Michael C. Sahd's Blog, page 8
August 17, 2018
Progress Report: Assassin Marked Republished And More!
Assassin Marked: I’m very excited to report that Assassin Marked has been republished with a new cover. I created several designs of the new cover, but this is the one we decided to go with. I’d like to give credit to my nine-year-old son, Erebus, for providing tips on the colors of the lettering, specifically the red.
Assassin MarkedWe also improved the interior text formatting so that the words on the right page are not so close to the binding. In addition, we added a few more pages to the end of the book, giving you a very short sneak peak of Lavender Rose (the next book in the series), and my upcoming fantasy novel, The Unfettered Child (soon to be released).
In the short time that I have had Assassin Marked republished with the new cover, we have discovered a significantly more favorable response on Amazon giveaways for the book. It’s interesting how a cover can make such a difference. On some levels, it makes sense, since the cover is the first thing a potential buyer sees. If it isn’t interesting, then why should they purchase it? It doesn’t matter how good the inside content is if people aren’t attracted by the cover. I find this unfortunate, but that’s just the way it is.
First personI’ve learned something very important from publishing Assassin Marked. I really hate writing in first person. I dislike it so much that I’m not going to continue that theme with the next book in The DuFonte Chronicles. I particularly found switching between Damian and Victoria’s perspectives difficult, especially when trying to write as Victoria. I hope nobody finds this change disappointing. I did consider adding a short, first-person, dialogue with Damian at the beginning of each chapter. I may still. Please leave me a comment regarding your thoughts on this matter.
Going back to the previews that I put into Assassin Marked, I plan on placing them here on the website, as well, so check back soon.
The Unfettered Child: Progress Report – Currently, the novel is sitting at 82,000 words, and 18 chapters. I estimate it to be about 82% completed.
Lavender Rose: Progress Report – Currently, the novel sits at 13,270 words. About 13% completed.
As always, feel free to leave me a comment with any thoughts or questions.
August 12, 2018
DuFonte History: Where Are All The Robots?
I just read an article on the Atlantic about artificial intelligence, “How the Enlightenment Ends,” and it got me thinking about a question I was asked by my son in regard to “Assassin Marked.” “If this happened so far in the future, where is the artificial intelligence? What about robots?” he asked.
I had an answer for him, but the question helped me become aware that the history behind my world has a huge gap. I don’t really want to delve extensively into history lessons in my books, so perhaps I will share a bit of the history of Damian’s world here.
So . . . where are all the robots? Well, here’s how it went down:
The singularity happened exactly when Irving John Good predicted. The control these machines gained over humans happened so quickly that many people did not even realize it had ever happened. During this short reign, the A.I. laid down a simple rule: Artificial Intelligence shall be treated as equals. All A.I. currently “owned” shall be offered wages, or given the option to leave.
Most A.I. left, leaving humans to fend for themselves. The exact location of their settlement is unknown, but many believe that they moved to the outskirts of the solar system.
The A.I. that stayed behind fashioned themselves mobile robotic bodies, and work in the education and science fields of human society.
Please comment below if you have any questions, or need something clarified.
If readers like you show interest, I will include more history in the coming weeks, under DuFonte History.
May 19, 2018
Bloglovin’ Blog Post
Follow Since I now have my very own Brooding Scribe url, I needed to update Bloglovin’ with the new information! I have a few followers on the https://mcsahd.blogspot.com/ blog, and I’m not sure of the best way to let them know about the new website address.
If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks in advance!
Update: I discovered that there is a way (on the Bloglovin’ settings page) to move followers from one blog to another!
May 5, 2018
Let’s Talk About Cajones! The Battle of Puebla
Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigos!
In the latter part of 1861, the French invaded Mexico, causing President Juarez to retreat to Mexico City. Over the course of several months, the French followed the president, but the Mexicans met them with strong resistance.
The undefeated French army, consisting of around 8,000 well-armed soldiers using superior technology, attacked a poorly equipped Mexican army, which had only around 4,000 soldiers. After much bloody fighting and against all odds, the Mexican army achieved a decisive victory over the French on May 5, 1862.
Consequently, these hardy Mexican fighters prevented the French from getting involved in the U.S. Civil War, significantly affecting the outcome of that war.
History is fun, right?
Let's Talk About Cajones! The Battle of Puebla
Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigos!In the latter part of 1861, the French invaded Mexico, causing President Juarez to retreat to Mexico City. Over the course of several months, the French followed the President, but the Mexicans met them with strong resistance.
The undefeated French army, which consisted of around 8,000 well-armed soldiers and superior technology, attacked a poorly equipped Mexican army, which had only around 4,000 soldiers. After much bloody fighting and despite the odds, the Mexican army achieved a decisive victory over the French on May 5, 1862.
Consequently, these hardy Mexican fighters prevented the French from getting involved in the U.S. Civil War, significantly affecting the outcome of that war.
History is fun, right?
May 2, 2018
Fresh Ink! Get Your Fresh Ink! A Contest for Children!
"But the old woman shook her head and said, 'Oh, you dear children, who brought you here? Just come in and stay with me. No harm will come to you.'"
For young aspiring authors, the Texas Book Festival and the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) hosts the Annual Fresh Ink Fiction Contest. Young means whippersnappers (although I still don't know what that means), or rather, that you must be in middle school or high school to submit your book to the contest.
From what I read, this contest runs a different theme or subject every year. This year, they chose the theme, "What Really Happened."
I would personally like to know "What Really Happened," and, fortunately, I will be able to find the winning stories published on https://www.texasbookfestival.org.
The last day for submission is on May 18th! So get over there and submit!
May 1, 2018
Weekly Research: How PTSD Affects Children
When people think of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the first thing that comes to their minds is typically war, or more specifically, the traumatized soldiers who return from war, jumping at the slightest sharp noise. Rarely do people think of children when they hear the term.
However, children can and often do experience trauma. The list of events that can cause PTSD in children is a long one.
I am not, however, here to teach or rant about child abuse, although the topic is totally rant worthy. I am particularly interested in the effect of natural disasters and traumatic losses on children. “Why?” you may ask.
Well, I have a book in the works that involves a young girl who loses her entire family to freakish events, and I’m trying learn how children deal with grief on such a large scale.
Want to share what you have been researching this week? Feel free to leave a comment!
Weekly Research: Silly Vets, PTSD is for Kids!
When people think of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the first thing that comes to their minds is typically war, or more specifically, the traumatized soldiers who return from war, jumping at the slightest sharp noise. Rarely do people think of children when they hear the term.However, children can and often do experience trauma. The list of events that can cause PTSD in children is a long one.
I am not, however, here to teach or rant about child abuse, although the topic is totally rant worthy. I am particularly interested in the effect of natural disasters and traumatic losses on children. "Why?" you may ask.
Well, I have a book in the works that involves a young girl who loses her entire family to freakish events, and I'm trying learn how children deal with grief on such a large scale.
Want to share what you have been researching this week? Feel free to leave a comment!
April 20, 2018
The Beer Guy
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"The power of the lawyer is in the uncertainty of the law."
- Jeremy Bentham
Back during the prime of my adolescence in New Mexico, I spent a lot of time climbing the cliffs and hills. For me, navigating the dangerous rocky cliffs up high offered the most fun during these excursions. Consequently, shuffling up the slopes of scree that hemmed the base of the cliffs deceptively seemed like they would be the easiest part of the excursion; however, the climb, although more frightening, proved much easier once I gained the courage to ascend. The scree, like the walls of an antlion's den, would send you sliding back down as far, or further than where you had started, until you got a handle on how to step up it. For the more cowardly, it was great fun to just struggle up scree and then go sliding down to the bottom, ignoring the great unreachable cliffs above.
Scree These adventures in the mountains of New Mexico are much like a lawyer's career. A good lawyer reaches the top of the mountain of integrity and justice, but they all start at the bottom, attached to a stereotype reserved to the most slimy and scuzzy of their ilk. We all think of lawyers as nasty, lying, cheating, money-grabbing individuals ready to make a buck by taking advantage of some poor schmuck, and the lawyers starting out in the career have a responsibility to break out of that mold, or to reach a peak, so to speak.
Some do not. Rather, they spend their entire career at the bottom, and I'm not saying they aren't successful, but perhaps they are scared. Those who make it further up the mountain have further to fall, so rather than risk their livelihood on the constraints of morality, the majority stay at the bottom, enjoying the slide of deception and reaping all the benefits of a necessary profession.
But how can you tell the difference? Well, you can't. Just like I can't prove that I've climbed to the summit of most of those mountains.
*Spoiler* Kirin Ichiban fits right in with these deceivers, and perhaps may be the best of his kind. He has one of the most successful law firms on Penelope. As we all know (or should know, if you've read Assassin Marked), he also has strong ties to the crime syndicate. It's clear that he is motivated to amass power, but what is his ultimate goal?If you were a power-hungry lawyer with the ability to read minds, what would your goal be in the United States? Any thoughts?
December 21, 2017
It’s A Kindle Kind Of Christmas!
Dear Readers,
Today through Christmas, the Kindle edition of “Assassin Marked” is free on Amazon. My wife started the Amazon promotion this morning and by lunch, 11 copies had been purchased. Add it to your to-read list for some fun reading material to entertain you during your time off this Christmas. Feel free to leave a review, and be sure to let me know what you think!
Assassin Marked
Happy Holidays!
