C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 150

Progress Report: Week Ending November 5, 2016

Progress for the week before last, which was the first week of exams. Not a lot got done, but two final assessment pieces were turned in, and I squished in a bit of writing for my NaNoWriMo novel.
Overview
New words produced: 5,234Old words revised: 0Outlines and Notes: 0Works completed: 0Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 2,560University Prep and Assignments: 3,211
NaNoWriMo Update

5,200 words completed on the NaNoWriMo Novel: Shades of Memorial .
Stepping Up Challenge Update
Languages: Slow progressNon-Fiction Reading: Only exam essay related.
Ingress Updates
No new challenges for me.
Publishing Tasks
Created 2 blog posts for this blog;
New Arrivals 
Nil

JUST RELEASED: Rendezvous at the Raptor's Rest

My novella-length steampunk horror set in Australia released today! It's available, or will soon be available, from all the usual outlets, including Smashwords, Amazon, OmniLit, Kobo, DriveThruFiction in most ebook formats and PDF, as well as the CreateSpace bookstore in mass market and large-print trade formats.

Rendezvous at the Raptor's Rest EBook Cover
Rendezvous at the Raptor's Rest Trade PoD Cover Rendezvous at the Raptor's Rest Mass Market PoD Cover




















When his flying ship, the Red Horizon, was shot down, Tescher told no-one he had a woman on board. Three years later, he returns to the ship wreck and finds Marianna not only survived the crash, but left him a message. She found what she was looking for aboard his ship, and she’ll wait for him at the Raptor’s Rest, but once a year—tonight. Tight flying will get him there in time, but it will take more for him to navigate clear of the criminal shores on which Marianna has landed.
Rendezvous at Raptor’s Rest is set in the steampunk world of 1840’s Australia, complete with flying ships, landed gentry, velociraptors and those who take their tinkering with the ether just a little too far.

2016 Challenge Wrap-Up

Right, I was going to push these through until December 16, but I’m going to call it now. Yes, it is, technically, a challenge fail, but it is also an important point on the learning curve. Put simply: there are other things I want to do. I could push this challenge through, and maybecatch up what I was supposed to have written during the challenge, or I could stop pfaffing about and get on with what I’ve decided I really need to do.

I don’t like failing, but I never was one for pfaffing.
So, I’m calling it now. Here’s what I achieved in spite of myself.
The Story-A-Week Catch-Up Challenge:
In the Story-A-Week Challenge, I wanted to try and write a story a week (originally from December 13, 2015, through December 17, 2016), hence the title. I didn’t manage to keep writing once the university semester started, so, in July, I thought I would try to catch up by writing two stories a week, beginning with one brand new story, coupled with completing the stories I’d started for last July’s Story Match challenge .

Week 1 (New): Road Trip became an urban fantasy story set in the world of pixie dust and the Paranormal Operations Squad. I started it on July 12 and completed it on July 16. It started life as the randomly rolled title: Berry Fairies , and came in at 6,979 words. Road Trip is scheduled for release on January 6, 2017.Week 1: Men of Sand and Light was part of the 2015 Story Match Challenge. It was resumed on July 16, the same day I completed Road Trip , and completed on July 20, 2016. It ended up being 5, 137 words long. Men of Sand and Light is scheduled for release on January 20, 2017.Week 2 (New): Banquet at Magic Mountain became a science fiction tale. It took from July 21 to July 24 to write, and ended up being 3,947 words long. Banquet at Magic Mountain is scheduled for release on February 17, 2017.Week 2: White Pinnacle was part of the 2015 Story Match Challenge. It was started on July 16, 2015, and then resumed AND completed on July 20, 2016, and came in at 3,060 words. White Pinnacle is scheduled for release on February 3, 2017.Week 3 (New): Memory’s Return was started on August 11, and completed the next day. It ended up being an urban fantasy set in the pixie dust world, of 6,364 words long. Memory’s Return is scheduled for release on March 17, 2017.Week 3: The Medusa’s Starman was one of those stories I didn’t actually start in the Story Match Challenge, although I’d left a place-holder document. I started it on July 25, 2016, and didn’t get back to it until August 9, 2016. I completed it on August 11, and it ended up being an 8,753-word long blend of dark fantasy and science fiction. The Medusa’s Starman is scheduled for release on March 3, 2017.Week 4 (New): Bid the Moon Goodbye was started and completed on August 13, 2016. It is 4,486 words long and was set in the Lunar Wolves universe. Bid the Moon Goodbye is scheduled for release on April 7, 2017.Week 4: The Magicians and the Silk Road was a fantasy short story started on July 20, 2015, was part of the 2015 Story Match Challenge. It was but not resumed until August 12, 2016. It was completed on August 13, and came in at 4,760 words. The Magicians and the Silk Road is scheduled for release on March 31, 2017.Week 5 (New): A Matter of Justice was started on August 9, 2016, and completed on October 1, 2016, after a busy semester start. It is set in the Australian bush in a world where pixie dust and unicorns have returned. It is 8,615 words long. A Matter of Justice is scheduled for release on May 5, 2017.Week 5: Seeker from Havrala started life as The Plain Magician , as part of the 2015 Story Match Challenge. It is a fantasy short story of 2,900 words long, was started on July 21, 2016, and finished on August 14, 2016. Seeker from Havrala is scheduled for release on April 21, 2017.Week 6 (New): The Stars to Guide is a science fiction short story about a child’s search for her father. It is linked to The Medusa’s Starman in a very distant way. It was written on October 3,2016, and ended up being 1,480 words long. The Stars to Guide is scheduled for release on June 2, 2017.Week 6: Luck Amongst the Servants was a dark fantasy started on July 22, 2015, as part of the 2015 Story Match Challenge. It was resumed on October 2, 2016. Luck Amongst the Servants is scheduled for release on May 19, 2017.Week 7 (New): Just a Dinosaur was started on October 17, 2016, and completed the next day. It is a dark rural urban fantasy set in Australia, that ended up being 8,429 words long. Just a Dinosaur is scheduled for release on June 30, 2017.Week 7: This Year’s Starfish was a fantasy short story started on July 22, 2015, as part of the 2015 Story Match Challenge. It was not finished until October 17, 2016. It is 8,878 words long. This Year’s Starfish is scheduled for release on June 16, 2017.Week 8: The Years of Voyage is a science fiction short story started on July24, 2015, as part of the 2015 Story Match Challenge. It was not finished until October 17, 2016, when it reached 5,931 words in length. The Years of Voyage is scheduled for release on July 14, 2017.Weeks 8-23 incomplete.
Stories Already Completed for the Story-A-Week Challenge:
The aim of the Story-A-Week Challenge was to write a short story a week between December 13, 2015 and December 17, 2016. I was unable to keep up when the first semester of the 2016 university year started.
Week 1: The Sevarine Sidestep is a science fiction short story started on July 7, 2015, as part of the Story Match Challenge, and completed on December 22 that same year as part of the Story-A-Week Challenge. It is 5,392 words long, and was published on December 2, 2016.Week 2: Rendezvous at the Raptor’s Rest is a dark steampunk short story set in Australia. It was started on July 9, 2015, as part of the Story Match Challenge, and completed on December 29, that same year as part of the Story-A-Week Challenge. It is a novella of 11,242 words long, and was published on November 4, 2016.Week 3: Lord of the Vortex is a science fiction short story started on July10, 2015, as part of the Story Match Challenge, and completed on January 4, 2016 as part of the Story-A-Week Challenge. It is 4,053 words long, and was published on September 23, 2016.Week 4: Headlines from the Starman is a science fiction short story started on July 12, 2015, as part of the Story Match Challenge, and completed on January 15, 2016, as part of the Story-A-Week Challenge. It is 3,669 words long, and was published on August 12, 2016.
Results: Of the 52 stories I hoped to complete by the end of the year, I have completed 15, 19, if you include the four done as part of the previous challenge. Not a great outcome, but it does take care of the fortnightly releases for the first six months, or a monthly release for the next 12, if I can get the rest of the publishing schedule tracking.





















The Holiday Extension Challenge:
This challenge was set aside, when the Story-A-Week Catch-Up challenge was taken up.
The Challenge: During the summer break, and the mid-semester break next year, write one Carlie Simonsen chapter book each week, and have it uploaded for pre-ordering within six weeks from completion. As you know, this didn’t happen, however, I didcomplete the following chapter books and they would have corresponded to the following dates of this challenge: 
Target: 21 books. 
2015 Summer Holiday Extension Challenge Start Date:December 13, 2015 2015 Summer Holiday Extension Challenge End Date:February 15, 2016
Book 1: Rocky and the Starfarers’ Christmas, completed in December 2015, and published December 4, 2015.Book 2: Rocky and the Great Teddybear Rescue, completed in January, 2016, and published January 15, 2016.Book 3: Rocky Rides the Space Range, completed in February, 2016, and published February 19, 2016.Book 4: Rocky Touches the Down, completed in April, 2016, and published May 10, 2016.Book 5: Legacy of Hope, completed in May, 2016, and published 21 June, 2016.Book 6: Legacy of Hearts, completed in May, 2016, and published 24 June, 2016.Books 7-9: not completed
Mid-Semester Holiday Extension Challenge Start Date: May 28, 2016Mid-Semester Holiday Extension Challenge End Date: July 16, 2016
Books 10-15: not completed
2016 Summer Holiday Extension Challenge Start Date:November 20, 20162016 Summer Holiday Extension Challenge End Date:December 31, 2016
Books 16-21: not completed
Results: 6 of the 21 anticipated titles completed, all of which are published.






































Moving Forward:
I am entering what I call the ‘transition phase’ part of the year. This phase is where I transition from being a full-time university student to being a writer-publisher-mother. I didn’t even know I had phases, until Kristine Kathryn Rusch wrote a blog on defining yourself, and I was able to look at the changes I find myself facing during the year from this angle.
The challenges don’t work because how I am defined changes through the year, and what I can expect of myself in one part of the year, is not the same as what I can expect of myself in other parts of the year—and I have to adapt my writing schedules and expectations to that. Fine, now I get it. Now, I can try to work things out accordingly.
More on that next week.

JUST RELEASED: Seppelitus

Just to let you know that the novella-length dark fantasy short story has released, and will soon be available on the following platforms in a variety of formats: Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, Omnilit.com, Kobo.com, DriveThruFiction.com; and trade and mass market paperback versions are being released via CreateSpace. Distribution will also occur through Draft2Digital.com.



Being a bodyguard isn’t easy, not even when you’re the seventh son in a long line of seventh sons, not even when the magic comes when you call—and especially not when the man you are protecting is a treacherous, lecherous spoilt son of wealth and privilege, who betrays you for a pretty girl. Transported to the far north, Seppelitus must extricate himself from a deal between gargoyles, ogres and a demon lord, and then work out what he’s going to do about the dragon.

Writer Fitness: Gardening, Mid-Spring 2016

Right, getting into the swing of things. Gardening is supposed to be part of my writing fitness regime—it also gets me out from in front of the computer, keeps the landlord happy, and makes getting ready for the annual rental inspection much easier, thus reducing stress.

It’s mid-Spring in the Land DownUnder, and season and garden waits for no man. Imagine my surprise when I went out after a long, wet winter and a fairly sploshy spring, to find my rose bushes already in full leaf, in need of a prune and covered in black spot… and then I looked at the peach tree.
I learned two things that day: black spot treatment and prevention, and leaf curl treatment and prevention. Here’s what I started with:


It took me a good hour to hand-pick all the black-spot-infected leaves off the rose bushes. I’m still working on the peach tree.
This is what one of my poor rose bushes looked like before I picked off all the black-spot-infected leaves:  
And here it is after:  
And another of the rose bushes: 
And the poor peach tree - not a happy chappy: 
More next Monday. Of what, I’m not sure, but I have two garden beds to plant with vegetables, some potted flowers to replant, three or four garden beds to weed, and an awful amount of pruning to get through… and then the budleia needs pruning and the cuttings planting to form a hedge.

A half hour a day is a good starting point, right… right?

Yeah... right.

Progress Report: Week Ending October 29, 2016

So, another change of routine as exams approached and both my writing and my walking routines were gone. This was not helped by memories of having to choose between my job and completing my degree, and all the workplace nastiness that went with it. I’d thought I was over it, but it really knocked me for a six, and I just couldn’t write through it, so a bunch of housework was done, instead, and I watched a couple of series of New Tricks  while I was doing it. I lost four days to classes, study and what I think is part of the grieving process—or recovery process from the bullying. Anyway, it wasn’t until Friday that I was able to settle into redrafting an exam essay, which took priority over my writing. By Saturday afternoon, I had completed the first draft and had only formatting, and another 11 references to find, which is why there was no Ingress or Pokemon report yesterday. So, not much on the writing front as you can see, not much on the Ingress front, and a little bit on the Pokemon front:
Overview
New words produced: 10,451Old words revised: 0Outlines and Notes: 0Works completed: 0Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 772University Prep and Assignments: 3,439

Story-A-Week Catch-Up Challenge Update
Nothing to update. I’m thinking this one’s dead in the water, like its predecessors; I’m just too far behind to catch up, and I’m ready to change gears and enter what I’m starting to think of the transition period before my publishing season. Kristine Kathryn Rusch did an interesting blog that made me think about how I define myself, and it helped me work out a little of what I see myself doing throughout the year, and how it changes as the real-life framework changes around it. I might blog about that, later.
Stepping Up Challenge Update
Languages: study of Russian continues, but at a slow pace.Non-Fiction Reading: Slow, and related to assignments, but I read widely for those, so it’s to be expected.
Ingress Updates
Nothing new this week by way of badges or missions. It’s been a little busy on the family, personal and study fronts.
Pokemon Updates
This game is a relaxing way of spicing up a walk and giving me points to walk to, and stop at. Very casual play netted the following badges this week, but don’t be too impressed, they’re a cumulation of stuff I’ve been doing since PokemonGo was released.






















Still, they do look pretty!
Publishing Tasks
Created 1 blog posts for this blog;
New Arrivals
The following pieces arrived last week and were completed:
FF604—A New Beginning at Toad Rock: a piece of science fiction about starting over;FF605— Hardy and the Elves : a piece of urban fantasy fiction about an encounter with elves;FF606—Keeping the Faith: a piece of speculative fiction about looking after your friends;FF607—New Year, New Beginning: a piece of speculative fiction about a new year’s start;FF608—Flood Salvation: a piece of rural urban fantasy set in a flooded piece of the pixie dust setting;FF609—Hang On: a piece of speculative fiction about waiting;FF610—Magellan’s Call: a piece of dark speculative fiction about sickness;FF611—The Crash of the Chelsea Blue: a piece of science fiction about finding a new home in tragic circumstances;FF612—Getting out Alive: spec ficFF613—Troll Hunter’s Notes: a piece of urban fantasy flash about the beginning of the troll hunter featured in some of the 365 Days of Flash Fiction tales, before she met the fairy queen or was betrothed, or had set up her burning moat;FF614—Define ‘Interesting’: a science fiction piece that revisits the relation between Mack and one of his operatives, first seen in the flash fiction piece Persuasion in 365 Days of Flash Fiction.FF615—Deadly Daisies: a science fiction piece about daisies on another world;FF616— One Man’s Food is Another Species… : a science fiction piece about sharing the hazards of sharing meals with aliens;FF617—A Difficult Alliance: a science fiction piece about alliances;FF618—Una and the Shan: a science fiction piece about recovering Earth, set in the Lunar Wolves universe;FF619—Discovery of the Shan: a science fiction piece set in the world of Odyssey and Miss Delight;FF620—Chandra and the Hunters: a science fiction piece set in the universes of the Lunar Wolves, Odyssey and Miss Delight, about a child dealing with night terrors;FF621—The Kelpie in the Dark: an urban fantasy tale about dark water horses;FF622—Novice Hunter: an urban fantasy tale about a troll hunter who’s brand new to the game;Poem832—Hopes for the New Year: a poem about the new year;Poem833—January so Full of Promise: another poem for the new year;Poem834—Hope for a Ruined Earth: a poem set in the Lunar Wolves setting;Poem835—The Village Fool: a fantasy poem;Poem836—Fatal Non-Alliance: a poem about choices;Poem837—The Dragon Comes: a poem about a dragon’s untimely arrival;Poem838—Venomous: a science fiction poem in the form of a quinku about the arach encountered in Melerom Leads the Dance

Progress Report: Week ending October 22, 2016

Changed my routine, this week. This cost me in walking, but profited in writing. It’s not a good trade-off as a week of very much reduced walking is showing adverse effects. Note to self: find a middle ground.
On the up-side, I laid down a lot of words, and hit some admin that needed doing. Now, I have a better idea of how this game works. When I’m a bit more sure of my facts, I’ll blog how this crazy business works for me. Maybe there’ll be something in there that will work for others.Overview
New words produced: 32,504Old words revised: 0Outlines and Notes: 0Works completed: 20 (17 short for inclusion in longer collections, 3 short to be published stand-alone, as well);Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 2 (4 and 3 entries respectively)Bloggery: 0University Prep and Assignments: 0
Story-A-Week Catch-Up Challenge Update
The following short stories were completed for the challenge: This Year’s Starfish was a fantasy short story started on July 22, 2015, as part of the 2015 Story Match Challenge. It was not finished until October 17, 2016. It is 8,878 words long. This Year’s Starfish is scheduled for release on June 16, 2017. Just a Dinosaur was started on October 17, 2016, and completed the next day. It is a dark rural urban fantasy set in Australia, that ended up being 8,429 words long. Just a Dinosaur is scheduled for release on June 30, 2017. The Years of Voyage is a science fiction short story started on July24, 2015, as part of the 2015 Story Match Challenge. It was not finished until October 17, 2016, when it reached 5,931 words in length. The Years of Voyage is scheduled for release on July 14, 2017.Stepping Up Challenge UpdateLanguages: Russian continues at a slow pace.Non-Fiction Reading: has continued for classes only.Ingress Updates (and Pokemon Go, too)No new challenges for me, but  a new badge turned up this week:
The following badges turned up for Pokemon Go, too:



















Publishing TasksCreated 0 blog posts for this blog;Updated royalty recordsUpdated tax recordsUpdated sales and platform records, and began rudimentary analysis of trendsReleased Melerom Leads the Dance on all platforms:

When Melerom escapes the aftermath of his people’s massacre of the humans on Jehornak, he sets himself up as a wealthy wanderer on the Odyssey luxury liners, and acquires the one thing every gentleman needs—a valet—but when his valet begins showing unusually perceptive spurts of initiative, Melerom realises the man is not everything he seems. The only question is, can the man be trusted to help him survive multi-billionaire, Frederico Coleman’s, next party, or betray him?  New Arrivals
The following pieces arrived last week and were completed:FF596—Harrum Scarum: a science fiction piece about finding a partner in the colonies;FF597—Interview with a Dragon: a fantasy piece about seeking sanctuary;FF598—When the Trees Speak: a rural urban fantasy piece about unexpected sanctuary;FF599—Jantani and the Swirl: a science fiction piece about a crashing starship;FF600—Troll Rot Fever: a post-apocalyptic piece inspired by zombies and plague and surviving;FF601—An Unexpected Adventure: a rural urban fantasy piece of flash set in the Australian bush and the world of pixie dust;FF602—Wolf Pact: a piece of science fiction flash set in the universe of the Lunar Wolves;FF603—The Not-So-New Recruit: a piece of science fiction about recruiting in a future force;Poem823—From the Starship to the Spaceport: a science fiction poem about journeys and discovery;Poem824—The Masked: a science fiction poem about the reasons we keep our natures hidden;Poem825—When the Mountains Cry: a science fiction-fantasy blend about seasonal trading;Poem826—The Guardian Flags: a fantasy poem about enchanted flags;Poem827—Dark Stars’ Lure: a science fiction poem dealing with supernatural forces;Poem828—Star-Lit Salvation: a science fiction poem that traces the path of a conflict and its survivors;Poem829—The Scent of Home: a fantasy poem that looks at a territorial misunderstanding;Poem830—The Escape Clause: a science fiction poem about a long war, a defeat, and hope;Poem831—Beneath the Full Moon: a fantasy poem in the form of a rondeau about a werewolf;ShortStory73— This Year’s Starfish : a fantasy short story about fish, and a journey to achieve a dream;ShortStory74— Just a Dinosaur : a dark urban fantasy blending science fiction with legend and an Australian bush setting;ShortStory75— The Years of Voyage : a dark science fiction story to do with colonisation, the plague and legacies left by the past

Writer Fitness: Ingress Walking – Lap Around the Lake Banner

Last week, I used Ingress to incentivise my walking, completing two banner missions two singles, and 6 of the Canberra Mission Day missions. I was able to stop and take pictures for the first two banners, but the week got a bit busy after that. The first banner mission and pictures taken on the day, are below:
Lap Around the Lake Banner
Designed by Enlightened agent, SuperTuttle, this walk, from the Commonwealth Avenue bridge to the Kings Avenue bridge and back, took about 2 hours to complete. I caught a 300-series bus from the city interchange to the Albert Hall stop (the first stop after the Commonwealth Avenue bridge) and walked back to the bridge and down to the back of Questacon to start, but you could also catch a #3 bus and get off outside the National Library. It just depends on how much of a walk you'd like.
This is only a 6-mission banner, so it takes up the top row of the scanner image below.





It was a windy day, threatening rain. I almost used the weather as an excuse not to walk, but decided to use it as part of the challenge, instead - just how much of the walk could I get done before rain stopped play? (I had completely forgotten the sandwich to put my phone it, so I could keep using it in the rain.) Anyway, I took some photos from both sides of the lake. It truly was a lovely walk. See?

Like I said, the weather was... interesting...

This was the view looking across Commonwealth Avenue, and away from the Australian National Library.

And it didn't get much better...

...no matter which direction you looked.


The weather didn't let up on the lake side, either. This is the International Flag Display.

And some trees framed by flagpoles.

Even the buildings on the other side of the lake looked like mysterious castles when viewed in this light. You can see the Merchant Sailors Memorial in the bottom right by the lake.

I followed this path past the Australian National Gallery.

And saw the sculpture "Virginia" by Clement Meadmoore.

The trees were highlighted in the low light.

By this time, I was nearing the Kings Avenue bridge,

through the trees.

The path passed under the road leading back into the Parliamentary Triangle.

This is the National Carillon, as seen from the Kings Avenue bridge.

And here is the city.

That's Russell Offices and the Australian-American Memorial in the background; a group of walking mothers is in the foreground. There was room enough for all of us on the bridge footpath; it's not as crowded as it looked.

It was not a great day for being out on the lake, but there was this very colourful ferry...

Looking back the other way, I could see where the Old Bus Depot Markets is held every Sunday.

Even the National Carillon managed to look sombre.

Perhaps not as sombre as the National Library. Note the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge in the background. That's we're we'll be going to.

Here is a closer look at the Commonwealth Bridge. I'd walked past the Carillon by this stage, and was over half-way there!

Maybe... it still looked like a fair hike, and the weather was threatening to do more than merely try to blow me away. 
Another shot of the National Library (on the right), and the National Art Gallery (the white building on the left). The International Flag Display and Reconciliation Place are in between.

The birds were out. These two red-rumped parrots were feeding by the path-side. 

And this pair of swans was a mated pair - as the walker off-screen to the right was about to discover, when male swan started running towards him, wings spread wide.

This staid gentleman is the statue of Sir Robert Menzies, one of our prime ministers, and a famed figure around here.

This is the view back towards Floriade.

There was a seat placed so people could look out over the lake, and enjoy Captain Cook Fountain - when it's running.
 Soon afterwards, I was approaching the city end of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, and the last portal for the mission covering this leg. The next mission in the series started across the lake at the other end of the bridge. 

I couldn't help looking back at the Kings Avenue bridge. My, wasn't that a long way off.

The National Library looks quite forbidding... or, is that imposing... across the lake.

I climbed these stairs and headed back across the bridge for the last few portals of the mission series, before catching a #3 bus back to the city from outside the Australian National Library. 

 It didn't start to rain, until after I'd reached the city and made it onto the bus home.

Progress Report: Week Ending October 15, 2016

Don’t ask me where this week has gone—but it has gone. Also, spring is half-gone, and summer is fast approaching. Better yet, but somewhat sadly, too, the university year is almost gone (just three assessments left!). All this means, of course, that the writing and publishing season is about start – and I am very excited!
 
Overview
New words produced: 2,436Old words revised: 0Outlines and Notes: 0Works completed: 0Works revised: 0Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Bloggery: 177University Prep and Assignments: 2,953

Story-A-Week Catch-Up Challenge Update
Proceeding, the next short story should be finished this week.
Stepping Up Challenge Update
Languages: Going very slowly.Non-Fiction Reading: Reading for classes only.
Ingress UpdatesNo new challenges for me, although I still have a lot of badges that aren’t black, yet, so I'll work towards those. Speaking of badges, though, I earned two more this week, as well as seeing the arrival of the Via Lux Adventure Medal on the scanner. They look very pretty:

I also completed another 26 missions all set around Canberra. They were easy to complete in the dead-time between the bus arrival and class commencement, so there are a few. I might blog about these later. In the meantime, the mission medals are as follows:
Lap Around the Lake Banner 






ANZAC Prd and AWM Banner
 
Canberra Mission Day Missions (6 of 24)




Single Missions

Publishing TasksCreated 2 blog posts for this blog
And that’s it, for this week. The coming week will be a little busier – although I still have an assignment to write, and tutorial prep. My science fiction short story The Taletellers’ Slumber releases in three days' time (November 18).


When Grey, the colony’s Head Botanist, disappears, Kiralee worries. When he has not returned after five months, she goes looking for him, for Grey is more than chief botanist, Grey is a storyteller at heart, a believer in the importance of the tale—and so was every single one of those who disappeared before him. Can Kiralee discover where they went, before the stories are lost forever?

Ingress: Last Days of the Via Lux Adventure Medal—Days 13-30

Well, it ended 12 days ago, but I think I’ve made my 300. It was surprisingly more difficult than I thought it would be, but it’s done. The only problem is that I’m really going to struggle to get another batch of badges in a similar time-frame ever again… unless I move cities—but that’s a problem for another day.

Days 16-19
I couldn’t get out to any new mission or portal areas, so I contented myself with walking around one of the local lakes. My ankle started hurting on Day 17, so I rested Day 18, and walked it again on Day 19. I’ve walked this lake several times, before, so there were no new uniques, but I made a lot of AP over these three days, but capturing, deploying, linking and fielding as much as I could from each portal I passed. There are a lot of portals around the lake. It was an interesting learning experience on how you can build up AP by micro-fielding, and taking advantages of keys you hold further out—very satisfying, although I doubt the Enlightened agents in the area thought so.
Day 20
I had time constraints, and my ankle was still a bit sore, but I’d picked out this area with four missions, for this day, and I managed to get through them in an hour and a half, and catch the next-to-last bus that would get me to class on time. Again, because the missions traversed the same portals, I not only got a very good look at the area, but I was able to do a build-up of linking and fielding that would not have been doable if there had been just one mission in the area. The missions I completed were:



















Days 21-30Discovered I really had damaged my ankle and needed to take it easy. Stayed off it as much as possible for these four days, and kept it strapped. The pain seemed to go away, and I was able to walk without pain by the 24th. This was not to last…
Via Lux Progress:Days 1-3: 0 unique portals visitedDay 4: 5 unique portals visited and 1 mission completed (5/300)Day 5: 30 uniques visited and 1 mission completed (35/300)Day 6: 2 unique portals visited and 0 missions completed (37/300)Days 7-11: 0 unique portals visited (37/300)Day 12:  114 unique portals visited and 2 missions completed (151/300)Day 13: 139 unique portals visited and 2 missions completed (290/300)Day 14: 0 unique portals visited (190/300)Day 15: 35 unique portals visited and 8 missions completed (325/300)Days 16-19: 0 unique portals visited (325/300)Day 20: 15 unique portals visited (340/300)Days 21-30: 0 unique portals visited (340/300) TOTAL: 340/300