Category: Worldbuilding

  • Audiobook, Honeymoon, Phoenix

    Audiobook, Honeymoon, Phoenix

    You can get autographed copies of all three released books in Selene Reborn (Artemis Rising, Celestial Accord, Forging the Chain Breakers) or Mirim’s First Christmas at the Downtown Arlington Farmer’s Market Saturday or Canton Trade Days on Friday or Sunday.

    Spent several days listening to the audiobook of Forging the Chain Breakers. A few line-edits resulted and I submitted the new ebook for review. It came back and I’m working on a final listen on the audiobook before release.

    Big news on Antarctic Honeymoon. After feedback from my beta readers, this morning I decided to completely rewrite the last several chapters of the book. I’m trying to get the Forging audiobook done first, but aside from what I did previously on Martian Phoenix, that story will be set aside for a while until I have a better version of the last chapters of Antarctic Honeymoon. I do have an almost-finished book cover.

    Started work on background for Martian Phoenix. This will be a lot more work than previous books. The Selene Reborn series didn’t have other books to constrain things, so the Moon was fairly free-form and I could detail it as I went along. This will be on Mars—there is a lot more detail there, more people, more area, more complex history, more opportunities for stories, more ideas for stories, more opportunity to make a mistake that breaks the context needed for something in the future. So… I started with detailing some of the characters from Earth instead…

    First step is Beulah’s mentor in courtship and marriage, Tia Dolores. She has a full character bible entry now. https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Dolores_Carrillo_Iturriaga

    I also want Beulah to have a significant transformational arc. To do that, I want her to have a starting point rooted in popular sentimental literature of the 19th Century (what we would call romance novels today). So here is her starting point https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Beulah%27s_Romantic_Theology – sounds a lot like the misconceptions around love we have today – including the “I can redeem him if I love him enough” misconception that traps so many women into abusive relationships. This is her full lore entry: https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Beulah_Gresham

    That meant I needed a lore entry for Nasir as well. https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Nasir_Al-Selene

    Now I need to start fleshing out Mars. So I started with the lore entry for Martian society overall: https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Martian_Lore Then started working on the pieces. I put together a lore entry for the Air Martians: https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Air_Martian_Organization_and_Culture, the Canal Martians: https://greshamverse.fandom.com/wiki/Canal_Martian_Political_Structures_and_Governance

    Advertising: 13 sales in March. $54.79 in revenue. $175.45 ad costs. Need to do some work on that for April

    Artemis Rising is #484 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,546 in Alternate History, and #2,470 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books). If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. There is also an audiobook version here. Six reviews for Artemis Rising. More will help others find the series as well – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord is ranked now. #1,006 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,117 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,799 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Forging the Chain Breakers is #1,113 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,266 in Steampunk Fiction, #3,098 in Alternate History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. The audiobook will be delayed while I finish Antarctic Honeymoon. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Mirim’s First Christmas is #6,609 in Colonization Science Fiction, #10,025 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #12,490 in Science Fiction Short Stories. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. No reviews yet. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here. I’m still working on getting free versions to be available on my website.

  • Characters, Endeavor, and Weddings

    Characters, Endeavor, and Weddings

    You can get autographed copies of Artemis Rising, Celestial Accord, or Mirim’s First Christmas at the Downtown Arlington Farmer’s Market Saturday.

    Got Fiverr folks to start work on an illustration of Endeavor. She will likely figure prominently on Walter & Eleanor book covers, so this will need to be pretty high quality.

    A new character – no plans on her being more than a background character right now. But I figured it would be better to have a complete character outline of María Esperanza Gresham (née Carrillo) and not need it than otherwise. Also her sister-in-law Carmen Gresham (née Salazar). I also needed Thoma’s children so did an entry for him and his family.

    On a lark, I decided to get Midjourney to generate a wedding picture of Eleanor. It came out pretty good, I think.

    I also learned that wedding month and day had some folk rhymes around them.

    Monday for Wealth; Tuesday for Health; Wednesday the Best Day of All; Thursday for Losses; Friday for Crosses; and Saturday No Luck at All

    Marry when the year is new and he’ll be loving, kind and true,
    When February birds do mate, you wed not or dread your fate.
    If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow you’ll both know.
    Marry in April when you can, and joy for maiden and for man.
    Marry in the month of May and you’ll live to rue the day.
    Marry when June roses grow and over land and sea you’ll go.
    Those in July who do wed must labor for their daily bread.
    Whoever wed in August be many a change is sure to see.
    Marry in September’s shrine your living will be rich and fine.
    If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
    If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
    When December snow falls fast, marry and true love will last.

    Monday wedding in August can be seen as foreshadowing the rest of the book.

    Did Character bible entries for Walter, Eleanor, and Walter & Eleanor as a couple. Also got AI generated pictures of them. I also decided to get an image of them in adventurer clothes for Antarctic Honeymoon

    Antarctic Honeymoon is progressing. Chapters this week:
    Earth Wedding
    Southward Bound
    Lost Island – started

    Word count is 38,266. Aim is 71,000-78,000.

    Artemis Rising is #1,314 in Steampunk Fiction, #4,135 in Alternate History Science Fiction, and #7,570 in Exploration Science Fiction. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. There is also an audiobook version here. Five customer reviews now (thanks Rick). I still need more so other readers can find it, but I may start promoting with these five – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord isn’t ranked yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here, the kindle version here, or the audiobook version here. One review so far. If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Mirim’s First Christmas is live. You can find the paper version here or the kindle version here. I’m still working on getting free versions to be available on my website.

    Celestial Accord copy-edit is available now. The Audible AI audiobook is also available.

    If you want to get early access to Book 3 chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising or Celestial Accord on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.

  • Luminiferous Aether Revisited

    Luminiferous Aether Revisited

    Isaac and I have discussed the idea that the luminiferous aether is actually a magic or mana field, not the medium that light waves travel through. It is what allows for steampunk speculative fiction instead of hard science fiction.

    That means that aetheric drives, leukos crystals, liftwood, etc. are all enchanted items. They draw part of their power and/or effect from the magic of the luminiferous aether. Isaac and I have been considering how to introduce into the story evocation magic – casting spells. I must admit the mental image of Tesla atop his tower outside of Texas City calling lightning bolts out of the hurricane to blast Martian war machines would be pretty cool.

    I’m thinking that having spells would transform the world more than I want. I’m shooting for steampunk/dieselpunk, not urban fantasy. But what if evocation could only be done in special circumstances? Circumstances that used to occur in a very few “magic forests” of Vulcan, but don’t occur anywhere else (at least nowhere anyone is familiar with).

    What if a more accurate term for liftwood was aetherwood, with ‘liftwood’ being one of the enchanted products you could make from aetherwood . What if leukos crystals were naturally occurring on Vulcan. What if a major part of getting enchantable aetherwood to grow was embedding specially prepared leukos crystals and setting up a mystical connection between the crystals and the seedlings. Maybe the Martian aetherwood groves are like oak groves – all clones from a single root system. In the ancient past, the roots were connected to leukos crystals and the crystals tied to power inputs. Ever since, with some rare exceptions, the grove crystals have remained connected to the planetary power net and fed the aetherwood groves.

    Magic forests were places where large veins of naturally occurring leukos crystals fed groves of aetherwood trees setting up an aetheric field dense enough and close enough to standard reality to be tapped using only the spoken word and hand gestures. I could have fantasy stories, even techno magical stories, set on Vulcan without having spell-slinging invade the main story setting.

    Something to consider…

  • Trolls, Dragons, and Progress

    Trolls, Dragons, and Progress

    Artemis Rising is #228 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), #379 in Steampunk Fiction, and #680 in Alternative History. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. Four customer reviews now, but I need a few more to get Audible to take notice – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    Celestial Accord isn’t ranked yet. If you don’t have yours yet, you can get the paper version here or the kindle version here. One review, thanks Michele! If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.

    You can get autographed copies of both books at the Arlington Farmer’s Market Saturday.

    I’m trying out another route to building up a following and creating content. The two are definitely intertwined. I bought into a course that helps content creators leverage AI tools to build content. That could result in a number of things – AI generated video where Walter or Eleanor or one of the other characters invites people to read the stories. AI generated audio books. Even AI generated audio books with AI generated visuals for YouTube. Although, if I do the YouTube videos, I might should just do the first 10k-20k words in a book…

    I had one of those huge ah-ha moments this week. Getting AI to write things, create images, make videos, etc. depends on prompting the right AI. AI prompt writing is a skill (small ah-ha), specifically a mental skill. Since AI is all about improving the quality of mental skills, AI can help you write better AI prompts (MAJOR ah-ha). Talk about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. I learned how to get ChatGPT to default to asking me clarifying questions when I give too vague a prompt. I learned how to get ChatGPT to identify the critical elements of a good AI prompt. I learned how to get ChatGPT to write a fill-in-the-blank good AI prompt. I learned how to get ChatGPT to analyze a logo/image/etc. and suggest how to write an AI prompt to recreate it (which you can then edit to get the variation you want). It was awesome!

    I realized that I hadn’t come up with a jam flavor to go with the third book, Forging the Chain Breakers. Moon Apple, based on Hasid’s moon apple cider, was for Artemis Rising. Bolivian Peach, based on the mocochinchi drink the Bolivians have for the Presidents’ Ball, was for Celestial Accord. I was planning an orange jam like the one Mirim made and took to the Moon, for Selene Unchained. This evening I decided to use our State Fair of Texas award-winning Peach Butter as the one for Forging the Chain Breakers. After all, since the State Fair of Texas started in 1886, an 1891 Peach Butter could, potentially, also have won a ribbon at the State Fair of Texas…

    I had an idea for a cool addition to the way liftwood works. What if one of the styles of liftwood craft that was being used for racing craft and military craft was to cover the skin of the craft with liftwood scales that could be electronically “steered”. An AI cogitator interprets control inputs into variable lift outputs on each scale allowing for far greater maneuverability. Theoretically, any point on the ship could be the point that is pushed in whatever direction. When there is a significant change in the liftwood output, the rapid change in gravity effect would make the scales appear to ripple. I also thought it would be cool to make it so when the scales are inscribed in a certain way, they absorb radio waves – making them radar absorbent. Voila, Stealth coverings… It would also put Tesla further on the road to beamed power (or deciding beamed power isn’t practical). I think Walter and Eleanor will encounter scales at liftwood island, but won’t have enough information to make a system until they see it in practice on Venusian interceptors. Yes – green scaled, long cylindrical shapes that fire lightning at enemies. Why wouldn’t lizardmen ride “dragons” into combat…

    My cover people are finding it difficult to find stock photos of powered armor. Surprise, surprise. I used came up with four possibilities and sent them to GetCovers.

    I’ve decided to not number the chapters in the manuscript document. The reason is that I use Atticus software to do the biggest part of my formatting – essentially the typesetting. Since Atticus automatically numbers chapters, it is easier to leave them unnumbered instead of deleting the chapter numbers after importing the manuscript from Word.

    Selene Unchained chapters this week:
    Lunar Atrium – Beraht’s vision added
    Dark Rituals – Beraht’s vision added
    Laughing Pastures – completed
    Zafir Takes a Hand – started
    The Beginning of the End – started, actually there are a number of chapters between Zafir Takes a Hand and The Beginning of the End, but there were some pieces of the later story I wanted to nail down before continuing in order.

    Selene Unchained word count is 34,767, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,227 words).

    If you want to get early access to Book 3 chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising or Celestial Accord on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.

  • The Endymion Aerie

    The Endymion Aerie

    This is the basis for the Family Seat of the Count of Endymion Cluster. It is AI generated so I can use as much or as little as I want. Since I generated it, I don’t have to worry about copyright infringement if I use some/none/or all of it. I won’t use all the details. I won’t use the illustration without getting it modified. I probably will use it to inform the descriptions of things that take place inside it during Selene Unchained. One thing I will definitely change is that the entrance is from below, where the Endymion Cluster transit tube station is.

    Overall Structure

    Set into the crater wall itself, the mansion is a stacked honeycomb of chambers, galleries, and pressure-sealed halls. From the exterior, only a few armored windows and a shimmering energy veranda are visible; most of the estate is tunneled inward, blending neo-Victorian ornamentation with gravity-defying tech, pneumatic systems, glowing brass conduits, and gaslamp-inspired lighting strips.


    PRIMARY LEVELS (TOP TO BOTTOM)


    LEVEL 1 – SKY VERANDA & ROTUNDA (Main Entrance)

    1. Lunar Sky Veranda

    • Transparent diamond-laminate deck overlooking Endymion’s plains.
    • Atmospheric bubble field allows guests to breathe while still feeling the vacuum beyond.
    • Aetheric chandeliers “float” using mag-lev nodes.
    • Viewing telescopes with brass ornamentation, including a massive antique refractor repurposed.

    2. Grand Rotunda

    • Central reception dome.
    • Steampunk mechanical orrery showing Earth-Moon system in real time.
    • Automated coat/pressure-suit valets—polished brass arms that store EVA attire.

    3. Guest Greeting Salon

    • Plush seating, velvet, polished cavorite-pattern floors.
    • AI butlers with genteel Victorian voices.

    LEVEL 2 – SOCIAL ENTERTAINMENT WING

    4. The Nebula Ballroom

    • Zero-G option: gravity plates withdraw to let guests float.
    • Programmable starfield ceiling.
    • Orchestra balcony with robotic performers designed to look like Edwardian automata.

    5. Moonlight Conservatory

    • Hydroponic biome with engineered “silverleaf” trees that glow softly.
    • Tiny gravity wells allow floating koi spheres (fish swimming in hovering globes of water).

    6. Gentleman’s Vapor Lounge

    • Prestigious lounge with vapor-distilled spirits, cigars grown in sealed lunar greenhouses.
    • Brass pressure dials, holographic fireplace.

    7. Lady’s Galaxy Salon

    • Luxury retreat with customizable personal-gravity chaise pods.
    • Viewport windows shaped like Victorian bay windows but reinforced.

    8. The Observatory Bar

    • Half-dome overlooking the crater.
    • Mixology done by AI bartender who uses micro-gravity fountains for dramatic pours.

    LEVEL 3 – FAMILY & PRIVATE WING

    9. Master Suite Complex

    • Multi-room suite with private veranda.
    • Bed platform with selectable gravity (0.3g–1g).
    • Enormous mirrored bath sphere—water kept in hovering orb with controllable shape.

    10. Private Library (The Brass Athenaeum)

    • Tens of thousands of books in smart vacuum-resistant cases.
    • Sliding ladders and pneumatic tube book retrieval.
    • Fireplace sim simulated by plasma ribbon.

    11. Heir’s Suites (2–4 units)

    • Each with mural holo-walls that change with mood.
    • Built-in mechanical curiosities powered by micro-steam cells.

    12. Family Dining Salon

    • Small intimate dining room.
    • Crystal table with embedded navigation charts of lunar surface.

    LEVEL 4 – GUEST SUITES & HOSPITALITY

    13. VIP Guest Suites

    • Private mini-atriums, velvet-draped sleeping alcoves, personal gravity control.
    • Automated tea and aperitif service.

    14. Standard Guest Suites (16+)

    • Still luxurious: lunar stone fixtures, softlighting, privacy holo-veil windows.

    15. Grand Guest Bath Hall

    • Communal Roman-bath-inspired nano-cleanse pools.
    • Steam generated from recycled lunar ice, flavored with exotic botanical essences.

    16. Atrium Corridor

    • Wide promenade with art exhibits: antique diving helmets, mechanical insects, moon-mining relics.

    LEVEL 5 – WORKING & SERVICE WING

    17. Culinary Module Complex

    • Gravity-stabilized chef’s kitchen with gourmet nano-cookers.
    • Walk-in cryostores.
    • “Taste Lab” for experimenting with exotic proteins.

    18. Staff Quarters

    • Comfortable, compact, efficient.
    • Separate recreation room with artificial sunrise lamps.

    19. Logistics Hub

    • Storage, pressure suits, drone docks.
    • Freight elevators connected to surface landing pad.

    20. House AI Core (“Pneuma Engine”)

    • Housed within a brass-and-glass chamber.
    • Visible vacuum pistons animate as the AI “thinks” (purely decorative).

    LEVEL 6 – RECREATION & LEISURE ZONES

    21. Anti-Gravity Amphitheater

    • Circular event hall where performers float.
    • Seats mounted on vertical rails.

    22. Holographic Hunt Chamber

    • Wilderness simulations of any era or planet.
    • Gravity and atmospheric conditions adjustable.

    23. Zero-G Swimming Atrium

    • Free-floating water ribbon track; guests swim “through” suspended streams.
    • Safety nanobots prevent spills.

    24. The Clockwork Gymnasium

    • Resistance gear using mechanical flywheels, gear trains, magnetic tension.
    • Windowed wall facing the crater interior.

    LEVEL 7 – INDUSTRIAL & SUPPORT (Lowest Level, inside crater rock)

    25. Life Support Plant

    • Water processing from mined ice strata.
    • Atmospheric recyclers with exposed glowing conduits for aesthetic effect.

    26. Power Chambers

    • Fusion micro-reactor with decorative brass shielding.
    • Auxiliary solar arrays on the crater rim feed power lines.

    27. Waste Reclamation & Bio-Lab

    • Closed-loop ecological laboratory.
    • Some rooms decorated to mask the industrial nature with steam-era accents.

    28. Vehicle Hangar / Garage

    • Lunar rovers (opulent, of course).
    • Personal lander pod for Earth-Luna travel.
    • Maintenance drones in mechanical butler style.

    BONUS: SECRET / ELITE SPACES

    29. The Hidden Treasury Vault

    • Pressure-sealed vault deep within the crater rock.
    • Collection includes lunar diamonds, rare artifacts, antique clocks.

    30. Escape Funicular

    • A narrow rail car connecting to an emergency surface pod.
    • Decorated like a Victorian subway car.

    31. The Secret Observatory (“The Cat’s Eye”)

    • Microlensed telescopic array.
    • Accessible only via shifting clockwork door.

    A thousand years have passed since the Fall—when most lunar settlements went silent, their domes collapsing, their pressure systems failing, their reactors burning themselves out or sputtering into cold darkness. Endymion Crater has been untouched for centuries, save for ancient dust storms drifting lazily across its basin.

    Yet the Aerie endures.


    FIRST ENTRY INTO THE ENDYMION AERIE — 1000 YEARS LATER

    The expedition’s boots sink into fine grey regolith as they approach the carved opening halfway up the crater wall. Their helmet lights sweep across the once-grand façade: a fused-glass veranda fractured into spiderweb patterns, brass ornamentation dulled to a blackened patina, the mansion’s original glow long since extinguished.

    A gentle flicker interrupts the darkness—the docking proximity sensors.
    Somehow… there is still power.

    A faint, low hum resonates through the stone.

    When the explorers breach the entrance lock, its pressure doors grind open with the slowness of ancient machinery. A yellowed holographic welcome banner stutters to life, flickering between languages lost to time. The air that spills out carries a dry, metallic scent—thin but breathable thanks to millennia-old systems struggling on remnants of power.

    Inside, the Grand Rotunda is a cathedral of faded opulence. The central orrery still turns, though barely: its gears—once brass-bright—now brown with oxidation. Celestial spheres jerk instead of glide, and a few smaller moons hang motionless, frozen mid-orbit. A haze of dust hangs in the low gravity, drifting slowly with every footstep.

    And then the Aerie speaks.

    A ghostly butler’s voice—its diction still elegantly Victorian—echoes through the hall, distorted by ages of degradation:

    “We… welcome… distinguished guests… to the Endymion Aerie.”

    The mansion’s automated attendants struggle to fulfill programs written ten centuries before.
    Mechanical arms, stiff with corrosion, attempt to take nonexistent coats.
    A drone butler glides forward on trembling stabilizers, its once-polished shell flaking and scarred.
    Tiny sparks jump from its eye lenses as it tries to bow.

    Down the corridors, dim bioluminescent strips glow erratically—some strobing, some pulsing, others dark forever. Plants within the Moonlight Conservatory have long since died, replaced by a petrified forest of mineralized stems and ghost-white leaf imprints. Yet a few sealed hydroponic tanks still gurgle faintly, tended by loyal robotics who never understood that their garden had been dead for centuries.

    In the Nebula Ballroom, gravity plates malfunction.
    One moment the explorers feel heavy; the next, they drift upward, surprised, boots scraping the domed ceiling.
    Shattered chandeliers float freely in the intermittent zero-g, spinning like crystalline nebulae.

    Deep within the Private Library, thin motes of dust swirl in currents created by neglected air recyclers. Book spines crack at a touch. The pneumatic retrieval system hisses once, then dies mid-cycle, leaving a brass tube clattering weakly.

    Yet despite the decay, signs of the Aerie’s stubborn resilience are everywhere:

    • The reactors—far beneath the living areas—still pulse with a faint, steady heartbeat.
    • Pressure seals, though aged, still hold.
    • The Aerie’s AI, though fragmented and glitching, still attempts to care for its absent master and any visitor it believes worthy.

    Occasionally, speakers emit a half-formed memory of the mansion’s glory days—laughter, chamber music, the distant echo of a gala—audio files corrupted into eerie, dreamlike fragments.

    As the explorers descend deeper, they encounter rooms sealed for centuries, their contents untouched: a guest suite with bedding still neatly arranged; a dust-coated lounge with glasses waiting for a party that never came; an automaton pianist slumped over a keyboard, fingers paused above yellowed keys as though waiting for applause.

    The Aerie is not a ruin in the usual sense.
    It is a mausoleum of luxury, kept alive through sheer mechanical loyalty—a palace waiting for guests who will never return.

    And now, after a thousand years, it has guests once more.

  • Galveston City Company

    Galveston City Company

    This is just too big a learning to be part of the standard weekly blog – so it will get one all its own.

    During the time of the Selene Reborn books, the Galveston City Company still had a huge amount of influence on the development of Galveston because they owned virtually all of the undeveloped land in the city.

    It all starts with Michel Menard, one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence and, among other things, a location surveyor. The surveys most people are familiar with are boundary surveys – what are the boundaries of a tract of land. A location surveyor would go to a tract of land and identify improvements and geographical features that could add value to the land. He performed this service for Juan Seguin on a tract of about 4,605 acres on the east end of Galveston Island. The exact details are unknown, but Seguin gave title to the land to Menard in 1834.

    In 1836 Menard petitioned the government of Texas to have the Mexican land grant confirmed. Since the early Texas Congress was notorious for being… chaotic, it isn’t surprising that it wasn’t until 1838, after the Texas Congress had time (and some coups) to get itself organized before they officially deeded Galveston Island to the Galveston City Company consisting of Menard and 9 other early luminaries of Texas and Galveston.

    For the next 71 years, the Galveston City Company would sell and/or donate land to guide the growth and expansion of the city of Galveston. In 1891 when Gresham Aerospace is trying to get large tracts of land for their half-mile long aethership factory and such, In addition to getting permission from the City Council to build over where streets are supposed to go, they would need to buy all, or most, of the land from Galveston City Company, Archibald Campbell, agent and secretary.

    This is not the way I’ve ever heard of anything going. I guess it is kind of like master-planned communities now days, but without a detailed master plan to start with and with decades of incremental development instead. I think it is interesting that a Communist could make a case that the Galveston City Company is an example of central planning done right since they controlled, or at least influenced, the development of Galveston into a well-organized, prosperous, philanthropic community. Of course a Capitalist would point out that it was a private, for-profit enterprise, not a government agency, that did it…

  • Bricklayers, Foundries, and Future Plans

    Bricklayers, Foundries, and Future Plans

    Artemis Rising is #336 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,639 in Steampunk Fiction, and #1,258 in Alternative History. Still at 3 customer reviews. I need a few more to get Audible to take notice – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so.

    Thomas Lucas, who lives across Broadway from Gresham Castle, may be an alternate builder for at least the upgrades to First Hangar. Information about Thomas Lucas IRL.

    If you haven’t sent a reply with feedback about the title for book 2, please review the list of title suggestions and hit reply.

    Not as many chapters this week. Two reasons, Deborah and I spent several days celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary. It takes longer for us old people to celebrate things – that’s my story and I’m sticking to it… Also, what the Shadowy Man is getting up to will be talked about more in this book than originally planned. That means adding some pieces in some of the already completed chapters.

    According to the 1890-1891 Galveston City Directory, page 179, David Fahey was proprietor of Uhrig’s Cave saloon, 2102 Market on the corner of 21st Street. Residence same. That is more than enough to inspire even a half-way decent writer to create a setting for the Shadowy Man to pump the bricklayers for information.

    John Locke (h) – Bricklayer in Galveston. Roomed with Fannie Stone. I added that he was from Eastside London because I wanted the Cockney accent. His friends were John Lipscomb (h) and George Blake (h) both historical bricklayers that I decided were Galveston natives.

    Historically in 1891 there were three foundries in Galveston. One, Lee Ironworks, part of the C. B. Lee & Co. complex, was right near the railroad depot and was the run by the Alderman for the 6th Ward (Northwest Galveston), Charles Lee. Guess where Walter and Company got the steel plates to cover Nike and Artemis

    I’ve had a couple of questions about plans for future books. Those plans have changed a lot since I sat down to write Artemis Rising almost a year ago now. Currently, as of the changes made this morning, the plan looks like this:

    The Rise of the Selenites (Series):
    Artemis Rising
    [Book 2 – please send your title suggestions]
    Forging the Chain Breakers
    Selene Unchained

    The Adventures of Walter and Eleanor:
    Antarctic Honeymoon – may be book 4 of 5 in Rise of the Selenites
    Secrets of Kilimanjaro

    Others:
    Flight of the Phoenix
    Beware the Wrath of Magi

    Ideas that may become books:
    Return to Mars – A Walter and Eleanor adventure
    Getting a Clue – A Walter and Eleanor adventure
    Old Ones In England – A Walter and Eleanor adventure
    Fish People of the Amazon – possibly a Walter and Eleanor adventure
    Secrets of the Sphinx
    Floating Cities of Venus
    Dark Side of Mercury
    Secrets of Ceres
    Bombing Iapetus
    War of the Worlds – may be a series
    War in Heaven – may be a series
    Emory Upton in Mexico
    The Rise of Amir Al-Jalil
    Mike Powell on Mars

    Plenty of untold stories and all that assumes I don’t get enough feedback from readers about wanting more story somewhere not covered by this list…

    Chapters this week:
    Shadowy Man additions
    2 Chapters split (additional 2 chapters)
    27: Preparations for the Council
    28: Galveston Aeroport Company – started

    Forging The Chain Breakers word count is 48,947, not counting Dramatis Personae (2,183 words)

    If you want to be a beta reader and comment on Book 2 chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.

  • Atlantis, Angels, and Power Crystals

    Atlantis, Angels, and Power Crystals

    Artemis Rising is #1,435 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,579 in Steampunk Fiction, and #3,813 in Alternative History. I got a 3rd customer review, still need a few more to get Audible to take notice – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so.

    I had another couple ideas for a name for Book 2. “Selenite Surprise” or “Surprise Visitors” Let me know what you think.

    NASA 1118 78.3F

    Had some discussion about potentially adding Atlantis to the stories in the future. Maybe using the Sahara Eye. Major question to be resolved is how to destroy Atlantis so it is at least similar to the Plato story. One minor question would be how much metal reinforcement do they need? If they build in a Classic Greco-Roman or Gothic style, none. If they use steel like we do – the steel would probably be rusted to nothing and those structures compromised. If they use a more corrosive resistant metal (titanium, aluminum, special alloy) they may still be in place. Something to consider.

    Something else that will show up earlier is how will the Selenites gain support among the communities under the control of Zafir? What if the Selenites are able to disguise themselves sufficiently to carry word of the coming freedom to everyone. Among other things, Angels are messengers. What if the people under Zafir’s control end up entertaining ‘angels’ unaware?

    If Old One tainted leukos crystals are purple-black (like a UV light), and Moon leukos crystals are usually colorless or pale yellow, would Martian power crystals be red? After all, the reason Mars looks red in real life is the massive amount of iron oxide in the surface dust. Come to find out, Corundum (aluminum oxide crystals) with trace amounts of iron and tungsten make blue sapphires. Rubies come mostly from chromium traces. Of course that doesn’t mean I have to make Martian crystals blue…

    I discovered that in real life, while Gresham Castle was being constructed the Gresham’s lived just behind the house on the south side of Avenue I between 14th and 15th. It is listed as the Thomas Chubb house on the historical landmark plaque out front of it. That is Edward and Vickie’s house in the story.

    I also looked up what the major ports were at the end of the 19th Century. They were the ports of the “Northern Range” in Europe. That’s Le Harve, France; Antwerp, Belgium; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Bremen/Bremerhaven, Germany; and Hamburg, Germany.

    Chapters this week:
    21: American Commonwealth Military Council – added before 22
    22: At This Meeting of the Board… – completed
    23: Grey Wednesday
    24: Galveston Aeroport Collusion

    Forging The Chain Breakers word count is 45,808, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,831 words)

  • Research In Galveston

    Research In Galveston

    Artemis Rising is #860 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,344 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books), and #799 in Steampunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store). There are 2 customer reviews – if you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so.

    In the late Victorian and Gilded ages, the rich and powerful were more likely to have a custom rail carriage built for them. Kind of like having a yacht or private jet today.

    Ran into some major issues with the first chapter of Mirim for the WIN. Essentially I needed to do a complete rewrite. Since I’ve never written the first chapter of a sequel novel, I guess it isn’t surprising that I’m not good at it yet. I ended up adding more than 3000 words making the first chapter over 5,000 – way longer than most of my chapters. I asked Sandra to suggest chapter breaks, but may leave it alone if she doesn’t have suggestions. It made me feel good that I impressed her by getting the rewrite back to her in less than 48 hours.

    Saturday visit to Galveston helped me locate a hugely valuable source of information in the Galveston and Texas History Center of the Rosenberg Library. Huge shoutout to Kaitlin and Christina for their help gathering information about Walter and Josephine Gresham, Gresham Castle, John Henry Hutchings and his house.

    There was also a birds-eye view map of Galveston on the wall that included the Beach Hotel (so between 1882 and 1898). The beach side of the island and the west side of the island was way too empty to justify going back and forth to Texas City. The way I see it, I have three choices:
    1) I can revise everything I’ve written so far to put Gresham Aerospace on the island from the beginning. Pro: It takes care of all the issues from the beginning. Con: It makes it confusing for people who have already started reading Artemis Rising and it is a lot of work.
    2) I can have the Gulf, Laredo, and Veracruz Railroad at least decline developing the Aero/Aether port in Texas City and force the move when Gresham Aerospace makes their expansion in Antarctic Honeymoon. Pro: Allows Artemis Rising, Mirim for the WIN, and almost all of what is written so far for Antarctic Honeymoon to stand as written. It also puts Galveston right next to the Aetherport which will be important later. Con: the facility is on the unraised island during the 1900 hurricane. It also adds some complication to the Antarctic Honeymoon story (which may be more of a mixed Pro/Con – richer story/more work).
    3) Move the facilities from a ruined Texas City location to Galveston. Pro: This can include a raising of the level of the ground post hurricane and it makes some sense in trying to revitalize Galveston after the destruction of the Hurricane and such. Con: I’m pretty sure the Texas City area has a lot less destruction from the 1900 hurricane than Galveston did – moving from Texas City to Galveston would stretch credibility a lot.

    Toured Bishop’s Castle and Moody Mansion. Bishop’s Castle is the name given to the Gresham’s house, Gresham Castle in the books, after the Bishop of Galveston took up residence there. Moody Mansion was the name given to the mansion built by Narcissa Willis when William Moody, Jr. bought it just after the 1900 hurricane. Narcissa had the mansion built in part because she had pestered her husband to build them an opulent house their entire married life, in part to try to draw her children back to Galveston, and in part to upstage her sister, Magnolia Willis Sealy, mistress of Open Gates just two blocks down Broadway. She upstaged her sister for a very few years, got her opulent house at the cost of not having the money to keep it up, and since that estranged her from her children, failed to get them to return to Galveston. In fact, William Moody got the mansion for about five cents on the dollar in a bid he put in before the hurricane.

    Learned that Broadway is where it is because that was the “ridge” of highest ground (8 feet above sea level) down the center of Galveston Island when the city grid was laid out. At the time of the books, it consisted of a single lane road in either direction and a broad esplanade down the center. Most roads in Galveston at that time are paved in crushed shells.

    I did figure out how to make some decent AI generated pictures of the various Embassies. I’m not sure it will work for the Hall of the American Commonwealth, I’ll have to try that next.

    This week was mostly consumed with research in Galveston. Learned a lot and need to integrate it into Mirim for the WIN, as well as later books. That will probably slow down progress on Antarctic Honeymoon for a while.

    Chapters this week:
    27: American Geographic Society – progress
    Mirim Chapter 1 rewrite

    Antarctic Honeymoon word count is 53,807, less than 800 words more than last week, not counting Dramatis Personae (2,268 words)

    If you want to be a beta reader and comment on these chapters, write a nice review for Artemis Rising on Amazon or Goodreads, and email me that you’ve done it.

  • Victorian Planetology

    Victorian Planetology

    During the early history of “speculative fiction”, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Edgar Rice Burroughs postulated that all or most of the inner planets were, more or less, hospitable to life. Mars was a desert world, long dying for lack of water. Venus was a jungle world, its cloud-covered face hiding jungles that often housed dinosaurs. It was even speculated that a fifth planet, Vulcan, once lay between Mars and Jupiter. Since this makes for a much richer storytelling setting, and the stories are set in the late 19th century, this is true for my inner planets as well

    Mercury’s World River

    Mercury is tidally locked to the Sun, but that doesn’t keep it from having water, atmosphere, and life. A constant, cold to cool wind from the cold side blows along the surface with an equally constant hot to warm wind aloft returning the air from the hot side. A deep, broad valley circles the twilight zone between them.

    Jungles of Venus

    The clouds of Venus are water clouds and the surface is a hot, muggy jungle. Saurian leviathans rule the air, land and sea, making exploration difficult – and that is before considering the bloodthirsty lizard people

    Earth, With Bonuses

    Our own planet is, mostly, the same. But with all the cool things on other worlds, there have to be mysterious islands, lost civilizations, evidence of ancient bases from peoples of the other planets, and other story elements still to be found. Who knows, maybe a voyage to the center of the Earth is possible…

    Moon – Scars of Conflict

    Not all of those craters on the moon were from natural meteorite impacts. Thousands of years ago, there was a War in Heaven that almost destroyed the numerous moon bases and instillations. Almost…

    Mars And The Elves

    Mars has canals. Mars also has the mightiest volcanoes in the solar system. And the people of Mars, both those living in the baroque civilizations of the canal queendoms, and the raiders who venerate the millennia-old trans-atmospheric fighters on static display, are human – except for the pointed ears…

    Lost Vulcan

    The Asteroid Belt is has about 20 times the mass of the belt in real life. It is also far less evenly spaced, most of the asteroids being in the quadrant centered on the ancient moon Ceres. But the closer one comes to the heart of the Vulcan debris field, the more… haunted it becomes.