Excerpt from 'The Calling'

"No excuses," said the warrior, baring his teeth, "it's you, alright. The call is for you. Your scan matches the profile we were given." While he was still speaking, a cluster of slim steel shapes like fish streaked out of the distance towards him. He merely held up his other hand, without looking over his shoulder. The air seemed to ripple like a silk flag, and the missiles were rudely scattered, some exploding on the ground, some tumbling away out of sight. "Stand up like a man!" he went on. "The honour of your people is at stake. Your honour!"

Valin just began to edge away from the glowing man, sliding along on his rear, along the base of the boulder, and shook his head frantically. Honour! What use was honour to a man who thought he saw silver angels? As much use as a jewelled crown to a child who sat in the mud, lecturing the birds.

The final edit of The Calling is being squeezed in between all sorts of other work! But it should be finished and released in the next few weeks. The cover art is ready... I'm pretty happy with it, after quite a few hours using an application called Paint.NET. The image reflects a scene or two from the story. Here's a preview:

 

Towards The Calling ebook...

After much busy clicking and making some short ebooks on Smashwords (and now Amazon, Kobo, etc) I'm aiming at putting the Calling out there as an ebook too.


Have I given up getting a publishing contract? Yes, for the time being. Breaking into print via a traditional publisher isn't happening, and it sounds like it happens very rarely for new writers. So the ebook way I get my story read by some people, and I will explore CreateSpace at Amazon so it will be available also in print.


Watch here or at my Amazon author page for the e-release. Estimated Time of Arrival... next month?

About Writing

If you're in North-Western Ontario and would like a visit by an author to your school, club or other group, then I'm willing to look into it. I can present a simple session on the basics of writing, and can include some of the science in science fiction writing. I can read extracts from my writing, tailored to fit the age group and interests of those attending.

If you're in another part of Canada, we can talk... I like to travel, but Canada is so BIIIG!To get in touch, email me at the following address (I am not writing the complete address to avoid spam, so complete it yourself, without any spaces)


If email doesn't seem to work, try leaving a comement on this post.


rjpeace  'at'  fastmail  'dot'  fm

'The Calling' is born!

Valin Derojan, a young nomad, must steal an orbital interceptor and take on a whole cruiser full of merciless space raiders. He's trying to rescue the man who saved him from certain death, and regain his lost honour. Along the way he must face his fears, control his runaway thoughts and forgive his domineering older brother.


His headstrong younger cousin is seeking revenge for the murder of her father and stows away. Now he must protect her too! But wait a moment, now who's saving whom? 

In the process of the rescue, they are enlisted by an elusive band of freedom fighters and catapulted towards a galaxy-wide struggle between good and evil.

The Calling is a gripping 26-chapter novel for children around the age range 8 to 12. It's a complete story in itself, but is also intended to be the first in a series of stories, each of which ramps up the scope and the stakes of the conflict. 

The Calling focuses on the need to control one's thoughts, face fears and weaknesses, and to brave the challenges of growing up.


I've just finished writing it, so now comes the challenge of finding a publisher. Writing a three-page synopsis of the whole thing was quite a task, requiring me to be a 'genius of compression'. Watch this blog for details of how to get hold of the published book.