A short flight from Russia to the imperium allowing for a little exposition of Robert’s background.
I’ve already started Part 2, but have to take most of today doing RealLife stuff, unfortunately. I should wrap up Part 1 by Friday.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 1/3″After showing the interpersonal politics between Robert and Nadia, I quickly wanted to show that this is not just a marriage forced on them by their respective rulers. They met, talked, had a (small) chance to say “no.” Any marriage is work; constant day-after-day work. I’ve been at it for over thirty years. No time off for good behavior.
Even a crown prince must defer to their sovereign, so Robert makes a call. At this point in her life (Fussy is fifty now), I think she is a jerk just for jerk’s sake. St Petersburg to Huntsville in a few hours? I wonder how he’ll pull that off…
“I I I” isn’t even out yet and I’m already writing spoilers.
Mild content warning for what’s below.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 1/2″From the image all the way at the bottom, I had an idea. My demi-humans are known for their bioluminescent eyes. Was this young woman just taking a walk from her tent to cup a mouthful of water? About to dive in for a swim? Or maybe…
All things break down. Including civilizations. Including genetics. I began to wonder, what would a tribe of demi-humans be like in a non-technological world? They fact they think fast with quick reflexes would still be a positive survival factor; their ability to see into the Void would be useless. What would they keep; what is discarded? They can talk to one another by touch… do they lose vocal language?
And where did the image happen? Earth? Terraformed Mars? Some other world so far in the future I cannot grasp?
So, just like all the other times, I sat down and started writing. After my nearly ready to release “Ice Inundation Intelligence,” which I knew was a novel from the get-go, this is just me playing with ideas. Could be a short story; a series of them. I, honestly, had wanted to temporally backtrack, that is, fill in some of the gaps of people and event going all the way by to “Echoes of Family Lost,” but this opens six freakin’ years after “I I I.” Fine. Let’s see where it leads, frens.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 1/1″This should have been broken into four parts, but the first part of the epilogue was a block, so this one is, too. Enjoy. There are a few places where I couldn’t be bothered to scroll back 200 pages for names, so I used placeholders. That’s what editing is for.
I started this manuscript just over a year ago, with Konev and his scout team at point of the Russian occupation of central Canada. Thus, it is fitting that it end with him, too. But what and end: being debriefed about what happened at the CSIS prison I expected. Writing my way further in, I realized that because of what Reina had learned from rooting around Bob’s mind – and then about the future of Mars – she would want to know everything Konev knew.
And they Ivan speaks up to claim him. I didn’t see and write that until about an hour ago. They always surprise me. It’s a gift, really: “The Adventures of Sergei & Ivan” would make a great novella; it would make a great graphic novel. That boy is made of mischief and I look forward to what trouble they get in (first idea: they travel to Mars and steal that ancient device).
Now comes the hard, sober, part: editing. A multistep process: a complete read thru, shuffling material around, chapter breaks, Grammarly. Then and only then I pass it off to my copyeditor. It’s about 65,000 words, or about 245 pages in a 6″ x 9″ book. A book with no name, still. At least I can reach out to my cover designer in a day or two with the basics of what I’ll want to see. The front will be Konev and Bob, with Eloise between them, all in uniform. What else? Reactionless ships, something evocative of Canada (a can of Molson’s?), Mars. And Cartaphilus.
I’d say I need a break, but we all know I’d be lying. I’ll be writing again within weeks once I get this to my copyeditor. Thanks, everyone, for putting up with this raw MS. Please buy and review the final version once it comes out in a month or two.
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Continue reading “Book 17. Epilogue. 2/2”Easy to get sidetracked whenever Reina drops in. Trying not to. Since Bob revealed something personal about her, she did the same, giving Konev his answer.
I’ve seen the “action sequence” coming up but am having trouble writing it without making things confusing or coming across like an idiot. I’m sure it’ll work out.
Reina has a family? Yep. Her daughter on a research trip? Yep.
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Continue reading “Book 17. Part Four. 2”I had no idea Aurie could do this until a few days ago. The “how” took another day until I recalled just how very different her mother, Henge, is. So there you are.
Looks as if Part Three shall end on entry #25. That will come out right before I’m off to LibertyCon. I hope to be much older there. I’ll take Rory, my laptop, just in case I suddenly need to tap something out while at the con.
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Continue reading “Book 17. Part Three. 23”“But I know I cannot get sloshed in this company.” [Narrator’s Voice: but we know she does]
Moving ahead to the opening scene of part four in my notes. I was going to have Bob be the central character, but that gives me Konev, Eloise, Bob. I think that is confusing to a reader and also sloppy writing in that it leaves Konev’s story sort of hanging. So, as of typing this, it’s going to be the Russian sergeant with Bob playing a strong supporting role. I am absolutely determined to get “Joseph,” that demon, back on stage, as well as either resolve, or, me being me, making the situation with the Spetsnaz troopers worse.
The epilogue might be one of their team taking indirect action against Reina (direct action is effectively impossible as she’s not “anywhere”), such as taking some of the Russian Imperial Family hostage and demanding her resignation. That’s for the future, so I’ll think about it.
Alex Hood is, as they say here, one of Faustina’s boss monsters, from Goddess’ Crusade. She kills the empress – again; she gets better – but nearly dies herself. Faustina does all in her power to keep another demi-human alive.
Aurie’s grant of permission for El and Bob to have a relationship surprised me. I think her human husband, and now being pregnant, is mellowing her out rather quickly.
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Continue reading “B17. Part Three. 22”From the odd interaction with Ninon, and Ai, Eloise is now thrust back into international politics. And her commanding general does not seem pleased.
Part Three shall end with Eloise going north. Plane? Scout saucer? Don’t know yet. Boy, am I going to have to edit and restructure the hell out of this MS.
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Continue reading “Book 17. Part Three. 20”Eloise recovers but, again, being human, cannot recall everything from the first time she was in a construct and thus is a little confused. Recognizing her stress, Ai sends her back.
Speaking of, I’m working on what happens, first to El’s flight north, its interception (I think), then her incarceration. Given the structural nature of this MS so far, I foresee a little segment with Bob Hardt, then a conclusion – of a sort – with us back with Sgt. Konev (remember him?).
My copyeditor will likely too busy with Imaginarium to get to this before July. I also need to start thinking about front/back covers to give my amazing cover designer some direxion.
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Continue reading “Book 17. Part Three. 19”For my loyal, book-buying readers, this is not Ninon’s first speaking role. We’ve seen her twice in two other books but she has a role to play in my novella. She is a Machine very interesting in finding more of her own kind in the stars; but, every now and then, a human’s plight seems to tug something of the the fourth law in her.
After my blitz on Sunday, I’ve enough for posts this week. I saw an odd image yesterday and it is compelling me to write a story around it. A story about a world already over.
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Continue reading “Book 17. Part Three. 18”
machciv 