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Newsletter Archive
September 2, 2023
I wasn't busy enough...
Hello again, {$name|default:'reader'}. Or welcome, if you're new!
Thanks to all of you who pre-ordered the book, either as a physical copy directly from me, or as an eBook via Amazon. I'm absolutely thrilled so many of you are excited to keep following George and Amy as they fight for survival.
When you have read it, it would be a massive help to see some reviews posted. Be honest, and tell other potential readers what you thought! It can make a huge difference.
So what's next, I hear you ask? Well, ideas are gestating for the third (and final) book in that series, and I have the second of my 'Fairies' books to edit too. So naturally I'm taking on another challenge anyway.
There's a fellow on YouTube that goes by the name 'Struthless'. He's Australian, and extremely creative. His videos are a combination of inspiration, documentary and psychology, all presented in a very energetic (if somewhat frenetic) style that I find oddly motivating. He has a way of encouraging you into action when you really don't think you can 'do the thing'.
And he's launching a new project. Called 'Alphabet Superset' it's a simple enough idea - create a piece of art for each letter of the alphabet. One per week, with a few rest weeks built in, so it's definitely do-able. While most of his followers are visual artists of some type, the challenge is open to anyone and everyone, so I'm choosing to do it via writing. So here's my public declaration:
I will create a flash fiction piece (200-250 words) every week. They will be inspired by the myths and legends of the UK, and based on a different letter of the alphabet each time. I'll post them on my blog, both as written word and audio of me reading them out. I will probably add one to each scheduled email, but I won't be spamming you with them all. They may also appear on some social media, although I have absolutely no idea which of the current crop of apps is worth my time and energy.
Here's the video announcing it - there's still time to sign up (completely free) to do your own creative challenge too, if you like. The beauty is that so much of it is constrained and limited; most of the tricky decisions and stumbling blocks are taken out of your way. youtube.com
But first: which (if any) social media do you use? Knowing where you lovely people hang out will help me find more of you...
Facebook Twitter / X TikTok YouTube BlueSky Mastodon
Wish me luck!
Space News
India's Chandrayaan-3 successfully lands on the Moon
India's Space Agency has successfully landed a science station and a rover near the moon's southern pole. The lander includes an experiment called ChaSTE to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature of the lunar surface, a seismometer to look for moon-quakes, and something called a Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate plasma density. There's also a passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA which can be used for lunar laser ranging studies.
The rover will be determining the elemental composition of the moon's surface near the landing site. It has an X-ray spectrometer and a spectroscope that uses lasers to vaporise rocks to figure out what they're made of.
Even before it left earth orbit, the mission was doing science - studying the spectral characteristics of Earth to help determine how we can detect life on other planets.
ESA (European Space Agency) is also supporting this mission, using their deep-space tracking network called Estrack https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/ESA_Ground_Stations/Estrack_ground_stations
Source: esa.int
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 Madam, a Tinker, and a Resurrected Cat
This prequel short story to "The Adventures of Bodacious Creed" reveals how Anna Lynn Boyd, young brothel madam and secret inventor, resurrected her pet cat, met her partner Jonny, and how Jonny became mute. There's science, adventure, heartbreak, and love in this tale that won an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future Contest.
Read it now!
My sister was supposed to be safe among the Fae. But now...she's missing. In exile, my dark past comes back to haunt me when I must return to New York's supernatural underground to find out what happened to the sister who was supposed to be a fae princess. I'll have to use all my tricks and deadly contact to find her and hope the fae don't find out I'm sniffing around again. Or I might be next. A thrilling, sexy, new adult urban fantasy from a USA Today bestseller! New episodes weekly!
Free!
A merchant who abandoned his birthright... A princess with a dark secret... And an encounter destined to change their lives forever...
Down on his luck, Kaine Khalia was gathering mushrooms in the forest to sell in the nearby capital. A young woman's screams were the last thing he expected to find. Dashing to her rescue, Kaine finds himself face to face with a monster that should not even exist, fighting for his life as well as hers.
His world only gets crazier from there. Kaine returns with Princess Lydia to her father's castle, where he discovers himself in the king's good graces. Confused and leery by a reward beyond gold, Kaine reluctantly agrees to remain and help with Lydia's younger siblings. Life could not have thrown him more.
Plunged into a world of magical intrigue, unrest, and political maneuvering, each new event leaves Kaine feeling out of place and, worse, dangerously exposed to a growing threat. The Darian Kingdom stands at the crossroads. Lydia's upcoming wedding to the prince of the Throatian Kingdom will soon become the defining moment in Kaine's life.
Dystopian, Sci-Fi and post-apocalyptic reads in Kindle Unlimited Get these books fast! This promotion ends September 5th!
Strange News
'Wolf-Man' Spotted?
A full third of Germany is covered in dense forests, and there have long been rumours of people living 'wild' there. Now two hikers have taken some photos that seem to confirm the truth.
Harz national park, in north central Germany, has a network of sandstone caves, and it was near this that the figure was spotted. He was wielding a spear, appeared dirty and 'behaved like a stone age man from a history book.'
German tabloid Bild reports that the man, or similar figures, have been occasionally spotted in the area going back to at least 2015.
Local authorities are also thought to have sometimes found evidence of camp fires being set in the woods, as well as rudimentary dwelling spaces.
One such tale turned out to be true, when in 2007 an American man was found living in a hut in the Eifel, a mountain range in West Germany, where he also turned out to be cultivating small amounts of marijuana.
Photo (via Bild) of the purported 'Wolf-Man'.
Source: metro.co.uk
Miscellany
Extra-solar meteorite recovered
Back in 2014 a meteorite was tracked entering the Earth's atmosphere and analysis of its trajectory confirmed it was definitely from outside our solar system. Now fragments of it have been retrieved from the sea floor.
Source: avi-loeb.medium.com
A Mars clock you can use.
I've mentioned clocks for use on other planets, but this is a simple web page that gives you the current time on Mars, and the status of the probes currently in use there.
Source: marsclock.com
Iceberg Lettuce
Why is 'crunchy water' still so popular, despite the proliferation of much tastier varieties?
Source: Atlas Obscura
And Finally
If you want to get a review copy of the new book, that'd be great! All I ask is that you post an honest review to Amazon or GoodReads when you're finished. Reviews are hugely important for an author, and can make the difference between a quiet launch or a great one.
I have a limited number of review copies to share, so if you're interested just reply to this email or use this link. https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/c0bbe9b2-3db9-11ee-8f11-c347f186bac9
Regardless, I hope you enjoy the book, and even if it's not your cup of tea then do please stick with me. there's another, rather different one coming before the end of the year...
Source: storyoriginapp.com