When 5 comes before 4

You may have heard rumblings elsewhere, but here is the official announcement: the latest entry in the Chronicles of Alsea is coming out in one week! July 20 is the publication date for Vellmar the Blade, a novella focusing on Lead Guard Vellmar which takes place four moons after the end of Without A Front.

Here is the blurb:

An elite warrior. A split-second decision that launches a legend.

Lead Guard Fianna Vellmar is the daughter of a champion, raised from childhood to work hard and be the very best. When she is given the opportunity to compete at the highest level and earn her place among Alsea’s elite warriors, a stunning turn of events forces her to choose between life and glory, mercy and pride.

Vellmar became a legend not for winning a championship, but for losing it.

Now, here is the slightly complicated part. Vellmar the Blade is actually Book 5 in the series. Did you somehow miss Book 4? No, you did not — it will be published this winter.

We all thought long and hard about doing it this way, because there will naturally be some confusion for the few months between the two publication dates. But Book 4 is a full-length novel at 130,000 words, while Book 5 is a novella at 35,000 words. When we planned our publication schedule, I knew I’d need a year to produce Book 4, but we could get the novella out much more quickly. We decided that most of my readers would prefer to have a book in hand sooner, even if it’s chronologically out of order, than to wait a whole year for anything at all.

And Vellmar the Blade is not that much out of order. While it does take place after Book 4, it is not part of the main story arc of the series. It’s more of a light-hearted side trip. There is one plot point covering an event from Book 4–that novel is called Catalyst–but you can rest assured that you’ll get to see the details when Catalyst is published.

Readers who enjoyed the original version of Vellmar the Blade, back when I posted it on my website as a fun little addition to the Alsea universe, will be delighted to know that I nearly doubled the length of the story while rewriting it. It has far more depth now, exploring Vellmar’s backstory and giving time to the other three members of her family: her younger brother and two mothers. In addition, Alsea itself is a much richer place after the publication of the first three books in the series, and that richness is reflected in this novella. You will be able to immerse yourself.

I really enjoyed writing Vellmar the Blade, because it was a relaxing break from the heavier themes and plot arcs of the main series. It’s fun to spend time with characters whose concerns are simpler, where intergalactic politics are not involved and planetary survival is not at stake. Vellmar herself is one step removed from the main players, and her worldview reflects that. She’s a bit closer to us.

If you’re looking forward to those intergalactic politics and more sweeping plot arcs, don’t worry: Catalyst is full of them. In the meantime, enjoy a romp through this interlude in the series, and hang out with Lead Guard Vellmar as she learns some valuable lessons, makes a life-changing decision, and starts her own legend.