C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 104

New Cover—Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9

This is the second of the two new covers I designed last week—and forgot to talk about. It’s for Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9 , the fifth book in the Mack ‘n’ Me series. It looks like I’ll be completing that on time, which is before the end of the month, which means it will have a November release. Book 4, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour will be out in October—and I am hoping to release a three-book compilation of the first three novels later this month. In the meantime, here is the cover for Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9.

New Cover—The Dockmaster

I've completely forgotten to celebrate two of the new covers I designed last week. This one was for the fantasy novel I resumed work on, The Dockmaster . At first, it was going to be a stand-alone, and then, as I got back into it, I realised it was meant to be a series—The Dockmasters of Kerevesh. It’s back on the shelf, momentarily, while I clear the decks a bit more so I can do a proper outline for it.

 

New Release—The Songster & the Pirates

Also, good news! Today sees the release of my latest short story, The Songster & the Pirates. You can find it at: Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, DriveThruFiction, and via links on Books2Read, as well as Smashwords, Koboand Draft2Digital distribution.
If you like to mix your mythological creatures with your space opera, then you might like this story, too.
Once a space merc, now a singer, Taran keeps her identity as a siren secret. When spacewolves join the audience at her current gig, she knows what they’re looking for. The only question is can she slip away, before the wolves and her past can catch up with her? And can she kick herself free, if they do?

Progress Report: September 01-08, 2018

Looking Back: September 01-08, 2018
I started last week on  Saturday, September 1st, and finished it on Saturday, September 8th. It just seemed tidier that way. The week started just fine, and continued with confirmation of the acceptance of a short story in a science-fiction anthology ( The Expanding Universe ) and the invitation to contribute to my choice of four more anthologies with a different company—and I’ll announce who and which ones, if and when each story is confirmed acceptable. Submitting those will be this week’s focus. Unfortunately, the week ended with preparing for a house inspection, today, and some pretty bad news regarding my mother’s health, so it was a bittersweet kinda deal, overall.
Looking Forward: September 09-15, 2018Needless to say, things will be busy this week, as I do all the bits associated with a new release, and write some short stories, as well as advancing my current novel, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9 . I also need to compile the first three novels in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series into one volume and publish it, prepare a gift pack for my newsletter subscribers and get that out to them, and get the short story for October up for pre-order. And all that in addition to this morning’s inspection. Like I said, a busy week – but a good one, I hope.Here’s what was achieved last week.Progress: September 01-08, 2018New words produced: 23,332Outlines and Notes: 6,754Words compiled: 0Works completed: 0Works edited: 0Covers created: 3 (The Dockmaster, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9, The Songster & the Pirates)Works formatted: 1 (The Songster & the Pirates)Works published: 1 (The Songster & The Pirates)Works released: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 7,610Hours at Desk—September 01-08:  84 hours, 17 minutesAugust Hours at Desk: 263 hours, 29 minutesJuly Hours at Desk: 264 hours, 18 minutesJune Hours at Desk: 230 hours, 5 minutesMay Hours at Desk: 302 hours, 6 minutesApril Hours at Desk: 167 hours, 41 minutesMarch Hours at Desk: 201 hours, 43 minutesFebruary Hours at Desk: 183 hours, 50 minutesJanuary Hours at Desk: 180 hours, 3 minutes 


The Expanding Universe #4 releases ten days from now, on September 17, 2018, (United States time) and will soon be available for pre-order. However, if you’d like something to read, right now, you can find the following in paperback from Amazon - Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon.

Good News: Short Story ‘Mothers’, accepted by The Expanding Universe Anthology #4

Most of you know I like to work on my own projects, but what you may not know is that I like working on things with other authors, too. So, when the opportunity arose to submit a short story for Craig Martelle’s The Expanding Universe anthology, I jumped at it—and Craig liked it enough to include it with stories by: himself, Jonathan P. Brazee, David VanDyke, Michael Campling, Terry Mixon, Yudhanjaya Wijeratne & R.R. Virdi, Bill Patterson, Kevin McLaughlin, P.R. Adams, Kayelle Allen, Drew Avera, Justin Bell, David R. Bernstein, Timothy Ellis, Lyn Forester, Nathan Mutch, J.L. Stowers, Jenetta Penner, and David J. VanBergen Jr... I am honoured.

You can find these authors via the links above, and their work on Amazon, and you can find the previous The Expanding Universe anthologies in paperback, at the links below:
The Expanding Universe #4 releases ten days from now, on September 17, 2018, (United States time) and will soon be available for pre-order. However, if you’d like something to read, right now, you can find  - Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon.

Today’s First Words: September 07, 2018—Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9

Today, I tried to focus on the commitments I’d made outside myself. It kept me busy most of the day—well, that, and being a mummy, and a daughter, both of which are more important than the words—so today’s first words are down a little later than I'd like, and I’ve only just reached the minimum 3,000 words on the focus project.
Yesterday’s family news was updated, today, and it didn’t get any better. When I can talk about it, I will, but that’s not happening, just yet. In the meantime, the words give me shelter, as they always have, and today, despite being written late in the day (or, perhaps because of it) they came quickly and well.Today’s first words find Cutter in the middle of the job Mack ‘briefed’ her on, yesterday. ----------------------------------------------------------------
The boy was good, so I guessed it would only be a matter of time before they wet-wired someone in to go hunt him down. I sure as shit hoped Tens would be on-line to help him out by then. What I hadn’t realised was that the dog was going to use my link to the system as the launch point for his hunt.I was just about to set off on my own hunt, when the Cascade’s digital presence rushed past me. Don’t ask me how he managed to wash my face in pixilated joy, on the way past, but seconds later he was gone—out of my head and into the system inside the tower.“Move your ass, Cutter,” Rohan said, bouncing me out of my head. “He’ll let you know when he finds them, and then I’ll get him to clear you a path.”Dog could do that?“Dog can do a lot of things in the digital,” Rohan said—and he sounded like he’d raised the big menace all by himself. “I did.”Yeah… he had me there. He really had raised the big menace himself. It explained a lot of what was wrong with the dog.“Hey!”And he shoved me right out of my head again.----------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like to read more? 
The first three books and two short stories in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series: Mack ‘n’ Me: Origins , The Depredides Dance , Mack ‘n’ Me: Blaedergil’s Host , Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach and Cloud Door , are also available. The fourth book, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour will release shortly.

Yesterday’s First Words: September 06, 2018—Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9

Yesterday was a slow day for the words. I was distracted, and not very disciplined about not letting the business side of things interfere with the writing side of things, and, even though I managed to work 1,000 words an hour, it was difficult. You get days like that, as a writer; the trick is to keep working, but let yourself take frequent short breaks, and come back to it. The words get done, and so do other things, and you don’t hate yourself for not being a super-hero, later on.
Anyway, I had almost reached 5,000 words by the afternoon, and was on track to reach my 7,000-word goal by shortly after dinner, when my father rang with some really not-so-great family news, and I had to change to track to deal with the implications of that. Family has to come first.Now, I’m still dealing with those implications, and will be for some time to come, but the writing continues, albeit with a slight schedule change, and an understanding that I'm going to need to priorities tasks that had been playing second fiddle to the word making. With that in mind, here are yesterday’s first words:---------------------------------------------------------------- “And it’s our job to make sure that start continues,” Mack said, and there was a finality in his tone that told me Captain Mack was firmly in charge. “You bet your ass, he is. Now get dressed.”I got dressed—and made sure I did it in record time. There was something about this job that was bothering Mack, and he wasn’t sharing what. I figured I’d broach that with him while we ate. There was something about the job that was bothering me, too.“We’re doing the job,” Mack said, as we sat down to breakfast, and that was the last he’d allow on the subject until we’d eaten.Again, Doc had provided a minimum. This time, though, I was hungry, and had no trouble eating over it.“You throw up on Stepyan’s training range, and he’s going to have you in there with a toothbrush and nail file for a month.”“How’s he gonna know?”“Man’s got his own direct feed from the range cams.”“I could fix that.”“Let’s not go there.”Fine. I guess if I’d thought Tens was touchy about having his system hacked—and by hissystem, he meant the entirety of the Shady Marie—I shoulda known Stepyan was ten times as sensitive about anyone playing with his security. You know, him being an assassin and all.I picked up my kaff, and changed the subject.“This isn’t a deal we should keep.”From the look on Mack’s face, that wasn’t anything he’d expected to come out of my mouth.“I gave my word. To a wolf. We’re keeping it.”“I don’t think—”But that was as far as I got. Mack was in my head, and dumping files into my implant like he was the front-end-loader of information. Worse than that, he’d set them to open on landing, and I was sucked inside my head as I tried to keep up with the data flow. It was like drowning, but not. I struggled to sort the input and absorb it, horrified and angered by what I found.I didn’t even notice when the files stopped coming, or register the fact that Mack kinda stood to one side in my head and watched me work, until I had my head around what it was we were going into—and precisely why. It wasn’t about the contract, anymore. It wasn’t even because he’d given his word.Man was pissed and—by the time I’d finished sorting through the files—so was I.----------------------------------------------------------------
 Would you like to read more? 
The first three books and two short stories in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series: Mack ‘n’ Me: Origins , The Depredides Dance , Mack ‘n’ Me: Blaedergil’s Host , Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach and Cloud Door , are also available. The fourth book, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour will release shortly.
 

First Words & A Change of Routine: September 05, 2018—Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9

There are some days when you realise that the thing that’s worked for you for countless books before, just isn’t going to work for the projects you’re working on. Today was one of those days. Usually I can work between three and four projects simultaneously along a timeline, but I’ve struggled to do that over the last week, and I realised today was going to be another day where I wasn’t going to be able to flip between the two—so I tried something different.
The theory is this: If you write 3,000 words a day for 30 days, you can complete the draft for a 90,000-word novel in a month. If you do this for two projects, you can finish up with two novels at the end of a month, AND if you put down a thousand words a day on something else, you can get short stories and part of another novel done in that timeframe, as well.This is true. I’ve done it, before, and was just starting to make a habit of the single novel a month, when June arrived, and I was incredibly sick. I’d almost gotten back to it by the end of July, when I discovered how many words a day I needed to type to give myself RSI. It’s taken August to deal with that little SNAFU. So, I shouldn’t have been surprised when my second novel started getting downright uncooperative, and my work in progress got grabby.Now, I have a new theory: If I write 7,000 words a day on one project—and I beg you, don’t die of shock here; I’m still me, just trying something new. So, if I write 7,000 words a day on one project—even taking into account days I schedule for no writing due to Life (you know, rental inspection, dental appointments, etc.)—then I can still finish two novels and some shorter work each month… and maybe I can avoid RSI while I’m at it. It just means I have to accept writing in one series for a few months, before I can switch out to something new.I can live with that, right? Right?Okay, maybe. Like I said, this is new. Let’s see if I can make it work, or if I’ll need to go back to split projects, again. Today, it worked fine, and I put down a little over 7,000 words in six half-hour- to an hour-long stints, taking a short break between each. Five and a half hours out of the eight and a half I’ve been awake, and 7,000 words nailed. Right now, that’s where I want to be. Can I sustain it? I’m going to give it my very best shot.In the meantime, today's First Words find Cutter is still causing trouble, and getting into more shit than she can easily handle, so it’s a good thing she’s got the crew of the Shady Marie at her back… or is it? Honestly, there are some days I wonder. Here are today’s first words for Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9: ----------------------------------------------------------------
It’s hard to look up at someone, while keeping your chin down, harder still to avoid looking them in the eye. I managed to stand on my own two feet, and not fall over, and somehow fumbled my way through the rest. Memories of Rovan wandered through my head, and I pulled myself together. This was not Rovan, and I was not going to offer him my throat in submission.“Good to hear,” Mack murmured.“You might not have a choice,” Case said.“Didn’t you have a mission to go on?” I snarled back.“Working on it.” Tens, cutting in before Case or Stepyan can reply.“Work faster,” I snapped, and, whether it was the pain, or fatigue from swimming through a river of ant honey, I don’t know, but I said that last bit out loud.The long-clawed hand that picked me up by the throat and pinned me to the wall at eye height jolted me back out of my head, and I realised something really had come adrift in my chest. It shifted, and I gasped. The wolf captain curled his lip, and I focused on his fangs rather than look him in the eye.Looking him in the eye when he was this pissed-off with me… Not a good idea.“Pissing him off in the first place. Not a good idea.”Thanks, Mack.What was it with all the captains in my life?
----------------------------------------------------------------
 Would you like to read more? 
The first three books and two short stories in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series: Mack ‘n’ Me: Origins , The Depredides Dance , Mack ‘n’ Me: Blaedergil’s Host , Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach and Cloud Door , are also available. The fourth book, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour will release shortly.

First Words: September 04, 2018—Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9

Today’s words started okay, but were interrupted by the school-run madness, and a walk, so I’m only just getting back to them. Here are the first words from this morning… Honestly, there are some days when I think Cutter has a death wish.
----------------------------------------------------------------
“Answer my question!” barked out with enough force to make me jump.I swallowed down a knot of nerves, and felt Mack inside my head. This time, he was looking through my eyes, and listening with my ears, pulling the data straight from my senses and the implant record—and I was pretty damned sure he was transferring them straight to the screen, too, goddammit!I didn’t have time protest. I’d spent too long in my head, and Varian nudged me.“You were asked a question.”Again, that perfect Gal, and I realised the captain was speaking it, too. Inside my head, I could feel Mack holding his breath, and couldn’t resist the spike of mischief that ran through me. Before Mack, or Tens, or Rohan could do anything to stop me, I gave the wolf captain my answer.“I wondered what the beaches were like, this time of year.”Yeah. Now, Mack wanted to kill me… or maybe just wring my neck. It was hard to tell, but the man was pissed. I was guessing there were another three rounds on the mats in my very near future, and the thought made me smirk.Given the wolf captain didn’t know I was smirking at the captain inside my head, and not him, that was probably a mistake.----------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like to read more? 
The first three books and two short stories in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series: Mack ‘n’ Me: Origins , The Depredides Dance , Mack ‘n’ Me: Blaedergil’s Host , Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach and Cloud Door , are also available. The fourth book, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour will release shortly.

First Words: September 03, 2018—The Dockmaster

When I designed the cover for this novel, I put in a tentative series title. Today, I realised ex actly how much I needed that. The story is complex and I hadn’t realised just how much. This will definitely be a series, and I entered the plotting stage, to day. If you’re wondering what the ETA will be, I have another project that will replace this one, if it is approved. If that project is approved, then I’ll be looking at around 9 months for that series, during which there will be minimal writing on this one. If the other project falls through, then the main Dockmaster series will take around six months to write, once I have the outline sorted—which should be by the end of the week. Either way, unless the other project is approved earlier than expected, this novel will be complete by the end of the month, and should release at around the same time as Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9 , which I’m also writing, right now.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Tescha waited, her attention on her student. After a moment’s pause, Keskesh continued, and it wasn’t what Tescha expected.“Not all those born into the nest are born to perfection,” the newest sevarthin queen explained. “Some are born looking like they belong, and others are born… different.”She did not expand on her choice of words, but hurried on, as though her next words were as repugnant to her as they were to Tescha.“In some nests, the misborn are destroyed on hatching, and, in others, they are taken far away and abandoned so that the gods of nature may decide their fate.”She stopped and bowed her head, distress emanating off her in the scent of bitter lemons mixed with marsh weed. The queens nearest her stirred restlessly.“In our nest, they are kept and assured they have some purpose, even if we cannot divine what it is.”