No matter where you go, there you are.

Well, as I am typing this, the entire world is suffering from an virus that is forcing us to hide. Not to socialize or travel. It forces us to focus necessities. This is a double edged sword for me. My job (the one that pays my rent) is considered essential according to the US department of Homeland Security. So work in the amongst the public dealing with deadly contagion.

This is the perfect time to craft my stories, promote them and have you read them. Only, I am one of the lucky few who doesn’t have a quarantine. So no spare free time. Today is in fact the first time in two weeks I have got enough spare time to do this. So what have I been doing with my time. Finishing Passion Song and setting up the rest of the series. So Passion Song is now published as both Ebook and print. Here is the ebook Link to Passion Song. Other links will be available soon.

With the completion of Passion Song, I achieved the goal I set when I finished Homecoming song. I finished the beginning. From introducing Lorelei, to fleshing out who the Assembly is to actually revealing how different their world is from ours (its not just them), in those four books I weaved a rich history to work in.

To give a taste of what is actually different, here is a top ten differences.

1. Two totally different US Presidents. No Clinton or Wilson. Champ Clark is president in his place (he was Wilson’s speaker of the House) and Johnathan Graefs (pronounced Graves) former governor of Arizona is in Clinton’s place. (Clinton didn’t run because he was only governor of Arkansas once.)
2. No United Nations. The St. James Meeting that the UN points to as its founding, happened but then the building was bombed by the Assembly as certain members were Piscine.
3. What we call Pedophile island owned by Epstein, instead was colonized by Tyrion Cetus in the 17th century while he was functioning as a Japanese imperial citizen. In fact that Virgin Island was a part of the Japanese Shogunate until the end of 1863. The smaller of the two islands called Lesser St. James, has a Replica Himeji now used as a private hospital for the Assembly.
4. Port Royal the pirate city is now the capital of Jamaica instead of Kingston.
5. In environmental work Greenpeace competes with Thalassa: spirit of the sea.
6. Archeologists know where Atlantis is, just like we know where Troy is. Its in Mauritania, Africa. We call it the Eye of the Sahara.
7. What they don’t know is that it was called Atlan and rivaled Rome and America for scope and breath of its technological prowess. They figured out of to travel to other realities as well as across the planet. In fact its how the assembly survived the commentary impact that flooded the entire planet in 5304 BC (what we call the creation event)
8. The movie and music landscape is different with far less rap, hip hop and ethnic music. Much more rock, 80s style pop and jazz exist.
9. Post World War II divided up a bit differently allowing for a couple of different countries to exist that don’t here. The same is said for Africa. Somalia doesn’t exist as its capital was wiped out by Super Typhoon Gwarosa in April 2007 and the tribes roam in bands along the border of Ethiopia. Without a UN, no real help came outside of NGOs that quickly discovered they were unwelcome. One year later most of the tribes vanished as well, from starvation or escape.
10. Did I mention that largest archive of human history rested under Mount Ross of Kerguelen. Its also where the youngest of the Atlan gates is (or the oldest usable gate is)

This is just minor plot points and other things mentioned.  The order of books is now:

• Midnight Train Song
• Song of the Gyre
• Heartbeat Song
• Passion Song
• Song of Betrayal
• Homecoming Song
• View from the street (short story)
• Christmas circle
• Song of Route 91
• Song of Hope

Passion song is the tenth formally published story of this arc, not including the ‘Faking it!’ fan fiction. Also, the entire beginning is now available. It makes Song of Betrayal more powerful now as you know who Lorelei is, and why she is suffering.

This leads into where the arc is going. I decided awhile ago to that I wanted to finish the other half of Song of Betrayal. Then I wanted to write book on Gwen’s balancing her music career with being a mermaid and one on Taiji.

More or less this is what I will be doing. The editing of the other half to get it to match what I have revealed (alot of things changed but not so much that I can’t edit it into something usable) will be first.

Then there is this idea I got that I don’t want to lose. Another fanfiction story involving the cast of Unreal. You know that lifetime show that mocked Bachelor by showing you the behind the scenes. Well, I got the idea to use characters similar to two minor characters. So why not use Tom to solve the one problem Unreal refuses to address; consequences for is main characters.

The story will take place across 2017-2018 revealing exactly how powerful Tom has gotten but in being a circlemaker and as a broker. If you watched the problem it will be a fun piece that rolls my characters into Unreal (or Unreal into my world). And the only deviation is Quinn never finds the camera. It won’t be draft2digital published, just posted on Archive of our own and here in pdf.

Then I will do a story that will fit right after Homecoming Song involving MTV VMA 2009. Since I gutted most of the winners from that, (no Katy Perry, no Kayne, no Beyonce nominated) I will do one around the show itself.

Then there is the Taiji story.  I don’t know if I actually plan on finishing it. If I do I will let you all know. This should take me all the way to 2022.

In reality, I don’t think this age has much more past that. This is why I really am not marketing it. The story matters, whether I make money on it doesn’t. The internet will survive and so will the books.

Draft2digital finally allowed me to use my own fonts in my pdf. Yes the print size is 8 1/2 by 11 but I will figure out how to make it smaller later. 8 1/2 by 11 is coffee table sized but its got the correct fonts and you can finally see the assembly characters.

Finally, on Covid-19, to those of us who actually read this, its going to end sooner rather than later. This month will the last we need of social distancing for most of the US outside of NYC. It wont be as bad as they say in the press conferences. As for the economic fall out. Well, that I can’t say. Anyway, Nothing changes until everything changes. So until then, I bid you good journey. For every destination is but a doorway to another.

 

Your friend in time, ‘Doc’ Emmett L. Brown Sept 1st, 1885

Now thats a crazy title, isn’t it? A piece of dialogue from ‘Back to the Future Part 2’. Yet it has a great deal to do with this update. So there are two things to address. Since the title is about movies I will address the one regarding it first.

I am loathe to edit my timeline unless absolutely necessary because:

1. I have to remember the alteration which I do by creating wikipedia entries. I do that by editing the code on the real wikipedia to my reality then print it to pdf. This makes it easier and more professional.
2. Any change has ripple effects. Kayne West dies before his first ablum. No albums, no associations, no marriage to Kim etc. I have to remember those two. So I try to keep those to areas I won’t be in and only make ones that will make the everything better in my estimation. Some people might love Kayne, or Katy Perry or Justin Beiber. I don’t. Honestly, they, in my estimation have not made things better. (Not that they are required too)
3. By having Emmett Cetus own Siren Song Records across the 20th century I have radically changed the industry already. This means alot of things here are not the same as in the assembly reality. So if I can leave well enough alone, I like too.

Unfortunately, that option was left out again with Harvey Weinstein. History reveals a man of brutish behavior who while in college started hustling musicians in Buffalo beginning with Stephen Stills and then when he formed Miramax with his brother continued those ways into the 90s. I would have liked to have made him a Piscine (a warrior of Dagon leader). However, the abominable sexual harrassment precludes this. In fact, his actions are more suitable for a porn producer than a Hollywood one.

So I am left with 2 options: remove him entirely from the timeline or remove his contribution. I opt for the second. There is no proof that his brother Bob is like him. There is proof that Bob is still married and few speak ill of him personally. So, I did my research, discovered this:

1. Crosby Stills and Nash were signed by Atlantic, as was the Buffalo underground. Since in the Assembly reality, Siren Song owns Atlantic at that point as well as Emmett being a Politico, the solution is remove Harvey from promoting Stephen while Harvey and Corky were in SUNY. That shove would lean Corky enough to NOT form a company with Harvey to promote bands in Buffalo. This also removes the money to save to launch the studio.
2. Fund Sex, lies and Videotape and secure distribution before Stephen Soderberg takes it to Sundance. That removes the first major movie for Miramax. Repeat this with Pulp fiction. Without these two, Miramax doesn’t become powerful, and it most likely is consumed by Disney in the nineties and vanishes.

Even if this doesn’t happen, this takes away the two cornerstones of Harveys career ensuring that he doesn’t get to work for himself and be the raging asshole and sexual pig he is.

Does this fix the endemic problem Hollywood has with sex, drugs and breaking people? No. It simpy removes a problem. 25 movies including some I enjoy.  SMH

ON the flipside, I will post the new wikipedia for Old viacom, current CBS. While looking to solve another problem for ‘Heartbeat Song’ that Emmett needed to own Viacom. Well, found that was easy. Simply block Sumner Redstone from buying it.

Considering how powerful Emmett is at the opening of Midnight Train Song. Its not hard to believe that he was already a billionaire for the bulk of the 20th century. While the surface people believe that Emmett is his own grandson, to the assembly this isn’t a big deal. So Siren Song buys Viacom and history continues. Sumner Redstone remains a bit movie house player.

This means that Siren song also owns MTV too. Which further guarentees that Harvey Weinstein simply never gets involved in Hollywood. I am of the option of actually having him removed more forcefully from the timeline and mentioning it in ‘Song of Route 91’

This leads me to the second part. After the massacre in Las Vegas and the seeming cover up that is happening (even if it is just incompetence it looks suspecious) I decided to write a short story set in now with Gwen and Tom. This is set after Gwen becomes Queen and after Tom and her wake up/resurrect Lorelei. The story actually revolves around Gwens emotions about this.

The three decide to stop the massacre since they are at the festival as guests. Song selection reveals emotion and tells the story while you see a bit more of the older mature Tom struggle with the fact he needs to choose who he is with.

It follows the timeline where the shooter fires for 10 minutes starting at 10:06 pm. I will post it here when i am finishing editing it. Orginally, I used firework and an orginal song. I am dumping firework and going more gospel.

So as of this point, the people removed or no longer having the influence in Assembly reality they have in ours are:

1. Katy Perry (as she remains a christian artist since her label didnt die)
2. Kanye West (who died in the auto accident he survived in 2002)
3. Justin Beiber (who thanks to the onion parody is a pedo named Michael cole)
4. Dr. Dre, Eazy-E,  DJ Yella and MC Ren (all are dead while growing up in Compton due to the neighborhood they lived in via drive bys etc)
5. Ice Cube. (who became a executive chef in his own restuarant in the Luxor.)
6. Jerry Heller (who had a history of heart problems. His first Heart attack was in the 80s so instead of surviving it and living on to help creat Hip-Hop, he dies of it)
7. Emimen (without Dr. Dre he doesn’t escape 8 Mile. Orginally I was going to have someone else help him but aftre his anti-Trump tirade, no.)
8. Harvey Weinstein

I have not removed the Clintons or any other powerful politicans because, well, they can be Piscine.

I do believe that covers everything. Story should be live by the end of the week. Sadly, it will be the only one as I wont be able to make another Christmas one. Its not large enough for Nanowrimo so You all might see something else I have buried for this year.

Until the morrow…

Thoughts on the Bowling Green Massacre…

Well, I must first thank Kellyanne Connelly for the fictional massacre to motivate me to be creative. I needed a small push because things got away from me. This happened to be that push. Truth is you enver know what it takes to get you over the hump. Nevertheless, this will actually be an update on the stories and background.

So what is happening? Alot actually. First, I will actually have a ‘Bowling Green Massacre in 2011 just like she said but also with Fredrick Douglass (not the historical figure one though) . It fits the direction I am going and considering its a college town, there is ample opportunity. I however will use the mining pits outside the town for the brutal horror. Its better imagery.

Second, I have adjusted another location in Lafayette. While never actually revealing the physical location of Gwen and Aria’s houses yet in published works, I do have a Google earth map of the city that did have their actual locations on it. When I went to actually use this for a scene in Heartbeat song I realized that the area Aria was in was River Ranch, a newer subdivision.

This is fine for Gwen and the Bretons as they moved from Australia in the 1990s. Its not good for the Natals as the gate is supposed to be in a fixed location since 1780. There are no buildings in that area from that period and no reason for such as its the same Vermillion river just down stream. So I moved the Natal House to across the street from Cafe Vermillion which has been in existance since at least 1812.

The quick and dirty is that both buildings were built at the same time by Vann’s Grandfather who was a Laurents. In all the stories I have included Shelly, Aria’s mother in, I have never revealed her actual last name only her house name. Laurents is a french name and blends into the fabric of the city better. Also a quick explanation of the house etc is in the story as well.

This brings me to the fact that as I am working on Heartbeat song I ran headlong into another issue. If there is an school shooting that envolves IEDs and massive causalities the hospitals in Lafayette can’t handle it. Without Charity and the other LSU hospitals ion New Orleans, the Primary trauma 1 hospital was in Sherveport or Houston. (Yes I am aware they did assign one post Katrina but it was ill-equiped to actually handle the load)

So I was left with solving that problem. First I figured I would upgrade the hospital, Lafayette general. Yet it would not be capable as the population wouldnt justify it. (I squeaked by with Forest Hills because of LSU and the CajunDome and making Booker Field old. This would be handwaving the solution away)

That left New Orleans. While Baton Rouge is closer. New Orleans is larger and up until Katrina had one of the Best hospitals in the country there: Charity Hospital. When I discovered why Charity was permanently closed (I won’t elaborate here other than to say LSU greed, however that overlooks alot of side issues) I decided to save the hospital. Doing so allows you all to actually meet Tyrion Cetus so when he dies in Song of Redemption, it will have meaning (like how Lorelei’s does now). Haven’t worked out all the plans yet but it envolves preventing the hospital from flooding during the MR-GO, Industrial canal, and London Avenue canal breechs. Something involving hard light constructs.

Most people were unaware (outside of the residents who were very much aware) that almost the entire city flooded from the canal breachs except the French quarter. Charity was in the CBD near the Superdome. Yet its basement and some of the first floor flooded.

Keeping the hospital fully operational (by revealing exactly how the Assembly handles Natural disasters) will allow it to remain into 2007 and on into my 2017. I will use the upgraded plans for the Hospital for my now timeline. It also means I will have a crap load of lifeflights from the attack as the criticals will be handled there. Thats the idea.

Finally, the Faking It! connection is gone as it will take too long to fully integrate into my world. I am keeping what I worked on in Heartbeat song but the fan fiction will be just that. Amy’s existential crisis of looking like Lorelei when she feels the exact opposite was in a fun challenge yet it detracted from where I am going with the story.So no Amy or Karma in my world anymore. Sorry.

I view Heartbeat Song be the connection to Song of Betrayal without actually tying into it. It will end the first series (which had Lorelei as the main character and Gwen as a minor character) yet open the path for Gwen to become the woman she is in Song of Betrayal.

Finally after this and finishing the editing of Song of Redemption, I will beack to open creation as that will finish the second series. (Song of Betrayal, Song of Redemption, Homecoming Song). Christmas circle is a follow up on A view from the street and not tied to the main story even though it has Tom in it.

The final 3 books (or next three depending on if I have more story) will take place in 2016 with the ressurrection of Lorelei, Gwen being queen and a musician like Becky, who at the time of this post, just finished singing at Club Nomatic in Houston.

That’s all for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jem was truly outrageous once but not today…part 2

#TheStorybookKiller  Ok so we established in the previous post, that a horror production company and a agent/record label exec hired a well known action director who grabbed his buddy the unknown screen writer to do Jem and the holograms and they did it badly. Sad thing is even the poster lies. The studio that brought you pitch perfect is Universal. Thats the ONLY thing the two movies have in common.

Moving back to 1985, you have Jerrica in her gap year. You have Starlight Music. Here is the interesting thing. Starlight music was founded in 1965 by Emmett Benton as an independent label. This is the age of the Beatles, rolling stones, righteous brothers, Four Tops and Beach Boys. Naturally any label would focus on rock or pop. Obviously they had to land a famous group (someone we would call famous now) to survive 20 years untouched in LA. The Byrds would qualify. Lets toss the McCoys. Finally, lets say that since Emmett was a brilliant visionary engineer but wasn’t that good of a music guy. However, he was friends with BoB Keane. He was more than happy to help.

Lets also say that in 1979 as starlight music was slowly failing, two things happened. Keane hired Eric Raymond from business school as he had a passion for both music and business. Second, Steve Wozniak approached Benton about his idea for the holographic computer he had commented on during the Apple ii launch two years prior. Together they design it and the full prototype is finished and operational on January 29, 1981.

After Woz’s accident, Emmett is left to teach synergy alone. He finishes one year later. That month February 1982, his wife and Jerrica and Kimber’s mother Jacqui dies of as brain hemorrhage. Jerrica is 17 and is a senior is high school. She ends her garage band dreams with her sister and her friends aja and Shana who are both 15 like she is.

1985 is midway through King Vann Natal reign. His only daughter is fifteen at the time. However, Emmett Cetus is very much aware of Starlight music. He is beginning his quest to absorb all the small players so his future grand niece will be able to have a place to sing. He’s a politico so he can see the future (kinda like minority report’s Agatha)

Of course Emmett has no interest in selling even though he hasn’t had a major band in 10 yrs. He believes Synergy will revolutionize music.  He hints at it to Cetus who is curious. However, Emmetts death prevents the grand reveal and thats where Jem begins.

1985 was the MTV era; Madonna ‘like a Virgin’ Reo Speedwagon, Phil Collins, Foreigner, duran duran, Heuy lewis, Back to the future etc. It was also ‘WE are the world’ this is the year Jem and the Holograms and the Misfits appeared. Misfits competed with Vixen. jem dominated a scene that was just beginning. In fact they would blaze the trail that Kesha, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez and even Gwen Breton would travel. In truth, Jerrica Benton was 1985 taylor Swift.

1988 the feud ends between the Misfits and Jem as Misfits move to stinger sound. Stinger sound was bought at the same time Pamplin was, December 2001 and was folded in.  This was the same year Raymond died of a heart attack as he was 60.

Because of Jem’s fame, numerous awards (American music, People’s choice and MTV VMA and EMA) the group continued to make money into the 90s. Eventually, the industry turned and jem disbanded in 2001 as well.  Jerrica sold the company to Emmett Cetus retaining all rights to her music and Jem’s.

So what does this have to do with the Assembly? Well if Jerrica was 20 in 1985 that makes her 50 today. She runs the foundation her father created with her money and occasionally writes music in LA. Aria’s mother spent a lot of time in starlight house helping out and looking for lost assembly members. Jerrica and her friends have always supported the assembly and continue to do today.

Sorry this is ponderous and long. I didn’t intend on this being a history lesson. Yet, thanks to the fact that the movie is bad, it will fail. When it fails the copyright is still locked so I still can’t use it in fiction. That’s sad because I would love to create an actual story.

Finally I want to say that the music is good and you will see it used in the current stories. It wont be attributed to Jem though it will be attributed to Loren Tate.

As for Song of Betrayal, I am in chapter 6 so things are moving swiftly. Nanorimo is coming and I am involved again. Look for good things!

Thanks for reading

Its not Ariel’s world but then again it’s not your world either

I decided that as I continue to edit ‘Song of Betrayal’ I would share a few insights into the world at large that the Assembly exist in.

1. Its similar to deep impact only without the impact scenario. Basically, the presidents congressmen and news anchors aren’t like ours. This is sadly more because of safely (anyone real can sue if I disparage them) but it allows more freedom. I always loved that movie anyway.
2. The ocean is 4 times more oxygenated than ours is.  The one reality I can’t get around is that there simply isn’t enough oxygen in the ocean for a mermaid to breath via gills. So i had to alter that. I opted to go with the firmament concept that is in KJV Bible. http://ift.tt/1KURVRo. This solves that problem and actually makes it easier to breathe at sea level.
3. Certain other movies and shows are apart of the Song of the Assembly reality. I can’t tell you which ones but if you read all the stories you can guess. Some hints are obvious. Others not so much.
4. Finally for now, Hitler didn’t die. He still shot himself in the head, but managed to live on (Yes, that is actually possible ). However, he suffered brain damage, impairing his memory and causing agonizing pain whenever he tried to access those memories, somewhat similar to the case of Clive Wearing .

The pain subsided, the confusion abated. I could see. I tried to move. I could do so but only in small steps as rusted cuffs tied my wrists together. The bore a symbol that flashed in my mind and excruciating wave of throbbing followed.
I was clean shaved There was something over my right eye, and the right side of my head was very warm. All I could do was look forward at a white wall. Cloth as I brushed the right side. No hair, just soft cloth.

I tried to remember where I was, what I was doing. Then, I tried to remember my own name.

The side of my head burned. I screamed curses in German before they faded to moans.

Six armed men stormed into the room, weapons raised. A doctor came and looked me in the eyes. The pain abated. The doctor put a light directly in front of my eyes. He smiled and nodded.

I was ordered to rise, and pushed forward. When I stopped to catch my breath, I was dragged out of the grey room.

All I could see were the armed men in front of me, and the wooden ceiling. I could still hear yelling. Such noise, I hadn’t heard it since…

Trench.

Gas.

Mask.

Bunker

Pistol click.

My head was on fire. I screamed, screamed for mercy, screamed for release, screamed for death. Screamed for anything to make the pain stop. I was punched and it all went black.

Something poked my arm.

The side of my head grew numb. As things cleared, I was facing two tables, one raised behind the other, with a dozen men glaring down at me. One of them spoke, reading off from a long list. It was spoken in English, I could barely understand a word. Someone to my right was repeating what was said in German, Something about Belsen, death, Jews, and an American bunker raid. They kept repeating a name, a name that sounded familiar but I couldn’t quite place.

They stopped talking and turned to me. The person infront of me said something, the German repeated it as clearly as he could, “Adolf Hitler, how do you plead?”

The memories returned. I knew who I was. Then, the fire in my head returned, and all I knew was scorching agony.

I said as clear I could. “I do not deny it. I, for my part, acknowledge another precept which says that man must deal the final blow to those whose downfall is destined by God. If this is my fate so be it.”

Silence reigned until the judge spoke. The man on my repeated it in German and I nodded. Let the pain be my cross to bear. I was walked out of the room and the pain dimmed until I saw what was left of the Fatherland. Again, scorching agony consumed me.

Hitler would live past the October 1, 1946 execution date of his comrades because of his hospital incarceration. In fact he lived until Sept 17, 1949 when he died alone of a cerebral hemorrhage. The Assembly claims that a effegy of Hitler was hung in his place but the Piscine in Taiji have his remains in their mausoleum

As for ‘Song of Betrayal’ itself, I am inside of the chapters that I wrote as fanfic. I have solved most of the problems that cropped up from the removal of Jen, having replaced her in the early scenes with Reagan. Still shooting for 70 k words.