First Colony Returns!

Posted on by Ken 7 Comments

I’m so excited to share that the wait for the next First Colony book is almost over.

Dark secrets lurk among the stars. Are they ready for them?

General Connor Gates is leading a task force on the most ambitious exploration initiative to date. The crew aboard the ships are mix of military and civilian, and include his son, Ethan, who has grown into a well respected leader.

While exploring a strange alien world, the team investigating the wreckage of an alien ship is brutally attacked. The survivors barely escape and are now fighting for their lives and their sanity…including Ethan. They’ve been exposed to a dangerous contagion, and it’s going to spread.

Evidence surfaces that there are prisoners on the planet, and their fates are somehow linked to the survivors on the ship.

For Connor Gates, it’s all or nothing: rescue the people left behind and find a way to heal his son, or lose everything. But when a mysterious alien encounter presents an unthinkable choice, Connor’s decision will affect the future of humanity’s place in the galaxy.

They knew they weren’t alone in the galaxy, but no one could’ve predicted an encounter that would change all the rules.

Grab Resurgence Here!

What's next for me?

The audiobook version for Resurgence will be out by August, and Scott Aiello is onboard to narrate. I'm so happy about that. With a series that's ongoing like this I'm grateful that Scott is still available and willing to narrate these books.

I'll be working on First Colony Book 17, which I plan to release in September. I've got my summer project, and I'm thinking that —in my mind at least— I won't be anywhere sunny or pleasant.

I hope you enjoy Resurgence – First Colony Book 16. The book was a lot of fun and challenging to write. It's a process I enjoy a lot, and I'm looking forward to writing the next book.

As always, thank you for supporting my work.

~Ken

New series boxset release!

Posted on by Ken

I'm excited to announce the release of Federation Chronicles: The Complete Series. For the first time, all three books from the trilogy are available in one ebook, print, and audio!

Quinton Aldren thought he could leave his past behind him . . . He was wrong.

First came the development of the Personality Matrix Construct—PMC, transferring human consciousness into a machine. It changed the galaxy and the way wars were fought. Then something went wrong with PMCs and the Federation Wars toppled the galactic order. PMCs became a menace to be hunted and exterminated.

Long after the Federation Wars, the galaxy limps on. Spacers carve out an existence upon the bones of the old worlds, but things are about to change. . . something has begun broadcasting signals to reactivate PMCs that were stored in secret.

Quinton Aldren is a PMC. His consciousness was uploaded and stored over a century ago, before the Federation Wars. On a dying world along the galactic fringe, Quinton Aldren awakens in the body of an archaic android that’s barely operational.

All Quinton wants is to leave his past behind, but the broadcasts keep occurring. More PMCs are coming online, and not all of them are stable. Federation War machines are on the hunt for them, and they don’t care who gets in their way.

Quinton might have missed the war, but his link to the past might be the key to save humanity’s future.

Available in the following formats!

Ebook
Print
Audiobook

The audiobook is almost 32 hours long!

As always, thanks for reading.

~Ken

NEW AUDIOBOOK RELEASE!

Posted on by Ken

Expedition Earth – First Colony Book 14 has been released on Audible. Scott Aiello continues to do an outstanding job helping to bring these characters to life by delivering a masterful performance.

One last mission…

After a long and exalted military career, General Connor Gates thought he was finally ready to retire. He was wrong.

When interstellar probes sent to Earth’s star system report back 40 years earlier than expected, the colonists learn that humans somehow survived the cataclysmic events of the past…but so did the enemy.

The colonists owe their lives to the sacrifice made by the people of Earth, but the survivors are struggling and the colonists have the technology to turn the tide. Someone must lead an expeditionary force back to Earth. Connor might have been ready for retirement, but Earth calls, promising answers to what happened so long ago.

Can Connor and his friends survive one last mission and pay back the huge debt of sacrifice made long ago?

Start Listening to EXPEDITION EARTH!

As always, thank you for reading & listening.

~Ken

New Audiobook Release!

Posted on by Ken 4 Comments

Infinity – First Colony Book 13 has been released on Audible. Scott Aiello continues to do an amazing job helping to bring these characters to life by delivering a masterful performance.

Venturing into the unknown means pushing the limits of everything thought possible.

10 years ago, the Ark II departed on a long journey through interstellar space, but shortly after they reached their destination, all communications ceased. All attempts to re-establish contact have failed.

Utilizing prototypical FTL technology that he invented, one brave man will lead a small expedition into the unknown to discover the colony’s fate.

The challenges of establishing the first interstellar colony nearly destroyed humanity. What new challenges will the second colony bring?

Start Listening to INFINITY – First Colony Book 13 Here!

I’m currently writing First Colony Book 14. If you’ve been reading the series, then you’ll have a good idea of what this book will be about. Let’s just say that the colonists are returning to the birthplace of humanity. Some for the first time, and others will be facing an old like they’d left behind.

As always, thank you for reading.

~Ken

Happy New Year and a New Audiobook Release

Posted on by Ken

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?

Start Listening to Acheron Redemption Here

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