Chapter 6 of Grim Tides is live! “A Mother’s Love.” In which Marla talks to someone from her past in an attempt to save her future.
I finished revising a novel over the weekend, and sent it off to the editor. So: whee! (This is a pseudonymous book, so no further details available at this time. I hope the editor likes it, though. I’m pleased with how it turned out.)
Now I have a story/novelette to write in the next two weeks, and then, most likely, I leap into a short-deadline work-for-hire gig I just got last week. I have to produce a 70K novel (and some ancillary material) in about 2.5 months. Doable? Certainly. Fun? Well, we’ll see. It’ll be a lot of work, but the pay is pretty good, so I’m happy to have it.
I have another novel due on June 15 as well. So, basically, for the next five and a half months, I will be a whirling machine of unceasing labors. (Actually, I have some anthology work to do in June/July/August too, though that’s less strenuous than writing books.) At least the back half of my year is relatively uncluttered. I may just sit around and play video games for the last five months of 2012. Or write a spec novel for fun.
I did some family funtime stuff over the weekend, notably a trip to Yerba Buena Gardens with the wife and kid, so the boy could madly run around, climbing up things and sliding down other things and riding a carousel. The weather was gorgeous. Nice to spend time with them while I can, as I’ll likely be spending most of my weekends in the near future buried in writing/editing/etc.
Hi, Tim… just finished the Kindle version of Grim Tides…
Boy, beta-Marla just can’t catch a break!
She seems to catch all the crap that Alpha-Marla *deserves* to catch, that’s for sure.
Wow, that’s harsh! I guess I see Marla’s actions more favorably than does her creator, but even still it’s like beta-Marla isn’t just getting what Marla should catch, but getting it back logarithmically.
Heh. I love Marla! But she is selfish and impulsive and tends to wade in without worrying about the consequences. But she IS learning as the series goes on, without softening too much, I hope.
SPOILER ALERT for those who haven’t read Grim Tides
— SPOILER ALERT —
So, rather than presume, is beta-Marla truly dead? And, if so, dead in Death’s domain, or jumped-by-Crapsey/Rondeau oblivion?
My inclination is to say she’s dead — the poor thing has suffered enough. And I think Elsie Jarrow just dominated her, didn’t actually “throw her out of the nest” like the Crapsey twins do to their victims. So she would be in the underworld.
Probably. I reserve the right to change my mind if it makes for a better story at some point.
In general I’m going to try to get out from under the weight of continuity a bit in the next book, and make it more of a true standalone, rather then the consequences of Marla’s actions from two or three books earlier.
Ah, I didn’t know how much literal weight to give the statement from Husch, in response to Beta-Marla asking to be killed, “Can’t be done, dear. I’m sorry. But this should be oblivion, which is the next best thing.'”
Hey, that’s interesting: copy text via the Kindle app and you get: “Pratt, T.A. (2011-01-01). Grim Tides (Marla Mason) (Kindle Locations 1098-1099). Tropism Press. Kindle Edition. “
I would say that Doctor Husch isn’t necessarily as knowledgeable as she pretends to be, especially where someone as predictable as Elsie Jarrow is concerned.