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Archive for the ‘books by Alexandra Jane Tims’ Category

My Table at the Book Fair

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On April 22, I’ll be with my books at the

First Annual Greater Moncton/Riverview/Dieppe Independent Book Fair.

Over 35 tables. Lots of local authors. Books, books and more books!

April 22nd. 10am – 4pm. Riverview Lions Club

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I’ll have all my books with me:

The Kaye Eliot Mysteries

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My poetry books.

The collection a glimpse of water fall was shortlisted for the 2022 New Brunswick Book Awards…

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My science fiction series Meniscus…

the story of building a new Human community on a dystopian alien planet…

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and my new children’s book,

Wink in the Rain...

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Hope to see you there!!!!

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All my best,

Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)

Written by jane tims

April 6, 2023 at 7:00 am

Meniscus: Return to Sintha … meet the characters

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I have completed the final edits of my new book Meniscus: Return to Sintha and my beta reader’s comments are in. The book is heading towards its publication in early March, under my pen name Alexandra Tims.

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For this post, I will introduce you to some of the characters in the book. If you are a reader of the series, you will already know many of these characters, but some are new.

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In the book, Abra and Drag-on set out on a journey to deliver critical information about the Dock-winders to every population centre in the Prell-nan District of planet Meniscus. Abra’s friends, Tagret and Rist, set out in the opposite direction to help with the distribution of the information. The information will, they hope, end the Dock-winder hegemony, the enslavement of Humans and the indenture of Gel-Heads. That word ‘hegemony’ is known to me because my son is a political science major, but it may not be familiar to everyone:

hegemony: leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.

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The main characters in the book are:

Abra: historian, who studies the languages of aliens on Meniscus; married to the Slain, Trath, she lives in the abandoned Museum in Prell-nan;

Trath: a Slain, a dealer in the illegal drug bellwort and an addict; Abra’s husband;

Drag-on: an alien native to the planet; looks like a forkful of spaghetti without the fork; telepathic and friendly to Humans;

Tagret: chemist, brought to slavery on Meniscus and freed by the Slain, Rist, who is now her companion;

Rist: a Slain, a courier, once married to a Gel-head named Semala; now companion to Tagret;

Semala: a Gel-head and Rist’s wife; died in an accident on the road to Sintha but she still haunts Rist and Tagret.

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In each city, our heroes must find the small group of Humans who work for the Resistance.

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The Resistance includes:

Aella: known as The Whirlwind, the one-woman resistance in Enbricktow;

Di-gett’ath Roth’: The Blood-Let, resistance movement in Prell;

Ora-nen Uth: Curfew Dark, resistance movement in Sintha, a spirited group who meet in the darkest of alleyways;

Ora-toll: Light Tunnel, resistance movement in Nebul-nan;

Marneth Hath-arnthe Shadow Builders, resistance movement in Bleth-nan, includes the triplets, Twilla, Titha and Trill who talk in their own secret language;

In De’men, the only resistance is a group of three street-sweepers;

In Tre’men, the only resistance is a wizened Gel-head named Weddle.

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Now that you know some of the characters in Meniscus: Return to Sintha, I hope you will read the book, to find out what happens and if the information changes the hegemony on planet Meniscus.

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On the release date, I’ll let you know where the book will be available. If you want to catch up on the series, you could begin at the first book in the Return to Sintha Trilogy — Meniscus: Rosetta Stone, available at Westminster Books in Fredericton, Dog Eared Books in Oromocto or on Amazon.ca.

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All my best,

Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)

Written by jane tims

February 19, 2023 at 3:19 pm

Next in the Meniscus Series: Cover Painting

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A new year and there will soon be a new book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series! Meniscus: Return to Sintha is also the third in the Trilogy of Rosetta Stone/ The Struggle/ Return to Sintha. In the Trilogy, Abra, historian, translates an ancient Dock-winder manuscript and discovers a secret that could end the evil domination of the Dock-winders on the planet Meniscus. Meniscus: Return to Sintha reveals this secret and what happens when it is spread to every city on the planet.

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The new book begins with a scene that began many of the relationships and story threads in the Meniscus series. The Prologue tells the story of an adventure twenty years before when three Slain (Daniel, Rist and Belnar) and two women, one a Human (Meghan) and one a Gel-head (Semala), travelled the road to the town of Sintha with a kemet (a striped horse-like animal) and a cart. What happens during their trek along the road changes all their lives forever.

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One of the symbols introduced in the story is the ‘yellow ribbon’ given to Semala by Rist. Later Rist gives the same ribbon to his new love Tagret when they travel to Nebul-nan. The ribbon is lost in the Vastness as they try to escape the attack of a clear-snake. In the newest book, Abra spots the ribbon on the beach near Nebul-nan and ties it to a stick to dry. The ribbon is a symbol of Rist’s love for Semala (a Gel-head) and the effect the early relationship has on Rist and Tagret’s romance.

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By the way, there is a small logic problem with the ribbon in the drawing below. If you are the first to discover the problem and describe it in the comments, you will win a free copy of Meniscus: Return to Sintha!!!!!!

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The cover for the new book also depicts the yellow ribbon and the adventure on the road to Sintha. As with all the Meniscus book covers, the two moons, Cardoth roe and Cardoth grill-en, are depicted, shining in the Meniscus night.

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Discover another logic problem in the painting and you will win a copy of any book in the Meniscus Series, your choice.

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Meniscus: Return to Sintha will be out in early March, once I have done a final edit and my beta-reader has had a chance to have a look at the book.

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I love writing the Meniscus books and hope my readers will enjoy this one. The stories show how Humans, faced with the worst of challenges, can find the strength and ingenuity to prevail, build families and communities, and change for the better. And the stories show, as ancient Argenop wisdom says: “We may look different but we are all the same.”

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Enjoy whatever you are reading today and perhaps give these tales of the planet Meniscus a try. So far, there are eleven books in the Series but it is best to start reading at Meniscus: Crossing the Churn, Meniscus: Oral Traditions or Meniscus: Rosetta Stone.

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All my best

Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)

Written by jane tims

January 25, 2023 at 7:00 am

next book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series

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The editing and formatting always takes time, but I am aiming to publish my new science fiction book in July. Meniscus: The Struggle will be number eleven in the Meniscus Series and number two in the trilogy begun with book number ten, Meniscus: Rosetta Stone.

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Life on the planet Meniscus is interesting and challenging. But for a Human, life can be dangerous, deadly. And Humans are below the lower rung of the social ladder, treated as chattels and slaves by the alien Dock-winders. Humans are not allowed to have families, not allowed to chose their own pathways in life.

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In Meniscus: Rosetta Stone, we meet Abra, a translator and historian who thinks she has found a secret to change the Dock-winder control over Human destiny. With the help of her irresponsible husband, Trath, she must recover a manuscript written in both Gel-speak and Dock-winder. They find the manuscript but during the effort, Trath falls into a chasm and certain death.

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In the next book, Meniscus: The Struggle, Abra must forget Trath and begin the arduous task of translating the manuscript. In the community of Hath’men, centre of the Human resistance movement, she discovers there may be help far to the south, in the Village of Themble Hill. But how will she bring the assistance she needs to Hath’men? And how will she fend off the advances of James, now that Trath is no longer in his way? If you have read other books in the Meniscus Series, you will be happy to know that Don’est, the Dock-winder child, will be there to thwart Abra’s progress.

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All my best,

Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)

adding books to Little Libraries

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Had some fun today. Drove around to a few Little Libraries in our area and left some of my books. I was impressed to see books for both kids and adults. The Little Libraries were well constructed, keeping the books dry and safe.

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I left copies of my books in the Little Libraries on:

Smith Road in Geary, New Brunswick

Beaumont Lane in Rusagonis, NB

The Covered Bridge Park in Rusagonis, NB

Covered Bridge Estates in Nasonworth, NB

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I left two books in each Little Library, some poetry, some mystery, one science fiction:

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If you haven’t visited a Little Library before, try it! Look for one of my books or a book that would interest you or your child. I saw all genres of writing, some Nora Roberts, a ‘Game of Thrones’ and lots of mysteries. Just take a book to leave in exchange for the one you take!

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If you would like to read one of my books, they are available at Westminster Books in Fredericton and Dog Eared Books in Oromocto.

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All my best,

Jane

Written by jane tims

June 17, 2022 at 7:32 pm

Meniscus: Rosetta Stone – now available

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The tenth book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series is now available:

at Westminster Books in Fredericton,

at Amazon (click here) as an ebook or paperback,

at the Fredericton Public Library,

and from me.

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Even if you haven’t read any of the Meniscus stories to date, this book will introduce new main characters and begin a new story.

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Abra, translator and historian, has found a previously unknown Dock-winder manuscript. She thinks it may contain a clue to overcoming the evil Dock-winders but first, she will make a hazardous journey to Hath-men, the centre of the Resistance movement. Join her as she faces dangers in the Meniscus woods and capture by the disgusting Gel-heads.

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All my best

Jane

(a.k.a. Alexandra)

planet meniscus: the strangest character of them all

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In my new book, Meniscus: Rosetta Stone, there are several new characters. Perhaps the most unusual is Drag-on, one of the Hooplore.

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The Hooplore is a species native to planet Meniscus:

sentient, telepathic; resemble nests of cooked spaghetti; roll and bounce like tumbleweeds; rather aloof from other Meniscus aliens and helpful to Humans.

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The Hooplore do not eat but gather nutrients as they roll across the substrate.

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Drag-on is known by the broken strand of ‘spaghetti’ he drags behind him.

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Drag-on is a friend to James, who lives in the village of Hath-men. When James was first brought to Meniscus as a child, Drag-on rescued him, and raised him to be the leader of The Resistance. When Abra arrives at the village, Drag-on becomes her friend and protector.

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Drag-on communicates telepathically. Touch his strands and his thoughts will fill your head.

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Hope you enjoy reading more about Drag-on!

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Copies of the book Meniscus: Rosetta Stone are now available from:

Westminster Books in Fredericton ( York Street)

The Fredericton Public Library

Amazon (click here)

the author – contact me and I will make certain you get your copy.

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All my best,

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Alexandra

(a.k.a. Jane)

An Upcoming Trilogy in the Meniscus Series

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To the right of the post, you will see, in a column, a list of the nine existing books in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series. This summer, I am working on books 10, 11 and 12, a trilogy in that the books are connected in theme and story. The three books are (provisionally) entitled:

Meniscus: Rosetta Stone

Meniscus: The Struggle

Meniscus: Return to Sintha

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The books tell the story of how Abra, historian and transcription expert, works to solve the mystery of the Dock-winder language, hoping an ancient manuscript written in Dock-winder will contain a clue to the downfall of these oppressive overlords.

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The books contain many old friends from previous books in the Meniscus Series, including the people of Themble Hill. They also introduce two new characters: Abra and her husband Trath, a Slain.

From the list of characters at the end of each book:

Abra– an historian; transcribes, transliterates and translates Museum manuscripts from Gel-speak to English; brought to Meniscus in the 2013 harvest; taken as she worked in the library of the Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, Connecticut, translating a codex of Maya glyphs into English; used as a processor of the beelwort drug by the Dock-winders of the Prell-nan Ogle-hath syndicate; met her husband Trath when he brought raw beelwort to be processed; lives with Trath in the Museum of Dock-winder Legacy, Prell; as she works in the Museum library, she sometimes forgets she is no longer on Earth.

Trath – a trader; gathers wild beelwort for sale to the city syndicates and hospitals; brought to Meniscus as a baby by the Dock-winders in the 1988 harvest and genetically altered to be a Slain; makes his home in the Museum of Dock-winder Legacy, in Prell; addicted to beelwort; married to Abra.

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Here is an excerpt from Rosetta Stone:

“Why did you leave me?”

says Trath.

Abra lifts her head.

Stares at Garnock,

the Wandering Star.

Careful of her words.

“You are never home.

Never tell me

where you have been.

Hardly speak to me

when you are there.”

“You are always

in the archives,”

says Trath,

“with your books and papers.

Never seem to care if I come or go.”

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All my books are illustrated and include maps, a character list, a glossary and a Gel-speak dictionary.

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Meniscus: Rosetta Stone will be out this fall.

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All my best,

Jane (a.k.a. Alexandra)

drawings of waterfalls

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For me, a waterfall is the most beautiful expression of water on the landscape. The feeling of water droplets on your face, the sound of splashing water, the sight of sunlight on fast-moving water. I have tried to capture these in my collection of waterfall poems a glimpse of water fall. The book includes forty-four poems and twenty-three pencil drawings of waterfalls and other water scenes.

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We have many beautiful waterfalls here in New Brunswick. Over the years I have visited quite a few. In New Brunswick, we are lucky to have two great resources for lovers of waterfalls: a great guide by Nicholas Guitard (Waterfalls of New Brunswick: A Guide, now in its Second Edition, Goose Lane Publications), and a very active Facebook Group – Waterfalls of New Brunswick.

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My poetry book about waterfalls, ‘a glimpse of water fall,’ is now available from Westminster Books in Fredericton and from Amazon (click here). Enjoy!

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All my best,

Jane

Written by jane tims

July 6, 2021 at 7:00 am

Book Launch

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If you live in the Fredericton area, I will be at Westminster Books tomorrow, Saturday, from 1 to 4 to launch the next in the Kaye Eliot Mystery Series, Land Between the Furrows. I will be there with friend Chuck Bowie who is launching two books: Her Irish Boyfriend (in the Donovan, Thief for Hire Series) and, writing as Alexa Bowie, Death Between the Tables (in the Old Manse Mystery Series).

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In these worrisome times, we will be wearing masks and keeping our distance. And no cake will be served.

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Looking forward to talking about mystery writing and local books!

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My best to you!

Jane

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