Chris Hechtl's Blog, page 39
April 10, 2017
WtSG snippet 2
Still in chapter 1
Republic's bridge crew watched as the two destroyers moved out smartly to hunt the small Tauren ships down. The task force had jumped in too close and too quickly for either ship to jump into hyperspace. Within twenty minutes, the destroyers had entered their engagement zones. The fleeing ships hadn't responded to hails to surrender so they had been destroyed in succession.“Nice,” the XO murmured in appreciation.The captain glanced at her and then back to the main view screen. “Well, that's that,” the captain murmured with a nod of approval. It meant that not only was the enemy denied any details about Sol but also about the battle that had been fought there. It was a load lifted off of his shoulders. “Log that and my commendation for quick work,” he ordered.“Aye aye, sir,” Ensign Sam replied.The captain sat back in his chair and reflected a bit on the turn of events. Two hundred and eighty-seven ships had been destroyed in what the historians were already calling the battle of Sol. Twenty-two ships had survived, but many had been damaged. Only four of that number had been proper warships.Over forty-one thousand sailors had been killed in the carnage, many of them in the militia ships during Admiral Lewis's last run or in the ships that had stood in the defensive line near Mars. Several of the ships in the defensive line had put themselves into harm's way in a last desperate effort to save a population center.Out of all of the derelict ships, only 153 people had survived in the air bleeding darkened wrecks long enough to be rescued. The media had been filled with reports of heart-tearing messages from sailors to their loved ones as their air ran out. Some had even sacrificed themselves in order to allow others to live.Forty-one thousand dead didn't compare to the millions that had died in some of the stations, habitats, and on Mars and Earth. Just one of the strikes had caused a tsunami that had wiped out a good thousand-kilometer stretch of coastline on Earth. Millions were dead or homeless.He scanned the bridge with an edge of satisfaction in his gaze. There were still a lot of rough edges, but they were getting there. He had a good solid team. The ship had a few teething issues, but the bugs were known. They were knocking the bugs down or minimizing them as time went by.It was a headache for some of the engineers since they were literally writing the book on the ship and its maintenance. He knew that Commander Tisdale was up to the task. The chief engineer loved to get his hands dirty. He winced internally at the thought of the guy's keyboard though.His eyes briefly lingered on the holo console where Republic'sA.I. stood at parade rest. Ensign Sam, known as Uncle Sam to some of the crew, was one of the first A.I. to join the fleet and was still a question mark to some of the crew. After Ensign Nelson and Central's defense of Mars and Earth went public, the public's perception of A.I. had shifted once more. Like it or not, A.I. were there to stay, virtual citizens of their civilization.And like many citizens, some had stepped up to offer their services to the growing Confederation Navy. A few on the crew still harbored reservations about the patriotism, but no one was going to question it out loud at the moment. They needed every hand, even the virtual ones. The Ensign's contribution and occupation of the ship's electronic network allowed them to shave ten percent of the crew and run down a lot of the bugs, many of them in the software. That had endeared him to the engineers. His taking on a lot of the paperwork had lifted a lot of the headache off the ship's yeoman and officers, which had gone a long way to make them happy as well.But the crew was still feeling out his role and how to treat him. Sam seemed easy going with everyone, something Saul appreciated. But he had passed an order to treat the A.I. as an officer.The A.I. and cyberists were still taking apart the captured alien databases, but one thing had come out right off. The aliens had terrible computer security. There was also tantalizing clues that they lacked A.I. at all. That news had been one of the reasons the starships in the pipeline had been refitted to give them an A.I. computer core. Captain Bao was still getting used to the concept that the ship was Sam's body. He wasn't certain if the entire experiment was going to work out long term or not.(@)()(@)Ensign Sam made his virtual rounds like clockwork. He first checked the ship's internal network for any problems. There weren't any reported; all of the readings were normal. That took 1.3 seconds to complete. He then switched to check the task force network and status, then updated the log. Once that was accomplished, he checked the crew's health. Once he had finished the rounds, he had 4.5 seconds to think, a long time for an A.I. without priority processing going on. Inevitably, his thoughts turned to the crew. It looked like he and the crew were settling in. There were still some rough edges. He'd noted a few sour talks about him among a few of the crew, but they were coming along. He had come to realize within his first full cycle of being online that organics took time to process interpersonal relationships.And to be fair, so did he. He was still learning about his crew and how to deal with the interactions. His databases seemed chaotic on a moment-to-moment basis, something he also needed to learn to deal with.He checked the camera feed in the bridge and then switched to the feed from the officer's wardroom. He had found that the formal dinners had some rich interactions to study. He made certain the recordings were running so he could scan them at speed and process them with any processors that were currently idle and then went back to making his virtual rounds once more.
Republic's bridge crew watched as the two destroyers moved out smartly to hunt the small Tauren ships down. The task force had jumped in too close and too quickly for either ship to jump into hyperspace. Within twenty minutes, the destroyers had entered their engagement zones. The fleeing ships hadn't responded to hails to surrender so they had been destroyed in succession.“Nice,” the XO murmured in appreciation.The captain glanced at her and then back to the main view screen. “Well, that's that,” the captain murmured with a nod of approval. It meant that not only was the enemy denied any details about Sol but also about the battle that had been fought there. It was a load lifted off of his shoulders. “Log that and my commendation for quick work,” he ordered.“Aye aye, sir,” Ensign Sam replied.The captain sat back in his chair and reflected a bit on the turn of events. Two hundred and eighty-seven ships had been destroyed in what the historians were already calling the battle of Sol. Twenty-two ships had survived, but many had been damaged. Only four of that number had been proper warships.Over forty-one thousand sailors had been killed in the carnage, many of them in the militia ships during Admiral Lewis's last run or in the ships that had stood in the defensive line near Mars. Several of the ships in the defensive line had put themselves into harm's way in a last desperate effort to save a population center.Out of all of the derelict ships, only 153 people had survived in the air bleeding darkened wrecks long enough to be rescued. The media had been filled with reports of heart-tearing messages from sailors to their loved ones as their air ran out. Some had even sacrificed themselves in order to allow others to live.Forty-one thousand dead didn't compare to the millions that had died in some of the stations, habitats, and on Mars and Earth. Just one of the strikes had caused a tsunami that had wiped out a good thousand-kilometer stretch of coastline on Earth. Millions were dead or homeless.He scanned the bridge with an edge of satisfaction in his gaze. There were still a lot of rough edges, but they were getting there. He had a good solid team. The ship had a few teething issues, but the bugs were known. They were knocking the bugs down or minimizing them as time went by.It was a headache for some of the engineers since they were literally writing the book on the ship and its maintenance. He knew that Commander Tisdale was up to the task. The chief engineer loved to get his hands dirty. He winced internally at the thought of the guy's keyboard though.His eyes briefly lingered on the holo console where Republic'sA.I. stood at parade rest. Ensign Sam, known as Uncle Sam to some of the crew, was one of the first A.I. to join the fleet and was still a question mark to some of the crew. After Ensign Nelson and Central's defense of Mars and Earth went public, the public's perception of A.I. had shifted once more. Like it or not, A.I. were there to stay, virtual citizens of their civilization.And like many citizens, some had stepped up to offer their services to the growing Confederation Navy. A few on the crew still harbored reservations about the patriotism, but no one was going to question it out loud at the moment. They needed every hand, even the virtual ones. The Ensign's contribution and occupation of the ship's electronic network allowed them to shave ten percent of the crew and run down a lot of the bugs, many of them in the software. That had endeared him to the engineers. His taking on a lot of the paperwork had lifted a lot of the headache off the ship's yeoman and officers, which had gone a long way to make them happy as well.But the crew was still feeling out his role and how to treat him. Sam seemed easy going with everyone, something Saul appreciated. But he had passed an order to treat the A.I. as an officer.The A.I. and cyberists were still taking apart the captured alien databases, but one thing had come out right off. The aliens had terrible computer security. There was also tantalizing clues that they lacked A.I. at all. That news had been one of the reasons the starships in the pipeline had been refitted to give them an A.I. computer core. Captain Bao was still getting used to the concept that the ship was Sam's body. He wasn't certain if the entire experiment was going to work out long term or not.(@)()(@)Ensign Sam made his virtual rounds like clockwork. He first checked the ship's internal network for any problems. There weren't any reported; all of the readings were normal. That took 1.3 seconds to complete. He then switched to check the task force network and status, then updated the log. Once that was accomplished, he checked the crew's health. Once he had finished the rounds, he had 4.5 seconds to think, a long time for an A.I. without priority processing going on. Inevitably, his thoughts turned to the crew. It looked like he and the crew were settling in. There were still some rough edges. He'd noted a few sour talks about him among a few of the crew, but they were coming along. He had come to realize within his first full cycle of being online that organics took time to process interpersonal relationships.And to be fair, so did he. He was still learning about his crew and how to deal with the interactions. His databases seemed chaotic on a moment-to-moment basis, something he also needed to learn to deal with.He checked the camera feed in the bridge and then switched to the feed from the officer's wardroom. He had found that the formal dinners had some rich interactions to study. He made certain the recordings were running so he could scan them at speed and process them with any processors that were currently idle and then went back to making his virtual rounds once more.
April 9, 2017
WtSG snippet 1
Well! Goodlifeguide just shocked me and sent me back WtSG early! WOW!
So, I'll be publishing sooner than expected. As in most likely tomorrow!
Here is a snippet anyway:
November, 2236
The crews of the two Tauren dispatch ships did their best to keep their small ships functional as their ships’ Alpha bulls tried to figure out what to do. They'd had plenty of time to discuss the situation, but they had not come up with a solution of their dilemma. The two ships were trapped in a sector of space unfamiliar to them. Their flagship's navigational database had carried the full star charts of the galaxy. Unfortunately, the flagship and the rest of their task force had been blown into clouds of dust and debris in the alien home herd star system several weeks away.Their ships had been in the rear of the fleet and had managed to escape. They had burned a lot of fuel to get to the alien world and more fuel in their escape. They had enough fuel for a couple of short jumps and then they would be utterly helpless. Neither ship had enough fuel for the long hyperbridge journey back to their home even if they knew where to start the journey at.“Hyperspace emergence!” a technician on duty reported over the ship's intercom.The ship's Alpha bull woke blearily and then stumbled onto the bridge. “Report?” he demanded.“A hyperspace emergence.”“Vector?” the ship's Alpha demanded. He was unkempt having just woken. Many of his crew looked slovenly. He saw the tech's ears flatten and then look at the plot. The ship's Alpha followed that line of gaze reluctantly to see the emergence point and a projected backtrack of their vector.“Never mind,” he muttered. “I can see it for myself.”“What do we do?” the tech asked quietly.“We run. Fast,” the ship's Alpha bull said as he took his seat with a sinking heart. He was fairly certain they wouldn't be able to run far or fast enough.(@)()(@)The Terran Confederation cruiser Republic and her small task force of nine ships cleared their hyper wake within a minute of their arrival at the Altair hyperbridge jump point. To the crew's surprise, within minutes of the ship's arrival, the plot blinked with two red icons 2.4 million kilometers away. “There are two ships at the jump point. Both of them match the profile of the ships that escaped Sol,” a CIC rating reported over the intercom as their sensors cleared the dissipating energy discharge and started to get more distant sensor returns. “They are running,” she said flatly. Vectors were projected on the plot. “There is no sign of a hyperdrive charging in either ship at this time,” the tech reported.“Order Tau Chan and Dragonheart to go after them. ROE applies. If the aliens won't surrender they are to take them out,” Captain Saul Bao growled coldly.“With pleasure, sir,” a communications rating replied. (@)()(@)The destroyer Tau Chan's orderly bridge was grimly patient as they hunted down their prey. There was a sense of anticipation, of determination, maybe just a little bit of vengeance in the crew's thinking, Captain Presley reflected as she watched the range fall.She was okay with that. She had the same feelings herself.She wondered why the little ship hadn't tried to jump to hyperspace. Had they considered the option? Or had they tried to throw all of their power at their sublight engines in order to get out of range? It hadn't worked obviously.“We are in firing range, ma'am,” the TO, Lieutenant Raul Hong, reported.“No response to hails,” the ship's A.I. reported. “ROE is clear at your discretion, ma'am.”Captain Chloe Presley nodded thoughtfully to the A.I.'s avatar and then turned to the TO, shifting slightly in her chair to see him at his station. “Do you want to fire now or let them sink a bit better into your basket to make sure you get a clean shot?” the captain asked mildly, arching an eyebrow his way. The TO had the final say in any engagement per protocol.Lieutenant Hong cocked his head then shrugged. “I'd leave them twisting in the wind personally; I don't give a rat's ass how much they suffer. But I want to see how well we can hit a target at range.”“On your order, guns,” the captain said with a nod.The lieutenant nodded once as if to settle himself. “Aye aye, ma'am. All forward gun mounts, target the ship and open fire,” the TO ordered, turning to his section.“Payback's a bitch and so am I,” Captain Presley murmured as her ship hunted her prey down. Her eyes glittered as the weapon turrets tracked and began to spit fire at the fleeing alien ship. Each of the destroyers had four single-barrel weapon turrets on their dorsal and ventral surfaces. They had six point-defense turrets on their flanks along with four missile tubes buried in the bow.A cruiser like Republichad double barrel turrets twice as large. There were six on each surface along with twelve point-defense turrets and twelve missile tubes. She'd seen the new battleships being laid down; they had double and triple turrets as well as twice as many point defense turrets and missile tubes. There was some talk about trying to find a way to shoehorn in specialized turrets, but for the moment missile tubes doubled for offensive missiles as well as counter missiles.She liked Tau Chan; she felt like she had just the right mix of speed and power. The turrets allowed her to fire off bore to some degree, as long as the super structure or the ship's own hull didn't obstruct the firing angle. She would have preferred more decoys and ECM, but one couldn't have everything.At least she wasn't sitting in a fat slow carrier watching someone else do the shooting. Well, she was, she glanced at the TO, but at least Tau Chan was doing the shooting. All a carrier had was point defense turrets anyway. The crew of a carrier were referred to as chauffeurs by many in the battle-line community.She glanced at the plot and then nodded subtly. The range was still long but falling steadily since their ship was faster. She couldn't see the weapons fire normally. Lasers and rail gun rounds were invisible or nearly so in the case of the fast-moving rounds, but Ensign Chan the ship's A.I., also known as TC to some of the crew, had thoughtfully highlighted the weapons fire for her viewing pleasure.“Yeah,” a helmsman muttered as the alien ship bucked and tried to dodge the incoming fire.“Let's make this quick. I want bragging rights with Dragonheart,” the captain urged. “First mount to score a hit gets a scoop of ice cream tonight,” she said.“Aye aye, ma'am,” the TO replied with a nod as he leaned over one of his section tech's chair to look over her shoulder. He murmured orders to her.A moment later the captain was gratified to see a barrage chase the enemy ship until it was boxed by the port turret. One clean shot hit the little ship in her stern, just above the drive thrusters. A second hit made her buck and her shields fluttered and then went out. A third hit near her dorsal surface made the ship falter and then her drives cut out. Tau Chan'sstarboard turrets walked their fire into the stern of the ship after that. After a moment, the concentrated fire tore the little ship apart.There was only a little satisfaction in killing a ship that was running from her and couldn't fight back. But there was absolutely no guilt whatsoever Chloe thought as she heard the bridge cheer lustily.“Good shooting, guns, damn good work,” the captain said as the crew cheered. The cheers settled down after a moment; within thirty seconds they were back to their normal professionalism.The captain turned to a rating. “Com, send a report to Republic. Let them know the target has been destroyed, and we will scan it before returning to our station.”“Aye aye, ma'am.”“And raise Dragonheart. I want to razz Captain Brenslaw,” the captain said maliciously as she rubbed her hands together.The TO shook his head and chuckled.(@)()(@)
So, I'll be publishing sooner than expected. As in most likely tomorrow!
Here is a snippet anyway:
November, 2236
The crews of the two Tauren dispatch ships did their best to keep their small ships functional as their ships’ Alpha bulls tried to figure out what to do. They'd had plenty of time to discuss the situation, but they had not come up with a solution of their dilemma. The two ships were trapped in a sector of space unfamiliar to them. Their flagship's navigational database had carried the full star charts of the galaxy. Unfortunately, the flagship and the rest of their task force had been blown into clouds of dust and debris in the alien home herd star system several weeks away.Their ships had been in the rear of the fleet and had managed to escape. They had burned a lot of fuel to get to the alien world and more fuel in their escape. They had enough fuel for a couple of short jumps and then they would be utterly helpless. Neither ship had enough fuel for the long hyperbridge journey back to their home even if they knew where to start the journey at.“Hyperspace emergence!” a technician on duty reported over the ship's intercom.The ship's Alpha bull woke blearily and then stumbled onto the bridge. “Report?” he demanded.“A hyperspace emergence.”“Vector?” the ship's Alpha demanded. He was unkempt having just woken. Many of his crew looked slovenly. He saw the tech's ears flatten and then look at the plot. The ship's Alpha followed that line of gaze reluctantly to see the emergence point and a projected backtrack of their vector.“Never mind,” he muttered. “I can see it for myself.”“What do we do?” the tech asked quietly.“We run. Fast,” the ship's Alpha bull said as he took his seat with a sinking heart. He was fairly certain they wouldn't be able to run far or fast enough.(@)()(@)The Terran Confederation cruiser Republic and her small task force of nine ships cleared their hyper wake within a minute of their arrival at the Altair hyperbridge jump point. To the crew's surprise, within minutes of the ship's arrival, the plot blinked with two red icons 2.4 million kilometers away. “There are two ships at the jump point. Both of them match the profile of the ships that escaped Sol,” a CIC rating reported over the intercom as their sensors cleared the dissipating energy discharge and started to get more distant sensor returns. “They are running,” she said flatly. Vectors were projected on the plot. “There is no sign of a hyperdrive charging in either ship at this time,” the tech reported.“Order Tau Chan and Dragonheart to go after them. ROE applies. If the aliens won't surrender they are to take them out,” Captain Saul Bao growled coldly.“With pleasure, sir,” a communications rating replied. (@)()(@)The destroyer Tau Chan's orderly bridge was grimly patient as they hunted down their prey. There was a sense of anticipation, of determination, maybe just a little bit of vengeance in the crew's thinking, Captain Presley reflected as she watched the range fall.She was okay with that. She had the same feelings herself.She wondered why the little ship hadn't tried to jump to hyperspace. Had they considered the option? Or had they tried to throw all of their power at their sublight engines in order to get out of range? It hadn't worked obviously.“We are in firing range, ma'am,” the TO, Lieutenant Raul Hong, reported.“No response to hails,” the ship's A.I. reported. “ROE is clear at your discretion, ma'am.”Captain Chloe Presley nodded thoughtfully to the A.I.'s avatar and then turned to the TO, shifting slightly in her chair to see him at his station. “Do you want to fire now or let them sink a bit better into your basket to make sure you get a clean shot?” the captain asked mildly, arching an eyebrow his way. The TO had the final say in any engagement per protocol.Lieutenant Hong cocked his head then shrugged. “I'd leave them twisting in the wind personally; I don't give a rat's ass how much they suffer. But I want to see how well we can hit a target at range.”“On your order, guns,” the captain said with a nod.The lieutenant nodded once as if to settle himself. “Aye aye, ma'am. All forward gun mounts, target the ship and open fire,” the TO ordered, turning to his section.“Payback's a bitch and so am I,” Captain Presley murmured as her ship hunted her prey down. Her eyes glittered as the weapon turrets tracked and began to spit fire at the fleeing alien ship. Each of the destroyers had four single-barrel weapon turrets on their dorsal and ventral surfaces. They had six point-defense turrets on their flanks along with four missile tubes buried in the bow.A cruiser like Republichad double barrel turrets twice as large. There were six on each surface along with twelve point-defense turrets and twelve missile tubes. She'd seen the new battleships being laid down; they had double and triple turrets as well as twice as many point defense turrets and missile tubes. There was some talk about trying to find a way to shoehorn in specialized turrets, but for the moment missile tubes doubled for offensive missiles as well as counter missiles.She liked Tau Chan; she felt like she had just the right mix of speed and power. The turrets allowed her to fire off bore to some degree, as long as the super structure or the ship's own hull didn't obstruct the firing angle. She would have preferred more decoys and ECM, but one couldn't have everything.At least she wasn't sitting in a fat slow carrier watching someone else do the shooting. Well, she was, she glanced at the TO, but at least Tau Chan was doing the shooting. All a carrier had was point defense turrets anyway. The crew of a carrier were referred to as chauffeurs by many in the battle-line community.She glanced at the plot and then nodded subtly. The range was still long but falling steadily since their ship was faster. She couldn't see the weapons fire normally. Lasers and rail gun rounds were invisible or nearly so in the case of the fast-moving rounds, but Ensign Chan the ship's A.I., also known as TC to some of the crew, had thoughtfully highlighted the weapons fire for her viewing pleasure.“Yeah,” a helmsman muttered as the alien ship bucked and tried to dodge the incoming fire.“Let's make this quick. I want bragging rights with Dragonheart,” the captain urged. “First mount to score a hit gets a scoop of ice cream tonight,” she said.“Aye aye, ma'am,” the TO replied with a nod as he leaned over one of his section tech's chair to look over her shoulder. He murmured orders to her.A moment later the captain was gratified to see a barrage chase the enemy ship until it was boxed by the port turret. One clean shot hit the little ship in her stern, just above the drive thrusters. A second hit made her buck and her shields fluttered and then went out. A third hit near her dorsal surface made the ship falter and then her drives cut out. Tau Chan'sstarboard turrets walked their fire into the stern of the ship after that. After a moment, the concentrated fire tore the little ship apart.There was only a little satisfaction in killing a ship that was running from her and couldn't fight back. But there was absolutely no guilt whatsoever Chloe thought as she heard the bridge cheer lustily.“Good shooting, guns, damn good work,” the captain said as the crew cheered. The cheers settled down after a moment; within thirty seconds they were back to their normal professionalism.The captain turned to a rating. “Com, send a report to Republic. Let them know the target has been destroyed, and we will scan it before returning to our station.”“Aye aye, ma'am.”“And raise Dragonheart. I want to razz Captain Brenslaw,” the captain said maliciously as she rubbed her hands together.The TO shook his head and chuckled.(@)()(@)
April 6, 2017
Waking the Sleeping Giant
Okay, here is the cover first off. I've been sitting on it long enough:
The ships are from CGtrader.com this time. I modified them only slightly. For the record, that is a Tauren warship taking a torpedo strike from the fighters and bombers you see. It was an interesting scene to make. I was even tempted to animate it again.
BTW: I got the manuscript back from Rea Monday. I've been so wrapped up in other things I haven't made much progress finishing adding the remaining front/back matter. That is very unusual for me I admit. For that matter I've got a specific Court-Martial scene in mind for the sneak peak... but it is only partially written!
Speaking of CM, a sitrep: Okay, now that things are relatively back to normal (As normal as it gets here, though my landlord is still coming around daily to paint and make messes) I've been getting into writing Court-Martial. 3 out of order chapters in act I have been completed as of today, however I hit a snag a moment ago. Upon review I realized I goofed up the first 2-3 chapters and now I need to do a bit of a rewrite, so I'm in a funk/fudge about that.
In other news, I made some print project progress. The T-Rex skeleton (all 27 inches!) I've judged complete and I've put it away for now. I'll try to remember to get a photo sometime, though I admit, my phone is acting up. I've also called Tychus and Raynor done, though I need to mount them to the stand I printed and painted. I still need to finish Lieutenant Morales and paint her and the quinjet, anthro cat, and others as well.
1 printer is idle, but the other has been taken over with projects for dad. lol. He's run out of room in the curio cabinet and has asked me to print truss shelves like I did for my Zoids and print projects. I've been doing that all week.
FYI: I have not gotten around to the Jethro figures yet either. That is going to require me learning to airbrush, and taking the time to do it. Not to mention space to do it in. We're still working on that.
I'll keep you posted when Waking the Sleeping Giant is off to Goodlifeguide and when I expect to get it back. I'd like to publish by Easter, but it isn't all up to me, and the longer I take to get it to her, the less chance it will happen I admit.
The next blog posts will be snippets from that book. :)
The ships are from CGtrader.com this time. I modified them only slightly. For the record, that is a Tauren warship taking a torpedo strike from the fighters and bombers you see. It was an interesting scene to make. I was even tempted to animate it again.BTW: I got the manuscript back from Rea Monday. I've been so wrapped up in other things I haven't made much progress finishing adding the remaining front/back matter. That is very unusual for me I admit. For that matter I've got a specific Court-Martial scene in mind for the sneak peak... but it is only partially written!
Speaking of CM, a sitrep: Okay, now that things are relatively back to normal (As normal as it gets here, though my landlord is still coming around daily to paint and make messes) I've been getting into writing Court-Martial. 3 out of order chapters in act I have been completed as of today, however I hit a snag a moment ago. Upon review I realized I goofed up the first 2-3 chapters and now I need to do a bit of a rewrite, so I'm in a funk/fudge about that.
In other news, I made some print project progress. The T-Rex skeleton (all 27 inches!) I've judged complete and I've put it away for now. I'll try to remember to get a photo sometime, though I admit, my phone is acting up. I've also called Tychus and Raynor done, though I need to mount them to the stand I printed and painted. I still need to finish Lieutenant Morales and paint her and the quinjet, anthro cat, and others as well.
1 printer is idle, but the other has been taken over with projects for dad. lol. He's run out of room in the curio cabinet and has asked me to print truss shelves like I did for my Zoids and print projects. I've been doing that all week.
FYI: I have not gotten around to the Jethro figures yet either. That is going to require me learning to airbrush, and taking the time to do it. Not to mention space to do it in. We're still working on that.
I'll keep you posted when Waking the Sleeping Giant is off to Goodlifeguide and when I expect to get it back. I'd like to publish by Easter, but it isn't all up to me, and the longer I take to get it to her, the less chance it will happen I admit.
The next blog posts will be snippets from that book. :)
March 1, 2017
Desperate Defense is publishing... NOW!
Ayeyup, I just got it from Goodlifeguide.com. :)
After the terrible A.I. war Terrankind had begun to move out to the stars. But, the void between stars can harbor unseen dangers. Jack Lagroose has settled in as Governor of the Eden colony. But, when a survey ship comes in with a warning of being attacked, he has to martial the colonists to find a way to defend themselves should the aliens find them.
In Sol, Terrans are slowly rebuilding from the war when the survey ship returns to spread the warning. Consternation and disbelief hit the population like a wave. Some people are determined to put up a last ditch defense by forming a volunteer navy while others do everything in their power to undermine them.
But the aliens do not care. They are coming, relentlessly...
I am psyched you folks will finally get to see how the Confederation (and eventually the Federation) navy is formed, plus a few lingering questions will get their just due. :)
I just finished with Amazon and Nook, I need to go back to Amazon to explore the print option and see if it is viable. I'll keep you posted with links when I see them up. :)
After the terrible A.I. war Terrankind had begun to move out to the stars. But, the void between stars can harbor unseen dangers. Jack Lagroose has settled in as Governor of the Eden colony. But, when a survey ship comes in with a warning of being attacked, he has to martial the colonists to find a way to defend themselves should the aliens find them.
In Sol, Terrans are slowly rebuilding from the war when the survey ship returns to spread the warning. Consternation and disbelief hit the population like a wave. Some people are determined to put up a last ditch defense by forming a volunteer navy while others do everything in their power to undermine them.
But the aliens do not care. They are coming, relentlessly...
I am psyched you folks will finally get to see how the Confederation (and eventually the Federation) navy is formed, plus a few lingering questions will get their just due. :)
I just finished with Amazon and Nook, I need to go back to Amazon to explore the print option and see if it is viable. I'll keep you posted with links when I see them up. :)
Desperate Defense Snippet 3
Okay, Sitrep: I'm in Act III of Waking the Sleeping Giant. I've slowed my pace from 2 chapters a day to 1 to contend with the various stuff going on. I've sent the 2nd act to Wayne. If any of the Betas want the first act or both of act 1-2 let me know in an email. (that includes you too Duncan!)
I'm starting to run down on some of the print projects now that I've got 2 printers. (Not even close actually, but some of the easier stuff is moving faster than expected) I have a lot of projects that need to be cleaned up and painted. For the moment they are in ziplock bags, so they'll keep. :)
I've got an animatronic part printing in 1 printer, it just finished, and a Quinjet printing in the other. Should be fun, if the gray filament holds up. (it doesn't like to melt right sometimes)
I want to get into my animatronics and robotics projects more, but some parts I have to model from scratch, and I need to clean and test fit the parts I have printed already. I keep printing spare parts to keep up, but I don't know if they'll work or if I'll need to modify them! GRR.
I also discovered using metal hardware triples the weight of the project easily. (just 6 nuts and 6 bolts did that!) I'm not sure if I like that or not so I have an alternative idea in mind. I wanted to go with the hardware since I could just buy it. (Which I did) Now though, I might have to print a lot of it to save weight.
Also: I'm debating on trying to convert one of my models. I've just discovered the dubious joys of making a model from scratch and printing it. Getting the polygon normals to align is a pain in the rump for instance. The Align Normals function in Cinema doesn't work like it should, and I haven't figured out Meshlab or Sketchup. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to try that with say, Jethro, a marine in armor, or one of the ships. I made many of those models without printing in mind, so there are holes and such. It would take hours or an entire day or more to clean 1 of the complex models up, let alone all of them.
Also, I've found that importing stuff from Daz3D is hit or miss. They also have holes since the models weren't intended for printing originally. They also have polygon normal alignment issues.
Lol, I just wrote 6 pages in 45 minutes, wrapping up chapter 29 and part of chapters 30-31. Here I am, trying to take a break to let me hands get their circulation back and I'm still typing! Gah! (wringing hands out)
Okay, on to the snippet, still in chapter 1, picking up where we left off:
The colony ship was well prepared to move personnel in job lots in a hurry it seemed. As soon as they woke, they were checked out in a line by the ship's medics and then hustled to the shuttle bays. There they were loaded on board for the drop to the planet.There were four great big shuttles to land the passengers, 500 people per shuttle. Their cargo and baggage came down on two great cargo shuttles at a slightly less rushed pace. Before the first passenger shuttle debarked from the ship the two cargo shuttles had already been loaded and dropped.Jack shook his head. Most likely the shuttles had been loaded before they'd even dropped out of hyperspace. If they could have gotten away with it, they would have done the same for the passengers. Suddenly the space station they were building in orbit seemed too small.Oh well, they'd have to figure it out. Or let the ships deal with the drop. There was no way he was going to try to buy one of those colossal shuttles. The maintenance alone, parts … he shook his head.One thing the station was good for was the transfer of fuel and water to the ship, which meant the shuttles didn't have to be reconfigured on the ground to carry containers up to the ship. The ship would take on both as well as life support materials and offload any toxic materials for recycling once the passengers were cleared.Jack watched to be sure that the process was running smoothly. Every hour and a half a shuttle landed with personnel. By the time the sleepy stumbling passengers had been debarked, the next shuttle was coming down. The ground crew refueled the shuttle during the debarking, did a quick service check before the shuttle taxied to the runway just ahead of the next shuttle lining up for a final approach.“Smooth as silk, I'll have to give them credit for that,” he murmured.The only time the shuttles stopped was for a mandatory downtime shift to run a full maintenance cycle after every four drops. He heartily approved of that. He'd heard a couple of colonies had lost passengers in shuttle accidents. He didn't want to see the same here on his world. The people coming in deserved a proper greeting and chance at a fresh start, not a final ending.Jack used his implants to check the video feeds in the terminal. Some of the passengers didn't have their legs under them quite yet; they had to be assisted. Everyone had to run the gauntlet he'd set up however, so there was a bit of exasperation and testiness mixed with bottled-up anticipation. A lot of people spent time looking longingly out the glass, viewing windows to beautiful horizon beyond. Jack saw a familiar face with a ponytail and perversely tapped the nearest microphone and video feed to see her. Menolly was in line with the other medics to take charge and check each of the passengers over. “We're just following procedure. Just be patient,” she kept saying as they went through the checkup for each person.Jack snorted. One hundred drops to offload all of the passengers. Actually, a hundred and ten since some of the seats had been taken by crew coming down on shore leave after the first day he noted. All of the incoming colonists were former Lagroose employees or major shareholders. Some of them had traded their retirement benefits for a shot at coming to the colony. He already knew that a few thought everything would be set up for them; there was a growing line at the question booth. He shook his head. Some of the people didn't understand they would still need to employ themselves to feed, house, and clothe themselves. Those who were put out protested of course; he could see a couple people gesticulating wildly. Fortunately, Alan and a couple of his deputies were on hand to keep things in line.He sighed heavily. He knew he'd catch flack for the next month or so. The worst ones were the wheedling ones who didn't bother to bluster. The whiners he could do without too. Eventually they'd fall in line he knew; it would just take time.“Sir, your ten o'clock is here. But you've got two additional people who insist on seeing you today,” Jasmine said over the intercom.“Okay,” Jack said as he cut the feed and looked up as his door opened. “Marcello, right?” he asked as he rose from his seat and extended his hand.“Yes, Governor, sir,” the Neoorangutan said with a nod as he ambled in. “I'd like to talk to you about the forests. I'm a bit concerned about the logging you've allowed to start up in some areas …”~~*^*~~
I'm starting to run down on some of the print projects now that I've got 2 printers. (Not even close actually, but some of the easier stuff is moving faster than expected) I have a lot of projects that need to be cleaned up and painted. For the moment they are in ziplock bags, so they'll keep. :)
I've got an animatronic part printing in 1 printer, it just finished, and a Quinjet printing in the other. Should be fun, if the gray filament holds up. (it doesn't like to melt right sometimes)
I want to get into my animatronics and robotics projects more, but some parts I have to model from scratch, and I need to clean and test fit the parts I have printed already. I keep printing spare parts to keep up, but I don't know if they'll work or if I'll need to modify them! GRR.
I also discovered using metal hardware triples the weight of the project easily. (just 6 nuts and 6 bolts did that!) I'm not sure if I like that or not so I have an alternative idea in mind. I wanted to go with the hardware since I could just buy it. (Which I did) Now though, I might have to print a lot of it to save weight.
Also: I'm debating on trying to convert one of my models. I've just discovered the dubious joys of making a model from scratch and printing it. Getting the polygon normals to align is a pain in the rump for instance. The Align Normals function in Cinema doesn't work like it should, and I haven't figured out Meshlab or Sketchup. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to try that with say, Jethro, a marine in armor, or one of the ships. I made many of those models without printing in mind, so there are holes and such. It would take hours or an entire day or more to clean 1 of the complex models up, let alone all of them.
Also, I've found that importing stuff from Daz3D is hit or miss. They also have holes since the models weren't intended for printing originally. They also have polygon normal alignment issues.
Lol, I just wrote 6 pages in 45 minutes, wrapping up chapter 29 and part of chapters 30-31. Here I am, trying to take a break to let me hands get their circulation back and I'm still typing! Gah! (wringing hands out)
Okay, on to the snippet, still in chapter 1, picking up where we left off:
The colony ship was well prepared to move personnel in job lots in a hurry it seemed. As soon as they woke, they were checked out in a line by the ship's medics and then hustled to the shuttle bays. There they were loaded on board for the drop to the planet.There were four great big shuttles to land the passengers, 500 people per shuttle. Their cargo and baggage came down on two great cargo shuttles at a slightly less rushed pace. Before the first passenger shuttle debarked from the ship the two cargo shuttles had already been loaded and dropped.Jack shook his head. Most likely the shuttles had been loaded before they'd even dropped out of hyperspace. If they could have gotten away with it, they would have done the same for the passengers. Suddenly the space station they were building in orbit seemed too small.Oh well, they'd have to figure it out. Or let the ships deal with the drop. There was no way he was going to try to buy one of those colossal shuttles. The maintenance alone, parts … he shook his head.One thing the station was good for was the transfer of fuel and water to the ship, which meant the shuttles didn't have to be reconfigured on the ground to carry containers up to the ship. The ship would take on both as well as life support materials and offload any toxic materials for recycling once the passengers were cleared.Jack watched to be sure that the process was running smoothly. Every hour and a half a shuttle landed with personnel. By the time the sleepy stumbling passengers had been debarked, the next shuttle was coming down. The ground crew refueled the shuttle during the debarking, did a quick service check before the shuttle taxied to the runway just ahead of the next shuttle lining up for a final approach.“Smooth as silk, I'll have to give them credit for that,” he murmured.The only time the shuttles stopped was for a mandatory downtime shift to run a full maintenance cycle after every four drops. He heartily approved of that. He'd heard a couple of colonies had lost passengers in shuttle accidents. He didn't want to see the same here on his world. The people coming in deserved a proper greeting and chance at a fresh start, not a final ending.Jack used his implants to check the video feeds in the terminal. Some of the passengers didn't have their legs under them quite yet; they had to be assisted. Everyone had to run the gauntlet he'd set up however, so there was a bit of exasperation and testiness mixed with bottled-up anticipation. A lot of people spent time looking longingly out the glass, viewing windows to beautiful horizon beyond. Jack saw a familiar face with a ponytail and perversely tapped the nearest microphone and video feed to see her. Menolly was in line with the other medics to take charge and check each of the passengers over. “We're just following procedure. Just be patient,” she kept saying as they went through the checkup for each person.Jack snorted. One hundred drops to offload all of the passengers. Actually, a hundred and ten since some of the seats had been taken by crew coming down on shore leave after the first day he noted. All of the incoming colonists were former Lagroose employees or major shareholders. Some of them had traded their retirement benefits for a shot at coming to the colony. He already knew that a few thought everything would be set up for them; there was a growing line at the question booth. He shook his head. Some of the people didn't understand they would still need to employ themselves to feed, house, and clothe themselves. Those who were put out protested of course; he could see a couple people gesticulating wildly. Fortunately, Alan and a couple of his deputies were on hand to keep things in line.He sighed heavily. He knew he'd catch flack for the next month or so. The worst ones were the wheedling ones who didn't bother to bluster. The whiners he could do without too. Eventually they'd fall in line he knew; it would just take time.“Sir, your ten o'clock is here. But you've got two additional people who insist on seeing you today,” Jasmine said over the intercom.“Okay,” Jack said as he cut the feed and looked up as his door opened. “Marcello, right?” he asked as he rose from his seat and extended his hand.“Yes, Governor, sir,” the Neoorangutan said with a nod as he ambled in. “I'd like to talk to you about the forests. I'm a bit concerned about the logging you've allowed to start up in some areas …”~~*^*~~
February 25, 2017
Desperate Defense Snippet 2
First off, the usual sitrep:
I finished the rough out of Act II of Waking the Sleeping Giant yesterday, despite the insanity going on all week... and today. I'll be lucky if I can get a sentence in today. :)
Also, Goodlifeguide.com put DD in the queue and told me it will be back in my hands by March 7 or sooner. So, just letting you know. :)
I just ordered an airbrush a moment ago. I've wanted one for 20+ years. Hopefully I can figure it out. It should be fun.
On to the snippet!
Still in chapter 1:
Jack, Max, and Menolly remained quiet as they returned to town. Jack looked over to see Max with his head out the window as usual, enjoying the breeze. He snorted. Menolly saw where he was looking, shook her head, then her left hand caught his right and squeezed.A few minutes later, he pulled the truck up to the hospital's front door and insisted on opening the door for his wife. Menolly murmured he didn't have to, but they both knew she liked it when he was a gentleman. She ducked her head as she dimpled and then ran a hand over his chest. He pulled her in for a hug and then kissed her goodbye. “See you after work?” he asked teasingly, already knowing the answer.She smiled to him. “Don't be late,” she accused, shaking her finger under his nose to him.He was tempted to snap at the finger but instead held his hands up in supplication. “I'll behave. Him though,” he indicated Max.“That goes for you too. And you can keep him honest fur face.” Max whined at her, then nodded. “Right. No chasing rabbits and you better not come home all muddy again. If I have to give you another bath, I'll use the lye soap, bub,” she growled, turning to shake her finger at him.He gave her his best puppy expression.“I mean it. Stay away from porcupines, and this time stay away from skunks!” she scolded.Max rolled his eyes but nodded emphatically at that order. Once was more than enough for that experience, plus the cleanup afterward.~~*^*~~Jack returned to the colony's administration building almost reluctantly. After passing through security on the way to his office, he snagged a cup of coffee. He caught a doughnut from an unguarded box on his personal assistant's desk. He saluted Jasmine with it in passing when she looked up to protest. She opened her mouth to protest, then shook her head repressively.Max took a sniff of the box, but Jasmine's growl made him back off hastily. Jack shucked his jacket and tossed it on the coat rack, then flopped into his chair. He quickly worked through the basic inbox and then checked on the thing that really mattered.He had already gotten a download of his mail and had gotten hourly implant updates about the incoming ship. It only took a moment to scan the latest report about the incoming colony ship. She was the Susan Constant, one of the latest Lagroose ships built by his son on her maiden voyage. Captain Ed Siever was her skipper and had already sent seven emails to his inbox.It boiled down to the usual; the captain wanted a fast turnaround. Jack shook his head and checked the latest video. He watched it patiently, taking notes. “Everyone had been medically cleared in Sol before we took them on board. We can transmit their clearances when we are in orbit,” the captain offered.Jack hit the pause and then recorded his response.“We're still going to check everyone, including your crew. We don't know if they have a bug that our people don't have. The last thing we need is another influenza outbreak,” Jack said with a growl. “We have had that twice already. I've made it clear we will not accept any colonists unless they both pass medical muster and have signed the Pyrax charter.”He finished recording a few of his notes and then sent it off to be transmitted.He puttered around with minor emails and such before he got the captain's response ten minutes later. Jack hit play and then watched the man. The captain grimaced but then nodded. “Understood. I know it was in the general orders, but …,” the captain waved a hand. “We'll do anything we can to make this transition as quick and smooth as possible.”Jack nodded and recorded a second response. “We'll transmit our medical history to you as well. No sense your people picking up a locally-brewed bug during shore leave either,” Jack said, relenting a bit. When he got a response back, he was amused. The captain's image blinked and then nodded. “We'll have inoculations ready. Now, about the ship's resupply. Obviously, we need fuel and provisions; fresh provisions would be nice. We'd need to check everything, no offense, but they need to be cleared of bugs and be safe for consumption,” the captain said.Jack leaned back and nodded to himself.“We have an authorization for payment from the company. I understand there is an issue there,” the captain said. “So, we also have credits and some trade goods we can offer if the authorization isn't acceptable,” he stated flatly.It damn well wasn't, Jack thought with a sour growl. Max looked up from where he'd been reading his tablet. Jack flicked his fingers for him to ignore him. Max flicked his ears and then went back to his reading.Wendy had gotten cute when he'd begun to offer resupply on his end. The new ships hadn't expected it so they hadn't had anything to pay for it. He hadn't charged port fees, though he'd been tempted. What he'd accepted was an IOU.And that was where Wendy had screwed him. Since they hadn't had an agreement in advance, she refused payment. She'd also stiffed him on the bill for the crew's shore leave. So, he'd refused fuel for the next ship to come in. He'd ended up negotiating a deal for a bit of fresh provisions from the crew, but they had been a bit put out over not getting what they wanted.They'd returned to Sol with instructions from him to Athena and others to work on banking issues. The third ship that had come had brought along bank authorization files. The crew had been debited for their charges on the planet. The debits had been encrypted and sent to Sol's banking aboard their own ship. Credits had come back on the following ship and so on. It was tedious and slow, but it was at least a functional economic exchange. Having Athena in his corner helped immensely. When she died … his thoughts slithered to a halt briefly. Even after eight years, her “death” still bothered him. He'd thought of her as immortal. He shook himself and then brought himself back on track.Getting repayment for the fuel and provisions had been a bit tougher, but he'd finally worked that deal out. But that was when he'd run into another issue, Wendy had retaliated when he'd tried to order equipment and goods from Sol. She'd charged him a premium on shipping the freight, plus all sorts of handling fees. Since only Lagroose ships had the data to get to Pyrax, she had him over a barrel.Which meant he learned to buy data as much as possible. She hadn't started to charge him for the mail services or data transfer … yet.He didn't like the tit for tat between himself and his daughter, but it was what it was. Apparently, time nor distance had cooled her ire for him and his method of departure. To be scrupulously fair, he still hadn't forgiven her for her coup either.He dickered a bit with the captain on the resupply until they both got bored with the process and passed it on to the ship's cargo master and Jack's spaceport manager. He decided to let them hash out the final details now that he and the captain had a basic understanding.“I miss Castill,” Jack said to Max when the calls ended. “They couldn't carry as much people and weren't in a hurry to get home. This guy … I bet he gets paid a bonus to move people like freight,” he said with a shake of his head.~~*^*~~
I finished the rough out of Act II of Waking the Sleeping Giant yesterday, despite the insanity going on all week... and today. I'll be lucky if I can get a sentence in today. :)
Also, Goodlifeguide.com put DD in the queue and told me it will be back in my hands by March 7 or sooner. So, just letting you know. :)
I just ordered an airbrush a moment ago. I've wanted one for 20+ years. Hopefully I can figure it out. It should be fun.
On to the snippet!
Still in chapter 1:
Jack, Max, and Menolly remained quiet as they returned to town. Jack looked over to see Max with his head out the window as usual, enjoying the breeze. He snorted. Menolly saw where he was looking, shook her head, then her left hand caught his right and squeezed.A few minutes later, he pulled the truck up to the hospital's front door and insisted on opening the door for his wife. Menolly murmured he didn't have to, but they both knew she liked it when he was a gentleman. She ducked her head as she dimpled and then ran a hand over his chest. He pulled her in for a hug and then kissed her goodbye. “See you after work?” he asked teasingly, already knowing the answer.She smiled to him. “Don't be late,” she accused, shaking her finger under his nose to him.He was tempted to snap at the finger but instead held his hands up in supplication. “I'll behave. Him though,” he indicated Max.“That goes for you too. And you can keep him honest fur face.” Max whined at her, then nodded. “Right. No chasing rabbits and you better not come home all muddy again. If I have to give you another bath, I'll use the lye soap, bub,” she growled, turning to shake her finger at him.He gave her his best puppy expression.“I mean it. Stay away from porcupines, and this time stay away from skunks!” she scolded.Max rolled his eyes but nodded emphatically at that order. Once was more than enough for that experience, plus the cleanup afterward.~~*^*~~Jack returned to the colony's administration building almost reluctantly. After passing through security on the way to his office, he snagged a cup of coffee. He caught a doughnut from an unguarded box on his personal assistant's desk. He saluted Jasmine with it in passing when she looked up to protest. She opened her mouth to protest, then shook her head repressively.Max took a sniff of the box, but Jasmine's growl made him back off hastily. Jack shucked his jacket and tossed it on the coat rack, then flopped into his chair. He quickly worked through the basic inbox and then checked on the thing that really mattered.He had already gotten a download of his mail and had gotten hourly implant updates about the incoming ship. It only took a moment to scan the latest report about the incoming colony ship. She was the Susan Constant, one of the latest Lagroose ships built by his son on her maiden voyage. Captain Ed Siever was her skipper and had already sent seven emails to his inbox.It boiled down to the usual; the captain wanted a fast turnaround. Jack shook his head and checked the latest video. He watched it patiently, taking notes. “Everyone had been medically cleared in Sol before we took them on board. We can transmit their clearances when we are in orbit,” the captain offered.Jack hit the pause and then recorded his response.“We're still going to check everyone, including your crew. We don't know if they have a bug that our people don't have. The last thing we need is another influenza outbreak,” Jack said with a growl. “We have had that twice already. I've made it clear we will not accept any colonists unless they both pass medical muster and have signed the Pyrax charter.”He finished recording a few of his notes and then sent it off to be transmitted.He puttered around with minor emails and such before he got the captain's response ten minutes later. Jack hit play and then watched the man. The captain grimaced but then nodded. “Understood. I know it was in the general orders, but …,” the captain waved a hand. “We'll do anything we can to make this transition as quick and smooth as possible.”Jack nodded and recorded a second response. “We'll transmit our medical history to you as well. No sense your people picking up a locally-brewed bug during shore leave either,” Jack said, relenting a bit. When he got a response back, he was amused. The captain's image blinked and then nodded. “We'll have inoculations ready. Now, about the ship's resupply. Obviously, we need fuel and provisions; fresh provisions would be nice. We'd need to check everything, no offense, but they need to be cleared of bugs and be safe for consumption,” the captain said.Jack leaned back and nodded to himself.“We have an authorization for payment from the company. I understand there is an issue there,” the captain said. “So, we also have credits and some trade goods we can offer if the authorization isn't acceptable,” he stated flatly.It damn well wasn't, Jack thought with a sour growl. Max looked up from where he'd been reading his tablet. Jack flicked his fingers for him to ignore him. Max flicked his ears and then went back to his reading.Wendy had gotten cute when he'd begun to offer resupply on his end. The new ships hadn't expected it so they hadn't had anything to pay for it. He hadn't charged port fees, though he'd been tempted. What he'd accepted was an IOU.And that was where Wendy had screwed him. Since they hadn't had an agreement in advance, she refused payment. She'd also stiffed him on the bill for the crew's shore leave. So, he'd refused fuel for the next ship to come in. He'd ended up negotiating a deal for a bit of fresh provisions from the crew, but they had been a bit put out over not getting what they wanted.They'd returned to Sol with instructions from him to Athena and others to work on banking issues. The third ship that had come had brought along bank authorization files. The crew had been debited for their charges on the planet. The debits had been encrypted and sent to Sol's banking aboard their own ship. Credits had come back on the following ship and so on. It was tedious and slow, but it was at least a functional economic exchange. Having Athena in his corner helped immensely. When she died … his thoughts slithered to a halt briefly. Even after eight years, her “death” still bothered him. He'd thought of her as immortal. He shook himself and then brought himself back on track.Getting repayment for the fuel and provisions had been a bit tougher, but he'd finally worked that deal out. But that was when he'd run into another issue, Wendy had retaliated when he'd tried to order equipment and goods from Sol. She'd charged him a premium on shipping the freight, plus all sorts of handling fees. Since only Lagroose ships had the data to get to Pyrax, she had him over a barrel.Which meant he learned to buy data as much as possible. She hadn't started to charge him for the mail services or data transfer … yet.He didn't like the tit for tat between himself and his daughter, but it was what it was. Apparently, time nor distance had cooled her ire for him and his method of departure. To be scrupulously fair, he still hadn't forgiven her for her coup either.He dickered a bit with the captain on the resupply until they both got bored with the process and passed it on to the ship's cargo master and Jack's spaceport manager. He decided to let them hash out the final details now that he and the captain had a basic understanding.“I miss Castill,” Jack said to Max when the calls ended. “They couldn't carry as much people and weren't in a hurry to get home. This guy … I bet he gets paid a bonus to move people like freight,” he said with a shake of his head.~~*^*~~
February 20, 2017
Desperate Defense Snippet 1
Okay, first up, Sitrep:
I am 21 chapters into Waking the Sleeping Giant. (In other words I'm half way done the book, past the first Act) Progress is about to slow however, I have family and stuff happening all this week. :P
Also, Rea got DD back to me today. I've added the TOC and stuff and sent it off to Goodlifeguide.com for final formatting. I've got my fingers crossed I'll get it back by the end of the month.
If you haven't noticed, Ransom, Wayne, and I think Duncan have been having fun at the Wiki. They've done some really good work updating it. Check it out!
http://federation-datanet.wikia.com/wiki/Federation_AI_Historical_Datanet_Wiki
If you'd like to lend a hand, let them know. I'm sure they'd love the help!
I'm still printing stuff, with 2 printers I've worked through a lot of projects faster than I expected, but not without some hiccups along the way. Yesterday sucked, a full day of printing and only 1 item turned out half as expected, everything else was junk. I hate days like that.
I've got a lot of stuff I want to print, but the stuff I'm making I've had to hold off. Some of it is because I'm still learning how to deal with the holes. The software has a fit about normals, the orientation has to be perfect. Even when I get it right sometimes it doesn't like it. It also doesn't like it when I add pieces together. Mechmaster has recommended I try Meshlab. I downloaded it, but I haven't given it a shot yet.
My foot is getting better for those of you in the know. The swelling is almost gone and the bruise is mostly faded. It is still painful to touch though. The family is after me to get it checked but I'm too pig headed. :D
I've considered a go-fund me page again. I'm putting that off as usual. I'd love to do that for donations but then I'd feel like I need to do something more to earn it. I've had a few of the betas and fans suggest it, especially for projects like videos, games, 3D models, comics, and such. But if I got into all of that I wouldn't be writing!
Believe me, it is so tempting to pick up the new Facegen Pro program from Daz3D and use it. I've tried other freeware programs like it over the years. I'd get a kick putting someone's face in a 3D model... and maybe printing it out. Anyone wanna be a Marine? lol No, I'm not doing it anytime soon but it is tempting!
Okay, on to the snippet!
Chapter 1
August 2232
Planet Eden in the Pyrax Star System
“Such a beautiful world,” Menolly Lagroose murmured as she sat in her husband's arms and looked out across their rustic porch to the setting sun.“Yeah, it is,” her husband murmured as he kissed her on the top of her head. She looked up and smiled at him, aware that he was more interested in what was in his grasp over the view.“Hedonist,” she teased, stirring under the blanket. They'd oriented the porch swing and windows to get that gorgeous view whenever they wished.He snorted and kicked the swing a bit to rock it a bit more. She reached up and wrapped a hand around his head to pull his lips down for a kiss. It was awkward for him, but he didn't complain.“Now who's being hedonistic?” he asked as she released her prey, for the moment.She snorted and poked him, then settled down to look out at the view. “I miss times like this.”“I know. Enjoy it while you can. Once the little one comes …,” he shook his head.“That bad?” she asked softly, clearly amused by him.“Bad enough,” he said as he looked over to a sleeping Max. He shook his head. Despite the rejuv the two of them had undergone while in stasis, Max was aging faster than he should. His muzzle was graying and he was moving slower. The doctors said he had trouble with his hips. He was prone to sleeping more and more.Jack felt for the pooch. The Neodog had been through hell and back with his late son Zack.“Hey,” Menolly murmured, poking him harder.“Wha? Sorry,” he said, blinking and looking down at her.“Don't get maudlin on me, bub,” she warned.“Am I that obvious?” he asked as he stroked her hair and shoulder with his free hand. The other arm was currently in use as her pillow.“To me and to those close to you,” she murmured.“Sorry.”“No, you aren't. But I'll forgive you if you behave.”Jack opened his mouth to say that he would, but he saw Max snort and then flick his ears and tail. “Shut up you,” he growled, looking over to the dog.Menolly looked up at him in surprise, a little hurt, but then saw who he was looking at. She turned to look at Max. “Playing possum?” she asked.“Something like that,” Jack grumbled just as Alan called.“Duty calls or at least Alan,” Jack sighed.“It was inevitable. I wish he'd wait until Monday, but he's probably got something cooking,” Menolly said as she let him up. She stretched and then smirked a little as she saw her husband's admiring gaze. “Like what you see?”“Don't I know it!”“Go answer Alan's call. We both know what happened the last time you didn't,” she said, voice darkening as she got up carefully.“Now who's being maudlin?” he accused. She rarely ever brought up those dark times when they'd met.“I'm not. I'm … you know what, never mind,” Menolly said as she padded off sans shoes to the house. The screen door opened. “I'll get dinner started while you get a SITREP.”“I can help,” he protested.“Sure you can. You get the cleanup,” she said with a grin through the screen at him as she went inside.He chuckled, acknowledging his defeat. He saw Max's tail flop a few times.“Don't get cute, bub. You can dry the dishes too,” Jack said as he stretched and opened the call. Max whined just as Alan's voice cleared. “No, you don't get to wash! The last time you did that you licked the plates clean and called it good!” Jack growled. “Hey, Alan,” he said in a different tone of voice as his implants blinked Alan's portrait on his HUD.“Talking to the mutt again I see,” Alan chuckled.“Yeah,” Jack said as he folded the blanket. It had been knitted in town, another local product. It was nice and rustic, with a deer knitted into the center. It wasn't quite perfect, but he was fine with it. Menolly liked it. It wasn't quite as warm as the fleece-lined blankets or their comforter, but it was nice for outside to keep the chill off.“What's up?” he asked as his fingers flicked the blanket into approximate folds and then flipped it over the back of the swing. He was aware Menolly would come out and fold it her way later. She was like that, into little details now that she was pregnant. That and odd cravings, demands for massages, and a bit klutzy. He was still nursing a few bruised toes.At least the morning sickness was over he thought. He'd rarely experienced that with Aurelia and their three kids he thought with a brief pang.“Just thought I'd check in. We've had a minor crime wave, but we caught the culprits. Kids again.”“I see. Well, glad they were caught. Orestes handled it?”“As always, so you don't need to be involved. The families were a bit upset. Two were on record with prior warnings for antics. Kids these days …,” he sniffed.“We all got into some mischief growing up. It's the quiet ones that can get into the most trouble; they get egged into things that frequently sink them over their head. No one was hurt?”“Nope.”“Good,” Jack said with a nod of approval.“We've had thirty births since this morning. A bulk of them are Neos as expected. We've got our own mini baby boom going on it seems, especially in some of the Neo enclaves,” Alan reported.“Just as long as they understand they have to feed and educate those kids. We might need a social services department soon to check in on that.”“Spare me more intrusive government agencies. There is a reason I went to space. And a reason I signed on here,” Sheriff Tupper growled.“Sorry. I'd sic someone else on it, Alan, you know that.”“I do. But my people would be the ones enforcing things.”“If it comes to you, then you know it is going to be serious,” Jack said. “But, we're currently borrowing trouble so let's not go there. Anything else?” he asked in a different tone of voice.“No. Well, yes, we've got another ship coming in.”“That makes number seven?” Jack asked eyebrows up in surprise.“Yes. They transmitted their clearances to us this morning. They've got fifty thousand people on board, Jack,” Alan said.“Well, I'm sure we'll find some place to put them,” Jack said with a shake of his head. He had a team working on prepping for incoming colonists. They had temporary housing in Landing, big apartment complexes, plus additional apartment complexes in some of the other growing cities. Most of the people on the planet liked to spread out on to their own homestead.“Whoops! Gotta go. We've got a claim dispute. Another one … looks like a border dispute. I'll have to send someone out in the morning if I can't resolve it remotely.”“I guess we need to lock that boarder down hard. Send in another survey team?” Jack asked.“I don't know if it will do any good. Someone's bitching that the survey markers have been moved,” Alan said, reading the report out loud. He swore.“We need more GPS in orbit then. Mark the survey with waypoints so no one can get cute like that,” Jack said. “And use identifying markers that they can't move. Like rock formations.”“Right, since some people get cute and cut down trees,” Alan sighed. “Okay, I'm on it.”“We'll be in tomorrow morning,” Jack said as he heard Menolly start to sing softly to herself as she cooked. “But not too early,” he said with a grin.“I know what that means,” Alan chuckled as he hung up.~~*^*~~
~~*^*~~
I am 21 chapters into Waking the Sleeping Giant. (In other words I'm half way done the book, past the first Act) Progress is about to slow however, I have family and stuff happening all this week. :P
Also, Rea got DD back to me today. I've added the TOC and stuff and sent it off to Goodlifeguide.com for final formatting. I've got my fingers crossed I'll get it back by the end of the month.
If you haven't noticed, Ransom, Wayne, and I think Duncan have been having fun at the Wiki. They've done some really good work updating it. Check it out!
http://federation-datanet.wikia.com/wiki/Federation_AI_Historical_Datanet_Wiki
If you'd like to lend a hand, let them know. I'm sure they'd love the help!
I'm still printing stuff, with 2 printers I've worked through a lot of projects faster than I expected, but not without some hiccups along the way. Yesterday sucked, a full day of printing and only 1 item turned out half as expected, everything else was junk. I hate days like that.
I've got a lot of stuff I want to print, but the stuff I'm making I've had to hold off. Some of it is because I'm still learning how to deal with the holes. The software has a fit about normals, the orientation has to be perfect. Even when I get it right sometimes it doesn't like it. It also doesn't like it when I add pieces together. Mechmaster has recommended I try Meshlab. I downloaded it, but I haven't given it a shot yet.My foot is getting better for those of you in the know. The swelling is almost gone and the bruise is mostly faded. It is still painful to touch though. The family is after me to get it checked but I'm too pig headed. :D
I've considered a go-fund me page again. I'm putting that off as usual. I'd love to do that for donations but then I'd feel like I need to do something more to earn it. I've had a few of the betas and fans suggest it, especially for projects like videos, games, 3D models, comics, and such. But if I got into all of that I wouldn't be writing!
Believe me, it is so tempting to pick up the new Facegen Pro program from Daz3D and use it. I've tried other freeware programs like it over the years. I'd get a kick putting someone's face in a 3D model... and maybe printing it out. Anyone wanna be a Marine? lol No, I'm not doing it anytime soon but it is tempting!
Okay, on to the snippet!
Chapter 1
August 2232
Planet Eden in the Pyrax Star System
“Such a beautiful world,” Menolly Lagroose murmured as she sat in her husband's arms and looked out across their rustic porch to the setting sun.“Yeah, it is,” her husband murmured as he kissed her on the top of her head. She looked up and smiled at him, aware that he was more interested in what was in his grasp over the view.“Hedonist,” she teased, stirring under the blanket. They'd oriented the porch swing and windows to get that gorgeous view whenever they wished.He snorted and kicked the swing a bit to rock it a bit more. She reached up and wrapped a hand around his head to pull his lips down for a kiss. It was awkward for him, but he didn't complain.“Now who's being hedonistic?” he asked as she released her prey, for the moment.She snorted and poked him, then settled down to look out at the view. “I miss times like this.”“I know. Enjoy it while you can. Once the little one comes …,” he shook his head.“That bad?” she asked softly, clearly amused by him.“Bad enough,” he said as he looked over to a sleeping Max. He shook his head. Despite the rejuv the two of them had undergone while in stasis, Max was aging faster than he should. His muzzle was graying and he was moving slower. The doctors said he had trouble with his hips. He was prone to sleeping more and more.Jack felt for the pooch. The Neodog had been through hell and back with his late son Zack.“Hey,” Menolly murmured, poking him harder.“Wha? Sorry,” he said, blinking and looking down at her.“Don't get maudlin on me, bub,” she warned.“Am I that obvious?” he asked as he stroked her hair and shoulder with his free hand. The other arm was currently in use as her pillow.“To me and to those close to you,” she murmured.“Sorry.”“No, you aren't. But I'll forgive you if you behave.”Jack opened his mouth to say that he would, but he saw Max snort and then flick his ears and tail. “Shut up you,” he growled, looking over to the dog.Menolly looked up at him in surprise, a little hurt, but then saw who he was looking at. She turned to look at Max. “Playing possum?” she asked.“Something like that,” Jack grumbled just as Alan called.“Duty calls or at least Alan,” Jack sighed.“It was inevitable. I wish he'd wait until Monday, but he's probably got something cooking,” Menolly said as she let him up. She stretched and then smirked a little as she saw her husband's admiring gaze. “Like what you see?”“Don't I know it!”“Go answer Alan's call. We both know what happened the last time you didn't,” she said, voice darkening as she got up carefully.“Now who's being maudlin?” he accused. She rarely ever brought up those dark times when they'd met.“I'm not. I'm … you know what, never mind,” Menolly said as she padded off sans shoes to the house. The screen door opened. “I'll get dinner started while you get a SITREP.”“I can help,” he protested.“Sure you can. You get the cleanup,” she said with a grin through the screen at him as she went inside.He chuckled, acknowledging his defeat. He saw Max's tail flop a few times.“Don't get cute, bub. You can dry the dishes too,” Jack said as he stretched and opened the call. Max whined just as Alan's voice cleared. “No, you don't get to wash! The last time you did that you licked the plates clean and called it good!” Jack growled. “Hey, Alan,” he said in a different tone of voice as his implants blinked Alan's portrait on his HUD.“Talking to the mutt again I see,” Alan chuckled.“Yeah,” Jack said as he folded the blanket. It had been knitted in town, another local product. It was nice and rustic, with a deer knitted into the center. It wasn't quite perfect, but he was fine with it. Menolly liked it. It wasn't quite as warm as the fleece-lined blankets or their comforter, but it was nice for outside to keep the chill off.“What's up?” he asked as his fingers flicked the blanket into approximate folds and then flipped it over the back of the swing. He was aware Menolly would come out and fold it her way later. She was like that, into little details now that she was pregnant. That and odd cravings, demands for massages, and a bit klutzy. He was still nursing a few bruised toes.At least the morning sickness was over he thought. He'd rarely experienced that with Aurelia and their three kids he thought with a brief pang.“Just thought I'd check in. We've had a minor crime wave, but we caught the culprits. Kids again.”“I see. Well, glad they were caught. Orestes handled it?”“As always, so you don't need to be involved. The families were a bit upset. Two were on record with prior warnings for antics. Kids these days …,” he sniffed.“We all got into some mischief growing up. It's the quiet ones that can get into the most trouble; they get egged into things that frequently sink them over their head. No one was hurt?”“Nope.”“Good,” Jack said with a nod of approval.“We've had thirty births since this morning. A bulk of them are Neos as expected. We've got our own mini baby boom going on it seems, especially in some of the Neo enclaves,” Alan reported.“Just as long as they understand they have to feed and educate those kids. We might need a social services department soon to check in on that.”“Spare me more intrusive government agencies. There is a reason I went to space. And a reason I signed on here,” Sheriff Tupper growled.“Sorry. I'd sic someone else on it, Alan, you know that.”“I do. But my people would be the ones enforcing things.”“If it comes to you, then you know it is going to be serious,” Jack said. “But, we're currently borrowing trouble so let's not go there. Anything else?” he asked in a different tone of voice.“No. Well, yes, we've got another ship coming in.”“That makes number seven?” Jack asked eyebrows up in surprise.“Yes. They transmitted their clearances to us this morning. They've got fifty thousand people on board, Jack,” Alan said.“Well, I'm sure we'll find some place to put them,” Jack said with a shake of his head. He had a team working on prepping for incoming colonists. They had temporary housing in Landing, big apartment complexes, plus additional apartment complexes in some of the other growing cities. Most of the people on the planet liked to spread out on to their own homestead.“Whoops! Gotta go. We've got a claim dispute. Another one … looks like a border dispute. I'll have to send someone out in the morning if I can't resolve it remotely.”“I guess we need to lock that boarder down hard. Send in another survey team?” Jack asked.“I don't know if it will do any good. Someone's bitching that the survey markers have been moved,” Alan said, reading the report out loud. He swore.“We need more GPS in orbit then. Mark the survey with waypoints so no one can get cute like that,” Jack said. “And use identifying markers that they can't move. Like rock formations.”“Right, since some people get cute and cut down trees,” Alan sighed. “Okay, I'm on it.”“We'll be in tomorrow morning,” Jack said as he heard Menolly start to sing softly to herself as she cooked. “But not too early,” he said with a grin.“I know what that means,” Alan chuckled as he hung up.~~*^*~~
~~*^*~~
February 5, 2017
Desperate Defense Cover
Okay, I've been a bit lax on updating the blog again.
I finished the rough draft of DD last weekend. It is now in the hands of the betas. I did the cover art Monday and Tuesday. There are some minor things going on with it I'm debating on fixing in post.
I'm not that picky though, so I might leave it as is. (IE lazy)
I've been working on various print projects including a big one all week. And yes, Duncan's gremlins struck a few times, including yesterday. (thanks! grrr) I had 2 days of blissful near perfect printing days before they showed up to rain on my parade.
I fixed it though, it is back up and running. I've learned a lot in fixing this thing, and my confidence in making repairs (bush fixes) has climbed steadily.
Here is the first big project "completed". It is an animatronic Sabertooth cat. I am using it as the basis of another project. I built the original to test the printer and to get a handle on how it works.
Some of the sharp eyed folks in the audience might notice that there is a strut sticking out the front. That's because the press fittings hate me. (the feeling is reciprocal) Upon finally getting it together (after weeks of trying and breaking it each time) I broke it again as I tried it. The handle broke, the stand leg broke, and a couple fittings popped out or broke.
It has taught me to not use press fittings. I hate them with a passion now. Real hardware is in, press fit parts are out.
It is neat seeing it all together though. We'll see how the big project looks and turns out.
I may have shot myself in the foot and bought another printer last night. I dunno. I am trying to cancel the transaction now that I've had time to research it. (buyers remorse is only part of the problem)
See, I was cooking dinner last night and went to fill out another Warranty request when the wiring harness broke (I said I fixed it today though right?)... well, I saw this:
http://us.store.xyzprinting.com/us_en/campaign/dv10Promotion2017?_ga=1.42770860.844178823.1486084636
I want a printer that can print flexible filament and according to what I saw on the flex filament page that printer does the job. So, I got ahead of myself and went with the deal.
... only to find out that the printer is:
1: refurbished. Because it is not popular
2: older design than mine, not newer as I'd thought.
3: it can ONLY use their filament. Period.
4: it has no WIFI !! I need that. My printer is in another room. That one has to be in that room or the garage! I have a desktop!
So, yeah, bad Chris. Bad. Sigh. And they refuse to cancel the transaction. Ugh.
Oh, yeah, anyone know what FedEx's problem is? The print manufacture sent me a replacement part. They are 50 miles away. FedEx took the package to LA, then flew it to Memphis TN, and now it is on a truck back here! Yeah, seriously not kidding here. It is too stupid to make that up...
I finished the rough draft of DD last weekend. It is now in the hands of the betas. I did the cover art Monday and Tuesday. There are some minor things going on with it I'm debating on fixing in post.
I'm not that picky though, so I might leave it as is. (IE lazy) I've been working on various print projects including a big one all week. And yes, Duncan's gremlins struck a few times, including yesterday. (thanks! grrr) I had 2 days of blissful near perfect printing days before they showed up to rain on my parade.
I fixed it though, it is back up and running. I've learned a lot in fixing this thing, and my confidence in making repairs (bush fixes) has climbed steadily.
Here is the first big project "completed". It is an animatronic Sabertooth cat. I am using it as the basis of another project. I built the original to test the printer and to get a handle on how it works.
Some of the sharp eyed folks in the audience might notice that there is a strut sticking out the front. That's because the press fittings hate me. (the feeling is reciprocal) Upon finally getting it together (after weeks of trying and breaking it each time) I broke it again as I tried it. The handle broke, the stand leg broke, and a couple fittings popped out or broke.It has taught me to not use press fittings. I hate them with a passion now. Real hardware is in, press fit parts are out.
It is neat seeing it all together though. We'll see how the big project looks and turns out.
I may have shot myself in the foot and bought another printer last night. I dunno. I am trying to cancel the transaction now that I've had time to research it. (buyers remorse is only part of the problem)
See, I was cooking dinner last night and went to fill out another Warranty request when the wiring harness broke (I said I fixed it today though right?)... well, I saw this:
http://us.store.xyzprinting.com/us_en/campaign/dv10Promotion2017?_ga=1.42770860.844178823.1486084636
I want a printer that can print flexible filament and according to what I saw on the flex filament page that printer does the job. So, I got ahead of myself and went with the deal.
... only to find out that the printer is:
1: refurbished. Because it is not popular
2: older design than mine, not newer as I'd thought.
3: it can ONLY use their filament. Period.
4: it has no WIFI !! I need that. My printer is in another room. That one has to be in that room or the garage! I have a desktop!
So, yeah, bad Chris. Bad. Sigh. And they refuse to cancel the transaction. Ugh.
Oh, yeah, anyone know what FedEx's problem is? The print manufacture sent me a replacement part. They are 50 miles away. FedEx took the package to LA, then flew it to Memphis TN, and now it is on a truck back here! Yeah, seriously not kidding here. It is too stupid to make that up...
December 31, 2016
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Or, at least it will be for me in 6 more hours lol. I'm hoping with it pouring out it will dissuade the nuts with the M-80's and guns from celebrating too much. I doubt it will, but at least they'll might get wet!
Anyway...
I'm staring longingly at my newest acquisition, I used the Amazon gift cards I got for Christmas (plus a lot more money than I'd like to admit out of my own pocket) to finally buy my 3D printer! I've tabled trying to buy a house in favor of the printer to some people's dismay. >:D
It arrived today, (Fedex said it was coming next week! GRR, oh who am I kidding! I'm glad it's here!) I just found it on my front stoop an hour ago! Which is scary , I've been home all afternoon and it's been sitting out there! Fortunately no one stole it!
It is an XYZ Da Vinci Pro 1.0. I thought I'd get my toe wet with something plug and play over the Folgertech FT-5 I really wanted and drooled over. This way I can spend more time writing over fussing over the printer. :) I cleared out the elliptical out of the game room yesterday, The Salvation Army picked it up and I now have room to set up a table with the printer. I'm excited to play with it once I get it debugged, calibrated and such.
I've got a ton of stuff I want to try from Thingyverse.com and other sites, plus some of my own creations. The betas know I've been keen to make the Federation (and other universe) ships and characters for instance! (Bismark desktop model? Jethro in armor in uniform? Hmm) Plus I've got other projects in mind. (insert rubbing hands and evil laugh here!)
I understand the brat pack have been eager for me to get one too, they are into cosplay and doo-dads. They have to wait in line though... and supply their own plastic. :)
In other news, I'm going to split my next book The First Terran Interstellar War into a duology. The first book is now titled Desperate Defense. The second has a working title of Waking the Sleeping Giant. I've split the original treatment into the 2 books and I've been plugging in some of my notes from my phone into both manuscripts over the past couple of days. I'm shooting for short books this go around, 250-300 pages max! (Why do I feel people rolling their eyes at me??) I want to see if I can get one or both of them into print. That is going to be tricky since DD is already 30 pages, and WSG is 28 pages and I haven't even started...
BTW, that's 8 1/2 by 11 pages, not the Kindle pages.
The plan is that I am going to write the books 1 after another next month now that I'm back into the Founding time period and mindset. Hopefully since they are shorter they'll go faster. The gang is back to school Wednesday so I can finally get back to writing then! (In other words I'm going to spend the next couple days pulling my hair, I mean, playing with the printer!)
But, all that is for later. For now, Have a safe and happy holiday folks! Don't drink and drive!
Or, at least it will be for me in 6 more hours lol. I'm hoping with it pouring out it will dissuade the nuts with the M-80's and guns from celebrating too much. I doubt it will, but at least they'll might get wet!
Anyway...
I'm staring longingly at my newest acquisition, I used the Amazon gift cards I got for Christmas (plus a lot more money than I'd like to admit out of my own pocket) to finally buy my 3D printer! I've tabled trying to buy a house in favor of the printer to some people's dismay. >:D
It arrived today, (Fedex said it was coming next week! GRR, oh who am I kidding! I'm glad it's here!) I just found it on my front stoop an hour ago! Which is scary , I've been home all afternoon and it's been sitting out there! Fortunately no one stole it!
It is an XYZ Da Vinci Pro 1.0. I thought I'd get my toe wet with something plug and play over the Folgertech FT-5 I really wanted and drooled over. This way I can spend more time writing over fussing over the printer. :) I cleared out the elliptical out of the game room yesterday, The Salvation Army picked it up and I now have room to set up a table with the printer. I'm excited to play with it once I get it debugged, calibrated and such.
I've got a ton of stuff I want to try from Thingyverse.com and other sites, plus some of my own creations. The betas know I've been keen to make the Federation (and other universe) ships and characters for instance! (Bismark desktop model? Jethro in armor in uniform? Hmm) Plus I've got other projects in mind. (insert rubbing hands and evil laugh here!)
I understand the brat pack have been eager for me to get one too, they are into cosplay and doo-dads. They have to wait in line though... and supply their own plastic. :)
In other news, I'm going to split my next book The First Terran Interstellar War into a duology. The first book is now titled Desperate Defense. The second has a working title of Waking the Sleeping Giant. I've split the original treatment into the 2 books and I've been plugging in some of my notes from my phone into both manuscripts over the past couple of days. I'm shooting for short books this go around, 250-300 pages max! (Why do I feel people rolling their eyes at me??) I want to see if I can get one or both of them into print. That is going to be tricky since DD is already 30 pages, and WSG is 28 pages and I haven't even started...
BTW, that's 8 1/2 by 11 pages, not the Kindle pages.
The plan is that I am going to write the books 1 after another next month now that I'm back into the Founding time period and mindset. Hopefully since they are shorter they'll go faster. The gang is back to school Wednesday so I can finally get back to writing then! (In other words I'm going to spend the next couple days pulling my hair, I mean, playing with the printer!)
But, all that is for later. For now, Have a safe and happy holiday folks! Don't drink and drive!
December 28, 2016
Cornerstone is publishing now!
Yup, I just got the manuscript back from Goodlifeguide.com and I've just finished uploading it. I'm publishing it on Smashwords as well.
I am also considering offering it as a paperback... if the price is right. I'll explore that option later this week.
From stories during the First A.I. War to the rebuilding period afterward, the Sol Confederation is on the rise. Mankind and Neo-kind have begun the long tortuous rebuilding process of a shattered Earth. Some cannot wait for the planet to be healed; they wish to escape to the stars. While they leave, those left behind must find a way to run a new government and navigate the back alleyways of power. Wendy Lagroose does her best to rebuild her father's company and stamp her brand of doing business on it. She will do anything to make certain her company survives and thrives. Doctor Glass must work to protect his people while also learning who to trust... and the old expression about keep your friends close but your enemies closer. General Roman Taylor struggles to make sure the Space Marines finish the job against any last pockets of A.I. while also remaining in service in case of future need. They and others are going to find that their years of fighting and hard work are just a lull before the next storm on the horizon!
I will post links when they become available!
I am also considering offering it as a paperback... if the price is right. I'll explore that option later this week.
From stories during the First A.I. War to the rebuilding period afterward, the Sol Confederation is on the rise. Mankind and Neo-kind have begun the long tortuous rebuilding process of a shattered Earth. Some cannot wait for the planet to be healed; they wish to escape to the stars. While they leave, those left behind must find a way to run a new government and navigate the back alleyways of power. Wendy Lagroose does her best to rebuild her father's company and stamp her brand of doing business on it. She will do anything to make certain her company survives and thrives. Doctor Glass must work to protect his people while also learning who to trust... and the old expression about keep your friends close but your enemies closer. General Roman Taylor struggles to make sure the Space Marines finish the job against any last pockets of A.I. while also remaining in service in case of future need. They and others are going to find that their years of fighting and hard work are just a lull before the next storm on the horizon!
I will post links when they become available!
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