With any luck, I hope to have a draft done by the end of the summer, maybe a bit later.
After that, it depends on my publisher -- I haven't gotten an offer yet, and if that happens, it'll be anywhere from six to nine months from delivery of an acceptable ms before it leaves the house for the racks.
This is supposed to rub you the wrong way -- Kanaj is the villain. He's arrogant, certain that God is on his side, and a hired killer. He has no use for the law or its enforcers and would just as soon kill you as look at you.
Can't outline him completely in a single scene, but if you get a sense of him from it and you don't like him? That's good.
(Medically-speaking, if somebody shows up at the ER with a smashed hand and allows as how he dropped a fridge on it, nobody is apt to get suspicious that he was mugged by a tourist from out-of-town he was holding at gun point. No mugger with half his marbles would tell anybody that's what really happened.)
It wasn't him being evil that bugged me, it's that his lack of stealth shows a certain level of unprofessionalism towards his work.
The thief isn't going to say that he was robbing someone when he got injured, but just out of the desire for revenge if nothing else there is a chance he might concoct some story about the foreigner who did this to him.
A real pro assassin wouldn't leave any loose ends like that.
Ah, but this is Kanaj's flaw -- and will ultimately be his fatal downfall, his arrogance. A real pro assassin can have the same character flaws as the rest of us.
The reasons most criminals are caught is because they aren't very smart and they do stupid things. The perfect crime isn't one that the law can't figure out who did it; it's one nobody ever knows even happened.
Let me be the first to say shiny and thank you sir!
ReplyDeleteGreatly looking forward to this one - may we get a "guesstimate???"
With any luck, I hope to have a draft done by the end of the summer, maybe a bit later.
ReplyDeleteAfter that, it depends on my publisher -- I haven't gotten an offer yet, and if that happens, it'll be anywhere from six to nine months from delivery of an acceptable ms before it leaves the house for the racks.
He carefully goes over the minutiae of why killing will bring unwelcome attention, but then after knocking the guy out he smashes his hand?
ReplyDeleteThat will ensure the perp gets medical help and increases the risk that someone somehwere will be asking questions or at least get suspicious.
Just rubbed me the wrong way.
Otherwise I enjoyed it like I did the other preview you shared with us.
Great short passage! Thanks for the share. Sounds like it'll be something good when it's finished.
ReplyDeleteThe one you saw in Chicago was cutting the right thumb web; profoundly discourages weapon use until it heals.
ReplyDeleteAF1 --
ReplyDeleteThis is supposed to rub you the wrong way -- Kanaj is the villain. He's arrogant, certain that God is on his side, and a hired killer. He has no use for the law or its enforcers and would just as soon kill you as look at you.
Can't outline him completely in a single scene, but if you get a sense of him from it and you don't like him? That's good.
(Medically-speaking, if somebody shows up at the ER with a smashed hand and allows as how he dropped a fridge on it, nobody is apt to get suspicious that he was mugged by a tourist from out-of-town he was holding at gun point. No mugger with half his marbles would tell anybody that's what really happened.)
Steve...you are evil...now I want to read more! (it's like chem! lol)
ReplyDeleteVery much looking forward to the book! Thank you for sharing
Chuck
I wonder what he had for dinner.
ReplyDeleteWould Stoll have approved?
Shiny! Thanks for the taste of whats to come!
ReplyDeleteYay! I finally log on in time to catch a teaser! I'm really hoping to see this in a book someday.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't him being evil that bugged me, it's that his lack of stealth shows a certain level of unprofessionalism towards his work.
ReplyDeleteThe thief isn't going to say that he was robbing someone when he got injured, but just out of the desire for revenge if nothing else there is a chance he might concoct some story about the foreigner who did this to him.
A real pro assassin wouldn't leave any loose ends like that.
Ah, but this is Kanaj's flaw -- and will ultimately be his fatal downfall, his arrogance. A real pro assassin can have the same character flaws as the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteThe reasons most criminals are caught is because they aren't very smart and they do stupid things. The perfect crime isn't one that the law can't figure out who did it; it's one nobody ever knows even happened.
"A real pro assassin can have the same character flaws as the rest of us."
ReplyDeleteBut a real pro wouldn't let that creep into his work. Ever.
Almost by definition!
It's just my opinion but with that lapse in professionalism he becomes an inferior adversary.
Or maybe I just read too many books in this genre for my own good....
"But a real pro wouldn't let that creep into his work. Ever."
ReplyDeleteUh huh ...