Monday, August 27, 2012

What lies beyond.

Humans are a strange bunch, we come in all shapes and sizes, and with so many different personalities. There are those who love the safety of hearth and home, while others can't sit still. Some of us just have to see what is over that next hill. If it turns out to be an ocean then we will find a way to cross it. Our ancestors left the known world on the European Continent to explore the New World. When we had the East Coast settled we moved ever westward. Then came a time when we ran out of places to explore so we looked to the skies. Men like Verne, Welles, Heinlein and others stoked our imagination as to what the skies held for us. We watched the TV shows and movies that inspired us to reach higher than before. A few of us were lucky enough to actually "Slip the bounds of Earth" we called them astronauts. They were heroes who did what few could. They ventured into the unknown we call space.  Well we just lost one of them. He was the first human to set foot on the moon. How many children have lain on their backs looking up at the stars and thought "I want to go there?" Neil Armstrong not only went there he took many of my generation there with him. We watched entranced by the images on our TVs. These weren't scripted moments from the mind of some screenwriter, these were the REAL thing. Who can forget the thrill of seeing him take that final step off the ladder and onto the surface of the moon. What new frontiers will future generations face? Will they stop at the foot of the mountain, or the ocean shore? Or will they reach down inside themselves and find the urge to see what lies beyond?  

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Drudge work.

I have been getting feed back from some of the beta readers who have been working on the new book. While the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, along with some very helpful recommendations. It has shown me that there is still some work to be done before publishing it. A couple of those suggestions have planted the seeds of another Shade book possibly. That will come later first I have to get this one out and moving. I have decided on the title for it. Shade on the Run should be up and available by the beginning of October, possibly sooner. For those who haven't read the short story Shade in the collection Rambling I will put it up on Amazon in Kindle format. As part of the marketing strategy I plan on a couple of free promotions on Amazon.

It is funny how people think the hard part is writing the book to begin with. The really hard part is the polishing story afterward. Learning how to rethink that passage that you are in love with, but just doesn't work. How to take criticism and be honest when they are right. Using beta readers has been an eye opening experience and one that I will repeat. I have had editors that have made some really uninformed comments about the subject matter I am writing about, so far I haven't run into that with my readers. Here is the tag line for the short story at least.
In a time when Liberty and Freedom have been lost, there is one man who can help you. His name is Shade.
Here is a look at the cover for the short story.


Let me know what you think.