Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Excited.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: This afternoon I have the privilege of attending a PEN event in Rochester. Umberto Eco and Salman Rushdie are both reading their work. I happened across the announcement as soon as it was released and was able to get tickets.
CALLIOPE: Are you a big fan of either?
JOE: I tried reading The Satanic Verses a while ago and had trouble making sense of it. Eco's book Name of the Rose was one of my favorites. His more recent book, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana was, well, mysterious. I liked parts of it but other parts eluded me.
CALLIOPE: Why do you think you had the mixed reactions?
JOE: I think I like to read more straightforward work. I like to be able to follow plot and character development rather than having pieces of a jigsaw puzzle laid in front of me which I have to piece together to make sense of a book.
CALLIOPE: Good way to put it. Do you write straightforwardly as well?
JOE: I try to. I must admit a few forays into more speculative fiction such as my short story, A Piecemeal Kingdom.
CALLIOPE: I forgot about that story. Is it posted somewhere.
JOE: You can find it http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewshortstory.asp?AuthorID=66681&id=29856.
CALLIOPE: Quite a mouthful.
JOE: Not everyone can link directly. So that's the whole ID. It's easier than sending it to everyone who wants to see it.
CALLIOPE: With all your excitement, are you getting some work done?
JOE: Yes. I revised several chapters of Marital Property yesterday and plan to work some more on it today before heading off to Rochester. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Bas relief- Santillana, Spain)