Ladies and gentlemen, readers of all ages, and fans of Science Fiction, I give you the cover to the third and final book in the UNSEC Space Trilogy: Starforge.
I don’t really know what else to say, except perhaps “Behold!” once again, and maybe “What do you think?”
Well, that and if you hit the jump, there’s both a text and textless 4K background version you can save for your desktop viewing pleasure. So click that little jump down below …
Continue readingThat’s right! It’s almost upon us! Tomorrow the world gets its first look at the cover for Starforge, the last installment in the UNSEC Space Trilogy! Who’s ready?
4K background images too, in case you’d forgotten. Be here tomorrow!
Hello readers and writers! I’m back! Well … almost.
Let’s start with the most prevalent news before we move on to other stuff: The sick days. Yes, I spent a good chunk of this week sick. No, it wasn’t COVID, at least not that I know of. None of the symptoms matched, so I didn’t get tested. It was, as far as I can tell, just a run-of-the-mill cold caught from a friend’s kids. But it did delay some stuff that was supposed to take place this week, such as Being a Better Writer being delayed from Monday to Wednesday, the finishing of Strange Catch, and the editing for beta of Starforge (we’ll have more on all of these in a little bit).
So, this does mean I’ve revised some of my own scheduling for things. I lost about three days of work due to being sick, but I’m going to try and condense a few things and make up for it. Next Monday’s Being a Better Writer should be up on the usual day, I worked on Strange Catch yesterday and will continue working on it today … basically, I’m trying to make up for the days I lost, and hopefully things will be back on speedy track next week. After all, August is ending, and September is almost upon us, and with that we’ll only be a few months from the release of Starforge!
Speaking of Starforge, we’re also less than a week out from the cover reveal! It’s next Thursday on September 1st, people! You’ve all seen the teaser (and if not, here’s the link to the tease to get your appetite whetted), so now it’s just counting down. Seven days, people! Seven days!
Speaking of Starforge, isn’t the Alpha 2 supposed to be ending soon? Why yes! Yes it is! Getting sick pushed things back a few days, but the plan is still to start making edits in earnest as soon as Strange Catch‘s draft is done (more on that in a bit). Which means that in addition to the Alpha 2 nearing its end … the Beta 1 is coming.
That’s right, Beta Readers. I know you’ve been patiently waiting all summer. Well, your moment is nigh. Next week, as I start the Alpha 2 edits, the Beta call for Beta 1 will go out. This is to make the process similar to the Alpha 2 in that each chapter for the Beta 1 will go up as it is edited from the Alpha 2. While some of you who haven’t dipped your toes into the book might wonder “But won’t that mean we’ll be waiting for you to upload the next chapter every time?” to which I say “I dare you to keep that pace” with a bit of a cheeky grin. Starforge is a juggernaut, and I think I’ll be able to keep ahead of the pack, especially with a small day or two headstart.
Either way, the implication here is pretty clear: Starforge will go into Beta 1 very soon. We’ve got the cover reveal next week, a Beta Call coming … Starforge nears at long last.
Oh, and eARC preview invitations will start going out sometime after that. Hopefully we can drum up a little early fire from a few reviewers before the big drop in November!
Speaking of November, there still isn’t a specific release date yet. Right now the focus is on Beta 1 and 2, then Copy-edit and so on and so forth.
Okay, that’s all the news on Starforge, I think. Hit the jump and let’s talk about some other stuff.
Continue readingTwo weeks.
That’s right, folks! In just two weeks, on September 1st, 2022, you will all get your first full look at the cover for the upcoming conclusion to the UNSEC Space trilogy, Starforge. For now, all you’re getting is the teaser above … though you can probably make some guesses based on what you’re seeing there, though that image is distorted and fuzzy.
So, a little bit on Starforge, both regarding the cover and current Alpha progress. Coverwise, the cover is done. I’m waffling between adding review quotes from prior titles to the final, but the cover itself is done. As is a 4K background This means on September 1st, not only will you get to see the full cover in all its glory, there will also be a 4K background version, both with title text and without.
Those of you who familiar with what happens to the site around a book launch can also be assured that yes, we’ll see something similar coming to the site in advance of Starforge. As wonderful as it has been to have Axtara gracing the top of the page with her grin, it’s time for her to take a step back!
Now, speaking of the book itself, there isn’t much to add that wasn’t said on Monday: Beta is the next step! We’re still aiming for a November release, and early-reader eARC copies may start going out as soon as the second wave of changes to the Alpha have been made. Beta editing will probably be pretty involved, and hopefully I can squeeze in a third pass before release just in case. Once the first Beta is done, I’ll be looking at getting Starforge’s pre-order page set up. Basically, every day is a day closer to Starforge being in everyone’s hands at last!
Beta also means previews in full on the site and on Patreon. At least the first five chapters of Starforge‘s near forty chapter length.
Basically, if you’ve been waiting for the conclusion to the adventure that began with Colony, this is IT. Once again, it is a trilogy. No “surprise” fourth book. No lackluster endings that are really just fodder for another sequel. This. Is. It.
And two weeks from today, you’ll get to see the cover atop it all.
So start getting ready, readers.
Starforge is coming.
It’s finally here!
Can you tell I’m excited? Late yesterday afternoon, I finally received the completed cover for Axtara – Banking and Finance! That’s right! The last bit of the process is in my hands at last. And it is glorious.
As with Shadow of an Empire, there’s a full-sized, 4K background version that will be available as well, which will wrap around the side and back of the paperback once that arrives. And, as with Shadow of an Empire, will be available to download and use as a background on your desktop. I’ll give you a preview of that today, after the jump.
Who created this wonderful piece of art, you may ask? The talented Cody McKneely, whose other work can be found at her site here!
Now, I’ll be spending the rest of today getting the ebook ready to go … which means I can also confirm a few more details, but I’ll put those after the jump (and the full-size preview). So go ahead and hit it!
Continue readingYeah, that’s right, you read that correctly. This is it. The official cover reveal for Jungle. Along with a light synopsis (not at all final, but it’ll give you a good idea of what to expect) and a preview excerpt from chapter one!
Also, folks, in the coming days you can expect to see pre-orders open up, the official synopsis, and the official release date. So get ready! Because Jungle is almost upon us!
Now, let’s get a look at that cover! Are you ready?
Now that’s a thing of beauty, isn’t it? Jungle picks up where Colony left off, with the trio—Jake Tames, Annalyne Neres, and Ray “Sweets” Candy—arriving back in the Sol system after the events on Pisces to find things there aren’t nearly as stable as they’d hoped. Their contract extended, the three once again find themselves in circumstances beyond their control.
At least, for the moment.
Yeah, that’s not the official synopsis, but it definitely hits a few of the opening moments. It’s been three years, folks, but the trio is back.
And I really don’t trust myself to say more without dropping spoilers.
So, a few specifications, and then we’ll get to the excerpt so you guys can catch up on Jungle‘s opening moments. First and foremost: How long is it?
Well, brace yourself. Colony was 334,000 words long. With some change. Which, after Amazon refined their page system, ended up around 1300 pages (and too big to bind, at least for right now).
Jungle weighs in at … 457,000 words. For the record, that’s long than the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. So yeah, if I do my math right, around 1800 pages. Too big to bind. And if you’re wondering why this title ended up such a titan, well … it’ll make sense once you crack it open. Right around eight or nine hours later, probably, when you look up in a daze and wonder where the sun went. Before questioning whether you really do need to go in for work tomorrow.
Okay, so it’s big. What about price? Surely something of such weight and depth is going to cost a pretty penny, right?
$7.99. Same as Colony was when it launched. This is one book. I’m not splitting it into ten little novels and nickel-and-diming you readers. You get the whole thing.
Release date? I’m not going to share that just yet but … I will say this. You will see the trio before Thanksgiving in the US. Definitely a late Fall release (and stretching the definition of “Fall” a bit) but still hitting before winter!
So, we’ve got a cover. We’ve got a price. We’ve got a rough page count. Now who’s ready for that excerpt?
Hit the jump and get to it. And if you’re a Patreon Supporter, congrats! You’ve already seen this! Head on over to Patreon for another supporter preview!
Hello readers! Welcome back to a Monday edition of Being a Better Writer! I know, it’s almost sad that I have to celebrate the posting of a Monday-centric series on a Monday, but my other job lately has been nuts. As in, I could write an entire post about how it’s an example of the dumpster fire that corporate America has created/become. I sort of want to, for my sanity as well, because … well, that’s a tale for another time. Or day.
Thankfully, things with this job are going pretty awesome. How so? Well, you might have missed it if these posts are the only ones you ever check out, but Shadow of an Empire (the snazzy cover you saw in the featured image) is available for pre-order! That’s right! It comes out June 1st, and joins my slowly-but-ever-expanding roster of adventures. If you’ve been reading Being a Better Writer but haven’t checked out any of my books yet, this is the point where I tell you that you definitely should. You’ll get to see all of the topics, elements, etc, that I talk about in these BaBW posts on display in some awesome fiction.
Also, if you haven’t, this week’s News Post is pretty packed-full of cool news and updates. Price drops, Reddit AMAs … check it out!
Okay, news and stuff out of the way! Let’s talk about a really tricky, often dividing topic among authors and writers: Book covers.
Here it is, readers! The official cover for Shadow of an Empire, releasing June 1st!
Yeah, that’s it! This wonderful piece of art was created by the stellar Michal Kváč, whose site you can access at that link! I highly recommend them!
Now, if you’re a patreon supporter, that means head on over to my patreon page, because you guys are getting the full size image available both with text and without text as a 5K wallpaper. Trust me, it looks awesome. That’s a patron-supporter early bonus … the rest of you will have to wait a while.
But there it is, in all it’s golden glory. Shadow of an Empire will be available for pre-order soon!
Oh, and you guys may have noticed, but the site looks a little different now … Just some nice thematic changes.
THIS IS NOT THE FINAL COVER
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS
The top needs cleaning. I’m thinking larger name, in two rows rather than one to eat up that blank space. And I’ve got a graphic designer buddy who’s tossing me some feedback. That said … what do you guys think? Comment!
Just thought I’d drop this here. Enjoy your weekend!
Unusual Things 