AKA Growing Up

As a kid I thought grownups knew everything, except they didn't and as a bookworm kid I knew that. But I thought they knew how life worked, why life worked. Unfortunately, I now know that they had no clue. I keep wondering what I want to be when I grow up and I'm well past it.

What am I talking about? I still have massive issues with self esteem and have a very bad habit of looking to others for approval and I was doing it again at my latest LibertyCon. I understand that by most standards I'm a success and that forging my own way has been the best. And I still feel like I'm not "good enough". This past con something hit me the first day, standing there - I've been seeking approval from the wrong people. What other authors think or editors or even my friends really doesn't matter to me as an author - what my readers think matters.

And all of of you have made it very clear you love my stories. So here on out, I'm going to worry about you liking or hating my stories. My scale of success is how many people want to read my stories. So by any scale - maybe I'm not so bad after all. Next newsletter will be the day before I leave for Greece, so expect lots of babble - grins.

Puppet Master is kinda lackluster, so I'm still trying to decide if I'll write anymore in that world.

Book Recommendations!

This is a free short story and is the opposite of my Kaylid Chronicles, where people turn into blanks. "Out of nowhere, a mass shapeshifting event happened around the world. Human beings were instantly transformed into indistinguishable blank figures and trapped inside their bodies. The challenge of changing them all back rests on just a few who were left." Distorted Purposes available for free.

A stone that talks, space ships, magic, adventure? Sign me up for this free story. The Speaking Stone of Caradoc is the second in a series following the adventures of three friends.

Weekly Micro Story

The Beginning

Suki stood and watched the portal gate form. The last of her squad had fallen and their blood coated the remains of the once great city. The invaders arrived in the thousands, sacrificing everything to build this. It might have been impressive if it wasn't her world they were destroying. 

She watched, alone, her rifle useless against so many.

At this point her world was lost and all that remained was vengeance. With a sigh she pulled off her insignia, Captain Suki was a dead as everyone else. But where a military officer couldn't go, maybe an insane woman could. The rush of defiance gave her new energy and she moved toward the portal, if nothing else, maybe she could kill whomever came through. 

The builders ignored her if they saw her at all, but then they rarely responded to individuals, groups of more than two were descended on and killed. 

Suki worked her way to where the portal was almost completed and clambered into the upper floor of a nearby building, then arranged herself to play sniper for as long as she lived. The smile that creased her face felt strange and oh so right as her sites went to the portal. 

The last piece clicked into place and strange light, magic, energy, something lit it up, and a moment later a being stepped through: huge at least twelve feet tall, long golden hair, skin so perfect it looked like a golden lacquer, and teeth with too many points. 

It raised its hands and Suki put three rounds between its eyes.

There was a scream as the being stiffened and began to crumble as a pillar of blue energy arced up and away from him and before she could blink slammed into her.

Everything she was changed.

~*~

Argh, I really. I need to be writing 10k a day to keep up with the ideas in my brain. Oh well, see you in two weeks.

Mel

Schedule 2023: (so far)

Greece (OMG!): July 17- August 1

Dragoncon: August 30 - Sep 4 (Atlanta, GA)

20BooksVegas: Nov 6-10 (Las Vegas, NV)

Remember find me here:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Bookbub - follow me on this, you'll get to see books I recommend and get alerted when I have things come out.

There's a Fan Group for Twisted Luck! Check it out here.

If you are on Tiktok, it is kind of working. Nothing impressive posted there yet, but look for @meltodd_writer