Spinward Fringe: Frequently Asked Questions 1

A few questions have come to me regarding the new Science Fiction series I'm writing and not only am I ecstatic that anyone is interested enough to ask questions this early on, but I'm willing to answer a few!

Q: What is Spinward Fringe?
A: Spinward Fringe is a science fiction series that takes place several years after the First Light Chronicles.

Q: What does the name 'Spinward Fringe' mean?
A: Spinward refers to the direction the galaxy is turning. Fringe (in this case), refers to the outer end of the spiral arm of a galaxy. In short, the name refers to where this saga takes place, on the outer edge of the Milky Way. Our home galaxy.

Q: Is it written like a television show like the First Light Chronicles?
A: Yes, I'm still writing in a fast paced style that fits well into a 42 or 84 minute format. The difference is that the stories are much broader and it's not written in first person so I have more freedom in the telling. Some of the books may run longer.

Q: Is it true that a studio has shown some interest in making the First Light Chronicles into a television series?
A: A film maker has approached me but is poorer than I am and doesn't have any financing connections. I would love to option the series to the right people though.

Q: Is Spinward Fringe about the same characters from The First Light Chronicles?
A: Yes. They appear in ways you will and will not expect.

Q: Why not just continue under the title of The First Light Chronicles?
A: The various reasons for the end of that series are built into the plot. you'll know why as soon as you've finished reading Freeground, Limbo and Starfree Port. Enjoy!

Q: Will we see Alice in the Spinward Fringe series?
A: Yes.

Q: How many books will be in this series?
A: Spinward Fringe is being written as an epic Science Fiction Unlimited Series. Everything I write for science fiction will be under that banner unless I'm hired out by Lucas, Whedon, Moore or Spielberg. I'm not planning an ending for this series and I know it's something I'll be coming back to often.

Q: Will we see something soon?
A: The first and second books in this series is finished and available in print and EBook formats through the online store. The third is in the works.

Q: Do you always write cliffhangers?
A: Yes, no, well I'm not sure. Why don't I think about it and get back to you?


Well, that's enough info for now. If you have any questions for me that don't have anything to do with "how do I get published, get an agent or can you edit my stuff?" then send me an email at randylalonde@gmail.com.

Thank you for visiting and stay tuned, there's more info on the way.

RL

Spinward Fringe: Because I Just Can't Stop Writing Science Fiction

A few questions have come to me regarding the new Science Fiction series I'm writing and not only am I ecstatic that anyone is interested enough to ask questions this early on, but I'm willing to answer a few!

Q: What is Spinward Fringe?
A: Spinward Fringe is a science fiction series that takes place several years after the First Light Chronicles.

Q: What does the name 'Spinward Fringe' mean?
A: Spinward refers to the direction the galaxy is turning. Fringe (in this case), refers to the outer end of the spiral arm of a galaxy. In short, the name refers to where this saga takes place, on the outer edge of the Milky Way. Our home galaxy.

Q: Is it written like a television show like the First Light Chronicles?
A: Yes, I'm still writing in a fast paced style that fits well into a 42 or 84 minute format. The difference is that the stories are much broader and it's not written in first person so I have more freedom in the telling. Some of the books may run longer.

Q: Is it true that a studio has shown some interest in making the First Light Chronicles into a television series?
A: A film maker has approached me but is poorer than I am and doesn't have any financing connections. I would love to option the series to the right people though.

Q: Is Spinward Fringe about the same characters from The First Light Chronicles?
A: Yes. They appear in ways you will and will not expect.

Q: Will we see Alice in this series?
A: Yes.

Q: How many books will be in this series?
A: Spinward Fringe is being written as an epic Science Fiction series. Everything I write for science fiction will be under that banner unless I'm hired out by Lucas or Spielberg. I'm not planning an ending for this series and I know it's something I'll be coming back to often.

Q: Will we see something soon?
A: The first book in this series is finished and with an editor right now. I'll know when they'll be ready for release as soon as she gives it an okay or a no way. If she says okay you'll probably see something in a week. If she doesn't like what she sees it will be a while longer. I'm working on the second book right now and am seventy pages into the first draft.

Q: Do you always write cliffhangers?
A: Yes, no, well I'm not sure. Why don't I think about it and get back to you?


Well, that's enough info for now. If you have any questions for me that don't have anything to do with "how do I get published, get an agent or can you edit my stuff?" then send me an email at randylalonde@gmail.com.

Thank you for visiting and stay tuned, there's more info and movie reviews coming throughout the month!

RL

First Light Chronicles: Omnibus

Definition: om·ni·bus [om-nuh-buhs,buh s] - a volume of reprinted works of a single author or of works related in interest or theme.

In this case, it's the collection of the First Light Chronicles. Now that I'm finished with that series and well into the next, I thought it was time to put the collection out.

A couple other things have been done. Working with a new editor I gave all three books (Freeground, Limbo and Starfree Port), a final run through. The final edit extends to the EBooks as well as all the printed versions.

The three books will be available through download seperately, but the Omnibus will not. The EBooks will always be sold seperately, mostly because no one would save money if they were combined anyway.

The printed books have also been submitted to Amazon.com, so in the next 6-8 weeks they may become available there as well. There aren't any plans to offer the Omnibus on Amazon.com, anyone who wants it will have to come here or visit my Lulu.com Marketplace.

I've only had one person read all three books back to back (over the course of 3 days), and she had a lot of good things to say. Considering how seriously I take the opinion of this person, I was completely blown away. I'm absolutely overjoyed to offer this to everyone who may be new to my work in science fiction.

I had a fantastic time writing these, and even though it's a complete set of three books, I thought you'd like to know that the story continues on past the initial trilogy. I say this so you know that when you get to the end of the third book in the First Light series there are more books.

More news on the new series, Spinward Fringe, coming soon.

Enjoy!

RL

P.S.
The First Light Chronicles: Freeground EBook is still available for free!

First Light Chronicles: Omnibus

Definition: om·ni·bus [om-nuh-buhs,buh s] - a volume of reprinted works of a single author or of works related in interest or theme.

In this case, it's the collection of the First Light Chronicles. Now that I'm finished with that series and well into the next, I thought it was time to put the collection out.

A couple other things have been done. Working with a new editor I gave all three books (Freeground, Limbo and Starfree Port), a final run through. The final edit extends to the EBooks as well as all the printed versions.

The three books will be available through download seperately, but the Omnibus will not. The EBooks will always be sold seperately, mostly because no one would save money if they were combined anyway.

The printed books have also been submitted to Amazon.com, so in the next 6-8 weeks they may become available there as well. There aren't any plans to offer the Omnibus on Amazon.com, anyone who wants it will have to come here or visit my Lulu.com Marketplace.

I've only had one person read all three books back to back (over the course of 3 days), and she had a lot of good things to say. Considering how seriously I take the opinion of this person, I was completely blown away. I'm absolutely overjoyed to offer this to everyone who may be new to my work in science fiction.

I had a fantastic time writing these, and even though it's a complete set of three books, I thought you'd like to know that the story continues on past the initial trilogy. I say this so you know that when you get to the end of the third book in the First Light series there are more books.

More news on the new series, Spinward Fringe, coming soon.

Enjoy!

RL

P.S.
The First Light Chronicles: Freeground EBook is still available for free!

World of Warcraft: Come for the Game, Stay For Your Gnomies

Or something like that.

Some time ago, I posted about leaving World of Warcraft for good. As it happens I just couldn't stay away.

I didn't return because of some terrible gaming addiction, or because subliminal messages built into the game and advertising media sucked me back in, or even because Gnome Females really know how to shake it. Though, the latter of the three factors rings true.

I returned for the same reason some people keep going back to the same cafe, why you play racketball every Saturday with the same partner even though he kicks your ass every time, for the same reason the mighty buffalo migrates north and south. Okay, not so much for the same reason as the last example, I'm not even certain Buffalo migrate. I returned because time and distance didn't diminish how much I missed a handful of people I had gotten to know over the last two or three years. I missed the voices on Ventrilo (a voice chat program), the long conversations that had nothing to do with the game, the clever word play and group activities.

So, back I went, and this time I find that there's more of a balance between 'The Three W's' as I've come to call them; Writing, Work and WoW. The friends I had once again neglected when I walked away were there with open arms to my utter amazement, and yup, they're just as enjoyable to talk with as I remember.

My tale is one that seems to be repeating. Guilds that stick together long enough are becoming a sort of secondary family unit, where we all get so used to hearing from everyone that when one goes missing for even a couple of days it gets noticed, a niche is empty, a chair around the virtual table is vacant. That can cause in game problems, but with tighter units (like the guild I've known for quite a while now), the absence is really felt. I know I miss at least one person who isn't signing on anymore, it's like losing touch with an old friend even though we never met in person.

With ten million subscribers (damn, that's a lot of people), WoW has given birth to thousands of virtual villages, some of which are marked with a guild name, others by server names and all tied together with bonds of friendship over virtual space. Does this kind of thing matter in the real world? Sure it does! I have friends locally, they're busy, intelligent people who I rarely get a chance to hang out with because I too am a busy fellow, especially these days. The friends I have online are intelligent and busy as well, but they can squeeze a little WoW time in here and there, and through that and a couple years we became friends. They know me almost as well as some of my local friends do, see me more often at times as well.

To make a long story short, it seems, at least by my experience, that online friends are just as valid to some people as local friends.

The world isn't shrinking, I don't believe it's a 'small world after all' (Disney just made five bucks, dammit). It still takes for bloody ever to get somewhere on the bus, a plane ticket is still expensive, and webcams, microphones or digital avatars still don't give you the feeling that you're right there. You could even argue that the world is expanding, with participants in digital environments like Second Life owning digital real estate and making a real living in virtual stores. The real long term human point here is that we're getting used to all these intellectual and emotional distance closers and that, I think, makes the entire personal computer revolution worth it.

See you in the lands of Azeroth.

RL

[Edit]: Randolph plays Deih on the Feathermoon Server. The avatar is named after a character in his first self published novel; Fate Cycle: Sins of the Past.

No more World of Warcraft for me

I can't believe I'm saying this, but after a few months of not having time to so much as log on, sadly I don't think I'll ever be going back to World of Warcraft. The only thing I don't like about dropping an online game is the friends I leave behind, something similar happened when I left Everquest.

The difference this time is that I actually got to know some amazing people over the couple of years I spent online, and I miss them as though they were next door all along. It's pretty surprising how you can form attachments online, it makes the world seem pretty small until you look at the cost of airfare.

Sadly, "tools" like Facebook certainly don't cut it as far as staying in touch is concerned. Besides, as far as social network interfaces go, it's bare bones ugly, populated with applications that are as much spam as they are sad marketing and research tools and I find that for a social network there's very little back and forth even when you are 'speaking' to several friends. That, and I've turned down friend requests from at least a couple dozen people I've never known from anywhere. Spammerific.

Back on topic; I know I'll miss the people in World of Warcraft, the social aspect is what keeps people going back I believe. The game itself is great, but it does wear a little thin for some people. Besides, with two or more hours of writing every working day, then editing and more writing on the weekends along with other normal life stuff I have to get to, logging on just doesn't happen. Do I think of the people I was connected to online? Daily, it's hard not to after spending a couple years on and off in digital nearness with them.

Not spending time online has brought a lot of success that pushes me forward and upward in life though, and that's something I have to prioritize. It just goes to show that growing pains can come in many forms and at any time.

Last week I saw the inside of a bar for the first time in about six months, a few people were amazed I was even still in town. Just being around familiar faces for a bit was pretty good, getting in touch with a few friends I hadn't seen in a while. I still found myself thinking; if all the people I cared about online were there too, well, what a great time it would be.

Well, back to the editing of Project Moo...