gardening, New Leaves 1 comment

Finally…Spring. I think.

By zapstone on May 14th, 2013

So here in Minnesota, we had a long and full winter with plenty of snow and cold. As a matter of fact, it was snowing a bit just this past Saturday, the 11th, I think.  But from that beautiful-to-work-outside 50-60 degree range, all of a sudden, it’s 90-something out there. I had to come in from my tasks.  Later, when it starts cooling off, I’ll go back out. I’m supposed to get another 30 cinderblocks anyway from FleetFarm as soon as my brother in law gets here (he has a truck and utility trailer.)

Planted up the mesclun mix of greens today; also potted the rosemary and will put in some potatoes and onions this evening. Before or after humping the blocks into the back 40 remains to be seen.  Oh, why the blocks?  Hah.  Well, I can’t kneel down due to arthritis and suchlike in my knees. I’m making raised beds, and blocks are cheaper than almost anything we’ve priced out. (Plus, they are restackable, reuseable, useful creatures.)  I still need to get more plants, but it’s been so cold here as I mentioned, no one’s dared put too many of the more tender plants out yet.  I think that should be OK from this point forward, though!  Onward!

#SampleSunday, Excerpt 1 comment

The SFR Romance Brigade Presents: Gravity JTN2 (SFF/Action/Romantic Elements)

By zapstone on May 10th, 2013

Deities, but the air was thick. Rett rubbed her forehead, wishing the cool moisture there would seep through skin and skull to her brain. Scowling, she studied the readouts in her VARs again. Air temperature constant, no wind to speak of. She didn’t even hear the trill and whoop of nightwings any longer and wondered if something about the huge building kept them from coming close. The ground beneath them shivered. Not now. We don’t need another tremor or quake right now, of any intensity. Not on this mushy ground.

The tremor subsided. Nothing moved but the mist, swirling thickly around them. It didn’t take much to imagine it as a living thing, some alien predator, seeking to appease its chilling, wet hunger, clawing into their clothing in a mindless quest for warm living flesh. Still eyeing the target area with the VARs, she blinked hard a few times and curled her lip in annoyance as the throb of pain in her temple increased in intensity.

The time display in the lower right hand corner of the viewfinder started to flash. Five seconds…wait for it…three, two, one—

Rett signaled her people forward.

A shrill whistle shattered the eerie silence and froze her advance.

As she reached for the utility belt pocket containing the breather unit, her head turned sharply in the direction the whistle had come from—behind them. From F-, B-, and R-troop’s chemical and demolition teams. Despite her familiarity with the various vocal ranges of her unit, she wasn’t sure who had given the signal. But it was one she hadn’t heard for a long time, and never in an outdoor situation.

Airborne chemical! What sort of chemical? Where was it coming from, going? Didn’t matter. It was a problem. Shit. What went wrong? It can’t be anything we brought with us.

After adjusting her mask, she lifted the VARs and spoke a terse, soft voice command to enhance the environmental readings. Nothing was popping any alerts she could see. Coalition had never used chemicals before, not in the open. Only in enclosed areas.

But no wonder I’m starting to feel hung over! We’ve been sitting in more than weather-produced mist for deities know how long! Why didn’t this set off a hazard alarm before now?

She took a breath, pulled her mask aside, then put her fingers to her lips and signaled for all units to pull back. She only hoped there was time to get clear of this and into cleaner air. And to get clear before anyone came out of the complex ahead and decided three platoons of half-zoned Nyorfians would be perfect for some target practice.

Or something worse…
****
GRAVITY, Journey to Nyorfias Book 2, is available in ebook versions from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Have you read it? Liked it? Hated it? Problems with the file? Let me know. via terzap (at symbol) gmail (dot) com.

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And finally … the JTN series is complete.

By zapstone on April 27th, 2013

Yesterday I released the third book of the JTN series, STRATAGEM.  All of you who wondered at the end of book 2: where is this ego-merge thing going? Will Rett get back together with Jaq? Will this “exercise in tedium” as one reviewer’s valid opinion said of Book 2 (an opinion is an opinion, after all), ever come to an end?

Some of you might also have wondered “what is up with that horse/deer thing Rett is riding on the cover?”  (Really, it’s described more like “horse, deer, and mountain lion”.)

And those who’ve really been paying attention and picked up the hints that Rett and her dad aren’t talking to each other…

And most importantly of all: what of the battles?  The planetary-based battle for the freedom of the Nyorfian system as well as the Game that is the battle of Balance against Light and Dark? (In this case Dark.)

All these questions will be answered.  And I hope, dear readers, you’ll be satisfied with the ending.

Because the next Nyorfias book will deal with the beginning.  JTN Prelude, Rett’s Story (working title) will hopefully be available by 2014.  And there might be a few “sideline shorts” in between, including Carakenne’s (from Book 2) point of view from the mission to Complex 412, and the story of a young Kyarta girl (mentioned at the end of Book 3.)

Also, still planned, The Nyorfias Files: A Compleat Guide.

The release of any more Nyorfias books in the future, however, are not on a schedule.

And if you read these books and liked them—even if you DIDN’T like them—please consider leaving a review at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or Goodreads. If you liked the books, please recommend them to friends! Word of mouth is more powerful than advertising. I need all the help I can get.

Thanks for sticking with me!

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Update on JTN3 Stratagem…

By zapstone on April 9th, 2013

I know, I know. I’ve said it before. Been saying it for years. Years. Even before the book was named “Stratagem” instead of simply Book Three.  Well, I am at the point I am throwing away all fears, excuses, etc. and just taking a big leap out there. There comes a time when that’s all you can do… leap. And hope that if the chasm isn’t bottomless, or that no one catches you, you at least make a landing you can walk away from.

So I will say it:  I am striving to get JTN3 out in ebook format in the next two weeks. And here is the cover, along with the new updated cover looks for the first two books. Thanks to my author colleagues  Debra Martin, J.C. Phelps, L.K. Rigel, and K.C. May  for their feedback!

Here is the full width painting. (All these images are copyrighted, please do not use without written permission from me.)

In JTN3--Rett and Easy Force get new transport. And it's not armored, but it is armed and dangerous.

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March and Bewaring the Ide(a)s

By zapstone on February 28th, 2013

Don’t you just love this season of transition? Here in Minnesota, there are signs of spring everywhere. The neighbors scraping down the melting snow and ice from driveways, the quacking of ducks and honking of geese returning a bit early from southern vacations. There was a mess of robins on my front walk, where I put out frequent snacks for the local fauna. The robins don’t fly south, though. They just find a nice sheltered thicket and huddle up for the winter. I’m thinking about gardening, enjoying our new gas range, and working on a couple formats. I see my favorite chocolaterie, St Croix Chocolate Company, is showing pictures of their sinfully divine and gorgeously handpainted Easter eggs. Yep, despite the foot or so of snow still on the lawn, the icicles on the roof, and the dove-gray sky, Spring is just waiting to bust out all over.