What I'm Listening To For Carnie's Tale

The story from Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10: Freeground continues for Alice and a few other characters in Carnie's Tale, a short novel that takes place between Broadcasts 10 and 11.

Often there's a time jump between books in this series, and that was the plan for Broadcasts 10 and 11, but I found a story between the two. It's a story that takes us back to a world that at some times feels abandoned, after the Holocaust Virus hit and artificial intelligences turned on most of humanity.

There were survivors who were smart enough to lay low, and some of them made it to Haven Shore. Noah Lucas (known as Carnie in the Samurai Squadron), is just such a survivor.

As with every book I write, I associate different songs, and often albums with the events and the environment I'm writing about. For Carnie's Tale, that music is sometimes slow, low, and it speaks of lonely times, silence that is too complete, and a wish to return to better days.

There is also boisterous carnival-ready music for when Carnie is reliving a few memories about better times, and other tracks that speak to Alice's time in training, or her moments of disappointment and joy.

Here's a list of some of the tunes I've been playing in the background while writing this story, I've tried to give you some clue as to what kind of scenes I used as background music while I was writing:

For Carnie's lonely times: Leonard Cohen: Everybody Knows, Waiting for the Miracle,

The first android chase: Lost Boys Soundtrack: To the Shock Of Miss Louise

Alice's New Home: Conjure One: Endless Dream

A chase into the storm: Helion Prime: Life Finds A Way, Hailstorm: Mayhem, Dragonforce: Ashes of the Dawn

A new chase: Apocalyptica: Toreador II

A little longing: Black Eyed Peas: Meet Me Half Way

Alice Goes On A Search: Ray Charles: Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The people we miss: Apocalyptica: Faraway Volume II

I'm not quite finished with Carnie's Story yet, so I'm sure this sampling of music will grow. I'm seriously excited to get this story into your hands, there is a lot of heart, and I think it's the perfect bridge between Broadcasts 10 and 11.

RL

[The original announcement for Carnie's Tale can be found HERE]

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 11: Revenge Expands With A New Novella

Approximately one month passes between Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10: Freeground and Broadcast 11: Revenge. During that month Alice is still in the Haven Fleet Academy Apex Program, and there was one story that didn't fit in Broadcast 10 that I wanted to finish. It fits right into the middle of Alice's training course, and it easily connects Spinward Fringe Broadcasts 10 and 11.

Alice is given a complex and secretive assignment: she is to review months worth of voice recordings, video and pictures taken by Noah Lucas, better known as Carnie, a member of the Samurai Squadron. The material was recorded while he was on Iora, a technically advanced world as the holocaust virus struck it. She is to review all materials and create a report that includes insights into the young pilot's personality, strategic information about Iora and any other details that could help Haven Fleet. Before long, Alice becomes personally invested in the plight of her subject, and makes discoveries that could change her forever.

Meanwhile, a permanent government is taking hold in Haven Shore, and the Fleet is undergoing one last shakeup that could break the Apex class apart. All the while Alice is left to wonder where her father and his ship, the Revenge have gone while they wait for the rest of their active fleet to return from the Iron Head Nebula.

The Spinward Fringe saga continues in Carnie's Tale, the connective tissue between Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10: Freeground and Spinward Fringe Broadcast 11: Revenge, telling Alice's story between those books from a more personal perspective.

As a side note, this story is written for adaptation into a 2 episode television script, so if you ever wondered what a special pair of Spinward Fringe episodes would look like after several seasons, this is a good chance to do that. I'll be writing more of these stories in the future, as the Spinward Fringe series has flirted with television adaptation more than once and I have many ideas for shorter books that have been waiting for years.

Carnie's Tale will be released on October 28, 2017 and is available for preorder now from:

Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Australia, Amazon CA, and all other Amazon regional sites.
Apple iBookstore
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Smashwords
...and several other ebook retailers.

Thank you so much for your support this year, I can't wait to get this story into your hands!

RL

[The release of Carnie's Tale will be followed by Broadcast 11: Revenge near the end of 2017.]

Highshield Release Day!

Since I was a young teenager I wanted to write an epic fantasy novel. I wrote several unpublished books leading up to 2004's Fate Cycle Book I, and while I did see that as being worth publishing at the time, I would later become dissatisfied with the story I created there.

Brightwill was an attempt to tell a big story in a shorter book, one that suggested that the story could continue at the end, but had a whole tale told between those two covers. I'm still pretty happy with that novel, and am happy to offer it for free. In fact, the book that's released today, Highshield, takes place several years before Brightwill, and has some connective tissue with that book. There's even a cameo or two.

This year, I couldn't hold the ideas I had for an epic fantasy novel in anymore, I was working on something else, a much anticipated novel, but kept on getting distracted. So, I sat down and wrote Highshield. It's the beginning of a saga that I'll continue whether it sells 40 copies or 400,000 copies. It features character types I've never explored before, a world I've been dreaming about for twenty years or more, and the right story to start things off. A complete story.

The central story in this novel revolves around three special children, some of whom need to be transported across a politically divided land. They're all resurrected, and they all have a God or Goddess backing them from afar, trusting that their mortal followers will get the job done. That's what it's really about, spiritual, personal and physical journeys across a landscape.

The rough draft of Highshield was published twice weekly on my Patreon page, but this release is different. It's been edited multiple times, new sections have been written, other sections have been re-written, and there's a Guide to the people, and places in the book along with some extra history. This release is very special to me.

I hope you enjoy it while I'm busy working on Spinward Fringe, which will start putting releases out as early as next month. Watch this space this Sunday for more news on that.

For now, here's where you can find Highshield:

Smashwords
Amazon (Paperback is also available here)
Apple iBooks
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Many other book stores are carrying it as well. If your library supports Ebooks, they may be able to order it in for you for a discounted price. Thank you to the people who support me no matter what I'm writing, this is becoming a great year thanks to you.

RL 

Carnie's Tale Continues With Part 9!

Carnie's Tale Part 9 is up, and Part 4 is now free for all! Part 9 is a little short, but soon there will be two parts a week, so I hope that makes up for it. Scroll down to the bottom of the Index for part 9, or to part 4 if you're not a subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/randolphlalonde/posts?tag=Spinward%20Fringe%20Index