We made it.I was nervous for a while there. A novel in 15 days? Who’s crazy idea was that?! Writing it was one thing. Editing? Whole different beast. It’s now complete, and ready for you to download: my gift to you, for being a loyal fan and joining me on this crazy writing journey. I’ll bet you’ve got all kinds of regrets now! This week: - My latest release!
- A bit on the craft of how a guy might write a book in 15 days, and
- Your completed copy of Tyche Forever.
Let’s get in amongst it.
Back in 2010, I released the first edition of Upgrade. It was well-loved by a handful of people, but the length and style meant a few folks bounced off. Despite that, Upgrade recieved more requests for a sequel than anything I’ve written. I remastered this into two books last year, and wrote the sequel fans craved. It’s out. If you’re one of the 3,965 people who asked for this, here it is: the long-awaited conclusion to Mason, Sadie, and Carter’s tale.  It’s 21050AD. Uplinks turn us into slaves.
Mason Floyd is lost on a dying world, bionics failing as he wages war against the ruling elite. He’s left off-grid rockstar Sadie Freeman on Earth with a hopeless quest: resurrect the dead.
New megacorp HumanE forces outright war. They have the means to control humans through the link, creating a limitless army of warriors.
To free humanity, Mason discards the corporate protection he’s always known, leaving him vulnerable. Sadie embraces corporate chains, going against all she stands for. As the streets of Seattle erupt into conflict, Mason and Sadie face their greatest challenge.
They must save us from ourselves.
Megacorps. Cyborgs. AI. Gene-spliced monsters. Syndicate enforcers. Off-grid illegals. Supersoldiers. Rock music. Violence. Einstein-Rosen bridges. Liquor. Enhanced reflexes. Power armor and energy weapons. Full body replacements. Swearing. Mind control. Telekenetics. G-Men. Drugs. Neural links. Orbital cannons. THIS IS CYBERPUNK.
[GET IT HERE] A few people don’t know what all the fuss is about. I’ve got the first two books in the series available for zero and one dollar respectively. If you’re in the US/UK, go nuts: [CHECK OUT THE TRILOGY] Take a moment to admire book one’s new cover.
Writing a Story in 15 DaysA few of you asked, how, for all that’s holy, do you write a novel in 15 days?! I’m glad you asked. While my trusty bottle of whiskey helps, there’s a little more to it. One of the things I rely on is a direction of travel. I wireframe the plot, first on paper, then on a whiteboard, and finally I digitize it for prosperity. Here’s an example of this with Tyche Forever, when I started the story in Scrivener. Note: if you haven’t read Tyche Forever, this contains spoilers. Click to embiggen, or roll right on by. The hard calls are yours to make. 
If you read through my fevered scrawls, you’ll note there’s … vagueness. I call one dude Admiral Bob. There’s a starsystem named, “XYZ System.” Detailed combat scenes are detailed as, “Murder simulator.” Those get worked out as I go through the story. Planning a good murder simulation takes time, and I’m generally unsure at the start what condition our heroes are in at the end. Injured? Dead? Stray carbon atoms? It’s tricky. There’s this kind of holy war between some writers about whether to be an outline or discovery writer. Outliners are very detailed (James Patterson is one of these). Discoverists fly by the wings of angels (Stephen King’s a good e.g.). Me, I’m somewhere in the middle. I used to be a discovery writer, but I find high-level structure for relationships and plot points very useful. Pro tip, if you’re wanting to write: there’s no right answer. There are plenty of successful, prolific writers from both camps.
And Now, Tyche Forever79 brave souls downloaded the unedited draft of Tyche Forever. Many of you emailed me, saying how much you enjoyed the story despite typos. Well, now you can enjoy it proper, like. Below is the edited* edition of Tyche Forever, on the house. When someone kills your buddy, it’s time for a road trip.
October Kohl no longer captains the Emperor’s Black. He’s spent his time since the war drinking whiskey. When a courier arrives carrying a message from an old friend, he knows it’s time to saddle up. The AI Algernon joins him.
What they find defies belief: an ever-young crew aboard an ancient starship. The Immortal carries a dark secret. The Ezeroc have a new weapon: they offer us life eternal. Kohl and Algernon race across the stars in a borrowed starship. Empire Navy insurgents working with the Ezeroc stand in their way. If they can’t find the Ezeroc’s forever-young technology, humanity will surrender to the enemy willingly.
October Kohl’s faced worse odds. He’s never done it sober.
If you like page-turning action with great dialogue, get your copy of Tyche Forever today! [Download it here] This marks the end of our 15-Day Story Challenge™. If you read Tyche Forever, I’d love to hear what you think. Should it get a sequel? Maybe become a trilogy? Let me know your thoughts.
That’s it from me this week. You might have heard how bad 2018 was for my writing career, so I’d love it if you could check out Chromed: Upgrade, Chromed: Rogue, and Chromed: Restore. Let me know what you think! I’ll be heading back into the salt mines this year, but your thoughts on my stories really lift me up. R | 
When someone kills your buddy, it’s time for a road trip.
