:: Haadri ::

Ywhu and Ytrilk added to the Haadri site gazetteer.

Labels: Haadri site

Planning to publish the second edition of Prime Contact on the 1st of October, just ahead of the publication date of Vampires...

Better get a move on, hadn't I?

Labels: Prime Contact second edition

[bg] A box full of Missions. (Photo's come out a bit bleached - the colour is really much better than this...)

Labels: Missions

Missions is now listed on amazon, though they haven't got the cover yet. It can take a week or so for Neilsen to get illustrations to them though.

Labels: Missions

Missions contents page (not properly formatted because I'm tired...)

Xlaca                 6
Pree                   16
Solarth             27
Kraach             35
Alaitz                 42
Ois                     49
Keevai               58
Nomads            66
Hartsog           77
Pakrin               86
Jejamiay           90
Vmizn                97
Appendices          106

Labels: Missions

Labels: Missions

Seven stories finished. Should be able to post a small version of the Missions cover tomorrow.

Labels: Missions

Five stories down, another three part-written, the rest planned...

Labels: Missions

... That's probably enough lightbulb jokes for now.

There'll be a pic of the cover of Missions on here soon!

Labels: Jokes?, Missions

How many Dothnachdini does it take to change a lightbulb?

We don't use them. Solar-powered light panels are much more efficient.

Labels: Jokes?

How many Solarthi does it take to change a lightbulb?

We have no need of lightbulbs. Our inner light illumines all.

Labels: Jokes?

How many Chion does it take to change a lightbulb?

Why do you want to know? What business is it of yours? You got a search warrant?

Labels: Jokes?

How many Kaeans does it take to change a lightbulb?

... Oh Almighty Progenitor, teach us, we most humbly pray Thee, if it is Thy Most Divine Will that the Blessings of Thy Light shouldst be delivered unto us through the medium of the Holy Lightbulb. Speak, we beseech Thee, through those most revered of Thy Prophets, the Most Reverend Dark Ones, and shed Thine Illumination upon our most feeble and unworthy minds. We await Thy Command, Oh Lord of the Boundless Deeps and Brightest Suns...

Labels: Jokes?

How many Zasqans does it take to change a lightbulb?

... what is this lightbulb thing?

Labels: Jokes?

How many Xlacans does it take to change a lightbulb?

ssssssslthpdd hchchchkkkjengsssssssss plup.

Labels: Jokes?

How many Fohmatraans does it take to change a lightbulb?

... but where would we plug it in?

Labels: Jokes?

How many Caelixiin does it take to change a lightbulb?

It makes more sense to ask 'how long' it takes the Caelixiin to change a lightbulb. First they have to confirm, in triplicate, that the lightbulb is indeed broken or otherwise non-functional. Then they have to hand it to the R&D section to assess the damage and decide whether a simple replacement or an upgrade would be more suitable. The report then has to go to committee for debate, then to finance and procurement. Finally the new lighting device is put in place - usually by a Shaedan auxiliary.

So I suppose you could say - none!

Labels: Caelixiin, Jokes?

How many Plarithdi does it take to change a lightbulb?

Lightbulb? Lightbulb?! Flaming torches and bonfires were good enough for the Ancestors and they're good enough for me!
Pah. Lighbulb...

Labels: Jokes?

You just know you're back on form when new Caelixiin names simply trip off your fingers and onto the keyboard without conscious thought...

It's been a while. For those who haven't been reading the Zone Doubt blog, we've been frantically busy this last few months, with my new book Vampires (Spruce Publishing, an imprint of Hamlyn) due to be published in October. (It was nice to be able to mention the vourdaki in the text as examples of alien vampiric lifeforms!) Now that's done, I can really focus on Haadri again.

More as it happens.

Labels: Haadri

Wsint info now added to the Worlds section of the site.

Labels: worlds

Suaeda basic info posted...

Labels: worlds

Shaeda devised and posted - brief details, at any rate...

Labels: worlds

The Haadri site is now up and functional, and today I've added the Plarith info.

Labels: Haadri site

Joke (?) of the day:


How many Mazc does it take to screw in a lightbulb?


Generally speaking, about nine. They'll take the lightbulb away, analyse it and the system that supports it, and within a couple of days have completely revolutionised the design into something clean, efficient, cheap and so enduring all the lightbulb manufacturers within a local parsec immediately go out of business.

Labels: Jokes?

So, what's new? Well, I'm in the process of revamping and rationalising the Haadri site - it badly needs it. I'm hoping that'll be ready by the end of tomorrow, but it depends how quickly I can get it looking as I want it. The Prime Contact revision is coming along very sloooowly, though Ken is now asking how quickly I can have it done (the answer is about a week, IF I could give it my undivided attention. But since that will never happen...) And of course I'm working on Missions at the same time, and on that subject, here's the first bit of M1...

On the Articles of Association

    Triskayen was slumped, staring out of the diplomatic corps skimmer's observation dome, expression glum, when Kazestrel joined him. Even a small bowl of perfectly-prepared strintar failed to lift his mood.
    "Xlaca... Why did we agree?"
    Kazestrel inclined his head.
    "You had thought it would be restful after Theumai."
    The elder Fohmatraan rested his chin in one long cupped hand and eyed his partner morosely.
    "Remind me to think twice next time."
    "I am sure it will not be as bad as you anticipate."
    "No – it'll be worse."
    "Do you wish to change your mind?"
    Triskayen closed his eyes with a sigh.
    "No. No, I've never backed out once I've accepted a mission in all my time with the corps... though there's always a first time..." He growled quietly. "No. We'll get the job done as quickly as possible and go home."


    Even from orbit Xlaca looked soggy, the planet gleaming wetly through the thin clouds that covered most of it while not quite managing to disguise the greyness beneath. The drumming of rain on the shuttle's skin as they descended through the clouds was alarmingly loud, even to Fohmatraan ears, and Kazestrel found himself not looking forwards to the experience...
    The shuttle landed on a battered, water-pitted tricrete platform, and the legation exited into what passed for quite a nice day on Xlaca, the air sodden but warm and the rain not so heavy it bruised the skin. Two large Xlacans oozed across towards the vehicle, leaving a faintly shimmering trail behind them, pausing a short distance from the external door. Triskayen gazed at them for a moment, then sighed and glanced at his partner over his shoulder.
    "Better get this over and done with, I suppose."

Labels: Haadri site, Missions

The new Heartsown site is now up and live - find it here. I still have to amend the font on the cover of Prime Contact for the second edition and upload the new image, but other than that I think it's mostly done. Looks quite good, I think.

I should have the client sites finished by the middle of December, and can then finally get back to Missions.

Labels: Haadri: Prime Contact, Heartsown

Now posted in the Library on the Haadri site - Diner, a short story set on Jangyu. The direct link is here.

I'm currently working on Missions and revising Prime Contact for the second edition, which will be different from the first (no illustrations, for a start). There will be an extended glossary, since one person (no-one who knows me) complained that they couldn't find certain alien terms. (Serves me right for anticipating intelligence: I thought that the terms in question were adequately explained by their context, but apparently not...)

And I've worked out how translight travel operates (Kai inspired me at the busstop at Almondsbury). It'll be described at some point, either in a book or on the site.

All quite exciting!

Labels: Haadri: Prime Contact, Missions, short stories, the nitty gritty

And we're back in business now the AC archive CD is complete (for info on that, see Zone Doubt).

I've made a start on Missions tonight, using the truly wonderful software GoodTwin discovered; getting together first ideas for two strongly contrasting chapters - one of them a rather dangerous assignment, and the other (the Xlaca-based short) I'm considering making funny. Well, amusing, anyway. Well, less than perfectly serious, at any rate. A comic clash of mindsets, perhaps...

Kai is still reading (and enjoying) Prime Contact - and tells me he actually had a Haadri dream the other night! (And yes, it was a nice one...)

Labels: Missions

Following on from two posts ago, we've decided to split Origins (originally Book Zero, as in chronological terms it comes first, but placed fourth in the list as it's much more fun to read once you know the characters from the first three books) into four (at least) smaller books - a wise move, I think, as it covers almost 9,000 years of Heart's history and if published as one book would be absolutely massive (not to mention expensive!)

Accordingly, I've revised the Haadri Cycle info page in the Library on the Haadri site...


Kai is reading - and really enjoying, he tells me - Prime Contact. This is definitely chuffedness-making.

Labels: Haadri site, Missions

Tiny low res pic of the first rough draft of the cover of Heart. No, I'm not posting a bigger, clearer pic, not at this stage! I have to stress it is very rough, although the ANOMM HQ building in the background is pretty much perfect!

[happy grin] Marie thinks she might be able to do the cover of Missions too...

Labels: artwork, Heart, Missions