R.B. Thurman's Blog

This is the story of a story.

In the future, I plan to release a couple chapters of the next (or, the remainder of the last) book. While I would like to quote excerpts like I have in the past, I may find myself revising the past slightly based on some necessary edits.  I doubt it would require rewriting or revisiting past blogs, but if you’ve read my blogs and happen through them a second time a see a change, you’ve been warned.

The real problem with ‘part two’ is setting a publication date.  I have a few in mind, but I’m still bad about procrastination, and while the outline is largely done, I would still prefer to give it one (or three) more looks before I publish.

I’ve recently renewed these efforts simply because I had more time to do so.  But not that much time though.  Yes, I still live on Earth, I see what has been happening recently, and I was briefly and more directly affected by everything.  At present, though, I’m still working, so unlike many others, I don’t have a lot of unexpected free time.  The previous upheaval a decade ago I got to be one of the first to enter premature retirement, and while I wasn’t the first to lose my job today, I don’t try to think of this as a sign I won’t.

This makes finishing my book both a priority and not a priority.  If I publish it soon, there are a lot of potential readers I could briefly court; However, I would also need to be comfortable with the final draft (which, I’m not).  I also don’t consider publication a priority simply because I’m not going to replace my working income with my book.  Even with the incentives in place for those who enter premature retirement, I would actually be better off working.  Therefore, my vocation takes precedence.

So, instead, I’m still struggling to muddle through this edit as quickly as I can, while simultaneously trying to restart my blog. I will say these will not be the weekly updates they have been in the past.  Telling everyone I’m still plugging away is pointless.

Instead, I’ll try to blog about what is coming next, and briefly update everyone on this.  The first thing is I’ve decided to write (after part two) a novelette series of these books.  It may represent a less intimidating introduction to the series since you could pick one up and read through a portion of the story without the deep dive of the novel.  But, I’m also adding the details I couldn’t add in the completed novel.  And while some might wonder how much I left out, I’m estimating around 120k words.  The combined book is currently about 240k words, so the book(s) would have been roughly 50 percent longer.

I also realized after one reviewer commented that the pacing seemed too fast for him to comprehend, and this could be because there was an expectation of a more in-depth narrative, explaining every transition and why it took place, or a need to spell out details I thought were obvious but clearly weren’t for this reader.  Most readers haven’t had this challenge, but it is worth considering their viewpoint since they are also readers and may prefer to enjoy a more leisurely pace. The novelette series is that, but more.

The Novelette Series

First, it gives me the chance to clarify the beginning of the story.  One of the things I could see is that I was starting right when things were getting, well, haptic for Richard, and I didn’t give a frame of reference for why this situation was all unusual.  Even after reading part two, you may think this is just how things are for this prince in his kingdom. It also may not explain why certain places as the story progresses are more favored by his people over others.  Certain parts of Earth or other planets, etc.

Second, I can better explain Richard’s relationship to the various other parts of his kingdom, their relationship with Earth and with others, since this can help set apart why they react a certain way to provocations, and why others may choose to help (or not help) when problems arise.

Third, I think once part two is out, I think a fresh start for the series will help it progress. I’ve been more hung up on part two of this book because of what comes next, not so much this book.  I’m realizing that I left out so much that is critical to the very next book (the that if I started writing it now, it would be filling in all the blanks where the last two should have, and thus accomplish more with less.  And we’re not even talking about story revisions.  It’s mostly just forgetting to explain why this is, what this is, and where this is.  The where ended up being the hardest because I realized that certain events, it wouldn’t make sense without knowing where things are and why they’re important.  Also, mapping things out in three dimensions can be hard to render on paper, so I had a fun time figuring out how that kid kept all this stuff straight in his head when I feel like a 3d modeling program is a prerequisite for talking about this.  Oh well.

So let’s look at that first point: What is Richard’s life like before all this crazy happens? Hopefully, I’ll have finished the short story that addresses that for my next blog.

Thanks for reading!  Please like it and share it! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

It would be optimistic of me to describe this as a regular feature. Let the optimism begin…

In our last episode, We discussed the need to reconcile expectations with reality. Tempering the tempest that was a harbinger of future expectations, and thus enter a state sublime.

…

Wait, I think I was reading the wrong blog…

…

… Right, I have a book to finish. Let me start by saying the obvious: I’m not done yet. But, not because I’m not done yet.

I’ve actually completed the edits in the book. And I’ve even thought of when it will be released. But that’s not what this blog is about.

(Note: the following contains a discussion of myself in the second person.  The present me, when both are being spoken of, will be in ‘quotes’ or Italics).

Unfortunately, this blog is about me. ‘I’ thought about leaving out a blog about myself as my first post, because (to me) it seems pointless. I don’t read the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe because I like Edgar Allen Poe. I enjoyed it for its prose. And often, for ‘me,’ this is the issue with sharing more about ‘myself.’ With the recent changes regarding my book (not going to talk about that now), ‘I’ can see that my life does influence these decisions. But my present-day life experiences may not inform you as to why the story takes this course. In fact, as ‘I’ read the book myself, ‘I’ can honestly say I’m not whoever wrote this book anymore. ‘I’ wouldn’t have taken this approach, but I’m also not saying that it is itself a problem. I’m not a poet (or a person) like Poe. I wouldn’t even try. But that doesn’t mean his life didn’t inform his prose when he wrote.

‘I’ was left with a choice of how to proceed after these two books are published. ‘I’ decided to adjust my chosen trajectory (Ahem… we’re not going to talk about that yet!) But, yeah, we’re not going to talk about that.

Let’s discuss that young person who wrote this book instead. ‘I’ mentioned previously how ambition might have outstripped ability when he took this book up. Today ‘I’ can attest to that fact. I wasn’t prepared to write that book then because I’m sure I’m not ready to do so now. I’ve carefully reviewed the story, and what is clear is that as the series would advance (yes, there will be more books…, but we’re not talking about that now…), there would be a lot ‘I’ would need to flesh out I’m not presenting in the current book. Things that might be irrelevant in this novel, but critical to the advancement of the overall story. Simple matters like understanding how the Tyberian government works, or even the ‘meetings’ that Richard has referred to that he and his father participate, is not needed for the story at present. You just need to know they exist.

But as the book series continues, ‘I’ would need to resolve these interactions between various governments (including in the next book. Which we’re not going to talk about…), and figure out how this would happen. This kid had ideas about how this could happen, but since he was too busy developing the plot, he didn’t think through the bureaucracy that would be in place for the various entities.

He will be given some leeway. Government is not covered in-depth until the final year of required education when I attended school, and most things regarding government before this, when I started writing it, were typically at the state (some places would say provincial or within a prefecture) and local level. And, I started and stopped this book several times in this period. He was likely only (barely) familiar with the governance and democracy of the United States, and it should be clear this is only one governmental style in the approach commonly known as ‘democracy.’ There are many reasons to think a planet with a monarchy doesn’t have a democratic government, but there are still some reasons that show it can.  I never resolved that, and it has already affected what comes next.

‘I’ basically found that my edits were answering the questions I wasn’t asking at 14.  Rather than explain all of them in this book, I had left it to the reader to project how particular things function (and now, so have I).  And while that may seem like a burden I’m passing off on the reader, ‘I’ will point out that the second book is presently around 130k words, and I’m shooting for ‘succinct’ right now.  ‘I’ finally realized that the problem (and blame) didn’t entirely lie on him. These problems were also my fault.

My fault because ‘I’ didn’t finish what I started (till recently) and then chose to criticize the result of ‘my’ procrastination, blaming the younger me.  Once ‘I’ got past blaming him, ‘I’ realized he didn’t do too bad, as writing goes, and he did tell the story.  ‘I’ was just forced to realize that one book (split into two books and published separately) is not enough for this portion of the story.  There is too much going on.

(This ends my discussion of myself in the second person)

Before I start writing the third (which will likely not be the ‘third’ by the time of its release), I will revisit this novel and give greater depth to the story behind this story. By the end of the next book, I hope you will know Richard Tyberius better than at the end of the first.  By the end of the series based on this book (split in two, published separately), my hope is that you will know the universe that Richard occupies, and where the real dangers lie ahead for everyone in it.

It would help to discuss what brought about the need for this change.  And I will, in my next blog.  I’m planning to put it out a little sooner than last time, so stay tuned.

As a side note, some may have noticed that I had chapter 6 of my previous book listed as ‘someday’ being available to read.  That day was sometime last month. Please enjoy.

Thanks for reading!  Please like it and share it! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

There is a book I recall from school: Of Mice and Men. I remember that it was supposedly a gripping portrayal of how planning alone is not the same as execution. ‘Supposedly,’ because I’ve never read it.

Sadly, the one line I thought I remembered from the book was actually from a poem from my great-grandmother’s favorite poet, and the basis of the book. Probably could’ve gotten a better grade on those homework assignments if I had known that.

The line simply reads:

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley

Robert Burns

I’m told that the last part is typically translated ‘often go awry.’ But it seems even in this, I can say it makes a fitting application. Allegory was lost on me in my youth, so with a title like Of Mice and Men, I would assume the main characters were in the rodent family, with competing factions seeking dominance over a given domicile. Only to fail in this endeavor as a result of factors outside their control. This is why you benefit from reading the actual book, rather than drawing conclusions based solely on the title; because you’ll probably be wrong about the contents.

But that’s not why I used the reference. While I did misunderstand the premise of the novella, I didn’t misunderstand the point: How that even carefully laid plans can fail in spectacular, or even mundane ways.

This blog for example. I haven’t forgotten to write my blog. I fact, I’ve been trying to figure out how to do that since the first of this year (2019). I had really only prepared and planned through May, and that was because everything that would follow would be more focused on my next book (even more than now). A problem arose in this planning: I needed to finish the book.

At first, everything was going smoothly. I had time to write the blog, and still complete the edits to my book. Most of what I had left was cosmetic. Dotting eyes and crossing tees (really weird to write that expression…). Then, I realized that there were more substantial edits, of a sort that would be difficult to simply breeze through and move on. Some edits were such that I was forced to rewrite some aspects because I wasn’t aware of how actions in the first book would influence events in the second.

And I finally realized that 14-year-old kid did not sweat the details sufficiently. So, I made an executive decision to be a little more heavy-handed in my edits. I don’t know what he was thinking about to miss some of these things.

And that was in March, when I was supposed to be handing my layout back with my final approvals so I could start setting things up for pre-publication sales opportunities to readers, with a mid-May release.

As you can guess by now, I’m not there yet. My goal is basically ‘this year,’ and anything more specific than that is ambition outstripping ability.

This also means I will need to find more time to spend on the book itself, and while I would like to tell everyone that I am flush with sufficient leisure time to simply shift things around. May I remind everyone that I do this for a living:

This is a little different than less physically demanding jobs, though every job has its issues. Otherwise, they would just be hobbies that pay well.

I hope to share with you where I am in the weeks (and likely months) to come. It will just not be quite as often. Let’s start with this time next month, and see how my time is doing then. Thanks to everyone for your support as always.

As a parting gesture, I hope to make another blog this month to outline what I’ve blogged about, sorting the ‘Me’ from me, and sorting the various aspects of the book(s) into the themes they cover. Along with updating some of the tags for the blogs to better describe the contents. I realize now that I don’t think I made them very clear, and I’ll try to reconcile that. And yes, I did finish chapter 6 to add to the collection. I just lost it once again. Once I’ve found it, I’ll add it so everyone can read this installment of the first book. I probably won’t get any more added as I have the second to finish writing, and I might be changing some things after I publish this kid’s book.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

I think was implied in my last blog (which, it seems, I forgot to tell anyone about), but there is a reason to understand why this is significant.

Public shaming can be very useful in motivating a party to take action when the shaming is justified, and the offending party sees the impetus to make adjustments to remove this scorn. It is unlikely to be useful if the shaming is unjustified, or the party does not view a matter the same way. It loses its effectiveness as the result of one party is not seeing a matter of shame as such.

If you insist that your 7 foot 1-inch friend is not well-suited for being a horse jockey and ‘shame’ him into taking up basketball and they do, it would seem your efforts were effective. However, if this friend insists he was entering this sport anyway, it would imply your attempts to shame them were not effective, and further, even wasted on your part, since his actions were not determined from your shame campaign.

Earth (that is, ‘us’) is attempting to shame the Tyberian Empire. And while they (‘we’ again) think they (we) know what will make them feel shame, it would appear their (our) views on the matter are colored by their (our) culture.

Now, depending on your actual culture, some of the premises of the Pacts’ shaming efforts may not be ones you can easily relate to. Or, they’re too relatable. Much of the Pact view on the matter would likely be a composite since the story implies there are not enough of any given culture to impress what is the primary culture. Though, I will imply that because of where I was born and live, I realize I cannot eliminate all my cultural influences perfectly (or, at 14 that I was trying), and to suggest that is possible is equal parts ridiculous. I was trying, though. And the result was basically the Tyberians did not feel the ‘shame’ the the Pact thought they should.

But shaming can also have another effect. Shaming a party may also cause others to feel as you do regarding the matter, even if the party being humiliated does not. It could be that one person bringing shame will have no impact, but several may be more effective. And while this could imply that a consensus is more effective against the Tyberian Empire in evoking shame, I would point out that the story is speaking about the Pact wanting a war with the Tyberian Empire. The shaming may then have another purpose entirely:

Joe leans back. “It seems pretty clear that’s their intentions.”
 
Samantha nods. “I agree. In fact, I’m positive that’s their goal. Now that I think about the matter, calling yours the Alexandrian empire may play into that, too. To antagonize with a verbal slight. They … would make the Tyberian people appear to be the aggressors in the matter. That would make it easier to rally any neutral worlds to their side.”

Joe & Samantha Kershaw

Consensus-building could be more the agenda, than just ‘shaming’ the Tyberian Empire. Whether that is the case is something you will have to read for yourself.

Before anyone reads the book and insists I was misleading you, the comments above do not seem to imply shaming. However, shaming is only one way the Pact seeks to provoke. There are a number of things happening at the same time, leading to the result of a war. And we should understand that the goal is not to make the House of Tyberius ashamed of itself and nothing more or hope they will retreat from the diplomatic adversity.

My hope is next week to conclude with another party entering the fray in this book, but much will depend on my schedule. I have many engagements over the next few weeks, and I’m not sure I will have the next blog ready in time (or the one after. Because I know you’re wanting SO BAD to read about me again…). Hopefully, I’ll get it out. But if I don’t, I want you to know I tried. Till then.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

Spoilers Ahead!

With the previous book, I made a point in my blog that one should use discernment in deciding who the Silent Invader was. Because the characters are explaining who they think it is and why, but they may not understand who or what the Silent Invader is in the first place.

As a result, you have a second book where the protagonist is somehow still present, even though in one characters’ words, they’ve already defeated the Silent Invader.

So, who are they pointing to as the Silent Invader in this book?

In a word: Us.

Humanity has framed itself a threat in this novel to the Tyberian Empire. And I don’t just say that to imply there’s some misinterpretation of cultures that causes this war. At least, not on the part of the Tyberian House:

It would seem that the Terrans are not content in merely seeking a war. It appears they are now actively pursuing it, as though it were prey. They have officially ended trade with us and our allies and have made it illegal for their allies to enter our space. It seems absurd to me, with their own history of war, that they would believe this is their best alternative, out of the few options they want to give themselves.

Richard Tyberius

It will become clear that the people of Earth will attack Tyberius. This might likely introduce a few questions, like “why are we the enemy?”

Which is where I ask, “Why not?” Considering how some cultures can view another, more dominate one on Earth, this could seem a natural conclusion. If fear would govern one’s actions, many feel that ‘facing’ said fear can quell it. What better way to address humanity’s fear of irrelevance than to attack the strongest culture they can find, and win? Obviously the key to that is to win.

When this was one book, it was easier to draw the conclusion that humanity may choose to pose a threat to the Tyberian Empire based on some of their actions the reader would see, but the characters would not. But the key is how would this be justified? When you consider that in this story, the Tyberian Empire appears to act with a large measure of charity to humans, and even avoid forcing any alliance, despite implications their actions on humanity’s behalf require it (‘we’ think we have no choice in the matter). I would point out that in my blog about earth, humanity would be at its most vulnerable at their arrival, post-nuclear holcaust, so it wasn’t like the opportunity to finish humanity wasn’t presented, or even that the ‘threat’ they present is based on anything humans see from them.

The best way I could think of why just attacking the Tyberian house would be silly is by illustrating it this way:

Your house has burned down, and your neighbor next door offers to help you rebuild, even offering lumber, plumbing fixtures, lights, etc. to get your house back in order. Afterward, you thank your neighbor. Now, after your neighbor does this, would it make sense to tell your neighbor never to visit, never to come near you, and then try to burn his house down because you think its nicer than the one he helped you rebuild? Perhaps there is a justification as a result of the percieved bias in house layout or design, or even the contents of one house over the other. But as presented, it would be hard to mistake a kindness as a threat, especially if we realize that in many parts of the world arson is a crime, and justifying your actions in this way is unlikely to spare you from any punishment.

Thus, the reasons humanity uses to justify this confrontation are critical, since many people may not want to war with a person they think of as a friend, or simply provoke a party for the sake of provocation.

But, since this book is in two parts, these reasons would only be clear in this portion to come.

Next week though, we’ll touch on how this confrontation escalates.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

People change over time, It seems. They don’t simply remain stationary, but instead morph from one state to another. Especially the 20 plus years after birth. That likely has more to do with the whole ‘adolescence’ thing, but that is a conversation for another time.

No, actually I will never be talking about that. I think it better to discuss what changed my mind about dating. In the midst of this transition, it seemed a necessary change, but now I would blame a hormonal imbalance that creates a dystopian hallucination in the mind. One where certain decisions can lead to an immediate loss of life. Or a sensation along that line. But, it ends up you’re just worrying about courting a mate, and making reckless decisions toward that goal.

Perhaps I shouldn’t say ‘you are.’ I’m sure since I’m describing the situation I was experiencing, it may not be as ‘relatable’ as I think. You’re more than welcome to comment below on what this was (or, is) like for you, but since I promised to talk about myself this month (and the court-ordered restitution stipulates it), I will fulfill this legally mandated blog.

Where was I…

Dating! Right!

In this respect, I was probably late to the party. ‘Girls’ were the enemy until they became women, likely because like me, they seemed to be a constantly shifting target. An action deemed ‘nice’ by one girl was deemed ‘mean’ by another (or even the same after a few days!) And, given how I already chose to refrain from contact with them (within reason. It wasn’t like when they walked into a room I wore gloves and hazmat gear. After the third or fourth box of supplies you start to realize that SCBA hazmat gear is pretty expensive) understanding why wasn’t a priority.

But, this was with ‘girls.’ At some point in time, my peer group went from ‘girls’ to ‘women.’ I say ‘women’ rather that women because like me, they appear as adults, functioning largely like adults, but still influenced by the dystopian haze that surrounded people under a certain age. I’m trying to think of a better word to describe this state. This haze seemed so pervasive that you wouldn’t think there is a reality separate from it. And it can be so influential that one can (wrongly) conclude everyone sees things this way. Like this is how we understand the real world.

Kind of like the Clouds of thought… Sorry, talking about me.

The only thing I could perceive clearly in this haze is that women behaved like sane, typical humans. ‘Girls’ in my mind, did not. So ‘women’ were a varible I was unfamilar with when I was younger. I don’t think that I never saw them, I tend to blame the limited field of vision I had with the cheap hazmat gear I was buying at the time. Along with simply not talking to ‘girls’ to begin with (the gear WAS a little off-putting…).

The challenge with ‘women’ is that with their similarities to women, one could quickly conclude there is no cause for concern regarding them. Even when these ‘women’ spoke with other women, they seemed to be of a similar cohort. Obviously with this being my reference point, my conclusion is that these ‘women’ were women.

Until something happens. Typically a ‘woman’s’ reaction is not the same as a woman’s reaction. From my observations, when a woman sees something burning, posibly due to an error on her part, she quickly resolves the matter to mitigate the damage, preventing further (if any) harm. When a ‘woman’ is in the same situation, they can be paralyzed, or resorting to hyperbole in describing the situation, but finding difficulty actually addressing the problem. This often would lead to a matter escalating needlessly and me getting yelled at for observing this exchange. Because, I obviously didn’t do anything, either.

Thus, like ‘me,’ ‘women’ were learning to function in this dystopian reality, lamenting that life would descending into chaos until we’re fertilizer and eaten by bugs.

Wait, I think that’s me projecting onto ‘women.’ I can’t say I spoke to many long enough to have that level of insight into their thinking at the time. It’s not that I didn’t try; I was just terrible at conversation. I think I’m only slightly better now because of their willingness to volunteer helpful insights, like ‘the weather is not a feeling,’ or ‘answer my question!’ Very helpful.

It also is helpful having people around assuring you that death is not the only thing left after finishing school and starting employment. There is more to life than that, it seems.

While I could relate specific encounters with ‘women’ as examples, I think I have fulfilled the requirements of this month’s court-ordered exposition. Next week, we’ll look at what is coming in the next novel.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

Because nobody is perfect, the Maelstrom is not, either.

Like all the characters, the Maelstrom has limitations. I touched on one in the previous blog regarding the need for trust in their peace process, but I glanced over the fact this peace required buy-in from parties who were not apart of the original negotiation. But, they are still required to enforce it.

For some of my readers, this may seem a reasonable expectation, given the benefits of the effort. For some readers, this could represent an unusual requirement of a participant who likely wouldn’t know any alternative before being subject to these requirements. Often what influences how you would view the situation is a combination of experience and perspective.

If your parents gave you rules regarding a curfew that you liked and your parents liked, your experience with that will likely affect how you would view the curfew and living under it. If you didn’t like some aspect of your curfew and your parents found it an unpleasant issue to bring up (for them or you), everyone involved is not likely to have a great view of this curfew, or anything similar.

This ‘bias’ regarding the Maelstrom influences each of the groups subject to the conditions in place. For anyone who has read my first book, you may think you understand how Richard and others in the book likely feel about the requirements since Richard is one of the first to express his viewpoint on the matter:

My father, the King, however, found a condition of the treaty was our houses had to unite in marriage (of our own free will, I might add), in order for there no longer to be a division between us. Well, other than the free will aspect, my father, the King, feels this is an equitable solution. Good he did not ask me about it

Richard Tyberius

Richard appears to display a ‘bias’ regarding this condition of their peace. So, does his view reflect that of the Tyberian house or the people of Alexandria? I think that question is best left to the series since there are nuances that a simple answer can’t reflect accurately.

But, it is something that the Maelstrom presents as a challenge for assuring continuous peace for the three worlds. In the novel, an explanation for the identification of the Maelstrom is presented, in order for everyone to both know who the Maelstrom is, and be reasonably certain that the entity is indeed the Maelstrom. However, as seen by the comments given by the Maelstrom:

“Those in your future do not have the same appreciation for the arbitration of the Maelstrom as you do. In fact, the manner of verification is no longer practiced.” 

The Maelstrom

So, how do you fix this problem? I would like to tell you this book answers that question, but I can’t. I think it does show how an answer can present itself, and even the lengths the Maelstrom will take to ensure the peace.

In developing this series, I had developed a pretty vast history and future for the characters, and this series is an attempt to map out one of the more interesting epochs for these three houses. I’ve thought too about presenting some other periods of their history, to illustrate both the challenges for the Maelstrom, but even the challenges for others to not act when they think they can speed the process along.

This could make clear that for the Maelstrom, there may be potentially more to consider beyond just the three houses. Consider: there are other parties who deal with these three houses, and even their influence can affect their peace. The Maelstrom has already made clear there are limits to his influence, most notably, that everyone has to have buy-in for him to be effective. How do you counter this? As you read the books, you will see how the Maelstrom overcomes even this.

Next week, I am forced to speak about myself. Hopefully I can come up with something by then.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

Whenever the Maelstrom enters the picture, think of it as a major problem needing solved. Because if you’ve read the first book, you know how often that happened.

As a result, his presence in the second book is not merely a sign of the advancement of the story. It is also a sign of some issues coming to the fore. One concern could be the relationship of our newlyweds:

“I was so upset with your actions that I was preparing to return home.” She looks down. “I was prepared to divest the House of Maxia from the House of Tyberius…”

Princess Rebecca

With challenges like this presenting themselves, and with all that is presented as paramount to occur in the story, the Maelstrom is at the center of resolving these problems. When I developed the concept of the Maelstrom, I was initially thinking he would cause problems, by their insistence of certain actions being taken. Thus the name.

maelstrom
 noun
1: a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius 

2:  something resembling a maelstrom in turbulence

However, I think that as I’ve read the passages, the Maelstrom appears in, it would seem they are more a tempering force than the source of the tempest.

With that perspective, I altered my view of their presence. I might have thought they were going to need to be a more assertive presence in the story, based on what I had actually based this character on.

In a previous blog, I had mentioned I was also developing a graphic novel while developing this novel. And some characters made the jump, in a way. The image I’ve been featuring this month is actually the character from the graphic novel the Maelstrom is loosely based on, though in the graphic novel I don’t think the character had a name (Or I forgot it). The personality was supposed to be similar, and even the background. But, ultimately, the Maelstrom is radically different.

Whereas the character in the graphic novel could most certainly influence the physical world, this character cannot, except under very specific and limited circumstances. Their efforts are contingent on the parties who’ve agreed to the mediation accepting the direction provided. An important word is central to this agreement: Trust.

If there is no trust, the agreement will fail, and so does their peace. I can point to a number of ways that show that this trust is present throughout this agreement (even up to the period of time the book covers), but it’s worth noting that there’s no reason to think everyone was in love with the direction provided by the Maelstrom:

“This is work of that stupid Maelstrom! If he had not put that stupid curse on our people, I would not have to care —” 

???

The Maelstrom likely can realize when is the best time to ask for participation, and when it is best to let a matter rest. As can be imagined, there may be a number of injustices the Maelstrom could witness over the course of their assignment, and as even the history Richard has shared shown, they did not intervene in every single problem.

While to some parties this could be a reason for all the problems in the present, it could also be seen that it could be the reason that there aren’t more. When it comes to looking at past choices, it is easy to look at a given situation and wonder ‘if a different action was taken, could a given problem be avoided?’ The answer is… Maybe. Even knowing the answer may not change the decision made, since you may still feel that this was the only viable choice. Knowing that buying a new car could’ve prevented a serious maintenance issue had today is meaningless if you couldn’t afford a new car when you made your purchase.

For the Maelstrom, some of the decisions could be viewed from this perspective. Intervening in another problem, though sparing some pain there, could prevent them from accomplishing their mission of ensuring the overall peace. Being everywhere could possibly make them less effective.

There is possibly another reason why they don’t intervene everywhere, but at this point in the series, even for me, that’s speculation, since I haven’t nailed down some of their final roles. I have in mind who and what they are, how they do what they do, and even why this is even a thing.

But, I would also mention that I can also see the benefit of their limitations, in a sense, since it will focus on developing a relationship with the parties they mediate for. If you knew you could just step in a fix a problem, without help or permission from anyone, some likely would. But, if you had to explain how to fix the problem, it will take a different approach than the first, and likely more struggles to ensure success.

Next week, we’ll focus on what the Maelstrom can’t do for their charges.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

Sorry about last week. Busy, Busy. This month, that’s all I had time to share. Let’s move on to this month’s subject.

The Maelstrom

The Maelstrom makes his first appearance in the story late in the (second) book. He presents himself both as a guide and an arbiter, helping to assure the peace the Tyberian Empire exists under, and ensure all parties to the agreement both follow through with the requirements and not undermine the peace they asked for.

This section of the series brings to light the similarities the Tyberian Empire has to Earth, in that various factions are at times working for (or, usually, against) a common goal of peace and harmony with their neighbors. While it can seem that war on Earth is the goal to some, often war is usually to settle a matter so that there can be peace. Rather than get into the legitimacy of a given war(s), it can be agreed that war is rarely sought for amusement. The cost (both in lives and in supposed economic impact) history has shown it is never worth starting a conflict for ‘fun.’

The people of the Tyberian home world agree with this sentiment. Thus, they sought mediation. Which came with stipulations Tess shares with Joe:

Tess steps forward to Richard’s console. Joe follows her, but stares at Richard’s door as it closes. “What just happened?” he asks in a high-pitched tone.
 
Tess looks up at him. “As part of the conditions of their peace accord, the Maelstrom would make periodic visits,” she says, smiling while she raises her hands, gesturing quotation marks with her fingers, “‘as they deem necessary.’”

Joe and Tess

Peace for the three houses is not secure. I mentioned a little about this in this blog, but the book makes clear by this point that this ‘peace’ requires a lot of work. A LOT of work. It also requires buy-in by all parties, and this is also a problem that the Maelstrom even brings up in addressing Richard’s commitment to peace:

“The Maelstrom realizes you have experienced a lot of changes in the past few weeks, but you have obstacles that will require maturity to handle.” The being points a shriveled digit at Richard. “You will have to grow up faster if you hope to survive this confrontation.”

The Maelstrom

But, Richard is not the only problem with keeping the peace. Or even the biggest problem as the Maelstrom will relate:

“Her parents’ marriage was arranged, much like yours… However, their families did not seek to make the best of their situation. Instead, they were scheming to kill one another. This left the now collasping Maxian government in a state of systemic compromise.”

The Maelstrom

All of this is important because of one of the conditions mentioned in the first book for the peace to last:

“The head of a mediation family known only as the Maelstrom was called in to direct the peace talks.” He looks up to Richard. “With their suspected mastery of time, this race devotes their efforts to finding peace for warring planets.” He turns again to the scroll. “After a few months, we had put down arms against one another. But the Maelstrom said in order for the peace to be complete and to last, our families must unite. 
 
“Obviously, we did not. Then, about twelve hundred years ago, The Maelstrom checked up on us. When they saw we were still separated and animosity had built up between us, they warned us of the doom we faced by not respecting their wishes. They said that within twelve hundred years’ time, our worlds would be destroyed because of this… 

King Mordecai Tyberius

This then will affect how this peace is maintained. Two things we will look at this month:

I’m not sure whether to start with the positive or the negative, so I decided to write about what they can do first. Hopefully, it will reflect on why the Maelstrom can do what they do. See you then.

Thanks for reading!  Please like and share! You can follow on Facebook, Tumblr, and read excerpts from The Silent Invader @RB_Thurman (and follow!), in addition to the chapters I add here. If you prefer, you can also read my posts on Goodreads.  Your comments are always welcome below.  Also, sign up now to receive notifications for when the next blog arrives.

In the present, I’m working on a few things that have become all-consuming, and due to time and circumstances, I’m not able to write about myself this week. Some of my blogs I can prepare (partially) in advance, in case of such an event. But MOTM is one I usually write in the present (about the past) and I usually try not to heavily plan it since I change what I what to write about myself. I may still put a little bit out about me, but since MOTM are my least read blogs, this was a good week to finish up my switch to another publishing company. Hopefully, I’ll be done by the end of the month (January? Maybe? No?).

What can I share till next month? Hmm… I don’t know. I’ll think of something…