Kathy Bell's Blog, page 3

Sample Sunday

I don't want to be redundant, so I'll just post a link from here to my Blogger.com blog, where I've put up samples from Regression, Evolussion, and Revolussion in honour of Sample Sundays on Twitter.

Time has been tight lately but lots of blog entries have collected in my head. Once I've got a handle on drafting Revolussion, then I'll begin composing some blog entries once again.

Behind Regression:The Men of Three Eleven or Why Noah's Ark Wouldn't Work

Yeah, I know, the thought of twenty-eight men and one woman seems right out of a porn movie but…that's where the story went in Regression. I am a science fiction reader, so that sort of thing perhaps doesn't disturb me as much as someone who has never read the odd and perhaps awkward situations deemed acceptable on other planets or in other cultures created by scifi authors. Same with the age of the main character…although that will be the topic of another blog.

The men of Three Eleven are all excellent scientists, but even more importantly, they represent the various alleles within the human genome. One man and one woman would not be able to retain the multitude of individual traits present around the globe, since each would only contribute one allele for each gene. Obviously, Adya could only contribute two possible alleles, so the plasmid had to step in to create greater variability by forcing the polar twins instead of simple fraternal or less diverse identical twins. And, although it hasn't been called for as the story developed, it was my plan to have the plasmid suppress any expression of Adya's genetics. Babak continued that thought anyway, with his secretive Pluman production in Evolussion taking into account the genetic background of the mothers to dilute Adya's influence. She also was composed of mainly recessive genes which the plasmid would control future inheritance to maximize variability, so her influence was to be minimized as the generations developed.

Sanctum was designated a type of Noah's Ark, but there would have to be significantly more than two animals per species to preserve the world as we know it. There were not grown animals deep below the surface, rather, some female embryos, then lots of sperm and ova. Some species likely have less variability, so would need fewer samples, but essentially you would need to have a speciman for every single allele to ensure you preserved what we see in the world around us. Just in breeding my bulldogs, I'm amazed with the genetic variability within the breed. I've always loved genetics, and getting to play with them while playing with puppies is awesome. Watching the recessives (we found out the hard way that the short tail is recessive when one of our girls got 'accosted' by a border collie while living with a foster family…no more foster agreements for a decade), predicting the outcomes of the crosses, is all fascinating. But humans have significantly more variability than a breed of dogs (perhaps not more than the canine species, though), so I know that even my 28 representatives of the human cline would unfortunately still lead to some loss of traits unless they spontaneously re-emerged through mutation. So, generational ships, arks, Sanctum, or any other attempt at preserving our species will never be able to retain the full spectrum of uniqueness.

Behind Regression: Nicholas Weaver

Although I knew, when composing Regression, that a man had been responsible for forcing the regressions to save the woman he loved, I had not planned on working him into the first story. But beta readers kept on asking how the heck Adya knew so much, making me realize my hints about her having multiple past lives were not obvious enough. Hence the journal entries from the future, sharing Nicholas Weaver's thoughts and exeriences.  Not everyone catches the clues in Nick's Notes (I tagged them as such when working on the draft) which explain not only what the disaster of 11/11/11 is, but also how many times he has replayed this same history.  

Even those who absolutely hated the novel appear to enjoy Nicholas and his thoughts. I enjoyed writing them, as well. I wrote them haphazardly, in no particular order, and then organized them within the sequence of the other chapters to compliment the content of the main story. One very astute reader noticed that the dates of Nick's notes coincide with the date of the subsequent chapter of Adya's story, but I am not sure if many others caught that connection. I added the dates after inserting the journal entries where they made the most sense.

Nicholas Weaver is a man chasing a dream. The dream of a woman loved and then lost, but also the dream of being the saviour of humanity. When he arrives to join the alternate timeline already in progress in Evolussion, he finds a world beyond any of his imaginings. And a cataclysm even greater than the one he spent one thousand years trying to avert. But, at least he has Hope. Where the two of them go in Revolussion is yet to be seen, as the story weaves itself at the end of my fingertips, but his character is one I especially relish writing. Perhaps he'll give me a few surprises as the story materializes.

Behind Evolussion: White Buffalo Woman, 2012, and Apocalypse

My first draft of Evolussion had Dawn Ingram using a Vision Quest to wrest control of her body from the plasmid, the alien artificial intelligence embedded in her cells, but just had the words 'vision quest' as a placeholder while I finished writing the rest of the story. Later, I went back and began filling in the actual sequence of the quest. For veracity, I began to research Lakota lore, and came across the legend of White Buffalo Woman. I had heard about the white buffalo calves born occasionally over the past while, but never really investigated further until reading up on the legend. What I found was quite intriguing, and blended well into the story of Three Eleven, the upcoming apocalypse, and the woman fated to stand between humanity and eradication.

The legend of White Buffalo (Calf) Woman explains the development of a number of ceremonies performed by the Lakota people, and presents the origins of the use of the sacred pipe in the plains tribes.  In the legend, Ptesan-wi gifts the Lakota with the sacred pipe, teaches them how to use it, and promises to eventually return in a time of great need. Her return will be heralded (in some interpretations) by the arrival of (four) white buffalo calves, one representing each of the four directions of the Earth. A quick search found that there are not just four white buffalo right now, but there are more white buffalo walking the Earth than ever before. An entire herd.

In keeping with the mythology, this should signify a dramatic change in the Earth. Whether that change is social, environmental, climactic or even apocalyptic remains to be seen. What I find interesting is how closely the arrival of the white buffalo coincides with the upcoming Mayan calendar renewal. Most people are aware of 2012 as the 'end' of the Mayan calendar, and if they have not seen the movie of the same name, they have at least heard the hype.

Since my story weaves in an apocalypse, I threaded the White Buffalo Woman legend into the tale. The timing even works with 2012, because the actual arrival of the catastrophe is not 11/11/11, but the initial events leading to the catastrophe of 2012 are set in motion on that day. I liked the results, but my venture into a spiritual link with nature was obviously outside some readers' comfort zone, as shown by a 2 star review criticizing the use of the legend (I quite 'The train really flies off the tracks when Dawn goes and visits the buffalo spirits. No, that's not a joke.'), but actually arose from passages in the original Regression manuscript which were later removed. I had wanted a connection between Adya and the Earth in that story – an Earth Mother if you will – had written it into a number of scenes, but pulled it because of a couple of people's comments.

Revolussion will see further development of Dawn's connection, but the story certainly does not revolve around spirituality or natural connectivity. At least, not at this point in drafting!

Kindle 'Gifts'

Authors on Amazon had been offering free copies of their books, but I see the powers that be on the site have quashed the threads. Still, gifting Kindle copies makes a great way to provide promotional copies to digital readers.

If you have a book review blog and would like a copy of both books, let me know and I will gift them to you (no obligation to give a good review, of course!). I figure, I've spent hundreds of dollars sending out review print copies but my main market are digital buyers. So, bring on the reviewers who cater to digital readers!

I don't have high expectations, since I don't exactly have a large following here on wordpress, but perhaps those great spider/network/linking machines will work in my favour.

Freebee copies of Regression – Trying Something New

I see authors on Amazon offering free copies of their books. I'm waiting to see if the powers that be on the site quash the threads, or if Amazon allows such activities. In the meantime, perhaps I'll try something similiar myself. The first twenty people who

1. comment on this post

2. 'Like' my Facebook page

3. Follow me on Twitter

Will get a 'gifted' Kindle copy of Regression.

OR

If you have a book review blog and would like a copy of both books, let me know and I will gift them to you (no obligation to give a good review, of course!). I figure, I've spent hundreds of dollars sending out review print copies but my main market are digital buyers. So, bring on the reviewers who cater to digital readers!

I don't have high expectations, since I don't exactly have a large following here on wordpress, but perhaps those great spider/network/linking machines will work in my favour.

Puppies: A Balm to the Soul

It's been almost a year since we had puppies in the house. And it's been a rough couple of years. So much so, that we've debated about ending our 15 year breeding program which has produced some wonderful champions. None quite so awesome as our multi-Best In Show Winning, AKC/CKC champ Crusader, but all just as well-loved. Still, the heartaches when things go wrong get overwhelming when compounded by difficulties in other aspects of our lives. My writing has been my escape from those frustrations because there is no 'investment' for me, aside from the obvious personal energy which is more a release than a drain. I don't have to rely on writing, I'm not expecting anything from it (so of course every positive review is a bonus), and writing is not my primary life activity. I wasn't sure I was going to bother continuing writing after finishing the first book, but have enjoyed it so much I will continue beyond the Infinion Trilogy.

Anyway, having puppies in the house really brings back to the surface the reason for breeding. Seeing those little lives developing, knowing I created them literally from conception, watching personalities emerge and quirks manifest, it all is refreshing the wonder and the joy which trajedy and hardship had been stripping from my kennel. I will have to think of auspicious names for this litter because I am hoping it provides the rebirth of my dedication. I was not sure I was going to be able to continue with the heartbreak, but hopefully the times are a changin. Even with the string of bad luck last week that revolved around trying to complete a promising breeding, I still feel more positive than I have in a while.

So, perhaps I'll see everyone in the show ring this year.

To write or not to write

…short stories, that is.

The Kindle is creating an opportunity which was never before an option – that of selling individual short stories, novellas, or novelettes. In the print world, anything less than your standard length of about 250 pages was not considered for publication unless bound within an anthology. For new authors, an anthology was unlikely. And so, most emerging authors have laboured to produce the requisite 80-120,000 word story for submission to the traditional publishers. Now, not only has Kindle – and the other platforms – opened direct access to readers for authors, it has also created a market for stories that are faster to produce.

So, what exactly is a short story, novella, etc? Since I write science fiction, I'll use the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America classifications:

Novel: a work of 40,000 words or more

Novella: a work of at least 17,500 words but under 40,000 words

Novelette: a work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words

Short story: a work of under 7,500 words

On Kindle, you can price your work as low at 99 cents (except those few indies who have figured out how to offer theirs for free…wish I could!), but only get 35% royalties at the price. Yet, what a great introductory price for familiarizing readers with your work and style! A shorter work certainly provides enough insight into your writing that readers can determine whether they would try other works by you.

If I took the time, I likely could compose a novella in less than a month. Writing the longer work takes a lot more time than that (let's say 8 months). So, I could write 8 – 99 cent novellas in the same period of time. The $2.99 price point generates 70% royalties through Amazon, and appears to be the standard price point for full length novels from most indies (I've got Regression on sale right now for 99 cents but it will go back up at the end of February), but a bundle of 4 shorter stories priced at $2.99 would generate greater returns than one longer story which took 8 months to write and then is priced at $2.99.

I am going to finish Evolussion, of course, because it is the conclusion to the Infinion trilogy. But, after that, I think I will experiment with short stories and novellas. I've got dozens of story ideas on post-it notes around the house – have to jot it while it's in my head – that could easily be fleshed out into novellas. Here are the prime candidates already begun.

First Ride – Young Adult Fantasy – A young girl discovers her hidden heritage when her mother takes her riding on her twelfth birthday.

Digital Sunset – Science Fiction – A family adjusts to the loss of all electrical devices as the Earth deals with a geomagnetic pole shift.

Synergy 2012:Return to Magic – Young Adult Fantasy – a school trip to Belize awakens a long-dormant bloodline of queens with magical powers.

Weighting It Out – actually, a contemporary story rather than scifi. A young woman thinks she has nothing to live for, and gives herself a month to determine if she wants to live or die.

With recent headlines (bird and sea deaths), I'm leaning toward working on Digital Sunset. And, of course, timing makes Synergy 2012 another more pressing project. With the upcoming semester change, perhaps I'll be able to begin writing. As it is, with two courses over-full and one course I've never taught before, this semester has wrung me out!

Goodbye to the Rural Wave

Drive down almost any rural road, and you'll will be greeted by the ubiquitus rural wave – that little flap done by the natives which serves two purposes. The first motive for the motion is to welcome strangers to the neighbourhood. The wave is normally initated by the resident, and returned by the stranger. The second purpose is to advise the interloper that 'You've been seen'…and if something goes wrong, your presence has been duly noted.

Having grown up in, and always resided in, rural communities, the rural wave is instinctive for me. I find my hand raised before I even think about it. But recent events have forced me to stop the greeting for fear another person will misinterpret it the way an invasive individual has done.

I am attending court this Friday in an attempt to secure a peace bond (restraining order) against a woman who mistook my wave for an invitation to become part of my family's daily life. It got so bad, we would see her sitting outside our house up to seven times a day. Watching the children get on the bus. There when they got off the bus. I'd drive home for lunch and there she'd be. When she approached me like an old friend at the grocery store, I'd finally had enough. You see, I had never met this person before, had not conversed with her other than asking her not to approach the children or beckon the kids toward her car (both of which she did while I was not nearby), and in no way had invited her attention. Or so I thought. Turns out, waving at someone can be interpreted as an invitation. Who knew. She expressed her surprise when I explained -standing in an aisle at the grocery store – that her presence was making me nervous. 'But, you waved at me!' I'll admit, the wave had become facetious for me…'Oh, there she is again. And again.' But now, I make a point of not waving at people, if I catch my arm in time, so that I won't be opening a door for someone who obviously has some serious problems.

I refuse to acknowledge that 2011 has begun.

Most people have heard the proverb, for want of a nail the kingdom was lost. OK, my recent experiences don't quite add up to losing a war (except fighting for my sanity), but the chain of events keeps growing and growing, and it all starts with New Year's Day.

Because New Year's Day holiday was honoured on Monday, no couriers were running.

Because no couriers were running, the dog semen to breed my girl had to be shipped on an airplane Tuesday.

Because the shipment was on a plane, it was misplaced by the airline.

Because the box was misplaced, I had to drive back to Toronto again Wednesday.

Because I had to drive back to TO again, the engine on my van blew.

Because the engine on my van blew, I was going to borrow my MILs car.

Because I needed to get to MIL, I was driving my husband's truck which was on empty.

Because my husband's truck was empty, I had to go to the gas station – where pay at pump wasn't working.

Because the pay at pump wasn't working, I had to go in to the booth, where I left my bank card.

Because my bank card was missing when I went to pay for my groceries, I had to return to the car.

Because I returned to the car and drove home to check my husband's truck for said bank card, I discovered that the MIL's car has this self-locking mechanism which locks all doors when the car is left running and all doors get closed.

So, I haven't figured out exactly where this chain of events is going to end, but the fact is that none of this would have happened if last weekend had not been New Year's. So, I'm now going to pretend this is June.