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Filtering by Tag: Ukumog

Short story about a pyramid

Louis Puster

Hi everyone! 

Soon, I will be posting chapter one of a short story set in the world of Ukumog.  While the story isn't completely finished yet, I imagine that it will probably be three chapters, and does not include any of primary characters from the series.  The story takes place after Wracked, and at the same time that the events in Desecrated happen. 

My plan at the moment is to post chunks to the blog, and then put the entire story in the Ukumog section of the site.  I may also make it available on the Kindle store, but I have not made up my mind about that yet. 

Those of you wondering what this story has to do with the saga, and where Book 3 is, fear not.  This story is tied with the main storyline, and I want to introduce these events to people before Flayed is completed and released. 

Weddings, Maps, and Things

Louis Puster

Recently I went to the island of St John for a lovely wedding on the beaches there.  It was the first wedding I had ever been asked to be in as a groomsman, yet somehow I don't think it was like any other wedding.  The bride and groom gave each other a high five after they were pronounced instead of the customary kiss.  I do so love my friends.  I have some pictures from the trip that I might post sometime in the future.  

Rather than stride boldly directly into writing Book 3 of the Saga of Ukumog, I have been doing other work on the whole series and the world.  The most recent project is creating a map for the world that isn't a pile of hand-drawn scribbles.  A map that I might someday be able to present to the fans of the series.  Well, here is a tiny taste of the work in progress:

As you can see, there is a lot more work to be done (even what you see might be tweaked a bit), but I wanted to share this tiny fragment with all of you since I haven't posted in a while.  More to come in the future!


Currently, I am debating attending a local convention this fall and trying to promote my books.  Ultimately it would be amazing (and nearly impossible) to have book 2 available before the convention, but it is very unlikely.  I am still trying to work out the details of that trip.  I would rather not wander the halls with a backpack full of books and trying to talk to people about the series.  I have always done much better with that sort of thing when I have a table or someplace set up for me to chat with folks.  Last minute planning though might leave me without a specific home amidst the ocean of con goers.  I will let you all know when and if you can find me at any cons in the near future.


Until next time, internet.  Be well!

Revisions and short stories

Louis Puster

Right.  Since my last post about writing, I have finished my proof of Book 2 and sent it on to a few trusted folks for them to have a go at it.  Honestly, I find the whole revision process the most annoying and frustrating thing about writing.  I didn't realize this when I set out to write a book, but it is actually impossible for anyone to completely proof/edit their own stuff.  It simply cannot be done.  Well, I suppose if you had magical powers or indeed had made a deal with some greater power for the ability to write perfectly with a natural knowledge of how your intended audience would receive said perfect words, then you might be able to do it.  But without magic, it is kind of impossible.  

The problem is that you can't always know what combinations of words mixed with tens of thousands of other words will, with out any chance of failure, tell the story you want to tell.  There is also the comprehension factor, wherein your audience might not completely see all the implied or hidden things where the words don't say what you want to share.  I have found this particularly difficult in a first person story wherein the "author" doesn't exactly know what is going on, like say in Wracked.  Things left unsaid, or tiny problems of continuity that the main character misses don't always speak to the audience.  Sometimes people just get confused.  Whereas when I read it - I know exactly what Wrack is missing or trying to say.  So it isn't easy.


Ultimately, my big problem with revisions isn't the making changes part, or the add things to clarify part, or even the this is too much part.  My problem with revisions is the waiting.  I am an impatient person when it involves the things that I am working on.  I want to do them well from the get go and share them or even move onto the next project.  It's the doing that I enjoy, not the waiting.  Perhaps, I just need to learn to be more patient if I want things to be the best that they can be.


Ok, so...  Today my intention is to work more on the secret Short Stories that are a tiny thread in the Saga of Ukumog.  I want to finish these up and share them with everyone (again with the impatience).  When I left off, I was about a quarter of the way through the overall story.  My goal is to quickly finish the first half, because the story will be told in two parts, then perhaps work a little more on Book 3.  I just can't seem to stay away from Wrack, Brin, and Avar.


Between you and me, I am aching to work on Book 3.  Like you, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Music of the Soul

Louis Puster

I am not a musician.  When I was young my parents tried to get me into music by letting me experiment with different instruments.  My natural impatience always got the best of me though, because I wouldn't improve fast enough for my overactive personality.  I have, however, always had a bit of music in my soul.  There are a few nameless tunes which I think are my own that seem to arise within me during certain states of mind and such.  I hear them drumming in my head, and feel the pulse of the strings in my heart.  It can be very powerful, especially when the outside world is quiet.  

It is hard for me to write without music.  Most often when I am writing I have my headphones on and the volume cranked.  Sometimes I even dance and sing a little while at the keyboard, and I am grateful that there is no video of any of that.  Tonight, this musing on music has made me wonder about the characters in my series.  My mind turns to try and listen to the music that runs through their souls.  What is it that Brin hears when there is no sound but he crisp flames of a campfire against the cold air of the Spikelands?  Does Wrack hear violins, or is it wind instruments that compliment the flow of his heart?  And more than anything, what music does the audience hear when they read the words that tells the story of Ukumog?


When writing Wracked She Wants Revenge drove the pistons in my fingers.  The second book found me listening more to the likes of Daft Punk in the beginning and then as I came to the end it switched to listening to Adele.  I love how someone else's expression, even if it is focused on a completely different subject, can fuel another person's creativity.  In the absence of the greek gods of old, have our own artistic expressions become the modern Muse?