Mike Shepherd's Blog, page 2

To Do or Die is coming soon

So here’s the treatment we gave the sales staff for it.

It takes blood, sweat and moxie to win a war.

To win the peace may take all that and a lot more.

That’s the problem dropped in Colonel Ray Longknife lap. How can he win the peace on the misnamed planet of Savannah. Lucky for him, he’s got a Marine not at all misnamed, Trouble. And Captain Trouble has brought a few good men and women to this party.

Savannah will know peace if Colonel Ray Longknife, Captain Trouble and Special Agent Ruth “Trouble” have to take it apart piece by twisted piece.

But there’s something else, waiting in the wings. Something beyond their wildest dreams . . . or nightmares.

Here is the often hinted at story from the Kris Longknife Saga of how Savannah came to have a special relationship with the Longknifes. Here is the story of how Captain Trouble and his Marines took the Ladies from Hell out waltzing up Black Mountain one evil and stormy night.

You’ve wondered about this story. Now you can read it.

Lots going on Jan 10, 2014

Well, the copy edits of Vicky Peterwald – Target were sent back to NY on Monday. They’re on schedule for the June 28 pub date. I got a draft of the cover for Kris Longknife – Tenacious 10/14. It looks lovely but it’s just a draft because there’s a typo on it. (Right, a typo on the cover. It will be corrected.)

I got a request from Audible to provide the cover for Kris Longknife’s Bloodhound. They’ve got all three of the novellas under contract and will have them out soon.

I’ve asked Ace to get me a copy of Vicky Peterwald’s finalized cover in jpeg and hope to post it soon.

Those of you in the UK and former colonies who have noticed that First Casualty is not available as an e-book, thanks for raising it. I’ve passed it along to Ace and hope to have that straightened out by next week.

I also did a third draft of Fire in the Darkness and sent it off to be edited by my second reader. Since it’s not yet under contract, I’m not sure if it will be a 15 or 16 book. The more orders for To Do or Die the more likely Ace will want it for 15. I’m just saying.

So, for a supposedly quiet week, this had plenty going in it. I was scheduled to write at the coast next week, but my wife has had a bad attack of gout over the holidays and bruised herself rather badly when she fell. I’ll be staying home this month. With luck, I can get Vicky Peterwald – Assassin, the novella for May or June into a rough draft.

Enjoy!

Out of the mouths of, er, teenagers.

Some of you have been remarking on how each Kris book, since forever, seems to end, and then have that extra twist of the knife that tells you there’s some more coming down the track at you. And maybe I do that too much.

Well, my two grandkids watched the latest Percy Jackson movie with me and their Grandmama. It ended with a bit of a twist and the almost 13 year old exploded “Not Fair. That ruined the entire movie.”

His sister, a wise High School Freshman said “That’s a hook. It’s meant to get you to buy the next movie.” She’s so wise . . . and might become a writer.

Danny wasn’t satisfied. “They should not have done that. It’s not fair.”

So those of you who want a more solid ending to the books, you have a partisan in my own home.

And recently I’ve been reading S.M.Stirling’s vampire novels.  They are GREAT!  The first one ended nicely, but with a strong hint of more to come. I quickly read the second book, which ended with a whole lot of loose ends. I really wanted that third book. Fortunately, book 3 was published in July, but I ordered it on the Sunday before Christmas and it is now Boxing Day and I don’t have the dang book. Ouch, ouch, OUCH. I want that book!

Oh, the suffering.

Now we start the Second Iteeche War book.

I’m back at the Oregon coast working on the second book of the Iteeche War. For now I’m calling it Someone had Blundered. I’ve put 16,000 words in in the first two days of writing it. It reminded me of changes I want to make the the ending of both the First Iteeche War book and the rough draft of KL Relentless. That’s how writing three books in one year all come together.  I’m having a hoot covering Kris’s back story and painting in the seeds of stuff you’ll see in the later books you’ve already read.

Keeping Busy.

I’m at the Oregon Coast working on finishing the first draft of Kris Longknife: Relentless, your book for 10/15. 15,000 words in so far this week for a total of 91,000 words. I expect to finish by Sunday. Audible contacted my agent about producing the three e-novellas in some package, either stand alone or in one file. I’m not sure which. I also mentioned Vicky Peterwald: Assassin that I intend to have out in June. By the way, To Do or Die, Kris’s great-grandparents trying to make peace on a troubled world will be out in 2/14 and can be preordered now.

More fun coming your way.

I hear a lot of you complaining about having to wait a year to find out what happens in Kris Longknife: Tenacious. I’d just like to point out that February You’ll have To Do or Die to enjoy and come June will see Vicky Peterwald in print. Trust me, 2014 won’t be so long a year.

Vicky-1

Life is fun. I think.

While you are enjoying Defender, the Galley Proofs of To Do or Die showed up. They’re due in before OryCon next week. Then I’m off to the coast to finish the first draft of Relentless for Oct ’15. Then in December, I’ll start book 2 of the Iteeche War. More for you to look forward to.

Where is Defender?

No spoilers here.

This is the section for you folks that are chomping at the bit and can’t find a place to get your hands on Defender. I sold Ace the world wide rights for Defender, expecting them to put it up World Wide. Well, they took three extra months to put up Furious while their suits tried to sell Furious to the UK and commonwealth market. And didn’t. I’m about to negotiate the contract for the next three books and if Ace keeps making so much of the English speaking world wait, I’ll need to think about that in negotiations. Let me know if you have trouble getting Defender, please.

What do you think of Defender

Spoiler alert!

Here’s you space to tell me what you think of Defender. You can share anything about Kris here with folks who have already read the book. Have at it. Just keep in mind that Tenacious has been turned in for 10/14 and I’ve got 75,000 words into Tenacious for ’15.

Defender is out there!

Defender is number 3 on Amazon’s list of Military SF and 9 on the Kindle list. My web master seems to have developed problems and not gotten the list of books updated. Here’s what Ace put up on it’s website about Defender.

Kris Longknife – Defender is the kind of book that can only be written after a thirteen book saga. It takes that long to get this many problems gnawing at Kris Longknife’s ankles, knees and butt.

Kris knew she had bug-eyed monsters (that look too damn much like us) out there. She’d fought them once to save a planet full of birds on the other side of the galaxy, about as far away from human space as you can get. She’s bound to have to fight them again. But said birds gave sanctuary to a bedraggled bunch of human survivors … led by Kris’s Great Grandmother Rita, thought dead these long eighty years!

But will one family reunion lead to another? How will Ray Longknife, grampa to Kris, King Raymond I to most, react to the discovery that his long lost wife is found? How will he react to her two marriages, and some hundred kids, grandkids, great and great-great grand kids? Most Longknife family reunions are barely survivable. Will this one be better or worse?

And Kris owes debts. Ships and crews died so that the USS Wasp could get Kris back to human space to tell the tale of what they found. Kris has found the wreckage of most, but the USS Hornet is unaccounted for. Dare Kris leave the birds and her Gramma Rita undefended long enough to search out the wreckage of the Hornet . . . and maybe rescue survivors? Dare she abandon the Hornet and its brave crew to their fate? She’s a Longknife; the coin toss could go either way.

Then there’s the matter of commanding a ship, or ships way to hell and gone on the other side of the galaxy. How do you maintain good order and discipline when there’s no supporting base? No shore side facilities? How do you keep Sailors towing the mark when you can’t afford to slap them in the brig and there’s no shore establishment you can ship them off to? Talk about your leadership challenges.

But the challenge of commander others is nothing compared to the challenge of commanding her own heart. Kris and Jack Montoya have shared their deepest passions. Now what? And if that’s not enough trouble, there’s Granny Rita, hinting that she’d just love to have more great-great-grandkids.

After ten books, Kris Longknife has all her chickens coming home to roost. Literally and figuratively! You’re really going to love reading this book.

For a foretaste of both Defender, coming from Ace October 27, 2013, and To Do or Die, coming from Ace in February 2014 with the continuing adventures of Ray Longknife and Trouble, Rita and Ruth as they struggle to bring peace to human space sixty years before Kris Longknife was born, you might want to buy the e-novella Kris Longknife’s Bloodhound at Amazon.com, B&N.com or Kobo.com.