Tending the Flamella Tree

(This post is part of the A Shadow in Doubt, ten years later, read along...)

Here we are, on to Chapter 25 - Confrontation - already.... So much has happened since the last post, I don't know where to start!

Midnight Rambling: Hopping Too Far

(This post is part of The Shadow Watcher, ten years later, read along...)

I can't believe we're already at the final chapter. I'd planned a few more posts along the way, but I used the wrong hopper, and got too far ahead ... which brings me to the subject of the post!

A Rude Awakening and Rough Start to the Day

(This post is part of The Shadow Watcher, ten years later, read along...)

Talk about a wake up call! It goes to show, even if you're expecting someone, you should check to see who's on the other side of the door before you open it. Right?

Midnight Rambling: A Bedtime Story

(This post is part of The Shadow Watcher, ten years later, read along...)

By the fourth day Sam's head was probably spinning out of control. Wouldn't yours? To go from this feeling of being watched for so long, to meeting your Watcher, to being attacked in just over 48 hours?

Midnight Rambling: What Was She Thinking???

(This post is part of The Shadow Watcher, ten years later, read along...)

On this night, ten years ago, Sam was safely tucked away at home with Artemis for the evening, after meeting her Shadow Watcher face to face for the very first time. But, what on Earth was she thinking, stopping like that, in the first place?

Ten years ago, right about now....

(This post is part of The Shadow Watcher, ten years later, read along...)

In real life, ten years ago, I was a busy mom of a fifteen month old, a restaurant manager, and scribbling away what words I could between diaper changes, feedings and shifts at work. The first story sparks for the Society in the Shadow of Civilization wouldn't come to me for a few more years. But is the tenth anniversary of where that story begins. Or, Sam's telling of it, anyway.

Ten years ago, right around this time, Samantha Marquet would be finishing up writing an assignment from one of her clients before heading out to run some errands. It wasn't a great day, getting a rejection email from a magazine first thing in the morning and dealing with a rude client later, she was in a pretty bad mood. Until her visit with Mr. Zhou at the bookstore. From there, it just got weird....

And, it will only get weirder in the days and weeks that follow! If you don't have your copy of The Shadow Watcher yet, get it free now, and join me in retracing Sam's journey, ten years later!

Amazon (US, UK, AU & CA) Kindle edition*
Barnes&Noble.com Nook edition
iTunes iBooks edition
Kobo
Smashwords all ebook formats

Check back later tonight for a Midnight Rambling on what was Sam thinking!?!?!?

As always, thanks for stopping by! Hope you're having a beautiful day, night, or sometime in the between....

Roari

Before Sam Met The Shadow Watcher....

(This post is part of The Shadow Watcher, ten years later, read along...)

Monday marks ten years since the day Sam and her Shadow Watcher first met. For those who wish to join me, I'll be re-reading chapters from The Shadow Watcher and A Shadow in Doubt on their corresponding tenth anniversaries, and posting along the way. 

To set the mood, I'm sharing the original Prologue from The Shadow Watcher, since it's since been taken out. It's some of Sam's backstory, and I wound up working most of it in to the first chapters instead. Still, it gives a hint of what her mindset was, before everything changes....   

Behind the Society: The Characters Less Mentioned

For Part Three of my little Escape Day Celebration, I'm sharing a little more about the Characters we meet in Fore Shadows: Escape 2169....

A Glimpse into 2169

In honor of Escape Day, today I'm sharing some insight into the Future Dr. Samuel Marks and his fellow travelers left behind. The events we've seen happening in the world today, and over the last fifteen years (probably even longer, really) are the foundation for the Future as I've imagined in the Society in the Shadow of Civilization stories. I see it as neither dystopian or utopian, maybe because it's a future not too far away. Though, in a way. it's on the verge of becoming either in 2169.

Countdown to Escape Day - only 153 years to go!

Yes, you read that right. August 5th, 2169 is Escape Day - celebrated today by the Society, and in the future by Samuel's post-escape supporters, as the day the founders of the Society in the Shadow of Civilization fled to the past, to escape the U.C.E. In honor of Samuel, Pose, Voorhia, Vega, Eleanor, Tollack, and Marcus, I'll be sharing some tidbits throughout the day about the Future as they left it, and the inspirations behind it.

But first, a little more about Escape 2169 itself.

The Novica Christmas Parade

The Christmas Parade was last night, and I missed it! It's not always easy to get down there for these things, especially when I make so many other trips down for family events during the holidays. Hopefully we'll make it next year.

Novica is based on my hometown. It's not an exact replica, though one commonality is the annual Christmas Parade, traditionally held the first Saturday of December. And, because Sam loves her hometown as much I do, and the timing was right, the parade made its way into A Shadow in Doubt. Since I missed out on the festivities this year, I decided I'd share Sam's version of the '06 parade with you....  

Character Spotlight: Adjatay - Keeper of the Tree

(Spoilers, maybe? Be warned....)

Sam first meets Adjatay in The Shadow Watcher, and visits him again in A Shadow in Doubt. Though Adja's appearances are brief, he is a key figure as the keeper of the Flamella tree.

According to www.babynamespedia.com, the name Adjatay is of Cameroon/African origin, meaning prince". It was meant to be; in my head, Michael called him Adja, before I even started looking for names. 

Adja was taken in by the Society in the Shadow of Civilization in the mid-eighteenth century, and in recognizing the purity of his soul, he became a sort of spiritual center for Samuel, and later Sam. It takes a special kind of person to live alone in the jungle for more than a century, without going bananas.

Happy Escape Day!

August 5th, 2169 is when is all began ... The night two strangers appeared on the moon, and told Dr. Samuel Marks what he already knew, he and accomplices must flee the Colony before the govenment discovers his project - the Flamella tree. But, there's only one way to keep it from the U.C.E.; they must Escape 2169....

Fore Shadows is a Society in the Shadow of Civilization short story - both prequel and sequel to The Shadow Watcher. It's available free from:
Amazon (US & UK) http://bit.ly/10yV0XL     
Smashwords http://bit.ly/Smash2169
iTunes http://bit.ly/iTunes2169 

B &N http://bit.ly/Nook2169 

Sam's timeline is getting seriously twisted.

Society in the Shadow of Civilization
Book Two

Sam Marquet's journey continues with unexpected twists, as she struggles to find the balance between her new role in the world her grandfather created and her place in the real one.... 

I'd rather get some action in the first chapter...

That's not what I meant! But, now that I have your attention....

New Year's Wishes, ASID Updates and Roari's Resolution(s)

With 2015 just over two hours away here in California, I'm not so much reflecting on this year past as I am looking forward to the one ahead.... For you, dear Reader, I hope for a year full of joy, and many pages of adventures.

My contribution to the amount of aforementioned pages available for your imagination to dwell within was not as plentiful as I'd hoped in 2014, but with A Shadow in Doubt nearly ready, and my untitled-as-of-yet NaNo novel waiting, 2015 looks more promising.

Originally, A Shadow in Doubt, Book Two of Society in the Shadow of Civilization, was to be released this fall - I almost did it, but something wasn't sitting right with me. Then, I had the ah-ha moment, and, well, made a lot of work for myself revising things. Basically, everything is the same, but rearranged, if that makes sense. It doesn't, I know. Sometimes I wish I could time-travel, it would make things easier.

So, when, pray tell, will it be released? That's complicated too....

Why? Because I've decided to try something different this time. If you know what Wattpad is, you're lightyears ahead of me - but I'm there now too. Since I pulled back on ASID, I decided I'm going to release it on Wattpad and Writing.com, chapter by chapter, as I revise, and then release the ebook in February. But, it's New Year's Eve, so I'll post more about that later this week....

Twelve Days - Jayden's account of her time alone with the Society - is also coming to Wattpad and Writing.com in January. (No, I didn't forget about it!)

Lastly, I have two writer resolutions this year. The first one is easy - no more release dates until the release date is absolutely final, promise. The second one kind of scares me - I signed up for Twitter months ago, but have yet to tweet, LOL! So I resolve to figure it out this year, and use it!

Thank you, dearest Reader, for chasing after my dreams with me ... I hope each day of your 2015 is beautiful!

Roari

December Roses, Wrapping and Unwrapping Gifts with Friends, the Return of the Rain and Release Day Delay

It's December thirteenth, there are still roses blooming in my garden, and A Shadow in Doubt isn't ready to be published....

Wait, what?- you say? Oh, you caught that last part. Did you see how I tried to soften you up with a flower?  I know, this puts me on the naughty list, but I'm used to it.

I won't bore you with the details as to why A Shadow in Doubt isn't ready yet, because if I tried to explain it, you'd probably be more confused than I am right now. It's complicated, but I hope you, Dear Reader, will understand. Trust me when I say you'll be glad for the delay ... it's worth it.

Okay, now the hard part's over, and if you're still reading, hopefully you've forgiven me! I will say two factors in the push back were/are NaNoWriMo and "the holidays". It was pure insanity to think I would get it there in that time frame. I'll announce the new release date on New Year's Eve - hopefully it will be late January.  But let's move on for now....

Simba

Mufasa

Wrapping presents is more fun with friends, don't you agree? My little lions, aka Simba and Mufasa, were tiny balls of fluff last year, and hid under the bed while I was wrapping. Now, they're Mommy's little distractors helpers. Aren't they sweet?

The holiday frenzy is finally in full swing at my house, a little late, but better than never. The tree still needs lights so we can hang the ornaments, then maybe I'll share a pic of that ;)





The Beasties unwrapped their Christmas present early this year (actually, unrolled it in this case) and they think they've gone to heaven. Instead of going to crazy midnight sales on Black Friday, I slept in, and spent the afternoon running back and forth to Home Depot, picking up sod. Then, while I worked away on finishing my NaNo novel, the love of my life installed it while our darling children supervised from the trampoline.

As you can see, Thor and Athena are delighted.

The the next day we had the most rain we've had in years, yesterday we had even more, and, according to the last reports I saw, we should have one or two more storms next week. I hope so, because the Beasties are already getting spoiled by having a plush carpet outside, and our parched state definitely needs it!

And I think that wraps it up for today! I hope your day is a beautiful one....

Roari

A Letter to My Muse

Photo: Kathy VanDeventer All-free-download.com

I am listening, waiting, for you to whisper in my ear. Sing to me your song, of wordless meaning  that creates life with paper and pen. Speak to me, evasive spirit! I anticipate our next encounter, that I might find answers for questions left on the last page we wrote together. I am selfish, demanding You devote your time to me. You are timeless though, and so much of mine is devoted to other mundane daily rituals. Tell me, what can I do? I begin these tasks at your beckon, And you leave me at your whim, How do I finish... (See what I mean?) I wrote that one awhile ago, but it seemed appropriate for today.  Tonight, and hopefully over the weekend, I'll be working on the Fore Shadows, and the first of the stories supporting Isiterra - my next series.  (It will be posted by next Friday.)  Maybe there will be another post here in there somewhere.  Until then, back to my other mundane daily rituals :) I hope you're having a beautiful day! Roari

New story - sneak peek!

It's been a quiet week.  Wasn't feeling too well over the weekend, and it carried over into Wednesday.  I think I feel human again.  

I haven't been entirely unproductive, though.  No, I've been busy.  Well, my delirious little mind has been.  What has my delirious little mind been up to, you ask?  Why, of course, I'd love to share!

Obviously, I knew sending The Shadow Watcher out there all by its little lonesome wasn't going to amount to a massive flow of sales.  I knew this before I wrote it.  Not because I don't believe one day it will, it's just all by itself right now, and needs some company.  Takes me awhile to get a novel right though.  

Oh, but wait!  Remember those side notes I talked about before?  

Yes, well, here's the latest.  Or part of it, anyway.  These short stories I plan on putting out for .99¢, or some for free, to help get more content out there faster.  A Shadow in Doubt is still planned for fall, but Fore Shadowing: Shadows on the Moon will be sooner, I think.  For now, please enjoy this entirely unedited excerpt :)  

08/05/2169 - Moon Colony - Gamma Structure

Paranoia is a mild state, relative to the one in which I lived after we administered the vaccination to the colony. Nearly two weeks have passed since the U.C.E. requested a sample of the compound we used.  I couldn't seem to sleep for more than twenty minutes at a time. At two thirteen a.m., I sat up, feeling someone else was in my room, and saw the shadow pass before the clock.


My heart started pounding. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I saw a man, wearing what appeared to be a cloak and glasses, standing near the window to my right.


To my left, a woman whispered, "Samuel, we need to talk."


I wanted to cry out, my father might hear in his quarters next door. But not likely. 


She spoke again, "We mean you no harm, but they're coming."  This time I could see her.  She was wearing glasses too, with tinted lenses. 


I snapped on my bedside lamp. They were both strangers - I'd never seen either of them on the Moon before. I assumed the worst. "The U.C.E. sent you, didn't they."


He answered, "No. But like she said, they're coming."


"What do you want from me? Who are you?"


"The truth is often not expected." She smiled. Her eyes, still visible through the lenses she wore, were familiar to me, like I'd known them my whole life, but I couldn't place it. "We're here to help you. Telling you who we are doesn't help right now.  You'll understand, in time."


"Samuel, you have to escape now, you and anyone who helped you with the vaccine."


The story the lab gave the U.C.E. was they accidentally administered all of the vaccine, and they had not been able to replicate a new batch. Time was running out for them to send something back to the labs on Earth - probably Sky Geneva, otherwise Sky Milan - for testing. They won't replicate a new batch, because they didn't make it. My friends at the lab, Tollack, Voorhia and Marcus took a great risk in helping me distribute a juice from a fruit-bearing tree I created. They called it a vaccine, and when everyone one the moon was cured, we destroyed the rest.


I couldn't let the U.C.E. have the real thing, because then they would know about my project, my tree. We were not surprised when they designated me to the Time Travel project, as the U.C.E. considers it my sibling, my parents its parents. But my true love was bio-chemistry, and I couldn't stay away.


The quest for eternal youth from within, long linked to the fuel we put into our bodies, lead me down this path. It was an answer to a question, a problem I wanted to solve from the time I was a boy and read of quests to find the Fountain of Youth. I had no idea what I was creating, and had not thought of the implications - or possibilities - it truly meant for the future.


The UCE had, and they labeled their quest the Sovereign project. They believed if they could defy the aging process, they could rule the universe. Once they'd spread out to conquer it. Which they would do when they could live long enough to travel far enough to do it. Crazy, right? My father would say that's why he went with science, and not politics.


The man snapped me back to the present.  "Their representatives will be here in less than twenty-four hours. You have to execute your plan, and get the tree out of here now."


I was dubious. The fact that I had only just discovered the healing properties of the fruit a week before patient zero booked his flight for the Moon, and brought the Antarctic flu to our virus free colony, was only too convenient. I made my father eat it the minute he showed symptoms of the Antarctic flu, but within minutes of biting into the core, his hair thickened and darkened, and the wrinkles in his face began to smooth. I shrieked out loud, startling him because it was not a manly sound, and all I could do was point to a mirror across the room. 


The age-reversing effects of the fruit were not as apparent in a cat as they are in a human, but I realized what happened the instant it happened. My experiment was a success. I could save the colony. But I had to conceal it from the U.C.E., because otherwise they would take it from me, before I could even study it. I filled a sack with the fruit, and ran called my friend, who worked at the lab. He was sick too, but when he drank some of the juice from just the flesh of the fruit, he felt fully recovered. His fever was gone. We headed to the lab, and called two more of his associates. I couldn't enter, without record of my being there, so I stayed outside.


"I still don't know if it's a good idea." I went on the assumption they already knew my plan. 

"Going back that far, it poses too many risks."


The man handed me an envelope, "Which is why you'll need this."


"What is it?"


"Instructions."


"For?"


The woman sighed, "How to make it all work."


"From who?"


They looked at each other, moments passing that seemed like hours. Hours I apparently no longer had to waste. I could tell they were weighing the outcome of what they told me. She shook her head, he answered. "My instructions were to deliver you the coordinates you need to set the time machine for, and other notes attached. I think you'll know who they're from when you read them."


I opened the envelope, the contents of which consisted of several aged leaves of paper, scratched and scrawled upon in a hand I knew - unmistakably - was my own. 



And, the rest is coming soon to an e-reader (hopefully) in your hands!  

I hope you're having a beautiful day!
Roari 

I'd rather be in my own little world....

I've been accused of spending more time in one of my own little worlds than the real one.  It's probably true, but not just of being in the worlds of my own creation, I get lost in those of countless other authors and artists as well.  It's an escape from the ugly reality we see on the news, or may even encounter first-hand, every day.

Photo by Alishba Farooqui at Stockvault.net

I can escape into a piece of art, such as the photo above, as easily as a book.  Now that I think about it, various pieces have been inspiration for several of my stories.  Now this, I just saw today, but it could be the flower fields in the valley of Naharran on Isiterra, though there would have to be five moons in the sky.  Really, it's more of a scene out of The Land of All But Forgotten Things.  See the glow of the fairies, waking up in the flowers?  Places like this are what I've dreamed of seeing for as long as I can remember.  Since I can't draw them, I write about them.

The Shadow Watcher is different from from my earlier novel attempts, the landscape looks like your typical Southern California neighborhood.  (If you've seen Roswell, you've seen Novica.)  It's my first novel set in the "real world," and I was intentionally setting out to write something different.  It resulted in my first published novel as well - who knew?

As much as I'm enjoying the endless possibilities here on Earth, I want to hurry up and be done with A Shadow in Doubt already!  Isiterra is calling to me - that world is truly my own, and I've been away too long....

I hope you're having a beautiful day in your corner of the world - or can at least escape to one you prefer!
Roari