Tag: release

This is it, the end of the line. Well, at least for this season. Here’s Future in Sight, Part 8 of Return to the Otherworld.

This is no longer the other world. For those who dwell here, whether by birth or choice, it is home.

Seven have now crossed the stars to take this place as their own, and their reasons are as unique as their personalities. Knowledge, science, acceptance, love, or lust, the outcome is the same. They are the colonists, the pioneers, and their numbers, they know, will grow with each passing year.

But being in this world means becoming a part of it, with all that entails. In a place no longer foreign, they are drawn into politics, intrigue, the games of a land not their own. Those around them, their families, friends, apprentices, and students, can do little but come along for the ride, and that ride is reaching its roughest section yet.

Last time, it was all about Earth. This time, it’s all about the Otherworld. Specifically, this story only has POVs from characters who live there. Whether they were born there, or simply moved, the Otherworld is their home and this is their story. And it’s about to get a lot bigger.

But not this year. Future in Sight marks the end of 2019, at least as far as this setting is concerned. Next year, I’ll be back with 6 new “bridge” stories, a set I’m calling Tales of Two Worlds. And then, in 2021, I hope to bring out Season 3 of the “main” series, which I’ve tentatively titles Adventures in the Otherworld. I’ll see you then!

Part 7 of Return of the Otherworld, Point of Origin, is different in a very important way: it’s all set on Earth. Yes, this entry in the Otherworld series never features the Otherworld. It’s got characters from there, sure, but it’s a bit like the bridge stories “The Control Variable” and “The Candle’s Flame”. Indeed, it connects with the latter of those quite often.

Earth, the cradle of humanity. For the returning members of the second expedition, seeing their home planet once more has left them overjoyed, refreshed, renewed. Now, the vigor of youth reasserts itself. Scarcely any time at all has passed, yet some already plan the next voyage to the other world, while those who never left prepare for new discoveries that will rewrite history.

One among them, however, suspected the truth all along. Now that he has proof, undeniable evidence of his theory, he will bring new players to the table. They have a single goal in mind, and many ways to achieve it. For the expedition, tensions are rising. For the siblings who see Earth as heaven rather than home, their innocence may become their undoing.

This was a tough story to write, I’ll admit. Most of my favorite characters are missing. There’s no Alex, no Amy, no Jeff or Lee or their loved ones. Instead, you get the set-up for one of the major conflicts of Season 3, and a very vague, very oblique tie-in to two of my other series. (I’m not joking there. They really are connected.)

Be sure to head over to my Patreon to check this one out, and get ready for the finale, Future in Sight, coming in November. Until then, keep reading, and get ready for Nanowrimo! Oh, and wish me a happy birthday, because it’s tomorrow. Bye!

In my works, I sometimes use “archaic” language. It often feels more appropriate, especially when you’re writing fantasy or something otherwise set in the distant past. Well, the Otherworld isn’t the past, but it’s a little like it, so I went for it. And now you get to see the result: Whence We Came. (For reference, “whence” roughly means “from where”.)

Revelry marks the changing of the season, and many of those visiting the other world fondly recall the celebrations of a year ago. Some seek to rekindle the flames doused when they departed, while others look for a spark to set them alight.

Most of all, they want to go home. Whether that home is on the planet of their birth, or the new one in which they have found themselves, everyone looks forward to the first day of summer. But when the away team returns, they will find that changes await them. Discoveries have been made, alliances forged, and three months in the other world have left the second expedition behind.

In a way, this one’s a lot like Long Road’s End from Chronicles of the Otherworld. I used the same “whip-around” narration for the first few chapters, giving each of them a single day rather than a single character. But the other four aren’t epilogue material. Instead, they set things up for the next two stories.

As always, remember that you can get my Otherworld works over at my Patreon, and they only cost you a pledge of $3 per month. Not to mention all the other great stuff you get.

I hope you’ll stick around for at least a couple more months, too, because it’s time to start wrapping up the Otherworld expedition for this year. The final stories are a bit different, as you’ll see soon enough. Until then, keep reading!

Now it’s time for the fallout. Here begins the second half of Return to the Otherworld, and we start with Part 5, Falling Into Place.

Disaster averted.

The other world, or this part of it, has seen much better days, but all agree that the worst has passed. Now, the members of the second expedition, along with those who have made their homes here, can return to the bigger business of science, learning, exploring.

But all is not well. The stress of the past weeks has taken its toll. The uncertainty of the future leaves some shaken. And further danger lurks beyond the borders of this fair land. As time runs out on their stay, the students, the teacher, and all those closest to them search for the perfect ending to the tale of spring.

Just because the flood’s over, that doesn’t mean our team is out of the woods. Oh, no. That would be too easy. Now, the scope of their effects on the Otherworld are growing. People are noticing. And decisions must soon be made.

You can get Falling Into Place, along with all my other Otherworld works (now that’s a tongue-twister!) over at my Patreon. It only costs $3/month, and there’s so much more left in store. Like Whence We Came, which is only six weeks away. I’ll see you then.

Already halfway done. It feels like time’s just flying by, even in the Otherworld.

In the face of a greater danger, lesser arguments are left behind. When disaster strikes, old enmity is forgotten. Nowhere is that more true than in the other world.

The flood continues, submerging the lands of what some may have believed to be their corner of paradise. The secrets of the distant past remain buried, but they are slowly coming to light. And one member of the second expedition chooses a different path, a path that will test her faith in not only the divine, but also herself.

This one’s pretty much a direct continuation of Waters Rising, which shouldn’t be too out of the blue. It’s a nice little arc, mostly self-contained, but I threw in the added wrinkle of a “guest” chapter on Earth. Because our team has been gone a few weeks now, and they left behind some unfinished business.

Otherworld stories, remember, are available exclusively on my Patreon, so head on over that way to pick this one up. While you’re there, make sure to check out all the other great works you can get for the miniscule pledge of only $3/month. And get ready for Falling Into Place, which is only six weeks away. It’s a perfect choice for your Summer Reading List challenge.

Keep reading!

Here we go with another Otherworld story, Waters Rising:

In either world, the forces of nature are far beyond the power of a single person to deflect. Here in the other world, where life is already fragile beyond any experience of the second expedition, danger comes even from the skies above.

While some choose to delve into the ruins surrounding their point of arrival, others must fight a true disaster, a flood that threatens not only the scientific endeavors they seek here, but also the homes, the health, the lives of those they have come to love. Unlikely heroes will rise, unexpected aid will arrive, yet all eyes turn to the river, to the rising waters that form their shared foe.

It’s about a flood, obviously. A flood that takes place in a land without modern conveniences like trucks full of sandbags, but that’s what makes it fun!

As always, you can pick up all my Otherworld stories on my Patreon for the low, low price of $3/month. Keep watching for Part 4, What We Leave Behind, coming in June. Until then, keep reading!