Many have asked if there are plans for a Flying Cloud book. This is certainly possible. And to paraphrase the famous Monty Python Flying Sheep Sketch, it’s a fair question and one that in recent weeks has been much on my mind.
The online saga will always take first priority, because so many mysteries remain and because it’s such a terrific amount of fun. But a book could be rather cool. So the question becomes, would you Noble Readers be interested in such a thing? Would you prefer electronic format, a printed version, or something more appropriate to the era, such as newsprint or a wire recording? And what additional material would you like to see? (Well, I suppose that’s three questions, but members of my tribe have never been known for their mathematical skills.)
There’s a fair bit of supporting material around, which I wrote this to provide background, but which didn’t fit into the 1930’s-cliffhanger style of the online saga. I’ve slipped some of this into the About pages, but the rest, which ranges from brief snippets of conversation to a full-fledged subplot or two, languishes in obscurity. So it could be fun to incorporate this into a print version.
If you have strong feelings one way or another, feel free to comment here or post your views on the Forum. And for that hypothetical movie version, who would you pick for the cast? I don’t think Angelina Jolie would be quite right for Sarah, but… oh dear, I wish I hadn’t thought of this… Helga?
Due to tight and sometimes precarious living conditions, and the availability of almost everything readable either on the internet or in the library, I have probably bought the last book I will ever own. Unless you actually do get published, in which case, I’ll surely purchase a copy!
Looking over the selection at my local B&N, on the way to the Starbucks in the back, I’d say that being published isn’t the honor it used to be. I could go on at some length about how the print media has missed the boat, trying to compete with the tabloid press and the misinformation provided by the internet, instead of reclaiming the ethical and tasteful high ground it once occupied, but I think we’ve been there enough.
However, there is still some satisfaction to be had in holding the physical representation of one’s creation in your hands, not to mention that first royalty check, so you have to judge just how much that is worth to you.
Whatever your decision, good luck!
I’ll take two!