H. Paul Honsinger's Blog, page 3

I’ve been receiving a great many emails, Facebook comments, and customer reviews on Amazon from people who have just finished reading Brothers in Valor who are upset because [paraphrasing here] “I thought this was a trilogy, but you left your guys in a a dangerous situation.”  Some of these people are actually angry and feel that I misled them by calling these three books a “trilogy.”

First, I want folks to understand that I’m sorry to have upset you and that, not only did I not intend to mislead you, it never occurred to me in a million years that anyone could ever, even remotely, be misled.

“How can you not have believed we would be misled?” some of you are asking.  Well, that takes me to my second point:  “Trilogy” is such a simple word–I thought everyone knew what it meant.  Much to my surprise, there seem to be a great many people who’s understanding of the word is, shall we say, less than perfectly correct.  So, as a public service of this blog (valuable public goods abound here!) today I’m going to enlighten you as to what this word means.

If you actually go to a dictionary and look up “trilogy” you will find definitions that say things like, “a series of three related related books, films, plays, musical compositions.”  Some, but not all, of the definitions also mention that the works are usually on a central theme.  Read three, or five, or twenty definitions, and they will be pretty much the same:  three related artistic works, perhaps on a central theme.  That’s it.  There is NO requirement in ANY definition that I found that requires that all plot elements be wrapped up with a neat little bow.  Further, there is no rule that the protagonists may not be left in a position of peril at the end of the trilogy.  AND, there is no prohibition that the trilogies may not be part of a cycle or series of trilogies, which is what I am doing.

The “Man of War” Trilogy tells the story of Max Robichaux and Ibrahim Sahin aboard the USS Cumberland.  For reasons people who have read the third book understand, THAT story is over, in the most complete and emphatic way.  This series is clearly and unarguably a trilogy.  Complaining that it is not merely highlights the importance of dictionaries.

The Westercon68 folks have finally provided me with the list of events in which I am a participant.  The times are start and end, PDT. The names are of the panelists or participants. “Pacific 3,” “Sunset,” etc. are the names of the rooms in which the event takes place at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

The text in brackets is my commentary; the rest is from the official document. I’m sure it’s going to be posted on the westercon68 dot com before long.

Characterization: Pushing Fictional People Beyond Their Limits

7/2/2015

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

Pacific 3

Steven Brust, Tera Lynn Childs, H. Paul Honsinger, John Oliver, Peter Clines

[Since I put my people in a situation where the survival of the whole human race is at stake, I think this is something I can talk about.]

Endangered languages

7/3/2015

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

Sunset

We worry about endangered species—but 80% of the world’s languages will be dead by the century’s end, often with no fossil remains. Should we be concerned? What could be done? H. Paul Honsinger, Katherine B. Kerr, Will Morton, Jason Vanhee, Heather Rose

[A little family history here–my mother is Cajun French.  Her maiden name is Arceneaux, her mother’s was LeBlanc. English was not the cradle tongue of either of her parents, and all four of her grandparents primarily spoke Cajun French. She was the first generation in her family to grow up speaking English, even though her family had been in Louisiana since 1755.  I’ve watched Cajun French nearly die out.  I understand a little but do not speak it.  So, I know something about this subject from experience..]

Drones: Technological possibilities.

7/4/2015

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

Sunset

Drones in war. Drones as delivery vehicles. Drones as camera platforms. I guess we can truly say the sky is the limit. – Amy Sterling Casil, Vernor Vinge, H. Paul Honsinger, Matt Pallamary,Mike Shepard Moscoe, Gordon Permann

[I could tell you how I know about this stuff, but I would have to kill you.  Just trust that I know it, OK?]

Autographs

7/4/2015

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

Dealers Room

David Brin, Peter Clines, Vernor Vinge; H. Paul Honsinger

[Me? Signing autographs? And in the same room as David Brin? Pinch me. I’m a real admirer of his work.  Never heard of those other guys, but then again (for all I know, they’re big deals, but I’m a writer, not a fan), I’m pretty sure none of them have ever heard of me. I can just see people wandering into the room to get David Brin to autograph their books and wondering who the hell the fat guy is in the corner. Maybe enough people will see the pretty covers on my books and wander over, so I don’t have to haul all those books back home with me.  Seriously, I’ll be selling autographed copies of all 3 of my books (limited quantities only) for $20 a piece (cash only).  The cover price is $14.95 so it’s a decent deal.]

Meeting of the Mindless

7/5/2015

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

Pacific 4/5

A panel of such experts as “Mr Know-It-All” and Baron Munchhausen answer all your questions about, well, everything. – H. Paul Honsinger, Calvin Johnson, James Hay, David Levine; Jefferson Swycaffer

[This is improv comedy, as you can tell. I don’t know what “expert” I will be portraying, or even whether we get to pick our own expert. If I can’t be Sarek of Vulcan, I want to be Saruman the Wise. “No, you know as well as I do that all the Palentiri are lost. That’s just a crystal croquet ball. It’s purely decorative.”  Oh, I know . . . Master Po from the David Carridine King Fu series.  I can answer in riddle-like Koans of wisdom.]

The Westercon68 folks have finally provided me with the list of events in which I am a participant.  The times are start and end, PDT. The names are of the panelists or participants. “Pacific 3,” “Sunset,” etc. are the names of the rooms in which the event takes place at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

The text in brackets is my commentary; the rest is from the official document. I’m sure it’s going to be posted on the westercon68 dot com before long.

Characterization: Pushing Fictional People Beyond Their Limits

7/2/2015

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

Pacific 3

Steven Brust, Tera Lynn Childs, H. Paul Honsinger, John Oliver, Peter Clines

[Since I put my people in a situation where the survival of the whole human race is at stake, I think this is something I can talk about.]

Endangered languages

7/3/2015

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

Sunset

We worry about endangered species—but 80% of the world’s languages will be dead by the century’s end, often with no fossil remains. Should we be concerned? What could be done? H. Paul Honsinger, Katherine B. Kerr, Will Morton, Jason Vanhee, Heather Rose

[A little family history here–my mother is Cajun French.  Her maiden name is Arceneaux, her mother’s was LeBlanc. English was not the cradle tongue of either of her parents, and all four of her grandparents primarily spoke Cajun French. She was the first generation in her family to grow up speaking English, even though her family had been in Louisiana since 1755.  I’ve watched Cajun French nearly die out.  I understand a little but do not speak it.  So, I know something about this subject from experience..]

Drones: Technological possibilities.

7/4/2015

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

Sunset

Drones in war. Drones as delivery vehicles. Drones as camera platforms. I guess we can truly say the sky is the limit. – Amy Sterling Casil, Vernor Vinge, H. Paul Honsinger, Matt Pallamary,Mike Shepard Moscoe, Gordon Permann

[I could tell you how I know about this stuff, but I would have to kill you.  Just trust that I know it, OK?]

Autographs

7/4/2015

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

Dealers Room

David Brin, Peter Clines, Vernor Vinge; H. Paul Honsinger

[Me? Signing autographs? And in the same room as David Brin? Pinch me. I’m a real admirer of his work.  Never heard of those other guys, but then again (for all I know, they’re big deals, but I’m a writer, not a fan), I’m pretty sure none of them have ever heard of me. I can just see people wandering into the room to get David Brin to autograph their books and wondering who the hell the fat guy is in the corner. Maybe enough people will see the pretty covers on my books and wander over, so I don’t have to haul all those books back home with me.  Seriously, I’ll be selling autographed copies of all 3 of my books (limited quantities only) for $20 a piece (cash only).  The cover price is $14.95 so it’s a decent deal.]

Meeting of the Mindless

7/5/2015

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

Pacific 4/5

A panel of such experts as “Mr Know-It-All” and Baron Munchhausen answer all your questions about, well, everything. – H. Paul Honsinger, Calvin Johnson, James Hay, David Levine; Jefferson Swycaffer

[This is improv comedy, as you can tell. I don’t know what “expert” I will be portraying, or even whether we get to pick our own expert. If I can’t be Sarek of Vulcan, I want to be Saruman the Wise. “No, you know as well as I do that all the Palentiri are lost. That’s just a crystal croquet ball. It’s purely decorative.”  Oh, I know . . . Master Po from the David Carridine King Fu series.  I can answer in riddle-like Koans of wisdom.]

Westercon68 has just published the rates for attending part of the conference.  This is a good option for those who don’t desire to have free run of the joint for the whole event but who would like to stop in for a while.  Here they are, cut and pasted from the Westercon68 web site by me in the most creative fashion, exactly as one would expect of a novelist.

At The Door and Day Membership Rates

Published June 18, 2015 | By Ron Oakes

Westercon 68 / Conjecture 13 / Conchord 27 rates after June 30, 2015 are as follows

Attending: Thurs-Sun1 $85.00

Thursday Only $30.00 2

Friday Only $40.00 2

Saturday Only $40.00 2

Sunday Only $25.00

Two-day Rates Total of the 2 one-day rates

1 Also covers any three day period as the day rates would be more.

2 There will be a discount rate available for the evening only. These will be set and posted shortly.

via At The Door and Day Membership Rates | Westercon 68.

For those of you who are watching this space, expecting to see announcements of what exactly I will be doing at Westercon68 and when, well, please continue to watch.  I have yet to hear from the conference’s promoters what my participation schedule is, although I am assured most confidently that it is forthcoming. I’m eager to see what I’ll be doing and with whom I’ll be doing it (no, you dirty minded scoundrels, not like that!) so I can have some time to get my ideas together and maybe even do a little research.

I ask, therefore, for your patience.  I will pass the information on to you as soon as I receive it.

#HPaulHonsinger #Westercon68 #ManofWar #BrothersinValor #ToHonorYouCallUs #ForHonorWeStand #ManofWarTrilogy #MilitaryScienceFiction #Westercon #IDon’tKnowIfTheseHashTagsDoAnyGoodButI’llPutThemInAnyway

The Programming organizers at Westercon68 (July 2-5, Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, San Diego, CA), just sent me the Participant Questionnaire, on which I indicate which of the proposed panel discussions and other programming activities in which I would like to participate.  Not only were many of these things discussions in which I would love to be a panelist, the overwhelming majority were topics that I would gladly pay to be a member of the audience to see them discussed.

Topics range from questions that arise in Science Fiction such as “why would any aliens want to invade us in the first place,” to questions about future societies, being in love with a vampire or a zombie (a common problem in SOCAL, I hear), and issues in writing and publishing SF and Fantasy.  The topics are well-conceived and are likely to produce lots of lively discussion among the panelists as well as audience interest.

It is still a few weeks before I know what panels will be afflicted with my participation and what the schedule of that participation will be.  You may be assured, however, that I will post my schedule here, on my Facebook pages, and on my Amazon dot com author page.

I am truly looking forward to this and hope to see some of you in San Diego.

To learn more about Westercon68 or to pay the fee that lets you attend, go to one of these sites:

http://westercon68.org

My esteemed publisher, 47North, has agreed to provide me with a limited number of books to give away at Westercon68. I get to choose which volume to be supplied with and I really don’t know.  I solicit your input.  Whatever books I wind up with, I will be giving away autographed copies to fans on a first come, first served basis.  The number will be small, so you will want to track me down early.

There is still no word regarding what I will actually be doing at this shindig, but I will update you guys as soon as I know something.  I will also try to post the panels I am on as events on my Amazon web page, time permitting.

The publisher is not picking up any of my expenses for this excursion, so I am open to being bribed.  I’ve never been bribed before, so it might be fun.  If a nice fan wants to take me to dinner someplace reasonably decent (I’m pretty easily pleased), I’m willing to be sure he/she gets an autographed book and will sign anything else they like (so long as it isn’t some kind of contract).  I’ll even abase myself by posing for pictures with your spouse, children, dog, pet woolly marmoset, etc.  Actually, I don’t mind pictures.  I’m not one of those touchy, temperamental, reclusive writers who shies away from publicity.  I kind of like the limelight, in fact.

So, see you in San Diego!

By invitation of the convention organizers, I will be attending and “participating in programming” at the West Coast Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention to be held at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, California, July 2-5, 2015.  The organizers are still developing the convention programming and figuring out which participant goes in what slot, so I can’t yet give you a schedule of events in which I will be involved.

When the organizers provide me with such a schedule, assuming I get it far enough in advance, I will post it here.  Otherwise, you might need to check the convention’s web site:  http://westercon68.com.

To many writers, convention invitations are no big deal, but this is my first and it is a HUGE deal for me.  It doesn’t hurt that my third book will have been released on June 30, so I will have a brand new, fresh book to promote.  In fact, I’ve never been to any Science Fiction convention, ever.  So, this is going to be a totally new experience for me.

I’m looking forward to it.  I would love to meet as many of my readers as I can when I am there, so please try to attend if possible.

My friend, Hope Coulter, may be the best poet I know, but she’s not the only one.  I wrote this a few months ago.  Some of you who have some contact with the Cajun culinary tradition may find something familiar here.

Gumbo Weather

By H. Paul Honsinger

© 2015 by H. Paul Honsinger, all rights reserved

It’s raining.

But not hard.

It’s chilly.

But not cold.

It’s overcast.

But not dark.

There’s a chill in the veins, in the belly, and in the heart.

That hasn’t reached the bones.

There’s a gloom in the spirit,

That’s not quite the blues.

There’s a sigh for those loved who are distant, and who have gone beyond,

But not tears.

It’s time for gumbo,

Like my mother made, and her mother, and hers.

Like my sister and I make it today.

Fragrant and brown, thick and steaming, smoky and spicy,

The mystic alchemy of chicken and sausage, of roux and onions, of cayenne and rice.

To warm the veins and the belly and the heart.

To lift the spirit.

And remember the eyes and the smiles and the voices

Of everyone who has filled their bowls from the same cherished cast-iron pot

Who we I still see

Through gumbo’s swirling steam

That always smells like home.

Brickhouse Books, a respected publisher of high quality literature, has just issued a book of poetry by an old friend, Hope Coulter (whom I came to know back during the last glaciation as Hope Norman). I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet, but Coulter has previously had two highly regarded novels published, has had her words grace some highly regarded literary publications, and currently teaches at Hendrix College.  I guarantee you that if we both showed up at the same Manhattan cocktail party, she would be the one getting all the attention as a writer and I’d be sitting in a corner talking to the guy who writes for Marvel Comics.

In all seriousness, I would hope (no pun) that those of you who read poetry would give this volume a look.

http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Light-Hope-Coulter/dp/1938144341/