Another wonderful illustration from the amazing artists at ERA-7.
This is Lefty Loosey, or Grabbing For You, depending on who you ask. His name gesture really doesn't lend itself to specific English words. 
​
So here is the deal. My new year's resolution is to self publish an anthology of short stories, unrelated to "Dying Embers". I will write all of the stories by the end of 2017 and will begin the publishing process on or before 2018. This is of course in addition to getting "Discovery" published through my current publisher. So we will see how this effort goes. 

​First Contact

"Mack! Mack! Mack!" Survey Corps Ranger Tommy Kim shouted breathlessly as he rushed up to the downed space craft. "Aliens! I saw aliens!"
Mack Dodge groaned and let his head fall back against the vessel. His hands flexed on the multitool he was using to pry open a jammed panel. 
"I am going to assume that you mean aliens other than our base supervisor or our fellow Corps Rangers?" Mack asked, wiggling out from under the ship. "Did you find your helmet?"
"Yes! No! I mean aliens!" Kim shouted as he staggered up to the ship and leaned against it. His battered purple space suit contrasted against the off white of the ship's hull. "You know! Real aliens."
Mack wiped the sweat and sand off of his hands slowly as he eyed his young partner and tried to parse his eager expression and excited words. It probably wasn't their rescue because firstly Mack hadn't called for rescue yet and secondly Kim had not been this excited over the Shatar when they were on the space station. He presumably wouldn't be terribly excited about them in a retrieval vessel. 
"So you saw a sentient alien that isn't a fellow Corps Ranger?" Mack guessed. 
Kim nodded, and then winced, lifting his hand up to gingerly probe at his neck. "I think it was an Undulate." He said, his enthusiasm rising again as he worked out the pain in his muscles. 
"Did you make contact?" Mack asked, his own interest piqued. He had yet to meet an Undulate. Their physiology didn't really lend itself to joining the Corps. "I didn't think there were any private teams on this world."
"Well he sort of made contact with me," Kim said sheepishly. "I laid down to rest - not that I'm hurt -" he quickly reassured Mack. "Just tired, and I felt something nudging my face. I sat up and he was right there. It looked like he had had been investigating my helmet..." Kim's voice trailed off and he blinked at the look Mack was giving him. Kim glanced down at his markedly helmet free hands. "Which I will go get, like I was supposed to, now, before he drags it off." Kim said quickly. 
He glanced up at Mack with a grin. "Come with me?" he asked. 

Life is the best inspiration for writing whether you are writing science fiction or romantic fantasy. 

Today's inspiration comes from Tumblr. Basically from the fact that anyone who understands what the original meaning of 'broody' was and is has to snicker when some single, young, male protagonist is described as broody. 
​
Broody:
1 : being in a state of readiness to brood eggs that is characterized by cessation of laying and by marked changes in behavior and physiology <a broody hen> 

“marked changes in behavior and physiology”

Basically the hens go baby crazy and does nothing but dote on their babies and viciously attack anyone who gets near their precious babies. That is broody. The general consensus that the only male protagonist who this describes is Batman with his brood of Robins, or possibly Wolverine of Marvel fame. It was also concluded  that more truly broody male characters would not be a bad thing. 

She stated it crisply and with the brick efficiency of grammar instructors everywhere. Her face was pinched as if some annoying insect had landed on her arm. The professor was commenting on the trend she had noted of her freshman University students not being able to spell very well. Spellcheck removed the need to go back and check words writers are unsure of and left their brains floppier than they otherwise might be. 
Whether it is the fault of automated spellchecking or not this author has noted that certain words are difficult to spell and the automated services don't seem to help too much. Therefore I am making a list of words that I use frequently and have trouble spelling.
So far it is thus. 

• Familiar
• Especially
• Knowledge
• Refrigerator
• Definitely
• Technology
•  Millennium
• Acknowledgement 

For some reason spellcheck just doesn’t like these words. 

​Are there any words that give you and your computer trouble? 

One author has been seeking inspiration in magical places.

Remember folks, if it bleeds it leads. Despite what the media tried to sell you, 2016 wasn't in fact the worst year ever and as usual the good Col. Chris Hadfield has come to cheer us up in that wonderful Canadian way. Did the USA score the best neighbors ever or what? 

Pandas are making babies like crazy as are grizzly bears...you are forgiven for being more excited about one than the other. Hadfield has provided a list of many good things that 2016 brought us, many that can be made better in the coming years. From safe skies to happy trees to terrible diseases dying out 2016 was a pretty decent year in review. 
Give it up for the singing astronaut folks. 

Col. Chris Hadfield

With celebrity death and elections taking the media by the nose, it’s easy to forget that this year saw a great many positives. Let’s look.
1. The Colombian government and FARC rebels committed to a lasting peace, ending a war that killed or displaced over 7 million people.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-38153932
2. Sri Lanka spent five years working to exile the world’s deadliest disease from their borders. As of 2016, they are malaria free.
http://www.searo.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2016/1631/en/
3. The Giant Panda, arguably the world’s second cutest panda, has officially been removed from the endangered species list.
http://www.nbcnews.com/…/giant-pandas-are-no-longer-endange…
4. Tim Peake became the first ESA astronaut from the UK, symbolizing a renewed British commitment to space exploration.
https://www.theguardian.com/…/tim-peake-nursing-worlds-wors…
5. Tiger numbers around the world are on the rise for the first time in 100 years, with plans to double by 2022.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/…/160410-tiger-numbers-…/
6. Juno, a piece of future history, successfully flew over 800 million miles and is now sending back unprecedented data from Jupiter.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/…/juno-probe-nasa-celebrates-as…/
7. The number of veterans in the US who are homeless has halved in the past half-decade, with a nearly 20% drop in 2016.
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/veteran-homelessness-droppe…/
8. Malawi lowered its HIV rate by 67%, and in the past decade has seen a shift in public health that has saved over 250,000 lives.
http://www.aljazeera.com/…/malawi-reduced-hivaids-infection…
9. Air travel continues to get safer, and 2016 saw the second fewest per capita deaths in aviation of any year on record.
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/2016-one-safest-years-aviat…/
10. India’s dogged commitment to reforestation saw a single day event planting more than 50 million trees, a world record.
http://www.forbes.com/…/india-bet-6-billion-carbon-storag…/…
11. Measles has been eradicated from the Americas. A 22 year vaccination campaign has led to the elimination of the horrific virus.
http://www.theatlantic.com/…/09/measel-free-americas/501887/
12. After a century, Einstein’s theory of gravitational waves has been proven correct, in a ‘moon shot’ scientific achievement.
https://www.nasa.gov/…/nsf-s-ligo-has-detected-gravitation…/
13. China has announced a firm date for the end of the ivory trade, as public opinion is becoming more staunchly environmentalist.
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/china-announces-ban-ivory-t…/
14. A solar powered airplane flew across the Pacific Ocean for the first time, highlighting a new era of energy possibilities.
http://www.cnn.com/…/trav…/solar-impulse-2-plane-california/
15. Costa Rica’s entire electrical grid ran on renewable energy for over half the year, and their capacity continues to grow.
http://thecostaricanews.com/costa-rica-used-100-renewable-…/
16. Israeli and US researchers believe they are on the brink of being able to cure radiation sickness, after successful tests this year.
http://www.reuters.com/…/us-israel-radiation-treatment-idUS…
17. The ozone layer has shown that through tackling a problem head on, the world can stem environmental disasters, together.
http://www.cnn.com/…/…/health/antarctic-ozone-layer-healing/
18. A new treatment for melanoma has seen a potential 40% survival rate, taking a huge step forward towards long-term cancer survivability.
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36304018
19. An Ebola vaccine was developed by Canadian researchers with 100% efficacy. Humans eradicated horror, together.
http://www.newsweek.com/ebola-vaccine-small-pox-outbreak-va…
20. British Columbia protected 85% of the world’s largest temperate rainforest, in a landmark environmental agreement.
http://www.reuters.com/…/us-canada-environment-rainforest-i…
21. 2016 saw the designation of more than 40 new marine sanctuaries in 20 countries, covering an area larger than the United States.
http://www.reuters.com/…/us-environment-oceans-pledges-idUS…
22. These marine reserves include Malaysia’s 13 year struggle to complete a million hectare park, completed this year.
https://www.theguardian.com/…/malaysia-just-established-a-o…
23. This also includes the largest marine reserve in history, created in Antarctica via an unprecedented agreement by 24 nations.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/…/ross-sea-marine-prote…/
24. Atmospheric acid pollution, once a gloomy reality, has been tackled to the point of being almost back to pre-industrial levels.
http://sciencebulletin.org/archives/5347.html
25. Major diseases are in decline. The US saw a 50% mortality drop in colon cancer; lower heart disease, osteoporosis and dementia.
http://www.nytimes.com/…/a-medical-mystery-of-the-best-kind…
26. Uruguay successfully fought tobacco companies to create a precedent for small countries looking to introduce health-focused legislation.
http://www.csmonitor.com/…/Uruguay-The-little-country-that-…
27. World hunger has reached its lowest point in 25 years, and with poverty levels dropping worldwide, seems likely to continue.
http://www.nytimes.com/…/is-the-era-of-great-famines-over.h…
28. The AU made strides to become more unified, launching an all-Africa passport meant to allow for visa-free travel for all citizens.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/the-opposite-of-brexit-af…/
29. Fossil fuel emissions flatlined in 2016, with the Paris agreement becoming the fastest UN treaty to become international law.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/…/rise-in-global-carbon…/
30. China announced a ban on new coal mines, with renewed targets to increase electrical capacity through renewables by 2020.
http://www.wri.org/…/chinas-1-2-3-punch-tackle-wasted-renew…
31. One third of Dutch prison cells are empty as the crime rate shrank by more than 25% in the last eight years, continuing to drop.
http://www.dutchnews.nl/…/falling-crime-rates-and-prison-c…/
32. In August went to the high Arctic with some incredible artists. They helped open my eyes to the promise of the next generation.
www.generatorevent.com/arctic/
33. Science, economics, and environmentalists saw a reversal in the overfishing trends of the United States this year.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/…/how-dwindling-fish-…/
34. Boyan Slat successfully tested his Ocean Cleanup prototype, and aims to clean up to 40% of ocean-borne plastics starting this year.
https://www.theoceancleanup.com/
35. Israel now produces 55% of its freshwater, turning what is one of the driest countries on earth into an agricultural heartland.
https://ensia.com/features/water-desalination-middle-east/
36. The Italian government made it harder to waste food, creating laws that provided impetus to collect, share and donate excess meals.
http://www.independent.co.uk/…/italy-food-waste-laws-news-m…
37. People pouring ice on their head provided the ALS foundation with enough funding to isolate a genetic cause of the disease.
http://www.alsa.org/…/significant-gene-discovery-072516.htm…
38. Manatees, arguably the most enjoyable animal to meet while swimming, are no longer endangered.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/ex…/manatees-threatened/
39. Grizzlies, arguably the least enjoyable animal to meet while swimming, no longer require federal protection in national parks.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/…/160304-grizzlies-bear…/
40. Global aid increased 7%, with money being spent to help the world’s 65 million displaced people and refugees doubling.
http://www.oecd.org/…/development-aid-rises-again-in-2015-s…
41. 2016 was the most charitable year in American history. China’s donations have increased more than ten times since a decade ago.
https://givingusa.org/giving-usa-2016/
42. The Gates Foundation announced another 5 billion dollars towards eradicating poverty and disease in Africa.
http://www.africanews.com/…/bill-gates-to-invest-5-billion…/
43. Individual Canadians were so welcoming that the country set a world standard for how to privately sponsor and resettle refugees.
http://www.nytimes.com/…/americ…/canada-syrian-refugees.html
44. Teenage birth rates in the United States have never been lower, while at the same time graduation rates have never been higher.
http://www.pbs.org/…/teen-birthrate-reaches-all-time-low-c…/
45. SpaceX made history by landing a rocket upright after returning from space, potentially opening a new era of space exploration.
https://www.wired.com/…/spacex-just-landed-rocket-ground-f…/
46. Finally - The Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years, giving hope to Maple Leafs fans everywhere.
http://www.nbcnews.com/…/chicago-cubs-bury-curse-first-worl…
There are countless more examples, big and small. If you refocus on the things that are working, your year will be better than the last.
Happy New Year, everyone.

So yes, I wrote a book. It is a pretty good book. It is called "Dying Embers". You should go look at it. Maybe buy it.
​Also for some obscure reason my publisher says I need to learn more about self promotion. Go figure. 

Book Review – Trollhunters

Inspired by the Netflix release of the “Trollhunters” animated series this author picked up a copy of the original Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus book at the local library for a read. I had actually watched the first episode in the series, or rather enough of it to be inspired to read the book, and I can say this.
The Netflix series got EVERYTHING WRONG. Seriously, E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. Paladins are always human for one. The main character is raised by a single father, not a single mother. The sidekick is tall, not short. Blinky’s eyes are on tentacle stalks not imbedded in his skull. And Ms. Johannah M. ARRRGH!!! Of the noble line of Scottish ARRGH!!!s is ink black, (as opposed to the males coal black) not concrete grey. Really, it is as if no one on the Netflix project even read the books.
One might assume from this little rant that in the short partial day that this author has had the book I have grown quite attached to it. One might be right. Oh the book has its flaws. There is quite a bit of squick in a story about a war with trolls. There is the reference to what trolls do with the children they capture. The mental imagery can be gag inducing at times.
The characters are wonderful however. Everyone plays a role in the terror that strikes the town and while some of the story arcs are quite obviously set up from the beginning (yes we all knew he was a troll from chapter two) some twists take the reader delightfully (or squeamishly) by surprise. I would not suggest this book for very young children. Exposure to too much Shakespeare can be problematic after all. For everyone else though this is a great romp and I am looking forward to the next installments in the series. There is still the question of what happened to the protagonist’s mother hanging about. In a book with this many twists she didn’t just wander off with the vacuum salesman. Where did the basketball sized gallbladder go? What was the meaning of the artistic connection of the police officer with the bullet in his head and the ARRGH!!!’s embedded boulder?
(Okay, maybe Netflix didn’t get everything wrong but they did get all the important bits wrong. They haven’t even shown the numbered cats yet.)