Rosaire Bushey's Blog, page 3

And so begins the end…

The photo above is one my five cats – Lilly. Lilly is actually my wife’s cat – most of them are my wife’s cats actually. One likes me, some tolerate me because I have more lap space. But in lieu of any other photo, I generally default to a photo of a cat – because why wouldn’t you?

I think I’ve been stalling on really getting into writing book 6 of the 30 Stones Saga – the final chapter of this series. I think that perhaps I don’t want it to end. But it has to, and so I’ve finally put aside the computer games that have held me willing hostage for the last few weeks and fired up…Scrivener?

For the first five books I’ve used good old reliable Microsoft Word. Then I realized, because I generally don’t pay attention to things like this, that Microsoft was charging me every month for the privilege of using something I always thought was free – because it always used to be free. So I chucked that in and started searching for a new tool to write and came across this thing called Scrivener. The initial beauty of this product is that you pay once and own it forever. But there are a lot of layers to peel back on this tool.

So, if you use something like Adobe’s Photoshop, you know that it does approximately six million things. And unless you are a high-end graphic artist, you probably know how to competently use, maybe a dozen of those things. I think Scrivener is something like that – it has a lot of gear built into it that you can use if you want to. It’s got options for screenwriters for instance.

While it takes a little time to get used to the interface, Scrivener beats Word hands down for a couple of glaring reasons.

First, note cards. Scrivener has a split screen function where you can make note cards (even going so far as to give them a digital cork-board backing) that you can fill out your notes and look at as you’re writing. This is a great feature and it brings up …

Second, no more scrolling. I cannot tell you how much scrolling up and down a several hundred page document I did with Word. It was numbing and it was not a constructive use of time. Scrivener has another small screen option so you can save each chapter independently and move between them with a single click.

Now, I’m just getting started with this project, but Scrivener (and no, I’m not getting paid for any of this – I wish!) has functions that let you paste items for research and recall – like spelling things like Sundrughan, and Sapreaon, and a bunch of other names I’ve made up over the last few years. In hind-sight, I wish I would have found this product when I was writing book one — I wouldn’t have so many random scraps of paper with notes littering up my space.

Alas, I did not but better late than never. Book 6, as yet untitled, is underway and while I would love to say it will be ready by Christmas, I don’t know. But it’s in motion and that’s the important part.  After this is done, I’m going to take a break from Eigrae and tackle a shorter trilogy with an entirely different feel. But then, when that’s done, I think we’ll see Eigrae again, but it won’t be quite the same as what you’ve come to know over the last five books…but I don’t want to give too much away yet.

As always, thanks so much for hanging out with me here. And if you’d like a little fiction in your life, please consider joining my Patreon to get a brand new story each month for only a buck. If you need something to listen to, please take listen to my new podcast, Lunatics & Monsters. Episode 3 of the show will drop July 20.

And if you’ve read one or more of the 30 Stones Saga books, help a brother out and leave a review at Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or Bookbub. Indie authors need reviews on all the books they write – not just the first in the series. When you choose a book, you probably look at the reviews, so if you loved the series and want to point people toward it; or if you really hated the series and want to warn people away from it, leave a review. Either way, I’ll appreciate it.

Stay well, stay safe – In fact, just stay home and read a book.

Cheers!

A new podcast and a new podcast link

It figures doesn’t it… You finally push the button on that podcast you’ve been working on and a week later you discover there is another podcast host that’s easier to use and just better in a dozen different ways (for me). So goodbye Libsyn and Hello PodBean!

I’ve just loaded the first episode (Chris Valluzzo) again on the new system and I’ve also uploaded episode 2, a talk with indie author Rex Crossley who you may remember also appeared in this blog a long time ago. The links are somewhere in here I promise – when you find it, check it out and subscribe . Here it is! 

And for the first time (I think) in this space, a video – the arrival of Ascension.

http://rosairebushey.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Ascension-unboxing.mp4

 

Now that it’s July and I’ve taken a couple months off after finishing Ascension, I’ve started the final book of the 30 Stones Saga. I’m hoping to have it ready before Christmas, but don’t hold me to that. The podcast is taking a little of my time for sure, but for now it’s only an every-other week episode.

I’ve also been listening to more podcasts and if you’re into writing at all, you could do a lot worse than checking out the Rebel Author Podcast The show is out of England and the host is bright and funny and she swears, so that’s a plus. She’s got a Joanna Lumley in Absolutely Fabulous vibe. If you don’t know what AbFab is, that’s your homework assignment. Find it streaming and watch it. My new goal is to be a guest on that podcast one day.

My other big project for the fall (probably the fall, maybe the winter) is to really get cracking on audio-booking the 30 Stones Saga. I know it’s going to take a while, but I think it’s the way to go.

Speaking of go, it’s bedtime. Have a great Independence holiday everyone – and don’t forget – wear your mask and do your part to help kick covid.

Cheers

ASCENSION HAS ARRIVED (yaaaay!)

Just a quick update… Book 5, Ascension is here! (and there was much rejoice!)

[image error]It’s available on Amazon for the Kindle and in paperback. But of course, you can get a signed copy directly from me for the same price plus shipping. This has all happened just in time as well because I take possession of a new computer this week so I needed to get everything done on my old laptop. The new machine will also help me get nearly-finished episodes of my podcast out into the world by the end of the month, so I’m looking forward to that. Oh, and of course, I’ve got one more book to write in the 30 Stones Saga.

Thank you again to everyone who continues to support me. To all of you who have pre-ordered Ascension, I will get that out to you as soon as I get them.

To all the dads out there – happy Father’s Day this weekend. I hope the weather is nice where you are and you get a chance to do something fun with your families. If you’re not a dad, call your dad, he’d love to hear from you.

 

Main image on this page with all love and respect to Monty Python and the Holy Grail…bravely Robin ran away, bravely ran away away…when danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled…

A story for your reading time

The photo above is me and Daisy a few years back – she still sits next to me when I write, purring in an encouraging fashion.

I know for many folks there has been a lot of free time to do some reading, so this is a good time to remind you that you can get a new story every month by joining me on Patreon. Each month I spend 60 minutes writing a story based on a randomly generated phrase or sentence. I’ve included one from July 2019 and I hope you enjoy it.  If you’re a member of my mailing list, I’ve included another story in June’s newsletter – you can sign up on my website. If you’re interested in seeing more, I invite you to search me out on Patreon. And don’t forget, if you’ve read any of the 30 Stones Saga books, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

Every Man Has a Tell

By Rosaire Bushey

I have two things on my mind: playing cards and Chase Beard.

The first won’t bother me for long, because I’m short-stacked with a six, jack off-suit and a bladder that’s been nursing two bottles of San Pellegrino for the better part of an afternoon.

“All in.” I push my measly stack forward and don’t pay much attention as I collect sympathy looks from two others who will be in my position shortly. They fold quickly, and the look I get from the remaining three is the same kind of look I get when I see a cheeseburger after a long bike ride. There’s no poker face in any of those three, just the greed that comes from knowing their stake in the winnings is guaranteed to get better soon.

The flop comes up empty for me, a seven, nine, ace. The others bet around me, one dropping after the big stack comes over top with a nice raise. He’s probably betting on a pair of aces, maybe two pair. But his bet is too high to be anything good; he’s trying to scare off the others.

Chase Beard, who sits two seats to my left, raises an eyebrow ever so slightly at the unnaturally large raise. He’s come to the same conclusion as I have, that the man across the table from him doesn’t have much, but he plays it cool and takes a long-time counting chips, reading the cards on the table and studying his own hand. For good measure he makes his lips move a little like he’s trying to work out the math. It’s a good show, but it’s all window dressing. He throws in the chips to call the raise, but he does it with deliberate slowness. He’s holding good cards, but his opponent is cocky, ordering a drink from a waitress and paying no attention to the show being put on for his benefit.

The turn comes up as a 10 of hearts. All four suits are represented on the table, so a flush is out of the question, but an eight on the river gives me a straight, and I have to stop myself from sitting up a little straighter knowing that I have a dog in the fight. It’s a very small dog for sure, but even a little chance is better than no chance.

Chase looks my way and then back to the cards on the table. If I win the hand, it’s of no consequence to him. My pot is small and the money he’s concerned about is in the side pot between him and the player across from him. Chase tosses out the minimum bet to see if the other player will go over the top, and he’s not disappointed.

“All in.”

The room goes quiet, like we’re set up on the green on the 18th at Pebble Beach. Chase looks up and stares at the man. He doesn’t blink for a long time, never looks down at the stack of chips in front of him or at the bigger stack across the felt. He knows this drill, and the bet is a rookie bet, the bluster of the big stack hoping to intimidate others into quitting rather than risking their fortunes.

“Call.”

The room erupts into a low decibel murmur. Everyone can see the cards on the table, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out these two are playing with their hold cards. The dealer moves her arm into the middle of the felt and gets a count of Chase’s chips and relays the information to his opponent who pushes the appropriate amount into the middle. Even if he loses, he’ll be in decent shape, but Chase will be in command of the table.

Committed, we all turn over our cards. Beard has ace, ten down – good for top two pair. The man across the table is crestfallen, ace, seven.

The river is an eight and me and my straight happily collect my little pile of chips while the crowd growls its appreciation for Chase’s win, and he takes the time to smile and wave to his friends who are holding up beers in congratulations.

I hang on for two more hands before I’m tossed out on a bad beat on the river, and five hands after that Chase is winning the tournament.

After some formalities with the sponsors, the final nine players are huddled in a back room of the casino, presented our checks and offered complimentary rooms for the night. Chase takes the room, and the casino manager smiles warmly, thinking he’s going to get some of this tournament cash back.

I smile and take the room voucher as well. They won’t see any of my money. But, there again, they won’t see any of Chase’s either. Chase Beard is a gambler, but he’s careful and he’s cautious. He’ll throw a few grand around at some of the tables later this evening, but it’s all for show. This tournament netted him $750,000. That money will be safely deposited in whatever bank he puts it before he leaves this room. He’ll withdraw, maybe ten-grand in small bills, and spend a couple hours on the floor making a show of losing. Then he’ll get a good night’s sleep, wake up early tomorrow, take an Uber to the train station, and be gone.

I’ve watched Chase for years, played the same tours with him for two years, and hardly had more than an elevator conversation with him in all that time. He’s not a cheater. He’s not a card counter. He’s not doing anything illegal from a gambling standpoint – he’s a damned fine card player with great intuition and people reading skills.

He’s also a spy. But for who? Unfortunately, that’s what I’ve been trying to find out for more than 20 months.

“Nice win, Chase.” I nod to his newest diamond encrusted ring staring up at him from the light blue Tiffany box its nestled in. “Going to need more hands soon.”

“I got lucky,” he says, as if it were true. “I thought Sean had me on that one hand.”

“Sean’s a horrible bluffer,” I said. “You and I both know he has more tells than a library. How he ever makes it to a final table is beyond me.”

“Going up?” We’re at the elevator’s and I nod while he pushes the button and we wait.

“Going to be out on the floor tonight?” I look up, trying to insinuate an invitation to join him. I don’t expect one, and so when he says yes and asks me to join him for dinner and then maybe a game or two at the tables, I’m surprised.

“Great,” he says. “I’ll see you at 8. I’ve got VIP access at the bistro by the baccarat table.” He pushes seven on the elevator and I push 12. We exchange pleasantries for the moment it takes the elevator to climb to his floor and when I get off on 12, I find the stairs and hike back down to my room on nine.

A quick shower and a short nap later and I’m staring at the baccarat tables, amazed as rich people with no idea of how to do something useful with their money, throw it at other rich people. For several years all my energies have been spent watching Chase Beard and playing cards, and I’ve never been tempted by the high stakes tables at the back of casinos, behind velvet ropes and near bars where the ‘cheap stuff’ is Johnny Walker Blue. For me, trying to understand baccarat is like learning a foreign language while listening to thrash metal.

“Interesting game isn’t it?” Chase whispered in my ear, and I jumped away from him, landing with my knees slightly bent and crouched. It was an instinctive move, and more than a couple heads turned. Fortunately, I didn’t draw a weapon or hold my hands up like I wanted a fight. That would have been hard to live down.

“Jesus, you scared the life out of me.” I laughed and grabbed my chest with my right hand and Chase was gracious enough to laugh along and put a hand on my shoulder, apologizing loudly enough for anyone nearby to hear.

“He just won sixth place in the annual casino hold-em tournament this afternoon,” Chase told the baccarat players who were interested enough to still be looking our way. “Afraid someone’s going to jump him and steal his check.”

The baccarat players laughed, and a couple held up their drinks to me in salute of my good fortune. They understood that a final table at a major tournament was a big deal and required skill, even if the money was paltry compared to the money they were tossing around like confetti.

“Let’s get something to eat, I’m famished.” Chase pat me on the back and walked into the bistro with me with his arm over my shoulder. We were led into a secluded area in the back that was screened off from the rest of the diners.

At the card table Chase was hard to read, he kept his eyes hidden and his head down. At dinner, he was a different person. His eyes were keen, bright brown, and the dark skin of his hands glowed holding a whiskey instead of a clay chip. He took a long sip and smacked his lips, leaning back in his chair and calling to the waitress to keep the drinks coming.

“It’s better than sitting hunched over a felt all day, isn’t it? I mean, what kind of job is this that we have where we hardly talk to each other, and most of the time when we do, we’re lying? Who has a job like that, honestly?”

“Politicians.”

He had the grace to not spit a $200 glass of whiskey onto the table, but the comment caught him by surprise.

“I suppose, that’s true. Do you think a poker player would make a good politician, Clint?”

I was sure Chase knew my name, we were after all, a fraternity of sorts, playing in the same tours together and fighting for the same prizes. But to hear him say it aloud was odd. It was almost like he wanted to talk to me as much as I wanted to talk to him.

“No, I don’t think so. We know when we’re lying, and we have a good idea when others are too. I don’t think politicians can tell the difference anymore if what they say is the truth or not.”

Chase smiled and drained his drink, and the refill arrived before the condensation ring could penetrate the fabric tablecloth. A few silent minutes later, the meal arrived.

“I took the liberty of ordering, I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “While we’re eating, why don’t you tell me what you want to know…Agent Jones?”

Has it been 3 weeks?

The image above is just so you remember what things used to look like back in the ‘good old days.’

The days are kind of running together – even though I still go to work every day everything seems to be coalescing into one long Monday. So, with that said, I’m sorry for being AWOL for three weeks.

Ascension is nearly ready – there were some issues with Amazon putting through a proof copy and it took a couple weeks to get sorted. By sorted, I mean that I [image error]found a work around because they still haven’t fixed the issue or called me back. In the grand scheme of things, they’re doing ten million things and getting me a proof copy is (rightly) low on their priority list. I’m sure they’ll get it sorted out by the time I’m ready with book 6.

Book six is meant to be the last in the 30 Stones Saga, but it won’t be the last book that takes place in this world; but a follow-on trilogy in this world is going to have to wait until after my next project. What’s that next project? Well, I’m not going to tell you. Not yet. I’m toying with some ideas but I don’t want to get too deep down that rabbit hole with the last book of the 30 Stones Saga still in the wings. Some authors can be writing multiple books at the same time. I am not that guy.

The Lunatics & Monsters podcast is being worked on now and I hope to have the first episode out in the next few weeks. So be on the look out for it – I’ll tell you where when I get the link.

To all of you who are still hanging out with me here, and to those who are new to hanging out with me here – thank you. If you want to do something that would make a real difference for an author, please leave a review. I know Amazon doesn’t always make it easy to review a book, but it means a lot for authors to get reviews. When you buy something you look at the reviews, it’s the same with books, and the more reviews one has, the easier it is to get advertising and to get your books in front of potential readers. So please, take a few minutes if you haven’t already and go to Amazon or Goodreads (or both!) and leave some stars – if you’ve read more than one book, review more than one book. (I’m not asking for 5 stars – I want you to be honest – I can take it.)

Thanks again for being patient with me. Thanks for hanging out with me, and thank you for your support, through your encouragement and your readership.

Stay safe.

Ascension available for pre-order

Good day everyone.

Well, the April contest is over and if you didn’t win, I’m very sorry.  There were more than 500 entries though, so it’s nice to know people are interested in books. Or free stuff. Possibly both.

Book 5, the penultimate book in the 6-book 30 Stones Saga series is almost ready and is, in fact, available for pre-order ONLY from my Square store. Not only that, all paperback books in the series are only $10 for the month of May. If you order on the site, you’ll receive signed copies directly from me.

If you’ve read books 1-4, comment below on what you think is going to happen in book 5 – Ascension.

In other news, my patio is almost finished – hopefully this weekend. I’ll post a photo here when it’s done. It was a labor of love. Who am I kidding, it was a labor of not wanting to spend thousands of dollars having a professional do it. That being said, the next time I want a patio built, I’m paying thousands of dollars to have a professional do it. When will that be? Never, comes to mind.

Also, hopefully this month, the first episode of Lunatics & Monsters will be available for podcast download. More details on that in a couple weeks.

I hope you all are well, and if you’re still quarantining at home, that you are staying busy and not too bored, and that maybe you’re getting caught up on your reading. I’ve got to finish the final edits of Ascension. And maybe find some pants.

Best to you all!

Only a few days left

I gotta be honest with you – I’ve been building a patio and I’m shot. So this week I just want to remind you that there’s only a few days left to enter (for free) for a chance to win five ebooks from indie authors who will soon be among your favorites AND a $25 Amazon gift card. Because we all know we’re going to be home for all of May as well and you may as well catch up on the reading now that Tiger King is done. (To be fair, you’re all going to be home – I go to work at a Veteran’s Hospital every day, so I’ll be doing that.)

Stay safe everyone. Stay tuned for more.

[image error]

http://www.jennnixon.com/giveaways/gi...

 

Lunatics & Monsters

This morning I took that first tentative step toward multi-media – I interviewed my first guest for a new podcast that will start probably in May that I’m calling Lunatics & Monsters: Conversations with Creatives. It’s very similar to the Proust questions I have asked people in this space previously. In fact, those interviews are what got me thinking about a podcast – so you can actually hear those people talk about their projects and learn about them.

The questions will be different from what I’ve done here but the first few episodes will probably feature people you’ve read about here. But the dive into their actual work, and how they get things done will be much deeper. Let’s face it, the Proust questions didn’t really get into their creative output much at all. That’s where L&M will be different. It will be more about product and craft. I’m excited to get some of these recorded and out there and I hope you will enjoy them.

So, what did I learn from recording the first episode? I learned I need a new webcam. I also learned that finding a webcam is like finding toilet paper right now – they are just not to be found. Still, we will push through – if these are the heights of my problems, I’m doing ok.

With all the work on the podcast, the keyboard work has been taking a backseat lately as I explore this new world of cameras and microphones, but book 5 (of 6) in the 30 Stones Saga, Ascension, is nearly done and, it’s entirely possible that after I hit ‘publish’ on this blog post, I might be able to finish it today and start on the editing process later this week.

As I still go to work each day, my family has put me in exile in the basement bedroom so my interaction with other people consists largely of meeting my wife at the top of the stairs for food. Part of me thinks this is an elaborate ruse on her part to control how much I eat, but it does allow me the time to do all this stuff.

[image error]

Finally, there are only about 10 days left to get into the drawing for five free ebooks and a $25 Amazon Gift card. Click the link to the left. As always, please feel free to share the link to the site, and the books and if you’ve read any of the 30 Stones Saga, leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and/or Bookbub.  Reviews are more important than you realize in helping indie authors get noticed by readers – you don’t need to leave a 5-star review – just an honest one.

Thanks to all – stay home, stay safe, keep reading.

Rosaire

 

A weird time for the better angels of our nature

It’s a weird time but you all knew that. Many of you are home, tied to Netflix and whatever sanity you can find in comfort food, good wine, and a basement stuffed to the gills with toilet paper. Some people still have to go out though and they have papers now – like passersby in 1940s Germany who are seized upon by trench-coated Wehrmacht officers demanding to ‘see your papers.’ Having those papers shows police that you are ‘essential’ and you have some fundamental reason to be outside your home other than grocery shopping. As I say, it’s a very weird time.

And being a writer in this time is also very weird. One would think, first of all, that it would be a wonderful time to get a ton of writing done. It might be and for some I’m sure it is. The problem is, I have papers, so I still get up every day at 6 and go to work. When I get home I head to the basement, where I stay until I go to work again the next day, and that’s where I am now on a Saturday as my family moves about with their lives upstairs.  This is where I’ll be until my wife calls to me and meets me at the stairs with a plate of lunch and again at dinner. If I make it upstairs at all, everything I touch is with a disinfecting wipe.

Let’s be clear about this – I do not have symptoms of COVID-19, I am not sick. I do not have a fever or cough. But I still go to work and by being out among the world beyond the borders of our house, being out where the bad things are, I present a clear and present danger to my family – while at the same time, my continuing to work presents a clear and present advantage over millions of Americans who no longer have jobs to go to; who worry about not only the virus, but the rent, and food and the worries about everything else that being able to go into the world alleviates – except the virus.

And for all the weirdness the virus is bringing, it’s also bringing a lot of very cool things to light. There is a lot of goodness out there that is finding a voice and some meaning in all this. If you haven’t seen John Krasinski’s SGN (Some Good News) YouTube channel you are missing out. I’ve linked episode one, but episode two (there are only two as of this writing) is stunning.

Had this virus happened at any time before the advent of really good, internet (like back in the days of dial-up or before), it would be entirely different and it would have felt different – if this had happened in the 1980s it would have been brutal (but with a much better soundtrack). But thanks to exceptional internet service people can join together in Zoom conferences and make incredible things happen – like Krasinski did in episode two. (Yeah, I have to link that as well).

Later today, a bunch of celebrities will gather online from their far-flung homes, to play a poker game to raise more than a million dollars for feeding America – and give us all something to do at the same time as we watch. Technology hasn’t dulled the impact of the virus, but it has allowed us to carry on in a manner that is more or less civil.

If not for the tens of thousands of people who are dying, and the hundreds of thousands more whose lives will be forever impacted by this virus, we might be able to say one day that this was all a good thing, that we came out of it better as a race; that our sense of empathy took a step forward ahead of our sense of entitlement; and that our planet benefited from our enforced lock-down (Indians can see the Himalayas for the first time in more than 3 decades; Los Angeles has had some of the best air quality of any city in the world for multiple days)

Maybe, at some point in the future, we will be able to look back and find the positives. For now, we can take some solace that as people we have not yet descended into darkness and, in fact, our light seems to shine more brightly amidst the weirdness.

I will leave you with a partial quote from Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address that, when taken in the context of COVID-19 as the conflict, seems particularly apt:

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.“

Social Distance With a Book – or Five (for free)

Hey folks,

Just a real quick note to make you aware of this awesome giveaway courtesy from Jenn Nixon, R.A. McCandless, T.S. Hottle and other awesome authors (including yours truly). Sign up (it’s free) and get your name in the hat to win a handful of books and a $25 Amazon card. Be sure to click this here link to get in on this great opportunity. Sign ups run through the end of April with the winner selected May 1. But don’t wait. You’ve got nothing to do but sit at home watching your cat wishing you’d leave – and you know by the time May rolls around, you’ll be sick of everyone within six feet of you. There’s no better way to tell someone to back off than by putting a book in front of your face. And don’t forget, with the extra time you have – leave a review for a book. Helpful links below.

CLICK ME TO GO TO THE PAGE TO ENTER THE DRAWING.

 

While you’re at it, as you have some free time, please leave a review of the books you’ve read in the 30 Stones Saga (below). Reviews are super important to independent authors. Be honest, and be funny (if your review is funny, I might use it on a future book even if the star count is low!)

Leave a review of Book 1 – Magic’s Genesis: The Grey On Amazon and Goodreads and Bookbub 

Leave a review of Book 2 – MG: Sword of Wilmamen On Amazon and Goodreads and Bookbub

Leave a review of Book 3 – MG: Reckoning On Amazon and Goodreads and Bookbub

Leave a review of Book 4 – Red Priest Rising On Amazon and Goodreads and Bookbub

Find a randomly created hour-long short story every month for as little as $1 on Patreon