This is my formal “call” for first readers for Pearl in the Void. Several of you have asked what I’m looking for, and what I need is very specific: I need someone who’s a fan of the universe, and who has recently read if not all, then at least the “late era” stories recently enough for them to be fresh in mind (where “late era” is anything in Thenet’s age: see here for a listing of the relevant stories). This novel follows Shell but parts of it are contemporaneous with “Stone Moon, Silk Scarves,” and it refers back to “Fire in the Void,” so it’s vital that anyone who reads it for issues have at least that much back history.
Here’s my paramount issue: this is a sequel to a book that’s twelve years old. Importantly, Shell was written before almost all the short stories that followed, which means a great deal about the setting was elaborated long after Thenet’s first adventure. Trying to stitch twelve years’ worth of work together gave me a massive headache; I re-read every Jokka story I’ve written (and some I never finished) before starting on this sequel, took notes and made maps, updated the wiki… and did my best to tie it all together and start taking care of the loose ends. While it’s inevitable that Pearl is going to read much differently from Shell, what I need to know from first readers is if it’s an acceptable experience. And more than editing, I need people who can catch any continuity issues I might have missed despite my prodigious note-taking.
Anyway, if you fit these criteria and are willing to get my any copy-edits/typo spotting you catch as well, comment here (don’t email me–my email’s overwhelmed right now with project management stuff and it’s going to get lost). I’ll check back in a week, pick a few people and send off a draft.
Arrgh! I missed the call. The jokka stories are what really got me addicted to using our kindle reader, and at one or two dollars per story, so easy to say, “Just one more…”. Also way too easy to stay up far too late making sure none got missed. Anyway, I cannot wait for Pearl to be released. Well, I can, and will have to, but it will not be so easy a wait. On a somewhat related note, I was wondering about how eperu wear their hip chains, given that they have no belly ring. Do they simply attach them to their clothing? Also, are the chains a joined loop or do they come in sets of seperate pieces? Anyway, thankyouthankyouthankyou for all the lovely stories. They make the worst days good, and the best days better.