I am reducing my Facebook footprint a bit. This is the result of several things, one of which is an upcoming law in Nevada regarding teachers and social networking. I am limiting my personal facebook friends to close relatives and friends. If you would like to keep track of me on Facebook, please do so by “liking” my Author Wesley Allison page. You can find it by typing “Author Wesley Allison” into the search window at the top of any Facebook page. Thanks.
New edits of Princess of Amathar are now available at Amazon and Smashwords and should be available everywhere else within a few days.
There are not too many changes, so unless you are a real completist, you might not want to bother. About 5 words were changed or corrected in the book. The biggest change was with comma usage.
On the other hand, if you have not read my first book before, I invite you to check it out. I have to say that I really enjoyed it as I was reading it through again. I write books that I like to read, and this is especially true of this book– regardless of how that makes me sound.
The other day, somebody asked me, “Wes, you are exactly like Mike in your robot books. Is your wife anything like Patience?” My answer was “My wife is pretty damned patient, but she’s no Daffodil.”
Mike is a lot like me, but I would say not 100%– 75 to 80% tops. Still, many of the little stories and events in the books are taken from life. In His Robot Wife, Harriet (Mike’s daughter) mentions the time that her father scared the crap out of a kid trying to bully her at the risk of getting fired. Yup, that’s right from my life.
There’s a tidbit in the book where Jack (Harriet’s husband) is cleaning the puke out of his car because a neighbor he was trying to help vomited and caused a chain reaction. This story comes from real life– thankfully not mine. My brother-in-law experienced this. His wife, like mine (they’re sisters) is always getting him to do something for people he hardly knows, and unlike me, he’s too nice to say no. He ended up having to clean vomit from three or four other people out of his car.
In the new book, so far, there are fewer little tidbits from my own life, although I am channeling a few cruise vacations as Mike and Patience go on theirs.
One of my favorite characters in Senta and the Steel Dragon is the reptilian maid Cissy. In my original trilogy, which became books 1, 3, & 5, she has an important role to play, but we don’t really get to know her. Her part in those books didn’t change really when I expanded the series. I just wrote more about her, particularly in The Dark and Forbidding Land, where we get to see a good portion of the story from her eyes. We see her make a brief appearance in book 0 as well. In book 4, she shares her part of the story with Yuah. I couldn’t decide which of them would be the primary story-teller here. I wanted to write more from Cissy’s eyes, but there were parts of the story that only Yuah could tell. Hence, splitting the part up for the both of them.
Incidently, we have a large and beautiful iguana that we adopted about 4 years ago who was named for the character Cissy. Sometimes I even call her Ssissiatok. She, like the Cissy in the book, is a friendly reptile.
I’ve updated the Previews page and you may note that Kanana The Jungle Girl is no longer there. I’ve set this story aside. I’m just not happy with how it’s going. I’ve got two versions now, one written in first person narrative and one in third person, and neither seems right.
I’ve been working pretty hard on His Robot Wife: Patience is a Virtue and the way things are going, I should have it done just after the first of the year. I’m still planning on finishing the new Astrid Maxxim and the multi-part Eaglethorpe Buxton books by the end of the year. They both will depend on how much I feel about stepping aside from Patience to complete them when the time comes.
When will I get back to Kanana? I don’t know. I’ve got several new stories waiting for me to write them, as well as half a dozen sequels I want to write, and three new series of five to seven books each (including 82 Eridani). So, it may well be awhile.
I’ve only just begun detailing Astrid Maxxim and all her friends in Maxxim City, but I have a very clear idea about what her world is like. I am trying to evoke a world that is futuristic and yet is nostalgic, like the 1960s versions of the future from classic sci-fi, and of course my memories of reading Tom Swift.
When Astrid’s friend Austin (who is the only one of the gang who didn’t grow up in Maxxim City) stays over, he is surprised to find that Astrid doesn’t have his favorite video games– Killer Pimp Showdown and Cannibal Apocalypse. She plays Tetris and Ms. Pacman.
When Astrid wants to plan an escape, she watches both Chicken Run and The Great Escape. I thought this was pretty funny because of course, Chicken Run is a take-off of The Great Escape– and both are great movies. (I love Aardman). Astrid’s favorite move is Princess Mononoke. (I love Miyazaki too). I wouldn’t say Princess Mononke was my favorite movie, but it would be in my top ten list.
In case you’re interested, my list of 10 favorite movies might look something like this… in no particular order…
Lord of the Rings Trilogy (It really is one movie)
Star Wars Trilogy (The real one. It’s not one movie, but oh well)
Snow Falling on Cedars
Princess Mononoke
The Incredibles
Romeo and Juliet (1962)
Love Actually
Silent Running
The Iron Giant
The Reader
There were about two dozen guests at Iolana Staff’s Accord Day party, ranging in age from the girl’s contemporaries like Willa Tice to young adults like Saba and his wife. It was an odd sort of grouping, Saba thought, and he asked his mother about it when he saw her poke her head out of the kitchen.
“The girl reads too much,” said Mrs. Colbshallow. “She doesn’t have much in common with the other children her age. I think she would have invited only adults if she had her druthers.”
“How is Mrs. Dechantagne? I hear she’s not feeling well.”
“She’s taking the cure.”
“Taking the cure? From what… drink?”
“First things first,” replied his mother. “Governor Staff is taking good care of her. She won’t let her out of her sight.”
“Did you have to make all the food?” Saba watched the lizzies, wearing red, white, and blue aprons passing out finger foods.
“Oh heavens no,” his mother replied. “It’s all catered.”
One of the lizzies waved an appetizer tray in his direction and Saba examined the tiny sausages, little cheese pies, dainty meat pasties, and roasted shrimps. With her free hand, the servant passed him a small plate, and he picked one of each of the items.
“Get an extra sausage,” advised Shemar Morris, scooping up several sausages for himself. “They’re fantastic.”
Saba wondered if he should gather a plate for Loana, but looking around, he didn’t see her.
He followed Shemar around the corner and saw him begin to circle the group of girls in the parlor, like a predator trying to separate one from the pack. From the flash of eyes and the giggles, he knew that the girls had spotted their would-be hunter and were not overly worried. Gabrielle Bassett, Dutty Speel, and Hero Hertling all undoubtedly knew the truth: that the real threat was from each other. In a land where women outnumbered men, the young ladies wielded their charms like fishing lures. Gabby with sparkling blue eyes and a face like an angel, and Hero with her long raven locks and thick exotic lips, both had the advantage over the rather blank looking Dutty. Eleven year old Sherree Glieberman, standing next to the three older girls, tried to continue whatever conversation they had been having, but their attention was all on Shemar.
Continuing through the house, Saba found his wife in close consultation with Wenda Lanier. He walked up to ask her if he could bring her a plate of food, but she spoke before he had a chance to.
“Saba, there is a rumor that Billingbow’s is being served in the foyer. Be a dear and bring me one.”
Saba nodded and turned on his heel to head toward the foyer. There was no soda water there, but the front door was open and on the front portico, he found a large barrel filled with ice, frosty bottlenecks sticking out. He pulled out three—one for Loana and one for himself, and an extra in case Wenda wanted one.
As he turned to step back inside, he noticed a huddle of young men near the corner of the house. Stepping toward them, he caught a snippet of the conversation.
“It’s on for the tenth. Then it’s smooth sailing…”
The face of Walter Charmley turned toward Saba, then turned back to shush the speaker. The rest of the group faced the police inspector and it was as if the fates had conspired to place in one small spot all the mischief making talent of Port Dechantagne. Warden Charmley was next to his brother, along with young Ascan Tice, newcomer Maro McCoort, Hertzal Hertling, and the obvious ringleader Graham Dokkins.
“Just what are you young gentlemen planning?” wondered Saba.
“Nothing that concerns the police,” said Graham, who had been the one speaking before.
“You’re not planning any more dinosaur races are you Graham?”
“Like I said, nothing that concerns the police.”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt is all—you or Walter or these other boys.”
“It wasn’t me,” said Walter. “It was Warden.”
“Shut up,” said Warden.
“Just be careful boys.” Saba turned and went for the front door.
“Saba.” The police inspector turned back around. Graham stepped very close to him.
“You haven’t heard anything about Staff’s expedition, have you? About Senta?”
“No.”
“Well… because Maro is worried, and all.”
“I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.”
Back inside, Saba was looking for his wife who seemed to have disappeared again, when he almost literally ran into Dot Shrubb. Wearing a bright pink dress, her copper hair parted in the middle and pulled back in long curls, Dot stood out in a not unpleasant way.
“Hello. I didn’t know you were here,” said Saba. “Is Eamon with you?”
Dot shook her head. “Working.”
“How are you?”
She shrugged.
“I didn’t know you were friends with Iolana.”
“Church.”
“Oh, I see. Um, have you seen my wife?”
“Out back. WC.”
“Oh.”
“Everyone!” Iolana Staff called from the edge of the room. “It’s time to go to the garden for games.”
She shot out the door, trailed by Willa Tice and four other girls as well as a single nine year old boy. The older guests followed along. Saba noticed that Shemar Morris had been landed by Gabrielle Bassett. All was not lost for the other girls though. Dutty Speel walked arm in arm with Benny Markham, and Hero Hertling held hands with Marzell Lance. Of the group, only Sherree Glieberman was unescorted. Saba followed along with everyone else and found Loana waiting outside.
In the garden, party goers played croquet or Hightower, and then the girls watched the boys run sack races. The lizzies brought out cucumber sandwiches and lemonade and they all ate sitting on folding wooden chairs around the gazebo, while they listened to music from a mechanical player. Afterwards, they played Doggy Doggy and Honey, Do You Love Me, and just as the sun was going down No Ghost Out Tonight.
Then it was time for dinner. In the back of the house a long table had been set up with thirteen chairs down each side and one at the table’s head. Each place was labeled. In addition to the party guests, Iolana’s mother the Governor, Saba’s mother, and Cissy the lizzie joined the group. Saba and Loana were seated at the far end from the young hostess, who sat at the head. This was fine, as far as Saba was concerned, but his wife immediately hissed at him.
“Why is she seated there?”
Saba looked where Loana indicated and saw Dot Shrubb seated between Iolanthe and his mother, not a seat that he would have chosen for himself. But he had to admit that it did show some status.
“Well, Dot’s well thought of,” he said.
The evening was topped off with fireworks. The party was a great success. All in all it was one of the most memorable Accord Days that Saba had ever experienced.
Iolanthe is such a great character. I love it when people tell me what a bitch she is. In a way, she and Zurfina are just alike– totally interested in their own machinations, unsympathetic toward anyone else, powerful, determined, and unforgiving. On the other hand, while Zurfina’s goals are always completely self-serving, Iolanthe’s are a bit more complicated. She is determined to see her family rise to power. And she and Zurfina fall at either end of the order/chaos scale.
In this book, Iolanthe plays a relatively small role, but we can see that she sees Senta for the first time as an asset at her disposal. She also has to deal with Yuah’s problems. Something that continues into book 5.
There are a lot of little bits that I had fun creating in Astrid Maxxim and her Amazing Hoverbike.
Rachel Carson High School: I wanted Astrid’s school to be named for a female scientist, but I wasn’t sure which one. The first draft had Marie Curie High School, but that was a bit too on the nose. There were several other possibilities, but I’m happy with the final version. Rachel Carson is one of the great unsung heroes of the last millennium.
Bike Paths and Monorails: The kids in the story are too young to drive, but they get around on bike paths and in the Maxxim monorail. This gave me the kind of 50s retro-futuristic feel that I wanted. It’s just fun, too.
On the other hand, Maxxim City is supposed to be super-technologically advanced, so they can’t just use the same NEMA-1-15 and NEMA 5-15 electrical plugs you find in your walls at home (or the European equivalents). I wanted them to have something like a thunderbolt plug, but one which would carry both high voltages as well as data, hence the Excalibur outlet.
When I originally wrote the story, the hoverbikes were all sleek and futuristic, but I loved the cover design done by Matthew Riggenbach at Shead Studios. So, I rewrote it so that Astrid’s hoverbike was a retro-design in orange. Now it matches the cover picture and it adds a little something to Astrid’s character.
In the latter half of the series of Senta and the Steel Dragon, there are three children in the Dechantagne household. Augie and Terra Dechantagne and Iolana Staff.
Iolana and Augie make their appearance in book 3 as toddler and baby, and they are a bit older here. This books marks the first appearance for Terra.
All three have larger parts in book 5, though they are still small. All three play a large part in what happens after the series ends, so if I get around to writing the next series (which I’m already plotting out) you will see them again.
