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.”

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.

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.

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.