Posts Tagged ‘science fiction’
New Science Fiction book! Meniscus: Return to Sintha
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)
New science fiction book: Why visit the planet Meniscus?
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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as yet, has no title on the unfinished painting.
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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)
Next in the Meniscus Series: Cover Painting
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)
Book Launch! Adventure on another planet!
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)
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)
Meniscus Science Fiction Series: the extras
As I write the Meniscus Science Fiction Series, a very enjoyable task is to update the extras in each book:
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Ancient Argenop Wisdom: every book includes an associated line of ancient Argenop wisdom. The Argenops are the gentle rodent-like aliens who befriend the Humans. They became separated from the Dock-winders, in history and sentiment, when geology (The Fault) divided En’ast from Themble. I plan to do a full book collecting the wisdom of the ancient Argenops.
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The Meniscus Solar System: This is a fairly recent edition to the books. A representation of the solar system of Meniscus includes: the two suns (Tathlet and Amblyn), the planets (Aagle, Meniscus, Di-natha and Sel), and the Meniscus moons (Cardoth roe and Cardoth grill-en).
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This is Meniscus, a planet far from Earth: this is an introductory bit, meant to introduce readers of every book to some background information about the planet Meniscus. The text includes the odd behavior of water on the planet, a description of the landscape, the various aliens encountered, and a short history of the Slain. Oddly, this is the section I have occasionally forgotten to include in every book.
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The Maps: Producing the maps of the planet Meniscus is essential to the writing since the stories are chronicles of the Human travels through the landscape. I produce the maps in GIMP, so I am able to highlight certain features of interest to a particular book. I also include a dotted line showing the path of the travels of the main characters. At first, only the east and west maps for Prell-nan South District were shown. As the adventure expanded, maps for east and west halves of Prell-nan North District were included. In the upcoming adventure Meniscus: The Reckoning, readers will see El’ban District, often mentioned in the earlier books.
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North District
(West Half)
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The Cast of Characters: I include all of the characters in the Series, whether they occur in the current book or not. The notes on the characters are meant to explore a brief history of each character: Human, Slain, Argenop, Dock-winder, Gel-head, and Others, including the pets. This section was added to books after …. at the suggestion of one of my terrific beta-readers.
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Glossary: Various unfamiliar words used by Humans in the story are explained here. They include measurements, names of plant and animal life, and items found on the planet of Meniscus. Some of these are names borrowed from the local aliens, and others are names the Humans have devised for various items, based on their experience on Earth or with other Humans.
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nodding woodland flower
corms edible
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A Condensed Guide to Gel-speak: The dictionary, at first short, has grown with each book – there are now 180 words in the Gel-speak dictionary. Although most Gel-speak is translated right in the text, readers may like to find out how an idea is expressed in Gel-speak as the translation is not literal. So ‘genetic material’ is translated as ath-elan-elana, literally ‘body memory.’
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The next book in the Series, Meniscus: The Struggle will be released in the next couple of weeks. I am looking forward to having a release and book signing in August, details to be announced here.
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If you haven’t read any of the Meniscus books, there are a couple of places to jump in to the action:
Meniscus: Oral Traditions
Meniscus: Rosetta Stone
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All my best,
keep reading!
Alexandra, a.k.a. Jane
next book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series
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
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
Meniscus: The Struggle … Creating the Cover
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
A Milestone: Ten Books in the Meniscus Series
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
nichepoetryandprose 