Adam David Collings's Blog, page 22

Behind the Scenes: My Journey to Authorhood

Today I am featured on the Christian Writers Downunder blog. In my article, I give a behind-the-scenes peek into my journey to authorhood with my novella Lynessa’s Curse – part of the Medieval Mars anthology. I talk about how the story came together in my mind. Think of it as a special featurette like you might find in the extras menu of a DVD.

Read the article here:

Medieval Mars: The Anthology is out now

The moment has arrived. Medieval Mars: The Anthology is out. This book features stories by 9 Christian science fiction authors, all set in a common world.

A future terraformed Mars, where civilization crashed back into a Medieval Era. Christian Knights called “riders” patrol the Pilgrim Road from Olympus to New San Diego, on the Chryse Sea. The technological past is known as the “Age of Magic” and only a handful of people understand how the remaining ancient devices really work. Lighter gravity in dense air makes flying dragons and bird riders a reality; alloys of the past make “magic” swords; and masters of ancient knowledge wield wizard-like power.

Nine authors spin tales in this unique story world, one which combines elements of science fiction and high fantasy.

Get it now on Kindle for just $1.99.

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Superman v Batman Trailer

I woke up to something very exciting this morning. A trailer for the upcoming Superman V Batman: Dawn of Justice. I loved Man of Steel and have been very eagerly awaiting for sequel. The trailer suggests that I won’t be disappointed.

We’re getting a pretty clear picture of why Batman and Superman will be pitted against each other in this movie. I think it will seem logical from both perspectives. The film is definately dealing with the aftermath of the great battle between Superman and Zod (and the whole alien invasion thing). In this universe, Superman definately has to deal with consequences, and he’s going to have to work hard to earn people’s trust if he wants to be seen as anything other than an alien threat.

We see a very heroic Bruce Wayne rushing to save a child during the epic battle of the previous film – establishing and cementing his attitude toward the man of steel. A lot of people are not keen on Ben Affleck in the role, but I’m very interested to see his take. I suspect it will be good.

Lex Luthor is interesting. Quite young. Not bald. He’s got a bit of attitude. I think this will be a completely different take on the character from anything I have seen before.

We see glimpses of General Zod’s body as well s kryptonite in the trailer. That’s cool.

It remains to be seen exactly how Wonder Woman fits into all of this, but she definately gets to kick butt given her brief scenes in the trailer. I can’t help but wonder who she is fighting.

In short, I continue to get more excited each time we see something new about this movie. The DC cinematic universe looks to have a significantly different tone and style to the Marvel cinematic universe, and I think I’m going to love them both. We don’t need a copy-cat here.

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Mars here we come…

Mars 23 aug 2003 hubble

Mars is in the news at the moment. For example, see this article about the plans NASA are making to prepare to send human beings to Mars in the thirties. The article also features a bunch of rather exciting photos of the red planet.

At the same time, NASA have released a new map application called Mars Trek. Similar to Google Earth (which has had a Mars view for a while now) this interactive map allows you to explore the surface of the planet. You can view important landmarks, perform sun angle calculations, calculate distances and much more. It’s informative and a lot of fun

It is a happy coincidance that at a time like this, when Mars is on people’s minds, that the Medieval Mars Anthology is about to release. This collection features stories from 9 Christian science fiction authors (myself among them) all set in a common world created by Travis Perry. The book will be out on approximately 24 hours. Get excited for it. We’re on our way to Mars.

Mars 23 aug 2003 hubble” by NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) – http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2005/34/image/j/ (image link). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
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Camp NaNoWriMo 2015

So I decided last night to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo. This is a little easier-going than the November event and allows you to set your own goal. My goal will be to complete a first-pass edit on the pilot episode of The Remnant. Then the entire manuscript will need a professional edit.

I’ll be sharing a virtual cabin with a bunch of great people from Christian Writers Downunder. Should be a lot of fun. My life has been a bit upside down lately, with significant work commitments and family responsibilities, so it will be good to get back into the writing life during July.

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New King’s Quest Trailer – A Knight To Remember

Our patience is paying off. This morning we got a new King’s Quest trailer which shows us more about the first chapter titled ‘A Knight To Remember’. This is exactly the kind of pun that Roberta Williams liked to use in her King’s Quest titles.

so, before I say anything else, here it is!

Well, I’m very excited now. I love old King Graham holding his adventure cap as a physical reminder of the days he is telling Gwendolyn about. I love the mention of King Edward (I hope we get to see him). The humour seems nicely done, and the sense of adventure is set to be very grand. Best of all, we have a release date (well month). July 2015. So, we’ll be able to start playing as early as next month!

To Daventry!

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Deleraine – Meander River and 1950s Diner

Today we went our for a little day trip to Deleraine. First we stopped for lunch at the 1950s Diner. The food was great. There was a lot of old memorabilia around. There were some cool hedge creations out the front.

1950s Diner

Hedge Teapot

Racing car & petrol bowser

Then we had a walk around the Meander River.

Bridge over the Meander River

Meander River

A very cool footbridge

Duck pond

Ducks

We finished it off with ice-cream from Andy’s Gelato in Westbury. I tried Anzac Buscuit flavour along with Choc Hazlenut. Good stuff. It was nice to just get out of the house and experience the awesomeness of Tasmania.

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Amish Zombies From Space by Kerry Nietz – Book Review

Amish Zombies from Space by Kerry Nietz


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kerry Nietz does it again. I was eager for a sequel to Amish Vampires in Space. It raised a lot of interesting questions and I hoped the author would delve deeper into the origins of the vampires. He does just that in this book. We get to see all the old familiar faces as they gradually come together. The progression of the characters’ lives is natural. Jeb and Sarah now live on an Englisher planet, straddling the line between their former world and their new one. Greels is out of jail, with no resources or purpose. Darly spends all her free time investigating those who created the vampires in book 1. Seal and Singer live together on their own ship, and the Amish in Miller’s Resolve have successfully rebuilt their lives.

As with the vampires in book 1, the zombies in this book were unique and awesome. The scientific basis that Kerry used to explain them gave the book a fun edge and set it apart from the usual fare.

This book explores both the light and darkness of humanity. Through one particular character we get to see the horrifying result when a person fails to value human life. Through others we see the hope and beauty of forgiveness.

Once again, this book explores the Amish culture in a very sensitive way. It pays great respect to them while not putting them on a pedestal either.

There are also a couple of fun Easter eggs in here for those who have read some of Kerry’s other work – hinting at a larger story universe.

The book brings the saga to a very satisfying conclusion – while still leaving room for a potential follow-up should the author decide to write one.

I heartily recommend this series to anyone who loves thoughtful science fiction mixed with a fun adventure and some monsters for good measure.





Watch my video interview with the author.


View all my reviews

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Amish Zombies from Space

Today I am very excited to be join by Kerry Nietz, author of Amish Zombies from Space, the sequel to the hit novel Amish Vampires in Space. In this interview Kerry and I talk about the controversy that sprang up around the title, and the themes of the books. Check it out!

By the way, the book is available as of today. See the below the video for purchase links.

Buy Amish Zombies from space

Kindle
Paperback
Kobo

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Anzac Day – One Hundred Years Since Gallipoli

One hundred years ago today, Australian and New Zealand troops landed at Gallipoli. People all over our two nations stopped today to remember the sacrifices of our fallen soldiers in World War One and beyond as part of Anzac Day.

I present some photographic moments from today’s service here in Launceston. (Click photos to enlarge)

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.”

– The Ode

Lest We Forget

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