Isis Series News

I just completed the next installment of the Isis series. It’s titled Isis: Power of the Princess. It’s a follow-up to Isis: The Ultimate Fight and features Nemesis and Zeus, King of the Greek gods.

Here’s the blurb:

Rematch! Convicted for causing an inter-realm incident, Nemesis escapes house arrest on Olympus and goes on the run on Earth. Hoping to prevent injury to mortals and property damage, Zeus asks Isis to go on a diplomatic mission find the fugitive goddess and bring her back to Olympus to face justice for her crimes.

Since the story is really short, (10,000 words) I may just go back to the old “abstract” type covers I’d been doing in the past for this one. I’m pondering doing another Kickstarter to hire another artist to design the cover for Isis: Power of The Princess. I’d love to build on the positive impression Bill Walko’s Isis: Wrath of the Cybergoddess cover received and I’d love to make hiring artists for the Isis series cover the standard from here on in for the Isis Series, but money has always been an issue for me. We’ll see what happens.

I want THIS to be the Standard!

The cover I’m planning is a single figure/ half figure like above. Something that shouldn’t cost much. I’ll see what I can do. If not, it’s back to my art. This drawing will NOT be the one I use. 

Isis: Power of the Princess will be in paperback and eBook. The Paperback will get wide distribution, the eBook will be KDP Select exclusive. You can read Chapter 1 NOW! 

Chapter 1

The Geto Boys My Mind Playin Tricks on Me pumps from the stereo in my bedroom as I finish the last few reps of my second set of one-arm push-ups. Four walls have been staring at a goddess ever since Zeus confined me to this suite in the Parthenon of Olympus. Thank the gods I only have another hour before my court date. There’s quite a few people I’d like to smite with my sword of retribution on when I get out of here.

To take my mind off the trial these past few months, I’ve been trying to stay in shape. My body’s gone to Hades with the food Hera has ordered her heralds to serve me. I’ve lost so much weight I’m half the size I was when I fought in the AFC. I haven’t been this skinny since Zeus started sending me out to mete out retribution on mortals.

I’m about to start my crunches when my Smartphone rings. I jump up off the floor and hurry over to the night table. When I’m greeted by Hermes’ smile broadcasting on the screen I realize I’m going to have to cut my workout short. “Hey Nemi, are you decent?” He inquires through the phone.

“Yeah. I’m decent.” I snarl.

“Zeus says we’re going to have your hearing in about 15 minutes.”

“I’ll be ready.”

I hit end, toss the phone back on the night table, and peel out of my workout gear. Then I streak across the suite into the bathroom’s shower stall. After I wash off the sweat from this morning’s workout and towel off, a flash of light envelops my body and the hem of my one-shouldered toga dress falls at the middle of my thigh. When I finish putting on my lipstick and put my hair back up in a topknot ponytail, the chime of my Smartphone lets me know it’s time for me to face the music.

“Nemi, it’s time.” Hermes says somberly.

“Great. Let’s get this over with.”

I grab my Smartphone and a flash of light takes me from the bedroom suite in Olympus to the throne room in the west wing of the Parthenon. A pantheon of Olympian gods and demigods sit in the gallery behind me while Zeus and Hera sit in their thrones in front of me. The tall burly bearded red haired man dressed in a green caftan, gold belt, and sandals looks over at my sword in its sheath and my enchanted balances covered in a layer of dust on the evidence table before addressing me.

“Nemesis, you stand before me charged with insubordination, dereliction of duty, harassing a goddess, and causing an inter-realm incident.” Zeus says. “How do you answer these charges?”

I’m definitely screwed. But I’m not going down without a fight. “Not guilty Great Zeus.” I snarl.

Hera scowls at me after I make my plea. “Not guilty?” she says. “Clearly we have evidence of your dereliction.”

Hera gestures and a stack of my fight DVDs appears on the table next to my sword and balances with AFC’s War of the Gods on top. Wow. I had no idea they were such big fans.

“It wasn’t dereliction.” I excuse. “Fighting in the AFC was something I did in my downtime to keep my smiting skills sharp-”

Zeus gestures and all the supplements I used to bulk myself up to my fighting weight appear on the table next to my sword and enchanted balances. He gestures again and my Smartphone slips out of my hand and begins broadcasting video of me in workout gear training and posing in the gym onto the big screen television mounted on the wall above the table for all the gods to see. “Downtime?” He continues. “If we look at your schedule it seems your training regimens for the AFC has been all you’ve been focusing your time on for the past several years.”

“I was number one. And to stay on top I had to make some sacrifices.”

“Your number one duty was to be the goddess of retribution.” Hera chides. “And thanks to your insubordination and dereliction of duty, numerous mortals have gone unpunished for their hubris.”

“I would have gotten to them. Eventually.”

“It’s clear to me you have an obsession with fighting in that cage-”

“Octagon-”

The gallery of gods is full of gasps on hearing my correction of Zeus. He glares at me as he clenches his fists. No one minimizes my sport. Not even my father.

“…Octagon has made you just as arrogant as the mortals we send you out to punish for their hubris.” Zeus finishes.

“So is that why Hermes told me about Isis?”

“I wanted to see how far you would take things.” Hermes says hopping out of his seat to stand next to Zeus.

“And the fact that you disobeyed my orders and harassed and harangued Isis to get that fight a few months ago shows me how obsessed you’ve become with fighting in the Octagon.” Zeus continues.

“You’ve grown so callous and so indifferent to the people you serve you have no regard for mortal or god.” Hera says. “You have embarrassed this realm and yourself with your malicious, reckless, and irresponsible behavior.”

“So I guess I’m guilty in your eyes?”

“Let’s see what verdict your balance gives.” Zeus says.

Zeus gestures and my enchanted balances rise off the table. As they float over towards me, I take a deep breath as they measure the worthiness of my character. When the balance falls to the left side I frown. Crap, convicted by my own instrument of justice.

Figures I had no chance. I better just take my punishment and get through with it. Six months breaking rocks in Tartarus will do wonders for my biceps and my delts. I’ll be back in fighting shape in no time. If I’m lucky I can get another mortal fight league to sign me up right around the time I’m released. “So what’s my sentence?”

“From your unrepentant attitude it’s clear to me you don’t appreciate the position we have given you.” Zeus continues. “Perhaps you’ll learn some humility in your new line of work.”

I’m getting a new job? Hmmm…This could be interesting. “What are you gonna do? Make me a lame doctor who limps on an enchanted wooden stick while I pine for the handsome male nurse who works for me?”

“You wish.” Hera says. “You’re not getting off that easy.”

“So it’s hard labor on the ol’ Tartarus rock pile?”

“I don’t think so.” Zeus says. “You’ll need to be soft and slender for your new position.”

So the diet of ambrosia and vegetables was for a purpose. Big deal. I’ll find the local GNC wherever they send me and stock up on my usual supplements.

“For the remainder of the year you’ll be working in the Minotaur’s Maze.” Hera continues. “And if you do a good enough job there, we may consider letting you go back to meting retribution out on the mortals you’re supposed to serve.”

I cringe on hearing about the location of my new job. Gods no. Not the Minotaur’s Maze! That place is a labyrinth of horrors! I’d rather be tormented in Tartarus than even visit there! I’ve got to get them to reconsider their judgment.

“Great Zeus, please reconsider. I provide an essential service to mankind-”

“I don’t believe the mortals will be harmed by you being out of circulation for such a short time.” Zeus says. “ Besides, what’s another few months when you’ve been gone for five years?”

“I’m just saying the whole world could change in that little time Great Zeus.” I plead. “I mean, what about society? What about the unrepentant mortals?”

“What about them?” Hera says. “You’ll get to them. Eventually.”

“NO! There’s no way in Hades I’m going there!”

“Nemesis-”

“It’ll be a cold day in Hades before I ever set foot in that place!” I say disappearing into a flash of light.