Jax2Published Author  Veteran Member Posts:269  
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060 
| 4/12/2013 6:20 PM |
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At long last we get to read how the series came to be. Can't wait for part two and beyond.
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Kerrick Basic Member Posts:322 
| 4/13/2013 3:19 PM |
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Wait a minute... Mark always claimed the editors wanted the two series tied together, and that he'd originally designed Outlanders as a separate concept. Still, interesting...
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 4/14/2013 9:26 AM |
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No, I always claimed the exact opposite. Just like I state in the blog, I originally designed OL as a separate concept...but when I was asked to add junk to it that was the same as in DL but with different names, it was my suggestion and mine alone that the two series be linked.
The suggestion was approved.
I'd already begun writing the first OL novel so it wasn't that big of a stretch to go back and do some judicious rewriting and tweaking.
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KerrickBasic Member Posts:322
| 4/19/2013 8:17 PM |
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Ohh. I guess I misread that. Carry on, then.  |
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RPGjunkie New Member Posts:35
| 4/20/2013 12:15 AM |
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This was a fine read. Eagerly awaiting Part 2.
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/20/2013 6:00 PM |
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Keep it coming Mark, this is fantastic and such an insight to the inner workings and (lack of) thought processes within Gold Eagle.
To quote from "Oliver"... "Please Sir may I have some more?"
One point though, the Mat-Trans is based on the teleporter from "The Fly" not Star Trek.
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 4/21/2013 7:07 AM |
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Thanks, Jim.
But teleporter/transporter...meh. Mix-mox.
Since I'm the only writer who provided a theoretical basis for how the mat-trans worked, I get to choose and I choose Star Trek's transporter.
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mikeclrBasic Member Posts:197 
| 4/21/2013 11:47 AM |
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I see it more as a combo of the two - at least in DL - fixed station to station teleportation a la Seth Brundle but with the ability to transport supplies, clothes, weapons, etc as in Star Trek.
Who would really want to see Doc popping out in his birthday suit after every jump? Yikes!
"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." - Atticus Finch
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/21/2013 11:57 AM |
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I'm surprised you didn't see it yourself
the fly
enclosed chamber
door closes to activate
smoke or mist
floor glows
flash when teleportation takes place
transport only to another pod
mat-trans
hexagonal chamber
door closes to activate
glowing floor
mist
high pitched whine and flash at moment of transport
only transport to another chamber
star trek
transporter pad open area
transport to any location
same pad or another needed to return to sourse
sound at time of transport
no mist
more like your inter phaser don't you think?
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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The PhantomBasic Member Posts:219 
| 4/21/2013 1:41 PM |
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I guess the "Axler style" was not laid out in detail when you signed up for the job...
There will be no high falutin stuff goin on!
No womens smartin lead characters neither!
No highbrow science fiction whatsitis mumbo jumbo!
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 4/21/2013 2:42 PM |
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Star Trek's transporter and The Fly's teleporter work the exact same way--converting matter to energy and then transmitting the energy from point A to point B where it's reassembled.
Mix-mox. That's like me insisting the faster-than-light drive starship in Death Hawk was inspired by Forbidden Planet but not Star Trek. C'mon.
Besides, wasn't there an old Doctor Who episode that featured a teleport device called the "T-Mat" ?
The interphaser opens localized wormholes...it triggers a temporary overlapping of two dimensions...basically shortening the distance from point A to point B. There is no matter to energy conversion involved.
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/22/2013 9:21 AM |
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It was the Doctor Who story "seeds of death" first shown in 1969. Glad I can get you to argue about stuff that you no longer have an interest in though  {chuckles to himself...} Jim =============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 4/22/2013 1:49 PM |
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Outlanders is my intellectual property (the characters and concepts if not the title which I never liked anyway), so I'll always have an interest in it.
Until I don't.
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/22/2013 2:23 PM |
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Glad to hear it. I will stop yanking the chain now Jim =============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 4/22/2013 8:43 PM |
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That just means you're paying attention.
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/23/2013 12:26 PM |
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I see all...
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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silentalbino Advanced Member Posts:742
| 4/23/2013 1:20 PM |
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This is real interesting cant wait for part three. I always think its cool that the Author's hang around here.
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/25/2013 12:06 PM |
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Posted By Jax2 on 4/22/2013 1:49:48 PM
Outlanders is my intellectual property (the characters and concepts if not the title which I never liked anyway), so I'll always have an interest in it.
Until I don't.
I think Mildred has the final word on the bottom of the penultimate page of Northstar rising when being told about the gateways she asks "...have none of you seen the film the fly?" Jim =============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 4/25/2013 6:21 PM |
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Actually, nope...I got the last word(s)...starting on page 156 of Exile to Hell.
I described the operations of the mat-trans and I used thinly disguised Star Trek techno-babble.
Hah.
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RPGjunkieNew Member Posts:35
| 4/25/2013 10:45 PM |
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I'm finding these blog entries very interesting. Peering into the strange, mentally-deficient world of Gold Eagle higher-ups is no less than fascinating.
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/26/2013 1:39 AM |
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I guess what I should have said was "...even Mildred agreed with me, see page..."
I only added this as I've just finished Northstar rising.
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/26/2013 3:40 AM |
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Now look what you have done...
Mention book one of Outlanders and I go pick it up from the bookshelf, next thing I'm 50 pages into it again! I had forgotten just how easy it is to get hooked on...
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Wordsmith-repriseFreelance Editor Basic Member Posts:150
| 4/26/2013 5:30 AM |
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Exile to Hell was probably the best GE book I have ever read.
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 4/26/2013 8:38 AM |
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Thanks for that, Jim and Cathy.
Yeah, like I said in my blog I busted my ass on Exile...on the next five years worth of books, really.
A shame it became far more important for the former executive editor to convince me I had to write more for less because the series wasn't selling yet not be able to come up with a cogent explanation for why Harlequin kept publishing a money-losing series.
After a certain point, busting my ass writing Outlanders didn't seem important to anybody...particularly after I really did bust my ass in an accident in 2006 and couldn't even afford to seek medical attention. |
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The PhantomBasic Member Posts:219
| 4/26/2013 1:29 PM |
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There is no other series out there like it, It always entertained and kept my interest. It didn't get old or predictable or go downhill like so many series sometimes do, even the last one you wrote, Warlord of the Pit, was great reading.
Your assbusting is much appreciated by this reader. Wish you could have been paid what you deserved. |
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/27/2013 3:30 AM |
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I second what Phantom said. Even now all these years later that first OL book is as fresh as ever and unlike a lot of books doesn't show its age.
Thanks for all the time and effort you gave to creating them.
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/29/2013 10:32 AM |
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Mark,
I can't recall this being asked before but if it has then I will blame it on old age and failing memory!
How did you come up with the names of the original 9 Baronies / Barons?
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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mikeclrBasic Member Posts:197
| 4/29/2013 12:10 PM |
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Wait, I'm getting confused here...clearly the mat-trans in DL was based on The Fly though right? I mean heck, they both came out in 1986.
"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." - Atticus Finch
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/30/2013 2:25 AM |
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Watch the original film made in 1958. Even the lab the transporter is located in looks like the control room described in the DL books!
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 4/30/2013 6:11 AM |
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The original names for the " villes/baronies" were based on radio call signs--Alphaville, Betaville and so on. That was when Outlanders was called Aftermath and had no connection to DL. The were called Enclaves back then.
After the decision was made to connect Outlanders to DL, the Imperators became Barons and the Enclaves became villes, I named most of them after barons who had appeared in DL.
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 4/30/2013 6:54 AM |
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I think they should have stayed with "Enclaves" the word better suits the discription. "Baronies" always makes me think of sprawling open fields and woodland with a Norman-esque castle on the hill.
Thanks for that, sadly we never did see a Baron called Vile Vic...
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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mikeclrBasic Member Posts:197
| 4/30/2013 12:37 PM |
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Now that we've gotten the behind the scenes story of the genesis of OL, how about a behind the scenes follow up about it's deconstruction in recent times?
"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." - Atticus Finch
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 4/30/2013 1:38 PM |
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If you mean the deconstruction with the non-canonical books published post-Dark Goddess, I'm not privy to anything behind the scenes about that.
If you mean deconstruction as defined by the "Milan Travesties"--as they're known in parlance of our times--I can provide some behind-the-scenes material about how and why those came about.
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 5/7/2013 7:30 AM |
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Posted By )3az )3aziah on 4/26/2013 3:40:22 AM
Now look what you have done...
Mention book one of Outlanders and I go pick it up from the bookshelf, next thing I'm 50 pages into it again! I had forgotten just how easy it is to get hooked on...
Jim
Book three here I come...
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 5/9/2013 6:54 AM |
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Mark,
Dont be, it has been several years since I last read the real early books and I cant believe just how much of the "history" disappeared into the grey that is my memory.
Can I ask if you had the past history of Bridget and Kane planned before you started or did it develop as you progressed with each book?
Oh and finally, do you mind me asking all the questions?
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 5/9/2013 7:41 AM |
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Nah, I don't mind...they're years in the making, I guess.
As for Brigid and Kane...I had the "anam-chara" dynamic in mind even in the first book, but I didn't bring it up until the second, Destiny Run. I had too much ground to cover in Exile to Hell.
I'll be blogging in more detail about all this stuff. Those details will make some people happy...it'll probably make some other people very unhappy...which is okay since they're the right people.
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silentalbinoAdvanced Member Posts:742
| 5/9/2013 2:39 PM |
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Keep it coming. Any plans for a new series????
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)3az )3aziahBritish Bloke Veteran Member Posts:1060
| 5/10/2013 6:20 AM |
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I guessed you may have as that first meeting between the two has a special kind of magic going on between the lines as you read it. I think its not so much the action scenes that make these books but the way you write the interactions between all the characters.
It would have been nice to see some more interaction between Defore and Kane which is hinted at in book one.
Jim
=============================== Billy Fish: He wants to know if we are gods.
Peachy Carnehan: Not gods - Englishmen. The next best thing.
Please check out my FLICKR photos
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 5/10/2013 8:05 AM |
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I don't think Kane and DeFore had much interaction until the fifth book, Parallax Red. As for a new series...guess you missed the news about The Spur. http://tinyurl.com/ckue3zu It's not going to be an every three months production schedule...I learned the hard way that kind of grind isn't really conducive to keeping creative enthusiasm high. |
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silentalbinoAdvanced Member Posts:742
| 5/10/2013 10:54 AM |
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I've actually got it on my kindle just havnae gotten round to reading it yet. Good to hear its going to be a series.
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Jax2Published Author Veteran Member Posts:269
| 5/10/2013 1:50 PM |
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Here's a link to a nice write-up about THE SPUR being used as the basis of an RPG. http://tinyurl.com/SPURLOKI Speaking of Kindle--we're finally going to be able to get our library of graphic novels on Kindle. We finally overcame the technical issues that have kept so many comic publishers from making their output available on mobile devices, like the Kindle. File size issues and being unable to get the "panel zoom" feature to work have been solved. So this summer starting with Nosferatu: Plague of Terror, we'll have The Justice Machine: High Gear Edition Volume Two, Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga, Mr. Holmes & Dr. Watson: Their Strangest Cases, H.P. Lovecraft's The Miskatonic Project: Whisperer In Darkness and several more avaiilable for very affordable digital download-- Showcasing the art of such great comic artists as Adam Hughes, Richard Pace, Darryl Banks, Gil Kane and Don Heck among others. |
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