Line in the Sand

Okay, reasonable or not, I'm drawing a line in the proverbial publishing sand. I've thought, considered, rethought, reconsidered, and have come to the conclusion...I just can't do it.

Yes, I'm aware it might hurt my long term success as an author. Yes, I'm aware it might make the readers unhappy or look in other direction.

I. Just. Can't. Do. It.

Twitter.

I can't - no won't - do Twitter.

I'm all for the authors who have the time, talent, and personality to join and converse on it. I can't, don't, and won't.

Other responsibilities don't allow enough time to hang out there. After a full work week, the time spent with my husband, kids, family, and friends are limited enough. Then I have my writing time, which I ensure eats into my personal and sleep time. That personal time, the slim hours I have to relish in me is taken up by hiking, kayaking, beach trips, photograph, writing, and my blogging here.

After all that, I just don't have the time to dedicate to starting a twitter account and maintaining the fast flow of that Internet river (rapid river, might I add).

Yes, we all must strive to grow, but we have to remember limitations. Limitations aren't just those things you aren't capable of accomplishing. They are things you decide not to accomplish. Boundaries, if you like that term for it better.

A plate is a plate. You are the keeper of that plate and must decide what works and doesn't work for that plate's content. Anything and everything can give you some sort of substance. You have to decide what kind and amount of substance it will be. There is nothing wrong with passing by a selection in life to maintain the prosperity, happiness, and fullness of your chosen plate.

I'm very, very happy with my plate and its content as it is now. It's full, but manageable with the substances that matter most to me. Twitter isn't the only "selection" I've passed. Promotions, great job opportunities, big moves...the list is endless in my many years of life.

Huh, I guess I've mixed my analogies a bit. Sand in line to plate content. Oh well, you get my drift.

What is your line in the sand, or substance you've passed to maintain your plate? Are there things you want to remove or reduce on your life plate?

I met her at the discount store

That is where I met one of my characters in the third Telomere Trilogy book, End of Eternity. She isn't a lead character, but she is pivotal to one of them. She is the Overseer, keeper of the Dokkaebi's oral history and voice of the Essence.

(The essence is the spiritual entity for these people. In reality it is a...oh, well, I'll go into all that in another post. Focus, AR, focus!)

Hubby and I were cruising the discount store looking for Christmas ornaments. With 3 active boys, 2 big clumsy dogs and 1 inquisitive cat in the house, ornaments take a heavy toll around the holidays. And for the same reason is why we're at the discount store replenishing them and not some fancy-dancy store. Not that my cheapskate senses would EVER buy fancy-dancy anything.

So, there we were. Hubby is relishing the shopping trip and I'm trudging beside him wishing to be anywhere but shopping. (We're opposite the gender stereotype in this manner.) Our cart is full of dozens of ornaments we feel necessary for the season. We round the corner, where half the aisle is Christmas craft projects and the other is school craft projects and coloring books and whatnot...well, there in that aisle, I spotted her.

I swear people, my breath went out of me. She was beautiful in the truest sense of female. I'm not talking those flimsy models who'd blow away on a windy day. They creep me out (sorry if you are one...it's not you, it's me). No, she was the essence of woman. Her whole being radiated with it, from her richly dark skin, a full body made for hugs, and this great smile. Oh my goodness that smile! It was pure happiness and contentment.

She had a handful of coloring books and I got that "teacher" vibe from her. This was a woman created to nurture and guide and mentor. This was my Overseer! I remember thinking. I wanted to ask her her name, what she did for a living...anything to hear her voice which I already imagined would be deep and smooth with a lilt of laughter and joy behind it.

It is no wonder Luna was willing to follow her request to go with Jetta away from her home planet of Asatru. There was so must trusting and goodness enveloping this woman. That sense of knowing in her form.

Where have you all seen your characters? Or are they all in your head?

New Distribution Sites

Hey blogger buddies! Super excited and had to share.

Just heard from my publisher that their books have been added to a couple more distribution sites. Bonus is, these two sites sell books at discounted prices. GROOVY! GROOVY!

Here are the new sites with links to the books, if you're interested.

Google Books (priced at $4.61)
Duty and Devotion
Revelations of Tomorrow (Telomere Trilogy #1)
Echoes of Regret (Telomere Trilogy #2)

Books on Board (ranging in price from $3.59 to $4.49)

Duty and Devotion
Revelations of Tomorrow (Telomere Trilogy #1)
Echoes of Regret (Telomere Trilogy #2)

Round and Round She Goes...

Fictionally, writers have used the ever-questionable gravity conductors to generate and control gravitons. The coolest being Star Trek, which generated and distributed them into the hull plating. But, aside from pseudo-science experiments around gravitomagnetic torque effect that have no real scientific community confirmation and have not been duplicated, this "gravity generating" technology has not come to fruition.

So, for the purposes of this post, let's stick with concepts that are from more traditional avenues of artificial gravity. Okay, before we begin, I want to clarify that when we talk about this kind of artificial gravity, we're not talking about gravity at all.

What we're talking about is centripetal force (the counteracting of mass by a proportional rotational acceleration). Basically, spinning to give the feeling of weight to one's body. Think the spinning ride at your local amusement park but in a more effective and useful way to allow astronauts and, hopefully, space travelers the ability to function and remain healthy in space.

Studies performed and being performed indicate humans don't need a constant round-the-clock form of gravity to remain conditioned, and they don't believe humans would even need standard earth gravity either. Half earth's gravity and several hours a day could, in theory, suffice to sustain body health and prevent "deconditioning" during a space travels. (Deconditioning is the physical results of zero gravity, such as loss of bone mass and performance deterioration of the circulatory and neurological systems, among other clinical issues.)

The most popular solution scientists are exploring is centrifuge systems. The question of specific centrifuge structure to use for space travel depends on some decisions: continuous artificial gravity vs periodic artificial gravity sessions, and compartment systems or individual systems...to name a couple.

Quirky fact: Path of least resistance - in a large vessel or station sized rotational system the occupants would need to walk/move in the same direction as the rotation or dizziness and nausea could ensue. Also, depending on the size/structure, even turning your head could cause these symptoms.

I think in the short term regular "centrifuge sessions" in individual chambers is a sound and cost-effective solution. This is because those first missions will be a small professional crew only and a good testing ground for the technology.

Building too large too fast is not the way to go in space exploration. One vacuum step at a time, people. But it is exciting to jump ahead and imagine the evolution as our exploration evolves.

1. Individual centrifuge chambers at regular daily sessions for first long distance crew missions and colonization of Mars, moons and satellites.
2. Multi person chambers round the clock/Individual chambers at regular sessions for broader space travel with small passenger/crew mixture.
3. Compartment-size systems round the clock for mid and large size transport vessels with large crews needing gravity in their workspaces, but not needing gravity in the payload and common areas. Also could be for larger capacity passenger vessels. Passengers situated in artificial gravity quarters and crew in artificial gravity workspaces with non-gravity areas such as cargo areas and common areas.



4. Then we reach the vessel-size systems where all areas would have artificial gravity.

There are a million different ways centrifuge systems can be explored and executed. These are just my brainstorms on the concept. Let me know your thoughts, ideas or heck, even your disagreements. Below are a few links I used when exploring the idea. Some are older articles, but hey, the issues been around for a while with no other real solutions being presented.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1995/gravity-1129.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/spaceodyssey/healtheffects.shtml

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast01oct_1/

http://www.esa.int/esaHS/ESAGO90VMOC_astronauts_0.html

http://www.space.com/8384-artificial-gravity-tests-space-astronauts.html

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/gravity-05m.html (artificial gravity workout system)

http://www.space.com/1089-artificial-gravity-nasa-spins-study.html

http://www.popsci.com/entertainment-amp-gaming/article/2009-01/artificial-gravity-fact-and-fiction

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-02/physics-artificial-gravity-part-two

http://what-when-how.com/space-science-and-technology/artificial-gravity/

Perspective Chat Over at the Writer Limits

Let's talk perspectives with protagonists and antagonists, over at the Writer Limits today. Stop by if you have a chance.


http://thewriterlimitsauthors.blogspot.com/2012/05/perspective-how-do-you-define-right-and.html

Not Just Up, But Also Down

In Isaac Asimov's Robot City 3, Refuge by author Rob Chilson, spacers Derec and Ariel end up hiding out on Earth. Ariel is very sick with a virus the spacer civilization knows nothing about, and is in fact, a death sentence for them.

Little did they know that Earth was her salvation, as the overpopulated civilization they assumed was backwards and prejudice against anything progressive was very advanced in healthcare technology and treatments. Looking back it made sense, for both the reader and the main characters.

Not only were they advanced in healthcare, they were also advanced in population management. With 8 billion people to house, feed, and keep clean it's a big task. One they accomplished by making a big planetary-level cultural transition.

They moved underground.

When it came out in the late 80s this very concept was shocking and most people believed it to be too radical. "Never happen," my own stepdad said when I exclaimed this as the answer (at my ripe, wise age of 13). "People need open space. No one will want to be restricted inside like that." He was very insistent.

Oh how a lot of things have changed, in just a quarter of a century. Yeah, we're not quite to the point of extreme as Asimov's future Earth world, where people are frightened of the "above ground"...but we're well on our way to being comfortable inside for the majority if not our whole day.

A report just came out from the Federal Highway Administration revealing young drivers 19 and younger dropped over 18% to less than half the age segment and people under 30 make up only 22% of drivers since 1998. Adding to this shift, Gartner research firm found 46% of drivers aged 18 to 24 would choose Internet access over a car. Article HERE.

So, if they are not getting drivers license, how are they getting around? Well, studies indicate that almost half are socializing via internet routes (FaceBook, Instant Messenging, Twitter, etc). If they are getting together, it's using the increasing transportation network (subways, transits, and whatnot). The levels of these two factors depends on the size of the city they are located in.

This trend fits perfectly in the end state of Asimov's world. As people shifted inside, they next shifted down. In overpopulated countries all over the world, there are already underground living/working/consumer communities going down several levels. To be exact, 26 countries have started to turn to underground city concepts in answer to overpopulation.

The shift to underground living answers another need of a heavily populated world. Food production. With people living underground, it leaves the surface available for the production to feed billions of people. Fertile ground, which is now used for subdivisions and city blocks, could be enough land to feed areas where agriculture development is unattainable.

This would be an answer to hunger.

I know it'll be centuries before humans are comfortable living underground to the extent of Asimov's future Earth, if they ever get there. And there are mounds of issues to overcome like high earthquake zones and water and waste infrastructure barriers. And some will never feel comfortable in the "mole" environment.

But then again, that's how Asimov's world ended up with Spacers and Earthers, wasn't it?

So, what do you think about the underground concept? Do you think we'll ever to the extent of Asimov's Earth world? Why or why not?

Two people, too many secrets. Can love flourish?

Echoes of Regret. Book 2 of The Telomere Trilogy

Yay! My SFR eBook is now available from Desert Breeze Publishing!

BLURB
Fredrica Casales, relieved her participation as an undercover agent for the Imperial Guardians is over, strives to rebuild the trust she's lost with Captain Noah Bonney. But the terrorist plot was only the start of their journey. Now the Daring Star and Lady Victory crews must rescue the scientist who holds the Telomere cure before the very stability of the Galaxy unravels.

If that wasn't enough, Fredrica must work with her former Imperial contact, Jace McCree. As for Jace, he tries to keep a promise he made long ago, but as his sister grows sicker he's conflicted as to what decision he needs to make, and what to reveal. As they cross the Galaxy, battle rogue Watchers, and fight soul sucking space creatures, both Fredrica and Jace must come to terms with their regrets and decide whether to open their hearts. But fate has its own timeline, and not always at the convenient time.

EXCERPT
Jace's trepidation increased as Lady Victory detached from the port's docking bay with Jetta aboard. From the Imperial space station's sky-bridge he observed the Port Launch Unit maneuver the large, squid-like vessel out to open space. Three guiding shuttles worked in unison to push the huge vessel as if it were a marshmallow floating in water. Helpless and adrift at the moment, he was unsure what to do or how to act. From behind him his father, Scott McCree, growled.

"We shouldn't have let her leave, Jace."

Without looking back at him Jace said, "We shouldn't have kept it a secret so long, Father." He turned. "She should have been told when she came of age."

Scott reared on him and clamped his jaw. Jace cocked his chin, to face his father's wrath for what he knew to be the truth. Scott's anger flashed and then settled. He knew the truth himself. The blood rose and then drained out of his face.

"How was I supposed to tell her?" he muttered after moment, the pain clear in his expression.

Jace's memories flashed to the long ago day, barely out of childhood. "It doesn't matter the how. She should've known. Now who knows what will happen or how she'll take it when she finds out." He checked the time. "I have to board Daring Star. Will you be joining the journey?"

"No. It would seem too conspicuous to follow now. How would I explain it?" He touched Jace's upper arm and squeezed. "I'm sorry to have this fall on you. I pray it is not what we think. I will head out to their lands and try to find out what has provoked this change. I'll send you communications as soon as I discover anything."

"I'll protect her as best I can. I'll find a way to tell her when we land on Stratlin."

Purchase Links
Purchase Links
Amazon, All Romance, Sony Reader, and soon to be on B&N and Kobo