Aegelis's Blog
September 23, 2025
City Archangel Clara & Signals At Sea Updates
Woke up at around 4 a.m. to write down the ending for City Archangel Clara. I'm about 1/4 or 1/3 complete, depending on who does what in the story. Excited to finish, but will probably be another year at this pace.
Came up with the ending for Signals At Sea a few days ago and started on episode 5. Thank you for reading along this crazy collaboration! We're at a halfway point or more, I think, so it's going to explore a bit more, crescendo upcoming, and then resolution. The direction from here on is likely to be sci-fi with character development and comedic elements.
Came up with the ending for Signals At Sea a few days ago and started on episode 5. Thank you for reading along this crazy collaboration! We're at a halfway point or more, I think, so it's going to explore a bit more, crescendo upcoming, and then resolution. The direction from here on is likely to be sci-fi with character development and comedic elements.
August 29, 2025
Reactions to Authors: Silence, Motivation, Support, and All-In
Aspiring authors often dream of what post-publishing life would be like. Surely all of us would dream of starry-eyed readers hugging your book closely with a sharpie in hand, asking for a personalized autograph. On the extremes of this, a line of anxious people at an author signing or perhaps someone just saying, "Cool!" when you say you've published. Though certainly possible, early on, unless a lot of cash has been poured into such an event, the reality is much more subdued, varying greatly per person, but each reaction can be valuable to an author.
The silence, perhaps feared most yet most likely, is the realization you've published, blasted across all media you can think of, and yet even crickets withhold their sound. Congratulations, though, you've stunned the world! It's not that people disbelieve the quality of your work, but need time to recalibrate to the new role or idea. Imagine your best friend tells you they built a gyrocopter, and they had never mentioned it before. Pretty weird, huh? There may be a 'so what' crowd that wonders what your accomplishment has to do with them. Some may wish they had written a book or are reminded of a goal unaccomplished, finding this news to be a moment of conviction. Maybe some are afraid you took a piece of a.i. and slapped your name on it. Possibilities are as varied as the stars.
Motivation phrases can chime in at any part of the process: before publishing, during, after, long after. These positive statements may be, "You've got this!" and "Nice job!" which can help give a burst of energy to move forward now and then. Motivations aren't reading your book, but still, the encouragement can be a lift.
Support goes a step further. If there's interest in your material, it'll be picked up at a minimum to have and a maximum to be read through. Whether a review, sale, or both, there's tangibility from the interaction. For me, this is the most relatable, and I try to reach this mark to all persons I personally know.
Some people may go all-in. Whether you carefully craft a year-long masterpiece or sneeze on a page, they'll buy it, review it, and share it with everyone they know. A golden fan or fans are rarer than the precious metal, bringing reciprocity and joy that we dream of.
My learning from this is not to try to push others through categories or progressions. There's no sense trying to turn a silent reaction into support by hard-selling all the features and how much they'll enjoy the story. Even if your persistent charisma lands you the $2 - $3 profit on a book, no one likes being driven to that point. Rather, we should be like a butler serving a meal, set down the tray with the work on top, and let the diner decide if this is a dish they wish to partake. They may stare at it in silence for a long time, but end up licking the plate when finished; each action was theirs to take. Let us not dwell on what isn't found appetizing, but rejoice with those who complement the chef.
The silence, perhaps feared most yet most likely, is the realization you've published, blasted across all media you can think of, and yet even crickets withhold their sound. Congratulations, though, you've stunned the world! It's not that people disbelieve the quality of your work, but need time to recalibrate to the new role or idea. Imagine your best friend tells you they built a gyrocopter, and they had never mentioned it before. Pretty weird, huh? There may be a 'so what' crowd that wonders what your accomplishment has to do with them. Some may wish they had written a book or are reminded of a goal unaccomplished, finding this news to be a moment of conviction. Maybe some are afraid you took a piece of a.i. and slapped your name on it. Possibilities are as varied as the stars.
Motivation phrases can chime in at any part of the process: before publishing, during, after, long after. These positive statements may be, "You've got this!" and "Nice job!" which can help give a burst of energy to move forward now and then. Motivations aren't reading your book, but still, the encouragement can be a lift.
Support goes a step further. If there's interest in your material, it'll be picked up at a minimum to have and a maximum to be read through. Whether a review, sale, or both, there's tangibility from the interaction. For me, this is the most relatable, and I try to reach this mark to all persons I personally know.
Some people may go all-in. Whether you carefully craft a year-long masterpiece or sneeze on a page, they'll buy it, review it, and share it with everyone they know. A golden fan or fans are rarer than the precious metal, bringing reciprocity and joy that we dream of.
My learning from this is not to try to push others through categories or progressions. There's no sense trying to turn a silent reaction into support by hard-selling all the features and how much they'll enjoy the story. Even if your persistent charisma lands you the $2 - $3 profit on a book, no one likes being driven to that point. Rather, we should be like a butler serving a meal, set down the tray with the work on top, and let the diner decide if this is a dish they wish to partake. They may stare at it in silence for a long time, but end up licking the plate when finished; each action was theirs to take. Let us not dwell on what isn't found appetizing, but rejoice with those who complement the chef.
August 25, 2025
Expandword
My new word "expandword" is taking an acronym or shortened word and making it phonetic or clear, thereby longer used mainly when sounding like speaking or quoting someone speaking, not to reduce document efficiency.
For example:
Teevee for TV
Ellellem is expanded from LLM
Peesee is expanded from PC
Effbee Eye (space needed due to vowel crunching) from FBI
Fuhtuhwuh for FTW
Ellellsee is expanded from LLC
AyEye is a.i.
Birb for brb
Jaypee Morgan instead of J.P. Morgan
Kayeffsee for those who like buckets of chicken
If clarity is needed, capitalization can be included like: TeeVee, but would be like accent notation in French, take it or leave it.
Have fun coming up with more if you like! I don't know what I'm going to use my garbage Aegelish dictionary for, but it's self-entertaining at the very least.
For example:
Teevee for TV
Ellellem is expanded from LLM
Peesee is expanded from PC
Effbee Eye (space needed due to vowel crunching) from FBI
Fuhtuhwuh for FTW
Ellellsee is expanded from LLC
AyEye is a.i.
Birb for brb
Jaypee Morgan instead of J.P. Morgan
Kayeffsee for those who like buckets of chicken
If clarity is needed, capitalization can be included like: TeeVee, but would be like accent notation in French, take it or leave it.
Have fun coming up with more if you like! I don't know what I'm going to use my garbage Aegelish dictionary for, but it's self-entertaining at the very least.
August 17, 2025
The 'Why'
Dear reader,
I'm hoping a common theme is seen throughout the books I've published, though some more prominently displayed than others. Although one intent for me is generally to entertain (myself as well as other like-minded readers) or to inform, the important part, the purpose (or why), is the gospel message itself. Included with this core are other attributes as well:
X (Captain Ruik's Adventure): Prayer, Bible reading, redemption, listening to wisdom.
Sophizo: Based on Proverbs with the entirety of the Bible in mind.
Psycho Author: Sin, conversion, redemption, salvation
Specks of Shadows, Flecks of Light: Spiritual warfare, prayer, afterlife
Definitive Nobody, Derek Barley: Creation, purpose, conversion, faith
Signals At Sea: Design, mercy, miracles, fellowship
As wild or relatable as circumstances get, we should all have our attention on the greater message of what God has to say. Jesus says, " Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
Thank you for reading, wishing you the very best and blessings,
Aegelis
I'm hoping a common theme is seen throughout the books I've published, though some more prominently displayed than others. Although one intent for me is generally to entertain (myself as well as other like-minded readers) or to inform, the important part, the purpose (or why), is the gospel message itself. Included with this core are other attributes as well:
X (Captain Ruik's Adventure): Prayer, Bible reading, redemption, listening to wisdom.
Sophizo: Based on Proverbs with the entirety of the Bible in mind.
Psycho Author: Sin, conversion, redemption, salvation
Specks of Shadows, Flecks of Light: Spiritual warfare, prayer, afterlife
Definitive Nobody, Derek Barley: Creation, purpose, conversion, faith
Signals At Sea: Design, mercy, miracles, fellowship
As wild or relatable as circumstances get, we should all have our attention on the greater message of what God has to say. Jesus says, " Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
Thank you for reading, wishing you the very best and blessings,
Aegelis
August 1, 2025
Signals At Sea 3: The Texas Two-Step
Dreading how to explain the phenomenal event to high command, the USS Atticus is caught in a quandary: fully disclose the unbelievable truth? or to safely stick to little-known facts? Time for investigation is short as war flares just north of Guam at Iwo Jima. Called into a different kind of combat action, the destroyer joins a small squadron in a face-off against attacking planes and massive ships.
Can Atticus stay afloat? If so, will the ship and crew be silenced in secrecy?
Join Signalman Bill Johnson as he recounts the next exciting chapter!
Link is: https://a.co/d/cV2v21M
Can Atticus stay afloat? If so, will the ship and crew be silenced in secrecy?
Join Signalman Bill Johnson as he recounts the next exciting chapter!
Link is: https://a.co/d/cV2v21M
July 21, 2025
Why Did I Publish When I Did?
What was it about December 2022 that had me publish? Why not before or later?
There were a lot of factors, and I tend to expound, so I'll try to be brief and surely welcome comments for more details.
1.) My father said, "Did you know you can publish on Amazon for free?" after I mentioned I had written books just sitting on my shelf. Although I heard 'free' before, the deeper I looked into publishers, the more I saw such terms as contracts and/or requirements such as buying 30 of my own books. Amazon was print-on-demand and free to publish. You can get a book on the marketplace after Amazon publishes for free, but marketing is up to you, or you can pay for the service.
2.) I was waiting for an editor. Having next-to-no confidence in my ability to edit, lacking education in advanced English and general practice beyond school or work, I was hoping to hand over the stack and ask for professional editing when I could afford it. This changed when I went through 14 revisions for a scientific data summary that required months of meetings with other business and science associates before submitting. After that, I had enough confidence to self-edit. I use Microsoft Word 2016 in the initial review, then Grammarly for correctness, sometimes wording if unclear, but not for tone. Changes to tone seem to alter what I truly want to say or my signature style.
3.) I mostly forgot about the book X (Captain Ruik's Adventure) until my wife dressed as a pirate for Halloween, which reignited my enthusiasm for the story.
4.) Fear . What if someone reads it and hates it? What if many people read it and think it's garbage? I had to reach a point in my life where I could handle a failure as long as I had a story that I liked to read. I was VERY happy to hear someone else liked the story, that was gasoline for the fire. Sure, some people may not like it, but as long as I provide a fair expectation, I'm okay with this as we all have our likes and dislikes.
Many of us will say things like, "I wish I had done this sooner!" and sure, a part of me makes a similar claim but the tools were not ready before and I, myself, didn't have the eyes for quality and practice in communication, so this likely all happened at precisely the right time. Let us not wait for perfection to come to us, and know when good is good enough to move ahead.
There were a lot of factors, and I tend to expound, so I'll try to be brief and surely welcome comments for more details.
1.) My father said, "Did you know you can publish on Amazon for free?" after I mentioned I had written books just sitting on my shelf. Although I heard 'free' before, the deeper I looked into publishers, the more I saw such terms as contracts and/or requirements such as buying 30 of my own books. Amazon was print-on-demand and free to publish. You can get a book on the marketplace after Amazon publishes for free, but marketing is up to you, or you can pay for the service.
2.) I was waiting for an editor. Having next-to-no confidence in my ability to edit, lacking education in advanced English and general practice beyond school or work, I was hoping to hand over the stack and ask for professional editing when I could afford it. This changed when I went through 14 revisions for a scientific data summary that required months of meetings with other business and science associates before submitting. After that, I had enough confidence to self-edit. I use Microsoft Word 2016 in the initial review, then Grammarly for correctness, sometimes wording if unclear, but not for tone. Changes to tone seem to alter what I truly want to say or my signature style.
3.) I mostly forgot about the book X (Captain Ruik's Adventure) until my wife dressed as a pirate for Halloween, which reignited my enthusiasm for the story.
4.) Fear . What if someone reads it and hates it? What if many people read it and think it's garbage? I had to reach a point in my life where I could handle a failure as long as I had a story that I liked to read. I was VERY happy to hear someone else liked the story, that was gasoline for the fire. Sure, some people may not like it, but as long as I provide a fair expectation, I'm okay with this as we all have our likes and dislikes.
Many of us will say things like, "I wish I had done this sooner!" and sure, a part of me makes a similar claim but the tools were not ready before and I, myself, didn't have the eyes for quality and practice in communication, so this likely all happened at precisely the right time. Let us not wait for perfection to come to us, and know when good is good enough to move ahead.
July 12, 2025
Aegelish (What?)
Aegelish is the official tongue of poetic missteps, noble nonsense, and stylish unraveling, but all have a definition. May appear in Aegelis' books, stories, or posts. Fits well with ramwording.
Example words:
Chamokilometre, which is a unit of distance measurement defined by a shorter time of drinking chamomile tea while walking.
Hilaribeau or Beautifarious, portmanteaus of hilarious and beautiful occurring at the same time.
Sentence example: This minor tumble led to a cascadastrophe of chamokilometric scale, but I emerged with one sock and a hilaribeau bruise to show for it.
Pickuppoo: A dog owner's duty to pick up his dog's doody.
Chombit: Shortened version of "chomping at the bit". Example, "Stuart was chombit to get started on his new robotics project."
Tinninity: A musical kinship with certain songs because their pitch or tone matches one’s tinnitus. "I'm always singing Amazing Grace because it matches my tinninity."
Cascadastrophe, a small fumble or mistake that leads to further larger fumbles or mistakes. For example, spilling water to refill a humidifier led to spilling on a bookshelf. Cleaning the bookshelf sent dust into the air, which caused a sinus infection. (Word credit: Solomon Herberts.)
Windicator: A wind indicator which can be a specific meter, a weathervane, or even someone's hair blowing in a specific direction.
Idioms:
Dug up a petrified dino turd: Resurrecting an old, unpleasant issue that should have remained forgotten.
After two kicks, was done: Giving something a fair, brief try before walking away.
His/her sock is still in the dryer: Someone is mentally out of sync or not fully present. (My wife will attest to my always losing a sock when I do laundry)
Splashing biohazards: Causing unnecessary chaos, drama, or emotional messes, often contagious in nature.
Shaving the clouds: Putting great effort into perfecting something ephemeral or ultimately unchangeable; elegant futility.
Example words:
Chamokilometre, which is a unit of distance measurement defined by a shorter time of drinking chamomile tea while walking.
Hilaribeau or Beautifarious, portmanteaus of hilarious and beautiful occurring at the same time.
Sentence example: This minor tumble led to a cascadastrophe of chamokilometric scale, but I emerged with one sock and a hilaribeau bruise to show for it.
Pickuppoo: A dog owner's duty to pick up his dog's doody.
Chombit: Shortened version of "chomping at the bit". Example, "Stuart was chombit to get started on his new robotics project."
Tinninity: A musical kinship with certain songs because their pitch or tone matches one’s tinnitus. "I'm always singing Amazing Grace because it matches my tinninity."
Cascadastrophe, a small fumble or mistake that leads to further larger fumbles or mistakes. For example, spilling water to refill a humidifier led to spilling on a bookshelf. Cleaning the bookshelf sent dust into the air, which caused a sinus infection. (Word credit: Solomon Herberts.)
Windicator: A wind indicator which can be a specific meter, a weathervane, or even someone's hair blowing in a specific direction.
Idioms:
Dug up a petrified dino turd: Resurrecting an old, unpleasant issue that should have remained forgotten.
After two kicks, was done: Giving something a fair, brief try before walking away.
His/her sock is still in the dryer: Someone is mentally out of sync or not fully present. (My wife will attest to my always losing a sock when I do laundry)
Splashing biohazards: Causing unnecessary chaos, drama, or emotional messes, often contagious in nature.
Shaving the clouds: Putting great effort into perfecting something ephemeral or ultimately unchangeable; elegant futility.
April 18, 2025
Podcast Interview: Strangers In Common
Once upon a time, there was an indie author who talked a lot. This is his (my) story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ANeo...
Special thanks to Neil Benson and his Strangers In Common podcast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ANeo...
Special thanks to Neil Benson and his Strangers In Common podcast.
March 25, 2025
Signals at Sea
Working with co-author Runic Jones on a short World War II story about a U.S. navy destroyer encounter with a German sub. A touch of supernatural with a curious ending. Details to come.
#sub #submarine #worldwarII #wwii #uboat #destoryer #fiction #short #shortstory #writing #author #aegelis #navy
#sub #submarine #worldwarII #wwii #uboat #destoryer #fiction #short #shortstory #writing #author #aegelis #navy
February 8, 2025
Definitive Nobody, Derek Barley
Derek Barley was the ultimate ordinary guy until bizarre events started swirling around him like a magnetic force. From encounters with aliens and talking animals to a top-secret mission and a mysterious doppelganger, his life takes thrilling turns. With kidnappers, a fantasy quest, and a dash of romance thrown in, Derek navigates this wild ride while balancing his day job and love life. Submerge into this captivating tale to uncover the unexpected twists in Derek's extraordinary journey.
Now available for pre-order: https://a.co/d/6MP8tEY
Now available for pre-order: https://a.co/d/6MP8tEY
