If anyone how I would do an efiction or mediawiki database/install backup and restore, I’d appreciate the pointers.

But on another topic, I debated this week on whether to call the Shinigami element gods kamui or kami.  I had them tagged as kamui for quite a bit but I may be changing this to kami.

On my Age of Merrik series, I gave some thought as to some of the more popular drama and who is a favorite character.  In Rise of the New Masters, I may decide to have Oroco arrested and sentenced to hanging, leaving the rest of the crew to rescue her.  Should be interesting.

Subarashiki Konosekai/The World Ends With You is an excellent game.  You should make a sequel.  You should also make a movie and hire me as your screenwriter.

Sincerely,

Me

A TWEWY Fan

I’d recommend this game (DS).  I’d recommend the soundtracks even if you don’t want to play the games.

Another end to a long week approaches.  I’ve done a little more planning on some writing projects and revisited my romance book.  Yes, yes, you all out there know how much I hate them.  But, surely a romance novel that *I* write will be much better than those awful ones I read last weekend.  I have the perfect title for it, but I don’t feel like sharing.  Keeping it under wraps for now.

Meanwhile, this HIDEOUS piece of software known as Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition is really giving me some problems.  No, make that a lot of problems.  I don’t think it can handle dual install with prior (and better) Office Suites.  I am serious thinking about taking it off, but have no idea if I can put it back on in case I actually find a need for it.

Yep, not really seeing a need right now.

Sometimes I just want to scream, “Microsoft, keep your crap off my computer!”  I know I have their OS, but I don’t think that means I need to get flooded with the rest of their stuff.

Please, no Apple fanboy comments.  Apple just isn’t in my budget.  PCs are in my price range.

Well, obviously, none of them really get any of my time since I’m still in school right now.  But besides that.

I feel a bit stumped on The Age of Merrik.  Yes, I did this one to myself.  I had such a large cast of characters that I said to myself, “Let me condense this,” and I don’t think that is working.  So, forget condensing.  I’m just going to write as I want.

It’s really a hard toss up.  Do I spend time on a book that I already have one published?  Or do I spend time on a new series.   I don’t have a contract right now on a sequel per se, so do I put one on hold?

And I said “per se.”  Excuse the law student.

I had plans for writing over my previous summer break, but some of that went to studying for exams I had to take.

I don’t think writing fiction – apart from romance novels – why, WHY did I ask yet WHY are they so popular – can be an occupation for everyone.  It doesn’t necessarily put food on the table or pay any bills.

But I can still move forward.  Still write my love triangle with my favorite Shinigami (I did say I was going for a romance angle on this one), still decide Merrik’s fate.

I read some piece of “trash” (I’m being nice) short romance novels last weekend, trying so desperately to get the appeal.  Trying to even see what exactly to write to get a novel to sell.  I just can’t do it.  Not that sort of rubbish I read.  About every other chapter there was another hook up and guess what – the plot had not gone missing – the plot was so paper thin it could be seen through until next century.*

Trashy romance, you will not have my Shinigami.  Readers if you want sex in my books**, don’t you all have your own imagination?  I get it.  You want some in there.  Fine.  I’ll do the “Greek stage” thing rather than “Roman.”  Oedipus won’t be putting his eyes out on stage.

* If you didn’t get it, I mean these books were about a character meeting up and “hooking up” with other characters.  The “plot” was just a vehicle to switch from one partner to another and so on.

** You won’t find that much graphic sex in them if at all^.  I’m sure you all can handle that.  I’d still say some of my books would be rated “T” rather than “M”  [^Though is it graphic?  Maybe I'm exaggerating on it? - See Comment]

Adventure and action is my thing.  Elves are not.  They are always “We are so much better than you because we are elves” that it is disgusting.

So, where do I go from here?

I’m going to keep working on my novels.  Each one has its own characteristics. and writing styles that are appropriate to it.

Here’s a rundown:

• The Age of Merrik Prequel: Dark Desires – Eleya v. Zaedrif novel, prior to Merrik’s introduction.  Do you love your people more than the one you love?
• The Age of Merrik #2: Rise of the New Masters – Merrik and Eleya seek their missing people.  Meanwhile, Nathan returns from the dead (A favorite character of mine, though he’s only mentioned in passing in The Anointing) and seeks revenge on who slayed him while wishing to save his beloved Regina Eleya.
• Shinigami #1 – Supernatural.  Because being a god of the dead just isn’t enough for Kamishiro, he’s got to want the whole world.  Enter Shirayukihime, beloved protagonist.  Not gonna stand by and let it happen.
• Phoenix – Fantasy.  Multiple gods and mayhem.  More TBA.
• Megami Pandora – Science Fiction.  More TBA.

The Age of Merrik

• Jonas/Eleya
• Merrik/Eleya

Fan favorite: John/Miriam.  No, I’m not actually a fan, but I guess they are pretty cute together.

Other fan pairings: Jierin/Elisha, Ken/Eleya, Zaedrif/Oroco.  I think the first two are one-sided.  As for the last, sorry I just can’t.  Can’t really say either without saying major spoilers for the other books.

WordPress.com (as in the service for this blog) lends itself nicely to blogging.  Even lends great to multiple blogs.  For my own server, I liked WordPress MU in the past, but WordPress.org (WordPress software for your own server) is not so user friendly.  More importantly, the spam, including porn type comments are easily found with that software.  Advice to the web developer, ALWAYS screen comments before they post.  I do, but I know some of you don’t.  So as much as I really would like to use my own server for my blogs, at this time I am not going to.  Still got to wait for a decent software release.

I have been BUSY.  I’m actually crammed this weekend working on an edit – no, I don’t mean for my fiction writing.

Writing my own pieces, though of course not with all the time I would want, has been going well.  I’ve written some more on Shinigami and some background on others.  Most exciting, of course, is progress on Phoenix.  Quite a few references on characters having a celestial/spiritual “mother” of sorts, maybe a bit like Gaia, but with my unique spin on it.

Shinigami has all the drama at the moment.  I’ve wrote scenes here and there – not all linear quite yet – that are the important ones.  One of the best involves the scene I play Utada Hikaru’s “Devil Inside” to.  The protagonist god has finally come to face the “evil bad guy” god, knowing that there is no way she will win.  She can only try to harm him and hope her allies will continue her fight.  It’s incredibly dramatic as a writer to send a character to its death – a suicide gauntlet.  Yes, argue that it is for the “greater good” all you want.  It does not really change what the character must go through.  No, I’m not 100% happy with this god’s death, but it must be for the plot.  After all, in how many decent novels does no character ever die?

Ah, yes, I’m sure there may be some readers out there “flipping their lids” as the expression goes that I am writing about multiple gods.  Get. Over. It.  In fact, Megami, Phoenix, and Shinigami all – count that ALL – feature multiple gods (and if you squint, in the background mythos of The Age of Merrik, there is a secondary god character).  If you can’t handle that, really I’m not sure what to tell you.  This is fiction.  Besides, anyone who has ever heard of “Shinigami” should know that it means “Death God(s)” either portrayed as a species of gods or spiritual beings.  It’s been popularized in Bleach and Death Note.  But if you are a fan of either, don’t expect my Shinigami to be like either of them.

But a god can’t die.

Not necessarily.  Every author makes his own rules for the fiction ‘verse he writes.

Phoenix and Shinigami are the only two at the moment where the gods’ roles are very important, and Shinigami more so.  The others are ancillary.

These books are quite fun to write.

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If I don’t know you personally, I don’t mind adding you to my Facebook games list.  Though I’m sure most of you readers out there are mature individuals, don’t misinterpret this as I want to do internet dating or whatever with you.

I’m sure a couple of you readers out there are wondering, “Where have you been?”  I’ve been pretty much antisocial the last month, diving into the books even more than usual and finishing up a writing assignment.  It’s at this point I could be jealous of well-established writers that don’t even have to write to make money and can take whatever time they want to turn our their books.  I could be but I’m not.

I’m still working on various writing projects, but they are taking a big backseat to everything else in my life.  I do work on scenes here and there, and I am coming up with a very awesome finale to Shinigami #1.

Expect to see more in about 2 weeks when I may or may not move the blog to my own server.  My new host for the auxiliary sites seems to be reliable – aside from that wiki hack.  Spam bots are pretty tough now.  But I think I’ve found some lock out methods for mediawiki.

I have this new and pretty exciting idea for a Romance novel.  Yes, icky I said Romance.  They can be really insulting, mere porn as text.  But they make lots and did I mention lots of money.  I can’t figure out why.  Perhaps the readers either hate their sex lives or don’t have one and want one so they are living vicariously.

So, technically this new one is a Romance novel.  But don’t fret, I’m writing it.  Expect ACTION, ADVENTURE, INTRIGUE!

And don’t expect that awful rape fantasy.  No way.  Or raping of children portrayed positively.  To critics: NO I DON’T CARE THE CHARACTER IS 14 AND YOU THINK THEY ARE AN ADULT; THEY ARE A CHILD.  AND HAVING A DEMON/SPIRIT DOING THE RAPING IS JUST THE SAME AS A HUMAN CHARACTER DOING IT.  JUST AS UNACCEPTABLE TO PORTRAY POSITIVELY.

If only I won lottery so I could afford just writing all my books and not worry about other jobs. Sigh.

Okay fans, how about I have a new acronymn: TOR – That Obligatory Romance.

I’ve got a new TOR to write.