L. Fergus

Li’ve Progress 5 April 2018

I’m being very cliche today. I’m sitting in Starbucks, sipping coffee, and working on writing a book. I’m also listening to Pirates of the Carribean. It’s great music to write to, upbeat and screams adventure. I decided I needed a change of scenery as I work on one of the most important conversations in the book. Why Galina did it and what will be Kita’s reaction?

This has been a slow step-by-step process to write this combination of scenes each trying to build on the last until we reach this…the why. I’ve been through Megan, which frustrated Kita to no end. Not only because of the answer she got, but she couldn’t do anything about it. Megan was wise enough to know better than to stand in front of the juggernaut bearing down on Galina. Megan will have to be another problem for another day. Which is true for me, too. The book that follows this one, Crossroads: Infinity has Megan in it on the side of Kita. So I have some explaining to do. I haven’t thought of a story yet, but it could be another novella coming soon.

The reason writing has been slowed to a trickle is the end of Li’ve is already planned. I know what’s going to happen, I know the steps to get there. Which means it’s no fun to write. This is by no means my normal writing style of making it up as I go along. Not even I know where the end is until I get there. So, I’m working hard to make it feel organic like the rest of books I’ve written. Currently, I’m reading Return of the Fallen Angel: Book 4 to help maintain my voice and not break down into something mechanical and boring. That wouldn’t be fair to you the reader.

I know everyone is expecting a great climactic fight been Galina and Kita. And Kita has a lot of reason to, dead children, dead Angels, imprisonment, locked memories. Kita’s not alone either. Defiance what’s a piece for what Galina’s done to the Empire. *Spoiler* Baby Doll has a reason. Sarin does, and the list goes on. But right now, Kita hasn’t been feeling all fire and brimstone. The trek to get to Galina has been long and cost her much. She might be too worn out to do much more than throw Galina in a cell and put Defiance back on her throne. Both Sarin and Defiance have offered to build Kita a new Advanced Research Wing so Galina might end up there. We’ll just have to wait and see where Kita goes. She might have something much more sinister up her sleeve.

Li’ve Progress Update 27 March 2018

As I’m sure everyone saw last week’s blog post that Li’ve will be released next Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018. So, why am I writing an update? That’s because the book’s not finished yet.

I have to admit writing the end has been slow. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how the book should end. There are a lot of characters that need an ending and they need to meet it in a fitting way. Also, a lot of questions have to be answered along the way. Like, what happened to Surge or Megan? Questions that have been floating out there since Sarin’s War.

The question I’m answering now is what is Galina’s deal? I mean, I know what it is, but getting it down coherently is hard. She’s got a lot of emotion built up, since Metamorphasis and Undead Enemies, and it doesn’t help that Kita shows up with Sheppard in her group. No, they haven’t been shipped. Sheppard found someone else. But she and Galina have history to put to rest. If you remember, Sheppard has her own baggage she’s been dragging around because of Galina besides their broken relationship.

We’ll see how much Kita feels like talking. Galina has a lot to answer for. Kita’s been very calm throughout the entire trip, even in the face of adversity. I think she’s calming a bit in her old age, but that is relative. She did blow up a ship the size of a Star Destroyer as revenge for being imprisoned. I don’t think Kita will simply blow Galina away. Kita wants her to suffer and will be willing to drop to Galina’s level to do it. Defiance has promised Kita a new Advanced Research Wing so Galina might be the first guest.

But the book doesn’t end there. Pheonix and Kamikaze are still out there and neither left happy with Kita. So, there will be some daughter drama coming. And, the series is entitled Game of the Gods, and gods aren’t done either. So there is more to write. I guess I should get busy.

Li’ve Progress 2 March 2018

Celebration time! I reached 100,000 words in twenty-seven chapters. I still have a ways to go. I’m guessing another 10,000 to 15,000 words should complete the story. It’ll be a good length, I think, and cover everything without dragging on or skipping something.

So what did I write about this week? In a word: Death. The battle of the Earth Orbital Station is a rough one. Kita and her group go in expecting one thing and find old enemies with new abilities. And it seems Galina has unlocked the mysteries of Surge and applied them. Also, the anti-Angel weapons seen in Sarin’s War are back.

It begs the question who’s side is Megan on? I haven’t answered that question myself. I’ll have to see how the conversation between Kita and Megan plays out. Megan has a lot to be angry with Kita over, but is it enough to betray Kita? If she isn’t betraying Kita why is she helping? Questions I need to answer.

So I mentioned death earlier and the Angels didn’t make it through the station unscathed. The hard part is finding something that will kill an Angel. Kita tries hard to make them as indestructible as possible, but they still have their weaknesses. In this case, it was another Angel’s abilities harnessed by Galina that killed a group of six Angels. Talli, Blitz(Zentix), Starlight(Hali), Valor, Cinnamon, and an elder Angel are killed in a fight. But, they’re not alone. A member of Kita’s inner circle also dies after her lover is killed by a driller.

Kita is taking it well, compared to other times she’s lost Angels. There won’t be a repeat of keeping someone in a stasis chamber for weeks. Right now she must set aside her grief and fight her way off the station.

If you want a free story, not on Wattpad, please enter your email in the upper right. I promise I won’t spam. Also, those on the list will be the first to know when Li’ve will be published.

Li’ve Progress 21 February 2018

Sorry for not posting last week, but life happened and I didn’t get much writing done. This week I got back at it and have reached 96,000 words. Li’ve is going to be a long one.

I finished writing the big space battle and revealed the original purpose for the Neptune Orbital Station. It wasn’t always a massive colony. Like towns that dot the western US, it got its start as a fort. The fort is still part of the station and the guns are still active.

The beginning of the battle goes Kita’s way. She’s well prepared to handle the Djinn force she leads into UEE space. This gives some old characters new roles to play. Sheppard is in command, you love or hate her. The new Angel Jammer gets to shows off what she can do. During the battle, Enterprise has to make a daring hundred mile sprint to reach UEE lines.

For the second half of the battle, Kita and the UEE are forced to retreat back to Neptune after a much larger Djinn force drops in from FTL. If anyone read the comments from a few weeks ago a friend of mine M. A. Gardner posted his opposition to my giant force-on-force space battles in favor of smaller cat-and-mouse engagements between just a few ships. I put my reply in Li’ve, but in a nutshell, the problem with that is if you can get above and below the ecliptical plane you can see anywhere in a system, so there is no hiding. After the enemy Djinn fleet tracks down the remaining UEE fleet, Kita must go to the NOS and wake the ancient guns to save the UEE fleet. At the guns headquarters, the Angels discover an old enemy with a new coat of paint waiting for them.

The battle’s not over for the Angels. Sheppard had to pull all the ships guarding Earth and Mars to fight the Djinn, and Galina launches an attack to gain back the Earth Transfer Station. And that’s where I stopped earlier this afternoon. Come back next week to discover what happens next.

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Li’ve Progress 8 Feb 2018

This week I worked on a lot of stuff not related to Li‘ve. I still did some writing, I passed 90k words, but I just finished the chapter from last week. The big space fleet on space fleet battle. Enterprise must cross the no mans land between the fleets and takes a pounding, even falling prey to a boarding attack like Kita launched in Rebirth.

“The suspense may be less but the action are[sic] real”

That’s a quote from the latest review of Rebirth. Not sure where they got the idea Rebirth was a suspense novel. It was in the Action/Adventure category. I tried to make chapter twenty-five of Li’ve…maybe not suspenseful but at least thrilling. I’ll never pretend to be a suspense writer. Needless to say, I didn’t win any award from that contest. Though the sci-fi category hasn’t been released yet, so there’s still a chance for Birthright.

So you’re probably wondering what I’ve been doing all week besides writing. The big news is I’ve commissioned the cover for Li’ve. I hope to have the first draft back by the weekend. I’ve also commissioned a cover for Birthright. If you haven’t already, follow my blog and leave your email address and you’ll get a signed digital copy of Li’ve’s cover. I’ve added a twitter account and you can follow me at @FallenAngelKita. If you do follow me I tweet lines from Li’ve once a day.

Li’ve Progress 1 February 2018

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This week has been all about space battles. I’ve watched hours of Battlestar Galactica, Mass Effect, Star Wars, and a few clips on Youtube that I don’t know what they were from. I’m not a real big TV science fiction junkie. I have my niches and that’s it. For BG fans you can flog me in the comments over what I’m about to say. I’m not a big fan of BG, it became too metaphysical. I know, I know. I delve into the metaphysical and Li’ve will too, but not to the extreme BG did.

As you can guess this week’s chapter, (and maybe one more?), have to do with space battles. I’m not talking a few ship on ship battles like I saw in BG and some other clips. I’m talking hundreds of ships of all sizes going after each other, like Mass Effect (see clip below).

I don’t think small in my imagination. I also watched several documentaries on naval battles in the Pacific during WWII to see what actual ship to ship combat looked like. For the trivia fans, UEE Enterprise is named after the aircraft carrier “The Big E” USS Enterprise CVN-6. Carriers played a big role in WWII naval combat and they will in my story as well.

I know a few people are asking, where did Kita get a fleet of warships? It’s not what you, but who is your girlfriend. Earth’s new Emperor, the Angel Defiance, mobilizes her fleet to protect the Sol system from an invader.

Follow me on twitter (@FallenAngelKita) to get excerpts from the manuscript. Two have been released so far 🙂

Li’ve Progress 24 January 2018

Today is one of those days. I’m on my fifth dew and I still can’t wake up. But, yesterday was a more productive day. I reached 85,000 words. This weeks chapter is all about lovebirds.

Sheppard has been looking for love for a while, even as the Valkyrie angels openly dislike/hate her, which doesn’t leave a lot of options. The first option was going to be with Stormy, but she ended up with Toxic. I thought Sheppard might be a good match for the new Angel Jammer, but Jammer is a committed pilot and is still processing her transformation. It didn’t seem right that she would be interested in pursuing a relationship. I was out of options when an unlikely party stepped forward. Those of you that have called a ship between Baby Doll and Sheppard can collect your winnings. I know they’re an unlikely pairing. They’ve been rivals since Baby Doll arrived late in the Irruption series. Baby Doll worked with Sheppard in Clouds and they got along well then. She seems to have accepted Sheppard’s change of heart more than any of the other Valkyrie angels. I like the pairing. They’re pretty close to being equals and both have strong alpha personalities. Both have had bad relationships in the past and aren’t going in doe-eyed. It will be interesting to see how Sheppard handles a fallen angel. Not that Baby Doll is especially bad on her own, but Sheppard has steered clear of dealing with them in the past. I’m interested in people’s reaction. Let me know in the comments.

The rest of the chapter is dedicated to Sahara and Snowy. Kita informs them of her plan to destroy the Djinn fleet. It doesn’t go over well, even as Kita promises them freedom back on the nameless planet. Kita has some more work to do to bring Sahara around. Right now, she’s given the job to Snowy.

Li’ve Progress 18 January 2018

I officially have a book. I passed 81k words this week and we’re still not close to the end, so those looking for a long book rejoice. I still plan on releasing Li’ve after Sarin’s War. You might be reading it before I’ve written the ending.

This weeks chapter moves the plot forward as the Angels plan their course of action. This sets up a coming naval battle. I don’t have much experience writing these kinds of fights and it’s tricky trying to tell it from Kita’s point of view as she won’t be directly involved. In the past, I think I’ve done a good job of making the bridge of a ship interesting. I hope I can continue.

Chapter 23 also introduces a new Angel. I know I was lamenting having a big cast last earlier, but she was planned from the beginning of the book. Her name is Jammer and is an electronic warfare specialist and fighter pilot. I didn’t have anything special picked out for her wings, so I made them violet and yellow. I’m open to suggestions if you have a color scheme you’d like to see. Besides being an EWS and pilot, Jammer is transgender, male to female. This is the first time I’ve tried writing such a character. I did my research, so I hope I got it right. Anyone interested in reading an excerpt please leave me a note in the comments.

Li’ve Progress 10 January 2018

There are times when Kita’s behavior paints me into a corner. It’s happened to me before. If you remember Unbalanced Kita gets upset with Kamikaze and goes on a rampage burning towns and villages. Cowboy has to go after Kita and drag her back so Re’drum could wipe Kita’s memory and let it be a lesson for Kamikaze.

This time around, Kita is feeling threatened by all the other gods being more powerful than she is. This feeling is mutual after Kita demonstrates a new power that she refuses to share with the others. Kita bullies many of the Valkyrie Angels to the point where they leave. She also gets into a drag down knockout fight with Sarin, putting her in the medical ward. Kita feels threatened by Sarin’s success and that she is a god.

I have a better vehicle for bringing Kita back in line this time around. Tina points out the behavior to Kita, but Kita denies it. It’s not until Kamikaze comes and tells Kita she’s leaving that Kita sees the error of her ways. Kita can’t convince Kamikaze to stay and this shakes Kita hard enough to make her realize she needs to change. Kita does change, returning more to the friendly loving person she usually is. She did get a new outfit out of it. See the image below.

I was reading an article about mistakes authors make. This wasn’t the usual list and I forget the second item because it wasn’t a problem. The first item was too many characters and looking at the cast at the moment, it could be a problem. There are like twenty Angels around. I think I’ve mentioned Hawke once this book. In defense, many of these characters have been featured in past books in the series so I expect the reader to already know them and care about them. For the Valkyries, I’ve made a point of trying to feature them so readers can either get to know them or remember them from the Irruption series. In this book, I have sent five Angels away to help lessen the number of Angels people have to keep track of. It’s a problem I have, but not one I see my way out of.

Kita outfit

Li’ve Progress 3 January 2018

Some chapters write themselves and chapter 20 was so large I decided to divide it into two chapters. I’ll unbox that statement since it’s two thoughts in one.

Chapter 20 is now dedicated to the Angels dealing with the fallout of Kita and Kylee AND Kita’s ability to control a new force that can’t be detected in the equation and has the power to trap a god. Powerful stuff that puts the other gods on edge, especially since Kita doesn’t feel like sharing.

Chapter 21 is the triumphant return of Sarin and the cast of characters from Sarin’s War. Sarin’s group is a nice small mix of old and new characters that should slide in with the Angel’s with Kita. The problem for me is having to juggle nearly 20 Angels and not let the reader forget anyone. Which I’ve already done. I’ve forgotten about Tina for a large section of the book and when I go back and edit will have to add her back in. Her role in the series has been one to mediate between Kita and the elder gods and there hasn’t been a need for that lately, but she will later in the book.

When I write I don’t have an outline or notes, I let the story flow. I do have checkpoints that I keep in the back of my mind and the reunion of Sarin and Kita was a big one. Both have big personalities and as a writer I just let them bounce off each other. It was good for the first ten minutes when they reunited. Then it became a contest of will for control and power. In this series, Kita hasn’t been very nice to her lovers and it continued with Sarin. Unlike Cotton, who was a good person, Sarin, being evil, refused to put up with it. Sarin’s always stated that she’s as good or better than Kita. You can give me your opinions in the comments. And now that Sarin has become a god, she sees herself as Kita’s equal. Kita doesn’t think so and tells Sarin as much. This fight manifest’s itself as a fight about Kita’s other girlfriends. Sarin doesn’t like the idea, especially that the other girl is Defiance (if you remember from Rebirth Defiance talks about her and Sarin). Kita tells Sarin her girlfriends aren’t going anywhere. So we get a battle of wills, which Kita wins, but not before dying.

Death for Kita has always been a good vehicle for transforming her and allowing her to grow. I believe it was Omega that said it’s easier to work on the body when it’s dead. In chapter 21 we see Kita growing again and I’ve hinted a little bit at what she’s to become both here and in the book. For those looking for a spoiler here you go: There’s more beyond Infinity and Kita’s figured out how to tap into it. I’ll explain more as I get deeper into the book.