Thanks to Khaled for the nudge. In a recent comment to my last post — made almost a year ago — he asks if I am still writing. Fair question and well-timed. I have not done nearly as much as I would like over the past year — some story development for a potential docu-drama and more work on my fantasy novel “The Wild.” Frankly, I find it hard to work at a computer all day, and then come home and … work at a computer — while being creative at the same time.

But just in the past few days, all this has changed. The situation at work is such that I have finally been able to go part-time again — and that makes me so much more productive as a writer. Currently I’m working to finish a couple of long-delayed projects, before starting development work on a new novel. There may also be some contract work in the pipeline — the docu-drama project seems poised to move on to phase 2.

So that’s where things stand now. Once again, I will endeavor to keep up with this blog — (more time now! more things to say!) — but if I fall behind, feel free to give me a nudge.

Thanks Khaled!

Thanks again for all the input on what to do with my young-adult novel Skye Object 3270a. After considerable thought, and looking at the rather long timeline for revising The Wild and getting it into print, I’ve decided to go back to my initial plan of charging a small amount for this e-book edition of Skye Object 3270a.

So I am happy to announce that Skye Object 3270a is now available at my publishing website MythicIsland.com, priced at $5 for the PDF file.

So what’s it about? It’s a young-adult novel, aimed at an advanced middle school audience. Those of you familiar with my work will recognize the setting from the Deception Well story world, but Skye Object 3270a is otherwise independent of that book and its characters. It’s high action science fiction designed to be fun, exciting, and maybe a little scary. If you are fortunate enough to know avid young readers, why not buy them a copy?

Preview the first chapter here.

Click here to purchase the download.

In 1998 I wrote a young-adult novel entitled Skye Object 3270a. It was set in the Deception Well story world, but was otherwise independent of that book and its characters. The novel didn’t find a publisher – no one knew quite what to make of it, I suspect – and it has been sitting ever since, until this spring when I decided I would offer it as an e-book. My first plan was to charge a nominal $5 for the PDF, and I already wrote most of the script to automatically email a copy when a purchase is made… but now I am reconsidering. Is it better to follow instead the model of most open source software, and make the novel available for anonymous download? Certainly it should get much higher circulation that way, and then those who enjoy it can make a small payment if they wish, or return to the website to purchase other books.

So what is the best business model? To make a few dollars upfront? Or to try to get my name out to a wider audience? At the moment, I am definitely leaning toward Plan B. If anyone has thoughts on this, I’d be interested to hear them.

Thanks!

I sat next to a bodhisattva today, on a twenty minute inter-island flight. I had an aisle seat, she was sitting beside me, and her companion had the window. It was impossible not to eavesdrop on an energetic and animated conversation that began with a deep examination of their personal emotional needs, their experience with channeling, insight on her past lives, their struggles to find the perfect romantic partner, and other subjects that discretion suggests I not repeat here.

Then, perhaps halfway through the flight, he leans toward her and asks her to accept what he is about to say with an open mind. “I truly believe you are a bodhisattva.” She laughs pleasantly and agrees. The talk moves on.

Far be it from me to claim expertise on any religion, but I do happen to know that a bodhisattva is a Buddhist figure, commonly conceived as one who is on the way to becoming a Buddha, but “delays his own final and complete enlightenment in order to save all sentient beings out of his enormous compassion.” (dictionary.com) So a bodhisattva is a very powerful spiritual being. As an example, the Dalai Lama is considered by many to have this status.

I admit I tried to sense a spiritual aura… just in case. Perhaps I am just deaf to such things. Still, I imagine spirituality as something conveyed more in emotion than in words. The talk-talk-talk of the bodhisattva and her companion was quite incredible to me — both for its simple abundance, but also that such confessions and discussions should be made in a public place.

Perhaps in their enthusiasm, they simply forgot I was sitting beside them. But even enlightened beings might do well to remember the value of a little discretion.

The name of this website comes from a place name in the fantasy novel that I finished last fall, and which went to market in January. Long after I had started writing this novel, but long before it was done, my agent called to say he was concerned – the market for heroic fantasy had collapsed, and almost nothing was selling anymore. I wasn’t too bothered. This was typical of my career – the collapse of science fiction arguably began around the time I started breaking into the market – and anyway, I was writing the book I wanted to write. I hoped to have it published – I thought it would be published – but if not, at least I would have written it.

So I kept at it, through some very stressful years.

When my agent read it last fall, he was… shall we say ‘concerned’ again? ‘Finely crafted, but doesn’t draw the reader in until well-along in the story.’ I was surprised, and none too pleased, but after some discussion it went off to market anyway. His premonitions proved accurate, for the novel did not find a home among the last of the major fantasy publishers. The general reaction was very similar to my agent’s, “Doesn’t grab me enough; Doesn’t draw me in.” Well, okay.

Strangely enough, I am not depressed. I still think there is a market for this book, but now I will have to find it without the involvement of New York publishers. This is not a horrible fate. Truthfully, I have had such awful experiences with the publication of the last two books that it’s not hard to look at this positively.

So unless I am struck by a bolt of good sense and persuaded otherwise, it’s my plan to self-publish the novel. Not as it is, of course. The book did not garner the reaction I expected, and I want to try to understand why, and re-write it, if I can see a better way to do things. So now the book – and all the risk of publishing it – belongs to me alone, which is frightening and pleasant all at once. Since no one else can tell me what to title it, or what cover image to use, I would like to finally introduce it to you, at least by name. It’s called The Wild. I look forward to working on it again, and I will do my best to make it a better book by the time it sees print.

The first time my husband and I set foot outside the United States was last summer, when we spent one night in Vancouver. This fact is a bit embarrassing to admit, but be assured it was not a lack of desire that kept us home, but rather a lack of funds. Raising two kids and paying a mortgage on the island of Maui can be a bit of a challenge, especially when one of you earns the paltry and erratic income of an eternally “up and coming” writer… but I have a real job now. So this year we decided to take advantage of a two-week long spring break, and with our 17-year old son in tow, we set off on our first true international adventure, heading south to Australia.

We reached Sydney at dusk – it was a thrill to see the Opera House from the plane’s window – but upon landing we were immediately introduced to the unpleasant spectacle of the flight attendants walking the aisles, spraying insecticide over our heads before anyone was allowed to leave their seats. I understand the reasons for this – Hawaii has suffered excessively from unintended introductions of exotic species and it would be nice if our state would take more precautions – but as someone who assiduously avoids pesticides, it was a bit shocking. Fortunately, everything improved from there.

Sydney is a wonderful city. We explored from Kings Cross to Darling Harbor, walking through diverse streets and neighborhoods, and never once did I feel uncomfortable or uneasy. The architecture is a wide mix of modern and historical, and always interesting. The parks are lovely – we were fascinated by the flying foxes that inhabit the botanical gardens. It was very exotic to leave a little restaurant on Stanley Street at dusk, and see skeins of huge bats flying out of the gardens and across the purple sky.

After Sydney, we took a train to Melbourne and spent some days on the southern coast, in the company of a friend. We had already seen most of the iconic Australian animals in a zoo, but after several short hikes and lots of driving, we were able to score sightings of many koalas, a couple of wallabies, a small mob of kangaroos, flocks of cockatoos and several different kinds of parrots. Strangely enough, we also discovered an impressive grove of sequoias at a picnic stop in the mountains of Great Otway National Park.

So why the “The Land of Oz”? It wasn’t immediately obvious to me why this was a nickname for Australia, until I realized what is “Aussie” in the US sounds like “Ozzie” down under.

We had the fun of arriving home before we left, since Australia and Hawaii are separated by the dateline. It was very handy to be able to do Friday twice! The trip was a fantastic experience, and we are already talking about going back. Queensland, next time! And someday, on to New Zealand.

I won’t be coy. I loved this movie. Yes, I know all the reasons I’m not supposed to like it. It’s violent. It’s callous. It glorifies a warrior culture. It overlooks historical inconveniences. The racial casting has to be controversial.

Doesn’t matter. 300 is myth, and myth is what I love. It’s what I strive to write, albeit a bit removed, from a softer perspective. Myth is imbued with elemental meaning. It’s filled with absolutes. It’s beautiful and hideous at once, with very little in-between. 300 has all of this. It knows its purpose.

So I’ve spent the last day ruminating over why elemental movies like this appeal to me — The Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, The Last Samurai, Braveheart — to name a few. There are probably many reasons, but the one I want to pick out is the one of character – all these stories deal with characters who possess, or learn to possess, a profound discipline, and a personal strength to contend with pain and fear, even unto the fear of death, all in the defense of an ideal.

This is so much more interesting to me than the petty trivialities of the tabloids, and the endless novels that seem written to support them.

Why do mythic stories mean so much – whether they take the form of historical tales, science fiction, or fantasy? What do we gain from them? “Adolescent wish fulfillment” is often the academic explanation – but it’s a silly and insulting answer. Obviously none of us here are ever going to have to stand in a narrow ravine and face an overwhelming enemy, or be asked to strap on a sword and ride forth into the wilderness in defense of home and freedom. Yet that we understand why someone would do such a thing gives depth to our lives, even if the biggest threat we face is the idiot on the highway during the morning commute. If we understand honor in mythic stories, we also understand honor in our own lives – or loyalty, truth, freedom, strength, respect, responsibility – the classic virtues. If our emotional center exists in that other world, surely it will be reflected in this one?

Certainly, we could use a bit more of the classic virtues in our daily lives. In 300 there is a very profound and deliberate contrast between the clean, strong lives of the Spartans, idealized in the relationship between King Leonidas and his wife, and the self-indulgent, drug-addicted, overly-decorated debauchery of the enemy Persians. Guess which society more closely resembles the “ideals” of modern American existence? (Hint: “Spartan” is not a powerful advertising term.)

So let the critics frown upon 300. The rest of us can grasp the difference between myth and reality, and take the best of each.

Indulging once more in a musical theme… on rare occasions I will hear a song on the radio that will instantly seize my interest and demand that I learn more. That was the case with Audioslave’s Like a Stone. Chris Cornell is an astonishingly talented singer, and by the time he reached the lyrics

On my death bed, I will pray to the gods and the angels,
like a pagan, to anyone who will take me to Heaven…

I was utterly won over.

Like a Stone was a fairly unique song on this first CD, but there were many other excellent offerings, on this, and the next two albums. The latest CD, “Revelations” came out last September, at just the right time for me. Very often in the course of my writing, certain songs will serve as “theme music” to the stories I am trying to tell — sometimes for the lyrics, but more often for the mood or the feel of the song. Somehow “Revelations” became the music that let me write the final chapters of the fantasy novel with a speed and confidence that had been lacking during the tumultuous years when this story first began to develop.

So it was with regret that I heard the news that Audioslave is no more. Chris Cornell has left the band for a solo career. Artists must find their own paths, and my admiration goes to those who are willing to try new ways. So here is a toast to the past, while looking forward to the future.

While driving home one evening not long ago, I was introduced to the two-man band The Black Keys when a local radio station featured their most recent CD Magic Potion. The Black Keys are described as blues rock. They sound like they should be from New Orleans, though I think they are from Iowa. Less than 24-hours after hearing the last few cuts from Magic Potion, I had my own copy of the CD in hand, and have listened to it many times since. I admire and enjoy the whole album, but there is one song oddly different from the rest, sweet and minimalist — I think there are maybe ten lines in the whole thing. It’s called “You’re the One” and opens like this:

When I was 13, my Ma said “Son,
you’re the one… I love.”

That is an opening line to love, because for me anyway, it says so much. Why would a mother say something like that to her maturing son? Pretty clearly, because she has been disappointed in the men she has known — and from that one line I can suddenly envision this mother and imagine the way she and her son live and relate to one another. This is writing that says so much more than the count of words implies — and I like that a lot.

For the curious, the rest of the lyrics are (and I am quoting from memory, so no guarantees):

Now I’m old and wise,
When I see your eyes,
You’re the one I love.

Will you be true?
Till life is done?
Be the one I love.
You’re the one I love.

…and don’t miss “Goodbye Babylon” and “You’re Touch” and all the rest….

I have rarely made it to the movies these past many months, but my husband wanted to see Letters from Iwo Jima, so we went today. “How did you like it?” he asked afterward. Trying to keep my voice steady, I answered, “I thought it was excellent… but it’s one of those movies I’ll watch only once.” It was that emotionally wrenching.

The movie depicts the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of a private in the Japanese army. I don’t think it’s a spoiler if I say that the movie conveys both the horror of war, and the horror of being trapped in a situation you never thought possible, with no way out.

The acting was very well done. We are all Ken Watanabe fans here, but Kazunari Ninomiya did a superb job portraying the private Shigo.

In all… highly recommended, at least once.