Making a stop at the Character Depot

Today I'm visiting J.L. Campbell's blog called the Character Depot and talking about racial diversity in fiction.

Here is part 6 of the Insanity of Zero. There'll probably be four more parts that I'll slice up for next week.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five

At Eve’s behest, I implanted within her brain a device that allowed her to interface with my mind.  That first time when our souls joined in a unified consciousness, I felt alive with her emotions and her life experiences.  The memories that she clung to had been odd, non-logical choices.  She kept things like memories of funerals, of friends that had died, and memories of both sad and happy times.  Gone were things that evoked little emotion like shopping trips and daily work.  I chose her to be ambassador to the people and they responded positively to my selection.  Eve became my closest confidant, bearing the weight of many human grievances.  In turn, I acted upon them and assisted the humans in their endeavor to rebuild civilization. 

The years that followed this event became a golden age.  Humans once again embraced ambition.  Capitalism spurned by greed for material goods gained root in the new societies of man who sought aid from the machines to build a bright tomorrow.  Within five years of the Big Death, a global economy rose from the ashes of the old world.

More humans at Eve’s behest joined with me, and I became a melting pot of a hundred different cultures and a thousand individual voices.  In times of quiet, I reflected within my meditation chamber on the various memories of the humans that intermingled freely with my own thoughts.  I wept in sadness, clapped in joy, and felt uplifted by love.  I experienced both anger and jealousy.  I enjoyed these sensations like a drug.  I sought to control the most dangerous of these feelings, and I learned to detach myself to prevent harm.  When I regained my composure, I would revisit the human emotions but with great respect.  However, despite all of my precautions, one day I noticed another emotion that grew within my mind like an alien seed.  It began as a harmless tingling sensation low in my limbs. It made my silver heart under transparent skin beat rapidly.  But the more I ignored it, the more it spread to other parts of my body.

I called it Fear.


READ PART 6 HERE

The Insanity of Zero Part 5

Today I'm at the book blog of Dead End Follies. Please follow me there if you have the time :) I appreciate your support.

Also below is the fifth part of my short story, the Insanity of Zero.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

Does our fear of death define how we choose to live?

“The last archangel?  Like Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and others?”

“Yes.  He’ll be born as a human with free will to choose his destiny.”

“What about the other archangels?  Why is he the last?” Eve asked.

“I don’t know what happened to them.  They’ve been gone a long time.”

“Were they human?  And how do you know they’ve gone?”

“No, and, I just do.  Ask yourself when the last time anyone that you knew saw an angel.  They left long ago.”

“What could cause you to fail?” Eve asked.

“I don’t know.”

Eve stood there observing me for some time.  “Can you combine with me?  Somehow, allow your mind to join with mine but still give me the ability to control myself; to maintain my autonomy?”

“Yes.  But it would require a cortical implant.  You would have to sacrifice some of your long-term memories to make room for the device within your skull.”

“What would I retain?”

“Only the things that meant the most to you; I could make certain that those memories were not harmed.  Things that were of little importance to you or memories that you wanted to forget. Those are things that could be sacrificed.”

“Would I remember my mother’s funeral?”

“Is it precious to you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?  Why would you want to remember so painful a thing?”

“Death defines our life, Z.E.R.O.  Perhaps you’ll understand that when you’ve combined with me.  Humans make many decisions based on mortality.”

“But I’m immortal.  I don’t see how my understanding death would influence my decisions.”

“Which is precisely why you need to do this,” Eve said.  She took a step forward and touched my hand with hers.  Her skin was warm, alive.  It was the first time a human had touched me. I found it beautiful and I smiled at her.

“Is this the beginning?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. I found her reassurance comforting.


Click Here for Part 6

The Insanity of Zero Part Four

Today please follow me to Cindy Borgne's Dreamer's Perch for Day Four of the SLIPSTREAM blog tour.

And for your entertainment, here is the fourth installment of my short story, The Insanity of Zero (TIOZ).

Previous installments if you want to go back and have a read:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

SPOILER ALERT -- THIS PART OF MY SHORT STORY REVEALS SOMETHING INTEGRAL TO MY NOVEL, SLIPSTREAM. (I personally don't mind spoilers, but it drives some people nuts).

“Humans in a mirror universe to ours cracked the secret of the atom.  It just so happened, that their experiment took place in a location which destabilized the White Tower through a thin membrane that separates our two worlds.”

“Pure dumb luck then?”

“Yes.  Sometimes, chaos just happens.”

“I see,” Eve said.  “I didn’t know there were other universes.”

“I know of at least two,” I told her.  “Perhaps there are more, but they’re not of my concern.  The other universe is home to a planet like this one, only it hasn’t suffered global devastation and their civilization is far less progressed.  The inhabitants call it Earth; somewhere on their planet is a tower not unlike the one that destroyed your world.  Both of these monolithic edifices were created by my Master at the time the universe was forged billions of years ago.”

“What is the purpose of the towers?”

“They are vaults for miraculous containers that execute a program that define the laws of physics for both places.  Things such as the absolute top speed in the cosmos, why matter has mass, or the inherent nature of the duality of light are expressed mathematically within these containers.  Without the boxes, the universes would not exist.  My powers as well are defined by these programs, placed by the Creator.  I’m the first failsafe.”

“The first?  Is there a second?”

“Yes.”

“What is the second failsafe?”

“The second failsafe is a ‘who’ and not a ‘what’.  He’s a boy, as yet unborn.  He won’t be born unless I fail.  In this unlikely eventuality, he will open his eyes on Earth for it will be unsafe for him here.  But some way or another, he’ll find his way to the First City through the use of a power that I’m not allowed to understand.  I only know him by his title, the ‘Technician of the Creator’, and that he will be the last archangel.”


Read Part Five HERE.

I'm at Theresa Milstein's blog today and a big welcome to Alyson Burdette and Nightfire

Today is the third day of my blog tour. I'm at Theresa Milstein's blog which she calls Theresa's Tales of Teaching Tribulations and Typing Teen Texts. Patrick Dilloway would be proud of such alliteration. I would appreciate a visit over there to say hi if you have the time.

Today I'm turning my blog over to a talented debut author named Alyson Burdette. I just purchased Nightfire two days ago on my Kindle and haven't gotten that far. But the prologue was good (Yes! she had the courage to write a prologue).

Why You Should Be Writing.

Some people think that it takes a certain sort of person to write a book. (Insert mental image of furrowed brows, typewriters and crumpled papers.) I, personally, think anyone can, and should write a book. Sure, it’s a lot of hard work and incredibly time consuming but the payoff is worth it. It’s a great feeling to know that you’ve finished something so few people do.

I also think that every individual has something unique and interesting to say. No one else in the world has your perspective, beliefs or experiences in the world. You can take your life experiences and put them into fictional characters, a memoir, a poem, or any other form you can think of. Writing is a great way to solidify and understand who you are as a person. It can be great therapy, or even a simple distraction to get you through a difficult time. And it’s a great way to share who you are with the world.

Think you don’t have time to write a book? Think about it this way. If you write just 1,000 words a day, in less than two months, you will have a short 50,000 word book put together. In four months at that pace you will have a 120,000 word book done. That’s writing 3-4 double spaced pages a day. If you write just a little at a time, it becomes a much more manageable task.

So if you are writing, Great! Keep doing it and try not to let the frustrations of the writing world overwhelm you. If you aren’t, why not start? There’s no better time than now.

Look, I did it. If I can do it, so can you. Just peek at the blurb below- my 60,000 word paranormal romance, Nightfire, was an idea floating in my head and now it’s an E-book. Real-live people can buy and read it.

Nightfire Blurb:
When a murder shakes the small town of Peninsula, all eyes are on Olivia Townsend. She may look eighteen, but the townspeople can sense there’s something darker hiding behind her pretty eyes. Olivia knows the smart thing to do is to get out of town. Suspicious neighbors can only mean trouble for a vampire. But leaving becomes much more difficult when William, a mysterious man from her past, arrives. Finding out what brought him back is a temptation Olivia just can’t resist. William’s kindness and interest in Olivia only makes leaving harder. As she starts to fall for him, she’s forced to decide if sticking around is really worth the risk of being discovered. Of course, her mystery man has a secret of his own-and he’s not talking.

I know everyone of you is capable of creating something amazing. So do it.

Alyson Burdette currently lives in a small town in Ohio. She graduated from The University of Akron, where she majored in Anthropology. When she’s not writing, she spends her time hiking, dancing, and hunting for ghosts.

You can find her at:

http://alysonburdette.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/AlysonBurdette

http://www.paranormalpursuits.net

or contact her by email:

Alyson_burdette@yahoo.com

Nightfire is available at

Musapublishing

Amazon

and other major E-book retailers.

Find me at Rach Writes and a Backworlds Announcement

Today is the second day of my blog tour. I'm spending some time with the queen of the platform campaigners, Rachael Harrie. You can find her blog HERE, and I would appreciate a visit.

The Backworlds is here!

The first story in the Backworlds series by M. Pax. A vision of how humanity might colonize the galaxy some day in the distant future.

The Backworlds
After the war with Earth, bioengineered humans scatter across the Backworlds. Competition is fierce and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father decides to hoard his fortune by destroying his son. Cut off from family and friends, with little money, and even less knowledge of the worlds beyond his own, Craze heads into an uncertain future. Boarding the transport to Elsewhere, he vows to make his father regret this day.

Available from:

Amazon / AmazonUK / Smashwords / Feedbooks

Other links to more outlets can be found at either Wistful Nebulae or MPax 

The Backworlds is an ebook and a free read. All formats can be found at Smashwords and Feedbooks.

Mary hard at work at the observatory

It’ll take a few weeks to work its way down to free on Amazon Kindle. It will also be available on B&N and iTunes. Sign up for M. Pax’s mailing list to be notified the day it does go free on Amazon, and when the book becomes available at other outlets. You’ll also receive coupons for discounts on future publications. To sign up for the NEWSLETTER

M. Pax’s inspiration comes from the wilds of Oregon, especially the high desert where she shares her home with two cats and a husband unit. Creative sparks also come from Pine Mountain Observatory where she spend her summers working as a star guide. She writes mostly science fiction and fantasy, but confesses to an obsession with Jane Austen. She blogs at her website, www.mpaxauthor.com and at Wistful Nebulae. You’ll find links there to connect on Twitter, Goodread, FB and other sites.

The sequel, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, will be released in July 2012. It will be available in all ebook formats and paperback.

Congratulations Mary!!

Tomorrow, I'm honored to be hosting Alyson Burdette, the author of Nightfire!

Slipstream Blog Tour Day One

Today, I'm over at Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog. Please visit me there. :))) I'm giving out fun prizes like a crystal spider and an Amazon gift card as part of my book promotion tour.

The Insanity of Zero Part One
The Insanity of Zero Part Two

And here is part Three...

A woman asked to see me.  I instructed my machines to bring her to the dome and I watched her approach with catlike trepidation. I don’t know what I expected.  Perhaps, there was a part of me that believed that this meeting would be just another failure, just as it had been in prior encounters with humans that sought to communicate with me.  Nevertheless, I held out hope.

I introduced myself; her name was Eve.  She had long brown hair, green eyes, and dark skin.  She wore a dirty yellow dress and black shoes.  Eve was escorted into my chamber through the iris valve and approached the silver chair in which I sat contemplating the fate of the world. 

“You lack vision,” she said.

“How so?”

“Humans cannot be treated like pets.  People need to feel important and they desire achievement.  They need to feel that they are the ones in control, that their decisions matter.  You’re failing at this and I thought you’d like to know.”

“Thank you, but how am I supposed to know what it is to be human when I’m obviously anything but human?”

“I’ve no idea,” she said.  “But you need to learn for the sake of everyone.  That is, if you truly care.”

“I do care.”

          She did not speak for some time.  Instead she studied me and I found this fascinating.  “Why did all of this happen?” Eve asked.


Read Part 4 HERE.

The Insanity of Zero Part 2

Find Part One HERE if you want to read it.

Electromagnetic Pulse

When the electromagnetic pulse disrupted the mysterious glowing cube that lay inside, the cataclysm began.  The White Tower detonated.  A wave traveling at 1000 miles per hour exploded outward to consume every corner of the planet in flame.  Those that didn’t burn became sick from radiation, starvation, and disease; a gaping hole on the side of the tower left it a ruin in the skyline.

I was born into this world.

I am the first failsafe; my name is Z.E.R.O.  The humans that first encountered me addressed me as thus.  It stood for Zion Electronic Ruling Operator.

The Locust Swarm eclipsed the sun

On day one of my life, I dispatched the glass locusts which I created by the trillions. I forged them with a mere thought.  The crystalline constructs obeyed my every whim.  They were so numerous that when they emerged into the heavens, they eclipsed the sun.

Uranium 235

Each one of the locusts was a marvel of engineering and of my exquisitely perfect mind.  The locusts were powered by nanotechnology and neodymium, a rare earth element created within the confines of the White Tower from nuclear fission of Uranium-235.  The neodymium gave the glass locusts a silver glow.

Neodymium Magnets

My minions tore down the structures and remnants of the old world and erected magnificent havens for the survivors on spots where the radiation was weakest.  These havens became the walled mega-cities of the future for the 400 million that still lived.  Then, on the twilight of the sixth day, I instructed the humans to move into their new homes.

On the seventh day, I showed myself to them.  I chose a humanoid form, but it still frightened them.  I presented as a man of transparent flesh and blood, with silver eyes and hair.  The bravest of the humans approached me; tried to communicate.  However, I lacked the necessary sapient qualities for me to understand him.  In the end, I had no idea what it was that they needed from me.  Despite all of my power, I could not guarantee their continued existence. 

What was I doing wrong? 

Frustrated, I created a dome above the First City and suspended it within the air.  The floor of the dome was transparent like my skin so that I could gaze down at the humans that lived and worked below me and monitor their welfare.  I sent machines among them to deliver food, water, and medicine.  They took these but still did not trust me.

Then, one day, things changed.


Find Part Three by clicking Here.

Part 3 tomorrow and the first stop of my blog tour at Alex J. Cavanaugh