My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in August and September: Thoughtful Science Fiction.Nearly 35 science fiction and fantasy books, available at no cost.Flying blind risks everything.Join the mission! Get your FREE copy of The Storm of the Eye by Dan Daetz. A former test and fighter pilot, Dan has injected this story with gritty aviation realism and a surprise twist!When the Laggan United Defense force yanks novice fighter pilot "Thrower" Larsen off leave on his birthday, he's thrust immediately into action. Thrower joins an aerial assault against a band of Shadowers: scrappy rebels who love a good ambush in the dusky canyons of the Twilight Frontier. With his flight lead and commando force out of action, Thrower and his trusty gunner must go after a Shadower fleeing with a box of high-value technology. In the process, he receives a most unexpected birthday surprise. Last September, I increased the word count required for Probability Amplitudes, my first collection, from 120,000 words to 160,000 words. And in April I unveiled a new cover.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.My upcoming novelette (in the October issue of Boundary Shock Quarterly) has allowed me to chip away at this intimidating goal. So I’ve updated the spreadsheet I use for tracking my progress.Bottom line: 56% of the project is now in a status of “First Draft” or later; 43% of the required word count remains to be written.New Material Required: 69,013 wordsFirst Draft: 82,352 wordsFinal Draft: 8635 wordsTOTAL: 160,000 wordsThanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! This post is public so feel free to share it.As the manuscript takes shape, I periodically revise my process, with some stories shifting back to “First Draft” after spending time in a more mature stage. This happens when I determine such stories require additional effort. So if you review my previous updates and it looks like I’m “cooking the books,” I am. But only to make the finished product better.The best news is, it looks like I now have a list of all titles that might appear in the collection. And only one is a new story remaining to be written. The rest are works I need to complete, expand, or rewrite, but not start from scratch.I’m looking forward to holding the finished book in my hands!Club Codex is reading and discussing The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith through mid-September.Follow along with my thoughts on this novel and contribute your own in the following thread:Click here for more details about Club Codex in 2024. Please join us!My latest novelette, “Long Night On the Endless City,” appears in Boundary Shock Quarterly 26: Tomorrow’s Crimes:On the vast ring habitat Ouroboros, Jel and her synthetic companion Marcus search for Arja, the third member of their triad. This quest leads them to a cryptic technology cult with questionable motives. When they suffer a vicious attack, Marcus and Jel join forces with one of Ouroboros’most renowned computer and robotics experts to get to the bottom of the mystery.This thought-provoking sf tale explores artificial intelligence, religion, and the ties that bind families together in a fast-paced story full of action, intrigue, and heart.Questions or comments? Please share your thoughts! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecosmiccodex.com
