M.D. Boncher's Blog, page 2

Whipping the Rising Tide

How Jealous Demands for Equity Don’t Help Your Publishing Efforts

There is an old Chinese tale of an emperor who wanted to go on a sea voyage. Unfortunately, the tide went out when he wanted to leave and had to leave the next day. Incensed at the ocean’s insolence, he ordered a large number of his army to go to the shore, with whips and scourge the sea till the tide obeyed his desires. So the army obeyed and sent men to whip the sea.

The sea ignored the emperor, and shamed him before his p...

Gallery : The New Dark Age #1

Visions of a possible future of a much changed humanity

The shining future of the modernists of the 20th century never arrived. It died in utero before it could be born and cast humanity in the offal pit of its own creation.

Humanity collapsed the world into a crumbling, burning pile of superstition, ideology and ignorance that turned its back on the actual sciences, founded on objective reason and logic. It replaced it with fumbling pseudo-science. A religion of narcissistic ego and c...

Akiniwazisaga: The Inheritance Thieves Book 2

“The Inheritance Thieves” is the start of a trilogy story arc that expands the whole world of Akiniwazi by introducing more politics and takes you on a long trip through much of the physical world. You learn of the consequences from “A Light Rises in a Dark World” so there will be MILD SPOILERS in this chapter. (Go buy the book and finish it if this matters to you.

Also, since we are dealing with the expanded world of Akiniwazi, Brother Finn is not the center of this narrative to start, so do...

Encyclopedia Akiniwazi -Language

You poor readers have been flooded with strange terms and languages in my Akiniwazisaga freebies. Well, I’m going to give you a little more of a freebie and that’s the glossary and notes to help you understand the words, pronunciations and meanings of them. It’ll teach you to cuss like a Viking, too. 

Read the rest on Substack.

Encyclopedia Akiniwazi: Language

WV Renaissance Festival ’25 AAR

Our busy June is done, and it has left scars. Read it all on Substack.

WV Renaissance Festival AAR

#aar #renaissancefestival #WestVirginia #vending #bookseller #June

Gallery: Liminal Small Town

A place where nothing’s happening, or the activity of the day is over. A place to enjoy the blurry edge between humanity’s development and nature, where decay and entropy have kissed the land and rendered it’s own bittersweet tranquility.

Gallery: Liminal Small Town

Akiniwazisaga: The Long Ride Through the Night

Chapter 5 from “A Light Rises in a Dark World” by M.D. Boncher

The llamas bleated and groaned as two carts clattered down the narrow road to the Chuffing Pony. Through the bare branches of overhanging trees the brilliant sun scattered the last of the lingering clouds from the autumnal sky. As they bounced along the rutted muddy road to the station, an earthy scent of warm wood and drying leaves filled the air.

The bumps and lurches on the boring ride had made the children just as whiny ...

Libertycon 37: After Action Report

“AAR,” said the pirate.

“How do, everyone!” he says forcing all energy and enthusiasm he can muster.

Monday was travel day, so I’m writing this on the Tuesday after we got back all sorts o’ tired. Unfortunately, I’m gonna have to power through, so let’s get into it.

Libertycon 37: After Action Report

Next week it’s going to be a West Virginia Ren Festival AAR.

Till next time, vaya con Dios.

Gallery: TFDN Mercenaries on Blaugarten

I loved the setting of Blaugarten in “Dreams Within Dreams”. The fantastical setting just worked so well in my head. Here’s how I describe it in the book:

Blaugarten’s northern pole was a rainforest of moss and gargantuan flowers. The Sierra Madre automatically set down among a collection of auxiliary warehouses with smooth efficiency. The whooshing of the grav fans startled a few animals that fled out of holes in the fencing.

When AI gave me the opportunity to create pictures that fit t...

Akiniwazisaga: For the Greatest Good, They Leave Home

Chapter 4 from A Light Rises in a Dark World by MD Boncher

If you missed the previous chapters, you can start here:

Chapter 1: Winning the Battle, Losing the War

Whitecaps chased the gray clouds above the endless expanse of Lake Neezhoday. The roar of the breakers and hissing grass dominated all other sounds save for the seagulls wheeling overhead. As he sat on top of a dune, Reimar huddled against the stinging blasts of wind-driven sand, alternating between watching the waves and ...