Christmas Comes Early To Spinwardfringe.com

On January 1, 2010, I'll be celebrating two years of writing science fiction. I've written a bit in other genres, sure, but science fiction has become what this little known author is recognized for.

I appreciate all the support you readers have given me since this journey began. That support has come in the form of buying and reading the books, offering advice on eBook formatting, catching a couple errors that wriggled past my editor and myself, and more recently, regional folk who have become beta readers. I'd be remiss if I didn't also recognize the people who were kind enough to post reviews on Amazon, Mobipocket, Smashwords and others. You guys spread the message in the most accessible way, often inviting other readers to join us on the Fringe.

Recently, The First Light Chronicles Omnibus became the 7th most downloaded book on Smashwords, and it's still the number one Science Fiction novel on Mobipocket. That means that a lot of people are still just joining us, nearly five thousand over the last three months, actually. Since the Holiday Season is almost upon us, and I feel like celebrating, I'm offering all the books at Smashwords for 50% off (see Coupon Codes below), until January 14, 2010.

It's a good time to start reading in this universe, with work on the Rogue Element Trilogy going exceptionally well and an announcement as well as a cover for the second book forthcoming, things are getting very interesting. There's a lot of material, and this Friday I'll finally be telling you what the Rogue Element Trilogy is really all about. The first book in that set, Spinward Fringe Fracture, is already available, and I'll be setting firm dates for the second and third.

Announcements aside, this discount offering is meant as a welcome to everyone just joining us on this journey. For everyone who's been along for the ride and has sent me an Email in the past, there will be a different surprise coming your way. Without further delay, here are the coupon codes and links for everything on Smashwords:

Science Fiction / Space Opera
Book List Link: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/randolphlalonde
First Light Chronicles Omnibus - Free Forever At Smashwords
Spinward Fringe Resurrection and Awakening - YH56P
Spinward Fringe Triton - UY26G
Spinward Fringe Frontline - AR79E
Spinward Fringe Fracture - BX83P
Spinward Fringe Strange Horizons and close Encounters- Free (Read Last)

Horror
Dark Arts: Rising - Free Forever

Obligatory Legal Stuff:
Files downloaded from Smashwords are non-DRM (without copy protection), and will not expire after the codes become invalid. Each book is still copyright protected, do not share them with unauthorized parties. These codes and the books are authorized for personal use only.

Regardless of the legal stuff above, I have to admit that Smashwords is the only eBook distributor who makes giving an eBook as a gift easy. They offer the files in every eBook format, so if you're buying for someone else, you can simply buy the book, download the file onto a USB key or whatever you like, then pass it to them. Most distributors / retailers make this impossible thanks to copy protection, but Smashwords leaves the files unprotected. [Editor Insert: Please buy a copy of Randolph's books once for each time you give the gift, this is how he makes a living, after all.]

Thank you once again for supporting me so I can write full time. I'll do my absolute best to continue to entertain you in the future!

RL

Which Spinward Fringe Character Would You Kill? An Inconclusive Survey

It was a surprising survey subject, according to the emails I received. Several readers sent me a pleasant digital note to simply tell me; "I won't be voting. Don't kill any of them."
Thank you for the emails, everyone, I honestly didn't expect such a response. Surveys can tell you a lot, even when the voting is split four ways.
Here's how it worked out including the survey results, private messages and emails:

Ayan: 1
Liam: 4
Oz: 2
Jason: 4
Alaka: 1
Agameg: 4
Fin: 4

Six people emailed to tell me they wouldn't vote, one going as far to say that putting the survey up was a terrible idea. Several others sent private messages via Twitter or Facebook either voting for other characters not on the list (one told me I should kill Alaka's wife and children!), or to tell me they wouldn't vote.

That tells me that Ayan, Oz and Alaka are favoured characters, while the rest are regarded as less important or less liked. I may be reading too much into this, but I also think many people voted with a hesitant hand, unsure of which way to go.

Some of you are probably wondering if a character will die in the Rogue Element Trilogy. Well, one already has. Will others? I would rather not say. Being a hater of spoilers, I'd rather not tip anyone off.

Will I pose similar questions in the future? Why yes, I'm sure I will, but I'd also like to see what you think about readers voting on major events in an ongoing series, so chime in!

RL

Spinward Fringe Resurrection and Awakening Arrive On Mobipocket, Together

After being available on Smashwords for months, this combined edition eBook of the first two volumes in the Spinward Fringe series, now it's available at Mobipocket with a proper linked index. This edition is also available on Amazon.com

Resurrection and Awakening are the smallest books in the series, so it's only natural that they be collected so the length matches the price. The funny thing about this is that no one complained about the size or price of either book aside from yours truly. I always thought they were a little slim separately, and now that's been remedied.

People are still just discovering the Spinward Fringe series. In terms of readership it's a young, or small niche body of work, but anywhere from ten to fifty people download the First Light Chronicles Omnibus every day, so something will eventually come of it, I'm sure. I'm very pleased with the response the Smashwords edition of the trilogy has gotten, and a few people have gone on to read the Spinward Fringe series as well. It makes me even more eager to get the final revision of the trilogy into circulation (my editor is currently finishing her work on it), and to complete the Rogue Element trilogy.

Things are progressing with Spinward Fringe and other projects at a nice pace, especially since I took time away from Twitter and other social networking, which was sucking time and attention away from writing. More on that in an upcoming post.

For now, I hope Mobipocket customers who are just finishing the First Light Chronicles Omnibus will enjoy the next pair of books in one shot!

RL