Spinward Fringe Frontline: The Readers Have Spoken And A Look Back

Spinward Fringe Frontline has sold 200 copies so far. That's a disastrous number if you talk to any publisher but where I'm concerned it means that I can pay rent, bills and buy groceries for a month.

It also means that there are 200 readers who wanted to follow me at least that far on this journey. They're talking about the books too. The First Light Chronicles Omnibus is still selling, meaning that more people are joining the crew every day.

How does this effect the future of Spinward Fringe?

Well, Spinward Fringe Rogue Element has undergone some creative alterations that aren't the result of good or bad sales numbers. The whole series has become a creative exercise again whereas Frontline felt more like marathon brain surgery. Frontline was built as a fully outlined, balanced novel and even though I enjoyed writing it, I didn't like having such a strict plan in place from the first to the last word.


I had a storyboard for Spinward Fringe Frontline that flowed past the edges of a three by three meter square. The planning involved in that book, with its multiple parallel storylines and deeper character development, was nothing short of meticulous. Every chapter had a full outline, notebooks were filled, trees were killed. I wanted to see if I could write a book that was so well planned from the beginning and I did.

As it so happens, I've read the final product since and was surprised. I made an effort to keep it fast paced but the story moves faster than I could have anticipated. Some of the characters do take serious strides and many of the points brought up by readers (thanks guys!), are proven to be valid and helpful. I enjoyed writing Frontline despite the careful planning and design. I have to admit I enjoyed reading it and I hope everyone who bought it did too.

I found room for improvement like any writer who reviews his own work would. That's not to say that Frontline isn't the best book in the series, to many readers it is. I learned a lot by reading Frontline again and I'm carrying those lessons with me as I write Spinward Fringe Rogue Element.

Rogue Element is a very different project. I'm taking an entirely different approach with only a basic outline. I'm focusing on character goals and bringing a sense of wonder back into the scenery. There are other things going on with Rogue Element, including a couple of experiments you'll see evidence of before the novel comes out.

I'll talk about Spinward Fringe Rogue Element more later. I'm so excited about it that it's difficult not to.

The point of this blog post is to say thank you and to tell everyone that people seem quite happy with Spinward Fringe Frontline, so the future of the Spinward Fringe series is quite secure. The work and the journey goes on and I couldn't be happier.

RL

[What did you think of Spinward Fringe Frontline? Leave a comment!]

Spinward Fringe Rogue Element: Answering Questions

I've been getting questions from a few readers like: how long until we see Spinward Fringe Rogue Element? I've heard you say this book will be different, how? What kind of book is this going to be?

They're all legitimate questions and I'm glad you're asking. I'll answer them as best I can, promise.

How long until we see Spinward Fringe Rogue Element?

Writing is going very well. I'm a third of the way through it and the plot points have been nailed down. I've been working on this book for three weeks and I've noticed a trend, it's getting easier to write as I go. The work is going faster and faster. I'm hoping to have a draft completed in three to four weeks. If all is well and I've done my job to my editor's satisfaction it'll take another one to two weeks to edit. It'll be launched on Mobipocket and Lulu the day it's ready. Remember that the creative process requires latitude and there's no guarantee that this book will be available in the time frame I've quoted. I'm also not going to dismiss the possibility that I'll finish my draft early.

It's true, this book will be different from everything that's come before. I approach each book differently and this one is certainly no exception. Spinward Fringe Rogue Element is being written like a high budget Space Opera film. It's really that simple. I have the setting, the characters, and the plot foundation.

There's also a preamble at the beginning that fills new readers in on all the essentials with regard to the story so far. Don't get me wrong, someone who starts with Spinward Fringe Rogue Element will miss all the details and more interesting bits of the series before it, the preamble doesn't go into a lot of detail. It just ensures that anyone can just pick up a copy and start there while reminding long time readers of a few pertinent details. There are other not-so-subtle differences and plot risks in this book but I won't go into it just now. Spoilers are generally wrong.

Now on to the question; 'what kind of book is this going to be?'

Rogue Element brings the Spinward Fringe series back to its science fiction adventure roots. The First Light Chronicles (the precursor to the Spinward Fringe series), was very enthusiastic overall and I admit the pacing and development could have been a little better in some places. I'm bringing that enthusiasm back into the series in Rogue Element along with the sense of wonder and discovery that was so prevalent in The First Light Chronicles. What I'm keeping from the Spinward Fringe series is the character and story development that people enjoyed so much in Triton and Frontline.

I'm really enjoying crafting this book. I wake up every morning, and I mean every morning looking forward to writing another chapter. I could go on about how excited this project makes me but I'd rather get back to work on Spinward Fringe Rogue Element.

Thank you very much for staying on this journey with me and spreading the word about the series. Right now the precursor to the Spinward Fringe Series, The First Light Chronicles is still on sale for $1.00 at Mobipocket and Lulu, so keep telling your friends about it. If they're not into eBooks this is a good opportunity to get them interested.

Cheers!

RL

If you absolutely must kill trees, you can order your copy of the First Light Chronicles Omnibus or any of the Spinward Fringe books from Amazon.com. I won't judge you.

Sweeping Improvements to All Books

After receiving a great deal of advice from many of my eBook readers, I've made a number of changes to all the eBooks offered on Mobipocket. Here's a list of the changes.

The First Light Chronicles Freeground eNovella is once again free through Lulu.com. Mobipocket administration has informed me that they don't allow free eBooks to be added to their Freebooks program any longer, so I've reduced the cost of Freeground to $0.10 there.

All of the First Light Chronicles books (including the Omnibus), and the Spinward Fringe books now include links by chapter so Mobipocket readers can easily navigate through them. This is something that wasn't in place before because I honestly didn't expect to do so well in the eBook market. Now that so many of you have proven me wrong (thank you!), the table of contents are in place.
When the Spinward Fringe Triton novel is released there will be a new Afterword added to the First Light Chronicles Omnibus. In the afterword I discuss how the books came about, some of the more drastic twists in the novels and some of the surprises that crept up on me while I wrote them.

In the book Spinward Fringe Triton there's a preview of the following novel, the fourth book in that series. (eBook version only, sorry. I just have to save paper).

I'm also working on getting the First Light Chronicles Omnibus listed on Amazon.com. I'm hoping to make the printed copies available through their site (supersaver shipping, yay!), by Christmas. Other than that I'm looking for popular places to review my work, so word can spread beyond Mobipocket, SomaCow and this site. I love you guys, but for me to make a career out of this I need a few thousand more readers.

These changes and improvements have all come about thanks to you, dear readers, and I'm happy to make them. I've had a fantastic time writing these books and meeting people who are interested in the world I'm creating and expanding. I truly hope it never ends.

RL

Spinward Fringe Triton: Update

Triton is twice the size of Spinward Fringe Resurrection, it's also a very different kind of story. It took a while to write, I'll admit. After that it took a little while to edit, and I'm afraid that due to a family emergency things have been set back a bit.

I don't know exactly how long this will last, but even though things have slowed down on the finalizing of this book, it's still coming.

Since this family matter is going on I'm writing the book following Trition, so once the air clears things should be right back on track.

The popularity of this series continues to rise, and thankfully I had plenty of ideas stored up long before I started writing it in January of this year, so there's more to come. I thank everyone whose supported me, enjoyed reading and donated to the cause or purchased my work. I can't say how much I appreciate your patience, it'll be worth the wait.

RL

Spinward Fringe Triton: Now We Wait

What's with the title you ask? Well, I've finished my editorial pass on the newest book and all of you get to wait on my Editors final word.

Anyone who has read the First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe thus far know that I'm the master of answering a (plot) question with another question. That's how I do things in general, give you just enough to feel informed while you follow the characters along on a journey that could take you anywhere. In the end there's always a payoff, however.

Triton is different. The location is different, the story is vastly different, even the main characters we follow around are dealing with things that they've never faced before. I've taken great risks in the telling. The major risks involve answers that don't pose questions. Many of the answers to long running plot lines (even going as far back as the First Light Chronicles), are final and satisfying, or at least that's my intention. My Editor will tell me whether I've accomplished my goals and told a good story.

Triton ties up a number of important plot lines because it's time to move on to the bigger story that's been developing in the background ever since the first page of Starfree Port. In Spinward Fringe Broadcast 4 (I can't tell you it's proper name until my Editor has signed off on Triton), the big picture story comes into play and I can't wait to tell it.

Triton is a much more serious book than anything that's come before, and now that I look back on the story I've told I can honestly say I'm proud of the work.

So, like I said before, we get to wait a few days while my Editor makes her educated, well read assessment of the book. Here's hoping I've done my job exceptionally well.

RL

[While you're waiting you could always check out Fate Cycle Dead of Winter or Fate Cycle Sins of the Past if you're looking for a more epic style of fantasy. They're both available at a reduced price on Mobipocket.com]

Spinward Fringe Awakening: Approved!

It's official! My editor has finished her work on Spinward Fringe Awakening and it has met her approval. After a pass by yours truly it will be released with the cover to the left.

I've been holding my breath with this book because of several very, very large risks I took with the story, and after hearing her opinion on the journey taken by the reader I'm fully confident that this is the story that must be told in this book.

The kind of plot that I lay out for my readers with this book is central to an overall story that surpasses anything I've ever written. In all honesty I couldn't be more proud.

I hope you all enjoy what is to come, the book will be available for purchase through eBook retailers such as MobiPocket, Books On Board and several others as well as Lulu.com. I prefer people purchase the book through Lulu.com since they offer the non-DRM pdf version and they also offer the printed version.

Thank you for waiting patiently for this book. I'm sure you'll agree it was well worth it.

More questions are answered, the adventure grows and the characters begin to sing as a choir building to a ground shaking crescendo.

RL

PS
The cover features the logo for Regent Galactic, a Corporation that has something to do with the story overall.