Confidence Game – Where Does it Take Place?

Posted on May 23, 2017 by BR

The rough draft of the new book has undergone its first editing sweep and is also now titled. Confidence Game will release in late August or early September. Again, this is a standalone story in the TCOTU galaxy, with the sequel to Hero of the Republic still in progress. I’m still searching for the perfect cover art for Confidence Game but the internals of the book are complete with just a multitude of editing passes to go.

Two blog entries ago, I touched on the location in which Confidence Game takes place. Here is a map insert that will come with the book. It fleshes out much of the Solarian Federation, and the enlarged portion shows the key locales in the new book:

It’s been a real joy to watch this galaxy grow as the various books and series evolve. We’re finally seeing what’s “East” or Spinward of the Brevic Republic. The Coreward Corporate Zone (CCZ) is the yellow portion of the map and helps designate four more of the thirteen major corporate-owned systems. (The final four are the Central Systems, where Nessus is located, which appeared in Last Measure of Devotion.) The two major corporations portrayed in Confidence Game are Appiation Unlimited Transactions (comprising the Svea and Imdali star systems) and Tengying Corporation (made up of the Shui Wei and Ctama star systems). Notable are also major features in this sector of space: The Izari Nebula and The Spinward Expanse.

There has also been some “creep” coreward by the Federation and Republic as both governments have expanded upward on the map over the past 10 years (relative to where we are in the various storylines). The Solarian Federation has made greater gains, despite the unfortunate position of the Izari Nebula, but then, the Federation’s resources weren’t drained by the Brevic-Hollaran War.

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Rough Draft Complete

Posted on May 11, 2017 by BR

Back in early March, I switched gears away from the sequel to Hero of the Republic to work on a more humble concept. Across the Blue Line was getting bogged down and I felt I needed time away from the project. After all, the last thing I want to do is churn out a poor sequel, especially when I’ve worked so hard to set the stage for what should be pretty epic.

So, I started writing a smaller scale novel with new characters that still took place in the TCOTU setting. To my surprise, the humble story took off and flourished. Today, I have actually finished the rough draft to the novel I am tentatively calling Confidence Game. I’ve only just come up with that title this week, but as I edit I’ll see if something else jumps out at me.

Confidence Game has been everything that Across the Blue Line wasn’t from a writing perspective. The story just flowed, the characters fit almost too perfectly and everything just ran like a machine. I’m very excited about the story and I think readers of the TCOTU series will enjoy it (and even get a little piece of closure left over from the original series).

The story right now is 105,000 words, which should translate into roughly 330 pages or so. It’s in the sweet spot for my novels. Not too long, not too short. The setting is the Coreward Corporate Zone, the area of space between the Solarian Federation and the Brevic Republic. The time frame is a few years before the ending of Hero of the Republic but well after the Brevic-Hollaran conflict.

The process now switches to relentless editing. I’ll make the first pass starting next week, then hand it off to my primary editor. We’ll work together after that point and then hand the beta copy over to my beta readers. A month after that, it will go through a few more editing passes and then be published.

Confidence Game will be available on Kindle, Nook, iBooks, etc. by late August or early September. Check back here for some sneak peeks into the story and updates on how the editing process is going. See you next time!

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Update on the Next Book

Posted on April 8, 2017 by BR

When last you left me (or I left you), I was setting Across the Blue Line aside to let it ferment some and starting a different project. It’s a big departure from the Parasite invasion, humanity-hangs-in-the-balance nature of Across the Blue Line and fits instead into what I’ve taken to calling a “low stakes” book. Hopefully that doesn’t mean “boring.” I don’t think it does.

Since starting the project a month ago, I’ve written over 60,000 words. The characters have absolutely sprung to life and I’ve loved writing their story. When I started drawing a crude outline, I wasn’t even too sure where I was going but now, everything is completely dialed in. It may not have the far-reaching impact of an alien invasion but the main characters are certainly vested, and with a smaller cast I’ve been able to develop their personas in a deep fashion. So what’s this as yet untitled book all about?

The story takes place in the Coreward Corporate Zone, or CCZ. In my galaxy that’s the collection of corporations tucked between the Solarian Federation and the upper right corner of the Brevic Republic. It’s also the corporate zone I’ve least detailed in the other books. You know all about the Lesser Magellanic Arm and you’ve seen a little of the Central Systems in Loyalty to the Cause and Last Measure of Devotion, but the CCZ was little known by my readers. The only clue to the zone was the origin of Hussy’s old engineer. Of course, the new story doesn’t stay within the CCZ and it gave me a chance to not only deepen the Federation a little but also to fill out that region of the galaxy. All in all, it’s a great location for a story and a location that’s very different from the other books.

The timeframe of the story is 004. If you recall, Garrett Heskan took command of Anelace  in This Corner of the Universe in 995. The Republic began its ill-fated Parasite Initiative in 005. This means that all of the events of the TCOTU series have happened but we are less than a year away from Hero of the Republic when Caden Twist will take Pathfinder into Parasite space with the rest of the Brevic expeditionary fleet.

The subject matter of the new story revolves around a rather roguish freighter captain and his chief engineer. Both Reece and Mercer have interesting pasts that place them on a collision course. While the book is unnamed, I originally thought of this as “The Trader Series” although I’m not sure it’s a “series” …it might be just a one book and done. However, given the couple’s situation and how they’re overcoming the obstacle in front of them, the name has evolved to “The Scoundrel Series.” I’m very excited about this book and I think readers will have a great time with it as well. There’s even a pretty significant tie-in with my past TCOTU books that will tie up a loose end from Last Measure of Devotion.

In my last blog, I wasn’t sure if I would pick back up on Across the Blue Line or continue with the new book. I’m definitely finishing this new book first and I will be completing Across the Blue Line next year. I hope that isn’t too disappointing for some of you. Please believe me when I say that I want my readers to be happy and I just didn’t think I could maximize the story in Across the Blue Line this year. Now, I’ve got an extra year to make sure that book is worthy.

On a final note, I’ve already got the ship art lined up for the new book. Once again, I am humbled by the generosity of the artists at Deviant Art. Mike Doscher has been gracious enough to permit me to use one of his pieces that blew me away. It’s the PERFECT ship for this novel. If you’re interested in seeing some incredible sci-fi starship art, you should check him out at Deviant Art. Incidentally, Mr. Doscher’s art also inspired the layout of Hussy, the freighter from Loyalty to the Cause. Here is a sneak peek at Captain Reece Lochlain’s ship, CSV Zanshin. Be sure to look for this novel late Summer/Early Fall.

Art by Mike Doscher

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