When Is "Slow" Good?

The Read:  Slow food has become a popular cause among "foodies".  (Turns out I've been a practitioner for my life since I'm too cheap to buy the packaged stuff.)  However, Cinda Williams Chima's book, Warrior's Heir, had me squirming in my seat  -- sort of wanting her to get on with it or wondering if I should go read another book.  (Four wonderful prospects are sitting at my elbow as I read.)

Hey, I don't mean that the book is bad; it's ... just ... slow.  I'm only 150 pages into it, and the main plot about the serious conflict with the Weir (ware, for aware?) establishment is now rolling along.  The first 100 pages mainly set up the situation and the high school characters.  Grounding in a real world is important so your story is believable.  While Chima does a good job of setting up a former girlfriend choosing the bully who picks on the MC (and others) as a subplot (and I assume it will come into play later in the book), the ... book ... is ... slow.  --  Actually, I think having conflict in two parts of a hero's life a nice idea.

Guess I'm not much for appetizers, but I'll keep reading.

Realms of Fantasy:  Found a copy at the B&N yesterday.  So, Chima has more than normal competition for my time.

Blogs of Note:  On Saturdays, I take it easy ... catch up on dangling ends ... have a little fun.  Then, Justine Musk comes along with another blog that makes me think:  http://tribalwriter.com/2010/03/13.  It's all about 5 ways to use minor characters to add depth and clarity to your protagonist.  Not only do I like her books, but she's very generous in sharing her craft skills.

One benefit for doing a blog:  I find I'm finding my typos faster.

Progress:  Emma is printed and shelved until I can figure out what I want to do with the query.  The old query is still out to most of the agents I sent the trial balloon too.  

One of whom I believe doesn't respond if it's a rejection.  (In such cases, I think the agency should have one of those automatic responder thingies that tell you they got the query.  Then, if you don't hear from them, you just write it off as another rejection.)

Maren.  I'm struggling to get out of the first two chapters.  Problem?  I know what I want it to read like, and it doesn't.  --  Yeah, I know I should just go ahead and write the next chapters even if they sound/feel/read like outlines.

Trivia:  We have another good day before the storm:  "Springtime in the Rockies".  We're going to a regional museum today ... and out for lunch again.  (I'll do anything to avoid the polenta in the fridge.) --  Lunch:  the restaurant had their Spring Fest so the German genes not only got a cabbage fix but more than enough umm-pah-pah.)

The museum exhibit in Loveland (for those of you in Northern Colorado) blew my mind, especially Susan Wechsler's mosaics.   (Yes, we visited the bookstores too ... and I bought.)