I just got the preliminary sketch of one of the characters in the novel from the artist Bindi van der Linden:

Holy Freakin’ Cow.

I can’t wait to see what Rhona is going to look like! I like it when good events like this sweep me along – lends credence to the whole “I don’t believe in fate, only destiny” idea. All I have to do is finish one scene and re-write a couple to give more Rhona time and to try to develop her character a bit more. As I have said before, I’ve felt that Anya has overshadowed Rhona a little in the novel. Can you blame her? I mean – look at her. Anyways, my goal to get this book finished and out the door is the weekend, since I am going to be completely unproductive this coming Tuesday and I’ve got the writer’s group next Saturday. The pickup scenes should be rather short – one with her assisting in the duel and the other in the final scene (don’t want to give anything away). I might just elaborate in the duel, but give her a big shining scene in the end. Who knows? Frankly, I just want this over so I can move on to the next piece. I am actually beginning to understand pregnant women in the final trimester (cue angry letters in 3…2…1…).

I/O Error continues to be worked out in my head. Right now, I’m working on the background events leading up to Gail’s discovery. I’m also doing a little research into quantum computing. I think that’s the only way to have a computing system fast enough to mimic human thought (a key element in this story) but still not be something so cumbersome that it can’t be feasible. Yes, I know – its science fiction so I don’t have to go into details about how it works, but I want to know in the event that it comes up in the story, or someone asks me a question. I’m not that much of a discovery writer – I try to nail down as much as I can first before getting into the main story itself. Thanks to those long nights in the John Rolfe garage, I learned the importance of planning and story-telling. I also learned how messy paper-mache can be.

So, there are a couple of movies coming out this month that I can’t wait to see: Dredd and Looper. I can’t wait to see Dredd because of this guy. He’s a great actor and maybe this will wash the bad taste of the earlier movie out of my mouth. As far as Looper goes, I’ve read a little into it and I am intrigued by the premise and I want to see how they explain away the inherent paradox. I can’t get too into it, because it gives away plot points, so after it’s premiered and I go see it the next day (comes out on the 28^th, I’m going to see it on Saturday), after that, I’ll report on what happened.

Well, I need to get going and get that scene finished as long as Daft Punk is playing on Pandora.

Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Seething Apathy