C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 213

Free Read Challenge Response: Letters from Beyond

This week's Wendig Challenge consisted of selecting 5 of 10 words from a pre-generated list. These words had to be incorporated in a 1,000-word story.

My 5 randomly rolled words were: 'library', 'storm', 'envelope', 'undertaker', 'chisel', and I almost missed the first two.

The result? Letters from Beyond , a short story of 999 words. Enjoy.

Letters from Beyond The first letters caught them by surprise, sliding out in an avalanche, as though hurrying to be revealed. Wilfred dropped the hammer and chisel, with a startled shout. He tumbled off the step ladder, falling into Alice and Marriot as finished putting the third stone block down on the floor. All three collapsed in a heap, partially buried under musty paper and torn wax seals.It had taken them all morning to locate the space, and then make enough of a gap that Wilfred could rest his lantern on a ledge, and reach into the cavity. His jubilation was justified. Of all the letters his aunt had written and received, he’d found only one, hidden in the book stacks of the ancient library he’d inherited. It had hinted at dark times and unsavory dealings. It had not revealed exactly what, or exactly who, and its envelope had been unmarred by postage marks.“Get off me,” Marriot said, when the world settled. He was on the bottom of the pile, pinned by Alice’s weight on his legs, and Wilfred’s backside on one arm. Wilfred’s step ladder had come to rest on his forehead, and what felt like half a ton of letters had washed over his stomach.Alice moved first. Her words were too muffled to make out, which was probably a good thing, since it sounded like a very unladylike curse. She sat up, spitting an envelope out of her mouth, and brushing letters from her chest. When she’d lifted herself off Marriot’s legs, she dusted herself down, and sneezed.“Well,” she said, looking at Wilfred. “You were right.”“For a change,” Wilfred said, pushing himself to his feet.“Sorry, old chap,” he added, lifting the stool off Marriott’s face. “Damn things caught me by surprise. Who’d have thought the old duck hid them all the way down here?”“Who said it was the old duck?” asked a new voice. “Who’s to say it wasn’t me?”“You, Trumley?” Wilfred asked. “But why would you hide the letters?”“I’m the undertaker, remember? Lord of Death? Executor of Wills? Any of those ring a bell with you?”“Yeah,” Wilfred said, “You’re the guy I got the idea from in the first place.”Trumley’s narrow face twisted into a grimace of regret.“I know,” he said, his plummy tones showing irony. “You can’t imagine how much I’ve been kicking myself since I told you about the letters. Who’d have thought a single envelope would have led you here?”“You weren’t to know you missed one.” Alice, always the peacemaker, always the one to try to make someone feel better about themselves. Bound to be the first one Trumley took out. After all, she stood closest to him.“No,” Trumley agreed, coming further down the stairs, lifting the lantern above his head.“No!” Marriott shouted, and, having found his feet at last, launched himself across the intervening space. He caught Trumley in the act of swinging the lantern back, stopped the man from pitching the open flame forward and onto the tinder dry pile of history. He smothered the flame with the edge of his coat, when it escaped the shattered glass and found spilled oil on which to feed. An inferno died stillborn.Marriott almost died as well, but Trumley couldn’t twist far enough to draw the dagger hidden at his belt, and Marriott was quick to disarm him, once he saw what the man was doing.“Trying to improve your business?” He asked, panting as he pinned the undertaker down.Trumley, so eloquent at the graveside, gave an unintelligible snarl.Alice stooped and picked up a letter.“Last Will and Testament?” she asked. “Why would you hide those?”“Executor, remember?” Wilfred said, turning the step ladder upright, and setting it beside the gap they had made in the cellar walls. Clambering up, he peered inside.“What’s this?” he asked, reaching inside.More envelopes trickled out of the gap, falling like autumn leaves. There was silence as the watched the letters fall to the floor, and then Wilfred glanced into the gap. There was the rustle of more paper, then the clink of glass, and, then Wilfred asked in shocked tones, “Just how many did you kill?”The undertaker was scrabbling at the floor, rolling his shoulders, and flailing out with his left hand as though trying to reach the wall. He have failed if Marriott hadn’t been so distracted.“What do you mean, Wil?“I mean, there’s a bunch of bottles up here with people’s names on them. Mother Harrison’s bottle says heart. Father Beatle’s says liver. Shona’s says”—his voice gave a hitch—“cancer.”Marriott turned back to the undertaker, but his grip had loosened enough that the man had found a niche in the stone wall, curved his fingers around the edge, and given a firm squeeze.Metal groaned beyond the stonework, something creaked like a wooden beam under pressure, and the floor shook.“Grab hold of something!” Alice yelled, and bounded up the stairs, leaping over Marriott and the undertaker, to reach the door.Marriott let go of the undertaker, propelling himself after his girlfriend and latching onto the lintel with seconds to spare. Wilfred found a grip on the broad niche he’d been investigating. The step ladder danced from beneath his feet, plummeting as the floor gave way. Wilfred’s lantern followed, the flame dying as it descended in the cavern below.The walls trembled. The stairs collapsed. The undertaker leapt into the abyss, his coat billowing as his body fell. His laughter spiraling back up to them as he descended. He didn’t sound dismayed.When the stonework stopped shaking, and the walls held firm, Wilfred wriggled into the niche, curling up in the dark, and panting heavily. He looked for light, and found it in the crowded rectangle leading to the cellar. Marriott and Alice, arms wound around each other’s waists, backlit by the lightning of an autumn storm.Thunder rumbled.“We’ll go get help,” they said.

First Pages: Palmyra Ridge

Palmyra Ridge is the third short story to be found in An Anthology of Worlds . It is also available as a stand-alone short story.

Chani dreams of the ritual of Severance, which allows her to leave her people's homeland, but when the company she works for moves to take her people's lands, she is exactly where she needs to be. All she has to do is convince Security Officer Asleyan that her visits to Palmyra Ridge are essential, and maybe gain his assistance in defending those she holds most dear. But the security officer has a heritage and fears of his own. Can two people from two very different cultures work together to save nation, while retaining their own sense of self and sanity?

Palmyra Ridge is a short science fiction story exploring issues of belonging, bloodlines and heritage in a changing world. It is available as part ofAn Anthology of Worlds, and also as a stand-alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Page: Palmyra Ridge
Chani woke screaming. The Ridge was gone. The shaman stood over her, the rippled blade of his wooden knife gleaming softly in the starlight.“Your choice,” he whispered softly, fading into the growing light, and he was right.It had been her choice and freely taken. Chani felt a sob rising from her chest and let it out into the warm air of her bedroom. Listening to its echoes soften and dim, she knew it wouldn’t be long before Security was knocking down her door. Better that she open it for them, be on her feet when they arrived.Stifling another sob, she pushed back the cover of her bed and swung her legs over the edge so her feet touched the floor. Once upright, she paused, trying to recapture her usual façade of calm. It did not help that the soft earth-red of the comforter reminded her of the ground on the Ridge, or that its sage-green underside brought to mind the saltbush that clung to its heights.Closing her eyes to block the comforter from view, Chani drew a deep breath and stood up. The carpet was soft beneath her feet, another contrast with her homeland. There the ground was hard and littered with stones. She opened her eyes and watched her room swim slowly back into focus. Her wardrobe was reattaching itself to the floor and the ceiling when there was a loud knocking from the door.Security!“Wait a minute!” she yelled, leaping from the edge of her bed and pulling her dressing-gown from its hook behind her bedroom door.“I said, ‘Wait a minute!’” she shouted, as the knocking came again.“Miss Riskassen-Mar, are you okay?”Chani blushed. Now the whole floor would know she’d brought Security to her door—again. If she wasn’t careful, there’d be a residents’ meeting and she’d be asked to leave. That was always assuming her neighbors hadn’t already called one and the Committee just hadn’t gotten around to typing up her eviction.“Miss Riskassen-Mar?”Damn him! By all the stars and the land itself, did he have to yell so loud?“I’m fine, thank you, fine.” Ah, spirit’s teeth, she sounded anything but. Fortunately, she had reached the door before he could ask her anything more. That would mean a little less ammunition for her neighbors at their meeting—if they were planning one. Chani opened the door. 
END EXTRACT
If you would like to read more, Palmyra Ridge is available as part ofAn Anthology of Worlds, and also as a stand-alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

Progress Report: Week 4 March 2013

Working to a new schedule, fighting off a very persistent bout of… flu? Virus? Not sure, but spent a day and a bit at home, sleeping, and the rest of the week not feeling so well. Definitely not as much done as I would have liked.Tier 1 Tasks
DarkFantasyNovel3C—Shadow’s Fall: Revised chapters 19-37. This project is now 146 days ahead of the original schedule, and being prepped for release. Publishing Tasks:
Added 2 blog entries to this blog.Reformatted the CreateSpace covers for DarkFantasyNovel1B—Shadow TrapReleased Shadow Trap for POD
New Arrivals:
The following ideas arrived this week - usually as I was dropping off to sleep.WritingCraft3A-3H: books about writing.Novella16A-B: about a lighthouse and the fey

First Pages: Nurse

Nurse is the fourth short story to be found in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us . It is also available as a stand-alone short story.

Nurse is a short horror story, featuring a secretive species of vampire and the creation of its newest recruit. 

Nurse is available as part of AnAnthology of Those Who Walk Among Us, and also as a stand alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Page: Nurse  The nurse stood by the edge of the bed and glanced at her patient. She took the young man’s hand and began to bandage his mangled finger. It was the least gruesome injury she’d seen that day and he was her last patient. It had been a long and particularly busy day, and the nurse was looking forward to the end of a long shift. Her name tag called her Alison; the hospital records knew her as Alison Glaze.
Alison didn’t ask what had bitten his finger, although it was obvious that a bite had caused the damage. That question had already been asked and the details he’d given had been sketchy at best. Triage suspected a spider bite and placed him under observation, while other, more life-threatening injuries had been treated. Looking at the injury again, the nurse had her doubts. While the injury looked like a spider bite, there was more damage than seemed possible from a mere spider.As she bandaged, Alison studied the hand she held. It was a strong hand, a working hand. There were calluses on the fingertips and across the top of the palm, not hard, horny calluses that felt like warts, but smooth stone-like calluses that were covered by layers of tough, yet supple skin. The nurse glanced at her patient’s face. The clipboard on the end of the bed named him Oliver Stone.He was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. His skin was clammy and sheened in a light layer of sweat, but he ran no fever. He opened his eyes when she paused in her bandaging. They were grey although she could have sworn they’d been blue when he’d first walked in.Oliver returned her inspection and smiled briefly at her. For a moment, his eyes were almost blue again. Almost, then he closed them once more, a faint smile lingering on his face. His smile made Alison wonder what he had seen in her. She was pretty enough, having inherited her 
END EXTRACT
If you would like to read more, Nurse is available as part of AnAnthology of Those Who Walk Among Us, and also as a stand alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Pages: On a Ship called Mythicus

On a Ship called Mythicus is the sixth short story to be found in An Anthology of Worlds . It is also available as a stand-alone short story.

The Mythicus is crewed by creatures of myth and legend, fairytale and urban lore. In this short episode, it and its crew pursue a space pirate until a small team must continue the pursuit on planet. With its firestarter captain and a defense system that takes its nomenclature too literally, this ship is one of a kind, a fact the rest of human space should be grateful for.

On a Ship called Mythicus is available as part of An Anthology of Worlds, and also as a stand-alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Page: On a Ship called Mythicus

“Stop drooling, Cristo!” growled Wolf.Cristo wiped his chin with the back of his hand and then wiped his hand on the white silk of his sail-sized handkerchief. Another drop of moisture oozed from his lips.“Cristo!”Wolf’s growl was deeper now and Cristo was sure he heard a joint pop as the gunner’s frustration increased. Cristo dabbed at his mouth again.“Settle down, Wolf,” he protested. “I mean, when was the last time you saw a body like that?”It was a mistake. At the mere mention of the woman whose image filled their viewscreen, he started drooling again.“In her wanted poster,” Wolf snapped out as another joint popped. “Get with it, Cristo. She’s only a pirate!”Cristo sighed and sucked down the drool gathering at the back of his teeth.“Pull yourself together, Cristo!” roared the captain. “She’s about to open fire. Activate the defense nets!”“Aye, aye, sir,” Cristo replied.He managed to stop salivating only when he turned his mind solely to the task of defending the ship. As long as he thought of the pirate ship and not its captain, his chin would stay dry.Aah, but the captain—“Cristo!”This time, it was the captain who yelled at Cristo, or rather, yelled inside his head. Cristo shook his head to clear his senses, and sucked frantically at the moisture in his mouth to stop it escaping past his lips. His head rang from the captain’s, shout but that wasn’t the worst of it. He could feel the warm itch of his captain’s glare against his back.
END EXTRACT
If you would like to read more, On a Ship called Mythicus is available as part of An Anthology of Worlds, and also as a stand-alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook. 

First Pages: Treaty Time

Treaty Time is the fifth short story to be found in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us . It is also available as a stand-alone short story.

Treaty Time continues the story of human settlement started in Nothing. In this tale, both humans and shifters discover they are not alone, and that some memories are inherited. 

Treaty Time is available as part of AnAnthology of Those Who Walk Among Us, and also as a stand alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Page: Treaty Time

Ariel had been frantic when she found Varian gone. She had searched the house, then the stables and the work sheds. She had searched the gardens and the kennels and then she had called Grey.“What do you mean ‘He’s missing’?” Grey demanded.Ariel took a deep breath and repeated her discovery of the morning.“He was gone when I went to rouse him this morning,” she said. “I looked for him in the house but he wasn’t there. He doesn’t seem to be in the compound at all.”Grey glared at her but Ariel didn’t flinch. Grey wasn’t angry with her. He was just angry. This wasn’t the first time Varian had wandered off.It was the first time he’d gone so early though. The boy had managed to avoid the watch droid they’d stationed outside his door as well. Ariel frowned, thinking of where Varian might have gone this time, but Grey interrupted the half-formed idea and it vanished before she could grasp it.“This is no excuse for sitting idle, girl,” he snapped. “Fetch the lads their breakfast and get on with your chores. I’ll take Francis and Drake with me and go looking. Varian can’t have gone far.”“Alright, Grey.”Some of the doubt she felt must have crept into her tone, because Grey stopped his scan of the compound to look at her.“Don’t worry, Az,” he assured her. “We’ll find him.”

END EXTRACT  If you would like to read more, Treaty Time is available as part of AnAnthology of Those Who Walk Among Us, and also as a stand alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Chapters: Assassin, Not

Assassin, Not is a tale of choices and sacrifice, set in a fantasy kingdom. Blade is a young man, born of a long line of assassins. Placed in training at a young age, he has no choice but to take on the trade of his father, and his grandfather before him… or does he?
When Blade is assigned an assassination he does not really want to complete, he believes he has no choice. Deciding if he finds something else to be, before his dagger falls, he prepares to take down the youngest Lord Forester in the city. When a second assassin appears, and options unfold, Blade must step lightly and with speed. With a disgruntled patron on his heels, the only question is can he move quickly enough to stay one step ahead of his own.
Assassin, Not is a fantasy tale set in a land of magic and intrigue. It is currently available from Smashwords and Amazon Kindle, and will soon be available from , Nook, the iTunes bookstore, and Kobobooks.
First Chapter: Assassin, Not

The Target by the Fountain
The dark-clad figure smoothed his hair with the licked palm of his hand. It was a nervous gesture. He didn’t need to do it. It just made him feel better.He hefted the weight of the dagger in his right hand and eyed his target moving across the street.
‘Now,’ he thought, ‘wouldn’t it be just sweet if the messenger isn’t in place?’
It wasn’t a question, just a thought reflecting his nervousness as he drew back the blade. He waited as someone walked in front of the yellow-haired youth who was destined to wear the knife.
It wouldn’t take a moment. The youth moved restlessly in front of the fountain. He was waiting for someone, just as he had waited for her every afternoon of the last month.
She was late. The watching figure had made sure of that. He had been well paid to do so. This was meant to be a warning; the girl was off-limits.The watcher waited a moment longer, waited until another innocent had walked past, then flung the blade across the square. It was a good throw; his aim had been true.
The knife flew cleanly through the air and embedded itself into the blonde youth’s leg. The watcher was pleased; the throw had been a difficult one.‘Hurt, not harm,’ his employer had said, ‘I don’t want him damaged too badly. His family are friends I can’t afford to lose.’
Which was precisely why the message a street urchin had dropped in front of the youth was magicked to disappear in a burst of flame as soon as it had been read.
The watcher waited until the youth had grasped the scrolled parchment and pulled it open. He saw the sweat beading down the youth’s face as what was written on the parchment sank home.
He waited until he saw the parchment flare and heard the youth’s startled cry of alarm, then he slipped quietly down the alley he had been hiding in.He regretted the loss of the knife, but knew very little could be traced from it by magic. He hadn’t owned it long enough for his aura to have worn onto hilt or blade, so no-one would be able to find him that way.
He began to whistle as he turned out of the alley into Peddler’s Road. All in all, it had been a very good day.

END CHAPTER
If you would like to read more, Assassin, Not is currently available from Smashwords and Amazon Kindle, and will soon be available from , Nook, the iTunes bookstore, and Kobobooks.

First Pages: Peace Flower

Peace Flower is the sixth short story to be found in An Anthology of Those Who Walk Among Us . It is also available as a stand-alone short story.

Peace Flower is a short fantasy story set in a time of war and change. Shoru is descended from a long line of sorceresses, once valued for their skills. How they are viewed in the future, depends on the battle’s outcome.

Peace Flower is available as part of AnAnthology of Those Who Walk Among Us, and also as a stand alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Pages: Peace Flower  Shoru fell amidst the fighting. Her basket flew from her hand and disappeared beneath booted feet and metal-shod hooves. The peonies were trampled and the scent of crushed herbs mingled with the smell of blood.She knew better than to scramble after them and curled against the step that had made her stumble. Someone leapt over her, using her back to reach the doorway. She heard the jingle of spurs as they passed.Swords clashed above her and another set of boots danced their way through the measured steps of a swordsman’s shuffle. Shoru had no choice but to stay where she was until the fight was over.“Death to all invaders,” the one upon the step yelled.“And so say all of us,” his opponent rumbled in reply.Shoru did not stay to ponder. The boots moved sideways, metal scraped on bone and blood fell in a warm shower.“You’ve killed me.”The swordsman’s voice sounded suddenly young. His opponent turned away and met another attack with a savage parry. Shoru heard his answer as she ran for the corner of the building.“And so must all invaders die.”Around the corner, in the lee of a barricaded doorway, Shoru regretted the loss of her basket. The herbs would have to be gathered again, the peonies more so.
END EXTRACT  If you would like to read more, Peace Flower is available as part of AnAnthology of Those Who Walk Among Us, and also as a stand alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

Progress Report: Week 3 March 2013

Tier 1
Revised and edited chapters 1-20 of DarkFantasyNovel1C—Shadow’s Fall, to be published under C.M. Simpson. This project is running 125 days ahead of the revised schedule. It is the third book in the Shadow trilogy.


Tier 3
Revised, edited, formatted and uploaded ChapterBook3A—Assassin, Not under Pen Name 4—Carlie Simonsen. Release is 9 days ahead of revised schedule.
Extras ShortStory55—Should the Mum Divert the Drill? written and complete at 756 words, and added as a free read to blog, as well as to the 2013 compilation.
Publishing Tasks
Announced release of Corporate Loyalty on FB timeline;Update Corporate Loyalty on LinkedIn;Created 5 blog posts for C.M. Simpson Publishing blog;Created 7 blog posts for this blog;Created 1 guest post for the DSDU blog;Updated Anthology pages on this and C.M. Simpson Publishing blog;Updated the Teen Fiction on the C.M.Simpson Publishing blog;Updated the Carlie Simonsen Page on thisblog;Created cover for Assassin, Not ;Updated Amazon Germany, France, Britain and US author pages for Carlie Simonsen and myself;
Craft DevelopmentSkim-read over 1,000 blog entries of industry news and craft techniques;Joined in the Chuck Wendig Challengefeaturing a random sentence;New Arrivals:The following ideas arrived this week:YANovel12A: about ghostsShortStory55: science fiction about a mum; see above.

First Pages: Corporate Loyalty

Corporate Loyalty is an short pseudo-science adventure a la the 1950’s. Its science is unlikely; its people and their motivations are not.
When a leading ‘bug’ researcher is returned to normal size early, he discovers the science which alters his size has a flaw. Can his best friend help him out of the trouble he’s in?
Corporate Loyalty is one of the short stories that will be incorporated into An Anthology of Pseudo-Science . It is currently available as a stand-alone short story, and can be found at Smashwords and Kindle. It will shortly be available from Kobo, Nook and iTunes.

First Page: 
I had been placed in a different section to the others, but it made no difference; I was here to study, and the data I required could not be found anywhere else. My research was in its final stages and soon I would be free. I allowed my mind to dwell on my impending success for a fraction of a second, before returning my attention to the task that lay before me.The nest had accepted me, thanks to the scent other operatives had secured, but I still had specific tasks to perform in its service. The nest warriors took my responsibilities seriously, and my study less so. These responsibilities that had extended my stay into months yet, as time progressed I found I did not resent them. And, speaking of tasks…I looked up at the seeds clinging to the swaying stem above me and sighed. I'd hated heights before, feared them. Hunger conquered fear. I began to climb.If they'd told me, when I'd laughed at it, that the panga, the bush knife, would soon become my most valued possession, I would have laughed even harder. I wasn't laughing now as I dug the climbing-spikes attached to my boots into the stringy fiber of the grass stem and took the panga from my belt.Two practiced swings of the blade and the seed head began to sway. One more carefully placed slice and it began to fall. I clung to the stem like a lab monkey to the bars of its cage, and watched the head plummet to the ground. Once it lay resting on the earth below, I climbed down, thanking whatever powers presiding that I had stayed fit in the company gym in spite of the hours I worked.That fitness now stood me in good stead. Fitness and the Talent I had not informed the company I possessed. Fitness had seen me through the grueling weeks of autumn when the nest went into a frenzy of gathering enough food to take its inhabitants through winter, but it was the Talent that warned me of dangers I could not see.The Talent was whispering at me now. Pausing mid-climb, I dug the spikes firmly into the stem and looked around. Nothing, yet I could hear the Talent whispering and felt the skin on my spine beginning to crawl.I resumed my descent, careful to keep my progress as steady as before. Some of the creatures down here were smart. If I looked to be in a hurry, whatever it was would pounce.I stopped my climb just before I reached the ground. It didn't take long for me to release the climbing spikes and step, one foot at a time, away from the plant. The Talent was almost screaming now. I reached for my machete, slipping it free from its holster as I turned and found the creature already advancing. Of all the animals I had faced, I knew this was the most deadly.He was fast, almost as fast as myself, and he was bigger. He was pretty smart as well, although I did not like to think of him as being as smart as I was. Deny it as I might, I wa s...

END FIRST PAGE
 If you would like to read more, Corporate Loyal ty is currently available as a stand-alone short story, and can be found at Smashwords and Kindle. It will shortly be available from Kobo, Nook and iTunes.