Still on hold… and holding on…

Still On Hold

People have asked, over the years, why I don’t put Avatar up for sale. They say they’d be happy to pay for it, and while I appreciate the sentiment, there are a bunch of reasons why I haven’t, and won’t, do it.

The first is that yes, there are about four people who would be happy to pay for it. The rest would not, and then I’d lose tons of readers

The second is that I started it as a free story, and I’d rather keep it that way. Once I finish Book two (yes, I will finish it), there are a few more stories floating around in my head in that universe and those I might consider selling. And I might not, who knows.

The final reason is one that many of you are aware of: We live in a nation of hypocritical prudes.

Lea says it to Ken the very first time they meet:

Again, there was that flash of sadness in her eyes. She sighed. “Your people are so… strange. You deny your own sexuality, yet use it for currency. You deny sexuality to those who are below some artificially created age, yet exploit them in secret, subtle ways while longing for the youth that they have and you do not.”

So, plainly put, Avatar can’t be sold. I’ve posted and tweeted in the past about corporate censorship. The list of thigns we can’t write about grows by leaps and bounds.

Love that whole free country thing.

Anyway, Avatar is still on hold until I can wrap my head around how I wanna get from where I am to the finish line. I’ve been doing some other writing, but mainly to just keep writing because, you know, they say you should write every day. I write most days. Lately, I’ve gotten interested in a story in a world I’ve been working on a long time, but haven’t actually posted or sold any stories in. Who knows, this might be the first.

My work situation is still bad. I still have a job, but it’s like walking on eggshells every day. The manager I work for is, well, pretty unhinged, but repeated complaints to upper management and even the “ethics” people (corporate ethics, which is why I put that in quotes) have gone unheeded. I could understand — somewhat — if I was the only person complaining, but mine is only one voice in the crowd. And we’re still ignored. I can only hope that I can hold on there until I can get work somewhere else. But, of course, the same corporations that are fucking people who work for them, are “saving money” and not hiring people. And that’s before the effects of Sequestration, which really haven’t hit yet.

Our country’s a fucking mess. I think things haven’t gotten really bad with the people yet because we cling to several illusions: Upward Mobility (that’s pretty much gone) and Freedom (severely curtailed). The biggest illusion we cling to is that we can choose our government. News flash folks: We can’t. Most of us simply don’t have the money to effect the outcome.

Anyway, here’s to hoping that I’ll get back on track with Avatar sooner rather than later. We’ll see. In the mean time, thanks for checking in.