Intro Text


Welcome to the current home of my writing. Since my provider decided that the internet wasn't the place for personal homepages I had to find a new home for the stories. This may be a temporary home, or it might not. We'll see how it goes.

At the moment this site will be hosting my writing. There're some full-length novels in the stories section all in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. This content will be being fleshed out as I get around to transferring them and doing some formatting work to get the previews presentable. They're also up for sale on Amazon, so if you enjoy them you might want to consider buying as well.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

July Update

The update to Lies in Red Leaves is up over in the story section. A little bit late as I wasn't happy with some aspects of it but couldn't figure out how to fix it. I think I got the worst of it, but I'll always be going back and polishing rough bits that stand out.

And thanks for the well-wishing. At the moment this country is relatively COVID-free, despite the best efforts of economists and marketroids who seem to know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. It's still  not over, and until a tried and tested vaccine is found, it won't be. That's still a long way off, and it's presupposing the virus won't mutate, or that another interesting bug won't come along to join the party. What was considered normal six months ago probably won't be back any time soon. If ever. But we have been taught some painful lessons and it'd be unspeakably wasteful not to take them to heart and learn from them. We can come through this better. So hang on in there and stay safe peoples.

25 comments:

  1. The update isn't showing in the stories section. Is it something on my end?

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  2. However CTK is seems wery promising either!

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  3. This may not be the proper place, but I don’t know how to contact you elsewhere. Is that Human Memoirs side thing with a trucker and the FBI posted anywhere?

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    1. Are you referring to the short story that was in the Shards section on the old site? I'm not sure if it's available in some old archive online somewhere. I *might* still have it on an old drive somewhere, but it was a very short skit that didn't really go anywhere.

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  4. I can't tell you how thankful I am for all the hard work you do with your stories. They're some of the best written stories i've ever come across. Thank you for the years of updates! I have bought all the versions that are available on amazon for my kindle too

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    1. And thank you for your awesome support. A little feedback goes a long way :)

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  5. I recently stumbled upon your book, "Light on the Shattered Water", and I just wanted to say that it's the most engrossing book I've read in years and that you're an amazing author! I hope that you're doing well!

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  6. Great to hear you enjoyed it. And things are going great here. I just have to win the lottery so I can write full time and then they'd be perfect.

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  7. Great see your ok. I love your books.

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  8. Mr. Howell,
    I also stumbled onto Light on Shattered Water. I picked it up on Kindle and absolutely blazed through it. I loved the book from beginning to end. I immediately picked up Storms Over Open Fields on Kindle, likewise crushed it, loving every minute of it. Just like five minutes ago, I finished the July 11th update to the Lies in Red Leaves PDF, and I have to ask, when will the next update be available? I hope I am not wrong in my belief that, that was not the end of the story. And likewise, I hope I am not being rude in asking when the next update will be pushed. Make no mistake, I am very, very appreciative of your vision and hard work. Know that I for one as a fan, am very much so looking forward to seeing Mikah's story through to the end.

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    1. Fantastic to hear you liked the stories so much. They're still being written, but I'm not what you would call a fast writer. The next update will be posted 'soon'. Not exactly sure when. I tend to write a section, and then if something doesn't scan right, go back and redo it until it feels right. IF I get stuck it can take a while to figure out how to say what I want to say, if that makes sense. Writer's block is everyone's problem.

      Anyway, the next update shouldn't be too far off. And if you like the story, a good review is always welcome. Even if no-one trusts them these days, the feedback is helpful.

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  9. Mr. Howell,

    That's perfectly understandable. No worries.

    As to the reviews, done, for both books in fact. I'm happy to contribute to the cause.

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  10. Best wishes dealing with COVID!

    Bought and left a good review on Amazon :)

    However, I was wondering if you still had links to Godsend. I'd like to re-read it again, but can't find a link to the zip

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    1. I've still got a copy of it in .txt form in my Drive. Could also convert a .pdf version if you really want it.
      Link to the .txt
      https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0EM2_40tHiGa3JERHpwVEZ6ZGs/view?usp=sharing

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    2. I've got to get those older ones reformatted at some point. I'll have to add it to the list...

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  12. Really enjoyed all of your "Man gets repeatedly mauled by Rris" stories. This trilogy very well illustrates that even a sentient species that seemingly is very close to us biologically (mammal gang no1!) would still seem very alien to us. Makes you really think about how much of our values and actions arise from some ancient biological quirk.

    I am totally going to buy the first two books to give some reviews!

    Seems like first vaccines are not far off, this truly shows the power of modern medical science/manufacturing!

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    1. Also: Holy hell does the delegation deliberately try not to think how their return journey will probably make The Long March look like an optimistic endeavor in comparison.

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    2. Just think of it as a really good incentive to learn the language even if only to say, 'please stop mauling me now.' And, no spoilers, but the journey is going to be the least of his problems. Stay tuned...

      And the vaccines are looking promising, as is a nasal spray in development. Relevant xkcd: https://xkcd.com/2391/

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  13. I just finished “Light on shattered Water” a few minutes ago and now am really happy that I've stumbled upon your website.
    Just because I wanted to say thank you for this incredibly novel I could be part of. I love the details you have put into this story, the locations, the characters; it all felt so alive. Sure, some people might think that’s too much, but for me it just added to the immersion. Long days for Mikah really felt exhausting; the constant reminder of him being an outsider made his longing of someone to be with him even more understandable; the description of alien hands touching him, feeling him made it even more intense.
    More than on one occasion I felt goose bumps sprawling across my back, when suddenly some subtle little things, that did not entirely make sense just then, felt into place. Or just at the very end when Mikah said those three words to someone far away. So good!
    I hope he’ll see his lost friend again, I guess there is only one way to find out! Just bought “Storms Over Open Fields”, and I absolutely can’t wait to dive in!
    Oh, and also thanks for that little button at the bottom of your page. 5 dollars don’t do that book justice. At all. You deserve more.

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    1. Then my work here is done. Thank you for the kind words and the donation. Hopefully the other books live up to your expectations.

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