Saturday, April 27, 2013

The A to Z Challenge! X is for X marks the spot!

X is for X marks the spot! Pirates! OK, I get that pirates starts with a P but I just couldn't help it.

The Night Children series covers a lot of history. The idea is that Annabelle and Roland would experience 300 years of American history. In book two, NIGHT CHILDREN: DARK CHANGES, Roland becomes a pirate and sails the open seas.

To properly depict this I researched pirates. I discovered several men and even a couple women whom lived dangerous lives on the open sea. I even wrote a scene where several cameo in the book. Roland meets Calico Jack, Anne Bonny and Mary Read...

Captain Bartholomew Roberts (known as Black Bart)...

and even Blackbeard himself...

It was fun including all these pirates. A beta reader pointed out that they really have no purpose in the book seeing as they only appear in one chapter. He's got a lot of points about this second revision so I need to cut stuff and rewrite a lot more. I hope to be able to do more with these historical figures.

Friday, April 26, 2013

The A to Z Challenge! W is for Werewolves!

Of course if I did V for vampires, you know I'd have to do W for werewolves.

Werewolves can be killed by silver. Silver weakens other mystical creatures such as vampires, fairies and dragons, but it kills werewolves. If you blow them up or behead them they'll die as well.

They have strength on par with Spider-man and have the speed and agility of the Black Panther. Their senses are as acute as Wolverine if not a little stronger. Some werewolves turn to large wolves while other take on a man shape in their wolf form. Few can become both.

There are two classifications of werewolves; Alpha and Beta. Beta wolves are your typical kind. They age normally and can die of old age. Alpha wolves are immortal. There are not very many of those kinds. All werewolves can lose control under the full moon and many have to learn to refocus and regain control of the wolf. Some have learned to transform even when there isn't a full moon.

Now that you know about my world in regards to werewolves, here are some fun pics...

Thursday, April 25, 2013

The A to Z Challenge! V is for vampires

Of course given what my main characters are in the Night Children series, is it any wonder what I would use for the letter V? Vampires!

Sunlight, wooden stakes through the heart, fire and beheadings kill them. Religious items hurt the bad vampires (but only if you have faith). Silver weakens all mystical creatures. Garlic only gives vampire heartburn.

They can eat regular food in limited quantities but it makes them sick. Of course their main nourishment is blood. Animal blood works just as well as human blood. The thirst can drive them mad but as with any addiction, it can be mastered to a certain degree.

Your basic vampire has super strength on par with Spider-Man, can move fast (as fast as Wonder Woman), has amazing agility (like Black Panther) and enhanced senses (like Wolverine). Some are better at these abilities, taking the strength to Thing lever or the speed to Quicksilver level (no vampire could move as fast as Flash or are strong as Hulk), for instance. But those are few.

Some vampires have mastered other tricks. Some can fly, some can transform to various nocturnal animals, some can mesmerize others and some can communicate with animals. Some can even turn into mist, move things with their minds or have limited control of the elements. Not all vampires can do these things, in fact most can't.

All vampires are immortal. Children and youth vampires age 1 year ever 100 years until they physically reach 18. That goes for their minds too.

Now that you understand the rules of my world, here are some fun pics I've collected...

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The A to Z Challenge! U is for Unicorn

U is for Unicorn, specifically Celeste the flying unicorn from Myths.

She is determined, serious and often stuck up. She likes studying and doesn’t like it when Eli gets into trouble. She does not like Frunz the faun or Lyndi the dragon. She has a soul bond with Eli. This means she has a telepathic mental bond with him. Celeste can turn to a human shape and remain it the shape of the tall, thin pale girl with long white hair. In her natural unicorn shape she has wings and can fire blasts of pure light from her horn. In human girl shape her extreme magic is backed up and can cause accidents. She is practicing to focus it into spells. Has a little sister back home.

Here are some pictures that inspire me for Celeste...

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The A to Z Challenge! T is for Tyme Travels

Vampires, elves and cross-dimensional robots aren't my only stories. I love time travel. I love Doctor Who and Back to the Future and any story where the characters see the past in a new light or experience an alternate future.

T is for Tyme Travels.

Tyme Travels is the story of Professor Justin Tyme and two of his students,  his son Nico and Cynthia Grey.

The story is only in the planning stages. Nothing is written but notes and things will be changed so I can't really tell too much right now. Suffice to say they will have to rescue their fellow students from various periods in history such as...

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Rome
One of the early ages of the dinosaurs
The Salem Witch Trials
The Revolutionary War
World War Two
Victorian England
The Old West
And even alternate futures like this one ruled by machines
So it's a fun story with lots of twists and turns. I'll give more details as I get closer to it.﻿

Monday, April 22, 2013

The A to Z Challenge! S is for StockBot-52

S is for StockBot-52, affectionately known as Stocky.




Here's a brief scene with him...









“So this image shows the whole Earth?”




