exile, exiled, being exiled, having been exiled...

Yea! My crit group liked my first chapter of Exile. (Geez, I'm going back and forth on whether its gonna be Exile or Exiled or even Exiles. Tenses and plurality have got my panties in a bunch--rather, they would be, had I any on.) Anyway, one of them said I have a knack for creating sexy male protags. Well, hell, what use are they if they aren't sexy? I also can't help but throw in a bit of that homosexual angle, but I'm toning it way down for this one. Anyway, apparently I threw enough obstacles at Ashetan in the first pages to please even the plotter of the group, and I came away with even more ideas from their questions and comments, which is the most valuable thing critique can give you. Every instinct indicates a page turner. I even see the ending, and it's solid.

I'm reading a great book (though it's slowing toward the middle) about a spy called Overland, The Life and Times of a Reluctant Spy by Larry Kolb. Hell, maybe half of it is fiction, but I like his style and it's great stuff. Really inspires me for the Sentinel Series. I am seriously considering rewriting the first book--making a radical change. I don't know. Perhaps I'm not yet ready to tackle that series again. But I've got my new project anyway, so that helps the psyche.

I've also recognised a short story I'm working on is going to be one of those two-year jobs. I think that metaphysical awareness is called "maturing as a writer," but I just want to whine. Why are they so hard? Whyyyyy? Ok, I know why. I just need to get everyone's motivations clear in my head. But like in Prey for Change, their motivations are conflicting and ironic. Irony is just damn difficult to write. It's called Steal Away Home.

And then I bang out To Stop a War in a day. Of course, I was on prescription cold drugs and that story hasn't sold yet. It's still hanging out at Baen's. I really want to see it there, but I'm thinking of submitting to other markets. They're cool with it.

Found a cool author site. His name is Brian Gage . He writes kids books and I'm going to have to go out and buy them for the kiddos. They sound a bit dark and my son loves dark stuff. We've been reading Demon Hunter's Handbook. Check out the illustrations--some of the absolute best line drawings I've ever seen, and back in my artist days that was my thing. Wish I could still draw, but my hand is pretty bad lately. My fine motor skills have gone to shit.

Oh well. My inbox is officially empty, I'm just about to put Hinterland down for a long while, I've got three new projects, the zine to put out, parties ahead, my mama coming to see me, and I lost two more pounds. Hell, even the Republicans got spanked. All is well in Sexdom.

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