#amwriting - Hanging Up The 'Do Not Disturb' Sign

These days, we’re all too familiar with that hashtagging business, so, no need to explain myself.  However, talk to people outside of the Twitterverse, and they give you that ‘huh’ look.  Such is the case, once more, with my orbiting satellites who do not transmit the usual social networking signals.

Experience has told me to keep my mouth shut while #amwriting, because I simply cannot write with someone constantly looking over my shoulder.  It's like picking your nose, you need a little privacy.  But since letting the cat out of the bag that I now do—actually—write stuff, everyone and their cousin wants to know what I’m doing next.

It can be very distracting.

Of course, they want more of the Lancaster Trilogy (I'm beginning to think they don’t quite understand the word ‘trilogy’), and want to know what happens next.  It’s hard not to stamp my foot and throw a tantrum and tell them to…well…you know what I mean.  Seriously, I do have other things to write about.  While I feel quite flattered they’d want more Lancaster stuff (so great for the ego, btw), I have moved on with my imaginary life.

Right now, I’m waist-deep in a new story (Hear that folks? New story) titled To Catch A Marlin.  Each day, I find myself anxious to dive in (barring there's no distractions from the real world—but boy, they can’t seem to take a hint) and hack away at the keyboard to conjure up words.  And like the last work in progress I just completed, I’m noticing I’ve become anti-social again.  Well, more so than usual.  It’s like 75% of my attention is still lodged into the new world in my head, while the other 25% performs the usual day-to-day tasks.  I have been told I tend to ‘wander’ (I never really noticed that until it was brought to my attention) and my temper tantrums tend to rise miraculously too (just picture a protective dog guarding her pups with bared teeth and nasty little snaps).  I've even got the 'go-away' glower down pat (oh, and the growl).

Of course, I’m not really conscious of these occurrences (it could be PMS too—just saying), especially when I’m only utilizing 25% of my brain.  I mean, seriously, there’s multitasking, and then there's micro-multitasking.  Jeez, I can’t do everything and be aware I’m doing it!  Hubby has learned to read the signals well (for self-preservation reasons) and quite enjoys when #amwriting.  He can surf the TV channels to his hearts content.

Anyway, you do know this is all tongue-and-cheek (not really…kidding, kidding) and I’m sure most of you do, or are afflicted with the same.  Maybe I should do like those construction workers and put up a sign saying: ‘Work In Progress: #amwriting.’  Even better: ‘Disturb At Your Own Risk.’  No?  Too blunt?  #justsaying.

I any case, I shall get back to #amwriting…

Cheers!

T.K. Toppin

SFFSat - May 26

Welcome to another SFFSat, where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and shoot the breeze.  Thanks also to everyone who stops by and leaves awesome comments.  Much appreciated.

Today I'm going back to my WIP, To Catch A Marlin tale (a futuristic cat and mouse chase involving Special Inspector Michael Pedroni and the vigilante he chases, Jax Marlin...who he has become smitten with.  Well, Jax is quite beautifully exotic, as vigilante's go).

In this scene, Jax is on board the Beemer, a pirate space ship captained by her old friend Sagittarius (better known as Taris).

As they made their way to the bridge, Taris indicated to a dock hand to cut loose Mimosa’s ship and seal down the hatches.  “Well, it's midnight by my clock and we’ve all had our puds and cocoa already.  Don’t worry, Cookie saved you some when he heard you were coming back on board.  Made you a special...uh...garter cake.
          Jax chuckled.  "You mean, gâteau."
          "Eh?  Right, so it is.  Huh, hear you.  Just because you had some education, don't go all la-dee-dah on me."  Taris clicked his tongue and frowned.  "You know, I worry about Cookie.  Don't think pirating is his calling in life.  Spends too much time experimenting with the food."
          "He is the cook."
          "Yes, yes.  But he could show some initiative sometimes.  You know, like steal things once in a while.  All he's doing is making stuff to get us all fat."  Taris tapped his belly with a meaty hand.  It did look a little rounder since the last time Jax saw him.  "Pirates can't afford to get all gouty and cholesteroly."

If you're interested in participating in next week's SFF Saturday, stop by their sign-up blog which is open every Wednesdays.  And don't forget to follow the rules and use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Meet Wayne Basta - Aristeia: A Little Rebellion Blog Tour

Today, I'm welcoming Wayne Basta, science fiction writer.  I met Wayne through SFFS (Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday) where a collection of SF and F writers meet regularly to post little snippets of our works.

Wayne is about to release his second novel in the Aristeia series, and I'm just one stop on his blog tour.  Let's get to know a little more Wayne and his books...

Aristeia: A Little Rebellion

Unlike her brother, Saracasi Ocaitchi has always known that her loyalties belong to the ideals of freedom and democracy, not the government of the Alliance, and that protecting those ideals would require a fight. But now that the rebellion she has dreamed about has finally begun, she must come to terms with what that truly means: for herself, for her brother, and for all of the people who will die in the coming war.

The second novel in the Aristeia Series by Wayne Basta. Available June 1, 2012.

You can visit the authors website at http://waynebasta.com for more information and to enter a contest to win FREE books.

You can find the first book, Aristeia: Revolutionary Right on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo in ebook, paperback and hardback.

Website: http://waynebasta.com

Contest Link: http://waynebasta.com/aristeia-contest/

Wayne is also offering a Prelaunch Blitz so check it out: http://waynebasta.com/aristeia-contest/prelaunch-purchase-blitz/

And just what is Aristeia?  Wayne explains for us...

Aristeia (Greek): is a scene in the dramatic conventions of such works as the Iliad in which a hero in battle has his finest moments

The main inspiration for much of my writing comes from my love of history. In this case, the American Revolution. One thing that fascinates me about history is the difference between actual events and the common perception of the story. Here in the US, the Founding Fathers who participated in the war are larger than life heroes. In reality, they were just ordinary men in an extraordinary time; flaws and all. This in no means diminishes their accomplishments, but instead raises them up from caricatures of ideals to genuine people.

When writing Revolutionary Right, I set out to combine that flawed aspect of historical heroes with the concept of aristeia; and to tie them together in a fun space adventure setting. This book follows Maarkean Ocaitchi as he goes from a man down on his luck but still loyal to the Alliance to a man the galaxy at large perceives as a heroic revolutionary leader. Throughout the book he faces his aristeia moment while his loyalty is torn between his government, his family and his beliefs. In the end, he has to decide if he is the traitor he thinks he is, or the hero everyone else says he is.

In this new book, A Little Rebellion, Maarkean has made his decision about where his loyalties lie. This book moves to follow his sister Saracasi, as fate moves her toward her moment and she has to decide what kind of person she wants to be; the peaceful idealist or the fiery revolutionary.

While each book heavily features one characters aristeia moment and follows their personal journey, the books include a wide array of interesting characters. No hero is ever alone on their journey and no revolution is ever won by one person. It takes a large swell of people, each with their own unique story to tell.

Here's a little bit more about Wayne:

As a child, Wayne Basta was introduced to science fiction at a young age by his father. Mainstream hits like Star Trek and Star Wars were followed by old Tom Swift novels and then classics like Asimov and Clarke. Growing up on Florida's space coast only served to fuel his imagination and love of space, science and adventure.

At the age of 9, his family got their first home computer, an old Macintosh Plus, and he immediately used it to start writing science fiction adventure stories. He continued writing as a hobby all the way through college at the University of Florida, where he initially pursued a career in the US Navy until an injury changed his plans. Wayne then spent several years teaching high school and working in the education non-profit sector before coming back to his old dream of writing.

Wayne currently lives in Houston with his wife, son, and dog. He remains a fan of geek culture, board games, video games, fantasy, science fiction and all around silliness.

Well, there you have it.  Now show Wayne some love, leave some comments for him to smile over.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers!

SFFSat - May 19

Welcome to another SFFSat, where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and shoot the breeze.  Thanks also to everyone who stops by and leaves awesome comments.  Much appreciated.

Today a WIP from a working short, The Marlin Strikes Again, from the To Catch A Marlin tale (a futuristic cat and mouse chase involving Special Inspector Michael Pedroni and the vigilante he chases, Jax Marlin...who he has become smitten with.  Well, Jax is quite beautifully exotic, as vigilante's go).

In this scene, Jax has just apprehended a pedophile and about to take him away to "punish" him...

Like an arena wrangler, she had him prostrate, restraints slapped across his wrists and a muzzle cone jammed into his mouth.  Mechanical cords automatically whipped out from the cone’s sides and wrapped around his face, holding the muzzle in place.  If he tried to scream, which he did, the cone would activate and drive itself further down his throat.  If he kept it up, he’d choke himself slowly.  If he were smart, he’d learn to shut up.  Either way, she didn’t care what he did—the more he suffered, the better. She needed a fast out, unnoticed, and was glad she brought her airboard.  Good thing she came prepared.  She hadn’t expected to actually find the pedophile, but her hunch had directed her well.

If you're interested in participating in next week's SFF Saturday, stop by their sign-up blog which is open every Wednesdays.  And don't forget to follow the rules and use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Meet Raymond Masters (Forging Truth Blog Tour)

Today I'm hosting Raymond Masters as he stops by on his Forging Truth blog tour.  He tells us a little bit about himself, as well as about his book, aptly named Forging Truth.

Hello, everyone. My name is Raymond F. Masters; and like many of you, I wouldn't be where I am today without the love and support of my mother. We just celebrated Mother's Day over at my grandmother's house, and it was wonderful to be around the family again. So, what did I get for the mothers in my life? Well, books, of course. I gave my mom the newest Dark Tower novel, The Wind Through the Keyhole. My son and I gave my wife the latest in the Infernal Devices and Mortal Instruments series.

My mother has always been an ambassador to other worlds. When I was in elementary, she and I would travel into various Hank the Cowdog or Rats of NIMH books. In high school, these were shelved to make room for the Star Trek: The Next Generation novels. She introduced me to the joy of not only being read to, but also of reading aloud to others. Oftentimes, we would trade off reading by alternating chapters.

Oh, and the voices…! She would do the most incredible variety of characters. Though neither of us realized it, this was the biggie that would forever shape my future writing. Thanks to mom's characterizations, I developed a real ear for dialog. Of course, I'm biased here, but I feel the beats between characters, and even the voice of my stories, come across much better than they would have, otherwise.

I feel this has also shaped the type of story to which I am drawn. I like action, drama, and comedy as much as the next reader, but if the story is lacking character, then I find myself checking out sooner rather than later. Moreover, I have carried that love of character over to my writing. I do have the elements I listed, above, all throughout Forging Truth, but it's the character interactions between Kade and Caduceus or Kade and Mao that truly makes it real.

As a way of offering thanks, I dedicated my first novel, Forging Truth, to my mother. As it says, she's been my lifelong friend and grammar coach. Naturally, my novel has some grammatical errors, but as the song says, "Momma tried."

I dedicate this novel to Fonda Masters, the best mother a boy could ask for. Any love and power that show through the character of Tabitha Truth comes directly from her. She’s my lifelong friend and grammar coach.

Tabitha is, of course, Kade's mother. As the reader discovers, there have been certain hardships in their relationship. As the story begins, that relationship is pretty strained, in fact. The two haven't spoken in far too long. It's revealed over time that Tabitha had a reason for taking the actions, which caused the rift between mother and son.

Moms always have their reasons. Sons often forget this.

Tabitha is, indeed, a very strong and caring mother. She's spiritual and deeply rooted in her beliefs. She has passed this along to her son, as did my own mom. It is this compassion that has helped to wind Kade's moral compass.

But will his compass always point to true north? Well, you'll have to wait until Corrupting Truth for that answer.  Until then, please, check the first book in the series via the links below. Thanks for letting me play in your sandbox. Oh, and please, drop me a line and let me know what you think of the book.

Well, there you go.  Thanks Raymond, it was a pleasure to meet you and letting us get to know you a little.  And if you'd like to find him or his book on the web, see the links below:

Blog: http://raymondmasters.wordpress.com/

Where to find Forging Truth:
Kindle 
Paperback

Kickstarter Fundraiser:

“Fund The Truth Saga Book 2 and Get Books 1 and 2″

Thanks everyone for stopping by.

Cheers!

SFFSat - May 12

Welcome to another SFFSat, where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and shoot the breeze.  Thanks also to everyone who stops by and leaves awesome comments.  Much appreciated.

Today a WIP from the full length, To Catch A Marlin tale (a futuristic cat and mouse chase involving Special Inspector Michael Pedroni and the vigilante he chases, Jax Marlin...who he has become smitten with.  Well, Jax is quite beautifully exotic, as vigilante's go).

In this scene, Inspector Pedroni walks into the Neptune hotel, on the Bacchus Dome, hoping to find some clues on Jax's whereabouts.

The Neptune hit him square between his eyes with its opulence.  Like being sucked into a whirlpool of an underwater fantasyland, oceanic features dominated the décor and theme of the hotel.  A roar of rushing water filled his ears, the air moist with a fine spray of wetness and a hint of saltiness tickled his nose.  When he looked down, wondering why his feet moved oddly, he realized he walked on sand and seashells. 
        So, this is what it looks like.  He couldn't help the smile tugging his mouth.  Like most of his generation, he'd grown up in the city, never once seeing the ocean—let alone clean, white sand on the seashore.  Something darted across the sand, a crab bot.  At least, he hoped it was a crab bot.  He'd heard real crabs were partial to biting hard.  As he walked further into the entrance lobby, virtual water frothed at his feet before ebbing back inside.
        "Now that is cool," he muttered with a grin.  Immediately feeling like an idiot, he quickly glanced around to see if anyone heard.

If you're interested in participating in next week's SFF Saturday, stop by their sign-up blog which is open every Wednesdays.  And don't forget to follow the rules and use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

THE ETERNAL KNOT Rated BEST BOOK

Well, it's a good thing I decided to sign up for Google Alerts, else this amazing new review from The Long and Short Reviews for THE ETERNAL KNOT would've slipped right by me and into oblivion.

What a way to start the week, when the email notification shows me this.  And on top of that, it was rated as Best Book!!  Wow!  There I was, busy looking for star ratings and thinking, ew...it only got a single star...until I squinted and leaned in closer and saw Best Book.  Scrolling a bit, under the cover art...Best Book.  I believe that is the point I sort got a little lightheaded because I remember blinking quite a bit.

And lookie, they gave me a little badge:

Anyways, I'll just go lie down now... ;P

Cheers.

SFFSat - May 05

Welcome to another SFFSat, where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and shoot the breeze.  Thanks also to everyone who stops by and leaves awesome comments.  Much appreciated.

Today a WIP from a short story, part of the To Catch A Marlin tale (a futuristic cat and mouse chase involving Special Inspector Michael Pedroni and the vigilante he chases, Jax Marlin...who he has become smitten with.  Well, Jax is quite beautifully exotic, as vigilante's go).  It's a bit darker than usual.

Taken from To Catch A Marlin - The Necromancer of the Avon.  In this scene, Inspector Pedroni is on board the derelict battlecruiser, the Avon, which has been missing for over 25 years.  What he finds on board is rather gruesome...

Jax Marlin did not have a hand in this.

He smelled slaughter.

The Avon reeked of it.  Old death, accumulating from years of violence, seasoned the air with its thick, heady stench.  The walls inside the main docking bay dripped with sheets of ice, trapping the gruesome brown streaks that could only be made from high velocity blood spatter.  The passageway fared no better.  Protected from the biting cold of space, the walls and floor shone with the horror of more death.  Years upon years of blood splashed everywhere.  Some had faded, others looked like they had only been made as recent as a week ago.  It smelled fresh.  Layer upon layer of blood presented itself as Pedroni and his team walked the long corridor.

If you're interested in participating in next week's SFF Saturday, stop by their sign-up blog which is open every Wednesdays.  And don't forget to follow the rules and use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Re-Charging Batteries

So, over the weekend that just went, I skeedaddled out of the house to spend time with the inlaws in what is becoming an annual event.  Here in Barbados, we locals celebrate Heroes Day on April 28, then right on its heels, there is the May Day bank holiday.  Since we love our little holidays and long weekends, you're sure to find us all kicking back and having a chill.

Five stories up, taking in the view.

For the past three years, we've been hitting the rustic charms of the Crane Resort, commandeering a penthouse suite so we can chill and kick back while (collectively) watching and (unavoidably) listening to the shrill peels of excitement from two young boys -- my nephews (might I add, the youngest is at his traumatic Terrible Two's and boy, does he let the entire world know it).

Lunch with a view

This year, like the last two, I took my trusty MacBook to hack out some words on pending WIPs.  Each year I seem to mark my time at the Crane with memories of written words.  The Eternal Knot was finalized there, Bengaria's War saw a crucial moment in a fight scene come to life, and my current WIP, To Catch A Marlin saw my protagonist, Jax, wheedling her way trying to infiltrate into a weapons dealer's good favour.  As writing goes, I think I did pretty good while I split my time between being sociable and catching some pool time with everyone.

My toes are liking the view of the Atlantic Ocean

Facing due east into the Atlantic Ocean, more or less, the Crane offers bracing, salt-infused breezes, choppy waves -- and at times, lackluster WIFI signals, possibly to ensure you do nothing more than to relax in a reclining position and recharge.  (This year, we had a router in our rooms, so I was never without my internet fix, so to me, that's a perfect holiday!)

But, all good things must end, and so I've returned to my regularly scheduled routine -- a bit sunburnt but definitely relaxed and ready to tackle the plot lines of my WIP.

Cheers!