Tag Archives: adventure

Prologue: Welcome to the Colony

Hello. I am the Artificial Intelligence Data Administrator, or A.I.D.A. Please, do not be alarmed at your current lack of sensory input. I assure you that all is well and that your current discomfort will be momentary as we calibrate your integration into the CYCLE system. I thank you for your patience and cooperation in this process. 

As you are aware, you have been chosen as member Ninety-Four of Colony A-1, and have thus been placed into hypersleep for an as-of-now undetermined period. During your time in hypersleep, your consciousness will exist in a virtual world that will be indistinguishable from the physical world in which you have, up until today, existed. You, along with the other ninety-nine members of Colony A-1, will momentarily choose your roles in this new reality and start your exciting new lives! 

Before we begin the creation process, please allow me to explain a few core concepts that are important for you to be reminded of as a Colony member: Death within the simulation will result in a shut down of consciousness until a new Cycle is initiated. Cycles have been programed to default to sixty year spans. At the end of that sixty year span, the simulation will be paused, a new simulation will be randomly chosen, and a new life creation process, such as the one you will momentarily partake in, will begin. 

Your choices matter. 

The consequences of your actions will play out in the Cycle just as they would in reality. When a Cycle concludes, Colony Members will have the option of carrying over emotionally important choices (such as mates, offspring, etc.) over to the new simulation in order to avoid needless emotional distress. Colony Members also have the option of voting to cease a current simulation and begin a new Cycle before the sixty year span has reached it’s conclusion. In order to lodge your vote for a new Cycle, you simply need to state, “A.I.D.A., I, [insert member identification number here], vote for a new Cycle.” Your vote will be promptly logged. Once a predetermined consensus of Colony A-1 members has been reached, the simulation will pause, Colony Members will be notified, and after twenty four hours the new Cycle process will begin.

In order to facilitate an enjoyable user experience, I have been programmed to provide a vast variety of reality settings, which will be randomly selected during the Cycle creation process. In your time within the Colony, no two Cycles will ever be identical. In a moment you will be presented with options for your new life in this first Cycle. Please, take your time and choose carefully. Once again, your choices are permanent, and will be unchangeable once the Cycle begins.

Welcome, Ninety-Four, to the first day of your new lives. 

Choose wisely.

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Filed under Ongoing Serials, Virtually Reality

New Book!

So… I did a thing.

Some of you may remember about a decade ago when I self-published my first book that I wrote with Mark Ruelius. We’d been working on it for over a decade when Mark tragically passed unexpectedly due to complications with diabetes. I was devastated. Mark was like a little brother to me, and to have him taken from us so suddenly left me reeling. The only thing I could think to do to honor this person that meant so much to me was to ensure that the work he did, the only work he’d tragically be able to do, would be seen by people; because Mark was a freaking brilliant storyteller. I have zero doubt that he would have went on to become a big name in the industry. So, I finished editing the best I could, and I pushed the book out. I wrote a few more little popcorn novels, and then I got married to the love of my life and became a step-dad to a then-toddler with special needs. My focus went from writing 8+ hours a day, to being a stay-at-home dad, and I have zero regrets.

Now, just over a decade later, our son is about to enter high school. We’ve finally gotten his medical issues sorted out, and he’s doing an amazing job at school. In the last ten years, I never stopped coming up with stories. I never stopped taking notes. My dream to be a writer never went away. It was just taking a break.

Break time is over.

The first thing I wanted to do was revisit that first book, that meant so so much to both myself and Mark, and I wanted to make it into the novel we wanted it to be, but just never quite got there. So, I re-read the entire thing, made notes, and then systematically began to rewrite and edit. The core of the story is the same. The sections that were Mark’s babies remain largely untouched, because Mark was just that good and they rarely needed anything. The rest has been completely revamped. Entire sections have been rewritten/added. I feel like the story is finally in a place where Mark and I always wanted it to be.

So, this new book is now available for purchase, and it’s the first of many more to come. I hope that you’ll check it out, spread the word, and enjoy experiencing this world of magick, flaming swords, and good verses evil that I created with my friend.

Go buy it!

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Filed under Rant Alert