March Madness 2023

Posted on by Ken

Update time!

Continuing with my adventure stories just for the fun of it theme, I’m two weeks from finishing Space Raiders 2 – Forgotten Empire. Writing the first draft is among my favorite parts about this whole writing gig. Then I’ll roll up my sleeves and do some revisions and polish. After that, the book goes to my editor and eventually my proofreader, and so the merry-go-round goes on.

Space Raiders 2 – Forgotten Empire will be released on May 4th. 

Here is a taste of what’s in store.

Nathan Briggs left his old life behind, but his thirst for adventure remains the same…

And this galaxy has many secrets.

A chance encounter with a strange creature puts Nathan on the trail of a lost civilization that predates everything else in the galaxy.

For thousands of years, many have abandoned the deadly search, but there are powerful forces that will do anything to possess the promised technological marvels that will change everything.

Determined to uncover the truth, Nathan joins the hunt, but when the race for the ultimate prize turns deadly, it will test the loyalty of his crew. To the victor goes the spoils, while the others become yet another tragic end, lost while pursuing the forgotten empire.

I’m only scratching the surface of the story with that description, but I like getting right to the point.

Space Raiders 2 is available for pre-order!

Audiobook update for this series. 

Books 1 & 2 will be recorded in early summer. I’m excited to announce that Space Raiders will be narrated by MacLeod Andrews, who is extremely talented and has a large body of work. I can’t wait to listen to how he brings the characters of this series to life. 

I’ve been asked why I don’t use the same narrator for all my series? It’s because each of my series is different. They have a different tone, center on a unique set of circumstances, and the characters are a mix up of individuals that I’ve created to be in my stories. 

Connor Gates is a veteran soldier who must not only defend a colony, but also teach it how to survive against overwhelming odds. 

Zack Quick is a hacker who works in the shadows seeking justice, only to be pulled into the forefront of a first contact story. 

Quinton Aldren is a naval commander who trained to fight a war that he missed. His consciousness was secretly preserved on a 3rd tier colony world for a hundred years, until it’s mysteriously reactived. 

Aaron Jace is the heir of a fallen kingdom, only he doesn’t know it. 

These main characters in my stories have a uniqueness to them that I believe lends itself to be better preserved in audio using different narrators for each series. This avoids hearing the character voices from one series, in another series of mine. It’s a risk doing this because people get attached to their favorite narrators. I know I do, but I also think that eventually it’s nice to hear someone new. 

Whew! This was a long explanation to say that different narrators for different series is great! 

Until next time.

Ken

Oktoberfest

Posted on by Ken 1 Comment

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!

Posted on by Ken 8 Comments

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