What's A Website To You?

Have you ever found a totally neat website? Some are full of jiggery, dancing graphics, or eye-pleasing images, smart features; some feature links to all sorts of interesting places, and some are so well written you can't click away until you've scrolled right to the bottom. Maybe you read that text and you come face-to-face with another human being and their thoughts so beautiful, or outlandish, or provoking. And a very few have all of the above.

I confess that this here page hasn't got there yet. Yours truly has been sucked away into a strange massively-offline-multi-player-game-universe called "Real Life" in which you have to get something called a "job" in order to earn a reward called "money". You can then swap this money for all sorts of power-ups and inventory items. I've recently slid back down a short greased ladder to the stage of again searching for one of these "jobs". Not complaining, just saying. So anyway, it takes up my time, this "Real Life". Maybe you're playing it too.

But what do you look for in a good Young Adult or Pre-Teen website devoted to a science fiction novel like The Calling? Have you gone for a ride in my 'Valin's Log' site and checked out the different pages? (See the sidebar to the left and click.) Do you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see there?


So far, I've aimed to make 'Valin's Log' an extension to the story itself, a filling-in of the background universe. 'Killian's Story' is a seedling of an idea to make a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure; if I notice a lot of traffic there I will invest time in expanding the story.

So log in and leave a comment. I haven't seen many comments here yet... but traffic on the site is slowly growing. Give me some feedback and I'll have a better idea where to go with 'Valin's Log'.

Tips for parents!

A big hello to all parents of The Calling's readers. This blog is really, honestly, about science fiction for kids, but, well, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. So this post's an exception.

Recently I received an email from a lady who writes helpful articles on the subject of how to find childcare when you want or need to go out. The following article is about encouraging your children to behave well in restaurants. The real-life bloopers and catastrophes that drive someone to write on this subject I will leave to your imaginations - or perhaps it's happened to you! Here's the link.

Forgiveness and Courage in Real Life

Someone wrongs you - maybe speaking about you in a bad way, or taking what's yours, or breaking their promise - and of course your feelings get hurt. It happens to us all, one way or another. In The Calling it happens to Valin and to Mertyl, and much of the story involves how they deal with their hurts.

The hardest hurt can be when it's someone close to you that wrongs you - a parent, a sibling, or a close friend. I remember when I was about 7 or 8 or 9 having some terribly loud, door-slamming arguments with my older sister over terribly small things that I can't recall now. And I get on very well with my sister now - when she's not rolling her eyes at what I wear or the odd things I do... ;-)

Where does courage come in? Both Mertyl and Valin have need of it when facing the Vreymak raiders, but another form of bravery comes when they have to let go of their anger and forgive. After all, when you're angry with someone who's wronged you, you just know that they don't deserve to be forgiven, and that they owe you a big apology. Why should you let them off the hook? Why can't you show them how it feels, and hurt them just like they hurt you? Wouldn't it make you feel better?

No. Just ask Mertyl about that. It doesn't solve your pain, and you won't get back what you've lost.

Courage, in this situation, is letting go of your hurt and refusing to let it rule you anymore. This way, guess what? You win! That's right. Release the other person from your anger, and tell them about it. Who knows? They might realise what they've done and make it up to you, or they might not. But at least you won't be weighed down and tormented anymore.

You'll be free.

It might be that you feel you don't have what it takes to forgive; you just can't. Then you need help from outside, from one who is always prepared to help and to change you a bit more into the person you should really be. He's just waiting for you to call.

What's in a name?

As part of my ongoing quest to make my writing as good as it can get, I'm renaming a major character. (Can you guess who?) I joined a facebook group of writers and several strongly felt that this name sounded more like a pharmaceutical product than someone a reader could identify with and cheer for throughout the ups and downs of the adventure.

On reflection, I have to agree. Thing is, I don't buy that many drugs so it didn't have that connection in my mind. And I doubt that many of my readers, aged around eight to thirteen, would think, 'Ugh! Sounds like medicine!' But for those for whom it would create a bad taste in the mouth, here goes...

I formally rename Merratol as...   Mertyl.

I hope you'll continue to make her welcome in The Calling, whatever her name is.

Mertyl. I'm not used to it yet. OK, what does that remind you of? Any associations? Maybe a Welsh mining town? Or a trademarked variety of roofing material? ;-)  I don't know. Maybe 'Valin' sounds too much like that other drug, whatsitsname...

Anyway, you can see the immense power of publishing on the internet. I can upload an updated version of my manuscript for free, at any time, both to Amazon Kindle and CreateSpace, so that the ebook and the printed book reflect the very best that I can do. The CreateSpace book does become unavailable for about 48 hours while the file is updated and reviewed.

Free again!

From this Thursday (November29th) until Sunday, The Calling will be free at Amazon Kindle. Go ahead, help yourself! If you like science fiction and you're somewhere around the age range eight to twelve or thirteen, it might be the thing for you. Or if you have kids at that age, get it for them.

Also this Tuesday The Calling will be advertised on Young Adults Promo Central   including an interview about the book and the writing process.

Happy reading! And remember, if you would like to write a balanced review of the story on Amazon, that would be a service to other maybe-readers and to me as well.

Selling Books in Thunder Bay

So finally a box of 25 copies of The Calling arrived on the doorstep a few days ago. And despite my doubts about the printing quality, the covers and insides look terrific. Thankyou CreateSpace!

I've started talking to the book shops in town and expect to have at least one book signing sometime in the next few months. Sorry that I can't be any more vague than that!


Anyway, it means I can spend a few minutes designing a poster to use at such events, and to display wherever the book's sold. Victor Habbick's artwork crackles and flames off the screen! It's a pity that the copy I ordered for him has my original home-made cover on it! Is that artistic license or poetic injustice? I can't decide.

Young Science Fiction

While I'm waiting for the first delivery of The Calling in print, here's a review of another young readers' science fiction author. It will be brief, since I haven't yet read a whole book of his!

Sigmund Brouwer is the author of a significant series of young-reader science fiction, as well as many novels for adults. His Mars Diaries stories were published some years ago and have been updated by the author and re-released as Robot Wars. They feature a physically disabled boy named Tyce who lives on a colony on Mars. He learns to use a mind link to control robots and takes part in some amazing interplanetary struggles. Actually I did skim-read one or two of these some years ago when they were still Mars Diaries, but then we had to move house and move continent and I couldn't fit them in the suitcase! I hope I can buy the series for my sons who are just the right age now.

The stories are thought-provoking. Sigmund Brouwer is a great writer, and he brings out all the character struggles and conflict very well. Search for them at Amazon or start at the link above. I hope to be able to write as well as he does... when I get the time!