Andrew Gates's Blog, page 17

Potential Back Cover Blurb: Part 2

Hello all!

The time has come for me to start thinking about a blurb for the back cover of my new book, Kholvaria.

I posted an entry like this last year and it was very successful. When I posted this the first time, I received so many comments from readers and I took all of those comments into account. The blurb ended up going through so many changes and I attribute it all to you guys! So once again, I’ve decided to hand my draft off to you all, the readers, to see what you have to say:

*WARNING* Extreme spoilers follow for those of you who have not completed Iris.

 

 

The ancient ones called it America.

The survivors call it the New World.

But there are others who know it only as Kholvaria.

It is a desperate time for the Federation. The Atlantic Station, the last known city on Earth, has been destroyed. Humankind is on the brink of extinction.

Nine survivors flee the crumbling city in a last ditch effort. Their destination: the planet’s surface, a poisonous landscape untouched for generations.

Plagued by danger, disease, hunger and mystery, they must do whatever they can to stay alive.

But they are not alone. Other eyes, both above and below the sea, watch these nine survivors with great interest.

For the first time in generations, humanity is coming home.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody! I’ve had a great day so far and it’s only 11:00 am!

I started my day with a nutritious pear, spinach, crackers, and some not-as-nutritious Valentine’s Day red velvet cake from Rach Makes Cakes, the absolute best cake bakery I know of (seriously, if you live in the Atlanta region, you should check it out. I pay extra to get it shipped all the way from Georgia to Virginia). You may find this breakfast a tad unconventional, but for me, it’s all the norm. I rarely ever eat a “conventional” breakfast meal anyway.

I then proceeded to go on an excellent 10 mile run at a sub 6:45 minute mile pace in one of my all time favorite shoes, the Nike LunarEpic. As part of my job, I get to try out a lot of shoes for free. I first received this shoe complimentary from Nike over the summer. It’s a crazy fast shoe, but still great for long distance running. It has a serious amount of cushioning to it, but doesn’t come off as too bulky or heavy. I’m considering using this as my running shoe for the upcoming DC Rock N Roll Half Marathon in early March.

After I finished my run, I stretched outside, as I always do to keep my legs fresh and healthy. I was wearing short sleeves and shorts, mind you, when it started snowing! It was absolutely incredible. If you’ve never just finished a long run, when your body is hot and sweating, and you go outside into the sub-zero temperatures, it’s an amazing feeling. You’re body is hot, but air around you is cold. It is really difficult for me to express how awesome that feels. Sometimes my body will literally start to steam.

I’d say, my Valentine’s Day is off to a great start so far.

I’ll be off to work soon, but then I have a delicious dinner reservation with my love later tonight. We’re going to a restaurant called Perry’s in northwest DC. They serve Japanese food, mostly sushi and sashimi. The food there is absolutely incredible. We have gone there every Valentine’s Day for the last three years AND for all our anniversaries. I have been eagerly waiting for this dinner since I first made the reservation back in mid-January.

Now… for the moment you’re probably waiting for… onto some book-related news:

For all the Iris fans out there, you know my writing is not necessarily the most romantic. What can I say? I’m a science fiction guy, not a love guru. But if you’re looking for a great romance read this Valentine’s Day, worry not! I’ve found a great deal for you.

Author Karina Kantas is putting her book, Illusional Reality, on sale at $0.99 for TODAY ONLY. Check out the official summary below:

Courage will be tested, love will be forgiven and death will be faced in this magical romantic fantasy.

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To purchase Illusional Reality for just $0.99, click HERE.

That’s all for today. Have a great Valentine’s Day, everybody! I hope your day of romance goes just as well as mine has so far.

First Edit Through + Cassidy Concept Art

Hello readers!

Fans of the series will be delighted to know that I have finished my first edit-through of Kholvaria, the upcoming second book in the Color of Water and Sky series. I’ve read all the way through it once, making edits as I go along. In fact, I’ve already made considerable progress on my second-edit through already, having reached the half-way point on my second read.

This version (having edited 1.5 of it through already) comes out at 140,505 words and 251 pages in Word. Ironically, this is longer than my original draft, which came in at  137,068 words and 246 pages in Word. There were certain sections which, admittedly, needed a bit of beefing up. Yet I am still surprised by this outcome. When working on Iris, my edits made the book significantly shorter. With Kholvaria, the edits seem to make it longer.

Interesting.

There are still more edits to be made. The process is far from over. I still have half the book to get through. It is likely that this current word-count will go down before the final draft is complete.

Regardless of the story’s length, the fact that I’ve completed my first edit-through (and half of the next edit-through) marks a significant milestone in the book’s production.

Now on for some other fun news:

In my free-time, I’ve put together some concept art for the upcoming spin-off novel, Cassidy. All of these are just fun stuff I designed. In fact, the cover art you see below will NOT be the official cover art for the book, but these images are simply fun creations inspired by the story.

Take a look at some of the designs below:

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For more information on the progress of Cassidy, click HERE

Great Deal on the Intrepid Saga by M.D. Cooper

Hello readers! Those of you who read this blog regularly may recall that I have written about M.D. Cooper’s Intrepid Saga in the past (you can find that HERE). It’s a brilliant science-fiction story with a causal tone, high stakes and exciting action.

For TWO DAYS ONLY – both TODAY and TOMORROW – his entire series – that’s FOUR BOOKS – will be on sale for just $0.99! This is a huge sale. Four books for less than a dollar!

If there was ever a time to buy, it’s now. The price will not be this low again.

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Here is the official blurb:

Disgraced Major Tanis Richards is off to save the day one more time.

Tanis is looking forward to a long journey in stasis before arriving at the newly terraformed world of New Eden. New Life. New Start. Getting a berth on the Intrepid is her ticket out of the Sol System.

But nothing proves easy for Major Tanis Richards. Nothing is at it seems. What should be a simple trip is fraught with danger and filled with adventure. An array of forces seek to stop the Intrepid—no matter the cost, or lives lost. From competing corporations, to stellar eco-terrorists, no one wants the Intrepid to arrive at New Eden.

Through their journey, the crew of the Intrepid will face rival stellar governments, civil war, and the most wanted serial killer known to the galaxy. Pivoting their role from colonists to saviors. 

Perhaps it’s because the Intrepid carries the most valuable secret known to humanity. Or maybe it’s just Tanis’s luck.

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To purchase the entire collection for just $0.99, click HERE (offer ends after Feb 8)

For more information about the Intrepid Saga and this limited-time deal, click HERE

The sale ends soon, so act fast!

Chapter Sample: Prisoner

The following sample comes from the prologue to the upcoming novel, Kholvaria. The content you see here is mostly finished, but keep in mind that this is not the final draft. All content is subject to change until the novel is published. Readers who have not completed Iris, be warned that there are spoilers. It is recommended that you complete Iris before reading this sample. Enjoy!

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Prologue: Prisoner

Lt. Damien Saljov

It was loud.

The 18-year-old boy smiled, feeling a mix of excitement, nervousness and relief. Damien Saljov took a step onto the stage with his fellow graduates. For a few seconds, the 18-year-old stood there, waiting in anticipation, trying to soak in the moment. He looked out towards the crowd. There were so many faces he did not know, just strangers in an ocean of unknown names.

“Damien Saljjov!” the principle called out, bringing him back to reality.

He walked across the stage, forgetting about the faces. He eagerly took the diploma from the principle. He smiled as his old math teacher snapped a photo and darted off stage in excitement.

Finally high school was just a thing of the past. It’s time for me to live my life.

***

It was quiet.

The 20-year-old man waved to his older brother as he slid the backpack over his shoulders. Even with the dark bag hanging on his back, Tracey’s clean Navy jacket looked as bright as a crystal underneath the light.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving us,” his mother said, giving him a warm embrace. The petite fair-haired woman’s face showed a mix of excitement and sadness. Her vivid red dress stood out as a sharp contrast next to her son’s clean white uniform.

Tracey smiled.

“I’m not leaving you, mom. I’ll be on the north wing of Level 1, at least for now. You can’t really ever leave,” he explained.

A tear formed on her face.

“I know,” she replied calmly, “but I’ll miss having you at home.”

Tracey broke the embrace and looked towards his younger brother.

“You take care of yourself now, okay?” he said.

Damien nodded.

“You know I will. College is…” the young man struggled to find the right words, “college is easy.”

Tracey smiled. Damien patted his brother on the back and the two shared an embrace.

“I’ll see you later,” Tracey said.

Damen let go of his brother as the Navy recruit nodded to their mother. With a tear in her eyes, she nodded back and walked silently into the next room. She knew it was time to let them be alone together.

“How is she?” Damien asked, changing the tone once he was sure she had gone.

Tracey shook his head.

“She’s not happy that I left her, but she’s even less happy that I’m keeping Ophelia.”

Damien looked down to his orange sneakers.

“It’s for the better,” he said, looking back up to his brother again. “She was never there for Ophelia. There’s a difference between being there physically and-”

“I know,” Tracey interrupted. He sighed and wiped his face. “I’m just worried how she’ll do raised in the Navy, surrounded by government and guns and-”

“She’ll be fine,” Damien interrupted back. “Kids are raised in bases all the time. Plus, she’s got a great dad with her.”

Tracey smiled and slowly nodded his head.

“Thanks,” he said.

Damien smiled back.

“No problem, man,” he replied. “I’ll see you later.”

The 20-year-old waved to his brother as he walked off and closed the door behind him.

***

It was familiar.

The 22-year-old walked onto the stage for the second time in his life. The feeling was similar; excitement, nervousness, relief. Damien turned his head again as he waited for his name to be called. This time the sea of faces beyond him looked different. The faces were stronger, more sure of themselves, more prepared for the uncertainty that stood before them.

“Damien Saljov!” shouted the school president.

The oceanic studies student walked across the stage with pride, reaching out his hand as he had done only four years prior. He grabbed the frame from the president’s hand and posed as a complete stranger snapped a picture on her pod.

When he walked off stage, he returned to his seat and turned his neck, looking back at his family. He saw his mother a few rows back before anyone else. Despite her new purple dress and layers of makeup, she looked worse than he remembered. Each day she had been getting smaller and weaker. But she smiled nonetheless.

Tracey sat next to her in his clean white uniform. He fiddled with his fingers and looked over his shoulder, as if worried someone would attack. Lately he had been growing paranoid. Damien assumed their mother’s health was getting to him. After losing their father at such a young age, Damien figured the fear of losing his mother was putting too much stress on his composure.

Ophelia sat next to her father at the end of the aisle, shifting around in the large chair. Despite her father’s growing paranoia, Ophelia had grown into one of the smartest kids Damien had ever known. The girl wore a bright orange dress, shining like a flame in a dark room. The graduate could hardly believe how much she had grown. The six-year-old looked twice as big since he had seen her last.

The graduate turned back around and faced the stage as another stranger received his degree. Young Damien knew what he was going to do next. After the ceremony, he would follow his older brother’s path and enlist in the Navy. It seemed like the best thing to do. The pay was good and steady, offering lots of paid vacation time and loads extra benefits. Damien would never have to pay for a doctor visit again.

***

It was traumatizing.

The 24-year-old felt his hand shake as he held the pod to his ear. Navy trainees jogged around him in the black-walled drill court, decorated with crimson flags and Navy emblems. He ignored them like they were not even there.

“When did it happen?” Damien asked, hardly able to get the words out.

“Just now, I called once I found out,” his brother replied over the pod.

Damien looked up as a young woman approached him. She was one of the trainees, though the Chief could not remember her name.

“Chief?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

Damien could feel a tear fall down his face. He clenched his fists, snapping the pod into pieces.

The trainees all took a few steps back, realizing right away that this was not the time to press him for questions.

“My mother is dead,” Damien said aloud. His voice was like a whisper. “My mother is dead.”

***

It was chilling.

The 26-year-old shivered on the cold metal bench that pressed against the long red wall. He rubbed his hands together and breathed on them. Not working, he thought. Why are medical centers always so cold?

The Navy man had come to be quite acquainted with medical centers in the past few months. Years ago it was a rare thing for him to venture into this zone, but Tracey had been in and out so many times lately that these days Damien began to see red just as often as white.

The medical center was almost completely abandoned at this time of night. Most people were either asleep or in the colored zone. That was where the EMTs found Tracey only a few hours ago.

Damien removed his cap and stood up as the doctor entered the quiet hallway from the next room. The older man’s long white coat looked like it belonged in the Navy lines. Funny how they do all that shit with color, the cold man thought.

“How is he?” Damien asked bluntly.

The Lieutenant glanced down at the pod in the doctor’s hands before he moved it away. Medical charts filled the screen. Damien did not get a great view, but he was able to read the words drug overdose.

“Mr. Saljov, I’m afraid your brother’s lifestyle is getting worse. He needs real care,” the old man explained, shaking his head.

Damien sighed. This was the same story as last time.

“He’s getting better though, isn’t he?”

“I’m afraid not. I’d guess he hasn’t had a clean blood reading since he left the military,” the doctor explained. “He has his moments of improvement here and there, but nothing steady.”

Shit, and here I thought he was getting better.

“What of the girl?”

“Who?”

“His daughter,” Damien clarified, almost afraid of the answer. “What happens to her?”

The doctor shook his head, looked at something on his pod and looked up at Damien again.

“If he has one more relapse, the Federation will be forced to remove her from him. And based on what I’m seeing, I’m afraid I can’t come to his defense.”

Damien knew that losing Ophelia would be his brother’s breaking point. He could not let that happen.

“I’ll talk to him. If he knows what you just told me, he’ll pull himself together. Nothing matters to him more than Ophelia.”

“I hope you’re right,” the doctor replied. “For all your sakes.”

“He’ll change,” he answered. “He’ll do it for her. I promise you.”

***

It was hopeless.

The 28-year-old felt his heart racing, his head sweating and his hands trembling.

Warm sea water covered Damien’s legs as he sent the archaic message. It had been a long time since the crewman had any reason to use Morse code, but his training kicked in as the Cassidy X20 filled with ocean.

Damien looked forward towards his captain as she frantically pulled on the yoke. Her black hair dripped in sweat, soaking into the large foam chair like a sponge filled with soap.

“Come on, come on!” she said to herself, trying to bring the submarine up.

In an instant the front window cracked and water rushed into the cabin. Damien could only sit and watch, strapped to his seat as his captain disappeared from view, engulfed by the monstrous sea.

“No!” he shouted as the ocean collided with his body, burning his eyes and choking him from the inside.

Damien quickly shut his eyes and felt around for the buckle to unlock his seatbelt. I’m going to die, he told himself. I know it. I’m going to fucking die.

The desperate crewman fumbled, unable to find the buckle to his belt. The co-pilot’s stomach rocked like he was falling a thousand levels. He could feel the pressure pushing on him like heavy metal slabs. He felt dizzy. He no longer knew which way was up. He could not even tell if he was moving his hands at all.

I’m helpless, he realized. I am done. The crewman stopped fumbling and accepting his fate. For once, Damien Saljov felt truly at peace.

***

It was bright.

The man awoke from what felt like the worst hangover of his life. Damien Saljov stared straight into the bulb above, too tired to shield his eyes from it. He did not know where he was, how old he was, or if he was even still alive.

My life just flashed like a dream, he realized. It was all real; high school, college, even the submarine. Oh Lord Beyond Both Seas, the submarine. Damien shuddered at the thought. The last thing he remembered was the salt water filling his lungs and stealing his breath like poison. After that, he was here, staring into some sort of light.

Damien tried to take a step forward but quickly realized that his legs were immobile. He tried to look down to them but realized his head was immobile too. He started to hear noise. Someone was in the room with him, fumbling through what sounded like a box of tools nearby. The clanging of metal grew louder and louder. Eventually Damien realized it was not the sound getting louder, but his hearing getting better.

He tried to move his head again, but this time he felt the force of an invisible strap holding him in place. He wiggled his fingers and felt a wall behind him. Damien squirmed about, trying to move in any way he could. That was when he realized this was no wall. It was a table. Damien was lying flat on his back, facing the ceiling.

I’m a fucking classroom project, he thought, shivering in fear. He wiggled some more, hoping that whoever was nearby would let him loose.

“Do not fight it,” a deep voice said to him. Damien could not tell from which direction the voice was coming. It was almost as if it were echoing in his mind.

The trapped Navy man tried to answer but his voice was far too weak to produce any noise. He cleared his throat and tried again but all that came out was a long cough and some drool.

Not knowing what else to do, the trapped man wiggled some more. Slowly the Lieutenant felt his muscles coming back. He had not realized it until now, but it was as if his head, neck, chest, arms, hands, torso, legs and feet had just awoken from a yearlong sleep.

What the hell is going on? he wondered, finally giving his body some rest.

Suddenly the light above his head shut off. Everything went dark for a moment as Damien’s eyes adjusted to the brightness inside the room. By the time his vision changed, Damien finally felt coherent for the first time since he had woken up.

Above his head was a small transparent ball, apparently the source of all the light. The ceiling behind it looked like it was crossed with obsidian beams, not in a normal grid pattern commonly found the station, but in an odd wave of V shapes flowing into each other like waves.

“Good. You have stopped flailing like a fish taken from water,” the voice said, echoing in his mind again. Whoever it was, they spoke in the deepest pitch he had ever heard. It almost sounded inhuman.

Damien tried to focus on the sound and suddenly realized that the fumbling noise had stopped.

“Wh-”

The Lieutenant struggled to form the word.

“It speaks! I was wondering when you would find the strength,” the deep echo continued.

The man heard footsteps. They were heavy and strong, almost like the footsteps of five men marching as one. He could hear the stranger approaching him slowly.

“I’m surprised to see you awake so early. Do not worry about the memories. It is just a symptom of the thawing process.”

Thawing process?

As each footstep grew closer and closer, Damien started to feel the floor rumble beneath him. Whoever was coming must have been huge. He felt his heart race as if he was about to die all over again.

“You must be confused. Do not worry, evolved-one. You are safe from harm,” the voice said, though Damien could still not identify the speaker. “My people pulled your incapacitated form from the wreckage. Your body sustained many injuries, but we have worked to heal it, and added our own enhancements. Only now have we awoken you from your sleep. Your body and mind have been in suspension for four months.”

“Who?” Damien asked, now able to form a word. The footsteps were so close now. Whoever was in the room with him must have been standing right next to him.

“Who?” the voice repeated in a strangely satisfied tone. “That is what I wish to learn about you, evolved-one.”

A shape moved into his line of sight. It was not a person, nor was it anything the pilot had seen before. At first it reminded him of deep sea fish, like the ones he had studied in college. Whatever it was, it looked as if it had a drooling shrimp-like mouth, large round eyes like black slugger balls and a head the shape of a puffer fish, only wider and darker. But whatever this thing was, it certainly was no fish.

Damien heard a faint clicking sound and was suddenly able to move his head up and down, though he was still unable to look left or right. Whoever was in the room with him must have released the restraints. Happy to finally move his head, the nervous pilot studied the object before him.

It’s a head, he suddenly realized, I was only looking at the head. Oh Lord Beyond Both Seas, this whole thing is a creature, some sort of massive creature.

The creature before his eyes had a thin but long torso which connected to an enormous ovular abdomen. Its arms were long and its fingers were like spearheads. It had four legs, popping out from underneath a crablike shell. Its skin looked like the color of vomit and seemed to be covered in some thick fluid.

The sight of this creature made Damien jolt. His heart raced faster than he ever thought possible. He could practically feel it ready to explode out of his chest.

“You have not seen my kind before,” the echoing voice said as the creature looked down upon the captive pilot. “I understand your fear, but it will not help your health. Your heart rate has just spiked considerably.”

“Y-you?” Damien asked, barely able to get the word out.

“Yes, I am the one speaking to you,” the creature responded. Damien suddenly noticed that its mouth was moving as it spoke, though the words did not seem to match the motion of its lips.

Damien sensed something happening on his lower half. He could feel liquid moving along the curvature of his body, covering his crotch and sliding down towards his butt. Shit, I just pissed myself, he realized. He looked down towards his lower half and noticed that he was not wearing any clothes at all.

“Do not fear me,” the creature said as it leaned over him. Damien looked up at the monster’s eyes again, forgetting all about his uncontrollable bladder. “My name is Kho Rendevahrk. I have been watching over you during the last four months of your hibernation.”

“How… talk?” Damien asked.

The creature’s face moved as if it were excited by this question.

“You wish to be the one asking the questions, I see. I shall entertain this idea, for now. As you rested, I placed a translator chip inside your head, entering from the rear of your cranium. The same chip is in my own head, interpreting the meaning of your words in a way that I can understand.”

Damien did not believe it. He wiggled his head, trying to feel anything different inside his skull.

“You will not feel the chip. It is pointless to try, for it is embedded deep within your temporal lobe. The translator can interpret your thought patterns. It knows the meanings behind the words you speak and sends the meanings to me in a way that I can understand. The same works for me when I speak to you.”

Shit, if there’s a chip in my brain, can this creature read my thoughts?

                “And now that I have answered your question, I hope that you can answer one of mine,” said the creature. It turned and picked something up from beyond Damien’s line of sight. The object, whatever it was, was round and transparent like the lightbulb above his head.

“Who are you and how many of you are there?” the creature asked bluntly. It simply stood still, holding the ball in its claws. Damien was not sure what the ball would do, but he did not want to find out. He decided to do whatever the creature asked of him.

“Dam… Damien,” the Lieutenant responded, struggling to find the words. It was still difficult for him to speak.

“Do not worry about the sound of the word,” the creature suggested. “Any noise will do, so long as you put meaning behind the word in your mind.”

Damien took a deep breath and tried again. This time, instead of trying to form the words, he simply spat out gibberish. With each nonsensical syllable, he thought up a meaning for it in his mind. The tired pilot was not sure if this technique would work, but it was worth a shot.

“Damien Saljov,” the creature responded after the pilot had said his nonsense. “So that’s your name.”

It worked, Damien thought, relieved that he was able to communicate with the creature. Now I just need to make sure I’m not thinking about something I shouldn’t.

“Did you come from the submerged city like the others?” the creature asked.

Damien was not sure what the creature meant by this question. Of course the submerged city meant the Atlantic Station. But this should have been obvious. There was nowhere else to reside in the entire ocean. He was more confused by the term others. He and Captain Gessetti were the only ones on the Cassidy submarine when it came under attack and she had almost certainly been killed.

“I don’t know,” Damien replied in his mind, pairing his thoughts with audible nonsense like he did before.

The creature leaned over him and placed the transparent orb on his naked chest. Damien could sense it did not like that answer.

“You are lying. Where did you come from and how many are there?” it asked, rephrasing the question this time.

“I came from the Atlantic Station,” Damien responded, hoping this was the answer the creature wanted to hear. “There are millions of us, millions of humans living in the station.”

The monster snickered and pulled the ball back.

“There were millions,” it responded. “My people saw to your world’s prompt destruction. But that is not the subject I wish to discuss. How many more cities are there?”

Destruction?

“What do you mean?” Damien asked.

“Do not ignore my question. You have already had your time to ask. How many more cities are there?” the creature replied, no longer as kind as it was before.

“Only one in the Atlantic. There are two more. One in the Pacific and one in the Indian,” Damien responded, still wondering what the creature meant by destruction.

“One in the Pacific and one in the Indian,” the creature repeated, seemingly intrigued by this information. “So the rumors about the Sorrevahni may be true. I am glad that you are proving useful.”

What the hell does that mean?

                “I am glad that I can be helpful. Can I ask my own question now?”

The creature squinted its large eyes and craned its neck down. It hesitated but then nodded and took a step back.

“I suppose so. If you feel it will help loosen your tongue.”

Damien swallowed nervously and looked the monster in its eyes.

“What did you mean when you said ‘destruction’?” he asked.

The creature lowered its head and then looked up again. It seemed annoyed.

“Until recently, you were the only evolved-one that our people knew of. It was a shocking discovery, finding you,” the creature explained. “We examined your vessel and tried to find any signs of your kind. Search parties were sent out across the sea. When the first party finally made contact with the city, your people attacked ours and killed them like animals. As a result, your kind was promptly exterminated, though many were taken as prisoner.”

It felt as if Damien’s heart had stopped working. He gasped for air but could barely breathe. His body jolted as if he had lost control of his muscles. His arms rubbed against the invisible restraints, burning his skin like a flame. Tears rushed down his eyes and around his cheek.

Images of his family flashed before him like pictures on a pod. He could see his mother, Tracey, even little Ophelia. They were all gone. Not only them, but my home, my job, my past. Everything he had known meant nothing now.

“Why!” he shouted, managing to find the appropriate word this time.

He shook the table, banging himself against the metal slab. He was sure to be covered in bruises by the time this was over.

“Calm down, evolved-one,” it said in a quieted tone. Damien tried to calm down. He stopped moving and took long, deep breathes, though the tears continued to stream down his face.

“As you can imagine, being that you were the only specimen we had at the time, my people wished to thoroughly study you and your anatomy. The decision was made to keep you in prolonged hibernation so that we could examine you more easily. Your preservation was valuable, you see. However, upon the discovery of your entire colony, there are many more prisoners like you now. You, Kho Damien Saljov, are no longer as valuable. That is why I have awoken you at last.”

Shit, this thing is going to kill me, just like it did to everyone else.

“What? What do you want with me?” Damien asked, speaking normally now.

The creature put the ball back down, out of Damien’s line of sight.

“You have given me that which I require. You have told me your name, where you are from and how many cities there are. You have assured me that there is only one city in the Atlantic.”

“Yes,” Damien confirmed. “Yes, one city.”

“And your people, they owed allegiance to no one, correct?” the creature asked.

Damien closed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears.

“Our people belonged to the Atlantic Federation,” he answered. This time he had to use the gibberish technique again.

“The Atlantic Federation,” the creature repeated. “No allegiance to Sorreveous?”

Damien shook his head and replied, “No”. I don’t even know who Sorreveous is.

“Then that is all,” the creature said, walking away. Its loud footsteps clanged against the metal floor.

Damien remained strapped to the table. He felt alone, cold, helpless. Not even the creature stood by him anymore to keep him company. Damien never wanted to end his own life before, but now he would do anything for a shot in the head.

“I have a question,” a different voice echoed through his mind.

Damien was shocked to hear a different speaker. He tried to turn and face whoever was talking, but his head could still only move up and down.

For a moment, the room fell as silent as death. Damien did not know why, but he feared whoever this new speaker was more than the last.

“Release his restraints,” the new voice ordered.

Everything opened up. Damien quickly pushed himself up so that he was seated. He stared around the room in shock.

Until now, Damien assumed he and the creature were the only ones in the room. But as he looked around, he saw more creatures than he could count. Most were seated against the walls on all sides of the room like an audience to a show.

The chamber itself was massive, large enough to hold a basketball court and decorated with shining black walls unlike anything he had seen in the government district. Large V shaped arches held up the tall ceiling like something out of a hellish architect’s dream. His own table was positioned in what seemed to be the center of it all. To his right, a few stood at attention as his interrogator joined them. To his left, a large glowing screen covered the wall behind the seated creatures. The screen was full of bright colors mashed together in a ball shape, like some sort of abstract art.

“Kho Damien Saljov, I am your releaser,” the voice said. Damien struggled to find which creature was speaking to him. He frantically searched around to see if any of their mouths were moving. Then one of the standing creatures stepped forward. This one looked different from the rest. It wore a long crimson cape, flowing well past its protruding abdomen and onto the shiny floor. The creature held what looked like a golden scepter in its claws, capped off with a red jewel in the shape of a spearhead.

“Hello,” Damien said to the creature as it walked his way. Whoever this was, it appeared quite regal.

“I am Kho Veznek, Under-Chieftain to the Supreme Chieftess, her Majesty, Kal Khtallia, of the Kholvari. My brother, Kho Mohkzani, was killed by your people when we first discovered your city.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” Damien said, trying to sound polite.

“Your apologies mean nothing to me, evolved-one,” the Under-Chieftain replied. “Your kind got what they deserved. Though Kho Rendevahrk may have finished his questioning, there is one question that I still want answered.”

Damien swallowed nervously. He hoped he could give this creature the answer it desired.

“How do your people plan to counterattack?” the Under-Chieftain asked.

Damien shook his head and raised both hands in the air.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

“Don’t lie to me! There must be a plan!” the Under-Chieftain shot back. The decorated creature continued walking towards the table. By now it was so close that Damien could smell its pungent odor.

Kho Rendevahrk quickly dashed forward and caught up to the regal monster.

“Under-Chieftain Kho Veznek, it is possible this man knows nothing of a counterattack. He has been under forced hibernation for the entire duration of-”

The decorated creature spun around and stared its counterpart in the eyes. The Under-Chieftain raised a claw-like hand in the air and Kho Rendevahrk quieted down. It was instantly clear who held the power in this room.

The Under-Chieftain took a deep breath, looked down towards its crablike legs and then back up to Damien’s table.

“Kho Rendevahrk may have a point,” the decorated creature said reluctantly. Damien could tell the creature did not enjoy admitting this. “Be that as it may, I still do not trust you, Kho Damien Saljov. You are the first evolved-one we have awoken, but you shall not be the last. Prisoners are being transported here as we speak. If we find that you have been uncooperative with us, I shall show no mercy.”

Damien did not know what to do so he simply nodded his head. The angered Under-Chieftain turned and walked back where it had come. Kho Rendevahrk followed. All at once, the crowd of creatures slowly stood up from their seats and exited the chamber. I guess the show’s over.

Another creature walked up to his table from behind. Damien turned to face it. This one was leaner than the others and seemed to have smoother, younger skin (though that did not make it any less ugly). It scurried towards him like a crab to food.

Damien instinctively raised his hands in front of his face as it came near, though he lowered them as soon as he realized the creature meant no harm.

“I am Kal Likus. I will take you away from here,” the creature said to him. This one’s voice was softer and higher than the others. Damien assumed that this creature must have been a female and that the others were male.

“Where are you taking me?” Damien asked. He could not even tell if he was speaking real words or gibberish anymore.

“I will take you to your cell,” Kal Likus answered.

Damien shook his head.

“No,” he responded, “no, no, I don’t want to go to a cell. Just bring me up to the surface to die. Let me suffocate on the poison air. I don’t even care.”

“Up to the surface?” the creature repeated. “Evolved-one, where do you think you are? We are far beyond the depths of any ocean.”

The creature gestured towards the glowing wall. Damien turned to face it as members of the audience slowly continued to file out of the room.

The illuminated image was a circle, a perfect sphere surrounded by nothing but black. Dots of white and green decorated the empty space, slowly shifting like waves in the ocean. That’s when it hit him. This was no screen at all.

No, no, it can’t be, he thought to himself. I can’t be here. It’s impossible.

Damien Saljov, once an explorer of the deep, now looked down at his home planet from the window of an alien vessel.

Update: Cassidy is Now Half Written

Greetings one and all. Another week has gone by. In that time, so has a lot of writing.

It’s been a big week. A new president was sworn in, my cousin got married, I traveled to Texas for the first time and I’ve reached the 50% mark in Cassidy.

For those of you who have not heard, Cassidy is an upcoming science-fiction book, a spin-off to the Color of Water and Sky series. Fans will recognize the name in reference to the Cassidy X20 experimental submarine that goes missing at the start of Iris. Some of the characters and locations will be the same, but this book is meant to be a different story, almost like a companion piece to the main saga (the way Rogue One is to Star Wars). What’s unique about this book is that it is being written exclusively when I do not have access to the computer. I am writing it on a tablet. A majority of the writing takes place while I commute to and from work.

This week, I visited the great state of Texas, where I had an excellent time. Due to my long trip half-way across the country, I had a lot of time to work on Cassidy. I wrote in the airport, on the plane, even at the house I was staying in Austin. I am anticipating the book to finish at 18 chapters (not including the prologue), though it may be as long as 20. I am not sure of the exact count yet. As of two days ago, I finished Chapter 10. That definitely puts me at least on the half-way mark, if not over.

As I’ve mentioned in some previous posts, the pacing of this book is very different. Chapters are a lot shorter and events happen much faster. To give you perspective, Cassidy currently comes out to 43 pages in a word document (not including any of the old content that will be re-used in this book (there are two chapters from other books that are getting put back into this one)). Veznek, the upcoming third book in the Color of Water and Sky series, comes out to 59 pages in a word document right now, despite having a lower number of chapters. So you can really see the difference there.

At this current rate, Cassidy will no doubt be finished soon. It is not a long book and it is easy to write.  There aren’t as many characters and the story is a lot more straight-forward. I expect it will also be easy to edit. However, even if it is finished soon, I may delay its release until AFTER Veznek comes out. This is not set in stone, but merely an idea. The reason I may do this is because I fear that certain parts of the story will spoil some things that we discover in Veznek. For all I know, this plan could change, but right now that’s what I want to do. So it may be awhile before you see Cassidy on the shelf.

Tentatively, here is my release plan:

Summer 2017: Kholvaria, Book 2 in the Color of Water and Sky Series

Spring/Summer 2018: Veznek, Book 3 in the Color of Water and Sky Series

Summer/Fall 2018: Cassidy, A Parallel Story to the Color of Water and Sky Series

Winter/Spring 2019: Hive, Book 4 in the Color of Water and Sky Series

All of that could change, but that’s what seems most likely right now. Obviously if the plan changes, you can find out all about it right here.

On a similar note, if you have not discovered all my social media pages, I’ve added a few new ones lately.

Click HERE for Facebook.

Click HERE for Twitter.

Click HERE for YouTube.

Introducing “Starstruck” by S.E. Anderson

Hello everyone!

Writing is a solo project, yes, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a lot of help along the way. S.E. Anderson helped me tremendously during the process of writing, editing and publishing Iris (including designing the cover art) and has been editing her way through book 2 already. She’s gotten me in touch with so many other writers and designers. If it were not for her, I wouldn’t have really discovered this community at all.

I’m pleased to announce that Anderson will be releasing her first book, Starstruck, on May 4th. It will be the first in a series. I’m excited for it because I know how talented she is. Her writing can be quirky, but very to-the-point. She paints the scene but doesn’t drown you in details (like my writing can sometimes do). Plus, it’s science-fiction, so we’re both working in the same genre. You can check out the plot description below:

After an incident with a hot-air balloon causes college-dropout Sally Webber to lose her job, she sets off to find direction in her life. Crashing into a teleporting alien, however, is not on her to-do list. 

Now she’s on the run from TV-drama-loving aliens, and things are just getting started. Zander won’t stop reeling her into life-or-death situations to save her planet, as he waits for his laser-wielding sister to search the universe for him. Though Sally isn’t quite sure if he wants to save Earth from annihilation, or just quell his curiosity of all things human.

Now she’s got to find lost alien emissaries, as well as a job, and stop the planet from getting incinerated in the process. But with Zander as her roommate, what could possibly go wrong?

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Most importantly: how can I learn more about Starstruck? Great question!

To learn more about Starstruck and S.E. Anderson, check out the website HERE and please like her page on Facebook HERE. Personally, I’ve done very well with Facebook. That’s how I’ve found most of my fans, so I know a lot of you guys are on there. Check out her page when you have a chance!

On the subject of social media, The Color of Water and Sky is now on Twitter. To follow the page on Twitter, click HERE.

Thanks for reading. As always, keep checking in for all the newest updates on the Color of Water and Sky series.

 

 

The Importance of KENP

Sales of my book have declined, which is understandable considering that the book launched months ago and I have not kept up any advertising efforts. Still, I have been steadily making a few dollars here and there thanks to something I had largely underestimated: KENP. That means, Kindle Edition Normalized Pages.

Here’s how it works:

Kindle customers have the option to subscribe to a service called Kindle Unlimited, or KU. This service allows users to browse and read books without buying them. Instead of paying for each individual book, they pay for a subscription to KU. So Amazon still gets money, but in a different form.

My book, Iris, is  available in KU. That means customers with a subscription can read the book without paying for it. BUT, that does not mean I go without earning money.

Here’s how authors get paid:

Let’s say for the month of January, $12,000 worth has gone into subscriptions to Amazon Kindle Unlimited. First, Amazon takes a cut of that, leaving a remainder for the authors to pull from. After Amazon’s cut, let’s say there is $10,000 leftover (I don’t know how large their cut is. I’m just inventing a number). The remaining $10,000 is distributed to authors proportionally based on the amount of KENP (or simply “pages”) read by subscribers. As the total amount to pull from changes month to month, obviously that means the payout changes month to month, BUT generally it equates to about $0.005 for every page read. So if someone reads 10 pages of my book and stops, I earn 5 cents. That doesn’t seem so great, but consider that my book is hundreds of pages long. If someone reads the whole thing, I get about $3.50, which is more than I would get if they just purchased it normally.

This system really works well for people who write long books with a high page count. If my book were shorter, I could see KENP working against me. But because my book is so long, I stand to benefit.

In the past 30 days (December 11th to January 10th), KU subscribers have read a total of 5,645 pages of Iris. That equates roughly to about $30, which may not sound like a lot, but if I can reach $30 in a month from one book without advertising, that bodes very well for me once I get my second book out there and actually begin an active advertising effort.

You can see the full KENP graph for Iris below. Interesting to note: page readings spiked tremendously on Christmas day.

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In other news, I am sure you are wondering about my writing progress.

In the past week, I’ve made tremendous success on book 3 in the Color of Water and Sky series, tentatively named Veznek. To write this book, I’ve decided to write each character’s individual plot lines all at once. In other words, I write all of Character 1’s chapters from the start of the book to the end. Then, and only then, I will start to write Character 2’s chapters and so on.

Last night, I finished all of the first character’s chapters. It came out to 5 chapters and a total of 45 pages in Word (so 9 pages per chapter average). It’s exciting to have this out of the way. Assuming each character’s story will be about the same length (which I cannot guarantee), that would put this book at an estimated length of 25 chapters, excluding the prologue.

Admittedly, there are some characters I expect will have smaller stories. In all honesty, the chapter count will likely be slightly less than 25, though I do not know that yet for certain.

As always, keep checking in with this blog for more news on Iris, Kholvaria and the rest of the Color of Water and Sky series.

My Writing Strategy for Veznek

Happy New Year!

I hope you are all doing well in the New Year. I spent my lengthy break luxuriously lounging in the great state of Delaware and preventing ferocious felines from fighting. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do a lot of work too.

Progress is slow on all projects, but everything is progressing nonetheless. Not much has changed since my last update. If you have not already read my previous post, I go into detail about each stage of my many projects. Click HERE for the link.

Over the last few days, most of my writing efforts have centered around Veznek, the tentative title for the third book in the Color of Water and Sky series. So far I have completed two full chapters, some of the most exciting ones yet. I can already predict that Veznek is likely going to be my favorite in the series.

One thing that makes writing Veznek so interesting is that I have chosen to go about writing it very differently. I addressed this in my previous post, but that was still early on. At the time of my last post, I had not yet put the story down in text. I had only just formed the outline. Now that I am actually writing the story, I see now how different it is firsthand.

Rather than write the story chronologically, which I have done for the previous two books, I write Veznek one character at a time. That means I write all of Character 1’s chapters from the start of the book to the end. Then, and only then, I will start to write Character 2’s chapters and so on. What this means is that I get a lot of time with one character before moving on. This allows me to create a more seamless transition from one character’s chapter to that character’s next. I literally pick up where I leave off. It is my hope that, because of this, the individual character arcs feel more natural.

On another note, I am not concerned about chapter lengths or chapter quantities whatsoever. In the past, I tried very hard to get my book in a certain amount of chapters, each with a certain amount of content. Individual chapters were planned out and mapped. With this book, I don’t care about that. I am writing each character’s story and seeing where it goes. If it seems like the natural place to end the chapter, I’ll end it there. If I think the chapter should go longer, I’ll make it go longer. In other words, I’m not mapping out the individual chapters. Instead, I’m mapping out the overall character story.

It may turn out that one character has 3 chapters while another character has 10. If this is the case, I will not worry. Again, I am not concerned about chapter lengths or chapter quantities.

The question you may be wondering is: Will this book be published in the same format?

In other words, will we see a book like this?

Chapter 1: Bob

Chapter 2: Bob

Chapter 3: Bob

Chapter 4: Henry

Chapter 5: Henry

Chapter 6: Henry

Chapter 7: Elizabeth

Chapter 8: Elizabeth

Chapter 9: Elizabeth

Or a book like this?

Chapter 1: Bob

Chapter 2: Henry

Chapter 3: Elizabeth

Chapter 4: Bob

Chapter 5: Elizabeth

Chapter 6: Henry

Chapter 7: Elizabeth

Chapter 8: Henry

Chapter 9: Bob

I’ve been debating that question. Right now my plan is to stick to the same format I have done for the previous two books. In other words, Bob, Henry, Elizabeth, Bob… It would be strange to change it up all of a sudden for the third part. But the thought has definitely crossed my mind. Lord of the Rings is an example of the first format being employed to great effect.

Anything can change at this point, but my plan is to finish writing each individual character’s story. Once everything is written, I will see where the chapters fall chronologically and put them together like pieces of a puzzle. That’s the plan now. As always, anything can change.

Update on Kholvaria, Veznek, Cassidy and Broken Tomorrow

Lots of projects in the air at once!

Update on Kholvaria (Book 2 of the Color of Water and Sky)

Kholvaria, book 2 of the Color of Water and Sky, is now in the editing stage. If you haven’t read the news, I finished writing the first draft earlier last week. Currently, editing has been flying by. Apparently this rough draft does not need as much tweaking as the rough draft for Iris did. I find myself making minimal changes, a big difference to the editing I did with Iris.

Part of the reason I don’t feel the need to edit as much is that I think I’ve just become a stronger writer. I suppose I’m learning to edit as I go along.

Additionally, I’ve been getting a lot of notes from my editing helper in France who helped me with the first book. She’s been GREAT! One scene in particular had so many notes, almost every sentence was changed (it was a sex scene written from a female perspective. I guess I didn’t portray it very accurately). But all these changes are good. These kind of criticisms help me improve the writing.

I’ve edited about 1/3 of the book so far. I’m way ahead of where I thought I’d be at this point in time. Ideally, I’d like to edit through as much of Kholvaria as I can before Christmas. My mother, who was exceptionally helpful in the editing process for Iris, has offered to help me with the editing process with Kholvaria, only earlier on in the process than last time. I’d like to get a second draft out to her by December 26th, so it’s a race against the clock for me!

Update on Veznek (Book 3 of the Color of Water and Sky)

Meanwhile, book 3 of the Color of Water and Sky is in the pre-writing stage. Right now, I’m calling it Veznek. This book is going to be the hardest one to write of them all. In this part of the story, each individual character is split up on their own adventure. Essentially, I’m juggling five different stories at once, each hugely significant and more or less independent of one another. In a way, I feel like I’m writing Game of Thrones now.

That means my outline is completely different. Previously, I’ve outlined the whole story together. For example:

Chapter One (Bruce):

In this chapter, Bruce goes to the store and buys some milk. He then leaves the store and gets hit by a car.

Chapter Two (James):

James is a doctor in a hospital. A patient named Bruce arrives in the hospital after having been hit by a car.

Chapter Three (Martha):

Martha gets a call from a doctor named James, explaining that her husband, Bruce, is in the ER. She is worried and goes to visit him in the hospital.

While each of these chapters were told from a different character’s perspective, the story flowed logically from one to the next. In other words, the story was the same. A man gets hit by a car and goes to the hospital.

With Veznek, the story is more like this:

Chapter One (Bruce):

Bruce goes to the store and buys some milk. He then leaves the store and gets hit by a car. He realizes that the driver was his old nemesis, Seymour, and plans to take revenge.

Chapter Two (James):

James is a doctor in hospital. When the hospital’s electricity goes out, James has to operate on a patient named Felicity without the use of technology. It is a big challenge.

Chapter Three (Martha):

Martha is preparing for a big sales meeting in Nashville, when suddenly she gets a call that the meeting is canceled. She starts to worry about what may have happened to cancel the meeting.

In this case, you can see that each individual character is basically experiencing a different story. Whereas in the first example, the characters were all part of the same story. That’s the biggest challenge with Veznek. It’s like writing five books at once.

For that reason, I’m outlining it differently. Each character gets their own individual outline. Not only that, but when I actually start writing, I’m going to write it character at a time, not chronologically. So for example, I would do all of the Bruce chapters. Once I finish with Bruce, I will do all of the James chapters and so on.

This is a different way to write than I’ve ever done before, but I’m excited to see how it turns out. In some ways, I think it will make it easier for me to create arcs with a more cohesive flow to them, since I won’t be stopping to interrupt chapters with perspectives of other characters in between.

Now the question is… which character should I start with?

I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

Update on Cassidy (the spin-off story to the Color of Water and Sky)

In other news, I’ve finally put a dent in my progress on Cassidy, though by “dent”, I mean I’ve written a chapter and a half. It’s not a lot of progress, but I’m trying to write this book exclusively when I’m not at home and therefore don’t have access to my laptop. In other words, it’s a commuter project. So progress is expected to be slow.

That being said, I can already get a sense of the pace I’m going for. Cassidy will be easily the fastest paced story in the series and will also feature the shortest chapters. It reads really well so far. Even going back and reading what I’ve written, I feel engaged from start to finish. I think Cassidy will be my hidden gem. I anticipate it will sell really well. In fact, I could see people who haven’t even read the main series getting into it.

Now that it’s been a few days since I first announced Cassidy, I’ll give the first hints to the plot:

Cassidy is set parallel to the events in the Color of Water and Sky series. Though it will be a considerably shorter book than any others in the main series, it will elapse roughly the same period of time as the entire series combined.

Readers of the first book should recognize the title. It refers directly to the Cassidy X20 submarine prototype that went under attack at the begging of Iris, thus initiating this whole adventure.

Here’s the cool part:

Cassidy will feature some already-written chapters from other books, specifically the prologues of both Iris and Kholvaria, and weave these chapters into a larger narrative. That makes it a little bit easier for me, as a writer, because two of my chapters are essentially already written (and no, I did not count them when I said I finished one and half chapters already).

Update on Broken Tomorrow: A Dystopian Boxset Collection

In other, other, other news… I can now say, to much satisfaction, that I’ve made back all the money I’ve spent to get Iris published. I’ll admit, it took longer than I anticipated, BUT, the even bigger surprise: the source of this profit.

It is no secret that I am still working on getting people to buy Iris. As a new writer with only one book in the series out, it’s no surprise that I’m having troubles. This is to be expected. All in all, I’ve made less than $100 from Iris sales so far.

But that’s not the only book with my name attached to it. If you recall, I submitted Iris to be part of a boxset collection called Broken Tomorrow. You can read all about it HERE. The other authors included in this set are well-established and have a strong fan base. My inclusion in this set benefits me the most, as I have the smallest base and cannot alone bring in much of an audience. So for me, this is an awesome opportunity.

I received information today regarding the success of this set. Though I will not get into any specific numbers, I will admit, it is HUGELY more successful than I ever imagined. Being a part of this set was probably the best decision I’ve made so far, from a financial standpoint.

Unfortunately, I won’t get any of this money in hand until around April, once the boxset is taken off the market (as a reminder, it’s only available for a limited time and I’m only getting paid at the end). So that’s a big bummer. Obviously I’d like to have the money now. But based on how the numbers look, I’m really happy. With a few more months  left to go, these numbers are only going to go up and up and up. Come April, I will finally get to experience the financial the rewards of my hard work.

I find it ironic that the project I’ve had my hands in the least is the one proving to provide the most payoff. But I guess that’s how life works sometimes.

 

In conclusion, if you haven’t figured it out, I’ve got a lot going on right now. With so many projects in the air, it’s a bit overwhelming, but also exciting.

Expect a chapter sample from Kholvaria up on the blog soon. I know you guys will love it!