Where do I even begin with this? I mean, the beginning obviously but that was so long ago. I wish I was kidding.
I got the idea for Ambrosia a few years after I picked up writing. I saw these characters on a website called elfwood.com (I'm not even sure if it exists anymore) and made up this backstory. Technically, fanfiction but it's morphed into something entirely different.
I've talked about the Ambrosia characters off and on in various NaNoWriMo postings, mainly about Daimin and his father Demek. Sometimes I've mentioned Daimin's hour younger brother Aiden and spoken about the Espers.
There's so much going on with this series and I don't write it in any particular order. Right now I'm focused on what I would consider to be in the third book, if such a thing existed. Again, Ambrosia is one of these stories which can go on forever and ever and ever until I decide to kill everyone off...which would be impossible since technically Daimin can't be killed.
Ha, right? And don't even get me started on all the worlds which come together in Ambrosia. I've got an ongoing list and it practically pulls in every world I've written in for my various universes, well the magical ones anyway.
Hell, Lyo and Tyo (Daimin's kids) will eventually make an appearance in Avalora. They've popped up in Mists of Time in the last two books. I'm sure I've made mention to them in other novels solely because the Ambrosians are that huge to me.
Anyway, what's this ongoing story about?
Demek, the King of Ambrosia and basically how he got there. Sounds boring but when you add in the fact his father's insane enough to almost kill Demek's other siblings and Demek likes only men when he you know, has to produce heirs, oh and the little issue of Ambrosia itself being on the brink of destruction when he takes over the Kingship, well, it gets fun. Plus the various wars he has to go through because Demek looks like a weakling but really isn't.
Then there are various issues when Demek tries to treaty with other worlds in the universe and is elected to be the "Keeper" of the worlds which makes Ambrosia the "Guardian World." Of course there's potential backstabbing with this. I mean, everyone wants to take his throne, heavy as it is, because who wouldn't want to be the ruler of the Guardian World and have the instant respect of every other Royal?
I don't know when or where this will ever be posted. I might start somewhere in the middle of the time-line I have (and it's a big time-line) then go from there and use semi-flash backs to fill in the important bits from pre-wherever I start.
I do know I've been working on the concept for this story and writing random scenes from it for years. Once such scene I'm working on as of the writing of this and it's morphed into an 80,000 word, 136 page novel. It's not done because there's this whole conflict going on with the world of Fengfu and, well, yeah.
Updates to follow. Eventually.
Showing posts with label Daimin VanHelgrove. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daimin VanHelgrove. Show all posts
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
2015 Novel Series #1: Mists of Time Book 4: Adam's Story
FIRST BOOK OF THE NEW YEAR! And because I'm fun: last book in a series. Ha.
Originally this novel wasn't supposed to exist but then the epilogue of Book 3: Finale happened and this one was begging to be written so here we are. Book 4: Adam's Story takes place immediately after the events in Book 3 but 12 years have passed in the last few chapters of Book 3. Blair is no longer an 18 year old rookie Time Knight but is now a 30 year old psychiatrist who's job on earth is to find other Time Knights. Xe's also still a Time Knight.
Unlike the other books, Blair is NOT the Point of View Character. Adam is. Blair's still a main character but we don't get to hear xer thoughts. Book 1: Discovery was about Blair finding out xe's a Time Knight. Book 2: Seeking is all about figuring out who the bad guy is and the world of the Mists. Book 3: Finale is the final fight with the bad guy as he jumps between various worlds to destroy each one.
Book Four: Adam's Story answers the questions left behind in book 3, namely what happens to Dyns. There's also a new enemy threatening the Mists and Adam is the one who has to stop said enemy. Why? Well, Alaya told him he had to and when an Ala'gan tells you you're the one meant to destroy the enemy then you'd better pay attention. Onwards!
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 94,116
Prompt: Conclusion of the Mists of Time series.
Main Characters: Adam, Blair (who finally gets a last name), Zallahia, Lyo, Tyo, and Lylina VanHelgrove
Minor Characters of Note: Tim, Helen, Mac, The Mist Watcher, the Grand Healer, Ova, King Demek VanHelgrove, Lance VanHelgrove, and honorable mention goes to Gunther who was created on page 145 and died on page 147. Super-duper honorable mention goes to Rayleigh, Lylina's dragon because he's awesome.
Summation: Adam's the first Time Knight Blair discovers and now Adam has to learn all about being a Time Knight and what it entails. Adam reacts differently than Blair through the entire process and even wants to figure out a way to stop Mist Beast from coming into the Mists. Of course we throw in a bad guy no one expects and we have some fun.
High Points: The VanHelgroves as a whole. They kind of steal the story...
Low Points: Zallahia
The World: Earth with three mages (Blair, Adam, and Clay Orrell) and the Mists.
Memorable Lines:
"Why doesn't earth have a connection to the other worlds?" Adam asked.
She (Blair) frowned. Adam felt bad for making her upset.
"Twelve years ago there was a, complication, in the Mists..." Mrs. McKinley-Lafrance said (Again, Blair. Yes xer name is Blair McKinley-Lafrance)
"But Adam said if he left my office he wouldn't be coming back. He's a skeptic and well, there is no better way to make a skeptic believe than show them."
After fainting from seeing his first Mist Beast:
"Um, wow, your legs are really smooth." Adam said (to Blair. Ha.).
"I can't believe," (Adam's mom, they're talking about cooking dinner)
"But we had to do a project for science!" (Little brother Xander)
"Yeah, science!" (Drew, twin to Xander)
"You always said we have to apply ourselves more!"
"Yeah, apply ourselves more!"
Adam wanted to laugh at Drew repeating Xander's last few words.
...
"Let me guess, these two 'had' to stay late for school and Adam 'forgot' because of homework." Dad said.
He was good. Mom nodded.
"But it was for science!" Drew said as if it would make a difference.
...
"Right, science. I guess we're getting burgers or pizza?" Dad asked.
"Pizza!" The Terrors (Xander and Drew, it's Adam's nickname for them) said together.
Mom rolled her eyes.
"For science." Mom said.
"How much time do you have?" Mrs. McKinley-Lafrance asked.
"Well, you can freeze it." Adam said.
"But don't you have to give me a final test?" Adam asked.
Zallahia groaned. She shook her head and Adam wondered how she got through school. Schools must be completely different on Yavis.
"Your final test is not dying when a Mist Beast attacks you." Zallahia said.
"That's not a good test." Adam told her.
...
"It's the only test. I'm your tutor until I think you can survive out here alone." Zallahia said.
There should be quizzes and smaller tests before a final exam. Adam wanted to ask about those but had a feeling Zallahia would give him an answer he wouldn't like. There had to be some form of structure though.
"But, what about," Adam started.
She cut him off with a groan.
"Your first test is to summon something and you pass when you summon something. The next test is to summon something good enough to fight a Mist Beast and you pass when your something defeats a Mist Beast. The final test is coming in here, summoning something, beating a Mist Beast, and not being exhausted all without my help. Oh, there's also a mini-test on getting to Central without my help. And for us personally I'll be teaching you some form of hand-to-hand combat and there will be various tests there. One test is not falling on your ass when I punch you in the mouth. Another is being able to duck under my sword so I don't chop your head off. Happy?"
Adam wasn't. It didn't sound like he could sit down and study for any of those tests. (Yes he's a majorly into being a perfect student)
After Zallahia faints when Blair tells her who he really is:
"She'll come around in a minute or two," Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said (to Adam). "You know, I think you two were paired up for a good reason. You need to learn to stop over-thinking and she needs to learn to think. The cosmos are laughing at you."
"I've no idea and vague prophecies are what I do," Alaya said. "Adam, The Attack isn't over. There's one person left alive who isn't happy about how things are running now and you're going to have to be the one who stops him."
...
"Why?" Adam questioned.
...
"You because, well, I'm not sure to be honest," Alaya said. "You're not any stronger than Blair but Blair is fairly strong when it comes to Time Knights...The universe and the Higher Powers like picking on unsuspecting heroes from earth probably to knock the Ambrosian Mages down a peg or two when a simple Earthling saves the world and they can't."
"He has most of the knowledge of the universe in his head?" Adam asked.
"Yep," Tyo began.
Adam prepared himself for a long-winded explanation. Zallahia groaned.
"We went to the Universal Library of All when were 12 up until we were 15 and well, once we read a book it stays in our heads forever even if we read it that one time. That and if Lyo reads something, I know it so technically we can read two books at one. Oh and it only takes us a few seconds to read a page depending on the size of the book so,"
Tyo stopped here with a shrug. Adam wasn't sure what was more surprising: the fact Tyo had stopped talking on his own or the fact the VanHelgrove Twins knew everything there was to know in the entire universe after skimming over the information once.
"Holy shit." Adam said.
"Good summation," Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said. "But they have to constantly be multi-tasking or they can't do simple tasks."
...
"Wait, wait, so they have to walk and read or walk and talk or walk and do something so they don't trip over nothing?" Zallahia asked.
"Yep." Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said.
Tyo waved his hand as if to clear the words from the air...
"Yeah, well, shut up. Do you want to see the books about the Attack or our father or the Universal Library of All?" Tyo asked.
He probably remembered every word of every conversation. Adam suppressed a shiver. No, he would never want the Twins' memory.
"I think you covered it all pretty well." Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said.
Lyo snorted and a small smirk came to his face. It was gone before Adam realized in full the smirk was there.
"Good," Lyo said. "Tyo's voice gets annoying sometimes."
"Oh, I guess you need someone to talk to as well." the mother said.
"Besides the voices in my head, yes." Adam said. (Ha)
"She (the mother above) wants me to be a boy but I'm not, you know? I've always been a girl but I'm in the wrong body. She says God doesn't make mistakes and I don't know how to tell her she's wrong." Amber (who yes, is transgender) said.
Adam nodded.
"Well, he doesn't make mistakes," Adam said (wait for it)
Her face fell.
"Because you were always a girl and always will be a girl." Adam finished.
"Do you know how to fight?" Zallahia (TRAINED WARRIOR) asked.
"I understand the concept behind fighting." Adam (NON TRAINED WARRIOR) said.
"Hit the other person while avoiding being hit." Zallahia said.
Adam nodded. Zallahia moved. Adam caught the movement but couldn't shift in time to avoid her left hand coming out. He felt the air whip by his head at her fist and stilled. She was so close he could almost feel her body against his. She was grinning.
"I missed your face deliberately. I figured I'd be nice and give you some practice before throwing you into the test of "not falling on your ass when I punch you in the mouth." Good idea?" Zallahia asked.
"Good idea." Adam said.
He yelped and stared up at her from the ground. She had done something with one of her legs against his and made him fall through the fog and onto whatever made up the ground of the Mists.
"Oh sorry, that was the first test in "avoid being knocked on your ass." I'm going to call that a fail. Wanna try again?" Zallahia questioned.
"But I want to be a doctor and save people's lives." Adam said (after being informed he might be a Dark Mage).
"So?" Tyo began. "You're going to be cutting into people to save their lives. You'll be removing flesh, burning to cauterize wounds, watching them bleed, sometimes killing them temporarily to get an operation done, and even removing limbs to save their life. All healers are sadists. Who willingly wants to cut into a living person and screw around in their insides? And people say Dark Mages are messed up in the head."
Adam opened his mouth but couldn't think of what to say. Tyo chuckled, caught another book then shook his head.
"But the difference is you care about the people you're going to be cutting up and you'll feel sad if they don't make it. Me? I'd laugh about it. Give me a living being who doesn't mind being cut up and I'll smile while they're screaming in pain."
...
There was no harm in trying to summon something by naming it instead of picturing it.
"Um, Rocky?" Adam tried.
Tyo yelped as a rock landed on his head. Thankfully it hadn't been a big rock.
"The first thing you have to understand is everyone has a fear," Lyo began. "Some bury it deeper than others but I can still find it. Only those who are truly insane lack fear and if you are dealing with someone who has no fears then you may as well give up.
"The second thing you have to understand is I am capable of learning your fear, amplifying it and essentially scaring you to death. You do not have to be asleep. You do not even have to be thinking about your fear. I will find it. I will make it believe it is happening to you. When it is over there won't be a mark on your physical body except the mark of fear."
Adam gulped. It wasn't a promising way to begin a conversation. Lyo took a breath.
"When I say I am the Nightmare, I mean just that: I am every fear you've ever had in life. I am the Abyss. I control every aspect of the Nightmare, of fear, and of IT. I live in complete darkness when I am able and my pleasant dreams would be torture for you to see. Ask your question."
...
"Okay, but the Mist Beasts, the things created from people's fears and nightmares feel pain and fear when they die. Doesn't that mean they have some form of intelligence and can be controlled?" Adam asked.
"No." Lyo said.
Adam stared. There was no forthcoming explanation and he scowled. Lyo seemed to sense Adam's annoyance and lifted one shoulder in a shrug...
"...All it (Mist Beasts) knows is scaring you or anyone else. It cannot be made to understand the concept of loyalty or obedience. It is fear. It is a nightmare. It will kill you if you do no kill it."
...
"The problem with fear and nightmares is everyone has them. Most people have the same ones. Worse than that: you can never get rid of them. Ever."
"Everything you do in life takes time," Mrs. McKinley-Lafrance said. "You can't become the best pianist or runner or painter or whatever without putting in the practice or the training, and without persevering even when it seems like everything is against you."
"It's the worse feeling in the world to fail, especially when it's at things you're normally good at."
...
"You can't let something like failure hold you back. You can't look to the past but you can look to the future and change your future. You can get past failure as long as you remember no matter what: tomorrow is a new day."
A swirling mass of blue, purple, and black magic appeared beside Tyo and Adam watched as Lyo stepped out of the mass. The magic disappeared a moment later but Lyo said nothing.
"He hears what I hear, mental connect and all." Tyo said.
"It's difficult to deliver books when the person meant to catch them isn't there." Lyo said.
...
"We're breaking into her office later?" Lyo asked.
It was said in the same monotone Lyo used for everything else, as if they weren't thinking about breaking into a Keeper's office to read her books. Not just any Keeper either, one who could control flames and was a good friend of Mr. McKinley-Lafrance. Tyo was grinning at his twin.
"Sure." Tyo said.
...
"Teach him dodging too. The best way to pass is not to get hit in the first place." Tyo said.
...
"You're agreeing with him?" Adam asked.
"Of course," Zallahia said. "Dodging is half a battle. Now, let's find an empty training room so I can kick your ass."
"Not bad." Zallahia said.
"Thanks. Maybe one of these days I'll pass the "don't get crushed under your shield" test." Adam said. (Ha.)
Adam made a chair and sat down as the Keepers, the Watchers, and Zallahia argued in various languages. Alaya cleared her throat but no one was paying attention to the petite woman.
"ENOUGH!"
The gust of wind that came from Alaya's tiny form knocked Adam's chair over and blew everyone else a few feet back. A few stumbled but all of them were trained warriors in some sense of the word. Adam was the only one who had fallen. Alaya was smiling.
"Good, I have your attention," (Hehe)
"See, Lance is as much a Battle Demon as Vixen," Tyo began "*Continues huge rant about his Uncle Lance with Lance IN the room*...But he's good at calming a person down and is one of the few who could get (bad guy) to come here willingly without resorting to mind control."
Adam wished he could find the humor Prince Lance seemed to see in all this. The hilarity was there when Prince Lance spoke:
"I also like long walks through the garden in the moonlight, the color dark blue, and my favorite way to pass time other than beating the crap out of Vixen is playing the violin or painting with watercolors. I hate eggplant."
After being discovered by Xander and Drew coming back from the Mists:
"It's complicated."
And a bit later:
Adam supposed it was difficult to deal with a jaguar (the feline) sitting in the middle of the living room as if nothing was wrong.
Adam could see the magic flowing on Lylina's (Tyo and Lyo's womb-mate, they're triplets) breath. It look as if she was exhaling a stream of tiny diamonds and everywhere the diamonds landed turned into a thin sheet of ice. The ice didn't last long, ten seconds, and Lylina began stitching the wound closed.
"He used to be an elemental mage. It's probably the only reason he can force his (time) magic to do something else." Tyo said.
"Probably?" Lylina asked. "I'm surprised at you two. Normally there's a huge explanation."
"So, can you take us there some other time?" Mac asked. (Adam's friend and about the Mists)
"Are you crazy?" Helen questioned. "Those creatures will attack us unless we get to the Tower right away and Adam almost fell over doing it this time. Do you have a death wish?"
"No," Mac said. "Think of all the studying we could do. I mean, we could be there a week and only a minute or two would pass here. Seriously." (Yeah, that's totally what I'd do if I could get to a world where time stopped. *snorts* Actually...)
"Hi. I'm going to grab a bottle of water then go to the Mists." Adam said.
"Be careful." Mom said.
"I will." Adam told her. (Famous last words. Muwahaha)
So, Blair and Adam are in the Mists hiding underneath in the fog fighting a bad guy and this happens:
"Adam?"
Adam felt a hand on his ass but kept his yelp down.
"Er, that's not, sorry." Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said.
...
When Blair finds out said enemy can use fire:
"Is it sad I want to summon something like a Blastoise?" Mr. McKinley-Lafrance questioned.
"Vaporeon is more cat-like. Suicune would probably be more your style though plus it's bigger but yeah, size doesn't mean anything here." Adam said.
...
Adam wasn't about to leave without Mr. McKinley-Lafrance. If he did then he would never see Mrs. McKinley-Lafrance again.
Adam needed a creature as fast as Kiara (cheetah) and as large as Tucker (Elephant) with fangs and claws. He couldn't think of anything remotely similar and his vast knowledge of game creatures suddenly left him. He thought back over everything he had read and wished he could ask Tyo. Adam wished he had mentioned needing such a creature to Tyo. Hell, if he had Lylina's water powers he could...Lylina. Rayleigh.
"Alumus!"
The dragon's roar shook the Mists when he appeared. (There you go. ;) )
...And after the fight:
"Tower Adam, think about the Tower and stop thinking about me." *snickers*
"Is Princess Lylina around? Can I see Zallahia?" Adam asked.
"I can answer both those questions and more."
The room became colder and Adam watched as Lylina strode in with Rayleigh behind her.
"The problem is we have to do what destiny tells us to do. We have to use whatever gifts we're given even if they're curses and try to make the best of it....No, you don't have to like it but you do have to deal with it and move on. It's all anyone can do."
Originally this novel wasn't supposed to exist but then the epilogue of Book 3: Finale happened and this one was begging to be written so here we are. Book 4: Adam's Story takes place immediately after the events in Book 3 but 12 years have passed in the last few chapters of Book 3. Blair is no longer an 18 year old rookie Time Knight but is now a 30 year old psychiatrist who's job on earth is to find other Time Knights. Xe's also still a Time Knight.
Unlike the other books, Blair is NOT the Point of View Character. Adam is. Blair's still a main character but we don't get to hear xer thoughts. Book 1: Discovery was about Blair finding out xe's a Time Knight. Book 2: Seeking is all about figuring out who the bad guy is and the world of the Mists. Book 3: Finale is the final fight with the bad guy as he jumps between various worlds to destroy each one.
Book Four: Adam's Story answers the questions left behind in book 3, namely what happens to Dyns. There's also a new enemy threatening the Mists and Adam is the one who has to stop said enemy. Why? Well, Alaya told him he had to and when an Ala'gan tells you you're the one meant to destroy the enemy then you'd better pay attention. Onwards!
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 94,116
Prompt: Conclusion of the Mists of Time series.
Main Characters: Adam, Blair (who finally gets a last name), Zallahia, Lyo, Tyo, and Lylina VanHelgrove
Minor Characters of Note: Tim, Helen, Mac, The Mist Watcher, the Grand Healer, Ova, King Demek VanHelgrove, Lance VanHelgrove, and honorable mention goes to Gunther who was created on page 145 and died on page 147. Super-duper honorable mention goes to Rayleigh, Lylina's dragon because he's awesome.
Summation: Adam's the first Time Knight Blair discovers and now Adam has to learn all about being a Time Knight and what it entails. Adam reacts differently than Blair through the entire process and even wants to figure out a way to stop Mist Beast from coming into the Mists. Of course we throw in a bad guy no one expects and we have some fun.
High Points: The VanHelgroves as a whole. They kind of steal the story...
Low Points: Zallahia
The World: Earth with three mages (Blair, Adam, and Clay Orrell) and the Mists.
Memorable Lines:
"Why doesn't earth have a connection to the other worlds?" Adam asked.
She (Blair) frowned. Adam felt bad for making her upset.
"Twelve years ago there was a, complication, in the Mists..." Mrs. McKinley-Lafrance said (Again, Blair. Yes xer name is Blair McKinley-Lafrance)
"But Adam said if he left my office he wouldn't be coming back. He's a skeptic and well, there is no better way to make a skeptic believe than show them."
After fainting from seeing his first Mist Beast:
"Um, wow, your legs are really smooth." Adam said (to Blair. Ha.).
"I can't believe," (Adam's mom, they're talking about cooking dinner)
"But we had to do a project for science!" (Little brother Xander)
"Yeah, science!" (Drew, twin to Xander)
"You always said we have to apply ourselves more!"
"Yeah, apply ourselves more!"
Adam wanted to laugh at Drew repeating Xander's last few words.
...
"Let me guess, these two 'had' to stay late for school and Adam 'forgot' because of homework." Dad said.
He was good. Mom nodded.
"But it was for science!" Drew said as if it would make a difference.
...
"Right, science. I guess we're getting burgers or pizza?" Dad asked.
"Pizza!" The Terrors (Xander and Drew, it's Adam's nickname for them) said together.
Mom rolled her eyes.
"For science." Mom said.
"How much time do you have?" Mrs. McKinley-Lafrance asked.
"Well, you can freeze it." Adam said.
"But don't you have to give me a final test?" Adam asked.
Zallahia groaned. She shook her head and Adam wondered how she got through school. Schools must be completely different on Yavis.
"Your final test is not dying when a Mist Beast attacks you." Zallahia said.
"That's not a good test." Adam told her.
...
"It's the only test. I'm your tutor until I think you can survive out here alone." Zallahia said.
There should be quizzes and smaller tests before a final exam. Adam wanted to ask about those but had a feeling Zallahia would give him an answer he wouldn't like. There had to be some form of structure though.
"But, what about," Adam started.
She cut him off with a groan.
"Your first test is to summon something and you pass when you summon something. The next test is to summon something good enough to fight a Mist Beast and you pass when your something defeats a Mist Beast. The final test is coming in here, summoning something, beating a Mist Beast, and not being exhausted all without my help. Oh, there's also a mini-test on getting to Central without my help. And for us personally I'll be teaching you some form of hand-to-hand combat and there will be various tests there. One test is not falling on your ass when I punch you in the mouth. Another is being able to duck under my sword so I don't chop your head off. Happy?"
Adam wasn't. It didn't sound like he could sit down and study for any of those tests. (Yes he's a majorly into being a perfect student)
After Zallahia faints when Blair tells her who he really is:
"She'll come around in a minute or two," Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said (to Adam). "You know, I think you two were paired up for a good reason. You need to learn to stop over-thinking and she needs to learn to think. The cosmos are laughing at you."
"I've no idea and vague prophecies are what I do," Alaya said. "Adam, The Attack isn't over. There's one person left alive who isn't happy about how things are running now and you're going to have to be the one who stops him."
...
"Why?" Adam questioned.
...
"You because, well, I'm not sure to be honest," Alaya said. "You're not any stronger than Blair but Blair is fairly strong when it comes to Time Knights...The universe and the Higher Powers like picking on unsuspecting heroes from earth probably to knock the Ambrosian Mages down a peg or two when a simple Earthling saves the world and they can't."
"He has most of the knowledge of the universe in his head?" Adam asked.
"Yep," Tyo began.
Adam prepared himself for a long-winded explanation. Zallahia groaned.
"We went to the Universal Library of All when were 12 up until we were 15 and well, once we read a book it stays in our heads forever even if we read it that one time. That and if Lyo reads something, I know it so technically we can read two books at one. Oh and it only takes us a few seconds to read a page depending on the size of the book so,"
Tyo stopped here with a shrug. Adam wasn't sure what was more surprising: the fact Tyo had stopped talking on his own or the fact the VanHelgrove Twins knew everything there was to know in the entire universe after skimming over the information once.
"Holy shit." Adam said.
"Good summation," Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said. "But they have to constantly be multi-tasking or they can't do simple tasks."
...
"Wait, wait, so they have to walk and read or walk and talk or walk and do something so they don't trip over nothing?" Zallahia asked.
"Yep." Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said.
Tyo waved his hand as if to clear the words from the air...
"Yeah, well, shut up. Do you want to see the books about the Attack or our father or the Universal Library of All?" Tyo asked.
He probably remembered every word of every conversation. Adam suppressed a shiver. No, he would never want the Twins' memory.
"I think you covered it all pretty well." Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said.
Lyo snorted and a small smirk came to his face. It was gone before Adam realized in full the smirk was there.
"Good," Lyo said. "Tyo's voice gets annoying sometimes."
"Oh, I guess you need someone to talk to as well." the mother said.
"Besides the voices in my head, yes." Adam said. (Ha)
"She (the mother above) wants me to be a boy but I'm not, you know? I've always been a girl but I'm in the wrong body. She says God doesn't make mistakes and I don't know how to tell her she's wrong." Amber (who yes, is transgender) said.
Adam nodded.
"Well, he doesn't make mistakes," Adam said (wait for it)
Her face fell.
"Because you were always a girl and always will be a girl." Adam finished.
"Do you know how to fight?" Zallahia (TRAINED WARRIOR) asked.
"I understand the concept behind fighting." Adam (NON TRAINED WARRIOR) said.
"Hit the other person while avoiding being hit." Zallahia said.
Adam nodded. Zallahia moved. Adam caught the movement but couldn't shift in time to avoid her left hand coming out. He felt the air whip by his head at her fist and stilled. She was so close he could almost feel her body against his. She was grinning.
"I missed your face deliberately. I figured I'd be nice and give you some practice before throwing you into the test of "not falling on your ass when I punch you in the mouth." Good idea?" Zallahia asked.
"Good idea." Adam said.
He yelped and stared up at her from the ground. She had done something with one of her legs against his and made him fall through the fog and onto whatever made up the ground of the Mists.
"Oh sorry, that was the first test in "avoid being knocked on your ass." I'm going to call that a fail. Wanna try again?" Zallahia questioned.
"But I want to be a doctor and save people's lives." Adam said (after being informed he might be a Dark Mage).
"So?" Tyo began. "You're going to be cutting into people to save their lives. You'll be removing flesh, burning to cauterize wounds, watching them bleed, sometimes killing them temporarily to get an operation done, and even removing limbs to save their life. All healers are sadists. Who willingly wants to cut into a living person and screw around in their insides? And people say Dark Mages are messed up in the head."
Adam opened his mouth but couldn't think of what to say. Tyo chuckled, caught another book then shook his head.
"But the difference is you care about the people you're going to be cutting up and you'll feel sad if they don't make it. Me? I'd laugh about it. Give me a living being who doesn't mind being cut up and I'll smile while they're screaming in pain."
...
There was no harm in trying to summon something by naming it instead of picturing it.
"Um, Rocky?" Adam tried.
Tyo yelped as a rock landed on his head. Thankfully it hadn't been a big rock.
"The first thing you have to understand is everyone has a fear," Lyo began. "Some bury it deeper than others but I can still find it. Only those who are truly insane lack fear and if you are dealing with someone who has no fears then you may as well give up.
"The second thing you have to understand is I am capable of learning your fear, amplifying it and essentially scaring you to death. You do not have to be asleep. You do not even have to be thinking about your fear. I will find it. I will make it believe it is happening to you. When it is over there won't be a mark on your physical body except the mark of fear."
Adam gulped. It wasn't a promising way to begin a conversation. Lyo took a breath.
"When I say I am the Nightmare, I mean just that: I am every fear you've ever had in life. I am the Abyss. I control every aspect of the Nightmare, of fear, and of IT. I live in complete darkness when I am able and my pleasant dreams would be torture for you to see. Ask your question."
...
"Okay, but the Mist Beasts, the things created from people's fears and nightmares feel pain and fear when they die. Doesn't that mean they have some form of intelligence and can be controlled?" Adam asked.
"No." Lyo said.
Adam stared. There was no forthcoming explanation and he scowled. Lyo seemed to sense Adam's annoyance and lifted one shoulder in a shrug...
"...All it (Mist Beasts) knows is scaring you or anyone else. It cannot be made to understand the concept of loyalty or obedience. It is fear. It is a nightmare. It will kill you if you do no kill it."
...
"The problem with fear and nightmares is everyone has them. Most people have the same ones. Worse than that: you can never get rid of them. Ever."
"Everything you do in life takes time," Mrs. McKinley-Lafrance said. "You can't become the best pianist or runner or painter or whatever without putting in the practice or the training, and without persevering even when it seems like everything is against you."
"It's the worse feeling in the world to fail, especially when it's at things you're normally good at."
...
"You can't let something like failure hold you back. You can't look to the past but you can look to the future and change your future. You can get past failure as long as you remember no matter what: tomorrow is a new day."
A swirling mass of blue, purple, and black magic appeared beside Tyo and Adam watched as Lyo stepped out of the mass. The magic disappeared a moment later but Lyo said nothing.
"He hears what I hear, mental connect and all." Tyo said.
"It's difficult to deliver books when the person meant to catch them isn't there." Lyo said.
...
"We're breaking into her office later?" Lyo asked.
It was said in the same monotone Lyo used for everything else, as if they weren't thinking about breaking into a Keeper's office to read her books. Not just any Keeper either, one who could control flames and was a good friend of Mr. McKinley-Lafrance. Tyo was grinning at his twin.
"Sure." Tyo said.
...
"Teach him dodging too. The best way to pass is not to get hit in the first place." Tyo said.
...
"You're agreeing with him?" Adam asked.
"Of course," Zallahia said. "Dodging is half a battle. Now, let's find an empty training room so I can kick your ass."
"Not bad." Zallahia said.
"Thanks. Maybe one of these days I'll pass the "don't get crushed under your shield" test." Adam said. (Ha.)
Adam made a chair and sat down as the Keepers, the Watchers, and Zallahia argued in various languages. Alaya cleared her throat but no one was paying attention to the petite woman.
"ENOUGH!"
The gust of wind that came from Alaya's tiny form knocked Adam's chair over and blew everyone else a few feet back. A few stumbled but all of them were trained warriors in some sense of the word. Adam was the only one who had fallen. Alaya was smiling.
"Good, I have your attention," (Hehe)
"See, Lance is as much a Battle Demon as Vixen," Tyo began "*Continues huge rant about his Uncle Lance with Lance IN the room*...But he's good at calming a person down and is one of the few who could get (bad guy) to come here willingly without resorting to mind control."
Adam wished he could find the humor Prince Lance seemed to see in all this. The hilarity was there when Prince Lance spoke:
"I also like long walks through the garden in the moonlight, the color dark blue, and my favorite way to pass time other than beating the crap out of Vixen is playing the violin or painting with watercolors. I hate eggplant."
After being discovered by Xander and Drew coming back from the Mists:
"It's complicated."
And a bit later:
Adam supposed it was difficult to deal with a jaguar (the feline) sitting in the middle of the living room as if nothing was wrong.
Adam could see the magic flowing on Lylina's (Tyo and Lyo's womb-mate, they're triplets) breath. It look as if she was exhaling a stream of tiny diamonds and everywhere the diamonds landed turned into a thin sheet of ice. The ice didn't last long, ten seconds, and Lylina began stitching the wound closed.
"He used to be an elemental mage. It's probably the only reason he can force his (time) magic to do something else." Tyo said.
"Probably?" Lylina asked. "I'm surprised at you two. Normally there's a huge explanation."
"So, can you take us there some other time?" Mac asked. (Adam's friend and about the Mists)
"Are you crazy?" Helen questioned. "Those creatures will attack us unless we get to the Tower right away and Adam almost fell over doing it this time. Do you have a death wish?"
"No," Mac said. "Think of all the studying we could do. I mean, we could be there a week and only a minute or two would pass here. Seriously." (Yeah, that's totally what I'd do if I could get to a world where time stopped. *snorts* Actually...)
"Hi. I'm going to grab a bottle of water then go to the Mists." Adam said.
"Be careful." Mom said.
"I will." Adam told her. (Famous last words. Muwahaha)
So, Blair and Adam are in the Mists hiding underneath in the fog fighting a bad guy and this happens:
"Adam?"
Adam felt a hand on his ass but kept his yelp down.
"Er, that's not, sorry." Mr. McKinley-Lafrance said.
...
When Blair finds out said enemy can use fire:
"Is it sad I want to summon something like a Blastoise?" Mr. McKinley-Lafrance questioned.
"Vaporeon is more cat-like. Suicune would probably be more your style though plus it's bigger but yeah, size doesn't mean anything here." Adam said.
...
Adam wasn't about to leave without Mr. McKinley-Lafrance. If he did then he would never see Mrs. McKinley-Lafrance again.
Adam needed a creature as fast as Kiara (cheetah) and as large as Tucker (Elephant) with fangs and claws. He couldn't think of anything remotely similar and his vast knowledge of game creatures suddenly left him. He thought back over everything he had read and wished he could ask Tyo. Adam wished he had mentioned needing such a creature to Tyo. Hell, if he had Lylina's water powers he could...Lylina. Rayleigh.
"Alumus!"
The dragon's roar shook the Mists when he appeared. (There you go. ;) )
...And after the fight:
"Tower Adam, think about the Tower and stop thinking about me." *snickers*
"Is Princess Lylina around? Can I see Zallahia?" Adam asked.
"I can answer both those questions and more."
The room became colder and Adam watched as Lylina strode in with Rayleigh behind her.
"The problem is we have to do what destiny tells us to do. We have to use whatever gifts we're given even if they're curses and try to make the best of it....No, you don't have to like it but you do have to deal with it and move on. It's all anyone can do."
Friday, January 30, 2015
2014 Novel Series #16: Mists of Time Book 3: Finale
Despite what the title says: this isn't the last book in the (now) series. I let out a massive groan when I realized it too, don't worry. This is the second (or third) time a trilogy has morphed into a series and I'm fairly sure I'll never truly write a trilogy.
Anyway. Book 1: Discovery was about discovering Blair, xer magic, the Mists, and the whole Time Knight/Mist Beast thing. Book 2: Seeking was delving deeper into the Mists as Blair and the gang figured out what the HECK was going on and who the villain was. Book 3 is where the crap hits the fan and makes a mess of the Mists, Earth, and a few other planets in the known universe.
The fun part about the three books is they continue right where the last one left off. There's maybe a few seconds between the ending of book 1 and beginning of book 2 and the ending of book 2 and beginning of book 3. Technically all three books could be a Song of Ice and Fire size book but that'd be way too long and it's better to break them all up.
Another interesting thing in this book is I go into detail about the world of Ambrosia. The planet gets two huge chapters which is a big deal because these characters have been in my head since the beginning of my writing career. If you've paid any attention to this blog you'll have seen them mentioned once or twice and Prince Daimin of Ambrosia has a side-story in one of my anthologies. But enough rambling. Onwards with the summary!
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 90,335
Prompt: Continuation of Mists of Time Book 2: Seeking
Main Characters: Tim, Blair, Tenkondin, Hanrel, Alaya, and the Mist Watcher. I hope y'all notice who's missing from this list...
Minor Characters of Note: Dyns (yeah, he was downgraded), Emily, Ova, The Grand Healer, Natalie, Katie, Clay Orrell, Adam, and The VanHelgrove Clan. There are A LOT of VanHelgroves but the important VanHelgroves to this book: King Demek, Princes: Daimin, Lyo, Tyo, and Princesses: Lylina,and Vixen.
Summation: The earth is being attacked by Mist Beasts and the one responsible for it is traveling through all the other worlds he wants to destroy in hopes he can keep the Mists the way they are. Unfortunately he's essentially destroyed Central and the Tower in launching his plan but he'd rather take down the worlds he thinks might be a threat and rebuild than leave those worlds alive, yes, at the sacrifice of the Mists.
High Points: Ambrosia and the resident Royalty: the VanHelgroves. More specifically Prince Daimin and his twin sons Lyo and Tyo. Vixen gets special mention too.
Low Points: Natalie, Tenkondin, Hanrel, and Alaya.
The World(s): Earth, The Mists, Usglerth, Yavis, Xomia, Vioth, Trainides, Gia, and Ambrosia.
Earth is in the year 2014 and there are only two people who have magic: Blair and Clay Orrell.
The Mists are the in between world that connects all worlds. It's the world Mages use to get back and forth between other worlds. Most Mages don't have the right magic to portal into the Mists, they basically hop through in a split second but Time Mages (like Blair and Clay) are able to slow down the world hopping and enter the Mists. Only powerful Mages (like the VanHelgroves) can slow down their "jump" speed enough to get into the Mists.
Usglerth: home creatures like Tenkondin, giant slime monsters who can change their shape as they want but normally present as a large ball of slime with tentacles. They can have anywhere from 6-100s of tentacles depending on how much they want and how much they're digesting. They are semi-transparent and virtually indestructible except if you salt them, burn them, or submerge them in water for any amount of time. Some have one eye, others have two, some have three, you get the idea.
Sex is non-existent in the world. A male touches a female's tentacle for a moment, genetic material is exchanged and in a few weeks the female releases new blobs that form into new slime beasts. This makes every Usglerthian a pervert and most are attracted to round things as Usglerthains generally aren't round. Usglerthians also have the ability to learn a person's language with a single touch and since they can control the shape/length/amount of tentacles they can reach you from across any space. When they touch a person once they can find that person again, no matter how far away they are. They have no innate magic and Time Knights among them are rare and looked upon in disgust.
Yavis: Home of the warriors who are tall (over 6') built like body builders, gray skinned, silver haired, tall cantered ears, three eyes (one in the middle of the forehead), no eyebrows, and a long slender tail like a cat's that goes to their ankles. By nature they are exceptionally stubborn and sometimes a bit arrogant.
Other magic exists in Yavis but Fire Magic is exceptionally rare. Only one family can produce Fire Mages and they rule a country as Royalty because of it. The third eye enables a Yavisian to go into a kind of "battle mode" in which the Yavisian gains a speed and stamina increase. If a Yavisian loses their third eye they will die in six months. If they lose their tail they struggle with balance issues. A Yavisian warrior will fight until they die, no matter what.
Three types of people exist in Yavis: Warriors, Mages, and Scholars. Scholars are the teachers, researchers, and healers. There are also medial workers who don't fit into any of the above categories but most of the time a Yavisian will be one of the above three. If they're not then they're the builders, farmers, tailors, store keeps, fishers, tavern-owners, etc. Those who are Warrior, Mage or Scholar and have been outcast from their family/by the government for whatever reason are generally forced to drop their title and go into hard labor. If they cannot complete the final ceremony for Warriors, Mages, or Scholars, they become outcast.
Xomia: Home of the mind-readers, the Xomiaians are average in height as compared to a human but with light blue skin, golden hair, and four legs. Their arms are unusually long for their frames and their eyes are twice the size of a human's and completely black in color. They have no physical fighting capability but can cause instantaneous death in the minds of Mist Beasts (and some races) if they so choose. They cannot see the future. Xomia is one of the more popular planets for Time Knights and their other magic is mentally based.
Vioth: Home of the cat people, the Viothians are bipedal, covered in fur, have tall pointed ears, fangs, whiskers, paw-like hands and feet with claws, and long tails. They communicate through hisses, growls, meows and other cat-like sounds. They have little magic but are deadly in battle due to their exceptional senses, speed, claws, and flexibility. Viothians are rare as Time Knights but they do not see being a Time Knight as a bad thing.
Trainides: home of the other mind readers, tall and slender enough that it looks like a slight breeze would blow them over. Their heads are completely smooth but black tentacles sprout from the top of it, completely covering any features. It's rumoured the Trainidesians sense everything through their tentacles and do not have noses, eyes, ears, or mouths. Their world is completely aquatic and they fight similar to an electric eel and octopus. They are average in terms of Time Knights, average fighters, but not much is known about any innate magic.
Gia: Considered one of the strongest planets in terms of mages and many are Time Knights. The general populace is human except for the four Elemental Mage Races. The Tal'kan are the Fire Mages: tall, exceptionally slender with orange to red hair, red eyes and orange skin. They are also considered the expert warriors and have a touch of mental powers not many know about. Despite their strength the Tal'kan are few in number compared to the other races in Gia.
The Nil'shay are average in height and weight compared to humans with blue hair, blue eyes, and blue tinted skin. They are the water elementals who specialize in summoning.
Mil'nee are the earth elementals, average in height but built largely muscled. They are the expert weavers, that is, they can create something out of whatever what might be around them.
Finally, the Ala'gan are the wind elementals, the seers of the future, and the healers. They are shorter than average, none have reached a height of five feet and are destined to never have a soul mate.
Ambrosia: considered the most powerful planet in the known universe and is known as the "Watch Dog" or "Guard Dog" planet. Nothing happens without Ambrosia's consent: no new planets are added to the alliance and planets cannot initiate new trades with other planets without first asking the Ambrosians, more specifically King Demek VanHelgrove.
Ambrosia is home to a variety of folk, but most are humanoid based with two arms, two legs, one head, and average (or above average) in height. There are elves, dwarves, dragons, animal-human hybrids, and vampires. To be called a vampire is to be insulted in the highest degree as vampires in Ambrosia are little more than blood thirsty, violent cretins that do nothing but kill for their own amusement.
The VanHelgroves rule as dictators over Ambrosia with King Demek being the 25th Generation Royal VanHelgrove. The VanHelgrove family was born from an elf and a vampire which gives them the better traits of both races. The Royal Family is said to be dwindling in power as fewer children are being born but each child is becoming stronger as the generations pass. The people do not see it and did not believe it until Prince Daimin, King Demek's second son, was able to destroy a world on his own.
Despite their strength they have inadequacies the people do not see and they go to great lengths to hide. Ambrosia itself is considered utopia: there are no wars, most people live above the poverty line and are happy, there is little to no crime, health care and education are free for everyone, and there are no complaints.
Other world's rulers believe the VanHelgroves are hiding some deep secret about their family and the world since no one can be that perfect.
Memorable Lines:
"This is going to be fun. You want me to use Fire Magic in a world that lost its magic and doesn't believe magic ever existed." Ova was smiling as she spoke. (She's a Tal'kan who Blair took to earth to stop Mist Beast from killing people.)
Alaya (Ala'gan) snorted but Ova was walking to Blair's broken door. Blair followed and they stepped into the hallway together. Four Mist Beasts were in the hallway, two ripping apart people who had lived on the same floor as Blair. Other people had baseball bats, pans, and other blunt objects and were trying to knock the Mist Beasts out. One had a gun but he had run out of bullets.
"Good afternoon!" Ova said.
Everyone, including the Mist Beasts, looked to her. The humans' jaws dropped and their eyes widened. The Mist Beasts growled and tensed but didn't attack.
"My name is Ova and I'm a Tal'kan from the planet of Gia. Earthlings, please step towards the walls."
Blair didn't know whether to laugh or ask what Ova was on. The people in the hallway stepped back towards the walls. Other people were looking out of their apartment doors. The Beast growled but Ova grinned.
"It's going to get a little warm in here."
Someone screamed as fir, real fire, flung out of Ova's hands and torched the Mist Beast closest to them. It howled in pain as it burned but Ova was not done there. She charged forward with a warrior's cry and Blair saw a flaming sword appear in each hand. No, it wasn't a sword covered in flame, it was a sword made of flames.
"I think she can handle this."
Alaya was grinning when Blair looked down at her.
...
"Oh, and tell them to ignore the orange skinned woman flinging fire around," Alaya said. "She's here to destroy those things (Mist Beasts)."
"Don't freak out." Alaya said.
"Why would," Blair shut up when Alaya grabbed her arm and suddenly Blair felt weightless. They continued to walk but Blair couldn't see her own legs. (When making someone invisible it's best to give them a better warning...)
"He told me since he didn't think I'd get out of here, "Tenkondin said. "He totally underestimated sweet cheeks (Blair)."
"Is he crazy? He's going after Ambrosia?" Alaya asked.
"Yep to both. Want me to find him?" Tenkondin questioned.
"How do we get out of here?" Blair asked.
"Not the same way we came in." Alaya replied. (Some people think sarcasm is an Ala'gan racial trait...)
...Blair stared at the immense hole in the wall Alaya created. Bits of rubble were falling from the top but Alaya strode forward with a smirk on her face.
...
Alaya was walking away as if she hadn't blown a giant hole into the side of the Tower. (Best way to do it...haha)
"Fine, we have to go up," Tenkondin said. "I would say hang on but I'm the one holding y'all so stay still." (Advantage 1 of Usglerthians: can climb up a crumbling building while holding onto multiple people)
They were falling again. Tenkondin reformed his tentacles but the entire side of the Tower had been lit aflame. There was nothing for him to grab onto.
"Both of you inhale then cover your noses and mouths." Tenkondin said.
"What?" Hanrel asked.
She looked panicked. Blair was fairly sure her panties were ruined but she listened to Tenkondin anyway.
"DO IT OR DIE!"
Hanrel took a deep breath and covered her face. Blair wanted to cry out when Tenkondin absorbed both of them. He had pulled them completely into his body and Blair knew every inch of her was covered in slime. They were still falling but it was strange to see it now.
Blair felt the impact of them hitting the ground. It jarred her bones but she knew if Tenkondin hadn't absorbed them Blair and Hanrel would be nothing but smears of blood, guts, and flesh across the rubble.
Blair gasped and sat up. She was still coated in Tenkondin's slime but he was spread out all over the rubble. One of his eye feelers was a dozen feet to her right and the other was a dozen feet behind her. His entire body was splattered in a million different places and Blair felt her breath hitch.
Tenkondin was dead...
"Aw, sweet cheeks, stop crying, I'm okay."
Blair hiccupped but raised her head. Tenkondin was grinning at her, both eye feelers in place and his body coming together bit by bit. (Advantage 2 of Usglerthians: Falling from a great height does not mean death.)
"You're essentially a mass of slime. If you trip on something we have bigger problems than the Mists ending."
"Holy shit! He (Tenkondin) ate my phone! That's probably not covered."
"Double D (Hanrel), you're topless, have been starved, and probably ready to collapse. The fuck world are you going to save?"
"I'm going to get changed into something a bit more," Blair started.
"Lacy and see through?" Tenkondin asked.
"Cute, smart, and a good shot. How is he in bed?" Alaya asked.
Blair was glad Alaya could not see her blushing. Tim chuckled but said nothing.
"I mean with his aim," Alaya began.
This was too much (Uh yeah, the world is ending. Why you guys gotta be so funny?)
"He's great, okay? Drop it." Blair broke in.
Tenkondin and Tim stopped destroying Mist Beasts when Alaya raised her hand with a grin. They all watched in silent awe as a tornado formed in front of her and began gathering not just height but girth. Soon it was an F5 class and Alaya flicked a wrist.
Within seconds the Mist Beast caught in the spiralling winds were ripped to shreds. Some tried to run but it was too late. Alaya's tornado spun between the cracks and in less than a minute there were no Mist Beasts between the two columns of cracks in front of them. (Advantage 1 to being Ala'gan: destroying hundreds of creatures with a flick of a wrist.)
"But if you lock me in a room and keep using lightning attacks eventually I'll run out of air to manipulate. The only way to stop an Ala'gan is to lock them in a small space with little oxygen." Alaya said. (It's a bigger disadvantage than you think as proven in Cara Book 4: Final Travels)
"In general that's a good way to kill anyone." Hanrel said.
"Nightmares are fuel for monsters." Alaya said.
"Are you trying to tell us that for every nightmare a new Mist Beast is born?" Hanrel asked.
"I am," Alaya said. "Every nightmare from every person in every world creates a new Mist Beast."
"An Ala'gan once told me I would be defeated by a mere mortal. I see why." (The bad guy)
"So there's no like, love, or sex or," Natalie started.
"Nope," Tenkondin interrupted. "I touch a girl's tentacle for a minute or so and she moves on."
"That's, unfulfilling," Alaya said. "No wonder you're so interested in molesting everyone you find attractive."
"I just blew his (the bad guy) fucking head off but he's still running." Tim said. (Well duh you have a bad guy that's hard to kill ;) )
"Great, the earthling gets the power up," Hanrel started.
"I'm originally from earth, you know." Emily broke in. (They're in Gia, Emily's a Dragon Summoner fell into Gia from earth)
In Yavis after Hanrel catches a sword thrown at her:
"Um, okay, anyone else fell like they're in a movie right now?" Natalie asked.
"Yep." Tim said.
"Definitely." Blair said.
"The (other bad guy) managed to cut it (her arm) off but I cut off her head so it works." Alaya said.
...
"But you're not even bleeding." Tim said (and hasn't been the entire time. He thought she was born with one arm)
"I healed it right after I cut off her head," Alaya said. "It's too bad she burned my arm after she cut it off or I could've re-attached it."
...
"You could have re-attached it alone?" Tim asked.
...
"Yep. I'm Ala'gan, it's what I'm born to do. Literally."
In Trainides which is all water:
"That mass of air around your heads is balancing out the excess water molecules in the air," Alaya said. "This is why people say to always take an Ala'gan to Trainides if you want to keep breathing.
In Xomia:
"Anyone else weirded out about the person talking in their head?" Tim asked.
"Nope," Alaya said. "I'm used to it."
"Nope," Tenkondin said. "She sounds hot."
"...Plus it's always a stupid idea to send the group's healer to attack someone in a fight." Tim said.
"What do you know about battles?" Alaya asked.
"I play a lot of video games with magic systems involved." Tim answered (Advantage to playing video games ;) )
Ambrosia:
"Why the Hell would he come here?" Hanrel asked.
"Take out the strongest and the rest follow." Alaya said.
"And yes I am here to kill the VanHelgroves, all of you. I will start with the two of you, it seems." (bad guy)
...
"You're either insanely powerful or really stupid. I'm going with stupid." Lyo said.
"Me too." Tyo said.
...
"...and summon creatures made from people's nightmares." Tyo said.
"Too bad I'm the one who rules nightmares." Lyo said.
"Do you control fire?" Tenkondin asked.
"No." Lylina said.
She yelped when Tenkondin grabbed her ass. His tentacle froze a moment later and continued to freeze until he dropped it. Blair looked at him to see his eyes wide and mouth dropped open in shock.
"Lylina's an Ice, Wind, and Water Light Mage. We call her the Snow or Winter Princess." Tyo provided. (And she was such BEFORE Frozen in case anyone's wondering)
"...then take off his head." Vixen said.
"Upper or lower?" Daimin questioned.
"Upper. Jackass." Vixen said.
"The Cloak of Negativity." Lyo said.
Blair was glad everyone else was looking at Lyo with her as if he had lost his mind. Tyo smirked a moment later as if he understood. It was probably a twin thing.
"Plus five to nightmare factor." Tim muttered.
...
"Where is (other bad guy) now?" Demek asked.
Blair pursed her lips to keep from laughing when Alaya grinned.
"Oh, I chopped off her head after she cut off my arm. I think it was a fair deal." Alaya answered with a shrug.
Silence. Daimin started laughing.
Much, MUCH later:
"Fuck me, you earthlings suck."
"Yeah, life sucks and sometimes you don't get what you want but you gotta take it as it comes and make the best of it or you'll end up living, well, here (in the Mists)."
The Main Library hadn't changed but it had taken years for all the books to be replaced. Even still there were days when someone might get lucky and...
"Higher Power damn it!"
Blair smirked as Prince Tyo VanHelgrove, 27th Generation Royal VanHelgrove, Dark Fire Mage, rubbed the sore spot on his head. Apparently when placed in the vicinity of the VanHelgroe twins, books could fly.
...
"Everything happens for a reason isn't a good enough excuse to ignore a situation." Blair said.
Tyo smirked.
"The difference between you and me is I have the knowledge of the entire universe stored in my head. When I say something is happening for a reason, I tend to know what I'm talking about."
...
"So everything that's happened is fate? We can't change it even if we wanted to? Is that what," Blair tried.
Tyo looked at him again and Blair frowned.
"You don't want me to go there."
"I'm a Time Knight, Adam and so are you. Let me tell you about the Mists and what exactly you've been seeing since you turned 18."
Anyway. Book 1: Discovery was about discovering Blair, xer magic, the Mists, and the whole Time Knight/Mist Beast thing. Book 2: Seeking was delving deeper into the Mists as Blair and the gang figured out what the HECK was going on and who the villain was. Book 3 is where the crap hits the fan and makes a mess of the Mists, Earth, and a few other planets in the known universe.
The fun part about the three books is they continue right where the last one left off. There's maybe a few seconds between the ending of book 1 and beginning of book 2 and the ending of book 2 and beginning of book 3. Technically all three books could be a Song of Ice and Fire size book but that'd be way too long and it's better to break them all up.
Another interesting thing in this book is I go into detail about the world of Ambrosia. The planet gets two huge chapters which is a big deal because these characters have been in my head since the beginning of my writing career. If you've paid any attention to this blog you'll have seen them mentioned once or twice and Prince Daimin of Ambrosia has a side-story in one of my anthologies. But enough rambling. Onwards with the summary!
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 90,335
Prompt: Continuation of Mists of Time Book 2: Seeking
Main Characters: Tim, Blair, Tenkondin, Hanrel, Alaya, and the Mist Watcher. I hope y'all notice who's missing from this list...
Minor Characters of Note: Dyns (yeah, he was downgraded), Emily, Ova, The Grand Healer, Natalie, Katie, Clay Orrell, Adam, and The VanHelgrove Clan. There are A LOT of VanHelgroves but the important VanHelgroves to this book: King Demek, Princes: Daimin, Lyo, Tyo, and Princesses: Lylina,and Vixen.
Summation: The earth is being attacked by Mist Beasts and the one responsible for it is traveling through all the other worlds he wants to destroy in hopes he can keep the Mists the way they are. Unfortunately he's essentially destroyed Central and the Tower in launching his plan but he'd rather take down the worlds he thinks might be a threat and rebuild than leave those worlds alive, yes, at the sacrifice of the Mists.
High Points: Ambrosia and the resident Royalty: the VanHelgroves. More specifically Prince Daimin and his twin sons Lyo and Tyo. Vixen gets special mention too.
Low Points: Natalie, Tenkondin, Hanrel, and Alaya.
The World(s): Earth, The Mists, Usglerth, Yavis, Xomia, Vioth, Trainides, Gia, and Ambrosia.
Earth is in the year 2014 and there are only two people who have magic: Blair and Clay Orrell.
The Mists are the in between world that connects all worlds. It's the world Mages use to get back and forth between other worlds. Most Mages don't have the right magic to portal into the Mists, they basically hop through in a split second but Time Mages (like Blair and Clay) are able to slow down the world hopping and enter the Mists. Only powerful Mages (like the VanHelgroves) can slow down their "jump" speed enough to get into the Mists.
Usglerth: home creatures like Tenkondin, giant slime monsters who can change their shape as they want but normally present as a large ball of slime with tentacles. They can have anywhere from 6-100s of tentacles depending on how much they want and how much they're digesting. They are semi-transparent and virtually indestructible except if you salt them, burn them, or submerge them in water for any amount of time. Some have one eye, others have two, some have three, you get the idea.
Sex is non-existent in the world. A male touches a female's tentacle for a moment, genetic material is exchanged and in a few weeks the female releases new blobs that form into new slime beasts. This makes every Usglerthian a pervert and most are attracted to round things as Usglerthains generally aren't round. Usglerthians also have the ability to learn a person's language with a single touch and since they can control the shape/length/amount of tentacles they can reach you from across any space. When they touch a person once they can find that person again, no matter how far away they are. They have no innate magic and Time Knights among them are rare and looked upon in disgust.
Yavis: Home of the warriors who are tall (over 6') built like body builders, gray skinned, silver haired, tall cantered ears, three eyes (one in the middle of the forehead), no eyebrows, and a long slender tail like a cat's that goes to their ankles. By nature they are exceptionally stubborn and sometimes a bit arrogant.
Other magic exists in Yavis but Fire Magic is exceptionally rare. Only one family can produce Fire Mages and they rule a country as Royalty because of it. The third eye enables a Yavisian to go into a kind of "battle mode" in which the Yavisian gains a speed and stamina increase. If a Yavisian loses their third eye they will die in six months. If they lose their tail they struggle with balance issues. A Yavisian warrior will fight until they die, no matter what.
Three types of people exist in Yavis: Warriors, Mages, and Scholars. Scholars are the teachers, researchers, and healers. There are also medial workers who don't fit into any of the above categories but most of the time a Yavisian will be one of the above three. If they're not then they're the builders, farmers, tailors, store keeps, fishers, tavern-owners, etc. Those who are Warrior, Mage or Scholar and have been outcast from their family/by the government for whatever reason are generally forced to drop their title and go into hard labor. If they cannot complete the final ceremony for Warriors, Mages, or Scholars, they become outcast.
Xomia: Home of the mind-readers, the Xomiaians are average in height as compared to a human but with light blue skin, golden hair, and four legs. Their arms are unusually long for their frames and their eyes are twice the size of a human's and completely black in color. They have no physical fighting capability but can cause instantaneous death in the minds of Mist Beasts (and some races) if they so choose. They cannot see the future. Xomia is one of the more popular planets for Time Knights and their other magic is mentally based.
Vioth: Home of the cat people, the Viothians are bipedal, covered in fur, have tall pointed ears, fangs, whiskers, paw-like hands and feet with claws, and long tails. They communicate through hisses, growls, meows and other cat-like sounds. They have little magic but are deadly in battle due to their exceptional senses, speed, claws, and flexibility. Viothians are rare as Time Knights but they do not see being a Time Knight as a bad thing.
Trainides: home of the other mind readers, tall and slender enough that it looks like a slight breeze would blow them over. Their heads are completely smooth but black tentacles sprout from the top of it, completely covering any features. It's rumoured the Trainidesians sense everything through their tentacles and do not have noses, eyes, ears, or mouths. Their world is completely aquatic and they fight similar to an electric eel and octopus. They are average in terms of Time Knights, average fighters, but not much is known about any innate magic.
Gia: Considered one of the strongest planets in terms of mages and many are Time Knights. The general populace is human except for the four Elemental Mage Races. The Tal'kan are the Fire Mages: tall, exceptionally slender with orange to red hair, red eyes and orange skin. They are also considered the expert warriors and have a touch of mental powers not many know about. Despite their strength the Tal'kan are few in number compared to the other races in Gia.
The Nil'shay are average in height and weight compared to humans with blue hair, blue eyes, and blue tinted skin. They are the water elementals who specialize in summoning.
Mil'nee are the earth elementals, average in height but built largely muscled. They are the expert weavers, that is, they can create something out of whatever what might be around them.
Finally, the Ala'gan are the wind elementals, the seers of the future, and the healers. They are shorter than average, none have reached a height of five feet and are destined to never have a soul mate.
Ambrosia: considered the most powerful planet in the known universe and is known as the "Watch Dog" or "Guard Dog" planet. Nothing happens without Ambrosia's consent: no new planets are added to the alliance and planets cannot initiate new trades with other planets without first asking the Ambrosians, more specifically King Demek VanHelgrove.
Ambrosia is home to a variety of folk, but most are humanoid based with two arms, two legs, one head, and average (or above average) in height. There are elves, dwarves, dragons, animal-human hybrids, and vampires. To be called a vampire is to be insulted in the highest degree as vampires in Ambrosia are little more than blood thirsty, violent cretins that do nothing but kill for their own amusement.
The VanHelgroves rule as dictators over Ambrosia with King Demek being the 25th Generation Royal VanHelgrove. The VanHelgrove family was born from an elf and a vampire which gives them the better traits of both races. The Royal Family is said to be dwindling in power as fewer children are being born but each child is becoming stronger as the generations pass. The people do not see it and did not believe it until Prince Daimin, King Demek's second son, was able to destroy a world on his own.
Despite their strength they have inadequacies the people do not see and they go to great lengths to hide. Ambrosia itself is considered utopia: there are no wars, most people live above the poverty line and are happy, there is little to no crime, health care and education are free for everyone, and there are no complaints.
Other world's rulers believe the VanHelgroves are hiding some deep secret about their family and the world since no one can be that perfect.
Memorable Lines:
"This is going to be fun. You want me to use Fire Magic in a world that lost its magic and doesn't believe magic ever existed." Ova was smiling as she spoke. (She's a Tal'kan who Blair took to earth to stop Mist Beast from killing people.)
Alaya (Ala'gan) snorted but Ova was walking to Blair's broken door. Blair followed and they stepped into the hallway together. Four Mist Beasts were in the hallway, two ripping apart people who had lived on the same floor as Blair. Other people had baseball bats, pans, and other blunt objects and were trying to knock the Mist Beasts out. One had a gun but he had run out of bullets.
"Good afternoon!" Ova said.
Everyone, including the Mist Beasts, looked to her. The humans' jaws dropped and their eyes widened. The Mist Beasts growled and tensed but didn't attack.
"My name is Ova and I'm a Tal'kan from the planet of Gia. Earthlings, please step towards the walls."
Blair didn't know whether to laugh or ask what Ova was on. The people in the hallway stepped back towards the walls. Other people were looking out of their apartment doors. The Beast growled but Ova grinned.
"It's going to get a little warm in here."
Someone screamed as fir, real fire, flung out of Ova's hands and torched the Mist Beast closest to them. It howled in pain as it burned but Ova was not done there. She charged forward with a warrior's cry and Blair saw a flaming sword appear in each hand. No, it wasn't a sword covered in flame, it was a sword made of flames.
"I think she can handle this."
Alaya was grinning when Blair looked down at her.
...
"Oh, and tell them to ignore the orange skinned woman flinging fire around," Alaya said. "She's here to destroy those things (Mist Beasts)."
"Don't freak out." Alaya said.
"Why would," Blair shut up when Alaya grabbed her arm and suddenly Blair felt weightless. They continued to walk but Blair couldn't see her own legs. (When making someone invisible it's best to give them a better warning...)
"He told me since he didn't think I'd get out of here, "Tenkondin said. "He totally underestimated sweet cheeks (Blair)."
"Is he crazy? He's going after Ambrosia?" Alaya asked.
"Yep to both. Want me to find him?" Tenkondin questioned.
"How do we get out of here?" Blair asked.
"Not the same way we came in." Alaya replied. (Some people think sarcasm is an Ala'gan racial trait...)
...Blair stared at the immense hole in the wall Alaya created. Bits of rubble were falling from the top but Alaya strode forward with a smirk on her face.
...
Alaya was walking away as if she hadn't blown a giant hole into the side of the Tower. (Best way to do it...haha)
"Fine, we have to go up," Tenkondin said. "I would say hang on but I'm the one holding y'all so stay still." (Advantage 1 of Usglerthians: can climb up a crumbling building while holding onto multiple people)
They were falling again. Tenkondin reformed his tentacles but the entire side of the Tower had been lit aflame. There was nothing for him to grab onto.
"Both of you inhale then cover your noses and mouths." Tenkondin said.
"What?" Hanrel asked.
She looked panicked. Blair was fairly sure her panties were ruined but she listened to Tenkondin anyway.
"DO IT OR DIE!"
Hanrel took a deep breath and covered her face. Blair wanted to cry out when Tenkondin absorbed both of them. He had pulled them completely into his body and Blair knew every inch of her was covered in slime. They were still falling but it was strange to see it now.
Blair felt the impact of them hitting the ground. It jarred her bones but she knew if Tenkondin hadn't absorbed them Blair and Hanrel would be nothing but smears of blood, guts, and flesh across the rubble.
Blair gasped and sat up. She was still coated in Tenkondin's slime but he was spread out all over the rubble. One of his eye feelers was a dozen feet to her right and the other was a dozen feet behind her. His entire body was splattered in a million different places and Blair felt her breath hitch.
Tenkondin was dead...
"Aw, sweet cheeks, stop crying, I'm okay."
Blair hiccupped but raised her head. Tenkondin was grinning at her, both eye feelers in place and his body coming together bit by bit. (Advantage 2 of Usglerthians: Falling from a great height does not mean death.)
"You're essentially a mass of slime. If you trip on something we have bigger problems than the Mists ending."
"Holy shit! He (Tenkondin) ate my phone! That's probably not covered."
"Double D (Hanrel), you're topless, have been starved, and probably ready to collapse. The fuck world are you going to save?"
"I'm going to get changed into something a bit more," Blair started.
"Lacy and see through?" Tenkondin asked.
"Cute, smart, and a good shot. How is he in bed?" Alaya asked.
Blair was glad Alaya could not see her blushing. Tim chuckled but said nothing.
"I mean with his aim," Alaya began.
This was too much (Uh yeah, the world is ending. Why you guys gotta be so funny?)
"He's great, okay? Drop it." Blair broke in.
Tenkondin and Tim stopped destroying Mist Beasts when Alaya raised her hand with a grin. They all watched in silent awe as a tornado formed in front of her and began gathering not just height but girth. Soon it was an F5 class and Alaya flicked a wrist.
Within seconds the Mist Beast caught in the spiralling winds were ripped to shreds. Some tried to run but it was too late. Alaya's tornado spun between the cracks and in less than a minute there were no Mist Beasts between the two columns of cracks in front of them. (Advantage 1 to being Ala'gan: destroying hundreds of creatures with a flick of a wrist.)
"But if you lock me in a room and keep using lightning attacks eventually I'll run out of air to manipulate. The only way to stop an Ala'gan is to lock them in a small space with little oxygen." Alaya said. (It's a bigger disadvantage than you think as proven in Cara Book 4: Final Travels)
"In general that's a good way to kill anyone." Hanrel said.
"Nightmares are fuel for monsters." Alaya said.
"Are you trying to tell us that for every nightmare a new Mist Beast is born?" Hanrel asked.
"I am," Alaya said. "Every nightmare from every person in every world creates a new Mist Beast."
"An Ala'gan once told me I would be defeated by a mere mortal. I see why." (The bad guy)
"So there's no like, love, or sex or," Natalie started.
"Nope," Tenkondin interrupted. "I touch a girl's tentacle for a minute or so and she moves on."
"That's, unfulfilling," Alaya said. "No wonder you're so interested in molesting everyone you find attractive."
"I just blew his (the bad guy) fucking head off but he's still running." Tim said. (Well duh you have a bad guy that's hard to kill ;) )
"Great, the earthling gets the power up," Hanrel started.
"I'm originally from earth, you know." Emily broke in. (They're in Gia, Emily's a Dragon Summoner fell into Gia from earth)
In Yavis after Hanrel catches a sword thrown at her:
"Um, okay, anyone else fell like they're in a movie right now?" Natalie asked.
"Yep." Tim said.
"Definitely." Blair said.
"The (other bad guy) managed to cut it (her arm) off but I cut off her head so it works." Alaya said.
...
"But you're not even bleeding." Tim said (and hasn't been the entire time. He thought she was born with one arm)
"I healed it right after I cut off her head," Alaya said. "It's too bad she burned my arm after she cut it off or I could've re-attached it."
...
"You could have re-attached it alone?" Tim asked.
...
"Yep. I'm Ala'gan, it's what I'm born to do. Literally."
In Trainides which is all water:
"That mass of air around your heads is balancing out the excess water molecules in the air," Alaya said. "This is why people say to always take an Ala'gan to Trainides if you want to keep breathing.
In Xomia:
"Anyone else weirded out about the person talking in their head?" Tim asked.
"Nope," Alaya said. "I'm used to it."
"Nope," Tenkondin said. "She sounds hot."
"...Plus it's always a stupid idea to send the group's healer to attack someone in a fight." Tim said.
"What do you know about battles?" Alaya asked.
"I play a lot of video games with magic systems involved." Tim answered (Advantage to playing video games ;) )
Ambrosia:
"Why the Hell would he come here?" Hanrel asked.
"Take out the strongest and the rest follow." Alaya said.
"And yes I am here to kill the VanHelgroves, all of you. I will start with the two of you, it seems." (bad guy)
...
"You're either insanely powerful or really stupid. I'm going with stupid." Lyo said.
"Me too." Tyo said.
...
"...and summon creatures made from people's nightmares." Tyo said.
"Too bad I'm the one who rules nightmares." Lyo said.
"Do you control fire?" Tenkondin asked.
"No." Lylina said.
She yelped when Tenkondin grabbed her ass. His tentacle froze a moment later and continued to freeze until he dropped it. Blair looked at him to see his eyes wide and mouth dropped open in shock.
"Lylina's an Ice, Wind, and Water Light Mage. We call her the Snow or Winter Princess." Tyo provided. (And she was such BEFORE Frozen in case anyone's wondering)
"...then take off his head." Vixen said.
"Upper or lower?" Daimin questioned.
"Upper. Jackass." Vixen said.
"The Cloak of Negativity." Lyo said.
Blair was glad everyone else was looking at Lyo with her as if he had lost his mind. Tyo smirked a moment later as if he understood. It was probably a twin thing.
"Plus five to nightmare factor." Tim muttered.
...
"Where is (other bad guy) now?" Demek asked.
Blair pursed her lips to keep from laughing when Alaya grinned.
"Oh, I chopped off her head after she cut off my arm. I think it was a fair deal." Alaya answered with a shrug.
Silence. Daimin started laughing.
Much, MUCH later:
"Fuck me, you earthlings suck."
"Yeah, life sucks and sometimes you don't get what you want but you gotta take it as it comes and make the best of it or you'll end up living, well, here (in the Mists)."
The Main Library hadn't changed but it had taken years for all the books to be replaced. Even still there were days when someone might get lucky and...
"Higher Power damn it!"
Blair smirked as Prince Tyo VanHelgrove, 27th Generation Royal VanHelgrove, Dark Fire Mage, rubbed the sore spot on his head. Apparently when placed in the vicinity of the VanHelgroe twins, books could fly.
...
"Everything happens for a reason isn't a good enough excuse to ignore a situation." Blair said.
Tyo smirked.
"The difference between you and me is I have the knowledge of the entire universe stored in my head. When I say something is happening for a reason, I tend to know what I'm talking about."
...
"So everything that's happened is fate? We can't change it even if we wanted to? Is that what," Blair tried.
Tyo looked at him again and Blair frowned.
"You don't want me to go there."
"I'm a Time Knight, Adam and so are you. Let me tell you about the Mists and what exactly you've been seeing since you turned 18."
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Another New Years Post
Everyone's doing it, Hell I did it last year. Did I stick to last year's resolutions? Er, kind of. I did finish the Thriller/Mystery Series (all 13 books in total with a spin-off zombie book and short stories). I did lose weight. I kept working at the dead-end job till Dec 24 though. I didn't send out query letters to agents or publishers but I did write them. And no, I didn't work to get things done and again coasted through everything. Oops?
This year I'm not going to make a huge self-motivation speech about changing my life. I've tried doing it for years now and it never works. I am going to set some goals though and we'll see what happens. After the list of goals will come the list of what I've written this year. For more details on what I wrote in 2014, check out the "Novel Series" tab at the top there. From there you can get details on every book except the Mists of Time series as I haven't yet posted the summaries for it yet. I will, don't worry.
One goal I kind of accomplished was leaving the dead-end job. It was great working there because I was guaranteed to be working regular shifts and had weekends/evenings off. Why did I leave? I wasn't getting paid. Like, at all, or for a long time and to put it simply: I can't afford to not get paid anymore. It put way too much stress on me and as much as everyone would like to think love makes the world go around, it doesn't. Money is the root of everything and if it's not coming in then you will suffer.
I also spoke to an editor about getting a short edited. When that's done (February by the looks of things) I'll start promoting said short story. I've also re-claimed the rights to Tale of the Twins which means I can control the pricing of it so I can start promoting it as well, if I want. It does suck I have to pay a fee to get usage rights for the edited copy since I've all ready sunk about $10,000 into the book at this point. That's what a vanity press is people: you give them all your money, they do stuff for you that you could get done a lot cheaper, then when you want to get your book back they charge you even more for keeping the (crappy) cover and edited copy.
I also wrote 16 novels. If we want to get technical I wrote 18. No. 17 was all the short stories for the thriller series as well as other random ones. No. 18 was a novel-length piece of fiction for another series. I also started on No. 19 (17 according to the list in "Novel Series") yesterday.
Enough ranting. Here are my goals for this year:
1) Milwordy: Yes, again. I will be trying to write 1,000,000 words from now until Dec 31. This time I made that the timeline in writetrack.com instead of the end of November. Now I'll get a better final word count in the fancy spreadsheet I can download at the end of the year.
2) Market my stuff: Once I get Tale of the Twins back and Best Friends: The Body Fairy edited, I will be trying a bit harder to self-promote. I'll also be re-vamping the anthologies I all ready have out and yes, raising the price. Single short stories (like Best Friends) will be priced at $0.99. Anthologies: $1.99. Novellas: $2.99. Novels: $4.99. Plus sales and regular deals and what not. So, anyone who wants a hardcopy of Tale of the Twins before it comes off the market: go to the "Store" Tab and get it now. Anyone who wants a cheaper version of the anthologies I've all ready got out: Again "Store" Tab.
3) Continue Losing Weight: I started out last year at 210 pounds. I am now 190-ish depending on the scale at the gym. Yes, that's 20lbs in a year. It doesn't seem like much but I can feel it. I'm not as physically worn out and I can fit into pants and skirts I didn't fit into before last year. I know I'll take off more this year than last year because I won't have people giving me chocolate or other treats at work and I don't buy them for home. One of the reasons I didn't lose more weight is because of the old job. Since the gym is a block away from the new job I'll be able to go right after or right before work. My goal? 160-170 lbs. Oh, and before anyone wonders: I'm 5'8" with a larger bone structure. So yes, I would like to be at my ideal sometime this year by eating properly and exercising.
4) Stop working: This is one of those goals that will probably continue into next year. Basically I want to be able to get to the point where all I have to do is write and edit all day, every day. I don't want to work at a call center (the new job, yay?) for my whole life. I don't want to go into a reception position even though I'm qualified to do it. I don't want to go back to the old job as much as I liked working there, liked who I worked with, and believed in the product. I don't need much to live month per month. $2400 would do it and give me spending money and "retirement" money. If I could make $2400 per month off my writing, steadily then I'll be happy. I'm not looking to be Stephen King famous. I don't want to be the next JK Rowling or EL James. I only want to live comfortably knowing I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, and can spend a bit on frivolous things if I want.
Again, I've only four goals but it's not the amount of goals a person has. It's how much motivation they have to get those goals done and how much work those goals are going to take to get completed.
One of my pitfalls is my inability to market. I know the concepts behind it but I tend to fail miserably as seen with my sad attempt at getting Burnt: The Story of the Fire King published. And yes, if it had succeeded we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. I'd all ready be working on getting it out there and all that.
Anyway. Yes. Goals are an interesting concept. We all make them but rarely does one accomplish all their goals. For me it's better to have goals I know I'll be able to reach. Can I hit Milwordy? Yep. I only need 80K a month (10 months) with 200K in November. Can I market? Not really but I may have found someone to help. Can I lose weight? Sure. I'm not snacking nearly as often on unhealthy stuff and I'll likely be going to the gym 4-5 times a week. Can I stop working? Eventually.
Now the final part of this post: what I wrote last year. You can find this below list in the "Novel Series" tab where links are provided to each summary post. The below list includes stories and other writing adventures not mentioned in the "Novel Series" tab
The 2014 Writing List:
January: 84,755 Dryer, Cara Synopsis, query, pitch; Face Snatcher query, synopsis, pitch, Lies pitch, part of Witches, editing Cara Book 1
February: 142,503 Witches, Car Jacking, VanHelgroves The Children, Alt to Lies
March: 124,571 Daimin meets Lapus, Memories and Times Between, Hunter
April: 145,067 Disease, Memories and Times Between, VanHelgroves Book 3 scene, Trust
May: 125,308: Trust, Child, Daimin meets Lapus
June: 96,563 Bloody X Mas, Memories and Times Between, Daimin meets Lapus
July: 148,522 Pieces, Senses, Best Friends, planning for Tattooed Man, short scene with Tyo VanHelgrove
August: 157,810: Zombies, The Tattooed Man (1,000,000th word: "down")
September: 129,158 Tattooed Man, Burnt: The Story of the Fire King
October: 3299 Planning Mists of Time Trilogy
November: 251,956 Mists of Time Books 1, 2, and 3
December: 25,846 Mists of Time Book 3 final 4 chapters and the first two chapters of book 4
So, what am I planning to write this year? No idea besides Mists of Time Book 4: Adam's Story and possibly a sequel to Zombies: The thriller/mystery alternate universe story. But I am in possession of 36 planned story ideas and 29 prompts. I'll be writing for a long time and I came to the conclusion writing is what I was meant to do.
The other loose goal I have for this year is to re-work the nature of this blog. I want to focus on three things: reviews of books, writing tips/interviews/etc, and summary posts for the novels. I'm in NO WAY promising three posts a week because it would be insane. I am promising a post a week, likely more till the end of this month at least as I've nothing much to do. And my January goal is to clean up the house a bit. Closets have to be re-organized and well, I'm off and likely won't have any better time to do it.
Until next time: thoughts, comments, rage, rants, questions, and out-right insults can be directed to the comments.
This year I'm not going to make a huge self-motivation speech about changing my life. I've tried doing it for years now and it never works. I am going to set some goals though and we'll see what happens. After the list of goals will come the list of what I've written this year. For more details on what I wrote in 2014, check out the "Novel Series" tab at the top there. From there you can get details on every book except the Mists of Time series as I haven't yet posted the summaries for it yet. I will, don't worry.
One goal I kind of accomplished was leaving the dead-end job. It was great working there because I was guaranteed to be working regular shifts and had weekends/evenings off. Why did I leave? I wasn't getting paid. Like, at all, or for a long time and to put it simply: I can't afford to not get paid anymore. It put way too much stress on me and as much as everyone would like to think love makes the world go around, it doesn't. Money is the root of everything and if it's not coming in then you will suffer.
I also spoke to an editor about getting a short edited. When that's done (February by the looks of things) I'll start promoting said short story. I've also re-claimed the rights to Tale of the Twins which means I can control the pricing of it so I can start promoting it as well, if I want. It does suck I have to pay a fee to get usage rights for the edited copy since I've all ready sunk about $10,000 into the book at this point. That's what a vanity press is people: you give them all your money, they do stuff for you that you could get done a lot cheaper, then when you want to get your book back they charge you even more for keeping the (crappy) cover and edited copy.
I also wrote 16 novels. If we want to get technical I wrote 18. No. 17 was all the short stories for the thriller series as well as other random ones. No. 18 was a novel-length piece of fiction for another series. I also started on No. 19 (17 according to the list in "Novel Series") yesterday.
Enough ranting. Here are my goals for this year:
1) Milwordy: Yes, again. I will be trying to write 1,000,000 words from now until Dec 31. This time I made that the timeline in writetrack.com instead of the end of November. Now I'll get a better final word count in the fancy spreadsheet I can download at the end of the year.
2) Market my stuff: Once I get Tale of the Twins back and Best Friends: The Body Fairy edited, I will be trying a bit harder to self-promote. I'll also be re-vamping the anthologies I all ready have out and yes, raising the price. Single short stories (like Best Friends) will be priced at $0.99. Anthologies: $1.99. Novellas: $2.99. Novels: $4.99. Plus sales and regular deals and what not. So, anyone who wants a hardcopy of Tale of the Twins before it comes off the market: go to the "Store" Tab and get it now. Anyone who wants a cheaper version of the anthologies I've all ready got out: Again "Store" Tab.
3) Continue Losing Weight: I started out last year at 210 pounds. I am now 190-ish depending on the scale at the gym. Yes, that's 20lbs in a year. It doesn't seem like much but I can feel it. I'm not as physically worn out and I can fit into pants and skirts I didn't fit into before last year. I know I'll take off more this year than last year because I won't have people giving me chocolate or other treats at work and I don't buy them for home. One of the reasons I didn't lose more weight is because of the old job. Since the gym is a block away from the new job I'll be able to go right after or right before work. My goal? 160-170 lbs. Oh, and before anyone wonders: I'm 5'8" with a larger bone structure. So yes, I would like to be at my ideal sometime this year by eating properly and exercising.
4) Stop working: This is one of those goals that will probably continue into next year. Basically I want to be able to get to the point where all I have to do is write and edit all day, every day. I don't want to work at a call center (the new job, yay?) for my whole life. I don't want to go into a reception position even though I'm qualified to do it. I don't want to go back to the old job as much as I liked working there, liked who I worked with, and believed in the product. I don't need much to live month per month. $2400 would do it and give me spending money and "retirement" money. If I could make $2400 per month off my writing, steadily then I'll be happy. I'm not looking to be Stephen King famous. I don't want to be the next JK Rowling or EL James. I only want to live comfortably knowing I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, and can spend a bit on frivolous things if I want.
Again, I've only four goals but it's not the amount of goals a person has. It's how much motivation they have to get those goals done and how much work those goals are going to take to get completed.
One of my pitfalls is my inability to market. I know the concepts behind it but I tend to fail miserably as seen with my sad attempt at getting Burnt: The Story of the Fire King published. And yes, if it had succeeded we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. I'd all ready be working on getting it out there and all that.
Anyway. Yes. Goals are an interesting concept. We all make them but rarely does one accomplish all their goals. For me it's better to have goals I know I'll be able to reach. Can I hit Milwordy? Yep. I only need 80K a month (10 months) with 200K in November. Can I market? Not really but I may have found someone to help. Can I lose weight? Sure. I'm not snacking nearly as often on unhealthy stuff and I'll likely be going to the gym 4-5 times a week. Can I stop working? Eventually.
Now the final part of this post: what I wrote last year. You can find this below list in the "Novel Series" tab where links are provided to each summary post. The below list includes stories and other writing adventures not mentioned in the "Novel Series" tab
The 2014 Writing List:
January: 84,755 Dryer, Cara Synopsis, query, pitch; Face Snatcher query, synopsis, pitch, Lies pitch, part of Witches, editing Cara Book 1
February: 142,503 Witches, Car Jacking, VanHelgroves The Children, Alt to Lies
March: 124,571 Daimin meets Lapus, Memories and Times Between, Hunter
April: 145,067 Disease, Memories and Times Between, VanHelgroves Book 3 scene, Trust
May: 125,308: Trust, Child, Daimin meets Lapus
June: 96,563 Bloody X Mas, Memories and Times Between, Daimin meets Lapus
July: 148,522 Pieces, Senses, Best Friends, planning for Tattooed Man, short scene with Tyo VanHelgrove
August: 157,810: Zombies, The Tattooed Man (1,000,000th word: "down")
September: 129,158 Tattooed Man, Burnt: The Story of the Fire King
October: 3299 Planning Mists of Time Trilogy
November: 251,956 Mists of Time Books 1, 2, and 3
December: 25,846 Mists of Time Book 3 final 4 chapters and the first two chapters of book 4
So, what am I planning to write this year? No idea besides Mists of Time Book 4: Adam's Story and possibly a sequel to Zombies: The thriller/mystery alternate universe story. But I am in possession of 36 planned story ideas and 29 prompts. I'll be writing for a long time and I came to the conclusion writing is what I was meant to do.
The other loose goal I have for this year is to re-work the nature of this blog. I want to focus on three things: reviews of books, writing tips/interviews/etc, and summary posts for the novels. I'm in NO WAY promising three posts a week because it would be insane. I am promising a post a week, likely more till the end of this month at least as I've nothing much to do. And my January goal is to clean up the house a bit. Closets have to be re-organized and well, I'm off and likely won't have any better time to do it.
Until next time: thoughts, comments, rage, rants, questions, and out-right insults can be directed to the comments.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Zombie Fish and why I love Shun: Shameless Self-Promo ahead
Yes, you DID read that right: zombie fish. The anthology is out, you can find it here at Smashwords.com or here on the website.
Furthermore, since you're here and reading the blog I have a special treat. Straight from the fourth short story ("In the Water") in "Small Slice of the Undead: A Zombie Anthology" is a preview...of the famed zombie fish of course:
I know I was cursing and talking to myself, but I can't remember what I was saying. I know I turned towards my tanks and what I saw made me shut up and stare.
My fish were all looking my way. Normally I wouldn't be so freaked out because fish tend to look at you when you come towards them, especially Siamese Fighting Fish. Vibrations through the floor and thus through the water in their tanks give them a good enough guess that you're making your way over with either food or to talk. Usually I get one or two looking over, then the others join in. I never get looks from the non-Siamese fish since they're not as attentive or something.
But every single fish in their tank was looking right at me, in formation no less. People say it's creepy when cats stare at you for a long period of time. Imaging having close to 40 fish hovering in their tanks looking right at you, blowing bubbles in a formation similar to migrating birds.
I approached the tanks wearily and stood in front of them. The banging at my door was still happening but I didn't care since I knew it would hold for a good while. I slid to the left and all the fish followed in unison. I moved quickly to the right and they copied.
"What the hell?" I asked myself.
Before I could second guess my thoughts, I pulled the lid up on the miscellaneous tank. I don't think I could have ever prepared myself for the next few minutes. All 20 fish in the tank leaped out of the water and attacked me with their little mouths puckering up and grabbing at the exposed skin of my arms and neck.
"THE FUCK?" I shouted as I flailed and began whipping and bashing fish off me.
They were like leeches and no matter how hard I squished or how much I floundered about they clung to me. I finally had enough and began ripping them off by their tails. Once every fish was nothing but an oozing mess on the floor I gasped in a few deep breaths and examined the wounds.
Twenty chunks of flesh were missing and blood was trickling down my arms and neck....
Furthermore, since you're here and reading the blog I have a special treat. Straight from the fourth short story ("In the Water") in "Small Slice of the Undead: A Zombie Anthology" is a preview...of the famed zombie fish of course:
I know I was cursing and talking to myself, but I can't remember what I was saying. I know I turned towards my tanks and what I saw made me shut up and stare.
My fish were all looking my way. Normally I wouldn't be so freaked out because fish tend to look at you when you come towards them, especially Siamese Fighting Fish. Vibrations through the floor and thus through the water in their tanks give them a good enough guess that you're making your way over with either food or to talk. Usually I get one or two looking over, then the others join in. I never get looks from the non-Siamese fish since they're not as attentive or something.
But every single fish in their tank was looking right at me, in formation no less. People say it's creepy when cats stare at you for a long period of time. Imaging having close to 40 fish hovering in their tanks looking right at you, blowing bubbles in a formation similar to migrating birds.
I approached the tanks wearily and stood in front of them. The banging at my door was still happening but I didn't care since I knew it would hold for a good while. I slid to the left and all the fish followed in unison. I moved quickly to the right and they copied.
"What the hell?" I asked myself.
Before I could second guess my thoughts, I pulled the lid up on the miscellaneous tank. I don't think I could have ever prepared myself for the next few minutes. All 20 fish in the tank leaped out of the water and attacked me with their little mouths puckering up and grabbing at the exposed skin of my arms and neck.
"THE FUCK?" I shouted as I flailed and began whipping and bashing fish off me.
They were like leeches and no matter how hard I squished or how much I floundered about they clung to me. I finally had enough and began ripping them off by their tails. Once every fish was nothing but an oozing mess on the floor I gasped in a few deep breaths and examined the wounds.
Twenty chunks of flesh were missing and blood was trickling down my arms and neck....
###
There is one other fun character you'll meet twice in the Zombie Anthology: Shun. Actually there are quite a few fun characters. I enjoyed writing "Bomb" because of a Gothic Kid who calls himself Voltaire. "Itch" has Amber who happens to be Victim Zero, meaning the first person to become a zombie. Of course, "In the Water" has aforementioned zombie fish and "Daddy's Home" has Sam.
Anyway, back to Shun. He appears in the final two stories, "Recording" as well as "Video Feed" and I love him. It might have something to do with the fact he's Asian and I have a certain weakness for Asian men. Or it might be the fact that he uses a samurai sword as a weapon and I am morbidly obsessed with swords and other pointy objects. Or it could be that he's the most intelligent of the bunch and really, who doesn't like a smart man?
If you've been following me on Twitter, you will know that Shun is in fact homosexual. I tweeted a conversation between him and Jess on Saturday night where Shun admits to being homosexual with a lot more words then needed:
Shun: "I am a free thinker and my parents did not tolerate free thinking,"
Jess: "Free-thinking?"
Shun: "I prefer men to women...sexually,"
Jess (or Derrick): "Ah..."
There is nothing wrong with being homosexual, I want to make that perfectly clear. I'm open-minded when it comes to things like that. I think the main reason I like Shun is because he's homosexual. For his family, that's a major sin and even after being disowned by everyone he knew back home, he managed to make a few new friends and a good living for himself. He struggled through adversity, moved to a new country, got accepted into a prestigious university, made new friends and bought himself a house.
Then of course zombies happened and it didn't matter what he did or didn't do. He's just one of those characters that really sticks out in my mind. Kind of like La Puce or Anguish from the "Tale of the Twins" trilogy (Book 1 is out now), or Daimin VanHelgrove from another trilogy I'm working on for far in the future. Of course there's the lovely bunch in "Face Snatcher" which will hopefully be out within the next year or so. Yes, I have a lot on my mind. Or my mind has a lot for me to do. Whichever.
Either way, you should check out "Small Slice of the Undead: A Zombie Anthology". Why? Because it has zombies. More specifically, there are zombie fish. There's also a homosexual Asian man. The Government also admits to creating zombies. Oh and there's aliens. Well, mention of "aliens". Also, it would benefit your own survival if zombies ever attacked. I mean you would know what to do if a bomb went off, or you got really itchy, or green goo appeared in your water, or you woke up dead, or you saw people generally eating each other in a really horrible way.
Plus zombies are cool. They have the whole undead-brainless-will-eat-you thing going on. Actually there's brainy zombies in the anthology. Yes, THINKING zombies. Who would have thought? Anyway, do it for the zombie fish. Do it for Amber, Shun, La Puce and Anguish (who you won't meet if I can't get a good editor ;) ). Do it for the love of all characters and the enjoyment of all living-dead things.
Do it for Daimin VanHelgrove because he's an evil manipulative bastard and if you don't, he'll come after you....once he's done fighting the forces of evil. Yes. Evil fighting evil. Trust me, Daimin's evil incarnate. Pure badassery. As in gets pleasure out of torturing people badassery. Destroying entire planets on a whim. Collects an army of dead (more zombies) to do his bidding. Yeah. Oh and he can't be killed easily. So you get to see him maimed and as he heals, he laughs manically about the attempt as he murders the maimer in the slowest most painful way possible. Now do you see why he's my favorite?
So do it because you want to meet more of my characters. Go on, get the anthology. Get Book 1. It'll make me happy. And when I'm happy, I write more. When I write more, you get to read more. See, it's a win/win situation all around.
Now, don't be so disappointed. I warned you about the shameless self-promoting in the title. And if you are disappointed, buy the anthology anyway. It'll make you happy. Plus it's cheap and you're only losing to try a new author. Expand your horizons before I become exceptionally popular (insert your laugh here, go on, I'll understand) and have to jack up my prices.
Thus my self-promotion rant is over. Enjoy:
Website: http://www.vonravenstone.com/store.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/81428
Anyway, back to Shun. He appears in the final two stories, "Recording" as well as "Video Feed" and I love him. It might have something to do with the fact he's Asian and I have a certain weakness for Asian men. Or it might be the fact that he uses a samurai sword as a weapon and I am morbidly obsessed with swords and other pointy objects. Or it could be that he's the most intelligent of the bunch and really, who doesn't like a smart man?
If you've been following me on Twitter, you will know that Shun is in fact homosexual. I tweeted a conversation between him and Jess on Saturday night where Shun admits to being homosexual with a lot more words then needed:
Shun: "I am a free thinker and my parents did not tolerate free thinking,"
Jess: "Free-thinking?"
Shun: "I prefer men to women...sexually,"
Jess (or Derrick): "Ah..."
There is nothing wrong with being homosexual, I want to make that perfectly clear. I'm open-minded when it comes to things like that. I think the main reason I like Shun is because he's homosexual. For his family, that's a major sin and even after being disowned by everyone he knew back home, he managed to make a few new friends and a good living for himself. He struggled through adversity, moved to a new country, got accepted into a prestigious university, made new friends and bought himself a house.
Then of course zombies happened and it didn't matter what he did or didn't do. He's just one of those characters that really sticks out in my mind. Kind of like La Puce or Anguish from the "Tale of the Twins" trilogy (Book 1 is out now), or Daimin VanHelgrove from another trilogy I'm working on for far in the future. Of course there's the lovely bunch in "Face Snatcher" which will hopefully be out within the next year or so. Yes, I have a lot on my mind. Or my mind has a lot for me to do. Whichever.
Either way, you should check out "Small Slice of the Undead: A Zombie Anthology". Why? Because it has zombies. More specifically, there are zombie fish. There's also a homosexual Asian man. The Government also admits to creating zombies. Oh and there's aliens. Well, mention of "aliens". Also, it would benefit your own survival if zombies ever attacked. I mean you would know what to do if a bomb went off, or you got really itchy, or green goo appeared in your water, or you woke up dead, or you saw people generally eating each other in a really horrible way.
Plus zombies are cool. They have the whole undead-brainless-will-eat-you thing going on. Actually there's brainy zombies in the anthology. Yes, THINKING zombies. Who would have thought? Anyway, do it for the zombie fish. Do it for Amber, Shun, La Puce and Anguish (who you won't meet if I can't get a good editor ;) ). Do it for the love of all characters and the enjoyment of all living-dead things.
Do it for Daimin VanHelgrove because he's an evil manipulative bastard and if you don't, he'll come after you....once he's done fighting the forces of evil. Yes. Evil fighting evil. Trust me, Daimin's evil incarnate. Pure badassery. As in gets pleasure out of torturing people badassery. Destroying entire planets on a whim. Collects an army of dead (more zombies) to do his bidding. Yeah. Oh and he can't be killed easily. So you get to see him maimed and as he heals, he laughs manically about the attempt as he murders the maimer in the slowest most painful way possible. Now do you see why he's my favorite?
So do it because you want to meet more of my characters. Go on, get the anthology. Get Book 1. It'll make me happy. And when I'm happy, I write more. When I write more, you get to read more. See, it's a win/win situation all around.
Now, don't be so disappointed. I warned you about the shameless self-promoting in the title. And if you are disappointed, buy the anthology anyway. It'll make you happy. Plus it's cheap and you're only losing to try a new author. Expand your horizons before I become exceptionally popular (insert your laugh here, go on, I'll understand) and have to jack up my prices.
Thus my self-promotion rant is over. Enjoy:
Website: http://www.vonravenstone.com/store.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/81428
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