L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 19

My Lawnmower Died

My lawnmower died the other day.

I’ll admit that I’ve got a soft spot for the old battler. I bought him (I’ve always pictured my lawnmower as a crotchety old man who is rather fonder of booze than he should be) for $120 around eight years ago.

I lived in a place with a smaller yard back then, so I decided to just get the cheapest lawnmower I could find. It just so happened to be an electric mower (the kind you plug into an extension cord). It wasn’t a big deal at the time, but I eventually ...

First Plot Outline Completed

I have completed the first plot outline for Two Necromancers, a Fortress, and a Titan. It comes in at roughly 7000 words. I’m pretty happy with the general broad strokes of the story, but I will be doing a second plot outline because I want to iron out a few kinks before I sit down and start writing the actual first draft.

For comparison, the plot outline for Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City was roughly 6000 words. I should point out that the length of a plot outline does not co...

Insults from One Author to Another

How might authors go about insulting each other? Here are a few possibilities.

Want to know why all of your characters are so boring? It’s because they’re all self inserts. Yes. I’m calling you boring.You know how an author can never write a character smarter than themselves? It’s no surprise all of your characters are idiots.You were so busy asking yourself if you could use a thesaurus that you never stopped to ask if you should. I know that’s a Jurassic Park reference. Your writing belong...

Waiting for the Dentist

Waiting rooms are a strange place, especially waiting rooms for doctors and dentists. I like to people watch, and you can see all sorts of reactions when people are waiting for the dentist.

There are the people who do their best to avoid the dentist, only going when they know something is wrong. There’s usually an air of anxious anticipation around these people. They know something is wrong. They wouldn’t be there if they didn’t. It’s simply a matter of assessing how bad the damage is. Some of t...

Reminder (Flash Fiction Fridays #30)

Tabitha giggled as Spot coiled around around her, almost like a snake. The dragon gave her a cheerful chuff before nudging her cheek and slithering away. Her mommy was putting some runes up on posts with the help of Lord Bolton, so Spot had come to visit too.

You’re getting bigger. Spot gave her a grin and reached out to pat her with one wing.

“Of course, I’m getting bigger,” Tabitha said. “But you’re getting bigger a lot faster than I am.”

The dragon flared his wings and breathed a short burst ...

New Glasses

I got new glasses recently. Thankfully, my prescription has been more or less stable over the past decade, with only relatively minor changes each year. That said, even seemingly minor changes can make a new pair of glasses feel really awkward for a while.

In fact, I actually got my new glasses more than a month ago, but I didn’t want to wear them while I was proofreading and checking Attempted Rescuing. I know from previous experience that it usually takes me a while to get used to new glass...

The Quokka (First Draft)

I like to take a bit of a break between novels. Jumping straight from one project to another without a break in between is a great way to get burn out. That said, I’m still writing. What I’m currently tinkering with is The Australian Death Zone: A Survivor’s Guide. As my long-time readers will have noticed, I often joke about the deadliness of Australian wildlife, so why not solidify the lore, so to speak.

It’s not going to be anything long, just a short, tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top guide abou...

Ancient Vampires and Werewolves

To celebrate the release of Attempted Rescuing (Book 3 in The Attempted Vampirism Series), I thought I’d talk a bit more about the vampires and werewolves that play a central role in the story. In particular, I’d like to talk about what exactly ancient vampires and ancient werewolves are in the context of the story.

Simply put, both vampires and werewolves grow more powerful as they age. However, they are not actually immortal. Although it takes centuries, they will gradually age and weaken befo...

So… My BluRay Player Tried To Kill Me…

As I was eating lunch today, I decided I wanted to watch a BluRay on my television. I dug up a BluRay player I haven’t used in a couple of years and plugged it in. There was already a disc inside, so I ejected it and put in the disc I wanted.

And then nothing.

The BluRay player would not acknowledge any commands or eject the disc. I thought that maybe it might be the power point or something, so I moved it to a different power point. Still nothing. With my disc stuck inside, I got a screwdr...

“Attempted Rescuing” is Now Available on Amazon

Attempted Rescuing (The Attempted Vampirism Series Part Three) is now available on Amazon! If you’re up for another round of fun, action, and adventure with everyone’s favourite impoverished vampire noble and his team of elite adventurers, then give it a try!

You can get Attempted Rescuing from Amazon here.

Note: This is the eBook version. There will be an Audible version, but it will take a few months.

And here is the blurb:

Never trust a dragon – even Jonathan knows that.

With his peaceful lif...