2020 was a year.
I had cancer. Jane had to take care of me, when she was due for a hip replacement, so that had to wait, since I had the prize of the year. I came out of it all pretty well except the chemo—which took all summer. Fall, she was finally going to get that hip taken care of (she was in mortal pain) and I was finally able to drive again—good thing, because in the middle of a snowstorm at 3 am, she came down with acute gut pain and I had to get her to the 24 hour clinic. They sent me home finally and sent her off in an ambulance to be operated on at dawn—gallbladder removal. I went to wait for her and take her home (all this mid-Covid, mind, so I’m masked and trying to stay far away from anyone—chemo flattens your immune system)—we did get every shot offered— Well, she had incisions, but they were able to go for the new hip anyway. Which is kind of neat: the gallbladder and the hip replacement were both fairly well—in at dawn, and out by three, go home, bye! But you don’t walk well for about 6 weeks. We got through all that, but between chemo and all, I was not able to write, she was not able to write, and that was 2021—we got Alliance ready to go, but were unable to do the final edit on it, so IT fell out of time—and then she had her second replacement. And became my job to take care of her for a while. No energy. We finally, in 2022 felt well enough to go to a con and try to get back in the swing of things—and caught the crud (not Covid) which knocked us flat for a month, missed the Alliance book deadline, and recovered, in time to work on the next Foreigner book—so THAT has come off on time, and now we are working on Alliance again. But meanwhile I went in for hip replacement, having a similar problem—that went well, and I was able to keep working. Am now headed for the second one in a few weeks. But I am able to work—as is Jane—we are finally out from under the cloud that descended on us both in 2020, and are getting books done. Alliance will come. First time I’ve ever failed a deadline, but it will come. Defiance, the new Bren book, is ready. So it’s been a long couple of years, but we are emerging in good shape. My oncologist is happy—doesn’t want to see me this quarter, putting it off until fall, and I’m finding out what pain-free is like on the hip they fixed. All in all good news and I am so sorry to have left you all in the lurch. I just didn’t have the brain or the heart for too much correspondence for a while, because I was soooooooooo behind. But that’s the story! Hope you all are ok—I’ve been living in a cave for so long I have lost touch totally. We are thinking of going to Miscon in Missoula this spring. I’ll be walking again by then. And that’s what I know.
A CJ update (pre-date?) from about an hour ago on her FaceBook page:
“Well, tomorrow’s hip #2 day. Which I assume I am going to be on time for—it’s been a game of musical chairs trying to pin down when I should show up at the hospital, but I’ll take my doc’s word as knowing better than the hospital admissions person does. I’ll show up at HIS time.
No glass of wine this evening, alas. I’m strictly on coffee and water.”
And CJ’s Facebook post from … “23 hrs ago;”
“I’M BAAACK!
ran into a schedule snag—hospital schedule vs doc’s, and went in at 10:30 for setup, but didn’t get procedure (hip replacement) until about 2:30 pm, and out (yay!) and home (double yay!) with sandwich and cuppa joe by 8:58 pm. Procedure went well, new hip is going to be less rehab than other one. All good, wonderful hospital, wonderful doc, no pain to speak of, good pain pills and just a little stupid for a couple of weeks—but I walked out of the garage, 30 feet to door, up step, through mudroom, up 3 steps, through kitchen to living room and my lift chair which Jane had set at ‘up’ so it was a smooth set-down and my telly, my chair, my kitty, my supper. Feeling no pain whatsoever. Thank you all for the well-wishes and good offices—love you guys! I won’t enroll in ballet or reprise my skating career, but I’ll be up and doing basic stuff in short order. —luv, cj.”
That’s fabulous! “Aging ain’t for sissies”, along with all the corollaries
I had to be there before 8am for a 1pm procedure. They didn’t get around to blood sample until 11am, by which time i was nicely dehydrated…
Glad to hear the hip surgery went well.
Just had a realization. CJ has to write at least one more Foreigner book. There are currently 21 books in the series, which means the new one will be #22, a VERY INFELICITOUS number. One more after that would be #23, a much more felicitous number. Just saying, dear salads.
Excellently reasoned! I concur.
Haven’t the Foreigner books always come in threes?
Remember the list of suggested titles? Enough titles for them to come by the gross. (144 for those overly metricized. 😉 A dozen dozens.)
That means we need to have at least two ShejiCons as well (numbers 6 and 7).
I would love to attend a ShejiCon, but the salads may have to organize one themselves, rather than hoping CJ and Jane will be able to host as previously. Our Gracious Hostesses may not be up to more than being guests of honor for some time to come.
I’ve just finished re-re-reading the last half dozen or so Foreigner books, and it is certainly high time we had another. However the ongoing problem with series is that each new title must figure a way of recapitulating what has gone before to make things clear to new readers and remind old readers. In a long series you can wade through a lot of history before you get to a point where the plot is moving forwarder. There are many narrative tricks to get around this “story sludge” and CJ and Jane know them all, but still…
They recapitulate the results of the last book, mostly.
“And another update from CJ via her Facebook page a day ago:
Got the staples out today at PT! a day early….it just looked like time. Fast healing, this. Proceeded from the leg lift (from knee) apparatus to the reclining push-plate exercise. No problems.
I’m walking about the house without the cane most times. I use it late at night or where I’m doing something like feeding the fish, which takes me into a narrow nook between chair and fireplace. But whereas the last hip surgery offered great difficulty getting the new-hip side to move my foot from a dead start—I’d had to give it a few seconds before starting to walk. This side—start of motion is effortless, even thoughtless. I just walk, and both sides work without further ado. Curious. But the first one was my worse hip, and there may have been a neurological hitch that just doesn’t exist with this side. Still a little ouchy, having a heckuva allergy attack at nights—we’re trying to figure what—that has me coughing so I can’t rest in my room. Sleeping out in the living room, doing fine with that.”
CJ may like this: a Wordstar clone for Windows, Mac and…
http://wordtsar.ca/
Koi in a stream, with maple leaves. 25 seconds.
https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_r71hzcuywb1vs6299.mp4
That is very pretty!
Oooh, very expensive fishies! I like other colors too, but I must saw those yellows really catch the eye. The maple leaves add much to the Japanese esthetic, making it very artful.
Yes, gorgeous koi & Japanese maple leaves artistically captured! That’s a jam-packed koi pond—must need a large filtration system.
The new Foreigner book Defiance will be out in October!
https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/defiance-9780756415907/
Won’t that be a welcome read!
CJ and Jane, we hope your anniversary was splendid!
Hmmm… DD just reposted an alignment chart for your characters on her Tumblr. Trying to decide how well it checks out 😀
I have started going through the series again in preparation for the new book in October. Really looking forward to more coastal / southern plains things given I’m in the first trilogy at the moment. Mospheria and the meat preservation industry was some where in the area with the Neisbi it was implied in the very first book. Also the first real appearance of Talidi province home of Banichi?
I’m hoping for more on Talidi province, which I spotted years/volumes ago was where Banichi originated too. I’d like to know more of his background, although I’m certain he would prefer it kept private .
He is a very secretive salad
I just saw this on Jennifer Crusie’s blog and thought people here might be interested: there’s a very good deal on the Martha Wells’ Murderbot audiobooks, ending in a bit more than a day from now.
MURDERBOT…
HumbleBundle has 1 through 6 (not including HOME) in audio format (along with other works): “Pay at least $20 for these 20 items”. It looks like the offer ends on Sunday. The bundle supports The National Coalition Against Censorship and you can adjust how your money is spent.
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/marthawells-agriddle-and-more-audiobooks-books
I’m rereading 2001’s “Hammerfall”.