Tag: Tim Taylor

Marine Monday: Cadences & Chants Galore

On By J.R. HandleyIn Marine Monday, Writing4 Comments

sleepinglegion_logo_nov2016_02_darkbg

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!

brown_bess

 JR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are owned by JR Handley.

 

newsletter-banner

Nick Webb’s Constitution deal, and my new book is out next week — The Human Legion

On By J.R. HandleyIn Human Legion Series, update, WritingLeave a comment

One of the stars of the recent boom in science fiction literature is Nick Webb. Now, if your’re reading this, Nick, I would describe you as a very annoying kind of author Not only does he sell a gazillion copies of his books, which come out more regularly than mine, but he also has a…

via Nick Webb’s Constitution deal, and my new book is out next week — The Human Legion

Interviewed by Boss Man

On By J.R. HandleyIn Human Legion Series, Sleeping Legion Series, Writing22 Comments

sleepinglegion_logo_nov2016_02_transbg

Hey Space Cadets, I hope everyone is having a spectacular day!!  I’m doing great, I had a moment on release day where The Legion Awakes was #27 in the Hot New Releases for Military Science Fiction (Space Marine) and #44 in the broader Hot New Releases for Military Science Fiction.  Thank you, sincerely, for being a part of my team and joining me in the trenches!  To be honest, we don’t plan to be a flash in the pan.  The plan for The Sleeping Legion Series is one of a slow burn, as we build an awesome series.  We hope the readers agree, and join us on this adventure.

 

Moving right along to the topic at hand, today Boss Man posted an interview he conducted with me and I thought I would share the link.  If you want to learn more about the craziness behind my shenanigans, click here.

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess 

JR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section.

World Building Wednesday: Sand Tables

On By J.R. HandleyIn Blogging, Infantry, Sleeping Legion Series, update, Writing7 Comments

tranquility_4

Hello Space Cadets, how is everyone doing today?  What’s that?  I can’t hear you, sound off like you got a pair!  And if you don’t, fake it till you make it!  So, now that I have your attention, let’s have a little chat over coffee!  Today I decided to give you get a sneak peek into how I wrote my battle scenes.  Let’s dive into the world of sand tables, sometimes called Recess for Soldiers!

 

So where to start, first let me start by discussing what a sand table is.  In a nutshell, a sand table is a surface bearing a three-dimensional map of a given piece of land.  According the Merriam-Webster, it’s “a table bearing a relief model of a terrain built to scale for study or demonstration especially of military tactics.”  Basically, I a super special map!  The military has used them since forever, long before Christ was even a Corporal.

 

Now that I’ve explained what a sand table is, I’ve decided to show you the one I made for my first novel.  Yes, The Legion Awakes, which will be published on December 19th, 2016.  It’s an improvised sand table for a combat scene in the novel involving a battle that my main character is involved in.  Wanna know more, read the book!  You’ve probably already read this, but please let me be prideful for just a few words!  I’m currently writing The Sleeping Legion Series set in the military science fiction world of Tim C. Taylor.  That book will be out soon, so I wanted to share some of how I got here.  Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, let us return to our regularly scheduled programing.

 

Anyway, the key to a successful sand table is that they provide you with the opportunity to visualize the battle space in three-dimensions.  This allows you to better describe the field as you’ve envisioned it.  It allows you to envision all of the obstacles which might get in the way of the armies you are describing, though this could work for any type of writing, combat or otherwise.  I supposed I would be remiss if I didn’t also tell you that these can be used to model towns, and other generic settings for your works in progress.  Not as exciting, but certainly necessary.  They are used by the military for strategic visualizations, are extremely helpful with strategic planning, but can be used by everyone!!

 

Without further adieu, my masterpiece!

 

My Sand Table

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

LEGEND:

Cups: Akoni Mountains

Green Sponges: Dense forests

Brown Building Blocks: Old Government Tower and Akoni City

Blue Paper: Water Features; Dynia River and Lake Charon

 

Now that we’ve covered this in depth, feel free to sound off in the comments below!  And if this tickled your fancy, click the follow button and never miss out on the insanity or shenanigans from the Handley Trenches!

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

 

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are owned by JR Handley.

 

Marine Monday: SA-71(h) Carbine

On By J.R. HandleyIn Writing5 Comments

sleepinglegion_logo_nov2016_02_blackbg

Hello Space Cadets, it’s that time again!  Another entry in the Marine Monday Series where I introduce you to the world I get the privilege to write in.  Last time I gave you an overview of the term Marine, as it relates to the larger world, today we dive into the nitty-gritty.  This time I have even juicier information from my Legion Leaks informant, so pull up a chair!  The Sleeping Legion Series, which I kick into high gear with some badass gear, will carry on until I run out of stuff to say!  Since I’ve never been the quiet type, I doubt this will be an issue!  Eventually, after I’ve a few Sleeping Legion books under my belt, I’ll start adding some of my New Carthage Series world building.  Maybe shift the name a bit to ease confusion? 

 

Now let’s get to it!  The Human Legion Universe is a military science fiction world set in the distant future where humanity is enslaved to the White Knights, a race of aliens who rule through force and delegation.  We know little of this mysterious race of creatures, except that they value change and encourage mutation as a celebration of this change.  Basically, they’re Darwinism on crack.  When the Marines of the Human Legion abandoned the Tranquility System, my story takes off.  What happened to those left behind in the grueling war for freedom and independence?  Can the Marines left to fend for themselves survive on their own? 

 

A little about humanity, well at least those humans enslaved into service.  They’re the backbone of the Human Marine Corps and later the Human Legion Marine Corps.  In the absence of their Jotun officers, they must struggle to create a new Marine Corps, one capable of not just surviving but of thriving.  To do that, these Marines need weapons with which to wage this war.  The staple weapon of the Human Marine Corps (later Human Legion) is the SA-71(h) Assault Carbine.  For ease of use, I’ll simply refer to them as the Human Legion from here on out.

 

According to the official record, the SA-71 is designed to be the main assault weapon for space-borne humanoid troops. The (h) sub-variant has been adapted slightly to suit human physiology and responsibility level, but the ammunition and control systems are compatible with other weapons throughout the SA-70 range. 

 

The SA-71 is a versatile carbine, which has four features, and allows Marines to spread their lethal will across the galaxy.  My favorite part of the carbine is that it has an assault cutter for use in close quarters combat, which is a modern variant of the concept of a bayonet.  These cutters are a series of monofilament teeth which can be extended from the end of the gun barrel. They rotate at 1000 rpm for maximum penetration, eviscerating human and alien flesh.  Care should be taken if the cutters are employed in a lateral, raking motion as the blades may snap off.

 

Another feature of the carbine is the grenade launcher which sits under the main carbine barrel, and fires specialty munitions from the launch tube, providing each fire team with capabilities similar to that of mortar launchers of old.  While many Marine units were discontinuing the grenade launcher, replacing the capability by an improved supply of specialist munitions fired through the railgun, this changed when the Human Legion revived older tactics.  Instead, the Human Legion included both features and improved upon the existing grenades.

 

Some features of the carbine which are rarely used, due to their inefficiencies are the built-in beam weapon and x-ray weapon modes.  These features never really see the light of day in my series, or in Tim’s but maybe they’ll prove their worth in some unusual way in the future.  It’s a big, bad galaxy after all!

 

The best and most exciting feature of the SA-71 Assault Carbine is the railgun, the main functional mode of this powerful carbine.  Like all railguns, it operates by using electrical charges applied to superconductor rails that run along the gun barrel.  The rails are arranged in a helical pattern to impart spin to the round as it leaves the muzzle, improving accuracy.  The ammunition management system supplies the selected round and fits it to a sabot created on the fly through its sabot resin reservoir.  The sabot ensures optimum super-conductance and mechanically fits to the rails.  Sabots also permit the standard kinetic round to be much smaller than the railgun caliber thus allowing ammunition cartridges to hold many more rounds.  On full power, the railgun generates enormous heat and imparts a heavy recoil force at the breech of the weapon.  If the recoil dampening system is not overcome by sustained fully automatic fire, this energy is automatically absorbed at up to 80% efficiency, used to heat the reservoir of sabot resin, and recharge the weapon’s power pack.  In limited-gravity environments the motors in an ACE-series battlesuit can cancel most of the remaining recoil automatically.

 

Later, if I can sneak it past security I’ll post a more comprehensive list of weapons available to the Human Legion.  Gotta be careful, or I’ll end up as Snowden’s roomie in Siberia!

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

 –> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are owned by JR Handley.  Any re-use of Legion imagery should be approved by JR Handley or Tim C. Taylor.

Sleeping Legion Update

On By J.R. HandleyIn Sleeping Legion Series, update, Writing10 Comments

sleepinglegion_logo_nov2016_02_blackbg

Hello Space Cadets, I’m trying not to float away as I write this!  It’s finally here!!  The big day, the day I get to tell you about the release date of my first novel, The Legion Awakes!!  It will be the first in a series of military science fiction novels set in Tim C. Taylor’s Human Legion Universe.  This debut novel will be released on December 19th, 2016 amid much celebrating in the Handley Household.  Hey, if it goes well I might just buy back that family castle!  😉

 

To let you glimpse what you’d be buying, I thought about a quote from the book.  I wanted to give you a feel for my bad assed main character, Senior Veteran Sergeant Lance Scipio’s training style.  I hope you enjoy it.

 

“… Lance decided to take the beast by the horns and address the assistant squad leader, Cadet Sergeant Fitzgerald Wyckoff, directly. “Cadet Sergeant Wyckoff, is it true that Cadet Hayley Mason led the mutiny by herself? Think carefully before you answer my questions.”

Cadet Wyckoff jumped to attention, though less rigidly than Cadet Mason had, with a self-assured cockiness that told Lance he often tried to charm his way out of trouble. “That’s correct, Sarge, right on the money.”

Wyckoff never saw it coming, so confident was he that his charisma would save him. Without missing a beat, Lance pulled the Flenser pistol out of the holster on his thigh and shot Fitzgerald in the head. This abrupt execution caused a rippled gasp around the room, as 1st Squad finally had one reaction that was unified. Apparently that’s what it takes to get everyone’s attention?”

 

sleepinglegion_book1_08

 

Hopefully this has sparked your interest, because it has been a rollercoaster journey of self-discovery for me.  If you do decide to buy it, please be kind and leave an honest and heartfelt review.

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

 

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section or are cover art owned by Human Legion Publications under licensed use for JR Handley.

Revenge Squad: Advance to Contact — The Human Legion

On By J.R. HandleyIn Human Legion Series, update, WritingLeave a comment

Hello Space Cadets, just wanted to pass on the latest news from the Human Legion trenches!  All of our books are on schedule for a Kindle release!  The paperbacks to follow as quickly after as boss man can type!  Finally, check out his site and the bad assed cover design!!!

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

 

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section, were created by Team Handley or are screen grabs taken by JR Handley for use under the Fair Use Doctrine. 

 

After War, the first book in the new Revenge Squad series is out on Kindle pre-order now, and I can tell you it feels very exciting, and not a little nervous, to have this finally out in the world. You can pre-order from Amazon now, and they will post the book onto your devices on…

via Revenge Squad: Advance to Contact — The Human Legion

Marine Monday: Legion-Leaks

On By J.R. HandleyIn Marine Monday, Writing7 Comments

space-warrior

Hello Space Cadets, for today’s Marine Monday I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to the concept of Space Marines.  These definitions and rules of use come from a highly-classified document from the Human Legion Database given to me by a whistle blower.  Apparently, she believes that the garbage they call food qualifies as a violation of her rights.  The Rights of Sentient Creature’s Act of the 2nd Human Legion Council clearly protects the warfighters, and the garbage they’re fed should criminal.  As I sift through the Mega Terabytes of data, I’ll publish what I can squeak though the oversight software. 

 

For starters, the very term MARINE refers to both the soldiers and military organizations whose primary function is one or more of the following:

  • Close assault and boarding of space-faring vessels
  • Defense of space-faring vessels against close assault and boarding
  • Assault from space against the defended surface of a planet

 

The term is widely used to describe the relevant military forces of most political entities within the Trans-Species Union.  None have survived in the space beyond the Trans-Species Union territory, but presumably they call those forces Marines as well.  Since nobody has lived to tell us otherwise, you MUST presume that I am right! 

 

The original Earth term for the military meaning of marine (water-borne rather than space-borne military forces) is now referred to as ‘littoral marine’ or ‘seaborne marine’.  Referring to a member of such a unit as a ‘wet marine’ is a sure way to start a fight.  However, like any good soldier, I don’t mind knocking a few heads together so you’ll hear me using it.  Use it at your own risk, but you’ve been warned!  Again, the term Space Marine is never used by civilians or pansy Spacers.

 

The military term ‘marine’ is not capitalized in general use, although marine organizations will frequently capitalize when referring to themselves.  Since the accounts you are now reading are about the Human Legion, and its predecessor/rival, the Human Marine Corps, we capitalize as ‘Marine’ when referring to those organizations.  We, the authors of these leaked files, are ourselves Marines.  Whatever the grammatical niceties of proper nouns might demand, it is impossible for us to think of ourselves as anything other than Marines with an capital ‘M’.  To call us marines would be an insult.

 

 

And, we would argue, an insult to our ancestors, for we were not the first Marines by a long shot.

 

Seaborne marines were critical in ancient Earth history.  In the Battle of Salamis (-480CE) Greek marines played a crucial role in defeating the much larger Persian forces, helping to set the cultural underpinning of what would later be called Western Civilization.

 

A ship-boarding technology called the corvus enabled Roman marines to win naval supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea (around -250CE), ultimately meaning the Romans defeated their arch rivals the Carthaginians to become the dominant regional superpower for many centuries.

 

The next major innovation in seaborne marine forces came two thousand years later with the development of a much larger self-contained, combined-arms marine army that could fight wars almost unaided.  This was the United States Marine Corps, the slower sibling of the US Army.

 

It is widely speculated by modern-era Marines that the military units formed from human slaves following the Vancouver Accord were inspired by the US Marine Corps.  Others regard this as wishful thinking, pointing out that while the Human Marine Corps might draw inspiration from the fighting spirit of their US ancestors, the segregation and racism inherent to their command structure more closely follows the army of the British East India Company in the early 1800s CE.

 

Whatever the truth of that argument, we the Marines of the Human Legion acknowledge the rich heritage of our military ancestors from Earth, and indeed those from other planets.  We recognize their example and transcend them, because the Human Legion is not based in the past.  We have a single mission: to fight for a better future. A future for us all.

 

Freedom can be won.

 

Well, if you’ve enjoyed my relating to you this leaked slice of classified lunacy, be sure to follow this blog and stayed tuned!

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section

World Building Wednesday

On By J.R. HandleyIn Human Legion Series, Sleeping Legion Series, World Building Wednesday, Writing2 Comments

Image result for world building

Hello Space Cadet, today I release into the multiverse my first World Building Wednesday where I talk about my process.  This isn’t the only way to build your world, or write a novel, this is just what works for me.  Keep in mind, I have to work around my TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) with my process.  These limitations force me to rely heavily on notes, outlines and a paper filing system where all the world building stuff is organized and collated.

 

First, let me show you how I organize my shiny new idea!  This is a broad outline of my organizational thought.  Each of these steps often leads me to rabbit trails that flavor my story.  And remember, anything can be a source for the idea.  Books you’ve read, movies you’ve seen, the news and conversations with friends.  People you’ve observed in public, conversations you’ve overheard.  The world is your creative muse, use it and abuse it.

 

  1. The shiny big new idea!
  2. What do I need to make the idea work?
    1. Characters (People)
    2. Settings (Places)
    3. Equipment and Gear (Things)
  3. Create the world that the story takes place.
    1. Notes on the history of the world.
    2. Maps where I draw the actual world
    3. Key cultural things such as, but not limited to, religion and political thought.
  4. Research anything you need to know for your story.
  5. Outline this shiny new idea.
  6. Write the shiny new idea!

 

So, to summarize the list above, I start with an idea or a character.  Then I flush this idea out a little bit at a time, with ideas based on what I need for the plot.  I keep going, until I have a kernel of a world.  I flush it out, again, with the stuff I need for the story.  This can include researching things, or just the random thoughts that pop up along this path to creation.

 

One big rule I have for myself is that I leave myself room to tell more stories in the future.  The best advice I ever received on writing was from a stranger at my local Starbucks.  I was sitting there plotting out the various parts of my universe and I had papers spread all around me.  He advised me to “Never paint yourself into a corner.”  This stranger gave me great advice, and I use it with my own world.  Just enough to make the story work, in case it leads to rabbit trails that become different stories.

 

Writing for Tim C. Taylor, however, means most of the larger world issues are already made for me.  This will be a fact for anyone writing in someone else’s sandbox.  That said, working with Tim has been great.  He gives me room to do a lot be creative tinkering, with a few rules I can’t break.  For example, I can’t use FTL (Faster Than Light Travel) when writing in the Human Legion Universe but the characters and plot is open to anything I can imagine.  Mainly, he is focused on historical consistency, not changing the cannon and ensuring I not frakk up the aliens he created.

 

I’ve talked with authors who write in other shared universes, to include a few who write in the Warhammer 40K world and it seems these are universal truths.  It can be a lot of fun, in the same way people enjoy writing fan fiction, but there are some constraints.  You get the benefit of a universe full of possibilities waiting for you.  As you read the books in said universe, those thoughts that tingled in the back of your mind can be addressed.  The what if’s, or what happened to Character X when the curtain fell.  That can be a thrilling proposition for a new author who is unsure of himself. It allows you to get your feet wet in the writing process, with some of the guesswork taken out.  Another benefit, especially for a new author, is writing in a shared world generally comes with a built-in audience. In this the universe creator benefits as well, by having you potentially attract new readers to his will or world.

 sleeping-legion-series-books

Now that we’ve covered the topic in broad strokes, let me drill down to show you how my Sleeping Legion series came to be. I was reading Tim’s book Renegade Legion and ideas kept flopping around in the back of my mind.  What about the Marines still in Beta City?  And maybe they could fix those training hulks floating around in space?  I wrote it all down on a list, and messaged it to Tim.  I asked him to write those stories too!  Wow, sort of arrogant fanboy, no?  At that point in time I was working on his Wiki so we were in contact with one another anyway.  Around this time period (2014) I had already started working on my own New Carthage Republic idea.  I mailed Tim’s publishing house the first chapter and summary, seeking representation.  We already had a working relationship, so why not?  He said no, told me it was a good idea but that he wasn’t open for business anymore.  Instead, he was focusing on his own writing and didn’t have time to run a publishing house anymore.

 

I kept writing, bummed, but still writing.  A week later he contacted me with a counter proposal.  Write in his world on those ideas of mine!  It wasn’t a done deal, but he was prepared to be convinced if I sent him a proposal.  I sent him the proposal for the novella’s we talked about.  He approved and a contract was signed!!!  I even wore a wig, in honor of his British sensibilities.  Somehow those novellas became novels, but that is the origin of the Sleeping Legion Series.

 

In the coming weeks I’ll elaborate more on the world building, from maps to tech and everything in between, so stay tuned!

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

 

–> As usual, all images came from the Google’s “labeled for reuse” section.

Introducing the Human Legion Universe

On By J.R. HandleyIn Human Legion Series, Marine Monday, Sleeping Legion Series, Writing10 Comments

sleepinglegion_logo_nov2016_02_blackbg

Hello Space Cadets, today is my inaugural Marine Monday where I slowly introduce you to the world in which I’ll be writing in.  I stole the concept from Corey over at QuintessentialEditor, who does is weekly Wasteland Wednesday where he sells up his post-apocalyptic world!  Grab some popcorn with him, cause you’ll love the show!  Now, back to your newly scheduled program! 

 Capture.PNG

 

In honor of my first Marine Monday, I wanted to introduce you to my favorite world!  I was such a fan that I was invited to write in it!  If you’ve read any of my posts, you’ll know that I’ve mentioned that my first set of novels will be written in the Human Legion Universe.  This is a series of novels written by author Tim C. Taylor centering around the lives of post-Earth humans. Their ancestors were given away as children, in return for protection from outside alien incursions. By giving up a million 5-year old humans, whose descendants would be trained into the fighting arm of their new overlords, Earth would become a White Knight client state.  This relationship made Earth off limits to other species in the Trans-Species Union.  If you are looking to understand these excellent works, I’d summarize them as Starship Troopers meets Soldiers, the 1998 cult classic starring Kurt Russell.  The characters are raised/brainwashed from young kids to be nothing but killers, super soldiers, members of the Human Marine Corps.  This book ranges from small-scale rebellion through to epic space battles… from teenage infatuation to the tragedy of doomed love… and everywhere with dark conspiracies that threaten the existence of humanity, the Human Legion’s fight for freedom has been a hit with science fiction readers worldwide. In its first year, the series earned hundreds of five-star reviews, sold 70,000 copies, and hit the #1 bestseller spots for military science fiction and space opera in the US and elsewhere.  Since then the fandom has only grown! Find out more on Tim’s site and give it a go.  I highly recommend it!

 

Don’t believe me, try it out!  If this sounds interesting, and it should because it is awesome, then go get a copy for yourself!  You won’t regret it!

 

Until next time, stay frosty and don’t forget to keep your powder dry!

brown_bess

JR

PS: Tim has a short story available for free right now!  Check out The Meandering Mayhem of Thogron Throatbiter and enjoy an awesome ride!

The Meandering Mayhem of Thogron Throatbiter (a short story) by [Taylor, Tim C.]

–> The first image is the wholly owned work of Tim C. Taylor and any use of said image must be with permission.  He’s a reasonable chap, ask and he might work with ya!!  😉

–> The second image was a screen capture from Tim’s Human Legion webpage, used with his permission.

–> The last image is from Google’s “labeled for re-use” section of the Creative Commons.