Hey again,
Updates first: Good Intentions IV: PAST DUE is indeed on the way! It should be out at the very beginning of June. Recording on the audio is done and the ebook and paperback will be set real soon. I’m just waiting on a coordinated date with Audible. My next project will likely be the next Poor Man’s Fight novel… however, my next release will be a collection of short stories from all my series as they have appeared on my Patreon! Cover art for that is in the works now.
And speaking of ART: I have two things to share, one of them finished just yesterday and the other a thing I should’ve shared long ago!
FIRST: Ever wondered what a Krokinthian looks like? The Union’s alien neighbors have been mentioned in all the Poor Man’s Fight novels, but we only “see” them take to the pages in No Medals for Secrets and a brief nightmare in Last Man Out. They’ll be more involved in the next novel, though, and I thought it was time to work out some actual visuals. I got in touch with concept artist Kelly Toki, who worked up this design from the text and some additional correspondence with me. Gotta say, I don’t think I could be happier with how they turned out.
Krokinthians come from an aquatic environment, and thus their ships are filled with liquid. They’ve also evolved from pentagonal symmetry–they don’t really recognize a front or back, and never really have to “turn” because they have eyes on all sides. All they do is shift their attention. Given all that, and with the average Krok being the size of an elephant, they aren’t really capable of hanging out in space bars with humans… let alone interested.
As a note on the concept art process: Kelly took the ball I gave her and ran with it, and made some observations and additions I hadn’t expected, but I love them. For instance, I had no idea the Kroks had eyeballs on their knees, but you know what? Yes. Kelly was absolutely right. Yes, they do have eyeballs on their knees.
KNEYEBALLS. THIS IS NOW CANON. (Okay maybe I’m not gonna call them kneyeballs in narrative text, but c’mon. Kneyeballs.)
And speaking of Poor Man’s Fight, I had a piece done by the always amazing Julie Dillon a while back, but so far only my Patreon subscribers have seen it. I never meant to keep it a secret for so long. Life got away from me, like it kinda does. I’m THRILLED with this pic, though. Anyone who has read PMF should recognize this moment!
Cool, huh?
Aside from all that: I’m working on more books and more content as I said above. Everything is still nuts and it’s tough on everyone. Turns out even when you already work from home and you are your own boss, these crazy times can still slow you down, but I’m still plugging away!
Hopefully I’m preaching to the choir here, but: please listen to doctors and scientists, wear masks outside the house, avoid going out, and please don’t ever mistake the moron in the White House for a trustworthy source on anything. Take care and be good to one another!!
I’m looking at those kroks and am having flashbacks to big red spaceships coming out of hyperspace to devastate people’s home planets with beam weaponry, as well as Capella turning into a super nova.
I like ’em.
In other news, I’m thinking to myself “oh *finally*!” to the news of the next book being released soon-ish. Gonna have to pause the current one I’m reading (which is fair, considering I’ve been reading them the last few *months*), but what better excuse than Tanner friggin’ Malone screwing with space capitalists and pirates.
Question, though. I know the books are available on amazon, but I seem to recall alternative places to get them? Or was I dreaming that? A refresher would be very nice – these days I feel more and more disinclined to frequent the big A.
At any rate, stay safe Mr. Kay. Looking forward to more stuff to read!
Currently, my books are exclusive to Amazon (and Audible, which is Amazon anyway). Some libraries and a few indie bookstores have them, too. If it’s anyone else, it’s piracy.
The exclusive deal is the requirement for Kindle Unlimited, and by and large it seems like my audience is all on Amazon anyway. I’ve tried other vendors and not gotten much traction at all. Someday I might give them another shot, though, as being exclusive has its drawbacks and this market changes fast. 🙂 That said, the first two books of Poor Man’s Fight are actually Amazon Publishing titles, so while the rest of the series is legally free to go “wide” it really wouldn’t make much sense.
Nice artwork! Any updates on book 6 shmaybe
The Krok pictures are fascinating, and I recall them even though it’s been over 2 years since I read the series. I’ll have to re-read it again I guess. LOL.
Anyway, I recently saw on PBS Eons, a short science series on YouTube that talked about the Avalon explosion of life that predated the Cambrian. Apparently among the bilateral and non-symmetrical life forms, there were also trilateral life forms, but the latter were wiped out in some cosmic event. They refer to these early critters Ediacaran organisms. What if a version of the trilateral species had survived?
I just looked for you on Amazon a week ago, and today I got your email notification. Pre-ordered Book 4. Yay!
Miss seeing you on Lit, but happy to see you making a living at writing. Still there myself, and managed to earn a Reader’s Award. Beta reading for a new rising star on the NonHuman section, Annabelle Hawthorne. She’s good. I picked up Benjamin Sobieck’s book, Guide to Weapons, and recently sent her a copy because she had one scene that wouldn’t work in RL. But I’m rambling.
All the best.
Slainté
Really looking forward to the next Tanner Malone adventure. Two years now since the last story. Any thoughts on whether/when we’ll see a new one?
Tanner is the most likely candidate to get the next book. Not 100%, but close.
Any eta. On another tanner book
I can tell you I’m working on it and that I’m still in the early stages.
Any ETA would only be an exercise in disappointment for the both of us. 🙂
That’s fine I was worried the last book would be putting it to bed.
I am glad to hear your working on it! Tanner has the worse or maybe the best luck. lol He has some great stories 🙂
Tanner Malone still has a story to tell. Bring on the next book.
Just came across what seems like a poaching from PMF!
In Chuck Wendig’s 2nd Star Wars Aftermath book, there’s a pirate captain who gives basically the same pitch Casey does to a boarded ship’s crew.
You should be getting royalties buddy!
P.s. PMF is a much better series than Wendig’s Aftermath. Love them.
A comment on the credits on the gallery page: the dark purple blends in too much, almost fading into the black. You might pick either a yellow or a light green or light blue if you want a non-white name credit to appear different than the rest of the text.
In any event, purchased the short story collection recently and am just now sitting down to read it. Only 20% in but enjoying these snippets.
All the best. Slainté
Thanks for the Poor Man’s Fight series. I am thoroughly enjoying the books; but, as I start Dead Man’s Debt I have two comments. The re-assignment of Allison Carter’s name to Madelyn totally negates Tanner’s question to Lt. Kelly – if her first name starts with A. (It got a good chuckle from me in the second book, by the way.) Northstar assertion and Archangel agreement that Archangel fired the first shots is incorrect if the destruction of the drone net by Northstar is taken into account. While that doesn’t take any lives wouldn’t that wanton act, by itself, be a declaration of war?
You are correct on the point about the drone net for the battle itself and you can totally chalk that up to author error. I’d have to go back and reread it to see if there’s some other point I’m just not remembering. For what it’s worth, Archangel was running commando ops against the Big Three in advance of the invasion, so it’s reasonable to say Aguirre & Archangel in general don’t feel like arguing about what constitutes the first shots when the larger issues still stand.
But again, it’s entirely reasonable to say I screwed up. 🙂