Astrid Maxxim and her Undersea Dome is now available at Diesel Ebooks. Follow the link to find it for just 99 cents . But remember, you can still get it FREE from Smashwords. Just look back over the recent posts for details. Diesel Ebooks is an ebook agnostic store. You can get books for any device there, at competitive prices.
Whoop! Whoop! I have just 13 days of work left for the year and then the summertime is here. Just 11 of those are days with kids and 3 of them are half days for Exams. I still have a ton of stuff to do of course. We still have a yearbook party I have to plan. I still have to write semester exams. I still have to teach for about five more days. But then, I’m a full-time author.
I’ve been trying to catch up on my backlog and was doing pretty good at it for the past week or so, but then yesterday, I didn’t get anything written. Yesterday was the when we were supposed to reenact the Battle of Gettysburg at school and there was a ton of stuff to do for that. Then it ended up getting cancelled due to unhealthy air– smoke from California wild fires mostly. Anyway, I’m going to get back on track again this weekend.
I’m still shooting for the end of June for His Robot Wife: Patience is a Virtue. I’ll keep you updated here of course.
If you have a Kobo reading device or a Kobo app, you can now buy Astrid Maxxim and her Undersea Dome at Kobo books. Follow the link to find it for 99 cents. But remember, you can still get it at Smashwords for Free. Check out the posting a few days ago.
Astrid Maxxim and her Undersea Dome is now available for iBooks. Check it out now at your local iBookstore, using your favorite iDevice.
I’m pretty amazed at how quickly my book showed up on my iPad. They really have streamlined the submission process between Smashwords and Apple.
Don’t forget though, you can still get a free copy of this book by following the directions from the post a little further down the page. Thanks.
Astrid Maxxim and her Undersea Dome is now available at Amazon for all varieties of Kindle. It is 99 cents.
But remember, for the next month, you can pick up your free ebook copy at Smashwords. See the post two days ago for details.
Girl inventor Astrid Maxxim and her friends are back. This time Astrid is building an observation dome beneath the sea. Will she complete her amazing construction project, or will she be sidetracked by underwater monsters, the evil organization known as the Black Hand, or her snotty cousin Gloria?
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The Previews page has been updated. With the completion and publication of Astrid Maxxim and her Undersea Dome, it moves to the Books page and makes room for Astrid Maxxim and the Antarctic Expedition, which is on schedule for 2014.
Teen inventor Astrid Maxxim makes a journey to the bottom of the planet on an expedition to uncover the secrets of a mysterious liquid lake far beneath the ice. Meanwhile, troubles plague her friends and family as a hostile takeover threatens Maxxim Industries and Robot Valerie may face her greatest danger yet.
Click the Previews link at the top of the page to see what else is on the way.
Astrid Maxxim and her Undersea Dome is now available at Smashwords. From now until June 14, pick up your copy free.
Follow the link at the bottom of this post and use the coupon code XR24H at checkout.
Girl inventor Astrid Maxxim and her friends are back. This time Astrid is building an observation dome beneath the sea. Will she complete her amazing construction project, or will she be sidetracked by underwater monsters, the evil organization known as the Black Hand, or her snotty cousin Gloria?
Astrid Maxxim books are stories of a teen inventor and are aimed at students 4th to 7th grade.
This book will be available soon at other ebook stores. I’ll keep you posted here and on the “Books” page.
I don’t think I have ever been so tired in my entire life. I can barely drag myself home at the end of the day. Then I type a few words, sit down and watch some TV, climb into bed. Then I’m back up in the morning and it all starts over again.
I have a little post-it note on my monitor at school that tells me how many school days left. Twenty days as I write this. God, I hope I can make it.
I’ve also had a terrible misfortune. Having managed to avoid it for the past 19 years, I somehow let myself be made Social Studies Department Chair next year. I’m too old for more work! I’ll do my best of course, but… Hey, at least I’m not doing the Yearbook next year. Always look on the bright side of life.
Also I’ve been having “lubricant” injected into my knee over the past few weeks and my last injection is tomorrow. Hopefully it will make walking a bit easier. It’s pretty painful right now. If you think it’s a coincidence that Mike has knee problems in the next His Robot Wife book… it’s not.
Okay. I found my USB drive with the pages of His Robot Wife: Patience is a Virtue on it and I am back to the grind writing.
I’m surprising myself with this book in two ways, the first of which I mentioned the other day. Looking back at His Robot Girlfriend, I was always a little embarrassed about it. It was one of my first books and I it just isn’t as good as I would have written it today. His Robot Wife was better, but I think it’s far from my best work. Reading through the first half of this new book, I’m pretty happy with the writing.
The second thing is, I’m surprised how easily this book is flowing. I haven’t had any writer’s block or difficulty in putting the plot together. Of course, like the first two books, this one is a more dialog and character driven tale. Plot takes a back seat, but there is one there– more than one. There is a plot for the book and there is a plot that will carry over into a series.
Well, back to work.
P.S. I’m playing around with the fonts on the cover. It’s a work in progress.
“Welcome to Schwarztogrube, Mr. Halifax,” said Sergeant Halser, saluting.
“Thank you. No need to salute. I’m a civilian after all.”
Mr. Halifax held out a hand and Sergeant Halser helped him out of the small boat and up onto the shaped stone dock on the lowest section of the ancient castle. He was a short, rotund man wearing a white suit, the shirt of which was still stained with his lunch, eaten aboard the ship that had brought him. Halifax led him up the stone stairway to the upper levels.
“Can you explain to me what happened? The Judge Advocate General was rather vague in his description.”
“As far as anyone can tell, it was some kind of disease. It could have been brought here by one of the guards returning from leave. They were all killed. Most of the prisoners. A few of the boys. The boys might have been less affected because of age or because they were all down near the water. No one really knows.”
“I have no doubt it was due to mismanagement of some form or another,” opined Halifax. “That’s why operations were taken away from the Ministry of War and were given to us.”
They reached a fork in the passageway.
“The north wing is this way, Sir. It’s where the offices and kitchen are and most of the prisoners.”
“How many prisoners are there?”
“There are twelve surviving prisoners in the north wing; one in the south wing.”
“Only one?”
“Yes. Prisoner eighty-nine was segregated from the others. There’s no record of why. Perhaps it is because she is the only woman.”
“A woman? Here?” Halifax frowned and licked his lips.
Halser nodded.
“Take me to her cell.”
Halser led his new superior up another set of stairs and down the stone hallway to a door with a single small, barred window. Halifax had to stand on his tip-toes to peer through. He could see a blond woman inside, dressed in rags, sweeping the floor of the cell with a broom.
“Open it.”
Halser unlocked the door and followed Halifax inside. The woman immediately stopped sweeping and stood demurely with her head bowed. The room was clean but Spartan. Only a single window high up on the wall let in a square of sunlight. Halifax glared accusingly at Halser.
“It was worse, when I got here, Sir. I had the cot brought in and a chamber pot, and a broom so that she could clean the place up.”
“It’s true, Sir. Sergeant Halser has been very kind.”
“Still, it seems poor treatment for a young lady, regardless of your crimes. What is it you are here for?”
“I used magic without approval, Sir. And when they tried to arrest me, I fought back. I may have injured a wizard, Sir.”
Halifax’s expression said all too clearly that he thought the injury or death of a wizard to be a relatively minor offense. “Well, you can’t do any magic here, so we don’t have to worry about that. And what is your name, my dear?”
“Zurfina, Sir.”
“Zurfina. Like the daughter of Magnus the Great?”
“Yes, Sir.” Zurfina curtsied.
“Is there anything you need right now?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, Sir, I would appreciate a bucket of water so that I could bathe. And if a needle and thread could be had, and some scraps of cloth so that I could make myself something to wear.”
“Sergeant Halser, see if you can find a bucket of water and some soap for the young lady, and a washrag too. You can leave the keys with me. I’ll lock up.”
“Yes, Sir.”
After the Sergeant had left, Halifax stepped close to the woman and reaching out, brushed the hair from her face.
“You are not unattractive.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Things are not going to be like before,” he said, pacing first toward the door and then back to her. “There will be better food and cleaner conditions. Maybe we could have some decent clothes brought from the mainland for you and perhaps an occasional sweet.”
“That would be most delightful, Sir.”
“When my duties allow, I could come to your cell here and visit with you. Would you like that? Would you be… cooperative?”
“Oh, yes sir.”
He reached out and brushed her hair back again, this time caressing her temple with his thumb. “You do understand what I mean when I say cooperative, don’t you?”
Zurfina looked up from the floor and into his eyes. She reached up and pulled his chubby hand from her face, moving it down to rest on her breast.
“I’m anxious to be cooperative,” she said. “Very, very cooperative.”
The End.
City of Amathar 