Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: We Have A Final Draft!

My editor and I still have editing work to do, but yesterday, I completed the final draft of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework.

That means the story in this novel is complete, and all the necessary scenes are written. The ending of the book caps off the series in a way I find satisfying, in some ways, most of the book is made up of mini-endings that pop up throughout.

A lot of what you'll find between the covers will be unexpected, and I'm fairly proud of that. After two and a half years, scrapping one draft entirely, and re-writing, I'm happier than I can say that I have something I can call complete and final.

Here's some extra info on the book:

181,388 Words (Almost as long as The Fellowship Of The Ring).

56 Chapters

Will be available in print, then in eBook form.

Editing is expected to take two weeks, and it began months ago while writing was under way.
This book brings the series to a total word count of over 1,069,500 words.

I'm afraid there won't be a preview of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 8 at the end of Broadcast 7, because I'm developing Spinward Fringe Broadcasts 8, 9, and 10 together. They will be smaller books, that's all I can say about that for now.

Once we're almost finished editing, I'll submit to my eBook formatting partners for a work date to find out when they can format the book. After I have that date, I'll be able to announce a release date, and I'm really looking forward to it!

The major work is done, and I'm very happy with the story and characters. I hope to have this in front of you soon, so you can enjoy this conclusion of Spinward Fringe season one. For some of you, this will be the conclusion of the series. I hope it's very satisfying.

RL

[Addendum: For other readers who aren't looking for a conclusive end to the entire series, Broadcast 7 is only the end of the first section of the series. The second section, or 'season' will begin with Broadcast 8, which exists in notes at the moment.]

The Spinward Fringe Podcast Broadcast 20: The One With Two Dateless Writers.

Sylvie and I dig into the nitty gritty of our work on The Expendable Few and Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework after I provide a fairly significant update on the progress. There's still no release date, but we're closer.

Next we get into questions from email and from the Facebook Page, where I answer questions about Alice, her role in Broadcast 7, and Sylvie answers questions about her own writing. There's new stuff you've never heard before in this episode, and the Spinward Fringe community played a big part in determining what content ended up in this broadcast.

This week we play Dragonfly by Universal Hall Pass, please check them out if you like what you hear.

Other links from this Broadcast include: Neil Gaiman's post about Entitlement Issues post, Iron Sky, the official Spinward Fringe Facebook Page, and the Goodreads Forum. 

Thank you for listening!

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The Road To Broadcast 7

After an extended detour through the Expendable Few, I'm getting back to doing what I have to do in order to finish writing Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework.

The Expendable Few was all about telling a story that simply wouldn't fit in Broadcast 7. To be honest, I didn't have to write it at all. There were a pile of notes that would have served as a fine reference while I wrote Broadcast 7. I wasn't happy with that though, so I used the opportunity to show everyone what the repercussions of the First Light crew exposing Freeground to the galaxy were, and to travel to an issyrian world. There were other things I really wanted to do in Expendable Few - Clark Patterson's journey being a big part of that - but I won't discuss them because I like to avoid spoilers when possible.

After completing the Expendable Few I realized I needed to re-read Broadcasts 5 and 6 to get back into the right frame of mind for Broadcast 7. Instead of simply re-reading Broadcast 5, I thought I would take the opportunity to edit it. This book was released too quickly, and there were errors in the eBook conversion process, so it is in serious need of a revisit. I'm editing it the way I edit everything else; line by line, using UK spelling. It's worth noting that a lot of people have commented that there are a lot of spelling mistakes in my books - most of those complainers are mistaking UK spelling for errors. I'm in Canada, and the UK was the first region that fell in love with my books, so Spinward Fringe will always be edited (and spelled), by the Oxford standard, not by Chicago guide rules (the American way). I edit to my best ability within a reasonable time frame with the assistance of two fantastic editors. A couple errors do squeak through, but I draw the line between perfection and extra months added on to release dates and ultra-quick, sloppy publishing. My stuff comes out somewhere in the middle to higher quality range now, and the majority are happy with it.

The fresh edit of Broadcast 5 also takes care of a lot of over-writing, some awkward sentence work, and those pesky formatting bugs. I'm about sixty percent through it and I expect to be finished my pass next week. Is it worth a re-read? Yes. The story isn't changing, but every paragraph in the book is getting a tweak, so if you do re-read books, then it will be worth updating and re-reading Broadcast 5. My editor is already going through the book behind me, and our formatting partners at the 52 Novels  company will be performing the finishing. The update will be available for free to anyone who owns the book already, and will be easiest to obtain by Smashwords customers.

After I've finished my pass on Broadcast 5: Fracture, I only have to read Broadcast 6: Fragments since it just got a refresh late last year. My edit of Broadcast 7: Framework begins next. I have over one hundred ten thousand words written on that project right now, and they haven't been edited yet. After that edit is finished I'll be continuing the draft. My lowball estimate is that the book needs fifty thousand more words, but I suspect I'll be writing another hundred thousand words. That's the size of an average science fiction novel on its own, so it'll take a month or two.

So, if your quest is to find a release date in this bloated status update, there's good news. I can give you a guestimate with a little explanation. Here's how the timeline breaks down:

Finish editing Broadcast 5 - 1 week remaining. (Broadcast 5 updates will be out sometime in the following month).

Read and make extra notes on Broadcast 6 - 1 week.

Edit the existing portion of the Broadcast 7 Draft - 3 weeks. (My editor will start on that right behind me).

Extra writing on Broadcast 7 (can't talk about this yet) - 2 weeks.

Writing the second half of Broadcast 7 - 2 months.

Editing all of Broadcast 7's final draft - 2-3 weeks.

Formatting & testing - 2-3 weeks.

Total time estimated: 5 months, with a possible release date of August 14.
*** It is with only a little regret that I'm announcing that the release date above is not accurate. New material is being written for this project, and it is running long. Broadcast 7 will be released sometime in 2012. It will be out when it's finished, and polished to an appropriate standard. More updates will be available through the podcast: www.crewcastradio.com Complaints that appear in the comments section will be deleted. Suck it up, buttercup. ***

I have left myself a little breathing room, and an extra week to accommodate an upcoming move. I'm looking forward to having this book out in front of people, especially since I've been waiting for so long to tell this part of the story. The five month wait also doesn't mean that I'll be disappearing, or that fiction won't be appearing here and there.

Some extra information about Broadcast 7 and part of the developing press kit:

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework is the closing volume to the first section of the best selling Spinward Fringe Space Opera series. Weighing in at over one million words, the Spinward Fringe series has been read in twenty three countries around the world, and is gathering attention by agents and publishers who are interested in translating it into other languages. The Spinward Fringe series follows the tradition of Science Fiction Space Opera Adventure, featuring epic scale stories through the perspectives of characters ranging from charming to villainous.

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework takes place fourteen weeks after Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments, where Jake, Ayan, and the other characters were stranded and in great peril - again. From their position amidst the wreckage of a galaxy in decline they make every effort to take advantage of every opportunity and fit in with a culture that is trying to rebuild itself. The experiences and instincts of the Spinward Fringe crew members could just as easily pull them apart as draw them together.

Meanwhile, a new seat of power rises. The Order of Eden asserts its position in the galaxy of the conquerer of more civilized worlds than any ruling body in history. All the while, the prophets of the Order declare that a darkness approaches.

Long running plot lines come to a close, there will be losses on all sides, and a new side of the galaxy will be seen in Framework.

---

I'm happy spending more regular time blogging, popping up on Twitter (@randolphlalonde) and into the Facebook Page, so you'll be seeing me!

Now, back to work!

RL

UPDATE:

It's official! Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework has been released early thanks to the hard work of editors and the EBook formatter working on the project.

Here are the links so far!

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/256369

Amazon (US): amzn.to/SXETIQ
Amazon (UK): amzn.to/TaKorj
Amazon (FR): amzn.to/TaKmzD

There's much more info in the podcast: http://crewcastradio.com/2012/11/18/the-spinward-fringe-podcast-framework-release-special/

Editing Week - I Knew It Was Coming

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!

RL

[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.]

Looking The Elephant In The Eye

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!]

My Health and Those Damned Buzzards...

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.]

A Quick Q&A About The Spinward Fringe Series

Recently a thread about the First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe books has sprung to life on the Mobileread forums. You can find that here. The posters there seem to have become quite aware that I read their posts and am ready to answer within a day or two of them posting practically any question. I'm enjoying the public back and forth, and invite anyone who frequents my blog to pay it a visit.

So far the thread has been spoiler free, so if you want to start a topic where the plot lines of the books are discussed, then I ask that you start a new one. I'll be happy to discuss the plot, characters or technology in a different discussion thread for people who have already read the books. I won't reveal future plans or what's coming up in the story, however. (If you do start a new topic concerning my work, please send me a message telling me where to find it. Mobile read is a big bulletin board).

Here are a couple questions that have come up in the existing thread:

I didn't know you updated the MOBI versions of First Light and such. When did the updates go through and what changed?

The updates went live a few weeks ago. Here's the most recent post regarding that.

There were a few grammar corrections (a few of which were submitted by readers who were in the book industry, thank you if you're reading this!), I also wrote in some extra character development and re-wrote some sections so they were more believable and easier to read.

That sounds like a lot, but when you consider the plot didn't change, and I was told time and time again not to completely rewrite Freeground, so I didn't, the changes aren't ground shattering.

The next book to get this treatment is Resurrection, which, thankfully, doesn't need nearly as much work.

Judging from the feedback I've been getting on the re-release of the First Light Chronicles Ombibus, I'll be re-releasing Spinward Fringe Broadcast 1: Resurrection on Amazon for $0.99 for the first month or two, so people who do want the updated version on their Kindle won't have to pay the full price again. This is in reaction to Kindle not being willing to offer their users the most up to date versions of a book. Their customer service people have spoken.

All these updates will also happen on Mobipocket and Smashwords, where people who already own them will be able to get the updated versions for free.

When is Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments coming out?

Right now I have two thirds of a manuscript that's been written two and a half times. Thankfully, I'm not doing another draft unless my editor tells me I've bungled the book, so I'm working on the ending right now. It's looking like this book will be out in the next couple of months if it gets my editor's approval.

Things do tend to move more slowly these days, however, as I take a lot more time with editing and have gotten a couple more people involved. With an audience that has grown to about 500 for the Spinward Fringe series, I've become pretty quality conscious. The development time for each book after it's written is still only weeks, however, as compared to big publishing houses, who normally take months, so we have that going for us!

In a post later this week I'll be answering questions I've received over the years about vacsuits. It seems that people have no problem believing in worm holes and mass modifying particles, but thin protective clothing is a little boggling. It makes sense when you think about it, science fiction is filled with examples of objects that move faster than the speed of light, but you don't hear about clothing that does more than cover you from neck to toe.

RL

Do you have any questions about the Spinward Fringe series?

First Light Chronicles Omnibus: Facelift and Free Downloads

Around September first I listed The First Light Chronicles Omnibus for free on Smashwords.com. Since then over 3,100 copies have been downloaded.

Copies are still selling on Mobipocket.com and there's a trickle in print, overall the Omnibus has done well. To be honest, I can't wait to see what those 3100+ downloaders have to say when they finish reading it. People have been kind so far, but there's always a different reaction to free material.

There's something going on with this book other than mondo downloads, it's still in editing. With the long time success of this book the decision was made to commit to doing a final edit several months ago. That edit is still underway. My part is done, rewriting a little in rough places and editing the text line by line, and now the editors are busy going through it.

The new cover was supposed to be on hold until the book was updated internally, but with over 3100 free downloads from Smashwords, I couldn't resist updating the outside of the book so it better fit in with the Spinward Fringe Series.

When will you see the final version of the Omnibus? That'll come in January, we're taking as much time as we need to improve what's there without changing the story or style. Everyone who already owns an eBook copy will be able to re-download it for free, either from the site they originally purchased it from or from Smashwords.

What's happening with the next Spinward Fringe Book (part 2 of the Rogue Element Trilogy)? It's well under way, and there are more than a few surprises waiting for you. It's an unconventional piece of fiction and I believe it holds up to the first book in the Rogue Element Trilogy. There's a lot more news to come on that soon.

RL

My Spinward Fringe Career At The Moment

In an earlier post I wrote about editing the First Light Chronicles Omnibus from start to finish.

Since then I've had a few emails come my way voicing the general sentiment of "It's finished! Leave it alone and move on!"

Well, this is a brave new world, where a book or any other electronic media can be improved or changed and in some cases should be improved. I'm afraid that the First Light Chronicles needed more attention. There were some omissions, errors and I had a need to look the book over sentence by sentence so I could improve the narrative overall.

My readers (past, present and future), deserve it. After looking the First Light Chronicles over I had two choices: edit it carefully from beginning to end or rewrite it completely. After speaking to my editor and a couple of proofers I decided to edit. They're working on it with me, making sure I didn't miss anything and giving me their opinions on loose ends as well as characterization. They were dead set against the First Light Chronicles being rewritten. General consensus was that yes, the style needed a little work, but the series was fantastic.

When this is finished in a month or so every version of the First Light Omnibus will be updated with the new edition. A free re-download wherever you purchased it will update you to the newest version. The First Light Chronicles trilogy will also be re-released as Spinward Fringe Origins (Broadcast 0).

The reason for this re-release is pretty simple really. There's a crowd of people who don't understand that what begins in the First Light Chronicles series continues in the Spinward Fringe series no matter what I do on the cover, inside the book or where it's listed for sale. As it turns out I have to make this change so the new market these books are reaching accept them more easily.

One more word on the editing of the First Light Chronicles / Spinward Fringe Origins Trilogy. I'm enjoying it. It's a lot of hard work an long hours, but there's something about going back and reflecting, examining where the story began that is really helping me direct the future of the Spinward Fringe series. This is a labor of love, and knowing that these books will never be edited again drives me to do the best job I can. The proofers feel the same way, I've been told.

What's going on creatively?

I'm still working on the latest book in the Spinward Fringe series (to be named next week on this site), and I'm having a blast with the characters and story. I'm also getting things together for another book trailer which will look vastly different from the last one.

Things are looking good for the Spinward Fringe series, and I couldn't be happier to work on it. There's more news coming, so keep checking back!

RL

Spinward Fringe Status Update

Anyone who follows me on Twitter is aware that I've been putting even more hours in lately. Considering my normal work day is between 8-12 hours, that's a lot of time.

Here's what my days have looked like lately.

When I wake up in the morning at any time between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM (I don't use an alarm clock, the one in my head is loud enough), I put the coffee on then get to work on the latest Spinward Fringe book. How is that going? It's going extremely well and I'll be announcing the names and release dates for the next two books sometime in the coming weeks.

After a few hours of that and a shower I get to work on editing. During mini breaks I check twitter, say something like; "I'm editing... again," my Email and the few bulletin boards I participate on.

These editing sprees generally last until 10:00 PM or midnight.

What am I editing, you ask?

Well, until recently I've been doing a deep edit on the First Light Chronicles: Freeground. In my opinion it's the weakest book in the series and needed some serious attention. Today I finished working on it and tomorrow the proof readers get their copies. After I finish working on Spinward Fringe tomorrow morning I'll be taking the dreaded red pen to First Light Chronicles: Limbo, a stronger book by far, but I think it could use another pass.

What happens when we've finished editing the First Light Chronicles Trilogy?

Everything gets updated. Anyone who has purchased a digital copy can re-download it and enjoy the fresh edit. The story isn't changing, so there are no worries there. As far as people who purchased the printed copies are concerned, well, all I can tell you is that the price of the Omnibus will be greatly reduced on Amazon.com and the new edition will be easy to find (see below).

Something else will be happening to the First Light Chronicles Omnibus. I'll be relaunching the book under a new title: Spinward Fringe Origins.

With the Spinward Fringe series slowly gaining exposure, people are confused when they realize that the main characters exist in two series; The First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe. The solution to this is to launch a new book. The format will be more professional, there will be an actual cover, and it'll appear in a final edit. eBook editions will be free on Smashwords and the retailers they distribute to.

There will also be a new book trailer for Spinward Fringe Origins. I'm in the process of securing the rights to some really good stuff and writing the script.

After that's all finished I'll continue with my editing spree. The entire Spinward Fringe series is undergoing another edit and proofing. Will this slow the scribing of the next two Spinward Fringe books down? Not at all. In fact, I've found that I've been more productive since I started this editing work.

The Spinward Fringe books won't be getting new covers or new names and I won't be changing the story at all, so you can rest assured that when all is said and done what you enjoyed about the books will certainly still be there.

The Spinward Fringe series has been enjoying great success on Mobipocket, which keeps me housed and eating spam, something I'm perhaps a little too grateful for. Now Kindle sales are starting to get off the ground and people are discovering the First Light Chronicles Omnibus on Smashwords (over 560 people have downloaded it for free in the last 25 days). I owe it all to the readers, and in respect to you all I'm doing my very best to make these books and the upcoming volumes as good as what you'd expect to see from a New York Publishing House.

Thank you for supporting me, things will only get better from here.

RL

Spinward Fringe Frontline: First 200 Pages In Editing, Work Continues

Spinward Fringe Frontline has been in the works for a long time. At least by my standards. It's been over three months since I started working on it and over a month since two preview chapters from Frontline were added to the Mobipocket edition of Spinward Fringe Triton. For me that's a long time to live with a book. I've enjoyed it, to be honest but I've also been aware that you've all been waiting.

Frontline is now over one hundred and sixty pages long, that's even after cutting about thirty pages of material that slowed the pace of the book down. I'm not finished writing this one, but to keep things progressing towards a speedy release I've given my editor the first two hundred pages to review. Once she's finished and given me the good word work will go even more swiftly. Keep in mind that if it's any lesser in quality than Triton, then I'll have to work on the two hundred pages when she hands them back to me.

While she reviews the first two hundred pages I'm not slowing down, in fact I'm continuing the work on the second half of the book. In the end the extra time I'm taking on this book will pay off, just like the extra month I took on Triton did. The best part of all this is that when the work is done everyone will have a better, longer book to enjoy.

The story in the Spinward Fringe series has grown, includes even more character development, and a big picture plot that I'm absolutely in love with. Like Spinward Fringe Triton I'm writing this one as though it's the last, but notes for the next two parts of the Spinward Fringe series are still building up so if you all want more after Frontline I'll be ready.

Thank you for your patience and for spreading the word about the series everyone, I'll share news as it comes up!

RL

Books by Randolph Lalonde: Editing Complete!

From the very first science fiction book I started writing on January 1, 2008 to the most recent one all six of the novellas and novels have been carefully reviewed and edited.

In retrospect I'm proud of the stories I've told, how my writing craft has grown, and I have to say that I am truly proud of what I've done with both the First Light Chronicles and the Spinward Fringe Series.

As many of you already know, the First Light Chronicles are over, but the Spinward Fringe Series goes on.

The first book I'll be releasing in 2009 is Spinward Fringe Fronline and I can't wait to dive back in after taking a couple of days off for the holidays! This book is already half finished, so you could imagine I've been chomping at the bit to continue working on it.

I'm happy I'm not taking this journey alone. My editor, a couple of proof readers and hundreds of people have been reading everything as it comes and once again I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

There is so much more to come just in the Spinward Fringe series, but as ussual, I can't go into details yet. We don't want to spoil anything, now do we?

NEXT: Details about the Spinward Fringe Triton final edit.

RL

Final Edits and Other Strangeness

While I was wrapping up a day of editing, a thought occurred to me; my readers might not understand or like the idea of me editing work that they've already purchased.

I also realized that I completely understood where people of that opinion were coming from. The best I can do to ease that frustration is to explain why these edits are even happening, why they might be necessary.

At the beginning of the year I started writing science fiction, and to be honest I was a little rusty as a writer and I was doing some research as I went. I also didn't have the editor I do now, who has been good enough to go back and do a pass over all my work this year. Even after that was finished, I still wanted to go back and smooth out some rough edges, make sure all the science in my fiction was as spot on as this sort of speculative writing can be, and that there was very little (if any), flat dialog.

As a result, the First Light Chronicles are much improved, and the first two Spinward Fringe books are in much better shape. It's all much more enjoyable to read now that those rough edges have been buffed down.

Until recently I've been lucky and most of my readers aren't ordering print versions of the books, so when a new version comes out they can update their files for free. That softens the blow a great deal. In early 2009 I'll be offering all my books through Amazon.com in print, however. That changes things.

This editing process that I'm wrapping up this weekend will help me determine the best way to move ahead, to make sure that in the future anything I put out there will be the final, no more edits required version. For those of you who don't know, I'm independent and when you're doing this stuff with very few people to work with it takes time to determine the best process for pretty much anything. Thankfully, after a year and this extra edit, I feel that that process is finally down pat.

It may take a couple extra weeks to get each book out there, but at least this way you can be absolutely certain that each release is the final release. You'll see a much higher initial quality each time and that'll just make everything you read with my name on it that much more enjoyable.

As a side note, this edit from the First Light Chronicles Freeground all the way to Spinward Fringe Triton has given me ideas for the future, renewed my enthusiasm for the stories that have not yet been told, and strengthened my feel and tie to each character. In short, I feel a lot better going forward.

Thank you again for following my characters on their journey, to date Spinward Fringe Triton has sold 101 copies. Those sales (which may seem modest to most of you, but in truth are quite decent for an independent Ebook), and your emails tell me that you've enjoyed the journey so far and want more.

In early 2009 I'll provide in grand fashion with Spinward Fringe Frontline. After that I plan on producing more books in the Spinward Fringe series, since there are so many stories waiting to be told.

RL

See you in a day or two when I announce the end of this editing business and some other news.

Starfree Port: Work on this book comes to an end this weekend.

I've sent the first half of this book to my editor, and after looking over it again myself, I'm making some minor modifications and moving on to the second half of the book.

Here's the thing. I'm leaving the decision on whether or not to split this book into two episodes to him. Once R.A.I. is finished reading it and gets back to me, we'll see what happens. If it were television there would be no question that this first half of the third book would be a stand alone one hour episode, but in print the rules are a little different. As someone very dear to me once said; "Some things work on television, but not in print." Well, that's true for a lot of reasons, but I'm really enjoying this work, so I trust his opinion more than my own.

The good news is that the editing and re-writing goes on, and by the end of this weekend the second half of book three will be finished. What I'm editing right now grows the story, characters and universe a great deal and I'm happy with it.

If I weren't enjoying this plot line and the characters so much I would not still be picking through it line by line, making sure that the conclusion to this plot line comes out perfectly.

Sadly, as a result of the hours I'm putting in on editing, blogging is slowing down a bit, but I promise to check in, and there is some interesting news coming.

Back to work I go!

RL