Adventure Beyond the Stars – Written for Readers Who Want More

Author: Malcom

  • Audiobook, Master Tomorrow, Website update

    Audiobook, Master Tomorrow, Website update

    Selene Unchained Audiobook is finished, a new minor character, Scarlet has another dress, and the website is being reworked. All this week’s Secret Knowledge is below…

    Selene Unchained Audiobook is finished. You can get it here: https://www.audible.com/pd/Audiobook/B0DMW12HDR

    Another new minor character. He is an opportunity for me to communicate what a good approach to sales and such is, assuming I can keep a close enough eye on ChatGPTs hallucinations about sales…

    Scarlet’s arc in Martian Phoenix jumped from danger to max confrontation with no intermediate steps, so I re-wrote one of the scenes to have an intermediate step.

    I’ve been having a ton of trouble with the Nrdly template for my website – so I’m in the process of ditching it. That means a lot of work on updating the website this week.

    A little progress on Martian Phoenix. Since it is back in previous chapters (and not finished yet), I don’t have a new word count and such.

    Antarctic Honeymoon is #1,951 in Steampunk Fiction, #6,837 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #11,294 in Exploration Science Fiction. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, or the kindle version here. The audiobook is available here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Artemis Rising is #535 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #552 in Steampunk Fiction, and #1,686 in Alternative History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. There is also an audiobook version here. Seven reviews for Artemis Rising. More will help others find the series as well – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord is ranked now. #1,738 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,846 in Steampunk Fiction, #4,540 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Forging the Chain Breakers is #1,215 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,291 in Steampunk Fiction, #3,298 in Alternative History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Selene Unchained is #1,604 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,624 in Steampunk Fiction, #4,247 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here

    Mirim’s First Christmas is #11,278 in Colonization Science Fiction, #11,298 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #18,260 in Science Fiction Short Stories. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

  • Steampunk, OODA, and Cons

    Steampunk, OODA, and Cons

    I’m at a family reunion this weekend, so unless you’re one of my siblings, nieces, or nephews – no books available this weekend.

    I created several pieces of marketing collateral (signs) for Steampunk Galveston. It also included a picture of Endeavor.

    One of the most useful models I’ve even found on decision making is Col. John Boyd’s OODA Loop. In many ways, it can explain the success or failure of competitions or conflicts better than almost anything else. For example: during the Vietnam war, many significant decisions had to cycle through Washington D.C. before action could be taken on the battlefield. Both because those decision makers tended to be civilian bureaucrats instead of military officers, and Washington was literally on the other side of the world (11-12 hours difference), often US actions were too late to be meaningful. During the various conflicts in the Middle East in the last several decades, one of the first aims of US forces was to damage the ability of central dictators to coordinate with their forces. At the same time, civilian authority in Washington has tended to provide strategic direction, and leave tactical decision in theater. The OODA loop for US forces could often cycle several times before the Dictator could get word back to troops that were no longer in anything resembling the same situation. All that to say, Observation, Orientation, Decision, and Action may show up in chapter titles—and now you know the secret behind those choices…

    I went to the Galveston Steampunk Festival. Sold Jam and Books. Revenue was so-so. Jam sales sucked. Book sales were several times better than any other event. I think If I have 2 more titles, I’ll be ready to go to cons with books alone. I’ve decided to try out the following at least:
    http://www.fencon.org/
    https://guides.mysapl.org/popmadness
    https://www.comicpalooza.com/
    https://soonercon.com/
    https://www.texasbookloverscon.com/
    https://rebelscumconventions.com/
    https://www.san-japan.org/
    https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodallas/
    https://armadillocon.org/
    https://www.p-con.us/
    https://texasbookfestival.org/
    Let me know if you can think of others I should try. It is looking unlikely that I’ll get into any of these this year…

    One of the problems with ChatGPT is that it does its most useful work when cornered like a rat in a trap. One of the ways to do that is be very detailed about the considerations for anything it does (assess chapters, outlines, etc.). I added some more rules about, specifically, what Dolores believes a good wife looks like. https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Counsel_on_the_Worthy_Wife

    Another minor character and image only available to those who have access to Secret Knowledge. This is Countess Swallows. https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Countess_Swallows_Returning_at_Twilight

    Selene Unchained Audiobook is about half way reviewed. It should be released sometime next week.

    I made a little progress on Martian Phoenix, but it was mostly in outline and realignment of previous scenes with where I’m going next in the story.

    A little progress on Martian Phoenix. Chapters this week:
    Observation and Orientation – finished
    Decisions – started

    Word Count is 25,248 in 7+ chapters of an estimated 80,000-95,000 in 24+Epilogue Chapters.

    Advertising: Between May 1-20, I sold 1 ebook for $4.99 in revenue. Since I spent $42.46 on advertising, I’m still upside-down there. Still, every book sold is the chance of getting another review, the more reviews the better the chance of making sales, the more sales the closer I get to break-even…

    Antarctic Honeymoon is #1,508 in Steampunk Fiction, #5,752 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #9,677 in Exploration Science Fiction. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, or the kindle version here. The audiobook is available here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Artemis Rising is #635 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #2,051 in Alternate History, and #3,066 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books). If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. There is also an audiobook version here. Seven reviews for Artemis Rising. More will help others find the series as well – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord is ranked now. #1,272 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,515 in Steampunk Fiction, #3,672 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Forging the Chain Breakers is #591 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #693 in Steampunk Fiction, #1,920 in Alternative History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Selene Unchained is #1,122 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,244 in Steampunk Fiction, #3,296 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, or the kindle version here. Audiobook should be finished next week. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here

    Mirim’s First Christmas is #7,628 in Colonization Science Fiction, #11,003 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #13,986 in Science Fiction Short Stories. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Just for grins-this is the list of books currently written, in progress, planned, or conceptualized.

    Selene Reborn Series

    Walter & Eleanor Stories

    • Antarctic Honeymoon on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible
    • Secrets of Kilimanjaro forthcoming
    • Riddle of the Sphinx forthcoming
    • Return to Mars forthcoming
    • Martian Clue forthcoming
    • Venusian Ratanaba forthcoming
    • Saharan Atlantis forthcoming
    • Palestine’s Ghosts forthcoming
    • Floating Cities of Venus forthcoming
    • Dwarves of Mercury forthcoming

    John Graves on Mars stories

    • John Graves and the Queen of Burnished Towers forthcoming
    • John Graves and the Sky Kingdoms forthcoming
    • John Graves and the Four Canals War forthcoming
    • John Graves and the Crown of Mars forthcoming
    • John Graves and the Hidden City forthcoming
    • John Graves and the Lords Below possible

    Other stand-alone stories

    The War of the Worlds series

    • The Texas-Martian War forthcoming

    Walter 3 in the Space Navy series

    • Lt Gresham forthcoming

    War in Heaven series – possible

  • John Graves, Swords, and Audiobooks

    John Graves, Swords, and Audiobooks

    You can get autographed copies of all four books in Selene Reborn Series (Artemis Rising, Celestial Accord, Forging the Chain Breakers, Selene Unchained), Antarctic Honeymoon, and Mirim’s First Christmas at Steampunk Galveston Saturday.

    Spent a lot of time this week on line editing and finalizing the audio book for Antarctic Honeymoon. I finished the first pass. That means the audiobook is live. I might do another pass, but I’m fairly sure it wouldn’t find anything significant. The audiobook is available here.

    I was thinking about some things and decided to figure out, specifically, what Elisha’s sword looked like. I need to do a lot more work before any of this would be canon – but ChatGPT did have some interesting ideas…

    I’m really considering taking a break from Walter and Eleanor and writing some books that are more romance-slanted since they tend to sell more. I can also do some background on Mars at the same time. Very tentatively, I have the following six books planned:

    Book 1: John Graves and the Queen of Burnished Towers – John Graves leads the Intrepid Expedition to Mars in 1870. Begins his relationship with the Queen of Burnished Towers.

    Book 2: John Graves and the Sky Kingdoms – John Graves and/or Mike Powell among the Air Martians.

    Book 3: John Graves and the Four Canals War – The war that began the expansion of Burnished Towers into the new Empire of Mars

    Book 4: John Graves and the Crown of Mars – Continuation of the war, emergence of the empire

    Book 5: John Graves and the Hidden City – Discovery of the ruins of a Martian City that was not beholden to the Deep Martians

    Book 6: John Graves and the Lords Below – Discovery of the Deep Martians and part of their network of control.

    I made a little progress on Martian Phoenix, but it was mostly in outline and realignment of previous scenes with where I’m going next in the story. Word Count is 19,281 in six+ chapters of an estimated 80,000-95,000 in 24+Epilogue Chapters.

    Antarctic Honeymoon is out, but no rank yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, or the kindle version here. The audiobook is available here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Artemis Rising is #328 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,183 in Alternate History, and #1,978 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books). If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. There is also an audiobook version here. Seven reviews for Artemis Rising (thank you Emily!). More will help others find the series as well – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord is ranked now. #944 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,145 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,813 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Forging the Chain Breakers is #1,309 in Steampunk Fiction, #1,598 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #3,762 in Galactic Empire Science Fiction (not sure how that happened). If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Selene Unchained is #392 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #497 in Steampunk Fiction, #1,413 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, or the kindle version here. Audiobook is coming soon. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here

    Mirim’s First Christmas is #7,356 in Colonization Science Fiction, #10,823 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #13,722 in Science Fiction Short Stories. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

  • Pearl harbor and Quiet Footfalls

    Pearl harbor and Quiet Footfalls

    You can get autographed copies of all four books in Selene Reborn Series (Artemis Rising, Celestial Accord, Forging the Chain Breakers, Selene Unchained) at Granbury Spring Fling Friday, or Saturday.

    I did some more alternate history work—this time focused on Hawaii. I don’t think I’ll include those details yet—too many spoilers. But this is an image of Pearl Harbor circa 1915…

    Coming up will be the attempted burglary of Phoenix. I needed a burglar, so here she is… https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Quiet_Footfalls

    In Chapter 7 – Observation and Orientation, Scarlet increases the pressure on Nasir and, unintentionally, on Beulah. This is where that becomes obvious.

    On a bit of a whim, I did some work that ties into when the Intrepid brought the first expedition to Mars in 1870. That expedition was led by Captain John Graves of Virginia (NOT John Carter of Virginia). He encountered the Queen of the Martian city state of Burnished Towers and, over the next 20 Earth years, that city became the seat of the new Martian Empire, she became the Empress of Mars, and he became the Warlord of Mars. I wanted a similar type of clothing for those Martian Elves, but something significantly different as well.

    Court Dress of the new Martian Empire (Graves’ Empire) https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Imperial_Court_Dress

    Court dress of Burnished Towers – the city-state that was the seed of the new Martian Empire. https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Burnished_Towers_Court_Dress

    And I think this looks like someone Graves would be willing to make his Empress. Almost makes me want to write that book (or books).

    Spent a lot of time this week on line editing and finalizing the audio book for Antarctic Honeymoon. I’m about half way done. When that’s done, I’ll work on Selene Unchained.

    A little progress on Martian Phoenix. Chapters this week:
    Correction – finished
    Commitment
    Observation and Orientation – started

    Word Count is 19,196 in six+ chapters of an estimated 80,000-95,000 in 24+Epilogue Chapters.

    Antarctic Honeymoon is out, but no rank yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, or the kindle version here. Audiobook is coming soon. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Artemis Rising is #328 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,183 in Alternate History, and #1,978 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books). If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. There is also an audiobook version here. Seven reviews for Artemis Rising (thank you Emily!). More will help others find the series as well – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord is ranked now. #944 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,145 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,813 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Forging the Chain Breakers is #1,309 in Steampunk Fiction, #1,598 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #3,762 in Galactic Empire Science Fiction (not sure how that happened). If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Selene Unchained is #392 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #497 in Steampunk Fiction, #1,413 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, or the kindle version here. Audiobook is coming soon. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here

    Mirim’s First Christmas is #7,356 in Colonization Science Fiction, #10,823 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #13,722 in Science Fiction Short Stories. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

  • Antarctic honeymoon is Out

    Antarctic honeymoon is Out

    You can get autographed copies of the first three books in Selene Reborn Series (Artemis Rising, Celestial Accord, and Forging the Chain Breakers) at Granbury Memorial Day Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

    During the rewrite of the end of Antarctic Honeymoon, I got to write a chamber for chapter 21 – The Sleepers. I decided to get ChatGPT’s new image generator to make a picture. Not too bad…

    I finished the rewrite of the end of Antarctic Honeymoon. Since the cover was the correct size, I finished it all up and got it published as well.

    As part of the “Story Continues” for Antarctic Honeymoon, I suggested Riddle of the Sphinx. I have a rough version of the cover now.

    That was so interesting, I did the same thing for Secrets of Kilimanjaro.

    Since I’m done with those two, I’ve started work on Martian Phoenix again. One of the things that came out was the idea of Poise and Grace being a catechism or touchstone for Martian noblewomen. They wear gowns that are scandalously revealing to Victorian eyes, but not for sexual purposes, but to draw eyes. How well it is worn, Poise and Grace, command the attention. https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Poise_and_Grace

    I came up with a new minor character. Since most of what she is won’t be in the book, the secret knowledge about her is here: https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Soft_Footsteps_Beside_Still_Water

    Another minor character, which may get nothing more than her name in a book, is the current Queen of Seven Canals, Moonlight Upon Flowing Glass: https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Queen_Moonlight_Upon_Flowing_Glass

    At least the upper class of Galveston would take frequent sponge baths through the day, especially in hot weather. When Beulah asked about washing all over at the Shrine of the Mother of Waters, she knew exactly what that would look like. How did women take such frequent sponge baths and maintain Victorian propriety? Well, first of all, Victorian propriety had to bow to practicality. That is why Victorian weddings in the hot climate of the south started in the evening (when it was getting cooler) instead of midmorning. If a woman was sure of her privacy—she would sponge off nude. If she was being aided by servants, or there was a chance of someone walking in, she would wear something, a light linen chemise, a thin cotton shift, or a loose white lawn wrapper. No that last isn’t something you wrap lawns in. It is made from cotton lawn, a soft, semi-sheer fabric. If Beulah had her lawn wrapper with her, this might have been what her purification ritual looked like.

    Another example of why I do these posts – Clarence Cory. He was an amazing person in real life, and he will be an amazing person in this universe. https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Clarence_Cory He is mentioned in passing in Martian Phoenix.

    Another example of both why I do these posts and why the world feels so detailed. The details behind the brief descriptions of the Martian Elves. https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Gravity_and_Physiology

    A little progress on Martian Phoenix. Chapters this week:
    Meeting Aliens – finished
    First Impressions
    Correction – started

    Word Count is 17,989 in five+ chapters of an estimated 80,000-95,000 in 24+Epilogue Chapters.

    Advertising: Between May 1-20, I sold 1 ebook for $4.99 in revenue. Since I spent $42.46 on advertising, I’m still upside-down there. Still, every book sold is the chance of getting another review, the more reviews the better the chance of making sales, the more sales the closer I get to break-even…

    Antarctic Honeymoon is out, but no rank yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, or the kindle version here. Audiobook is coming soon. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Artemis Rising is #502 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,674 in Alternate History, and #2,715 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books). If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. There is also an audiobook version here. Seven reviews for Artemis Rising (thank you Emily!). More will help others find the series as well – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord is ranked now. #543 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #672 in Steampunk Fiction, #1,803 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Forging the Chain Breakers is #1,009 in Steampunk Fiction, #1,397 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #2,937 in Galactic Empire Science Fiction (not sure how that happened). If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Selene Unchained is #871 in Steampunk Fiction, #1,775 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #3,550 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, or the kindle version here. Audiobook is coming soon. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here

    Mirim’s First Christmas is #7,343 in Colonization Science Fiction, #10,726 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #13,640 in Science Fiction Short Stories. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

  • Palestine, Book Log, and Honeymoon is Over…

    Palestine, Book Log, and Honeymoon is Over…

    You can get autographed copies of all three released books in Selene Reborn (Artemis Rising, Celestial Accord, Forging the Chain Breakers) or Mirim’s First Christmas at the Downtown Arlington Farmer’s Market Saturday.

    I had someone suggest a story for their place – so Alvarado County Texas will get a Walter & Eleanor story. I’m thinking of calling it the Palestine Incident…

    I got my ideas for stories organized. Prequel ideas include a series in the War in Heaven, a book or series about the Euro-American war (with General Emory Upton), and a book or series about John Graves—leader of the first expedition to Mars and later Warlord of the new Martian Empire. Definite books on the list for writing (at least working titles): Antarctic Honeymoon, Secrets of Kilimanjaro, Martian Phoenix, Wrath of Magi, Riddle of the Sphinx, Return to Mars, Martian Clue, Venusian Ratanaba, Saharan Atlantis, Palestine’s Ghosts, Floating Cities of Venus, Dwarves of Mercury, The Texas-Martian War, Lt Gresham. Martian Clue may start a branch of Countess Scarlet Flowers at Dawn and her mystery solving career on Mars. The Texas-Martian War is Book 1 of the War of the Worlds. Lt Gresham would be book 1 of a Horatio Hornblower-type series following Walter Gresham III set during the Earth-Mars war, after the Earth starts building the aetheric warships to take the battle to Mars. That’s 14 books for sure. At my current rate, that will keep me busy until the end of 2029—without any of the prequels, follow-ons, or side series. I guess that may keep me out of trouble.

    With Aira on Caproni Island and the place full of dinosaurs, none of the contingencies set up with the US Department of Interior will work. I definitely do not want to put all the boring details in a book, so instead, I created a location bible entry with all the details. If you are interested, check them out. https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Caproni_Island_Chartered_Scientific_Reserve

    Now that Walter & Eleanor’s Antarctic Honeymoon is over (or at least the story of it is written), I did something different – I got suggestions from ChatGPT about what the cover should be. The result was a new picture for Walter & Eleanor (Expedition Mode), a picture to use as an idea for my cover designer, and a cover mock-up.

    I did set up the order for Antarctic Honeymoon’s cover. I can’t wait to see what that will look like.

    Advertising: 0 sales in the past 14 days, although there was $29.88 in sales. I think that is from Kindle Unlimited pages. Looks like I need to do a sale on Artemis Rising.

    Antarctic Honeymoon is done. Chapters this week:
    The Reserve – completed
    Terms of Stewardship
    Epilogue

    Word count is 72,919. Aim was 71,000-78,000. Also added Dramatis Personae (additional 358 words).

    Began work on the first pass of Forging the Chain Breakers Audiobook. Chapters this week:
    Prologue: Sinister Success
    1: To Business
    2: Gresham Steamship Company – started

    Artemis Rising is #448 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,496 in Alternate History, and #2,319 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books). If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. There is also an audiobook version here. Six reviews for Artemis Rising. More will help others find the series as well – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord is ranked now. #823 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #926 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,349 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Forging the Chain Breakers is #917 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,012 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,587 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. The audiobook will be delayed while I finish Antarctic Honeymoon. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Mirim’s First Christmas is #6,607 in Colonization Science Fiction, #9,926 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #12,368 in Science Fiction Short Stories. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here. I’m still working on getting free versions to be available on my website.

  • Artemis, Forging, Selene, Reform War

    Artemis, Forging, Selene, Reform War

    Still can’t upload pictures – I’m going to see about changing web hosting companies because this is ridiculous.

    Artemis Rising is #2,103 in Space Exploration Science Fiction ebooks, #2,130 in Alternate History Science Fiction, and #3,283 in First Contact Science Fiction. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. Four customer reviews now, but I need a few more to get Audible to take notice – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord isn’t ranked yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    I’m recovering from surgery so no book signing this weekend

    Mirim’s First Christmas is live. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. I’m still working on getting free versions to be available on my website.

    Worked some more on alternate history. The Mexican Reform war sure turns out differently. I’m still not sure what to do about King Kamehameha III’s request to become a US state…

    Selene Unchained has a cover, and I really like it. What do you think?

    I did an AI supported editing pass of Forging the Chain Breakers. We’ll see how that works.

    Did an AI Copyedit of Artemis Rising. I think ChatGPT has a tendency to go well beyond Copyedits and into Line Editing – and when it does, the line editing tends to drift into ChatGPTs voice instead of maintaining mine. I kept a tight rein on it, so drift wasn’t too bad. If you want to get early access to Book 3 chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising or Celestial Accord on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.

  • Progress – Multiple titles

    Progress – Multiple titles

    Still problems uploading graphics. Maybe next week.

    Artemis Rising is #4,674 in Space Exploration Science Fiction ebooks, #4,763 in Alternate History Science Fiction, and #6,863 in First Contact Science Fiction. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. Four customer reviews now, but I need a few more to get Audible to take notice – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord isn’t ranked yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    You can get autographed copies of both books at the Richardson Farmer’s Market Saturday.

    Mirim’s First Christmas is live. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. I’m still working on getting free versions to be available on my website.

    I was able to get ChatGPT to come up with pictures for Limees and Argos. They are too cartoonish, but at least they are centauroids instead of bipedal robots.

    Selene Unchained is written. Isaac is still going through making polish suggestions, but it is essentially ready for Sandra.

    Selene Unchained chapters this week:
    The Beginning of the End
    The Breathless Pause
    Assault on Manufactory Station
    Fire and Fog
    The Palace
    The Last Accounting
    A Council Without Thrones
    Epilogue: Galveston Aeroport

    Selene Unchained final word count is 83,237, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,343 words).

    I also have the cover for Selene Unchained almost finished – It took a while to get the right model for Selene, but I think we nailed it.

    I’ve started trying to get ChatGPT to do a line edit of Artemis Rising. It’s possible, but takes a lot of preparation, otherwise ChatGPT gets lost in the size of the manuscript.

    Since I have time, I decided to do a line edit of Forging the Chain Breakers. I think it will be easier for Sandra to edit a cleaner manuscript and it may do some of the developmental editing ahead of time.

    If you want to get early access to Book 3 chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising or Celestial Accord on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.

  • AI, War College, and Artemis

    AI, War College, and Artemis

    Something is broken this week and I can’t post pictures. If I can get it fixed quickly, I’ll edit this.

    Artemis Rising is #4,155 in Space Exploration Science Fiction ebooks, #4,205 in Alternate History Science Fiction, and #7,536 in Exploration Science Fiction. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. Four customer reviews now, but I need a few more to get Audible to take notice – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord isn’t ranked yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far! If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    You can get autographed copies of both books at the Richardson Farmer’s Market Saturday.

    Mirim’s First Christmas is live. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. I’m still working on getting free versions to be available on my website.

    I did make some edits on Mirim’s First Christmas, so it is better now.

    I spent a significant amount of time with ChatGPT fleshing out the alternate history of my setting. I have everything lined out from the deviation point of Sam Houston only receiving a minor wound at Horseshoe Bend, to the 1891 inauguration of Benjamin Harrison. As a bonus, I have a history book chapter and War College case study on the Euro-American War and a War College comparison of the Euro-American and Franco-Prussian Wars, both of which are pretty cool. They also very neatly set up the importance of decisive action and naval strength in US military thinking. That will be important by 1900…

    I’ve learned a lot more about AI, mostly how to use it to make really cool video. I also got AI to help me with outlining the rest of Selene Unchained. It did an OK job, but mostly I took only about half what ChatGPT put in the outline, did some rearranging, and a lot of editing to keep the book on track instead of going off in some sort of weird direction. I also asked ChatGPT to actually write a chapter. What it wrote fit the book about like a marine diesel engine would fit in a sports car – but it had a few neat ideas. I suspect it might not have saved me much time, but the additional ideas may have made the chapter better.

    ChatGPT does seem to do a good job of writing marketing copy. I’m much better at recognizing good copy than I am at writing it myself. With ChatGPT doing most of the heavy lifting and me doing the final edit and clean-up, I think I have really good blurbs for all four books and the series in Selene Reborn. I’m not sure changing the blurbs helped. My rankings are worse. But all four books show up as suggestions now. Check them out:
    Mirim’s First Christmas: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GC9XCR2Z
    Artemis Rising: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F3K149ZQ
    Celestial Accord: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FP72PX1G
    Forging the Chain Breakers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXTFL9K8
    Selene Unchained: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXTJ933V
    Selene Reborn: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F3NGXHYH

    The cover for Selene Unchained was started this week. That is the last cover required for the Selene Reborn Series. Once I have it, I’ll get the art for the boxed set.

    I also started a Fiverr project to get an actual illustration of Artemis. Isaac has done a great job of putting together a concept art level version, but I need something closer to photo-realistic for some of the other projects I have planned, including the boxed set graphics. That is proving to be a major headache.

    A new character added to the Dramatis Personae. Sgt Selkoryos – the second in command of the Troll troopers. He appeared first in Artemis Rising but has a little bigger part in Selene Unchained.

    Another productive week for Selene Unchained. At least some of the progress was made in chapters not listed since I put together a more detailed outline for the rest of the book.

    Selene Unchained chapters this week:
    Eldritch Summit
    A Dream of Import
    Manufactory Defense
    Bally Cluster
    Bloody Endymion
    Smelter Six

    Selene Unchained word count is 69,649, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,315 words).

    If you want to get early access to Book 3 chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising or Celestial Accord on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.

  • Papa Kòt-Nwa and the Baroness

    Papa Kòt-Nwa and the Baroness

    Artemis Rising is #1,923 in Alternative History, #3,046 in Space Exploration Science Fiction, and #3,092 in Alternative History Science Fiction. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. Four customer reviews now, but I need a few more to get Audible to take notice – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord isn’t ranked yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review so far, thanks Michele! If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    You can get autographed copies of both books at the Richardson Farmer’s Market Saturday.

    Mirim’s First Christmas just went live. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. I’m still working on getting free versions to be available on my website.

    I needed another Old Ones daemon. This is what I came up with:
    Papa Kòt-Nwa (fic) – An Old One daemon who grants power to partially possess and trap souls. Feeds off the power of ritual worship, especially rituals enacted out of fear or dread.

    There are three first worshipers of Papa Kòt-Nwa in the story. Baroness Bahah, Qutab’s mother, Sahiqa and Nigarish. I’m actually kind of proud of the description of their dance of devotion to Papa Kòt-Nwa.

    Cover for Forging the Chain Breakers is final. Now I need the cover for Selene Unchained.

    I got a lot done on Selene Unchained this week. Thank you to Deborah who did an excellent job of protecting my writing time.

    Selene Unchained chapters this week:
    Zafir Burns His Hand renamed Kepler Station – finished
    Laughing Meadows Revisited
    Tunnel 45 Fort
    The Lesson of Forge 27
    Changing Tactics
    The Siege of Kopff Castle
    Raid on Kopff Station
    Battle of the Cloister
    Eldritch Summit – started

    Selene Unchained word count is 57,104, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,301 words).

    I worked on training ChatGPT to be my line editor. I added the style sheet from Celestial Accord to its training and had it review Mirim’s First Christmas. This is ChatGPT’s analysis:

    1. Narrative Voice & POV

    Style Sheet

    • Past tense
    • Omniscient narrator with selective interiority
    • Authoritative but restrained
    • Moral and cultural confidence without polemic

    Mirim’s First Christmas

    ✔ Exact match

    How it manifests in the manuscript

    • The narrator moves freely between:
      • Mirim’s perceptions
      • Observed social behavior
      • Cultural explanation
    • Interior thoughts are infrequent and purposeful
    • Moral judgments are implied through tone and consequence, not stated

    Notable reinforcement

    • The narrator never apologizes for tradition, faith, hierarchy, or ceremony.
    • Cultural authority is assumed, not argued.

    Conclusion:
    Mirim’s First Christmas is a textbook execution of the style sheet’s POV doctrine.

    2. Sentence Structure & Cadence

    Style Sheet

    • Medium-to-long sentences preferred
    • Subordinate clauses encouraged
    • Rhythm valued over brevity
    • Fragments allowed for voice, not laziness

    Mirim’s First Christmas

    ✔ Perfect alignment, with added sophistication

    Observed patterns

    • Frequent use of:
      • Parallel lists (foods, customs, people)
      • Clarifying clauses (“which,” “that,” “since”)
      • Gentle temporal framing (“After,” “As,” “When”)
    • Sentences often accumulate meaning rather than rush to a point

    Manuscript adds

    • A slightly more Edwardian hospitality cadence than the style sheet explicitly calls out
    • A strong “host explaining traditions to a guest” rhythm that recurs scene after scene

    Conclusion:
    The manuscript doesn’t just follow the rule—it teaches the reader how the rule feels in motion.

    3. Dialogue Philosophy

    Style Sheet

    • Dialogue serves culture, not conflict
    • Polite speech default
    • Humor through understatement and social friction
    • Dialogue punctuation follows Chicago with voice exceptions

    Mirim’s First Christmas

    ✔ Exemplary execution

    Key observations

    • Almost no confrontational dialogue
    • Characters explain, reminisce, instruct, tease
    • Humor arises from:
      • Cross-cultural misunderstanding
      • Generational differences
      • Gentle irony (especially Dolores, Eleanor, Nikola)

    Important nuance

    • Dialogue often carries exposition that would normally be narration
    • Speakers are trusted to be intelligent and articulate

    Conclusion:
    The manuscript is a model for how to embed exposition into dialogue without didacticism.

    4. Exposition & Worldbuilding

    Style Sheet

    • Embedded exposition preferred
    • Lists acceptable if contextualized
    • Worldbuilding revealed through lived experience

    Mirim’s First Christmas

    ✔ Strong confirmation

    How the manuscript uses exposition

    • Food as cultural memory
    • Ritual as theology-in-action
    • Architecture as values made physical
    • History revealed conversationally

    Where the manuscript goes further

    • Uses ritual density as pacing rather than plot
    • Treats traditions as events worth dwelling on

    This is not just allowed by the style sheet—it is its natural consequence.

    Conclusion:
    The manuscript validates that your style sheet supports “ceremonial fiction,” not plot-driven minimalism.

    5. Capitalization, Religion, and Terminology

    Style Sheet

    • Capitalize divine pronouns
    • Respect doctrinal distinctions
    • Precise theological language
    • Period-appropriate usage

    Mirim’s First Christmas

    ✔ Exact compliance

    Notable strengths

    • Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant distinctions handled carefully
    • Theology explained respectfully but confidently
    • Religious language is normal, not exoticized

    Important note

    • The manuscript proves that faith language can be frequent without becoming preachy when handled through tradition and lived practice.

    Conclusion:
    Mirim’s First Christmas is a working proof that the style sheet’s religious rules are narratively sustainable.

    6. Tone Toward Progress, Tradition, and Family

    Style Sheet

    • Civilization is inherited, not reinvented
    • Family and clan matter
    • Progress is additive, not destructive

    Mirim’s First Christmas

    ✔ Thematic alignment

    Observed emphasis

    • Marriage as covenant
    • Multi-generational continuity
    • Hospitality as moral action
    • Technology coexisting with ritual

    The manuscript does not merely obey the style—it embodies its worldview.

    7. Where Mirim’s First Christmas Adds to the Style Sheet

    These are not conflicts—these are emergent refinements you may wish to treat as implicit addenda:

    1. Ceremonial Density Is Acceptable
      1. Long stretches with minimal plot advancement are stylistically valid
    2. Lists Can Be Luxurious
      1. Food, customs, and names may be lingered over
    3. Domestic Grandeur Is a Legitimate Setting
      1. Mansions, tables, kitchens, and halls are as important as battlefields

    If you want to get early access to Book 3 chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising or Celestial Accord on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.