A new dawn is on the horizon, where boundaries are broken, diversity is embraced, and an optimistic, creative vision of our future on Earth takes center stage.
EOS is a powerful solarpunk story narrated by FEAR, who tackles real-world issues concerning terrorism, prejudice, and diversity, to near-future technology surrounding sustainable energy that restores the balance between humanity and nature. This isn’t a defeatist tale. It is a look through the lens of positive futurism that showcases the courage, compassion and capabilities of humanity as equal partners in building a bridge to a better tomorrow.
Meet the Narrator
Benedict Cumberbatch as FEAR
“Since the dawn of humankind I have been associated with weakness. Wrongfully so, mind you. It is not frailty that courts me. It is courage.
Am I the shadow of despair, of doubt, of dread?
Yes. I am all of these things and more.
I am the whisperer of possibility, of passion, of purpose.
I am the catalyst for revolution, for innovation, for transformation.
I am Fear.
But do not be afraid.
I am not your foe. I am your friend. I steer you, not to avoid life, but to embrace it.
It is I who shouts for your survival, who pumps your veins with excitement, who guides you to opportunity and challenges you to act!
My reputation may have been tarnished over time, but you have to admit, I keep things interesting. I shake things up to make you feel more alive. I reveal the risks so you may reach for the rewards. I test you, not to see you fall, but to see you fly.
And fly you must, even when you think you haven’t the wings, for there are those who seek to clip them and steal your wind. Do not let them. They invoke my name, not to stir your spirit, but to strangle it.
Face me and you will find your footing.
Face me and you will forge your own fate.
Not convinced? Come, sit a spell with me. I’ve a story to share that may sway you, one that highlights my more favorable facets. Listen closely, for swimming beneath the surface of this slippery tale are underlying truths, unforeseen turns, and unimaginable treasures…”
Swing by and leave us a comment for a chance to WIN a digital copy of RSM’s latest public album, Battle Angel!
Each Comment = One Entry
EOS Review Contest
Starting April 1st, I’ll reveal sensory-rich sneak peeks into the world of EOS, a futuristic sci fi solarpunk short story available on AMAZON for $0.99. Post a REVIEW of EOS on AMAZON by May 31st and you’ll be entered to WIN a signed copy of RSM’s Battle Angel and signed limited edition print from painter, Jenny Vyas!
A new dawn is on the horizon, where boundaries are broken, diversity is embraced, and an optimistic, creative vision of our future on Earth takes center stage.
EOS is a powerful solarpunk story narrated by FEAR, who tackles real-world issues concerning terrorism, prejudice, and diversity, to near-future technology surrounding sustainable energy that restores the balance between humanity and nature. This isn’t a defeatist tale. It is a look through the lens of positive futurism that showcases the courage, compassion and capabilities of humanity as equal partners in building a bridge to a better tomorrow.
Meet the Characters
Amandla Stenberg as EOS
EOS, Goddess of the Dawn, is the holographic heart of Viridis, a sentient structure built by renowned architect, Rafael Soñador. Imagine an artificial intelligence seamlessly integrated within the environment where you live and work. An emissary of sustainability designed to conserve energy in a more meaningful way during our everyday lives. An interactive search engine, an advisor, an accessible authority of global proportions wrapped in a transparent, high resolution, three-dimensional life-size image. Modeled after Soñador’s daughter, EOS is the culmination of years of research and genius. But watch her closely, for she is far more than she appears.
Swing by and leave us a comment for a chance to WIN a digital copy of RSM’s latest public album, Battle Angel!
Each Comment = One Entry
EOS Review Contest
Starting April 1st, I’ll reveal sensory-rich sneak peeks into the world of EOS, a futuristic sci fi solarpunk short story available on AMAZON for $0.99. Post a REVIEW of EOS on AMAZON by May 31st and you’ll be entered to WIN a signed copy of RSM’s Battle Angel and signed limited edition print from painter, Jenny Vyas!
Honestly, this week has been a hot mess. Between traveling for family vacation, a sick kiddo, and an unfortunate music industry debacle that, for a few days there, threatened the integrity of my EOS project, I’m tapped out. Please bear with me as I regroup and get back into the A to Z swing of things. I’ve enjoyed the first week of A to Z immensely, from meeting new talented folks, to sharing witty banter with dear friends, and look forward to the April adventures still to come.
IWSG, a community of brilliant writers led by Alex J. Cavanaugh, meets the first Wednesday of every month. Visit the Insecure Writer’s Support Group website and database! You’ll find everything from writing to marketing, along with encouragement and support!
A new dawn is on the horizon, where boundaries are broken, diversity is embraced, and an optimistic, creative vision of our future on Earth takes center stage.
EOS is a powerful solarpunk story narrated by FEAR, who tackles real-world issues concerning terrorism, prejudice, and diversity, to near-future technology surrounding sustainable energy that restores the balance between humanity and nature. This isn’t a defeatist tale. It is a look through the lens of positive futurism that showcases the courage, compassion and capabilities of humanity as equal partners in building a bridge to a better tomorrow.
A Cast of Multicultural Characters
L E T M E I N by Jenny Vyas
Every turn of the page will challenge what you believe. Every character harbors a secret that will keep you guessing till the end. A young Japanese AI specialist bearing a family burden and her curious red-headed intern who’s more than she appears. A plant geneticist from India with a tragic past and her autistic teen son with a penchant for programming. A feisty Mexican singer in her sixties who makes a mean tamale and her widowed son, a visionary green architect wielding a spectacular Spanish guitar, who honors the spirits of his lost South African wife and their sixteen year old daughter by creating the impossible.
Swing by and leave us a comment for a chance to WIN a digital copy of RSM’s latest public album, Battle Angel!
Each Comment = One Entry
EOS Review Contest
Starting April 1st, I’ll reveal sensory-rich sneak peeks into the world of EOS, a futuristic sci fi solarpunk short story available on AMAZON for $0.99. Post a REVIEW of EOS on AMAZON by May 31st and you’ll be entered to WIN a signed copy of RSM’s Battle Angel and signed limited edition print from painter, Jenny Vyas!
A new dawn is on the horizon, where boundaries are broken, diversity is embraced, and an optimistic, creative vision of our future on Earth takes center stage.
EOS is a powerful solarpunk story narrated by FEAR, who tackles real-world issues concerning terrorism, prejudice, and diversity, to near-future technology surrounding sustainable energy that restores the balance between humanity and nature. This isn’t a defeatist tale. It is a look through the lens of positive futurism that showcases the courage, compassion and capabilities of humanity as equal partners in building a bridge to a better tomorrow.
Meet the Composers
Really Slow Motion, from CEO/Creative Director Agus Gonzalez-Lancharro, is a music and sound production team of experienced professionals whose main focus is Film, Game, TV and commercial media. They write, record, produce and mix under custom requests to provide powerful soundtracks and sound designs for all media projects. For editors, music supervisors or media professionals, they also have a catalog of licensablemusic for trailers available for a wide range of commercial projects.
Curious about the origins of their name? Check out Clothilde Lebrun’s 2013 interview with Agus Gonzalez-Lancharro for Trailer Music News:
Agus: “I’ve always liked paradox and incoherence in names! But in this case, it made lots of sense to me. Really slow motion footage is so beautiful, you can observe every single detail in a very cinematic way that you wouldn’t normally spot in regular motion. When I was a kid, every time I watched a really slow motion capture I would be fascinated, watching it over and over again having some sort of music ringing on my mind while watching. Once said that, Really Slow Motion merges both motion picture and music, and that’s exactly what we do.”
EOS Commenting Contest
Swing by and leave us a comment for a chance to WIN a digital copy of RSM’s latest public album, Battle Angel!
Each Comment = One Entry
EOS Review Contest
Starting April 1st, I’ll reveal sensory-rich sneak peeks into the world of EOS, a futuristic sci fi solarpunk short story available on AMAZON for $0.99. Post a REVIEW of EOS on AMAZON by May 31st and you’ll be entered to WIN a signed copy of RSM’s Battle Angel and signed limited edition print from painter, Jenny Vyas!
A new dawn is on the horizon, where boundaries are broken, diversity is embraced, and an optimistic, creative vision of our future on Earth takes center stage.
EOS is a powerful solarpunk story narrated by FEAR, who tackles real-world issues concerning terrorism, prejudice, and diversity, to near-future technology surrounding sustainable energy that restores the balance between humanity and nature. This isn’t a defeatist tale. It is a look through the lens of positive futurism that showcases the courage, compassion and capabilities of humanity as equal partners in building a bridge to a better tomorrow.
Meet the Artist
B A I T E D by Jenny Vyas
Jenny Vyas is a contemporary artist from the Chicagoland area. She is highly influenced by beauty in complex human emotions and attempts to reveal them through multiple nuances in expressions in her work. Her interest in human frailty shows in her monochromatic paintings where she creates abstracts of human silhouettes and fluctuating forms in half-light; all drawn from reality, personal experiences and memories through a process of simplification. Her artistic influences stream from music, poetry, books, artists like Rothko, Marina Abramović, JR, Andy Worhol, Jackson Pollock, Saitō Yoshishige, Maria Hafif, Da Vinci, Shakespeare and many more. Find her at Jenny Vyas, Twitter, FB, &Instagram.
Really Slow Motion – Battle Angel – Gates of Pearl – Martyn Corbet
EOS Commenting Contest
Swing by and leave us a comment for a chance to WIN a digital copy of RSM’s latest public album, Battle Angel!
Each Comment = One Entry
EOS Review Contest
Starting April 1st, I’ll reveal sensory-rich sneak peeks into the world of EOS, a futuristic sci fi solarpunk short story available on AMAZON for $0.99. Post a REVIEW of EOS on AMAZON by May 31st and you’ll be entered to WIN a signed copy of RSM’s Battle Angel and signed limited edition print from painter, Jenny Vyas!
A new dawn is on the horizon, where boundaries are broken, diversity is embraced, and an optimistic, creative vision of our future on Earth takes center stage.
EOS is a powerful solarpunk story narrated by FEAR, who tackles real-world issues concerning terrorism, prejudice, and diversity, to near-future technology surrounding sustainable energy that restores the balance between humanity and nature. This isn’t a defeatist tale. It is a look through the lens of positive futurism that showcases the courage, compassion and capabilities of humanity as equal partners in building a bridge to a better tomorrow.
Meet the Characters
Arjun Suraj-Sharma as Arjun
Arjun Kirti, autistic teenage son of Dr. Vanisa Kirti, is often found cradling hisholopad in his awkward hands, a prototype of his own design, and finds its contents far more interesting than sentient weeds. But Arjun has never shared his mother’s love of botany. Computers were the companions of a boy who thinks too much and feels too little. But he will soon discover the power of connection with an unlikely companion.
Really Slow Motion – Battle Angel – I Am Yours – Dylan Jones
EOS Commenting Contest
Swing by and leave us a comment for a chance to WIN a digital copy of RSM’s latest public album, Battle Angel!
Each Comment = One Entry
EOS Review Contest
Starting April 1st, I’ll reveal sensory-rich sneak peeks into the world of EOS, a futuristic sci fi solarpunk short story available on AMAZON for $0.99. Post a REVIEW of EOS on AMAZON by May 31st and you’ll be entered to WIN a signed copy of RSM’s Battle Angel and signed limited edition print from painter, Jenny Vyas!
A new dawn is on the horizon, where boundaries are broken, diversity is embraced, and an optimistic, artistic vision of our future on Earth takes center stage.
Fear takes us down an unexpected road in EOS (dawn), a groundbreaking Solarpunk story that challenges us to choose a creative movement of positive futurism, where we consciously turn away from the defeatist apocalyptic momentum as a global community and work towards restoring the balance between humanity and nature, while fostering a foundation of mutual respect across all cultures, creeds and chromosomes.
Join us on a journey where literature, music and art collide to create an unparalleled storytelling experience! And keep an eye out for some familiar faces from our blogging community as they make their fictional character debut in:
– EOS: Behind the Scenes –
Swing by April 1st for the EOS launch party for more details on how YOU can WIN signed Battle Angel albums from Really Slow Motion, signed limited edition prints from painter, Jenny Vyas, digital music and more!
Really Slow Motion – Battle Angel – I Am Yours – Dylan Jones
RSM’s Composing EOS Competition
Join us on April 1st to find out how YOU can join the ranks of RSM’s epic cast of composers for the upcoming public & industry Solarpunk album inspired by EOS!
Welcome to “The Bridge Between Lost and Found”, starring the winners of our commenting contest, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Crystal Collier, Yolanda Renee, Lisa Shambrook, C. Lee McKenzie, Roland Yeomans, Djinnia (Mandy), Denise Covey, Michelle Wallace, Arlee Bird and Mikkel Heimbürger.
Colossal Trailer Music – Headless Body in Topless Bar – Snow Angels – Benjamin Zecker
In a sleepy little town nuzzled in the North Carolina mountains, down a yawning stretch of tree-lined gravel, leaning precariously over the embrace of two rushing rivers, was a peculiar place where lost things went to be found…
It was rumored that the rivers themselves reunited the patrons of Mik’s ‘Lost and Found Bar & Grill’ with what they sought. The legend, birthed around a twenty-first century campfire, ran through the waters into the gullible ears of those caught in its currents. It was a tragic tale of a young schoolteacher who was fatally afflicted, and the damaged soldier who loved her. The boy, determined to discover a way to save her, had stumbled upon a hidden shelter where they could live their remaining days in peace. She was to meet him on the bridge beneath the full snow moon. Sheets of ice had coated the planks, and the waters below grew restless. Before he could reach her, his traitorous leg buckled, sending him into the foaming mouth of a waterfall that swallowed him whole. The bridge bore the weight of the girl’s spirit ever since, her fiery hair seen trailing in phantom winds as she mourned the love she had lost that fateful fourteenth of February.
Colossal Trailer Music – Headless Body in Topless Bar – Chaplin Walking – Oli Jogvansson
The locals suspected the sorcery was more likely in Arlee’s white bean chili. A spry chef with an enviable mustache and a mean bottle of moonshine, Arlee safeguarded his recipes as if they were the culinary equivalent to the holy grail.
Mik, the playful proprietor with a penchant for fixing things, and his wife, Yolanda, an amiable force with a fondness for matchmaking, welcomed customers every day of the year for nearly nine decades without divulging a single secret. But that did little to deter anyone within a hundred mile radius from lining up at their door. Valentine’s Day became especially popular, as folks were eager to feed upon riverside favorites that came with a side of spooky star-crossed love.
Colossal Trailer Music – Headless Body in Topless Bar – Skeletons Dance – Claudie Mackula
There was no sense in asking their staff, of course, for they were even more eccentric than their employers. For starters, their busboy refused to wear a shirt. Unsuspecting diners would get an earful of fire prevention tips while Roland, tall and topless, cleared nearby tables.
The waitresses, Michelle and Mandy, were a pair of charming identical twin teens who were reportedly adopted by the owners back in 2066, and refused to grow up. Mandy continuously serenaded customers with random song lyrics, while Michelle broke into dance routines at irregular intervals to the delight of the dinner crowd. During the lunch hour, the resident poet laureate, Lisa, would deliver a passionate helping of lyrical prose whether they ordered it or not. Breakfast was often a dicey affair when Denise served up sweet potato pancakes with stinging psych evaluations. Diners either had a breakthrough by the time they finished their hash browns, or they left with a doggy bag of egg salad and shame.
Their cashier, Lee, was also a bit bizarre. She shared heated opinions regarding one’s dietary decisions, often leaving patrons with a customized health plan highlighted beside their bill if they consumed anything deep fried.
Colossal Trailer Music – Headless Body in Topless Bar – Hansel and Pretzel – Snorre Tidemand
But the most curious character of them all was Crystal. A striking, red-headed girl who, despite the sixty years spent hostessing, never looked a day over twenty. A wealth of knowledge, she knew even the most obscure historical details. And there was the small matter of her head tilting at odd angles.
The public was more than willing to overlook any peculiarities the minute their food arrived.
“How many?” Crystal asked, marking off names in the holoscreen.
“Two,” a boy squeaked.
“Some crazy bloke is on the bridge,” a voice snickered from the doorway.
Her fingers froze in midair. She squinted out the window and shook her head. It wasn’t safe on the bridge this time of year. She knew better than most. She brushed past the line of bundled customers and stepped into the bitter cold that clouded their breaths.
“Hello?” she called out. The vexing wind whipped around her head, tempting it loose. “The bridge is closed!” she warned, though truthfully, she made a habit of strolling across it every night.
The man came closer, something about his gait seemed…familiar. He stepped off the bridge with a lopsided smile.
Colossal Trailer Music – Headless Body in Topless Bar – Moon Spell – Alexandros Nikolaidis
“Alex!?” she shouted, darting towards him, hope surging through her, but the momentum caught her head off guard. It toppled from her shoulders onto the snow, where it rolled across the space between them and landed at his feet.
He bent down and gingerly picked up her head, carried it back to her empty shoulders, and secured it as best he could, considering.
“I see you’re still head over heels for me.”
Crystal wrapped her arms around him. “How…how are you…here?”
“Some kids found me a few months ago while they were camping. Took them awhile to restore my basic functions. After sixty years stuck under a rock, it was no easy task,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m relieved to see you’re safe.”
“It’s everything you said it would be.” She leaned into him.
Alex held her face between his hands. “So they’re not quick to disassemble you for having a screw loose?” he asked with a grin.
“They encourage it,” she smiled. “And there’s more of us, Alex. From all over the country. Entertainers, a nurse and psychologist, a literature professor, even a fireman. All of them damaged…like us.”
“Damaged or not, you’re worth more than a hundred new droids.” Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal object. “I was planning on giving you this gift before I went for a swim.” He placed the object in her hand.
It was a replacement titanium screw for her head. Something impossible to find in a world that considered her obsolete. In that moment, she felt the power of connection. Of acceptance. Of love. And for the first time in her existence, she understood why humans celebrated it.
Share your thoughts on our bizarre Tim Burton-inspired love story and Danny Elfmanesque music in the comments section below by February 24th for a chance to WIN a digital copy of Colossal’s enchanting album, Headless Body in Topless Bar!
Congrats to our album winners and many thanks to our composers, writerly cohorts and readers for joining our quirky adventure!
Winners
Roland Yeomans Crystal Hicken Collier Denise Covey
I’ve joined forces with Sub Pub Music and artist, Jenny Vyas to create a creepy atmospheric journey through a classic childhood tale gone horribly awry (a story that spooked the pjs off me as a kid) for Yolanda Renee & Denise Covey’s fearful WEP Halloween challenge! Knock on our virtual door October 21st – 23rd, wager which fairytale we’ve twisted and you’ll walk away with a digital copy of Sub Pub Music’s latest haunting album, Cryogenesis, featuring dark & daring composers Mikkel Heimburger, Cody Still, Nick Road, Ciaran Birch, andMartin Hasseldam. Those who stray from the correct path may be detained indefinitely within the confines of our cryo chamber *cue evil laugh*.
SHUTTER by Jenny Vyas
Sub Pub Music – Cryogenesis – Cryogenesis – Cody Still
Mist, silent and sinister, spills through the chamber’s silver veins. A silent thief come to steal the warmth from our bones. It licks at our legs, hungry for heat. It slips past our lips, stripping our lungs of breath and smothering our screams…
“I see our mysterious guest has successfully thawed,” called a cheerful voice beside us. Memories scattered in the wake of a woman wrapped in a gleaming white gown. A haze of spun sugar clung to her shining flaxen waves.
We winced as her chair screeched a complaint against the stone floor. Our skin, wrapped in a warming sheet, shivered beneath a phantom blanket of ice.
Tegrel stirred.
“Where are we?”
“Somewhere safe,” the woman smiled. She folded her arms atop the metal table that stretched between us. “I understand you’re a bit, foggy. An unavoidable side effect, I’m afraid. I do hope my inquiry won’t be too tortuous,” she purred, tilting her head with feigned concern. “I was alerted the instant your status improved. I wanted to handle your case, personally. I’ve no doubt our little chat shall be far more interesting than this evening’s stale corporate affair,” she winked. “Now then, let’s start with your name.”
We stared at the woman whose sweet scent and syrupy words oozed with something sinister. We tightened our grip on the pulsing fabric, its label catching on our fingers.
KRYOS Pharmaceuticals
ASCENT by Jenny Vyas
Sub Pub Music – Cryogenesis – Oscillation – Ciaran Birch
“KRYOS is growing desperate. Animal trials have failed,” father whispers to mother across the candlelit table. “The Pestis has infiltrated the world’s population. Humanity is a hair’s breadth away from extinction.”
“We were doomed the moment Monsainto gained control over the global food supply,” mother says, her fingers absently brushing the angry blemish along her collarbone, courtesy of the corporation’s more nefarious animal subjects. Our scars run deeper than most.
The Pestis was rooted in the GM toxins that polluted the most vital elements to our survival. Our food. The regrettable, long-term, unintended side effect? A catastrophic inability to reproduce.
“KRYOS isn’t the solution,” mother squeezes his hand. “They’re nothing but a cannibalistic corporation eager to claim their share of the spoils. It’s up to us to turn the tide.”
Our lips curled with contempt.
“Who are you?” we demanded, dropping the offending blanket.
“Someone who needs answers.” She clenched her jaw. “Your undocumented cryopreservation is terribly troubling. KRYOS prides itself on following proper protocol. Why, one tiny slip on our side of things, and, well,” she leaned forward as if sharing a secret, “the consequences would be…severe.”
UNHINGED by Jenny Vyas
Sub Pub Music – Cryogenesis – Shield of Fate – Nick road
“That damnable woman!” father shouts. “Dr. Syngenta’s expedited testing of her vaccine. On children, no less,” he swallows back the horror. “I traced the unregistered KRYOS chambers to Monsainto’s classified facility in Creve Coeur. The woods bordering the lake are restricted to high-level corporate personnel. I won’t have access. We need someone on the inside. A child.”
Mother pulls her hand away, “No,” she says, shaking her head vehemently. “Shalen’s not ready. Tegler is too unpredictable! It’s too danger–”
“We don’t have a choice,” father cries.
“Imagine my surprise when a prohibited child popsicle conveniently turns up in one of my chambers during a witchhunt,” the woman seethed, her breath a cloying vine of venom. “Property that was to be disposed of after a rather distressing incident.”
Tegrel bristled.
“We’re not your property!”
She rose from her chair, a glint of menace flashing in her crimson glare. “Oh, but you are. You and your gloriously untainted blood.”
FACADE by Jenny Vyas
Father wraps his arms around us. “I’ve run dozens of blood tests. There’s no sign of Pestis. You’re safe.”
“What about Tegrel?” we whisper into his coat of wool and woodsmoke.
His embrace tightens. “Tegrel will protect you from the real monsters in this world.”
“Delightful news!” The woman beamed. “Your blood, my dear, may hold the key to our elusive cure,” she rubbed her palms together. “Available at an absorbent consumer cost, of course.”
BURROWS by Jenny Vyas
Sub Pub Music – Cryogenesis – Sentenced to death – Martin Hasseldam
“I’m not feeling particularly welcoming, Dr. Wood,” the blonde woman hisses, her gun wavering in the space between fire and flesh. “I assume you left a damaging trail for the authorities,” she spat. “No matter. Nothing an unfortunate forest fire can’t fix.”
A massive wolflike creature leaps from the corner, it’s snarling snout dripping with savage fury.
“Dorothea, NO!” Father shouts.
With a piercing howl, the beast tackles the wicked woman to the ground, jagged jaws tearing through blood and bone, until a flash of blue fire finds its mark in the heart of our mother.
Our eyes land on the spidery scars. Ragged and raised, they crept down the woman’s neck and crawled beneath her clean, white gown.
Vengeance, eager and persuasive, slithered through the seams of our thoughts.
LET ME IN by Jenny Vyas
Sub Pub Music – Cryogenesis – we are all aliens – Mikkel Heimburger
Tegrel pushes past me with a guttural growl. Father spies us in the shadows of the cryo room. He shakes his head, wide eyes begging us to stay hidden. We hesitate a heartbeat too long. A corporate guard seizes our arms and tosses us into the nearest chamber. The steel mouth slams shut and swallows us whole. We throw ourselves against the glass, crying out for father, but he cannot come. He’s pinned to the ground, battered and broken and still…
“It hasn’t escaped my notice, your mention of others. I’m sure your siblings are worried sick. We should find them, don’t you think?” she asked, eyes glowing with greed. Another unsullied urchin would raise her profit margin through the roof.
“Tegrel stays close. He watches over us.”
“What a brave brother you have. There’s all manner of monsters lurking about. You’re both better off under my protection,” she nodded with approval, turning on her heels to head for the door. “I’ll notify my guards to collect him.”
“But he’s here,” we taunted. “In this room.”
The woman, creator of orphans, scavenger of souls, spun around, her triumphant smile slipping into a scowl. “What are you playing at?” she challenged.
Beneath the table, our fingers shifted into claws.
We leaned forward and whispered, “Tegrel protects us from monsters.”
Congrats to Djinniafor being the first to guess the origins of this tale: ‘Shalen and Tegler‘ are indeed ‘Hansel and Gretel‘! Many thanks to the WEP gang for joining our journey to the darkside!
Seventeen-year-old Elijah Brighton wants to become an ascender–a post-Singularity human/machine hybrid–after all, they’re smarter, more enlightened, more compassionate, and above all, achingly beautiful. But Eli is a legacy human, preserved and cherished for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state possesses him and creates great art, Eli miraculously lands a sponsor for the creative Olympics. If he could just master the fugue, he could take the gold and win the right to ascend, bringing everything he’s yearned for within reach… including his beautiful ascender patron.
But once Eli arrives at the Games, he finds the ascenders are playing games of their own. Everything he knows about the ascenders and the legacies they keep starts to unravel… until he’s running for his life and wondering who he truly is.
The Legacy Human is the first inSusan Kaye Quinn’s new young adult science fiction series that explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul in a post-Singularity world… and how technology will challenge us to remember what it means to be human.
“…but you mustn’t rush it,” she says. “You have to have patience, Eli, not push beyond what you’re ready for.”
Eli. My name on her lips torments me. Her purple-blue eyes are close and concerned. Her face is so near, I could lean forward and kiss her right now. But her lips are drawn into a tight line of disapproval. And I can’t imagine Marcus would tolerate a kiss, even if I could steal one.
“You were the one rushing me five minutes ago.” I stay in her embrace even as I protest with my words.
“It wasn’t five minutes ago, Elijah.” She drops her hands from my face. The alarm is back in her eyes. “You painted for an hour.”
An hour. I forgot there’s always a time loss with the fugue. Only this time, she watched it happen. They both did, watching me paint in a trance for an hour then end up on the floor. She and Marcus both have to know something is seriously messed up with my process.
I have absolutely no idea how I can possibly master something that hits me like a freight train, but I have to try. It would bring everything into my reach. Including her. “I can do this, Lenora. Please. Let me do this. I’ll prove it to you.”
“No.” For a second, the gray pallor of her skin flickers, and a ribbon of darker gray trickles across it… then it’s gone. “I’m not going to let you attempt this when you’re not ready. I won’t sponsor you.” She gives me a stern look. “And you can’t go without my approval. I will terminate your patronage.”
Breath escapes me, but the hurt is still trapped inside. She means it: she would cut me off if I even tried to go. My mind can’t wrap around it. Does she have so little faith in me?
In The Legacy Human, the main character, Elijah, is an artist who can only create great art when in a fugue state. He struggles to master the “beast” within.
Share a personal story about your own artistic struggles in the comments section below by March 12th, for a chance to WIN a signed copy of The Legacy Human and a digital copy of The Freak Within album!
What difficulties do you encounter when creating and how do you overcome them?
WINNERS
Signed copy of The Legacy Human – Djinnia
Digital copy of The Freak Within album – Pavarti K Tyler
Congrats to our winners & many thanks to everyone who shared their stories! Winners, please contact me with your mailing/email address to receive your prizes!
WriterlySam 