Tag: writing

A Colour of Mourning?

Back after my short pause, and it just may be that a plot has shown up! We’ve seen Aurie play politics with the Northern Federation and also try to blend into the local scene in eastern Nova Scotia (although that ended poorly for a undercover jaunt). Now, with the death of one of the leaders of the world’s Great Powers, I think things are going to get very complicated for the entire Hartmann imperial family.

I’m still Guestblogging over at Founding Questions, with part 4, publishing on Amazon & Smashwords, hopefully coming out in a day or two.

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Colour of a Dream

This concludes the ‘Nova Scotia arc.’ I lay 1:2 odds that when Jimmy walks into his house, the RCMP are waiting on him. Who knows?

Story-wise, I’ll be going dark for a while as I’m blind as to where this is going right now. There’s one conflict on the horizon: Aurie’s huge argument with the Empress. Fussy wants Aurie married now. Fussy is also still seething that Aurie’s demi-human brother married a “normie” of questionable genetics; Jimmy might be a step too far. On the other hand, as Aurelia will throw in her face: “There are less than ten of us! Are we some Semite tribe to marry our cousins?”

Minor conflict. These are great characters on the stage and they deserve great conflict. With Texas edging to the imperium’s side, does Canada sign a defensive agreement with Mexico? Suddenly Faustina is the one surrounded; she would not like that and likely respond kinetically. Does Liz, Fussy’s first child, switch on her listening array on the back of the Moon only to hear, “Humans look tasty. See you soon.”? Maybe old Empress Togame finally dies, provoking a succession crisis in the Japanese Empire while Aurie is there in a diplomatic capacity? A lot to think about.

If anything interesting happens, I’ll toss it onto here. I’ve an author meet’n’greet at the Heath, Ohio, Indian Mound Mall on Saturday. Hope to sell a book.

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Traitor’s Colours?

Similar to the short battle through Burns’ eyes, here two we simply hear his internal reflection on what Aurelia and the doctor are saying to one another. That prevents the “wall of text” of exposition which I hate so much.

Missed an update yesterday as I had guest over after work. Given the four Manhattans I had, anything coherent like posting was out of the question. After today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, I’ll be at the end of the Nova Scotia arc. I’m going to pause as I’ve written 38,000 words with no plot. That needs fixing.

In the meantime, I’ll be working on a plastic model of U-292. If anything interesting happens, I’ll toss it onto the blog.

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A Colour Out of Space

Completed my research after a few hours of DayJob on Saturday (hey, that wine won’t pay for itself) and made notes. Following Mass the next morning, I set about things. Nearly 2200 words. Made several mistakes as I was typing and thought of how I could clean up the aftermath a bit better. I’ll work on that right after this.

This is likely the last conversation Jimmy has with Aurie Hardt.

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Colour Wheel

This part two of two of this R-rated scene, so avert your eyes if you must. Going into another weekend, these three will be driving the few miles south to the Nova Scotia spaceport, where some really bad things happen. Bad enough that I’ll be doing some research (following on yesterday’s post about PCP v epinephrine) and seeing in my mind’s eye what a jacked up demi like Princess Aurelia can do without breaking all her bones or blowing up her heart. This is not some Marvel comic; my universe has rules.

Someday, when Mister Burns finds out what Aurie is, I wonder if he’ll be pissed about her ability to read him so easily?

For those regular readers who are interested, I’m being hosted over at Founding Questions to do a series about Creative Writing and Self-publishing over the next few weeks. I am grateful for the opportunity.

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Colour’s Dirty Friend

This is certainly R-rated for any of your sensitive types out there. If that’s a problem, skip this and the next for cat pics on Facebook. If not, I think that if Jimmy were thinking with his upper head a little better (and I turn that into a joke tomorrow), he’d notice that, once again, Aurie is effectively reading his mind. Of course, troll a hottie like her across the field of view of a 27-year-old, it’s going to be pretty obvious what’s on their mind.

Looking a few installments ahead, I brought productive work at DayJob pharmacy to a halt today when asking both pharmacists, “what the best drug to turn a demi-human into a temporary super-soldier without killing them?” They settled on either PCP or high-dose epinephrine. I’ve given them 48 hours to pick one or the other.

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Fast Colours

What’s the old quote? “Well, that escalated quickly.” I really didn’t expect Aurie to come on so strong.

Per what I said yesterday, we shift perspectives here. Mech tech Jimmy Burns of Nova Scotia Rocketry is now the “main character” for a while. And if you missed the foreshadowing in this segment, you should be beaten with a stick.

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Colour of the Future

My pause to think over the weekends is working. After this segment, below, there will be a chapter break in the published book. I will then change perspective. That is, we will not have Aurie as the main character (MC) for a little bit. Instead, we’ll have Jimmy Burns; we shall see the world, and Aurie, through his eyes. I did something similar in “Empress’ Crusade,” where for three chapters the MC became President John Dysart of the Gulf Shore States, rather than Empress Faustina. It’s a fun exercise for me and I think it allows the reader a totally new view of the world. Whenever Aurelia is finished in Nova Scotia, the MC shall again be her.

Aside: had a DayJob colleague read my short story “Cadets,” today. She was going on about “what a bitch that Faustina is!” I laughed. “Wait until you meet Reina.”

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Flustered Colour

Getting a little used to taking things slower over the weekend. The guys at the other table in Val’s, as you’ll read below, are significant to the story and I need to understand them.

Anyone who thinks post-menopausal women are not very interested in sex does not know any post-menopausal women. I’m the first to admit my sex life in my 50s is 10x better than in my 30s. I think it’s just a matter that Colour has been alone so long, she doesn’t even recognize her own feelings.

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