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/
Thursday, April 19, 2007
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.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
New contract
I just signed a contract with Midnight Showcase for my book 'Mark of the Cobra'. It is not SciFi this time, but an erotic thriller. It is scheduled do be released in September.
March is almost here. Tomorrow, actually. I have another book coming out in March. It will carry the title 'Double Vision', because it contains two stories: Cliffs of Time, a time travel story, and Orion, the Hunt, a SF story. So, keep your eyes open for that one. I'll announce it here when it comes out. Book Two of Seeds of Chaos will be available in April.
Right now I'm busy with an Anthology of mine. I'm putting together a bunch of my short stories and it's coming along fine. (That even rhymes, wow! I hope that's a good sign.) ( Will it ever stop with this rhyme?) YES, RIGHT NOW!
Here is an excerpt from Cliffs of Time: (Sorry about this, this was not an intention of MINE. LOL)
Anyway, here it is:
Traveling through the tall grass proved to be rough. They walked without talking, trying to be as silent as possible. Melanie followed a compass, which she had dug out of her backpack. Without it they surely would have walked in circles, because at times the grass grew so tall, it made navigating extremely difficult.
After about thirty minutes of walking, Melanie stopped and studied a small device she held in her hand. “I think we’ve picked up company,” she said with a low voice.
Steel looked at the small screen and saw a number of moving dots.
“What do these dots mean?” he asked.
Melanie pointed at two stationary dots. “You and me,” she whispered. “Those other ones? Hunters.”
“Who are they hunting?”
“Us.”
“What are they?”
She shrugged. “I can’t tell, but from my readings I assume they’re Deinonychus. That means we’re in trouble. They’re smart and deadly predators, and they hunt in packs. They’ll attack even large dinosaur. We have only one chance. We know where they are and we wait for them to attack us. Get ready.”
After trampling down the grass in a circle around them to give them a larger area to control, they stood back to back, waiting.
“One is heading straight for us from your direction,” Melanie said calmly.
Steel heard the rustling of the grass and then he faced the first of their hunters. He reacted without conscious thought. Bringing the rifle to his cheek, he aimed for the open jaws and pulled the trigger. The head of the saurian creature exploded, spraying Steel with blood and body matter. He didn’t have much time to triumph, behind the first one another one appeared, sharp, serrated teeth gleaming in its powerful jaws. Steel just kept on firing into the snapping maw.
Behind him, he heard Melanie’s rifle firing and felt her back slam into his from the recoil of her rifle.
“Two o’clock!” she screamed.
Steel swung his rifle to his right, fired into the broad chest of the predator. It kept on advancing, tearing up the air in front of it with its clawed three fingered hands. He put an exploding bullet into the gaping maw. The creature dropped to the ground, clawed feet scrabbling for support.
Melanie fired again. “There is one more,” she said, “from your direction.”
He heard it before it came out of the tall grass. When he saw its shadowy form through the thick stems, he began firing. It dropped, still a few yards away from their position.
“I think that was the last one,” Melanie said and relaxed behind him. “Come, let’s move on quickly. The dead bodies will attract the scavengers. They’re just as deadly.”
March is almost here. Tomorrow, actually. I have another book coming out in March. It will carry the title 'Double Vision', because it contains two stories: Cliffs of Time, a time travel story, and Orion, the Hunt, a SF story. So, keep your eyes open for that one. I'll announce it here when it comes out. Book Two of Seeds of Chaos will be available in April.
Right now I'm busy with an Anthology of mine. I'm putting together a bunch of my short stories and it's coming along fine. (That even rhymes, wow! I hope that's a good sign.) ( Will it ever stop with this rhyme?) YES, RIGHT NOW!
Here is an excerpt from Cliffs of Time: (Sorry about this, this was not an intention of MINE. LOL)
Anyway, here it is:
Traveling through the tall grass proved to be rough. They walked without talking, trying to be as silent as possible. Melanie followed a compass, which she had dug out of her backpack. Without it they surely would have walked in circles, because at times the grass grew so tall, it made navigating extremely difficult.
After about thirty minutes of walking, Melanie stopped and studied a small device she held in her hand. “I think we’ve picked up company,” she said with a low voice.
Steel looked at the small screen and saw a number of moving dots.
“What do these dots mean?” he asked.
Melanie pointed at two stationary dots. “You and me,” she whispered. “Those other ones? Hunters.”
“Who are they hunting?”
“Us.”
“What are they?”
She shrugged. “I can’t tell, but from my readings I assume they’re Deinonychus. That means we’re in trouble. They’re smart and deadly predators, and they hunt in packs. They’ll attack even large dinosaur. We have only one chance. We know where they are and we wait for them to attack us. Get ready.”
After trampling down the grass in a circle around them to give them a larger area to control, they stood back to back, waiting.
“One is heading straight for us from your direction,” Melanie said calmly.
Steel heard the rustling of the grass and then he faced the first of their hunters. He reacted without conscious thought. Bringing the rifle to his cheek, he aimed for the open jaws and pulled the trigger. The head of the saurian creature exploded, spraying Steel with blood and body matter. He didn’t have much time to triumph, behind the first one another one appeared, sharp, serrated teeth gleaming in its powerful jaws. Steel just kept on firing into the snapping maw.
Behind him, he heard Melanie’s rifle firing and felt her back slam into his from the recoil of her rifle.
“Two o’clock!” she screamed.
Steel swung his rifle to his right, fired into the broad chest of the predator. It kept on advancing, tearing up the air in front of it with its clawed three fingered hands. He put an exploding bullet into the gaping maw. The creature dropped to the ground, clawed feet scrabbling for support.
Melanie fired again. “There is one more,” she said, “from your direction.”
He heard it before it came out of the tall grass. When he saw its shadowy form through the thick stems, he began firing. It dropped, still a few yards away from their position.
“I think that was the last one,” Melanie said and relaxed behind him. “Come, let’s move on quickly. The dead bodies will attract the scavengers. They’re just as deadly.”
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Seeds of Chaos revised cover
Here is the new cover. Anybody who has purchased the book until now still has the old cover. Maybe that first version will be a collector's item some day. You never know.
news update
Just checked fictionwise and to my pleasant surprise I found Seeds of Chaos still at number six, but my Xandra books are moving up again. Book 1 is at number 13, Book 2 at number 9, and Book 3 at number 11. That makes me very happy.
Microsoft has pulled a fast one. Now their artwork cannot be used anymore for commercial purposes, that means my cover for Seeds of Chaos had to be re-done. The new cover is coming out shortly. Actually I like it even better than the first one. I'll be posting it here next.
Microsoft has pulled a fast one. Now their artwork cannot be used anymore for commercial purposes, that means my cover for Seeds of Chaos had to be re-done. The new cover is coming out shortly. Actually I like it even better than the first one. I'll be posting it here next.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Seeds of Chaos news
I'm sad to report that my book has slipped from number two position at fictionwise to number six. Disappointing, but on a more positive note, my Xandra series is gaining sales again. As long as the books are selling, that means more readers are seeing them, which is encouraging. Possibly, when Book two, Hell's Gate come out in April, the interest in Book one will be kindled again.
Right now I'm working on a new novel, Tarnished Valor, a mainstream novel, something Ludlum would write. I'm up to 20,000 words right now and a long way still to go to the end. This is a new experiment for me, no sex, maybe a bit of erotica, but very mild, nothing explicit. So far, the writing went well, but I seem to have hit a bit of a block. If I finish it the way I had planned, it would be too short, so now I'm waiting for some inspiration. I need a twist to make it more interesting. We'll see. If I get stuck then I'll just work on something else, let it brew for a while until a new idea begins to form in my mind. I have plenty of other stuff I need to get into print.
It's cold outside, minus 30 Celsius, and colder even in the windshield. I'm not going out there, since I'm also fighting a cold, so I spend more time on my computer, writing. That's just fine with me. We just came home from the Dominican Republic, where the tempature was 30 plus. What a difference, this makes it twice as hard to take, but we're Manitobans. We're tough and used to this weather. Better then tornados anytime.
Right now I'm working on a new novel, Tarnished Valor, a mainstream novel, something Ludlum would write. I'm up to 20,000 words right now and a long way still to go to the end. This is a new experiment for me, no sex, maybe a bit of erotica, but very mild, nothing explicit. So far, the writing went well, but I seem to have hit a bit of a block. If I finish it the way I had planned, it would be too short, so now I'm waiting for some inspiration. I need a twist to make it more interesting. We'll see. If I get stuck then I'll just work on something else, let it brew for a while until a new idea begins to form in my mind. I have plenty of other stuff I need to get into print.
It's cold outside, minus 30 Celsius, and colder even in the windshield. I'm not going out there, since I'm also fighting a cold, so I spend more time on my computer, writing. That's just fine with me. We just came home from the Dominican Republic, where the tempature was 30 plus. What a difference, this makes it twice as hard to take, but we're Manitobans. We're tough and used to this weather. Better then tornados anytime.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Welcome to my Blog
If you are a new visitor to my blog please stay awhile and read some of the excerpts from my books and short stories. I write mainly Science Fiction with a touch of Erotica. Why Erotica? Why not? Sex is part of our lives. Without it we wouldn’t be here. We write and read about everything else. Some people might call erotica smut or porn, but it isn’t, there is a difference. There is always a story. Sometimes the erotic element is the theme of the story, sometimes it is just a part of. Sex can be beautiful or ugly. Sex and love is beautiful. Sex and rape is ugly. I don’t write those kind of stories. If you want to find out more about the stuff I write, read my books.
My latest book Seeds of Chaos is right now at number two position at fiction wise. I’m quite proud of that. It means there are readers out there who like the stuff I write and I know I’m on the right track. I’m hoping for number one. Book One of my Xandra series did reach number one position. To my disappointment Book Two and Three never got higher than number three, which isn’t bad either.
Find my books at http://www.midnightshowcase.com/ or
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/MidnightShowcaseeBooks.htm
My latest book Seeds of Chaos is right now at number two position at fiction wise. I’m quite proud of that. It means there are readers out there who like the stuff I write and I know I’m on the right track. I’m hoping for number one. Book One of my Xandra series did reach number one position. To my disappointment Book Two and Three never got higher than number three, which isn’t bad either.
Find my books at http://www.midnightshowcase.com/ or
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/MidnightShowcaseeBooks.htm
Seeds of Chaos update
The book is out and at number Two position in sales at fictionwise. I am happy.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Excerpt from Seeds of Chaos
The lake looked peaceful and quiet, and the small, sandy beach seemed like a good place to relax.
A large animal that had been slaking its thirst took flight when we approached, disappeared into the forest. Renha threw her backpack into the white sand, and then she led the horses to the water. “I’m going to take a dip,” she announced and looked back at me. “I think it wouldn’t do you any harm, either.”
I watched her bodysuit pool around her ankles, watched her step out of it. Naked, she stretched, wiggled her lower body. In the light of day she looked even more beautiful. I also realized that she was still quite young, but with the fully developed body of a woman. Her short tail rested inside the deep cleft between her full, round buttocks.
She ran toward the water on long, slender legs, dove headfirst into it. Splashing and laughing she rose up, water dropping from her rows of breasts. “Come, join me. The water is refreshing,” she called.
“In other words: cold.” I laughed and began stripping off my clothing.
It did feel good.
Renha dove away. I chased her, caught up with her and clamped my hands around her hips. She wriggled in my grasp. Laughing, she turned around and pressed her breasts against my chest. Her hand snaked between us.
She broke the kiss, slipped out of my embrace. Lying on her back, she braced her feet against my thighs and pushed herself away from me. I had a glimpse of her dark thick triangle, and then she disappeared under the water.
“You’re a tease,” I called after her, but she didn’t hear me.
Laughing and blowing water she appeared again, quite a distance away.
“You are a tease,” I repeated.
She giggled and shook her breasts. “And you are very impatient,” she called back.
She began to wash her hair, rubbed down her body with her hands. She knew I was watching. Once in awhile she threw impish glances in my direction. The she came walking toward me, very slowly. Her upper two breasts jiggled softly. Even though she was very slim, I knew by the rippling of her muscles that she was quite strong.
“Want me to wash you?” she asked. Her slit pupils reflected the light from the overhead sun.
“Go ahead.”
She ran her hands down my body; they lingered on my shoulders, on my chest. I felt her long fingers digging into my biceps.
“You must be very strong,” she murmured.
When she stood in front of me, I pulled her to me. Grabbing her buttocks, I lifted her up. Her legs parted, wrapped around my body.
A large animal that had been slaking its thirst took flight when we approached, disappeared into the forest. Renha threw her backpack into the white sand, and then she led the horses to the water. “I’m going to take a dip,” she announced and looked back at me. “I think it wouldn’t do you any harm, either.”
I watched her bodysuit pool around her ankles, watched her step out of it. Naked, she stretched, wiggled her lower body. In the light of day she looked even more beautiful. I also realized that she was still quite young, but with the fully developed body of a woman. Her short tail rested inside the deep cleft between her full, round buttocks.
She ran toward the water on long, slender legs, dove headfirst into it. Splashing and laughing she rose up, water dropping from her rows of breasts. “Come, join me. The water is refreshing,” she called.
“In other words: cold.” I laughed and began stripping off my clothing.
It did feel good.
Renha dove away. I chased her, caught up with her and clamped my hands around her hips. She wriggled in my grasp. Laughing, she turned around and pressed her breasts against my chest. Her hand snaked between us.
She broke the kiss, slipped out of my embrace. Lying on her back, she braced her feet against my thighs and pushed herself away from me. I had a glimpse of her dark thick triangle, and then she disappeared under the water.
“You’re a tease,” I called after her, but she didn’t hear me.
Laughing and blowing water she appeared again, quite a distance away.
“You are a tease,” I repeated.
She giggled and shook her breasts. “And you are very impatient,” she called back.
She began to wash her hair, rubbed down her body with her hands. She knew I was watching. Once in awhile she threw impish glances in my direction. The she came walking toward me, very slowly. Her upper two breasts jiggled softly. Even though she was very slim, I knew by the rippling of her muscles that she was quite strong.
“Want me to wash you?” she asked. Her slit pupils reflected the light from the overhead sun.
“Go ahead.”
She ran her hands down my body; they lingered on my shoulders, on my chest. I felt her long fingers digging into my biceps.
“You must be very strong,” she murmured.
When she stood in front of me, I pulled her to me. Grabbing her buttocks, I lifted her up. Her legs parted, wrapped around my body.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Eden's Gate
Just sent back to Midnight Showcase the final Errata of Seeds of Chaos, Book One. It should be available some time next week. So keep on checking http://midnightshowcase.com/
I’m taking a two-week holiday with no access to a computer, so I won’t be around when it will be published. Darn, the suspense is killing me. I’ve been waiting a long time to see the book in print. I started writing it a few years back, put it aside, worked on some other stuff, then I picked it up again. When it was finally finished it was too long for one book. I enjoyed writing it, but everything has to come to an end at some time. Book Two, Hell’s Gate, will be published in April.
Here is an excerpt from Book One:
We headed for our first destination, a system not far from Korillia. It took us a couple of days to get there. I was in one of three transport-shuttles, all of them full of heavily armed men. I wondered if they dragged me into some kind of war.
Our shuttle landed beside a settlement of considerable size. The houses were plain, mainly single story buildings of simple design. The area around the settlement looked desolate. Nothing seemed to grow except for some kind of tall, purple multi-leafed plant. I recognized the plant.
Mexacline.
The bulbous roots held the hallucinogenic substance in almost pure form. A natural drug that needed very little processing. Expensive on the market and dangerous to use.
Landry, the leader of our party of twelve men was a big brute with a wild beard and a bald head. He looked us over with little pig’s eyes as we stepped from the shuttle.
“Hey, you,” he addressed me. “You’re the new guy. I’m supposed to watch you, but I don’t have time for that. Behave yourself and don’t get into any trouble. Carry your weapon always in sight…remember that. We are not exactly welcome here. These people are dangerous, ruthless, and rebellious. They’ll kill you if you give them a chance. If in doubt, shoot first, and then talk. Understood?”
“I think so,” I said. I had misgiving about this whole thing, but I had no choice but to go along, realizing from the beginning that I took part in a raid.
We were met by a group of twenty men and eight women. They blocked the road into the town. The weapons they carried might as well have been wooden clubs, compared to the weapons we had.
“We can’t give you anything this time,” said one of the two men who stepped into our path.
“You don’t say? Who gives you authority to speak for this town?” Landry asked him. I noticed the way he held his laser-pistol.
The man drew himself erect. “My name is William Carrel. I am the new mayor of Blacktown.”
“Well, well, I am just so pleased to meet you.” Landry made a mock bow. “And who are you?” He gave the other man a long stare.
“I am the new chief of police. The name’s Burrows. We have decided to make a few rules here. From now on, you will pay us for what you take. No more free merchandise!”
“Listen, little man,” Landry spoke coldly and without emotion, “you don’t make the rules here, we do.”
“What gives you the right to come here and rob us blind?” Carrel’s said boldly, unable to hide the tremor in his voice. The man was scared, but he bravely stood his ground. I knew what was coming, but found myself unable to stop it, because I couldn’t afford to put myself and the mission in jeopardy.
“This!” Landry said, lifted his gun and shot the man. More shots fell, and before the people standing behind their mayor could even react, five men and two women lay dead.
“Anybody else wants to object?” Landry waved his laser-pistol, aimed it at another man. “You maybe?”
I’m taking a two-week holiday with no access to a computer, so I won’t be around when it will be published. Darn, the suspense is killing me. I’ve been waiting a long time to see the book in print. I started writing it a few years back, put it aside, worked on some other stuff, then I picked it up again. When it was finally finished it was too long for one book. I enjoyed writing it, but everything has to come to an end at some time. Book Two, Hell’s Gate, will be published in April.
Here is an excerpt from Book One:
We headed for our first destination, a system not far from Korillia. It took us a couple of days to get there. I was in one of three transport-shuttles, all of them full of heavily armed men. I wondered if they dragged me into some kind of war.
Our shuttle landed beside a settlement of considerable size. The houses were plain, mainly single story buildings of simple design. The area around the settlement looked desolate. Nothing seemed to grow except for some kind of tall, purple multi-leafed plant. I recognized the plant.
Mexacline.
The bulbous roots held the hallucinogenic substance in almost pure form. A natural drug that needed very little processing. Expensive on the market and dangerous to use.
Landry, the leader of our party of twelve men was a big brute with a wild beard and a bald head. He looked us over with little pig’s eyes as we stepped from the shuttle.
“Hey, you,” he addressed me. “You’re the new guy. I’m supposed to watch you, but I don’t have time for that. Behave yourself and don’t get into any trouble. Carry your weapon always in sight…remember that. We are not exactly welcome here. These people are dangerous, ruthless, and rebellious. They’ll kill you if you give them a chance. If in doubt, shoot first, and then talk. Understood?”
“I think so,” I said. I had misgiving about this whole thing, but I had no choice but to go along, realizing from the beginning that I took part in a raid.
We were met by a group of twenty men and eight women. They blocked the road into the town. The weapons they carried might as well have been wooden clubs, compared to the weapons we had.
“We can’t give you anything this time,” said one of the two men who stepped into our path.
“You don’t say? Who gives you authority to speak for this town?” Landry asked him. I noticed the way he held his laser-pistol.
The man drew himself erect. “My name is William Carrel. I am the new mayor of Blacktown.”
“Well, well, I am just so pleased to meet you.” Landry made a mock bow. “And who are you?” He gave the other man a long stare.
“I am the new chief of police. The name’s Burrows. We have decided to make a few rules here. From now on, you will pay us for what you take. No more free merchandise!”
“Listen, little man,” Landry spoke coldly and without emotion, “you don’t make the rules here, we do.”
“What gives you the right to come here and rob us blind?” Carrel’s said boldly, unable to hide the tremor in his voice. The man was scared, but he bravely stood his ground. I knew what was coming, but found myself unable to stop it, because I couldn’t afford to put myself and the mission in jeopardy.
“This!” Landry said, lifted his gun and shot the man. More shots fell, and before the people standing behind their mayor could even react, five men and two women lay dead.
“Anybody else wants to object?” Landry waved his laser-pistol, aimed it at another man. “You maybe?”
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year
Happy New Year. Hard to believe it is the year 2007. Let’s hope it brings more good things than bad ones. For us the year 2006 ended with a snowstorm, but what else is new? This is Manitoba, Canada, we’re used to it. Saddam Hussein is dead. Will it change anything in the world? I doubt it. His death will not stop the killings in that part of the world. I will never understand why people hate each other just because they believe in something different, or because their color of skin or shape of the eye is not the same. Difference is what makes our world colorful and exiting. How boring would it be if everyone believed the same thing, ate the same foods, looked the same, read and wrote the same stuff? That’s why it is so important that we read and write, educate each other, open our minds, learn and experience new things. One question I ask myself a lot. Why is it always religion that spawns this evil? I was taught that to be religious is good. Is it? Somewhere I heard once that no atheist ever murdered another human being for his religion. There is some truth to that. Killing another human being is murder, not matter what the reason.
When I woke up this morning the following ’Words of Wisdom’ popped into my head and I wrote them down. I don’t claim all of them are original, but I believe they are valid.
To be timid is to fail.
No success comes to the one who doesn’t try.
Speak to be heard, stay silent and be ignored.
Only a fool swims against the stream.
To reach the end one must begin.
To give up is the way of the coward.
Acting the fool makes you one.
Loves comes to the one who gives it, so does Hate.
An evil act does not spawn a good act.
Even a tiny spark can produce a large flame.
To deny the truth is to lie.
Even the tallest tree was once a tiny seed.
To give in does not show weakness, to be stubborn, does.
To try does not guarantee success, but not to try guarantees failure.
To give is to receive.
Lie and you shall be lied to.
A cheater is a liar
To be trusted one must show his true face, to hide behind a mask invites mistrust.
To forgive doesn’t mean one is forgiven.
But enough philosophizing. Book One of ’Seeds of Chaos’ may be available from Midnight Showcase as early as a week from now.
When I woke up this morning the following ’Words of Wisdom’ popped into my head and I wrote them down. I don’t claim all of them are original, but I believe they are valid.
To be timid is to fail.
No success comes to the one who doesn’t try.
Speak to be heard, stay silent and be ignored.
Only a fool swims against the stream.
To reach the end one must begin.
To give up is the way of the coward.
Acting the fool makes you one.
Loves comes to the one who gives it, so does Hate.
An evil act does not spawn a good act.
Even a tiny spark can produce a large flame.
To deny the truth is to lie.
Even the tallest tree was once a tiny seed.
To give in does not show weakness, to be stubborn, does.
To try does not guarantee success, but not to try guarantees failure.
To give is to receive.
Lie and you shall be lied to.
A cheater is a liar
To be trusted one must show his true face, to hide behind a mask invites mistrust.
To forgive doesn’t mean one is forgiven.
But enough philosophizing. Book One of ’Seeds of Chaos’ may be available from Midnight Showcase as early as a week from now.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Finished
Just put the finishing touches on my story 'A Taste of Paradise'. It reached 16,767 words. I sent it in this morning to Midnight Showcase. I proof-read it a couple of times, and now I skipped over it again and already discovered two mistakes. I guess I'll correct those when the final edit comes. Now I should be able to relax for a while, but I can't. I have to get busy with editing 'Seeds of Chaos, Book 2, which is due to be published in April. Book One will be out in January. And I'm still not finished with the book I worked on before I started A Taste of Paradise. That book is 'Mark of the Cobra'. I'm afraid it will have to wait a little longer. It is almost done, but after that comes the editing and correcting of mistakes.
It will be a busy year 2007, but I'm looking forward to it.
It will be a busy year 2007, but I'm looking forward to it.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
A Taste of Paradise
I'm almost finished with my story 'A Taste of Paradise', which I'm writing for the digest 'Men of Eros', due to be published in March 2007 by Midnight Showcase. It turns out it will be a little longer than anticipated. I'm up to 15,200 words now. That happens sometimes. At first it seems I don't know what to write, but once I start with the story it begins to almost write itself. It's weird. I had this one already laid out in my head, but it went its own way. The basic outline is still the same, but the story changed. I think it turned out better.
Here is an excerpt:
Parker followed her as she gingerly walked across the overgrown sidewalk, careful not step into the cracks with her high-heeled red shoes. The wooden steps creaked dangerously when they climbed them. While Ms. Hanover fiddled with the rusted lock, Parker studied the veranda, which ran along the front of the whole house. The boards looked rotten, also in need of repair, as did the railing.
The rusty hinges of the entrance door screamed in protest when Ms. Hanover pushed it open.
“Nothing a few drops of DW40 can’t fix,” she said and stepped across the threshold into the vestibule.
A tepid odor assaulted Parker’s nose and even Ms. Hanover held her breath.
“When was the last time a living being set foot into this place?” Parker asked.
Ms. Hanover shrugged. “Fifteen years?” She let out a little yelp and clawed at the spider web covering her face.
“Really?”
“Just kidding.” She spit something out of her mouth and laughed bravely. The couple I told you about lived here about ten years ago. After they left it stood empty. The River East Holding Company sends someone to check it over at least once every couple of months.” She shrieked when something ran across her foot.
“They must have missed it for the last few months, possibly years,” Parker commented dryly.
Ms. Hanover flicked a light-witch, but nothing happened. “I haven’t been inside the house ever since Mrs. Applebee died.” She smiled uncomfortably. “You’ll have to look past the dust and spider webs. Like I said, we can have this place cleaned up in no time at all.”
“I’m not worried about cleaning it up,” Parker said. “How long until the whole place collapses on top of me?”
“I don’t believe that will happen. These homes are well built. They used good lumber in those days.” Ms. Hanover peered into the next room, reluctant to enter it. “I think the kitchen is through this door. I was told it has new cabinets.”
“New? How new?”
“Mrs. Applebee had them installed just before she passed away. So I’m told.” She sighed. “Poor woman. Didn’t even have time to enjoy them. What a bummer.”
“In other words they’re at least sixteen years old. Who knows what has taken up residence in those drawers.” Parker shook his head. “I don’t know. I had something more modern in mind.”
Ms. Hanover gave a little laugh. With a sudden movement she slapped at something on her neck. “You won’t find it in this town. Unless you want to move into one of those condos down by the river.”
“No, thank you. No condo for me. I want to get away from people. I need some solitude for my work.”
“Your work? I never asked what you did for a living. What do you do, Darrin?”
“I’m a writer. I write horror stories.” He chuckled. “This house could be a great setting for one of my stories. Does it have any ghosts?”
Ms. Hanover threw him a quick glance. He couldn’t miss the slight tremor in her voice when she answered. “Would you like to have some ghosts in this house?”
“Not particularly, but as it happens, I don’t really believe in ghosts, even though I write about them.”
“Good, because rumors have it, there are strange things going on in this old house. At least there were until a few years ago. Haven’t heard anything lately.” She forced a little laugh. “Those are just rumors. Teenagers, you know. And Mrs. Dawson, your neighbor. But she’s old and a little crazy, anyway. Wouldn’t put much faith into her stories.”
Parker stepped over some debris on the floor. When he looked down he thought they were dried-up sausages. He didn’t want to think what else they could be. “I’ll have a look around in the kitchen.”
The cabinets did actually look quite descent. Dusty, but solid. He couldn’t see many details because of the dark curtains on the window. There was a door at the end of the kitchen. “I guess there is a basement?” he called over his shoulder.
“Yes, there is. I don’t know where the door is, though.”
“I believe I found it, but I won’t go down there. We should have brought a flashlight.”
“How about checking out the bedrooms upstairs?” Ms. Hanover called. Her voice sounded strained.
“Alright.” Parker left the kitchen and joined her in the foyer.
Every step creaked when they climbed the stairs, but they seemed solid enough.
“The wood is dry,” Ms. Hanover commented. “Once you live in the house and create some humidity, I’m sure the wood will come alive again.”
It’ll take more than humidity, Parker thought, but kept it to himself.
The bedrooms were actually quite large, with built-in closets. Many of these old homes had small bedrooms without closets.
I could use this one as my study, Peter thought as he inspected one of the smaller rooms. Walking to the window, he peered through the spider webs and dust. He saw large apple trees in the back yard, laden with fruit. Beyond them a number of tall, stately Elm trees.
A fence surrounded the small orchard. The boards looked gray and weathered, some of them broken, pushed in by someone from the other side. Most likely vandals.
Here is an excerpt:
Parker followed her as she gingerly walked across the overgrown sidewalk, careful not step into the cracks with her high-heeled red shoes. The wooden steps creaked dangerously when they climbed them. While Ms. Hanover fiddled with the rusted lock, Parker studied the veranda, which ran along the front of the whole house. The boards looked rotten, also in need of repair, as did the railing.
The rusty hinges of the entrance door screamed in protest when Ms. Hanover pushed it open.
“Nothing a few drops of DW40 can’t fix,” she said and stepped across the threshold into the vestibule.
A tepid odor assaulted Parker’s nose and even Ms. Hanover held her breath.
“When was the last time a living being set foot into this place?” Parker asked.
Ms. Hanover shrugged. “Fifteen years?” She let out a little yelp and clawed at the spider web covering her face.
“Really?”
“Just kidding.” She spit something out of her mouth and laughed bravely. The couple I told you about lived here about ten years ago. After they left it stood empty. The River East Holding Company sends someone to check it over at least once every couple of months.” She shrieked when something ran across her foot.
“They must have missed it for the last few months, possibly years,” Parker commented dryly.
Ms. Hanover flicked a light-witch, but nothing happened. “I haven’t been inside the house ever since Mrs. Applebee died.” She smiled uncomfortably. “You’ll have to look past the dust and spider webs. Like I said, we can have this place cleaned up in no time at all.”
“I’m not worried about cleaning it up,” Parker said. “How long until the whole place collapses on top of me?”
“I don’t believe that will happen. These homes are well built. They used good lumber in those days.” Ms. Hanover peered into the next room, reluctant to enter it. “I think the kitchen is through this door. I was told it has new cabinets.”
“New? How new?”
“Mrs. Applebee had them installed just before she passed away. So I’m told.” She sighed. “Poor woman. Didn’t even have time to enjoy them. What a bummer.”
“In other words they’re at least sixteen years old. Who knows what has taken up residence in those drawers.” Parker shook his head. “I don’t know. I had something more modern in mind.”
Ms. Hanover gave a little laugh. With a sudden movement she slapped at something on her neck. “You won’t find it in this town. Unless you want to move into one of those condos down by the river.”
“No, thank you. No condo for me. I want to get away from people. I need some solitude for my work.”
“Your work? I never asked what you did for a living. What do you do, Darrin?”
“I’m a writer. I write horror stories.” He chuckled. “This house could be a great setting for one of my stories. Does it have any ghosts?”
Ms. Hanover threw him a quick glance. He couldn’t miss the slight tremor in her voice when she answered. “Would you like to have some ghosts in this house?”
“Not particularly, but as it happens, I don’t really believe in ghosts, even though I write about them.”
“Good, because rumors have it, there are strange things going on in this old house. At least there were until a few years ago. Haven’t heard anything lately.” She forced a little laugh. “Those are just rumors. Teenagers, you know. And Mrs. Dawson, your neighbor. But she’s old and a little crazy, anyway. Wouldn’t put much faith into her stories.”
Parker stepped over some debris on the floor. When he looked down he thought they were dried-up sausages. He didn’t want to think what else they could be. “I’ll have a look around in the kitchen.”
The cabinets did actually look quite descent. Dusty, but solid. He couldn’t see many details because of the dark curtains on the window. There was a door at the end of the kitchen. “I guess there is a basement?” he called over his shoulder.
“Yes, there is. I don’t know where the door is, though.”
“I believe I found it, but I won’t go down there. We should have brought a flashlight.”
“How about checking out the bedrooms upstairs?” Ms. Hanover called. Her voice sounded strained.
“Alright.” Parker left the kitchen and joined her in the foyer.
Every step creaked when they climbed the stairs, but they seemed solid enough.
“The wood is dry,” Ms. Hanover commented. “Once you live in the house and create some humidity, I’m sure the wood will come alive again.”
It’ll take more than humidity, Parker thought, but kept it to himself.
The bedrooms were actually quite large, with built-in closets. Many of these old homes had small bedrooms without closets.
I could use this one as my study, Peter thought as he inspected one of the smaller rooms. Walking to the window, he peered through the spider webs and dust. He saw large apple trees in the back yard, laden with fruit. Beyond them a number of tall, stately Elm trees.
A fence surrounded the small orchard. The boards looked gray and weathered, some of them broken, pushed in by someone from the other side. Most likely vandals.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Seeds of Chaos, Excerpt
Here is an excerpt from Book One of Seeds of Chaos
The village lay on the shore of a frozen lake. The strong wind blew the snow off the ice, and the rays of the setting sun painted the glinting ice red. I saw a pair of fishermen pulling small sleds behind them, on their way back to shore. Everything looked very peaceful.
Sharina and Kabrina had disappeared into one of the buildings. A sign above the door proclaimed it a tavern. Who would have guessed? The only tall building in this forsaken place, and the drunk falling out of the door should have been a dead giveaway.
There were two air-sleds parked in the small parking lot, they held no markings, but they gave me the shivers. These were no ordinary air-sleds.
I followed the girls into the tavern.
The place didn’t look crowded, no surprise, considering the size of the village. The surprise came with the man sitting at one of the tables. He didn’t wear a uniform. However, the man with him did. I recognized the uniform and the insignia on the man’s left sleeve. A high-ranking officer in the United Planet’s Space Navy.
I approached the table slowly.
“Hello, Thomas, good to see you again.”
“Admiral,” I said, but I didn’t salute.
He smiled. “We had a hard time tracking you down, son,” he said.
“Had I known you wanted my company, I would have left you a note, Father,” I said. No, I was not bitter.
He sighed. “I can’t blame you if you hate me.” He indicated the empty chair across from him. “Sit down.”
I shrugged and sat down.
“This is Colonel Voltaire,” Admiral Curtis said.
The Colonel gave me a courteous nod. “Pleased to meet you, Commodore Stone. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I’m sure you have. You can drop the ‘Commodore’. I’m just plain ‘Thomas Stone’. I don’t believe they missed to mention that small detail when you were briefed about me.”
Colonel Voltaire smiled thinly. “I am aware of your situation, Commodore. I know that you have been discharged without honor from the Service. I also know that there are people out there who want you dead. You are the victim of a conspiracy, Commodore, but you know that already.”
He possessed hard eyes, this colonel, they showed no pity, but they were honest.
“You didn’t come here to tell me that you feel sorry for the way I was treated, Colonel. What do you want from me?” I glanced at Admiral Curtis, but his face remained passive.
The Colonel laughed. “Coming right to the matter, Commodore. I like that.”
“It’s been a long day and I am very tired.” I said. “I need a meal, a bath and a good night’s rest.”
“We have made arrangements for a room where you can sleep safely. You won’t have to fear for your life tonight, you’ll be well guarded.”
My turn to laugh. “Are you afraid I’m going to escape?” I asked. I had seen the two Colonial Marines at one table and the two Special Troopers at another.
“You are not a prisoner, Thomas.” Admiral Curtis said. “By the way, your mother sends her regards. She misses you.”
“I miss her too,” I said, speaking the truth, especially since we hadn’t seen much of each other for the last two years.
“You shouldn’t have left.” The Admiral said softly. I always thought of him as just The Admiral, even though he was my stepfather. We had been close, or so I thought. After I was court-martialed, he buried himself in his work, refused to see me when I attempted to contact him.
“I feared for my life,” I said. “They murdered everyone else. Why not me, why was I humiliated like that?”
He stared at me. I saw the pain in his eyes. “Because you are my son, that’s why. I am not very popular with certain people, but I am in a position of power; they cannot get rid of me that easily. You were the more convenient target.”
“That may be true, but there is more to it, isn’t there?”
He nodded. “You carry dangerous knowledge inside your head.”
The village lay on the shore of a frozen lake. The strong wind blew the snow off the ice, and the rays of the setting sun painted the glinting ice red. I saw a pair of fishermen pulling small sleds behind them, on their way back to shore. Everything looked very peaceful.
Sharina and Kabrina had disappeared into one of the buildings. A sign above the door proclaimed it a tavern. Who would have guessed? The only tall building in this forsaken place, and the drunk falling out of the door should have been a dead giveaway.
There were two air-sleds parked in the small parking lot, they held no markings, but they gave me the shivers. These were no ordinary air-sleds.
I followed the girls into the tavern.
The place didn’t look crowded, no surprise, considering the size of the village. The surprise came with the man sitting at one of the tables. He didn’t wear a uniform. However, the man with him did. I recognized the uniform and the insignia on the man’s left sleeve. A high-ranking officer in the United Planet’s Space Navy.
I approached the table slowly.
“Hello, Thomas, good to see you again.”
“Admiral,” I said, but I didn’t salute.
He smiled. “We had a hard time tracking you down, son,” he said.
“Had I known you wanted my company, I would have left you a note, Father,” I said. No, I was not bitter.
He sighed. “I can’t blame you if you hate me.” He indicated the empty chair across from him. “Sit down.”
I shrugged and sat down.
“This is Colonel Voltaire,” Admiral Curtis said.
The Colonel gave me a courteous nod. “Pleased to meet you, Commodore Stone. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I’m sure you have. You can drop the ‘Commodore’. I’m just plain ‘Thomas Stone’. I don’t believe they missed to mention that small detail when you were briefed about me.”
Colonel Voltaire smiled thinly. “I am aware of your situation, Commodore. I know that you have been discharged without honor from the Service. I also know that there are people out there who want you dead. You are the victim of a conspiracy, Commodore, but you know that already.”
He possessed hard eyes, this colonel, they showed no pity, but they were honest.
“You didn’t come here to tell me that you feel sorry for the way I was treated, Colonel. What do you want from me?” I glanced at Admiral Curtis, but his face remained passive.
The Colonel laughed. “Coming right to the matter, Commodore. I like that.”
“It’s been a long day and I am very tired.” I said. “I need a meal, a bath and a good night’s rest.”
“We have made arrangements for a room where you can sleep safely. You won’t have to fear for your life tonight, you’ll be well guarded.”
My turn to laugh. “Are you afraid I’m going to escape?” I asked. I had seen the two Colonial Marines at one table and the two Special Troopers at another.
“You are not a prisoner, Thomas.” Admiral Curtis said. “By the way, your mother sends her regards. She misses you.”
“I miss her too,” I said, speaking the truth, especially since we hadn’t seen much of each other for the last two years.
“You shouldn’t have left.” The Admiral said softly. I always thought of him as just The Admiral, even though he was my stepfather. We had been close, or so I thought. After I was court-martialed, he buried himself in his work, refused to see me when I attempted to contact him.
“I feared for my life,” I said. “They murdered everyone else. Why not me, why was I humiliated like that?”
He stared at me. I saw the pain in his eyes. “Because you are my son, that’s why. I am not very popular with certain people, but I am in a position of power; they cannot get rid of me that easily. You were the more convenient target.”
“That may be true, but there is more to it, isn’t there?”
He nodded. “You carry dangerous knowledge inside your head.”
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
After Author Day
I successfully survived my Author Day. It went well. I gave away quite a few copies of my book ‘Daughter of the Dark’ to the winners of my contests. There were not as many visitors as I would have liked, but the ones who came took an interest in my writings.
I finally finished my short story (15K) ‘The Kiir’ for the digest ‘Launch the Raunch’ and sent it in and I have written about two thousand words for my next short story ‘A Taste of Paradise’.
Some writers plan their story from beginning to end before they start writing it. Scenes and characters are in place and the story just needs to be fleshed out. I found out, again, that it doesn’t really work for me. I had this story already in my head, all mapped out, but as I started to write it and the characters (so far only two main characters) and the setting came alive, it began to go its own way. It was supposed to be an adventure/love story. Not anymore. The mood is totally different and it looks like it is going to be a gothic-type story. I’m not sure yet. We’ll see where the characters want to go. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it, but that’s the way it works. That is what makes writing so interesting and exciting. Like reading a book, almost. I could never be a ‘formula writer’. I have to follow the flow, wherever it leads me.
Maybe I’ll take my other idea and write that story some other time. I just have to find a different beginning.
I noticed quite some activity on my blog this last week. 76 visitors. I hope everyone who visits me takes something away with them. Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by. Come again.
I finally finished my short story (15K) ‘The Kiir’ for the digest ‘Launch the Raunch’ and sent it in and I have written about two thousand words for my next short story ‘A Taste of Paradise’.
Some writers plan their story from beginning to end before they start writing it. Scenes and characters are in place and the story just needs to be fleshed out. I found out, again, that it doesn’t really work for me. I had this story already in my head, all mapped out, but as I started to write it and the characters (so far only two main characters) and the setting came alive, it began to go its own way. It was supposed to be an adventure/love story. Not anymore. The mood is totally different and it looks like it is going to be a gothic-type story. I’m not sure yet. We’ll see where the characters want to go. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it, but that’s the way it works. That is what makes writing so interesting and exciting. Like reading a book, almost. I could never be a ‘formula writer’. I have to follow the flow, wherever it leads me.
Maybe I’ll take my other idea and write that story some other time. I just have to find a different beginning.
I noticed quite some activity on my blog this last week. 76 visitors. I hope everyone who visits me takes something away with them. Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by. Come again.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Upcoming releases
These are my upcoming releases from Midnight Showcase
January 2007 Book One of ‘Seeds of Chaos’
January 2007 Novelette: ‘Cliffs of Time’
March 2007 Novelette: ‘Orion, The Hunt’
March 2007 Title forthcoming, Short Story for ‘Men of Eros’Digest
April 2007 ‘For Love of Arilee’, Short Story for ‘Sweet Challenge’ Digest
April 2007 ‘The Kiir’, Short Story for ‘Launch the Raunch’ Digest
April 2007 Book Two of ‘Seeds of Chaos’
October 2007 Book One of ‘The Stardogs’
January 2008 Book Two of ‘The Stardogs’
It’s going to be a busy year. I still have to write the short story for ‘Men of Eros’, but I have it already in my head. The tentative title is ‘A Taste of Paradise’. And I need to do the final edit of Book Two of ‘Seeds of Chaos’. All this before the end of the year. I hope I’ll make it.
The book I’m writing right now ‘Mark of the Cobra’, a Thriller, is almost done, but I had to put it on the back burner for awhile.
See you on Author Day. Hope you come and visit, maybe even ‘chat’ with me.
January 2007 Book One of ‘Seeds of Chaos’
January 2007 Novelette: ‘Cliffs of Time’
March 2007 Novelette: ‘Orion, The Hunt’
March 2007 Title forthcoming, Short Story for ‘Men of Eros’Digest
April 2007 ‘For Love of Arilee’, Short Story for ‘Sweet Challenge’ Digest
April 2007 ‘The Kiir’, Short Story for ‘Launch the Raunch’ Digest
April 2007 Book Two of ‘Seeds of Chaos’
October 2007 Book One of ‘The Stardogs’
January 2008 Book Two of ‘The Stardogs’
It’s going to be a busy year. I still have to write the short story for ‘Men of Eros’, but I have it already in my head. The tentative title is ‘A Taste of Paradise’. And I need to do the final edit of Book Two of ‘Seeds of Chaos’. All this before the end of the year. I hope I’ll make it.
The book I’m writing right now ‘Mark of the Cobra’, a Thriller, is almost done, but I had to put it on the back burner for awhile.
See you on Author Day. Hope you come and visit, maybe even ‘chat’ with me.
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