tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89487265407921754202024-03-18T21:04:27.466-07:00L. David HeslerAuthor of Prismatica and Children of Aerthwheel.L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-81413311848666551222013-06-08T13:18:00.000-07:002013-06-08T13:18:04.527-07:00New Blog & Author Website<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.ldavidhesler.com/"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMaj0x3Dr0pJEk6T1iZNP52i0ZmfgU3UhVdV6NACT2LLPYLGXWpa0msubVlSDtdiXv4va7K_8CRwHJFCaYUdr_b-EupzkKxpVhc16jLHmBUYZ71EnoO_4oFLq26Bi55XOHZz1ZCvznxo/s320/AuthorPic2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ldavidhesler.com/">Um, I moved. Didn't I tell you?</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For anyone visiting this page to learn more about my work, please go to my new author website at <a href="http://www.ldavidhesler.com/">www.ldavidhesler.com </a><br />
<br />You can find weekly humor posts, articles about the craft of writing, and my FREE weekly serial called "Deadtown." Let's spend a few days and catch up, shall we?<br />
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Thank you for all the views, messages, and support. The journey continues...L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-8612888914351701872012-08-29T23:04:00.002-07:002012-08-29T23:04:33.232-07:00Public Domain - A New PlayTime.<br />
<br />
It's all over the place, man. You can't escape it, either. You don't want to be early for work, but you hate to stay late. It dictates when we sleep, tells us when to eat, and is always there to make us nervous during tests. The cold, unrelenting fingers of time have even taken hold of that most glorious of social networking sites - Facebook.<br />
<br />
Time takes no prisoners and shows no mercy.<br />
<br />
Time is inescapable.<br />
<br />
You want to know another secret about time? It helps heal wounds.<br />
<br />
You see, I went through some pretty dark and angsty stuff a few years ago when my mother passed away. All the typical grief, negativity and apathy that comes with a traumatic life event. So when one of my best buddies from high school asked me (for, like, the fifth time) to write a play for him four or five months after my mother's passing, I felt like saying, "Stuff it. I'm a sad little bubble boy who hates the world."<br />
<br />
But despite the way I felt, the story started coming to me. It came in goofy bits and pieces and for a long time, I didn't know if I could keep it up. The funny just wasn't there. And that was scary.<br />
<br />
I kept writing, and rewriting, and giving up a little bit here and there. Then my buddy always prodded me back to the play. I published a few books and short stories while I was still trying to get my head around this thing that was supposed to be fun and upbeat and positive.<br />
<br />
It felt like I was on an impossible quest in some dark, rain-soaked fantasy world and my goal was to find the rare baby unicorn who burped rainbows and smelled like cotton candy. Only, my path was blocked by looming mountains and ominous storm clouds that seemed to just hover over my head no matter where I traveled.<br />
<br />Then one day, almost a year and a half later, the clouds went away and I stumbled upon that tiny unicorn of awesomesauce. The sadness had just kind of disappeared and, to my surprise, life was still happening. And in great ways, to boot. I immediately knew that meant one thing - the show had to go on.<br />
<br />
I dug my heels into the dirt and I started writing for realz. My goal was to get the play finished soon enough for my buddy to produce it at his theater this fall.<br />
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Lo and behold - it's finished. Ladies and gentlemen, "Public Domain - A Stage Play" is alive and kicking.<br />
<br />
My first full length stage play will be produced in late September at the Central Christian Theatre in McPherson, KS. Soon after, I plan to make the script available for purchase on Amazon; my goal is to toss it around to some of my other friends who happen to work in or for production companies. And beyond that?<br />
<br />Only time will tell.L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-15240969565238599062012-07-09T06:45:00.000-07:002012-07-09T06:47:42.851-07:00Ladies and Gentlemen, The Writer Returns...<u><span id="internal-source-marker_0.16307655125648823" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A Public Service Announcement</span></u><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<b><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How To Kill A Blog:<br /></span></i></b><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1) Promise a format change and then never follow through</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2) Quit posting comments on other blogs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3) Leave your blog alone for months at a time<br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In just three easy steps, you can slaughter the momentum of your own blog! <br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">End PSA.</span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />So
far, 2012 has not been my best year for promotional and creative
activity. To be honest, I had a rocky start since I started the year in a
job that was eating every hour of free time I could find. At the same
time, I was having trouble finding a balance for my creative life; in
short, my writing productivity dropped dead. <br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
discovered it is nearly impossible to write when you are depressed
about work and financially drained. In my case, there was always this
sense of shame when I sat down to write; it’s a strange, nagging voice
in the back of my head that says, “You shouldn’t be doing this right
now. You should be looking for a better job.” And once that voice
started whispering, I couldn’t concentrate on anything creative.<br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But
lo and behold, that voice has disappeared. In March, I took a job that I
absolutely love. It’s been almost five years since I felt that way
about work. It’s a joy to get up and go to the office in the morning
because I totally dig my coworkers and, most importantly, I am proud of
the work I do for the company. It’s a real blessing.<br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Coupled
with the fact that I’ve finally found a scheduling balance that allows
for writing on a regular basis (instead of stealing precious hours at
night), my creativity has jump-started itself. The past few months since
taking the new job have been mostly about getting on my feet and making
sure life is back on track for my wife and I; but now, it’s time to
face that ominous blank page with a confident grin.<br /><br />It’s time to write.<br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m
currently working on the next installment of Divine Intermission, a
series of fantasy novellas available exclusively on Amazon right now. At
the same time, I am writing two stage plays with two separate friends
and I am planning a new series of science fiction novellas for kids.<br /><br />And
looming over all those projects is the one that keeps me going: I am
working on the sequel to my debut novel “Children of Aerthwheel.” It is
in very early stages and most likely won’t be available until next year
sometime. I am uber-jealous of prolific indie writers like Amanda
Hocking and SM Reine; one day, I hope to churn out the books as quickly
as they do.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />So, I’m back. And I’m going to stay here for awhile, if you don’t mind. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-943766377247608232012-06-12T07:58:00.002-07:002012-06-12T07:58:22.361-07:00Books, books, and more books!After months of anticipation, the print version of my debut novel "Children of Aerthwheel" is now available on Amazon. Click the cover below to buy the book or leave a review.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Children-Aerthwheel-L-David-Hesler/dp/147518347X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339512441&sr=1-4"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51v3tC+Pd1L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Divine Intermission Books 1 & 2 are also available on the Kindle store right now. Click the covers below to go to the pages or to leave reviews.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Intermission-ebook/dp/B006ZS1YPG/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339512444&sr=1-5"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515shQvCS8L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-52,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Beach-Divine-Intermission-ebook/dp/B00815T2OQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339512444&sr=1-3"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5114msT2eoL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-52,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-31037994142793268572012-01-24T12:44:00.000-08:002012-01-25T07:14:00.030-08:00Changing GearsI decided 2012 is the year I quit acting like a noob. This doesn't change the fact that I will always feel like one; but there's no reason to reveal to the world at large at any given time that I am indeed nervous as hell.<br />
<br />
<br />
Wait, I just did it again, didn't I?<br />
<br />
With three books under my belt, along with a few published short stories, I decided it was time to do something different with the blog. You might have noticed the title is different; if not, go ahead and look. I'll wait.<br />
<br />
See that? No more noobish business. This blog was originally designed as a way to, well... adverstise. I thought if I published a book and had a blog, then I could just market myself that way. And my plan was to document some of the tribulations that I might experience as an indie author. Share my pains and joys, losses and successes.<br />
<br />
You know, share all the writerly things that only other writers care about. <br />
<br />
There are three problems with that assumption. The first is that nobody likes spam. I wouldn't want some stranger tossing spam all over my site, so why should I be comfortable doing it myself? That's not marketing. It's just annoying.<br />
<br />
Secondly, I realized over the course of five or six months that the whole "chronicle your journey as a writer" blog has been done.<br />
<br />
To death.<br />
<br />
There's not much more I can contribute to the discussion about indie publishing. It's tough, you have to work your ass off to get results, Amanda Hocking's contract with St. Martin's Press is "controversial," and JA Konrath is pretty much the indie publishing version of Yoda - <a href="http://30daybeerdiet.blogspot.com/">only with more beer</a>.<br />
<br />
The third problem with my initial idea of what this blog should be is that a blog about writers and written for writers may definitely attract other writers. That's fine. I've met some awesome people by networking through the blog.<br />
<br />
But a writer survives on one thing and one thing only: READERS. Yes, there are writers who also read. However, most indie authors are in the business of promoting themselves. It's not that we are insincere; it's just that have books to sell.<br />
<br />
Quick experiment: fill a hotel conference room with dozens of sales people and see how meaningful the conversations become. Watch for the verbal tug of war, the pointless upstaging and outdoing of one another.<br />
<br />
This is essentially the same thing that happens when you only surround yourself with other writers. Please don't misread this and think I dislike being amongst other writers. That's definitely not the case. You learn things, you develop ideas, and you get inspired. It's just counter-productive after a certain amount of time; you lose sight of what the goal is supposed to be.<br />
<br />
An author's number one goal should be to find and RETAIN readers.<br />
<br />
What does this mean for my blog?<br />
<br />
Entertainment.<br />
<br />
I started a feature late last year (before a day job kind of broke my schedule like a battering ram destroys a door) and it was called "This Is Me..." The idea was originally developed as a children's book (and it may still be turned into a book this year). I'll be launching that feature again next week.<br />
<br />
And beyond that, I'll just be talking about the stuff that interests me. Fantasy, science fiction, horror, popular culture... I'm a big nerd and it's going to be pretty obvious that I'm a card-carrying Freak. You have been warned.<br />
<br />
On a final side note, go check out Chris Hardwick's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nerdist-Way-Reach-Level-ebook/dp/B0054TVW1S/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2">The Nerdist Way</a>. I know, I know. He's not an indie and for the price of his ebook, you could buy twelve copies of my novel. I get it. But he has some pretty awesome tips for getting the best out of life. That is, if you're a nerd.L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-25951796564314628022012-01-20T19:14:00.000-08:002012-01-20T19:14:34.956-08:00Divine Intermission now available on Amazon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515shQvCS8L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-34,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515shQvCS8L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-34,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></a></div>For the two or three people who may have been anticipating its arrival, the wait is over: book one of Divine Intermission is officially live and available as an ebook exclusively on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Intermission-ebook/dp/B006ZS1YPG/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327109172&sr=1-6">Amazon's Kindle Store</a>. That means if you are an Amazon Prime member, you can borrow the book at no cost. If you're not a Prime member, you can still get the book for a mere 99 cents.<br />
<br />
In other news, I ran across <a href="http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2012/01/self-published-authors-still-rarely-make-the-jump-to-publishing-houses018.html">this article</a> (via <a href="http://io9.com/5878000/amanda-hocking-is-still-the-exception-to-the-rule-most-self+published-authors-dont-get-huge-book-deals">Io9</a>)about Amanda Hocking and how she is "still the exception" in the publishing biz. Anyone who reads about indie publishing should know that she is an indie author who, after selling over a million copies of her work, signed a $2 million book deal with St. Martin's Press. The author of the article goes on to describe "hybrid authors," or those who are at once published by legacy houses while continuing to self publish their own work.<br />
<br />
What we have to remember is that Amanda Hocking's experience couldn't have happened five or six years ago. Sure, JA Konrath was blazing a trail along with a few others.<br />
<br />
But when we look at Amanda Hocking or John Hartness or Kerry Schafer, we can't get jaded and say, "Oh, they're exceptions to the rules. Indie authors getting signed to publishing houses? That's not how it should be."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We have to stop thinking in terms of, "This is not how it's supposed to happen." Instead, we need to frame our experiences and the experiences of others in the indie publishing industry in terms of What Is Possible.<br />
<br />
Is it possible to write and publish my own book? Yes.<br />
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Is it possible to reach a global audience with my fiction? Yes.<br />
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Is it possible that a publisher might want to relaunch my work one day? Yes.<br />
<br />
Is it possible that I might be more successful without that publisher's help?...<br />
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What do you think?L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-91527640452778973532012-01-10T21:35:00.000-08:002012-01-10T21:35:13.134-08:00The Novella That Wasn't There...According to my last blog post, today was supposed to mark the debut of my novella "Divine Intermission."<br />
<br />
Well, plans changed.<br />
<br />
I'm still shooting for a January release, but it probably won't happen this week. I could spend a few minutes coming up with reasons why it didn't go live when it should have... instead, I'm just going to talk about some other things that have been on my mind the past few weeks.<br />
<br />
If you've been paying attention to my blog since the beginning, and have been able to withstand all the times I've dropped off the grid, you may have noticed my growing fascination for serial fiction and short novels. Since I'm still less than a year into the indie publishing gig, I'm still experimenting with ways to get my work into the hands of readers.<br />
<br />
My first experiment of the year is this series of novellas collectively called "Divine Intermission." The plan is to publish the first four books of this series throughout the year.<br />
<br />
My gut instinct has been that ebook consumers are going to be more interested in shorter novels. It's like the weight loss advice that says eating several small meals is better than eating a few large feasts. Some of my fiction will be available in bite-sized morsels.<br />
<br />
And I think this is where we're headed as indie authors.<br />
<br />
<br />
Some would say that shorter fiction indicates more simplistic writing, which could also suggest that an author is writing to the lowest common denominator. This criticism is, of course, ridiculous.<br />
<br />
Anyone who's tried to pack the power of a novel into the body of a short story knows that brief fiction does not equal easier fiction.<br />
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For a clear example of the shorter being more complex, take a look at the following two pieces of fiction: <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yq8qUwpEL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yq8qUwpEL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">578 printed pages</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51uqu5BOKPL._AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51uqu5BOKPL._AA300_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">110 printed pages</td></tr>
</tbody></table>If indie authors begin focusing on novellas or novelettes or just shorter novels, we may see a surge in author innovation and a rejuvenation of the craft itself. In fact, I would argue that the rise of ereaders may also give rise to a new golden age of fiction... that is, fiction of the shorter persuasion.<br />
<br />
What do you think? Are readers hungry for tiny morsels or enormous feasts?L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-65437134610089402182011-12-30T21:09:00.000-08:002011-12-30T21:09:53.794-08:00Divine Intermission: A Comedy<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2012. Supposedly, this is the year our world ends.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm not normally one to fall victim to fads - even though I wore my fair share of cutoff jean shorts when I was a kid and I sported a totally rad mullet between the ages of 10 and 14. Those weren't fads, though. I was just awesome.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> My point is this: I don't want to jump on the apocalypse bandwagon. I simply want to pose a question for you.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What would happen if the creator of the universe simply walked away from their godly duties to take an epic smoke break?</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P6_yb4aDyVE/Tv6YX9t6D5I/AAAAAAAAAH0/xzgKzYS9bPA/s1600/DI_Book_1_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P6_yb4aDyVE/Tv6YX9t6D5I/AAAAAAAAAH0/xzgKzYS9bPA/s320/DI_Book_1_Cover.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In "Divine Intermission," the first novella in a series to be published throughout 2012, the multiverse is crumbling apart because the gods aren't doing their jobs. A depressed writer and electronics salesman named Carl has been trapped in an endless series of doomed realities in which he relives different versions of the same basic life, all the while sensing that something is amiss on a cosmic level. Carl soon finds himself in the presence of immortal beings and is sent on a quest that might bring him face to face with his own magnificent Creator.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
Then again, he may just get killed.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2012. The Year of the Dragon. The end of the world. The year after 2011 and before 2013.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the year of "Divine Intermission."</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Available as an ebook on January 10.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-36802831250049605862011-12-29T19:18:00.000-08:002011-12-29T19:20:56.748-08:00The Year, New & OldThere are only a few more days left before year's end and it would be a mistake to leave my blog untouched before 2011 slips quietly into the dark on New Year's Eve.<br />
<br />
As an indie author, I think it's important to step back and look at what has been accomplished. Sometimes the fear of failure and that nagging haze of uncertainty can keep an indie creator from moving forward. By looking at what you've done and planning what you'll do, you set yourself up for greater success.<br />
<br />
So, here is a brief list of things I accomplished as a writer in 2011. And after that, I'll share some of my plans for 2012. I'd love to hear about your own successes and plans for the next year.<br />
<br />
<u><b>In 2011...</b></u><br />
<br />
- I published an ebook of short stories.<br />
<br />
- Then I published a print version of that same book.<br />
<br />
- I published an e-short story about demons and bowling.<br />
<br />
- I published the first part of an ongoing science fiction serial.<br />
<br />
- I published my first novel in ebook format. It was much longer than any of my previous works.<br />
<br />
- I was interviewed by gracious and friendly bloggers.<br />
<br />
- I wrote a guest blog.<br />
<br />
- I tried to raise money for Relay For Life through downloads of my works.<br />
<br />
- I met several awesome writers, bloggers, readers, and a particularly talented graphic designer.<br />
<br />
- My novel was featured in a giveaway contest featured on another author's website.<br />
<br />
- My novel received fantastic reviews on Amazon. <br />
<br />
- One of my short stories was published in an online literary magazine.<br />
<br />
- I released a soundtrack of original music inspired by my novel.<br />
<br />
I'm pretty stoked when I look at this list. In January of 2011, I was only focused on finishing the novel. I had no idea that by the end of the year, I'd have accomplished all of this other fun stuff. Everything turned around for me when I decided indie publishing was the way to go. It was at that point that I started developing a plan for myself. Success followed. I was free to create and publish on my terms; this freedom allowed me to build momentum.<br />
<br />
But the momentum only pays off if I have a plan.<br />
<b><u><br />
</u></b><br />
<b><u>In 2012...</u></b><br />
<br />
- I will finish and publish a humorous fantasy that's been resting in my hard drive for the past year.<br />
<br />
- My serial scifi project will be published every two months.<br />
<br />
- I will blog on a regular basis. And I will conduct at least one blog tour - that is, once I figure out exactly how to conduct a blog tour.Tips are appreciated.<br />
<br />
- Book two of the Godblood Saga will be published by September of 2012.<br />
<br />
- My horror novella will be published by October 30.<br />
<br />
- I will start working on a second series featuring science fiction and adventure for young readers.<br />
<br />
- I will write. And when I don't feel like writing, I will write even more. <br />
<br />
This list is half the size of the other. I anticipate some changes as the year comes and goes, but at least I'm going in with a plan. I had no plan in 2011 and look at the accomplishments. I can only imagine what will happen when I go into 2012 with a solid agenda.<br />
<br />
Feel free to share your plans for 2012 in the comments below. You may inspire me to adjust my own list!L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-25826277658330301242011-11-17T07:54:00.000-08:002011-11-17T07:54:16.961-08:00Getting Back To BusinessA quick explanation for my recent "vacation": I got a new job. And despite the fact that I can work from home with this new job, I found my schedule torn asunder by appointments and training sessions. When I wasn't working, I was exhausted and I let the creative side of my life fall apart. Temporarily, at least. Things are settling down and I'm getting into a routine. Let's hear it for discipline... yay!<br />
<br />
So here I am, half way through NaNoWriMo and ready to tackle something with my imagination.<br />
<br />
While I plan the sequel to my fantasy "Children of Aerthwheel," I am going to switch gears a bit and begin work on what I imagine will be a cut-throat horror project. To give you an idea of what I'm hoping to achieve with this other novel, let me cite a few of my favorite horror pieces and tell you why they scare the bejeezus out of me.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"The Mist" by Stephen King</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fOL6Jx+ZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fOL6Jx+ZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
One of my favorite novellas by Stephen King, "The Mist" is the story of a group of strangers stranded in a convenience store while Lovecraftian creatures wreak havoc in the mysterious haze outside. Frank Darabont adapted this story to film and did a wonderful job of emphasizing what I think is one of Stephen King's greatest gifts: the ability to stir tension amongst strangers and divide humanity in the face of horrible circumstances. The monsters in "The Mist" are terrible; but sometimes, the greatest monsters are the ones who look like us.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"They Live" by John Carpenter</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/1988They_Live_poster300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3d/1988They_Live_poster300.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I'll admit, the fact that this movie features Rowdy Roddy Piper in a seemingly serious role can sometimes confuse a person. But it works, okay? Trust me. This is John Carpenter's take on the notion of Big Brother, except we aren't exactly being watched by humans. I wouldn't be surprised if there are conspiracy theorists who claim this film is a documentary. Though this isn't as frightening as some of my other picks, the idea itself is creepy enough. When I saw this as a teenager, I had to get my hands on a pair of sunglasses. You know, just in case.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://senseichow.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/i-am-legend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://senseichow.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/i-am-legend.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />
This is the quintessential vampire/zombie infestation novel. Richard Matheson, who I consider to be the grandfather of modern horror, gives us a story of ultimate isolation. His protagonist, Robert Neville, is the last human alive in a world filled with vampires. Matheson's depiction of Neville's mental state is superb, ranging from near psychosis to logical reasoning. If you think you like vampires and you haven't read this book, do it now. Stop reading this post, go buy the book on Amazon, and read it as soon as you can. Also, there are tons of movies based on this book; none of them are as complex as the novel.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"The Thing" by John Carpenter</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51chQMe6HCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51chQMe6HCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></div><br />
My all-time favorite horror film, "The Thing" is based on the equally-excellent short story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, Jr. This film, just like the story that inspired it, has all the elements that create perfect horror. We have characters who are isolated from the rest of civilization; they face a creature that is impossible to identify and capture; the relationships amongst the characters are dynamic and are eventually pushed to the breaking point by sheer paranoia. John Carpenter's version is slightly different than the original story, but only in ways that make it stronger as a film. For the horror film buff, see this movie. For the horror fiction fanatic, read "Who Goes There?" as soon as you're done reading "I Am Legend."<br />
<br />
So there you have it. Four movies or books that scare the hell out of me every time I watch or read them. These are the stories that inspired me to write horror in the first place... with the lights on, of course. Over the next few months, I will let you know how this new horror novel is shaping up. I would like to start posting excerpts soon. I may even try writing it publicly (at least portions) and let you leave some comments or feedback.<br />
<br />
Until then, be sure to check out my first novel "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Children-Aerthwheel-Godblood-Saga-ebook/dp/B005KLT85C">Children of Aerthwheel</a>" or my book of short stories "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prismatica-ebook/dp/B004SHEWSC/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2">Prismatica</a>." Happy reading!L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-55762009020738932802011-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:002011-09-30T10:00:06.615-07:00Fiction Friday - Rose and Blade 4<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It's Fiction Friday! That means you get a piece of my original fiction... for free.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This is the third chapter of "Rose & Blade," a novella related to my published novel "Children of Aerthwheel." For the previous chapters, see the link at the top of the page.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rose and Blade</span> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">4.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the balcony outside the queen’s chamber, Deliera sat on a stone bench and gazed at the courtyard below. A team of gardeners tended to the vast bed of pale roses that filled the middle of the great lawn.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"The roses look like white sand from up here, don’t you think?” Queen Adelia asked. She stood in the doorway between the chamber and the balcony. When Deliera only nodded, Adelia said, “You are weak.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Yes, sister Queen," Deliera said. "Yet still I breathe</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adelia leaned on the stone wall of the balcony next to her sister and said, "Is there pain?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"A bit," Deliera said, "but it passes easily. I think of something else and it goes away. A moment ago, I thought of the young roses that fill your courtyard. How they’ve grown so strong despite the poisoned dirt into which they burrow. And that pleasant thought drove the pain into hiding, at least for a time."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adelia sighed, "I wish my healers could help you."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"They've done all they can," Deliera said with a deep sigh. "This is a sickness no conjurer can touch."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At each of the four corners of the palace walls stood a single priest, each wielding one of the sacred holder’s stones to produce a protective field about the entire structure. Most of the time this membrane of energy went unseen; but there were moments when, for one reason or another, the layer flickered or resonated. And when it did this, it was visible to all who happened to be paying attention. In these instances, it was obvious that the field was blue and dome-shaped. Each priest stood guard for eight hours at a time until another came to replace him. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They were a loyal lot, theses priests who served Adelia.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Do you know what's happened?" Adelia asked.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I sensed it," Deliera said. "I felt it yesterday. I haven't been able to sleep since."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Two dozen of my soldiers are dead," Adelia said. "Did you know that?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Yes. Though not by Azariel's hands. Not exactly."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adelia's eyes swam in tears that threatened to explore the curves of her face, "Have I created this for myself?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Deliera smiled, "The wheel turns. We fight its weight or we follow the path it carves."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adelia stared at the sky beyond the protective field above her palace. There were no clouds and only an ashen blue oblivion, a reminder of the ways her ancestors had broken the world so long ago.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“It turned against my men. It fought against my own wizards, the very priests who would protect it from Azariel's mutant forces. What does that mean? What have I done to anger it so?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Perhaps it prefers to be called a man," Deliera said with a hint of a smile. "It is, after all, a human being. And he has a name."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"But he is ours," Adelia said. "He is our gift from the old mages. How could he turn against us?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I believe you know the answer to this question," Deliera said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"And what do you suggest, sister?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Deliera sighed and said, "This gift, as you call him, merely serves fate as do we all. His path is drawn as plainly as yours. Perhaps it has diverged from your own, but the lines may yet intersect before all is finished. He is no gift. He is a human, a powerful human, and he has a purpose. You cannot deny his purpose by keeping him in that tomb."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"If he's gone, then my priests will lose their power," Adelia said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"And that, sister, is why Azariel took him," Deliera said. She drew a deep breath and said, "Without the gift, you are weak. And the war will continue."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tendrils of blue energy began to drift from Deliera's head towards the protective dome generated by the wizards. She said, “I can help, though. This is why you keep me in your chamber, is it not? So you may utilize the power I wield.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adelia grasped her sister's wrists and said, "Don't do this, Deliera. Come back."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Her sister drew the spirits and spoke what they felt. Their knowledge was hers, but for a time. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"He is torn between worlds," she said with the voices of spirits long dead. Her eyes shimmered silver as she spoke. "He does not belong here. His destiny is forged in fire and written in blood."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adelia slapped her sister across the face. Deliera's eyes went pale green again and she gasped for air. Her body trembled.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Forgive me," Adelia said. "You mustn't waste your energy. Not now, not at the twilight of your life."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I want to help," Deliera said, "but I cannot reach into their realm as I once did."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adelia moved forward and held her sister in an embrace. The truth was simple.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Deliera would soon be in one of the very spirits with whom she could communicate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"You're not as strong as you used to be," Adelia said. "Just rest. Don’t let your illness overwhelm you, sister."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Deliera gazed over the wall of the balcony and said, "This sickness, it's not the curse you claim it to be. It's no virus or disease. I have the secrets of the gods trapped in my mind, you see? The spirits left these things in my head and I can't let them out on my own. So they're killing me. All the knowledge of the ancient gods is trapped in my head and now I’m bleeding out.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A tear danced down the side of Deliera's face and she said, "I wish I could help. Let’s hope Azariel misunderstands the importance of the man he freed from the earth."</span></div>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-72019789952928499962011-09-27T20:38:00.000-07:002011-09-27T20:38:23.017-07:00Tease It Tuesday - The music of IdeamenIt's Tease It Tuesday, where I tempt you to enjoy the imaginations and talents of artists far more skilled than myself.<br />
<br />
This week's Tease It features the band <span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ideamen </b></span>from Chicago.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OPrEwQh98NU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<br />
I discovered the Ideamen earlier this year while trying to find music to listen to while I wrote what would be "Children of Aerthwheel." The moment I heard the song "Cavity," I knew there was something special about this band.They had me from the first hook.<br />
<br />
With flavors of punk, progressive, alternative, and groove metal, the Ideamen offer a brand of music that is not available on most radio stations. What brand is that, you ask?<br />
<br />
Awesome.<br />
<br />
Fresh and unique. Original.<br />
<br />
That's not to say I don't recognize some of their influences. I can hear hints of bands like Faith No More and maybe some System of a Down; if you listen closely, you can also hear echoes of bands like the Doors, Stone Temple Pilots, and Incubus.<br />
<br />
Despite this, everything they do is presented in a refreshing and interesting way. Each song is like a novella set to music, filled with thoughtful and clever lyrics. There is a story in every verse, a climax in every chorus, and by the time any given song is finished, you can't help but feel like something magnificent has just occurred.<br />
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I can't say anything else but this: Buy their album. Find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. And tell everyone you know that the future of music is here.<br />
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Website: http://www.iloveideamen.com/<br />
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ideamen <br />
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/iloveideamenL. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-10923040284030977702011-09-23T16:40:00.000-07:002011-09-23T16:40:43.404-07:00Fiction Friday - Rose and Blade 3<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It's Fiction Friday! That means you get a piece of my original fiction... for free.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This is the third chapter of "Rose & Blade," a novella related to my published novel "Children of Aerthwheel." For the previous two chapters, see the link at the top of the page.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rose and Blade</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">3.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The automaton’s internal engines whirred and whined as it spoke to Azariel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Three battalions await your orders."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was a pear-shaped machine built by the older people and salvaged for Azariel's personal use, now outfitted with a transmitter that allowed him to communicate with his soldiers. The robot stood chest high and filled the air with bitter steam. On its domed head was the transmitter that would send Azariel's orders to the troops at the far edge of the territories.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The hall was silent, save for the machine's persistent buzzing. Azariel's companions, mostly fellow warriors and soldiers, stood in quiet anticipation. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Allow me a moment to gather my thoughts," Azariel said with his eyes closed. He stood at one of the hazy portholes that overlooked the ocean side of the airship. In the distance were the great steel behemoths that once bore holes into the ocean floor and leeched black blood from the planet itself. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"My Lord," the automaton said, "fifteen hours have passed since the battalions reached their current positions. They grow impatient."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Open a direct feed," Azariel said. "Let me speak to him, Tinker."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The machine whirred and clicked, then Commander Delaquar's voice thundered through a small speaker on the automaton's chest. The hall was filled with his curse-ridden proclamations. He spoke in what many called the Mud Tongue, a lower and cruder form of speech handed down from the old people. He was a reformed mutant from the edge of the Outland, one of the few who had retained enough of their humanity to integrate into what remained of this so-called society.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He was in mid-sentence when the feed opened. He growled, "...and if you don't give us a damn order now, we'll just march right up to the enemy lines and start fighting on our own. You tell him that, you God forsaken robot! You tell him he can kiss my sweating ass if he doesn't want to give an order!"<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"You just told me yourself, Commander Delaquar," Azariel said.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Lord Azariel," the Commander said, trying to restrain the angry tone of his voice. "I apologize for the profanity, but my men need an order. It's bad enough we've traveled miles into the Outlands, almost to Lucero, but we're also low on rations. We've encountered no priests and the heat is worse here than I've ever seen in my life. Two of my men have heat sickness or some kind of radiation flu. It's been fifteen hours since we arrived at these filthy ruins and we have no idea what we're doing."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Those ruins are the relics of your own ancestors," Azariel said. "Treat the place with some damn respect."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Azariel felt himself slip into the Mud Tongue. He smiled.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was a natural and welcome transition.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Ancestors or not," Delaquar said, "we're running the risk of getting pinned down here. So please let us know what the plan is, Lord Azariel. Or we'll make our own."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The plan is simple, Commander. There is a vault beneath the so-called ruins upon which you stand. It is buried approximately one hundred seventy two feet below a structure called Bunker C, at the end of an underground service elevator shaft. You get to that vault and you open it, but you have every available weapon drawn when you do so. Do you understand?"<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"What's in the vault?"<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Something unique," Azariel said, "and very valuable to the Good Queen."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"A weapon?" Delaquar asked.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Some might think so," Azariel said. "It is a man. A very old and important man." <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Delaquar said, "My Lord, should we be afraid of this old man?"<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With a half-smile, Azariel said, "You should worship him." </span></div>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-25925850900896289212011-09-21T19:23:00.000-07:002011-09-21T19:23:10.913-07:00Wednesday Wisdom - Discipline<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">It's Wednesday Wisdom, when I pretend to be an expert and you pretend to listen.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">A side note - This post is late getting online. It's my fault. And that's quite a coincidence given the topic for this week's Wednesday Wisdom.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">* * *</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Ask any given writer what the most important part of the writing process is and they’re likely to cite such romantic notions as imagination, inspiration, or coffee. And while most of these things are important in every writer’s life, none of them answers the question.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">A seasoned author will tell you: it’s all about discipline.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Too often, we creative types fall victim to distractions or, even worse, procrastination. The muse comes singing her sweet and tantalizing song; but we shrug our shoulders and say, “Go away. I’ve got other stuff to do.” And what do we do?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">We browse the internet, Tweet at some friends, watch television, play a video game, read a book, stare at the blank screen with only a few minutes left in the day and say to ourselves, “Darn. Maybe I’ll write tomorrow when I have more time.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The problem is we never let ourselves have more time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">This is where discipline comes into play. Our time is one of the few things we actually own; what we do with it is a direct reflection of how much we care about ourselves and the projects we hope to finish. When we carve away the day’s minutes, we have no one but ourselves to blame.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Discipline involves more than just saying, “I’m going to write.” Being disciplined means we are strict and we know how to manage our lives in a way that is most productive for the creative process, even if that means you set aside a half hour in the morning or an hour before bed.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The difference between a lazy writer and a disciplined writer is simple: the lazy writer lets time tick away. The disciplined writer makes the best of each fleeting moment.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><u><b>Your Wisdom</b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Are you a disciplined writer? How do you avoid distractions and seek out those valuable minutes instead of letting them slip away?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><u><b></b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><u><b></b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><u><b><br />
</b></u> </div>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-71049353927240354852011-09-20T11:30:00.000-07:002011-09-20T11:35:44.150-07:00Tease It Tuesday - S.M. Reine's "The 19 Dragons"Tease It Tuesday sees me tempting you to read something awesome, whether it's my own work (highly doubtful) or the work of a much more talented author. This week, I dare you to read the work of S.M. Reine.<br />
<br />
Below you'll find my review of her novella "The 19 Dragons." See what I have to say, then go check out <a href="http://www.smreine.com/">her stuff first hand</a>.<br />
<br />
And on a related note, Ms. Reine, along with fellow author Angela Kulig, just started an indie publishing company called <a href="http://www.redirisbooks.com/">Red Iris Books</a> <br />
<br />
And now... let the teasing begin!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11149212-the-19-dragons" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The 19 Dragons" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1308602797m/11149212.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11149212-the-19-dragons">The 19 Dragons</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4721318.S_M_Reine">S.M. Reine</a><br />
<br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/197913965">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
<br />
S.M. Reine's "The 19 Dragons" is something else.<br />
<br />
And I don't mean, "Whoa, man, that story sure was somethin' else."<br />
<br />
I mean, it truly is something different. The reader jumps into this novella expecting steampunk elements, which are certainly present. Yet, mingled into this story is a fantasy angle that will capture the imagination of anyone who loves the work of Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, or Alan Moore. The narrative is surprising, paced well and offers some truly intriguing images of a world so similar to our own, yet so very different.<br />
<br />
One of the most interesting elements of "The 19 Dragons" is S.M. Reine's use of white space. The author provides a warning that these blank spaces are intentional. It's an experiment in using text and lack of text as a way to communicate visually that which is possibly too large for words. This playful tinkering with visual presentation leaves the reader feeling like something else has happened.<br />
<br />
This novella is not simply read. It's experienced.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5199945-l-hesler">View all my reviews</a>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-20618709656317779522011-09-16T07:00:00.000-07:002011-09-15T20:54:11.139-07:00Fiction Friday - Rose & Blade 2<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It's Fiction Friday! That means you get a piece of my original fiction... for free.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
It's the second chapter of "Rose & Blade," a serialized story that is filled with Easter eggs connected to my novel "Children of Aerthwheel" and my book of short stories "Prismatica." Of course, I hope you read all of them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As the story progresses, the chapters will be collected in a special page you can access up above the post beneath the site's banner. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And now... chapter two of "Rose & Blade."</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Rose & Blade</b></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The course of true love never did run smooth...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">William Shakespeare </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He followed the Queen through the private hall like a subservient dog eager for scraps or affection. As she paced, he followed a few feet behind, careful not to tread on the edges of her gown. When she did not speak, he cleared his throat and offered his advice.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Now is the time to strike, Your Grace. Azariel's army has anchored over Sol Harbor in observance of his archaic holiday." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"And we are to strike then?" the queen asked. She stopped walking and glared at the advisor as if he might have suggested she leap from the window of her chamber. "We strike when our enemy is most unprepared for battle? When they are in celebration and worship?" </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"It is the only time," he snarled. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Were we a kingdom of savages, your argument might have some strength," the queen said. She turned on him and began to pace once more. "But savage we are not. This kingdom, home to my people and host to the only remaining magic in this world, will not lower itself to the standards of beasts. We wait and we fight when the time is right. With honor." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Then we lose our numbers," the advisor said. His name was Astul and his father had been a much more civil military advisor, present when the Queen and Azariel had ruled together as younger lovers. Astul carried the ancient Book of Engagement under one arm. The text, which defined the standards of war as it had been waged over the past several centuries, was rarely opened by his hands. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He cast a trembling finger towards the entrance of the hall and hissed, "The soldiers, even the priests, are losing their patience, your majesty. They speak of weakness, fear, forgiveness. There are even rumors that you have begun practicing the rites and rituals of the Old Order. These are not the traits of a warrior queen." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"And you seem to forget the traits of a proper military advisor, Astul," the queen said. "Though you have, no doubt, spent your life learning the varied laws of engagement, you behave as a power-swollen tyrant. Azariel will enjoy his holiday, as should we all. The killing will come later." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She paused and glared at Astul with deep green eyes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"And my spiritual affinities should be of no concern to you, Astul. I merely learn what my ill sister has taught me, do you understand? Perhaps you have no affinity for the ways of the Old Order. But should you read any of the histories of our dying land, you will understand that the practices of the Old Order were but a means of preventing monsters like Namenlos from taking power. Had more people understood this, we might not find ourselves trapped in a divided kingdom.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Astul sneered and said, “The ferocious ease with which Namenlos tore our world asunder should be proof enough that the Old Order does not bare any significance, Your Majesty.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Believe what you will, Astul, and I shall do the same. Though I rule as a single leader, I am inspired by the democratic ways of the old ones. To each his own. This is the way a civil kingdom would live."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"A civil kingdom, perhaps," Astul said, nodding and clutching at the tome under his arm, "but such civility might be deemed too passive. The Ascended are vulnerable now because of this holiday. Why not take the opportunity to disable his armies? There is word he is building a great weapon."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Probably a patchwork of the old machinery, covered in rust and entirely impotent. My spies will take this opportunity to gain his army's trust," the queen said. She led Astul out of the private hall and into a corridor that curved and curled like a waiting snake.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She chuckled to herself and said, "Perhaps the assassins will come closer to achieving their goals, too." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"You sent assassins?" Astul said with a dreadful grin. "This is splendid news. We may yet see the traitor Azariel take his last breath." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"The assassins are not to touch Lord Azariel," the queen said. "Their targets are the monstrous generals of Azariel's army, those mutant beasts who seek only to kill in the name of innovation. They are the cogs in his broken machine. When they fail, he will have no power." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Forgive the forward nature of my tongue," Astul said, "but to let Azariel live would be like pointing the knife's tip at your own throat." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"As would be second-guessing your queen’s demands," she said with a final and chilling glare. They now stood outside of her own chamber room door, which was carved from a single piece of enormous wood from some faraway and ancient forest. She waved a hand in Astul’s face and said, "You are dismissed, Astul. Hide in the belly of this castle and play war games with your fellow advisors. I will send word when we strike against Azariel." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"As you wish, My Grace," Astul said, bowing and slithering away as the queen entered her private quarters. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Sister."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The voice drifted across the queen's chamber as if carried on the backs of sick butterflies. It belonged to her ailing sister Deliera.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"You argue with your own advisor?" </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"No," the queen said. "He argues with his queen." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Adelia O'Hare of the Midland Plains, queen of a fractured kingdom, shook herself out of the oppressive gown and robes she was forced to wear while walking the corridors of her own castle. In privacy, she chose to wear a loose and comfortable shirt identical to the kind she had worn as a penniless child on the streets so many years ago. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"You dress this way for me, sister queen?" Deliera asked. "You wish to comfort your dying blood?" </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"I wish to comfort you," Adelia said, "but not with my clothing. I cannot stand the feel of these majestic garments. They have all the comfort of an old sheep's skin." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She sat on a dragonwood chest beside her sister's bed. The only physical link between them was the color of their eyes. Adelia's were the color of midyear foliage, green and deep. Deliera's were a softer green, and in the proper light, they seemed ringed by silver. Deliera's once-golden hair had gone white in her sickness and her skin was covered in a purplish patchwork crowded by miniscule blisters.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Healers believed she had taken the Elder’s Curse, a curious and eager disease that seemed to tear its victims apart from the inside. Many of the old ones had died of this very illness during and after the fracturing of Prismatica.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Dear sister and truest advisor,” the queen whispered, “is there an end to this festering war? What do the spirits show you?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
An acrid odor surrounded the women as the queen stared at her sister’s soft green eyes. The hair on the queen’s neck went stiff and she felt gooseflesh ripple down both arms as Deliera took in a deep breath. Finally, the dying woman spoke. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Perhaps the smoke is clearing," Deliera said. "My eyes, they don't see the outer realms as they once did. The sickness has blinded me in many ways. But I sense an end coming."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"As do I," Queen Adelia said, "and for that reason, I am frightened to the soul."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A hollow and thunderous knocking sound startled the queen to her feet.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"My queen," a servant said from the other side of her chamber door. He gasped for breath, "A package has arrived. It is for your eyes only. It is written for you on the parcel."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Enter," the queen said. Her servant, a short and pale young man with no hair on his head, stepped into the room carrying a wooden chest. It might have held a full grown goose. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The queen expected nothing as pleasant.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"It comes from Azariel," the servant said.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She examined the exterior of the box quite carefully, then said, "The engravings are his own personal touch. Glyphs of the old machinist’s language. He always felt obligated to write in that archaic tongue. Crude, but to the point."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Should we open this package, my queen?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Of course," Adelia said.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"You would do this by yourself?" Deliera asked.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"I have you at my side, sister. Surely your spirits’ eyes will guide me," the queen said. "And here we have a decent servant. I do not fear this gift.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The sound of frantic footsteps filled the corridor outside the chamber room. Astul, out of breath and red from neck to forehead, marched into the room with two large armored guards following close behind. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Boy!" Astul cried, grasping the servant by one arm and shaking him like a rag doll. "You bring this unknown parcel to the queen without any kind of preparation? No security? No guards? Are you daft?"<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The servant winced and whimpered at Astul's scolding.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Leave him be," Queen Adelia said. "If it is my fate to die this day, then I die. The course of my life is drawn before me. I follow the path of the wheel gladly, even to my death."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Well, then," Deliera said with a great sigh, "let us open this box, sister. These theatrics are boring me."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The servant shook loose of Astul’s grasp and placed the box upon a granite table. He reached for it and then glanced at the queen, who simply nodded and smiled. He carefully worked each of the four latches. Taking a deep breath, he pulled open the wooden lid.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Inside, on a bed of old rose petals, was the severed and pale head of Ishmael Sundar, an armorer from West End. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The servant’s mouth went slack and he fainted where he stood.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sundar's eyes were clouded white and his mouth was stuffed with a cocktail of withered eyeballs. The parcel’s sender had doused the head with a copious amount of perfumes, masking the stench that only now began drifting from within the box. A square of parchment was pinned to Ishmael's leather forehead.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"What does it say?" Deliera asked.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Astul plucked the message from the box and read it aloud.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"To My Sanguine Mistress: This man is a traitor to your cause and sought to belittle your name. I have taken the pleasure of ensuring that the lies on his tongue will be spied upon for eternity. You may thank me for this good deed when we meet again."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Is there anything else?" the queen asked.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Just his name," Astul said. "In machinist’s letters and written in dried blood."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The queen glared at the severed head and said, "The end, then. Astul, prepare forces to attack at the end of Azariel's cherished holiday. After the celebrations. Let him savor his stolen wine, at the very least."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Yes, my queen," Astul said, bowing away and slipping into the corridor. The two guards removed the unconscious servant along with the severed head.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Queen Adelia leaned against the western window of her chamber. She closed her eyes and let the sun drench her face, warm and meticulous.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Your love for him still burns?" Deliera asked.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The queen sighed and stared out into the western badlands of her kingdom. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"No true love is ever put to rest." </span></div>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-3622176909153277982011-09-14T07:47:00.000-07:002011-09-14T07:47:40.912-07:00Wednesday Wisdom - Does Straight Fiction Sell?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">It’s time for Wednesday Wisdom, where I pretend to be an expert and you pretend to care about what I have to say! </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">This week, I may be treading controversial water. I stumbled upon an article at <a href="http://io9.com/5839493/top-literary-agent-says-its-not-okay-to-be-gay-after-the-apocalypse%20">Io9</a> detailing the sentiments of agents and publishers regarding gay characters in fiction.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">You can head over to <a href="http://io9.com/5839493/top-literary-agent-says-its-not-okay-to-be-gay-after-the-apocalypse%20">Io9</a> or <a href="http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/genreville/?p=1519">Publisher’s Weekly</a> for the complete story. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One incident reports that an unnamed agent requested that two authors of a post-apocalyptic YA novel either change a POV character’s sexuality or get rid of the character and POV references altogether. The agent offered one other option: if the series became successful, the character could come out later on.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">It’s hard to tell if this agent was truly working out of prejudice or if he was simply trying to make a business decision. But either way, the whole thing is depressing. This agent is essentially sending the message that homosexuality is so atrocious that it can’t even exist in the fictional world. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">As you might have noticed from a few of my previous posts, I’m not a fan of censorship. I also consider myself a gay ally, willing and ready to support GLBT culture wherever and whenever I can. And I feel that YA literature is an opportunity to present young readers with a variety of viewpoints, crumbling the divisive walls of prejudice and misunderstanding that have existed in previous generations. When YA literature is censored, we’re simply building walls and denying our own youth the diversity that the world offers.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The incident with the agent, as well as another incident where a publisher literally edited away the homosexual POV without the author’s knowledge, gives a whole new meaning to the term Gatekeeper. They are perpetuating a narrow minded standard by essentially telling GLBT youth that their worldviews don’t matter. This is the kind of devastating message that can cripple a child’s psyche.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Indie authors have an opportunity to thumb their noses at these Gatekeepers by being able to write without someone standing over their shoulders and saying, “That gay kid is ruining your book. We don’t sell to minorities. Make it straighter. And whiter.” The indie author is an outlet for alternative social perspectives, even if they are planted in the middle of an otherwise socially mainstream story.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">I recently published my debut novel “Children of Aerthwheel.” There is a character in that book who, for the longest time, seemed quite straight and traditional to me as I wrote and revised. Then one evening, as I was making some final changes to the last draft of the story, something happened quite unexpectedly.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
That character came out of the closet.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t happen in the book, at least not in a straight forward manner. But I saw clues. There were hints here and there, pieces of a puzzle that I hadn’t yet put together. And on that night, I decided that this character had a new story to tell, a tale of desperate loneliness that would probably inform a great portion of the next book.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">What’s important is that I let that character grow and express the emotions inherent in having been part of an intolerant society for so long. They were not a POV character in the first novel, but that will change in book two, which will find this character’s story arc going in surprising new directions.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I wish the character had been gay from the beginning? That’s a silly question. The character was always gay. I’m just happy that this character might help a reader or two understand that they are not alone and, more importantly, that there is always hope.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Despite the efforts of Gatekeepers who might disguise their prejudices as business decisions, indie authors can make a difference and change some minds.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
Love is love, in fiction and in life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><u><b>Your Wisdom</b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
What are your thoughts on GLBT characters in YA fiction? Does “straight” sell or is that just an excuse to perpetuate homophobia?</div>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-8581453783828388532011-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:002011-09-13T07:06:06.017-07:00Tease It TuesdayEach Tuesday, you'll get a sneak peek at one of my works in progress... whether you like it or not.<br />
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Feel free to leave a comment after you've read the teaser! Tell me if you hate it, love it, or see anything that could be changed.<br />
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This week, I'm giving you a preview of the next installment of of my free novella "Rose & Blade." This story takes a look at some of the history of the alternate world discovered by the protagonists in my debut novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KLT85C">Children of Aerthwheel</a> <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">TEASE IT TUESDAY</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">He cast a trembling finger towards the entrance of the hall and hissed, "The soldiers, even the priests, are losing their patience, Your Majesty. They speak of weakness, fear, forgiveness. There are even rumors that you have begun practicing the rites and rituals of the Old Order. These are not the traits of a warrior queen." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"And you seem to forget the traits of a proper military advisor, Astul," the queen said. "Though you have, no doubt, spent your life learning the varied laws of engagement, you behave as a power-swollen tyrant. Azariel will enjoy his holiday, as should we all. The killing will come later." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She paused and glared at Astul with deep green eyes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"And my spiritual affinities should be of no concern to you, Astul. I merely learn what my ill sister has taught me, do you understand? Perhaps you have no affinity for the ways of the Old Order. But should you read any of the histories of our dying land, you will understand that the practices of the Old Order were but a means of preventing monsters like Namenlos from taking power. Had more people understood this, we might not find ourselves trapped in a divided kingdom.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Astul sneered and said, “The ferocious ease with which Namenlos tore our world asunder should be proof enough that the Old Order does not bare any significance, Your Majesty.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Believe what you will, Astul, and I shall do the same. Though I rule as a single leader, I am inspired by the democratic ways of the old ones. To each his own. This is the way a civil kingdom would live."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-62483936650772787152011-09-09T08:00:00.000-07:002011-09-15T14:40:11.128-07:00Ficton Friday - Rose & Blade 1<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It's Fiction Friday! That means you get a piece of my original fiction... for free.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In celebration of my debut novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KLT85C">Children of Aerthwheel</a>, I give you the first chapter in a novella called "Rose & Blade". It dives into the history of the world called Prismatica, where Andrew Fish and Greta Del Sol are destined to meet their fates.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As the story unfolds, you'll find hints, clues, references, and lots of little Easter eggs relating to my collection <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prismatica-ebook/dp/B004SHEWSC/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315490572&sr=1-3">Prismatica </a>and my new novel "Children of Aerthwheel."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In a post-apocalyptic world devastated by mankind's machinations, opposing rulers discover that love and fate are two sides of the same relentless knife.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rose & Blade</b></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The course of true love never did run smooth...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">William Shakespeare </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“You dare cross the borders we've established and you step foot on my ship without invitation? And on this, our holiest of days?”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">His name was Azariel and he was the self-proclaimed leader of the rebel faction called The Ascended, a growing community of humans who dedicated their lives to improving upon the technological achievements of their long dead ancestors. His airship, one of the few that still existed, drifted gingerly above the shores of what was once the greatest trading port on the planet and an unrivaled cultural center. Now the coast was rubble, home to mutated wildlife and scavenging miscreants, maligned descendents of the ones who once ruled the seas.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Smaller vessels flanked Azariel's ship and kept their weapons drawn toward the messenger’s miniscule transport. It was a poorly constructed oblong piece of machinery; one of its steam engines made a rhythmic clanking sound and the air sack that kept it adrift seemed stitched from a variety of worn leathers. Once in a while, the whole craft lurched sideways as one engine kept losing power.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Lord Azariel,” the messenger said, placing his chin against his own chest and tipping forward so his left knee rested on the ground. The goggles that rested on his forehead tumbled over his face and hung from his neck. He paid no attention to them. “I have not come here to mock your people.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Intentions be damned. You've crossed boundaries. This is a crime."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“Please, Lord,” the messenger said, still averting his eyes and carefully trying to perform the proper bow, “I meant no disrespect. And surely no harm."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“You have three minutes,” Azariel said, turning over an hour glass filled with a handful of the white sands of Lucero. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The sand began to pour through its narrow passage and Azariel said, “Now speak until I kill you.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The messenger’s jaw trembled and then the words galloped from his mouth, “The queen has sent spies from the outer lands to infiltrate your armies. At least five assassins, as well. Maybe more.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“You tell me this because you wish to help your own enemy?”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“No,” the messenger said. “Lord Azariel, I come to you as a traitor to my own ruler."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"You defy the Great Queen?" Azariel asked, eyes wide. He gripped the belt that hung loosely around his waste and let his fingers curl around the hilt of his favored weapon: a knife that was older than anything in his airship..<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"This struggle that she wages against your people," the messenger said, "it has torn my family apart. Brothers, sisters, children. The Ascended are the victims of her arrogance. Her disdainful behavior."<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"So you believe the Queen should serve with me?"<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Not with you, Lord Azariel! You are the rightful ruler of the divided terrirtories," the messenger said. "The queen is but a salacious whore. A sex-dealing war monger who pretends to have an interest in the Old Order." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Azariel considered this for several moments as the messenger continued his ridiculous imitation of Ascension Ceremonial Etiquette. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Finally, Azariel spoke, but his voice was soft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"I stood by the queen's side when the Old Order fell. With her hand in mine and an infant kingdom at our feet, we watched the Temple of Assad burn. Together, we heard accounts of the annihilation of an entire dynasty. Libraries, schools, temples... all destroyed by the mindless zealots of that creature Namenlos. The playing field had been reset and even then, when I knew that I would soon wage war against the very woman with whom I shared a chamber room, I held her hand and wept. Do you recall that time? My people have a name for it, soldier. We call it the Eve of Abandonment."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"I was a laborer at the time," the messenger muttered. "I remember well. I helped clear debris from the library of Acron. Before it was rebuilt as a temple under the Queen's orders." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"Then you have seen the Queen's ability to govern and rebuild in the face of opposition. Is this not an indication of her sublime leadership?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The messenger's eyes squinted and he cocked his head to one side, "She uses the teachings of the Old Order as a means to control. Her loyalties are a mystery. She is a fraud."</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Perhaps," Azariel said, "but she and I face a common enemy."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Namenlos?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Yes. But even more dangerous to us is that flaw in human nature that urges a person to rebel against those who would help him. The ability to blindly turn against one's best interests." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"But, is this not what you did when you set your blade against the queen?" </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Azariel smiled, but there was no emotion behind the expression. It was an empty and mindless movement of muscles. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"A traitor can never truly be trusted," Azariel said. "How am I to trust you? You, the dog who turns against his pack? How am I to know you won't someday tear at my own throat?" </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The messenger choked on a few syllables before he said, "I pledge myself to you, Lord Azariel. I have experience in skycraft. I was born to live as one of The Ascended. I pledge my blood to you and your cause. I would see Queen Adelia fall." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Azariel picked up the hour glass, which had run dry minutes ago. The white sand sat in a useless pile at the bottom of the glass. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Azariel said, "You will be rewarded for your actions, soldier. Let my men escort you to the lower chambers of the ship and you'll be given a change of clothes. We will dine in honor of your undermining the Queen." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The messenger deepened his bow with an excited smile, straightened the cracked goggles around his neck, then followed a triplet of soldiers out of the hall. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Diego," Azariel said, summoning his eldest and most trusted assistant. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The dark-skinned man was nearly seven heads tall and decorated in well-worn armor. His square face was a battlefield of scars. At his hips were two blades set into ivory hilts. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Follow our guest," Azariel told the mute assistant. "Send the Great Queen a message and let her know that there are traitors in her midst. She deserves to know as much. I do not wish to fight an unfair war." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Diego nodded. His tongue had been torn out by a band of Outland mutants when he was only nine years old. Azariel, a prisoner on the run in those days, helped the injured child escape his tormentors. This had incurred an ongoing life debt. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Azariel tossed the hour glass across the room. It landed in the hands of a servant, who quietly cleaned and polished the instrument and placed it on a stone table top. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Find out where these spies are located. Extract their eyes and send them to the dear Queen, as well." </span></div>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-56706239892625552012011-09-07T06:13:00.000-07:002011-09-08T06:40:52.236-07:00Wednesday Wisdom<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Every Wednesday, I will slap you on the side of the head with my Wedge of Writerly Wisdom.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I may not know a lot of things, but for the sake of your entertainment, I will pretend.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">This is Wednesday Wisdom #1.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">* * * * * * * * * *</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Persistence.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">That’s a word that gets tossed around like a hot potato. It’s the kind of word that belongs on inspirational posters. It’s not just a word we associate with annoying pests like rats, roaches, and car salesmen. Persistence is a super power and it’s a trait that you can identify in any successful person. More importantly, it’s a trait that every writer has to possess in order to succeed in today’s publishing environment.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Here’s a garden variety definition of the word from Dictionary.com: </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">“Firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.” </div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">A typical indie writer faces a mountain of difficulties or opposition. The inherent nature of an indie writer’s life includes the knowledge that he or she is most definitely going against the grain of the writing and publishing industry; opposition is a way of life. The mainstream publishers have tightened their grips on the contracts and licensing agreements; most legacy gatekeepers approach the digital age of publishing with a brooding attitude and an inability to understand the legitimacy of indie authors in general. As professional writers, indie authors know all too well the amount of opposition that they face.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">But an indie author faces other kinds of obstacles. The grueling day job steals time that could be used for writing sessions; personal emergencies dictate when an indie writer can and can’t write. Family obligations limit the amount of time a writer can dedicate to any work in progress. As I've experienced firsthand, the nose-diving economy can severely damage a writer’s ability to finish a piece of work. And when a creative person is faced with this kind of relentless storm of resistance, the imagination can go dry like a sponge. This is essentially the same as bleeding out an animal while it’s still alive; there is a sense of agony, despair, and ultimate acceptance.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Too often, creativity is stomped to death by life’s problems. A great idea, a masterpiece of fiction or a beautiful song can be laid to waste before it’s even enjoyed by anyone.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">That’s why persistence is essential for any creative endeavor. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">If we give up washing dishes because it’s too hard, then our kitchen becomes a wasteland. If we give up on love because relationships are so difficult to navigate, then we die lonely and unappreciated. If we give up on anything in the face of difficulty or out of a simple fear of whatever obstacles might arise, then we are failures. And that’s no way to live the short lives we have.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">I recently heard a wise comedian<span style="color: red;">*</span> say, “Failure is not trying.” That’s a simple philosophy and I don’t know if the comedian actually created the idea himself; nonetheless, it’s a notion that can change a person’s life. As long as you try, without giving a damn about the consequences or the obstacles or what other people might say about your work, then you are a success.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">When life offers an onslaught of distractions, don’t give up. Put the pen to the paper, fall in love with the story, and don’t walk away.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Don’t be a person who tried to be a writer and gave up.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Just be a writer who kept trying. And see where it takes you.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u>Your Wisdom </u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">What daily distractions or obstacles have you faced as a writer, artist, or human being? How do you cope with those obstacles and maintain balance in your life? Leave a comment below and we'll compare notes.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red;">*</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">The wise comedian is none other than Mister Garry Shandling, who is pretty much a modern day Yoda.</span></div>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-33484560352076400762011-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:002011-09-03T20:32:25.385-07:00How Not To Finish A Novel #1I tend to do quite a bit of my writing while my wife is asleep next to me.<br />
<br />Also, my wife talks in her sleep. This is a bit of an understatement, actually.<br />
<br />
She says stuff that makes this guy look like Winston Churchill...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/10/23/gary460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/10/23/gary460.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Case in point:<br />
<br />
Tonight, as I put finishing touches on a WiP, my wife flipped over beside me in the bed. She wrestled the blanket off her body and stared at me with her eyes shut.<br />
<br />
Yes, with her eyes shut. Doesn't get creepier than that.<br />
<br />
Scratch that. It can get creepier.<br />
<br />
She stared at me with her eyes shut and said in a whisper, "My arm is dead."<br />
<br />
My first thought was, "Oh crap. She's been bitten by a zombie."<br />
<br />
I only stared at her and said, "Oh." I figured she didn't need to hear my primal fears at such a late hour.<br />
<br />She moved a bit more, rolled her head back and forth, then started snoring again.<br />
<br />
Fine. Weird random comment during her sleep? No problem.<br />
<br />
A few minutes passed and I was back in the WiP. Suddenly, my wife stirred again.<br />
<br />
She asked, "When will this turn back on?"<br />
<br />
Again, her eyes were closed. And I suddenly thought two things were happening.<br />
<br />
1) My wife had been replaced by a malfunctioning terminator.<br />
2) My wife was Nina Sharp.<br />
<br />
And that's only one in a million ways I have been distracted from my WiP.<br />
<br />
Are you at the mercy of distractions? Leave a comment and tell me how you stay focused on your work.L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-53411428509771220222011-08-31T11:30:00.000-07:002011-08-31T11:30:35.562-07:00(re)Formation of a NoobMy blog is sick. And I don't mean that in the hip way that suggests my blog is pretty tight, dope, or fresh.<br />
<br />
I mean, my blog is seriously sick. If it lived in the wild kingdom, the rest of the blogs would have abandoned it at a watering hole by now. <br />
<br />
It's time to revive this thing once and for all.<br />
<br />
So I've come up with a schedule for each week. It's a novel idea, this whole scheduling notion! I'm surprised nobody's ever thought of it before.<br />
<br />
Starting September 5, each week's blogs will look like this:<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MADDENING MONDAY</b> </div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In which the author takes a stance against the little things in life. Bring your own soap box.</div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WEDNESDAY WISDOM</b> </div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In which the author claims a minimal amount of writing expertise. Grains of salt not included.</div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FICTION FRIDAY</b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In which the author presents his original fiction to an audience that has yet to make itself known.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Tuesdays and Thursdays will be designated for featured authors. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I've needed to find a way to breathe life into this blog for some time. What do you think? Will this be a good way to impose some order on the chaos that is my noobishness? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In other news, my new novel "Children of Aerthwheel" is nearly ready to go live. I think within the next five days, it will be up and running. And, coincidentally, I'll be running all over the Intertubes as I try to spread the word about this magical underdog story!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"> If you're a blogger who would like to read and review my new book, please leave a comment and I'll get in touch with you. And if you're an author who knows where I might find such gracious bloggers, please leave a comment below. And if you're a stranger who just likes to leave comments on random blogs, then feel free to leave a comment.</div>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-22953884548914075142011-08-24T23:06:00.000-07:002011-08-24T23:06:34.245-07:00Age of NovellasI came across an intriguing article on my favorite scifi / science blog <a href="http://io9.com/5833833/how-technology-has-transformed-short-science-fiction-and-fantasy?tag=books">Io9 here</a> (possibly written by Charlie Jane Anders). It outlines a discussion shared at Worldcon by Stephen H. Segal of <em>Weird Tales</em> magazine, Sheila Williams from <em>Asimov's Science Fiction</em>, Lou Anders of Pyr Books and Neil Clarke from <em>Clarkesworld Magazine</em>. The panel discussed how technology has changed the landscape of science fiction and fantasy, almost providing a blue print for up-and-coming indie writers who will be pioneers in the new publishing era.<br />
<br />
Of all the bullet points they nailed, I was most interested in their opinions regarding the marriage of novellas and ebook technology. Segal suggests that we are about to witness a "golden age of novellas" in which the format is more widely accepted by readers due to its shorter length (25,000 to 30,000 words) and relative ease of production. The price point can be adjusted to reflect what many "bargain" readers desire in their ebook pricing while still providing a solid story that has the look and feel of a regular novel.<br />
<br />
To me, this is a sort of literary evolution. Sure, novellas have existed for years. But I see this new age of novellas as a sign that literature and technology can be reconciled. And I can only hope that this kind of adaptation will lead to a higher rate of literacy as ereaders and their software become more widely used. <br />
<br />
Another fascinating notion suggested by the panel is the possible resurgence of adventure fiction that appeals to a wider (and younger) reading audience. This could mean a renewed popularity in action and suspense stories with less-navel gazing and more plot-driven excitement. <br />
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Depending on your literary tastes, this may or may not thrill you. Personally, I look at this resurrection of adventure fiction in the context of a publishing industry that is eager to push more novella-length fiction and I can't help but think that we might be on the verge of witnessing the creation of some incredibly cool YA stories.<br />
<br />
You see, some time ago, I posted a blog about creating a serialized project that somehow combined elements of literature, popular television and rock star bravado. That idea has never left my mind, though I've been afraid to wholeheartedly act on it since writing it here.<br />
<br />
I've considered breaking apart my first novel "Children of Aerthwheel" into two shorter books for the very reasons that the panel of writers and editors discussed at Worldcon. I've sensed from the beginning that the ebook technology was a perfect gateway for introducing shorter fiction. Maybe the reading public isn't ready for single short stories; but I honestly believe that the average ebook reader would be hard pressed to ignore a wave of slightly shorter novels. Readers, especially younger book-lovers, are desperate for convenience. If this comes in the form of high quality fiction that's easier to finish, what's the harm?<br />
<br />
The writer writes, the reader reads. Everyone goes home happy.<br />
<br />
<br />
I have more ideas regarding this issue, but I want to save them for the next post. Plus, I have a guest post on another blog coming soon and I'd like to be able to talk about these ideas in that particular piece.<br />
<br />
Until the next time, here's your homework: leave a comment and tell me if you prefer shorter stories over longer works. And if so, why? <br />
<br />
L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-24758782198669907932011-08-19T09:00:00.000-07:002011-08-18T14:36:01.413-07:00Indie Author Showcase: Tamara Rose BlodgettFor about the past week, I have had something akin to the super flu. So, for several days, I have looked and felt like this guy...<br />
<b> </b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thezombienation.com/blogpicts/AMC-walking-dead-first-look4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.thezombienation.com/blogpicts/AMC-walking-dead-first-look4.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat two brains and call me in the morning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Since this week has pretty much seen me stumbling around our home in boxer shorts with a fistful of medication and a chest glistening with Vicks VapoRub, I haven't been able to focus on the final preparations for my new novel "Children of Aerthwheel."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I had hoped to make it available by August 22, but that may not be happening now. At the very least, it will be the middle of next week before I am comfortable with casting "Children of Aerthwheel" out into the vast digital void. I think, as I am only 29 and have no kids, this is the closest I've ever felt to driving my first born child to college. It's scary, liberating, and overwhelming all at the same time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
But enough of that.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">On to the showcase!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Author Tamara Rose Blodgett lives in Alaska and is a paranormal enthusiast..She also has experience as a journalist. In addition to the book described below, she has also published the paranormal romance "The Pearl Savage." Her newest novel, "Death Speaks," will be available in September.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And now, from the author herself...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrZjFPJMbIelx4oc6sGO0OmJynuMhG7d2rfwBsJINVO5zm37ToS3ONtj66i5dfc0-nM5wbPtEAyAksO2w33G2S_bXcCQdwA6Fd5VVxuSdYAvwI6eEKCGjtpVGsI9UonkuZ-x-HNnmJA/s320/DWcoverNOOK110801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrZjFPJMbIelx4oc6sGO0OmJynuMhG7d2rfwBsJINVO5zm37ToS3ONtj66i5dfc0-nM5wbPtEAyAksO2w33G2S_bXcCQdwA6Fd5VVxuSdYAvwI6eEKCGjtpVGsI9UonkuZ-x-HNnmJA/s320/DWcoverNOOK110801.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author:</b> Tamara Rose Blodgett</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b>Book Title:</b> Death Whispers<br />
<br />
<b>Genre: </b>Young Adult<br />
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<b>Your Book in 1000 Words or Less:</b> Death Whispers, a Futuristic Paranormal tale of friendship, romance and government intrigue, explores the life of fourteen year-old Caleb Hart, "normal" teen and corpse-raiser... <br />
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Caleb has the most rare of the paranormal powers, Cadaver-Manipulation (aka corpse-raiser). In this world of the future, with Brain Impulse "pulse" Technology's wide-spread use and influence keenly realized, routine school inoculation has expanded to include a pharmaceutical cocktail, which once administered, unlocks the genetic potential for paranormal abilities. Using this small window of puberty, teens who have the genetic propensity find themselves manifesting extraordinary gifts; some of which garner the full attention of our government. Caleb must camouflage his new "talent" during the mandatory eighth grade Aptitude Test so that he remains undiscovered while establishing choice for his future. However, events beyond his control systematically reveal Caleb and his friends, which force them to fight for their freedom. In the midst of this struggle, his girlfriend's father battles to reassert his abusive dominance in her life while a couple of "peer enemies" thwart his efforts of secrecy at every turn. In the explosive climax, Caleb must protect his friends, and Jade, the one he loves...at all costs.<br />
<br />
<u>From the Back Cover</u><br />
Caleb can't seem to stop the accidental zombie raisings, the science experiments are killing him and road kill has taken on a whole new meaning. Add in the two dudes dogging him at school and he's about to explode.<br />
When he finally gets the courage to ask Jade out things start going his way...until her dad starts stalking her and the government starts stalking Caleb. How does he defeat them, get the girl and shake the jerks that are making him miserable?<br />
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<b>Book Link:</b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ULVYAU/ref=cm_cd_asin_lnk">Death Whispers (The Death Series)</a><br />
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<b>Author Website:</b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tamara-Rose-Blodgett/e/B004UNVT8K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1"> http://www.amazon.com/Tamara-Rose-Blodgett/e/B004UNVT8K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1</a><br />
<br />
<b>Something Unique About Your Writing Process:</b> A 'thinking-out-of-the box' paranormal enthusiast who believes there's a 95% chance zombies do not exist; but loves to write as if they do... I'm from the Seattle area originally and have worked as an online journalist in the past. I believe young males have a specific way of talking and try very hard to capture that in my books. In my spare time I'm a [reluctant] serial-re-modeler, project-slave and big-time, in-my-pants reader (surprise!). I do a great deal of day-dreaming about impossible scenarios and events, writing books to capture them in stories for you~<br />
Side note: Gnomes should be exterminated. L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948726540792175420.post-7326108419739740522011-08-16T17:57:00.000-07:002011-08-17T07:19:10.154-07:00Indie Author Showcase: Keith RobinsonBefore we get to the showcase, I have news!<br />
<br />
The Kickstarter project for "Children of Aerthwheel" expired yesterday without being successfully funded. This does not, however, mean the book won't be published. Of course it will see the light of day. I'll just have to work harder to get print copies into the hands of booksellers and reviewers. I'd hoped to have a website that acted as a sort of companion piece to the novel; I can still do that, though it won't be as seamless and it won't be as interactive as I'd originally planned. <br />
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Truthfully, I was disappointed when the Kickstarter project hit the wall. Yet, I'm not discouraged. That project, like everything I've done up to this point, was simply an experiment. Had it worked out, I would have been overjoyed; but I can take that "failed" experience and learn some things. As an indie author, I will never count myself as defeated. I will always look at my experiences as opportunities to learn and adapt. It's a skill I like to apply in my daily life, too.<br />
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I recently heard a rather wise man say, "Failure is not trying." As long as I put my heart and soul into whatever I'm doing, I will never fail. Every movement made is a motion forward. Even when things seem depressing and the world appears to be at odds with your very existence, you have to try. That's what being an indie is all about. And I will never stop trying.<br />
<br />
Okay, enough of the motivational mumbo-jumbo! It's time for the Indie Author Showcase... back for good, this time!<br />
<br />
Today's featured author is Keith Robinson. In addition to the book featured below, he has written three sequels and is planning the fifth novel in the series. If there's anything I like more than an indie author, it's a hard-working indie author! Originally hailing from England, Keith has lived in the United States since 2001. When he's not writing, he is a website designer, a collector of books, and a fan of fantasy and science fiction.<br />
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And now, from the author himself...<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.unearthlytales.com/media/bookcover-island-of-fog-200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.unearthlytales.com/media/bookcover-island-of-fog-200x300.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author:</b> Keith Robinson</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
<b>Book Title:</b> Island of Fog<br />
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<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy for readers 9+ (suits adults too)<br />
<b><br />
</b><b>Your Book in 1000 Words or Less:</b> A lonely, foggy island is home to eight families. Twelve-year-old Hal and his friends have always wondered what happened all those years ago on the mainland, that unseen place Out There beyond the fog, and after an astonishing discovery in the woods the children are more determined than ever to find out what their parents are hiding. But their lives are turned upside down when Abigail reveals her closely guarded secret. According to her, the children are slowly changing into monsters! Are they freaks of nature, or subjects of a sinister experiment?<br />
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Each child reacts differently to his or her unique monstrous transformation; after all, one may feel proud to be a dragon, faerie, or centaur, but who in their right mind wants to be a sadistic manticore or cowardly harpy?<br />
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ISLAND OF FOG is a story of intrigue and conspiracy. The reader follows Hal Franklin as he struggles to accept that he and his friends are something more than ordinary children, and that their parents have been covering up the truth the whole time. With their trust shaken and the unexpected arrival of a strange woman from Out There, the children hide their frightening shapeshifting abilities and pretend nothing is wrong.<br />
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The story continues in LABYRINTH OF FIRE and MOUNTAIN OF WHISPERS. The fourth book, LAKE OF SPIRITS, is due Summer 2011.<br />
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<b>Book Link:</b> <a class="ecxmoz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/098439060X" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/dp/098439060X</a> (or signed copies from <a class="ecxmoz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.unearthlytales.com/" target="_blank">http://www.unearthlytales.com</a>)<br />
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<b>Author Website:</b> <a class="ecxmoz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.unearthlytales.com/" target="_blank">http://www.unearthlytales.com</a> <br />
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<b>Something Unique About Your Writing Process:</b> I wrote ISLAND OF FOG organically and it took absolutely ages. I enjoyed what I wrote, but it took me in the wrong direction so I had to change a lot of it. Subsequent novels have only taken 4-6 months because I plan them with chapter summaries (just a paragraph each). But I rarely complete my summaries; as long as I have about half done, including the last few chapters, I can fill in the rest organically. For me it's like printing a map of how to get to your destination; you're aware of the route and where to make important turns, but you have no idea what you're going to see along the way.<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br />
</span>L. David Heslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15973902451564668160noreply@blogger.com0