Wishing you the best for 2020

Wishing you all the best in the upcoming new year. May yours be filled with blessings and good fortune!

Blessed Christmas

Matthew 2:6
'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’

living Christmas decorations

Dargo was snoozing on the dividing wall between the front room and kitchen. The first is with the light on and the second is before I turned the light on. He isn't crazy about real snow, so we'll let him enjoy the fake stuff.

I'll probably regret saying this, but our cats don't bother the Christmas tree, except to play under it, but we learned not to hang ornaments too low. And it's a fake tree, so no worries about needles or fires. They just don't have any desire to climb, although when they were kittens, that was a different story.

Current writing status

I already mentioned this on my MeWe page, but for those who aren't on that social media network, I'll bring it here. I always try to include both when I have something I feel might be interesting to readers.

I just wrote the synopsis for Forgotten Worlds #7. I didn't have an idea for that until thinking about something after church today. When I sat to write one idea, it totally morphed into the perfect adventure and another book in this series that is heavy in the overarching series plot. It's so weird sometimes how creativity works. You think you want to do one thing then get going on it and it completely surprises you. I love it! (In this case, it's just the plotting stage.) And this couldn't have worked without the new character I've add in #4 (coming December 19!).

It seems like the odd numbers so far are heavy on the overarching plot and the even numbers are side adventures still in the series plot but much lighter in it... So far. Things could change, but not for a while. #8 is going to be the Orast Belt plot I mentioned on my blog a while back. Even that plot will be a little different than what I had planned but it will be a lighter plot again. It's going to be so much fun!

I have ideas for over 20 books. I don't know exactly how long this series will be, but I know the final handful of books will be heavy on building up to the finale. In other words, no "fillers" or side adventures when it gets down to the wire.

So, once I get through the current editing passes of #5 and #6, I will begin writing #7. By then, the idea will have time to settle and shake out and the gaps I left for optional action and diversions will have time to develop.

Book 5 will be The Destruction of Walls (front and center below). I will probably schedule that for release in mid-March.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, even those who don't celebrate the holiday. I hope you all have a wonderful day and appreciate the many blessings in your life, starting with having a life and the cognitive ability to understand this sentiment.

Thanksgiving is about more than stuffing your face, time with family, and (for some) watching football (American). It was celebrated originally by the European settlers to North America who were helped by the natives to survive in a land that was new to them. It was an innocent time when those people were grateful to simply survive. They didn't judge one another based on skin color or political or religious affiliation but simply shared resources and were grateful to be alive. (I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but they did give thanks for what they had.)

That is the spirit of the holiday--gratitude. That is something that we should practice every day, but this day has been set aside as a U.S. holiday, and it should not be forsaken nor corrupted. Gratitude in all that we have is something we should feel every morning that we wake up, another day to live.

According to Psychology Today:

Psychologists find that, over time, feeling grateful boosts happiness and fosters both physical and psychological health, even among those already struggling with mental health problems. Studies show that practicing gratitude curbs the use of words expressing negative emotions and shifts inner attention away from such negative emotions as resentment and envy, minimizing the possibility of ruminating over them (a hallmark of depression). 

Further, the beneficial effects snowball over time. Brain scans of people assigned a task that stimulates expression of gratitude show lasting changes in the prefrontal cortex that heighten sensitivity to future experiences of gratitude. The emotion literally pays itself forward.

Gratitude is the key to joy. So, celebrate all that is worthwhile in your life--family, health, life, and all the little blessings that come your way--and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Disposition of Dreams - cover reveal

The first draft of DISPOSITION OF DREAMS is finished with just over 44,000 words. That will change with edits.

And the cover is ready:

This will be ready for release in summer of 2020. I will reveal the description/blurb at a later time. It was almost too easy to write that and the cover blurb, but I like to have time to hone the book description.

Forgotten Worlds update

It's almost done, and I can announce the title. Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds #6 will be called DISPOSITION OF DREAMS.

I'm still working on the cover.

This book in the series started out great. I thought I would have finished two weeks ago at the pace I was going. Then... the engine sputtered and stalled. I had sleep and concentration issues and the story was in a transitory place as it was. (Strange how things work that way.) I struggled, but that was good in some ways, as it made me think more deeply about what was happening in the story.

This "episode" was a different challenge, because there is actually a confusion of dreams and reality. It was easier than expected to write that part of the story, which gave me a break from the story reality. The hard part was getting back into the story reality after detouring and putting the next set of characters in a situation that achieved the goals I had for them.

Now, I just have to write the last chapter of the book, the teaser for continuing to the next book.

I hope you're enjoying the first three, because #4 comes out next month, in EXACTLY one month--December 19th!

COMING SOON!

Pre-order today from your favorite retailer

Amazon

Apple

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

A salute to all U.S. veterans

Today is a day of remembrance of all those who have served our country to defend our freedoms, our Constitution, and our way of life. Thank you to all men and women who have served and are presently serving in the U.S. military, including many of my family and friends. I am humbled by your sacrifices.

small prayers big blessings

If you ever doubt the value of even a small prayer, you're missing out on some big blessings. In fact, you probably don't even count the smallest of blessings but only see coincidences in your life. I feel sorry for you, because you probably also miss out on the blessed light of truly meditative prayer. There is a wondrous light that can fill all the holes in your soul and quench the thirst for belonging to something greater than you alone.

Faith in the one true God is rewarded with the sharing of his Holy Spirit, which is as a fire in the soul. Deep, mindful prayer seeing the truth of God will connect you with this. And it will have profound effects on your life, as you learn to maintain that state of grace for longer and longer periods. (This state of peace had a big influence on my Starfire Angels series, which is Christian allegory for those who want Christian books without the preaching or not for those who don't want to read something overtly Christian. Yes, my faith comes out in my writing in different ways.)

But there are lesser prayers to be made throughout the day. I give thanks for all the little blessings.

Today, I asked specifically for a small blessing. It was a chilly day--mid-40s--but without the wind, a fairly good day for a ride. I didn't need to cover my ears and didn't need more than a jacket and vest. I wasn't so sure what Buddy would do, however. Small prayers can work wonders, though. Today, before heading out on my horse, I asked St. Francis (of Assisi) and St. Christopher for a safe ride on my boy... I had a great ride and the wind held off until just after we returned to the barn after being out in the open pasture. It was a strange thing that as I was taking him into the barn that's when the wind started to blow. It had been so still until then, and I hadn't been trying to rush anything. I didn't know what the weather would do. The wind held off until I was done, and I know there was a divine influence in that. Buddy turns difficult when the wind comes up.

When I arrived, the horses were in the corral. The pasture was open, which worked out great to ride in the open instead of in the yard. I was hesitant to take her but let the donkey follow freely. While I rode Buddy, she'd get behind eating and then come running to catch up. Buddy didn't get excited as I expected him to. Nor did he worry about his footing. The ground was slightly wet from the snow that had melted from our October snowstorm, and the ground was too frozen deep down to drain off and the air was too cold for the water to evaporate. Buddy didn't worry at all in fact, which also surprised me, because he's always been a worrier about the slightest change in footing. He even crossed the creek areas without a fuss.

While we were out riding, we practiced our dressage work. In different flat areas of the pasture, we worked on our haunches-in and even small steps of walk half-pass. But it was the flexions that really calmed him. I have to remember that. Buddy worked hard--he was sweaty half-way through our ride and I was mostly walking with a little trotting. But the bending work was quite the workout for him.

I didn't have any major act-ups from Buddy, just a couple of small, easy-to-correct issues. So, my prayers were answered. I had safe travel (St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers) on a healthy and listening horse (St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals), if a bit of a fatty right now. It was a blessed day and a good likely last ride of the season. I am grateful for that, especially since it's been about five weeks since I last rode him.

Never take the small things for granted.

horses are ready for winter

Since mid-summer, I haven't been getting nearly as much horse time as I'd like. However, I do what I can. It's just been too darn busy or the weather is uncooperative. A wet year and too many appointments for me and the kids in my free time eats away at my available horse time, especially when I have to plan two hours for driving time round trip. And then there are days that I just really feel blah or am on a writing streak I don't want to break (but I break them anyway if the weather is too good to pass up).

But I do get to the farm to see my Buddy and my family when I can. I haven't even ridden Buddy since four weeks ago. He's fat and fatter and getting a winter coat now. They all are.

I didn't ride, but I did check up on him and lunge him, trimmed his mane and pulled burrs from his forelock and tail. Feedlots were getting cleaned, so the commotion was a distraction, and it was a bit chilly. I was bundled up too much to want to deal with any antics if he acted stupid because of the activity.

Nevertheless, I took some pictures today, just for fun...

Me: Let's try a selfie.
Buddy: I know there are treats here somewhere! 

Don't tell my sister, but I think Jewel likes me.
Although I still find her to be a nuisance,
I’m doing what I can to make things work
and I pick burrs from her when I can.
When the other horses finally wandered off today,
she wouldn't leave me alone. Only after I
closed the gate and started away did she start
hee-haw braying to them and then ran off to join them.

creative sparks

This morning, after a fairly good night of sleep (which is elusive for me), I was lying in bed thinking about Forgotten Worlds #6.

I've been cruising along writing but was feeling like something was not coming together with the story, and I'm at the midway point. I knew it was there and that the link existed but couldn't quite see it yet. I'm a plotter as a writer, but I also allow room for surprises. And those give me a rush, which I suppose is akin to a gambler winning at slot machines (I don't gamble). I LOVE those moments!

It happened again with this story. I could feel in the back of my thoughts for the longest time, but I didn't know what it was. I was having trouble with inserting the action I wanted in a transition in this story and trying to come up with the right way to do it and to keep the characters in trouble--without challenging the characters, there is no purpose to the story. I had to dig the hole deeper for the characters, instead of letting them crawl out. I'd been struggling with the right way to do this.

This morning, while lying in bed thinking, the answer finally emerged. I had the missing link in the story and the revelation that the story needed. Then everything made sense, and my characters got into even deeper trouble. Even better, it adds a twist that will really add some intrigue and new concerns to the rest of the series.

I hate sagging middles and do my best to prevent them. This will definitely lift it.

I feel like the evil genius rolling his fingers together and grinning malevolently as his diabolical plan unfolds better than expected.

Until you read this next summer, you can catch up on the series so far by reading A NEW BEGINNING (#1), THE RULE OF YONDER (#2), and VAULT OF THE CELESTIALS (#3) and by pre-ordering IN DARKNESS, LIGHT (#4). THE DESTRUCTION OF WALLS (#5) will be listed for pre-order once a release date has been determined.

Keep up on the latest book pre-orders and new releases on my MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p/melanienillesauthor or follow to receive notifications from my Amazon profile at https://www.amazon.com/Melanie-Nilles/e/B002KL0B2Y?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_4&qid=1571500586&sr=8-4 .

October snow storm

We've been in the midst of a big snowstorm this week. It was beautiful on Tuesday, which is why I went out to see my horse (see Tuesday post). Wednesday was cold and misty. The storm was supposed to hit overnight then but it wasn't too bad yesterday. Last night, however, the snow fell heavily and the wind blew hard. The deck was protected from the wind, so we get a better idea of just how much snow fell. The wind created a big drift in our driveway. Luckily, school was canceled and hubby had already taken the day off. I did the same; my regular job is flexible.

I had also planned and made sure we had supplies on hand for several days of being snowed in.

What I can't believe is that we had a snow storm like this so early in October! This is usually reserved for November, but anything can happen and has happened in North Dakota. Looks like it'll be a loooong winter! Bring on the global warming!

Dargo looks out the back deck door.

The front yard and the big drift in the driveway.

A couple hours later, the drift is almost 3 ft high
and about 40 ft long (half the driveway).

horse time (pictures!)

Today was a gorgeous day that I couldn't let go to waste. It was a cool mid-70's, almost 80. But there was that cool breeze. We're expecting a winter storm starting tomorrow night through Saturday. It was like a summer day, and being the last nice day that we'll probably see this year, I had to see my Buddy boy.

He's been a real pill lately when being ridden. Ever since he and Jewel became BEFFs (best equine friends forever), I almost can't ride him. He goes nuts about being away from her. After the last time I rode, I decided I'd had enough of this behavior and would let the little ass accompany us. (I write ass, because it is a legitimate term when referring to a donkey, although the double entendre is intended also.)

It turns out she isn't as annoying as I had thought, and I was right that it did keep Buddy calm, except that he fussed with a threat to buck when I asked him to canter. I just have to get comfortable in the gait on him; but his behavior isn't helping us get past that, and so my anticipation of trouble just makes it more likely. It's a vicious training circle that I'm trying to break. At least I had a good ride. It looks like I need to let her come along from now on, if I hope to get any actual training in, instead of a rodeo.

Jewel actually wandered back and forth from me to Buddy to patches of grass or just checking things out in the barn. She was like a foal around its mother being handled by humans. Except I think she also wanted me to take the burrs out of her coat. She kept coming to me and standing for that, unless they were in pretty deep. I had to get a scissors for those. I think she appreciated getting those off.

I took some pictures today because a friend asked for them. I figured I might as well share them here. In a couple days, I'll probably be sharing snow pics. I'm surprised how well some of these turned out, since Jewel kept coming right up to me and the sun made it hard to see my phone.

Jewel, the mini-donkey

With all the rain out on the farm these last few weeks,
the dam has turned into a lake! Bucket debated crossing
to reach Buddy and Jewel coming back to the herd. Eventually, he did.

ps--I'm told that she bites, but she hasn't tried to bite me yet. I wonder if it's because she knows I come for Buddy and they are friends, so I'm a "friend" or if it's because I've given her a treat a couple of times when I've gone out to catch Buddy.

pps--After I was back up at the barn and left them at the gate in the last pic, I turned around and saw Buddy and Jewel chasing each other, playing.

Forgotten Worlds series keeps growing

I'm not posting much, because I've been busy writing. I'm actually having a very good weekend of writing and was getting too excited to keep it to myself. Besides, I haven't updated the blog in a while.

Starting #6 of Forgotten Worlds was a challenge, but once I hit on the right start, it took off. The false starts aren't so useless after all, but they never are. I keep all the scenes I write in one form or another, usually in a "deleted scenes" file for each book, so it's easy to go back and pull in scenes that didn't fit when I originally wrote them but which do fit later.

The two scenes I wrote in my first attempts to start this book don't fit as openings, but they do fit into the story. I'm so glad I have them, because they fit perfectly into the story in other ways. I wish I could describe the format and how that works, but I don't want to ruin anything.

Forgotten Worlds #6 is about 1/4 drafted with those scenes inserted where they fit. It's not too hard to reach those milestones since these books are each around 40,000 words, just long enough to be called novels but nowhere near modern novel lengths. As I've said before, I love this length. It's just enough to write a fun story but not enough to feel overwhelmed in one big doorstopper book. I can do a lot more with this series than I can with fewer but longer books. Shorter books mean more books and more adventures!

I hope you're enjoying the series so far. Granted, only the first three books are available, but in just over two months, on December 19, book 4, IN DARKNESS, LIGHT, will also be available and book 5, THE DESTRUCTION OF WALLS, will go up for pre-order. I think you'll like the new character introduced in #4; I did. He proved to be exactly what the team needed.

I have many books planned for this series. I hope I can keep going for a couple of years yet. I don't have every book outlined, but I do have many ideas outlined. The problem is that I keep coming up with new ideas and so keep adding to the number of books this could be. I can make this a good long series. I can also tease you with one thing--there will be a book of the Orast Belt race (mentioned in THE RULE OF YONDER). I have that all outlined and am looking forward to writing it, but not until a couple books ahead of what I am currently writing. There is an overarching plot, after all, that I need to keep up, and the Orast Belt story will be more of a fun side-track story. I love the variety in this series!

Thanks for reading!

Interact at https://mewe.com/p/melanienillesauthor 

In Darkness, Light

IN DARKNESS, LIGHT has a release date!

DECEMBER 19, 2019

Watch for it to become available for pre-order from retailers soon. This is the longest of the books so far, although still a short novel.

After leaving Ethal, Nya is on her way to visit the worlds of the Starfire crystal with her friends. However, Zaer has unfinished business, a delivery rumored to give enemies of the Issan a chance to defeat them, and she's not about to abandon it for any reason. Nya and the others have no choice but to go along with the plan.

What should be a simple exchange on the quiet, lowly world of Kurtuz turns out to be a trap. A group of Issan supporters are waiting and ready to do whatever it takes to stop the little black box from reaching its intended recipient. When her friends are taken, Nya must join forces with a mysterious stranger to save them before the Issan capture everyone.

$2.99 at these and other retailers:

Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

A simple request

To all my loyal readers, thank you! I appreciate your continued support, and I promise to do my best to entertain you.

To all readers, I have a request in exchange for the short time of reading pleasure that (I hope) my stories brought you. I don't like to ask, but my books are needing some love. Many of my books are free, so I hope you consider this a small price in exchange.

Please leave reviews, especially on Amazon. You don't know how much that helps me, especially if you liked a particular book and think others would also.

1. It helps others readers discern if a book/series would be for them or not.
2. I need a minimum number of reviews and rating to qualify for some forms of advertising. Without that, I can't hope to attract more readers.
3. Reviews are figured in the algorithms to make a book appear in more searches on Amazon.

If you would like to see one of my stories gain new ground so that others are more likely discover the same enjoyment that I hope you've found in my worlds, this is how you can help.

I put in countless hours on each book, developing, creating, writing, rewriting (many times!), and editing, so that you can escape from real world troubles for a short while. I only ask a few minutes of your time outside of that escape to leave some comments and a star rating.

Thank you!

Forgotten Worlds #5 DONE!

I have a title and cover for Book 5 of this series: THE DESTRUCTION OF WALLS

And it's an exciting one! Secrets are revealed, secrets that could change the course of the war with the Issan and secrets that will change how characters see each other. I spent a long time trying to figure out the right title for this one and thought I had a good title before changing the cover for this title, which fits even better. Honestly, the title was more work than writing the book. The first draft is looking to top out at 43,000 words, making it the longest story in the series to date. (I have only one more scene to write but had such a marathon weekend that I needed a break today.)

I will list #4 (IN DARKNESS, LIGHT) for pre-order in the next 3-4 weeks. I'm looking for a near-Christmas release date for that one and can only list it 90 days out. That should give me ample time to write #6, which is going to be so much fun! (Okay, I say that about each of these... mostly. #3 was difficult because I wanted to establish some foundation without locking myself into too many details.) #6, however, is going to break from the hardcore story-arc and let the characters do something not related to the Starfire or the Issan. It'll be like The Rule of Yonder in that it was a character-building, explore-the-possibilities-of-this-setting, and not-worry-about-the-overall-arc story. I may even bring in some of the species mentioned in TRoY. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You'll have to wait until next summer for that.

In the meantime, if you haven't started reading this series, the first ebook, A NEW BEGINNING, is only $0.99. All books after that are only $2.99. The second book, THE RULE OF YONDER, is available now also, and the third book, VAULT OF THE CELESTIALS, will be out on September 12th. You can pre-order that now.

Feel free to share this promo with your social media:

this blessed day

What a gorgeous day to be alive! It started out with me feeling off, but by the time I reached the farm, I felt alive. That fifty mile drive can work wonders.

Although my family was all in town for the annual festival that's not the county fair (that comes in two weeks), I enjoyed the day with my horse. Like me, however, he was shocked by my sister's latest addition that's not yet in the herd, a new mini donkey, a little jenny she's calling Jewel. Buddy snorted and wanted to flee when she came across the corral towards us, but then she was more afraid of him by the time she reached us and he seemed to realize she wasn't going to hurt him.

I love those big ears!

I should have taken a picture when Buddy had his neck arched and extended in that way horses do when they're curious but ready to run away if necessary. It's that look you see in Arabian poses. Even stock horses can be just as beautiful.

The dugout pond in the pasture with little grassy "islands"
the ugly wind turbines in the background ruining the scenery

After he settled down from the new addition, I took him into the barn and tacked up for a ride. Today, I remembered the Amigo Fly Rider, which I had bought years ago for a bigger horse. He loooved having that on, because it kept the bugs off! And they are bad. It's that time of the year where fly spray doesn't cut it. He was so much more relaxed with the Fly Rider on than before we tacked up. Plus, with all the rain we've had this year, the mosquitos are atrocious, especially near the dugout pond and the trees and in tall grass. Thank goodness most of the grass is mowed for the first cutting of hay. If this rain keeps up, they'll get a good second cutting too.

I lunged before I rode today. It's been 3-4 weeks since I really rode and I was alone, so I wanted to play it as safe as I could. I tried 2-3 weeks ago but the weather had Buddy nearly flipping out, so I managed only a few walk circles in the yard that day, just enough to get him to settle down and not try to run away.

Today, the equipment was gone from the patch on the east side of the quonset, which has a slight incline, and the tall grass that was cut last weekend was gone (baled up somewhere), so we had a nice place to work right in the yard. Since no one was there except me, I figured I'd play it safe if something happened. Nothing did, except an excellent ride.

Buddy in his Amigo Fly Rider, which he really appreciates.
(facing down gentle slope to the farmyard)

And work he did! Buddy was so awesome. I can't believe how he can go a month without being ridden, then we ride and even advance in our training as if we'd been riding every day in between. It's crazy fun when he does that, although I'd prefer that we had more riding time. Nevertheless, he's gone from being afraid of me on his back at a canter to picking up almost right on cue and carrying himself like a pro.

Part of that is because we started really working with haunches-in this last spring. I started last fall with a little of it, but this spring, he's really picked it up. And it's made a HUGE difference for his balance. Between haunches-in to straighten him and learning to canter by cantering up the hills in the pasture, he's made leaps and bounds into first level work where only a year ago he was just okay for introductory level dressage. That's a big step in training with barely any riding. He can even canter on a slight decline with me now.

He's in a quarter-section pasture with his four pasturemates (soon to be five) with lots of hills and rough terrain, so he does keep himself in relatively good shape when we don't ride. Dressage work, however, is a little more demanding. He's advancing quickly, though, and that pasture life really complements my training well.

Today, I asked for just a couple tiny steps of walk half pass, just to get him to start thinking about it. It was difficult, but so was leg yield when we first asked for that. Now, he can trot leg yield like he's a professional dancer, which is the best analogy of dressage. He's very attentive to the aids too and rides almost right off my seat for most transitions and some movements, which is exactly what we want for any riding discipline. That will only improve, and then there's something magical when horse and rider feel as one mind and one body, but that's the goal of training.

And I noticed some other things about Buddy. He's matured. He stands level or even a little uphill (yay!) and he actually changed in many other ways. His neck is more refined and longer looking. Also, although his head still isn't a "pretty" head, he's grown into it and it doesn't look so blocky ugly anymore. It's almost like he was the ugly duckling that grew into a swan. There's something special about him now that he's hitting full maturity.

And after a ride that left me glowing with pride, I trimmed his hooves. I had three done and the fourth was difficult, because he kept wanting to itch his butt, first on me, then on the manger door near where I tie him in the barn. I figured he must have worked that area of his body extra hard in our ride and finally decided to interrupt the trimming to work over his body with the massaging curry comb and then put some liniment on that area bothering him. That seemed to settle him down so I could finish trimming the last hoof.

He ended as a happy boy and me as a happy horse mom as his friends greeted us at the pasture gate when I turned him out again.

Going out to catch Buddy.
The herd at the far end of the pasture (1/2 mi walk)