I hope you’ve been enjoying the new series: The Sleeping Legion and Revenge Squad. The opening books have been at a special 99c/ 99p launch promotion, which is ending this week, so if you haven’t yet grabbed a copy then now would be a very good time. You can find the Amazon page by clicking on…
Hey, Space Cadets. I hope this fine Tuesday finds you well! I’ve hit an impasse on Operation Breakout. Namely, managing this blog takes more of my time than I really have. While I love the collaboration, writing stories needs to be my top priority. Soon, if I can’t find a solution, I might cut back to every other day posting. Either way, for today, I wanted to try something different. I’ll be doing a series of writing prompts, and today’s will use the image below as the starting point. My goal is to improve my ability to write shorter works, and you get to be my lab rats! I hope you enjoy the insanity that follows! Feedback is welcome. Negative, positive, grammatical, whatever you want to post. Ultimately, a writer grows by seeing their flaws and honing their craft.
She opened the door to her storage closet and braced herself for the horror that would come. Her normally ruddy complexion turned an ashen white as a hoarse voice whispered to her, imploringly.
“Just let me explain.”
It wasn’t how she expected to spend her Saturday morning, after a glorious Friday evening with her friends. She’d met up with members of her Imperial Space Fleet Academy graduating class, to reminisce about old times.
With long deployments, spread across Imperial Space, she hadn’t seen several of them in years. Many of them had exited the Navy, and entered the private sector. Enjoying lucrative jobs in the Imperial City, which allowed them to meet with their classmates.
The rest, well their time in service meant most were ready for their own class on ships captaincy. It was only their return to attend the Ship’s Captain Course, after so many good officers died in the insurrection that just ended, that brought them all together.
After so long apart, she’d just gotten through telling them how happy her marriage was. Droning on about how they’d stood the test of time and were still together after all these years. College sweethearts even.
What she didn’t expect was to go into the storage closet to find her husband joined in coitus with her best friend. The fact that he was wearing her high school prom dress and ‘that woman’ was wearing a tux only added fuel to the rage that followed. She knew she only had a few seconds to decide her next move.
Is the prison time worth killing them? Would it be better to take a picture, humiliate them both? What do I do?
Hope you all enjoyed this science fiction short, and I’ll try to do more of them in the future! Again, feedback is welcome. Heck, if I get an idea doing this that I like, I might just turn it into something more. If your feedback helps make that happen, you’ll get a mention in the acknowledgements. Or, I’ll make you a redshirt in the book and you can meet death with glory (in the story, of course).
Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!
JR
–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are images owned by JR Handley.
Hey Space Cadets, how’re you all doing this fine Monday? Here in the States it’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day so we’ve enjoyed the three-day weekend. Played games with the kids, went for walks and enjoyed the nature around us. I didn’t post a blog yesterday, and for that I’m sorry. I had to get my computer fixed, and then got lost in the sauce working on Operation Breakout. I really feel like you’re going to love this one, it has more action than the first two and we explore the culture of the Human Legion Universe even more.
Another quick update, there is an official Facebook page for fans of the Human Legion Universe. Right now it’s new and only includes Tim C. Taylor, Corey the Editor and yours truly! If you want to join, hop on over to the new page and start a conversation or two. And speaking of hopping… let’s talk about rabbits. No, seriously, today’s post is about the Sangurian species. They’re humanoid rabbit warriors, who came close to annihilation after a failed revolution against their capricious White Knight Imperial Overlords. Like in many cases, when you revolt and fail it goes badly for you and yours. In this case, very badly.
Because I know you’d rather see how the sausage is made than hear me bloviate, here is a look at the Sangurians. I have it on good authority from that mysterious LegionLeak warrior – these documents are true and were stolen from the deepest digital vaults. Don’t believe me? Take a look and see for yourself. I even hired the best translators in the metaverse since I don’t read White Knight Imperial Standard.
Also, in case you were curious about what I visualized when reading these purloined documents, I grabbed a screen shot from Google. I own none of the rights to these, so I’m only showing you what you could see in the same search I made. Hope it sparks some creative juices for everyone! If you’ve got similar creatures in your works, or read of them, please start a conversation here or on the Facebook fan group.
Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!
JR
–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are screen shots taken by JR Handley and used under the Fair Use Doctrine.
Hey Space Cadets, here is the next installment in my series of book reviews. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’m about half way through book three of The Sleeping Legion Series and loving it. Loads of action, some surprises and a lot of exploding goodness. I’ve also been outlining my next project based off of my short story from the Roswell Anthology, and thinking it’s gonna be the next big thing in science fiction. It feels like a winner, but you’ll have to wait and see!
On to this specific review. I was given this book by a local US Navy veteran and seasoned author to review and couldn’t say no. No really, he might go all Tonya Harding on me! Plus, as a veteran, I feel obligated to support other veterans where possible. I won’t buy substandard things just BECAUSE they’re a veteran but if it’s a choice between two good things and one provider was a veteran, I’ll pick that. I mention that, so you can read my review in as transparent a fashion as I can manage. With that said, I truly did enjoy this book and I can only hope this comes through in my review.
Title: Asbaran Solutions
Author: Chris Kennedy
Price: $4.99 USD (Kindle Edition)
Obtained: I received an ARC for an honest review on Amazon and GoodReads, but liked it enough to buy it once it went live. I’m even going to buy the other novels in this universe and likely review them as well!
Pages: 332
Rating: 5/5 Grenades
Summary:
First, let me say that none of what I’ll say in this section couldn’t be found on the back copy of the novel. I wanted to provide a spoiler free review, so here goes nothing! Ultimately, this is a family saga, a tale of redemption and one mans journey to familial acceptance. One of the main characters, Nigel Shirazi was first in line for the chairmanship of Asbaran Solutions. It was to be his birth right, commanding one of the prominent “Four Horsemen” mercenary companies. That is until his maladaptive behavior cost him everything, ending in hedonist downward spiral. And finally, a rock bottom where he is disinherited. After being discarded by his birthright, he enjoys the life of a rich playboy until something happens to rock his world. An enemy gets to his family, and Nigel is all that stands between this hidden foe and the destruction of Asbaran Solutions and the Shirazi family line. In the end, the adventure is partially Nigel’s war within himself. If he can gain some self-control and self-discipline, he just might restore all that was lost. All he has to do is rescue his sister from an unbeatable foe, easy peasy.
Characters:
There are three main characters in this story; The Asbaran Solutions mercenary company, Nigel Shirazi and Thomas Mason.
Nigel Shirazi: He is the principle main character in this story, on a quest of personal redemption. By saving his sister, he seeks to save himself and prove his worth to the family who’d dismissed him so many years ago. At first, I really didn’t like the spoiled man-child that we met in the beginning of the story. However, as time went on he sort of grew on me as Nigel grew into himself. He had a definitive character arc, was flushed out and thoroughly described. You never felt like he was a blank shell, he was a character all on his own. If we met in real life, I’d either drink a beer with him and swap war stories or shoot him on sight. Would really depend on whether I met the Nigel from the beginning of this book or the one from the end. I deeply respected his love of family, and his sense of familial obligation. Blood really IS thicker than water, and it was nice to see that this was a sentiment Nigel understood.
Thomas Mason: He was your stereotypical soldiers soldier and helped guide and shape the path of the troubled Asbaran Solutions. He also has some personal reasons for going with Nigel on what appears to be a suicide mission, though I can’t go into that without giving some spoilers. He offers the military background, and serves as a foil to Nigel’s playboy ignorance. Overall, I really liked this character and would love to read more about him. I wouldn’t mind if he got his own book as well, giving him room to develop into an even more flushed out character.
Asbaran Solutions: This is the company that is at the heart of the adventures of Nigel and Mason. For Mason, it’s a job and a personal journey you’ll have to read about but for Nigel it’s so much more. For Nigel, it’s about saving his sister and his families honor. It’s a connection with his heritage and his forefathers. The special time he spent on his grandfather’s knee learning about the galaxy and the mercenary life that Earth provided to the sentient species whom inhabited it. With its mere existence, this company drives the plot and serves as the invisible puppet master pulling all the strings.
Plot:
Like most of the military science fiction I love to read, this was an action-packed novel. The beginning was a bit of a slow start, but once it took off it never really lagged. I wasn’t able to read this book from start to finish in one setting because of its length but I wanted too. I believed that the tactics worked for the novel, especially the aerial ones, but what do you expect from a naval aviator? The action on the ground was believable, though lacking in tactical sophistication and depth. However, when you had a bad assed mech like their CASPer’s you can get away with a run and gun strategy. The story flowed seamlessly from one plot point to another, which made it easy to read and follow. There were a few times where I was confused by what was going on, but this was likely because of my TBI. After I backtracked and re-read the part that got me it became very clear.
World Building:
This is the first book I’ve read by Chris Kennedy, but I’d heard good things and his reviews were solid. I wasn’t disappointed! This world was very flushed out, and left you curious about the world. Heck, I bought his book AND the other book in the universe after I read this one. While this is science fiction, and you definitely need to have some suspension of disbelief for the aliens Chris Kennedy invents, within the universe he builds they’re totally believable. I also found myself sympathetic to Nigel, as he struggles on his quest for redemption. Asbaran Solutions definitely had shades of the Prodigal Son, though with a metric butt ton more death and explosions. The one part I wasn’t thrilled about was the concept of Earth evolving into a system of the mercenary corporate planet, without any nation states, but it is a common trope in science fiction. Overall, this didn’t dissuade me from enjoying this story and I’m aware that many people LOVE those kinds of universe set ups. In a nut shell, the world building gets an A- from me, but only because of the lack of explanations on HOW we became a planet without nations.
Description:
This book was chalk full of visualization, and you could definitely imagine yourself in this world. It felt very flushed out, and there were times where you could even smell the aliens. I love it when a book is this immersive, where it takes you deeply into the world. For me, if a book isn’t described enough that I can imagine myself into the story. If a story is truly good, I often find myself imagining what happens when the book ends. That doesn’t work in books where the world wasn’t flushed out. In this category, Chris gets an A+++!
Overall:
I think that the easiest way for me to explain my thoughts, is to tell you how I received the novel. Like with the Wraithkin novel, I was given a free ARC (advanced reader copy) eBook a little over a week before the novel went live. In return, I was to post an honest review on Amazon for the author on the day it launched. I loved this book, it was definitely 5 out of 5 Grenades. Chris Kennedy had me hooked from the beginning, and kept it going throughout the whole novel. I went on to buy a copy, because I liked it enough that I wanted to support the author. I also went on to purchase the Cartwright Cavaliers, another novel in the Four Horsemen Universe. It’s an amazing adventure, a look into Chris Kennedy’s twisted imagination, and leaves you wishing that his therapist has a therapist. This is a book I would happily recommend, and an author I will definitely read again. Heck, I would even recommend that you buy the novel! But hey, it’s easy to spend someone else’s money! This is definitely a novel worth buying, versus merely reading for free at the library.
If this book sounds like it’s right up your alley, check it out! You won’t regret it! Well, unless it keeps you up all night and you’re late to work… and then your boss fires you, because you became a book addict and a rabid Chris Kennedy fan. And then you track him down, and climb into his window in your skivvies and he shoots you with grapeshot. Okay, the fanboy/fangirl syndrome MIGHT kill you. Be warned, but enjoy the high!
Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!
JR
–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section.
Hello Space Cadets! Today, I wanted to offer you a gift in the spirit of goodness, inspired by everyone who made my recently passed book releases a reality. It still feels like a dream, but I appreciate you all getting into the trenches with me. I don’t do want to pester you guys, so let’s get to it! Today I bring you an interview with Chris Kennedy. Chris works at his own publishing house, which he humbly named after himself. I know most of my readers are also writers, so here is a chance to learn from another successful author and discover the publishing house that might print your next big idea!
To help you appreciate why I chose to interview him, let me tell you more about Chris. He is a bestselling Science Fiction/Fantasy author and speaker. Chris Kennedy is also a former naval aviator (we forgive him for not going Army) and elementary school principal. Chris’ stories include the “Occupied Seattle” military fiction duology; “The Theogony” and “Codex Regius” science fiction trilogies; and the “War for Dominance” fantasy trilogy. You can also get his free book, “The Death of Atlantis,” at his website.
Chris has been called “fantastic” and “a great speaker,” he has coached hundreds of beginning authors and budding novelists (including yours truly) on how to self-publish their stories at a variety of conferences, conventions and writing guild presentations. He is the author of the award-winning #1 bestseller, “Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores,” as well as the leadership training book, “Leadership from the Darkside.” You can find out more about having him talk to your group here.
Chris lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with his wife and family. He is currently working with the Navy to help shape Navy training processes for the year 2025. He is the holder of a doctorate in educational leadership and master’s degrees in both business and public administration. On a more personal note, like so many in the Indie Writing Circle, Chris is very willing to mentor new writers (though they all likely regret accepting my friend request!) through his social media presence. He’s an overall decent fella, the kind you’d enjoy doing business with.
Now for the man, the myth and the legend to speak for himself!
INTERVIEW:
Why did you decide to forgo a more traditional name for your company? Most Indie Authors try to create the illusion of the Big Five publishers by giving their publishing house a separate name.
Hi JR, first, thanks for talking with me today. Hopefully, I can help out your readers. With that being said, it’s funny you would start out with that question, as that is my biggest regret, and the first thing I would change if I started all over again.
Why did I do it? Mostly because I didn’t know any better. I needed a name to give to Bowker for my first set of ISBNs, and I didn’t have anything thought out. Why would I change it? Because even though the stigma has abated, somewhat, from self-publishing, there’s no need to slap people in the face with it. Would I have done better with a different name? I don’t know, but I wish that I had come up with something cool like, “High Orbit Publishing: Our Books Take You to Outer Space.”
Now, however, I don’t feel like going through the effort to change it, and I have a number of imprints I publish under (like the Seventh Seal Press imprint of CKP that publishes the Four Horsemen Universe books). Maybe I’ll rename and rebrand myself sometime in the future…but probably not.
I’d like to talk about your work publishing your other authors at Chris Kennedy Publishing. How did you come to this position of being ‘the boss’ for other creative types?
There were actually two things that happened, nearly simultaneously. On the non-fiction side, I was part of a marketing program with a number of people who had non-fiction books they had put together. They didn’t know how to publish their books, and they were either too busy or didn’t want to learn how to do it themselves, so they asked me to do it for them.
At the same time, I partnered with Mark Wandrey for the Four Horsemen series of books. When he pitched me the idea of joining him, part of the plan was for me to publish both of our books. Several other fiction authors saw I was doing it for him, and asked if I would take them on, as well. As my support folks had the capacity (editing, cover design, etc.), and I believed in their books, I took them on as well.
You’re an author, with several successful novels under your belt. Tell us about your works and how your writing pulled you into the publication business.
It all started with my first book, Red Tide. I never wanted to be an author, but one day I had an idea and a little time, and the book just kind of “happened.” Once I had it, though, I liked it, thought it was pretty good, and wanted to get it out to readers. How did I get involved in publishing? 80 agents and publishers said, “no” to my story, and I finally got tired of hearing the word (from the small percentage that actually answered; most did not).
I looked at what was needed to self-publish, and I quickly realized I needed a plan. Happily, though, as a 20-year military officer, planning was something I could do. I built a plan and took the story through the processes necessary to turn it into a book. The hardest thing I ever did was to push the “Publish” button on Amazon, but once I did, a funny thing happened…people bought it.
As of January 13th, I will have 12 full-length books published and over a million words in print (and I now love writing), in addition to three short stories published both by themselves and in anthologies. Of the 12 full-length books, 10 are fiction and two are non-fiction. By the time you amass that many books, or even a fraction of that number, you’ve become pretty involved in the publishing business.
As the owner of Chris Kennedy Publishing, what are you looking for in submissions?
I’m looking for great scifi and fantasy stories that are ready to go. Unlike some of the bigger houses, it’s all about the story, not that it has to have a certain message or have the right characters involved. It’s all about the story.
How do you decide which books to sign and which ones to pass on?
In addition to the story (which should be pretty polished by the time someone sends it to me), I also look at the platform the author has, and how they intend to market the book. No matter where you go these days, an author is going to be chiefly responsible for marketing their books, so it’s important for them to have an idea of how they’re going to get it done.
What types of publishing do you offer? (Tradition Publishing, Co-Publishing, Self-Publishing)
I currently use all three types of publishing, depending on the book/author. If I am fairly sure that a book will be successful, a traditional model may be appropriate; otherwise, there may be some co-publishing involved. I also do some consulting for those authors who are self-publishing and just need a little advice and guidance on how to be successful.
What sub-genres of science fiction do you prefer? Are you open to other genres as well?
I’m fairly open to most types of scifi, and fantasy as well, as long as the story’s good. With a recommendation from someone I know, I might also look at other genres (I just took on a psychological thriller), although those genres don’t play as well to my marketing strengths and mailing list (which is something I made clear to the author when he first approached me.)
With that being said, as I mentioned before, Mark Wandrey and I just started a new universe about mercenary service in future mech wars. We have opened the universe up to other writers, and if someone is interested in writing in that universe, they would probably get a bonus point or two. If anyone wants more info on what is canon in the universe, they should email me.
How does someone submit to you?
They can send the first couple of chapters to me at chris[dot]kennedy12[at]gmail[dot]com. I have a lot going on right now, but can always make room for a great story.
After a new author has signed with you, and the novel is done with the last editing pass, what do you expect of your authors? What part of the process do you cover?
Depending on the publishing model and agreement used, I can (and usually do) cover everything, although I have a couple of authors who already had their own covers that they wanted to use (these are subject to my agreement; I will not publish a bad cover). What do I expect of authors? I expect them to spread the word on their books. I will do my part, but the author has to do his/her part as well. If you just want to turn it in and move on to writing the next one, I’m probably not the right publisher for you.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Two things. First, start building your platform as early as possible. It doesn’t matter whether you go traditional, self-pub, or some hybrid of the two, you’re going to need a platform. Somewhat related to this, you should start talking about your book early, as the books I’ve seen that have failed are usually due to a marketing failure. The right time to start marketing a book isn’t when it’s released; the best time to start is four months prior to release.
If this convinced you to find out more, look Chris at Chris Kennedy Publishing up here:
I hope you all had a great time getting to know about Virginia’s best publishing house! Don’t be afraid to say hello here or on their own website. They’re always quick to respond when not searching slush piles for the next big thing! And for proof of their ability to handle a stressed-out author, Chris Kennedy is friends with my fat arse! Quick, give that sailor a medal!!
Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!
JR
–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are screen grabs taken by JR Handley for use under the Fair Use Doctrine.
Hey Space Cadets, how are you doing today? I’m doing good, a slight delay on Operation Breakout, but I still hope to finish it before the end of the month. I plan on doubling down now that my wife is back in college after the holiday break. Taking advantage of the quiet during the day will be my sweet spot, or at least I hope it will. I took advantage of the snowy weather we’ve had and played with my sons. Snowball fights, hot chocolate, the usual wintery goodness. Here’s hoping I can get back on track real fast and in a hurry like.
As an update from yesterday’s post, I also managed to go for a walk this morning!! I took a half mile circle around the lake behind my house and enjoyed the serenity of what passes as nature in suburbia. Someday I would love a more rural setting, but I need to be close to the VA hospital, and my wife enjoys the malls a bit too much for life in the sticks. I love the idea of waking up to a view, letting the surroundings serve as inspiration. Obviously, upkeep would be an issue but I hear they have riding lawnmowers these days so maybe I can convince the War Department? Who knows, but I can at least try!
As you can see, the walk was both scenic and saddening. I can’t stand to see this litter everywhere and when my back is up to it, I carry a trash bag to pick up what I can. Litters beware, Big Sarge is watching you! Anyway, I need to keep this blog short because I need to get back to work but I didn’t want to get out of the habit of my daily blogs so I figured a quick update was in order. Tomorrow I’ll post an interview with another small science fiction publishing house, so come back and check it out!! And Saturday I’ll write another one of my book reviews, so don’t miss that either!!
Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!
JR
–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are owned by JR Handley.
Hey Space Cadets, I hope everyone is surviving the snow which has blanketed most of the United States. For those of you not in the States, well we hope you survived too! The Sleeping Legion Series books are doing well, and I’m continually amazed by that fact. I’m halfway through writing book three and hope to have it to the editor by the end of the month. I’m still excited about this project, and the next two afterwards so never fear I’ll disappear and leave you hanging!
So for today’s World Building Wednesday I’ve decided to talk about something that acts as a companion to your writing plan. Today I want to talk about our health, there is a proven medical correlation between physical health and mental agility. I’m not going to lie, the Army over prescribed me cortisone shots while I was deployed to keep me the field. They continued this as I transitioned into the VA (Veterans Administration) for my medical care. The excess cortisone combined with decreased physical activity due to my injuries resulted in my gaining weight. Lots of it. While my body was wounded and no longer as active as I wanted it to be, my lifestyle choices didn’t keep up. I kept drinking and eating like I was still running 5 miles a day, though given the delicious microbrews available these days, can you blame me?
A quick side tangent; unlike my misinformed Boss Man, I drink my beer in a cold frosty mug as God intended it to be drunk. Those wacky Brits seem to think we should drink beer warm! I mean, didn’t anyone go over to the island and tell them we had refrigeration? Next, they’re going to tell me they still cook with fire, instead of on the stove. Sigh, it’s a shame but I shall continue to persevere with my 5-Step Plan to educate him on the ways of the beer world. Wish me luck!
Okay, rant over… and now we resume your regularly scheduled programing! Since I started tracking my daily word counts, I noticed a trend. On the mornings where I got an early start with a walk, my writing improved. My neurologist tells me this is because blood flow, oxygen levels, as well as other medical sounding stuff that I didn’t even bother remembering. Due to this insight, and the knowledge that I can’t keep writing if I let myself spiral into an early grave, I’ve decided that 2017 is the year of the healthier me. I might never fit back into my Class A’s, but I can get down to a place where my doctors and wife aren’t worried. I’m 5’9” and weigh in at 341 pounds, this can’t continue. I promised I’d still be writing when my youngest son is older. He has it in his head that he’ll write a book with me someday. To do that, I have to turn this ship around.
And I shall, because my kids are worth it. As writers, we tend to spend a lot of solitary time in front of our monitor clacking away on our keyboards. This lifestyle of professional daydreaming can lend itself to inactivity and general unhealth. Let us all endeavor to turn that around so that we might live longer and write more.
We can do it. We HAVE to.
Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!
JR
–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section, or are owned by JR Handley.
Hey Space Cadets, today I get the privilege of bringing you a topic I’m interested in, co-writing. One of my blogosphere friends, Steve Beaulieu, is a part of a dynamic writing team, and he’s going to share with you his process. But today isn’t about my ramblings so let’s get right to it!
So you’ve got this killer idea for a story. You’ve outlined it…twice. Now you are sitting down to write it. The first several chapters flow like milk and honey from the promised land. It’s as if God himself was pouring words through your pen (fingers on keyboard) onto paper (hopefully something more like pages or word). Then the unthinkable happens. You get stuck. Nothing will come to you. Every thought you have, if you have any at all, are among the stupidest ideas a writer could have. They are clichés and predictable – you don’t know what to do next. Now what?
If you’re anything like me, this means that you stop writing and your genius book—your outlined masterpiece—sits untouched for weeks, months or even years. For shame!
My name is Steve Beaulieu. I am half of Hall & Beaulieu Author Team. I am guilty of everything you just read about (except maybe outlining…I hate outlining).
That’s the end of my infomercial-style introduction…let me tell you what has helped me tremendously.
When I met Aaron Hall he was just another cool guy at the church I’m a pastor at. He played guitar and bass, and I play guitar and lead the music at the church, so we were a natural fit. After a period of time his roommate bought an Oculus Rift—another natural fit for me. I love gaming, although it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find time to play. After we were done checking out the nauseating wonder that was the OR we talked a bit about something else that we were both passionate about—writing.
Aaron has been a writer his whole life, literally. If you find yourself interested in his story, which is crazy cool, you can read about it here. I have too, but I never experienced the success he had. He may not have sold thousands of copies of his books, but he finished and printed nine novels. I had started and not completed twice that amount. As a matter of fact, I had/have a high fantasy novel that I started writing when I was 18 that is about 80 pages from completion that will likely never get finished all because I didn’t properly outline it and I had no idea where it needed to go next.
Truth is, it probably sucked anyway.
After he threw a couple of his books at me (his shortcoming is that he never tried to sell anything, he just gave it all away. He’s too giving for his own good) I offhandedly stated that we should co-write a book together. That quick remark led to a tremendous friendship and partnership that I never could have imagined.
I am an idea guy. I believe I’m a decent writer as well, but in my opinion, nowhere near his caliber. I have ideas for days that in order for them to see the light of day, I needed someone next to me to help see it through. Aaron has been that guy, and I’m pretty confident he would say something similar.
I know him well enough at this point that I could speak for him. Whereas his primary benefit to me was helping me stay focused and finish projects, I helped him to break down his stories and deepen the character and environmental development of them.
I believe anyone could benefit from some kind of writing partner. Maybe it won’t be someone who actually shares in the writing with you, as we do. But, instead, someone who brainstorms with you. We get together often to brainstorm our projects. It usually sounds like this…
“Maybe the main character (MC) would not respond well to the formula? Maybe they would freak out because their time in the laboratory reminds them too much of when they were in captivity at a young age. Maybe we just need to skip this section altogether and focus on the fact that he is currently standing in the middle of a garbage dump and there might be a little boy living there who is scared to death that there’s someone else in the dump.”
We bounce ideas back and forth. When typically we would have individually gone with that first idea, instead the brainstorming session led to the discovery of this little boy in the garbage dump. Just like in real life, our stories come alive…who knows what immense value this little boy will add to this story?
Everyone will experience partnerships in a(n) unique way. We do things a certain way, but it might not be what works best for you.
One of us will typically take the lead on a project. Strangely, our main project we are working on right now Brother Dust: The Resurgence, was my brainchild. It started out as a comic book I was writing and subsequently coloring. When things came to a standstill, this was the first thought I had when approaching Aaron to co-write a book with me. Main reason? I had a script with a full story in it that just needed to be fleshed out into novelization. He read the script and loved it. He immediately started working on it and I was in love with the work he did. He took a comic script and singled out a section of 6 panels and wrote an entire chapter on it. It was amazing.
Without a question, he became lead writer on the project. What happened from there was that he would write a chapter and send it my way. I would then “write into” the chapter. We have a cool benefit of both writing with very similar voices to the point where we forget which sections we wrote and which were written by the other. Not everyone will have that same style similarity. We did this, chapter by chapter for 25 chapters. The book is currently in editing stage.
Other projects, like our most recent release Sparkle Ship Shine, are done the opposite way. I lead and he “writes into”. This was a bit unique in that I decided to write a comedy, written in first person that turned into a witty horror story. 8,000 words altogether, about half of them are mine and half of them are his.
It’s been a fantastic journey so far. I don’t think I can name a single negative working with Aaron. Finding the right writing partner is like finding the right wife! Maybe not the same benefits though ;P
Sparkle Ship Shine is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
We hope you enjoyed this look into how other authors manage such a complicated collaboration!
Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!
JR
–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section, or are photo’s taken by JR Handley.
Hello Space Cadet, today I wanted to muse about some parts of my time in the Big Green Weenie. It inspired this Marine Monday post, as I tackle the role that cadences and martial music in the development of military culture and mores. I hope you enjoy my ramblings, feel free to join the conversation afterwards! Without further ado, let the ramblings begin.
Everyone who has ever served in the military knows a universal truth: the value of music. You’re taught to march through music. Yes, I know they stopped using marching bands to train with years ago. Yes, I also know that they don’t even have lone buglers or drummers leading the charge. However, we were all taught to march via the musical stylings of our sergeants or petty officers. Shh, I won’t let on that I know your age (spies be spying) if you let me pretend everyone was smart enough to go Army! Hey, it keeps it simple because I can say sergeant instead of remembering petty officers and whatever the heck the Coasties and the Air Force had.
Think back, dust off that fuzzy sounding eight track and start running through your memories. Do you remember them? The marching cadences used to keep you in step? The sing-songy sound of your sergeant’s bellow? Something about yellow ribbons, Chuck Norris and ladies in multi-colored dresses. I had the rare privilege of having seen these cadences at all levels, the ones used for boot recruits, sergeants at the NCO Academy and officers in training. Yes, I know they’ve changed the name of the NCO school many times…. But hey, if I tried to keep current with that fiasco I wouldn’t have time to write this wee post or book three in The Sleeping Legion Series so go with it.
Yesterday I was using music to soothe the soul of several wild animals, most notably my two children, and the music they requested from Dad’s YouTube DJ Services took me places. My eldest asked for the soothing sounds of 1990s heavy metal, though you might call it light rock today, so much has the market changed. Guns-N-Roses, Metallica, Motley Crew…. The usual for kids these days, and if it isn’t it dang well should be. I was instantly taken back to my youth, rebellious thoughts of parental mutinies and my daring but unfulfilled plans to woo that special girl. To protect the innocent, I will call her Kimberly, but since I’m the writer here you’ll have to trust me when I say it isn’t important.
Anyway, after walking down the primrose path of my pubescent mental mausoleum, my eldest son’s turn was over and number two got his shot. What did he request? Ugh, he chose Army marching cadences. I know you’re asking yourself why my son might request the cool marching cadences of HAIL OH HAIL OH INFANTRY, but that’s probably not important. Had nothing to do with daddy’s gross lacking of musical depth, namely knowing zero lullabies, which led to some hypothetical person singing Army cadences to his colicky son. Hey, it was the ots! I mean, the double zeros excuse everything, that crazy post-Y2K time in our history.
So I kept my word, much to my wife’s chagrin, and I hit play to a few Army cadences. My seven-year-old joyfully marched in place to the sounds of unseen sergeants extolling the joys of war. “Off to battle we will go, to live or die, hell I don’t know” seemed perfectly rational when an 18-year-old Private Handley sang it on his way to the nastiest DFAC this side of Hades… but out of the mouth of my grinning cherub? I shuddered, I cringed, my wife bopped my head! I watched Kentuck drink out of the Euphrates fricken River, and then shared a bottle of Gatorade and cigars with him. (Note to self: brush teeth a few extra hundred times.) I did a multitude of other gross stuff, just to fit in with my fellow grunts. Somewhere, my doppelganger is still screaming to his buddies “Hey yall, watch this!” But all that paled when listening to my sweet boy, my little buddy, sing of death and war. It shook me to the core.
I’m not one of those apologists who throw medals over political fences. I won’t say I’m sorry for fighting my country’s wars, my job was to fight. I was good at it, and many of us came home because of the skilled riflemen I had the privilege to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with. While it was my job to fight, it was my fellow citizens and the politicians they elect, whose job it was to determined when and where they unleashed the beast. Not a perfect system, but it beats the alternatives. But, unlike my Handley predecessors, I will gladly surrender the mantel of ‘military family.’ We’ve done enough, let the Jones have the ball for a few generations. My sons, I want them to be patriotic, but maybe with a slight contrarian hippy bent? A few peace signs and tie dyed shirts to add to the effect? Maybe even a dreaded pair of Birkenstocks? For you Brits reading this, think along the line of Guy Fawkes…. And if I mangle that geopolitical reference, I can blame Tim! Hey, blaming your predecessors is practically cannon over here!
Right, back on track… sorry, the wife had to beat me about the head and shoulders so the hamsters knew I meant business. Rest easy, they are back on that spinning wheel and we’re back on course. After I got over the shock of seeing a babe singing a violent military cadence, I realized something. We modern soldiers, those raised in a more genteel time, we NEED those cadences. Why? They prepare us for the idea of death; ours and theirs. They teach us to dehumanize our enemies and make us more comfortable with the idea of killing them first. It reminds me of the quote from Karate Kid, the motto of the Cobra Kai Dojo. “Strike fast, strike hard, no mercy sir!”
One author, a Mr. Dave Grossman, wrote a book ON KILLING about how the military used systematic approaches to accomplish the goal of preparing soldiers to kill and possibly die in war. Some have argued that this was a seminal book on the subject, and while I’ve not read it since my head injury, I instinctively realized how those cadences from long ago shaped my world view. I learned to hate the dreaded commie as I humped the hills of Fort Benning, GA. I learned of vaunted Airborne Rangers left dying in the mud, though I always thought Patton had it right, better let them die for their country instead. I remember fondly a cadence where the mythical soldier is asked how he earns his living, to which he replies: “with a cold kind of nod, I earn my living killing commies for my God.” We later learn that an acceptable way to do this is with your K-bar (combat knife). To save you from hearing me give you all the examples, I’ve posted links to a few at the bottom of the article.
So, I’ll assume you’re still with me because otherwise you’d have left the thread already. Now that we have shown how a largely peaceful civilian culture prepares warriors to fight and die, let us consider the world created by author Tim C. Taylor. Okay, I really do love his work but I’ll end my fanboy stuff here, I swear. So, in the universe of Tim’s Human Legion Saga there are no civilians, everyone’s a combatant. At least, the Marines in the Human Marine Corps are only exposed to militarism from birth, it’s possible that the culture of the White Knights is different… Maybe we’ll learn more in Book 6, The Battle for Earth?
Now that we’ve established the universe, how would their teachings differ from ours? Would these crèchelings/novices/cadets even need cadences to accustom them to their new reality? And what does one sing about when you have no non-martial references from which to draw upon? Who would be their mythical Jody, the bogyman who steals your girl or guy, while you’re gone when it’s likely your lover would deploy with you? And on a broader subject, how would their purely military society differ from ours? I’d bet their food would be worse, military cooks are the pits! I remember a DFAC at Fort Hunter-Ligget that even screwed up a burger! How do you mess up a burger? Ugh, but I digress. Seriously though, in what ways would daily life be different in world free of civilians? Do they trade in their humanity in the name of efficiency? And what would such a world produce for the lullabies which we take for granted when we’re singing them to our young? What kind of fairy tales exist in this militaristic society? I won’t pretend to have any answers, but the questions are intriguing. Let’s be honest, it is what makes science fiction so great in the first place!
Anyway, this was all just food for thought but let’s talk about it in the comment section!
Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!
JR
–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are owned by JR Handley.
Hello Space Cadets! First, I wanted to thank everyone who helped make this writing dream a reality. Seriously, it’s a blast to think so many people (like anyone NOT related to me) are reading what I write. It has been a thrill to be able to show my sons that you don’t have to let your injuries and disabilities set you back. I realize that my injuries pale in comparison to others but for kids who don’t understand that level of granularity, the point is simplified for them. So again, my humble thanks.
Another update, I recently submitted a short story to the Roswell Anthology that was and will be the foundation to the Odera Chronicles. I’ll have more information about that as the time comes but there is more in the works for me after I finish The Sleeping Legion Series.
Now, onto todays topic. I wanted to introduce you to an author from my WARRIOR WEEKEND INTERVIEW SERIES. This will be the debut post in my Warrior Weekend Series, and I’m thrilled that it’s with someone I consider a friend. Matthew is an awesome guy, and a veteran of the Naval Combat Cameraman Corps. Meh, I probably got the specific title wrong but I’m a grunt… what’d you expect?
So let’s get into M.L.S. Weech! He was born in August 1979 in Rapid City, South Dakota. He fell in love with fantasy and science fiction at an early age. His love of writing quickly followed when he tried to write a sequel to his favorite movie. He clearly didn’t know what copyright infringement was. Weech can’t remember a time when he wasn’t working on some sort of project from that day forward. He went on to write for a junior high school (mostly called middle school now) project. The only way his freshman English teacher could get him to settle down was to let him start writing a book. He completed what he calls his ‘first manuscript’ when he was 17. He got a ton of feedback that was honest, helpful, and not much fun to listen to. Instead of quitting, he simply wrote another, and then another.
Weech fell in love with reading in high school, despite some of the horrible texts that are often foisted upon our unsuspecting youth the day he was introduced to Timothy Zahn and the Star Wars novels. Clearly this wasn’t an assigned bore-fests! Then Weech was handed Anne McCaffrey, Robert Jordan, Dean Koontz, Brandon Sanderson and so many more. He went from reading to complete homework to reading more than three books a month. Everyone loves an over achiever, right?
M.L.S. Weech then joined the U.S. Navy as a journalist in 2005. He served on aircraft carriers and destroyers. He served in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. When he wasn’t taking pictures, or writing features or news stories, he was writing fiction. Photojournalism was a hobby he enjoyed getting paid for, but writing fiction has been and remains his true dream. He’s completed six manuscripts and is already planning a seventh. He took his third project to Archway Publishing, who helped him turn his life-long dream into a reality.
Now that you’ve heard me blather on about him, all man-crushing…. Let’s get to the questions!
Without further ado, let’s get this interview cranking!
Tell me a little about your military service?
I joined the Navy back in 2005 to be a journalist. I wanted to tell stories – wanted to write every day. Once I got out in the military, I started having more and more fun. I deployed on a ship, and I served on two combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The first six years were honestly a blur for me. Everything was such a combination of work and wonderful experience. I was a part of history. I was a member of the first team of Sailors to operate as a sea operation attachment assigned to a strike group. It’s complicated, but basically when the strike group (a bunch of ships that work together) needed a team of MCs, my team went to supplement their media department. I had the honor to document the funeral of Carl Brashear. It was just so humbling to see someone who was such a great part of American history be put to rest. I saw the transition of power in Iraq and Afghanistan. My last tour in the military was as an instructor for those who do the same work I did. I loved it so much that I left the military to keep doing it. (Also, there was this book I wrote…)
How do you feel that your military service has influenced your writing?
For starters, because my job in the military was writing, it made me a better author. I learned about the craft of writing, and I improved my basic mechanical skills. But more so is the inspiration my service has had. Most of my books have some sort of military aspect. I often describe Caught as Wes Craven meets Tom Clancy. I’ve seen a lot through my career, good and bad. It created a foundational background for my writing. This inspirational part of my life is most evident in my science fiction saga Perception of War. The short story Sojourn in Despair is the first thing from that series readers will see. Seeing combat makes one truly consider its ramifications. Perception of War investigates those ramifications on an epic scale.
Do you think your military service, and more specifically your training, adds to the realism in your books? If so, how?
Absolutely! If I’m being honest, I don’t watch military movies or TV shows. They simply infuriate me. I’m also bothered by something I’ll call the impact of combat. Sure, in fiction, readers expect characters to be able to inflict and take more punishment than the “real” world, but sometimes it just gets ridiculous. Being in the military also gave me the opportunity to travel. I’ve seen so many amazing places, and I’ve used them in my writing. There’s no substitution for experience.
When did you start pursuing your writing more seriously?
I “went pro” when I was 17. That’s when I started dedicating a minimum of an hour a day, every day to writing. That was in 1997. I read Stephen King’s book “On Writing,” and it challenged me. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. After reading that book, I chose to take that dream seriously.
Of all your work, which was your favorite to write?
That’s a tough question. I’ll have to answer Images of Truth, the first full-length novel in the Perception of War saga. It’s a long way out from publishing, but I’m drafting it now, and it’s amazing. I can honestly say every book I write I enjoy writing more than those that came before it. I think The Journals of Bob Drifter is probably closest to my heart. It’s my first published book, so it means a lot to me, but I’m always excited to start my next project.
How many of your characters were inspired by your military service?
It would be far easier to name the characters that weren’t inspired by the military. Caught is covered in Close Quarters Combat. I’ve already mentioned Perception of War. The military is a major part of my life, so it’s only reasonable that it has a dominant presence in my work.
How many of the scenes you wrote were inspired from your service?
Just like with my characters, a lot of the scenes and settings are straight out of my own military experiences. The cool thing is it’s not just the awesome combat scenes. One thing people don’t talk about a lot is that we veterans are masters of “playfulness.” Sure, we fight and sacrifice, but man, I don’t think you can find a better group of people. Those scenes, scenes of brotherhood and camaraderie are equally prevalent in my work.
Do you feel like your writing has served any therapeutic value for you? Has it helped you process your experiences?
Writing is cathartic for me. Sometimes I’m not even aware I’m dealing with something until I’m writing about it. I think a professional has to eventually step out of themselves and focus on the story, but I’ll never deny that a lot of my work touches on things that matter to me. Writing has allowed me to explore issues and come to terms with situations that were frankly hard to face at times. I’d recommend writing to anyone, even if it’s just to find a positive outlet for times when life deals you a bad hand.
If you could serve with any of your characters, who would it be and why?
I’d absolutely serve with Dom from Caught. You’ll see a LOT more of him in Caught’s sequel. He’s so easy going and frankly awesome. He’s a dedicated individual too. There’s a lot of characters I’d like to hang out with or more, but Dom would be first on the “serve with” list. Honestly, I’d just want to go to the range with him. Plus, if I were a combat photographer serving with his unit, I’d pretty much be the safest journalist ever. Sal is probably a BETTER soldier, but he wouldn’t be as much fun to hang out with after the operation.
If you would want to avoid serving with any of your characters, who would it be and why?
I’d have to say that it’s only degrees of less fun to serve with. Steve would be hard to serve with. He’s so demanding of his people. There are a few other characters I wouldn’t want to serve with, but that would reveal some spoilers.
What are you currently working on?
I have a few things in the works, but my writing time is mostly divided between revising Sojourn in Despair and finishing Images of Truth. These are both from my science fiction series Perception of War. A lot of my projects are different from each other. This series gives me sort of a “home base” to work with. Perception of War is a series about a galactic war based on a blend between the War on Terror and World War II.
How can people find you?
If this convinced you to find out more, look up M.L.S. Weech. I hope you all had a great time getting to know about Matt. Don’t be afraid to say hello here or on Matt’s website. If they don’t respond quick enough, glitter bomb them! Mwahahaha!! Or, you can do something even worse… give their number to a telemarketer!!!
Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!
JR
–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are screen grabs taken by JR Handley for use under the Fair Use Doctrine.
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