Darrell Newton's Blog, page 5
October 3, 2017
Preorder The Apprentice Stone
We have made The Apprentice Stone novel (ebook) available for preorder at Amazon.
This shocked me.
Amazon said it could take up to 72 hours to be posted. So, I rushed to complete the final editing and formatting. In the wee hours of the morning, I pushed the PUBLISH button with great trepidation.
I woke up this morning and … wow. There it was. I must admit I jumped up and down like a little kid on Christmas morning. Derek — my oldest son — stood behind me with his smart phone. I’m sure somewhere in social media is a video of me making a fool of myself. Meh, who cares. Finally, I am publishing the novel, and I can’t wait to hear what readers think.
A Thirteen Year Journey
The inspiration of this novel came thirteen years ago with the image of Francisco escaping a Moorish prison with his mentor-sage Angelo. I would show you the text, but it’s so bad you might think I’m a terrible author. Really, it’s that bad. The original story started with the poem:
There are those who have mistaken angels as men,
And others have mistaken men as angels.
Some of these apparent angels are not from heaven,
But have come from afar,
From worlds called Epi and Avar.
Yeah. Well, it gets the idea across, but not very captivating. So, I’m grateful for all the rejections and criticisms I’ve received over the years that should make “The Apprentice Stone” a better read.
Doing Time
Just a little trivia: The book title ran through many incarnations including: Bending Time, Doing Time, Finding Angels, and Recruiting Angels.
Time travelers are bending time.
In the original story, the Moors threw Francisco into prison. So, he was doing time.
The word angels played off Angelo’s name.
None of these really captured the theme. I even briefly entertained the title: “Time Travel Tip #213: How to Practice 27th Century Medicine in Medieval Spain and Not Get Caught.” A fellow author and critic (Cyndi Richards) suggested the current title: The Apprentice stone. I think she nailed it.
If you read the novel, what do you think? Does “The Apprentice Stone” work?
The post Preorder The Apprentice Stone appeared first on Darrell Newton.
October 1, 2017
The Apprentice Stone Map – Released
This map will be in the new novel, The Apprentice Stone, due to release in ebook this Saturday, October 7th on Amazon. I plan on releasing the print version (soft-cover) in about a month. The ebook version will have the colored version of the map, and the print version will have a black and white version.
The map shows the main character’s (Francisco) journey from Toledo, Spain to Fez, Morocco. These are the modern names and not the names used in 1212 AD when the novel takes place. At that time, Spain split into several Christian kingdoms in the north, and part of the Muslim Almohad Empire in the south. The Almohad Empire also stretched across northern Africa.
History behind the Map
“After the conquest of North Africa and the conversion of the Berbers to Islam, the Arabs were frustrated. Here they faced an Ocean with no more lands to conquer … According to Muslim chronicles, when the Arab army reach the sea for the first time, the Arab commander Uqba-ibn-Nafe waded in swashing his sword at the water to express his frustration that there were no more lands to plunder … no more spreading the glory of Islam by terrorizing the conquered people to accept Islam or death.”
The Battle of Tours: The Turning Point In The Struggle Against Islam
In 711, Tariq Ibn Ziyad led of an army of Berbers from north-western Africa into southern Spain. There he defeated the Visigothic army, led by King Roderic. In five years, the invasion/conversion consumed the entire peninsula and poured over the Pyrenees Mountains into the Frankish Kingdoms. On 10 October 732, Charles “The Hammer” Martel lead an army that defeated them at the Battle of Tours. The remnants of the Visigoth in the north (the Kingdoms of Leon, Portugal, Castile, Navarre, and others) pushed the Muslims back. This effort took centuries and became known as the Reconquista. The last Muslim stronghold of Granada fell in 1492.
Francisco at The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa broke a major stalemate in the Reconquista. (See the sword crossing on the map that shows the battle’s location.) The characters in “The Apprentice Stone” play key rolls in this battle and the larger conspiracies that lay behind it.
The post The Apprentice Stone Map – Released appeared first on Darrell Newton.
September 20, 2017
Assembly Lines in the Dark Ages
Doesn’t seem possible, right? I mean assembly lines in the European Dark Ages? Yes.
Technological innovation did not come to a halt after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th Century AD. It crawled, in some ways went backward, and in other ways forward.
We need to define terms first. The time period I’m talking about is between the 5th to the 15th centuries. The location is Europe. An assembly-line is a process by which a series of workers and machines manufacture and assemble an identical product.
In researching the history behind my new novel “The Apprentice Stone,” I was shocked to find that a blacksmith does not make swords. Who did? A swordsmith? Yes, and no. The work was split up among specialists. In my story, a female swordsmith nicknamed “La Grande” forges the blades and subcontracts the work to other specialists so she can sell them. The diagram to the left shows the process.
The image of a lonely monk-like craftsman hammering out a complete sword by hand in a dark monastery or alley is wrong. Some may have been crafted this way, but in larger cities like Toledo, an industry forged the blade.
For more information see:
How Swords Were Made
Engineering the Medieval Achievement
The post Assembly Lines in the Dark Ages appeared first on Darrell Newton.
September 16, 2017
Cover Art Ready!
The cover art for The Apprentice Stone is complete!
A shout-out to the artist who did a wonderful job. I would recommend Rebeca from RebecaCovers to anyone because she is flexible, quick, and talented.
Mysterious Elements
The knight on the cover is the main character Francisco when he’s in his early thirties. Francisco is 12 to 16 in this novel. The castle in the fog behind him is Almovodar Castle near Cordoba, Spain. Francisco spent some time here with Angelo as a captive of Prince Sidi Abbad ben Ali. As a result, this gives the cover a sense of realism and mystery that catches the eye.
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.Blurb on the Back
In case you can’t read it, the “blurb” on the back reads:
In Medieval Spain, when Christians and Moors fought for both land and the hearts of men, Francisco escapes from his drunken uncle. Orphaned on the streets of Toledo, Francisco has nothing more than the clothes he wore and the family’s most prized possession: a simple stone with mystic powers that heals everything. But he must keep it secret and hurt no one, less he reverse its powers.
Since 3188 BC, the surviving soldiers from a future time war have fought among themselves and altered Earth’s history in the guise of gods or in the cover of shadows. The Key’ari consider the Earth timeline a fresh chance to correct the errors of alternate histories, and they intend to manipulate it in hopes of creating a utopia. The other faction, the Sittiri, fear that continued intervention will further disrupt the continuum and destroy the galaxy.
As the Key’ari threaten to overrun the outnumbered Sittiri, the Sittiri discover that Francisco is the answer to prophesy and could end the war. Each faction strives to recruit him without killing him or ripping time apart.
Your Vote
My first impression was, Wow! What do you think?
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On a scale from 1 to 5, how do you rate "The Apprentice Stone" cover art?
5 - Fantastic. Couldn't image anything better.
4 - Very good. It fits the blurb.
3 - OK. It neither rocks my boat nor turns my stomach.
2 - Meh. Could be better.
1 - This is perfect for the bottom of my bird cage.
Results
Vote
On a scale from 1 to 5, how do you rate "The Apprentice Stone" cover art?
5 - Fantastic. Couldn't image anything better.
4 ( 100 % )
4 - Very good. It fits the blurb.
0 ( 0 % )
3 - OK. It neither rocks my boat nor turns my stomach.
0 ( 0 % )
2 - Meh. Could be better.
0 ( 0 % )
1 - This is perfect for the bottom of my bird cage.
0 ( 0 % )
Back
On a scale from 1 to 5, how do you rate "The Apprentice Stone" cover art?
5 - Fantastic. Couldn't image anything better.
4 ( 100 % )
4 - Very good. It fits the blurb.
0 ( 0 % )
3 - OK. It neither rocks my boat nor turns my stomach.
0 ( 0 % )
2 - Meh. Could be better.
0 ( 0 % )
1 - This is perfect for the bottom of my bird cage.
0 ( 0 % )
Back
The post Cover Art Ready! appeared first on Darrell Newton.
August 8, 2017
My Passion for Writing (Video)
I released a video explaining my passion for writing. YouTuber Your Brother in Christ sponsored this post.
Thank you for watching. Please ‘like’ and leave a comment.
The post My Passion for Writing (Video) appeared first on Darrell Newton.
July 4, 2017
Science Fiction Novel Coming Soon
A Novel Coming November 2017
Francisco is the answer to prophesy, and he could end the temporal war.
Since 3188 BC, the surviving soldiers from a future time war have fought among themselves and altered Earth’s history. As the Key’ari threaten to overrun the outnumbered Sittiri, the Sittiri discover Francisco.
He holds a simple looking stone that heals all ills and injuries.
In Medieval Spain, when Christians and Moors fight for both land and the hearts of men, young Francisco escapes from his drunken uncle. Orphaned on the streets of Toledo, Francisco has nothing more than the clothes he wore and the family’s most prized secret: the healing stone.
Historical Science Fiction Series: Shadows of Time
The Apprentice Stone is for those who enjoy historical novels by Steven Lawhead or Bernard Cornwell with the science fiction of Stargate and Doctor Who – sprinkled lightly with humor.
The Apprentice Stone is the first novel in the Shadows of Time Series. The second novel will be release next year.
The post Science Fiction Novel Coming Soon appeared first on Darrell Newton.
June 10, 2017
The Rise and Fall of the Machines
The engineers at Boston Dynamics have done it again, and this time with a video that will make you feel sorry for the robots.
The new Atlas humanoid robot is “designed to operate outdoors and inside buildings,” Boston Dynamics wrote in a description of the video posted on YouTube. Weighing in at 180 pounds (82 kg) and standing 5’9″ (1.75 m) tall, it’s a slimmer version of its 6 foot, 330 pound (1.83 m, 150 kg) predecessor. It uses Lidar and stereoscopic sound to avoid obstacles, navigate, and pick up boxes. And better yet, it’s battery powered.
The post The Rise and Fall of the Machines appeared first on John Newton.
