First Feedback - Nightmares

The first lot of feedback on the book so far is from my Dutch friend. She is enjoying it but has stopped reading it before bed as it was giving her nightmares.

I was quite sure there was no horror in the novel, so this is somewhat perplexing. That being said she had expected knights and elves and goblins. Normally her taste would tend toward the more literary end of the spectrum; Iris Murdoch and the Bloomsbury set.

Nightmares eh? Oddly I'm pleased.

Stop Press

A good article in the local evening paper The Evening Times about some of the GSFWC alumni who all have books out this year:

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/lo/features/7017387.html

Time's Arrow

Having been practising Kyudo for some months now Saturday was my first chance to actually shoot an arrow. The comparisons to a (male) orgasm were pronounced. A large build up of internal tension and energy, a release and le petite mort - a moment of no-mind which was more profound than my practise had led me to expect (in fact I'd not expected it at all).

Meantime this Dee/Golems thing is starting to come to me as a mini-Baroque/Cryptonomicon type thing. First part in the past with Dee learning of the power of certain scribed words and the second part taking place in some modern world war as the power of prime numbers in hebrew has led to an escalating maths arms race. I might try it as a short stroy first see if there is something more to base a book on.

Research for the street kids is proving rather difficult. The original article not having any citations and no longer papers seeming existing on the kid's mythology. Will continue to look.

Secret Agent

I have sent my first pack off to an agent after some hurried help from the GSFWC to whom I am as ever grateful. Fingers crossed. Meantime the search goes on for other potentials.

A throw-away conversation about of all things mecha-Nazis has helped resurrect a seed of an idea I had for a war using prime numbers. A bit more flesh on the bones. It does however bleed out some ideas I had for a John-Dee-as-double-o-seven ripping yarn. Maybe I can find a way of forging the two together.

Desperately seeking...

Have finally finished all my final edits, and working on my network of family, friends and writer's circle to give me their feedback. Can think of at least one change I will likely do.

And yet I think my first three chapters will remain after another good edit of chapter 1, so I'm preparing my pack for sending to agents. Having received my Writer's Yearbook this morning I have a bit of reading to do.