Hello,
June is rapidly coming to a close and we are now in summer (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least). It has been an exciting month since the release of On Darkhaven Forged, and it’s not quite over yet. If you’re new to my newsletter, welcome!
In this edition:
- What I’m Watching
- Mechhaven Missives
- The Music of Mechhaven
- Featured Authors
- Special Shout Out
What I’m Watching
Since releasing ODF, I’ve been able to spend a little time catching up on TV and movies. When I sit down to watch something, there’s usually a pretty good chance I’m going to like it. I want to be entertained and I try not to be overly critical. Oh, I can discuss and critique with the best of them, but that’s not my primary motivation. If I come across something I don’t like, I just move on to the next show or movie. With that being said, here’s a rundown on some shows I’ve been watching (In no particular order).
- Spy x Family (Crunchyroll)-I’ve mentioned this one before. I really like this show, so do my wife and kids.
- The Boys Season 3 (Amazon)-Holy moly! Not a show for kids…but wow.
- For All Mankind Season 3 (Apple)-Instead of getting bogged down in transitions, this show really knows how to move forward in time to keep the show moving.
I’m watching the above shows from week to week as the episodes are released. In the case of The Boys and For All Mankind, I binged the previous seasons after all the episodes had been released. The writers of those shows really know how to end their episodes to compel you to watch the next one!
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+) I’m a big Star Wars fan and could discuss it 24/7/365 (One of these days I’ll do a big Star Wars post). Overall, I enjoyed this series. I’m a big fan of Tala and Ned-B.
- Ms. Marvel (Disney+) This character was introduced after I stopped reading comics regularly. I know a little bit about the character but have never read the comic. As for the TV show, my wife was enthralled, and of the two episodes that we’ve watched so far, we’ve found enjoyable.
- The Orville (Hulu) I tried watching this when it first came out, but wasn’t really in the mood for a Star Trek parody. I gave it another shot one night recently, when I couldn’t sleep, and realized it’s more of an homage than a parody. I’ve seen most of the first season at this point. I watch it when I’m falling asleep, so I’ll have to rewatch some episodes, but I’m starting to dig it.
- Stranger Things Season 4 (Netflix)-There are two more episodes yet to release but I like it so far! I may be showing my age here a bit, but Stranger Things totally encapsulates my childhood, except maybe the supernatural stuff (mostly)!
What are you watching or reading lately? What are you excited about?
Mechhaven Missives
- I’m very pleased with the launch month of On Darkhaven Forged. The promotions I did on Pax Machina and Mechs and Machinations will help to boost overall sales and page reads moving forward.
- I’ve hit a number of personal milestones in terms of rank, sales, and page reads, and with a few days still left in the month, I hope to keep the momentum going. I’m very thankful for all of your support in helping me to reach these milestones!
- I’m somewhere between 20-25% complete on Book 4 and feel like I’m just about done with the beginning. I’ve been setting all the pieces on the board, and it’s just about time to let the story take off!
- During July, I need to wrap up a short story that’s set in the Mechhaven universe. I also have a novella I hope to have wrapped up by this fall as well. However, my focus will be Book 4 and I want to make sure I continue to make progress on that one.
The Music of Mechhaven
After I released Pax Machina in May 2021, I released the playlist of music I listened to while writing it. I’m not sure why, but I forgot to do this for Mechs and Machinations, and now I want to do it for On Darkhaven Forged.
A lot of authors listen to music when they write. I’m no different. Music has a way of relaxing my mind and helping me get into the flow of the writing. I look for songs/albums that help convey a sense of tone and them to whatever scene I’m writing. After a while, I find I keep coming back to the same few songs or albums for each story. I almost always choose music without lyrics, or if they have lyrics, they need to be chants or sung in a language I’m not familiar with. If I think too hard about the lyrics, it draws me out of the story.
Pax Machina Playlist on Spotify
Pax Machina Playlist on Apple Music
In my mind, I consider the track “The Life We Had” as Misty’s theme and I really like the melancholy of “Human Legacy” as the overall Mechhaven theme. I felt “The Fall” and “Juggernaut” capture the drama of preparing for and then fighting the final battle.
Mechs and Machinations Playlist on Spotify
Mechs and Machinations Playlist on Apple Music
I really like the pageantry and majesty of “Ride to Glory” but a lot of the songs on this album lent themselves to the actions sequences in this book, especially “Flight of Freedom” and “A Hero Rids with Us”.
On Darkhaven Forged Playlist on Spotify
On Darkhaven Forged Playlist on Apple Music
This is the longest of the three playlists. I really wanted to capture certain feelings in this book. I consider “Blood of Glory” to be the theme song of this book. I was watching a lot of anime while writing this one, and felt that if On Darkhaven Forged was ever turned into an anime that I’d want a theme song like this. “Hypnotica” and “After The Fall”, really all the songs from the “Invincible” Album gave me the feel I wanted for the Legion. The songs from “The Hu” helped set the mood for a particular scene with Dennis. 🙂
Featured Authors
Deadly Lockdown: A Post-Apocalyptic Pandemic Survival Thriller (Escaping the Virus Book 1)
Stephanie Mylchreest and Misty Zaugg
A deadly illness. Panicked lockdown. And two sisters who’ll stop at nothing to save each other.
The second wave of the Siberian Flu catches the country completely unprepared.
Instead of killing the old and frail, the young and healthy are dropping . . . in hours, not days.
Kate, a new doctor, will sacrifice everything to break her and her sister free from a controlling stepfather and a dead-end small town existence. Moments from landing the critical job she needs, St. Louis falls apart around her.
Now it’s a race to survive. She has to fight through a city turning deadlier by the second and traverse a chaotic country to save her sister.
Alisa should be safe at home in their small town, but she’s never been happy to sit back and let life pass her by. Concerned for her stepbrother, she finds herself embroiled in a far-reaching conspiracy that might be even deadlier than the pandemic.
As an invisible killer spreads like wildfire, society breaks down with astonishing speed. Refusing to succumb to the chaos, the sisters will have to dig deep for strength, rely on new friends, and fight a vicious battle to survive.
From the authors of the top-selling Aftermath series, Deadly Lockdown is the first book in a gripping post-apocalyptic series full of everyday, driven characters who never quit fighting through non-stop peril and danger. A post-apoc thriller just right for fans of Kyla Stone, T.L. Payne, Ryan Schow, Jack Hunt and Mike Kraus.
Failure is not an option!
Bartholomew Roberts is retiring, leaving his son in command of the Queen Anne’s Revenge. It is his first command, and it may be his last. The Alliance will do everything in their power to ensure that he fails. Failure in the Alliance is not tolerated. If Doc Roberts is lucky, they will hang him. If not, he will be sent to a reeducation center, mind-wiped, and a control collar will be placed around his neck, then he will be paraded in the streets of Avalon’s capital city, as an example of what happens to people who fail in their missions. He can’t afford to fail!
(The Chronicles of Jason Rokku Book 4)
The Target’s Name Is Sera K, And She Is Lethal…
Key is a bounty hunter who is tracking down a new target named Sera with his guildmate, Wawa. And while Key and Wawa are busy trying to confirm her whereabouts, she is busy racking up kills.
They are both surprised by how high Sera’s bounty hunter rating is, especially since she has not been active for long. Key starts to feel like he has seen her face before, but can’t remember where. He has a strange feeling that she might be a particularly difficult target, but he can’t be sure why.
And if that wasn’t hard enough just when they were making progress, something goes terribly wrong that causes a brutal fight between Wawa and Key.
Now he has to carry on the search by himself… And time is running out.
Will he be able to find Sera before it is too late?
Special Shout Out!
When I used to have a long commute, I listened to a lot podcasts and audiobooks. These days I don’t have to commute too often, but when I do I still listen to a variety of podcasts. I’ve mentioned this podcast before, but I wanted to give a shout out to my friends at Geek Off The Street. These guys have a cool podcast that looks at a variety of geek and pop culture topics. I don’t always agree with their take on certain movies or shows, but I always enjoy listening to their discussion. Trent, Mark, and R.J. have also given me more shoutouts than I can count and have been ardent supporters of me and Mechhaven since day one! Please check out their podcast if it sounds like something you’d like. Here’s a link to a recent episode where they discuss the character of Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan prior to the release of the Disney+ series.
Until next time, happy reading (and listening)!
Greg Sorber