The Buried Ship at the End of the World Is about to Be Published!

Join me on Facebook on Saturday, January 30, 2016, for  an event -- TermiteWriter Launches The Buried Ship !

Expect special prices or giveaways on my earlier books, plus fun and good fellowship!

At last the series The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head is coming to an end.  A lot of loose ends were left hanging in v.6: Revenge of the Dead Enemy, and it was only right to compose a sequel volume to bring the Quest for the Golden Fungus to a satisfying conclusion.

Here is the Amazon description of the book:

While many of the participants in the Quest for the Golden Fungus have been lost, the Quest continues under the leadership of Is’a’pai’a Gold-Seeker.  Di’fa’kro’mi’s Scribe Chi’mo’a’tu, with the help of wandering Remembrancers and the Star-Brings, undertakes to compose the tale of the final adventures, with the Seer Da’sask’ni’a as the principal narrator. 

As the remaining Companions set forth on the last leg of their voyage, new additions to the company lead to both jubilation and tragedy.  Then they must dare the dangerous Wandering Rocks and the Closing Gate before sailing to the End of the World to find the Fungus.  After planting the reptile’s teeth and dealing with the results, Is’a’pai’a finally returns home to Hwai’ran’chet, bringing along a surprise addition to the company – a Sorcerer and Seer who may be far more dangerous than she appears.

   

A Milestone Is Reached! The Final Volume of the Ki'shto'ba Series Has Been Published!

      

Back cover of The Revenge of the Dead Enemy
Amazon, Amazon UK, and all other countries
Smashwords
 

        I began to write the series The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head at the beginning of 2001 (in fact I labeled it as starting on Christmas Day, 2000) and I completed the revision of the first draft of the final volume on 7/29/03.

       Now on 10/27/14, the entire series has finally been published!

http://www.kidsdiscover.com/spotlight/sound-and-vibration/

Do I hear a round of applause?

 

      

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

       I've taken Ki'shto'ba and its Twelve Companions on the promised Quest to reach the sea, moving from the original Three Companions (Di'fa'kro'mi, Wei'tu, and Twa'sei) to the last Two, Mo'wiv the Shipwright and Da'sask'ni'a the Doubly Cursed Seer (both introduced in v.5).  Along the way we met the 4th Companion, Ki'shto'ba's Twin, A'zhu'lo (later surnamed Beloved of Champions under tragic circumstances).  We acquired the 5th Companion, Za'dut the Tricky Lizard (also more nobly surnamed Fortress Breaker), who provided an endless stream of audacious, useful, and entertaining pranks and inventions.  We added a Healer, Ra'fa'kat'wei, who had a quest of her own -- to find an antidote to the snail-poison that killed a great Champion of her people.  We discovered a young Warrior of the Water People, Is'a'pai'a, an exile who knew nothing of its heritage, and that Warrior's helper Krai'zei, one of the Yo'sho'zei, a people with the reputation for mysterious powers.  Finally, we met the 9th Companion, Bu'gan'zei, a word-crafter who has invented a new way of speaking that can charm the very leaves and stones -- who is destined to guide Ki'shto'ba into the World Below.  And then there is the 10th, Thel'tav'a  the Intercaste, a female winged and eyed Warrior whose name means Loyal to the Good and who will give her fidelity only to one who can best her in battle. 

       When the Quest finally reaches the sea, the emphasis shifts to Is'a'pai'a's own quest -- the Quest for the Golden Fungus.  Ki'shto'ba begins to play a support role until events unfold that fulfill the final prophecies that have hedged the Quest about from the very beginning. 

       And this means that the final volume leaves much unresolved.  It means that I need to write a seventh volume.  In 2003, after working intensively on this series for two and a half years, I was a little burned out on it and I decided to write something else for a while.  I started The Man Who Found Birds among the Stars, and that was a disaster -- not that the book was without value but it swallowed me up and became endless.  I never got back to that seventh volume.

       Now I've got to write it.  It won't be called Volume Seven -- it will be called

 

 The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head: The Sequel

The Buried Ship at the End of the World

(unless I change my mind on the volume title) 

 

       I have a lot of notes, but I have to do some more research on the mythology that I'll be interpreting and I have to carefully work out the timeline.  I also need to make a chapter outline, because I want to cover certain events in a structured way that will keep the book from growing to an unmanageable length (my worst failing).  I guess I really am a planner and not a pantser, because improvisation is deadly for me.  That is, I can improvise in the actual writing process, but not in figuring out what I want to put in the plot.   

       This won't be a quick undertaking, because when I get inspired, I can write fast, but then I like to take a lot of time to "cook" the book -- let it simmer, rest, and then be stirred and seasoned over and over.  And I'll also have to do a cover drawing from scratch -- no older drawings here that I can pull out of my hat.  And I'll have to make the maps, also.

       I may work on some other material as well, like trying to decide what to do with The Man Who Found Birds among the Stars, and also that extract called Father and Demons that I had planned to publish earlier only to change my mind.  So I think I have more than enough creative projects to move to the front burner.

       In the meantime, I'd love to have more readers for what I've already published.  I'm going to try to do more promotion.  I think there are a lot of people out there who would be surprised at what a great read my books are, particularly the Ki'shto'ba series, which only gets more intense and more moving as it goes along (be sure you have some hankies handy when you read The Revenge of the Dead Enemy). 

       So stay tuned for further developments, and let me hear from you as you enjoy my creations!  You can find me on Facebook, on Twitter @TermiteWriter, and also on my Google+ community, Books by TermiteWriter.  Or leave your comments on this blog or on my other blog Ruminations of a Remembrancer. 

 

       P.S.  Watch for a Facebook event soon!

The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine Is Published!

Front cover

The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head

Volume Five

The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine

 

is now published!

 

Only one more volume to go!

 

       Here is the description of v.5:

Back cover

The Companions arrive at the Hidden Fortress and meet Vai’zei’a’parn, the Leader of the Yo’sho’zei, who was Is’a’pai’a’s mentor.  Is’a’pai’a finally learns the story of its origin – how its egg was laid in Hwai’ran’chet at a time when that mighty fortress had come under the domination of an invading tyrant named Wei’thel’a’han.  Here the treacherous No’tuk’a’nei, a power-hungry Alate Seer-Sorcerer who happens to be the hatchmate of Vai’zei’a’parn, convinced the new Commander that a nymph of a certain lineage would be the agent of its death.  Since the current King of the fortress was of that lineage, Wei’thel’a’han ordered the destruction of every egg laid and every individual hatched since that King came to the Mother.  In the midst of the ensuing slaughter, one egg was rescued and taken to the Hidden Fortress, where it was given to Vai’zei’a’parn for safekeeping.  Is’a’pai’a hatched from this egg and now it learns that its destiny is to be the Champion who delivers Hwai’ran’chet – and its own Mother – from the clutches of the Tyrant and its evil Sorcerer.
       The Companions linger in Zan’tet, where a seemingly harmless adventure ends in disaster.  Ultimately, Ki’shto’ba and its Companions depart to finish the Quest to reach the sea before venturing into Hwai’ran’chet.  Accompanied by the newly acquired 11th Companion, the group soon encounters the 12th, who guides them to the shore.  Arriving at sunset, they can at last see the Golden Path on which thy must tread. 

Many prophecies will find their answer as the future continues to unfold.  In the final chapter, a ship has been built and the Quest for the Golden Fungus is about to begin.  The leadership of the Quest then passes to Is’a’pai’a even as the Companions learn the meaning of “The Wood Where the Two Moons Shine.”

 

A Word on Volume Six

 

The final volume in the series will be entitled The Revenge of the Dead Enemy, with all the ominous implications that phrase carries -- and you'll know what I mean if you've read the earlier volumes and remember the prophecies of certain Seers.  I hope to have v.6 published well before Christmas.  It will complete the questing begun by Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, Di'fa'kro'mi the Remembrancer, and their Companions way back at the end of The Termite Queen.  However, it doesn't complete the whole story, so

 

There must be a sequel!

And it hasn't been written yet!

 

My plan is to write one more book, which will probably be entitled The Buried Ship at the End of the World.  I expect the writing of this book to go a bit slow.  I haven't really written anything new (no major fiction at least) in several years, so I expect to be rusty.  In the meantime, I've also gotten older (I assume nobody has gotten younger over the last few years!) and less energetic. 

Furthermore, Di'fa'kro'mi won't be writing the last volume.  I won't say more than that right now, but the person composing the book will be inexperienced at the Remembrancer's craft  and he will have to narrate the tale in the third person.  I'm so used to Di'fa'kro'mi's point of view that I may find it hard to get inspired.  But maybe when I actually start writing, I'll get into it.  I have some notes already, and I intend to do some more mythological research.  I also mean to make a chapter outline and stick to it, so I won't make my usual blunder of letting the length get away from me.  I guess I really am a planner, not a pantser!  Improvising is disastrous for me!

In the meantime, those of you who haven't read any of the series have some fun ahead of you!  Here are the links where you can buy all my books, or scroll down the sidebar for individual volumes:

 

Amazon (Kindle should appear by 9/10/14)

Amazon.co.uk

(and all other Amazon branches)

Smashwords

 

Cover Art for Beneath the Mountain of Heavy Fear

Progress Update!

Front cover
Click for larger view

Back Cover
Click for larger view

       I've finished the front and back cover for the fourth volume of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, and here they are! 
       I've also finished the black-and-white map for the paper-back and I've posted it on the tab MAPS along with the maps for all the other volumes. 

       In case you haven't read v.3 yet, here is the descrip-tion of v.4 from the end matter of that book:

 

       As Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head and its Companions venture into the lands of the At’ein’zei (People of the Root), they encounter the Ninth Companion, an eccentric Alate named Bu’gan’zei who practices a strangely hypnotic type of word craft that is totally new to the questers.  He has visited the legendary Mountain of the Glorious Root seeking a deceased friend to whom he was exceptionally devoted, but he failed in his attempt to extract her from the World Beyond.  Bu’gan’zei agrees to guide Ki’shto’ba and its friends to the Mountain, where the Champion can seek resolution for its guilt and where the personal quest of Is’a’pai’a Gold-Seeker will finally begin.  

After several exciting adventures with the monsters and giants of the Mountain, as well as new prophetic pronouncements by the resident Seer, the Companions again head south.  Near the At’ein’zei fortress of Ra’ki’wiv’u they encounter the Tenth Companion, an Intercaste Warrior with a bizarre story all her own.  In order to win her friendship, Ki’shto’ba (with Za’dut’s unsolicited assistance) must prevail over her in the Warrior Games during Ra’ki’wiv’u’s annual festival.  At that same festival, Di’fa’kro’mi takes part in a Remembrancer’s competition.
       This light-hearted episode is a welcome relief after the stressful events under the Mountain and soon the Companions are ready to set out for Yo’sho’zei lands, where Is’a’pai’a can learn its true destiny and where the sea is no longer a distant dream.

 

You can check out all the books in the series at Amazon and at Smashwords.  The publication of v.4 is getting closer all the time!

 



Publishing Progress: The Valley of Thorns

 

       Volume Three (The Valley of Thorns) of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head has been successfully published on Amazon, both paperback and Kindle, and on Smashwords! The Smashwords went easier than it ever has (unless they find something to quibble about in considering it for the Premium Catalog). You can download a 25% sample on Smashwords, which will include the preliminary material and approximately four chapters. Amazon hasn't linked up the paperback and the Kindle yet, but ultimately you will be able to get a Kindle version FREE if you buy a paperback.

        I'm having an Anniversary Party as a Facebook event on November 15. Two years ago I published my first book, Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder, on that date. Now I have six books published, plus the little free novelette on Smashwords, "The Blessing of Krozem." All my Facebook Friends are invited. If you're not my friend yet but are on Facebook, go in and friend me, and I'll invite you.

 

Why would you want to come to my party?

Witty conversation, free virtual food,

information about my books,

maybe a surprise reveal of the unfinished

cover for v.4: Beneath the Mountain of Heavy Fear

 

Plus, I'm going to have special prices on all my books,

as well as a drawing for a couple of paperbacks

from the names of the people who attend.

Go to TermiteWriter's Anniversary Party

and check it out!

The Valley of Thorns: Publishing Progress, and a Word on Adaptation

      

My rendition of Archbishop Turpin
fighting the black Demon Knight
whose name is Abisme.  My version
 is named Sho'choi'jik'a (Abyss Dweller)

I've just about whipped the third volume of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head into publishing shape.  I done all the peripheral material -- the map (which will be the frontispiece in the paperback), the back of the title page, the Translator's Foreword, the facsimile title page (from where it was first published in the 30th century -- is that a logical contradiction?), a synopsis of v.2 (because this picks up exactly where v.2 leaves off), and a list of characters. 

       For the end matter, I've again included a glossary of words in my termite languages (Shshi language).  I also decided on providing an appendix analyzing the Shkei'akh'zei marching chant word-by-word.  The text includes the chant in the Shshi language, one of the few times I've done that in this series.  Of course, I also put it in English so people who have no interest in conlangs or alien languages in general can simply skip the gobbledegook.

      

       The origin of the chant is interesting.  The first half of The Valley of Thorns retells the Old French epic poem of Roland and Oliver (Chanson de Roland).  It's amazing how easily that story adapts to the termite culture!  When I read the tale in preparation for using it in my series, I was impressed by the repetition of certain lines.  Here are two different translations of them, followed by the Old French:

 

High are the peaks, the valleys shadowful,

Swarthy the rocks, the narrows wonderful.

 

High are the hills and dark the valleys,

Brown are the rocks and dread the defiles.

 

Halt sunt le pui e li val tenebrus,

Les roches bises, les destreiz merveillus.

And in another place in the poem:

 

 High were the peaks and shadowy and grand,

The valleys deep, the rivers swiftly ran.

 

High are the hills and great and dark,

Deep the valleys, and swift the waters.

 

Halt sunt li pui e tenebrus e grant,

Li val parfunt e les ewes curant.

Parenthetically, it's amazing how much easier it is to read the Old French (if you know a little modern French) than to read Old English.  It's obvious that French has changed less and in a purer line.

Anyway, I took those lines and adapted them into a marching chant as the termite army moves down the Valley of Thorns (my rendition of Roncescalles) toward their hated enemy.  Here's how I did it (even preserving the French poetic form of the half-line break):

The peaks are high   and the valley is shadowed.

Holy Nameless One!    Care for us now!

The boulders are dark    and the defile fearsome.

Holy Sky-Mother!    Stay always with us!

 

The mountains are high    and dark and great.

Hater of infidels!    Give to us mighty victory!

The defiles are deep    and the river runs always.

Creatrix of Warriors!    To the enemies, death!

 

Di'fa'kro'mi comments:
 

        "This went on endlessly and without variation, with the Lieutenants declaiming the forelines and their phalanxes responding with the supplications.  The repetitions contained just enough variety to be confusing, but I could not detect that any Warrior ever made an error in the words it was primed to recite.  When the terrain allowed, they moved in rhythm with the words, a step forward on each half-line.  I was soon falling asleep on my feet, but strangely the litany seemed to speed up the advance and keep everyone moving as one.  I wondered if some separate part of their Warrior-minds remained alert enough to respond in the event of a surprise attack.  I asked who had composed this recitation and my marching companion said it was simply a traditional war prayer, so old that no one any longer remembered its origin.  I found it impressive, but after half a morning of it, I thought I would lose my sanity!"
 

       I would like to print the Shshi version here, but I don't think the WingDings will display on in some browsers, especially Macs, and I haven't yet set up the text using the substitute syllables, so that will have to wait.

       Anyway, I think I'm about ready to begin formatting for publication.  I hope to get it done at least within two months.  If I can, I want to publish the Kindle, Smashwords, and print versions on the same day.  Stay tuned!

 

The Storm-Wing Is Published!

You can now buy The Storm-Wing in paperback, Kindle (not quite ready for a link -- they got my name wrong), and Smashwords.  Kindle and Smashwords are $2.99 because the book is about 100 pages shorter than v.1: The War of the Stolen Mother.  The paperback is $14.49.  Don't hesitate to buy the book, even if you haven't read v.1!  Most of the characters and background are reprised, and the book includes a Glossary of Shshi Words, as well as the usual footnotes.

 

Here is the description of the book:

 

 If you enjoy tales of high adventure and battles with strange monsters (with a theme of sibling rivalry running through the mix), you will love The Storm-Wing! At the end of v. 1 (The War of the Stolen Mother), the Champion of the Shshi (termite people) Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head and its Companions set out to cross the dangerous Nu'wiv'mi Marsh on their way to visit a friend in the mountains.  They soon encounter and do battle with the Marsh Guardians – huge sauro-avians that attack from the air with beak, claw, showers of poisonous dung, and barbed feathers.  Ki'shto'ba lops off the leg of the King-Bird but fails to kill him, with consequences that will prove ominous. 

       The Quest is then diverted in a southerly direction, where a fortress being terrorized by a water monster requests Ki'shto'ba's aid.  As a reward for slaying this creature, Ki'shto'ba is granted the surname of Monster Slayer.

       Finally the Quest heads west, where the Companions find themselves in the domain of the Marchers, a Shshi people ruled by another great Champion.  After an eventful sojourn among the Marchers, whose Seer pronounces some disturbing prophecies regarding the Quest, the Companions at last turn northward into Northern Nasute country.  There they find that the fortress of their friend Sa'ti'a'i'a is being invaded nightly by a monster that resembles a primitive Shi.  Ki'shto'ba kills this formidable enemy, only to find it must also eliminate the monster's mother, who lives in caves under a lake and is even more fearsome ...

 

And here is the tease from the back cover of the paperback, excerpted from Chapter 5:

 

THE COMPANIONS JOURNEY BETWEEN THE FORTRESSES

 OF EI'TOT AND GUT'AKH'ZI

       About halfway along, I happened to glance up at the sky and I saw something circling there.  It caught me in the gut.  “Ra’fa’kat’wei,” I said in a sending too small for anyone else to receive, “look up.”
       She did so.  The thing had dipped lower.
       It was definitely a yak’nu’wiv’mi| – I recognized the tufted tail, the long neck, the sharp-edged wings.  “tha’sask|>||” said Ra’fa’kat’wei.
       Ki’shto’ba received this and said, “What is the matter?”
       We told everybody, and then it was A’zhu’lo that swore.  There was no cover in that area, so we quickened our pace.  Ra’fa’kat’wei and I continued to watch the sky.
       The creature – there was only one – dropped lower.  And then we both saw something.
       “Ki’shto’ba,” I said, “he has only one rear leg.”
       “For sure, he is Hak’tuk!” exclaimed Ra’fa’kat’wei.
       “How can that be?” said A’zhu’lo.  “The ei’tot’zei| said the others would kill him.”
       Ki’shto’ba’s legs had not missed a step.  “Or drive him away, they said.  It seems he survived my slashes but has lost his Mothers.”
       “He is alone,” said Twa’sei, crowding up against Ki’shto’ba.
       “He cannot be happy,” said Wei’tu.
       “Perhaps he is thinking of revenge,” said A’zhu’lo broodingly.
       “I do not know about you,” said Za’dut, “but we just got over one attack by that sask’zei|.  I would prefer a challenge I have not experienced before.”
       We continued to scuttle along as fast as we were able.  The Storm-Wing circled in the sky over our heads for some little while.  His position never changed in relation to ours, so I was sure he was watching us.
       Then suddenly he wheeled and veered away toward the southwest.  I do not know where he went.  At the time I had no desire to know.  Just then we saw the shapes of fortress buildings ahead of us and soon we were safely inside the walls of Gut’akh’zi, huffing with relief.

HAPPY READING!

 

Publishing Update on The Storm-Wing!

Finished cover for The Storm-Wing

 

       This post is partially brought over from Ruminations of a Remembrancer.  I thought that since the current blog was originally meant as a vehicle for publicizing The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head series, and since it probably has a different readership from the termitewriter blog, I ought to post it here, too.

 

       I've been completing the formatting of The Storm-Wing (v.2 of The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head) and I've uploaded it on CreateSpace. I had a couple of dinky but pesky problems that took a good bit of the weekend to solve. One involved pagination (sigh -- the eternal flaw in Word). There are quite a few preliminary pages and I wanted them paged a certain way, with small Roman numerals. And I couldn't get "ii" off a blank page without causing the numbers to disappear from some of the subsequent pages. Blank pages are not supposed to have numbers on them. I finally solved the problem -- don't ask me how.

       Then CreateSpace told me my little title page drawing (shown below) didn't have enough DPI. I was puzzled, because I thought that the t.p. drawings on The Termite Queen were simply copied over from Word and not even put in .jpg format. It turned out that the problem was the eyes. I have used a fill containing little dots for the eyes in my cover drawings, but the strange thing with the fill is that it doesn't change size if you change the size of the drawing. After a couple of unsuccessful adjustments I just deleted the fill with the dots and made the eyes solid gray. Then it took the plain drawing without a quibble.

       I got the approval to publish this morning, but I've decided to order a printed proof copy this time.  It was hard to tell in the online mock-up whether the t.p. drawing is going to look right. I'm not in any hurry to publish, anyway, so I don't mind waiting the 10 days or so that CS requires to get the proof shipped. In the meantime I can work on the Kindle and Smashwords editions -- I haven't even begun that formatting. However, it's pretty easy once you've done it a few times. The only time-consuming aspects are embedding the footnotes in the text and linking up the ToC. Then, once all three are available, I'll put up some kind of celebratory special offer! So stay tuned!

Latest Thoughts on "The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head"

       I originally posted this piece back in June of 2012, but strangely enough, hardly anybody viewed it at that time.  Now, at February 22, 2013, as I'm getting ready to publish v.2, The Storm-Wing, I'm going to repost and update this piece.   I'm also going to upgrade the abridged sample chapters from The War of the Stolen Mother, so that the complete text, from the opening "Translator's Foreword" through Chapter 8 are on this same blog.  You can also download approximately the same amount of text as a Smashwords sample.

        I've inserted the back cover of The War of the Stolen Mother in the sidebar. I decided, instead of doing a description or a blurb, to use an adaptation of another of my illustrations for The War of the Stolen Mother.  It shows the first meeting between the Companions of Ki'shto'ba and the trickster Za'dut. I hope you enjoy it!

        The original art for the back cover showed the scene set among dark rocks, but I thought I would make the back mirror the front, so I framed it with the tree instead. The original also includes A'zhu'lo, but the twin would have made it a little crowded. The little critter that Wei'tu is hanging onto is one of the Little Ones -- the domesticated "dairy ants."
        Probably the only thing I might change about these covers is the type font. I'm using Lucida Bright -- I abandoned Book Antigua in this series because the apostrophe, which gets used a lot, is kind of strange in that font. But I'm not real happy with Lucida Bright either, so I may tinker some more. I have a weakness for Harrington, but it's probably fancier than would be wise to commit to. I want to settle on a font I can use for the entire series. [I ended up using Harrington on the front cover, but I'm not using that font on The Storm-Wing.]

        The formatting for the printed book is coming along. The whole thing has 36 chapters and yesterday I completed Ch. 26. That is to say, I've got that much inserted into the template. I've been making quite a few alterations as I go. Some of them are stylistic and some are substantive, but a lot of them are required to make the text fit. Remember those long, made-up names, with the syllables separated by apostrophes? You can't divide those syllables at the ends of lines -- it would look goofy! Therefore, since the text has to be justified, some lines end up with big gaps between the words. That will never do! So I have to rewrite so that the long names come at the beginnings or in the centers of lines. I never make things easy on myself! [I have now gotten used to this process and even find it rather fun!]

        The footnotes have turned out to be less of a problem than I expected. I haven't had any instances where the text split itself between pages, and only one instance that I can remember where I had to adjust for a big space at the end of the page.  [In The Storm-Wing, I had one  long footnote that had to be split between pages.  I really hate that, so I fixed it by moving the numeric reference to a later point in the text.  It's a satisfactory solution, at least in this case.]

        So all this fiddling means typos may creep in and that's why I'll probably want to peruse the thing one last time.

        I may change my mind and make an attempt to put Stolen Mother on Smashwords. I sell something every now and then to people who don't have Kindles, and I do get quite a few sample downloads, which can't hurt. It's all going to depend on whether they can cope with footnotes.  [I did that, of course, and now know exactly what to do.  Amazing how one learns from experience!]

        I have a confession to make. "Stolen Mother" is a terrible spoiler for The Termite Queen! Since it takes off right at the end of TQ, there's a lot of talk about what happened in that story. (More reason for you to buy and read Termite Queen right away!) When I did that, I never thought of it as a spoiler; I thought of it as filling in the backstory, since people who haven't read TQ may read these books. There is nothing I can do about it since references to the plot of TQ are embedded in the fiber of Stolen Mother and subsequent tales. Oh, well ...

        I have only one other remark: Back in the post about the titles of the six volumes, I stated that the tentative title for Volume V would be The Quest for the Golden Fungus: The Companions Reach the Sea.  I've decided to make it The Quest for the Golden Fungus: The Path of Gold (or The Golden Path -- I still have to ponder that some more). Otherwise, the titles are pretty much set. [Actually, I'm still pondering the titles for the final two volumes.  I think these are way too long, but I do want to keep the term The Quest for the Golden Fungus, because it mirrors The Golden Fleece.]

 

New FREE Publication: The Blessing of Krozem

THE BLESSING OF KROZEM

A FANTASY NOVELETTE

Available only from Smashwords

And it's now FREE!

 

HERE IS THE DESCRIPTION FROM SMASHWORDS

 

In this fantasy novelette we read about the slate-blue world of Ziraf. In addition to humans, Ziraf’s Dreamers created spirit beings called the Troil, who communicate with and sometimes counsel their mortal companions. The Troi Wagmi suggests to the Headman of Greivat Fastness that he might ask the Zem’l for immortality. But when the Headman approaches the aged Shrine Guardian Gilzara with a request for help in summoning the correct Zem, Gilzara himself is seduced by the idea of immortality, if he might obtain it not only for himself but also for his dying wife. Krozem, the Creator of Humankind, proves to be surprisingly receptive, but things do not turn out quite as planned.               


       I finally finished the cover for this short piece that I wrote way back in the 1970's.  And I'm going to try publishing it only Smashwords for now.  It's too short for a print book - it would be a pamphlet.  And for you Kindle users, a Kindle version is easily downloadable from Smashwords - all you need is to run it through the MobiReader, which isn't that hard to do.  And you can also get a PDF version for any of your computer setups - PC, laptop, tablet, whatever.

       Above is the cover art.  It's not the best thing I ever did, because I'm not good with anything resembling the human figure (even if it's really a spirit being who hasn't got a bone in his body!)
       Also, it appears Blogger has changed their picture upload method.  The picture link won't allow access to one's own Picture file.  I had to put this in a Picasa Web Album before I could access it, and now I can't change the size and I can't add a caption.  You can, however, still click on it to get a larger view.

 

 

Woe Is Me! Giveaway Is Over! But ...

... the 99 cent price on "Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder" remains in effect through Friday, Nov. 16.  That's almost free!  After Friday, this particular piece probably will be set at $1.99 for a long time, so best to take advantage of this offer now!

       I also wanted to say that I'm working on a new post for this blog that will address how to go about writing a naming language for a work of fantasy or science fiction.  Actually, I've been so distracted by this promo that I haven't been able to get focused on the new post, but I promise I will!

       I'm also considering resurrecting a story I wrote back in the dark ages -- ca. 1978.  It's pure fantasy -- completely different from anything I write today.  But it's one of the best things I wrote back then.  It's only about 3800 words --  32 typed pages.  Yes, indeed, it's a typescript; those were pre-computer days.  Since I don't own a scanner, I'll have to type it into the computer, but for something that short, it's not a real problem.  It will require some editing.  The title is (unless I decide to change it) "The Blessing of Krozem."  (Hmm -- I just thought -- maybe "Gilzara's Blessing" would work better.)  I could envision publishing it on ebook only as one of those little 99 cent affairs.  Maybe I should try Kindle Select for it.  It'll probably sell better than my later, much more substantial and serious books!

Cover Art for "The Storm-Wing," v.2 of "Labors" + Publishing Update

I'm in the process of formatting "The Storm-Wing" for CreateSpace.  I'm taking it slow for two reasons: First, I want to give v.1 more time to become more widely read.  Nobody is going to buy v.2 until they've read v.1.  Second, I'm doing some last minute revision as I format, so that slows things down.  Actually, there is a third reason - I'm spending way too much time blogging, commenting on other people's blogs, and emailing!  But I'm enjoying that!  I have also done a back cover, but it doesn't have any illustrations.  It's just a plain excerpt from the text.  The map is nearly done -- I may want to simplify it a little.  When I'm satisfied, I'll post it on the Maps page.      

 

I would love to have some opinions on this front cover.  What do you think of the ripples in the river?  Water is the hardest thing to do with this Word program.  First I had it with no ripples, just the greenish swamp-water color, and it looked OK. Then I added the ripples and I think maybe it looks worse -- more unnatural.  What do you think?

 

 

       Obviously I modeled Hak'tuk the Storm-Wing on a pterosaur, with some additions and alterations.  He's a protoavian, actually, or a sauroavian.  He's quite a monster, meant to represent Hercules' Labor of the Stymphalian Birds.  But in my interpretation he's much more than a monster, as you will find when you read the book. 

       That's Za'dut in the background and A'zhu'lo at the right front; both have been knocked out of the fray, while our hero Ki'shto'ba stands its ground.  One way the Marsh Guardians fight is by shooting poisonous dung at their opponents -- you can see splotches of it on the ground, and direct hits are making both Za'dut and A'zhu'lo throw up.  Besides that weapon, the creatures fling feathers that penetrate like iron darts.

      The drawing will be trimmed at the black bleed line when published in print form.  I think this is a pretty eye-catching cover (lots of action) and it ought to show up decently in the Kindle version.

What Do Intercaste Termites and "The Song of Roland" Have in Common?

       I'm still in the process of preparing v.2 of "The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head" for publication. It will be 22 chapters in length (about 111,000 words) and it works well as a unit. I'm still entitling it "The Storm-Wing." I recently realized that the end matter in the first volume refers to it as "The Adventures of Ki'shto'ba Monster Slayer," but it's the same book.  I don't think it's worthwhile republishing everything to fix that detail.  I've rewritten the Translator's Foreword for v.2, although I will probably revise it a bit more, and I'm working on the art for the front cover and on the map.  I'll publish both of those in this blog when they're finished.

       I won't be publishing for a while, though, because I'm waiting for v.1 to accumulate a few more readers and a few reviews.  I would love to have a review (positive, of course!) to quote on the back cover.  So I continue encouraging people to buy "The War of the Stolen Mother" and to read it!

 

Death of Roland, illumination from Grandes Chroniques de France, mid-15th c.
(from Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

 

       So what does all this have to do with the title of this blog post?  "The Storm-Wing" is a tale of monsters -- Ki'shto'ba fights five of them, two of them reflecting two of the Labors of the earthly Hercules, one of them a product of my own imagination, and two others drawn from a particular medieval epic tale that shall be nameless at this point.  However, the story also draws on another medieval epic: "The Song of Roland" (Le Chanson de Roland, part of the "Matter of France").  The narrative begins in this volume and concludes in the third volume ("The Tale of the Valley of Thorns").

       Many of you may remember some of the plot of "The Song of Roland" from literature courses.  The hero Roland and his loyal friend Oliver lead an army in the name of the great French King Charlemagne to stop the Saracen's advance into Europe.  They clash in the Roncevalles Pass in the Pyrenees. 

       (Parenthetically, when I wrote this story a number of years back, I attempted to discover the derivation of the name "Roncevalles" or "Roncevaux."  Obviously valles or vaux means "vales" or "valleys."  Ronce, I finally determined, means "bramble," a prickly bush.  That's where the title "Tale of the Valley of Thorns" came from.  In the Shshi language, it's Pol'ki'shtot, literally, "Valley of Thorns.")

       Charlemagne has a reserve force, which has already gone ahead of Roland's small band that makes up the rear guard.  If Roland should need backup, he is supposed to blow his horn to summon the King, but he is a proud knight who refuses to concede that he cannot do the work by himself and delays blowing the horn until it is too late.  By the time Charlemagne arrives, the whole band has been slaughtered and the Saracens have prevailed.

       Now how does that work with termites?  In the first place, they can't blow a horn; they are totally deaf.  I came up with an answer that I won't disclose here, but I thought it was pretty ingenious.  And I created a species of Shshi called the Marchers (Roland was a march lord), who guard the region between the Northern Nasutes and the Southern Nasutes.  The Northern Nasutes are the people of Sa'ti'a'i'a from "Termite Queen."  The Southern Nasutes are a different animal entirely.  The Marchers and the Northern Nasutes and the Shshi of the Plains (the people of Ki'shto'ba and Di'fa'kro'mi) all worship the Sky-Mother (their Goddess lives in the sky).  The Southern Nasutes worship a Nameless Mother who lives underground; they use volcanic fumes as their prophetic stimulus (the oracle at Delphi?) instead of ingesting hallucinogenic vegetable matter.

       The Marchers and the Southern Nasutes have been at war for as long as anyone remembers.  It's Franks vs. Saracens, Christians vs. Muslims,  all over again.  Infidel fighting infidel!  And all on the basis of where their goddess resides.  I'll have a lot more to say on that subject at another time.

       So what is this intercaste thing in the title of this post?  In "The Song of Roland" a major member of Roland's band is Archbishop Turpin, the Warrior Bishop.  Fighting and praying with equal ferocity, he is clearly a kind of hybrid.  At one point he fights a Black Champion, who obviously represents Satan, and prevails.

       So how do I portray Archibishop Turpin? 

       I've mentioned Dr. Timothy Myles before -- he's the entomologist whose website taught me a large part of what I know about termites.  At one point I ran into an abstract of a paper he did in 1980 describing experiments changing the hormonal makeup of termite nymphs.  The resultant final molt produced "an individual with perfect notal and wing development, normal compound eyes and ocelli, complete sclerotization and full-length prognathous soldier mandibles. I have designated this laboratory freak a double caste. Its existence has endocrinological, developmental and social implications."  In other words, it produces an Intercaste -- an individual with the jaws of a Warrior and the wings and eyes of an Alate.  If this can be induced in the laboratory, why couldn't it occur in nature as a genetic aberration, especially if the native stock experienced a lot of inbreeding?  

       Such an hybridized individual would likely have a strange psychological mindset, and so we get Lug'tei'a (whose name means Thunder-Seer") -- a Warrior/Priest/Seer, the Chief Priest (Archbishop?) of the Marchers, who is a great Champion in his own right (imagine a sighted Warrior fighting normal ones who are eyeless!) but who is also gifted with unusual powers of prophecy and suffers from many conflicted feelings about his own aberrant existence.  I found him a fascinating character and I'm sure you will, too, after I publish v.2 and 3 and you get to meet the character in person.   

     

Literary Theory of a Remembrancer

      

 

Termites Have Literary Theory, Too, By Golly!

 

       Di'fa'kro'mi the Remembrancer (Bard) of the fortress of Lo'ro'ra is the author and narrator of the Ki'shto'ba tales.  Di'fa'kro'mi invented writing and would have liked to write down his tales himself.  However, he is quite elderly and his claws don't work as well as they used to (apparently arthritis strikes everywhere in the universe, even among intelligent insects).  So he dictates to an amanuensis, an Alate named Chi'mo'a'tu.  Chi'mo'a'tu is quite young and callow, but he was very quick at learning how to make these mysterious word-images on scrolls and so Di'fa'kro'mi takes him for his chief scribe. 

       However, Chi'mo'a'tu's inexperience makes him skeptical about some of his mentor's narrative techniques.  For example, "The War of the Stolen Mother" contains an account of how the Companions steal the talisman whose presence keeps the fortress of Thel'or'ei safe (you can about read that on my Ruminations blog -- it's Chapter 22 in the book).  At the beginning of the following chapter, Chi'mo'a'tu accuses Di'fa'kro'mi of being a liar.  Here's the exchange (remember, until now the Shshi operated only in an oral literary tradition):

   ***

Now, I do not know what to think about this comment of yours, Chi’mo’a’tu!  First you say – the most amusing narrative you have ever received, and touching as well – and then you proceed to remark that it is too bad the whole thing was a lie!

This tale was absolutely truthful!  I know I was not present to take the exact words of the conversations, but – tha’sask| – Za’dut, and A’zhu’lo as well, recounted their adventures often enough!  Their versions did not always agree, but I have reconciled them here.  I thought it was highly effective!  Would you have preferred a tedious accounting of the number of missing stones in the flank of Thel’or’ei, or a complete list of the number and location of each biter sting on the bodies of our Thieves?

I do not see why this manner of narration bothers you so much.  We Remembrancers use it all the time – speaking not in our own person.  When I tell the Tale of the Battle of Mor’kwai’cha, I do not tell it as if I were engaged in it, do I?  I agree – it is an ancient tale and I certainly could not have been present to view it!  What is the difference?  I could not be present to view A’zhu’lo’s head getting stuck in the eye-hole, either! 

Of course Mor’kwai’cha is traditional!  This will be traditional, too, one day!  Besides, no two Remembrancers tell their traditional tales exactly the same – it cannot be expected.  Such tales are not meant to be dry historical recitations, like those the Teachers recount to the nymphs in the nursery.  The thing we call a galt’zi| is meant to entertain!  As long as one remains true to the spirit of the story – that is what matters.

Well, perhaps we can discuss these theories of tale-telling another time.  I need to rest now and then eat, and your claw must be tired.  Come back in three turnings of the water vessel, will you?  We will continue the dictation then.

 ***

 

In the next volume ("The Storm-Wing") Di'fa'kro'mi enlightens Chi'mo'a'tu's understanding with an even more entertaining bit of theory.  Ki'shto'ba has just fought a monster and the Companions are lingering at a fortress called Ei'tot, resting up before continuing their journey.

 

***

I had never told so many tales in so short a time as I did in Ei’tot.  It was the first time I ever narrated the War of the Stolen Mother in a formal setting (not that anything the ei’tot’zei| did was very formal).  I had been thinking the tale through even while we were tramping across Nu’wiv’mi.  That early version was not very like what you have been writing down, Chi’mo’a’tu …
What?  Oh, bother!  Both versions are true!  …  Of course, a tale can be told in different ways and still be true!  I am getting a bit annoyed at being called a liar!  Now, now, do not get upset!  It is only that for someone who started life training to be a Remembrancer, you know very little about tale-telling!  Perhaps it is a good thing you turned to this novel occupation of writing down the words of others!
       Let me give you a metaphor for the structure of a tale.  It is like the body of a Shi.  It has a chitin framework to hold it together – the basic facts of the plot, articulated in a certain cunning pattern.  Then it has the muscle – the details that move the action of the plot along.  It has the gut – the spirit, the passions of the characters.  And finally it has the fat – the descriptions, the asides, the little bits of humor and philosophy that pad the story.  Now there can be too much of that – if I have any failings, it is in incorporating too much fat!  Like this digression here, if you are writing it down!  No, do not smudge it out.  Ru’a’ma’na’ta may find it amusing, if no one else does.
       Oh, one more thing.  Sometimes one must adapt one’s tale to the situation.  If one is in a hurry or merely giving information, one can reduce it to the bare chitinous structure.  Of course, it is not very entertaining that way, but occasionally such a thing is necessary.  Sometimes one omits certain parts if one thinks the audience might find them offensive and be moved to murder the teller!  If one is speaking to a group of little nymphs in the nursery, one omits the scary parts and keeps it simple and short.  If the audience is exclusively Warriors, one emphasizes the action – the battles and the violence – for Warriors get restless if the tale is too subtle or mentally complex.  Of course, the opposite is true of Alates.  Workers like almost anything as long as it relieves the tedium of their duties – in fact they make the most enthusiastic audience.  And a mixed group – well, one tells the prime version of one’s tale and feels satisfied if no more than a third of the audience falls asleep!

That broadens your understanding, my friend?  Well, good!  Can we get back to work?  Whatever was I saying? …  An anus?  Oh, that is amusing!  That dormant twig of humor in your mind is developing a few leaf buds!  Yes, perhaps every tale ought to have an exit hole for the indigestible parts!

***

 

Pretty good advice for any writer!



 

So What's New with v.2 of "Labors"?

       Two things are new: 1) It's going to take me awhile to get it ready for publication; and 2) I'm changing the title again!

       First, the title:  As you may recall, I took my original v.2, which was entitled "The Tale of the Valley of Thorns," and divided it into two volumes because it was really too long for one, and since it's episodic, it could be divided easily.  Volume 3 was intended to keep the original title, and that's still true.  But v.2 was going to be "The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head: Volume Two: The Adventures of Ki'shto'ba Monster Slayer."  That fits well because in the story, Ki'shto'ba slays four monsters and wounds a fifth, and for its heroics, it is endowed with a new surname, No'dai Oin'zei, or Monster Slayer.
       However, the "Adventures" title had two things against it: It was awfully long, especially since I'm using the volume titles as subtitles; and it repeats the word "Ki'shto'ba," which gives it a redundant feeling.
       So I've decided to call it "The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head: Volume Two: The Storm-Wing."  Ah, a little  intriguing mystery!  What is a "Storm-Wing"?  It happens to be the monster that Ki'shto'ba wounds but doesn't kill.  It becomes an ominous force throughout the volume, and indeed throughout the entire remainder of the series, so I think the title is quite appropriate and catchy!

       Now, what do I have to do to get the book ready for publication?  I think the most important thing is to allow time for v.1 to be read a little more widely, so I don't mind delaying.  Then, because of splitting the second volume into two parts, I have to rewrite the Translator's Preface (some of which pertains only to material in v.3).  I have to construct a List of Characters.  Then I have to be sure the end works and probably go into v.3 and make sure its beginning works.  I'm in the process of doing some rough formatting on the text and reading through and revising it a bit.  That part is fun.
       Then I have to make a front cover drawing.  I have a drawing, showing that same Storm-Wing (that's appropriate) that I can adapt, but it will take some work.  I have not drawn as many pictures for v.2 as for v.l, so I'll have to  work up an entirely new back cover, probably using a blurb this time.     
       Finally, I have to adapt the map.  I have a map that covers the entire Quest, so I have to chop off the upper part of that and work it up in black and white and make it the right size.  That will take some work, too.

       In the meantime, I encourage everybody to obtain a copy of "The War of the Stolen Mother" and introduce yourself to the termite world.  Believe me, you'll be very glad you did!

       For Kindle and paperback, all my books are at Amazon.
       For all other e-readers and for sample downloads, all my books are at Smashwords.
       For Nook and paperback, my books are also at Barnes & Noble.  "The Termite Queen" doesn't appear there for Nook, because of the insoluble NCX problem.  If you want TQ for Nook, go directly to Smashwords.

       And watch for Illustration No.5, appearing soon on this blog!

"Stolen Mother" Now Published on Kindle!

       I published Volume I of "The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head" on Kindle just this morning.  It should appear on Amazon by tomorrow morning at the latest.  The price is $3.99, the same as all my full length novels.   It's a great read for that money, and I hope you'll check it out!  In the meantime, read the sample chapters included on this blog.  I didn't include the map in the Kindle version.  Not only could I not make the upload work -- I decided it would be illegible at that size, anyway.  I suggest that you download or print yourself a copy of the map from this website and keep it handy.  I really don't mind!

       Next up ... Smashwords!  The format will need some minimal tweaking, but without the map or much in the way of odd characters, I think it should work all right.

The First Volume of "Labors" Has Been Published!

"The War of the Stolen Mother" is now available in paperback at Amazon.  I'll begin working on the Kindle version after I take a brief break from formatting.

Here follows the book description from Amazon:

In the 30th century, Earthers make first contact with an intelligent lifeform called the Shshi, which evolved from termites. Following that contact, the Champion of the Shshi, the Warrior Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, and the bard of the fortress of Lo'ro'ra, Di'fa'kro'mi the Remembrancer, are moved to set off on a quest to reach the sea, the existence of which was unknown to them until the humans came. Joined by two Worker helpers, they head first for Ki'shto'ba's home fortress of To'wak, where they find that the local Tyrant, who has long feared Ki'shto'ba's power, is holding citizens of Lo'ro'ra prisoner. We learn of our Champion's hatching (it has a twin) and of a Seer's revelations that Ki'shto'ba was sired by the Sky-King and that it can be killed only under unusual circumstances. Ki'shto'ba undertakes to ransom the prisoners by agreeing to leave To'wak and perform twelve wonders before returning, thus freeing the Tyrant from the fate of being killed by its more powerful sibling. The Companions then set off again, joined by the twin A'zhu'lo and by a fifth Companion, an outcast Worker named Za'dut, who is an outrageous trickster and thief. Their journey takes them to the fortress of Thel'or'ei, which has been at war with its neighbors for nine years over possession of a river ford. Ki'shto'ba is duped into supporting Thel'or'ei, which in fact has committed an unspeakable crime against the Shshi Way of Life. When Ki'shto'ba learns of this crime, it renounces its oath and goes over to the other side. There, with the help of Za'dut the trickster, plots are devised to steal Thel'or'ei's protective talisman and to breach its impregnable walls. But with a crime so heinous and with flawed local Champions who are either craven, cunning, or willful and unpredictable, it is unlikely the outcome can be favorable ...

Important Publishing News, a Word on the Myths, and Another Map Is Added

       On the page marked "Maps" I added the finished black-and-white map that will form the frontispiece for the print edition of "War of the Stolen Mother."  I found some errors in the text of the proof, so I uploaded another PDF.  Publication will be delayed a couple of days. 

AND NOW "STOLEN MOTHER" IS PUBLISHED!

        This morning I approved the publication of "The War of the Stolen Mother," Volume I of "The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head." It should show up on Amazon within a day or two.  After I take a short break from the tedious business of formatting, I'll begin working on the Kindle version.  I still don't know what to do about the footnotes; I don't see any instructions in the Publishing Guidelines, but I think I can figure something out.

       Also, I just posted Chapter 6 of "Stolen Mother" here on this blog.  It's the climactic chapter for this preliminary section of the book.
       In relation to this chapter, I want to comment on the old Seer Thru'tei'ga'ma.  Of course, he stands in the role of Teiresias, the very famous Seer of ancient Greece.  Some of you may remember that Teiresias was blinded because he saw Athena as she was bathing.  In Thru'tei'ga'ma's case, he saw the Highest-Mother-Who-Has-No-Name as she was grooming her great belly.  Pay attention to his ramblings; they are some of the most important and comprehensive prophecies that will be spoken in the stories.  At any given point, if you return to those paragraphs and compare events  to what Thru'tei'ga'ma said, you'll say, "Oh, now I see what he was talking about!"
       A'zhu'lo fills the role of Iphicles, the twin of Hercules, although A'zhu'lo's story is almost entirely imaginary on my part.  A'zhu'lo is basically the lesser sibling who worships his big brother but can never compete with him, although he would very much like to.  Wei'tu has no equivalent in the myths, but Twa'sei, whose name means "Wood-Cutter," is clearly Hylas, which Rrobert Graves says means "Of the Woods."  And if you don't know who Hylas was in relation to Hercules, you'll just have to look it up!