Chel's Corner

from 2020 to 2021

2020.12.28

It feels funny to be talking about plans for 2021 after the chaos that was 2020, but to be honest things are looking great.

The 2020 retrospective

1. Well, the obvious big news of 2020 was undoubtedly the release of “The Dragon Run”! I’m very happy that I was finally able to finish, edit and deliver this on time for the release date that I had set, and I’m looking forward to the next one! Speaking of which…

2. The first draft of “The Kerguelen Cat” is DONE.

3. The pandemic lockdown caused a certain number of things to be delayed, chief among them the boat project, of course. However, I have good hopes of putting it back on track soon, because..

4. I got a new job! The offer came just before the Christmas break and I will be starting in January. I won’t go into specifics here, but the details will be in my LinkedIn bio when that happens if anyone’s interested in checking it out.

And coming in 2021…

1. Well, the new job is an awesome opportunity so I’ll definitely be looking forward to that.

2. “The Kerguelen Cat” is scheduled to come out on May 1st. I will be starting the editing process when I’m back from the holiday break, and it will then go to my editor in February. While it’s there, I’ll finalize the design of the cover, before putting the final touches.

3. The next WIP will not be an Ascalon Circle book! I will be working on the rewrites, edits and completion of my science fiction epic “The Uncertain War”, a work that’s been in progress since 1994 in various forms. It started off as a time travel thing inspired by Jurassic Park, and evolved into something completely different. If anything I’ve done so far can be called a magnum opus, it’s this bad boy. I don’t have a release date yet, but I’m aiming roughly at a rolling 2022 release schedule for the three volumes. Yeah, it’s a big one!

4. I will also order and supervise the translation of TDR to French for a release in Q4 2021.

5. Lastly, conditional on favorable post-covid conditions… I will finally get my hands on my dream boat, if it’s still waiting for me where I left it last March.

I might have other news, but these are things I’m not ready to share on this platform quite yet.

I feel fortunate and grateful that 2020 was not a bad for me as it was for others, and I realize how privileged I am to be able to say this, and that 2021 is looking brighter as the last days of the year pass by us. I am also grateful to everyone who bought my book or downloaded some of my free material, your support means a lot. A heartfelt thank you to all of you! I wish everyone a happy new year celebration, and a magnificent 2021!

The future is ours to take!

Posted in ascalon circle series, boathunting, misc, news, The Uncertain War, writing | No Comments »

At the Bay

2020.12.15

Such a wonderful short-story… 💜

Mansfield’s style is so powerful it just makes me want to put away my keyboard and forget I even tried… It’s lyrical but direct, not a word is wasted, and images flow into your head as you read, building up this fantastic panorama of perspectives… And how it’s built, how it comes full-circle at the end, nailing a perfect landing… This is a creator in perfect control of their craft. Reading her is like listening to Haendel.
I’m rambling, but it’s because I’m speechless.

Posted in review, writing | No Comments »

Success!

2020.11.30

My most successful NaNoWriMo yet, I’m ending NaNoWriMo2020 with over 55,000 words logged in 30 days!
I’m super happy at how “The Kerguelen Cat” is turning out, an action-packed sequel that will complement “The Dragon Run” very nicely! I can’t wait to have you guys read it! 😃

Posted in ascalon circle series, nanowrimo, the kerguelen cat, writing | No Comments »

Aéropostale

2020.11.27

80 years ago today, on November 27th, 1940, Henri Guillaumet and Marcel Reine were shot down by mistake above the Mediterranean Sea.

Henri Guillaumet
Marcel Reine

Guillaumet was one of the great pioneers of the Aeropostale Line, perhaps the greatest with Jean Mermoz. In May 1930, he survives a crash in the Andes at the Laguna Diamante, and walks towards the East. His only goal is to find a spot for his body to be found, so his widow can receive the life insurance. He stumbles upon a young shepherd five days later, on the verge of death. To Saint-Exupéry who flew in as soon as he heard that he had been found, he says this immortal quote, a testament to human resolve and obstination: “You know, what I did… No beast would have ever done it.”

Marcel Reine had survived the Sahara, and being captured three time by rebel R’Guibat Tuareg tribes. Talented and facetious, he had been notorious for flying low above the waves and other acrobatics, and during the early days in Casablanca, was once reprimanded for giving champagne to the horses during one too many parties… Though lesser known, I always consider him the fourth Musketeer to Mermoz, Guillaumet and Saint-Ex.

The Farman NC.223 was flying from France to Lebanon on that fateful day, when it found itself in the midst of an engagement between Italian and British fighters. Although recognizable as a civilian plane (with large yellow bands painted on the sides), it was hit several time and disintegrated as it fell into the sea. To this day, there is uncertainty over who fired the fatal rounds: the British, or the Italians.

Guillaumet’s death deeply affects Saint-Exupéry, who writes: ” Guillaumet is dead. It feels tonight that I no longer have any friends.”

Saint-Exupéry disappeared four years later during a recon mission, joining his companions into the legend.

Posted in flying | No Comments »

#50K

2020.11.24

5,893 words today and wooohoooooooo!!! 4th time I’ve completed the challenge! 🥳💪🤪 The first draft of “The Kerguelen Cat” is almost complete at close to 60K overall!

Posted in ascalon circle series, nanowrimo, the kerguelen cat, update, writing | No Comments »

TDOR – In Memoriam

2020.11.20

Today is the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, an event that raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people. Sadly, 2020 is on track to be one of the deadliest in recent years for the transgender and gender non-conforming community.

“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.”
– Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith

Posted in lgbtq, transgender | No Comments »

Praise for “The Dragon Run”!

2020.11.19

“This story will take you from Africa to Scandinavia on the eve of the Second World War. The atmosphere is perfectly rendered and the action accelerates throughout the story: suspense and change of scenery guaranteed. The plot is perfectly realistic. Well done!”

Thank you so much! 💜

Get your copy of “The Dragon Run” now on Amazon!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Blog refresh!

2020.11.18

Apologies if you’ve seen things moving around lately, I was busy working on refreshing the looks of this journal to better match it to the latest freylia.net / rachelrelat.net iterations.

The old look served me well but was becoming dated, being the last remnant of what freylia.net looked like back in… 2016 I think! Overall I didn’t change much of the structure though, it is mostly simply a cosmetic refresh with updated links.

I took the opportunity to rename the blog too. Yes, I like puns. :p

Anyway, this is done, for the time being. Back to writing, passed 32K on my 2020 NaNoWriMo effort, bringing “The Kerguelen Cat” along towards what I think will be a very satisfying conclusion. But I can’t say more for now!

Stay shiny!

Posted in design, news, update | No Comments »

Flying Wings

2020.11.12

“The Kerguelen Cat” uses a degree of creative license when it comes to some of its featured aircraft. One in particular is inspired by the futuristic Horten designs of the 1930s and 1940s.

Pioneering the “flying wing” concept with both gliders and powered prototypes, the Horten brothers later scaled up their ambition with the massive H.XVIII pictured here but the project never left the drawing board…

The sequel of “The Dragon Run”, available now in paperback and ebook, “The Kerguelen Cat” is scheduled for release May 1st, 2021. Pre-order now!

Posted in ascalon circle series, nanowrimo, the kerguelen cat, update, writing | No Comments »

Launch Day! Dragon Run and Kerguelen Cat updates

2020.11.01

Calling all passengers for boarding, your flight to the 1930s is ready for take off!

“The Dragon Run” is now LIVE on Amazon, for Kindle, on Kindle Unlimited, and on paperback. Grab it while it’s hot: https://amzn.to/34Ko42l!

There’s more! If you want to know more about the Dragon Rapide and other featured planes, TDR comes with “Planes of Ascalon”, a free companion booklet to satisfy your curiosity. Download it here!

“The Kerguelen Cat” announcement

Today’s other goodie is the unveiling of the cover for “The Kerguelen Cat”, scheduled for release on May 1st, 2021. Part II of the Ascalon Circle series is bound to amp up the stakes so keep your seatbelts on!

Happy reading! 💜

Posted in ascalon circle series, nanowrimo, news, the dragon run, the kerguelen cat, update, writing | No Comments »