End of May

Is it really close to the middle of the calendar year? Is the end of another financial year almost upon us? Gah! How scary! Are the years speeding up? I need a longer day and a longer year!

All the same, we’ve had some really nice weather. At this time in May, the weather usually turns lovely and warm during the day and we’ve had that this week. Sooner or later, though, it’ll blow full-on winter.

I haven’t done much except working on editing and finishing off a couple of stories that are now on backburner. More on those later.

Updates

Just to let you know – I know I’ve been going on about that competition. Well, it doesn’t close until September. So bear with me and more updates as it gets closer. (Wow, it’s not that far away!)

Clans in Conflict

For those who don’t know much about it, this is a series about a clan that is lost travelling through dimensions due to a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong and about the city-state Part 2 concludes in.

Dark Dimensions Part 1 and 2 is recounting that journey to Torkandisch. Dark Reign is the next book in the series and covers the next 12 months in the city-state.

The Dark Road is back with the beta readers. This story takes place about 16 years later. Lots in Torkandish has changed and there is lots of intrigue and heartache throughout this book. Some funny instances, too.

But Dark Beginnings will take us back to where it all started in Tordun, covering Vlad’s rise to power and, perhaps, that fateful experiment, along with the first 15 years of dimension-hopping. Dark Beginnings is still on the backburner. I have started this and I will return to it.

So, that’s what’s in store for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in this world.

There are also going to be other stories, along with a special edition of Dark Dimensions where the two parts are combined. That will be in the future.

Speaking of other stories, Deadly Convergence is centred on Torkandisch 5 years before the Clan lands in the city-state and follows a crime that twists into something else. This is available only on Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited.

I have had the first peeks at the cover of Explosive Reality, so I can’t wait for that to be finished and it to go online! This story runs in line with Dark Reign and follows the reporter, Ryan Locke through some adventures he experiences. Watch out for that one coming hopefully in a few weeks! (Sorry, cover artist – no rush!)

Consequences

This series follows the rise of Marek from a mastermind thief to the saviour of a nation.

Heart of Deception is now available through Amazon. It has been donated to the Midland Library, so it is available to lend out.

Legacy of Risks will follow in the next few months, once cover art is finalised for it. The reason why it will take a few months is because I’m applying The Emotion Thesaurus options to it. And, yes, I am still working on it. I want to be absolutely certain it is finished before it’s published.

I have been heavily editing Legacy of Risks. As with Heart of Deception, I made some major alterations to Legacy of Risks, so I’m making sure those changes feel right. I am still going to be applying the Emotion Thesaurus to the manuscript before a final look through and then sending it to the editor. Watch this space!

Dangerous Heart will then go to beta readers.

Watch this space.

There will be some short stories come out and, possibly, a fourth book that covers events much later after Dangerous Heart. Definitely a “watch this space” moment.

Other Universes

Strefinobhan

With Heart of Deception released and my work on the Otherworldly Emergence series coming to a conclusion, I should be able to get back into editing the first book of this series and sending it to beta readers. I am still unable to say when this will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later. This is still on the backburner, I’m afraid to say.

Paranormal

Again, this will have to wait until work on the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed. One of my paranormal pieces, however, is in the Emergence series, so stay tuned for updates there.

The Gifted

The Gifted is a universe where some people have an extra gene than others. When this gene is activated, usually around the age of fifteen, it unlocks a Gift. Gifts can be specialised, as in one ability, or they might be blended. It just depends on that Gift. I have a few characters in this universe and I have been writing furiously about them. Once Hidden Heritage goes to the editor, I will start to edit the first of these new stories with the hopes that it comes out later this year. It will be after the Otherworldly Emergence series is completed, however.

On an update to the Gifted Universe, I have been writing other stories to support Not your Normal Heroes. These explore the Gifts a lot more and possible consequences of some of those Gifts. Yes, there is a really exciting yet dangerous Gifted being worked on at the moment.

One of those stories is about the detective in Not Your Normal Heroes and a journey of self-discovery that he goes on. Two others are about another Gifted detective. Now, those were pretty full-on, so I’m having a rest from the Gifted Universe.

Bushland Castle Productions

Not your Normal Heroes is currently with Bushland Castle Production’s editors. The second story, now titled Hidden Heritage, is currently with my editor and then will be going to Bushland Castle Productions editors.

Pitches for this novella series has now closed and we are working hard on our manuscripts to bring them to you in a timely manner.

All of the information regarding the novella series is at the website:

https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owe

The upshot of being involved in the Otherworldly Emergence is that it has opened up a whole new universe for me which has been expanding exponentially. The possibilities in that world are almost limitless and I have to admit to being distracted by writing in that universe. I have called this universe the Gifted universe.

Having admitted that, I will say that I have completed a story that links both my stories in the Emergence series and starts a whole new series in itself. It’s very, very exciting and a lot of questions raised by the second story are being answered in follow up novels.

Updates

Otherworldly Emergence

It’s getting very close! We’re sharing more online and we’re all proud to announce our novellas. These are works that are close to our hearts and I know that I can’t wait for them to be released.

Launch dates

We have launch dates for each novella and for the series as a whole.

This is the link for the series: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/otherworldly-emergence-series-launch

There is a door prize and a lot of games and Q&As as well as conversations! We’re happy to talk about our books at the launch of the series!

For each individual book, we have a separate day and those are below:

Not Your Normal Heroes

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/not-your-normal-heroes-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available. See details at the link.

Hidden Heritage

Here’s the link for the novella launch : www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/event-details/hidden-heritage-launch

There is a door prize, an epub and an autographed book available for this one as well. See details at the link.

The covers are about to be revealed. On the BCP Creative Facebook page, information about the authors has been shared, so feel free to use the BCP Creative link below to read up on the authors and subscribe or like the page for more updates!

BCP is planning its next series, which will build on the Otherworldly Emergence but this time will be Otherworldly Origins. Stay tuned for further information regarding that (along with a link).

Coming Soon through BCP Creative

The world we know is about to change forever. Hidden for centuries—or even millennia—otherworldly creatures such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, gnomes, and more finally step into the light. Whether by choice, accident, or necessity, their existence can no longer be denied. Otherworldly Emergence explores the emotional, societal, and fantastical consequences of this revelation.

Each novella will tell a unique story set during this critical period of emergence, offering readers different perspectives and settings while connecting to the shared theme.

BCP have created a blog where the Timeless Paladin answers questions presented to him. Read the answers here: https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/post/consulting-through-time-q-a

While you’re on the website, you will find information about their nonfiction series Australia: Living in the 70s. If you have a life story about living in the 70s in Australia, check the website for more details on that series. I know if I were to submit, it would all be about CountDown, Sandman vans and learning about Unionism through school (and other things, of course).

Also check out their podcast – Finding Elara. Learn about Mindfulness from other creatives – not just writers, but other creative persons, as well as worldbuilding and other information. Season 3 has started, so check out BCP’s website for further information.

At the end of each segment, there’s a prize drawn. Go in to win books and other goodies!

Finding Elara is in season break at the moment and coming back soon with Season 3. In the meantime, there are mini episodes with interviews with local writers at a convention in Bunbury last year.

Bushland Castle Productions have also created two brand new competitions – the Catalyst Scroll and the Heritage Scroll.

You can find all the details on how to enter these at the website:  www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/competitions

I am toying with the idea of entering the Heritage Scroll, but I’m not sure yet. Still have to work on it.

Otherworldly Origins

Also, keep your eye open on another speculative fiction novella series coming out from BCP. It’s about the first one of any creature. You’ll find more details on their website: www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo

Grow Write

Once every fortnight, Grow Write meets at the Midland Library in Midland, Perth, Western Australia. Our very first anthology has been published and is available on Amazon to purchase. It is also available through Midland Library

We are all excited to share this anthology with everyone.

I have suggested to the group that we produce an anthology every second year rather than every year.

Worldbuilding

So, this is something that is organic for me. I often don’t realise I’m worldbuilding until after the story. That’s how most of mine goes.

I don’t do maps – unless there’s something within the story which needs something laid out. When I was writing Dark Reign, I actually mapped out the city of Torkandisch on graph paper – only because that was the only way I could understand what my characters were doing. I needed to understand the various small villages, such as Barriscade, outside the city, so I needed to pinpoint where they were.

The other map I created was Albermarle. Once I’d worked out where I wanted it, a very kind friend put together a map for me. I stared at that map for ages because it put the country into focus for me.

But worldbuilding isn’t just about maps. It’s about a society, science, a religion – if the story calls for it – a magic or power system, technology and what level of civilisation the story sits on.

In the Gifted universe, I found I had to make note of all the characters and their powers so that I didn’t get them mixed up. And I will admit, the Gifted universe is the most complex universe I have currently going. Yes, it’s based on our world, but there are a lot of aspects that aren’t this world. (Not giving too much away here.)

I know a lot of authors spend time mapping their world and building its nuances. One of the most famous is J R R Tolkein.

And while that’s true, I don’t work that way. I have a style sheet that started as just somewhere to put spellings. This has now grown into other data that I use and that data is what builds my world for me. I’m not talking how the landmasses look, or the rivers or oceans. I’m talking about how the world works. How the people move and grow and how the animals and other life forces interact with the people. And the people aren’t necessarily humans. I look on the “people” as the major creature in the story. There are many in my worlds that aren’t human, but I refer to them as “people”.

Because that’s how people see themselves, whether they’re humans or not. But I’m not talking about that.

Worldbuilding includes the governance of the world, its education system and its commerce as well as any industry – which includes agriculture – after all, we all know about Pern.

So all of these aspects must run together and if your world grows organically like mine does, then an author needs to note down those aspects so that they can be referred to later. (Yes, I’ll be doing that with my work in the future.)

An organic world build can take a long time, but so can a non-organic build. When I wrote Dark Dimensions, I assumed that the fangs of my vampires were the same as all the other vampires in every other universe that others have written. But then I thought about it. What if those fangs weren’t just the tools for accessing the artery? What if they were the instrument of absorption of the blood? So I researched what type of fangs could be suitable and then, with poetic licence, modified them. And it works.

So, whatever worldbuilding you do, whether it’s planned or organic, just make sure the detail is available, whether it’s in the book or in complementary works. Because we have to remember that readers sometimes like that, as well as the information being handy to refer to and create complementary works with.