Starting a blog.
Hi, I'm Laurence (goes by Laury) Dahners and I write science fiction. I've mostly published on Amazon since I love the Kindle. A lot of readers communicated with me and other readers on the Amazon Author's Forums, but those don't seem to be getting much support any more and there have been a lot of complaints.
So I thought I'd start a blog here on GoodReads as well as responding to "Ask the Author" questions that are posted on this site.
I'm not sure how well this will work for those of you who like to have discussions that don't necessarily involve me? Let me know if you're aware of a way for me to facilitate such discussion that I may not be aware of.
Hope this works for at least some of you who like to express your opinions!
Laury Dahners
So I thought I'd start a blog here on GoodReads as well as responding to "Ask the Author" questions that are posted on this site.
I'm not sure how well this will work for those of you who like to have discussions that don't necessarily involve me? Let me know if you're aware of a way for me to facilitate such discussion that I may not be aware of.
Hope this works for at least some of you who like to express your opinions!
Laury Dahners
Jmac,I've seen that video (Smarter Every Day is pretty damn cool) and encountered a few other things (can't remember specific examples other than writing in a mirror) that are WAY harder than they seem like they should be.
Laury
Daussie might tell the local healer that Eva taught Daussie symphysiotomy using 'dummies' that they had to abandon on the trip (for example: when Eva was escaping prison). Daussie might also mention that it is a rare problem and they concentrated on fixing problems that are more common (and easier to fix)
Dahners have you read any good books lately (in this genre) ?I specified "genre" because i once asked another author and he told me he likes to read poetry. I do not read poetry.
I just finished reading the first 3 books of Cole & Srexx by Robert M. Kerns. It is kind of like potato chips, nice to munch on but doesn't really satisfy you.
Muehe,I downloaded a sample of Cole and Sress #1 to see whether it's my kind of potato chip.
My favorite recent reads have been the:
Alexis Carew Books by J.A. Sutherland
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Quartershare by Nathan Lowell
Laury Dahners
Dahners ,I read the first 3 of Traders Tales - then stopped.
The other 2 look interesting. I downloaded samples.
Thanks
Muehe
Dahners ,I read the first book of the "The Murderbot Diaries"
I liked it, but $10 for the second book of 150 pages. Not happening.
Muehe
From a huge fan!,So truth is beginning to look a lot like fiction!
My question, is Salvatore Cezar Pais actually Vaz's real name?
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...
Bob S.
I really hope that stuff is being invented. I am a bit of a pessimist, and sometimes I wonder if we will make it. Stuff like that gives me hope.As for the whole alien thing. I do believe, I just doubt they are here. The difficulties in traveling the distances involved.
The fact that land animals have existed on Earth for 375 million years but the earliest civilization was just 5,300 years ago. That is .0014% of 375 million year. So the way I see it, the odds say they stop by in the past and said “nothing here”. Or as I like to say, imagine a beach and every once in a while one grain of sand turns green for a short while. If you have 2 grains of sand that turn green about the same time and are kind of close together. We have contact.
FYI, Earth 4.54 billion years old.
Hope Pais really has something!For those who like the Hyllis stories, the next book in the series comes out on November 9.
It's available for pre-order now at this Amazon link
Hoping you like it. I had so much fun writing it it kept getting longer and longer (thus the later than expected publication). It's become the longest story I've ever written.
Planning another Ell Donsaii story but might first write a shorter story (novella?) about a new idea I've gotten really excited about. Hope you guys like it as much as I do!
Laury Dahners
Yes! Just bought the Hyllis and am looking forward to the next Donsaii. Just re-read the whole Donsaii series, in fact. Such smart sci-fi!--John
John,Great to hear how much you like them, thanks!
Laury Dahners
saw the link first was so disappointed it was only prebook, haha
New book is as good as ever. But I just can't suspend my disbelief that you can get precognition from telekinesis. And Tarc's actions are too blatantly witchery. It may stir antiwitchery notions in the area.
Precog's a bit wobbly from my perspective, but everything else is much too plausible... Perhaps some electro-shock like some of the stun eels...
This one had a lot of stuff going on. I enjoyed it but not as much as the first 3 in the series. Maybe burnout (reader, not writer)Looking foreword to your to new novella.
Muehe
Just finished the book its what i sort of figured what Tarc was more or less fated to be! Lol the plague was a nice touch considering what's happening in the world, nice touch on leaving room for future books lol can't wait for next El book! Great job Mr. Dahners! As usual!
Hey, I'm sneaking in a short new book before starting on the next Ell Donsaii story. A Pause in Space-Time (A Stasis Story #1)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082PC132B
just became available on Amazon.
It's about half as long as most of my books (42k words). To manage expectations I'm calling it a novella even though it qualifies as a novel by SFFWA standards (over 40k). And it's cheap! I'm expecting the rest of the books in this series to be my usual length.
Hope you enjoy it!
Here's the blurb.
A Pause in Space-Time (A Stasis Story #1)
This novella length hard Sci-Fi book begins the “Stasis Stories,” a series of tales from the near future. They tell us about Kaem Seba, a sickly and financially destitute young man who uses his extraordinary math talents to work out a way to stop time within limited volumes of space-time.
He and Arya Vaii, a business student, set out to develop the phenomenon.It quickly becomes obvious that, beyond the fact that time stops inside the stasis field, the volume of space-time in stasis might be useful for some of its other phenomenal properties.
Since it essentially can’t be altered (time’s stopped inside) it’s stronger than any known substance and, unlike matter, does not melt. This makes it the perfect material for building rocket engines. They set out to sell such engines in order to provide their budding business enough profit to let them develop other useful products.
Unfortunately, the owner of the lab that tested the properties of their samples also recognizes their potential. His desire to share in their profits unhinges his shaky grasp on reality. When he can’t talk them into letting him join their enterprise, he demands a share at gunpoint.
Super fantastic day!I finally have time to comment on the recent books.
I really enjoyed Hood. I thought it was another great addition to the Hyliss series. My only complaint is that Tarc spent more time being a hero then exploring the technology of the ancients. I am hoping the next time you write about the Hyliss family, Tarc explores the underground facility more and finds a maintenance workshop that has a number of in tact engineering books that explain the basics of electrical circuits so he progress at mixing psychic powers with elctricity and technology.
Thanks for another great book!
The Stasis book is another fabulous book. I have two complaints about it though. One is that now I will have to add the series to the list of your series to anticipate new additions. I really wish you would start writing more books faster so the various series can move along faster. After all, you are doing Ell Donsaii next and you made a comment about maybe doing another Blind Spot (both of which are terrific) so it will likely be months before another Stasis comes out (unless you manage to sneak another one in). The second issue is that now I am sleep deprived from staying up too late reading your books and as a retired doctor you should know that depriving people of sleep is not good for their health. In any case please keep up the great writing.Cheers, Doug
Doug,Thanks for the kind words.
I am planning another Stasis or two after ED 16.
I have so many things I want to write, I need to clone myself...
Laury Dahners
What are your plans for your other series? Bonesetter, Vaz, Lifter, Blindspot, and The Transmuters Daughter. Are you planning on writing more of them or will some take a backseat on your schedule.
Tyson,I should get around to them but I tend to write what I'm excited about and Stasis has me excited right now. When that wears off, hopefully I'll get back to some of the others.
L
Looking forward to them all, especially Ell Donsaii 16. Haven't read Stasis yet but I will within the next few days for sure.And I definitely get that its best if authors write what they are excited about. I won't complain much if you decided to write Stasis 2 halfway through Ell Donsaii 16 if you were to get writers block.
I was caught by surprise by "Pause", the last I had seen you were working on another Donsaii and wasn't sure what to expect when I got the notification from Amazon. I have mixed feelings - I love the concept and it has tons of potential, but now I have yet another series to follow and wait anxiously for. Thank you!
Dana wrote: "I was caught by surprise by "Pause", the last I had seen you were working on another Donsaii and wasn't sure what to expect when I got the notification from Amazon. I have mixed feelings - I love t..."This is exactly how I feel.
For those of you who like audiobooks, Tau Ceti (an Ell Donsaii story #6) is out in that formathttps://www.amazon.com/Tau-Ceti-Ell-D...
Hope you enjoy it!
--
Laury
Wag more, bark less...
So I have two open questions, really thought experiments for people here, both based on the material in the Donsaii series.1) Consider the setup for that flying motorcycle Donsaii designs - shafts that protrude through a portal and drive propellers, so the motors can remain on the ground. Now imagine that each portal is set in a frame that can rotate around the shaft, driven by a second motor. If you rotate the motor-side portal, but keep the primary motor stationary, does the propeller spin? If so, does the motor that rotates the portal have to supply all the torque while the original motor sits still? Is there torque applied to the shaft on the motor side in this case?
1a) Given the above, if you go back to the original design (one motor, shaft, propeller) does the portal frame itself have to resist any torque?
2) Imagine two portal pairs, each placed in front of a clock. One clock is nearby on a desk. The second is in a spacecraft moving at a fraction of the speed of light. You have the other ends of both portals where you can see them. Do you observe the second clock running more slowly, and/or does it appear redder? If so, is there a point during the traverse of the portal where time 'changes?'
(Not expecting definitive answers, just questions that have been nagging me.)
Hmmm, Interesting question.
1. I'd point out that if one port is moving linearly relative to the other, i.e. a port on the ISS, that it doesn't have an effect on material passing from one port to the other except for the need for the port to add or extract energy to correct for kinetic or potential energy. The same should be true of rotational motion.
2. I think we need to wake up Albert for answers to this one!
Laury Dahners
OK. So it sounds like in the case of example 1), you'd be able to rotate the port freely, and that might spin the prop - but any energy added to the shaft/prop system would come from the power meant to maintain the port, thus avoiding First Law problems. (skipping for now the question of how the port 'knows' it has to use its available energy in that way.)
Billvon,I think of it working the way an electric motor becomes a generator if you spin the shaft, but requires electricity to spin the shaft itself.
Laury
Super fantastic day and awesome New Year!This is a delayed comment on Hood.
I thought it was another excellent book! I was only a little disappointed that Tarc did not spend more time exploring the depths of the ruins and investigating technology.
I am hoping in your next Hyllis story, Tarc will find a maintenance/facilities/engineering workshop and office (just about every medical/research/technical/scientific facility of any size has a shop) with a few preserved engineering/technical manuals and handbooks that would provide some basic guidance on the fundamentals of engineering, both mechanical and electrical. Maybe there could even be some equipment like hand and power tools and maybe a backup generator that could be restored. Incidentally, I don't think that all plastic would decay away, even after thousands of years in an enclosed environment. Meaning some of the electrical stuff could still be usable (after removing corrosion/dirt/crusty lubricant etc). likewise other appliances such as toaster ovens, etc. might be found. All of which could lead to him blending his psychic powers with basic tech but also starting to (slowly) reintroduce technology to the world.
Maybe he could find a semi-usable gun or 2 in another part of the building (having been available for security purposes) leading to more technical, ethical and practical issues.
Speaking of books that could be found (in addition to the technical ones) maybe there would be some history/biographical/news as well as fiction that the other characters would like to read that would also provide some historical background for them so they have some idea of how our current political system works (or doesn't work).
Incidentally a biography of Edison might give Tarc a clue on light bulbs, telegraphs and batteries. The chemistry family (sorry I don't remember their names) could help with the battery chemistry and other projects.
Of course, this new book would likely be after El Donsaii, 2X Stasis, Blind Spot, Etc. so I am not holding my breath for it.
Cheers,
Doug
Doug, thanks!In my pre-retirement life, circa 1978, while working in the ER, I was once called to see a patient with "a self inflicted gun-shot wound to the head." The right side of his head was swollen and bloody. Expecting to assess him as an organ donor, I was surprised when I began by saying "Mr. Smith?" and he responded by saying in a depressed tone, "Yes?"
Startled to have him respond, I asked, "You shot yourself in the head?
He answered, "Six times. I'd shoot, then I'd wake up still alive, so I'd shoot myself again." (A determined man)
As it turned out the revolver he'd shot himself with hadn't been fired since WW2 ( the bullets were about 35 years old).
They'd cracked his skull and knocked him out but then, (not having the oomph to penetrate the bone skidded around the outer surface of his skull to wind up under the scalp without killing him.
Now it might be that some ammunition would last longer than that, but from that experience I have my doubts that ammunition several hundred years old would still fire. Even if someone were to put in new powder, I suspect that the primer caps would no longer fire and those are much harder for a primitive industry to fabricate.
Also, the insulation on wiring from the 1920s is failing. Perhaps our modern insulation will last longer, but I'm not sure it will.
I'm excited to write stories about the restoration of technology, but I'm worried that there are a LOT of difficult steps between the Hyllis level of tech and restoring old motors and generators or guns or light bulbs (which need vacuum) or telegraphs.
The Hyllis society does have a leg up in that metals don't have to be mined, they can just be harvested from old cities and dumps. But every time I start thinking about how they could build this or that tech whiz-bang device, I realize that first they'd need a precursor technological device (the machines to build the machines to build the machines) and I begin to despair at trying to put together an interesting story.
I am still thinking about it. What I need is a modern device for them to resurrect that doesn't require that they already have a lot of tech to build it with.
Maybe they could breech load bullets, then gunpowder, into an ancients' rifle barrel, then close the breech with something a smith devises, then go sniping with it? But that wouldn't be much better than Tarc can do with arrows.
Give me more ideas?
Laury Dahners
I agree the gunpowder would almost certainly have degraded to the point of uselessness but I think having the models to start from would help them move in that direction, especially with the help of the chemists. A breech loader or musket would probably be more realistic. In fact I have been a little surprised that tech was lost. Anyway, that was one of the reasons finding some historical texts would be useful.The thing about insulation from the 1920's is that it was mostly cotton fibers which definitely would decay but even the plastics from then were not great. Environmental scientist keep telling us the plastics of today will take thousands of years to decay, that is especially true of plastics used for engineering purposes. Obviously, those plastics exposed to the elements will decay faster then those in a more controlled environment. So I thinks it is completely realistic for at least some devices to be functional so long as they were relatively simple; I am thinking along the lines of motors, heating elements and incandescent light bulbs. I agree that most such devices would probably not work without some restoration but that can be part of the story as Tarc struggles to figure out how to resuscitate the tech. Even some newer plastics fall apart fairly after a few years depending on their use and the environment but I think other modern plastics would survive long enough to at least be minimally effective and allow them some experimentation before a short circuit occurs and they have a small fire and then they re-insulate the wires with cloth or something the chemists make.
As you know, most hospitals have suction devices for removing fluids and many maintenance facilities have vacuum pumps. Those devices are not rocket science and could be restored, at least to the point of working with manual power, for the purposes of drawing a vacuum for a light bulb. Granted the light bulb might not last very long but it would be a start.
Also, a big part of the story would be Tarc developing the relationships with the people that he will need assistance from and his struggles with deciding whom he can trust and how they work together to make it happen.
Admittedly, I am not quite sure how to blend the essential elements of psychic powers with the tech. I mean some things like telekinesis and teleporting would be useful for taking apart and restoring some of the equipment. Oh, I just realized that teleporting the air out of a sealed jar will make a great vacuum. Part of the story should be the blending of mental powers with the 'new' tech but I have not figured that out yet. Of course, Tarc could easily tap out the equivalent of Morse code on the telegraph with his telekinesis.
Back to the subject of the guns, Tarc and his dad are great with the arrows but the guns would be useful by other members of the clan in protecting their interests.
I think the introduction of the telegraph would be a good useful tech and also a printing press. Obviously, they are not going to find those in a high research facility, but references to them in the historical texts, even novels, should be enough to start down that path.
All if this is likely to take several books for the story to unfold.
Just a suggestion, but you could tour one of the Thomas Edison or other inventor museums for some inspiration on early tech development. The Smithsonian American History Museum in Washington DC has some very good progression of tech related displays also. As research for your books, the trips would probably be tax deductible.
If they knew how light bulbs worked, they would be easy to build with their abilities. Insert wires into a glass bulb, seal glass using telekinetic heat, teleport the air out, teleport the components for the bulb in and connect it using telekinesis. Of course, now you need electricity. Plumbing would also be something that could be relatively easy to implement, especially if you could find piping. I could probably come up with a relatively simple river powered pump to get water up vertically. Once its high enough, gravity flow would take care of the rest.
Tyson,ED16 is about 1/5th done
Laury
Wonderfully fabulous day!To followup with my previous comment about finding and introducing to pre-collapse technology:
I think Tarc could discover parts of some medical devices such as stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs, along with some documentation to figure out how to repair and use them. While they generally do not them because they can use their ghirits, they would make good tools for the non-gifted medical practitioners and good props to help dispel thoughts/rumors of witchery.
As far as electrical insulation goes, I agree that most early and rubberized insulation (like power cords) will disintegrate into dust, especially after hundreds of years. However, I think most vinyl types of insulation such as modern house wiring and the internals of electrical devices that don't see much flexing will likely last much longer. Although, it might be very brittle and subject to falling apart when touched but still marginally usable. Also, the enamel insulation used in electro-magnetic devices such as motors, transformers, etc. is likely to last a very long time. I have motors that are nearly a hundred years old that I still use.
Cheers,
Doug
I am not sure you can create a vacuum using teleportation. When they were first exploring teleportation, they were poking holes in a stick. I think that if the holes were vacuum, the stick would have collapsed. Also, there would be a noticeable effect (bubbles that collapse at source and expand at destination) when they are teleporting blood. I am not sure, but it might be better to consider teleportation as swapping 2 areas like some other books do (for example: Steven Gould's 'Jumper' series).
Walter wrote: "I am not sure you can create a vacuum using teleportation. When they were first exploring teleportation, they were poking holes in a stick. I think that if the holes were vacuum, the stick would ha..."That is addressed in the books. IIRC when she first started teleporting, there was a popping sound which is later explained as the air rushing to fill the vacuum. She does learn to swap the areas but she doesn't have to.
Laurence wrote: "Tyson,ED16 is about 1/5th done
Laury"
Is it just me or do the Ell Donsaii books take quite a bit longer? Is it because more research goes into the books as the series gets longer to keep things consistent, or maybe less interest in writing the series but fans want more, or just IRL delaying things. As I recall Terraform took longer then usual as well. I usually start looking for your new book 3 months after you released the last one. That model has worked very well in the last few years except when it comes to the Ell Donsaii books.
I bet it is hard to write ED stories. I think a large part would be continuity and the "freshness" of the story. I am looking forward to reading it.BTW, Vaz - just saying his name.
Laurence wrote: "Hey, I'm sneaking in a short new book before starting on the next Ell Donsaii story. A Pause in Space-Time (A Stasis Story #1)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082PC132B
just became available on Amazon..."
I have been thinking about this book since I read it for the first time (almost immediately it came out). In the next book, you might want to answer 2 questions:
(1) Can you staze the contents of a stade bottle ?
(2) Can you staze a vacuum ?
You could get very interesting items if the answer to both is yes, but it is not critical.
Also, they might want to revise the contract with Space-Gen. I suggest they reduce the weekly payment (after the first million) if Space-Gen sends them engineers to help design a proof-of-concept (two tanks, pipes, engine chamber, nozzle). It should be in at least two parts, so normal-matter valves that control the flow of the tanks can be inserted. The two parts of the pipe could overlap (like drainage pipes) with flanges on both that have holes to put normal-matter bolts through. They would probably have to create several versions to get a valid proof-of-concept. The payment would return to the original million/week after they deliver the proof-of-concept.
As I wrote this, I realized you might want to create a adjective for normal-matter (i.e. non-stazed) objects so it is easier to describe combining normal-matter objects with stades
Hello,Thank you for your books - I love the possibilities you present. I have to admit I don’t understand 3/4 (or maybe 9/10?) of the science, but I love what your characters can do - and it all seems so real. My only complaint is the I want to buy them as actual books. I love the kindle unlimited but when I give an eBook 5 stars I want an actual paper copy to re-read and keep. You never know when the apocalypse is coming and you don’t have electricity (norovirus anyone?) and need a good book. Thought on this? Lee
Gosh, Lee, very nice to hear how much you like them.Amazon has all of them as paperbacks. If you pull them up as kindle versions, you should see the paperback version just to the right of it.
Below is a link to the paperback version of Quicker. In this case you'll see the kindle version to the left of it.
amazon.com/Quicker-Ell-Donsaii-Story-...
Or you can go to the Amazon author page for my books (link below). The link is set up so it takes you to only paperbacks, but the author page has a set of buttons (right under pictures of me) that lets you choose to look at only paperbacks, only kindles or only audiobooks.
amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B...
Hi - I love your books! I figured out the problem - I am in Canada and there aren’t as many ‘paper’ options on amazon.ca. I guess I am headed to the US site... Thanks for writing - keep up the good work!!Lee
UPDATE: My apologies for the confusion - some of your books are available on amazon.ca - I just wasn't looking in the right place! L
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFzDa...
The Backwards Brain Bicycle - Smarter Every Day 133
Apr 24, 2015