Weekend at a monastery

I spent this weekend on a retreat with my mother at a monastery. I can't begin to explain how restful it is, although I ended up skipping most of the sessions because they were pretty boring -- and lest you think I'm some sort of heathen who can't appreciate the gifts placed before you, I can assure you that they really are boring. I've been coming here for six years. This isn't typical.

Anyway, among the many joys of spending a weekend in retreat at a monastery is the opportunity to do a LOT of writing. Yup, yours truly is feeling most accomplished today. I have a new story called "No Regrets" that's in edits, and I just finished up the latest round. Some of you may have heard that one of our editors at Elloras Cave recently lost her 19 year old daughter under tragic circumstances. Quite a few of the authors have come together to write stories as fundraisers for the family, and this story will be a part of that. I'll post an excerpt for you as soon as it's fully edited...

In a couple of hours I need to head home, but I've really enjoyed my time of rest. For those of you in the science fiction set, I am at the same monastery that was featured in "Dies the Fire" by S. M. Stirling. He changed it around a bit, but it's completely obvious to anyone who has been here and knows the geography that this is the place he was writing about. I wonder if the sisters know that he wrote a book featuring their home?

Finished "Diamond Star"

It was good. I wrote earlier on the blog that the hero annoyed me, and I have to admit that didn't change. But ultimately the book did push the overall series story forward, as well as giving valuable hints about characters we've met in previous books. It's not the ideal book to start the Skolian Empire books with, though. I think you'd just be lost and confused because it doesn't stand alone all that well.

Enough of that. I'm continuing to work on Price of Power, the book that never ends. It keeps getting longer on me, which makes me wonder if the editor will cut the hell out of it. Entirely possible. Will be interesting to see what she thinks...

Theme song for the day: Kim Wilde by Charlotte Hatherley

Revisiting "This Time Forever" by Kathleen Eagle

I was going through my old books the other day and rediscovered "This Time Forever" by Kathleen Eagle. It originally came out in 1992, and it's a wonderful book. It's the story of a cowboy who is convicted of a murder he didn't commit, his time in prison, and his eventual release. It's quite a bit more complicated (includes a nurse and a baby), yet somehow manages to sidestep every romantic fiction stereotype. It's a romance, but so much more. It's one of those books that just captures you and holds you until you finish.

My copy is getting sort of yellow and brittle, but I'll be keeping it a lot longer. Kathleen Eagle is a hell of a writer.

Saw "Star Trek" last night

It was surprisingly good. Lots of action, very cute actors, great pacing. Of course there were big plot holes. Massive plot holes. Holes you can drive starships through...

Still, it was fun and not a huge waste of time and money :)

Of course, I'm really excited for the new Terminator movie. "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" has gotten me all ready for it, although I wonder how it will fare in comparison to the series. There's so much character development in the show, and I'm not sure the movie will be able to hold its own. You can only blow up so much shit before inserting some plot to hold everything together. On the other hand, the Terminator movie plots have always been able to mess with my reality.

More on "Diamond Star"

I'm about two thirds of the way through the book now, and it's bothering me. The ongoing theme of the book is that the protagonist's family treats him like a whiny baby -- the entire premise is that he's trying to break free and be his own person, not their creation.

The problem I'm having is that he really is coming off like a whiny baby to me and it's driving me crazy. (Note: the book is well-written enough that I'm still reading it. I love Catherine Asaro's Skolian books, and having a new one to read and pick apart is better than crack.)

I'm really hoping that there's going to be a turn around at some point where he grows up, although it's getting a little late in the book... On the other hand, I once read a wonderful book by David Feintuch called "The Still" where the protagonist is the whiniest, most annoying twit in history. I almost threw the book across the room (several times) before realizing that the author HAD to make him that annoying to show the depth of his transformation (which was a two-book process). I'm hoping that's the case here.

Anyway, buy Catherine Asaro. Particularly buy her science fiction because it's good. Just don't buy this one first... get into the series before you try "Diamond Star." I think you'll like the others better.

Started "Diamond Star" by Catherine Asaro last night

This is the latest in her Skolian Empire (science fiction) series, which has really hooked me from the start. I love the depth of her writing and the magnitude of her vision. When you read a Catherine Asaro book, you really do get the impression that the universe is a BIG place.

This latest book is a bit disappointing so far. Asaro is a fluid writer and I'm not having any trouble falling into the book. But the basic premise is that one minor member of this might space dynasty builds a career as a rock star on earth. I guess there are two things about this that I'm not liking as much. One, the premise seems pretty light and fluffy compared to the other books she's written in the series. That being said, it's unfair to box her in as a writer. Sometimes a person needs to write something a little lighter.

But what's really bothering me is that it just sounds funny to have this amazing science fiction society function just like our modern rock industry. It seems out of date to me, which is kind of scary... Sure, she's updated the concept of the album with "virts" and "vids", but they're still being sold in big stores that are essentially a Tower Records. Somehow that doesn't seem like the direction the industry is moving. Seriously -- when was the last time you bought music in album form in a brick and mortar store? There's also a lot of slang that seems very forced to me. Overall it's more like reading "Bye Bye Birdie" in space than the kind of fabulous science fiction I'm used to from this author.

That being said, it's still a good book. I'm enjoying reading it, and I think Catherine Asaro is a goddess. The woman can really write, she has amazing vision, and she's put together her series in a blessedly non-linear way. She's definitely way, way beyond most writers, so I feel comfortable saying that "Diamond Star" is still better than the majority of the books out there. It's just not what I was hoping for from her...

Still doing revisions

Well, I need to add another 500 words of sex or foreplay to the work in progress, per my editor.

Hmmm... so many options!