They’re Done and Sent

Back in September I finished my modified-rough draft of Book IV and sent a request for resubmission for two reasons. First, and most obvious was that I wanted to include Book IV in with the other three. Second, since the last submission I had found multiple errors and mistakes littering what I had sent in, and this to me was unforgivable. I knew I couldn’t account for and correct every single error in the document, but I could reduce their frequency.

 My publisher replied back with ‘resubmit at my leisure.’  

 Putting aside Book IV, I went through the revised version of Book I (originally published around 2017), Book II, & Book III combing through them for any issues, cleaning up as much dialogue and grammatical mistakes as I could find, and expanding narration in places that needed it. This was especially the case for Book I, which was originally written with word 2007; a combination of the latest Word Software + Grammarly (which isn’t perfect, but it helps), allowed me to clean up over 2,500 issues, errors, and mistakes since its first publication.

 Book III had a chapter deleted because I decided it needed 21, instead of 18 chapters a couple of months ago. The last four chapters were too densely packed, and I was dissatisfied with the ending. Unfortunately, I did this with sleep deprivation creeping up and chapters 19&20 were identical. Before sending it off, I had this hunch that something was wrong, looked back, and was correct in my assumptions.

 Book IV had already received a similar treatment as I edited the work while I was writing it. It was just a matter of going through it with the same tools again and then cleaning up dialogue and narration where I found an issue.  

 Placing everything into a single document, from the first title page to the last cover blurb gave me 621 pages and 366,040 words. What comes next with them is of course… wait. They’re sent off, with nothing more to add or take away. Unless there’s some kind of issue that truly calls my attention from the publisher, I’m not touching them. What will likely take place is that they’ll be looked over, page formatted, finalized, and a Crowdsourced Campaign will take place.

 I’ve no plans to begin Book V until late Summer/early Fall, which will be subtitled: Counterpoint.

 The only other thing for me to do is to update the outdated Stellar System data further down the blog, along with several other things that likely need a good update. And as things move closer to publication, drop the cover blurbs. But… there you go! 

Chronicles of Ardis: Where Things Stand...

 It’s been well over a since I updated this blog. I’d been busy since then, either editing my previous unpublished works or in draft mode. So, below is the update for everything as follows…
 
Chronicles of Ardis: Concordance
First published back in 2017, it was written with Word 2007, and littered with grammatical mistakes which I attempted to rectify. Through a combination of the latest version of MS Word + Grammarly, I corrected roughly 2,000 or more mistakes, ranging from word choice errors to dialogue issues. Scenes were also expanded, rewritten, or had their continuity corrected, with minor retcons also made. Over 94,000 words in length it reads better—more smoothly—than the original draft. Short of going through it line by line, there’s very little I can do with it. As it stands, it’s in a much better place.
 
Chronicles of Ardis: Reckonings
Finished back in 2018, Reckonings had the fortunate chance of being edited by a non-professional editor and then further cleaned up by Grammarly. Over 81,000 words, it was a fun story to write. While I admit I’d like to add more, Reckonings tells what needs to be told without the need to add anything else.   
 
Chronicles of Ardis: Convergence
Finished back in June of 2019, Convergence was initially 18 Chapters. However, being over 88,000 words, I wasn’t satisfied with having packed so much information in the last 6 or so chapters and transformed it into 21 Chapters for better reading.
 
Chronicles of Ardis: Threshold
Finished on September 27, 2022, Threshold was 101,422 words long and has since crawled up to 101,741 words. Originally subtitled Dark Winter, which was a play on words using themes found throughout the book, it felt insufficient. Then again, it may fit. I find myself wanting to reexamine a few spots and have Beta Readers going through it; things could get edited when the time comes.

If all goes to plan, I should be officially submitting by December 31^st, 2022, or depending on the feedback I receive, sometime in January.  I also plan on adding slightly updated maps, stellar system data, and other figures, possibly in the coming days or weeks. 

What’s in a Name: The Subtitle of Book I

“Is this a religious book?”
“Uh… no, why?”
“Well, your subtitle seems to suggest it.”
“I don’t write theology, I write science fantasy. I believe you need to avail yourself of a dictionary.”
 
As I was nearing completion of the first draft of Book I back in 2015, I began mulling over an appropriate title. Originally, I was considering something whimsical, such as ‘The Saga of Ardis,’ when an idea struck me to turn one book into multiple. With this in mind, ‘Chronicles of Ardis,’ felt like a working main title, leaving me in search of a catchy subtitle. After a few weeks, one word started to hit just write, a word which felt almost like a bane.
 
If you recognize the word ‘concordance,’ then you might know it to be synonymous with a ‘Biblical Concordance’ (of which I do own.) Which by definition is ‘an alphabetical list of the words (especially the important ones) present in a text, usually with citations of the passages in which they are found. However, this isn’t the only way that the word is used. With a modest bit of research (and search on Wikipedia,) you also find a bilingual concordance which is simply ‘a concordance based on aligned parallel text.’ Scrolling down a little, you also find that concordances are frequently used in linguistics when studying a text.
 
Wikipedia aside, there’s also the definition of the word, taken from the online Miriam-Webster Dictionary:
 
Concordance (noun)
 
1: an alphabetical index of the principal words in a book or the works of an author with their immediate contexts
 
2: CONCORD, AGREEMENT (Note: both words have definitions as well.)

== 

A simple Google search will also show:

noun: concordance; plural noun: concordances
 
1: an alphabetical list of the words (especially the important ones) present in a text, usually with citations of the passages in which they are found.
"a concordance to the Bible"
a generated list of instances in which a particular word occurs in a digital corpus, typically with the context also provided.
"clicking on any word in the source text produces a concordance"
 
2: FORMAL
agreement or consistency.
"the concordance between the teams' research results"
 
3: MEDICINE
the inheritance by two related individuals (especially twins) of the same genetic characteristic, such as susceptibility to disease.
 
Origin: Late Middle English: from Old French, from medieval Latin concordantia, from concordant- ‘being of one mind’
 
I think it’s safe to assume that I went for the second option found in either of these definitions. Nevertheless, it has brought a degree of wry amusement over the years. For instance, at one point, if you were to go to Amazon and put into the search box “Chronicles of Ardis: Concordance,” not only would it not come up, but it would bring up a search of over 700 books not even remotely related to my own, but said books were theological. I suspected the reason behind this was the subtitle.   
 
Lastly, I’ve heard more than one person ask a variation of the question written back at the beginning. Funnier still are the people that argued with me about the use of the word, as though it was locked into one thing alone. While that might be initially understandable, considering how it’s mostly used, it should come as no surprise that this word by itself had more than one meaning and can be used in other contexts. As for my own use of it, it stems from the idea that those gathered had ‘reached an accord being of mind in their thoughts and deeds.’ I had considered other words, such as harmony, accord, and the like. However, they failed to grab my attention as the word concordance did.  
 

Memory Excerpt, Book II

A few weeks ago, I did an Author's Spotlight interview with the local Library. Toward the end, I was asked to read a book excerpt. Rather than drawing from the one that was already published, I went for something out of Book II, Chronicles of Ardis: Reckonings. 

Admittedly, a few things did come to my attention as I read it; both dialogue and narration felt a little off. Therefore, I sought to rectify that issue with a few tweaks. Thankfully, my publisher at the time hadn't begun working on my trio, so I was able to send it to him without issue. 

=============

“Well, Kemlir, did you, do it?”
            “You know he did, Sarnas, why bother asking?”
            “The question was a matter of formality, little brother,” she lightly chided. “there’s no real harm in asking. So… you did transform, right?”
The sixteen-year-old blondish-haired teenager glanced up at his eighteen-year-old sister, who was joined abruptly by their ten-and-a-half-year-old brother in a flash of orange light that flickered vividly like a flame. Kemlir raised a brow briefly toward the smiling kid and then looked back at his perceptive sister as if she already knew the answer. The middle child of the trio lingered on her face a few more seconds in thought, glanced one more to their brother, and then turned away.
            “No,” he swallowed. “I couldn’t. I just… I know I can, I can feel myself trying to change, but each time I do, I overthink and it just… it fails.”
            The three stood quietly in the courtyard of Wuldred Fortress. Around them, soldiers and other personnel went about their daily routines, some stopping briefly to take note of the Ice Fang siblings, with an occasional nod and gesture before wandering on. A few caught Kemlir’s pained expression, hesitating at first before continuing on their way, even speeding up out of the courtyard in due haste. His siblings were there, they reasoned, there was no need to approach, much less bother them, unless something was required. And being who they were, it was reckoned that they were reasonably self-sufficient enough to handle whatever came their way.       
            “Then, you’ll do it again next week.” Vordril decided.
            “And you’ll succeed.” Sarnas nodded confidently.
            “Wait, what?” Kemlir almost stammered. “I’ve tried three times already—and failed each time!”
            “Because you’ve anticipated it,” his sister intoned gently. “you need to let it happen; don’t bring the transformation about forcefully, just allow it to take place.”
            “But you also need to take everything you’ve learned from those attempts, reflect, set yourself aright, and you’ll succeed on the next go around.” Their brother added in an almost sing-song fashion. “Simple as that!”
            “Well, if you think it’s so easy, why don’t you do it!?”
            “Actually, Vordril’s incapable of the transformation.” Sarnas glanced toward their little brother thoughtfully. “Mother said he possesses the trait but is unable to utilize it. However, if he were to marry and father any sons, there’s an almost certain chance that they could.”
            “He can’t because he’s Thashinir… like you, Sarnas.” Kemlir half-whispered enviously and glanced over at the young Degnan off in his own little world.”
            “Wait… me… married!?” The hazel-eyed kid wrinkled his nose at the thought. “Ewww, you can’t be serious! Aren’t girls covered in weird diseases and carrying like seven kinds of plague?”
            Kemlir chuckled.
            “Yeah,” Sarnas lunged forward with full intent on putting Vordril in a headlock, only to find him on the other side of the courtyard with his tongue sticking out. “I can do that too you know!”
            “Is that so?” The boy grinned wickedly. “Seems I recall someone being too busy for such ‘childish games.’” Vordril intoned in a mock-serious fashion. “Or was that too old? Anyways,” he smirked. “You never could catch me, why, I bet Kemlir could do a far better job than you!”
            Sarnas’s eyes narrowed. A smile slowly crept across her face as she glanced back at Kemlir who nodded, and then back at Vordril. “You’re on little brother; ready or not, here we come!”
            The sounds of laughter echoed throughout the courtyard and the game was afoot. Edrim, joined by his wife Alceris, watched quietly from the window, smiles playing lightly on their faces. Flashes of fire—a combination of deep yellow, orange, and reddish-orange flame—signaling translocation events, danced lively across the courtyard as the intermittent teasing continued. Though comparatively a novice to his translocative-adept siblings, Kemlir was demonstrating marked improvement after the formal lessons he received. Reflecting, the High Chief of the Southern Wastes concluded that his eldest son would inevitably succeed in taking on the semblance of their totem animal. He too took a little longer than expected after which it became as natural as breathing. Let time work its perfect way; there was no reason to rush into things right now…

The Dorastis Stellar System: Take II, and the Moons of Ardis.

Back in 2017, I composed a post titled ‘The Dorastis Solar System,’ attaching a Facts and Figures Chart below it. Since then, I had returned to that post multiple times to correct a few errors before eventually giving up. There was always something I found a little off every time I went back to examine it. Since then, I managed to look over it a few more times until finally deciding to give one more update before attaching it here. As was stated there, so here, I used such software as AstroSynthesis and Gravity Simulator to make sure the system was remotely viable, along with world-builders.org for several equations to establish further realism.

 For miscellaneous things, such as orbital eccentricity, magnetosphere, radii extension, and solar intensity, this was done through a combination of studying real-world examples and equations (specifically solar intensity), to give the numbers displayed on the chart. I also had to rethink natural satellite placement such as moons (if any,) around the first and second planets in the system utilizing concepts such as Lagrange Points and the Hill/Roche Sphere.

Two things of note. First is the use of a G4V Star (Sol is a G2V,) for the parent star. I’ve periodically considered a K0V, but with the figures generated below, it wasn’t viable. Secondly, both the masses and Mean Orbital Velocities have been updated. Hopefully, this is the last time (for a long time,) that I will remotely bother to correct anything.

Another facts and figures table that I'd been working on was for Nersis and Kesis, the moons of Ardis, where ‘Chronicles of Ardis’ takes place: 

Colloquially referred to at times as the Red and Orange Daughters for their predominant coloration, Nersis and Kesis were somewhat modeled on Jupiter’s moon Io, with Nersis being volcanic and Kesis quiescent. Though they were balanced using Earth (as was the rest of the Stellar system for that matter,) it worked. Other equations were done utilizing fxSolver; it was something of a blessing to find. 

Much like Jupiter and Io, Ardis and Nersis have a similar relationship, whereby thanks to tidal heating, is not only volcanically active but contributes to the overall size of the Ardan magnetosphere, nearly doubling it and imparting an overall elliptical appearance to its structure due to plasma loading. Book II goes into a little more detail regarding all of this, which, along with the edited/revised version of my first book and the third one will hopefully come up soon to be crowdsourced and hopefully released…

Meanwhile I still very slowly and agonizingly press on with Book IV.

Book Musings and Other Things…

As it stands, officially, I have one book published. Unofficially, I have two books—subtitled Reckonings and Convergence—submitted, along with the Revised/Edited version of Book I. They were placed into a single document and sent to Battlefield Press. Hopefully, in the next couple of months, there should be a Kickstarter for an omnibus… hopefully!

For explanation, Book I was published with issues in terms of editing. Originally written in word 2007, it was reopened in Word 2016, and through it and Grammarly, going over the work multiple times, I corrected in upwards of 1800+ grammatical errors alone. Along with these corrections, came scene transitions and several scenes scattered throughout the book which were reworked and cleanup to read better than before. Lastly, I did my best to fix whatever dialogue errors that were present.

Obviously, there are some things that might have escaped in some form or fashion because it was too minor to be noticed. However, Book I reads better than before.

Book II received double-fold treatment, first in the form of a young man who offered to edit after reading my first book—and happily wrote him a letter of recommendation for that. The other was through Grammarly; there’s always something that could be missed, and it was combed through to fix any possible error. I had fun writing Reckonings and look forward to seeing it in print!

Book III was a small challenge, partially because it was a change of pace, and partially because work and health had gotten in the way. At first, I considered it a train wreck of a story, but as I put everything together, it read better than I expected. It received a heavy-handed editing treatment to make sure things everything was as grammatically sound as I could make it. In the end, I found myself enjoying the book, even becoming a little sentimental over it.   

Which leaves Book IV. I have plot, subplot, and even metaplot worked out, with a few minor things shifting here and there. It’s just a matter of stop getting distracted and use the time that I have to type. Though I think some of that distraction has come in the form of waiting for the first three to be published. I just have to keep my head afloat, one word and sentence at a time.   

Working Prologue for Book IV

It's been well over a month, I think since I've done any serious writing beyond compiling notes, but I finally have a working prologue. It's not perfect by any means, but it suffices for now. At some point, I'll go back and edit it ad nauseam, but for now, I'm relatively okay at how it turned out. 

=============

Prologue

 

Kaderis smiled; victory had been assured…
 
All of it began with the spark of an idea. And this idea gave rise to possibility into the exploration of things not meant to be looked upon, at least, not directly. First though were barriers that needed breaching, namely in the form of tireless, philosophical debate. Adamantly, ceaselessly, she was reminded that there were some corners beyond reality not meant to be physically entered. Meditation and contemplation were more than enough to satiate harmful curiosity. Entering this shaded abode, home of everything antithetical to life would be her undoing—her untimely death. To gaze and even briefly project their consciousness through the gateway and into that horrific place was more than ample enough for whatever study might be required. Anything further would reduce the strongest mind to incoherent madness. And, after a decade of lengthy debates on the matter, the ashen-blonde priestess was done; it was time to take matters into her own hands.
            Though her prowess was near-unrivaled by anyone within their order, Kaderis wasn’t given into reckless abandon; hers was the long game. Over the years she had spent countless hours gazing unflinchingly into the terrible nothingness to glean what lay beyond so that it could be manifested into this world. Each passing moment peering into the formless depths was a period of reflection, seeing what others were unable to see, or possibly turning a blind eye to. But even the practice of mental projection was only so good. She needed to go further than anyone else in the history of their order and survive that ordeal… intact.
            “Kaderis!” An approaching furious voice boomed. “Stop this madness! What you’re doing, what you’ve done, is absolute folly! You’ve damned yourself and doomed the very integrity of our order!”
            “Integrity of our order?” Whatever expression that might have been on her face was hidden by a featureless ebon mask. Enshrouded in equally matching robes, she loomed amidst a series of thirteen black pillars, light blue eyes brimming with mirth. “I passed through the gateway between realities, returned within a deeper understanding of the abyssal nothingness beyond our homeworld, and you speak to me of integrity!? Bring Ebren forward… respectfully of course. He is—was—the high priest of our order.”
            Decades of research had been done within their order’s library, with every ounce of material poured over by priestess regarding the gateway and what lay beyond it. Long days turned into sleepless nights which unexpectedly found her rewarded with several publications added to their library from all the intensive work she had done. After reflecting on all of that information, the Cestrin-born woman did what so very few had successfully accomplished since their order’s founding. Only, she was determined to succeed no matter the cost.   
 “I’m curious… what exactly will my death serve, Kaderis?” The gray-haired man questioned in between the rustling of chains as he ascended the stairs.
            “As an object lesson,” She returned simply. “You and your inner circle have held the Shadowsworn back for too long. You’ve failed to realize that there’s more to be had than simply gazing into the lightless depths. I have seen where our path leads, a path that can no longer be stifled by backward dogma!”
            “Dogma set into place at the founding of our order, dogma which has served us well, a dogma which has allowed us to preserve, despite how we’re seen, a dogma—”
            “Which has held us back from becoming what we could be!” Shadows snaked toward them, solidifying into a scimitar in her hands. “And now… we will become the darkness, Ebren, that we so emulate.”     
            Forced to the ground, Ebren sneered angrily at the rebel priestess, before slowly lowering his head. Savoring the moment the ashen-blonde woman raised the blade high into the air, and with a soul-rending shout, brought the blade down upon his neck… and blinked in utter bewilderment as the weapon lost all substance, dissolving back into the shadow where it came from. Casting a murderous glare toward the four confused acolytes, she looked across the crowd waiting expectantly for something to happen. There was only one person that could have possibly undone her weaving, and they were out of the country on business.    
            “Kaderis… Kaderis… KADERIS…”
            Initially incoherent, it began to reverberate through the caverns gradually growing louder with each utterance. Little by little the words echoed outward, resonating into the unseen corner of reality, and filling the spaces in between. Looking back, she glimpsed the induced unnatural undulation of the voidal gateway and could do nothing to calm it. Wraithly whispers soon joined, filling the cavern with a spectral cacophony as they called out her name in a mocking fashion. Feeling a little uneasy, the priestess looked toward Ebren who was now standing and clearly confused and once more to the cavern. The echoing voices continued to move higher and higher into the upper reaches of reality until it seemed that the whole of creation called out her name before falling deathly quiet, leaving the room in a thick pervasive silence.
            “Too afraid to face me, are you?” She seethed, her voice echoing throughout as much of the fabric of reality as her will would allow. “Show yourself—name yourself!”
           A figure appeared at the entrance. It looked… wreathed—no—formed, from nightmarish blackness. Every head in the room turned to see it silently stalking forward with people already moving to intercept. Within seconds of nearing it, they fell to the floor, screaming as their bodies were torn apart from within. Numerous shadowy claws exploded outward revealing themselves and soaking those nearest with their unholy carnage. Several more rushed forward, creating interlocking walls of shadowy force to prevent its advance. The abyssal specter moved through them uninterrupted and graciously allowed their creators to share in the same fate as their brethren.
            “Kaderis…”
            Diving from top of the stairs as menacing arcs of sanguine lightning passed through the shade, she imprinted the ground with a three-point landing, reached out with gripping motion, and wrapped the entity in ghostly chains manifested from the ether to immobilize it. Satisfied, Kaderis stood, looked toward the gruesome path it had made with the blood of her order, and stalked toward the unmoving thing.   
            “I don’t know who or what you are, nor where you came from, but you’ll be gone soon enough!”
            The cavern reverberated with an unnerving chuckle coupled with the undertones a draconic growl. Awashed in black-tinged violet, the chains faded. Calling upon every ounce of strength and knowledge, she watched in stubborn futility as the bonds were rendered to nothingness. It tilted an approximation of a head toward Kaderis and seemed to smile. Blinking, she began to step back until her feet were dashing against the first step.
            “Normally things can be overlooked for the sake of progress… innovation… growth. Other things… well… cannot be absolved quite so easily.”
            “What? Who… what are you?”
            “That’s his avatar,” answered Ebren. Freed from his chains, the old priest looked toward it with uncertainty.
            “I…” Looking up at the old priest, Kaderis tuned back, blinking rapidly, hearts thumping loudly in her ears at the answer. “I bid you welcome, and have it known that all that has been done, was in the dark glory of your revered name.”
            “Spare me your entreaties, I know everything.” The voice echoed as loudly in their ears as it did their thoughts. “You passed through the gateway and returned unscathed… commendable. But the schism you created was foolish… unwise. Penance must be exacted.”
           “But… but I…” Looking across the cavern of masked faces and reflecting on everything she had achieved, her fists clenched. Swallowing slowly, the priestess told herself she wouldn’t go down like an animal, instead, standing tall, proud, and resolute for what was to come. They had her notes; others would pick up where she left off. “Fine… I… accept. Let it be done.”
            “You think I’m going to let you off that easy?” Questioned the abyssal presence with a darkened smile. “No. You and your followers are banished from Cestrin. You have three days and three nights to gather your things, say your goodbyes, and leave.”
            The priestess blinked in confusion by the pronouncement; even Ebren was taken aback by the entity’s utterance. A dull roar of whispers cascaded through the cavern for almost a minute before becoming snuffed out by the velvety voice of Kaderis.”
            “And what’s to become of us, we who will no longer be within your hallowed shadow? Are we to be cast out in exile with no hope of feeling your tenebrous presence among us again?”
            “Oh, my priestess,” the form sighed softly. “There is nowhere you can dwell where my darkness cannot find you. There is no corner of this world, no matter how remote, that you can go where I cannot see you. If you truly wish to forge a new path, then you do so with my blessing. You are Shadowsworn, remember that…”
            An icy chill filled the cavern, lights flickered, shadows ebbed to-and-fro, and the Shadowed One’s avatar vanished. Looking back to Ebren descending the stairs, she cast her gaze toward the order as a whole. Taking a deep breath, with much to consider, the ashen-blonde Ardan realized they had little time to prepare for departure. Whether they were ready for the journey didn’t matter. All that was needed was a new home, and Kaderis decided, she a new name…