Hope everyone had a good Christmas. I had. Spent time with family and friends. Ate too much food, too many cookies. There are only a few days left in the old year and then it is 2008. Hard to believe. Where has time gone? I can still remember waiting for the year 2000, a new century, and here we are, way into this new century. Will it be better than the last? So far not much has changed. We still argue which religion is the right one, people still get killed over it. You'd think religious people would love each other, because that's what religion is supposed to be. To worship a supreme being who loves everyone. That means Everyone, not matter what they believe. Any supreme being or God who condemns human beings who worship a god by a different name is in my mind not a true god but an impostor. A nobody. Not a supreme being. Period. A god who rewards his (her) worshipers for murdering innocent beings in his name is not a god. If you call yourself a Christian, Jew, Muslim, or belong to any other of the many religions on this planet and you are so narrow-minded that you can't love or at least tolerate others no matter what they believe or look like, you are not a true believer. I'm sure everyone heard this one: No Atheist has ever murdered anyone over what they believe. What does that say for religion? Not much. I'm not a atheist, but I'm not a religious fanatic either. I try to be open-minded about everything and I feel comfortable with what I believe. Live and let live. Find the positive side of a person, not the negative. Nobody is perfect. Of course, there are a lot of jerks and evil people out there. One only has to watch the news every night. Murders, break-ins, robberies. Like I said: Nothing has changed. I don't think much will change in the future. We might discover new things, new toys, new inventions, maybe even manage to go into space, but unless humanity evolves, we will go our merry old way. Maybe even destroy this planet in the process. We're killing off who knows how many plants and animal species every day by polluting the air, the water and the land, by cutting down the trees that give us clean air, by destroying the marshes that filter the water we need to survive. Our governments talk about the clean environment, but don't do more than talk about it. What we need are changes now, not in ten or twenty years. We need cars that don't pollute the air now. It will take at least ten years until the majority of people drive cars that don't spew poisonous gases into the air. But I'm afraid the big oil companies won't allow that. Money is more important than the survival of the human race (or the other living beings we share this world with). The attitude of big business is: Who cares what happens after we're gone. Who cares about the next generations! Let them clean up the mess we leave behind. Pretty sad.
Ah, I got carried away. I should stick to writing my stories, at least there I have some control of what happens.
Stardogs has slipped to number 7, but my other books are still hovering at their positions in sales at Fiction Wise. Book 3 of 'The Xandra', 'Goddess of Light', had slipped to number 85, but is back up now to 65. Not good, but promising. Book 1 and 2 are at 24 and 22. So I hope the people who bought the first two will buy the third one and move it up in sales.
Should this be my last entry this year I wish everyone who comes to visit my blog a Great New Year and may you find peace and happiness in everything you do. Don't forget to come back next year and check out how I'm doing. I have a number of books coming out from Midnight Showcase and hope to sell a lot of books, but without readers no book sales. So keep on reading.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Christmas
Well, it is Christmas today. I have a few minutes before our children come. We celebrate Christmas Eve the way it is celebrated in Germany. We'll be eating Ham and other goodies. And, of course, we open presents.
I managed to finish 'Orola, Warrior Priestess' and sent it in to Midnight Showcase. I probably won't get a response until after the New Year. I wanted to finish all the old stuff, so I can begin the year 2008 with something new. I went back to my novel 'Tarnished Valor' and I started the outlines for the next chapters. I'm up to Chapter 30 now and about 90,000 words. Still a long way to go until it is finished, but I've been getting some good ideas. I needed this break and do some other stuff before I continued with this novel. To get all of the stories featuring Orola re-written and edited has been on my mind for a long time. Now it is finally done and won't bug me anymore. There are actually 7 stories in that volume. 82,000 words in total. All of them are connected, but can be read alone.
Anyone reading this blog have a Merry Christmas or Season's Greetings to you, in case you don't celebrate Christmas.
I managed to finish 'Orola, Warrior Priestess' and sent it in to Midnight Showcase. I probably won't get a response until after the New Year. I wanted to finish all the old stuff, so I can begin the year 2008 with something new. I went back to my novel 'Tarnished Valor' and I started the outlines for the next chapters. I'm up to Chapter 30 now and about 90,000 words. Still a long way to go until it is finished, but I've been getting some good ideas. I needed this break and do some other stuff before I continued with this novel. To get all of the stories featuring Orola re-written and edited has been on my mind for a long time. Now it is finally done and won't bug me anymore. There are actually 7 stories in that volume. 82,000 words in total. All of them are connected, but can be read alone.
Anyone reading this blog have a Merry Christmas or Season's Greetings to you, in case you don't celebrate Christmas.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Musings
There is always something that dampens your happiness. Stardogs received ratings from 4 readers. One finds it good, one okay but two readers think it is POOR. That hurts, but it is one of the facts we as writers have to deal with. Sadly, negative comments always seem to be dominant and made public. It is evident when you see people demonstrating. Those are all the people who are not happy with a certain situation (I’ve always wondered if those people do have a job. How do they find the time to walk around for days on end sometimes? Do they take holidays for those events? I’d rather spend my time lying on a beach or just sitting home and enjoying life by reading or, in my case, writing). People, who are happy and satisfied with things, don’t walk around shouting it to the world. I guess, that is the same with books, not many people will take the time and let others know that they liked the book. It is too bad in a way. It would be nice to hear from satisfied readers.
Here is something I didn’t know, but apparently, there are some people out there who make it a point to buy a book so they can give it a ‘poor’ rating. They are called ‘trolls’. Who knows, they may not even read the book to find out. Who knows why they do it? Some people find only happiness if they can inflict pain on others. And believe me, getting a bad rating is painful. (Am I venting? Is this possibly sour grapes?)
I’m not saying a reader shouldn’t make his feelings known. Unfortunately, we’ll never know why they didn’t like the book. They never say. Maybe they didn’t like the story. Perhaps there wasn’t enough sex in it. These days, a lot of readers love those explicit words and they find it boring if the story doesn’t contain them. I don’t like using explicit words and if I do, very sparingly. The words have to fit the character. I don’t write a story for the sake of the sexual content, as I said before, the erotica is part of the story, but it is the story that is important to me. I won’t use explicit words just because it is the thing to do. I write erotica, not pornography. There is a difference, even if some people don’t acknowledge that.
My novel ‘Tainted Valor’ has only a few erotic scenes in it and they are kept short and not as detailed as the ones in my other stories. I might just have come to the end of wanting to write erotica. Maybe I’m getting too old for that. That sense of excitement and wickedness isn’t there anymore. Maybe I just wrote too many sexual scenes and it is becoming harder to write them without repeating myself over and over. Who knows.
I just sent my finished novel ‘Orion -- Symbiont of Passion’ to Midnight Showcase for possible publication. It is 56,000+ words long and just a perfect length for an ebook. It has, of course, a lot of erotica in it. That is because I wrote the original story years ago. I rewrote parts of it and edited it for publication. When you write just for the fun of it, you don’t really worry about consistencies in the story or grammar, spelling and punctuation, or even using the correct words sometimes. That changes when you’d like to have the story published. There are many readers who, instead of just enjoying the story, will tear it apart. If they find errors in it they will happily give it, dare I say it? A POOR rating! Ah, just writing it hurts.
I admit I do sometimes have problems with punctuation. I think every writer struggles with that. Spelling is not a problem anymore because of the spell check every writing program has built into the computer, but grammar is. You can’t rely on your spell checker for grammar. In addition, I get red-flagged every time I use for instance the word ‘stewardess’. I’ll get a message telling me I am ‘gender-specific’, suggesting I use ‘flight attendant’. Sorry, I don’t want to use flight attendant; I want to use ‘stewardess’. Damn it. I don’t believe in all this ‘politically correct’ thing. I don’t want to be forced to write in a style or way that is false in the first place. That is why we have all of these words in our language. Use them or loose them, for heaven’s sake! I’m not going to write: He flirted with the ‘server’, instead of ’barmaid’. My character is not gay, not in my stories. I need to make it clear that he is flirting with a girl.
Not every word is in the spell check program. In my story ‘Remember me next Christmas’ I wrote ‘He nocked an arrow’. ‘Nock’ is word that is perfectly correct to use. It means he set an arrow on a string (on his bow). Well, it isn’t in my program.
Writing is a craft that needs to be learned and constantly improved, like anything else. It becomes easier with practice, but the more I write, the more I discover rules I’m not aware of. For me writing in the English language had to be learned, because it is not my first language. German is. I’ve read a lot of books over the years. I’ve studied many books on writing, style and grammar, but in the end, it always comes down to one thing: Do you have the gift? Like music, some people learn how to play the piano, the saxophone or any other instrument, but some are musically gifted and some aren’t, no matter how much they practice and study. The sounds are there but the soul is missing.
I like to think I have the gift of putting words and sentences on paper and creating a story that makes my readers forget about their everyday life for a while and accompany me on a journey into the world of the imagination, where anything is possible. A place where they can put their fears to rest and enjoy a few hours of contentment and happiness. If I can achieve that, I have reached my dreams and goals.
By the way, Stardogs is still in the number 2 spot at Fiction Wise, so it can’t be that bad of a story. Let’s hear from the people who liked it!
Here is something I didn’t know, but apparently, there are some people out there who make it a point to buy a book so they can give it a ‘poor’ rating. They are called ‘trolls’. Who knows, they may not even read the book to find out. Who knows why they do it? Some people find only happiness if they can inflict pain on others. And believe me, getting a bad rating is painful. (Am I venting? Is this possibly sour grapes?)
I’m not saying a reader shouldn’t make his feelings known. Unfortunately, we’ll never know why they didn’t like the book. They never say. Maybe they didn’t like the story. Perhaps there wasn’t enough sex in it. These days, a lot of readers love those explicit words and they find it boring if the story doesn’t contain them. I don’t like using explicit words and if I do, very sparingly. The words have to fit the character. I don’t write a story for the sake of the sexual content, as I said before, the erotica is part of the story, but it is the story that is important to me. I won’t use explicit words just because it is the thing to do. I write erotica, not pornography. There is a difference, even if some people don’t acknowledge that.
My novel ‘Tainted Valor’ has only a few erotic scenes in it and they are kept short and not as detailed as the ones in my other stories. I might just have come to the end of wanting to write erotica. Maybe I’m getting too old for that. That sense of excitement and wickedness isn’t there anymore. Maybe I just wrote too many sexual scenes and it is becoming harder to write them without repeating myself over and over. Who knows.
I just sent my finished novel ‘Orion -- Symbiont of Passion’ to Midnight Showcase for possible publication. It is 56,000+ words long and just a perfect length for an ebook. It has, of course, a lot of erotica in it. That is because I wrote the original story years ago. I rewrote parts of it and edited it for publication. When you write just for the fun of it, you don’t really worry about consistencies in the story or grammar, spelling and punctuation, or even using the correct words sometimes. That changes when you’d like to have the story published. There are many readers who, instead of just enjoying the story, will tear it apart. If they find errors in it they will happily give it, dare I say it? A POOR rating! Ah, just writing it hurts.
I admit I do sometimes have problems with punctuation. I think every writer struggles with that. Spelling is not a problem anymore because of the spell check every writing program has built into the computer, but grammar is. You can’t rely on your spell checker for grammar. In addition, I get red-flagged every time I use for instance the word ‘stewardess’. I’ll get a message telling me I am ‘gender-specific’, suggesting I use ‘flight attendant’. Sorry, I don’t want to use flight attendant; I want to use ‘stewardess’. Damn it. I don’t believe in all this ‘politically correct’ thing. I don’t want to be forced to write in a style or way that is false in the first place. That is why we have all of these words in our language. Use them or loose them, for heaven’s sake! I’m not going to write: He flirted with the ‘server’, instead of ’barmaid’. My character is not gay, not in my stories. I need to make it clear that he is flirting with a girl.
Not every word is in the spell check program. In my story ‘Remember me next Christmas’ I wrote ‘He nocked an arrow’. ‘Nock’ is word that is perfectly correct to use. It means he set an arrow on a string (on his bow). Well, it isn’t in my program.
Writing is a craft that needs to be learned and constantly improved, like anything else. It becomes easier with practice, but the more I write, the more I discover rules I’m not aware of. For me writing in the English language had to be learned, because it is not my first language. German is. I’ve read a lot of books over the years. I’ve studied many books on writing, style and grammar, but in the end, it always comes down to one thing: Do you have the gift? Like music, some people learn how to play the piano, the saxophone or any other instrument, but some are musically gifted and some aren’t, no matter how much they practice and study. The sounds are there but the soul is missing.
I like to think I have the gift of putting words and sentences on paper and creating a story that makes my readers forget about their everyday life for a while and accompany me on a journey into the world of the imagination, where anything is possible. A place where they can put their fears to rest and enjoy a few hours of contentment and happiness. If I can achieve that, I have reached my dreams and goals.
By the way, Stardogs is still in the number 2 spot at Fiction Wise, so it can’t be that bad of a story. Let’s hear from the people who liked it!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Distractions
Always these distractions from my writing! I just came in from blowing the snow from my driveway. I have a 12 horsepower John Deere Snowblower, but it still is hard work. The wind is blowing quite strongly from the north, that means I can throw the snow only one way: South, unless I want it blowing back into my face. It is damn cold out there. Minus 17, but the windshield is like minus 31. I got that from the weather channel. Tonight it will go down to Minus 34 and tomorrow will be another cold day. But, hey, it is winter in Winnipeg. We are used to the cold. When I was working as an Electrician I used to work a lot outside in this cold weather. Secret to keeping warm is to dress warm. I wore a snowmobile suit and boots with liners that are good for minus 80, if you keep moving. There is one drawback to dressing warm and bulky like that. It makes you tired.
It is nice though to get some fresh air, even if it is cold. Sometimes it is good to get away from the computer and the writing for a while.
We are still lucky in Manitoba. Other provinces, especially the ones by the oceans, have ice storms with power outages, and after that comes the flooding. It is not much better with some of our neighbors to the south. I’ll take Manitoba anytime.
I’m in the process of finishing up the last story in my collection featuring Orola, the Warrior Priestess, but then I’ll still have to edit all of them one last time and put them in order.
‘Orion, Symbiont of Desire’, is finished except for the last edit. Then I’ll send it in. With Christmas close, it probably won’t happen until next year. There is no hurry. I have plenty of books coming out.
I am very surprised. I posted the release of Stardogs on the groups I belong to and offered a free copy. I didn’t get one email in response. Strange, but Stardogs is still number one in sales at Fiction Wise, making me a very happy man.
Anyone reading this, the offer still stands. Just send me an email. You’ll find my address below in one of the other posts.
It is nice though to get some fresh air, even if it is cold. Sometimes it is good to get away from the computer and the writing for a while.
We are still lucky in Manitoba. Other provinces, especially the ones by the oceans, have ice storms with power outages, and after that comes the flooding. It is not much better with some of our neighbors to the south. I’ll take Manitoba anytime.
I’m in the process of finishing up the last story in my collection featuring Orola, the Warrior Priestess, but then I’ll still have to edit all of them one last time and put them in order.
‘Orion, Symbiont of Desire’, is finished except for the last edit. Then I’ll send it in. With Christmas close, it probably won’t happen until next year. There is no hurry. I have plenty of books coming out.
I am very surprised. I posted the release of Stardogs on the groups I belong to and offered a free copy. I didn’t get one email in response. Strange, but Stardogs is still number one in sales at Fiction Wise, making me a very happy man.
Anyone reading this, the offer still stands. Just send me an email. You’ll find my address below in one of the other posts.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Stardogs
Well, I made it. Stardogs has reached the number ONE position at Fiction Wise. Apparently, yesterday it reached number fifty in overall sales of Science Fiction books at Fiction Wise. That is very good, considering the number of books they are selling.
I am elated. And this just in one day.
The Seeds of Chaos books are at number 9 and 10. Dual Visions has moved into the number 20 spot, from 61 last night.
The last time I reached number one, was with my very first book ‘The Xandra, Daughter of the Dark’. None of the others went past number 2. I hope my readers like the book and when Book 2 comes out in January 2008, it will match the sales of Book 1. That would be nice.
I am elated. And this just in one day.
The Seeds of Chaos books are at number 9 and 10. Dual Visions has moved into the number 20 spot, from 61 last night.
The last time I reached number one, was with my very first book ‘The Xandra, Daughter of the Dark’. None of the others went past number 2. I hope my readers like the book and when Book 2 comes out in January 2008, it will match the sales of Book 1. That would be nice.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Welcome to my blog
Stardogs is finally available from Fiction Wise. I just checked it out and it is, of course, now on last place (Men of Eros, which includes my story ‘A Taste of Paradis’, has also been released today). I am really anxious to see how fast Stardogs climbs up the charts. It has a great intro from Fiction Wise, they call me ‘One of the hottest erotic Science Fiction authors around’. Almost makes my head swell.
Check it out here: http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook53589.htm?cache
Or go to: http://www.midnightshowcase.com/RedskySD.htm
On my posts I promised a free copy of Stardogs. I’m only giving free copies to the first two visitors who send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and ask for it. Once they are gone, I will give away a copy of any of my other books to the next three who respond. So if you’re sending me an email, give me an alternative, in case you are not among the first two.
Here is a list: of my books: Seeds of Chaos, Book One and Book Two. The Xandra Series: Book 1: Daughter of the Dark. Book 2: Mother of Light. Book 3: Goddess of Life. Or you can choose: Dual Visions. You can find out what the books are all about by visiting Fiction Wise or http://www.midnightshowcase.com/
Check it out here: http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook53589.htm?cache
Or go to: http://www.midnightshowcase.com/RedskySD.htm
On my posts I promised a free copy of Stardogs. I’m only giving free copies to the first two visitors who send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and ask for it. Once they are gone, I will give away a copy of any of my other books to the next three who respond. So if you’re sending me an email, give me an alternative, in case you are not among the first two.
Here is a list: of my books: Seeds of Chaos, Book One and Book Two. The Xandra Series: Book 1: Daughter of the Dark. Book 2: Mother of Light. Book 3: Goddess of Life. Or you can choose: Dual Visions. You can find out what the books are all about by visiting Fiction Wise or http://www.midnightshowcase.com/
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
A bit of an update
Just checked sales at Fictionwise. Stardogs 1 is still not available there. My publisher wants to keep new releases at http://www.midnightshowcase.com/ for a while for sale before they go to Fictionwise, because we hardly make any money from the sales there. The only reason the books are sold at Fictionwise is the fact that readers get to know our books and hopefully, they will visit our site and buy books there in the future. Next year should be better for profits when Midnight Showcase has its own store.
Even though I don’t have a new release with Fictionwise, my books keep on selling. They are moving up and down on the chart. Book 2 of Seeds of Chaos (Hell’s Gate) is at number 8 spot in overall sales in the last 20 days. Not bad. Today it is at number 9. Tomorrow…who knows? Book 1 (Eden’s Gate) is at spot number 23, up from number 50 two days ago. The Xandra series is also in the running with 35, 41, and 50. Last week Book 2 was at number 14.
Dual Visions has slipped to number 62 from number 7 a month ago, but it is still selling. Incidentally, last month Book 1 of the Xandra (Daughter of the Dark), reached position 6 in overall sales. It was at spot 4 exactly a month ago. That’s how the sales weave through the cycles. Quite interesting. It is important to have many books out there to keep all of the books in the reader’s minds. They read one and if they like it, they’ll buy more.
I only wish these sales would be huge numbers, but maybe it will happen some day.
I’m busy re-writing and editing a number of short stories I wrote over the years, featuring Orola, the Warrior Priestess. The first story in the series, The Kiir, has been published in Midnight Raunch it has received a nice review. All of the stories are connected, but they do stand alone. I am planning to have them all published in one volume, which should reach about 60,000 words. They are not sweet romance. I would consider them dark stories, but they always have a happy ending. They contain a lot of erotica and violence but they always have a story to tell. I don’t write erotica or violence for the sake of writing it. They do play a part in the story, sometimes a very important part, but they are not the story.
My book ’Tarnished Valor’ has been put aside for a while until I can get it going again inside my head. Sometimes I do have to take a break from what I’m writing and start something else.
I finished re-writing ’Orion, Symbiont of Passion’, a 56,000 words SciFi novel. I still have to do some editing, and then I’ll send it in to Midnight Showcase. Hektor Orion, the main character, has already been featured in my story ’Orion, the Hunt’, one of the stories in Dual Visions. It will soon be available by itself from Midnight Showcase. The other story ’Cliffs of Time’ will also be sold as a standalone novella. I’ve already seen the covers for both novellas. They look good.
Well, back to writing.
Even though I don’t have a new release with Fictionwise, my books keep on selling. They are moving up and down on the chart. Book 2 of Seeds of Chaos (Hell’s Gate) is at number 8 spot in overall sales in the last 20 days. Not bad. Today it is at number 9. Tomorrow…who knows? Book 1 (Eden’s Gate) is at spot number 23, up from number 50 two days ago. The Xandra series is also in the running with 35, 41, and 50. Last week Book 2 was at number 14.
Dual Visions has slipped to number 62 from number 7 a month ago, but it is still selling. Incidentally, last month Book 1 of the Xandra (Daughter of the Dark), reached position 6 in overall sales. It was at spot 4 exactly a month ago. That’s how the sales weave through the cycles. Quite interesting. It is important to have many books out there to keep all of the books in the reader’s minds. They read one and if they like it, they’ll buy more.
I only wish these sales would be huge numbers, but maybe it will happen some day.
I’m busy re-writing and editing a number of short stories I wrote over the years, featuring Orola, the Warrior Priestess. The first story in the series, The Kiir, has been published in Midnight Raunch it has received a nice review. All of the stories are connected, but they do stand alone. I am planning to have them all published in one volume, which should reach about 60,000 words. They are not sweet romance. I would consider them dark stories, but they always have a happy ending. They contain a lot of erotica and violence but they always have a story to tell. I don’t write erotica or violence for the sake of writing it. They do play a part in the story, sometimes a very important part, but they are not the story.
My book ’Tarnished Valor’ has been put aside for a while until I can get it going again inside my head. Sometimes I do have to take a break from what I’m writing and start something else.
I finished re-writing ’Orion, Symbiont of Passion’, a 56,000 words SciFi novel. I still have to do some editing, and then I’ll send it in to Midnight Showcase. Hektor Orion, the main character, has already been featured in my story ’Orion, the Hunt’, one of the stories in Dual Visions. It will soon be available by itself from Midnight Showcase. The other story ’Cliffs of Time’ will also be sold as a standalone novella. I’ve already seen the covers for both novellas. They look good.
Well, back to writing.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
2007 Deer hunt
It’s been a while since I posted something on my blog. I have a good reason for that. I took my yearly deer hunting trip. For the last twenty years or so I take a week off in November and spend it in the wild, together with my son and four of my friends. During the day we hunt and in the evening we sit in the camper, play cards and talk about the hunt and old times. Over the years we’ve had some great times. This year we didn’t have any snow, other years we’ve had snow coming up to our knees. A little snow is welcome for tracking, in case we don’t put the deer down on the spot.
Some years it is freezing cold and I ask myself what I’m doing freezing my butt off. Other years, like this year, it gets too warm and we worry about the meat spoiling. When it is cold the bears are already sleeping, last year and this year they weren’t, but we didn’t see any, only their droppings.
I had an unexpected treat this year. I saw a bull elk from my stand lumbering across the clearing I hunt. It was unexpected, because their aren’t supposed to be any elk in there. One of my friends was also lucky to see one.
Why do I go deer hunting? Good questions and easy to answer. I like venison and I like the outdoors and the hunt. There is nothing more exciting then being in the bush, a rifle in your hand, and hoping a deer will come by. When it does, you usually have only seconds to react. Rifle up, finding the deer in the scope, lining up the crosshairs and then squeezing the trigger. That is the fun part, then comes the work if you didn’t miss. Gutting. If you only wound the deer, it has to be tracked until it is found. That is the law.
I’ve been fortunate most of the time. I usually put them down with one shot. Most of my deer I shoot at about 350 yards. I shoot a 7mm Remington. I like it because of its low trajectory. My rifle is adjusted to shoot 2 inches higher at 100 yards, which means at that distance I have to aim a little higher.
This year I was not lucky. I had 3 chances, not good, mind you, but not impossible. I noticed too late that I had adjusted my scope down to power 3, instead of power 9. I didn’t shoot a deer, but that is okay, because my son shot 2 nice bucks.
Maybe next year.
It is not only the shooting of a deer that makes the trip successful and enjoyable. That is part of it. Just being out there with nothing to worry about but the weather. No computer, no telephone, no obligations. Time to reflect and time to regenerate. Walking through the dark bush in the early morning to get to my stand. Watching the geese and crows fly overhead. At night, listening to the howling of the coyotes and watching the stars overhead, clearer in the night sky and more visible than at any time in the city, with the lights obscuring the view. Sleeping in a sleeping bag to the sound of a propane heater, waking up, because it is either too hot or too cold. Getting up at 5:30 in the morning to get ready.
Spending time with my son and friends. That’s what it’s all about. I don’t know how many years I can still do it, it is getting harder for me every year to climb into my tree stand. Next year it will have to be re-built. It is rotting away, it won’t be safe next year. I already picked a spot for the new stand.
Some day I won’t be able to do it anymore and that will be a sad time, but by then my grandson (or granddaughter!) will be old enough to take my place and carry on the tradition. Let’s hope there will be enough deer around for them and they will be able to enjoy what I have. I am grateful and thankful for the opportunity and I don’t take it for granted.
Some years it is freezing cold and I ask myself what I’m doing freezing my butt off. Other years, like this year, it gets too warm and we worry about the meat spoiling. When it is cold the bears are already sleeping, last year and this year they weren’t, but we didn’t see any, only their droppings.
I had an unexpected treat this year. I saw a bull elk from my stand lumbering across the clearing I hunt. It was unexpected, because their aren’t supposed to be any elk in there. One of my friends was also lucky to see one.
Why do I go deer hunting? Good questions and easy to answer. I like venison and I like the outdoors and the hunt. There is nothing more exciting then being in the bush, a rifle in your hand, and hoping a deer will come by. When it does, you usually have only seconds to react. Rifle up, finding the deer in the scope, lining up the crosshairs and then squeezing the trigger. That is the fun part, then comes the work if you didn’t miss. Gutting. If you only wound the deer, it has to be tracked until it is found. That is the law.
I’ve been fortunate most of the time. I usually put them down with one shot. Most of my deer I shoot at about 350 yards. I shoot a 7mm Remington. I like it because of its low trajectory. My rifle is adjusted to shoot 2 inches higher at 100 yards, which means at that distance I have to aim a little higher.
This year I was not lucky. I had 3 chances, not good, mind you, but not impossible. I noticed too late that I had adjusted my scope down to power 3, instead of power 9. I didn’t shoot a deer, but that is okay, because my son shot 2 nice bucks.
Maybe next year.
It is not only the shooting of a deer that makes the trip successful and enjoyable. That is part of it. Just being out there with nothing to worry about but the weather. No computer, no telephone, no obligations. Time to reflect and time to regenerate. Walking through the dark bush in the early morning to get to my stand. Watching the geese and crows fly overhead. At night, listening to the howling of the coyotes and watching the stars overhead, clearer in the night sky and more visible than at any time in the city, with the lights obscuring the view. Sleeping in a sleeping bag to the sound of a propane heater, waking up, because it is either too hot or too cold. Getting up at 5:30 in the morning to get ready.
Spending time with my son and friends. That’s what it’s all about. I don’t know how many years I can still do it, it is getting harder for me every year to climb into my tree stand. Next year it will have to be re-built. It is rotting away, it won’t be safe next year. I already picked a spot for the new stand.
Some day I won’t be able to do it anymore and that will be a sad time, but by then my grandson (or granddaughter!) will be old enough to take my place and carry on the tradition. Let’s hope there will be enough deer around for them and they will be able to enjoy what I have. I am grateful and thankful for the opportunity and I don’t take it for granted.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Dual Visions
Who would have believed it? Dual Visions is at number 7 (seven) at Fiction Wise. It goes to show, never give up. Sometimes it takes a while for things to happen. The Xandra books are also still up there (11, 13, 15) Book 1 of Seeds of Chaos is at 19. Not bad Five of my books in the best selling twenty list. I wonder what's going to happen when Stardogs is being offered at Fictionwise. Looking forward to that.
I sent the revised version of Stardogs 2 back to Midnight Showcase. It is scheduled to be released in January 2008.
I sent the revised version of Stardogs 2 back to Midnight Showcase. It is scheduled to be released in January 2008.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Link to Stardogs
Here is the link to view Stardogs and to read the first chapter
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/RedskySD.htm
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/RedskySD.htm
Monday, October 29, 2007
Stardogs
Here is the cover of Stardogs. The link to the MS authors site is only accessible to members so I thought I'll put the cover on my blog.
Fiction Wise
Just checked my books at Fiction Wise. The Xandra books are doing well again. I have no idea what happened there, but I’m not complaining. They are at positions 4, 7, and 9. A total surprise: Dual Visions is at number 11 (from 82). Now that is amazing. It will be pulled off the shelves, because so far it hasn’t done anything and the 2 novellas will be published separately.
The ‘Seeds of Chaos’ books are at 36 and 50. Midnight Raunch at 49, but that will change now, since it got such a good review. Sweet Challenge (my story ‘For Love or Arilee’ is in that one) is at number 22.
The ‘Seeds of Chaos’ books are at 36 and 50. Midnight Raunch at 49, but that will change now, since it got such a good review. Sweet Challenge (my story ‘For Love or Arilee’ is in that one) is at number 22.
A nice review
The digest Midnight Raunch got a 5 Angel’s review from Linda at Fallen Angel. Here is the review for my story:
Orola, the Warrior Priestess-The Kiir is an intense read, keeping this reader spellbound. It is robust and entertaining. The story takes on different twists and turns that I enjoyed. This is not my first story by Herbert Grosshans that I have enjoyed. He knows how to capture the essence of his characters and weave a great tale.
Midnight Raunch is available from http://midnightshowcase.com/ and from http://www.fictionwise.com/
Stardogs, Book 1, Return to Redsky is being released now. It has not been downloaded yet to the Midnight Showcase website, but it should be there maybe today still or tomorrow. If you like to see the cover, it is featured on the Midnight Showcase Author site. Here is the link: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/MSauthors/
Orola, the Warrior Priestess-The Kiir is an intense read, keeping this reader spellbound. It is robust and entertaining. The story takes on different twists and turns that I enjoyed. This is not my first story by Herbert Grosshans that I have enjoyed. He knows how to capture the essence of his characters and weave a great tale.
Midnight Raunch is available from http://midnightshowcase.com/ and from http://www.fictionwise.com/
Stardogs, Book 1, Return to Redsky is being released now. It has not been downloaded yet to the Midnight Showcase website, but it should be there maybe today still or tomorrow. If you like to see the cover, it is featured on the Midnight Showcase Author site. Here is the link: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/MSauthors/
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Men of Eros
The digest ‘Men of Eros’ is available at lulu and should be available from Midnight Showcase within days. My story ‘A taste of Paradise’ is in that one. I’m waiting for Stardogs 1, Return to Redsky to be released. Possibly this weekend. For sure early next week. The cover looks great. As soon as I know when it the book is available, I will post it, including the cover.
Here is the link to lulu to check out ‘Men of Eros’.
http://www.lulu.com/content/1350812/
Here is the link to lulu to check out ‘Men of Eros’.
http://www.lulu.com/content/1350812/
Monday, October 15, 2007
Free offer
Welcome visitors. Just for visiting my blog and showing interest in my writings, I will give you a free ebook: Book One of ‘The Xandra’, Daughter of the Dark in the pdf format. Book two and three are available from Midnight Showcase.
Just send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and ask for it.
Stay awhile and browse through my blog.
Here are the links to my ‘Seeds of Chaos’ books.
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/seedsofchoaseden.htm
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/chaos2.html
Just send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and ask for it.
Stay awhile and browse through my blog.
Here are the links to my ‘Seeds of Chaos’ books.
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/seedsofchoaseden.htm
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/chaos2.html
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Welcome
To find out more about my other books visit http://midnightshowcase.com/ or follow this link to Fictionwise http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/HerbertGrosshanseBooks.htm
All my books are listed there.
The flurry of sales has stopped. All of my books are still selling at Fictionwise, but barely. It is time for new stuff to come out. ‘Cliffs of Time’ and ‘Orion, the Hunt’ should be released within the next couple of weeks, I hope, and so should be ‘Stardogs 1, Return to Redsky’. I’ve seen the mock up covers from ‘Cliffs of Time’ and ‘Stardogs’ and I am quite excited about them. They look good.
Dual Visions still isn’t selling and I’m glad it will be released from its misery at last place. I hope releasing the two novellas as separate entities will be a good move. They are great stories and I want people to read them.
Right now, I am at about 86,000 words with my contemporary novel ‘Tarnished Valor’. Slow going, but there is so much other stuff to do around the house and yard at this time of year. Not much time left for writing. I would like to write other stories, but I’m determined to finish this one. Next year my short novella ‘Outpost Epsilon’ is coming from Midnight Showcase and I have this idea about a complete novel set on that planet floating around in my head, but it will have to wait.
All my books are listed there.
The flurry of sales has stopped. All of my books are still selling at Fictionwise, but barely. It is time for new stuff to come out. ‘Cliffs of Time’ and ‘Orion, the Hunt’ should be released within the next couple of weeks, I hope, and so should be ‘Stardogs 1, Return to Redsky’. I’ve seen the mock up covers from ‘Cliffs of Time’ and ‘Stardogs’ and I am quite excited about them. They look good.
Dual Visions still isn’t selling and I’m glad it will be released from its misery at last place. I hope releasing the two novellas as separate entities will be a good move. They are great stories and I want people to read them.
Right now, I am at about 86,000 words with my contemporary novel ‘Tarnished Valor’. Slow going, but there is so much other stuff to do around the house and yard at this time of year. Not much time left for writing. I would like to write other stories, but I’m determined to finish this one. Next year my short novella ‘Outpost Epsilon’ is coming from Midnight Showcase and I have this idea about a complete novel set on that planet floating around in my head, but it will have to wait.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Update of sorts
Not much new to write about. I finished re-editing my two novellas ‘The Cliffs of Time’ and ‘Orion--The Hunt’, which make up ‘Dual Visions’, my white Elephant. I couldn’t believe the mistakes I had in those two novellas. It proves again, when you finish a story it is best to put it away for a while to create a distance from it, and then edit it. Our minds are strange and wonderful things. They tend to ignore certain things our eyes transmit to them. I’m sure everyone has read those ‘essays’ (I can’t think of a better word), where all the letters in the words are scrambled, as long as the first and last letter is in the right place. When you read those, your mind automatically adjusts them in the right order and you’re not even aware that they have been misspelled. That’s how it is when you read your own stories. There might be a score of mistakes, you just don’t see them. A writer is lucky indeed, if he has someone who reads for him (or her) and checks for mistakes and inconsistencies. Someone who is not afraid to point it out. I am glad I had a chance to re-do Cliffs of Time and Orion and make them better reads. We don't always get that chance. Now I hope that not too many people purchased Dual Visions, but I think I don't have to worry about that. Unfortunately, I gave away so many free copies (All those mistakes!)
I sent the new versions back to Midnight Showcase and now I have to wait for new covers and then they will be released…again, as standalone novellas. Maybe then readers will pick them up because they are shorter ebooks and readers like them better than longer downloads. We’ll see.
Book Two of ‘Seeds of Chaos’ never made it past number two position at Fiction Wise, too bad. Right now it is at number 12 and Book One at number 15. The Xandra books are also moving up and down.
Now I can get back to my novel ‘Tarnished Valor’, which I had to put aside to edit those two novellas. I’ve written quite a lot on it, in longhand, over the last weekend, and now I have to put it into the computer. That is my first edit at the same time.
I sent the new versions back to Midnight Showcase and now I have to wait for new covers and then they will be released…again, as standalone novellas. Maybe then readers will pick them up because they are shorter ebooks and readers like them better than longer downloads. We’ll see.
Book Two of ‘Seeds of Chaos’ never made it past number two position at Fiction Wise, too bad. Right now it is at number 12 and Book One at number 15. The Xandra books are also moving up and down.
Now I can get back to my novel ‘Tarnished Valor’, which I had to put aside to edit those two novellas. I’ve written quite a lot on it, in longhand, over the last weekend, and now I have to put it into the computer. That is my first edit at the same time.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Seeds of Chaos
More good news. Hell's Gate is at number 2 and Eden's Gate at number 4 position at Fictionwise.
The Xandra series is also moving nicely. Book 1,2 and 3 are at position 14, 27 and 37 today. Apparently, Hell's Gate is number 19 in sales of Science Fiction books at Fiction Wise. I feel very good about that. It seems there are a number of readers out there who like what I write. I can't wait to see how The Stardogs is going to do. I started writing that book many years ago, put it aside to write other stuff and finally managed to finish it, after re-writing half the book. Since it is too long to be published as one book, I split into two.
The Xandra series is also moving nicely. Book 1,2 and 3 are at position 14, 27 and 37 today. Apparently, Hell's Gate is number 19 in sales of Science Fiction books at Fiction Wise. I feel very good about that. It seems there are a number of readers out there who like what I write. I can't wait to see how The Stardogs is going to do. I started writing that book many years ago, put it aside to write other stuff and finally managed to finish it, after re-writing half the book. Since it is too long to be published as one book, I split into two.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Update
It’s been a good week. I posted a lot, and I had quite a few visitors to my blog. More than ever before in one week. My books are doing well. Since ‘Dual Visions’ doesn’t seem to be selling, for some obscure reason, my publisher and I have decided to split the stories and release them as single volumes. Unfortunately, that means no print version available, only ebooks. So, if anyone wants to have a print version of Dual Visions, then don’t delay, order it now. It will soon be a collector’s item only. In fact, I don’t even own a printed copy myself yet. As I said before, the stories ‘The Cliffs of Time’ and ‘Orion--the Hunt’ are both great stories. They have adventure, suspense, sex. What else could anyone want? Actually, I am editing them again, because I have discovered a few minor errors. Some of them pointed out to me by a couple of people who read an excerpt. They were right, I couldn’t deny them. Well, anyway, I hope they’ll sell better on their own. (They can’t do any worse!). Keep on checking my blog, if you’re interested. They should be available in about three to four weeks, as will be my next novel ‘The Stardogs’ Book One, Return to Redsky.
If you are checking out Midnight Showcase, they are in the process of revamping the site and not all of the books are listed yet or hard to find.
Here are the links to get to Midnight Showcase and to Fiction Wise. They’ll take you straight to my books.
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/HerbertGrosshanseBooks.htm
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/xandra-series.htm
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/seedsofchoaseden.htm
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/chaos2.html
The free story is still available. Just send me an email at hegro@shaw.ca if you’re interested and I will send it to you. Read more below.
If you are checking out Midnight Showcase, they are in the process of revamping the site and not all of the books are listed yet or hard to find.
Here are the links to get to Midnight Showcase and to Fiction Wise. They’ll take you straight to my books.
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/HerbertGrosshanseBooks.htm
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/xandra-series.htm
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/seedsofchoaseden.htm
http://www.midnightshowcase.com/chaos2.html
The free story is still available. Just send me an email at hegro@shaw.ca if you’re interested and I will send it to you. Read more below.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A free story
I've sent in the edited version of Book One of the Stardogs. It should be available from Midnight Showcase possibly in September already. They want to push it to take advantage of the momentum the release of Book Two of 'Seeds of Chaos' has created.
If you are visiting from Beth Wylde you must be interested in Time travel stories. Here is another one: 'Sarah's Gift'. It is another story in my Anthology 'Tapestry of Dreams', coming next year from Midnight Showcase. If you would like to have it, just email me at hegro@shaw.ca and I will send it to you in rtf (rich text format).
My books Seeds of Chaos are currently selling well at Fiction Wise.
Book 2, Hell's Gate is at number 3 position and Book 1, Eden's Gate following close behind at number 5.
This is the link to fictionwise which lists my books available there http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/HerbertGrosshanseBooks.htm
or go to check out my Xandra series http://www.midnightshowcase.com/xandra-series.htm or my Seeds of Chaos series Book One http://www.midnightshowcase.com/seedsofchoaseden.htm or Book Two http://www.midnightshowcase.com/chaos2.html
Here is the beginning of 'Sarah's Gift'
Ever since the death of his wife, Thanksgiving had lost its meaning for Jake. What did he have to be thankful for? Now it was just an excuse to take some time off from a stressful job and lose himself in the little bit of wilderness that was still left.
There was talk that the turkey hunt might be suspended for a few years to give the birds a chance to recover. Hunting pressure had become too great in the last ten years.
It wasn’t like it used to be when he went hunting with his dad. He couldn’t remember when they didn’t have a turkey for Thanksgiving, but this year might just be that year.
Then again--what did it really matter if he got one or not? There was no pleasure in eating a turkey by yourself.
It was beginning to get chilly and he shivered inside his camouflage outfit. His fingers, which held his bow, were getting cold and stiff. The temperature must have dropped at least ten degrees within the last hour. He could smell the snow in the crisp air.
Looking into the sky, he saw the clouds moving in fast. Chances of me getting a bird today are getting slim, he thought, animals are smart, they know when a storm is coming and they’ll disappear searching for cover.
His daydreams were interrupted when he heard the soft cluck. Then he saw the big Gobbler strutting into the open.
Jake had done this too many times, and he reacted without thinking. He had been ready for this moment all morning, and when he released the arrow he knew it would not miss the target.
It was almost anti-climactic when he picked up the limp carcass of the big bird. A quick check of its beard and then he stuffed it into his backpack. Again, he looked up at the rolling dark clouds and realized he had to get back to his vehicle as fast as possible. It looked like a snowstorm was going to hit soon. Unusual for this time of year.
Picking up the rest of his gear, he started walking back the trail he had come. It was a good hour’s walk to his truck and another hour’s drive to get to the highway. He wanted to be out of the woods when the storm hit.
The first flakes began to fall after he had walked the trail for less than fifteen minutes. Gently at first, but after another fifteen minutes he could barely see the trail. Just to be sure he was still on the right trail, he checked his compass and put it away, satisfied he was headed in the right direction.
Listening to the howling of the wind above the treetops, he knew this was a bad one.
After walking for over an hour he had the feeling he was going in circles, but the needle of his compass assured him he was still following the right trail. When he couldn’t find his truck after two hours, he realized he was lost.
All his warm clothing was in his truck, and so was his camping gear. He wasn’t dressed for spending a night outside, not in this kind of weather. When he tried his cell-phone he got nothing.
Damn! How could he have been so careless? He didn’t panic. He’d been an outdoorsman far too long and knew that panic was your worst enemy when lost in the woods.
He didn’t remember taking another trail, but he must have, even though according to his compass he had not. There was no sense floundering through the bush, so he kept on walking.
The trail ended suddenly and it almost seemed as if the veil of whiteness was beginning to lift. He thought he saw a light ahead and headed for it. Coming closer, he saw the outlines of a building, a log cabin.
Thank God, he thought, At least I found shelter to wait out the storm.
He pounded against the heavy wooden door. When nothing happened, he pounded again. After a moment the door swung open a crack and he stared into the muzzle of a rifle. Above it the face of woman.
If you are visiting from Beth Wylde you must be interested in Time travel stories. Here is another one: 'Sarah's Gift'. It is another story in my Anthology 'Tapestry of Dreams', coming next year from Midnight Showcase. If you would like to have it, just email me at hegro@shaw.ca and I will send it to you in rtf (rich text format).
My books Seeds of Chaos are currently selling well at Fiction Wise.
Book 2, Hell's Gate is at number 3 position and Book 1, Eden's Gate following close behind at number 5.
This is the link to fictionwise which lists my books available there http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/HerbertGrosshanseBooks.htm
or go to check out my Xandra series http://www.midnightshowcase.com/xandra-series.htm or my Seeds of Chaos series Book One http://www.midnightshowcase.com/seedsofchoaseden.htm or Book Two http://www.midnightshowcase.com/chaos2.html
Here is the beginning of 'Sarah's Gift'
Ever since the death of his wife, Thanksgiving had lost its meaning for Jake. What did he have to be thankful for? Now it was just an excuse to take some time off from a stressful job and lose himself in the little bit of wilderness that was still left.
There was talk that the turkey hunt might be suspended for a few years to give the birds a chance to recover. Hunting pressure had become too great in the last ten years.
It wasn’t like it used to be when he went hunting with his dad. He couldn’t remember when they didn’t have a turkey for Thanksgiving, but this year might just be that year.
Then again--what did it really matter if he got one or not? There was no pleasure in eating a turkey by yourself.
It was beginning to get chilly and he shivered inside his camouflage outfit. His fingers, which held his bow, were getting cold and stiff. The temperature must have dropped at least ten degrees within the last hour. He could smell the snow in the crisp air.
Looking into the sky, he saw the clouds moving in fast. Chances of me getting a bird today are getting slim, he thought, animals are smart, they know when a storm is coming and they’ll disappear searching for cover.
His daydreams were interrupted when he heard the soft cluck. Then he saw the big Gobbler strutting into the open.
Jake had done this too many times, and he reacted without thinking. He had been ready for this moment all morning, and when he released the arrow he knew it would not miss the target.
It was almost anti-climactic when he picked up the limp carcass of the big bird. A quick check of its beard and then he stuffed it into his backpack. Again, he looked up at the rolling dark clouds and realized he had to get back to his vehicle as fast as possible. It looked like a snowstorm was going to hit soon. Unusual for this time of year.
Picking up the rest of his gear, he started walking back the trail he had come. It was a good hour’s walk to his truck and another hour’s drive to get to the highway. He wanted to be out of the woods when the storm hit.
The first flakes began to fall after he had walked the trail for less than fifteen minutes. Gently at first, but after another fifteen minutes he could barely see the trail. Just to be sure he was still on the right trail, he checked his compass and put it away, satisfied he was headed in the right direction.
Listening to the howling of the wind above the treetops, he knew this was a bad one.
After walking for over an hour he had the feeling he was going in circles, but the needle of his compass assured him he was still following the right trail. When he couldn’t find his truck after two hours, he realized he was lost.
All his warm clothing was in his truck, and so was his camping gear. He wasn’t dressed for spending a night outside, not in this kind of weather. When he tried his cell-phone he got nothing.
Damn! How could he have been so careless? He didn’t panic. He’d been an outdoorsman far too long and knew that panic was your worst enemy when lost in the woods.
He didn’t remember taking another trail, but he must have, even though according to his compass he had not. There was no sense floundering through the bush, so he kept on walking.
The trail ended suddenly and it almost seemed as if the veil of whiteness was beginning to lift. He thought he saw a light ahead and headed for it. Coming closer, he saw the outlines of a building, a log cabin.
Thank God, he thought, At least I found shelter to wait out the storm.
He pounded against the heavy wooden door. When nothing happened, he pounded again. After a moment the door swung open a crack and he stared into the muzzle of a rifle. Above it the face of woman.
Another free gift
The digest ‘Holiday Voices’ is still available from http://www.midnightshowcase.com/ If you would like to read ‘Remember me next Christmas’ but are not interested in the whole digest (which contains some wonderful stories by other authors), then send me an email at hegro@shaw.ca and I’ll send you the story for free. If you should visit Midnight Showcase, check out my Xandra series. It is erotic Science Fiction. In Books 2 and 3 you will meet vampires, werewolves and other creatures. The story Remember me next Christmas is set into the world of the Xandra, but in the future of the events in the three books.
Thank you for visiting. Maybe you’ll be back again.
Thank you for visiting. Maybe you’ll be back again.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Free Gift
Thanks for visiting my blog. If you would like the free story (Blood of the Virgin), just send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and I will send it to you in rich text format. Please ask for it. This story has not been published yet, it is the first story in my Anthology ‘Tapestry of Dreams’, coming 2008 from Midnight Showcase. If you would like the novella ‘Cliffs of Time’, one of the stories in my book Dual Visions, available from http://www.midnighshowcase.com/ ask me for it and I’ll send it to you free, also.
The other novella in Dual Visions is ‘Orion, the Hunt’. You can read a short excerpt below in one of the others posts.
Read on and you might find something interesting on my blog.
The other novella in Dual Visions is ‘Orion, the Hunt’. You can read a short excerpt below in one of the others posts.
Read on and you might find something interesting on my blog.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Stardogs, Book One
The editing department of my publisher Midnight Showcase asked for another copy of Book One of 'The Stardogs', Return to Redsky, due to be published in October. I did some editing to it and hopefully, I'll finish it today.
An update on Seeds of Chaos: Book Two has moved up to number 5 and Book One to position 6 at fictionwise. Maybe it will move up to number One. Possibly position one and two for both books. That would be fantastic. Here's hoping!
I published a bunch of excerpts today on all my groups. I'm pushing 'Dual Visions'. Such good stories and no readers. That has to change!
Anyone reading my blog and anyone interested, send me an email (hegro@shaw.ca) and I will send you a copy in rich text format of my story 'Blood of the Virgin'. It is one of the stories in my Anthology, Tapestry of Dreams, which will be published next year, I believe in August.
Here is the excerpt from 'The Stardogs, Book One, Return to Redsky:
It was dark when I left his shop, carrying a large bundle with things I needed. I loaded it onto the animal I had left tied to a tree. Slowly, I walked down the dark narrow street, pulling the animal behind me.
It was not very smart to travel through this section of town after dark, and it didn’t take long before I heard footsteps behind me. I knew there were four of them, three men and one woman. The sound of her bare feet was easily distinguishable from the heavier footsteps of the three men. One of them big, he shuffled as he walked on heavy feet.
They circled me from behind, the woman gliding by me on my left under cover of some small shrubs. Two of the men were on either side of me now, slightly hanging back, while the third one stayed behind. He carried a heavy club. I could hear the faint scraping as he rubbed it with his left hand.
My built-in defense system had shifted my body in combat-mode. Tiny implants all over my body let me sense and hear things a normal Human could not.
The woman stepped into the street in front of me. “What’s your hurry?” she said, parting her cape. She wore nothing underneath. She was young, a girl with the body of a woman, her breasts high and full. Two solid fleshy cones with dark nipples jutting from her ribcage. She could have been beautiful, if it hadn’t been for her straggly hair and her calculating eyes. This was no innocent girl. She had seen and done more things than a girl her age should have.
The pale light from one of the moons shone down the length of her slim nude body, revealing the dark triangle below her flat belly. “Well?” she said, smiling. “Do you like what you see?”
She came closer. I could hear the man with the club moving in behind me. The other two were still hidden in the darkness of the houses, but I heard the barely audible whispering sound of a long knife being pulled from its sheath.
She stood close enough now to touch and I could smell the odor of her body. A bath was long overdue. Both of her front teeth were missing.
She lifted her arms, jiggling her breasts. The cape slid off her shoulders, leaving her completely nude. She stepped back slightly, but it had not been necessary for me to see the flicker in her eyes.
As the club descended, my free right arm shot up, deflecting the murderous blow and with the same movement my fist connected with the side of the club wielder’s head, sending him sprawling into the dirt. I hadn’t killed him, but he would be out for some time.
The man with the knife rushed me from the right, the other one stayed invisible behind my steed. I could tell my attacker was an amateur. He held the knife in front of him, his knife arm stiff. An experienced street fighter would never do that. I grabbed his wrist and broke his arm. He screamed and cowered back, holding his injured limb.
Now the last of them stepped around the animal, carrying a heavy axe.
“You fight well,” he rumbled, grinning, his wide chin pointing towards the two on the ground, “against children.”
He was right, the other two were young, but I knew that already. That’s why I hadn’t killed them.
He hefted his axe. “Let’s see how you fare against a man.”
* * * *
An update on Seeds of Chaos: Book Two has moved up to number 5 and Book One to position 6 at fictionwise. Maybe it will move up to number One. Possibly position one and two for both books. That would be fantastic. Here's hoping!
I published a bunch of excerpts today on all my groups. I'm pushing 'Dual Visions'. Such good stories and no readers. That has to change!
Anyone reading my blog and anyone interested, send me an email (hegro@shaw.ca) and I will send you a copy in rich text format of my story 'Blood of the Virgin'. It is one of the stories in my Anthology, Tapestry of Dreams, which will be published next year, I believe in August.
Here is the excerpt from 'The Stardogs, Book One, Return to Redsky:
It was dark when I left his shop, carrying a large bundle with things I needed. I loaded it onto the animal I had left tied to a tree. Slowly, I walked down the dark narrow street, pulling the animal behind me.
It was not very smart to travel through this section of town after dark, and it didn’t take long before I heard footsteps behind me. I knew there were four of them, three men and one woman. The sound of her bare feet was easily distinguishable from the heavier footsteps of the three men. One of them big, he shuffled as he walked on heavy feet.
They circled me from behind, the woman gliding by me on my left under cover of some small shrubs. Two of the men were on either side of me now, slightly hanging back, while the third one stayed behind. He carried a heavy club. I could hear the faint scraping as he rubbed it with his left hand.
My built-in defense system had shifted my body in combat-mode. Tiny implants all over my body let me sense and hear things a normal Human could not.
The woman stepped into the street in front of me. “What’s your hurry?” she said, parting her cape. She wore nothing underneath. She was young, a girl with the body of a woman, her breasts high and full. Two solid fleshy cones with dark nipples jutting from her ribcage. She could have been beautiful, if it hadn’t been for her straggly hair and her calculating eyes. This was no innocent girl. She had seen and done more things than a girl her age should have.
The pale light from one of the moons shone down the length of her slim nude body, revealing the dark triangle below her flat belly. “Well?” she said, smiling. “Do you like what you see?”
She came closer. I could hear the man with the club moving in behind me. The other two were still hidden in the darkness of the houses, but I heard the barely audible whispering sound of a long knife being pulled from its sheath.
She stood close enough now to touch and I could smell the odor of her body. A bath was long overdue. Both of her front teeth were missing.
She lifted her arms, jiggling her breasts. The cape slid off her shoulders, leaving her completely nude. She stepped back slightly, but it had not been necessary for me to see the flicker in her eyes.
As the club descended, my free right arm shot up, deflecting the murderous blow and with the same movement my fist connected with the side of the club wielder’s head, sending him sprawling into the dirt. I hadn’t killed him, but he would be out for some time.
The man with the knife rushed me from the right, the other one stayed invisible behind my steed. I could tell my attacker was an amateur. He held the knife in front of him, his knife arm stiff. An experienced street fighter would never do that. I grabbed his wrist and broke his arm. He screamed and cowered back, holding his injured limb.
Now the last of them stepped around the animal, carrying a heavy axe.
“You fight well,” he rumbled, grinning, his wide chin pointing towards the two on the ground, “against children.”
He was right, the other two were young, but I knew that already. That’s why I hadn’t killed them.
He hefted his axe. “Let’s see how you fare against a man.”
* * * *
Thursday, August 16, 2007
More excitement
Book 2, Hell's Gate, is at number 6 and Book 1, Eden's Gate, at number 8. Midnight Raunch Digest (Orola, the Kiir) is at number 5.
Dare I hope for number One with Hell's Gate? Book One of my Xandra series 'Daughter of the Dark' made it to number 1.
I am competing against some very good books and digests. If I don't make it past number six, well, I guess I'll still be happy.
My white elephant 'Dual Visions' is still at number 76. Can't understand that. 'Cliffs of Time' is such a great story. I really enjoyed writing it. My first time travel story, actually. And 'Orion, the Hunt', has always been one of my favorite stories to write. I have a second story still to re-write. It will be about 50,000 words long, also featuring Orion, under the title 'Bakker's Planet'. It contains a lot of erotica, but it is also a good story (I think). Now I wonder about spending more time on it.
I'm at about 70,000 words now with 'Tarnished Valor'. A long way to go before that one is finished.
Dare I hope for number One with Hell's Gate? Book One of my Xandra series 'Daughter of the Dark' made it to number 1.
I am competing against some very good books and digests. If I don't make it past number six, well, I guess I'll still be happy.
My white elephant 'Dual Visions' is still at number 76. Can't understand that. 'Cliffs of Time' is such a great story. I really enjoyed writing it. My first time travel story, actually. And 'Orion, the Hunt', has always been one of my favorite stories to write. I have a second story still to re-write. It will be about 50,000 words long, also featuring Orion, under the title 'Bakker's Planet'. It contains a lot of erotica, but it is also a good story (I think). Now I wonder about spending more time on it.
I'm at about 70,000 words now with 'Tarnished Valor'. A long way to go before that one is finished.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Seeds of Chaos, Book 2
Things are moving. Just checked Fictionwise and found Seeds of Chaos, Book 2 at number 10 position in sales, up from number 14 yesterday evening. (number 70 in the morning!). And Book 1, Eden's Gate, has moved to number 11. That is fantastic.
Here is the list of my books as they stand at Fictionwise right now. That can change anytime.
The Xandra series:
Book One --- number 62 (down from number 24 just 2 days ago)
Book Two --- number 30 (up from number 51 just 2 days ago)
Book Three --- number 42 (up from number 65)
Seeds of Chaos:
Book One --- number 11
Book Two --- number 10
Sweet Challenge digest (my story: For Love of Arilee) number 75 (down from number 2 a couple of weeks ago)
Midnight Raunch digest (my story: Orola, The Kiir) number 6 (from number 3 yesterday)
Dual Visions --- number 76 (the very last position) no change!
This book is an enigma to me. It has two excellent stories, yet, nobody seems to want to purchase it. It baffles me. I wish somebody would give me some feedback on this phenomena. All my other books are selling. I gave away some copies for free (see below), and I did get a positive review on it from Liz (see comments). Somebody, please, help me out here!!!
Here is the list of my books as they stand at Fictionwise right now. That can change anytime.
The Xandra series:
Book One --- number 62 (down from number 24 just 2 days ago)
Book Two --- number 30 (up from number 51 just 2 days ago)
Book Three --- number 42 (up from number 65)
Seeds of Chaos:
Book One --- number 11
Book Two --- number 10
Sweet Challenge digest (my story: For Love of Arilee) number 75 (down from number 2 a couple of weeks ago)
Midnight Raunch digest (my story: Orola, The Kiir) number 6 (from number 3 yesterday)
Dual Visions --- number 76 (the very last position) no change!
This book is an enigma to me. It has two excellent stories, yet, nobody seems to want to purchase it. It baffles me. I wish somebody would give me some feedback on this phenomena. All my other books are selling. I gave away some copies for free (see below), and I did get a positive review on it from Liz (see comments). Somebody, please, help me out here!!!
Monday, August 13, 2007
I am excited
I am really happy. Seeds of Chaos 2 has moved from number 70 position this morning to number 14 this evening. My fans haven't abandoned me after all. Maybe I can reach number one again, like my first book 'The Xandra, Daughter of the Dark'. That would be nice. I just can't figure out why 'Dual Visions' isn't selling. There are two good stories in there.
The digest 'Midnight Raunch', which contains my story 'Orola, the Kiir' has moved into number 3 position at Fiction Wise.
The digest 'Midnight Raunch', which contains my story 'Orola, the Kiir' has moved into number 3 position at Fiction Wise.
A few uplifting words
I have this hanging over my desk. It helps smooth out those rough times we all go through sometimes.
Don’t quit now!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will
When the road you are trudging seems all up hill
When the funds are low and debts are high
And you want to smile, but you must sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but DON’T QUIT!
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As everyone of sometimes learns
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar
So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst
THAT YOU MUST NOT QUIT!
Don’t quit now!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will
When the road you are trudging seems all up hill
When the funds are low and debts are high
And you want to smile, but you must sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but DON’T QUIT!
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As everyone of sometimes learns
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar
So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst
THAT YOU MUST NOT QUIT!
Dual Visions and Seeds of Chaos, Book 2
Wow, I did get a few emails and I gave away free ebooks to four readers. That makes me happy. I also quite a few visitors to my blog.
On other news, Book 2 of 'Seeds of Chaos' Hell's Gate is finally available from Fiction Wise. If you want to find it, just go to http://www.fictionwise.com, and do a search for my name under 'Authors'. My file will come up with all of my books.
On other news, Book 2 of 'Seeds of Chaos' Hell's Gate is finally available from Fiction Wise. If you want to find it, just go to http://www.fictionwise.com, and do a search for my name under 'Authors'. My file will come up with all of my books.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
About the free ebook
I am surprised. It seems nobody wants a free book. For the price of one book a reader could have two. ‘Dual Visions’, which is now available from Fictionwise, doesn’t seem to be selling at all, because it is still in the last position in sales. I don’t understand it. I think I’ve written two great stories. Cliffs of Time is in my opinion one of the best stories I’ve written. It has adventure, erotica. The story even makes you think a little. And Orion, the Hunt is also quite an adventure story. When I was still reading a lot, I would have been ecstatic to read a story like that. That is one of the reasons I started writing my own. I needed more of those stories. It seems to me, most people just want to read romance, like the Harlequin books. Formula writing, nothing new, ever. No adventure, just the same old thing. Two people hate each other, but in the end they come together and live happily ever after. Sorry, if this sounds like sour grapes (maybe it is a little), but I’m just a bit baffled.
I have an idea. Anyone reading my blog, send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and I will send you a copy of ‘Dual Visions’ in the pdf format. Free. I will give away four to the first four people who respond. If you ask for it, I might even send you a free copy of Seeds of Chaos, Book One. The only thing I’ll ask, after reading it, send me a comment how you liked it. Maybe even post it (if it is positive, only, please), on one of the groups you belong to.
By the way, Book Two, Hell’s Gate should be available from Fictionwise sometime within the next two weeks. It is available now (still!) from http://www.midnightshowcase.com
So, come on, let’s hear from you.
Excerpt from ‘Orion, the Hunt’
Warning: Explicit sexual situation
He awoke, his defense-system ready to strike, when he sensed the presence of someone sliding into his tent. He lay quiet and carefully sent a weak searching tentacle towards the intruder’s mind. When he touched the artificial shield he smiled and relaxed, watching the slim shadow gliding up beside him.
“Don’t pretend you’re sleeping. I know you are awake,” she whispered into his ear. “I can see quite well in the dark.” Her cat’s eyes glowed softly above him.
Orion chuckled and reached for her. She was already easing out of her clothes and moments later boldly pulled down his pants. “You certainly are not shy,” he said and stroked the cat-woman’s round buttocks as she slid on top of him. Her body was covered with fine, incredibly silky fuzz. It sent waves of delicate pleasure through him from every spot where her naked skin touched his. Her warm breasts pressed into his chest, soft and warm.
She made a guttural sound deep in her throat, touched his erect penis, curled her fingers around it and eased herself onto it. “Ahh…” she moaned softly. “You are big all over. It feels good.”
He could feel the soft bushy mass of hair growing around her groin area as she moved against him and dug his fingers into her solid buttocks.
I have an idea. Anyone reading my blog, send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and I will send you a copy of ‘Dual Visions’ in the pdf format. Free. I will give away four to the first four people who respond. If you ask for it, I might even send you a free copy of Seeds of Chaos, Book One. The only thing I’ll ask, after reading it, send me a comment how you liked it. Maybe even post it (if it is positive, only, please), on one of the groups you belong to.
By the way, Book Two, Hell’s Gate should be available from Fictionwise sometime within the next two weeks. It is available now (still!) from http://www.midnightshowcase.com
So, come on, let’s hear from you.
Excerpt from ‘Orion, the Hunt’
Warning: Explicit sexual situation
He awoke, his defense-system ready to strike, when he sensed the presence of someone sliding into his tent. He lay quiet and carefully sent a weak searching tentacle towards the intruder’s mind. When he touched the artificial shield he smiled and relaxed, watching the slim shadow gliding up beside him.
“Don’t pretend you’re sleeping. I know you are awake,” she whispered into his ear. “I can see quite well in the dark.” Her cat’s eyes glowed softly above him.
Orion chuckled and reached for her. She was already easing out of her clothes and moments later boldly pulled down his pants. “You certainly are not shy,” he said and stroked the cat-woman’s round buttocks as she slid on top of him. Her body was covered with fine, incredibly silky fuzz. It sent waves of delicate pleasure through him from every spot where her naked skin touched his. Her warm breasts pressed into his chest, soft and warm.
She made a guttural sound deep in her throat, touched his erect penis, curled her fingers around it and eased herself onto it. “Ahh…” she moaned softly. “You are big all over. It feels good.”
He could feel the soft bushy mass of hair growing around her groin area as she moved against him and dug his fingers into her solid buttocks.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Free eBook
Thanks for visiting my blog. Before you leave, stay a while and browse a little.
About the book I’m giving away, as I said, there is a catch. You’ll have to buy a copy of Dual Visions. It contains two novellas: Cliffs of Time and Orion, The Hunt.
As proof of purchase, you must send me the first line of Chapter sixteen from Orion, The Hunt. Send it to my email hegro@shaw.ca
The book I’m giving away will be Book One of ‘The Xandra’, Daughter of the Dark. If you already own that book, you can choose another one. Book Two of Seeds of Chaos will be exempt, since it is a new release.
Go to http://www.midnightshowcase.com to check out my other books. I also have a number of short stories in Sweet Challenge, (newly released), Sweet Revenge, Summer Heat 3, Holiday Voices, and Midnight Raunch.
Dual Visions (as well as my other books) are also available at http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/MidnightShowcaseeBooks.htm It is a new release with fiction wise, so you will find it at the end of the list. Scroll down the list for my other books or do a search by Author.
About the book I’m giving away, as I said, there is a catch. You’ll have to buy a copy of Dual Visions. It contains two novellas: Cliffs of Time and Orion, The Hunt.
As proof of purchase, you must send me the first line of Chapter sixteen from Orion, The Hunt. Send it to my email hegro@shaw.ca
The book I’m giving away will be Book One of ‘The Xandra’, Daughter of the Dark. If you already own that book, you can choose another one. Book Two of Seeds of Chaos will be exempt, since it is a new release.
Go to http://www.midnightshowcase.com to check out my other books. I also have a number of short stories in Sweet Challenge, (newly released), Sweet Revenge, Summer Heat 3, Holiday Voices, and Midnight Raunch.
Dual Visions (as well as my other books) are also available at http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/MidnightShowcaseeBooks.htm It is a new release with fiction wise, so you will find it at the end of the list. Scroll down the list for my other books or do a search by Author.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Dual Visions
Finally! Starting today my book Dual Visions is available from Fiction Wise. Right now it is at number 78 position. I'm anxious to see how fast it rises up in the numbers. It contains two novellas: Cliffs of Time and Orion, the Hunt. One is a time traveling story and the other one a space adventure. Both of them contain sexual situations. Book Two of Seeds of Chaos isn't available yet at Fiction Wise, but can, of course, be purchased at http://www.midnightshowcase.com/ Haven't done too much writing lately. Been busy in the yard, but this week is way too hot to work outside, but there are other things I need to do. Today it is supposed to go up to 36 degrees. Same for the next few days. Time seems to fly. I don't know where it is going. The older I get the less time I seem to have. Maybe I can get another chapter written in my novel 'Tarnished Valor'. I find writing a contemporary novel is much harder to do and more time consuming than SciFi or Fantasy. In that genre I can make up my worlds, the people, the societies, but in contemporary I have to do research. Much information can be found on the internet, but it takes time to sift through all the stuff that is out there. When I wrote Cliffs of Time (a time traveling Science Fiction story), I had to do some research. I never knew that Tyrannosaurus Rex didn't exist 100 million years ago. There were dinosaurs larger than T-Rex and equally ferocious. I never knew that. I know now and it was a lot of fun to study that, but as I said, it takes time. Right now I'm studying up on Iraq, because the background for my current novel is about the war. I find out lots of interesting things. I hope I don't get a visit one day from Homeland Security, the CIA, FBI, or the Canadian Secret Service because I spent so much time checking out Iraq. Wow, look what writing a murder mystery novel can do to a writer! I'm becoming as paranoid as my characters. It would make a good story, though.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Update and short excerpt
I’m still waiting to have my book ‘Dual Visions’ and ‘Seeds of Chaos Book 2’ put up for sale at Fictionwise. Strange thing how sales are going there and what spawns them. I haven’t done any advertising on any of the sites, but my books are moving up and down. Take ‘Seeds of Chaos Book 1’. June 18 it was a the number 21 spot, then it moved way down to spot 74 by June 25, then up again to number 17 by July 4. Then it dropped to number 74 by July 9. Today I checked it and it is back up at number 17 again. Just one day later. Strange. And the same thing is happening to my Xandra trilogy.
I’m busy writing my book ‘Tainted Valor’ and have past the 50,000 word mark. Unfortunately, right now I have a lot of work outside in my yard, rejuvenating the flowerbeds and tending my garden, cutting the grass and whatever else pops up. With all the rain we’ve been having things grow. That means little time left for writing. It is rainy today, but I want to bottle some of my wine. Running out of full bottles. I have about 80 bottles of red wine to fill and cork. That should last for a while. I’ve got three more batches of white wine going, which should be ready for bottling in about three weeks.
I am fully retired now, but it seems I have less time than before.
A few years ago, when a friend of mine retired, I asked him what he was doing with all his free time. He just laughed and said, “What free time? I can’t figure out how I had ever time to work for a living with all the stuff I need to do at home.” At that time I couldn’t understand what the heck he was talking about. Now I know. I guess this is one of the ‘Secrets of the Universe’ I’ve stumbled upon. Somebody should try to find the answer to that one. LOL.
My short novella ‘Outpost Epsilon’ has been accepted by Midnight Showcase, for release as a stand alone novel in the Romps series in August 2008, but I haven’t signed the contract yet. Some ideas popped into my head about a story that takes place on ‘Epsilon’, an intriguing planet and world I created. I just wish I had more time to write, but I want to finish ‘Tarnished Valor’ before I start with another short story or novel. I’ve done it before with some of my other works. Seeds of Chaos took a long time to write, because I left it sitting to work on other stuff. It was probably a good thing, because that way I had more stories to publish, but now I’m getting anxious with Tainted Valor. It is hard to stay in a story when you leave it. When I write I pretty well have to live in the world of that story to keep things flowing (obviously, not literally, only in my mind. LOL.), but sometimes it is nice to start something new, just to get a different perspective.
I haven’t mentioned yet that ‘Midnight Raunch’ is available from http://www.midnightshowcase.com/ . My story ‘Orola, The Kiir’ is in that digest. Midnight Raunch pushes the envelope a bit more than the other digests. There is more erotica in those stories. Here is a short excerpt from it, a little edited, though. If you want to read all the juicy stuff you’ll have to buy the digest.
Excerpt:
Warning, sexual situation.
Her body seemed aflame, and staring into Garron’s wide-open eyes, she slipped into an altered state.
Her mind seemed befuddled and clear at the same time.
She was Orola, the girl, gasping for breath beneath Garron’s tirelessly moving body. She felt his hard muscular chest against her soft breasts, felt his flat belly touching hers.
She was Garron.
No…she was not Garron, only a simulacrum. A form It had assumed out of necessity. The real Garron lay nearby, giving life to another.
Life. It would have Life.
Exhilarated, it continued giving pleasure to the life form beneath it, continued feeding her life-giving fluid, which flowed freely from the orifice between her lower extremities, her flower, as she called it. It drank the nectar from her lips when they tasted each other.
But it did not just take. It gave back. It gave of its own fluid, which was laced with elements of healing, elements that gave endurance, vitality and youth.
Through the thoughts of the life form whose body it copied, it knew that coupling with a female was not only used for the continued existence of their species. They coupled also for the experience of pleasure.
And pleasure it gave, while taking pleasure in return.
It had no memories of a life before this. Only fragments of a life as a formless blob suspended in water.
Waiting.
Then it became aware of another life form close by. On the land.
It felt joy and ecstasy.
It would have Life.
It crawled on land.
One entity was close. No…there were two. Two minds, one body.
After the ecstasy came separation. One body became two.
One, the female, she called herself Orola, lay watching another body/two minds.
The other, the male, Garron, lay on his back, eyes closed.
Instinctively it knew what it must do.
It took Garron’s thoughts, his memories. It became Garron. Its gelatin body became solid and warm. It formed the feeding tube between its legs, shaped it into the likeness of a male organ.
Then, as Garron, it moved on top of the female Orola, pushed its feeding tube into her sex-organ from behind. It created strands of pleasure inside its new body and the moment the simulated organ entered Orola’s it experienced extreme pleasure.
So did Orola.
The fluid the creature exuded acted like an aphrodisiac to her. As she absorbed it into her body, she slipped into an immediate trance, totally under the creature’s control.
As it joined with Orola, it became aware of three others of its kind, shaping themselves into the likeness of the other three life forms.
It was jubilant.
It would not be alone.
Joyfully it moved its lower body with a steady rhythm, pushing its feeding tube deep into the female’s clutching orifice. The creature’s source of life.
Coupled with intense pleasure the creature released a spray of fluid into Orola’s womb. The seeds inside searched and found the ova, melded, fertilized. Then it sucked the life-givers back into its own body, where the growing process began.
Another life formed. A superior life form would emerge.
There would be no offspring in Orola’s womb, all she received was pleasure for now and vitality and health for a long time after.
A fair exchange.
Orola didn’t feel appalled by this. Sharing the creature’s thoughts and memories, she understood the need.
Her consciousness shifted back to her own body.
I’m busy writing my book ‘Tainted Valor’ and have past the 50,000 word mark. Unfortunately, right now I have a lot of work outside in my yard, rejuvenating the flowerbeds and tending my garden, cutting the grass and whatever else pops up. With all the rain we’ve been having things grow. That means little time left for writing. It is rainy today, but I want to bottle some of my wine. Running out of full bottles. I have about 80 bottles of red wine to fill and cork. That should last for a while. I’ve got three more batches of white wine going, which should be ready for bottling in about three weeks.
I am fully retired now, but it seems I have less time than before.
A few years ago, when a friend of mine retired, I asked him what he was doing with all his free time. He just laughed and said, “What free time? I can’t figure out how I had ever time to work for a living with all the stuff I need to do at home.” At that time I couldn’t understand what the heck he was talking about. Now I know. I guess this is one of the ‘Secrets of the Universe’ I’ve stumbled upon. Somebody should try to find the answer to that one. LOL.
My short novella ‘Outpost Epsilon’ has been accepted by Midnight Showcase, for release as a stand alone novel in the Romps series in August 2008, but I haven’t signed the contract yet. Some ideas popped into my head about a story that takes place on ‘Epsilon’, an intriguing planet and world I created. I just wish I had more time to write, but I want to finish ‘Tarnished Valor’ before I start with another short story or novel. I’ve done it before with some of my other works. Seeds of Chaos took a long time to write, because I left it sitting to work on other stuff. It was probably a good thing, because that way I had more stories to publish, but now I’m getting anxious with Tainted Valor. It is hard to stay in a story when you leave it. When I write I pretty well have to live in the world of that story to keep things flowing (obviously, not literally, only in my mind. LOL.), but sometimes it is nice to start something new, just to get a different perspective.
I haven’t mentioned yet that ‘Midnight Raunch’ is available from http://www.midnightshowcase.com/ . My story ‘Orola, The Kiir’ is in that digest. Midnight Raunch pushes the envelope a bit more than the other digests. There is more erotica in those stories. Here is a short excerpt from it, a little edited, though. If you want to read all the juicy stuff you’ll have to buy the digest.
Excerpt:
Warning, sexual situation.
Her body seemed aflame, and staring into Garron’s wide-open eyes, she slipped into an altered state.
Her mind seemed befuddled and clear at the same time.
She was Orola, the girl, gasping for breath beneath Garron’s tirelessly moving body. She felt his hard muscular chest against her soft breasts, felt his flat belly touching hers.
She was Garron.
No…she was not Garron, only a simulacrum. A form It had assumed out of necessity. The real Garron lay nearby, giving life to another.
Life. It would have Life.
Exhilarated, it continued giving pleasure to the life form beneath it, continued feeding her life-giving fluid, which flowed freely from the orifice between her lower extremities, her flower, as she called it. It drank the nectar from her lips when they tasted each other.
But it did not just take. It gave back. It gave of its own fluid, which was laced with elements of healing, elements that gave endurance, vitality and youth.
Through the thoughts of the life form whose body it copied, it knew that coupling with a female was not only used for the continued existence of their species. They coupled also for the experience of pleasure.
And pleasure it gave, while taking pleasure in return.
It had no memories of a life before this. Only fragments of a life as a formless blob suspended in water.
Waiting.
Then it became aware of another life form close by. On the land.
It felt joy and ecstasy.
It would have Life.
It crawled on land.
One entity was close. No…there were two. Two minds, one body.
After the ecstasy came separation. One body became two.
One, the female, she called herself Orola, lay watching another body/two minds.
The other, the male, Garron, lay on his back, eyes closed.
Instinctively it knew what it must do.
It took Garron’s thoughts, his memories. It became Garron. Its gelatin body became solid and warm. It formed the feeding tube between its legs, shaped it into the likeness of a male organ.
Then, as Garron, it moved on top of the female Orola, pushed its feeding tube into her sex-organ from behind. It created strands of pleasure inside its new body and the moment the simulated organ entered Orola’s it experienced extreme pleasure.
So did Orola.
The fluid the creature exuded acted like an aphrodisiac to her. As she absorbed it into her body, she slipped into an immediate trance, totally under the creature’s control.
As it joined with Orola, it became aware of three others of its kind, shaping themselves into the likeness of the other three life forms.
It was jubilant.
It would not be alone.
Joyfully it moved its lower body with a steady rhythm, pushing its feeding tube deep into the female’s clutching orifice. The creature’s source of life.
Coupled with intense pleasure the creature released a spray of fluid into Orola’s womb. The seeds inside searched and found the ova, melded, fertilized. Then it sucked the life-givers back into its own body, where the growing process began.
Another life formed. A superior life form would emerge.
There would be no offspring in Orola’s womb, all she received was pleasure for now and vitality and health for a long time after.
A fair exchange.
Orola didn’t feel appalled by this. Sharing the creature’s thoughts and memories, she understood the need.
Her consciousness shifted back to her own body.
Monday, June 25, 2007
June 25, 2007
After some absence from my blog, I figured it’s time to update it a bit. Dual Visions and Hell’s Gate are still not available from Fictionwise. You can only buy them at http://www.midnightshowcase.com/ , and I don’t know how sales are going there. I’m anxious to find out how both books are doing. The rest of my books (The Xandra trilogy and Book one of Seeds of Chaos ‘Eden’s Gate’ are moving up and down on the scale. I’m waiting for a couple of reviews of Hell’s Gate. If they are favorable, they will spawn a new flurry of buys (usually).
Still busy with ‘Tarnished Valor’. I’ve got over 40,000 words now and lots more to go. Haven’t had too much time lately to write. Work in the yard. Tore apart one flowerbed and replanted some shrubs. Good thing we finished. With all the rain we’ve been having, it is hard to get much done. And the grass is growing well, now we just need the sunshine so it can be cut. Last time I cut, it was June 15. I’ll have to bag it again and take the clippings to the dump. Without bagging, I can cut it in about two hours. With bagging, it sometimes takes three hours. Too bad I can’t listen to my MP3 player while I’m cutting. That damned lawn tractor is so loud you only hear parts of the music and it doesn’t sound good. Even wearing earmuffs doesn’t help. And I can’t think about the stories I write, because I need to concentrate on operating the tractor. What a bummer!
We’ve had pretty bad weather this weekend. Tornados and terrible thunderstorms with enough rain to last us for a while. Our yard is littered with branches from the willows. More work. And we always thought we were safe in Manitoba from tornados. They only happen south of the border. Yeah, right! The one on Thursday was a Stage 4 with winds over 400 km an hour. Apparently, over 1000 cottages were damaged in the Whiteshell and many trees uprooted and down. Many places still don’t have power because of the downed hydro poles. Wonderful planet we live on.
We had a garage sale on Saturday. Sold $33.00 worth of stuff. Not really worth the trouble. Parted with over 80 over my Hunting and Fishing magazines, got six bucks for them. It is tough to let go of books, especially if you’re a collector, but I figured I haven’t looked at them for years and probably never will again. They’ve been stored away in boxes on a shelf. This way somebody else can enjoy them.
Since I’ve been talking about ‘Tarnished Valor’, here is a short excerpt:
He walked past the cages, glanced at the glistening bodies of the nude dancing girls and the half-drunken men watching them.
They’d be screwing them on the tables if the law allowed it, Jeff thought.
When he arrived at the door with the Private sign on it, two burly guys barred his way.
“I guess you can’t read signs. This is a private room, buddy,” one growled. “Beat it!”
Jeff gave him a friendly smile. “I want to talk to your boss.”
“He’s busy. Besides, Mr. Galliano doesn’t talk to anyone without an appointment.”
“I’m making one. Right now.”
“You’ll have to talk to his secretary, but it’s her day off.”
“I don’t really need the secretary to make the appointment,” Jeff said, losing his patience.
“Then you won’t get in, stupid. Now, get the fuck outa here! I’m not telling you again.”
Jeff had been seizing up the guard, who outweighed his 235 pounds by at least thirty pounds. However, Jeff was solid muscles and in top shape, while the other one could have been a model for the Pillsbury Doughboy.
The second guard was a different story. He matched Jeff in height and physique. He had been silently watching, almost as if amused by the exchange between Jeff and his buddy.
Jeff decided to take him out first.
“You know, I don’t have the time to argue with you two clowns,” he said and, with a sudden movement, he kicked sideways, smashing his heel into the guard’s solar plexus to send him sprawling. Then he twisted around and with his fist, he hit the fat guy in the belly.
Unprepared for the attack his opponent let out a surprised grunt and folded forward. Jeff brought the edge of his right hand down, hitting the fat neck with great force.
The big man hit the ground like a sack of flour. Jeff stepped over him and opened the door.
There were two people in the room. A man and a woman. The woman sat on the desk, the top of her dress down to expose her breasts. Behind the desk, sat a short, fat and completely bald man. One of his hands covered the woman’s right breast.
The man looked up when Jeff walked in. “Who the hell are you?” he rasped. “And how did you get past my men?”
“They’ve decided to take a little nap.” Jeff grinned. “They must have been tired of their job. My name is Jeff Chartrand. Does the name Chartrand ring a bell?”
Galliano removed his hand from the woman’s breast. She slipped off the desk and pulled up her dress. “Leave us alone,” Galliano told her. “Tell Alfonso and Tony to move their asses in here.” Then he looked at Jeff out of black eyes hidden between folds of flesh. “What was your name again?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me the first time, Galliano,” Jeff said calmly, keeping an eye on the fat man’s right hand.
“It’s Mr. Galliano to you. Now…what the fuck is so important that you have to bust into my office unannounced?”
“It’s about my brother, Michael Chartrand. I believe you and he had business dealings.”
Still busy with ‘Tarnished Valor’. I’ve got over 40,000 words now and lots more to go. Haven’t had too much time lately to write. Work in the yard. Tore apart one flowerbed and replanted some shrubs. Good thing we finished. With all the rain we’ve been having, it is hard to get much done. And the grass is growing well, now we just need the sunshine so it can be cut. Last time I cut, it was June 15. I’ll have to bag it again and take the clippings to the dump. Without bagging, I can cut it in about two hours. With bagging, it sometimes takes three hours. Too bad I can’t listen to my MP3 player while I’m cutting. That damned lawn tractor is so loud you only hear parts of the music and it doesn’t sound good. Even wearing earmuffs doesn’t help. And I can’t think about the stories I write, because I need to concentrate on operating the tractor. What a bummer!
We’ve had pretty bad weather this weekend. Tornados and terrible thunderstorms with enough rain to last us for a while. Our yard is littered with branches from the willows. More work. And we always thought we were safe in Manitoba from tornados. They only happen south of the border. Yeah, right! The one on Thursday was a Stage 4 with winds over 400 km an hour. Apparently, over 1000 cottages were damaged in the Whiteshell and many trees uprooted and down. Many places still don’t have power because of the downed hydro poles. Wonderful planet we live on.
We had a garage sale on Saturday. Sold $33.00 worth of stuff. Not really worth the trouble. Parted with over 80 over my Hunting and Fishing magazines, got six bucks for them. It is tough to let go of books, especially if you’re a collector, but I figured I haven’t looked at them for years and probably never will again. They’ve been stored away in boxes on a shelf. This way somebody else can enjoy them.
Since I’ve been talking about ‘Tarnished Valor’, here is a short excerpt:
He walked past the cages, glanced at the glistening bodies of the nude dancing girls and the half-drunken men watching them.
They’d be screwing them on the tables if the law allowed it, Jeff thought.
When he arrived at the door with the Private sign on it, two burly guys barred his way.
“I guess you can’t read signs. This is a private room, buddy,” one growled. “Beat it!”
Jeff gave him a friendly smile. “I want to talk to your boss.”
“He’s busy. Besides, Mr. Galliano doesn’t talk to anyone without an appointment.”
“I’m making one. Right now.”
“You’ll have to talk to his secretary, but it’s her day off.”
“I don’t really need the secretary to make the appointment,” Jeff said, losing his patience.
“Then you won’t get in, stupid. Now, get the fuck outa here! I’m not telling you again.”
Jeff had been seizing up the guard, who outweighed his 235 pounds by at least thirty pounds. However, Jeff was solid muscles and in top shape, while the other one could have been a model for the Pillsbury Doughboy.
The second guard was a different story. He matched Jeff in height and physique. He had been silently watching, almost as if amused by the exchange between Jeff and his buddy.
Jeff decided to take him out first.
“You know, I don’t have the time to argue with you two clowns,” he said and, with a sudden movement, he kicked sideways, smashing his heel into the guard’s solar plexus to send him sprawling. Then he twisted around and with his fist, he hit the fat guy in the belly.
Unprepared for the attack his opponent let out a surprised grunt and folded forward. Jeff brought the edge of his right hand down, hitting the fat neck with great force.
The big man hit the ground like a sack of flour. Jeff stepped over him and opened the door.
There were two people in the room. A man and a woman. The woman sat on the desk, the top of her dress down to expose her breasts. Behind the desk, sat a short, fat and completely bald man. One of his hands covered the woman’s right breast.
The man looked up when Jeff walked in. “Who the hell are you?” he rasped. “And how did you get past my men?”
“They’ve decided to take a little nap.” Jeff grinned. “They must have been tired of their job. My name is Jeff Chartrand. Does the name Chartrand ring a bell?”
Galliano removed his hand from the woman’s breast. She slipped off the desk and pulled up her dress. “Leave us alone,” Galliano told her. “Tell Alfonso and Tony to move their asses in here.” Then he looked at Jeff out of black eyes hidden between folds of flesh. “What was your name again?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me the first time, Galliano,” Jeff said calmly, keeping an eye on the fat man’s right hand.
“It’s Mr. Galliano to you. Now…what the fuck is so important that you have to bust into my office unannounced?”
“It’s about my brother, Michael Chartrand. I believe you and he had business dealings.”
Monday, June 04, 2007
Book Two, Seeds of Chaos
Finally. Seeds of Chaos, Hell's Gate is available from Midnight Showcase. The cover looks good. I also signed the contract for my short novella 'Time Flares'. It won't be released until June 2008. A long time to wait for it, but what the heck. It will be part of a special digest featuring Science Fiction stories by different Authors. There'll be other stuff to look forward to, like 'Mark of the Cobra' in September 2007, Book One of 'The Stardogs' in October and Book Two of 'The Stardogs' in January 2008. Also, my short story 'Orola--The Kiir' will appear in the Launch the Raunch digest to be released in the next few days. I haven't heard back yet about my last novella 'Outpost Epsilon'. In the meantime I'm back writing my book 'Tarnished Valor'. I've got over 30,000 words now. A long way to go until it is finished. I'm aiming for about 150,000 words.
Check out my latest release at http://www.midnightshowcase.com/
I'd like to post more, but I'm very tired today. Tilled my garden and started planting some stuff. Got all my tomatoes (12) and peppers (36) planted. Tomorrow I'll be doing the seeding of Beans, Carrots, Red Beets, Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Spinach. I'll also put in some Onions. Red ones and the giant Spanish Onions. Love Onions.
And Parsley. Don't have to worry about the Dill-weed. Like the name says, it's a weed. I's been sprouting like crazy all over the garden already. I had to till it under, but it will be back. It always does.
Hopefully it won't rain for a few days now. I'm over a week behind because of the constant rain, but I' ll get it done by tomorrow. Then it's cutting the grass. It's also growing like crazy because I put on fertilizer. What was I thinking?
Check out my latest release at http://www.midnightshowcase.com/
I'd like to post more, but I'm very tired today. Tilled my garden and started planting some stuff. Got all my tomatoes (12) and peppers (36) planted. Tomorrow I'll be doing the seeding of Beans, Carrots, Red Beets, Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Spinach. I'll also put in some Onions. Red ones and the giant Spanish Onions. Love Onions.
And Parsley. Don't have to worry about the Dill-weed. Like the name says, it's a weed. I's been sprouting like crazy all over the garden already. I had to till it under, but it will be back. It always does.
Hopefully it won't rain for a few days now. I'm over a week behind because of the constant rain, but I' ll get it done by tomorrow. Then it's cutting the grass. It's also growing like crazy because I put on fertilizer. What was I thinking?
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Outpost Epsilon
I finally finished my novella 'Outpost Epsilon'. It turned out to be 24,000 words long. I edited it and sent it in today to Midnight Showcase.
My other releases, Book 2 of Seeds of Chaos and the short story 'Orola, the Kiir' in Midnight Raunch has not been released yet, because the editors of Midnight Showcase live in an area of the States where they have bad weather right now and so working on computers proved to be a little difficult. But the books will be available within a couple of days, I'm sure.
Here is the first chapter from 'Outpost Epsilon'.
Chapter One
Terrex Stonewall shouldered his huge duffle bag, which held his meager possessions, and stepped from the shuttle onto the alien soil. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled the hot, humid air, registering unfamiliar scents and finding them not as unpleasant as he’d been told.
The door of the shuttle irised shut behind him, cutting off his way back should he change his mind about this new assignment, and he moved further away as the small shuttle lifted into the air.
He watched it rise, and then disappear into the low hanging clouds.
Although he had been briefed, it still came as a surprise to see the giant mushrooms surrounding him. He walked slowly across the cleared area towards the enormous bubble that would be his home for the next year.
He knew what to expect.
Life on an outpost was not a holiday. Neither did it mean hardship, not usually. His job, as a scout for the Solar Union, would be to keep watch over this area of space and report any intrusion into the system.
They did not tell him why this particular outpost was so important. Epsilon happened to be the fourth planet in a solar system at the edge of controlled human space. There wasn’t much here, as far as Stonewall knew. Nothing anyone would want, unless you liked mushrooms.
The shrill cry of an animal hastened his steps towards the dome. Before he reached it, an opening appeared in the smooth surface of the bubble and a man in the drab brown uniform of the Union stepped out.
“No canvassing allowed.” The man burst out laughing when he saw Stonewall’s perplexed expression. Holding out a hand, he said, “You must be Terrex Stonewall. I am William Peters. Welcome to Hell.”
“Hell?” Stonewall said, then nodded and grinned, suddenly aware of the wet fabric of his uniform clinging to his perspiring body. “It is damned hot.”
“Come inside.” The other man stepped back into the dome.
Stonewall followed him and stood silent for a moment, breathing in the cool air. Behind him, the door closed with a barely audible whoosh.
From the outside, the surface of the dome looked opaque, but standing inside, he could see the sky above and the forest of mushrooms as clearly as if the shell didn’t exist.
“Pretty clever,” he commented.
“It is. Don’t ask me how it’s done. I’m not a scientist. Something about bending the light waves.”
“You even have a garden,” Stonewall observed.
“That and more. Makes living on this hell-hole almost bearable.” Peters pointed to a squat building. “Those are our sleeping quarters. The kitchen and mess hall are over there. That ugly structure behind the kitchen houses the observation screens, computers, and detection systems. Below it, underground, is the power grid. We call that building the Power-building.” He grinned. “Very original, don’t you agree? You’ll be spending most of your time in there.”
Stonewall saw a couple of figures moving around in the garden. Peters noticed his interest. “Don’t worry,” he said, laughing. “You won’t have to work in the garden. Those are work-drones. Robots.”
Stonewall grinned. “You had me worried there for a moment. I’m not a farmer.”
“Speaking of farmers,” Peters said, “there is the Chief right now. His name is…”
“Derrol Farmer. I know,” Stonewall said and smiled.
The tall man who came walking towards them, looked gaunt, like someone who hadn’t slept or eaten for days. “So, you’re the new guy,” he said with a grating voice and gave Stonewall a tight smile.
“The name’s Terrex Stonewall, sir.”
“I’m aware of that. Call me Chief. We are not that formal around here.” Farmer pointed at Stonewall’s duffel bag. “What did you bring with you? I hope all that stuff fits into your locker.” He stared at Peters. “Show him his bunk and introduce him to the others.”
Peters tipped his non-existent helmet in a sloppy salute. “Will do, Chief.”
Farmer turned and walked away.
“Is he always in this cheerful mood?” Stonewall asked when he was out of earshot.
Peters chuckled. “Not always. Today is one of his better days.” He punched Stonewall on the arm. “Come, I’ll show you to your executive suite.”
He took Stonewall to the dormitory and showed him his bunk. “Here we are. Your lavish quarters for the next year.” He grinned. “Just throw your stuff on the bed. You can stow it away later. It’s almost noon, but before we go for lunch, I want you to see your new workplace.”
My other releases, Book 2 of Seeds of Chaos and the short story 'Orola, the Kiir' in Midnight Raunch has not been released yet, because the editors of Midnight Showcase live in an area of the States where they have bad weather right now and so working on computers proved to be a little difficult. But the books will be available within a couple of days, I'm sure.
Here is the first chapter from 'Outpost Epsilon'.
Chapter One
Terrex Stonewall shouldered his huge duffle bag, which held his meager possessions, and stepped from the shuttle onto the alien soil. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled the hot, humid air, registering unfamiliar scents and finding them not as unpleasant as he’d been told.
The door of the shuttle irised shut behind him, cutting off his way back should he change his mind about this new assignment, and he moved further away as the small shuttle lifted into the air.
He watched it rise, and then disappear into the low hanging clouds.
Although he had been briefed, it still came as a surprise to see the giant mushrooms surrounding him. He walked slowly across the cleared area towards the enormous bubble that would be his home for the next year.
He knew what to expect.
Life on an outpost was not a holiday. Neither did it mean hardship, not usually. His job, as a scout for the Solar Union, would be to keep watch over this area of space and report any intrusion into the system.
They did not tell him why this particular outpost was so important. Epsilon happened to be the fourth planet in a solar system at the edge of controlled human space. There wasn’t much here, as far as Stonewall knew. Nothing anyone would want, unless you liked mushrooms.
The shrill cry of an animal hastened his steps towards the dome. Before he reached it, an opening appeared in the smooth surface of the bubble and a man in the drab brown uniform of the Union stepped out.
“No canvassing allowed.” The man burst out laughing when he saw Stonewall’s perplexed expression. Holding out a hand, he said, “You must be Terrex Stonewall. I am William Peters. Welcome to Hell.”
“Hell?” Stonewall said, then nodded and grinned, suddenly aware of the wet fabric of his uniform clinging to his perspiring body. “It is damned hot.”
“Come inside.” The other man stepped back into the dome.
Stonewall followed him and stood silent for a moment, breathing in the cool air. Behind him, the door closed with a barely audible whoosh.
From the outside, the surface of the dome looked opaque, but standing inside, he could see the sky above and the forest of mushrooms as clearly as if the shell didn’t exist.
“Pretty clever,” he commented.
“It is. Don’t ask me how it’s done. I’m not a scientist. Something about bending the light waves.”
“You even have a garden,” Stonewall observed.
“That and more. Makes living on this hell-hole almost bearable.” Peters pointed to a squat building. “Those are our sleeping quarters. The kitchen and mess hall are over there. That ugly structure behind the kitchen houses the observation screens, computers, and detection systems. Below it, underground, is the power grid. We call that building the Power-building.” He grinned. “Very original, don’t you agree? You’ll be spending most of your time in there.”
Stonewall saw a couple of figures moving around in the garden. Peters noticed his interest. “Don’t worry,” he said, laughing. “You won’t have to work in the garden. Those are work-drones. Robots.”
Stonewall grinned. “You had me worried there for a moment. I’m not a farmer.”
“Speaking of farmers,” Peters said, “there is the Chief right now. His name is…”
“Derrol Farmer. I know,” Stonewall said and smiled.
The tall man who came walking towards them, looked gaunt, like someone who hadn’t slept or eaten for days. “So, you’re the new guy,” he said with a grating voice and gave Stonewall a tight smile.
“The name’s Terrex Stonewall, sir.”
“I’m aware of that. Call me Chief. We are not that formal around here.” Farmer pointed at Stonewall’s duffel bag. “What did you bring with you? I hope all that stuff fits into your locker.” He stared at Peters. “Show him his bunk and introduce him to the others.”
Peters tipped his non-existent helmet in a sloppy salute. “Will do, Chief.”
Farmer turned and walked away.
“Is he always in this cheerful mood?” Stonewall asked when he was out of earshot.
Peters chuckled. “Not always. Today is one of his better days.” He punched Stonewall on the arm. “Come, I’ll show you to your executive suite.”
He took Stonewall to the dormitory and showed him his bunk. “Here we are. Your lavish quarters for the next year.” He grinned. “Just throw your stuff on the bed. You can stow it away later. It’s almost noon, but before we go for lunch, I want you to see your new workplace.”
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Tapestry of Dreams
Just signed the contracts today with Midnight Showcase. My Anthology 'Tapestry of Dreams' is scheduled to be published April 2008. That's a long time to wait, almost a year, but that is publishing. My short story 'A Taste of Paradise' will appear in the Men of Eros Digest. Is is a digest written entirely by the male authors with Midnight Showcase.
However, while waiting, there are other works of mine coming out. 'Seeds of Chaos, Book Two, Hell's Gate, is coming out any day now and so is the short story 'Orola, The Kiir' in the Midnight Raunch digest. As already mentioned elswhere September will see my contemporay novel 'Mark of the Cobra', October Book One of 'The Stardogs'. So there is lots of stuff happening.
I haven't heard back about my short novel 'Time Flares'. I'm almost finished with my new shortl novel 'Outpost Epsilon'. I've written nearly 20,000 words now (So much for wanting to write another short story!). There's probably at least 2,000 words to write, maybe more, to bring it to its conclusion. We'll see. Unfortunately, my book 'Tarnished Valour' still sits at 25,000 words. I've written outlines of a few chapter, but just can't seem to get back to it. Something else always seems to cry for more attention, but one of these days.
Been busy with the yard. Just spread some fertilizer on the grass and herbicide on the dandilions. I know, they are beautiful yellow flowers, but not in my yard! My neighbors have enough of them. One just moved into his new house and the other one doesn't believe in spraying. He's probably right. It certainly isn't good for our water supply. Some day we'll just have to let the dandilions take over.
However, while waiting, there are other works of mine coming out. 'Seeds of Chaos, Book Two, Hell's Gate, is coming out any day now and so is the short story 'Orola, The Kiir' in the Midnight Raunch digest. As already mentioned elswhere September will see my contemporay novel 'Mark of the Cobra', October Book One of 'The Stardogs'. So there is lots of stuff happening.
I haven't heard back about my short novel 'Time Flares'. I'm almost finished with my new shortl novel 'Outpost Epsilon'. I've written nearly 20,000 words now (So much for wanting to write another short story!). There's probably at least 2,000 words to write, maybe more, to bring it to its conclusion. We'll see. Unfortunately, my book 'Tarnished Valour' still sits at 25,000 words. I've written outlines of a few chapter, but just can't seem to get back to it. Something else always seems to cry for more attention, but one of these days.
Been busy with the yard. Just spread some fertilizer on the grass and herbicide on the dandilions. I know, they are beautiful yellow flowers, but not in my yard! My neighbors have enough of them. One just moved into his new house and the other one doesn't believe in spraying. He's probably right. It certainly isn't good for our water supply. Some day we'll just have to let the dandilions take over.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Musings
This epublishing is a strange business. I am excited to be able to publish my stories and my books, but that's all it is. I have to admit though, I am a little disappointed. I may have had foolish notions about making some money. It is nice to be published, but some reward would also be nice. It's not happening and sometimes I wonder why I carry on. There are so many other things I'd like to do. In my younger days I used to spend most of my time either reading or drawing and I was not bad at drawing. Had I kept it up I could have made a career out of it. These days I don't draw, and I read very little. There are just not enough hours in a day to do everything. When I have time, I write. Sometimes even if I don't have time, and other things get neglected. As I said before, writing is in my blood. Stories must be told. And if a few people read them and get enjoyment out of it, then my dream is coming true. After all, what sense is it to create something and there is nobody to appreciate it?
A few days ago I received an email from Midnight Showcase that they want to publish my Anthology 'Tapestry of Dreams'. Sometime next year. I haven't heard back about the shorter novella 'Time Flares'.
I've written about 10,000 words to date on my new story 'Outpost Epsilon'. I've had it all planned inside my head, but now I'm not quite sure where exactly it will end. New ideas are popping up while I'm writing. That usually happens to me. That's why I don't get too caught up with my outlines. I know they will change. Most of the time the stories turn out longer than planned.
My story 'Orola, the Kiir' will be coming out soon from Midnight Showcase in the digest Midnight Raunch. It pushes the envelope a bit more than usual, that means more Erotica, but that's what that line demands. Hopefully, I'll have more stories published in that line. I've written a few stories featuring Orola, the Warrior Priestess. They are more 'raunchy', some of them may have to be re-written.
Here is the first chapter from 'Orola, the Kiir':
They sat unmoving among the branches of a giant Scrip-tree, the foliage hiding them from anyone looking up. There were five of them. Scruffy looking men with stoic brutal faces. Only their black eyes seemed alive as they watched the river below.
The object of their attention stood looking at the briskly flowing water.
A naked young woman. She had arrived some time earlier. After tethering her steed, she shed her rather skimpy clothing, consisting only of a short kilt, a strip of cloth to cover her pubic area and a pair of metal breast cups, hardly large enough to cover much of her ample breasts.
Testing the water with one foot, she seemed to hesitate, but then with a shrug, she dove into the water, her naked body glistening white in the midday sun.
She hit the water and one of the watchers grunted. His lips parted to reveal brown, rotten teeth. The others nodded and silently they began to move through the branches.
Climbing down on the hidden side of the thick tree trunk, they reached the soft forest floor and, without making a sound, two of them moved towards the girl’s steed. One took her clothing and the other one tried to untie the animal.
When the black coated beast snorted, the girl looked towards the commotion and called out sharply. Then she began swimming towards shore.
Letting go of the beast’s rope, the man looked at her and grinned. His companion had already disappeared.
She climbed ashore and looked at the spot where she left her clothing and her sword, realizing they were gone. “What do you want?” she demanded.
The man grinned, his eyes raking her naked form. They rested momentarily on the thick black triangle below her smooth flat belly, then moved up to her round, large breasts, his attention suddenly on the red glowing object nestled in the deep cleft between them.
“Well?” she said, staring defiantly at him.
“I want you,” he said, his voice thickly accented and his words slurred.
The girl laughed, shaking her long black hair. “You want me?” she taunted. “You and how many other men?”
Still grinning, he said, “Four.”
Hearing the breaking of a twig behind her, she turned and looked at the two men approaching her. She stepped to the side and watched them coming closer, her body suddenly falling into a fighting stance.
Noticing her position, the two men slowed, but didn’t stop. “Don’t try to fight us,” one of them said. “We are five…you are just one helpless girl.”
She took one step backwards. The jewel between her breasts pulsed with a steady rhythm. “I may be just a girl, but I’m not helpless.” She whirled with a sudden movement, her knee came up and rammed into the belly of the man who tried to sneak up on her. He howled and dropped to the ground, his hands clutching his belly.
The other two rushed her and tried to grab her arms. She hit one of them in the face with her right fist, while the ball of her foot smashed into the chest of the other one. Rolling away from them, she came up, but collapsed, as a thrown club hit the side of her head.
A few days ago I received an email from Midnight Showcase that they want to publish my Anthology 'Tapestry of Dreams'. Sometime next year. I haven't heard back about the shorter novella 'Time Flares'.
I've written about 10,000 words to date on my new story 'Outpost Epsilon'. I've had it all planned inside my head, but now I'm not quite sure where exactly it will end. New ideas are popping up while I'm writing. That usually happens to me. That's why I don't get too caught up with my outlines. I know they will change. Most of the time the stories turn out longer than planned.
My story 'Orola, the Kiir' will be coming out soon from Midnight Showcase in the digest Midnight Raunch. It pushes the envelope a bit more than usual, that means more Erotica, but that's what that line demands. Hopefully, I'll have more stories published in that line. I've written a few stories featuring Orola, the Warrior Priestess. They are more 'raunchy', some of them may have to be re-written.
Here is the first chapter from 'Orola, the Kiir':
They sat unmoving among the branches of a giant Scrip-tree, the foliage hiding them from anyone looking up. There were five of them. Scruffy looking men with stoic brutal faces. Only their black eyes seemed alive as they watched the river below.
The object of their attention stood looking at the briskly flowing water.
A naked young woman. She had arrived some time earlier. After tethering her steed, she shed her rather skimpy clothing, consisting only of a short kilt, a strip of cloth to cover her pubic area and a pair of metal breast cups, hardly large enough to cover much of her ample breasts.
Testing the water with one foot, she seemed to hesitate, but then with a shrug, she dove into the water, her naked body glistening white in the midday sun.
She hit the water and one of the watchers grunted. His lips parted to reveal brown, rotten teeth. The others nodded and silently they began to move through the branches.
Climbing down on the hidden side of the thick tree trunk, they reached the soft forest floor and, without making a sound, two of them moved towards the girl’s steed. One took her clothing and the other one tried to untie the animal.
When the black coated beast snorted, the girl looked towards the commotion and called out sharply. Then she began swimming towards shore.
Letting go of the beast’s rope, the man looked at her and grinned. His companion had already disappeared.
She climbed ashore and looked at the spot where she left her clothing and her sword, realizing they were gone. “What do you want?” she demanded.
The man grinned, his eyes raking her naked form. They rested momentarily on the thick black triangle below her smooth flat belly, then moved up to her round, large breasts, his attention suddenly on the red glowing object nestled in the deep cleft between them.
“Well?” she said, staring defiantly at him.
“I want you,” he said, his voice thickly accented and his words slurred.
The girl laughed, shaking her long black hair. “You want me?” she taunted. “You and how many other men?”
Still grinning, he said, “Four.”
Hearing the breaking of a twig behind her, she turned and looked at the two men approaching her. She stepped to the side and watched them coming closer, her body suddenly falling into a fighting stance.
Noticing her position, the two men slowed, but didn’t stop. “Don’t try to fight us,” one of them said. “We are five…you are just one helpless girl.”
She took one step backwards. The jewel between her breasts pulsed with a steady rhythm. “I may be just a girl, but I’m not helpless.” She whirled with a sudden movement, her knee came up and rammed into the belly of the man who tried to sneak up on her. He howled and dropped to the ground, his hands clutching his belly.
The other two rushed her and tried to grab her arms. She hit one of them in the face with her right fist, while the ball of her foot smashed into the chest of the other one. Rolling away from them, she came up, but collapsed, as a thrown club hit the side of her head.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Sales and other stuff
Just checked fictionwise again and found Seeds of Chaos Book One on number seven place after moving up and down. Also the Xandra series is still selling nicely. Book 3, Goddess of Life, is at number 17 position, Book 1, Daughter of the Dark, at number 25, and Book 2, Mother of Light, at number 55 (not so good, but it is still around). Dual Visions, which is available from Midnightshowcase, is not selling yet at fictionwise, so I don't know how the sales are going.
Hopefully, Book two of Seeds of Chaos will spawn more sales in all of my other books. But it is not all about sales, there isn't much money in epublishing. I'm just happy to see that there are readers out there who seem to like what I write. Just being published is already a dream come true for me. Maybe some day someone will discover my books and make them available to a greater circle of readers. Until that day comes I'll keep on writing. After all, that is what a writer does. It's in the blood, you can't fight it. Ask me not to write anymore, then ask me to stop breathing. It's the same thing. Something hard to explain to someone who doesn't write. My head is filled with ideas and stories that need to be put on paper. Just when I think now it is time to take a break, something else pops up. Some Character wants to have his or her story told. Sadly, there isn't always enough time, there are other things that need to be done.
Right now I'm busy writing a story that takes place on a planet that hasn't been explored yet by humans. There might be some vampires in it, I'm not certain. I haven't come to that part in the story. It is titled: Outpost Epsilon. I've also started writing (actually re-writing) another story featuring Orion. So far the titel is: Bakker's Planet.
Here is an expert from Orion - The Hunt, the second story in Dual Visions.
Izzard-Junction was an unexplored planet. Larger then Earth, with a diameter of about 16,000 km, it should have had a higher gravity, but because of its lower density the gravity was still around Earth-norm. Most of its surface was covered by land, with only one large ocean. Much of the land area consisted of deep, impenetrable jungle, broken up by huge lakes and millions of smaller lakes and rivers.
There were natives, lizard-like beings, but they shunned the aliens from outer space. Not much was known about them, except that they were primitive and savage
Nobody had claimed this planet, because it didn’t have anything to offer that could not be found on other, more hospitable, planets. A few colonists had settled in the more temperate zones, some left again after years of struggling against the hostile elements, but some had stayed.
The spaceport, also called Izzard-Junction, had grown into a city of about 130,000 inhabitants, with a few smaller settlements in the surrounding areas.
There was another large settlement of about 40,000 inhabitants in the Northern Hemisphere, by the ocean. They called it Makkuo-Tsei, which means The Eye of God. Most of its inhabitants settled there after fleeing from a planet in the Bellatrix System, where they had been prosecuted for their religious beliefs.
Their main food supply came from the ocean, which held many varieties of aquatic life forms, some of them so huge and gigantic that they were a menace to the fishing vessels.
Makkuo-Tsei’s contact with the rest of Izzard-Junction was very limited.
Only because of its location near the center of the Neutral-Zone Izzard-Junction had been settled at all.
Since it had no central government, with practically no law, it naturally attracted all kinds of travelers. It became a popular meeting place for criminal elements as well as agents from many stellar worlds, humans and non-humans.
Billions of giant reptiles inhabited the jungles, and many adventure seekers came here for The Hunt, which the locals promoted. The most popular quarry was the elephant-dragon, a large reptile with a head like a Terran elephant. The long tasks were of an ivory like substance and used for carvings, but the most valuable part was the single horn on the forehead of the bulls. Its crystalline structure made it a highly prized commodity on the human worlds for making jewelry. Since diamonds and gold could be manufactured artificially and had been found in vast quantities on hundreds of planets, they had lost their value and attraction.
Elephant-dragons were huge, vicious, and possessed ferocity unequalled by any animal the Humans had ever encountered. Hunting them was a treacherous undertaking, and many fortune hunters had lost their lives. They lived in the swamps and were not easy to track, but once aroused they attacked without warning. Their size and fantastic speed made them extremely dangerous, but only added to the attraction searched for by thrill-seeking hunters.
After searching the Terran government’s computer database, Orion found little information about Izzard-Junction and the Hunt, but what little he did find gave him at least enough to be somewhat informed.
Hopefully, Book two of Seeds of Chaos will spawn more sales in all of my other books. But it is not all about sales, there isn't much money in epublishing. I'm just happy to see that there are readers out there who seem to like what I write. Just being published is already a dream come true for me. Maybe some day someone will discover my books and make them available to a greater circle of readers. Until that day comes I'll keep on writing. After all, that is what a writer does. It's in the blood, you can't fight it. Ask me not to write anymore, then ask me to stop breathing. It's the same thing. Something hard to explain to someone who doesn't write. My head is filled with ideas and stories that need to be put on paper. Just when I think now it is time to take a break, something else pops up. Some Character wants to have his or her story told. Sadly, there isn't always enough time, there are other things that need to be done.
Right now I'm busy writing a story that takes place on a planet that hasn't been explored yet by humans. There might be some vampires in it, I'm not certain. I haven't come to that part in the story. It is titled: Outpost Epsilon. I've also started writing (actually re-writing) another story featuring Orion. So far the titel is: Bakker's Planet.
Here is an expert from Orion - The Hunt, the second story in Dual Visions.
Izzard-Junction was an unexplored planet. Larger then Earth, with a diameter of about 16,000 km, it should have had a higher gravity, but because of its lower density the gravity was still around Earth-norm. Most of its surface was covered by land, with only one large ocean. Much of the land area consisted of deep, impenetrable jungle, broken up by huge lakes and millions of smaller lakes and rivers.
There were natives, lizard-like beings, but they shunned the aliens from outer space. Not much was known about them, except that they were primitive and savage
Nobody had claimed this planet, because it didn’t have anything to offer that could not be found on other, more hospitable, planets. A few colonists had settled in the more temperate zones, some left again after years of struggling against the hostile elements, but some had stayed.
The spaceport, also called Izzard-Junction, had grown into a city of about 130,000 inhabitants, with a few smaller settlements in the surrounding areas.
There was another large settlement of about 40,000 inhabitants in the Northern Hemisphere, by the ocean. They called it Makkuo-Tsei, which means The Eye of God. Most of its inhabitants settled there after fleeing from a planet in the Bellatrix System, where they had been prosecuted for their religious beliefs.
Their main food supply came from the ocean, which held many varieties of aquatic life forms, some of them so huge and gigantic that they were a menace to the fishing vessels.
Makkuo-Tsei’s contact with the rest of Izzard-Junction was very limited.
Only because of its location near the center of the Neutral-Zone Izzard-Junction had been settled at all.
Since it had no central government, with practically no law, it naturally attracted all kinds of travelers. It became a popular meeting place for criminal elements as well as agents from many stellar worlds, humans and non-humans.
Billions of giant reptiles inhabited the jungles, and many adventure seekers came here for The Hunt, which the locals promoted. The most popular quarry was the elephant-dragon, a large reptile with a head like a Terran elephant. The long tasks were of an ivory like substance and used for carvings, but the most valuable part was the single horn on the forehead of the bulls. Its crystalline structure made it a highly prized commodity on the human worlds for making jewelry. Since diamonds and gold could be manufactured artificially and had been found in vast quantities on hundreds of planets, they had lost their value and attraction.
Elephant-dragons were huge, vicious, and possessed ferocity unequalled by any animal the Humans had ever encountered. Hunting them was a treacherous undertaking, and many fortune hunters had lost their lives. They lived in the swamps and were not easy to track, but once aroused they attacked without warning. Their size and fantastic speed made them extremely dangerous, but only added to the attraction searched for by thrill-seeking hunters.
After searching the Terran government’s computer database, Orion found little information about Izzard-Junction and the Hunt, but what little he did find gave him at least enough to be somewhat informed.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Seeds of Chaos, Eden's Gate
Wow, what a surprise! I just checked fictionwise and found Book One of Seeds of Chaos in fourth place. Book Two, Hell's Gate, is scheduled to be released within the next couple of weeks. That should spurn sales of Book One even more. We'll see.
Monday, April 23, 2007
New release
Hurray, my book 'Dual Visions' is available now from Midnight Showcase. 'Cliffs of Time' is a time travel story. If you'd like to read an excerpt, go to the Archives, February, (February 28) under New contract. Buy the book at http://www.midnightshowcase.com/
The Digest 'Sweet Challenge' is also available starting today. It contains my story 'For Love of Arilee'.
The Digest 'Sweet Challenge' is also available starting today. It contains my story 'For Love of Arilee'.
Excerpt from Seeds of Chaos, Book Two, Hell's Gate
Chapter One
Caution is always a good policy when approaching an alien system. Kabrina took her seat at the com-center on the bridge and waited for the moment when we would be challenged.
I sat in my chair, watching the screen, and I saw the small craft appear from behind the closest moon. When I say small, I don’t really mean tiny. It was ten times larger than our ship, and bristling with turrets. If they weren’t in a good mood our ship would make a nice new temporary star in the planet’s sky, and we wouldn’t have to worry about our oxygen supply.
The computer replaced the screen’s view of space with the larger-than-life image of a Srax-male. He was in uniform, obviously an official.
“Approaching vessel! State your origin and your business.” The voice sounded deep, grating.
“This is Starsurfer.” Kabrina kept her voice neutral, cool. She didn’t speak Srax, because there was no need. Our computer would send the transmission in the Srax-language.
“We are a human-based merchant ship. Our life-support system sustained damage in an encounter with pirates. We need assistance with the repairs.”
“Am I speaking with a female?” the Srax asked. Both of his protruding eyes focused on me. “Why is the male not talking?”
I gave him a friendly smile. “I am Thomas Stone, the captain of this ship. As my com-officer said, we need your assistance. Our life-support system could fail at any time. We have no other business with you, but if necessary we could do some trading. After all, we are merchants.”
“What do you carry?”
“You are welcome to inspect our cargo,” I said. “Maybe there is something that might interest you.”
“I will accept your invitation, Captain Stone; but let me warn you, I will be accompanied by two armed guards.” He showed large black teeth. “I’ve dealt with humans before, and I don’t trust you.”
The screen blackened for a split-second, and then we looked again into space, or at least a small portion of it. The image of the alien patrol vessel filled most of the screen. The ship rotated until we faced a huge hatch. It slid open, like the jaws of a huge shark, displaying a dark, gaping hole that swallowed us up as if we were nothing but a tasty morsel. I could almost hear the satisfied burping as the giant maw closed again.
As soon as we were inside, lights lit up to show black metal walls all around us. We were inside the belly of the alien ship.
“The air is breathable on the other side,” Sharina said. “Atmospheric pressure is very close to ours.”
“Well then, let’s put out the welcome mat,” I said, getting out of my chair. I climbed the stairs down to the lower deck, walked down a short corridor and threw open the airlock. I never trust this job to a computer.
The air entering our ship had a different smell to it. It was breathable, a little warmer and more humid than ours was, but alien. According to our analysis, it didn’t contain any toxic particles, but we did find traces of unknown elements. Even though they were supposed to be harmless to humans, I felt nauseous for a moment. I took a few deep breaths to get my body acclimatized. When an oval porthole dilated in the back wall of the hangar, my system seemed almost used to the air.
The uniformed Srax we had spoken to stepped through the opening, followed by two of his guards. In their hands they carried mean looking weapons. Their leader appeared unarmed, until I saw the huge rifle slung across his back.
One thing became apparent. These people were big on intimidation.
I stepped out of our ship and stood beside the airlock to greet them. People like these craved respect and recognition. I needed their help and therefore had no problem groveling a little.
“Welcome to my humble ship,” I said, standing at attention.
The Srax stopped, looked at me with his protruding eyes. His mouth opened to show his teeth. They really were quite black, but they looked strong and healthy. He gave a loud hiss. A forked tongue appeared briefly between his lips.
“I am Flightleader Horax of the Fifth Family, and these are my personal guards, Hedge-Warriors of the Third Degree. Are you a warrior, Captain Thomas Stone?”
“Not really,” I smiled. “I am just a merchant. Violence is something I do not approve of.”
“And yet you carry a weapon in your boot!”
“Oh, that. I keep it for my protection. I may not approve of violence, but I am quite capable of defending myself, if the need arises.” No need to appear too meek.
Horax smiled again. “You don’t strike me as a timid man, Captain. As I have mentioned, I am familiar with your species, and I have actually made it a point to study humans. My Second Protector was a merchant, like you, and he used to deal with humans. I was in his employ before I was chosen to serve our space fleet.”
“Then you have the advantage, Flightleader, I know very little about your kind. You must forgive me if I don’t always follow protocol.”
“We are not as rigid as you may believe. You’ll find that you and I are much alike.” His tongue flickered across hip lips again. “Are you going to invite me into your ship or are we going to waste time out here hissing like two female egg-layers?”
“Of course not. Forgive my rudeness.” I smiled. “Please, enter my ship.”
Caution is always a good policy when approaching an alien system. Kabrina took her seat at the com-center on the bridge and waited for the moment when we would be challenged.
I sat in my chair, watching the screen, and I saw the small craft appear from behind the closest moon. When I say small, I don’t really mean tiny. It was ten times larger than our ship, and bristling with turrets. If they weren’t in a good mood our ship would make a nice new temporary star in the planet’s sky, and we wouldn’t have to worry about our oxygen supply.
The computer replaced the screen’s view of space with the larger-than-life image of a Srax-male. He was in uniform, obviously an official.
“Approaching vessel! State your origin and your business.” The voice sounded deep, grating.
“This is Starsurfer.” Kabrina kept her voice neutral, cool. She didn’t speak Srax, because there was no need. Our computer would send the transmission in the Srax-language.
“We are a human-based merchant ship. Our life-support system sustained damage in an encounter with pirates. We need assistance with the repairs.”
“Am I speaking with a female?” the Srax asked. Both of his protruding eyes focused on me. “Why is the male not talking?”
I gave him a friendly smile. “I am Thomas Stone, the captain of this ship. As my com-officer said, we need your assistance. Our life-support system could fail at any time. We have no other business with you, but if necessary we could do some trading. After all, we are merchants.”
“What do you carry?”
“You are welcome to inspect our cargo,” I said. “Maybe there is something that might interest you.”
“I will accept your invitation, Captain Stone; but let me warn you, I will be accompanied by two armed guards.” He showed large black teeth. “I’ve dealt with humans before, and I don’t trust you.”
The screen blackened for a split-second, and then we looked again into space, or at least a small portion of it. The image of the alien patrol vessel filled most of the screen. The ship rotated until we faced a huge hatch. It slid open, like the jaws of a huge shark, displaying a dark, gaping hole that swallowed us up as if we were nothing but a tasty morsel. I could almost hear the satisfied burping as the giant maw closed again.
As soon as we were inside, lights lit up to show black metal walls all around us. We were inside the belly of the alien ship.
“The air is breathable on the other side,” Sharina said. “Atmospheric pressure is very close to ours.”
“Well then, let’s put out the welcome mat,” I said, getting out of my chair. I climbed the stairs down to the lower deck, walked down a short corridor and threw open the airlock. I never trust this job to a computer.
The air entering our ship had a different smell to it. It was breathable, a little warmer and more humid than ours was, but alien. According to our analysis, it didn’t contain any toxic particles, but we did find traces of unknown elements. Even though they were supposed to be harmless to humans, I felt nauseous for a moment. I took a few deep breaths to get my body acclimatized. When an oval porthole dilated in the back wall of the hangar, my system seemed almost used to the air.
The uniformed Srax we had spoken to stepped through the opening, followed by two of his guards. In their hands they carried mean looking weapons. Their leader appeared unarmed, until I saw the huge rifle slung across his back.
One thing became apparent. These people were big on intimidation.
I stepped out of our ship and stood beside the airlock to greet them. People like these craved respect and recognition. I needed their help and therefore had no problem groveling a little.
“Welcome to my humble ship,” I said, standing at attention.
The Srax stopped, looked at me with his protruding eyes. His mouth opened to show his teeth. They really were quite black, but they looked strong and healthy. He gave a loud hiss. A forked tongue appeared briefly between his lips.
“I am Flightleader Horax of the Fifth Family, and these are my personal guards, Hedge-Warriors of the Third Degree. Are you a warrior, Captain Thomas Stone?”
“Not really,” I smiled. “I am just a merchant. Violence is something I do not approve of.”
“And yet you carry a weapon in your boot!”
“Oh, that. I keep it for my protection. I may not approve of violence, but I am quite capable of defending myself, if the need arises.” No need to appear too meek.
Horax smiled again. “You don’t strike me as a timid man, Captain. As I have mentioned, I am familiar with your species, and I have actually made it a point to study humans. My Second Protector was a merchant, like you, and he used to deal with humans. I was in his employ before I was chosen to serve our space fleet.”
“Then you have the advantage, Flightleader, I know very little about your kind. You must forgive me if I don’t always follow protocol.”
“We are not as rigid as you may believe. You’ll find that you and I are much alike.” His tongue flickered across hip lips again. “Are you going to invite me into your ship or are we going to waste time out here hissing like two female egg-layers?”
“Of course not. Forgive my rudeness.” I smiled. “Please, enter my ship.”
Thursday, April 19, 2007
List of my published stuff
Here is a list of my published books and short stories
Books:
The Xandra, Book One, Daughter of the Dark.
The Xandra, Book Two, Mother of Light.
The Xandra, Book Three, Goddess of Life.
Seeds of Chaos, Book One, Eden’s Gate.
Seeds of Chaos, Book Two, Hell’s Gate (coming in May).
Dual Visions (Cliffs of Time, Orion -- the Hunt).
Mark of the Cobra (coming in September?)
The Stardogs, Book One, Return to Redsky (coming in October)
The Stardogs, Book Two, Redemption (coming in January 2008)
My Anthology ‘Tapestry of Dreams’, Eight tales of the Imagination, (forthcoming ?)
Short novella ‘Time Flares’ (forthcoming?)
Short stories: (name of digest in brackets)
The Anniversary Gift (Sweet Revenge)
Remember me next Christmas (Holiday Voices)
Gin and Tonic (Summer Heat 3)
Orola, The Kiir (Midnight Raunch)
For Love of Arilee (Sweet Challenge)
A Taste of Paradise (Men of Eros, forthcoming)
All of these books are available (or will be) from http://www.midnightshowcase.com/
Books:
The Xandra, Book One, Daughter of the Dark.
The Xandra, Book Two, Mother of Light.
The Xandra, Book Three, Goddess of Life.
Seeds of Chaos, Book One, Eden’s Gate.
Seeds of Chaos, Book Two, Hell’s Gate (coming in May).
Dual Visions (Cliffs of Time, Orion -- the Hunt).
Mark of the Cobra (coming in September?)
The Stardogs, Book One, Return to Redsky (coming in October)
The Stardogs, Book Two, Redemption (coming in January 2008)
My Anthology ‘Tapestry of Dreams’, Eight tales of the Imagination, (forthcoming ?)
Short novella ‘Time Flares’ (forthcoming?)
Short stories: (name of digest in brackets)
The Anniversary Gift (Sweet Revenge)
Remember me next Christmas (Holiday Voices)
Gin and Tonic (Summer Heat 3)
Orola, The Kiir (Midnight Raunch)
For Love of Arilee (Sweet Challenge)
A Taste of Paradise (Men of Eros, forthcoming)
All of these books are available (or will be) from http://www.midnightshowcase.com/
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
New releases
These are my new releases coming up in a few days. The dinosaur on Dual Visions is my own drawing. The cover was designed by Mae Powers.
For Love of Arilee
Here is the cover for the Sweet Challenge Digest. My story 'For Love of Arilee' appears in it.
So much is happening this month. I'm excited. Anyone who has read 'Daughter of the Dark' will regocnize the planet where the story takes place. It is 300 years in the future of the events in 'Daughter..'. It is a love story and I enjoyed writing it. There are no explicit sexual situations, that's why 'Sweet Challenge', just a sweet story. However, it is not boring, there is adventure.
So much is happening this month. I'm excited. Anyone who has read 'Daughter of the Dark' will regocnize the planet where the story takes place. It is 300 years in the future of the events in 'Daughter..'. It is a love story and I enjoyed writing it. There are no explicit sexual situations, that's why 'Sweet Challenge', just a sweet story. However, it is not boring, there is adventure.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Spring is here
Easter is over. I wanted to post for Easter, but somehow I never found the time. I’ve been working on my Anthology. I finished it and sent it in to Midnight Showcase. The whole thing is 64,500 words long. I gave it the title ‘Tapestry of dreams’. I’ve also been busy with a time travel story, which was supposed to be part of the Anthology, but I got so involved with the story and found it impossible to write a good ending without it becoming longer than intended. Finally, after 28,000 words I finished it. However, now it is possibly too long for the Anthology and will have to stands on its own. I sent that one in also. That story is called ‘Time Flares’.
It is beautiful outside today. I walked around my yard and found a lot of work ahead. If it stays warm and dry I should be able to do some work next week. Spring is always busy, just to get everything back into shape, then comes the garden, and of course, raking the lawn and getting rid of the debris and grass. On a property our size there is a lot of dead grass to rake together, but it is nice to walk around and to see the snow gone. Tomorrow it is supposed to go up to 20 degrees. That’ll be great.
Actually I am waiting for Book two, Seeds of Chaos, to be published this month and ‘Dual Vision’, which includes the stories ‘Cliffs of Time’ and ‘Orion, the Hunt’. That one was actually supposed to come out last month.
Here is an expert from ‘Time Flares’:
Snydor and Silver sat in the visitor section and watched the giant screen. For safety reasons everyone was strapped into the seats. Gigantic tongues of fiery gases reached towards the ship from the white dwarf, like spidery fingers of death. Even though Professor Braun assured everyone they were safe, it was still unnerving to see the bright flares shooting out of the body of the dying sun, trying to pull the ship out of orbit into its own blazing inferno.
“Prepare yourself for the most intense flares, after this they will slowly disperse until in about three or four days the nova will be finished.” Braun’s voice came over the speakers. He chuckled. “Remember what you see is already thirty seconds old.”
He barely finished talking when the screen lit up. Snydor involuntarily closed his eyes. He felt a shudder vibrating through the ship. A dark hand seemed to reach for his brain; he felt as if an electric shock touched him and burned every fiber of his body. Strange images flashed in front of his eyes, streaks of lightening, faces, objects. A cacophony of noises threatened to burst his eardrums and burn out his mind.
Then it was over.
Snydor sat in his seat, still stunned from the onslaught on his mind and body, aware of an eerie silence. He looked around the observation deck. Everything appeared normal, except for the sudden excited shouting of the people in their seats.
“What happened?” Someone yelled.
The lightshow on the giant screen seemed to have ended. Snydor stared at the three-dimensional glowing white sun in the center. The dwarf star. He didn’t think it looked right.
“Something is wrong,” Silver said beside him.
Snydor searched for Professor Braun. He spotted him getting up from his seat and rush towards one of the exits, with Dr. Bushiri close on his heels.
Snydor unbuckled himself. “I think we’d better check in with the Captain and find out what happened. Maybe he can enlighten us.”
Professor Braun and Dr. Bushiri were already talking to Captain Harper when they stepped out of the elevator and onto the bridge. The Professor saw Snydor and waved for him to join them.
Captain Harper nodded to Snydor and Silver. “Ah, my trusted Chief of Security and his Second, Miss Silver.”
“Is everything alright, Captain?” Snydor asked.
“The ship’s AI is doing an analysis right now. So far, everything looks normal. The ship has sustained no damage. We’re not in any danger.”
“But something happened,” Silver said.
“It certainly did. We just haven’t determined yet what.”
The Captain lifted his head, his eyes glazed over. He stood like that for about thirty seconds; his expression was solemn when he focused back on the little group. He looked at Professor Braun. “I don’t know if this is possible, Professor. You will have to confirm that. According to the AI we’ve been thrown back in time about two hundred years.”
“That’s why that dwarf looks so different,” Dr. Bushiri said in a low voice. “We’re in the past.”
Braun glanced at Snydor. “It seems again I failed you, my friend. Maybe there was a flaw in my equation after all.”
“It’s possible the AI suffered damage from the electrical charges that hit the ship.” Snydor said.
“Anything is possible.” Professor Braun shook his head. “I’ll have to go over my figures and find out what went wrong.”
It is beautiful outside today. I walked around my yard and found a lot of work ahead. If it stays warm and dry I should be able to do some work next week. Spring is always busy, just to get everything back into shape, then comes the garden, and of course, raking the lawn and getting rid of the debris and grass. On a property our size there is a lot of dead grass to rake together, but it is nice to walk around and to see the snow gone. Tomorrow it is supposed to go up to 20 degrees. That’ll be great.
Actually I am waiting for Book two, Seeds of Chaos, to be published this month and ‘Dual Vision’, which includes the stories ‘Cliffs of Time’ and ‘Orion, the Hunt’. That one was actually supposed to come out last month.
Here is an expert from ‘Time Flares’:
Snydor and Silver sat in the visitor section and watched the giant screen. For safety reasons everyone was strapped into the seats. Gigantic tongues of fiery gases reached towards the ship from the white dwarf, like spidery fingers of death. Even though Professor Braun assured everyone they were safe, it was still unnerving to see the bright flares shooting out of the body of the dying sun, trying to pull the ship out of orbit into its own blazing inferno.
“Prepare yourself for the most intense flares, after this they will slowly disperse until in about three or four days the nova will be finished.” Braun’s voice came over the speakers. He chuckled. “Remember what you see is already thirty seconds old.”
He barely finished talking when the screen lit up. Snydor involuntarily closed his eyes. He felt a shudder vibrating through the ship. A dark hand seemed to reach for his brain; he felt as if an electric shock touched him and burned every fiber of his body. Strange images flashed in front of his eyes, streaks of lightening, faces, objects. A cacophony of noises threatened to burst his eardrums and burn out his mind.
Then it was over.
Snydor sat in his seat, still stunned from the onslaught on his mind and body, aware of an eerie silence. He looked around the observation deck. Everything appeared normal, except for the sudden excited shouting of the people in their seats.
“What happened?” Someone yelled.
The lightshow on the giant screen seemed to have ended. Snydor stared at the three-dimensional glowing white sun in the center. The dwarf star. He didn’t think it looked right.
“Something is wrong,” Silver said beside him.
Snydor searched for Professor Braun. He spotted him getting up from his seat and rush towards one of the exits, with Dr. Bushiri close on his heels.
Snydor unbuckled himself. “I think we’d better check in with the Captain and find out what happened. Maybe he can enlighten us.”
Professor Braun and Dr. Bushiri were already talking to Captain Harper when they stepped out of the elevator and onto the bridge. The Professor saw Snydor and waved for him to join them.
Captain Harper nodded to Snydor and Silver. “Ah, my trusted Chief of Security and his Second, Miss Silver.”
“Is everything alright, Captain?” Snydor asked.
“The ship’s AI is doing an analysis right now. So far, everything looks normal. The ship has sustained no damage. We’re not in any danger.”
“But something happened,” Silver said.
“It certainly did. We just haven’t determined yet what.”
The Captain lifted his head, his eyes glazed over. He stood like that for about thirty seconds; his expression was solemn when he focused back on the little group. He looked at Professor Braun. “I don’t know if this is possible, Professor. You will have to confirm that. According to the AI we’ve been thrown back in time about two hundred years.”
“That’s why that dwarf looks so different,” Dr. Bushiri said in a low voice. “We’re in the past.”
Braun glanced at Snydor. “It seems again I failed you, my friend. Maybe there was a flaw in my equation after all.”
“It’s possible the AI suffered damage from the electrical charges that hit the ship.” Snydor said.
“Anything is possible.” Professor Braun shook his head. “I’ll have to go over my figures and find out what went wrong.”
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless Legs Syndrome or RLS. No, it’s not the title of my new novel. It's a condition. I suffer from it. Have for years. Now don’t go running away screaming. It’s not a disease and it is not contagious. It is damned annoying, keeps you from going to sleep and, hopefully, having a nice dream.
If you’re with me still you’re probably thinking, “What the heck? I thought this is a site where books and stories are discussed.” It is, but sometimes I like to write about other stuff. Like this topic. It is important.
I don’t want to waste much time explaining what LRS is. Anyone who suffers from this annoying condition knows what I’m talking about. If you don’t, then you don’t have it, but if you are interested in finding out about it, there are 885,000 sites out there (I kid you not!). Many of them describe it to death, many of them offers cures. Most of them want your money. Some might work, some probably don’t, and all the medical ones usually also cause side effect, some even worse than RLS.
I wanted to post on one of these forums, but you have to join the groups, and that can be a pain. I actually did join one (The WE MOVE Discussion Forum), until now I haven’t been approved to post. So I said forget it. I don’t really want to discuss it anyway. I just like to tell people what helped me. Now, this may not work for everyone, because everybody reacts differently to what we put into our bodies, be it medicine or just food. I told some of my friends about this and it worked for them. Don’t expect a great secret, like saying a bunch of mantras, smoking a sacred leaf, bowing east and west, or sit in a ‘relaxed’ position with your legs crossed into a pretzel. This is so simple, it’s almost a letdown of the suspense you must feel right now.
Before I go to bed I drink a glass of Tonic Water and it calms down my nerves (because that’s what LRS is, a nervous condition which creates involuntary movement of your legs). It’s the quinine that does the trick.
My wife saw a few years ago on ‘Ann Landers’ a letter suggesting to take quinine for leg cramps. I found it helps me to sleep with my LRS. Medical people will probably shrug this off as another crazy folk lore thing, because they can’t explain it scientifically, but hey, not everything needs to be explained, as long as it works. And this definitely works for me. It’s cheap and has no side effects. And it isn’t addictive, either. Hell, some people drink Tonic Water with Gin. Maybe they sleep good after that, assuming it’s the gin that puts them to sleep. (I don’t know)
Quinine is an alkaloid found in the bark of the cinchona tree, a tree native to South America. This information is for you scientists who are a bit more inquisitive and need to have everything explained. (No offence intended).
If you suffer from RLS, try it out and tell your friends about it. Maybe word will spread this way and save a few people from losing sleep.
If you don’t know what the heck I am talking about here, don’t lose any sleep over it. LOL. Count yourself lucky you don’t have it, but don’t relax too soon, especially if you’re a young person. It can find you at any time. If it does, you’ll know what to do.
If you’re with me still you’re probably thinking, “What the heck? I thought this is a site where books and stories are discussed.” It is, but sometimes I like to write about other stuff. Like this topic. It is important.
I don’t want to waste much time explaining what LRS is. Anyone who suffers from this annoying condition knows what I’m talking about. If you don’t, then you don’t have it, but if you are interested in finding out about it, there are 885,000 sites out there (I kid you not!). Many of them describe it to death, many of them offers cures. Most of them want your money. Some might work, some probably don’t, and all the medical ones usually also cause side effect, some even worse than RLS.
I wanted to post on one of these forums, but you have to join the groups, and that can be a pain. I actually did join one (The WE MOVE Discussion Forum), until now I haven’t been approved to post. So I said forget it. I don’t really want to discuss it anyway. I just like to tell people what helped me. Now, this may not work for everyone, because everybody reacts differently to what we put into our bodies, be it medicine or just food. I told some of my friends about this and it worked for them. Don’t expect a great secret, like saying a bunch of mantras, smoking a sacred leaf, bowing east and west, or sit in a ‘relaxed’ position with your legs crossed into a pretzel. This is so simple, it’s almost a letdown of the suspense you must feel right now.
Before I go to bed I drink a glass of Tonic Water and it calms down my nerves (because that’s what LRS is, a nervous condition which creates involuntary movement of your legs). It’s the quinine that does the trick.
My wife saw a few years ago on ‘Ann Landers’ a letter suggesting to take quinine for leg cramps. I found it helps me to sleep with my LRS. Medical people will probably shrug this off as another crazy folk lore thing, because they can’t explain it scientifically, but hey, not everything needs to be explained, as long as it works. And this definitely works for me. It’s cheap and has no side effects. And it isn’t addictive, either. Hell, some people drink Tonic Water with Gin. Maybe they sleep good after that, assuming it’s the gin that puts them to sleep. (I don’t know)
Quinine is an alkaloid found in the bark of the cinchona tree, a tree native to South America. This information is for you scientists who are a bit more inquisitive and need to have everything explained. (No offence intended).
If you suffer from RLS, try it out and tell your friends about it. Maybe word will spread this way and save a few people from losing sleep.
If you don’t know what the heck I am talking about here, don’t lose any sleep over it. LOL. Count yourself lucky you don’t have it, but don’t relax too soon, especially if you’re a young person. It can find you at any time. If it does, you’ll know what to do.
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