Immortal Wars: The Summoning Part 10 #fiction #throwback

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

(Previously on Immortal Wars.)

Disclaimer: Immortal Wars was the book I came up with and wrote in high school.  I hadn’t even hit college by the time I wrote the first two books.  That means I hadn’t developed my style yet, wasn’t good at self-editing, and the story was fairly basic. So, you’ve been warned that this is the ultimate author throwback segment for my blog and will show my author origins.  FYI-  I put the first book (The Summoning) through a Print-on-Demand publisher and the second one (Light, Blood, & Tears) never saw the light of day.  Enjoy!

The star room is the common name for the large warship’s navigation room.  There are thousands upon thousands of detailed images of planets and stars from other galaxies floating around the room.  In the center of this hologram filled room is a big computer console, which allows anyone to zoom in on a specific section of the holographic star map.  The cylinder-shaped computer console is also used to order the ship where to go and the preferred course it should take to get there.  Not many beings know how to use the star room and even fewer beings are alive to talk about it since the race that built the warship is no more.

As Draveon, Kilanus, and Psylon walk through the automatic door, another of their allies gives them a cold and silent greeting.  Working in the far corner of the room is the robotic assassin known simply as Cybro.  This robot used to be a very handsome immortal until his original body was destroyed.  Fortunately, his brain, heart, and soul were put into a powerful cyborg body in order to save Cybro’s life.  The heartless immortal’s original powers are gone and long forgotten.  His left arm ends in a spinning trilaser and he is armed with a jetpack, poisonous snare nets, a titanium claw in his stomach, and other vicious weapons.  Along with these offensive attachments are his communication array, all-purpose sensors, and a chemistry lab in his gel-compartment stomach.

Cybro’s right arm ends in a fleshy, human hand, which has a strange ring on it.  The ring is made out of Orion silver and is adorned with five red designs etched into it.  The crimson designs resemble those of an eye, a hand, a nose, a mouth, and an ear.  This ring holds a black gem that appears to have a flowing liquid trapped inside it.  This is the planet guardians’ primal ring, which enhances ones senses.  Cybro has this specific weapon because he has not had any of his original senses after the accident.

“What are you three doing here?  It is not time for me to leave this station.  In fact, I never leave this station unless there is an emergency somewhere else in the ship that needs my attention,” mentions the gear-grinding voice of the robot.

“Don’t get your out-dated transistors tangled, Cybro.  Kilanus only wanted to see the planet we were born on,” replies Psylon.

“I must protest to this action.  I do not think this is such a good idea.  She is not allowed to be in this area of the warship anyway.  What if Adriana was to find out about this?  She would shoot my skull into deep space like she did when I dropped the new bulkhead on her legs.  Now that I think about it, that look of sudden pain and pure shock on her green-eyed face was worth the headless embarrassment.  Still, this is not a good idea.”

“Are you done with the mental trip?  Now do as we ask, robot,” growls Draveon.

“Threaten me all you want.  Nothing can break my resolve.”

“Please, Uncle Cybro.  I just want to see your old planet.  I promise that I won’t touch anything.  Please, Uncle Cybro,” pleads Kilanus while giving the robot a pair of innocent puppy dog eyes.  He stares right at her and his head suddenly spins like a top.

“Nothing can break my resolve except for annoying begging that is.  All right.  But for the last time, I am not, and never will be, your uncle.  And never do that thing with your eyes again.  It is unsettling.”

Cursing under his non-existent breath, Cybro walks over to the central console.  He pushes the blinking buttons with nimble, finger-like wires that grow out of his green-cell stomach.  The wires type in the coordinates faster than any normal human or any other immortal could possibly type.  In four seconds, a very large hologram of Earth appears a few feet over their heads.

“There is our home planet.  Still a beautiful globe filled with mortal pestilence.  Now leave me alone!” shouts Cybro.

“What is that planet called?  What is it like?” asks Kilanus ignoring Cybro’s constant shouting.  He storms off into the corner he was in before and slams a wall panel shut.

“That is the planet known as Earth.  It has trees, water, and all kinds of pretty things that the other nine planets lost a long time ago.  You would really like it down there, Kilanus.  We’ll have to bring you there one of these days,” states Draveon.

“Oh, gag and kill me.  Even though Draveon is the ultimate killer, he’s such an oversized pansy,” thinks Psylon as she starts to leave.

“Uncle Draveon.  Which part of Earth was my mom born on?”

“I think she was born somewhere on the continent called Europe.  Give me some time to remember exactly where she came from.”

“Can I see it on the display?”

“I see no problem with that.  Zoom in on Europe, Cybro.”

“Why should I take orders from an oversized freak of unnatural science like you?  I have much better and important things to do than to entertain you and the runt.  Unlike you, I want to prepare for any problems that could occur.  Maybe you would too if you were not such an idiot, test tube boy,” retorts Cybro with his back turned to Draveon and Kilanus.

Much quicker than Cybro can react to, Draveon grabs the robot by his skinny, metal legs and hurls him across the room.  Cybro uses his jetpack to avoid the wall and starts shooting emerald lasers at Draveon.  Some of the lasers cut through the large man’s torso before he decides to take out his sword and block the laser blasts.  While it is blocking the laser attack, the unique sword slowly starts to turn bright white until the light envelops the entire blade.  Suddenly, the sword releases the built up energy in the form of a light beam.  The intense light beam smashes into Cybro’s left arm, which destroys the trilaser and causes Cybro to curse in anger more than pain.  Draveon swiftly walks over and picks up his beaten ally by the cyborg’s yellow-eyed head.  The threatening effect is quickly lost when the shock-faced head detaches from the rest of Cybro’s body.

“Listen up, you bucket of microchips.  I can order you around for one simple reason.  The reason is that I can easily destroy your worthless, metallic hide!  Do you understand what I’m getting at, Cybro?  Or do I have to keep making my point?  I am your superior.”  While he is speaking, the holes in his body are quickly knitting themselves together.

“I understand, but you will never be my superior as long as Adriana is in charge.  You would do well to remember that little fact, Draveon.  But I will zoom in on Europe as you have requested.  Is there any specific area?” whispers Cybro as his repair systems start fixing his wounded arm.  Draveon slams the cyborg’s head back onto the robot’s shoulders, but it has to be spun around because he smashed it on backwards.

“Yes.  Go to the city called Athens.  In case you have forgotten, Cybro, it is near the bottom of Greece.  I think.”

With his pride and ego badly wounded, Cybro silently pushes the necessary buttons and punches in the coordinates.  A small welding gun comes out of his left shoulder and attempts to weld his head onto the rest of his body.  Unfortunately, Cybro only succeeds in burning a hole in his metal skin.  With a slight cringe of annoyance, the welding gun goes back into the shoulder compartment.  Soon after that the image of Earth disappears and is replaced by an enlarged image of present day Athens.

“She came from that little city?  I couldn’t even see it in the last picture,” says Kilanus as she stares up at the rotating image.

“How stupid are you, girl?  Of course you could not see it in the last picture.  From outer space it is impossible to see exact places with the exception of the continents and bodies of water. And the Great Wall of China, but that’s a unique exception.  Even then it might be hard to do because of the cloud cover.”  Draveon scowls at the robot and takes a step forward in order to shove Cybro through the nearest bulkhead.  The robot pulls out a glass globe filled with white liquid and gets ready to throw it.  Kilanus is not even aware that another fight is about to break out because the hologram has all of her attention.

Suddenly a muffled voice is somewhat heard over the warship’s intercom system repeating, “Adriana would like to speak with all of the immortals presently on the warship.  And I know that all of you are on the warship.  Everyone must meet in the central hall.  That is not really a request, but an order.  And I do mean everybody.  I will not repeat any of this announcement so if you didn’t hear it, I suggest you put in for some time to heal after I finish with you.  Thank you and have a peachy day.”

Draveon gives a small growl while Cybro puts the globe back into a stomach compartment and does his best to show a coy smile.  The three immortals silently leave the star room and head toward the central hall.  Both men make sure to keep Kilanus in between them, so as not to try and take shots at the other.

Everyone knew that it was rare that their leader had to talk to all of them at once.  This probably meant that something very important, and dangerous, has been discovered in their old galaxy.

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Thursday – A Little Personal – Danny the Dog Book Launch

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

“Hey, Lucy. What are all those people looking at?” “They are here because we have a special guest. Come down here cause we have a job to do.” “Does …

Thursday – A Little Personal – Danny the Dog Book Launch
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Role of Vampire Hunters in War of Nytefall

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Still can’t believe this was a thing

Leading up to War of Nytefall: Eradication, I had really stayed within the vampire world for enemies.  You did have Duragians being a major first in Loyalty and they return in this volume.  Yet, there was a third faction that appeared from time to time without a pattern.  This would be the vampire hunters, who I could never really get a strong handle on.  Even now, I make notes to add them into the action with big plans for them and it never happens.  Why is that?  Well . . .

  1. There’s no central organization to the vampire hunters of Windemere.  I made such a thing for mercenaries, monster hunters, and am working on one for ruin divers.  One could say that vampire hunters are a niche of the middle group, but that organization hasn’t turned up during this time period.  By the time they do, Dawn Fangs are accepted and vampire hunting isn’t much of a thing.  So, I don’t have any scenes of them planning or preparing.
  2. Because of their lack of organization, they get used as hired guns and this means they really only show up for combat.  There’s a hunter who shows up in Eradication and will be a bigger force later, but he’s an outlier.  Every other time, I have them be the pawns of vampires or hired to go after a specific target.  This means the ‘group’ doesn’t get much meat for evolution since it’s rare that any of them survive.  They’ve become the fodder of the series.

Is this a bad thing?  I really don’t know.  The truth is that nearly all of the stories I have planned are very specific to the vampire world and turmoil within.  Hunters are outside forces that have no interest in the politics that are ensuing.  They show up to kill and eliminate the monsters, which goes against the narrative that the Dawn Fangs are fairly mortal in how they emotionally function.  In this respect, hunters turn out to be the bad guys.  More so, they are hateful villains that don’t see what the audience is looking at when they face off with the ‘heroes’.  Sure, Clyde has monstrous tendencies, but it’s starting to be revealed that part of it might be because his emotions run so high and his power is immense.  Having a group set out to destroy these beings doesn’t put them in a very good light.

While I do more with hunters in this book, I do wonder why I threw them into the mix at all.  The biggest reason could be because of previous vampire stories.  We’re led to believe that there is a group of mortals trained to fight vampires.  Van Helsing, Blade, Buffy, Abraham Lincoln, the Belmonts, etc. all stand against the threat of blood-sucking death for the species.  9 out of 10 times, the stories focus on these characters and the vampires are the bad guys.  You see vampires get mowed down by the skill and power of the hunters who have be blessed or trained to handle these monsters.  Yet, flipping the roles for a story brings in a different picture because hunters don’t work in large groups, aren’t usually as organized as their prey, and make weaker fodder for combat scenes.  This means, they become more annoyance than major threat.

Do I wish I did something different with them?  I’m not really sure if I could have because of the overarching plot.  As I said, the power and humanity of the Dawn Fangs turn the hunters into an archaic group.  There’s really no need to hunt them down, which means their attacks are unwarranted.  Since Dawn Fangs are nearly impossible to sniff out by standard means, the hunters need to be hired for a specific target.  This goes against the idea of them being a noble force for good and makes them come off more as money-loving mercenaries.  I might alter War of Nytefall: Savagery to show this and put a nail in the vampire hunters’ coffin.  It has a little more to do with them than previous volumes and the one after could do it too.  Although, I really have to wonder if this is necessary since they weren’t as big a factor as I expected.

A final note that I just realized: Duragians pretty much stole the main driving force behind vampire hunters.  With them in the picture, I didn’t need this separate group.  Oh well.  Seems I really did just add them because they’re a staple of the genre.

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Teaser Tuesday: The Mystery Hunter #fantasy #vampires

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

War of Nytefall (CLICK ON IMAGE FOR AMAZON SITE)

Here’s part of another fight scene from War of Nytefall: Eradication.  I wanted to introduce people to a minor character who will play a big role down the road.  This is kind of his debut book where he starts interfering in the Dawn Fang’s lives.  Who is he?  Well, that’s a secret for another volume.

Continue reading →

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How Do Dawn Fangs Hide Among Mortals?

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Deacon Frost

As I was getting ready to publish War of Nytefall: Eradication, I began looking through comments on old posts.  My target was anything dealing with the Dawn Fangs that people didn’t seem to understand.  Now, I have explained everything in the books, but only 20-30 people would know that.  This means I get a lot of comments on the blog where people jump to conclusions about vampires that don’t hold true with Dawn Fangs.  I’ve had to repeat myself in responses, so I’m happy to make posts that clarify things.  Feel free to ask anything else though.

For now, I’m going to tackle a question that will answer others:

How do Dawn Fangs ‘hide’ among mortals?

Hide might not be the best word because they aren’t lurking in the shadows.  Dawn Fangs are living out in the open with jobs, friends, and social interactions.  They can be a mortal’s neighbor, teacher, butcher, tavern owner, or anything.  At this point in their history, they can keep the illusion going even though they don’t age.  It all comes down to Clyde’s dream, which is to prove that Dawn Fangs can live among mortals without being a danger and already being there for decades is an important step.  Not every one of his followers is a warrior.  In fact, most aren’t because he has pushed them to go for any career or path that they want.  A Dawn Fang is more likely to be a florist than a fighter.

This wouldn’t be possible if they acted like the monsters that people assume they are because they’re vampires.  The fact that they are even trying shows that they are more human than people realize.   If you come to understand this then the series makes a lot more sense because you’re no longer looking at it purely as ‘monsters vs monsters’.  The action scenes and grand adventures are fun, but the Dawn Fangs future really lies in those who have integrated into mortal society.  Now, how are they able to do this without revealing themselves?

  1. Dawn Fangs are able to eat mortal food and gain nutrition from it.  This means they can join in feasts, host parties, and go grocery shopping.  They aren’t sitting in a corner and avoiding the appetizers because they’ll get sick.  Food plays an essential part in so many social constructs and events that this is a big necessity.  It also means they don’t have to drink a lot of blood or fall to a blood thirst if they go without for very long.
  2. Dawn Fangs have heartbeats and warm skin.  One difficulty with vampires is that they are easy to figure out once you touch them.  Without a beating heart, their skin is typically cold unless they have just eaten blood.  It’s a dead giveaway that something is wrong.  With a Dawn Fang, you can’t tell the difference between holding their hand or that of a mortal.  The exception is if they are sick or badly injured because their bodies can cool quickly if blood is directed more for healing.  Either way, this means they can see a doctor for a basic examine and pass the test.
  3. Dawn Fangs can feed from a mortal without killing them.  This means that they can reveal themselves to one or two people who are willing to be fed on every now and again.  Even without that option, it means they can get blood from livestock without leaving bodies, which is a big sign.  Because they can survive off food, this isn’t as big a need, but they do require some blood ingestion every week.
  4. Many Dawn Fangs were old-world vampires first and have had years to perfect various trades.  Others were turned specifically because they had knowledge and skills that would help with integration, but not the position to ply them.  This helps them enter a city and build a business fairly quickly.  Due to have eternity, they are even willing to start at the bottom and work their way up.  This might not be a big thing, but it’s an important mortal trait that many old-world vampires have forgotten.
  5. With the revelation that Dawn Fangs can have children, they are now able to have families.  Another minor quirk to the illusion, but it shows that they are not that different from mortals.  It does get a little complicated since the babies will be less likely to hide their nature than adults.  Still, many have figured out ways around this problem.  For example, a husband might say the new mother and child are with a distant family member because it was a difficult pregnancy.  In reality, the mother and child would be with Gregorio or on Nytefall to get everything set for their return.
  6. Dawn Fangs do not have the blood lust or battle lust that other vampire types are known for.  Yes, Clyde has that second problem, but he’s a unique case due to his creation.  Being trapped in a dark cavern for 50 years probably didn’t do him any wonders either.  All the other Dawn Fangs are able to act rationally and not be a danger in most situations.  Extreme damage and danger may cause them to flip out, but nearly every organism has the fight or flight reflex.

I hope this clears up a few things.  Some may be kind of stretches, but I wanted to cover all bases.

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The Style and Form of My Fantasy Tip Book

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Yahoo Image Search

So, You Want to Write Fantasy . . . I still don’t know about that title.  Anyway, I’m slowly coming to the end of the planning stage, which is getting me thinking about how to write this book.  To figure this out, I went looking at samples from other fantasy tip books again to make sure I wasn’t wrong the first time I checked them out.  Like before, I saw that there was a lot of serious jargon and trade speak.  There was always a sense that you were a student listening to a teacher, which created a very serious tone even when there was joking around.  This isn’t bad, but it’s not me.  So, what to do?

Well, I’ll stick to my original idea and make the entries similar to my blog posts.  Only I’ll be editing them.  This means I’ll write in a fairly simple and casual style with limited jargon to prevent newcomers to writing from getting confused.  Maybe not so much confused, but to make sure my points can come across to anyone.  This means the entries might not be more than 800-1,000 words each.  It’s all opinion and experience-based with me using my own works as examples too.  So, I can’t go chatting about LOTR, Star Wars, or MCU.  Have to stay within Windemere even though I’m talking about a more generalized topic.  All that makes this a bigger challenge than I expected, especially since I’m not always working with a high level of confidence.  I mean, why take advice from an author who can’t sell a book?

Anyway, the big thing I’m struggle with is entry structure.  I keep wondering if I should make it a combination of types or one kind of ‘post’.  For example, I thought about doing all of the entries as my ‘7 Tip Lists’ and run the risk of leaving stuff out or getting repetitive.  Maybe I can use this for topics where I don’t have more than 7 things to say or that are less serious such as the one on ‘eating scenes’.  Another method would be just a regular essay that runs through the idea and/or those that have the subject split into a couple smaller sections.  I guess what I’m wondering is what kind of entry structure is most conducive to my goals of getting readers and helping others.  Also, why did my GRE vocabulary just kick in for a second?

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I Swear Things Happened this Week . . . Damned If I Remember What Though

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

(Loved the fight scene when this song showed up.  Annoyed that they only have it in two parts instead of one full video.  I was tempted to post them, but people don’t seem to bother with videos.)

I’ve been out of it all week.  Mustered enough energy and focus to make it through work then I let my brain go out of whack once I was free and clear.  A big part of this is because of the GRE last Saturday.  I didn’t give myself enough recovery time since I dove into writing and binge-watching seasons 1 and 2 of ‘Castlevania’.  No, I haven’t started Season 3, so don’t say anything.  Heck, maybe I watched episode 1 before passing out last night since I’m writing this at 9 PM.  We’ll see what happens.

Anyway, the GRE was more brutal than I expected, but only in the math department.  I got to start the test early, which blocked all the anxiety I’d get if I was simply sitting around in the morning.  Hit the essays with confidence and used my time thoroughly.  Then . . . I faced my first math section and nearly cried by the end.  This was a level of mental and emotional brutality that I didn’t expect.  I swear there were more letters than numbers in these questions.  Limped my way through and tackled the first verbal with a twitching eye and fear.  Kept it in check until I struck more math.  By the time I left the test, I felt pulverized and wanted to find a quiet corner to whimper.

Now, I should point out that there’s always a ‘research’ section that isn’t graded, but used to test future questions.  You can get a third math or verbal section with no mention of which of the three is the ‘research’ one.  I don’t trust the belief that it’s always the last one because then everybody would know which one not to try on.  Of course, I got a third math section because I hadn’t been broken enough.  That was really the last straw for my mind and I ended up driving around town in search of food, but not knowing where I wanted to go.  It would be 20 minutes later that I grabbed pizza and ate while watching Netflix.  I think I did some writing that day, but it’s all a haze.

Of course, this is only the first step.  Had to write a personal statement and ask coworkers for reference letters.  My hope is to apply by the end of next week, but I might wait for a non-son weekend.  Next Friday is going to be a lot of fun because we’re going to a late night showing of this:

It cost more than a movie ticket, but I got us pretty close to the performing area.  This should be exciting and great start to the only weekend I get with my son this month.  I want to create some big memories and experiences since the previous two and following two weekends will be him with his mom.  Had to switch things around to make sure I have him for my 40th birthday weekend in April.  Wouldn’t be a real celebration without him around.

Anything else happen?  Why am I asking all of you?  Nothing really exciting.  I put backings on most of my puzzles.  Had to order more double-sided tape and then that roll ran out before I could finish the pile.  Short by three small puzzles, but at least most of them are taken care of.  Last parent training class happened, so that’s done and I’m a certified graduate.  Finished the May blog posts beyond the Sunday and Saturday stuff that I always make on the fly.  Do I have something for tomorrow?  Uh-oh.  Think I may have forgotten about that.  Can’t think of anything else to add to the rambling here.

I’d promote War of Nytefall: Eradication tomorrow, but I don’t think my blog is creating any sales traffic.

Well, that’s really the gist of the week.  There was a bigger focus on grad school than writing, so I don’t have anything fun to talk about.  Feel like my life is getting rather dull at least in terms of what I can write here.  Doing things with my son tend to involve ‘you had to be there’ moments.  Maybe this is why I keep having strange flickers of memories that involve driving through the mountains or country.  I miss doing those types of trips, which my family always went on when we could.  No time or money to do so now.  Also, I don’t really have the family to do the trips like they were in the past, which may be another reason these memories cause some sadness.  My hope is that I can do one with my son during the summer, but we’ll see what happens.

On the plus side of things, I should be able to write this weekend.  If I’m lucky, War of Nytefall: Ravenous will be done in two free weekends.  I can use the third to tinker with the outline for War of Nytefall: Savagery and start writing that one after spring break.  Oh, I know what I can posit tomorrow.  Should get right on that.

Goals for the week:

  1. Finish getting reference letters.
  2. Complete at least 1.5 chapters of War of Nytefall: Ravenous
  3. See ‘Jurassic World Live Tour’ on Friday.
  4. Seriously, I’m going to use those free weights.  It’s just been really cold in the morning.
  5. Begin watching ‘Castlevania’ Season 3.
  6. Continue working on newest puzzle.
  7. Probably should sleep at some point.
  8. Ignore the lack of sales and hope for a better future.
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Order of the Winged Sun

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

Little is known
Of the demon winged sun
Scion of Durag
That was shed
And formed a bitter tree
Decimated once
Reborn for revenge
Against the sun-kissed monsters
Whose fangs
Tore their throats
Long have they waited
Huddled in shadows
Away from Durag’s love
Dwindling to nothing
Until a weapon
Glorious and terrifying
Was bestowed upon their Lord

Witness the Duragians’ new crusade in War of Nytefall: Eradication

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Character Archetypes: The Herald

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Interesting archetype. One that gets overlooked a lot.

coldhandboyack's avatarStory Empire

Hi gang, Craig with you today. This is post number four in the character archetypes series. In the Hero’s Journey, there are some common characters that are likely to show up in all stories. This doesn’t mean each archetype shows up in every story, and aside from the hero, the rest are kind of optional. Almost every story will have an assortment of them.

This series is to introduce you to them. Once you’re aware of them, you can decide if they can benefit the story you’re writing.

The herald does not show up in every tale, but can be a handy story tool. This one is interesting in that sometime it isn’t even a character.

You’ve all read a story that starts off some thing like this: A girl is running through the desert at night, cacti are tearing away at her dress, the rocks are cutting her feet…

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Grinders by C.S. Boyack Now Available on Amazon!

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

CLICK FOR SALES SITE

(Today we have a special guest who many of us know.  C.S. Boyack is here to talk about his newest release Grinders, which is a cyberpunk adventure.  Not a common genre for my blog, so this is really exciting.  Today, he’s going to talk about subplots and how none of the characters are doing what they want to do. Have fun.)

Thanks for inviting me back, Charles. It’s always fun visiting your place. I’m here to talk about my newest book, Grinders.

This one is a type of science fiction known as cyberpunk. I’ll let the blurb explain the main points. My topic today is one of the sub-plots. There is a lot going on in Grinders, and in some ways it makes a statement about the human condition. I didn’t really set out to do that, it just kind of happened.

In Grinders, none of the characters are doing what they wanted. If you think about it, it’s kind of realistic. How many of us are not working at the task we dreamed of as children? How many people have a degree in something that has nothing to do with their current employment? Why should the future be any different.

Jimi is my main character. She originally went to art school, but an abusive step-father withheld financing until she chose a path that he felt would make her financially stable. She went into criminal justice, and became a cop. Art became a hobby, but it’s a big part of who she is.

There are others with similar stories. The trained chef who operates a food counter in a former timeshare that’s been converted into apartments. The bartender who has a degree in computer programming, with a minor in holobarkers. (Specific tech that get’s explained between the covers.)

Lou is Jimi’s senior partner on the police force. He had everything he ever wanted, but lost it. Lou is a simple man, and loves horses. He spent most of his career as a mounted patrolman, until the department decided to retire all the horses and sell them. Lou’s horse now pulls a hansom cab through San Francisco’s touristy areas. He kept tabs on the horse, made friends with his new owner, and occasionally volunteers at her stables in exchange for a bit of equine therapy.

Even Grinder Squad itself is kind of the bargain basement of the police department. They didn’t know what else to do with Lou, so he got assigned there. Jimi got in some trouble, so they stuffed her into Grinder squad.

I think it makes the character relatable. This is fiction, so I needed to offer some kind of resolution to this issue. It isn’t the main plot, so I can be a little more fluid here, but I think it stitched together kind of nicely.

The blurb will give your readers more of the highlights to the story, but I’m glad to have the opportunity to touch on something more subtle today.

***

Blurb:

Jimi Cabot made one mistake as a starving college student. When she went to work for the San Francisco Police Department, it nearly cost her the job. The union stepped in and they had to reinstate her. They did so by assigning her to the duty nobody wants, Grinder Squad.

Grinders are people who use back room surgeries to enhance their bodies with computer chips, and various kinds of hardware. Jimi is sure that if she can just bust one grind shop, it will be her ticket back.

Paired with veteran cop, she soon learns that Grinder Squad is a cash-cow for the department. They are nothing more than glorified patrol cops, and generally get the worst assignments.

Matchless is the most wanted grinder of all time. He disappeared years ago, leaving only the evidence of those he enhanced during his career. With these pieces, Jimi picks up the cold trail to try working her way back to more respectable duty.

Grinders is a cyberpunk story set in a world where global warming has eroded coastlines, and society has solved many of our current problems by replacing them with new ones. There are cyber shut-ins, cyber-currency skimming schemes, and more in this futuristic tale.

This book also takes the opportunity to poke a stick at current issues that seem to have lasted into the future. Entitled people, helicopter moms, overzealous homeowner associations, and lack of decent jobs are all present. Never preachy, these issues make up the day to day work of a patrol officer.

I hope you enjoy Grinders as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

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