I sold books at the Amherst Artisan’s Market today. A little blond girl, with her mother and younger sister, stopped by my vendor table and was very taken with the cover illustration on Better Angels: Tour de Force. I did my regular pitch:

I call this “fluffy military space opera”. It’s about a group of non-human biological androids that look like pre-teen girls and act as a magical-girl singing-and-dancing troupe, but they can change up their programming and become a covert military force.

“That sounds fantastic!” the girl said.

“I should tell your mother,” I said, “that although this book doesn’t have adult themes, it does have some violence. The contrast between the Angels being cute little girls and ruthless killers, when they turn on their soldier programming, is what the Japanese call ‘gap-moe’ and is what I was going for as an author.”

“Oh, violence is just fine,” the girl said. “I read that all the time.”

“But do you have ten dollars?” her mother said.

The little girl’s younger sister piped up and said, “She has a HUNDRED DOLLARS.”

“No, she doesn’t,” her mother said.

“But, Mom!” the little girl protested, as her mother dragged her away.

I almost wanted to say, “Sorry, Brunhilde!”