Partial blogflog: the next AB:VH book

[blogfloggery.livejournal.com]

Link: Spiders, knees (human, not spider), dogs, book, and new ideas
Disclaimer: This blog entry is verbatim, as originally posted on LKH's blog. Copyright belongs to Ma Petite Enterprises.
Mod note: I'm only posting the relevant part of this blog, the rest of it can be read at the source.

In the midst of all the doctor and vet visits, I have actually been trying to write more on the next Anita Blake novel. I announced the title at DragonCon this year, but never put it up on the blog, so here it goes. The next Anita novel is entitled,”Affliction.” Micah is called back home by his estranged family, because his father, a county sheriff, has been attacked and is terribly injured. Anita and Nathaniel are going with him for moral support and to meet his family under very trying circumstances. It’s an interesting book to be writing. I can’t wait for you guys to finally read it!

I had one day this week that I wrote six pages on, Affliction, and four pages on something brand new that demanded to be written. It came out of nowhere and made me go, really? It’s brand new, but I guess it contains at least two different ideas that I’ve made notes on before. I just never thought about combining them, and there were several new ideas added to the old ones, and it just worked. But first to finish the book. I don’t even know if the four surprise pages are part of a book, or a short story? It’s cooking, but whether it’s stew, soup, or something else, I won’t know for awhile. It’s kind of nice creatively to not know for a change.

Comments

[rebootfromstart.livejournal.com]

Gnnngh. I loathe the way she thinks it's necessary to put a comma before a title.

[world-dancer.livejournal.com]

I love how families can just call children home, even when they're estranged. Estranged means that you don't put up with your family's crap any more and do not come when called. And possibly they wouldn't want you there anyway.

And Micah thinks it's a brilliant plan to bring his polyamourous group with him? Really? Because throwing some strangers that make your family uncomfortable into the mix when your family is scared and potentially going into grief mode is EVER a good or considerate idea.

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

And Micah thinks it's a brilliant plan to bring his polyamourous group with him? Really? Because throwing some strangers that make your family uncomfortable into the mix when your family is scared and potentially going into grief mode is EVER a good or considerate idea.

Seriously! If things are so bad that they're contacting and "estranged" family member and he actually comes, it sounds to me like things must be really awful, likely life-threatening, for his father. It's no place for bringing in lovers of ANY sort, let alone anyone like Nathaniel and Anita. There might be some pretense of 'oh the attack was suspicious, likely supernatural, so Anita NEEDS to come' but NO, there are other law enforcement officials out there, and I firmly believe that they actually *are* capable of doing something when Anita isn't around (because her presence clearly makes their brains turn to sludge, I've noticed)

[plastraa.livejournal.com]

That's just so Anita can throw around more of her moral high ground in people's faces. You know people who are just so uptight, and prudish, and not down with all the raping and mind control stuff. You know, jealous haters. Can't wait to see how JKH makes Anita get in touch with the fact that she is a very unreliable narrator....heh, just kidding.

uck.

[nightwalker.livejournal.com]

I could see it if they were going for moral support and maybe staying in a hotel or something, but even then it just seems like an unnecessary complication to bring into an already tense situation.

God, part of me wants to read this just to see how many pages it takes for LKH to make me side with Micah's horrible family.

[world-dancer.livejournal.com]

That does seem to be the point nowadays: How long in each book does it take you to see Anita as the villain.

[shadwing.livejournal.com]

Actually it sounds more like 'Blood Noir'...since that was the book where Anita had to go with Jason to speak to his estranged father ect.

[world-dancer.livejournal.com]

That was the other thing. I thought we did this plot before.

So far as I can tell, Richard is the only one not estranged from his family.

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

I was about to add "and the only harem-boy that hasn't been sexually abused in some way" before remembering, wait, nope, he was

All those men, so little variety in, well, ANYTHING about them

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

four pages on something brand new that demanded to be written.

oh god, I heard she might be doing something new...with a MALE protagonist

[missingvolume.livejournal.com]

Or chastity?

[shimmerfox.livejournal.com]

Let's see now... Pretending for the moment that no character development that hasn't been talked about hasn't happened (meaning that Micah is still Micah, and Anita is early books and competent) how should this be written?

Anita's called in on an out of town case, the authorities are baffled by the *insert interesting case details here*. But while she's gone Micah's estranged family calls, they want him home, and while Micah isn't too sure he ever wants to see his family again, the joy of family is they know where all the bodies are hidden. And well with Micah's past? He has to go. Who knows his father might actually be in the hospital. He asks Nathaniel for 'moral support', and finds the other, who organized Anita's trip, remarkably obliging, even for Nathaniel.


I think my feels on Micah might have slipped through on this blurb a bit. Anyone else want a go?

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

Did Micah ever really change from being Micah? I haven't read anything since NiC, but I remember him as just being this perfect Gary Stu yes-man (except when RAPING ANITA) with a big dong. Is he different now? What's his past that makes him need to go?

[shimmerfox.livejournal.com]

LKH has never confronted him on that rape or any of the other horrible things he was implied to have down under Chimera before meeting Anita who was all strong and stuff and could protect his people (and yes apparently he found this out while, with JC, raping her, which admittedly isn't how I would have pictured a strong female lead showing her strength...) So mostly I was running with the only book he had any actual character development, oddly if LKH would work with it, his part has a lot of potential drama.

[cryptaknight.livejournal.com]

Oh gee, I can't wait to see how Micah's family reacts to Anita and her woobies. I'm sure Anita will have some choice things to say about how awful and judgy they are, complete with a confrontation and/or make out sesh to prove the point. Blech.

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

This too is my bet.

[lady-fellshot.livejournal.com]

I will bet money that Micah's dad will have been attacked by something supernatural that all of lily white suburbia cannot handle or "understand," but will need the wetness power of Anita's "understanding" to make better. I will also bet money that said supernatural whatsit will get added to the harem.

[plastraa.livejournal.com]

OHHHH, I hope man #3487 will be a very PRETTY, YOUNG, COLORFUL TIGER...mayhap a rainbow tiger, who can change to any color, depending on his mood...Like a mood ring tiger! (Uh oh, hope I didn't just give someone ideas.) :(

[lady-fellshot.livejournal.com]

It'll be a purple tiger, since i remember seeing those on the Lisa Frank notebooks and binders. AND THEY WILL HAVE PURPLE EYES BECAUSE PURPLE EYES ARE SPECIAL. :P

[astronauta.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the "Mexican Issue" will pop up.

[guardians-song.livejournal.com]

Chapter 1
Anita complains about how she hates plane rides.
Chapter 2
We finally find out what the plot of this book is.
Chapters 3-6
Anita kvetches about her white-bread family, while several of the men cry about how Anita doesn't love them enough/they don't love each other enough/they don't look pretty enough in the mirror.
Chapters 7-9
Something actually happens. A gun is fired. A person dies. A policeman is sexist towards Anita. Anita is sexist towards a female policewoman. The usual.
Chapters 10-33
And then we have sex.
Chapter 34
There is some vague semblance of world-building, which is promptly shot, shredded, and shoved in a corner to rot.
Chapters 35-37
Oh, hi, plot! Also, Anita totally cows Micah's prudish family, and proceeds to give him comfort sex.
Chapters 37-45
Guess.
Chapter 46
The plot is hastily wrapped up with a combination of napalm, Love Power, and some weird supernatural power derived from a botched idea of BDSM. Prudish whitebread family is prudish, worshipful cops are worshipful, and screwed-to-death villain is screwed-to-death.
Chapter 47/Epilogue
Everything even vaguely interesting is summed up in a few sentences, put off to the next book, or completely forgotten until somebody harasses Hamilton about it on Twitter. The End.

Is that about right?

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

I fully expect that this will be the case.

[guardians-song.livejournal.com]

Darn it, I forgot to add the prediction for New Harem Member.

"Heteroflexible" wereswan bishonen with long silver hair who's afflicted with being only able to transform partially, so that only one wing sprouts from his back. His weapon is an enormous sword that is most definitely not overcompensation. He was a villain, but only due to his overwhelming mommy-issues. (I guess his mother's Marmee Noir or something.) Anita redeems him with her crotch... er, love.

Finally, his name is Seraphim, which is very very very definitely not Sephiroth. You hear me, whiny jealous hater babies? NOT SEPHIROTH!

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHA OH GOD NO PLEASE NO

[plastraa.livejournal.com]

Is it wrong of me to say that IF this ends up being the case, I'd read it?! :P

[the-mome-wrath.livejournal.com]

No, you've got it all wrong. He'll have long black hair and a red cape. Anita will find him trapped in a coffin in the basement of a mansion somewhere and will help him overcome his sorrow over the tragedy of his lost love, who somehow caused him to become trapped in the coffin of course. Anita will then heal his sorrow through the power off the arduer. His name will be Venice, to keep with the theme of ridiculous names.

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

Well, that basically sounds like the plot of every Anita Blake novel so far, so why not? ;)

[snarky-imp.livejournal.com]

So... in Kiss the Dead when it felt like she was foreshadowing with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer about Micah's family and how it would be a bad idea in his opinion if he took Anita and Nathaniel home to meet the family that's because it was? Excellent.

[duamuteffe.livejournal.com]

And since it's a bad idea, of course that's exactly what they'll be doing! Because why make things easy on your partner by trusting their judgement and thinking about what would be best for his family in their time of worry when you can just barge in and demand that your lifestyle be lauded and applauded instead?

[cheeky-duckie.livejournal.com]

I don’t even know if the four surprise pages are part of a book, or a short story? It’s cooking, but whether it’s stew, soup, or something else, I won’t know for awhile. It’s kind of nice creatively to not know for a change.

I actually think that sounds lovely; it sounds like she might have been really having fun there for a bit. :D

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

Yeah, a lot of her blogs do suggest that writing just isn't enjoyable for her anymore. Good that this was.