Projects
Ethereal Bonds – Volume 1 of the Gauldarium Knight Saga
Genre: Speculative Fiction – Epic Fantasy
Status: Manuscript completed, seeking publisher
Printed Length: 500 pages (approximately)
Ethereal Bonds is set in a universe where magic surrounds everything but can only be sensed by those lucky enough to be attuned to it. The worlds are connected through the ethereal realm and the secrets of access to that shadowy plane are understood by only a few powerful groups. An ageless struggle rages between those seeking to connect the various pockets of the human race and those who fear the connections will be used for conquest. An ancient cult uses visions of possible future events to manipulate unknowing pawns and shift the balance of power.
The story follows four people born in different times and on different worlds. Lord Klarson Slade, a dragon rider and Knight Companion of the Order of the Alignment, seeks to defend and grow an alliance between worlds through exploration and negotiations (which sometimes involves using a sword). Roweena, Princess of House Taug, discovers she has a knack for magic and despises the inequities and unfairness she experiences in her father’s kingdom of Melcommon. Delavon Tormé, an inquisitive but practical soldier descended from a family of powerful warriors, stands with his allies and friends against a powerful enemy seeking to subjugate everyone. Seera, a young, orphaned farmgirl, protects her little brother without any plans or dreams beyond growing enough food to survive the next winter.
Although they have seemingly nothing in common, their fates are connected, and their actions may shift the balance of power. Oblivious to this greater struggle, they go about their lives unaware of the intrigue or the parts they will play. Their destinies have been entwined, and they are bound together by forces they can’t understand. Ultimately, their actions will decide the future of the human race but along the way, they can only guess what the right path is to take.
Second Command
Genre: Speculative Fiction – Soft Science Fiction
Status: Manuscript completed, editing in progress
Printed Length: 325 pages (approximately)
Second Command is set in the far future when Earth has divided into governmental alliances that compete for resources in distant star systems. The real power might be held by corporations that work for the highest bidder in the lucrative business of terraforming suitable exoplanets. A tenuous peace exists based on complex and often misunderstood treaties governing the legal process by which governments can identify, analyze, and claim territory.
Fleets of starships are spread thinly across the vastness of space. Interstellar travel is made possible by utilizing the discovery of higher dimensional space. Nothing can exceed the speed of light and caution must be taken to avoid reaching velocities that could result in significant time dilation. However, in some of the alternate universes, the distances between locations are shorter than in Prime Space. Communication is limited in both HDS and in star systems without connections via dedicated and expensive relays.
Governments send specially designed survey ships on long missions to gather the information needed to claim exoplanets that can be terraformed and colonized. The crews are comprised of military personnel and civilian technical experts. Together, they must operate on their own to complete their assignments within the timelines designated in the treaties.
The story follows a military officer, Lieutenant Commander Francis Monet, and a xenoliguistics expert, Dr. Rachel Weiss, who are trying to make sense of a relationship interrupted by careers that often take them to different star systems for years at a time. Monet has his first assignment as the executive officer on a survey ship. He has a mysterious past of previous assignments that make him a seemingly odd choice for the position and even has some self-doubts concerning the role he must play. Meanwhile, Rachel is assigned to a different survey mission and wonders about her value to the team since all the alien cultures discovered so far have been long extinct.
Their actions, along with the friendships they build with other crewmates and the conflicts they encounter, will shape the future of the human race as it expands across the galaxy. The competition between governments for resources is reaching a breaking point and could devolve into war at any time. Francis and Rachel must navigate the darkness of space and the political intrigue that lurks in the shadows.
This military science fiction thriller might be the first in a series.
Ether Way – Volume 2 of the Gauldarium Knight Saga
Genre: Speculative Fiction – Epic Fantasy
Status: Active project – this is what I’m writing now
Printed Length: 500 pages (approximately)
The exciting conclusion to the Gauldarium Knight Saga begun in Ethereal Bonds.
What’s Next?
I plan to revisit Captain Joseph Duncan and learn more about Jeremy Tisbit’s past. I have concepts for four more books to follow Sailing Toward the Tempest.