Newsletter February 2008
Hello everyone,
Ahh, vacation. It has been about a year since I took more than a day or two off of work. Last year I blew all my vacation days on a three week honeymoon to China and Tibet, so I had to work the rest of the year. Now my wife and I are relaxing down in Florida with my dad and step-mother. Today we head to the beach for a few days. Ahh, vacation.
My dad is responsible for getting me hooked on fantasy. When I was too young to read, he read to my brother and me. But he didn't read Horton Hears a Who or any other children's book (well, maybe he did, but I don't remember). Instead, he read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and then we went into the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. I was hooked. When I could read, I plowed my way through his shelves and read the Conan series, other works by Anthony, the Thieves World series, and many more that I can't remember now. On my own, I saved my allowance and eagerly bought the Myth series by Robert Asprin. I devoured anything I could get my hands on (provided the cover art drew me in).
Now I seem to be so busy that I don't read so much anymore. Well, that isn't true. I am reading a book by my writer friend Shannon Page (of shannonpage.net), and I just finished the first few chapters of the joint novel that she and I are writing. I've also been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. When I return from vacation, I have a few books that I'll move to the top of my queue. I need regular infusions of fiction. I'll be traveling for work for a week, so that should give me plenty of reading time.
I'm happy to report that people continue to check out my A Clockwork Murder page (http://toddcedwards.com/index.php/Main/AClockworkMurder). I have had 33 unique visitors and 11 unique downloads. Low numbers, but I'm sure they will grow. I am continuing to seed the web with viral marketing, and I tell people I meet. I need to remember to carry my writing business cards so I can give them out. If you haven't downloaded your copy, please do, and tell your friends!
While doing research on Chinese mythology for the novel I wrote last November, I found my attention drifting. I like the mythology part, but it is set in the modern world, and while it was fun to write the first draft, I have a hard time focusing on the edits. I had the same problem with my biotech thriller, but I had no such problem with A Clockwork Murder. Perhaps setting stories in the modern world just isn't my thing. I write for the same reason I read: escapism. The modern world doesn't give much escape from the real world. Duh. Oh well. It only took me two novels to realize that. On the other hand, the real world gives good ideas for the future.
Yep, I'm finally going to write a science fiction novel. I've given two talks on how to put science into a science fiction novel, and now I'm following up on my own advice. Actually, doing the world building for my vision of the future is what helped me realize that exploring a strange, new world is what keeps my writerly juices flowing. I can't wait to start writing. Maybe I'll do a short story first to test the waters of my new universe. I know some of my friends will be happy that I'm doing a SF novel.
Anyway, that's it for me. Back to relaxing and enjoying the Florida weather. I suspect it is cold and rainy in San Francisco.
Take care and spread the word,
--Todd