The Gods' War

Today we have a fantasy story by a promising young writer named Kate Hawkins:

Shortly after time began, and earth became inhabited by life, the guardian of time created the gods. He created the goddess of music, the god of war, and many many others. He put the goddess of life, Midnight, to rule above all of the other gods. She was kind and just, yet she demanded respect and loyalty. Seeking a refuge for her underlings, Midnight created Kaira, a small dimension that allowed the gods to cross over to earth, putting them in the middle of Central Park.

The gods and goddesses in Kaira lived together in peace for many millennium. Eventually, however, one decided to try and kill Midnight: the god of death, William. Of course, William failed, and was exiled from Kaira. He set out to take over Kaira, and began turning gods and goddesses to his ways. Being that those gods had only been living one way, they began to question Midnight. The guardian of time’s words were no longer enough to keep them as they were, so they began turning to William for a new experience, and to test his ways.

Midnight declared war on William. She wanted to wipe him and the people who had betrayed her out. However, instead of winning the war, Midnight started a cycle. During the summer, Midnight and her followers were winning the war. During the winter, William was. The spring and fall were turning points for them, and no one knew why it was impossible for one side to win.

Both sides had been trying to figure out what made them unable to beat their enemy into surrender; Midnight more so than William, and it had been taking its toll on her. She’d been up for several days straight, again, when her younger sister and heir, Rin, came into her study. “Midnight, you look tired. Go get some rest.” she said, leaning against the arm of a chair. Normally, Rin was shaky and insecure, but when it was only Midnight around, she was much more relaxed. Her rival was Deidra, William’s son and heir.

Midnight smiled warmly at Rin. “Don’t worry, Squirt,” she said, using Rin’s nickname. “I’m not anywhere near as tired as I look. Hell, you’re worse off than I am.”

“Midnight,” Rin groaned, rolling her eyes. “Just take a break, even if it’s just for a few hours.”

Midnight shook her head. “Go take the next few days off. I’m fine.”

“But--”

“That’s an order, Rin.” Midnight said, more stern than usual. Rin sighed, knowing better than to argue with an exhausted Midnight. Moments after Rin left, the guardian of time appeared in the room. “Guardian,” Midnight nodded respectfully. The guardian was part of a clan which was known for its power and ability to manipulate time.

“You shouldn’t worry about this war, Midnight,” he said, taking a seat. “It’s going to continue whether you’re in charge or not. Go get some rest.”

“I’m fine, Guardian,” Midnight smiled. “Besides, I want to make history here.”

The guardian sighed, “Alright. I’m going to check on Rin.” he said, leaving the room.

Maybe I should listen to them. I am a little tired. Midnight thought, and after a few minutes, she retired to her room.

Midnight woke the next morning to the smell of poinsettias at the foot of her bed, again. Every time she’d slept the past few months, she’d had poinsettias at the foot of her bed when she woke. Midnight sat up groggily. “Whoever is sending these must know a thing or two about me,” she mumbled, moving the flowers to a vase and padding to the kitchen in the Kaira estate. Outside of the estate, there were sparring grounds, and past that lay hundreds of miles of woods, which were used for testing the gods’ survival skills when needed.

When Midnight reached the kitchen, everything was chaos. People who didn’t know the first thing about cooking were running around, and the kitchen looked like a tornado had just passed through it. Rin was standing on a counter, trying to calm the gods, but failing due to her inability to get loud and actually get people to pay attention to her. Midnight joined her on the counter. “What’s going on?”

“William’s launched an attack on us. Most of the gods that left us for him, as well as a lot of his toughest demons are attacking earth. We’ve managed to get them off of earth and swept into another dimension, but they’re getting to the point where they can open up tunnels back.” Rin said, panicked.

Midnight sighed, irritated with William. “I’ll handle him, Rin. Work on damage control.” she said, vanishing in a pillar of leaves before Rin could say a word.

William was easy to find, being that he was always at the center of the problem. New York City seemed to be the center of this problem, so Midnight started there, at the Statue of Liberty, one of the most iconic places there. He stood still, arrogantly grinning at the fight going on below them. “Hello, Midnight.” he said as she shot an arrow at him. Wind blew it off course, and it missed by several feet. “Don’t play games with me. You’re here to stop this, right?”

“That should be obvious, William.” Midnight shot back venomously, drawing her sword and heading cautiously towards him. “You’re going to pay for the lives you took today.”

“Is that so? How do you intend to make me pay?” William questioned, turning to face Midnight. She glared, taking a swing at William. He vanished just before she could graze him, landing his own gash on her shoulder from behind. Midnight gasped in pain, realizing he’d used some sort of poison on her; she knew he experimented with things like that. She sank to her knees, dropping her sword as the poison was pumped through her body. William kicked the sword across the roof, kneeling in front of Midnight. “I asked how you were going to make me pay, Midnight. Are you going to answer?” he asked, smirking.

Midnight glared up at him, quickly loosing strength. Using the small amount of energy she had left, Midnight sent a blast of raw energy barreling at him. William, who was shocked by the fact that she still had that much power left, took the full blast and was thrown across the roof. Midnight stood and made her way to her rival, kneeling beside him. “That’s how,” she smirked tiredly. As she studied him, she noticed his unnaturally lonely eyes, and couldn’t help pity him. So, she put a hand on his cheek, causing him to wince. “I’m sorry if you didn’t want to end up like you did,” she said. “You’ve been alone since you left us, haven’t you?”

When no reply came from William, Midnight sighed and began to draw energy from the people who were barely hanging on; those who were in immense pain. As she took their life, she eased William’s pain, regretting that she was taking life to help her enemy. “This cycle’s been set already; even the guardians say it’s going to continue. We can’t go against fate, William.” she said as William winced, then sighed. “Call off you demons.” she demanded.

William sighed, mumbling something that sounded vaguely like profanity under his breath, then looked at Midnight. “Fine,” he said, slowly clambering to his feet as his demons filed back to their own dimension. William smirked down at Midnight. “Let’s finish our fight.”

Midnight stood, slightly weak on her feet. As she tried to summon her energy, she quickly realized that she was unable to. She tried again, but a searing pain flared in her head. Cursing, she whirled towards William. “You blocked my powers off!”

William smirked at Midnight, again, which only infuriated her more. “What did you think I was going to do?” he asked rhetorically. Suddenly, William pinned Midnight to the ground with his boot. “Listen, Midnight, I’ve been sending those poinsettias.” he said, watching the goddess he’d been trying to overthrow his whole life squirm under his foot.

“Why?” Midnight choked out, trying to break free of the pressure from William’s foot.

He froze when he heard Midnight’s question. After a moment, he sighed. “I suppose you deserve to know, being that I’m about to kill you.” he said. Midnight glared weakly at him. “I’m quite fond of you, Midnight, and if we weren’t enemies, I’d make you my queen. The demons were sent to lure you out. How did you expect me to get that message to you if you attacked me on sight, hm?”

William released Midnight and stepped back. The pair remained silent for quite some time, and Midnight was the one to break the silence. “You sacrificed thousands of human lives to tell me that? Not to mention all of the gods and demons lives that were under us?” she growled, attempting to get to her feet. “You’re so lucky my powers are gone right now.”

Without warning, Midnight collapsed again, curled up in a ball and her arms crossed over her stomach in pain, as was William. Moments later, the two of them were in a deserted field, miles away from the nearest human. The only thing Midnight remembered was William’s declaration of love, and he somehow knew that. “Who are you?” she asked, standing now that her strength had returned. “How can you say that when we don’t even know each other?”

William smiled slightly, holding a hand out to the former goddess. “I can help you, Midnight. All you have to do is trust me.” he said.

Midnight eyed William warily, and, after a few moments, she took his hand, allowing him to take her to a small shack he’d discovered before being chosen to become a god.

William never did return Midnight to her home. Instead, he left her position to Rin, and handed his own to Deidra. The war continued, but Midnight and William lived blissfully ignorant to the gods’ war, and later had a daughter named Kira.

Interview with Author April M Reign

Here's an interview with the prolific and popular April M Reign by M Joseph Murphy. April commented on this interview afterwards on her blog: "I’m partial to this interview because Joseph took the time to ask me personal questions that relate to ME, MY KIDS, MY WRITING and MY BOOK PROMOTIONS!" (Emphasis is hers.)

April M. Reign is the author of several fan-favorite series (e.g. Dhellia Series, Mancini Saga, Disciples of the Damned Series, etc.) I met her on Twitter. However, after following her on Facebook I became a huge fan. Not just of her writing, but of the way she interacts with her fans.

And her fans love her. I wanted to find out how she was so prolific and how she managed her brand. I was fortunate enough to be granted an interview.

1. You are very prolific. From the looks of it, you have 5 series (including HASH, book 1 in the Imprint Trilogy), several standalone books and you’re also branching out into horror. What’s your secret for getting so much work done?

My secret is consistency. Every day, I sit in front of my laptop and I write. I may only write 200 words (on a bad day) or 3000 words (on a good day) but there is never a day that goes by when I don’t write. Consistency combined with my overly active imagination gives me the foundation to create new storylines and constantly provide new books for my readers.

2. With so many projects on the go, is it difficult keeping your stories straight? Have you ever mistakenly put a character into the wrong series?

I don’t usually put a character into the wrong series but I do have a tendency to mix 3rd and 1st person narrative. I’ve written three of my series in 1st person and two in 3rd person. At times, it gets confusing. (smile)

As far as keeping my stories straight, (Laugh) I have to reread each book in a series before I can write the next one, so that I keep the voice of my characters the same. With so many series going at once, I find this is the best way to keep it all straight in the chaos that I call my…creative mind. 

3. You are a very proud mother. What do you think is the greatest lesson you’ve been able to teach your sons? What’s the greatest lesson they have taught you?

Yes, I am a very proud mother of two amazing sons. Although, I’ve taught my boys many lessons in life, I’d have to say one in particular stands out above the rest… Finding and following their dreams.  Hard work, perseverance and determination are important factors in achieving their dreams and making them reality.  I’ve tried to lead them by example. 

They have taught me a thousand different things. But if I had to choose one, I’d say they’ve taught me the importance of being patient.

4. You also have very devoted fans: almost 25,000 on Twitter, over 3,000 on Facebook, and you have comments on all your blog posts. Does that put more pressure on you creatively or does it inspire you to work harder?

Both! I have supportive, amazing readers. They’ve watched me grow as an author. I can honestly say that my readers inspire me to work harder, and create different worlds where they can truly get lost. 

Of course, that also puts creative pressure on me, but I thrive in the midst of pressure.


 

5. “The Dhellia Series Fun Video” is a superb video. Very simple and yet highly polished and professional. Who did the video and what was the process like for you? What do you think makes for good video promotion?

Well, I’m not an expert on video promotion. One day, I was browsing the internet, and I saw this cool thing called a whiteboard video used as advertisement. I searched high and low for someone to create this video, but every company I researched had prices that ranged from $1500.00 to $10,000.00. That was certainly out of my price range for promotional tools. Then I found a person on a discount website that could do the video for me at a reasonable price. 

I love the video and it gives The Dhellia Series a thirty-second opportunity to shine. 

6. Lastly, if you could give fellow writers one piece of advice on how to promote their products, what would it be?

Be consistent with writing. One published story is an accomplishment, but a reader who enjoys your work will want to read more than one story. Are you giving them a selection? Sometimes individuals will wrap themselves up in promoting one story and they will forget to write the next. Your name is your brand, write the next story and your fans/readers will follow you.

Links:

April M. Reign's Website
April M. Reign's Amazon Author Page
April M. Reign's Goodread Page
April M. Reign on Smashwords
April M. Reign on Twitter
April M. Reign on Facebook

Short Story: Miss Communication

Another snippet of my novel An Analysis of the Cardassian Language. This one's from Chapter One:

'Note to self,' I thought, feeling myself blush, 'Don't wear a knit bra and a knit top together around cute, intelligent guys.' But I'd brought a sweater, so I put it on.

Photo: sheknows.com

"What's this vision you keep hinting at," I said, recovering my dignity, "about linguistics as a tool for social change?" I asked not only to change the subject, but because I was burning to know. I myself wanted to find the universal language patterns that would allow me, in partnership with a good computer programmer, to create software that could translate just about any language into just about any other language. The possibilities were staggering. This software, loaded on either a regular computer or a small, tough device built for the purpose, could empower indigenous businesspeople all over the world. It could let ordinary individuals build relationships across cultural boundaries, lessening international tensions on the grassroots level. It could reduce war, oppression and poverty by building bridges and eroding misunderstanding, fear and hate. But I wanted to hear what Derek had in mind. I knew it was going to be good.

His smile showed his dimples. I was beginning to suspect that when the dimples didn't appear, he was just being polite. I smiled, too, because I had a feeling I was going to have plenty of time to test that hypothesis.

"It's simple," he answered. "Purity of language. I'm applying for a grant for it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it starts with a study to find the pure form of the language. I'm hoping to begin with German first."

"Naturally. You must be fluent."

"I am, but that's not why. German is a whole lot less corrupted than English or even Spanish. It's a good place to start. The world isn't ready for the purification of English yet."

I still had no idea what he was talking about. "So you find out the pure form a language, and then what do you do after that?"

He shrugged. "It's a long shot, I know, especially with the way things are trending lately, but the hope is that people, governments, will embrace the pure form of the language and reject the corrupted versions."

I wasn't sure I liked where this was going. "For what purpose? What would that do?"

"Our cultures have been weakened," he explained. "It's insidious. I'm not sure if you've ever looked into it, but you may be surprised how many words from inferior cultures have gotten in there, even in German."

We managed to part on friendly terms, mostly because for the rest of the meal I pasted a smile on my face and just listened and made small talk. It wouldn't do to stalk away in a self-righteous huff: it was kindness that would reach this man, if anything could.

Finally it was over. We confirmed that we had each other's numbers, and I took a taxi back to my cousin's.

I paid the driver and got out, and then realized I'd had him stop in front of the wrong building. Should have just given him the address and let him do his job. Fortunately, he didn't hang around to watch me walk. After two buildings I got out my copy of Connie's door key and turned to go up the front steps.

Photo: hookedonhouses.net

And that was the last I saw of Chicago.

Space-Valentines for Nerds

I don't get romance novels. When I was seventeen I read a big stack of them to see if I could figure out why they're so popular. Nope, no clue. The whole plot is based on a fleeting emotion and the outcome is locked in from the beginning. The couple will end up together (they have to, or it's not a romance novel), probably after the hero has lost all his interesting qualities.

Photo: jezebel.com

Which is precisely why I want to master the art of romance writing: I don't consider 'I don't get it' to be an acceptable excuse.

Sure, there are lots of things I don't get, and most of them don't bother me at all. I don't get pop music or obsessive materialism or pro wrestling or American football. But if I were a sportscaster I'd consider it my professional responsibility to watch games and study playbooks until I did get football. I'd go to sleep with my head full of those little X's and O's until I had it mastered.

But it's not so bad. Little by little I think I'm starting to get it. Maybe I'll never write the traditional kind of romance, and that's okay, because there are lots of options with subgenres and crossovers.

And as hard as it is to swallow my 'I'm-above-all-that-mushy-stuff' pride and admit this, there's plenty of romance coming up in the science-fiction novel I'm writing.

Thanks to Paramount

It gets worse. I have a dirty little secret. In spite of all the times people accuse me of belonging to the emotion-suppressing Vulcan race because of my logical approach to problem-solving, in spite of the fact that I consider television kissing scenes to be opportunities to leave the room without missing anything, in spite of the fact that the latest Hollywood hottie usually doesn't even register on my attraction meter at all, I have a thing for Cardassian men.

That's right, I go all bat-the-eyelashes over some guys who 1. don't exist, 2. have scales on their faces, and 3. with rare exceptions would make terrible partners. (It's the strong necks, great posture, impeccable manners, intelligence and courage.)

I'll never get the chance to act on this myself, of course, but fortunately I'm a writer. I just have to create an avatar (ahem, character) and have my raging Cardassian love affair vicariously. It's a little less risky that way, too.

Okay, that isn't what the book's about. It's a science fiction novel, a tribute to Gene Roddenberry, a space adventure complete with battles and political intrigue. But with its human female protagonist surrounded by Cardassian men, it's also the perfect excuse to have a little fun indulging my weakness - I mean, furthering my professional education.