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Archive for the ‘science fiction’ Category

New Science Fiction book! Meniscus: Return to Sintha

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It’s out!

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Meniscus: Return to Sintha

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You can order it now from Amazon.ca, in both paperback and e-book, here.

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Return to Sintha is the twelfth book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series and number three in the Rosetta Stone Trilogy (beginning with Meniscus: Rosetta Stone). Abra, historian, uncovers a mystery in an ancient Dock-winder text and sets out to deliver the secret to all the populations of Prell-nan District on Meniscus.

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Also, Book Two in the Trilogy, Meniscus: The Struggle, is now available in e-book form.

Just click here.

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If you want to get a local paperback copy of Meniscus: Return to Sintha, I will have my order of paperback books no later than March 24 and after that they will be available from Dog Eared Books in Oromocto and Westminster Books in Fredericton. I will also have copies of all the Meniscus books at the Greater Moncton Riverview Dieppe Independent Book Fair at the Riverview Lions Club……. on Saturday April 22, 2023! I would love to see you there.

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All my best,

Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)

Written by jane tims

March 4, 2023 at 9:51 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

New science fiction book: Why visit the planet Meniscus?

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The next book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series, Return to Sintha, will be here in March. Perhaps you’d like to know why you would want to visit Meniscus??? No, it is not a part of the knee, but a planet out there among the stars. The word ‘meniscus’ refers to its meaning as the ‘curved upper surface of a liquid in a tube’ and refers to the way water behaves (mis-behaves) on the alien planet.

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When you read, do you love:

  • adventure – lots of action and danger?
  • a short read (all the Meniscus stories are about 20,000 words or less)?
  • an interesting setting – lots of alien species, plant and animal?
  • an alien language with a dictionary and in-text translation of what the aliens are saying?
  • a bit of romance – not explicit, but relationships front and centre?
  • following the action with a map? and a glossary of alien terms for plant life, wild life and measurement?
  • an annotated list of all the characters in the Series?

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There are twelve previous titles in the Meniscus Series. You could start anywhere, but I recommend beginning with Crossing the Churn, Oral Traditions or Rosetta Stone.

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In my next post, I will talk a little about the setting of Return to Sintha and some of its main characters.

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All my Best,

Jane Tims (a.k.a. Alexandra)

Written by jane tims

February 3, 2023 at 6:29 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

Book Launch! Adventure on another planet!

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On Saturday, September 17, from 11:00 to 4:00, I will be at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto to launch the next book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series — Meniscus: The Struggle.

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This book is number 11 in the series and features brave humans, aliens (both endearing and nasty), and strange worlds to explore. I will be there to talk about alien abductions and alien worlds, my illustrations, alien genetics and other books in the series. And you’ll have a chance to explore Dog Eared Books, its huge selection of second hand books, books by local authors and unusual gift items.

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If you love adventure, science fiction and a touch of romance, you will enjoy this series. Join Abra as she and her friends try to understand the alien Dock-winder language and find some secret to overthrow the evil overlords.

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In the book. and the Series, you will find some interesting characters: Drag-on, the Hooplore (looks like a lump of wet spaghetti); Don’est, the Dock-winder child (consistently annoying); Nate, the evernell (his whiskers explode when he is afraid); the Gel-heads (green and slimy); and the Dock-winders (aloof and autocratic).

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I will have a life-sized Dock-winder and Gel-head with me. You have to see them to believe

them.

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Hope to see YOU there!

All my best!

Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)

Written by jane tims

September 9, 2022 at 12:23 pm

new book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series available today!

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The next book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series is out today in paperback! The e-book will be available within the week.

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Meniscus: The Struggle continues the story of Abra who is trying to decipher a mysterious Dock-winder document. Abra believes the information in the manuscript will enable Humans to overcome their nasty alien overlords. Abra continues her work with the help of old friends from Themble Hill: Odymn, Tagret, Zachary and, yes, the annoying Dock-winder child, Don’est. And we learn more about her new friend, Drag’on of the Hooplore, who will be at her side through the adventure.

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Meniscus: The Struggle is available in paperback form at Amazon today (just click here). And I will have copies by the end of August. I will be launching the book at Dog-Eared Books in Oromocto: just watch for announcements. Dog-Eared Books and Westminster Books in Fredericton have copies of other books in the Series if you’d like to catch up. Book One (Crossing The Churn), Book Six (Oral Traditions) and Book Ten (Rosetta Stone) are good places to dive in to the story.

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Read on!

All my best!

Jane (a.k.a. Alexandra)

Written by jane tims

July 31, 2022 at 11:06 am

Meniscus: The Struggle … Creating the Cover

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Sometimes choosing the theme for a book cover is difficult. Sometimes it is so easy.

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In my new book, Meniscus: The Struggle, Abra is trying to discover a way to overthrow the alien Dock-winders. As she wanders along the shore of the Vastness, she thinks she sees a Dock-winder from the corner of her eye.

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Startles as she sees a shadow.

Parody of Dock-winder physique—

purple, angular, thin,

long neck, single coil of hair.

Abra relaxes with a nervous laugh.

The shadow an anomaly, a teetering pile

of pebbles built

by some wandering child.

All the real Dock-winders

are gathered in arrogant bouquets

on the streets of Sintha, Enbricktow,

Prell and Bleth.

I liked this idea of the Dock-winders casting their shadows across the sands of Meniscus.

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The cover painting took less than a day to paint. The colours are mellow and there is lots of room for the cover text. All of the Meniscus books have included the two Meniscus moons: Cardoth roe and Cardoth grill’en.

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A lot of the work for the final book is done. The edit is complete, as are the drawings. I was without a scanner for a while but with our new printer, I can scan each drawing and place it in the text where it should be.

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Then I will order a proof and use it to make any final adjustments. Once my beta-reader has had a chance to react to the book, I will be ready to publish.

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June, sometime in June.

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All my best!

Alexandra, a.k.a. Jane

Written by jane tims

April 28, 2022 at 7:00 am

A Milestone: Ten Books in the Meniscus Series

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With the publication of Meniscus: Rosetta Stone, there are now ten books in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series. Well, since I always make life difficult for myself, there are actually eleven books (if you count Meniscus: 1.5 and you should – it’s a great little book).

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In any case, this is a milestone in another way. Rosetta Stone is the first book of a Trilogy aimed at ending the oppressive rule of the Dock-winders, overlords of planet Meniscus.

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The Meniscus Science Fiction Series tells:

  • the story of abducted Humans and their fight for freedom

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  • the love stories of memorable characters:

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  • the adventures of characters pitted against the wilds of planet Meniscus:

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The stories are told in free-verse poetry (do not be afraid) and illustrated. Each book includes maps, character backgrounds, a glossary and a Gel-speak dictionary.

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Try them, you’ll like them. Click on any of the covers to the right to see the book for sale on Amazon.

All my best!

Jane

Written by jane tims

November 5, 2021 at 11:34 am

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)

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