Monday, February 28, 2011

Kingsley's Letter

Okay, so here is a letter I randomly came up with one day. I have been pondering on the possibility of using it as a query, but as a decent intro the story I think it serves fairly well. Let me know what you think, and I will see you around!

To Whom it May Concern,

As several accounts of my actions have appeared in your journals, I have taken it upon myself to publish a personal account of the events you have endeavored to describe. You will find enclosed the true story of my actions and decisions regarding the attempt on the life of Lord Pevensley, as well as my efforts on the behalf of the Everston Academy of Ethereal Sciences. Also included are some small accounts of other cases which influenced my discovery of the perpetrators of these crimes, as well as the recorded actions of several of my friends and associates.

You will note that my account differs from several popular versions in many respects. For example, I am not, as some have alleged, a werewolf, vampire, gear driven automaton or other type of Changeling or Distillation powered creation. I am an investigator, a detective in the service of the truth, and I would thank your journal and any other publications to refer to me as such.

Furthermore I feel compelled to demand a retraction of the accusations leveled against me by your editorial board. While I am sure that many might find my actions and methods unreasonable or objectionable, I have not been, as some have said, in the service of some dark conspiracy or abhorrent scheme. I certainly have not masterminded these crimes for my own benefit, and I find myself offended that you have defamed my character to such an extent. What work I have done, I have done for the good of my patrons and clients, if not for the safety and security of my friends and family. Any implication otherwise is entirely inappropriate—and lest you believe yourself to be proof against my retaliation, let me remind you that if I was able to catch these schemers and criminals in their lies, I will hardly struggle to catch you in yours.

I trust that you will publish this account in the spirit of objectivity and fairness, without alteration or summary, and that you will retract the falsehoods previously mentioned. May we both be engaged satisfactorily in the discovery of the truth, or may we face the eternal consequences for turning away from such a mystery.

Sincerely,

Hector Kingsley

Investigator

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Uhhh, On Consistency

Yeah... So, I'm back. I'm sure those who've read the blog are just now recovering from the fact that i have once again posted. Don't worry; I'm fairly confident the world is not yet ending.

Here's how life has gone recently. I had a wonderful opportunity to participate in some lab research. Unfortunately, I came to a conclusion as a result that research is not for me. I had kind of looked at it as a punch-the-clock, earn-a-living job, and it is more of a be-passionate-about-it-or-be-miserable job. That sort of set me on the search for yet another career, which given that I haven't been successful in my efforts so far, means I am kind of frustrated. My current thoughts turn towards biomedical engineering. It pays well, very favorably to research, though not as well as medicine, and has the potential to let me write on the side. I still need to research the career path a bit more, but at least I am looking at options.

Writing-wise, I have been working on two different projects. First off, I am revising Wolfhound in order to try and submit it to a manuscript contest. It involves a bit of a time crunch, but I work best when face with a deadline, so at the very least I can put the novel into its final revision. If it fails to do much in the contest, I have started to wonder if I should go the e-publishing route with it. My reasons are that most agents don't seem to be interested in new science fiction due to the low profit margins sci fi gives. Publishers in general don't seem all that excited about action adventure sci fi either, but I suppose I could send out queries to them first. At the very least, I would rather have the book out there and possibly earning money and readers rather than just ending up sitting on my computer at home.

I have a lot more hope for my newest project however. My working title is The True Adventures of Hector Kingsley. In short, it's a steampunk detective novel centered on the investgations of Hector Kingsley, an experienced detective working in a world changed by the discovery of an extraordinary crystal called the Distillation, which has warped both the people and technology of Victorian London almost beyond recognition. The freedom of writing a steampunk novel has been wonderful, and I have managed to create a character voice that seems to work very, very well. My wife says it's because I always write "flowery", though I would prefer poetic as a descriptor. Sounds a bit more masculine that way. :) I am plunking away at a first draft, and the writing group has been helping me improve it as I go, so I hope that when I finish it I can have another novel to shop around. The next post will probably be a letter from Kingsley's point of view, so let me know what you think of it.

As for the family, our little baby is developing right on schedule. She will be arriving soon, maybe in the next few weeks, and both my wife and I couldn't be more excited. We are kind of all done with the pregnancy and waiting thing; we would just like to have our little girl to love and hold. Expect some posts on the nervousness/insecurities of my future parenthood sometime soon.

In any case, we are doing alright, and life has continued on. I suppose that's the best I could expect, and in reality I have been blessed in a lot of different ways. I just hope that I can live up to the opportunities I have, and that I can find my path clear to me. Wish me luck; I have a sneaky suspicion that I will need it. See ya!