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

Summer Update and a New Book Release!

Posted on by Ken 10 Comments

First Colony Book 14 – Expedition Earth is available for pre-order and will be released globally at the end of the month. At long last, the colonists will return to Earth.

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?

Available on August 31st, 2022

Pre-Order Your Copy!

Writing Expedition Earth allowed me to explore and answer one of the most enduring questions since the series began. What happened to Earth? Did anyone survive? How did they survive? Who are they, and what are their struggles?

One of the things I’ve enjoyed about writing this series is that it builds on itself. The colonists develop new tools and methods to meet the challenges they face. Those things mature as the colonists master new technology. One of the questions I often get asked is whether I’d planned out the entire series, which at this time is 14 books long. The answer to that is, no, I didn’t. This series was developed in chunks, based on ideas that I’ve had and reader reactions to the story. It’s been a great ride, and I look forward to writing more in this series.

I’d planned to have this book ready for release by the end of July, but as I planned and wrote the book, the story proved to be much bigger than I thought. Expedition Earth is the longest book in the series by a wide margin. It’s a big story and one that I was determined to write well. I’m excited at how well the story came together, and I hope whoever reads it enjoys this continuation of the series.

What comes next?

I will be starting a new science fiction series and plan to release the first book in November. In fact, the next few books I will be writing will be in this new series. I do plan to return to writing another book in the First Colony series next year. 

If you happened to wander here and have never read the First Colony series, maybe give it a try. 

As always, thank you for reading my work.

~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

Why did I write Infinity – First Colony Book 13?

Posted on by Ken 13 Comments

The First Colony series has had multiple series arcs, from establishing the first interstellar colony, to fighting for humanity’s very survival from a heinous enemy that followed the colonists from Earth’s star system. This arc was explored in the first three books of the series. Books 4 – 11 explored a second arc where the colonists further explored New Earth and made some significant discoveries. I’m not going to distill a story that took 7 books to write into a few sentences. However, it was the growth and struggles faced by the characters during that second series arc that led me to write a third series arc. Impulse – First Colony Book 12 introduced some new characters, and I was able to explore some of the struggles that the colony faced as it matured into a post-war society. Struggles that included interspecies dealings and diplomacy, or a lack of diplomacy among various groups, both human and not, that struggle to move on from a brutal history. 

Infinity – First Colony Book 13 continues to build on the rich history established in the preceding books, but I think the story can stand on its own. Infinity is an exploration story built around the development of FTL technology. Most technological developments go through a learning curve as it’s perfected, and FTL is no different. What goes hand in hand with this concept is exploring a new planet, encountering new life forms, and a good old fashion adventure story. 

I am currently working on First Colony Book 14. Yes, I’m continuing the series. No, I don’t have any number of books planned. However, I do think that there is potential for a few more books in the series. I have several ideas written out, but this will depend on whether there are enough readers interested in keeping this series going. The stories I’m writing in the First Colony series have moved beyond the initial characters established in the earlier books, although they still show up on the center stage. I never enjoyed reading stories that felt like a rehashing of earlier events. In my mind, characters grow and change over time. It’s been twenty or thirty years since humans arrived on New Earth. Plenty of time for characters to evolve and, in some cases, regress, but the problems they face also change over time. The story for Infinity seemed like a natural progression of this series as the characters learn and adapt for what may come in the future.

I’m extremely excited about the upcoming release of Infinity – First Colony Book 13, and I hope that whoever reads it, enjoys a little escapism for a jaunt through interstellar space. There definitely will be a few bumps along the way.

Happy trails.

Ken

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?

Available on APRIL 2, 2022

Pre-Order Your Copy!