The Sakamota Journals

This series started off as a gag between me and the real Wong Fo Lee, and was even an RPG2K project for awhile.  The idea was simple; take a simple fantasy cliche (i.e. a dragon kidnapping a princess) and twist it at both ends.  We started with the hero; sure, any knight worth his or her plate armor could stand and face a dragon, but where's the fun in that?  Originally, the hero was to be a simple crossing guard; you know, the guy who stands at school crossings and lets the children pass?  Oh yeah.  The idea of him guarding a tiny bridge in the middle of nowhere was clearly inspired by the excellent Mel Brooks movie, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and the idea that the king was bonkers seemed quite reasonable.  After all, he was about to task a crossing guard to save his daughter.

The original hero was supposed to be incompetent, wholly incapable of performing the task, but as the story fell into place and revealed that the dragon and the princess were not the simple characters they were cast as, I decided to give him a little more ability.  The idea of an internet trained samurai struck me as funny; a guy who admires the samurai culture, but only the parts he finds comfortable.  He practices fighting with a katana, yet uses Streaming Arts. He wears a keikogi and a hakama, yet he sleeps on a normal bed.  As he would have access to holograms, he is actually good with the sword, yet he is still inexperiences.

Jimmy Olsen Sakamota (thus named because I figure one Jimmy Olsen should have some balls) had his stark counterpoint, however.  While Jimmy's study of samurai made him a thoughtful, skilled, and effective warriro even with a dull blade, Luminous Arc Skylad was essentially a joke on the standard JRPG hero.  Barely more than a kid, and wielding a sword far too large for him, Arc is brash, impatient, and not that skilled.  There is more to him than that, however; he is a student and junior researcher at the Wenapaj Center of Knowledge, and knowledgable about Kindred artifacts such as the blade.  Given the importance of Arc's 'sword' in the final book (as yet unwritten), his presence is not merely an annoyance.  Again, although seemingly ineffective, Arc is a friendly fellow, and a fierce fighter; he eventually develops a martial fighting style that uses the weight of his sword to fling him around.

This is largely a 'It's the journey, not the destination' story, as is its sequel, and I feel the enjoyment comes from the typical ragtag group of heroes interacting and trying to figure out what is going on with the dragon.

Also worth noting is that while A Dreamer's Knight goes all over Vinta, The Sakamota Journals takes place only in Wenapaj, the smallest sovereign nation on Vinta. I wanted to show that I could create a good adventure in both settings, and given that The Sakamota Journals is quite honestly my favorite series, I feel satisfied ... though not so satisfied that I'm not taking it out and giving it a little once over.  I was still in my over-descriptive phase when I wrote it, and would like a chance to catch some of the mistakes I've come to realize I tend to make.

One final note; I wrote the original draft for this story in a month, while working at Home Depot.  I'd go into work early, set up a small table in the back of the break room, and type away. I'd write at lunch as well, storing my little laptop in my locker in the meantime. While a lot of the story changed in editing, writing it was a blast.  I won't put the link up just yet (though a search on smashwords will still uncover the current version) as I am working on improving it, and would suggest you wait until I finish for the best version.

A Dreamer's Knight: Machinations

I'd like to write first that some faith in humanity has been restored, as today, June the 27th of the year 2015, the United States Supreme Court has decided in favor of recognizing gay marriage.  While not homosexual myself, I am nonetheless thrilled for those who are, and can now get married without fear of legal ramifications.  Happiness is what is important in life, and if two people truly find themselves perfect for each other, I fail to see how gender truly should stand in the way.

I'm sure there are some norms out there whining about how this act, an act that is clearly pro-equality (a stance the Elsewhere has always supported), is somehow violating their rights, to which I say this; it is not your right to be a hateful prick, and if you think it is, I'll personally make sure each and every one of your hate-mongering names is added to the top of the Elsewhere's 'People of Interest list'.  Perhaps a few decades as a bored Dreamer's hobby will teach you something about respect.

Enough about that, though; today, I'll be writing about A Dreamer's Knight: Machinations.  For starters, I've begun posting the chapters to my tumblr account (which can be easily accessed here), so if you want to read the story for free in a slightly inconvenient format, there you go.  It's a sequel to A Dreamer's Knight, and although I've made efforts to fill in the gaps as it were, I don't know how much you may need to have read the first book to understand what is going on.

At the end of A Dreamer's Knight, One has completed the Mikaen assignment and gone to the Dream Realm for some rest and relaxation.  Unfortunately, after some lingering concerns prompt him to stick his nose back into the trouble beginning to brew on Vinta, he inadvertently undoes the work of the first book.

The idea was to put Mikaen in a position where he wouldn't investigate further into what was going on in Ronisgald; by establishing a home in Homestead, a relationship that has led to an engagement, Mikaen was to eventually marry and settle down, leaving his troubled past as a Knight of the Star behind him.  Now, however, he's going to investigate Ronisgald, where the group behind the troubles in the first book are looking for something much larger.

The Raenqal is derived somewhat from the idea of the Kicksey Winsey (sorry if I spelled that wrong, Death Gate fans), in that it is an ancient machine whose purpose is important, but not altogether clear as of yet.  The discovery of the first part, an enormous crystallic worldstone known as 'The Amplifier', signifies great power, but with no clear clues as to what it might do.

This book also goes into more detail about One's past, namely his past with Teria Myssohn, sister of Tirinia (Mikaen's fiancee) and Daughter of Longshore.  Still recovering his lost memories, this book sees One beginning to remember chunks of his past, which will continue in the next two books and slowly show more about One prior to his time at the Elsewhere. Teria and Luck battling for One's affection is ... difficult to talk about without reaching spoiler territory, but I will say that while One seems wishy-washy about his affections for each of them, there is a good reason ... and it truly is not his fault.

This novel sees many of the other Dreamers, including the good Captain Morgan, Max the Inventor, Alex the Toymaker, and even a few showings of Alan T. Tryth.  I rather like the fact that the narrative goes to first person when he's around; after all, it's made clear from the foreword in the first book that he's writing this tale in his capacity as the Chronicler of the Elsewhere.

Ronisgald was an interesting place to write about (see my earlier blogpost for more detailed information).  I will add that idea of underground dyson sphere-like habitats was definitely Star-Trek inspired.  Where the first book was mostly magic and forest cities, I wanted to start showing the technological side of Vinta in this book, a side which is contrasted in the third book as well, as the Rimstakkens technology, while on par with that of Ronisgald, is very different.

This book also sees some cameo appearances of Rena Sakamota, the future mother of Jimmy Olsen Sakamota, protagonist of The Sakamota Journals, as well as crazy old King Iniagus.  I really enjoy writing King Iniagus segments, and must admit he's one of my favorite characters to date, based vaguely on Fizban and Zifnab (who are themselves possibly the same person).

It's a bit longer, but this book does start off the major story arch of the series.  Give it a read, though you might want to read A Dreamer's Knight first.

I should also mention that this is the first book to get a cover from my current cover artist, Julia Tuason.  I've always loved the dream-like quality of her work, and feel it perfect for the Elsewhere Universe. She also did a bang up job drawing a cover based off of the description 'a pirate ship bursts out of a public fountain'. Check out her portfolio here.

I'd also like to state for the record that I wasn't dissatisfied with Izorkin Anton, the artist who drew the cover of the first book (check him out here).  He did a great job too, but he also admitted that drawing people wasn't his thing.

Ebook versions (just smashwords at the moment), hardback (lulu)

Publishing: Traditional vs. Independant

Traditional publishing versus independent publishing: it's a debate I've had to deal with a lot as of late, yet it must be addressed.

For those not in the know, traditional publishing involved established publishers (most of whom seem to live in New York for some reason) accepting your book and taking over printing, selling, and sometimes marketing your book. On the other side is the independent publishing business, which freely accepts and publishes most submissions (though vulgarity isn't an issue for all independents), but leave marketing in the hands of the author.

Before I even get started, let me say that both sides have merit. Traditional publishing is, to put it bluntly, traditional. These publishers are established companies with years of experience in the industry. What Independent publishers lack in experience, they make up for in versatility; an independent author has complete control over his or her work; the cover, the format, the font ... every aspect of the novel can be tailored to the author's specifications.

Good; now that that's out of the way, it's time to tear these publishers a new one.

Traditional publishing gets glowing praise (from authors who were traditionally published. Gee, imagine that.), but getting a book published can be a massive undertaking.

For the sake of this comparison, let's say that I've written a book called 'Jabbernits', and spent years proofing and editing until it's as good as I can possibly get it.
I want to publish Jabbernits with a traditional publisher, as I have little or no sales experience and hate proof-reading with a passion. I look around online for fantasy publishers and discover the TWIT publishing group. After carefully researching submission guidelines and formatting, I prepare a snappy submission package, send it on its way, then wait two to six months for the response (the traditional publishing industry seems to frown on simultaneous submissions). Half a year passes, and I recieve a letter. My heart is all pitter-patter as I open the eagerly anticipated letter, only to discover a photocopied sheet that begins 'Dear Author:'. The letter thanks me for my submission, but regrets to inform me that they are choosing not to support my book at this time.

Undaunted, I find another publishing company and try again. Another half a year later, I receive another photocopied 'Dear Author' reply. After taking a few months to look over my work for any mistakes or changes that need to be made, I try again. Again, I get another photocopied response. In frustration, I sent out dozens of submissions to publishers all over the country. For each hand-crafted submission that costs me money to send, I receive a photocopied response that can't even bother to spell out my name.

I decide to try getting an agent, only to discover that in this backwards world, I can't get an agent without getting published, and I can't get published without getting an agent. More submissions are sent, more emotionless photocopied replies are received until I begin to wonder if I should give up writing.

Then I hear about independant publishing; all I have to do is format and submit my book to Createspace or Lulu, and I can sell your book myself, bypassing the stodgy traditional publishing altogether! I format the book, give it another good shine, and get it submitted. Now my book is available in hardback, paperback, and digital download, with a modest four-dollar royalty for me for every copy sold. It's like a dream come true ... that is, until a few months later when I look at my sales and realize I haven't sold a single copy. In my eagerness to get publishing, I forgot that marketing is just as important, if not more so, than the act of publishing itself.

So which is better? the traditionals who only seem to throw a great deal of good books to the trash because they are not marketable enough, or the independents who struggle to make their work known? Please, tell me your thoughts on this.