Author Archives: doranwi

The big picture – planning out the D’mok Revival literary universe

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Now that the first manuscript for Weun Academy is off to my AMAZING editor Arlene Robinson, I have a moment to write another blog post.

Some amazing fans have asked what’s coming next. I think I’m finally ready to tip my hand and show what’s in the works. Keep in mind, some of the titles may change, and don’t expect lots of details yet, but here you go!

 

D’mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Trilogy — Completed

  1. Awakening – Published
  2. Retribution – Published
  3. Descension – Published
    1. Mindwalk Novelette – Published
    2. The Aloan Conspiracy — Published

 

D’mok Revival: New Eden Saga                                

  1. New Eden – Published
  2. Chancellor Arenji – FUTURE
  3. The Second Coming – FUTURE

 

Wuen Academy (Spin-off)

  1. The Shadow Maker – Currently with my editor
  2. The Sabereth Incident – FUTURE
  3. The Golden Hands – FUTURE
  4. The Collectors – FUTURE
  5. Gems of Oridar – FUTURE
  6. The Third Age – FUTURE
  7. Prequal: Secret of the Stone – Future

 

Wayfinder (Spin-off)

  1. The Assassin’s Gambit – FUTURE
  2. D’maran Justice – FUTURE
  3. Hero of the Nukari – FUTURE

 

Toriko’s Army (Crucial Side novel)

  1. Tomb of the Metallics – Startup in process

 

D’mok Revival (Conclusion)

  1. D’mok’s Revenge – FUTURE

 

D’mok Revival (Prequal)

  1. Executive Order 188 – FUTURE

 

So, how do all of these fit together?  Good question!

Weun Academy picks up as of the end of book 4 in the D’mok Revival Series. The end of this spin-off aligns between books 5 and 6 of the D’mok Revival Series.

Toriko’s Army happens between books 4 and 5 in the D’mok Revival Series, and after book 1 of Weun Academy.

Wayfinder picks up after book 4 of D’mok Revival, and aligns with book 2 of Weun Academy. The end of this spin-off leads into the beginning of the capstone book 7 of the D’mok Revival Series.

The Weun Academy and Wayfinder series must be complete, along with books 1-6 of D’mok Revival before the capstone book 7 can be written.  Finally, there’s a prequel (because, of course there is). Okay, technically “Secret of the Stone” is a prerequisite (but I’d like it to be).

Simple right?

I’ve had this planned for some time now. However, I didn’t want to mention anything. Mostly because it seems like the plan of a madman. I honestly wouldn’t take a new author seriously if they claimed all this. I wanted a number of novels completed to prove I’m serious about this.

I’m not even going to think about the age I’ll be when it’s all done.

I’m thrilled to report that I’ve started working on Toriko’s Army. I’ve been waiting a long time to do this story. Toriko is among my favorite characters (if I had to pick that is).  More about this soon!

When characters appear from thin air

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I’ve had something particularly interesting happen twice during the writing of my latest novel Weun Academy. Characters that I didn’t foresee suddenly appeared mid-writing and ret-conned into the plot! Luckily, it’s never been in a destructive way. To be honest, it has always been more of a layering concept, completing details as if the plot had been constructed to have them drop in place.

The first time it happened was with Kira Madaki, a Human female and senior student mentor and upper-class person. She naturally completed the core group of students and became a central part of the book’s action.

Where’d she come from? Those that know me can spot how my own life has manifested in my writings. Kira is actually modeled after a friend of mine I’ve grown closer to, especially in the past few years. I guess it’s no surprise that this budding friendship directly inspired Kira’s appearance.

After “seeing” Kira during a writing session, I decided to pause advancing the plot to write her backstory. This is something I do with all my main characters to really “get them” and make sure their choices and interactions in the book are authentic. My friend has shared many things about her life. I also have the fortune to witness the amazing woman she is every day at work. I wanted to make sure that Kira embodied her, so others would be as inspired by her perseverance and drive as I am.

I’ll admit after writing it up, I was nervous to have her read it. I think we all doubt ourselves at times, and I wanted so badly for her to approve of what I wrote. Worse yet, I worried maybe something I included was too close to her actual story and she’d be offended. All my worries were for nothing, thankfully. She really enjoyed it, saying I remembered more than she recalled telling me about her life. We do talk a lot–and about many topics (and I love it).

Now, it’s difficult to think of Weun Academy without Kira!

I still find this all fascinating, as it did not happen with any of my other novels or short stories. I always seemed to know everything about those plots and characters. But I’m a firm believer in letting the story tell itself, that includes new revelations like this.

The way I look at this, it’s no different than a painter going back and adding new layers to a composition, or a musician adding additional music tracks. So, why can’t I go back and layer additional character and story information?

I guess we’ll see how it all turns out!

“To ret-con, or not to ret-con!”

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To Ret-con, or not ret-con… That is, indeed, the question!

I’ve learned a great deal over the course of my five novels, two novelettes, and omnibus edition. Among the larger points: the structure of long-term and short-term story arcs, the importance of small chapters, the use of page-turner cliff hangers, keep the core character count down, avoiding episodic tv like story blocking when writing a novel, etc.

With respect to the content itself, being more descriptive, and presenting names people can consistently pronounce are ongoing opportunities for improvement.

My latest novel, Weun Academy, is actually the first spin-off from the D’mok Revival main series. Its timeline picks up at the end of book 4. Many established alien races, and characters appear as expected. The Nasadric, who were introduced in book 4, become more prevalent as one of the main characters in Weun Academy is one! I was never fond of the way they were presented in book 4. the description sounded gangly and odd. It was fine for a background race at the time. But, as a main race it just didn’t work. I guess I try to picture people cosplaying the characters, and no one was going to cosplay looking like what I described in book 4.

So… I’m changing it. Hey, I’m the author, I can do that. Trust me, the new look is far cooler. I could completely see people cosplaying this race now. Of course, this means I must go back to book 4 and update that. There’s no updating the printed copies. But, those will become instant collector’s editions, right? Well, someday someone may be intrigued by the original text.

There’s one other major thing that has bothered me since the beginning. This one is so much bigger, and impacts every book released to date. It makes me nervous to consider, but at the same time it bugs me so much!

Seigie Weun. No one pronounces it correctly…  Most said “Seg-gee” or “SEA-gee.” Again with the cosplay thing, I think it would literally kill me if I heard someone cheer “I just looooooove Seg-gie!” I mean, I’d be thrilled someone did, don’t get me wrong. But “Seg-gie?” I would feel like I betrayed her. I imagine it would be like someone running up to me and yelling “I love you Meek!” You know?

Anyway, the original manuscript had “Segie.” To be honest, that probably should be been pronounced “S-eh-g-eye.” The desired pronunciation was (and still is) “C-G” as in the hard pronunciation of the letters “C” and “G”.  I tried to mutate it Sea-G, then, incorrectly, to Segie. I believe it was my sister that suggest I try to use the spelling approach for “siege” to correct how people would say it.

In my utter brilliance, I did a mass correct with “Seigie.” Then pushed the first book out the door. Hey, my launch at Chicago ComicCon 2013 was coming fast and I had thousands of copies being printed.  I needed to get it done! So, of course, I take something SO important–and blow it.

So, here we are 8 printed works and 4 years later. I STILL have to check the spelling every time I write it to make sure I’m keeping it consistent. Why? Because my brain will not let this go.

Again, I say, “To ret-con, or not to ret-con!”

Of course, there could be another option… Given Weun Academy is a spin-off… Who’s to say it can’t be presented there in a different way? Say, perhaps “Seegee” or “C’Gee” the “way her D’mar spelling would look.” Hey, you don’t know that’s *not* how her native tongue spells it. It *could* be the case.

While thousands of people have owned and read the D’mok Revival core novels, I’m hoping to bring Weun Academy to an even larger audience. So, NOW is the time to address this.

I feel like I’m almost talking myself into this concept as I write this. It’s not a “bad” idea. The D’mar native language, hum?  Food for thought. I guess you’ll have to wait and see what I end up doing!

To Kristin Zummo

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My sister-in-law, Kristin Zummo, has passed away. It was swift, unexpected, and heart-breaking. From the moment I met her she was so incredibly kind. She frequently texted and Facebook messaged, and even helped out at my book launches. She always made sure I knew she was behind me and did everything she could to help. What a sister-in-law!

My life has always been the inspiration for my stories. Kristin’s life, and now her death, has also inspired my literary world.  In my latest book, Weun Academy, a great tragedy befalls the school. Many students and even teachers are killed. My reflections on Kristin’s death made me revisit the memorial scene. Fighting through my own tears, D’abar’s speech began to rewrite itself. The following not only speaks to my fictitious characters, but to me and the others Kristin left behind:

“We are gathered here today to remember and pay homage to our fallen family members. The tragic loss of life, especially for those so young, is unconscionable. There’s nothing to say to rationalize such events, nothing to take away the pain of their loss. While their corporeal journey has ended, ours has become overcast with a cloud of confusion and sorrow.

“While death is life’s harshest lesson, there is a silver lining to this cloud.  We are forced to reflect on the things our lost family members brought into our lives. We take stock on the ways they touched our hearts, saw the world, and forever changed us by their example.

“But the lessons don’t stop there. Death reminds us just how precious and fleeting life is. It exposes our mortal fragility and bodily limitations, while at the same time encouraging us to live life to the fullest and without delay. As a result, we challenge the very substance and direction of our own lives.

“Right now you may be feeling pangs of anger, sadness, and regret. Perhaps you should have spent more time with them, or talked more often. Maybe they never knew how you felt, or understood just how much you appreciated all the things they did. Maybe you didn’t return a call, or a favor. Or maybe you just wish you could have gotten to know them better. Such feelings are normal. It’s called guilt, and we all suffer it. It’s the result of us being imperfect beings: ones that make assumptions about our lives and opportunities, and about the time we have to do the things that don’t quite land high enough on our long list of priorities. It’s important to face this, to acknowledge whatever we should have done better, and to not repeat our mistakes again.

“I will never say death is a good thing, but it makes us examine things we’ve taken for granted, and helps us to become better people–if we’re willing to change. Don’t make our loved ones loss be for nothing. Enshrine them in your heart. Feel what you must, then learn and grow. Become the best you, and above all–live your incredible life.”

Thank you for all you inspired in my life Kristin. You were an amazing sister-in-law.  My heart aches, and I will miss you greatly. I already miss your smile and beautiful heart. Rest in peace.

Expanding on Weun Academy’s first book!

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Progress continues on my latest novel, Weun Academy! As I’ve mentioned before, the new manuscript sits around the 160 page mark, which I predict is about one-third of the completed book. It’s been at that number of a while now. Around the 2016 winter holidays that started to worry me. I kept wondering why I couldn’t progress on the main story. After all, it’s not like I don’t know what the story is about. But the inspiration and drive to sit and write just wasn’t there.

I’m wondered, like I’m sure many other writers do at some point, if I had hit “that wall,” the one you’ll never get past. But here’s the thing, I honestly love looking into what’s happening in the D’mok Universe. When I sit to write, I get a streaming view directly into my mind about what’s going on there. I truly enjoy it, and wanted to experience that again.

Inspiration is a funny thing, it ebbs and flows as it wants to. I know I’m making it sound like it’s alive, as if it has a will of its own. But you know what? Sometimes it feels exactly like that. It tells me what it wants, when it wants, with however much detail, and for however long as it wants to. It also tells me when it’s not ready to show me something. I just “had that feeling” that it wasn’t time to write more.

So, I do what I always do when this happens, I sat back and enjoyed life. Creativity, for me, comes from living life. My friends, my triumphs, my failures, my fears, all somehow feed the well from which the D’mok Revival universe springs. A wonderful wedding happened, the election happened, the aftermath of the election happened, Thanksgiving, Christmas and a magical new year happened, and low-and-behold, so did inspiration!

Between the New Year and Donald Trumps innuguration I wrote 14 short segments about various aspects of Weun Academy. This is very similar to what happened when I began writing D’mok Revival so many years ago. I’d get snippets of information, background stories, glimpses into the lives of specific characters in situations that have nothing to do with the main story but help me understand who they are.

As a result the Weun Academy campus has transformed, new characters have emerged, I understand the meaning and relevance Weun Academy’s prologue and its implications (which impact D’mok Revival’s main story and Wayfinder’s, the second spin-off series)…

And NOW–now it’s time to integrate this into the existing manuscript. “It” tells me once that’s done I’ll get the next part of the story. So be it.

I’ve worked on integration all day. One of the things that jumped out was the need to more clearly describe the uniforms used at the academy. I took the time to sketch out designs and scour the internet for things that matched. I’m happy to report, I’ve pulled together exactly what I had in my head!

I found components of these drawings on the internet, created additional assets, then pulled them together to create what you’re seeing. Final versions will be developed. I’ve attached the images below.

The first is the ability category (“Discipline”) pin for “The World,” represented by a mountain.

the world emblem

The second is the student jumper.

lyons_emprada_uniform_1_by_kenu v6-postable

This is worn while on campus grounds and during all training sessions. The specialized shirt is really the most customized part of the outfit sporting black outer edges on the arms and shoulders, purple main section and lighter purple stripes, and raised collar. On the collar shows the ability category (“Discipline”) pin, and on the chest, Weun Academy’s emblem.

 

Third is the formal (or “Dress”) jacket.

formal jacket

A subtle pattern is printed on the jacket, that reflects in the light and becomes visible when you’re closer. You see a hint of that in the example image. On the neck, the wearer’s ability category (“Discipline”) pin is displayed. On the chest, the Weun Academy emblem is displayed. The golden braid is for an earned distinction (like becoming mentor of other students after mastering skills). The shoulder boards display the number of stripes equal to the level of mastery (could also be years at school), and sit on black panels. The silver “flower” buttons further accentuate the ornateness of the jacket. This is complimented by formal black trousers and with purple stripe down the side.  As a note, Matt helped me apply the pattern.  Thanks Matt!!  🙂

I’m especially proud of this jacket design. One of the things I try to keep in mind as I go along is whatever readers encounter I want them to be able to recreate in the “real world.” It could be food mentioned in the cafeteria, learning games from classrooms, or outfits characters wear. I believe the above designs are very accessible, where cosplayers could make them happen. A dear friend of mine, Kathleen Jenks-Grobben, mentioned how Victor Krum’s outfit in Harry Potter has a unique angled part to his jacket and people have been able to recreate it.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, Stanislav Ianevski, 2005, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, Stanislav Ianevski, 2005, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection

That actually made me feel much better.  I DO love the angled section and want to keep it.

Anyway, with these designs I can continue the integration of the other holiday items. Specifically, the introduction of a new character, Kira Madaki.

It might be fun to do future posts introducing some of the Weun Academy characters (non-main story items)… Hum. We shall see!

As a side note, for anything found on the Internet that wasn’t explicitly mine, I DO have contact information for the original creators and will reach out to them as appropriate. I believe in people getting credit for the things they create!

Successful Launch of D’mok Revival: New Eden

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The launch party for D’mok Revival: New Eden was held at Bayview Library in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Saturday, December 3rd, 2016 at 3pm.

Here’s a link to the event video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7DjsRhfeUM

I wanted to thank all the incredible family, friends, and fans that came to the event! It means the world to me to have such amazing support.  It felt great to talk about the series, and unveil my latest novel. I even got to tease a little about Weun Academy and the HoverDome board game.

But the best part for me was the Q&A segment at the end came. There were so many great questions! You really made me dig deep to answer them.

Here’s the door prizes:

neweden-giveaways2 newdengiveaways1

As always, my son, Derek, helped pick the winning tickets. Congratulations to the winners of the door prizes!  I hope you all enjoy them.

mikeandderek

I also wanted to thank the following friends and family for helping to set up, run, and take down the event: Derek Zummo, Sam Zummo, Elizabeth Zummo, Kristin Zummo, Anthony Zummo, Matt Ferrara, Kathy Ferrara, Lauren and Jake Eveland, Bob Solem, It takes a village sometimes, and I’m thankful for mine.

Here’s some more photos from the event:

ryanandsusie mikeandmatt mike-and-susie mikeandneweden mikeandtrilogy

 

An explosion of activity

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September and October has been crazy with activity! Here’s what’s happened:

  • Released my first “omnibus” which contained the first three novels, two novelettes, and two prologues from the next two novels
  • Won one a Readers’ Favorite award in the youth: science fiction category for D’mok Revival: New Eden
  • Incorporated the award emblems into the D’mok Revival: New Eden cover
  • Released the ebook edition of D’mok Revival: New Eden on Amazon
  • Finalized printing details of D’mok Revival: New Eden with lightningpress.com
  • Planning out the D’mok Revival: New Eden launch party details (tentative: Nov 2016)

But as they say, “That’s not all!”

An oldie but goodie has come back on the radar. My board game concept, HoverDome, which simulated the hover bike racing action mentioned in D’mok Revival: Descension, and experienced by readers in D’mok Revival: New Eden, is back on the table (literally).

This weekend I’m attending a board game designer’s workshop at Game Universe, a local game store. I’m going to present the concept, do some playtesting, and hopefully evolve a few elements.

THEN, in two weeks, I’m attending a three day board game designer workshop in Madison. I’ll get to review it with fellow designers, playtest with folks off the street, and present it to board game publishers!

I’m so excited! In fact, since D’mok Revival: New Eden is out there, I can reference it directly as a cross-promotional opportunity, and provide more context about how this game came about.

So, tonight I’m going to do some quick enhancements to the paper prototype. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.

But wait!

Progress on Weun Academy is still moving forward. The slow progress is due to focusing a lot of time on the omnibus, and New Eden… But I’m always looking into the WA universe and seeing what’s going on. This continues to build pieces for me to stitch together and understand, in preparation for my next “sit down” writing session.  It seems like every few hours I’m experiencing things that make me think, “That should really make it in WA.”  Actually, there’s been plenty of things that have made me think, “This would be great for WA2!”

Right now, the plan is to target next summer to release Weun Academy. That’s actually a lot closer than you may think.

That’s all for now!

Life’s inspiration feeding Weun Academy’s story

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Writing Weun Academy is so much fun!  Don’t get me wrong, I love writing about Rhysus and the original crew from the original D’mok Revival books.  There’s certainly a LOT of story to tell there.  But it’s refreshing to break into such new territory with a very different crew, just in the same literary universe.

Events from my life have always found their way into the core themes and threads of the D’mok literary universe. That tradition is alive and well with my latest work.

I’ve found my own experiences as a freshman at Carroll College influenced Eisah’s experience at Weun Academy. I remember a distinct awkwardness when I first arrived on campus.  I didn’t know people, or my way around. I recall just trying to figure things out and make sure I was as ready as I could for classes. I also remember the first few people I met, and how our common struggle bonded us together. I’ve translated this into Eisah’s first few days.

In addition, my son’s experience of starting at a new elementary school in third grade (all students transfer into this school as new students at grade 3) has inspired some of the initial emersion events for Eisah as he arrives at Weun Academy. I won’t give too many specifics as I don’t want to ruin specifically what happens.

To my great amusement, I’ve found the amusing and delightful banter of my coworkers has inspiring some of the dynamics between Eisah’s new friends. I believe writing in my coworkers near sibling rivalry-like interactions made my Weun Academy characters more entertaining, likeable, and more relatable.

During a recent family vacation to New York city, a walk through Central Park inspired a new area at Weun Academy. This new location provides students a place of recreation, relaxation, and practicing their abilities.

During the same trip, a visit to the Statue of Liberty left me in awe. I’d never seen it with my own eyes. While it wasn’t as tall as the Empire State building (as illusioned by pictures and portrayals of the status in various media outlets), she is stunning!  She is such an icon for our country, and the symbol of life, liberty, and justice for all. It made me proud to be a United States Citizen. She also reminded me of something else–Siegie from my books.

In D’mok Revival: New Eden (book #4, which most of you have not been able to read yet–sorry), Weun Academy is created. It mentions a great monument of a ring sliced through by a large green shard of crystal positioned at the grand entrance of the campus. When Rhysus and the others first saw it, they were moved because of their personal connection to what it represented. After seeing the Statue of Liberty, I am going to GO BACK AND CHANGE BOOK 4 (it’s not published yet, I can do this). Rather than a symbol, it’s going to become a statue of Segie Weun herself, holding up a radiant crystal. Much like the Statue of Liberty, people of the D’mok literary universe will have a visceral reaction to her statue. People will remember what she stood for, what she wanted for the universe, and the long term impact of her actions. I want it to inspire the students (and the readers).

Also, one of the more frightening things in my work travels has also inspired me. I learned on a recent job trip that the Canadian government in Quebec raided our branch. It wasn’t from financial fraud or other questionable business practices.  Instead, there’s a French Culture enforcement group that came in. They took down English signs and demanded they be remade in French. In addition, any French branding had to be displayed first (in a primary display location) and be TWICE the size of any English branding words on printed materials. They checked installed software on people’s laptops and demanded they have only French versions installed. They reviewed correspondence sent do customers and imposed fines for anything not sent out with French first (and then English optionally included). This group has the right to impose fines. On one of the customer projects, they could receive fines of up to 25,000 Canadian EVERY 2 HOURS per month, indefinitely with a limit of 875,000 Canadian per month. Oh, and if you immigrate into Quebec, you allegedly (I have not gone back to verify this) have no other option than to learn French and send your children to a FRENCH-based school. Only if you were a native are you given the choice between the two languages. How crazy is all that?  Yes, in 2016, in Quebec CANADA, this happens. Why is this happening? Because the government there believes French culture is dying in Quebec. Their solution, pound it down everyone’s throat to make it survive. This will not work long term.  This isn’t how human beings work. Like dripping water, we find a way to go and do as we please. This may slow the breakdown of French only culture, but it will not stop it.  This is GREAT inspiration for later books where “thing begin to change” in the D’mok Universe under D’abar…  That’s all I’ll say for now.  But, no need to create something insidious.  I’ll use this contemporary model.

Anyway, the examples above show how life can inspire small nuance, or large sweeping dynamics in my stories. I don’t want to give away too much at this point so I’ll hold back on the rest.

Until later!

 

Living in Weun Academy

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While waiting for more responses from agents concerning book 4, I continue my work on my latest project. Weun Academy: The Boy with the Green Eyes, is the first spin-off from the main D’mok Revival universe. From a timeline perspective, this story takes place just after book 4 (D’mok Revival: New Eden) ends.

Anyone that has read the series knows about the infamous “boy with the green eyes” from Rhysus Mencari’s dreams (and thoughts). This side series follows this boy’s story.

I like to describe the overall concept as: Harry Potter meets Starship Troopers, meets X-men. It takes the best of the Young Adult (YA) space and combines it with the hero focus and space opera themes that are a part of nearly all contemporary entertainment these days (Avengers, Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Divergent, Hunger Games, etc.).

I’m making sure I write a little each day. Not only does it keep things moving, I love doing it. It’s been amazing “watching” (because again, I just “watch the movie in my head and type what I see”) this story develop before my eyes. It’s so incredibly rich.

People do NOT have to read any of the original D’mok Revival series (of which there are now 6 works: 4 novels, 2 novelettes) to understand things. It’s completely self-contained and gets people up to speed as they need to know and understand specific concepts and backgrounds.

Among my own points of interest is how what happens in Weun Academy directly impacts D’abar’s leadership and ability to lead D’mok Warriors.  Weun Academy events will have a profound impact on the next D’mok Revival book. It will also have a major impact on the second spin off Wayfinder (working title), that focuses on Rhysus Mencari specifically.

I really love every minute I get to spend there.  I find the place fascinating, in addition to the characters and deep action happening there.

All-in-all, I have a great feeling about this title. I’ve already had Kathleen and Susie read through the first 110 pages, along with some additional beta readers. I’m going to be incorporating their feedback to make the title stronger.  I’ll keep you posted as to progress, and even post out (eventually) a small excerpt for you to review and provide more direct comments.

In the meantime, I’m going to head back to writing…  Going to back to living in Weun Academy!

 

Musical Inspirations

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People have asked before about “what’s my process” when I write.  I’m fortunate that I’m working within a literary universe I know well.  I’ve seen the “movie preview” story previews for all my books (both released and yet to come). I’ve also been able to create outlines for my books from slightly more detailed “movie previews” in my head. I don’t try to over architect things. I like the characters to make decisions and present the story to me.  So, there isn’t a whole lot to share for the big picture stuff.

However, when it comes to diving in and actually writing, I do have my traditions. Before I attempted to eat healthier, one of my traditions was a nice sized bowl of plain M&Ms. How I miss those.

The other component is the music I’m listening to as I write.

When I wrote the original manuscript I listened to a number of anime and video game soundtracks.  However, as I went back to edit and release the individual books, I listened to entirely different music. In fact, if I wanted to create a specific mood, I’d match the music selections up to that need so my creative energies were in the right head-space.

Below is a short listing of some of the music I listened to while working on various works:

The original trilogy manuscript (286,000 words version) and Book 1, D’mok Revival: Awakening

 

Book 2, D’mok Revival: Retribution

  • Linkin Park, 1000 suns album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgJSEvRq26g)
  • Mass Effect 1 video game soundtrack
  • Mass Effect 2 video game soundtrack
  • Mass Effect 3 video game soundtrack
  • Prometheus, movie soundtrack
  • Sarah Brightman, Eden
  • Sarah Brightman, Harem
  • Sarah Brightman, La Luna

 

Book 3: D’mok Revival: Descension

  • Battlestar Galactica season 1, 2000 remake series soundtrack
  • Battlestar Galactica season 2, 2000 remake series soundtrack
  • Battlestar Galactica season 3, 2000 remake series soundtrack
  • DaVinci’s Demons, tv series soundtrack
  • Deadmau5, Ghost ‘n’ Stuff
  • Titanfall, original video game soundtrack

 

Book 4: D’mok Revival, New Eden

  • Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster album
  • Linkin Park, Recharged Album
  • Lindsey Stirling, self-titled initial album
  • Call of Duty: Ghosts, video game soundtrack
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warefare, video game soundtrack
  • Demi Lovato, Confident
  • Star Trek: Into darkness
  • The Flash: Season 1 soundtrack
  • Destiny, video game soundtrack
  • Disturbed, Immortalized
  • Image Dragons, Night Visions
  • Sia, Chandelier
  • Fallout 4, video game soundtrack

Weun Academy: Boy with the green eyes  (current project)

  • Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone movie soundtrack
  • The Flash Vs Arrow, tv soundtrack
  • The Flash: Season 2 tv soundtrack
  • Star Trek: Beyond
  • Kelly Clarkson, Piece by piece
  • Sia, Cheap Thrills
  • Batman v Superman, movie soundtrack
  • Uncharted 4, video game soundtrack
  • Pink, Just like Fire song
  • X-men: days of future past, movie soundtrack

 

While the lists above are not comprehensive it shows some of the more scifi theme, and pop energy that helped me see the actual scenes take place in my head.

The novelettes used the same music base as the main novel they were attached to.

Music is so crucial to me. It takes me places, and shows me visions of my characters in action. For the most part, I like type directly type what I see happen with little editing. Only when my beta readers or editor point out a weakness do I consider enhancing the original vision.

So, there you have it!