Happy New Year and a New Audiobook Release

First, thank you to everyone who read Acheron Redemption – Federation Chronicles Book 3. Feedback has been very positive, which is always appreciated. The audiobook was released just a few days ago. Phil Thron did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. A link for the audiobook is below.

Quinton thought the Sentinels were malfunctioning fleets of warships left over from the Federation Wars, but they’re much worse.

The Sentinels are a menace, terrorizing spacers across the galaxy in their hunt. But change is coming, and spacers across the galaxy will have to choose whether to fight for their future.

With Sentinel fleets preparing a major incursion, Admiral Quinton Aldren must get the new Alliance space navy into fighting shape. But how can he build an armada when most spacers believe he’s the enemy?

This year I plan to release at least 3 books. I will probably get a 4th book written, but it won’t be released until January next year. I will write two books in the First Colony series back to back. After that, I will write a new series. So there you have it. Target dates are listed below. I usually have a story planned before I come up with a title, hence the TBDs.

INFINITY – First Colony Book 13 – April 2022. Pre-order will be up soon.

TBD – First Colony Book 14 – July 2022

New Series – October 2022

I’m hoping for the best in 2022, and to provide a little escapism throughout the year. Thank you for all your support, and I hope you all have a safe and healthy new year.

Looking back at 2021, I’m pleased with the three books I released. I’ve increased my exercise routine because being healthy is the best way to fight off any disease. I also learned that I have arthritis in my big toe! Who knew that could happen. I thought I broke it. No more lunges for this guy. 

I plan my books before I write them. This usually takes me anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks. Then it’s another 5 weeks to write out that first draft. Editing and revisions take another 3 to 4 weeks after that. Revisions don’t take up as much time as they used to and that’s because of the planning I do ahead of time. Experience also helps. I’ve written 26 books that comes out to 2.2 million words published. I do still work to improve my craft because that’s just the way my mind works. I know I can do better, so I seek to keep pushing the bar for stories higher and higher. It’s one of the things that I see in reviews and when people reach out to me. Thanks for noticing 🙂 

I’ve pulled back my time on social media. It seems like a growing trend for people, which I think is a good thing. It’s just not as fun as it used to be. I still check-in with the Facebook group. I’ve been reading more books lately and even binged watched a few shows, but there is definitely a lack of options finding something good to watch and get invested in. But, there isn’t a lack of good books to read!

I generally don’t share a heck of a lot about my personal life. I’m a proud papa of two boys (Young men now) who are both away at college. I guess this makes my wife and I empty-nesters. I honestly can’t believe how fast the time goes by. It’ll be an adjustment, much like everything else. Maybe I’ll write more! I know I won't worry any less. So that’s it from me. Plan, write, exercise, learn, and probably a few things I’m forgetting. Rinse and repeat for 2022.

Happy New Year!

~Ken

New Book Release!

It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve released a book—129 days but who's counting? 

I am. 

Tracking things like that is kinda my thing, but I think a few others are patiently waiting for the next book.  

Acheron Redemption – Federation Chronicles Book 3 will be released on December 10th and will conclude this series. My plan for this series was to be three books for the main storyline. However, the universe is always there if I choose to go back to it or if readers demand I write more stories in this series. 

Here is a taste of Acheron Redemption.

Sentinel warships were the answer to the Federation Wars. They brought peace and stability…or so they thought.

The Sentinels are a menace, terrorizing spacers across the galaxy in their hunt. But change is coming, and spacers across the galaxy will have to choose whether to fight for their future.

Quinton thought the Sentinels were malfunctioning fleets of warships left over from the Federation Wars, but they’re much worse. They’re an instrument of control meant to hold the galaxy stagnant in its development.

With Sentinel fleets preparing a major incursion, Admiral Quinton Aldren must get the new Alliance space navy into fighting shape. But how can he build an armada when most spacers believe he’s the enemy?

Quinton will fight. All that remains is how many spacers will join him to fight for humanity’s future.


Prologue

A galactic historical excerpt. 

Personality Matrix Construct (PMC) was first developed by Miles Harding of the Acheron Confederacy to upload a person's mind to an Energy Storage System (ESS). With the help of a highly complex set of virtual intelligences, they manage the human consciousness to machine interface. PMCs augmented existing combat technology, vastly increasing their effectiveness, surpassing traditional cyberwarfare suites. 

PMC technology was first adopted by the Acheron Confederacy to push back against the tyranny of the Jordani Federation. But the technology couldn’t be contained to one federation and spread throughout the galaxy. PMC degradation began to occur with alarming frequency where entire federations lost control of their most powerful warships. Rogue PMCs attacked civilian population centers across the galaxy in an ever-expanding tide of death and destruction, causing the Federation Wars.

Once a highly decorated naval officer in the ACN, Grand Admiral Elias Browning was branded a traitor and war criminal. Browning was believed to be responsible for the corruption of PMCs and the Federation Wars.

To cope with an increasing list of atrocities by PMC controlled fleets, galactic federations devoted their vast resources to the Sentinel initiative to create and repurpose existing fleets. Sentinel warships were operated by highly restricted versions of PMCs, whose only purpose was to hunt down and eliminate all PMCs from the galaxy.

The Federation Wars continued for decades, destroying most federations' core worlds throughout the galaxy. Subsequent skirmishes increased as spacers competed for what little resources were left. All the while, Sentinel fleets roamed the galaxy, hunting for PMCs.

Post Federation War society saw the rise of the salvager unions and mercenary groups. Galactic residents had to adapt to life aboard space stations, colony ships, and planetary habitats on barely hospitable worlds. The central command that controlled the Sentinels had been destroyed during the wars. Attempts were made to disband Sentinel fleets, but all attempts failed, and remnant fleets were no match for Sentinel warships. Spacers soon learned that coexistence with the Sentinels was far less dangerous than resisting them. 

Decades after the Federation Wars, Sentinel fleets continue to send scout forces to patrol star systems. The only communication from the Sentinels were to demand the compliance of space stations and starships alike as they searched for PMCs. Something hidden among the vast reaches of the galaxy began broadcasting PMC activation signals, and much to any spacers’ surprise was that there were PMCs who answered the call.

The Sentinels increased their patrols, hunting for PMCs and destroying them heedless of whatever stood in their way. On the galactic fringe, one PMC reactivated who managed to avoid the Sentinels. His name is Quinton Aldren, a Galactic class PMC with authority to command other PMCs. Since Quinton’s reactivation, startling new discoveries were found about the origin of the Federation Wars. Discoveries that will change the galaxy and expose the true purpose of the Sentinels.


Both the ebook and the print books will be available on December 10th!

Final Thoughts.

I hope you consider reading this book and the rest of the Federation Chronicles. It was a fun series of books to write and I’ll miss these characters moving forward. The audiobook version for this book should be available by March.

Happy Holidays.

Ken

New Audiobook Release

Now Available on Audio!

 Over the years, Connor has pieced together evidence of a mysterious group of aliens who roamed the multiverse and have been to New Earth. 
     Setting off to make new discoveries about them is straightforward enough, but this is New Earth, and Connor Gates has a knack for finding trouble. 
     For over twenty years, Connor and Diaz have been friends. They’ve survived two wars and have seen the best and the worst of each other. When a terrorist attack takes the life of Diaz’s son, their friendship will be pushed to the breaking point.
     To find who is responsible, Diaz is willing to cross as many lines as it takes. Connor will do everything he can to protect his friend, even from himself. It’ll take everything he’s got to find who is responsible while preserving a peaceful coexistence with New Earth’s inhabitants. 
     Sometimes protecting your friends is a lot tougher than fighting your enemies.

Oktoberfest

September turned out to be a hell of a month, which has put a slight delay in my schedule. Not long after my last post, we had the infamous coronavirus come through the house and it didn’t spare anyone. We’re all fine and recovered. I’ve been vaccinated since May, so my case was considered mild. Ten days of flu-like symptoms definitely didn’t put me in the frame of mind to begin writing Acheron Redemption. So covid-19 put a bit of dent in my writing goals for September. After about two weeks of being ill, I got back to it, and I’m about 30% finished with Acheron Redemption. The release of this book will be pushed back a few weeks as a result. I’m aiming for the 1st week of December to release Book 3 in the Federation Chronicles.

In other news, we’re on schedule to release the audiobook for Impulse – First Colony Book 12 by the end of October.

What’s Next?

The next book I’m going to write is First Colony Book 13. That’s lucky number 13. I’m looking forward to continuing the series.

As always, thank you for reading my work.

~Ken

September, Updates, and News!

It’s been a while, so I thought I’d give you an update. August seemed to go on forever. It was a great month, but a long one. We moved our youngest child to college, which brought back a lot of memories. It’s so much easier to keep in touch than the way way back, going to school in the 90s. I felt lucky to have a phone card with 30 whole minutes to use! We’re almost empty-nesters, which I’m not afraid to say is just weird. Before we had our kids, there was all this preparation, baby-showers, first full night's sleep, teething, school, teenagerdom, etc. Now the house that was once full of life is changing. I guess it’s a house full of memories now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud of my kids, and I’m happy that they get to make their own way in the world. However, as a parent on the receiving end of my kids chasing their own dreams, means it’s going to be an adjustment. Time really does fly by way too fast.  

September has always marked the end of Summer for me. I’ll miss the sunshine, but Autumn in Pennsylvania is a beautiful sight. I look forward to using the fire pit in the cooler evenings. Chances are that won’t happen until the end of the month.

Status Time!

Aside from moving kids to college and taking my jeep out on some trails, I’ve been working on the 3rd book in the Federation Chronicles – Acheron Redemption. I expect to finish pre-writing tasks by the end of the week, and I’ll begin writing the book on Monday. I allotted more time to plan this book to give me time to reread the first two books in the series. My initial plan for this series was three books, and I’ll be sticking with that plan. For anyone following the series, this book is the culmination that the previous books were building up to. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Impulse – First Colony Book 12 audiobook update – The book is being recorded and will be out by the end of October. 

What’s Next?

I’m happy to report that I will be writing another book in the First Colony series. First Colony Book 13! I’m not done with Connor yet, and if reader feedback is any indication, neither is anyone else. Beyond that, I’m looking forward to exploring a few ideas for new series.

As always, thank you for reading my work.

~Ken