Hans Cummings's Blog, page 4

Zack Jackson 4 Delays – A Eulogy of Sorts

So, I had hoped to have Zack Jackson & The Secret of Venus all wrapped up by the Fourth of July, but unfortunately, last weekend brought with it tragedy with threw the rest of our week into disarray.

Saturday, my cat slept all day. Literally; we couldn’t get her to wake up for more than a few minutes at a time. When she did wake up, she seemed to have trouble walking. Our day was fairly normal; we didn’t realize until the evening that she had not, in fact, done ANYTHING all day besides sleep (she was 17 years old, so she slept a lot).

We took her to the Vet ER (not my first choice, since the vets at that particular location don’t really know how to handle my cat. They did their poke and prodding thing, gave her some IM fluids (couldn’t get an IV in because she was a bit dehydrated) and an appetite stimulant. We weren’t able to get that in her, but we were able to give her the other medicine she’d been on since we moved; an anti-anxiety drug that also served as a pain killer.

Things seemed OK after that. Sunday, she was still lethargic, though not as much as she was Saturday. Her left hind leg seemed to be bothering her and we knew she had a bit of arthritis in that knee. I had made an appointment at her regular veterinary office earlier in the day, so we took her and had her examined by a vet who knew how to handle my cat. They took some blood and we weren’t able to get any more answers. We made a follow-up appointment for the next day when her regular vet would be in. During dinner, we heard some noises upstairs. I knew she’d gone up there to lay under a small table I have in the hallway, so I dashed up to see her thrashing around like she was stuck, though there was nothing for her to get tangled in. I brought her downstairs.

Her gait was extremely slow, her tailed held low and she stuck to the perimeters of the rooms. As the evening progressed, it seemed increasingly likely that she could not see. She’d walk into walls if her whiskers or ears didn’t touch them first. She did eat and drink and use the litter box, but only after we directed her toward them.

I’d often joked that Callie would end up one of those gnarly 25-30 year old cats before she died. At her last appointment in January, she received a clean bill of health; everything looked great for a nearly 17 year-old cat.

On Monday, the vet confirmed that our suspicion was very likely; she’d had at least one stroke over the weekend. He said that her could refer us to a nearby neurological specialist, but with a 17 year-old cat…

It was a conclusion my wife and I had already discussed. The cat we took to the vet lacked the spunk, vigor, and fight that our Callie was known for. She was blind, in pain, and suffering. We made the difficult decision to euthanize her. I held her when she started to stumble after they gave her the sedative and helped her lie down, where she fell asleep with her head on my arm. Looking back, I can say that, when they euthanized her, she went out as she lived, sleeping on my arm.

RIP my little girl, Callie.

2001 – June 25, 2018

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Kitten Callie (technically before I knew her, but not long before)

 

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Kitty Boops

 

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Callie looking on while I write one of the Scars of the Sundering novels

 

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Wassup, you?

 

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A pretty girl

 

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Her favorite place to sleep

 

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Sleeping in our new home

Back in the Saddle

So, it’s been quiet around here lately and you may be wondering “Where is Zack Jackson 4?”

Well, I’ve been moving. Not far; I still live in the same city. It was a downsizing move. However, now that is essentially finished (still need to finish unpacking) and I can resume work on the final edit of Zack Jackson & the Secret of Venus.

I hope to have all the work completed by the end of the month and have the book in your hands by the Fourth of July.

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Once Zack Jackson & The Secret of Venus is wrapped up, I plan to finish my next fantasy novel (I’m already 50,000+ words into it), then start work on Zack Jackson 5.

Themes in My Writing

I want to expand a bit on my twitter thread from today (the one about my books, not one about whatever else I talked about).

[image error]When I wrote The Foundation of Drak-Anor, I had a story to tell. A story about misfits and “monsters” finding acceptance in a world that just wanted them to die. They themselves “knew” they were monsters and acted accordingly; they thought nothing of lashing out and attacking dwarves for their supplies. It’s not like anyone was going to trade with them anyway, right?

Of course, being constantly under siege by people who scream how you’re evil and unholy and must be cleansed tends to affect one negatively. With patience, understanding, and a willingness to talk, one can move past that and find common ground.

[image error]In Scars of the Sundering, they’ve found acceptance (if not tolerance), and now have to learn to live with the responsibility that comes with being part of a civilized society. They also learn that they can affect the world in ways they once thought impossible to them. Plus, they learn that there are always people who wish they’d just go away and will try to erase their history and legacy.

These are themes that developed organically. Although, I did try to show that no matter how different someone may appear to be from another, we all are more alike than different. We all want to live and love, eat, drink and enjoy time with friends. Ultimately, I just wanted to tell a fun story with interesting characters.

Hopefully, I did that.

[image error]I approached the Zack Jackson series differently. From the beginning, I knew I wanted a sci-fi version of Harry Potter (though without a Dark Lord, Prophecy, Faux-Latin Magic, and Kitchen-Sink Fantasy). I wanted to tell a story about a kid, going away to school where there’s all these weird and wonderful things and constantly getting over his head, saved only by his association with his friends.

Plus, I wanted to showcase real science where I could. I made a few concessions to fun, took a few liberties with physics so I could have faster-than-light (FTL) travel, and aliens that weren’t so alien we couldn’t relate to them. I wanted to give loving homages to the sci-fi I loved, like Star Trek, Mass Effect, and Star Frontiers, and sci-fact like NASA’s space exploration program and the work of astronomers the world over, as well as introduce subjects like transhumanism. I also wanted to showcase diversity in all of its forms, which I actually had to dial back in the third book after someone observed that I was trying a bit too hard.

[image error]Zack Jackson needed to be set far enough in the future that we could realistically have answers to certain questions because space is huge. More huge than pop culture sci-fi usually shows. As Douglas Adams wrote in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “Space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just peanuts to space.”

Now that I near the completion of the fourth book in the series (and anticipating writing at least 2-3 more), I’m beginning to see parallels in the series to current events and issues. These are things I didn’t consciously put into the book, but they must’ve been on my mind at the time. The kids grow a little older in each book, a little more experienced and (hopefully) wise, so the challenges they face are more difficult and more mature in their nature. Like the Harry Potter series, I wanted the characters to grow with the readers.

Again, ultimately, I wanted to tell a fun story with the Zack Jackson series. I’m really excited to release book 4, Zack Jackson & The Secret of Venus, in just a few months. I’m equally excited to show you where the story goes from there.

Zack Jackson & the Secret of Venus Cover Art

Once again, Joshua Pinkas has come through with some excellent, nay, AMAZING cover art for the next book in the Zack Jackson series.

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We get a great view of Cytherea at the bottom right as well as an awesome… well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out what’s going on.

Zack Jackson & the Secret of Venus will be available on Kindle and in print early Spring 2018.

The Trusty Steed

I didn’t use horses in Wings of Twilight for one simple reason: I forgot until I was 2/3rds of the way through the first draft. Then, I decided that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation why Strom & company weren’t using them: horses and their upkeep are expensive. Strom was leading his band on a misguided, self-righteous crusade, not exactly the kind of thing that would leave them rolling in dough.

Much to the chagrin of one of my editors, I had the characters acquire mounts in Scars of the Sundering, though. It was like introducing a whole new slew of characters, and since the traveling groups in that series were rather large, that meant a lot of tracking whose steed belonged to whom.

Pancras acquired Stormheart, a blue roan stallion

Gisella rode Moonsilver, a white mare

Delilah acquired Fang, a nailtooth (kind of like a rideable velociraptor)

Kale acquired Blackclaw, a nailtooth

Kali acquired Taavi, a nailtooth

Edric rode Yaffa, a pony

Qaliah acquired Comet, a piebald gelding, named after the Comet the Wonderhorse from the Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

Lord Fenwick rode Shadowmane, a black stallion

Valora rode Quincy, a dwarven battleboar (so named because I thought it was funny)

In my next World of Calliome novel, horses will once again feature as mounts for the characters. I’m not quite ready to reveal the characters, but we’ll have Pepper (a dapple grey gelding), Socks (a chestnut stallion with white legs), and Silvermane (a silver dapple gelding). For you lovers of all things equestrian out there, I don’t go into as much detail as George R.R. Martin; I’m not really telling a story of a knight and his horse, plus, I write stories that are a little more fast-paced than A Song of Ice & Fire.

Richie Billing

If you happen to enjoy this article, why not stay in touch by signing up to my mailing list? Subscribers receive a list of 50 fantasy book reviewers, as well as a copy of This Craft We Call Writing: Volume One, a collection of writing techniques, advice, and guides looking at, amongst others, world-building, writing fight scenes, characterisation, plotting, editing and prose.

There’s always a horse in a fantasy book. So I decided to do a bit of research on the trusty steeds that carry us fearlessly into battle, and this is what I found.

 

Make no assumptions

For some of us, it’s fair to say we don’t see horses very often, driving past one standing in a field at 50mph on the odd occasion. We probably see horses more on TV than we do in reality. The main complaint I came across from readers when it came…

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Books Make Great Christmas Gifts!

[image error]It’s not too late to order books direct from me if you’d like to give a signed novel (or series) as a Christmas gift.

Wings of Twilight, Iron Fist of the Oroqs, Malediction, Lament, Salvation – $15/each

The Foundation of Drak-Anor (both Wings of Twilight & Iron Fist of the Oroqs) – $25

Scars of the Sundering (all three – Malediction, Lament, Savation) – $40

Fantasy Bundle (all 5 World of Calliome Novels) – $60

“Burble’s Big Day” (World of Calliome illustrated short story) – $10

Zack Jackson & the Cult of Athos, Zack Jackson & the Cytherean Academy, Zack Jackson & the Hives of Valtra – $10/each

All three Zack Jackson novels – $25

“Forgotten Dreams”/”The Pleasure Pools of Persiphia” flipbook – $5

SHIPPING & HANDLING WILL BE CALCULATED BASED ON ORDER SIZE.

If you would like any of these, please e-mail me the following information:

* Titles desired

* Whether I’m just signing my name or personalizing it

* Shipping name & address, including telephone number.

You will receive a PayPal invoice shortly within a day of placing your order. You may also message me through this page.

Please order by December 15th to ensure Christmas delivery.

If you have any questions or special requests, feel free to contact me.

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Cyber Monday Sale! (through Friday)

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Scars of the Sundering, books 1 and 2 (Malediction and Lament) are only $0.99 for Kindle. Book 3 (Salvation) is FREE!

Scars of the Sundering is an epic fantasy trilogy telling the tale of the minotaur Pancras and his friends, the drak twins Kale and Delilah, as they venture out into a world that, until recently, considered their kind to be mere monsters.

They must deal with more than just the prejudices of the neighboring humans as they stumble into political plots and ancient evils unveil themselves.

 

Pancras Fan Art

I just received a lovely piece of fan art. Obviously, it’s Pancras and he looks great. I think he’d be a bit embarrassed and no doubt the drak twins would tease him for weeks.

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Pancras by Josebean Todd

Gen Con 50 Wrap-Up!

The Best Four Days of Gaming™ have come and gone and Gen Con 50 is behind us. I came away with a pleasing number of sales (which will hopefully generate some new fans for the World of Calliome and Zack Jackson), some new ideas, and a few hopes for future projects/collaborations. I would love to shout from the rooftops about a couple of these potential opportunities, but since nothing is set in stone, it really would serve no purpose save to get my hopes up. I prefer to be calm about such things until there’s something to actually talk about.

[image error]The convention itself was the typical mix of awesome and obnoxious. Fortunately, the awesome outweighed the obnoxious. I think I’m going to invest in some cloth banners to hang from the backdrop next year and eschew the pictures in frames. They’re unwieldly, unstable, and difficult to travel with. I’m also happy that only one person made the mistake of thinking MY name is Zack Jackson.

At some point, I suppose I’ll have to start picking and choosing which titles to bring. I’ll definitely have Zack Jackson & the Secret of Venus for next year (I’m hoping to have it published by the end of the year, frankly), and if my schedule holds and no immediate paid work comes up, maybe another title as well.

There is another World of Calliome novel in the works, but as I’m only about 1/4 – 1/3 into the first draft, that’s all I’ll say about it for now. Well, that, and it features a cast of all-new characters.

I can’t really comment on the gaming. As an exhibitor on Author’s Avenue, I only spent about an hour wandering the Dealer Hall, and since most vendors were closed when I did, I didn’t see much. I didn’t sign up for any events; when you work all day in the Dealer Hall, committing yourself to something else when you could be finding dinner and resting for the next day is difficult. It’s tiring, but rewarding.

The next convention at which I’m scheduled to make an appearance is GameHole Con in Madison, WI. I’m mostly scoping that con out this year, so I’m only appearing on one panel and will likely not be there all four days. In the meantime, I’ll keep writing and hope that you keep reading.

Best of Indy Nomination Time!

Thanks to everyone who came to see me on Author’s Avenue this weekend!


 


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Each year, I participate in a local contest: Best of Indy. You can to vote daily to nominate your favorite Indianapolis business and personalities and I would appreciate your support in the Best Local Author category! So far, I have been the ONLY sci-fi/fantasy author represented on the list of nominees. I’m a firm believer that genre does not determine whether or not something is literature or worth reading.


 


Nuvo’s Best of Indy Contest nomination phase runs from today, August 16 through September 13, 2017.


 


People who receive the most nominations will appear on the ballot at the end of September.


 


You can nominate me here: https://www.nuvo.net/best_of_indy/nominate-your-faves-for-best-of-indy-here/article_3a7ee1b4-81be-11e7-b7ef-f3f81e7de8bd.html


 


Here’s how to find the Best Local Author Category:



Click Arts & Entertainment




Press “Continue” to proceed to page 2




Press “Submit” to get to page 3 where you can type in “Hans Cummings” in the Best Local Author field (as shown in the attached picture).




Press “Submit” again and type in the Captcha code.




Press “Submit” one final time to record your nomination.



Notes: Nuvo upgraded their system, so you’ll need to create a new login id and confirm your registration once editors@nuvo.net sends you the confirmation email. If you don’t see it, be sure to check your Spam folder. You can opt out of future mailings when you register.


 


Thank you for your support!