Steven Lochran's Blog, page 3

Rampant Self-Promotion

If you go to the Australian iBookstore right now, you may see something that looks a little familiar…

Yep, that’s Vanguard Prime on the main page. No idea how long it’s going to be there, but it’s amazing nevertheless. Of course, this is to promote the free eBook novella Vanguard Prime: Red Alert, as well as the fact that the first two books in the series are available for digital download at $4.99. (Have I mentioned that yet? Oh. Yeah. I have. A lot. Sorry).

One thing I haven’t mentioned is the fact that Vanguard Prime: War Zone (which is officially set for release on August 29) has shipped early, so there’s a good chance your local bookseller may already have it in stock!

…What do you mean I already mentioned that on Twitter?

Okay, okay. Here’s something I’ve never, ever mentioned before. Penguin South Africa is publishing Vanguard Prime: Goldrush! Their website has the release date set as November 2012, but I’ve been told that’s a typo and it’ll actually be available in January 2014. So…yeah…hope you enjoyed that piece of previously unrelated news.

Oh! And here’s something else! War Zone now has its own page on Goodreads.  I’m mentioning that just in case, y’know, you happen to read the book and, I dunno, want to rate it and maybe a little somethin’ somethin’ review. Is all I’m saying.

Alright. I think that’s enough rampant self-promotion.

….for now, at least.

‘Vanguard Prime: War Zone’ Full Cover Reveal

The title for this post pretty much says it all, huh? I mean, there are times to be ambiguous and, clearly, this is not one of those times.

You may have noticed that the banner image above has changed. And if you haven’t seen the image before, allow me to very proudly say that it’s the artwork from Vanguard Prime: War Zone. As with the previous books in the series, illustrator Chad McCown has delivered a beautiful, energetic piece of wraparound artwork which this time features the Vanguard Prime team on the front battling it out with the [unnamed mysterious bad guys] on the back.

You can see the finished product for yourselves when War Zone is released on August 29, but in the meantime you can enjoy the full cover image by clicking below;

Pretty awesome, huh?

But that’s not all! I also have Vanguard Prime: Red Alert news! Penguin has now set up a landing page for the eBook, which means you can find links to it in all its various formats in one handy spot. Click here now to check it out.

If you haven’t had the chance to read it as yet, I highly recommend it as it’s a bite-sized adventure featuring the whole Vanguard Prime team, as well as a variety of new, exciting villains. This is in addition to the first two books in the series available in digital formats at $4.99 – a bargain if ever I saw one!

What else has been going on? Well, for one thing I participated in the pop-up library that Werribee Plaza set up for Book Week, where I got to read one of my favourite picture books (Instructions by Neil Gaiman, if you’re curious) as well as talk with the kids in the audience about writing and storytelling. I’ll make sure to post some pictures when they become available.

I mean, how often do you get a picture of yourself sitting on a giant storybook throne?

‘Til next time.

eBooks, Advance Copies & Kittens – Oh My!

 

After last week’s post about its release, Vanguard Prime: Red Alert contines to pop up all over the Internet. That includes Amazon, where you can download it free for your Kindle right now. But in addition to that, you can now also purchase the digital editions of Vanguard Prime: Goldrush and Vanguard Prime: Wild Card for the princely sum of $4.99 each! (Or $4.71 on Amazon, which I believe is US dollars, so the difference is negligable). 

Phew. That was a lot of links.

In more Vanguard Prime news – if you follow me on Twitter you may have already seen this image;

 

Yes, I’ve received the advance copies for Book 3, War Zone, which looks amazing. But more than that, this is probably the Vanguard Prime book that I’m happiest with; it has the shortest word count but the most amount of story. I know for a fact that it’s certainly got the most amount of characters.

In addition to meeting the VP universe’s Japanese superhero team, we’re also introduced to the Resurrectionists, a shadowy group of neohumans whose leader has a mysterious connection to Agent Alpha. The book is still a few weeks away from release (official release date is August 29) but I’m confident that Vanguard Prime fans will love it.

I hope.

If all of this hubbub wasn’t enough to keep me busy, last weekend my wife and I adopted two kittens. Yes, two. The theory was that they’d be company for each other while we’re out. And that’s how we’ve ended up with Joanie (named for Christina Hendricks’s character on Mad Men) and Edgar (the name the animal shelter gave him that’s stuck…despite my wanting to call him ‘Ziggy’).

Joanie never stops moving, and Edgar is so cowardly he’ll dart away the second you try to photograph him, so it’s rare to get a picture of them at the same time. This is one of my many vain attempts;

 

That’s Joanie in front, bullying up to the camera, while Edgar cowers in the background by his water bowl.

We’ve basically sacrificed our back spare bedroom to these two little balls of claws and fur. I’m covered in hair, scratches…and love. In fact, I’m currently writing this with Joanie on my lap (and my right thigh throbbing from where she’s clawed it). I’ve not yet tried writing a novel in this position, but I get the sense that I’m going to have to get used to it pretty fast.

She won’t take ‘No’ for an answer.

Money for Nothing and Your eBooks for Free!

It’s here! The moment has arrived!

After what feels like months of promising that it’s on its way, you can now download Red Alert, the free Vanguard Prime eBook that tells a whole new story featuring Goldrush and the whole Vanguard Prime team!

‘As Vanguard Prime takes the field… I wonder how I come across to all the soldiers gathered around us, dressed in the black-and-gold V-suit that looks as if somebody skinned a Lamborghini and made a lightweight spacesuit from its pelt.

Do I look like the others; a seasoned superhero ready to take on the world? Do I look like Sam Lee, AKA Goldrush, super-speedster extraordinaire? Or do I look like how I feel; a kid who’s swallowed a crate of fireworks and is counting down to the horrible moment when they explode?’

In this exciting free novella, the perfect introduction to the series, Vanguard Prime is responding to a Red Alert: a multi-billion-dollar research think tank has just been stormed by a supervillain strike force headed by the Red Death.

Each level of the centre is booby-trapped with bombs and the Red Death has handpicked an arch-rival (aka murderous psychopath) to neutralize each member of the VP team. But this is just the maze that Vanguard Prime has to run to find out what’s really at stake, where Red Death himself waits for an enormous machine to warm up on Sub-Level 4…

We’re currently putting together a page on the Penguin website to host the file, but in the meantime you can find it in the iBooks store (just search for ‘Vanguard Prime in iTunes and it should come up) or you can download it directly by clicking here and selecting the red ‘Slow Download’ option on the left.

It’s currently available only in ePub format, though most e-readers (if not all of them) should be able to open it. And if you don’t have an e-reader to load the file onto, try downloading Adobe Digital Editions to read it directly on your computer. If you have any problems accessing the file, let me know and I’ll pass the info onto Penguin.

I’ll also make sure to update you guys as more download sites come online. But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading this brand new adventure as much as I enjoyed writing it!

And if you’re a new reader to the Vanguard Prime universe – welcome aboard! You couldn’t have picked a better time as the third book in the series, War Zone, is set to be released in just over a month…ao watch this space as the updates will start coming thick and fast!

Happy reading.

The Church of Joss Whedon

When I was on the promotion trail for Vanguard Prime: Goldrush, I did an in-store Q&A where I cited Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a big influence on my writing. The brilliant Leanne Hall, who was leading the Q&A, turned to the audience to take a quick poll: How many of you are familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer? To my surprise, only one hand went up.

I had just assumed that Buffy had permeated culture enough that everyone knew what it was. Of course, it didn’t occur to me that most of the audience was 10 years old, and that Buffy had been off the air for the entire time they’d been alive. Thankfully, I had Leanne there to help explain the show, given that she too was a Whedonite and had encountered a similar situation at one of her own events.

But the fact that nobody had heard of the show really threw me. You see, I was such a big Buffy fan while growing up that, when I went away to leadership camp in Year 11, my drama teacher instinctively knew that he should tape the latest episode for me so that I wouldn’t miss out on seeing it (proving why he made such a good mentor…and just how much television-viewing habits have changed since I was in high school).

That fanboy love continued onto the spin-off series Angel, and from there onto Joss’s other TV work, including the modern classic Firefly and the under-rated Dollhouse. In fact, I was such a fan of Whedon that I’d follow him anywhere. I’d try to pick out the lines that were his in the movies he’d script-doctored, including Toy Story, Titan AE, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the original X-Men. I sought out the hardback graphic novel that collected his entire Astonishing X-Men comics run. And nothing can describe the heartbreak I felt the day I found out that the cinema I was working at had hosted a Q&A session with the man himself…a year before I started working there!!

Those of you unfamiliar with Joss might ask why his work inspires such loyalty. Is it the intriguing plots, the insightful use of theme? Or is it the witty dialogue that’s proven so influential it’s had a trope named after it? Well, yes, it is those things. But at the heart of it is his focus on character.

In short, Joss creates characters you love. They range from idealistic to cynical, erudite to streetwise. They’re flawed, but they’re always trying, and that’s what makes them so relatable. And once you feel like they’re close friends, like they’re family, that’s when Joss will throw a curve at you and break your heart…and though it’ll be through hot salty tears, you’ll love him all the more for it.

Through his work, Joss taught me to be a better writer. Through his interviews, he taught me the importance of including strong female characters in your writing, and why men shouldn’t shy away from considering themselves feminists. He taught me that smart and funny equate to cool, and that while high school may be hell, it’s a hell that can be conquered.

That’s why it was so heartening to see him hired by Marvel to direct the first Avengers movie and, when it succeeded, to see him jump to the top of the Hollywood A-list. And while I’ll gobble up every detail I can about Avengers 2 to find out what Joss has in store for us next, I’ll content myself in the meantime with seeing his take on the work of one of the few writers I’d rank higher than him (and I think he’d happily agree with me on that score).

So if you’ve never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I heartily recommend you check it out. And when you’re done, I’ll happily welcome you into the Church of Joss Whedon.

We’re getting jackets made.

 

My ‘Wild Card’ Mixtape

I’ve written before about the role that music plays in my creative process, and specifically the hand it had in writing the first Vanguard Prime book. Now that the second book in the series, Wild Card, has been on the shelves for a few months, I thought it’d be safe to write about the music that inspired certain scenes.

But for those who are still yet to read it, don’t worry! I’ll do my best to keep things as spoiler free as possible.

So let’s kick things off the best way you can – with a bit of David Bowie!

‘China Girl’ by David Bowie

‘China Girl’ would have to be one of my favourite Bowie songs…or at least, it’s one of my favourite Bowie songs to sing along to (I may or may not have performed a karaoke rendition at our huck’s party). That said, it’s a bit of an odd addition here as it didn’t directly influence the writing of Wild Card; I didn’t craft any scenes in my imagination while listening to it, it didn’t conjure up any particular imagery in my head.

What it did do was inspire not only how the Knight of Wands dresses when he’s out of uniform, but his appearance in general as well. The suit/trench coat combo Bowie wears midway through this video is the point-of-reference I used when describing the Knight’s attire as he and Sam jet off to the lecture they attend.

More than that, I remember thinking how unique Bowie’s eyes are, and how I’d like to incorporate the one brown eye/one blue eye look into a character one day. And then I figured, why wait?

So that’s how the Knight came to have one blue eye – it was only later that I realised that his mismatching eyes and the backstory for how he got them also resembled that of Spike from Cowboy Bebop. But you can’t always take everything into account, and being a Bebop fan I thought it was appropriate.

Note: If/when you watch this video, I would like to point that yes, it is a little racist and no, I have no idea if it’s self-aware about that or not. I’m leaning toward that being the case, given that Bowie’s talked about how the lyrics are an anti-racism message.

 

‘Cat People (Putting Out Fire)’ by David Bowie

Continuing the Bowie train, we have this song. Originally used in the film Cat People, it would rocket back to fame when used in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. I remember thinking how powerful and evocative it was. And though it sounded a little dated, it sounded dated in the best of ways. Tarantino used it as his story was leading into the final act, with one of his characters preparing themselves to do battle (essentially). I would play it as I imagined the flight that the Knight of Wands, Goldrush and Solitaire take to the World, readying themselves for the fight to come.

And though I thought the lyrics worked wonderfully for that (especially as the Knight of Wands is associated with fire in tarot, and I wanted to harken back to that motif in the songs I used), the lack of originality bugged me. Which is why it was fortunate that I soon ran across the next song…

 

‘Cities Burning Down’ by Howling Bells

If you haven’t heard of them before, Howling Bells are a fantastic Australian band fronted by the brother/sister duo Juanita and Joel Stein. I saw them play over ten years when they were known as Waikiki, and I’ve been a fan ever since. When I heard this song, I knew it fit even more perfectly for the scene I had in my head than the Bowie song did. I can’t listen to it now without thinking of the Chariot flying over the Hong Kong cityscape, its passengers preparing themselves for the darkness that lays before them.

 

‘Me and the Devil Blues’ by Robert Johnson

There’s a conversation that happens in the book regarding the music of Robert Johnson. My publisher was uncertain about keeping it in, given that it’s a bit of a dated reference that’s not exactly “down with the kids” (not that she put it like that…not that anyone would put it like that). But it was important to me that we maintain it, as I felt very strongly that it reflected on the character who was depicted listening to it.

If you’ve not heard about him before, the mythology that revolves around the blues musician Robert Johnson was that he sold his soul to the devil to attain his musical ability. Johnson wrote more than a few songs that referenced this oft-repeated urban legend, with Hellhound on my Trail probably being the most famous of them. I picked Me and the Devil Blues, however, as I felt the lyrics were even more indicative of the character listening to the song.

 

‘It’s a Fire’ by Portishead

Following the conversation about Robert Johnson, an altercation breaks out that leads to a pivotal moment in the book. Without wanting to be too spoiler-y about it, a button is pushed and things get very…uh…explode-y?

I imagined this sequence slowed down and with all the ambient noise stripped out, leaving only the imagery…and this song, which continues the fire motif surrounding the Knight of Wands. It’s not a big, rousing number to finish on, but it’s certainly a beautiful one.

-

And that would be it. While there are still plenty of other songs I could write about, I wanted to pick just a handful that I felt had the strongest link to the text. If you’ve already read the book, I hope this gives you a chance to revisit it, or at least that it’s provided some extra insight.

But if you’re yet to read the book, well…I hope I haven’t ruined anything for you.

‘Til next time!

Notes from a Wayward Writer

Hello.

You may have noticed an awful lot of tumbleweeds rolling through this place lately. That is, if you’ve been back to check in at all, given how long it’s been between updates. The reason for that is that I’ve been away. Really away. In fact, for all of May my wife and I were overseas on our belated honeymoon.

Though our wedding was in December, we decided to delay our honeymoon until midway through the year. Partly it was because the weather would be better in the northern hemisphere. Mostly it was because organising a wedding, a house move and a honeymoon all at the same time seemed like a form of torture, exquisite though it may have been.

I had intended to blog while we were on the road and…well…didn’t. But now that I’m back I fully intend on getting back in the swing of things. I thought I’d start by offering you a little insight into our time on the road, which included a few days in Venice.

At events I’ve done, I’ve recommended to any aspiring writers in the audience to keep a journal handy, especially when travelling. That way, you can note down the things you see and use them for future reference. More than that, it’s simply a good writing exercise, forcing yourself to become more observant of the little details and find a creative way to encapsulate them.

My wife and I made a game of writing down what we’d seen each day, eventually ending up with three pages worth. I won’t bore you with all of the notes, but here are a few so you can get an idea of what I mean;

The smell of leather wafting from shopfronts. Masks in windows. Lime-green moss. Pinks, putties, pastels and creams. Green window shutters. Computer print-out tributes to the recently deceased. Ironwork bars spotted with rust. Waterbuses that slam against every stop. Squiggles of light in the black evening waters. The rattle of suitcases over stoney streets.

And so and so on. Some are more original than others, I’ll grant you. The thing to keep in mind is there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to do it. Just write down what you see. Worry about the poetry of it later. The side benefit is that you end up with a record of your trip, even if you’ve never been one to keep a diary.

From Venice we went to London, driving up through the UK to Scotland, before heading over to New York. With every country we went to, I meant to write down notes of what I saw each day and unfortunately never got around to it. Just goes to show that sometimes the hardest advice to follow is your own.

In fact, I got a lot less writing on the trip done than I’d hoped to, but now that I’m back I’m looking forward to getting back into it.

Of course, it doesn’t help when there are distractions available, such as the art exhibition we went to on the first Saturday we were home. I’ve been a fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion since I was a teenager and the original series was aired on SBS. Since then, I’ve collected the Platinum Box Set and, from there, eagerly awaited the release of each new movie in the “Rebuild” series, where writer/director Hideaki Anno revists the series and reinterpets the story with updated animation and a divergent plotline.

Anime fans who also happen to be Vanguard Prime readers will no doubt see the influence that Evangelion had on VP, given that both series revolve around a teenage protagonist who’s reluctantly drafted into saving the world by an international military operation and the female Major who acts as his handler. In fact, the red jacket that Major Blackthorne dons in Goldrush was intended as a joint shout-out to both Akira and to Major Misato Katsuragi from Evangelion.

Yes, I know she’s a Lt. Colonel in ‘Rebuild’. But she’ll always be a Major to me.

With the upcoming release of the third film in the Rebuild series, an art exhibition has been touring the eastern states of Australia, showcasing the film’s production art. Thankfully, we got the chance to see it before it finished up its run in Melbourne.

And if the art were for sale, I’d buy the heck out of it.

I’d hoped that there’d be some merchandise for sale to add to my nerd hoard, but unfortunately the pickings were slim. I’ll just have to content myself with the bits-and-bobs I picked up during our trip (photos of which I fully intend to show off…at some stage).

In the meantime, the edit for Vanguard Prime: War Zone is keeping me pretty busy, as is the edit for Red Alert, the e-book novella that will be getting released before War Zone to help promote the series. New readers and old should both be interested in Red Alert for a variety of reasons. Namely;

1) It’s an all-new adventure that follows the whole team and is over a quarter of the length of one of the full-sized novels

2) It features a whole host of new villains

3) It’s 100% free!

Pretty cool, huh? I’ll make sure to post more details about Red Alert as they come through, as well as whatever info I can share about War Zone ahead of its September release (like, for instance, the brand new cover that Chad McCown has illustrated and that I can wholeheartedly say looks fantastic).

‘Til next time.

Life in a Nutshell

Life has been keeping me pretty busy lately, so I haven’t been able to post in a while. Sorry about that!

I’m currently knee deep in the edits for Vanguard Prime Book 3 (aka War Zone), which is still on track for its September release…so long as I don’t slack off! I’ve also been out and about promoting Wild Card, doing a couple of interviews as well as some events. I got the chance to talk to kids’ book club at The Younger Sun bookshop, which was a lot of fun and very insightful.

A week later, I had an event with Eltham Bookshop. This was the second event I’d had with the store, and the kids were just as bright and engaged as they were the first time around. One Vanguard Prime reader, Elliot, even brought along a drawing he’d done of Goldrush and the Knight of Wands, which he not only gave me permission to share here but also very generously let me keep. Thanks, Elliot!

Pretty cool, huh?

To make sure I didn’t rip him off, I traded him a signed piece of cover artwork. Hopefully he liked it!

My wife and I are heading off on an overseas trip soon, so my blogging may get even more sporadic. I’ll do my best to keep you posted, provided my fingers don’t fall off or I’m struck suddenly and thoroughly blind.

And now I need to find some wood to knock on.

‘Til next time.

Babes in Toyland

Recently, I took the opportunity to show off our bookshelves. The photos I shared were from the lounge room and the dining area, but there was one more set of shelves I didn’t tweet about – the shelves in my office. 

I’ve written before about the office I was going to have in our new home. Well, that dream is now a reality. To be honest, though, it’s still a work in progress, but I thought I’d post some pictures of it because I figured some of you out there would be interested. 

Now, photos of bookshelves may not sound that exciting, but the thing is I’ve amassed a collection that I feel is something of a pop cultural autobiography. My goal is to have an item for all the major sources of inspiration from across my life. In short, I have a very flimsy excuse to collect toys… 

…lots of toys.

Not that I’m completely without sophistication. I mean, one of the things I bought to celebrate my book deal was this antique typewriter, which sits quite snugly on the shelves behind my desk…

Inspiration sold separately.

But I doubt it’s the antiques you’re interested in. So let’s take a closer look at those bookshelves, shall we? 

Hurm.

Is that a budding romance I see…?

Behold, the instrument of your liberation!

Further proof that I’m not a complete philistine.

Besides the antique typewriter, the other prized possession in the office is this display cabinet I purchased from eBay for $150.

Yes, that’s a guitar on the floor. No, I can’t play.

This cabinet contains many wonders…

If ‘Toy Story’ were real, Batman here would totally be this group’s Woody. But grumpier.

I would pay money to be able to write the crossover that involved all these characters.

Me in Muppet form. Plus guests.

Now, like I say, this is a work in progress. I’m still planning on painting the walls, and the shelves are still a little bare…well, the bookshelves are, at least. In short, I reserve the right to take more photos in the future, once things are looking more like I imagine they will.

But the thing about this collection, and this office, is that it provides me with a visually interesting space to draw inspiration from as I work. Plus, you know…it’s fun. 

Look out, Finn! He’s got a gun!!

Bang.

A Whirlwind Tour of Stevenlochran.com

This Sunday morning, I’ll be making my second appearance on Kids’ WB. As much fun as I had the first time around, this time was even better…

…though I have to admit, I didn’t expect to make such a spectacle of myself.

Last time I was on (which you can read about here and here), this site saw a huge spike in traffic. So in advance of that, I thought I’d write up a post to say ‘Welcome!’ to all the new visitors.

And if this is the first time you’re visiting, you may be curious about exactly who I am and what kind of books I write. Thankfully I haven’t had to write up a big piece explaining all of that, because in one of my earliest posts on this site I wrote all about my background and influences, which you can read here.

Of course, that’s not to overlook the About and FAQ pages, which should also help shed some light on the enigma that is me. And if all that hasn’t helped, there’s always the Links page where you can find links (well, what else would you find there?) to some interviews I’ve done.

But that’s enough about me. After all, as far as people go I’m really kind of boring. Maybe you’re here because you’re curious about this “Vanguard Prime” thing and you want to learn more about it.

Well, in short, Vanguard Prime is the name of the series of books I’m currently writing. It’s also the name of the world-famous superhero team that teenager Sam Lee joins when he suddenly develops mysterious powers. You can read more about the books on, appropriately enough, the Books page.

But if you don’t want to go wading through all that, let me share some of the highlights with you, including this rundown on all the members of the team. The Books page also has a link to an extract from the first book, Goldrush, which you can read here.

You’ll also find on the Penguin website that you can buy the book directly from them, as well as a variety of online sellers listed (once again) on the Books page, but my favourite option is to visit your friendly neighbourhood bookshop and ask for it from them directly. You can even get the second book, Wild Card, at the same time.

But maybe you’re still unconvinced. Maybe you need to be bedazzled by some awesome reviews. Well, you can find links to the reviews the series has received, once again, on the Books page. But seeing as I’m in a bit of a scrapbooking mood, here are some of my favourite quotes;

- “Steven Lochran’s first novel is a fast-paced action text…the plot remains tense and the sense of drama and excitement are maintained until the closing pages. Lochran has created interesting and complex characters with plenty of scope to develop them further and will appeal to readers in the 10 to 14 plus age range.” – Children’s Book Council of Australia

- “Pacy…plenty of teenage humour…Lochran’s thorough approach to constructing his superhero world pays off.” – Fiona Purdon, The Courier Mail.

- “Think CHERUB, Alex Rider and Artemis Fowl all rolled into one…then you’ve got Vanguard Prime!” – DMAG.

- “Vanguard Prime: Goldrush is a funny, stylish and action-packed read.” – Jack Heath, author of Money Run, Hit List and the Agent Six of Hearts series.

- “[Wild Card is] a book that, like the Percy Jackson books, combines quick-draw pacing with intelligent, self-aware humour and a wonderful sense of the humanity that is underscored by its super-human characters…Brimming with imagination and wit and with pacing so fast that you’ll be in pain from the G forces, Wild Card is a overall thoroughly enjoyable addition to the superhero genre.” – Read In a Single Sitting.

But maybe you’re looking for something a little more cerebral. Maybe you’re a writer yourself and you’re wondering what goes into the creation of a book. Well, I’ve written about that too in various places on this site, like this post on what music inspired my writing, or this post on what books were direct influences on Vanguard Prime. And that’s to say nothing of the series of posts on what it takes to create a superhero character, which you can find here, here and here.

Of course, you might just like pretty pictures, in which case you’re also in luck! Illustrator Chad McCown has done an amazing job with the cover imagery for the Vanguard Prime series, which you can enjoy by simply clicking on the images below.

‘Goldrush’

 

‘Wild Card’

And finally, if you don’t mind subjecting your ears to potentially harmful noises, you can listen to the Vanguard Prime theme song I cobbled together on my laptop…

Phew!

Well…that’s just about everything I can think of to share with you. Of course, there’s plenty of other posts I’ve written that you can dig through the archives to read. And should you have any questions, or if you end up reading Vanguard Prime and want to let me know what you think of it, you can either email me here or you can find me on Twitter.

Make sure to keep track of this site in the months to come, as Book 3 in the Vanguard Prime series will be getting released in September this year, along with a free digital novella which will feature an all-new adventure for the Vanguard Prime team.

And that’s it. I’m tapped. I hope you’ve enjoyed this whirlwind tour of stevenlochran.com as much as I’ve enjoyed conducting it. Actually, I hope you’ve enjoyed it more than I’ve enjoyed it. But I’ll settle for ‘as much’ if need be.

‘Til next time.