Last day of June, and summer is finally getting cranked up here -- supposed to hit ninety tomorrow, and about damned time.
A quick look at the entry list for this month shows fifty-five posts, counting this one, which is almost two a day. Of course, several of these are naught but links elsewhere or YouTube video embeds, but still, such a number does indicate one thing:
I'm obviously not working hard enough.
Normally, bloggery is warm-up, before getting down to Real Work™, i.e., the current book-in-progress -- which, I must hasten to add, isn't really work compared to what most people do to put bread on the table.
Along with Too Much Blog, I have been flitting from project to project. Had a short story idea I dinked with. An old science fiction movie script with Reaves that I did another draft on, because a movie agent indicated he wouldn't be adverse to looking at such a beast. A story pitch for an anthology. A non-fiction how-to-write book based on entries in the blog that I have been touching up. Like that. All work, sort of, but in the way of things, they don't really count. Only the book-in-progress really matters ...
Too, I wonder if I should get back to the Matadors and do the last book in that series. I keep thinking that one of the three novels I've recently done, or am doing, might spark a desire from a publisher for said books, and then sequels, and have been trying to keep the time free, just in case. It would be nice to have a contract instead of working everything on spec. However, since the fish seem only to be nibbling and not biting, I am wondering about the best bait. And maybe even a Matador won't catch anything these days, and I'm not sure I want to know that.
Freelancing tends to be feast or famine. Been some fat times, some lean ones, and some where the wolf was close enough to the door so I could hear him breathing. The recession has hit the publishing industry and a lot of editors are hiding under their desks, for fear that sticking their heads up will result in sudden loppery, and it is hard to blame them; still, I do wish something would break on the sales-front.
Victories are ever so much more fun ...
9 comments:
Umm, excuse me, did you say LAST Matador novel? Surely you are mistaken? There have to be a few more in there, I mean, so many questions unanswered... What happened to Geneva and Dirisha? Sleel and Kee? And the babies? My God! Doesn't anyone ever think about the babies!!??!!
Sorry about that, got a little carried away.
Yeah, I can't help but have the ol' ears perk up at the thought of another Matador book. It'd be nice to be able to pick one up brand-spaking-new, as I was late to the party. Almost tore into The Man Who Never Missed for the umpteenth time today, but decided to start Herbert's Dosadi Experiment.
I wrote freelance for several years. It's just kind of hollow work, even if it pays the bills with shorter hours and less commute. At least mine was -- doing game reviews and such. I can only imagine you find yourself wanting to be a part of something much grander.
Honestly, the world needs more bad-ass, sci-fi stuff -- content that will kick your teeth in if you call it nerdy. Your books and the not-entirely-fruitful search for others like them is half the reason I'm in the middle of writing my own.
>"I wonder if I should get back to the Matadors"<
As the elected representative for the Spetsdod-masturbating fanboy universe, allow me to remand our inclination toward you, the author:
MATADORS EQUAL FUCK YES!
>"and do the last book in that series."<
END OF MATADORS EQUALS FUCK NO!!!
You want flaming doggy poop in a bag on yer front porch again this year, Perry?
Which publisher do we "encourage" to get you to do that Matador book?
(Are you sure it's gotta be the last? I can imagine at least one in there about Moon before Pen... And about the first days of the Siblings; you've got 'em founded... but I can't imagine it was painless! How did they get into the sparkling wine business, anyway?)
More seriously -- I know in my job that sometimes, you just gotta let a case brew & percolate. No matter how hard you push it -- you can't make leads pan out until they're ready to do so. I kind of suspect writing is similar... Though at least I get paid to let 'em simmer!
I figured we could at least try to avoid the crude methods of encouragement if we can get the publisher to offer money...
But, hey... if you know a couple of convenient "gentlemen" of the appropriate persuasion and think it'll work... it'll all be in a good cause!
Bring it. I'll send 'em back to you in two-pound, freezer-wrapped packages ...
I was wondering if you get to read or if the process of creating takes to much of your time. I just finished the Takashi Kovacs series by Richard Morgan, and it's the first set of books that's given me the same level of enjoyment I get from your Matadors. They're not quite as well written, but the characters are a lot of fun.
I'll look forward to any more Matadore novels you chose to produce. If you're not tired of doing them I'm sure not tired of reading them!
Any chance we'll get to see a Matadore movie:)
matador movie? What about a series?
I can totally see The Man Who Never Missed as a SciFi Channel movie. I think they would do it with decent respect to the original content (which, mind you, was written in a way that it could be easily translated to the screen), whereas your standard big-screen producer would want to turn it into something with little resemblance to the novel.
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