Adam David Collings's Blog, page 21

The Helix Nebula

This is the Helix Nebula, NGC 7293. It is one of the closest nebulae to Earth.

In my latest story, working title The Remnant, the Helix Nebula serves as a tourist destination for the cruise ship Jewell of The Stars. Can you imagine relaxing in a deck chair by the pool – a good book in one hand and a drink in the other – looking at this view?

To be among the first to learn when this book releases, join my email list.

If you like this, share the love by

New Star Trek Series January 2017

The official Star Trek website has just announced a new Star Trek TV series to launch in January 2017, following the 50th anniversary celebrations in 2016.

The show will appear on American subscription service CBS All Access. It will also be distributed through various means around the world, which means there is at least a chance we’ll get to see it in Australia. Let’s just hope we won’t be a year behind. They might have got away with that in the 90s, but in today’s global world, that just won’t cut it.

Alex Kurtzman will be the executive producer. Since he was part of the core team behind Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness, it seems likely that the new series will be set in the same alternate timeline as the movies.

The show will feature new characters. It will be interesting to see exactly what this means. I imagine it will most likely be a Starfleet crew on a new ship, but maybe they’ll break that mold a little like Deep Space Nine did. Time will tell.

There is no word yet on how many episodes will make up the first season. I suspect it will be short, like a lot of popular TV is these days. A concentrated collection of stories telling an over-all arc.

What are your hopes for the new Star Trek series?

Source: startrek.com

If you like this, share the love by

By Divine Right by Patrick W. Carr

By Divine Right by Patrick W. Carr


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great start to a new series. I love genre-mixes and this one sets a detective into a secondary world fantasy. What starts off with a simple murder, becomes a hunt for a serial killer with terrible implications for the entire kingdom.

This story has a cool magic system – based on the Christian concept of spiritual gifts, but taken up a notch. Patrick Carr certainly has a knack for developing systems of magic that work well in Christian fiction – two concepts that, for some, might not seem to sit well together.

The book serves as a worthy prologue into Mr. Carr’s new series. I look forward to continuing the ride.


View all my reviews

If you like this, share the love by

The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson

The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This novella follows the character Shai, a forger who has the magical ability to alter the state of objects, and even people, by re-writing their past. She has been captured and forced to perform the ultimate forgery – re-creating the soul of the near-dead Emperor. She knows that if she fails she’ll be killed, and probably also if she succeeds, but what forger could resist such a challenge.

The book had a seriously cool magic system. It took me a little while to get my head around it, but once I did I loved it. As usual, Brandon Sanderson has come up with a fun idea, then applied pseudo-scientific rules, and then extrapolated into places most of us would not have thought.

The story had a thrilling climax that brought together all the ideas that had been building. The only thing I didn’t like about Shai’s story was having to leave her when it was over.


View all my reviews

If you like this, share the love by

Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson

Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This fun little novella follows on from Steelheart and sets up the scene for the next book – Firefight. We see the citizens of Newcago struggling to adjust to a world that isn’t ruled by Steelheart.

The epic introduced in this story, Mitosis, has a pretty cool power. A fun lead-in that gets my appetite going for the next novel.


View all my reviews

If you like this, share the love by

My Writing Process

Today I’m participating in the writing Process blog tour. I was invited by Chris Joy Jackson. Charis is not only working on a fantasy novel but she is also a film-maker. She was recently named the “Most Outstanding Young Writer” by Christianity today. Find her post at randomthoughtsanddreams.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/lynne-stringer-at-www.html. The rules are simple, I answer four questions below about my writing and process.

1. WHAT YOU’RE WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?

I am currently working on a space opera series called “The Remnant”. The series will be made-up of “episodes”, each a novella of around 30,000 words. I am applying final touches to the pilot episode and seeking a professional edit. At the same time I’m making a start on the second episode.

I jokingly refer to the series as “Star Trek” meets “Battlestar Galactica” meets “The Love Boat”. It’s about the passengers and crew of a luxury cruise ship that flee from Earth-controlled space when a surprise invasion leaves the planet of their birth under alien occupation. They must become more than a group of tourists – they must build a new community of humanity – cut off from everyone they know.

2. HOW DOES YOUR WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS IN YOUR GENRE?

I think the cruise-ship thing gives it a reasonably unique angle. This is not your typical warship. The characters are not warriors. They are completely out of their depth and must grow into the people they need to become in order to survive.

The idea of writing this series in episodes – modelled after modern TV story-telling is not unique – but a reasonably new idea.

3. WHY DO YOU WRITE OR CREATE WHAT YOU DO?

I grew up with Star Trek and Star Wars so space opera is in my blood. Like most authors I create stories that I’d like to read. All writers bring something of themselves into their work – creating something unique that nobody else could have made.

I’ve been making up stories and writing them down for as long as I can remember. I guess that’s in my blood too.

4. HOW DOES YOUR WRITING/CREATIVE PROCESS WORK?

My process always begins with an idea. That idea is always either plot or premise. I think about the ideas in my head and sometimes one of them will grab me by the brain and refuse to let go.

The story begins to take shape in my mind and I mentally plan it.

When I’m ready to start working on the project I’ll launch into my outline. The first step is to identify the 3 major plot points at 25%, 50% and 75%. These are the pillars that support the entire story. I’ll also begin thinking about character arc (I may not even have much in the way of characters at this point so they need to be developed).

When I have a broad overview of the plot I’ll start outlining in earnest. I identify all the scenes – focusing on one act at a time. I identify whether the scene is an action scene or a reaction scene. By the time my outline is finished I have approximately one paragraph per scene. This is all done in Scrivener.

Now I start the first draft. This is possibly the easiest part. I can whip out first-draft copy at a reasonable pace armed with my outline. Despite being extensive, the outline doesn’t tell me everything. Some times I’ll get to a scene and need to leave the computer, go for a walk, and figure out the exact details, then come back.

Once the first draft is done the hard part begins. Editing is still something of a “black art” to me, but I’m getting better. I seek some feedback, try to correct identified plot problems, and give the whole book at least one pass – looking for things I can fix. Then it’s off to the editor, which is the season I’m in right now.

Well that’s me. Next I’m handing on to Jessica Scoullar. Jessica is hard at work on a fantasy novel. She’s recently made the decision to dedicate herself full time to her writing. Why not show her your support by heading over to her blog. scoullar.net/jessica/blog.

If you like this, share the love by

Space Drifters by by Paul Regnier – Book Review

Space Drifters is a light-hearted fun space opera. It focuses on the exploits of a small crew as they seek a powerful object known as the Emerald Enigma.

The story is populated with colourful characters. Captain Starcrost is your underdog starship captain. He’s a little goofy and would be lost without the wisdom of his companions, but he will always demonstrate bravery when it counts. He reminds me a little of Roger Wilco from the Space Quest games.

Blix is very cool. He strikes me a little as an English butler with reptilian scales. His species can dream things into existence, leading to lots of fun and hijinks.

Nelvan – the time travelling young man from the past serves as the anchor to help ease us into the story world. He is a compassionate character.

Jasette brings a welcome female perspective, as well as a great air of mystery. She is a tough-girl bounty hunter … or is she?

Hamilton is the smooth villain you love to hate.

I enjoyed Starcrost’s quest for the emerald enigma. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion, but also leads directly into sequel territory. I’m looking forward to the next one.

If you like this, share the love by

To Honor You Call Us by H. Paul Honsinger – Book Review

To Honor You Call Us by H. Paul Honsinger


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very satisfying story of an underdog crew forced to pull together under the command of a new captain. Feels a little like Star Trek, but in a grittier war-ravaged universe. Thrilling climax. I recommend this book and will be returning to the series.





View all my reviews

If you like this, share the love by

Camp NaNoWriMo Done

Well, I’m none. Camp NaNoWriMo is finished. This is the first time I have completed a NaNo event. The intense mad rush is not really my approach. I’m more of a slow and steady type, but that’s exactly how I completed this event. I didn’t set myself a huge goal, and in fact I wasn’t writing first-draft material (my favorite part of the process) but rather editing my upcoming space opera novella.

I really like the camp format of this event. I was in a cabin with some good friends from a community I’m already a part of. We collectively reach our goal as a cabin which was awesome.

So there you have it. Habits have been build and progress has been made.

If you like this, share the love by

King Graham Statue – King’s Quest Meets Minecraft

If you ask me, King’s Quest and Minecraft were made for each other. The retro pixelated graphics are somewhat reminiscent of the early Sierra adventures. The presence of several Minecraft paintings featuring King Graham suggests I’m not the only one who feels this way.

I decided to make a statue of King Graham in Minecraft, because, that’s what geeks do. Each pixel is made from two blocks of wool so as to match the aspect ratio used in Sierra’s early AGI games. The great king of Daventry stands as an eternal testament to my geekhood.

If you like this, share the love by