I get a remarakble amount of email from helpful readers telling me how they'd like my books to end, how I should have ended them, and sometimes plots for books people think I should write.

While I appreciate the input, it always cracks me up to realise there are people out there who think I don't have any idea how a story is going to unfold when I sit down to write it, and that I might need guidance from random (albeit very interested and invested) strangers.

I also find it fascinating how people expect or anticipate one thing, and then get quite stroppy with you when you do the unexpected. Take the whole Arkady/Cayal/ Declan love triangle in Tide Lords. Now I know, and have always known, exactly how this series is going to end. I could have written the final chapter of book 4 before I started book 1. And yet I'm already getting emails - even before Book 3 comes out - suggesting how I should end it.

So, just out of curiosity, I've put up a poll to see if what readers want is what readers are going to get. This poll won't change the outcome, but I am interested to see if the two are anywhere close to each other...

Oh, and while I think of it, don't assume that because the poll asks who readers think Arkady should end up with, that Arkady is going to end up with anybody... muwahahahaha...

Vote in the poll

 

Some very goods friends came over yesterday for a visit and a catch-up and we got to talking about our kids. We are very proud parents, my friends and I, so every discussion we have inevitably gets around to our offspring's latest achievements.

It's not oneupmanship. It's more like a very special club we belong to because we all married very young and had our kids at an age where people would (and still do) tut-tut and shake their heads as if no good could ever come from such an arrangment.  Many years later, the naysayers are eating their words. We all have great kids doing very well, and we kinda get a kick out of saying to the world (and each other) hahaha, look, we did just fine, thank-you very much. Our kids are fabulous...

Anyway, one of their boys is in the Special Forces. They were proudly bragging about how - in addition to being able to kill you with a sniper rifle from, like, two and a half miles away - now that he's finished his Advanced Counter Terrorism Training, he's a dab hand at dealing with hijackers and suicide bombers, too.

Well, I said, not to be outdone, my boy just came second in his division in Latin Dancing at the Australian Dancesport Championships.

It's true, he did. Thirdborn and his dance partner, the lovely Maryse, killed 'em on the dance floor at the Aussie Champs.  Unfortunately, because my friends' son is in the SAS, they can't brag about him publically or post piccies of him on the internet with his sniper rifle. I can brag, however, and post pictures, so I will.

Here are some snaps from the comp.  Without sniper rifles, of course...

I am currently babysitting my cousin's neurotic German Shepherd. My cousin, (actually, i think we're second cousins... my father and her grandfather were brothers) it turns out, lives three doors down from my new house, and I didn't have a clue until after we moved in.

What are the chances?

Anyway, she and her family are off interstate to visit even more of our large family, so I offered to mind the dog.

Abbey the Neurotic German Shepherd hasn't been walked in 6 years because the previous owners told my cousin she didn't need to be walked, which my cousin thought was grand. Fancy that, a large dog that didn't need to be walked! Thank you, I'll take that.

So, every morning when we went past the house, walking Mount Bruce, Oscar and Fluffy, she would go psycho at the fence. Now, of course, because I've been minding her, and I've watched just enough episodes of the Dog Whisperer to fancy I can control any dog, even Neurotic German Shepherds, Abbey is joining us on our walks and because she gets a little nutty on her own at home, has been sleeping over in Bruce's pen the last few nights, too.

She is doing very well, has made friends with all our dogs, now cries at the fence if she sees us instead of barking, and hasn't eaten any small dogs, cats or neighbourhood children for days, which she was wont to do, and one of the many reasons my cousin would never let her out of the yard.

Last night, however, Abbey didn't want to settle at our house so at 1:00 am, I got sick of her whining and  decided she'd be OK in her own yard and that I would take her home.

I am in my jammies. The only shoes I can find in the dark are the high heels I wore to work that I kicked off in the hall when I got home. But I figured, what the hell? I live in a quiet cul de sac. And it's one in the morning.

So I walk her home, in my jammies and high heels, figuring who is going to see me at 1:00am?

And sure enough, after I've delivered her safely home, I head back to my house, and a car turns down our street. Yup, there I am in the headlights in my leopard print jammies and high heels strolling down the street at one in the morning and the whole family from number 7 are looking at me oddly, wondering if they should call the cops or maybe the psych ward to see if they've lost a patient... hehehe...

What are the chances?

This may come as a shock to you, but in addition to being able to buy uranium on Amazon, you can also buy ball point pens. Sold singly. Seriously.

Think, for a moment, on the sort of person who would buy one single ball point pen from Amazon, and then wait 10 days for it to be delivered.

Better yet, on the Amazon.co.uk listing, not only can you but new Bic ball point pens, but they have associates sellers willing to sell you used ones, too.

The funniest thing about this listing, however, is that not only is the pen in the Electronics section, but 122 people with a very twisted sense of humor, have taken the trouble to review it.

Even funnier... The Princess bought this item to my attention, which begs the question... what are you doing at work at the moment, Princess, if you got time to sit there reading all 122 reviews of a ball point pen on Amazon? hehehe.

Here are a few of the reviews... if you've got time, go read the rest of them. They're hysterical.

Not upgradable..., 27 Dec 2007 By  Sheebp (UK) - See all my reviews How do you do software updates??? Customer services had no idea - it doesn't even have a USB port! Is it wireless? I don't think it's 802.11g, but I can't be sure as it doesn't have a manual! What's the latest firmware version? Is it 2 point something? Does anyone have a changelog? Not impressed.

Works Fine, Although a bit pricey. I use it to write words., 25 Dec 2007 By  Jeffery Erickson - See all my reviews    I've always been a fan of pens, and Bic Pens are some of the very best. I stumbled upon this advertisement on Amazon by chance, and quickly told my friends about the treasure I had found. My friends were not very supportive to say the least. "Why don't you buy a pen at the drug-store?" "Why don't you just take a pen home from work or break the chain on one at the bank?" and my favorite, "Are you an idiot? The office of the future will be paperless, and what will you write on then dummy?" So needless to say my friends were against the purchase, but I bought one anyway. Shipping was expensive, but if you are willing to wait for several weeks for your purchase, the price does become manageable. The beauty of waiting two weeks for delivery is just daydreaming about the words you will write once you get it. Overall I am happy with my new pen, I use it to write words and also scribble. Sometimes I hold the pen like it was a cigarette absent-mindedly, or chew on the end. The ink is tasty and free flowing. I wish I could have bought more than one, but my last name isn't Rockefeller. Keep a close eye on this beauty, because it is easy to lose and people try to carry it off like thieving scoundrels if you don't watch them. Overall I give this purchase 3 stars, it is pricey, and the cost of shipping is prohibitive. But it is fun to write things such as grocery lists and signatures. If your goal is to write a ransom note, subway graffiti or perhaps a little note to your ex-wife asking her and her new husband to enjoy living in your old house, I would recommend a felt-tip marker, perhaps red in color. Sharpie Brand makes very nice ones.

HDMI Support lacking, otherwise amazing resolution, 25 Dec 2007 By  Robert A. Newport "Software Engineer" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews    I just unpacked my pen last night and I am amazed at the clarity and color in such a small device! I must say that I was initially disappointed that it did not contain an HDMI 1.3 cable but as soon as I sat back and watched the quality my bad feelings were gone. It can literally produce over several hundred dots per square inch, which is currently unrivaled. Plus, the price is very reasonable for this level of quality.

Disappointed, 25 Dec 2007 By  Sara - See all my reviews I am very disappointed in this pen. When I buy a pen I expect a high quality writing instrument. Especially if I go through the effort of having it shipped directly to me rather then going to the store myself. Amazon did a wonderful job packaging and the delivery was right on time but the pen or rather "p", because it doesn't deserve all the letters in its name, is horrible. A good pen would be able to write under water, I saddly report that my attempt at writing under water was foiled by the very water I was trying to defeat. A good pen should withstand repeated use. I must be stronger then I thought because it snapped in half when I bent it back and forth repeatedly to test its strength. A good pen should include automatic spell check. Is it relly so much to ask a pen to tell me when I spell a word wrong. I mean it is writing the letters it should know when I misspell something. Finally, a good pen should change color somehow. What if I need to circle something in red? or green? or blue? A good pen would suit my needs at all times. If what you need is a basic sub-standard pen then this is for you. If all you need is to write on dry land then you have found your instrument. If you need a good pen then keep looking and when you find it let me know.

Adequate, but Deluxe Edition is better, 24 Dec 2007 By  John Fix (Eastchester, NY USA) - See all my reviews    Normally I'd rave about the Bic Crystal ballpoint pen. It works on all thicknesses of paper, and in most indoor room temperature locations. However, Bic recently announced that they would be remastering the pen later this year, adding designer commentary, alternate ink, extra caps, as well as original TV commercials. So if you desperately need to write something then go ahead and purchase this pen. Otherwise, wait for the Deluxe Edition scheduled for release in June 2008.

Use caution in a medical setting, 24 Dec 2007 By  Dr. Brown (USA) - See all my reviews As a physician, life and death decisions are a daily occurrence. On rare days when no such decision avails itself, I go to the nearest seafood restaurant and solemnly point to the most spiteful-looking lobster and laugh menacingly as he is removed from the tank. Nonetheless, one day I was using my Bic Crystal ballpoint pen, medium point, black, on rounds. On approach to the nurse station, a rather attractive young hire pointed out that I had a thermometer on my ear. I could only summon the wherewithal to observe that some arse must have my pen. Please also note that the main difference between this instrument and a rectal thermometer is the taste.

I checked the mail this morning, hoping all the presents I ordered through Amazon had finally turned up (yes, I know... Christmas was days ago...), and was relieved to find a ticket in the Post Office box telling me I had a parcel.

Finally! I thought and toddled off to stand with all the other parcel ticket hopefuls, lined up outside the parcel hatch this morning, waiting for the Post Office to open. When I got the parcel, however, it wasn't from Amazon, as I was expecting, but from HarperCollins Australia.

It was a reprint copy. Lord of the Shadows has gone to yet another Australian reprint.

I have a very special place in my heart for the Second Sons series, (and not just because Robin Hobb had to rename her series to Soldier Son after I thought of the name Second Sons first... hehehe) but mostly because it was the first series I wrote where I really felt I might have some idea what I'm doing with this writing gig. I also made some very good friends researching this series, and it was the reason we founded the Kabana Kids Club, which is the name we gave to all Secondborn's starving uni student friends who haunted my house while I was writing it, and acted as my proof readers, plot consultants and demographic test market.

The characters are some of my favourites, too, and if ever you want to find the character I've created that is most like me (except for the math genius bit... that was just wishful thinking on my part), you need look no further than Dirk. (I fell about laughing when I saw a blog a while ago that claimed Medalon was a bit of a "Mary Sue". Clearly that blogger had no idea of my dark and twisted psyche...LOL)

Anyway, a reprint was a nice way to finish off 2007. Can't wait to see what 2008 brings.

The Aussie editions...

The US editions...

The UK editions...

 The German editions...

ah... well... still waiting on those covers. They bought the series and then bought the Tide Lords and got all excited about that. So, they're coming... just not sure when:)