What do Aliens look like?

Science fiction has offered us a plethora of images of potential alien life.  They are all rooted, to some extent, in assumptions about differences in their evolutionary history as compared to humans.  Some of these images are bug like, some warrior like, while others look more like an average, hairless, baby faced human (like the image shown here.)  Most presume that aliens would share certain human-like characteristics like bipedalism (walk on two legs), bilateral symmetry (right and left sides are mirror images of each other), and a similar arrangement of the major body parts (head on top with eyes and mouth, long central torso etc.)  These add familiarity for the reader but lack a level of ingenuity that we expect in fiction.

In the Socialite 1 book series, the aliens, Ray, Grace and Elle Amis, were designed on their planet to look exactly like humans.  This was important for the story since they had to blend in and be accepted by the Liebe family if they were going to have a chance of completing their mission.  I did not even describe the Zozian species in any detail, except for a few general remarks.  For example, in Book 2: Mission to Mission, Elle and Jacob are walking through the forest near Harrison Hot Springs in British Columbia and  Elle explains why she believes that we are never alone:

Jacob stumbled on a decayed piece of cedar, revealing a community of beetles, and isopods.  “Don’t step on them!” shrieked Elle.  She bent down and looked at the assortment of life.  “They have such a small circle of life, especially compared to these huge trees around us, that can live for hundreds of years.  Even compared to ourselves:  within a year these little ones are born, become adults, reproduce then die.  Although their circle of life is small, they deserve just as much respect as creatures with larger life cycles.”  They cautiously stepped over the crawling creatures.  “You see - even we aren’t alone out here.”

“Oh, is that what you meant.  What about in space?  That astronaut stuck up there on the space station - he’s alone.  There aren’t even any bacteria up there.” 

“He’s not alone, either,” argued Elle.  “He’s in constant communication with the people in Houston, who are trying to figure out a way to get him down.” 

“He could simply turn off his speakers, turn his back on Earth if he wanted.” 

“Even then, he would just be facing all the other inhabited planets in the universe,” said Elle.  She was skipping over a log as she spoke, pulling on Jacob’s arm, forcing him to skip as well. 

“You believe in alien’s, do you?” asked Jacob, sarcastically. 

“My dad does, that’s for sure,” said Elle.  “He says that life on other planets is a certainty.” 

“Really?  Do you mean, life like us?” 

“Now who’s being silly?  They aren’t like us...not exactly.  He told me that they have to look a lot different from us, because of different evolutionary histories, and different planetary conditions.” 

“It sounds like your dad has thought a lot about this.”  Jacob tried not to sound too skeptical, or else Elle might think he was judging her father’s sanity.  “I guess while you were growing up he had a lot of time to think about these things, thoroughly.” 

“Now you’re just being silly.”  She stopped, looked into Jacob’s eyes and asked, “is it so hard to imagine life beyond this atmosphere?  When you look at the stars at night, don’t you sometimes wonder if someone may be looking back at you?” 

“Yeah.  Sometimes.  I just never went the extra step that your father has in speculating on what they look like.” 

“Try it.” said Elle.

Elle is subtly trying to get Jacob to believe in the possibly of alien life, a necessity if he is to eventually accept that she is alien.  In the backstory to Socialite, the Zozian Diaries, Ray Amis is translating the diaries of previous Zozian explorers to Earth.  Ray's commentary is meant to allow humans to understand what Zozians are like and how they think.  I used this format so that I could periodically add details of Zozian physiology, sociology and psychology to that story.  For example, in Part 2, Ray explains why the Zozians used to call humans "animals with holes" by describing how Zozians look.  Keep watching for additions to the Zozian Diaries as I will add new parts to the story each week, explaining more about these aliens and their adventures.

Remember:  Book 1: Bees to Benny is still free at:

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Today's Inspiration: people in my life

I remember a scene from the comedy series "Kids in the Hall": a writer is struggling with his work when the image of Queen Elizabeth (Scott Thompson, of course) appears above his head advising him to "write what you know."  After all, when requiring advice we Canadians always turn to the Queen of England.  I'm not sure if I am remembering the scene correctly.  Regardless, the sentiment has value: writing what you know is good advice.  In developing characters for my stories, I often draw from the people that I know.  Often this takes shape as the character interacts in a particular scene of a story.

The characters in my books are never based on a single person, though some people may see themselves or someone they know in the actions or descriptions portrayed in a particular scene.   For example, the main character of Socialite,  fourteen year old Elle Amis, is an amalgamation of some of the most important people I know, my wife, and my kids.  I wrote her character description years ago for a very different story that I didn't finish.  When I decided to begin writing again, after my wife's passing,  I was reviewing some of my previous notes and became reacquainted with Elle and realized immediately that she was the femme fatale of my books.  I still find that her character drives the creation of her own scenes as I am writing.

One of my favourite minor characters in Socialite is Mrs. Therese Austen.  She is an older woman, who lives a few doors down the street from the main characters, and is often seen walking her little dog Bixby.  She was partly inspired by my sister-in-law's mother, who talked very softly and had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the world.  In the books, Mrs. Austen treats Jacob in exactly this way: to her, Jacob Liebe is the most important person in the world.  When I was writing the description of Mrs. Austen the image that kept coming to mind was one of the Queen mum in a green cloche hat - I couldn't resist how exquisitely Canadian it felt to describe her as I saw her in my head.  I liked the character so much that I decided in the early stages of preparing Socialite 1 that she would play a major role in the ending of this series, as you will see when you read Book 4: Unless Rules.


None of the characters in my books are exact replications of people I know.   Instead, I tend to see a scene play out in my head, and imagine how the emotions or reactions should be described.  In the process a memory of someone acting similarly will come to mind, and often that imagined person is someone I know.  Sometimes, the process happens in reverse: I'll remember how someone handled a particular situation in a clever or unusual way and make a note to use that memory at a later time.  The ordinariness of everyday life is often interrupted by one of these brilliant, living vignettes - unfortunately we tend to forget them all too quickly.  When looking for inspiration as I'm writing, I kick myself sometimes for not heeding the advice given in another Kids in the Hall, Scott Thompson skit: speaking as the character Buddy Cole he ends a comedic monologue with:

"It all reminds me of something that Moliere once said to Guy de Maupassant at a cafe in Vienna... That's nice. You should write it down."

Here is a small scene with Mrs. Austen meeting Ray Amis for the first time from S1B2: Mission to Mission.  After fourteen years of seclusion in his house, all the while watching and learning about his neighbours by watching projections from the many cameras that his daughter's chauffeur, Morse, had installed around the neighbourhood, Ray Amis is finally going for his first walk outside just after dawn.  He doesn't get far before his peaceful solitude in interrupted by Mrs. Austen and Bixby.

He was alone in his thoughts as he walked past the sleepy houses lining Homedale Street.  As he reached the end of the block, he noticed an old woman walking her dog coming toward him.  He recognized her as Mrs. Therèse Austen.  “Good Morning,” he offered, smiling cordially. 

“Where’s your dog?” she kindly asked.

“My...what makes you think I have a dog?” he asked puzzled. 

“No one comes out at this time without a dog,” she reasoned.  “Here you are, so what happened to your dog?  Did he get off his leash?”  Ray looked curiously at her.  He had seen her many times on the AmisVision screens, walking her dog to and from her house.  His curiosity had prompted him to ask Morse to install additional cameras along her route, so that he could learn more about this strange behavior.  For hours, some days, he would watch her slowly walking, sometimes to the grocery store, sometimes to the diner, but usually, just casually walking in circles, cleaning up after her pet.  She always wore the same lime-green coat, with a matching Cloche hat.  She was also constantly talking to her dog.   

“I have no dog, nor have I ever felt the compulsion to subject a creature of this planet to subservience or confinement,” he confessed. 

“No dog.  Well, that is new.  And you live close by?” she continued, undaunted by issues of animal slavery. 

“I live at the yellow house down there,” he said, pointing down the street, no longer afraid of being identified by his neighbours. 

“You mean the house across from Jacob’s?” 

“Yes.  Are you one of Jacob’s friends?” asked Ray. 

“Oh ye-e-es.  I am,” she said, enthusiastically.  “Ever since he was a little boy.  I used to watch him sometimes when his mom would go shopping.  A wonderful, kind, intelligent boy.  Are you a friend, too?” 

“My daughter is.” 

“I hope she’s pretty.  Is she pretty?  I was hoping that Jacob would meet a pretty girl.” 

“I am her father, of course, so my opinion may seem biased.” 

“Are you new here?” she asked, moving on to another subject without completing the previous one. 

“No,” said Ray.  He was becoming tense due to his lack of control of the conversation and the inquisitional verbal delivery of his neighbor.  He didn’t want to be rude during his first, real conversation with an outsider, so he answered, “I’ve lived here for many years.” 

“You don’t walk much.  I’ve never seen you.  I guess you drive instead.” 

“No, I don’t drive.  As it happens, this is the first time that I’ve taken a walk around here.” 

“You don’t have a car and you don’t walk, how do you get around?” she asked, looking concerned and confused. 

“I have a car, but it’s just for my daughter.  She has a driver who takes her places,”  explained Ray, trying to direct the discussion in a new direction. 

“You don’t go with her?” she asked, still confused. 

“No, I don’t go with her.” 

“Poor girl, all alone.  Well not quite alone, now that she has Jacob.  Then, how do you get around?” Mrs. Austen repeated. 

“I must confess that I don’t want to seem rude by avoiding or refusing to answer your benign question.  I absolutely don’t condone dishonesty.  So, perhaps we should conclude our discussion for now and continue some other time on a different subject.” 

“Perhaps you could borrow someone else’s dog for your walks,” suggested Mrs. Austen. 

“Why would I want to do that?” returned Ray. 

“Then we could talk about our dogs,”  said Mrs. Austen plainly, without a hint of sarcasm in her voice.     

“You are very astute.  I look forward to speaking with you again some time,” said Ray.

All four books in the Socialite series are available at:

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Zozian Diaries - a new beginning for Socialite

I have a ton of ideas for expanding the Socialite series into the future.  Currently I am working on the second set of books which will be called Socialite II: Duality (those of you who have finished Socialite 1 will understand the significance of the title.)  I have also sketched out many of the scenes for Socialite III and Socialite IV.  All of these series follow the timeline set in the original series, and gradually move into the future following the lives of Elle Amis and Jacob Liebe.  When I started to conceive of their story, my initial notes had the story beginning many years before the arrival of Ray and Grace Amis on Earth.  I scrapped the idea of including the stories of the early Zozian explores from Socialite 1, and did not want the next three series to fall backward in time either.  Instead, I decided to develop these stories separately as the Zozian Diaries.

The Zozian Diaries cover the voyage that preceded the Amis' journey.  In Socialite 1: Book 3, Grace and Ray described the importance of that expedition to the Zozian people.  Here is a brief section of that scene:

        "Our people have been traveling here every couple of centuries since we discovered your planet, oh, about eight hundred years ago.  Back then, our people were amazingly creative and vibrant, scientifically and artistically.  They had solved many of the challenges that currently affect your planet: energy shortages, poverty, food shortages.  Health care, disease and longevity, were the only major hurdles left to conquer.   Our first expeditions brought back plants, insects and various other samples.  Samples from other planets proved useless to us.  The compatibility of the genetic material on Earth with our own, however, led to the development of the first siloplasts.  These technological wonders, enabled us to combine small DNA sequences with our own.  Within a hundred years of that discovery, we had cured most diseases on our planet and increased life expectancy by about twenty years.  So you see, your planet and ours are already parts of a greater whole.” “Your people?” said Tim with skepticism and a little fear.  He and Mandy, silently communicated with a glance at each other, their agreement that Ray must be delusional. “Well, as I told you before,” Ray continued, undaunted,  “the people of Zozia Lee, look a lot different from you and me.  When I was a child, I felt like a stranger, an outsider.  We all did.  In fact, that was one of the conditions of the experiment, to ensure that we would be more comfortable and content when we reached our new home.  Blood samples brought back on the very last expedition, the same expedition that brought the ‘great book’ to us, enabled our scientists to reconstruct a human-like genome - part human, part zozian.  Mistakes were made, frightfully ugly mistakes, and they were treated with utmost sympathy and compassion.  As was I, and the forty or so others who survived in the later stages of the experiment.  That’s right, Grace and I were part of that same experiment that produced Benny.  We were the successes, the ones from whom two would be chosen for the most ambitious expedition attempted.  As you can attest, we look, and talk and, well, in many ways, behave like humans.  So, for the first time, a Zozian explorer would be able to interact, and to live with the human population.  Grace and I were chosen.”

I am developing the diaries as a translated version of the original diaries written by the explorers of the expedition that prepared the way for the Amis' mission.  The translation is being conducted by Ray Amis.  He will add notes throughout the text to help explain unusual or unclear comments made by the explorers.  These diaries will cover the discoveries and inadvertent interactions of those explorers with humans in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.  I am presenting these diaries as a web log.  Each week I will add a few days or key events to the log.  Readers can follow along with the adventure weekly, as I am making this freely available on the website listed below.  In part 1, the explores have arrived and are watching Earth from the vantage point of the moon (hence the picture above.)  Eventually they will make their way onto the planet.  I hope that you enjoy this new addition to the Socialite story.

Click on this link:  Zozian Diaries

Click on a link below to get the first set of books:  (Book 1: Bees to Benny is still free at each location)

            

And please leave a comment or review of the books once you have read them.

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Martin%20Renaud

Apple iPad, Ipod, Iphone: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/martin-renaud/id477163464?mt=11

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=Martin+Renaud+Socialite

Writing without borders - letting the muse do the typing.

While writing Socialite 1, I found that I enjoyed the process the most when I let the feeling of a scene take over.  Usually, after getting the kids either off to school or off to bed, I would sit at the computer and scan the excel spreadsheet on which I had each scene for each book described in a single sentence.  For example, one scene in the spreadsheet said: "Elle recites original poem during Jacob's English class".  That brief description allowed me to recall the whole scene as I had originally imagined it.  So as I was saying, I would sit at the computer and look over the scenes and eventually, one particular scene would begin to get my mind racing, developing the action, the dialogue, etc.  My fingers would get typing and a little while later the scene would be complete.  This process worked well, except during the scenes that were meant to contain music, or poetry.

The music and poetry scenes seemed to require a more organic approach.  Often I would look at one of the scenes and imagine how the action might develop, but without the central music or poem, I just couldn't get anywhere.  If I had a sense of how the song or poem would begin, I would go for a walk, usually to get a Starbucks' coffee, and arrive home with a complete scene ready to type into the computer.

In the case of the poetry scene mentioned above, I knew that I wanted Elle's poetry to be original - unlike anything that the reader had experienced (like the image of poetry above).  At the same time it had to be something that would allow for humour in the scene and enable the kids in the class to interact with Elle.  On one of my evening walks, the poem and poetry format came to me quickly and seemingly without effort.  It probably wouldn't have, if I had stressed about coming up with it while writing book 1.  Since I was writing all four books simultaneously, and out of order, it didn't matter to me that book 1 and book 2 had both been mostly complete when I finally was inspired to conceive of the "Hidden Word" format of Elle's poem.  I knew that scene was going to be in chapter two, but just left it incomplete until it came to me.

That scene is one of my favourites in book 1.  It is the first time that Jacob hears Elle speak, and only the second time that he and Elle interact  (earlier that day, Jacob's nose is smashed with a soccer ball, and Elle runs over and wipes the blood from his nose - without saying anything.)  The scene is also the second time that Elle modifies her voice to affect the behaviour of one of the other characters in the book.  Throughout the book series I play with causes of behaviour and the attribution or more frequently misattribution made by the characters for their own behaviour.  After this scene, Jacob can't get Elle out of his thoughts and attributes those persistent thoughts to a normal human interest of a boy for a girl, though the reader knows that there is a lot more going on that is not normal and not human.

Here is the entire scene:

Just as class was beginning, Matt, sitting right behind Jacob, jabbed his sunglasses - a permanent accessory propped on top of his bald head - into Jacob’s side and whispered, “Hey loverboy, look!  Your personal nurse just walked in.”

Mr. Estlin, who taught both English nine and ten, motioned for Elle to wait in the corner.  He was tall, about six foot five inches and looked very thin in his tight blue jeans, tan corduroy shirt, and pencil thin black tie that barely reached the middle of his belly.  His frizzy, permed, long, brown hair made him look at least five inches taller.  

“Alright!  Let’s quiet down,” he began.  He had a commanding voice that, combined with his physical appearance, ensured cooperation; the class quickly became quiet.  “I gave all of my classes a poetry assignment in the first week of school and promised a prize for the best composition.  Not everyone took the contest seriously,” at this a few students, including Jacob, laughed, “but a few of you handed in some excellent work.  Unfortunately there could only be one winner, and I am sorry to say that none of my grade tens could compete with the amazing poem that was written by this grade nine student, Elle Amis.  I can now reveal the prize, as it is something that will benefit all of you.  As the winner, Elle has won the opportunity to read her poem in front of both of my classes, so that we can all applaud her work of art.”  Some of the class groaned, others laughed, but most of them were just happy to have lost the competition.  

Jacob felt a little sad for Elle.  As he saw it, she had both won and lost.  He felt like Elle was being cheated somehow.  He spoke up, “Mr. Estlin, don’t you think that since Elle is new to the school you might give her something like a pen, or a book instead.”  

Matt, misinterpreting Jacob’s intentions added, “Yeah, spare us the torture, please!”  The class erupted in laughter.  

Jacob felt embarrassed that he may have just made things worse for Elle.  He tried to clarify, “I just think that it’s probably a little embarrassing for her to be forced into standing in front of a class of strangers, you know, in the limelight.”

Mr. Estlin considered this request for a moment then turned to Elle and said, “do you feel uncomfortable in this situation, Elle?  If you would rather not present your poem, I could read it instead.”

Elle looked at the faces of the students in front of her, smiled and in a sweet, confident voice answered, “I’m fine.”

“There you have it, Mr. Liebe.  She’s fine.  Let’s give her the floor, everyone,” said Mr. Estlin.  “First, I should explain the type of poem she has created, as we haven’t covered this particular style yet.  She created her poem in the newest poetic format called ‘hidden word’ created and popularized by our country’s current poet laureate, Aladar Roch.  In ‘hidden word’ poems, the last word in each stanza is omitted; yes, that’s right, it’s just left out.  The text of each stanza is cleverly constructed to suggest the identity of that final missing word.  I think it would be fun if we all shout out the first word that comes to mind as Elle pauses at the end of every fourth line where the hidden word is located.  Let’s see if Elle was successful in getting us all to think of the same thing.  Her poem is titled Cicada.  You can begin whenever you are ready, Elle.”

Elle stood at the front of the class, looking poised and confident.  She didn’t look directly at Jacob, though he was now staring at her.  She flicked her long hair over her shoulder and began to read her winning composition.  Most of the students in the class appeared bored - it was poetry after all.  She read slowly and loudly:

Buried I hid

   Eight years then five

   You thought I was dead

   In truth, barely ________

Elle paused, and a few kids in the front shouted “Alive.”  Matt yelled, “Sex!”  The students looked at him and he whispered, “he said to say the first thing that came to mind.”  A few students laughed, but not Jacob.  

Elle waited a few seconds for the class to become quiet again, then continued,

Escaping the tragic

   Avoiding the sin

   As if by magic

   I shed my _______

Elle paused again, and this time most of the class shouted, “Skin.”  Mr. Estlin cast a smile at Elle, though she didn’t see it.  She continued to stare at the class and concluded with,

This voice will assist

   So love I can bring

   No lover resists

   Whenever I ______

“Sing!” the whole class shouted in unison.  

Mr. Estlin looked very pleased.  “Great job, Elle.  It worked perfectly.  How about we give a round of applause to our poet!”

The students clapped, and the boys cheered loudly, as boys will always do for a beautiful girl.  When the cheering reached a peak she spoke up in the most imploring and sweet voice, “you are just so nice. I can’t thank you enough for being so gracious.  I beg one favour, though.  Could I please recite a very short poem written by my favorite author?  It is very short and I am sure you will like it.  Please?”  This last word echoed in the class room for a few seconds before the boys broke out even louder than before in thunderous cheers.  

Mr. Estlin was proud of the enthusiasm in his class.  He asked, “who is the author?”

She replied, “E.E. Cummings.” 

“Oh what a treat!  We would love to hear one of his classic poems.”  

She waited for silence, then began, “I carry your heart with me” with a different voice than she used for her earlier poem.  This voice was deeper, almost husky, and sexy.  The atmosphere became cave quiet as her voice bounced off the classroom walls.  

For Jacob, it seemed that each word took a few seconds to cross the gap from her mouth to his ears.  Her eyes moved around the room, but her voice, destined to find him, seemed to get lost in a search for the most worthy listener, eventually choosing Jacob.  

When she spoke the line, “here is the deepest secret nobody knows,” he hung onto those words wanting nothing more than to know what her secret was.  Then he was rewarded with the answer as she slowly, purposefully whispered, “I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)”.  He started to feel embarrassed as the tears welled up in his eyes and had to pretend to sneeze so he could bring a tissue to his face.  

 

Remember:  book 1 is free at most ebook retail sites, so download it today.  I would love to hear your comments as well, so if you have time, enter a review of the book at the store where you got the book.  Or simply leave a comment right here on this blog.  

Here are the links:  

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Martin%20Renaud

Apple iPad, Ipod, Iphone: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/martin-renaud/id477163464?mt=11

Socialite Inventions: the challenge of doing scifi while "keeping it real"

Science fiction has a long history of introducing readers to fantastic, creative technology.  Sometimes the technology is a novel amalgamation of contemporary materials, as in H.G. Wells "The Time Machine."  At other times it comes out of extrapolation from real science to create an advanced, though for the reader, plausible, device or craft, like ray guns or warp-traveling cruisers.  While developing Socialite, I needed to create two distinct levels of technology.  The technology used on Earth had to seem just a few years advanced of current society.  The technology of the Aliens had to be extraordinary, yet at the same time, easily concealed from the people on Earth.  Creating these two types of techs was the most enjoyable part of writing the series (and continues to be as I work on Socialite II).

Socialite is set in the not-too-distant future, so most of the technology on Earth was created to be a slight advancement of the tools around today.  The main internet tool, the Socialite network, though designed by the alien Ray Amis, is incrementally superior in form and function to Google, Facebook etc.  It enables secure and private one stop computing for social and business communications.  Most of its advanced functionality comes out of the universal adoption of the tool by governments and businesses around the world.  I drew on my experience in designing security software to create the "RiddlePass" authentication layer of Socialite that is described in Book 2: Mission to Mission.

Many of the other tools, including the Amis home security system, cell phone enhancements, collapsible tablet computers and button cameras, were developed to appear as logical extensions of current tech.  For example, in Book 3: To Humanize, teenager Matt Low is given a gift from his dad: a pair of sunglasses with a camera imbedded in the glabella area (between the eyes) and the ability to snap a photo or video of whatever you are looking at, and wirelessly have it sent to a nearby cellphone.  The glasses in the photo (above) were recently developed, and Google has been reported to be working on their own version.

Also shown in the photo above is a currently available version of another of the gifts Matt received from his dad, Stroop clothes.  I didn't realize when I wrote Book 2 that these clothes exist, but I am not surprised since the Stroop effect has been investigated by psychologists since the mid 1930s.  The Stroop clothes that Matt received were gaudy and unwearable by a teenage boy in North America. (E.g., bright baby blue pants with the word "white" printed all over them.)  Like the "Wonders of the world" halloween costume that Matt's dad gave to Matt in Book 1, these two gifts symbolized the distance between Matt and his parents.  The glasses in Book 3 symbolized a bridging of the distance: Matt and his friends thought they were really cool.

The most advanced types of technology described in Socialite are their ship and their "siloplasts".  Their ship is named after the author Jonathan Swift (it's description and the reason for it's name I will leave for readers to discover.)  The siloplasts are the bridge between current and future tech.  They are miniature semi-autonomous robots that have a kind of symbiotic relationship with their carriers/hosts.  Described as micro tech, rather than nano tech, siloplasts are both the aliens' greatest and worst technological achievement.  In Book 2, Ray describes them as an extension of the metal organic framework technology that enables car engines to consume water instead of fossil fuels.  This technology allowed me to include a lot of speculation on evolution, adaptation and memory (pet interests of mine after studying Biology and Evolutionary Psych for years).

Dreaming up plausible extensions of current tech and feasible versions of new tech has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of creating the Socialite series.  I hope that readers have as much fun reading the books as I had writing them.  Here are the links to download my books.  The first book "Bees to Benny" is still free - and please remember to post a review at the site where you got the book - I know that time is precious for all of us, so every review or comment is greatly appreciated.

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Martin%20Renaud

Apple iPad, Ipod, Iphone: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/martin-renaud/id477163464?mt=11

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=Martin+Renaud+Socialite

Apple's education initiative may not be kid friendly.

Apple announced today at their education event in New York a new initiative for creating and downloading interactive, multimedia textbooks at their iBookstore.  The best part of the announcement is a proposed cost of $14.99 or less for textbooks purchased through this service.  Apple also proposed to enhance the learning experience by integrating streaming videos, and multimedia applications within the textbooks.  Despite these apparent benefits, school boards and especially Apple's competitors, should seriously consider the costs associated with switching to an iPad education model.  This model puts a sophisticated computing device, the iPad, into every learning environment where your child may use a textbook.  Unfortunately, it also restricts students' use of the learning material to occasions where an iPad is available.  An additional consideration is that students using the iPad would be placed in a conflicting learning situation since the iPad was not created for reading, it was created for entertainment and is remarkably good at doing just that.  A careful consideration of the costs and benefits of the E-textbook learning experience suggests that a far simpler model than that proposed by Apple should be embraced, especially for elementary and high school students.

Benefits of electronic textbooks:

There are real benefits to using e-textbooks in the classroom for schools and for students.  Firstly, textbooks are expensive.  E-books reduce the expense of updating classroom materials, and eliminate the costs associated with damaged or lost books.  Of course, add to that the environmental affect of not printing all of these books on paper.  Apple's pricing of less than $15 per book, with unlimited free replacement is a BIG deal.  No longer would schools have to pay to replace lost, stolen or damaged books.
      Students would not have to lug around heavy knapsacks full of textbooks.  We all remember how backbreaking that can be.  They also would not have to remember which books they need on a particular day, for a particular class.  All of their textbook needs would be located on a single electronic tablet that weighs a few ounces and can store thousands of books.
     Additionally, students would have a world of reference materials at their fingertips.  E-books are not static like textbooks.  The readers include a dictionary, thesaurus and a web browser - student's could fill knowledge gaps instantly.  Also, students with slight visual impairments can easily increase the size of the text as needed.


Costs of electronic textbooks:


The electronic readers that hold the books must be purchased for each student.  A large portion of this expense can be offset by the savings on textbooks, though parents would most likely have to pay if the e-readers are lost, stolen or damaged.
     Financial costs are not the only consideration however.  Students who misplace some types of e-readers, or forget them at school or home will not be able to access any of the information from their textbooks - they are all located on the one device.  Similarly, e-readers are battery operated so occasionally students would be without their textbooks because they failed to recharge the device.
     Some students may find an e-reader more strenuous to read than a normal textbook.  The e-reading experience is not the same as reading a book.  Personally, I find the E-ink technology on my Kobo easier to read than text in a book or on a computer screen:  the text looks very similar to that in a book, the device is easier to hold than a book, and reading outside is just as easy as inside (unlike on a computer screen).  Not all e-readers have this technology.  The screen on the iPad, for example, is more similar to a computer screen and has the benefits of full-colour, and the costs of poor visibility in the bright sunshine.


Added costs of Apple's version of electronic textbooks:

Although I love my Mac computer, and most Apple products, including the iPad, I don't think that the iPad is the ideal e-reader for pre-University level students.  One huge impediment is the cost of the device.  Apple has not announced a substantial reduction in price of its iPad for schools, which puts the cost at nearly $500 per device per student.   Many school districts are struggling with tight budget constraints, and simply would not be able to manage the expense.  Similarly, parents would not want to assume the risk of paying for lost or damaged devices.
     The high cost also means that few households would have an iPad at home as a backup for those days when their child has forgotten their "textbooks" at school.  Apple does not allow their iBooks to be read on a standard computer.  The student must have an iPad, or some version of the iPod (including iPhone) to access the material.
     Perhaps a larger issue is that iPads were designed for entertainment and social communication, not for reading.  Yes, the reading experience on the iPad is just as good, maybe even better, than it is on other colour e-reading devices, like the Amazon Kindle Fire or Kobo Vox.  The iPad, however, does so much more than just reading.  For example, it is great for games, video, music and social communication.  In a classroom setting, in high school and elementary school, many students will find the temptation to use the device predominantly for non-textbook activities irresistible.  Many students will be distracted by the plethora of other cool things the iPad has to offer, and will procrastinate.
     


An Alternative model for E-textbooks:


Companies that offer alternative e-readers, like Amazon, Kobo, Sony and others, would be wise to launch a campaign extolling the benefits of their devices for schools over Apple's iPad.  Their devices offer all of the benefits of an e-reader without many of the costs associated with the iPad.  These companies have devices that cost close to $100.  I would suggest, however, that since they will have years of profit, first from selling the textbooks, and second from conditioning generations of readers to acquire books through their online stores, that they should offer at least a 50% reduction in the e-reader price as an added incentive for school boards to adopt their products.  At this price, schools could still save a lot of money with low-priced e-textbooks, even after incurring the cost of e-readers for all of their students.  Also, parents wouldn't be averse to assuming a $50 risk for lost or damaged e-readers.
     Sure, these readers aren't as fancy as the iPad, but they will be able to offer all of the benefits that really matter.  They can hold thousands of books, are light and easy to handle, they allow for searching words and most have a web browser for looking up additional references.  An added bonus is that both Amazon and Kobo offer free applications that enable a reader to access all of their books on any computer, PC or Mac as well as on the e-reader itself.  Student's who forget their e-reader at school, lose it or damage it can still access their textbooks - NO EXCUSES!  I think this is one of Apple's biggest flaws.  I have published books at the iBookstore that most readers can't access because of this huge limitation - they have to go to Amazon or Kobo to get them.  On the other hand, anyone who buys my books at Amazon or at Kobo, can read them on any computer thanks to the fantastic free applications offered by these companies.




Apple has argued that they offer a singularly unique, multimedia textbook reading experience.  They suggest that they have created the next generation of textbooks.  They may be right - their textbooks may be beautiful and fun to use.  I would argue, however, that there is no evidence that students using their textbooks will be smarter, score better on tests or be better informed than students using any other form of e-reader.  The distraction factor alone would suggest otherwise.  More importantly, I think that Apple has missed the point of a textbook.  It is a tool that should be efficiently employed, then put aside.  I teach my children to spend as little time as possible with the textbook: scan a required chapter and make notes on everything that you don't understand, trying to spend as little time as possible; put the book aside and rewrite the notes, highlighting areas that are unclear; then ask questions (of the teacher or using Google and online sources) until everything is clearly understood.  The textbook should not be attached to the student like an umbilical cord - they should take from it what they need, then set it aside.  Filling the books with interactive videos etc as Apple has done, encourages students to waste time.   Every teacher knows that one solution does not work for all students, even if that solution was created by Apple.  It is up to teachers to assess each student's needs and adjust the instruction accordingly.  How can a teacher do that when the student just wants to play Angry Birds all day on their iPad?

Today's Inspiration - homemade marshmallows

Today's inspiration is the look on the kids faces when they saw what I was putting into their lunches for school: homemade strawberry marshmallows.  While they slept, I made them for the first time.  It didn't take long.  I followed the instructions on the internet (mostly).  Use the link above if you want to give it a shot.  They probably should have set for a little longer - the recipe says 8 to 10 hours and I didn't finish making them until around midnight, so they were only 7 hours along when I drove the kids to school.  Nevertheless, they cut easily and look right, and have an amazing taste.  Next time I think I'll try chocolate!

My kids are accustomed to little surprises in the morning.  Usually these are either musical or literary.  I often work late into the night on writing or composing.  As such, while they eat breakfast I'll play them my latest song, or read a scene that I just wrote and ask their opinion.   Sometimes they offer suggestions for improvement.  Today, they had only praise for the candy.

I try to infuse the characters in my novels with a similar desire to create and collaborate.  All through the Socialite series solutions to problems are arrived at, well, socially, rather than individually.  For example, when Elle is struggling to think of a perfect Christmas present for Jacob, she asks his mom, who relates a very personal anecdote of a creative gift she once gave.  This inspires Elle to make Jacob's gift, rather than buy him something (the easier option for her since she is wealthy.)  The whole Socialite story, in fact, is about social interaction in its many forms: using the internet, sharing talents, and helping others (human and alien) to solve their problems.

So try a new recipe, make some marshmallows, then share them, to brighten someone's day.  And during the 8 to 10 hours that they take to set, download my books and read a really fun scifi adventure.

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Martin%20Renaud

Apple iPad, Ipod, Iphone: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/martin-renaud/id477163464?mt=11

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=Martin+Renaud+Socialite