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Saturday, October 29, 2022

NaNoWriMo 2022: Announcing This Year's Novel!



Whew!! How is it almost November already?

This year has been... not quite like I thought it would be. Starting with battling Covid in January that set me back several months as my physical health recovered quite quickly, but my mental health (namely the psychological wherewithal to write) took a nosedive for several months... and then, just when I was getting to the end of a very stressful school year and looking forward to a summer of really hitting the second draft of Fugitive of Crossway very hard, my brother's health took a turn for the worse, and he passed away near the end of summer.

I've stopped a bunch of projects since then, but The Undersea Saga is here to stay, and here's why: I now see it as a small way to honor my brother's memory. It's on account of him that the piddly little stand-alone novella became a full-fledged series, anyway, and I'd hoped to be able to involve him in the development of Fugitive of Crossway as it unfolded... but although that's not going to happen, I'm still going to finish the thing, for sure!

At this point, honestly, I'm nowhere near where I planned on being at the end of last year. If everything had gone the way I'd hoped, I'd be making my final tweaks on Fugitive of Crossway, already sent it off for professional editing, and into the formatting/ design stage.

In reality... I've got three chapters actually "done", I'm headed into the really tricky part of the story that had the most changes and is definitely the middle part of the book that I'm the most iffy about... but where does that leave me for NaNo?

Why not go ahead and give myself a running start on Book 3?

That's right, folks, this November, I'm taking my first crack at Fury of Outwest, the third book in the Undersea Saga, and I'll admit, I'm excited to be able to return to actually pulling off a retelling, rather than "inspired by", as Fugitive of Crossway is!

So what story am I retelling for this third book?

Well, back when I was devising the series as longer than like two or three books, I knew that I wanted to use the four different "kingdoms" as the settings for the various books, and as such, this one would be Outwest.

This would be the most different of the four kingdoms, as it wouldn't exactly be a kingdom, per se... no kings or castles here! I envisioned Outwest as a combination of the American Wild West and the Australian Outback--just hot, desert-y landscape with scattered towns, villages, and ranches throughout, but mostly empty, barren desert.

And what sort of fairy tales take place in the desert? Why, Aladdin, of course!

This one was a bit tricky, as I'd already decided I wanted to write a "steampunk Aladdin", and I'd been jotting down plot ideas for that... but when it came to creating an "Undersea Saga" version of it, I came to the realization that there needed to be a lot more to the story than the "traditional" sense--a street rat comes across a magical item that gives him access to riches beyond reason... but then what?

In particular, I decided to gender-swap the main character. "Aladdin" became "Delaina", an outlaw who survived by raiding stagecoaches that dared cross the desert wasteland. Instead of a lamp with a genie inside... there's going to be a special "magical" device found by our intrepid protagonist, one that provides her with access to riches beyond belief. (I'm not going to go into any detail about the device, because spoilers!) I had already decided on an object back when this was "Steampunk Aladdin", but everything I'd thought of was only confirmed when I saw this premade and knew I had to have it!


I love the look of the device in her hand! I am still deciding whether to give her a prosthetic limb, so that may change by the time the cover design comes around, but there you have it!

Instead of the street rat going through all this charade to win the eye and heart of the princess of the realm... Well, that part I'm going to keep to myself for now, but here's hoping that readers will find my alternative worthwhile still! Suffice to say, I don't think this one will have much romance in it--at least, not where it is just now. I don't know, a character could crop up and catch Delaina's eye as I'm writing the thing. I only have the bare-bones notes at this point. After posting this announcement, that is next on the "writing docket", fleshing out chapter-by-chapter the notes I have. If I see fit to include a romantic subplot, I just might, but for now, it seems that Princess of Undersea is the only book with romance in it, in the series.

Wouldn't that be fitting, though? Making Ylaine and Nathan my only romantic couple in the series? I don't know. I'm still thinking on that one.

Meanwhile, there will be gunfights, subterfuge, and all manner of fun things--including, by way of connection to the rest of the series, an appearance by none other than "Calamity Jacqui" from Fugitive of Crossway. Due to the events of that book, she's no longer a performing carnie... but her role in Fury of Outwest is more that of a bounty hunter. She's been dispatched to track down and "retrieve" the thing that Delaina has... but can the outlaw last long enough to find out the truth?

Hang on to your bowler hats, everyone... this is going to be a wild ride!

Saturday, October 8, 2022

Reader's Review: "Diamond Stained" by JMD Reid


Synopsis from Amazon: 

Burdened by regrets, a disgraced guard turns to a magical blade he is reluctant to wield.

Life had gone wrong for Obhin. Once a respected palace guard, now he sells his sword as a bandit. Trapped by his missteps, he little reason for hope...

Until one young woman sees more in him.

Passionate and headstrong, Avena has no patience for bullies. Haunted by her own bleak past, the healer sees in Obhin a chance for escape...a chance for them both.

This misfit pairing must learn to trust each other as they struggle to survive in a city of poverty and vice, for dark sorcerers, underworld crime bosses, and brutal bandits scheme to destroy them.

Can they polish clean their stained souls?

>>>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

I've been getting more and more into the grimdark genre, in spite of how squeamish I usually am. Take any movie with above-average violence (for example, if they show the wound actually happen, or the limb actually breaking...) and I'll usually hide my face behind a pillow or turn away from the screen when I know a particularly visceral visual is coming. It's less striking in novels, as I can just "jump" my eyes right over the paragraph detailing the exact moment of injury... but still, when I have to do that in every other scene, it begs the question: am I actually reading the novel, or just skimming it, and where is the enjoyment in that?

The one thing I have noticed, though, in the really good novels-with-a-surplus-of-violence, is that the ones I will continue reading have really great prose! That's what keeps me coming back, more often than not, is the fantastic character arcs, and the meaningful, thought-provoking prose that happens between fight scenes. Those are the parts I slow down and relish; that's what I keep in my mind every time I think of those books.

Guess what? JMD Reid is one of those "good authors" I mentioned a bit ago.

This may be less "grimdark" and more "sword and sorcery with extra violence", but there is quite a bit that I absolutely loved about this book, to counter those things that came across as too intense for me! 

First, can I just rave about the magic/religious system that he's invented for this world, one based on gemstones that grant different abilities based on the type of gemstone--that's the magic part. The society views these gemstones as gifts from their deity, and the colors of each gemstone are associated with a specific virtue--and there's a whole set of religious beliefs based around that. The adherents seek to build their lives around pursuing these "color" virtues, while shunning the Black: all that is wicked and evil and colorless.

But that's just one dimension of it. Another group takes these "colors" and interprets them as "tones": the virtuous Tones exist in harmony with one another, and the Black represents dissonance and disharmony. Both belief systems stem from the desire to emulate these virtues, as a sign of their commitment to their respective deity, the highest standard of morality.

And that's just one facet of what makes this story fascinating! Another is the characters Reid has crafted: Obhin, the dark bandit with his unorthodox views on modesty and his strange personal moral code that permits him to kill and run with gruff and uncouth mercenaries... and yet wracks him with guilt the whole time he's doing it. Avena, with her deep personal trauma that colors her every step and haunts her every moment, that drives her to recklessness and danger... yet it's also that trauma that gives her such keen insight into the nature of wounds and a drive to alleviate even the hurts that the healing topaz won't reach. Normally, the two wouldn't have anything to do with each other, but their fates converge and Obhin switches from attacker to protector, as dark forces conspire to wreak havoc among the people and twist the benefits of these gemstones to amass power for themselves and accomplish their nefarious goals.

Diamond Stained is a brilliant adventure with top-notch storytelling, plot twists that will make you hold your breath, characters that make you laugh and send shivers down your spine at the sight of their name, and all-around a magnificent tale set in a spellbinding world full of richness and depth, the way a fantasy novel should be! I give it *****5 STARS***** in rating--if you're looking for a new world to immerse yourself into, and you don't mind a hefty side of graphic violence in between paragraphs of singing prose, then may I say, Welcome to Kash! The Jewels of Illumination series awaits!

Further Reading: (Sword and Sorcery/Excellent World-Building/Strong Characters)
The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard
        -Someday I'll Be Redeemed 
        -I Still Have A Soul 
        -I'm Still Alive 
        -Do You Trust Me? 
        -You Left Me No Choice 
        -They Must Be Stopped 
        -Find Me If You Can 
A Tune Of Demons Series--J. E. Mueller
       -Fire's Song 
       -Spirit's Lullaby
The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan
       -Bounty 
       -Blood Ties 
       -Behind the Badge 
       -Behind The Mask 
The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
       -Gutshot (Novellette) 
       -The Alcatraz Coup (Novella) 
       -Vulnerable (Short Story) 
       -Jacq of Spades 
       -Queen of Diamonds 
       -Ace of Clubs