What’s New?

I’m having a rare day where I can focus a lot on Powys Media stuff, so figured I’d pop up here and say hello.  Most of the day has been spent working on formatting The Prisoner: Miss Freedom.  Sigh.  Not my favorite way to spend a day.  The primary file we’re using has been through so many people over the years that it’s an inconsistent mess — in many cases I’m reformatting every line on a page, and that’s after using some mad Microsoft Word skillz to whip it into shape.  I’ll be a very happy camper when that book is out.

I attended the Alpha 2017 convention a few weeks back for a couple of hours, long enough to arrange for the foreword for Odysseus Wept (if you read the Final Revolution and saw a familiar face pop up near the end…well…that’s all I’m saying).

Back to today.  I’ve been sitting in one of those marvelous places where I have to figure out what’s going to happen next before I can really write anything more — and I’ve been stuck there for a few weeks.  Think of Odysseus Wept as three small books laced together into one big one.  I’ve got pieces of all three books done but primarily I’m focusing on the first book, I’m about 80% finished with that part I suspect, but that’s where I’m blocked.  I’m hoping tonight I can get past that block point.  The middle section of the book is where some of the darkest things will happen (Steve Foster’s worried now…), and then the third section will tip toward happier prospects.

In the meantime, I’m not getting a whole lot of time to get the Eternity Unbound Special Edition edited.  Plus, I have a draft of Black Doves sitting in my email box that I need to get to.  And a website to finish up.

Yeah, I know, sounds like a lot of whining, and maybe it is.  The publisher hat and editor hat are totally suffocating the writer hat, which is the one I prefer to be wearing.  It was great hearing people at the convention coming over and saying how much they enjoyed the Powys books.  I doubt if you folks realize this but your comments on this web site (and some occasional posts on Facebook) are the only real feedback we get anymore outside of convention appearances.  The forum on the Powys Website is locked to new members (you can thank the thousands of attempts at malicious hackings for that).  But your old logins (if you had one) probably still work.

Anyway, back to work.  I’ll give one little hint about Odysseus Wept.  At the convention, I donated the first 35 or so pages of the current draft of Odysseus Wept to the auction and someone who has posted on this site in the past was the winner.  The feedback I received after he or she read that portion said:  “…it’s not going to be an easy ride for our Alphans…”

Yup.  That’s pretty much what I’d say, too.

Off I go…

5 thoughts on “What’s New?”

  1. OK. “The Middle Section” has me concerned… 😉 but I believe in our beloved Alphans. They’ll get through all this, somehow. I remain very excited about the book. I had mixed feelings about “The Final Revolution” so am hoping that “Odysseus Wept” will satify my need for closure to the Alphans long odyssey.

    Glad to hear that a certain former Main Mission Controller will be writing the Forward for “Odysseus Wept”. That is actually very appropriate now that we have lost our real Commander (RIP Martin Landau).

    I am LONGING to read “Black Doves”! The title is so evocative. Ken Scott’s cover is also quite beautiful. Looking for the day this finally goes on sale.

    The “Eternity Unbound” SE is also something I’m excited about. The bonus material and the addition of “Eternity Unhinged” as well as the wonderful Ken Scott cover that does/doesn’t 😉 feature Peter Bowles as Balor make this an absolutely essential purchase in Hardback for me.

    Glad you enjoyed the convention Bill. A little too far for this UK citizen to travel to I’m afraid, even if I could’ve gotten aboard an Eagle.

    Sending best wishes to you as always.

  2. So I edited a lot of Eternity Unbound on Monday. Read through Black Doves the week before. Little work left on the former…fair amount on the latter. But making headway…

  3. Hi Bill, Glad to see you’re working hard to bring those last few books to us all. I can’t wait for something new to read in the 1999 universe. Keep up the good work.

    1. Thanks Glenn! Great to hear from you. Now that the Prisoner novel is out I am all about Eternity Unbound editing and Odysseus Wept. I hope people still like Paul Morrow because they will be spending a lot of time with him…

      Hope all is well Down Under!

  4. Hi Bill, No new book for my birthday… If you hurry you might still be able to make it, it’s on the 12th March.
    Hope all is well with you and that you survived the Winter okay.

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