Discussing Excerpt Two | Marketing Mondays
One of the problems with writing Erotic Science Fiction is the fact that many potential readers assume the focus is on the erotic elements rather than the underlying science fiction and general plot. To try and overcome this perception, I’ve started posting excerpts from my books that highlight some of non-erotic elements to show characters and conflicts that hopefully appeal to the more mainstream readers. These excerpts will be shared on Mondays and I’ve created a tag “MarketingMondays” to track the postings.
As the excerpts run, I’ll watch sales numbers and see if they are helping.
My second excerpt was the opening scene from Book Two. This scene sets ups some of the conflicts that will occur between Paul’s efforts and the military industrial complex in the second book. These conflicts will grow into geopolitical intrigue in the third book.
I selected this scene because it follows the climactic scenes in Book One which resolve the first conflicts Paul has with the US government stemming from his creation of a viable stealth component. While we may think stealth technology is mature or well known about now, that was not the case in July of 1985, which is the time the chapter is set in.
Additionally, this scene allows me to quickly set the stage that time has passed from the ending of the first book, without explicitly stating this is two years later in Paul’s life. I did not want to start the book with anything resembling a wordy re-cap with no action. Instead, I chose to set Paul in his office, which he did not have at the end of book one, and jump straight into the set-up for the conflict with Lockheed and the military. The second scene in the chapter also adds additional details to cover what has happened since the conclusion of the first book.
For anyone who has not yet read the books, there are likely a few obvious questions I can answer. If you have additional question I can answer, please leave a comment on this or the excerpt posting.
Is the stealth compound in the book real? I don’t know. I do know there were papers written the state a carbon nano-tube of the dimensions mentioned would attenuate radar reflections if they were uniformly distributed perpendicular to the surface. I don’t know that such a technique is used in the actual creation or construction of radar absorbing materials in use today.Why wouldn’t the Air Force contract with Paul directly? Part of the plot of the first book deals with this. It is likely they would want to, but Paul went to Lockheed first, and entered into a contract with them. Whether it was smart for them to make an exclusive agreement with each other or not is a valid question, but you’ll have to read the books to see how it plays out.Is the history behind the B-1 production shift real? Yes. I researched that point well. The Air Force had recently learned of the projected capabilities of the MIG-31 and the fact the B-1 as designed would be vulnerable. They also already had stealth experience with the F-117 showing what was possible in the B-2. However, Ronald Regan was able to campaign on re-starting B-1 production to bolster his position and paint his opponent as not “defending democracy” by making this a political issue. By changing the dynamics of this history, I position Paul to begin interacting more directly with the broader aerospace and military industries.What else happens in Book Two? You’ll have to read to find out, but Book Two is currently the highest rated of the three on Amazon.Follow me on Amazon, GoodReads, or Facebook to get information about upcoming book releases.
