Anyway – if you’re feeling like you want something about spy training, in Israel, and exposure to a new culture and language (don’t you just love that buzz?) then Mossad 101 is your show.
Hit me up if you decide to watch it. I’d love to know what you think…
Nomading
Kind of related to learning Hebrew are my nomading plans.
For my visa I need to leave the US and then come back in. I guess it’s a way of immigration keeping track of us aliens. Anyway, I had been toying with the idea of hanging in Paris for a little while. (I miss art museums, and it would serve two purposes). But then, I’m still recovering and lots of travel and jetlag is really the last thing I need just as I’m finding my feet again.
But then, leaning Hebrew and watching Mossad, I started to wonder if maybe it would be sensible to put some new language skills to the test and head out to Tel Aviv. It’s been somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, but when I was nomading the area was still pretty volatile. Anyway, after careful consideration about the border issues here in the US, I decided it was probably more sensible to go to a less volatile and less controversial place for the visa trip.
I’m probably going to head back to Iceland. And probably only for a few days to try and limit the jetlag.
I’m sure I’ll get to Israel at some point though.
Bentley is coming (FINALLY!)
As you’ve heard me harp on about on and off for several months (actually, nearly a year), I have a new series in the works. One that I’ve been working on without MA. Although it got off to a rocky start, it looks like we’re going to be ready to hit publish before the end of the year. I’m hoping within the next month or two.
Jeff has been working on the covers… as you may have seen on the videos we’ve been sharing on fb and Patreon. As of the time of writing, I’m waiting to see what he comes back with on the big ass space ship that he was working on. He’s off on vacay now, so it may have to wait until he gets back.
JIT are also working their way through the first piece of the book to make sure it is on target and compelling enough for us to want to put it in your hands.
Anyway, let me tell you a little about Bentley.
This is basically Firefly meets King Arthur… but he’s a chick. So Bentley is a girl. And a badass one at that.
It’s sci fi – but sci fi with a twist.
It’s also funny (I hope!), sassy and packed with rip roaring adventure. Actually, everything you’ve come to expect from the Molly series – but with a new crew.
And what a crew.
Imagine, three gods (or lwa – voodoo spirits) being kicked out of the unseen world, and being forced to live out their eternity in the frontiers of space, with only their wits and swords to protect them.
Sure, they have a ship.
And yes, they’ve found ways to adapt the technology in ways appropriate to ex-gods. But in their fall from grace, they’ve had to resort to being mercenaries and vagabonds, taking whatever jobs they can, and walking a fine line of morality until they can earn their way back.
And of course, there is a bigger danger they’ll need to face long before that ever happens.
Thankfully they’re spared the mundanity of most of the ship’s maintenance by their onboard android – Jelly Bean. (Android users, you’ll get the reference!)
If this is something you think you might enjoy, make sure you get yourself on to our mailing list (with Oz, our in-house AI), so we can give you a heads-up when it hits the Zon.
www.ellleighclarke.com
I’m so excited about this series. It’s always nerve-wracking releasing something new… I REALLY hope you like it, coz I’m just a little bit in love with it.
And want to be writing about Bentley for a long time to come!
MA’s Smack Down
This on Slack the other week, ahead of an MA call:
MA: Might be 3 minutes late
MA: up to
MA: Ok, I'm here.
MA: Oh, and on time!
MA: SMACKIE DOWN
Smackie down???!
He said Smackie down!!!
Hahahhahahaha.
MA and Health
Ellie: is that water you’re drinking?
MA: yes! I’ve been cutting down on all the shit I put into my body. Including the ibuprofen and coke.
Ellie: How come?
MA: It’s your fault.
Ellie: Huh?
MA: I’m paying attention to it because of all the stuff you go on about. Not because my body is collapsing…
Ellie: …or you’re getting old?
MA: Grrr.
MA and Shakespearian Word-invention
If you’ve been following these author notes from the beginning of the Molly series you’ll know that conflating things has become something of a running joke. It started when I conflated 20booksto50k (MA’s pride and joy – a Facebook group for indie authors with over a bazillion members) to 50books. Yes, I got it the wrong way round (somewhat deliberately).
And yes, his ego was kinda miffed, coz it turns the whole concept around… meaning you have to write a shit tonne more books for a lot less money.
It was part of the joke.
Now, whenever there is an opportunity to flippantly conflate two things, I take it.
Anyway, for some reason MA asked me something and I felt it was appropriate to use the term: fuckawesome.
I seem to recall he was asking why he should be interested in something, and I was trying to express that it was fucking-awesome. Hence the term fuckawesome was coined.
You heard it here first kids. Go forth and use it to annoy anyone who doesn’t like conflation of terms and concepts!
You have my blessing :)
Working Together
In amongst shooting the breeze somehow we got onto the idea of what MA calls “working together, separately.”
Ellie: Oh, that’s what Amy and I do when we go to the café.
MA: No, that’s not quite what I meant.
Ellie: you mean because we sit gossiping and laughing the entire time?
MA: Yes. But no.
Ellie: (looks quizzically)
MA: So working together, separately means you just work on your own thing but you’re around strangers. When I want to do that I go to the Aria, just to have bodies around me.
Ellie: (Slowly putting it together) You make it sound like the Aria is just a brothel you use.
(Ridiculous laughter)
MA: No, no. The Aria is just a casino here in Vegas. I just…
Ellie: It’s ok. No point explaining. Now I just have an image of you trying to work with a bunch of prostitutes around you as you type.
MA: Sigh.
MA and Insignificance
MA’s computer was running slowly.
MA: dammit. Word is frozen.
Ellie: Is that a mac you’re on. (Knowing full well it was a mac he was using… since this is an ongoing ‘discussion’ we have).
MA: yes. It is a mac.
Ellie: there’s your problem.
MA: it doesn’t normally do this. Normally it’s fine… it’s only when I go on the internet when we’re on zoom that it freezes.
Ellie: maybe it’s caught something from those porn sites you were looking at.
MA: I asn’t looking at porn sites. Like I would. I have a 15” screen. Why would I want to feel insignificant by looking at that on a 15” screen!
Ellie: (snigger snigger.)
MA: (blushes, then changes the subject.)
Thank You to Our Growing Patreon Family
Last and by no means least I’d like to say a huge thank you to our growing Patreon family.
Allan MacBain, Amy Teega
n, Brian Roberts, Cynthia MacLeod, Darrell Heckler, David Pollard, James Burrett, John DeBlanc, Jolie Brackett, Judith Wiseman, Kendra Gilmore, Lester Nye, Mary Morris, Russell Peake, and Sandra Chapman.
You may have noticed that there were two interesting names in this book: Cynthia and Jolie - the two princesses. These were named after two more of our supporters over in Patreon.
John Deblanc’s character started in the last book, and James Burrett will make an appearance in the new Jayne Austin series (Book 2) which will be hitting your kindles in the next several weeks.
If you’d like to get a character named after you, and to continue the back stage shenanigans, feel free to join us over at: www.Patreon.com/ellleighclarke .
I’ll look forward to hanging out with you over there – either through the Author Shenanigan videos, or on one of our live streams. We’ve already done a movie day, and believe it or not, I think they got me doing a live baking thing.
(As you may imagine, I’m no baker, so this is going to be interesting. With Thanksgiving just around the corner there is talk of me making pumpkin pie!)
Until then…
Ellie x
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
October 9, 2018
Thank Yous
Thank you to everyone who not only read this book, but read Ellie’s author notes and decided they were good, but came here to read the MASTER’s author notes, as well.
Apparently, my notes that I wrote from our last Zoom Call are all safe and sound back in my Texas house while I’m here in Frankfurt, Germany. WAY past the ability for me to fly home at a moments notice.
So, I would like to say ‘Thank You’ to my collaborator as she has made this series happen. Without her prodding, I’d be sitting on my
<
STORY…
FINALLY we are getting Nickie reintegrated back into the family… kind of. While I don’t see Nickie quite all cozy with the family, I believe we will see her understand the issues between what really happened, and what she ‘saw’ happen as a little girl, with no idea of the challenges her mom faced at the time.
And how Grandpa ‘John’ wasn’t the big baddie she has always made him out to be.
Other Stories!
We (Ellie and I) have two additional story series not set in the Kurtherian Gambit in production. Perhaps not heavily into production… but moving along! Further she mentioned her own series as a take off of Firefly and King Arthur.
All of these stories will likely hit within a few months, with some much closer than others.
It takes 45 minutes…
So, Ellie and I recorded the author notes for the MOLLY Series (The Ascension Myth – Book 01 (on Amazon.com here: My Book) for books 7 and 8 the other day and it took us two hours.
TWO HOURS.
Now, part of the reason was I failed to get the notes together to share with Ellie ahead of time. A small amount can be blamed on making sure the technology worked.
The OTHER part of the blame I’m dropping at Ellie’s feet. Why?
I’m gladded you asked.
Here is a secret. Ellie can’t stay on script. Not ONE. DAMNED. BIT.
(it’s fun mind you, but she was telling me she had a hard stop. So, I’m stressing and she’s chin wagging the whole time.)
<
Case in point. We have just finished her author notes where we couldn’t go sixty seconds I don’t think and stay on script. We get to mine, where I think I have a bit more control…since…you know… THEY ARE MY AUTHOR NOTES.
What I learned is I have no control, only the perception of control until even that is taken away from me.
<
I didn’t get the first paragraph recorded before she interrupted me, talking about how we would have interruptions and shit.
I knew right then I was not in control. I would like to say I put a brave face forward and did a yeoman’s job of working to hit her timeline and we did.
We finished 9 minutes early.
Just enough time to discuss a few other things before she did have to jump off the call. I guess I can’t complain too much, she had moved the meeting up three hours to help me out.
But then, if I wasn’t complaining, Ellie wouldn’t have an opportunity to take the piss out of me, eh?
;-)
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael Anderle
Books written by Ell Leigh Clarke
The Ascension Myth
* With Michael Anderle *
Awakened (01)
Activated (02)
Called (03)
Sanctioned (04)
Rebirth (05)
Retribution (06)
Cloaked (07)
Bourne (08)
Committed (09)
Subversion (10)
Invasion (11)
Ascension (12)
Confessions of a Space Anthropologist
* With Michael Anderle *
Giles Kurns: Rogue Operator (1)
Giles Kurns: Rogue Instigator (2)
The Second Dark Ages
*with Michael Anderle*
Darkest Before The Dawn (3)
Dawn Arrives (4)
Deuces Wild
*with Michael Anderle*
Beyond The Frontiers (1)
Rampage (2)
Labyrinth (3)
Birthright (4)
Books By Michael Anderle
For a complete list of books by Michael Anderle, please visit:
www.lmbpn.com/ma-books/
All LMBPN Audiobooks are Available at Audible.com and iTunes
To see all LMBPN audiobooks, including those written by Michael Anderle please visit:
www.lmbpn.com/audible
Want more Kurtherian Gambit?
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Deuces Wild Boxed Set: Books 1-4: Beyond the Frontiers, Rampage, Labyrinth, Birthright Page 83