Artemis Rising is #3,826 in Space Exploration Science Fiction ebooks, #3,785 in Alternate History Science Fiction, and #5,797 in First Contact 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 a 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 or the kindle 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.
Sandra (my editor) had a slot open up early so Forging the Chain Breakers is now in her hands. Whoo Hoo!
I used Audible AI to do a complete audio read of Artemis Rising. A number of minor fixes resulted and now I’m going through again. Hopefully after these minor fixes, I’ll be able to get a clean audio recording I’m happy enough with to publish as an audiobook. Went through another time, and got a new cover – Updated Artemis Rising with AI Audiobook is now live. If you listen to it, please leave me a review here.
I’ve heard some complaints about how small the print in the current books are, so I increased the size of the print significantly. Artemis Rising will be the first book to be released with the new, larger print.
Started the same process using AI to do a line-edit of Celestial Accord.
I also got title pages for Forging the Chain Breakers and Selene Unchained.
Antarctic Honeymoon is started. It is a stand-alone Walter & Eleanor story taking place the same time as the first chapters of Selene Unchained. Chapters this week: Preface Uncertainty and Change
Still problems uploading graphics. Maybe next week.
Artemis Rising is #4,674 in Space Exploration Science Fiction ebooks, #4,763 in Alternate History Science Fiction, and #6,863 in First Contact Science Fiction. 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 so far. 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 Richardson Farmer’s Market Saturday.
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.
I was able to get ChatGPT to come up with pictures for Limees and Argos. They are too cartoonish, but at least they are centauroids instead of bipedal robots.
Selene Unchained is written. Isaac is still going through making polish suggestions, but it is essentially ready for Sandra.
Selene Unchained chapters this week: The Beginning of the End The Breathless Pause Assault on Manufactory Station Fire and Fog The Palace The Last Accounting A Council Without Thrones Epilogue: Galveston Aeroport
Selene Unchained final word count is 83,237, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,343 words).
I also have the cover for Selene Unchained almost finished – It took a while to get the right model for Selene, but I think we nailed it.
I’ve started trying to get ChatGPT to do a line edit of Artemis Rising. It’s possible, but takes a lot of preparation, otherwise ChatGPT gets lost in the size of the manuscript.
Since I have time, I decided to do a line edit of Forging the Chain Breakers. I think it will be easier for Sandra to edit a cleaner manuscript and it may do some of the developmental editing ahead of time.
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.
Something is broken this week and I can’t post pictures. If I can get it fixed quickly, I’ll edit this.
Artemis Rising is #4,155 in Space Exploration Science Fiction ebooks, #4,205 in Alternate History Science Fiction, and #7,536 in Exploration Science Fiction. 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 so far! 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 Richardson Farmer’s Market Saturday.
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.
I did make some edits on Mirim’s First Christmas, so it is better now.
I spent a significant amount of time with ChatGPT fleshing out the alternate history of my setting. I have everything lined out from the deviation point of Sam Houston only receiving a minor wound at Horseshoe Bend, to the 1891 inauguration of Benjamin Harrison. As a bonus, I have a history book chapter and War College case study on the Euro-American War and a War College comparison of the Euro-American and Franco-Prussian Wars, both of which are pretty cool. They also very neatly set up the importance of decisive action and naval strength in US military thinking. That will be important by 1900…
I’ve learned a lot more about AI, mostly how to use it to make really cool video. I also got AI to help me with outlining the rest of Selene Unchained. It did an OK job, but mostly I took only about half what ChatGPT put in the outline, did some rearranging, and a lot of editing to keep the book on track instead of going off in some sort of weird direction. I also asked ChatGPT to actually write a chapter. What it wrote fit the book about like a marine diesel engine would fit in a sports car – but it had a few neat ideas. I suspect it might not have saved me much time, but the additional ideas may have made the chapter better.
The cover for Selene Unchained was started this week. That is the last cover required for the Selene Reborn Series. Once I have it, I’ll get the art for the boxed set.
I also started a Fiverr project to get an actual illustration of Artemis. Isaac has done a great job of putting together a concept art level version, but I need something closer to photo-realistic for some of the other projects I have planned, including the boxed set graphics. That is proving to be a major headache.
A new character added to the Dramatis Personae. Sgt Selkoryos – the second in command of the Troll troopers. He appeared first in Artemis Rising but has a little bigger part in Selene Unchained.
Another productive week for Selene Unchained. At least some of the progress was made in chapters not listed since I put together a more detailed outline for the rest of the book.
Selene Unchained chapters this week: Eldritch Summit A Dream of Import Manufactory Defense Bally Cluster Bloody Endymion Smelter Six
Selene Unchained word count is 69,649, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,315 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.
Artemis Rising is #1,923 in Alternative History, #3,046 in Space Exploration Science Fiction, and #3,092 in Alternative History Science Fiction. 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 so far, 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 Richardson Farmer’s Market Saturday.
Mirim’s First Christmas just went 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.
I needed another Old Ones daemon. This is what I came up with: Papa Kòt-Nwa (fic) – An Old One daemon who grants power to partially possess and trap souls. Feeds off the power of ritual worship, especially rituals enacted out of fear or dread.
There are three first worshipers of Papa Kòt-Nwa in the story. Baroness Bahah, Qutab’s mother, Sahiqa and Nigarish. I’m actually kind of proud of the description of their dance of devotion to Papa Kòt-Nwa.
Cover for Forging the Chain Breakers is final. Now I need the cover for Selene Unchained.
I got a lot done on Selene Unchained this week. Thank you to Deborah who did an excellent job of protecting my writing time.
Selene Unchained chapters this week: Zafir Burns His Hand renamed Kepler Station – finished Laughing Meadows Revisited Tunnel 45 Fort The Lesson of Forge 27 Changing Tactics The Siege of Kopff Castle Raid on Kopff Station Battle of the Cloister Eldritch Summit – started
Selene Unchained word count is 57,104, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,301 words).
I worked on training ChatGPT to be my line editor. I added the style sheet from Celestial Accord to its training and had it review Mirim’s First Christmas. This is ChatGPT’s analysis:
1. Narrative Voice & POV
Style Sheet
Past tense
Omniscient narrator with selective interiority
Authoritative but restrained
Moral and cultural confidence without polemic
Mirim’s First Christmas
✔ Exact match
How it manifests in the manuscript
The narrator moves freely between:
Mirim’s perceptions
Observed social behavior
Cultural explanation
Interior thoughts are infrequent and purposeful
Moral judgments are implied through tone and consequence, not stated
Notable reinforcement
The narrator never apologizes for tradition, faith, hierarchy, or ceremony.
Cultural authority is assumed, not argued.
Conclusion: Mirim’s First Christmas is a textbook execution of the style sheet’s POV doctrine.
2. Sentence Structure & Cadence
Style Sheet
Medium-to-long sentences preferred
Subordinate clauses encouraged
Rhythm valued over brevity
Fragments allowed for voice, not laziness
Mirim’s First Christmas
✔ Perfect alignment, with added sophistication
Observed patterns
Frequent use of:
Parallel lists (foods, customs, people)
Clarifying clauses (“which,” “that,” “since”)
Gentle temporal framing (“After,” “As,” “When”)
Sentences often accumulate meaning rather than rush to a point
Manuscript adds
A slightly more Edwardian hospitality cadence than the style sheet explicitly calls out
A strong “host explaining traditions to a guest” rhythm that recurs scene after scene
Conclusion: The manuscript doesn’t just follow the rule—it teaches the reader how the rule feels in motion.
3. Dialogue Philosophy
Style Sheet
Dialogue serves culture, not conflict
Polite speech default
Humor through understatement and social friction
Dialogue punctuation follows Chicago with voice exceptions
The manuscript proves that faith language can be frequent without becoming preachy when handled through tradition and lived practice.
Conclusion: Mirim’s First Christmas is a working proof that the style sheet’s religious rules are narratively sustainable.
6. Tone Toward Progress, Tradition, and Family
Style Sheet
Civilization is inherited, not reinvented
Family and clan matter
Progress is additive, not destructive
Mirim’s First Christmas
✔ Thematic alignment
Observed emphasis
Marriage as covenant
Multi-generational continuity
Hospitality as moral action
Technology coexisting with ritual
The manuscript does not merely obey the style—it embodies its worldview.
7. Where Mirim’s First Christmas Adds to the Style Sheet
These are not conflicts—these are emergent refinements you may wish to treat as implicit addenda:
Ceremonial Density Is Acceptable
Long stretches with minimal plot advancement are stylistically valid
Lists Can Be Luxurious
Food, customs, and names may be lingered over
Domestic Grandeur Is a Legitimate Setting
Mansions, tables, kitchens, and halls are as important as battlefields
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.
Artemis Rising is #882 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), #1,095 in Steampunk Fiction, and #2,414 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 so far, thanks Michele! If you’ve finished the book and haven’t left a review, please do so here.
Mirim’s First Christmas is finished. It is a long short story or short novella – a little longer than one tenth of a novel in length. It is mostly just a ‘slice of life’ story that explores Christmas traditions in the 1890’s. I learned a lot of neat things researching it and plan to make the eBook available for free once I get the final cover.
The first commercial oil field in Texas was in and around Corsicana in Navarro county. It started as a mistake when the Corsicana city fathers commissioned a water well that produced oil instead. In 1897, it produced 65,975 barrels of oil that year. Now days we talk about millions of barrels a day, but in 1897, that was a lot…
Gresham Castle takes up most of the lot it is on and didn’t have space for a carriage house. The Greshams did have a phone, however. So what they would do is call the livery stable and hire a carriage for whatever they wanted to do. At least until Eleanor perfects her Air Carriage…
I always thought the winged lions at the gate to the house were added when Bishop Byrnie moved in. Not so. They were installed as part of the original construction and were named Oscar and Zeke. Apparently the Galveston Historical Foundation have Josephine Gresham’s diaries and so they know for sure what the names were, although the docent said they didn’t know who was who. According to a Facebook post by Ernest McKelroy, the left one when facing the castle is Oscar and the right one is Zeke.
The enormous front doors of Gresham Castle don’t swing open. They are pocket doors. There are also a second set of plainer pocket doors that can be pulled closed to protect the main doors in a storm, or to indicate the Gresham’s weren’t in residence at the time.
Nicolas Clayton, the architect, included several interesting innovations in Gresham Castle. One was the book shelves in the library. The shelves are adjustable to accommodate different size books – something uncommon at the time. They also had doors that slide open instead of swinging open. He also designed the house to be able to capture the sea breeze that blew in to the front of the house. The ceilings were high, 14.5 feet on the first floor, 12-12.5 on the second and third floor. The hot air would rise to the ceilings, above where people were, and would circulate toward the grand staircase and rotunda. It would rise to vents in the dome on the third floor and vent into an area above the dome. That area had skylights that could be opened at the bottom to vent the hot air out of the house. It provided some air circulation. In addition to the 2 foot thick masonry walls, the house would have been much cooler than one would expect from a pre-AC house in Galveston, Texas.
IRL, Walter Gresham Senior was called Col. Gresham. I’ve always assumed this was because he gained the rank in the Confederate Army. In reality, he was only an enlisted man in the army and purchased his commission later after he became a professional politician. In the post-Civil War south, every gentleman of substance needed to have the title ‘colonel’…
In the Grand Staircase, one of the stained glass windows is of St. Teresa. It was put there by the bishop after the original cherub window was lost in a hurricane.
The research trip to Galveston and work on Mirim’s First Christmas took up most of my writing efforts this past week, but I did get a couple thousand additional words written on Selene Unchained.
Selene Unchained chapters this week: Zafir Takes a Hand – finished Zafir Burns His Hand – started
Selene Unchained word count is 42,273, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,251 words).
Artemis Rising is #1,820 in Steampunk Fiction, #1,928 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), and #4,772 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. No reviews yet either – 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 Keller Indianettes Craft Show Saturday or Sunday.
I’ll be having an author meet and greet in March at The Reading Rabbit in Azle. Hopefully I’ll have Forging the Chain Breakers available by then.
Found out a polearm with a hook to pull knights off horses and a spike to finish them off is called a guisarme. Yes, most polearms at least started as peasant tools put on a longer pole to serve as an improvised weapon. The low place in a crenelated castle wall are the embrasiers. Also found out that the effective range of a modern hunting crossbow is about 40-50 yards. Not very useful against a BAR…
Selene Unchained chapters this week: 11: The Chain Breaking Begins – reworked 12: Refugee Policy 13: Dark Rituals 14: Falling Water 15: Baron Qutab Strikes Back 16: Laughing Pastures – started
Selene Unchained word count is 30,440, not counting Dramatis Personae (1,123 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.
Artemis Rising is #1,904 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,044 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), and #5,260 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. No reviews yet either – 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 Funky Finds Saturday or Sunday.
Steampunk November was an excellent chance to sell books – better than any other event so far. I had a chance to talk to several other authors about places they go to sell books. It was also kind of cool to be in a place with a lot of other steampunk fans. I’m looking into other events like it. If you know of one, let me know.
The cold is still making everything harder than it should be. I did make a little more progress, however. Maybe I’ll be over it by this weekend…
Selene Unchained chapters this week: 11: The Chain Breaking Begins – completed 12: Falling Water and Laughing Pastures – started
Selene Unchained word count is 20,714, not counting Dramatis Personae (988 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.
Artemis Rising is #1,996 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,132 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), and #5,469 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. 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.
You can get autographed copies of both books at the Lightning Dancers Craft Show Saturday or Sunday.
There is a new description of the first series Selene Reborn. Please check it out here and let me know what you think.
The modifications and additions to Celestial Accord lengthened the book and it needed a very slightly wider spine on the cover. GetCovers.com took care of it for me and the physical book with new front matter and line editing will be available by the end of the week.
Now that Celestial Accord is put to bed, I’ve been able to spend most of my writing time on Selene Unchained. Some of the chapters I’d already written needed modifications, and some were replaced or massively modified.
Ima’s son, the Platoon Sargent, talks to his Platoon Commander about Kobolds. I did some research about Kobolds in German folklore and it was really interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobold
Selene Unchained chapters this week: 1: An Air Car Ride – minor modifications 6: A Sorceress, A Marine, and a Spy – minor modifications 7: Elisha and Mirim Return – minor modifications 8: Selene Revealed 9: More Messengers, Better Message 10: The Lunar Atrium 11: The Chain Breaking Begins
Selene Unchained word count is 19,229, not counting Dramatis Personae (975 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.
Artemis Rising is #1,992 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,154 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), and #5,464 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.
Book Signing Saturday 10-2 at the Downtown Arlington Farmer’s Market – both Artemis Rising and Celestial Accord will be available.
Michael, my line editor, finished this week. I should have the modifications integrated into the master manuscript by the end of the day Wednesday. I’ll integrate the additional map and family tree and get updated versions of the book on Amazon before the end of the week. There will probably be a couple of days delay to the release, but it will be better because of that.
The complete Selene Reborn series is now visible on Amazon. The publication dates for books 3 and 4 may change, the covers certainly will, but it allows the whole series to be seen.
Isaac finished beta reading Forging the Chain Breakers. Thank you! I have his comments integrated now. I also started putting Selene Unchained (book 4) out for Beta Reading.
The first copies of Celestial Accord came in Friday. See me at markets on the weekends to get a signed copy.
I received the map of the American Commonwealth from Tomas. It will be added to the next printing of Celestial Accord.
I have the final family trees from all four artists – let me know which one you think should go into Celestial Accord
Final Family Tree from Olha Maksymtsiv:
Final Family Tree from Adnan Thana:
Final Family Tree from Reyhane Hoseyni:
Gresham Family Tree f
Final Family Tree from Nadee Diwakara:
Selene Unchained chapters this week: 1: An Air Car Ride – minor modifications 6: A Sorceress, A Marine, and a Spy – minor modifications 7: Elisha and Mirim Return – minor modifications 8: Selene Revealed – begun 9: Contemplations – may need revisions 10: Kepler Cluster – may need revisions
Selene Unchained word count is 17,268, not counting Dramatis Personae (975 words).
Artemis Rising is #2,021 in Steampunk Fiction, #2,159 in Steampunk Fiction (Kindle Store), and #5,492 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.
This week was consumed by preparing for a huge weekend for jam sales, a visit to San Antonio to see the new nephew and reviewing editing notes for Celestial Accord. Actually, I did make some progress with the artists working on the world map and family tree for Celestial Accord, but nothing on Selene Unchained.
