Future Plans

Rich Chesler is still working his way through Red Ice, but he's busy juggling several other writing projects and it looks like he won't be able to commit to another Outcast Ops novel in the near future. I may go ahead and outline another OO novel, but it won't be a priority.

So, what does this mean? It means that I am free to work on my own projects and I've already started outlining a fantasy novel, The Assassin Prince, which I hope will be the start of a series I plan to call The Night Blades.

Why the change in genre? A change of pace. I love technothrillers, both reading and writing them, but I also love fantasy and decided was the time to try. It more worldbuilding then with technothrillers, because, it's literally a whole other world that has to be built from scratch. While I wait for Red Ice to be sent back for my look-over, I want to use this blog as a guild to how I build this world.

I won't bother with the African Firestorm updates anymore, but if you want to read it, it's on Amazon and is part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the UK, click here!

Later!

Craig

Research and African Firestorm

I made this time around....

All writing full speed ahead. All Battlecorps stories are @ 5,000 words. The Valiant RPG extra writing is going well, and I'm fining my groove there. The African Firestorm will have to have the last couple of chapters rewritten, to reflect the research I have been doing. Nothing major, but it's taking a little thought. It's more changing a few things and pushing the arrival of the bad guys back than a major rewrite, so it should be done this week and I can move onto the climax.

I talked about research, and I am finding that it's a lot more intense than I expected. That's good, because I love to look things up, but sooner or later, the story has to be written. But the different subjects I touch on in this story is varies from countries, languages, weapons, and cultures. Science Fiction off-planet is easier, as in space, the culture can be anything you want it to be. Same with a lot of fantasy stories. It's wordbuilding in its purest form.

But African Firestorm is a modern-day thriller, which mean making sure the real world details I include are the right details. Yes, the plot is fiction, but realism helps sell the fiction. If the bad guy fires an AK-47, I, as a write have to know something about the weapon in question, even if only ten percent of the knowledge ever reaches the paper. I have to supply enough information so the reader knows the situation is plausible, while at the same time, avoiding an info dump that stops the story in its tracks and gives the reader useless information. Using the AK-47 as an example, I may mention the rifle fires a 7.62mm round and it's a common weapon in most parts of the world, but I can't spend three sentences or an entire paragraph explaining its history or the local variants from around the world.

If my bad guys are a special forces unit from a hostile country, I have to have the right weapons for them to use. The vehicles used have to be the right type for that area, and any sea vessels have to be researched enough to fit the story.

Am I over-researching? Probably, but this is a chance to write a type of story I've always wanted to write, so best to over research then do none and leave the reader wondering if I was too lazy to go look for the information.

That's all for now.

Craig

Magic in Merlin's Heir Series (pt 2)

Still musing here....Don't try this at home folks, I'm an semi-trained writer with no insurance! This is another stream of thought, done on the fly, and will probably embarrass me sometime down the road.....

There are two forms of energy Order Magic users can call on, for different purposes. Manna and Chi. Both these energy forms are in the environment around the magic user, and they dictate what spells can be used.

Manna is energy given off by the classic basic elements --- Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. There are millions of smaller sources of manna, as every non-living thing on the planet has some manna in it, but everything falls under one of the four elements. Under most circumstances, a wizard or witch will use manna from the basic elements for spells.

Earth and air manna are the most common, and are readily available for a human magical user's use. Fire and water need a source to be useful, but the more powerful and experienced a wizard is, the less manna they need to work their spells with. So, while a novice or weak magic user might need a bonfire or a lake to create the spell, a master wizard could get by with a recently put out campfire or a puddle to create the same spell. Most attack and defense spells are manna-based.

As I mentioned before, all non-living material gives off manna, but in small quantities compared to the major elements. Items like rocks, metal, plastic, sand, glass, all give off manna. However, raw material gives off more manna than refined material, so an untouched granite bolder gives off more manna than a granite statue of the same weight. A wizard will use these other items for various reasons, including wards and to add extra energy to a spell. Gemstones are prized for their manna, and most wizards will carry a few for their use in spells.

Chi is the energy given off by all living things. Like with Manna, living (raw) life has more energy than dead (refined) life. The amount of energy given off is based on size, length of life, and intelligence of the lifeform. Humans give off more chi than most animals.

Chi is trickier to use than manna. For one, most magic user use only their own chi. Using someone else chi without their permission is considered a series breach of trust. Necromancy is using spirit chi to control spirits of the dead, and is one of the few things that will cause the magic users community to band together and hunt the Necromancer down.

Second, the spells that need chi are limited. Most Chi-based spells are for things like strengthening the human body, healing wounds, or pushing the human body to over its limits. A magic user doesn't have enough chi to use it like a fireball or force bolt spell. Any chi spells are either internal to the wizard/witch or delivered by touch.

While it would be theoretically possible to change a human into an animal, the amount of time and animal chi needed would be too high to sustain the change. The more extreme a change is, the more chi it takes, as the chi of the target needs to be overwhelmed to force the change.

That's enough for now -- now I have the weekend to do some more thinking....

Craig

Magic in Merlin's Heir Series (pt 1)

I've decided to blog a few times about the background of Merlin's Heir series, in part to firm up my own thoughts about a few things. Today, a running stream of thought regarding Magic in the world of Merlin's Heir,(Part one of the stream in any case....),

Since Merlin's Heir series are set in the modern world, I don't have to worry about creating the background from scratch. But the magical system for this world has to be created from scratch (so, to speak). So, this is what I have in mind so far:

Magic is defined in the world of Merlin's Heir as the manipulation of energy by an individual to effect the surrounding environment in some significant way.

Magic is divided into two forms: Order Magic and Chaos Magic. Order Magic is using the energy in the surrounding environment to cast spells. This covers the magic used by human wizards, witches, and the magical races that exist in the world. Now, Order Magic is called that not because it's used by good people --- evil wizards/witches use Order Magic just like good wizards/witches. It's because those wielding it use the type of environmental energy required for the spell, based on the results the wizard is seeking. If the wizard uses a fireball spell, they must use fire energy. a water-based spell needs water energy, and so on. By manipulating the amount of each energy stream used, the wizard/witch can adjust the spell's effects.

On the other hand, Chaos Magic is unnatural and 100% evil. It is the energy demons use, and if they find a human eager or desperate enough to worship them, the demons grant the worshipers access to their energy. Those who use the Chaos energy for spell-casting are known as Sorcerers. The demonic energy is subject to the sorcerer's will, and the strongest users are very dangerous. But Chaos energy is dangerous to use and subject to the demon's whim.

The difference is who can use each type of magic. Wizards/Witches are born with the ability to sense and use the energy around them. They have to learn how to use their gifts and vary in strength from weak to very strong. The main difference between wizards and witches is their approach: Wizards are more scientific in their approach to teaching and researching, while witches are more spiritual in their magic use. Relations between the two branches are still strained after the witch-hunting of the middle ages.

Sorcerers don't need any special ability, just a willingness to deal with one of the many demon lords. The Chaos energy is like an addictive drug, and sorcerers becomes addicted to the feeling of power. Sorcerers generally establishing themselves as head of a cult serving the demon lord who granted them the power.

I think that's all for now....need to do some more thinking....

Craig

The Merlin's Heir Series --- My Original World

I'm going to talk a bit about writing in your own universe. In this case, it's writing in the world of Merlin's Heir.

Up to now, most of my writing has been either in fanfiction (Anime series), or in a shared universe (Battletech). Both are universes created by someone else, and everything is laid out --- the main characters, locations, situations, even the technology/magical level, all established and need only the story and original characters (main or supporting). In fanfiction, I'm a great believer in staying within the universe created by the anime series, so my stories are clearly in the universe set out by the creators. With Battletech, most of the universe is set in stone, and even my fanfiction based in that universe is with the confines set by those markers. My profession Battletech writing is even more closely settled in the universe.

On the other hand, original stories are harder to write, because everything in an original story has to come from the author. “Well, d’oh,” you might be saying, “that’s what an original story is.”

True, but until you sit down and begin thinking it through, you may not realize how much stuff a story needs. There’s the obvious things: characters, plot, and locations. But original stories need so much more.

In the Merlin Heir series, magic is a large part of the books’ theme, but I need to create the magical rules system that the hero must operate under. And since magic is not a set of laws I can go ahead and look up when I need to, I need to create them and establish what the hero can and can't do with magic. I have to create a system so not only do I understand it, but so does the reader.

For some reason I cannot understand, I set the Merlin’s Legacy in a small town in Maine. Yes, Maine. (I guess my subconsciousness likes Murder, She Wrote when it came to the planning phase if things, as I've never read Steven King.) Somehow, setting the novel here in Florida doesn't feel right, while Maine does. What hurts is I've never been to Maine, cannot afford to travel to Maine , and I don’t have any friends up there to ask for background on Maine. I have to research Maine and get enough details for a convincing background (travel guide, Wikipedia, and websites.) On the plus side, Merlin’s Legacy and Merlin’s Staff are set in that part of Maine. On the minus side, Merlin’s Trial is mostly set in San Francisco, while Merlin’s Courtship is primarily set in Boston. So, two more cities I've never visited need to be researched.

(If anyone living in Maine, San Francisco, or Boston want to share their experiences or local knowledge of these areas, I will not say no.)

Then there is the small stuff. My main character uses Latin to call up his spells, while the main villain uses German. Another character uses the Fae language (Gaelic that I've slightly altered) for her spells. I also have Arthurian elements that I need to blend into the story. The right characters need to be snarky at the right time.

If this sounds like i'm complaining, I'm not. In some ways, it's liberating. It's the difference between riding a bicycle with training wheels and without. And while I'm not ready to leave Battletech anytime soon, being able to do something that is all mine is a good feeling.

I’ll go into some more detail into each Merlin's Heir novel in future posts.

Craig

Still Slogging

I manage to double post a blog entry, and I have a lot on my plate, but I will have something new tomorrow, promise!!

Craig

Background: The Kingdom

The Kingdom is surrounded on all four sides by natural barriers – mountains to the east, west and south, while a large body of water to the north. These barriers, combined with the Kingdom’s well-trained and armed Army and Navy have kept both the Empire and Dominion from taking the county. It is a prosperous country, with a strong merchant fleet and plenty of natural resources. There isn’t major blights of poverty-stricken people, no rebellions, no major strifes. In short, a nice place to live.

As I envision it at the start of the story, The Kingdom is a bit of a misnomer, as there hasn’t been a ruler for some sixty years. We have a missing ruling family. Now, why hasn’t anyone else taken the throne?

The answer is in the title of the (Hopefully) series: The Death Throne. For the past sixty years, anyone who has tried to take the Kingdom’s throne for themselves hasn’t lasted a month. Most have died, either from accident or assassination and a couple have gone mad and fled the country. After a while, the idea of taking the throne is consider suicide.

All it takes for someone to Claim Kingdom’s Throne is to sit in the King’s Throne, a massive chair in the Throne room on the Citadel’s capital city. It is said that any person who claims the throne who is not of the ruling family will not last a lunar month.

So, who’s running the country? A council handles the overall running of the country, while several nobles handle their own lands. It’s a lash up, but it’s working.

But while neither the Empire nor the Dominion have been able to take Kingdom with force of arms, they’ve been trying to subvert the Kingdom with spies, assassins, and bribery. Things are beginning to come to a head. Both the Empire and Dominion are gearing up for war and the Kingdom is looking to be the battlefield.

More later!

Craig

Empires of the Mind.

(Note: if future posts seem to be less frequent, I’m working on something else that has a deadline and needs most of my attention right now. I will try and put up at least one post a week on this blog. Now back to your [ir]regular post.)

I’ve decided to start with the basic map of this new world, at least the part I want my story based in. As someone recently reminded me, I should stick with the one story, and don’t worry about any others in the series. Fair enough, but I want to start with a world that I can tell stories in. Maybe not in the detail from ther start, but I would like to have something more in the wings, assuming I actually get this thing off the ground. For now, I will stick with that part of the world where the action happens.

I envision three countries: One, which I will call the Kingdom for now, are the "good guys," the home of the main characters. The other two, which I will call Empire and Dominion, are larger than Kingdom and are the "bad guys". Yes, it simplistic, but I’m just getting the basics down first, there will be plenty of time to layer in the shades of gray.

As I envision it, The Empire and Dominion have been at war for a long while, but are at a stalemate. The Kingdom is wedged between them, sharing common borders with both sides, but staying out of the war. Combined, the Dominion and Empire holds about seventy-five percent of the land, while the other twenty-five percent belongs to Kingdom.

That raises the question; Why hasn’t the Kingdom been swallowed up by either of the larger countries?

The Dominion and Empire are both aggressive expansionist states, with a hunger for land and people to rule over. Just being neutral is not going to cut it; the land is either part of the Dominion/Kingdom, or about to be. There would be three ways to keep both larger states out — a strong military, technology, and physical (or mystical) barriers.

The strongest of the three is the physical barriers. Mountains, seas, swamps, dense jungles, sheer cliffs, gorges, massive walls, or a combination of several of these. Anything that keeps large groups of soldiers out. The mystical barrier may have some possibilities, but I need to work out the magic first before I can make that decision.

The Kingdom’s military, not as large as either Dominion or Empire’s forces, but well trained and equipped, excel at defensive battles. Part of the army would man fortresses along the border in strategic locations along the border, with a mobile part able to move to where they’re needed. Maybe a small but potent section of battle wizards?

Technology. . . .This is something I’m going to have to look at. Not being well-verse in the type of era I plan to set this story in, I need to do some research, to get an idea.

For now, I think physical barriers is the best and simplest reason for Kingdom’s independence. But I don’t want a landlocked Switzerland-like country. I want Kingdom to have a seaport, as part of the economy and for future story ideas. So, something like this:

Sea/Ocean
　
                        ^^    Kingdom      ^^
                       ^^                  ^^
      Empire           ^^                  ^^      Dominion 
                      ^^                    ^^
                      ^^                    ^^
                       ^^                    ^^
                        ^^                  ^^ 
                         ^^                ^^
                          ^^               ^^
                           ^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^
　
　
                      (Coastline somewhere down here)

Now that I have the basic shape of my land, I need to think through the different countries, their cultures, mindset, general history and military.
Back to work!

Craig