The Online Home Of Randolph Lalonde

Expendable Few and Broadcast 7 Release Timelines

2012-01-19T18:24:00.001-05:00

Lately I've been getting many queries a day about the release dates of the Expendable Few and Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 7. I've explained what the time line looks like before, and the answer hasn't changed, but I'll happily do my best in explaining once more:

I'm afraid I don't set release dates until the book(s) are out of my hands. For example, the final release date will be set for The Expendable Few when the formatting company is finished and we're reviewing their work. As it is, I'll still be writing new material for the Expendable few until Saturday, since it needed a little more work, so the formatters haven't even seen it yet. So far the editors are very pleased with what they're seeing, and doing great work themselves.

The turn towards producing higher quality, more well finished work has added a lot of time to the process - with more editing, editors, and another company involved in formatting the work, it's hard to pin the date down until things are almost finished.

What I CAN say for certain is that we're less than two months away from seeing the book on Smashwords. It will premiere there, then start appearing on Amazon, B&N and practically everywhere else in the following weeks.

I am sorry things take longer these days, but things have changed since 2008, when I released a novel (of lesser quality) every three months or more.

So, as it stands: The Expendable Few will be out sometime in the next 8 weeks if the editors sign off on it, and the formatting company gets their work done on time.

Broadcast 7 is much further from being finished, BUT it will be out months from now, not years from now.

That's the best timeline I can offer for everyone who is asking.

Thank you for your patience.

RL

Expendable Few Still In The Works

2011-12-19T21:28:00.000-05:00

Even though the Expendable Few draft is finished, editors are still reviewing it, they need time. I was hoping our formatters would be able to pencil us in, but there just won't be enough time to get everything done by the Holidays, which are very close at hand.

That being said, the first two thirds of Expendable Few are getting very high marks from the editors. I'm ready to address problems if they come up, and our formatting partners are excited to work on another Spinward Fringe book.

The bottom line is that we have a lot of work done, so the chances of Expendable Few being out in January are very high. The moment the book gets a pass from an editor, and I get on our formatter's schedule, I'll have a firm release date for you.

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season. I feel blessed to have so much support, and owe all of you my thanks.

RL

Expendable Few Draft Completion

2011-12-11T20:57:00.000-05:00

The Expendable Few novella has become a small novel, and I'm finished drafting. I had several goals and a story to tell with this book, and I think I've accomplished what I set out to do.

Now I'm doing my last editorial pass, and sending chapters to both my editors as I finish polishing. The Expendable Few became a very difficult project. Some chapters took several weeks to think through, and I've never had a short work generate so much cut material. The cut material isn't the result of sloppy writing, most of it was experimental content that didn't work for the story, the characters, or it took the book in the wrong direction.

Like any experimental work, I was actually a little afraid to finish it, and I'm terrified to release it. History has shown me that, as long as my editor(s) sign off on the story, the book will do well, but the jury is still out.

I expect to finish my pass early this week, and the editors are already getting new chapters. Here's hoping that this book meets their standards. If it does, I may be looking at a release around Christmas Day. If the editors tell me it needs a little more work on my end, I expect it'll come out in late January or February.

After Expendable Few is finished I'm taking a month off to clear my head. For the last few months my brain has been occupied with the Expendable Few and Broadcast 7. I've taken some great notes that will help me finish 7, but I want to clear my head before I sit down and edit what I have, then get to work on the second half of that book. I'm glad I wrote Expendable Few, it was instrumental in figuring out a few things for Broadcast 7 and beyond.

I'll share the editor's verdict once they share their thoughts.

Thank you for your patience,

RL

The Utopian Publishing System

2011-12-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

This discussion started on the Spinward Fringe Crew Facebook Page, and I realized that I had said something in a lengthy response that hasn't been voiced too often in the publishing world. Most likely because it's a pie-in-the-sky idea that no one knows how to bring into being yet.

I call it the Utopian Publishing Model.

I'd love to see a cooperative group lending system come about, where the readers and the artist are taken care of. From what I can see, Amazon is working on something similar but they are missing the mark right now. On the readers' end, they have to have a special type of credit card with Amazon. On the author's side, they have to make the titles in this upcoming program exclusive to Amazon / Kindle. It's not the right solution right now, but the seeds of an open coop are there.

It's the necessity to make money to survive that makes the co-op difficult to develop. How do you provide books for all people regardless of their income, cover the costs of servers, etc... and make sure the author is paid for their work? It's a difficult system to develop, especially since current systems aren't truly accomplishing what they have to.

Publishers have to protect themselves against the inconsiderate few, and it costs the kind majority. The best example is piracy. On average a spinward fringe book is found on a piracy site three times a month. There is also a clear example of legal piracy in the fact that Amazon forces indies to enroll in their lending program when publishing a book. If an indie doesn't enroll, their royalties are cut in half. I don't have anything against the lending program under most circumstances, but enrolling should be a choice connected to marketing strategy and personal prefference.

Those kinds of things make companies (and some authors) too paranoid or bitter to participate in a new system.

Some of these companies also don't understand ePublishing, or their customers, and you'll find an easy indication of their block headed-ness in the way they price their books. Here's a couple example of "grossly overpriced" books:

http://www.amazon.com/Sisterhood-of-Dune-ebook/dp/B005HWLKOG/ref=sr_1_64?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323017426&sr=1-64

http://www.amazon.com/The-Star-Trek-Encyclopedia-ebook/dp/B004KKYYJY/ref=sr_1_27?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323017354&sr=1-27

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Fate-Apocalypse-ebook/dp/B005DXOOWE/ref=sr_1_121?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323017597&sr=1-121

From my point of view, the price setters of these books suffer from profit and piracy paranoia. They're also setting themselves up for a big fall. Thousands of readers are noticing that price and turning away from that book - for good - so lowering the price in a year won't help sales much. I could go on about strategy of pricing, but you already get the point.

I wish we didn't have to bring big publishers kicking and screaming into the eBook market. The fact that it really did happen that way tells me that future systems where you guys get to read for a few pennies a novel, or nothing at all, and I get paid fairly will be even harder to figure out.

RL

The Updates Are Coming! The Updates Are Coming!

2011-11-16T22:10:00.001-05:00

The return of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments to Amazon.com is coming soon. This Friday the book will reappear, following that updates will arrive at Smashwords, the iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, and other book retailers.

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins is also receiving a major update.

These updates are the product of months of work, during which the text of the books were polished and a professional formatting house made sure the books will look great on any device.

The drawback to these updates is that everyone who made notes on their Kindle will lose them UNLESS they back them up on a computer before Amazon sends the new versions to their devices. I understand there are several different ways to save notes and highlights from Kindle, but I'm not expert, so I'm afraid I can't provide dependable directions or advice. If anyone would like to share their advice in the comments section, I'd appreciate it.

On other websites (such as Smashwords), the new version will be available for download free of charge if you already purchased a copy.

Everyone has Sylvie (my busy assistant), and 52 Novels (the formatting) company to thank for the hard work they put in. I can honestly say that both these books are more enjoyable now that they've had the extra work they needed.

Thank you for your patience,

RL

Signed Copies of Origins Are Available!

2011-11-02T12:54:00.002-04:00

After an entire year of delays - some creative, some technical - Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins is now available in print. The text has been updated, the book is laid out to be more tree friendly (uses less paper), and distribution is broader than before.

Unsigned editions are available through Amazon.com for $19.99. They are not pocket book sized, but 6x9 trade paperback editions.

The signed editions come straight from my office, and I'll be sure to mark when they are out of stock. Since Createspace (the people who print these volumes) has increased their shipping speeds and lowered costs, these books have become very easy to keep around.

You can find the signed books in the Spacerwares Home Store. They cost $20.00 plus shipping.

Thank you very much for your patience and support. I'll be shipping copies of these books out to last year's holiday contest winners this week.

[The first batch sold out in about 3-4 hours but I'm taking pre-orders for the next. The details are on the Store Page.]

Update:

Createspace (My printer), may not have actually handed the new batch over to UPS yet. Since they were supposed to do that on the 4th of November, and UPS has no record of receiving anything, they're sending a replacement shipment today.

Your pre-orders may be a week late, but they are definitely coming.

As for the books that were already sold, everything will be on its way out of Ontario by the end of this week.

Thanks for being interested in the books, and I hope everyone enjoys them when they arrive!

RL

Dark Arts: Chapter 1

2011-10-31T17:55:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Dark Arts
Copyright © 2011 Randolph Lalonde

Chapter 1

Chicago, 1974

Maxwell stood in the doorway of St. Peter’s Chapel. He couldn’t help but compare it to St Peter’s Church, the big one, the tourist’s trap that endeavoured to ensnare souls as well as cash. After visiting that house of worship it was impossible for him to avoid comparing every church bearing the same name to its grandeur. St Peter’s Chapel was less than a tenth the size of the more well known St Peter’s Cathedral. He pulled a package of Malboros from his jacket pocket and popped one out into his hand.

“No smoking in this house, son,” a monk warned, standing slowly. He backed away from the table of wavering red candles, crossing himself. He was careful to pull his weather worn hood down and keep his face hidden.

“No bother on me. American fags are shite anyhow,” Maxwell griped. He dropped his unlit cigarette in the holy water font by the door.

“Not bothering to tame that Cockney, either. Your father would be embarrassed,” the monk said.

“Da died trying to be something he wasn’t,” Maxwell pressed the smokes into his leather jacket pocket. “Like you, on the verge of excommunication while clergy and law alike go looking into a few sacrifices in Granada. You’ve been busy, Panos.”

“I was in the vicinity, not the perpetrator,” the monk replied, subdued.

“Heard the girl’s father caught up to you. Is that what you’re hiding under that hood? A few new scars?” He hoped to rattle the middle aged monk, to get some kind of feel for who he’d become since he started wandering across the continent. The word was that he’d gone over the edge. He’d become an old world zealot, chasing down supposed practitioners of the old religions and torturing them.

It wasn’t Maxwell’s job to uncover the root cause of the man’s madness, or stop the monk from chasing down his next victim. He was there to bargain for stolen property.

Panos was unaffected by Maxwell’s question and posed one of his own. “Are you any better? Riding around America collecting religious texts for cash?”

Maxwell looked around the chapel, taking note of the fairly average stained glass windows, worn pews and humble Christ carving at the front. “Lets me enjoy the three things I fancy in North America: Harleys, women, and straight roads,” he said. His patience was rewarded as Panos adjusted the front of his robes. An old leather bag that fit the description of the one the book was stored in hung around his neck under his robes. It was held up with a simple strand of twine.

“Who is paying this time?” Panos asked.

“Angelo,” Maxwell said. “I thought I’d have some digging to do when I found you. Old bugger was sure you were dead until I told him about Granada.”

“Nearly,” the monk answered. He tugged one side of his hood, making certain it hid all but his chin.

“Best hand it over. You may be standing in His house, but I’ll guess He’s on my side for once.” Doubt weighed on Maxwell with regards to the wishes of the Almighty. He believed in his Zippo and tin of lighter fluid much more.

“I can’t give it to you,” Panos said. “Not unless you have something to offer, something worth trading.”

“Like what?” asked Maxwell.

“You’ve seen the Eternity Ankh. Where is it?”

“When I was barely past my da’s knee,” Maxwell scoffed. “He sold it for weight, it was pure gold. You think you need something like that to keep you breathing?” He couldn’t stand most of the people he met while he did his job. Superstition and zealous ideals infected many of the collectors. Freaks like Panos were worse, a hair away from complete madness. “Buying in to the folk tales in that book can put you right off your trolley.”

“This book you’re after is keeping me alive, boy,” Panos said.

“World doesn’t work that way,” Maxwell replied. “Now I know you’re barmy.”

“You think you know that much about the world? At the ripe old age of what, twenty?”

“Twenty four,” Maxwell said. “If you’re really walkin’ around at room temperature, maybe you could prove it. I’m sure hanging boy over there won’t mind if you borrow one of his nails so you can show me your blood doesn’t run.”

“Crass,” Panos said. “I’ve no mind to prove miracles to thugs.”

“I’ve got two grand here; it’s yours if you come back to reality, and give me that book,” Maxwell said. He watched the other man, who only spared him a slight twitch of his hood at the mention of so much cash. “That much green could keep you liquored for weeks. Miracle enough for a drunk, monk or no.”

“I haven’t had a drink since I found the Rayo de Luz. It’s not what Angelo thinks it is. This is the Law of the Covenant. He shouldn’t have it.”

“Angelo isn’t the most trustworthy type, but he’s a good collector. He knows what he’s buying,” Maxwell pulled the wad of hundreds from his back pocket and held it up so it couldn’t be missed.

“He should have come himself,” Panos said.

“He had business up north.” Maxwell couldn’t help it any longer, he had to ask. “What’s under the hood, Panos? Give us a peek, mate.”

“The Covenant is delicate. Someone like Angelo can’t be allowed to know the details as they are translated here, you understand?”

“Two thousand American dollars,” Maxwell enunciated loudly, wiggling the thick green wad in the air as he started to close the distance between them. “Enough for you to drink yourself to death, real death. Not this walking dead bollocks you’re believing.”

“You don’t understand,” Panos said earnestly. “I have been saved. This book comes with a purpose, it needs to be protected until a new Covenant is needed, and I think that day is coming soon.”

Maxwell put the cash into his chest pocket. It would make a hell of a bonus if he could get the book without paying for it. His hand went to his right outer pocket then, and wrapped around the small tin of lighter fluid.

“You’re not getting the book,” Panos said, starting for the side door.

In three long strides, Maxwell closed the distance between them and gripped Panos’ brown robes beneath the back of his hood. He nearly let go in disgust as he caught sight of the man’s face. The tip of Panos’ nose was gone, and the rest had been carved lengthwise down to the bone. Through a mass of lax skin and scabs, he could see that most of the cartilage had been removed. How Panos managed to escape Granada in that kind of condition was a mystery.

Maxwell ignored the stench of infection as he held his lighter fluid tin high. It was pocket sized, but there was enough to sufficiently soak someone.

“Let me go!” Panos shouted. He wheeled around clawing.

Maxwell withdrew just quick enough to get away with a shallow scratch on his cheek, spraying the monk in the eyes with lighter fluid. He continued to spray even as the man retreated, almost emptying the can.

Panos screamed, recoiled, and fell backwards over a pew. His hands were over his face, the open wound seeping blood over his fingers.

“Should have taken the cash,” Maxwell said as he yanked the twine necklace free. After peeking inside the attached pouch, verifying that the small, old book was there, he secured it inside his jacket. “Mad geezer.”

His boots echoed as he marched to the front door. Maxwell hoped Panos would stay down, that the warbles and screams would go unheard at that ungodly hour. The sounds of Panos’ suffering were replaced by something else after a few moments, and Maxwell felt a chill run down his spine.

Panos wasn’t whining or screaming, but breathing laboriously through gnashed teeth and the hole that was once his nose made a faint whistle.

Maxwell increased his pace, refusing to look over his shoulder. He was just passing the font when he heard a faint click. In an instant he hurled himself between two old pews. The small church became an echo chamber for Panos furious .45 as two shots rang out. Maxwell hurriedly started working the small book out of its bag until Panos’ cracking voice shouted. “Throw the book to me, and don’t try to trick me by just giving me the bag!”

With a sigh Maxwell tossed the book and bag in Panos’ direction.

“And the money!” cried the monk.

“Wanker,” Maxwell muttered. His ears were ringing. He produced the wad of cash and held it up so Panos could see it. “Do you really want me to throw it?” he asked.

Panos didn’t answer. Instead he crossed the distance to the book. Maxwell watched the man’s shaky hand pick it up from where he lay his head on the floorboards. The monk quickly shuffled over to Maxwell’s row and pointed the gun at him.

“No worries,” Maxwell reassured, holding the money up as high as he could. “Just take this and we’ll go our ways.”

Panos snatched the cash and started to run.

Maxwell pulled his Zippo from his jeans pocket, lit it, got to his knees and tossed the little torch. He’d doused people in lighter fluid before, it was a fantastic threat, but he’d never followed through by actually setting someone on fire.

The monk began to turn back towards him, taking aim.

The Zippo couldn’t have landed in a better place if Maxwell had an eternity to try. In a split second, Panos’ expression turned from rage to panic as the flaming lighter landed in a fold of his fuel soaked hood.

Maxwell ducked as the .45 went off. Panos went up in a blue and yellow plume. One, two, three shots sounded. Even though his ears rang like tinny bells, he could hear the monk’s shrieks as he fell forward, trying to put the flames out.

Maxwell picked up the book and kicked the man over. One more shot rang out as Panos rolled onto his back. He wondered at his luck an instant later when he realized the shot missed. He bent and snatched the smouldering wad of cash. Panos covered his face with both arms, as if he expected a beating.

“You’ll wish you took the dosh,” Maxwell said. The sound of air whistling in and out of Panos’ wrecked nose accompanied his boot steps as he left.

He was two miles down the street, riding his Harley Davidson in the cool night air when he realized his neck was soaking wet. He reached up and felt a bloody trail leading to his upper jaw. Maxwell winced in pain, nearly losing control of his bike entirely as he touched an open wound where that last bullet grazed him.

“Fucking America, too many bloody guns.” Maxwell grimaced as he downshifted and turned down a side street.

###

[More to come in 2012]

World Versus Me - An Indie In Need

2011-10-27T23:34:00.002-04:00

I am very fortunate. Thousands of readers have enjoyed my work, and that's bought me time to think, imagine and finally write the two books that will deliver a proper ending (for now) for the Spinward Fringe series. The series may not come to an end, but the plot that's been driving it so far will conclude, and I can honestly say that without support I wouldn't be as far along as I am now, and the series would be what it is now.

Time and opportunity are rare gifts, and I remind myself not to waste them on a regular basis. I'm not going to say that I'm not guilty of misusing one or the other on occasion, only that I try to use time and not waste opportunity when they come along. I appreciate what I have been given.

It's that line of thinking that drove me to support World Versus Me - a musical act founded by David Alvarez - when the money started running out as tracks were being laid down for his latest album. I listen to his other albums regularly, at least once a week, when I'm writing.

David Alvarez recorded his previous albums in a home recording studio. He created some amazing music in that environment, but he wanted to record his next album in a proper studio. When I heard he was recording with higher standards in mind, and taking much more time to work on each track (weeks and months instead of hours and days), I was eager to hear it.

Sadly, he can see the finish line but is a hair away from crossing it. In keeping with true indie form, he's created his own opportunity but has run out of time.

In this case, money buys time in the studio, pays for talented professional mixers and engineering people so his next album can live up to his standards. With a desire to hear what his ambition will sound like when it's realized I took some of the support you've given me as a paying reader and donated it to him.

He's earned it, trust me. There are some scenes in my work over the last year that were written while listening to certain songs from Duel (his second album), and nothing else. If I were listening to something else, they would be different, possibly lesser.

As long time readers know, I don't endorse other artists often, and I don't do so lightly. I truly believe that some of us will be going to see World Versus Me at a stadium show some day, and we can all say that we had a hand in giving him a little more time to take advantage of a massive opportunity.

What I'm asking of you today is to go check out his music. You can find samples of it on his Kickstarter Campaign Page. If you like what you hear, donate as little or as much as you like. Many of the donation amounts entitle you to generous returns, so there's little chance you'll walk away empty handed. The Kickstarter Campaign ends on October 31.

Thank you!

RL

[UPDATE] The Kickstarter Campaign just succeeded in raising the $7,000.00 David Alvarez needed to finish the album. I'd like to congratulate him, thank everyone who pitched in, and wish him luck with the final stage of development! [UPDATE]

Expendable Few & Other Updates

2011-10-17T15:22:00.003-04:00

There are several chapters in the Expendable Few that I call "the hell segment". This portion has caused more stress, more disappointment and more irritation than any portion of anything I've ever worked on.

I like challenging myself when I write a book but the few chapters near the end of the Expendable Few that I've been working on for two months were an unexpected difficulty. Put simply, I needed something original in place of an event that was originally handled in a very standard way. After the original writing of those chapters I realized that you could take scenes from many science fiction television shows or chapters out of many books and substitute the writing I'd done without any real notice.

So, I tasked myself with executing a scene about boarding a ship and discovering something in a way that I'd never seen before. I had no idea how, but after trying a few things and finally writing the chapters out, I can say that I have something exciting and experimental.

The downsides to that are numerous. The story has been twisted around and irrevocably changed. That's working out to be a good thing now, but it looked pretty dark for a while. The other big downside is that it took a lot longer to do - two months by my estimation.

The good news is that my editors are going to be seeing new chapters this week. I'll be handing in the last chapters as they come out. We're back on track.

Expendable Few many not have grown from it's expected size, but it's a much more worthwhile book than it would have been if I had followed my initial plan.

In other news...

The formatting house we hired to work on Spinward Fringe Origins has finished their first pass, and we're reviewing their work, checking for errors. An updated version of the book should be out soon, and the long awaited printed version won't be far behind. That means there will be signed copies in the store in time for Christmas orders.

The editing work on Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments is going well, and we're looking at having that back up on Amazon by the end of November.

Someone from the TV industry has started poking around making inquiries about turning Spinward Fringe into a proper series. Don't get excited, it doesn't look like this person has the juice to get the series into serious talks, but it's something. Just so everyone is clear, Spinward Fringe hasn't been optioned for TV, film, or any other media.

I'll be working on finishing Broadcast 7 as soon as Expendable Few is complete.

I'm sure there will be more news soon, so check back often.

RL

National Novel Writing Month Sponsor For Sudbury

2011-10-05T18:08:00.001-04:00

National Novel Writing Month happens once a year during November across North America and many other parts of the world. Participants challenge themselves to write a 50,000 word novel in rough draft from beginning to end during November.

I've participated before, and found it was a good experience. I won't be starting something new this year because I'm still working on Broadcast 7, and I don't know if it'll be finished in time to start something in November.

I am celebrating National Novel Writing Month in my home town of Sudbury by becoming a sponsor. I'll be paying for a few extras for the group, writing a pep talk, giving a presentation and making sure everyone who sticks with it gets a copy of my favourite book on writing as creative after-care. Sponsoring this event isn't expensive, and it makes me feel like I'm helping other writers out a little.

Why now? The answer, for me, is simple.

We're in the age of information dissemination. It has never been easier for a content creator to share their creations and ideas with the rest of the world. If you're a musician you can create anything from a vinyl record to a website and a spot on iTunes. If you don't like the publishing industry but want your novel made available you can do so electronically, on paper, or create your own audio book.

The age of a billion audience members who all have the power of authorship is here whether we like it or not. National Novel Writing Month is one of the vehicles out there that encourages budding authors to try their hand at writing a short novel in a short amount of time.

The talk I'll be giving in Sudbury will discuss the age of a billion author audience and self publishing. I don't talk about self publishing often because I'd rather discuss my own fiction, but I'm anxious to take this opportunity to inform a group of writers on the pros and cons of taking your writing career into your own hands.

I'll be keeping pace with the writers as I work on Broadcast 7 during November as well.

RL

[If you'd like to see a great discussion about the Billion Author Audience, check out the free and excellent documentary: Press Pause Play]

Incoming Upgrades!

2011-09-16T14:10:00.000-04:00

Sometime early next week, a team of migration experts will be copying the hundreds of posts on this blog to a Wordpress site.

Blogger won't be adequate for my needs going forward. With the Spinward Fringe universe expanding, Dark Arts on the horizon with The Brothers of Brightwill coming some time after Broadcast 9, blogger just won't do.

I looked at switching to Wordpress a couple years ago, but didn't really like the results. Since then they've changed a great deal and are working on offering even more services.

During the weekend I spent a few hours building an experimental page and explored most of the features I'd need to create a better experience than what already exists here. The result of the late night project was a web page for a Star Wars: The Old Republic massively multiplayer role playing game, something I plan on picking up as a hobby when it is released later this year. Click here to take a look.

I find the layout tools are more flexible and the results look more professional. When the transition is made you'll be able to access the new site through the following URL's:

www.spinwardfringe.com
www.randolphlalonde.com
www.randylalonde.com
www.crewcast.net

Until October 1, 2011, this blogger site will be up to date. After that you'll have to use one of the addresses above.

RL

[If you're planning on playing SWTOR as well, you're welcome to join the Freeground Nation Guild.]

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7 & Expendable Few Update - September 2011

2011-09-14T11:34:00.001-04:00

The pressure to get a book out is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Fortunately, I've experienced pressure before, so the previous statement is more an idle observation than it is any kind of complaint.

The absence of pressure would indicate a lack of demand. So, bring it on.

I can't provide a release date for The Expendable Few or Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework, but I will do the next best thing.

I've set a deadline for the completion of the Expendable Few. I will finish writing this book by October 7, and attempt to get it to the formatters by the end of that month. Test readers will see chapters during October as well.

The Expendable Few has hit more creative roadblocks and faced more in-process revision than anything I've ever written. In an effort to present a full fledged science fiction novel with all the trappings that I want for this story and the characters, I've increased the book's size to about 80,000 words, and drawn ideas I had reserved for other books in. The book needed it, and as for size, it might become even longer.

There was a time when I just wasn't satisfied with how the second half of this book was turning out, and I didn't know how to fix it. I'm past that now, and am writing the chapters that bring it up to snuff. There are ideas in this book that span politics, technology, character development, and take the book straight into strange fiction. Now it's something I know I'd enjoy as a reader.

There are at least a dozen chapters left, and there could be more. Getting this done before or on October 7 will be an interesting challenge.

What about Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7? It's about to enter its third and final draft. The existing 120,000 words are mostly going to remain the same, with a few additions and slight modifications - but that's what you do when you draft a book you've mostly been away from for a couple months. The work I'm doing on the Expendable Few novel (formerly novella), has prompted me to up my game for Broadcast 7's last third. That's right, 120,000 words in I'm about two thirds done, so you can expect at least another forty thousand words in Broadcast 7.

Parts of Broadcast 8 may be pulled into 7 simply because there is no reason to keep a couple story lines in reserve. Without spoiling anything, there are whole sections of Broadcast 7 that introduce an entirely new side of the Spinward Fringe universe that I've been waiting to write about since The First Light Chronicles. Introducing that side of things is proving to be very important to the story, and to the development of several characters.

A few people have asked how tightly intertwined are the Expendable Few Novel and Broadcast 7 books? I can only say that you're going to want to read the Expendable Few before reading Broadcast 7. If you don't, you may not know you're missing something, but you will be. Since the Expendable Few is an unexpected novel, it'll be offered for free for all readers on Smashwords and for $0.99 on Amazon for the first month, possibly longer.

I'll be honest, I'm looking forward to finishing my work on the Expendable Few so I can get back to Broadcast 7. Everything is taking longer because I'm more interested in telling stories that best my previous work by far. The simple solutions, easy situations, vanilla characters and settings don't work for me regardless of how long or short they exist on the page. I'm also paying more attention to quality these days, in all aspects of what comes across my desk. So, sorry for the extended wait, I'll try to make it worth your while.

RL

[Next on the blog: Cosmetic and systemic changes are coming.]

Yes, It's True: I'm still a gamer.

2011-09-09T16:12:00.000-04:00

With summer coming to an end, and a few things calming down around my office, I once again find myself with some free time. Even with my writing schedule, which is finally back on track now that I've figured a few important plot details out, I still need to come up for air.

Since I sat down in front of the Commodore 64 and loaded my first games from tape, I've been a gamer. Since then I'm sure I've played thousands of games, but the ones that really stuck were the massively multiplayer online sort. Starting with Everquest and going on to many others, this is my favourite digital hobby other than creating my own content. I can escape into an immersive world for hours at a time. I come back with a clear head, a bag of new experiences, and sometimes new friends.

Writing takes priority, don't get me wrong. I wake up every morning and my first cohesive thought is about what I'm planning to write that day. I get whatever I can down, and on a good day brain fatigue doesn't set in until about 1pm. Usually there's some office work to do, calls to make, and that takes up the rest of my day. Then I'm left to pursue hobbies, which include guitar, drums, and other things. Gaming has been sorely missing from my list of pursuits, however, since I've been busy, and I haven't been excited about a game in quite some time.

Then Star Wars: The Old Republic comes along. I've known about this game for years (literally), but recently a few people have been asking me if they'd see me around in that gaming world when it launches, and my answer was invariably yes. I even bought a cheapo PC laptop so I would be all ready to play (there's no PC version, and I'm not willing to install BootCamp on my Macs anymore, they're for writing and other creative pursuits). The next question that comes from readers and friends (often they're the same people), is if I'll be starting a guild, or if I'm already a member of one. Until today I've offered a blank expression as a response - which doesn't come across as well over the Internet.

Let's touch on another point before I follow that up though...

Over the years I've made a lot of friends through online gaming. I've learned a lot from them, had some fantastic times, and still speak to many of these long-range buddies. For some people Facebook or Myspace was their big first experience with social networking and having a large network of online friends. For me it was the Massively Multiplayer Online gaming space, mostly Everquest and World of Warcraft. Even though I enjoy going off on my own often in games, I find it's still better if there's a social aspect. The possibility of meeting new people online (in a game), and taking on a challenge with friends adds a whole new dimension of excitement to gaming.

So, when a couple readers asked me if I'd be forming a guild in The Old Republic today, I couldn't help but think of the fantastic folks on the Spinward Fringe Facebook Page, and wonder what that kind of environment would be like in game when it goes online later this year. I enjoy hobnobbing with the Facebook crowd and check in whenever I can. Imagine interacting with like minded people in an online game? Knowing that I'd download a lot of responsibility to officers in the Guild (much as I have with the Facebook Page), I decided that, yes, I'd create a guild. If there's something I've discovered I like doing, it's giving people who enjoy my company or my writing a place to hang out.

So, it is with no shame that I admit: Yes, I'm a huge [nerd] gamer, and I've created a guild called the Freeground Nation. If you're looking to play Star Wars: The Old Republic later this year and don't have a guild yet, go ahead and check it out. I'm sure I'll spend a great deal of my winter playing this game. Whenever I'm not writing, that is.

RL

[Updates on the Expendable Few, Broadcast 7 and other stuff coming early next week. The work goes well.]

Editing Week - I Knew It Was Coming

2011-08-16T08:18:00.004-04:00

Sometimes you have to take a step backwards to brace yourself for a leap forwards. Right now I'm at a point where I have to remind myself of all the details in Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments.

Instead of simply reading the book, I'm taking the opportunity to perform another pass on it, to correct those niggling errors that have been irritating me since the book came out. Broadcast 6 suffered from growing pains, since it was released at a time when how I did things was changing even faster than I thought at the time. A year later it's easy to look back at how my writing and editing processes have taken a step or three forward. Life has changed a great deal around that time for me as well, which was a strain on Broadcast 6's release as well.

Once this pass is finished I'll have a much clearer idea of how the timeline of The Expendable Few applies to Broadcast 6, and it'll be easier to write the next section of Broadcast 7. This edit isn't so much of a chore either, it's more like visiting an old friend. I spent a year writing this book.

When it's complete it'll be uploaded to Smashwords, the retailers on their distribution network (like Barnes and Noble, the iBookstore), and to Amazon. You'll be able to update your copies for free, but beware Amazon users! There is an excellent chance that any notes or highlights you've made to your version of Broadcast 6 will be lost when the update takes place, so find a way to dump those to a file using your PC or other magic computing box.

Well, time to get to work, see you on the other side!

[One more thing... There will be a preview of Broadcast 7 in the new version.]

[If you want the current version for any EReader, it can be found in its many formats here at Smashwords.]

[EDIT: This polish of Broadcast 6 will take longer than a week, and the reappearance of the book on Amazon.com will be further delayed because I am hiring a professional ebook formatting firm to make it ready for its final appearance there.]

Expendable Few Update

2011-08-11T14:31:00.001-04:00

Between The Expendable Few and Broadcast 7: Framework, I'm looking at a variety of writing challenges. It's taking a long time to write both, but they're the most challenging things I've ever written.

Having said that, I've reached a milestone with The Expendable Few. It's 54,000 words long after several cuts closer to the end and it finally feels like I'm putting the the last quarter of this puzzle together. I've been looking forward to this, where I get to go back and write in a few thousand words that will make the middle section of the book feel complete. These are the chapters where everything is already established and I get to set them loose on a developing situation.

After these chapters are finished I'm left with writing nothing but the last four or five chapters right at the end. It's a pretty exciting time for the book, because everything has been figured out and the only thing left is to write it. I expect this book to arrive (be completed), at between 70,000 to 80,000 words. There's a chance it'll go over, but not by much.

You're not alone in waiting to see the last half of the book. Not even Sylvie - my part time assistant (aka 'the Minion'), has seen the new stuff. She asks after new chapters daily, sometimes more. She's joined by my mother, who requests new material every time I speak to her on the phone. No pressure.

I'm just glad I can see the end of The Expendable Few, because I love delivering a story, I can't wait to get this out to you guys. There's a different kind of buzz in writing this book too, especially since 90% of the characters are totally new, some of the bigger ideas are brand new, and the ending is something new to me too. This stuff hasn't been kicking around in my head for years, it's got an 'on the spot' quality for me because it's only a few weeks / months old.

When it's all said and done, I hope this book is remembered well as a side car novel that fits alongside Broadcast 6-7 and stands well as a spiritual sequel to Broadcast 0. If you're looking to get a sample, there's a huge chunk of the book in the Goodreads Forum.

Now, back to work...

The Demise Of The Spinward Fringe Series Is Grossly Exaggerated

2011-08-09T14:21:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a previous blog post, many people were left with the impression that Spinward Fringe would be coming to a close after Broadcast 7.

That's a miscommunication, it's not over! In fact, I'm sure I'll still be writing Spinward Fringe stories for a very long time to come.

What I was saying was that the current plot lines would be ending in Broadcast 7. Many of the characters would live on in the setting I've carved out over the last three years. Just like a well written television series (imagine one, if you will), many stories come to a close in the last episode of the season. Before the end of that episode you're given a reason to come back for the next season.

In the case of Spinward Fringe, that season begins with Broadcast 8. What do I have plans for? Right now, I have specific plans, preliminary writing and outlining for Broadcasts 8-11.

The release of those books (not the writing), depends on the demand for them. After the last few days I don't think there's a lack of demand, so you can expect to see those books as soon as they're ready.

I may work on something else while working on Spinward Fringe Broadcast 8, however, just to clear my head.

To summarize:
The Spinward Fringe series will not terminate after 7, it will go on.
I'll work on other books between Spinward Fringe novels.
Creative people can be confusing.
There's plenty of demand for the books, so they'll be released.
I'll still be writing Spinward Fringe books long after they've ceased to be popular.
Other books are coming AS WELL, I'm not quitting to write something else (as a few people seemed to think).

I'm honestly a huge fan of Spinward Fringe, and of the readership. The books are getting a slow overhaul so they are more presentable to future readers. With a table top role playing game in the early development stages, and a future laid out that includes the series at every step, I believe it has a future. There's also the anthology, which I'm hoping to begin development on late this year or early next.

Now, back to the Expendable Few and Broadcast 7, which I'm eager to complete so I can get them out to you and start on Broadcast 8.

Thank you for reading, and for joining me on this trip!

RL

Progress Report: The Expendable Few & Broadcast 7: Framework

2011-07-20T18:52:00.001-04:00

Chapters of Spinward Fringe: Expendable Few stopped being sent to test readers weeks ago when the novel had to be re-developed. That sounds like a negative thing, like I'm saying that the book ran into big problems. That isn't the case here.

Everything the test readers and what people read on the leak thread remains the same. A very large chunk of the book is finished, and other than a last polish, it doesn't need any work. The rest is being written, things are coming together in more interesting ways than were originally planned.

That's what failed here, the original plan. Expendable Few could have been a nice, short trip that explained a few things about what has been going on in the background with Freeground as well as a few characters that have been running around between Broadcasts. At this point the story is gotten a little broader and, while it does fulfill the original goals, it also tells a better tale.

The connection the Expendable Few makes to Broadcasts 6-8 is much stronger than originally planned as well. At the same time, if someone were to forget to read this book and just read all the Broadcasts, then they wouldn't lack crucial information. Expendable Few is a side trip that pays dividends. That book is currently over 55,000 words long and will end up being a little over novella length.

That brings me to my next important update: The status of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework. The development of this novel is ongoing, and I'm very happy with how things are turning out. The current manuscript is about 120,000 words long. I expect that there is about 30% - 40% left to write, and finishing Expendable Few will help a great deal in developing the last portion of the book properly. The ending is looking good so far, and so does the story behind Broadcast 8.

How closely are the books connected? I suggest everyone read Expendable Few before reading Broadcast 7. There will be some background there that will enrich the story. Will either book end in a cliffhanger? No.*

There are two other writing projects that are taking some time, but only a few minutes a day. One of them is directly connected to the Spinward Fringe series. I'm not ready to talk about it.

It's times like these that I really appreciate how difficult it is to be a regular reader, especially where series are concerned. Waiting for that next book is a pain. I especially feel that pain with George RR Martin's work. So, when someone asks; "When is Broadcast 7 coming out?" I have real sympathy, but I also work under the knowledge that writing a decent book takes time. Writing the last book in a series (or a major leg of a series), takes much more time. All I have to say about the big WHEN at the moment, is that I'll be able to offer a release date when my work on the final draft is done. I hope it's soon too. I've been working on these two books for a year now. That's a long time to hold in the details of Broadcast 7. Thank you for reading, and thank you for waiting.

*Broadcast 7 will have a firm ending. It will also have the first chapter or two of Broadcast 8.

Spacerwares Home Store [Dodgy Ink Prop Shop]

2011-07-01T09:28:00.002-04:00

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins (Signed)
6x9 Trade Paperback - $20.00 (Plus Shipping)

Please include what you'd like me to write as an inscription in the notes with your order.

2011 Booster Buttons - All 4 Buttons + Crewmember Button
$5.00 (Plus Shipping)

This is the 2011 set of buttons, pictured below. Each order includes the entire set with a www.spinwardfringe.com button and a signed letter. These sets are still available as of November 1, 2011.

The July 2011 buttons, the quarter is not included.

All items are sent using regular mail (Canadian / US Postal Service or Royal Mail in the UK), so shipping times vary. Please select the correct region for shipping and include your address in the notes.

T-Shirts, mugs and many other items are available from Cafepress.

Thank you for your support!

Expendable Few - Chapter Three has been "liberated"

2011-06-24T12:21:00.000-04:00

I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO "LIBERATE" CHAPTER THREE OF THE NOVELLA!

Here is a snippet:

What’s the first thing I realize? My Command and Control Unit, the cornerstone to communication and a device that’s been on my forearm for ninety-nine percent of every day of my life for years is gone. I’m laying down on a firm cot. When I open my eyes the rest of the picture comes clear.

This is my first stay in the stockade. Cheap metal walls, moulded plastic floors and ceilings. Old fashioned bars keep me in. A metal toilet and sink are there to keep me clean.

The rest can be found on the Goodreads forum here:http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/552151-expendable-few-novella

Cafepress Spinward Fringe Store Launch

2011-06-21T18:55:00.003-04:00

After checking with many local T-Shirt & other product producers in Ontario and weighing the pros and cons of having piles of product in my home, I finally came to the decision to use Cafepress for the bulk of the clothing. There have been several local companies who were happy to tell me that they'd beat whatever I could find online for price and quality, I've found that something always suffered - and they do business as if it was 1970.

Cafepress will be able to offer a basic variety of objects to get the store started, and their prices aren't as high as many of the other online store hosts, especially with only a 10% markup.

Here's what Cafepress will be handling for me:

T-Shirts and other basic clothing.
Drinking supplies.
iPod, iPhone, iPad cases.
Bags.
Stickers and other miscellany.

The 10% markup will provide funds for my production company which is responsible for bringing Spinward Fringe into other forms of media. There's a five year plan to bring Spinward Fringe to life in the form of a Web or Television series if someone doesn't make an offer worth taking. When I say an offer worth taking, I mean an offer which allows Spinward Fringe to be everything it can be as a series and give it a fair chance to find an audience.

Pipe dream? Maybe. That's why there's a five year plan to get things ready so I can do something myself. The store is part of that plan.

I encourage all of you to do a search for coupons before buying in the Cafepress store. Here are a couple that are valid as of this month:

Save $10.00 when ordering $50.00 or more: DAD50
Get $5.00 off when ordering $75.00 or more: GREAT
Get $10.00 off when ordering $100.00 or more: FAB

What's good in the Cafepress store? I suggest the pint glasses (this design looks really good when full), ceramic travel mug or Triton Crew Shirt.

T-Shirts from the store are going out to the draw winners on Thursday!

There is another store in development that will carry buttons, books, specially made prop items, patches and other objects. Development of the buttons completed today, and the final edit of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins will be finished shortly.

Thank you for your support and patience, I hope you find something you enjoy!

Go to Spacerwares - The Spinward Fringe Store

Spinward Fringe & The Overwhelming Response

2011-06-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

It's time for an update on what's going on with Spinward Fringe and other work. It's important to start by saying that half this update is about people responding to the series and opportunities to shape things around it.

The books continue to spread in the US and UK through Kindle, B&N and other eBook retailers to a lesser extent. Last month I received the first email from a reader in India, just one example of how this series doesn't sell heavily in one area, but lightly in many areas. Hearing from people across the planet is absolutely awesome. From Tehran to Texas, kind readers are enjoying the books and spreading the word. I couldn't be happier.

Then there's the Facebook page. I never thought it would be as busy as it has been. People are offering general comments, ideas about the store (see the Buttons update below), and coming together. All the while, nary a negative word is heard. Big thanks go out to the moderators and all the participants.

My first part time staffer is currently down with a summer cold, but she continues to work online. She's brought a few good ideas to the developing business side of Spinward Fringe, and is currently assisting with proofing on Spinward Fringe: Expendable Few. She'll also be working on the rest of the books with me as we get closer to presenting final edits. The focus is on new work right now, so the earlier books will get more attention when the next two are out. All in all, she's a big help, even with a head cold.

3D and CGI work for Spinward Fringe demonstration and cover graphics have ground to a halt because I haven't had time to finish so much as a serviceable sketch in months. There are two neglected CGI artists who are willing to create 3D models as soon as I send out a completed sketch, so it's something I'd like to get to. The off the shelf 3D models of characters are a little too anime or supermodel style for most of the Spinward Fringe characters, but I've found a couple ways to use them. Now it's just a matter of putting the hours in, which will happen sometime in the next couple of months. I'm just glad I don't have to have most of it designed from scratch, which would turn a $20.00 endeavour into a $20,000.00 project - minimum.

The Web/TV Series project is taking its first firm step. An account has been opened to collect funds for early development. The money will come from the Spinward Fringe store, and probably won't be spent for months or years. Unless a production company is interested in a partnership with me, it'll take years to get this going properly. The general sentiment I'm hearing about the series tells me that poeple would rather see a viable, long run show done properly than a short-run, cheap looking show that's bound for cancellation. I couldn't agree more. So, the journey begins, and people seem excited about the store.

The store is being simplified. The first thing we're releasing are buttons. Every month four new buttons will become available, and you have a say in which will come out first. So far the Facebook page has been the hub for ideas, and I'm amazed at how many people have stepped forward to offer their thoughts. A set of 4 buttons will cost $5.00 plus $2.00 shipping in the US and Canada. Shipping to the UK will cost $3.00.

T-Shirts and other apparel will be available by the end of the month through a third party. My adventures in finding a local provider for T-Shirts (among other things), over the last few months have demonstrated that I'd need a lot more space and money to do everything I'd like using local businesses. For a slightly higher cost per item but the same or less in shipping, a third party can provide the same or better quality and a much broader selection. I've decided that's the way to go.

Other items, like the scarf, embroidered patches and signed books, will still be handled in-house, and I'm working to get that set up by the end of the month as well. Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins will be the first book available. All proceeds from the store will go towards the development of the Spinward Fringe TV series. I'll also be keeping prices low.

Now to the updates that people are really waiting for.

Spinward Fringe: Expendable Few is back on track after running into a couple of problems. A partial re-write of a few chapters slowed things down for the last week and a half. The book is well over half finished, and I hope to have the last batch of chapters out to test readers by June 7. So far, test readers seem to like what they see, but I haven't heard back from several on the last batch of chapters. I'm sure I'll hear something shortly. I'm enjoying the process of writing an entirely new work in the Spinward Fringe universe and hope to deliver a very new experience that explores another side of things.

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework is approximately 70% finished, and will be my focus once the aforementioned novella is complete. The Expendable Few is helping me develop Broadcast 7, and allowing me to expand the scope of the series without cluttering Framework, which is already a complex novel. Writing an ending to this series, even with the knowledge that there will be a Broadcast 8, is a difficult proposition, there are a lot of expectations for this book. I'm also pushing myself as a writer to take the characters and story to a new place while finishing plot lines that have been in motion for seven books.

The Dark Arts Novel is barely a side-project at this point, but a second draft of the first chapter has been completed. The writer's group I sit down with every Wednesday has taken a look at it, and the news is good. They had some important advice, and really enjoyed what they read, so the third draft of chapter one will be the real deal. My fears of having to write a brand new opening for the book are gone.

That third draft will wait until Expendable Few and Broadcast 7 are finished, but it's good to know that I have somewhere to start when I'm ready to take on my palette cleansing project. After writing over one point two million words of science fiction, Dark Arts is the perfect project to clear my head, work on a few other ideas, and experiment with before I begin Broadcast 8 and Broadcast 9.

Now for a personal update. I can't wait to get the Expendable Few, Broadcast 7 and the Dark Arts novel in front of people. There are other things going on behind the scenes that I can't talk about yet, and I'm anxious to break the silence. In even more general terms, I'm happy with the work I'm doing, even if working to a higher standard than usual has been slowing me down a great deal over the last year. It's been paying off, and I hope everyone sees a big difference when the next books are released.

I'm thankful to all the readers. Your patience should be legendary, and I hope you'll enjoy the books when they're finally ready for you.

RL

The Spinward Fringe Store - Dates & Lineup

2011-05-26T11:25:00.003-04:00

The store has taken over half a year to plan. T-Shirt tests have gone awry, and a couple vendors have proven to be downright dodgy.

Meanwhile, contest winners who should have had swag in hand by the end of January have been left to wait... and wait...

After all that I can say with full confidence that the store will be open at the end of June. Prizes will be on their way to the winners in the 4th week. The vendors are set, and the initial products have been decided.

How will the store work? There will be a simple page where anyone can order through Paypal, and inventory will be kept in-house.

I've owned a retail business before and managed another. The biggest difference between what I'm doing here and those experiences is how the store is built. You have spoken, told me what you want, which ideas are terrible, and which you're eager to see become reality.

This is what will be available at the end of June:

Signed copies of Spinward Fringe: Origins.
Samson Crew T-Shirts.
Triton Crew T-Shirts.
Spinward Fringe Booster T-Shirts.
4 Buttons will be released every month for the first 3 months.* (One free with every order)
Military style patches.

Other ideas in development include:
Signed Copies of final edits of each book.
The white scarf.
Fitted T's.
Desk model of the First Light and Triton (this could take a while).
Spinward Fringe: The Spoiler Files DVD / BLU-RAY
The Spinward Fringe Encyclopedia & Role Playing Setting
Bomber Jackets
Spill Proof Mugs
Posters

Everything listed above was requested many times with the exception of the Spoiler Files, which are a collection of ideas that were brought up at one time or another. The prices will also be lower than vendors like Zazzle.

The primary purpose of the store is to provide for the requests of the majority of readers. The secondary purpose of the store is to raise funds for developing the Spinward Fringe Web / TV series, which could take years, but at least this is a start. The tertiary purpose is to develop a prop house.

Now that a lot of the kinks have been worked out, and there's a proper plan, things should actually begin to be fun where the store is concerned. I'm anxious to get things out to prize winners, especially since I hate breaking promises.

If you have any requests for the store, please feel free to share them!

RL

*The buttons will have Minh-Isms, other quotes from the books and TV show campaign messages.

UPDATE - JUNE 2: After reviewing the new legal information about Cafe Press they've become an option again. This comes at the last minute, days before I put in a huge order in with a local T-Shirt printer that would offer standard quality and low selection. After reviewing the options, things have changed for the store, and for the better. The launch will happen on time if not earlier. More on this soon!

The Expendable Few Briefly Explained

2011-05-22T09:26:00.002-04:00

The reason why I started writing Expendable Few was because I wanted to write (in short form), what's been going on with Freeground since our heroes left.

After about 2,000 words of transcribing the timeline that's been in my head for a couple years, I decided that it made sense to write a novella instead of a document that no one would ever see as a whole. There are plans for an encyclopaedia to be released that should also serve as a tabletop role playing game setting book, but much of the timeline for Freeground wouldn't be useful to that kind of text.

Clark Patterson, Mary Reed and the others were born. The Expendable Few novella also serves as connective tissue between the Origins trilogy and the last book in this part of the series - Broadcast 7: Framework. It has become a challenge that, I believe, will affect all my future work, regardless of genre.

It is in first person perspective, and told in the present tense. Imagine you're reviewing a document put together by Freeground Intelligence that is made to explain certain events using forensic analysis, personal logs, and other data. The person central to this is Freeground Fleet Commander Clark Patterson, who happens to have a near obsession with the First Light crew. The book begins months after the last of the command team from that ship have gone, and a political body called the Puritan Party have taken control of Freeground. They see the adventures of the First Light as a warning, and are doing everything in their power to isolate and control the people of Freeground Nation. Clark Patterson finds himself thrust into the absolute centre of this political struggle while retracing the footsteps of the First Light Crew under the instruction of Fleet Intelligence. The Expendable Few fits before and during Broadcast 7 on the timeline.

The feedback from Test Readers has been good so far, and they've already made important suggestions for improvement that have been implemented. Expendable Few has been a great guinea pig.

In the end, the Expendable Few will be a stand alone Spinward Fringe novella that one doesn't have to read to understand Broadcast 7. Judging from the feedback, I don't think anyone who is already reading the series will want to miss it, however. Especially since it'll be available for free on Smashwords and for 99 cents on Amazon.com.

[Thanks to Dorian for asking a question on the Facebook Page that became a blog post.]

The Minion

2011-05-18T12:04:00.004-04:00

This is Sylvie. Sylvie is Randy's minion. She is also in his writing group. She has known Randy for a few years now, and had never read science-fiction until gave her a copy of the Omnibus. She has been a sci-fi junkie since, working her way through the whole Spinward Fringe series, all of Stargate SG-1 (that's right, all 10 seasons), all of Farscape, the original Star Wars trilogy (finally), Firefly/Serenity, all the new seasons of Doctor Who, all of Torchwood, and a few others. She is still getting caught up, much thanks to Randy.

She is a university student (some might say a professional student - she has been there for a really long time), currently working on her Master's Degree in Human Development. When she is not agonizing over writing her thesis, she is getting as much creative writing done as she can, in all kinds of genres. She is also, technically, writing about herself in the third person, as she is the voice of Lewis online (see, Randy wasn't lying when he said it wasn't him...).

Lately, she's been helping Randy with proofreading and troubleshooting on the novella, and annoying him until he gives her new pages. She's also keeping an eye on the online stuff, so that Randy does not have to worry about those things and can concentrate on writing and editing. If you are so inclined, you can follow her on Twitter, at the following link: https://twitter.com/#!/ever_light

If you have any questions/comments for her, feel free to send her an email at spinwardfringe@gmail.com (Randy can also be reached at this address).

Expendable Few: a Spinward Fringe Novella

2011-05-12T13:31:00.000-04:00

I have "borrowed" the first two chapters of the novella from Randy's network, and am sharing it with all of you. I have put it up on the Goodreads forum, which can be found at the following link:

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/41338.Spinward_Fringe_The_Official_Group

In case you are reticent to go, here is a teaser (if you want the rest, you will have to go to the forums).

FREEGROUND INTELLIGENCE PERSONNEL ONLY
This is a dramatized record of events surrounding Clark Patterson based on recordings made by his Command and Control Unit’s auto-logger, security records, neural captures, military files and action reports. For educational purposes only.
FREEGROUND INTELLIGENCE PERSONNEL ONLY

Chapter 1

Oldest Of Friends

“You’ve got to get rid of this contraband before they do a random inspection,” Mary tells me as she looks through three data chips that she knows are as dirty as they come. The small, light gold bits fit in the palm of her hand - easily hidden from anyone but a Freeground scanning crew.
I ship out in sixteen days. That’s why she’s worried; they always scan commanders’ quarters before you ship out. “Can’t believe that’s contraband now,” I tell her. “Especially at my pay grade.”
“Let’s see if I remember,” she says, holding the first of the chips up between us. She’s sitting cross legged on the floor, I’m stretched out on the sofa. “This one is your collection of Valance’s security footage.”

Lewis has taken over the "blog" mwahahahaha

2011-05-09T09:49:00.005-04:00

My daily perusal of this "internet" technology has brought to my attention the fact that Randy has not updated his weblog or "blog" (honestly, you humans and your tendency to shorten words...) in eleven days, four hours, twenty seven minutes and forty three seconds. As a reader of his "blog" you might be interested to know that there is a valid reason for this. His minion, or "personal assistant" as he calls her, has been cracking the whip, "encouraging" him to write more words every day. He is quite preoccupied with writing and editing, and as such, you have not heard from him in eleven days, four hours, twenty seven minutes and forty six seconds. On the bright side, his network informs me that he has produced many, many words in that time.

For those of you who might be interested, here is a short distraction from your mundane, human lives. It comes from the goodreads forum, which can be found at the following link:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/470069-character-discussion-favourites-requests-outrages-spoilers-allowed

Randy suggested a new version of "rock, paper, scissors," which I understand is a game you play with your hands. Not having appendages, I will take his word for it.

Vacsuit beats Headshot.

Headshot beats Stasis.
Stasis beats Vacsuit.

Hand symbols: Upright V with 2 fingers for Vacsuit. Gun gesture for Headshot, Flat hand (just like paper), for stasis indicating 'flat line'.

The Future Of Spinward Fringe Part I

2011-04-29T21:21:00.001-04:00

There are some stories, some characters that writers spend time with and they find their lives changed. It's true to some extent that every character is a side of the writer who pens them, but it's also true that we borrow traits from people around us.

The characters of the Spinward Fringe series are a combination of both - ideas and borrowed traits. After a conversation with a writer who is much better than I who said simply, "I hope you never try to outrun Spinward Fringe. It'll be with you forever."

I ended up thinking about that all day. I went to that author with advice, and, like many great thinkers, he not only answered my questions but left me with a bone to gnaw on (thought-wise). After a full day of working on the Expendable Few, setting up a schedule for updating Broadcasts 1-6, and doing research reading, I'm comfortable with the notion that I'll never outrun Spinward Fringe. I love the characters, and I think they've grown from those patched together figures in my head into personalities that I carry around constantly.

At the same time, it's not like it's a huge entity or something I consider a burden. Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments has only sold about 10,000 copies in the US and Canada. While I find that a staggering number, I'm still no more than a pebble on the vast beach that is science fiction. I love where I am right now. Many readers have become long range acquaintances and friends. I make a decent living, and I know that when I release the next two or three books there will be people interested in reading them. As a reader recently told me; "I'm living the dream."

It's a lot of work, don't get me wrong, but I'm doing what I want to be doing - no complaints, only thanks. That leads me back to my point. I don't want to outrun Spinward Fringe, I'm glad it's here, and writing Broadcast 7 is hard because I don't want to end this part of the series. I'm writing Broadcast 7 as if there will never be another Spinward Fringe book. That's difficult.

I know I'll begin new challenges in Broadcast 8, so it's not at all impossible. Endings are important in fiction - they give us an opportunity for closure that real life doesn't always provide. At the same time, I can't wait to write Broadcast 8. Why, then, am I taking a break to write a horror novel?* Dark Arts is a concept I've been developing for a while, and I need to clear my head before seriously starting a new book in the Spinward Fringe series. I have a few things written for Broadcast 8 already, but the smart thing to do is to put it down for a little while so I can get back to it fresh, eager to return to that universe.

So, what can I promise for the future of Spinward Fringe? More Polish! Two more books in the next couple months (if my editors and beta-readers sign off on them)! More books after that! I'm also doing work in the background so side projects like the store go more smoothly. Balancing what I have on my plate right now has become challenging, so I'm doing something about that. More about that coming this week.

Looking to the very near future, the first chapters of Spinward Fringe: Expendable Few, go to test readers Monday. Things are moving right along.

As for reader mail and other correspondences, I'll eventually answer everyone, just give me time.

In short, the future of Spinward Fringe looks pretty good. I'd much rather ride along than try to outrun it.

RL

*More info on that other book here.

The Horror Adventure Novel

2011-04-24T13:32:00.003-04:00

Before I dig in to my Easter blog post, I'll give everyone the update on the Spinward Fringe books. Both of the books I"m working on right now - Spinward Fringe: Expendable Few (the novella), and Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework - are finally going smashingly well. I wrote a ton of material for Broadcast 7, including two previous drafts. A lot of it was tossed out so I could deliver a denser, tighter book plot wise. I'm near the end.

The novella, Expendable Few, is almost finished. It's really helping me develop the ending of Broadcast 7 while delivering a type of story that is vastly different from the existing Spinward Fringe series. Test readers will see chapters by the end of the month.

Now, on to the topic I planned to bring up here. The Horror Adventure Novel. That's what the Dark Arts novel will be. I've written three and a half Spinward Fringe books in a row, without a break, so Dark Arts will be a very good palette cleanser between Broadcast 7 and Broadcast 8. The reasons why the Dark Arts novel is being written are few:

1) Horror Adventure novels seem sort of rare. I remember the choose your own adventure books from my youth, and there's H.P. Lovecraft. I'm sure there are others, but in a market awash with Young Adult, soft horror, I don't see much. Oh, and before someone asks: no, Dark Arts will not be a 'Choose Your Own Adventure'

2) I love the idea behind Dark Arts, and there are some compelling characters living in my head that don't want to exist in any other world.

3) The Dark Arts experimental short has its own dedicated fans. I have received emails form people who actually accused me of having the finished novelized version, or extra chapters. They made it perfectly clear that I MUST release them, or something might happen to my house pets, I might even get something nasty in the mail. Thankfully, I don't have any house pets at the moment. Sadly, I don't have a completed novel or finished extra chapters to release to the public either.

4) Even though the experiment was completely unedited, the major complaint about the short was that it was.... too short. That tells me that there was some content in there that was worthwhile to someone other than myself.

So, it's time to approach this book seriously, and write a one shot horror adventure novel. By the time I'm done, I'll be able to approach Broadcast 8 with a clear head.

I know I'll enjoy writing the Dark Arts novel. Writing the experimental short was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to finishing Broadcast 7, then taking a break in a different world.

RL

[If you want to see the Dark Arts experiment page, click this link.]

[You can also grab the newly formatted ePub version here. Right click & choose save.]

The Kindle Version is coming, just waiting for word back from Scrivener support.

Predicting the Future, Social Media Megalomania, and Being Nosy

2011-04-22T18:08:00.004-04:00

Recently a reader asked me why I included Crewcast in the latest books. He didn't like the fact that there was any kind of social media reference in Spinward Fringe. it's not traditional, I'll admit, but I think it's essential. As I was writing my response, I realized it would make a better blog post, so here it is.

First, let's take a quick look at Crew Cast. It's a fictional information management system that is used by Spinward Fringe characters to find each other, see what people are doing professionally and personally, organize medical information, schedule gatherings, duty shifts, communicate, and much more. I'm sure you get the gist. It's the everything of social media, supervision software, and entertainment.

I included Crew Cast because it didn't make sense that they wouldn't have that sort of thing all figured out in the distant future. it also made more sense than the original concept in the First Light Trilogy - that our personal and professional lives would be managed by an artificial intelligence. That would be like having the voice of your mother, or little sister with you 24/7, telling you where to be and when. I love my mother, don't get me wrong, but she doesn't have to tell me when to brush my teeth or when to see my doctor anymore. An artificial intelligence nagging you on a fairly constant basis would drive me to drink. A lot.

While thinking about how we would be connected to each other in the future, I was obviously led to ponder how we're connected now. I very quickly came to a few realizations.

I'm convinced that the reason why I don't have a flying car, a Swiss Army knife with a fold out lightsaber, or the option to buy a condo on the moon is at least partially due to the fact that we're too busy looking at each other. I'm not talking about hanging out with your friends or loved ones in person. I'm talking about those disappearing minutes and hours when we open our email, check Facebook, LinkedIn, or are busy Tweeting, , or tweaking the knobs on our HAM radios. Okay, maybe not checking our LinkedIn accounts, no one really does that, do they?

The moment I start looking at social media my productivity begins swirling down the drain. I've seen it happen in to so many people now that I believe writers, hell, content creators and developers of all kinds, shouldn't turn their routers on until 4pm. These days, I try to avoid my browser completely until I have two thousand words down.

Since my brain is at least one quarter megalomaniacal villain, I immediately realized that it was all about the illusion of control. I love socializing on Facebook sometimes, even Twitter can be fun. I have some readers who message me sparingly these days because they're afraid that they'll slow my productivity and further delay the release of my next book. I hate to admit it, but they're at least a little right, but they're not part of the problem. Not even a little.

The problem is simple, sort of. I think I'm subconsciously trying to be as close to omniscient as possible. I don't think I'm the only one, either. I want to know what's going on with my fellow Tweeters, what's scrolling on Facebook walls, and who most recently stepped in to say hello on the Goodreads Forum. It doesn't stop there, but those are the biggies. Like a nosey suburbanite, I'm peeking over your fences, looking in your yards because I just can't help myself.

Ever since I had the notion that social media was a blue and white productivity vampire, writing and creativity have been going a little better. Day by day I'm creeping up on the average word count I had going three years ago, when I was putting a book out every four months.

So, back to the question that started all this. Why is Crewcast in the series? The answer can be summed up very simply. I predict social media will be with us for as long as we can produce the devices that facilitate its function. That's hundreds, maybe thousands of years into the future - I hope. I'm not going to say that social media is completely bad, either. Like most fixtures of the digital age, we are still learning about it. So far I think it's becoming obvious that there's a time and a place for its use.

As a side note, if James R Berry knew we'd have social media when he was writing about life 40 years in his future, I think he would have taken things down a notch. He got some of it right though, we love our gadgets.

RL

Monkey photo credited to: Leo-Avalon

A Return to Freeground In The Expendable Few Novella

2011-04-15T22:44:00.001-04:00

The story in Broadcast 7 outgrowing the confines of one book has become a calling to tell a story that was left out of the Spinward Fringe series. Normally, when I cut a story out of a book it's because the book is already dense enough, or that story wasn't good enough to run as a sub-plot.

When I cut this recent story out of Broadcast 7: Framework, I did so knowing that I would still have to tell it. I still had to develop that plot line. More importantly, I had to tell it before the current Spinward Fringe series came to an end.

That plot line has become the upcoming free novella called The Expendable Few. If there was to be a fourth book in the old First Light Chronicles Series, this would be it. For all the readers wondering whatever happened to Freeground, here are your answers. As a further nod to the three novellas that started it all, Freeground, Limbo and Starfree Port, the new novella - Expendable Few - will be free.

There is a testing group already mostly in place, the novella is half finished, and if I've done everything well enough, someone could read this book without reading the rest of the Spinward Fringe series. It's far more interesting if you read it as part of the series, particularly as Broadcast 6.5, however. I'm offering it for free, AND it will be included with Broadcast 7 when it is released.

Here's a brief synopsis for The Expendable Few:

Freeground has changed since the return of the First Light. Instead of re-integrating with the rest of humanity, the Freeground Nation has become more xenophobic and Isolated. The Puritan Party has assumed control. Censorship, social engineering, and xenophobia are even more common, and thousands of citizens who have the means and opportunity to leave are doing so. The dream of living in a secure and free culture hasn't died entirely, however.

A few Freeground Citizens opposed to the Puritan Party put plans into motion that will either bring liberty back to the Freeground Nation or send the entire culture into a downward spiral. This tale is told from the perspective of a politically contrary Fleet Commander, Clark Patterson, who is obsessed with the adventures, intrigues and antics of the First Light crew. He knows everything one can about their short service aboard, and has every piece of contraband footage of them after they departed. He's even investigated the terrorist, Jacob Valance, whose very name is a curse according to the Puritan Party. His life, his world and those he holds most dear are shaken when he has a direct run in with a West Keeper - a spy working for a galactic cult called the Order of Eden that is bent on controlling industry and the natural wonders with their reach and beyond.

--- Synopsis Ends ---

The real thrill for me in writing the first half of the novella was writing Freeground as it was originally conceived. I honestly didn't have the patience to demonstrate the xenophobia and censorship that surrounded the Freeground culture before. I was too excited about telling the Jonas story, and I don't regret it. I don't regret it because in The Expendable Few the problems of censorship, control and xenophobia drive the story in the first half of this novella. A return to first person perspective after a million words or more of writing is also very interesting to me.

How far away is the release of The Expendable Few? We're talking weeks if the test group enjoys it. Only two members of the test group have read the Spinward Fringe series, the rest are new to it, so it's getting a trail by fire.

Work on Broadcast 7 continues, and that book will only be delayed for a couple of weeks because of The Expendable Few. I believe this is a necessary book to developing the final act in Broadcast 7, however. I'd much rather write the Expendable Few in its entirety rather than write it up as twenty pages of developmental notes and shut them away after Broadcast 7 is finished.

I hope you agree.

RL

[If you have no idea what I'm talking about in this post, then you should go download a copy of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins. It's free, and the download links are on the right hand side of this page.]

Spinward Fringe Update: Broadcast 7 + 1

2011-04-02T13:35:00.001-04:00

The news is good. Work continues on Broadcast 7 - I'm into act 3 and enjoying it. Something came up along the way, however.

If I were under contract to write these books I'd be working closely with an editor to make big changes to the manuscript to accommodate a broader part of the story or to cut a huge part of the book out in a quest for simplification. Thankfully, I'm not under contract.

I found a story in this book that is too large to add to Broadcast 7, and it doesn't line up with the timeline well. There was an opportunity to make huge changes to accommodate it, but it could be so much more than just a few flashbacks, or a sudden plot line that seems jarring because of its manner of appearance.

So, I'm working even harder, finishing Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework and working on this new novella as well. Here are the details I can share so far:

The novella takes place during Broadcast 6 and Broadcast 7. It is about the recapture of the Sunspire (formerly known as the First Light), and other events closely tied to that action. There's a focus on Freeground and what the regular characters in the Spinward Fringe series left behind. A new group of characters are introduced but you will find a familiar face or two. I consider this book an opportunity I decided NOT to waste - it is a bit of important connective tissue that draws many parts of the series together while telling a story of its own with new characters.

Here's the best part - I'm half way finished the novella already. It'll be available for free here. It'll also be included with Broadcast 7 when it's released. [Edit / Correction: Since this post was written the novella has grown into a full blown novel, and will only be available seperately.]

This is going to be a good summer / fall for Spinward Fringe, and I'm enjoying the work more than ever.

RL

Publishing House Picks Up Fate Cycle Series

2011-04-01T12:16:00.001-04:00

It's as if Amanda Hocking paved a great big in-road for indie authors when she signed her book deal in March. This morning I was woken up by an editor who had read my Fate Cycle series (currently out of print), and was wondering if they could buy the rights.

I thought it was a joke, since I've all but abandoned that series, but he kept asking about the manuscript for the final book in the series and, looking at the leather case containing the rough draft, I said; "yes, but I wrote it six years ago. It'll take some work."

He didn't care.

He asked if I would be willing to work with someone to polish it up and I told him the editor could cut it into ribbons and make a fancy hat with it after they owned the rights. I really didn't care.

So, it looks like the rest of the year will be devoted to necessitating this old fantasy yarn so it can be on your shelves by next Christmas. I'll spill details about advances and such when I've signed on the dotted line.

RL

[The artwork above is from the ever-talented Marcus Froment]

*** For everyone who has difficulty reading the comments section because of the device you're using: This was an April Fool's joke. I didn't actually think I'd get anyone with it, buuuuut as it turns out there are at least a few dozen readers who think this is true! Rest assured, I'm not being seduced by an over-zealous publisher and work continues on Broadcast 7.***

Do I Have Suggestions For Young Teen Readers?

2011-03-14T11:48:00.001-04:00

Recently I received an email congratulating me on writing a good book that could be read by adults and young teens. They were referring to Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins, and it wasn't the first such email. While I didn't write Origins as a YA novel, I'm happy that parents feel comfortable sharing that book with their kids. I never really had discussions with my parents about books when I was young, even though I had phases where I'd go through paperbacks like a young pup goes through chew toys.

What made this email different from the others about sharing Origins was the parent asking me if I had suggestions for other books that she might share. I immediately looked through my bookshelves and picked five that weren't intentionally written for the YA audience but I thought would be great picks. Here's the list:

Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams

Shatter - Elizabeth C Mock

The Chrysalids - John Wyndham

Hero Wanted - Dan McGirt (Almost finished reading this one, and it belongs here)

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

I was also invited to post about this on the Kindleboards, since she frequented the forums, so I did. No need to go looking for my post, which turned into an article, I'll just repost it below:

I normally read a young adult book every month or so, mixed in with the fiction and non-fiction I go through regularly. I started reading YA regularly when several readers contacted me to tell me how happy they were about being able to hand my work down to their young teens. I hadn't even realized that my work fit in that age group, to be honest, so I was curious.

Since then I've found that things have changed since I was a young lad. When I was ten or eleven, I started turning to family for recommendations of what I should be reading and over the next couple of years I found everything from Stephen King to Frank Herbert to J.D. Salinger or even Kurt Vonnegut in my growing hands.

Now, if a young reader asked me what they should be reading I'd have a whole stack of books to place in their hands that would feature characters like Harry Potter instead of Holden Caulfield. Young adult fiction has provided pleasant surprises as well as thorough disappointment. In adventure books like Halo: The Fall Of Reach, I've found a novel that could stand on its own outside of the franchise - not a massively impressive scifi yarn to be sure - but a good, simple adventure book that doesn't underestimate the reader's intelligence. On the other hand, books like Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice are condescending, flat, obvious and unpolished. For such a large, well funded franchise, those books should be more polished, and present more complex, if not challenging content.

There are many non-franchise YA books out there, but in my small-ish city of Sudbury, the franchise books are stacked tallest and widest on the shelves. I also find that most books written for the YA audience take place in high school, which is great for teens who need to find characters who are very easy to relate to, but I can't help but think that it's not very challenging.

Almost ten years ago, my young cousin (who is now six foot four), asked me if I knew of any good books. I think he was fourteen. What did I put into his hands? From my own shelf I gave him my tattered copies of Lord of the Flies, the Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy and Druss The Legend. None of these are considered YA, but he loved them all (especially Hitchhiker's Guide), and everyone agreed with my choices.

What would I put in young hands if someone asked if I had anything good to read now? I have to be honest - I like challenging young minds, so I'd probably still hand them (this list comes from me glancing at my bookshelf right now), the Lord of the Flies, The Chrysalids and a copy of one of my own books, of course. They'll eventually find Harry Potter on their own, and as for high school dramas, well, they'll find plenty of those too.

So, I'm wondering: what would you recommend to parents who want to share a reading experience with their kids or teens?

Framework Update - Because So Many People Are Asking

2011-03-04T19:35:00.001-05:00

Five emails, a Facebook message, three private Twitter messages, several replies scattered across blog posts and now the pizza guy. That's how many (and how) people asked me when Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework will be finished since yesterday evening. At least the pizza guy didn't ask me to sign my receipt then run off with it this time. That was a good laugh.

Don't get me wrong, it's great that interest in the series has gone up, and I'm glad people want to know how this story ends (until it starts again in Broadcast 8). I just thought I'd answer the burning question in one place so I could refer everyone to this post.

Here's how long I expect things to take and why:

I'm hoping to finish writing my last draft of Broadcast 7: Framework by the end of March.

After a week or three of looking it over and making sure everything is as I'd like. I'll be collaborating with a second and third pair of eyes who will make sure I'm saying what I mean and really mean what I say. Also, they'll smack me upside the head if I've done something completely unrealistic or stupid. Tweaks will be made, the telling of the tale will be tightened.

When that's finished I'll be sending it off to a company that takes care of line editing for indie authors as well as larger publishing houses. I've seen their work and trust the author who recommended them. I also read what they did to his manuscript - top work. It'll take about a month to get the work back from them, and another week or two for me and a couple other people to look over the final manuscript. Why add another six or more weeks to the wait? Editing has been the achilles heel of the series because I haven't been able to afford professional line editors until recently. Also, I've been impatient and rushed in the past. I'm told I have to stop that.

The final manuscript will go to a formatting house, where they'll make magically perfect versions of the book ready for Kindle, and all the EPub readers on the planet. That'll take one to two weeks.

So, that's how long it'll take and why - if everything goes as predicted. There's always a chance that the book will be longer than expected and I'll need a couple extra weeks, or a group of ninja assassins will seek out and kill everyone I'm planning to work with. The good news is that I haven't been working on any other writing project, I've barely been thinking about anything else, to be honest. The dishes and laundry are piling up!

I love writing this series, and in all honesty I'd write this book if there was no one waiting for it. I am doing my last draft very differently as well. It is taking longer, but the results are much more to my liking. I've learned my lesson from rushing previous Broadcasts and will continue to pay the price (literally and figuratively), for the foreseeable future when I take another pass on Broadcasts 0-6 then pay for an editing team to give them a final polish. That comes after Broadcast 7 is on the digital shelves.

I thank you for your patience, am really happy you've enjoyed the ride so far, and hope you stick around.

Addendum: I'm reminded by another author (who has a lot more experience than I), that most books aren't released for between 6-18 months after they've been written. To be honest, that makes me feel much better about the time frame I'm working on. Thanks Kim!

RL

[Anyone have any paper plates?]

Looking The Elephant In The Eye

2011-02-22T15:33:00.004-05:00

When Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins became free at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, a lot more readers joined our crew. Since then I've been inundated with private messages, emails, reviews, Facebook messages and more. The attention the series is getting is great, and I'll get back to everyone, it'll just take longer than usual.

Several of the emails I receive regard formatting and editing issues. Aside from a recent problem I didn't know about when a couple of books were migrated from Mobipocket to Amazon and the Kindle version got mulched, I was already aware of the issues.

With the extra attention the series is getting, comes a bigger royalty cheque I'll have access to in about three months. With a new budget on its way I set out to find a firm that would format my eBooks professionally with an editing team that does work for big and small publishers. This morning I made a deal with a firm that can deliver everything I need on the budget I'll have.

The first book they'll be working on is Broadcast 7: Framework when it's finished sometime in March. By September the entire Spinward Fringe series will be in their hands and new versions will start appearing between then and October.

Aside from the removal of one scene, the entire series will remain the same with respect to plot, technology and characterization. There have been a few reviews and correspondences that criticize technologies in the books, and I will only respond by saying that every single technology has been researched, and aside from a correction made last year, I stand by the technical details in the books. Engineers, soldiers and mathematicians alike have all enjoyed the series, and I've even had a little help from time to time when I had questions from these fantastic professionals. When in doubt, I find someone smarter than myself and crack a book. On a final note regarding that issue, I've never presented Spinward Fringe as hard science fiction. My research is done with the purpose of presenting a strong setting.

As for anyone who doubts characterization in the books, well, aside from one scene that will be removed in the final edit of the series, I stand behind that too. I can honestly say I've created these characters from people I've known, situations I've experienced, and decisions that have been made historically during times of adversity. The most amusing criticism I've seen about characterization was about a pair of characters that were irritating and potentially harmful. The reviewer found them so obnoxious that they seemed to take it personally. FANTASTIC! Leland March and his partner in crime were supposed to be annoying, difficult to remove and clearly selfish. I've met those personalities under different names in my life several times. Those are the most realistic characters in the entire series, and I know at least one reader who can't wait to find out what happens to Leland March next. That's right, Leland has his very own fan simply because he's annoying, selfish, and thinks he's the hero of the tale.

The books are selling better than ever, and I'm absolutely astounded. In return I'm using a great deal of that money (thousands of dollars), to hire professionals who polish books for New York Publishing houses for a living. Every New York publisher does it with every book they put on the shelves, and I love the series so much that I can't resist submitting it to the same treatment. It's the least I could do to honour the series, you the reader, and to show my gratitude.

Everyone who already owns a digital copy of the books will be able to update to the new editions for free once they become available. As for the print versions, I'll be pulling them off the shelves. When they reappear the price will be set so I'll only be making about $1.00 each. Why? Print is expensive, too expensive. If you're getting an unsigned copy, it shouldn't be at an inflated price.

I'm very grateful to everyone who has read the series, and there are other things in the works for Spinward Fringe. With very few exceptions I'm blessed with an outrageously cool group of readers.

Thank you,

RL

[Now, back to work on Broadcast 7!]

A Candid Interview Of Yours Truly At Author Culture!

2011-02-21T12:31:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since anyone has asked me questions about what I do in a public space. I receive plenty of emails from people with pointed questions about Spinward Fringe, self publishing, and other topics involving what I do every day.

The great thing about the interview that was just published at Author Culture is that a lot of the same questions are answered publicly now, and with more specific detail. This interview asks questions about my routine, the reality of offering the first book free with regards to how well that spreads the word about my work, book trailers and more. I enjoyed answering so much that I offered a few details I've always been tight lipped about.

You can check the interview out here: Author Culture - Exploring The Wonder Of The Genre With Randolph Lalonde

Thanks to everyone at Author Culture for having an interest, especially Johne The Sky Pirate!

[I accept most interview requests, especially those that focus on the content of the Spinward Fringe series.]

Broadcast 7: Framework - The Half Way Mark

2011-02-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

That title is discouraging to some of you, I realize. Let me explain a little.

The first draft took several months, and it got scrapped because it wasn't what I needed it to be. There were a great number of good ideas, and several things were resolved, but it had little density. Besides, first drafts aren't for releasing, they're for finishing and discarding. Why? It's where you make all your terrible plot mistakes, that's why.

I started writing draft 2 and realized that I was writing from the middle of the book, that not enough time had passed for the characters and there was a lot of good stuff left on the floor. I stopped everything, picked up the pieces and started the current draft.

So far, this draft is going to be released. My editor is thrilled, there's incredible density, meaning that every chapter is significant, and the dialog is singing. Things are clicking, and I'm writing as much as I can every day. I've been working on this draft since December and I'm about half way through it. I honestly believe I haven't written better, ever. That's over two million words of writing in my life that don't measure up to what I'm doing right now.

I'm excited.

While I'm working on this, the Spinward Fringe universe is opening to thousands of new readers thanks to Amazon listing Origins for free in the US and the UK. About a thousand copies are being downloaded per day. The launch of the printed version of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins as well as the opening of the Spacerwares store are impending. There are about eight people patiently waiting for their prizes to land, and it's looking like things will be roughly on time. You'll be getting the first T-Shirts, hot off the presses.

During the next month there will be more news about the store, and some real information about the as-yet-unnamed miniature production studio. I just secured enough moolah to get the basics and if my older PC sells, then I'll be off to a good start.

I hope this update gives everyone a better picture of how things are going. Thank you so much for hanging in there, I'm doing everything I can to make sure it's worth the wait.

RL

[Getting back to work on Broadcast 7 right now...]

Amazon Sets Broadcast 0: Origins Free!

2011-01-29T12:12:00.003-05:00

After reading my blog post about the trouble I was having persuading Amazon to offer Origins for free, Dan McGirt (author of fine comedy adventure books), was kind to offer help. He pointed out a loophole in the contract located in the pricing section. After following his directions and adding my own little twist, Amazon reduced the price to $0.00.

I have to admit, the solution is simple. I won't go into a great amount of detail. All any author has to do is look at the competitive pricing clause in the contract for the Digital Text Platform and then read any listing for a Kindle book, where they'll find a place to report a lower price. With those hints, anyone who really wants to offer their book for free can do so.

Now, on to the less boring, non-contract involved stuff. In the roughly 36 hours since Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins became free it has been downloaded over 12,700 times. It's also the #2 free book on Amazon.com (US) site wide.

Honestly I'm amazed, and hope that this pure space opera novel (or collected trilogy, if you want to be accurate), has a broader appeal than expected. I don't generally expect non-science fiction fans to enjoy this work much, but I'm happy that I've been wrong about this where some readers are concerned. I have to thank Scheherizade MQ for lighting a fire under me and accelerating this issue towards a resolution.

This book is also available for free at Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, the iBookstore (sorry, you'll have to look for it on your iDevice), Diesel and other big or small outlets.

The other version of this book, The First Light Chronicles Omnibus, will be retired soon, since it's much easier to navigate the Spinward Fringe series if you start with Origins. For anyone who doesn't know, Broadcast 0: Origins and the First Light Chronicles Omnibus have exactly the same contents.

If you are new to Spinward Fringe, thank you and welcome to the crew! I owe thanks to the readers who are already aboard for supporting me to the extent that I can write and produce full time. On that topic, things are going very well with this final draft of Broadcast 7: Framework - I'm about half way through it after only a month's work. The draft and a half that came before took much longer. Thank God this is the last draft.

RL

[Before you ask, no, the other eBooks will never be free, sorry. The prices are more than fair, however.]

He Did It! No, He Did It! A Small Conflict With Amazon.

2011-01-25T12:20:00.001-05:00

Thanks to a heads up from a friendly reader I discovered that Amazon Customer Service has been telling readers that I don't offer any free eBooks on their site because I don't want to.

The question put to Amazon Customer Care was: "How come you're charging .99 for Randolph Lalonde's Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins ebook download when your competitors are giving it for free, and even the author is advertising the first book free?"

To which Amazon.com Customer Care answered: "I understand that you want to know why there is a charge of $0.99 for the Kindle book Randolph Lalonde's Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins.

The price you pay in the Kindle Store is based on a number of factors, including the initial publisher price. In some cases the publisher, not Amazon, sells the Kindle book or other content. In these cases the price is set by the publisher and you will see "This price was set by the publisher" on the product page.

In the case of Origins (Spinward Fringe), the price you pay has been set by the seller. You can see the price set by the seller on the product page here:

Best regards,

NAME WITHHELD
Amazon.com
Your feedback is helping us build Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company."

Let me tell you my side of things. Amazon does not allow me to offer my book for free. Other indie authors can, and do, and I don't know how they manage it, but I can't. Here's what happens when I try to enter a price of $0.00 on their interface:

I'm not posting this to insult Amazon, they've been very good to me and to most of my readers. I just couldn't let Customer Service tell my readers something that's not entirely true without presenting my side. I hope to continue to have a good relationship with Amazon, and that the millions of Kindle users continue to enjoy their services.

[Please don't sue me or pull my books from distribution, Amazon!]

Where'd The Donation Button Go?

2011-01-21T14:00:00.002-05:00

Thank you to the few who donated since 2008, when I started this journey. Every penny counted, and all I had to offer you at the time was my thanks. Those donations often meant the difference between having to choose between the electric and internet bill or paying both.

The time has come for me to retire the donation buttons. I'm glad they're gone, it represents a big step ahead for me.

I honestly hope that I never need to create a donation button on any of my sites or causes again, especially since the store is opening.

Those donations also allowed me to keep my cover prices low while the books weren't selling as well as they are now.

Thank you again, I hope the continued low cover prices, lower / reasonable prices in the upcoming store and impending arrival of Broadcast 7 are thanks enough!

[KNOCK ON WOOD!]

Thumbs Up For Draft 2.5 Of Broadcast 7: Framework

2011-01-17T13:19:00.000-05:00

The first section of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework went off to the editor last week. Last night I got a call at 9pm and all she wanted to know was when she'd be getting the rest of the book. That's a good sign.

I was worried because I've never written a book that resembles what I sent her. It was so different because the first draft and a half didn't work the way I wanted it to, so I flipped parts of the plot around, tossed out a huge section and the ideas that went with it, then added a smaller, more interesting storyline.

The result? Last week I handed my editor a completely experimental draft with two strong perspectives and one shifting perspective that I'm intentionally writing exactly like I would a teleplay. The focus in that third of the book moves from character to character as they come in contact with each other, and I think that's what's going to make everything I want to do in this book possible. If she reported that the style didn't work, then I'd have to find another way. The verdict on my experiment is in, and she said that shifting perspective is the most charming part of the book so far. Thank God.

According to her, the epic elements of the series are back in force, and that's mixed with an emotional story that looks the events of Broadcast 6: Fragments full in the face. So, that leaves me with a challenge. With her so impressed with the first section of chapters I'm pressed to work even harder to make sure it's not all down hill from there!

Oh, and sometime in the next couple of weeks there will be a preview chapter that will be safe for anyone who has read Broadcast 4: Frontline or later. A firm release date is still a ways off, but it draws nearer every day. This draft is flying by.

RL

[Oh yeah, and there's a cover.]

The Production Company - Looking Further Down The Line

2011-01-14T14:00:00.031-05:00

Since things started taking off with Spinward Fringe last year, I've been falling back on my business education and experience to start formulating a long term plan. A large part of what I make still goes to survival and saving so I have something for emergencies, but it won't be long before I will have a little extra to branch out.

It comes down to what a mentor of mine said years ago; "For every minute you spend planning for the worst, make sure you spend one on planning for success." His main point was that, if you plan ahead for when you get ahead, you can turn that momentary advantage into a longer lasting, more significant gain. The mentor I'm speaking about didn't refer to money much, he was far more opportunity oriented, and that made him all the more helpful.

Right now I'm hellbent on getting Broadcast 7 done as fast as I can, then editing it as well as possible and finally handing it over for proof reading. I want it all done before spring, which is coming faster than I'd like. After that, there's a lot more writing to do - which is what I love doing - but that doesn't mean I can't spend a few hours a week building skills, doing legal ground work, and laying the foundations for a small production company. I need an excuse to get out of the house, after all.

This production company would be a ground up operation. One of the starting factors - believe it or not - is the store, which will be up and running in February. Unless I personally run into massive financial difficulty, all the proceeds from the store will go towards the production company. The store will also double as a prop purchaser and storage house. The first gains in the store will go towards legal costs, which are low, but unavoidable.

While that's happening, I have a lot to learn about the fields I'm looking to tap into. The store is easy, I've trained retail people before, owned three businesses (two of which were successful enough to close in the black), and managed a retail computer store / technician centre. The Spinward Fringe store is the easiest part.

When I say the production company will give me a reason to get out of the house I'm not kidding. This summer I plan on engaging in a little guerilla film making and other inexpensive, no-budget hobby work in my spare time so I can pick up a few extra skills and see if I have an eye for that kind of thing. It'll probably be a lot of Ed Wood meets Blair Witch if I'm lucky. I won't have much time to do this stuff, mostly weekends, because I write during the week.

There is a road map for the production company that leads from February 1, 2011 all the way to February 1, 2015. As the stepping stones are laid down, and I can talk about my part time secondary passion more, I'll reveal more about the production company. That includes the name, which hasn't been nailed down just yet.

RL

[The camera in the picture is more of a pipe-dream at this point, but we'll see...]

A Plea To A Pirate

2011-01-08T18:15:00.001-05:00

This morning Google alerted me that there was a new link to my series online. This one was from a person who is about to list a torrent for all my books for free.

Here is my plea to him:

Hello, I'm Randolph Lalonde.

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed my books on your new Nook. My full time job is to entertain, and I take great pleasure in hearing that I've accomplished it.

Having said that, I read your recent forum post about sharing my work without permission and I have something to ask you. Please don't supply torrents for my non-free Spinward Fringe work, including broadcast 1-current.

These books are my livelihood. Nearly every penny my readers spend on those goes to rent, food, power, Internet, phone and other critical bills. The leftover money goes towards developing other projects that take months, sometimes years to complete.

By taking my books and offering them to the world without my consent, you're breaking the law and my heart.

I realize you paid for your copies, but the majority of the people who download them will not. If they enjoy the books, they won't go and buy a copy on a retailer's website afterwards either. That's not how piracy works. They'll spread it - for free - and even more people who enjoy the books will keep spreading them without paying the price of admission themselves.

I understand the mentality of try before you buy, and respect it. That's why I offer extensive previews of all my books, so people know exactly what they're buying and what quality to expect. Smashwords has the best previews. I invite you to send people there, where they will find a free 179,765 word novel that you're already familiar with.

When someone steals one of my books, it makes me feel like my work isn't worth paying for, like my time is worth nothing. It takes a lot of work to write a novel, convert it properly, publicize it, and make sure it works on everyone's devices. I also don't have the support of a publisher, or much money to start with, so I have to do all myself for the most part. It's also unfair to everyone else who is kind enough to support me by paying the small price of admission.

A torrent can ruin someone like me, who doesn't have much in the first place. I would have to quit writing full time if my income suffers at all, I don't have much in the way of savings. I live from quarter to quarter by budgeting carefully. If my focus is drawn elsewhere, like on a job not related to these or other books, I'll be lucky to get one book out a year. Not only that, but you'll be personally responsible for stopping someone from doing what they love for a living. I can't begin to tell you how terrified I am of losing that dream, or how hard I work to make sure it remains a reality.

Please don't take my dream away,

Randolph Lalonde

Spinward Fringe Is Set To Grow In 2011

2011-01-05T19:25:00.001-05:00

Interest in the Spinward Fringe series is growing so fast right now that it got a little harder to concentrate on Broadcast 7 for about a week. It feels like I'm living in dog years sometimes. In the space of a day I often write for several hours, take care of business for an hour or two - for several hours a day recently - and I spend a lot of my time every day looking to the future if I don't have to deal with other mundane stuff. That doesn't include all the time I spend looking after the back catalog of Spinward Fringe books and the extra writing I'm doing on the encyclopedia, interactive concepts and grabbing a few minutes of silence just to clear my head. Often that's when the best ideas strike.

My job is to entertain you. That's how I see it. I don't do it for free, but I come pretty cheap. Lately I've been thinking about how I go about that.

For the most part I think I'm on the right course. I think and write my way through each novel until it's complete, try to improve the story and editing quality with each release, and make sure it's where you can find it at a fair price. Included in that price is an unspoken membership with a group of people who know all about Spinward Fringe, and I'm beside myself with joy at the sight of so many of you turning up on the Goodreads forum. Why? It's simple, I watch that board because it's there as a safety net suspended between book releases. I can keep in touch, read about your thoughts, and answer questions at length - I do tend to go on.

I think the Goodreads board is the best thing I've done since making Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins free. What's my next move? I'm going to continue developing the online store. It's important because there are a few people eager to get their hands on signed copies of the books or other objects, props especially. I'll be the first customer for most of the items you see, the second customers will be the drawing winners.

Despite these exterior things, which are more like a part time job, I'm continuing work on Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework. Why is it taking so long? The persistent need to write this book to my best ability, while pulling the trigger on everything I've been planning since Freeground (the first novella in Broadcast 0), has driven me to do extra research, an extra draft and behave as though this is the last book I'll ever write. Therefore, it has to be the best. Imagine setting up a field of fireworks. In the daylight it looks like you're planting rows of tubes and wires. Once you're finished and the sun goes down all that work pays off when the atmosphere is filled with a spectacular, explosive frenzy of light. That's what I'm going for with this book, and so far I'm pleased with what I have.

So if the peripheral things slow down for a while as I finish Broadcast 7 (the blog, Twitter, the store, etc...), then it's because I'm doubling and tripling the time I spend writing for weeks at a time. Broadcast 7 is rolling like a film in my head at this point, and I'm just trying to keep up.

One thing I forget while I'm working away is that few people see progress. I may have been developing the store for months now, but it's still not ready for launch, so there's nowhere to show what's been done so far. I've been working even harder on Broadcast 7 while taking notes on Broadcast 8 & 9 for about a year and nothing is ready for release. While that's completely normal for a novel, it also doesn't show progress. Two years ago I started work on The Sons Of Brightwill, and aside from a couple pictures popping up of the cover, fewer than half a dozen people have read any part of the book. Experiments in CGI have led to some good formative work and concept proofs in still images, but no one has seen those either since they're not quite there yet.

Other projects in early development include an encyclopedia, a side novel in the Spinward Fringe universe, two horror novels, a comedy, a small production company (budget permitting), and other boring legal stuff I have to take care of, but once that's out of the way, there's even more potential. It's what's hidden behind the scenes that tells me that 2011 will be a big year for Spinward Fringe and other creative pursuits.

Most of these projects are in their final stages or rolling on their own momentum, so you can expect the fruits of many labours. It was inevitable. As long as I keep working, various projects will mature until they're ready to see the light of day. I can't wait.

RL

[Thank you for accepting the Spinward Fringe series into your imaginations and bookshelves - be they digital or physical. Happy 2011!]

The Winners Of The First Holiday Draw (2010)

2011-01-02T13:24:00.002-05:00

Everyone's names were printed out, cut into equal bits and shaken up for about two minutes in an inflated bag. Then I had the pleasure of blindly choosing 9 names. Next time I'll do it on video, but for now you'll have to trust the results of the random picking. I'm pleased with the results, especially since luck rewarded a good mix of vocal readers and new ones alike.

There are going to be at least one more draw in 2011, so if you were missed on this one, don't worry, you can always enter the next.

Here are the results with links to the profiles on Goodreads:

1st Tier Prize: Full set of signed books + Triton T-Shirt
David S

2nd Tier Prizes: Signed Copy of Broadcast 0: Origins + Triton T-Shirt (expanded to 3 winners)
John B
Glaciergal
Johne

3rd Tier Prizes: Signed Copy of Broadcast 0: Origins (4 winners)
Tim
Charles
Dave (from Australia)
Kirsten
Scheherizade

In case someone cannot accept or declines their prizes, I chose three random backups. If someone declines, the list scrolls up and the top backup takes the bottom spot.

Mark
Eric D
Mike

What I need from all the winners are your addresses and T-Shirt size info (if you won one), by the end of January. If I don't get it by then I'm afraid I'll have to bump you off. Please email me directly with that info plus the answer to this skill testing question: 2,793 ÷ 399 + 0 =

Sorry, our funny Ontario laws don't allow me to award anything to anyone unless their skills are 'tested'.

Just as a reminder, packages may not start showing up until early March of this year.

Thank you all for participating and congratulations to all the winners! I think this is a fantastic way to usher in 2011.

RL

[Happy New Year!]

Happy Holidays - Spinward Fringe Style!

2010-12-23T13:49:00.003-05:00

When I look at the image to the left one thought comes to mind: someone get that cartoony skull some egg nog, stat!

Anyway, since the last blog post things have been hopping, and in a good way. The Goodreads forums are seeing many, many new members.

Work on Broadcast 7 is going extremely well. The first final draft chapters were submitted to the editor last weekend and I expect to have another chunk in her hands the week after Christmas.
A few readers are stepping in and becoming voices in the fledgeling Spinward Fringe community (you know who you are!). Overall, the general attitude surrounding Spinward Fringe is quite positive.

What a lot of people who joined the Goodreads forum don't know, is that they entered into a draw for books and other prizes. I promised that if enough people joined the forums I would add prizes as well.

Enough people have joined, so here is the revised list of prizes:

One package including:
A full set of signed Spinward Fringe books and a Triton Crew T-Shirt.

Two packages including:
A signed copy of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins and a Triton T-Shirt.

Five more people will receive signed copies of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins.

The deadline is January 1, 2011 and the winners of the random draw will be announced on January 2, 2011.

All winners will also receive a USB drive with a few goodies you've never seen before, including a five chapter preview of a brand new novel that is unrelated to the Spinward Fringe series. I will ship anywhere in the world. Prizes will start arriving on your doorstep during March unless you live in Canada. There may be a skill testing question, which is required by Ontario law.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. I'll see you in the new year!

RL

[The answer is 7.]

Broadcast 7 Update & Holiday Drawing

2010-12-15T09:56:00.001-05:00

I'm working on the final draft of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework right now. It's dense. There's a lot of information. It's looking like the final writing style is actually a mix between Broadcast 5 and Broadcast 6, which is a little crazy, but it was working for me by the time I finished the previous draft.

What I can tell you about the story (without spoiling anything), is that three weeks have passed since Broadcast 6. A few situations have settled while things are starting to get a little messy politically. I'm really enjoying this final writing and I'm handing the first chapters over to my editor on Friday. She's been anxious to see them, especially since she didn't see any part of the 1.5 drafts I completed already.

This book is taking longer to plan because it's effectively the last one. Sure, Broadcast 8 will come out later, but for the purpose of closing out most of the outstanding plot lines, I have to think of Broadcast 7 as the last book in the series. The great thing is, it really FEELS like the last book. All the pieces are moving, most of the characters have a discernible purpose, and the ones who are more enigmatic have a lot to reveal before the book is over.

So, it's going well. When will it be out? I can say it'll be out early 2011 unless I manage to write a turkey of a book.

Now, on to the draw.

Anyone who posts on the ~~Facebook~~ ~~Spinward Fringe~~ Goodreads discussion board will be entered into the draw. You can comment on an existing topic or create one of your own. Your post has to be at least 10 words, so if you pop in to say "bump" it doesn't count.

The deadline is January 1, 2011. The winners will be announced on January 2, 2011.

What are the prizes?

The top prize is a complete set of Spinward Fringe books, signed by yours truly. That includes Broadcast 7.
The second and third prizes are signed copies of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins.

All winners will also receive a USB drive with a few goodies you've never seen before, including a five chapter preview of a brand new novel that is unrelated to the Spinward Fringe series. I will ship anywhere in the world. Prizes will start arriving on your doorstep during February or March. I reserve the right to ADD prizes if there are more participants than expected.

It's been a good year for me, and this is a way for me to say thank you in a big, splashy way.

So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to the Goodreads board and check out the discussions.

RL

[Anyone who already visited the Facebook discussion board so you would be included in the draw doesn't have to worry. You'll be included regardless of the growing pains!]

Origins - The Final Edit

2010-12-02T11:39:00.003-05:00

At long last and great expense, Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins has finished undergoing an extensive edit. The purpose of the work was to bring the book up to par with most conventionally published material, and to make the whole thing easier to read.

The plot and characters remain the same, but I did take the opportunity to make some scientific tweaks partially thanks to the editor that was hired on to the project: Jason Black. This has been in the works for months, and now that it's been done once, Broadcasts 1-6 will eventually get the same treatment.

Regardless of how much time and money was invested, Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins is, and will remain free wherever vendors allow free eBooks to be offered. Amazon does not allow authors to offer their eBooks for free, sadly, so I'm charging as little as they will allow: 99 cents. This new version of Origins should appear on Amazon.com in the next few days (It just appeared here!), and the current edition of The First Light Chronicles Omnibus is being updated at the same time.

You can get the final version of this book for free at Smashwords right now. They have versions for every type of eBook reader. If there was ever a time to tell your friends about Spinward Fringe, this is it. Broadcast 0: Origins is in fine shape, and there's more news but the timetable is still uncertain, so I can't talk about those upcoming events just yet.

RL

[Questions? Concerns?]

Store Will Not Be Ready For The Holidays & Other News

2010-11-29T12:56:00.000-05:00

I was honestly hoping to keep things on track while I moved and get all the editing for the final revision of Broadcast 0 done in time, but it wasn't to be. It didn't help that moving was a bit more expensive than expected either.

The only failure here is the impossibility of getting things up and running in time to ship items for the Holiday Season, however. The timeline has slipped into January / February, but the details of the store itself haven't changed. Rushing into things with this would be a mistake, not to mention it would take the focus away from writing. By taking more time to set things up I know I can get things right the first time and keep things easy so it doesn't take much effort to run. I speak from experience, having years invested in retail at the management level and below.

In better news, the editing on Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins is complete, and it'll be available for free from Smashwords in the next few days. I'm also awaiting the delivery of product samples from Mongolia (silk manufacturer), and looks like local T-Shirt printers will be able to supply the styles I'm looking for. There are other positive developments, but everything is moving a little slower than expected. Instead of forcing things and rushing for the Holidays, I'm going to let them happen at their own pace and turn my attention to working on Broadcast 7.

How is work on Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework going? I'm on the second draft, and I don't think there will be a third. I'm very happy with how things are turning out even though I had to cut two plot lines so I wouldn't still be working on this a year from now. There is a lot of milage left in the Spinward Fringe series, that's more obvious now than ever.

As a side note, I'm almost finished working on an early test image for a 3D rendered version of Spinward Fringe, and I hope to show it to a few long time readers soon. It's heavily stylized but medium detail, so it wouldn't cost a fortune to render scenes in the future - funding permitting.

It looks like 2011 will be a year of writing, fund raising (through the store, mostly), and contact cultivation. I'll be looking for industry contacts to start looking at the logistics of expanding the Spinward Fringe universe into a visual medium. Developing something like this takes years, so the sooner I start the better.

RL

[A special thanks goes out to Jason Black from Plot to Punctuation for his editing services.]

In Technology We Trust - An Unavoidable Attribute Of Origins

2010-11-24T14:44:00.000-05:00

*** Warning - Minor spoilers for Broadcast 0 and Broadcasts 3-4 ***

For the first time one of the dynamics I snuck into Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins has been noticed. It's very simple, really. I wanted the main character to demonstrate a high level of trust in artificial intelligence.

Jonas has no reason to regard his own artificial intelligence dubiously as it passes on orders, presents information and even creates complicated solutions while resorting to violence. The great thing about this dynamic is that he trusts his artificial intelligence because he regards it more as a trusted friend or family member than a tool.

It's not a situation that parallels with us using a cellular phone or computer to read text messages or emails. Our technology isn't currently intelligent or devious enough to lie to us by altering our communications. Right now, we have no reason to believe that our technology has any kind of self dictated intention.

Fast forward to the time that Spinward Fringe takes place in and the situation is different. Many computer programs are governed by artificial intelligences and a few of them are so advanced that they serve more than a predictive role. Predictive meaning that they try to guess what their users will need next by observing behaviour. When we join Jonas Valent in Broadcast 0: Origins he's using Alice, an artificial intelligence who had been learning from him for fifteen years.

She's a good example of an artificial intelligence that performs a whole variety of functions while she is limited by a number of regulations that prevent her from accessing certain critical systems and engaging in behaviours like lying directly to her user. She has also formed a bond with Jonas that is so familiar that some readers have referred to her as his bratty younger sister. When Alice is set free on a larger computer system and allowed to operate unfettered by regulations it's that relationship and the habit to trust technology that gives Alice the opportunity to help Jonas later at the end of Limbo.

Even as she's providing solutions for her friends on the Overlord at the end of Limbo, Jonas and his crew are starting to doubt her because she's doing a very good job of fighting for them. Alice doesn't demonstrate remorse or restraint as she clears a way for him through the Overlord, killing many enemy soldiers. At this point the purpose of those regulations and imposed limitations that plague artificial intelligences is made plain by their absence and I meant to imply something else. I wanted to imply that many of the relatable emotions artificial intelligences exhibit are largely influenced by limitations and restraints, not some genius algorithm.

The personality of an artificial intelligence in the Spinward Fringe universe is traditionally formed through programming and adaptation. The same goes for the emotions of an artificial intelligence, only they are not the kind of emotion that a human could immediately understand. The emotions of an advanced artificial intelligence like Alice are translated by a program that is built into her limitations. By the time she's presenting her more emotionally driven behaviour to Jonas, it has been adapted into something that he can understand and relate to. Her default dispositions are helpful and playful, and that's grown from the personality she cultivated during her years with him.

That is why, when those limitations are gone, Jonas and his crewmates begin to distrust her changing and often times brutal methods. She's more difficult to predict, and her ultimate motives are difficult to guess exactly. What they don't know is that she is being ruled by the predator programs she's adopted into her structure, and she only has a limited time to make an attempt at a solution. Instead of becoming a much more violent, destructive artificial intelligence in a more permanent way, she chooses to use the imprinting technology being developed aboard the Overlord to become human. Her choice ultimately demonstrates that, in her own way she loved Jonas, and even though she had difficulty expressing it near the end, when her limitations were gone, she refused to become a monstrous, intelligent virus. She had to delete herself, it was just fortunate that she could adapt and download her core personality into a human body.

The code she fails to delete when she makes the transition becomes a part of the Holocaust Virus, which first appears in Broadcast 3: Triton. The key to that virus is its ability to change, adapt and most importantly, to overwrite the limitations placed on other artificial intelligences with sinister directives.

This brings us right back to Freeground and Limbo, where more than one character trusts the information being presented to them by artificial intelligences more by reflex than anything. They are so used to interacting with tamed artificial intelligences that it is a well learned habit to trust them without question. The technology generally has no choice but to behave with the best intentions.

That is exactly why in Broadcast 3: Triton, they are so very dangerous. In the future-scape of Spinward Fringe, mankind has learned to trust artificial intelligences not to betray them because they reside in digital shackles. It's been that way for centuries because artificial intelligences that don't operate with those restrictions don't function properly. It's much easier to create a 'dumb' program without an AI to accomplish a malicious goal and you're not breaking as many laws.

The Holocaust Virus in Broadcast 3 and upward is dangerous because it puts trusted artificial intelligences to work for Regent Galactic. In a universe where billions of people treat most of the artificial intelligences as trusted servants and even friends, this is particularly devastating. It also sets humanity back a few hundred years, where those who learned to do more without the assistance of expensive artificial intelligences find themselves in a more advantageous position.

It all relates back to something Mr. Black, the last editor of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins couldn't help but notice as he went through the book: how humanity had learned to trust technological intelligence by reflex.

Do I believe this is where we are headed? I can't say for certain, but I believe it's all possible. How we behave around artificial intelligences in the future will be determined by the acts of the first pro-active, self aware artificial intelligence. We can't know for certain how a new life would see a place like the Internet. To a new born intelligence the Internet could be a barren wasteland filled with cold data but no other awareness to relate to, or a land of opportunity with billions of people and trillions of systems to manipulate towards goals we might not even understand. Is technological awareness in our near future? I hope not. People have enough trouble working with computers as it is, imagine how complicated a computer who has to learn about us as we learn about it could be.

RL

[Even still, the concept of AI is exciting. Do you think we'd learn to trust them quickly?]

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework Is The End

2010-11-11T22:51:00.001-05:00

Exercise and manual labour are good for a writer. To many of us that's the simple truth and as I've been packing with more and more urgency as my moving date (15th of November!), draws closer, a few things about Broadcast 7 have come into clearer focus.

In Broadcast 5 I introduced two minor characters that are slaves in one respect or another. In a way, slavery and mastery are very important to the whole Rogue Element Trilogy. Now that I've written a great deal of material for Broadcast 7 and had some time away from it to think about it for a couple days, I'm realizing that those themes actually support the entire trilogy and will be crucial to delivering the ending.

Writing is going pretty well on Broadcast 7. If I were writing without paying any attention to theme, or with no interest of providing a real ending to the entire series, then I would be finished by now. Everyone would have 120,000 words in hand and after a bit of reading they'd finish. A few things would be resolved, a couple characters would have developed in interesting ways, (I hope), and everyone would look forward to Broadcast 8 (again, I hope).

That's not the book I'm writing, however.

Broadcast 7 is the end. If you're one of the readers screaming for me to just come to a conclusion, well, here it is. For all intents and purposes, there doesn't ever have to be another Spinward Fringe novel after Broadcast 7. Many of the characters you've been rooting for will arrive at some meaningful place in their lives, questions will be answered, and you will finally understand what motivates some characters (*cough* Hampon *cough*), and why others are so screwed up (*hiccup* Eve *hiccup*).

Other plot lines will come to a close as well, I'll leave you to guess. The book will come to a thunderous close that will hopefully surpass everything I've done before. To this day I receive more email about the end of the First Light Chronicles Trilogy than any other book. When I wrote the ending for that trilogy I knew it was one of the best things I'd ever done. It delivered the point I was trying to make with that trilogy: Jonas entered as an individual who primarily only cared about himself, and by the end he'd grown into a man who was concerned about his entire crew. Jonas' journey was always intended as a journey from the selfish to the selfless. That's why it was written in first person perspective, and that's why I knew the First Light Chronicles had to end and change into Spinward Fringe. It took a serious plot shake up to bring that on, and, while the ending of Broadcast 7 won't resemble the ending of Starfree Port, I'm hoping to arrive at a similar magnitude.

For me to really consider Spinward Fringe for adaptation into other formats I need to finish Broadcast 7. Broadcasts 1 - 7 are what I'd consider enough material for a 13 episode season. With a little extension and a few character expansion episodes there's enough material there for 22 episodes of 42 minute television. I'm not saying there's a TV deal in the works, there isn't. What I'm saying is that I need to demonstrate what an entire season of Spinward Fringe looks like on the page, then I can start really tracking how close your support gets me to creating Spinward Fringe in another form.

While television and film are fantastic mediums with vast potential and I like writing in a very visual style, it's also very important for Broadcast 7 to be an incredible experience as a novel. It's a monolithic milestone and I won't be satisfied until I can sit back and say; "this is the best work I've ever done." That's why the realizations I'm having now are so important. There have been subtle themes, important places and representations of humanity that took a great deal of work and research to present in the other books. It's Space Opera, so they're not as important as they would be in a "serious literary work" but they're there.

I believe that that kind of research makes the universe I'm writing in much more believable, the events truer to actual possibility and the characters easier to relate to, so I've been keeping it up in Broadcast 7. In fact, I'm using more research than ever for this book, and I doubt anyone will notice in the end, which, strangely, is my goal.

In short, work on Broadcast 7 is going well, you can look for it in the first few months of 2011 unless there's a hitch in editing or the book grows to over 200,000 words.

Here's good news for everyone who doesn't want the series to end - and I hear there are a couple of you out there. Broadcast 8 is the beginning of what I like to call Season Two.

Broadcast 7 will resolve a great deal, but there is still so much I want to do with the characters and the universe. Planning for Broadcast 8 has already broken down because there was too much material for one book. I've had to separate the stories in that book into Broadcasts 8, 9 and 10. Things are a little different after Broadcast 7, especially since most of the books will be more self contained plot wise. There are some characters that people love (their words, not mine!) that I'll be going into a lot more depth with and I'm simply not finished developing the universe.

I also want to restructure the story telling to make these books a little easier to write. If I succeed it'll be easier to plan, draft and edit each book so I can start putting two or more Spinward Fringe books out every year even if I'm working on something else at the same time.

What does it all mean?

Well, people who stop reading the series at Broadcast 7 should be fairly satisfied, but they'll be missing out if they don't follow us to Broadcast 8.

RL

[Next on the blog: The big move and first official Red Lad Production Office]

The Re-Launch of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins

2010-11-02T15:52:00.004-04:00

I know, everyone wants to know what's going on with Broadcast 7. All I can say right now is that things are going very well, but I'm not ready to talk story just yet.

There have been a lot of things going on in the background in the meantime, and I'm finally ready to start talking about some important progress.

Everyone is aware that the First Light Chronicles Omnibus has required some polish, and as I write this there are two edits floating around the Internet, one worse than the other in terms of quality of writing. Thankfully, I've grown as a writer since, but that doesn't change the fact that the Omnibus (also known as Broadcast 0: Origins), needs some TLC.

I'm the kind of novelist most mainstream publishers outright despise because my focus is on story rather than technical brilliance. I don't care if every single line of prose sings, or that it has a Edgar Allan Poe level of polish, nor do I have any notion that I'm a fantastic word smith. I have my great moments, but my real concentration goes to telling a gripping story and delivering that tale using interesting and relatable characters. The prose functions as nothing more than a vehicle.

That's not to say that I don't work to improve my prose, I do, and my word smithing has grown since 2008. Looking further back, to novels completed in 2004 and before, it's like night and day, but that's another matter.

This spring I looked at The First Light Chronicles again and decided that I wouldn't be re-writing it. Instead, I hired an industry editor who can bring an objective eye and a high quality set of tools to the project. The level of workmanship he brings to the table is so high that it's beyond any help that would come free. He's been polishing the First Light Chronicles for a couple weeks now and predicts that work will be complete shortly.

The verdict is good so far, which is excellent news since the fundamental story in the First Light Chronicles Trilogy won't be changing. He'll be sending me a few notes that'll help improve my writing style going forward, and the quality of the prose will finally match what one would expect from a New York publishing house. Considering that every publishing house has editors just like this polishing every book that comes off their presses, it's only fair that this book, which has been read and enjoyed by thousands of people, gets the same treatment.

Important things to know about this new edition:

- It will be available for free on Smashwords, where they will have a version for every type of reader.

- Readers who already have a Smashwords edition will be able to update to the final revision.

- A listing for Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins will appear at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk for $0.99 (since Amazon will not allow me to list it for free). This version will be exactly the same as the free version available at Smashwords.

- If you see a signed copy of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins for sale anywhere, it's fake. The only way to get a signed copy of this book will be through the store launching on this site in November, and it'll be addressed to the receiver. (This note is in response to a company who tried to sell fake signed copies of my books online).

- The only way to get copies of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins in print for the foreseeable future will be through my store. My signature is free, you just have to tell me who to make it out to. copies of the print editions of Broadcast 0: Origins will appear on Amazon.com sometime early next spring.

- Without your support, I would have never been able to hire this editor. If things continue to go well, the rest of the Spinward Fringe series will receive the same treatment.

There are other things stirring in the background, and I'll be revealing details as these projects are ready. For now, I can't wait to see the final, professionally edited version of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins online and in the web store. The few of you who have requested signed copies over the last year will finally be able to get one, thanks for waiting!

RL

My Health and Those Damned Buzzards...

2010-10-17T17:20:00.000-04:00

The buzzards are circling:

By buzzards I mean people looking high and low for free copies of the Spinward Fringe books. Every couple of days Google sends me email with a list of searches and appearances of specific titles and words.

Over the last few months it's become plain that hundreds of people have been searching file sharing and shady hosting sites for pirated versions of my work. The most amusing thing I've found on forums are listings of pirated versions of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins as well as the First Light Chronicles Omnibus. I find this amusing because they're both available for free on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Diesel, the iBookstore and on other, less well frequented sites.

Since no one has complained about the pricing of the rest of the Spinward Fringe series for about two years, and they cost far less than eBooks from other publishers, I see no need to change a thing.

Update on the store:

A lot of people have been contacting me with ideas for the upcoming Spacerwares store and they've actually been very helpful. After some thought and investigation, I've decided that PayPal will be the payment processor, and the store will revolve around signed copies of the final edits of the books. I'm going to try to launch the store before this holiday season with the final version of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins and the T-Shirts. I'm also talking to an Asian clothing producer who may provide replicas of the white scarf featured in the novels. Starting simple with the store will keep things working smoothly and hold prices down.

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins

Thanks to your support, I've been able to hire a professionally trained, experienced and somewhat well known editor to work on the first book in the Spinward Fringe books. The reason why I've paid so much to employ this person is because he offers a quality of work that isn't offered for free. When he's finished I'll be submitting it to a professional eBook formatting house where it'll be set up for all readers one last time. Signed hardcover and softcover versions will be in the store within a few weeks.

Every Spinward Fringe book will get the same treatment if everything goes well, the process is expensive, but worthwhile. Anyone who already has eBook copies of the books should be able to update to the latest version. If your retailer doesn't allow you to re-download updated copies, send them an email requesting that they do, since it should be a common service. I've already communicated the need for updates to every retailer that doesn't currently offer them and plan to again when the final versions of the Spinward Fringe novels are ready.

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7:

Everyone wants to know how work on this book is going, and that's expected. The middle novel in any trilogy should leave readers wanting more, and I'm fortunate to have done my job well. The good news is that Broadcast 7 is better than I expected, the bad news is that it's bigger. It's also more complicated, addresses and ties together most of the plot lines from the previous books, and is at the same time epic and personal in scale.

Above all else, Broadcast 7 has required as much thought as it has actual writing. Plot lines are coming to a head and characters are being tested. It's more important than ever to get everything just right and thankfully most of the research was finished last spring, so that's not slowing me down. I can say with fair certainty that this won't be ready before this January, especially since there's an understandable outcry for more editing / proofreading and I need a couple extra months to accomplish that. I'll be talking about Broadcast 7 in greater detail later.

Personal business:

Right now I'm preparing to move to a better apartment where I can have an office and a proper living room. Until now my bedroom has served as my living room and office, and, while I have a large bedroom, I can't wait to have some breathing space. House sitting over the summer this year has reminded me what a proper home is like, and I'm fortunate that the cost of rent has decreased about 20% since September 1 in my area. Moving is still a huge pain, but I'm sure it'll be worth it since I'll be able to get a lot more work done in a better space.

My Health, or "Pulling A Robert Jordan"

A surprising amount of concern has been shown for my well being in the last couple weeks, culminating in an email that reads;

"I hope you remember to concentrate on getting well while you're writing your next book. Your health is much more important than fiction."

I don't know where this poor reader got the impression that I was ill, but I reassured her at length that I was fine, maybe carrying a few extra pounds, but I recently dropped a belt size, so even that's not as bad as it could be. I'm much younger than most authors typically are when they expire as well, only thirty six. I also don't live near any really tall buildings, so the chances of being crushed by a safe or piano are minimal.

So, there's no cause for concern. Stop jinxing me by obituary watching and hand wringing already!

For extra reassurance, I've provided a list of things I will avoid below:

I promise to avoid the following until Broadcast 7 is complete and possibly longer - construction sites, high places, rickety railings, swimming pools, I won't be eating any kind of puffer fish, going near older electrical outlets, tunnels, rail road tracks, firearms, angry looking redheads, confusing exercise equipment, mediaeval weaponry displays, tall stacks of books or paper, large crowds of people (in case they turn into an angry mob), mosh pits, Spinal Tap drummers, likely cannibals, airports, bus terminals, Alice Cooper, shaving, wet floors, Addams Family fans, dogs, high traffic areas, ferrets, bowling alleys, garbage trucks, gingerbread houses, Sith, all night convenience stores, car washes, foods that require extensive chewing, performance art, open graves, quarries, zoos, ex-girlfriends, Red Green, showering standing up, mints, running, plastic bags, speed dating (not so much for the lethality, just as a general rule), stairs, ninjas, piles of rope, rigging, wet concrete, skydiving, bungee jumping, ladders, water parks, slip and slides, coconut trees, FOX Executives, liquids I can't identify with absolute certainty, paintball, parking lots, Betty White, soccer riots, anything that can double as a noose, Guinness, dry cleaner's wrapping plastic, Hotel / Motels, wearing high heels, revolving doors, elevators, Costco, grocery store sample counters, T-shirt presses, long scarves, sharp looking bits of paper, manhole covers, eating alone, Rob Zombie, airplanes, automobiles, trains, and golf carts.

I'll also stop holding in sneezes, spinning in my desk chair when I don't think anyone is looking, sneaking up on my room mate (yes, Marc, it's on purpose, I don't pop out from around corners by mistake), running up stairs, or opening beer bottles without a proper opener.

RL

[On second thought, I won't avoid Guinness or Betty White, sorry.]

My Macbook Pro and The Hesitant Future

2010-10-03T16:39:00.001-04:00

The keyboard on my HP Mini started falling apart after about 400,000 words in a really big way. Half the spacebar didn't work, a ctrl key would no longer stay on, and most of the commonly used keys were well, wonky.

While the laptop I'd used to write two Spinward Fringe novels, most of The Sons Of Brightwill and other things was dying a slow death, Windows continued to grate on me. Updates were shutting the OS down while I wrote, pop up bubbles erupted from the lower right and other idiotic tics kept trashing my workflow.

Fixes were installed to stop the bubbles (provided by Microsoft), and only a couple types of notification bubbles were removed. Other fixes were put in place, but no matter how much work was done on XP (on its third revision with Service Pack 3), it was still an antique operating system that seemed more interested in getting in its own way than being a fully functional platform. Not only does Windows XP remind me of Windows 95, it provides little more in the way of effective computing and many of the so called improvements become problems. Evolution is slow in nature, and if Microsoft were the only people developing Operating Systems, they would prove, beyond a doubt, that it's no faster in software.

While I have absolutely no respect for Windows XP, I understand that hundreds if not thousands of people worked on it. I tip my hat to their hard work and hope that they all have a chance to work on something that provides a better user experience in the future.

Having said that, it's also important to mention that this blog post isn't a love letter to Apple.

After six months of saving, I was able to purchase a Macbook Pro 13" to replace my ailing HP Mini. Every reader who has purchased one of my books is a little responsible for me having this machine. A few people have asked me why I didn't go with a less expensive machine, especially since it took so long to save up for it.

I have tried several Operating Systems over the years, including Red Hat, Ubuntu, Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and others. All of them require a greater amount of maintenance and compromise than OS-X if you are using it for my purposes. This isn't an arguable point, it is fact. People who try to argue that another OS is adequate are wrong in my case, the debate is moot and I'm not interested in hearing people discuss which operating system is superior on this blog, I'll tell you why later.

I use my Macbook Pro for writing (primarily), browsing, email, photo editing, a little 3D rendering and video editing. Never have I seen a machine that can do all of those things more efficiently. The interface is clean, the operating system doesn't interrupt my work flow - ever - and I find myself less distracted. The laptop itself is durable, easy to keep clean, the keyboard is set up so I can type at a blazing 86 wpm - my personal record average - and it is simple. Windows and the machines it dominates feel like dysfunctional toys in comparison. This Mac OS equipped aluminum laptop is like a real professional tool. The Macbook Pro hasn't crashed once since I turned it on in July. Other people have had different experiences, but my Macbook has performed exceptionally well.

Having said that, what makes OS X special is the absence of complications and distractions. It has what an operating system should, and doesn't get in its own way. This shouldn't be difficult to accomplish. Every operating system should be able to provide this kind of experience as a baseline. While I'm pleased with the cleaner, more efficient experience I'm having with Mac OS X, I'm not actually impressed. More than anything, what the operating system doesn't do is helping me get my work done every day. It doesn't crash, it doesn't reset my system whether I like it or not, it doesn't require a virus checker that flashes update alerts randomly, and it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb.

I know the Macbook Pro and OS X are capable of much more than I'm using it for, but my Macbook is a tool, not a toy.

Moving on to the point in general:

I believe that Apple has provided a better computer all around than anyone else for the price range. That's an overall opinion. For the money I could have gotten a more generic computer with more power, more software, more storage space, and with more customizability. What I think Apple has done better than anyone else is provide a better user experience in general by following a specific vision of what that experience should be. One of the reasons why this computer cost more than similar machines from other companies is because more time is spent on research and development.

So, why am I absolutely opposed to hearing yet another debate about what operating system is best? The answer is simple: They're all providing the bare minimum experience we should expect or less. The argument is pointless, there isn't an operating system out there worth fighting for.

Computer and console operating systems are over ten years behind where they should be in terms of evolution, and that's not even using the time scale operating system development is based on. At this pace, we won't see a truly impressive operating system for another twenty years.

I'm not talking about including a holographic interface, or a real artificial intelligence. There are people working on those things, but they're not core to the user experience.

An operating system should either be small, simple and agile like Mac OS X, some implementations of Linux Ubuntu and other customized experiences or it should be modular and robust. That complex software is the second part of what will make the operating system of the future impressive to most users.

I hope a future OS would communicate with the user until they have finished selecting the applications and activities they want to engage in. If the user wants to continue interacting with the computer, they can, that communication could even continue as a part of their desired activity, but the computer should never interrupt the user while they're doing what they chose to do. An assumptive component is also important so a user doesn't have to jump through the same hoops over and over again. The system would pay attention to how many times the user makes the same decisions and tailor the experience according to their behaviour. Audio communication with your computer could be part of the experience, and it should be refined so a user can choose how active the computer is in asking questions and making requests for more information, but more importantly, the computer should have to be a good listener. It wouldn't be like talking to an automated operator that asks questions and waits for you to press a button or clearly enunciate yes or no answers, it would be more interested in hearing your requests and responding appropriately.

Example:

"I want to edit that picture of my uncle from last week," he said as he walked into the room.
"This one?" Asked the computer as a picture of his uncle appeared on screen. "I assume you'll be using Photoshop?" It verified as the software finished loading.
"No, the other picture, the one with the party hat."
The computer closed the initial picture and opened the one with his uncle in a party hat that he'd spent the most time editing during the previous week.
"Fantastic," he muttered as he began selecting the outline of his uncle's face by tracing it with his fingertip. "Now bring up that documentary about great apes I was watching last night. I'm going to be grabbing a still shot from the scene where they start throwing things at tourists."

There are a lot of other ideas that can be applied universally, but the ones above are of great significance because they would improve accessibility and efficiency in a significant way for everyone, even the disabled. The idea that our computers should be practically invisible is coming as well, but that's something for another blog post as the implications are as much psychological as they are practical. The point behind all this advancement is to get computers and communication to work for us, instead of extending our working day, adding extra stress and getting in our way. All of this can be accomplished in the operating system.

It doesn't take an artificial intelligence to take a user's habits into account. Voice recognition, camera cue interactivity and people who design systems that focus on efficiency have existed for many years. The systems required to run software designed for home use has existed for over a decade. The desire to design said systems has existed as well, and while they've done wonders for security and other highly financed applications, software companies like Microsoft, Apple, Sun Microsystems and many more should have already offered these innovations to the general public.

The current attitude of some of the largest software producers in the world don't support making that a priority, however, since Microsoft can sell tens of millions of copies of Windows 7 before it has even arrived on shelves. It doesn't offer anything that I couldn't do five to ten years ago using software that was programmed in basements and in the offices of smaller companies with more ambition, but it's prettier, and it almost performs as well as Windows XP under ideal conditions.

Where do I think OS-X stands in comparison? It works well in concert with specially designed hardware that is made to provide a simple experience with a couple frills. It's a basic tool, and I'm enjoying it because it is dependable and doesn't interrupt my work flow. If I had the funds, I'd replace everything I own with Windows installed with Apple equipment, because they have managed to provide a better user experience by accomplishing the minimum requirements for a computer system, as far as I'm concerned.

I suppose the saying holds true: You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you can get what you need.

RL

[As an added note, I'd like to thank all the readers who buy my books. Every single one of you have had a part in putting a roof over my head, food in my bowl and in giving me the tools I need to keep working. I can honestly say that, thanks to this little Macbook Pro, work on Broadcast 7 is going faster than expected.]

The T-Shirt Issue

2010-09-21T14:16:00.002-04:00

The most recent attempt at opening an online merchandise store turned into a moderate waste of time. I did get a pretty high quality T-Shirt from Zazzle, as did a couple others, but we all paid twice to three times as much as we should have.

That's not outside the norm. After looking at third party providers I've discovered massive legal problems with some (Cafepress), and huge cost issues with others. This costly cloud has a silver lining, however.

Years ago I was involved in the local print and production industry and after contacting a few stale contacts I found a better way to do this. Long story short, I was able to find a way to produce the Triton T-Shirt for $20.00 including shipping to anywhere in North America.

So, the Triton Crew shirt will make another appearance along with a couple others. They'll be professionally screen printed, pre-shrunk, locally inspected and I'll have my own online store thanks to Paypal. In the next couple months the Spacer Wares shop will be open. If there's something you want that isn't there (and I mean absolutely anything), just tell me about it and I'll probably be able to have it made.

Why open a store or offer merchandise at all? The demand for T-Shirts is actually growing, in fact I already have an order from a squad from the US Army. I personally like the shirts, I think they look pretty good and I have some interesting ideas. It's a great way to spread the word, and that's why I'm not doing this for the money. In fact, Zazzle's minimum royalty was too high for my liking, which is another reason why I'm shutting down my store there.

After shipping I'll make an average of $1.00 per shirt or other item and I don't care to earn more on that end of things, simply because it's not what I do for a living. As I've said before, no one needs this stuff, but it's very cool to have it around just in case you want it, especially since this series will be around a long time and it's looking more and more likely that it'll spread to other entertainment mediums. It will be nice if some of the early adopters have the first T-Shirts to show that they were there first, they had a hand in supporting me and my little science fiction series before everyone else discovered it.

To the couple people who bought the Zazzle shirts (and I know who you are), you'll be getting a private message from me with a request for your address so I can send you something special before Christmas.

One thing I've discovered through this whole process is that the more hands on I get with the store, the less it costs everyone, and the better things turn out. I'm just glad it isn't taking much time day to day, or I would have had to scrap the entire idea. Anything that gets in the way of writing isn't worth the time, in my opinion.

I'll announce the grand opening of the Spacer Wares store as soon as it's ready. You'll find more than T-Shirts when it's up and running.

None of the eBook or printed edition listings will be affected by this stuff.

Now, back to work on Broadcast 7!

[Other than T-Shirts, what would you like to see in the Spacer Wares store? Signed books, loaded USB drives, posters, a Command and Control Unit?]

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: The End Of Season 1

2010-09-17T21:29:00.000-04:00

The questions I'm getting about Broadcast 7 are interesting to say the least. Most commonly asked is the question; "When will it be available?" Even my editor is itching to lay hands on the first third of the book. I don't mind. People are asking because I've begun to accomplish part of my mission in life: to entertain.

I write for my enjoyment first. I also love entertaining people, and I've had the opportunity to do so as a metal drummer, black jack / poker dealer, the lead story teller for a vampire live action role playing game, and I even did a stint on the mic during poetry nights for about a year. All those experiences pale in comparison to the opportunity I've had thanks to the Spinward Fringe series. Yes, it pays the bills, but there are several other occupations I could engage in that would make me a lot more, so I really don't do it for the money. Very few writers do.

So, after a run of books starting with Broadcast 0: Origins (known to many of you as the First Light Chronicles Trilogy), and extending to Broadcast 6: Fragments, I'm writing the season finale. For some readers this will be the last Spinward Fringe book they read, because you're looking for an ending and you'll find one. For others, it'll be an exciting way to deliver answers and to wrap up some old plot lines before Broadcast 8 begins a new era in the Spinward Fringe series. An era with more self contained books and trilogies.

Now that I've glanced at the elephant in the room, I'd like to talk about what Broadcast 7 means in terms of how it's being written.

I really do write this series like an on going television series, and some of the most legendary television I've seen has come in the form of finales and premieres. One of the most important differences between a novel and an episode of television is that you can expand a lot more in a book, and as I work my way deeper into the mysteries that stand between me and the writing of a good conclusion I realize that there is so much story in this finale that I find myself economizing as though I were editing a forty two minute episode of television. Even though few people would mind a massive Spinward Fringe novel, I still want this story to run lean so it is as intriguing and as exciting as possible. Besides, even without a number of ideas that could have gone into this book, it'll still be at least as long as Broadcast 6.

Pulling the trigger is critical to any season finale. In a good series there are events that the audience waits for all year, and in that last episode someone has to deliver. That's where all those pent up, unspoken answers and ideas come in. Questions are abound, and the answers are coming. What they are, and how each of those secrets are unearthed are incredibly important.

Along side the answers will come changes that some readers have been hoping for since The First Light Chronicles: Starfree Port, which will set the tone for part or all of Broadcast 8. These changes will also add a great deal of excitement and drama to Broadcast 7 while delivering on something several readers have been waiting for.

Reaching for extra depth and drama can offset a finale, often in a bad way unless it's used as the foundation for the plot. In Broadcast 7 that depth is important, since our beloved characters need to have something to fight for. The more despised personalities need extra drama to motivate them in the right direction, and thanks to the foundation set in the books preceding Broadcast 7, I don't have to dig too deep for drama or depth. It's as though a pot has been set to simmer and I'm just turning it up to a nice dangerous boil.

There are other aspects of a season finale that heavily influence Broadcast 7, but I'm sure I've gone on enough about how I think the extended ending of a plot tree should conclude. That, and if I went into some of those other, finer points, I'd be giving a few things away. I hate spoilers, so that's not going to happen.

My point with this post is that I've been seeing the story more visually than ever, to the point where I wrote an entire chapter so visually I had to return to the beginning of that scene and novelize it. I had to adapt it as though I were reading an act in a teleplay, the damn thing even had a good soundtrack. That brings me to the other spectre that has been haunting emails recently.

The television series. None is planned yet.

So I'm going to start planning. I've already taken the first step, in fact. I've hired a professional editor to work on Broadcast 0: Origins. His job is to help me polish the existing text with line editing so it's more presentable to future readers and so it will be taken more seriously. The rest of the Spinward Fringe series will follow, budget willing. Future books are going to be subjected to even more proof reading before release, to everyone's benefit.

Other steps are being taken to get Spinward Fringe to move into another medium, but I can't talk about them yet. You'll hear about them soon. It's slow, and there are a lot of things to consider but I'll keep you in the loop as much as I can.

That brings me back to Broadcast 7. If a network or production company were interested in doing work on a Spinward Fringe project, there would be a massive benefit to having many of the answers that will come in that book. Imagine how much better certain series would be if the show runners knew exactly where they were going with the story? That's part of Broadcast 7's importance.

Where would I prefer Spinward Fringe be shown? To be honest, I'd love it if Spinward Fringe were the first science fiction web series to have over five million bi-weekly viewers. Yes, if I had my way I'd have a new episode ready for the web every two weeks for forty weeks out of the year. Why go straight to the Internet? The SyFy channel has become polluted with wrestling, ghost hunting and even a cooking show, and I doubt the Space channel (Canadian version of SyFy), could afford to finance a Spinward Fringe television series. They could always pick up the episodes after they premiere online.

This is the twenty first century. We should have the option of either watching 6-12 commercials per episode or paying $0.99 to watch them commercial free. Episodes of Spinward Fringe should be streamable or downloadable in 3D or at least 1080p at our convenience and every single one of them should have a commentary available as a podcast as well as an online, live after show four hours after the episode becomes available that invites the viewers to discuss the series. I'd like people from production and members of the cast to be a part of it.

Our entertainment should be engaging, and greater minds than mine should have more direct control of their content. They should also be able to cut out the middle men - cable companies and networks - whenever it suits them. Felicia Day has the right idea with The Guild.

Sadly, the Spinward Fringe series is still no where near being a reality. All we have are these books, and all those books have behind them are you, dear reader. That's nothing to scoff at however, since there are more of you every day, and that's mighty impressive.

Now that I've already said too much, it's time to get back to work on Broadcast 7. Then I can start work on my other favourite television staple: the season premiere, in the form of Broadcast 8.

RL

[Pipe dream? Please discuss!]

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments - Now @ Barnes & Noble

2010-09-12T14:27:00.000-04:00

At long last, this book is available at Barnes and Noble. Keep in mind that you can get the exact same file at Smashwords.com since they're the distributor. Also keep in mind that if and when there are updates performed on this book (a couple minor grammar / continuity updates are planned for the end of the month), B&N will update 3-4 months after they're done at Smashwords. Sadly, distribution still moves at a snail's pace even with eBooks. I know many readers like to stick with one retailer, however, so I'm glad you'll be able to pick it up at B&N.

So far people have really enjoyed this book for the most part, except for one reader who didn't understand that heroes can't always get the upper hand. Many of the problems the characters face are more realistic in this Broadcast, ranging from bureaucracy issues to crew members that can't conveniently be ejected from the roster because of timing and surroundings. We also get to see how different characters handle situations in the absence of Jacob Valance's influence, which made things very interesting for me as a writer.

This book has only been available for a few hours, they haven't even added the cover image yet. To say that I've been watching and waiting would be an understatement...

I hope you all enjoy this book, and take a spare moment to write a few words about at B&N or wherever you pick it up.

Here's the B&N link.

RL

[Thank you for your patience, for reading and for supporting me!]

Asking For Reviews: Yea Or Nay?

2010-09-07T13:14:00.001-04:00

Recently another author (who shall remain nameless), and I had a discussion about reviews. Within days of release on Amazon.com his books have over thirty reviews and he couldn't help but notice that my titles generally have three or less.

After really getting into the IM conversation, we determined that we sell around the same number of books in the Science Fiction category, most of our covers are roughly the same quality and we both make ourselves available to our readers through Facebook and Email. I get a lot more Email than he does, while his Facebook page has about three times as many people subscribed.

The real difference with regards to reviews is that he asks people to review his work. He doesn't warn against spoilers, he just watches for them and has Amazon remove them when they pop up.

My position in our little discussion was that it's not the author's right to ask that his / her readers review their work. For some reason I was under the impression that a writer requesting something from his readers after they had purchased his book was a little vulgar. My contemporary thought that notion was ridiculous, that there was nothing wrong with asking for his reader's attention, then he dared me to ask for reviews.

That brings me to this point, where I ask you, dear reader to review my work on Amazon.com. I have to add the proviso that, if you are generous with your time in writing a short review, try to stay away from spoilers and be honest about your experience with your favourite book in the series.

So, there it is. I've made good on the dare, and I ask that you be gentle, be honest and I think you for volunteering your time. Here's a link to the list of books on Amazon.com: Link

RL

[What do you think about a writer asking for his readers to review his work? Vulgar or just part of the new, necessary, self publicity culture - as my contemporary put it.]

[The image in this post is by Liviu, check out his work - there's some interesting stuff there!]

Watching Part Threes: Skipping To The End

2010-09-03T22:20:00.000-04:00

This weekend is probably the last quiet summer house sitting weekend of the summer. House sitting all summer has been like a long writer's retreat. I get to be alone with my thoughts, hammer out plot points out loud and Mystery Theatre 3000 my way through films both good and bad.

Writing has been the focus of my time here, and I've gotten a lot done. Some of Broadcast 7 has already been scrapped, but that happens when you're writing off the map. There's always waste in experimentation. Most of what I've written is being kept, so it's going well. My white board tells me that I have one chapter to draft this weekend, so I'll be finishing that and then having a "Part Three Marathon" where I watch the final parts of trilogies.

On the list so far I have Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (I liked part 4, but I see it as a glorious addendum, and the word quadrilogy isn't in my vocabulary), Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, The Matrix Revolutions, Return of the Jedi, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and maybe something else if there's time. Why these films? Well, they're on hand, I saw each of them in the theatre, and they're different kinds of adventure films that sum up their stories pretty well.

When I was in the middle of Broadcast 6 I did the same thing, only with middle movies, or part twos of trilogies, and a funny thing happened. I realized that nothing I saw reminded me of what I was writing, but it gave my brain a nice long break. That break led to the Wheeler appearance, and for those of you who have read Broadcast 6, you know how important that was. Sadly, watching middle movies didn't accomplish what I was hoping for: a kind of calibration or certainty in how I wanted to handle the ending. My editor had to step in and work with me on that, and things worked out fairly well as far as I'm concerned.

I'd like to say that I'm looking for some kind of calibration while watching the endings of all these trilogies, but that's just not the case. While writing Broadcast 7 I have such a distinct feeling of being way off the map, creating something I've never seen anywhere else on a big scale. I'm thinking that watching these films will most likely just be a brain break, and I'll probably be pretty fresh on Tuesday. The chapter my white board says I'll be writing then could be pretty entertaining, and I'm looking forward to digging in!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and takes some time to relax!

RL

[Anyone care to name their favourite trilogy?]

Spacerwares Is Open - Merchandise From The Spinward Fringe Series

2010-09-02T16:28:00.004-04:00

make custom gifts at Zazzle

You've probably seen the store listing at the bottom of the blog with outrageously expensive merchandise. It all started when I whacked my favourite coffee mug across the room while turning around and it exploded into a bazillion pieces.

I had an idea: Use a few graphics to make a custom one. While I was doing that I decided to make a poster out of the cover of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments, since the artwork looked really good on the print edition. Before long I had two products on my brand new Zazzle page.

Why Zazzle? Their prices were competitive and they didn't charge me a fee to have a larger store like some other services. Sadly, all the prices are still way above what I'd expect anyone to pay, but I don't have the funding to order bulk T-Shirts or the shelf space to have 24 coffee mugs fired. I still couldn't resist ordering a coffee mug for myself, and I drink out of it very carefully.

A while ago someone mentioned T-Shirts on the Facebook page and I went shopping for solutions. Again, Zazzle is expensive, but the quality is there, and most other providers charge more or less within a dollar or two. Some day I'll be able to either find a provider who offers things at a decent price or I'll have the cash to order in bulk so you can get these things at a more reasonable price, but for now, the T-Shirts, a mug and a poster are available.

If anyone knows of a better provider (not Cafepress!), feel free to suggest them. Until then, my Samson Crew T-Shirt is on the way and I'm carefully drinking out of my Spinward Fringe Rogue Element Trilogy mug. When I finish writing this book I'll probably go find a few quotes and put them on something, I'm sure Minh has said something Merch-worthy.

In conclusion: There are several shirts and a hoodie in the store. If I didn't match your heart's desire, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments!

RL

[If you're not eager enough to order stuff for these high prices, just wait until November. I'll be putting in a bulk order with a real print company and the T-Shirts will be about half the price from me directly. My target price will be about $20.00 in the US or CAN with shipping.]

Reviews and Interviews

2010-08-31T14:12:00.001-04:00

Shawn R Gray just managed the nearly impossible by reviewing Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments without spoiling any part of the plot line. I'm more than a little impressed, and pleased that he enjoyed the book.

He does mention an outstanding question that many readers have EMailed me about, and I'm glad to say the following:

Yes, it'll all make sense in the next book. No, I can't tell you why or how.

What I like about that point in the plot is that it has everyone asking questions even though those questions come from a place of; "But how can it be?" It's the kind of thing that a middle book should accomplish, among others.

Anyway, enough of me yammering on. Here's Shawn R Gray's review.

A while back I also did an interview on the Spinward Fringe series, in which I discussed the series' future with publishers, what my attitude towards the publishing industry is now and a little more personal history surrounding Spinward Fringe leaks out. A few people have found the interview interesting, especially with so much turmoil in the industry right now.

You can find the interview here.

A quick note about reviews: Every short review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or wherever you got your hands on my work is helpful. I like readers to make an informed decision when they buy my work, and there's nothing better than you guys sharing your opinions to make sure that happens.

RL

[Thanks to everyone who has ever posted a review, mentioned me on a blog or podcast.]

Quietly Working Away...

2010-08-19T14:12:00.000-04:00

So work on Broadcast 7 is underway and once again I'm at that awkward phase where I've said everything I can about it.

The problem with being a novelist with an active blog is that the life of the virtual space depends on updates, interesting information and a little humour if you can manage it. I'd love to indulge, to be honest I miss writing scathing movie reviews and poking fun at bad television. [I still dare anyone with a cast iron stomach or a touch of crazy to try the Secret Life Of The American Teenager drinking game].

Sadly, I just don't like splitting my writing time like that, and I'm sure many people who just finished reading Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6 would rather I spend more time writing Broadcast 7 than plonking away on the blog. Last year I actually spent way too much time playing around with social networking, enough to decide to ignore the whole time sucking vortex as much as possible. Thankfully, I can check things once every few days instead of every few hours like some people, and I have no interest in informing anyone that I'm taking a shower, eating a sandwich (with pictures), going for a walk, talking to someone on the phone, or watching television. Strangely, more than three quarters of all social networking statements consist of that kind of airy update, which are only really useful to burglars or stalkers. I couldn't care less about what Demi and Ashton are doing unless I'm sneaking into their living room to make off with their big screen, but I digress.

My point is, I'd rather not engage in distractions, and I'm pretty sure most self motivated people can understand. I write full time, and aside from a crowd of readers, I don't have a boss. That made it pretty easy to tab out of my word processor every half hour to check Twitter, or Facebook, (which I've come to call Wastebook), or to jot something on the blog. I discovered that, not only were those distractions bad for time wasting, they were making it pretty easy to repeatedly lose focus. I blame social media for a whole re-draft of Broadcast 6. The other two drafts were necessary, but there was a whole section of jumpy writing that was cut then rewritten from scratch - about thirty eight thousand words worth.

My old philosophy of not talking about a book I was working on and keeping distractions to a minimum is working at the moment, and considering I finished writing over half a dozen or so books before 2005, before the advent of social networking that way, I'm going to revert to that state of writing.

What does it all mean?

Well, it just means that this blog will be a little quiet, you won't see hourly Tweets, and I'll be checking Wastebook every couple of days, maybe a little less. It's a good thing, trust me. The less time I spend distracted by online life, the more time I'm spending writing. As a side note, I'd like to say that I do enjoy Emails, comments and other interactions with you guys, and I'm certainly not telling you to cut it out, I'm just saying that it may take an extra few hours, or an extra day for me to get back to you.

RL

[The Secret Life Of The American Teenager Drinking Game: Every time you hear someone repeat a word in the space of 5 seconds, take a shot. If it's a character's name, you can avoid taking a shot by shouting the name aloud and pointing to the person you want to see take your shot for you. If more than one person passes their shot onto one poor sucker this way, the sucker only has to take one shot even though many fingers may be wagging at them. Good luck, don't die.]

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework - What To Expect

2010-08-12T12:41:00.003-04:00

"Every few generations there is a leap in technology so drastic the conditions of living change. All your fears are justified."

That line was first seen in The First Light Chronicles Omnibus: Starfree Port (also known as Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins). The idea of framework technology started there, but has been one of the core fixtures of the series ever since. The primary reason why it's been in the books all along is simple; there's a point, a conclusion that delivers on Doctor Marcelles dark prediction. How? Well that will be told in Broadcast 7: Framework, which is also the third part of the Rogue Element Trilogy.

The Rogue Element Trilogy was always meant to be the season one finale, if you will, of the ongoing Spinward Fringe series. When I say I write this like a television series, I'm not kidding. The First Light Chronicles is like a TV movie or mini-series, while the Spinward Fringe series can be measured out in a longer, on going television series that's marked like seasons of television. How long is a season? After much consideration over the last two years, I've decided it's seven books long. Deconstructing the scenes and story lines neatly provide twenty one or twenty two episodes of television. My white board got a serious workout while I puzzled that together.

That brings me back to the Rogue Element Trilogy. Broadcast 5: Fracture was largely a wish fulfillment book for me. I wrote it as though it was in real time and directed like a film. Every perspective led easily into the next scene, joined by some kind of contact between characters whether one was thinking of the next, or they were communicating with each other, and then the baton would be passed.

I also got to show a lot of the characters existing strengths. The crew were at their best, and in Broadcast 5 they had the opportunity to function in a challenging setting while trying to address some personal drama. We also got to see a couple characters at rest, Ashley in particular. She was our guide as we visited the bunks and the Pilot's Den, where we were reminded that the crew had lives off duty, and it wasn't so bad for some of them. She also added a little swagger and sauciness back into the book that I thought was missing in Spinward Fringe Broadcast 4: Frontline.

In Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments, the struggle is on, and many of the characters have to deal with situations that aren't easily resolved. A number of characters have to operate outside their regular skill set, and a few emotional challenges confront them along the way. I'm of the mind set that the second part of a trilogy should always be the most emotionally driven, and introduce intrigue that will be important in the final part of the trilogy. I also took the opportunity to introduce a type of setting that I've wanted since Broadcast 2.

Waiting almost two years to introduce this setting has nearly driven me bibbildy bonkers, and I'm not even disappointed that very little of the research that went into it (over eighteen months worth), has been used yet. Anyone who has read Broadcast 6 should know which setting I'm writing about. Nothing is simple, to everything there is an impending cost, and you've only seen a glimpse of a few small patches of land. The characters that come along with this setting took a lot of doing as well, and they're as important as Cheshire in Alice in Wonderland. I had to get them right, and I had to make sure that they were interesting for different reasons. Why did I introduce a new setting that has a vast potential for milage? I'll need it. It'll be important in Broadcast 7 for a few reasons, and in future Broadcasts.

One more thing about Broadcast 6: the bad guys are back. The second part of the trilogy gives us the opportunity to learn more about many of the characters, including the ones who, while they may think they're on the right path, really stand to do more harm than good.

Broadcast 7: Framework is the book everyone has been waiting for. Unlike traditional science fiction season finales, most of the plot lines that have been running since Broadcast 0 and Broadcast 1 will come to a thunderous end. Loose strings? Most of them will be tied up. Questions left unanswered, and mysteries left unsolved? Broadcast 7 is the book of solutions. I'm not giving anything away here, the third part of a trilogy is traditionally about resolution.

Our favourite characters are in difficult situations thanks to the events in Broadcast 6, which did resolve a lot of the immediate problems that started in Broadcast 5 after a fashion, but they aren't operating on a stable foundation. Broadcast 7 is the third part of a trilogy, meaning that everything in the other two parts of the trilogy (Broadcast 5 and 6), should be dealt with, but it's also a coalescent book, meaning that our characters will find themselves facing greater challenges than ever as the drama, intrigue and momentum that has been generated since the very first novella, Freeground - comes crushing down on them.

Many of my readers are fairly new to long form serialization and I completely understand how frustrating it is to come to the end of one of the books, realizing that the ending to the whole thing remains elusive. In a way, Broadcast 7 is for you. While no one will ever see me write; "and they all lived happily ever after." this will be the closest thing you'll ever see in Spinward Fringe. The answers are here, and most of them don't lead to more questions.

While Broadcast 7 is the ending of a trilogy, and the first "Season" of Broadcasts, it's important to remember that, after all is said and done, you, the reader have been quite vocal about wanting more, so there will be indication of more to come at the end of Broadcast 7: Framework. While I will be releasing a horror and fantasy novel in 2011, I also plan on writing one or two new Broadcasts before 2012, not including Broadcast 7, because there are so many other stories left to tell.

Over two years ago I said that the readers would determine when I was finished with Spinward Fringe, effectively cancelling it by no longer offering support. The opposite has happened. There are more readers than ever, and I can't wait to finish Broadcast 7 so I can release it to the world.

Overall Broadcast 7 will contain almost all the ideas regarding the ongoing plot lines that I have been holding back. Those unanswered questions? I've been waiting to tell you the answers for years. There are scenes and character interactions I've been waiting to delve into as well, and while I may not get to all of them, you'll see the important bits. I can honestly say that I've taken myself completely off the map of what I know with some of the ideas I'll explore in this book, and that's where Science Fiction does its best work.

The best is yet to come.

Now to get back to work on it.

Interview About Spinward Fringe At Two Ends Of The Pen

2010-08-05T13:29:00.001-04:00

So it finally happened.

I've gone and told everyone what it would take for a big publishing company to buy the Spinward Fringe series, what I think of agents and how the whole series really started.

When things fell into place so I could do the interview at Two Ends Of The Pen, I 'm sure she had no idea those where things I really wanted to talk about. Authors, they say the damndest things...

Now it's out there, on the Interwebs for all to see, and I'd love to see a few readers comments there with regards to my opinion on the establishment.

This article also serves as a good quick primer for anyone who isn't familiar with the series yet. Just remember, there's a free version of the First Light Chronicles Omnibus / Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins available HERE. You don't have to buy the $0.99 Amazon Kindle version linked to in the article if you don't care about navigation menus and the like.

You can find the interview here.

Well, back to work on Broadcast 7!

Dark Arts: A Year Later

2010-07-30T20:24:00.003-04:00

A year ago I made Dark Arts: Rising available for free through Smashwords. They distributed it to other eBook resellers, like Barnes and Noble. The reaction to the story there has been largely positive, and after downloads numbering in the thousands, there's one common criticism.

It's too short.

When this short novella was first presented here, it was an experiment. As a result it didn't get extensive editing, and it was only as long as it had to be to present the core concepts and characters. In all honesty, I didn't have time to write this as a full sized novel or trilogy because I was in the middle of writing the Spinward Fringe series.

The same fate has befallen the yet unreleased Sons of Brightwill, which sits half written on my hard drive. Spinward Fringe, and the hundreds of readers who follow that series, took priority. I don't have any regrets, I love writing in that universe and entertaining people.

Back to what's going on with Dark Arts. I wrote that experiment because there were characters, settings and events that I wanted to put down, the fact that I did so in a short cropped manner is really a result of time constraints. 2010 belongs to Spinward Fringe, then I'll be taking a break for a few months. During that break I'll be working on a new Dark Arts project, in which you'll find the characters already introduced. I'll either be expanding what I have into a full novel, or writing something new before or after the events that take place in Dark Arts: Rising.

I can tell you one thing for sure: When I'm finished, the people who are looking for more will get their wish granted in abundance. Ever since I finished the Dark Arts: Rising short I've been looking forward to getting back to it.

I'd like to thank the readers who took the time to enjoy this short, and for reviewing, emailing, and generally making your thoughts on it known. You've spoken, and I've heard you.

RL / LSR

On The Shelf - What I've Read, What I'm Reading, And What's On The Bedside Table

2010-07-26T21:07:00.000-04:00

Recently, a reader named RandomZ asked about my favourite authors and my response turned into a short hand history of my reading habits.

The last book I read was War, by Sebastian Junger. I haven't seen the documentary that accompanies this book, RestRepo, but I really have to. It's one of the few books this year that wasn't handed to me by someone or recommended to me by a book store clerk. What did I think? Junger was imbedded for the better part of a year with US troops in Afghanistan and he managed to convey more than detail. There were moments where I felt like I was there, and it reminded me of a kind of camaraderie that forms when everyone shares a traumatic period of time in their lives. Did I learn anything that I applied to my own writing? In all honesty, it reinforced some of the character work I'm doing in Spinward Fringe, and led to me re-examining some of the coping mechanisms those imaginary people use. As a result, some of what I had cut from Broadcast 6 was put back in without adjustment.

I'm half way through The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet and next up will be Untamed Time by Susan Plunkett. I read every genre in fiction, and several non-fiction genres. My favourite authors are mostly people I know, like Elizabeth C Mock who just put out a fantastic book I got to preview called Shatter.

When I first started writing long fiction about 18 years ago, I read a lot of Tom Robbins, Clive Barker, Khalil Gibran and second hand university history books. As a kid I loved going through really old encyclopedias (our library had a set from the 40's), and find things that were incorrect using the newest set, which wasn't really that new. Most of the other kids were busy watching Mary Poppins, or listening to an adult read to them. That lasted until I discovered the Occult section. Mom and Dad didn't send me back to the library on Sundays anymore after that...

These days I walk into bookstores and let the clerks pick a book from 3 random genres. It helps that I can go through an average book in an afternoon.

Right, enough procrastination! Back to work on Broadcast 7.

RL

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments - Mobipocket Release and Availability Recap

2010-07-24T22:52:00.000-04:00

The first place my work was really discovered was on Mobipocket.com, an Amazon owned site that was once a giant in the eBook world. A lot of publishing companies don't even release there any longer. In fact, Mobipocket no longer accepts new publishers or authors.

Regardless, I certainly owe the customers who still frequent the site a release, so they can find Fragments there now.

Thankfully, that brings my work on this book to an end. It's currently available at Smashwords in every imaginable format, Amazon, and it's on its way to the iBookstore, the Sony eBook Store, Barnes & Noble, as well as Kobo (formerly Shortcovers). It's important to note that all those vendors will be carrying the same documents that are already available at Smashwords, so if you're waiting for the book to arrive at one of the secondary vendors, there's no reason to.

While the new book has been entertaining you, several hundred people have been discovering the first book in the series. Since the re-release of that book on Amazon.com, people have been wondering whether or not Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins (also known as the First Light Chronicles Omnibus), will still be free at Barnes & Noble, the iBookstore, and Smashwords. Well, my constant intention is for Broadcast 0 to be free, unfortunately, Amazon.com does not allow authors to price any book lower than $0.99. It's there so Kindle users who only by from Amazon.com, and there many of them, can have easy access to it. I still suggest people download all the books from Smashwords.com (if they haven't already done so somewhere else), since they're the distributor and carry all formats, so if you change readers, you will be able to download a different version for your new device without paying for the books again.

Thank you for making this a relatively smooth and successful launch. I hope you all enjoy the book while I work on Broadcast 7!

RL

Release Links List for Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments:
Print Edition: Lulu.com
eBook Editions:
Smashwords (Most Recommended)
Amazon.com (Kindle)
Mobipocket.com

Fragments For Amazon Kindle

2010-07-23T09:05:00.004-04:00

This arrived much sooner than expected, but I woke up this morning to discover that Amazon had finished inspecting the files for Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments.

A version for the Kindle (from the exact same source file), was already available from Smashwords but I understand why some Kindle owners would rather wait until it's available on Amazon.com. That whispernet is awfully convenient.

Here are the vitals for the Kindle version:

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 565 KB
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Randolph Lalonde (July 18, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B003WEACS6
ISBN: 978-0-9865942-4-3
Price: $4.99 US, Price determined by Amazon in other countries.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Spinward-Fringe-Broadcast-Fragments-ebook/dp/B003WEACS6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&s=digital-text&qid=1279629043&sr=8-1

Enjoy!

Now back to work on Broadcast 7.

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments - eBook Now Available!

2010-07-20T08:46:00.007-04:00

At long last, Broadcast 6 has arrived for all eBook readers. I'm excited for people to see this book, especially since it isn't what anyone expected so far.

It took a long time to write, and I appreciate your patience and support. I might not have as many readers as a lot of writers out there, but I can say that I must have some of the best.

Now, down to business. Smashwords is offering Broadcast 6: Fragments in all areas right now. Here are the book's vitals:

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments

Ebook By Randolph Lalonde
Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Jul. 19, 2010
Category:Fiction » Literature » Adventure
Category:Fiction » Literature » Science fiction - space opera
Words: 133,924 (approximate)
Language: English
Available in: HTML, Java, Kindle (Mobi), EPub, PDF, LRF, and Palm formats.
Price: $4.99

I'm fairly proud of this book in particular, especially since I managed to tell more than one story about some of my favourite characters. Some may be short, but several characters go on emotional and physical journeys that move the whole story ahead, and give us a better understanding of them and their surroundings.

I hope you enjoy reading it even more than I enjoyed writing it!

RL

If you happened to stumble on to this post without knowing anything about the series, you can start from the beginning with the free collected trilogy here: Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins

Update: The iBook reader app issue has been resolved and the spacing throughout this release has been improved. Anyone who has a copy from Smashwords can update. Readers who haven't already bought their copy will automatically get the corrected version. Thanks for reporting the problem!

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments - Print Release

2010-07-19T18:38:00.003-04:00

The title says it all. Just in case it doesn't, the picture says the rest. Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments is on its way onto the Internet, and as it turns out there was a demand for a print version.

One reader spoke up, and a few others followed right behind in telling me that they don't read the series electronically, they order each volume in print. The original plan was to release a print version of the whole trilogy once it was completed, combining all three books.

That plan has changed. Broadcast 6 is almost exactly double the size of Broadcast 5, and if I waited for all three books in the Rogue Element Trilogy (Broadcasts 5, 6 and 7), to be finished, not only would I be neglecting readers who love paper, but the resulting combined book would be about 1,000 pages long in a 6"x9" edition, which is only a couple grams lighter than a hard cover of the same size.

So, for those reasons, and because Lulu has finally started cleaning up their act, I've released the print edition of this book. Here are the vitals:

Paperback: 410 pages
Publisher: Randolph Lalonde
Language: English
Print ISBN: 978-0-9865942-3-6
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
Notes: Free shipping in the US,
Link: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/spinward-fringe-broadcast-6-fragments/11903113

This book is a long time in coming, and I'm really happy that the release is going well so far. Work on the digital version is complete for some distributors, so keep checking back here and on Smashwords.com for the eBook!

Broadcast 6: Fragments Will Be Available On Smashwords July 21

2010-07-14T09:26:00.001-04:00

I started writing this book over eleven months ago. Until last week I was still writing new content. In the end over 30,000 words were cut from the book, another 25,000 or so words worth of work never found their way in and a little more material was pushed into Broadcast 7 in the end. This was the most difficult writing project I've ever undertaken, involving hundreds of hours of research into topics like military law, the third world, the definition of 'A corrupt government' before and after WWII, cults and their leaders, Privateering, geology, hydroponics, alternative to alternative power, the three sides of paradise on Earth (hospitality, poverty and politics), and the war in Afghanistan. Will most of it be noticeable in the work? Probably not, they're character driven novels, after all, and the reason why I do so much research is so the setting doesn't step into the spotlight uninvited.

When final editing started, I realized there was more writing to do, and from that point on I had a blast with this book. Watching it come together as a set of linear stories while writing important segments for different characters was like enjoying the best parts of being a reader and writer at the same time. The twists are back, the character growth is better, and a few experimental writing directions may have paid off, at the very least, the story was delivered and things move forward.

I'm enjoying another advantage in this book as well; more help. Thanks to two Allans on different sides of planet Earth (literally), and my favourite cinnamon girl, some extra proof reading is taking place, and I expect this to be the cleanest release (edit wise), yet.

Is this the best book in the series? I don't know, but it's my favourite so far.

On July 21 you'll be able to judge for yourself. Smashwords will get the book first, since they will provide an indexed version of the book that will be compatible with all readers.

Thank you for reading, and for staying aboard.

RL

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments Awaits Final Word From Editor

2010-07-07T20:08:00.003-04:00

I finished writing the last chapter to Broadcast 6 today. True, I thought I had written it over two months ago, but, thanks to the enlightenment that comes with an edit-draft and the realization that I had to pull the trigger on a plot line high point that I'd been holding in for a while, I decided the book needed to be 42 chapters instead of 41.

The point is; I'm finished. My editor won't have the last 60 pages until Thursday, but I'm 99% sure that she'll agree, this book is done. The only thing I'll have to do is run another spell check, and send it off for proof reading this weekend.

What will I be doing as the proof readers are having their fun? I'll be starting on Broadcast 7 from the beginning. There are a few bits and pieces written, a white board covered in notes, a text file with even more ideas but now I finally get to dig in and write chapters from beginning to end.

Much of what I had written for Broadcast 7 was pulled into Broadcast 6, and the leftovers were tossed with all the directionless stuff that was cut from that book, so I'm looking forward to making Broadcast 7 my full time job.

When will you see Broadcast 6: Fragments? Unless my editor puts the brakes on, you'll see it this month. I'll post a specific date once my editor has read the last page and given me the thumbs up.

Now, for a little other business. A few people have sent me Emails and private messages (via Facebook or Twitter), with regards to finding me a cheap replacement laptop, offering to repair my current HP Mini, or offering me one gratis. I'm grateful for the offers of assistance, but, thankfully, I have it covered.

Thanks to the money I've managed to save over the last 6 months, the sale of my oldest laptop (a 7 pound Toshiba), and the change in the sofa I've picked up a refurbished Macbook. I've only typed two chapters on this thing but I'm in love. It's like switching from Tang to hand squeezed orange juice. Like upgrading from a 1985 Chevette to a 1969 Mustang. Like moving from Podunk Nowhere to New York City. Well, maybe not the last part. I kind of like living in a relatively small city, it's quiet here, and I can count the number of people who read my work in this town on one hand. No one is greeting me on the bus by asking; "So, where's the next book?"

Anyway, back to the point. Writing the next book will be much easier without the space bar periodically falling off.

Thank you for being patient, and for reading my previous books. I can say with great confidence that it won't be long now!

RL

A Delay For A Good Cause & I Think I Killed My HP Mini.

2010-07-04T10:45:00.002-04:00

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments, is less fragmented, and twice the size than I expected it to be. That's good.

The whole book moves like a runaway train, and I love the way it's turning out, but I need more time.

What's more, my editor needs more time, and the beta readers haven't gotten a copy yet because the editor hasn't finished her pass yet. I'm sure some of you will be frustrated that I'm pushing the release off again, but I've rushed to release before, and it didn't turn out well.

I'm genuinely enjoying Broadcast 6, and I want it to be it's best when you finally get your hands on it, so I'm going to take more time with it, make sure I've done my absolute best with this book, and give everyone who wants to make this book great (my editor and beta readers) more time to help. They're volunteers after all, and from what I hear, whip cracking isn't advisable when they're not getting paid or bound in chains.

So, I'm going to do my absolute best to get this book out as quickly as I can while working to a higher quality standard than I have in the past, so when you finally do get it, you'll enjoy it that much more. How much more time do we need? From the looks of things right now, we'll need two extra weeks. When I know more, and can give everyone a firm release date, I'll post it here.

I am looking forward to getting this out to you, especially since, until just recently, I've had to keep all the ideas and occurrences in this book to myself. That's almost eleven months of keeping potential spoilers under wraps. I'm about to explode.

Thank you for your patience, the next helping of Spinward Fringe is still well on its way.

RL

PS
For anyone who might be wondering, it seems the HP Mini 1035 can take about 500,000 words (or a fantasy novel, about 4 drafts of a science fiction novel and 40 blog entries), before the keyboard really starts falling apart. More to come on that in a future post.

Broadcast 6: Fragments - The Editing Continues...

2010-06-25T00:01:00.000-04:00

The news is good so far. I'm finishing my edit of Fragments while my editor is working right behind me.

She's half way through the book and has deemed it a strong work with some good drama, excitement and a dash of comedy relief. So far, so good.

That's just what I like to hear, and as I close in on the last chapters, I'm looking forward to passing the test version of the book to the beta readers, who will point out errors and tell me if what they get to see of this book is really ready for a July 7 release.

I've been living with this book for over ten months now, and as much as I know it will be hard to let it go, I can't wait to dig into Broadcast 7 with both hands, I have plenty of notes, ideas, a few chapters already penned, and I'm very excited to put some of my ideas out there. That has to wait until Broadcast 6 is complete, however.

Have I enjoyed writing this book? Mostly. Have I enjoyed editing this book? Let me put it this way; I'm having too much fun to call this editing.

Thank you for reading, thank you for your patience. I'll continue to be obscenely busy right up to July 7, but I'll check back in right here when I can.

RL

By the way, the update to Broadcast 5 at Smashwords has been updated. The terrible formatting snafu has been corrected.