So, starting shortly, my publisher plans on doing several Goodreads giveaways of my first novel, Auberon. At least, that’s what she tells me. It’s due out May 5, so this will be your opportunity to read it before anyone else. (The giveaway is for paperbacks, not electronic books. So some of you might get early copies, before everything is finalized.)

For those of you keeping score at home, this novel (and the two behind it: Queen Of The Pirates and Last Of The Immortals) takes place in the Alexandria Station universe, but well after the time of Javier Aritza or Doyle Iwakuma. A little more than 1100 years after Doyle, to be exact. (And yes, I will put up my timeline on this website when Auberon, the first of the Jessica Keller novels, comes out.)

My plan is to have the whole trilogy out this year. I am on track for that, and I plan on several other pieces that will be published as we go. Last year was very productive for me, but I’m only now getting everything caught up and published.

Assuming that the New Yorker doesn’t suddenly buy it before then, the sequel to Myrmidons, entitled Moonshot, will come out in mid-May. Hive returns for more adventures.

Then my second novel, Imposters, (the first one written last year, before Auberon, but second published,)  will come out in June. And finally, another Suvi piece, The Story Road, which I’m hoping will launch as ebook, paper, and audio at roughly the same time. (Matt W’s on board, which is good. A happy Matt is a wonderful thing.)

Jessica Keller has been a fun character for me to adventure with. She’s hard, and tough, and smart, while at the same time being vulnerable and closed. Eventually, I’m planning a second trilogy (titles and stories already plotted out in the notes, lacking only copious spare time to complete), but first I need to go back and write down some of the Javier stories people have been clamoring for, as well as more Henri Baudin and Doyle Iwakuma. And maybe some more Rick Pine, depending on how people react to everything.

I’ve said it before. I have not been able to find the sorts of science fiction I wanted to read, so I had to write my own. What does that mean? It means that, right now, Distopian Young Adult is all the rage. Several movie trilogies over the last few years back that up. Wonderful, but not my cup of tea. Before that, it was Urban Fantasy Mystery, with hot-babe magical private detective wizards hunting strange creatures in hard-boiled back alleys while wearing mid-riff baring tops. Again, not my book.

The joy of writing today is that I can write the kinds of stories I want to read, about the characters I find interesting. For me, that means snarky know-it-all Javier Aritza, or Doyle the Salvager. Right now, it is Jessica, a young naval commander trying to out-think one of the best tacticians and strategists the bad guys have. While not making him the bad guy. He’s not. He’s just on the other side of the war. He’s generally a nice guy.

I also think in series, as those of you who have wandered through my back catalog might have noticed. Any one story is interesting, but it’s how characters grow and change over time, instead of just over the course of one story, that fascinates me. I have often wished I could split myself into several iterations at once. One to go to the day job and keep a roof overhead. One to write about this character. One for her. One for him. Etc.

It’s kinda awesome that people actually buy my books and read them. Hell, people even buy my poetry from the bad old days. I’m planning to do this for as long as I am physically and mentally capable. If I could live forever, I’d be there, writing more stories as we went. Even if I didn’t have this outlet, I’d still be there, furiously writing stuff.

I just wish I had more hours in the day.

But there will be more Javier stories soon. And more Jessica. And more Henri. And more Alicia. And more Hive. And more Jesilyria. And more Brak. Hopefully, you’ll join me on the adventure of a lifetime.