An editor whose name I have known since before I was writing, and whose authors have been almost uniformly effusive in their praise, was asking around about me, and when she talked to my agent, asked to see something by me. I’ve never met her, never written for her, never even written for her house. However, she is, it turns out, familiar with my work: I don’t know why, I don’t know how, I don’t know which work, but…oh, God!
Since apparently the weary brain is not yet ready to leap into the project at hand, I’m going to give myself a couple of days to play, interviewing characters and tossing them into different situations. I want to see if I can build something fascinating and irresistible for her, and if a little romping and some warm-ups kick-start me back into regular pages on the project at hand, so very much the better.
Today, a hard perusal of her line, followed a bit of time luring strangers into my head with a table set with…what? Roast crocodile, peacocks stuffed with hummingbird tongues, dancing slave girls and the vomitorium after? Caviar and fine wines, brie and Roquefort, delicate lamb in a thick sauce, and a chamber quartet? Cookies and milk preceded by PBJ sandwiches and chips? Reconsta and gengineered Kobe steak, and a spacestation game of the anti-grave game paratenka, or something like it? I have all of space and time, and all the dimensions of all the universes that have ever and never existed as my playground, and today I start winnowing. How to choose, how to choose.
And so to work. (I love my job.)
I got an awesome idea today. Why don’t you send project blue to her?
No matter what Idea you send, good luck! You deserve something like this 🙂
The Gorgeous Surprise, by eitje
(A precision short story)
It had taken him sixteen years, but he had finally completed the invention that would change the world – Joshua had created the perfect smile. It was fairly trivial, really – just some nanobots deconstructing your gum-gunk and building other gunk-eaters in the process.
The first batch didn’t decompose other nanites; Josh liked to think he’s a peaceful guy. But it soon became apparent that something would have to be done – who wants to brush their teeth to get rid of dead bots? So, after a few conversations around town, Joshua decided to remove the intradisassembly inhibition. After all, his pastor assured him that it wasn’t murder, since robots don’t have souls.
Now everyone wanted to have a bit of his keen sparkling sheen.
“Why, Sparklites! That will be the perfect name!” Josh licked a stamp – depositing thousands of his patent-pending inventions in the process – and pressed it onto the envelope to the US Patent Office. He walked happily out of his front door, whistling all the way.
———-
“Why must we fight them?” the newborn son asked his father. He was only a few minutes old, and hadn’t had time to acquire all of the knowledge of the previous generations. The man quickly responded, “Because, young one – if we do not, then we cannot have more fine sons such as yourself. The resources are limited, and it’s only a short time before we die. Now, watch me, son, so that you can learn how to live.”
eitje–I think you should write that one.
BookLover–HAWKSPAR, a stand-alone set in the world of TALYN, will be out with Tor next year. More Cadence Drake novels are on hold while I figure out how to distribute them. Meanwhile, I spent the long weekend with family, but more of that time than I want to admit, I was putting together a world and a story for the surprise request. I got something I love, and will work on it today. Working title: REFUGEE.
i think you should write a book about a man that wants to change the world. he decides that everyone would be happier if they didn’t have to brush their teeth anymore, so he invents nanites that keep your mouth fresh and clean, as well as eliminating gum disease, cold sores, and a host of other mouthy issues.
once he’s created it, he releases it into the water supply of his town. i’m not sure what the drawback would be, but i’m sure something would go horribly wrong… either with the technology or the society. imagine, *movie trailer voice* in a world where everyone has perfect teeth… anyway,something would go wrong, and the inventor would meet a beautiful woman that was more than she seemed….
in the end, we’d all learn that awesome things aren’t rewarding if we don’t have to work for them.
maybe crest or colgate would sponsor it.
Oh please, the reconsta and paratenka. I just finished reading “Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood” for the third time last week.
Or visit Talyn and her world once more. I’ve never read another book like Talyn. For me, it’s in a category of one: at the top.
I’m excited for you and for what opportunities may come.
Congratulations and good luck.
That’s cool news. Always wonderful stuff to hear. Good luck playing, and good luck “Keying.”
Happy Thanksgiving and hugs to you and yours.
“Fellow Cheruscians, do we really want to become the province of Rome, do we want to be dominated by peope who eat roast crocodile and peacocks stuffed with hummingbird tongues? Is our cattle and the deer we hunt not good enough?” Arminius shouted at the assembled tribes.
Oops, wrong novel. *grin*
But a Fanatasy book with a Roman-ish culture and some elements of the history of the Roman Empire could be fun. You could even put them into space, lol.
Good luck with the project, whatever plotbunny looks the cutest. 🙂
That should be fun! Enjoy!
What a great surprise!
Grats on the surprise 🙂
Ohhhhhh, how exciting Holly! I’m so happy for you and I hope things work out well!
congrats about the editor – hope it all works out 🙂