C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 111

June 2018 Writing and Publishing Round-Up

June was an… interesting month. I had a skin growth cut out of my leg – twice; managed to defeat a week of the flu; and also got over a back injury. This might have put a crimp in my writing, but it did allow me to catch up on some reading, and I became acquainted with works by Michael Anderle, Craig Martelle, Martha Carr, and P.R. Adams. I also caught up my publishing schedule, although my writing schedule fell completely apart and had to be rewritten. In addition to that, I learnt a bit more about the business side of publishing, and updated my social media presence, including the following sites:
a Facebook Author Page for C.M. Simpson;a Books2Read page for C.M Simpson;a Pinterest page;a G+ page for my Short Fiction and Poetry as C.M. Simpson;a G+ page for my stories as Carlie Simonsen;a Google Play presence for C.M. Simpson;a Google Play presence for Carlie Simonsen;a Facebook page for Carlie Simonsen; andmy Facebook publishing page.Progress: June 2018New words produced: 61,380Outlines and Notes: 4,313Words compiled: 0Works completed: 0Works edited: 5 (1 submission, Harper’s Choice, The Depredides Dance, The Rocky Adventures Omnibus, Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach)Covers created: 4 (The Depredides Dance, The Rocky Adventures Omnibus, Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach, Mack 'n' Me: The Transporter's Favour)Works formatted: 5 (1 submission, Harper’s Choice, The Depredides Dance, The Rocky Adventures Omnibus, Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach)Works published: 4 (Harper’s Choice, The Depredides Dance, The Rocky Adventures Omnibus, Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach)Works released: 2 (Harper’s Choice, Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach)Works submitted: 3Competitions Entered: 1 (15 entries)Bloggery: 14,378June 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 for the Day—July 3, 2018

I think I need to make a rule about posting these earlier…
Yesterday, I laid down 4,033 words on, Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour, the next Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey novel. The first of those words were: Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter Favour
Wandererpinged my implant, amused.
‘Let’s hope it never comes to that,’ she said. ‘Other hulls aren’t as forgiving.’
Before I could contemplate what she might mean by that, I realised the guys on the sled weren’t dead.
‘Put them in the airlock,’ Delight ordered. ‘Without their helmets. I’d like them to think about what they’ve done.’
Several snorts greeted her command, mine among them.
Sure she did. More like, she wanted them crapping themselves the entire time they were in there, and more than ready to talk when they got let out. She raised an eyebrow, as though catching the thought. “Move your ass, Cutter. We haven’t got all day.”
--------------------------------------------Would you like to read more?You can find the first book in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series, Mack ‘n’ Me: Origins, HERE  

Progress Report—June 24-30, 2018

Last week was a slow week for writing. For one thing, I was trying to balance getting better with resting, and, for another, I’d fallen behind on my blog. The most important tasks, however, were updating my royalty records for annual tax visit with the accountant, finalising a submissions for an anthology and a competition, submitting other work to another market, trying to rejig a writing schedule gone wayward due to a month and a half of illness, and writing a guest blog—more on that later. I also spent a lot of time sleeping, or on social media, but that was mainly due to not feeling well enough to focus on anything else. So, a slow week. To give you an idea, I have already written more ‘new words’, in the first three days of July, than all the words tallied below—and I’m starting to feel better, but that’s next week story. In the meantime, here is what was achieved last week:
Progress: June 24-30, 2018New words produced: 5,847Outlines and Notes: 1,726Words compiled: 0Works completed: 0Works edited: 0Covers created: 1 (Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour)Works formatted: 0Works published: 0Works released: 1 (The Rocky Adventures Omnibus)Works submitted: 3 (1 market)Competitions Entered: 1 (15 entries)Bloggery: 8,464Hours at Desk—June 24-30: 52 hoursHours at Desk—June 17-23: 63 hours 39minutesHours at Desk—June 10-16: 37 hours 42 minutesHours at Desk—June 3-9: 51 hours 34 minutesHours at Desk—June 1-2: 26 hours 21 minutesHours at Desk—May 27-June 2: 73 hours 14minutesMay 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 for the Day—July 2, 2018

Yesterday saw me get more into the swing of things. The new schedule still looks like a mess, but I think it's redeemable... if I don't spend too much time hanging out on social media. This is my last catch-up post, and my next-to-last post for the day... because I still have today's first words to write. This post also sees the first up-kick in production - first words from TWO projects. Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter's Favour
Delight took us straight from the sparring mats to wolf-based scenarios—and from the feel of those, she’d ripped them straight out of some poor soul’s head. Several poor souls, if the team’s reactions were anything to go by… and then we came to the one where we were staring down a newly docked wolf-drop-ship in a spaceship’s hangar bay, and I was sure of it.
She didn’t give me time to do more than glare, and the scenario started rolling—and she’d tweaked it. 
Of course, she had.
“You spit-sucking, psychotic, mouth-breeding—”
The first wolf construct came at me with a roar, and I slid under its swing, slamming a boot into its shin so I could stop and fire two shots from the Blazer up into its midriff at very close range. Things got more interesting after that.

The Priestess, the Prince & the Dragons' Children
So, I knew everything wasn’t fine. I knew that, but I couldn’t tell Chushka. I couldn’t put my unease into words, and give it more power than it already had. I ran my fingers over the shells of my children’s eggs, murmuring a soft goodnight to each one, and I prayed Chushka couldn’t read my feelings on my face.
But she had told me that she had a sense for these things, and she remained troubled.
“Something is coming,” she said, “but I cannot tell if it is for good or ill.”
I stepped away from the eggs, and moved toward the door to my chambers, but she laid her hand on my arm.
“Wait, Mistress. Perhaps we should check.”
I was about to agree, when the unease grew to a fine fit of fear.
“Bar the door, first,” I said, and she hurried to obey.
“And that one, too,” I said, as terror danced along my arms and played its merry way along my spine.Perhaps it should have worried me that Chushka did not argue, and that she was already heading for the second door before I could ask her to.--------------------------------------------Would you like to read more?  You can find the first book in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series, Mack ‘n’Me: Origins, HERE, and you can find the first book in the Lords of the Five Kingdoms series, ThePriestess, the Prince & the Dragon, HERE.

First Words for the Day—July 1, 2018

I spent the day in bed, on Sunday, the first of July, resting an injury that had split open after the stitches had been removed, and hoping it would start healing. So far, so good, but it meant I didn’t go near a keyboard, and had to resort to writing long-hand, so I returned to a poetry project I’d set aside a while ago, and which I want to complete in time to publish at the end of the year. This is the first poem  I wrote; the title and notes at the front were added this morning.
Another 365 Days of Poetry
Post-War Peace
Written on July 1, 2018, this poem was the first for a long, long while. I wrote it blind, and didn’t realise it was pondering the difficulties of finding peace after a war, albeit from a fantasy perspective. I guess the current state of world affairs is getting to me after all.
The rhythm of the music,and the beat of dancing drums,break the silence of the secret deeps,until the hint of something comes.
And then the music ceases,and all that beat are hearts,as through the trees come creepingthose who the great wars once did start.
They lift their heads, and sniff the air,seeking scent and solacefrom the thought that not a thing survivedtheir war against the forest.
The trees around grow tall and strong,the undergrowth grows lush,but not a life-form near them stirs,and all around them’s hushed.
“We come in peace,” their leader says,but not a soul responds.“We come alone,” he softly adds,but nothing stirs the fronds.
“We come unarmed,” he says, and turns,hands raised above his head,so all can see no weapons borne;when none reply, he kneels and bows his head.
“I cannot undo all that’s been done.I cannot mend a war that’s run.I can’t take back the injuries paid,the damages riven, those to early rest laid.”
“I can only try to do better from here,to rebuild the lives, to drive off the fear,to work to prevent another great war,to strive not to repeat what’s gone before.”
When silence rang loud, and stillness was allthe answer he got, he rose from the floor,dusted dirt from his knees,and turned back around, preparing to leave.
“We’ll dwell on the edge of the trees,” he said,“where we can guard both the forest and plain.There’s a place for you there, if you want it,as we start rebuilding, again.”
When silence was all the answer he got,his sadness welled up in a sigh,but he took the first step away from the hidden,those quietly watching with fear in their eyes.
He’d taken three steps, his companions in tow,when, behind him, the undergrowth stirred.“Wait,” was an order, a gentle demand,delivered in a voice barely heard.
“This new beginning,” it said. “How do we fit?”And the commander turned back around.“As equals,” he said, and the whole forest stirred.“Let us talk,” said the voice, of a leader new-crowned.
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For the curious, you can find the first poetry collection, 365 Days of Poetry, HERE, and the second collection, 366 Days of Poetry, HERE. Both are mostly science fiction and fantasy and some are just a little bit experimental.

 

Place-Holder Covers for New Projects

I revamped my schedule so I could try to fit more projects in. Shush, not sure I can make it work, but I’m going to give it my best shot. Folks have been waiting far too long to see the next book in The Lords of the Five Kingdomsseries, and I’ve been working on the next poetry anthology for a while, now. I’m hoping to have both out within the next twelve months. These are the place-holder covers for them – not inspiring, I know, but I’ll put more up as I develop them.
 

First 500 Words Sneak Peek—The Depredides Dance

The Depredides Dance i releases on Friday, July 7, 2018, US time. It follows directly on from Mack ‘n’ Me: Origins , and continues the tale of Cutter’s struggle with Mack and Odyssey’s claims on her time.
 
What’s it About?
All I had to do was disappear. That was it: disappear and stay out of sight. Hard enough with Abs running an auction for the last location she left me, but then I poked the Depredides communications network—and everything else looked downright easy… I’m not even sure there is a way out of this…
The DepredidesDance is a stand-alone short story set in the Odyssey universe. However, if you’re into reading things in order, it tells the story of what happened to Cutter after the end of Mack ‘n’ Me: Origins , and thus forms story 1-1 of the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series.
NOTE: The main character swears like a sailor, and the support cast aren’t much better. If swears bother you, then this story may not be to your taste.

Here are the first 500 words of that story: The Depredides Dance First 500 Words
Abby dropped me off on Depredides, just like I paid her to. She even booked me into a cheap motel which would give me lots of places to run to, and she did that free of charge.Because we’re friends, she said, even though we both knew she’d be running an auction in seventy-two hours’ time to give away my drop-off point. She’s a transporter; it comes with the territory, and I couldn’t pay for an extension to her silence.Friendship and business, we both knew where the lines met, and, because of friendship, we didn’t hold our business actions against each other. We’d travelled across several systems, fast enough to avoid both Delight and Mack, and get me out from under Odyssey’s radar. As a situation, it wasn’t going to last.Before I left the hatch, Abby removed the extra locks she’d put on the links Mack, Delight and Tens had added to my implant.“What you’ve got should last for a while,” she said, “especially as you’re out of range. Try and stay that way.”I paused, on the steps leading from her cockpit down to the tarmac, reached up to touch her hull. I had no words for what I felt, but she seemed to understand.“Safe travels,” she said, and slid the hatch door shut.She retracted the stairs, as soon as I’d stepped off them, and I heard the engine note start to build. I didn’t look back as I hurried away, not even when I felt the wash of her engines as she took off. When I reached the edge of the tarmac, she was just a twin-starred speck, retreating to the void above.“Papers,” said the man behind the counter, and I realised I’d forgotten to plan one, important aspect of my arrival.Damn. I’d thought that had been part of Abby’s service.It was too late, so I gestured at the computer terminal.“It was a late notice trip,” I said. “The company rerouted me. They should have forwarded the paperwork to your department.”He didn’t look impressed.“Name.”I struggled to keep my features bland. Fuckit. I hadn’t thought of this. Why hadn’t I thought of this? I thought fast, instead.“I’m under cover. Need to pick my dossier up. Are you sure my picture doesn’t call up anything.”“Which company do you work for?”And I felt colour rise to my cheeks, was left with my mouth open and nothing to say.‘Abby!’‘I did not think you were this unprepared. I am sorry. You do not have enough to cover the cost of a new identity.’ At least she sounded contrite, rather than amused.Double damn. If I’d been thinking I would have thought of this myself, would have found a different path off the tarmac, not waltzed straight up to the guys who were likely to put me into a database that would totally wreck Abby’s auction. ‘Honey, you put it that way, and I’ll give you all the help you need.’--------------------Would you like to read more? The Depredides Dance , is set directly after the events in Mack 'n' Me: Origins and is available direct from Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, and multiple stores via Books2Read, as well as via Smashwords and Draft2Digital distribution.

New Cover - Mack 'n' Me: The Transporter's Favour

Just dropping by to share the (completed) new cover for Mack 'n' Me: The Transporter's Favour .


Abby hauled me off the ship before Tens had a chance to stop her—and that’s okay, because I already owed Abs a favour. In fact, it was better than okay, because it showed us how much trouble we hadn’t known we were in. But going against the Star Shadow hunt pack? Nullifying their contract to keep ourselves unchained and at large? That was gonna be something else entirely.
Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favour is the fourth science-fiction novel set in the Odyssey universe.
NOTE: The main character swears like a sailor, and the support cast aren’t much better. If swears bother you, this this story may not be to your taste.

This Week’s Release—The Rocky Adventures Omnibus

Just a quick note to let you know that The Rocky Adventures Omnibus released today! Very excited, but I’m in the middle of finishing off the next book in the Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey series, so I can’t stop and chat. Have a great day, all!

The Rocky Adventures Omnibus is available direct from Amazon, Smashwords, DriveThruFiction, Google Play, and Kobo, and via Smashwordsand Draft2Digital distribution. More links can be found at Books2Read. 


Being a big brother isn’t easy—especially when your sister believes her Teddy is on a mission to save the world. And all because you said so. From trying to rescue his parents, to saving Christmas, to protecting his sister from rogue kitties, moon dragons and ravenous velociraptors, Rocky discovers some things never change—and that being a brother is one of them.
The Rocky Adventures Omnibus collects the six stories following Rocky’s adventures as he travels from Earth to the distant world of Tallonna, where his family will make its home with the aliens that have asked for their help.

Yesterday’s First Words for the Day—June 28, 2018

Completely forgot to post yesterday’s first words. Here they are:
Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter's Favour
I surprised myself by actually falling asleep, woke to Abby’s gentle mind-touch, just before Delight tapped me on the feet.
“Time for training,” she said, and there was no mention of the meal I’d missed.
There was a ration bar, though. Quick energy and slow release nutrients to take us through to the evening meal—and if the medics thought it wasn’t enough, they didn’t say anything. Scarpil walked beside me as we headed out the door. He didn’t speak, but there really wasn’t much to talk about. We had training—and we’d have training tomorrow… and maybe the day after that.
Whatever, right?
It made me glad I wasn’t part of Delight’s regular squad of mischief makers, and wish for the days when Mack was handing me yet another impossible assignment that he probably hadn’t told me enough about.
Delight glanced over her shoulder, and smirked at me, but we’d reached the armoury and the firing range, and Hostage Scenario 5 was a bitch. I got shot twice, and thrown out a virtual window once, and then I’d lost my temper.
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You can find the first book of the series, Mack 'n' Me: Origins , at multiple venues, HERE.