#lostcolonies — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #lostcolonies, aggregated by home.social.
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Looks like Enigma made Round 2 of #BBNYA2025 ! 😳
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Happy Book Giving Day! (I only learned of this Armenian celebration this morning)
My gift to everyone is an ebook copy of Project Xerxes, a HFN sci fi novella, 'cause heaven knows we could all use a little joy right now.
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/rzriun8ypm
#bookstodon @bookstodon #books #sff #scifi #LostColonies #BookGivingDay
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Enigma made the quarterfinals in this year's Self-Published Science Fiction Contest!
I'm floating on Cloud 999 right now. 😊 Huge thanks to the 2 judges who read the entire book!
Now, back to packing for moving day tomorrow.
#author #AmWriting #writer #AmEditing #writing #IndiePublishing #WritingCommunity @spsfc #spsfc4 #WritersOfMastodon #sff #scifi #LostColonies
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My science fantasy book Enigma released today! Even more exciting is the book trailer I worked on with my brother. He's very talented, and we had a lot of fun making it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-kTjlOhXik
#sff #scifi #fantasy #booktrailer #video #fiction #AmWriting #author #writer #IndiePublishing #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #bookstodon #fiction #LostColonies #BookLaunch #SciFiBooks
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Hey all, the May newsletter is available. This month's features an interview between Anne from The Z-Tech Chronicles and Ambassador Hausen from Enigma. This is Anne's debut as an interviewer. =]
https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/exclusive-interview-the-intimidating-ambassador-hausen/
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Space elevators seemed like an outlandish concept until I found the perfect use case in my latest #SciFi book. Even more fun was discovering a "working" space elevator in the game #Satisfactory, which gave a humbling sense of scale.
This month's #newsletter compares their implementations, and includes pics and video links to see the game's elevator in action: https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/space-elevators-in-science-fiction/
#author #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #sff #LostColonies #ScienceFiction #gaming #writer
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The new cover for Enigma! I love how the artist captured the protagonist and her companion.
More about this science fantasy adventure here: https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/books/enigma
#SciFi #ScienceFiction #fantasy #sff #author #IndiePublishing #CoverReveal #AmWriting #writing #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #books #LostColonies
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I created a world(s) compendium for my upcoming book Enigma (Lost Colonies Book 1). The intention is to keep all info and links related to the series in one place.
I had fun putting it together, and the process helped solidify that universe in my head.
Hope you enjoy!
https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/lost-colonies-compendium/
#SciFi #sff #LostColonies #blog #AmWriting #writer #SciFiBooks
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@liminalfiction I read a book years ago where the last humans on Earth are trapped on a space station orbiting close to the sun. Forgot the name. =[
As for what I've written, I have two!
Enigma (Lost Colonies Book 1) partially takes place on a space station orbiting a planet with strange, tech-disabling properties.
One Man's Trash is a love story adventure set on The Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy, a recently-renovated derelict alien space station-turned-resort.
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#CoverReveal for Project Xerxes!
Planet Galileo didn't support life until the colonists arrived, so there are no fossil fuels to create pollution. Burning or destroying vegetation is illegal; their ancestors worked too hard to seed the planet with what little life exists today.
The cover reflects this to a tee: futuristic buildings mixed with splashes of green and solarpunk vibes under a blue sky.
More info here: https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/project-xerxes
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First draft of Project Xerxes (LostColonies Book 0) is complete! I thought it would need another chapter, but it ends quite nicely where it is. Clocked in at almost exactly 30k words.
Next steps:
- Find or make a cover
- Begin 2nd draft of Enigma (Book 1)Oh, and I added Project Xerxes to the Lost Colonies series page. Would love feedback on the description. Very much a first draft.
https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/lost-colonies
#author #AmWriting #writer #writing #WritingCommunity #sff #SciFi #LostColonies
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26k words into my planned 20k ( :eyeroll: ) #SciFi manuscript "Project Xerxes". Almost done, but I'll probably hit 30k before it's finished. This prequel is softer than the rest of the series, with much lower stakes, but I hope readers will still enjoy this rich introduction to the #LostColonies universe.
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #author #writing #WritersOfMastodon
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#WritingWonders Day 12: Does your MC have any prejudices?
A few. Most notable is against the Viceans, which most Galileans harbor whether they admit it or not. Galileo is a colony of pacifists; even their military employs non-lethal suppression technology. They exist more as public servants than fighters because they’ve never once been deployed to battle. Vice, however, is a colony whose hierarchy is defined by their fiercest warriors. You can imagine the social conflicts!
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#WritingWonders Day 10: What’s your MC’s most annoying character trait?
Emra’s drive to earn her own command has made her too sensitive about her image as an officer. She comes off as cold and inflexible to her subordinates, and recently to her friends, who have told her on a few occasions that she needs to loosen up or her career will be the only good thing left in her life. Sadly, she hasn’t internalized that. Yet.
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#WritingWonders Day 9: Does your MC have children? If not, do they want to?
Emra doesn’t. Her first priority is her career, period. After she gets her command and they inevitably put her behind a desk, she might consider finding the right partner. Galilean medical science makes age a non-issue for fertility, so she’s fine waiting.
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#WritingWonders Day 8: What is your MC’s bedtime routine?
Emra sleeps at the end of her shipboard shift, regardless of what hour that falls. She changes out of her uniform into comfy clothes, spends a few minutes on her ’ware catching up on messages (mostly from her family), snacks on a few raw veggies if available, reads up on the latest Lost Colonies Alliance news, and finally tries to enjoy as many hours of sleep as she can get until her next shift.
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#WritingWonders Day 7: What does your MC see when they look out their bedroom window/door?
Through the door of her First Mate’s cabin, Emra sees a narrow, undecorated metal corridor running the width of the fold-capable Galilean star cruiser. Oval portals line either side: some are crew quarters, one intersects the primary accessway to the rest of the ship. At the other end of the corridor lies the captain’s quarters.
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#WritingWonders Day 6: MC POV: Have you ever kept a secret from your closest friend? If so, why?
EMRA: All the time. It’s one of the downsides of being in the military. But for every secret I keep from her, that wild minx probably keeps a dozen from me, and I’m glad for it. Knowing everything about a person takes some of the fun out of it—plus, in her case, it may be waaaaay TMI.
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#WritingWonders Day 5: Does your MC have any pictures of themselves with their friends or family? Why / Why not?
A few. Notably, they all feature Emra’s father in his Galilean Space Force (GSF) officer uniform. The most recent picture shows them in matching officer uniforms, and is the pride of Emra’s collection. Her father is her inspiration and the reason she’s pursuing a ship command of her own. She’s almost there.
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#WritingWonders Day 3: If your favorite side character(s) had a theme song, what would it be?
For Niz, it’s hands-down Geronimo (Bombs Away) by Sheppard:
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#WritingWonders Day 2: How much do you know about your side characters prior to the first draft?
Usually not a lot. Main characters I’ll have 20+ pages on before I start writing. For side characters, I often have a flavor in mind, but their true personalities and history come out in the story as I write, often to support the plot or main characters. I then bake in and embellish those elements over subsequent drafts to make the characters feel whole.
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#WritingWonders Day 1: If you could hang out with one of your side characters for a day, who would you choose? Why?
Nizsim Mido is the only significant side character so far. Even then, I’d gladly hang out with him. Niz is a tough, experienced Galilean Marine whose sense of adventure sometimes clouds his judgment. I would love to tag along and see what kind of trouble he gets into on a typical day. It wouldn’t be boring!
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#WritingWonders Day 1: Intro
August will be my first Writing Wonders on a true work-in-progress. I’m only ~20% done, so bear with me.
Project Xerxes is a prequel novella to Enigma (Lost Colonies Book 1), which I featured in May. It focuses on one of the side characters, Emra Telawani, before she gained command of the GSS Infinitum, and gives some background on how Galileo Colony discovered planet Enigma, along with the first daring explorer to venture to its mysterious surface.
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#WritingWonders 🏁 Day 31 🏁: Does anyone that your antagonist trust try to rein them in?
There is no such person, so no. The antagonist is the proverbial lone gunman, far from home, on a mission that’s baked into his very DNA. For good reason, he hasn’t even attempted to make friends, let alone trust anyone. Even if he had, they couldn't possibly have talked sense into him.
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#WritingWonders Day 30: What colors do you associate with your WIP? Why?
Green and blue. Over half the story takes place on Enigma, whose perpetually cloudy skies cast a green tinge on everything. When I’m writing, that’s how it plays in my head, like I’m watching The Matrix.
However, blue plays a part of the story because *spoilers*. The planet also reminds me of Avatar, so I can’t think of it without imagining blue. 😄
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#WritingWonders Day 29: What type of government exists in your story?
Governments have evolved differently on each colony world, heavily influenced by their core philosophies.
GALILEO (MC’s homeworld): Democracy + light corporatism.
VICE: Military.
FORTUNUS: Democracy + heavy corporatism.
ENTROPIA: Parliamentary.
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#WritingWonders Day 28: Secondary character POV: What was the worst thing the MC has done to you?
CRYSTAL: Ugh! That’s tough, because it’s also one of the best things she’s done.
I’m a lab hermit. I know it. Britta is bigger than life; she enjoys the spotlight and knows exactly how to play the crowd. Yes, she occasionally drags me out of my cave, but she also accepts who I am, and that… well, I think that’s one area where I need to be challenged, not accepted. You know?
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#WritingWonders Day 27: What genre of music best fits your current WIP?
A combination of “Ambient” and “Action/Drama Movie Soundtrack.” Half the story takes place in space, where serene or ethereal ambient music would fit nicely. The other half is on an Avatar-like planet, where serene ambient music also fits. However, dramatic/fight scenes happen in both settings. For those, you’ve got to have an action soundtrack, right?
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#WritingWonders Day 26: Does the media or public opinion play a role in your story?
For sure. Silverstar Corporation, owned by Britta’s family, produces an indispensable wearable medical device called WetWare. Silverstar’s reputation is therefore everything to them. If public opinion were to waver, no one would trust their WetWare, and their business would quickly crumble. Let’s hope for Britta’s sake that nothing happens. 🙃
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#WritingWonders Day 25: Does your antagonist have a favorite food or drink?
Yes. (Not naming anything to avoid spoilers.) His favorite dish is a sort of large flying lizard prepared in a stew with local veggies and a flavorful ash found only on his home planet. He’s missed it more than anything else during his current long-term assignment.