Statuses

New Short Story Run from “Deep Time”

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Having completed the rewrite and the re-run of the first act of my first book, Dissonant Tides, I thought it might be time for some different content. I will be running (starting today) a story from my science fiction universe created with Matt Wellman, Deep Time.  This story, which will be integrated into the first full novel of this universe, details how the Macbeth Clan comes to have the person of Moses on board the fleet-ship and also gives a large amount of background information as to how the fleet-ship functions and how the universe operates within the confines of relativity. I hope you will enjoy this scifi story!

Renovations!

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My house is being renovated (again) today and tomorrow, which, since one of those rooms is my office/studio, limits my ability to compose and edit new updates or, especially, create more YouTube guitar content. What I thought might do instead is take a slight break from The Bright Children and other projects and put up a previously unpublished story from the Deep Time universe: Twins Across Two Times, a short story dealing with the reunion of Anders and Claribel, one of whom has aged profoundly due to the effects of relativity on high-speed space travel. Enjoy!

Muramasa Updates

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So this week I did a rather large update of Muramasa: Blood Drinker, going through all of the back postings on this site and updating formatting, html code, and graphics integration. All of the pages should now conform to the standard CSS and html tags used on DVS Press. I did this mostly because I want people to be able to read the book here, with all the advantages of the new site, with its better navigation and scripting capabilities (which has resulted in footnotes that actually work!) , rather than have to go back to The Tears of Prometheus to go through it.

When doing this it should be noted that the now current version of Muramasa on DVS Press has had its text derived from the original working file. This means that the version found here is effectively beta 2, having lots of little fixes that are different from the original run, yet containing no large revisions. Enjoy!

Muramasa: Blood Drinker table of contents

News: New Project!

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It seems that the  re-writing Moonsong has become a rather monolithic project. The complicated task of re-defining characters, plot points, and settings, all while carrying through changes to later (and better initially written) parts of the story has been one that is not only draining on my time, but also on my spirit. It’s hard to write when you aren’t excited to do so, even if the end product is quite polished, and I am ultimately far more excited to work on new projects in the queue than I am to spend my energies correcting mistakes that boil down to inexperience. Part of the difference is to blame for the last gap of updates, but adding to it is the considerable amount of effort required due to the nature of the Moonsong project itself. Pages upon pages of intricate notes and long story lines do not lend themselves well to a busy schedule that requires me to write in short bursts, and though I have had time to pour through such things lately, my schedule is likely to be impacted in the near future.

It is for these reasons that I am putting the current publication of Moonsong on hold for the time being, and instead choosing to focus on a brand new project. This new project is something I hinted at back at the first launch of the site called “The Bright Children.” I had initially put off the writing of it in service to other projects that I owed my attentions, and desiring to further hone my skills, but I think with the completion of Prophet of the God Seed, my mind is ready for some more extreme fantasy. My heart is also excited to work on something new and different, which will be critical in the months to come. I need to be very excited about a  project to pull out my laptop at lunch or between other obligations and throw in a few hundred words in a short amount of time. I need my mind to dwell on the elements of character, setting, and story. This is such a story, whereas a re-write of an older work is not.

So, in moving forward with 2015, I am introducing the latest novel-length  story to my canon:

The Bright Children

Set in a world of total darkness illuminated only by a race of humanoid spellcasters, The Bright Children mixes elements of horror and fantasy in story that is both narrative and myth.

Publication will begin with the prologue (which already exists), and follow with the narrative proper on a weekday update schedule.

Creating when you aren’t passionate

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My whole life I have been an artist, with my focus moving between music, visual art, and the written word. Countless times I have dealt with the cycle of creativity, which is the slow or sometimes drastic switch between uncontrollable excitement and enthusiasm about projects to apathy. The well runs dry from time to time, and creation becomes nearly impossible. Some people call this “writers block,” but I think more that it is a disconnect of emotion, and I consider it part of any creative process. From time to time you have to let the well refill, and be content with what you have done until the next exciting project sweeps you away.

Historically, I have always found things to do when I found creation of new art difficult. In music, there was the ever-present demand of practice, which requires repetition far more than passion. With art, it was technical exercises. Writing, however, is a bit more difficult. I have considered spending a week writing non-fiction, and I have more than a few ideas in the pipe for that sort of thing. Editing seems ideal, but at the moment is difficult. Right now I am editing an old manuscript, but because of the primitiveness of my writing (it was my first book), it has become a re-write, which has demanded I tap new sources in my process.

It’s hard for me to find technical things to do with writing to pass through to the renewed well, but I can also look at this situation as an opportunity to grow. Finding ways to keep working through dispassion can be applicable to many other things, like day jobs, or parenting. Either way, I’m determined to slog through my current projects!

Just a few thoughts for the day.

Been Sick!

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I’ve missed a couple of content updates this week, mostly because I’ve had a terrible cold, and haven’t felt like I’ve had my usual focus and clarity of thought. Hopefully updates will resume normally next week, and I’ll try to get a few in over the weekend to keep Moonsong running along smoothly. I’m excited about this rewrite, which I think will be the best telling of this story yet (If you haven’t seen it before, that’s because you weren’t a beta reader – rest assured, the new draft is quite good compared to the old).

What’s next for DVS Press

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Another story is in the bag, so it is time to look forward. I’ll be making some site updates in the next few days, including improving landing page experiences and sprucing up the look and feel of the menus, as well as providing some readers guides to help people explore and dive into all the content I’ve worked so hard to create thus far.

I have a few projects in the pipe for the site, and as always, the difficulty is in deciding which one will go first. Since my last project was scifi, I think it’s time for a short trip back into fantasy:

Moonsong

This is the tentative title for the next project, which takes place in a fictional, magic-less fantasy universe dominated by war, religion, and the trade in drugs and forbidden technology. I’ve written two novels in the Moonsong universe so far, with neither being released just yet. They represent the first attempt I had made at writing novels, and so even now the books are full of mistakes, bad writing, bad decisions, and stylistic inconsistency. My goal with the serial publication of these works is to correct these problems, rewrite things when necessary, tighten up the pacing, and, of course, to share my work.

Sea of Stars is the first volume in the series, and contains four acts in three different locales. Right now, I’m planning on publishing one act at a time, with other works interspersed as each act finishes. I’d also like to do more illustration in the future, something I really enjoyed with Prophet of the God Seed when I had the time to get out my inks.

DVS Press is LIVE! Welcome to the new site

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Ah, Vegas…

It’s been a long road to end up here, with a fresh new site. I’ve got lots of new content in the works, with an inaugural short story coming later in the day. After that, the launch will continue with a new serial story that I’m rather excited to show you.

You should notice that all the content from The Tears of Prometheus has migrated over to DVS Press. The formatting for the old site (which was based on a very dark background) is still intact in most posts, so the visibility of headlines might not be ideal. I’ll be working to straighten all of that out as we go. Likewise, the intensive cataloging that I did on the blogger site is still missing here, so if you are looking for something in particular, head back to the old site to find it.

Thanks for stopping by, and don’t forget to subscribe to the RSS feed and find me on twitter!