I’ve decided to give Null_Pointer a break for a while and work on getting my first novel ready for a contest and self publishing on LuLu.com.  I first had to cut and paste the text from Open Office into my editor – CopyWrite.  This let me keep track of everything including versions.

Then I began the long process of reading and making edits and re-reading and re-editing until I am satisfied.  When I was in film school, many years ago, I can recall messing with a short film in editing until there came a point where there was nothing left to edit.  Same thing with writing.   This will be the third or forth time looking at Starstrikers and there really isn’t much left to do to it.  As I progress through the story, I will clean up some things that I noticed the last time I read it or that others have noticed, but I don’t anticipate any major edits.

I’m ready to hold it in my hands and put it on the shelf.  By self publishing it, at least I can let others purchase it and read it .  Instead of just refering to it idly in conversation.  I really do like the story and I want to write more in the series, but other things are more pressing at this time.

If you are especially curious you can now read the entire text for Starstrikers, my first novel.  It’s in the menu under Pages to your right.  You can either read the whole thing as one long web page or just download it in Word format.  I’m going to be sending it to a publisher this week and if it’s accepted, it will probably be taken off the web site or at least offered in limited form.

If that happens, you can then buy it online or perhaps at your local bookstore.  Please do, I could use the money. :)

I changed Centar’s dream after I read Carl Sagan’s “Demon Haunted World” and realized that I had similar dreams about my father. I had been wanting to rewrite that dream for years and now I have done it. I was going to have him dream about Sloan’s death to show he still had issues with it. Now the challange will be to work this dream and the ramifications of dealing with Sloan’s death into the rest of the story. There are a number of other points I need to make or clarify in the story before I can say I’m finished with it. In re-reading Chapter 1, I could find nothing more to add.

Need to play up Garnot’s unusual relationship with the Con-One Base Commander. Show how the base CC is a Dezzian sympathizer, if it gets him what he wants – no labor difficulties. I think a whole scene with these two will be generated and inserted sometime before the Starstrikers get to Dezzen. Something might have to be added about Garnot while the Starstrikers are in route. I’m sure it will come to me after reading the next few chapters.

I’ve found a publisher for Starstrikers – LuLu?.com. They are a publish on demand company and they give the artist complete control over the end product. This is exactly what I wanted. I am currently stepping up the rewrite and hope to be able to offer the novel in a perfect bound version starting early 2006. If you just can’t wait to read the whole book, the latest version of the text is now available in .doc format. If you do download the novel and read it, please take a moment to send me your comments.

One issue yet to resolved is what thecover should look like. Currently, I am envisioning a Starstriker Unit Patch on the front and a blueprint of the Eclipse on the back. Both peices of art are now being worked out by my brother – Graphics Artist ByRon?. When I get some examples, I’ll put them up on the site. One of the challenges is to make the book covers match from Starforgers to Starveyers as they are all part of one series.