Dragonsblood udpate
Busily working on revising it into the second draft. I’ve gone over the Prologue and the First Chapter. Now I’m looking at the Second Chapter. And (naturally), the book’s already grown up to 156,000 words.
More on Dawn
Todd,
I am a friend of Dawn’s, and wanted to thank you for honoring her by your words and inclusion on your site! Dawn was so very excited to have met you, and to have spocken with you about Andavan, knowing that you were excited to read it in its entirety (as too the rest of us are) fills my spirit! I can only say (I hope you are reading this Dawn) that I will be on pins and needles awaiting to read the final copy! I know she is busily typing away, without interruption!
Dawn was an amazing woman, a creative wonder, and quite possibly the greatest spirit I have ever been blessed to know! I thank you, I thank her friends all over, and I thank her, for being a part of my life! A great life has left us, but a greater spirit has been left with us!
Lucky to have been her friend,
Gretchen
Dear Gretchen,
Dawn was an amazing person. I agree with you that we were all lucky to have her in our life and, better yet, as our friend.
Warmly,
Todd
Letter from Sue
Todd, I’ve been a fan of your mother’s forever! You’ll never know how much I looked forward to each book (which I have)and how much she inspired me to start writing myself. Raising a young daughter alone, Dragon Riders of Pern took us many places when life wasn’t. I am grateful. I look forward to everything she writes and when I think she may someday retire…I hate it.
So why am I telling you this? I’ve read some of your collaborations with your Mum and they are good but I’m finding out you’re a writer in your own right and I’ve heard..a good one. So I wanted to wish you well. I am looking forward to reading your work.
The best,
Sue
Hi Sue!
I’ve got a young daughter, too. In fact, I dedicated Dragon’s Kin to her.
I suspect Mum’ll end up flying dragons in another dimension before she retires.
I’m glad to hear that you’re looking forward to my own stuff. I’m currently working on the second draft of Dragonsblood, so hopefully you’ll have a chance soon to see what I can do on my own.
If you want to see some other solo work, you could check out Dragonholder which is a non-fiction sort of scrapbook about Mum, how she came to write about the dragons of Pern, and how that turned out for her.
Cheers,
Todd
Letter from Colleen
Dear Todd –
I love the internet. Sorry, just had to say that because discovering new blogs of people I know, or pseudo-celebrities (in my life anyway) always makes me happy.
I received Dragon’s Kin for Christmas, and of course read it right away (being the Pern junkie that I am *grin*). I enjoyed it very much, and especially enjoyed the view into a new Pass and a new society on Pern. I would like to say, however, that I thought the main character’s… why can’t I remember his name, Kirdan?… conflict with Zist in the beginning was a little bit… forced, maybe. It just seemed to resolve too quickly. I get that it wasn’t the main part of the story, but I just wanted to say that the tension that could have come from a longer rift between the two could have been interesting. I have never noticed anything like this before in a Pern novel, and it could be due to the fact that I have been spending more time editing (as I am thinking of being an English major). I know that there’s not much you can do now, it being published and all. Still, I love Pern, and am very much looking forward to more books about this world.
Thanks,
Colleen
Dear Colleen,
Hmmm… I can see what you’re saying. I think things changed with the cave-in, however. As I wrote the story to be a young adult (YA) book, I made a conscious decision to stick with the children’s points of view and so could not include backstory and subplots that they wouldn’t have been known. I had hoped that I’d shadowed enough of Master Zist’s viewpoints that the reader could understand his change of attitude towards Kindan.
And you’re right, there’s nothing I can do now that the book’s published, except carefully consider thoughtful comments such as yours and apply them to future efforts.
I’m glad that you found the book enjoyable regardless.
— Todd