The Expendable Few Briefly Explained

The reason why I started writing Expendable Few was because I wanted to write (in short form), what's been going on with Freeground since our heroes left.

After about 2,000 words of transcribing the timeline that's been in my head for a couple years, I decided that it made sense to write a novella instead of a document that no one would ever see as a whole. There are plans for an encyclopaedia to be released that should also serve as a tabletop role playing game setting book, but much of the timeline for Freeground wouldn't be useful to that kind of text.

Clark Patterson, Mary Reed and the others were born. The Expendable Few novella also serves as connective tissue between the Origins trilogy and the last book in this part of the series - Broadcast 7: Framework. It has become a challenge that, I believe, will affect all my future work, regardless of genre.

It is in first person perspective, and told in the present tense. Imagine you're reviewing a document put together by Freeground Intelligence that is made to explain certain events using forensic analysis, personal logs, and other data. The person central to this is Freeground Fleet Commander Clark Patterson, who happens to have a near obsession with the First Light crew. The book begins months after the last of the command team from that ship have gone, and a political body called the Puritan Party have taken control of Freeground. They see the adventures of the First Light as a warning, and are doing everything in their power to isolate and control the people of Freeground Nation. Clark Patterson finds himself thrust into the absolute centre of this political struggle while retracing the footsteps of the First Light Crew under the instruction of Fleet Intelligence. The Expendable Few fits before and during Broadcast 7 on the timeline.

The feedback from Test Readers has been good so far, and they've already made important suggestions for improvement that have been implemented. Expendable Few has been a great guinea pig.

In the end, the Expendable Few will be a stand alone Spinward Fringe novella that one doesn't have to read to understand Broadcast 7. Judging from the feedback, I don't think anyone who is already reading the series will want to miss it, however. Especially since it'll be available for free on Smashwords and for 99 cents on Amazon.com.

RL

[Thanks to Dorian for asking a question on the Facebook Page that became a blog post.]

Spinward Fringe Update: Broadcast 7 + 1

The news is good. Work continues on Broadcast 7 - I'm into act 3 and enjoying it. Something came up along the way, however.

If I were under contract to write these books I'd be working closely with an editor to make big changes to the manuscript to accommodate a broader part of the story or to cut a huge part of the book out in a quest for simplification. Thankfully, I'm not under contract.

I found a story in this book that is too large to add to Broadcast 7, and it doesn't line up with the timeline well. There was an opportunity to make huge changes to accommodate it, but it could be so much more than just a few flashbacks, or a sudden plot line that seems jarring because of its manner of appearance.

So, I'm working even harder, finishing Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework and working on this new novella as well. Here are the details I can share so far:

The novella takes place during Broadcast 6 and Broadcast 7. It is about the recapture of the Sunspire (formerly known as the First Light), and other events closely tied to that action. There's a focus on Freeground and what the regular characters in the Spinward Fringe series left behind. A new group of characters are introduced but you will find a familiar face or two. I consider this book an opportunity I decided NOT to waste - it is a bit of important connective tissue that draws many parts of the series together while telling a story of its own with new characters.

Here's the best part - I'm half way finished the novella already. It'll be available for free here. It'll also be included with Broadcast 7 when it's released. [Edit / Correction: Since this post was written the novella has grown into a full blown novel, and will only be available seperately.]

This is going to be a good summer / fall for Spinward Fringe, and I'm enjoying the work more than ever.

RL