Alcardia

Articles

Max Burns

Alcardia
Apr 25, 2004

I wish to warn you ahead of time that this will not be a continuation of my previous two political columns, but one long, drawn-out whoring of my new book. I will conclude the three-part “Freedom” series of political columns early next week, and will then move on to other political topics of salience to all of you. Stick with me through this one, though; I’ll try really hard to make it interesting.

We’ll begin this arduous ordeal where it started – right here, in this chair, on this computer over nine months ago. I put down the first words of what would become a 288 page realization of the story rolling around in my head. Alcardia I titled it, after the name of the nation the novel takes place in. I had been working on the outline and basic story of it for years, and it was good to finally get started on it.

But as every writer knows, writer’s block is just around the corner whenever you’re foolish enough to utter the words “I have a great idea!” Writing stalled for a few weeks between chapters, and everything seemed to fall apart. But, like all good writers, I found my way around it and got the thing moving again.

It started off simply enough, with your average taxpaying citizen preparing for work and planning to propose to his lovely fiancé as soon as he picks up the bonus headed his way. The thorn in his side came from a sudden raise in taxes that eliminated his bonus and slammed him with all new payments – prices he couldn’t pay. Slowly, the main character, Reiko Hidama, an ex- military leader for the Alcardian Army, is phased in; the initial picture isn’t pretty.

As things continue to thicken and tension grows, President Arden Rana prepares for his second year as leader – he had taken the country by force of revolution a year earlier, and ridden the wave of popular opinion right into the helm of what was rapidly becoming the most powerful nation in the world. But not everyone was a fan, Hidama and Nicholas Everdale, our downtrodden taxpayer, least of all.

Emotions finally explode in the form of a gunshot headed toward President Rana, with Everdale at the grip. His foolish act sends both him and Hidama to Articus, a detainment and death camp in the far northern wastelands. Romance is blended into the mix of attempted revolution when Hidama finds out that the woman who stole his heart when he was younger – Alexides Xerxes – directs the camp and is responsible for signing off on his death.

Things continue to go downhill in the government as Vice President Morgan Darkell, a tall, wiry man with white hair and questionable mental stability, seizes power and ascends to the beat of a war gong. The war he seeks would obliterate the nation to the north, Kelanthia, and cost millions of Alcardian and Kelanthian lives in the process. But the only man capable of stopping Darkell is lined up for death in the deserts of the north.

Now General Reiko Hidama is on a race against time – and a massive mobilization of forces by President Darkell to kill him – to prevent a war that would surely bring Armageddon to the nation of Alcardia. He does not have the option of standing down as he did in the fight that freed Alcardia from its oppressive tyranny only a year ago. This isn’t a training exercise anymore.

I enjoyed writing this book very, very much and have been attacked by writers (mostly Australian) for going the self-publishing route instead of giving publishing companies the pleasure of picking me over the tens of thousands who submit every day. I simply did not have the patience to sit idly by. It was not about profit, but about people reading and enjoying my novel.

There is a link in my author information at the bottom of this column to visit Alcardia’s online bookstore and purchase a copy.

I would also like to note that the novel is available directly through me for the reduced price of $10 (plus $2.50 shipping). To order direct instead of through Booksurge Online, please send an e-mail to Alcardia@hotmail.com with the order quantity, your shipping address, and method of payment. I strongly prefer checks or money orders. When payment clears, your novel will be sent out on the next business day.

I know it sounds amateur, but hey, that’s what I am. I’m not pretending to be a big author – this is my first work, and I’m just hoping people will buy it, read it, and tell their friends. I need to eat, too.

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About the author: Max Burns lives in Indianapolis and interns with the Indiana Democratic Party. He is the webmaster of The Foaming Liberal and author of the fantasy-fiction novel Alcardia. He is currently a junior at Lawrence North High School and is active in political clubs and associations. Email: MBurns_NS@hotmail.com

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