Tag: family

“The Fallen” 1/1

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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Book 17. Epilogue. 2/2

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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Imaginarium, Arrival

Just over a four-hour drive; not that bad. Right as I’m parking at the hotel, Daughter #1 calls to say she locked herself out of her car. In Columbus. I’m in Louisville. “Call AAA,” I said. She forgot her card. I read off the phone number and took a pic of my member #. This is a cum laude grad with a BS. I fear for our future.

In better news, I got some ice and started mixing drinks. Once I reach a level of stasis I’ll venture out to see how the set up is going.

Book 17. Epilogue. 1/2

Part one of two of the story’s end. This wraps up Bob’s side of things. I’m edging out of “hard SF” here, but that’s okay. Their world is Changed and we know a helluva lot less about ours than we think we do.

Off to Imaginarium in an hour. Four to six hour drive, depending on weather and traffic. Nothing on the schedule tonight, so I’ll see what I can do for Konev’s wrap up. Obviously, Reina will be there. She’s always there.

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Book 17. Part Four. 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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Book 17. Part Three. 24

One step away from Part Three’s completion. As hard as Eloise thinks she has it right now, potentially walking into her own death, she cannot imagine what Aurie might be thinking: “I’ve the power to remake the world and I’m gambling a temporary peace on this girl until Robbie comes back. I can lay waste to Canada… but I won’t. Yet.”

After the next and final installment of P3, I’ll be – hopefully – posting my adventures at LibertyCon from Thursday thru Sunday.

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Book 17. Part Three. 19

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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Book 17. Part Three. 17

I wrote about half of this on Saturday and once again ground to a halt. I went to Mass extra early Sunday morning to first pray then open my mind. About 2500 words poured in.

I also – finally! – realized the way of my stupid “six month” box I’d built for myself. As you’re read here, I was wondering what will Eloise be doing for five of those months? And then it hit me, like a two-ton heavy thing, why six months? That was just a completely arbitrary time for how long Robert and Kali were gone. I still want him gone awhile, for reasons, but now it’s closer to three months. That I can work with.

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Book 17. Part Three. 15

“That’s no moon; that’s a space station!”

I know from one of my other books that the Texians have fission and fusion weapons in their possession, so Aurie cannot be too big an asshole to them. And they are still detaining Livia Hartmann. Re that: Eloise gets a slap to the head about how the imperial family thinks.

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