Episode 16 ("Game Change") of Thieves' Honor is up at Ray Gun Revival, and it's a short, quite condensed chapter of the ongoing story of Captain Kristoff, the crew of the Martina Vega, and their various enemies and almost-friends. After reading it, leave a comment at the end, if you'd like.

This serial continues to be a literary experiment, which means it's sometimes a bumpy ride for author and readers alike, but the roughest roads can lead to the most memorable adventures.

In my childhood, my father was the master of the long cut. Many a shortcut he took ended up being the wrong way, the long way around, or a dead end. But he also took us on Sunday drives, after-supper evening drives, weekend drives. A family without a television, we read a lot of books, listened to radio programs, and spent a lot of time outdoors. Those drives were a form of exploring, of being away.

Sometimes they were quiet, uneventful. Sometimes a little too exciting, such as the time Dad swore a rutted and bumpy dirt road was safe, and almost immediately afterward came a scraping thunk as the car became high-centered on a rock sticking up between the ruts. We all had to pile out while Mom freaked and Dad worked to extricate the vehicle without puncturing any of its vital parts.

To add to the, ahem, excitement, the incident happened at dusk, and we were losing light fast.

See? Rough roads = memories. ;)

My hope is that the memories from this literary road are useful -- never drive a low-slung car on a deeply-rutted road, for instance, and never leave a character lingering in a forgotten plot hole -- as well as amusing.