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Newsletter Archive
April 15, 2023
Breakthroughs, boulders and Britain.
Hello again, {$name|default:'reader'}. Or welcome, if you're new!
I think I've cracked it. No, this isn't another injury report, but I think I now have a better ending for the next 'Martians' book. I've mentioned before that I was struggling with the editing process, and I've done enough writing now to know that it's usually that's a sign that something is wrong somewhere. If we use the analogy of weaving, all the story threads seemed to keep slipping out of my grasp. Worse still, some were doubled up and some appeared to be missing - and as much as I could join the ends and patch the gaps, it's a sign that something is wrong at the lowest levels. And since I'd been unhappy with my outline, and had gone 'off track' I just assumed it was only to be expected. Turns out it was the ending. Usually the problem is earlier on, something missing at or near the start which means the story lacks direction, and wanders off course. So naturally I was revisiting the opening chapters, the first third or half of the book, looking for the issue. Eventually I just decided to press on, re-read the rest of it and let my subconscious look for the problem. I got to the end, and... it just tailed off. No cliffhanger, no real surprises, nothing but a vague 'ticking clock' that didn't so much raise the tension as just feel shoe-horned in. The irony is, all the elements for a fantastic ending were already there! Intrigue, lies, mysterious behaviour, outright sabotage... and none of it came together. Suffice it to say, it does now. And with a better sense of where we're going, everything just snapped into place. I'm reassured by the fact that I'd evidently planned all these factors, even if I dropped the ball when it came to the ending. And that I couldn't find the problem at the beginning means I think the first half (or even two-thirds) of the book is sound after all. I think you're going to love it. I know I do.
Space News
The nearest thing to being on Mars
You can now explore Mars with an interactive mosaic of pretty much every image NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has ever taken of the red planet. Over 110,000 images have been stitched together to give a Google Earth style interface, at the highest resolution so far available.
If it were printed out, this 5.7 trillion pixel (or 5.7 terapixel) mosaic would be large enough to cover the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.
And it's not just for fun - even while it was in a Beta version, more than 120 peer-reviewed papers have cited it, so it's a valuable tool for real science too. This is despite it being in black-and-white only, and a resolution of 25 square meters per pixel. Things are only going to get better from here!
You can read more about how it was put together here:
Source: murray-lab.caltech.edu
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.
Free!
A simple job. What could go wrong?
Jason "Key" Rokku has just been released from prison after 10 years. Dumped back on the moon, Izanami, of his origin planet (Izanagi) he struggles to make it back into society. No one is willing to handle an ex-convict. That is except Apollus Tuck, a businessman who owns a few restaurants across the resource rich moon. Key comes to Tuck's attention when he prevents a kidnapping and as a result Tuck offers him a position as a bodyguard.
Tuck's political ambitions are in jeopardy when he is blackmailed by a former friend who has an embarrassing tape of a drunken Tuck at a party. He sends Key to retrieve the tape, but the opposing political party is also after the tape in the hopes they can end his campaign before it starts. They have hired a Freelancer from the infamous Empire-free VokGuild to mediate with Tuck's ex-friend and safely courier the tape to them. Key will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to get the tape before it's too late.
Free!
A magical heirloom. Jealous enemies. Is karate enough to keep this barista alive?
Kit Melbourne longs to quit her brother's coffee shop to pursue her artistic dreams. And despite the temptation to sell the sought-after enchanted gem she inherited from her uncle, she promises her family to protect it at all costs. But when her brother's tea-leaf reading predicts her imminent death, she's terrified to discover those who want it will kill to make it theirs.
Forced to dig into her late relative's murky past, Kit is doubly shocked when she learns the artefact's mighty power cannot be transferred unless its caretaker is dead. But despite her command of karate and fierce vampiric allies, her attackers show no sign of giving up their relentless lethal pursuit.
Has Kit's vow not to sell sealed her doom?
UBL
An ancient device is set to murder all witches.
It's up to me and my boyfriend, Tix to stop it.
What happens when we become its targets?
Is this something we can survive?
Driz and Tix are still together! But for how long? This new threat could bring about more disaster than they realize.
On a mission giveaway!
For the next month (at least) you can grab a remarkable number of Sci-Fi and Fantasy action novels through Kindle Unlimited.
Not a member of Kindle Unlimited already? I've got you covered... Try it free for 30 days, or get two months for just 99p/99c!
Pick up a couple of new books 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
Fairies aren't as old as you think.
Would you believe that the idea of fairies in Britain only date back as far as the sixteenth century? Prior to that, while there were of course stories of supernatural and mischievous magical creatures, they were almost entirely referred to as 'elves'.
In supposedly true stories collected in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, elves-or other uncanny not-quite-humans-often lived in a world parallel to ours, with boundaries that could sometimes be crossed. They might seduce men, steal babies, or-sometimes-provide assistance to humans.
The linked article draws parallels between the Protestant Revolution that was happening at the time, introducing the public to new concepts such as angels and demons, and this surge in old stories being revisited and revised. Interestingly the church at the time was more likely to ignore these tales than condemn them, which led to a surprising acceptance of the idea in wider society. Even the Royal Family got into the act, Elizabeth I being portrayed as Queen of the Fairies by more than one writer. Henry, Prince of Wales attended a ball as Oberon, the King of the Fairy realm.
Even so, they were impossible to pin down. They could be capricious, moral, tricksters or downright dangerous, depending on who you believed. I would have loved watching people's beliefs grow and change to fit society's needs.
'Dancing Fairies (lvalek)' by August Malmstrm, 1866
Source: daily.jstor.org
Miscellany
Fungus Killed the Dinosaurs?
Was fungus a killing blow that, after the impact, helped end the age of reptiles and promoted mammals to dominance? This scientific paper argues that the resistance to fungal infections that mammals share is not a coincidence.
Source: journals.plos.org
A telescope in a 747
NASA has now retired the SOFIA telescope, a giant infra-red instrument that was flown in a Boeing 747 to get it above as much of the atmosphere as possible. Now superseded by the Webb space telescope, this video looks back over the life of this unusual device.
Source: youtube.com
On trial for having children with the fairies.
To modern eyes, her account sounds like a blend of epilepsy and hallucinations, possibly brought on by schizophrenia or some similar condition. Fortunately for Karin, the court did not pass a death sentence as was common at the time, but blamed Satan for driving her insane. She was given a silver cross and the congregation was ordered to pray for her.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
And Finally
Remember a couple of newsletters ago, when I said we had a cat trying to move in with us? It seems we were mistaken. Don't worry, he's not a stray: he looks decently fed and healthy, has a nice glossy coat, so we're sure he has a house already. He looks exactly like our Lola, so we've just been calling him 'Fake Lola', and he sits at the catflap calling out most mornings and evenings. We chase him off, and he just comes back. We were glad that Lola didn't seem to mind him all that much - certainly they never fought - and she just shouted at him to go away from time to time. We've been watching more closely, and I think he has a crush on her. He turns up, calls for her at the door, and whenever she's outside he just follows her around. She's now decided she just has to tolerate him, and doesn't encourage him. Fortunately she's been spayed, so there's no danger of a litter of kittens in our future, even if he hasn't been neutered. We think he's snuck in once, though. We heard the catflap go twice, and didn't realise Lola was upstairs at the time... so we might still be getting checked out as potential owners / servants.
Fake Lola waiting for the real one.
