“Hmm… Maybe I’m playing this wrong,” Gordon suggested. “Are you up to a little eyelash fluttering and coy smiles? Pour the feminine charm on and get the fellow to babble everything?”
“Probably not,” Lee said. “I suspect my efforts might make Gabriel rupture something from the spasms of laughter, not babble secrets. I’ll keep that in mind as a needed skill set.”
“Yeah, you probably need to start learning that stuff at about four years old,” Gordon admitted.
“If we see each other again I’ll just ask,” Lee decided. “I think he’s admire the forthrightness far more than any social wiles I can fake this late in the game.”
Gordon nodded. “Your right. He’s seem plenty of the other in a century. You’re interesting because you’re different, not the same.”
“This is scary, but I actually understand that,” Lee said surprised. “I can even see how to cultivate it and use it. Which means I’m getting socialized, but not by becoming more like them.”
“Whatever works,” Gordon said, shrugging.
“No really, because I want to get along with people, but I haven’t had any desire to become like them. It’s encouraging. I know it’s possible now.”
“Call him up if you want,” Gordon said, making an effort to seem indifferent. “Since it’s atypical social behavior he’ll probably like it.”
“Is it really? Why’s it atypical?” Lee asked.
“I’m not sure. But if you watch enough old video you’ll see that the social convention is that the female waits on the male to call her.” He screwed his nose up and had that – thinking about it hard – look again. “I’m embarrassed to say I never questioned it, because Derf do the same thing to a large degree.”
“That seems silly,” Lee decided. “If I want to call him I shall,” she decided.
Gordon said nothing.
Please stop this torture. Each snippet makes me even more impatient for the full novel.
PS: Gabriel and secrets, wasn’t that a thing in April #5 and #6?
I enjoy the snippets. Do keep us informed on the publication schedule, please.
Wow that was quick. I was surprised to learn you are going to merge/consolidate both your series into the same universe. While I can see it as possible it’s surprising since I would have expected the Lunar Republic to have more affiliated colonies.
I used to think the F.L. series was merely a few hundred years later than the Aprice series.
However, there’s no sign that the weapons used in the April series are even known in the F.L. series, and it’s pretty hard the get around that. The gravity needle would be much longer range than the peashooter. The battery/explosive would be very useful. No pure fusion weapons until the catapillers show up. No hand lasers.
I don’t see how the universes could be joined w/o the complete destruction of Home, Central, the lunar designers of the battery, and all the people in the know.
I agree that sometimes merging series is a mistake, introducing certain plot straightjackets and logical discrepencies. I will wait and see, but my initial reaction is that April and Family Law have the possiblity of being such a case. It depends on the finesse of the author whether it can be pulled off. Like I said, I will wait and see.