Listen to Resurgence on audio today!

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Resurgence – First Colony Book 16 is now available in audio!

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.

Narrated by the talented Scott Aiello, who incidentally, was able to deliver this audiobook a month ahead of schedule. Thank you, Scott!

If you haven't listened to Scott Aiello narrate the First Colony series, give it a try. Scott continues to deliver amasterful performance bringing these beloved characters to life.

Grab the Audiobook Here!

As always, thank you for reading my books.

Until next time.

~Ken

First Colony Returns!

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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

Listen to Fallen Earth on audio today!

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Fallen Earth – First Colony Book 15 is now available in audio!

A new mission…

Years after the first interstellar colony ship departed from Earth, a contagion known as the Vemus spread across all mammalian life on the planet, giving rise to monstrosities that nearly wiped out all humanity.

Hundreds of years later, the interstellar colonists sent an expeditionary force back to Earth to help the survivors. Among the refugees were a cadre of human survivors who had adapted to resist the Vemus by becoming a hybrid of both.

Old war machines quarantined the Earth, preventing refugees from returning. Lieutenant Ethan Gates nearly died to save the colonial fleet sent to destroy the blockade. He survived by becoming a hybrid, and now they aren’t sure he could be trusted.

After months of being sidelined, Ethan finally returns to active duty, and makes an unexpected discovery…evidence hinting at the origins of the Vemus.

When detractors hinder unification efforts, causing treacherous divides among Earth’s refugees, a much larger threat looms in the shadows.

Fallen Earth is the 15th book in the bestselling military science fiction series First Colony. Don’t miss out on the next thrilling adventure for those who long to explore other worlds and glimpse a future with hope and hardships that challenge the characters to be more than what they were before.

Narrated by the talented Scott Aiello, who continues to deliver a masterful performance bringing these beloved characters to life.

Get My Copy Now

As always, thank you for reading my books.

Until next time.

~Ken

So where is the next book anyway?

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It’s update time. I’m currently working on First Colony Book 16 and am halfway finished. I expect to finish the book by the end of the month. Then it will be about 3 to 4 weeks to go through editing and revisions before the book is released. 

Why is this book so late? 

I had back surgery at the end of the December and misjudged the amount of time it was going to take for recovery. That’s the long and short of it. I’m doing great now and continue to improve. Recovery took longer than I’d anticipated, and getting back in the chair to write was extremely uncomfortable. Not so much now, with time and a lot of Physical Therapy. I actually love PT. Before surgery, I had such a decrease in mobility that it was affecting everyday life. Now, I’m able to workout like I haven’t done for years. Between working out and actually being able to walk without pain, my health should continue to improve. 

The surgery I had was spinal fusion, lumbar laminectomy, and discectomy. I had severe compression in an old injury area in my lower back, which was causing intense sciatic pain. I’m paying the price for the dumb things I did in my 20s. 

So that has been what’s going on with me. The plan for 2024 is still the same. I plan to write three books in First Colony this year, and beyond that I’m not sure.

The audiobook version of Fallen Earth will be out in the next week or so. I’ve just heard from Scott Aiello that recording is completed and is going through the review process to get it ready for release.

Thank you so much for reading my books. I hope you're having a great year.

Ken

New Book Release and End of Year Thoughts

Posted on by Ken 8 Comments

This has been a wonderful year, both for me personally and in writing books. Fallen Earth – First Colony Book 15 is the fourth book I’ve released this year. 

A new mission…

Years after the first interstellar colony ship departed from Earth, a contagion known as the Vemus spread across all mammalian life on the planet, giving rise to monstrosities that nearly wiped out all humanity.

Hundreds of years later, the interstellar colonists sent an expeditionary force back to Earth to help the survivors. Among the refugees were a cadre of human survivors who had adapted to resist the Vemus by becoming a hybrid of both.

Old war machines quarantined the Earth, preventing refugees from returning. Lieutenant Ethan Gates nearly died to save the colonial fleet sent to destroy the blockade. He survived by becoming a hybrid, and now they aren’t sure he could be trusted.

After months of being sidelined, Ethan finally returns to active duty, and makes an unexpected discovery…evidence hinting at the origins of the Vemus.

When detractors hinder unification efforts, causing treacherous divides among Earth’s refugees, a much larger threat looms in the shadows.

Fallen Earth is the 15th book in the bestselling military science fiction series First Colony. Don’t miss out on the next thrilling adventure for those who long to explore other worlds and glimpse a future with hope and hardships that challenge the characters to be more than what they were before.

Grab Fallen Earth Here!

What happened this year?

My plan for 2023 was to write a 3 book series and then go back to First Colony.  I released Space Raiders this year, which was a fun sci-fi that tilts more toward humorous adventure than some of my other work. Nathan Briggs was a fun character to write in a witty and leap first sort of way. It’s a lighthearted series meant for easy consumption. The reaction to Space Raiders overall has been very positive, but if you’re looking for something more serious then I doubt this story is for you. 

Last year (2022) when I’d released Expedition Earth (Book 14), the response had been so strong that it motivated me to keep writing stories in First Colony. It’s humbling to know that there is such devotion to a series that was first released toward the end of 2017. If you’ve read the author’s note at the end of Vigilance then you know the unique circumstances surrounding that. 

What’s in store for 2024? 

My plan for 2024 is to keep writing in the First Colony series. I’ve begun work on Book 16 and anticipate that it will be available by April. If I can finish the book sooner, I will. I had to give myself a little bit of breathing room because I’m having back surgery at the end of this month. Prayers for a speedy recovery are always welcome. 

Audiobook for Fallen Earth – First Colony Book 15 – Status: Scott Aiello is onboard to narrate this next book and the release date for that will probably be in April as well. It’s just how it worked out with Scott’s busy schedule. I’m so glad that he’s going to narrate the next book and hasn’t become tired of it 🙂  

I plan to write and release at least three books in 2024. The first slot is dedicated to First Colony Book 16, and I suspect the remaining two slots will be dedicated to books 17 & 18 in the First Colony series. Plans can always change and sometimes life intervenes, but that’s where I’m at today. If you’ve never read the First Colony series, it’s broken up into separate story arcs. The current story arc began with Expedition Earth (Book 14) and continued with Fallen Earth (Book 15). I plan to continue the series along this vein as it expands beyond the settings of the previous stories in the series. 

Beyond 2024? I’m not lacking ideas for stories, so I have plenty to keep myself busy. I will say that whatever books I write in the future will not be a rehash of the work I’ve done in the previous series. That would be boring for me and not fair to you. I do play with science fiction concepts that appear in more than one series, but I like to tweak them a bit so it challenges the characters and me. This is why I only write an average of 3 books a year. Sometimes I can get that 4th one in, like this year, which is great. 

Thank you to everyone who has read or listened to my work. I truly appreciate it and am humbled by your continued support. 

Merry Christmas and I hope you have a blessed New Year.

~Ken