The team at Vinnia Publishing has been working around the clock
to prepare Book 8, Return to Dakistee for publication and I'm
happy to announce that it's been uploaded to Amazon and should
be available sometime during the next two
days.
This book is the first I've created for this series since 2005,
and was written in response to numerous requests for new
adventures for the Carver women. As many of you know, the first
seven books were written between 1999 and 2005. I halted
production when I was unable to interest any of the traditional
sci-fi publishers in my work.
There's an old axiom that says 'if it ain't broke, don't fix
it.' But a few fans have expressed some displeasure with some of
the books and I wanted to see if I could make the series a more
enjoyable experience for all by addressing them.
The main complaint seems to be that the plots were a little too
'simple.' I can understand why it seems that way, because I
tried to explain everything as the story progressed, often
repeating information already presented. When speaking to an
audience, the speaker is supposed to tell them what he's going
to say, then deliver the message, then remind them what he said.
I may have been behaving too much like a speech writer, and not
enough like a drama writer. With this new book, I've limited
exposition, and will allow readers to 'solve' the plot as they
proceed. You may feel that you are being kept in the dark at
times, and you are to a degree, but I've presented everything
you need to enjoy the story, if you aren't trying to rush
through it too quickly. Having said, I want you to know that
there are a few surprise twists at the end that I defy anyone to
say they saw coming. You'll enjoy the story much more if
you don't read the ending first.
If you like this style more than the other, please tell me. And
if you enjoyed the other style more, I'd love to hear your
comments on that as well.
Most importantly, everyone should remember that this book is a
Space Opera. Too many reviewers on Amazon are still complaining
that the books are unrealistic. I don't know how to make it any
clearer that Space Opera is not intended to portray a microcosm
of the future. J
I sent out a newsletter on Thanksgiving, but several people have
reported that they never received it. I sent it out again a few
days later, but I'm still hearing from people that didn't
receive it. I changed my email handler over the summer because
the software company discontinued support, so that might be at
the root of the problem. In order to bypass my new email
software completely, I've purchased a separate software suite
just for the announcement process. I've copied over all the
email addresses from the former system and we should be good to
go. If you signed up for the mailing list and don't receive this
notice, please tell me. I'll be posting a notice on my author
forum on Amazon, so you should get the word that an announcement
has been sent out.
I hope you enjoy the new book, and I wish you and yours a
wonderful holiday season and a Happy New
Year.
