Shalia's Diary Thursday Post

A little talk with Nang.  http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

WIP Wednesday – Clans of Kalquor 7: Alien Refuge (WIP)

Tears were already flowing as Thomas shrieked with heartbroken horror.  “Train is broken!  Train is broken!”

Iris picked up the pieces and looked at them.  Fortunately, this one was made of interlocking blocks, so it was an easy fix.  

“It’s not broken, sweetie.  See?”  

Still bent down so Thomas could see, Iris snapped the two parts back together.  She handed it to him and he looked it over.  He immediately quieted.  “Train is fixed.”

Iris looked up as she began to straighten.  The hand raised over her was huge, looming before her face.  Iris jerked away instinctively with a cry, shoving Thomas behind her.

She cringed.  When the expected blow didn’t come, she looked up to see a wide-eyed Ospar offering his hand.

He said, “Matara?  I only wished to shake your hand in your traditional Earther way.”

Iris’ pounding heart slowed.  She flushed and stood up straight.  “Oh, ah, sorry.  I was – I was—”

Jol’s thunderous voice filled the room.  “Who has hit you?”

The Nobek’s expression was as furious as his voice was loud.  He looked ready to take the house apart with his bare hands.

“No.  It’s nothing.  I just – you see—” she stuttered, not sure what she could say to calm the huge Kalquorian.

Rivek’s tone was gentle, but his eyes sparked with anger.  “Jol is right.  That was the reaction of someone expecting to be struck.”

“Tell me his name.”  Ospar’s smile had disappeared.  There was something very dangerous in the governor’s attitude.  Iris had the sudden idea that crossing this man would be a monumental mistake.

Jol’s fists were clenched, and long, slender fangs had appeared behind his squared teeth.  “Is it someone on this colony?  This is not acceptable, Matara.  I will not have it.”

Iris had the crazy urge to throw her arms around the Nobek’s neck, to hold him still and calm him down.  She couldn’t imagine why she would want to do such a thing, nor was this the time to think about whatever her motives might be.

Instead she told him, “It’s okay, Jol.  He’s not here.  My husband is dead.”

The three men stared at her, waiting for more.  They were all angry.  All three ready to protect her.  The realization stunned Iris.

They don’t really know me, and yet they are prepared to jump to my rescue.  Is that normal for Kalquorian men?

Again, there was no time to consider what was going on behind the surface situation.  Iris needed to talk the enraged trio down.  Thomas was beginning to whimper, ready to go into a meltdown because of the tension in the room.

Iris made her voice quiet and soothing to calm her son down.  “He didn’t survive Armageddon.  He can’t hurt anyone ever again.”

“Good,” Ospar snapped.  Iris didn’t have to guess if he meant her abuser’s death or his inability to cause further harm.  

The men spent the next few seconds obviously forcing themselves to settle down.  When the worst of the tension had bled from their bodies, Ospar twitched a forced smile.  “I believe we will stick with Kalquorian traditions of respect from now on.”

He bowed to her, and the other two followed suit.  Ospar said, “I look forward to our next meeting, Iris.”

She wondered if there would be another meeting.  The thought made her warm.  “So do I.  Thank you all again for your kindness.”

Releasing March 15

Shalia's Diary Monday Post

Yes, the entry is short today.  Thursday's will be longer.  Don't yell at the sick writer.  I'm going back to bed now.  http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

Six Sentence Sunday – To Protect and Service: Ravenous Virtue (WIP)

Douglas sat down next to Raven at the small table.  His rough denim-clad thigh rubbed against her mostly bare leg by accident and stayed there.  Feeling deliciously naughty, Raven decided not to move away.

They ordered their drinks, both women going for Jack and Diet Coke.  After the waitress moved away, Raven asked, “What brings you here, Douglas?  Somehow I never would have picked a place like this for a guy like you.”

Release date not determined

The Kalquor Store is Open

After requests from readers, I have decided to offer Clans of Kalquor-based gifts for your enjoyment.  Keychains, jewelry charms, posters, journals, tee-shirts, etc. are now available for you to purchase from Cafepress.com.  http://www.cafepress.com/thekalquorstore

I ordered a few of the keychains to see how they looked up close and personal.  They are gorgeous.  Artist Erin Dameron-Hill’s work translated beautifully on these pieces, so I can vouch for at least the keychains!

I am adding items and designs a little at a time as my finances allow.  I do pay an artist, the aforementioned Erin, to come up with the nice artwork you’ll be seeing.   I know I’ve talked with a few of you about what exactly you’d like to see merchandise-wise, and if this works out, you’ll see some of those fun specialized designs...like the Nobek Lidon ‘Forget football, I play kurble, bitches’ or the ‘Yes, I am woman enough for six peens, now take my ass to Kalquor’ tee-shirts.  For now, however, I will be sticking to the more general kinds of designs for a broader appeal.

You will note that cover art for books 1-5 is not available.  That is because those images are owned by the publisher of those books.  I can use those covers only to promote the books, not sell merchandise.  As I regain the rights to those books, I will commission new cover art and they will then be made available in the store.

Along with the cover art will be pieces based on the breeds (see coffee cup above), individual characters from the books (coming in the future), and items for you Crazy FoKs.  For those of you not familiar with the ‘Crazy FoKs’ or ‘Crazy FoKers’, those are the terms several readers (myself included) have christened ourselves with.  FoK stands for Friends of Kalquor, so it fits us rather well.

Did I forget anything?  If I did, bear with me.  The shop is just starting and I have a thing or two to learn about making this work right.  The Kalquor Store is quite bare bones at this time, and hopefully I’ll get that figured out as I go along.  Be patient, and if there is something you really, really want as far as swag is concerned, let me know.  I’ll see what I can do.

Shalia's Diary Thursday Post

And now for an amazing finish!  http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

WIP Wednesday – To Protect and Service: Ravenous Virtue

Meet Vendeen, a man from an alternate universe who is going to make Raven's life very interesting:

Slow, measured steps drawing close alerted Raven that someone else was in the room.  She tried to raise her head, but couldn’t.  A glance around herself revealed she lay in a bed in a very white, antiseptic room.  Before she could note anything else about her surroundings, a man stepped into view.

His almost metallic-bronze face looked Asian with dark, upturned eyes and high cheekbones.  His lips were incredibly sensual, and Raven had a momentary fantasy of sucking on the lower one.  In contrast to his Oriental bone structure, he had long, sleek, golden blond hair that lay over his shoulders.  His body was massive, well over six feet tall.  The flowing red robe he wore belted at the waist, while full-sleeved, did nothing to disguise the fact that he was well-muscled.  What Raven and Kimi would call an ‘uber-man’.  Yet he moved as fluidly graceful as a man possessing a much leaner physique would.

He sure as hell didn’t look like any doctor she had ever seen.  What doctor wore robes?

He moved to the side opposite Douglas and stared down at her.  Raven suddenly noticed that he seemed to have no irises, or that they were as black as his pupils.  Was that even possible?

The man said nothing, just looked at her.  Something in his demeanor made Raven feel small and helpless.  She’d thought of Douglas as having an aura of danger, and he was not alone.  This stranger was like a tiger lying in the grass, not hungry enough yet to take its prey down, but marking it for future reference just the same.

He scared the shit out of Raven.

Release date not set.

Shalia's Diary Monday Post

I think you've been waiting for this one.  Part one of two.  http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

Six Sentence Sunday - Clan Beginnings: Clan and Conviction (WIP)

            “I’m surprised no one grabbed you up.”

            Wynhod grinned back.  “They tried.  They weren’t you.”

            Gelan started.  He was all about brutal openness, but he hadn’t expected Wynhod to say something like that.

Releasing Spring or Summer 2013

Readers’ Questions Answered (Part Two)

We’re back with more of your questions.  You can see the first half of this post here.  This will be another long blog, so let’s get to it.

Q:  I was wondering if you're ever going to have a clan that isn't exactly structured normally.  Like they have four male members or maybe a clan that has two Nobeks, Imdikos, or Dramoks rather than the normal one of each breed.  I've only recently started to wonder how interesting it might be to see a clan that isn't normally structured or a clan that has been disgraced or exiled.

A:  While it would be interesting to see a differently structured clan, Kalquorian law doesn't recognize same-breed clanning.  In fact, there is the concern in which Dramok Gelan (from Alien Slave) is believed to be a mis-classified Nobek by his clanmates.  They do not discuss it, as a re-classification would de-clan the group, and none of them want that.  They would almost definitely remain together, but they would not be recognized as a legitimate clan. 

There was a situation in which we did see a kind of four-man clan in Alien Rule.  Dramok Pwaldur was more the head of Clan Wagnox than Dramok Wagnox was.  While they didn't live together, Pwaldur definitely pulled the strings of a clan that wasn't his.  He plotted with them to kill off his own clan along with two of Clajak's parents.  He planned to go into exile with them, along with the abducted Michaela and Jessica.  It makes you wonder how tightly interwoven those four men really were, doesn't it?

Q:  When Matara Lindsey first clanned they let her go, then took her back. Then when she got to the planet one of the Kalquorians wanted her to de-clan her clan. I thought once clanned they where clanned for life.

A:  Lindsey is the sister of Kalquor’s empress, which makes her a special case.  The Imperial Family has more leeway than most Kalquorians when it comes to clanning.  The reason?  Most Kalquorians believe that the Imperial Clan has enough on their plate with worrying over affairs of state ... they can’t also be worrying over family members who have not chosen good clanmates.  Therefore, if someone closely connected to the Royals is in an ‘unfit’ clan, that connection can be dissolved.  Bacoj was concerned his clan wasn’t good enough for Lindsey because they had little rank, status, and money.  That was more than enough reason to allow him to de-clan her.  Dramok Diltan tried the same argument to get Lindsey to leave her low-ranking clan in the hopes she’d become his Matara.  Fortunately, true love doesn’t have a price tag, so Lindsey indeed clanned for life.

Q:  I've been wondering about the single ladies of Kalquor. The Earther girls that aren't repressed or the ones that were 16-17 years old who will be in their early to mid twenties soon. Their friends have gotten clanned and they themselves will soon start dating off the lottery if they haven't already. That means they've been going to school and working alongside these guys for years! (Excuse the crudeness but I'd be like a bitch in heat.)

Now my question is can she date unclanned guys? What if she falls for a guy or two that aren't part of a full clan? Is she allowed to date unclanned guys and is she allowed to form her own clan?

A:  Surviving Earthers are not under Kalquorian jurisdiction, unless they are adults and have chosen to go to the Empire.  The majority’s needs are overseen by the Galactic Council following the destruction of Earth’s central government due to Armageddon. 

For that reason, underage Earther females are not allowed on Kalquor or its colonies unless they are accompanied by an adult Earther parent or legal guardian.  Underage girls may not be clanned without said guardian’s permission either. This came about because many surviving Earthers who continue to reject Kalquorians protested that these youngsters would be indoctrinated against traditional Earther beliefs.  The issue of those younger girls orphaned by Armageddon will be addressed in Nuns of Europa:  Sister Katherine, so I’m not going to give away too much here. 

A single adult (18 years +) Earther female may indeed see unclanned men for recreation (whether that be dinner or sex).  In fact, she is encouraged to do so in the absence of worthy clans seeking her as a Matara.  The thought behind that is the formerly repressed Earther woman can fully explore her desires and understand what it is she wants from her men before choosing lifemates. 

If she falls in love with someone who is unclanned, she will have to wait for him to be fully established in a clan before she can be clanned herself.  She could have a relationship with a man or two, but she cannot be a recognized member of a clan without all the male members present and deemed stable as a unit beforehand.  Women can certainly try to attract a man from each breed to form her ‘dream clan’, but she will have to wait for them to be established as one before becoming a part of that clan.

Those questions are going to be addressed in Shalia’s Diary as well as Sojan’s story in a new series about Armageddon-era rescues.  Like all things to do with Kalquor post-war, the situation is constantly evolving as the Empire tries to adjust to the changing climate that the Earth women bring to the situation.

Q:  Is there a legal Kalquor clanning age? If a twenty-year-old girl falls for a twenty-year-old Kalquor guy may she date him or is he way too young?

A:  Kalquorian males cannot clan without parental permission before the age of 25.  They can date, live with lovers, have sex, so on and so forth after the age of 17, but they cannot make that lifelong commitment until they reach 25 or convince their parents they are ready. 

Q:  When I read about the nuns (Alien Conquest) I wondered if any of them felt duty bound to submit to their new husbands/owners since Numbers and Deuteronomy tells us that virgin girls taken as spoils of war must submit sexually to their new owners?

A:  That will be a factor for at least one of them in the upcoming Nuns of Europa series.  I’m glad someone else has noted that little biblical fact.  The Old Testament of the Christian bible not only classifies marriage as between a man and a woman, but also a man and his concubines, a rapist and his victim, and a conquering soldier and his captured female prisoners ... precisely the situation on Europa when Tranis’ spyship shows up.

Q:  How did you come up with the quotes for the Book of Life?

A:  Many of those are based on my own thoughts on certain aspects of spirituality.  I have studied many religions because faith fascinates me ... on both spiritual and scholarly levels.  Much of the Book of Life ideas spring from my studies of Buddhism, with some Taoism, Christianity, and Native American teachings thrown in as well.

Q:  One of my favorite things is homoerotica so I adore the Kalquorian man love BUT, do any of these guys grow up feeling out of place b/c they aren't attracted to guys?

A:  Absolutely.  I would say not so much ‘out of place’ as lonely, however.  Some of them aren’t geared to enjoy other men at all in an intimate manner.  You know those poor boys take a lot of trips to Dantovon and Plasius!  I’m working on a project that has such a character, but you probably won’t see him for another year.

Q:  Do you ever help new and aspiring writers by reading and critiquing their work?

A:  I wish I could.  Early on when I was newly published, I did.  However, things have reached a point where I simply don’t have time to do that anymore.  I have even given up my video production work in order to concentrate solely on writing.  I also have a special needs child that I must devote a lot of time and energy to.

Q:  The Clan Beginnings books have really captured my imagination.  I was wondering though,  after they clan a Matara do they continue to have relations with each other?  They seem to be so caught up with each other, I find it hard to believe that they just let it go.

A:  I believe the men would continue to enjoy each others' company at times.  In the regular series, they're just so excited with their new Mataras that the manlove falls to the wayside for a bit.

Q:  Will Shalia’s Diary ever be offered as a book?

A:  Shalia’s Diary is written in parts with distinct storylines.  As each storyline is completed, I will be putting them out as books.  As of now, I have posted half of the first book-to-be on the blog.

Q:  When they get bit does it leave a mark, or will it disappear?

A:  It disappears fairly quickly.  Kalquorian fangs are very thin and leave only small puncture wounds.

Q:  Will older ladies get clanned to older Kalquorians because they would like to have a female not just for breeding (like Empress Jessica's mom)?

A:  Absolutely.  It hasn’t really come up yet, but older women are indeed valued by older clans.  You can look forward to 48-year-old Elisa in the upcoming Clans of Kalquor 8:  Alien Caged.  It's time us more mature gals got our clan too!  Elisa's would-be beaus are over 100 years old, which you know is still prime for Kalquorian males.  In many cases, younger Kalquorian men also like older women quite well.  Yuder is not the only man to appreciate the allure of mature ladies. 

Thanks to everyone who sent me their questions.  I enjoyed hearing what interested you all and discovering the bits and pieces that weren’t made entirely clear in my writing.  As I am beginning to re-edit the earliest books of the series, I can hopefully illuminate new readers better due to your inquiries.