C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 208

Goal Achieved: Looking Ahead

I’ve reached 500,00 words worth of revised and published projects… and now the real work begins. I have published my last completed novel and short story, and have only two more pre-written chapter books to go.
At the beginning of this year, I thought I would have trouble publishing and writing 500,000 words. This tally does not include words produced for blogs, and it’s not about to. Somehow, in the last six months, I reached that goal. Now, I’m going to try to get to 750,000 words by the end of the year… and I’m not sure I can.
The maths says I should writing 2,500 words, minimum to reach this goal, but I know I have already 120,000 words, which means I can probably drop that target to a minimum of 1,500 a work day. I also need to try and get a little more sleep, and to make sure I exercise regularly. If I don’t, the words don’t flow well, or only trash will come out. I can’t afford for either to happen—and I can’t afford to get sick again. Guess only time will tell.
Goals to help achieve this? They look a little like this:
6 chapter books (12-30k);4 short stories for An Anthology of Blades (8-20k);1 annual (hard to say, somewhere between 40-100k);1-2 Madeleine Torr novels (60-120k);1 short story and poetry collection (approx. 80k);1 anthology (approx. 40k);Other projects (approx. 120k);1-2 novels (80-200k)
I think it’s a big ask, but I guess I can only try and see.

Dark Fantasy: Horror and other elements in the Shadow series

Two years ago, if you had asked me if I wrote horror, I would have said ‘no’… and I would have been wrong. Over the last twelve months I have been editing the Shadow series trilogy, and Fisherpriest , and I have realized that I *do* write horror—of a kind. It is horror in a fantasy setting, but it *is* horror nonetheless, and that surprises me, because I just don’t think I’m the kind to be able to write that sort of stuff. I’m a nice person who writes fantasy with a few dark elements. You know the kind of thing: human sacrifice, evil powers, undead monsters created from living men, torture, blood, guts, loss and regret. Since at least one of the elements forms the crux of the Shadow series, and the rest seem to play major roles or make regular appearances I’ve been calling it dark fantasy.And what is it about? Your usual ancient power trying to escape its millennia-long imprisonment from a time when different gods ruled, and those raised by the current pantheon to oppose him. It’s a regular trope of the fantasy genre. How is it different? I’m not sure. I’m sure that somewhere, someone else has used one, if not all of the elements I’ll mention below. I’m not sure if they’ve used them in the same combination, but I truly hope not.Ø  Barbarians as totemic warriors—in particular one barbarian who has lost his totem, retaining only its name in his exile from the tribe. As such, he’s not very barbaric, but his roots show through, and some of his personal history is revealed by events in the story.Ø  Elves—because, in this tale, there had to be elves—in multiple cultures: as warriors and magicians, with a custom of polygamy; as racial purists of primitive and close-minded beliefs; as shapeshifters with a reputation that makes them outcasts among other races.Ø  Magic—priestly, wizardly, and elemental. Different kinds of magic, and different wielders, all possessing a distinctive flavor.Ø  “The Companions”—every fantasy seems to have them, a small core group who are tasked with facing down the main danger in the story. In this case, I wanted them to need help. I wanted a group of characters that couldn’t take on their enemy on their own, that didn’t lead huge armies, but coordinated a joint effort from those who recognized the threat the escaping power posed. I’m not sure how well this worked, but they managed to make it through, each playing their part as best they could. Ø  An Evil Power—another common trope, but one I wanted to explore. Why was it evil? Maybe it was just different? What went on inside its head? Why would anyone oppose it? That kind of thing. I came up with a couple of reasons, such as the power taking the concept of ‘one god’ a little too far in a polytheistic pantheon. Yeah, that could turn the other deities against it… among other things. I guess no one likes an “eater of souls”. And why do that? Well, I found a reason ‘my’ evil power, Beauwallin, might devour souls as well. I’m not sure how unique he ended up being, but he was interesting to explore.Ø  The gods—There were a lot of questions I wanted to explore with the gods:Ø  Where to gods go when they die?Ø  What happens to the old pantheon when a new one is born?Ø  How are new gods created, and who decides on their portfolios?Ø  Are the old gods remembered and, if they’re no longer around, how does that work?Ø  Magical Creatures—pegasii, elementals, mounts bonded to a holy warrior.Ø  Wizards—how many flavors, what colors, what types. Ø  Undead—if undead are created, who makes them, how are they different, and what abilities do they have. Granted there is a focus on Beauwallin’s undead creations, but that’s because I had to narrow the field somehow. How did vampires come about? You’ll have to read and see.Ø  Elementals—why did most books only have four types. Surely everything was made of something, and each something could be considered an element, and if there was an elemental pantheon, then there had to be myriads of elements represented.So, all these bits and pieces ended up in the Shadow series, a myriad of threads in my first fantasy trilogy.And finally, why call it a ‘series’?—Because I don’t think it wants to stay a trilogy. There’s another book in there to do with the fall of Beauwallin. I only found out about it in March, but stories are funny that way. I think I’ll keep the Shadowtrilogy as the first three books, but the other stories will be added as they fit, which is why, for moment, I keep calling it a ‘series trilogy’. For now, it’s both.

First Pages: Jalaya

Jalaya is the fourth and final short story to be found in An Anthology of Battle . It is also available as a stand-alone short story.

Michael bound to the village chief and his soldiers by nanotechnology that provides a unique mental link. With it, he commands a military force divided into Marks, and inherited the duty of Protector. Ten years ago, he helped his community fight free of its township and become nomads so they could survive the depredations of fierce raiders. Ten years ago, he was forced to choose between duty to his people, and love for Caroline, his wife-to-be. When he left the city with his daughter, Caroline refused to go with them. Once a year, when their migration takes them close, he takes watch above the town, leaving a white flower at its edge. Every year, Caroline dances through the streets—for him. Every year, he watches from the hills, hoping she will join him. This year, the raiders attack, and everything changes.
Jalaya is a story of battle, family, and sacrifice. It is a story of heroes, fire-fights, wits and courage. And it is the story of a last battle in a ten-year war.

Jalaya is available on Smashwords, Amazon, Kindle, Nook and at the iTunes Store.

First Page: Jalaya


Michael looked down at the town in the sand. Red, flat roofs of clay interspersed by the elegant, wooden gables of buildings from northern climes, still stood in a basin of protective hills. From where he stood, the rotting boards were invisible, as was the sand that swirled along the unkempt streets.He tried to see the town as it had been ten years before. There had been trees standing inside walled islands of stone dotting the center of the main streets, and the sweetly scented jalaya flowered beneath them. There had been window boxes full of color clinging to the walls and the town had been white, the color of snow and light-hearted purity, not red, the color of old blood and war.Caroline had danced in the streets with him on the first day of the new year, and the unseen rains had made the river roar with pride as it rushed between the white stone walls of the canal. That had been ten years ago when the Scorpions had first attacked, and the town had emptied shortly thereafter.Caroline’s family had disappeared in the melee, along with his son, but Caroline had refused to grieve them. They were safe, she insisted. His son was safe, but he had to take their daughter. Michael had had no time to argue or grieve and clung to her promise. His son was safe. His daughter would be safe with him, but of his bride-to-be…Caroline had refused to go. She said she had duties that must be attended. She had asked him to stay. Michael had possessed other duties, other responsibilities that forced him to leave her behind, so she said she would dance the streets on the first day of every new year in his memory. When he had protested that the day was no longer safe, she had promised to dance at night.Michael had begged her to come with him, to wed him in the desert. Caroline’s eyes had glistened with tears when she said she had to stay, the reasons secret until they married and united as family. She had said she would not take him from his duties, hugged him fiercely tight, and then fled swiftly away.Caroline would dance again tonight, without his arms to hold her as she wound her way through the streets. She would raise her voice in bittersweet song, her body clad in the white of a bridal gown that had never seen a wedding day. And Michael would watch her from his place upon the hill.Once, during all her dancing and serenade, Caroline’s steps would bring her to the edge of the town. She would stretch her arms towards where he sat, folding back towards herself as she waved to him, beckoning him with her body and her hands. She would pause there, the song momentarily silent, as she waited for his response.


END FIRST PAGE
If you would like to read more, Jalaya is available on Smashwords, Amazon, Kindle, Nook and at the iTunes Store.

First Pages: Gulvane and the Dragon

Gulvane and the Dragon is C.M. Simpson's newest work.

Preparing for a new era in his life, the wizard Gulvane walks the corridors of his mind, remembering the eras locked behind three doors. Forester, Fighter, Assassin. Behind each door lie the memories and skills of who and what he used to be, inaccessible, unless he chose to return to the professions he had left. Uncertain of where his life will lead him, or of what he will become, Gulvane wakes to find a dragon standing over his bed. Now, what would a creature such as that want with an elf like himself?

Gulvane and the Dragon is currently available as a stand-alone short story, but will eventually be incorporated in An Anthology of Mythical Creatures , and the collection, Short Stories and Poetry from 2013 .
Gulvane and the Dragon is available from Smashwords, Amazon, Nook, iTunes, Kobo and CreateSpace.

First Page: Gulvane and the Dragon

Gulvane walked the corridors of his mind, going deep into himself to remember who he was, and explore who he might become. The years of an elf were long, many more times longer than the span of an average mortal, and Gulvane was reaching another century, his third as a wizard, his seventh as an elf. In that time, he’d lived a lifetime in each of four different occupations.Walking down the timber-lined hallway, Gulvane traced a hand along the walls, stopping at each of the three doors that kept the memories and skills that had made up his past. The first door was an oaken gold and adorned by a simple spray of leaves and flowers. A small grey-furred creature peered out from beneath the blossoms, its vivid green eyes touched with blue and gold. Gulvane laid a finger on its forehead and let the bittersweet feeling it invoked touch him briefly. The second door was a glowing bronze, and adorned with a pair of crossed swords. The third door was the color of night, created from a single plank of ebon-wood. A crossbow adorned its center, painted in a shade barely lighter than the surface that bore it.Forester, fighter… assassin. Was it any wonder he’d become a wizard?He walked past the gleaming darkness of the third door and stared at the heavy columns slowly forming in the blank space of wall beyond. Soon. His heart was restless, and soon he would embark on another era of his life.Gulvane sighed. He had enjoyed his time as a wizard. It had been peaceful compared to what he had been before. The trouble was that he had no idea what he wanted to become next… and he was getting old, his body standing towards the end of middle age. He stood contemplating the slowly growing pillars before retracing his steps, touching each door as he passed.Assassin, fighter, forester, he could return to any one of them by opening the door and stepping into the mind of who he had been. His fingers lingered on the bright-eyed creature peering from the flowers, before Gulvane shook his head and walked on, focusing his thoughts outwards and slowly returning to consciousness.He woke to find a dragon standing over his bed.“You are most entertaining,” it said, “and I have always wanted an elf of my own.”
“You look like a man,” Gulvane replied, “yet I know you are dragon. How is it I know that?”“You are wizard,” the dragon said, leaning forward, quick as lightning, and pinning Gulvane to the mattress by holding the blankets tight across his shoulders.He bent in closer, until their foreheads almost touched, and then the dragon inhaled, moving his nose a hair’s breadth above Gulvane’s skin and taking in the elf’s scent. It was frighteningly intimate and predatory at the same time.


END FIRST PAGE
If you would like to read more, Gulvane and the Dragon is available from Smashwords, Amazon, Nook, iTunes, Kobo and CreateSpace.

First Chapters: Traveler

Traveler is a teen post-apocalyptic paranormal urban tale about a girl who survives a war and the loss of her family. When she ends up alone, she sets out to find the one family member whose fate she doesn’t know. On the way, she encounters cannibals and a mysterious boy. And from there, things get distinctly weird. Traveler is the first book in the Traveler’s Tales series.

Traveler knows she must cross the Rubble by dusk. At dusk, the cannibals come out, and they will want payment. She doesn’t count on the gang living on the other side of the Rubble to deny her passage until evening arrives. And she doesn’t count on being the prize in a turf war between the two groups. When a boy who seems to be made of mist helps her escape, she refuses to believe she is finally safe. The city is full of danger. Traveler knows she hasn’t found them all.

Traveler is about embarking on a journey, and overcoming anything that might stand in the way—even if that means having the courage to offer friendship, in times when it’s hard to trust. Or helping someone other than yourself.

Traveler is available from Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes.

First Chapter: TravelerTraveler 

My name is Traveler. I am fifteen years old. My mother said I was wild. My sister said I was weird. My father didn’t say anything. He was dead.They’re all dead now. I could not save them. I was not there. If I had been there, when the bombs went off and the germs came, I would be dead as well.I was away from the city in a place they called The Wilds. The Learning Centre called it Recreational Training, but we all knew it was a survival exercise.They took us back to the city, once the fevers had died down, and told us what had happened. I cried when I heard. That first week was a week for tears.We had to clear the city, block by block. I did not see my mother or my sister, until three weeks after my return. Their bodies had been wrapped in black plastic. By then, I knew better than to look inside, but I did, anyway. By then, there was nothing left to cry. I had run out of tears.The next attack caught us in the open. We were burning the dead. They flew low over us acting like storm clouds, raining down bullets as we dived for cover.After that first wave we were ready, springing for the shelters at the first sound of their engines. That saved us from the bullets, but did not stop the bombs, or the soft, grey mists that came after.
By the end of the fourth week, I knew I would survive. The constant danger had woken some, dormant sense within me and I was able to avoid the worst of the trouble.Others were not so lucky. Either they had not developed the same sense I had, or they had never had it. One by one, their luck ran out, until I was left alone.My name never used to be Traveler. It used to be Anne. The others that met me called me Traveler when they found out what I was looking for. They said I would be travelling for a long, long time.My first step to becoming Traveler came on the day I started to escape the city. 

END CHAPTER ONE
If you would like to read more, Traveler is available from Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes.

First Chapters: Of Hunters and the Color Blue

Of Hunters and the Color Blue is the first short story to be found in The Loft Anthology . It is also available as a stand-alone short story.
A letter reveals the writer’s love for her daughter, and her reasons for leaving the child behind. It is a tale of flight and rescue, the birth of an AI, and reveals a weakness that plagues the deadly enemy on her trail.
Of Hunters and the Color Blue is currently available as a stand-alone story , but will be included in The Loft Anthology, and the 2013 collection of short stories and poetry. It can be found at Smashwords, Kobo, Amazon-Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Page: Of Hunters and the Color Blue

To my daughter,

With regards the Hunters: I discovered one way of unmasking them for others. They were… are, infallibly drawn to blue. As a general rule, they cannot pass it by and leave it be; they have to touch it, caress it, and take it with them. They cannot help, but possess it. Who would have thought that a color so associated with the open sky and freedom would hold them in such thrall?On the road leading to the Strebelov cottage, well within rifle range, I placed the first of many sculptures. Green hung there, set in brass and bronze, and tin and lead. Blue also, framed by roundels of glistening metal, or triangles, or squares. Reds and yellows, blacks and purples, gems of glass and hardened plastic, made especially for weathering the out of doors.Reach out and touch the blue, and BLAM, one silenced round would reach out and touch you. Its finger-punch would pick you up and throw you off the path, your body a ruin of caverns following in the wake of its scattered innards. Ribs and heart, sternum, lungs, spine: all mangled together and pushed ahead of the life-shattering explosion of Shardner’s Triple-A minus.Why the minus? Argue with Shardner about the illegal lethality of his rounds, and you’d be minus your head—or whatever else he fancied at the time. Shardner wasn’t a cannibal—he was a same-species gourmand.Of course, all the remains were tastefully disposed of. The carnivorous vines growing on the edge of the path opposite the sculpture let nothing go to waste. Their virulent foliage and clash of blossom was a year-round warning to their nature. You, my child, knew better than to play there.I programmed the Loft to watch over you. It was far better at that task than I could ever hope to be. It saved your life on the night we were forced to leave the Strebelov Cottage—and the Loft, itself—behind. The weapons I bought and installed in it were supported by the best electronics I could afford. I did not know the Loft would augment them.
With the computer pick-up and sensors activated to accuracy through their partial immolation in the plastec coating the sculpture’s myriad parts, Shardner’s Triple-A Minus didn’t miss a thing. Of course, it helped that I’d made sure the computer had a room with a view.The Loft in Strebelov cottage remained my gatekeeper, until our hunters learnt to control their lust for blue. I say the Loft, and not just Shardner, since the cottage AI had probably gained intelligence in its own right before we left. Certainly, it was self-aware. 

END FIRST PAGE
If you would like to read more, Of Hunters and the Color Blue can be found at Smashwords, Kobo, Amazon-Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Chapters: The Dog's Way

The Dog’s Way is a teen paranormal urban about a boy who finds unexpected help with bullies. The Dog’s Way is the first book in the Running with the Pack series.
When Michael jumps a brick wall to escape from Jacko and his group of thugs, he didn’t need to find a pack of dogs waiting for him on the other side. Pinned down by the biggest of them, Michael counts himself lucky that the dogs are more interested in Jacko than him. Unfortunately, with Jacko on the other side of the fence, that’s not going to last forever. And what’s he going to do then?
The Dog’s Way is about discovering who you are, and learning to face your fears with whatever you can find inside.

The Dog's Way can be found at Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iTunes. 

First Chapter: The Dog's WayBig Dog, Big Teeth 

Bounding. Leaping. Running. Pounding. The dog was as big as a tank.Its black fur was shorter than Jacko’s crew cut. Its mouth was open. Its teeth were showing. Bits of slobber flew from its lips.The dog had seen him. It flew over the ground, its big feet thudding like battering rams. Tyron knew he should never have climbed over the wall.He knew he should never have taken the short cut home. He knew he shouldn’t have gone to school that day. He just shouldn’t have, not after what he had said about Jacko.He should have known Jacko would hear. He should have known Jacko would wait for him. He should have known that houses with big walls had big dogs as well.All Tyron could do was stand there and watch the dog come. It wasn’t barking. Tyron wished it would bark. If it barked someone might hear it. If someone heard it, they might come and rescue him. It didn’t bark.Great,Tyron thought. Now it gets to eat me and no one will stop it.The dog was close now. Tyron had a good look at its mouth and its teeth. He got a good look at its eyes.The dog jumped. Its front feet hit him on the chest and he fell backwards. The dog stood on his chest and licked his face.It looked like it was laughing at him.Tyron stopped feeling afraid. He started to feel angry. He wanted to shout at the dog. He wanted to give it a good smack for scaring him.He looked at the slobbery mouth with its big teeth. Maybe, he didn’t want to smack it. He opened his mouth to shout at instead.And that was when he heard the voices. 

END CHAPTER ONE
If you would like to read more, The Dog's Way can be found at Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iTunes.

New Release: Troll-Mist Morning as Carlie Simonsen

Print-on-Demand Cover
E-book Cover Troll-Mist Morning is the story of a teen who goes the extra mile so his mum can feel safe. Early morning starts, and standing around in the mist in the middle of winter, however, are one thing; trolls are another. When magic returns to the world and the trolls come, too, how is Daniel going to get his mum to see sense? Troll-Mist Morning is the first book in the series exploring what happens When Worlds Collide.
When Daniel’s mum wakes him at five-thirty in the morning, he knows it’s so she can go and take photographs. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times he points out that most photographers take their early morning shots in perfect safety, his mum just can’t feel safe—so Daniel goes with her, even when its early and cold and the mist hasn’t cleared. Especially when the mist hasn’t cleared. Muggers, Daniel can handle, but what on Earth is he going to do about trolls?
Troll-Mist Morning is about family, and caring for even the crazy members. It’s about a young person who looks after his mum, even when he doesn’t see the same kind of dangers.
Troll-Mist Morning is available from Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes.

Progress Report: Week 1 June 2013

Much was achieved this week, even though not many new words were written. It helps when you're not feeling sick.Overview
New words produced: 1,000Old words revised: 103,905Works completed: 0Works revised: 1Covers created: 0 (4 covers revised in 1-2 variations)Works published: 1 (2-3 release platforms)Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0
Tier 1 Tasks:
E-book coverDarkFantasyNovel1C—Shadow’s Fall: Revised, edited, formatted and uploaded. Revised cover.
Publishing Tasks
Created 12 blog entries for this blog;Created 8 blog entry for C.M. Simpson Publishing blog;Created covers for The Dog’s Way, Traveler, Gulvane and the Dragon, Jalaya, and Of Hunters and the Color Blue ;Formatted Shadow’s Fall for upload to Smashwords and Amazon-Kindle;Formatted Jalaya, and Shadow’s Fall for upload to CreateSpace PoD platform;Updated Linked-In with The Dog’s Way, Traveler, Gulvane and the Dragon, Of Hunters and the Color Blue ;Updated Pinterest with Jalaya, The Dog’s Way, Traveler, Gulvane and the Dragon, Of Hunters and the Color Blue ;Updated FaceBook with with Jalaya, The Dog’s Way, Traveler, Gulvane and the Dragon, Of Hunters and the Color Blue and Shadow’s Fall ;Revised and updated the covers for Shadow’s Rise, Shadow Trap, Shadow’s Fall and Jalaya.
New Arrivals
Novellas17A-19A: for PenName1SciFiNovel7A: Just the title. Something to do with starwells.

Just Released: Shadow's Fall

The trilogy is now complete.



E-book cover Large-Print PoD Cover Shadow’s Fall is the third and final novel in the Shadow series trilogy. This tale contains strong elements of horror, following the path of a small group of heroes who must work together to prevent an ancient evil’s escape.
High Priest Urkhrist has settled to his task as the keeper of Beauwallin’s prison. With his long-time friend and companion, Vorgren, guarding his back, and the spymaster’s apprentice, Tara Bloodthorn, acting as his representative in the city of Thargood, he had thought the battle over, but something is wrong. Beauwallin stirs within his prison, and wizards, priests and sorcerers are being taken from Thargood’s streets. The pattern is similar to the one they saw when Beauwallin attempted to break free the last time. Gilzereet must find out if the Old One is trying to escape, again, and discover how he is garnering the power to do so—and then he must try to find a way to defeat him, to succeed, where a pantheon of gods has already failed.
Shadow’s Fall is available on Smashwords, Kindle, DriveThruFiction, Kobo, Smashwords, iTunes and Nook.

Print-on-Demand Cover