Almost forgot that I was going to do this every Sunday. Hard to choose songs too because I’ve used the big ones multiple times. Ghostbusters, Thriller, Monster Mash, etc. have all ben used here. Well . . . Not much I can do about that. Enjoy this classic!
You know it’s been a week and going to be a weekend when I write this up on a Thursday and schedule it. Sure, something may have happened yesterday, but I’ll add it if it’s anything I can or should announce.
Three day weekend is here and I’m hanging with a friend to goof off for a bit. Some serious stuff being done, but we both need the time to chill out. Video games, movies, pizza, and maybe a little alcohol. Nothing major beyond decompressing and getting ready for next week. After all, this one was crazy busy and the next one is going to be shorter for school and work, so it’ll be the same. Amazed that we’re so close to the end of the year too, which has me bugging.
Why am I bugging out so much about this? I have less than 2 months to finish editing War of Nytefall: Eulogy, write the blurb, give it to a reader, and set up a month of posts for December. I finished the hand editing this week, so I’ll start putting things into the computer soon. Not sure how long this will take, but I’m hoping to get it done before the end of October and send the manuscript off. Then, I’ll work on the blurb. I can get posts done when I have a little time, but not enough to do editing. The topics might be a bit flimsy for my taste since I don’t know where to go with this being a major finale with a lot of twists and turns. We’ll have to see how things go. The character interview idea already full flat because not many people participated, so I switched it to a weekly promo for the whole series.
Of course, finishing the editing leaves me with no project during my off periods at work. I could just stare at the ceiling and recover my energy given this week. Instead, I grabbed a new notebook and decided to tackle ‘Phi Beta Files’. I even found my old notes, which make absolutely no sense. Is this a 6 book series done in short story style or each volume has a chapter-by-chapter story? Can I have 4 main characters and a support structure of nearly 12 characters that come and go? Are there really no women in the hero list for this series?
To explain ‘Phi Beta Files’, this is about a mercenary squad academy and the heroes are a team of 4 instead of the usual 6. They’re screw-ups, miscreants, and expected to wash out, but they find ways to survive. It was like a combination of ‘Animal House’ and ‘Starship Troopers’ with a fantasy setting. This is also based off my college days, so the characters all have a real-world component. The crew I hang out with was predominantly male since we were doing a mock fraternity shtick. So, the group ended up being that way in the book, which has me wondering if I should do some gender-swapping here. Feels kind of insulting to whoever I pick though. Maybe I’ll figure it out over the weekend since my friend is from that crew.
Time with my son was usually schoolwork because he had to get as much done as possible before Friday. He got his second Covid shot though, which went smoothly. He was scared, but made it through and was happy to get it. Even happier to get a peach Slurpee afterwards. Not much else happened on this front since we had so much work to do and the weather was good enough for him to play outside with the other kids. One of the best parts about autumn is my son being able to run around outside with the neighbors without getting overheated, drenched, or frozen.
Television was okay. I watched the last 12 episodes of ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’, which was kind of sad. The series got a little messy during Season 4, but I held in there. The ending felt a bit rushed too, but there was closure. I moved on to ‘How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord’, which is another anime. I didn’t expect it to be so perverted. Season 1 was okay because there was enough action and comedy for the fan-service to be overshadowed in my mind. Season 2 seemed to depend a lot on fan-service, which had me putting the series to background noise. Easier to do that than to go through the streaming service to delete all of the episodes. Not sure what I’ll tackle next though.
I need to find a day to reveal the War of Nytefall: Eulogy cover and ask for more blog tour volunteers. Doesn’t look like weekend posts hit very well. So, I might pick a Thursday afternoon to do this. Not this week since I might be too busy to respond to comments until the evening. Best to wait a bit since I have time.
Goals of the week:
A while ago, I was notified by Amazon that hardcover versions are now available for my books – but that this was still in beta and I wasn’t supposed …
Hardcover Books on KDP
Yahoo Image Search
Got some fun ones today! First, we have 3 creatures based on the words brought to me by Chris the Story Reading Ape.
Woosterbird
As you can tell from the name, this is a special type of bird. It has very small feathers around most of its body. The exceptions are three foot plumes on top of its head and barbed scales on its feet. Woosterbirds are no bigger than an average chicken, which is what many mistake them for. Instead of pecking and scratching for food, they rapidly dig their feet into the soil to catch insects on the barbs. This habit is why farmers keep a flock of Woosterbirds. While their meat is sour and their eggs are toxic, they act as natural tillers for the fields. Males, distinguished by more colorful plumage, take on a role as sentry animal as well. They will stand on the highest points of an area and watch for danger. Woosterbirds do not attack, but they will direct stronger animals like dogs to the threat.
Achookin
A gnome found in dusty mushroom patches, this tiny creature gets its name from the magic in its sneezes. No bigger than a human thumb and dressed in a leaf, they do their best to stay out of sight. Achookins are said to be symbols of good luck, but also of terrible weather. It is said that if you can survive their storm and still hold them, you will get a single wish. Nobody is sure if this is true because the sneeze of an Achookin acts as a Category 5 Hurricane. This includes large blobs of snot that are mixed in with the powerful winds. The strangest part of this habit is that they do not appear to have a discernable nose on their face. All they have are two dots for eyes and a curved line for a mouth.
Farsenwhoop
This is a monkey, which was recently discovered in the Kupdul Desert. It does not travel beyond the cactus patches unless driven out by predators or lack of resources. All of their nutrients and water are gained from cactus fruit, which they work to maintain. They use their own dung as fertilizer and will plant seeds taken from their home to plant around the edges. Families of Farsenwhoops guard their territory viciously from all other animals with the exception of some birds and insects. They make homes in the largest of the cacti, which they hollow out from underground. The entrance is typically far away with several dummy tunnels to stop intruders. Physically, they have very short, white hair and long tails that end in a puff. They have been seen erasing their tracks as they travel, which is why they remained undiscovered for so long.
Next, we have another 3 creatures from L.Marie.
Glomear
Nobody is really sure what this creature is or if it’s really alive. Appearing on clear nights in open fields, it resembles a glowing patch passing through the area. The patch resembles green claw marks, which are connected by thin strands that can only be seen up close. For years, people believed it was a trick of the moon or stars, but they have begun to notice that the Glomear interacts with its surroundings. Physical contact shows that there is something there to resist before the solid object passes through. Rashes and blood clots have occurred in those who have had extended contact. This still does not show this is a living creature. Witnesses have noted the Glomear will occasionally lower itself to the ground and linger over plants, which are drained of chlorophyll. It appears as a patch of heat, which has movements as if there is a heartbeat. There is no information on where the Glomear goes during the day.
Fablecke
A popular fish in the salty rivers of Dacrock, which are surrounded by natural fields of sunflowers. Fablecke eat the flower seeds that fall into the river, which happens often due to the winds. They also have sticky projections that many mistake for their tongues. In reality, these body parts are extensions of the stomach and can be fired out to take seeds directly off the flowers. Being a flatfish, they have to become vertical to get food this way, which is done by floating in an S-shape. They have long pectoral fins to help them stay balanced as they take aim. Fablecke taste like salted fish from the start, but the real delicacy is in their stomach. Partially digested sunflower seeds are taken and mixed with herbs to create a thick sauce.
Muscottle
This snail is find in the high branches of forests where they are easy pickings for a variety of predators. The only thing that saves them is that they can give off a horrible stench once their shell is broken. It is an attack that can only be done once before the shell has to heal and the noxious fumes built up again. Muscottles achieve this defense by eating only the rotting parts of their home. This includes dead leaves, rotting fruit, and brittle pieces of branches. While nutritious for predators, they do cause gastrointestinal issues for 24 hours if ingested. This is not enough to kill, but it can stop an animal from trying to eat another one. Muscottles transform if they fall to the forest floor. They abandon their shell and take on the appearance of a slug while they try to return to the canopy. Once back home, they find a place to hibernate for seven months while a new shell is grown from their back. Locals take the empty pieces and turn them into a powder, which smells bad enough to keep animals out of their gardens.
(Disclaimer: A warning to those who continue. This is a sequel to a previous story. Both of these were written in the mid-1990’s. While the first one was slightly edited and vanity press published, this one has not been touched in over 20 years. I figure I should do something with it and people may get a laugh or fright from how I used to be. Every author comes from somewhere, so this is part of my origin. To that end, I am deeply sorry for whatever nightmares I will inflict on the literary world and the American English language. Enjoy?)
Outside the Museum of Natural History, Cybro sizes up his hideous troops. All twenty of these aliens are permanently brainwashed members of the Clan of Fire. The Palidors are leather-winged humans with either red or yellow eyes. They talk in an unintelligible, high-pitched screech while waving serrated swords. Maviks are the enormous, black lizards, whose horns and spiked backs make them visually intimidating. Beast men, or Grunts, make up the last of the villains’ powerful backup. They are short, cat-like brutes who have razor-like fangs and claws for ripping through flesh.
“This is one idiotic group,” mutters Cybro as the aliens do a sloppy attempt to form ranks. Several of them trip over their friends and some of the Maviks have decided to eat some bushes.
“Perfect for you. Now, remember the plan. You take out all of the planet guardians, except for Fate. I want to deal with him personally along with Adriana. I don’t want any screw ups,” whispers Draveon.
“I will try to keep Fate alive. No promises. But, like before, I do not think we should try to kill Adriana. We will have the others to deal with if they decide that they wanted Adriana alive and in charge, which has been the case for years. And Kilanus will not be happy with us. No one has ever seen her lose control and go berserk. I would not like to be the first to witness that event. Another problem is the trap our leader has laid for you.”
“Is the poor robot getting scared? Forget about what Tegam told me. It’s probably another twisted prank of that idiot. I wouldn’t be surprised if the slut put him up to it. Besides, it wouldn’t matter if she knew about my plan or not. Adriana does not have neither the physical abilities or birthright powers necessary to defeat me.”
“Are you finished with your ego trip? We have another plan to use before yours is started. So go hide with Adriana in that building across the street and let me do my part. Be quiet and stay out of sight. And try to stay downwind because Hydrana has the ring. If she notices you, neither of our plans will be of any use to us,” orders Cybro as he rewires the metal clamp on his arm.
“I know the warnings. Have fun, metalhead. But remember our real plan. I want the Mars guardian kept alive.” Draveon walks away from the small army while Cybro begins to yell at a Grunt that’s sleeping and drooling.
“Hi to everyone. I know we normally have a post today.”“Why aren’t we today, Lucy?”“We have a special guest author Mae Clair, and the Boss is using …
Things Old and Forgotten – New Book by Mae Clair
Roc
Way back in August, I made a poll for people to pick the 4 monsters of Windemere to highlight this month. 3 were tied for the top spot, so I picked one of them to start things off. I give you:
Rocs
These are incredibly common fantasy creatures because they’re simplistic. I’ve read two different origins of these beasts. One is Sinbad the Sailor and the 1001 Arabian Nights where he runs into a giant eagle, which people assume is a roc. This gets thrown around, but I think the more common vision comes from India. This is a myth about an eagle so large that it can carry an elephant. Sometimes, it’s said they can carry one elephant in each claw. So, the real description of a roc is that it’s a gigantic eagle. Nothing really flashy about it.
It’s that lack of flashiness that makes it fall behind phoenixes and thunderbirds when people imagine bird-like monsters. Still, the roc gets a lot of love fantasy because they are connected to Tolkien’s eagles. Only real rocs don’t talk and I genuinely think the Middle Earth eagles are smaller than rocs. Splitting hairs there, but that’s just me. It also explains why I went the way I did with rocs.
Initially, I created the Windemere rocs with the intention of them being the natural rivals of griffins. I wanted something in the sky that didn’t have range attacks like dragons and were simply huge. Going through old notes from high school, I found that I used the roc a lot whenever I needed an aerial monster. So, I flushed it out without change the appearance of it being a giant eagle. The key strengths I was focusing on was silent flight and enormous power, which would counter the speed of a griffin. Sure a roc has to catch a griffin, but even a glancing blow is enough to shatter bones. This was done in the span of a few minutes, but the simplicity is why I go back to them at times.
Rocs show up a few times in Legends of Windemere, but they make an impact. I don’t believe I ever had them actually fight a griffin even though I wanted that to happen. (Added note: I actually think I did have it happen. Hard to remember every event in a 15 book series.) This resulted in the rocs becoming large beasts encountered for various reasons. The two big ones were showing how the Dark Wind curse was hurting even the most powerful of air creatures. Another was introducing a flock of rocs that protected a mountain and actually lived inside it. This explained why a certain plot point was possible. There were other types of large birds, but I’m not sure I can count them as rocs unless they’re eagles. Still on the fence about that.
Both times involved Luke Callindor too. His affinity for animals helped me show how these aren’t savage beasts. I was able to demonstrate that they cared for their young and territory. They could also be territorial without being intrusively aggressive. Many stories will have a territorial animal that gets in the way of the plot because it’s impossible to neatly get around it. This typically ends with the animal being killed, but I’m not always a fan of that.
With the rocs, I wanted them to be protective without making it necessary for Luke to wipe them out. It forced me to develop habits for the rocs such as patrolling and how big a creature has to be for them to consider it a threat. This meant, they were fairly intelligent, which changed my use of them a bit more. If they’re smart enough to differentiate between threats and harmless animals then I couldn’t make them the rampaging, temperamental beast I originally considered. This is probably why I don’t use them as often as I used to. Now, I need to come up with a reason for a roc to be there. At least, I still have the berserker perytons and territorial harpies.
That’s really it on the rocs. I do try to change up the look of some flocks, so I might be branching the out to be regional species. We’ll see what the future holds.
War of Nytefall
So, I was scratching my head for a while trying to figure out a theme for the October Money posts. I also wanted to try and do some kind of promos for War of Nytefall, which limited my choices. The character interviews were always duds and I do teasers every Tuesday. What else could I do?
Well, the Questions 3 stuff worked out pretty well last October. Though, I’m noticing some people just ignore the questions and give their opinion on the overall topic. So, I’m going to try to explain the intention of these posts again.
This is all about fun and thinking about an answer to each question. They are typically made to have you think, especially outside of your usual lane. Not the most comfortable thing, but this is an activity that was usually done to help authors branch out. We get stuck in our creative ruts and comfort zones without realizing it. A simple question or 3 can revive energy, reduce writer’s block, and maybe even lead to something good that we never saw coming.
This is going to be an easy one to get people into the groove. This is all about the powers of a Dawn Fang vampire. These are the vampires of Windemere, who are the focal point of War of Nytefall. They are immune to the sun, incredibly powerful, can feed without killing, eat human food, have heartbeats, can breed through sex, and are able to live among mortals without going berserk. All of that is their baseline, so you get an idea that they are not your destructive, hunger driven monsters.
Dawn Fangs also have 3 unique powers. They have one from each category of body, mind, and aura/magic. Body is a power that is physical in nature. Mind is one that is psychic or sensory. Aura/magic is a really unique ability that might not fall into the other two categories so easily. For example, Mab Winthrop has retractable claws (body), speaking to the dead (mind), and shadow traveling (aura/magic). Another example would be Luther Grathan who has Raven form (body), tasting emotions (mind), and phantom clones (aura/magic). Hope that all helps.
Questions:
Hi SErs! Harmony here 🙂 Today, I’d like to talk about how to write Point of View (POV) in the Third Person Distant perspective–otherwise known as …
How to Write Point of View, Part 5, Third Person Distant
