Mage Of Chaos

Great news, Mage of Chaos, the first of 8 books in my #ShadowGodsSeries, has been published and is available on Amazon. My second book of the series is nearly halfway through it's final edit which I hope to publish in April as a birthday gift to myself. Though I'm a year or two late in publishing these, I'm glad I've reach this milestone.

Series Overview

There are two forms of existence; life and death. There are also two rules of existence; order and chaos. Of the four, my brother and I command the latter pair. We are gods. Of the former, we can only directly influence the dead as we powerlessly watch the living. As Gods, we are weak in the face of humanity, never allowed to interfere with them directly; a task left to our followers. I wished to change that. I wished to alter it and, almost unknowingly, I’ve already begun as my experimental paradox has spiraled out of my control. If I read the signs correctly, the shift in outcome creates a new God; one I will be forced to share my power with and who can take his power beyond our limits and boundaries. He will be a god who can affect the living directly. I cannot allow this to happen. I cannot allow this abomination to be created. I cannot allow the living to succumb to my mistake. I also cannot allow this separation in the equality of Gods. Therefore, I have devised a plan which places my paradox within a paradox. Like a mirror within a mirror, I hope to ensnare this would-be god in a paradoxical chaos of my own. Yet, despite my preparations, I’m not convinced that all my plans will succeed. That is why my best chance of success involves the biggest risk. For that, I need to steal my brother’s power for a moment. In order to do that, I need to convince him to shed his godliness, just as I plan to do, so we may affect the living world directly. Yet, how do we shed our godliness? We do it by forgetting we are gods and hope we rediscover what we truly are when needed.

Cover of...

 My next book....

Big News!!!

So as I've gotten closer to publishing my #ShadowGodsSeries, I've had to contact my guy who does the covers and squeeze some time out of him because he's a busy person. Luckily for me, he's had some time the last few weeks and has finished all 8 book covers which I received today. This is excellent news and means publishing this series rest totally on my shoulders. I just have to get my ass moving and finish the last of the editing and formatting.

But first, my golf clubs are calling me!

The best character I've written

So what's the best character I've ever written? For me, that's not an easy question to answer.

Immediately, the one that comes to mind is Opus Wright from my #StoneVengeanceSeries only because I like his dark nature and the way people under-estimate him because of his appearance. But along the same lines, I find him simplistic and annoying which deters me from saying he's the best character I've written.

Then my mind switches to my #ShadowGodsSeries and Lord Storem. While he's also dark in nature, I love his motivations, the depth of his inherent nature, and his confidence. He has only one soft-spot and he fights against those feelings throughout the series because he hates to admit he has a weakness. Additionally, he's a man on a self-made pedestal who refuses to submit to anyone, even his god, at least until he meets Chalas.

Now Chalas is a character I truly love. If you want to talk about strong women, she's the one that grabs hold of me. She's the anchor, the one that holds the ship together by sheer force of will. She's the one that should lead but doesn't because she's a woman in a world where men still dominate. Yet, by the time the series gets half way through, she's the one setting the tone for everything that happens. She's the one who's logic can't be questioned, who puts Lord Storem in his place with a mere look, and who scolds her warrior husband with a wink. And in the end, she's the only one who figures a way out of the mess they've created.

Yet, is she the best? I'd have to say no only because one more character comes to mind. This person exists as only a footnote in #ARomanceNovel. He's at the end of the book and the reason why Cristina give Taylor a chance. His name is Connor and he has a gift, though some might call it a curse. Yet every time I read those few pages I get tears in my eyes. To me, he's the most powerful character I've written and I doubt I can even begin to explain why. I just feel him at the very depths of my soul because, if given a choice, I would like to be like him; to do good despite the damage it would cause me. As for the rest of the book, it's not my genre even though I wrote it. It does, however, explain who I am in many ways (an autobiography of sorts).

So while you can read about Opus Wright or Connor in books I've already published, you'll have to wait another month or two concerning Lord Storem or Chalas. That's when I plan to start publishing my #ShadowGodsSeries.

https://www.amazon.com/author/sscotttwigg

Progress

So I know that I was supposed to keep up with my weekly writing challenge, but I've been working on my #ShadowGodsSeries instead. During these past few weeks I've finished editing Mage of Chaos and am only doing a finally read-thru before prepping for publishing. I've also uploaded it to CreateSpace and did some formatting to ensure everything is right. Furthermore, I've done some changes to the rest of the series, cutting it from 9 books down to 8 so each of them has approximately the same number of pages. I've also contacted my cover artist and hope he'll be done with all the covers within the next few weeks. All this takes me away from my passion of writing, but its worth it. I need to get this done... woohoo.

Old Friends

For the last several years I’ve begun to wonder what friends truly are. Many would say they are people who you enjoy the company of or know personally, but I think that is a fallacy bred through technology. I say this because there are several people I know I like to spend time with, but that is a momentary thing. I can drink and eat and have conversation with these people, but is there more than that. After all, I’m aged. I grew up in a time when you had to ride a bike across town to see someone or pick up a phone to call them. There was an effort there which no longer exists. Video chatting, text messages, unlimited data, facebook, twitter, and so on all contribute to a sense of separation more than joining. By this I mean that far more people know what’s going on with my life than ever before, but there’s no communication there. There’s no commitment of time. It’s a scanned posting or a few impromptu messaged words of greeting; not a conversation. But what I truly enjoy is the face to face. It’s the hug of a greeting, the truth I see in their eyes, and their body language which I’ve learned to trust. It’s the smile that I notice now along with their desire to do it again and follow through with that promise. Of course, time is the equalizer and the ferryman always comes due, which seems gets in the way. However, there are a few friend whom I rarely see that will always be a part of me, more than any emoji could convey. To them, I give my heart and my every living breath because you have made my life worth living in many more ways than you can even begin to comprehend. Those few are my friends, my soul.

Weekly writing challenge

Doing a bit of a weekly writing challenge with a dear friend of mine. The best part is it's only a paragraph so it doesn't take much time, yet you must convey a complete thought based on a single word. Last weeks subject was 'Aging'.

Here's what I wrote.

 Aging: I’m a scientist. I understand the gravity of my situation. I comprehend what my demise entails. I know the agony I will endure. And I know it will last for centuries, possibly across millennia. Even now, I witness the rest of the universe evolving about me; decades in a single heartbeat. I am torn by these thoughts. I am ravaged by sorrow knowing that generations of my offspring will die before I finish a single long sigh; before a tear touches my cheek. In fact, before my death, my world may vanish as my star becomes a red giant and swallows my planet; my birthplace. I wonder if this has already happened and whether the screams I hear at night are the echoes of its passing. I don’t know, but it’s something I endure each time my eyelids drift shut. I am weary of this knowledge. Yet, through another set of eyes, my death will last an eternity, though that’s not how I see it. From where I stand, my moments are no longer than yours. In fact, our clocks ticks at the same rate and my years burden me just as they burden you, though from a different perspective. The difference is you move far slower than I do so your death occurs in the blink of an eye whereas my death may come when the universe finally collapses upon itself. That would validate my findings and be a proper ending for me. That would be the ultimate culmination of my life's work while providing me the title of my final thesis. I only hope my transmission reaches listening ears as I look beyond the event horizon into the coming darkness.

 And another one:

Space: Clickity-clack go the wheels as the train jostles us in unison; swaying our crowded bodies like wind through a field of wheat. I know this feeling. I do this every day, yet today I’ve ridden three stops past my normal station. I do this not because I’m forgetful or preoccupied, but rather on a whim; on a hope. At moments I believe this a dream, though I have pinched myself painfully to ensure it is not. Rather, I do this for you, though I don’t know you’re name. Unlike my normal boring commute, you’ve intoxicated me. Whether it’s the sweet smell hair or the dry scent of your perfume, you’ve aroused me in a way I’m barely been able to control. Maybe it’s simply the sexy snicker on your face as you sheepishly look up at me as we’re pressed closer together. Whatever it is, I’m yours. All you have to do is but ask and I’d walk to the ends of the earth to see your simple smile, to taste your tantalizing lips. Yet, right here and right now, I await the next changing of tracks so the oscillation eliminates a little more of the space between us.