The Present is a Gift–or is it?

Though I haven’t managed any new words on Wintermoon Ice for the last couple weeks, I am still thinking about it. Just over half of the book is set in the present day, and I am worried that it will date once a few more years have passed.

It reminds of an incident that happened last year when my daughters and I sat down to watch the movie American Gigolo. I had told them about the famous scene with the gravity boots at the beginning and they were keen to see it. But when “Julie” (Richard Gere’s character, the gigolo) appears for the first time, they broke into derisive giggles.

“Look how high his pants are,” they laughed. “What a dork.” (Actually they said something else that I can’t repeat in a family blog, but you get the gist.

It hadn’t occurred to me that they would notice this, because I grew up in the era when men, even cool and sexy ones, wore their trousers up to their waistline.  Now, in the strange way that culture has of grandfathering trends, anyone who wears trousers like that is a dork.

So have I written a lot of present-day coolness that is going to turn into dorkiness in a few years time?  I hope not, but trends date quickly.  By avoiding extended descriptions of my character’s clothing and hairstyles I might be safe, but what about language–and technology?

I thought my difficulties with transport in the pre-car era were painful and that is why I chose to set this novel in the present.  But now, I am beginning to wonder if I am happier in the past after all.

On a different note, here is something I have been working on for the last week–the paperback cover for Ketha’s Daughter.  See what you think.

What I am listening to: Plan/Death Cab for Cutie
What I am reading: Main Chancers/Warren Karno

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*Excitement*

I have been given the publication dates for the paperback versions of Song of the Arkafina.  It looks as though Volume I, Heart of Hythea, will be out by the middle of next month, assuming we can get everything organized.  The cover art for a book is a bit different than that for an ebook cover, because you have a spine and a back to fill up as well. I have made a little icon for the series to go on the spine.

I will post more information as I have it, but right now the idea is to have all the books in paperback by Christmas!  (Hmm…  Guess I know what everyone is getting for a present this year!)

On a different tack, I found the most amazing internet comic this morning.  I am the last person who ever hears about anything cool, so forgive me if this is old news.  Check out:

Lackadaisy

The strip is set in prohibition-era St. Louis, and has the most beautiful artwork imaginable, especially if you are a cat-lover like me!

What I am reading: Nothing.  My daughter has my ebook reader…

What I am listening to: Blood, Fire, Death/Bathory

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Random News

Spent all day yesterday rebuilding my system after DH replaced my hard drive with something bigger and faster.  It took a looonnng time to reinstall all the software and configure it the way I like it.  But now it is about 90% finished and I can get back to writing.  Hopefully.  But since I also have this awful, awful cold, it might be difficult to concentrate.

I have been reading the poetry of Robert Service, who was born in Scotland but wrote his most famous poems about the Canadian wilderness.  A lot of people think it isn’t terribly sophisticated stuff, but it has a lovely rhythm and picturesque use of language that I find appealing.  I have also written some poetry, but not much of it has ever seen the light of day.  It tends to be a thing I do when I am depressed, and so doesn’t make terribly cheerful reading afterwards.

I  just returned a contract to my publisher for printed versions of Song of the Arkafina, and I am looking forward to being able to hold my work in my hands.  (Even though technically I can do that with the ebook reader, it just isn’t the same thing.  Maybe that is why they haven’t taken off the way people predicted they would?)

We are shooting for Sept 22nd as a target date for Beyond the Gyre, so I had better get cracking on a new page and some cover art!

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What I am listening to: Creatures of Habit/Billy Squier

What I am reading: Ballads of a Bohemian/Robert Service

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100th Post *Woot*

I wanted to wait until I had something good to say for my 100th post, and I definitely couldn’t talk about the weather! But today I can report that Dawnmaid has appeared on Fictionwise, here. Yaya!

Half Past

Just went past the halfway point for Wintermoon Ice, and I’m feeling pretty good. Even though I got hardly anything done yesterday, what with life and all intervening! I had to get the car repaired and then inspected, meet with my son’s teacher, answer about twenty phone calls, talk to my parents via Skype, and then have a meeting with our Japanese homestay’s coordinator. Not to mention, cleaning, cooking, helping with homework etc etc.

The snow is pouring down outside, the fire is lit, and I am trying to finish all the laundry. But it looks like a good day for writing a book called Wintermoon Ice! I’ve made a vow not to go anywhere and let the answering machine get all the calls today. Who knows? It might work out.

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Delays, Delays

Still no joy on Fictionwise and due to a policy change it might be up to two more weeks before Dawnmaid appears.  Arg.  It is available from other retailers now, but I’d like to see it on Fictionwise too!  Writing is not a job for the impatient, I assure you.

I went to see Mamma Mia today with my lovely daughters, and it was brilliant!  Funny, heartwarming and so toe-tappingly entertaining.  Of course I grew up with the music of Abba, but they weren’t a favorite of mine.  My tastes, then and now, tend to run to harder rock.  But to see Meryl Streep and Co. performing all those familiar tunes gave them new life.  She has a marvelous voice, and Colin Firth didn’t do too badly either.  Pierce Brosnan’s singing made us all squeal, as did his obligatory shirtless shots!  Stellan Skarsgård was a revelation.  I have never knowingly seen him in a movie, but I understand he is quite a good character actor.  In Mamma Mia he was great as one of the three potential fathers of the bride.

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What I am listening to:  Gold/Abba

What I am not reading: Thuvia/E R Burroughs

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Fictional Research

I just got done reading an entry on Vana Roth’s blog about the need to do research for fiction.  She doesn’t see it as a necessary thing, and while I respect her opinion, I have to say that in my kind of fiction anyway, research is pretty important.

I know it is all made up, if it is fiction.  Still I have to create settings, and that is where I think research makes a difference.  For example my WIP is set in the 1920’s in the mythical country of Severnessa.  Now some things about it are imaginary, like the animals, but others are familiar, like cars.  Only they call them caravelos instead.  So I had this scene in which the hero gets into a fight, and tells his companion to get the keys from his pocket and start the vehicle, so they could make a quick getaway.

So far so good, but then I got to thinking–did cars and trucks even have keyed ignition way back then?  A small point maybe, but one that would ruin the scene if it turned out that cars didn’t start with keys until the 50’s.  I did a little research on the internet.  Well actually, I had to do rather a lot, because I couldn’t come up with the appropriate search terms.  Car key gave me about 10 million non-relevant hits.  So did key history.  But I finally found what I was looking for.  And yes, it turns out that most cars and trucks by the 1920’s had keys.

School starts again tomorrow, hooray!  I’ll be back to writing.  We have had some great days at the beach this break though, so I am not complaining.  But now it is time to buckle down and get Wintermoon Ice finished.  I am already thinking about the sequel, called–what else–Summermoon Fire!

Right now Sons of the Mariner is looking like two books, and then I have an idea for another series based around the Firaithi, who are traveling peoples that figured in Song of the Arkafina.  I think they deserve a story of their own.  But again, some research, about the Romany, might be in order.  I am thinking of calling it Red Feather Fables.

What I am listening to: Kronos Quartet performs Philip Glass/Kronos Quartet

What I am reading: Thuvia (not making much progress…)/ ER Burroughs

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Party!

My friends over at The Long and Short of it are celebrating their first anniversary.  Woot!  There will be lots of prizes and giveaways, including one from yours truly.

Here is the ad:

Link will be live 6/21

Dawnmaid is out, sort of

Dawnmaid has been released, but it won’t be available on Fictionwise until the 21st of June. But it can be purchased now from the other outlets listed on my sidebar.

Purakaunui Bay

Just back from a weekend visit to the Bay, and we were blessed with nice weather, even though it is the dead of winter here.  We counted eight sea lions on the beach, all young males.  One had a number shaved on its belly, and it looked pretty strange.

Last time we visited, in mid-June, someone had broken the lock off the shed door.  But nothing had been disturbed, even the small generator we keep in there.  Perhaps the thief was only after wood.  Even though the bay is surrounded by forest it is very, very wet, so campers have to bring firewood with them.   Drunk people will often go to extreme lengths to keep a fire going.

This time we replaced the rusty sliding bolt with a brand-new stainless steel one.  I hope it will keep curious people out of the shed.  But really we have been lucky.  Though the house is very isolated we have not had problems with vandalism, only rats.

We walked out to Long Point, which is close to the southernmost point on the South Island.  The wind felt like it came straight from Antarctica!

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What I am listening to: Verdi Arias/Dmitri Hvorostovsky

What I am reading: Thuvia, Maid of Mars/ E R Burroughs

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