News

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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

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Welcome to 2014! It is going to be quite the interesting year around here, I can guarantee that much. Lest you think I had forgotten about this little project, quite the opposite:

  • Editing is...proceeding. Considering the structure and value of every sentence is, it turns out, a time-consuming process. Who knew? The sage advice instructs me to slow down, not rush, and get it right; and thus I shall. But I am so eager to share Starshine with the world, preferably yesterday.

  • New blog post: My Kingdom For A Crystal Ball

  • Aurora Rising now has its own Google+ Page. Most of the items posted there will also be available here, but feel free to share the posts with your own circles and such :).

  • The RSS button on the right will now give you a feed of both News and Blog postings. I know a lot of techies have written RSS' obituary, but I couldn't imagine consuming the internet without it.

  • I've added some fun concept art to the gallery, the first two items in what I affectionately call the "Propaganda Collection":

Official Earth Alliance Logo

Official Senecan Federation Logo

  • Yes, the newsletter has changed design once more. Crafting a fully-custom newsletter that looks proper and attractive in every email client and web browser was an exercise in insanity, a truth which I have now conceded.

  • Excerpt? Sure, why not!

~

“Sir, if I may, there is one additional matter we should discuss.”

If Brennon was taken aback by the interruption, he gave no sign of it. “Certainly, Admiral.”

Miriam Solovy looked around at the others. “Forgive me if I’m stating the obvious, as I don’t often have the opportunity to attend these meetings, but the information I’m about to share cannot leave this room.”

He had a deep suspicion as to the nature of the information and quickly made an effort to deflect it. “Admiral, if this information is so sensitive perhaps it would be better if it were handled offline, with a smaller group?”

Her gaze turned to him, and he felt a faint shiver run down his spine. “Is this not the Select Military Advisory Council? Is this not the most secure location in Alliance space? I was under the impression there was no ‘smaller group’ with which to consult.”

“It is all of those things. Nevertheless, it might be more—”

Brennon’s hand extended out over the table. “She’s correct. We are all trustworthy here. Let her speak.”

Puta madre.

“Thank you, Prime Minister. The images I’m about to show you were taken [redacted] just over one week ago….”

~

Comments are always welcome, and you can now comment on individual posts (just click the little balloon on the left below).

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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

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We went out for a little Christmas shopping Saturday morning - not to a mall, just a couple of stores. It was insane. I can only conclude that, after some five years, the American economy has at last found its footing again. I had almost forgotten what prosperity looked like (traffic!). Stockings full of news:

  • If you stopped by the site in the last few days, you may have found it non- or semi-functional. The web host (among many others) suffered several waves of DDoS attacks in the last 48 hours, making connectivity intermittent at best. They claim to have slain their foes, so hopefully all is well now.

  • The Starshine cover art (and site background) has been updated once more. It's brighter, more colorful and dynamic, and I've mostly addressed the dead space in the middle left without cluttering it up. My husband says I'm not allowed to screw with it anymore on penalty of no Christmas presents, so this is likely close to the final design:

  • I changed the base template for the website, so let me know if you see anything squirrely. Other than a few small design changes you shouldn't notice it, but the new template requires far less custom code (and thus fewer bugs) and will allow the News page to generate its own RSS feed, which will come in handy.

  • New blog post: Daring to Dream: Why the World Needs Science Fiction

  • Last and best: THE STARSHINE DRAFT IS COMPLETE! I typed "The End"...okay, fine, I typed "To Be Continued in Book Two of Aurora Rising." That was fun :). I'm told there are revisions to do...yes, I believe there will be revisions. I've never done this before, so I give you a SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) that Starshine will be published in late February or March 2014. Don't hold me to that, okay?

Here's your no-context spoiler-free (no who, what, when, where or why) Part IV excerpt:

~

The blast of heat hit his back before the sky brightened, which seemed odd—nearly as odd as his brain insisting on noticing such details above far more dramatic ones.

Perhaps he was simply too close for the difference in speed to be noticeable.

Yes, that must be it.

He spun around at the same instant he was thrown tumbling through the air by the invisible force of the shockwave.

He caught the briefest glimpse of a towering, white-hot ball of flame pluming into the sky just as the sun began to set beneath the water and—

When he regained consciousness—slowly, groggily—flames licked the sky, demon tongues hungering for oxygen. Still, they were increasingly obscured by the thick wall of smoke which roiled across the broad courtyard toward him.

He scrambled backward as if he could escape it, which was of course a ludicrous thing to do. The smoke poured over him in a wave, choking his lungs and stealing their breath.

He became aware of shouts and screams, closer than the roar of the flames and screeching metal which reverberated from everywhere and nowhere.

The pounding of feet against the stone of the courtyard. People running. Panicked.

It occurred to him that he had been almost to his destination….

If he could get inside then perhaps he might live.

Comments are always welcome, and you can now comment on individual posts (just click the little balloon on the left below).

This will likely be the last update before the new year, so may you all have a Wonderful Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

***

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving (early) to my American friends. May you all enjoy copious amounts of turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie (a personal favorite of mine). Before I run off to visit the family, more news to share:

  • The very talented Sir Tiefling has created a wonderful concept portrait of Alexis Solovy. Check it out here:

  • New blog post: Rules Are Made to be Broken...Except When They're Not

  • Starshine Part III draft is complete! I realize that may seem a little fast, but the truth is I've had rough drafts for much of Part III written for quite a while. Inspiration for this arc struck early. Here's a little no-context spoiler-free (even more difficult now) excerpt:

~

A heavy, damp fog blanketed the air as far as the eye could see. Which, given that it was nearly 0200 and the aforementioned fog, wasn’t particularly far. The street lights gave the fog a washed-out pink glow and created an aura of eerie otherworldliness.

Alex felt the moisture condensing on the fine hairs of her arms. It was cold as hell, but she had needed to dress the part. A deep crimson camisole woven with fine optic fibers draped to her navel; the black leather pants hung low on her hips.

She quickened her pace, and not merely because of the chill. It was even later now and she still had a lot to do.

The club was almost to the beach, and she could hear the surf crashing against the shore. It brought back memories…memories she didn’t have time to indulge. She found the unmarked door beneath one of the refabbed Victorian row houses.

The music assaulted her ears while she was still descending the stairs. Pure synth, no beat, no lyrics, just a pulsing wave of complex tonals designed to soothe the mind and body into a state of open relaxation. It was warmer at least, though she suspected it would soon feel too humid as a result.

The warehouse space appeared pitch black save for vague shadows of people and the neon painted sensory address hanging in the air. With a sigh she accessed it; she’d never find her way through in the dark.

The overlay shimmered to life. Stars appeared beneath her feet, the cool glow of a pale green nebula in the space around her. A triple star system spun above her, comets dancing merrily amongst it in concentric orbits.

She wouldn’t spoil everyone’s fun, but even a full-sensory overlay didn’t come close to matching the real thing.

Alex. The prodigal daughter returns. You can find me on the balcony.

Comments are always welcome - comment box is at the bottom of the page!

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Friday, November 1, 2013

Happy Holidays! I’m fairly certain now that Halloween is over, it’s officially “The Holidays.” The people at the mall sure seem to think so…. Anyway, there’s news galore to share:

  • I updated the Starshine Cover Art (and site background). It contains the same elements, but is softer and more ethereal. I know there’s a good bit of empty space in the middle left of the cover; I don’t want to clutter it up, but I do have some ideas for the space. Let me know what you think about the new design!

  • New blog post: Novel Writing Software: A Tool—Not A Crutch

  • Part II of Starshine is a wrap! Here’s a little spoiler-free (which was difficult, since anything which may or may not be occurring in the Metis Nebula is quite spoiler-y) excerpt:

~

“Minister, do you have children?”

“I’m a bachelor, so…not as far as I’m aware of.” He smiled.

Miriam didn’t. “I see. You will not have experienced this yourself then—but like many children, my daughter developed a mind of her own before she was two years old and has never lost it. She stopped taking my advice around the time….” A shadow passed across her face she couldn’t fully disguise.

The security office on Le Grande Retraite was as bright and clean as the rest of the orbital luxury resort. A young lieutenant in a spotless uniform greeted her at the entryway with a salute. “Major Solovy. It’s an honor to meet you.”

She leveled a dismissive glare at him. “This is not a social call, Lieutenant. Take me to my daughter.”

His posture wilted as he stammered out a response. “Y-yes, ma’am. We put her in one of the interview rooms. I, um, gave her a juice. And some popcorn.”

She fell in beside him. “And the young man?”

“Uh, he was of age and no laws had been broken, so we weren’t able to detain him.” He stopped in front of a doorway and glanced at her, then hastily opened the door and stepped back.

Alexis tossed a kernel of popcorn in the air and caught it in her mouth. Her feet were clad in braided flip-flops and kicked up on the desk, legs crossed at the ankle. She was all elbows and knees, half a child and half a woman. Her hair was bound in long pigtails draped over her shoulders and down her chest—strange, they somehow made her look older, not younger. Perhaps it was the sharp, spirited fire in her eyes. David’s eyes.

“Mom. Here to throw me in the brig?”

“I am here to take you home.”

~

As always, drop any comments or questions in the comment box at the bottom of the page!

*** 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Part II is a monster; so many moving pieces...and so much fun (for me). FYI, the current layout contains 4 parts; it's possible the end of Part II will be moved out and Parts III and IV combined. It's mainly a question of pacing, and time will tell.

Now, news and updates:

As always, feel free to drop any comments or questions in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

UPDATE: Apologies for the duplicative email from Feedburner (containing updates already in the Newsletter). It shouldn't happen again!  

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Monday, September 23, 2013

It's been a busy two weeks; unfortunately, much of the work I can't share yet. But here's what I can share:

  • New blog post: Tools, Process and Organization, Oh My!

  • I fixed a few formatting issues on the site; those of you with 16:9 resolutions should be able to see the page quotes now :).

  • Apologies for any duplicated text in the "Updates" email; I'm still fiddling with some of the RSS settings. It will be fixed next update.

  • Part I of Starshine is DONE. In the bag. Until all the revisions when I finish the full draft and go back to the beginning, that is. Here's a teeny little no-context, spoiler-free excerpt:

~

—a flicker…no, an absence, a dark gap in the nebular clouds, caught the corner of Caleb's eye. In a breath he shifted to full alert.

There was no logical explanation for why his senses were instantly hyper-focused and nanobot-aided adrenaline already rushed through his veins—but preternatural instincts was one reason the government paid him a rather generous salary.

He swung around to sweep the area in a broad arc, and came up empty. The sensors detected only the noise Metis radiated. Yet a moment later a well-defined void was distinctly silhouetted against a dense cloud of dust, illuminated by the pale golden glow of the Metis interior. He checked the scans again. Nada.

The sensors told him the region was empty. His eyes told him a different story. His ocular implants strained to zoom in and focus on the distant shadow; he would have a headache later.

He tensed as the silhouette solidified in his vision into the outline of an artificial construct…he’d call it a ship, but….

***