Was able to recover enough of my strength and mental capacity to resume writing yesterday. I don’t see any need to chronicle the rest of their deceleration to Mars, so the end of this segment will be a chapter break and leap head of more than a day. Many, many interesting revelations coming. Typically for me, some good, some… well…
I’ll be recording my next podcast on Wednesday. Anyone have any questions or topic ideas?
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
Continue reading “Back downstairs”Reina continues to evolve, startling all of us. And, as Roland alluded to in Part II, Henge and her children are not exactly demi-human. I’d long suspected that about Aurelia, who, off-screen, has led an army from old Virginia to the Northern Alliance (Maine-New Hampshire). That young woman, niece of the Empress, bears watching.
I had much to do this morning in meatspace and pan fried a steak and mushrooms for lunch, washing it down with gin. Rather than recording audio today (I am a terrible person) I think to write a little more. Kira’s change of status – demi-human – is, I think, working on Laszlo’s unconscious mind in several ways, and I want to see that reel.
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
Continue reading “A Subtle Foreshadowing”August! I swear yesterday was March. I’ve written ahead a bit and hope to keep these MS sketches updates coming. As it is, what remains of my family is off on another vacation in northern Louisiana so I shall devote my time off to try to complete the raw audio for “Foes and Rivals.” Speaking of which, I got my first customer review of “Friend and Ally.” I was, honestly, expecting at best three stars; after all, I am not a professional voice actor and my audio editing skills are that of a novice. So this was a surprise!
Back to the royals in space: not wanting to give the book an ADULT rating, I gloss over Laszlo’s and Nikita’s “moment.” Of more interest, as Les sees, is that now light-minutes away from Earth, android-Reina breaks contact with her greater self. But, as machines think so much faster than humans, her portable form is already… changing. I really wonder what shall become of her.
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
Continue reading “Emergent Behavior”A more technical discussion this time, directed at new or aspiring writers, to one, not think you will be a millionaire one year from now, and two, that if you do want that chance, your book better look as best it can on the outside and inside. That means spending money on cover artists and copyeditors.
As I say at the closing, if anyone has questions or comments or wants more information about what I’ve mentioned, please let me know in the Comments.
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
My current and recommended copyeditor: Stephen Zimmer.
My current and recommended cover artist: Labelschmiede.
***
***
A shorter conclusion to the reveal of my last post. I think this will serve as a chapter break in the novel. I’m rather sure the next scene is of the two young men talking and er… well. Following that will be Turnover: when the ship will briefly be in freefall to rotate end-for-end for their one gee deceleration toward Mars. Much to find out: what does that world look like right now? Will they be allowed to land? Do we get to meet Aqua, at least in some capacity?
And stand-alone Reina starts to develop a personality. This could be good or bad.
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
Continue reading “Rebirth”As Larry Niven said in “Ringworld,” no one likes to find out they are a breeding experiment. Something which happens below the fold. Getting physically angry with Reina would be pointless; about as productive and throwing your toaster around the kitchen. Trapped on their little ship not quite halfway to Mars this adds even more tension to the mix. From what’s rattling around the back of my head, it is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
Beginning next Saturday everyone except me and the evil attack cat is on another vacation. I’ll use that quiet at home to push this MS aside and get as many raw chapters of “Foes & Rivals” recorded that I can. The following week will have us, here, coming back from Mars… the ship at least… will anyone be alive? And the week after that should see the end of my second audiobook recording. That will lead to several weeks of editing. *sigh*
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
Continue reading “Form follows function”A bit more into the characters onboard Lionheart: girls in their underwear and men kissing. I had no idea I was such a degenerate author. As I sus’d from the beginning of this writing project, if I look away for just a moment, Reina will take over the entire story.
In this and what y’all will see later, it is interesting to me that while of the same class (a concept hard for most Heritage Americans) the royals have things they take for granted and things which, being from opposite sides of the Earth, are a complete puzzle to one another.
Additionally, I introduce, still offstage, a new character: Aqua. A Machine from tribe Arpeggio and apparently personally interested in the Martian terraforming project. Why is he?
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
Continue reading “Vacuum sucks”That means family tree to you heathens out there. Given how I am older about the characters in my current MS under works, I literally cut and pasted together a new stemma of the next generation of humans (and demi-humans) in Machine Civilization. I should have more of the royals’ trip to Mars out later today.
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
Rather than behaving myself and getting into the basement for raw audio, I wanted to continue to jot down what I had seen while driving Daughter #1 back those 1944 miles last weekend. I think I’ll be caught up tomorrow. With the ship on the move we are now in what I call the Michael Crichton phase of the story: taking a disparate group of people and locking them in until the plot shows up.
Something like Reina tossing my main character out of an airlock for “deviant behavior”…
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
Continue reading “Sweet and Sour”We learn a little more about the Russian imperial children – adult children – who will be on this Martian Holiday. There’s already drama from the youngest but they seem to be getting on. They’d better: trapped in a tin can for a week.
I’ve got a lot on my plate again for the second half of the summer, more of this story, finishing recording and editing of “Foes & Rivals,” as well as my podcasts. Going to my DayJob is now just an annoyance.
Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!
Continue reading “Playing Roles”
machciv 