Work on the paperback formatting and cover design is almost ready for beta print!
Progress
2020.08.24In focus: Boulogne sur Mer
2020.08.10“The Dragon Run” protagonist Yann Vatel was born in Boulogne sur Mer. Located right across the channel from England, the town was once a staging area for Julius Caesar’s armies and, centuries later, Napoleon’s. It was also the point of departure of the first attempt to cross the Channel by flight, in 1785. Sadly, it ended in tragedy when the hot-air balloon crashed, killing its creator, pioneer Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier.
Like many of the locations in “The Dragon Run”, this is a place I actually visited: This is where I did the last year of my Master’s, back in 2002-2003. It’s a charming little town, and although I haven’t been back since I graduated, I would love to go again and see the old center, its beffroi (the medieval guard tower) and its massive domed church.
Bob Morane, the OG adventurer
2020.08.01Bob Morane is one of the big inspirations behind The Dragon Run‘s protagonist Yann Vatel. In this 1950/1960’s series of pulpy adventures for kids and teens, ex-RAF pilot Bob Morane roamed the world, one exotic location after another, fighting spies, pirates and mad scientists…
Reading it in 2020, let’s face it, it hasn’t aged too well (among other things, women are often little more than potted plants, and some racial stereotypes are cringy, to put it generously) but it’s easy to see how these fun, exciting tales captured the imagination of kids and adults alike… And if I can stir the same emotions with my stories, then my job is done.
In focus: Atlantis
2020.07.22
The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis delivered a decisive blow to British intelligence in 1940, then stopped at Kerguelen in December that year. These real events inspired “The Kerguelen Cat”, part 2 of the Ascalon Circle. It’s currently in development, as I gear up for the launch of “The Dragon Run” November 1st!
Drum roll please…!
2020.06.24Time for some exciting announcements!
First, I’m overjoyed to announce that The Dragon Run finally got a release date! The Kindle edition is now available for pre-order on Amazon, with a paperback version to follow very soon.
Links:
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BLHDJQV/
Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BLHDJQV/
Amazon.fr: https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B08BLHDJQV/
Amazon.es: https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B08BLHDJQV/
When will it be ready? Well, I’m glad you asked! The book will be released November 1st, 2020!
Secondly, a book would be nothing without… a cover! And it is my immense pleasure to share with you the TDR cover below:
The bold yet minimalist style is meant to call back to the golden age of pulp spy/adventure stories. What do you think? Does it work?
Finally, as part of the redesign that I mentioned in my previous post, I’m sharing today the launch of my dedicated author website, www.rachelrelat.net:
This new site will become the main hub for writing-related news, release dates and updates on the Ascalon Circle series and other works. Hope to see you there!
Well, that’s all I got for you today. Hope the post-lockdown is going well for everyone and until next time!
The Cat Pack — “La Bruja de la Mancha” N24VP (Part Deux)
2020.06.05This series of posts will retrace a few of the surviving airworthy (or close) PBYs around the world, and their history.
As you recall, back in August 2018, I had the immense pleasure and privilege to check out and even climb aboard N24VP. To this day the PBY is still in Ocaña waiting for its first flight in many years, after several setbacks that left it wanting for two new engines… And the pandemic currently circling the globe didn’t help…
However, this long overdue post is to present at last the small videos I took at the beginning of my visit, before the owners arrived. I did a 360° walkaround to present the plane, its history and features.
Here is is below, I hope you like it:
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Spring cleaning
2020.05.0151st day of lockdown here. If you’re reading this, I hope you’re safe wherever you are!
I am going to be refreshing the website over the next week or so to bring it up to date and such, so this is a heads up in case you see anything not working or missing on the main site, it should be temporary.
However, I have end-of-lifed several subdomains and other folders that previously contained downloads and other gaming-related content. This was deliberate as I move the site towards other priorities.
Cheers!
getting closer
2020.03.09I *may* have found the one…
Stay tuned. Things may take a turn!
sad news
2020.02.24I learned with great sadness today that the Ryan PT-22 I had the pleasure of promoting in my portfolio was destroyed in a crash, with the loss of the two souls onboard.
I did not know the pilot nor the passenger, as the plane had changed hands since I had worked on its leaflet, but my heart goes out to their families in this difficult time.
Blue skies and tail winds.
New project: Terra Nostrum (thriller)
2019.11.01So since I’m never still and always start shit before finishing something else, I need to unload a new idea that’s been on my mind for a while so that I can continue with the rest. The tentatively called Terra Nostrum is a techno-thriller starring an Interpol Task Force that faces an unprecedented terrorist threat in the Mediterranean.
I could summarize the plot as “Speed 2 meets Rainbow Six”, and I’m very definitely going for a Tom Clancy-kind of vibe with a few twists and plot items that will hopefully, if published, put it a notch above the competition. Time will tell. I’ll keep these under wrap for now, of course.
Current word count: 1,956 words
That’s a better start than last year, for sure.