Brian Burt's Blog: Work in Progress, page 4

#CauseForOptimism: Goat Busters!

I admit it: this presidential election cycle has worn me down. I often feel like we're living in a dystopian nightmare sprung to life. So it's wonderful to receive a #CauseForOptimism from a most unlikely place. Thank you, Cubbies!

Let's face it. In a universe where the lovable losers from Wrigley Field can win it all -- where the dreaded curse of the billy goat is finally lifted -- anything is possible. What's the speculative fiction tie-in? Well, of course, the film Back to the Future II was only one year off in its on-screen prediction of the year the Cubs would own the World Series; Marty McFly saw the Cubbies conquer MLB in 2015.

So what's a former resident of Chicago and a "toxic politics burnout" to do in the wake of this sports miracle? Hey, I'm an SF writer. Time to use the imagination and turn dystopia into utopia. Dream along with me, and escape the dreary disillusionment of this endless, dispiriting campaign season...

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#CauseForOptimism: Wool Gathering

This #CauseForOptimism is a bit more personal. I just finished reading Hugh Howey's first novel in the Silo series, Wool Omnibus. Loved it! Not only is this a gripping, artfully written story that I thoroughly enjoyed as a reader, but Mr. Howey's personal story is even more inspiring to me as a writer.

Anyone (like myself) who honestly acknowledges his "invisible" status as a novelist and is struggling to build a readership can't help but find hope in -- and a vicarious thrill from -- Howey's own journey to bestseller-dom. Howey, like many of us, was struggling to find an audience, a publisher, an agent, and ultimately decided to walk away from a small press publishing deal to self-publish the first part of his Wool story. He didn't expect any miracles, just hoped to reach some sympathetic readers. He did much more than that. Sales of his initial Wool offerings skyrocketed on Amazon's eBook sales charts, and passionate readers clamored for more. Howey obliged them by delivering additional installments in the original Wool "serial novel" and then continuing the series with sequels like Shift and Dust. A Ridley Scott film based on Wool is now in the works as well. Wow. Talk about hitting a grand slam!

I know my limitations. I'm no Hugh Howey. But his story, his struggles, and his ultimate triumph give me hope. Unknown writers can become known writers. Self-published or small-press SF novels can defy expectations and the odds. New novelists can find new readers.

So thank you, Mr. Howey, for setting a wonderful example, showing us the way, and achieving such success. Those of us following your trail may get lost in the weeds. But we'll enjoy the quest... and we won't get discouraged. A little hope goes a long way. You've given so many of us more than a little!

You can read the details of Howey's success story here, and I highly recommend the read:

How Hugh Howey Turned His Self-Published Story “Wool” Into a Success (& a Book Deal)

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#CauseForOptimism: Industrial Revolution 4.0

Here's another precious #CauseForOptimism I wanted to share. SF writers are often accused of dwelling on the dark, dystopian side of the future, depicting human societies that have evolved in ways most of us would consider nightmarish, or at best undesirable. For example, most SF fans are probably aware of the warnings sounded by folks like Ray Kurzweil and Vernor Vinge regarding the coming technological singularity that could totally alter the nature (and fate) of humanity.

I find it encouraging, though, that groups like the World Economic Forum are asking fundamental questions about the emerging Fourth Industrial Revolution, its implications for human society, and how we as a species need to re-examine our assumptions about how we live, work, and share resources. Here is one quote from Klaus Schwab, the forum's founder and executive chairman, that I find particularly insightful:

In the end, it all comes down to people and values. We need to shape a future that works for all of us by putting people first and empowering them. In its most pessimistic, dehumanized form, the Fourth Industrial Revolution may indeed have the potential to “robotize” humanity and thus to deprive us of our heart and soul. But as a complement to the best parts of human nature—creativity, empathy, stewardship—it can also lift humanity into a new collective and moral consciousness based on a shared sense of destiny. It is incumbent on us all to make sure the latter prevails.

In the end, we all have the right, and the obligation, to speak up and help shape our collective destiny. Big changes are on the horizon. We (especially SF writers) can help chart the course leading to a future we can embrace without regret. That's empowering! For more inspiration, check out the WE Forum's brief YouTube documentary on The Fourth Industrial Revolution:

#SFWApro

Virtual FantasyCon Blog Hop Hunt

I'm excited to be participating in the 2016 Virtual FantasyCon and hosting a stop on this year's Blog Hop Hunt. If you would like to find out more about the Hunt, please click here - http://vfcscavengerhunt.weebly.com.

Somewhere on this page is a hidden number. Collect all the numbers from all the authors’ posts, and then add them up. Once you’ve added all the numbers, and if I am your last author, please head to the official website and click on the ENTER HERE page to find the entry form. Only entries will the correct number will qualify to win.

The author I’m pleased to be hosting for Virtual FantasyCon’s Blog Hop Hunt today is Scarlett Van Dijk, author of the Sky Stone series. Without further ado, let's turn this over to Scarlett!

Stories take us to new worlds. They allow us to discover new things, imagine ourselves as princesses or princes, knights and wizards, lovers or demons. As writers, we truly live in those worlds. We live in them for months, sometimes years, imagining what scenarios we may encounter and who we might meet. For a fantasy author, it’s about creating a world where we can escape from reality and find a place where our soul belongs. At least, that was how it was for me when I started writing the Sky Stone series.

I wish to share my world with you, give you a glimpse into a land I have lived in for the last eight years. So, here is just a short introduction to the first two novels in the Sky Stone series, Sky Stone and Guardian Core:

Skyla is a seventeen-year-old girl who doesn't believe she belongs on Earth, so it feels like a dream when she is suddenly whisked away to Branzia and given the special abilities of a Sky Guardian. Branzia, a land separated from the rest of Earth due to the presence of magic. The dream soon becomes a nightmare when she discovers that this new land is besieged by war and that she has been given a destiny by the gods to end the fighting. Even so, Skyla discovers she does have a place in the world and a mission only she can accomplish with friends she never would have found in the Outside world. She quickly becomes a legend throughout Branzia as the fire-wielding Phoenix.

Despite her new-found strength, it turns out that the main thing which drives her forward, is also her greatest weakness. Even with the war over, it seems the gods still aren't finished with her. The fate of all Sky Guardians rests on her shoulders, but with her greatest weakness exposed, she has trouble protecting just herself. She will need to mend her heart, or the true fight will be over. When the existence of a previous Phoenix emerges, Skyla wonders whether history is repeating itself... and will she suffer the same fate as her [16] predecessor?

Thank you for reading! To learn more about the Sky Stone series and my writing, please see my website: http://www.scarlettvandijk.com/

Find Amazon buy links for the Sky Stone series on my Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Scarlett-Van-Dijk/e/B00MS94J80/

I’m always happy to chat to other author or interested readers. You can easily find me on many social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarlettskystone

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScarlyRose (@ScarlyRose)

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ScarlettVanDijk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scarlett-van-dijk-93120621

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8423101.Scarlett_Van_Dijk

Or you can pop me an email: ScarlyRose@hotmail.com.au


Did you find the number? If you did, then click Scarlett Van Dijk’s link – http://www.scarlettvandijk.com/blog to continue Virtual FantasyCon’s Blog Hop Hunt.

Gold Medal for Blood Tide!

                        

For those of us who are "rookie" novelists working to build an audience, it can be a struggle to avoid a sense of desperation. There are so many new books published every year, competing for readers' attention, and so many other demands on people's time. I have quite a few friends who complain that they "never have time to read anymore." That just adds to the feeling that you, the unknown author, are standing at the base of a very steep, very tall mountain... and you forgot your climbing gear.

We all need reassurance from time to time, no matter how self-motivated we might claim to be. We all need the occasional ego boost to remind us that, yes, there really are some folks out there reading what we've written, and even enjoying it.

And so I want to express my sincere gratitude to the Readers' Favorite Book Award judges for 2016 for providing that spark of optimism. I recently found out that my second novel in the Aquarius Rising trilogy, Blood Tide, won the Gold Medal in the Science Fiction category. Woohoo!!! You can see the details, and view the winners in all categories, here:

Readers' Favorite - 2016 Award Contest Winners

I'm extremely grateful to Readers' Favorite, and encouraged. Since Book 1 of the trilogy, In the Tears of God, won EPIC's 2014 eBook Award for SF, I can honestly say with a straight face that the trilogy is "award-winning." It's not a bestseller... but I'm learning, improving, and I'll keep working at it. Book 3, The Price of Eden, will be released next year from Double Dragon, and I hope loyal readers of the first two books will find it to be a satisfying conclusion.

Writing is a solitary undertaking. I'm often reminded by the experts (whose advice I read diligently and covet) that writers need to craft their words for the joy of creating fictional worlds, not to seek wealth or glory that will almost certainly elude them. That's wise. I've sure got the "not seeking wealth" part nailed.

But, hey, now and then a tiny bit of glory doesn't hurt. ;-)

#SFWApro

The Road Not Taken

Like me, if you're an American citizen, you're probably sick to death of the presidential election cycle. I promise not to delve into my personal political views or rehash the failings of two major party candidates whom, I freely admit, I find utterly unappealing. As a voter, I once again feel backed into a corner: forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. It breaks my heart and saps my optimism. Even worse, I've seen this "systemic two-party gang warfare" completely disgust my teenage sons, who (along with their friends) genuinely believe that the American political system is too broken to fix. I recently heard an interview with a longtime political journalist returning to Michigan after decades stationed in Washington, D.C., who described the toxic environment inside the Beltway as a "duopoly" where the two major parties maintain power by conspiring to subvert any viable competition. I think he nailed it... and that prompted me (against my better judgment) to share my own frustration.

This isn't a trivial problem to solve, and it isn't new, but I believe it's getting steadily worse. The 2-party system in the U.S. of A. is fundamentally broken, but it has immense inertia and steady infusions of special-interest cash to perpetuate itself. Four years ago, I was naive enough to allow myself to get sucked into the hope that this might just be obvious (and maddening) enough to goad the American electorate into a grass-roots, activist response. Does anyone remember the brief rise (and epic fail / fall) of Americans Elect back in 2012? If not, you can still visit the landing page for this web site associated with a popular political movement that promised to circumvent the archaic and arcane process of major party primaries, super-delegates, and pressures to cater to the "party base." It claimed to be inspired by the spontaneous social media uprisings that led to movements like the Arab Spring. It was supposed to cut away the obtuse, opaque back-room political dealings and directly empower people to select a candidate for president with whom they felt a resonance, regardless of party affiliation. Unfortunately, only the web site's landing page is now accessible; it's very much like a cyberspace archeological dig, where most of the artifacts are lost in the mists of time.

What appealed to me about Americans Elect? For one thing, it promised to very intentionally shatter the 2-party barrier; ostensibly, if a Democrat candidate was nominated to run for President, then that candidate was forced to select a running mate from the Republican party ranks, or vice versa. I was disillusioned enough with the status quo that this alone seemed worth the risk. Unfortunately, Americans Elect (after promising to get its candidates on the ballot in all 50 states) imploded. As someone who contributed money to their cause -- and somebody who happens to work in information technology with an emphasis on web development -- I can say with some assurance that Americans Elect was much better at soliciting contributions than eliciting participation. Their web interface was confusing and nonintuitive. For that reason, I believe, the millions of folks who signed up for the online nominating process didn't really understand the rules of engagement or how to cast their votes. End result? After tons of media coverage (including featured interviews on shows like the Colbert Report), Americans Elect punted in the waning seconds of the game on 4th down; they decided not to run any candidates at all because no nominee received enough votes to satisfy their initial (fairly arbitrary) minimum vote requirement.

Americans Elect members like myself, who conscientiously cast our nominating votes, certainly felt betrayed. Who, incidentally, received the most nominations (including mine) within the AE community back in 2012? It happens to be a very familiar name: none other than Senator Bernie Sanders.

I write fiction, so let me tie this into my blog theme. Imagine, if you will, this alternate ending to the 2012 U.S. Presidential election cycle that seems all too plausible and still haunts me...


Americans Elect acknowledges that their own web UI design caused enough confusion among "cyber-delegates" to reduce the voting tally and so decides to run their winning candidate anyway. Senator Bernie Sanders, along with a moderate Republican running mate, appear on the U.S. Presidential ballot in all 50 states. They don't win, but they do cash in on rampant voter frustration with the status quo and manage to garner around 20% of the popular vote. The 2 major political parties are shocked... but not enough to enact meaningful reform.

As the 2016 Presidential election ramps up, Bernie Sanders (still riding the 20% he garnered in 2012) decides to run as an independent under the surging Americans Elect banner. He selects a moderate Republican (someone like Jon Huntsman or John Kasich?) who is disgusted with his own party's focus on "maintaining the duopoly." Together, they capitalize on the average American voter's utter contempt for the way Washington is running things and ride the wave that is currently propelling Donald Trump to national prominence. They run neck-and-neck with the nominees from the two major parties. They rise high enough in the polls that the Republicans and Democrats (and the media) are grudgingly forced to include them in the conversation and give them a seat at the table (or a place at the lectern) for the nationally televised debates. The debates energize their followers -- and inspire enthusiasm for a different kind of choice -- so much that they actually win (narrowly) the popular vote.


Yes, it's fiction. Call it an alternate history. In the realm of speculative fiction, tales are often cautionary or focus on possibility rather than predicting the future. This is a huge long-shot, combining a dose of hindsight with the reality of Bernie Sanders's surprising momentum during this presidential campaign. I don't think it's completely implausible, if AE had run Sanders in 2012. Given the way the Republican nominating process played out over the past year or so, I think one thing is clear: the American electorate is so fed up with "business as usual" that they seem willing to support almost any candidate who promises to blow up the established political machinery.

What's the moral of the story? Robert Frost famously penned the verse about how "two roads diverged in a yellow wood." This poem reminds us all that there are forks in the road that force us to make a life-altering choice. But, if this current election cycle proves anything at all, I think it's this: sometimes, two choices simply aren't enough. Personally, I'm ready for a 3rd option. I think it's long past time to balk at surrendering my vote to the lesser of two evils; it's time to vote for rebooting a closed political system that is irredeemably flawed.

#SFWApro

#CauseForOptimism - The Phoenix Fish (Cod Comeback)

As promised, here's another post intended to emphasize a #CauseForOptimism despite the litany of depressing headlines from normal news sources. Bear with me, because it starts out on the dark side of the spectrum... but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. (Or maybe sunlight over the abyss?)

The Goodreads Green Group of which I'm a member is currently reading the nonfiction book Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World. It's a familiar tale of tragedy of the commons: various nations selfishly compete to grab as large a share as possible of the "limitless supply" of northern cod until they very nearly fish this precious natural food source into oblivion. Here's a graph that makes the tragedy... well, graphic:

Don't get too depressed. The book was published almost 2 decades ago, in 1997. So where does the situation stand today? I was curious... and hoping for a happy ending. I at least found that precious cause for optimism.

With some rigorous (and undoubtedly painful) moratoria on harvesting the decimated northern cod, the fish are making a dramatic comeback. They're not out of the woods (or maybe the nets? ;-) completely yet, but they're recovering, coming back from the brink. Here's an updated graph that shows the trend since Mark Kurlansky published his powerful, cautionary "cod biography":

Here's an article that goes into more detail about this "phoenix fish" rising from the ashes (so to speak):

Science Daily - The great northern cod comeback

Once again, science (and some common-sense governmental policies based on actually heeding that science) gives us hope. Thanks, codfish; I needed that!

#SFWApro

#CauseForOptimism

I'm a life-long, hardcore speculative fiction fan. I love a good, dark dystopian tale as much as the next SF geek. Some folks would accuse me of contributing to the dystopian vision of humanity's future via my Aquarius Rising trilogy. I beg to differ. The dystopian narrative casts an oppressive shadow over our current media world view. Heck, I'm so burned out by the contemporary news (and the silly U.S. presidential election histrionics) that I'm in desperate need of something to lift the mood. And I don't believe that I'm alone.

So I've made myself a mid- (or late-) year resolution. At least once a week, I'm striving to post something on my blog that provides a smidgen of hope that humanity's future will be better than our present. As an SF writer / reader, these posts will tend to focus on science, technology, and the social evolution of our species. I do genuinely believe that we're making progress. I think there is #CauseForOptimism. And I choose to share that with others, in the hope that it will lift your sagging spirits as it does mine.

So here we go. This is a story about renewable energy -- sourced from Bloomberg, no less, hardly a bastion of "tree-hugging" -- providing concrete evidence that we may yet avert the worst effects of climate change.

Fossil Fuels Just Lost the Race Against Renewables

The race for renewable energy has passed a turning point. The world is now adding more capacity for renewable power each year than coal, natural gas, and oil combined. And there's no going back.
The shift occurred in 2013, when the world added 143 gigawatts of renewable electricity capacity, compared with 141 gigawatts in new plants that burn fossil fuels, according to an analysis presented Tuesday at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance annual summit in New York. The shift will continue to accelerate, and by 2030 more than four times as much renewable capacity will be added.
"The electricity system is shifting to clean,'' Michael Liebreich, founder of BNEF, said in his keynote address. "Despite the change in oil and gas prices there is going to be a substantial buildout of renewable energy that is likely to be an order of magnitude larger than the buildout of coal and gas."

To read the full article, go here:

Fossil Fuels Just Lost the Race Against Renewables

And embrace your "glass half full" persona. There is, indeed, Cause for Optimism. Pass it on!!!

#SFWApro

Reaching Next-Gen Readers

Teens and young adults have a dizzying array of entertainment choices these days: streaming, gaming, YouTube, social networking, etc. It's no wonder that traditional books are a tough sell to potential next-generation readers. It's a shame. Hey, I love a great film or TV show... but novels provide a depth and richness of experience that visual media simply can't match. Novels immerse us in worlds more vivid, more visceral than can be achieved in a few hours of action projected on a screen. A great book allows every reader to become the director of their own internal blockbuster... and our imaginations put even the most masterful filmmakers to shame. Why? Because we have a chance to personalize the story. We're not just watching it unfold; we're shaping it in our mind's eye.

So how do we share the joy of reading with today's young people? How do we compete with all of the media voices clamoring for their attention? It's a question that plagues many writers and publishers today. Luckily, some creative teachers are exploring innovative ways to speak to teens and young adults through platforms that resonate with them. The Kindle Classroom Project is one of those "educational experiments" that just might transform reading from a chore into a pleasure for the most skeptical next-gen audiences.

KCP is the brainchild of teacher turned instructional coach Mark Isero. Frustrated with pushback from students who viewed reading as pure drudgery, he shared his Kindle (augmented with text-to-speech) with one student who just couldn't plow through a paperback. That young man became so excited about "e-reading" on a Kindle that he begged Isero to borrow the device for the weekend. Inspired by that reaction, Isero expanded his "digital classroom library" to almost a thousand Kindle titles and a like number of students. If a young person wants to read a book not already in the KCP "e-lbrary," KCP buys it, adds it, and allows the original requester to immediately check it out. The library grows, driven by student demand. Kids get to read what appeals to them. The resistance to "forced assignments" turns into excitement over being empowered to choose their own reading material and consume it in a way that feels more natural. Win-win!

As a writer (and avid reader) of eBooks, I applaud KCP's "outside the box" approach to delivering a digital feast of fiction (and non-fiction) instead of force-feeding physical books that leave a bad taste in many next-gen readers' mouths. I admit, there are times when I still crave the sensation of an old-fashioned book in my hands: the feel of pages turning beneath my fingers, the intoxicating aroma of ink and paper. But I understand that young people have grown up in a connected world where mobile devices and hi-res screens provide that same kind of comfort. I appreciate that. I, too, love having a complete set of cyber-shelves in my pocket, checking out books from the regional digital library and downloading anywhere at any time.

To each his own. Whatever brings the joy of reading to the next generation is a blessing. Here's to KCP and its ground-breaking sponsors in the educational community. I hope their creativity -- and their success -- goes viral!

#SFWApro

My Favorite Demon

Sometimes the good guys are the bad guys, and the bad guy is the good guy. I've always loved stories that can invert the archetypes like this. I'll also admit - unabashedly - that I relish well-written speculative fiction that is categorized as "teen or young adult." Maybe I'm young at heart... or just immature, as my wife constantly reminds me... but I often find these stories to be as compelling, clever, and wise as any adult fiction. I loved the Harry Potter series and the Hunger Games series. Fantastic storytelling! But, for me, neither boasts a character as memorable as Bartimaeus, the fourth-level djinni from Jonathan Stroud's wonderful Bartimaeus Trilogy.

I stumbled across these books on our regional library network's Digital Library, and I'm ecstatic that I did. Stroud creates a mesmerizing world here, with the story primarily set in an alternate London where the government is run by magicians. There is a delicious thread of political satire woven through the tale: the elite magicians who run the country and control the empire are arrogant, venal, self-aggrandizing, and surround themselves with every luxury at the expense of the "commoners" whom they supposedly serve. They're parasites who wield their power wholly to enrich themselves. (After the past few weeks' interminable RNC and DNC media pageants, this hits a little too close to home.)

Adding insult to injury, these human "magicians" don't really have any true magical power. Instead, they use their arcane incantations to forcibly summon higher magical beings from the "Other Place," drag these spirits into the human world, and bind them to the magician's will. In essence, magicians enslave the immensely powerful creatures they call "demons" and force them to complete a charge or mission before releasing them back into their own non-corporeal realm. For these "demons," being trapped in physical form exacts a heavy toll and erodes their vital essence over time; the longer their period of servitude, the more tormented and depleted they become. Understandably, the demons detest magicians and distrust all humanity. They use all of their guile, subterfuge, and cunning to look for any loophole in the magical contracts that bind them to their human masters; if they can wriggle out of those bonds, they pounce on their summoners and eagerly consume them, freeing themselves in the process. Magicians may rule with an iron fist, but they do so knowing that one misspoken word can doom them.

That brings us to the real hero of this trilogy, the unquestioned star of the show: Bartimaeus, a demon of middling rank from a class of demon (djinni) of middling power in the hierarchy of entities from the Other Place. Bartimaeus isn't the most potent magical servant around. He's often aimed by his masters at opponents with far more firepower. What he lacks in raw strength, he more than makes up in cleverness, creativity, and bravado. What endears him to the reader, though, is his biting wit, his sardonic sense of humor, and his insight into the flaws and foibles of the humans with whom he interacts. As an outside observer of humanity, he sees the best and worst in us with crystal clarity... and doesn't hesitate to tell us what he sees.

As the trilogy unfolds, we also discover something else about Bartimaeus: he has far more sympathy for those rare humans in whom he detects bravery, virtue, or at least a wisp of conscience. He provides more help than strictly necessary or even risks his own welfare to save the young humans who become hopelessly embroiled in the most perilous plots hatched by the most evil of the magician elites. He always justifies this behavior, tries his best to convince the reader that he really had a selfish motive. But - just as he sees through our human rationalizations - we see through his. He may be sarcastic, insulting, and less than trustworthy... but he's a sucker for an idealistic boy or girl fighting for a noble cause.

This isn't a Disney-style storyline. There are dark moments here, heroes don't emerge unscathed, and victory doesn't come without a dreadful price. Yet another reason to savor this tale. Like Bartimaeus himself, this trilogy can be fearsome, and funny, and illuminating when it shines its spectral light into the darkest corners of human nature. Introduce yourself to Bartimaeus when you get the chance. He may not fit the classic definition of a fantasy hero, but you won't soon forget him.

#SFWApro