Lilith Saintcrow

That’s about all I can say.

Last I heard this morning, Oji-san is okay. The DHM was in his room talking to him, and he’s responding well. DHM sounds upbeat, so that’s good. We’re all happy that it’s turning out so well. If a health crisis had to happen, this is a better way for it to go than most.

Yeah, that’s optimism. You heard actual optimism from me. Just don’t look behind the curtain, where I’m eating chocolate donuts. But they’re so good. I know I wrote about stress eating, but I figure moderation in all things is good–including gluttony. I also had a bit of a walk this morning, and that does wonders for the mood.

There’s other stuff going on, but that’s the primary thing. Thank you to everyone who has sent good thoughts and good energy. I really think it helps, and is still helping.

In other good news, all the Valentine books are showing up on Amazon. Just go to my profile and scroll down, and you’ll see all the books I have in print now. Amazing, eh? I can hardly believe it myself.

Last but not least, this Romancing the Blog post made me laugh so hard I thought I was going to die of oxygen shortage. And believe me, I needed it.

Well, it’s looking better. The doctors now say that they won’t crack Oji-san’s thoracic cavity to operate, and won’t operate at all, God willing. In order to put a stent in they would have to go through two layers of the aorta which are holding up just fine. They’re just going for keeping the blood pressure etc. down so that no further delamination of the inside layer takes place, as it’s near the place that supplies the major bloodflow to the lower half of the body.

The DHM is very relieved. Two or three days of observation and they might release Oji-san, and he might be back at kendo in two or three weeks.

There’s never a good time for something like this to happen, but if it had to happen it’s good it happened this way, where Oji-san got medical treatment immediately and we’re able to have someone be with him. Thanks for your good thoughts and please keep ‘em coming; we’re not out of the woods yet. But it’s better, and the DHM is vastly relieved.

I am still sleepless and very tired, but tea and madelines (thank you Proust) are working wonderfully well. A good cuppa doesn’t fix everything, but it is a marvelous comfort nonetheless.

I’m sorry to report that the DHM’s dad is in the hospital. He has a tear/rupture in his aorta, and there is slim hope. Slim hope is still hope, though, so your good energy and thoughts are appreciated. This is particularly difficult since the DHM’s mother passed away so recently. It is a bit of a blow for him.

Contact with me for the next few days will be spotty at best, as whatever happens I’ll be holding down the fort for the DHM and dealing with getting everyone fed and through the day. Please understand if I don’t get back to you right away, even for earthshatteringly important things. All my energy is going to be elsewhere for a while.

Wish us luck.

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. Since I can’t answer a glut of email personally, I’m just going to take the most common questions and answer them here. THEN I will answer weekly questions sent by Readers on Mondays. World without end, amen. Heh.

Reader Sam asks: I just finished reading Fire Watcher and was wondering if Abra there and in the Valentine books were the same?

Answer: Yes. Abra’s been around Saint City for a very long time. The Saint City of Selene and Nikolai, Dante, and the Watchers is the same city at different points in its timeline. Abra actually moved in right after the founding of the city, in about 1870 or thereabouts, and has had a total of three stores, with the one Elise and Dante visit being the most recent and longest-lasting.

Reader Wanda writes: I was just wondering about your new Steelflower book. I was disappointed to see that it is out on e-book. I’m not sad that it’s out, just that it’s only available on e-book.

Answer: Steelflower was originally supposed to be out in print in September. That might get pushed back with the recent ly-announced partnership of Samhain and Kensington, but there is definitely a print version in the works, with illustrations by my buddy Josh Carter.

Reader H. Wesley writes: Beyond the transcript of the lecture, “The Nine Canons, An Introduction”, is there any material, reference or otherwise, to which you can direct me? As a student of Nordic Runes and other magical lettering and glyphic representations I would like to know more of the specifics, if such exists (yet).

Answer: The Nine Canons don’t specifically exist yet, though they’re loosely based on both the Theban and Norse runes currently floating around New Age books today. The runes used in the Watcher series are based just on the Norse runes, since the Awakening is about a century in the future from the Watcher series. I’ve added a few of my own interpretations, of course, but the basic structure is there.

Of course, there are varying degrees of scholarship and just plain idiocy in the New Age-y applications of runes, but intent sometimes cancels out lack of scholarship on a magickal front. Your mileage may vary. I started out when I was about sixteen with Ralph Blum’s The Book of Runes and went on from there.

Reader Alexandra speaks for a lot of you when she asks: Why is there so much repetition…? I understand that you’d want to stress a few things – for instance the fact that Danny smelt like this and Jace smelt like that, or that Psions had problems [being] in hospitals and etc – but I felt a really overwhelmed by so many references to the same thing. I noticed that other authors do something similar (like Christine Feehan) – I wonder whether this is some kind of thing that runs in this genre?

Answer: *sigh* Some of that is stylistic. I tend to write in long run-on sentences, especially when the action gets intense, mostly because I’m writing so fast. A lot of it is editing–copyeditors, for some reason, want to fill me full of commas and semicolons, and by the time they get to a manuscript I am so sick of it I am just about ready to let them have a few.

The repetition comes in earlier in the editing process. I get a lot of “need more here” notes in manuscripts, because it’s so clear in my head and I write so quickly I fall into the trap of assuming everyone can see the movie in my skull as clear as I do. So I’m often asked to put in sensory markers for the reader so they can feel/hear/see the scene as vividly. I understand it’s not for everyone and am trying to find a happy medium.

I think it does tend to run in the genre for just those reasons. Additionally, we paranormal writers are asked to spell it out a lot–like publishers are afraid the Reader won’t “get it.” We’re working on that too–heaven knows Readers are smarter than us or the publishers–but it’ll take time. *wink*

That’s all I have time for today. After re-fiddling our wireless internet (again) I’m about cranky enough to start screaming, so I’m off for more coffee and lunch for the kidlings. Thanks for writing, dear Readers, and keep the questions coming! I will answer, I swear. Just maybe not soon.

Unfortunately, my plans have changed. I’m not going to be able to attend DragonCon this year. In order for me to attend, I would have liked to participate in panels and attend as a guest. While there was no trouble rounding up several panels to be on and getting all that squared away, my requests for guest consideration have met with deafening…silence. Even one of the program coordinators, who had put me on several panels, hasn’t been able to get any action on my request.

*sigh* I can see paying for my own hotel and airfare to come out as a guest, but since DragonCon hasn’t responded to my request to attend and airfare is getting more expensive by the day, I no longer can afford to drop that kind of money on plane tix if I’m not going to have guest status. I just can’t see doing it.

I’m very sorry and a little upset, since I so wanted to see a lot of people from last year. I really wanted to go out and have a smashing time, but maybe next year.

On the up side, I am definitely attending World Fantasy Con in November, in Saratoga NY. I’ll be there for the Orbit launch party, of which the Valentine series is a part. I’m also going to Orycon this year, so if you know anyone on their programming committees, you can mention that I’m available and would love to participate. *wink* And of course, if you’ll be at either of those two conventions, I’ll be more than happy to sign books found in the wild…