The Chronological Book Map v1

Here's a visual timeline of all my books in chronological order. If you ever wondered which books to read first, then here's the ultimate answer! I'll be making a more extensive list of books on the new website, which should be finished sometime  this year. 

RL

Everything I Released Is On Sale

I don't normally announce this sort of thing here, but Smashwords is having an end of year sale and I had to join in. All my books are discounted this week,(Until January 1). If you're missing something, want to look at my whole library, to see what's free today or would like DRM free backups of my books, now is the time. If you stop in, please add me as a favourite so you get notifications whenever a new book appears. There will be a few this year. :)

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/randolphlalonde

RL

Celebrating 10 Years and 1 Million Downloads of Spinward Fringe With a Summer Sale

I didn't think I'd get the chance to write this blog post when I set out on this journey. I started writing Spinward Fringe as a fun Space Opera adventure that I wanted to see but couldn't find. Science Fiction television shows were ending and being cancelled: Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, Universe, and Farscape were all either over or ending. Battlestar Galactica (Ronald D. Moore's reboot), ended in lacklustre fashion and the spinoff, Caprica, failed to live up to fans' hopes. Star Wars was hibernating for the most part, Star Trek was back in reruns and I'm pretty sure I'd seen everything at least five to ten times, and newcomers like Firefly didn't last.

It was a dark time for SciFi, and it wasn't the first time in my life when the force was weak with the serialized, space bound science fiction adventure sub-genre. Instead of weeping in front of more reruns or seeking out obscure box sets of more obscure series, I decided to try writing my own with the purpose of entertaining myself.

I wrote fantasy before that along with a little horror but took a couple years off after my first self publishing adventure in 2004. In 2008, starting on new years' eve, I dug into a Space Opera idea that I had been daydreaming about for a year. That became the First Light Chronicles, which was eventually collected into one volume and renamed Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins.
I released it in eBook form on a site made by a company in France called Mobipocket, unaware that Amazon already bought the company and was using the tech to develop the now dominant Kindle platform. A year later, I was firmly making a living and spreading my books out to Amazon, Smashwords and other retailers.

It's with gratitude and a little disbelief that I look back at the decade that followed. I've written and published twenty-two novels in that time, twenty-one of which can still be downloaded. Last year I verified that over a million copies of my books were downloaded legally with at least six times that number pirated (that's a gross underestimation).

Granted, many of those legally downloaded copies were free, but it's still a number I wouldn't have dreamed of hitting when I started out in 2004 with my first in-print self published novel, then started writing and releasing SciFi in eBook format.

Starting today, I'm celebrating ten years of successful self publishing. In that time that's all I've been doing to earn my living, and to kick it off I'm participating in the Smashwords Summer sale. All my books are on sale or free there now, and I invite you to take a look, leave comments on your favourite books, maybe follow me there as a favourite author if you like and be a part of it because they have been a part of my success. Here's a direct link to my page there.

I'm also having a poster made and updating most of the formatting for all my books while I correct errors throughout the series. The updates will be free for everyone, available through your dashboards wherever you purchased or downloaded them.

I'm wondering if you have any other ideas to celebrate this anniversary. Please, leave them in the comments, but don't forget the Smashwords Summer Sale, especially if you missed Highshield, Brightwill, Dark Arts, Spinward Fringe Broadcasts 6.5 or 10.5.

Thank you very much for reading and buying my books through the years. I hope I can do this for the rest of my life. I love creating this kind of entertainment, first for myself, then for you!

RL

Dark Arts II Halloween, 2018

Starting at Midnight, October 30, the first part of Dark Arts II will be serialized on my Patreon site for free.

It took about two years to plan most of this book and the set that follow it. Each of the Dark Arts novellas will be shorter than my average work, focusing on moving the story and character development forward at a pace that's right out of short pulp stories that were once published in magazines and books made to fit in your back pocket.

I'm excited to tell these stories in a way that's compartmentalized into shorter editions, especially since they'll read well separately and together, each focusing on a set of experiences while carrying the consequences of each adventure forward.

The release date of Dark Arts II is only a guess, but the book is available for pre-order now. I suggest you take a look at the serialized version on Patreon before you order, though, so check that out here: Dark Arts II Halloween Special

Patreon Done My Way...

There's a huge update on the Patreon site. The first thing you'll notice is that every post and item there is now freely available to everyone.

Check it out!

RL

Change Is Coming...

Before I get into the news I have I must say thank you to everyone who bought any of my books or put one of my free books in front of a new reader one the last few months. The first half of the year is generally the hardest time financially, but I'm keeping my head above water thanks to  you.

Now, about that title...

My Patreon Page Will Be Launching Soon
In a couple weeks the new place to get all your news and a lot of content from yours truly will be a Patreon page. Most of the content there will be available for free, so not much will be changing. There definitely will be something extra for most contributors though, but I don't plan on starting with a lot of tiers, I think keeping things simple at the start is the best move. Why Patreon? I hate to admit it, but I need something to help stabilize my income throughout the year, and if there are enough contributors I'll also have more freedom to work on more projects and complete more books. I also wanted a new portal to offer other projects through.

A New Book!
I've already finished a large chunk of a brand new fantasy novel that takes place in the world of Brightwill, and I like the look of it so far. I will probably have to put it aside for a while as I concentrate on Spinward Fringe Broadcast 11: Revenge, but expect to see a lot about this Epic Fantasy Novel this year.

Spinward Fringe, Dark Arts and More
I'm keeping my goals simple for this year: Two Spinward Fringe novels are due, along with the sequel to Dark Arts. I want to finish more books this year, but I'm only going to promise what I'm pretty sure I can finish. I expect to have Spinward Fringe Broadcast 11: Revenge out in June, 2017.

Podcasts Will Return
I have two podcast series planned, and they'll be announced on the Patreon Page. Both will be freely available, one will have a finite, limited number the other will be unlimited. A few have already been recorded.

Other Projects
Work on a role playing game (system and settings), continues. A playable set of basic rules will be flying out of my printer today and initial testing is set to begin. I'm also involved in a couple projects from other artists, so you never know what will appear.

The Facebook Page and Twitter
Randolph Lalonde and the Spinward Fringe Crew will still be a main community hub for everyone who wants to join, and I'll be pasting links to all new content there so you can see what's going on. I'll be doing the same with Twitter, even though that's not nearly as active for me. The addition of a Patreon page won't really complicate this, in fact, it should give everyone more free content than you've been used to seeing from me, and it'll make getting that content out to you much easier.

New Book Store?
That's right, I'm working with a vendor to create a clean, easier to use signed book store. It'll be accessible through the Patreon Page, but I'd like to remind everyone that the shipping costs from Canada are still high because I don't live in a major city.

I know, there aren't a lot of final links or finished projects in this update, but there's a lot of work happening in the background. I think you'll be faced with some very pleasant surprises from me this  year. Thank you for keeping my career afloat by talking about my work and buying the books, I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far!

RL

More! A Progress Update

Spinward Fringe, Dark Arts, Brightwill, and now the Chaos Core Series share parts of an ever-shrinking year.

I'm extremely fortunate as a writer not just because I make enough money to live on, but because my books receive increasingly positive reviews that most often end with; "now I just want to read more!" or "Where's the next one?"

While some people may see that as criticism, I see it as an invitation. The reviewers have paid for my work, read it and want another. That's an open door if I've ever seen one.

The good news is that I have ideas for all four of these titles, I even have ideas that are pretty much whole book outlines. The bad news is that it takes time to write, edit and get these to retailers, time which is absolutely finite. We're half way through the year now (roughly) and I've only managed to release one novella while I continue to work on Broadcast 10. Sure, there are at least two more books coming this year, but I know I'm not going to make my deadlines for Broadcasts 11 and 12 in 2016. There's still a chance Broadcast 11 will come out this year, but since I don't have any of that written yet, I can't make guarantees.

Looking over the history of this blog, I see a pattern. In January and February I always make some grand plans about how many books I'll be able to finish. Then, around June or July, I write a post about how I'm modifying my expectations and may make it through one or two books instead. This pattern comes up over and over, and I think I've finally learned my lesson. So, on to the good news and the annual adjustment of expectations...

In this year I can promise that Broadcast 10 will be released and it's going to be a large book with more than one story within. Broadcast 10 is really like two novels and a novella that are strung along one timeline and then trapped together in one book, that's one of the main reasons why Spinward Fringe novels take longer to write, but I know Broadcast 10 will be finished sooner rather than later.

Another Chaos Core novella called Cool Pursuit will be released this year, that's for sure. It's easier to write these shorter novellas with simpler story telling, so I can write Broadcast 10 and those at the same time for a while. Not forever, my brain needs some time to formulate new ideas, but for a few more weeks. Cool Pursuit will be in your faces sometime in 2016.

The Dark Arts sequel will make it's appearance this Halloween, or at least, I'm going to try my hardest to get that done. This isn't a guarantee. The first Dark Arts novel started with a simple plan, it was only going to be seven chapters, and then it got extremely complicated for a while before I got the story back under control. That's the tendency with these books, I'm sure, so who knows if I'll hit my deadline?

Regardless of whether or not I meet the deadline for Dark Arts II to come out at the end of October, I will be working on Broadcast 11 by the end of the year, probably at the beginning or end of September. Broadcast 11 will take less time to write than 10 because it will be a simpler novel that follows fewer characters and it won't be as long. In fact, I hope the days of writing long 140,000+ word novels are over for me for a few years because I find it's much more fun to write shorter works, and my finances take a massive hit if I don't release a book at least every six months.

In 2017 I'll be ready to write the second Brightwill novel, Broadcast 12 and another Chaos Core novella. the Brightwill and Chaos Core series' may end after three to four books each, that's the plan as it stands now. I would like to finish the Chaos Core series in 2017, and write another Dark Arts novel in addition to what I've already listed, but I'll have to see how it goes.

Overall, I'm really excited about the new, achievable plan, because I'll be bringing you more stuff overall, and I'll be writing different genres throughout the year. A quick recap is in order!

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10: Freeground will come out this year (2016).
Cool Pursuit (Chaos Core Book 2) will also come out this year (2016).
Dark Arts II may come out this year if I finish the final draft in time for an October release.
Work on Spinward Fringe Broadcast 11 will start this year (2016).
If all goes well, more books will be released this year, but I believe I'll be busy enough with those aforementioned projects.

2017 looks like more Spinward Fringe, Brightwill, Chaos Core and maybe more Dark Arts.

I love writing this stuff, and I enjoy presenting it to you more than you know, so I truly want the same thing you want: more. What thrills me to no end is bringing you more and being able to make sure that it's more of the good stuff, not just another one like the last one, so that's what I concentrate on.

RL

The Future Of Dark Arts In 2016

Dark Arts has been downloaded over 5,000 times through Amazon alone since it has become freely available. The reviews have been generous with praise, and I am grateful to everyone who bought it, or downloaded it.

"The first desire of any real author is to see their work read."

That was what a drunken, self proclaimed "failed poet" once told me after a poetry reading one night. He was at least five rum and cokes into the night at the time, but I think there's validity to that statement regardless.

Dark Arts, like every other book I write, was a passion project, and having it downloaded and enjoyed is as much validation as Dark Arts needs. When I wrote it I honestly didn't know if anyone would come away with a positive opinion. After being somewhat isolated in my apartment for about three weeks, playing the part of Maxwell in front of my word processor every day for several hours at a time, I had no idea how the work would be received. Now I have my answer and I'm as surprised as I am overjoyed.

Dark Arts will remain free in EBook form and inexpensive in print through Amazon. Over the next year I'll be working on the sequel for the book for a few days every month. Planning, writing thoughts down as they come, and eventually penning whole chapters. When will it be finished? With science fiction dominating 2016, I can't say exactly, but there are scenes I desperately want to see on the page, so you'll see another Dark Arts novel, that is for certain.

Thank you for your support, patience, and faith.

Download it for free wherever quality Ebooks are sold.

You can find it in print here:
US
UK
CA

RL

Dark Arts Takes Over the Spinward Fringe Podcast for Halloween Part 2 of 2

In this, the second part of the Dark Arts Podcast (ignore the intro, it's part 2 of 2), We turn the tables so Ray is bringing up high and low points from the book. In the later part of the podcast I bring up what I'll be up to next in the Spinward Fringe universe and allude to some changes that will be coming to Crewcast Radio in February 2016.

There were a few light spoilers in the first part of this podcast, but there are definitely huge spoilers for Dark Arts in this one, so if you haven't red the book, please turn away.

Thank you for listening, please leave comments and support for Dark Arts below, we absolutely love  comments!

RL

DIRECT DOWNLOAD

Dark Arts: My Contribution To Your Halloween

The critical reception for Dark Arts has been very good so far, so I'm very pleased to offer it to you for Halloween. This is the official release date for the book, so it will be available everywhere Ebooks are sold and the printed version is available through Amazon.

Why does this book excite me, you ask? Well, it has a history of collecting notes since 2009, and this year some of those notes became this book. A few of my all time favourite characters exist in this book, Maxwell and Miranda for a start.

I'm excited to get this book in front of more people, especially during this time of year. Fall and Halloween are my favourite times of year, and I'm very happy to celebrate it with one of my better books.

Thank you to everyone who already got this early, your reviews and support have been fantastic. There are two hour long podcasts coming today, where I discuss the origin, details, and extra content behind this book.

Links to Dark Arts online:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

Order a Printed Copy from the printer directly.
Order a signed copy.

RL

Dark Arts Is Finished!

Some people waited since late 2009 for this book to arrive, and I'm proud to announce that it will be available on October 31 in EBook form at the most popular online retailers (Amazon, iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and a few others).

You can already get your hands on a printed copy here:
Createspace
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

The process of developing this book alone was a massive learning experience. The research took a lot of time because it's set in the real world, in a real (but fictionalised) place, during a real time in our history.

Many of the rules of the real world have big influences on the occult content too, which required even more research into law enforcement and medicine.

I couldn't start writing until I had finished five different outlines, and I had to online again three times while work was underway. This is a process that shortens the whole process of writing a book by doing drafts in point form that encompass all but the finer points of the work. It really tightens up the story, but it's one of those processes that really works well if you stick to it all the way though.

Writing the book involved taking a journey that was sometimes ill-fated for characters that became favourites of mine, but there was no room for favouritism. I also used a style of writing and storytelling overall that I started developing as a teen, but didn't continue into my thirties, so the book doesn't resemble anything I've ever written. I didn't feel out of place writing in that style either, and I learned a lot by changing things up.

I enjoy dipping into other genres, I learn a great deal every time I do, and that makes me a better writer regardless of what genre I'm working in. I'm pleased with the story that's delivered in this book, and hope you enjoy it.

The test readers who took this journey with me were a massive help as well, there is one plot hole in particular that I didn't see, and they reported back with its exact location and measurements so I could plug it up. I have to thank them for taking this ride with me, it was a good experience.

Watch for this to appear at your favourite EBook retailer, I think it'll be a good read for Halloween!

RL

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10 - Named, and an Update On Dark Arts

Thanks to suggestions and votes that were piled on at the official Facebook Group for Spinward Fringe, the next Spinward Fringe book has it's name - Freeground.

Simplicity and clarity can lead you to the most compelling ideas, or in this case, names. Two thirds of this book will be about Freeground, so the title is perfect, I will say no more so we can avoid spoilers.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the discussion or voted, you really helped with this one. I highly suggest that you join the Spinward Fringe Community if you're on Facebook, they're a fantastic crew.

Now, for something completely different...

The release date for Dark Arts is still October 31, and I'm a couple days from finishing the manuscript. The test readers are ready to peruse the last pages as soon as I finish them, and the formatter has given me a deadline.

Editing has been ongoing while the book is being written, so the work is going to be wrapped up on time.

So far this book has been an enlightening experience for me, because so much of the first half is solely about the characters, and I've learned to love almost all of them. Then terrible things begin to happen to those same characters, and there are some chapters I've actually hesitated on because I feel like I'm stomping on kittens while drowning puppies. I know, it's a book where bad things happen, and the story may become sad but that's part of why it's good, but sometimes you just want to interrupt the murder by writing... "And... then.... happily ever after!"

While this book may be something of a heart breaker, it does resolve the main story, leaving the surviving characters in the right places. I do not know what the overall reception of this book will be once it's out there, but I hope you enjoy the experience. Here's the link to the Dark Arts page on Facebook. I post hints about what I'm writing and music from the 70's (the time period of the book) daily, so check the history for about twenty previous updates.

Considering that this all started when I wanted to tell a little backstory about one character to support events that take place in the 1990's, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Thank you for checking in, be sure to visit again soon, more news is coming!

RL

Dark Arts 1976

After a lot of writing, outlining, and more writing, I can confirm a lot of things about Dark Arts.

It will be a trilogy.

The first Dark Arts novel will be set entirely in 1976.

It will be released on October 31, 2015.

It will fit under the Supernatural category.

Test readers have already seen the first half.

Now, let's take a closer look at those facts. The story of Dark Arts fits into a trilogy that will move from one time period to the next. There will be at least ten years between each book as the plan stands right now. This will be the last book that takes place in the 70's, and this part of the story is the least "horror like" portion because this book is all about how the main character, Maxwell, comes to the Occult and begins his long journey towards the events of the original Dark Arts short, which happens in 1996. This is still not a prequel, because the seven chapter short was just an experiment, and was never meant to be remade into a novel. When the story set in 1996 is told, it will be vastly different, and it has not been told yet. This is a new series starting at book one, Dark Arts 1976.

The 1970's are important to this book because the whole work spawns from a simpler idea. When I sat down to outline the Dark Arts that takes place in 1996-1997, I decided that having three flashback chapters highlighting Maxwell's early life would really help the book. Maxwell, who is in his early forties in the original Dark Arts short, has a long backstory of his own that explains a lot about the world, about what goes on in 1996, and about the characters in that year.

When I started trying to decide which parts of Maxwell's origin and journey to feature in those flashbacks I ran into big problems, because his story was too large, and there was an opportunity to tell a tale about a rock n' roll band who was being pushed off the road thanks to the surge in disco clubs in Canada. In 1976, stages were being torn down so dance floors could be expanded, and over 200 bands in the Toronto area alone suddenly found themselves out of work. Most rock bands who lived on the road, trying to promote themselves and get discovered or take advantage of small record deals, were forced into the ditch - so to speak. Maxwell's band, Road Craft, is just such a creature, a road band who is coming home for the last time. This is a major turning point in Maxwell, Bernie and Zachary's lives, and there was no room to explore it in the three chapter flashbacks I had planned, none at all.

So, the idea of starting a brand new new short series - a trilogy - with the first book taking place in the 1970's  was born, the first Act in a three act play, if you will. The first part would be in the 1970's, featuring Maxwell and his people. The second part would bring it into the late 1990's and would feature an older Maxwell with a complete reinvention of the young characters we met in the original seven chapter Dark Arts: Rising short. The third part isn't something I'm willing to disclose, but it is set in a later time.

I wrote an outline that was meant to take care of Maxwell's 1970's story in seven chapters, and realised that was too small. I tried an outline with fourteen chapters, and it still didn't allow for the whole story to be told. I outlined the first third of the novel and started writing. The chapters all grew, each one twice the size of a normal one, thanks to the addition of a romantic storyline that infuses the story with a sense of warmth and yearning that I didn't expect. It was getting better, but I needed to make sure I could still tell the story I had to, to get to the ending I had planned.

So, heading back to the drawing board after finishing six massive chapters, I tried outlining fourteen big, fat, double sized chapters and voila, a roughly fifty thousand word novel plan that could work. Sadly, that was three times the size I had planned and I would only have about 35 days to write it. So, this year, on October 31, I'll be releasing Dark Arts 1976, the first of three short books that will cover the whole story I have planned at the moment. If this book is successful, I'll make sure I release another Dark Arts novel every October until the trilogy is finished. If it isn't very successful, I'll finish the books when I have time, between other projects. If it is sensationally successful, I have ideas for a second trilogy.

Now, for the last points. The original seven chapter Dark Arts: Rising short was unmistakably horror. Dark Arts 1976 is a Supernatural Drama. The story takes more time to tell, there is more culture, more character development, and the occult is more involved. The rules of the world are explored more, and more attention is paid to the development of Maxwell's situation, and his journey into the Occult. The early chapters that are more drama than action are there to build our relationship with the world, the characters, and to find our way into the emotional story so the second half of the book is more engaging, and we feel for our characters when they eventually find themselves in danger. This puts Dark Arts 1976 firmly in the Supernatural genre instead of straight up horror.

This book is massively different from anything you've read from me before. You will find that the book does not resemble Spinward Fringe, Brightwill or any of my out of print works, it's even vastly different from the original seven chapter Dark Arts: Rising short, which will not be included with this release. The two are too different from each other to share the same cover. I find that this is an enjoyable novel to write, and a great learning experience for me. It's a return to a style I started exploring in my 20's, and abandoned because I felt it was too difficult.

I hope you enjoy it in a little over a month's time when it becomes available, so far the test readers have seen the first half, and the feedback is that they have enjoyed it a great deal.

RL

[Thank you for reading!]

*** Synopsis ***

Maxwell, a guitarist whose band is coming off the road under discouraging circumstances, has come to a crossroad. The minimal success his band, Road Craft, has had is being smothered by an era where bars are becoming discos, and live entertainment is being replaced by larger dance floors. They scored a small record deal years before, but the excitement has cooled, and they never got much radio play. 

The only hope he has of putting his band back on the road for a few more gigs rests in a book he hunted down using contacts and skills he learned from his father, who was an expert at acquiring rare occult objects. Max is not a believer in mysticism, but he knows what he has was hard to get, and should be worth thousands. When he's told it's too hot to sell, his dreams are crushed, and his wallet is left empty. He'll have to tell his band mates that his plan has fallen through, and their next gig may be their last. The members of Road Craft are set to return home during a Pagan summer festival called The Gathering, where hundreds of people gather to celebrate music, nature, and each other. The Gathering also brings Miranda, a woman Maxwell knew when they were children, and the future looks a little more inviting thanks to an undeniable spark.

He doesn't know it yet, but this is the event that will make him a believer, and he will have some choices to make. All the while, there are people who know he has the book, and they are determined to twist the knowledge it contains to a terrible purpose, to break the circle of life, making resurrections possible, to open the door between the living and the dead just enough to embrace forbidden power. Their selfish intent would disrupt the natural order enough to change the world, and not for the better.

Maxwell's music career is about to be the least of his worries.

The Next Project - Dark Arts

New Dark Arts, new cover art by Kirill Semenov.
Focused on a young Maxwell in the 70's. 

Dark Arts is a new novel. Years ago I wrote a seven chapter short, an experiment to see if I could write a supernatural story that I enjoyed and people could follow.

On Smashwords it was a dismal failure, receiving low reviews and low downloads. On Barnes & Noble it was a smash success for a project I dumped onto the site and didn't publicise. Over the following year it gained thousands of readers and accumulated high ratings from people who had no idea the Spinward Fringe series existed. I even got a few creepy emails telling me to release the rest of the manuscript or my house pets and I would be in grave peril.

A few Spinward Fringe readers enjoyed it too, and a few of them have stuck around. I'm happy for their support this early on in the new inception of this project.

Let's be clear on this point, there was never a long version manuscript. It was only ever seven chapters long. That is, until now.

One important question I started asking myself about Dark Arts this year was difficult to face... did I like the seven chapter short?

The answer was yes and no. As a short it was a taste of something that could be fun with a bit of work, but it was a very small taste of something that hinted at a rich backstory and much more to come. So, I did like the seven chapter story, but I was dissatisfied because it was not interesting enough. No one could know the characters well enough to truly feel attached to them, and I was never happy with the ending, it felt cheap.

Dark Arts: Rising, It was a great experiment
worth building on for four or five years...

Since Dark Arts was pulled from the Internet, a miracle I almost successfully pulled off several years ago, I've been building that backstory and figuring out all the how's and why's and even the where and when. Now I feel I have the characters, the settings and most of the story. I'm also not afraid to deliver, but I am a little afraid of what this will lead to. This is a full rewrite that starts before the seven chapter short, twenty one years before, in 1976.

Here's the low-down. This Dark Arts novel follows the main character, Maxwell, a guitarist whose band is coming off the road under discouraging circumstances. The minimal success his band has had is being smothered by an era where bars are becoming discos, and live entertainment is being replaced by larger dance floors. They got a small record deal years before, but the excitement has cooled, and they never got much radio play. The only hope he has of putting his band back on the road for a few more gigs rests in a book he hunted down using contacts and skills he learned from his father, who was an expert at acquiring rare occult objects. Max is not a believer in mysticism, but he knows what he has was hard to get, and should be worth thousands. When he's told it's too hot to sell, his dreams are defeated, and his wallet is left empty. He'll have to tell his band mates that his plan has fallen through, and their next gig may be their last. His band is set to return home during a summer festival, where hundreds of people gather to celebrate music, nature, and each other.

He doesn't know it yet, but this is the event that will make him a believer, and he will have some choices to make. All the while, there are people who know he has the book, and they are determined to twist the knowledge it contains to a terrible purpose, to break the circle of life, making resurrections possible, to open the door between the living and the dead just enough to embrace forbidden power. Their selfish intent would disrupt the natural order enough to change the world, and not for the better.

Maxwell's music career is about to be the least of his worries.

---

So, that's the first four or so chapters. Set in 1976, the new opening to Dark Arts includes temptation, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, a fight involving a gun, some lighter fluid and a zippo lighter, and an outrageously nice guitar, for starters. Maxwell is the same character that appeared in the seven chapter short: Dark Arts Rising, but he's twenty three years old, and hungry to prove himself to the world. He's just about as moody though, some things never change.

Will this be the first instalment of a series? I'm going to say that, with all the extra story matter I've found so far, it's likely. Will this book be a complete story? Yes. This isn't going to be serialised as thickly as Spinward Fringe, where one book seems to flow into the next. Instead, I want each Dark Arts book to be a very separate experience. So far, I'm looking at a trilogy, and if I can fit Max's story in this one, each book will be centered around a different character, set in a different decade. I may skip the 80's though.

The genre this book is fitting in so far is Supernatural / Horror / A Touch Of Romance, but that could change. I'll make sure to tell you if it does before this book comes out on October 31, 2015.

So, what do you think about Supernatural novels? Are you willing to take a ride with Max on his Harley into horror and potential doom?

[Join the Facebook Page for daily updates: https://www.facebook.com/darkartsseries/]

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10 Release Date Announcement

The response to Spinward Fringe Broadcast 9: Warpath has been solid, with just over seven hundred preorders in the first ten days. That may not be New York Times Best Seller big, but it's a fantastic start by my standards.

Work on Broadcast 9: Warpath is almost complete, and there's great news - it's longer than expected by about ten percent or more. As I've said before, I've been enjoying the work on Broadcast 9 so much, that I don't want to stop writing. So I won't.

After Spinward Fringe Broadcast 9: Warpath is complete, I'll be taking a short break to finish work on another novel called Dark Arts, which has been a project I've touched on and off for several years, starting in 2009. It's time to finish that. Most of the work is already done.

After that, I'll be getting to work on finishing Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10, which will take us into the middle of a war. I deeply enjoy writing this series, and I have to write Broadcast 10 before turning towards the next Brightwill novel.

With the work I've already completed on Broadcast 10 in mind, and the plan already on the board, I'm comfortable announcing that the release date for Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10 will be December 14th, 2015. Yes, that's right, it's going to be late this year.

A preview chapter, or chapters for Broadcast 10 will appear in Broadcast 9: Warpath, so you'll have some idea what you'll be getting yourself into.

I'm eager to get the story that many of you have been waiting for, the war the Spinward Fringe series has been headed for, in front of you, and I'm excited that most of my year will be spent writing this series.

I'l be working on Brightwill II early in 2016, then I'll be back to work on another Spinward Fringe Novel, and possibly another Dark Arts novella after that. It looks like I've got my schedule all set until 2017, that is, if you're still reading.

Thank you for all your support so far, I hope to provide you with many hours of entertainment in the coming months, and the coming years.

RL

Spinward Fringe Origins is a novel that explores a futuristic universe at odds with itself through the perspective of...
Posted by The Spinward Fringe Series on Thursday, July 23, 2015

Dark Arts: A Year Later

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

Spinward Fringe Forums: To be or not to be?

Over the last few months a few readers have asked if there's an active forum for the Spinward Fringe series. Some of them have followed digital bread crumbs to the SyFy channel boards, Kindleboards and Mobileread, but weren't satisfied with what they found.

I'm left wondering if I'm seeing the tip of the iceberg. If these few readers represent a larger number of people who are looking to discuss all things Spinward Fringe. Beyond that, one reader asked if there was a speculation thread for the Dark Arts series, which is picking up readers like an electromagnet in a staple factory. I have to admit, I'm against speculation or fan fiction threads for many, many reasons (legal, creative, and quality control being just three), but I would love to see pretty much anything else discussed.

The Internet thrives on open discussion, and I'm all for it, but only if there are enough people to keep the forum active. So, if I get thirty votes for a forum and three comments from people volunteering to be moderators, then there will be a forum. As far as I can see, that's about the minimum any forum needs to remain active.

If the forum vote doesn't turn out well, there's no need to despair. Allan started a thread here on Amazon.com and commenting on this blog is always an option.

I'm lucky to have readers like you who take a minute to tell me what you want, it makes running a website and connecting with people a lot easier. Thank you for making yourselves heard, please keep it up by voting on the right.

RL

Back to editing Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments

Other Books By Randolph Lalonde

The Spinward Fringe science fiction series has outsold everything else written by Randolph Lalonde, holding the top spot on Amazon.com's Mobipocket eBook sales site for over a year in the science fiction section.

Before work on that series began on January 1, 2008, Randolph Lalonde wrote fantasy, horror and strange fiction. Three books in those genres have been made available to the public. Here they are in chronological order:

Fate Cycle: Dead of Winter
Past the Northern Reach in the Lands of Athoul there is a tradition called the Promise March. It is during this tradition of matchmaking that A young soldier in training named Deih Utonin meets Celeste, a Young Lady favored by her people. As just another in a line of Suitors, Deih is left with the task of proving himself as more than just a Soldier from a powerful House. Other, more pressing matters threaten to interrupt them as conflict in the south brews and Celeste’s Mentor calls her back to her side. The young pair are faced with making decisions That will effect them for the rest of their lives.

Note: This is the most light hearted work available from Randolph Lalonde. Written in more of a fairy tale style, this book functions as the prequel to Fate Cycle Book I: Sins of the Past. It can also stand on its own for people who prefer light hearted character driven fantasy.

Sorry, this book is no longer available. A re-release is in the works, but no date has been set.




Fate Cycle Book I: Sins of the Past
Three thousand years have passed since a sorceress and her companions exiled the corrupt City State of Caydor to the far off realm of Rikaam. After the Caydorians have fallen from history to legend, a portal has opened on the lands of King Gavat Lorridge. The King sends one of his best military leaders, Warlord Deih Utonin, through to discover the fate of the Caydorians. Meanwhile, the young King is left with his sage advisor, the Lord of the Winds, to aid him with a kingdom on the brink of war. On the other side of the portal the descendants of Caydor discover a portal of their own and send an expedition to explore. A new clash of cultures and kingdoms is about to begin, the scale of which none have ever seen.

Note: This is the first of a set of two. The upcoming second half to this saga is called Exodus, and will be available in 2010. Regardless of being the first part of a pair, the main plot concerning Deih Utonin and his wife Celeste is complete. It`s not necessary to read Fate Cycle: Dead of Winter before reading Fate Cycle Book I: Sins of the Past.

Sorry, this book is no longer available. A re-release is in the works, but no date has been set.




Dark Arts: Rising
Now for the horror. In 2009 a serialized short called Dark Arts: Rising was written as a proof of concept. Work on other horror novels will continue in 2010, including the Dark Arts, which will be expanded into a full novel named simply: Dark Arts. For the time being Dark Arts: Rising is available as a free eBook from Smashwords.

Here`s the synopsis:
The resurrection of Zachary Ellison has brought on a series of events that are changing the world forever. Maxwell, one of the last surviving members of a secret Order of occultists, has failed to catch him in time and is tasked to begin reviving the Order while attempting to minimize the damage his old foe is set to cause. Terrors unseen for thousands of years threaten to emerge if he fails.

Note: Dark Arts: Rising was an experiment made to test a new writing style, setting and story. Thanks to reader response, a full length Dark Arts novel is planned for 2012.

Sons of Brightwill

More on this book (including the cover image), will be available soon. This is a one shot fantasy novel slated for release in 2012.

Spinward Fringe: Things are happening...

Spinward Fringe: Fracture is on its way to the editors and I'll soon hear back on the worthiness of the book.

I enjoyed writing the piece and I'm looking forward to working on the next one after any required polishing or massaging on Fracture is finished.

The first part of the Dark Arts series is finished, but that doesn't mean that Tuesday won't be free content day on this site for a while. There's a scene that didn't fit into Spinward Fringe Frontline or Fracture, and it involves a character that will eventually become closely involved with big picture events. I'll be making this scene available on www.spinwardfringe.com for free on Teusday, August 25.

There are two other Spinward Fringe segments planned for release after the first. To be honest, I don't have any other free releases planned after, that, but you never know.

As for Dark Arts, so far I've recieved a little positive feedback, sold three copies of the eBook and received a donation of $5.00. Thank you very much for your support on this very little known piece. At this point I'm starting to consider expanding the piece into a full length novel but there's very little chance of continued serialization unless support picks up. It was a fantastic experiment and I've learned a lot from the feedback and other results I've seen. It seems the readers have spoken, and though a few people were well entertained, you all seem to prefer science fiction.

I'm looking forward to releasing the Spinward Fringe free content and to the release of Spinward Fringe Fracture. I'll announce the release date of Fracture as soon as I can reliably establish one. I'm enjoying the Fringe these days, and more people are joining the crew every day.

It's a good time to be a Fringer...

RL

From Fringe To Fright: The Dark Arts Experiment

Two months ago I finished an edit of Dark Arts: Rising, the first part of a potential horror serial that was based on the concept of a dark resurrection changing the world. It was a short, 15,000 word piece that presented a fantastic creative challenge. Horror.

Horror writing has always been my kryptonite. I'll confess: in my twenties I wrote two very bad, very long horror novels. I even tried writing one by hand to see if I could somehow change my style for the better by avoiding typing. I got a stack of double spaced hand written pages four hundred deep that will never see the light of day. A crime against Bic pens and ruled paper.

Dark Arts: Rising has more potential and I'm happy to announce that, for better or worse, it's available for free at Smashwords for every kind of eBook reader you could imagine and on its very own blog page. If you're noticing this story late, then you're sort of lucky. Everyone else had to read it piece by piece as I released it over the last seven weeks. Something about serializing this work in particular was a lot of fun.

The story is set in 1996 and begins with a dark resurrection conducted by one, Zachary Ellison. Maxwell, a grumpy British occultist, has been on his trail for years and is one of the last members of a secret society. He does his best to counter the damage Zachary has done to the barrier between the spirit and corporeal worlds while trying to lay the ground work for a re-ignition of the occultist secret society charged with protecting the general populace from what goes wailing and rending in the dark.

If you enjoy reading this ditty and want more, show your support by posting a review on Smashwords or donating whatever you think its worth. It was a blast and total change of pace to write and it didn't slow down work on Spinward Fringe much at all.

RL

[Dark Arts: Rising at Smashwords] [The Blog Page]

[Have you read Dark Arts Rising already? What did you think?]