World History Part 1

Let's do the could be boring/could be exciting stuff first!

Book updates: War Captain has been out to betas for a month now. I’m going to do one more pass of my own (adding in suggested changes) and then send it to an editor.

The Singer (book 2 after War Captain) is almost finished with first edits. I’ll be sending it to alpha readers this weekend.

I have outlined a short story Heirs to the Throne that will go to those on my mailing list in May.

I’ve outlined The Mage, the story of Ashtiv and have begun work on a few sections. I know it’s a bit of a spoiler, but there’s my Christmas gift for those on my mailing list. Early Merry Christmas! :)

Random book idea that is way out of my genre is outlined. It will be titled Demon Hunter. Because it’s not a normal book for me to write, it will be one that I work on every now and again (de vez en cuando, for you Spanish speakers from the Dominican Republic).

As I mentioned, my next book coming out is the War Captain. Here’s a little world history for it:

“Before time even began, the gods lived in the heavens. There were three gods in particular who have influenced the land. The War God, the Goddess, and the Lover.

“The War God and the Lover battled for the affections of the Goddess. It was a dark, brutal time. Some say that it was during this time that the world was formed, the clash of the blades giving light to darkness, the chip of a mace falling and spinning to become the world, the tears of the Goddess, creating the seas, and each drop of blood and sweat mingling to become beast or plant.

“The war lasted for unnumbered years. Perhaps it would have ended sooner had the Goddess chosen one of the gods to love. The problem is that she loved them both. The War God devoted his body to her, the Lover devoted his skill, even going so far as to become most like her of the two gods. Because of this, she could not bring herself to choose one over the other.

“At long last, the Lover gained dominance over the War God. He threw the other down, holding him pinned beneath his foot. The war had twisted the Lover, his soul changing into something unrecognizable. But, because a Soul is hidden within the body, neither the Goddess nor the War God at first recognized the change.

“The War God, for the first time in eons, looked directly into the Lover’s eyes and knew. He knew that his brother was no longer the same man and he knew that he would not be satisfied until the War God was no more. Seeing his fate, he turned his gaze one last time upon the Goddess. “Please,” he begged. “Let me die hearing your voice.”

“The Lover laughed. He raised his mace high, eyes glowing blue as the lightning behind him. “You shall never hear her again,” he mocked. “I will be the last thing you hear!” And then he raised his voice in Song, hideous and painful to hear.

“The Goddess looked upon the Lover, finally seeing him as the twisted creature that he had become. Her gaze shifted to the War God. He still did not look upon the Lover, nor his fate, but stared faithfully at her. Once again, she looked to the Lover. “Stop,” she ordered.

“The Lover’s lips sneered. “You are now mine,” he said. “You must obey my orders.” The force of his Song altered, ever so slightly, and the Goddess fell to her knees in pain.

“The War God roared in fury, twisting to get out from under the Lover, but his struggles were in vain. He was too weak to protect the Goddess.

“A pure, golden sound cut through the cacophony of the Lover. For the first time, the Goddess raised her voice in battle and her power struck true.

“The Lover staggered back, his Song fading away as he gasped for breath.

“With renewed strength, the War God leapt to his feet. With the Song of the Goddess aiding him, he threw the Lover from the heavens.

“As he fell, his body caught fire. He blazed to the new earth below them, landing with a mighty crash. Some say the fire was holy fire from the Goddess, that it robbed the Lover of his godhood. All that is truly known is that the Lover had fallen from his Standing as a god and now wandered the earth, immortal and thirsty for vengeance.

“Meanwhile, the War God and the Goddess found themselves with a world and each other. Together, they explored the plants and animals, altering them into more refined creations that the world knows today. During their time on the planet, the Goddess conceived and gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.

“Because the children were born on earth, they were unable to return to the heavens with their parents. Instead, the War God taught his son to fight and the Goddess taught her daughter to Sing and care for the plants she had placed there. And then they left, giving their children the world as a gift.”

End of Part 1. Next month, I'll outline what these two kids and their children got up to. :)

Book Post

Whoops! Silly me! I should have posted a link for any random travellers to find my book. ;) Don't forget to review on amazon, random traveller!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Guardians-Gateways-ebook/dp/B00BNVC2KQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362417502&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Guardians%3A+Gateways

Publishing Woes

Well, I had set a goal to be up and running by this weekend with The Guardians: Gateways. And what happens? First the battery dies, then the power cord ceases to charge. So I lost an entire week. Luckily, this all happened on President's Day so I got a GREAT deal on a new battery and cord. :) Now it's back to formatting and editting (SO BORING!). Five more chapters to edit and formatting is about 33% finished. So my new goal is next weekend.

By the way, if you're going to be writing a book and publishing it through Amazon, look up Kindle Direct Publishing. They'll have you download a free book that will tell you how to format your story so that the transition to Amazon is as smooth as possible. Do that BEFORE you start writing! You'll save yourself A LOT of time formatting if you do.

Uncertain Salvation?

Here's the first page to one of my books. I still don't have a firm title. Read it and let me know what you think!

A Letter:

            Dear Mom and Dad,

            I know I said I would be home soon. I’m sorry that I can’t make that come true anymore. It will probably be awhile before you see this and doubtless many will tell you that I’m dead. I’m not dead. I’m very alive. And if I could come home, I would. I love you both so much! I hope that this helps explain where I am and why you can never see me again.

1: Ogden-Heber City

            There’s a strange fascination with Sasquatch and skunk apes. People are constantly claiming that they’ve seen Big Foot or Sasquatch or whatever. Once, I knew what that fascination was. Now, I’d just as soon they left me alone. Now that I know what skunk apes are all about, I wish I didn’t. Makes it hard to sleep at night, ya know?

            You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. After all, I think the majority of people are sensible enough to believe skunk apes are fictional, figments of an overactive imagination. While I enjoyed watching the shows about Bigfoot, I have to admit I used to be a skeptic. The irony of me being skeptical now…Well, let me tell you from the beginning. It will make more sense that way.

            My name is April. I was a student at Weber State University in Ogden, UT. I hadn’t really picked a major yet, so what I was studying didn’t matter. It’s not like I’ve really been able to use what I’ve learned. Who does, really? I had your usual paperwork to get done, just like other students; math homework, a research paper, reading and studying. Nothing big or unusual.

            Yup, that was me. Nothing big or unusual. It was nearing Halloween and my roommates and I decided to have a party. I was in the bathroom getting ready because my roommates said they had invited boys. So I needed to look good. Well, as good as possible. I’m pretty average looking, to be honest. I’d make a great spy if I had spectacular spy skills in my repertoire! I don’t, in case you were wondering.

            I have brown hair with honey and red highlights that usually show up in the summer. No amount of tanning seems to turn my pale skin tan. I’m pretty much a nightlight year round. Most people say I have brown eyes. I think they’re hazel because the brown is only on the inside. They lighten to a golden green color on the outside. But you have to look close for that. Most people don’t gaze into your eyes that closely. It would be pretty creepy. My height makes me stand out. A little. I’m about 5’ 10”.

            The apes showed up that Halloween night. I didn’t know what they were then, nor did I know what they really looked like. The skunk apes you see on TV are just ideas of what the creatures look like. And they’ve had several different species all lumped into one. The apes that showed up that night weren’t very similar to those make believe renditions.