Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Forgotten Worlds format explanation

I have been wondering for some time if some readers may have an issue with some of the formatting styles chosen for the Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds books. So, I thought I might make a quick post to explain some of the styles used for those who aren't certain or who believe those might be errors.


LANGUAGE

First off, because this series is multi-cultural and that involves many made-up languages, I had to find a way to designate when characters are speaking a different language, besides always saying it with every dialogue line. That could get very annoying.

Since the primary language is Standard (pretty cliche with science fiction), short for Standard Galactic Trading Language, I don't do anything special for that. That's your basic "English" language for the characters, because I'm an English-speaking author. However, if I had this translated into another language, Standard would be that language. You get the picture.

Second, in my Starfire Angels books, I have always used square brackets for the Inari language translation [], so I kept that.

Then, I added Ru'owa, the Feri language, so I had to designate that a different way, so I chose the fancy brackets or braces {}.

If I use a third language or don't use Inari, I may use the square brackets in that particular book but will state what language it is. Or I may use a different way to designate that language translation.

In general...

[] = Inari language dialogue

{} = Feri Ru'owa language dialogue


TELEPATHY AND THOUGHTS

This was a little tricky. Traditionally, thoughts were always put in italics and so was telepathy. I've also used quotes around telepathy to designate speech. However, since Nya isn't telepathic but her thoughts can be heard by telepaths and sometimes telepaths can block their thoughts, I felt that it was important to differentiate in a new way.

What I did was only put quotes around non-POV thoughts that the POV character can hear. All POV character thoughts are quote-less. This can also be helpful, if you see the pattern, to know from whose perspective a scene should be seen. Sometimes it gets a bit hazy when there aren't any or are few thoughts or a character is observing another only from the outside.


OTHER ITALICS USED

I also used italics for some non-Standard (aka alien) words and also for ship names. This helps you see that sometimes a word isn't translated in [] or {} dialogue or that a word is actually a ship name and not a word, besides being capitalized.

Another way I use italics in the series is with dreams or Starfire visions, to differentiate dreams or memories from the present or reality.


If I think of any other formatting styles I've used not mentioned here or someone leaves a question, I will edit this post. Otherwise, I hope this helps alleviate any confusion.

Monday, November 29, 2021

SOUL SHADOW News and Cover!

It's done! The first draft of Book 13 of Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds is complete at just over 49,000 words. Up next--editing.

And I have a cover for Book 13. I think this conveys the internal struggle of the story about something dark and sinister. The story involves L'Ni's memories, so there's plenty of science fiction to it, but a space station or space battle might give the wrong impression of this particular story.

The plot isn't this series's typical action type of story but something more dramatic, personal, and of an internal conflict nature, which is why it's difficult to fight for such a warrior as L'Ni--the battle is taking place completely within him. (He can't fight it with his hands or weapons.) He's defied its rule, and now the creature he once called a god has found a way to attack him from within, since it can't yet breach the barrier between dimensions. It essentially is a demon.

I just hope this cover is intriguing enough for the series.

ps - The blurb was harder to write than the cover was to design, and I may still tweak it before publication.



Wednesday, November 10, 2021

music suggestions for Forgotten Worlds

I've never applied it as a reader of any particular book, but as an author, music definitely has an influence on me. There's something about music that inspires, whether it's a deep, thumping bass; a lively jig; a dramatic score; something discordant and creepy; or soft and gentle. Music can affect ones emotions and inspire ideas. Its affects are well documented in studies.

As a writer, I often hear a song that connects with a particular scene or character. It has a power all its own on my creativity, igniting a focus that I can't escape.

All of my books have at some point had songs or scores that hit the right note (pun intended) with a scene or character.

In my latest series, Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds, I've found some scores along the way that kept me going, but when it came to Book 10: DRAGON AND FURY, there have been two now that really struck me. Initially, Shadowlands by Revolt Music Productions struck me as the combat games entrance of each titular fighter, the Black Dragon and the Fury.


I can't help but to picture their entrance, the pause before the fight starts, and then the beginning of their fight. It first struck me at some point while writing the book. I could see it for other possibilities too.

And then, after releasing the book, I was struck by Undefeated by Skillet.



This one too, I could see for the intense action between the combatants, but I could see this in general for many parts of the series.

And long before these, when I heard Everlasting Legacy by Really Slow Motion, I saw a trailer for the series.


Similarly, there's In Ascendance, also from Revolt Production Music. (I find the whole album to have a very action-intense/science fiction feel, but this one in particular has hooked me with the trailer feel.)


Others on my playlist that inspire me in this series include music not only from the composers I mentioned but also Two Steps from Hell, Ivan Torrent, Audiomachine, and Future World Music. There are others, but I just thought I'd share something of what I like when I'm writing this series. Two Steps from Hell is soft compared to some of the others I listed, but you hear their music in many trailers and are hearing more of these others. I've listened to these so often that I'll watch a movie trailer or hear a commercial and instantly recognize the music.

There are far more songs and compositions I could go through, but this will give you an idea of what presently inspires me in my science fiction and some of the music that really grabs me with imagining particular points in the Forgotten Worlds series, up to this point in it. I'm sure there will be others as I continue to write.

Off topic, I just have two other notes... I can say that the first draft of Book 13 is two-thirds done. It will be interesting, but I hope all the books are. I also saw a first glimpse of my new website and... WOW! I can't wait until it's ready for the big reveal.

Saturday, September 11, 2021

the bane of a long series

I just realized the addiction that all sff writers must have, which I am calling MSUAIG (Making Stuff Up As I Go, although the "S" could be a certain 4-letter word). I have spent this morning checking through the previous 9 books of the Forgotten Worlds series and realizing how much I didn't add to my series wiki (aka series bible) that I should have in there for when I have questions. I have also realized that I need to break it into some new categories because it has grown to be too much for simple alphabetizing. I knew this would happen but not to this degree.

Fictional worlds with your own made up stuff can get tangled with details of other fictional worlds we've enjoyed, and keeping that straight is like untangling delicate necklaces that were thrown into a box and shook up. (If you've ever experienced that, you know what a frustration it is to untangle.) It's also why I can't read much of other books or watch much television other than news/nonfiction when I'm in a project like this. I can only do that when I'm taking a break or it gets jumbled.

At some point, the MSUAIG catches up and I have too much stuff to manage easily. I need to make the time to organize it better now that it's grown so enormous. I only have half this series written and it's already a monster to manage. I hope that I can keep everything consistent, which was why I was checking through the past books. There are some small formatting inconsistencies, but nothing major, at least nothing major that jumped out at me. That's also why I make notes about certain details that don't fit neatly into any category.

Nevertheless, I am doing my best to stay on top of those details. I am a stickler for it, but I am nowhere near perfect. I would need a photographic memory to keep track of everything perfectly all the time. Since I don't have a perfect memory, I'll just have to keep making time to skim back over the series before I finish new books. This is partly why each new book is taking longer to finish...because I worry about details.

I am constantly worrying about names of people and places and numbers--did I already mention Nik's siblings besides Tatiana (Tia)? Did I mention previously how long Ann was captain or how long Simms was her first officer? I also worry about uniforms and descriptions and sayings--What expression would a Paxon use for frustration? (that I can remember pretty easily--Cursed Issan!)... and that's just a drop in the bucket of details I worry about.

You get the idea. Details like these are difficult to keep on track, but there are many minor details that worry me, perhaps even more so because they more easily slip by.

I am working hard on the final edits of Book 10 in the hopes of publishing later this month. This is but a small part of the editing process, and usually after I've managed the major factors of the story. However, it is very important to me to the point that, if you find any inconsistencies, please contact me. There may be a logical reason for something seeming to be inconsistent, but it could also be that no one else caught the mistake.


Coming soon!
 

Thursday, August 26, 2021

unraveling the explanations opens opportunities

I have a lot of fun figuring out the logical side of explaining my fictional worlds. I leave so much out of my books, although I try to offer some minimal explanations to at least give the reader a better understanding of what things are. That's the trick of making up science fiction and fantasy worlds--keeping the science/magic plausible, whether that involves ecosystems, governments, magic systems, or even the technology of a starship. The balancing act is not boring the readers.

I was just thinking about something today. I had already figured out how the shield systems worked on the starships and the limitations of those systems, but I hadn't quite unraveled how Vel and Shen are able to recalibrate the shields of the Iludrin to withstand more than their standard limitations. In THE DESTRUCTION OF WALLS, I came up with a way for them to hold out against the Issan, but I let the technical explanation go without too much thinking. I had a vague idea and didn't get into any great detail.

In book 12, they're at it again with shield systems. Again, I hadn't given it much consideration how. I just knew that these two--a skilled mechanic and an educated engineer (and expert in inter-dimensional physics)--would make it happen since they had already come up with the method in book 5.

Today, exactly how that worked opened to me. It was there but never fully realized until now. Learning this reminds me of how excited I was when I came up with the whole ecosystem of Inar'Ahben back when I was writing STARFIRE ANGELS, the very first book of the Starfire Angels series (or, rather, when I was writing its predecessor, which was rewritten into SA). Follow the logic and the answers will reveal themselves. It all makes perfect sense to me.

Now, I know exactly what Vel and Shen are doing. It's pretty detailed and I may use it one day if Vel ever feels like divulging that in thoughts or dialogue, but for now, It's a nice chunk of page in my growing Forgotten Worlds wiki file. Someday, I may reveal that too, but for now, it's my series bible with everything I need to know about characters, species, worlds, technology, ships, history, militaries, events, and even synopses for the books to come, as well as other details and clips from what is already written. (I'm always updating it.)

With half the series now written, it's a lot of detail to track and the document is only going to grow. (48 pages total with 29 pages of detailed references of this universe, and counting. The other pages are the synopses of books to come, some rather lengthy, or ideas not fully developed.)

I now have a deeper understanding of how shield systems work in my FW universe, one more logical explanation so that I can keep the tech consistent throughout the series. And I may use what I've developed to create another problem for the characters at some point. (Cue the maniacal laughter of a writer enjoying the creation of difficulties for their characters.)

The better that you can logically explain things, the more plausible the situations of the characters in that setting will be. Also, you'll have far more tools at your disposal to create challenges for your characters to overcome, and isn't that the fun of reading--to cheer on your favorite characters to success over whatever challenges or conflicts they face?

I now have a better understanding of what can go wrong when shield systems are tampered with, and that is giving me ideas... 😈

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Forgotten Worlds Book 12 ... DONE!

It is done, or at least the first draft is done. The first draft of Book 12 of Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds is done around 45,000 words.

Technically it's not done done, but it was only a few lines from done when I decided to change a detail about the final battle which would eliminate the final scene I was writing. I had an idea while walking (walking, showering, or driving--always the times when those "Aha!" moments hit). I realized that I had introduced something early on that was not fully utilized.

It was brilliant! I had introduced a piece of the puzzle without realizing it. I love when that happens.

As L'Ni tells Nya, "Use everything."

The best part is that this book means that I'm about halfway done with the entire series. I expect it to be 24-25 books. I keep getting inspired with more ideas, but I don't want to stretch it out too much. It is so much fun to write, though!

Now, I need to rewrite that space battle scene and figure out a new final scene. Then I get to read through and rewrite and add in whatever else I feel the story needs.

----------

Only then will I go on to finish editing Book 10 for a September release. Watch for more to come on DRAGON AND FURY!



Sunday, May 30, 2021

FERIOUS publication!

It's done! The wait is over! FERIOUS has been uploaded and is disseminating to retailers as you read this. What a furious pace in editing! This one was a killer for me to edit--so many complications in this one. However, after initially thinking I was done yesterday and accidentally posting this announcement before I was ready, I can now announce that Book 9 of the Starfire Angels: Forgotten World series is definitely ready for your reading enjoyment. (Now, I'm on to writing book 12.)



Nya has discovered a new secret about the Issan plans, and L'Ni isn't about to let the opportunity for key intel slip away from them. Meeting a contact with the information they need to fight the Issan is risky, but it's a risk that everyone on the Cartegos is willing to take.

The mission leads them to a desolate world that is host to an exchange outpost serving the Issan. Getting in is easy, but finding the Dirnothril contact and getting out with the information attracts trouble. The Duras outpost is a dangerous place, and L'Ni isn't about to leave anyone behind.
----------------

And as a teaser, here are some of the events coming a few books in the future of the series (without giving anything away):

* L'Ni's background will be revealed in Book 13.
* Nya will return to her homeworld at some point. I don't know about you, but I really want Leksel and L'Ni to meet! (I have no idea how I gave them both "L" names, honestly. It's pure coincidence.)
* I had an excellent idea for a setting that does not fit in with the usual places of this series. That's going to be a fun change.

I could say so much more, but these are just a few of the exciting things I have planned at this time. I can't tell you much else right now without revealing key points or giving away details that readers will need to figure out for themselves. Or there are plots that I'm not sure of yet, so I don't want to say anything. I would like to do more with certain characters but am not sure how those stories would develop, so I can't really say anything about that either.

FERIOUS is only book 9. I have finished the first draft of book 11 and am now going into writing book 12, which is about halfway through the series, although it could go longer. I keep getting plot ideas for new stories within the framework of my series plot, side stories and main action stories.  You'll have to trust that I have a lot of excitement planned yet for Nya and her friends.

Book 10: DRAGON AND FURY, will be available in the fall.

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Writing mechanics 101

I was chatting with someone new to writing recently and it got me thinking about some of the best writing advice I've learned over the years, especially when it comes to science fiction and fantasy. This person had already mastered most of the grammar and word choice issues (active vs. passive tense verbs) and sentence structure.

Too many writers who have never hired an editor write stiffly, mechanically, and passively. It's cringey (at least to me). It's why I gave up on critique sites--too many beginners with good ideas who don't know how to manifest those ideas into readable text. The best way to write well is to read good writing. Critiquing bad writing is like only breaking colts--until you work on the refinement of writing (training), you will never be a truly good writer (rider). I learned that in my writing and by training intensely in dressage in my riding. (Top riders ride all level of horses, because the upper levels keep their refined skills sharp and their skills bring up green horses the right way; versus those who only start horses and never get to practice and feel the very subtle and delicate balance of more advanced horses.)

The lesson there is: hire a professional editor, at least a few times, so that you can learn what you don't know, especially about your own writing. If you can learn to self-edit, that's great, but having someone else at least get you going down the road to better writing puts you many steps ahead in your skills (like I did with hiring an editor early in my writing career who made a huge difference in teaching me better writing that critique amateurs weren't helping me learn, and then again with dressage in regular lessons to teach me what I needed to do to improve my skills training my horse beyond the basics).

One thing that my early hiring of a professional editor taught me is to use all the senses, where they apply anyway. (That poor editor suffered through my awful early writing, bless her heart.) It adds color to a scene to experience more than what you see happening. Try writing a scene in the dark as a test. Our other senses are enhanced when we can't rely on what we see. With your characters, you'll have to think about what they experience in their other senses when they can't see. This is a good way to get into practice. Or write about a meal setting. Whatever it takes to get into practice and start thinking about all the other senses beyond sight will help you begin to help your characters experience the world more fully and immerse your readers.

However, don't use sense verbs (feel, hear, see, smell, taste) but describe something in a way that stands out. Instead of saying something like "She felt cold." try "The cold bit down to her bones."

That leads me to the next point in enhancing your writing. The most basic advice is to write in an active voice as much as possible and minimize the passive voice. Initially, newbie writers will take this to the extreme of NO passive voice, but that's not the case. It should be pretty easy to understand why this is such a big rule, especially in fiction. Active voice adds flavor to the writing and, in close third and first person, can define a character. "The sun burned down upon him." sounds a lot better than "the sun was hot and bright." Passive voice has its place, but use it sparingly. It's dry and dull. Your writing should jump off the page, but too much of that jumping desensitizes the reader for that turn of phrase that should really catch them. That's why I don't condemn passive voice. It has its place. Mix it up, but learn to do it in the right way so that the points that you want to emphasize stand out.

Dialogue is not narrative. Narrative is the author telling the reader what's going on, but dialogue is the character telling the reader indirectly in their conversations with other characters. The writing of dialogue should reflect the character's personality, not the author's. Listen to how people talk. Rarely do we speak in grammatically perfect sentences. We all make mistakes. However, on the page, you want to minimize that. The littlest hint of some of our spoken mistakes is enough to give flavor to a conversation or character.

Dialogue adds layers in other ways, too. Word choice of a particular character can make them stand out. And there are also the pronunciations. In science fiction and fantasy, I sometimes have a species whose language doesn't have certain sounds (the way German doesn't have the "th" sound, for instance) or has certain ways of pronouncing things (like a native French speaker versus a native English speaker--very different when trying to pronounce each other's words).

(Dialogue is so much more, but others have explained it well already. For instance, dialogue can imply or infer to the reader what's happening in action so that less narrative is needed.)

When it comes to setting, the reader only knows what's on the page. That doesn't mean go overboard and put in every single detail, but it does mean, especially in science fiction and fantasy, that you need to explain some things. How you do that without info-dumping is the trick. Sometimes you can't get away from explaining something, but doing it in appropriate places, such as where the character is thinking about it, and keeping it as short as possible, will help move the writing forward. Info-dumping slows the story and can turn off readers. However, not being able to imagine your fantastical world can also turn off readers, because they will be lost. Some things you can get away with implying, especially with readers who have read extensively in the genre. However, never assume all readers will know; any reader could be reading your book as their first foray into your genre. The best way to handle this is to keep it to just one or two sentences where you can when something is introduced for the first time.

On those lines, the same goes for sprinkling in background details or the history necessary to understand some points in a story.

Last of all, everything can be fixed in editing. The more perfect you think your work is, the more work it likely needs in edits. In the beginning stages, you will think you have the next bestseller, but too often that arrogance will blind you to the immensity of flaws. Step back, put it aside, work on something else, and give yourself time away. When you go back to that wonderful story, the veneer will be gone. Stepping out of the story will give you a chance to see it as an outsider would. You'll see it for what it really is. Then, you'll be ready to tackle all the flaws and give it the polish it needs. It's that time and mental distance from a work that will allow you to have the perspective you need to be objective about it.

At some point, you're going to get good at writing and begin to see how far you've come. You'll refine the work in ways you hadn't thought possible. At that point, you want to keep editing and keep refining, because you'll have been humbled into realizing that it could always be better. Know when to quit. Don't over-edit. You can ruin your voice and turn a bright, exciting story dull. No one is perfect.

Writing is an art form. It takes time and practice to become a master of the tools of the trade. 



Friday, April 23, 2021

Cover reveal - Forgotten Worlds Book 11

I have a cover for Book 11 and a title that I love. That working title I had was dull, lifeless, and DOA.

But the right title came to me just as it describes itself. It suits the story perfectly! - VOICES IN THE DARK


Based on my current publishing schedule, you'll see this one in the winter, probably around the holidays. I'm so excited at how the cover and the story turned out, but it does need editing as the real theme of this developed into something the series needed. In fact, I was worried that I wouldn't reach the minimum novel length of 40,000 words, but it will. This story transitions from stuff I can't specify right now in Book 10 (DRAGON AND FURY) to what will come by Book 14.

And, I have a title and cover for Book 12 already! Well, I sort of had the cover early on in the series but wasn't sure which book it would fit. Book 12 will be less focused on the main series and more on developing relationships with new characters. And then Book 13 will reveal L'Ni's background. If you've been waiting for his secrets, hang on; it's coming.

I am still loving this series, especially when each book takes me on a different type of adventure. Each book also builds on what has come before and I do have a series climax in mind. I have a series outline and my series wiki file to keep me on track, so this is going somewhere. Stick with me. I may slow down in writing at times but I am determined to fulfill the many plotlines of this series in a satisfying finale; we still have a long ways to go.

Thanks for reading!

Available Now:









Coming late spring 2021:


Coming fall 2021:


Coming winter 2021:




Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Writing status

 I have been making good progress on Forgotten Worlds Book 11. As of this post, the first draft is currently about two-thirds finished. It's a little shorter than I would like, but that's all right. I expect this one to be around 35,000 words (novella length), the shortest of the books to date. If my current writing pace can hold up, I could easily finish this before the end of April. But something always seems to come up, so no promises. That's why I'm not doing pre-orders.

I also have a tentative title but could change it. At the moment, the working title is simply THE CAVE. After a hasty escape from Paxons with damage to the hyperdrive of the Cartegos, Nya and her friends learn that there's more damage than Vel and Shen can repair from the inside. They need to get outside to fix it properly. That means a planet with an atmosphere--Shen doesn't do spacewalks and Vel would like to avoid it if he can. Nya finds a world with a Starfire shard that is uninhabited by intelligent life and uses her power to create a portal there. While she and L'Ni track down the shard inside a labyrinth of a cave system, Vel and Shen get to work. But they soon discover that the world is a dangerous place full of wild animals that would just as soon maul them or gore them. They'll have to make some decisions about how to proceed with repairs, while Nya and L'Ni make some discoveries inside the cave and have their own troubles. The Starfire shard won't be as easy to reach as Nya had hoped.


That's not the official description but it is a start. After I finish this, I'll return to Book 9--FERIOUS--to finish edits and publish that. I know I need a description for DRAGON AND FURY (Book 10) as well. I'll work on that after I finish edits on FERIOUS. 

I hope you're enjoying the series so far. I have it outlined and planned out. I still end up with some surprises--L'Ni was a surprise arrival that became a link for a lot of things I had planned early on but wasn't sure how they would fit together until I met him. There is so much that I can't wait to reveal! Read carefully, because I do drop hints along the way.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading.

For more frequent updates, you can follow my author page on Amazon or join my MeWe page, my only social media location.

Sunday, March 21, 2021

FW Book 11 update

I haven't posted for a few weeks, but I had some health issues that made writing a bit of a slog most of that time. Nevertheless, Book 11 of Forgotten Worlds is making progress, especially since I figured out what I needed to regain my concentration. I've had enough health issues that I've researched since hitting middle age that I have an extensive enough knowledge to pretty much pinpoint what I need. Once again, I hit that, although it took a tiny bit of experimenting with supplements to hit on the right one. After a period of going off supplements that work, I start forgetting things, like what works. After a few trials of off and on with consistent results, I can pretty much say without lots of expensive medical tests that I likely have a second autoimmune disease. 😔

Despite all that, I have managed some good writing on Book 11. I had started out with a first chapter that was more in the line of getting back into writing and getting some thoughts out of the way that really didn't need to be there. It was helpful, however, to have written them out. And it was easy to remove that first chapter, although it shaved off half my word count at the time, since I had two chapters done. The book starts out into the real story now.

After all that and continuing to write, I have the word count over 10,000 words presently and, as usual with this series, my aim is to reach 40,000, the minimum to be considered novel length. Therefore, it is about a quarter done of the expected length, although that can vary a little.

Now that I've set up the story, I hope to pick up the pace. I can't promise any time frame, but that's why I no longer set these up for pre-order. My life can get a bit complex, and I don't want to miss any deadlines or sacrifice editing to my satisfaction.

Once I finish this book, I will finish edits on Book 9, FERIOUS, and publish that when it's ready. I expect it to be around early June, just in time for summer reading.

The series is about a third published for what I have planned. Thanks for sticking with it. I have some surprises coming--some hinted along the way and some out of the blue. One event in Book 10 even took me by surprise, a little. It wasn't totally unexpected, but I hadn't fully committed to what took place until it was written.

Anyway, that's all I can say without giving too much away. You'll just have to keep watching for Book 9 to come when it's ready this spring. I will expect to release book 10 in the fall, after writing Book 12. The adventure continues!

Thursday, March 4, 2021

If you like a book...

When you enjoy a good book, a simple rating or even a review are appreciated by the author as much as your continued reading. This is a simple way of showing your appreciation for the entertainment that the writer provided. Doing so helps promote the author's work to other readers. It's simple to click the stars. We all strive for 5, but we know we can't please everyone.

Adding a review is a bonus. Reviews can provide your thoughts on what worked in a story or what didn't. They can be one sentence or several paragraphs, although it is considered a courtesy to include a big SPOILER ALERT heading if you giveaway key details that readers may not want to know in advance. Many readers know this, but there are always new readers reviewing their first books in their enthusiasm who may not.

I enjoy product reviews for my own evaluations before buying, but in books, I don't like to know too much. And when it comes to stories, what one person finds distasteful may be candy to another. I look for certain details in stories, just as others do. Some details are helpful, but you have to use your best judgment of what to tell potential readers.

Please consider a rating (and possibly reviewing) after finishing a book, especially one that you enjoyed. Other readers appreciate this, and so do authors. It's a simple way to say "Thank you!"

Sunday, February 21, 2021

AVAILABLE NOW! Racing the Orast Belt

This is a fun piece of writing, if I say so myself; but I enjoy each of these books.


After all that Nya has endured since taking on the Starfire's mission, seeing the famous Orast Belt space racing up close is exactly the break she needs. Unfortunately, trouble is never far away. When a criminal organization decides to take the chance on collecting a bounty, not even L'Ni can stop them from taking her. What Nya's captors don't anticipate, however, are her flying skills and the persistence of her friends. The race is on, and there can be only one winner.

Available now for $2.99 from the following ebook retailers and others:


Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Dragon and Fury

I haven't been posting much here and have had some distractions, but I have finished the rough draft of Book 10 of Forgotten Worlds. Right now, I have a title but no cover. I have not found the right image for this one and am hoping to work with an artist to create the right image to suit this.

If you go back to the end scene of Book 5, you'll see mention of the Hormaki Battle Games. Well, this is just one of the many tournaments of Battle Games in this series. Ann is a fan, so I'll just say it was fun to "watch" it unfold. The Battle Games are little American Gladiator and a little UFC with weapons and only two rules really--no killing and no outside weapons allowed. It's a gladiator sport without the intentional killing, although broken bones, cuts, falls, etc. can happen and some fighters have died. It's brutal but there are also some areas of the arena with obstacles, and different weapons are available. This is what I would like to have on the cover, but since it's pretty specific, I can't find a stock image to match.

Now that I'm giving it a run-through post finish, it's fun to watch that whole part of the book unfold. I say watch because I can sit back and enjoy the show. It doesn't feel like reading but like I'm in the arena watching the exciting fight. I'm done with the first round of writing but am rewriting anything that stands out. The purpose in this is to get an idea of how it flows to determine what major rewrites may be needed. I will then go on to editing book 8, RACING THE ORAST BELT, after this round on book 10 and set up the pre-order for that. I'll return to book 10 again before moving on. I am still developing the story line for book 11.

And, as the subject line of this post states, the title of Forgotten Worlds #10 is DRAGON AND FURY.

Ann's plan to escape from her Paxon responsibilities presents some difficulties. And there are risks that endanger the intrepid group of friends helping Nik to finally meet the woman of his dreams.

If you are interested in the series, you can find more information on this blog under the "Forgotten Worlds" tab or visit your preferred ebook retailer online and search for M.A. Nilles.

1/28/21 edit: I have found an image that is suitable for this, although not what I would prefer with custom art to really capture the idea behind this. It is hard to find the right artist and my usual go-to cover artist is busy.

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Update on Forgotten Worlds

I just have a little writing update for today, the 2nd of January, 2021. I can't believe it's 2021. It will take some time to get used to that. I saw online a meme that said something like "I can't believe that after 2020, we move onto saying 2020 won." Not quite the full meme, but you get the gist of it.

Anyway, starting out the new year, the writing is going well. I have a title for Forgotten Worlds Book 10--DRAGON AND FURY. As of today, it has passed 33,000 words, so very close to the finish since these books range from 40K-50K words, and I expect this to not be much past the minimum 40K word length. So far, so good for writing. I hope it keeps up this well so I can finish sooner than later. (I don't want to jinx myself again by getting overly optimistic.) Once I finish the first draft, I'll figure out a publication date for Book 8, RACING THE ORAST BELT, and post the pre-order availability on that. Fingers crossed I can set that date by mid-February.

The first 7 books of this series are available now. The current books available are listed in order below:

A NEW BEGINNING

THE RULE OF YONDER

VAULT OF THE CELESTIALS

IN DARKNESS, LIGHT

THE DESTRUCTION OF WALLS

DISPOSITION OF DREAMS

REMNANTS

You can find more on the Forgotten Worlds tab of this blog or on my website at melanienilles.com. For more frequent updates, join my page at MeWe at https://mewe.com/p/melanienillesauthor.

Friday, January 1, 2021

Welcome 2021!

It could get worse than 2020 but I'm an optimist and look forward to a 2021 that will be better than the past year.

I woke up to heavy fog this morning, which has, as of these pictures at 11 am, lightened enough to see more than a few feet away.




The crystalline glow of hoarfrost is always a beautiful remnant of winter fog. Once the fog lifts, that hoarfrost will sparkle and glisten, creating a magical surrealism over the world... until it melts off. It's a beautiful start to the new year!

I'm also glad we finally have snow on the ground. The second half of 2020 was drought for my area. Water tables have lowered and water dugouts for livestock are nearly depleted.  We finally received this snow a few days ago. While it's not enough, we'll take it. It was enough for the kids to have some sledding fun.

And inside, I have been growing this over the past month:

Two tomato plants starting to bud.

I had to put plastic around it because one of our kitties took to chewing off the leaves and killed one sprout and nearly two others. Those two, with regular watering quickly shot up to over three feet tall from the soil surface to the top and continues. I think these tomatoes love their mini-greenhouse made of that heavy-duty plastic. At least, they love not having a cat chew on them, and so do I.

Tomato greens can be toxic to cats, but Jack, being Jack, never showed signs of discomfort that we could see. He's our dog-cat. He eats everything, so we have to be careful. We did plant some kitty grass for him in a little potter after he went after the young tomato plants, and he LOVED that! Unfortunately, he also pooped out grass, which doesn't digest and caused him to have poop hanging from his butt. 🙁

Jack with his special cat grass (wheat, rye, barley mix)

Such is life here. We should have fresh tomatoes by the end of the month and will soon start some more indoor veggies. I hope Jack doesn't chew on those... cauliflower, radishes, and spearmint. I may even plant a head or two of lettuce if I have enough room in front of the the deck doors.

So, we're keeping an indoor garden. In one of the pictures above, you can see our regular garden plot. We've been taking out food waste to compost this spring. We have a pail under the sink to dump egg shells, banana peels, and other plant waste to take out and dump to add to our compost, although it appears that something is coming around to eat on some of that, which is fine too. We have wildlife in our rural neighborhood.

As I get older, I appreciate growing my own food more and more. It's a hobby with fruitful results. 😉