For what it is worth if any of you want to vote in this, here is the link:

https://application.dragoncon.net/dc_fan_awards_nominations.php?fbclid=IwAR2F6da0-3ckUWLqyNPCO7KjKJ2ENHu7K5h1ot3zfeKp9K6Nl0u3xfqOitc

and the paperback version is live!

The organising committee of Worldcon – DISCON III – have decided to un-invite Toni Weiskopf as GOH – yes I said GOH at this year’s Worldcon – DISCON III because of the crap I alluded to the other day.
If any of you were planning to go please cancel and join a boycott of this year’s Worldcon – if any of you care acan you please make your displeasure know to these pathetic people as someone needs to stand up and stop this rubbish from spreading. Cancel Culture is the biggest threat to Western Democracy there is and it is time to take our liberty back.
Here I stand, I can do no other…. to quote a character from one of my favourite authors.

Normal transmission will resume shortly….

I have a few things to get of my chest so you people should probably just wait for the next post which should be the announcmet of Sailing East….
Cancel culture: We had another example of this with some cretin named Jason Sanford claiming that Baen’s Bar is full dangerous right wing loonies and the company pushes a conservative agenda… or so you would believe if you read his piece. Which I did. It is full of distortions, of limited examples, of gross manipulation of the facts and probably outright lies. He fails to mention that probably the most influential person on the Bar after the company people, is that well know socialist and self professed union rabble-rouser Eric Flint who is neither right, conservative nor and advocate civil insurrection. So he just failed to mention his involvement in the bar. He mentioned Ms Lackey, citing somethign that happened twenty years ago and which everyone, including her who still publishes through Baen, has largely forgotten.

He pulls out examples from the Political board by people of dubious names and claims they are representative. Fails to mention that most of the activity on the Bar is in the sections to do with writing books.. populated by authors like Bujold, Weber et all – people who have millions of book in print unlike Mr Sanford who is a known for his short stories… apparently.
I don’t know who the f##k he thinks he is but he is typical of what is wrong with western culture these days. half truths, blatant distortions and lies passed off as reality. He is a pipsqueak compared to the names I have mentioned above yet presents himself as a SOMEBODY of merit. While he hides behind a locked twitter account, a paywall website and has no facebook account at all apparently.

Well he can publish whatever he likes but this is one person who won’t be buying anything that his name on it.

And then there is the Star Wars disgrace.

Where do I start? If she had said something that denigrated the company or the products – yeah fire her. If she had insulted anybody at Disney personally in a public forum – yeah fire her. Was she disruptive on set? Yeah fire her.
As far as I can tell none of those applied. She was fired for expressing her private views in a media site that had nothing to do with the performance of her duties.

And this is from company that brought us “Song of the South” let alone some of the atrocious wartime cartoons and don’t even get me started on the subject of Lemmings….
Criticize someone for their views, certainly, see above. Disagree with them, fine. But Penalize them? No. Penalizing someone for publicly saying what they believe even if you disagree with their beliefs – is not what the First Amendment is about. In Germany it led to the Nazi’s with their book burnings…..

Right. I finished the first draft of Book 6 on the weekend. Only the 1st draft s a long way to go. Editing Book 5: Sailing East continues ….
Not much else to report I’m afraid. The graphic design work I also do is picking up a little at the moment which is interrupting my writing but I’ve doing these people’s work for years so I am not heartless enough to just say “on ya bike.” Besides, the way the sales are dropping off this month I’ll need the money/ 🙂

Editing of Book 5 continues – writing of book 6 continues – not sure about book 7 – lack of plot ideas at present but that might change at any time of course!
nearly finished the cover of Book 5 – nearly
Still aiming for last week of this month release but it might drag over into the fist week of March
6 is tentatively scheduled for the last week of May – but don’t hold your breath 🙂

Peter

It is looking increasingly likely that the series will go to a seventh book.
Unfortunately to get Arturo back into space in a reasonable book length given how long it would take to develop the technology it will mean having do a book that consists of a series of time jumps forward – like say (And this is just an example of what I mean – not written stuff yet)

a chapter 4 years from the end of book 6 where they get their first transistor working

a few chapters a few years later again where something important happens

a few more years and a chapter where they get their first object into orbit

a chapter a few years after that where they get the antigrav machine from Arturo’s shuttle rebuilt and they get their first person into space – with difficulty

a year or two later and we get the first solid state microchip made – computers used for orbit calculations and so on

some time later they get a copy of the fusion engine in the shuttle built. Which had problems…

a couple more years and the get their first steam propelled, antigrav capable, fusion powered space ship into orbit.

and so on – there’s about twenty years just there and I was rushing it. Probably take longer in practice but you see what I mean by a series of short jumps.
eventually Arturo will get his rebuilt and repaired shuttle to the jump point and try and reverse his travel to Earth.

Is a book of what will be essentially time separated short stories and acceptable way to finish the series?
Or at least Arturo’s part in the New Roman Empire?

(I may have a few ideas about stories involving other characters and their adventures for publication at some point in the future)

Thoughts welcome.

this is an unpaid political comment and is completely my own opinion from across the Pacific

The Democrats need to just forget about Impeaching Trump – it is a stupidly bad tactical mistake.
Here are my reasons:

1: A third of the country distrusts the Democrats already and will see any Impeachment – regardless of evidence simply as a case political sour grapes, grandstanding, petty vindictiveness and witch hunting.

2: The third of the population that support neither Democrats nor Republicans will see as probably politically driven sour grapes further eroding any belief the Democrats as being moderates and reasonable people – regardless of the evidence presented.

3: the third of the population who support Trump are just going to get angrier with the Democrats which only further inflame the situation and further deepen the cracks in US society.

4: Impeaching him will turn him from a buffoon into a martyr – regardless of the evidence. I can’t think of anything more likely to help the next Republican President get elected than an Impeachment Witch Hunt.

It would be far better tactically and for the long term benefits of the US for the Democrats to simply clench their fists and keep their mouths shut and let President Trump disappear into ignominy take the wind out of the right’s sails. Simply ignoring him from now on is a much better choice of action. Sure – if there are genuine criminal things that he or any of his administration can be charged with that’s okay but Impeachment is just too political to be of any benefit whatsoever.

Unfortunately I think the Democrat members of Congress will let their ego’s and pride get in the way of what is best for the United States.