Cover reveal - FERIOUS

It's here!

I finally have a cover for Book 9 of Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds. The title FERIOUS is not a misspelling. If you are reading the series, you'll recognize the play on words. The fact that L'Ni is mentioned in the cover blurb is another big hint. For those who haven't read through book 4 yet, L'Ni's species is called the Feri.

I have finished the first round of rewrites and topped it off at just over 40,000 words. I will provide a description when that is also ready.

I plan to release this book in summer 2021.

Now, I'm almost ready to start writing book 10. I am at least a third into this series but not quite halfway to where I expect it to be. I have a lot planned for the character arcs of each character and the overall plot. This isn't a simple story to tell but something bigger than I have ever done.

Thanks for reading!

Forgotten Worlds continues

It's been easy to be distracted lately, but I have still been working on the series. I have books 8 and 9 of the Forgotten Worlds series to finish and prepare for publication next year. I have been editing and rewriting to get ahead on that so that I can get back on schedule.

I haven't seen much of my horse. With fall weather, the massive rewriting I had to do to get REMNANTS ready for its release last month, formatting the paperback of the collection of the first five books of the Forgotten Worlds series, and then my parents having Covid (so I stayed away for a while), I didn't have the opportunity. I finally got back on track and made it out last weekend, after a month of my horse enjoying being a pasture pet and my parents getting over their quarantine and recovering without much illness, despite age and underlying conditions. I had to get Buddy's hooves trimmed and deworm him for the fall while the weather was good. That left me sore for a couple days, but thank goodness for the chiropractor (and the hoof stand, although it's still a strain on my back and arms).

Now that I'm caught up on those tasks and back on track with certain aspects of my life (and don't have to worry about my parents' risks of coronavirus since they didn't have any complications), I am counting my blessings and getting back on track with RACING THE ORAST BELT and FERIOUS. I hope to release RtOB early next year, if not in February, then early March. I will list the pre-order closer to the holidays, after I'm on track again and am writing book 10.

Book 10 is going to be complicated. I plan to finally bring in a new character, but I'm not sure about the plot. I think I have a way that will tie several of the stinger scenes together and do more with the Paxons, but it will be a challenge. That's why I don't want to set any publication dates at this time. I like to have the next two books at least drafted before I publish the one ready to go. I like the two-books-ahead writing/publishing arrangement.

Scheduling this past year became too tight for me and I've had to back off the pre-order schedule to catch up. I will let you know when I have a date for book 8. If you shop on Amazon, please also sign up to follow me on Amazon to receive notifications of new releases. Otherwise, join me on MeWe at https://mewe.com/p/melanienillesauthor; MeWe is a place where you are the customer not the product (unlike FB, where your intimate details are sold to advertisers and they throttle page views based on your interaction level).

I'm still writing, and now that winter is setting in, I won't be able to do much with Buddy. Fat boy is getting fuzzy for the winter weather and his hooves shouldn't need trimming until the end of February (hooves grow slower in winter). By then, we should be past the worst of winter and I'll be anticipating the publishing of RACING THE ORAST BELT.

Contributing readers can get free books

Have you ever had an idea for an author that you thought they should take up in their books or wanted to give your feedback directly to the author?

Most authors I know area always looking for what we call beta readers, readers who help evaluate the stories with a critical eye but not quite to the editorial level. The benefit is that readers get to help guide the author's story (or series) and read it before anyone else, but the trade off is that these free stories are often not quite polished because they are not in their final format.

Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds is growing... bigger and more complex. I keep a detailed wiki file for the series (23 pages of details so far up to a total of 40 pages with synopsis for upcoming books). That keeps growing as well.

In that complexity, I have the task of keeping it all straight and trying to track the character arcs, story arcs, and tiny details, such as the size of the doors on the Cartegos and where the hidden storage compartments are or the unwritten details that will be revealed and can only be hinted and what of those hints are provided.

In this, I need a few serious readers of the series, loyal readers who could provide corrections to the details they catch and even to provide input.

If you enjoy this series, have a keen mind, and want to contribute to the development of the series, please use the contact form on my website at melanienilles.com. 

Writing/Editing update: 

I am finalizing copyedits on REMNANTS (Book 7), then going to rewrites on RACING THE ORAST BELT (Book 8) and, after that, finishing FERIOUS (Book 9), which needs a couple of scenes to be written at the end. 

REMNANTS will be available next Thursday, October 29th!

A note about pre-orders:  

Finally, I want to add that I will not be setting up pre-orders quite so early as I have been. The last few books have taken longer to write than expected. This has consequently put me in a pinch where I almost didn't have the books ready in time. I don't feel comfortable with that. I will set up pre-orders when I feel comfortable with the date that I can have future books ready to my standards.

Please check this blog or my website for information on upcoming books, subscribe to my Amazon author page, or contact me through my contact form with a note to send new release notifications. I generally don't like to invade inboxes. I get enough newsletters myself and give them a quick skim before deleting most of them, but I will gladly send out new release emails to readers who really want to receive them.

(Proof copy of SA:FW Collection 1)
Books 1-5 will soon be  available
in one volume as seen here. Look
for Collection 1 in paperback on Amazon.
("Not for Resale" gray band is only for this proof copy.)

Remnants update

I am almost done with another round of edits on REMNANTS. In the process, I decided to add a new scene at the end. It was something I had considered adding a few books later, but after some thinking about the book while editing, I realized that I wanted to insert this sooner. It adds a layer of drama and tension to the series about one of the characters.

Keep in mind that I have already finished writing book 9 of this series and REMNANTS is book 7, so nothing in the next two books will be affected by this change, although I can sprinkle in some pieces if I want. I can't let characters get off easy. 

I hope you're enjoying the series so far. I'd love to hear feedback, but I understand that people are shy to speak up. Otherwise, it's just my ideas. I'm open to new ideas for consideration. If you're a fan of the series, what would you like to see in a future book?

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After leaving the Iludrin at Trsken Station, Nya's friends discover a beacon transmitting from the Cartegos. Although Nik suspects who might have placed it, Zaer is determined to find answers. Her solution is to seek out an info jockey, but nothing ever goes as planned.

They are led to an artifact that reveals a clue about the presence of Nya's people in that galaxy. However, they're not the only ones who seek the secrets of the angels from a time long forgotten. No one is ready for the revelation it unlocks.

COMING SOON!
 

pet's need dental care too

I want to offer a reminder to pet owners--pay attention to any changes in your pet's behavior. They could be in pain and need something done.

Our old boy (10 yrs as of Oct. 10) wasn't eating as he usually does, so the vet gave him prednisolone for his IBD. That didn't work for his appetite--it still decreased. He got really picky about food. So, I took him in for an exam of his teeth and they confirmed he needed his teeth cleaned. Today is the day of his cleaning, but they discovered some bad teeth, so he's having some extractions. I hope he feels better once he recovers from this.

He's been pretty clingy for a while, which he was anyway, and then especially after our old girl died in January. As he was getting over her death, he started getting more clingy, as if trying to say something was wrong. Now, we know what he was trying to say, besides just being Mister lovey-dovey Dargo.

I think too much and don't write enough

I have a confession: Today, I haven't done much of what I should be doing--editing. Aside from pureeing three of the five large pumpkins we were able to save before the first frost killed our pumpkin plant and baking the seeds, I've been coming up with better ideas for other books to come in Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds. I know I'm supposed to be editing to have REMNANTS available for release later this month, but I can't help planning for the future of the series too. I have to know more about what's to come to be sure I plant the seeds in what I'm currently working on.

That creativity has led me to more ideas to make this series into something stronger. Some readers may see the allegory already; but, like the Chronicles of Narnia, it's not obvious if you're not looking for it. It's subtle, because my goal is, first and foremost, to write a science fiction adventure/space opera series that's not grim and graphic. The rest is icing on the cake and gives it a more nuanced flavor.

The ideas into how I can do more with the series excite me and make it hard to work in the present timeline, but I like knowing what's to come.

Now, back to editing!

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Pre-order REMNANTS (Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds 7) Today!

(Coming October 29!)

Writing status of the latest WIP... 98% complete

FERIOUS (Forgotten Worlds 9) is pretty much done, except for that last scene that I like to insert that's unrelated to the individual story but will come into play in the overall series. So, I'm reading through it this weekend, doing some edits, and getting an idea of the general flow before I add that in to finish it.

As with anything that challenges me as a writer, I put in the effort and it ended up working well for this. It's a bit difficult considering the timelines jump back and forth while advancing. It's not really told in flashback but in parallel timelines--one for the present and one going back to intersect with the present action and from there finishing the story. It's an unconventional format but it's what had to be done. It's just how the story decided to be told. Other writers will understand what I mean, but readers may not.

When I write, I let the story dictate everything. Sometimes there's just a different way of telling a story that works best. I was worried about this one, but now that I see it all together, I like it. I don't know if readers will, but I do. This one just couldn't be told any other way and still be interesting, imho.

Part of what's holding me up on the last scene isn't so much the flow of the story but thinking ahead to Book 10. I intend to tie that final scene into the next book, which will be another heavy on Paxon involvement like Book 5 was; actually, even more so. But I planted some seeds in prior books that may be touched on in FW10. For that matter, I've been planting a lot of seeds throughout the series so far that won't germinate into their full bloom for some time down the road. However, astute readers may be making some inferences and connections.

Hold onto your hats!

There are six books available now and a seventh soon to be released. Be sure to pre-order REMNANTS after catching up on the first six!

And just for fun, Pumpkin Spice kitties:

The pumpkins were all we got out of our garden before we had our first frost. These are going to soon have their seeds roasted and their flesh baked and pureed to be frozen for later making pumpkin treats.