Small Updates

1) As of this past Wednesday, my brother is a second lieutenant in the Air Force. Whoo Hoo! He's hunting a house while his family returns home to finish packing for the move.

2) At the Club, I'm preparing the kids for a mock election. It's amazing how opinionated 10-year-olds can be about the next president. There's one boy who snagged a form letter his father received from the McCain campaign, read it through, then proceeded to tell his dad all sorts of facts about McCain that were not already in the letter.

3) Football and soccer season are in full swing, so work's busier. I manage the soccer concession. In a few minutes, I'm heading to Sam's Club to pick up more supplies. Thank God for trucks.

4) I've finally finished the first draft of Episode 4 of Thieves' Honor. This one is the first in a possible three-episode arc concerning Finney, pilot of the Martina Vega, and there are a lot of characters and events to track throughout the story, so I anticipate at least three or four edits before sending it in to the magazine. You can catch the first episode at the September issue of Ray Gun Revival; the October issue is due later this week. This is some of the funnest hard work I've ever done in the writing realm.

Marcher Lord Press, Day Three: Summa Elvetica

My concluding entry in this month's Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour concerns the Summa Elvetica by Theodore Beale, coming soon from Marcher Lord Press.

Summa Elvetica might almost be called historical fantasy. Beale sets his story in an alternate version of republican Rome--or, to be more specific, Rome after the rise of the Catholic Church--and sends his protagonist, Marcus Valerius, on a mission: to Elebrion, by order of the Sanctiff, to determine whether or not elves have souls.

Does an elf have a soul? No, that was taking it too far at the start. In the beginning was God, who made Man in His image. God also made the animals, albeit not in His image. God also made the elves, but were they then more properly akin to Man or to the animals? [Marcus] already inclined toward the former, but upon reflection, there were significant points to be made on either side.

When we first encounter elves--two of them, standing near the Sanctiff himself--their fair appearance and strange tattoos bring to mind Celts and Saxons and other northern peoples conquered by Rome whose tales included accounts of human-like but otherworldly beings. These two elves are also going to accompany Marcus to Elebrion.

I like the idea of dwarves being gladiators. (Very cool--unexpected, and yet totally logical, given the accepted physical characteristics and temperaments of dwarves in literature.) Marcus and his cousin hire an injured gladiator named Lodi to be a bodyguard on the journey.

"You don't think the elves will object?"

"About what?"

"Why, about your dwarf, of course." Zephanus flushed as the sorcerer-elf, seemingly far enough ahead of them in the train to be out of earshot, suddenly turned around and glanced at him. Then the sorcerer shrugged and turned back to his conversation with his elven companion.

"Apparently not,"Marcus said, stifling a smile. Marcipor was riding ahead, engaged in an animated conversation with three of the Michaelines and gesturing in a lordly manner.

"Well, what do you know?" Zephanus said. "Those long ears really do serve a purpose after all!"

"All things serve a purpose, brother," Marcus said. "Our inability to discern that purpose does not indicate its absence, only our shortcomings."

The soldier-priests, Michaelines, are another cool inclusion in the story, and attend the journey as scouts and warriors.

It arrived later than the other manuscripts, so I was unable to finish reading Summa Elvetica before this month's blog tour began, but I fully intend finishing it and then checking out more of Beale's work. A list of his novels, short stories, and other writing can be found here.

Check out the opening chapter of Summa Elvetica here, or the awesome cover art here. (It's hard for me to decide which of MLP's initial three books has the best cover art; it's all different, and it's all excellent. And who's to say I have to pick a favorite? I'm an equal-opportunity admirer.)

I've enjoyed my glimpse of what's to come from Marcher Lord Press, and believe Jeff Gerke has years of success ahead of him as he continues to provide a conduit for excellent fiction for an eager and intelligent audience.

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Kameron M. Franklin
Beth Goddard
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Tina Kulesa
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Marcher Lord Press, Day Two: Hero, Second Class

Another book on offer from new publisher, Marcher Lord Press, is Hero, Second Class, and the title alone lets you know what's coming next: a fun, intelligent send-up of the fantasy genre. Anything that opens like this is not going to take itself seriously:

Dawn poked her rosy fingers across the sky.

And promptly tore two small holes in it.

Vertis the Sky God repaired the holes and scolded Dawn, sending her off to get a manicure.

There are Guilds for Heroes or Villains--thus the title of the book--and there are, of course, guild rules.

..."Sir Ogleby, is aught amiss?"

"No, your Majesty, it's probably nothing. After all, Sir Grant is more than competent." Reginald settled back in his chair and looked unhappy.

"'Tis a shame your Guild dictates noninvolvement in our mundane affairs unless Villains are involved," the King said....

The merchant Goldwater turned to Reginald, a quizzical expression on his pale face. "The Guild of Heroes won't let you protect the King?....

"What do you think the Palace Guard and the King's Own are for?" Reginald replied, leaning back uneasily. "If a Hero came by and did their job for them every time someone attacked the castle, what do you think that would do to their morale?"

Indeed. Not to mention the need to give the Minions something to do.

And the "war stories":

The Villain drew the dire claymore and brought it to bear on the Hero. "I received this wound during my slaughter of half the graduating class at the Hero Academy ten years ago."

"Ten years ago?" Reginald stared into the Villain's eyes, then laughed. "You lie. I can see it in your eyes. Besides, my previous apprentice graduated from the Academy ten years ago--there was no such incident!"

Sawface shrugged. "No, but it makes for a better story. Have at you!"

"The Hero leapt forward, landing a crushing blow on the Villain's shoulder-plate!" Reginald bellowed, leaping forward and landing a crushing blow on the Villain's shoulder-plate. "Are you getting this, lad?"

Cyrus started. "Getting what now?"

"My narration!"

Apparently, no self-respecting Hero conducts battle or other heroic deeds without a good running commentary, even if he must supply it himself.

For a more entertaining summary than I can give the book, read the interview with author Mitchell Bonds, and that will give you a definite flavor of the rest of the story.

To graduate from mere flavor to a heaping tablespoon full, click here to read the first chapter. Guaranteed to make you laugh out loud at least once--or at least make you giggle.

For those readers who like to check out the title page, there isn't one, but here's a sampling of the chapter titles, along with their attendant subtitles--entertaining in their own right, even if you haven't yet read the rest of the story:

Chapter 1 The Time Which Once Was Upon, In which the Reader first Meets the Protagonist, and he Passes a Test

Chapter 2 Of Villains and Vocabulary, In which the Apprentice Hero Learns some of the Many Failing of Heroes and Villains And also learns to Take Notes

Chapter 3 Five Years Later, In which Five Years have passed between This Chapter and Chapter Two, and the Villains begin to Plot

Chapter 5 Another Twist in the Tale, In which the Reader learns Geography, Cyrus Discusses Political Economics, and the Villains Set Their Plans in Motion

Chapter 8 Evil Takes No Naps, In which some Bad Things happen, and a Conflict is Resolved

and two of my favorite titles,

Chapter 9 Revenge Served Cold, In which the Party Encounters a Foe and soundly Kicks his Hindmost Part

Chapter 14 All Good Things Must Come to an End, In which there is a Lecture, Diabolical Plotting, and Unkindness to a Dragon

As with The Personifid Invasion, the cover art on Hero, Second Class is excellent. Check it out here.

I'm looking forward to more insanity from young Mr. Bonds.

Tomorrow: Summa Elvetica by Theodore Beale.

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Kameron M. Franklin
Beth Goddard
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
Tina Kulesa
Jason Waguespac

Marcher Lord Press, Day One: The Personifid Invasion

September's Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour features a new print-media publisher, Marcher Lord Press, which specializes in Christian speculative fiction.

The official launch is October 1, but I and others in the tour have been reading some of the work soon to be offered to the reading public, and it's pretty darn good stuff. The quality and variety of the writing is excellent, the cover art is awesome, and I'm already a fan.

You can visit the website for information about which kinds of books MLP is interested in producing, the first three authors to be published by MLP, or about the founder, Jeff Gerke, so I won't discuss that here. (rubbing my palms in anticipation) I'd rather talk about the books.

The first: The Personifid Invasion by R.E. Bartlett.

Honestly, the title doesn't intrigue me. It suggests aliens or something akin to Imposter (I'm not all that interested in alien-related tales, but I enjoyed the movie based on a Philip K. Dick short story). And The Personifid Invasion is the second book in a series, and I prefer to start at the beginning.

I gave it the length of a chapter in which to grab my attention. I read two or three chapters before I realized I was well past the goal line, and sprinting ahead.

It has an interesting premise: In the future, human beings can trade in their bodies for all sorts of other types of structures to house their consciousness, from perfect human-like bodies to robotic forms to even animal shapes. There is a price to be paid, however, a trading of one's soul in a search for a contentment that cannot be found by inhabiting a beautiful shell.

God (the Tri-une Soul) is spoken about or addressed by characters, and Biblical themes are present throughout the story, but there are no "Gospel bludgeons" to beat the reader over the head. Yes, there are characters who are missionaries of sorts, seeking out personifids and other lost souls, but I who detest saccharine or sermonizing was not put off by the blatant Christian underpinnings of the novel. Rather, I admire Ms. Bartlett's skill in weaving the truth of Gospel into a page-turning science fiction tale that I believe Christians and non-Christians alike may enjoy.

The thumbnail picture above is just a detail from the cover illustration. Check out the full artwork.

Also, for my fellow geeks, click here to check out the animation segment and the art in MLP's gallery.

Tomorrow: Hero, Second Class.

Meantime, check out these other blogs on the tour:

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Kameron M. Franklin
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
Tina Kulesa
Jason Waguespac

Wandering the Internet in Search of the Elusive Quote Bird

After a longer-than-usual workday, which also involved more physical labor than usual, and a mountain of desk work that I brought home to complete before deadlines next week, I didn't anticipate writing a blog entry until Monday.

However, this quote attributed to science-fiction writer Jack McDevitt keeps cropping up in my life: "When it rains in a Burroughs novel, the reader gets wet."

Curious about the source of the quote, and then about McDevitt, I looked him up online. The last page I read was the most recent journal entry on his website. Below are the last few paragraphs of that entry:

SPOILER ALERT for Seeker: A number of readers have written to say they could see the end coming from a mile away. That's not necessarily a problem, at least as far as I'm concerned. But there's an interesting adjunct to the story. One of the more common questions at workshops is whether I have a complete outline for a book before I start. The answer is no. Usually, I have a set-up and a conclusion. With Alex Benedict, that means a mysterious event, and a reasonable solution that does not rely on super science or the intervention of aliens or some such thing.

With Seeker, two ships and a mission had gone missing during the third millennium. If you've read the book, you know how it ends. You might be interested to know that my original intention was not at all to end it the way I did. Chase & Alex were going to find, not a thriving civilization when they finally tracked down the mission's detination, but instead would encounter only an AI. "Hello," it would say, "how are you?" Everything else was gone, unable to sustan itself during its early years without support from home. In fact, I wrote the first draft that way, and was several pages into the conclusion when I realized it was the wrong climax. I sensed what everybody else did: That the narrative was building to a party. So, remembering Terry Carr's dictum that the reader should not go through 400 pages to be let down at the end, I went back and did it right.

It's the advice I always give at workshops: When your plans comflict with your instincts, follow your instincts.

Jack

To my knowledge, I've never read any of his work, or Carr's, but even strangers in the literary realm can come to the same conclusions. A piece of advice that I always give the writers whose work I edit: "Be true to the story." Seems like I'm not alone in that.

Very cool.

Playing Catch-Up

"I've been busy"--a short, factual phrase that doesn't begin to cover the details--and have had to let some things go, this blog being one of them.

By "let go," I mean "put off until later."

The regular readers have wandered elsewhere in the interim, so perhaps I am blogging to the void. Nevertheless, I am still here, just occupied with other tasks.

One thing that keeps cropping up in discussions of writers and marketing is the need to 1) blog, and 2) create pages on social networking sites, such as FaceBook or MySpace. I'm not sure about those yet. After all, I can't even keep a blog in good working order. But I'll be back in the thick of it soon.

This weekend, there's a virtual stack of reading 

material on my computer's desktop, most of it required reading. I don't usually like to read long documents on my computer screen, but one novel--The Personifid Invasion by R. E. Bartlett, coming soon from Marcher Lord Press--is fantastic, and I'll be writing more about it in the upcoming Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour later this month. 

158 pages down, 196 to go.

Ray Gun Revival and Thieves' Honor

Issue #46 of online science fiction magazine, Ray Gun Revival, is now up and ready to read.

Wander on over and check out fantastic artwork, great columns, and an entertaining array of science fiction. Great fun for readers who love the old pulps or just enjoy good stories.

My serial, Thieves' Honor, debuts in this issue of RGR, and I'd like to know your feedback--the good, the bad, and the indifferent--on the first episode.

Thanks to all of you who followed the story on this blog, when I was posting short episodes under the title of "Space Pirates." You can follow along with upcoming episodes by reading them for free at Ray Gun Revival each month, and by downloading the PDF version of the magazine.