Back to Top

Tag Archives: Kayelle Allen Androids

posts with info about androids and android characters

Tarthian Empire Companion - create believable aliens

Tarthian Empire Companion – create believable aliens

About 18 months ago, I joined a local writer’s group. I was looking for a critique group, but figured any writer’s group would lead me to one. At the time, it was a weekly meeting and the emphasis of the group was strictly to do writing prompts. Members met at Starbucks, had coffee, and shared a new word they’d learned. The moderator then gave a topic and we spent 20 minutes writing. Afterward, we shared what we’d written and others in the group commented. About four months later, someone asked if we could meet on an additional, different day to critique already-written work. Several of us jumped at the chance. Within another three months, the original moderator left the group, and we began doing a critique at all meetings. In addition, or instead of, members can write to prompts and bring those. In any case, we all share critiques. The atmosphere is positive, friendly, and open.

Critique Groups Get Results

Mallow Mayhem by Lisa Haman

Mallow Mayhem by Lisa Haman

The group meets regularly, Tuesday for lunch at a different restaurant, and Saturday for coffee, and we do critiques of work we’re readying to publish. It’s produced some wonderful books, including Lisa Haman’s brilliant humorous noir, Mallow Mayhem. Imagine a world where marshmallow peeps rule. When a pink bunny goes missing, it’s up to yellow chick Philippa Marlowmellow to investigate. Lisa wrote this book with a nod to all the various kinds of peeps, without ever mentioning the candy or using its trademarked names. Click her cover to read a sample.

Last year, I published A Romance for Christmas, which the group critiqued, and also Human Perfect. This month, I released The Tarthian Empire Companion, a non-fiction book the group helped me polish.

Tarthian Empire Companion, an illustrated World-Building Bible and Guide to Writing a Science Fiction Series by Kayelle Allen. Illustrated by Jamin Allen and Kayelle Allen.

Tarthian Empire Companion, an illustrated World-Building Bible and Guide to Writing a Science Fiction Series by Kayelle Allen. Illustrated by Jamin Allen and Kayelle Allen.

For the writer of science fiction, and the writer who wants to create a science fiction series, this volume teaches you how to build believable worlds, track details of your story, organize your writing, and lay out your story bible. Novice or experienced, you will pick up tricks and tips here. The Companion reveals the worldbuilding magic that makes the Tarthian Empire tick. I share 10k years of future history, offer peeks at scene and character creation, lay out a quick tour of the Empire, and dish up a surfeit of secrets for fans, all in one illustrated volume. The companion provides organizational tips, links to marketing sites, groups supporting writers, science fiction groups, and more. Material from my 90+ page website is included. Original art by Jamin Allen (and some by me).

It’s a good idea to have any book looked at by others before publishing it. When people put a checkmark next to a line because they like it, or tell you they got lost on a line, it helps. Better to have friends who tell you the truth about a scene and guide you to make it better, than to have reviewers tell you how badly you write. Once that book is out there, it’s out there.

A Location Critique

Is Starbucks an ideal location? On the plus side, most people drink coffee, and the site offers tea and water, plus other flavored drinks. There are healthy and not-so-healthy snacks, all made on site. Best yet, no one drops by the table to interrupt or ask if you want anything else. You can work without a hassle. [pq]Starbucks offers plugins for computers or phones, and wifi is free.[/pq] On the down side, it can be noisy when they grind beans, or the place is full. We’ve learned that when the grinder starts, it’s best just to wait a minute. We meet at different spots, and one swears the room temperature is set by corporate. We don’t really buy that story, but what can you do? Overall, we find Starbucks a good place to meet, and they are environmentally conscious.

Grab Some Coffee and a Critique

So grab yourself some coffee, pop up a note on Meetup or Facebook, and get ready to sit down and talk writing. It could be the best cup of coffee you drink (and two hours of time you spend) all week.

Where to find the Tarthian Empire Companion

Amazon http://bit.ly/companion-az
Smashwords http://bit.ly/companion-sm
Find this book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25134488-tarthian-empire-companion-an-illustrated-world-building-bible-and-guide
Coming soon to print

Joy to the Worlds #SciFi #Speculative #Holiday 11 authors

NOTE: This book will be out of print after Dec 31, 2022.
It is available in eBook and print.

 

Joy to the Worlds

A Speculative Fiction Holiday Anthology
Genre: Scifi, Space Opera, Holiday

Includes imaginative holiday flash fiction from:

Andrew Abarca – Kayelle Allen – RC Beckett
Matthew Cushing – LV Ditchkus – Cheryl Fallin
RD Henry – Paul Martz – Bruce I Schindler
JK Washer – Samone Yuen

Drab Droids by Kayelle Allen

When a worker droid gets decked out for Christmas by his humans, his robot peer struggles to make sense of the "unauthorized" peripheral.

 

Excerpt (very short but this is a short story) ^_^

Vf-7 rolled into the hall outside his department. Upon viewing his droid colleague, 2-Xs, Vf-7 halted.

2-Xs lifted one clawed appendage toward strands of silver fluttering atop his head and turned in a slow circle. "Do you like it?"

"I see no reason to like or dislike it. What manner of peripheral is this?" Vf-7 rolled all the way around 2-Xs, eye-stalks set to capture. He shot the image through his recognition patterns, but no data matched the slender contours. "This item is not recognized."

"My humans gave it to me." 2-Xs turned around again.

What did these circular movements indicate? Vf-7 queried the company's intranet but found no data.

"Well? What do you think?"

Vf-7 snapped all his appendages into place. "I was not created to think independently."

About the Anthology

Take your pick of maniacal Christmas bots, unexpected visitors from other worlds, omnipotent in-laws over for dinner, or a time travel mission gone terribly wrong.

Or perhaps you prefer festive androids, an unusual champion of might, genetic breakthroughs, or a celebration of a traditional nativity on a future colony.

Will you suffer holiday misery or enjoy the seasonal festivities? Do the spirits of Christmas bring loneliness and heartache, or cheer and laughter?

Whether you simply endure December or fully celebrate the holidays, this anthology of thirteen yuletide tales is sure to satisfy your speculative fiction craving and make your winter a little brighter.

Available on Amazon


Welcome to Book Hooks!

Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative blog hop hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by.

Links below lead to other sites also taking part. You can "hop" from mine to theirs with one click.

Feel free to say hello or leave a note in the comments.

Droid art by R Henry

You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!


To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.

In the android business, the best of the best are Human Perfect #SciFi #Cyberpunk

In Human Perfect, the line, "I embrace chaos" is central to the entire story.

I embrace chaos

In this scene from Human Perfect, the heroine is dining with Tom, who works for an android company. She's beginning to suspect he is an android...

He picked up a bottle of red sauce, squinted at the label, and put it down, then picked up a green bottle. Tom set that down, slid the red bottle into the green bottle's place--and then switched them back. After a moment, he lined up all the condiment bottles, peered at them, and then began reordering them.

"Tom, what are you doing?"

"Sorry." He yanked his hands back and put them on his lap. "Bad habit. I was trying to decide it I should line them up by color or size, or if the name of the product should be--" He shook his head. "Never mind. Order is a flaw, but I will overcome it."

Raising one eyebrow, Christa took in the neat row of bottles. "Order is a flaw?"

"Perfection is godlike. No real person is perfect. No real person is a slave to order. I embrace chaos."

Terran Crescent

Androids: the best of the best are Human Perfect #Cyberpunk #SciFi

Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
#SciFi #Speculative #Romance

Christa despises androids.

The texture of plastiflesh skin jars her senses. The non-smell of animate machines makes her skin crawl.

Don't even get her started on robots, or worse -- andys that look human. Her job as a corporate spy for the android maker Innersoul puts her in touch with the creatures every day, but also requires her to judge them.

When Christa runs into Humancopy Progress Rep, she can't believe her luck. Using a cover identity, Christa wines and dines him. What truths will she uncover?

Or worse, what truths will she reveal...


Welcome to Book Hooks!

Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative blog hop hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by.

Links below lead to other sites also taking part. You can "hop" from mine to theirs with one click.

Feel free to say hello or leave a note in the comments.

You'll find these characters mentioned in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!


To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.