Podcast Delay

As regular readers & listeners may have noticed, updates have been few this week. Worse, Friday’s podcast will come out on Saturday. I have not been well.

Late Monday afternoon, after writing, I was unusually tired so took a small nap. To my surprise, I slept until Tuesday morning, around 0715! With light through the bedroom window I showered and made my usual breakfast of one fried egg and three pieces of bacon. I’d not read we were supposed to get morning storms, but it was getting dark outside. I took the dishes to the sink and turned about. The microwave clock was the only 24-clock around. It said 2035. I had the most amazing, unsettling feeling: I felt lost in time. With my wife not answering her phone, I called eldest daughter.

“What day and time is it?” I asked.

Used to me and my drinking, she played along. “Monday. Around eight thirty in the evening.”

Needless to say, I could not fall back to sleep until midnight. The next day, Tuesday for real, I had an early dinner of scallops and mushrooms. Making notes for the podcast just after, I realized had seconds to get to the bathroom. Three hours of puking my guts out later, I crawled upstairs into bed.

The next day, I went to DayJob. Yes: I’m that stupid to have some GI bug and go to work as a pharmacy tech in a hospital. I was able to complete my deliveries in three hours, only to have another puking incident, fortunately also making it to a bathroom. After that I went home and slept.

Today was less bad: was assigned to the IV Room but exhausted as my body was now running on two pieces of toast over 24 hours. Just made it so see my relief come in at 1300. Made deliveries then left again.

Now home at 1810, I look at the podcast notes and realize there is no way. I’ll flush out the notes tomorrow in my breaks and record, edit, and release Saturday noon-ish. Apologies, all.

A Subtle Foreshadowing

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.

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Continue reading “A Subtle Foreshadowing”

Emergent Behavior

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.

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Continue reading “Emergent Behavior”

Podcast 8: Investing in your work

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.

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My current and recommended copyeditor: Stephen Zimmer.

My current and recommended cover artist: Labelschmiede.

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Morse Code Radio Waves

Wednesday night was the weekly podcast of the Star Chamber Show, where I had been a guest back in early February. This week’s show was an “Open Lines” format. Not one to miss a chance to promote my stories, I show up around the 34:45 mark and finally shut up and leave about 1:19:00.

If you’re interested in Ricardo Montalban, the proper way to serve river otters and squirrels, as well as book formatting and what might be ahead in Machine Civilization, I invite you to pour a drink and have a listen. Cheers!

Rebirth

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.

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Continue reading “Rebirth”

Form follows function

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*

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Continue reading “Form follows function”

Vacuum sucks

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?

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Continue reading “Vacuum sucks”

Stemma

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.

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Podcast 7: International Politics

Building on last week’s post about a machine or tribe of them made in China, I thought to address the nation-states of my future history. I break them out as “Failed,” “Floundering,” “Polar Alliance,” and “Other.” This is one of my longest yet, eighteen minutes, as I have to circle to globe to get everyone in.

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.

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