I knew that back in March, but with Brothers in Exile about to be published, I’m right in the thick of it! Fortunately, it looks like everything is proceeding more or less according to schedule, which is good for my readers because it means a steady stream of books all summer.
First of all, I’m just about ready to publish Brothers in Exile–in fact, if all goes well, I should be able to hit “publish” tomorrow (it still takes about 24 hours for the book to actually go up for sale, but yeah). Yesterday I got the cover art, today I went through all the edits, and tomorrow I’ll write up the author’s note, format the thing and put it up on Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.
The second book, Comrades in Hope, is coming along quite well and should be ready in six weeks at the latest. I’ve gotten enough feedback from my first readers to do a quick revision draft, probably in about a week or so, before getting the publishing gears ready to grind. My first readers ate this book up–many of them said they finished it in one sitting. It’s short, but not super short–about the length of a 60s sci-fi novel–so that tells me it’s just about ready to go.
The third book, Strangers in Flight, is going to be a bit more tricky, but I should be able to get it out six weeks after Comrades in Hope. I’m still writing the first draft, and am maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through it, but the story is coming along well and shouldn’t hit any major snags <crosses fingers>. I know exactly how it’s going to end, and I predict a lot of you are going to squeal at the cliffhanger, but don’t worry–I’ll try to throw in at least some resolution, since it might be a few months before book IV.
Right now, I foresee at least nine books in the Sons of the Starfarers series, perhaps as many as twelve. Like Paul Atreides, I can only catch a few fragmentary glimpses of what will happen in the next few books, but the overall direction is very clear. These books are going to be a lot of fun to write–if you guys enjoy reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them, you’re in for a real treat.
The books are fairly short–not as short as the Star Wanderers books, but not too much longer. They straddle the line between novellas and short novels, kind of like the long-form science fiction from the golden and silver ages. Unlike those books, though, these are more character-driven than idea-driven, with the overarching galactic conflict tying all the characters together, rather than the other way around.
Once I’ve finished writing Strangers in Flight, I’ll take a short break to work on some other projects. I’ll come back to Sons of the Starfarers sometime in the fall, though, with the same grueling schedule for the next three books. It’s hectic but fun–I’m definitely not complaining.
So that’s what the next few months are going to look like. With luck, tomorrow will be the day I upload Brothers in Exile–I can hardly wait to get it out to you guys! Definitely look out for it in the next couple of days or so!
