So yes, I’ve only been back to the blogging world for a handful of weeks, and I had planned on posting only every two weeks. I still do, but this is a timely interruption for something I don’t want you to miss.
Since I’m Stephen Fender's slave editor and have worked on all his novels so far, I wanted to be sure to promote what he’s doing right now that some of you may be interested in, and I didn’t want to wait and possibly run out of time.
If you enjoy science fiction—specifically space opera—you’d enjoy pretty much anything Stephen has written. Over the past couple years, he’s managed to do a little Star Trek fan fiction as well , through the use of Kickstarters . Because his ever-growing fan base has been demanding more, he’s launched a new Kickstarter for his own Beta Sector novels, with a new one titled Master of the Void.
This campaign has a lot going for it, and based on the results of Stephen’s previous campaigns, you’re in for a good read and fun perks if you become a backer.
Master of the Void takes place during a period known as the Great Galactic War, a nearly ten-year struggle between the peaceful worlds of the Unified Collaboration of Systems and the destructive Kafaran Empire. This particular novel is based on Jules Verne’s classic, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, woven as a modern retelling that uses the thematic essentials from 20,000 Leagues and elements specific to Fender’s own Beta Sector universe, creating something new while keeping the grand adventure of the old.
The campaign met its initial goal within the first three days of launch, and because Stephen’s the generous guy he is, he’s offered perks galore and stretch goals people actually want to stretch for. I’ll let you visit the Kickstarter to see those rewards for yourself, so as not to be a spoiler for all of it. Here’s the link:
For those of you who wonder if you’ll really get what you pay for, here’s a glowing testimonial from a previous backer, Tim Knight, in a blog post, complete with photos of the finished products:
The blog post starts off with “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Stephen Fender delivers incredible Kickstarters.” I have to agree. Great writing, high-quality design on all perks, fun giveaways—all the components are there. I’m proud to have worked on the books with him, and a little jealous of his graphic design skills when it comes to patches, posters, maps and more.
The campaign ends in just over three weeks, so you don’t want to miss your opportunity to get in on something special. And as a special “extra,” if you have a blog and share the project on it, send the blog link to Stephen and you’ll get a free gift from him.
Jolly Rogers Productions: http://jollyrogersproductions.net/
I definitely like space opera! I'll check out the Kickstarter and his other books.
ReplyDeleteThanks a bunch, Alex! His backers always get a great return on their investment!
DeleteI'm not a contributer to his KS campaign, but I started reading his Trek fanfic back when he was posting it one chapter at a time on Fanfic.net. His "Four Years War" novels were excellent. He had a very authentic "classic Trek" voice.
ReplyDeleteGreg, if you liked the FYW novels back then, you'd like his writing even more now. He went back and polished up all the books and now they're up to par with his own Beta Sector novels, keeping as closely as possibly to the classic Trek feel. In fact, the FYW and RW books are now available, free for download, on his JRP site (address at the bottom of the blog).
DeleteI already dl-d them all. I did notice he had to take down version II of book 4 which had a shout out to Alec Peters' version (I'm guessing due to the lawsuit thing). I have never read the RW books at all (last time I looked, they were still not available).
DeleteI think the lawsuit hindered quite a few things.
DeleteI did just check on JRP, and the Romulan War books (and the FYW/RW Technical Manual) are now on the site for downloading. Here's the page link
Best of luck to Stephen!
ReplyDeleteThanks, David! I'll pass the good wishes along.
DeleteI've won my own t-shirt from Stephen before, really cool ;)
ReplyDeleteGood luck, S!!!!
You got the only one of its kind, I believe. I get no perks . . . sigh . . . well, except money and a lot of laughing on a regular basis. But still, a T-shirt would be cool, too, especially if it has a cigar-smoking flamingo on it.
DeleteHey Lynda,
ReplyDeleteI know you've been eagerly waiting for a comment from shy and humble me. Thus, at the ridiculous hour of almost three in the morning, your wait is over.
A bit of space opera is something I shall check out. Stephen sounds like an awesome dude. Me, being just a smug amateur, shall do my bit by sharing your post.
I'm outta' here...
Gary
I *have* been waiting, and now I can finally sit back and rest. I've missed you on Farcebook and only recently realized that Mr. Zuckerberg's whim, for some odd reason, stopped allowing me to see your posts. You were there all along, and I had no idea. So I've corrected that and I'll be reading your late-night ramblings once again and smiling.
DeleteYes, Stephen is pretty much an awesome dude, which I would say even if he weren't paying me to edit his stuff so his work is even more awesome than usual. Thank you for sharing the post! You're pretty awesome yourself, giving me part of your 3am awake time.
There are so many books in different genres that I haven't really explored that I'm overwhelmed by my list. Now you've added another one. Thanks, Lynda.
ReplyDeleteI have that same list. I read for edits, I read for work (my boss always has us reading something for discussion, chapter by chapter, during staff meetings), and I read my daughter's high school English papers. That read-for-pleasure list always grows faster than it gets checked off.
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