Artist Paul Trif just sent me the latest cover design for my novel Elbert. He added a new character interpretation to the back. It’s the Maroli labor appliance, a frequent cast member.
I was tickled as could be. Had to share it.
The Maroli Lives!
Metaphysical-ish
A teaser from 'A Habit of Providence'. the current novel-in-edit.
The Anodyne Virtuality
Aswang the errant fighting drone had made a preliminary reconnaissance pass at the Pacific Pride gas station in Mount Angel, capturing enough data to assemble a VR scene in Anodyne Workbench, through which one could meander if implanted with a neural interface.
The drone had a sense of smell, recording the aromas of diesel fuel and Double Bubble in a vicinity where the pickup truck’s rear bumper faded from sharp to fuzzy, a result of spotty image coverage. Pam was disappointed. “The convenience store is in focus from where I’m standing, but the truck drops into low-res at knee-height in back. I can’t read the license plate.”
Continue reading “Metaphysical-ish”Maroli means ‘Monster’ in Sanskrit
Artist Paul Trif is working on a concept for the maroli labor appliance. Here’s a serving suggestion I pasted together.
Fur from the truth.
This morning, I finished formatting the Elbert manuscript for print. It’s a third draft — in good shape, I think, but it will be pre-publication readers who determine if I need to do anything else to it.
I’m working on the back cover text … So far, it says …
In 1928 South Dakota, a furry, foxlike woman tells Doctor Elbert Harrison an extraordinary secret — Sasquatch are from outer space. Their aim is commerce. They’re not here to make trouble.
An elderly veteran of the American Civil War, Elbert expected soon to meet his Creator — only to find out the furry folk have a cure for aging. Emigration to the planet Jivada promises renewed life, an unforeseen windfall of family.
Regrettably, the Anye colony world has problems. When Elbert lends his voice to political debate, an opposing faction replies with violence. If he keeps sticking his head up, it’s liable to get knocked off.
It won’t matter. Elbert’s not the kind of man to run from a fight.
I started the book on April 4, 2020.
It’s now two books. The second book is provisionally entitled, ‘A Habit of Providence’.
This manuscript is 87,239 words.
The ‘excised’ document which contains all material deleted from this volume is 54,811 words.
Pre-publication readers are invited. Reviews are especially welcome. Please post a comment below if you’re willing to participate.
Gothic Space Opera
1928. Flying from Jivada to Earth. See the featured image to learn what the spaceship looks like.
Loyal House — In transit
Elbert raised the shutter on a window next to the front door, peering across a floodlit lawn into the infinite void of N-Space — shapeless, featureless, blacker than night, held off at the fence line by Saraf Drive emitter arrays, arching over the house like a sea monster’s ribcage, pylons engulfed in swirling webs of blue fire.
The house Oma recited a passage from the owner’s guide. “Depending on the intensity of exterior illumination, passengers may witness, at the envelope boundary, an effect of near-field spatial distortion acting upon available light, compressing wavelengths toward the violet end of the spectrum.”
Roman said, “In other words, the pylons aren’t shielded.”
“I’m sure it’s dangerous to get near them.” Elbert lowered his voice. “But how far away is far enough?”
“Are you thinking about going out there?”
“We’re not leaking atmosphere.” Elbert put his chin against Armor Glaze, craning his neck. “It’s quite a spectacle.”
They went four steps down from the top of the front stoop, just enough to look past the overhang. The air was dead still, the grounds deafeningly silent, every feature outlined in sharp contrast, individual blades of grass throwing deep shadows into turf.
Francine stepped across the threshold; voice dampened by ambient phase cancellation. “What’s it like.”
“Spooky as hell.” He nudged Elbert. “You’re a brave man, Doc.”
“For about a minute, anyway.” Elbert took his elbow. “Let’s go back in.”
Readier to Read!
Elbert — Act 1: Earth’s Secret History (Second Edition) is live on Kindle Vella!
In 1928 South Dakota, a rural physician learns about life on other planets, and a bounty of opportunities available to those who know. Eighty-three years old, Doctor Elbert Holland Harrison thought he was waiting to die. Now he’s waiting to live.
Elbert is a story about relationships, self-discovery, and the necessity of facing the future with courage and compassion.
On the advice of editor Jon Oliver, I added a new first chapter. Potential confusion about a variety of Anye Universe concepts has been mitigated.
The complete novel is in edit at 94,000 words. I expect to publish before year end, but you can read Act 1 on Kindle Vella for free, simply by signing up for the service and accepting a starter kit of 200 tokens.
You don’t have to be a fan of SciFi — I’m doing something out-of-the-ordinary, and this book in particular should be satisfying for readers of every genre.
I’ll be grateful if you give it a try, and doubly so if you leave a review.
Must Entertainment Be Shallow To Succeed?
Harkening back to a previous post, I’m still thinking about ‘The OA’ and wondering — if the creative team hadn’t overplayed the suspense card, would the show have made its audience numbers?
I returned to watch the Season One finale. It kept my attention for the full forty-three minutes, and I became mighty curious to understand the problem.
Rotten Tomatoes gave Season One a 77% critic score (66 reviews) and 78% audience score (2379 ratings). Season Two did better, but Netflix reportedly decided to cancel while it was still shooting.
Continue reading “Must Entertainment Be Shallow To Succeed?”On Learning From Other Creators
A bit of advice commonly given to authors is that we should take a break from writing to read, on the presumption we’ll learn something useful.
But that’s never worked for me. I don’t want someone else’s story in my head when I’m writing, and breaks are taken for the purpose of moving around, not sitting. Aside from that, I rarely come across entertainment that captures my interest.
A brief exception was the Netflix series ‘The OA’, promoted as ‘An American mystery drama television series with science fiction, supernatural, and fantasy elements.’
Continue reading “On Learning From Other Creators”Edited unto morbidity
When I posted this essay a few days ago, I thought I was done editing this chapter — that I’d be showing off what came of it and move on. Today, on December 20, 2021, after thirty-plus revisions over four different approaches, the headline is more appropriate than anticipated.
An engagement with editor Jon Oliver had produced the assessment that my novel-in-progress is in good shape, although not quite suitable as an entry point for new readers of Anye Universe material. The work needed, he said, a prologue.
Author/Editor Joan Dempsey advises against backstory-laden first chapters, but I thought to give it a try. Six-thousand-plus words and five different approaches later, I think Joan’s recommendation is the one I’ll go with. It was not a waste of time — usable material was developed, but it won’t go into a prologue.
For those interested in process, here’s the second-to-last draft. The last one contains text I’ll fold into the book.
Have you ever struggled with a first chapter? Tell me about it in the comments.Continue reading “Edited unto morbidity”
If you like Science Fiction …
But you’re put off by immature content …
John Dyer Writes 
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