Once enslaved by another race, the Parsans remain almost obsequious in their dealings with humans. The story is set on Parsa where the natives have leased a tract of land to a Terran mining company. No, I don’t know yet when it will run–probably spring or summer 2021–but Analog is sending me a contract for “Invasive Species.” And guess what? I not only finished it, I sold it. So eventually I had no excuse not to sit down and work on a novella that had been sitting untouched for about a year. It was quite a change for me to have to cancel travel plans, to have my choral groups discontinued, to not even get out to church, etc., etc. Written By: catherinewells | Categorized In: Short Stories, Speculative Fiction | Comments: 0 I doubt I’ll ever settle in to a soothing aquamarine. At the moment I’m feeling a little tangerine about it, with some streaks of umber doubt and a current of stubborn charcoal running through me. I’ll keep you posted as the publication process proceeds. As the author, I find him useful in conveying feelings and motivations about which Enrique is often clueless. Others find his take on things humorous and charming, a whimsical and (pun intended) colorful aside. Some don’t see the point, and his colorful asides can interrupt the flow.
So Xopil gets mixed reviews from beta readers. He is simply an observer with a unique perspective.
Hence the conundrum: Xopil does not influence the action. He can’t even communicate to Enrique that he’s there, although our perceptive hero sometimes wonders about that thing he can’t quite see, there at the edge of his vision. Enrique’s problem is he’s a poor kid with a big dream and many obstacles to surmount Xopil’s problem is he can’t do anything about it. And when Lyla comes by, whoo, there comes that purple stuff Xopil really doesn’t understand. Enrique is a sunny amber when he’s at peace, navy blue when he confronts an adversary, and churning with olive green when he’s physically unwell. Xopil relates the emotions he observes in people to colors. As a companion spirit, Xopil follows the main character, Enrique, throughout his life. We are not through the editing process, and Xopil is, well, a conundrum. Publishers have been slow to accept cross-genre, so I removed Xopil for the 2011 edition.īut now he’s back. Xopil is a companion spirit, a non-corporeal entity existing between particles of matter–which of course knocks the book right out of SF and into cross-genre. This time around, I have amended the story to include a character absent from the previous edition, but part of the original concept back around 2000. Now another small press is interested, and I have been working with their editors in anticipation of publication in 2022. That publisher folded, and the book became unavailable in 2012. I have a small press interested in The Aztec Eagle, which was a finalist for an EPIC Award way back in 2011. Gosh, to look at how long it’s been since I posted here, you might think I’ve been, well, writing or something. Written By: catherinewells | Categorized In: Book news, Enrique, EPIC Award, Speculative Fiction | Comments: 0