The Fifth Seal

Pink and blue, I love you

"Pink and blue, I love you" published on The Writers Thread

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To do list for Bank Holiday weekend

1. Finish reading and write review for The WynderMyre Memoirs
2. Final check and edit for 'The secret of all creation'. Then submit!
3. Sort out press release for 'My Wings be Forgotten'
4. Get back to 'The Last Titan' and make some actual progress.

There, that should be plenty!

New Promo Video for My Wings Be Forgotten

Jumping into new media here!

Have a look at my new video. 

Proof I have been writing. The Last Titan is on its way!

Hi everybody.

Sorry I've been in hiding for a while. Here I am!

A little taster of Book 4 in my Forgotten Wings series.

SPOILER ALERT - 
THIS IS A DRAFT FROM BOOK 4 OF THE FORGOTTEN WINGS SERIES

.......... Despite myself, despite willing to ignore everything that was happening to me my steps faltered and I had to pause to gain control.

Atomic laughed. “Oh that is pathetic.”

While I stood there catching my breath she raised one foot up in the air and stamped into onto the ground. A shock wave formed around her and spread outward. I could see the ring expanding toward me, in the earth and in the air.  Was this effect pure magic or was it something physical she had caused to happen? If it was magic then maybe, maybe, I could withstand it. If it was physical …

It hit me hard, sending me into the air, tumbling over and over. I think I might have blacked out for an instant but no longer because I was still off the ground and spinning when my senses came back to me. I grabbed at me belly with one hand: “Sorry, baby, sorry ….” And then I hit the lake and plunged under.

The water felt cold and I turned over in confusion. Which way was up?

“Mistress!” Cassandra called through the bond.

“Mistress!” Catherine echoed.

I was in the water, I was on the battlefield. I was in Angel’s Keep. All at the same time. I was getting inputs from my bondswomen and it was mixing in with my magic, becoming a vision all of itself.

I spun and spun. Which way was up? Was I in the water or on the field? Was I in a room? Every direction was a fantasy window on the  world beyond the water.

Atomic stood victorious at the head of her fallen goddess foe, her eyes towards the lake where I had disappeared. There she was, after giving me the equivalent of a little prod with her foot, victorious and gloating. Magnificent and indestructible.  

Which way is up?

Kashi was with Giulia as she lay on the birthing bed.

“Don’t leave us.” Catherine called to me.

Casandra followed with, “Get out of the water.”

Yes, but which way is up?

And Giulia shouted at Catherine. “What’s happening? What’s happening?”

“Mistress?” Cassandra called. The crowd was silent, holding its breath.

Yes. Hold your breath. Which way is up?

And watched by Catherine Giulia pulled herself up and grabbed Kashi’s arm. “Help her.”

“I can’t. I won’t.”

“Don’t lie to me. I know who you are. I figured it out. Help her you … you … bitch!”

And Kashi looked down at my wife. “I can’t interfere to save her. It wouldn’t be right, child.” She put a hand gently on Giulia’s shoulder and then she turned to look straight into Catherine’s eyes; and in that way, straight into mine. “But I suppose I can stop interfering in the way I have been.” She raised her hands and it was as if time itself suddenly stood to attention, an ever faithful hound ready to obey her command. “Behold.”

And my visions splintered, the bonds chocked on the magic that burst forth. Heavenly trumpets blasted out. The world beat in rhythm and I heard it sing. I heard the Earth sing. Of course! Of course!  I knew that song and I knew what it meant. Glory be to Mother. Oh glory be! Glory be!

Glory be, you utter, absolute, sneaky, lying Bitch!

Now, which way is up? I spun one more time and figured it out. Well, enough of this. Time to kill a goddess.........

On my reading list right now

Hi,

I often feel that time is my enemy and with all the things I want to do finding even a few moments to read other people's work is always hard! And yet it is also so often incredibly rewarding!

So on my current reading list is

  The Witch's Way (work in progress by Nora P)

  The WynderMyre Memoirs by Ce Dany

  To the End by Laura Seeber

Hope to (eventually) get back with comments!

Summary of the week W/E 12 June 2016

Okay,

Here are a few highlights from the week.

Firstly The Writer's Thread Showcase published my story The Confession. I am still buzzing about that and I hope at least some people have given it a read.

That sort of inspired me to write another short story and since I had the idea I got cracking on Pink and Blue, I love you. I was doing quite well until the halfway point when I suddenly realized that I needed a plot. You know what? I couldn't find one. Not for days. When one eventually turned up it wasn't what I expected. Probably exactly what other people expect of me though -LOL!. I need to sort out where I want to publish this but in the meantime I am going to let it lie for a while and read it from cold next week.

During the week I also put my poem Sunrise in Valencia up on my website. I wrote this a few years back and then lost it. Finally in desperation I searched through my old emails and found a copy that I had used to send to my own kindle. I have now put this on my website together with an actual reading (Yes, by me!) so you can listen to it too.

Having finished all of that I have just moved back to The Last Titan. Not so long ago this story was almost writing itself but taking time out to review and complete Queen of Demons and then getting going with a few other projects has meant that I struggled to put this particular glove back on my writing hand. Still, I am pleased that I have finally started to made some progress again: a new chapter drafted today and this should feed an interesting sub-plot within the main story.

'The Confession' just published on The Writers Thread Showcase

Read it on The Writer's Thread Showcase: The Confession

Author's reading of 'Sunrise in Valencia'

Just put a reading of my poem "Sunrise in Valencia" on my website. First time I've ever recorded anything. (Wish my voice sounded better!) It's taken me a lot of courage to put this on the net. Probably a big mistake.

Listen / Read at http://www.madden-brooker.com/Articles/Valencia/valencia.html

Beautiful Wings

I came across this lovely creature and her handler in Canary Wharf today.  Apparently it is a good way to keep the local bird population under control by basically giving the pigeons a reason to be somewhere else.

Hardly a great summer's day but this certainly cheered me up.

The headache of naming your characters

I always find naming my character to be quite difficult and so very, very important to get right.

Naming a character is the author’s act of creation, of giving a soul to a concept born from the ‘DNA’ made of a chain of her words.

Find out more of my thoughts here in The headache of naming your characters.

Social Networking or Net-Failing

It's official.

I am 'on' social media. 

I have to be frank, it has been a bit of a struggle and a steep learning curve.

Yes, I had always intended to have my own website and this blog but it's only fairly recently that I have become convinced that I needed a presence across the web. So, I now also have:

• Google+
• Facebook
• Twitter

So if I keep them all updated with my latest writer musings and happenings will be my new challenge! OMG, maybe I need three of me now! :) 

Right, so now all I have to do is put this on Google+, Facebook, Twitter! 

Suddenly feeling very small on a big internet!

[PS go to my homepage www.madden-brooker.com for links to any of my media sites]

Back writing after a difficult week

Oh but its hard being a part-time writer. The day job can be a source of terrible frustration as it never leaves time in the day to get on and do what I actually want to. This afternoon though I have been back at my desk typing away at The Last Titan. Yey!

2036 words drafted today involving Sapphira, an ancient Olympian goddess and and lots of TV sets!

I am enjoying myself.

A quick sample:

SPOILER ALERT - 
THIS IS A DRAFT FROM BOOK 4 OF THE FORGOTTEN WINGS SERIES

The Fermi residence was a quite magnificent affair, a grand glass mansion overlooking the sea on one side and a more traditional brick construction on the other.  It was classy and tasteful I thought as we swung through the gates which opened to let us through, and up the tree lined drive to the main entrance.

“A very good day to you Madame,” said Scolari as we exited the car. I looked at him and frowned. He was the same man who had appeared on the video chat earlier Or at least, it was the same body. As he led us into the house I turned to Margaret and Michael and run my hand across my throat. “He’s already dead,” I mouthed to them. I wasn’t even sure how I could tell that. Maybe it was the absence of any kind or aura (I could after all still normally see something with my ‘short’ Sight) or maybe it was some other more subtle cue. It didn’t matter; I just knew. There was no soul in the creature in front of us. It was dead. As far as one could practically define it, it was a zombie.

Scolari stopped suddenly and faced me. “You know don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Well it doesn’t matter, does it Sweetie? I’m in the house so just carry on following this one.” The figure started forward again. “I didn’t expect you to appear so human. And pregnant? Surely you can do better than that?”

We walked down a corridor and into an atrium with a glass lift. Atomic willed Scolari’s body to take us up to floors and walked us along another length of a landing until we got to a room of noise and shadows. The last zombie I had seen was a pitiful, broken thing that walked with an unnatural gait and moved with almost robot jerks as Kennefick the sorcerer controlled him. This one moved with a fluidity and grace that may even have surpassed what the man had managed when he was actually alive.

The noise I was hearing was a jumble of voices, music, street sounds, some sporadic gunfire, passionate lovemaking … it was a cacophony of different events in at least four different languages. It was chaos. Bedlam.

It was eight or nine large TV screens tuned to different channels, each one blaring out at top volume. Atomic had her back to us as we entered the room. Over her shoulder was a boxing match in German whilst the news played out in Cantonese. There was a Hollywood sci-fi movie in one corner whilst something quite pornographic was happening on the lower right. Elsewhere a war was being fought and cheerleaders were pom-pomming for the Broncos.  Meanwhile, in Deli …

“Is it not fantastic?” the goddess purred. All these stories, all these happenings.  And it’s just travelling through the air. Through the air! The mortals have finally done something to impress me.

I managed to focus on what she said but it wasn’t easy.

“Atomic,” I said, “I come with greetings. I would like to speak with you.”

“Pull up a chair, Sweetie. Let’s just enjoy all this for a while.”

I swallowed my impatience and Margaret pulled up a chair for me to sit on.  The Chinese news programme clicked over to one in Spanish from Panama. To my left was a cage holding a naked woman. She looked at me with wide eyes and mouthed “Help me.”

I could not resist

Just registered madden-brooker.london domain name for myself.  Still keeping my .com one of course but I couldn't resist this.

Will sort out some links and stuff later on this week.

Alyson's photo shoot - maybe

Like a lot of people, I hate having my photograph taken. In fact, I don't really have any I can use as an official photograph.

Pretty sad, eh?

Em has been pestering me to sort that out but I just know how I'll look at he end of it: Eyes closed and grimacing. Yes, I always think I am smiling for the camera but in truth it's ... awful. Plus I have mad hair! Seriously, I have MAD hair. And, arhh, wrinkles. (Em says they are 'young woman' wrinkles and not the other type. Isn't that sweet?)

I'll think about it some more.

Website Technical Issues

My author's page is currently down due to 'technical issues'. Apparently the guys with magic screwdrivers (no, I don't mean that - behave) are trying to fix it. Hope 'Linux shared server 88.208.252.231' is up and running again soon. The hosting people I use are actually really good for the most part.

Server 88.208.252.231: One careful owner.

Note that the mobile phone site is still up (but no automatic forwarder from main site): madden-brooker.mynetobjects.com 

Fantasy stories and fantasy sex: My thoughts

"Three dimensional characters need to have sex in three dimensions, that is to say in a way which aligns with their physical, mental and cultural characteristics. A demon is a demon and sex with a demon is not going to be fifteen minutes in the missionary position!"

Read my article "Should sex scenes in fantasy fiction be fantasy sex?" for more.

(Posted in my Google + "Alyson's Meta Writing" collection)

Train Writing

What is it like trying to use your commuting time to write stories on a train?

Let me tell you ...

Read about Train writing in my Google+ "Alyson's Meta Writing" collection

My website has just gone mobile friendly

This was bugging me but I think I've got it sorted now.

Try it on your mobile now (www.madden-brooker.com) Remember the main desktop site will show up unless you are actually surfing from your smartphone!

Derby Maysden. A new lead character

Working this last week or so on new character / book whilst I take a quick break from The Last Titan.

Meet Derby Maysden, a witch with problems!

Sometimes it helps to create some illustrations like this. I already knew for example that when she means business she paints her face and that's one thing I wanted to get properly visualized.

Hopeful the project will succeed and you'll find out a lot more about Derby and her world. It's not always a pretty one; it is a world where everyone believes she is a murderer whilst the anxious spirits that have haunted her throughout her life only ever take the payment of her pain and blood.

Should be fun to write.

Queen of Demons published

Just released latest book Queen of Demons on Amazon Kindle. Yay!  Will celebrate this weekend in traditional book publishing manner (champagne)

So, finally free to get writing more of The Last Titan.

Paco & Enrique

Congratulations to Paco and Enrique who are getting married in September. Up-issue of True Angel (new cover) will be dedicated to them :)

But no evil sorcerers for this special occasion. Oh, and I promise not to bring a sword to the wedding!

Un beso a los dos, chicos

Queen of Demons almost ready

Getting ready with Book 3 of Forgotten Wings series. "Queen of Demons" to be published very, very soon.   :)

Just in that dreaded 'proof reading' stage!  Also found major continuity error - it's what happens when you move chapters around during your final edits!

Still, this one is topping the 100,000 words mark.  So biggest yet.

New covers for books 1 and 2

Just sorting out New covers for Forgotten Wings and True Angel. Plan to upgrade them soon, ready for publishing Queen of Demons.