Burning Dreams

Sooooo, garamet, it's finished? Tell us a little about it? A little inside scoop? Pleeeease? The title alone is IMHO exceptionally promising!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743496930/102-1604466-6853727?v=glance&n=283155

Hmm...Burning Dreams....Army Of Darkness vs. Re-Animator....father...guide my sword.

What I can safely tell you at this juncture is that it's due out at the end of July as part of a big hooplah Pocket Books is preparing for the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek. (Yep, it's been 40 years since the pilot, "The Cage" was aired. Scary, isn't it?)

When he asked me to write it, Marco Palmieri said "I want the definitive Christopher Pike novel."

So I started when Chris was a nine-year-old kid and went from there beyond the final scene of "Menagerie." Got to explore what drives him as a character, why he joined Starfleet, how he comported himself as a young officer working his way up to command, why he felt he always had to be better than his best.

Not that I can look at it objectively, but I'd say it's a good mix of action with character development and romance. The underlying themes, which I can't really discuss without spoilers, are a combination of my thoughts and Marco's.

There's also a lot about Vina. I got to create her backstory pretty much from scratch, which was a lot of fun. I wanted to make her a worthy companion for Pike, not just a pretty little piece of fluff, which was all GR had time for in "The Cage." The actress, Susan Oliver, led an interesting life offscreen, so I pulled some of that for Vina's character.

Also did a little bit of expansion on the Talosians, hints at what caused that war "thousands of centuries ago," and what the future holds for them.

Some of my favorite characters - Spock, Sulu, Mendez - get some nifty scenes, and my original characters ain't half bad either.

I will, of course, value any and all comments once you guys have read it.

You're gonna send me a comp, right?






































Nah, I'll buy it. Your last one was pretty damn good.

Free copies for the WF staff?

Man, this is where I find out who my real friends are, and who's just looking for freebies... j/k

*Grits teeth and shakes head at loss of Army Of Darkness Vs. Re-Animator*

Alright, I'll get Burning Dreams.

But, *waves finger* it had better be the definitive Christopher Pike novel, or I'll......I dunno...cry?

^Oh, I'm sure it's not gonna satisfy everybody. But I gave it my best.

As Tamar and I were discussing in MC, Pike's an elusive character. I took what little we see onscreen and said "Hmm, okay, why is he like that? Why is he an uber-perfectionist who's harder on himself than on anyone else?"

I came up with one plausible answer, which is not to say someone else couldn't come up with a different, even better one.

But it's like I always say - there are no original ideas, just each writer's unique "take" on the old ideas.

Heh, I was just teasin.

I'm sure it's great....like your other ones..*guilty eye flicker..runs to read that mangled copy of strangers in the sky so I have a basis of comparison*.

^Aw, I know.

Me, Trek and the Superbowl all turn 40 this year.


"The Man Trap" aired 17 days before I was born...

That's what I was gunning for

I'm going to re-read my autographed copy as well. (Yes, G, I still have it, from that convention in Asheville!)

Can't wait...Can't wait....Can't wait....Can't wait....Can't wait....Can't wait

Just found out Pocket's putting a rush on it so it will be ready for Shore Leave, which is the weekend of July 7-9. So, Tamar, you can now hold your breath for two weeks less.

Our 15th wedding anniversary is July 13th...Sounds like an early gift to me!

*does a happy-dance all over the forum*

Awesome news!!

I've been pestering Marco to let me post the cover art and the jacket blurb, but he needs to wait until it's up on the Simon & Schuster site first.

Did I also mention they're re-releasing Strangers from the Sky? Same text, but with a new cover and an intro from the author.

A good way to snag the collectors, and new fans who might not have read the original, as well as celebrate the 40th Anniversary, and make me some $.

Oh I will.

Can I get it at any book store, or do I need to order it?

There is a Barnes and Noble by my house, and a Borders by my son's school.

If you're impatient like Tamar , you can preorder it from Amazon.

Otherwise, the Trek novels tend to turn up in the chain bookstores as soon as they're released. If you pop in to either of those stores just after the 4th of July, they should start stocking it.

Do burning dreams smell more like an overcooked ham or more like tinfoil in the microwave?

^For $7.99 plus tax, you can find out in July.

So, what luncheon meat did you decide on?

What...not everyone has a countdown in their heads?

$8 and coin, huh?! Is that what paperbacks are going for now?

You remembered -!

Well, since it's about Pike and not Kirk, I can guarantee there's no ham.

(And just disregard that "edited by" up there - I hit the wrong button. )

Yep, but remember, the writer only gets a teensy little percentage of that.

^^Well, that's crappy. Considering the writer is the main event in the publishing industry, their percentage ought not be quite so teensy, or little either. Without writers, the big houses might as well just be makin' TP for their bungholes.

^We're the cannon fodder of the industry.

Then you should all go on strike.

See how fast they panic.

Or get the lawyers.