Emily Voss Update // Sisyphus Review // Giveaways and Books
May 09, 2021 6:01 pm
Hello from London,
Apologies for the late arrival of this email. I took my family on a brief "staycation". We travelled to the British coast for a week away from the city.
If April showers are supposed to bring May showers, April's not doing it's job. We arrived in Norfolk just in time for the coldest bank holiday weekend since records began. Not a record I was particularly interested in claiming.
We enjoyed ourselves nevertheless, because we brought ski gear and wore it to the beach, which made us look a little ridiculous but certainly made for a more comfortable moment. Only in England have I ever seen beaches populated by holidaymakers in winter gear. The British will do almost anything to catch a ray of sunshine.
We stayed in a sort of holiday camp set in a forested area. It was very nice, and surprisingly comfortable. There was a pub, a pizzeria and some food trucks, but ongoing restrictions related to coronavirus meant that we could only eat the food they sold outside. This limited our options given how cold and wet it was most of the time. Our "cabin", which was more like a small comfortable apartment, was warm and well-appointed, so we ate most of our meals there.
My point, (which I have finally reached), is that there was no internet at all at the cabin. Not even a telephone signal. You'd think that was a good thing, but given how even the most menial tasks are now carried out over the internet, it's absence comes with significant disadvantages. Such as late emails to you. These need to be written online, with a decent connection to the server.
Long story short: My apologies. I was being rained on and there was no internet, therefore this email is late.
And now that we're here...
Progress on Emily Voss
It will not have escaped your notice that the whole Emily Voss writing adventure has been going slower than I had hoped.
There are many reasons for this, including career-change-related endeavours, coronavirus experiences and the inability to get much done when you're stuck at home with kids. That said, it's all less than satisfactory.
I have, however, been picking up speed lately. The first drafts of episodes 4 to 6 are ready. One of those needs a rewrite to change the pacing, but it's all pretty good for a first draft. Episode 4 is more or less final at this point (some of you have read it).
For various reasons, I expect this increase in output to last some time, and I hope to power through the remaining 30,000 words considerably faster than the last 60,000.
Shadows Short Story Revisited and Reinvented
I hope you enjoyed Shadows, the short story I released in the last newsletter.
As I mentioned then, that story was the second take on the original idea of a world in which people start losing their shadows, and what that represents.
My original take was very different, and I jetissoned it because for some reason the story felt shallow and unsatisfying to me.
When I released Shadows, I went and pulled the original story out of the archives to take another look at it, and decided that - all things considered - it wasn't that bad. I still think it lacks the subtlety of the final story, but it's a fun read and makes the same point in a different and more obvious way.
I will be releasing that story in the next newsletter, so that's something for you to look forward to.
If you've read Shadows, and you have a moment, I'd be really happy if you could take the time to drop me a note and let me know what you thought of it.
Shadows, which I distributed in the last newsletter, is available for download by clicking here. The audiobook version of the story, narrated by me, is available by clicking here.
Netflix's Sisyphus
I've watched quite a lot of Asian sci-fi and drama during the pandemic. Sisyphus is the latest series that I enjoyed in this style. This time it's in Korean, and it's got a time-travel theme to it, which, as is so often the case with time travel stories, is predictably twisty and confusing.
Netflix's Sisyphus, unlike the series I reviewed last time (Alice in Borderland), is closer to the traditional western science fiction that I'm familiar with. That said, the South Korean setting adds something to the story - from my point of view - as there's a cultural dimension that allows plot points and interactions that wouldn't work very well were they between Brits or Americans.
The plot is convoluted. The main character, Han Tae-Sul, is a genius inventor and technologist, and CEO of a celebrated technology company in South Korea. As arrivals from the future begin to cross his path, he is drawn into a puzzle, with the highest possible stakes, and many of the rules clear only to those who set them, in order to preserve, or change, the very future they came from, by influencing him.
Although I certainly wouldn't put it at the top of the pantheon of science fiction dramas, it was a well-made, decently-written and enjoyable time travel romp that had sufficient originality to keep me entertained.
You can read my full review by clicking here.
ps. It bears repeating: I'm not affiliated to Netflix, and they don't pay me anything, I just watch it a lot.
This Week's Giveaway
This week's promotion is about journeys, in the physical world, or in the spirit of the main character. All the books in this promotion are free.
There are thirty-five books in the promotion as I write this, and I haven't seen most of the covers before, which is good news because that means there's a lot of new material here for you to look at. My book in the promotion is Past Mistakes, the first book in the Emily Voss series. If by some miracle I haven't had the opportunity to push these ten thousand words at you before, it's a novelette and as a member of this list you can download it free by clicking here.
Author Spotlight
As always, I have some author suggestions for you. The first three of these are giveaways (the book is free if you sign up to the author's mailing list) and the next last two are links to Amazon where you can read more about the book, and buy it if it sounds like something you like. Many of these are also on Kindle Unlimited, if you're a subscriber to that service.
Where There's Smoke by Lauren M.D.
This is a short story from the world of Ember and Spark.
Everyone knows that the only magic in the Kingdom is contained in the gem called the Fireseed, worn and wielded by Lady Teine, who is both queen and priestess to her people. Everyone knows that gem will pass to one of her twin daughters, while the other will spend the rest of her life in seclusion, praying for her sister’s well-being. The Lady has not yet named her heir.
Teine's daughter Elua sees only the radiance of the gem, the beauty it brings out in her mother, the splendor of her rare displays of art magic, the adoration of the people she heals and blesses on her many royal progresses. The other daughter, Ona, sees the fear sharpening her mother's face as well as the fear in the eyes of the people and the strange disappearences that accompany their royal progress.
Natasha by Anabel Bright
A young girl, Natasha, born to a family of four goes into a coma for a couple of days after getting drowned in water whilst swimming with her brother and two cousins.
While in coma, Natasha in her subconscious state, sees herself being driven in a train alongside some other people into an unknown land which looks a century farther from hers. The dream seems to be longer than the actual amount of days she spent while in coma.
She is healed by someone with magical powers in her dreams.
Natasha is discharged a week later after she regained consciousness. Returning back home, young Natasha begins to discover strange things about herself.
As time goes on, she coincidentally comes in contact with those she saw while in coma.
Her strange behavior births concerns from family and friends, but with time, Natasha adjusts to her new normal. She discovers her magical powers.
W.I.S.E. Men by Karen Janowski
This is an excerpt from book 4 in the series, "The Persistence of Memory".
One man shouldn't be alive.
One man shouldn't be in love.
One man shouldn't exist.
None of them wanted to be a superhero.
U.S. Army Lieutenant Kevin Rye is the sole survivor of a missile attack on his helicopter in Somalia. His old friend, Rob Fisher, has created a suit that allows him to function. It gives him superpowers and chronic pain.
Corporal Graham Beech, an uncannily talented, womanizing marksman, has just become a U.S. Army Ranger. His future in the military is bright until he falls in love with his friend, Steven Amato.
They are headed toward a crash collision to stop a terrorist from finding Daniel Hecht, a mythological man who, according to an ancient prophesy, will help save the world from itself.
Dark Elements by Luke Davids
Welcome to Paradise!
For those who hold a chip in their head, the world is their oyster. But for those who do not, there is nothing but hell.
Indigo White’s net worth is fast approaching trillionaire status and he has consequently cemented his powerful grip on many parts of the world. This sense of power is further exacerbated by his commanding presence in a small secret consortium of global elites who effectively decide what is best for the rest of humanity or more so, what is best for them.
Out there in the Outlands, there is only suffering and toiling away for a chance at a better life. And while the dangerous drug Andolyte ravages the city with dire consequences, it provides a welcomed escape from the mundane.
But for Duke Calgary, the promise of a better life is supporting his father’s almost impossible cause – the great rebellion to save their people and address the suffocating oppression they live with on a daily basis. When a mysterious stranger appears at their doorstep, with an offer too enticing to deny, what will the rebels do? Continue suffering as they always have or look to get revenge on the man who put them there, the heartless all-powerful tech genius, Indigo White, who lives well out of reach in the Utopia of his chipped high-tech world.
Can the iron-clad grip of power be broken? Only time can tell, but is there enough to go around?
Combat Origin by Misty Zaugg
This novel's genre is gamelit, which means that game mechanics are used as a device in the story. If you're unfamiliar with the genre, you should read up on it before you take the plunge.
In her world, single combat decides everything.
It's her sixteenth birthday and Kiriai has a big decision to make. Will she fight for her dream to battle in the arena? Or buckle under her grandfather’s pressure to become a healer?
Her best friend Eigo is an outcast from his scrounger family. On a recent expedition into the wastelands, he found a peculiar birthday gift for Kiriai—an AI trainer from a centuries-old, martial arts game. Could it give her the advantage she needs? Will Kiriai win the fight that decides her future?
An impossible deadline, a persuasive mentor, and her own family all stand in Kiriai’s way. If she loses, she’ll be consigned to a mundane life, but more importantly, banned from the arena forever. Kiriai can't let that happen.
I've reached the end of my monologue. Remember that I love receiving any feedback you have on my short stories and other work. You can hit reply to get in touch.
Thanks for your support.
All the best,
Nick.
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