Galaxy 666

Ever hear of a science fiction novel titled Galaxy 666, written by Pel Torro?  It's probably the worst science fiction novel ever written.  Ever.  In the history of the genre of science fiction, Galaxy 666 is perhaps the worse example.  It makes any of the original movies made by Skiffy (the Syfy Channel for those who don't know) look like Gone With The Wind.  Plan Nine From Outer Space was better than this novel.  Are you hip to what I'm sayin'?  Are you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down?

Here's an example of the scintillating prose found between the covers of this yarn:

The things were odd, weird, grotesque. There was something horribly uncustomary and unwonted about them. They were completely unfamiliar. Their appearance was outlandish and extraordinary. here was something quite phenomenal about them. They were supernormal; they were unparalleled; they were unexampled. The shape of the aliens was singular in every sense. They were curious, odd, queer, peculiar and fantastic, and yet when every adjective had been used on them, when every preternatural epithet had been applied to their aberrant and freakish appearance, when everything that could be said about such eccentric, exceptional, anomalous creatures had been said, they still remained indescribable in any concrete terms.

I've read the novel a couple of times over the years.  The first time, I was just a kid and didn't know better.  I had asked my mother to buy it for me because on the cover what what looked like the Enterprise.  Was I in for a surprise!  Even the worst episode of Star Trek was better than this novel.

The other times I've read it?  I'm basically a masochistic sort who likes to inflict punishment on himself by reading bad novels and stories.

Why am I telling you this?

I have, at times, had the odd crisis when I think I'm writing the modern equivalent of Galaxy 666.

Chapter 21 of Before The Dawn is giving me fits, and the work I'm doing on the side projects, "The Fault Lies Not" and "My Soul to Keep", is leaving me unsatisfied.  I was working on Chapter 21, rewriting the same paragraph for the fifth time when I stopped, read what I had written and thought, Galaxy 666 is better than this.

I don't know if I'm just trying too hard and need to take a break; if I'm just stressed from being out of work; or if I'm just a lousy writer.

Although, something may be changing soon, so maybe...

My Cluttered Mind: Galaxy 666

My Cluttered Mind: Galaxy 666: "Ever hear of a science fiction novel titled Galaxy 666 , written by Pel Torro? It's probably the worst science fiction novel ever writt..."

My Cluttered Mind: Inspiration Is Where You Can Find It

My Cluttered Mind: Inspiration Is Where You Can Find It: "Originally written on 13 October 2010...when I still had a job... ****** As those who read my Twitter or Facebook feeds knows, I've bee..."

Inspiration Is Where You Can Find It

Originally written on 13 October 2010...when I still had a job...

******


As those who read my Twitter or Facebook feeds knows, I've been having trouble working on Before The Dawn.  I've been at a loss for what's causing the hang-up; I know what happens, generally, through the rest of the novel.  I certainly know what happens in Chapter 19.  Trouble is, I can't get passed the second paragraph.  It is partially stress; work sucks and I'm really starting to dislike at least one of my coworkers (or cow-irker, as I've come to refer to this coworker).  And because my pay can best be described as "starvation wages", I worry about keeping my bills paid.  Is it any wonder I sit here and stare at the page, unable to write?

Well, I've come to realize that, maybe, there's another cause.

As I've mentioned before, I subscribe to one comic.  I used to subscribe to a lot more, but I found myself not actually reading them because the plot lines were becoming too similar.  The one exception to this is a book called Gold Digger, created, written and drawn by Fred Perry, published by Antarctic Press.  It tells the story of Gina Diggers, scientist, archaeologist, adventurer as she uncovers the mysteries of the ancient world and heads towards a destiny that has implications for the entire universe.

Four months ago, my subscription ran out.  For monetary reasons, I wasn't able to renew it.  I promised myself that I would resubscribe when I could afford it.  It turns out that I came to need those issues showing up in my mailbox every month.  I find myself inspired by the excellent story telling (it's the only comic I've ever read with characters that actually show growth over the years; Gina now is not the Gina of issue 1) and the manga-style art.  Add to that the fact that Fred is the only one in nineteen years to write and draw the book.  (Not including the annuals and special issues, where are usually fan submissions.)

Add to that the fact that Fred is a former Marine and a veteran of Desert Storm.  Much respect there.

I've been through this before.  A few years ago, my subscription ran out and I couldn't renew it for monetary reasons.  Then, as now, my writing suffered.  I was stuck, unable to make any progress on any of the projects I had been working on.  I resubscribed, purchased the issues I missed...and got back on track.

So, when I got home from work today, I resubscribed and purchased the issues I missed.

If things go the way they did the last time, I should soon be back on track.

******

My current subscription go Gold Digger ends in August.  Hopefully I'll be in a position to renew it without interruption.

Oh, and just to answer a question probably no one has asked...my avatar is a character from Gold Digger, named Brianna Diggers.  She's a clone of both Gina Diggers and her adopted sister, Brittany, who's the last of the werecheetahs.

My Cluttered Mind: Progress

My Cluttered Mind: Progress: "Just a little progress report... As of now, I'm 1696 words into Chapter 21 of Before the Dawn . This brings the total word count to 61,08..."

Progress

Just a little progress report...

As of now, I'm 1696 words into Chapter 21 of Before the Dawn.  This brings the total word count to 61,088 words, 18,912 words until my goal of 80,000 words.

That 80,000 word goal isn't set in stone.  I'm not going to be too concerned if I finish the first draft of the novel and I'm at, say, 75,000 words.  I know there are places that will be expanded.  There are places where I skipped over describing a scene - it was either dwell on what a desk looks like or get the story told.  There's also one chapter that turned out to be only two pages long.  That has to be expanded to tell the secret origins of the main antagonist.

My Cluttered Mind: Quotes

My Cluttered Mind: Quotes: "(Originally written 21 June, 2010 - the occasion of my 47th birthday.) ****** Coming up in Before The Dawn are points where I want to us..."

Quotes

(Originally written 21 June, 2010 - the occasion of my 47th birthday.)

******
Coming up in Before The Dawn are points where I want to use quotes from other science fiction/fantasy works.  I'm just not sure how to do it.

For example:  There's going to be a scene coming up centering on Scott and Lily.  They're searching and are confronted by a Hunter.  The Hunter shoots Lily (since they don't know yet that Lily's immortal) then gets the upper hand on Scott.  With his back to Lily, the Hunter begins babbling about how the Hunters will soon cleanse the Earth.  While he's doing that, Lily regenerates, gets to her feet, picks up a dropped gun and comes up behind the Hunter.  With the gun aimed at him, she says, "Do Sebaceans have a word for chutzpah?"

Caught by surprise, the Hunter says, "It's impossible!  You're dead!"

Lily:  "I was.  I'm better now.  Are you all right, Scott?"

Scott:  "John Crichton and John Sheridan."

Lily:  "Always had a soft spot in my heart for an astronaut and a man in uniform."

(ETA:  In a scene I've just written, Brynna references The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.  A Hunter asks if she knows who he is.  Her reply:  "The second coming of the great prophet Zarquon?")

What I'm thinking of doing is using the quotes then making sure I let everyone know where they're used and who I'm quoting.  For example:  "Do Sebaceans have a word for chutzpah?" is from the Farscape episode "Mind The Baby".  "I was.  I'm better now" is from the Babylon 5 episode "The Summoning."  After that, I'll let the agent and editor make the decision about whether or not the quotes can be used.

It's not the end of the world if it turns out I can't use them.  I just think it makes the characters sound a bit more real.

My Cluttered Mind: Reprint: So I Was Thinking...

My Cluttered Mind: Reprint: So I Was Thinking...: "I was looking back through my other blog on LiveJournal (the one that concerns everything but writing) and I came across a few posts that I'..."

Reprint: So I Was Thinking...

I was looking back through my other blog on LiveJournal (the one that concerns everything but writing) and I came across a few posts that I'd like to reprint.  So the next few blog entries will be reprints of them.

******
(from 17 July, 2010)

Back before the first story was published in 2005, I always used to say that I would call myself a writer until I got published.  After that, I'd call myself an author.

Then the first story, "With Eyes Open...", was published in March 2005.  So there I was, calling myself an author.  Then the second story, "Signpost", was published in November 2005.  So I continued calling myself an author, rather than a writer.

Then I reread a favorite novella by Harlan Ellison, All The Lies That Are My LIfe.  As it always had before, this quote jumped out at me when I read it:

"He once told me the difference, as he saw it, between an author and a writer.  'An author (he said) is what they put on your passport, because in Europe they think a writer is a newspaperman.  An author is somebody who gets his name on the spine of leather-bound volumes that are never read; a writer is someone who gets hemorrhoids from sitting on his ass all his life...writing."

A writer isn't what I am, it's who I am.  I'd rather be known as a good writer than as an author.  At least I'm still writing.

Then there was this, from the July 1992 issue of Writer's Digest:

* If you write, you're a writer.  You need no one else's validation.
* Your work is the same whether it's rejected by 74 publishers or is perched atop The New York Times bestseller list.  If it pleases you, your writing has value.
* Writing is a fundamentally healthy, worthwhile and affirming way to spend time.  Do it, first and foremost, for the doing.  Fame and fortune are the pesto on the pasta.

- Marshall J. Cook, "How To Finish What You Start - Every Time"

By the time the next two stories were published, "All My Yesterdays, Remembered" in March 2009, and "Symmetry" in February 2010, I was over the thought of calling myself an author.  A writer is who I am, who I'll always be.

Just because the first two emags went under not long after they published my stories doesn't mean a thing.

I'd love to provide a link to the first story, "With Eyes Open..." but the emag it was published in has disappeared completely from the internet.

The second story, "Signpost", can be found here:  http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cafrica/ultraverse/2005_11/v3i1_signpost.shtml

The third story, "All My Yesterdays, Remembered", can be found here:  http://absentwillowreview.com/archives/all-my-yesterdays-remembered

The fourth story, "Symmetry", can be found here:  http://absentwillowreview.com/archives/symmetry

Now I have to get back to writing a vampire novel while the abomination known as the Twilight Saga is still relatively fresh in the minds of the reading public.  (Damn it, vampires don't sparkle!)  Not that I would mind Brynna and company attaining even a small measure of Twilight's popularity.

My Cluttered Mind: A Little of This, A Little of That...

My Cluttered Mind: A Little of This, A Little of That...: "Trying to clear my head up a bit while nursing my first cup of coffee. Bear with me here... ****** What am I reading: Time Enough For ..."

A Little of This, A Little of That...

Trying to clear my head up a bit while nursing my first cup of coffee.  Bear with me here...

******

What am I reading:  Time Enough For Love and Podkayne of Mars, both by Robert A. Heinlein; Saturn's Children, by Charles Stross; Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (though I haven't picked that one up in a little while).

******

A good problem I have is that my mind is constantly coming up with ideas and plot lines.  One is titled, "My Soul to Keep", and concerns a society in a closed habitat.  The 500 citizens live a life of ease in a peaceful, almost bucolic existence.  A couple of catches, one they know about, one they don't.  The one they know about is that on their fortieth birthday, they must report to the Sleep Center, where they go to sleep (that is to say, they're killed).  (Yeah, it's a bit of Logan's Run, but stick with me here).  The catch they don't know about is that they're part of an alien experiment into the nature of existence.  They were kidnapped nearly 640 years in the past, their memories erased and their bodies put into cryogenic storage.  When one dies, another is cloned (the clones are produced as babies, so they grow up in the society).  Every 160 years, the aliens kill everyone, change the layout of the habitat and start again.  They alternate between cycles of peace and war.  When the story starts, they're five years from the end of a peace cycle.  Mayhem ensues.

Another, titled "Through A Glass, Darkly" starts out with a woman falling into a mirror (like Alice and her looking glass).  She finds herself onboard a starship that is traveling through the space between dimensions.  The aliens from "My Soul to Keep" are present there.  I wasn't thinking of it this way, but "Through A Glass, Darkly" has turned into a prequel to "My Soul to Keep".

Oh yeah, the aliens are called the Tralamfan.  They're not really solid matter, more like "intelligent plasma".  They look a bit like blobs of melted wax.

******

Why is having too many ideas a good problem?  Well, despite the trouble I'm having with the actual writing at the moment, I'm still coming up with ideas, so at least I know my imagination is still working.  It's a problem because these new ideas are distracting me from the projects I really want to finish.  (I'm into the final third of Before the Dawn and would really like to get it finished.)  I just need to develop more discipline.

******

I can't find my Cross pen.  And that's just frustrating.

******

Thanks for listening while I clear my head.  Now I can finish my coffee and get ready to do some writing.

My Cluttered Mind: Making The Most Of It

My Cluttered Mind: Making The Most Of It: "When I was first laid off from my last job in February, I told myself that aside from spending a chunk of time looking for another job, I wo..."

Making The Most Of It

When I was first laid off from my last job in February, I told myself that aside from spending a chunk of time looking for another job, I would put aside time every day to write.  I had planned to make serious headway into the vampire novel, Before The Dawn, knocking out a big chunk of it while I had the time.  Along with that, I would get more stories finished.  That would mean I wouldn't keep sending out the same stories over and over again.

(Just an aside:  No, my vampires are in no way, shape or form like those from Twilight.  My vampires may not be traditional vampires in the Bram Stoker tradition, or even in the Bela Lugosi  tradition, but they aren't emo teens who sparkle in the sunlight.)

Ah, reality...you suck.

Things I hadn't considered came into play from February 1 onward.  I hadn't planned on the stress of being out of work pushing me further into depression, effectively shutting down the part of my mind that actually does the writing.  Though I knew Florida's unemployment rate is higher than the national average, I didn't think it would take me long to find another job.  I have twenty-six years of retail/customer service experience...who wouldn't want to hire me?

Most of Florida, it would seem, doesn't want to hire me.

What does this have to do with writing?

Some would say I'm suffering from writer's block.  In a sense, that's correct.  I'll sit there with my notebooks and stare at the page, not knowing what comes next.  Or, if I do know what comes next, I'll get hooked on writing and rewriting the same paragraph over and over again, trying to get it perfect instead of just relaxing, getting it on paper and getting the story told.  Most of the time, I just stare at the notebooks, piled up on the ottoman next to my chair then go back to websurfing.

I did manage to finish one story, titled "The End of Seconds".  It's the touching story of the end of one universe, the start of the next universe and answers that annoying question, "So where did God come from?"  I'm now waiting to hear back from the people who're reading it before I send it out.

Now, I usually don't call it writer's block; I call it writer's gap.  Here's why:  A block is something that has to be broken through, a negative image.  A gap is something that has to be filled up, a more positive image.  It's all a matter of frame of mind.  If I can get myself into a more positive frame of mind, I'll be able to write with some regularity.  And if I can write with something resembling regularity, my outlook will improve.

Of course, it doesn't help that in both Before The Dawn and one of the side projects, a murder mystery set in the late twenty-sixth century titled "The Fault Lies Not", are both marching toward action sequences.  Action sequences always give me trouble; trying to make them realistic without being too much like a comic book is a bit of a stretch for me.  I'll get through them...eventually.


Thanks for reading while I clear my head.

My Cluttered Mind: Progress and Another Character

My Cluttered Mind: Progress and Another Character: "Finally managed to get some writing done tonight. Not a lot of production, only about four or five hundred words. Considering my..."

Progress and Another Character

Finally managed to get some writing done tonight.  Not a lot of production, only about four or five hundred words.  Considering my production for the days prior to this added up to absolutely no words at all...I'll take it.

I was working on one of the side projects, "The Fault Lies Not".  It's now up to 6,849 words.  I'm not sure how long it'll turn out to be but I do know it won't be novel length.

Since I was working on her story, here's the outline for Special Agent Lin Sillo of EarthGov Security:

Lin Sillo

Name:  Lin Sillo
Race:  Human

Age:  31 (as of 19 August 2585)
Date of Birth:  10 November 2554
Place of Birth:  Johannesburg, South African States
Citizenship:  Lin is a citizen of Earth
Legal Status:  No criminal record
Relatives:  Alain Sillo (father), Katrine Sillo (mother), Meghan Sillo (sister), unnamed grandmother (deceased)

Height:  5'11" (180.34 cm)
Weight:  147 lbs (66.68 k)
Eye Color:  Brown
Hair Color:  Black
Religion:  Atheist
Intelligence:  Above average
Strength:  Above average
Speed:  Above average
Stamina:  Above average
Durability:  Above average
Agility:  Above average
Reflexes:  Above average

Profession/Rank (Current):  Government security agent, adventurer
Profession/Rank (Former):  None
Current Alias:  Arwen
Former Alias:  None
Personal Weaponry:  Wilker RP60 Phased Plasma Weapon; M206 Stealth Surveillance Suit; various others as needed
Usual Base of Operations:  EarthGov Security, a division of EarthGov, Madrid, Spain

Friends/Allies/Confidants:  Vincent DeBurg, Jedna, Anastasia Krestyanova
Enemies:
Skills:  Lin is a master of several martial arts as well as an expert marksman
Special Abilities:  Lin has an extremely accurate time sense.  As long as she checks local time upon arrival, she can accurately tell time without using a watch.  She also has what her late grandmother referred to as a "bump" for directions.  Possibly because she is more sensitive to local magnetic fields, Lin cannot get lost and can find her way from most anywhere without a map.
Source of Special Abilities:  Unknown
Interests/Hobbies:

Lin's an interesting character.  I had originally created her for a novel that never seemed to go anywhere.  So I changed her background a little (and changed her appearance a lot) and started writing her own story.  She does have another story after this one.

Characters

These are the main characters of my vampire novel, Before the Dawn.  I use this form every time I start a new story, just so I know a little bit about the characters when I start.

Brynna Alexander

Name:  Briallan Teague

Race:  Human/Vampire (Homo sapien lamia)

Age:  238 (as of 11 October 2012)

Date of Birth:  11 October 1774

Place of Birth:  Swansea, Wales

Citizenship:  Brynna is a citizen of the United States

Legal Status:  No criminal record

Relatives:  Dafydd Teague (father, deceased), Anwyn Teague (mother, deceased), Ioan Teague (brother, deceased), Georges Severin (husband)

Height:  5’8”

Weight:  136 lbs

Eye Color:  Blue/Gray

Hair Color:  Black

Religion:  Catholic (not devout)

Intelligence:  Above average

Strength:  Superhuman

Speed:  Superhuman

Stamina:  Superhuman

Durability:  Superhuman

Agility:  Superhuman

Reflexes:  Superhuman

Profession (Current):  Author

Profession (Former):  Farmer, housewife,

Current Alias:  Brynna Alexander

Former Alias:  None

Usual Base of Operations:  344 Sterling Street, Port Jefferson Station, New York, 11776

Friends/Allies/Confidants:  Mason Duvall, Viviana Duvall, Sebastian Eckes, Anna-Marie Guignard, Remy Guignard, Scott Madigan, Lily McConnell, Thomas Roarke, Claudia Roarke, Marina Sutherland, Katherine Sutherland

Enemies:  Les Chasseurs des Mort (The Hunters of the Dead)

Skills:  Brynna is a talented writer, with a successful career.

Special Abilities:  As a vampire, Brynna has all the expected attributes:  She is immortal, though she can be killed by exposure to sunlight or beheading; she has to drink blood for nourishment; she can ingest regular food but does not derive any benefit from it; she has the ability to affect the behavior of people around her through voice control (vox vocis imperium), though she is not an expert in this ability (it’s learned, not intrinsic); the ability to cloud minds in order to distract (mens imperium).  If angered to the point where her emotions overwhelm her, she is overcome by saevio (rage).  This triggers a physical transformation to a more animalistic form.

Source of Special Abilities:  Genesis Virus, Haemovore Strain

Interests/Hobbies:  Brynna is extremely curious, and will often spend days cruising the internet, moving from one topic to the next.  She has always loved to tell stories and has turned that love into a successful career.

Georges Severin

Name:  Georges Severin

Race:  Human/Immortal (Homo sapien immortalis)

Age:  311 (as of 11 October 2012)

Date of Birth:  15 March 1701

Place of Birth:  Chalon-sur-Saone, France

Citizenship:  Georges is a citizen of the United States

Legal Status:  No criminal record

Relatives:  Yves Severin (father, deceased), Fantine Severin (mother, deceased), Armand Severin (brother, deceased), Brynna Alexander (wife)

Height:  5’11”

Weight:  175 lbs

Eye Color:  Brown

Hair Color:  Brown

Religion:  Catholic (not devout)

Intelligence:  Above average

Strength:  Normal

Speed:  Normal

Stamina:  Normal

Durability:  Normal

Agility:  Normal

Reflexes:  Normal

Profession (Current):  Day trader, spokesman for Brynna Alexander

Profession (Former):  Soldier

Current Alias:  None

Former Alias:  Gerard Perrault, numerous others

Usual Base of Operations:  344 Sterling Street, Port Jefferson Station, New York, 11776

Friends/Allies/Confidants:  Christien Billard, Mason Duvall, Viviana Duvall, Sebastian Eckes, Anna-Marie Guignard, Remy Guignard, Scott Madigan, Lily McConnell, Thomas Roarke, Claudia Roarke, Marina Schell, Katherine Sutherland

Enemies:  Les Chasseurs des Mort (The Hunters of the Dead)

Skills:  Like many immortals, Georges is something of a jack-of-all-trades.  During his life, he has had many occupations and has acquired many skills.  He is also a trained soldier who served in the American Civil War, World War I and II.

Special Abilities:  Georges is immortal.  Barring the complete disintegration of his body, he cannot die.

Source of Special Abilities:  Unknown.

Interests/Hobbies:

Scott Madigan

Name:  Scott Madigan

Race:  Human/Immortal (Homo sapien immortalis)

Age:  311 (as of 11 October 2012)

Date of Birth:  27 April 1701

Place of Birth:  Dublin, Ireland

Citizenship:  Scott is a citizen of the United States

Legal Status:  No criminal record

Relatives:  Colm Madigan (father, deceased), Sinead Madigan (mother, deceased)

Height:  6’1”

Weight:  195 lbs

Eye Color:  Blue

Hair Color:  Blonde

Religion:  Agnostic

Intelligence:  Above average

Strength:  Normal

Speed:  Normal

Stamina:  Normal

Durability:  Normal

Agility:  Normal

Reflexes:  Normal

Profession (Current):  Traveler, mentor to new immortals

Profession (Former):  Soldier, newspaper reporter

Current Alias:  None

Former Alias: 

Usual Base of Operations:  Mobile

Friends/Allies/Confidants:  Brynna Alexander, Christien Billard, Mason Duvall, Viviana Duvall, Sebastian Eckes, Anna-Marie Guignard, Remy Guignard, Lily McConnell, Thomas Roarke, Claudia Roarke, Marina Schell, Georges Severin, Katherine Sutherland

Enemies:  Les Chasseurs des Mort (The Hunters of the Dead)

Skills:  Scott is a trained soldier, a natural leader and talented tactician and strategist, having served in the American Civil War, World War I and II, and the Korean War.

Special Abilities:  Scott is immortal.  Barring the complete disintegration of his body, he cannot die.

Source of Special Abilities:  Unknown

Interests/Hobbies:

Lily McConnell

Name:  Lily Madelyn McConnell

Race:  Human/Immortal (Homo sapien immortalis)

Age:  46 (as of 11 October 2012)

Date of Birth:  23 January 1966

Place of Birth:  Santa Monica, California

Citizenship:  Lily is a citizen of the United States

Legal Status:  No criminal record

Relatives:  Richard McConnell (father), Isabella McConnell (mother), Regina McConnell (sister)

Height:  5’7”

Weight:  140 lbs

Eye Color:  Brown

Hair Color:  Brown

Religion:  Agnostic

Intelligence:  Above average

Strength:  Normal

Speed:  Normal

Stamina:  Normal

Durability:  Normal

Agility:  Normal

Reflexes:  Normal

Profession (Current):  Traveler

Profession (Former):  Retail sales manager

Current Alias:  None

Former Alias:  None

Usual Base of Operations:  Mobile

Friends/Allies/Confidants:  Brynna Alexander, Mason Duvall, Viviana Duvall, Sebastian Eckes, Scott Madigan, Thomas Roarke, Claudia Roarke, Marina Schell, Georges Severin, Katherine Sutherland

Enemies:  Les Chasseurs des Mort (The Hunters of the Dead)

Skills:  Lily is a keen observer of the world around her, sometimes noticing things missed by others.

Special Abilities:  Scott is immortal.  Barring the complete disintegration of his body, he cannot die.

Source of Special Abilities:  Unknown

Interests/Hobbies:

Katherine Sutherland

Name:  Katherine Sutherland (Kath)

Race:  Human/Djinn (Homo sapien veneficus)

Age:  28 (as of 11 October 2012)

Date of Birth:  28 November 1983

Place of Birth:  Binghamton, New York

Citizenship:  Katherine is a citizen of the United States

Legal Status:  No criminal record

Relatives:  Daniel Sutherland (father, presumed deceased), Rachel Sutherland (mother, deceased)

Height:  5’8”

Weight:  140 lbs

Eye Color:  Blue

Hair Color:  Blonde

Religion:  Atheist

Intelligence:  Above average

Strength:  Normal

Speed:  Normal

Stamina:  Normal

Durability:  Normal

Agility:  Normal

Reflexes:  Normal

Profession (Current):  Mage, paranormal investigator, stage magician, adventurer

Profession (Former):  None

Current Alias:  None

Former Alias:  None

Usual Base of Operations:  Centereach, New York

Friends/Allies/Confidants:  Brynna Alexander, Bronson Kryczyk, Scott Madigan, Lily McConnell, Naia, Marina Schell, Georges Severin,

Enemies:  Les Chasseurs des Mort (The Hunters of the Dead), Flaming Cross Clan

Skills:  Katherine is a skilled wielder of magic and aggressive fighter, using her magic abilities to their fullest in any conflict.

Special Abilities:  Because some of her ancestors are Djinn, Katherine has the ability to manipulate aether, the ambient energy that permeates the Universe.  (This is known as dark energy to modern science.)  She can use this energy to perform feats that are considered magic by the people around her.  She can also use the aether to augment her strength, speed and agility to nearly superhuman levels.

Source of Special Abilities:  Natural abilities

Interests/Hobbies:

Marina Schell

Name:  Marina Schell

Race:  Human/Djinn (Homo sapien veneficus)

Age:  28 (as of 11 October 2012)

Date of Birth:  13 September 1984

Place of Birth:  Stony Brook, New York

Citizenship:  Marina is a citizen of the United States

Legal Status:  No criminal record

Relatives:  Aaron Schell (father), Marianna Schell (mother)

Height:  5’4”

Weight:  125 lbs

Eye Color:  Brown

Hair Color:  Brown

Religion:  Agnostic

Intelligence:  Above normal

Strength:  Normal

Speed:  Normal

Stamina:  Normal

Durability:  Normal

Agility:  Normal

Reflexes:  Normal

Profession (Current):  Mystic, paranormal investigator, empathic counselor, adventurer, stage assistant for Katherine Sutherland

Profession (Former):  None

Current Alias:  None

Former Alias:  None

Usual Base of Operations:  Centereach, New York

Friends/Allies/Confidants:  Brynna Alexander, Bronson Kryczyk, Scott Madigan, Lily McConnell, Georges Severin, Katherine Sutherland

Enemies:  Les Chasseurs des Mort (The Hunters of the Dead), Flaming Cross Clan

Skills:  Marina is a skilled martial artist and an expert marksman

Special Abilities:  Marina is a powerful mystic, born with a number of mental abilities.  Due to a birth defect, she is unable to talk.  She uses her telepathy to communicate.  Because both her parents are mages, she does have some magic ability, but theses are on a low level.  She can transform a backpack into a bag of holding but not much beyond that.

Source of Special Abilities:  Natural abilities.

Interests/Hobbies:

04/16/2011

Last night I edited my most recent story, "The End of Seconds".  It's the story of the end of one universe, the birth of the next universe and answers that annoying question, so where did God come from?

This is the second editing pass through the story.  I realized something while going through it:  For the length of the story, I became obsessed with the word hesitated.  Everyone was hesitating before speaking.  Not anymore.

I don't know how much more editing I'll do on it.  It seems pretty tight to me.

Don't mind me.

This is just a test

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Squared Away

I've been thinking about it, and I'm going to use this blog strictly in conjunction with my writing.  My LiveJournal blog will be for anything not related to a novel or story.

So what do two pictures of Claudia Black have to do with my writing?  Well, aside from the fact that she's my favorite actress, she bears a striking resemblance to a certain Welsh vampire/author...or maybe that Welsh vampire/author bears a striking resemblance to her...hmmm...

I've also polished up the header.  That's the Andromeda Galaxy as a backdrop.

A couple of pictures of Claudia Black from Farscape.  Why?  Why not?

Just Trying Something Here...

Just trying something here...don't mind me...

My current wallpaper...Friday by Michael Whelan

A Little Background

Okay, a little background on myself...

I've been writing since 1977 (the day after I saw Star Wars, actually).  For the most part, I've written science fiction, though the novel I'm currently working on is more fantasy.  I've had four stories published over the years (though not by anyone willing to pay me), and am trying to get more finished so I don't keep sending out the same stories over and over again.  I used to write poetry, but it's been a lot of years since I've done that.

As I said, I've had four stories published over the years.  Two of the emags have gone out of business, and one has even disappeared from the internet.  (Seriously, I can't even find its archives.)  The stories you can get to are here:

"Signpost"  A first contact story set in 2114, the early days of space exploration in my fictional universe.  Find it here:  http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cafrica/ultraverse/2005_11/v3i1_signpost.shtml

"All My Yesterdays, Remembered"  A writer finds out his childhood friend is more than he thought she was.  http://absentwillowreview.com/archives/all-my-yesterdays-remembered
"Symmetry"  A young woman wakes up on a train occupied only by herself and the conductor.  From there, things get weird.  http://absentwillowreview.com/archives/symmetry

I'd include the link to the first story that was published, "With Eyes Open..." but the emag has gone away.

My current projects include a vampire novel currently titled Before the Dawn.  (I may be changing the title; I'm not sure if I want the novel to share a title with an Evanescence song.)  It's the story of Brynna Alexander, vampire and author, and Georges Severin, her immortal husband.  It mostly deals with the ressurgance of a group called Les Chasseurs des Morts - The Hunters of the Dead, more commonly referred to just as Hunters.  They're a KKK-like paramilitary group that want to destroy every vampire, werewolf and immortal on the planet.  There's immortals, werewolves, mages (witches) mystics (telepaths), federal agents and a fair bit of action.  And let me be clear about this:  My vampires may not be traditional vampires but they most certainly aren't emo teens who sparkle in the daylight.  I've just passed the 60,000 word mark, roughly two-thirds of the way through the first draft.

Another project is a shorter work titled "The Fault Lies Not".  Set in the late 26th century, it's they story of Special Agent Lin Sillo and her partner, Special Agent Vincent DeBurg, assigned by EarthGov Security to assist local law enforcement in stopping a serial killer.

These are the two main projects I'm working on right now.  At least, I plan to work on them every day.  Unfortunately, I've been going through a bit of writer's gap that's keeping me from producing.  With luck, I'll be able to overcome that and start writing again.

I guess that's enough for now.  I'll be back soon and babble on about the novels I'm reading.

Bye.

04/14/2011

Let's try a running commentary...


10:38 AM:
Starting today's job hunt.  Going to CareerBuilder first.


11:41
Taking a break.  Sent out 6 apps through CareerBuilder.  Trying to fight off growing sense of futility.


12:53
Got an email from Payless wanting me to fill out an application on their website.  Why wasn't it linked to the ad on CareerBuilder?


2:00
Break over.  Back to wasting my time...I mean, back to job hunting.


3:15
I can understand asking the same question over and over again during an assessment, but Target asked me four times what my highest level of education was.  Am I suddenly going to forget that I have a Bachelor of Arts in English?


Okay, that doesn't make for very entertaining prose.

Thinking...Thinking...Thinking...

Trying something new and different here.  Maybe a running commentary about being unemployed.