Task Force: Gaea

Measuring my success

2012-01-29T15:59:00.000-05:00

Now that the process of getting this book ready has finally reached its end, and a new period begins, with people reading it, I find myself wondering how I measure success. Some would say, "If you're book hits the Best Seller's List, it's a success." Others might say, "If a lot of people read and like your book, that's success."

Perhaps.

Those are certainly measurements of success, but I have to think about how I feel about that. Am I looking to make enough money from selling books to retire from teaching altogether? Am I looking for a supplemental income? I think the answer here is: No.

Twenty-five years ago, give or take, when I first started "The Olympus Corps.," the original story behind Task Force: Gaea, I had envisioned a Star Trekkian adventure in outer space, with the gods being more like space aliens, inhabiting planets, rather than omnipotent beings who govern the world of Man. The hero (whose name now escapes me) and his crew traveled in a starship of sorts, encountering mythologically-inspired monsters. Well, that was 1985.

Now, in 2012, my story has taken on a more intricate appearance, weaving together a few different ideas into one tapestry, if you will. I'm proud of what I've accomplished over the years, despite my own apprehensions and misgivings long the way. The fact that I've managed to bring this whole project to fruition makes me very proud of myself. And, I should be. Not everyone who sets out to do such a task, succeeds at it. The original ideas, back when I used a more archaic computer in the 80s and 90s, blossomed into a type of flower whose scent intoxicates me.

Am I the next Tolkien, Rowling, or Riordan? Hardly. I'm a man whose dream was to write a novel, telling the kind of story I wanted to tell, with the characters, settings, vocabulary, and overall feelings I wanted to convey. And, I have done just that.

So, whether or not people buy (and like) the novel is of little consequence ultimately. If I sell 100 copies or 1,000,000 copies, if my novel perks the interest of a film or TV person, if I gain fame for this -- it truly doesn't matter. That's not why I did this. I wanted to tell a story.

And I have succeeded in doing just that. That's how I measure success.

And, that's all that matters.

And now I wait...

2012-01-29T01:33:00.000-05:00

Today, I finished uploading the text of the novel to CreateSpace, where it will be examined carefully for printing. I finished the cover, and uploaded that as well.

Now, I just have to see what happens from CreateSpace and make sure that there are no major issues.

So, it's done. All of it.

Patience is a virtue that I'm not sure I have much of... but I have no choice :)

Acknowledgments page

2012-01-16T16:09:00.002-05:00

Sneak peak at pages 1 - 2...

2012-01-15T17:12:00.002-05:00

The final book cover image!

2011-12-11T23:04:00.001-05:00

Here it is, the real artwork. Thanks to Michael Hamlett once again for an amazing piece.

Group shot sketches!

2011-09-15T22:51:00.003-04:00

My friend, Michael Hamlett, the artist doing the cover art for the book, has sent me two group shot sketches that are out of this world! It's just so inspiring seeing characters you created "in the flesh", so to speak. Now, if I could get someone to make action figures of them, I'd be in heaven. :)

I can't post them yet as I don't own them. Once the final work is paid for, I'll show a sneak peak of some kind.

More sketches!

2011-09-02T19:46:00.000-04:00

I know it's a tease to talk about sketches I'm not posting, but I want to wait until things are more finalized before I share, in case they change.

But, I've seen sketches for Brandon, Aleta, and a revamped headshot of Dan.

Nice. Very nice.

Cover art update...

2011-09-02T08:49:00.000-04:00

I've seen some preliminary sketches for the cover, and wow! I'm really excited now. Michael's really putting everything into this... thanks, Michael! His rendition's of Sarah and Dan look just outstanding.

Cover art news!

2011-08-01T01:02:00.000-04:00

I have located Michael Hamlett, the original artist who did the character sketches for me in 2002. We are working on a schedule where he can create a color picture to use as cover art. This would truly bring the novel full circle as his artwork inspired me.

I'll post more as I know more.

Another cover idea with artwork from Michael Hamlett

2011-07-30T23:05:00.001-04:00

Nine years ago, I commissioned artwork for the four major characters from Michael Hamlett, whose work can be seen here. I have contacted him to see if he would be able to do some cover art for me now, since the book is completed. His pictures were a huge part of the motivation for me finishing this labor of love.

Possible Cover Art

2011-07-30T14:42:00.002-04:00

Mock up of possible cover art I did using MS Word and 3D-box maker. Work in progress:

Revamping an idea...

2011-07-27T12:29:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a dear friend, who took the time to look at the manuscript, I am re-envisioning part of the book so as to make it less "top heavy", as he puts it. I think I understand :)

Also, publishing ideas on the horizon, so stay tuned for updates.

It's getting exciting!

Possible book cover blurb

2011-07-27T12:17:00.000-04:00

"Dan, Aleta, Brandon, and Sarah—four reluctant modern-day heroes gifted by ancient, gods-forged civilizations—bound by prophecy, have to choose whether or not to save their world when it could mean they never existed. They must master their new powers while battling against forces beyond comprehension by repairing the Sacred Scales, destroyed by the primordial entity, Nyx, long ago. With the equilibrium between Order and Chaos unhinged, and the Olympæan gods struggling to exist, this foursome must align themselves with other UN agencies struggling to protect an endangered world, becoming the only group who can fight against metaphysical threats to the Earth, forging Task Force: Gaea.

Will mortals succeed where even the gods cannot go?"

Manuscript being read!

2010-08-18T23:20:00.000-04:00

Okay, not by an agent or a publisher, but a very good friend of mine is reading the story to see how it reads.

After he and I speak about it, I'll start actively pursuing an agent. I do have to do some work first on a synopsis and a blurb, but I can do that. The process will bring about many rejections, but I've waited 25 years... I can wait a little while longer.

No one else has ever read the book except me, so having anyone read it scares me. I know that I love the story, but what if my friend doesn't? It's just something that's out of my hands now. Facing reality sometimes makes me uncomfortable, but what other choice do I have? Right?

We'll see!

Excerpt from Ch. 9

2010-08-05T00:15:00.003-04:00

Part of Demetrios' journey into the underworld:

       Journeying along the stretch of this impervious Tartarean blackness gave him time to consider his place in this cosmic amusement for the Moirae. Born of Olympæan and Protogenos ancestry, allied with the life force of the sacred mountain, and now a bonded ally with three storm gods, he could appreciate Zeus’ omniscient concerns better as well as the irony that he never asked for any of this. Moving up the divine ladder was never an aspiration of his; ruling his people with compassion and wisdom was more of what he had in mind. The air temperature around him dropped dramatically to where his teeth chattered and his eyes went numb, and then came the despair and sorrow and grief in waves. Olympæia counseled him to remain on the path, to follow where she guided him, since he would soon be in a place so sacrosanct that even to look, or try to look, at what would be around him would bring on a madness from which there was no return. He pulled his helmet over his head, his eyes toward the ground, or at least where he thought the ground should be.
       Arkadæa’s beleaguering winters, with ice storms and blizzards to blanket the region until Persephone surfaced from her Hadean sovereignty, were temperate compared to the bitterness carried through the obscurity through which he traveled. His faith in both the Earth Mother and her sister kept him from faltering, keeping him from succumbing to the rawness. From the heart of Tartaros, where Demetrios was headed, blew this breath of anguish, this killer of hope. Panic grew from within his gut, spreading like a cancer, moving through his chest and arms as he neared this sepulchral place, this place he could never see but had to pass through with only his devotion to be his beacon. A few steps later, without being told, he knew he was there, and the talons of terror snatched him, tearing apart his resolve, one piece at a time. He had arrived where none save Zeus himself had ever seen, and even the god of gods had felt the same emotions Demetrios felt; no one was immune from such soul-shredding agony.
       Here was where Kronos was buried.

My Final Edit

2010-07-31T18:26:00.000-04:00

After reading through the entire manuscript, I now have to go through and fix the minor errors, largely spelling and punctuation (with a few content glitches to fix). It reads pretty well to me, but -- hell, what do I know? ;)

Soon, I mail a copy to my reader who will tell me what he thinks. As I finished the read, I came to the conclusion that this is more of a setup for the next book (and I promised my mother that it won't take 25 years to write this time). The sequel will be even easier to write, since I now have plot points to flesh out and characters to develop further.

I need to write a short blurb about the book and a paragraph summary to put into a query letter for an agent. I need to be able to sell the novel to someone who will then help me get it published. It scares the hell out of me, too. What if the agent doesn't like it? What if he or she wants me to make major changes? Too much to think about. Best to wait until my reader sees the book and get a sense of what he/she feels.

Scary. Very scary.

IT'S DONE!

2010-07-20T01:05:00.004-04:00

25 years of love, research, changing plot elements and characters, late nights, proofreading, editing, more research, tears, laughs, moments of accomplishment, moments of failure have come to fruition. My novel, Task Force: Gaea -- Finding Balance, is DONE.

Part II - Beginning of Chapter 12

2010-07-06T18:57:00.013-04:00

Three months later.

Drawn from its scabbard, the sacred blade screamed, golden adamantium glistening in the Atlantic moonlight. The two-headed creature was scarcely noticeable in the darkness and Danelos’ hands, one above the other, gripped the hilt until he felt the etched metal dig into his palms, his heart beating in his head which seemed to pulse into the sword, bringing it to life. As the furry form maneuvered over the grassy field, its guttural growl portended an inevitable confrontation, but Danelos’ instincts were blind to the signal. Such was the nature of the beast to generate confusion right before it struck. In the gauzy darkness, that dangerous time of twilight when human eyes scarcely perceive, a serpentine hiss hovered around them. From deep within the obscurity struck a snake head with fangs that Danelos quickly deflected with his sword. Before he could find his bearings, again the head lurched forward. It didn’t want to attack him directly; if it had, it would have aimed at a more vulnerable place. These lunges were tactical—this creature wanted to know exactly where it could strike with its jaws, two sets, fangs oozing caustic venom that would dissolve steel. For some reason, this monster showed up in Bar Harbor, Maine of all places, but where the portals existed, these monsters tended to appear. Danelos had managed to lure it into an uninhabited area, but he didn’t know how long that would last. If it had the capacity to strategize, it could lure him somewhere more populated, endangering innocent lives. He’d have to vanquish this thing and do it with minimal loss.

A whistling sound approached, and a boulder, no doubt thrown by the serpent-like tail, hurtled toward Danelos. He jumped out of its path, swinging the blade down, slicing the rock in two just as it reached him, both stony halves plummeting to the ground like a marionette with its strings severed.

“So, this is how you want to play,” muttered Danelos.

Another smaller rock came careening at him, and it, too, met the same fate. Following that came a chunk of cement, but he dispatched it as well.

“Bring it,” Danelos announced, flipping the blade around.

With that, five other rocks, unearthed by the massive paws, flew at him at once, all but one falling to the ground in pieces having been kissed by steel. The last boulder hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind from him and sending him back fifteen feet while the animal moved closer. Regaining his composure, but thrown off a bit by the proximity to his adversary, Danelos leaped to his feet, sheathed his sword, and darted into a park surrounded by trees, careful to look for bystanders. This time, when the boulder came toward him, no sword in hand, he instinctively threw up his left arm to shield his face and the stone shattered into dust.

“That’ll work, too,” he said to himself. The manacle had created an invisible shield.

As the dust cleared, all he could see was a massive oak trunk, having been bitten off toward the base, cast toward him. He knew this would not be pretty. Again the sword came free from its sheath, just in time to come crashing down on the trunk, slicing it in half lengthwise. A second oak knocked Danelos to the ground, an unforeseen consequence of sawdust impeding his vision. Teeth clenched, he threw the same tree back. A third collided with it, splintering both. Intuitively, he gave himself enough room to maneuver. As the last tree whistled closer, he jumped into the air, knowing he wouldn’t get a good angle to use the sword, and he hoped the manacle would do what it had done before. The impact pulverized the tree as it struck his invisible shield, something he would have to ask Hephaestos about at some point, but knocked him down.

The four-legged assailant finally stepped into the moonlight, and Danelos recognized it as Orthros, a sibling to Cerberos. One of Hades’ hounds. Excellent, he thought. Fiery eyes flared in the darkness. At such close range, the confusion Orthros generated took Danelos off guard, and this time when the serpent tail lunged, it headed for the throat. A swift move of his left arm placed his manacle in the way, and the fangs bounced off adamantium with a clang. Recoiling, the snake head bit Danelos’ wrist, immobilizing it long enough to stagger Danelos. Both feral dog heads reached out to snatch a bite, but they snapped shut just shy of his torso. Even though the manacle was unbreakable, he felt the pressure applied by snake jaws as well as a burning sensation from where drops of venom dripped down his arm. If he was going to free himself, it had to be soon before he became so disoriented that he couldn’t concentrate.

This time, when a mouth attacked him, he kicked it back, enabling his sword arm to come down on the snout, breaking the serpentine grip on his wrist. Orthros didn’t like having his muzzle smacked, and a louder growl signaled a change in strategy. Danelos stepped back a bit to survey the scene just in time to see the dog leaping for him. Taking a firm grasp of his sword, he jumped forward stabbing upward into the chest. Momentum kept Orthros’ body moving as the sword ripped through his abdomen. Crashing to the ground, its innards hanging free, the underworld canine attempted to get to its feet, but he couldn’t get enough strength to push his body up. Side-stepping clear of the frothing mouths, Danelos stood behind them as swung down hard, severing them from their necks, silencing Orthros.

“Back to Hades, mutt,” he uttered as he watched the creature melt into gelatinous ooze and get absorbed back into the earth.

He sat on a bench a few feet away from the dead grassy patch where the hellish hound once lay. His sword back in its shoulder sheath, both became invisible. His chest still ached from when the rock hit him, but he would heal. He wondered how the others were faring, no doubt engaged in similar skirmishes. While he regained his breath, Danelos’ mind wandered back to when he had come to be fighting underworld dwellers.

Speed bump overcome :-)

2010-06-20T17:00:00.002-04:00

So, without revealing too much, I had a major issue with a character's background (a MAJOR character, too) because it just wasn't jiving with what I wanted. I think I've finally figured out how it will all work together now, so when I get to tweaking/editing that section, this issue won't be an issue anymore.

I think I've spent a significant amount of my day at Panera. It's about time to go. There's always more time later to keep going.

Editing has resumed!

2010-06-20T14:36:00.003-04:00

I am now working on Part II of the novel, and I have to tweak some plot points that no longer work. Some of the character names may change, too, since I would rather them be Greek derivatives.

Gaea as we know it now contains two places: Oikoumentos (the inhabited world within) and the Exoikoumene (the inhabited outer world) -- both are words with roots in Ancient Greek.

I also solved a MAJOR plot point that had been hanging over me, like the sword of Damocles. ;)

The goal? To be done by summer's end with the edit and shopping around for an agent.

Chapter 11, Part II

2009-08-30T03:09:00.001-04:00

In its entirety:

PART TWO: BALANCE

CHAPTER ELEVEN
Call to Adventure

Gaea, 2008 C.E. An abandoned tenement in San Francisco.

Caked with dust and cockroach excrement, cobwebs mocking the tapestries from the Moirae’s loom and strewn over old furniture, water-stained paintings, and forsaken baby toys, a basement room—inhabited by darkness for far too long—sat empty, keeping company with rodents and spiders, Echidna’s clutch in miniature. Mildew, pungent perfume of neglect and desertion, saturated the air. A window near the ceiling, opaque with dust and spider webs consented to allow pale moonlight in, a desiccated shell of a spider hanging from a thread in the glow, an austere reminder of Arachne’s fate. Against the far wall, a wooden staircase ran, a few of the rotted treads having disintegrated.

Light cascaded down the stairs like a rushing cataract over a cliff when the upper door opened to the alley, a dozen cloaked individuals descending into this diminutive Tartaros, barely disturbing the dust. The first one carried two torches, and the second one cradled a leathern book. December winds brought a Borean chill, diluting the heady scent of decay, and from beneath the hoods, frosty, serpentine breaths escaped. Wraith-like, they hovered across the soiled cement floor to a large wooden table, warped from age and moisture, and draped with a black cloth. Like the Siren song heard by Odysseus, the frigid air whistled as it squeezed through cracks in the window casing.

The thick leather-bound tome was placed on the table, and it opened to a specific page by itself. From the folds of the cloaks, each removed a black candle and placed it on the table. The book bearer’s voice, as deep as the underworld, took control of the silence.

“The time has come.”

Twelve shrouded ones joined hands. The leader touched the book and then pointed to the center of the table. Each candle ignited, invading the darkness. As they joined hands, he recited the words on the page before him.

“O Hekate Klêidouchos, Key Bearer, hear our plea. Show us that you are among us.”

Cold, piercing wind splintered the windows, but the flames only shivered.

“According to the ancient text, we have assembled—twelve in the service of the goddess of death—to bring forth that which will save us,” continued the speaker, his voice raised over the whistling bluster. “We swear our fealty to you. We are yours to command.”

Moonlight filled the room and, beneath the cowls of the cloaks, the eyes of the assembled smoldered like fire. As they allowed the spirit of Hekate to fill them, the leader began his chant in ancient Greek. According to the ritual, he repeated it twelve times and the others repeated it with him until their voices became one.

“By Tartaros, dark Erebos, and Thanatos, we, the chosen of Hekate, summon the power of the Netherworld. Set the Sacred Twelve free!”

As the incantation grew louder, darkness festered like algae in bloom until all that could be seen was an eerie glow from the book. Even the candles and torchlight were absorbed by the all-consuming obscurity. By the twelfth invocation, their voices were in perfect unison and the earth began to tremble. The citizens of San Francisco would think it was one of the many earthquakes that struck their state, unaware of its preternatural source. Seconds later, the quaking stopped. All returned to normal and the ebony entity dissipated. The magister, or leader of the coven, released his hands, closed the book, and the other eleven suddenly began to convulse, some spitting up blood and bile, falling to the floor, dead. The sole remaining supplicant, the magister seethed at the apparent assassination of his cohorts. Without the complete circle, the spell lost some of its potency. Eleven deceased bodies shriveled, turned to dust, and vanished within the earthen floor. The remaining man smirked.

“You may have taken my coven, Zeus Kolastes, but the spell is cast. I will rebuild, bringing with me the sons and daughters of Gaea and Ouranos who will claim the sacred mountain as their own.”

A desperate, last burst of energy reaching from a distant shrouded mountaintop surged through the cloaked man who started to shake uncontrollably and heave blood through his nose and mouth. Falling to the floor a quivering mass of bodily fluids and skin, Gaea claimed the body, leaving the black cloth behind. Millennia ago, Hermes would have escorted the soul to the underworld, but the necromancer had none—the price he paid for his devotion to Hekate. Despite Zeus’ revenge, however, the deed was complete, and the Protogenoi would need to have mercy on all Mankind.

PART I IS DONE!

2009-08-23T21:02:00.003-04:00

Yes, after the long summer of editing, Part I of the novel (200+ pages) is finally finished being edited.

Next week, I will begin the edit of Part II, with the PLAN I can get it done by Thanksgiving Break (+/-).

So, stay tuned for more updates about the second half of the novel. Maybe some more sneak peaks will be posted, too ;-)

A scene from the latest chapter...

2009-08-14T00:25:00.004-04:00

Demetrios goes into Tartaros:

Again the darkness yielded to an unnatural light, and Demetrios heard a soothing voice slither into his ears.

“Come, my child, come,” said the voice, honey to his ears. “Find me in the dark. Find me in your heart.”

A niche in the cave, carved by her teeth and illuminated by a flaming brazier of wrought adamantine, opened before him, and when his eyes adjusted, both wonder and fear ensnared him. His eyes followed the end of a serpent’s tail, coiled around a dilapidated pillar of stone, to where scales merged into the flesh of a female torso, laden with breasts. Her arms, open to accept him, ended in talon-like hands, but her face in the soft glow of the flames reminded him of Alkinoë. In his mind, he knew who she was, but he didn’t fear her, even though many heroes had encountered her offspring in their own tests of valor. Herakles had bested her son, the Lernæan Hydra, with torches to his severed heads, and had wrestled with Cerberos, the Kuna tou Aidou, or Hound of Hades. Bellerophon had choked her son, the Khimaera, with molten lead dripping from a spearhead. Her daughter, the Sphinx, outdone when Oedipus solved her riddle, cast herself off a cliff. But, Gaea’s daughter by Tartaros would not be brought down; in fact, she would bring forth new progeny to go up against heroes of every generation, monsters more inconceivable than those who had come before. Ekhidna would prevail.

Collapsing into her serpentine embrace, he suckled at one of her nipples, taking nourishment from her milk, the same milk that had fed her grotesque brood for eons. He had respect for her and those she birthed, however, as a daughter of Gaea, and humbled himself in her coils. As she fed him, the tip of her tail cautiously moved toward the sword, slinking from the tip of the sheath toward the pommel. Her scales brushed against the hilt, curling around it, caressing it, but then releasing it. She had no designs on the blade itself; her mother forged it, and she wished to touch its grandeur.

Hypnos and his son, Morpheos, came from the darkness, touching Demetrios’ brow and brought him some of the peace he needed to continue his journey because the next task would be the hardest. Zeus’ request would be fulfilled.

A bit of an update...

2009-08-12T09:56:00.003-04:00

Well, I am finishing up the edit of the first half of TFG: FB, and I have to say I am quite pleased with the result. I've had to write some new stuff to fix some continuity problems I found, but I love the story. The first half of the book leads up to and catalogues the life and experiences of Apollo, the Olympæan¹ sun god, who has chosen a human (not mortal) existence alongside his Arkadæan queen, Alkinoë. Zeus has concerns about their son, Demetrios, who—aside from being prophesied to hold a position of power on Olympos at some point in his future—is a hemitheos (demigod) with strong ties to Gaea and another Protogenos. As Demetrios establishes himself not only as Arkadæa's eventual monarch, holding no desire to be an Olympæan in any way, but also as a young warrior whose future holds many challenges, he will not have foreseen one of them.

As the timeline unfolds, askew since the destruction of the Hieron Talanton², what should originally have been is not, and what is... well, that continues to be a mystery.

Part II brings the story forward to the 21st century, where the past crashes into the present in ways that even the Moirae could never predicted. :)

¹I change words ending in -ian (like Olympian and Arkadian) to Olympæan and Arkadæan.

²See the summary for this.

Chapter 8 is slightly...

2009-08-06T21:36:00.002-04:00

maddening! It's so close to the end of Part I of the book, but it's becoming a tangled web of sentences which need to be unwound for it to make sense with earlier parts (things I had to change recently). This is fun for me, yes, but can be frustrating. I can't force motivation. :)

I'll be working more on it tonight, so if you see a post starting with "AAAAAAAAH!", you'll know how I feel.

Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled program.

Doing the dance of joy!

2009-07-29T14:52:00.003-04:00

Chapter 7, perhaps the hardest chapter to edit (so far) is

DONE!

With all the tweaking I had to do thus far, this chapter required the most work. Plus, I had to do some research into Greek customs and rituals to make it work. I'm still in Part I of the book, but I think this will help set up some other adjustments later. I have to define one character (who was simply going to be mentioned, but now needs some definition... just a little). ;-)

I trudged along in this one, folks. For as much as I like redefining elements of the Greek mythological world, I find it can sometimes be a bit arduous to develop these concepts.

So, now I am on to Ch. 8 -- let's see what kind of challenge this provides for me. After Ch. 7, all I can say is...

BRING IT ON!

So, I've been thinking...

2009-07-28T09:19:00.002-04:00

Chapter 7 has proven to be the most difficult to end because the final scene is so important to the build up for the remaining chapters of Part I. Well, and it effects Part II in some ways. Anyway. I had a revelation while I was burning up calories on the elliptical yesterday. It was something that I should have realized a loooooong time ago when I first developed these characters, but the clarity brought on by sweating out my body weight in water helped clear a pathway for this information.

The problem is that I can't say anything about it just yet. It's a major element of Part II, and it sets up an interesting triangle, but not in the way you might think. If I told you, I'd have to kill you.

Seriously. You don't want that.

The reason why I mention it at all is that it means I have to rework some ideas I have when I get to that point of the book. It weaves in an element of mystery that will provide some tension with a few characters. I'm excited to explore this aspect of the relationship of these three individuals, and I'm also introducing a concept I have never seen before in any fantasy novel based in Greek mythology.

I'll be getting to The Edit soon, but first I have to grab some food and go to my summer job.

Ch. 7 ALMOST done...

2009-07-23T19:03:00.003-04:00

As I near the middle of the book (well, closer than I have been), I am hoping that everything that comes from this editing works. I've worked on making plot threads dangle when necessary, and tie some off, too. I've also received some advice from those whom I respect as writers and friends. With this being my first novel, it does become almost all-consuming of my day when I have to edit, tweak, chisel, cut, and blend ideas. It's possible that I might consider this becoming a graphic novel (or more than one) at some point, but that's so far down the road, it's not even in my sights yet.

I like what I write, but sometimes I find lines that make me happier than usual. I don't think they're the best lines ever written, but I do think they're good for me. Here's an example:

Adolescence had come upon her, with hormones and a maturity burgeoning within each cell, each sinew. Restraint was also new; she acted on impulse, like a thunderbolt gone astray.

It makes me happy, and that's what matters. I also like:

Lykaon inspected each hammered xiphos to where both sides of the steel could split a block of marble; each single-edged, curved makhaira could cleave skin from bone, and each kopis could sever a limb so cleanly, it would take a few moments for blood to flow—as close to perfection as they could be.

Well, the chapter is almost done, so I need to get back to it. I hope that what I write someday has an audience who will appreciate it; I know I do.

Ch. 6... done!

2009-07-15T18:00:00.001-04:00

The longest chapter so far, Ch. 6 has proven to be the one I had to tweak the most, not only in style, but content. Some of the earlier ideas would just not work. Now, I have some newness to incorporate which will make me MUCH happier.

So, 145 pages done. :-)

Ch. 5... done.

2009-07-08T17:19:00.002-04:00

The longest chapter, by far, has been completed. That contitutes about 78 pages thus far. I was able to move through this one much more quickly since it was a more in depth aspect of the story. I'm hoping that my flow keeps going like this... I may finish by the end of the summer.

We'll see. :-)

Ch. 4... done.

2009-07-07T17:23:00.002-04:00

Chapter 5 delves right into some major stuff, and it will be interesting to see how much of my style has truly changed as I get closer to the more current writing. I found that I was doing more "telling" in spots, probably when I was either tired or unclear where to go, but shortly after those spots, the story continues.

The more research I do, the more confident I feel about the work I am doing. I have had to locate terminology and names for Ch. 4 to work well, and it makes me happier to see things less vague. I probably won't reveal any more about the plot than I already have, too. As much as I would like to share with people, the more I feel like I am giving things away. I'm still working on this conundrum, and if I change my mind, I will post an excerpt. After what happened to Stephanie Meyer, I am reluctant.

The train is a-movin along...

2009-07-02T17:47:00.002-04:00

I'm into Ch. 4, which is largely a background chapter about Delos, the once-god Apollo, who is being punished by Zeus because of his vast indiscretions with mortals and immortals alike, shaming Olympos. Having been stripped of his godhood, Delos (as he now is called), must serve a penance on Gaea until he truly understands the nature of what he has done wrong. Ever since the Scales were destroyed, the only thing keeping the balance of Order and Chaos, everything -- including the gods' behavior -- has changed to some degree from what it should be. So, I'm working to fine tune this chapter. This particular piece of the novel sets up much of what will happen in Part II, which takes place in the modern time. Delos' travels throughout the mortal world ultimately teach him about what that type of existence is like, and it will provide future characters with insights as well.

It has been a good week...

2009-06-28T09:10:00.000-04:00

I have spent much of the week tweaking the first chapter, largely to make it flow better with my current style, but also to fix a few errors. I'll spent today on it more, and I'm usually good for 3 -4 hours of work on it before my mind becomes addled. :)

I've ripped out quite a bit of exposition from Chapter 1 because it simply retells a story already told by others (e.g. Edith Hamilton). I chose to begin in medias res because it makes more sense to jump into the story there and later put pieces of the original ms in there. It is said that the first five pages make or break a book, so I am hoping that mine make it work. The reader will have much to piece together as the story unfolds.

Day 1, continued...

2009-06-22T16:23:00.001-04:00

Well, I went home to grab lunch around 2 p.m. and began working again on the chapter 1 edit. I had to redo a little piece of the beginning to make it fit better, which I think I did. I'll be continuing tomorrow, maybe at Panera, maybe not. The chairs are not that comfortable. My problem with working at home is that I have too many distractions.

But... I feel invigorated once again to keep going. One way or the other, this book will be edited. Then, I will seek out the next step. I might post a little piece here once I am comfortable enough with it, so stay tuned (all of you who are following me).

Day 1 - Panera

2009-06-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

Panera's the best place to work, largely because it has free Internet, but also because I can get a reasonably healthy snack whenever I want. This morning will be largely about assessing the beginning of the novel and seeing if it has the **KAPOW** factor it should have. I have this blog to keep me honest, so those who have an interest in my book can keep up with my progress. I know I have been working on this novel for over 25 years, so it's about damn time I do something with it. I've had a level of frustration with it because I know how much time and energy it will take to get it publishable, and I sometimes wonder whether it's worth the effort. But, then I think about the 1100 pages I have already done and think, "You'd better publish it, no matter whether it sells 20 copies or 20,000 copies!" I make no claims to be as good as someone like Tolkein or as popular as other fantasy writers. Also, I expect my critics to be constructive.

Here I go...

And so it begins...

2009-06-20T00:01:00.001-04:00

Since much time has passed since its last edit, I will endeavor to edit the behemoth that is my manuscript (henceforth referred to as 'ms') so that it is not published posthumously. Since the beginning was written quite a while ago, I have to bring it up to the more modern style I have adopted in the past few years. While I won't be writing anything new (that's the plan), I will be tweaking, twisting, and kneading the words I have thus far into something fluid and relevant.

The edit begins Monday, June 23. Since it offers WiFi, Panera will more than likely be the place of choice to do the work (I can also eat while I am there, since I know my blood sugar would otherwise drop to catastrophic levels while I am crafting my words). I'll post sporadically just to keep myself on track, as well as to let anyone who cares know what I am doing, or how I am feeling throughout the process.

My goal is to finish editing the ms by the end of the summer. We'll see how I do.

Stay tuned.