Is Donte Ready for the Big Wide World?

BJ and I met for lunch, and as is usual in our discussions, worked out some kinks. You may remember I’d not gotten very far, before I ran into a wall on the new Eve manuscript. I figured out, in talking to her, that it’s because I’ve changed things so much. I need to give my backbrain, my muse, my voices some time to play, to come up with the new story. Doctor Ben, it turns out, has a sense of humor. Along with the other changes, that will definitely affect where the story goes. Who’d’a’thunk he’d change so much, after ten years of being the quiet one?

So I planned to edit Donte, get that ms ready to send out. Since, as I believe I’ve mentioned, I don’t want Taro and Rafe to be my first published book. I don’t like labels, most definitely when attached to me, and that book would earn me one. Though it might be fun, especially if I use only my initials and last name…on a book that somehow became a gay romance in a sci-fi setting, how many folks do you think would assume K.D. was a gay man? again. Blowing away expectations is so much fun.

But alas. Not a good career move. So Donte. I re-read it, start to finish yesterday. And despite being far too short–for enjoyment reasons, not because anything’s missing–I couldn’t find much of anything to fix. Can that really mean he’s ready to go? Eek!

In an important aside–Andre Norton, I join all your fans in sending my love and support. Your books brought me into this wonderful universe of imagination set free, and I thank you with all my heart. To any who haven’t read her–go do it! I’m not that into the Witch World, but Knave of Dreams, Moon of Three Rings, Here Abide Monsters–and most especially, oh wow it’s so good, The Beastmaster. Absolutely nothing like the movie those idiots created with the same name, you MUST read The Beastmaster. Go do it. Now.

Agh, I was going to end there, but more keep coming back to me, and I hate to leave out a one! The Crystal Gryphon and its sequels, I heartily recommend. Action, magic, adventure, and a beautiful love story done with the light touch of an absolute master. Forerunner Foray was awesome. Scenes come back to me, she is so good at painting vivid pictures, but I can’t just tell you, “Oh, go read the one where she’s in the cave, in a trance, and the snail-things slime over the entrance and she can’t get out, and–” That’s Forerunner Foray, anyway. The amazing thing is that I remember these titles at all, that should tell you what an effect they had on me. I probably haven’t read any of them in twenty years. The Elvenbane (blood? Which was the first one?) was more recent, done with–oh, heck. Some wonderful writer, whom I just can’t remember when Andre Norton is around…Mercedes Lackey? Maybe.

Anyway. If you want to know more, go Google Andre. I’m going to go see if Bookman’s has any copies of my favorites. And if not, I think I’ll hit Barnes and Noble. It just occurred to me, that the way these characters and scenes live in my memory so long after I last saw the book (and I can picture every cover, too!!) means I have overlooked an aid to my own writing, far too long. I’ve read them so many times, I don’t really want to read them again for pleasure (except Beastmaster. That one could never be anything but a pleasure to read. Which is kind of sick, if you’ve ever read it, it’s not exactly a happy book.) Anyway, again. I’m going to go find some that really stand out in my memory–and dissect them for how the heck she did that.

There’s nothing like learning from a master.