Graeme Rodaughan's Blog: Writing The Metaframe War Series, page 5

Lucky enough to get an interview with Anton Slayne

The Dragon's Den by Graeme Rodaughan




I was seriously considering reviewing my third book, ‘The Dragon’s Den,’ when the opportunity came up to interview one of my main characters. It was an offer too good to refuse, I might be able to get some real, ‘behind the scenes,’ insight into the book to share with my readers.

Anton Slayne has graciously given time out of his busy schedule for an interview, and here it is.

I’m sitting with Anton Slayne at Patrick O’Malley’s Irish pub, in his home town of Boston. Anton’s almost half way through completing his role as the main character for The Dragon’s Den and has agreed to give an interview to discuss progress so far.

ME: “So let’s begin Anton, how did you get the MC gig for the third installment of The Metaframe War series?”

ANTON: “Well it was a close thing. Li Wu, nearly got the role after a strong showing in A Traitor’s War, but the old geezer running the show finally decided that my part is the real deal. So, I’ve got the MC gig.”

ME: “There have been some controversial reports that you’re not the MC, and never will be.”

ANTON: “What!?”

ME: “Some commentators have suggested that Chloe Armitage, is in fact, the real MC. What do you think of that?”

ANTON: “Read my lips. Chloe Armitage is the ‘ARCH-NEMESIS,’ not the MC. … I don’t know how often I’ve gotta say this - she’s not the MC, I am.”

ME: “Hmmm, OK, let’s move on. It’s been suggested that you have ‘daddy issues.’ Is this for real, or are people just making it up?”

ANTON: (Shakes head) “Well? What can I say? I’m just a big kid really, but I’ve finished boot camp, and killed my first vampire. In this book, I really get my game face on, and start kicking ass. … ‘Daddy issues,’ - they’re a thing of the past.”

ME: “The Dragon’s Den is almost entirely set in the United Kingdom. What’s it been like working in another country?”

ANTON: “You’re kidding me. No, none of it’s been done in the UK. We’re all working out of a disused warehouse south of Boston. The SPIKE 512 is a cardboard cutout with ‘Vamp Air’ written on the side. The Blackwidow’s are scale plastic models of Apache gunships. Our guns are made of wood. That tightwad of an author is not going to stump for tickets to England. I mean look at us, we’re in a pub in Boston, do you think we would be here if we were working in the UK?”

ME: “I guess so. Moving on, what are relationships like amongst the crew?”

ANTON: “Very professional, across the board, except for Chloe Armitage - she's a complete prima donna. The rest of us are busting our humps, working twelve hour days to get everything right, and she just swans in when she has a scene, no preparation, no rehearsal and just ad-libs her lines. I just don’t get how she gets away with it.”

ME: “You don’t like her very much do you. Is that because she's playing the part of a vampire.”

ANTON: (Scowls) “Hell no, it’s because she steals every scene she’s in and she gets all the best lines.” (Looks at his watch) “Well, I’ve gotta call it quits - gotta get back to the warehouse.”

ME: “The next scene?”

ANTON: “Nah, Peter’s doing a Bar-b-Que and a keg.” (Leaves)

And there you have it. It seems that working on The Dragon’s Den is not quite what it seems for Anton Slayne. We will have to wait until the book is published in January 2018 to see if Anton Slayne really is the main character and has shaken off those persistent rumors of ‘daddy issues.’



View all my reviews

Chloe Armitage theme song...

Just thinking out loud. Chloe Armitage theme song... Youtube: Annie Lennox: Would I lie to you?

Of course, Anton Slayne theme song. Youtube: Phil Collins: Don't loose my number.

Sometimes, only a main battle tank will do

Sometimes, only a main battle tank will do.

It was one of the newly deployed ‘Commander’ tanks. So named, as they were designed to dominate and take command of a battlefield. It was the first tank to be deployed with a viable rail gun able to deliver a kinetic spike at nine times the speed of sound. It had a more conventional 105mm gun with explosive rounds, a 7.62mm mini-gun and a belt-fed grenade launcher. It’s weapon systems were largely automated, simplifying operations down to two people, a driver/gunner and a commander. If necessary, the tank could be fully operated by only the driver/gunner....

Anton dropped into the driver’s position. The tank was in hot standby mode. He picked up the controls which had been deliberately matched with those of popular games consoles to minimize the cost of training operators. The tank responded, it’s engine roaring as it accelerated. He swung the tank forward in a tight circle taking out the gate house, Shadowstone troopers running to escape the collapsing building. The two armored personnel carriers were firing their main weapons, 25mm bushmaster cannons, rapid fire rounds smashing off the Commander’s armor plates. They were unlikely to destroy it, but they could blow a track off bringing the tank to a halt, or damage the external weapons, or sensor arrays.

They were less than forty yards away, point blank range.

Anton used the console to select his first target and pulled the trigger.

There was a slight momentary hum, then a whip-like crack as the rail gun fired.

Heat fins glowed behind him, the rail gun system jettisoning waste heat. The eleven pound kinetic spike traveling at two miles per second rammed into the middle of the turret of the APC on the right, which promptly evaporated in a fireball. The backwash of the explosion vibrated through the Commander tank’s hull. A counter on Anton’s Heads Up Display dropped from fifty to forty-nine. Another dial marking the heat dissipation spiked into the red for half a second before returning to green.

Anton didn’t waste any time wondering how many rounds the rail gun could fire before heat became an issue. If he needed to break the tank using it he would. He pivoted the tank's turret slightly to the left, bringing the rail gun to bear on the second APC. Its main gun continued to fire bravely, taking out the grenade launchers on the left hand side of the Commander’s turret. The launchers exploded, a ball of flame enveloping the tank, obscuring Anton’s vision for a second.

The flames blew away, the APC resolved. The HUD indicated the target with a red cross-hair pointing at the middle of the APC's turret.

Anton pulled the trigger, there was slight recoil, the Commander tank rocking back momentarily as the rail gun cracked again. The top of the APC disappeared, the wall of a building two hundred yards behind it imploding as the remnants of the kinetic spike tore it apart.

Anton floored the accelerator. The tank surged forward between the burning wrecks of the APCs.

It was time to hunt for the main power substation for the site.

August Book of the Month

Hi All, A Subtle Agency, is currently BoM read at the World, Writing, Wealth group. Feel free to join in the fun.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Currently on promo price of $0.99 USD on Amazon until the 13th of August.

Fun stuff: Elon Musk's Hyperloop

Elon Musk has proposed building a Hyperloop between Washington & New York.

That's one scenario, I see some others,

[1] "Hyperloop"

It's 2026. On its maiden run from Los Angeles to New York, the Hyperloop 'Destiny' is filled with Hollywood stars, finance magnates and the president of the United States with her family and secret service detail.

It also includes a North Korean spy with a deadly agenda all his own.

After a horrific attack, secret service agent 'Mace Williams,' finds himself the last defender between the North Koreans and the ultimate devastation of New York.

Will Mace be able to avert disaster and the deaths of millions? - Read "Hyperloop" to find out.

[2] "Hyperloop"

It's 2026, Construction worker, 'Hank Johnson,' won the Tesla Corp lottery - a one way ticket on the maiden run of the Hyperloop 'Destiny' from Los Angeles to New York. He joins Hollywood stars, finance magnates and the president of the United States with her family and secret service detail.

Only minutes into its journey, the 'Destiny' encounters the unexpected ferocity of the San Andreas fault line. After a terrible crash claims the lives of the onboard tech-crew, Hank is the last person on the Destiny with the knowledge to save everyone.

But will Hank be able to save anyone, when the vice president sees an opportunity to advance his own ambitions for power, and the caldera at Yellowstone has suffered a catastrophic fracture? - Read "Hyperloop" to find out.

[3] "Hyperloop"

Its 2026, Elon Musk and his entourage are on the maiden run of the Hyperloop 'Destiny' from Los Angeles to New York. He joins Hollywood stars, finance magnates and the president of the United States with her family and secret service detail.

Minutes into the trip, Elon reveals his own secret agenda, the Hyperloop is a massive Cthulhian symbol - activating a device born of genius and madness, he opens a portal to another dimension and the Destiny passes through to a world of shadow and doom.

The president, 'Zoe Madiva,' her secret service detail decimated by Lovecraftian horrors must decide between certain and horrible death or risk the emergence of Cthulhu and his minions into an unprepared world - or will she find a third way? - Read "Hyperloop" to find out.

The Dragon's Den Book Covers

Yes (fist pumps...). The covers are now available.

Kindle.



Paperback.



Still targeting release at the end of January 2018



Blurb:

IT'S A TRAP!

Anton Slayne knows it's a trap. One laid for him by his most powerful opponent - Chloe Armitage, rogue general of the Vampire Dominion.

The chase is on. Agents of the Red Empire and the Vampire Dominion have abducted Ramin Kain, the Head of the Order of Thoth. Anton and the Mirovar force team are the only ones in a position to act. They know Ramin is bait, but have to rescue him before he's forced to reveal the secrets of the Order.

Will Anton and his friends in the Mirovar force team rescue Ramin Kain, or will Chloe Armitage discover the secrets of the Order, destroy the Mirovar force team, and enslave Anton to her will?

Forever Seventeen - Part Two

[REDACTED] ... in accordance with directions from the Guild of Vampire Characters.

Forever Seventeen - Part One

[REDACTED] ... in accordance with directions from the Guild of Vampire Characters.

Clearing the decks

Putting "In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree" by Michael A. McLellan into an "up-next" folder.

It will be the next book I commit to reading and reviewing.

Clearing the decks to work on Book #3 of The Metaframe War series due for release in January 2018.

Happy reading to all my friends on Goodreads.

I will poke my head up for the occasional buddy read (at Castle Dracula) and to visit for chats.

Cheers Graeme

The Metaframe War: A glossary and who's who

Herein is a guide to the world of The Metaframe War.

Glossary:

The Metaframe: An interface to the fundamental fabric of reality. Anyone who successfully accesses the Metaframe is able to shape reality permanently to their will. Care must be taken as the underpinings of reality are complex beyond measure.

The Ramp: An epigenetic phenomenon whereby a complex of genes already present in the human genome is switched on, transforming the physical and mental capabilites of the Ramp master. The result is massively increased strength, speed, reflexes, agility, learning and healing capabilities.

The Vampire Dominion: The organisation of vampires under the rule of King Cornelius Crane and his five generals. Established during the 1860s it has ruled the world in secret ever since.

The Red Empire: An army of Ramp master ninja assassins who have battled the Vampire Dominion since the 3rd century BC after they split from the Order of Thoth.

The Order of Thoth: A loose organisation of Ramp masters formed into independent teams that co-operate with each other under a firmly established set of traditions to battle the vampires. Established immediately after the creation of vampires by Hakron the Scribe.

The Key of Ahknaton: A pebble-like piece of obsidian whose surface writhes with the appearance of galaxies, enables 'safe' access to the Metaframe.

The Papyrus of Hakron the Scribe: A scroll that details the origin of the vampires and the use of key of Ahknaton to access the Metaframe. Written in a special code - it reads as gibberish.

The Interpretive Codex: Instructions on how to decipher the code used to encrypt the Papyrus of Hakron the Scribe.

The Metaframe Artifacts: The three items above, the Key, the Papyrus and the Codex. Whomever possesses all three has the ability to access the very fabric of reality and twist it to their will.

The Red Ghost, aka Shabbah al Ahmar: The title of the leader of the Red Empire. Currently held by Dalien Morte.

The Praetorians: The warrior elite of the Vampire Dominion hand-picked by Cornelius Crane - typically from the near dead on the battle field.

Shadowstone: A modern, very well equipped and organised paramilitary force embedded within and above national intelligence and security services. They have one primary aim: keep the existence of vampires secret. They primarily report to the general with responsibility for the territory they are operating in, but ultimately report directly to Cornelius Crane.

The Risk, Intelligence, Security, Consultants corporation, aka R.I.S.C Enterprises: A corporation owned and run by Cornelius Crane. One of many front companies organised to further the aims of Cornelius Crane and the Vampire Dominion.

The Binding Curse: A curse provided by Jean Philippe Allemande based on limited access to the Metaframe that Cornelius Crane uses to forbid his generals from harming him on pain of death.

A force team: A group of Order of Thoth Ramp masters (4 to 9) led by a force leader, typically also include a loremaster.

Order loremaster: A Ramp master who has developed eidetic memory and mind palace skills. Typically equiped with a direct neural interface to the internet via an implant.

The Panopticon: A near AI device established on quantum processes and used to filter, search and predict events and people for the Shadowstone and Vampire Dominion. Interconnected to all available IT infrastructure from mobile phones to military satellites.

A 'Fist' team: An elite Red Empire squad, typically 3 to 5 members, a notch above the regular Red Empire troops in combat ability.

Spectrum Team: Basic organisational unit of the US arm of Shadowstone. 16 operatives organised into 4 squads of 4.

Sanctuary: A declaration of extreme protection (within the Order) whereby any attack on the person given sanctuary is deemed to be an attack on the person giving sanctuary.

Order Conclave: A meeting of the leaders of the Order and their close associates where novices are elevated to full membership, force leaders confirmed, heads of the order confirmed, and if necessary, any disciplinary actions are carried out.

The Dragon Swords: 5 katana swords constructed from meteoric iron by a genius japanese swordsmith in the 17th C. The most powerful swords in existence.

Order Traveler: Ramp master gifted with the ability to detect deception. Spy catchers.

Netmaster Order cyberwarfare expert.

Test of the Olgoi Khorkhoi Red Empire test for Fist leadership and to rise to the highest ranks of the Red Empire. Confrontation and survival vs multiple adult Mongolian Death Worms in a maze.

Characters:

The Vampires:

Cornelius Crane: King of the Vampire Dominion. Ex member of the Order of Thoth, 12th C, French baron, converted to a vampire by Mekra during the 1st Crusade.

Chloe Armitage: 19th C, English aristocrat converted to a vampire at the age of 17 by Cornelius Crane, ex member of the Order of Thoth. The youngest on record to become a confirmed member of the Order of Thoth at 16. Last of the generals to be created, first in rank.

Haras Mosule: 19th C, former Red Empire leader, 2nd in line to the Red Ghost. Converted to vampire by Cornelius Crane. Second in rank.

Clayton Maze, Shen Zhen & Dieter Franz. The other generals (3rd, 4th and 5th in rank respectively).

Mekra: The first vampire, beloved wife of Ahknaton, first prince of the southern realm of Egypt.

Jean Philippe Allemande: Haitian voodoo sorceror (bokor), with the ability to make limited access to the Metaframe. Provides the binding curse and a special ability to Cornelius Crane.

The Ramp Masters:

The Red Empire:

The Red Ghost: aka Shabbah al Ahmar: aka Dalien Morte: The head of the Red Empire and holder of the Interpretive Codex.

The Raven: aka Al Ghurab: The Red Ghost's number one agent within the Order of Thoth.

Taipan: aka The Great Serpent: aka Thueban Kabir: 2nd in command of the Red Empire and the Raven's chief instructor before the Raven was inserted into the Order of Thoth. The premier warrior of the Red Empire.

Nasr al Dam, aka Blood Eagle, and Tamsah al Ramil, aka Sand Crocodile are 'Fist' leaders.

The Order of Thoth:

Arthur Slayne: Order weapons Grandmaster. Exiled and under a warrant of death. Operating as a lone wolf. Speed talent.

Willliam Slayne: Arthur's son, in hiding under an assumed identity. Father of Anton Slayne.

Anna Slayne: William's wife, and Anton's mother.

Anton Slayne: Novice member of the Order of Thoth (not yet confirmed at an Order Conclave).

Gang Wu: Order weapons Grandmaster. Father of Li Wu. Inactive member of the Arthur Slayne force team. Instructed by Arthur Slayne.

Li Wu: Novice member of the Order of Thoth (not yet confirmed at an Order Conclave).

James Madison: Former head of the Order of Thoth. Deemed to have been murdered in his sleep by Arthur Slayne.

Mary Creeley: Lover of James Madison and Order weapons master. Mother of Jay Creeley. Deemed to have been murdered in her sleep by Arthur Slayne.

Francis Mirovar. Senior force leader and 'ex-member' of the Arthur Slayne force team. Instructed by Arthur Slayne.

Juliette Mirovar: Order Loremaster, netmaster & wife of Francis Mirovar.

Jay Creeley: Full member of the Mirovar force team. Premier warrior.

Yvette Mirovar: Full member of the Mirovar force team.

Peter Lamb: Full member of the Mirovar force team. Strength talent. Strength equal to a vampire.

Chiara Romano: Full member of the Mirovar force team.

Justin Blake: Force leader of the Blake force team covering the south west quarter of the US. Strength talent. Strength equal to a vampire.

Ramin Kain: Head of the Order of Thoth.

Samuel Luther: Head of staff for Ramin Kain. Skilled warrior, loyal to Ramin Kain.

Deon Lamar: Order Traveler, loyal to Ramin Kain.

Shadowstone:

James Haley: Head of the US arm of Shadowstone.

Louise Wesson: Spectrum team leader and a direct report to James Haley.

The ancient Egyptians

Ahknaton: High priest of the Order of Thoth, and first prince of the southern realm.

Hakron: Master scribe of the Order of Thoth and second prince of the southern realm. Ahknaton's younger fraternal twin brother.

Feel free to ask questions below.