STAR CHILD “Step away from the child.” “Why do you worry about these inferior creatures?” “Step away. I will not say it again.” Claws and fangs tore flesh, blood bathed the walls. Hot sticky drops flew from the wounds of the monstrous shapes looming over him and hit his face. He woke up, panting, sittingContinue reading “Nightmare in the stars”
Tag Archives: Science Fiction
PRIMARY COLORS
A TALE IN BLACK AND WHITE The flash of lightning illuminated the rain-drenched gray stones of the castle walls. The deep rolling thunder shook his bones soon after. He ran a trembling hand over his brow. Sweat and rain mixed with the dirt and mud covering him. The high wall’s stones suffered the elements forContinue reading “PRIMARY COLORS”
Stellar Gift
This short story was inspired by a thought provoking meditative artwork by @SiriOpli. I hope you enjoy it, although, I did not do justice t the haunting image she created. Humankind was on the brink of extinction. Disease ravaged countries, rich and poor alike. The most industrialized and developed countries devised cures and vaccines. However,Continue reading “Stellar Gift”
Emotional Engagement
Hi, and welcome back. Last week, I ran a poll on Twitter to find out what authors thought about Emotional Engagement. The most surprising response was “What? I never heard of it.” I included that option trying for humor but turned out to be an honest to goodness answer. I’ll start by illustrating the concept.Continue reading “Emotional Engagement”
In Medias Res
In medias res translates from Latin as “in the midst of things”. Today, the advice of many academics, authors, and writers is that you should begin your narrative by plunging your Main Character (MC) into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events. The situation may or may not be theContinue reading “In Medias Res”
Every Story Has Been Told Before
Every story has already been told. Really? How come, then, just in self-published novels there were well over one million in Amazon last year? If we include what’s been published in the traditional publishing route, we will be up in the two million-plus novels, easy. Keep in mind, that does not include the novels that,Continue reading “Every Story Has Been Told Before”
What happened to stand alone SciFi novels?
Why aren’t there any stand-alone SciFi novels anymore? Last year, the first week of December, I finished the book I was reading. It was an analysis of the U.S. Constitution. I wanted to find out… I’m just weird. Let’s leave it at that. I posted on my Twitter account asking for suggestions from the #WritingCommunity.Continue reading “What happened to stand alone SciFi novels?”
Am I writing for a 1960’s audience?
Am I writing for the 1960s/1970s audience? My Science fiction novels tend to be stand-alone military science fiction novels, mostly having to do with an invasion. I asked for recommendations of a book in that genre and sub-genre and found that there were none as a stand-alone novel. There are plenty of series, but noContinue reading “Am I writing for a 1960’s audience?”
Book Titles
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. What are you up to, quoting the Bard of Avon, you ask? I’m glad you did. I have discussed book covers in another one of my posts. How they are veryContinue reading “Book Titles”
How important is a book cover?
How important is a book cover? Let’s talk about it.
T.J. Manrique Author 