A Well-Timed Blockbuster

So, first of all, hiya! I haven't blogged in quite some time -- didja notice? :D

I'm still writing. I'm still not publishing. :/ That's okay with me for now. Hope it's okay with you, too. Considering the state of the publishing industry and the AI debacle, I'm actually perfectly happy just to enjoy the art of writing until we get some sort of hopeful reset. 

So meanwhile, back at the ranch (literally), I am working on a WIP that has a connection to the great battle near Troy (yes, it's of the time travel ilk, but definitely like nothing you've ever seen from me before). 

As luck would have it, there just happens to be a potential blockbuster movie out based on the Odyssey and Iliad written by Homer long, long ago. I haven't been this excited about a Hollywood movie in ages, considering the garbage they've been kicking out for many years now (The Sound of Freedom and Top Gun Maverick being major exceptions), but I'm excited to see this one. 

I enjoyed the original Troy (with Brad Pitt), but as I'm doing my research I'm finding some of that film quite inaccurate, or at least misleading. For instance, the Achaeans didn't camp on a huge beach right near the walls of Troy, they actually camped on a peninsula about 20 stads or stadions (2.2 miles) to the west of Troy with a wide plain, river deltas, and marshland between them and their siege target. There were also other small settlements in the area and another large settlement/town to the north. And all of this is assuming the maps I'm consulting are accurate themselves, which I believe to be true. 

The amazing thing about Troy is it was long believed only to be a legend--until German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann found the remnants of a burned, sacked city (identified as "Hissarlik") exactly where Troy was supposed to have existed in Turkey and dating back to the same timeframe it was said to have been destroyed. Voila! No longer myth and legend, but history.  

At any rate, the Odyssey is more than just about the Trojan War, but I'm eager to enjoy an honest-to-goodness epic done in the classic -- and much missed -- Hollywood style of olde. And it even looks like Matt Damon is in the starring role of Odysseus. I'm in! And maybe I'll pick up a mental note or two for my WIP while I'm at it. 

Here's the trailer:

In Memory of a StarDog…Again

Here I am again. :’(  

It’s taken me a lot of time to cope with the agony of writing this post, because the loss of Maura, inspiration for my StarDog character in SpyDog, has been particularly painful. Maura was a very special friend to me, and her death five months ago was completely unexpected and heart wrenching.  

Maura

March 24, 2025

Rest in Peace, Beautiful Girl. 

You were my heart.

Maura’s character in SpyDog had many of her personality traits. Sweet, loving, cuddly and she absolutely adored belly rubs. But she could also be sassy and contrary at times—usually when she had her own agenda or knew or sensed something we didn’t. That was also StarDog Maura to a T. As a fictional, bio-engineered espionage asset, StarDog Maura had some traits and abilities that went far beyond her partially-canine genetics, and some of those enhancements gave her insights that her partner-handler, Rigel, couldn’t have. 

I guess subconsciously, my muse created StarDog Maura as a loving tribute to her real life inspiration. Little did I know at the time we’d lose the real Maura only a few years later. I genuinely believed she’d be with us for at least another 5-8 years. Losing her at a much younger age (13) than Katrina is never something we saw coming.

So this is how it came about…

A little over a week before she passed over the Rainbow Bridge, I noticed my little golden girl was breathing faster and heavier than normal. She hadn’t been exerting herself running or barking, so I immediately went on alert. This wasn’t normal.

Later that morning, we took her in to our vet for a check. That ended up being a week-long ordeal for her with a diagnosis of sudden onset of congestive heart failure! She was put in the doggie-equivalent of an oxygen tent and given medicine intravenously. Our long time vet updated us that her condition was very serious.

Since David was away that rest of that week, I went to visit with her several times during her stay, but it broke my heart that she wasn’t the same bestie I had known and barely seemed to recognize me. I took a lot of photos (which, sadly, blogger will no longer let me share here), and spent about a half hour each visit just petting, holding and talking to her. My only comfort was that she did seem to be improving, little-by-little. 

Finally, we got the news we’d been praying for — Maura had improved markedly over the course of the week, and could now go home—along with four RXs that she needed to be given daily. That was Friday.

We had a wonderful weekend with Maura and her cohorts—her daughter, Cassie — also her doggie bestie, Luna (both of them were StarDog inspirations), her youngest doxie pack-member, Zoey (who will be the star of a future story some day), and Chloe, a recent Chihuahua adoptee. It was heartwarming how Cassie stayed right by her side to cuddle with her, and how Luna and Zoey often checked up on her with kisses and snuggles. And, of course, she got tons of attention from me and from David, who was now home again. We were all so happy and relieved to have this very special girl back home and getting stronger. It was a heartfelt homecoming and a very special weekend.

But very late Sunday night (or more accurately early Monday morning), Maura woke me with whimpering, and was displaying restlessness and anxiety.  I got up with her and held her in my lap as we rested on the couch, but by morning her breathing was getting heavier and we could see things were getting serious again. David made a call to our vet to request bringing her in for urgent care, and by the time they called back and we bundled her into the car to make the 10 mile trip, she was in distress and panting and her tongue was turning blue!

Once at the vet, they rushed her into the doggie oxygen tent and told us they’d be in touch. We had several contacts with the office back-and-forth over the next few hours until we got the message in early afternoon that we were dreading.  “Maura is crashing. I’m so sorry!” A few minutes later we got the news that brought our world crashing down. Our beautiful Maura had passed.

We laid our baby girl to rest on our ranch near the garden in a spot with a beautiful view of the valley to the East and the mountains to the West. She is buried beside Katrina, the StarDog buddy who we’d lost a few years before. Another longhaired dachshund from many years before, Scarlet, lays nearby.

My heart felt like lead, knowing she would miss another summer and stretching out in the grass on the courtyard to soak up the sun like she loved to do. Our little sunbunny. Or that she would no longer spend time dozing in the shade of the Black Locust trees when the days grew hot. Maura’s siesta time.

She had always loved Christmas, especially all the decorations and unwrapping presents and romping through the discarded paper and bows. She got so sad every year when we took the tree down, that I promised her last year I’d put it up extra early this year so she could enjoy it longer. She’ll miss that, too. :’(

We will forever be grateful for the nine years we had with Maura—and that very special gift from above of one last weekend with her. We are also eternally thankful for her legacy—her daughter, Cassie—who seems to be taking after her mom more-and-more every day. A crystal memorial with Maura’s image sits on our buffet now—a very special gift from David—and serves as a nightlight in the darkness—a reminder of how much she lit up our lives while she was with us. 

I stumbled upon a vintage ornament of a longhaired dachshund wearing a stocking cap and wrapped up in ribbons and bows on eBay and had to get it. It will go on our tree this year in special memory of our Maura and the season she loved so much. I have to believe she’ll be with us in spirit to share another Christmas.

I hope we’ll all have a great and joyful reunion someday when it’s our time to join her. Until then, even though this very special friend is deeply missed, the love lingers as a reminder of our time together on this Earth. 

We’ll miss you so much, little Star Dog. <3

Related post:

In Memory of a StarDog (Katrina) from July 2022

https://spacefreighters.blogspot.com/2022/07/in-memory-of-stardog.html

Great Advice from a Fellow Author

 I got some great advice today (well, probably me and several hundred other authors) that I wanted to share. 

Paraphrasing, it went something like this:

Don't be afraid to fall in love with writing (again). Remember why you started to write? Remember why you still write? If you're struggling, find a new idea you're passionate about, let go of your fears, and pour your heart and soul into this new book. Try to release expectations for this book and just savor and enjoy the writing process and the amazing new story. Relive the excitement and enthusiasm that got you writing to begin with. 

This seemed to be a highly respected opinion from out-of-the-blue that reinforces my decision to step back and dive into the trilogy-on-the-backburner-of-my-mind-for-many-years. To bring back to life the saga that first got me enthused about writing professionally and publishing in the first place, and yet, I just never seemed to be able to get that first novel to the publishing stage, in spite of it's nomination for a Golden Heart Award (Remember those?) and multiple writing competition wins a decade ago. 

This story (in three main parts) is a sweeping family saga in a ...in spaaaaaaace. But it's about so much more than that. It takes great swaths of history and myth from here on Earth and creates the hopefully convincing worldbuilding for the trilogy, which essentially follows three generations in a time of great change. And creates the history for all of my stories that have already been published in the Inherited Stars Universe, that came much later in the timeline.

How far have I gotten?

Well, to be honest, not far...on paper (er...computer), but I've written multiple entire passages in the current project as I knead the plot, motivations, conflict and characters in my head. The story for Gen One is written--and has won awards--but needs a bit more scrubbing before it can meet the world. I'm going to wait on the introduction, and publish all in close succession -- provided I decide to traditionally publish them at all. 

Gen Two is the story I'm mentally developing now, which will be followed by Gen Three. These are generic WIP tags for titles I'm not yet ready to announce.

Let me share just a tiny thread of a scene -- one that's actually written but not yet revised, refined or edited -- to give you a taste of the Gen Two story. Yes, it's Science Fiction -- or Space Adventure, as I prefer to label it -- but like many sci-fi settings, it probably invokes the language and social etiquette of a past age. (More on that later.) 

Tucked into the midst of her escort, Shanna approached a group of men, all clad in immaculate uniforms or festive finery. Her eyes were drawn to the one who wore an imposing uniform of pristine white, with golden stripes adorning the sleeves of an elegantly tailed jacket, his trousers delineated by a wide gamble stripe. His light hair, thick and cut in a taper, just brushed the back of his uniform’s collar accentuating broad shoulders. An ornate scabbard gleamed at his side, the grip of the sheathed sword decorated in cascading scarlet tassels. 

A commander of the King’s Guard, maybe? Or even a captain?

As her escort drew closer, he cast a glance back over his shoulder to inspect the new arrivals, and spying her, his whole body pivoted to follow his gaze. 

Shanna stopped mid-step, drawing a quick breath. “Blue!” she whispered. His hair was shorter, his bearing more regal than the friend she'd come to know. But how had she not recognized him?

His aqua eyes widened as he took her in, lavender gown and all.

“My Lady,” he whispered, and after shaking off his surprise, moved closer. “You are here in time for my reception.”

“Your reception?”

In answer, he made a sweeping gesture to the grand entrance to the Royal Quarters, where she caught sight of the large crowd milling in the main hall. A reception for what? Surely not his wedding!

“Our hunting party returned just a few hours ago.” Shanna nodded to Macalla, “My Confidante told me there was a celebration I must not miss.”

Nacondus tilted his head. “Indeed.” He gave Macalla a quick glance and a slight smile. “I am beyond pleased you decided to attend.” 

“I’m a little uncertain what it is I’m attending. You said…your reception?”

Nacondus dipped his chin slightly. “My Recognition Ceremony was held this afternoon. By tradition, a grand reception always follows.”

Shanna relaxed with some relief. “Recognition Ceremony. I don’t know what that means.” 

 

As always, I'd love to hear any thoughts or feedback on this "enthusiasm-booster project." :)

Take care and have a great week as you prepare for the holiday season.

Laurie

Aphantasia - What the Heck?

I teased this in my last blog and promised to come back to comment on it, so... Ta-da!

I recently read about this malady and thought to myself *Horrors!* Aphantasia is the inability to "see" images in thought. Such as, if someone says to you "imagine a tree" you wouldn't be able to summon the image of a tree--or its setting, or its leaves or bark--in your mind, only some subject-specific words about trees in general. 

Wait! Whut???

The author further went on to explain how he also couldn't "hear" music or sounds in his thoughts. You know the term "earworm" -- that favorite song that you just can't get out of your head? Yeah. Doesn't happen. The author mentioned the Star Wars theme. When I think "Star Wars theme," I can absolutely hear those iconic first notes of an inspiring overture like I was the third chair clarinet inside my mind. It must be horrible to not have the ability to do that. And yet, he was quite far along in his life before he figured out he was lacking in the sensory imagination department.

Yet, he still was able to successfully write.

How?  I mean....HOW?

He explains in his post. It has something to do with what he calls "grey words."

I found it utterly fascinating.

Obviously, I don't have aphantasia (thank the Good Lord!) because when I write, or pre-write, or work on basic story context or scene ideas, I do it in my head in living technicolor and stereo sound. When I'm head-writing a scene in my current work, I can see the deep aquamarine eyes and subtle smile of Nakondus. I can hear his voice. I can picture Shanna's shining red hair and confused expression when she poses a question to him. It's a mind-movie for me. I couldn't even begin to fathom how someone could write without this capability. And yet the author talking about discovering this handicap...well, let's just say he's done a lot for an imagination-challenged soul.

I won't regurgitate his lengthy FB post here (which included texting snippets of his dawning revelation with other peers and a fascinating dialogue on how his mind does work), but I will drop the link below if you'd like to check out all his musing on the surprising revelation. Be sure to check out his credentials at the end. (Um...wow.)

Aphantasia: How it Feels to be Blind in your Mind

I'd like to segway that into a note that this blog has now developed its own form of aphantasia. It seems I can no longer post images, for some unknown reason. I apologize profusely, since I love to break up the long blocks of text by illustrating with related pictures, but that's no longer possible. (And getting help from Blogger...good luck with that.)  So sadly, this "blog" is going to be a bit bland going forward, though I will keep working the problem -- like Mark Watney in a Martian dust storm.

Hope you have a day filled with vibrant thoughts. I'll be Bach. 

I've Resurfaced -- Hiya!

So...new post. SURPRISE! I know it's been months since I've created any new content for this blog, but that's an indication of where my mind has been. Namely...elsewhere.

To just scratch the surface, here are three of the reasons. 

Lack of Focus

My mind needed a mental break from the tedious and overwhelming fire hose of information I needed to process simply to be an author. The industry has changed a lot and I've been left in the dust. Information such as how I needed to target my ads and all the lovely landmines FB was throwing at authors (ugh!), the art and mysticism of how to create effective keywords (gah!), how I had to have a brand and before I could determine what my brand was I needed to do semesters of soul-searching and honing of my product (no thanks!), plus other nefarious and annoying self-education requirements that I'd probably need to get the equivalent of a bachelors degree to process.. Needless to say, it left me creatively bereft. Dammit Jim, I'm a writer not an advertising agency. And I just want to write! 

It seems I no longer have the desire nor the mental fortitude to spend the lion's share of my time trying to market my work and sell more books. I need to do something different. I'm just not sure what "different" at this point in my career. 

Also...to further add to my distraction, our horse won the Preakness this year (not to mention a couple of other major races that most of you would not know or care about because they weren't Triple Crown races). That's a subject and a topic that doesn't really fit this blog, so I won't go into detail, but let me tell you -- it was a MAJOR life event! It impacted me and my spouse and our large partnership group in ways I can't begin to describe. It was a dream come true that I had wished for since I was six years old, but didn't realize the impossibility of my wish at that young age. So yeah, never, ever, in a million years did I think it would happen to us. But it did. And....well, WOW. Just WOW! I'm a writer but I can't even communicate what it meant to us, what the horse means to us, what it meant to have a legendary trainer training him, and a jockey so new to the sport he hadn't even ridden a horse four years ago and to watch him cross that finish line as a newly minted classic winner. Being a part of the partnership, the horse, the team, the experience -- all of it -- was a huge blessing from God. I must give credit where credit is due. 

But I digress...  

Lack of Enthusiasm

I've also been enormously un-motivated because I seem to be having a struggle of the soul over what I'm now inspired to write, which is not books filled with faith-challenged and Godless characters. The last two years have shown me that the Almighty is at work in my life in a multitude of ways, and my past books are a bit (to say the least) dissident to my current state of faith. My dilemma is that I'm well into a lengthy series of books and audience-wise, I'd be changing horses mid-stream. (There's that horse theme again). 

The Roadblock of "Business"

I'm now at the point where my next four books are large volumes that will cost me far more to have fully edited than they may ever earn back. (We're talking thousands and thousands. And no, the vast majority of writers don't make that much on their books.) So...I've been thinking...if I'm not going to regain my expenses maybe I should just self-edit and publish them as free works online. I'm still wrestling with all the ramifications of that decision, and what to do with my previously published work if I do go forward. I'm at the "still computing" phase of that concept. And it's boggling. Stay tuned. 

I'll try to be a lot better about communication via this blog, and throwing some different content out there -- progress, excerpts, random thoughts, etc. I'd ask for opinions or feedback, but no one seems to comment on blogs anymore so I'll skip that part (though you're always welcome to comment should you wish) [ ::: Insert begging emoji that doesn't exist here ::: ] 

Thanks for listening to my info dump. (Thank goodness I try to avoid this cardinal sin in books, huh?)

I'm working on a blog about Aphantasia that shocked me. Stop back to see what that's all about. 

Have a great week! 

Borrowed from the Internet (And Possibly Edited)

 

Borrowed from the Internet (And Possibly Edited)

 

Borrowed from the Internet (And Possibly Edited)

 

Borrowed from the Internet (And Possibly Edited)

 

Borrowed from the Internet (And Possibly Edited)

 

This one seemed appropriate for today. 

Happy Eclipse 

(and/or Apocalypse) 

Borrowed from the Internet (And Possibly Edited)

 

Borrowed from the Internet (and Possibly Edited)

If it looks like a duck, 

acts like a duck, 

quacks like a duck, 

denies it’s a duck, 

demands you prove it's a duck, 

accuses you of being a duck, 

says your dog is a duck, 

and your neighbor's cat is a duck 

...well...

It's still a duck. 

Wonderfall Part 2

Last week I talked a little about the Wonderfall in the Singapore Airport, a generated digital waterfall, and how it related to a scene from my novelette, Farewell Andromeda. 

(If you missed that post you can check it out by clicking here.)

It turns out that there's a lot more to the wonder at Terminal 2 than just Wonderfall, so just as an addendum, I'm adding this video with some of the other wildly imaginative and entertaining sights and sounds. 

Hope you enjoy it!

Borrowed from the Internet (and Possibly Edited)

 

Commercials are Destroying Visual Media (Thank Heaven For Books!)

So, yeah. My rant blog title says it all. 

If someone asked me for a word that is the opposite of "entertainment," my answer would have to be "commercials."

There's nothing like watching a great show, and just when you get to the really tense, climatic, edge-of-your-seat moment...the TV cuts away to an ad for fried chicken, or a solution to remove ear wax, or one of those strange Consumer Cellular plugs. Mood destroyed. 

I wonder if the retailers realize just how angry they make the viewer. Like to the point of screaming, "I'm never buying your stupid product. Never! Never! Never! Do you hear me?" Or is that just me? Yeah, there's a reason HBO is my favorite channel. 

But it's not just television. Even videos at the online video sites whose-names-we-shall-not-speak have fallen into the commercialism sea of doom. You know how they operate. Like sticking ads right in the middle of the content you're trying to view. Or as an annoying prologue. You know what they tell us authors about writing annoying prologues? Don't do it! Well, I guess they didn't get that urgent memo. 

Even pay-to-view type channels--you know, the ones you pay good money to watch so you can avoid commercials--have commercials now. "But wait," they cry. "We only show a few!" Umm. I think they're missing the point. And when was the last time you paid 15 bucks and change to see a motion picture, and then had to sit through 30 minutes of Previews of Coming Attractions?

It's all an evil plot, I tell you. 

The surprising thing is that retailers actually believe consumers want to hear about their lovely products, rather than acknowledge that their outrageously expensive ads are nothing more than an excuse for viewers to take a bathroom break or pop some popcorn so we can return to the show we actually want to watch. Or, alternatively, we record the show so we can watch later and fast forward through the commercials. Although some of them have caught on to that tactic, and disabled the fast forward for some recordings, because they just know you never meant to skip through their wonderful ads. 

But yes, thank goodness we have BOOKS. Readers have the rare privilege of controlling their entertainment experience (for the most part -- real life will occasionally intrude, but that's still better than having to sit through a cartoon-mercial about a backed up gut or a new deodorant that works...well, everywhere!). Readers can decide where and when they want to pause the experience and where and when they want to pick up the story again, all without being lambasted with ads to buy whitening toothpaste or invisible hearing aids. (I honestly don't know if it happens with audiobooks because I don't read...er, listen to them. You tell me.)

You'd think books would be much more popular entertainment as commercialism attempts to usurp the lion's share of our viewing time in other media. But that doesn't seem to be happening. In fact, in a Test Prep Insight national survey conducted in January 2024, the results indicated that 48.5% of respondents said they hadn't read a book in over a year. (Horrors!)

Hmm. Maybe I should change my tagline from Escape to the Stars to Escape the Commercials! 

(Yes. I'm kidding.) 

 Note that this post contains no ads. <grin>

Borrowed from the Internet (and Possibly Edited)

 

Who's Ready for House of the Dragons Season 2?

It's not exactly sci-fi, but close enough for this fan. House of the Dragon Season 2 is expected to air on June 16th on HBO after a two year absence, and I, for one, couldn't be more excited to see what unfolds as the legendary (in Jon Snow's time) Dance of the Dragons is about to unfold--the unprecedented bloody, and fiery!-- war between members of House Targaryen and their dragons. 

In Jon Snow's time in Game of Thrones, this battle is but a piece of history, though a very large piece. It's not until near the end of the Game of Thrones series that we discover--quite to this fan's complete shock--that Jon is, indeed, of Targaryen blood and the true heir to the Targaryen throne. And that puts both him and the only known heir (not to mention his lover--and his aunt) Daenyris Targaryen on very shaky ground. Going back in time to explore this era and this war is probably something every true Game of Thrones fan is excited to explore. 

Here's a brief trailer to House of the Dragon Season 2.

For those who want "More, Please!" here's a much longer fan commentary that is every bit as hooky and more forthcoming with details. I need to add a caveat there will be spoilers, but most of this history is already known to some degree of detail from the Game of Thrones series anyway, which happens generations later. Enjoy! (About 13 minutes in length.)

Not yet a fan? If you think you'd love an Epic Fantasy that even a sci-fi devotee relishes, you might want to check out this series -- or actually series of series. But be warned, it's an HBO production so no holds are barred. It's extremely violent, sometimes disturbing and has many sex sequences of every persuasion, but if you can handle the dark side (or fast forward through those scenes), it's a completely fascinating world with amazing complex characters, spectacular spectacles, jaw-dropping scenery and exquisitely drawn history. It has the depth of world-building that every sci-fi author or fan should absolutely savor. This is no comic book kingdom. 

Your comments are always welcome.

Digital Waterfall - Shades of Farewell Andromeda

Just had to share this. It's a digital waterfall ("Wonderfall") in Singapore's Changi Airport Terminal 2.

In Farewell Andromeda, 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...

Farewell Andromeda

Excerpt

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.

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.

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.

“Table for one?” A hostess intruded into my awe-induced trance.

About Farewell Andromeda

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.

Farewell Andromeda 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 Amazon. 

Politics and Fiction - Doing a Double Take

In yesterday's blog titled "Please Keep Your Politics Out of my Fiction! Oh, Wait..." 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. 

For example, The Expanse 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.) 

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.

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. 

So I have to concede that avoiding politics to any 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?)

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 they live in, which is to say, not ours.

(In alphabetical order)

• Actions taken "for the greater good"
• AI enabled technology and repercussions on the human race
• Alien abduction
• Androids used as servants
• Apocalyptic war or threats of
• Assassination for political reasons
• Basic human rights, the presence or absence of
• Biological androids
• Connecting the human brain to technology
• Environmental catastrophe
• Environmental extremism
• Erasing/altering historical facts
• Fear of hypodermic needles
• Human slavery
• Oppressing human rights
• "Racism" but only as it applies to human subspecies (Speciesism?)
• Right to choose
• Secret societies
• Shadow governments
• Technologically altering behavior

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.

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.

_______________________________________________

Author's Disclaimer

This is purely a work of fiction that takes place in an imagined future. 

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.

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. 

For this reason, I hope that readers can cast off the here and now and Escape to the Stars. Enjoy this adventure fueled by "what if..." and never "what should be."  

Thank you for reading my work. 

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As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome. Thank you for reading my blog. 

Please Keep Your Politics Out of my Fiction! Oh, Wait...

I'm tugging on my Reader Cap today for a bit of a rant about one of my major pet peeves as a reader.

Yup. Sorry. Sometimes you just gotta vent. 

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. 

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.

How times have changed.

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 sell to readers as entertainment. 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.

So here's my take...which you can take or leave at your discretion.

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.

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. 

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 escape the here and now, at least for a little while.  

So please...let fiction be fiction.  

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.

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. 

Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear your thoughts or comments below, whether you agree or disagree.