Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Happy 2024! A Look Ahead

 Happy 2024! I’d like to thank everyone who picked up the books I published in 2023 and anything that came before. I’d also like to show my gratitude to everyone who supported me on Patreon even if you didn’t follow me to my new subscription site, Ream. Self-publishing is an odd kind of career, where I get to release books faster but often have less support from partners and more responsibility. That might sound like I’m complaining but the bright side of that outshines any negatives is that I can write whatever I like, in this style that I prefer, and the timing of release is entirely up to me. Another thing to consider, something i often forget, is that self-publishing allows me to keep the lion’s share of whatever my books earn. Otherwise, I seriously doubt that I would be able to do this full-time.

2023 may have been a turnaround year. For the first time in quite a while, I looked back and saw a book that I wasn’t as happy with as I could have been. It felt like it was cut short, and i was determined to write Samurai Squadron II as a standout novel with a more complete story even though it was the middle book of a trilogy. I’m proud of the work I did on that book and now that someone can read Samurai Squadron one and two together, I’m happy with the first one in that trilogy. One was always meant to lead directly into the second where the story would be expanded, characters that were introduced would be more significant, and there would be more fulfilment at the end.

All of that led to my “break book,” Rogue: assembly. After involving her indirectly in Samurai Squadron Part One, the itch to write a book specifically about her was becoming severe. I’m happy with what I created there, and I do think it was worth delaying Samurai Squadron III for a month so I could get it right. Samurai Squadron II and Rogue: Assembly are both being well received and I’m extremely grateful for all of the reviews and ratings that you’ve left after reading them.

The support of the community that’s grown on Facebook and on Ream, formerly Patreon, can’t be overlooked. I’ve been able to share more of my life this year and have enjoyed moments of levity as well as your assistance in 2023. There are many traditionally published authors that may have more readers and sell more books, but they don’t have the kind of active, tight community that I’m so proud to be a part of.

In the coming year, I’m going to share more of my personal journey, maintain my increased focus on writing, and start offering tips for writers who want to finish their books and begin self-publishing. With so many technical advancements becoming useful at the same time and a marketplace that is about to be flooded by low-grade content, I would like to help artists stand out and get their work seen. I’ve been proud to mentor excellent writers over the last decade, and doing so one-on-one is very rewarding. I think now is the time to offer some of my best advice to anyone who can put it to good use so I can help in a broader way and learn from the experience.

After fifteen years of self-publishing and writing full-time, I still enjoy creating and can still find excitement in discovering interesting stories, developing worlds, as well as living with characters new and old. I think I enjoy interacting with you more than ever too. My main focus will be on writing great books, and I believe that most of this year will be dedicated to Spinward Fringe because I’d like to finish Rogue’s first trilogy, Samurai Squadron III and Spinward Fringe: broadcast 21.

If all goes well I’ll be able to return to fantasy and even horror from time to time. Now that I’m involved with Ream I can also more comfortably offer short stories to my subscribers there. One or two from the old days will be popping up soon, they’re just waiting for cover treatments and a little editing love.

I believe that there’s real value and doing something yourself. That’s why I won’t be using artificial intelligence to assist with my writing other than checking spelling and simple grammar. That last bit is practically unavoidable because AI is working its way into all of the spellcheckers, but I can keep it out of the creative process. I realize that using artificial intelligence to assist me would allow me to put out more books, and I might be able to quadruple my income, but I would rather challenge myself to be creative and to tell quality stories about characters that I enjoy spending time with than cheat. There are people who don’t believe that using AI with respect to crafting novels is cheating, you are welcome to your opinion, but mine won’t be changing in the foreseeable future.

I have great optimism for 2024 with regards to my career and I’m looking forward to writing these stories for myself and for you. I hope everyone has a great year, and that you manage to ignore the people who expect 2024 to be a raging dumpster fire. I plan on concentrating on the people I love, the things that satisfy me most, and on treating people as well as I can whenever I can. Every new year brings potential, and I plan on doing my best to work and flourish with that in mind.

Tomorrow Samurai Squadron 3: Spinward Fringe broadcast 20 continues on Ream, the Patreon-like subscription site made specifically for authors and their readers. I love starting a new year with a new project, and I’ve been looking forward to this one for quite a while. There’s nothing like the ending of a trilogy, especially when it stars Remmy Sands and Minh-Chu.

 

 


Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Rogue: Assembly Will Be Released On December 14th, 2023

 

This is a repost from my main site. www.randolphlalonde.com

Like the headline says, Rogue’s first book, set in the Spinward Fringe Universe, will be out on all major ebook sellers on December 14th. A release in print will follow on Amazon shortly after. Most of the book is already available in the Ream Library if you’re subscribed at any level other than free. (Ream is like Patreon, only it’s designed for writers and their readers).

You can preorder the ebook on most of the sites linked below.

Ream Stories
Smashwords
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
Overdrive
Google Play (The ebook and audiobook will release on December 14th)
Rakuten Kobo (Coming soon! Please check back after the 7th of December)
Amazon US UK AU CA DE FR ES IT NL JP BR MX IN

Now, more about the book. This was originally a way for me to tell stories about gunslingers in space. As I considered what I wanted to write about in the Spinward Fringe Universe but hadn’t yet, a very long list of things and stories along with locations and events started to form. I considered my main character, Rogue, and what might challenge her, give her a chance to succeed, fail, and grow. After that I looked back at the list and picked a few things to start with, planting my main character in New Zero, a city with as much potential as Rogue.

Before I knew it I was writing from her perspective, inviting you in using her voice and enjoying the adventure. For people new to the Spinward Fringe Universe, Rogue is a character with a pragmatic origin.

During a tricky situation Alice Valent, a soldier who was trying to save allies, created a decoy using an android. The decoy had to be perfectly convincing and powerful enough to carry out an important mission, so she was created using the most advanced technology on hand. They copied Alice’s consciousness into the machine and sent it off as part of a hostage trade.

It worked, but while the android decoy was on its mission, something awakened, adding something unique to Alice’s consciousness that could only exist in a complex machine. Rogue was born, and Alice let her leave so she could begin a life of her own.

This is where Rogue starts walking along a path that will challenge her, introduce her to new friends, locations, characters that range from the familiar to new. There’s a fair dose of comedy in this adventure too because it fit really well along with the fast paced adventure at the core of the novel. The book is shorter than regular Spinward Fringe novels (and cheaper!), because they’re written like feature films or double episodes of an hour long television series. Regardless of length, there’s a very firm beginning, middle and ending that is satisfying on its own.

I don’t actually know if this will become a series, but I plan on repeating that pattern if it does. Whether or not there are more of these will be up to you, and I’ve planned ahead just in case there’s a demand. I may write another one or two either way, because working on this was so much fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

And now for a bonus. While I was writing this short novel (it’s about 63,000 words), a friend of mine, Patrick D Emond who is a talented composer, released a fantastic track called Migration. I must have listened to it dozens of times while writing sections of this book, so give it a listen. Youtube Link

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Rogue: Assembly

This is a repost from my new website located at www.randolphlalonde.com

 Rogue emerged from the last pages of Hunters: Spinward Fringe Broadcast 16. Having said that, her premiere novella isn't just written for long-time readers. Just like The Expendable Few, Carnie's Tale, and the Chaos Core series, you don't have to read any other part of the series to jump in.

Now, more about Rogue. She's an android who was originally created as a decoy for Alice Valent, but found true sentience as she was conducting her mission. I wanted to write a few adventures for her, and I was excited to see that readers were curious about her too. A cameo was planned for the Samurai Squadron novels, but she would have distracted from the main stories too much. Instead of putting her off for a time when she could appear in the Spinward Fringe Unlimited Series, I took a good look at the character and what I had her doing in the background. I realized she was really busy, and it was exactly the right time for her to have her own novella.

Before I told anyone what I was doing, I wrote the first two chapters. I thought they were pretty good, but gave them a rest for a few days and re-wrote them. The second attempt was so much better that I went right on to finish the third chapter, and I knew this novella was on its feet.

While that was going on the opportunity to switch from Patreon to Ream Stories came up, and I decided to make Rogue: Assembly the title I would launch my new Ream Site with. I knew I really enjoyed Rogue's first novella, but I didn't have any feedback, so I did my best to edit it and launched it on Ream, asking for early feedback after a few chapters. Thankfully, the character is coming across well, and even though it's not what people expected the reception has been positive.

I hope you enjoy Rogue: Assembly too. Right now it's a Ream Stories exclusive and about half of it is already online with two chapters a week coming out until it's finished. Here's an early synopsis!

Rogue the android was never meant to last. Originally intended as a decoy for Alice Valent, Rogue surpassed her programming and left everything behind. Now she's having trouble balancing the personality she's been given with a colder, digital version of herself that's soulless and prone to violence. Looking for help will introduce her to a cyborg blood sport, crooked corporations and an inherited grudge. Will she find balance, and who will she be if she does?

You can start the adventure on Ream. Rogue: Assembly and everything else in my library is available there now.

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