Hard Drive Transplant

I thought I would make a quick post to let you know I'm still here, only disconnected for about a week. My poor hard drive is going bad so I have to take it to the shop to have it replaced. I have been backing up items on the system since Sunday and there is so much... stuff. I made sure to back up the important things, WIPs, pictures, music and web links. The web links weren't hard just tedious.

I'm getting ready to start working on Striker, Lord of Thunder. It's the second book of The Valespian Pact. I needed to do a little more research and some house cleaning with my inspirations boards. I bruised the pad of my right thumb with the number of tacks I used.

Left to right. Druids of Sanctuary and Sumeria's Sons

I whittled the Sumeria's Sons inspiration board down to just the basics since I wanted space for a couple of other projects like Druids of Sanctuary and The Valespian Pact. The drywall is turning into swiss cheese but since the husband isn't worried then neither am I.

The Valespian Pact has a wall to itself. Different people, cultures, dress, planets, technology. Six pictures alone make up the inspiration of Dargon. There are people and species I don't have inspirations for because they are completely made up. I thought briefly about trying to draw some of them by hand. I'm not sure I could successfully bring what is in my head onto paper.

The Valespian Pact inspiration wall

I struggled a little bit with the opening scene of book two but I believe I have it nailed down. This will be the last book that will surround Zeus, Dargon, and Alpha. The next one will start the search for Zeus's missing biological brother.

The majority of the work I had to do for this book, besides some basic plotting, was research on I.A.s When I wrote the human's back history for Alpha Trine, there were three notable human problems.

The first one was the creation of the Feteine. They are a race of robots created by humanity to do slave labor. They developed an intelligent awareness but held no basic rights. When the Fetiene were sent to mine the crystals of the planet Qestaire. The crystals were the Qrxzl who befriended and help the Feteine to rebel against the humans.

The second was the invasion of Aries 7, the GyrFalconi planet. One of the four companies that run human society messed with DNA and genetics so the people of the planet could work the planet's mines. The future GyrFalconi generations lost the ability to fly.

The third and biggest issue stemmed from the treatment of Aries 7. The Cypress of Nine Council sent an Imperial Ambassador to the Milky Way to let the humans know they had violated Galactic Inner Planetary Regulations. Restitution had to be made. The ambassador was executed on live TV and soon the humans were faced with a 20 year war that they had no hope of ever winning.

It is these developments that led to the gathering, imprisonment, and experimentation on the Fal'Amoric race. Could the disappearance of the Prince Prometheus be connected? The lost Vondorian prince, Canry, summons Zeus to the Waters of Poseidon and beseeches Zeus to seek the help of the Feteine, warning the Vondorian brothers won't reach Valespia's capitol Haven without the Feteine as allies.

If only those were the only obstacles Zeus and the twins had to overcome. :)

Before I run off to start writing I wanted to share the first review that came in for May 18th's release of Surrounded by Crimson. I'm so pleased with this series and the reception it's had.

MM Good Book Reviews gave Surrounded by Crimson 5 Hearts. You can read the review here.