Sable Aradia's Blog, page 66

Warfighter: Hoth

I *love* this Warfighter series; learn all about your favourite battles in fandom if they were planned and fought realistically. Today the Angry Staff Sergeant GRILLS the Battle of Hoth!

The Angry Staff Officer

Strap yourselves in, folks, it’s time to ruin yet another timely classic by giving it the old “analyze it to death” treatment. And this time, we’re going back a ways. A long time ago, to be exact, in a galaxy far, far away. More precisely, we’re going to the ice planet of Hoth.

If you’ve followed me for any period of time on Twitter, you’ll know that in addition to my predilection for alcohol made from juniper berries, I am also a staunch believer that the Rebels could have easily won the battle for Hoth. The battle is – at its heart – a classic defensive scenario. And with the addition of just a little common sense, some overlays, application of the warfighting functions, and a dash of combat engineer acumen, the engagement could have been a complete and total Rebel victory.

And as a warning, you will never be…

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Writer’s Block? Use a Random Generator

#30days30authors Writer’s block? No problem! Fix it with randomization! #amwriting

By Jami Gold

I’ll probably jinx myself by saying this, but I have more than enough story ideas to keep me busy writing for the rest of my natural life and I haven’t yet suffered from writer’s block. But I know others do struggle and come up blank.

My “seat of my pants” writing style means that I rely on my muse for everything, and so far, he hasn’t let me down. But others need to know every plot point in advance and can get hung up on figuring out the details or might have a too-often-silent muse.

Those issues are nothing to be ashamed of. We all work in different ways, and we all have different strengths and weaknesses.

So even though I don’t suffer with those issues (until now, when I just jinxed myself again *smile*), I was fascinated by the writing process I saw in a forum post and wanted to share. This author’s techniques might be helpful for anywriter—no matter our process.

Read the full article at JamiGold.

Quest for Fire

#30days30authors #amwritingfantasy Excellent article by Cindy Tomamichel reminding those of us who write fantasy or historical fiction that central heating and range stoves just weren’t a thing for our ancestors, and making fire wasn’t as easy as flipping a switch.

Reading is easy. We sit in a comfortable chair, perhaps by a warm heater with cat on lap/dog at feet and a hot drink. That’s often why we read, to share vicariously the bad times and good with characters while we are cosy. But what about the characters? They are the ones on a quest for some hidden relic, pursued by demons or orcs. Often just as they stop for a rest, the wolves start howling and lightening signals a storm. As Sam Gamgee said, ‘I hope we are not in one of those stories, Mr. Frodo.’ But a reader share the hard times, and it is up to the writer to make those hard times so realistic the reader shivers in sympathy as the snow piles deeper and the distance from home and safety grows ever further.

Fire making is of prime importance in a fantasy, historical or even apocalyptic setting. Assuming no one has fire magic (and here we glance meaningfully at Gandalf) or a handy laser or box of matches, it is up to the author to decide on how primitive things need to be.

Read the full article at Cindytomichel.com.

Excerpt from The Cloud by Diane Morrison

I should have posted this hours ago, but I’m trying to make a deadline.  Here’s an excerpt from my hard sci-fi project!

“I can’t believe we’re finally decelerating!” Bianca sighed over morning coffee in the lounge.  Over the course of the three year journey this had become a regular custom for the crew.

“It seems like it’s been forever!” Albus said.  He hardly looked more grown now than he had when he’d boarded the ship.  If anything, the careless toss of his unattended hair, which he rarely cut, enhanced that impression.  Or perhaps it was his youthful enthusiasm.  To Terra’s eyes he had spent most of his time playing vidgames; though he did manage to rig up some system that allowed the lounge windows to double as display screens, showing what should be visible outside, were they not blasting along at thousands of kilometers an hour.  Terra knew the gesture was primarily for her and she was grateful.  The past couple of weeks, a vast, sparkling debris field was coming into view, mostly visible against the endless night as winking planetoids reflecting the light from the Cerberus.  The Sun out here was nothing more than a bright star in a dark sea, somewhere in the middle of the squashed shape of Sagittarius.  The massive blue globe that was Neptune seemed like an hole in the starfield about the size of a fingerprint.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Terra disagreed, “but I do know that I’ve just about completed my thesis.”  She had decided to advance her studies while she was travelling, and found the luxury-liner-cum-exploration-vessel to be the almost perfect environment to pursue higher learning.  It took 113 days for the lidar transmitter to send a signal to and from Earth at this point, so she had to get a proctor for her exams, but Ororo had helped with that.  Over the course of the journey the older woman was growing on her and she was looking forward to working with her in the lab more than their current twice a week.

Alex shook their head over their transparent screenboard, which, Terra could see from the underside, was displaying a classic Asimov novel.  Terra cocked her head to try and make out which one.  “I still don’t understand why you chose to study Theology though!”  Phantom, who had taken a shine to Alex, batted playfully at the board in a bid for attention.  Alex tisked at him, but scratched his ears anyway.  His rumbling purr resounded through the lounge.

How to articulate that?  She supposed ultimately it was because she was trying to understand her father in a way that she hadn’t succeed at while he was still alive.  He was Khalsa, a baptized Sikh, and faith had been a very important subject in Terra’s house growing up.  Faith had possibly been one of the most influential factors in her selection of spouse.  So much of her work was grounded in the tangible, the measurable.  Maybe she just needed to distract herself with the ephemeral for a while.  She shrugged.  “Just wanted to do something different, I guess.”

Olu, not for the first time, reached out to try to pat Phantom, but he flattened his ears and growled.  Just as mysterious as his affinity for Alex was the immediate antipathy to the ex-Nigerian Special Forces soldier that he had demonstrated, and it had not abated one little bit.  Olu’s face fell and he moved his hand away, rejected.

Douglas strode in with a lilt in his step.  “We’re two weeks out now,” he announced in a cheery tone.  His coffee bulb had the black crescent moon logo of Erebus on it.  So did Albus’, Bianca’s and the Commander’s, but that was probably because they hadn’t cared enough to replace it with one of their own.  Terra’s was an image of a koala, which she’d purchased in support of eucalyptus conservation efforts.  Ororo’s showed an ornate design that resembled the features of the Blue Mosque; she’d bought it to support their restoration project. Alex displayed a pink and purple nebula.  Leah drank loose-leaf tea in a press-bulb instead.

“Are we getting anything from the instruments yet?” Albus asked with bright eyes.

“Sounds.” Douglas nodded.

He sat up, his vidgame forgotten.  “Sounds?  What sounds?”

“Noisy electromagnetic vibrations,” he explained in a matter-of-fact tone.  This was clearly of no interest to him.  “The normal vibrations of objects in the void.”  Terra knew this was a phenomenon; when the Voyager spacecraft had first ventured out into in the system, it had been discovered that contrary to popular belief, there was sound in space – or would have been, if there had been any atmosphere to resonate with the electromagnetic vibrations that celestial objects emitted.  The craft had recorded many such noises, and subsequent explorations recorded even more of them.  They usually sounded like wind, singing bowls, or the vibrations of crystal glasses.

But that could be significant.  “How noisy?” she asked.  Strong electromagnetic pulses could give them a clue as to the primary elements that formed the Cloud’s composition.

“Yeah; as in, more noisy than usual?” Albus threw in.

“Well, yes.  Yes, they’re more noisy than usual.  And there’s a lot of them.  That we expected, but… well, did you want to hear them?”

“Yes please,” said Terra as Albus nodded.

After a command to his ear-node, the sounds of the void came streaming through theirs.  Terra winced.  It was quite noisy, and it seemed they were getting all three variations – wind, singing bowls, crystal glasses, even rain-like sounds, bells and clicks and whistles – all at once.  She cast a dirty look at him and the pilot pretended to be mystified, but the corner of his mouth twitched.  The bastard was always doing petty annoying things like that.  Terra was reminded of the last couple of years of her marriage and conscious of the active antipathy she had developed for her husband – and now Douglas – because of that nonsense.  “Down volume, please,” she commanded serenely, and the vibration in her eardrums quit.  Now she could differentiate between some of the noises, and the intervals at which they sounded.

“I have some music files that sound like that,” Leah said.  Terra smiled.  That didn’t surprise her; they shared an interest in things spiritual and had begun a morning meditation practice together.

“That’s pretty,” Ororo observed after a moment or two, her eyes closed and a blissful smile curving the line of her mouth.  “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that before.  You say this is normal?”

“Oh yes!” Albus told her with bright squirrel eyes.  “Those sounds might indicate anything from magnetosphere to chemical compositions to gravitational events between planets.”  He leaped out of his chair and downed the rest of his coffee.  Phantom flattened his ears and shrunk back at the abruptness of the movement.  “I’m going to pump that feed into my personal lab so that I can analyze it.”  He made a grab for his screenboard, missed, grabbed again, and hurried off.

Terra got up as well.  “I think I’m going to run some tests too.  I’m off to my lab if you need me, guys.”  She decided against downing that much caffeine at once.  After almost four years she still wasn’t that accustomed to it.  Instead she took it with her.  “You coming, Fat-Cat?”

Phantom declined by yawning and stretching his body into his best imitation of a sphinx.  His purr never lost a beat.

“Sucky cat,” she teased affectionately.

“We’re fine,” Alex reassured her.  “Aren’t we, puss?”  The cat leaned into the long, tapered fingers rubbing at his head and arched his spine.

Copyright (c) 2017 by Diane Morrison

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8 Tips For Writing Explosive Action Scenes

By Tracy Lawson

#30days30authors

I’m a dance teacher and choreographer-turned author. Writing is my main focus, and I’m retired from teaching in a studio setting, but I satisfy that passion for dance by choreographing middle- and high school musical theater productions. My daughter observed recently, “Mom, your choreography has improved since you started writing.”

Writing and choreography have a lot in common. As a writer, I want my readers to be able to visualize the action in the story as clearly as if they were watching a film. As a choreographer, I want the movement to complement and reinforce what’s happening in the show.

Here are some of the ways I approach the action scenes in my YA dystopian series as a choreographer.

Read the full article at BookDaily.com.

Writing Excerpt: Tout le Monde est Mort

I’m editing this for an alternate history anthology. I wrote it for a different project, but they didn’t appreciate my liberal interpretation of their directions.

Should You Be Doing Something Else?

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Book Review: Chasing Fireflies

#30days30authors

Chasing Fireflies: A Summer Romance Anthology by C.L. Cannon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just to be transparent, I am one of the authors of this work. I wrote the last story that appears, Eye of the Storm, and my review does not apply to my story, because that would be ridiculous.

But I will start by saying that I’m really honoured to be part of such an amazing team of writers.

This is a collection of summer romance stories that vary from sweet to steamy, from happy endings to ambiguous endings to outright sad ones, from contemporary to historical, paranormal, and science fiction. “Summer Romance” was the theme, and since we come from a variety of disciplines, we approached that with some broad interpretations. I’ll discuss each story individually in order of appearance:

The 11th Hour by C.L. Cannon – A light-hearted contemporary romance about a man who has loved a woman his whole life, but he has never pursued it because he thought there was lots of time. But now she’s getting married. This story is a sweet romance that does not end how you expect it to. I enjoyed C.L.’s fun, character driven tale with a tongue-in-cheek approach.

The Doctor and the Demon by Jay Michael Wright II – This Civil War era gothic paranormal romance is my cup of tea. Jay explores and subverts the tropes of the genre with a loving hand. Despite demons and necromancers, the tale is a sweet romance. I want to know more about these characters, and since it says its “A Tale from the World of Talon,” I think I’ll be checking out his Talon books.

Scarborough Fair by Sarah Buhrman– This is a historical fantasy with a light touch of magical realism. Sarah knows her time period and location well and makes it come to life with vivid description that is a full-sensory experience. I love her intelligent protagonist, who thinks her way around corners rather than blasts through things, and since I’m reading her Runespells series, I think this is a hallmark of her writing. Loved it!

Summer of ’89 by Rebekah Dodson – This is a “contemporary” romance about an affair that I, as a woman in my 40s, found very relatable. I felt her character’s pain. Growing up is a process that lasts your whole life. We speak dismissively of a “mid-life crisis” as if it weren’t a *crisis*. But at some point, we are faced with a decision: are we where we wanted to be in life, and what is it that we really do want? Rebekah allows her protagonist to ask these questions, and so you will find yourself asking them too. I’ve been reading her Curse of Lanval series and this is a different approach that shows some of the broad scope of her talent.

A Summer Affair by Janae Keyes – Janae is probably the biggest name in the genre that we have in this collection, and you can see why in this story. This is an extremely well-written contemporary interracial romance about a summer affair, with a roller coaster of ups and downs. This is also the steamiest story that’s appeared in the collection so far. The ending is a bit of a shocker; you have been warned.

Dear Diary by Deliaria Davis – This is a raw contemporary romance about an Alaskan teenager from a rough background who falls in love with an older man, presented as diary entries. It’s very real, and the reason why becomes clear when you read Del’s biography. This is autobiographical. It’s her story. I love it because it shows that while real life is messy, we can all find our own moments of light and beauty. It’s inspiring. It made me tear up.

Along Came David by Kayla Kirby – This is a lovely sweet contemporary romance about a woman finding the courage to take control of her own life, aided by a man who believes in her. I found the protagonist quite relatable, remembering my own similar struggles to find my path as a teenager and young woman. I liked that this story was told from the point of view of David, not of the female protagonist. It’s a second person personal approach, different!

One Night Chance by A.C. Jade – So A.C. is this shy little Asian chick. Looks harmless. Assuming that is a mistake. This is by far the hottest, steamiest piece in the collection! Trigger warning: there’s a lot of stuff at the beginning that seems questionable in terms of consent, but it quickly becomes a wish-fulfillment fantasy of raw sexuality, so don’t worry, she’s into it. A military romance with a delightful twist ending.

Eye of the Storm by Diane Morrison (Sable Aradia) – My story is a planetary romance in the pulp sci-fi tradition. I guess you could call it an interracial romance too. I didn’t turn away from the sexy bits. When I was invited to the anthology, I wasn’t sure what to write at first, because I don’t normally write romance. Then I thought: well, if Lois McMaster Bujold can write both military space opera and romance, then why can’t I? This story has been cooking in my head for a while, because it’s part of my Toy Soldier Saga fantasy space opera series, and I wouldn’t have included this in the book itself, at least not in this way, so it was a great place to have the opportunity to tell it. You’ll have to tell me what you think.

I genuinely enjoyed this book! I was delighted by the broad variations in genre, approach, writing style, and levels of sexiness. I would have loved it even if I’d had nothing to do with it. These talented writers really deserve more attention, and I’m just honoured to be included.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Chasing Fireflies, A Summer Romance Anthology

#30days30authors

Chasing Fireflies: A Summer Romance Anthology by C.L. Cannon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just to be transparent, I am one of the authors of this work. I wrote the last story that appears, Eye of the Storm, and my review does not apply to my story, because that would be ridiculous.

But I will start by saying that I’m really honoured to be part of such an amazing team of writers.

This is a collection of summer romance stories that vary from sweet to steamy, from happy endings to ambiguous endings to outright sad ones, from contemporary to historical, paranormal, and science fiction. “Summer Romance” was the theme, and since we come from a variety of disciplines, we approached that with some broad interpretations. I’ll discuss each story individually in order of appearance:

The 11th Hour by C.L. Cannon – A light-hearted contemporary romance about a man who has loved a woman his whole life, but he has never pursued it because he thought there was lots of time. But now she’s getting married. This story is a sweet romance that does not end how you expect it to. I enjoyed C.L.’s fun, character driven tale with a tongue-in-cheek approach.

The Doctor and the Demon by Jay Michael Wright II – This Civil War era gothic paranormal romance is my cup of tea. Jay explores and subverts the tropes of the genre with a loving hand. Despite demons and necromancers, the tale is a sweet romance. I want to know more about these characters, and since it says its “A Tale from the World of Talon,” I think I’ll be checking out his Talon books.

Scarborough Fair by Sarah Buhrman– This is a historical fantasy with a light touch of magical realism. Sarah knows her time period and location well and makes it come to life with vivid description that is a full-sensory experience. I love her intelligent protagonist, who thinks her way around corners rather than blasts through things, and since I’m reading her Runespells series, I think this is a hallmark of her writing. Loved it!

Summer of ’89 by Rebekah Dodson – This is a “contemporary” romance about an affair that I, as a woman in my 40s, found very relatable. I felt her character’s pain. Growing up is a process that lasts your whole life. We speak dismissively of a “mid-life crisis” as if it weren’t a *crisis*. But at some point, we are faced with a decision: are we where we wanted to be in life, and what is it that we really do want? Rebekah allows her protagonist to ask these questions, and so you will find yourself asking them too. I’ve been reading her Curse of Lanval series and this is a different approach that shows some of the broad scope of her talent.

A Summer Affair by Janae Keyes – Janae is probably the biggest name in the genre that we have in this collection, and you can see why in this story. This is an extremely well-written contemporary interracial romance about a summer affair, with a roller coaster of ups and downs. This is also the steamiest story that’s appeared in the collection so far. The ending is a bit of a shocker; you have been warned.

Dear Diary by Deliaria Davis – This is a raw contemporary romance about an Alaskan teenager from a rough background who falls in love with an older man, presented as diary entries. It’s very real, and the reason why becomes clear when you read Del’s biography. This is autobiographical. It’s her story. I love it because it shows that while real life is messy, we can all find our own moments of light and beauty. It’s inspiring. It made me tear up.

Along Came David by Kayla Kirby – This is a lovely sweet contemporary romance about a woman finding the courage to take control of her own life, aided by a man who believes in her. I found the protagonist quite relatable, remembering my own similar struggles to find my path as a teenager and young woman. I liked that this story was told from the point of view of David, not of the female protagonist. It’s a second person personal approach, different!

One Night Chance by A.C. Jade – So A.C. is this shy little Asian chick. Looks harmless. Assuming that is a mistake. This is by far the hottest, steamiest piece in the collection! Trigger warning: there’s a lot of stuff at the beginning that seems questionable in terms of consent, but it quickly becomes a wish-fulfillment fantasy of raw sexuality, so don’t worry, she’s into it. A military romance with a delightful twist ending.

Eye of the Storm by Diane Morrison (Sable Aradia) – My story is a planetary romance in the pulp sci-fi tradition. I guess you could call it an interracial romance too. I didn’t turn away from the sexy bits. When I was invited to the anthology, I wasn’t sure what to write at first, because I don’t normally write romance. Then I thought: well, if Lois McMaster Bujold can write both military space opera and romance, then why can’t I? This story has been cooking in my head for a while, because it’s part of my Toy Soldier Saga fantasy space opera series, and I wouldn’t have included this in the book itself, at least not in this way, so it was a great place to have the opportunity to tell it. You’ll have to tell me what you think.

I genuinely enjoyed this book! I was delighted by the broad variations in genre, approach, writing style, and levels of sexiness. I would have loved it even if I’d had nothing to do with it. These talented writers really deserve more attention, and I’m just honoured to be included.

View all my reviews