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.”
Monday, June 25, 2007
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.
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.
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