Woot! They're publishing my first Kindle Worlds story. :)

[bamaphilosopher]

Hey, everyone! They've accepted my Unity: Kindle Worlds story, the Pandora Protocol. I had to change it a couple of times because I wanted to use Erica Pierce at first, and that was against the rules. So I have a new female antagonist, Pandora, but her origins are very different: she's a virologist who wants to destroy all men (thanks mainly to an abusive husband who left her) with a virus she has created, and she makes a deal with Master Darque for the necromantic power to achieve this goal, against the Valiant heroes the Geomancer Kay McHenry assembles against her. See excerpts three posts below! I hope you like...

It's a sixty-six page story, and it'll cost just $1.99. (All the Kindle Worlds titles cost between .99 and 1.99, depending on length, I think).

I've already begun working on another one, which I'll be submitting soon. Anyway, just wanted to share the news. I'm excited about it. I love writing, I love Valiant, and Kindle Worlds is an awesome outlet for fans like us.

I've added my Amazon Author Central page to my signature here, too, so that folks can check out other Kindle stories as I write them.

Anyway, thanks for your time, and thanks especially to Valiant for granting fans like me this kind of creative outlet. I hope you enjoy the excerpts below.

Richmond West
(bamaphilosopher)

[bygranddesign]

Congrats!

[bamaphilosopher]

Congrats!

Thanks, bygrand!

Cool, my signature now links to my author central page.

At the moment, the Kindle Worlds story is in the middle of my author central page...if you arrange it by price, lowest to highest, it will pop to the top.

[bamaphilosopher]

Here are some excerpts:

Medicine Bow National Forest
West of Laramie, Wyoming
Wednesday morning, 9:56 a.m.
My name is Kay McHenry, and I’m a Geomancer, a keeper of a sacred lore and power, whereby I hear the voice of the Earth, along with the voices of living things and even inanimate objects – and the Earth has been screaming to me about an ingenious doctor from New Orleans, a woman, who wants to become “Pandora,” who, in great anger, plans to use her medical skill to create a virus, which will destroy all males in the world. The Earth fears she will go to a necromantic sorcerer, Master Darque, and offer him this plan in exchange for awesome power. And of course he will grant her wish: such a gender genocide plan, if carried out, will skyrocket the necromantic power of Master Darque, so much so that he will become unstoppable, and if he shares his power with her, so will she. The Earth is terrified. Since the Earth feels threatened, I have called Gilad Anni-Padda, the Eternal Warrior, the Earth’s fist and steel, its protector. I’m still pretty new to all this, but Gilad’s lived thousands of years, and he’s known dozens of Geomancers. I feel safe around him. For many centuries, he has sworn to help Geomancers like me do the Earth’s bidding. I’m reluctant to tell him about this “Pandora,” though – I don’t know why, maybe I’m just scared, too frightened even to talk about it. The Earth itself is sore afraid, and it’s rubbing off on me. After all, this could be the end of everything. The weight of the world lies heavy on my young shoulders: I mean, just a year ago, I was a young blonde television personality; now, the Earth itself wants me to help it – such a responsibility! But what can I say? It’s a calling I can’t ignore. Gilad and I ride together on horseback through Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming. I’m riding a black and white mare, while Gilad rides a mostly-white horse with black spots. Gilad, with his long dark hair and deep eyes, is an ancient Sumerian, and he’s fought for the Earth for millennia, though I swear he doesn’t look a day over thirty. He’s kind of cute, too. Don’t tell him I said that. It’s kind of awkward having a crush on someone you work with…especially when he’s so much older than me, and boy is that an understatement. But he’s so protective of me, and I admit, I like it.
“Kay, I love that mare you’re riding,” Gilad says. “She’s an American Saddle Bred. You picked a good one. They’re great over western terrain and they’re beautiful horses.”
“She came to me when I called,” I say. “I didn’t pick her – she picked me.”
Gilad asks, “Do you like my Appaloosa stallion? He comes from an ancient, awesome breed…I rode them for over a thousand years in China. I’ve always had a soft spot for them. The Chinese emperors I knew called them celestial horses.”
I tease, “But we’re not in China, Gilad.”
“No,” Gilad chuckles. “This one I got from a Nez Perce friend in Oregon…American Indians: they know how to treat horses.”
“He’s a stunner,” I smile. “You sure know your horse breeds.”
“I’ve been around awhile,” Gilad says. “You pick up on a few things when you’ve lived as long as I have, and ridden thousands upon thousands of horses over the centuries.”
We ride in silence for a while. I still…don’t have the courage to tell him about this diabolical doctor, this “Pandora.” Maybe, instead of fear of the future, I can talk to Gilad about the past, of the tales of kings and emperors I see upon the mountains’ rock faces. Maybe a look at the past will allay my fears for the future. The mountains tell me stories. After all, invariably, history repeats itself. This coming Pandora, she bears a lot of pain, a lot of heartache that she can’t let go, and she wants to punish the rest of the world for her grief. Maybe…there have been such demons before, people who tried to destroy others; in this sense, maybe this Pandora is not so unique. Nevertheless, I have never felt the Earth so afraid. The Earth cries out that it has never faced a threat like this: an exponential increase in the Darque power that could snuff its very existence.
I point to the western horizon: “Isn’t that mountain beautiful? It tells me they’ve named it Medicine Bow Peak. The mountain tells me it likes that name; it evokes healing.”
Gilad responds, “Gorgeous, but it’s not all that exciting to me…I’ve seen many such mountains over thousands of sojourns across the Earth. You look at things like mountains with eyes still young. It’s hard for me to be as fascinated as you are, Geomancer. I mean, Kay. I’m probably as old as that mountain. You’re still so young, so innocent.”
I smirk, “Oh, come on, Gil, you’re thousands of years old, true enough, but you’re not as old as that mountain.”
“Well, maybe not, but sometimes it feels like it,” Gilad smiles.
I muse, “You know, mountains tell stories, if you learn how to read them. Tales of kings and queens long past. See? Just read the rock face. Look at the side of the mountain. It draws pictures upon stone. It draws stories for you, for all of us. It wants to show you, and tell tales of emperors and civilizations long past. It wants you to know the past, so you can prepare for the future. Just look, look at the mountains.”
“I don’t have your gifts, Geomancer…I mean, Kay. I protect the Earth, but I’ve never been able to hear its voice. That’s your job. And I’ve seen and experienced more of all the cultures long past than any mountain can tell me about.”
“You don’t have to be a Geomancer to read rock faces, Gil. Surely your Native American friends have told you this. Stones speak. The mountain wants to whisper its stories. Learn to look at rock faces and read them. Just look…look at the mountains. See? There’s a queen who could never let go of her anger; she finally destroyed her people. The mountain has carved that tale into rock, but it’s subtle. You have to learn how to read it in the stone. Can you see the weave of the story along that rock cliff, after I point to it out?”
Gilad sighs. “All mountains look the same to me, Kay. Sorry. It looks like a craggily cliff to me. I’m a warrior, not a seer. Always have been, always will be. I will fight until I have no fight left in me. But surely you didn’t summon me to ride horses all day and stare at the Rocky Mountains, beautiful though they may be.”
I say, “You’re right, Gil. I need your help with two things…one is relatively minor, but the other…I’ll need major help. Consider this the calm before the storm.”
Gilad responds: “In herds of wild horses, the stallion follows the mare. Until it’s time for battle…and then the stallion charges: it seems to me that has always been the way of things. It’s an apt metaphor for my various relationships with the Geomancers over the centuries. I’m always like a stallion following a mare. What is it you need? As always, I strive to serve the Earth. I am its protector. You are its voice. Ask, Geomancer…Kay. I will endeavor to serve.”
***
University Medical Center
New Orleans
In the car of Dr. Sana Bhatnagar, virologist, in a parking lot outside a local bar
Friday night, 11:54 p.m.
My name is Doctor Sana Bhatnagar, a virologist originally from India, and I have a question for the cosmos. Why is there evil in the world? I just don’t understand. Maybe I should just embrace evil…go with its flow. I’m tired of getting hit and hurt by men. I hate men…they’re all rapists, they’re all killers. I want to destroy them.
In his book Human, All Too Human, Friedrich Nietzsche laments that Hope is truly the most evil of evils, for it prolongs humanity’s torment.
Why do I keep hoping? I was once a wife, in addition to an accomplished virologist…but my former husband, Narayana Bhatnagar, abused me and then left me for another woman. So I once had a husband along with my dream job…everything I ever dreamed of, right? Yet, I can never let go of the pain from my past. The cycle of abuse just continues in my mind. Alas, my life is a sad joke, a comic tragedy. So here I am sitting in my car, drinking my life away. Alcohol is the only way I know how to cope.
In my culture, back in India, widows are looked down upon. When you see that red dot, the bindi, on an Indian woman’s forehead? That vermillion dot is a mark of beauty and purity. It usually means she’s in a state of auspiciousness…which means she’s not a widow. In southern India, girls can choose to wear it. But in other parts of India, it is the prerogative of a married woman. My husband abused me, and then left me. I can no longer wear the symbol of purity upon my forehead. What does that make me?
I look in the rearview mirror and see my reflection: I have beautiful Indian skin and dark hair, and I’m petite. I would be a good-looking woman, if not for the bruises on my face tonight, and my bloodshot, drunken eyes. And yes, I’m angry.
A few blocks away, I see the silhouette of New Orleans’s University Medical Center, my place of employment.
Yes, my former husband Narayana verbally, emotionally, psychologically, and physically abused me, and I kept coming back: and then he left me for another woman. The audacity! I can’t believe I ever loved him. Now, I hate him. I sit here and think of that for a while…I dwell in my anger and my hurt. I still live in my past…I can’t let go.
My thoughts return now to my car, in the parking lot of this dive bar, and my lonely vigil.
But I think of a powerful female, a female from mythology. I think of Pandora. She inspires me.
Hope…wasn’t that what was left at the bottom of Pandora’s jar, or box, or whatever it was? In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by the gods. That’s why I like her. Each of the deities helps create her by giving her unique gifts.
But I…what has life ever given me? Nothing but men who give me heartache… What god has ever helped me?
I’m sick and tired of being abused by men! All my relationships with men…it’s been an endless cycle of abuse. I’ve had enough. I need a hero, a champion. So I’ll become one. And I have a plan to do just that: I have heard of a sorcerer here in New Orleans with great necromantic power, a “Master Darque,” who could give me all the power I could ever want. And I think I have something I can offer him: massive death; I have been conceiving of a virus which can attack the Y-chromosome. It would target men throughout the world.
***
“Gilad, brother, can I speak to you alone for a moment?” Armstrong, also known as Aram Anni-Padda, asks Gilad.
“What is it, Aram?” Gilad asks, moving with him to a corner of the room.
“Brother, I’m not like you,” Armstrong says. “I never wanted to be immortal; back in ancient times, I tried to stop our elder brother Ivar from activating the Boon. That killed a lot of people, just to make us immortal. I’ve never been able to live with that, through the centuries. I’m a poet who likes to drink, not fight.”
“Aram, think of it this way,” Gilad persuades. “You remember all those people who died, because of the Boon? How many more will die by the hand of this Pandora’s virus? Surely, you don’t want to see massive carnage, if you can help stop it?”
“I…I hadn’t thought of that…I guess you’re right,” Aram bows his head.
Gilad urges, “Come, sign the Pandora Protocol. I know you’ve never considered yourself much of a warrior, and I often tell you you’re not dependable. But I’ve seen you fight when the chips are down. You’re tough. We need you. I need you.”
“You…need me?” Aram asks. “You’ve never admitted that to me before.”
“Well, I only say that because the stakes are high,” Gilad smiles. “Don’t get used to me complimenting you. Believe me, it won’t happen often.”
***
“Who dares summon me?” Master Darque, an albino man with multiple tattoos, snarls at me I enter his sanctum.
I say: “Master Darque, I presume? Can you smell the death that I bring you? I have created a virus, which has begun killing men all over the world. I offer this to you as a free gift. I hope I have reached out and touched you.”
“Yes, I have felt my power growing,” Darque states. “Why give me such a wonderful gift? Are you expecting something in return?”
“Well, yes, I was hoping for something,” I grin. “Surely when men find the origin of my virus, and trace it to me, they will try to destroy me, but first they will try to torture me in various ways, to obtain the cure. I could, of course, kill myself now, and they would never find the cure. But I’d rather watch as men suffer. I’d rather be victorious against them, strike them with great power, whenever they try to hurt me. I would like you to grant me necromantic power, Master Darque, so that as the deaths of men throughout the world grow in number, my power will grow, as yours does. Surely, with all these millions upon billions of coming deaths I will be giving you, you will have power to spare?”
“Ah, so it comes to that,” Darque nods. “You speak boldly to me of your desires. That does impress me. But all you want is power.”
“It would behoove you to grant it to me. My virus can’t attack certain men, such as Harbingers…or that X-O Manowar. I doubt it will affect one of your main adversaries, the Shadowman of New Orleans. Grant me the power, and I will help you destroy them, too. I can help you, I will help you, against all these threats, if you grant me the power to absorb necromantic energy from all the deaths I am causing. Yes, this X-O Manowar is a grave threat, and there are many others who may join him, people with all kinds of strange and unique gifts, who call themselves Harbingers, like I’ve said. Some of them have even been on the news. I’ve watched for a while, I’ve seen many signs from behind the scenes. There are powers in this world which would resist you in your growing power. I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew; I want to assure my victory with you as my ally. I want to be by your side.”
“Do you really hope that I will help you?” Darque frowns.
I answer, “I am Sana Bhatnagar, but I want to be ‘Pandora,’ one who brings ills into the world of men. And you…you thrive on necromantic energy, Master Darque. In other words, when people die, we all know that it gives you power. With my virus, I have given you death. Grant me necromantic power, and I promise you mayhem. Thanks to me, your power is skyrocketing. That means others will view you as an immediate threat. Let me be by your side in the fight ahead. If the death of many is what you crave, I have given you rewards beyond measure.”
Darque responds, “Yes, I can smell many upcoming deaths emanating from your virus. It is delicious. And you promise me yet more death, against my enemies? I will love the taste of the billions of deaths your virus will bring me. I’m intrigued by your desire to gain necromantic power and fight by my side. Please, continue telling me about your plans. I’m listening…”
***
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The regional office of Toyo Harada, head of the Harbinger Foundation
Now in a secret location, after the worldwide revelation of Harbingers due to the “Ax leak”
An intercom calls to Harada: “Mister Harada, your scheduled visitors are here.”
“Please, show them the way in,” Harada responds.
The tattooed albino, Master Darque, and his newfound necromantic ally, Pandora, enter Harada’s office.
“My, such powerful guests,” Harada says. “And your power is growing as deaths throughout the world mount, I take it? I am honored you requested this meeting. What can I do for you?”
“I think the question is: what can we do for you?” Pandora says. “I plan to destroy the world of men, the world you defied on that aircraft carrier a while back. And I see that one man in particular could stand in my way: Aric of Dacia, with his sentient alien armor. And there are others, his allies. But you, Harada, consider Aric an enemy as well.”
“Yes, that is true, I do,” Harada nods.
“Then join us,” Master Darque says.
“And just what are you getting out of this deal, Darque?” Harada asks. “Yes, I know who you are. I make it my business to know the ‘powers that be’ in the world. However, I will not call you ‘Master’…you are just Darque to me.”
“I will ignore your obstinant tone for now. My power is growing beyond you. In any case, if you know about me, then you know the answer about what I’m getting out of this deal,” Darque responds. “There have been deaths from her virus, and many more deaths are on the way as men suffer throughout the world. That can only give me more power.”
“Just what kind of vision do the two of you have for the universe?” Harada asks. “It is a very tempting offer, I admit, to join with powerful forces like you. But I’m not sure your vision matches my vision. I mean, creating a virus that’s attacking the Y-chromosome, and killing men throughout the world? That does not fit my vision.”
“Does it matter?” Pandora asks. “I’m offering you the chance to take out your worst enemies. Aric of Dacia, Pete Stanchek and other Harbinger renegades, Bloodshot and Project Rising Spirit, and so many of your other foes: the three of us possess greater power than they do, now that the rising death toll has put me in your league. Together, we would be unstoppable. After our victory, we could then divide the spoils of war. Your Harbingers are not affected by my virus. You would be left to rule the world, unopposed.”
“Hmm, tempting,” Harada scratches his goatee beard. “But I have a feeling I would draw the short straw in this group at the end. I do have a vision for this world. However, it’s a very specific vision. I want to make the world a better place. I don’t want to destroy so much of it, as I fear the two of you would desire. Then again, I’m having difficulty discerning what it is you desire, Sana Bhatnagar, or ‘Pandora.’ I can’t seem to find your mind, to read your thoughts.”
“Are you reaching out, searching for my brain, trying to read my thoughts?” Pandora smiles. “How quaint…Master Darque has given me the power to hide my mind from the likes of you. Thus, no one can find my cure. My plans will not fail.”
“So I see,” Harada says.
“Will you join us?” Darque asks.
***
“I am ready, Gilad,” Aric says while flying with his armor toward Pandora.
“Then do it!” Gilad orders. “It’s time to strike the enemy, and strike hard!”
“Shanhara,” Aric of Dacia speaks to his sentient battle armor, “it is always an honor to fight with you. There she is…this Pandora, whose virus threatens the end of all men. They say her necromantic power grows, and is already beyond what Darque’s was before this calamity. Can you stand against such a being, Shanhara? … I don’t know, either. But we are in this together. As long as you fight, I fight. As long as you stand, I stand. It will always be this way between us, Move in. We’ll give her a barrage of ion cannons on approach, tackle her to the ground, and then I want you to forge my energy sword.”
X-O blasts Pandora with his ion cannons, then tackles her in the air and flies her toward the ground. “Gilad? I have engaged the enemy.”
“Excellent!” Gilad replies. “You’re our vanguard. We’ll get Bloodshot ready to join you, and then we’ll send in our second wave. We’ll have to make sure Darque stays down. I’m not sure we can fight the two of them if they join their necromantic power together. If he rises, we have to keep them apart.”
“Just like a man!” Pandora screams to Aric. “You just think you can bulldoze your way into my space? I will destroy you!”
Pandora separates herself from Aric’s grasps and blasts him, and he returns fire with his ion canons as he falls back.
Pandora says to X-O, “I suppose, though, I should thank you…you saved me the trouble of having to look for you, in my quest to destroy all men. You’ve come to me. But in so doing, you’ve signed your death warrant.”
“Shanhara, give me my sword,” Aric cries. Then he wields an ion-charged energy sword, and rushes toward Pandora. But she blasts him back again.
Pandora exults: “Magnificent! I feel the pulsating surge of power from your sentient armor, Aric. I must admit, it thrills me. I do so love a challenge.”
“Then enjoy this battle, for it will be your last!” Aric yells.
“Good God, did you get that line from Conan the Barbarian? You reek of testosterone,” Pandora wrinkles her nose. “You disgust me! Killing you will so be a pleasure.”
Aric swings his energy sword down upon Pandora, but she shields herself against it with necromantic energy, and then blows him back. As he falls back, Aric again lets loose a barrage of ion cannons, which Pandora has to block.
“My God, the power of that suit!” Pandora exults. “I can hear it…I have so much necromantic power that I can now sense its mind. Yes, yes. Your name is Shanhara? Come, bond with me. Abandon him and be with me!”
“What? I…I can’t move. Shanhara?” Aric says.
Pandora calls out: “Shanhara, Aric’s just a barbarian with a broken past. And as long as you are with him, you paint a cosmic target on his chest: yes, I can see your worries about this in your mind. Armor Hunters cause you this worry, this grief, yes, my dear sentient armor? Come, be with me, Shanhara. You are the most powerful weapon in the universe, and great forces in the universe have sought to kill you. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“Aarghh!” Aric yells.

[lorddunlow]

[DirtbagSailor]

Sweet!

DBS

[ShadowTuga]

Congrats, Bruce!

[bamaphilosopher]

Congrats, Bruce!

lol, you're just going to keep calling me that until it sticks, aren't you?

[lorddunlow]

Congrats, Bruce!

lol, you're just going to keep calling me that until it sticks, aren't you?

Would you prefer Bruce instead? We're flexible. Bruce it is.

[ShadowTuga]

Congrats, Bruce!

lol, you're just going to keep calling me that until it sticks, aren't you?

To Bruce:
Bruce, buddy...
I seriously have no idea what you're talking about, Bruce.
Your friend,
Bruce
(don't mind me buddy, I'm just an innofensive idiot with a penchant for usually bad jokes. And it wasn't me who brought that Python sketch to the table, it's that guy's fault. I think his name's Bruce. Or Bruce.
So, no worries, if you prefer, Bruce it is from now on.

[jmatt]

Congratulations, Bruce!

In tribute, I post your theme song, Bruce.

[bamaphilosopher]

Congratulations, Bruce!

In tribute, I post your theme song, Bruce.

That's one of my favorites! I sang it to my Intro to Philosophy class last fall, on the first day. Later, on the evaluations, someone put how they thought it was great I sang that on the first day.

[ShadowTuga]

Congratulations, Bruce!

In tribute, I post your theme song, Bruce.

May the Force be With You just for posting that song.
That is awesome, man.

[jmatt]

That's one of my favorites! I sang it to my Intro to Philosophy class last fall, on the first day. Later, on the evaluations, someone put how they thought it was great I sang that on the first day.

See? It is your theme song.

[bamaphilosopher]

I'm not going to escape this new moniker, "Bruce," am I?



Well, I am hard at work, between preparing for classes, hoping to get out my next Valiant Kindle Worlds story out there. After I get a few of them out, so they'll know my work, I'll start pitching some more ideas to their submissions editors. Who knows? I love Valiant and would love to be a part of their storytelling conferences. A fan who loves to write can dream, right?

Just wish I could draw, and could present an art portfolio as well. Ah, well, I'll just play to my strengths.

I loved the interview someone else linked, where they said they love the characters, love the fans, and are always willing to listen to good story ideas.

Again, I'm just thankful they've provided a creative outlet for fan fiction, so writers who are interested can test their mettle.

[grendeljd]

Hey, congrats Bruce!

Seriously though, that's great to see you persevered & got your story accepted. It's a good sign that you feel strongly about achieving your dreams.

[Jonathan Janz]

Congratulations! I look forward to checking it out.

[bamaphilosopher]

Hey, congrats Bruce!

Seriously though, that's great to see you persevered & got your story accepted. It's a good sign that you feel strongly about achieving your dreams.

Thanks, Grendel!

[bamaphilosopher]

Congratulations! I look forward to checking it out.

Thanks for giving it a chance, Jonathan...I hope you like it!