Spinward Fringe: Awakening

Spinward Fringe Awakening is the second book in the unlimited science fiction series I'm writing. It continues where Resurrection left off and I have to say I've never written anything more fast paced, fun or challenging in my life.

I worked it like it was three hundred pages only the ideas, scenes and dialog fit in about two hundred. Reduced down to a smaller font size to save paper, it comes out to about one hundred forty pages, and after doing my last editorial sweep on it I have to say even I had a lot of fun reading it.

Now it's with my Editor, whose critical eye and a nose that can smell bad cheese like a fart in a car will not spare me if anything is out of line or a little hokey. It's this kind of safety net that most authors can't live without, and I'm greatful. I honestly don't think she'll find any problems with this book, however, and after the final edit, it looks like this book will be out before September seventh.

Talk about a quick roll out. I started the first science fiction novel, Freeground, on January 1, 2008, and here we are almost nine months later with four novels ready to read and a fifth due out in just another couple of weeks. I have to say I'm pleased with the stories I'm telling, with the reception I'm getting and with the tales that have not yet been told.

Thanks to everyone for their support, there's so much more to come.

RL

Spinward Fringe Resurrection: Selling in Europe!

On August 1, 2008, I launched all the EBooks currently available with over 30 different electronic retailers, so people all across the globe could purchase the First Light Chronicles and Fate Cycle: Dead of Winter.

That didn't really result in much, which is fine, since I didn't expect an immediate reaction. Some of these retailers take a little while to list the books and it takes some time for people to realize they're there.

Then I launched Spinward Fringe with the same retailers (commonly called Etailers in some circles). It's been less than a week and I'm proud to announce that it's selling. Not "I was just on Oprah's book club" selling, but copies are being read, a solid number of copies.

I just got an email from a reader in Budapest saying; "...started reading and did not put it down until I was finished. Am bying all other books on ur list."

Broken english aside, I see this as a massively good review. If the momentum continues to build I might actually be able to make a lving at this before 2010. Here's hoping. If that were to happen all my readers (and they are starting to increase in number), would have more literature to look forward to on a regular basis.

Thank you to everyone who has been watching, reading, and investing in my success. I really do appreciate your time and money.

I aim to entertain.

RL

The next book: Spinward Fringe Awakening, is well on it's way and I'm immensely pleased with how it's turning out so far.

Spinward Fringe Resurrection: Selling in Europe!

On August 1, 2008, I launched all the EBooks currently available with over 30 different electronic retailers, so people all across the globe could purchase the First Light Chronicles and Fate Cycle: Dead of Winter.

That didn't really result in much, which is fine, since I didn't expect an immediate reaction. Some of these retailers take a little while to list the books and it takes some time for people to realize they're there.

Then I launched Spinward Fringe with the same retailers (commonly called Etailers in some circles). It's been less than a week and I'm proud to announce that it's selling. Not "I was just on Oprah's book club" selling, but copies are being read, a solid number of copies.

I just got an email from a reader in Budapest saying; "...started reading and did not put it down until I was finished. Am bying all other books on ur list."

Broken english aside, I see this as a massively good review. If the momentum continues to build I might actually be able to make a lving at this before 2010. Here's hoping. If that were to happen all my readers (and they are starting to increase in number), would have more literature to look forward to on a regular basis.

Thank you to everyone who has been watching, reading, and investing in my success. I really do appreciate your time and money.

I aim to entertain.

RL

The next book: Spinward Fringe Awakening, is well on it's way and I'm immensely pleased with how it's turning out so far.

Spinward Fringe: Resurrection Is Released!

It's here. I love this book, my editor loves this book, and as I've said before my solitary test reader has finished it and started over from the beginning three times now.

This series will have a long future. It's an unlimited series unlike it's predecessor. Here's the synopsis for the first of the lot!

Captain Jacob Valance has no memory of his past.
Left on a strange ship in an unfamiliar sector of the galaxy, he was forced to begin a new life.
Years pass and through great hardship he's earned
a reputation as a man who can recover lost property,
hunt down hardened criminals and go where others fear to tread.
All the while he's been searching for clues to his past
and looking for a better method of making his way through the galaxy for himself and his ragtag crew.
The Spinward Fringe series follows the three volumes
of the First Light books, continuing the adventures
of characters connected to Freeground Station.

I'm proud to present this to everyone who has read the First Light Chronicles and even to anyone who hasn't. I suggest reading the books preceding this, but you don't absolutely have to. They are only back story after all. Thank you to everyone with an interest, I promise you won't be disappointed with the taste between the pages.

If you look to the right of this posting you'll see it's available as a download for $2.99 or in trade paperback for $9.99 US.

I aim to entertain.

RL

P.S.
The next book: Spinward Fringe Awakening is well on it's way to completion and the third is in late planning stages with some parts already penned.

DIGG

Spinward Fringe: Resurrection

It's here. I love this book, my editor loves this book, and as I've said before my solitary test reader has finished it and started over from the beginning three times now.

This series will have a long future. It's an unlimited series unlike it's predecessor. Here's the synopsis for the first of the lot!

Captain Jacob Valance has no memory of his past.
Left on a strange ship in an unfamiliar sector of the galaxy, he was forced to begin a new life.
Years pass and through great hardship he's earned
a reputation as a man who can recover lost property,
hunt down hardened criminals and go where others fear to tread.
All the while he's been searching for clues to his past
and looking for a better method of making his way through the galaxy for himself and his ragtag crew.
The Spinward Fringe series follows the three volumes
of the First Light books, continuing the adventures
of characters connected to Freeground Station.

I'm proud to present this to everyone who has read the First Light Chronicles and even to anyone who hasn't. I suggest reading the books preceding this, but you don't absolutely have to. They are only back story after all. Thank you to everyone with an interest, I promise you won't be disappointed with the taste between the pages.

If you look to the right of this posting you'll see it's available as a download for $2.99 or in trade paperback for $9.99 US.

I aim to entertain.

RL

P.S.
The next book: Spinward Fringe Awakening is well on it's way to completion and the third is in late planning stages with some parts already penned.

DIGG

Books By Randolph Lalonde: Final Releases, Final Pricing!

The First Light Chronicles Omnibus (which includes all three of the books in that series - Freeground, Limbo and Starfree Port), has been put out as a final edition, and the pricing has been decided at $19.99.

The Ebook editions of the same books have been reduced in price as requested by the readers and those prices are final as well. The first book: Freeground is still free to download and has been copied from Lulu.com's servers for the 100th time as of this morning.

With all the pricing and edits for the First Light Chronicles set in stone, everyone here is ready to move on to the Spinward Fringe series which continues the saga with a new story that's keeping my editor and test readers up late at night reading the first book repeatedly.

I owe a massive thanks to SomaCow for taking the time to review the Omnibus before anyone in the general public has had a chance to even read it. You can check out their reviews and the greatest internet radio show ever at http://somacow.com and the rest of their shows at www.somacow.net

Thank you to everyone who's been following this series since the beginning. A lot of people bought books as they were becoming available and offered their criticism and advice along the way. It's been a great year and with a new series being launched tomorrow: Spinward Fringe with a new book: Resurrection things are looking great.

RL

Update, 10.31.2008: The Spinward Fringe Series (which includes Resurrection, Awakening and Triton, with more to come) has progressed wonderfully. It's been a joy to write and people are sending in some very positive feedback. You can see two listings for purchase on the right hand side, one for Lulu.com eBook and hard copies and another for Mobipocket customers. Thanks again to everyone who has made these independently produced and published books as popular as they are, please keep spreading the word.

Spinward Fringe: Resurrection

I've been relatively tight lipped about the latest book: Spinward Fringe: Ressurection, but after my editor has gone through it I'm very proud to announce that this book has gotten a big thumbs up.

This book features several of the same characters as the First Light Chronicles and DOES answer questions left wide open by that series. I'll warn you that it doesn't answer them all, however, it would take a lot more time to get to them all. That's something I'm continuing do with Spinward Fringe: Awakening.

This is a darker, more character oriented book. I feel I've really delivered my first real Space Opera Adventure Novella. After hearing my only other test reader tell me she finished it then started over at page 1 to read it again I was positively floored. I'm overjoyed that I took this new turn with the style of the book, this a more personal story, where there are fewer characters who each have a much more significant impact on the plot line. It shows, my Editor and the test reader both found themselves investing personally in one or two of the characters.

I was honestly worried this book would never see the light of day because it is so different, each character has a lot more to worry about and there are personal problems between them. Suffice it to say, out of all the science fiction I've written this year this book was by far the most enjoyable to pen. That made the fear of experimentation and change far more acute, however, and everyone is in line with thinking it paid off. I think this is a fantastic first foot forward into a new series that isn't limited to a set of three books or six books or whatever.

We're into true serialization and my plot lines will no longer be limited by how many books I can write in the series. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that there won't be endings to different plot lines. My definition of an ending doesn't match that of Hollywood or Disney classics, however. When there's an ending for a character or plot line it's generally more like an explosion or head on collision. There are a number of those in this series already and I'm only 100 pages into Spinward Fringe: Awakening, the second book in the series.

I'm also continuing to think of this as the base for a television or web series. I love the episodic format and am enjoying the challenge of putting new, quality material out on a regular basis.

Keep your eyes on that right hand side of this page as I do my final pass with my Editor's notes and make the book available for sale. I'm very excited to hear what everyone has to say about this book.

RL

Spinward Fringe: Resurrection

I've been relatively tight lipped about the latest book: Spinward Fringe: Ressurection, but after my editor has gone through it I'm very proud to announce that this book has gotten a big thumbs up.

This book features several of the same characters as the First Light Chronicles and DOES answer questions left wide open by that series. I'll warn you that it doesn't answer them all, however, it would take a lot more time to get to them all. That's something I'm continuing do with Spinward Fringe: Awakening.

This is a darker, more character oriented book. I feel I've really delivered my first real Space Opera Adventure Novella. After hearing my only other test reader tell me she finished it then started over at page 1 to read it again I was positively floored. I'm overjoyed that I took this new turn with the style of the book, this a more personal story, where there are fewer characters who each have a much more significant impact on the plot line. It shows, my Editor and the test reader both found themselves investing personally in one or two of the characters.

I was honestly worried this book would never see the light of day because it is so different, each character has a lot more to worry about and there are personal problems between them. Suffice it to say, out of all the science fiction I've written this year this book was by far the most enjoyable to pen. That made the fear of experimentation and change far more acute, however, and everyone is in line with thinking it paid off. I think this is a fantastic first foot forward into a new series that isn't limited to a set of three books or six books or whatever.

We're into true serialization and my plot lines will no longer be limited by how many books I can write in the series. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that there won't be endings to different plot lines. My definition of an ending doesn't match that of Hollywood or Disney classics, however. When there's an ending for a character or plot line it's generally more like an explosion or head on collision. There are a number of those in this series already and I'm only 100 pages into Spinward Fringe: Awakening, the second book in the series.

I'm also continuing to think of this as the base for a television or web series. I love the episodic format and am enjoying the challenge of putting new, quality material out on a regular basis.

Keep your eyes on that right hand side of this page as I do my final pass with my Editor's notes and make the book available for sale. I'm very excited to hear what everyone has to say about this book.

RL

Somacow: Good Cow, Good Cow.

Last Saturday's show was fantastic. I really enjoyed the focus on Mickey and J. Learning a little more about these entertaining folks through a bit of story telling is always a lot of fun. There were many tangents and a short lived rant or two. The replays of episodes 205 and 206 are available at http://somacow.com with 207 not far behind (that's the one where they focus on J, an enigma wrapped in cheese, er, I mean a mystery).

Something else worth mentioning to my readers here is the book review of First Light Chronicles Freeground. They sic'ed Ron? Ray? Robert? Dave? I can never remember his name, but they had the producer review the first book in the series. I'm happy they chose him since he liked it the least out of the four guys on the show. His review is very much worth listening to since it's honest, pretty inclusive and he lets the other fellows; Geoff, Mickey and J jump in with a few addendums. He gave it a good rating in the end, listen to episode 207 when it's available to hear what it was.

They're going to review the second book in the series: First Light Chronicles Limbo this Saturday afternoon and I highly recommend that you listen live between 1pm and 4pm EST. If you can't catch the live show they'll be splitting it up into one hour segments and releasing them throughout the following week. While you're listening in, take a look around their site (www.somacow.net), since they have several other great shows including Say...Anything and The Sports Buzz.

Hope to see you in the live chat, and while you're there listening in don't be afraid to check here for news on the new series: Spinward Fringe. The release of the first of that series is coming up on Sunday.

I wonder if they'll be calling me for an interview at any point?

RL

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

SomaCow: The Book Review Has Been Foretold

I know, I said it might happen last week, but this week Geoff will be reviewing the First Light Chronicles series on their live radio show. There may even be some commentary from Mickey and J since I sent them three copies (one for each of the guys with the exception of Ross, sorry mate, I wasn't aware Podcast Producers could read).

I'm looking forward to it because I am certain the guys at SomaCow will give these books a real honest review. They won't be pulling punches, using dainty language or gilding the lily. So if it's bad or irritating, Geoff and the guys will attack me for wasting their time. If they like it, they'll tell everyone why.

The great news so far is that they had gotten through the first act of the First Light series: Freeground last week. Like I said in an earlier post here, they liked it enough to keep reading. So everyone who was listening to SomaCow got to hear their basic opinion, a comment about a certain homage I paid to other fiction in the book and the rest of their great edge of chaos show.

Long after they're finished with my stuff I'll still be listening to SomaCow, glad that I had the opportunity to entertain them for a change. Role reversals rock, almost all the time. Go listen to SomaCow tomorrow (Saturday) live between 1pm and 4pm and if you miss it you can check back for it during the week since they split up the live broadcasts into three parts and post them on the website. It's a great show, even my mother enjoyed it last week.

RL

Somacow: The First To Read First Light Chronicles: Omnibus

Some time last week (or the week before, I can't be certain), Geoff, Mickey and J received a package from me with three copies of The First Light Chronicles Omnibus. The Omnibus is a collection of all three parts of The First Light Chronicles series (Freeground, Limbo and Starfree Port).

Geoff is the book reviewer for SomaCow, and he'll be reviewing the books on air either today (Saturday 1pm-4pm) or some time later. As a new dad with a brand new bundle of joy in his life (as opposed to the old, crusty kind), it takes him a little while longer than it used to. I certainly hope he enjoys the read. It'll be nice to entertain the guys over there for a change since they do such a good job entertaining their listeners, myself included.

So go on over the www.somacow.com today and listen in. Not just for a possible book review, but because SomaCow is the greatest internet radio talk show ever. While you're there, check out the other shows on their network. I honestly wish I had the time to listen to it all.

More news to come!

RL

Update:
The fellas at SomaCow have finished reading the first book, First Light Chronicles: Freeground and were pleased enough with it to keep going. I'm looking forward to hearing their review, but more I hope they enjoy the experience of reading the rest of the series half as much or more than I enjoyed writing them.

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!

First Light Chronicles Series: Submitted to Amazon.com

I've given Lulu.com the go ahead to submit the First Light Chronicles Series to Amazon.com. This isn't normally a free service, but a few weeks ago they offered to waive all the regular fees.

Since I wanted to put Freeground, Limbo and Starfree Port through one more editorial pass before sending them out there, I didn't know if I'd make the submission before August but thanks to my new editor, who finished working on all three books in three days, I've made it with time to spare.

I've gone through the distribution process with another book, but that was years ago. I had forgotten how much work was involved. Doing an audit of the edit for all three books was a 22 hour day and I still had some work left for the next morning. Was it worth it? Well, I can say that the concerted effort was enough to win the war against typos and a few pages where I went comma crazy.

I'm very happy to say that anything that becomes available in the future will be going through extra editorial passes and will be released as a final edit the first time you see them on the web. I have great proof readers and a fantastic editor in place now, so the final edits you see will be top notch.

There, you've seen just the tip of the iceberg of what it means to be serious about self publishing. There's a lot more work than most people imagine and it takes time to get the right support team together. The effort is rewarding, however, and I hope the results of the 60+ hour weeks result in great entertainment that more people can access. Hey, if I sell a couple hundred books a month I'll be able to actually do this and make a living, wouldn't that be fantastic?

The First Light Chronicles: Freeground, Limbo, and Starfree Port may appear on Amazon.com in 6-8 weeks.

Until next time!

RL

Spinward Fringe: The Next Science Fiction Series

A few people have read the entire First Light Chronicles series, and a lot of people are downloading the first book, Freeground for the first time. I couldn't be happier, well, maybe I could be.

I'm positively beaming here as I announce a new series of science fiction novels just on the horizon. The working title for the first is Spinward Fringe.

I can't reveal much about it, only that some of the same characters from the First Light Chronicles series appear in the new books, and that it's going to be a very different story, style and setting. Other than that it's too early to say anything, I'm only 103 pages into my first draft, after all.

As far as the First Light Chronicles are concerned, I'm submitting them to Amazon.com this week under Lulu.com's label. Let's face it, the more copies I sell the better the chances are that I'll be able to do this full time, so wider distribution is a very good thing.

Science Fiction is alive and well here, I'm glad to say, so sit back and wait for the new book to come along then enjoy the show.

RL

Digg it!

Spinward Fringe: The Next Science Fiction Series

A few people have read the entire First Light Chronicles series, and a lot of people are downloading the first book, Freeground for the first time. I couldn't be happier, well, maybe I could be.

I'm positively beaming here as I announce a new series of science fiction novels just on the horizon. The working title for the first is Spinward Fringe.

I can't reveal much about it, only that some of the same characters from the First Light Chronicles series appear in the new books, and that it's going to be a very different story, style and setting. Other than that it's too early to say anything, I'm only 103 pages into my first draft, after all.

As far as the First Light Chronicles are concerned, I'm submitting them to Amazon.com this week under Lulu.com's label. Let's face it, the more copies I sell the better the chances are that I'll be able to do this full time, so wider distribution is a very good thing.

Science Fiction is alive and well here, I'm glad to say, so sit back and wait for the new book to come along then enjoy the show.

RL

Digg it!

First Light Chronicles: Freeground is Now Free

*** The entire First Light Chronicles Trilogy is available for free here. ***Thank you to everyone who put their faith in me and bought this book sight unseen, without any previews. There are over 50 of you now, which is actually pretty good for a novella that has had absolutely no publicity.

I open this book (on my laptop, because I have no copies left - even MY copy is missing), start reading and just get sucked in all over again. I was never a cook who loved his own cooking before, meaning I had never written a novel that I so readily enjoyed until I worked on this one. I can say the same for the second (Limbo), and the third (Starfree Port). This fiction, I love.

There are a few people who actually feel similarly, to my amazement. They've been kind enough to suggest a bit more polishing here and there, and I took some time and did that. They've been nice enough to tell me about their favorite bits (some surprises there). After reviewing the book I haven't changed a thing story wise, especially since this is unlike any story I've ever written. Don't try to fix something that's working, just do your best to understand it.

With the polishing done, a new cover (that isn't much different from the original), and the third book in the trilogy done and available for purchase, I decided that 50 people aren't enough, I wanted to share the beginning of this story (Freeground) with more readers. With that in mind I have made the EBook free for all. Sadly the printed version will not be free, I just can't afford that, but in about seven weeks it may be available on Amazon.com along with the rest of the First Light Chronicles. The rest of the First Light Chronicles books won't be free, but they'll stay cheap, under $5.00 each for EBooks, sadly those will never be free, I have to eat, after all.

Other than First Light Chronicles Freeground you can also download the 2002-2008 catalog of my work for free, browse the covers, take a look at the synopsis for each book and such.

There's more news coming about the First Light Chronicles and the following science fiction novel, so keep checking back.

Again, thank you to the faithful, and welcome to everyone who is new here.

RL

Digg it here!

Starfree Port: Finished!

It's finally done. After thee drafts and several editorial passes the third book in the First Light Chronicles is complete.

This novel will be released before Friday of this week (that's July 18) and it weighs in at 240 pages exactly. To reduce the cost of the book I had to shrink the font size and change the layout, however, so when you see it only has 190 pages, don't panic! I just squeezed those 240 pages into a smaller format so you save a few bucks!

That also brings the First Light Chronicles to an end.

The story will continue, but in a book that will stand on it's own, not as an official extension of this series. If you consider the First Light Chronicles like a number of television episodes, then the upcoming novel will be written more like a feature film. I've already started writing it.

Before I talk about anything else, I'd like to say a few things about the First Light Chronicles series and Starfree Port, the third book. The First Light Chronicles was an experiment, to see if I could write science fiction and write from the first person perspective for a very long time. There were also other experimental points to the way it was written, but I won't go into that unless someone actually asks about it very nicely. I don't want to give away all my secrets.

The people who bought the first two books and enjoyed them have been incredibly patient. The first two books took four weeks each to write, the third took months. There were a few reasons behind that. I wanted to give them what they were asking for. More character development, a deeper story and something they didn't expect. I'm happy to say that I've fulfilled each requirement and I did it my way, so here it is. This book is at the same time a thank you directed at them and something I enjoyed reliving every time I started a new draft or edit. I wanted it to be just right, and am sure that I've made all the right plot decisions. I hope everyone enjoys this book as much as you did the first two, I know I truly enjoyed writing it (over and over again it seems).

Later today you'll see the digital download will be available, it's a little more expensive because it contains twice the content. It won't cost twice as much though, I'm just not that corporate minded.

There's nothing like completing a book and being happy with it. The fact that it's the last in a series is an even bigger rush. Thank you for your support over the lifetime of this project, I hope you enjoy it in it's entirety and come back when the next book is completed.

In the meantime, there is more First Light news coming as well as news about the Fate Cycle series and other stuff in general. Keep checking back, I'll be here!

RL