It's that time of year again: the new issue of Cirsova is out! Not only is it out, I'm in this issue myself, and it's for quite a doozy of a story.
Before we get into it, lets get the issue summary out front so you can see all the talented writers and their cool stories in greater detail. for those curious, the beautiful cover is also drawn by Wistmoor. It's quite a packed issue.
Now, lets get to the stories:
Flight From Reckoning (Part 1) By MICHAEL TIERNEY The Wild Stars hope to find some sign of their distant cousins beyond the Milky Way, humanoid races descended from other extragalactics! Rather than friends or allies, however, an ancient enemy lies in wait at the scene of a long-ago bloodbath!
The American Dream By RODICA BRETIN Kayla Blackmoon’s life is about to be turned upside down when Russell Morgan, a mysterious huckster politician, appears in her town of Dartmouth ready to promise the stars…
Salt Roses By JIM BREYFOGLE After her family is killed by merfolk, Aelia, a young diver, seeks out a legendary sunken treasure that is said to have the power to restore both emperor and empire!
Waegnwyrhta By WILLIAM SUBOSKI Ill-thought out regulatory changes catch up with the new Principal Administrator Waegnwyrhta when she finds herself stranded and at the mercy of her rescue crew!
The Siege of Verisa By RICHARD RUBIN The evil cult of Dewi has kidnapped Burke Fletcher’s wife Llana, forcing her to aid them against Baron Amalrik… whose Alchemist Stone Llana and Burke stole!
Void Railway By JD COWAN Things may not be all they seem on a routine escort gig when a mysterious woman approaches Galactic Enforcer Stone with a glowing gem and an offer of a side job!
The Demacron By GARY K. SHEPHERD A Peacekeeper on the Demacron, a hollowed-out planetoid that is home to a dwindling population of myriad species, must find a repairman who has gone missing!
Machine Dreams for Wired People By JAIME FAYE TORKELSON A family infiltration team is hired to break into a cybernetic AI factory to rescure the itinerant daughter of a wealthy benefactor before her mind can be liquified!
Cracking the Cyber Ziggurat By KEVAN LARSON A band of cyber pirates has been given the job of a lifetime: breaking into the central databanks of Abraham Kursk, one of the wealthiest men on or off the Web!
Paying the Doctor’s Due By WILLIAM DRELL Mickey Vance is due for a tune-up on his illegal military-grade wetware, but his doctor is dead! Can he and his doctor’s assistant evade a bounty hunter on his trail?
In the Last Days By JAMES HUTCHINGS
A lot of great stuff, as usual.
For my story, you might have been able to tell, but it is another Galactic Enforcer story. This time, however, you might have noticed the main character's name is a little different. This is because this story introduces a few new characters into the mix that will be important going forward. Well, if they survive, that is.
The protagonist of "Void Railway" is Detective Brandon Stone, a giant lummox of a man who does not seem to take his job as seriously as our usual protagonist, Detective Renfield, and in fact has rumors going on about him. This is what causes him to be approached by the mysterious woman at the story's start and his personality clash against hired merc Shiro. But when the chips are down and the safety of the Railway and the passengers becomes in doubt, can he rise to the challenge, or is that Renfield guy really just full of hot air about things like this? You'll have to read it to find out!
The stories I've written in the Galactic Enforcer series so far have been more or less standalone adventures that have little relation to each other, though there is some carryover. The ones written since Star Wanderers, however, are more tightly connected, even though they can still be read standalone. Void Railway's events actually does have direct repercussions for later stories, though it might not be in obvious ways. At least, not at first.
I also wanted to expand the world around Detective Renfield more while still keeping the encroaching darkness that exists around the corner due to the nature of his job. You might have remembered the introduction of Dana from Star Wanderers working to lighten up his life when he's outside the fray, well, there are others now dealing with what he has run into out in the abyss away from the safe roads of home, and it might be more than any of them can handle.
In other words, if you enjoyed Star Wanderers, you really should check out "Void Railway" in the new issue. It is the next step forward for the series. There will still be standalone adventures, as there always are with this series, I'm hoping to drastically expand the scope with the next batch of stories going forward. You might have seen hints of that before, but now we're really going into it going forward. It's a wild galaxy out there: how can you possibly tame what can't be tamed?
The goal of the Galactic Enforcer series has always been the quest to explore the idea of enforcing law against the Unknown, and we're about to see just how that can be done so far from home. How do we hold our ground with no firm base to stand on? The Green Hills of Earth are far away from here, after all . . .
You can read all about it, as well as many other exciting tales of adventure and wonder, in the new issue of Cirsova! Check it out today!
It should also be mentioned that this is the tenth(!) anniversary of Cirsova. They've been in operation as a publisher for a decade now, and with no signs of stopping. I could highlight the many releases other than my own they've put out, but I would be here for ages. Suffice to say, head to their website and check them all out for yourself after picking up the new issue. There is no shortage of great stuff to dig into.
That's it for today! Thank you for checking out the blog and supporting my work. It makes all of this a lot more fun than it would be otherwise. And I've got a few more surprises up ahead! I can't wait to show you what's coming . . . but it'll have to wait for now. They aren't all just my secret to divulge, after all.
Once again, you can find the new issue of Cirsova here. I'll see you next time!
In case you missed the Kickstarter campaign, Star Wanderers is now available wide! You can find it on Amazon right now. You can find it here!
This is a collection of eight stories featuring two protagonists wandering the far future where the cracks in reality are far more pronounced. What actually lies out there in the dark? Find out in Star Wanderers today!
The description:
Detective Ronan Renfield is a Galactic Enforcer sworn to protect the innocent and bring evil-doers to justice to maintain order throughout the stars.
The Agent is a nameless knight errant tasked with hunting the most brazenly wicked and blasphemous who threaten order and nature across the cosmos.
Alone, they face strange and diabolical horrors on backwater worlds and the corrupt and dangerous criminals who threaten civilization.
Together, they are the Star Wanderers!
This collection features eight thrilling tales of raygun adventure, swashbuckling sword fights, and cyberpunk mystery, including four never-before published adventures!
The Star Wanderers soundtrack by Jacob Calta is also available if you missed it! Find that here! Check it out. He did a fantastic job.
In other writing news, I've already writing some new Ronan Renfield stories since Star Wanderers was published, so you can expect a sequel in the future. I've also got a few others in the can which officially means I've passed 30 total short stories completed. I know, I'm a bit stunned myself.
In regards to the next book, Phantom Mission is currently serializing on the Patreon and we're about 2/3 of the way there. Join and get yourself first in line to read new chapters! Chapter 10 released yesterday and the next one will be out next week.
As an aside, I've also recorded a new podcast episode, and this one will also be for free members as well. It's a good chance to see if the podcast is for you, because we talk about subjects like this quite often.
Anyway, that's a short update on what's been going on.
In related news, Cirsova, who helped put out Star Wanderers is in the final stretch of their Wild Stars Kickstarter to both put out the next installment in the series as well as help fund for next year's stories. So jump in on that if you have yet to. There's not really much time left and they're about $300 away from the last stretch goal. You can find that here!
That's all for today! I'll see you this weekend for the usual. Until then, thank you for all your support and have a good rest of your week!
A short one this week. I mainly wanted to talk about Star Wanderers not only funding but hitting two stretch goals! I am very appreciate to all backers for helping make this one of Cirsova's most successful campaigns as well as mine. Every single one of you is to thank for letting it happen and allowing us the chance to make it the best possible book it can be.
Next up are checking the proofs and getting the free trading card laid out as Jacob Calta works on the bonus track for the Star Wanderers EP! Once all of that is sorted out, we can get on with rolling out fulfillment.
Regardless, I am once again very thankful for everyone who backed, shared the campaign around, or was just generally supportive. There are a lot of you! Thank you for all of your assistance in getting Star Wanderers out.
Today is a small update, but I also wanted to leave you with this video shared with me on Twitter/X about Time. It's not too long, but it delivers a very important message about priorities and understanding what we can best spend our time doing. Considering how noisy and chaotic the modern world is, it's a message we all need a reminder of. I know I do.
In case you missed the update, I will leave you with the final cover for Star Wanderers that was unveiled on the last day. It's a banger!
Just a light one today. I wanted to talk a bit about some future projects as well as the currently running Star Wanderers campaign. We have a bit under a week left to go so I wanted to give another solid push to get more backers to help us reach that stretch goal in order for everyone to receive more goodies. What better way to do that then to talk about the stories themselves?
There is also not too much else to talk about this week. Summer is almost on the way and the energy in the scene seems to be getting more heated and excited, which is always fun. New projects are starting to pop up, as I mentioned last time, and all in all its just a fun time to be doing what we do. I always quite enjoy this time of year.
Anyway, today I mostly wanted to show off some more of the AI images I played around with, especially since they pertain to the Star Wanderers campaign (less than a week left!) as we strive to hit the stretch goals before time runs out. After that, stick around for a little surprise at the bottom of today's post!
I'll also use this opportunity today to say a little bit about each story in the collection, and maybe even hint at what is to come in the future. So let's have some fun and get into it!
Ronan Renfield lands on a swampy world that has been overtaken by death and decay-worshiping cultists! [First Published in Cirsova Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense, Vol. 2 Issue 11, 2022]
This is where it all begins, at least as far as Detective Renfield goes. This wasn't the first Galactic Enforcer story I wrote, but it is the one that accurately lays out what the series is all about. In the distant future, when humanity has broken up and divided in a universe of fragmented islands, someone has to make sure it's still safe from what waits in the dark.
And what is it that waits in the dark? It's not quite what you'd expect, or at least it's not something that will leave you alone because you either don't believe in it or want to think its on your side. No matter how advanced you think you are, some things will never change.
"Dead Planet Drifter" was inspired directly by CL Moore, specifically her story "Song in a Minor Key" which is more of a fragment. It is also the last story she wrote featuring her hero Northwest Smith. The general gist of it centers on a break in the action of some other story where Smith remembers where he came from through shaken memories that are long ago from another person he no longer is. I decided to use that as a springboard into this Galactic Enforcer story, but with a quite different twist.
I've actually heard different theories in regards to what actually happens in this one and what is real or not, to the point that I've been asked if it's "reality" myself, but I can't really answer that. Not because I don't want to, but because I can't in the context of how this works. Humanity went off into space and broke off, and when you do that you can't help but lose pieces and fragments along the way, slipping through the void. Renfield is a "Dead Planet Drifter" in the sense of the plot events, and even what happens in later stories, but the story is not just named after him here. How he is able to succeed at all is because he brings with him what this world in particular as forgotten.
But that's enough of that. This is where we truly begin our journey.
The Agent travels to the ice planet Ouranos in pursuit of a genocidal mad scientist who has holed up in a lost city! [First Published in Planetary Anthology Uranus, 2020]
The Agent, on the other hand, is a related but quite different beast. He was also published first. I had long pictured a lone warrior with a flaming sword hopping from planet to planet and scorching out the rot in his quest across the galaxy, though he was always a separate person from the above Galactic Enforcer. The main difference is that we do not know his name or who sent him (though we might learn some of that eventually) and that his journey follows an arc that mimics our own seasons on Earth. In other words, Star Wanderers contains his complete arc.
Our hero floats about to burn the dead wood and replant the surviving flower bed in more fertile soil. This is because even in the future man is still prone to killing itself even with technology that would make those of us living today jealous. Evil doesn't just get grown out of--but then again, neither does Good. The future won't be as different as materialists used to claim, at least on that level. You can never outrun your sins, after all.
"Cold Heart of Ouranos" involves our hero descending into the dark of an ice planet and finding just what happened to a world that once held promise ages ago. Is it too late for Ouranos and those who still live there? You'll just have to read on and find out.
This one set up a lot of what I would do later, both in these particular Star Wanderer stories and otherwise. I am pleased that it is finally back in print again because I still remember how happy I was when I first finished it up and submitted it (and got accepted!) to the original Planetary Anthology a few years back. Funny to think its already been some years since then.
Ronan faces down a diabolical terrorist leader who uses illegal technology to carve a mystical paradise out of reality itself! [First Published in Storyhack Action and Adventure, issue 7, 2021]
Now we're getting into the weeds. "Golden Echoes" is one of those pieces that I really think I pushed myself to a new level in order to complete. It was also published in the last (to date) issue of Storyhack magazine, which I still recommend heartily to this day.
This is the first Ronan Renfield story I wrote, it is also the one that took the longest to get out of my mind and put it down to paper. Before this, I didn't really know how to process these bizarre future stories I had in mind, my short stories mostly being the magic against powers tales of Someone is Aiming for You & Other Adventures. Once "Golden Echoes" came out, however, it changed a lot of the ways I approached writing and storytelling.
Despite that, it's still a weird adventure unlike any you've come across with quite the bizarre ending. I never skimp on the action, and this story is no different in that aspect.
For those curious, the title was taken from a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem called "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo" which struck me when I first read it. That poem is what helped the story come into focus.
A quote from the poem:
O then, weary then whý should we tread? O why are we so
haggard at the heart, so care-coiled, care-killed, so fagged,
so fashed, so cogged, so cumbered,
When the thing we freely fórfeit is kept with fonder a care,
Fonder a care kept than we could have kept it, kept
Far with fonder a care (and we, we should have lost it) finer, fonder
A care kept. Where kept? Do but tell us where kept, where.–
Yonder.–What high as that! We follow, now we follow.–
Yonder, yes yonder, yonder,
Yonder.
Alchemy, turning lead to gold, is the theme of this poem, but what if the gold being sought was not . . . quite right? This is the story that solidified a bit of the early formula of Renfield's missions, though they would not all go this same way.
Essentially, Ronan Renfield is a space cop meant to stop terrorists and dark art users from breaking the fabric of reality and turning it into their own playground. But, as the expression goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Different motivations, different end goals, and different plans, all of which are destined to end in disaster because the natural order is not meant to be trifled with. Galactic Enforcers are not miracle workers or all-knowing. It's a big universe out there.
Renfield, despite it all, is not a superhero. He does not have powers. He is just a normal man with a gun and a license to stop lawbreakers from across the stars--some of which do not even recognize his profession. The law he serves just happens to be of a higher kind . . .
A cursed sorceress queen is doomed to conquer and seek revenge her wrongs, driven by a mysterious entity known as the Artisan! [All New Story!]
This was actually one of the last stories I wrote of the eight in this collection. It took me awhile to figure out just how to process the framing of the story and the implications it had on the wider world of both The Agent and the Galactic Enforcers while also showing there is much more going on than just their battles in the wide open stage that is the galaxy. In fact, there is an entire universe outside of their struggles.
I had also written an entire story with this same title that I scrapped for the reason that it just kind of felt like it had no purpose aside from being there. The final result is much different, and better, than the original one that's been recycled into better parts elsewhere. It's also now more relevant to the other tales in the collection.
Of all the stories in Star Wanderers, this one is the most traditionally Sword & Sorcery, though the ending reveal might challenge that assertion a bit. Regardless, this one continues the trend of every story of The Agent not being directly about him (even the first, told from his perspective, is mostly about his observations of Ouranos), which will continue in the next story. He is just an agent for a Higher Cause.
It should also be mentioned that "Armageddon Spring" is one of the stories in the collection that struck Alex from Cirsova the most.
As he said on Twitter/X:
"This is one of the most fascinating in the collection to me; while it's only loosely connected to most of the other tales of Ronan and the Agent, this sword & sorcery fairytale provides a lot of deep and greater context for the world of the Star Wanderers!"
It's also all brand new and exclusive to this collection. You're only going to read it here!
A young woman barely escapes the twisted human experimentation of the supposedly peaceful Plateau and it is up to Ronan to keep her alive! [All New Story!]
I had a really hard time putting this one together. In fact, for whatever reason, it's probably the short story of all I've completed that has had the most rewrites, entire gutting and excising of passages and events, and even perspective changes. Of any I've ever actually put out, this is the one I struggled with my muse the most. I couldn't even really tell you why because the story itself has never really changed, but it just never came out right. Obviously, I started on this one when I was a younger and less experienced writer, and it's not something that happens so much anymore, but it did eventually solidify into what it is now.
If I recall correctly, I started this one after "Golden Echoes" and "Cold Heart of Ouranos" ages ago, but I didn't get it completely done and written the way I felt satisfied until before I started on the last story in this collection. Normally I would just abandon a story that doesn't work, but "Cold Finger Girl" is more important than I originally thought it would be, not just to the collection but for future stories in the series as well. So, in the end, I am glad it eventually came out well.
The titular character, Dana, is the result of a world that preaches peace and equality, but underneath the surface uses blood and bone to keep its machinery going. How does one justify that when every so-called human is equal? You just change what being human actually means and how you qualify for being one.
This is a bit of a theme in regards to the villains in Star Wanderers, a part of that piece of us we lost in our voyage to the stars. We had forgotten the beauty and lessons of the original Green Hills of Earth (The Moore version, not the Heinlein one) to help keep our bearings.
As for the title, it's the most obvious weeb reference I've ever done. It's named after the old Pontiacs song of the same title, specifically the cover by Chiaki Kuriyama which was used as the opening theme for the anime Level E. The imagery in the opening, for whatever reason, struck me and it actually did inspire a lot of the story, including the character of Dana herself.
The anime version (sorry for the image quality)
As an aside, I wouldn't recommend the anime if you're expecting it to be like the opening. It's more of a comedy and the opening is a goof on a story the main character is reading (which is a subtle visual callback to the manga artist's previous work, Yu Yu Hakusho) and not really about this at all. Despite that, it's still a great opening theme.
So now you know the secrets behind this tale! Regardless of all the above, I am more than pleased with how this story turned out.
The Agent fights to protect a wayward prince from the undead cyborg minions of a necromancer intent on breaking the royal line and dooming a world by fulfilling an ancient prophecy! [First Published in Planetary Anthology Sol, 2020]
If you know a story from this collection, particularly if it's one starring The Agent, it's almost certainly this one. It's been published the most times (in the original Planetary Anthology Sol and Sword & Maidens) and is unique in the fact that there is no dialogue in the story. The reason for this is multifold, but mostly because the story has a dream-like quality I couldn't betray by trying to nail it down to a more solid reality.
If I recall right, I believe this story was written in one sitting at my desk during a particularly hot summer afternoon. There wasn't an outline, just the general premise, and it flowed out of me and onto the page, telling the story of Prince Orion and the fall of his long forgotten kingdom, leading to the scorched world that had once been his home being made into a tomb for his love and a throne of corpses for his enemy.
Of the stories starring The Agent, this one might have his least personal involvement in the events that unfold, but it is probably the best example of what his job entails. He is the aide, the secondary to the one who needs him most, and then when his job is over he is gone over the horizon towards his next mission. And after this adventure, he has one more in the collection to go on.
But before that, one more Ronan Renfield story!
Ronan investigates a series of terrorist attacks carried out by exploding cyborgs, and the trail leads him to an apocalyptic transhumanist cult! [All New Story!]
This one was probably the most outright fun for me to write, though for whatever reason it also took me the longest (aside from "Cold Finger Girl") to actually get the ending right. Despite being an artificial world with backwards concerns, the plot of the terrorist cell in "Midnight Machineguns" is one whose concerns transcends mere violence and carnage into control from the shadows. And how easy it is on a planet that idolizes the supposed "Golden Age" of Earth!
I should state, because some might be curious, that this is the only story in the collection (and, so far, the only Galactic Enforcer tale at all) that is written in first person. I don't actually know why. It wasn't originally, but it didn't feel correct initially. For whatever reason, I rewrote it from Renfield's position to the point where it now sounds like he's telling it to someone or perhaps making it into a report for his job. This is a common perspective in old detective stories and even more modern series like The Dresden Files, but since these tales are more about the Unknown I tend to focus on that more than expected genre tropes.
Once I let Detective Renfield take the reins, everything fell in place, including the ending that wasn't coming out quite right beforehand. It was as if he were the one correcting me on how the story actually goes and decided to take the keys away from me. If that sounds odd to you, I can assure you that it isn't uncommon for writers to be like that or have similar such moments in the creative process. Writing is a strange beast.
Regardless, this might be the most action-packed tale in the collection. Well, aside from one more story that we must go over . . .
Detective Ronan Renfield and the Agent team up in an epic clash against a rogue elemental Knight who desires to warp the soul of an entire planet! [All New Novella!]
There is a lot to mention in this story, but it's also a very easy one to spoil, considering it is the buildup and columniation of every other tale so far, so I will try to keep that aspect of it vague. That said, be wary of some spoilers if you want to go into it completely blind.
I've stated before that Star Wanderers is a sort of "fix-up novel" without the "fix-up" part. That is because these stories were always meant to fit together like they do. How that happened was because when I was first putting together who The Agent and Detective Ronan Renfield were, I had the basic flow of the stories come to me, and one of the last and most daunting one was the last one I'd written in my notes. "Slow Death on San Sebastian" is a story I both badly wanted to write and was also hesitant to engage with until everything else was nailed down first.
In contrast to "Cold Finger Girl" this story is named after the classic movie Guns for San Sebastian, though it isn't as direct of an inspiration as you might think. There are thematic similarities in some of what occurs, but it is more in what happens to the town in the movie vs what happened to the planet in the story. It's not as obvious as other inspirations.
You'd probably have to have seen the movie and read the story to know just how they relate together. Regardless, I will link the trailer for the movie.
Here is the trailer to the movie
A lot of strands from previous stories come together in this tale, but it was also important to me that it stand alone on its own even without full context from previous stories. I very much try to make it that every story I put out can be engaged with without needing a complicated backstory or history to get into. At the end of the day, adventure tales need to be both accessible and punchy for anyone who desires that shot in the arm, and those are non-negotiables to me. Even though a lot of what happens in the earlier stories wrap back around here again, you can still read it without having engaged the other tales and it will still make sense to you. However, it will probably make you want to go back and read them anyway.
All that aside, I used the opportunity for this being the climax to really cut loose with both the action and the escalation. Of all the stories I've written, I'd imagine this one has the most explosions, the most intense and over the top swordfight, and the most bullets fired. there's even flamethrowers and grenades, I believe. You'll see just why there is so much carnage when you see what leads to it all happening, and where it ends.
There is also a surprise in this one for those who have been reading since I first started publishing, or maybe have read said older books. I've said before that a lot of what I write is more connected than you might figure, even if it isn't necessary to know that for full enjoyment, but I think this one might cause the most questions for anyone who has read me for any long period of time. What exactly is going on here?!
It all comes to a head in this one!
And that's where we'll end our discussion of Star Wanderers! As you can see, we have reached funding, but we are still currently on the way to our first major stretch goal. If we can hit it then that means more goodies for every backer who wants it, so be sure to tell everyone you know! I want to see it happen myself, after all.
Of course, as much as I am excited to get Star Wanderers out for you in as best a shape as it possible can be, I also have other projects I'm working on.
Though I don't want to fully reveal it until after the campaign is over, I can give you a short teaser of what's on the way. Not only that, I can do it in video form.
I shared with you some of the above AI images I played around with for the stories in this collection, but I haven't quite shown you some of the others I've used for my other works. Since there's so many, I put together a video, including a song I pulled out of Suno in order to match it called "Waiting for the Night." Yes, it's based on '90s House and old Eurodance. I think that's the genre that can best encompass the tone of most of the tales without jarring too much. Suffice to say, this was a lot of fun to put together.
You can see the full teaser here:
Feel free to download and use any images or even the song, if you wish. What is more important are the works themselves. I've got a few new things teased in the video that I cannot wait to show you in the near future.
As for the last revealed project in the video, it will come soon! The full unveiling will happen after the campaign. Until then, please help us to make Star Wanderers an even bigger success and the best it can be! You can back it here.
That's all for today! Thank you for all your support, have a good rest of your week, and I will see you sooner than later. You'll never quite know what is coming next!
The recent post on artificiality was a bit of a long and bizarre one, filled with examples of what constitutes "real" in regards to art. The past two decades of the 21st century has been spent reassessing what works and what doesn't, and now we're thinking over what we've lost and what we've gained along the way and what path we should make going forward. One thing we've learned is that the way things once were is no longer feasible going forward.
For an example on this, consider how different expectations of NewPub is compared to how the industry was only a decade ago. The above stream by author and musician David V. Stewart goes into modern cover design, including the AI topic, and how it has affected both the independents and the old industry and how much can be learned from the rapidly advancing technology. Also, on what priority should be given to design depending on how you wish to connect with readers.
If you wonder why book covers have become the way they are today then it is an informative stream. You might also why those who get their books illustrated still don't look like the old books you remember growing up with. Well, there's a good reason for that.
Anyway, it's a good stream with a lot of good advice. Definitely a recommended watch (or listen if you'd prefer) for weekend relaxing.
Another example I always bring up in regards to the way things once were was back when I first started looking into OldPub. About a decade ago, before I even published my first book, the minimum word count to even be considered by a publisher to look at your work was 100K words. The cap is now somewhere around 125k, here in the present. They won't admit it, but that was obviously done because of the results they got over the previous decade.
Unfortunately for them, it's not going to matter much.
On the other end of the creative spectrum, Alex from Cirsova was recently on The Gutter talking about Leigh Brackett, CL Moore, and space adventure, as well as Star Wanderers!
Check it here:
It's a good discussion on what made the pulps so good and what we can learn from them going forward in the future.
This is where it should be mentioned that Star Wanderers not only cracked 90 backers but is less than $250 from reaching our goal! If we can hit the $2500 funding point then we can work on stretch goals to give backers more goodies on top of the book and the soundtrack. We're very close, and it's all thanks to you!
That's all for this weekend. It's been quite a rollercoaster of a campaign so far. Let's see how high we can reach!
For those who have been waiting for the moment, Star Wanderers, a project long in the making is now finally making its way out to readers. You can find it in the new project launched by Cirsova here today!
I am beyond excited to finally get this one out and available to readers. It's been a long time coming. Join in for some adventures of action and intrigue!
As the campaign description states:
Detective Ronan Renfield is a Galactic Enforcer sworn to protect the innocent and bring evil-doers to justice to maintain order throughout the stars.
The Agent is a nameless knight errant tasked with hunting the most brazenly wicked and blasphemous who threaten order and nature across the cosmos.
Alone, they face strange and diabolical horrors on backwater worlds and the corrupt and dangerous criminals who threaten civilization.
Together, they are the Star Wanderers!
This collection features eight thrilling tales of raygun adventure, swashbuckling sword fights, and cyberpunk mystery, including four never-before published adventures!
Of course that's just the general gist of what's going on. I'll bet you want to know what stories are included!
Back this project and you will get 8 tales of mind-bending mayhem and weird action across different planets, realms, and even slipped between reality itself!
Here are the stories:
Dead Planet Drifter - Ronan Renfield lands on a swampy world that has been overtaken by death and decay-worshiping cultists! [First Published in Cirsova Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense, Vol. 2 Issue 11, 2022]
Cold Heart of Ouranos - The Agent travels to the ice planet Ouranos in pursuit of a genocidal mad scientist who has holed up in a lost city! [First Published in Planetary Anthology Uranus, 2020]
Golden Echoes - Ronan faces down a diabolical terrorist leader who uses illegal technology to carve a mystical paradise out of reality itself! [First Published in Storyhack Action and Adventure, issue 7, 2021]
Armageddon Spring - A cursed sorceress queen is doomed to conquer and seek revenge her wrongs, driven by a mysterious entity known as the Artisan! [All New Story!]
Cold Finger Girl - A young woman barely escapes the twisted human experimentation of the supposedly peaceful Plateau and it is up to Ronan to keep her alive! [All New Story!]
Judgement Sun - The Agent fights to protect a wayward prince from the undead cyborg minions of a necromancer intent on breaking the royal line and dooming a world by fulfilling an ancient prophecy! [First Published in Planetary Anthology Sol, 2020]
Midnight Machineguns - Ronan investigates a series of terrorist attacks carried out by exploding cyborgs, and the trail leads him to an apocalyptic transhumanist cult! [All New Story!]
Slow Death on San Sebastian - Detective Ronan Renfield and the Agent team up in an epic clash against a rogue elemental Knight who desires to warp the soul of an entire planet! [All New Novella!]
You might recognize some of those titles, but you definitely haven't seen them all! There's a lot more to see that has never seen the light of day before now.
This project was in the making for ages and I'm more than happy to finally be able to fully unveil it to you all today. All this exists on top of the add-on for Jacob Calta's original music for Star Wanderers. Be sure to check it out today.
These eight tales are the culmination of a lot of wandering, pondering, and cranking out high octane action, to try and best fit a niche I didn't really know existed before or not. Whether you like space cops, sword and planet, cyberpunk, sword and sorcery, weird horror, or just plain straight-out blood-soaked knock-down fighting, then you will find something here you've never quite seen before.
Trust me, it get strange, and that's the way I like it.
Time for an update! I know some of you have been waiting for this one since the teaser a little while back, and now I'm ready to share more.
Today I'd like to present the cover for Star Wanderers! The full reveal was put out on Cirsova's site here, but I wanted to talk a bit about it here. The art was done by one Anton Oxenuk, a prolific artist of the weird and the strange. He was obviously the perfect artist for Star Wanderers as you can clearly see for yourself! I specifically asked if we could enlist his services on this project and he thankfully agreed to contribute.
There is some info on the project to share as well. I know some have been curious on what exactly this project is about. Wonder no more! The description has been revealed, and now you will get a taste as to what Star Wanderers is all about!
Beware the Unknown!
The info:
"Detective Ronan Renfield is a Galactic Enforcer sworn to protect the innocent and bring evil-doers to justice to maintain order throughout the stars.
"The Agent is a nameless knight errant tasked with hunting the most brazenly wicked and blasphemous who threaten order and nature across the cosmos.
"Alone, they face strange and diabolical horrors on backwater worlds and the corrupt and dangerous criminals who threaten civilization.
"Together, they are the Star Wanderers!
This collection features eight thrilling tales of raygun adventure, swashbuckling sword fights, and cyberpunk mystery, including four never-before published adventures!"
As for what those eight stories are? They will be revealed when the campaign is fully revealed later this month. All the included tales were chosen for inclusion for a very good reason, one that will become very clear once the ending is reached. I've been working on this one for a good while for a very good reason!
Suffice to say, there are still a lot of surprises in Star Wanderers as this is a project I've been engaged in for a long time. I'm happy to finally be able to unveil it to you all, though we aren't quite done yet! This is just the start.
Who are these two mysterious protagonists and how do their separate journeys intersect with each other? What awaits out there in the Unknown? You'll just have to wait and see. There are some surprises still to come, both with the stories and the campaign ahead. So be sure to watch out! Cirsova and myself have got a few tricks up our sleeves.
And here is one.
Before I go, I'd like to reveal one more tidbit you might have missed during the recent reveal. This is a pretty big one!
That's right, there will be a special soundtrack created by Jacob Calta of 365 Infantry fame for Star Wanderers! He put his all into this one and I can't wait for you to hear it. Once again, more will be revealed when the campaign opens up later in April. We've got some fun stuff planned to celebrate this project.
As you can see, there has been quite a lot going on in the background getting this campaign together for you, the readers. We're almost ready to reveal it to you. It's just a little bit longer to go!
Beyond this, I'm also working on another project for release this year, but I will wait to reveal that for after the Star Wanderers campaign is complete and delivered. For now, just enjoy in the space madness! I guarantee you're going to have a blast with this one, just as I had with writing it. Just be sure that there is still more to come.
That's enough for this update, and I will see you next time!
You might have caught this project recently announced by Cirsova with my name attached. Perhaps you have an inkling of what this might mean, perhaps not. Either way, it will be fully unveiled very soon, so be sure to sign up early to be notified first!
I have a few things I would like to share with you about it, but I'd rather wait for the project to be fully revealed before we get started on that, so I will refrain from posting about it for now.
Until then, sign up for the Star Wanderers crowdfunding campaign here! With Cirsova and myself, you know you'll be getting something truly out there.
