I couldn’t wait any longer. Isn’t it gorgeous?
This is another Tomomi Ink masterwork, don’t you think?
Tag: Black Wing Chronicles
Saturday Snippet: The Last Firefight?
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!
Today’s snippet comes from Book Two of The Black Wing Chronicles ~ HERO’S END.
Blade heads into a firefight in a theater, and his life is about to change forever.
***
He glanced at the darkness that filled the open door of the theater. Colorful flashes lit the shadows. The unmistakable whine and hiss of blaster fire punctuated the shrieks and howls of civilians unaccustomed to live fire.
Maker help him. If he didn’t find a way around Marin’s orders, this could well be his last firefight, too, and that simply wouldn’t do. They were too damn much fun.
Blade strode up the walk to the open door, unfastening his jacket as he went. If he needed the blaster nestled in the shoulder holster under his arm, he wanted to be able to reach it. If he played his role right, he wouldn’t need it. Nothing short of a squad of IC-trained Predators would provide much of a challenge.
***
That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!
Saturday Snippet: Research? Riiiiight.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!
Today’s snippet comes from Book Two of The Black Wing Chronicles ~ and a short story DEATH OF A HOLOFEATURE HERO.
This is a life-altering gunfight for Blade, and it takes place in a theater. Hell of an audition, right?
***
“You’re not going in there!” She cried, throwing her arms around his neck again.
Swallowing his annoyance, he pried her loose. “Don’t worry about me,” he said with a grin, slipping easily into the holofeature hero role he’d played ever since he walked away from his Inner Circle career five years earlier. “I’m just going to take a look in the door and see if I can help anyone else get out before the authorities get here. I’m not a hero, I only play one in holofeatures.”
He shrugged her off. Now wasn’t really the time.
“Call it research for my next role.” He nudged her towards the security office. “Go get help.”
***
That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!
Saturday Snippet: Gunfire and Hysterics
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!
Today’s snippet comes from Book Two of The Black Wing Chronicles ~ But it may find release as a short story called DEATH OF A HOLOFEATURE HERO.
This week’s snippet comes from a scene that is one of the oldest parts of my story canon. The idea for this scene dates back to 1984. Though it had been referenced many times over the years, it had never even been written until NOW!!
This is the scene in which Blade Devon finds himself involved in a gunfight theater, and if he makes it through the audition, it could change his life forever.
***
She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.
“Oh Blade! Thank the Maker it’s you!”
“Nyla, what’s going on?”
“We were getting set up for auditions and these men came in! They had guns! Real guns!”
He cast a speculative eye towards the open theater door. A tiny spark of hope flickered to life. After weeks of compliance and submission, going through the motions of tying up the loose ends of his life in holofeatures, this could be the break he’d been waiting for. Men with guns often had means of getting off-planet quickly. If he played this scene right, he might be able to make his escape once and for all.
***
That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!
Saturday Snippet: Wooden Damsel in Distress
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!
Today’s snippet comes from Book Two of The Black Wing Chronicles ~ Taking a week off from title worries.
This week’s snippet comes from a scene that is one of the oldest parts of my story canon. The idea for this scene dates back to 1984. Though it had been referenced many times over the years, it had never even been written until NOW!!
This is the scene in which Blade Devon leaves the perks of his Inner Circle affiliation and his holofeature career for the seedy galactic underbelly of the Sub-socia. A gunfight at an audition in a theater on the studio lot provides Blade just the right opportunity to change careers and escape the IC security detail sent not only to protect him from attempts on his life, but to drag him kicking and screaming back to a desk job on Trisdos at the end of a month’s time.
***
Blade switched off the engine and dismounted the cycle then reached for the straps holding his helmet in place. As he pulled it off, he heard the faint sounds of a commotion from the theater as one of the emergency doors flew open. Blade’s head snapped around. A young actress, burst through, running as if the terrors of hell chased her.
Nyla Losh was too beautiful to be real — which was a good indication that her beauty was surgically enhanced — but she had all of three expressions and a completely monotone line delivery. She was only marginally better in bed. The only reason his affair with her had lasted through principal shooting of the one holofeature they’d made together had been because the producer begged him not to end it until they’d wrapped. It had been the only way to make their onscreen love scenes believable.
***
That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!
Saturday Snippet: Red Carpet Risk 1
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!
Today’s snippet comes from Book Two of The Black Wing Chronicles ~ Thinking of going with REQUIEM FOR THE BROKEN WING to make it sound less fluffy.
This week’s snippet is from one of the first scenes written for this book which may not make it to the final draft. After the hovercycle accident is determined to be sabotage, Blade is assigned an IC security detail for the premiere of his latest holofeature, The Watchtower. He’s also got extra security that the IC isn’t aware of in the form of his Joy Babe — none other than Bo Barron herself. Despite the danger to Bo, she’s joined him on Cormoran so she can watch his back. If she’s recognized, she’ll be arrested and executed on the spot. She’s taking position and waiting for Blade to run the media gauntlet down the red carpet.
***
Bo found her way to the VIP entrance and took up a position that gave her a clear view of both the crowd and the new arrivals. She shifted her weight so she could more quickly reach the compact palm blaster strapped to her thigh. That tiny energy weapon in its shielded holster was a huge risk. It was illegal for Joy Babes to carry energy weapons of any kind. If someone took another shot at Blade, she wanted to be ready. She would deal with the consequences later.
Blade’s cruiser pulled up to the gate and stopped. Bo took a deeper step into the shadows. Her amber eyes flicked over the crowd and the surrounding buildings.
***
That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!
Saturday Snippet: Destiny and Fate
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!
Today’s snippet comes from Book Two of The Black Wing Chronicles~ how does THE BROKEN WING sound?
This week’s snippet is the next few sentences that follow last weeks’ snippet in which Blade is still recovering from the hovercycle crash and he’s still on Kah Lahtrec. Tahar, the strange spiritual guru of the Lahtrecki people is still caring for him.
***
Tahar poked the fire again, sending another shower of sparks skyward. “You pursue a fate which will only end in your death, and hers. Without you, she has no chance of meeting her destiny. Without her, you have no chance of meeting yours. Your lives are entwined. That, you know. It is why you protect her from your father. Your future lies with her.”
Blade gaped at the old man. “What do you know about my father?”
***
That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!
From Bones to Hair: Building a Story
When I write a new story, I approach it like constructing a building or a living organism. First you lay the foundation (premise), then you build the framework, which I envision as the bones. At this stage, I have the main plot points down and the major scenes are in their place to push the rising and falling action to the climax and the denoument. Some scenes are fully realized, others are brief narratives that describe the action and the purpose of the scene. Anything goes at this point. Anything, no matter how bizarre or disjointed is allowed. That’s the first draft.
The second draft is where the meat and connective tissue are added. In the second draft, I focus on transitional scenes and place the actions and dialog that foreshadow coming events. I beef up and write the scenes that are simple narratives and I look for plot holes and dropped plot lines. Simple scenes that were mostly dialog get blocking and characters start moving around the space. Scenes that do not serve to advance the plot in any way are cut, but saved for reference or re-purposing.
The third draft gets skin. The “skin” hides the technique. Scene and sequel should flow seamlessly. Transitions are smoothed. Passive voice is removed. Grammar is analyzed for consistency. Character reactions are analyzed and tweaked for appropriate response. Stilted dialog is reworked to sound more natural. Characters’ mannerisms and subtle gestures are tweaked. Setting and descriptions take center stage.
The fourth draft is the hair, makeup and clothing. In the fourth draft, typos, overused words and phrases come out. The fourth draft is where the little details are added to ensure that readers are emotionally involved in the story. Everything that doesn’t create immediacy or place the reader in the middle of the action comes out or gets reworked. This is the devilish draft because it takes so long to complete and the results are not readily apparent to anyone but me. The devil is in the details and the fourth draft is all about the nit-picky details. Upon completion, this is the draft that goes to the beta readers for a final look.
A fifth draft goes to the editors for a figurative photoshopping, and becomes the final draft that makes it to publication.
I don’t know if all writers work this way, but this technique has worked for me because it allows me to write cyclically. Once I have the main points in, I can jump around in the story as details for plot threads solidify in my mind, returning to key points to make sure there is a coherent flow from one to another.
***
The first draft of THE BROKEN WING is complete and revisions have already begun on the second draft. Still no concrete date set for its release.
Saturday Snippet: The Holy Man and a Bad Man
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!
Today’s snippet comes from Book Two of The Black Wing Chronicles~ liking the title THE BROKEN WING, how about you?
This week’s snippet is the next few sentences that follow last week’s snippet in which Blade is still recovering from the hovercycle crash and he’s still on Kah Lahtrec. Tahar, the strange spiritual guru of the Lahtrecki people is still caring for him.
***
Blade reached for another piece of wood and tossed it onto the fire. A ribbon of sparks spiraled skyward riding on the tendrils of smoke and disappearing into starlit sky.
“You do not see how we could possibly love and accept you.”
Blade’s jaw tightened until he felt a muscle twitch. “If you knew… if you knew the things I’ve done… what I’m capable of…”
“If all men were judged by what they are capable of, everyone would be in prison,” Tahar said.
Blade met Tahar’s eyes squarely. “I’m a bad man, Tahar.”
Tahar smiled. “The difference between a good man and a bad man is that a good man knows he is bad and has the desire to be better.”
***
That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!
Origins of The Broken Wing
With the discussion of a title for Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, several people have asked about the origins of THE BROKEN WING as a possible title. No, it doesn’t refer to Blade’s injuries from the hovercycle race, nor does it refer to Bo’s dislocated shoulder, although both are convenient symbols that just sort of fit.
THE BROKEN WING comes from a passage in SOVRAN’S PAWN. A character quotes from an ancient epic poem from Bo’s people titled Requiem for the Broken Wing.
“When dark clouds gather, when the wind howls through the Bluestone Valley and whispers through the trees atop the Gallis Highlands, when the light of hope is fading, on the rising thunder will come the Black Wing, screaming through the darkness like the avenging hand of the Maker. There will The Barron make his last stand.”
Her ancestors, immortalized in the epic poem known as Requiem for the Broken Wing, had faced a no-win situation and fought fiercely to the last man. Like them, she intended to give a good accounting of herself before drawing her last breath.
The idea for the poem was inspired by stories from our own human history. Stories of courage in the face of certain defeat — of men and women who held impossible battle lines knowing that they had no chance of survival — Thermopylae, the Alamo, Bastogne to name a few.
The “Broken Wing” of the poem refers to the force she commands, the much contested and feared Black Wing, and its decimation following The Barron into that ill-fated last stand so many centuries earlier. It’s no accident that the last book in this series is titled BARRON’S LAST STAND.
As you may know, The Black Wing is Mondhuoun’s precision combat wing. Bo, as The Barron, is its commander. Control of The Black Wing is at the heart of the conflict of this series, so it only makes sense that the titles for the subsequent books come from this epic poem in one fashion or another.
The story arc of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES isn’t just about Bo’s quest to clear her name, it’s about the sacrifices made by a young ruler to keep her people from becoming embroiled in a war against the Commonwealth that they can’t win. In the process, she faces betrayal at the hands of those she trusts.
So at the risk of giving away too much of what you can expect to find in Book Two, THE BROKEN WING isn’t about happy endings or learning to fly again as much as it is about facing an impossible situation with courage and determination. In that respect, I think the title fits.
***
What are some stories of courage in the face of no-win, impossible situations that have inspired you?
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