa Ki Lakota.  Hel, every novel length story has had its day here.  Some more than others, and each written differently as my finances and foibles changed over the years.

Coffee People has seen me writing long hand in spiral notebooks and on legal pads.  It’s seen me using Graffitti as I wrote on my Palmie, then two different keyboards - wired and wireless - as my Palms were upgraded and replaced.  Finally, it’s seen my iBook, which is what I’m using now to write.

From its windows, I’ve watched the Farmer’s Market set up and tear down on Wednesdays; I’ve seen the street people acting out their bizarre ways as they passed; I’ve chased a block after a woman when she left her purse on the table across from me, and watched a swishy young man with mascara get into a slap-fest with his boyfriend outside; strangers have come in to stare at me, as if they knew me, though I’d never seen them before.

The building next door is low income, and many of the residents hang around outside in summer, nursing a cup of coffee so they can sit at the outdoor tables.  Across the street is the South Park Blocks where the market sets up, where children play, where punks hang out.  That’s where Rickie Gardner hung in Only One.  Down the street is PSU, and a lot of college students come through here, utilizing the tables for study groups and homework.  Directly across the street is the theater - summer and evening concerts bring in tuxedos and dresses, though most of the patrons appear to be the orchestra rather than the spectators.

I’m really going to miss this place.

In fact, I’ve already shipped an email and attachment to my publisher.

I feel so relieved…

I think this thing might be completed by the end of the week!

My wife brought up the idea of a reward. She asked what I’d get when I finished. * shrug * She’s suggested that this might be part of my problem when it comes to writing. I don’t reward myself in a way that’s special, and need to.

Wonder what kind of reward I should give myself for finishing this thing?

Answer:  Nothing.

Man, was I surprised to discover I didn’t have to get a new card!  It’s been forever since I’ve visited the library.  But, it seems I’m swimming in cash in December, and scraping the rent together for January every year — the library was the way to go if I wanted to add to my To Be Read list.

On Azrael’s Wings Update:  Chapters twenty and twenty-one have been edited today.  Looks like I have about eleven more to go, overall.  I have no plans to insert new scenes along the way, but am open-minded.  If the book’s need calls for a new scene here or there, so be it.  I’ve been diligently working on it, even on my work days, though I’m not certain I’ll get through to the end by Friday.  We’ll see how it goes.

And now for the excruciating, gut-wrenching HORRIBLE news I heard today…  Coffee People is CLOSING!  UGH!  They’ll keep their five airport kiosks open, but they’re closing MY shop downtown.  What the hel am I going to do??

I know, I know…  It’s just a silly coffee shop.  But I’m addicted to their Velvet Hammers.  If I have to take a flight out, I’ll go four hours in advance so I can enjoy a coffee.  Who cares how long it takes to get through security?

Plus there’s the nostalgia aspect.  Did you know that parts of nearly ALL my novels have been written at Coffee People on SW Park?  The only two that didn’t were Only One and CyberEpic.  I remember the freezing cold rain of winter ‘98, warming up as I hand wrote Tiopa Ki Lakota and Warlord Metal there.

* sigh *

I suppose I’ll survive.  Ah, well.  Urban Grind in the NW is closer to my apartment anyway…

That’s the LAST of the new scenes!  WOOT!

I should have the rest of the editing done by the end of the week.  (And that’s WITH the two days of day job I have to get back to.)

I completed writing the rough draft in 2004.  After it idled most of 2005, I asked some friends to beta.  “More Action!” (Thanks, Step!)

Maybe this will be my fourth published book, eh?

After a half hour of reacquainting myself with On Azrael’s Wings, I’ve already dumped plans for one scene, deciding to go with a different one instead.  Time to get to work.  I want to finish chapter eighteen today…

Here’s to a spectacular New Year to everyone!

The next chapter (or at least the next scene) is Ursula’s POV from the attack. I’m not going to harp on what’s already happened, just have her recall the terror and the blood coupled with the sight of Azrael facing her with bared steel.  (EEEKS!)  That will bleed into a discussion with Midia over the whole mess.  Whether or not it’ll take another full chapter to cover it all remains to be seen.

Break time!  WOOT!

I had errands to run today, and needed to check in at work to make certain payroll was ready to go for tomorrow morning.  (My crew get so ticked off when they don’t get a paycheck!  Go figure!)

So that’s my excuse for running a little behind.  Might not make it at all, actually.  At least not the completed chapter.  Only one scene I’ve been working on - some introspection on Azrael’s part over her recent bad treatment of Ursula, leading into a surprise assassination attempt by a group of morons who think they can take her.  I would have written more at Coffee People, but I discovered the sudden need for dice.

(Redhawk Fight Scenes 101 — use role-playing games for scenes that require attention to multiple details.  Keeps the whole scene realistic enough; you just have to fudge the rolls for the outcome you plan for.  If the hero gets out alive, make ‘er work for it.)

I’ve mapped out where all the fighters and non-combatants are, and figured out the next series of parries and attacks. But something like this takes a lot more time to … choreograph, I guess is the word.  If I slog through, it’l be midnight before I finish it to my satisfaction.

Which means yesterday’s series of planned goals will be a day off.  Still… I’ve done more writing in the last two days than I’ve done the last two months.  I’ve just got to stick to my guns and get the damned words down.  (I really, really, REALLY want to finish this book before going back to work!)

Tomorrow I have to go into work long enough to do holiday payroll — maybe an hour or so.  I figure I’ll have enough time to get at least a thousand words in and head over to Coffee People in the South Park Blocks for another five hundred or so.  Goal tomorrow is to begin and complete the new chapter seventeen with over 2000 words written.

Saturday — the new chapter eighteen.

Sunday — the new chapter nineteen, if the new scenes require another chapter.

Monday — begin editing the last half of the novel to work with the previous half.

I will keep you posted!  Swear!

My left ear is healing up fairly well (despite one set back a couple of weeks ago.)  As there was still some packing inside the ear, we decided not to do a hearing test at my post-op appointment.  I’ll go back at the end of January to see how much has been taken care of.

To tell the truth, I think I’m hearing better now than I have in over ten years.  The bass level is outrageously loud!  Treble is good enough for me to pick up ’ss’, ‘ch’, ‘kk’ sounds.  In fact, if I don’t wear the hearing aid in my right ear, I can still carry on a conversation better than when I had both hearing aids on full volume!  WOOT!

(I realize that eventually my noisy neighbors, the complex stairs right next to our living room, and my wife’s snoring will be annyoing as hel.  But right now, I still get a ‘SQUEE’ moment when I identify a new sound.)

On the writing front … HAH!  Writing?  What’s THAT?

Now that the holiday party season is over, things will mellow out at work again.  Part of my problem over the year has been my own ‘writer’s block.’  I think I’ve just been more interested in doing anything else BUT write in some cases.  Plus what I’ve said before about working organically rather than from an outline …

As it is, I’ve got nine days off of work (of which I’ve already wasted two.)  Then I go in to prep payroll for next week.  After that, I have three more days off, work two, then two days off.

So On Azrael’s Wings is open on my iBook, and I just finished editing the new scenes for chapter fifteen.  I’ve deleted one new scene I was scheduled to write because I couldn’t find any relevance for it to the rest of the novel.  In fact, I might delete the last scene I wrote for the same reason in the end.

That leaves me six new scenes to complete and fourteen chapters to edit before I can submit the novel anywhere.  The edits will be fast and furious, I can guarantee that.  I just have to slog through the new scenes …

Yule was last Thursday.  It was fun.  Spent time with my wife, going over photo albums, remembering good times, talking about family and friends who are no longer with us.  Then we opened presents, watched the Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest, and held the vigil with our Solstice candle.

Tomorrow begins the majority of the feast prep work.  We’ve already received several RSVPs from friends in the area to join us.  It’ll be interesting this year.  I can’t turn off my hearing aids when they bug me too much!  LOL!

It’ll take a few weeks for everything to heal and settle down.  Then we’ll know the full extent of the improvement.  In May, when the hotel renovations cut back my hours, we’ll do the right ear.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and good thoughts!

*gulp*

At the hospital at 6:30am.  Home by 1pm, I hope.  Maybe in a couple of months there’ll be a noticeable improvement in my hearing.  Here’s hoping.

Believable and Lovable Evil

How do you write believable villians taking over your story?  Can you make them evil and still lovable?

Mary Rosenblum, David D. Levine, Todd McCaffrey, phyllis irene radford

- motivation is primary for a villain.  He is a hero in his own book.

- “Fanaticism isn’t about faith.  It’s about control.” radford

- evil ruler - usually in power long before the story begins - in power because the people allow him to remain in power - WHY?

- if motivation is primary, choice is secondary.  He chose to be the bad guy - WHY?

- not so much a villain as an anti-hero

- Story idea - Main Characters are enemies for valid and known reasons.  Storyline follows one who becomes more sympathetic with the other, seeing that the villified and demonized enemy just ain’t so…

- “The villain does the wrong thing for all the right reasons.” Levine

- build up the villain.  The hero will grow to overcome what the villain does.  The bigger the villain, the bigger the hero.  (Note: spend more time explaining Shonal in Azrael.  Create a REAL villain for Sanguire.

- using the Achille’s Heel isn’t a very satisfying conclusion or confrontation (which I used in Castle Walls.)

- setting up conflict - two people each want something VERY badly … and each oppose the other.  As far as romance goes, it helps to boost this in the beginning between the MCs, but it has to be lessened to allow a romance to develop.

- Warprize and Warsport by Elizabeth Vahn (sp?)

I attended one other panel about the economics of immortality.  It was… kinda boring.  The questions the panelists focused on were about extending human life into the 150’s rather than immortality.  With my work on the Sanguire and such, the whole conversation was pretty worthless to me.

Such ended Orycon 28.  Now I’ve got a year to go for 29!  UGH!

We Don’t Need Another Hero

From Kimball Kinnison to Dylan Hunt, strong-thewed heroes have strode the spaceways, protecting the galaxy from evildoers.  But the trend in contemporary literature is shifting from “heroes” to “protagonists” to “viewpoint characters”.  What are the ways that main characters can be used in science fiction?  How can ensembles and event-based plots build great story lines and lovable groups?

Sheila Simonson, Mary Robinette Kowal, phyllis irene radford, Jean Lamb, Michael A. Martin

- a tragic, dramatic departure from the norm is what creates a hero.

- Jo Clayton, author - look her up.
- in order to have a Hero (with a capital H,) there must be a villain - who’s the villain in Iditarod, Tiopa?  Circumstances, at the very least.  Thereby assuming that none of those characters are truly heroines.

- is a heroine simply a female hero?  Or is she something more?  Not so much a difference as a different dynamic created between a heroine and villain…

- writing an ensemble piece ain’t easy - Freya’s Tears, when completed will result in the loss of at least two crew members - will the next book (assuming there is one) focus on a different protagonist?

- it’s not enough for a heroine to decide to take control of a situation. She must choose to END it.  (Azrael, Dusky, Els, Kathleen.)

- a woman’s heroic journey follows a similar path as the hero except she gets to a point where she must decide between two paths, nurturer or warrior.  The journey continues until both paths merge again, and she finds herself doing both.

Orycon and the Future

The Death of OSFCI and what you can do to keep Orycon alive after Orycon 30.

Andrew Nisbet, Patty Wells, Linda Pilcher

Considering how much I enjoy Orycon, I had to attend this panel to see what was going on.  Apparently there’s a dearth of people willing to fill the long term, committed openings that are required to put together a convention.  Things have been in flux with Orycon for the last four years and don’t appear to be letting up.  This was a panel to drum up fannish support.

I dunno, man.  I’m interested, truly, but …  I do enjoy attending the panels.  If I worked a convention from planning stages to culmination, it’d have to be in a position that wouldn’t deter me from attending the panels.  I’ve worked Dealer’s Room as assistant, and that takes a lot of time out of the day.  Same goes for several other positions in a large con.

We’ll see.

Role-playing Game Design and Publication 101

How writing for the role-playing market differs from writing for the fiction market, what is involved in designing and publishing a role-playing game, and how much reward one is likely to get for all one’s work.  A beginning writer’s guide to the RPG market.

Greg Gorden, Gwendolyn Kestrel, Joseph D. Karriker, Jr., William B. McDermott, Riannon Louve, Anthony Pryor

Not that I’m particularly interested in writing a RPG.  I like gaming, and my primary reason for attending this panel was to consider another potential money-maker.  (Anything to get out of my current job, doncha know?  LOL!)

- contact the game developer, ask what he or she needs, and give them EXACTLY that.

- gaming articles are good for background and resumes.

- prove comprehension of the material when writing a module.

- website, website, website!  If a particular game inspires artwork, be sure to give credit (’based on’…)

- Note to self - business card.

- write novels based on a gaming system as a sideline for money making (’based on’…)

- keep up on the comings and goings within the company.  Not much different than the regular or small publishing world, really.  In fact, the gaming industry is just as political and incestuous as any other.  Be professional, and don’t quit your day job until you have a year’s salary in the bank.

- the more complete the module, the better.  Don’t just write up the specifics.  Create the characters needed, the maps, artwork, tech data, the whole shebang.

THEN I was going to go to another panel or two.  Instead, I got sidetracked by work (the dangers of attending a convention in your workplace.)  So I ended up leaving property for a quick lunch downtown and returning for a trip through the art show.

Bought two prints from my current favorite local artist, Alan M. Clarke.  He’s got some great stuff, morbid as hel, and a very smartass sense of humor. Also made note of Sarah Clemens.  She’s got some great pieces with Magnus and Loki — a cat and a small dragon who get into various troubles.

How to Make a Living as an Artist

How do artists make a living? Can you break the starving artist traditions and really make some money?

Margaret Organ-Kean, John R. Gray III, Jeff Fennel, Jeff Sturgeon, Alan M. Clarke, Vincent DiFate

- “Diversify!” Clarke

- Pinging off that comment, I can go digital (sell prints at conventions, sell online, pick up work via gaming companies.) In Second Life (virtual world), I can design and build virtual clothings, behaviors, items, buildings for sale.  I can possibly offer services as book cover illustrator with my current contacts with authors and publishers.

- I need a high quality Epson printer and a scanner.

- Create book covers for books I’ve read (’inspired by’,) and put them on my website - use the web as a portfolio of digital artwork.

- “Art is about making pictures. The tools you use are irrelevant.” Vincent DiFate

A’ight… end of day two (Saturday.)  I went home to take a nap, with every intention of returning that evening for a concert by Heather Alexander.  Yep… you guessed it.  I stayed home.  I REALLY have to stay in the hotel next year!

Yesterday I spent the morning helping the guys finish the room sets.  Then I spent a good portion of the afternoon attending panels.  I’m going to note the panels and some odds and ends notes here to keep them on file for future reference…  Prepare to be bored… or not…

The Effects of Space Travel on Earth Religions

Will a Christian, Jew, Muslim or other Earth religious believer, have trouble tolerating the religions of Aliens?  Will Earthlings need to reevaluate how they believe about “being created in God’s image” if the other beings look differently than they do?  What hapens if Earth was seeded and we run into the society responsible?  What about those aliens that display powers that some fundamentalists consider to be evil?

Mick Shepherd Moscoe, Judy Lazar, Elton Elliott, Richard A. Lovett

About the only direct quote, per se, I recieved from this panel was from Judy Lazar.  She said there’s a direct correlation between lifestyle and religious development.  Those societies that have chaotic lifestyles, fraught with uncertainties, tend to develop deeper and stronger mythos and dieties to explain their world.  Those with milder lifestyles have no use for such trappings, and their mythos tend to reflect that.

Notes, Ideas, Questions:

- created in ‘God’s Image’ (future title?) - aliens = angels? - theology = alien method of control?

- aliens also have theology of being in ‘God’s image’ - which is right / true? - could result it war?

- tie the rapture into alien visitation - disappearances of true Christians are actually abductions…

- an UNbenevolent diety responsible for creation - no God, but a devil responsible

- God an King, a monarchy - what about using a different political system to base a religion upon?

Law and Social Order in World Building

How can a writer design the basic legal structure of an alien, futuristic, or fantasy civilization? How do laws, courts, and government organizations arise from the basic legal structures and concepts, the constitution (formal or informal), common law, and other sources of justice? What are some of the options a writer has in making their civilization unique?

Rory Miller, Richard A. Lovett, Sara A. Mueller, phyllis irene radford, Andrew Nisbet

Again, no quotes from the panelists were interesting enough for me.  I took what they said and let my mind wander here and there, scribbling down things that came to me.

- dichotomy between law and societal taboos - illegal to beat and harass, yet acceptable for children to thump and terrorize one another through school.

- some taboos aren’t truly taboo unless they’re witnessed in other cultures - some things are only illegal if witnessed.

- laws exist because of criminal definitions - DEFINE THE CRIME!

- defining the crime will determine the society’s view on it, and reveal deeper issues and taboos involved in it.

How to Reproduce Your Artwork

You have finished your masterpiece, now how do you make the prints? What reproduction options are out there and what works best?

Jeff Sturgeon, John R. Gray III

Unbeknownst to most of you, I used to be an airbrush artist.  My first year in ‘business,’ I was only a hundred bucks in the red.  I airbrushed SF & F type people and sold it at conventions like this one.  I began writing when I had to pack up my airbrush study from lack of space.

My arthritis has made returning to airbrush an impossibility, but I’ve decided to learn digital artwork, using a tablet and pen connected to the computer.  Hence the reason I attended this panel.

- Jeff Sturgeon highly recommended Epson printers and high quality Epson archival paper for prints.

- John Gray uses Canon printers.

- both use small labs to print larger than 11×14.  Both use Pro-lab in Seattle.  (Research for Portland area!)

- CYA not RGB

- Keep in mind there’s a difference between what’s on the screen and what prints up.  Do a print proof first to compare your idea and the reality.  Tweak artwork to match.

- Research print proof types.

- small booklet of artwork? Cafe Press?

When the Heroine Isn’t 18, Blonde, and a Size 3

Why do some authors and filmmakers think a lab coat and glasses on a young blonde heroine can convey the same level of expertise as a grey-haired male scientist? Is it credible for the young post-doctorate researcher to also be a martial arts black belt in her spare time? Writers will talk abouth the why and how of writing female protagonists who break the mold.

Madeleine E. Robins, Alma Alexander, phyllis irene radford, Judith R. Conly, Dianna Rodgers

- give the heroine only what she needs to do what she has to do.

- Azrael - too beautiful, too much like Xena in abilities? Create more scarring?

- flaw the character!

- look into Alma Alexander’s books

And that was that!

Started to sit in on another panel, but it wasn’t going where I was interested, so I bailed early.  Today’s panels include artwork and writing oriented stuff.  Tonight is a concert by Heather Alexander…  I’m debating whether or not to stay for it.  I hear she’s good, but it’ll be way past my bedtime…  LOL!

Oh, yeah!  I picked up a sword in the Dealer’s room, too!  WOOT!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved, not just from Vic, Jean and me, but from Zero and her cousin Aries, as well.   Together, we’ve taken a lot of the financial worries off their minds, giving Zero the necessary stress-free environment to rest and heal from her injuries.

Thank you!

Less than five hours before Zero’s auction ends!  Now’s the time to keep an eye on things.  I’m off for a nap, but will be back in plenty of time to keep things as up to the minute as possible.

We’ve had a multitude of donations of $5, $10, and $20.  To you I give a hearty THANK YOU!  It may not seem like much to you, but when you add it all together to the others who couldn’t really afford a lot, it adds up!  Another twenty bucks and we’ll be over $1800 in donations!  That is so very cool!

Last scene I even worked in a reason for the title, LOL! Up until now it was a play on the name of Azrael being that of a Christian angel. But this novel is a fantasy one with a completely different mythos for a background. So, I added another goddess, had Ursula have a dream about Azrael flying and protecting her with her wings. Bingo!

This scene is their arrival at the governor’s palace of Diosa, a largish city. The army is still on their way home, picking up swordsbrothers and sisters as they go along the garrison circuit. (I’ve expanded their travels from the original storyline to give the two MCs time to truly fall for each other.) I think the romance is coming along nicely now.

On the auction front, take a gander at the offerings. Things are starting to heat up there! Total collections and bids are over three grand! YAY! Let’s drum up some more! Two more days until the auction ends. After that, donations will remain open until November 12th. Even $5 is welcome!

About the time the auction winds up, Zero will have a chance to actually see what’s going on.  (She doesn’t know yet.  I suppose it’s a mixed blessing that she can’t get online right now, huh?)  Anyone have an extra room in the States for her cousin?  She may need to flee after being an accessory after the fact…

WOOT!

Can you tell I’m pleased?

Went through the first five chapters of On Azrael’s Wings.  My wife so smartly reminded me yesterday that even twenty minutes of attention to my writing is better than nothing. Here I’ve been holding out for a good chunk of time to concentrate, and getting nowhere when the hours didn’t materialize.

The reason I’m avoiding the new story and the two stalled stories?  Because I ain’t got nothing out there!  On Azrael’s Wings at least has the benefit of needing only nine new scenes and editing through the last half of the book.  It’s the only project closest to completion that I have right now.

Lester’s still doing great.  Most of the auction stuff is away.  Another round of applause for each and every one of you who donated money, bid at the auction, or simply wrote sympathetic emails to us.  They were all fantastic.  I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of people to be there for us.  Thank you!

A couple of days ago, Lester was rampaging through the house, and I finally released the last held breath.  I’d say he’s fully recuperated, thank the gods, and thanks to everyone who’s helped out with the financial aspect of this mess.  I can’t say thank you often enough!  Two more names to add to the list for donations are Bonie and Jeanne — you people are terrific!

Thanks to everyone for their assistance. (You, too, Valerie, and Cheryl!) The fur kid’s bill is nearly paid off. Every one of you ladies rock!

Remember, the auction is still going on. Deadline is midnight PST on October 5th!

The auction plugs along. Check it out; it ends midnight PST October 5th.

Many thanks to Cindy, Lucy, Kathy, Debra, Pamela, and Gwen for their donations.  You guys are all easing my mind so much!  Thank you!

Almost everything has been bid on.  Remember, auction closes at midnight on October fifth.  There’s been some confusion on where to locate the contact form.  It’s simply the ‘email me‘ link at my site.  You can find it on the auction page in the left column.

Auction page has been updated.

The other cats aren’t too pleased with the changes. All their lives (and in Tinker’s case, that’s twelve years) there’s been a bowl of dry food to nibble the day away. We can’t do that anymore; Lester can’t have dry and the vet suggested we don’t allow our other little boy, Shade, to have dry, either. So now, twice a day, I put down a miniscule amount of moistened dry food. They hate it. Ah, well, starvation will bring them around…

Lester’s final vet bill was $1,071. Oi. In an effort to make some of that up, I’ve started an auction. Head over there to see the details.

Many thank yous go out to Medora MacD, KG MacGregor, Katrina, JRosestar, Velvet, Jeri, and Marsha for their donations. You guys helped with the added purchase of a kitty water fountain to keep Lester hydrated. You guys are the greatest!

Thanks to everyone who have sent well wishes and donations!