WARNING: Spoiler Alert!

I had problems with the Enterprise being hidden from the inhabitants of Niburu underwater. Why do that? If they’d stayed in orbit, there would have been no violation of the Prime Directive. Basically, they did it because it’s never been done before, and they thought it would look kewl. Insufficient reason, in my book.

Benedict Cumberbatch is an excellent actor. I love him in Sherlock Holmes. But he’s WHITE. Khan Noonian Singh was supposed to be Eastern Indian, a genetically engineered superman from the Eugenics Wars, not a pale, ascetic-looking Caucasian. I found that incredibly distracting. And the moment I heard how many torpedoes there were, I know doggone well what was inside them. I confess to missing a resolution that would have placed those hibernation tubes aboard a ship called “Botany Bay.” Oh, well.

A lot of the script had things happening willy-nilly, just as they did in the first reboot film. Why would “John Harrison” long-range beam to Kronos? (Where Praxis had obviously blown up about five decades early.) Carol Marcus really had no reason to be the person who came aboard the Enterprise with the torpedoes. She was a scientist, not a weapons expert. There wasn’t a hint of attraction between her and Kirk, except perhaps for that (gratuitous, IMHO) scene where she peels down to her sexy black undies.

I could go on, but what all this boils down to is the same problem I had during the first reboot film, to wit: I just didn’t CARE. The plot had so many glitches and inconsistencies that even the efforts of the actors couldn’t save it. The scene where they reprised a version of Spock’s death in “Wrath of Khan” made me roll my eyes instead of tearing up. Ho hum.

For a good analysis of the plot holes and script inconsistencies, I recommend Keith de Candido’s review that he wrote on the Tor page. Keith knows Star Trek as well as I do, possibly even better (he’s written for the franchise more recently than I have). His comments were spot on.

On the other hand, if you, like the majority of Star Trek fans, love the reboots and are willing to overlook all of the plot glitches because of excellent special effects and lots of action, just be happy that the reboots are successful, and will obviously continue.

Personally, I don’t care either way. Just call me a continuity curmudgeon from the Jurassic, because that’s what I am.

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/05/star-trek-into-darkness-review-spoilers?utm_source=newsletter

When you compare my output to that of, say, Kevin Anderson, I haven’t written all that much, and only about half my output has been tie-in books. It’s true that I’ve written in a LOT of other universes, and that many of my tie-in books sold pretty well. But I really didn’t feel worthy of the honor.

To be honest, for years I struggled with the prevailing attitude among some s.f. and fantasy writers that writing media tie-ins was the ultimate in degrading hackwork, lower on the authorial totem pole even than writing pornography to eke out a living.

Personally, I believe a good story is a good story, no matter what universe it’s written in. I really love being able to put characters from famous universes through their paces, and get inside their heads. I put as much effort into my tie-in books as I do for my original books (though I confess the original books are tougher to write, since you have to make it ALL up), and I was proud of the stories I produced. But I didn’t like getting openly snubbed or patronized sometimes when I was at conventions or writer gatherings.

One time I was talking to my dear friend, Andre Norton, about how I felt about this, and she set me straight. “Ann, you are a STORYTELLER,” she said. “One of the oldest and proudest professions known to the human race. No matter what kind of story you’re telling, be proud of that ability!”

Fortunately, that snotty attitude among the “purist” s.f. and fantasy writers seems much less prevalent today. Earning a living writing is so darned tough these days that whatever type of writing you’re doing, if you can make money doing it, hey, more power to you.

So I’m very proud to be receiving this award, and proud to be a storyteller. I wish I could go to San Diego Comic Con to receive the award in person, but I gather all the tickets are sold out.

IAMTW is talking about trying to rig up a skype connection so I can be there virtually. We’ll see if that works out.

There’s a complete list of my books on my website, http://www.accrispin.com, in case you haven’t checked out my work.

Here’s the official announcement:

http://iamtw.blogspot.com/2013/04/crispin-is-grandmaster.html

I’ve been meaning to tell you about my Easter weekend. Our dear friends Steve and Mary came down to Southern Maryland for a visit. We went out to Red Hot and Blue for dinner on Friday night (Steve LOVES bbq!) and then sat in my living room and just caught up on all the stuff that’s happened. At one point Mocha wandered out and sat down at Steve’s feet and looked up at him expectantly. (He knows he’s beautiful and that it is his right to be adored!) Steve looked down at him and said, “How are you, you animated dust mop?” I laughed out loud.

On Saturday the four of us met Brenda and Larry for brunch at the Carlyle Grand Cafe over in Shirlington. I had the lobster bisque (which is superb) and the crabcakes benedict. Yum!

After brunch, we went to see the “real pirates” exhibition at the National Geographic Museum in DC. Steve was my nautical expert for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom, and, while we knew MOST of the stuff the exhibit showcased, even I learned a few things. The exhibit is a traveling one, and features recovered gear, cannons, treasure, etc. from “Black Sam” Bellamy’s ship, the Whydah. (Pronounced “Wee-dah.”) If you like pirates, watch for this exhibit!

We had dinner that night at Outback, where I had clam chowder. I was still full from brunch! On Sunday we bade goodbye to Steve and Mary, and then went back to the Outback near my mom’s house for a family Easter celebration. This time my appetite was just fine, and I had a small prime rib.

All in all, a fine Easter weekend!

http://press.nationalgeographic.com/2013/02/07/national-geographic-museum-to-host-real-pirates-exhibition/

To be dead honest about it, it’s kind of discouraging when folks tell me I’m one of their favorite writers, but then reveal they’ve never read anything I wrote except V, or Sarek, or a Han Solo novel.

Doggone it, my original novels showcase my BEST, most imaginative work!

I would LOVE to hear some feedback about SILENT PASSION (or any of the StarBridge novels)! Caveat: this story features a gay couple.

One of the fun things we did this week was drive off to a remote location in farm country (not far from our house) and watch for Comet Panstarrs. I was able to make out the incredibly thin crescent of the new moon, and above and to the left, a blobby smudge that had to be the comet. I wouldn’t have been able to see it if it weren’t for Michael’s high-power astronomical binoculars, and his comprehensive knowledge of where to look. As a comet this one seems to me to be a big disappointment. Last night we were watching a second season episode of Game of Thrones, and there was the comet that heralded the wars and the return of dragons to the world. Visible in daylight, crimson as fresh-spilled blood. I turned to Michael and said, “Now THERE is a comet!” They say there’s going to be another one in November, a much better one. Bring it on, sez I!

I have a nice outing to look forward to this weekend. Michael and I and a couple of good friends are going to see the “Pre-Raphaelite” exhibition at the National Gallery, then grab some Indian food afterwards. Should be a good time! I’ll give you my comments on it next week.

BTW, stay tuned for an important announcement later today or tomorrow morning.

The next morning it was breakfast in the Treaty of Paris (French toast for Michael, Crabcakes Benedict for me). We’d hoped to wander around Annapolis for a while, but it was drizzly and cold, so we hopped back in the car and drove home. Last night we caught up on “The Big Bang Theory.” My friend Teresa turned me on to watching it, and it’s usually pretty funny. Laughter is good medicine, as they say!

Also, I promised I’d comment on the news that Disney plans to do a film based on the early life of Han Solo. Some folks were saying they hoped that Disney would film my trilogy for the movie.

Wow, that would be a thrill, though it’s extremely unlikely. They own the work, of course. It’s copyrighted to them. If they made a movie of it, they wouldn’t give me any credit, or a single sou.

But I very much doubt they’ll use any material from my novels, or any of the other Star Wars novels, even though they’re supposed to be “canon.” J.J. Abrams will come up with his own story. At least he’s SEEN the original Star Wars. He bragged that he’d never in his life seen the original Star Trek.

What do I guess the film might be about? Well, there were several things I was instructed NOT to write about in any detail. One was Han’s mom and dad. I was faced with the challenge of trying to explain how Han discovered his cousin, Thracken Sal Solo, without ever knowing anything about this parents, even their names.

I was also told not to go into any detail about Han’s Academy days. I think this is a possibility for the film. In the early days of my writing The Hutt Gambit, I was instructed that I was not even permitted to explain how Han first encountered Chewie –!!!

Naturally, this was impossible for someone who had to write about their relationship. I was so disconcerted by these orders from Lucasfilm that I actually began a scene and sent it to the licensing approval person (Sue Rostoni, at that time). It went something like this:

***
“Han Solo sat in the pilot’s seat of the freighter, and carefully made an adjustment to their speed. “Prepare for the jump to lightspeed,” he said, glancing sideways at the giant Wookiee who occupied the co-pilot’s seat. “Hnnnnrrrrhhhh,” the Wookiee acknowledged.

Han frowned. What WAS that Wookiee’s name? He had no idea where he’d come from, or why he insisted on tagging along wherever Han went this past month. Han had told him to leave several times, but the Wookiee — oh, yeah, his name was Chewbacca, or something like that — merely shook his head, mumbling something about a “Life Debt.”

Han didn’t remember anything he’d done that might have brought about something as serious as a Life Debt.

Hmmmmm…he frowned. Maybe it was because of that bender he’d gone on, after he’d been kicked out of the Academy. He couldn’t remember WHY he’d been kicked out of the Academy. But at some point he’d taken a whack on the head when he’d been so drunk he couldn’t stay on this feet. Maybe that was why he couldn’t remember anything about the Wookiee and why he kept hanging around. I really shouldn’t get that loaded, Han thought ruefully. I’m never doing THAT again…”

***

At any rate, I sent what I wrote to Lucasfilm, and apparently it gave them a good laugh. Next order to come down was that I was allowed to write a brief explanation of how Han had saved Chewie’s life when he was enslaved by the Empire, and had gotten cashiered for his pains.

That was a big relief, trust me! It would have been almost impossible to write the rest of the Han Solo Trilogy with that prohibition in place!

So my guess is that Disney will make a film about Han’s days in the Academy. But it’s just a guess…

The next few days, we walked on the beach most every day. One drawback was that there was some Red Tide out on the Gulf, south of where we were staying, but people were coughing, and it didn’t take long for my asthma to react. We went up to Venice a few times, and that’s a nice town. I had a fried clam roll there…yum.

Almost every day we went beachcombing, looking for shark’s teeth. They’re a lot harder to find these days, because the currents have changed. But we found probably 30 or 40, and some of them were quite nice. A few shells also, though we have so many from previous trips to Manasota Key that we didn’t look for them too hard.

Every day I climbed the 17 steps to the timeshare unit at least two or three times. My physical therapist will be glad that I kept up with my workouts!

It was cloudy and rainy two days, and those days we went off to the movies. We saw “The Hobbit” again, and “Les Miserables.”

At the end of our first week in Florida, the breeze finally died down enough for us to go kayaking. We saw a lot of birds — great blue herons, smaller herons, ibis, storks, brown pelicans, white pelicans, and ospreys. Michael swore he glimpsed a bald eagle, but I wasn’t so sure.

I also found a nice stable, Branded Heart Stables, and went for a horseback ride. It was so much fun, though I knew I would be sore the next day, and I was. Getting up all those stairs…ouch! But it wore off pretty quickly.

On the Wednesday we were due to fly back, we drove to St. Petersburg and toured the Salvador Dali Gallery there. It’s a gorgeous facility, and they had some early works there on loan from Spain.

Then we climbed back on a plane, and came home to driving snow and 22 degree temps. Brrrr!

But we had fun in Florida, even though it was kind of a low-key visit. I am regaining my strength rapidly…I start the new round of chemo at the end of this month.

Michael will be posting some pictures soon.

No, I’ve decided to really savor the good days and good moments that come to me during the year. I’m grateful that the doctor has a new chemo drug to try, that has had some success. (You can bet she’s being very cautious with my dosage, and will check my blood a lot, after what happened with that other chemo drug — my idiosyncratic reaction to it that nearly wiped me out.)

I’m going to be grateful for my husband, and my family, and my friends. I’m very very lucky to have them. I come from a close-knit family, and it’s wonderful to have that support and love.

I’m also grateful for my pals on Facebook. You all cheer me on and entertain me.

With all those things going for me, I am going to work harder at being positive and grateful for the blessings I have. The government can fall off a Fiscal Cliff, but I’m standing tall, and resolved to see the half-full glass of water instead of the half-empty one.

Here’s to a better 2013, despite the number, than 2012! Happy New Year, everyone!

StarBridge fans and potential new readers take note: there is a “new” voyage to Trinity, one of our favorite StarBridge planets, “Silent Passion.” A shorter version of “Silent Passion” by my Trinity collaborator, Kathleen O’Malley, first appeared in the gay-themed, limited-edition anthology “Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction,” published by Meisha Merlin. This 12,000 word novelette features new characters and new problems for two humans assigned to work with the planet’s dominant sentient species, the huge white-winged beings humans have dubbed the “Grus” because of their resemblance to Earth’s whooping cranes.

For those who haven’t encountered Trinity before, it’s a world Kathy and I developed that was based on Earth during the Pleistocene era – a world filled with autumn colors and giant creatures…many of which have proved to be sentient. The two StarBridge novels about Trinity, Silent Dances (http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Dances-StarBridge-2-ebook/dp/B009MSQYDI/) and Silent Songs (http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Songs-StarBridge-Series-ebook/dp/B009MT420Y/), featured science fiction’s first Deaf protagonist, Tesa. Of Lakota Sioux heritage, Tesa’s first assignment upon graduating from StarBridge Academy proved more challenging than anyone – especially Tesa – could have imagined. In the sequel, Silent Songs, Tesa has to lead the humans and the inhabitants of Trinity against a relentless – and highly unusual – foe as they fight to repel an alien invasion.

To introduce readers to Trinity, we’re offering a special price for the holiday Kindle Unwrapping season. Starting today, and continuing through next month, Silent Passion will be on sale for 99 cents, and the two Trinity novels, Silent Dances and Silent Songs will be reduced to $2.99 each. For now, Silent Passion will only be on sale for the Kindle. If you’re interested in an epub version, email me at ann@accrispin.com.

Now is the time to visit Trinity, whether you’re a long-time StarBridge reader revisiting a world you loved, or a new reader, discovering it for the first time.

Enjoy!

Re-launching the books with new covers will take some time, obviously. I’d also like to have them available in hardcopy and as audio books. We’re investigating ways to do that.

In the meantime, the current editions will be for sale on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and Kobo.com, and the payments will go in their entirety to me and my collaborators. So if you were thinking of purchasing them, you can do so and know that your money will go to the authors and not Ridan.

Also, thanks to Robin Sullivan, Ancestor’s World, (StarBridge 6) should be appearing for sale on Amazon and B&N in a day or two, with Voices of Chaos (StarBridge 7) to follow in a week or so.

While this is obviously not what I had hoped for when I published with Ridan, I hope that all this publicity about the StarBridge books will bring them to the attention of more readers, and those who wish me well will consider buying copies, not out of charity, but because they are fun reads.