Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Alex J. Cavanaugh's Taking the World by Storm Question Answered and My Writing Update: My Crazy Muse


I asked Alex, "What technology/abilities in your books would you like to see scientists discover and why?"

Alex said, "TELEPORTATION!!!!! I hate the commute to work and long days of travel. We need teleportation so we can avoid all that hassle. I just wouldn’t want to turn into a fly…"

Teleportation. Let's make it happen, people!

CassaStorm
By Alex J Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“Cavanaugh has created wonderfully moving moments of great poignancy… CassaStorm could have been a dark story full of hardship and angst, but instead it's a cleverly balanced story about hope and triumph.”
- Lynda R. Young, author of Make Believe


"Cavanaugh makes world building on the galactic scale look easy. The stakes affect the entire known universe and yet Cavanaugh makes it intensely personal for our hero. The final installment of this series will break your heart and put it back together."
- Charity Bradford, science fantasy author of The Magic Wakes


Find CassaStorm: Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Amazon Kindle

 



$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera
Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019
$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Website / Twitter / Goodreads

 

Happy Wednesday!

First off, I wish to thank everyone for tweeting and posting messages on Facebook about The Nightmare Collection! Writers4Writers is definitely awesome! Keep up the great work, everyone!

As for my writing update, I got off to a slow start this month, but I'm picking up speed. I've been figuring out my map of Foxwick and its surrounding neighbors and hope to start drawing it this weekend. This week I'm working on "Mourner's Lament," and I might go ahead and start the other two short stories in Neighbors of Foxwick if I have time.

Unfortunately, my muse has been chucking ideas at me like crazy. My muse often acts up when I'm doing something hard. It tries to distract me. *sighs* Some days it's working too.

I originally planned to write The Loveless Princess after I finished with Reforged, but now I have an idea for not one tragic princess short novel but three: Loveless, Beautyless, and Dreamless. I was thinking of calling the series The Tragic Princesses. Not a very unique series title (I may come up with something better later on), but the stories have some twists of old fairy tales and would be set within my Foxwick world. Of course, if I keep up with the idea, then I'll need to put off writing The Loveless Princess, or now Loveless. I like to have first drafts written of all three before I publish the first one, especially if the second and third novels (featuring different MCs) don't work out.

Okay, so if I choose to put off writing Loveless, then what should be my fourth publication next year? Yes, my muse spoke up and has been telling me Reza's story. Reza is one of the queens of Amora (the world from The Fate Challenges but set 500 years before). She and the Phoenix Prophetess Brinlynn have quite a few challenges ahead of them. Brinlynn and Reza are both mentioned in Reborn too. The novel title will be Reigned, and I know it's a standalone book. It could fill the fourth slot in my publication schedule for 2014. That way I would have two Foxwick-related stories and two Amora-related stories out next year. I do like that idea.

And if that wasn't enough, I now have an idea for a serial futuristic sci-fi/dystopian story as a retelling of Homer's The Iliad. The serial would be in six parts (most likely), and right now the series title is The H.E.L.E.N. Wars. H.E.L.E.N. stands for "High Efficiency Level Electricity Network" or something like that. The idea is still in its infancy. My muse says it would be great for a 2015 publication slot, but we'll see if the idea pans out.

I keep telling my muse to be quiet for a little bit. After all, I have editing to do and stories to write. Has your muse ever gone on the fritz?

20 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Whoa, you have a lot of story ideas! Please share some.
Thanks for announcing my book! Yes, let's make teleportation a reality, people. Stat!

Yolanda Renée said...

Nope, not into teleportation, just ask Tara, she wrote about it in Pop Travel!

Great goals Cherie!

And once again Alex, congratulations! I don't think I've misspelled it yet!

Christine Rains said...

Yay for Alex! I'd love teleportation too.

Your muse has fabulous ideas! She also doesn't understand your very full schedule. *LOL* I love that idea for a serial.

Natalie Aguirre said...

I'd love the teleportation too. Congrats to Alex!

Julie Flanders said...

I totally want teleportation to happen! Get on it, scientists. :D

D.G. Hudson said...

Love Alex's response. Teleportation would be great after the kinks are worked out. I don't want to dissolve into particles. . .floating in the ether.

Best of sales, Alex!

Catherine Stine said...

Congrats, Alex! And yes, Cherie, you have tons of story ideas percolating!

Sherry Ellis said...

Teleportation sure would be convenient. But I wouldn't want to turn into a fly, either! Looks like you have plenty ideas to keep you writing for a long time!

nutschell said...

I'd love powers of teleportation too! Oh to be able to go anywhere in the blink of an eye.
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Michelle Wallace said...

What an abundance of ideas... bubbling gently...
Teleportation is Tara Tyler's speciality!

Nas said...

Congratulations to Alex! Cassa Storm looks awesome!

M Pax said...

Commuting is cumbersome. Teleportation would be grand, Alex.

My muse loves to misbehave, too. Mapmaking is fun. I worked on that for the series I'm still plotting.

Kelly Steel said...

Congratulations to Alex! I'd love teleportation too.

DMS said...

I was just telling my husband I wish I could teleport. When I got home from work we had a long talk about it! So- I agree with Alex. :)

Glad you are having lots of ideas- but hope the muse slows down and lets you get to what you need to get to. :)
~Stephanie

Heather R. Holden said...

Teleportation FTW!

Muses can be so fickle. Mine often likes to distract me, too! All the ideas that your muse likes to distract you with sound so fascinating. Good luck developing them whenever you have the time, as well as figuring out which should get your focus first!

Cathy Keaton said...

That idea for the H.E.L.E.N. wars sounds really good!

I need my muse to keep feeding me more ideas for my novel series. It's coming along.

Nicole said...

Sign me up for teleportation abilities. That'd be uber-amazing!

Crystal Collier said...

Muses often pick the most inconvenient time to pop their heads in. I've patented a "muse proof" box, but the scientists in my basement lost it during their teleportation experiments. So hey, if I ever find it again, I'll send you a prototype--so you can keep that muse under control! ;)

Anonymous said...

Teleportation? Mos def. Flights are way too expensive. Probably the best way to handle your muse is to jot down the ideas, then go back to the top three priorities on your list of projects. That's what I do, anyway.

Anonymous said...

I like the title The Loveless Princess.

I'm very interested in teleportation.