C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 132

Friday's Release: Starman's Arrival

Just a quick note to say that the science fiction short story The Starman's Arrival is now released in ebook form. It will come out, mid- to late- next year, in paperback, as part of the collected short works anthology for this year. In the meantime, it can be found at Smashwords, Amazon, DriveThruFiction, and via Draft2Digital distribution.


Knocking over those crates of beer was a death sentence. I did it on purpose, in front of everyone, and then I did the only thing I could—I ran. I think I saved the starman. Now, the only way I’ll know, is if the supply ship comes in time to drive the raiders away—and I get back out of Blacklegs’ Forest alive. Wish me luck, okay? I’m gonna need it.

Progress Report: Weeks 3-4 August, 2017

Well, August started really well… and then it went very, very pear-shaped. I have discovered I cannot sustain a good writing pattern during exams and assignment season, if I get sick. I guess it’s a good thing, I have only 9 weeks left of university, and then I can get down to business, maybe… It depends on whether or not I find work, and when it starts. Needs must, as they say. So, August...
 
Week 3 Progress (August 20-26)New words produced: 2,168Outlines and Notes: 0Works completed: 0Works edited: 0Covers created: 0Works published:2 ( Fate in the Sun, Shades of Memory )Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 0University Prep and Assignments: 1,571

















   Week 4 Progress (August 27 to September 2)New words produced: 13,317Outlines and Notes: 545Works completed: 0Works edited: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 0University Prep and Assignments: 517Writing News
Going back through my records, I see I have confused what I published and when, so, for clarity’s sake, Week 2 saw Starman’s Arrival edited and published, NOT Fate in the Sun and Shades of Memory . Fate in the Sun AND Shades of Memory were published in Week 3. <sigh>. Week 4, saw very little done on anything as I studied for exams and did some reading for my first assignment. Week 5, however, saw me sick, working through exams, and somehow managing to keep all bar 1 class attendance on track. Fortunately, the end of that week, and the end of August saw the end of exams, the end of the flu, and the start of the term ‘break’, and I recovered enough to do a bit of writing, and I laid down close to 13,000 words in two days, as well as working on my essay, and revamping next year’s publication schedule. Good times, right?



June-July Challenge: Babes in London
Nothing got added to Babes in London, this month – and I will have to do some solid work to catch up.
NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.



Ingress Updates
Ingress was maintained on a minimal basis, with activity occurring to and from school drop off and pick up, and to and from university. There just wasn’t the time for anything else. Somehow I managed to maintain my hacking streak, but I’m not sure how.

PokemonGo Updates
As with Ingress, PokemonGo was maintained on a minimal basis. I managed daily pokestop visits and catches and ended up doing an end-of-the-month evolution of a few, even managing to add a couple to my pokedex.

I think the most exciting thing was that I levelled up to Level 31, in spite of not having a lot of time, and then earned my gold Defender medal, so that was a pretty good week.





















I caught my very first charizard (23/08) and Houndoom (31/08), and evolved a hitmontop, and machamp. 

        



Other NewsOf all the goals I had for Week 3, I kept up with class preparation, and managed to get Fate in the Sun uploaded, as well as starting my first assignment. Unfortunately, I did not finish that in the week that followed.

Babes in London: Act Four, Scene 1B (Part 1: Kew Gardens—Conversation)

SCENE 1B: KEW GARDENS

Kew Gardens is huge, but it doesn’t take you long to find the Japanese Collection. Trees with lovely red foliage are scattered around the edges of green open spaces, and interspersed by bushes with dark green foliage and a variety of flowers. Perfume scents the air.
Allow the players to state what their characters are doing. It will take a successful TH4 Air (Senses) test opposed by Leyila’s and Anika’s Mental (Stealth) test (TH4 conditions) to notice that the girls are taking it in turns following them. If successful, read, or paraphrase the following for the character/s that sees them, modifying the description for whichever child they see. (Anika has blue eyes and blonde hair and is taller than Leyila, who has green eyes and dark brown hair):
There! And, again, there! Peering at you from behind the red-leaved branches of the trees that have brought you here, a little face with startling green eyes, watches you. The minute she sees you looking, though, she steps out onto the grass, looking for all the world like she owns the place. “What are you doing here?” she demands, her small voice full of command.
Give the character who saw the girl time to react first, and then allow the other PCs to join in. If the characters fail to see the child, she follows them until they reach a quiet cell in the garden, and then steps out to greet them. Conversation points are as follows, but note what happens if the Setites are mentioned and be prepared to run Scene 2:

If the PCs tell the girl she has to return to her family:
The child regards you with determined eyes.
Note: If the players ask which child this is, their characters recognise it from the photo they have. Each girl is very protective of the other.
“Not gonna happen,” she says. “We are brood. We stay together.” The air around her shimmers, and you catch a glimpse of her draconic form, for just the smallest moment. Things might get nasty, if you try and force them to return. Exactly how nasty, the little girl reveals with her next words: “I’ll scream for help if you make me. And be gone while you’re still trying to convince them to let you out of jail.” From the look in her eyes, she means it. “Or we’ll just shred you limb from limb.” That voice is new, but you can’t see its source. “Why don’t you explain why our strongest allies would try to betray us?”
It requires a TH6 Air (Senses) roll to see where Anika is, as she is standing well-back in the cover of the trees, on the top of a slight rise. She is standing on a small rock, which the PCs can’t see, and is hidden by the foliage of a Japanese maple, and a nearby rhododendron, but her face is visible as she peers out at them through a gap in the leaves. Once she has been seen, or shortly after delivering her demand, she comes out into the open, carrying Lewistrom on one hip.
Shortly afterwards, the bushes and trees shiver as something rustles through them towards you, and a slightly older girl steps out. With her long, blonde hair, and sapphire blue eyes, she regards you carefully, and then moves to a nearby bench. She is carrying a small boy on her hip, but he, too, regards you with a stare that is older than his apparent age. “Tell us why you’re here,” she says, as Leyila goes to stand beside her, between you and the bench, but a little to one side.
Who is that? (indicating the child)
This is Lewistrom Beam. He is also known as Lewistrom the Smith. He is a third member of our brood. Somewhere, deep in your mind, you remember a Lewistrom the Smith. What you can’t remember is why he is so important to your brood.
You’re parents have gone missing/have been taken/are in danger.  (To Anika).
The child’s face pales, and she exchanges glances with Leyila. “Do you know who?” Leyila asks, turning back to you, a fierce gleam in her eye. “Will you help get them back?” Anika wants to know at the same time.
Allow the characters to answer, and interact with, with Anika and Leyila. They have a number of options, here, including convincing the girls to return to their parents, letting Anika know her parents have gone missing, renewing acquaintance with Anika’s Brood, convincing them to return Lewistrom Beam to his parents, offering them the assistance of LN7 or the Gehenna Consortium, or reassuring them of the PCs’ Brood’s alliance and willingness to help.
It requires a successful TH4 Interaction (Mental) test to convince the girls to return home. The following modifiers apply:
-5         The flashback scene has occurred and PCs were successful;-2         PCs promise to retrieve Anika’s parents from the Setites;-1         If PC is a Friend of Anika Collins;-1         If PC is a Friend of Leyila Andrews;-1         PCs have not tried to capture the children by force;-1         PCs remind Anika’s brood that their broods were allies in past times;-1         PCs assure the brood that they wish to remain allies in the present;-1         PCs assure Anika and Leyila that they will do their best to help them maintain contact with Lewistrom Beam, especially given the danger posed to the brood;-1         PCs tell Anika and Leyila about either LN7 or the Gehenna Consortium. Anika knows of neither of these groups, but, while she’s well aware that organisations are not always benign, no matter what they say, she is also aware that she and Leyila need ‘grown-up’ help in order to remain together, so she is willing to take a chance;+3        PCs tried to grab any of the children to force them to return with them to their parents;


If the PCs mention the Setites at all during this conversation, read, or paraphrase, the following:
Setites.At the mention of their name, the world about you shudders and you find yourselves running, or winging your way, across a rolling landscape of grassland.
Go to Scene 2.
Note: There are other actions they PCs may take. These will form next week’s post.

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.

Babes in London: Act Four, Scene 1A (Half-Time Nursery & Landscaping Services)

SCENE 1A: HALF-TIME NURSERY & LANDSCAPING SERVICES

If the PCs decide to go to the garden centre first,read, or paraphrase the following:
You arrive in time to see the first of three delivery trucks drive out of a gated driveway to the right of the garden centre entrance. The driver of the lead vehicle calls out to a young woman in overalls and work-shirt.“I’ll check back in the afternoon, but call me if anything comes up, okay?”“Sure thing!” she calls back, and the trucks head out and down the road away from you, the woman closing the gate behind them.
Allow the PCs to interact with the woman as they see fit. Her name is Maddie (short for Madigan), and she can answer the following questions:
Was that the boss?
Yes. He’s got a landscaping contract, and won’t be back until late this afternoon. Can I help you?
When will he be back?
He’ll be back late this afternoon, but he’ll be busy.
Have you seen two girls around here?
If you mean women gardeners, we have lots of those as customers, but did you mean kids on their own? Because we have lots of children come to visit, but always with their parents.
If PCs show a picture of Anika and/or Leyila…
The woman looks closely at the pictures. “I remember her,” she says (of Anika). “She came one day with her parents. Very persistent she was, asking about a grove of Japanese maples. ‘Where’s the grove?’ she said. ‘Can you tell me where I can find it?’ On and on, even though her parents asked her to stop—and then she broke a leaf off one of our trees, the little minx! Her parents apologised, but when she took off some leaves from one of the camellias I just had to ask them to leave.
What sort of tree?
One of the Japanese maples! Of all the cheek! Those are expensive, and we try to have them in peak condition for our customers.
Do you get a lot of customers asking for Japanese maples?
A few. Most of them are inspired by the display at Kew, and want one for their gardens. Not many of them of have enough space, but some of the bigger estates like the idea of having their own zen garden with maples at the edges.
Has anyone recently ordered any?
Just the project the boss is on, now. And they only ordered a few.
How long ago did you see the children?
Three or four weeks. We haven’t seen them back since. Wouldn’t want to, either. The boss was so cross. He’d spent weeks getting those bushes up to spec.
Are you sure you haven’t seen them since?
Of course I’m sure. I remember customers like that. We’ve got a reputation to keep. Can’t have plants being damaged by that kind of person. I’d have shown ’em the door as soon as they arrived.
Is the boss using Japanese maples or camellias in this landscape?
“Now that you mention it, yes, he is.”
Is it around here? or Where is it?
The woman looks at you, suspiciously.“Why’d’you want to know?”
If the PCs can give her a satisfactory response to that—anything official, like ‘police investigation’, backed up with badges or a call to the D.I. in charge will work on a TH2 Air test, but things like ‘private investigator’ will require a TH3 Air test, and anything personal will require a TH4 Air test. Threats increase the TH by 2, bribes increase the TH by 1, and these penalties are cumulative. If the PCs bomb out here, they can still find the address by hacking the shop computer (TH3), asking for planning permits at the municipal offices (TH2). If they are successful in convincing Maddie, read, or paraphrase the following:
“Come this way,” she says, and heads into the office, where she looks up the address. “Don’t know why he thinks he’ll make it back here this afternoon. It’s a mad drive.”And she hands you a slip of paper with 20 Willoughby Road, Havering written on it.
A TH2 Air test suggests that this is a long way for the two girls to have travelled, and a quick check of the map shows the address isn’t near a tube station or bus stop. If they’ve told Maddie why they want to know, she ushers them out of the office, but stops them at the nursery door.
“To be honest, I don’t think you kids are way out there. If they like the maples, they probably just went to Kew. It’s easy to get to, and the trees are easy to get to.”
Maddie doesn’t have any more information, and will cut the conversation by saying she’s got a lot to do because the boss is away. She promises to call if she sees either of the girls.
The PCs have to choose where to go next. If they go out to Havering they discover the girls are not at the work site and the boss is annoyed that Maddie sent them. Kew is closer for them to investigate, however.
NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.

Babes in London: Act Four, Scene 1 (Set-Up)

SCENE 1: SET-UP
At this stage, the PCs have either come straight from investigating Anika Collins’ house, having found the clues in her jeans pocket and identified the name of the garden centre.
If the PCs didn’t find the clues in Anika’s jeans pocket, one of the PCs receives a call from their LN7 or Gehenna Corporation contact, or the detective in charge of investigating the children’s disappearance. When they answer it, read, or paraphrase the following:
“It’s D.I. Mullins,” he says. “We found a couple of items that might be relevant to the investigation. It looks like the children had some interest in the Half-Time Nursery & Landscaping Services garden centre, and particularly their camellia sassanquas and Japanese Maples. We’ve got no idea why, and the constable who went to check it out says the bloke running the centre hadn’t seen any stray kids—girls or otherwise, and was too busy trying to tie his latest display of those things into some special display at Kew that he wasn’t much help.”
If PCs think to ask if Kew Gardens has a display of Japanese maples or camellia’s, he says it’s likely, but he can’t recall any specifics. A TH1 Knowledge: Research check reveals that Kew Gardens does indeed have such a display—the Japanese Landscape display—and a downloadable map that can be used to find it. PCs now have the option of following up with the nursery (Scene 1A), or going straight to Kew (Scene 1B).

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.

PokemonGo: Yesterday's Badge and Level Up - and Today's New Pokemon

So, even doing minimum pokegoing due to assignments, study and a hefty publishing schedule, I managed to start yesterday by earning this:


Of course, to earn it, my pokemon had to be knocked out of the gym for the hours to be counted, but that only means I can keep working towards being a battlegirl. This is what happens when I remember to stop at yellow gyms, feed the inhabitants, and add a new contestant, if there's space. Also what happens when I remember to give myself time to battle red or blue gyms when waiting for the bus or on the way to and from school.

And yesterday ended well, too:


Got to say, that last 1,000 takes forever!

Finally, I get off the bus to be met by this little guy - and those black-and-yellows that came with the level-up suddenly have purpose, because I still don't have enough candy to evolve one of my own.


He might not be too good at battling, but he fills a hole in my pokedex - and that's good enough for me :-) 

Progress Report: Week 2, August, 2017

Last week was busy. Next week will be just as busy. I managed to get through all the priorities bar one: I didn’t start the edit of Army Boots and Stilettos . The rest I maintained, although I was a regular 5 minutes short of my walk goal each day. I’ll try for better this week.
 
Week 2 ProgressNew words produced: 10,948Outlines and Notes: 794Works completed: 0Works edited: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 2 ( Shades of Memory, Fate in the Sun )Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 2,666University Prep and Assignments: 25h 11m that I remembered to record (4h 51m reading and class prep, 4 h lectures, 6h contact, 1h admin, 3h research, 6h 20m travel)Writing News
Last week saw the final uploads done for the pre-orders of Shadesof Memory (an urban-fantasy thriller novel) and Fate in the Sun a science fiction short story. I also continued work on three novels, finally focussing on Side Shift , although I struggled as the novel hit a boggy patch. I’m hoping to work my way through that this week so the words return to their usual rate of 1,200 or so an hour. This week, they were down around the 700 mark.
 

















As well as that, it was the release week for C.M. Simpson: Short Work from 2014, Volume 3: Fantasy and Urban Fantasy, in both ebook and print-on-demand formats.

Of last week’s priorities, I completed all bar the start of editing for October’s second release, Army Boots and Stilettos , a young adult science fiction novel.

June-July Challenge: Babes in London
No progress this week, although the section for finalising Act 3 was posted on Friday.
NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.
Ingress Updates
This week’s Ingress consisted of bare minimum walking to make up my exercise goal – and even then I fell five minutes short each day. This week, I’ll have to do better. Hacking, incidental links and fields, and blasting on the way to and from university had to suffice. This week will be much of the same, although I’ll be aiming at filling the hour properly.

PokemonGo Updates
This week’s PokemonGo was much like this week’s ingress—lots of incidental catches, a little bit of gym work, but all on the way to and from university. Still, I managed to catch my 200th fairy pokemon, and hatch my 200th fire-type.


















  Priorities for Week 3, August, 2017
This week’s priorities are as follows:
3,000 words of novelling a day, with a minimum of 1,000 words on any one project (and projects completed in a set order).finalise the cover, edit, format, and upload of Army Boots and Stilettos complete the rough draft of my POLS2070 essaykeep up with class prepwalk a full hour each day

Today's PokemonGo Medal: Gold Kindler

Well, two days ago, I managed to catch my 200th fairy-type pokemon, and today I managed to hatch my 200th fire-type pokemon. That's not a bad week - even if I still can't participate in raids. The hatchling that became the 200th 'catch' was this houndour. It turned out to be 'one of the strongest', having HP as its 'best quality', a great Attack and Defense, and the 'best stats' ever seen. Love being Team Yellow. Go you flaming ball of darkness!

Fate in the Sun Now Available on Pre-Order

It's been a busy week, so Fate in the Sun - my first release for October - is also available on pre-order from Smashwords and Amazon. It's a short story, so I won't be releasing it as a paperback, until next year's short works collection.


On Canon V, the colonists live underground—those that can, anyway. Those that are born unable, I help guide to the surface, and then I try to warn them of the creatures that come from beyond the rifts. Some listen. Most run away screaming. With the creatures coming more often, now, the last thing any of us expected was for corporate intervention. Now, we just have to work out if they’re offering a deal worth taking, or if we’d be better off in the caves.

Volume 3 of the 2014 Collection Now Released

Also, today... or very early yesterday, depending on your time-zone, C.M. Simpson: Short Work from 2014, Volume 3 went live on all outlets. It can be found on Amazon as an ebook, CreateSpace as a paperback, Smashwords in all ebook forms, DriveThruFiction as a PDF, and via Draft2Digital distribution. This blend of genres includes all the short stories and poems published in 2015 and 2016



A collection of flash fiction, short stories, poems and essays where the genres of fantasy and urban fantasy explore depression, fear, facing the unexpected, and working through difficult situations. It is of adapting to a changing world, to dealing with fear, and about exploring a world where trolls, pixies, unicorns and fairies might be real. This collection is about the myths of the world, the fairytale world, the never was, and might have been.