Intervention in Audio Book Format

Now out, Intervention in audio book format narrated by Monica McIntyre – ACX profile here.

Available at Amazon, Audible US, Audible UK and Apple iTunes/Books

Intervention ACX
Intervention Retail Sample ACX

Intervention is the continuation of The Observer Series of Science Fiction books  for more details please visit The Interplanetary Geographic Service Home Page or see Part One – The World of Fives

The continuing story of Cathy Rodriguez – a Senior Observer in the Interplanetary Geographic Service.

Cathy is recalled from her Observer duties as she is asked to establish first contact with a new life form.

Meanwhile, the Conspiracy to prevent humans changing their non-Intervention policy continues to try and kill her. Together with Marta De Jaste, a Senior Investigator, and Tony Briggs her former jailer and security officer, they travel to the chosen planet.

On the planet Tullymeade, Karloon Niesta, a disgraced scientific observer, detects a strange anomaly. A discovery that will change his planet forever.

In deep space, two groups of survivors try and recover from their battle in orbit above the planet Freevur

The Observer Series Part One – The World of Fives

All my audio books can be found listed here

The World of Fives on Audio Book Format

Now out, The World of Fives on audio book format narrated by Monica McIntyre – ACX profile here.

Available at Amazon, Audible US, Audible UK and Apple iTunes/Books

World of Fives Fives on Audio
World of Fives Audio Retail Sample

In The World of Fives, Human Beings have expanded into the stars, thanks to the benefits of 7D transportation. Life and planets are plentiful, intelligent life is not. A near Utopian existence for humans is supported by the dedication to various services. The Human Federation policy is one of non-intervention. Observe only, that is the mission of The Interplanetary Geographic Service.

Cathy is an Observer in The Interplanetary Geographic Service. She is observing the planet Fivur, as an exceptionally rare convergence of moons and orbits creates massive tidal shifts on the planet’s surface.  Five years into her initial six year mission, with only Ix her Artificial Intelligence system for company, she watches the planet.

Carlo, a Fivurian must overcome the impact of the tides on the planet’s power system, whilst keeping his love, Sello, safe.  Meanwhile, Cathy tries to persuade her superiors to intervene, and save the lives of the planets humanoid population.  If she can save them, they will need a new home, but Earth’s factions have different ideas.  Meanwhile, another intelligent species on the planet the Sharok wait to feast on any human or Fivurian who ends up in the water.

The book is also available from Amazon in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada and selected other Amazon sites

All my audio books can be found listed here

Where Did 4 Years Go?

It’s 4 years today since my first book came out.

Hard to understand where the time has gone. Of course a lot has happened since then. More books written, some have even sold! The original An Agent’s Demise was followed by two sequels and a combined trilogy. Yet my writing went in other directions. The excitement of hitting lofty heights of number 1 in the charts for a day with Demise has not been repeated.

Web2

I have had (and still have one) two different day jobs since then.

Four years ago my children were still students now they are both post degree and working.

If someone knows where the time went please let me know – I think it’s with the odd socks and pens in my home. Perhaps it’s just the extra wrinkles on my face. Not a good trade.

Now I need Book 10 to get finished.

Intervention – The Observer Series Part 2

Part Two of the Observer Series – Intervention will launch on 30th January on Kindle – It is available for pre-order now:

Intervention
Intervention

Amazon.co.uk  or Amazon.com also other Amazon sites worldwide

The continuing story of Cathy Rodriguez – a Senior Observer in the Interplanetary Geographic Service. The story follows on from Part One The World of Fives

Cathy is recalled from her Observer duties as she is asked to establish first contact with a new life form. Meanwhile the Conspiracy to prevent humans changing their non-Intervention policy continues to try and kill her. Together with Marta De Jaste, a Senior Investigator, and Tony Briggs her former jailer and security officer, they travel to the chosen planet.

On the planet Tullymeade, Karloon Niesta, a disgraced scientific observer, detects a strange anomaly. A discovery that will change his planet forever.

In deep space two groups of survivors try and recover from their battle in orbit above the planet Freevur

Intervention – Part Two of The Observer Series

A taster of the story to come – Adapted from the records of The Interplanetary Geographic Service

<<Comms Transmission SGRINC67564 − 3680-04-19-1402:16.23 burst Key XGDES2056Blowfish#@GEOSURVEYS & XGDES2056Blowfish#@COLSERV
Data Load: 1.2Tb compressed.
Survey inspection methodology: x25-theta.
Mission: 28427335f: Report 225: Comment: Mission Complete!
Reporting Officer: SupGenCol/GenGeo Rodriguez in Command Survey Ship Theta-Carmalite. In command still.
Sector: Tesla 281 Segment X-ray 132 sub-segment one. There aren’t any other sub-segments
Mission Objectives: Observe, probably the dullest mission I have ever been on apart from the collision with the asteroid/mini planet/moon whatever it was. Oh, and the rest of the millions of collisions, explosions, random debris, etc.
Earth Distance: 326,853LY. A very long way from Earth – never been this far out before.
Mission Date: 3680-04-19. Time to head in.
Population: Report 226: Comment: None, still none and will still be none in a billion years
Physiology: Report 227: Comment: Ditto
Secondary Population: Report 228: Comment: None
Language: Report 229: Comment: None, but mine is getting worse – again
Sun – System Planets: Report 230: Comment: New planetary system forming in this arm as expected with high density of Helium and Hydrogen particles. Explosive elements appear to have been caused by clash of paths of two L type gas giants, hence causing what appeared to be a super nova. Of course that was fifteen Earth years ago based on light speed explosion detection from nearest Bot. Data shows possibility of L type resulting from the mess but the jury is still out. Will require full GeoServ analysis to confirm but we’d need another half billion years before finding out for sure.
Any planets, that might have been in the original system of the star are long gone. Radiation levels are exceptionally high and there is a lot of physical debris preventing closer approach. Probes in place but several have been lost to high velocity impact. Theta-Carmalite received minor damage before withdrawing further out. Okay it was a bit more than minor damage but we’re fixing up nicely.

Situation unstable so please warn my followers or chasers of the dangers and not to get too close.

Ship Status: Report 230: Comment: Damage repaired. Probe stocks at 30% of total. Crew bored, you told me I would be.
Recommendations: Time to head in, I need a glass of real wine from CarpaMax.
Comms Transmission SGRINC67564 − 3680-04-19-1402:16.23 burst Key XGDES2056Blowfish#@GEOSURVEYS & XGDES2056Blowfish#@COLSERV>>
<<Comms Transmission SGRINC67564 − 3680-04-19-1403:38:28 burst Key XGDES2056Blowfish#@GEOSURVEYS & XGDES2056Blowfish#@COLSERV
Reporting Officer: DirFus/IntSupDir Constantine Del Quiller. Acknowledged Mission Complete, Proceed CarpaMax, I shall see you there!
Comms Transmission SGRINC67564 − 3680-04-19-1403:38:28 burst Key XGDES2056Blowfish#@GEOSURVEYS & XGDES2056Blowfish#@COLSERV>>

Progress Update

Progress update as described in April 2015

I have not been updating all the sub-pages of this site as frequently as I would like. Still I’ll have some time soon to devote to writing and the supporting effort.

On that theme I have joined Readers In The Know as another way of trying to reach more readers, especially when I have offers for books going like the ongoing Smashwords deals I have although in this case the primary links are to Amazon.

To the point of the blog – updates to current writing progress:

An Agent’s Prize – the third book in what I’m calling the Demise series – after a long stall this has finally got going again. I have had to sort out the plot’s timeline to make it work and drop a major scene idea which was forcing to many other scenes.

Intervention – Another stalled process that has got going again. This is the second part of The Observer Series. I was making it too complex, so some cutting and altering needed to be done before progress could be made. That revision has mostly been done and further chapters added

Collection One – Not far off finishing, but in the put away and think about it for a while. Not happy with the proposed cover nor the title. Actually, not totally convinced by a couple of the stories. – Editor’s note – remains unfinished and uncollected. See Coming Soon

Revolt – No progress, this may be put away for a while

To The Survivors – The Sequel – Has been started but I have a conflict in where it starts with several alternate ideas and three opening chapters. The biggest problem has always remained, where does it go and from when, till when? The original spans twenty years or more.

Others

There are other snippets and starts but nothing definite. For those of you who have heard snippets from me – I can’t say when or how these will evolve.

Enough blogging – there is lots of writing to do as well as promoting existing works, setting pricing, and not checking sales

Smashwords Deals

I no longer publish through Smashwords

To celebrate the forthcoming launch of Landscape I have some coupon codes via Smashwords to grab my existing books at special discounts for a limited time only!

Simply add the coupon code at check out

An Agent’s Demise – AC79Z – Special Offer with the code $1

An Agent’s Rise – WT3H – Special Offer with the code $1

To The Survivors – BN59T – Special Offer with the code 50% off

The Persuasive Man – YE67W – Special Offer with the code $1

The Observer Series-Part One-The World of Fives – LP55E – Special Offer with the code $1

Prevarication and Procrastination

Aside

Prevarication and procrastination are easy vices to fall into. I have been doing both on two keep works in Progress. Part Three of the Demise series, An Agent’s Prize and Part Two of The Observers Series, Intervention. In both cases the stories were progressing well and then I came unstuck. The first I had an idea for a big scene and was driving the story to get to the big scene, but it was not flowing. In the second, I have over-complicated the story line trying to bring too many different elements into the story. In both cases I have been fiddling with the odd line and writing no more chapters. I know what I have to do I just don’t want to do it. Pages of words will have to go, and then I have to revise the remainder to get the stories to make sense. Only then can I progress the manuscripts, and finish the tales.

Of course knowing what I have to do and actually doing it, are two very different things. There are some nice scenes that I have already created but will have to go. The whole links and connections in the stories will have to be re-done. Then the unneeded material will have to be deleted. That is the worst bit. It will be like throwing away a digit, not a whole leg or arm but a finger or toe. Cut off, the text will disappear into first the recycle bin (in case I change my mind) then into electronic death. I will then mourn its passing and wonder if I could have rescued it. Sure I have deleted paragraphs and sentences before. I have even changed track, but never something so radical and never on two books that won’t progress unless I do something drastic. It’s no use, the erase key awaits. I just have to swallow my reluctance and get on with it. I’ve been telling myself that for weeks.

Then. I delay again, fiddle with something else, do another re-edit on another story, work on the audio version, comment on Goodreads or write this blog, anything to put off the awful moment.

Enough – the mouse is here, the keyboard poised….

Just do it!

Go On….

Do I have to?