Moxie Meets Count Gamel in MOXIE'S PROBLEM by Hank Quense @hanque99 #Excerpt AmReading #SciFi

Scene Background:  

Moxie is on her way to meet her betrothed Count Gamel. Three apprentice knights, Percivale, Bore and Gareth are escorting her there. 

Bors rode to the top of a hill and examined a flat, boulder-strewn summit. Beyond the boulders, a grassy knoll butted against a tall outcrop that would shelter them from the wind. Bors rode past the boulders, dismounted on the grass and removed the saddle from his horse, Escrow. He grunted in pleasure as a cool breeze wafted over him.

Percivale, Gareth and Moxie joined him on the knoll and they decided to camp there. Soon, all the mounts were unsaddled, hobbled and grazing nearby.

After tending to his horse, Escrow, Bors studied the boulders. Something about them seemed strange, almost unnatural. The rocks were in lines almost like the beads on his abacus. He ignored Moxie's latest outburst of whining and continued to examine the rocks. Dark gray boulders — dozens of them — covered the area in three lines with exactly twenty rocks in each line. A fourth rank, separate from the other three, contained five rocks.

"How dare you!" Moxie roared.

Bors grabbed his sword hilt and whirled towards the sound of her voice. Moxie stood ten feet away glaring at a boulder in the middle rank.

"What's goin' on?" Percival, also on foot, asked her. Gareth stood near Percivale, looking quizzically at Moxie.

"I'm a princess, you impudent rock. Apologize this instant or I'll break you into rubble."

Bors gawked at her. The memory of a story an old hunter once told him and his father flooded his brain and almost overwhelmed him with the danger they faced. His skin crawled.

Moxie picked up a fist-sized rock.

Bors gasped. Moxie was about to get them all killed.

Moxie bounced the rock off the boulder.

Bors ran to her and grabbed her arm before she could do more damage.

"The stone insulted me." Moxie frowned at Bors as if she suspected his motives.

"Why did you throw the rock?" Percivale asked.

"Moxie just attacked one of the rock-folk," Bors said in a quavering voice.

"I did what?"

"She did what?" Percivale said. "I'm confused."

Bors waved an arm around the boulder collection. "This is a rock-moot. I've heard about them. The rock-folk come together to settle problems and make new laws. And the stone Moxie threw was a rock-baby."

"The big one degraded me." Moxie sniffed and pointed at the boulder. "It made lewd suggestions."

"Rocks can't talk," Gareth said. "Leastwise, not so we can hear them."

"I can hear them. I’m descendent from the Ancient Ones. Royal Ancient Ones, of course. And the Ancient Ones were descended from the fairies.”

"We have to get out of here," Bors said. "Fast."

"Why is the ground shaking?" Moxie looked alarmed. She grabbed Percival's arm to steady herself.

"It's the rock-folk," Bors said. "They're gettin' all worked up over Moxie's attack."

Their mounts whinnied in fear at the trembling ground. They jumped and stamped their hooves and strained at the hobbles until they broke free. The four horses ran down the hill and disappeared into the forest.

A worried Bors said, "We have to get out of here. Let's grab the saddle bags and put some distance between us and the rocks."

A boulder inched closer to Moxie's foot and she shrieked.

Percivale made a face at the sudden pain in his ear from Moxie's reaction, but didn't move, as if frozen in place.

"Someone has to get my horse," Moxie said.

"I ain't goin' through those rocks." Gareth pointed to a group of rocks rolling to form a line between them and the direction the horses went.

"We have to leave." Bors pushed Moxie in the back. "That way."

"Unhand me! And what about dinner? I'm hungry."

"Dinner will be very late tonight, Your Royal Feyness." Bors kept his hand on her back, nudging her away from the builders. He grabbed Moxie's saddle bag and handed it to her, then picked up his own.

"You expect me to carry that?"

Bors dropped her saddle bags. "If you don't carry it, it stays here and gets crushed by the rocks. I'm not carryin' yours, you are."

Bors looked at Percivale who stood without moving, his face drained of color. Bors grabbed an arm and yanked Percivale backward. Percivale blinked and gave Bors a strange look. "Come on, Perc," Bors yelled. "Snap out of it and let's get goin'."

Percivale picked up his saddlebags and trotted away from the boulders.

A few minutes later, they descended the hill.

"Moxie, look out!" Gareth yelled.

Bors turned and saw a boulder thundering down the hill. A bow wave of dirt sprayed out on both sides of its path.

Gareth dropped his saddle bags and pushed Moxie out of the way. Both landed in a heap a moment before the boulder sped past them.

"Get off me, you blundering lummox."

Gareth picked himself up and pointed to the boulder now at the bottom of the hill and rapidly losing speed. "Must have been sentry." He went over to his saddle bags, partially crushed by the boulder.

"Are these rocks stupid or something?" Moxie stood with her hands on her hips. "Commoners are supposed to ignore royal misunderstandings."

"I don't think rock-folk are impressed with your royal birth," Bors said. "Let's get movin'.

"When do you think the horses will come back?" Moxie asked. "I can't carry my saddle bags all the way to Count Gamel's."

"Those animals ain't comin' back," Percivale said. "Not after the way they got spooked. They're inna next county by now." The color had returned to his face.

"Can someone please carry my bags?" Moxie asked in a pleasant voice while fluttering her eyelids. "They have my wedding dress in it."

Bors slung his own bags over one shoulder and said, "It'll do you good to get some exercise." He turned his back on her and walked east.

"We gotta get a lotta miles from here before we can stop for me to cook the rabbits I caught." Gareth tied two hares to a saddle bag. "We better start pickin' nuts and berries if we see any."

Bors shook his head. He wished the adventure would go back to being boring again.

Moxie huffed, stamped her foot and picked up her saddle bags. She followed the three knights while raining insults and curses down on their collective heads.

Moxie had never thought that life outside the castle could be so difficult. Her escorts made her sleep on the ground with only two thin blankets: one under her and one on top of her. She had to sleep in her clothes. The men made her get up at dawn. She had to eat cold meals when it rained. They made her ride the horse all day long. The knights were disrespectful of her nobility. They often ignored her commands.

It was if she was a peasant not a princess. And now they didn’t have horses and had to walk and non one would carry her saddlebags.

Moxie dropped the saddlebags to wipe her tear-filled eyes. Gamel better be worth all this misery she thought.

Do you enjoy untypical coming-of-age stories? Well, you won’t find one more untypical than Moxie’s Problem. Moxie is an obnoxious, teen-age princess who has never been outsider her father’s castle. Until now. The real world is quite different and she struggles to come to grips with reality. The story takes place against a backdrop of Camelot. But it isn’t the Camelot of legends. It’s Camelot in a parallel universe. So, all bets are off!

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Genre – Fantasy, Sci-fi

Rating – G

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Website http://hank-quense.com/wp/

Writing that Relies on Perception & More with PM Pillon @PMPillon #AmWriting #SciFi #Fantasy

Our writing relies on our perceptions, leading us down a bright or dark path if that’s how we see the world but and are infinite in variety. For instance in Dostoyevsky’s case appreciating and writing about appalling privation because he himself experienced it as a starving writer and Solzhenitsyn also as a state prisoner. Who can fail to be moved by the young man’s utter destitution in Crime And Punishment, or the Gulag convict fussing over his boots without which he would be a dead man walking?

However, there are also cases of a writer’s life being a stark contrast from her or his writing, such as Guy de Maupassant who wrote beautifully and auspiciously even as he lived a life of depression and ultimately wrote as his epitaph: “I have coveted everything and taken pleasure in nothing.” 

We are a sum of our parts and at the same time we are a continuum, experiencing myriad states of life most often without even realizing it, with all aspects such as memories morphing into differing levels of appreciation. We forget most events and remember only a fraction, and we sometimes wish the two would transpose and we could forget that pedestrian remark dad made and instead remember something he said about mom when she was ill. If every single memory is still somewhere in our brain, until and unless a method for total recall is discovered we are forced to play with the cards we’re dealt; trudging through life with limited recollections that we can mine for our writing. A week ago I had a dream that I recognized as being a basis for a entire book as my previous books have been, but within seconds I forgot it and it’s clearly gone for good.

If we’re writing about a man whose girl friend has left him or vice versa, it helps to have some memories under our belt about amorous relationships. Writing blind about events with which we have no experience can still work if we have learned about them from observation or stories we heard from others, but it’s more problematic because more care must be taken to attain plausibility.

And ultimately our writing style will likely be the decider, such as the case of William Faulkner who gave up trying to mimic or emulate others and just wrote in his own consciousness stream and prose based on his experiences that eventually earned him universal praise and a Nobel Prize for Literature.

His celestial companion was waiting for him

Precariously climbing a sea-side cliff near Big Sur, ten-year-old Joey Blake was as yet unaware that near his grasp was an object, so odd, mysterious and alien to earth that it would change his life forever and the lives of countless others in the next few astonishing days. Reaching up as far as he could for a handhold it was just there; it had subconsciously lured him, occupied his mind, and made him find it. It was like he was meant to see and discover this object of unimaginable power … the power to change reality.

Time travel and more

This young adult series of sci-fi fantasy novels begins with The Reality Master and continues through four other exciting and amazing stories about time travel and mysterious alien devices. Joey and the reader will face dangerous shadowy criminal organizations, agents of the NSA, bizarre travelers from other times and even renegade California bikers and scar-faced walking dead.

- Vol 1 The Reality Master
- Vol 2 Threat To The World
- Vol 3 Travel Beyond
- Vol 4 Missions Through Time
- Vol 5 The Return Home

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Genre – Science fiction, Fantasy, Young adult

Rating – G

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Superhuman Nature by Brandon Overall #SciFi #BookClub #AmReading

Neil made the walk home after a wet, but fulfilling session of PT.  He always felt something rewarding knowing he had just run five miles while most people were still in their beds sleeping.

Neil’s workout uniform was soaked from the rain, so it was a relief to change out of it and get into the shower.  The shower was another place that Neil enjoyed a chance to collect his thoughts.  It was one of the few places he could go to be completely at peace.  Sometimes he would get carried away and would be notified by the banging of his roommate’s fist on the door that an hour was too long for a shower.

That day, Neil thought about the strange dream he had before waking up for PT.  Why did it feel so real?  The most vivid of Neil’s dreams usually came after popping a couple melatonin tablets to help him sleep, but he hadn’t taken any the night before.  It felt more like a memory than a dream.

The warm water from the showerhead flowed over his body, calming him, as he thought about the pencil floating in the air in front of him during the dream. His eyes were closed with this image in his head as he reached out with his hand to grab the shampoo bottle.  Before he could fully extend his arm out to grab the bottle, he heard a loud crashing sound that could only mean something from the shower must have fallen and created a noise on the decibel level of a car crash.

Neil opened his eyes and yelled “Shit!”, so that his friends that he had just woken up in the house would know that the noise was an accident.

He looked down and saw the shampoo bottle he was reaching for lying on the floor at his feet.  His mind struggled to make sense of what had just happened.  How did he knock the bottle over?  He was positive that he didn’t touch the bottle before it fell.  Neil decided he was too tired to care and picked up the bottle anyways.  The rest of the shower went as planned, and Neil went downstairs to grab breakfast before heading off to his first class of the day.

Superhuman Nature is Brandon Overall's first novel. It was written and published during his first deployment to Afghanistan as a 2nd Lieutenant in late 2013.

Neil Hitchens was a senior ROTC Cadet in college. He was just weeks away from graduating and becoming an Officer in the United States Army, until a strange dream set off a chain of events that would twist his life into something he could have never prepared for.

In the days following his dream, several strange happenings occurred that he began to suspect were the result of his own actions. Before long, he discovered that he had the ability to control the world around him with his mind.

What started out as an unpredictable ability quickly evolved into an extraordinary power that had the capacity to change the world. It didn't take long for the government to find out what Neil could do.

They knew having such limitless potential on the side of the US Military could give them limitless political influence, and they would stop at nothing to get Neil to do their bidding. They would find out what happens when you back a dangerous animal into a corner.

Neil spent his whole life believing he would amount to greatness, but he never expected how greatness could corrupt even the most innocent of minds.

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Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – PG-13

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D. Aliesh Shares Her 10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer #AmWriting #WriteTip #SciFi

10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer

1. Write Daily- Even when you don’t think you have much to say, just free-style write and see what comes out.
2. Always have something original ( whether a quote or phrase you came up with) written on your mirror for inspiration.
3. Keep a notepad by your bed- This is the oldest lesson in the book, but it holds true. Some dreams should be captured in their purest form.
4. Download Microsoft or other writing programs on your phone- I can’t tell you how often something will hit me at the grocery store or when I’m out with family.
5. Make good use of recording devices- There will be ideas I don’t have the wording for, so I’ll record it really quick and tweak it later. I use this with songs I write also.
6. Don’t be afraid to put your work on display- I was terrified of people reading my poems; thinking they would know who they were for and judge me. Or, I thought they were too private. Emotions don’t always have to have the same face to be true, so whoever reading it may not know who you are talking about, but if it’s good, you’ll be glad you let them read it.
7. Read your own stuff- I go back and read my work from years ago or a couple of weeks and I surprise myself. If you don’t feel that peace and connection with it, save it for another tweaking session.
8. Use writing as therapy- I have a mouth on me, but I always wish I would have said something else; another zinger. Writing is your mouthpiece that helps you keep your composure in society. Use it daily!!!
9. Don’t compare your writing to other people- You aren’t trying to be the next (insert dream writer here). No, you want to be the only (insert your full name with authority here). Always.
10. Write about things that are important to you- If you aren’t feeling it, chances are, your readers won’t either.

 

The modern day heroes assembled in this journey get to go to places most people will never see. With the gifts of the spirit and some other talents added to the bunch, they restore faith, hope in order into the world, while shaking it up in themselves. If you are a sci-fi extraordinaire looking for a good read, or if you need an escape from worldly limitations…join the cast of Party of Gifts.

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Genre - Sci-Fi

Rating – PG

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Blog www.daliesh.wordpress.com

The Soul of the World (Legends of Amun Ra) by @jg_silverman - 5 stars - #Fantasy #ReviewShare

The Soul of the World by Joshua Silverman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Overall rating based on plot, characters and writing
5 stars

Initial thoughts - First things first, the editing for this book is close to flawless. Every word is in place and you don’t have to reread to make sure you have understood correctly. Imagination, imagination, imagination. How does he do? Silverman builds a world that makes reading this book into an experience.

Pros - I preferred the introduction more than the conclusion. It was a single line that made me perk up and go, “okay, let’s do this.” The characters are clearly defined, each brings his or her own strength to the story and there is enough twists and turns to keep the reader glued to the plot. Without reading the first book, it may feel some things are undiscovered but when you read it in sequence, these are explained and as you get to the end, little clues are left behind to what the third book may bring (I hope).

Cons - I have to wait for the next book which I hope comes fast enough.

In the end, I say - I would highly recommend the book to any fantasy reader and also to book clubs or reading groups. This series has many points which are worth discussing - these include world building, writing technique and 3D characters.

Disclosure - As a Quality Reads UK Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for my book review. This book review is based on my thoughts, opinion and understanding of the book. This book review does not reflect the opinion of other book club members.

View all my reviews

Scott Moon Opens Up About Intimate Scenes in #SciFi @ScottMoonWriter #WriteTip #AmReading

The Best Advice

At the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc., 2013, Patrick Rothfuss (bestselling author of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear) suggested writing sex scenes can be difficult. Someone asked, “How do you know when a scene is too much.”

Rothfuss said when the reader can tell the author was touching himself or herself while creating the scene, it’s probably too much.

If I remember correctly, this was something he had heard before, so I don’t know if I can quote him, but the point remains valid. In science fiction, the expectations differ from that of a romance or erotic novel. Breaking the rules can alienate or even offend readers. Ultimately, each scene must do a job. If a dash of something beyond the genre-wall is needed, then it must go in.

A Humble Example

To date, I have not attempted to write erotica, but some of my stories have moments, ahem, that are more adult than others. To compound the risks I took in this novel, one of the genre-testers comes on page one. Here is the opening line from an early draft of Enemy of Man:

KIN ROLAND left Laura’s house hung-over, well sexed, and feeling dirty. He was bound by few rules on this planet, but the most important was to avoid drinking with Laura Keen.

An Editor Put on the Brakes

My editor thought this risked giving the reader the wrong idea. Unable to completely abandon the scene I envisioned, I rewrote page one many times. Here is the result:

HEROES weren’t sealed in space caskets and launched into the void—not while they were still breathing. Kin shuddered. Memories came at night; they came with regrets, fears, and nightmares only a man buried alive could understand. Heroes destroyed the enemy. Heroes saved the day and died before they could wear medals or explain what it was like to shed the blood of millions.

This room is too dark.

Kin needed to go outside and look at the sky, but the wormhole song, the distant groaning of a universe unraveling, reminded him of Hellsbreach—gunfire, plasma bolts, and nuclear explosions on the horizon. Better to dream of Becca, though she was the reason he volunteered for the campaign.

“Stop thinking of her,” Laura said.

Kin sat up in bed, dropped his feet to the floor, and watched her drift back to sleep. Her chest rose and fell, a silk sheet accentuating her curves. Her eyes began to move under her eyelids.

“You don’t even know who she is.” He ran a finger behind Laura’s ear and down her neck until she giggled in her sleep. He smiled. “I can share anything with you in moments like these.” He slowly pulled the sheet lower and she didn’t stir.

Laura would like the game—exposing her skin to the night air and staring until she sensed his attention and awoke, but he stopped, reaching to cup the side of her face instead. Lust didn’t mix well with the darkness still in his mind.

“I’d fail again, given the same choice. Could you commit genocide, Laura?” he asked.

“Hmm?” She struggled to open her eyes, it seemed, but pushed him clumsily away with one hand as she rolled onto her stomach, twisting the sheets as she moved.

“I still love her. You know that, right?” Kin said.

Motionless on the bed, Laura seemed not to breathe. The wormhole that dipped into the atmosphere quieted. Silence spread across the planet. Sea birds called to each other and waves gently touched the beach.

Let’s Talk about

This may not be a classic love scene, but is an example of something different from most science fiction I’ve read. The boundaries between genres seem to fade with each passing year. It’s a good thing. Like most writers, I read far and wide, and hope some of it finds its way into my stories.

I’d love to hear comments and discussion on breaking genre boundaries. Please recommend books I may not have considered, but might like to read. And, as always, I’m active on twitter at https://twitter.com/Scottmoonwriter.

Lost Hero

Changed by captivity and torture, hunted by the Reapers of Hellsbreach and wanted by Earth Fleet, Kin Roland hides on a lost planet near an unstable wormhole.

When a distant space battle propels a ravaged Earth Fleet Armada through the same wormhole, a Reaper follows, hunting for the man who burned his home world. Kin fights to save a mysterious native of Crashdown from the Reaper and learns there are worse things in the galaxy than the nightmare hunting him. The end is coming and he is about to pay for a sin that will change the galaxy forever. 

Books

Enemy of Man: Book One in the Chronicles of Kin Roland was written for fans of military science fiction and science fiction adventure. Readers who enjoyed Starship Troopers or Space Marines will appreciate this genre variation. Powered armor only gets a soldier so far. Battlefield experience, guts, and loyal friends make Armageddon fun. 

Movies

If you love movies like Aliens, Predator, The Chronicles of Riddick, or Serenity, then you might find the heroes and creatures in Enemy of Man dangerous, determined, and ready to risk it all. It’s all about action and suspense, with a dash of romance—or perhaps flash romance. 

From the Author

Thanks for your interest in my novel, Enemy of Man. I hope you chose to read the book and enjoy every page. 

If you have already read Enemy of Man, how was it? Reviews are appreciated! 

Have a great day and be safe.

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Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – R

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Peter Simmons and the Vessel of Time by Ramz Artso @RamzArtso #YA #SciFi #Adventure

Portland, Oregon 

October 22nd | Afternoon Hours

I sauntered out of the school building with my friends in tow and pulled on a thickly woven hat to cover my fluffy flaxen hair, which was bound to be frolic even in the mildest of breezes. I took a deep breath and scrutinized my immediate surroundings, noticing an armada of clouds scudding across the sky. It was a rather blustery day. The shrewd, trilling wind had all but divested the converging trees off their multicolored leaves, pasting them on the glossy asphalt and graffiti adorned walls across the road. My spirits were quickly heightened by this observation, and I suddenly felt rejuvenated after a long and taxing day at school. I didn’t know why, but the afternoon’s indolent weather appealed to me very much. I found it to be a congenial environment. For unexplainable reasons, I felt like I was caught amidst a fairytale. It was this eerie feeling which came and went on a whim. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it was triggered by the subconscious mind brushing against a collage of subliminal memories, which stopped resurfacing partway through the process.

Anyhow, there I was, enjoying the warm and soporific touch of the autumn sun on my face, engaging in introspective thoughts of adolescent nature when Max Cornwell, a close, meddlesome friend of mine, called me from my rhapsodic dream with a sharp nudge in the ribs.

‘Hey, man! You daydreaming?’

I closed my eyes; feeling a little peeved, took a long drag of the wakening fresh air and gave him a negative response by shaking my head.

‘Feel sick or something?’ he persisted.

I wished he would stop harping on me, but it looked like Max had no intention of letting me enjoy my moment of glee, so I withdrew by tartly saying, ‘No, I’m all right.’

‘Hey, check this out,’ said George Whitmore,–who was another pal of mine–wedging himself between me and Max. He held a folded twenty dollar bill in his hand, and his ecstatic facial expression suggested that he had just chanced upon the find by sheer luck.

‘Is that yours?’ I asked, knowing very well that it wasn’t.

‘No, I found it on the floor of the auditorium. Just seconds before the last period ended.’

‘Then perhaps you should report your discovery to the lost and found. I’m sure they’ll know what to do with it there.’

‘Yeah, right. That’s exactly what I’m going to do,’ he said, snorting derisively. He then added in a somewhat defensive tone, as if trying to convince himself more than anyone else, ‘I found it, so it’s mine–right?’

I considered pointing out that his intentions were tantamount to theft, but shrugged it off instead, and followed the wrought-iron fence verging the school grounds before exiting by the small postern. I was in no mood for an argument, feeling too tired to do anything other than run a bath and soak in it. Therefore, I expunged the matter from my mind, bid goodbye to both George and Max and plunged into the small gathering of trees and brush which we, the kids, had dubbed the Mini Forest. It was seldom traveled by anyone, but we called it that because of its size, which was way too small to be an actual forest, and a trifle too large to be called otherwise.

I was whistling a merry tune, and wending my way home with a spring in my step, when my ears abruptly pulled back in fright. All of a sudden, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was being watched. But that wasn’t all. I felt like someone was trying to look inside of me. Right into me. As if they were rummaging in my soul, searching its every nook and cranny, trying to fish up my deepest fears and darkest secrets. It was equivalent to being stripped naked in front of a large audience. Steeling myself for something ugly, I felt the first stirrings of unease.

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Genre – Young Adult, Action and Adventure, Coming of Age, Sci-fi

Rating – PG-13

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Website http://ramzartso.blogspot.com/

Handling the Business of Rejection by @ShelleyDavidow #AmWriting #YA #SciFi

So, you’ve written your novel and printed it out and it’s been through twenty seven drafts, and nothing, not a single word, is out of place. It’s been honed and crafted over the past two years, and your family and friends are asking the unanswerable question: so, when’s it going to be published?

Of course you can’t answer that yet, because you haven’t even sent it out. And even as you peel off the sticky stuff to seal the big padded envelope that will carry your novel to its destination, you can feel, bubbling under the surface of desperate hope and anticipation, a black cauldron of fear beginning to simmer: the fear of rejection. What if the publisher (who may have even requested to see the manuscript after reading an initial few chapters), rejects you?

After twenty-two years in the industry, and 38 books published by both big publishers and small independent presses alike, I can say with some certainty that being a novelist means in fact, to be in the business of rejection. Mostly. And that takes guts, or hide, or tenacity. And a certain amount of skill: we have to be able to discern things like, after ten rejections, is there a problem with the book, or a problem with the publishers, (perhaps I’m sending to big houses that are only accepting unsolicited manuscripts in very specific genres and I’ve mis-sent my book), or out of all the rejections, it’s clear not a single person has actually read my manuscript, or maybe the book really does fall flat and isn’t living up to what it needs to be. Here are a few tips to help minimise the number of rejections, and dealing with them when they come.

To Minimise the Sheer Number of ‘Dear Author, Unfortunately…’ letters: 

1) Choose publishers very carefully. Look at exactly what they publish and make sure it’s as close to a perfect match as possible.

2) Make sure your query letter specifically addresses why this particular publisher may find your book a good fit, and why you want to publish with them.

3) Dream big, but don’t pass up the opportunity of working with a small or mid-sized press. They often offer unparalleled dedication and commitment to making a success out of a book.

4) Submit to several publishers at once if you can find them. (Many publishers don’t want simultaneous submissions, but if you send out a novel to one place at a time, you may be 144 years old before your work is accepted). I’ve had thousands of rejections, and 38 acceptances and I’ve never had two publishers say yes to the same book at the same time!

Dealing with Rejection: 

1) Open a folder (either on your computer or in your paper filing cabinet) under ‘R’ for ‘rejections.’ Start your collection.

2) If there is anything more than ‘Dear Author, thanks but no thanks’ in the rejection letter, get over the disappointment of not being discovered as the next JK Rowling, and then be happy that someone thinks your work is worthy of a response! Read over the reasons for the rejection. Decide whether there are some points that seem helpful and/or true, which you could use to make your work better or more appropriate. Decide whether you have written something that you believe in, or whether this is best regarded as a practise run.

3) Finally, sometimes getting published is a matter of believing in what you’ve written so much, that you’re willing to wait twelve years through one hundred and eighteen rejection slips before you find someone who believes in your work. (Been there, done that!) Sometimes the only way to deal with rejection is to send your work out to another ten places so that it’s always out there.

The difference between someone who gets published and someone who doesn’t, is sometimes simply persistence! Good luck out there.

Lucy Wright, sixteen and a paraplegic after a recent car accident that took her mother’s life, lives in Queensland on a 10,000 acre farm with her father. When Lucy investigates strange lights over the creek at the bottom of the property, she discovers a mystery that links the lights to the science of cymatics and Scotland’s ancient Rosslyn Chapel.

But beyond the chapel is an even larger mystery. One that links the music the chapel contains to Norway’s mysterious Hessdalen lights, and beyond that to Saturn and to the stars. Lucy’s discoveries catapult her into a parallel universe connected to our own by means of resonance and sound, where a newly emerging world trembles on the edge of disaster. As realities divide, her mission in this new world is revealed and she finds herself part of a love story that will span the galaxy.

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Genre - Young Adult SF

Rating - PG

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S.M. McEachern on What Inspired Her to Write "Sunset Rising" @smmceachern #YA #Dystopian #TBR

Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?

Worlds Collide is the second book of the Sunset Rising series.  Sunset Rising ended in a bit of a cliffhanger and Worlds Collide picks up exactly where it left off.  I’ve done a lot world-building in this second novel and introduced new characters. Some mysteries from the first book are solved in WC, but new ones are added in preparation for the third book. The first three books will establish a series that could go on for infinity (kinda like Star Trek).

When did you first know you could be a writer?

I always knew I wanted to be a writer, so it’s kind of weird that it took me so long to write my first novel. I did a lot of academic writing throughout my studies and career, so I guess that helped satiate my desire to knit words together.  However, when I had my first child, I made the decision to be a stay-at-home mom (and that was a tough thing to do!), so that writing outlet was gone. Now both my kids are in school and I have more time to myself.

What inspired you to write your first book?

My teenage daughter and I do buddies reads all the time, mostly young adult contemporary fiction.  Before we started reading together, I hadn’t really read any young adult novels. I fell in love with the genre! And I already had an idea for a novel, based on academic research I had done years ago, so everything just came together and I started writing.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

If you could hit a “reset” button on the world, what would you change about it? Would you try to rebuild what we already have or go in a completely different direction? I hope the Sunset Rising series will get readers thinking about what kind of future lays before us and what they can do now to shape it.

How much of the book is realistic?

Sunset Rising is science fiction/fantasy with roots firmly planted in reality.  I think anyone who keeps abreast of world events (politics, climate change, dwindling resources) accepts there’s a possibility of a third world war. In chapter seven, my main character flips through some old, preserved magazines and scans the news headlines leading up to the nuclear war.  Three out of four of the headlines were taken directly from the news on the day I wrote that page.  I wrote a trivia question about it on Goodreads if anyone wants to check it out: https://www.goodreads.com/trivia/show/168358-in-chapter-seven-of-sunset-rising-book

Can you tell us about your main character? 

Sunny O’Donnell is a seventeen-year-old slave born in the Pit.  At heart, she’s very stubborn and extremely resourceful.  When her life starts to fall apart, and every one she loves is threatened, she looks for a way out. The “way out” means teaming up with someone she considers the enemy, but she’s willing to make that sacrifice in order to save everyone she loves.  She just doesn’t count on her enemy being a good guy. So begins an unexpected romance that seems destined to fail.

How did you develop your plot and characters?

My plot was pretty much developed when I started writing Sunset Rising. My characters always develop as I write them, which means even though I have a plot worked-out, my characters sometimes take it in a different direction.  In writing circles, I’m what you call a pantser—I write by the seat of my pants.  I have a rough outline in my head, but no direct path from point A to point B.

What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general? 

There are two sides to everything I write: what I meant and what the reader perceives.  These two things don’t always agree.  Beta readers are the best people to let me know when I’ve missed the mark.  Then comes the hard part of rewriting what I said in order to clarify it for the reader.

Why did you choose to write this particular book? 

Sunset Rising is a cautionary tale. I’ve woven a lot of current real world problems into my story, such as: bonded slavery, human rights, poverty, nuclear arms, and corruption in the government.  It’s my sincere hope that young adults who enjoyed reading Sunset Rising might visit my blog and see the links for UN Slavery Today and United Nations News Centre.  You can find my blog here: http://smmceachern.wordpress.com/category/my-posts/

What are some of the best tools available today for writers, especially those just starting out?

The absolute most beneficial “tool” an author can have: Readers.   Readers have, and always will, determine the worth of a book.  Charles Dickens, J.R.R. Tolkien, Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain were all authors that didn’t have support when they started out, other than readers. They wrote their stories and sent them out to the masses and the masses gave them feedback.  Sounds a lot like self-publishing, doesn’t it?  Charles Dickens actually did try to go the traditional publishing route, but “A Christmas Carol” was rejected, so he self-published.

How much research goes into your stories?

As a reader, nothing takes me out of story faster than bad science.  So I’ve put a lot of research into the Sunset Rising series.  The first book of the series was inspired by my academic research on the Biodome experiment in Arizona. My background in International Development (aiding developing worlds) allowed me to create the political system between the Dome and the Pit.  And in my second book, Worlds Collide, I’ve researched nanotechnology with the help of a scientist from the National Institute for Nanaotechnology (NINT) in Canada.

February 2024: Desperate to find refuge from the nuclear storm, a group of civilians discover a secret government bio-dome. Greeted by a hail of bullets and told to turn back, the frantic refugees stand their ground and are eventually permitted entry.  But the price of admission is high.

283 years later...  Sunny O'Donnell is a seventeen-year-old slave who has never seen the sun.  She was born in the Pit, a subterranean extension of the bio-dome. Though life had never been easy, the last couple of months had become a nightmare. Her mom was killed in the annual Cull, and her dad thought it was a good time to give up on life.  Reyes Crowe, her long-time boyfriend, was pressuring her to get married, even though it would mean abandoning her father.

She didn't think things could get any worse until she was forced upstairs to the Dome to be a servant-girl at a bachelor party.  That's when she met Leisel Holt, the president's daughter, and her fiancé, Jack Kenner.

Now Sunny is wanted for treason.  If they catch her, she'll be executed.

She thought Leisel's betrayal was the end.  But it was just the beginning.

"Sunset Rising" is Book One of a series.

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Genre - YA Science Fiction, Dystopian

Rating – PG-16

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Website http://smmceachern.wordpress.com

Martin King & the Space Angels (Martin King Series) by James McGovern #AmReading #YA #SciFi

Martin sat on the steps outside Gateway School, waiting for Darcy. She was usually running late. But Martin wanted to see Darcy before the start of school; he didn’t have many classes with her that day.

That was one great perk of being best friends with the girl he was in love with—she didn’t start thinking it was weird that he wanted to spend time with her.

‘Morning, Martin,’ said a voice.

He looked up. It was Mr Slater, his maths teacher. Slater didn’t usually speak to pupils outside class, so Martin felt strangely honoured.

‘Morning, sir,’ said Martin.

‘Lovely day,’ said Slater, admiring the sunny weather.

Martin nodded. Slater looked uneasy, as if he wanted to tell Martin something but didn’t know whether it was a good idea. The teacher took a deep breath.

‘Can I ask you a question, Martin?’ he said.

‘Er… yeah, I suppose.’

‘I was just wondering… have you witnessed anything strange today?’

‘Strange, sir?’

The teacher nodded. ‘Anything out of the ordinary.’

Martin paused, thinking about the strange man he had seen watching him from behind a tree. He didn’t know whether to tell Slater about it. The teacher seemed to be acting strangely himself.

‘Well…’ Martin began, but tailed off.

‘Yes?’

‘Nothing,’ said Martin finally. ‘Nothing at all.’

‘Oh.’ The teacher sighed again. ‘It’s the school trip to the zoo tomorrow, and I’m swapping places with Mr Burgan to look after your class. I would appreciate it if you, Darcy and Tommy could stay within sight.’

Martin frowned. ‘Why? What’s going on? What’s all this about?’

‘Probably nothing to worry about,’ said Slater. ‘But please trust me.’

"The book draws you into its world in the same way that the Harry Potter books do." Kophi (5 -star Reviewer).

"If you like Percy Jackson, Twilight, or The Mortal Instruments, chances are you'll love Martin King." Teen eBook Review.

"Reminiscent of Ron, Harry and Hermione." Lucinda (5-star Reviewer).
"Martin King is something like a cross between Harry Potter and Frodo." Meghan (Top 500 Reviewer).

Martin King is just an ordinary teenage boy in love with a girl… until he gets a superpower.

An evil force called XO5 is looking for something on Earth – something dangerous. Martin King and his friends must find it first.

Martin, Darcy and Tommy soon find themselves caught up in a massive, universal conspiracy.

But who really is the mysterious XO5 – and what does he want with Martin?

This is the first book in the electrifying Martin King series. With it's gripping plot, exciting characters and readability, the book has been compared to the novels of of J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan and Cassandra Clare. Martin King and the Space Angels has been described as a "majestic masterpiece" and "one of the most entertaining YA fantasy-science fiction novels". If you're looking for a thrilling, sensational, romantic page-turner from an exciting new author, you'll love Martin King.

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Genre - Young Adult, Teen, Sci-Fi

Rating – PG

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Website http://www.jamesmcgovern.co.uk