Grumbles from the Grave by Robert A. Heinlein, Virginia Heinlein
Authors: Robert A. Heinlein, Virginia Heinlein
Tags: General, Science-Fiction, Biography & Autobiography, Literary Criticism, Science Fiction & Fantasy, 20th Century, American, Authorship, Language Arts & Disciplines, Authors; American, Literary Collections, Letters, Correspondence, Authors; American - 20th century - Correspondence, Heinlein; Robert A - Correspondence, Science fiction - Authorship
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there will be much tedious work before I can get it down to 20,000 and probably will not finish it until after the picture is finished. I'm working seven days a week and getting six hours of sleep, and I can't speed it up beyond that.
March 6, 1950: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Boys' Life found suspense problem. Scribner's very pleased with book.
April 24, 1950: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I am glad to hear that [ Boys' Life editor] Crump is taking the serial [published in Boy's Life as "Satellite Scout"], since I need every cent I can scrape up for [house] building. Nevertheless, I would turn down his bid of $750 if I could afford to. It occurs to me, however, that, if he had me in a squeeze before. I have him in a squeeze now. He has scheduled it for the August issue; the makeup date must be staring him in the face, particularly as he is ordering a color painting for the cover from [Chesley] Bonestell.
* * *
And please be sure to tell him that I am certainly entitled to as much time to make up my mind whether or not I like his offer as he is to make up his mind whether or not he likes a story that he ordered from me in the first place. And tell him that I am proud, mean, stiff-necked, and that you doubt very much if you can get me to accept a lowered word rate, since I have been known in the past to pass up sales rather than take a cut.
Don't quite let the sale get away from you—but if you can get him on the hook and keep him there, we may be able to squeeze a couple of hundred dollars' worth of blood out of this stone. I don't care whether he gets sore or not; this is my swan song with Crump; sales to him are not worth the trouble and worry.
Don't get yourself in bad with him; blame it all on me.
Even if you have cashed the check already, I hope you will call him up and twist his arm a bit.
April 21, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
. . . The transformation from Farmer in the Sky to "Satellite Scout" [the Boys' Life version] took five drafts and consumed most of six weeks . . . whereupon I was left in suspense while [Crump] made up his mind whether or not he liked my condensation.
BETWEEN PLANETS
(60)
Between Planets was given a working title of The Rolling Stones. Heinlein soon after used The Rolling Stones as the title for another book. Art by Clifford Geary. Scribner's, 1951.
Don's parents suddenly order him to join them on Mars, bringing with him an odd, plastic ring of no apparent value. He leaves his school on Earth for the space station where he's to catch his ship. He meets and befriends a Venus "dragon," Sir Isaac Newton. But his ship is intercepted by Venus, no longer willing to be a mere property of Earth. Willy-nilly, Don is shipped to Venus.
There he finds work washing dishes. Several attempts are made to steal the ring. Then Earth armed forces land and ravage the town. Don joins the Venus army. Much later, he is ordered to report—to Sir Isaac. The dragon needs the ring, which contains the clue to a scientific discovery made secretly on Earth. With it, they can build an ultrafast ship and weapons to force Earth to relinquish control of the planets. Don gets to Mars on that ship—a hero!
January 18, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I am 14,000 words into the new boys' book [ Between Planets ] and the villains are way ahead. The first part always goes slowly; I have to get acquainted with the characters.
March 15, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I've just answered a nite letter from Miss Dalgliesh asking for a synopsis of Between Planets (formerly The Rolling Stones ). [ The Rolling Stones was a working title, later used for another book.] She wants the finished manuscript by the first—I can't make it, by at least a week, but I am pushing night and day.
March 17, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Between Planets is rolling nicely; I expect to finish it by a week from today, or even sooner. However,
March 6, 1950: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Boys' Life found suspense problem. Scribner's very pleased with book.
April 24, 1950: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I am glad to hear that [ Boys' Life editor] Crump is taking the serial [published in Boy's Life as "Satellite Scout"], since I need every cent I can scrape up for [house] building. Nevertheless, I would turn down his bid of $750 if I could afford to. It occurs to me, however, that, if he had me in a squeeze before. I have him in a squeeze now. He has scheduled it for the August issue; the makeup date must be staring him in the face, particularly as he is ordering a color painting for the cover from [Chesley] Bonestell.
* * *
And please be sure to tell him that I am certainly entitled to as much time to make up my mind whether or not I like his offer as he is to make up his mind whether or not he likes a story that he ordered from me in the first place. And tell him that I am proud, mean, stiff-necked, and that you doubt very much if you can get me to accept a lowered word rate, since I have been known in the past to pass up sales rather than take a cut.
Don't quite let the sale get away from you—but if you can get him on the hook and keep him there, we may be able to squeeze a couple of hundred dollars' worth of blood out of this stone. I don't care whether he gets sore or not; this is my swan song with Crump; sales to him are not worth the trouble and worry.
Don't get yourself in bad with him; blame it all on me.
Even if you have cashed the check already, I hope you will call him up and twist his arm a bit.
April 21, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
. . . The transformation from Farmer in the Sky to "Satellite Scout" [the Boys' Life version] took five drafts and consumed most of six weeks . . . whereupon I was left in suspense while [Crump] made up his mind whether or not he liked my condensation.
BETWEEN PLANETS
(60)
Between Planets was given a working title of The Rolling Stones. Heinlein soon after used The Rolling Stones as the title for another book. Art by Clifford Geary. Scribner's, 1951.
Don's parents suddenly order him to join them on Mars, bringing with him an odd, plastic ring of no apparent value. He leaves his school on Earth for the space station where he's to catch his ship. He meets and befriends a Venus "dragon," Sir Isaac Newton. But his ship is intercepted by Venus, no longer willing to be a mere property of Earth. Willy-nilly, Don is shipped to Venus.
There he finds work washing dishes. Several attempts are made to steal the ring. Then Earth armed forces land and ravage the town. Don joins the Venus army. Much later, he is ordered to report—to Sir Isaac. The dragon needs the ring, which contains the clue to a scientific discovery made secretly on Earth. With it, they can build an ultrafast ship and weapons to force Earth to relinquish control of the planets. Don gets to Mars on that ship—a hero!
January 18, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I am 14,000 words into the new boys' book [ Between Planets ] and the villains are way ahead. The first part always goes slowly; I have to get acquainted with the characters.
March 15, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I've just answered a nite letter from Miss Dalgliesh asking for a synopsis of Between Planets (formerly The Rolling Stones ). [ The Rolling Stones was a working title, later used for another book.] She wants the finished manuscript by the first—I can't make it, by at least a week, but I am pushing night and day.
March 17, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Between Planets is rolling nicely; I expect to finish it by a week from today, or even sooner. However,
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