How much of your own life do you put into your characters' lives? Do they share major experiences with you or fulfill your secret ambitions to be a Pirate Queen of Mars? Or have they gone through the things you fear the most? How about their background characters? Are they based on people you know, or are they ways of striking back at that one ( Read more... )

( What are we trading our honor for today, my Lord? It can't be dignity. )

Some months ago, Martel hired Master Snape to handle the full warding of his Valdis property; to protect it, and to hide it from prying and unfriendly eyes. To put not too fine a point on it, between the two of them there is enough paranoia and sheer power to arm a small country, and when - after many weeks and much work - the wards are complete, ( Read more... )

( We don't know if he is frightened. But he stays, he is engrossed, and, facing his reflection, transports himself somewhere else. )

( Judge if you want. We are all going to die. I intend to deserve it. My last words will be, 'Yeah, I had that coming.' )

After years of exile, something about riding through Elenia gave Martel an unpleasantly familiar feeling between his shoulderblades. All of the bridges had been burned, and he didn't belong any more; he fancied the land knew it as well as he did. His thrice-damned 'traveling companions' didn't make the trip any more palatable - if anything, less - ( Read more... )

( you would think i would have less to say about this, but no. )

Would you, I am asked, accept absolute power.

In recent years I told a man - brother and enemy, who survives me now as prince consort to a queen he raised, and I don't think I'll even begin to discuss that - that I am the lion, and thus, to me goes the lion's share. I'm sure I could provide you with a dozen references, easily, who would cynically ( Read more... )