"Argutain Capital" Progress

For those that have read Prossia, you know that a big chunk of the story takes place on a planet called Argutas. I've always loved the depiction of the Argutain Capital in particular, but I've never bothered trying to put it in the visual realm. This is what I have so far. Of course, it's a very long ongoing process, but the finish work will be posted up on my site once its done.

The ISS Caught A Dragon's Tail. So What?

History was made yesterday when the first privately owned company did something that our federal space agancy, NASA, usually does. SpaceX docked its space capsule called Dragon on to the International Space station this Friday in order to supply it with various items from equipment to food. Never in our history has a business been able to deliver supplies to the station. 

"There's so much that could have gone wrong and it went right," said Elon Musk, the man behind SpaceX. "This really
is, I think, going to be recognized as a significantly historical step forward in space travel - and hopefully the first of many to come."


This achievement was possible thanks to the joint NASA and Space X project. NASA astronaut Donald Pittit was the one who used the ISS's 58-foot robotic arm to catch the capsule.

"Looks like we've got us a dragon by the tail," he said, once he was able to lock onto Dragon's docking mechanism.

NASA was just as ecstatic as the young privately owned space company. While Space X, whose employees are around the average age of 30, were debating if it was finally okay to bring out the champagne (it's obviously not a good idea to be tipsy when dealing with a near $400 million project), NASA controllers were dressed-to-impress as they applauded the accomplishment.

President Obama is currently urging privately owned companies into orbit so NASA, who is losing funding, can put more of its focus on the bigger things. How big? How does a trip to Mars or mining an asteroid sound? Sheesh, with all of these advances going on, sci-fi writers might start running out of ideas! These ideas are happening during the end of the Space Shuttle era. Why, the American astronauts on the ISS are currently getting there by hitching a ride from Russia until we get our own wheels. . . um, I mean, thrusters again.

So, here are my final thoughts. A lot of people will overlook this event as just being, "meh." What does this have to do with them? Well, everything! Being a science fiction writer, I find it exhilarating to watch mankind prove a common belief in sci-fi being the mere precursor to sci-fact. While the times are tough here on "ground zero" (Earth), it always seems like space is a beacon of hope for our future. And to me, that's one of the elements I strive to dwell with in my stories. My personal favorite sci-fi stories have always covered the potential of mankind, whether it be good or bad. From post-apocalyptic worlds to thriving utopias, science fiction is a big social question mark. So, it's important for us sci-fi writers to keep up to date with both current progresses and failures. Just a thought. ^_^

Be sure to check out the source of my info here at, phys.org, for those who want more detail in yesterday's events. 

Optues Preparing For War

"Whoa! What is this?!" If you just asked that question, then you're way behind on "Prossia: Intergalactic News." These bi-weekly postings follow the events that shook the Prossia Universe pre-novel time. Hauno, a reporter from the top nation in the galaxy, Ufre, is always on top of what's unraveling around the galactic world. So, if anyone needs to know "what's in" the news, they don't have to look far.

I-News won't get regular postings on my blog at the moment. This is just a sampler :P. But don't worry. There's plenty of other places to keep up to date on this series. If you want to catch up, be sure to check out the Intergalactic News area on my Site. You can also be sure to see regular postings on the Prossial Novel Page or PSFC on Facebook. Finally, you can follow me on Twitter. ^_^ Till then, think big on a galactic level. Unity Within Diversity!

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Needless to say, Empress Ha' Jaqui is a mirror to the emotional state of Optues. An alarming 98% of the Optin nation supports military action against the Cyogen after the empress addressed her nation four days ago:

"General Phojero's willingness to take light of his callous act against our nation will not go unnoticed. His people's hubris is a pure example of why we were willing to offer sentient support to the Galactic Order's war efforts, and why we now have no other choice but to engage them in a more direct approach.

I have asked the Optin Council to allow military action against Cyiaus, and that our first batch of troops be sent to aid our comrades on Wytha immediately. The Cyogen will bully our Wethan friends into submission, feeling that their people lack enough friends to stand up for them. Well, let it be known on this day, the Optin people declared that they're sorely mistaken."

Optues  is recorded to having the largest and fastest naval fleet within the Galactic Order. So it is a given that this news will be beyond welcomed to our forces already fighting milos away.

-Reporter Hauno, Ufrian International News

Video Of Annular Eclipse

Sadly, I'm in part of the U.S. that wasn't able to see this, but thanks to Youtube, there's tons of videos on this past's week's annular solar eclipse. Here's one of them. Have a look!

A Writing 101 Podcast For Writers

First off, no, this isn't a photo of my writing office. Just thought this would hit close to home for some people. :P

I might be preaching to the choir when I say this, but writing isn't as easy as it seems. I'm reminded about that little tid bit whenever I give feedback to a peer, or am on the receiving end. From writer's block to just not getting the wording right, getting words onto paper (or monitor) is a lot of work!

One of my Superstars Writing Seminar peers was kind enough to mention this Writing Excuses site after he got done reviewing one of my shorts. (Thanks John!) I've only been looking at it for a few days, and it's already been a HUGE amount of help! The site's ran by well-established authors who know what they're talking about, so don't feel worried about being led astray. Trust me, I've met one of them in person ^_^ (Hey Brandon!)

See, we writers need to be reminded about some of the basic "mundane" things that can make a story work or not work at times. "What POV should I take?" "Why do I always have to speak in past tense at this moment?" Or, here's a good one : "How do I start a story and finish it?!" Last time I checked, it looked like that was the most popular post on the site!

I don't know when it happened, but many people have the misconception that authors can sit at a desk all day with some sort of imaginary orchestra singing praises behind us while our hands derive the next written masterpiece without missing a beat. Psh, if only it was that simple! . . . Hmm, it would be pretty cool having a crowd of people chanting your name like in a theme song or something, wouldn't it (looking at you, Sephiroth >_<)?

Be sure to check out  Writing Excuses  if you're ever in need of the 101 tidbits of writing, writers. The site answers the example questions I mentioned and more! It has a podcast, and books and CDs that you can even  purchase! While there is a fee, there's a trial you can try out a first, and I get the feeling a couple of bucks in this direction can go a long way.

Light Detected From Super Earth

With me being into astronomy for the obvious reasons (:P), this article kinda tickled my fancy when I came across it. We've been finding various planets beyond our own Sol System for not that long actually, so it's always exciting news when we hear of what other bodies are out. Due to our current limitations, we're mainly finding Jovian (gas giant planets), in part due to the fact that these guys are. . . well. . . BIG! So when we find a terrestrial world (solid planets like Earth, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter), which tends to be a lot smaller than what we're normally able to see, I tend to turn my head and go, "Say what? Ooh!" And NASA just did that.

Their Spitzer Space Telescope detected light from Planet 55 Cancri e. It's being called a Super Eath because its estimates indicate that it has 8 times our mass and is twice our size. Now, now. Before you get too excited, no, this doesn't mean we've discovered a planet that is just like Earth. Due too its closeness to its star, I'm guessing it's more likely equivalent to Mercury, even though scientist are saying it could be very similar to Neptune "if you pulled Neptune in toward our sun and watched its atmosphere boil away." This planet orbits its star 41 light-years from Earth, and  a year on it will lasts just 18 hours.

So, this planet was first detected way back in '04, and we've never been able to get actual infrared light from the super Earth world until now. This is a big deal because Spitzer can search for possible worlds that may be habitable for us Earthling in the future. Granted, we still have to find out how to manage FTL (faster-than-light), in the meantime, but hey. No harm in seeing what's good to shop for while we're working on that, eh? ^_^

If you want to read more on the article, which includes future NASA projects and more of 55 Cancri e's specks, then look at the News link. 

Amanda Hockings: What's She Up to Now?

I always believed that if one wants to be good at something, then look at how the some of the most successful people did it. In the case of indie-publishing, Amanda Hocking is definitely one of those titans to look at. A fellow writing peer of mine (gosh I wish I could remember which one) found a great article from the indie-turned-traditional author, and posted in on Facebook for a group of us writing colleagues to check out. I went to an epic of epicness writing seminar last week, and the debate between indie publishing and traditional publishing was a pretty big subject. So, why not get a perspective of someone who was able to do both? Here's what she had to say on the subject:

"I'm not saying that I couldn't have gotten some or all of that press without my publisher - I'm sure that I would've been able to get some of that attention on my own as a self-publisher. But my publisher certainly did get me more than I would've gotten or at least would've thought to get on my own, and they organized it all for me. And the foreign press - I would've been completely lost with a publicist to help me navigate.

But in the end, as pleased I've been with my publisher, as much as I've enjoyed working with them, and as much marketing and publicity they've done, none of it really matters if the books aren't doing well."

Check out the rest of Ms. Hockings chat and blog HERE.

-Raphyel

Hello Blog World!

I know, I know. I'm late. Doh >_<! Sorry! So, what can you expect from my blogs? Well, me being me, it will vary. The blog will be the area where people who share my interest might be able to find something beneficial.  And just what are my interest? Writing (of course) research, astronomy, maybe even the latest video game I'm playing. I'll also show the current progress of the current art pieces I'm working on too. So, I hope you'll enjoy! Lets get this thing started!