Jonathan Moeller's Blog, page 345

a reconsideration of DOCTOR WHO

Recently I got persuaded into getting Netflix streaming, and so I’ve been watching DOCTOR WHO. The show, if you’re not familiar with it, is about the eponymous Doctor, a 900 year old “Time Lord” alien who travels all of space and time in his TARDIS spaceship/time machine, looking for adventure, wonder, and evils to fight. (The reason the TARDIS looks like a blue police box is because the ship’s “chameleon circuit” has been on the fritz since the 1960s.)

The Doctor is a heroic character – it is said that for an effective story, the protagonist must “protagonize”, and the Doctor is really good at protagonizing. That said, his character definitely has a darker edge. Before the current show started, he completely destroyed his old enemies, the Daleks. The Daleks were ruthless, technologically advanced aliens who believed themselves the pinnacle of evolution, and therefore devoted themselves to annihilating all other forms of life in the universe. The Doctor did something (what, it’s never quite explained) that completely destroyed the Daleks, but in the process, also killed all the other Time Lords.

So I always thought the Doctor saved the universe from the Daleks, but in the process, was willing to sacrifice the entirety of his own race.

Except I watched the final episodes of Series 4 last night, and it turns out the Time Lords had gotten just as bad as the Daleks. Fearing defeat, they prepared a plan called the “Ultimate Sanction”, which would completely destroy the universe and all life in it, while the Time Lords ascended to become timeless gods.

So in the end, the Doctor’s people had become just as bad as the Daleks, and it was to stop both of them that the Doctor wiped them out. Which is completely different than sacrificing his own people to stop the Daleks. And that puts the Doctor’s character in a different light – rather than ruthlessly sacrificing them to stop the Daleks, he turned against them to stop them from destroying the universe.

It’s a very interesting show – you don’t get that kind of complexity on STAR TREK!

-JM

SOUL OF TYRANTS – 5,000 copies

I am very pleased to report that SOUL OF TYRANTS reached its 5,000th copy sold in the month of June. This is something like 10 times more copies than DEMONSOULED sold when it was still in print, and 5,000 copies is a good first print run for a traditionally published book.

I think we’ve passed a watershed moment. It’s now possible for an ebook to get just as wide distribution as a printed book – more, in fact. Had SOUL OF TYRANTS been traditionally published, I very much doubt it would ever have sold 500 copies, let alone 5,000.

So, thank you, to all 5,000 of you!

-JM

SOUL OF SORCERY – 100,000 words

The rough draft of SOUL OF SORCERY passed 100,000 words today.

And I’m still only on Chapter 27 of 36. This is going to be a big book, friends and neighbors. But I’ll cut it down a bit in editing.

-JM

Reader Question Day #30 – book scheduling and The Third Soul

Marcus asks:

What is the order of the Demonsouled books?

The first book is DEMONSOULED, the second book is SOUL OF TYRANTS, the third book is SOUL OF SERPENTS, and the fourth book is SOUL OF DRAGONS. All four books are available at all major ebook retailers. I’m writing a fifth book right now, SOUL OF SORCERY, and I’m hoping to have that finished by the end of September or so. After that will come one (or possibly two) more books to finish up the series. Though there’s also a good chance I will do one or more novellas using the DEMONSOULED characters and setting.

Miguel Guhlin asked via Twitter about the possibility of more books in THE THIRD SOUL.

I would like to do more books or novellas in THE THIRD SOUL. I’ve had an idea for some time now, for a short novel called TOMBS OF THE OLD EMPIRE that takes place immediately after THE HIGH DEMON. Alternatively, I would also like to do a novella called THE SUMMONING, about the events that led to Corthain Kalarien’s banishment from Araspan and the “illness” of Aramane Morulan.

Miguel suggested a book about Corthain’s time as an exile, during which he went from a penniless mercenary to the feared Hammer of Dark River. That might make for an interesting project – I might spend more time with THE THIRD SOUL once the DEMONSOULED books are finished.

Martin asks:

When does SOUL OF SORCERY release?

If all goes well, and real life doesn’t interfere, hopefully by the end of September or the beginning of October. If real life doesn’t interfere.

Manwe asks:

On average how long does it take you to read a book?

About a week, usually, since the only time I have to read these days is during my lunch break. If I really get into a book I’ll stay up late and finish it sooner.

With so many books out there, what is your method for choosing which you are going to read? Is it all up to your personal taste, do you switch back and forth between genres, or since you are an author yourself, do you read certain things to see what your competition is?

Word of mouth, mostly. Sometimes I pick things at random to read because they look compelling – the Kindle free lists and the library are good for this.

-JM

ebook sales for June 2012

3,580, which is down from May 2012′s total of 3,886. However, May 2012 was my best month ever, so believe you me, I’m not complaining. Thank you, everyone!

The four THE TOWER OF ENDLESS WORLDS books had a good first month, coming in at 143 copies total.

For historical reference (and the edification of the curious), my book sales since I started self-publishing in April of 2011:

April 2011: 22

May 2011: 105

June 2011: 236

July 2011: 366

August 2011: 489

September 2011: 1335

October 2011: 1607

November 2011: 2142

December 2011: 2340

January 2012: 3261

February 2012: 3750

March 2012: 3644

April 2012: 3521

May 2012: 3886

June 2012: 3580

-JM

extreme weight loss is like writing

This is an extended metaphor, so bear with me.

I lost about 135 pounds (from 320 to 185) via diet and exercise over the course of a year from 2009 to 2010, and so far have kept it off for just over two years. So someone sent me this article from the New York Times, and I saw myself in it. Specifically, this part:

But their eating and exercise habits appear to reflect what researchers find in the lab: to lose weight and keep it off, a person must eat fewer calories and exercise far more than a person who maintains the same weight naturally. Registry members exercise about an hour or more each day — the average weight-loser puts in the equivalent of a four-mile daily walk, seven days a week. They get on a scale every day in order to keep their weight within a narrow range. They eat breakfast regularly. Most watch less than half as much television as the overall population. They eat the same foods and in the same patterns consistently each day and don’t “cheat” on weekends or holidays. They also appear to eat less than most people, with estimates ranging from 50 to 300 fewer daily calories.

Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, says that while the 10,000 people tracked in the registry are a useful resource, they also represent a tiny percentage of the tens of millions of people who have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight. “All it means is that there are rare individuals who do manage to keep it off,” Brownell says. “You find these people are incredibly vigilant about maintaining their weight. Years later they are paying attention to every calorie, spending an hour a day on exercise. They never don’t think about their weight.”

Yes. I have recorded every single thing I have eaten since July of 2009, and ideally I try to have no more than 1800 to 2000 calories. I weigh myself every day, and I record it. (I used to keep a notebook, but I switched to Evernote a while back and find it much more convenient.) I go the the gym at least five times a week (running outside isn’t rigorous enough, plus there are too many blasted dogs without leashes) and run four miles. Every day I do four sets of 35 pushups, and my goal  is eventually to be able to do 100 in a single set.

The point of this recitation isn’t to brag, or to say “look at me, calorie sinners, and feel bad about yourselves!” Besides, the idea that physical fitness equates to virtue is both insipid and facile, despite what every magazine at the supermarket checkout will tell you. No, the point is that if I stop doing all that, I’ll gain the weight back very quickly. I think it would only take about two months or so.

All this is hard, but it does get easier. Or a more accustomed part of one’s mental landscape. I remember in March of 2010, a Little Caesar’s opened in my town, and I wanted to buy a pepperoni pizza and eat the entire thing, as was often my favored meal of choice when I was younger. I circled the block nine times before I managed to make myself go home. It was this bizarre intense physical craving, almost like drug withdrawal. It happened a few other times in 2010 and 2011, but almost never now. In fact, my new apartment is a block from that Little Caesar’s, and I drive past it on my way to work with nary a thought. So it stays hard, but you can get used to hard.

So how does this relate to writing?

People used to ask me if losing all that weight was hard, and I’d say yes, but it was still easier than trying to get published. They’d laugh because it was funny, but I was telling the truth.

See why I like electronic self-publishing so much? It’s easier than both traditional publishing and extreme weight loss! Win-win.

In practical terms, I suspect it also explains why I took to the rigorously disciplined methods of weight loss describing in the NYT article. I had been writing unsuccessfully for a number of years, and it turns out applying that discipline to another area of my life was effective.

This also carries over to self-publishing. I’m working on the rough draft of SOUL OF SORCERY now, and in one month I wrote 86,000 words. I could have done more, but short of neglecting important areas of my life, I don’t think I could have pulled it off. For some writers, that would be a daunting amount in a month. I’m not going to say it was easy – it wasn’t – but it wasn’t particularly difficult. I’ve been attempting to write seriously since I was fifteen, and in that time I’ve built up the skills and discipline that let me write 86,000 words in a month. The practice to get to that point – that was the difficult part.

I suppose the point of all this is that to do anything successfully – lose weight or write a book or whatever – takes work, work, work. A commitment of time and energy, every day. A “am I willing to do this every day for the rest of my life” level of commitment.

I’ve come to find that I like the level of self-discipline involved. At the very least, I don’t feel like I’m going to die after the first flight of stairs any more, and we’ll have a new DEMONSOULED book before the end of October.

-JM

Independence Day free ebooks

Today is Independence Day, when Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence with bratwurst, alcohol, and explosives. (Of course, it’s also the 1,598th anniversary of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II yielding power to his sister Aelia, but that doesn’t get celebrated quite as much. Certainly with less beer, in any case.)

But if you’re traveling today, or stuck visiting relatives and want to sneak away and read, I’ve got you covered. Oh, I’ve got you covered, with no fewer than four free ebooks for your reading enjoyment.

DEMONSOULED is the first novel of my DEMONSOULED series, sword-and-sorcery tales chronicling the adventures of the knight Mazael Cravenlock as he wages war against serpent men, inhuman invaders, dragons, and other creatures. I’m working on the rough draft for the fifth book in the series, SOUL OF SORCERY, and hope to have it available by the end of September. You can get DEMONSOULED for free at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords, and also at Amazon.co.uk.

CHILD OF THE GHOSTS is the first book of my THE GHOSTS series, about the adventures of Caina Amalas, an elite spy and assassin who fights rogue sorcerers, slave traders, corrupt lords, and anyone else who threatens to overthrow the Empire of Nighmar.  There are four books in the series, and I’m going to do a short novella in the series, DREAMDAGGER, as soon as I finish SOUL OF SORCERY. CHILD OF THE GHOSTS is available for free at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords, and also at Amazon.co.uk.

THE TESTING is the first novella in “The Third Soul” series, about Rachaelis Morulan, an apprentice mage in the corrupt Conclave of Araspan. It’s free at Amazon, Amazon UK,Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords.

THE TOWER OF ENDLESS WORLDS is the first book in an urban fantasy series about an evil wizard from a high medieval fantasy world and an evil politician from Chicago. The politician gives the wizard guns to conquer his world, and the wizard teaches the politician black magic to dominate the political scene. It’s not yet free on Amazon, alas, but you can get it for free on Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords (and Smashwords as a MOBI format that you can read on your Kindle device).

Happy 4th of July, and happy reading!

-JM

SKEIN OF SHADOWS, by Marsheila Rockwell

Marcy Rockwell’s new book SKEIN OF SHADOWS comes out today. I bought it! Go thou and do likewise.

It’s a sequel to her THE SHARD AXE, which I would describe as “Law & Order” meets “Dungeons & Dragons”, but with more sorcery. Also, axes.

-JM

SOUL OF SORCERY – progress update and snippet

The rough draft of SOUL OF SORCERY is now at 80,000 words. 21 chapters down, 15 to go.

Here is another brief snippet:

“And what of you, shadow-maimed child?” said the oracle spirit. “Will you repay yourself, for all the harm you have done to yourself?”

Lucan felt a surge of irritation. “What does that even mean? Child of shadow? Shadow-maimed child, shadow-marked and shadow-bound?”

“You are a puppet who dances upon strings of shadow,” said the spirit. “The shadow of Marstan, who tried to turn you into his vessel. The shadow of your father, who tried to turn you into a weapon. The shadow of your brother, who tormented you. Those shadows left scars upon your soul, and it is the Old Demon who has gathered up those scars like chains, and makes you dance upon them.”

“Absurd,” said Lucan. “I have never met the Old Demon.”

“You have,” said the spirit, the green glow of its eyes flickering. “You begged his aid, and in exchange for it, he carved away part of your soul and the memory of the encounter. Now you labor for him, but you know it not.”

“Ridiculous!” said Lucan, his voice rising to a shout. “I am doing what is necessary! I will rid the world of the Demonsouled for all time, uncounted generations yet unborn will thank me for…”

-JM

Reader Question Day #29 – reading speed and the oppression of mages

Manwe asks:

Does this mean you’ll be checking out the author’s (Poul Anderson’s) other work?

Absolutely. Everyone says THE BROKEN SWORD is really good, so I’m going to try and find a used or library copy someplace.

I’m curious, on average how long does it take you to read a book?

About a week, usually. These days the only time I have to read is usually on my lunch break. If a book is really good I’ll read larger chunks on the weekends.

ProudAlly asks:

Two questions, both related. I see you are a fan of the Dragon Age series, and based on your posts, I think that you think the forced imprisonment of mages is justified. Do you believe the forced imprisonment of mages is justified?

I suspect this question comes in response to this old post, which occasionally generates angry emails since people sometimes see the mages in Dragon Age as parallel to various real-life groups. So my answer has three points.

(If you’re not familiar with the mages in Dragon Age, a good background is here.)

First, I think within the context of the game world some sort of control or authority over mages is necessary, because when Dragon Age mages go bad, they go really bad. This isn’t a matter of discriminating against a small, disliked minority, like the Dalish or the urban elves – a mage who goes bad can literally summon armies of demons and kill thousands of people. (In the first game, all the deaths at Redcliffe and the Circle Tower were caused by two -just two – mages who stepped over the line, Jowan and Uldred.) True, mages have the right to not to be brutalized, but non-mages also have the right not to have their faces eaten by demons.

Second, the Dragon Age world’s mechanism for policing mages, the  Chantry’s templars, is both corrupt and broken, and actively results in mages going bad. This is especially exacerbated when the policing mechanism is run by a mentally unbalanced person like Knight-Commander Meredith in Kirkwall. When the only choice before mages is to submit to someone like Meredith or to wield blood magic and summon demons, blood magic suddenly looks a lot more attractive.

Third, I didn’t fully realize it when I wrote the old post, but the question “how does society handle people with superhuman abilities” is an old one in SF/F, and it has been explored many times. The creators of X-Men have been writing about it  for decades, which leads to your second question.

Second question. Do you think the mages are meant to represent  LBQT persons?

I think the game developers meant for them to represent oppressed minorities in general (Anders in Dragon Age 2 is particularly preachy about “being who you really are”), but I think the comparison doesn’t actually work.

Why? Because while the mages can make people’s heads explode by thinking about it in the Dragon Age setting, in the real world, there are no groups with innate superhuman abilities.

This is a recurrent theme in SF/F, where people with superhuman abilities, whether wizards or mutants or telepaths or whatever, are treated with fear and suspicion by the general population. Very often the writers will draw comparisons with contemporary oppressed groups, with morals about tolerance and “being who you really are.”

However, the comparison isn’t exact because in the real world no one possesses highly dangerous innate superhuman abilities. There are no oppressed groups that have the ability to wreak massive wide-scale harm using magic, mutant powers, or telekinetic force. Granted, such groups could do harm via conventional weapons or WMDs, but that’s simply technology, not superpowers. Technology can always be copied or stolen.

So, in the end, the question is purely speculative: how would a society deal with mages (or other people with superhuman powers) in its midst? We don’t really know, because no one group has ever had superhuman powers, and so therefore we can only speculate (hence, speculative fiction). The dynamic has never actually existed in human history. And since it has never existed, writers have to draw on more common experiences, like that of oppressed minorities.

Personally, if people with superhuman abilities actually did exist, I suspect they would quickly become the ruling elite. Like, if a third of the population of the US suddenly manifested telepathic abilities, we’d have a few years of social chaos to adjust, and in 15 years it would be written into law that to be a US Congressman, you have to be 25 years old, a citizen of the United States, and a Class 3 Telepath or higher.

Marcus writes:

Who do you see as your target audience?

Anyone who will buy my books!

Though I don’t have hard numbers, but I suspect the readership for THE GHOSTS has more women, and the DEMONSOULED series has more men.

-JM