Been a bit busy lately, but I thought it was time to update everyone. The word mines are unrelenting.
I’m working on finishing up the second book of a new military science fiction series for Wargate Press. The first one, Spheres of Influence, doesn’t have a release date just yet, but it should be out in Q3. I’m hoping that this first trilogy will be a springboard for more in that universe. It’s been kicking around in my head for over twenty years.
Steve Marvel has Non-State Actor in hand, and we’re looking at a potential April release for the audio.
Speaking of audio, KDP is rolling out a beta program of using “virtual voice” for audiobooks. That appears to be a fancy way of saying AI generated audio. While that could be more cost effective, I currently have zero plans to do anything with AI. I prefer working with real people.
Moving forward, I’m looking at returning to Brannigan’s Blackhearts next, after I finish up Cascade Effect. I’ll have a release date for Brannigan’s Blackhearts #13, Legacy of Terror, once I get it outlined and the schedule figured out. After that, I’ll wrap up the Spheres of Influence trilogy, get that turned in, and then the next project will depend on a few things.
I have three major series lined up right at the moment, aside from the Edge of Imperium universe and a return to the world of The Lost for Wargate (Yes, I am hoping to get the first book of the sequel series to The Lost done by the end of the year).
The second Pallas Group Solutions series, Flashpoint 1968, and my frontier series, currently tentatively titled The Territory. I’m currently hip-deep in research for The Territory, and I’ve got a hankering to get into that, though the depth of historical and anthropological research is pretty huge. I don’t want this to be another, “I read a bunch of glorified dime novels and watched a bunch of Spaghetti Westerns, and now I want to write a western.” This needs to be grounded in real history. Which means a lot of reading, and possibly a few trips around Montana to get eyes on the actual ground.
So, that’s roughly where things stand at the moment. Depending on how things fall out, there might even be a standalone Jed Horn story coming up at some point (Jed seemed to get some more interest with the release of The Lost).
Back to work.
Sounds great, Mr. Nealen! And a strong vote from me for another Jed Horn story – those books are how I was introduced to your writing. That series is still a narrow favorite for me, even though I do really like the Brannigan, Lost, Maelstrom Rising, and Pallas Group series.
Looking forward to another Blackhearts/Bastards book, I love that series. Keep up the good work as I also enjoy your video streams, very entertaining.