Hey!

I have to tell you, I’m not entirely certain I like this week’s story. A shame to lead off with it, if it doesn’t work, though I did get a favorable beta-reader response. (Semi-spoiler: I was told it had a happy ending. Who knew? Not I. Maybe you’ll see what I mean…)

On the other hand, it’s very cool to be back in the story-writing swing. And it generally takes me a while to figure out what I do or don’t like in a story, or even what it’s about. I’m very glad to have written ’em all, to date, so I guess I’ll just put it out there and see.

Out where? Why, it’s right here. That URL will remain constant, because trying to track down the stories on the blog, and keep the rest of the site updated, every time I want to publish something is a pain in my ass. Um, I mean it’s a hassle, and I’d rather spend my time on other things. So, this way, there’ll only ever be a single page to update. And you can feel free to just check the page directly whenever you like. From time to time there will be new stuff.

I’m not sure what I’ll do with the older stories as I take them down. They could end up being published elsewhere eventually, either directly by me (but I don’t know how to get short stories in front of many actual readers, except as freebies) or by someone else.

This story doesn’t have a cover image. Yet. Maybe it should? We’ll see. I’m trying to keep this simple, for now. I’ll probably figure something out as I go along.

For now, just come on by and read the thing? Let me know whether you like it. And there ought to be another one up next week.

Have fun out there!

Just so you know, this post is fairly ridiculous. I’m reviewing a book that was published in 1984. It is now quite thoroughly out of print. Quaint, yes? And as far as I know, there is no (official) ebook version. But this novel affected me strongly when I read it way back when…so much so that I’ve never read the sequel. I’m saving it, you know? For the end times, or something.

Which…well, it’s a post-apocalyptic YA SF sort of book, so that might happen. Right?

This one, like Heinlein’s Podkayne of Mars, has just stuck with me. I’ve wanted to try my hand at creating a plucky, brave, smart, but vulnerable hero-child for quite a while. Which is where I’m going with Destiny’s Dance, by the way. It’s expanding…to at least a novel. Maybe a trilogy.

So, what happens in Emergence? Lots. This novel predates the USSR breakup, which might make it a bit difficult for younger readers. But anyway, most people die. Candidia Smith-Foster and her parrot Terry don’t. For reasons that (I swear!) seem believable, they happen to be in a bomb shelter as hostilities break out. Missiles fly. Stuff happens.

At least they don’t die at first, right? No spoilers here. Candy, it turns out, is a special sort of person, a probably-improved sort of human. She’s not vulnerable to the disease that’s killed off most of humanity. She doesn’t know any of this, so when she finds out…well, where are the others like her? Did they survive? If so, where? How come nobody ever told her anything?

Being a plucky adventurella, she sets out to Make Things Right.

This is one of the few paper-type books, out of thousands, that I still own. If that means anything to you. I read it again recently, to inspire myself to write something of my own.

So far I think it’s going well. A very different heroine, a very different dystopia. But the stories are tied together in my mind…if nowhere else.

Interested? Go buy a copy. And if you happen to know David R. Palmer, who for all I know is still out in the world somewhere, tell him to get off his ass and write more books. Please?

Also! The new-fiction count for today, all on PROJECT II (about which you know little, in theory), was 2782. Not bad. I’m hoping for better.

So. Have fun out there?