Last weekend, the wife and I went to Quebec City for three days to celebrate our anniversary (21 years!), recharge our batteries, and plan out some new stories together. We stayed at a nice hotel in the old city, went to the German Christmas Market and did some shopping, ate fantastic meals, and generally had a wonderful time in one of the most beautiful places on the continent.
We came back with detailed outlines for five books–a brand new science fiction trilogy and two more Frontlines: Evolution installments–so I’d say the mission was an unqualified success. It was great to be able to bounce new ideas off each other away from the distractions and interruptions of our regular everyday lives. I think we’ll make these planning sessions a regular event from now on.
Oh, and Quebec City is amazing. This was my third time there and I’ve enjoyed every minute of every trip. It’s the city that has the most European feel of any place I’ve visited in North America. The people are uniformly friendly and very forgiving of my lousy French, the food is stellar, and it’s great to be able to make an international trip by car instead of having to put up with holiday season airline travel. It’s just a five-hour drive from our place, and we had all the advantages of being able to haul our own stuff and take back food and souvenirs without having to worry about space or luggage allowances.
Great news being able to recharge and relax. I’m excited for the new series.
Still a little sad that Palladium Wars did do better for you.
Congratulations on your anniversary.
Quebec City: I invaded there once. It was the 200th anniversary of the Arnold Expedition to take Quebec for the American Revolution, part of Bicentennial reenactments. We started in coastal Maine, 2 weeks away from college. The typical day was get up, break camp, throw our stuff into Maine National Guard 2 1/2t trucks, drive to the next town. Set up camp, change into colonial clothes. Stage a small mock battle, then dinner at the Masonic Lodge and open bar at the VFW 🙂
When we got to Quebec City, we stayed in the armory, staged a huge mock battle on the Plains of Abraham, and got the run of the town. There was a double-decker bus that ran from the armory to a brewery tasting room, and that was “sufficient” for some of us. The rest of us enjoyed visiting the city.
Sounds like a well deserved and productive vacation.
Hope these new books will still allow you to do Palladium “E”.
A new trilogy sounds wonderful.