book series

the Meniscus Science Fiction Series: updates

jane timsLeave a comment

I haven’t posted here in a while and lots has been going on. Since I introduced Meniscus: Rosetta Stone, I have finished two more books in the trilogy: Meniscus: The Struggle and Meniscus: Return to Sintha.

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Meniscus: Rosetta Stone … On Meniscus, Humans live under the rule of the cruel Dock-winders, and are unable to have families or Human communities. Abra, an historian, wants to change all that. She finds, by accident, a kind of Rosetta Stone, a mysterious document in the unknown Dock-winder language and the better-known Gel-speak. She hopes the manuscript will provide a clue to the downfall of the Dock-winders and sets out for the hamlet of Hath’men, the centre of the Resistance movement. But the way through the woodlands of Meniscus is not easy for a Human travelling alone.

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Meniscus: The Struggle … In the rebel village of Hath’men, on the alien planet Meniscus, expectations are stirring. Abra, historian, has found a secret document that may prove the downfall of the evil Dock-winders. Abra is stalled in her efforts, but her hope is renewed. when her husband Trath, thought dead, arrives in the village. Then, some of the Humans of Themble Hill come to help. As an incredible truth about the Dock-winders is about to be revealed, the loyalty of the Don’est, the Dock-winder child, is tested and the valuable manuscript goes missing.

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Meniscus: Return to Sintha … After translating a secret Dock-winder document, Abra discovers a hidden truth that could mean the end of the evil Dock-winder rule. With a plan to tell all Prell-nan District the secret, Abra and Drag-on, and Rist and Tagret, set out in opposite directions to spread the word to all the major cities. On their way, they encounter the various members of The Resistance and discover that all friends cannot be trusted. And, in the end, what changes will knowledge of the secret mean to the lives of the inhabitants of Meniscus?

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The next book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series will be released later this spring.

Meniscus: The Reckoning is in final format with all the illustrations complete. I have to incorporate my editor’s comments and paint the cover art before it is published. In this book, several of the characters introduced in the previous novels take a perilous journey to rescue the leader of the Human Resistance.

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In order to begin a new Meniscus project, I have been re-reading the series. You would think that, as author, I remember every word, but reading them after some time away, I found them new and a little mysterious. I loved meeting each new character and was able to see the gradual development of Don’est from story to story. I had forgotten that the Humans of Themble Hill had started a school to help Don’est learn good behaviour!!

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Next post, I’ll tell you about that new Meniscus project.

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All my best!

Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)

new book released!

jane tims2 Comments

Meniscus: Rosetta Stone is live on Amazon!

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Meet Abra and Trath as they try to rescue a manuscript written in both Gel-speak and Dock-winder. The manuscript is a kind of ‘Rosetta Stone’ which could unlock the mystery of the Dock-winder language. And could contain information to lead to the end of the cruel domination of all sentients on Meniscus.

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Rosetta Stone is the tenth book in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series (eleventh if you count Meniscus: 1.5).

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If you haven’t read any of the Series, Book One (Meniscus: Crossing the Churn), Book Six (Meniscus: Oral Traditions), and Book Ten (Meniscus: Rosetta Stone) would be good places to jump in to the story.

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Each book has a list of characters, a glossary of Meniscus-peculiar plants, animals and items, and a dictionary of Gel-speak. All the books are illustrated with my black and white drawings.

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I hope you will enjoy the new book and the new characters introduced to the stories.

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I will receive my copies of Meniscus:Rosetta Stone by November 15 and, soon after, they will be available from Westminister Books in Fredericton. Copies are also available at Amazon.ca here.

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Keep on reading!

Alexandra

(a.k.a. Jane)

A Trilogy in the Meniscus Series

jane timsLeave a comment

Next in the Meniscus Science Fiction Series? A Trilogy. Three books telling the story of how the Humans discover a way to overthrow the Dock-winder overlords.

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The books will be:

Meniscus: Rosetta Stone

Meniscus: The Struggle

Meniscus: Return to Sintha

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The books will feature two new characters: Abra, a translator and historian, who is working to understand the secret Dock-winder language; and Trath, her husband, a Slain, who deals in beelwort, the drug-of-choice on Meniscus.

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Their adventures take them to an amblion mine, a brothel in Bleth-nan, the hide-out of The Resistance movement, and every city in the North and South Districts of Prell. You will meet The Resistance movement in various cities: The Whirlwind in Enbricktow, the creepy triplets (the Shadow Builders) in Bleth, and the ragged members of Curfew Dark in Prell.

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Abra

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Trath, a Slain

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In the world of Meniscus, in the halls of the Museum of Dock-winder Legacy in Prell, is a statue of The Five Planners, leaning over a strategy table, necks entwined. I am certain they did not foretell the clever way Abra will bring the Dock-winder hegemony to its end.

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The first book in the trilogy, Meniscus: Rosetta Stone, will be available at Amazon on October 15, 2021.

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All my best,

Alexandra

(a.k.a. Jane)

Meniscus: Meeting of Minds

jane tims2 Comments

When Daniel, the Slain, rescues his wife, Odymn, from the clutches of the Dock-winders, he is bewildered to discover: Odymn does not know him. She does does not remember the last twelve years of her life.

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For the reader, Meeting of Minds means seeing the alien planet of Meniscus through Odymn’s eyes as if for the first time.

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For those who have read the earlier books, this means knowing more than the protagonist. The reader knows Odymn should not wander by herself in the woodland. She should not eat that weird plant. Water will not go down the throat so easily as on Earth. If she only knew, she can trust Daniel, the Slain.

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For those who have not read the series before, this is a great book to break in to the story. You can see this weird, dangerous world through Odymn’s eyes and get to know the characters she meets.

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Meniscus: Meeting of Minds is the ninth book in the science fiction series. It is now available through Amazon (just click here) or, if you live in the Fredericton area, in Westminster Books.

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All my best,

Alexandra ( a.k.a. Jane)

New book in the Meniscus Series – available soon

jane timsLeave a comment

The next book in the Meniscus Series will be available in six days. Meniscus: The Knife continues the story of Tagret and Rist. Tagret goes on a quest to rescue Rist from the Brotherhood.

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Tagret is brave and resourceful … armed with her knowledge of chemistry and her love for Rist, she will overcome the dangers of Meniscus and seek the help of some very unlikely allies to rescue Rist and bring him home.

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In this book you will get a better look at the Hooplore. Shaped like forkfuls of spaghetti and able to communicate telepathically, the Hooplore will show up just when circumstances are desperate.

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Meniscus: The Knife is the 8th in the science fiction series.

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Meniscus: The Knife will be available October 30, 2020 on Amazon. The countdown is on!

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All my best,

stay safe,

Alexandra ( a.k.a. Jane)

Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill

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“I never fall,” says Odymn.

“Really?” says the Doctor, as he examines her scars.

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In Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill, Odymn tries to cope with a loss of her independence.  With the embryonic community of Themble Hill growing around her, Odymn knows the support of friendship and love as she recuperates. But are they really safe in the new community? Will the Dock-winders ever leave them alone???

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You can find Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill in paperback format at Amazon here. The Kindle version will be available soon. For readers in the Fredericton area, the paperback will be available at Westminster Books after May 1st.

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All my best,

Alexandra

Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill – available April 14

jane timsLeave a comment

The Proof of my new book in the Meniscus Series has arrived!

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Meniscus: The Town at Themble Hill

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… On the alien planet Meniscus, against all odds, a small group of Humans works to forge a new life together. When a Dock-winder drone pays them a visit, Odymn and the Slain trek along the heights of The Fault, to make certain the community is not in danger of invasion. They find a new way to scale The Fault and a perfect location for building a new village. Matters are complicated when Odymn is injured on a parkour run and the Slain’s former girlfriend joins the group. Faced with a dangerous journey through the Themble Wood and the hardships of building a new community, are the Humans in more danger from themselves, the alien landscape, or their Doc-winder overlords?

 

… In the fourth book of the Meniscus series, The Village at Themble Hill chronicles the first days of community life on a planet where Humans are not allowed to associate and freedom is always at risk.

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home is the safest place … so build a home …

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Only ten more days!

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All my best,

Alexandra

series complications – time-lines

jane timsLeave a comment

I have published four books in my science fiction series Meniscus. The fifth book (Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill) will be released on April 14, 2018. I have four other books in DRAFT. Keeping them straight has become a bit of a nightmare!

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'Odymn falls' final
in ‘The Town at Themble Hill’, Odymn breaks her leg … not a happy time for a girl who loves to run in the Themble Woods …

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The planet Meniscus, with its interesting landscape and biology, suggests many possible adventures. A while ago, I began to think about a ‘spin-off’ featuring the stories of different main characters. I also wanted to include characters from the first books, to give them more background and a better chance to ‘speak’.

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To weave the stories together, I realised I would need to create a time-line for my books. This would help me to situate the new characters in time and avoid character collisions. I did not want characters who were supposed to be in Prell to show up in Sintha. I did not want dead characters to live after their demise.

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The time-line shows the books in the series, the number of days covered in each book, the seasons and the years. The first eight books are consecutive, flowing from one to the other.

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time line

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In my next book, I want to introduce some of the Human recruits to the Village at Themble Hill and tell about them when they were still captives of the Gel-heads. So I knew the next book would start before the end of book Four and continue until the beginning of Book Six when Don’est’s continuous, banshee scream splits the air of the Themble.

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'Don'est'paperback
Why is Don’est screaming? You’ll have to wait until Book Six, ‘Meniscus: Encounter with the Emenpod’, to find out!

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Plotting the time-lines helped me know what characters I could include, the seasonal components of the setting and how to merge the stories.  It also suggested to me that I should re-number Meniscus Six, Seven and Eight to better reflect the time-line.

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time line 2

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If you are writing a series, I suggest you add time-lines to your process. Think of your story in terms of time. Determine how many days pass during the story. Plot the sequence of your stories with respect to one-another. This will help you to avoid inconsistencies and incongruencies.  It will also help you be accurate if your setting has a seasonal component.

If you are dealing with time-travel, causality and paradoxes, considering time-lines is essential!

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Hope this helps you with the writing of your series!

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All my best,

Alexandra

 

 

ending a story

jane tims2 Comments

When I started to write my science fiction Meniscus Series, I had no idea where it would take me. All I knew was, the first story was there in my head, waiting to be told. Now I have four books published in the Series and five more planned. I have had to think about how I would end each book. I want each book to stand alone and yet I also want to segue into the next book. I also want the read to be satisfying and somewhat unexpected.

Meniscus: Crossing The Churn (here)

Meniscus: One Point Five – Forty Missing Days (here) (or free on Wattpad here)

Meniscus: South from Sintha (here)

Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb (here)

Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill (coming April 14, 2018)

Meniscus: Karst Topography (coming in 2018)

Meniscus: Encounter with the Emenpod (coming in 2018)

Meniscus: Journey to Bleth (coming in 2019)

Meniscus: Oral Traditions (coming in 2019)

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Crossing The Churn  Scan_20180120 (2) Scan_20170522  Meniscus Winter by the Water-climb

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Perhaps the most significant characteristic of endings has to do with outcome.

Do characters reach their destination or not?

Do they find the object of their quest or are they unsuccessful?

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'release of the feather' close up

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Beyond this, endings have other characteristics. Endings can be:

happy or sad

surprising or expected

exciting (active) or subdued (passive)

fated or governed by free-will

triumphant or disastrous

concluding or beginning

optimistic or pessimistic

encouraging or disappointing

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'Odymn hides in the leaves'

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With eight variables, there are many possible combinations. I did a quick analysis of my stories Meniscus: Crossing the Churn (blue dots) and Meniscus: Karst Topography (red dots). The endings are quite different, although they have commonalities. I have put in bold the characteristics of endings I usually prefer in stories.

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endings

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A book in a series may demand a different set of endings than a self-contained, stand-alone story. An ending that suggests a new beginning will make a reader read the next book to discover what happens next. A disastrous ending will entice a reader to find out how the disaster is dealt with in the next book.

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Not too long ago, I had a discussion with a reader who said the best endings are unexpected, but not necessarily related to the main objective, quest or destination.  The ending returns instead to something contained in the story that seems unconnected to the success of the mission or the eventual fate of the characters.

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A simple example:

A woman, whose husband is killed in an explosion, tries to rebuild her life. She searches for a man who will make her happy and after several failures, she finds him. The story ends at the wedding when she sees a man among the visitors who looks just like her first husband.

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'Belnar woos Vicki'.jpg

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The ending is, of course, is not independent of the story. Moreover, stories have a way of writing themselves, situation leading to situation until a conclusion is reached.

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When you finish writing your story, you have not reached the end. Now comes the editing! The ending of your story deserves a little analysis. Considering the ending with respect to the characteristics above may help you with the process.

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All the best in your writing!

Alexandra

 

 

 

 

Free Book … Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb

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wintercrop

From March 3 to March 7, 2018, you can get the Kindle version of Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb for FREE. Just click here to find out how the winter season goes for Odymn on an alien planet.

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Winter on the planet Meniscus is brutal — the plenty of other seasons gives way to scarcity and desperation. Unprepared for the months ahead, Odymn and the Slain find shelter with the generous Argenops, friendly furry creatures. When Odymn has to survive without the help of the Slain, she must depend on her own wits and her skill at parkour to survive the alien landscape of the Themble. But she is not prepared for new arrivals, group of survivors of a transport ship crash. On a planet where Human relationships are not allowed, ten people and an alien child take the first steps toward building a community.

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Hope you love the story of winter on Meniscus. And the story of how genetically altered Slains usually spend the winter!!!

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544818068

Meniscus Winter by the Water-climb