Fractured Horizon H.E. Roulo cover alternate

Artwork

Apparently I love to post when I have new images, and this month is no exception. Here’s another take on the Fractured Horizon book cover. Keep in mind, it’s a virtual book so the cover can be anything I want. How do you think this one compares?

Re-opening the Fractured Horizon Archive- Short stories coming up! 

The universe of Fractured Horizon, populated by feisty genetically engineered Adams and ambitious mystic Royals, along with our struggling heroine Kay, has been sadly neglected recently. But I’m booting up my ancient laptop, pulling up the old folders, and sorting through it for a hidden gem. I need just a small idea for the Podioracket Presents-Glimpses anthology. This is the second anthology we’ve edited, and this one will be available in both audio and ebook formats.

I haven’t settled on what story I’ll contribute to the anthology. I have a lot of material already available, including scenes from the near future when Kay awakens, when she sees David in the future (oh please, that isn’t a spoiler, you have to have expected it!) and about the rift and Ants. Alternately, I could explore side-stories with some of the other characters. Want to hear more about the Adam encampment? A particular character’s history?

If you have a preference, speak up now!

New Horror Short- Shockingly out there

I’ve been working on short stories for the last year, and it has been very rewarding. I’ve gotten published, and I’ve expanded my range. The latest piece, which will air on HorrorAddicts.net for their Valentine’s Day special was a huge stretch. It’s a shocking tale, intended for mature audiences, and may not appeal to all listeners. Feel free to check out this graphic horror story, or wait and know that I’ve got more of the sci-fi that you love coming soon.

Cover for Stripping the Zipper by H.E. Roulo

Here’s the blurb: Stripping the Zipper is the tale of an everyday woman who submerges herself in a world of latex and hidden obsessions only to discover that once she sees beyond prescribed normality even she isn’t what she thought.

I asked Devlin Donnelly for a cover in the new, minimalist style he’s adopted, for Stripping the Zipper and he really delivered. I think it’s very stylish.

Reader Response

I had a few GREAT comments come in, and your interest in Fractured Horizon makes me turn my attention back to that project as well. Thanks so much for taking the time to come to the site and comment. This comment by Robin I’m going to quote in full because it makes me so happy:

Heather, I just finished reading/listening to Fractured Horizon. I have to give you MAJOR KUDOS!!!

I’m usually disappointed by Sci-Fi novels written by women…not sure why, mostly I just feel they’re not technical enough & perhaps a bit too ‘mushy.’ But NOT YOU.

I love, Love, LOVED this book!!! I AM very excited to see you are considering a sequel. I will be EAGERLY monitoring your sight watching for it!

Thanks for sharing Your Talent,
Robin

Oh Robin, that’s music to my ears! I wrote Fractured Horizon to please myself. There have been, and will be, more changes as I come to accept the market that I’m writing for. It has been suggested that I need more of the ‘mushy’ stuff so that the reader understands what motivates Kay on her journey. I happen to like sentiment, and I’ve written several short stories for romance anthologies, but I want to make sure that it is appropriate. Fractured Horizon is, first and foremost, a sci-fi adventure.

You guys rock! I’ll be bringing you more as soon as it is ready. Keep reading.

Heather
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Horror Addicts Ep 44

Episode 44 of Horror Addicts is out and my short story, Great Asp and Little Death, is available as audio.

My story begins about 45 minutes into the program.

In Great Asp and Little Death, Death stalks a woman-warrior of near mythic proportion fresh from battle and dealing with her husband’s death and her own imminent demise. Will she achieve hero status and be made immortal? Or will the wounds to her heart and body give her over to Death first?

I completed an interview for Horror Addicts about myself and the story http://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/13-questions-with-h-e-roulo/. I like this quote from the article, “I always want to be growing and trying new things. I had already given Horror Addicts a sci-fi piece and a contemporary piece. I’d used sound effects. So for the new story I chose a historical fantasy setting and, for the first time, added another voice and a musical score.”

In other news, I sold a story to Flagship magazine. Watch for more information when it releases!

The result will be an appreciable improvement in my writing so I can’t be accused of going to the convention just to have fun (and if you’re one of the many that I danced with while there, thanks!)

Fractured Horizon

I’m getting a renewed number of requests for the sequel. Can it be that I’m reaching the end of your patience? With Podioracket.com going on hiatus at the end of this week, I hope to have the time I need over the summer to finish the sequel.

A print version of Fractured Horizon isn’t really in the works any longer. I’d rather move on to more writing than further attempts to get this edited for print. It takes energy away from new projects. 

However, if you would like a digital copy to read you may email me and I will provide it with the caveat that it has only been edited by the author (I do a decent job, really, but things are bound to slip through when the author edits herself). Also specify if you want the original story, which matches the audio, or the ‘new and improved’ shorter version. I really do think the shorter version is better–Devon’s visions are more cohesive, they’re consistently third person, and extraneous material throughout has been stripped away along with 20,000 words and a few surprisingly disposable characters.

The publisher’s complaint was that I don’t get to the crux of Kay’s reasons for traveling forward through time soon enough, and the love story isn’t well developed enough. These are solid points and I’ll consider addressing them. . . in yet another version. But for now, I’m going to look forward instead of back.

How else will I get that sequel done?

Podioracket

As I mention above, Podioracket.com is going on haitus for the summer. It can’t come soon enough, quite honestly. After more than a year of interviews, tips, and news, Rhonda and I are still looking for ways to keep the show about Podiobooks.com authors interesting for the listener– and ourselves.

Podioracket Presents- Visionaries

The anthology is complete. The LIVE Blog Talk Radio show for PRP-V, where we’ve invited the final 8 authors, airs on June 9th at 6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern at www.blogtalkradio.com/podioracket. We moved the show from its previously scheduled date due to conflict with Balticon. It should be a fun show. I hope you can join us. I’ll be there.

Short Story

A new short story will air on HorrorAddicts.net around June 20th.

I’m the ‘Most Wicked’ winner for 2009. Naturally, feeling the pressure that such a title entails, I took my assigned theme and then completely screwed around with it. It’s possible that my experiment fails utterly, but no one will accuse me of delivering the expected. My first story was the sci-fi piece, “Undergrowth” dedicated to the host of horroraddicts’ dislike (and allergies to) all things green and growing. The second was contemporary with suspenseful mysticism in “Graveyard Shift (& re-shift)” where I met the theme of ‘how to kill a husband’ with visions of graveyards, live burials, and twinkies.

The newest piece is fantasy horror on the theme of Death entitled “Great Asp & Little Death”. I anthropomorphize Death (who is neither Hades nor the Grim Reaper) as he stalks a woman-warrior of near mythic proportion fresh from battle and dealing with her husband’s death and her own imminent demise. Will she achieve hero status and be made immortal? Or will the wounds to her heart and body give her over to Death first?

Is that blurb intriguing? I never know what to say about these things. I have an upcoming interview for HorrorAddicts where I suppose I’ll figure out what to say.

Submitted

I submitted two new short stories to paying publishers. Now the waiting begins.

At the convention I attended one of the panelists had 59 stories in rotation going to and from potential markets. Evidently I need to write more.

That’s it for this update. If I didn’t touch on something, it is likely because there are no updates to give. But, as always, feel free to email me or leave comments.

I was unable to attend Dragon*Con where the Parsec Awards for 2009 and were presented. Twowire kindly agreed to supply Podioracket with live updates and would have accepted the award for me if I had been fortunate enough to win. In gratitude, I sent him a couple t-shirts and he responded by sending this picture. What a great guy! And stylish, too!

It really is the interaction and support of fans and friends that keeps Fractured Horizon growing. Fractured Horizon is currently featured on the main page of Storycasting.com and fans have created six dream casts for the book. I love seeing how you guys envision the characters! Check it out and see whether you agree. Add your thoughts.

I’m participating in the upcoming Wicked Women Writer’s contest and I’m really hoping you’ll come listen to the tales, love my entry, and vote for it! The host of Horror Addicts, Emerian Rich, is planning a special live Second Life event to kick off the contest. The Live taping of Episode 31 takes place on October 7th at 7:30 pm PST in Second  Life at 22 Gutenberg Ave on Book Island.

In addition to my work on Podioracket.com, I’m currently working on a short story for Tales of the Children for P.G. Holyfield as well as an audio drama for Necropolis Studio Productions. I’ll let you know more about those as we get closer to publication.

The text for Fractured Horizon has been sent off to an editor and I’ll soon discover just how deep the necessary cuts will be. As I’ve said multiple places, if you have questions or comments about the audio book, please let me know them now while I’m still able to use feedback to make the text even better.

I was recently covered in the local paper, which was a fun novelty.

I got my copy of Scott Sigler’s The Rookie. I am a fan of his work, and his success, and enjoyed meeting him in person during his tour for Infected. Hard to believe that at that time I had just started podcasting Fractured Horizon and would later end up a finalist against him for this year’s Parsec Awards. (Perhaps you remember my nervous interview at SeattleIam.com around 3 minutes 40 seconds).

My short story and interview on Horror Addicts had a nice reception and I’ve recorded an entry for the Wicked Women Writer’s Contest that will air in October. I also added a t-shirt, mousepad, and other odds-and-ends to a prize package that is being offered with the contest. These stories were fun, but adding the sound effects late into the night made me dream about rats; that’s where I draw the line. I’ve had enough horror for now and am back to writing sci-fi short stories once more. I have enough for an anthology on Podiobooks.com or I may end up teaming up with a few other authors for an anthology.

I would like to report progress on the Fractured Horizon sequel, but there isn’t any. The sequel is entirely planned out, plus I have already written the series’ ending and it is too good to ever give up, but it’s going to take longer to get through than I’d thought. Instead, I am currently working on an entirely new book with a more general appeal.  The framework isn’t be as complicated as Fractured Horizon’s and might ease people into my writing.

As always, you can find me on Podioracket.com, on twitter as @hroulo.

H.E. Roulo

Undergrowth cover by K. Siegenthaler

Guilt and Pruners Don’t Mix:

Torsten is a xenobotanist whose specialization in dangerous plants has already meant hideous death for someone he loved.

The Lumentera is a beautiful specimen whose hallucinogenic and luminescent qualities make it an invaluable commodity. But when the Lumentera blooms, the bait is set in a mind game whose outcome is as uncertain as Torsten’s sanity.

In the planet of Scillia’s uncultivated forests, amputation, lost love, and unrequited desire play out. But is Torsten strong enough to grab hold of the new happiness offered to him? Or will guilt own him forever?

Where to Get It:

My newest short story, the horror sci-fi piece entitled Undergrowth, airs on Emerian Rich’s Horror Addicts podcast. I think the audio adds to the story, so definitely consider listening to the half-hour podcast story within her podcast. Be warned, some of the news stories prior to my interview are pretty gruesome.  If you love horror, listen to the whole ep. My brief interview starts 42 minutes in and the story is the last half-hour of the podcast.

You will love it!

I think that the audio is the finest I’ve done, I even took the time to add sound effects in the podcast, but I am also offering the text of Undergrowth on the Kindle for you to read (newly available as of March 24, 2011!). Check it out and let me know what you think. If you try both, I’d love to hear which you prefer.

If you’d like to hear how pleased I am, I give a small indication in my Podioracket.com ongoing podcast: Download Podioracket Mini- EP02.

I spoke with Everyday Jones, the indie band that does my intro/outro music (Here I Am, On and On, and All You Said) and they have agreed that I may use their music for the downloadable audiobook version of Fractured Horizon that will be offered when Podiobooks 2.0 is ready. A big thank you to them!

Podioracket.com has been a thrilling success and the most enjoyable time-sponge that I could imagine. Rhonda R. Carpenter, author of The Mark of a Druid, is great to work with. It’s a small but significant step in my growth as an author because I’m putting myself out there every week, talking to inspiring writers and improving my podcasting skills. I’ve never said, ‘no’, to an interview.

In a rare reversal, Emerian Rich of Horror Addicts interviewed me for her August 2nd show. My short story, Undergrowth, will play. It’s a sci-fi horror piece, a little darker than listeners might be used to from me but I absolutely love it! Check it out. I’m really proud of this one. If you aren’t familiar with my writing it’s a quick and easy way to see what you think. And if you are a fan, then enjoy it – because I’m not so sure when I can get the sequel to Fractured Horizon out. I’m working on it!