Bitroux: High Country
by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes
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GENRE: Science Fiction
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BOOK BLURB:
If Merouac ever thought his life’s work would culminate in leading the metal workshops of the Transcontinental Railroad Project, he was sorely mistaken.
Now, his true challenge lies in navigating the other-worldly abilities he’s only beginning to understand—abilities that allow him to tune metal to interdimensional frequencies.
While trying to be a guardian to his niece, Evra, he’s realising she may have more to teach him than he ever expected. At the same time, his decision to help an interdimensional race find refuge underground puts him at the centre of an even deeper mystery.
As reality reshapes itself around him, Merouac faces a growing realisation: the world of Ahm is on the brink of a profound transformation, and everything he thought he knew may soon be shattered.
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EXCERPT THREE:
The two men were slow moving, graceful, each with a high mohawk of golden straw-like hair, and heavily decorated with neck jewels. The neck-ware was gnarled, twisted, fibrous, fragments of plant stems dried and interwoven with beads and fresh flowers, trussed with other leaves and organic material, and embedded with strange jewels that seemed to glow and fade, changing colours across a spectrum of blues to greens and then back to blues.
Tundra inclined his head, made a small gesture and a bow.
‘He greets you,’ Kii translated. ‘Tundra does not speak very much, and so I’ll translate for him.’
‘How do you know what he wants to say, then?’ Merouac asked.
‘I can see it, or sense it, in the atmosphere,’ Kii explained.
Merouac watched in surprise as the Tundra gestured again, imparting information through the aether which Kii seemed to easily recieve and decipher.
Tundra then eased himself into a crouching position and cleared a patch of grass. He shook his head and determined it would not suit, and looked for a sandy patch. He moved over to another, more suitable, patch of ground and beckoned the other two to join him. He went through the same process of clearing the ground, and then used his fingers to trace lines into the sand. He was silent as he did so, but then looked at Kii expectantly, and Kii nodded.
‘Tundra said you did the right thing with the race that was escaping their imploding planet. They are safe, and they will rest in the core of Ahm now. Tundra was just drawing a map for me, to show me where they are.’
Merouac felt a shock run through him. ‘How does Tundra know about the Helara?’ he asked Kii.
‘There are things that can be seen in the energetic environment. He is able to perceive the place where the Helara now rest. It is under the power grid, deep below Suron. There is a cave network, and catacombs with very deep canyons. Below those canyons, this is where you found a place for the Helara to enter the core of the planet. It was the right thing to do,’ Kii said, translating as he watched Tundra’s fingers work in the sand.
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GUEST POST:
Creative Projects: How to Idle in Discomfort and Why It’s ’s Good for You
Yoga has always held a special place in my heart. It centres me, allowing me to slow down, tune into my body, and listen to its whispers of stress or strain.
In yoga, we’re often encouraged to maintain poses longer than what feels comfortable. This practice fosters resilience as we hold challenging poses or return to them after faltering.
Think of the challenge in holding a downward dog for an extended period or maintaining balance in tree pose. These experiences bring up feelings of discomfort and it can be really challenging to not try and wriggle our way out of those sensations.
Away from the yoga mat, life and creative practice offers similar experiences of discomfort. And similarly, it can actually be good for us to persist in these moments. Staying put and enduring the sometimes unpleasant sensations that exist outside our comfort zone can help us grow, and build resilience as we do so.
In the last year I’ve been working through the very uncomfortable final stages of a creative project—my second novel. This phase has demanded my focused attention to ensure all elements of the story seamlessly came together. With life’s day to day busy-ness and challenges, it felt like a herculean task to keep all of the moving parts of the story clear in my head.
But, I have some tips on what I’m doing to stay sane while also staying in this place of discomfort – and I hope they might help you stay the course as well – and grow as a creative practitioner at the same time.
My six tips on how to idle in discomfort – in yoga, creativity and in life
Resign yourself to the discomfort. Accept it, and allow it in. There’s no getting around it, and there’s no wiggling out of it. Be present with it, and realise it’s OK to feel out of your happy place.
Feel the feels: do everything you can to feel, and then name and identify the sensations of discomfort that you’re experiencing. The more you get familiar with the sensations, the better chance you have of making friends with them.
Being ok when your ‘material’ shows up: we all have stuff. And stuff can show up when we’re under pressure. On the yoga mat, as well as in life, our personal material can be the things that can keep us from staying the course. Limiting beliefs. Self –doubt. For me, staying the course with my book means showing up to my ambition. Negative self-talk can start to surface when we’re starting to push through discomfort – so be OK with it being there – but recognise it for what it is – and give yourself permission to change your narrative.
Dig deep, sing loudly: when you’re on point, and trying to stay there, a good music track does wonders to keep you in the zone. I have much-loved albums that are on high rotation when I’m deep in concentration mode, and YouTube playlists for when I’m on struggle street, flying high and diving into the depths of despair – which can all seem to happen in quick succession when you’re out of your comfort zone. Gather your best music and release tension by singing along – its one of my favourite things!
Reduce, off load, streamline and free up: you know those movie scenes, where the engine of the plane is faltering, or it’s running out of fuel, and so people start throwing cargo out the window? Do that. Preserve as much fuel, and as much energy as you can, during times where you’re working through discomfort. It takes energy and focus – and often, that means freeing yourself up as much as you possible can, in order to be present and intentional about it. Defer the other projects. Clear the calendar. Take stuff out of your diary. Make apologies. And give yourself permission to attend to the task at hand.
Make sense of the territory: As I write, I’m also taking note of all of the experiences, and when they occur in the writing process. The feeling of discomfort at the end of the second edit, for example, was definitive territory, and is very specific to that part of the journey for this piece of creative work. I know the lay of the land, now. I’ll remember it for next time – and I might choose to do things differently when I write my next book. I might take even more stuff out of the diary in order to get through this territory in a shorter period of time.
Create small moments of winning: I’m quite serious when I say ‘create the moments’. You might otherwise think that I’m saying something like ‘enjoy the small moments, or practice gratitude along the way… Those things are excellent – and you should absolutely do them. But I’m talking about something different. What I’m saying that is that you need to do something next-level when you’re idling in discomfort. You need to make a plan for bringing in the big guns. Don’t just wait for moments of fun to find their way to you – ensure that you create them with intention. Invite a friend to for a celebratory coffee and share your milestones. Gather the family around for a special meal – just because it helps you relax. Put aside time each day to nourish yourself and celebrate your work and your efforts, even if it’s too early to see the final results.
I hope these tips help you stay strong, flexible and courageous in moments of discomfort – and remember, if you fall over, don’t worry about it! Enjoy a few moments of rest and get back into it!
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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:
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Jordan Harcourt-Hughes is an abstract painter, writer and communications professional. She’s passionate about all aspects of creativity, life-long learning and personal wellbeing. Over the last fifteen years she’s led, coached and developed creative professionals across the Asia-Pacific region.
Jordan’s books, studio workshops, courses, coaching and resources are an invitation to explore the rich landscape of creative experiences open to all.
High Country is Jordan’s second novel set in the world of Bitroux.
Website:
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