Wonderful story, Reena. Great set up. Engaging and thought-provoking. Enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to reading the other parts. I probably have to read this again and grasp a few more things about this world before starting on the next.
Rob! Thank you. I so appreciate your comments and your taking the time to read this story. I hope you'll read it fully and tell me your reactions and comments.
I am still stuck in my first career and unlikely to ever make writing a second career, but onwards and upwards one and all!
Thank you for sharing this on your substack - I enjoted it very much and will look forward to the next installments.
For me the best things about this:
1 - a sense of intrigue that you create very quickly;
2 - the pace of revelation, which is very satisfying - I was not left too long to know what KNOT meant, but there remain other things yet to be revealed - I still haven't got my head round what KNOT is and how it works.
3 - the dialogue is real and works.
4 - the human interest and conflict is real.
5 - the etymology is fascinating for a westerner with little understanding of Indian cultures (other than the cuisine is a semi permanent fixture in my house, fuelled by my paternal family being part of the last gasp of the Raj and deported back to England from Rawalpindi a few years after partition - so Auntie Pinkie's recipies and Auntie Charmaine's urdu swearing and Auntie Pat's funny stories are a feature in my life.)
Hi Nick. A BIG THANK YOU. That's phenomenal feedback and I am so thrilled that this labor of love is making sense to you.
Also intrigued by your family history. I have close links to India of course but also to Partition because both my parents were refugee children moving from the Pakistan side to India in the aftermath. I've been involved in recording such similar oral histories for a long time. Fascinating to read about that connection...
If it's any encouragement, I'm also on my third career and writing mostly sci-fi and poetry. There is a great Spec Fic community inside Substack. It's never too late to learn, to try something new, and to find happiness in doing what you love. All power to your pen!
Thank you Johnathan! Appreciate that and agree — it’s wonderful to have the opportunity in one lifetime to do all this. I’m learning so much every day - that alone charges me up. And the community has been amazing. All the best to you too.
I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to the middle and the end. For most of my life, I didn’t read sci-fi, but in the last 10 years, it has snuck onto my reading lists! I’m not sure why. Maybe I find it more applicable than I did. Thank you!
Thank you so much Emily!! So glad to hear you liked it and it makes you want to read more. Made my day.
I know what you mean by sci-fi. I have not thought of myself as someone who enjoys it but I loved BladeRunner (who doesn't), Dune (book and movies) and The Expanse (TV series) and then I had this idea for a love story that just had to be written down and I was writing this story that only fit in this genre. So here we are! Who knew? I guess a good human story gets us all, genre notwithstanding.
ps. If you get a chance read "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury (a short story) - you will love it...
Thanks for the recommendation! Yes, that's what I love (and is also sometimes scary) about writing - you're never sure what's going to show up. I can certainly identify with writing as a third career as well:)
Wonderful story, Reena. Great set up. Engaging and thought-provoking. Enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to reading the other parts. I probably have to read this again and grasp a few more things about this world before starting on the next.
Rob! Thank you. I so appreciate your comments and your taking the time to read this story. I hope you'll read it fully and tell me your reactions and comments.
Hi Reena.
I am still stuck in my first career and unlikely to ever make writing a second career, but onwards and upwards one and all!
Thank you for sharing this on your substack - I enjoted it very much and will look forward to the next installments.
For me the best things about this:
1 - a sense of intrigue that you create very quickly;
2 - the pace of revelation, which is very satisfying - I was not left too long to know what KNOT meant, but there remain other things yet to be revealed - I still haven't got my head round what KNOT is and how it works.
3 - the dialogue is real and works.
4 - the human interest and conflict is real.
5 - the etymology is fascinating for a westerner with little understanding of Indian cultures (other than the cuisine is a semi permanent fixture in my house, fuelled by my paternal family being part of the last gasp of the Raj and deported back to England from Rawalpindi a few years after partition - so Auntie Pinkie's recipies and Auntie Charmaine's urdu swearing and Auntie Pat's funny stories are a feature in my life.)
Hi Nick. A BIG THANK YOU. That's phenomenal feedback and I am so thrilled that this labor of love is making sense to you.
Also intrigued by your family history. I have close links to India of course but also to Partition because both my parents were refugee children moving from the Pakistan side to India in the aftermath. I've been involved in recording such similar oral histories for a long time. Fascinating to read about that connection...
If it's any encouragement, I'm also on my third career and writing mostly sci-fi and poetry. There is a great Spec Fic community inside Substack. It's never too late to learn, to try something new, and to find happiness in doing what you love. All power to your pen!
Thank you Johnathan! Appreciate that and agree — it’s wonderful to have the opportunity in one lifetime to do all this. I’m learning so much every day - that alone charges me up. And the community has been amazing. All the best to you too.
I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to the middle and the end. For most of my life, I didn’t read sci-fi, but in the last 10 years, it has snuck onto my reading lists! I’m not sure why. Maybe I find it more applicable than I did. Thank you!
Thank you so much Emily!! So glad to hear you liked it and it makes you want to read more. Made my day.
I know what you mean by sci-fi. I have not thought of myself as someone who enjoys it but I loved BladeRunner (who doesn't), Dune (book and movies) and The Expanse (TV series) and then I had this idea for a love story that just had to be written down and I was writing this story that only fit in this genre. So here we are! Who knew? I guess a good human story gets us all, genre notwithstanding.
ps. If you get a chance read "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury (a short story) - you will love it...
Thanks for the recommendation! Yes, that's what I love (and is also sometimes scary) about writing - you're never sure what's going to show up. I can certainly identify with writing as a third career as well:)