I’ve been writing novels, short stories, and blogs for the better part of five years.
Well, we’ve reached another Monday.
Just a few, brief, early week tidbits before my day starts in earnest.
First off, holy shit! The WHY SO SERIOUS? Syndicate has selected A Beast Requires as their 1st selection!
I’m blown away, and incredibly honored that two amazing humor writers think A Beast Requires is not only funny, but a great book as well. Writing humor is a game of rough shot, and going in, you know that not every joke is going to land. The greatest joy I get from my readers is when they tell me about all the inopportune times they burst out laughing.
Secondly, I will be doing another awkward author video this week, talking about the world building that went into A Beast Requires. I mentioned it briefly forever and a day ago, but I feel it deserves a bit more of an in depth conversation. So stay tuned for that, and hit me up with any questions you have about A Beast Requires, or me, on Twitter @EremiticFool
And the last tidbit, my newest article is up on Killer Moose. This month I’m talking about Guardians of Order’s Game of Thrones RPG, GURPS Discworld, and the Dresden Files RPG. Yea, I go deep into settings, discussing if a game can stay true to its fandom while bringing in new players. So if you’re into tabletop RPGs, definitely check it out.
Also, can I mention how awesome the word tidbit is? So freaking glorious.
- Jay
Dear Readers,
I want to thank all of you for your faith in Children of the Teller. I want you to know how much your support means to me.
I have decided to cancel this campaign for the time being. I am not currently able to put in the time and effort that is needed to run a successful Inkshares campaign, let along win an Inkshares/Geek & Sundry contest.You should see a refund from Inkshares soon.
If you haven’t already, consider purchasing my first novel, Lucky. There are only 16 days remaining in that campaign and it is running 425 orders short of our goal. If you order a copy and then get five other people to order, that will make a big dent in the remaining numbers.
While I have your attention, please note that Sara Polk’s amazing novel The Delicate Art of Soulripping is currently #2 in the Geek & Sundry Fantasy contest! A few notes about this novel that you need to know:
If there are any issues with your refunds, please let me know (a direct message on Inkshares will do) and I’ll do what I can to help you get it straightened out.
As always...thank you.
- Webster
OH BAAAYBEEEEEE! Storm Chaser’s fully Textured and ready to go!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6OEDfDOjDg&feature=youtu.be
Hello adventurers!
I have spent my afternoon and evening today editing the previous chapters, adding some things and fixing the errors I made with the help of one dear follower. It is only right that I give his project a shout out. Go and check out his book, The Knightmares! It is a horror book, with a most entertaining and quirky style to it.
I am currently in the middle of writing a new chapter, and one minute worth of text is already available. The chapters I’m releasing this week require a ton of research and double-checking the facts. The Hunter Saga isn’t obviously meant to be a history book, but I feel like the more real and accurate the environment is, the more magical the fantastical things will be.
During the next few chapters we will explore the relationships of the characters deeper, as they are bound to spend a lot of time together to get to their goal. No worries, there will be plenty of action afterwards. Plenty. Oh gods I feel horrible just thinking about the things I’m destined to write soon. But it must be done! I’m thinking about how much do I want to release here, and at the very least, I need to tell this first origin story to its end *shudder*. You don’t become a monster hunter without getting some trauma, that much can be deciphered from Supernatural. Everything is going to be alright, right guys? Why am I sounding like a creepy villain from Goosebumps? Huff!
Sweet dreams! You are important!
-H.A.
There is no magic bullet
We can’t Star Trek our way out of this one
Bigotry, classism, elitism, hatred, and all the other ills of our times are exacerbated by unjust distribution of resources. When someone has – or appears to have – the ability to give a resource to someone in need of that resource, that’s when societal ills go from quirks to conflicts.
When a family is starving for want of bread, they don’t simply rob the nearest baker. They choose the baker most different from them. When faced with the opportunity to hire someone and uplift them from poverty, an employer chooses the applicant with which they most empathize. It’s hard to turn away someone that looks like they could be your son, or daughter, or even you from a different life.
Without scarcity – without need – these conflicts would not become violent. Without scarcity – whether that scarcity be of rights or resources – bigotry goes without harmful expression. Without scarcity, we can afford to tolerate bigotry.
Magic Bullets are Blanks
Star Trek: The Next Generation and the original series both faltered when faced with a specific conflict. Two groups which dislike each other are fighting over a limited resource. Often there has been some wrong-doing, misunderstanding, or ancient enmity that results in a conflict. In the end, the crew of the Enterprise broker an end to hostilities.
Take “When the Bough Breaks” as an example. An elusive nation kidnaps children because they can breed none of their own. The Enterprise, ready to fight to get back its stolen people, discovers the cause of the nation’s infertility. They present the solution to the people of the nation, and peace is attained. The children are returned.
This sort of solution appears time and again throughout many Star Trek series, but it is the most false of hopes. An acute problem on the edge of spilling out into violence, is resolved by the clever intervention of technology. Yes, drama still occurs, but the scarcity which caused the conflict is alleviated.
This is what it means to “Star Trek” your way out of a problem, and it rarely works in real life. Technological solutions always target the suffering of the rich. When the poor are considered, they are but a market from which the rich can benefit. Heroes who seek to solve the world’s problems with only technology, will only succeed in widening the gap between the wealthy and those that suffer the most.
Technology can cure a great variety of ills. Those who market technology as a cure-all are either grifters or marks.
The Alchemy of Brilliance
Brilliance - and the greater continent of Promise - is filthy with the fantastic. The Soaring Scar - the home of the Raptors - is a mountain range that floats above a boiling ocean. The walkwoods of Promise will march upon cities and towns to drag away sinner and saint alike. And, barring misadventure, the people of Brilliance live forever.
All this magic - well, most of this magic - is due to the influence of alchemy, and it is bound by alchemy’s limitations. Alchemy cannot bring the dead back to life. Alchemy cannot make barren lands grow food. Alchemy cannot provide energy from nothing. All energy on Promise comes from somewhere. Resources are always limited.
Reagents and the knowledge of how to use them are scarce. Perhaps the most contentious resource is the possession of the iron wells themselves. While iron water is most central to the people of Brilliance, there are other forces in the world that rely on it as well.
Unlike Star Trek or other utopian fictions, Seven Days a Servant does not present a technology which cures scarcity. In fact, all fantastic technologies on Promise increase demand for its scarce resources.
As Brilliance moves ever-closer to revolution, no technology is going to save them. They can’t Star Trek their way out of their problems. Whoever lives to tell the story of Brilliance, they won’t recall the magical solution which brought salvation on the dawn of their darkest day.
Peace will be won with negotiation, compromise, and blood.
I’m sending you a small excerpt from the chapter called "Full Moon." I hope you enjoy it!
It must be Monday, because here’s another installment of Lucy’s adventures. This scene is the one that’s missing from most urban fantasy novels – having an awkward conversation with your mother about sex. Lucy goes to her mother’s horse ranch to ask about her father, sees a man about a horse, and gets invited to dinner by a cat.
If you missed any of the chapters, there are links at the bottom of the description section on the main project page. Enjoy, and maybe I’ll post a completely unrelated short story later this week, just for the hell of it. Until next time, readers.
