Lost & Found

[the_scot]

When I started writing in 2001, I was used to making a 6 figure income, so writing was fun and was never intended to generate income. The bottom fell out of my business as of 9/11 and my revenue dropped more than 60%. I let my employees go and continued to make enough for me and my family to survive, and I was still writing for the fun of it. I think Ben Winston's problem is that after his success with Star Dancer and the two sequel stories, he decided to try to make a living from it since he couldn't work due to his illness. The problem was that the same illness that kept him from working also kept him from writing consistently and as a result, he got more and more desperate financially. I helped him for a while, but when things really crashed, I no longer had that disposable income to spend and I'm sure that a lot of others had the same problem. Anyway, in summary, I don't fault him for what he tried to do - he was given lemons and he tried to make lemonade. The problem was he didn't have the money for the sugar.

FYI, I think 'Warlord' suffered from the same condition.

[GBLW]

When I started writing in 2001, I was used to making a 6 figure income, so writing was fun and was never intended to generate income. The bottom fell out of my business as of 9/11 and my revenue dropped more than 60%. I let my employees go and continued to make enough for me and my family to survive, and I was still writing for the fun of it. I think Ben Winston's problem is that after his success with Star Dancer and the two sequel stories, he decided to try to make a living from it since he couldn't work due to his illness. The problem was that the same illness that kept him from working also kept him from writing consistently and as a result, he got more and more desperate financially. I helped him for a while, but when things really crashed, I no longer had that disposable income to spend and I'm sure that a lot of others had the same problem. Anyway, in summary, I don't fault him for what he tried to do - he was given lemons and he tried to make lemonade. The problem was he didn't have the money for the sugar.

FYI, I think 'Warlord' suffered from the same condition.

Actually I think a lot of writers that I have followed for some time have fallen into a similar situation, others have died and a few more have simply given up. What many readers don't seem to realize is that the stories don't always come easily or without a cost to the writers. I've actually seen some of the authors I've come to know fairly well give up in frustration or fall into a state of depression because as their real life situation deteriorated, then the ensuing ennui lessened their ability to be creative.

My situation is somewhat different - I write as a means of fighting off depression. If my real life is busy, I simply don't have the drive or desire to create a fantasy world where I can 'battle the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.' If I have time on my hands and I become bored, or if life starts to give me a rough time, I grow creative. Unfortunately as life passes I find that my physical health is a complicating factor to that situation - my ability to actually transfer my imagined plots and tales to digital format has become much more difficult as age and infirmity advance. That is another situation which is all too common for many of the older writers who have long populated the internet story sites.

Oh well, C'est la vie. Hopefully a new and younger group of creative individuals will come along to take our places.

K Pelle aka dotB

[ilox]

When I started writing in 2001, I was used to making a 6 figure income, so writing was fun and was never intended to generate income. The bottom fell out of my business as of 9/11 and my revenue dropped more than 60%. I let my employees go and continued to make enough for me and my family to survive, and I was still writing for the fun of it. I think Ben Winston's problem is that after his success with Star Dancer and the two sequel stories, he decided to try to make a living from it since he couldn't work due to his illness. The problem was that the same illness that kept him from working also kept him from writing consistently and as a result, he got more and more desperate financially. I helped him for a while, but when things really crashed, I no longer had that disposable income to spend and I'm sure that a lot of others had the same problem. Anyway, in summary, I don't fault him for what he tried to do - he was given lemons and he tried to make lemonade. The problem was he didn't have the money for the sugar.

Yes, sounds very much like his story. I tried to do editing for him once. The response that came back burned me off so I never offered again even though his work really needed a lot of polish.

FYI, I think 'Warlord' suffered from the same condition.

Yep, I did a LOT of edit work for him over many years. A nice guy but his medical and life problems really screwed him over. Eventually my own medical problems got more and more in the way to the point I had to drop out of his editorial team.

Come to think of it I did some Edit work for you didn't I? And wasn't there some special reward you gave me for that help?

So sorry to hear that you have stopped writing, I always enjoyed your work.

[heustess]

So, I am trying to identify a story I read where the protagonist finds or manufactures gold nuggets to sell. He learns that gold nuggets sell for more than raw gold because of their collector value. It is not Refusenik's Island Mine story. That is what triggered my memory. It could be a printed book or online story. I remember nothing else except there was a good chunk devoted to info on gold & gold nuggets.

[Bester]

So, I am trying to identify a story I read where the protagonist finds or manufactures gold nuggets to sell. He learns that gold nuggets sell for more than raw gold because of their collector value. It is not Refusenik's Island Mine story. That is what triggered my memory. It could be a printed book or online story. I remember nothing else except there was a good chunk devoted to info on gold & gold nuggets.

I distinctly remember that. It is a John Wales story, but I can't remember which one and am at work so I can't look it up. Just look up the author John Wales on SOL. As I recall, this was a do-over story, if that helps narrow it down.

[Bester]

So, I am trying to identify a story I read where the protagonist finds or manufactures gold nuggets to sell. He learns that gold nuggets sell for more than raw gold because of their collector value. It is not Refusenik's Island Mine story. That is what triggered my memory. It could be a printed book or online story. I remember nothing else except there was a good chunk devoted to info on gold & gold nuggets.

Found it. "Time" by John Wales

http://storiesonline.net/s/42181/time

[heustess]

Thanks.

[Nate]

I'm looking for a story I read in (probably) the late 70's, obviously on paper. I read it about the same time I read The Zero Stone by Norton...but I don't think she wrote the one I'm looking for, but I mention it in case it rings a bell.

The basic premise was a detective (I think) was propositioned by an Alien to do 'something'. The human agreed but wanted some large amount of cash ($1m?) in small worn bills of course up front and it showed up in boxes in the back hallway. That's literally all I remember. I don't remember if he got hauled off into space or did something on earth or what. But, I keep remembering reading it in Jr High and being pleased with the story whenever my to-read stack falls under 10k pages (sigh) and I start looking to back-fill. I would someday like to tick it off the list and re-read it.

Any chance that little snippet might ring any bells with anyone?

thanks!
Nate

[MartinK]

I'm looking for a title i can't seem to remember somehow. Lets see.... uhm...

It starts with someone from our world that either was just killed or died of a natural death. Before he goes where nice dead souls end up he gets pulled to somewhere else. There, he gets told by an old woman that she just called him here and he was now a god. Their old god was killed by another god and they needed him to protect them. He gets his powers from his followers and can reward them how he sees fit. He has a domain in which he can influence the environment and with more believers his powers and thus his territory grows bigger. Sounds similar to several of those godlike games, populous and such. Later on he gets an avatar and on course other gods confront him and he has to fight against those.

I seem to remember more and more of the story but absolutely no idea how that book was called.. or was that a whole series?

[lagomilo]

? sword saint by shaddoth on storiesonline. Has anyone seen the second book of this series posted anywhere. Shaddoths blog from 2008 says he was 40k into the second book but I haven't seen it. Anybody have a status??

lago

[JohnDelvfar]

Hello folks

I am looking for the author and title of a book written in the 90's , maybe the 80's. It was about the saga of a young genius girl who was locked in her families bomb shelter after a first strike. she then traveled looking for survivors and found a boy by him hitting her with a car. she rescues him from the burning wreck after sewing up his artery. he is a master piano player and major horndog. they travel and find 2 more. mother and daughter, then the see a jet plane fly over and she follows it in an ultra light. sh is then conscripted to fly in a shuttle to dimantal a nuc that is going to finish off the earth. (emerge or aftermath maybe?) can't find it anywhere too many returns from google and bing.

anyone remember this one?

thanks for the assist

John Delvfar

[kd7mvs]

Emergence, by David Palmer.

[Nate]

Awesome! I love me some post-apocalyptic fiction and this is one I don't believe I've read.

Thanks for the tip!
Nate

[samuelmichaels]

Emergence, by David Palmer.

David Palmer also wrote a sequel, Tracking, but it's a bit hard to find.

[kd7mvs]

Emergence, by David Palmer.

David Palmer also wrote a sequel, Tracking, but it's a bit hard to find.

Analog July/August, September, and October 2008 issues for the sequel, which was news to me; my family ceased subscribing to the SF magazines in the late 1990s, as Dad wasn't keeping up with them. I found the September and October issues on Amazon, but will have to keep looking for the July/August issue.