C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 209

Australian Spiders - A garden-variety huntsman

Here is another of the eight-legged critters in my garden. This one startled me by running down the trunk of the tree I was pruning - again in late autumn. Needless to say, I was instantly distracted. This is a huntsman - the first one I've seen out in the garden. (Usually, they're running across a wall, or the ceiling.) I'm not sure if it's male of female. It stayed out for quite some time, so I took a lot of shots from a whole lot of different angles over the course of about an hour and a half.

We encountered each other in the late afternoon.






And the spider stayed around as the sun gradually faded.






It was quite late by the time I went inside to cook dinner. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

Covers Created This Month

Here are the covers I created this month:

PoD
E-book Large Print PoD E-book Version
E-book version
Large Print PoD

Large-Print PoD
E-book version E-book version

What I Read this Month: Dick Francis Marathon

This month saw the start of an attempt to read all the Dick Francis novels I own. Dick Francis wrote over 30 novels in his lifetime, and I count him amongst the best authors I've come across. Whenever I read his work I am inspired to try to write as well as he did. I have only 10 gaps I need to fill in my Dick Francis collection, pending any more co-written work put out by his son Felix. This month, I read the following books:

New Releases as Carlie Simonsen

This week I released two more chapter books as Carlie Simonsen: One science fiction paranormal, and one paranormal urban. Without further ado, here they are:




E-book cover Print-on-Demand cover 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.


E-book cover Print-on-Demand cover



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.
 

New Releases as C.M. Simpson

It has so far been a busy week. I have finally started releasing the stories I've been working on over the last week. There are, so far two new short stories and one short story re-release:



Gulvane and the Dragon is my newest work. I wrote it this year. And here is what it's about:
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.






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, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

 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.

It was a busy weekend... and now I have a novel to finish editing. I hope you all enjoy.

 

New Cover: Jalaya

So, Saturday I sat down and sourced a bunch of pictures for some new covers - and I decided I would complete an idea I'd had for Jalaya about six months ago. It's not a big change, but I think it's a better cover for this novella-length piece of science fiction. Here is is:

New e-book cover for Jalaya
The cover went through a few iterations, but I'll probably stick with this one. Here's what it looks like for the print-on-demand versions.

New print-on-demand cover for Jalaya New print-on-demand cover for large-print version of Jalaya






















For those of you who are curious, here are the covers that went before - including a variation on the one above that I chose not to go with. From left to right you can see the oldest to newest versions of this cover

1st Jalaya cover
3rd Jalaya cover 2nd Jalaya cover

Progress Report: Week 4 May 2013

More done this week – a lot more, but still not enough. Mind you, I am coming to realise that there are only so many hours in the day, and this phase will be over, soon enough.OverviewNew words produced: 2,719Old words revised: 16,669Works completed: 0Works revised: 4Covers created: 0Works published: 0Works submitted: 0Competitions Entered: 0Publishing Tasks
Created 7 blog entries for this blog;Created 4 blog entries for C.M. Simpson Publishing blog;Sourced cover photographs for Traveler by Carlie Simonsen;Sourced cover photographs for The Dog’s Way by Carlie Simonsen;Sourced cover photographs for Of Hunters and the Color Blue by C.M. Simpson;Sourced cover photographs for Gulvane and the Dragon by C.M. Simpson;Sourced cover photographs for rebadge Jalaya by C.M. Simpson;Selected photographs to trial for the cover of Magick on the Forest’s Edge by C.M. Simpson;Selected photographs to trial for the cover of Troll Mist Morning by Carlie Simonsen;Selected photographs to trial for the rebadge of Nettlefold Princess by C.M. Simpson;Formatted Traveler for upload to Smashwords and Amazon-Kindle;Formatted Traveler for upload to CreateSpace PoD platform;Formatted The Dog’s Way for upload to Smashwords and Amazon-Kindle;Formatted The Dog’s Way for upload to CreateSpace PoD platform;Formatted Of Hunters and the Color Blue for upload to Smashwords and Amazon-Kindle;Formatted Gulvane and the Dragon for upload to Smashwords and Amazon-Kindle;Formatted Magick on the Forest’s Edge for upload to Smashwords and Amazon-Kindle;Updated Pinterest with covers of Dick Francis books I have read.
New Arrivals
Chapbook16C: Don’t Look Back: Letters Across Space #3 for Carlie Simonsen.Chapbooks1B-F: about a character called Cat, who visits various places, again for Carlie Simonsen.

Another Australian Spider - Garden "leaf" spider

Here is another of the eight-legged guests that live in my garden. I don't know what the first one is called, but I spent 2-3 hours one autumn day, stalking her while she fed.

I came across her while she was feeding.
She fed on this fly for some time. So I tried different angles and lenses.





 She very obligingly came out of her leaf to chase down another fly.
I was so excited!

First Pages: Gods in the Lianreida by C.M. Simpson

Gods in the Lianreida is a short story taken from Shadow’s Fall , the third novel in the Shadow series. It is currently available as a chapter in that novel or a stand-alone story, but will be eventually incorporated in An Anthology of Gods and Older Magic , and the collection, Short Stories and Poetry from 2013 .

When Larias, god of problem-solving and secrets, flies over the forbidden lands of the elves, he only hopes to discover what force is powerful enough to breach the elven magic protecting the forest. What he finds, instead, is a battle in which he is compelled to intervene, but, regardless of intent, when gods meddle in the realms of other gods, there is always a price to pay.  
Gods in the Lian reida is available from Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle, Nook, iTunes, Kobo and CreateSpace.

First Pages: Gods in the Lianreida


It hadn't been a cataclysmic event in the realm of the gods, unheard of yes, and a matter of urgency, but not yet a cataclysm. The enemy had grown strong enough that a Messenger, one of the gods' untouchable servants, had been injured protecting Aravare, chief of the gods of man. Now, Larias, problem solver and finder of secrets, flew the heavens in a chariot of his own invention seeking a cure. He did not begrudge the need to fly over the realm known to elves as the Lianreida, and to men as the Forbidden Lands. There was something he needed to see.He wheeled the chariot over the forest, searching for some sign of the battle that had begun near the time Aravare had been attacked. Senar’s Watch, Larias recalled, had been established a hundred and fifty years ago when the men of Thargood had first intruded into the forest. It had been designated the farthest point the elves would allow men to walk—and still allow them to live.Larias turned the chariot further to the east. Senar’s Watch would be close now. He could see the vague shimmer of light signifying the protection of elven magic over the portion of the Lianreida that they reserved for themselves. Larias frowned, wondering.What could have been powerful enough to break through even the edge of that magic?He shook his head, annoyed at himself. It wasn't as if he had to ask. There could be no other explanation but Beauwallin or his minions—that he had divined for himself. A sudden geyser of smoke and flame gouted out of the forest canopy ahead, and Larias dipped the chariot into the cover of the trees. He had no wish to be seen by mortals—even those as long-lived as the elves. He bent his magic to his need, and knew the chariot was cloaked. A brief feeling of relief washed through him; he had no desire for his latest creation to be destroyed before he had been able to give it life.Larias landed at what he guessed was a couple of miles from the smoke and flame, dropping below the canopy, before a flight of grey-winged griffins burst from the trees over the elven fort. These griffins carried riders wearing a motley of dull-colored clothes. Occasionally the sun reflected softly from the dirty metal of a helm or corselet long uncleaned.Had Larias not been ensuring his chariot was hidden, he would have seen a second flight of griffins follow the first. These were gold in color and the helms of their riders gleamed brightly in the afternoon sun. They wheeled after the first flight in a perfectly disciplined formation, before their riders rose in the stirrups of their saddles and flung a hail of long-shafted arrows after their dark-winged prey. The sunlight glistened momentarily off the arrowheads, but the missiles could not reach the fleeing griffins and the arrows fell harmlessly into the trees below.

END FIRST PAGE
If you want to read more , Gods in the Lian reida is available from Smashwords, Amazon-Kindle, Nook, iTunes, Kobo and CreateSpace.

Blogging Elsewhere: Today Carlie Simonsen at the DSDU Blog

DSDU = Dark Side Down Under: A group of Australian writers of romance and other paranormal genres has kindly hosted me, as CarlieSimonsen, today on their regular Magic Thursday blog spot. In return I’m giving away some tips on writing for a younger audience. Feel free to go over and join me.