A.M. Scott's Blog, page 6

The Folding Space Series is going into Kindle Unlimited!

BIG news for KU readers! The Lightwave novels are going into KU!

It’s taken me longer than I thought it would because I’d forgotten just how many places I advertised Lightwave: Nexus Station as my newsletter giveaway. But fear not, I have a replacement! Current subscribers will get it soon; new subscribers, sign up below!

Here’s the links to the box sets:

https://amzn.to/3osjVdH (affiliate link)

https://amzn.to/3a2oDq9 (affiliate link)

I’m about to enter books 0.5 through 3.0 into KU now; books 4.0 through 7.0 will go in next week. Box Set 2 is on sale at B&N, Kobo, Google, Apple, Smashwords, etc until I take them off those retailers. My apologies to non-Amazon buyers!
The Quantum Fold novels will remain wide until I publish Free Fall AND the Lightwave novels go wide again.

Sale! Get Lightwave: Folding Space Series Books 0.5 through 3.0 for only $0.99

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098FBP3YD

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162548416

Google Books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/...

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/light...

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lightwave-folding-space-series-books-0-5-through-3-0

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1093378

Wild Adventures Despite Rain!

Last week I went on my last planned backpacking trip of the year, with the University of Montana’s Wilderness Institute. I was super-excited about this trip, because we were hiking the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness, including a stretch on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT.) The AP Wilderness is absolutely gorgeous, gigantic, and normally empty of people. It’s my favorite. As usual, the WI trip was planned perfectly, the leaders were fabulous, and the dinners were tasty!

The weather wasn’t so great. But it didn’t rain the whole time, so I can’t complain. We started at the East Fork Reservoir Trailhead, where I met WI Intern Charlie, WI Monitoring Program Director Lisa Gerloff, and fellow volunteer Jim. Strangely enough, Jim and I backpacked the Frank Church Wilderness together on another WI trip. I’ve also backpacked with Lisa on WI trips; she’s done a fabulous job leading the Monitoring Program and implementing the Citizen Science program. I’m extremely sad to hear this may be the last year of the Citizen Science program since Lisa is moving to another position.

On our way, we ran into several grouse, who weren’t too concerned about us. Good thing Zoe stayed home!

Just before we reached Queener Basin, we heard pikas chirping. As temperatures have increased, pikas have become rare in many parts of Montana. Not only did I see at least six of the cute little rodents, but they were cohabitating with a group of very fat chipmunks. As you can see, pika blend into their habitat of rocks piles very well.

We base-camped at Queener Basin and luckily, didn’t get rained on until later in the day, after we’d set up our tents. After a delicious dinner, it got rainy and cold, so we all departed for warm sleeping bags pretty early.

The next morning, I was about to get out of my sleeping bag when the hail started. Fortunately, it didn’t last too long. After a soggy breakfast, we set out for Rainbow Mountain, climbing high above the basin. The rain cleared, and it was pleasant until our return trip. The views are amazing!

At Rainbow Mountain, we headed down and down, reaching Flower Lake and then Page Lake. Flower Lake is beautiful, with vast meadows that must be covered with wildflowers earlier in the year.

Page Lake is more like Puddle Lake; there’s not much water there. But both are well worth the very strenuous hike.

On our way back, the rain started, then got heavier and heavier. I got soaked, including my boots. The next morning wasn’t any better; we packed up in heavy rain, which is no fun at all. I tore the stuff sack for my tent, so I had to put it inside my pack, rather than strap it to the outside like usual. Good thing I have a big pack.

We started down the mountains, all of us squishing along in wet boots. Fortunately, the rain stopped, and we enjoyed the hike, despite our soaked feet. Even though I was happy to reach my car, knowing I had a hot shower waiting at home, I was sad to see the hike end. Especially if it really is the last Citizen Science hike.

I had a great time and I want to thank Jim, Charlie, and Lisa for making it extra special!

Hiking and Family Weddings

At the end of July, my brother Jerome married his lovely fiance, Stephanie. Since both of them are fun and slightly non-traditional, they ditched the church and reception and had a big camp-out party. A friend hosted over 20 RVs and tents in her front yard in NW Washington!

The Amazing Sleeping Man is NOT a camper, so we reserved a cabin on the Mt Baker Highway, and left a couple of days early to drive in a leisurely fashion. Things did not go as planned. First, I planned on spending the night in Winthrop, then driving across the North Cascades Highway the next day. When we got there, it was closed because of wildfire, and terribly smoky. It had been closed for weeks, but when I checked Google Maps a few days before the trip, it had a warning, not a closure.

Second, this was Zoe’s first sleep-away trip since I brought her to Montana. Although she loves traveling in the car, she’s a nervous little dog. Being in an old motel with thin walls and firefighters who were up late and early caused several “Someone’s breaking in, Mom!” barking episodes. I didn’t get a lot of sleep that night. I hereby apologize to everyone else rudely woken.

So, we backtracked a hundred miles and went up and over Highway 2, Stevens Pass. It’s a beautiful drive, and we drove against the traffic into Everett. However, when we got off the freeway onto Highway 9, we again ran into a road closure with inadequate warning and had to detour many miles out of our way. But we were lucky again; it was pretty. We settled into our cabin with no problems and then went to the wedding site, meeting up with my brother, his fiance, and a bunch of friends.

Since they didn’t need our help with setup, we went hiking the next day. The Mt Baker area is beautiful! But it was super hot. After a mile and a half, the last half very steep, Zoe actually stopped. She was just too hot. So, we went back to the lakes and threw a stick in the water so she’d get wet. We drove up the rest of the road, to see what we hadn’t reached, but you guessed it, it was closed. After a short recovery nap, we went back to the wedding site. My sister and her family and my other brother (who has been in Australia for 2+ years) had arrived. It’s the first time the four of us have been together in years–it was fantastic.

The wedding was both fun and beautiful, and the party a blast. Clouds had rolled in, leaving us much cooler, but without more than a couple of raindrops. It was a fabulous chance to reconnect with family and celebrate a great event. Congrats to Jerome and Stephanie!

 

Clearing Blodgett Canyon Trail with the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation

Whew! What a fabulous but exhausting trip. Blodgett Canyon is probably the iconic trail of the Bitterroot Mountains. Stunning canyon walls, two waterfalls, and a long, gradual ascent to a beautiful lake at the end, twelve miles away. Working with the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation is always a pleasure, too. It’s great to see the next generation caring for our wilderness.

At the trailhead, I met up with fellow volunteers, and the three generous individuals packing our tools, kitchen, and food into camp with horses and mules. One volunteer turned out to be Jewels; she’d been on my previous trip with SBFC up this same trail, several years ago. It was great to reconnect with her; I just wish she lived closer!

Loading the pack string

After a bit of a delay, we got on the trail. It’s been an unusually hot and smoky summer, so we stopped for lunch after only a couple of miles. But a waterfall is always worth stopping for! We had one SBFC crew leader, four SBFC Fellows, and six volunteers; naturally, the younger crowd pulled away during the trek. But we all reached the campsite at 7 Mile Meadow pretty quickly; not carrying food and stoves helps a lot!

The next day we started our primary task–clearing High Lake Trail. We’d started to clear this trail on our previous trip, but hadn’t gotten far; there was too much blowdown. But it seems we’d made more of a difference than I thought, because there were fewer trees to cut out than I thought there would be. The crosscutting was mostly done in two days; the rest was brushing. But on High Lake Trail, that’s a real challenge. It’s extremely steep, with little access to the stream you can hear, and very overgrown. See the before and after photos below on a mild example:

Before brushingAfter brushing

We did what we could, but with the terrain so challenging, the heat, the voracious mosquitos and flies, and the smoke, we weren’t able to brush the entire trail, but the Fellows cleared all the logs. Sadly, I never made it all the way to the lake; a giant landslide and a cliff at the end makes accessing the lake an all-day trek, and we had a job to do.

Cutting a tree from the trail with a crosscut saw. Photo by B. Bienusa.

Over the subsequent days, we cleared all the logs across the trail to Blodgett Lake, and did some brushing between the lake and 7 Mile meadow. Happily, I made it to Blodgett Lake, despite our first attempt being short-circuited by a moose on the trail. Moose are very dangerous; I’d rather meet up with a bear or mountain lion because they’re more predictable. Generally, they run. Moose sometimes attack for no apparent reason.

Blodgett Lake. Photo By B. Bienusa

That was a very long day; my watch showed 16.8 miles that day and my feet ached. Fortunately, I was able to spend some quality time in Blodgett Creek, soaking my feet while chatting with Jewels the next evening. The cold water really helps!

Our hike out was bittersweet. I was sad to leave, but looking forward to the hot shower and comfy bed at home. It was great reconnecting with Jewels, making new friends Bri and Rachel, and doing some splendid work. However, I’ve learned that doing a seven-day trip with twenty-somethings is beyond my capabilities; I’ll stick to shorter projects from here on out!

Rachel, Jewels, and AM on the hike out. Photo by B. Bienusa.

But if you love backpacking, check out the SBFC, or similar organizations in your area. There’s always more work to be done on the trails we love.

A big thank you to Ian, Karlissa, Kate, Jonny, Madi and Tyler for making it a great experience out in the wild, and to Krissy for the volunteer coordination at the HQ.

Photos Copyright (C) 2020 by AM Scott except those supplied courtesy of Copyright (C) 2020 B. Bienusa.

Cover Reveal!

Big thanks to Deranged Doctor Design for another fabulous cover!

Quinn of Cygnus: Shockwave, Quantum Fold #3 Preorders are LIVE!

Quinn of Cygnus: Shockwave releases April 29th, 2021!

Here are the current Preorder Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0918QX43SUBL: https://books2read.com/u/brPq7WB&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162163725Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/quinn-of-cygnus-shockwaveApple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id156...

Adulting sucks like the big black hole of Andromeda.Just as Q is about to reunite with her Lightwave family, she ends up alone and friendless in uncharted space. Hal, the AI who controls her ship, is too busy fighting off another AI to even answer her questions. As food, water and power dwindle, Q tries to help, and it all goes wrong.

Convinced she’s a danger to all, Q strikes out to make her own way in the universe. A young woman alone draws the wrong kind of attention and Q must develop new skills and strengths to protect herself. A chance encounter and poor decisions put her in even more trouble.

Surviving will take all she’s got. Escaping will take more than she can imagine. Saving others will require sacrifice beyond comprehension. But Q does nothing by half measures.

Cover Reveal!

Here it is! I absolutely love the cover of Quinn of Cygnus: Shockwave!

The fabulous folks at Deranged Doctor Design blew me away with this cover!

Teaser: This scene appears in the novel!

2020 According to The Amazing Sleeping Man

As some of you know, The Amazing Sleeping Man writes our annual Christmas letter. Here it is, in its dubious glory!

Yo! Find your favorite piece of cardboard, break dancing is going to be in the Olympics. I cannot wait to see the Nordic countries break dancing to Abba’s “Dancing Queen.”  AM said she will not participate in this event—she’s waiting for Rock, Paper, Scissors to get in. Both of those are too strenuous for me and I will just wait until Bingo becomes an Olympic sport.

You will be happy to know that this spring, we were multi-millionaires. We had three jumbo packs of TP stashed in our emergency supply cache. That is 90 rolls! Yep, no rationing of this most basic product for us. I guess my previous job as a highly-paid government contractor doing a lot of nothing paid off.  My question is this: Were people not using TP and washing their hands before the CHICOM Flu hit?

After a late start, spring ski season was going great. Unfortunately, the local ski hill shut down early due to the Sweat and Sour Sicken. Of course, right after that, we got some epic storms dumping vast quantities of powder. Figures. Stupid Rice Rabies.

This year’s skiing is off to a pretty good start. So far, I have managed not to lose any of my remaining 9.3 fingers. Hopefully, there will not be a huge spike in the Kung Flu here forcing another closure.

AM continues to crank out books faster than I can read them. My defense is they don’t have any pictures. Her books are very well received and she really enjoys the work. She was going to a writer’s conference this year, but it was canceled. Damn Bat Flu.  (Do you see a pattern forming here? I have lots of names for the Wu Flu, but I will stop now.)

Currently, she is trying to take part in a writing program for a charity effort. There are five authors trying to write one six-book series. AM is charge of coordinating the writing. The authors are spread out all across the world. It is herding cats on a grand scale.

AM continues to work with Team Rubicon. This spring they did sand bagging operations to save a couple of structures from flooding. They also cleaned up two old motels in Missoula to house COVID-positive homeless people. She planned and led several other COVID-related efforts remotely, from the comfort of our home office. Fortunately, it was a fairly quiet year for other disasters in Montana so she didn’t travel much.

            Our fur missile, Zoe, has turned into the local ground squirrel population’s worst nightmare. Zoe catches them in the open or digs them out of their underground bunkers. Sometimes she will start digging in the hole the squirrel disappeared down, other times she will move around to another hole and start digging. Apparently, she has figured out ground squirrel tunnel architecture. Her count as of now is 8 confirmed and 3 probables. Just what you want to read in a Christmas letter. Zoe has made friends with a number of dogs in the area and they will chase each other around for as long as forty minutes, crashing into each other, wrestling and trying to hump each other. Brings back fond memories of dating in high school and college.

I left my job in April. I was tired of the long drive. About the time I left, you may have noticed a steep drop in the price of oil and gas. This drop was caused by me not having to change my oil every 5 minutes or buy enough gas every week to fuel the entire NASCAR season. I have been staying busy by cutting down a lot of trees, staining any piece of finished wood product I can find (Super Deck 1903 Red Wood in case you are curious about the color) shoveled the 20 cubic yards of stones Anne Marie ordered 4 years ago (they went around the base of the house, garage, back porch, rear deck, and ten miles along Interstate 90), took the dog on 5 miles of walks everyday (rain, snow, sun, doesn’t matter), threw a billion sticks for the dog, brushed out enough fur from the dog to knit my own dog sled team, and rejoined the Volunteer Fire Dept.

Why the last, you ask? Well, I like to be woken at 0230 because someone thought it was a good idea to store ten gallons of gas next to a space heater. Since October I have been on six structure fire calls. When I was on the department before, I think we had six structure fires a year. Mostly we did car wrecks, medical calls, and wildland fires.

Well, that is about it from here. I have to go. The Larry Welk Christmas Show is about to start.  Unfortunately, it is a rerun from 1972.  So we wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, or Happy dancing around Stonehenge during the winter solstice at midnight while naked.  Take your pick. (Guess which one Matt picks? Hint: it involves the Swedish Bikini team.)

The ASM, AM, and Zoe

 

 

Quinn of Cygnus: Escape Velocity — It’s my Book Birthday!

Publishing now, as you read this post!

I’m sorry this took me so long to write and publish–and sorry about publishing delays due to the holidays. Keep checking your favorite retailer!

Amazon:
Kobo:
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/quin...
Google:
Apple:
Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
UBL: https://books2read.com/u/bw7yxe