Personal note; thank you... I very much appreciate all your comments about Holt's "It's the Oil!" hypothesis; thank you for posting them. I still don't have a solid opinion about it. I find the re-framing extraordinarily plausible, in spite of the sensible objections that have been raised in some of your comments; but I am so horrified by its implications, if it's valid, that I'd almost rather stay with the hypothesis that the Iraq War is nothing more than a totally disorganized unplanned incompetent chaotic mess. I also find it hard to believe that if it's a valid hypothesis there haven't been substantial leaks over the past few years that would have put it front and center on the tv news networks long ago. I went googling for more opinions, and clicked on a lot of links; over and over, all I found was a re-posting of the article, but no discussion. If any of you can point me to a blog or a website where there is a discussion, I'd be pleased to have the information.
I also thank you for the very useful comments you've sent me in response to the most recent cyberdragon interview. You've convinced me that I wrote this interview way too fast and that I didn't put it through enough revision drafts; I will be more careful next time. And you've pointed out to me several specific flaws that I hadn't been aware of, and that I'll try to fix before posting anything more from this set. I'm grateful for your help.
Personal note; Barnes & Noble book update... There has been a development in the ongoing saga of The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense -- the first book in the GAVSD series, and the one that you've been helping me keep track of. My agent called last night to tell me that Barnes & Noble definitely wants to do a revised second edition, and that final details will be coming my way in a few days.
Now I know from long experience that no deal is final until the contracts are signed by all parties involved. And I know that even then the deal sometimes isn't final. [Ask any writer who's had a contract with a publisher that went bankrupt or a publisher that was swallowed up by a bigger publisher, or any writer whose editor on a contract has moved on to some other publisher.] Chickens, my friends, I most definitely do not count until they're hatched.
But things look good at this point; it's encouraging. I'm encouraged enough to be actively trying to figure out where in my work schedule I can put this new project...