Maxim (Also no last name because, Peacekeepers)
Maxim is the tactical officer aboard the Ghost. He’s Zephyr’s Significant other and the team stoic.
Like serious stoic.
As a Peackeeper his last assignment was a intelligence analyst and operative.
Maxim is fun to write because he is truly that strong and silent type, but he’s incredibly competent. When he speaks the team listens and takes note.
He also is a massive fan of bacon.
Once Dan Voltz did an amazing job at capturing the crew!
I’m nearly done with Adventure Inc. Book One: Let’s Adventure (It’s a working title). I’m really liking this group of characters and can’t wait to see what adventures they get into.
Sofia handed Jason a pistol from one of the guards and knelt to rummage through the myriad pockets and pouches in their uniforms. She withdrew zip ties and moved to take care of the three unconscious men. Looking at the one with the knife wound she looked at Jason, “Savage.”
He shrugged, “I said I was sorry.”
Thinking he had an opportunity the African man took a step toward Jason, who immediately re-aimed his pistol center mass on the man. “Cute, not stupid,” He said smiling. The other man scowled.
Sofia walked over and gestured for the man to put his hands behind his back. As she secured him with two zip ties, she leaned towards his ear, “Coulda been so much fun.” She tutted.
Jason shook his head as he watched her. “So inappropriate.” He leaned down and hefted one of the smaller guards up over his shoulder, “Let’s put ‘em in one of the far rooms.” He nodded toward one fo the doors set in the wall opposite the doorway that lead back to the main complex. As he started to head toward the indicated door the floor shook again.
Sofia is the team muscle. I had initially planned on having Jason be equally as capable, but liked the idea that he wasn’t in fact an operator. He’s sometimes clumsy, not a gret fighter, and has pretty mediocre aim. Sofia doesn’t even allow him to have rifles on missions usually.
It’s looking like early 2020 is when you’ll see Adventure Inc. Book One: We’re On a Boat! (It’s a working title)
So this past weekend participated in MileHiCon. It was… Just ok. I don’t put any blame on the organizing team per se. It sounds like last year they went really big (50th Anniversary), and this year the programming chair took ill and ignored (Probably rightly if they were ill) email starting in April (Not sure why they didn’t say something sooner, shrug)
I had a 2 hour slot in the Author Co-Op, a shared table space next to Author’s Row. I also had a seat on a panel.
I ended up paying for an extra ticket (I bought a ticket for nicole and myself at the end of September) but that’s ok, it wasn’t a lot, and the volunteers didn’t seem to have a ton of information (even those assigned to the participant greenroom) so it wasn’t worth puzzling out with them. Or dealing with that puzzlement, as several seemed highly disinterested in being helpful. I don’t know if it’s normal for this Con or not, but the volunteers seemed to have little to no knowledge of, well, anything. How to check people in, how do deal with participants, etc.
We (My amazing and supportive wife came along) made sure to arrive an hour before my spot at the Co-op table. I met my (assumed) table mate, JT Evans, great guy. We chatted while the current occupants of the Co-Op packed up. Then we realized there were 5 of us there to set up.There were 4 spots. Oops.
About two weeks ago I got an email confirming the Co-Op stuff, there was a tiny screenshot image of the schedule, I was on it. The gist of the email was confirming participation, essentiially If you’re on this tiny image, you’re good to go. Or not as it turned out.
There’s a tripod sign with some kind of hand sign up for the open Co-Op spots and someone had written themselves in. Hence the problem. Thankfully one of the organizers came over and explained the illness and the wholly borked internal stuff she was dealing with, including a disconnect between the previous person, and the tools they were using to organize things. She very kindly found me a table. Upside, I had a whole table to myself. Downside I was at the end, alone and in front of a door to some type of kid’s activity room.
There is definitely a “Gravity” aspect to these things (I think. My sample is small right now). JT had been on a panel or two before our time slot and many people came by having seen him and bought books. The guy next to him, also sold a few books (He may have sold books no matter where he was, not trying to imply otherwise). I sold none, but did give out a few business cards to people interested in eBooks more than paper (Can’t blame them). I don’t know if I’d have sold any sitting next to JT or not, but since I wasn’t selling, I was watching :) He had by far the most visitors. He’s also been around and knew a lot of people so had lots of friends stopping by. People are drawn to crowds (Gravity, right?)
So that was a bit of a bust, but a great learning experience. I’m glad I wasn’t selected for the Author’s Row my first time out. That might have been a bit much for my first time out. I’d be curious how those folks did, since the four hours I was there, i never saw a crowd, ever. At best a trickle of a few people here and there.
I was selected for a panel on “Createspace, KDP and you” or something to that effect. Basically Self Publising 101. It was at 7pm. Next door was “How to write good sex scenes” and in the main area was the Cosplay parade. I had low expectations for turn out.
We actually had a not bad turn out. The room probably held maybe 30 and we had about 12 or so. Oh and the moderator was a no show.
The same email with my Co-Op spot on it, included a few PDFs one of which was a panels 101 kind of thing with the questions the moderators of other panels planned to ask their panelists, so everyone could be prepared. My panel wasn’t included. I didn’t think anything of it, figuring the moderator was going to wing it. In hindsight I’m guessing the moderator didn’t even know they were the moderator.
The panelists have all showed up, I shared the table with Jonathon Brazee, that was cool, he’s a great guy. No moderator. I don’t know if the time keeper reached out to an organizer or what, but at 7 he closed the door and kind of shrugged, “Guess it’s just you all” and sat down in the back row. The guy at the end, a small publisher, took the lead as moderator since the rest of us didn’t much care. He didn’t do a horrible job, but was very anti Amazon, which given the title of the panel was a bit surprising. I’m no fanboy, but still.
The panel went fine, some great questions from that side of the table, and great insights from our side of the table. I even gleaned a thing to try out :) The stand-in moderator did an admirable job.
It was a bummer it was a manel, I don’t know if the moderator was also a dude, but in their absence, manel for sure. I know it’s hard to avoid, but I’d have given my spot up in a blink to an non-dude. Ah well, not my circus, not my monkeys, as they say.
I’ll give MileHiCon another shot next year, the folks were all very nice, and the other authors were great. Nicole accompanied me and did some surveillance around the con and picked up that this year was a bit lackluster after last year. Less budget after the spend last year, and overall disorganization. I’m well aware of what goes into events, so am not holding this year against the team.
Meet Zephyr (No last name, because Peacekeepers).
Zephyr is the First Officer on the Ghost. She pretty much just assumed the role after her and Maxim were brought aboard the Ghost by Wil.
She also tends to be the responsible one when compared to the rest of the crew.
She’s Palorian, a race with very aggressive and warlike tendencies that early on is “helped” by the Tarsi, to find a less destructive outlet for their militaristic tendencies.
I’m really pleased with how well she came out. Her no-nonsense attitude seems to come out in her face really well.
I’ve been hesitant to have the crew put to paper (or screen) because characters always look one in our heads, and to most readers, it’s never the same.
I have to admit, I was also afraid she wouldn’t end up looking like I picture her, but the artist (Dan Voltz) did a great job to get her to match up to my mental image!
That’s right! Settled on a cover, have opened pre-orders!
Are you chomping at the bit to see what kind of trouble our band of misfits can get into on Earth? Well the wait is almost over!
December 23rd, just in time for folks to unwrap shiny new ereaders.
If you know you want to read it please go grab your pre-order. I’m hoping to beat Space Rogues 4’s pre-orders. It’s an ego thing, sue me.
In Space Rogues 5: So This is Earth, the crew goes to, well, Earth (it’s in the name). They have some neat adventures (You’ll have to read it) and spend a while away from the Ghost.
Of course they get back to the ship though, she’s their home.
“Damn I’m glad to see her,” Wil says exiting into the clearing the Ghost is sitting in. The ship looks just like when they’d left her a few weeks ago.
“It’s kinda ugly.” Agent Smith says entering the clearing, next to Maxim.
The tall Palorian looks down at the human, “It is a she, and she’s the best ship I’ve ever been on, and she’s beautiful.”
Smith makes a face, “I’d hate to see the other ships then.”
