Myth, the Universe, and Everything

Now that Departure: The Final Edit (subtitle is a joke, just to be clear) is in the hands of the fabulous Shawn Merwin, I'm trying to catch up on assorted other projects, including reading what everyone has been doing lately on their livejournals. This is a particularly good one that I had previously missed from amieroserotruck: A haiku review of Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It's just awesome.

In other news, shanna_s has proposed January as an alternate NaNoWriMo month, as it has no holidays in it and you could even use novel writing as a resolution! She's still calling for folks who are interested to drop her a comment, and she may actually organize a whole support-group style community. Since I'm looking to start a novel after book three is done and my other current projects are wrapped up, this may indeed be a good way to stay inspired. Or get inspired. Either way.

--

So, now that novel two is handed off, what are my plans? Well, novel three should be in progress more than it is (I do have ten pages, but then took a break to go back to editing, which was perhaps Not My Best Plan). I also have contributions to get done for a pantheon book for White Silver, a reference assignment, and my last issue of Literature Community News. They've discontinued the newsletter next year, so Arielle Kesweder (co-owner of Virgil & Beatrice with me) and I are considering doing something similar on our currently sort of abandoned Web site. The idea is to post news, reviews, and stuff librarians and booksellers can use. We'll see what it eventually becomes (or if it, like our last efforts to post regular reviews, falls by the wayside).

I'll definitely keep things posted here when that eventually comes about!

As I'm currently working on an assignment for a new sourcebook for White Silver, I've returned to an old question of mine about character design in RPGs. If you're a member of a fantasy world's City Watch, what are the odds that somewhere along the line, you've had to take a level of rogue (or similar class, dependent on the RPG)? It seems that most of the investigative skills you need in order to solve crimes come right along with the more criminal-oriented classes. Do you go ahead and take the levels but either ignore the less lawful elements of those classes (or simply not invest in those skills)? Or do you buy skills that you need at a higher rate because you're not taking the other class?

The Kenzer Crew just designed a new class that has elements of an urban-style ranger in their new Kalamar Players Guide to the Sovereign Lands: the Watchman. It certainly has some really nifty elements for a d20 class that work well for lawmen (additional damage against criminals, the ability to use gather information to track), and has a high skill point ratio that makes it a good fit. Eberron Campaign Setting has the Master Inquisitive as a prestige class, which seems to come pretty naturally from a rogue or ranger background. Wizards of the Coast's Complete Warrior has the Justicar prestige class, which seems to come the most naturally from the fighter background. So I'm looking at those and trying to determine what elements they have that make for a good private investigator/constable/city watch sort of character. Then I'll have to see what kind of special abilities I can use from the Chronicles of Ramlar A/B system to make up a good city guard.

I imagine that part of this train of thought comes from having just finished the first of the Dresden Files, Storm Front, by Jim Butcher. The wizard-as-private-eye thing is great fantasy noir. It's right up there in my mind with other successful mixed-noir novels like Kiln People by David Brin. Excellent reading.

*

In other news, Amazon has yet to make Into the Reach available. Also, you can only find it by typing in my name, or typing the title into Amazon's search box in quotes ("Into the Reach"). I am still working on this, but it's getting to the point where I'm tempted to recommend that people just buy it straight from the publisher's Web site. As soon as there's more news, I'll post it.

*

Speaking of Into the Reach, I want to apologize to folks who watched the movie Hero before they read my novel. I just watched Hero for the first time this week, and toward the end, the subtitles are nearly an exact match for one of the things one of my characters says a couple of times. This completely spoiled a dramatic moment for my husband and me as we watched it, as I closed my eyes and shook my head, hoping that people wouldn't think I'd deliberately stolen from the movie.

So you heard it here first. I wrote all of Into the Reach and its sequel before watching the movie Hero. Any similarities are completely unintentional, although I thought the movie was quite good, and wouldn't mind being compared to it at all. I'm a sucker for wire-fu movies, particularly when they evoke wuxia literary tradition.

Currently Reading: Queen of the Amazons by Judith Tarr
Just finished: Sorcerers and Secretaries vol 1 (again), Once upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson (again), and Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Currently Replaying: Knights of the Old Republic II, because I'm hoping to use their mechanic for a play-by-e-mail with a good friend.

Today I followed up with the book and card shop down the street, missing the buyer as he was in a meeting with someone else. This also happened at R. J. Julia's, alas, but I left a flyer at both places, along with my business card, so I hope I'll hear from them. If not, I'll certainly stop back by (in which case I may order a copy of one of Shanna Swendson's novels, either Enchanted, Inc. or Once Upon Stilettos, to purchase while I'm there and subsequently donate to my local library).

The people at the book and card shop already know my face, as I'm constantly in there to buy Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, which are both a weakness and an addiction of mine. (They've also started carrying peanut butter M&Ms. I'm doomed.) The staff at R. J. Julia's were almost entirely new to me, however, so I bought some food in the cafe and a book, as a sales rep for a major publisher (perhaps Harper Collins; I forget which one) told me that one good way to make an impression on booksellers was to ask for a recommendation and buy a book that they recommended. I didn't go so far as to ask for a recommendation, but I did think that being not only a local author but also a customer might support my case. We'll see how that goes.

In other news, jeff_duntemann has invited me to be involved in his new shared world science fiction project, set in his Drumlin world. (He was nominated for an Asimov's Readers Choice award for his novella, "Drumlin Boiler," published in April 2002; the stories for his new project will take place in this world.) I came up with an interesting first line and concluding line last night, but have no idea what story will come in the middle, so I may scrap them entirely when I actually engross myself in the project.

I also finished Beast by Ally Kennen this morning, which I'll be reviewing for School Library Journal as soon as I finish this post. Preview of my review: it was quite good.

**

Currently Reading: Tales of the Last War, which I misplaced (and found again), so I started The Grieving Tree, another Eberron novel by Don Bassingthwaite, as well as Men In Kilts by Katie MacAlister, which I purchased at the bookstore this morning.

Currently Playing: Still KotOR II. I'll update when that changes instead of boring you all wit the same information.