Rogue: Assembly Will Be Released On December 14th, 2023

 

This is a repost from my main site. www.randolphlalonde.com

Like the headline says, Rogue’s first book, set in the Spinward Fringe Universe, will be out on all major ebook sellers on December 14th. A release in print will follow on Amazon shortly after. Most of the book is already available in the Ream Library if you’re subscribed at any level other than free. (Ream is like Patreon, only it’s designed for writers and their readers).

You can preorder the ebook on most of the sites linked below.

Ream Stories
Smashwords
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
Overdrive
Google Play (The ebook and audiobook will release on December 14th)
Rakuten Kobo (Coming soon! Please check back after the 7th of December)
Amazon US UK AU CA DE FR ES IT NL JP BR MX IN

Now, more about the book. This was originally a way for me to tell stories about gunslingers in space. As I considered what I wanted to write about in the Spinward Fringe Universe but hadn’t yet, a very long list of things and stories along with locations and events started to form. I considered my main character, Rogue, and what might challenge her, give her a chance to succeed, fail, and grow. After that I looked back at the list and picked a few things to start with, planting my main character in New Zero, a city with as much potential as Rogue.

Before I knew it I was writing from her perspective, inviting you in using her voice and enjoying the adventure. For people new to the Spinward Fringe Universe, Rogue is a character with a pragmatic origin.

During a tricky situation Alice Valent, a soldier who was trying to save allies, created a decoy using an android. The decoy had to be perfectly convincing and powerful enough to carry out an important mission, so she was created using the most advanced technology on hand. They copied Alice’s consciousness into the machine and sent it off as part of a hostage trade.

It worked, but while the android decoy was on its mission, something awakened, adding something unique to Alice’s consciousness that could only exist in a complex machine. Rogue was born, and Alice let her leave so she could begin a life of her own.

This is where Rogue starts walking along a path that will challenge her, introduce her to new friends, locations, characters that range from the familiar to new. There’s a fair dose of comedy in this adventure too because it fit really well along with the fast paced adventure at the core of the novel. The book is shorter than regular Spinward Fringe novels (and cheaper!), because they’re written like feature films or double episodes of an hour long television series. Regardless of length, there’s a very firm beginning, middle and ending that is satisfying on its own.

I don’t actually know if this will become a series, but I plan on repeating that pattern if it does. Whether or not there are more of these will be up to you, and I’ve planned ahead just in case there’s a demand. I may write another one or two either way, because working on this was so much fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

And now for a bonus. While I was writing this short novel (it’s about 63,000 words), a friend of mine, Patrick D Emond who is a talented composer, released a fantastic track called Migration. I must have listened to it dozens of times while writing sections of this book, so give it a listen. Youtube Link

Rogue: Assembly

This is a repost from my new website located at www.randolphlalonde.com

 Rogue emerged from the last pages of Hunters: Spinward Fringe Broadcast 16. Having said that, her premiere novella isn't just written for long-time readers. Just like The Expendable Few, Carnie's Tale, and the Chaos Core series, you don't have to read any other part of the series to jump in.

Now, more about Rogue. She's an android who was originally created as a decoy for Alice Valent, but found true sentience as she was conducting her mission. I wanted to write a few adventures for her, and I was excited to see that readers were curious about her too. A cameo was planned for the Samurai Squadron novels, but she would have distracted from the main stories too much. Instead of putting her off for a time when she could appear in the Spinward Fringe Unlimited Series, I took a good look at the character and what I had her doing in the background. I realized she was really busy, and it was exactly the right time for her to have her own novella.

Before I told anyone what I was doing, I wrote the first two chapters. I thought they were pretty good, but gave them a rest for a few days and re-wrote them. The second attempt was so much better that I went right on to finish the third chapter, and I knew this novella was on its feet.

While that was going on the opportunity to switch from Patreon to Ream Stories came up, and I decided to make Rogue: Assembly the title I would launch my new Ream Site with. I knew I really enjoyed Rogue's first novella, but I didn't have any feedback, so I did my best to edit it and launched it on Ream, asking for early feedback after a few chapters. Thankfully, the character is coming across well, and even though it's not what people expected the reception has been positive.

I hope you enjoy Rogue: Assembly too. Right now it's a Ream Stories exclusive and about half of it is already online with two chapters a week coming out until it's finished. Here's an early synopsis!

Rogue the android was never meant to last. Originally intended as a decoy for Alice Valent, Rogue surpassed her programming and left everything behind. Now she's having trouble balancing the personality she's been given with a colder, digital version of herself that's soulless and prone to violence. Looking for help will introduce her to a cyborg blood sport, crooked corporations and an inherited grudge. Will she find balance, and who will she be if she does?

You can start the adventure on Ream. Rogue: Assembly and everything else in my library is available there now.

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Samurai Squadron II: Spinward Fringe Broadcast 19 Is Out!

This is a repost from the newer blog site on Wordpress.

Samurai Squadron II is spreading across the Internet at incredible speed, releasing nearly two weeks ahead of its announced date. I'm eager to see the response for this book, which is darker in a few ways, and much longer than Samurai Squadron I: Broadcast 18. I wanted to make sure that the middle book in the Samurai Squadron Trilogy was worth reading on its own. That definitely required that the book was more robust in size and story, which suits this part of the series well as the scope of the action is growing now.

I hope you enjoy it, here are the links you need to find the book at your favourite retailer.

Ream Stories
Rakuten Kobo
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
Apple
Google Play Books
Amazon US | UK | DE | AU | CA | FR