SmorgaSword Released

I've just released my first book, SmorgaSword, on Amazon. Click here for the product page:

This is a Kindle ebook version, and I'm planning to follow up with a paperback version via Createspace.

Here's the book description:

SmorgaSword is a story buffet, a selection of twelve unique short stories. Take a wild ride into the Great Red Spot of Jupiter, survive a post-Apocalyptic urban battle, follow the adventures of a superhero from another universe, catch the bad guys with the unlikeliest of detectives, explore strange and distant futures, and find fairytale happy endings along the way.

--The Menu--

-The Prison-

In a future utopia where science is everything, a young technician commits the unthinkable crime of irretrievably destroying data, and he is sentenced to an unusual punishment.

-The Tyrant-

A mind's eye view of the rapid rise and fall of a dictator.

-Morning Glory-

An orphan girl befriends a strange child who is more than he seems.

-Jump!-

A girl in another universe jumps to ours, and finds she is invincible. But all she wants is to jump back to her own world.

-Bull Elephant-

After an apocalyptic disaster, the survivors of an urban gang threaten the lives of farmers eking out a living in the debris of civilization.

-Venus Flytrap-

A special young lady leads the FBI on a no-so-merry chase to find a mysterious informant who seems to know everything.

-The New Outside-

A boy and girl try to escape from an artificial world where plants and animals are unknown.

-The Monster of Jupiter-

Two scientists get a closer look than planned at the Great Red Spot.

-Area X-

A conspiracy theorist tracks down a secret government facility, only to find something he wasn't expecting.

-Daughter of Eagles-

A wise woman gives a young princess a magic gift.

-The Empty Room-

A housemaid in nineteenth-century England finds a haunted room, which can be wonder or terror to those who go there.

-The Awakening of Trevor Still-

The chef's favorite. A modern fairy tale, a romance with a twist.

Joining Ezimin Interactive

As of Friday, I've joined the Ezimin Interactive computer game company. It's a new company, building its first game, Scribes' Descent, and I'm helping with editing the accompanying novel, as well as taking a stab at game programming.

What I like about Ezimin is that I can see a unique treasure that God has put into the company's founder, Dylan West, to be built and explored and revealed. Dylan is making games and stories both for the family of God, and to bring more people into the family of God.

I met Dylan at my workplace. He noticed my computer name was "Reepicheep"; and he asked me to read a Christian fantasy novel he was writing (A Signet Forever). :) One thing led to another, and I find I have a desire to play a part in working out his vision.

Oh yes, and his stories are good. :)

Invisible Ink

Lately I've begun to see how words in a book ought to be invisible. The meaning should be visible, but the words should be like clear glass: transparent to the reader.

I like it when I'm a reading a story and I don't notice the words. It means I'm immersed in the story's world. But if I'm reading, and the words trip me up, I've lost sight of the meaning. The window into the story's world is smudged.

Words should be humble. If the grammar gets in the way, it's no good, even if it's correct. If the words are grandiose or cleverly crafted to be poetic or literary or intellectually impressive, and they obscure the meaning, they're no good. I don't mean that big words are inherently bad, but they ought to be precise words, to serve the meaning, and not be a big thumbprint on the story.

So, I'm now trying to be a window washer. :)