Hello again, {$name|default:'reader'}. Or welcome, if you're new!

I've had the first feedback from my Beta readers, and I hope you'll indulge me if I share a little of it. I was concerned that it was going to need a lot more work, but (at least for this reader) I think I've managed to pull it off...

Finally finished your masterpiece and can I say huge congratulations on a really clever book. I looked forward to my bedtime reading, knowing that I was going to tap back into this world you created.

That's not to say it was all moonlight and kittens, they had some (very useful) criticism and suggestions, and of course there are a few more people still to report it. But for now, at least, I feel a little more confident in the book.

Thanks also to those who sent me some gardening suggestions after the last newsletter. The weather has been so lovely recently that I've managed to make some decent progress, although it's been too hot to do anything overly ambitious. I have a plan now, though, so that's something. And apart from a couple of minor cuts and scrapes, I'm still uninjured!

I know I have a few writers following this newsletter, and I also know we get stuck from time to time. So I'm excited to share this quick quiz from my friend Liz Green which can unpick why you're not writing in just 60 seconds... greengoosewriting.com

Space News

Is Betelgeuse about to explode?

No. Well, maybe. It depends on the timescale you're looking at. All stars die, eventually; if they're big enough, they go with a bang - a supernova. Betelgeuse is a big one, a red supergiant, and when it does finally explode we'll be able to see it easily with the naked eye.

As we look at the constellation of Orion, one of the most easily recognised arrangements of stars in the night sky, we see it as his shoulder. In fact, its its name comes from the Arabic bat al-jawz, which means "the giant's shoulder". It took a long time for us in the west to realise that it was brightening and dimming on a regular pattern, since astronomers here believed that all stars were unchanging and never varied. However Aboriginal Australians knew about it long before that, and their mythology even explains it as the fire magic of Nyeeruna the hunter waxing and waning as he battles his sister Kambugudha.

So why are astronomers watching so closely now? That dimming and brightening has doubled in speed recently, which signals that something is happening. Normally we'd expect Betelgeuse to explode 'in the next 100,000 years or so' (practically tomorrow on astronomical timescales) but a recent study has suggested that it might be within the next few decades. There hasn't been a supernova in our galaxy since the 1600s, so it's a very big deal!

Dr Becky Smethurst on YouTube has a great explainer, and links to all the relevant papers. In short, if the papers are correct then the star has exhausted its hydrogen supplies and is now fusing carbon - something that can't last long.

There's no cause for alarm - it's around 550 light years away, so while it'll put on a great light show, there's no danger to us here.

Betelgeuse, top left, in the Orion Nebula.

Source: youtube.com

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!

storyoriginapp.com

Hiding in the myths of history... until now

Lyan has been putting "impures" out of their misery for longer than he can remember. Certainly longer than any human can remember.

But this one is different. This is one of Garnell's brood. For the love of the Grove, how could someone like Garnell have turned?

That doesn't matter, now. The fact is, Garnell is just another runner. And he, better than anyone, knows what little his future holds.

And the woman? What of her? A complication. One that Lyan is not looking forward to dealing with. But he will. He always does.

Why should this time be any different?

Crush a bit of Dan Brown, throw in a fistful of Lee Child, and top with a sprinkle of Tolkien

Free!

storyoriginapp.com

This man is not where he's supposed to be. He's on a space station. He's light years away from where he should be. And he's dead.

Cliff Hock is an elite galactic bounty hunter. But even he can't explain what's going on. Cliff finds himself prisoner to a police officer that's gone mad with power. But, by partnering with an attractive alien, Cliff unravels the conspiracy and holds the guilty accountable.

You'll love this quick, fun read. If you like puzzles that keep you guessing until the end, this Cliff Hock adventure is for you.

https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/0a7e29f0-0e91-11ee-9e36-c72a79e0a17b

He didn't think it would kill him.

The invaders need the mentally strong and the physically able-the rest of the human population are simply landfill. Who are these creatures and what are their intentions? Sheldon, a fifteen-year-old high school dropout, has no interest in finding out-at least not yet. Instead, he fights for his life as these ruthless aliens take over the little town of Hidden Trail. Sheldon takes refuge in an abandoned school with a beautiful girl named Cara and a couple of kids who happen to have profound ideas about the motives of the alien invasion. The group is soon picked up by some edgy teenagers who are preparing to escape to the water. However, when Cara goes missing, Sheldon deviates from the plans and discovers more about the rapidly evolving aliens and their horrifying yet curious vision. The lovestruck teen soon questions the morality of the human spirit, and wonders what it might be like to submit to the utopian idealisms of this new alien race.

Readers Thrills Giveaway

storyoriginapp.com

From now until 22nd July you can get a variety of thrilling reads in almost any genre imaginable. And even better, they're totally free!

Strange News

The Mummy's Curse Explained

First of all, there isn't really a 'Mummy's Curse' - as exciting as the idea is, the death rates among people who've been involved with excavating or robbing ancient tombs is no higher than among those who weren't. But we love stories, and once the idea arises that Tutankhamen is striking down those who dared disturb his eternal slumber, we notice each suggestion that he's struck again much more clearly. When the 'evidence' includes Howard Carter - the man who opened the tomb of Tutankhamen - dying sixteen years later, you're pretty safe to assume that there's no danger. But there might be... Perfectly sealed tombs can preserve more than just the bodies. Fungi, bacteria and viruses have all been found to be viable when locked away for centuries. Lead-lined coffins are particularly dangerous, as they prevent the entry of air or moisture which would break down the pathogens. This precise thing has killed people. In 1973, a group of 12 scientists opened the tomb of 15th-century King Casimir IV Jagiellon in Poland. And then, over the following few weeks, 10 of the 12 scientists involved were dead. The culprit was a cocktail of 13 different fungi, including Aspergillus, which can easily be fatal, and not a curse. There's no real evidence to suggest that any of the Egyptologists were affected by fungi, and most people would be healthy enough to get nothing more than an allergic reaction if they were exposed, but researchers and museums do need to exercise care when working with ancient remains. There is a museum in Mexico with mummies from as recently as the last century that are covered in fungi, and their cases aren't air-tight...

Aspergillus under a microscope.

Source: Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Miscellany

The streets that don't exist

Some Italian towns have streets that you can't find on any map, and that don't exist in real life either. Why? To help circus performers, and the less fortunate...

Source: Atlas Obscura

Recycling nuclear waste

We might not have to bury our nuclear waste for hundreds of thousands of years... We can use it as fuel.

Source: youtube.com

The mathematics behind punctuation

I still struggle with commas, but it's nice to know that most major European languages (and possibly most languages world-wide) follow a mathematically predictable pattern in the usage of punctuation.

Source: phys.org

And Finally

I don't have any tattoos. I've never really felt strongly enough about something to permanently etch it on my body (I have enough problems deciding which pictures to put on the walls, and you can literally change them on a whim). But this might change my mind... Every letter of the alphabet, and every number, in a single compact image.

As a writer, there's something about condensing down every book ever written into a simple shape like that. The art of writing is putting words together, creating some image or emotion for your readers with a remarkably restricted set of letters to work with. Seeing them all together as an art piece really connected with me in a strange way.

Although perhaps I ought to start with a badge, and make sure I still feel that way in a few months...

Source: 3dprint.com