C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 107

First Words—August 22, 2018: C.M. Simpson

With the backlog of catching up I have to do, I’ve been neglecting my writing. Today, I began a concerted to make writing part of the daily routine, no matter what else I have to do—even if it’s only on one project. Here are today’s first words - along with the partial cover for Book 5 in the Mack 'n' Me 'n' Odyssey series:
----------------------------------------------------------------  Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9
“Why bother?” Tens snarked. “Mack could always buy her another pair.”
Case tutted.
“Now, now, you know how the girl likes her boots…”
And, I added two more names to the list of people I dearly wanted to punch. They laughed at my discomfort, but ignored me, because the situation around us was changing, and they needed to focus.
“Heads up. Rohan, don’t let her do anything stupid.”
Stupid? Me? Now, why would I want to… Oh.
In my implant, I could see the sniper teams moving. Three were heading for stairwells. The fourth? Well, the fourth had slung its weapons and was coming over the wall in a way only the arach were capable of. I was torn between trying to run, or grabbing the nearest guard’s weapon and going on a killing spree.
“Easy, Cutter.” Mack’s voice, my head, and I was grateful.
Even if Barangail wasn’t a sadistic bastard, these things were. If they knew how they affected me, they’d take great delight in standing just as close to me as they could get.
“Not gonna happen,” made me wonder if Tens was standing by to grab control of Mack’s body, in the same way Rohan had mine.
----------------------------------------------------------------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.

New Cover—Shadow’s Rise

I have—finally!—completed the new cover for Shadow’s Rise . The black knight art by Dusan Kostic and the black face photography by Raisa Kanareva, and whirlwind photography by Mikeexpert, are all purchased from Dreamstime, and were manipulated and compiled in GIMP, and I think this cover speaks to the story a lot better than the last one, and maybe even manages to convey the genre better. We’ll see.

When the gods discover an ancient power has suborned a king, and now menaces their domains, they must find agents to act on their behalf. Will a goddess’s temper over losing a favorite to the cause stand in their way? Or the capture of one of their chosen mean the attempt is doomed to fail before it has begun?
The current, unmodified version of this book, Shadow’s Rise , and the other two titles in the Shadowtrilogy: Shadow Trap and Shadow’s Fall , are currently available for individual purchase, but will all be undergoing the update process over the next couple of weeks.

A Second Excerpt from Yesterday’s Edit—Shadow’s Rise

I’ve finished the edit, and am now ready to move onto to creating a new cover, and formatting the revision for upload. To celebrate, I thought I would share another of my favourite scenes from the book:
Approaching the Dark TempleGilzereet, Vorgren and Tara flew with the witch-woman and the people of the air. They had not been able to take a direct route to the city, but had needed to come in low over the waters of the north as what looked like storm clouds gathered above the king’s palace in the city’s north-east. Already, Gilzereet felt as though some dark power focused its attention closer to the dock-yard end of the palace proper. Glancing across at his companions, he saw that they could feel it also.To his left, Vorgren was scanning the ground below and concentrating on looking out over the dock area where the darkness seemed its strongest. Even as they watched, the shadows in that part of the city grew unnaturally long, and street lamps flickered and dimmed, before going out. To his right, Tara had drawn her sword, and was keeping an eye on the skies around, and above, them.The whirlwind that was the crone was as silent as her companions, or so Gilzereet thought, until her mind touched his.Accept this spell, she said, and you will hear us speak.My companions? Gilzereet demanded.Her offer was to us all, Vorgren said, reassuring him.Tara remained silent, and the crone returned her attention to the growing darkness covering the city, ahead and below. The whirlwinds dipped low, coming in under the wall, and then climbed until they skimmed just above the darkest section of the sky.Is it he? the crone asked of one of the other tornadoes flying with her.It is the One, came the tornado’s reply. If we do not disrupt him tonight, it will be too late to prevent his escape.Then disrupt him we must, Vorgren declared.The next words the tornado spoke were filled with disgust and loathing.Look at what he has done, it said.Our brethren, another of the tornadoes added. Look at what he has done to our brethren.Those are not our brethren, the third elemental told them. They were never our brethren but creations of his making.How do you know? the others demanded.I know, the third beast replied, and its voice was full of bitterness and grief. I have faced their kind in battle, before. We must strike quickly, or we will not prevent his escape, and the death of those who fought to defeat him, before, will have been in vain.We give you our support and strength, Gilzereet declared. When will you be able to get us inside?’Ware the darkness, the third elemental replied. It will thicken and gather, and the stench of evil will assault our every sense. When the ground below us shimmers green, followed by a burst of golden light, then the defences will have failed. The earth will open to give the Old One access to his souls and pain, and we will be able to get inside.And the darkness?It will be as thick as ever, the lord of air replied, his voice showing revulsion at the fact. We shall have to fly through it.But they will know we come, Tara said.It cannot be helped, the elemental said, and he indicated a point on the ground below. Watch, see how it begins.Gilzereet watched as the ground flared with green light that disappeared in waves. When the light had flowed away from a central point, a burst of bright yellow gleamed after it, and the ground began to shake.A bubble of earth pushed out of the palace gardens overlooking the docks, and earth, grass, garden beds and trees shivered down its side to heap around its base. Above it, the darkness grew, stirring impatiently over the dome and the hidden temple below. It was like watching smoke roil above a forest fire, or seeing the thick mist of a winter morning twitch, as a light breeze tickled its folds. Green lightning ricocheted in the cloud’s depths, disappearing in golden flame.They flinched as the sensation of evil increased, pressing around them, until it felt like they were drowning in it. Anticipation emanated from the cloud below, an unholy eagerness rising with the first scream that escaped as the bubble below split open.---------------------------------------------------------------- Would you like to read more? 
This book, Shadow’s Rise, and the other two titles in the Shadow trilogy: Shadow Trap and Shadow’s Fall, are currently available for individual purchase.

From Today’s Edit—Shadow’s Rise

Among the tasks I need to do is to provide each title with new back matter—and some titles with a new cover. This is Shadow’s Rise. It is one of those titles needing a new cover. I’m editing it, before this happens, and I came across this scene, and it struck me as one of the more powerful scenes in the book:

Gilzereet’s Rejection
As a high priest of the Goddess of Shadows and Night, Gilzereet Urkhrist has as strong a relationship with the goddess as any—and, yet, she puts him aside, as only a goddess can. Here’s how it goes down:

In the city of Escar, well away from where Beresia’s temple burned, Gilzereet knelt in Berveragna’s inner chamber. He was praying to the goddess, and finding her strangely silent, given that Misrandar was dead. He had been praying for most of the night.One of the acolytes had summoned him when they had found Misrandar’s body in the hall outside the chamber, but Gilzereet had been unable to sense who, or what, had caused the priest’s death. The entire corridor was sterile, void of any hint as to what had happened—good or evil, the area was too clean for him to tell. Instead of being able to track the murderer down, the high priest was seeking his goddess’s guidance on the matter, and receiving nothing. It was as though she had shut a door between them.Having sent the acolytes to the outer temple with instructions to pray, Gilzereet had closed the inner chamber’s door behind him, and knelt before the nightstone. Around him, the candles he had made and dedicated to Berveragna’s service had remained dark; before him, the nightstone’s veins glowed with sullen light.At last, when the goddess had refused to respond to any of his prayers, Gilzereet stood and approached the nightstone altar. He could think of only one thing more to try. Reaching out, he placed both hands on the silver-streamed, blue darkness of the altar’s surface.At once, he felt Berveragna’s attention on him but, instead of giving him comfort, it generated unease. As he held his palms against the stone, its blue-lit veins dimmed. Around the walls, the blue-flamed candles flared to brightness, only to go out, one by one, around the room.“Lady?” Gilzereet cried, startlement and confusion apparent in his voice. “What have I done?”Her reply was an almost unintelligible growl.“Nothing.”But she continued to extinguish the candles around the chamber walls until, with the wavering of the last one’s flame, Gilzereet felt the nightstone drawing his power into itself. He cried out, again, but felt only the wall of his lady’s rejection. Instead of leaving the chamber as he sensed she wished, Gilzereet pressed himself harder against the altar.“Please, answer me, Lady. Do not send me away,” he begged, almost weeping with frustration.“You are not mine,” she spat in reply, and black tendrils disentangled him from the altar and threw him towards the chamber’s door. “Now, go!”“But I have served you and you alone,” he argued. “You took me in when everyone else had turned their backs on me. Who else is there? You have favoured me with your power, and given me a home. I will not leave you, though you should curse me to death.”The goddess snarled, until Gilzereet was surrounded by the sound. He felt it vibrating against his skin, and heard the door shatter behind him. Before he could protest any further, the black tendrils had thrown him from the chamber and into the hallway beyond.“Enter not again,” he though he heard her say. “I will not curse you to death, even should you beg such an undeserved fate from me.”Dazed, Gilzereet watched as a patterning of static blocked the inner chamber from the hall. He pushed himself upright, leaning against the wall, noting how Misrandar’s body lay between him and the entrance to the inner chamber, noting the crackling barrier that kept him from the lady’s inner sanctum.Unable to bring himself to quite believe what had happened, Gilzereet reached out in prayer, trying to draw the goddess’s attention. He received no reply, and, even though he tried to reach out again, he did not expect one. He might hope, but the goddess had rejected him and she refused to tell him why.---------------------------------------------------------------- Would you like to read more? 
This book, Shadow’s Rise, and the other two titles in the Shadow trilogy: Shadow Trap and Shadow’s Fall, are currently available for individual purchase.

Progress Report—August 12-August 18, 2018

Last week, the third week of August, was a good week, even if I got quite sidetracked in the last half of the week. I was almost completely pain free, although there’s still a bit of heat in the elbow, so I’m wary. My writing increased… right up to the point I realised I had some administrative tasks that had to be done. I created a newsletter and a mailing list people could sign up to, and that was a pretty steep learning curve so I focused on that, rather than the writing for a couple of days. It’s still a work in progress, but I can continue to build on it, so it will get better. I also added to the to-do list, but you’ll get enough of that as things happen over the next few weeks. In the meantime, this is what got done in the last week:
Progress: August 12-August 18, 2018New words produced: 12,300Outlines and Notes: 1,115Words compiled: 0Works completed: 0Works edited: 0Covers created: 0Works formatted: 0Works published: 0Works released: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 444Hours at Desk—August 12-August 18: 57 hours 49 minutesHours at Desk—August 05-August 11: 57 hours 45 minutesHours at Desk—July 29-August 04: 31 hours 26 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

Progress Report—August 05-August 11, 2018

The second week of August went well. There was still pain, but it was reducing. I increased my walking to assist in circulation around the elbow, which had the added effect of helping the ideas and words flow better. Yeah, I know: who’da thunk it? Better blood flow to the brain equals better brain performance, which means better writing sessions. It’s simple logic—and a really good reason to get away from the desk, which I find hard to do, for any reason. Anyway, the second week of August saw more hours at the desk, and more productivity as a result. There was also a release, this week, which kept me a bit busy.
Progress: August 05-August 1, 2018New words produced: 24,637Outlines and Notes: 3,254Words compiled: 0Works completed: 0Works edited: 0Covers created:1 (Harper & the Unicorn)Works formatted: 1 (Mothers)Works published: 1 (River’s Edge)Works released: 1(River’s Edge)Works submitted: 1Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 1,482Hours at Desk—August 05-August 11: 57 hours 45 minutesHours at Desk—July 29-August 04: 31 hours 26 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

First Words—August 15, 2018: C.M. Simpson

I’ve been away for a bit. Things got busy, and I got sick… again, and then I changed my routine, which threw me out. It always does. I think I’ve got that sorted, now, so I’ll get back into posting the first words of the day. Today, I worked on the fifth book in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series, with Cutter and Mack’s crew back to being their dysfunctional selves. Given I’ve put down 15,000 words since the last time I did this, this snippet is a bit longer than most.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9
“You have to give her orders to get her to behave?” He made it sound like the joke of a millennia.
I didn’t have to look at Mack to see his mouth curl in distaste. His answer said it all.
“Yup.”
Barangail laughed, and I could see several of his guards smirking. Right now, I wanted to smack the ever-loving crap out of all of them… with my blaster. I felt my hand twitch, and then my arm froze.
“Not right now, you don’t,” Rohan said, and I knew he’d taken control of my limbs, again.
It almost made me regret teaching him the trick of which synapses to fire to drive a human. Almost. Him getting me out of a very bad place before even worse things could happen to me just about made up for what was happening, now.
“I’m saving your ass. Again,” he said, sounding disgruntled. “Pretty sure Mack would kick me ten ways to stardust if I let you do something stupid and got yourself shot.”
Given Mack would probably get his ass shot off at the same time, I didn’t think Rohan was in any danger of Mack doing anything if the boy let me loose.
“No, but I could.”
And there was Tens, sticking his nose in just where it didn’t belong.
“Mack’s kinda integral to the ship,” he said, then added, “You, too, I suppose.”
He didn’t have to sound like he hated the idea so much, but, before either of us could say anything else, Barangail stopped laughing.
“Inside,” he said, all business. “There’s a meal, as per the invitation, and we have business to discuss.”



----------------------------------------------------------------     Would you like to read more? 
The first three books and the short story in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series: Mack ‘n’ Me: Origins , The Depredides Dance , Mack ‘n’ Me: Blaedergil’s Host , and Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach are also available. The fourth book, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour will release shortly.
 
 

Just Released—River’s Edge

My science-fiction short story, River’s Edge , has just been released. Running away from a bad situation is sometimes the smartest thing you can do—when you can turn that into running towards worth having, it’s even better.
River’s Edge is, or shortly will be, available from all the usual platforms: Amazon, Kobo, DriveThruFiction, Smashwords and Google Play, as well as via Smashwords and Draft2Digital distribution.

When my mother told me to run, I ran. I ran all the way to the river and then stopped—because the river was a frightening place, and forbidden by the raiders who came to take their annual toll of settlers. Faced with the choice of being taken, or taking my chances in the river, I took a step back, and hoped that somewhere, across the river I’d find help.

July Progress Overview

Yes, I failed Camp NaNo, but it doesn’t matter. After June, July was wonderful. I caught up on a few things, and got a tonne of words done – even though I ended the month with an RSI injury. Still, as I write this, that’s slowly healing, so, if I’m careful, it will come right.Progress: July 2018New words produced: 112,146Outlines and Notes: 24,939Words compiled: 0Works completed: 40 (26 poems, 10 flash fiction, Harper & the Unicorn, Long Hair, River’s Edge, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour)Works edited: 1 (Harper & the Unicorn)Covers created: 2 (River’s Edge, Jalaya)Works formatted: 0Works published: 0Works released: 1Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 8,051July 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

Pre-Release Uploaded—River’s Edge

Woot! My science-fiction short story, River’s Edge , has just been uploaded for pre-release. Told by a woman running away from a bad situation with hopes of finding better, it’s currently available on Smashwords for ordering, and will soon be available from all theother usual platforms.



When my mother told me to run, I ran. I ran all the way to the river and then stopped—because the river was a frightening place, and forbidden by the raiders who came to take their annual toll of settlers. Faced with the choice of being taken, or taking my chances in the river, I took a step back, and hoped that somewhere, across the river I’d find help.