rlfj: Blog

Let me know about any errors or typos in Martian Balance. I will fix the posted chapters, but I will also fix the published book. At the end of the week I will publish the fixed version, which will allow everybody who purchased it to get the final version; I will post a note when I do that. Many thanks to all who made the purchase. My wife thanks you as well!

I’m still looking for new ideas for my next story. For all the readers that ask, I do not intend to return to either the Grim Reaper or the Carl Buckman universes. Those stories are now finished.

Also, still thinking about AI drawing programs. It would need to be easy, free, and able to do nudes. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

And so we end our journey. While I could have split Chapter 8 and the Epilogue into two separate posts, that seemed more than a bit anticlimactic. The Epilogue simply continues what happened at the end of Chapter 8, with everybody cleaning up the mess. I simply decided to post them both and finish it off.

The Martian stories have been some of my favorites. It’s been a wild ride through Al’s universe, and I really appreciate him letting me play in his sandbox. It’s just a real pleasure. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as well. I’m not sure if I will play in it again, but it’s been a blast!
Now, on to other ideas. Anybody have any? I haven’t begun any new stories. I’ve been putting some of my milder stuff on StoryRoom and that seems popular, but I just haven’t thought of anything new. I’ve been considering another story in the Nude Planet universe of icehead’s but haven’t gotten started. I really liked writing about Jonathan’s and Korona’s love story, and I think I could do something additional there, perhaps a few years down the road, where the kids are out of the house.

I’m curious. I’d like to try an AI illustration program, but I don’t know how. I have no known artistic talents. It would need to be easy, free, and able to do nudes. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

The fixed chapter has been reloaded. Sorry about that.

An early reader wanted to know how the Martians could keep track of Earthling diplomatic skullduggery. Simple – keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Separate embassy buildings aren’t possible in an environment where standalone buildings aren’t possible. It would be far less expensive in the Martian environment to build taller buildings than to build new buildings and domes. Additionally, since the Martians are building the embassy, they can install bugs and listening devices immediately. I guarantee that the Earthlings understand this right from the start, just like American diplomats understand the same thing when working in foreign countries.

Chapter 7 is relatively short compared to Chapter 6, but that’s how it goes. As I mentioned earlier, ‘A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.’

Enjoy!

No idea what happened, but the Chapter 7 I uploaded was missing about half a dozen paragraphs at the start. I just uploaded a new version so it should be fixed shortly. Sorry about that.

The death and destruction have begun. When I originally wrote the story, I didn’t attack Gonzo Three. A nuke in the orbitals would really trash both EastHem’s and WestHem’s infrastructure and economy. Al Steiner correctly pointed out that the Martians would never let a pirate base exist. He’s right. I just needed to figure out how to do it that didn’t involve nukes. Then I had to figure out how to do it without a giant space station coming down in one piece. He made it a better story! Thanks!

I had an interesting response from a reader:

“You know, sure makes you wonder what happened with the honor-code thing supposed to be prevalent at West Point ("A cadet will not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those that do."). Certainly West Point is still around, Eric Callahan from Greenies was a graduate. But that thinking just isn't going to work in modern WestHem.”

My response:

“Makes you wonder what is going to happen to current graduates if they are ordered to start shooting citizens. Many, maybe even most, will refuse, but a certain percentage will obey orders. If they become the arbiters of who gets into WP in the future, it will not be pretty.”

I make no comment about current politics, but it has to make you wonder.