Lord of Chaos

Almost a totally wasted day...

2010-02-25T03:23:00.000-08:00

On Amazon.com, in the fantasy forums, there are several threads called KTT. The object is to be the last person to post and 'kill the thread' to win a signed book. The real pleasure is in actually participating in the conversations and enjoying the rather insane banter that goes on there. Somewhere during the last part of KTT 11, I got busy and did not keep up with it. Today, after a twelve hour effort, I finally caught up. It is now a 'zombie' thread, since the book has already been won and the thread killed per se. But people are still posting. I think one of my favorite aspects are the filks that get posted there.

As a result of wasting all that time catching up with KTT 11, I thought my 1k a day quota would fall by the wayside. Fortunately, my muse cooperated tonight and Vengeance is still progressing at just over 1000 words a day. I think I'm going to try to break the 50k mark tomorrow. We'll see.

Have a great whatever, more later...

Blasted muse and the tricky games she plays...

2010-02-24T03:31:00.000-08:00

There are times when the muse gives you a perfectly played out scene then sits back and laughs at you as you struggle to find a way to get to it. Tonight was one of those times. It took over three frustrating hours to write the first fifty or so words of Chapter 16. Afterwards, the story flowed like a flash flood. In spite of the little games my muse likes to play, I made my daily quota. Unfortunately, kaben nine had to be neglected. He is currently sleeping off a rather rough day in Martel's torture cellar so probably needs the rest anyway.

Edited to add: I should wait until I'm awake to rant. The next paragraph is not targeted to the entire group of atheists/agnostics. I'm sure the vast majority of them are intelligent, open-minded people. The ones I had in mind are the obnoxious, ignorant, and noisy few who do not believe that their religious freedom rights end where the next person's begin. If they are so easily offended, that is their problem, and their problem alone.

On another note, I read an article in Linn's Stamp News that an atheist/agnostic organization is protesting the release of the upcoming Mother Theresa stamp. I find it a shame that these people, who must be very unhappy, can find nothing better to do than to try to make everyone else's life as miserable as their own. My thoughts are: if you don't like the stamp, don't buy it. On the last census I read, only 2% of our nation's population fall into the atheist/agnostic religious category. That works out to be about 2 people out of a hundred. Granted, there are other religions besides Christianity out there, this group seems to be the only one who is offended by such things. Since they are so few in number, maybe they should find an isolated island where they could all go and be miserably happy together without ruining everyone else's lives.

Anyway, more updates later...

Combined Council - 1

2010-02-23T00:21:00.000-08:00

Chapter 15 is completed and with it the Combined Council loses another member. I won't go into details and spoil the fun. Both Vengeance of the Ghost and kaben nine enjoyed my attention today. The 1k a day quota was met, though barely. I'll be starting Chapter 16 tomorrow which will focus on a little chaos at the farm.

So far in this volume, Delmaria has refrained from kicking anymore buckets.

Updates and such...

2010-02-22T02:15:00.000-08:00

Both Vengeance of the Ghost and kaben nine are progressing well. I've set a personal quota of at least 1,000 words a day for Vengeance. So far, I've been doing well with keeping that goal. kaben nine is the story I intend to finish after the release of Vengeance. There is no quota for it. I work on it when it becomes a distraction. It is a completely different style from the Lord of Chaos Trilogy. There is only one main character and it is a darker tale. The chapters are also much longer. So far, it fits more into the 'Horror/Thriller' genre with a bit of fantasy thrown in for good measure.

Vengeance will explain the origins of Stumpy. Several of the other gods have already been introduced this way in the first book. Some who have not, died before the opportunity to do so presented itself. The trilogy will end with the third book. Although some of the characters may appear in future stories, I'll be taking a break from them at least until kaben nine is complete.

Stamps:
I managed to find an older edition of Michel's Austria Specialized catalog rather cheaply priced and am now the proud owner of it. Mr. Schneider told me that even though it was written in German, it would be a great help in identifying the earlier stamps and their variations. I find this to be very true so far. Besides, Google Translate is very helpful. I've learned that sometimes I have to split the German words to get a translation, and with some fiddling here and there, everything I've encountered in the Michel guide, Google can translate.

I've begun working on a web site for my stamp collection. Part of it includes a cross reference of three of the major stamp guides and their numbering systems. I'm not totally happy with the layout yet, so expect it to change. It is also far from completed, although, the majority of my feeble collection is posted. You can find those pages here.

Autographs:
Slowly but surely, I'm getting my autograph collection scanned and posted to my facebook page. There are over a hundred there already and there will be at least that many more to come. Drop by and check them out!

Stamp Stuff...answers

2010-01-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

There is this really kewl stamp store based in Illinois that I usually go to when I have a dollar or two to throw at my collection. It is run by Ralph Schneider and I asked if he would look at the last post I made and answer some of my questions. I did not think he would have the time to do it or if he did get around to it, he would get back to me in a week or so. His answers arrived just a few hours after I sent him the link.

His store is here: R. Schneider Stamps

Scott # 1: (MI 1Xb) orange on hand made paper.
Scott # 2: appears to be hand made paper, but he wasn't sure.
Scott # 3: The first is hand made paper, the second he couldn't tell. Neither are laid paper.
Scott # 5: Both are type II printing (he did explain that how to be sure would be a very long answer.)

He did not mention # 4, but he did lead me to the book I need to get to do my research. I think I mentioned that neither Scotts, nor ANK provided adequate descriptions as to determining what is what. Mr. Schneider recommended the Michel Austria Specialized catalog. He also recommended that I join AUSPS (Austrian Philatelic Society) which I will look into. From what I can gather at this time, joining would be a great learning experience.

Vengeance of the Ghost is progressing. The editting session of last weekend was a great help. Some rather jumpy parts to the story were ironed out so that it reads much easier. Besides that, their input is always great motivation.

More later,
Tanner

A couple more stamps:

This poor stamp (filler till I can get a better one) is Scott # 28: 3 kreuzer green from the 1867-72 issue.
This is Scott # 29: 5 kreuzer rose also from 1867-72 issue. I believe it is the Type II variety.

Scott # 41: 2 kreuzer brown from 1883.
Scott # 42: 3 kreuzer green, also 1883
Scott # 43: 5 kreuzer rose from 1883.

All of these stamps are fillers until I get better copies.

Stamp stuff

2010-01-25T02:51:00.000-08:00

One of my many hobbies is stamp collecting. I've been playing around with it on and off for many years. My most recent delving into the hobby is focused on Austrian stamps. Stamp collecting, regardless of the country or subject, has many nuances that must be learned. For example: the first five Austrian issues have quite a few varieties. They were issued on two types of paper, handmade and machine made and there are several varieties to the actual designs and colors. I'm finding that the Scott's catalog and the ANK catalog are not much help with determining which is which.

Scott # 1. I have yet to discover how to determine the paper used for the issue. The Type I variety is supposed to have one heavy line around the coat of arms center. The Type III has two thinner lines around the center. I'm not exactly sure which lines they are talking about.

1 Kreuzer yellow. Either 1850 or 1854 (depending on the paper.)

Scott # 2:

2 Kreuzer black.

Scott # 3: I have 2 of these and I'm not sure if they are the same issue or one of each issue. The first one, when compared to the second one, appears to be handmade paper. This is a guess on my part. It could be 'laid paper' which is another variety for this stamp.
3 Kreuzer red.

Scott # 4: This one, like numbers 2 and 3, could also be on ribbed paper. I have yet to find out how to tell if the paper is ribbed or not. The ribbed paper variety is for the 1850 issue.
6 Kreuzer brown.

Scott # 5: I believe that these are both either type II or type III due to the '9' being much higher than the word 'Kreuzer'. Once again, the thick line or 2 thinner lines around the coat of arms will determine the final outcome. Once that is determined, the paper used needs to be identified.

9 Kreuzer blue

I'm posting this blog in the hope that someone sees it and helps rid me of some ignorance. I would be greatly appreciative if someone does that!

More later...

More progress...

2010-01-16T23:06:00.000-08:00

Vengeance of the Ghost has finally broken the 30,000 word mark and Chapter 11 is written. I'm finding the third book to be much darker than the first two. I believe Arienna, Mistress and Kht-dulm are the reason for this. Just like most nasty-bad types, they like to get a lot of attention. Chapter 11 features Kht-dulm and sets up some other stuff that will happen soon.

I know of at least one reader who had difficulty with seeing Karnak as evil. His role in the story makes it very difficult to show his 'true' self. I do try to bring out his nature in some of his dialogue. If it were his story, things would be much different. I mention that, because I don't believe the evil characters in Vengeance will disappoint that reader.

kaben nine has also made a return visit to me. Before long I will have to return to his story or he will begin depriving me of sleep again. As for now, Chapter 12 begins tomorrow. Next Saturday, I meet with my support group friends and I'm really looking forward to it. These meetings are usually quite unpredictable, but they always center my focus and make the writing process much easier. I don't think I'd have made it this far without those people.

More later,
Thanks for reading!

Progress, slow but getting there...

2010-01-14T23:49:00.000-08:00

Vengeance of the Ghost is progressing. I've finally finished the first draft of Chapter 10. It has taken so long that I am going back over the story before beginning Chapter 11. This helped solve one of the problems I've been having. Chapter 4 originally had the seduction of Simon by his older sister in it. This being the third book of the series and that subject matter appearing for the first time, I decided to cut it. This left Chapter 4 rather skeletal and rushed. During the re-read, I worked on it again. The skeletal framework gave me a good start to building the new Simon. I think it reads much better now.

The second problem I've been having was that I was fighting the story to make it go my way. This began in Chapter 10. At first it was going to be the start of the war between the dwarves and the deep-elves. That didn't work so I changed it to concentrate on what was happening to Tal. The result was that a certain elf was going to die, or so I thought. Apparently, the story didn't want the character I wanted to kill the elf to do the deed. The story had other plans. After fighting to get my way for over a month, I decided to surrender to the story and things turned out much better. The elf that was going to die still lives, though probably not long and another problem that I would have had later has been solved. Hopefully, I'll be caught up with my re-read and moving on to chapter 11 tomorrow.

During the writing of the first two novels, I had several friends encouraging me along the way. They provided the support I needed to believe what I was writing was good enough to publish. Over the last few months, real life has made their lives too hectic to give the story much attention and my support and belief went with them. I have no bad feelings towards them, they are friends and I realize that other things are far more important than reading someone's story. It just makes the writing far more difficult. I find myself questioning every word I put on the word-processor. I'm sure they'll be back when things calm down, but until then, writing will probably be slow.

At this point, I still plan to have Vengeance out by May or June. That will be delayed if the book has not reached the standard of professionalism I expect my stories to have. I'll keep posting updates as the book progresses.

Thanks for reading.

Roadblock...

2009-11-30T08:49:00.000-08:00

Both Shadow of the Ghost and Legacy of the Ghost had places that seemed like someone had set up a roadblock to hinder their completion. Vengeance of the Ghost, not to be left out, has one as well. For Vengeance, it is Chapter 10. I know what needs to happen, but the words refuse to find the page. In spite of this, it is progressing, quite slowly, but progressing.

GenCon 2010, which is a gamer convention, will occur without my presence this year. Maybe 2011 will prove to be the year I can attend.

More updates...

2009-11-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

Vengeance of the Ghost is progressing well. I'm currently working on the first death of the story. I'm hoping to have that crispy corpse as well as the rest of Chapter 10 finished tonight.

Shadow of the Ghost will be republished via CreateSpace very soon. The best part of this is that the price will be reduced considerably.

GenCon Indy 2010: At this time, it looks like I will be found on Author's Avenue at GenCon Indy next August. I will have the entire Lord of Chaos trilogy with me as well. Depending on my inspiration, kaben nine may be there also. My first priority is to complete Vengeance so kaben may not make it by then.

About time for an update...

2009-11-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

Vengeance of the Ghost is progressing well again. The first nine chapters are rewritten to fit some new subplots into the story. I'm really happy with where it is headed. The ending has not changed, just the road traveled to reach that ending. At this time, I'm going to say that the release date will still be mid to late spring. I hope those who have followed up to this point find the story to their satisfaction.

kaben nine is once again out of the storage bin. I'll be working on that story on and off while I mull over how I want chapters of Vengeance to go. I probably won't post any more of that here. Those that want to read it will have to wait until it is completed.

I'll be back with more news, stamps and autographs more often again. Thanks to all that have purchased my books. I hope you have enjoyed the journey and will continue to enjoy it as the rest of the story unfolds.

Delete or...

2009-07-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

Upon waking this morning, I thought about the words forced onto the computer yesterday. By the time I sat before the monitor, I had convinced myself to delete the whole chapter and try again. Fortunately, I avoided the story until after I had imbued a decent dose of coffee. My thinking cleared a bit and I decided to read what I had written the day before and see what I could salvage. As it turns out, I added a few things here, changed a few things there and pretty much kept the whole thing. Afterwards, I went on to complete chapter 9. To make the quota, I also got a good start on chapter 10. Vengeance of the Ghost is still making progress.

Today, instead of a stamp, I'll post an autograph. Many years ago, I was at a Sci-Con in Virginia Beach. Among the guest was this gentlemen. He was very pleasant to speak with and signed two books for me.
More later,
Tanner

Simon says...

2009-07-16T01:30:00.000-07:00

Writing was an exercise in frustration today. I think part of it is the lack of interest in Legacy of the Ghost. So far the paperback version has yet to sell a single copy. The kindle version is not doing much better. I wish I knew how to get more readers. Those that have read the first book seem to have enjoyed it, but they aren't moving on to book two yet.

Anyway, I managed 1,500 words for Vengeance of the Ghost. Most of it was forced and will probably have to be rewritten or deleted altogether. Then Simon mentioned something about how the stream in The Garden reacted to Tal and things started flowing a little. On top of that, Arienna is starting to show interest in Mistress, though she doesn't know who Mistress is just yet. Arienna is just intrigued that Mistress was able to pull off what she did and wants to take her home as a new pet, so to speak. We'll see how that turns out. There may not be enough of Mistress left to take home. I haven't decided yet.

I have decided to post a stamp or autograph or both from my collection from now on. Tonight it will be a stamp. It's Austrian, ANK # 1. I'm not sure if it is the handmade paper variety or the machine-made paper variety, so the date of issue is either 1850 or 1854. One day, I'll learn how to tell the difference.

Vengeance quota met, kaben nine branded, stamp

2009-07-15T01:49:00.000-07:00

So far, my quest to write at least 1,000 words a day on Vengeance of the Ghost has been successful. Today I finished chapter 8 and got a good start on chapter 9. There's a lot going on in the final chapter of the trilogy so this book might prove to be the longer of the three. I have no doubts that it will be longer than Legacy of the Ghost. The only character whose fate remains unknown to me at this point is Mistress. She has a couple paths that she can travel. Arienna will have some say in that.

kaben nine is still hanging around in his torture chamber. His host likes to label all his toys with his brand and kaben nine is no exception. I am enjoying composing this tale. The support characters are proving to be a lot of fun to work with.

There was a comment on yesterday's blog that requested a picture of my favorite Austrian stamp so far. I had planned to put a stamp here, but for a different reason. The one pictured below is not very valuable. As a matter of fact, it could probably used as postage in Austria without much financial loss. The reason I chose this one is that it was issued on May 8, 1958. This stamp is the same age as I am.

Austria and Vengeance...

2009-07-14T01:33:00.000-07:00

Way back in May, some stamps were ordered for my birthday from a stamp dealer in Austria. They arrived today along with the catalog that dealer publishes each year. The catalog, ANK, is a specialized type thing that features Austrian stamps. Granted, it is written in German, but every stamp issued in Austria up to 2009 is pictured there. It's a great help. So, I spent most of the day organizing my collection.

I neglected to keep track of the time during this organization task. When I finally closed the book, happy that my collection was stored in chronological order, it was already 2 am. The rest of the night I devoted to writing. Since I have set a daily quota for Vengeance of the Ghost, that's the story I delved into. Chapter 8 is coming along well. After ending Legacy of the Ghost the way I did, I don't want to keep my readers waiting too long to find out what happens next. As a result, kaben nine did not make any progress today. At least he was nice about it and left me alone.

More later,
Tanner

The hypnotizing cursor...

2009-07-13T02:08:00.000-07:00

I write using OpenOffice.org Writer and I'm sure other computer word processing programs are the same, or at least similar. As the program waits for me to add words, it has a vertical black line that flashes to show me where these words will appear. Most of the night, I sat hypnotized by this little black vertical line with no words to introduce to it. Finally, after a bit of a fight, I put a close on Chapter 7 of Vengeance of the Ghost. I'm not at all happy with the words that finally got placed there, but it allowed me to move on. So, Chapter 8 got it's start tonight. I've set this 1,000 word a day quota for Vengeance, and so far I've been able to do that. Today's total: 1,100.

All the while I was fighting the end of Chapter 7, kaben nine was being a good little boy and hanging quietly in his torture chamber. I'm not sure if he knew he would formally meet his target for the first task tonight and was delaying it, or if he just wanted to be like the other story and be stubborn. Regardless, his story progressed as well.

The amazon.com price of Legacy of the Ghost has finally dropped to $11.99 which I am very happy with. It's much better than the price of Shadow.

One final note, as of today, I've seriously started pursuing a degree in applied mathematics. I really love math and upper level math teachers seem to be the only type with any demand in this less than wonderful economy. Before I begin, I think it best to take a refresher in pre-calculus and calculus. I'm looking forward to that.

More later,
Tanner

kaben nine got pushy tonight...

2009-07-12T01:43:00.000-07:00

In spite of that, Vengeance of the Ghost continued to progress with another 1400 words added to the manuscript. The story is unfolding well. The way things are going, there is going to be a lot of death in the last book of the trilogy.

Then kaben nine decided he had waited long enough so I had to deal with him. He has this sneaky way of telling me about chapters I'm not ready to write so that I'll finish the one I'm on. I only managed 600+ words on his story, but I have the feeling that he'll be out of that torture chamber tomorrow night. Then it will be a short visit with granny for him.

For those following Samaya's blog, (it's linked on the side there), she has a great picture of a fire that happened on her mountain some 8 years ago. When I saw it, I was immediately reminded of what Ky did to LaVerran Keep in the first chapter of Shadow of the Ghost.

More later,
Tanner

More musings...

2009-07-11T01:18:00.000-07:00

Another productive day ends. Thanks to a couple friends, a great deal of work got completed in my yard, including surgically removing a dead poplar from atop another, much smaller tree. The little tree should survive the ordeal now.

Vengeance of the Ghost gained another 2100 words in length. kaben nine left me alone for the most part while I wrote, though he did remind me of some things while I played in the weeds.

Finally, thanks Samaya for posting the pictures. That mountain of yours is awesome.

More later,
Tanner

Muse...ings

2009-07-10T01:08:00.000-07:00

Creativity seems to have returned. First the new Prologue for Vengeance of the Ghost presented itself last weekend. This was followed by "The Maze," which is posted below. Tonight, Chapter 6 of Vengeance is completed which brings the story up to 10,000 words. It's a long way to the end yet, but it's moving.

kaben nine is also starting to stir. Apparently, he's been hanging around in a torture chamber long enough and wants out. I might have to finish that chapter tomorrow in between working on Chapter 7 of Vengeance and playing in the weeds. All in all, I think it is a pretty productive week.

Thanks to all that commented on kaben nine and "The Maze." It's really a great feeling to know when someone is reading.

More later,
Tanner

Legacy of the Ghost

2009-07-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

Legacy of the Ghost has a new, lower price. It will take up to 15 days to take effect on Amazon.com. It is already in effect at CreateSpace.

Enjoy!

Unpublished short

2009-07-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

This story occurs prior to Shadow of the Ghost and features Ky doing an assignment for Sage Tas'lin. Before that, here's a link where both Shadow of the Ghost and Legacy of the Ghost can be purchased: Herr William's Bakery.

Now, the main feature:

The late afternoon shadows hid Ky as he stood within a stand of pine trees looking at the farm he had once called home. That changed when he found Little Ky shredded just beyond the orchard. From Ky's vantage, only the tops of the pear and apple trees in the orchard could be seen over the roof of the farmhouse. Ky did not go to the farm anymore. Illya somehow knew when he was there no matter how carefully he hid himself. She always came to find him. It was not that he did not like Illya. It was more a matter of not knowing how to speak with her anymore. Little Ky's loss had opened an emotional rift between them. Every time Ky saw Illya, he also saw the pain in her expressive brown eyes. Ky did not know what to do about that pain. There was also the promise he made almost fifteen years prior.

“I'll bring him back. I will find a way,” he had said to her.

Ky had made lots of promises and kept few. This promise was the only one that bothered him. That was something else he did not understand. He shrugged and sat beside the trunk of a pine and pulled the parchment and quill Sage Tas'lin had given him from his shoulder pack. He was here because Sage Tas'lin told him to come here. The Sage had told him that before and Ky went elsewhere to complete the assignments, but somehow the Sage always knew when Ky did not go where he was sent. So Ky came to the farm, near the farm anyway. He frowned and unrolled the parchment.

Go back to your home, the farm, and compose ten questions that are not related to how to bring Little Ky back.

Sage Tas'lin explained as he sent Ky away, “You need to learn much more about other things before you can solve the problem with Little Ky. When you finish this assignment, bring it back to me and we will start without Little Ky as a distraction.”

Ky had learned other things. Very few of those other things were taught to him by Sage Tas'lin though. Most he found out for himself. The only thing Ky found useful in what the Sage taught him was the ability to read and write elven and human. At first, Ky did not see the value in learning reading and writing. He had done well not knowing all this time, why should he learn now? Then, as he struggled with the basics, he found books and scrolls in the library that explained magic, fighting techniques and many other things that intrigued him. Ky decided to learn to read and delved into it with single-minded resolve. Writing came to Ky when he learned that he could not trust his mind to remember all that he read.

Ky looked at the assignment again and his frown deepened. Why would the Sage send him to where Little Ky was, or what remained of him anyway, to write questions that had nothing to do with Little Ky? He set the parchment aside and turned his attention back to the farm. He could see the small graveyard set behind the house. Four bodies rested within the fenced in area; Illya's father and mother, Illya, and Little Ky. Only three of those bodies were actually dead. Little Ky still lived. Looking at the graves reminded Ky that he wanted to hide them. The protective barrier around the farm would stop anyone who wished to do harm to those that lived there. Ky was not sure if it would keep grave-robbers out. The Old Man had taught him the spell, but he had disappeared about a week before Little Ky was attacked so Ky could not ask the Old Man if it would.

Ky wished the Old Man were still around. He had learned far more from the Old Man than from Sage Tas'lin and what he learned from the Old Man was actually useful. Ky pulled his knees up and hugged them. He rested his chin on his knee and then let his surroundings become a blur of insignificance as he remembered some of the Old Man's lessons.

“Keep your spells simple,” the Old Man had said. “The more complicated they are, the more energy they will drain from you and the better the chance they will mess up. Simple is best.”

Ky had taken that advice to heart. Most of the spells he cast used one or two words coupled with a visual image of what Ky wished to happen. Sage Tas'lin scoffed at the spells Ky cast. The Sage believed that the spells should have complication so that the exact desired effect would occur.

Another time, the Old Man said, “Use something to focus your magic. That will ease the drain on you when you use magic.”

Ky experimented for several weeks with different objects to focus his spells through. Most of what he tried burned up after three of four casts. Gems lasted much longer. He also found that some gems would not burn up with certain types of magic. Emeralds would cast heal spells indefinitely, or they had so far. Rubies and diamonds were best for fire based spells. Blue sapphires worked best for lightning. The Old Man had often paid Ky in gems, as had Lord Maltar. Until Ky found that they could be used as focus items, he had little use for them and had simply put them in a box hidden in the barn. He had quite a large supply now.

Ky's mind drifted to his time in the library at Alle-Stecan. Most of the spells he knew, he learned there. The verbal portion of the spells was in the High-Elven language. The language was a struggle for Ky and some of the words must have been shared between High-Elven and his own native tongue because his throat would tighten, refusing to let him say them. They were also Sage Tas'lin type spells; very complicated. Ky learned to alter them to his needs. He changed the verbal portion to two or three words, experimenting with the original incantation to find the words that were essential. Most of the spells did not behave as they were described in the tomes and scrolls, but, Ky found that he could derive some use from them.

Glancing at the small graveyard, Ky picked up the parchment and began listing his spells, looking for one that would serve his needs now. He needed a spell that would conceal the graves from all save Illya and himself. He eliminated the various invisibility spells. Ky had already encountered several elves that could see through these and imagined that others could as well. After several hours, he had listed all the spells he knew. He sat reading over the list for a while. Finally, his attention focused on the maze spell. It had promise, but required a lot of magical energy to cast. Someone who could trace magical energy would be able to find it.

After staring at the graves for a while longer, Ky turned away from the farm and walked to the other side of the copse of pines. Nothing would distract him here. By this time, the sun had set and the sky above filled with stars. Ky spent an hour watching them as they slowly wandered above him. He wondered what they were and why they also traveled but never seemed to get anywhere. Sooner or later, they could always be found where their journeys began.

Ky had decided earlier that he would not be returning to Sage Tas'lin. He was not going to complete this last assignment until he started wondering about the stars. He would write his questions and send them to the Sage. He would never return for the Sage's answers though. Ky pulled a clean piece of parchment from his pack and wrote:

What are stars?

Why do stars always wander but never get anywhere?

Where do stars go during the day?

After writing these questions, he placed the parchment on the ground beside him and continued to think about the maze spell. As he thought, his senses watched the wilderness. He concentrated on what he had learned from the Old Man. The first thing he considered was what he would use as a focus item. The maze spell would be extremely draining, especially since it would have to be hidden and cover a large area. While considering this, he thought of another question. It was one he had asked the Old Man many years before and searched for the memory.

"What is magic?" Ky asked, seated cross-legged on the side counter in the Old Man's alchemy shop.

"Magic," the Old Man murmured. He finished trimming the herbs Ky had brought him and placed them in the jar he had waiting before saying more. When he finished, he leaned against the front counter and absently wiped his hands on a small towel as he explained, "Magic is an alteration of the natural rhythms that surround us. Elemental magic is the most prominent. There are four kinds of elemental magic: earth, air, water and fire."

"So when I cast a spell, I'm altering those elements?" Ky asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Usually only one at a time, I would think," the Old Man replied, smiling. "When you become better at magic, you'll be able to feel the natural rhythms around you. A true master weaves his spell into those rhythms so the magic appears natural, or invisible." The Old Man stepped away from the counter and traded his towel for a few gems he had sitting on the shelf. As he handed the gems to Ky, he said, "You have already done that. The protective barrier around the farm uses that type of mastery."

The memory prompted Ky to become more aware of his senses. The wilderness flooded his being with sounds, sights, smells and touches. He forced himself to become a part of his environment, to know its feelings, to find its pulse, to feel its breath. It took quite a lot of effort, but he was rewarded when he found the web that held all of nature together, and more, he found he was a part of that web. Ky was unsure if this ability was unique to him or if anyone could do it. Either way, he remained embedded in the web of nature until late the next afternoon. By then, he knew how to make the maze and he had the remainder of the questions for Sage Tas'lin. The questions, he had learned the answers to while he was one with the web. Ky wondered if the Sage could find them as well. He picked up the parchment and wrote:

Why does the wind blow through some trees sometimes and other trees other times?

Why are the leaves on some trees not green?

Why do some plants flower in the spring, some in the summer and others in the fall?

How do plants you did not plant get into your garden?

How long does a butterfly live?

Why do bumblebees always bore the same size hole in wood?

Then, he added one last question. This one he did not know the answer to and he knew that Sage Tas'lin would not know it either. He did know that by asking it, the Sage would realize that Ky would not be returning.

Why don't my eyes reflect light when the eyes of every other creature in nature do?

Ky folded the parchment and used the spell Sage Tas'lin taught him to send it to the Sage. Then he turned towards the farm. He could not see it through the pines, but he could feel it there. Sage Tas'lin referred to the farm as Ky's home. Ky was not sure what the word 'home' meant, but had the feeling that on this matter, at least, the Sage was correct. He started walking through the pines, intent on finding Illya before she found him. Then, with Illya by his side, he would spend the next few days protecting the graveyard.

Ky found Illya in the kitchen putting on the ribbon that would give her a solid body. He grinned at the surprise in her expression and waited for her to finish.

"Will you walk with me?" Ky asked quietly, tilting his head towards the door.

"Sure," Illya answered, then followed him outside.

As they stepped into the yard, Ky led the way to the small graveyard, explaining, "I'm going to hide the graves. That way no one can disturb them while I look for a way to bring Little Ky back."

Illya followed him silently, trying to find a way to ask if she would be able to find the graves. She did not have to ask, because Ky explained that when they arrived at the graves.

"I know you will want to visit your parents and Little Ky so I am going to make you a part of the maze. You will be able to get here whenever you want when I'm done." Ky paused and searched her expression a moment. "You'll have to stay with me while I set it up though and we won't be able to talk."

Illya smiled and answered, "I hope it takes a long time, even if we can't talk. It's just nice to be with you after all this time."

Even though she was smiling, the sadness still remained in her eyes and Ky saw it. He also saw that her eyes, even as a ghost, reflected light. He quickly turned away murmuring, "Wait here."

Illya waited as Ky immersed himself into the web of nature. It was easier this time and only took him a few moments. Then he walked along the fence of the graveyard, weaving the thread to his needs. He had decided that invisibility was unsatisfactory. Instead, he wove the impression that the area was just a blank extension of the yard. He excluded Illya from this portion knowing that if she could see it before traveling the maze, others might also see it if they came into contact with her. His other option was to isolate the farm completely, but he knew Illya liked visitors, so he chose not to do that. He knew by Illya's expression that he was successful. He grinned and took her hand, leading her away from the graves.

From then on, for the next four days, Ky used the earth as his focus, drawing energy from the soil through his right foot as he altered the web. He used his left foot as his anchor and Illya as his guide to set thousands of starting places for the maze. Ky wove Illya's observations into each anchor. Sometimes it would be a hawk flying over the farm; or a rabbit stealing greens from the garden; or the chair on the farmhouse porch where they used to sit together and watch Little Ky play; or a fire-wing butterfly fluttering nearby; or the orchard where the trees were just beginning to bear fruit; or the flowers Illya loved to plant in front of the farmhouse. Each of those things brought memories of Little Ky into Ky's mind and he wove those memories into the web as well. The maze itself, he wove into the element of fire so that it would light up when Illya searched for it. Each time he set a new anchor, he would wait until Illya told him that she could see the path, then he would move to set another.

Illya enjoyed those four days as well as the memories that she shared with Ky. She did not know if Ky intended to share the memories, but she was happy he did. It had been the longest Ky had stayed at the farm since Little Ky had been taken from them. She knew it would end, but she also knew that Ky was still working on bringing their son back and she accepted it without question. She could wait forever since she was a ghost. She hoped she did not have to wait that long. She also hoped that other ideas, like hiding the graves, would bring Ky back to visit her. She could always tell when he arrived at the farm, but his departures where always sudden, unannounced, and without farewell spoken. No matter how hard she tried to see him on his way, she always failed. This time was no exception. Ky stayed at the farm for one day after the maze was in place, then, while she was preparing to make him breakfast, she felt the emptiness and knew he was gone again. She smiled sadly and put the bowl and food away. They will be ready for his next visit.

Now...

2009-06-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

Legacy of the Ghost, Book 2: Lord of Chaos Trilogy is now available. You can find it here:

CreateSpace

It will become available on Amazon.com in the near future.

Soon...

2009-06-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

Legacy of the Ghost will be available soon. It is being published by CreateSpace and will have a list price of $15.00. I'm waiting for the proof copy which should be good since the pdf file is good. Watch here for news of its release and a link to where you can buy it!

Kindlized

2009-05-23T02:39:00.000-07:00

Legacy of the Ghost is now available on Amazon's kindle. The paperback version will be coming along shortly. I'm waiting to hear from someone I wish to quote on the back cover, and I'm still debating whether to go with CreateSpace or Lulu. At the moment, Lulu is slightly ahead for two reasons. First, I can release a hard cover edition. Second, the formatting required for Lulu is a little easier to do than on CreateSpace.

My website has been updated with information on the new release. Links to Legacy of the Ghost will appear when the paperback/hardcover editions become available.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend. More later...

Final version of cover

2009-05-21T01:19:00.000-07:00

In the first version, the title, subtitle and author blended into the stone wall making them difficult to read. I tried putting these elements in little boxes, but they appeared to be pasted on as an afterthought. I was beginning to think the wall and the rune would have to go when I noticed other books that had a set-up similar to what I've done here. Everything looks like it belongs now and I'm happy with it. I've also added an explanation of the rune to the frontspace which makes the cover relevant to the story.

It has been a while since I mentioned any music, so here are a couple more bands and my favorite album/CD by them:

Rolling Stones: Goats Head Soup, This came out in the early 1970s when music was becoming an important part of my life. The one song that puts this above all the other albums by The Rolling Stones is: "Dancing with Mr. D."

Rush: Hemispheres. It took a while for me to get used to Geddy Lee's voice. As a result, I prefer Rush's instrumentals though I do enjoy most of their music now. This album has "La Villa Strangiatto" on it. It still remains my all-time favorite Rush song.

More again another time. I'm going back to clean up the beginning of Vengeance of the Ghost.

Blasted Muse...

2009-05-19T02:36:00.000-07:00

It never fails. I go days without the slightest notion of how to sling two words together that make sense then the muse strikes. But the muse is not kind. It strikes after I've readied myself for sleep and have made myself comfortable. Then, while I'm counting little sheep, the story unfolds in my mind.

There was a time I would fight it; try to remember what the muse plants in my subconscience and struggle to get some rest. That is a losing battle. Now I know that I have to get up, go to the computer and start typing or there will be no peace whatsoever. The muse is going to keep me awake anyway. I may as well be productive rather than frustrated.

Tonight was one of those nights. Two hours ago, I was content with my new cover ideas and thinking some new thoughts for my back cover text while heading to sleep. Now, after frantically typing for the last hour and a half, I'm going to try again for some rest. Vengeance of the Ghost is a little farther along now. A few changes in one of the chapters I thought was done have been made as well. I will have to finish those changes tomorrow. Arienna was taking the story places I did now wish to go. So I put the wench in her place and changed it. (I believe you would catagorize Arienna as a Vixen, Amy.)

Anyway, guten Nacht, or rather guten Morgen. I'll post more as things continue to progress.

Cover design for the Lord of Chaos Trilogy

2009-05-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

Since the text on the cover was too difficult to read, I'll be coming up with something different that features the 'Ghost' rune. When I have it, I'll post it here.

The trilogy will feature the goblin rune for "Ghost" on all the covers by the time Vengeance of the Ghost is released. Book 2: Legacy of the Ghost, will be the first adorned with the mark that meant terror to the goblins living in the caves near Cragsguard.

For lack of anything else intelligent to say...

2009-05-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

kaben nine

Chapter 3. Bear

She had been playing tag with a few of the other children when the news of the wild boy spread through the settlement. Very little was known about the boy except that he had saved the lives of many by killing two hunters. She also heard that he was injured though the details of his injury were reserved to the quiet of the healer's tent.

A hour later, she learned that he lived in the cave downstream. Two of the sentries had followed him. One had returned to lead a healer to the cave. The boy was unconscious and it was deemed safe to approach him. She and quite a few other children had followed the small group that were going to the cave to the edge of the settlement. They were not allowed to go any farther as the wilderness would be dangerous. Today's instance with the two hunters served the parents well when warning the children about danger.

When the small group returned from the cave, they went straight to the elders' tent to discuss what was to be done with the boy. She did not hear anymore about him for several days, though she spent most of her time on that end of the village hoping to catch a glimpse of him. When she returned home for dinner, she found her father preparing to leave for sentry duty. This surprised her as he was out just a week before. Normally, his sentry shifts were once every two weeks.

She watched her father as he prepared his bow and asked, "Why do you have to go tonight?'

He smiled and gently ran his caloused fingers through her hair and answered, "Tonight, my sweet Anna, I will be doing sentry duty at the cave where the little wild boy is staying. He hasn't recovered from his injuries yet and the village elders considered protecting him while he slept would be a good way to pay him back for what he did for us." He planted a kiss on her forehead and asked, "Do you think that's a good thing to do?"

The little girl nodded several times, then asked, "Can I go with you? I really want to see him."

Her father laughed and returned to checking his arrows. "Another time, perhaps. Right now, he is sleeping pretty deep in the cave and you would not be able to see much of anything."

She tilted her head and smiled, her blue eyes sparkling as she said, "Daddy, promise me you'll take me as soon as he is better."

Her father grinned and shook his head. "There is no need for that look," he said. "If we find him safe, I will take you to see him. We think he may be since he only attacked the hunters, but we want to make sure."

"He won't hurt us. I know he won't," Anna said and left her father to help her mother with dinner.

While the wild boy, as the settlers called him, recovered, a small settlement boy was sent to the sewing tent. The healer had said that he was about the same size so the women in the sewing tent began making the wild boy a set of clothing that would fit this settlement boy. They made them a little large so he could grow into them. The clothing was then left just inside the cave where the wild boy would find them.

Two more days came and went before news arrived that the wild boy had awakened. The first thing he did was go to the river and bathe. Afterwards, he lingered on the bank long enough to forage some berries, then returned to the cave. The seamstresses were quite pleased when they learned he had put on the clothing they made for him. That night, one of the sentries brought a plate of food to the cave. As he placed it on a rock near the mouth of the cave, he heard the boy growl. The sentry remained calm as he took a few steps away from the food.

"Food, if you care for any," he said loud enough to be heard in the cave. The he moved up the hill to his post.

There were four spots chosen by the sentries that could be seen from the settlement and also had a view of the mouth of the cave. Two of these were occupied at all times. The sentries marveled that the wild boy always knew which spots were manned when he left his cave. After a few weeks, the sentries continued to watch the cave, more out of curiosity than necessity. The wild boy proved to be quite capable of taking care of himself.

The raised rock where the first sentry placed the food became a trading spot between the settlement and the wild boy. Usually, the settlement left useful items for him, mostly food. Sometimes he would leave things for the settlement, small game, smooth stones from the riverbed, or anything else the wild boy thought the settlement might enjoy.

After a month had passed, Anna's father fulfilled his promise to her and took her with him on sentry duty. He expected she would catch a few minutes sight of him before he disappeared into the forest for the rest of the day. Instead, he stayed close to the cave that day.

Anna and her father watched as the boy stepped from his cave and dropped into a low crouch, sniffing the air. He remained there for a moment, then crept back into the cave. Anna's father knew that something bothered the boy and pulled his daughter behind the rock and waited, watching the cave and holding tight to Anna. He peered behind the boulder and watched as the boy searched the hill around where his rock stood. After a few minutes of searching and testing the air, he turned away, starting down the hill to the river.

"What's wrong?" Anna whispered.

Her father waited until he was sure the boy would not turn back, then returned to the top of the rock. "You," he whispered back. "He sensed you up here and had to make sure you were not a danger."

They watched silently until the boy waded into the river. Then Anna's father explained. "We can stay on the rock until he decides to come back to the cave. Then we will hide again. He knows we are here, but doesn't want to see us. If we are visible, he won't come back to the cave until very late at night."

"What's he doing?" Anna asked, moving to the side so she could see better.

"He does this everyday." He absently pointed to the river and explained, "He goes to the river and washes his clothing with sand from the riverbed, then he will hang them on that tree." He pointed to a small birch that grew very near the river. "As they dry, he washes himself. When he's done, he goes to the other side of the river and eats some of the berries off those bushes there." He pointed again and waited until Anna nodded. "Sometimes he'll lie in the sun over there a while, other times he comes back, gets dressed and wanders away into the woods."

"What happens then?" Anna asked as she watched the wild boy use the sand to clean his shirt.

"After that, we'll just have to wait and see. This is the only predictable thing he does," he answered as he ruffled Anna's hair.

Anna was very pleased that he chose to lie in the sun this day. She thought he looked so small and frail and worried that he might be lonely. He remained there until the worst of the day's heat had faded, sometimes lying near the river, sometimes foraging for berries and sometimes sitting in the shade. Afterwards, he returned to the river. Anna expected him to swim across and get his clothing before heading off on some wildly dangerous excursion, instead, he searched the riverbed looking for rocks. Most of what he gathered, he looked at for a few moments, then threw back. A few, he placed on the bank in a neat pile.

After he had collected five nice stones, he returned to the birch tree and dressed. Anna's father pulled her behind the stone again. This time he allowed her to peer around the side as the boy climbed the hill to his cave.

When he drew near the cave he stopped and looked at the rock they were hiding behind. Anna felt her father's hand tighten on her shoulder. She saw his eyes clearly for the first time then as he extended the hand that held the stones in their direction before entering the cave. His eyes melted her young heart. She believed she had never seen, nor would ever see a sight so beautiful.

After a few moments, her father turned her to face him. "There is a large stone by the mouth of the cave. You can reach it without going in the cave. On top of it, you'll see the stones." He peered into his daughters blue eyes and smiled. "Do not linger and do not go into the cave. Come right back when you have his gift for you."

Anna felt her hands tremble as her eyes widened. "Do you think he's waiting there for me?"

"You will not see him," he answered shrugging. "If you do, all of us sentries will be greatly surprised." He tightened his grip on her shoulders slightly and repeated, "Do not linger and do not enter the cave. Do you understand?"

Words failed Anna so she nodded. When her father released her, she crept down the hill slowly. She saw the large rock and the five stones the boy had left for her and quickly picked them up, then backed away as her father had told her. Then she turned and ran back up the hill to where her father waited.

When she returned to the settlement, she placed the stones under her pillow. During the day, she placed her stuffed bear beside her pillow to protect the stones. Anna was allowed to visit the stone with her father every month after that. He no longer gave an indication of knowing she was there, but she knew he sensed her. She believed he would stop his daily bathing when the fall weather arrived, but he did not. She also noticed that he looked thinner, though his arms and legs began to show the muscle he had been developing during his daily outings.

As the months passed, she wondered how he could live without friends. He had no one to speak with or play with. She thought he must be very lonely. She had never seen him smile or heard him laugh. She could think of no other children that she could say the same thing about. She asked her father and he just shook his head sadly. That is when the stones began speaking to her in her dreams. In one of these dreams, she saw herself alone except she was not truly alone. She had her bear and she was happily playing with him. Then she saw the boy alone in his cave. He did not have a bear. Anna believed that she was given the task to make him one. The next morning, she told her father about it.

Her father chewed thoughtfully on his eggs, then said, "I guess you need to find out what materials you need to make the bear. The women in the sewing tent can help you there." He smiled at her then added, "Make a list and let me know. I'll see what I can find for you."

During the next week, Leanna spent most of her time planning the bear. She wanted it to have black hair like his and dark eyes that were large and beautiful. She also wanted it to be as soft as possible so he could hug it in his sleep and it would warm him and make him feel loved.

Then her next visit day came and the bear project was put on hold for the day. They waited for him to come out of the cave for his daily appointment in the river even though the weather was chilly and the day overcast. Her father assured her he would still bathe. Anna just shook her head in disbelief.

This day was different though. Usually when the boy stepped from his cave, he stopped for a moment to determine where the sentries were hidden. Today, he appeared quickly and crouched low searching the river farther downstream. Anna's father sent the warning signal to the settlement at once then readied his bow. He motioned to Anna to get behind the rock and waited as she did.

By then, the boy had gone, silently moving down the hill before climbing into a tree. Anna saw him pick up a large stone before climbing the tree and wondered what he would do with it. None of them moved for several moments. Then they saw the boy toss the rock into the river. That's when they caught sight of the hunter.

Anna heard the boy's voice for the first time that day and it terrified her. As soon as the rock hit the water, the hunter turned towards the splash. The boy leaped onto the hunter's back, a high-pitched cross between a growl and a snarl broke the silence. Seconds later, the hunter lay dead on the riverbank and the boy turned and headed back to the cave, his mouth, chin and shirt soaked in the hunter's blood. Before she got a really clear view, her father had taken her into his arms and tightly held her as she sobbed into his shoulder.

She had heard of the two other hunters that he killed during the summer and wondered how a child so small could achieve such a feat. Now she knew. She saw that he was like a wild animal protecting its den. During that next few months she had many nightmares. Most of them, she pictured the boy with large fangs and blood-soaked claws ripping the throats from the settlement people. The stones which had once spoken to her so sweetly in her dreams seem to have lost their magic. It came back though, and she realized it was there all along. She was just too terrified to hear them. They helped her fight back the dreams that tortured her now.

She did not return to the rock until late the next spring. She saw by his clothing that the boy had grown a little. The sleeves of his shirt and the legs of his pants rode high on his wrists and ankles. His hair, so black, was much longer and wild looking. He performed his daily ritual in the river, then dressed and disappeared into the forest. She did not see him again that day. That night, the stones reminded her of the bear in her dreams. They showed her pictures of him lying alone in the back of the cave and she felt the loneliness and saw the void in his arms where the bear should be.

After the death of the hunter, she had forgotten all about the bear. Now that the stones had reminded her, she resumed the project. It took months for her to complete the bear. Leanna put all the love she could into every stitch. When it was finally finished, she moved the stones to her toy shelf and placed the bear on top of them, hoping they would like it. Then she tried to find a way to let the stones know that she wanted to give it to him face to face.

Several nights passed without the stones talking to her in her dreams. When the dream finally came, she was told she would have to convince her parents that it was okay to give the wild boy the bear face to face. Anna was afraid to tell her parents about the dreams and the stones. She had never heard of anyone else having dreams like hers and she did not think her parents would believe her. Another winter came and went before the stones finally convinced her to tell them. She told them everything while they sat eating breakfast.

Her parents quietly listened to the whole story. When she was finished, he father said, "Let me borrow the stones for a few nights. If they speak to your mother and I, then I will take you to the cave and wait as you present the bear to the boy."

That night, Anna gave each of her parents two of the stones hoping they would speak to her mother and father as they had spoken to her. No more was said about the bear for the next couple weeks. Leanna guessed that the stones would speak to her parents when they were ready. Then, one night after dinner, her parents told her to wait at the table while they cleaned up. Afterwards, her father and mother told her what the stones told them.

Anna was going to deliver the bear that night. It was her father's turn to watch the cave and he would wait nearby for her. It was dark when they arrived at the cave. The cave itself appeared to be a black maw in the side of the hill and Anna almost left the bear on the rock out of fear.

Her father whispered to her, "Take your time and let your feet guide you." He handed her one of the stones and finished, "The stone will keep you safe." He hugged her then and smiled. "I'll be right here waiting for you."

She entered the cave and slowly walked to the back. As her eyes adjusted, she could just make out the outline of the boy's body lying on a blanket off to one side. She quietly crept to the edge of the blanket and knelt there waiting. She did not have to wait long. The boy sat up and looked at her, his head slightly tilted the way she had seen other boys do when they were curious about something.

As she held out the bear, she watched his expression, hoping to see him smile. He accepted her gift, hugged it and then smiled at her. She left him then, wanting to remember that smile forever but as she got to the mouth of the cave, the stone stopped her. It wanted her to go back and hold him while he slept. She looked at her father who sat nearby. He smiled and nodded as if he knew. She took a step back into the cave and looked at her father again. His smile told her he did know.

She returned to the blanket and waited a moment. Since the boy did not move, she crawled beside him and lie down, snaking her arm under his neck and pushing his head onto her shoulder. She gently ran her fingers along his spine at the base of his neck until she fell asleep.

When she woke the next morning, the boy and the bear were gone. She knew they would not return. She found her father resting close by. Together they returned to the settlement to let the others know that the wild boy had left.

Review and other chaotic stuff...

2009-05-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Bitter Moon II: Triane's Son Reigning, and posted a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Here is the review for those who don't get to those two corners of the webiverse:

Amy Lane did a spectacular bit of work with this book. I thouroughly enjoyed the first of the series and started this one believing I would enjoy it as well. With the first one, I was able to put it away and go on with other things in life. This one was not that type of book. Once I started, I found I couldn't stop reading it. I had to know what would happen next and I had to know it now!

The Moon family, including all the little adopted offshoots of it, became my family more so here than in the first book. This in mind, I found the book to be extremely emotional. Whatever the Moons felt, I felt. This is only done with spectacular writing.

There is also plenty of action in this book. The snow cat (Torrant) returns, and along with Aylan (his 'adopted' brother) and some new friends, they take on the Consort of Clough, both politically and in the Goddess ghetto while trying to protect them from the guards.

I don't particularly like heavy romance scenes. When I find them, if they go on too long or are too detailed, I lose interest in the story. I vaguely remember two such scenes in this story, but they were neither too long or too graphic to distract me. Both of these scenes enhanced the development of the characters involved and were very well portrayed.

If you like action, characters you really get to know, and allow your emotions to escape to the world the author presents to you, you will like this book.

Next on my to-read list is: The Legend of Witch Bane by Kevis Hendrickson. I'll post that review when I'm finished with it.

I'm waiting for one more editor to finish with Legacy. In the meantime, I'm formatting the interior. When that is done, I will attempt to do something with the cover.

More later...

Updates and a Review

2009-04-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

The web site is once again ad-free, but has a new address. You can find it here:

My official website

The major editing of Legacy of the Ghost has been completed. The editors and I are making one final read-through to pick up anything that we may have missed. I've also started working on the formatting of the book. This one will be published at Creat Space.

Having finished reading W.I. Investigations, Vol. 1-4, by Samaya Young, I wrote a review for Amazon and Goodreads. I'm posting it here for those that don't see it there:

I thouroughly enjoyed reading W.I. Investigations. Samaya has a gift for capturing the reader and, once captured, holding them until the conclusion of the case. Vol. 1-4 includes four seperate cases with separate teams that are both interesting and unique. I found this heightened my pleasure of the book as it made it quite easy to avoid boredom as each team handled their case in their own fashion. Samaya did a great job of making each team quite different from the others.

Of the four cases, "Hero" is my favorite, followed by "Shape Shifter," though Willow and Vin were my favorite team. All for cases are original and well told.

The only things I found that distracted me were: a. All the characters inevitably have looks that could only be found in fashion magazines, with the exception of one, Wally; b. I would have liked a couple of them to have been longer with more detail; and c. Knowing that the calvary arrived in time to save Ashley and Elyse from the very beginning of the story took some of the pleasure out of reading it. Choosing a different scene for the introductory 'insert', maybe the flight to hide in the canyon, would have increased the suspence and made the story far more enjoyable.

Overall, I believe the positives of captivating tales and interesting and varied characters far outweighs the negatives. I fully recommend this book.

The next book on my list to read is Bitter Moon II - Triane's Son Reigning, by Amy Lane. I really enjoyed the first in the set and look forward to delving into this edition! More later as things develop.

Web site update

2009-04-22T03:27:00.000-07:00

My 'official' website is still out there. It's new (old really) address is: http://tutaten.tripod.com. Unfortunately, it is riddled with ads and pop-ups which destroy any semblance of a professionally created website it may have had previously.

Another sample of "kaben nine"

2009-04-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

The reaction to the first chapter inspired me to post the second. I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter 2. Wild

While kaben nine waited for the voice, he worked on finding a way to salvage his Sarton uniform. In the end, he kept the shirt which extended down below his knees now. He used the belt to cinch the waist and he had to button the top button to keep it from sliding off his shoulders. The sleeves had to be rolled up almost half their length. He did his best to see how it looked, then decided no one would see him anyway. He had just decided to return to the transport when the voice returned.

"There is no need to go to your transport. Anything you will need will be found within the forest."

"There's a hunting knife there and some mending supplies that would help me with this shirt," he answered, adjusting one of the rolled up sleeves for emphasis.

"Forget the transport. It will not be there when you start your tasks. You will need to learn to use what is available in the wild. Start now. This forest holds your food, water, and shelter. All you have to do is learn where to find them and how to use them. Before you start the thirteen tasks I will assign you, you must train yourself in the ways of nature."

"Will I be returning to adulthood to complete your tasks?" he asked, pulling his knees up to his chest and hugging them. He suddenly felt small and inadequate.

"No. The tasks will not be possible by an adult. As a child, you will be able to get into places adults will not have access to. I have faith in you or I would not have chosen you."

Kaben nine rested his chin on his knee, tilting his head slightly as he asked, "When I finish these tasks, will the way be changed?"

"The way is no longer your concern. Kaben seven, who you brought to safety, will be the instrument to bring the way to an end. The way will be corrected long before you are finished with what you need to do."

Kaben nine stood and walked to the stream and took a drink before asking, "If fixing the way is not my task, what is?"

"The dream I sent you as you rested showed you many of the places you will be going. You will be dealing with entities that would cause serious damage in the future if they are not stopped. Do not worry about that now. Now you must learn to survive on your own."

"I thought you were going to keep me alive while I do these tasks," kaben nine stated as he sat on the stream bank and hugged his knees again.

"Yes. I will keep you alive. That is all I will do for you though. You will need to deal with pain, sickness, hunger and other things that I will have no control over. For those you must be prepared. If you aren't then you will fail your tasks and hundreds of thousands of innocent people will suffer."

"So what do I do now," kaben nine asked, frowning.

"Learn. I will set you on the path by saying that you need to find food and shelter before you do anything else. I will be with you while you learn but you will not hear from me again until you are ready to begin your tasks."

Kaben nine remained by the stream a while longer. He had already begun to doubt whether he would be able to succeed. He did not like the sound of pain, sickness and hunger. None of that had ever intruded on his sterile world prior to this. His mind rebelled against having to deal with them now, especially in this small, weak and fragile body.

The voice did not come to reassure him. He felt alone and deserted. Finally, after nearly an hour, the first pangs of hunger forced him to his feet in search of food. He considered going to the settlement where he left the four kaben the day before but felt that he would not be allowed to find it. His training had begun and he had to go through with it.

Crossing the stream, he walked deeper into the forest, carefully searching his surroundings for something that resembled food. He realized then that he had no idea what food would look like out here in the forest. All his life, his meals came from the wall unit. They were prepared and carefully balanced to provide all that was needed by his body to stay healthy. He doubted that he would find a wall unit anywhere within the forest.

After hours of wandering he began to feel the real pain of hunger. The feeling was new to him and he disliked it. His mind told him how unfair the voice was being, remaining hidden and not helping him did not seem the best way for him to learn things. Finally, he began experimenting with different leaves. He tried to ignore the taste as he chewed them and sent them into his stomach which cried out for more with each leaf he ate. Then he found some berries and to his surprise, these tasted good.

The berries taught him his first lesson. He had been so happy finding something he enjoyed eating that he gorged himself. Before long he was sick, throwing up most of what he had just ingested. He wanted to cry, but did not know how. The way had taken tears from him years ago. Instead, he collapsed beside a hollow tree, buried his head in his knees and waited to die.

Nearby rustling woke him. He did not intend to sleep, but his body shut down on him. Now, someone or something was nearby and its movements in the bushes had awakened him. He searched through the gloom to find the source of the sound, trying to keep as still as he could. A large animal with black fur and clawed paws stood on the opposite side of the berry bush eating the berries. The creature terrified him. He had never seen a wild animal before and knew absolutely nothing about them.

It angered him as well. It was eating the only thing he had found fit to eat. He sat glaring at it, willing it to go away and leave his food alone. The creature ignored him and ate its fill before slowly turning away and walking into the forest gloom. As soon as kaben nine could see it no more, he scurried to the berry bush hoping to find that the creature had left him something to fill his empty stomach.

The creature left quite a few berries behind and kaben nine soon lost his anger. He did not eat as much as he had earlier, just enough to end the feeling of hunger. The next thing he had to contend with was the temperature. Apparently, the forest had no climate control unit to keep things comfortable.

He set off into the forest again looking for shelter. As he walked he wondered about the animal he had seen. He wondered if all the animals in the forest ate berries. He doubted this. Sooner or later he imagined he would come across something that would consider him a good meal. This thought prompted him to search for something to use as a weapon. He settled on a stick about three feet long and used it as a walking staff.

During his travels, he found a river and decided to follow it for a while. He traveled upstream, searching the banks for a suitable place to call home. The forest abounded with all manner of berries and nuts along the bank of the river. The river itself provided water. He thought his life would be relatively easy if shelter could be found nearby.

After a couple hours of following the river, he found an area that traveled through a gorge. The waters of the river were quite violent here and very little ground could be found on the river's bank. He traveled inland a short distance until he located a place where he could climb up to the top of the gorge. Keeping the river in sight, kaben nine continued to walk, eating berries and nuts as he traveled. He only ate a handful at a time, just enough to keep the pangs of hunger away. Finally, he found where the river fell into the gorge. A fifty-foot high waterfall roared into the rocks below, calling him to admire the power and beauty of nature.

Kaben nine could not deny the call. He found a place along the gorge's edge to rest and watched the waterfall for over an hour. It was difficult for him to continue his search for shelter after that. He had never experienced anything like this in the city. Finally, he decided that more great things awaited him and he moved on, again following the river.

Above the waterfall, the river widened. In some parts it became very shallow and would be easy to cross as it snaked its way around huge rocks that nested in the river's bed. Across from kaben nine, the terrain rose into the foothills of a larger mountain range that he could just barely see through the pines. The terrain on his side of the river remained relatively flat, though the woods were thick with underbrush. Before long, the underbrush prevented him from moving along the bank so kaben nine backtracked until he found one of the shallows and crossed the river to continue his trek.

The wilderness was still new to kaben nine. He had no idea how to read the signs left behind by others. He did not even notice the footprints left behind in the mud. His attention was focused on the hills he traveled beside. It did not take long for him to find a cave up the hill from the river. It had a roof and would provide some shelter if the weather turned. He climbed to it and explored as far as he could on the light from the sun. Although most of it was hard rock, unfit for any semblance of comfort, he did find a small area where the floor was sandy. He returned to the mouth of the cave wanting to gather some food before resting.

That's when he heard the voices. Kaben nine hid in the shadows of the cave and searched the riverbank for the source of the voices. Two men dressed in Hunter's outfits moved along the bank of the river.

“The settlement isn't far,” kaben nine heard one say. “It's best to keep quiet from here on. We can probably take out half of them before they realize what's going on.”

Kaben nine remembered the one hunt in which he had participated. At that time, the inconvenience of having to be in the forest overshadowed the purpose of the hunt. A kaben had run. They went after it and hunted it down, playing with it like a cat would a mouse. He knew these two would do the same with any that survived the initial slaughter. He also remembered the crude weapons that had been trained on him when he delivered the four kaben under him to the other settlement. They would have no chance against the Hunter's armor and photon rifles. His first thought was to try and warn the settlement. He knew this would just make the hunt longer. The two Sartons had to be stopped.

Kaben nine frowned as he took stock in his own situation. He thought about what he might have to give him the advantage. Before he could come up with anything useful, he had to leave the cave to keep the two Hunters in sight. He quietly stalked them, hoping he would think of something before it became too late to act.

He still carried his stick, though that gave him no comfort. Then he remembered the voice. She promised to keep him alive. As he moved closer to the two Hunters, he wondered if that part of her promise had started. He hoped it did. Kaben nine was also familiar with the Hunters armor. He had worn it himself. From long range, the crude weapons would be useless. Close up would be different. He knew where the weak straps were. All he needed was a sharp rock to make the Hunters very vulnerable.

Kaben nine slowly climbed down the hill to the river, keeping the two Hunters in sight. If he were quiet, they would not hear him and if he stayed behind them, they would not see him. Kaben nine depended on those two disadvantages of the armor. He stayed just within the brush-line as he followed them, searching the river bank for a sharp stone.

When the Hunters stopped, kaben nine knew that he had to act. He only had a moment or two before they would attack the settlement. Kaben nine picked up a stone and moved until he was almost beside them. He had not found a sharp stone, so he had to make due with his stick. First, he wanted the photon rifles in the river.

Once he was as close as he dared to get, kaben nine tossed the stone into the river. Both Hunters turned towards the splash, photon rifles at ready. Kaben nine rushed from the undergrowth and hit the closest one as hard as he could behind the Hunter's knees, sending him toppling into the second Hunter. Only one of the rifles made it into the river. The other fell on the bank within reach of both Hunters.

Kaben nine dived for the rifle, but one of the Hunters got it first. As he struggled to his feet, he felt the photon shell rip through his left forearm. Kaben nine's mind exploded in a haze of red pain just as the words "kaben scores two," flashed through his mind. Feral. That would save him. He was an animal, cornered and injured. A high-pitched shrieking snarl exploded from him as he charged the Hunter that desperately worked to recharge the rifle.

The Hunter was strong, but surprised by the charge. Kaben nine hoped to knock him off balance, but only succeeded in climbing the hunter enough to wrap his right arm around the helmet. As kaben nine twisted the helmet, the Hunter slipped on a stone, causing them both to fall into the shallows of the river. The helmet was jarred loose and kaben nine sunk his teeth into the Hunter's throat, biting with all the strength and desperation he could muster.

A gurgling sound, like that made by a partially blocked drain foreshadowed the crimson spray as the Hunter's throat finally yielded to kaben nine's teeth. The boy immediately turned on the second Hunter who slowly cowered away from kaben nine's blood-soaked growl.

The scouts from the settlement had arrived, drawn to the battle by kaben nine's feral cries. They surrounded the Hunter, keeping well away from the boy as they did so. Kaben nine waited as they ordered the Hunter to remove his helmet and place his hands on his head. Kaben nine recognized him and his neatly trimmed blond goatee. He was the head of the settlement Hunter's regiment, the greatest threat to those that lived outside the way.

Without warning, kaben nine attacked him. The Hunter tried to fight back, using the dagger all Hunter's carried on their belts, but the over-sized shirt the boy wore took the brunt of the slash and once again, he locked his teeth on the throat of a Hunter. The Hunter managed to score a long slash along the boy's ribs before his throat was liberated from his neck.

The settlement scouts watched in stunned silence. When kaben nine moved to return to his cave, they gave him room, though one was assigned to follow him. Kaben nine did not care. His vision was a blur of blood sprays, and pain clouded his thoughts. He never could remember how he managed to find the cave again and then, collapse on the sandy portion he called home. When he awoke, sweaty and feverish, he found his wounds tended and a plate of food and skin of water waiting him.

He ate the meal and placed the empty plate and skin on the rocks at the mouth of the cave and returned to his new home. It would be days before he regained enough strength to venture out of the cave again. Each time he woke, fresh food and drink awaited him. The settlement elders had decided that he had been sent by the Mother to watch over them. The tents where the women met and sewed became filled with tales and legends about kaben nine. They made him new clothing which was left for him along with his food.

As the seasons passed, kaben nine became more in tune with the wilderness around him. During his stay in the cave, five more Hunters approached the settlement, only to find their fates matching the first two. Kaben nine never actually saw the people of the settlement after that first day. He knew they were there. He knew they guarded his cave when he slept. He knew they provided for him when he could not provide for himself. Finally, he knew they were learning from him as he learned the ways of nature.

Two years later, one of the settlement children sat near him when he awoke. She was dressed in a pink skirt and blouse and had blond hair with a touch of red in the highlights. Kaben nine stared at her, his eyes wide. He had never seen a girl wearing clothing before and the sight mesmerized him. It was as if the clothing added an aura of magic and mystery to her small frame. The child did not speak but kaben nine could see the awe reflected in her sky-blue eyes. She gave every appearance of being as impressed with him as he was with her.

She crept a little closer, slowly, then held out a stuffed bear with thick black fur that matched his hair. The nose and paws were bare and dark brown. Kaben nine grinned at the little red tongue that hung out slightly beneath the bear's nose. He accepted the gift and found it soft and pleasant to hold. He had not spoken since he arrived here and did not remember how, so he smiled and hugged the bear tight. The little girl's face lit up like a spring morning filled with flowers and sunshine. Then she quickly scampered from the cave.

That night, the voice returned. Kaben nine had suffered illness and pain. He knew cold and loneliness. He also learned how to survive on his own.

"You are ready," was all the voice said as kaben nine lay in the darkness holding the bear that was given him.

He barely remembered the voice just as he barely remembered his life in the city. As he drifted off to sleep, he did know that the purpose for everything that had happened over the past two years would begin when he awoke. He hugged the bear a little tighter and smiled. He was ready.

Moments later the girl came back. Kaben nine remained still, wondering what she would do. He knew who she was by her scent and did not feel threatened by her. He heard her move closer, then felt her as she lay down beside him. He let her put her arm under his neck and cradle his head on her shoulder. Kaben nine thought this to be a gift from the voice for completing his training and accepted it as such. The comfort of the girl's shoulder seemed the perfect way to end his old life and begin the tasks that faced him. He drifted into a peaceful sleep hopefully wondering if he would receive more such gifts at the completion of each task.

Blog Post # 25

2009-04-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

25 is a kewl number. I guess I like it because it is a perfect square.

x_x_x_x_x
x_x_x_x_x
x_x_x_x_x
x_x_x_x_x
x_x_x_x_x

Something like that.

Vengeance and kaben are on hold this week. Legacy is taking up my brain cells with editing and the other stories are hiding, knowing their time will come.

I got an interesting question about Karnak. He is the thantor god in the Lord of Chaos Trilogy. He is also the leader of the Council of Darkness. He comes across as being very honorable, which he is. He is also very evil. The alignment of the characters in my story and, the way they lean as far as light and dark are concerned, is loosely based on the system set up in the early D&D role-playing game. The three basic alignments are good, neutral and evil. These are coupled with whether they are chaotic or lawful. Karnak falls in the 'lawful evil' catagory. He will honor his word, but usually will only give his word when it ultimately suits his own purposes. When the Council of Darkness decided to join The Nine, they, under Karnak's leadership decided it would be easier to follow along with what The Nine were doing, since they had a good start on things and were after the same goal, namely, stop Rachk'sha.

Some of the other characters and their alignments:

Ky: true chaotic. He has no good or evil tendancies and cares nothing for balance.
Simon: chaotic good.
Arienna: lawful evil
Archos: chaotic good
Fury: chaotic evil
Rachk'sha: neutral with evil tendancies
The Old Man (Tasenta-Somar) neutral with good tendancies
Delmaria: chaotic good
Selia: lawful good
Symplex: neutral good
Ky II: chaotic with some good tendancies
Tal: lawful good
Eleana: neutral with some evil tendancies

There are varying degrees of the alignments as well. Some will be more 'chaotic' than others of the same alignment. Most strive for some sort of balance as they feel they would be without purpose if their opposites are not around to make their lives interesting.

One band for tonight:

Queen: Sheer Heart Attack: I can find many songs on all the Queen albums that I like, but this one has always been the one I go to when I want a full album of pleasure. As with all Queen albums, there is a great deal of versatility scattered among the tracks. Favorite songs, just about all of them.

More later...

More music and random chaos...

2009-04-12T04:33:00.000-07:00

Kansas: Leftoverture: Once again, memories associated with the music decides this one. My favorite tracks are: "Carry on Wayward Son," "The Wall," "What's on My Mind," and "Magnum Opus."

King Crimson: the construKction of light: This is the band that could successfully come up with a theme song for Ky. Their works are truly awesome and usually includes some tastefully inserted dry Brittish humor. My favorite tracks on this one are: "ProzaKc Blues," "The ConstruKction of Light," "Into the Frying Pan," "FraKctured," "The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum," and Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part IV."

Kula Shaker: K: This band brings the raw garage feeling of 60's rock into the present with startling success. It's great stuff to listen to if you need to get your blood circulating and the coffee maker is broken. My favorites on this album are: "Knight on the Town," "Govinda," "Tattva," and "Hollow Man."

Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy: This band, born from another favorite band of mind: The Yardbirds, is probably the closest thing to defining 70's hard rock as you are going to find. Jones and Bonham supply the perfect driving bottom to Page's guitar antics and Plant's emotion-packed vocals. I was going to cheat and pick a box set, but decided against that. My favorites on this album are: "No Quarter," "The Ocean," The Crunge," "Dancing Days," and "The Rain Song."

Lennon, John: Rock 'n' Roll: This was another difficult choice. I chose this one mainly because John had that perfect voice for this type of music. I would like to see this reproduced without the 'wall of sound' thing even though that is what John was looking for when he teamed up with Phil Spector. My favorite tracks are: "Stand by Me," "Ain't That a Shame," "Slippin' and Slidin'," and "Bony Maronie."

McCartney, Paul: Wings at the Speed of Sound: A lot of nice memories come with these songs. It's also one of Paul's best rock and roll albums. My favorite songs are: "Beware My Love," "Time to Hide," and "Wino Junko."

Moore, Gary: Wild Frontier: Gary is probably my second favorite guitarist. I really like the emotion and intensity he gets from his instrument. My favorite tracks are: "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Wild Frontier," "Friday on My Mind," and "Johnny Boy."

Mott the Hoople: Mott: This group was led by Ian Hunter who is great in his own right. They were a great British rock and roll group. My favorites on the album are: "All the Way from Memphis," "Honaloochie Boogie," "Violence," and "Ballad of Mott the Hoople."

Nazareth: Razamanaz: Raunchy rock and roll at its best here. The music is simple and plain fun to listen to. My favorites on this album are: "Razamanaz," "Alcatraz," "Vigilante Man," "Night Woman," "Bad, Bad Boy," and "Sold My Soul."

Osbourne, Ozzy: Ozzmosis: This album was chosen on the strength of the song "Perry Mason." Ozzy and band do a great job of it. As you can imagine, the whole of the album kicks. So far, Ozzy hasn't disappointed me in the slightest with his solo works.

Osmonds: Phase III: This is the Osmonds third album counting from the "One Bad Apple" LP. It's really somewhere along number ten or eleven. This one, and the two following it, show the Osmonds at their creative best. Most of the tracks on this one, as well as all on the next two, were written by the Osmonds. It's a shame they slipped back into becoming more of a cover band after that. My favorites on this album include: "Business," "My Drum," "Down by the Lazy River," and "Yo Yo."

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon: Pink Floyd is a great mellow-out type band. I'll pass on listing my favorite songs here as it would be every track on the album.

Presley, Elvis: The '68 Comeback Special: I wasn't aware or even alive when Elvis started his career. Although I have all that stuff, this was my introduction to Elvis and I've liked him ever since. Again, I'll pass on listing favorites as the entire track list would be here.

Other news: The 'other' story has been renamed to kaben nine. I'm currently working on the tykes first task which is supposed to be easy. I don't believe it will turn out that way though. This task will definitely have more of a thriller feel to it than the earlier portion of the story.

The ending of Vengeance of the Ghost has been formulated. Now all I have to do is get there.

I'm currently reading W.I. Investigations by Samaya Young. So far I'm really enjoying it. They read like those old detective novels with some really interesting twists stuck in to make things interesting.

In answer to Amy's rainbow...

2009-04-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

Your rainbow is strongly shaded violet and green.

What is says about you: You are a creative person. You feel strong ties to nature and your mood changes with its cycles. You are patient and will keep trying to understand something until you've mastered it. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

More music and other news...

2009-04-07T02:23:00.000-07:00

Foghat: Fool for the City: This is just a great, good time, rock 'n' roll album. Favorite songs include: "Fool for the City," "Slow Ride," and "My Babe."

Garland, Judy: Live at Carnegie Hall: Judy did a lot of great music over the years and this album is the best example of her work captured in one CD case that can be obtained. This is not one of those live albums that cut out all the banter to make a sterile environment to showcase greatest hits. All the stories she tells are there. Very entertaining. Favorite songs: most of them.

Genesis: A Trick of the Tail: This was a hard choice. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway could easily fit in here, but I'm working on one per band, so A Trick of the Tail took the spot. Favorite songs: "Dance on a Volcano," "Entangled," Ripples," and "Los Endos."

Grand Funk Railroad: Grand Funk: This is their second album and it includes my favorite song by them, "Inside Looking Out." Other favorites on this one include: "Paranoid," "In Need," and "High Falootin' Woman."

Hawkins, Screaming Jay: Feast of the Mau Mau: Although there is no album that includes everything I like from Screaming Jay, this one comes the closest. Favorite songs here are: "Feast of the Mau Mau," "Constipation Blues," "What That Is," and "Stone Crazy."

Helloween: Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2: Part 1 would be a close second. My favorites on this rocker are: "Rise and Fall," "Dr. Stein," "Eagle Fly Free," and Keeper of the Seven Keys."

Hunter, Ian: All American Alien Boy: This is the most unique of Ian's albums. It has a studio band that includes some great names and the songs themselves are awesome. Favorites include: "All American Alien Boy," "Apathy 83," "Restless Youth," "You Nearly Did Me In," and "Irene Wilde."

Iggy and the Stooges: Raw Power: This album just rocks. Iggy doesn't give you a chance to recover as you swim through the songs. Everything on it kicks you into high gear and keeps you there. Favorite songs: "Raw Power," "Search and Destroy," "Gimme Danger," and "Shake Appeal."

Jefferson Starship: Freedom at Point Zero: Even though Grace isn't on this album, it is still my favorite. The musical selection is varied and where it rocks, it really rocks. Favorite songs: "Jane," "Lightning Rose," "Girl with the Hungry Eyes," and "Rock Music."

John, Elton: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: This is another difficult choice since my favorite songs by Elton are all over the place. This one gets the nod on the strength of memories attached to it as well as it includes my favorite track by Elton. Favorite songs include: "Funeral for a Friend - Love Lies Bleeding," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Grey Seal," "Your Sister Can't Twist," and my favorite, "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting."

The next five or six letters will be in the next post.

I finished another chapter of Vengeance of the Ghost yesterday. This one dealt with the deep-elves reaction to the dwarves declaring war on them and gave me a great chance to introduce their king. He's a great, fun-loving and friendly sort. Just ignore the facts that he has sharpened teeth and drinks blood.

More again soon...

Let there be music...

2009-04-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

Music is really important to me. It gets me through rough times, helps me enjoy the good times better, and inspires me when I write. I thought I would share some of my favorite album from some of my favorite performers here. Please not that this is not the only album I listen to by these artists. I have most, if not all, of their releases in my collection. It would be nice to know what you readers listen to as well. I'll list them alphabetically, because, depending on my mood, any one of them could be my favorite at any given time.

Aerosmith: Get Your Wings. This album came out about the time I started really listening to music. It includes some of my favorite songs by Aerosmith: "Same Old Song and Dance," "Lord of the Thighs," "S.O.S. (Too Bad)," "Train Kept a Rollin'," and "Pandora's Box."

Beatles, The: Abbey Road. Although this album started off with some bad 6th grade memories stuck to it, those memories have faded and the music on it has won me over. My favorite song on the album is "I Want You (She's So Heavy)."

Beck, Jeff: Blow by Blow. Jeff has been my favorite guitar player for as long as I can remember. This is his first jazz/fusion album and includes my all-time favorite song by him: "Cause We've Ended as Lovers." The rest of the album is awesome as well. In my opinion it is the best guitar album available.

Black Sabbath: Heaven and Hell. This is the first Sabbath album that features Ronnie James Dio as lead vocalist. I like Ozzy, but I like the power of Ronnie's voice much better. My favorite tracks are: "Heaven and Hell," and "Children of the Sea."

Bowie, David: Diamond Dogs. Most people go for Ziggy, but this album speaks to me in a way Ziggy doesn't. I love its darkness and the mix of somber melodies with good riffing rock 'n' roll. My favorite songs are: "Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing," "Rock 'n' Roll with Me," Diamond Dogs," and "1984."

Cooper, Alice: Welcome to My Nightmare. This album holds a lot of memories for me. It was the "Welcome to My Nightmare" tour that I first saw Alice live. I remember watching the TV show produced for this album that co-starred Vincent Price. That and I really like the music. My favorite songs are "Steven," "Welcome to My Nightmare," "Some Folks," "The Black Widow," and "Department of Youth."

Deep Purple: Machine Head. In my opinion, this is by far the best thing Deep Purple ever did. My favorite songs are: "Lazy," "Smoke on the Water," "Highway Star," and "Space Truckin'," which is most of the album.

Emerson Lake & Palmer: Tarkus. I'm not sure what it is about this album that makes it my favorite by ELP, but it is my favorite. The title track is my favorite song on the album.

I'll continue with the next part of the alphabet on my next post.

Other news: Yesterday was a 'live-editting' day. We managed to get through five more chapters of Legacy of the Ghost with some great results. I really appreciate my friends who help me with the editting. They really see a lot of things that I miss. Besides that, there is always the fun of just getting together with them.

I've taken a short writing break these past couple days. This afternoon, I plan to continue with Vengeance of the Ghost. Hopefully by tomorrow, Chapter 5 will be completed.

More later...

Chaos randomly revisited

2009-04-01T02:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight's images are two of my favorite items in my autograph collection. The top one is a hall of fame program signed by a bunch of baseball hall of famers. The bottom one is a map of Yankee Stadium which is signed by some rather famous Yankees. If you look at the blue signature right above the water, you'll see that it is Mrs. Babe Ruth. Very kewl if I may say so myself.

Autograph collecting is one of my hobbies and over the last thirty or so years, I've managed to acquire quite a few of them. I may share more later.

Today, I revisited my favorite David Bowie CD: Diamond Dogs. I got it when it first came out back in 1974. It was an album back then, but it has always been my favorite. The concept of the album, the musical arrangements, and the lyrics all speak to me in ways none of his other works do. Give it a listen. I'm sure you'll like it.

I'm still reading Ravenshade by C.S. Marks, though I'm almost finished with it now. I'm far enough along to say that it is well worth reading. C.S. Marks is a great storyteller.

Both yesterday and today I worked on knaben nine. I finally finished Chapter 3 which may be cut from the final version. It focuses on one of those attention-demanding children that would not let me progress with the main story line. If it does remain, it does so on the fact that it explains the origin of the bear at the end of Chapter 2. The bear is very important to knaben nine as he works his way through the tasks. It would be a shame if he loses it somewhere.

The 0.99 cent sale of Shadow of the Ghost kindle edition is now over. When last I checked, 49 copies of the kindle edition sold last month. Hopefully, most of those that bought it will enjoy the story. If anyone is interested in winning a signed copy of the paperback edition, check out the contest here.

More later. I hope everyone has a great, virus free, April Fool's Day!

kaben nine - preview chapter

2009-03-31T01:59:00.000-07:00

Since I've talked so much about it, here's a sample chapter.

Chapter 1: Nightmare

Sarton Talas placed his hand on the entry panel and waited as the blue steel door of his residence slid silently into the ground. He removed his boots and crossed the threshold. The floor scanner verified his identification which signaled the door to close. Talas sighed as he moved through the sterile hall to his dining chamber. The day had not ended well.

Currently, he had four kaben under his supervision. One of them, kaben seven, was found talking without reason near the close of the work day. Talas knew that this meant he would have to use kaben seven as an example early tomorrow. The other Sartons would expect the example to be good as well. Talas knew that sooner or later one of his kaben would break one of the rules. It was the way. Kaben broke rules and were dealt with. That did not upset him. The timing is what upset him. If kaben seven had committed his crime earlier in the day, it would be over with by now. Instead, Talas would miss his turn at mating. It would be months before his turn would come up again.

He tortured himself with the thought of mating as he pressed the button that slid open the door to his dining chamber. The room slowly brightened as he stepped across the threshold. Most Sartons did not really enjoy their day with the mules. They considered it a chore, something they had to do to keep the stock of kaben full. There were others, like Sarton Talas, that looked forward to it. The only thing Talas did not enjoy was the training session which comprised the first hour of the day. During that time, the younger mules, those not ready for seeding practiced with the Sarton seeders. The only good thing about it for Sarton Talas was the magazine rack over the mule table. It was an excellent time to catch up on the gaming news.

Sarton Talas keyed the code for his dinner into the keyboard set in the wall and waited a few seconds for the wall unit to open. He never questioned where the food and drink came from and he was never disappointed with the quality. The diet was preplanned so that everything he needed to stay healthy and active was supplied without him having to consider over it. Tonight, his plate was laden with a thick, medium rare steak, green beans smothered in cheese, a small baked potato and an orange. He carried it and the mug of steaming tea to the small counter and climbed onto the stool to enjoy his meal.

Afterwards, he pressed a button on the side of the counter and watched the soiled dinnerware slide along the conveyor belt into the wall. He had an hour before his usual sleep schedule began. He checked the mail portal in the hallway and found the newest issue of Gaming News waiting for him. Since he had no need to wait until the mating which would not occur until the next issue came out, he carried the magazine to his entertainment room and settled in the lounge to read.

The games were extremely hard to get tickets for. They happened every weekend and Sarton Talas had been on the waiting list for tickets nearly a year. He had not been to one yet, but he had the magazine which fascinated him. Sarton Talas studied the cover. Under the magazine title where the words: "kaben scores two." The picture showed twenty kaben standing in the arena, their naked oiled bodies gleaming in the sunlight. The third one from the end was circled in red. "Full story on page 17," was written in small black letters along the bottom.

Sarton Talas was intrigued and immediately flipped through the pages to page seventeen. The picture on the cover appeared to be a kaben versus Sarton Hunter fight but he had never heard of a kaben killing a Hunter before. He found the page and was greeted with a full page picture of the kaben, blood and gore dripping down his chin, as he knelt on the still form of a Sarton Hunter whose throat lay ripped open.

Sarton Talas read the article through and found out that the kaben succeeded in removing the helmets of the two Hunters and bit into their throats, ripping the esophagus from them with his teeth. Since a match never ended with surviving kaben, this one and the other six survivors were shot down with photon rifles immediately after their victory. Sarton Talas turned back to the picture and studied the kaben. There was something feral in his eyes, something that unsettled Sarton Talas. Finally, he set the magazine aside and put on some soothing music. He wanted the image out of his head when he went to his sleeping chamber. He leaned back in the lounge, closed his eyes and let the music relax him. The music did what it was programmed to do and by the time Talas left the room, the magazine was forgotten.

The lights came on as Talas entered his sleeping room. He took his time removing his uniform then placed it in the sanitizer before sitting on the edge of his bed. He hoped kaben seven would not choose to be a runner. That would ruin the rest of the week. Kaben seven was intelligent and it would take days to find him if he reached the forest. The hunts were tedious affairs and dirty. He shuddered as he thought of the forest that stood north of the city. It was allowed to grow there because the trees produced the oxygen the people needed to survive. Talas had been in it once when he helped Sarton Carl track down a wayward kaben. The finding and dispatching of the kaben barely made up for the filth of the forest.

Remembering that hunt, Talas walked to the control panel and made sure kaben seven's ward was secured. Satisfied that no kaben would be leaving that ward until he keyed in the unlock code, Talas yawned and returned to his bed. He slipped under his covers, adjusted his pillow and waited. Seconds later, the lights dimmed. He heard the short hissing sound that signified the sleep vapor entering the room and smiled. Moments later, he slept, and for the first time in his life, dreamed.

They had handed him a broom when he arrived at the factory that morning. For the next twelve hours, he would weave in and out of the machines sweeping, or so he thought. He had only been at this factory a week. Prior to that, the first six years of his life were spent learning the way. As he worked, he repeated the rules that were the foundation of the way. Never admit hunger. Never disobey an order. Never show fear. Speak only to answer a question directed at you. Never cry. Following these rules would insure he survived until the first signs of facial hair appeared. Then he would receive a new set of rules.

The first few hours of the day were uneventful. One pile of dust and debris followed by another. He encountered other kaben dressed in the same brown uniform with the large red, green or blue number sown on the back. He ignored them as they ignored him. His own number, a nine, was red like all those that entered from his group. Some ran the machinery. Others cleaned it. There was also the ever-present, bearded overseers, the Sartons. He had not seen his own overseer yet this day. He guessed he was with one of the other kaben in his charge. Around midday, his sweeping brought him to the portion of the factory his overseer occupied. Sarton Marin, as he was addressed, was supervising another kaben whose task it was to clean out the machinery.

Kaben nine glanced at the other kaben and recognized him, kaben three, from the same group that he had come from. He also noticed as he swept that all of the kaben from his group were working nearby. Sarton Marin saw him and pointed to the front of the machine being cleaned. Kaben nine pushed the pile of dust ahead of him and moved to work on the spot indicated. As he swept, kaben three was told to remove his uniform and place it on the end of the conveyor belt. Afterwards, he was handed a rag and told to clean the inside of the machine.

Kaben nine wondered at the amount of Sartons that were gathering as he worked to sweep up the mess at the end of the machine. They seemed very pleased about something. As soon as he moved in front of the machine, it rumbled to life. Before he could move, the shredded bits of kaben three spewed forth from the machine, spraying him with blood and pelting him with bits of flesh and bone. The suddenness of it startled him and he almost dropped the broom. His mental litany of rules narrowed down to one: Never show fear. Slowly, he forced his broom to continue sweeping.

Two other kaben in the area did not share his luck. They cried out and one went so far as to cry. Moments later, kaben nine's group, which numbered fourteen when they arrived, now numbered eleven. He tried to ignore the laughing and cheering of the Sartons that had come to watch the example. Apparently, Sarton Marin had done an splendid job of impressing his peers. When the other Sartons left to tend their own kaben, Sarton Marin approached him, dragging a hose with him.

"Wash what's left of kaben three down that drain," he ordered, handing kaben nine the hose. "You've done well this day. Keep it up and you will make a great Sarton yourself if you survive the training."

Kaben nine put his broom aside and hosed down the area in front of the machine. He did not turn the hose on himself. He had not been told to do so. Instead, he wore most of kaben three for the rest of the day.

Talas awoke with a start. The sleep vapor was supposed to make dreams impossible. He sat up, causing the lights in the room to spring to life. Somehow, he knew, in spite of the reprogramming that his brain went through, that he had been kaben nine in the dream. This confused him even more. The kaben years were wiped from memory during Sarton training. All that remained at the end of that training was the discipline and the new set of rules.

"Are you willing to do the same to kaben seven?"

Talas was unsure where the question came from. He heard it within his head and wondered about his sanity. The way said that kaben seven had committed the crime and had to be dealt with. The way was all Talas knew. He had been Sarton for over three years now and had witnessed examples two or three times a week that whole time. Even though this one would be one of his own kaben, it should make no difference.

"Are you willing to do the same to kaben seven?"

Talas climbed from his bed and walked to his entertainment room. This time of night, most of the visual entertainment would be mating shows. Knowing he would miss his turn discouraged him from watching others. Instead, he turned on the music channel. He turned the volume low as the electronic sounds pulsed through the room and the lighting emphasized the rhythm. He grabbed a glass of laten from the wall unit and sat in the lounge, focusing his attention on the music.

Several minutes later, the question returned. "It's the way. What else is there to do?" he muttered, not expecting an answer.

"Take all four of your kaben to the forest. Make them runners."

Talas marveled at the absurdity of his own thoughts. He wondered if other Sartons struggled through this the first time one of their kaben broke the rules. He took a sip of his laten, closed his eyes and concentrated on the music again.

"You are different, Talas. Do as I have suggested. Take all four of your kaben to the forest. You will find a safe haven for them there."

"The only thing in the forest is filth and taking them there condemns them to a slow death by disease or starvation," Talas mumbled, frowning with the thought of such filth. "Leave me in peace. I will follow the way."

"Do as I say!" the voice inside his head commanded, making Talas jump from his seat. "If you do not do as I wish, you will die of sleep deprivation. I will make your kaben years torment you until you beg for death."

For the first time that night, Talas realized that the voice inside his head was female. He emptied his glass of laten and returned it to the wall unit before walking back to his sleeping chamber.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he said, "I don't believe you are anything but anxiety caused by losing my first kaben."

He remained sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for the voice to answer him. He did not believe it would this time. Talas had identified it and now the voice would go away and leave him alone. After close to twenty minutes, he started to lie down again. There were four hours left before he had to awaken and he wanted those four hours before facing his task.

Instead, the voice returned, saying, "Stand, please Talas. If this last thing does not convince you, then I will bother you no more." The voice fell silent a moment, then sneered, "Tonight."

Talas sighed and stood, though he had no idea how standing would change anything. If nothing else, he hoped the voice kept its promise and remained silent for the rest of the night. As in the dream, he was startled by the sudden sound of machinery, except this time he was near no machinery. Then, his body was sprayed with blood and pelted with bits of flesh and bone. The first time kaben three did this to him, he was wearing a uniform. This time, nothing protected his skin and the feeling of wearing that boy's shredded body sickened Talas. The laten he had just finished and the meal he had after work mixed with the remains spewed upon his floor.

Talas fell to his knees, centered in the gore and asked, his voice trembling, "What must I do?"

"Go to the ward where your kaben sleep. They will be waiting for you. Put them in your transport and drive as far north as it will take you. When your fuel runs out, you will be near the haven. When they are safe, I will come to you again, and we will talk about your future."

Talas slowly regained his feet and took a step towards the cleansing stall, only to find the gore gone and a clean uniform on his body. He swallowed and began his trek to kaben ward two. As the voice promised, all four of his kaben, seven, three, two, and the youngest, kaben one, were dressed and waiting at the door. They followed him to his transport. He made sure they were securely buckled in and drove northward, out of the city.

After driving into the forest, Talas glanced at kaben seven who sat beside him. He tightened his grip on the steering column and asked, "Why were the four of you waiting at the door?"

Kaben seven absently twisted the gray fabric of his trousers and answered, "We were told to be there."

Talas nodded, then asked, "By who?"

The kaben, who was probably nine or ten, tried to glimpse the others seated in the back. The safety straps prevented him from moving that far, so he stared down at his work shoes and muttered, "A mule."

Talas laughed as he geared the transport faster. "There are no mules in the kaben wards. Maybe you should tell me more."

Kaben seven remained quiet. After a while, Talas realized that he did not ask a question. Talas grinned. Earlier in the day, kaben seven uttered, "I'm tired," to no one in particular, breaking the way's rule of speaking without being asked a question. Now he was content to follow the way. Talas shook his head.

"Tell me about this mule. Who is she?"

"I don't know. I just heard her. We all did." Kaben seven stole a glance in Sarton Talas' direction. He expected his Sarton to show signs of disbelief, anything other than the smile he saw. He returned to staring at his shoes and waited.

Talas did not ask any more questions. He heard what he wanted and left kaben seven alone. Instead, he switched on the music channel and tuned to the Hunter station. He wanted to hear music that matched the excitement of this adventure. As he steered the transport, he tapped the beat of the music on the column. He also noted that kaben seven tapped the beat on his knees, quietly, barely allowing his fingers to move. Several hours later, the transport began to sputter. Talas found a place to pull into the forest before it died completely.

They all climbed from the transport and waited as Talas removed two hunting packs from the side compartment. He handed one to kaben seven, the eldest of his kaben, then shouldered the other himself. Then he took the photon rifle from the compartment and told his kaben to follow him. The direction he chose was random but he figured that if he went the wrong way, the voice would correct his route. At dawn, he stopped long enough to feed everyone from the preserved food packets in his own hunting pack. Then they continued. Just before noon, they found the settlement.

Talas had never seen anything like it. The dwellings were no more than tents and males and females lived within the settlement together. They stopped within sight of the settlement with crude weapons aimed at them. Talas waited as three men came from the settlement to meet him.

"What brings you here?" the eldest man asked, crossing his arms over his chest..

"I was told that if I bring these kaben here they would be safe," Talas answered gesturing to the four kaben that accompanied him.

The man glanced at the four boys who stood on either side of Talas, then asked, "And who told you that?"

Talas thought for a moment. He wondered if they would believe what he had trouble believing himself. Finally, he shrugged and said, "A woman's voice inside my head convinced me to bring them here."

All three men smiled at this confession. Talas thought they would be killed or at the very least, chased back into the forest with jeers and stones pelting their heels. Instead, the men bowed to Talas.

"So," the eldest continued, "you have been chosen by the Mother to bring them here. We will not refuse her request. What of you?" he asked, his hands finding the pockets of his baggy jeans.

Talas took a deep breath and answered, "She hasn't told me yet."

The eldest man smiled and nodded. "I'm sure she will. Send them in when you are ready."

The three men returned to the village speaking to each other in excited voices. Talas watched them until they disappeared into the large central tent. He removed his hunting pack and handed it to kaben three. "Go on. Your lives will be better here."

He waited until the four boys entered the settlement, then turned away, walking deeper into the forest to await the voice. He had considered what the voice had him do through the mornings journey. Slowly, he was deciding that the way was not the way. It was wrong. The more his decision moved towards this conclusion, the stronger and happier he felt.

He found a stream after walking for a while and stopped to drink from its waters. He found it refreshing and cool where he thought it would be stale and dirty. As he drank, he noticed his reflection, with it, the carefully manicured beard that marked him as a Sarton. Talas searched the streams edge until he found a sharp stone and with it, shaved his beard from his face. He looked again at his reflection. Instead of the beard, he noticed his eyes, dark brown and large. The beard gone, he was kaben again. This time, he vowed to do it properly, to learn the real way. With his vow, came the return of the voice.

"Very good, kaben nine. I have some tasks I wish you to complete for me. These tasks will take you to places you have never dreamed existed and will make you do things that torture your soul. The numbers of the kaben you just delivered into safety will be the number of tasks you must complete. Seven and three and two and one. Thirteen tasks await you." The voice fell silent a few moments, allowing him to absorb all that she said. "For my part, I will keep you alive until the tasks are complete if you so wish it. Afterwards, I will give you the life of your choosing. Think well upon that, because after you choose, that is the life you will have. Do you accept this burden, kaben nine?"

"Are you giving me a choice?" Talas asked still staring into the waters as if he would find the voice inside his head there, or reflected in his eyes.

"I must. If I do not allow you to accept the tasks, then you will not have the will to complete them. Rest now. I will come to you later and ask again. There is another, less meaningful life awaiting you if you refuse. You may join the settlement where you left your kaben. Consider your choice. Farewell for now."

He sat with his back against a tree and closed his eyes. As he faded to sleep, he listened to the sounds of the forest around him, hearing things he had never heard before. His dreams were filled with strange creatures and even stranger lands. He witnessed things that made his soul cry for joy and other things that made him want to cringe into a dark hole and hide.

While he slept, the Mother worked. She took from him his maturity, his body slowly diminishing in size so that his Sarton uniform soon became more of a blanket to keep him warm. His chiseled features became soft, a perfect home for his doe-like eyes. His black hair, which had grown coarse with age, became silk-like and stirred at the slightest breeze. When he awoke, night had come to the forest and the quarter moon rode high in the sky. He sat up and stretched, his small child's body lost in the folds of his Sarton uniform. Although his eyes widened with surprise and his hands sought to find escape in the overly long sleeves, the transformation felt right to him. Kaben nine was ready to decide.

Children and their demands...

2009-03-30T00:49:00.001-07:00

Before I get into tonight's topic, I want to pass on a great blog which has some wonderful in-depth tutorals on writing. You'll find it here: The World of Secramore Blog

Now, on to the children. As a writer, I have lots of children that live within my imagination and come out to make my stories come to life. Some are young, some old. Some hang around for a long time. Others make a brief appearance then fade away. Up until now, managing these children has been easy. Granted while working with one or two, the others would want to come out and play as well. This was fine since they all fit into the same story.

At the moment, I'm working on two stories. My children are separated by different worlds and plot-lines. They have also become rather greedy for my attention. While working on one story, the children from the other come barging out of their universe demanding that I go to them, nurture them and work on their story. Today was Vengeance of the Ghost day for me. That's what I had planned anyway and I forced my way through it in spite of all the distractions caused by kaben nine and his friends.

Usually, I can utter a mental 'Yeah, yeah," push them back to their corner and procede with what I'm doing. Today was an exception to that rule. Kaben nine is very excited about starting his first task. He tortured me all day trying to find out what it would be. To make matters worse, a minor character in his story, kaben seven, is demanding his own spin-off novel.

Here it is, the end of my day, and I can say that although the battle was roughly fought, I won. Chapter four of Vengeance is written. Tomorrow it's back to the other story. I'm sure Simon, Arienna and Ky will have their turn at trying to tug me away into their realm. It's one of the pleasures of writing two stories at once, I guess. It most definitely makes for interesting writing sessions.

Another good writing day turned great...

2009-03-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

After finishing Chapter 3 of Vengeance yesterday, I set my sights on trying to get chapter 2 of knaben (which may be titled 'knaben nine' shortly), finished. During one of my breaks, I checked out Amy's new blog post: *Coda*. It was an extension on her 'fanfic' treatise, which in itself was nicely done. Anyway, I sent her the start of knaben saying that this was the character that would most likely show up in her world (Bitter Moon I) if I were to be so inclined to write that. My other purpose was to get some feedback on the story. To make a short story shorter, she sent me some feedback, I sent her a question, she sent me an example.

The problem with getting examples from people who write well is that the story gets in the way of what they are trying to demonstrate. This is exactly what happened with Amy's example. I had to read the thing four times before I could focus on what she was showing me. The result is I have another series of books to read so I can read the one the example came from when it comes out. Anyway, I did a little rewriting, a little more world building, added a tweek here, a gesture there, and a word or two over there.

The result really got me into the story. (the one I'm writing) I was liking it earlier, now I'm really excited about it and loving it. I'm not sure if I'll publish the final version yet or not. It's really an experiment as I intend to explore different genres with the different tasks knaben nine must complete. If I don't publish it, I will share it with friends.

You can check out Amy's blog at writerslane.blogspot.com or do it the easy way and click on Yarning to Write under the blogs I'm following on the left hand side of this page.

It rained again here today and, no, I did not play the CD to cause it. It also rained in Spain today. Whether it rained on the plain in Spain I cannot say. Tomorrow, rain or not, I move on to the fourth chapter of Vengeance. Simon has an appointment with a yellow spider there and I can't keep the spider waiting. She gets very nasty when her appointments are delayed.

Vengeful Progress

2009-03-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

Overall it's been a good day. Vengeance of the Ghost is now three chapters and growing. Knaben is still moving along, though I'm still on the second chapter. It was supposed to be a quick set up chapter, but it won't let me do it that way. Too much stuff keeps happening.

So far this month, Shadow of the Ghost has sold 40 kindle copies. Raising the price at the end of the month will probably kill a lot of sales, but I did it as a one month introductory thing and I intend to stick with that plan.

It has been raining here again these last couple days, but it is not my fault. That rain song on the Silk Road CD has not been played in quite some time. I've been listening to Jeff Beck, David Bowie and some early 60s stuff that I like recently. Today, I did play Silk Road (can't do any more damage since it's already raining). My two favorite tracks are the last two on the CD: Eva's Polka (from Finland) and Mozart's Dies Irea. The arrangement for the Mozart composition is awesome. It is best played at maximum volume.

So much for plans...

2009-03-25T00:41:00.000-07:00

After taking a couple days rest following the completion of Legacy, I forgot how the writing muse usually works, or doesn't work for that matter. Today's writing started with three very frustrating hours which yeilded two sentences of Vengeance. So much for spewing forth a chapter or two.

I minimized that project and decided to work on Knaben. This had much better results. The first chapter of this story is now complete and the basis for the rest of the story is laid out within it. I'm really looking forward to delving into what looks to be a fantasy that includes elements of historical fiction, PNR, SciFi, and a couple other things.

With the completion of the first chapter of Knaben, I returned to Vengeance which was a bit more cooperative this time. I've managed to complete the beginning of the first chapter. Now, unfortuneatley, my eyes feel like they are going to explode if I force them to stay open much longer, so I will continue the two stories tomorrow.

Shadow of the Ghost is performing quite well in kindle format. The 99 cent sale, which ends at the end of this month, seems to be picking me up a few more readers. So far, 27 kindle copies have sold this month. Paper versions are not faring as well. Since the iUniverse edition has come out, I've only sold 7 paperbacks. Hopefully, with the success of the kindle version, that will begin to change as word-of-mouth affects my sales record.

No music today. Tomorrow I think I'll take in some Jeff Beck tunes to make up for today's total lack of tunes.

Chordless Chaos...rambling thoughts

2009-03-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

For the first time in about a year I picked up one of my guitars today. I don't know which was rustier, my fingers or the strings on the guitar. Regardless I messed around a little. I'm trying to come up with some music to make a trailer of Shadow and Legacy. What I would truly like to produce is a cross between Jeff Beck and Robert Fripp. Granted it would be ten or fifteen years before I could as well as either of them, but for my purposes I'd like to create something that could be as creative as some of their music.

Then I have to decide whether to add anything with the guitar. For rhythm, I have Band in the Box though I haven't figured out how to change time signatures with that program yet. Basically what I'd have to do is create three or four seperate pieces then edit them together. After that I would get out my keyboard and 4 track recorder (which has a nifty little punch-in button that would get LOTS of use).

If all of this mess produces something usable, then I'd have to decide what to say (or text) in the trailers. My marketing skills are nil. I'm really rather at a loss on how to approach these books. I could focus on Ky, Lord of Chaos as he is the main character in the trilogy, but that would leave out an awful lot of the story. I'm afraid it would also mislead possible readers who see it and expect Ky to be the central focus for the whole thing.

I guess I should just concentrate on finishing Vengeance and leave the trailer thing alone. Even if I did manage the music and text, then I would have to worry about the visual portion. That's a nightmare I don't really want to get into.

At least I did have fun with the guitar.

The 'other' story is just about ready to be started. The parts that have been tormenting me had no reason or society behind them. Over the past few days, I've not been writing anything. I've been letting my subconscious work through things for me. I'm really happy with what is developing.

Tomorrow, I will write the first chapter or two of Vengeace and start on the 'other' story. It has a working title of Knaben at the moment. That may change depending on where the story takes me.

Legacy of Rain

2009-03-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was into Alice Cooper and writing so the Silk Road CD did not get played. Interesting that it did not rain here yesterday. Today I had some running around to do and since there was not a sign of a cloud in the sky and the Silk Road CD was in the car already, I thought playing it would most likely not produce rain. Well, it's raining here now. Totally freaky.

Legacy of the Ghost is now finished, the writing portion anyway. Onto the editing and the next book of the series, Vengenace. I'm also gonna work on that 'other' story as well. Will write again soon.

New story conquered, sort of, Legacy continues...

2009-03-18T01:53:00.000-07:00

After a battle that lasted close to a week or two, the new story has been deligated to keeping up while I try to sleep nights. Sleep is somewhat overrated anyway. At this time, only one chapter remains to be written and Legacy will be finished and ready for the editting sessions.

Samaya suggested I attempt writing both stories at once. I am seriously considering that option when I start Vengeance. The two stories should be easy to keep apart. The new one has only two main characters, one of which is support and guidance. The conflict characters will appear for one or two chapters and then change. At this point, there will be thirteen tasks the main character must complete. Other than that, the only other thing I can say now is that it will not be epic fantasy. As a matter of fact, I have no clue what genre it would fall into.

Vengeance is the completion of the Lord of Chaos trilogy. All the characters (and there are a few) are familiar and only one needs to be fully fleshed out. Simon will grow a lot in the last book. I'm looking forward to delving into the mess I created with Legacy.

While these stories are occupying my mind, I'm reading Ravenshade by C.S. Marks. It's the third installment of her Alterra trilogy and is quite good. I highly recommend the entire series.

Last week, I received the new DVD and CD by the Wiener Sängerknaben: Songs Along the Silk Road and Time. Both are excellent. The DVD tells about the choir and shares the culture, through song, that is found along the Silk Road. It runs just over 2 hours and every minute is worth watching. The CD contains 25 tracks featured in the film. They range from church classics, to ley classics, to folk songs one could hear along the Silk Road. It's interesting that I've listened to it almost constantly for the last five days (excluding today) and every day I've played the CD it rained. I blame the song Sus Xâtin which is an Uzbek rain song. According to the film, it worked in Austria, the Caraco Desert, and the studio where they filmed the song. Apparently, it works in Virginia as well. You can only get the DVD and CD from the shop on the WSK official page:

http://www.wsk.at

It's well worth the acquiring!

More later.

The dimming light at the end of the Legacy tunnel...

2009-03-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

Less than two chapters of Legacy to write and I thought I was about home with it. I decided to take my time with these last two chapters because they are so important to the third book. Anyway, to make a long story short, another story has invaded my subconscious mind and haunts me night and day making it very difficult to finish Legacy. I might have to put Legacy on hold and get this other one started. I've never tried writing two stories at the same time, but it looks like that is going to be the way of things.

At least I can work on the editting of Legacy for a while before I have to finish these last two chapters. It should give me the time I need to get this other story (which is WAY different from the Lord of Chaos trilogy) started.

Part 2: WANTED!!!

1998 Austria Viennese Boy Choir 500 Schilling Commemorative Coin.

Also, if anyone knows of any blogs that have WSK concerts available, please let me know.

Later,
Tanner

Another question...

2009-02-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

Today's question was from naomi_was_here:
Why didn't Simon go back instead of having a new baby?

There are several reasons Simon did not return, until later in the book anyway. The main reason is that Rachk'sha would have known Simon if he did return and would have destroyed him before Simon achieved his full powers. Simon returns only after Rachk'sha thinks he's already gotten 'The Seed' out of the way. If I tell you more, it might spoil the story for you.

I'm really enjoying these questions that people are posting on my forum. If any of you have a question and don't have access to the forum, feel free to post a comment and I'll be happy to answer.

A Question - Answered and Random Chaos Update

2009-02-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

This question was posted to my forum by Saluki 357:
Why does The Lady live in a garden?

Answer:
When Maker created the four universes, He created The Lady, The Lord, The Duke and The Duchess to rule over them. Each was given a home in the center of their universe that they would find pleasant. The Lady is most comfortable in a garden, so The Garden was Maker's gift to her. Time cannot touch The Garden, though the rhythms of nature exist there. Since there are so many plants, there are two seasons and rains fall to nourish the life within the garden. The two seasons are the Season of Bloom, when all the plants are in full leaf and flower, and the Season of Dormancy, which is when the plants have time to grow their roots and rest.

The Lady is a very powerful goddess. She has no need for a dwelling, sleep, or rest. She spends her life enjoying The Garden Maker provided for her and watching over her creations in her universe. So, in summary, The Lady lives in a garden because that is where she is most happy.

Random Chaos Update:
*For a limited time, the Kindle version of Shadow of the Ghost is specially priced at 99 cents.
*Legacy of the Ghost is very near completion. Most likely, I have about 4 or 5 chapters to go. It will be published using CreateSpace and will also be available on Kindle. Hopefully, Legacy will have some interior artwork.

Random Chaos

2009-01-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

Shadow of the Ghost is now available on Kindle. Hopefully, more people will take the chance and read it.

There is a great trilogy out there written by C.S. Marks. Elfhunter, Fire-Heart & Ravenshade. They fall into the genre of high-fantasy and are excellently written.

C.S. and I are doing an informal short story wherein The Lord of Chaos pays a visit to Alterra. Chronologically, this story will fall between Legacy of the Ghost and Vengeance of the Ghost. So far, I've really enjoyed our dialogue and it looks like it will be an entertaining little tale.

More later...

Happy Holidays

2008-12-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

Here's hoping you all have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Domain problems update

2008-12-21T02:02:00.000-08:00

The web-site is accessable again. This is a temporary fix but should last long enough for me to make it permanent.

Domain problems

2008-12-20T12:36:00.000-08:00

My web-site is experiencing some domain name problems at the moment. It is still available at: http://tutaten.tripod.com/. I will post here when the problems are resolved.

Ky's family tree...

2008-12-14T00:32:00.000-08:00

Ky's parents are Maker, the supreme diety of the four universes, and The Lady, the surpeme goddess of the universe the story takes place in. Ky has one older brother, Simon. Due to the time Simon spent in The Garden, Ky passed him in age.

After Ky's exile from the Eldar elves, he encountered a ghost family. The daughter, Illya, and Ky conceived a child which Illya named Little Ky. This conception resulted from a mixing of several magicks. Shortly after Little Ky's inheritance, the child was attacked and ripped to shreds. Ky spent most of his pre-Lord of Chaos life trying to find a way to bring Little Ky back to life. This path led him and his friends to replace the former gods of their planet. Unfortunately, the memories of their former lives were stripped from them when they became gods.

In the process of destroying the former gods, Ky killed the twin of Laena. Laena sought revenge and traveled the pathways of the gods in search of Ky. She ended up in Chaos with no memory of her purpose. Ky found her and decided to help her spirit become complete by magically giving her a daughter. This was done with the aid of Archos.

The result of this conception was the intended daughter, Eleana and two brothers, Tal and Ky II. Ky, being locked in childhood by his exile, left the raising of the triplets to Laena and the other members of The Nine. Shadow of the Ghost tells the story of how Ky and his friends regain their memories and the struggle with Karn-Rachk'sha as a result.

The Origins of Ky and his friends.

2008-12-10T16:40:00.001-08:00

Many years ago, two friends and myself gathered around my small kitchen table and began rolling up characters for a game that looked interesting: Dungeons and Dragons. We had the basic rules, a few dice and a bit of imagination. One of my friends, the DM had a module he planned on taking us through.

The only character to survive those first forays into the game is Ky, although he went through several transformations over the years. The poor little elf had rotten luck with the dice. None of his stats were above 12. His starting money barely was enough to buy him a cheap sword, some rations and a water skin. I remember thinking he will probably be replaced as I got better at the game.

The kitchen table faded and we found ourselves in a small rural community looking for fame, fortune and a dragon to slay. What we found was a long-abandoned mansion standing amidst a graveyard. We were hired to deal with some strange occurances happening around the mansion.

Ky's luck kicked in as we progressed through the adventure. He was very good at sneaking around and scouting and would sometimes find himself in place to attack the viscious skeletons and zombies from behind.

Originally, we sought our adventures on a monthly basis. As time passed, we were playing weekly and sometimes several times a week. Over the years, I've started many stories about Ky and his friends, like Symplex, Archos, Taelann and Daelann. This year I finally completed one of them. Shadow of the Ghost is the result.

I am currently working on the sequel (book 2 of 3).