science fiction

Read the new Astronomicon #1 on Wattpad for #FREE!

Inception Point front cover artI’ve already posted the first 27 chapters of Astronomicon: Inception Point on Wattpad and I’m trying to post a new chapter every day! If all goes to plan, I’ll have all fifty chapters posted before this time next month.

I haven’t decided yet if I will leave it up on Wattpad indefinitely but it will be there for at least 30 days after the final chapter is posted. Ultimately, I’ll be publishing it on Amazon. In the meantime, I’m looking for feedback and I’m especially keen to hear what you all like (or don’t like) about each of the chapters. Please don’t feel shy about leaving comments. Feedback can be extremely helpful.

If you like a chapter, please, please vote for it. It helps me target those chapters that need improvement by looking out for those with lower vote ratios.

 

Read Astronomicon: Inception point here for free..

 

All the feedback I’ve received so far has been very positive. Inception Point has the highest vote to read ratio that I’ve ever had on Wattpad and far above the average. I’m hoping that’s a good sign! My own opinion is that this new version of the novel holds together much better, the science is more accurate and the pacing is vastly improved. I’m hoping my readers feel the same way but, if not, please let me know. I’m tough – I can take it!

 

Thank you for reading it and even more if you leave a comment there too!

Astronomicon #1

Astronomicon: The Beginning old cover designIt’s been a lot of work and it’s STILL not finished, but the first batch of chapters have been sent to my trusty proofreaders. The second and third (final) batch will be going that way very soon and I’m now trying to sort out a new front cover too. The layout and font are in place but I’m missing the actual cover art. I did consider going with a pure black cover with just the title of the book across the middle in the classic Astronomicon font, but for that to work, it needs to be embossed or foiled. Less than that tends to look more like a printing issue!

There’s still a round of editing and then a final proofread to go before I publish the initial release version on Wattpad. An Amazon launch will follow within weeks after that but in a break from my previous business model, it will not be free. Being free on Amazon now is a quick way to disappear in a sea of poor quality junk, so Astronomicon #1 will be priced at 99p (99c) instead. It’s a token payment (the lowest Amazon permit) but it means the novel will be competing with paid books rather than all the free stuff out there.

One more thing which hasn’t happened yet is the title reveal. It will no longer be named “Astronomicon: The Beginning” but the new name is a secret for now.

35,000 Words into Astronomicon #1

Whilst I didn’t finish the NaNoWriMo challenge this year, it did get me 35,000 words on the way to completing the rewrite of the first Astronomicon novel. That’s not bad progress. It’s shown me that it’s entirely possible to squeeze in 500-1000 words per day most days of the week, so I can keep some momentum going until the book is finished.

Unlike the original, this new one will not be perma-free. There are SO many free books out there these days that most people equate free with poor quality. I’ll be pricing it at Amazon’s minimum of 99p (99c) but running a bunch of free days immediately after launch so people who already have the original version but want to see the new one, don’t have to pay.

I’m most pleased with the pacing of the new version. The original had some patches which were too slow and not particularly interesting. This one is structured very differently and makes it a drastically more exciting ride for the reader. This left me with some problems with character development. I have had to be someone covert with the character development, weaving it discretely into the action and brief conversations as the long, evening conversations of the original just don’t happen in this one.

With things getting busier the closer we get to Christmas, I’m most unlikely to finish it this year, but I’m hoping to be posting chapters on Wattpad before the end of January 2020. I’ll post updates here and do a big announcement as soon as the new version launches. The Amazon release will follow a few weeks later.

#NaNoWriMo2019

Latest design of the ElysianWell, I didn’t finish my planning before the beginning of November, but that’s okay – I’ll plough on into writing it anyway. I’ll just have to fill in the holes in my planning as I go along. It’s hard to predict how long the book will be but the original was 125,500 words but I expect this one to be a little shorter, maybe more like 90-100,000 words. The challenge will be hitting that during November! I’ll need to average over 3300 words per day, every day, without fail. That’s going to be tough!

I must also come up with a new cover to match the new Elysian design. I’ve built a 3D model of the new ship but with nowhere near enough detail to render up for a book cover. My 3D design skills are not good enough for that job, so I need to come up with an alternative plan for that. There won’t be a cover reveal until I’ve sort that one.

The new ship design is a coup for me. The original Elysian in the first edition of “The Beginning” was more akin to a miniature Battlestar Galactica than anything realistic. The new version (shown in the illustration here) is very nearly within our construction capabilities now. It’s over 20 years since I wrote the original novel and I expected our space technology to have moved on somewhat further than it has by now. Clearly, the original Elysian will not be possible in 2037 but this new design should be creatable within the next 18 years. Sadly, I see no intention by any country to populate other star systems. Everyone seems set to just continue in worsening pollution and poverty until we are strangled by our own uncontrolled overpopulation.

On a lighter note, there’s a new title for the book too. I’m keeping that secret for now as it might yet change. With the extra workload, I’m not going to be posting or tweeting much this month, but don’t worry, I haven’t given up. I’ll try to post occasional updates on my progress to compensate. If you’d like to support me on Patreon while I achieve this project, please click here for more information.