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Newsletter Archive
November 12, 2022
'Just keep writing'
Hello again, Reader.
Are you on Twitter? The last couple of weeks on there have been... let's say interesting. A new owner, a lot of uncertainty about the direction of the platform, and very little in the way of hard and fast information. Whatever your opinion of the whole thing, it's undeniable that Twitter forms a very important part of the internet for a lot of people, and it's going to be interesting to see what shakes out over the next few weeks and months. I'm still there (@markhood) but I'm also checking out Mastodon, which is certainly a very different approach to social media. It's not quite as easy to use, and it will also be interesting to see how they cope with the inevitable trolls and abuse when there isn't a central 'authority' setting the rules. In the meantime, I'm not letting any of it drag my attention away from writing! I'm keeping up with my daily words, and now that I've finished my application for the opportunity I mentioned last time, I am back on the next Martian book. I've just passed 40,000 words out of my target of around 60,000! My goal is now to finish the first draft by the end of November, so I can let it sit and stew for a while, as I work on something else. Then in the new year I can come back and re-read it with fresh eyes, edit and expand it, and hopefully have it ready to launch before too long! My first drafts tend to be short, as I go back in later and add a lot more emotion and description. The first run through is mostly me telling myself the story, and getting the basic facts together. It's readable, but very 'flat' - you don't always care about the characters as much as you might want to. The later drafts are when I flesh them out more, get inside their heads and really let you feel what they're going through. And they're going through some rough stuff, I can tell you! But then again, maybe I've been a bit soft on them in places. I'll often need to make things harder for them on the second draft too. It's no fun if they can just stroll in and take what they need without any real challenge...
Space News
Nasa and Esa Agree on Next Steps to Return Mars Samples to Earth
As remarkable as the rovers currently pootling about on Mars are, there's only so much they can do. Until we have humans strolling around up there, the opportunities for performing science are going to be limited. So what can we do in the meantime? Bring back some samples, and examine them on Earth, of course! And that's just come a step closer now that NASA and ESA have agreed what happens next. Sadly, it's still a while before we can expect Earth-based labs to get their hands on Mars samples, but the idea was science fiction until not all that long ago. For now, Perseverance will gather up the samples and place them safely in a cache until we're ready to go pick them up. Obviously everyone's hoping for evidence of life, either long-past or more excitingly, still present - but whatever is found it'll definitely improve our understanding of how Mars and the Earth formed, and no doubt a whole host of other discoveries will be made.
This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rock and soil collected from the Martian surface by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover.
Source: NASA Mars Exploration Program
Other Books To Check Out
I've gathered a few great books from independent authors like me, I hope you'll check them out.
And let me know if you have any books to recommend! I'm particularly interested in indie authors, but anything you've read and loved would be awesome.
The Cold
Free
No diagnosis is final ... when you have enough money. A short story about the possible future of modern medicine and the dangers of going too far.
William R. Hollandsworth III is rich and powerful; both admired as well as feared. He's also dying. But he's thought his way out of bigger problems than this. Will he find a way to cheat death, or has he finally met his match?
Pegasus: A Journey To New Eden
Free
Are you ready for Pegasus?
Zack and Zuri are set to embark on the Pegasus for New Eden, an unknown and unexplored planet four light years from Earth. For Zack, four light years isn't nearly far enough from the madness that has been mankind's history. For Zuri, it is a chance to have the family she has so long desired.
Dropnauts
Free
It's time for mankind to go home. Diverse hopepunk sci-fi.
Life after the Crash.
Over a century after the end of the Earth, life goes on in Redemption, the sole remaining Lunar colony, and possibly the last outpost of humankind in the Solar System. But with an existential threat burrowing its way into the Moon's core, humanity must recolonize the homeworld.
Twenty brave dropnauts set off on a mission to explore the empty planet. Four of them-Rai, Hera, Ghost and Tien-have trained for two-and-a-half years for the Return. They're bound for Martinez Base, just outside the Old Earth city of San Francisco.
But what awaits them there will turn their assumptions upside down-and in the process, either save or destroy what's left of humanity.
A Science Fiction giveaway, literally dozens of free books which means there's something here for everyone.
Pick up a couple today, and then drop the author a line, telling them what you think! Believe me, it really makes a writer's day when they get an email like that.
Strange News
Found Footage and Analog Horror
I've got a complicated history with 'Found Footage' media - while I love the conceit of 'pretend it's real', sometimes it gets taken too far and too seriously, and we end up with the creators vehemently denying it's fiction. When done well, it can be remarkable - and it's a very clever way to explore an open ended mystery since real life (unlike movies) rarely gets wrapped up in a nice neat explanation.
So when I stumbled across 'The Backrooms' I wasn't sure what I was going to find - something genuinely engaging, or something self-indulgent and relying on the found footage trope to cover up its shortcomings.
Spoiler - it's good. Really good. The first part is fairly slow, but does a good job of cranking up the tension. The later parts really tie the narrative together, answering some questions while raising new ones.
Source: youtube.com
Miscellany
The Magical Card Battle of Britain
Before "Magic: The Gathering" there were Top Trumps... and now there's a card battle game clearly inspired by that, with celebrated British occultists and mythological figures.
Source: helleborezine.bigcartel.com
Exploring "The Backrooms"
A deep dive into the mythology of 'The Backrooms' and an examination of the video series.
Source: youtube.com
The Wishing Tree of Betws-y-Coed
Push a coin into the bark for the fairies, in exchange for a wish.
Source: youtube.com
And Finally
It's Fall Time in Tennessee. I apologise in advance for how this song is going to get into your head, but it's better than what the forest people want to put there...
Source: youtube.com