BITROUX: HIGH COUNTRY by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

Bitroux: High Country (Bitroux, #2)
by: Jordan Harcourt-Hughes
Series: Bitroux
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date:
Publisher: Digital Jazz Communications

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.

Adding ‘slow’ to the mix, when getting stuck into a creative project

No matter if it’s creating a garden, getting through your reading list, writing a novel or learning a new skill, personal creative projects have a lot to offer. But here’s a secret - going slow can enhance your sense of wellbeing AND give you a better chance of being able to tick your project off as complete!

Let’s take a look at five of the benefits of slow creativity.

1. Enjoying the journey: Life moves so quickly these days, and we often have so many deadlines to deal with already, that it can be liberating to simply spend time pottering, experimenting and having fun. Take time to enjoy the moments, rather than just focusing on whatever finished goal you have in mind. Enjoying the journey allows you to deepen into a more nourishing creative practice.
2. Relaxing is good – no matter what: Taking time to slow down allows you to relax into the process. There are a few different ways to set yourself up for success here. Go for a walk before you get stuck into your creative project or grab a cuppa and take a few moments to decompress from the day if you are doing creative work in the evenings or afternoon. When we’re relaxed, our brains work differently, as do our bodies. It gives us the opportunity be freer with our ideas – we’re more likely to take chances, connect the dots in different ways, see new opportunities, and give things a go.
3. Accidents can make the work better: Letting accidents happen, taking wrong turns, having things turn out differently to what you are expecting is part of the norm when doing creative work. It’s all part of the adventure. It’s the universe taking a moment to point you in a different direction, or give you something new to think about. But often these moments go unnoticed when we are in our busy, logical brains. Taking advantage of accidents, mishaps and glorious mistakes requires us to be in the frame of mind where we can see the opportunity.
4. Turning inwards offers new learning moments: Slow creativity also gives us the time and space to take an inward journey. In a similar vein, going slowly gives you the chance to access deeper states of awareness and to tap into your intuition and subconscious. This is a practice that is very personal and different for everyone. But in a world where we are encouraged to be externally engaged for so many hours of the day, it can be nice to come to a restful place and find ourselves again in the process.
5. See things with fresh eyes: Finally, slow creativity allows you to rest and stop. Being able to take some time to walk away, to leave your creative ideas to settle is very beneficial. It’s also productive because you come back to your project with fresh eyes. By putting it on the back burner and letting your brain and subconscious tick over, you might see things you missed or hadn’t thought about before.

There was something about that zone of quiet concentration. It was always somewhere in the middle of those quiet moments where the blue light of the Top Hats had started to appear at the edge of his gaze. It had always been hard to see the things directly in his sight; they shifted and moved and always seemed hazy and insubstantial. He wondered if, in those moments, he had drifted into the Maolfi state without realising it.

He kept working. The surges of static came and went, heating his body, and then leaving, giving him a sense that his whole body was buzzing, vibrating. He kept moving, concentrating only on the wood. And things started to shift, but not in the way he had anticipated.

Soon, two piles had been moved and Merouac was starting to feel a welcome feeling of tiredness. He contemplated leaving the last pile of wood for the morning but kept moving instead. Then, something sounded.

He looked up. Nothing. Had anything made a noise at all? He felt sure he had heard something. All was still. What was it that he thought he had heard? Like someone or something was crashing through the trees, perhaps. He shook his head. Nothing unusual stirred, the flickering lights continued and below he could see hummers and their fluorescent markings shimmering in the trees.

Then he realised. He hadn’t heard it. He’d felt it.

He closed his eyes, tried to make his way to the place the Faurin called the Maolfi state. Kii had wanted him to find a place of deep listening. And perhaps what he was just starting to understand was, that you could listen with all your body, and feel sound in other ways than just noise.

After a time, he opened his eyes again and saw spheres hovering in the air, full of something he couldn’t quite comprehend.

Reaching out to touch them, they felt full and weighty and yet his hand could partially pass through them. They were not solid, and yet they were full. Like bubbles being blown by some invisible child, they formed and hung in the atmosphere.

They grew larger, then fuzzier, then collapsed from their own weight, dripping a strange sentience that dispersed back into the atmosphere. Often, they formed again straight away, the same spheres, the same size and colour, the same weight, only to burst and disperse once again.

Some of the smaller ones were only as large as his hand. Others, twice the size. And then hovering at greater height, larger spheres his whole body could have walked through. They shifted and mutated, formed and faded, pulsed and glowed. They were magical.

‘This is different,’ he said out loud, and grinned.

The Bitroux Series:

Bitroux: The Metalsmith (Book 1)

Bitroux: High Country (Book 2)

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.

Places to find Jordan Harcourt-Hughes:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Amazon Author Page

You can follow the Bitroux: High Country Book Tour here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Subscribe to Read Your Writes Book Reviews: