Monday, December 10, 2012

Guest post, Aaron Dennis: Get Ready for a Bug Hunt!

Yay, December--what a great time to think about buglike aliens, right?  Today, I'm touring Aaron Dennis and his Lokians novels.  He's got a little to say and then some excerpts.  Enjoy!



Thanks so much for allowing me this wonderful opportunity.

Aaron Dennis, here. Creator of the Lokians science fiction series and owner of www.dennisauthor.com.

Being an independently published author affords a few benefits but also some very serious obstacles. With Lokians: Book1 Beyond the End of the World, I provided a few concepts not normally in sci-fi, at least not modern sci-fi.

One such concept is real technology. This bestows the brand of Hard Sci-Fi, or sci-fi loosely based on fact. I also included some religious concepts, genetic theory, and some very unique aliens, the likes of which I’ve never seen anywhere. All that coupled with completely diverse characters and a relatable enemy helped bring the story to life.

Now, with Book2 They Lurk Among Us, I delved into some of the more common conspiracy theories like government cover-ups, secret organizations, and obviously aliens ensconced in Earth government.

Furthermore, I challenge those beliefs, and further more, I challenge the existing hits of my genre like Star Trek, Star Wars (which is really a futuristic fantasy adventure and not sci-fi because none of the technology is explained and it involves a guy swinging a sword and casting magical mind spells), plus all these are old concepts and it’s time for something new. That’s why the new Star Trek movie was such a hit. It bridged a generational gap.

With the release of Lokians: Book2 They Lurk Among Us scheduled for November 7th and the completion of Lokians: Book3 For War and Glory coming soon, I’d like to add an excerpt from each. Please keep in mind For War and Glory will not be finished for a little while longer.

Lokians: Book1 Beyond the End of the World


The bug hit the ground. Jun and Adams walked over to it. It looked like a small football, a brown bulbous insect with no eyes or mouth. The four legs were of steel composition. It looked like a scout of sorts, or it would have, if it were pieced back together. The bullet caused the exoskeletal structure to burst. A viscous, rusty colored ooze slowly poured onto the cold ground. A few more came out of different tunnels.
The Captain quickly took control of the situation and yelled to his crew mates.
“Take cover behind the gray mounds.”
As the men and aliens took their position, a familiar sound echoed throughout. O’Hara’s eyes grew wide. A tunneler was coming. All right, where are you. Son of a— a small rock fell onto his helmet from above. He slowly looked up to find the ceiling was shaking softly.
“It’s on top of us,” O’Hara exclaimed.
The crew spread out as more, larger portions of stone fell from above, some large enough to crush the small mounds. White glistening dust erupted from the wreckage. Franklin spotted a small alcove beside a building and stowed his riches.
“Take out the bugs,” Franklin began.
“They’re probably scouts,” Adams finished.
Ton and Sura fired plasma weapons at the bugs. For each one they killed, two more came crawling from the hole-riddled walls. The ceiling suddenly gave way and the tunneler fell through, tentacles extended. In full view, the tunneler was more intimidating than expected. It was a full twelve feet across with several rows of dangerous teeth. The insect was a large tapered roach with two tentacles reaching away from the mechanical mouth. It did not have eyes or proper legs. As it fell, with dust and debris, the crew saw several tiny metallic hooks protruding from its belly. The hooks functioned as anchors slowly inching the beast forward when moving on sloped ground. It hit the mounds with a thundering blow. As it writhed, the crew laid into it.
“Get in there,” O’Hara yelled, firing repeated shots into the enemies flank.
Hun-Tan and Un-It took the forefront and fired plasma rifles.
“Yes,” Hun-Tan yelled.
“More fire power,” Un-It added.
As the beast wriggled upright, for balance, the two Thewls back peddled and took cover behind remnants of a roof. The comm units were wild with grunts and war cries. Soon, the tunneler spun itself by using its tentacles. As it turned, it picked up a great deal of speed. Chunks of bug exoskeleton popped off as it gained momentum. Confused, the crew eased back in apprehension. Suddenly, it erupted acid with a vulgar belch. Toxic bile spilled out in a full circle, but no one was caught outright by the blast. Some splatter hit the closest members with little effect. Though the armor was resistant the acid began corroding the plating. Korit fired a massive burst of plasma into the Lokian’s brown, pulsating flank. A huge hole was the result of the impact. While most of the crew were battling the tunneler, a few of the others were blasting bugs, Franklin and Adams called for back up.


Lokians: Book2 They Lurk Among Us
 

            “Listen, luring them out is better than approaching a Teragon, agreed?” he clarified.
Sasha nodded.
“If we manage to bait them, reason suggests, they’ll appear with a Betagon, and perhaps a detail of fighters. If we wipe out the fighters, we can disable the Betagon. Far as I can figure, there will be no way to ground the enemy vessel, so we’ll have to board it and try to extract one living Gray. The question then is, will there be a Gray at the entrance that we can capture, or will we have to work our way through the Betagon and fight?” Riley explained.
            “Iz good question for sure. I think from reports if ve don’t find vay to secure one small ship, ve vill fight many or fight Betagon. Vith whole crew, how many ve have?” Ivan asked.
            “Let’s see, Korit for sure, John, Swain, Sara, DeReaux. That’s my guess. Last I heard, Fitzpatrick was on her way here to Mars. Also, the Admiral may have sent extra Thewls with Korit. Let’s assume we have a total of ten. A Betagon holds what, like eighty Grays?” Suddenly Riley came to grips with the scenario.
            “Eighty midgets with mind powers. They’ll turn our assholes inside out,” Sasha commented.
            Riley and Ivan could not contain their laughter. While Ivan sank into the couch holding his sides Riley stumbled over to the recliner and fell into it. After a few moments, he regained his composure. Apparently, Sasha had not been laughing.
            “Well?” she asked.
            “Uhh…Yeah, but there’ll be less than that because we’ll disable their ship. A safe estimate, after casualties, maybe a dozen, and they’ll be spread thin throughout the vessel. This will work. I’m all over it,” Riley said with a smile.
            “I vant hear crew’s input. Maybe they have better suggestions,” Ivan remarked.
            “Yeah, won’t be too much longer,” he replied.
Riley and crew spent the remaining time gathering their gear. Afterwards, Riley powered on the Clandestine and checked the readout systems for ships in their vicinity. A few moments passed before signatures spiked. The readout was indicative of the materialization of the Carrier. It appeared to be on the outskirts of Uranus. As Riley kept his eyes on the signature, he saw three vessels appear on the monitor. The Thewls were coming.
            Riley knew that there was no conventional way to pick up on the position of the Clandestine. Moreover, it was grounded on a planet’s surface. So, he put the zero-gravity generator into overdrive, to increase magnetic output. He then disabled the magnetism reducer, to stop from masking said output. Suddenly, the console monitor indicated one vessel was locked onto the Clandestine. Riley smiled to himself and gathered Ivan and Sasha.
            “All right guys, it’s almost time to meet them outside. They should be here shortly,” Riley announced.
            After a few, painstakingy slow, hours moved by, the three met in the airlock where Riley inspected their gear. As always, Ivan was in his veritable tank of a suit and Sasha in her sleek war wear. The red light came on and they stepped out onto Mars’s surface. It was nighttime and the sky overhead was clear. A red dust storm whirled in the distance. The night sky made it look brown.
In his form-fitting, black attire, Riley gazed into the night. The stars were brilliant. Three streaks broke through the planet’s atmosphere with a beautiful red tail created by the heat from atmospheric penetration. The prospect of a reunion, coupled with the promise of a mission, was exhilarating.
            “Here they come,” he announced.
            Sasha and Ivan were both a little nervous. Observing their leader’s composed demeanor allowed them to relax a little. The Type-A’s came in first. Their unique wing structure swirled about the vessels as they manuevered for a landing. A gust of wind emanated from the ships when they stopped in mid-hover, a few feet from the rocky ground. Then the landing pylons emerged and the field generated hatches opened. A moment later, the oblong Scouter arrived. As it touched down, the two Thewl fighter pilots hopped out of their vessels and approached Riley, Sasha, and Ivan. The Humans looked upon their immense stature.
            “I’m Riley, this is Sasha and Ivan,” Riley said as he pointed out his crew.
            “I am Nuf-Pota,” the male Thewl spoke.
            “I am Rota,” the female announced.
            The two Thewls stood at an equal height. Their black armor suggested which of them was male and female. Rota’s breastplate accentuated her feminine structure.
            “Glad to meet you. As soon as Korit and the others step out, we’ll decide where to meet for battle plans,” Riley stated.
            “Agreed,” Nuf-Pota said.
            “Yes,” Rota said.
            Riley noticed their mannerisms. They stood in a similar fashion and their names sounded alike.
            “You wouldn’t be related, would you?” he asked.
            “Yes, we were egg mates,” Rota said.
            “Both in the same egg?” Sasha stepped forward and asked.
            “That is correct,” Nuf-Pota said.
            “They’re twins?” Sasha asked.


I’d like to thank you again for allowing me to show the world what I’ve got and I want to thank Eternal Press for providing me the opportunity to publish these exciting books.

Thursday, December 06, 2012

No writer's journey this week

No blog today--too much to do this week.  My third born is getting Confirmed in the Catholic Church this week.  I'm so proud of him and glad for him!  Deus gratias!

If you want to know what I'm working on, I'm posting it free at http://skizombies.karinafabian.com.  Check it out!

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Who Sportcasters are Really Talking About When They Blame the Gun

People are up in arms because sportscasters are blaming the Kasandra Perkins murder not on Jovan Belcher, but on the gun.  However, I don't think people understand what's going on here.  They aren't really talking about Belcher.  Oh, no--they're thinking about their target audience--the couch potato American.  You know, the people who would be too lazy to kill anyone if it weren't for guns. 

Think about it:  How many times does the average American actually get up an walk to the TV to change the channel?  There's their target audience (pardon the pun). If it doens't involve point-and-click, is it really worth the effort?  For that matter, how many average couch potatoes would be able to do the job properly if it involved gross motor skills (LARPers and Walking Dead fans, aside, of course.)

What should really scare us is when they start making personal weapons shaped like X-Box controllers:  A-A-X-B-click-click-downlever and that's the last time you'll ever hide the remote from me!  Talk about population control--not only will we cut the population of people who, well, move, but the remaining won't have the interest or energy to breed, especially if the next upgrade to HALO comes out anytime soon after.

Hey, remember the personal phasers in Star Trek?

They Knew!

So I say, let's get behind our wise sportscasters.  Gun control is not enough!  We need to implement a stringent program on all hand-held devices that might pose a similar danger.  (Laser pointers are all fun and games until someone's blinded.)  This is just the first step, of course.  Next, we need to keep all Americans soft and lazy so they don't turn to energetic violence.

TVs and X-box in every home--and a laptop with mandatory Facebook.  I'm sure there's a study somewhere showing a link between reposting images captions over photos of cats or sunsets and a reduction in the propensity to exert effort on physical mayhem.

Write your congressman!  No, better yet:  Google for a form letter to e-sign.  Less work that way.

Monday, December 03, 2012

Zeno's Advent Calendar

This cartoonist is such fun.  He posted this last year.  Go to his website to read the commentary on the calendar as well.
(Don't get it?  One of Zeno's paradoxes is that you should never be able to reach a point because to get there, you have to go halfway.  Once you've gone halfway, you still have half the rest of the distance to go, etc.  Check outmore here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes)

Monday, November 26, 2012

All Creation Sings Praise

As we enter the season of Advent, I give you this thought:

Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.

Praise him, all you his angels;
give praise, all you his hosts. 

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all shining stars.
Praise him, highest heavens,
you waters above the heavens.

Let them all praise the LORD’s name;
for he commanded and they were created

Psalm 148: 1-5

In September, Space.com reported on the sounds of the magnetosphere, and how they sound like birds:



So, it seems in its own way, even the magnetosphere sings praises to God.


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful for This Year

Thanksgiving

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful for This Year

Dear Lord,

This has been a crazy year!  I've been confronted with what I feel are failures in a couple of areas of my life; my best friend and true love is halfway around the world; our wonderful dog died; and I have the Cold that Won't End.  Sometimes, I wonder that I don't spend my days bawling my eyes out.

I can't; I have too much to be thankful for.

My daughter was accepted to her first choice college, one that will definitely boost her in the career she loves.  She also got an internship at a video game company--something few high school seniors acheive.

My eldest is loving college life, just like I thought he would, and we can see the change in him as he grows up.

My husband gets to mark off the last thing in his military bucket list--deployment in support of a war--and while we are not at war with Iraq, he feels he's doing some real good there advising the Iraqi military leaders.  Even better for us at home; he's safe.

While others are worrying about where their next meal or mortgage payment is coming from, my biggest financial gripe is the credit card bill.  Of course, this also means that I can relax as far as my writing is concerned.

We lost Layla, but now we have two terrific, loving dogs.  Toby si soft and big and loves to lean on you, and Beaux is as sweet a basset as you can get.

Despite the hanger-on cold, I am in good health.




Monday, November 19, 2012

Review: A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy by Sarah Reinhard



Summary:  Popular Catholic blogger and speaker Sarah A. Reinhard presents the first book to accompany expectant mothers from conception to baptism with weekly reflections and prayers rooted in the mysteries of the Rosary and related to the baby's physical development.
Designed to help expectant mothers embrace pregnancy as an opportunity for spiritual growth, A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy prepares mothers for the trials and joys of pregnancy, childbirth, baptism, and, ultimately, motherhood. Each week of pregnancy is paired with a mystery of the Rosary, a personal, down-to-earth reflection from Reinhard, advice for living the sacramental life, and a prayer to help the reader grow in faith as she bonds with her unborn child.

Mini Review:  Informative, personal, and delightful, A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy by Sarah Reinhard covers all the bases, and she brings in others to share their experiences as well, making it a very all-encompassing book..  I'm long gone from my pregnancy years, but I enjoyed Sarah's honesty, and some of her stories (like her discussion with her husband about pregnancy fears) brought tears to my eyes.  I loved how the chapters started with a discussion of the baby's size and development.

My favorite part about this point in pregnancy is that the baby may be sucking her thumb. Though I know the baby is human from the point of conception, it's when she starts sucking her thumb that I start to picture an actual baby instead of just a formless mass.
Pg 62, week 15

The Walks with Mary had lovely meditations on pregnancy and Jesus' life, and the prayers speak from the heart.  I wish I'd had this book when I was pregnant, and I especially wish I'd had the Spiritual Practices for labor.  (I'm going to try to remember them for other occasions when I might be in prolonged pain!)

Now, if you don't want to take my word for it, let me share this experience I had.  I was reading this at a book fair, and the person I was working with is an OB/GYN.  She asked to see it, and opened to the section on eating disorders.  Kate Wicker's frank discussion and helpful advice excited her.  She knew someone dealing with that same issue while pregnant.  I gave her the book, and a couple of weeks later, she told me she'd read it, loved it, and passed it on to her sister and sister-in-law who were both expecting. 

Highly Recommended.  Too bad I can't send it back in time to myself.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Mothers-Companion-Pregnancy-Catholicmom-Com/dp/1594712980

Ave Maria Press: https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-298-0/A-Catholic-Mothers-Companion-to-Pregnancy/

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Just a Few More Days 'till Coprsickle Time!

Many thanks to Frr Malory for making this cool cover.


Hey, are you ready for zombies on skis?  I've been writing "Shambling in a Winter Wonderland" to go live November 19.  Neeta and Ted go on a ski trip and to help advertise a ski/snowboard contest that raises money for Operation Homefront.  But when a ski team from last year's contest who died in an avalanche come back to finish the runs themselves, Neeta and Ted will be shredding with the Undead!

I've had a really slow start with this one, but once again, the answer came from the old adage, "Chase your characters up a tree.  Put vicious dogs at the base.  Throw rocks."  There are going to be tons of laughs and some comical zombie moments, but also some heavy stuff for Neeta and Ted.  It's also turning out WAY bigger than expected--definitely a novella when all done.

Mark your calendars to visit http:/skizombies.karinafabian.com or contact me to get on the mailing list to get informed when the next episode is up.

In the meantime, here's a teaser:



“Zombies? On skis?” Ted’s squeal came loud and clear over her helmet as they followed the sheriff on snowmobiles up to the accident scene.  “If it weren’t so dangerous, it’d be core awesome!”

“Apparently, there was some kind of shrine set up with their skis and snowboards—except for Spars’.  The manager said someone stole his, so they replaced it with some from the lost and found—that doesn’t matter!  The point is, they were already fearless and skilled.  Now they’re mindless, fearless and skilled—and the only thing they have connection to here is the ski contest I’m supposed to pose at.    Are you sure you want to marry me?  I’m cursed.”  Neeta spoke through chattering teeth—even with all the layers she could pile on under her Hasmat suit and her ski mask making her helmet uncomfortable, the cold air cut through her.  Ahead of her Sheriff Buttons swerved to avoid a root that arched out of the snow and she followed.  She heard a thump, and guessed that Ted chose to jump the branch instead.

“Nah.  You’re interesting—and that’s what I love about you.  Come on.  If it weren’t for your so-called curse, we wouldn’t be snowmobiling in restricted territory right now.  How fuse is that?  Just go with it.  ‘Embrace the suck,’ as Gordon used to say.”

Their friend Gordon had been a Marine before being discharged for being too enthusiastic about his job.  “I’m not a Marine.”

“Your mom was.  Doesn’t any of that rub off?”

“She took shrapnel to the arm and was discharged before I was born.”

“You need to get into the spirit of this.  Sing with me: Oh, the zombies outside are frightful/but the napalm’s so delightful—

“You’re insane!  I’m marrying a crazy man.”  But she couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice.  He did make the job fun.

As long as you love me so…

Monday, November 12, 2012

Veteran's Day Prayer

US FLAG

Dear Lord,
Today we honor our veterans,
worthy men and women
who gave their best
when they were called upon
to serve and protect their country.
We pray that you will bless them, Lord,
for their unselfish service
in the continual struggle
to preserve our freedoms, our safety,
and our country’s heritage, for all of us.
Bless them abundantly
for the hardships they faced,
for the sacrifices they made
for their many different contributions
to America’s victories
over tyranny and oppression.
We respect them, we thank them,
we honor them, we are proud of them,
and we pray that you will watch over
these special people
and bless them with peace and happiness.
In Jesus’ name we pray; Amen.

By Joanna Fuchs

Thursday, November 08, 2012

A Little Taste of the Weird Noir



On the gritty backstreets of a crumbling city, tough dames and dangerous men trade barbs, witticisms and a few gunshots. But there’s a new twist where urban decay meets the eldritch borders of another world: WEIRD NOIR.

Featuring thugs who sprout claws and fangs, gangsters with tentacles and the occasional succubus siren. The ambiance is pure noir but the characters aren’t just your average molls and mugs—the vamps might just be vamps. It’s Patricia Highsmith meets Shirley Jackson or Dashiell Hammett filtered through H. P. Lovecraft. Mad, bad and truly dangerous to know, but irresistible all the same.

With stories from Chloë Yates, Richard Godwin, Karina Fabian, Hector Acosta, Jan Kozlowski, Andrez Bergen, Carol Borden, Paul D. Brazill, Jennifer Martin, Katherine Tomlinson, Jason Michel, Asher Wismer, Michael S. Chong, Leeyanne Moore, Christopher L. Irvin, Joyce Chng, W. P. Johnson and an introduction by K.A.Laity



Here's an excerpt from my story, "Sins of the Brother":



Dante assigned Judas his own special place in Hell for betraying his Savior. What horrible sin had I committed to deserve my own unique inferno?
I slunk my way along the streets of the Faerie side of Los Lagos, trying to ignore how the glare of neon signs and pixie flash did nothing to dispel the gloom. A temperature inversion had trapped the noxious fumes of Mundane technology, shrouding the autumn afternoon in a dismal, dirty gray fog. People had been warned to stay indoors. The Mundanes, insular by nature anyway, gladly holed up with their televisions and Xboxes, but the Faerie were still too new to this dimension to give up their social ways. The many races that made their homes in this “brave new world” wouldn’t let a little smog get in the way of their gossip and shopping.
With my treasure left behind in the mountains of Caraparavalenciana, I didn’t have the means for shopping—even if dragons did shop—and I had hoped to avoid any gossip about why the resident undersized drake was prowling the streets. Unfortunately, the higher you got, the thicker the air; my nose balked at the idea of flying. I kept to the back alleys until I got to my destination, then flapped my way to the second story of a ramshackle hotel that dared to call itself The Ritz. It was putting someone on, that’s for sure.
I didn’t care about the digs. I’d come to visit another Judas in his hell.
The rusted fire escape made a precarious perch, but my friend saved me the effort of scratching at the window by flinging it open and stepping back to let me in.
“Vern! Thank God you got my message.”
I blinked. Brother Abel breaking his vow of silence? I gave him the dragoneye as I looked him and his flop over. The tiny room hardly rated the rats I’m sure he shared it with. Maybe I’d do him a favor and snack on them before I left. With a stylish Mundane haircut and civilian threads, he didn’t look like a religious, even with the second-hand clothes, and with his clean-shaven face, he could attract many a fair damsel despite his religious vows. Right now, those good looks were as clouded as the sky outside the filmy window. I knew what that meant.
“What’s Cain gone and done this time?”
Abel started to pace, wringing his hands like an old woman. Couldn’t blame him. This wasn’t the first time Little Brother had stuck his head in a noose that Abel—with my help—had to get him out of. In fact, the last time, it had almost been a literal noose. Guess the blood didn’t run so true in Abel’s family.
Still, even then, he hadn’t broken his vow of silence. Believe me, it put a crimp in our rescue mission. The fact that he’d break it now did not bode well.
“I don’t know. He was so excited at first—still is—but now, he feels afraid. Trapped.” Abel hugged himself.
I bit back a sigh. Corsican twins are the stuff of myth and comic books in your world, but in the Faerie, psychically linked twins are rare but real. Years of training had helped him block Cain’s emotions, but sometimes, love trumps training. He’d always know when his “little” brother, younger by mere minutes, had gotten himself in deep, and fishing him out was as much for himself as for Cain.
Of course, how’s a monk on the wrong side of the Interdimensional Gap going to save his wayward kin? That’s where I come in—DragonEye, PI, the professional problem solver for people on the right side of Good but the wrong side of the law, or who want to keep things off the Mundane lawman’s radar.

Monday, November 05, 2012

2010 Momoliths song!

When I saw this image, I immediately thought of the monoliths multiplying around Jupiter in 2010: Space Odyssey, and after a comment from my friend Theresa Henderson, I was inspired to write this song song. Don't ask why; it's just that kind of week. 



Photo: NASA


Oblah-de, Oblah-dah, monoliths ya!
Lalalala Life goes on.
Oblah-de, Oblah-dah, monoliths ya!
Lalalala Life goes on.

HAL is stuck in orbit around Jupiter
Earth sends out a team to bring him home
When they get there, they come across some crazy things
And Mankind discovers we are not alone

Oblah-de, Oblah-dah, monoliths ya!
Lalalala Life goes on.
Oblah-de, Oblah-dah, monoliths ya!
Lalalala Life goes on.

HAL is on collision course for Jupiter
Pushed the other ship back toward the Earth
And when that world explodes we’ll have a second sun
And Mankind will have a chance at second birth

Oblah-de, Oblah-dah, monoliths ya!
Lalalala Life goes on.
Oblah-de, Oblah-dah, monoliths ya!
Lalalala Life goes on.

It took millennia to create the human race
With a monolith and a bunch of apes dancing all o’er the place
Ook Ook Ook Ook

HAL repeats a message sent back to the Earth
Mankind will read it when he’s gone
All these worlds are yours now to settle on
But Europa, you had better leave alone

Oblah-de, Oblah-dah, monoliths ya!
Lalalala Life goes on.
Oblah-de, Oblah-dah, monoliths ya!
Lalalala Life goes on.

Of course, no sooner had I written and posed this on FB, some couple in Texas claimed to have seen a rectangular UFO.  Onder if the dimensions were 1 x 4 x 9? 

Thursday, November 01, 2012

"Zombie Idol" singing contest deader than zombies

I got no entries for the "Are you the next zombie idol?" contest, either on the blog or via YouTube, so nobody wins, including me.


What!?