Preorder: Uniforms of the Fleet, Volume One

Good news.

I have a new book up for pre-order. It’s been a year in the making, but I’m really jazzed about it, and I hope y’all will be, too.

Uniforms of the Fleet, Volume One contains thirteen color plates (including the cover) with characters from the Jessica Keller stories (including Command Centurion Jessica on the cover and Fleet Centurion Jessica inside). Others included on this pass are:

  • Nadine Orly
  • Furious
  • Moirrey
  • Iskra Vlahovic
  • Navin the Black
  • Dash
  • Denis
  • Arott Whughey
  • Petia
  • Nils
  • Suvi

Additionally, there are two color plates for the starship badges: Auberon, and the Star Controller Athena. This is what everyone wears as a patch on their left shoulder when in uniform.

For the badges, assuming desire on YOUR PART (speak up over the next month or so), I am hoping, as I mentioned in an earlier blog, to do coffee mugs with the Auberon logo, and maybe t-shirts. Lunchboxes? You tell me what you’d like to see, so I have a chance to do it right.

One of these days, I’d even like to do action figures, but you’re going to have to recruit more of your friends to buy more of my books so I can finally transition to full-time writer and leave the joys and heartbreak of database programming behind me forever. That will be an expensive undertaking, unless one of you happens to be a 3D modeler who could create the files and maybe decant the figures. (If so, let’s talk. I’m all about licensing agreements, these days.)

More good news: I just finished the first draft pass of the next/fifth Jessica novel: Flight of the Blackbird. It will go to first readers in early January, with an expected publication date in May, 2017, Good Lord willing and creek don’t rise. More news as we get closer.

Right now, I’m deep in the editorial phase of a new anthology I put together with several of my friends, also due out Spring. It will be an anthology of superhero stories, but different than the normal ones. What I asked the writers to give me is not so much how they became costumed heroes/villains, but “Why?” What causes someone to dress up in tights to fight crime and right wrongs.

And because I wanted deeper stories, I asked for pieces in the 10,000-20,000 word range, to give people space to play. The results were astonishing, as we move forward, and big. They range from 13,000 all the way up to over 35,000. Hopefully, five powerful stories (contracts not finalized yet, so I don’t have everyone nailed down, but I will put out something, even if some of them decide to back out later. Not that I’m expecting it.) that explore a range of themes.

They are more than just another superhero story, because they are intended to be about the psychology that drives someone. They entertain me. Hopefully, you will find them awesome as well, so I can convince everyone and then some to come back for another volume next year, and maybe make this an ongoing thing.

As promised, I have been writing short stories every month, so you don’t have to go so long between hits. Finished the one for November and it’s being first readered. December is going a little long, but that’s okay. It’s at 6k currently. Probaby 8-9k when I get there. New character, new world, new series.

Am planning to go back and look at the older fantasy stuff and write additional stories in some of those worlds over the course of 2017. My original goal had always been to do heterogeneous collections on theme (fantasy, SciFi, etc.) and then pull together all the characters into their own collection when I had enough mass to justify it. Brak 4 coming out in November was an example of this. I figure it will take nine to get the first volume done. Then I can either write a novel, or tuck in more stories, or just keep going. Kaleph, Alicia, Suren, and Jesilyria are on my radar.

Starting in January, I hope to get into the fourth Science Officer story with Javier.  Might do a couple in 2017, depending on time and muse. Stay tuned. There are a bunch of those in my head and my notes, so its not like Javier will run out any time soon. (Jessica will go nine and done. Although JG is still on my ass to write her a prequel trilogy of Young Jessica stories. Maybe. One of these days. No promises.)

I hope that the season finds you all well and safe. I write these blogs because I can. And for the advertising. And because it helps me crystallize my thoughts and plans. Hopefully, you find them as interesting and useful. Or at least silly enough to read them clear down to the joke at the end.

Okay, maybe not joke, but offer.

I’m in a winter-gift mood. Is there a story in my catalog that you haven’t read yet, but wanted to? Lemme know and I’ll send you an ebook, either as an email or a sideload to your kindle. And if you have read them all (thank you!!!) and want first crack at something that I haven’t published yet, lemme know. The Adventuress came about because I sent it to Maggie to cheer her up, and her response was so great that I decided to put it out.

So please, lemme know.

 

shade and sweet water

bd

West of the Mountains, WA