a small delay

I have to apologize. I've had a million little things going on in my life the last couple of weeks and have not been getting far in editing Eternal. When I do, I find a lot that still needs rewriting. Because of this, I will need another editing pass after this current one, and I'm not that far on the current pass.

Some books require a lot of rewriting and some seem to never need more than small tweaks. I can only say that this is one that requires a LOT of rewriting.

So, it's looking more like mid-August for a release date on Eternal. But I promise that it will be worth the wait.

Thank you for your patience.

Demon Age and Luriel Cycle series linked - musings from the author's mind

I've been mulling this for some time. Since I've been editing for the last two months--Enlightenment and Eternal of the Luriel Cycle and then another pass of Tiger Born and Spirit Blade of the Demon Age series--I've seen a lot of similarities. Too many, in fact. Is my unconscious mind creating something bigger than I ever considered possible?

I have been wondering if they might be extensions of each other. Now, much of it could be just me--I tend to lean towards particular systems of magic and religious views --but I also wrote both series. Here's what I did in both:

1. In The Luriel Cycle trilogy, magic comes from the world. Several years before, I did the same thing in the Demon Age novels, particularly Spirit Blade.
2. The Black Fire demon in Spirit Blade resembles the daemons of The Luriel Cycle.
3. In both, the life of the worlds are the sources of magic.
4. In both, the worlds gain sentience because of the accumulation of life essence. However, in the  Demon Age series, that has been the case for thousands of years. In The Luriel Cycle, the nuonir of Fal Oroneth only gained sentience when the Un'dei exploded. The Un'dei was the sentient power from a completely different realm.

The Ancients of Derandria (Demon Age) and the Falluar of Fal Oroneth (Luriel Cycle) were both mysterious, until the Falluar are exposed in Eternal. We don't know yet about the Ancients.

And then there's the Nik'Terek gate of the Demon Age series. The gate was supposedly created to rid Derandria of the mistakes of the Ancients. However, I've always speculated that the gate was actually a portal, which means that the Obelisk of Mai'Kari and the demonlords who passed through, among other things, were actually transported to another universe or world. In Eternal, Lilly explains to Commandant Renvil that the realms could be considered to be different universes. The Falluar visited multiple "realms" in their explorations through the bridges they created. What if the Nik'Terek Gate was actually created by the Ancients of Derandria and that it only later came to be known as the Nik'Terek gate because the Nik'Terek demonlord clan took over responsibility for it? But the gate is a one-way ticket, that could have linked to another realm and world, like Fal Oroneth in the Shadow Realm. Remember, time is different in different multiverses, as explained in The Luriel Cycle trilogy, so anything is possible.

These are the thoughts going through my head at the moment and ones which I find quite interesting. I like the idea that the two worlds are linked but separate. It makes my expanding universes that much more intriguing. It means there is a larger plan in the works that not even I yet understand but is unfolding in its own time.

If these worlds interest you, you can find links to purchase both series at my webpage at melanienilles.com. 

Eternal is coming soon

I haven't been blogging much lately, but most of that is because I've been in an editing state of mind. That is, I've been deep into editing Eternal to get it out in July.

I've had a lot more to clean up on the manuscript than I had expected. It always is, but once I get into editing mode, I start to really rip things apart and rewrite. I look forward to getting this one out so that I can get to work on the next project, something that I look forward to very much, but I'll leave an explanation for another time.

Right now, let's focus on the latest and greatest, the third and final book of The Luriel Cycle trilogy, Eternal.

For millennia, the world of Ahlias was guided by the whims of the Shadow Realm's beings. Daemons unleashed their fury hunting down the enemy luriel hiding inside humans. Those Awakened humans struggled to survive until they could one day Ascend to join the ranks of the luriel fighting the daemons in the Shadow Realm. The cycle of Awakening, Enlightenment, and Ascension was all they knew.

Until now.

Lilly has the power to end the luriel cycle, defeat the daemons, and restore the balance of the Eternals. She has learned to use the Un'Dei within her. She has seen the truth about the luriel and daemons. And she has accepted her fate. The time has come to cross the bridge to the Shadow Realm to end the war that has shaped her world and stolen the man she loves.

But the Shadow Realm is no place for a mortal...

Coming in July 2018!

hot summer days

Summer is definitely here! This weekend is hot with expected highs today and tomorrow of around 90 F, probably higher. On top of that, there's not much wind. It's always windy here on the prairie, except on hot days (of course). (edit: it got windy!)

This morning, I had intended to ride my horse while it was cool--I've hardly seen him all week because of my already busy schedule. However, it was already hot this morning by the time I brought him in from his pasture where I have him boarded. So, after cleaning him off and spraying him down with fly spray, we just hung out.

I like to get him away from his herd when I can, as long as he's confident. Ruining a horse's confidence by pushing for too much will set you back. He's been gaining confidence in me over the nearly three years that I've had him--we have it solid in groundwork, but everything is different when a horse can't see his herd leader (human or horse). I know how different horse personalities are and have worked hard to push him just a little bit at a time so that he has to think about something new but then soon realizes that he's all right and feels more comfortable. I like a horse that is calm and confident, not simply containing himself because he doesn't feel like he can express himself; the just-getting-along-to-get-it-over-with horses end up blowing up at some point.

So, I took Buddy out to graze in the ditch out front, away from his herd, where the grass is untouched and tall. We've done that before, and he doesn't necessarily like it, but he settles down and enjoys the change, especially the alfalfa. Once he settled down, and when he was in a spot where I had a ledge, I took the opportunity to get on his back and enjoy the view. He hardly moved. The grass was thick there and he was content to just stay in one spot.

Enlightenment is here!

I love saying that. What a good word to make a statement with. In this case, however, it's a title.

Enlightenment is currently uploaded for major retailers but not yet fully distributed. I have reworked the description:

For the first time, the daemons of the Shadow Realm are afraid. Lilly has destroyed many of them for the sake of forbidden love. 

However, the same power to kill daemons has also left Darrac teetering on the brink of death. Heartbroken, Lilly has sworn to do anything to save him, even cross to the Shadow Realm, but first, she must learn to control her power. That won't be easy—she doesn't understand it. No one does. But she is determined to learn, even if that means cooperating with the one man who would gladly see Darrac dead. 

Mychel has no love for daemons, not even those who might have changed, but he is dedicated to protecting Lilly. As part of his efforts to hide her from the daemons, he steals her away to an ancient monastery halfway around the world. There, they will uncover secrets that could alter the fates of both realms, but the daemons have other plans.

If you haven't yet read Book 1 of the Luriel Cycle, the ebook is free at all major retailers, including the Google Play store.

As of this post, Enlightenment is available at Amazon, Google Play, and Smashwords for only $3.99. Links are in The Luriel Cycle tab at the top of my blog.

Getting closer to Enlightenment

Enlightenment has been delayed a bit. I found myself closely following the whole freedom of expression case going on in the indie writing community. Because of that, I rejoined Twitter. Many of us writers have been restless to get to a point that we know that the first amendment is on our side and that trademark trolls can't steal our creative freedom from us.

There is a point and a place for trademarks, but hoarding words and threatening writers who use them is not that. Today, a judge reaffirmed that right, but there is more to come in this. It isn't over yet, but this first step to unraveling this mess frees me from worrying and watching the Twitter feed for updates.

While the whole incident is focused on the romance genre, it affects writers of all genres, including science fiction and fantasy. Where one troll started this, there have been many more popping up, although none quite so bitter. The rulings in this case will set a precedent for everyone, and, to our relief, it seems that freedom of expression is more important to the law than one person's marketing monopoly. Trademark was not meant to be a weapon for writers but a protection. A hammer can be used as a tool or a weapon. Once it becomes a weapon, all bets are off--the victims will defend themselves.

So, now that the first victory in this long road has been achieved, we can all breathe a little easier.

I have been working through this, but my attention has been split. It has delayed editing on Enlightenment. I've also been very picky about fixing every little detail. I'm a perfectionist, but I also know that no one person is perfect, not even in editing. I know that no matter how many edits a book receives, I will always find something to change, especially as I improve or have better days of focus.

At the earliest, I will have Enlightenment ready for release on June 10. It's looking like Eternal may be released in early July. This is why I didn't set up preorders of either book. When they're ready, they'll be available. (Preorders generally require a 2 week lead time to get the final version uploaded.)

Thank you for your patience.

ps--later this summer, I hope to have an announcement about the next segment of the Starfire Angels series.

Thank you, reviewers!

Shared from my Goodreads profile:

Like other writers, I depend on your book reviews. Those are a buoy for the books and a lifeline or warning sign to readers. They help others decide if the book is in their tastes--I know they do for me when I'm looking for something to read! Whether you liked them or not doesn't matter. It's the substance that counts. 

And it's not simply on one platform but all of them that matter. 

So, thank you to those who make the effort to write up something about their reading experience. It means a lot to me. I try to do the same, because I know what it means. 

Lastly, there is one reviewer who is the only one to date to review Awakening on Amazon. I'd like to reward you with free versions of the last two books of the trilogy this summer when they are available, if you're interested. Please get in touch with me.