Month: September 2002

Sentiments I hear from some folk indicate that they don’t *want* to think about 9/11. That they hate this anniversary focus on it because it pushes to the forefront of their minds something they would just as soon not dwell on: The potential for concerted attack in everyday life.

I can understand that. Then again, kind of gives you an insight into the Israeli mindset, doesn’t it, since they can *never* stop thinking about the potential for concerted attack in everyday life. Kind of hard when your neighbors have wanted to annihilate you for over half a century. It’s been observed that people “adjust.” Yeah. They do. I just don’t think outsiders like *how* Israelis adjusted. We’ve just had a taste of walking in their shoes for a year. The result? Paranoia, depression, brand new psychological syndromes, and the nation’s leaders are beating the drums as loudly as they can shouting for war. From one year. Imagine where our head will be at if we’re randomly under assault for the next *sixty* years. Just…food for thought.

I sure hope to God nothing bad happens today. Then again, if I were a terrorist, I’d launch a major strike on September 12…just when everyone is letting out a breath of relief.

Rest easy. Let’s hope we all see each other at the end of the week.

PAD

Okay, here’s the thing…

Last year my fantasy novel SIR APROPOS OF NOTHING was published. At the time I wrote it, I thought I was writing a one-shot. There was room for the story to go, but no contract. So I had a two-month block set aside to write the next New Frontier novel for November publication.

But APROPOS was so well received that S&S picked up their option for two sequels. And the timing was strategic: They wanted the first sequel to be out in summer of 2002 to time out with the paperback release of the first book (so they could run a chapter from the second book in the paperback as an enticement.) Furthermore, the average NF book is 80,000 words, while APROPOS and its sequels weigh in at around 160,000. Since both contracts were with S&S, I said, “Guys, I can’t write both books in the same period of time. Which do I concentrate on?” They said, “The APROPOS sequel is more time-sensitive. Do that.” So in the period of time I had blocked out for the next “New Frontier” novel, I turned out the length-equivalent of two of them, which was called THE WOAD TO WUIN. And then I had other deadlines I’d committed to (such as the KNIGHT LIFE sequel and the HULK novelization) which had to be met. So NF got shoved back. And I didn’t want to just try and dash it out in a half-baked manner because that wouldn’t be fair to the readers.

So now I’m working on the next NF book and as soon as it’s in, I will *definitely* post here what the pub date is.

PAD

Our long national nightmare is over. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Glenn Hauman, we’re back up and running and hopefully will be for some time to come.

A lot has happened in the past month, far too much to cover in one entry. Most current item is that THE WOAD TO WUIN got a rave review from “Locus” magazine in the September issue. Rolling backwards, I’ve just finished the novelization of the “Hulk” movie, and a few weeks ago I turned in the manuscript for the sequel to “Knight Life” which is going to be called (drum roll) “One Knight Only.” Now who’s the one who suggested that?

More to come over the next few days.

PAD

Is this thing on?