Yes, August is here and the days have turned warm but the nights and mornings are still chilly. There are definite signs spring is on its way, especially with the Avon Descent due next weekend.
Apart from gearing up for the launch later this month, there’s not a lot of general updates here, so I’ll get started with the other updates.
Updates
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.
Explosive Reality is live! It’s available through Kindle Unlimited at this link: www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0H8L2XC7W
This is a story about Ryan Locke. It is set during the first half of Dark Reign and is a separate story to that novel. It is about half the size of a novella and I hope everyone enjoys it.
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. (Have I mentioned how much I hate editing?)
I am currently halfway through the editing. So you understand why it’s taking so long, I am pulling apart every scene and editing each scene individually. Then I’ll go through it as in the below paragraph. So, I’ll keep supplying updates as I get further along with the editing.
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!
Update – I have 5 chapters to go! I will go through it once more to tidy things, then it’ll go to the editor.
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.
The Gifted and Exiled Universe
The Gifted and Exiled 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.
The Exiled part is where a group of people, Nina included, have been exiled from another planet. That story is recounted in short by her in Hidden Heritage.
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.
So, in the last 2 weeks I finished my last story on The Gifted for now and everything’s quiet, so I am able to edit other work. When I’ve finished with that one, and then another, I’ll start editing my first Gifted work and going through that.
The Gifted universe has a heavy police presence and the main character for two of the stories I’ve written is a drug squad officer who is also Gifted. His Gift is the most dangerous and his stories are quite traumatic in themselves. But you’ll read about him in his own stories. Stay tuned – they will come out.
Bushland Castle Productions
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.
Covers are now being revealed, so check out BCP Creative on Facebook – or visit BCP‘s website for the reveals!
Launch dates
We have launch dates for each novella and for the series as a whole. Each launch is limited to 100 places, so get your ticket before they’re all gone.
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 have been 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!
Not Your Normal Heroes and Hidden Heritage are both available for preorder and the links are below:
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 (see above).
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.
Otherworldly Origins
Pitching for Otherworldly Origins is open from 6 July for concepts! Book in so you can pitch your story concept for this series. You’ll join a whole collaborative community where you can get help and insights with your writing.
Otherworldly Origins will build on the Otherworldly Emergence concept. Visit the BCP website: http://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/publishing/owo for more information or use the QR code below!
I’ve already booked my pitch meeting and got a sample together for the pitch! I’m looking forward to this series.
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.
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.
We are currently planning the 2027 Anthology.
Mapping
Okay, so I’ve spoken about worldbuilding before and settings, but I don’t know that I’ve confined it to mapping.
What’s the difference you ask? Well, the iteration of this mapping is mapping the physical location of your setting.
So, it’s not mapping out what the civilisation is like or how the inhabitants behave or what they believe in. And it’s not the structure of the science or the magic or the superpowers.
No, this iteration is purely about the mapping of the planet/dimension/island/continent/town or even just the house that your writing is located in. Let’s get stuck into that.
So, you’ve written a story. And in that story, there might be towns or a city or a suburb of a city. Or it may only centre on one building/house.
Each of those places can be mapped. It all depends on what your story is about.
Take an apartment. I’ve mapped out the internals of an apartment (with the help of some architectural stuff from online) because I had a poltergeist harass a couple in their apartment and a ghost hunter pair investigate.
For what I wanted that poltergeist to do, I needed to know the layout of the internals of a 3-bedroom apartment. After getting ideas from online, I set out mapping that apartment out on graph paper. It was the best way I could make everything work ’cause one of the ghost hunters was dragged by the poltergeist out of that apartment and into another one. So, I had to make sure the doors lined up, etc.
I made a mud map of Torkandisch from my head. I needed to be able to situate Ziegli and Barriscade in their positions outside the city. I also had to divide the city up between the members of the Ruling Council, so a map came in handy for that.
In Dangerous Heart, I actually mapped out the royal palace and in Heart of Deception, I made a rough map of Albermarle before a friend took that rough map and turned it into an actual map. (Sooooooooo thankful for that.)
I have screenshots of maps to use in the Strefinobhan universe, but I will consult them when I get back to that universe.
With the Gifted and Exiled Universe, whilst I haven’t needed to map locations, I have been thinking about maps for other areas. I haven’t had the time to take that any further.
But the other iteration of mapping I want to talk about is related to the tools I spoke about in my past blog.
Because I use online maps a lot for places on this planet. I take a screen shot of the area and use it as a base for what I need to make a note of. These maps are a basis for the settings I create.
In one of the latest Gifted and Exiled stories, the MC went from Perth to New Zealand, to Hawa’ii, to Mexico and ended in Montana. I’ve tried to keep as close to physical locations as possible, but some of these I will have to refine as fictional places. I’ll make sure they don’t resemble existing towns too much.
And I do have a time-travel story that – yes, I’ll admit it – does go back to the dinosaur era. I have a lot of research to do to ensure I get the continental positions correct but once I do, I will probably be doing a lot of mapping with regard to that, too. Hmm, I may have to call on an expert for assistance with that.
But that’s in the dim future.
So, that’s basically my mapping strategy. I know a lot of people do intense mapping, but I don’t go with that – unless it’s required. Then I always brainstorm with my team.
So, that’s it for mapping. I’ll talk about something else in my next blog!
J A Duxbury's World 