Back to the beginning

Now that my new novel Rome's Evolution is out, I thought I'd travel back to the beginning of Rome's Revolution and go through it page by page. I don't mean reprinting it but rather go through the scientific analysis of what led up to the current long form.

The version of Rome's Revolution that is out now is actually three books in one. The first book was originally entitled VIRUS 5. Later, when I decided to write the second book, I knew I had to go back and subtitle the first one. They couldn't all be entitled VIRUS 5. So I elevated VIRUS 5 to the series title and called the first book VIRUS 5: Asdrale Cimatir which is Vuduri for Stareater.

The second book became VIRUS 5: Bez Onquoade which means "An Uneasy Peace" in Vuduri. After I wrote the second book, I knew I had to write the third so it became VIRUS 5: Pedele Ta Asdrales which means Battle for the Stars.

After I had finished them, I came to the conclusion that since most people did not speak Vuduri, the titles would seem like nonsense. Since I didn't want to give away the major plot twist of the first book, rather than call it VIRUS 5: Stareater, I decided to rename each book after the planetary system in which the major elements of the action took place.

I also decided that the VIRUS units were really only bit players and it was Rome's transformation that was the single most important element. So out goes VIRUS 5 and in comes Rome's Revolution.

Book 1 became Rome's Revolution: Tabit and Book 2 became Rome's Revolution: Tau Ceti. The third book, technically, should have been called Rome's Revolution: Sol but that seemed dopey so I renamed it Rome's Revolution: Earth.

And that's where the books remained until I decided to boil them down to the omnibus which is Rome's Revolution today.

More tomorrow.