It's taken more than a year, but "Sleeping Beauty" is finally posted at The Bright Empire:

brantley.ubergirls.org/Storie...ty.html

It's a sequel to "Mundane Secrets of the Yo Yo Brotherhood," a sequel I’d never intended to write. But when Ed Howdershelt read "Yo Yo," he was upset that I'd left the fate of Charmin hanging. "Finish the damn story." he told me.

So I began, wrote the first draft of the prologue. That was in December 2002, but my priority was "Throne of the Gods," and I had to finish that first. I took up the new story again in late February 2003. By then, I had made the virtual acquaintance of Evelyn Y, a one-time collaborator of Shadar's who was willing to collaborate with me but didn't have time to write more than the first draft of one scene. Still, she influenced the story profoundly. She gave Alex his first name, and her one scene implied some of the details about his ship's environment that I made explicit. The shopping spree was entirely her idea, and led me to solicit ideas for that from members of the Abintra Universe Readers Group.

But I hit a dead end when I got to the point where Alex and Charmin encountered Perry the Rodent on Adara Station. It would have been easy enough to have Alex and Charmin "clean up the town," as in some old formula B western. But Adara Station was a pretty big place to clean up, even for a Velorian. Besides, the background of the story involved too many social and political complications. I could see no way out or round or through. Months passed.

Then Shadar made a casual remark about the Vendorians. I'd heard about Vendor, the legendary planet of steelmakers and weapons makers that had been destroyed by the Arions. I'd even heard about the Frau'lisets, their android defenders. But I'd always believed that they were extinct. Oh no, said Shadar, in response to a query about the manufacture of Vendorian steel, they're still out there, a bunch of industrial gypsies roaming from system to system.

Eureka! Suddenly the path was open before me, and I could see where it led, right to the end. Ideas kept coming, not only about the Vendorians and the Vauld (a term Shadar coined on the spot) but other aspects of the story. I finished it in only a few weeks.

Also new at TBE, under Rants and Ramblings, is an appreciation of Lisa J., one of the best science fiction and fantasy writers around. Not just here. Anywhere.

--Brantley Thompson Elkins

And, after eight months, we have a 14th member again. Welcome Tommy!

I really hope that something can be done to make this tribe more active, and worth the while of you and the rest of the members. Perhaps you have some ideas.

A lot has happened at the Aurora Universe since last year. For one thing,. the Aurora Universe Writers Group has its original name back, and a new URL:

aurorawritersgroup.tripod.com/

Therr have been major new stories, such as McCLOUD'S DAUGHTERS and EARTH 2050 at Shadar's site (Aurora Universe: Other Worlds) and SLEEPING BEAUTY and TWINS at mine (The Bright Empire). Rob had taken a vignette of mine, THE MISSION, and turned it into a serial, also at TBE. Tarot Barnes (Alternate Histories) wrote "Beginnings," an origin story for the AU that's so good he's put it up for sale at ebookad.com. And AK (Julie of Velor) keeps coming up with new episodes in her serials.

You don't want to miss any of this. Just click on the AUWG link (or cut and paste it, should it fail to show up live in thid message. It's your passport to a universe of some really excellent writing that's provocative in more ways than one.

--Brantley Thompson Elkins

brantley.ubergirls.org