Erik Wecks's Blog, page 4

Rubicon gets a Review

The Far Bank of the Rubicon just got its first editorial review. It’s great!

By the end of Rubicon, you’ve developed that pleasing compulsion to immediately buy the next book in the series to find out what happens next… if you’re a fan of Weber’s Honor Harriman series, The Uplift Saga, or similar tales of galactic swashbuckling, you’ll greatly enjoy The Far Side of the Rubicon.

You can read the whole review over at Rule-Set.com.

 

Craving a Little Perspective? Watch this

So often the scope and grandeur of natural events get lost in video. Two dimensions and small screens shrink mindbogglingly huge natural phenomena, and the world seems a much more in our control than it ought. I live near Mt. St. Helens. I remember 1980. Video didn’t transmit the devastation well but a trip to Windy Ridge to look at the burnt out car did. Then there are moments like the one about two minutes into this video. A brave and foolhardy man stands on the edge of a boiling lava lake, and for a minute you understand how ridiculously small we are.

 

Diving into an Active Volcano from Sam Cossman on Vimeo.

This Dinosaur Earns its Name: Dreadnaughtus

I love thinking about new biology when I create science fiction worlds, and I am in awe of the giant animals which once roamed our planet. I only worry that Michael Chriton and Steven Spielberg have done too much damage to let us try and bring them back. If we can, I think we ought to try. Anyway, WAPO pointed to a great video today about a new dino found down in Patagonia. It’s impressive. Wait until you hear how long the tail is and then think about the width of your house… It’s an eye opener, and to think the tail was a weapon. Whoa!

Photo Credit: Drexel University: http://drexel.edu/now/archive/2014/Se...

Come by and say Hello! Live Google Hangout Starts NOW!

I’m packing books for my Kickstarter campaign. Come by and ask questions or just say hello!

Here is the link:

https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/calendar/ZXJpa3dlY2tzQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ.euq9ievpqra84ctlftahh252cs

Unconquered is Released Today!

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

The new short story collection Unconquered is available today on Amazon!

It places four Pax Imperium short stories in the same volume and makes them available in paperback for the first time. Unconquered, combines Brody: Hope Unconquered, He Dug the Grave Himself, Taylor’s Watch, and adds a new short story Rena’s Song.

Rena’s Song tells the story of the relationship between Rena and Bertrand Langsam. Here is the description.

For Rena Langsam, desperation grew slowly. Technological progress can’t stop Rena and her husband Bertie from making the necessary decisions of life. Compromises pile up until Rena no longer recognizes who she once set out to become. Can contentment be found when each day demands we lose ourselves a little more? Or is authenticity required for a life well lived?

All four stories relate in some way to The Far Bank of the Rubicon, Rena and Bertie appear briefly there along with other characters from these shorts.

I hope you enjoy it! Amazon reviews are always appreciated.

Purchase Unconquered on Amazon.com

How I Use Scapple to Plot a Novel (Spoilers!)

Scapple is a fantastic way to plan out what you want to write before you write it. It’s designed as an old-fashioned brain mapping program. It has bubbles with lines connecting them and that is about all. The best part about doing that kind of work on a computer and not on a piece of paper is that if you want to move an idea around in the story and reconnect it somewhere else, you don’t have to erase anything and start over.

I found Scapple particularly useful on the chapter level, where it really helped me map out step-by-step what would take place in each scene. Sometimes I followed it to the letter. Other times I didn’t. Here are a few examples from The Far Bank of the Rubicon. (WARNING SPOILERS!)

The Unconquered Cover!

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Conceptual artist Andree Wallin was gracious enough to allow me to purchase non-exclusive rights to another of his paintings for the cover of my short story collection. The cover relates well with my story Rena’s Song which makes its debut in the collection. For those of you paying attention, Rena makes a brief appearance in The Far Bank of the Rubicon. She doesn’t come off in a good light, which I thought was totally unfair, so I decided to write a story about her. I think Rena’s Song is one of my strongest short stories to date. The collection will be available for purchase on Amazon on August 23rd.

Here’s a look at the whole piece of art which you can find at www.andrewallin.com.

Aetna Adrift is a Best Seller!

It’s official! Aetna Adrift is a best selling book! As of 10:30 PM, here are the current Amazon rankings.

#1 Military Science Fiction

#1 Space Marine Science Fiction

#1 Space Fleet Science Fiction

#2 Hard Science Fiction

#2 High Tech Science Fiction

#2 Space Opera Science Fiction

#2 Galactic Empire Science Fiction

Can I get a Woot!?

Thank you to everyone who has rooted and cheered and yelled loudly on social media. Thanks especially to everyone who wrote reviews. They made a huge difference.

Beyond just this story, it’s been a great day overall. I have three different Pax stories on the charts, and I had a great kickoff day for The Far Bank of the Rubicon! We’ll see what the month holds… probably a steep drop to something much more reasonable, but just the fact that a whole bunch of people found out about my work today and some portion of them chose to try me out makes me a little giddy.

Thanks everyone! Now on to the short story collection release on August 23rd!

11:11 pm: Just had to add that my overall sales today made me the #58 best selling science fiction writer on all of Amazon. Like I said, there’s nowhere to go but down from here, but boy is it cool for just this moment.

 

The Far Bank of the Rubicon is out today! That feels good!

Purchase The Far Bank of the Rubicon on Amazon

There is something so satisfying about finally getting a book out in the world which you have spent months creating. For good or for ill, it’s now out of my hands and in yours. I think the book trailer up above captures some of the fun and scope that I wanted to put into the book. I envision the Pax to be a huge sandbox where I and other writers can play for years to come.

This novel has been a long trip, and I am glad to have it off my plate. I started this novel before I wrote Aetna Adrift, and I had progressed a long ways as a writer when I finally got back to finishing it. Sorting out the good from the bad took some doing and slowed me down. But in the end I am happy with the result and think it to be a better book than my first.

Already, I am looking forward to getting started on book two in the series, and I have already started to outline it. However, there are a few things which must come first, such as finishing the superhero origin story I am writing with my daughter, writing a Pax exclusive for my Kickstarter backers (see you should have backed my Kickstarter), and then working on a Pax Imperium serial this fall…. More on that another time.

Today is just sweet relief and sitting back and enjoying the fact that the book is finally done. Today, I plan on kicking back, having an adult beverage, and enjoying the fact that the book is no longer mine.

I hope you find it twice as fun as I did to write.

Erik

The Far Bank of the Rubicon Book Trailer!