My Weekly AI Art Post!

I'm doing a weekly post on my journey with Stable Diffusion, an AI art generation tool. I pick a character from the Evaranverse and see what Stable Diffusion can make based on my prompts. I used to use Midjourney, but I'll be using Stable Diffusion going forward!

This week it's Yuldaris, a Covendrin commander of the Sixty-Seventh Company. Covendrins come from cold worlds, and they stand around seven feet tall with silver skin and red eyes. Their civilization is one of the few that embraces mercenary work as a part of their culture. Although they have formal military units, it's more of a loose confederation. Covendrin mercs are the most feared in the galactic quadrant earth is in. If someone crosses a merc, the whole Covendrin civilization comes down on them depending on the situation.

Some bounty hunters like the brutal Krikus Det work with the Covendrin, while others like Kreol Juul stay far away and closer to places Covendrin mercs would least be likely to be at. The Covendrin are known to be contracted at times by the Kreagan Star Empire to provide escort or protection services in far flung areas. This has given some legitimacy to the Covendrin.

Yuldaris's fearlessness and pragmatic behavior has earned him respect among many. He has many contracts under his belt and is a master in close quarter combat and weapon usage. His company has several ships, and when other companies need help, they turn to his.

Yuldaris lost a fight against Evaran while providing security services to Seeros in The Fredorian Destiny, Book 2 of The Evaran Chronicles. Evaran gave Yuldaris a chance to live, and he took it. Twenty years later, he ran into Blake Brown in Biogenesis, Book 2 of The Earthborn. Yuldaris would go on to become a close friend and ally of Blake, and after learning of Blake's indirect connection to Evaran, Yuldaris often wondered if that was why Evaran let him go earlier. It could also have been that he was merciful.

At the end of The Earthborn series, Yuldaris had been promoted and now oversees all Covendrin military and contract operations. He had forged a strong relationship with Fredoria and the Android Nation. He even gave the Android Nation a moon in Covendrin space to build their home on while being protected. There was a social event that Blake threw when Evaran had brought people from Blake's past, but Yuldaris didn't attend. Although he suspected nothing would happen, and Blake had assured there wouldn't be issues, he wasn't taking any chances.

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A snippet from Biogenesis, Book 2 of The Earthborn, where Yuldaris joins Blake's crew and they talk before Yuldaris is introduced to the rest of the crew. Blake suspects Yuldaris knows Evaran.

Blake exhaled from his nose. “That’s settled. Second topic. I know you keep information close to your chest, but if we’re going to be working together, we’ll be sharing it. I’m willing to make the first gesture by giving you access to information on what we know of the black slime.”

“And I’ll reciprocate,” said Yuldaris. He chuckled. “I understand your hesitation, but I wish to know more about this slime as much as you do. I’m just glad it was you that got Delkis.”

“High praise from a Covendrin merc.”

Yuldaris shrugged. “You’re well-known, and have been...neutral...with the Covendrin, which is far more than what most can say.”

“I’ve worked with a few...and had to kill a few. I guess it all balances out,” said Blake.

“It does, and we accept that.”

Blake grinned, baring his fangs. “Your culture intrigues me. Ruthless, yet professional. You’d make great vampires.”

Yuldaris drew his head back.

“Don’t worry. Like the slime, Covendrin blood doesn’t sit well with me.”

“That’s...good to hear,” said Yuldaris.

Blake chuckled. “Okay, third topic, and this one is more personal.”

“All right.”

“When you were at the bombed facility on old Kreagus, you were employed by Seeros.”

“That’s right.”

“Every record I’ve looked up on that situation has been altered, and your involvement is just a high-level statement that you were involved but had no wrongdoing,” said Blake.

“That’s what it says.”

Blake leaned forward in his chair. “Seeros was quite powerful, and with the Covendrin mercs backing him, he still died. I’ve heard he was strapped to a slab when he was recovered. Well, what was left of him.”

Yuldaris sighed. “Yes, he was.”

“You...not planning on doing that to me, are you?”

“Of course not. That situation was unique. There were,” said Yuldaris, grimacing, “powers at play that should...never exist.”

Blake wrinkled his eyebrows. It was the first time he had ever seen a Covendrin exhibit what looked like fear. “Never exist?”

“I dare not say the name, lest it come back and find me. I was given a second chance, and I should have died that day,” said Yuldaris. His eyes dulled. “Nothing should have that power.”

“So Seeros and you ran into something more powerful, and Seeros paid the price, but you were left alive. I also read that Andia Kiggs and Rakar Ho Jador were there, but like your statement, it’s all high level.”

“Yes...they were there. They know the situation as I do.”

Blake eased back into his chair and took a swig from his blood vial. “Whatever that power was that should not exist, it must be very powerful to not only cover up the situation, but keep you from saying its name.”

Yuldaris eyed Blake. “Andia and Rakar probably haven’t told you its name either.”

“You’re right,” said Blake. “I know of several powers that fit that description, but...I was just curious.”

“I don’t normally speak of the event but I offer it as sign of trust.”

“And it’s appreciated,” said Blake. He gestured his hand out in an arc. “If you need or want to discuss anything with me, I’m always available.”

Yuldaris nodded “Anything else?”

Wednesday Update Time!

- I hit 92k words on The Rift Impact, Book 1 of The Evaran Chronicles II. I'm on the final fight scene in Act 3. I did a slight refactor on the last 2k due to me writing the first part of the fight, then realizing there was a plot hole! It was a minor one and I got it resolved. Evaran and M will get surprised, and the new gang is called in to do more than they expected.

- Michael has received the pronunciation guide for The Lost Ship, The Evaran Chronicles II prequel, and said he would be able to start on it later this week or early next one. There is a particular focus on Evaran and M as this audiobook will establish their voices for the next 10 books!

- I want to get The Evaran Chronicles Box Set: Books 13-15 out this weekend, so that will be where my focus is split at this next writing cycle.

I hope your week is going well!

I hope you have a great Monday and rest of week!

Sunday Update Time!

I spent this writing cycle getting the audiobook pronunciation guide done for The Lost Ship, The Evaran Chronicles II prequel. One of the new changes to my process is that I am creating knowledgebase notes for each book, and have added it to to my second Scrivener pass.

As I read through, I take notes of characters, object, locations, ships, cosmology, etc. I then take a subset of that and convert it into a pronunciation guide. As you might guess, this takes time, but is only done once. I finished it for The Lost Ship, and have sent Michael the pronunciation guide as of this morning!

My next focus will be getting back to writing and also doing The Evaran Chronicles Box Set: Books 13-15.

I hope your weekend is going well!

My Weekly AI Art Post!

I'm doing a weekly post on my journey with Stable Diffusion, an AI art generation tool. I pick a character from the Evaranverse and see what Stable Diffusion can make based on my prompts. I used to use Midjourney, but I'll be using Stable Diffusion going forward!

This week it's Edward Jones, also known as The Facilitator. His last name changes depending on when someone knows him, and he was originally named Edward Carrington but goes by Edward Jones to most in the modern era. He's a powerful Wildborn that has the ability to phase, and he's long-lived. He makes his living by facilitating the connection between a contract issuer and the contractors. Everything is anonymous, and he gets paid for delivering anonymous contracts and also if they're completed. Due to his intangibility ability, he is the perfect facilitator as he can go places most wouldn't dare tread.

He's a pragmatic person, and it took him a while to set up a business that received anonymous contracts, along with all the financial concerns of transferring money. In the past he took cash only, but in the modern era, he has employed others with technical know-how to handle the financial side.

He dislikes violence and actively tries to avoid it. If required, he usually phases a part of someone through an object, like a wall or table, then unphases them. More often than not, he will just leave, and if absolutely necessary, hire contractors to deal with things.

Edward has hundreds of safehouses across the world. They are usually embedded in the ground or mountain with no way to get in unless dug into. Some safehouses have entries, and that is more for others he is friends with to have a place to go when things get rough. After several hundred years, Edward has a lot of money, but he still keeps a low profile.

He loved the 1950's era, especially the music, and he dresses like someone from the that period, but he is fairly progressive in his views. One of his favorite things to do in the modern era is to visit 1950's themed bars and diners.

Edward appears in Lightville, Book 2 of The Inspector Dalton files, to deliver contracts against Dalton Kingston. He also shows up in Shadowverse, Book 4 of The Inspector Dalton Files, and Wildblood, Book 5 of The Inspector Dalton Files. He is cautious about anything to do with Dalton as he knows that Dalton has an Evaran relationship. Edward fears Evaran due to having seen what he can do and what he has done. The dismantling of the Helians and forming of the Earth Ward was a major event, and Edward knows it was Evaran's doing.

For the first time, Edward is scared of of his current situation after Tobias Krause, a friend and notorious Wildblood dealer, went on the run. Edward has heard that there is an unofficial search for himself, and although that might not have been an issue in the past, he knows that Dalton's team has Evot and Brad Washington, a powerful duo that has shown they can find anyone if they put their mind to it. His sources inside the Earth Ward have also mentioned that his name has shown up in some of Dalton's case files. Edward knows he needs to adapt how he does business going forward, especially as he has heard of a rumor that being within a certain radius of Dalton or Evaran can disable his intangibility.

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A snippet from Lightville, Book 2 of The Inspector Dalton Files. Edward meets with three contractors.

It was easy to determine who had arrived when he stepped out of his ride. It was Crayzo, leader of the South Boyz, a notorious criminal faction in south Baton Rouge. He had dark skin, shaved sides on his head, and a short dreadlock-like hairstyle. His khaki pants, red polo shirt, tattoo sleeves, and white shoes were one of the more colorful approaches Edward had seen.

Edward motioned for him to approach.

Crayzo sauntered forward as he looked around, then studied Edward. “So you’re the Facilitator, huh?”

“I am,” said Edward. “There are two others joining us.”

“You didn’t mention there would be others.”

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll explain when they arrive.”

Crayzo lit a cigarette. “This better be worth it. Drive up here is some crazy shit. Through the woods…damn. I’d hate to kill someone before lunch.”

“I understand,” said Edward, smiling. “Your presence here indicates you realize the opportunity.”

“We’ll see.”

A beat-up sedan arrived.

Edward scrutinized Viktor Sokolov as he stepped out. Even on a sunny day, his black boots, pants, and shirt were no surprise. Known as Marksman, he was famous worldwide for sniping notoriously hard targets. There was no doubt he had probably scoped out several ways to take out Crayzo’s SUV and anyone else if things went south. Viktor’s silent but ruthless approach to life and his work was legendary.

Viktor stopped short of the porch and examined Edward and Crayzo, then faced Edward. In a thick Eastern European accent, he said, “We meet again.”

“Indeed,” said Edward.

“Who are you?” asked Crayzo, who gestured at Viktor.

“Names aren’t important here,” said Edward. “It’s probably best kept that way. We have one more coming.”

A man walked around from the right side of the house.

Edward nodded at Damian Wu, a member of the Star Lotus ninja clan. They were an ancient organization that had adapted to the modern world. Damian wore black boots, baggy pants and shirt, and a hood. Armored pads were spread throughout his body, and various weapons were on his belt and back.

Damian, like Viktor, paused before the porch and bowed slightly, with his right fist pressed into his left palm.

“Welcome,” said Edward. “Let’s all go downstairs.”

Crayzo eyed Damian. “You look like a damn ninja.”

Damian stared at Crayzo.

“Let’s keep the chatter to a minimum, shall we?” asked Edward.

He opened the door and led them downstairs to a basement illuminated by several lanterns. Three stacked envelopes resided on a table in the center.

Edward checked each one, then handed them out in a specific order. “The contract is in the envelope. You’ve already given me a place to deposit the advance if you showed up, and that has been done. $10,000 as promised.”

“Aight,” said Crayzo as he tried to open the contract.

Edward raised a finger. “The contract’s content is not to be spoken of here. What is to be spoken of are the terms. Complete the contract, and two million dollars will be wired to your accounts. You three have been chosen specifically. As you all are here, it’s meant to ensure you don’t interfere with or attack one another.”

Crayzo sneered. “I ain’t working with these bitches anyway.”

“You talk too much,” said Viktor.

“Yeah, whatever.”

Wednesday Update Time!

- I hit 90k on The Rift Impact, Book 1 of The Evaran Chronicles II. I have two major action scenes left, then it's on to the denouement! In the last two scenes, Evaran and M take on a host of enemies and employ a variety of battle tactics. In the past, I used graph paper to depict the fight, but anymore, I can do it in my head. It was fun showing off what the second Evaran and M can do but also showing some of their weaknesses.

This will most likely hit 100k, and as a comparison, The Awakening, Book 1 of the Evaran Chronicles, was 70k words. Another big difference is the amount of plotlines and subplotlines. The Rift Impact has two main plotlines with about six subplotlines, whereas The Awakening had one plotline and two subplotlines. There is also the sheer scope difference aka one is set on a ship, the other across planets, moons, ships, and even the far future.

- Tom Edwards Design has released his premade covers, and they're awesome as ever. I might be partial to the Elite 5 cover. Check those bad boys out!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=theartoftomedwards&set=a.907782010936996

I hope your week is going well!

My cover artist, Tom Edwards Design, has 31 premade covers being unveiled! Although mine are custom, I still enjoy looking at other sci-fi covers!

I hope you have a great Monday and rest of week!

Sunday Update Time!

- I hit 88k on The Rift Impact, Book 1 of The Evaran Chronicles II. I'm in the midpoint of Act 3, and Evaran has finished preparing the battlefield with time travel shenanigans. The next three chapters are action heavy. Although the new gang won't be in close quarter combat, they still contribute.

- After the restructuring of Act 3 in The Rift Impact, I've also updated my high-level outlining for book 2 of The Evaran Chronicles II. My current premise has that lovable furball Sandas in it!

I hope your weekend is going well!

My Weekly AI Art Post!

I'm doing a weekly post on my journey with Stable Diffusion, an AI art generation tool. I pick a character from the Evaranverse and see what Stable Diffusion can make based on my prompts. I used to use Midjourney, but I'll be using Stable Diffusion going forward!

This week it's the Greek God Hermes. He's an old friend of Evaran and they've met off and on throughout the ages. The associated pic is from The Purification, Book 3 of The Evaran Chronicles, far in the future where Hermes is a part of a resistance group fighting the Purifiers.

Hermes has a friendly disposition and acts as a messenger for the Greek Pantheon. Although he does move faster than a normal human, he used Helian technology in the past to move around. His rocket boots had a sandals with wings projection which many believed gave him flight. He loved interacting with the local populace and was a big fan of drinking, dancing, and flirting.

In the modern era, he has more advanced tech at his disposal and he still handles the communication aspects of his pantheon. He's become a part of a power trio along with Aphrodite and Hercules mainly due to their affiliation with Dalton Kingston. Aphrodite is dating him, Hercules went on a case with him, and Hermes stays in constant contact with him. They're viewed as a gateway to talk with Dalton who helps further that image by responding to their requests.

Hermes is well respected by other pantheons in the Imperium, and sometimes they ask him to act as a mediator. He is also sometimes called upon to deliver Earth Ward messages in a discreet manner. As such, his technology focuses heavily on hacking, stealth, spy orbs and equipment, and enhanced movement. He also has a projection hologram that can be used as a perception filter, but that doesn't work on powerful beings who can see through it like Dalton. Hermes loves his life as he often has a lot of free time which allows him to visit with others and live it up.

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A snippet from The Purification, Book 3 of The Evaran Chronicles, when Evaran and the gang meet up with a resistance group Hermes was part of. It's in the future of an alternate timeline.

John indicated for Evaran, Dr. Snowden, and Emily to sit at the leftmost table. Hermes sat on the edge of the table opposite them. John went up to the podium and tapped at its slanted surface. After a moment, the large screen lit up blue. “Give me one moment . . .”

Hermes smiled. “He has to configure what can and can’t be said.”

“Why?” asked Dr. Snowden.

“Oh, you know...which Evaran shows up...what companions are present...has Evaran met Lord Vygon...”

“I see,” said Evaran. “This briefing is intended to avoid mentioning anything in particular about my personal future.”

Hermes sucked his lips in and raised his eyebrows as he nodded.

Dr. Snowden looked at Emily, who shrugged. In their previous adventure, they had come across someone who had met a future Evaran in the past and would not say anything about that meeting.

“Before we begin, I just wanted to say how impressed I was back at the station,” said John. “It took a group of us to fight one exterminator, and you handled a group by yourself.”

“That’s Evaran. Always beating one group down or another,” said Hermes with a smile.

Evaran narrowed his eyes. “I avoid violence if at all possible.”

Hermes laughed. “I know...but you’re like a violence magnet!”

Evaran looked down.

Dr. Snowden studied Hermes and Evaran’s interaction. It was true that violence always seemed to find Evaran. Maybe that was the price paid for standing up against injustice. Given the types of people Evaran ran across, it made sense to Dr. Snowden that violence would be inevitable, even if it was just self-defense.

“Okay, I think we’re ready,” said John, clearing his throat. He tapped at the podium console, and the screen changed to a horizontal timeline. He pointed to the first dot on the far left. “This is 2635 BC. Starting then and roughly one hundred years forward, nonhumans disappeared. Talking pantheon Outsiders...ancient vampires...Wildborn...and the like.”

“What is known of the disappearances?” asked Evaran.

John gestured toward Hermes.

“Ahh...yeah...was a pretty rough time. There was no trace of someone once they were gone. Literally, none. Some guys in black clothing always seemed to be around when it occurred, so we think they are related, but we had no hard proof.”

“Did your pantheon survive this?” asked Evaran.

“We did...but almost everyone left back through our portal and sealed it off. Obviously, some of us decided to stay.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” said Evaran.