tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78087334155511349932024-03-18T05:00:34.174-06:00 Spacefreighters Lounge Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2384125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-45386056804522531072024-03-18T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-18T05:00:00.140-06:00Digital Waterfall - Shades of Farewell Andromeda <p>Just had to share this. It's a digital waterfall ("Wonderfall") in Singapore's Changi Airport Terminal 2.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Qt5cePqadcg?si=NcI2OjgEiZSLJO8h" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In <b><i>Farewell Andromeda</i></b>, a similar generated waterfall is featured (see the excerpt below). Though the quaint fall is located in a restaurant on a distant space station and is a bit less chaotic than Singapore Airport's Wonderfall, it's definitely along the same lines. Come see for yourself...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQrTKlHOjAmEZpxartHmocnoKVb0gdFOp30bztI4BAYDecgfgRfTGtM6hLvclYpp4_lHJ9wXZ9mKeGMrULQ6ksxRCNxAWGzaQxMjAB3I7PtFH0hBQ-5LiL3ddSnfdxhF0cFRSb4yUFLRuXZ0Q4o4ujjkLl0_9EiUm7yGB-5kyiCpoHROooqYiZeF3peZv/s2400/Farewell_Andromeda-Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQrTKlHOjAmEZpxartHmocnoKVb0gdFOp30bztI4BAYDecgfgRfTGtM6hLvclYpp4_lHJ9wXZ9mKeGMrULQ6ksxRCNxAWGzaQxMjAB3I7PtFH0hBQ-5LiL3ddSnfdxhF0cFRSb4yUFLRuXZ0Q4o4ujjkLl0_9EiUm7yGB-5kyiCpoHROooqYiZeF3peZv/w133-h200/Farewell_Andromeda-Final.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Farewell Andromeda</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Excerpt</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Deep space charter pilot Tiharra Bell has recently arrived and is on layover at Andromeda Station, a deep space x-tourism spot on the far edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. Located in its business and entertainment section is a restaurant that offers a very unique atmosphere.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Walking through the entrance into
the restaurant turned out to be more than my senses had bargained for. To the
right of an elegant mahogany reception desk, a waterfall blundered over a rocky
cliff high above and freefell through misty rainbows into an aquamarine pool.
The only hint that the entire scene was generated rather than tactile was the
noise level of the falls being curbed to a murmur instead of a
conversation-nullifying roar.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">The overlay of huge, split-leaved
foliage—also generated—framed the pool and screened the tables beyond. A
sensual bouquet wafted on a moist breeze: the sweet-spice of jasmine and
monkeypod blooms laced with high-content oxygen. Projected butterflies
fluttered by in the brilliant rays of artificial sunshine that pierced the deep
emerald shadows. Hidden air controllers simulated soft jungle breezes that
played on my skin.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">“Table for one?” A hostess intruded
into my awe-induced trance.</p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>About Farewell Andromeda</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fresh off a painful jilting, the last thing deep space pilot Tiharra Bell needs is another romance, and certainly not with famous astronomer, Dr. Dane. Yet when she learns “Donner" has a heartbreaking secret, she’s soon willing to risk life and career to alter his fate.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Farewell Andromeda</b></i> is a novelette -- a short read that packs a punch and delivers a satisfying romantic twist in a way that only science fiction can dish up. It's available in ebook format on <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Andromeda-Science-Novelette-Inherited-ebook/dp/B00S0BCH5M" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a></b>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-61205753481128083522024-03-15T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-15T05:00:00.139-06:00Politics and Fiction - Doing a Double Take<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiwO1h64hgBN2MHSl8FoKFeQXxezjpSDh74lYrlzcvnn4G6nA9a3v6xYSlZ462q4mcb1w4r0j604rcShdEOYIPFrrPq-dKp4Ry55uQp4Tg5MXQnOPlrskwrH1yZp_nhFu-ru6QIokmz1QLpheSphpfors4Tglxh6mwf3YmgYzrqvr33cR8eWH-34XxlpN/s1000/SpacefreightersYouAreHere.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiwO1h64hgBN2MHSl8FoKFeQXxezjpSDh74lYrlzcvnn4G6nA9a3v6xYSlZ462q4mcb1w4r0j604rcShdEOYIPFrrPq-dKp4Ry55uQp4Tg5MXQnOPlrskwrH1yZp_nhFu-ru6QIokmz1QLpheSphpfors4Tglxh6mwf3YmgYzrqvr33cR8eWH-34XxlpN/w200-h200/SpacefreightersYouAreHere.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In yesterday's blog titled "<b><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2024/03/please-keep-your-politics-out-of-my.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Please Keep Your Politics Out of my Fiction! Oh, Wait...</a></b>" I explained my complete disdain as a reader for fiction stories that incorporate current political biases. In giving this further thought, I should add a disclaimer that I'm referring to books that are blatant statements about current politics or politically-fueled stands, and not solid sci-fi with a fresh approach to the future. <div><p></p><p>For example, <i>The Expanse</i> television series (based on the book series by the James S.A. Corey writing team) portrayed a creatively-imagined 2200s with present day social issues extrapolated into a troubled future -- minus the soapbox. Or the original Star Wars trilogy which portrayed the age-old battle of Good vs. Evil (or Light vs. Dark) in a higher tech setting also steered clear of current political social statements. (Not so much the more recent sequels, unfortunately.) </p><p>But my diatribe in the last post was coming from a reader. As an author, the more thought I put into it, the more I realized there's a kicker to my "no politics in fiction" bent.</p><p>In order to write a compelling story, there have to be basic elements of good, evil and often, those ambiguous gray areas that fall in between. When I write characters, they have to act and think in ways that are true to themselves and their situation. They are forced to make choices which some readers (and even I, as the author) may or may not agree with, but if I've done my job well as an author, readers will be able to relate to the character's choices even if they wouldn't make the same decisions themselves. </p><p>So I have to concede that avoiding politics to <i>any </i>degree is impossible when writing fiction, even though it's not intentionally crafted to be "current political commentary in sheeps' clothing" and even when the last thing I create a story to do is to pound home any sort of social statement about our times. (What's the fun in that?)</p><p>In examining my work, these are just a few situations that arise in current and future novels that affect characters and are essential to plot but are not intended to mimic today's social struggles, politics or controversial science or make any statements about said issues, pro or con. It's only about the character's choices and a reflection of the societies <i>they </i>live in, which is to say, <i>not ours</i>.</p><p>(In alphabetical order)</p><p></p><ul><li>Actions taken "for the greater good"</li><li>AI enabled technology and repercussions on the human race</li><li>Alien abduction</li><li>Androids used as servants</li><li>Apocalyptic war or threats of</li><li>Assassination for political reasons</li><li>Basic human rights, the presence or absence of</li><li>Biological androids</li><li>Connecting the human brain to technology</li><li>Environmental catastrophe</li><li>Environmental extremism</li><li>Erasing/altering historical facts</li><li>Fear of hypodermic needles</li><li>Human slavery</li><li>Oppressing human rights</li><li>"Racism" but only as it applies to human subspecies (Speciesism?)</li><li>Right to choose</li><li>Secret societies</li><li>Shadow governments</li><li>Technologically altering behavior</li></ul><p></p><p>Not every reader who reads one of my books is going to have the benefit of reading this multi-part blog, so I decided maybe what I need to do is craft a disclaimer for each of my future novels to summarize some of what I've stated in these two Politics and Fiction related blogs.</p><p>Here's an early draft of that possible statement extrapolated from some of my statements above. It will probably go through a good many revisions.</p><p style="text-align: center;">_______________________________________________</p><p><b>Author's Disclaimer</b></p><p><b>This is purely a work of fiction that takes place in an imagined future. </b></p><p><b>In order to write a compelling story, basic elements of good, evil and often, those ambiguous gray areas that fall in between must be present. The characters always act and think in ways that are true to themselves and their situation. They are forced or compelled to make choices which some readers (and even I, the author) may not agree with, but those decisions are right for the character in their fictional world.</b></p><p><b>In light of this, plot elements may at times parallel social issues that are hot topics in the present, but this work was never intended to make statements or take a stand about current political issues. I believe the purpose of a good story is to allow a reader to escape into another realm. </b></p><p><b>For this reason, I hope that readers can cast off the here and now and <i>Escape to the Stars.</i> Enjoy this adventure fueled by "what if..." and never "what should be." </b></p><p><b>Thank you for reading my work. </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>__________________________________________________</b></p><p> </p><p>As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome. Thank you for reading my blog. </p><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-83130761535208756092024-03-13T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-13T05:00:00.129-06:00Please Keep Your Politics Out of my Fiction! Oh, Wait...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcexIbl8OlISM2N7gH_-7cYqUVKil5X9i6R8z2lvfsTvsBv9IikMLpWlK9UTXBVdB0CsY9cEmHlWnZA9TNibMIG_5CIEuctEjqyCvVakpc98maWtBlRzg8xOiJeMw7t5c6wGWYzJJ95XMdk5fmC0WOu1fSAETn-ORiBD3HEQC3ys20dUmt1ZYntSxhFqF/s1122/NoPoliticsPlease.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1122" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcexIbl8OlISM2N7gH_-7cYqUVKil5X9i6R8z2lvfsTvsBv9IikMLpWlK9UTXBVdB0CsY9cEmHlWnZA9TNibMIG_5CIEuctEjqyCvVakpc98maWtBlRzg8xOiJeMw7t5c6wGWYzJJ95XMdk5fmC0WOu1fSAETn-ORiBD3HEQC3ys20dUmt1ZYntSxhFqF/w200-h183/NoPoliticsPlease.png" width="200" /></a></div><p>I'm tugging on my Reader Cap today for a bit of a rant about one of my major pet peeves as a reader.</p><p>Yup. Sorry. Sometimes you just gotta vent. </p><p>I realize everyone's mileage may vary and there may be some who don't view this as an issue, but I've talked with and seen the comments from enough readers to know it's becoming a pretty major factor in the Readers' Pet Peeves column. </p>I can recall a time, not even a dozen years ago, when politics and political issues weren't such major topics among writers and authors. I clearly remember the days when the last thing anyone cared about was what an author's political stand was, and which side of the political equation they supported or leaned toward. No one cared. It was a trivial matter. It just didn't make a difference.<p></p><p>How times have changed.</p><p>Today, everyone seems to have a very strong opinion on politics and world views, and authors, being communicators, can be especially vocal. Problem is, some of them don't confine their personal statements to social media and personal expression, and insist on stamping their views all over the books they write, a product they <i>sell</i> to readers as <i>entertainment</i>. Some even go so far as to push their politics in the newsletters they send out to those interested in their work. Yeah, that's an instant click on the unsubscribe button for me.</p><p>So here's my take...which you can take or leave at your discretion.</p><p>In my experience most readers don't want to hear an author's views expressed via what should be a well-crafted story but which has been unabashedly converted into a politically-fueled soapbox. This reader included. No. Thank. You.</p><p>From polls and commentary I've seen, I believe the majority of readers feel the same. They read fiction to escape the teeth-gritting turmoil of everyday life and have no desire to be constantly reminded of the hot mess our society is becoming. I read for escapism. I read to enjoy being whisked away to an imaginative fictional world that is usually set in a distant time. Turn a story set in the future into a mouthpiece for the dystopian present and it's an instant DNF for me. And that's whether I agree with those views or not. </p><p>Here's the low down. If I want political opinions I can watch the news, or any morning talk show, or read politically-centered non-fiction books, or just sign on to any social media platform. I'm not looking to read about current issues in a story that's supposedly set in a different time and place. As I said, my whole point in picking up a book is to <i>escape</i> the here and now, at least for a little while. </p><p>So please...let fiction <i>be</i> fiction. </p><p>But all that said, as I wrapped up this blog, I realized there's a caveat. Completely avoiding the allusion to real life political or social topics in fiction, especially science fiction, is just plain unavoidable. And sometimes a reader might interpret the elements of some stories as political commentary, even though that wasn't at all the intent of the writer.</p><p>That's the "Oh, Wait..." part of today's blog title which I'm going to explore in my next post. I'll try to come back and add the link once it's posted. </p><p>Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear your thoughts or comments below, whether you agree or disagree. </p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-78815388660543142642024-03-11T07:00:00.001-06:002024-03-11T07:00:00.345-06:00Cognitive Dissonance - What is it and What does it have to do with Writing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe_LhLIdT4dStzdc-ZS3s4_LCPqVNvXPzy2jjcz4zikq_MOhUpzbs6grJu_EMT9tL4t92NHO1GGRIDXTBVe7tKCB6XLNkPUlG3JCk8cOsOyLMezsrb5wbqz5mgcrxKZoyJ3fZ77M3UckXIBTJmZiyDGKI1RFJsKeXhGxhEQeNMrgclkDKrW4xHA7s5BSq/s500/DarkAttic_Depositphotos_63784873_s-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="391" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe_LhLIdT4dStzdc-ZS3s4_LCPqVNvXPzy2jjcz4zikq_MOhUpzbs6grJu_EMT9tL4t92NHO1GGRIDXTBVe7tKCB6XLNkPUlG3JCk8cOsOyLMezsrb5wbqz5mgcrxKZoyJ3fZ77M3UckXIBTJmZiyDGKI1RFJsKeXhGxhEQeNMrgclkDKrW4xHA7s5BSq/w156-h200/DarkAttic_Depositphotos_63784873_s-2015.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>Recently, I stumbled on an article about <i>cognitive dissonance</i> and immediately thought, "I've got to write a blog about that." <div><br /></div><div>What is it? It's humans' ability to hold two contrary beliefs at the same time and the mental discomfort that arises with holding contrary beliefs, or even more specifically, from learning new information which contradicts a deeply held belief. <div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></b> describes it this way: </div><div><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"></span><blockquote><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">In the field of psychology</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://">,</a> </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">cognitive dissonance</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> is the perception of contradictory information and the mental toll of it. Relevant items of information include a person's actions, feelings, ideas, belifs [sic], values,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> and things in the environment</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">. Cognitive dissonance is typically experienced as pyschological [sic] stress </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">when persons participate in an action that goes against one or more of those things.</span></blockquote><p>[The inserted '[sic]' notations are mine. The Wiki info apparently hadn't been well proofed.] </p><div>Cognitive dissonance also sometimes comes into play for authors. In fact, for many works, it's essential. It's something ALL writers must face to some degree, in particular when giving voice to a villain. And even, sometimes, a hero. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>This Blog comes with a Trigger Warning!</b></div><div><b>Controversial content ahead dealing with an unsettling topic which some may find disturbing. If you become offended, upset or squeamish by the discussion of the darker aspects of human nature, please stop reading here.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>To explore this topic more fully, I need to take a closer look at one of the most difficult and challenging aspects I ever had to deal with in penning a novel. (Actually two difficult aspects, but I'll get to that.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Writers have to put themselves in the bad guy's head ("guy" is used loosely here and throughout the post - of course villains can be any gender). They have to have the ability to reach a mental state where they can effectively relate what the villain believes, what motivates him, and how he justifies his actions while making it understandable and meaningful for the reader. Even when it's something deeply upsetting and repulsive to explore, they have to be capable of relating the villain's mindset (perspective, justification, etc.) to the reader. Villains need to be real and have emotions and motivations that <i>feel</i> real.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that can put an author in a very dark and questionable place.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QyQARse5RM1Br5BXAiL9mzqLdVMWmFQzoALyOgWddMCbVX9c27iWFgX5LLr9oYu9zxnbNYmQ3q6b-76RkYGx6BJsWxohoQCZ4m97werEHtLC6E76Zymn4182jaOKrp8btUeizP7LboVWEyNL9u8QcvvLmm0rorh_OKhZ9t3VJnh9OJBGY6Lue6eFSBIV/s2400/Inherit%20the%20Stars_smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QyQARse5RM1Br5BXAiL9mzqLdVMWmFQzoALyOgWddMCbVX9c27iWFgX5LLr9oYu9zxnbNYmQ3q6b-76RkYGx6BJsWxohoQCZ4m97werEHtLC6E76Zymn4182jaOKrp8btUeizP7LboVWEyNL9u8QcvvLmm0rorh_OKhZ9t3VJnh9OJBGY6Lue6eFSBIV/s320/Inherit%20the%20Stars_smaller.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />One aspect in the anchor novel of the Inherited Stars Universe caused me a great deal of mental angst and bouts of emotion that ranged from gut-wrenching disgust to extreme sympathy and sadness for what some of the characters were subjected to and threatened with. </div><div><br /></div><div>This also caused me to question if I shouldn't steer clear of this element entirely. Take a safer route. It's a tough one to explore even in a blog post, and caused me to question my instincts, because I knew it was going to put some readers off from even finishing the book. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I decided, for the integrity of the storytelling, it was essential to stay the course. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let me delve into the specifics as much as possible, while avoiding major spoilers. In order to make the villains, uh...habits...workable, I had to have one of their leaders explain to a hero why his subspecies evolved into <i>cannibals</i>, and it had to make sense to readers -- as skin-crawling as the subject may be. The Ithians had a dark history and an evolution to cannibalism that had to make sense to me as the writer before I could even begin to convey their culture (not justify it, mind you) via the story line. </div><div><br /></div><div>But why cannibals? Why even go there?</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the background. I based the Ithian empire, in part, on ancient Rome. Rome was a great culture of poets, writers, philosophers, builders, scientists, and craftsmen, with a strong and disciplined military, who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle rich in culture and the arts. But on weekends they went to the coliseum to cheer on bloody and horrific spectacles of human and animal carnage. It was all for sport, in their empire. The juxtaposition of refinement and savagery is still a little hard to accept or even understand, but it was a fixed and accepted part of their society.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had to make my Ithian Alliance worse. <i>Much</i> worse. Forcing humans to fight each other or wild beasts as gladiators just wasn't bad enough. (Not to mention it's been done-to-death in science fiction.) The culture of Ithis had to be just as enlightened and enriched as the Roman Empire was in its day, but it also had to have a much, much darker side. But why had their culture evolved in such a disgusting and horrifying way? That was my struggle with cognitive dissonance as I created a history and traditions that allowed them to justify their actions.</div><div> </div><div>But there's a caveat. What happens to the Ithian Alliance as a result of their horrendous mistreatment of other subspecies -- as bad as that was -- was also gut-wrenching but in a very different way. They lost something truly precious to them, as a means of rendering them defenseless. Did the ends justify the means? That's left an open-ended question. </div><div><br /></div><div>Certain members of the "hero" side of the equation believed there was only one way to restore basic human rights to the known galaxy, without instigating a conventional galaxy-wide war that would kill millions, if not billions. The Ithian Alliance had become so dominant, oppressive and heartless to the rest of the known galaxy, that the inhumanity they forced on others had to be clearly drawn in the story before they could be dealt so devastating a blow in the story arc. In order to deal with monsters, the good guys had to become monsters themselves in the actions they took to end the horrors perpetuated by the Alliance. But in spite of the unmitigated oppression and callousness of the villains' society, I still had struggles writing those passages and even had readers and reviewers ask, "Wow! Should they have done that?"</div><div><br /></div><div>That was the flip side of the coin. I had to be able to explain the thoughts and motivations behind the "good guys" extreme actions -- as well as the "bad guys" -- and why they took the steps they did, when they did, and <i>how </i>they did it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cognitive dissonance to the max on both sides of the equation.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the author, some of the situations described in <b><i>Inherit the Stars</i></b> and related books still bother me. I still sometimes feel a certain uneasiness about where I took the story. But that doesn't mean I don't think it was the right call. Call it a danger of the occupation, but cognitive dissonance as it applies to writing, is an integral but uncomfortable part of the writing process.</div><div><br /></div><div>I welcome your thoughts and comments below. </div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-89334404776799464372024-03-06T23:41:00.000-07:002024-03-06T23:41:13.496-07:00Truth is Stranger than Fiction? What if DEDspace is Real?<p>Sometimes the fiction we imagine can actually start to look like truth.</p><p>I recently came across this site while randomly surfing the web, and immediately thought, "Aha! So my fictional DEDspace [Dark Energy Dimension Space] that certain advanced ships in my Inherited Stars series employ to "gallop about the universe" might actually be a thing!"</p><p>I kinda have to love it when some of my wilder fictional ideas later turn out to not be so very wild after all.</p><p>Here's a link to the online article I found that was posted on February 1, 2024: </p><p><b><a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-dark-dimension-physicists-search-for-missing-matter-20240201/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Quanta Magazine: In a 'Dark Dimension,' Physicists Search for the Universe's Missing Matter</a></b></p><p>Apparently, scientists are now starting to explore the hypothesis that Dark Energy and Dark Matter may exist in their own dimension. (Um. Yeah. Exactly! LOL) That may be one way of accounting for approximately 96% of the universe -- the matter and energy that must be out there in order to keep galaxies from coming apart at the seams, but to date hasn't been observable or proven to exist except through mathematics. </p><p>So I have two words to sum up my thoughts on this new discovery. <i>Cool beans!</i> </p><p>To be sure, I didn't get into some of the vastly complex particulars outlined in the article in my books. After all, I write fiction, not scientific papers. I provide an imagined framework for how my advanced ships navigate this DEDspace -- and what the consequences are -- without going into all the quantum mechanics and string theory details. My job as a writer of sci-fi is to entertain and open up an imaginative world to readers, not bore them to tears with pages and pages of scientific explanation. </p><p>As the old adage goes, you don't need to know all the details of how a television works just to sit back and enjoy the show.</p><p>To explain how my fictional DEDspace worked without diving in to too much of the nittygritty, I wrote a blog back in June of 2016 (almost eight years ago) titled: </p><p><b><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2016/06/what-is-this-dedspace-of-which-you-speak.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What is this DEDspace of Which You Speak</a>?</b></p><p>The highlights of that blog are below, or you can read the post in it's entirety (that also discusses the futility of traveling around our galaxy -- or even to the nearest star -- with our current technology and the price that must be paid to access my fictional DEDspace) by clicking the link in the paragraph above.</p><p style="text-align: center;">______________________________________________ </p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Even with the star-hopping that their decidedly advanced technology can manage, allowing them to travel system-to-system in a matter of days and span a number of systems inside a couple of weeks, we're talking </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">months</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> of travel to reach the outlier points of the Milky Way, which is one of their destinations in both stories. And that just wouldn't work. I had to find some form of "Galaxy Express" transit.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">And Dark Energy provided that magic carpet.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">You see, scientists aren't even sure what Dark Energy is just yet. Only that, in theory, it must exist in order for the universe to work, along with Dark Matter. We can't see it. We can't sense it. We only know that, mathematically, there's something dark and mysterious out there, and it accounts for nearly 68% of the actual universe. Dark Matter makes up an additional 28%.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Nearly</span><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3a6519; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> ninety-six percent of the universe</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> may be Dark Energy and Dark Matter!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">That's a whole lot of something that's nothing!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMO31voopvTfSfEcrKR2YP9uN6qDwAWcmmCkL2C4mvwkpS7bgG8eBMLecyLVjjRLJa51zLrEZbJYPBxKr6ytgzN3d8DR1wRwt3rj1sWhHssM1deXxu0_GqHI4zUh9fsGViTSA1ZNmJPVo/s1600/Farewell_Andromeda-Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: #3a6519; float: right; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMO31voopvTfSfEcrKR2YP9uN6qDwAWcmmCkL2C4mvwkpS7bgG8eBMLecyLVjjRLJa51zLrEZbJYPBxKr6ytgzN3d8DR1wRwt3rj1sWhHssM1deXxu0_GqHI4zUh9fsGViTSA1ZNmJPVo/s200/Farewell_Andromeda-Final.jpg" style="background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="133" /></a><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In order for galaxies to not spin apart, there has to be something they call Dark Matter that accounts for the mass and the gravity that holds it all together, and in order for observations from deep space (which also means deep </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">time</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">) to make sense, there also has to be something stretching the universe apart--and they dubbed that Dark Energy. In tandem, Dark Energy and Dark Matter create the theoretical dynamics that might explain how the universe functions as it does when normal mathematics say it shouldn't function at all. (I'm paraphrasing here.)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">When I started researching Dark Energy, the theory that made the most sense to me is that Dark Energy actually </span><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12261-is-dark-energy-lurking-in-hidden-spatial-dimensions/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3a6519; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">exists in another unknown dimension</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. Okay, I can get my head around that. (And better yet, my muse seemed to latch onto the idea big time.) I'd read theories that some scientists believe there could be up to nine dimensions--though trapped in our mortal bodies, we're only programmed to function within three--height, width, depth. Or maybe four, if you consider time a dimension onto itself.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">So Dark Energy may form another dimension--one that we could actually enter if we found a way and a means to access it. And in doing so, we might be able to span huge distances in space by slipping the surly bonds of 3D. But...there's also Dark Matter, which some scientists believe might even provide </span><a href="http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2015/01/-dark-matter-may-be-another-dimension-or-even-a-major-galactic-transport-system.html" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3a6519; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">a galaxy-wide transport system</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. Other experts are exploring the idea that Dark Energy and Dark Matter are connected. (In my universe, they are, and the combined phenomena is simply referred to as DEDspace, meaning Dark Energy Dimension space.)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Fifteen hundred years in our future, a man named Zaviar Mennelsohn did (or will) discover a way to access DEDspace. Or at least, he will in The Inherited Stars universe.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">_______________________________________________</p><p>If you have any thoughts or comments about DEDspace, please let me know below. </p><p>Thanks for tuning in. Hope you dock again soon.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-34410870439157029822024-01-30T15:50:00.002-07:002024-01-30T18:48:17.367-07:00The Television Series that Repels and Fascinates - Night Country<p>I'm back, though making my appearance a little later in the unfolding of 2024 than I anticipated. A bout with a couple of illnesses and a few other energy- and time-sucking events - and I simply lost the first several weeks of this year. But, hey. Here I am.</p><p>So I'm starting this year's blogging with a few thoughts on a new television show. I guess it falls under the definition of mini-series. It's called...</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi7e1J92pp1lgpbKI0obU1RpckOQiXo7eZPqhSxMAYptZVUnne8T5fh88Y91n2u1nNxMSxjBLsDF0GP-NKJvtUi_ohOu6RGsH9_Qt5D4NFeu3Q9gwW_QDQl2-GzGulETjy8pwpms00OMaaM_4F3e3x6Zm_ZPNNVXhRAr8qD_LirpVlNvAe3MAiBG0v1SQ/s531/True%20Detective%20The%20Night%20Country%20Poster.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi7e1J92pp1lgpbKI0obU1RpckOQiXo7eZPqhSxMAYptZVUnne8T5fh88Y91n2u1nNxMSxjBLsDF0GP-NKJvtUi_ohOu6RGsH9_Qt5D4NFeu3Q9gwW_QDQl2-GzGulETjy8pwpms00OMaaM_4F3e3x6Zm_ZPNNVXhRAr8qD_LirpVlNvAe3MAiBG0v1SQ/s320/True%20Detective%20The%20Night%20Country%20Poster.png" width="257" /></a></b></div><b>True Detective: Night Country</b><p></p><p>This is a pseudo-review of the HBO Max series that, in spite of its ugliness and coarse nature, has somehow managed to completely fascinate me. This is not so much an actual review as it is a quick reflection of how this series has reached the esteemed "can't look away" status. </p><p><b>The Setting</b></p><p>It takes place in Alaska at the start of the "days of night" in late December when the sun never rises and darkness reigns 24/7. This sets the stage perfectly for all sorts of creepiness. The story is centered in the fictional town of Ennis, and trust me, the quirky Cicely of Northern Exposure fame it is <i>not</i>. </p><p><b>The Characters</b></p><p>The plot is driven mainly by the actions of two individuals, female police chief Liz Danvers (played by Jodie Foster) and female state trooper Evangeline Navarro (played by Kali Reis). Trooper Navarro is of native descent, but she never was told her true native name. Or so she says. Police Chief Danvers is anglo, and has developed the callousness, loneliness and hard edges that often come from years of police work and dealing with crime and corruption. </p><p>These two edgy personalities also have a supporting cast of strange and unusual residents of Ennis and points South. They are all equally flawed and struggling with both the investigation and issues of their own. Many of them have a history. Some of them still have a present. Some exude evil vibes and others seem lost and wandering in their own nightmare of confusion. Others are just angry. Ennis is not a happy place, full of deep, dark secrets, strange goings-on and cold. Deep cold. Always. </p><p><b>The Premise</b></p><p>These two female officers, and former peers, are at odds due to situations that arose in the past, plus good old personality clashes, but are being forced to work on the same disturbing and puzzling case <i>because </i>of those links in the past. The case in question? A group of scientists who disappear from their isolated research facility. And are then located -- naked and frozen together in a block of ice. And all of this somehow is linked to the murder of a native woman six years before. Or maybe "linked" isn't quite the right word. More like hopelessly tangled and intertwined.</p><p><b>The Ugly</b></p><p>This series is filled with frequent profanity, adult situations (bordering on gratuitous), culture clashes, racism, sexism, and scenes that involve both stomach-churning squalor and horrific crime scenes. At first, I didn't honestly know if I could continue watching due to some of the more disturbing elements and portrayals, but it had just enough intrigue and "gotta-know-what-happens-next" that I stuck with it in spite of the "peek between my fingers" cringing. For all their disturbing and sometimes disgusting actions, the characters eventually hooked me -- both the "good guys" and "bad guys" -- though I use both terms very loosely. Yet it's the over-arching mystery that really sunk the hook deep.</p><p><b>The Fascinating</b></p><p>What's going on here? Is it supernatural? Or is it only crafted to look that way? It's definitely rooted in the collision of cultures, but is it more? Is it embedded in legend, location, or all of the above? Or none of the above. </p><p>From a mysterious tattoo, to a one-eyed polar bear - both the real thing and a stuffed animal mini-me, to an abandoned trailer, to the juxtaposition of good cop and bad cop, to the entire story unfolding in the perpetual night of an Alaskan winter, I am now completely on the hook after watching the first three episodes.</p><p>I'll give you a taste of Night Country in the videos below. Just don't judge it too harshly by this first glimpse into all the goings-on. If you love mysteries, this is as hooky as they get. But you'll have to decide if all the in-your-face harshness that comes with it is your cup of hot tea. <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/WkL7cpG2UhE?si=CqhNydwgHyGV8YTc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And for anyone still with me, here's a video of Jodie Foster's and Kali Reis's </div><div style="text-align: center;">take on filming the series.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/RPeUMeIK_Cw?si=EMJAeRR-asmu5LxY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></blockquote><p>Let me know your thoughts in the comments.</p><p>Be back soon. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-76321898938602287452023-12-22T15:00:00.011-07:002023-12-22T15:00:00.138-07:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMomvFWGlOCV2lTmLi945ZwO1YWff6rY1mBMUoaubhgWeaNfcVgZd9ZWC-J6cypJ60_XJXKL3YhsmU8tgUbLvrOEQT-xI9hHoY5yCYf8C3gVp1vfa_twIb88pbini96nlxnfFrOMwubsJ2LbSaxvvTQg61gwWoGRrueBPuATtZRQdtuv0ie9e-0zBouu-/s1526/Christmas%20Banner%20The%20Firebird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1526" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMomvFWGlOCV2lTmLi945ZwO1YWff6rY1mBMUoaubhgWeaNfcVgZd9ZWC-J6cypJ60_XJXKL3YhsmU8tgUbLvrOEQT-xI9hHoY5yCYf8C3gVp1vfa_twIb88pbini96nlxnfFrOMwubsJ2LbSaxvvTQg61gwWoGRrueBPuATtZRQdtuv0ie9e-0zBouu-/w400-h184/Christmas%20Banner%20The%20Firebird.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><b>I'll be back with more</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><b>in 2024!</b></i></span></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-78196028686685424092023-12-20T07:00:00.008-07:002023-12-20T10:13:54.738-07:00Courting Disaster: What's With the Helmet?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcbWWz4vHmZp0S7jOBtf5daDj1ugvZbk3Qe_fvKx0hlNJhGUHfg-_xVwr1wCVvPCdz6Wr0PeM5aKdGotnottEoJhRl79NdsrjeFnZbPfBpi79POIV-0rohUWMRvoMKY-IIDWZZ8vdSosRnaQXmoujd17xocXaXdUDH4PL9Rnw_6DSK5shuU_Rt7IPvSg-/s4800/Courting%20Disaster%20Final%20Update.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4800" data-original-width="3200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcbWWz4vHmZp0S7jOBtf5daDj1ugvZbk3Qe_fvKx0hlNJhGUHfg-_xVwr1wCVvPCdz6Wr0PeM5aKdGotnottEoJhRl79NdsrjeFnZbPfBpi79POIV-0rohUWMRvoMKY-IIDWZZ8vdSosRnaQXmoujd17xocXaXdUDH4PL9Rnw_6DSK5shuU_Rt7IPvSg-/s320/Courting%20Disaster%20Final%20Update.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>As promised in my last post, here's the scene from my upcoming release, <b><i>Courting Disaster</i></b>, where Captain Navene Jagger, a top tier military captain on the cusp of a big promotion to command a newly commissioned battleship, is struggling to make sense of his interim assignment...<p></p><p>...and the helmet he's been issued to go with it. </p><p>If you missed my earlier post about an excerpt from the opening of <b><i>Courting Disaster</i></b>, you can find it <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2023/12/courting-disaster-is-at-top-of-my-2024.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></span></b>.</p><p><br /></p><p>_______________________________________________</p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Jagger stood at the docking bay
entrance, trying to find any positives in this gigadam boondoggle. He’d be
flying solo, he reminded himself, just like the glory days of slicing through
space in his Rimmcraft Stiletto. It might not be all bad. That thought tumbled
and burned the moment he caught sight of the shipwreck at the end of the
boarding passage.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">He checked the bay number again.
Yes. Right bay. He just couldn’t believe what was berthed there. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">The <i>Sheeban</i>’s battered
two-deck carcass could’ve been a clunky, mid-ranged compost hauler that had
seen its best days centuries ago. They wanted him to transport an ambassador’s
daughter through a very treacherous region of space in this wreck? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">What was the story here?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">And his newly requisitioned
civilian attire? A worn set of coveralls, untailored, drab gray, and lacking
any insignias. People were going to take him for a second-rate mechanic in
these faded greaseskins instead of a top-flight Carduwan officer.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">But that wasn’t the worst of it.
The garb came complete with a battered helmet and face shield. What was he
supposed to be—a pilot or a test-flight dummy?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Judging by the look of his vessel,
it was the latter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">The admiral couldn’t be serious
about this. Maybe this was Kareek’s idea of a joke? Or an elaborate hazing
meant to take him down a peg or two before he was presented with command of the
<i>Meritorious</i>?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">He glanced at the small packet the
quartermaster had pressed into his hand. “There’s a purser’s safe under the
pilot’s console,” the non-com had told him. “Use these lock codes to open it
once you’ve cleared station and are on course for the Rift. It contains your
classified directive from Command.” <o:p></o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">This “directive” would hopefully
shed a lot more light on the situation. Jagger gave the aged ship another
skeptical once-over. It was always an option to refuse a mission, but—he heaved
a weighty sigh—that had Career Ending Catastrophe stamped all over it. <o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: center;">_____________________________________</p><p style="text-align: left;">Thanks for stopping by to read a bit more of my upcoming release. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I'll be taking a short hiatus from now until the New Year (hey, where did 2023 go, anyway?), but I'll be back with more posts in January. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Have a wonderful holiday!</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-44575516913019873062023-12-18T07:00:00.001-07:002023-12-18T07:00:00.155-07:00Courting Disaster is at the Top of my 2024 Resolutions!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHFAWajWmns3pckzwM8hS7mVVoCJOiAD-4e5vJSilwimowbkaP1WX3Qa5vrmthch4gUbiX1fD1ppXCMZBgbZDJCeCQovm0P-Jeet93RA-gp0NnyEpPkBzJmHvjz5yKYwK3qGZ0yObkhT5vQlPo0ola3MMUL72-ZYJNtrdvsq1k_NYSIbLvpds8arSxdOI/s4800/Courting%20Disaster%20Final%20Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4800" data-original-width="3200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHFAWajWmns3pckzwM8hS7mVVoCJOiAD-4e5vJSilwimowbkaP1WX3Qa5vrmthch4gUbiX1fD1ppXCMZBgbZDJCeCQovm0P-Jeet93RA-gp0NnyEpPkBzJmHvjz5yKYwK3qGZ0yObkhT5vQlPo0ola3MMUL72-ZYJNtrdvsq1k_NYSIbLvpds8arSxdOI/s320/Courting%20Disaster%20Final%20Update.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Hmm, that may have sounded a bit like a prophecy of doom, but in reality <i><b>Courting Disaster</b></i> is my next project with a hopeful Spring-ish 2024 release date.<div><br /></div><div>The original story was published as a part of the <i><b>Pets in Space 2</b></i> anthology (when the series was still young), but the new incarnation is a much revised story with new, changed and expanded scenes. It's weighing in at roughly twice the word count.</div><div><br /></div><div>Truth be told, although <b><i>Courting Disaster</i></b> was my second StarDog story in the Inherited Stars series, it's the one that required the most enhancing and tweaking because it's an important precursor to the grand finale of this timeline. (And yes, I'm an admitted perfectionist and that has sometimes pulled the rug out from under my schedule. I'd say that I'd try harder to be less of a perfectionist, but really....what reader really wants that?)</div><div><br /></div><div>In hindsight, it actually will work out well with <i><b>Courting Disaster</b></i> being the final StarDog story released as a standalone, because it's the perfect segue into the novel that will wrap the timeline, <i>Inherit the Vengeance</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>So in other words, it's all good. :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me leave you with an excerpt of the opening, where the reader meets (or gets reacquainted with) the hero, Captain Navene Jagger. If you've read the anchor novel, <i><b>Inherit the Stars</b></i>, Jagger might not have seemed like hero material....but there's a lot more to the man than his swagger. </div><div><br /></div><div>[But why is he wearing a helmet on the cover, you ask? Check back for the next excerpt where Jagger asks the same question. ;) ]</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a first look.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________________________</div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Captain Navene Jagger smiled as he
gazed out the viewport of the immense space station. Talstar. Home of the
Universal Flight Academy, orbiting the lush blue world of Veros. Good memories
here. Heady times with his fellow cadets during the three calendars it had
required to earn his wings. He’d left the program with salutatorian honors.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">But without Drea.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">His smile slipped. Not every
recollection of Talstar was a good one. The broken engagement. The devastation
in Drea’s eyes. Watching her walk away for the last time. It had been his
greatest defeat—Hades, his <i>only</i> defeat. And he had no one to blame but
himself. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">He’d left Talstar the day after
graduation, stripped of his plans to test her father’s Mennelsohn prototype,
and promptly joined the Carduwan military.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">That had been ten calendars ago.
Ten very long calendars. He’d spent the first seven trying to apologize to Drea
for the unforgiveable, trying to prove to her he’d changed, trying desperately
to win her back.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Then <i>Sair</i> happened. Drea had
fallen in love with an escaped slave. A nobody. Or so he’d thought. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">That was when he’d finally grasped
the scale of the wedge he’d driven between them by his foolish, ego-driven
folly. <i>He’d</i> done this. <i>He’d</i> destroyed their relationship. Not
Drea. And, gods knew, not even Sair. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">That realization had sparked his
transformation. He’d reinvented himself, stopped being a ladies’ man, stopped
being <i>anything</i> other than a dedicated officer married to his career. He
didn’t have love…but at least he had pride. And purpose.</p></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">_____________________________________________________</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">More excerpts will follow soon. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-29231475949917277172023-12-15T12:38:00.000-07:002023-12-15T12:38:00.376-07:00More on a Work in Progress<p>Not too long ago I wrote a blog on a villain in one of my novels and on some of the dynamics surrounding villains and how they use lies to create a false narrative. If you didn't catch it, you can read it <b><u><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2023/08/storytelling-effective-villains-and.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</u></b></p><p>Roughly twenty-one years prior to the opening of my novel, working title "Draxis," there was a <strike>legendary</strike> infamous clash that became known as the <i>Battle for Draxis</i> (the working title of my WIP novella). It was the first time in their over 13,000 year history that this planet had experienced a war between two factions, where citizens died as a result of the conflict, and it shook the civilization to its foundation. </p><p>This terrible clash arose from a lie. Or more accurately, a series of related lies and half-truths. One leader repeatedly accused his challenger of being a would-be usurper and a pariah who would lead the planet to ruin and enslave the populace (when in fact, the one making the claims was actually the one plotting to do all of those things). </p><p>A manipulator can always find clever ways to twist the truth and turn the tables on his enemy, even when the truth should be quite obvious to any reasonably intelligent human being (...or reasonably intelligent alien, in this case). Sometimes people will buy into lies simply because they <i>want </i>to believe them, and because they prefer the status quo over change. Even if it promises to be for the better, many see change as disruptive and unsettling. "Don't upset the apple cart!"</p><p>My mission in writing this story is to present the unfolding drama in such a way that the reader can't be sure who is truly the Good Guy and who is the Bad Guy. Only the two opponents' actions and decisions in the course of the events will reveal their true characters.</p><p>This story is told from the perspective of Giadius [GEE ah Dee us], who is an important figure in the saga not only for who he is, but for how he later influences two central characters in the following novel. But at this point in time, he's definitely standing firmly in the grey area of doubt. He, like the reader, will have to make his own determination who to align with as events unfold.</p><p>I anticipate this story will be novella length, and if all goes according to plan, I'll release it as a companion to the full-length novel. </p><p>Here's a quick peek at the opening, which I'm just beginning to hammer out. It's still very much a work in progress. All comments or questions welcome.</p><p style="text-align: center;">________________________________________</p><p><i><b>The Great Palace </b></i></p><p><i><b>The City of Tahr</b></i></p><p><i><b>Draxis</b></i></p><p>From the high balcony, Giadius watched a star fall from the infinite blackness of the heavens. A burning star, its light flooding the dark plazas below in an expanding circle of illumination. Sound followed the light, a low rumble that crescendoed into a terrifying roar. Next came the blasts of searing heat. Giadius raised a hand to shield his face from the burn.</p><p>In the city below him, those awakened by the calamity rushed into the streets, screaming in terror. He felt no panic. The knowledge and memories of such an event had faded from the conscience of Draxis a generation ago. But he understood. Ultas hadn't prepared his people, so what could this mean to them but the end of their world?</p><p>Members of the royal staff flooded onto the balcony beside him, freezing in place to cry and curse and stare. Giadius exploited the confusion to slip through their ranks and back inside the palace before any came to their collective senses. He sidestepped the squad of guards charging up the steps to the second level and made way down to the now unguarded entry to the royal chambers below. Pitting his full weight against the massive door, he pushed it open just enough to angle through. Outside, he found the halls of the palace deserted. </p><p>This was his epiphany--his sign. A chance to slip his invisible bonds and disappear in the chaos. He knew what this meant. He knew who was coming. </p><p>He would be the first to meet the invaders. </p><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-90051294543629939442023-12-13T17:08:00.004-07:002023-12-15T12:17:01.312-07:00Author Behaving Badly (My Take)Or in this case, maybe the title should be "Would-Be Debut" author behaving badly. <div><br /></div><div>So we've had a bit of a blow up in the literary world that apparently came to a head in just the last few days. It apparently reared its ugly head as a big Goodreads scandal via Twitter ("X") and other social media sites.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Not being a big fan of social media, I missed this entire kerfuffle, but my Google search snagged it because it was allegedly, and very sadly, a debut science fiction romance author who appears to be at the root of the scandal. </div><div><br /></div><div>Over the years, I've seen similar author vs. author sabotage attempts. In the end, it always comes back to bite the one who's attempting to downgrade his or her peers' books in hopes of making theirs look more appealing. </div><div><br /></div><div>It almost always backfires, and sometimes -- like this instance -- spectacularly.
</div><div><br /></div><div>Authors are often accused of bad behavior (sometimes merely for trying to ethically promote their books) but this is the definition of bad behavior via a particularly vicious form of competition assassination by leaving negative reviews under an array of false identities for their (so-called) competitor's books. And according to multiple articles, it costed the author in question her debut book release, her agent, and probably her career after first attempting to blame it on a "friend," and then finally admitting responsibility.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me link you to one of the articles (that isn't behind a paywall) before I continue, so you can catch up on the situation:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.salon.com/2023/12/13/review-bombing-and-lost-book-deals-the-goodreads-scandal-explained/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Review Bombing and Lost Book Deals: The Goodreads Scandal Explained</span></b></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Sadly, what this and a few other authors don't sometimes grasp is that they have a unique product where sales are often boosted -- not impacted -- by similar books that sell well. These aren't refrigerators we're selling, where a single sale per customer isn't probably going to be repeated for ten or so years. People who buy books buy a LOT of books, and reading one book they really enjoy often causes them to search out more books in the same vein. Authors, therefore, aren't in competition with each other, and can instead complement the success of peers by supporting them and their work, and helping to create a demand for books in the same genre. </div><div><br /></div><div>So instead of trying to wreck havoc on sales for our peers (and wrecking our own careers in the process), we're much better off helping to build support for their books with a good review or mention to other readers. I had a peer who used to say "A rising tide floats all boats." </div><div><br /></div><div>The more popular the genre, the better for all who write the books. </div><div><br /></div><div>How very sad this individual didn't learn that "golden rule of the publishing industry" before they brought ruin to their own would-be career. </div><div><br /></div><div>Other sources: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/books/cait-corrain-goodreads-reviews.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NYTimes</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-64501411921593956572023-11-24T13:34:00.005-07:002023-11-24T20:57:18.892-07:00Surfacing Again to Say Happy Thanksgiving!<p>For those of you still reading this blog, I apologize for not being more productive with posts this last few months. This has been a difficult year for me as it relates to my writing, after my muse took an extended hike and left me without the motivation or the capacity to put any more words on paper -- electronically or otherwise.</p><p>It seems I'm coming out of that extended dry spell now, just in time for the holidays and to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving that includes a long weekend for some. I hope you enjoyed yesterday with friends and/or family, or just treasuring your own quiet time, whatever tradition brings you the most peace and joy. </p><p>I wanted to share this video with you. Although it's already three years old and released during one of the darkest times in American history with a major pandemic underway, it was sent out to our family group by a cousin this year during our Thanksgiving morning round of wishes and thoughts and photos, and it was honestly the first time I'd heard it. (The lyrics are cleverly included in the images on this one.)</p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/QwaxNPY5nIY?si=_M9P4g9N4vaU5FHl" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There's a line in the song that I'm sure referenced the aforementioned lengthy pandemic, but it also struck a chord with me and my struggles with writing this year. It goes...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><i>‘Cause we made it through, I do believe,<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><i>The longest year in history.</i></span></p></blockquote><p>That brought a tear to my eye. It reminded me that time is something we can never get back, and in spite of the setbacks, the disappointments, the slowly dissolving blocks of available time, and the lack of will to buckle down and work on a story or two -- at heart, I'm still a writer. And I have stories I still want to share. </p><p>I'm going to work harder at doing just that in the coming months. </p><p>Meanwhile, I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to the Christmas season. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>I hope to be back with another blog soon. (No, really!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-22813167645509940232023-09-12T13:20:00.001-06:002023-09-12T13:21:20.578-06:00Derby is Graduating!<p>Back when I was still involved with the annual Pets in Space anthologies -- before the series changed hands -- I donated toward the training of two Hero Dogs. </p><p><a href="http://www.hero-dogs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Hero Dogs</b></a> is a noble organization that raises and trains service dogs for disabled first responders and the Pets in Space volumes donated to the cause every year since inception in 2016. It was a great choice, IMHO, the perfect charity to be supported by limited edition volumes with a focus on "pets in space."</p><p>Both service dogs I sponsored had names that held meaning for me. </p><p>The first was MITCH. </p><p>Mitch is also the name of the hero of my as-yet-to-be-published novel, <b><i>The Outer Planets</i></b>, so picking out my first pup was an easy task. I followed him through his training and, as I was about to by a part of the second Pets in Space release, he graduated to become a bonafide service dog (not all pups make it, so I was very proud of him). This was the announcement I made on this blog on November 4, 2017:</p><p style="text-align: center;">_________________________________________________________ </p><div>
<div align="center">~ ~ <span style="color: red;"><strong>ANNOUNCING A VERY SPECIAL GRADUATION</strong></span> ~ ~</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As a participating author in both of the Pets in Space anthologies to date, one of the bonuses is being able to help support the <a href="http://www.hero-dogs.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>Hero Dogs</strong></a> organization with a 10% donation from all preorders and first month's sales.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TgKeZEOGZ4Lpk66b1gV9Z42x13Sx8dH_udvKfG5QTlq-sN3rAcVGVlpPXSuSGG-LJHGDKbVNA2AKQ2-7DrJXHsxF97cjSOquusoplFpr2Yar6k2Tgh6krQW_psnYic0vu-a5Mrw2Frg/s1600/Hero+Dog+Mitch.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TgKeZEOGZ4Lpk66b1gV9Z42x13Sx8dH_udvKfG5QTlq-sN3rAcVGVlpPXSuSGG-LJHGDKbVNA2AKQ2-7DrJXHsxF97cjSOquusoplFpr2Yar6k2Tgh6krQW_psnYic0vu-a5Mrw2Frg/s320/Hero+Dog+Mitch.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Hero -- Hero Dog Mitch<br />
Photo credit the Hero Dogs site</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A year ago, while involved with the original Pets in Space, I "adopted" one of the Hero Dog trainees -- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/herodogsmitch/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hero Dog Mitch</a> -- as a side project and made special donations to assist with his training toward becoming a service dog over the last year. (You can read <a href="http://www.hero-dogs.org/category/mitch/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mitch's blog</a> here.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I am absolutely delighted to announce that tomorrow, November 5th, Hero Dog Mitch will successfully graduate the Hero Dogs program as a service dog and will be paired with a US Coast Guard veteran!</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Much is asked of these dogs, and not every candidate has the right stuff to successfully graduate as a full-fledged service dog, so this is a very special occasion indeed. I received a personal invitation to attend from Hero Dogs, but will be unable to make the trip to Maryland this weekend to witness <a href="http://www.hero-dogs.org/2017-graduation/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mitch's graduation</a>. </div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I want to take this opportunity to wish Mitch and his veteran a very long, happy, and successful partnership.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
_______________________________________________</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: left;">I was super proud of my boy, Mitch. :) </span><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;">After his graduation, I picked out a second pup to support for future Pets in Space volumes, and her name was DERBY. </span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;">For those of you who are familiar with me, you probably know that we've been involved in breeding and/or raising Thoroughbreds for well over a decade, so "Derby" was an obvious choice. </span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;">(<b><a href="https://www.hero-dogs.org/dogs/hero-dogs-derby/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Link to Derby's page at Hero Dogs</a></b>)</span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;">Today, I was notified in a newsletter that Derby is now graduating, also as a bonafide service dog. She made it! </span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;">Her graduation ceremony will be on October 7th (which will be right around the time the latest volume of Pets in Space will released this year--but no, I haven't been involved with PISA in a number of years now). </span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;">Here's Derby's class graduation announcement:</span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrGpjUES6TaJ2dbczLK4_t3uEDiB6fR4-o9EGEDcvccP8ukGP3n15m4UaJJbYgtFtatgZa6RHt9XkOfkv9-pgN_g48-WYA_6bruKqLgqEuXw5vCIxsaIkXhHBvl-3M_-uDDEVPa9t76SKeTsU-Rt_gVG7tS0S1fyOv_u7LVw7VHtbsUfBCU5Fktz75kjc/s1080/2023-10-07%20Hero%20Dogs%20-%20Derby%20graduation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrGpjUES6TaJ2dbczLK4_t3uEDiB6fR4-o9EGEDcvccP8ukGP3n15m4UaJJbYgtFtatgZa6RHt9XkOfkv9-pgN_g48-WYA_6bruKqLgqEuXw5vCIxsaIkXhHBvl-3M_-uDDEVPa9t76SKeTsU-Rt_gVG7tS0S1fyOv_u7LVw7VHtbsUfBCU5Fktz75kjc/w400-h400/2023-10-07%20Hero%20Dogs%20-%20Derby%20graduation.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">The graduation of Derby feels like the Pets in Space chapter of my authordom is now closing. Though I'm still planning to publish my last former Pets in Space story -- <b><i>Courting Disaster </i></b>-- later this year, and that will close the entire book on my involvement with the Pets in Space franchise which introduced StarDogs to my Inherited Stars galaxy. :)</span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div>StarDogs will be back in later stories (or at least, that's the plan) but Pets In Space now feels a bit like a booster rocket that's been jettisoned. It helped to get me where I am, but it's no longer part of the program. </div><div><br /></div><div>Best wishes to Mitch on his continued mission as a Hero Dog, and Happy Soon-to-be-Graduated Derby. It was fun sharing part of my journey with two very exceptional Hero Dogs. </div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-26375497244594314792023-08-26T12:36:00.000-06:002023-08-26T12:36:43.928-06:00Storytelling: Effective Villains and Believable Lies<p>Well, my posts have certainly become few and far between lately. I apologize for going dark. There's a lot happening in the background called "real life" but I won't bore you with the details because it's probably non-relatable. Let's just say, "It's been the best of times, it's been the worst of times." (Inspired by a quote from Charles Dickens.) </p><p>Lately, I've been doing a lot of studying and thinking and applying it to my work.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlKTP9YxDKrEaHgadCYnnqo5cBk2orogNviECwySs6wFgym7GHc0zdSEgvQQiOv-LICnPDw29paqpoJHcmJ9d-_AkxhKEzT87g-R8YyU3esgcSdYagbvct7nGE_frjs7zkCe9tpC13YLDZr3qWSxsOuJKqBF1AbiWVhm21IBMlghYwuazrS4G3fB3jqv0/s453/Study.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="453" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlKTP9YxDKrEaHgadCYnnqo5cBk2orogNviECwySs6wFgym7GHc0zdSEgvQQiOv-LICnPDw29paqpoJHcmJ9d-_AkxhKEzT87g-R8YyU3esgcSdYagbvct7nGE_frjs7zkCe9tpC13YLDZr3qWSxsOuJKqBF1AbiWVhm21IBMlghYwuazrS4G3fB3jqv0/w400-h256/Study.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>I've been studying what has happened in the past, what is happening now, and what may lie ahead...and how those elements can be interwoven into fiction. (I won't go into a lot of detail because my personal experience "won't compute" for a large number of people.) </p><p>Today, I want to just focus on one of the things I've been studying and that's the nature of lies....and people who lie....and people who use lies for their own purposes and gain. It's a pretty dark rabbit hole to go down in reality, so let's not do that. </p><p>I'll just post a few memes on my philosophy on liars, which is pretty simple:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjDNmrQoXiJL51iDjHJTeXnVuZcET7rvFNVBRJk54dQm614SCo5d0MpoPnYT5-MWcC7uNZ17ysZWa-FiOHKc3M8i9mubPeWHNZ0bOCjauP1_X6VAOnECsXC4XXAkK7DXr1ulZCFjkgtStW37ViQGWPhI3ERtSrH4y79OI-e_yqeS7TKzMLZeDYq__z8BN/s387/Theirlies.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="387" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjDNmrQoXiJL51iDjHJTeXnVuZcET7rvFNVBRJk54dQm614SCo5d0MpoPnYT5-MWcC7uNZ17ysZWa-FiOHKc3M8i9mubPeWHNZ0bOCjauP1_X6VAOnECsXC4XXAkK7DXr1ulZCFjkgtStW37ViQGWPhI3ERtSrH4y79OI-e_yqeS7TKzMLZeDYq__z8BN/w400-h215/Theirlies.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtT-vQslJw4La4HIDH4mZo3KgXRUJcHildopo39R9CRzO82cXMFm55b-FINpbp8Gy2lKry_TbnD83f7yxC9AujLBYJhceWNTE-AAowzcKxH873phrNf4H8gEewQYCPVOc7YpcOSp4jGI9KUrFRUhHhBV9j4R_wSesGFqNX-NByUnxl_11vpdULR62JFVv/s320/Truth%20Three%20Sides.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="320" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtT-vQslJw4La4HIDH4mZo3KgXRUJcHildopo39R9CRzO82cXMFm55b-FINpbp8Gy2lKry_TbnD83f7yxC9AujLBYJhceWNTE-AAowzcKxH873phrNf4H8gEewQYCPVOc7YpcOSp4jGI9KUrFRUhHhBV9j4R_wSesGFqNX-NByUnxl_11vpdULR62JFVv/w400-h278/Truth%20Three%20Sides.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and especially...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2y280az5qVCI0eEIEAv4At-i5Z6GTqSMimTWxvvSTNQ5OXmcJcPmjBg_s8RCz4ey-wlMa6nuX4HH6w9xNe0wO-QtP2MlcKjGVbm-zY6SHwHDYpnjUOkhAyLT0m1S-gZp2cnkifwO5RpKsGD2P6T7v6U0sbOCBxcyeozronYEI29op0liZ9sZhgHGqjpok/s317/Truth%20lyin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="236" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2y280az5qVCI0eEIEAv4At-i5Z6GTqSMimTWxvvSTNQ5OXmcJcPmjBg_s8RCz4ey-wlMa6nuX4HH6w9xNe0wO-QtP2MlcKjGVbm-zY6SHwHDYpnjUOkhAyLT0m1S-gZp2cnkifwO5RpKsGD2P6T7v6U0sbOCBxcyeozronYEI29op0liZ9sZhgHGqjpok/w298-h400/Truth%20lyin.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In fiction, we often create characters who lie as a means to advance their own position, their own selfish plans or to defend themselves from being judged too harshly by others. A really effective villain can usually weave lies and deception that will fool and mislead a great many people. If they weren't capable of that, they'd be reduced to a mustache-twirling Snidely Whiplash. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Old Snidely isn't very convincing, so a truly skilled villain learns three basic tactics: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1) How to make lies sound like the truth, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2) How to persuade a lot of other people to buy into his/her lies (usually with some sort of reward), and </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3) How to punish those who disagree with those lies.</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"I'll get you, my pretty...and your little dog, too!" </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Number 3 may be one way to discern if someone is telling the truth. If they are telling the truth, and someone disagrees, they won't punish that person for not believing them or for being intelligent enough not to buy in to their deception. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But the thing about villains is that in the end, <i>they lose</i>. Usually big time (...unless of course, the author is planning a sequel). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If the story has no sequel where the villain returns, then the end is just The End. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Justice is served. Judgement is rendered. The evil villain is doomed. Truth and goodness prevails.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQITbSEEs5sUe7Wo2IonucuVv8eUusX9u1IIdOk198gGqyyrHNNsRMMY8WPbYLur-8s0KvUSTnIVXDKMsDXLMmaCe432K7MDnBQWuI8qY7uHFSONhbAG2_iOD2qMHz4tDntf7QG1jBLMB5sVy30iJuLdDC3FuPf5hX2jy-UPkh9yzKMbWetNCXZlhAsjl/s720/I%20Saw%20That%20-%20Karma.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="716" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQITbSEEs5sUe7Wo2IonucuVv8eUusX9u1IIdOk198gGqyyrHNNsRMMY8WPbYLur-8s0KvUSTnIVXDKMsDXLMmaCe432K7MDnBQWuI8qY7uHFSONhbAG2_iOD2qMHz4tDntf7QG1jBLMB5sVy30iJuLdDC3FuPf5hX2jy-UPkh9yzKMbWetNCXZlhAsjl/w398-h400/I%20Saw%20That%20-%20Karma.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>These are the themes I'm working with in a current novel. The villain has credentials, power and influence and portrays himself as a good and decent man. He fools a lot of people and manages to convince them that he's their rightful leader, that his challenger is a threat to them and their way of life--and further, that his opponent is the one who lies and misleads. But beneath his shining white robes (literally) and his dark cloak of deception, he's not a righteous man, he's a self-serving and demented human being. (Okay, this is sci-fi so he's really an alien, but he's human enough to pass.)<div><br /></div><div>But the thing about lies is they eventually ensnare the one telling them.<div><br /></div><div>"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." </div><div><br /></div><div>That phrase is often attributed to Shakespeare, but it was actually said by Sir Walter Scott. According to the site <a href="https://nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/oh-what-a-tangled-web-we-weave/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">No Sweat Shakespeare</a>, it means: </div><div><blockquote>"...<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "open sans", HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica-Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">when you lie or act dishonestly you are initiating problems and a domino structure of complications which eventually run out of control.</span>"</blockquote></div><div><div>Yes, he and his cronies make a pretty convincing argument. Jointly, they have a talent for taking the truth and twisting facts and circumstances to serve their own end game. You can fool many of the people all of the time...but eventually, the truth is going to win out.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZXH6Z9ssyZ38rwIqn_Cs-MmmC4jf3ClrwJtD-CJ6XLlQDyRMraClVev54RI4hp4av0reDFUQf5nZF6V0ZQV8ExrzjVCYzFtsQNvhDUG4YOES2rSEa6VypZ1fq4sjy_OXCqUxNLX1xYcl_SaaJhA67HHSRvF9Ckq7EjaifczCozuF2iiIcx2wDbCaJ39_/s652/Truth%20in%20the%20Equation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="460" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZXH6Z9ssyZ38rwIqn_Cs-MmmC4jf3ClrwJtD-CJ6XLlQDyRMraClVev54RI4hp4av0reDFUQf5nZF6V0ZQV8ExrzjVCYzFtsQNvhDUG4YOES2rSEa6VypZ1fq4sjy_OXCqUxNLX1xYcl_SaaJhA67HHSRvF9Ckq7EjaifczCozuF2iiIcx2wDbCaJ39_/w283-h400/Truth%20in%20the%20Equation.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I'm intentionally avoiding the name of the villain character because <i>spoilers...</i>but the current working title of the story is in the tags, if you're curious.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have you read any books with a thoroughly convincing villain who cleverly manipulates the truth? Let me know the titles and I'll check them out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time.</div><div><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-37346185730237236822023-07-26T08:57:00.002-06:002023-08-26T18:20:26.083-06:00Checking In!<p>Hi all, it's been a very busy and exciting summer, and I apologize that this blog has taken a bit of a back burner while I'm dealing with a lot of real life ups-and-downs. (I never was a big fan of roller coasters, but...here I am! :D )</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnWmVpp7QlDEFgT--mKPFgrh57BUqX28i3djAb86JeCj6lXxt1ZXUXO5TtTCu9h81F2P2W0DC56xo8t2xLXHkEY1D-IE-0-Reqq68JXfjoeam3rV7sIVCq372TdXfs6sDv7q8o4G-HCI5YX_xS9TI1OLY8NdNxtSp8NOS6DSK3osQyOCtEAm75q4DN8dc/s4800/Courting%20Disaster%20Final%20Update.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4800" data-original-width="3200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnWmVpp7QlDEFgT--mKPFgrh57BUqX28i3djAb86JeCj6lXxt1ZXUXO5TtTCu9h81F2P2W0DC56xo8t2xLXHkEY1D-IE-0-Reqq68JXfjoeam3rV7sIVCq372TdXfs6sDv7q8o4G-HCI5YX_xS9TI1OLY8NdNxtSp8NOS6DSK3osQyOCtEAm75q4DN8dc/w133-h200/Courting%20Disaster%20Final%20Update.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>For a brief recap, <b><i>Courting Disaster </i></b>is still in the editing phase. I hope to be making more headway soon, but as of now, the anticipated summer release is not likely. I honestly thought the story was as "perfect" as I could get it before submitting to my editor. My editor didn't agree. It's going to take a bit of time to work through her feedback. This story is crucial to the timeline going forward and as soon as my schedule allows, it will be priority #1. <p></p><p>Luna, who was the inspiration for the Star Dog in <i><b>Courting Disaster</b></i>, has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and probably will be leaving us sometime in the next year. :'( We're doing what we can to keep her comfortable including regular visits to our vet. This has given me more incentive to get "her" story published and out there while she's still here. I'll try to do more frequent updates, snippets, etc. to keep you in the loop.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmtbp_eTFJpgw7RLB5VIp9_pZliUq9mF7YIMHz85-DOKD0Ku4PiiFqnctNZaW1nx3H2o0l6reAly0FdXHPQ9nVAblv4cHegJK6aGK-Btu02KmupqpOBN_QwdTW9DRFpIK-Emyyw0Sxwh2JkXK7NebPjhSMXpj51Y-QrklyCarD6qHvyhq2-ikzEqXiQ74/s500/The%20Hungry%20Ocean%20Linda%20Greenlaw.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="295" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmtbp_eTFJpgw7RLB5VIp9_pZliUq9mF7YIMHz85-DOKD0Ku4PiiFqnctNZaW1nx3H2o0l6reAly0FdXHPQ9nVAblv4cHegJK6aGK-Btu02KmupqpOBN_QwdTW9DRFpIK-Emyyw0Sxwh2JkXK7NebPjhSMXpj51Y-QrklyCarD6qHvyhq2-ikzEqXiQ74/w118-h200/The%20Hungry%20Ocean%20Linda%20Greenlaw.jpg" width="118" /></a></div>I did finish Linda Greenlaw's book, <b><i>The Hungry Ocean</i></b>. It was a good read, gave some great insights into the workings of a small crew (which may transfer in part to my future releases), and a ton of information on Swordfishing, which I've been a little fascinated with since first viewing<b><i> The Perfect Storm</i></b> many years ago. I'll be reading another of her books soon. <p></p><p>I have to comment that it was a little sobering how huge the effort is in way of planning, supplies, groceries for a month, knowhow, ocean dynamics, instinct and pure luck go into a successful Sword boat expedition, and how little the payoff seems in comparison to the hardships -- sleep deprivation, high risk, and crises that arise from managing a 100-foot fishing vessel and a crew living in close quarters. A lot of this will filter into my next novel,<b><i> Inherit the Vengeance</i></b>, where crew troubles come in to play at the beginning of the story. </p><p><b><i>Inherit the Vengeance</i></b> is not close to going to the editor, but many scenes--and even entire chapters--have been written. The story opens in Captain Dava Jordan's POV. Ironically, she was first introduced in <i style="font-weight: bold;">StarDog</i>, and that story was inspired in part by the need to give her an origin story before she plays a major role in <b><i>Inherit the Vengeance</i></b>.</p><p>I'll sign off for now. Luna-bear and my three other Stardogs say "Hi." :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JcwjYrj9jm0JzQFxOlL5WLnWgGjcFd2uXZaswOhPGgG2tT0c9TzkXl_rCpqKEr2k6XqH3peRTsE3nXqWREudYZLvkFIZsNM8SAxe6Ibaazt8TsQaLDVDlZzqtwggwirsHbgWvMo0vGFgSIpU6A3X9tangLHBsyOCv7_kPCky2blk5jATctntJLH8aglT/s1500/Author%20Signature%20Tagline-BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-22-272.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JcwjYrj9jm0JzQFxOlL5WLnWgGjcFd2uXZaswOhPGgG2tT0c9TzkXl_rCpqKEr2k6XqH3peRTsE3nXqWREudYZLvkFIZsNM8SAxe6Ibaazt8TsQaLDVDlZzqtwggwirsHbgWvMo0vGFgSIpU6A3X9tangLHBsyOCv7_kPCky2blk5jATctntJLH8aglT/w400-h400/Author%20Signature%20Tagline-BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-22-272.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-88334697841383940662023-05-19T12:01:00.001-06:002023-05-19T12:01:13.114-06:00The Perfect Storm Inspires Ideas<p>Recently, while watching an episode of Deadliest Catch (one of about three television series I follow anymore), I had a bit of a surprise in terms of the introduction of a new crew member to the show. </p><p>It was a lengthy introduction and for good reason.</p><p>The new crew member was Linda Greenlaw. THE Linda Greenlaw. If you don't know who she is, and you ever saw the motion picture <b><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perfect_Storm_(film)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Perfect Storm</a></i></b> with George Clooney as the captain of a swordfishing boat, <i>Andrea Gail</i>, out of Gloucester, Massachussetts, that's the Linda Greenlaw I'm talking about. It was based on a true story about real people. And Linda Greenlaw was -- and still is -- one of those real people. The captain of the <i>Andrea Gail</i>'s sister ship, the <i>Hannah Boden</i>. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSWO3eJoebpDjxvXORZ4yuf6Qig9jV0Bq9mf76REV4Kcin0CxB0SH-SBMmoszyP4DNe8mojdXChDM-8DWPiD_FzyxbNkp2st2sPjZWaj7u0nTz-jRg74KsYIy85-lqS4ELFP6bhwLAB07uUsp-NjnxCS9oZ5v2g4W8KMyviyPnX7sdGmb3AYuNCVcrQ/s331/Perfect_storm_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSWO3eJoebpDjxvXORZ4yuf6Qig9jV0Bq9mf76REV4Kcin0CxB0SH-SBMmoszyP4DNe8mojdXChDM-8DWPiD_FzyxbNkp2st2sPjZWaj7u0nTz-jRg74KsYIy85-lqS4ELFP6bhwLAB07uUsp-NjnxCS9oZ5v2g4W8KMyviyPnX7sdGmb3AYuNCVcrQ/s320/Perfect_storm_poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(theatrical release poster)</td></tr></tbody></table>And <i>that</i> Linda Greenlaw had just joined the crew of one of the Deadliest Catch king crab fishing boats. She had somehow acquired a quota of crab and was looking for a boat to partner with. After some trial and error, including running into an old nemesis from her <i>Hannah Boden</i> days, she found a spot. </p><p>In relating her backstory, they included some footage of Greenlaw talking about her life and about surviving the "perfect storm" (what they had always referred to as the 1991 "storm of the century") and how it had impacted her life. </p><p>The motion picture had been based on a novel by Sebastian Junger, <i>The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea</i>. There were a few things I gleaned from her story that spoke to Hollywood's version of the "true" story, such as the suggested romance between Captain Linda Greenlaw (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and Captain Billy Tynes (George Clooney) of the starcrossed swordboat, <i>Andrea Gail</i>. </p><p>Apparently, they were never a "thing." Greenlaw related that they did work for the same man, and they occasionally shared info about the location of fish, but there was no tearful scene with Linda speaking at the <i>Andrea Gail</i> crew's memorial service. "I wasn't there. I was out fishing," Linda related. </p><p>But that's not to say the disaster didn't impact her and her life. The owner of her boat did send her out to the last known location of the <i>Andrea Gail, </i>where they found a floating barrel with "A.G." painted on the side--debris from the lost ship. (Ironically, Mark Wahlberg's character, Bobby, is first viewed in the film standing on the bow of the <i>Andrea Gail</i> with several barrels marked "A.G." around him.) There was also a scene where a deceased member of Greenlaw's crew is carried off her vessel. That may have been based, in part, on a story she recanted on The Deadliest Catch of losing a crewmember. </p><p>Here's an opening clip from the movie which highlights the <i>Andrea Gail</i> and <i>Hannah Boden</i> vessels and captains returning from the sea. Some of the elements I just mentioned above are included, but it's score only -- no dialogue. </p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/LZ_QYknYk4g" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p></p><p>But what intrigued me the most was that I learned via her introduction and back story that Linda Greenlaw was also an author, and quite a successful one, apparently. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OgSdRonKG1TsScj4IMFiJmGEwbkWlAWxZSkRpOKuJD-l9jIAni-Nb0_W0Lkf-tkjPrT8hUd5CEU9q_IkLEgSOECOgEntYyKf0t5fgSgBxh0UL4rbdjZLuilyRgPCX9CfABiP0paeHu4WXOyF42kHlwMhmJsRy5r5OFUdghL8JQLXL_ypp-tHEAFxjg/s500/The%20Hungry%20Ocean%20Linda%20Greenlaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OgSdRonKG1TsScj4IMFiJmGEwbkWlAWxZSkRpOKuJD-l9jIAni-Nb0_W0Lkf-tkjPrT8hUd5CEU9q_IkLEgSOECOgEntYyKf0t5fgSgBxh0UL4rbdjZLuilyRgPCX9CfABiP0paeHu4WXOyF42kHlwMhmJsRy5r5OFUdghL8JQLXL_ypp-tHEAFxjg/s320/The%20Hungry%20Ocean%20Linda%20Greenlaw.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>A quick search on Amazon revealed quite a list of both fiction and non-fiction books, including <b><i>The Hungry Ocean</i></b>, <i><b>The Lobster Chronicles</b></i>, <i><b>All Fishermen are Liars</b></i>, <b><i>Seaworthy</i></b>, four books in The Jane Bunker Mystery series including<b><i> Slipknot</i></b>, <b><i>Fishermen's Bend</i></b>, <i><b>Shiver Hitch</b></i> and <b><i>Bimini Twist</i></b>, the non-fiction <b><i>Lifesaving Lessons: Notes from an Accidental Mother</i></b> and two cookbooks, <b><i>Recipes from a Very Small Island </i></b>and <b><i>The Maine Summers Cookbook</i></b>. Her books rank between four and five stars on Amazon, with at least one earning more than 500 reviews, and she was a New York Times bestseller, which seems to indicate she is quite a talent as a writer and has a few things to say that a lot of readers were interested to read about. <p></p><p>It occurred to me, an author who writes many stories centered on small crews on starships, that her work might have a few inspiring ideas and "small ship environment" tidbits to lend to my work. (Wish I'd found her work a decade ago.)</p><p>So although I don't tend to read a lot outside my preferred genre, I'm going to give her books a try starting with <i>T<b>he Hungry Ocean: The Captain's Story</b></i><b> </b>and <i style="font-weight: bold;">Seaworthy: A Swordboat Captain Returns to the Sea. </i>If those are inspiring, I'll read on. </p><p>I'll post a follow-up here on The Firebird at some point in the future.</p><p>Laurie</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpbOBarKcbVh9IIL7Wuh1IQcRY_DSthjyt1AD1nJ2babsGcnpLpJEA_uLWqpMNLmnRtVIdABxzDKGMxjYcpHeiptjNSOxk9hW7tLvUXXMQhYTWpVZEfWgmRe0g0NlSKlPRi0JR_PoZhKS_Mu4f8afBCaN8E4diJkHv6CAsnyULk2_di3rI51eOyo7ow/s1500/Author%20Signature%20Tagline-BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-22-263.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpbOBarKcbVh9IIL7Wuh1IQcRY_DSthjyt1AD1nJ2babsGcnpLpJEA_uLWqpMNLmnRtVIdABxzDKGMxjYcpHeiptjNSOxk9hW7tLvUXXMQhYTWpVZEfWgmRe0g0NlSKlPRi0JR_PoZhKS_Mu4f8afBCaN8E4diJkHv6CAsnyULk2_di3rI51eOyo7ow/w400-h400/Author%20Signature%20Tagline-BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-22-263.png" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-85166878007540804392023-05-04T18:21:00.003-06:002023-05-04T18:23:44.573-06:00Juggernaut has Docked at the SFR Station!<p><i style="font-weight: bold;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNupLCbYewGDBHIqFICdYp4VX1zbH1qELN-OQiSk0CYJu-9K6S3gGzhf5ItQLcXLj_rorFlWo9UzxPaM3sGDklgsnYdfzOrcMHW6vs1y7MpECxx2hqMxE_8qI1pcIOzkVFIVSbIuAPZRMlpYc9XH1KREJwHv2thdlUYeTpQgjMwpyCPWH9uktFIB6Bgw/s4800/Juggernaut%20final%203.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4800" data-original-width="3200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNupLCbYewGDBHIqFICdYp4VX1zbH1qELN-OQiSk0CYJu-9K6S3gGzhf5ItQLcXLj_rorFlWo9UzxPaM3sGDklgsnYdfzOrcMHW6vs1y7MpECxx2hqMxE_8qI1pcIOzkVFIVSbIuAPZRMlpYc9XH1KREJwHv2thdlUYeTpQgjMwpyCPWH9uktFIB6Bgw/w133-h200/Juggernaut%20final%203.jpg" width="133" /></a></i></div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Juggernaut </i>has now been added to the SFR Station. <p></p><p>You can find all my current books as well as many other great Science Fiction Romance reads on the SFR Station by clicking the bold "<b><i>Juggernaut</i></b>" link below. </p><p>(No more searching on Amazon or other book sellers for hours. The SFR Station has the lion's share of SFR books available just one click away.)</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><a href="https://www.sfrstation.com/juggernaut-by-laurie-a-green/?feed_id=1551&_unique_id=64539eb457207" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Juggernaut</a></i></b></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xx1DGLH7tXoM-N_Qh7ICBi72l8xng1AWyrxbR0MHVAy1oMrzzaR4bgupyIJHCDWi0stYWl0snMxsVc02SJGjRqqzPWj8CaE4IXQhqQKuRxrHk4oulf7djqY4hkByXptVCwh2X36jh24UoeANBbYfUNmoRjnhVkjOAd6ZSSfe3FNueBSK9oswbZHuaQ/s800/SFR-Station-Logo-Large.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xx1DGLH7tXoM-N_Qh7ICBi72l8xng1AWyrxbR0MHVAy1oMrzzaR4bgupyIJHCDWi0stYWl0snMxsVc02SJGjRqqzPWj8CaE4IXQhqQKuRxrHk4oulf7djqY4hkByXptVCwh2X36jh24UoeANBbYfUNmoRjnhVkjOAd6ZSSfe3FNueBSK9oswbZHuaQ/s320/SFR-Station-Logo-Large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-73421076061765060712023-04-25T11:29:00.003-06:002023-04-25T12:06:35.959-06:00Catching Up (or Where the Heck Have I Been?)<p>So sorry I've been quiet these past weeks. We have a lot going on in our lives (mostly good, but at times a bit of a drain on my time). No big news in my author's life at the moment but I am working on getting the next book "out there" in the near future (or as near as I can manage).</p><p><b><i></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8kmnr-eYHociL_eGXdkW5QmPbcIlX2eZtgiqEB1DHq3nYPP1d_zyS_YWaKG5e_RNqwGNNyZVH6clcSJGldFepg2xQAe7vMddA3wW_zYsk0X4b0n6xd_mn2uBUSdIn24sslSHuTgTQ4cjNyBi6SPJ7bFnjNplyZnQaaVHhmUIXFjcrmf8JcjW_ur11w/s4800/Courting%20Disaster%20Final%20Update.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4800" data-original-width="3200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8kmnr-eYHociL_eGXdkW5QmPbcIlX2eZtgiqEB1DHq3nYPP1d_zyS_YWaKG5e_RNqwGNNyZVH6clcSJGldFepg2xQAe7vMddA3wW_zYsk0X4b0n6xd_mn2uBUSdIn24sslSHuTgTQ4cjNyBi6SPJ7bFnjNplyZnQaaVHhmUIXFjcrmf8JcjW_ur11w/s320/Courting%20Disaster%20Final%20Update.jpg" width="213" /></a></i></b></div><b><i>Courting Disaster</i></b> (now officially dubbed "my problem child") is back from the first round of edits with my editor - on this version - and still has some work ahead. The base story was originally released in the second <b><i>Pets in Space</i></b> volume back in 2017, but I felt it needed a lot more work and a lot more words before being published as a separate book. <p></p><p>It's gotten both. It's about 30% longer and will probably earn the title of my "Most Edited Book" by the time I'm done. Meanwhile, the cover--which has been completed for about four years -- stands by ready for duty. :)</p><p>The reason I'm being so "perfectionist" with this book (moreso than usual) is that this story will set up the next novel, which will close out this timeline in the Inherited Stars Series. </p><p>Not to worry, there are many more stories to come -- prequels and sequels and companion stories alike! (Now just to get them all written!)</p><p>In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing some excerpts and working on some graphics that I'll post here on The Firebird. They've been very popular in the past.</p><p>Meanwhile, have you read <b><i>The Shell and the Star</i></b> on this blog? It's an aquatic Space Adventure Romance that takes place in the far future of the Inherited Stars Series. One thing it shares in common with <b><i>Courting Disaster</i></b> is Talstar Station. Readers might be surprised to find out that Talstar -- former HQ of the Carduwan Fifth Fleet and the Universal Flight Academy -- is still around in 50,000 years! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9wCJVpEudU_NbXmOrUeEKuXm3pELypY3RVYc8RjgictXk8W9QWlAFQzgsVZ0bA33abcQnK6NyIwknp63oxjuw1mse0VhY_Rh260OY-QkCurGU6IeWx-8CXatKqaZiducDr7x_RZoadCqw5yMPm-fgAWRnHS8jLGHwhDc-z_8gLVzNUSUBT8xylzJ_Q/s684/The%20Shell%20and%20The%20Star%20Title.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="684" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9wCJVpEudU_NbXmOrUeEKuXm3pELypY3RVYc8RjgictXk8W9QWlAFQzgsVZ0bA33abcQnK6NyIwknp63oxjuw1mse0VhY_Rh260OY-QkCurGU6IeWx-8CXatKqaZiducDr7x_RZoadCqw5yMPm-fgAWRnHS8jLGHwhDc-z_8gLVzNUSUBT8xylzJ_Q/w400-h125/The%20Shell%20and%20The%20Star%20Title.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/p/the-shell-and-star.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to start reading <b><i>The Shell and the Star</i></b></a>.</p><p> </p><p>I'll post more soon. (Promise!)</p><p>Hey, while you're here, check out my new digital signature block....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5HxSLq7REI6VYaepoQf_caa0yWG436aNlfu6KVyi3KlAdGKC1B18O-iQcKfnCbeomZTZOofX8vZjwJVMgHbLLOfvsYNzHdekbVaPqnrSvyDdnmlrD69yZgCKZ8nTPz-CsPR6Sv9jRO2mpStccD7_Cj_yhwlk8ClP5-2Qzu6knyy-PH4KHw846k6Lsw/s1500/Author%20Signature%20Tagline-BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-22-272.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5HxSLq7REI6VYaepoQf_caa0yWG436aNlfu6KVyi3KlAdGKC1B18O-iQcKfnCbeomZTZOofX8vZjwJVMgHbLLOfvsYNzHdekbVaPqnrSvyDdnmlrD69yZgCKZ8nTPz-CsPR6Sv9jRO2mpStccD7_Cj_yhwlk8ClP5-2Qzu6knyy-PH4KHw846k6Lsw/w400-h400/Author%20Signature%20Tagline-BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-22-272.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-64405771692170079142023-03-20T07:25:00.001-06:002023-03-20T07:25:00.198-06:00Eschatology and the End of Days<b>Eschatology</b> (/ˌɛskəˈtɒlədʒi/ (listen); from Ancient Greek ἔσχατος (éskhatos) 'last', and -logy) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. <div><br /></div><div>The end of the world -- or the End Times - is predicted by several world religions with teachings or prophesies that specific events will reach a climax and result in ultimate catastrophe. </div><div><br /></div><div>Believing the end of the world is imminent is known as apocalypticism, and over time this belief has been held by both members of mainstream religions and by doomsday cults.<div><br /></div><div>The last few years -- and particularly in the last few months -- there's been a lot of talk and speculation about if we're approaching the end of the world as we know it. I've been doing a lot of thinking about that myself. Cue the earworm R.E.M. rock song...</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/xnW0oi7iPQ4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That song was actually released in 1987, so we've been waiting for the end of the world as R.E.M. knew it for a very long time -- 36 years. Other end dates on civilization and/or the human race have certainly come and gone in those three-and-a-half decades. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is a blog I wrote over 11 years ago that also dealt with the subject of eschatology and the End of the World and how it intersected with my writing life (at that point, it wasn't an authorly life yet). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I promise it's not a doom and gloom read, and it might even give you a smile.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">__________________________________</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Something's coming. Something BIG! <br />
<br />
Or not.<br />
<br />
Lately I've been living a sort of immersion scenario while I work on my third novel and reflect on the current uneasiness in our culture surrounding an upcoming date on our calendar.<br />
<br />
Let me explain...<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Living With World-Changing Prophecy</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>2012</b></span><br />
<br />
We're living in a time where our world has gone edgy with expectation.<br />
<br />
Many cultures of the past--the Mayan, the Hopi, the Chinese, and others--have all hinted that on one particular date in the future something big is going to happen. Many researchers agree they are all pointing to the same date--December 21, 2012. <br />
<br />
12-21-12<br />
<br />
Eleven months from now.<br />
<br />
No one really knows exactly what will happen, only that an ancient calendar comes to an abrupt end on that particular date.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTvXvDs9oquqJqx2AWwSl0wunF6KyqeGy80e3ElyUUxBvs7HOCJBw6Oh6VPPLqoJhtHn5cAs94Gj0rzorg_DQF0xm_P6pIuWcs7NxP0YpIhmdxQNpOIi-W3yqOuM7ZoyDVq4u9f4GX_o/s1600/mayan-calendar-doomsday.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTvXvDs9oquqJqx2AWwSl0wunF6KyqeGy80e3ElyUUxBvs7HOCJBw6Oh6VPPLqoJhtHn5cAs94Gj0rzorg_DQF0xm_P6pIuWcs7NxP0YpIhmdxQNpOIi-W3yqOuM7ZoyDVq4u9f4GX_o/s200/mayan-calendar-doomsday.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>Some forecast doom and gloom in the eerily prophetic Mayan calendar--a calendar that has supposedly marked every major astronomical event for eons. Its terminus has been put forth by some to correlate to an energy surge from alignment with the galactic rift, a polar shift, intense solar flares, impact by a stray comet or errant asteroid, a direct hit from a gamma ray burst, an overdue supervolcanic eruption, shut down of the ocean conveyor and the inevitable instant ice age, or the mysterious planet X that's supposedly going to swoop in from the edges of our solar system, gallop through the orbital planes of the inner planets to collide with Earth.<br />
<br />
Some believe it will be a change for better, for enlightenment, for the next step in human evolution.<br />
<br />
And then there's the school of thought that nothing is going to happen at all. It's just going to be another date on the calendar.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0opU16uUw7p6xf4YbiHgjXkaDNFFn4WB5Le4IpVus_Oo_IX98QzClbEW6CaDHKIhqzyqn8k8Y4IIbq30GP03jJOQdNUhhVSSDKksajy0jb_D4Irg1ls6oQdVbMFlQvnzyuZmPDjpcTQ/s1600/asteroid-hits-earth-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0opU16uUw7p6xf4YbiHgjXkaDNFFn4WB5Le4IpVus_Oo_IX98QzClbEW6CaDHKIhqzyqn8k8Y4IIbq30GP03jJOQdNUhhVSSDKksajy0jb_D4Irg1ls6oQdVbMFlQvnzyuZmPDjpcTQ/s200/asteroid-hits-earth-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>After all, how can an ancient society predict what's going to happen in the future--long after their civilization has ceased to exist? How can they know?<br />
<br />
There's actually a precedence for that, according to some researchers. They're studying a sudden spike in global consciousness the morning of September 11, 2001, <i>hours</i> before the events of that day actually occurred. They claim random event generators can predict catastrophes that are yet to happen. [<a href="http://www.damninteresting.com/random-event-generators-predict-the-future/">Read more</a>.] Are they quacks, or is there really a way to tap into a global consciousness and "see" events that are yet to happen? Are some people wired to tune in to the future?<br />
<br />
Was Nostradamus a prophet who predicted the rise of Hitler and other upheavals in history, or merely a very clever creator of enigmatic words with symbolism that could be interpreted or twisted in any way to mean anything a person chooses?<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Great Prophecy of Draxis</b></span><br />
<br />
In my work in progress, Draxis, the people of this fictional society are living with a prehistoric prophecy that <i>might</i> be coming true. And just like the theories surrounding 2012, many are jittery and fearful. They aren't sure if the change that's foretold will result in annihilation, or glorious evolution...or if anything will happen at all. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcjz7Txf8T3MwFMAkxtgio-hGh67gYuvfSZDnbtCFIt4J5ZggvZFnhU-cMZsIdA4AQ2mFg8WJ0icSMkuNcXdYSk0uU_Bg91G5YNz-q3FGJn2D8iCL7QBtUnSbMnklTdvwzXD1sFNDmMo/s1600/AncientScroll.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcjz7Txf8T3MwFMAkxtgio-hGh67gYuvfSZDnbtCFIt4J5ZggvZFnhU-cMZsIdA4AQ2mFg8WJ0icSMkuNcXdYSk0uU_Bg91G5YNz-q3FGJn2D8iCL7QBtUnSbMnklTdvwzXD1sFNDmMo/s320/AncientScroll.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>The Great Prophecy was written by a philosopher-visionary named Hamaden Sarcassius sometime around 9,000 BC by our time scale, the text carefully preserved for over twelve thousand years.<br />
<br />
Who Sarcassius really was is lost to the centuries. Heck, maybe he was a mad. Or maybe he had ulterior motives for penning his prophecy. Or maybe--just maybe--he had the gift of vision and sent a dire warning to his race across a great expanse of time that something was coming--something the Draxians needed to prepare for.<br />
<br />
The events of the Great Prophecy center around a person identified only as "the Flame," who according to the scripts will make a single decision that will destroy or "turn" their world. <br />
<br />
The novel opens as the one who many believe may be "the Flame" wakes up on Draxis after being abducted, drugged and hurled through space and time to be thrust into this maelstrom of fear and fanaticism spurred by her arrival.<br />
<br />
The parallels between the Draxian empire and our present day culture are easily drawn. Two societies living with the fear, apprehension, skepticism and denial surrounding a world-changing prophecy and the potential Armageddon it portends. Or doesn't.<br />
<br />
No one on Draxis really knows what the words of Sarcassius mean.<br />
<br />
And no one on Earth really knows what the end of the Mayan calendar indicates.<br />
<br />
We live in interesting times. <br />
<br />
Write what you know.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-59248743363089539782023-03-16T07:07:00.004-06:002023-03-16T07:07:00.203-06:00Working on an Author Signature Block<p>One of my favorite tools to use for creating graphics and promotional images is BookBrush. I have a lot of fun rifling through their many templates looking for themes that will fit my books and series. </p><p>Recently, I found some author signature blocks in the templates, and of course I had to give it a try. </p><p>Though my end product wasn't quite as slick as their original image, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. The nice thing about graphics is you can also come back and tweak them as time allows and inspiration strikes, but for now...tada. My signature block. (I could have animated it too, but that seemed just a leetle bit over the top. So it's a static signature block. Which sounds kind of boring, but hopefully isn't.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNyM2Wp1r8rdMdGjkVI9eVW3dMhRmkp3i_6ur5AJo4Kh4zZJo4HCJ9qKSEvQTa13qaMZ2a7dy84QSSMXP0G4s2rHekrykDNq56WDCJfHAwHYX08PxNGxuqTxL1ZuNgxdGV6dPquKBtswZqikM-IXhS-yQwrcxXYFbX2M3cglAIAXRlGNaZsdi1-U-qw/s1500/Author%20Signature%20Tagline-BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-22-263.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNyM2Wp1r8rdMdGjkVI9eVW3dMhRmkp3i_6ur5AJo4Kh4zZJo4HCJ9qKSEvQTa13qaMZ2a7dy84QSSMXP0G4s2rHekrykDNq56WDCJfHAwHYX08PxNGxuqTxL1ZuNgxdGV6dPquKBtswZqikM-IXhS-yQwrcxXYFbX2M3cglAIAXRlGNaZsdi1-U-qw/w400-h400/Author%20Signature%20Tagline-BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-22-263.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Of course I couldn't stop at <i>just </i>an author signature block, so I decided to also do a graphic featuring one of the thoughts plucked from my series overview. It's a funny thing about history. It's often forgotten, sometimes to be rediscovered in the future and sometimes to be lost to sands of time. But sometimes history is intentionally changed, which led to the perilous situation Lieutenant Commander Dek Garr finds herself in in <i>Juggernaut</i>. </p><p>This short snippet from the series overview hints at what knowledge may have been lost from ages long past. I love how the background illustrates that mysterious "cross-rip in time and space."</p><p>The clincher is that the readers of this series know that Earth is real and not imagined or just a fading legend. The people of The Inherited Stars Series can't be sure.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6T_kJOLoQWWJ_sKS5RK7v9wO3FiAnbhsisAXIyAe82wxXuHvzy-bPZALcZ6fyizZKp_8blXUJg7iymHxOgxIH_VJdQ3pUZ7SE1CMTxQMqOkjqRmay0O2tfnAuVNwauCarUK9CmOmYYSPH93bHKzmPw0lbMmIFGnFj75bepPrVb8z-TLwzgz_uDzXLw/s1920/The%20Inherited%20Stars%20Universe%20Image%20-%20BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-21-5646.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6T_kJOLoQWWJ_sKS5RK7v9wO3FiAnbhsisAXIyAe82wxXuHvzy-bPZALcZ6fyizZKp_8blXUJg7iymHxOgxIH_VJdQ3pUZ7SE1CMTxQMqOkjqRmay0O2tfnAuVNwauCarUK9CmOmYYSPH93bHKzmPw0lbMmIFGnFj75bepPrVb8z-TLwzgz_uDzXLw/w400-h225/The%20Inherited%20Stars%20Universe%20Image%20-%20BookBrushImage-2023-3-14-21-5646.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>I hope to be back soon with a few snippets (but no spoilers!) from <i>Courting Disaster.</i> </p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-2406145511308400652023-03-15T07:00:00.003-06:002023-03-16T23:01:14.387-06:00Luna Says Hello<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8O_n3S5M0NnNiL526KjCmG6z5GahY84tsDL1L9OLpWZdFgMRpHL1NXdiAdVoz0ZPn-SiQ3bRBkTrQzBXDkLSpZz56NYRifpsdttwSLIYNNFa0skkiYCgW0BBeH3GnIOl66LZNM00Z-9VbwwYrnGItyPCwqjVnkb5w22l_fa_FFu6cY1dMKwm3nX66A/s2305/2023-02-05%20Luna%20Day%20Before%20Surgery%20Enjoying%20Sunshine%20cr%20IMG_0129.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1849" data-original-width="2305" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8O_n3S5M0NnNiL526KjCmG6z5GahY84tsDL1L9OLpWZdFgMRpHL1NXdiAdVoz0ZPn-SiQ3bRBkTrQzBXDkLSpZz56NYRifpsdttwSLIYNNFa0skkiYCgW0BBeH3GnIOl66LZNM00Z-9VbwwYrnGItyPCwqjVnkb5w22l_fa_FFu6cY1dMKwm3nX66A/s320/2023-02-05%20Luna%20Day%20Before%20Surgery%20Enjoying%20Sunshine%20cr%20IMG_0129.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Luna wants you to know she's feeling much better after her surgery last month, thank you very much. But she wants "Mom" to hurry up and finish her book! <p></p><p>Yes, Luna was the inspiration for the StarDog (also named Luna) in my next release, <i>Courting Disaster.</i></p><p>Like her namesake, Luna is one clever little StarDog, and it might just be up to her to save the day when her people end up in serious peril. </p><p>One crafty little StarDog to the rescue!</p><p>I'll be posting more about Luna -- and her namesake's roll in the story -- soon!</p><p>Viva la StarDog Luna!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-89397674217548509352023-03-14T23:19:00.002-06:002023-03-14T23:19:51.525-06:00I'm Still Among the Living! <p>Why, yes, I have been missing in action this last week or so. Sorry for the dark blog!</p><p>But I have a very good excuse. I'm up to my earlobes in <i><b>Courting Disaster</b></i> edits. This will be the last of my rewritten and published-as-standalone books from the StarDog tales formerly published in annual <i>Pets In Space</i> volumes (so no longer available). </p><p>And it's a lead-in to the next--and last--novel in this timeline of the series, so it's a pretty major story.</p><p>I'll have a couple more weeks of work to wrap this one up and shoot it off to my editor, then I'll be working on my next project. (More on that soon.) Meanwhile, I have some new graphics and fun stuff to show you.</p><p>In the meantime, if you haven't caught one of the free reads on this blog, here's one you can check out. <i><b>The Shell and the Star</b></i> is an aquatic Science Fiction Romance!</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQLlpipkJTXXgfgkvrTuTZg0Fw-vfabJvNppMg1-LC6vXxaayNfHhqv-dYn8PMBOvF6T6ZqYeT_N-fx4M-c22efPas6fnErR-EoeSP9rZocLHL3-6b1alsz6zhS94IlwdOIWrKgppA6hzVz9TkwcCIDNyJt1xEEjZz6E5pqokhQouQR0AU_Z7RP_TMg/s684/The%20Shell%20and%20The%20Star%20Title.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="684" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQLlpipkJTXXgfgkvrTuTZg0Fw-vfabJvNppMg1-LC6vXxaayNfHhqv-dYn8PMBOvF6T6ZqYeT_N-fx4M-c22efPas6fnErR-EoeSP9rZocLHL3-6b1alsz6zhS94IlwdOIWrKgppA6hzVz9TkwcCIDNyJt1xEEjZz6E5pqokhQouQR0AU_Z7RP_TMg/w400-h125/The%20Shell%20and%20The%20Star%20Title.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/p/the-shell-and-star.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>>>> CLICK HERE TO READ <<<</b></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuffFIIJhUGrNZUECpOdqepATybmAr0OSjEDQZpdHH4qFuAEKsWffrcD_lnru5iPYK4mjogJ3wFouemD5K0l6AnkwuXCV0QJToMRGtaqdJJN1Rx61fAZEgt_28SIaqn8O0H98C-pxT4Ul0Rd7cQZDdOotAuD-AKQayjz2kTx50WNzPbG2-uNxGl-CwAA/s700/The%20Shell%20and%20the%20Star-Aquatic%20SFR%20Image-PhotoFunia-1674857166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="700" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuffFIIJhUGrNZUECpOdqepATybmAr0OSjEDQZpdHH4qFuAEKsWffrcD_lnru5iPYK4mjogJ3wFouemD5K0l6AnkwuXCV0QJToMRGtaqdJJN1Rx61fAZEgt_28SIaqn8O0H98C-pxT4Ul0Rd7cQZDdOotAuD-AKQayjz2kTx50WNzPbG2-uNxGl-CwAA/w400-h272/The%20Shell%20and%20the%20Star-Aquatic%20SFR%20Image-PhotoFunia-1674857166.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-65636479124829412002023-03-02T12:34:00.001-07:002023-03-02T12:36:44.714-07:00Amazing Stories Interview with Author EG Manetti<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSI9HdDmb2UmA7r4BGr1mXN_sxoTy3XQFe_w_p0hKBAy01iXznWG5RNW3_mcFjuvN_ZBJB4FU4WugxQSy-Vvrcp7xD7LIDsJIeXvjV562lgnHYQS39O07OAchIlT8-LOBGsJZwKlL3VSP4PhwtG09EGqS5FnD_92zVHSxYoMKAsYnGaB4jPcqyz7mDw/s1200/the-cartel-by-eg-manetti.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSI9HdDmb2UmA7r4BGr1mXN_sxoTy3XQFe_w_p0hKBAy01iXznWG5RNW3_mcFjuvN_ZBJB4FU4WugxQSy-Vvrcp7xD7LIDsJIeXvjV562lgnHYQS39O07OAchIlT8-LOBGsJZwKlL3VSP4PhwtG09EGqS5FnD_92zVHSxYoMKAsYnGaB4jPcqyz7mDw/w133-h200/the-cartel-by-eg-manetti.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Veronica Scott of AmazingStories.com recently did an interview with author EG Manetti on her Twelve Systems Chronicles series and other works. Take a look at what she has to say by clicking this link:</span><p></p><p><b><a href="http://AmazingStories.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">AmazingStories.com</span></a></b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Author EG Manetti has been a frequent guest blogger on this site (when it was Spacefreighters Lounge) and she has written some interesting and thought-provoking blogs for this site. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">After reading her interview, you might want to come back and take a look at some of her previous posts here:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2022/10/eg-manetti-slipstream-dreams.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slipstream Dreams</a> </b>- Exploring Slipstream SFR</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2022/08/eg-manetti-interstellar-top-guns-and.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Galaxies and God</a>s</b> - God, gods and deities in SFR</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2022/11/eg-manetti-tempest-tossed.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tempest Tossed</a> </b>- Surviving Hurricane Ian and the "tempest tossed" theme in SFR</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2022/08/eg-manetti-interstellar-top-guns-and.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Interstellar Top Guns and Other Swashbucklers</a><b> </b>- What is "Top Gun" SFR?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Enjoy the read. Have a great Thursday!</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-8670576038982395042023-02-10T12:54:00.002-07:002023-02-11T17:57:54.773-07:00Friday Notes<p>I'm probably going to be dark for the weekend, but hope to be back next week with some excerpts from or commentary on <i><b>Courting Disaster</b>.</i>..next up in the Inherited Stars series. </p><p>It's also book four that includes a StarDog. <i>Courting Disaster</i> was originally published in Pets in Space 2, but this story is being extensively revised, updated and expanded, so it will be a very different book once it's published, though the premise and characters will be the same. </p><p>Truth be told, <i>Courting Disaster </i>was my least favorite story of all the StarDog tales I wrote for previous Pets in Space collections, so I've been taking quite a bit of time to work on some of the issues I had with the story. It's really a pivotal book in the series and will set the stage for future works, so it deserves the extra time and attention. I don't want to publish it until it's where I want it to be (but it's getting there fast--*knock on wood*). </p><p>As a side note, Luna, our pup whose namesake is the StarDog in <i>Courting Disaster</i>, just had surgery to remove a mass, so we need to keep a very close eye on her for the next few days, hence my going a bit quiet. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssceD0xPAVKRkJuh4EqFQT7EmWPRoIY54pwRLXvV7-QX66YJQhMVA63QyOv9EmUdLBlPC8C_YT1ztrDw0yUHEVa-NecW5O4vyi2nlfNOgsk82ChTq_vlvlp9u7OzhwyuIMoPEYVQ_nMwSJRvm19CYZ4ya968HIGLwcE6ZbJkZmnquir2x7aSnMDk4Eg/s3023/2023-02-05%20Get%20Well%20Soon%20Luna%20IMG_0130.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2713" data-original-width="3023" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssceD0xPAVKRkJuh4EqFQT7EmWPRoIY54pwRLXvV7-QX66YJQhMVA63QyOv9EmUdLBlPC8C_YT1ztrDw0yUHEVa-NecW5O4vyi2nlfNOgsk82ChTq_vlvlp9u7OzhwyuIMoPEYVQ_nMwSJRvm19CYZ4ya968HIGLwcE6ZbJkZmnquir2x7aSnMDk4Eg/w400-h359/2023-02-05%20Get%20Well%20Soon%20Luna%20IMG_0130.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>See you next week! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOlAtyBzXJT-8ONPpV_2HPYcsVfUDmMsUY_DxuXv6Lym-1pn8QW_QOWnDAFTn4sOe5v6NPeMunGUgIDeP2yKHZGRw2GkNdale9gTy-fWWuzxdc-0_BrMiiK01YVHmOUHtELRr3YXMxKnK8CtO0YK18QZfGSkE6_FCCJR73SqDMvPk2-dPw1GUlVDb3A/s417/Signature_coollogo_com-295171151.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="90" data-original-width="417" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOlAtyBzXJT-8ONPpV_2HPYcsVfUDmMsUY_DxuXv6Lym-1pn8QW_QOWnDAFTn4sOe5v6NPeMunGUgIDeP2yKHZGRw2GkNdale9gTy-fWWuzxdc-0_BrMiiK01YVHmOUHtELRr3YXMxKnK8CtO0YK18QZfGSkE6_FCCJR73SqDMvPk2-dPw1GUlVDb3A/s320/Signature_coollogo_com-295171151.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-19399473179148833962023-02-09T08:00:00.002-07:002023-02-09T08:00:00.233-07:00Thursday Thought<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gULfVs8E-Zok0fjfEnSz1kXD64ZCEusCg-mWZT8VWGyD3Cfm6DGR4Yfzi8SPz9TdI_tpHVDB6CMwnCfq72D-51m4sLf-2KfDUvmiUGNmM7f2mtxI_VBvmZ-EgqT3E-GzSaLCvfyvVV-V0QFJEmp1drYSsEIO_ZGcrmuGvry5z4-Ts-vkr42oBdGnpg/s960/George%20RR%20Martin%20Quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="772" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gULfVs8E-Zok0fjfEnSz1kXD64ZCEusCg-mWZT8VWGyD3Cfm6DGR4Yfzi8SPz9TdI_tpHVDB6CMwnCfq72D-51m4sLf-2KfDUvmiUGNmM7f2mtxI_VBvmZ-EgqT3E-GzSaLCvfyvVV-V0QFJEmp1drYSsEIO_ZGcrmuGvry5z4-Ts-vkr42oBdGnpg/w321-h400/George%20RR%20Martin%20Quote.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read any good books lately? Tell us about them!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0