January posting meme: Vorkosigan books, plus update

[hedda62]

yunitsa wanted to know: If you were in charge of the Vorkosigan books, what would the next one be about?

Piotr.

There, that was easy.

But to expand slightly: I would LOVE a tale of Piotr (and Olivia!) during the Cetagandan War, or any time before the action of the current books starts. Or, if we have to go forward chronologically, something about the coming-of-age of the next generation, after Miles's death. I realize this may sound like I hate Miles, and I don't, but I think we've had plenty of him, and I have next to no interest in filling in the gaps in his life. Though of course if Lois wrote that, I would read it. If she wrote the phone book, I would read it. There would be a lot of the letter V.

In other news, I have spent a fair amount of time in recent days writing more of the Ben-as-Henry-Gale story I started some months ago, and am really hoping to finish it soon so that I can start properly panicking over actual real life commitments.

Also, it has been ridiculously cold here, which is not news to many of you. We've had the water trickling in our bathroom sink for three days without stopping, so the pipe won't freeze, which we only do when temperatures are consistently below 15F (it's the north corner of the house). Mornings have been in the low single digits, with below zero wind chill. Today it might actually reach freezing, though, which will be like a heat wave. As xkcd said so brilliantly, this is the old normal.

Also, the cats are behaving like regular old cats who live in the same house now, not exactly playing together, but observing each other playing, and eating side by side, and all that. Lancelot has been doing Speed Personality Transformation, and now looks to possibly be headed for dominant feline status (Hotspurr is just too easygoing to object, I think). First we thought he'd never come downstairs, then we thought he'd never stop hiding when he saw Hotspurr, then we thought he'd had a deprived kittenhood and never learned to play, but now he is collecting ALL THE MICE and hoarding them in the chair that used to be Hotspurr's, and skittering around chasing them. He still doesn't really understand the point of the laser pointer, but he may yet catch on. It's been a long while since we had two cats at once, and - they actually learn from each other! They also (perhaps inadvertently) team up to make fixing dinner very difficult if they haven't had theirs yet. Twice the underfoot I am used to, half of it blending with the black and white rug.

Comments

[philomytha]

*grin*
My thoughts exactly. A tale of the Cetagandan war, about Piotr and Olivia and their network of fighters and life in an occupied country. It would probably be a shade darker than most of the rest of the series, but I'm sure there must be funny things to write about too.

[hedda62]

I'm sure she could hit that balance just right. *sends urgings in her direction*

[mmegaera]

Now that would be interesting. Just as soon as Lois goes off and writes the second half of CryoBurn I think she should start that one [wry g].

[hedda62]

I'd like the sequel to Cryoburn very much - and then equally I would not like it, because ow ow ow.

[mmegaera]

I just hate the idea of Miles being stuck in the limbo of grief for all eternity (at least from our POV). I remember my state of mind just after I found out my father had died almost 21 years ago (eep), and I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even a fictional character.

I want to see Miles recover from his father's death and learn how to be happy as Count Vorkosigan. Then I'll be pleased to let him go and have a nice uneventful rest of his life [g].

[tinny]

Lot of Vs indeed. :D

The xkcd about cold weather is *really* good.