Category: Counterattack

Book Launch!

KenMcConnell

Tuesday, 26th of July is the release date for COUNTERATTACK, the third book of the Star Saga. This is the final chapter of the Starforgers Trilogy.

Starships led by Captain Ardel are blasting the Votainions out of space in a relentless show of force. 

Their success on the battlefront is too easy for Ardel and her fellow captains. They all know the enemy is pulling back not being driven out by force. However, the President of the Alliance is convinced that the Empress is seeking a truce and he’s made Ardel’s ship the official envoy. If that wasn’t bad enough she’s also burdened with a half human half Votainion child interpreter created by a top secret program to help with the negotiations.

Empress Nykostra lingers just out of reach, marshaling her forces to take back the legendary home world of her people. Her eroding mental health has the Chief Strategist contemplating her murder in order to ensure their victory over the Alliance Fleet. Can Captain Ardel and the Alliance Fleet ward off the largest counterattack in the history of the war or will a mad Empress fulfill her destiny and bring down the fledgling Alliance?

 

Trilogy Cover Art

KenMcConnell

Over the weekend my brother put the finishing touches on the cover for the first Star Saga trilogy. As soon as I can get the time I’ll stitch books 1-3 together and put them up for sale on Kobo, Nook and Kindle. Eventually, I’ll do a boxed set that includes all six books in the Starforgers Trilogy. Which is to say you’d get the Tales From Ocherva anthology and two novellas, Devon’s Blade and The Blood Empress. Not sure on the pricing of that one yet.

Dispatches

KenMcConnell

This month I’m focusing on two big events, the relaunching of Dispatches, my email newsletter and the launching of Counterattack, Book 3 of the Star Saga. Poking around on this site will also reveal another recent change. I updated the theme and now you can see all the menus and images on your phone or tablet. I’m not sure exactly how many users are coming here on their phones, but maybe now more will come.

Dispatches. I’ve changed newsletter providers from MailChimp to ActiveCampaign. What this means for you, the subscriber is that I’ll be able to interact with you easier and even offer more things like free short stories or perhaps an inside look at my model building. Right now you will get a free ebook of Starforgers, Book One of the Star Saga when you join Dispatches. Another improvement I’ve made is in how you get that free ebook onto your device of choice. I’m using a new content delivery system called BookFunnel. BookFunnel makes installing the ebook as simple as can be which means no more Googling how to side load an ebook. Very cool program.

Finally, Counterattack is just about ready to ship. I will be sending out a special email for those interested in getting an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of the ebook for free. My only request is that you leave an honest review on Amazon after you finish reading it. Eventually, ARC readers will have their own club on Dispatches and if you’re wiling to leave reviews, you might never have to buy one of my books again!

Reviews are so much more important to authors than to anyone else selling merchandise on Amazon. Reviews generate sales and they let me get on exclusive email lists like BookBub which can propel me into the hearts and minds of literally thousands of new readers. So if you’re ever wondering what you can do for your author friend, leave a review of their book on Amazon. It will make their day!

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The Rising, Now on Kindle

KenMcConnell

It’s been kinda crazy around the household these past few weeks and I completely forgot to mention here that I released a new novel on Kindle. You can now finally get Book Two of the Star Saga – The Rising, on Kindle. It’s only $2.99 and it’s available here. If you are new to the series, you can get Book One, Starforgers on Kindle, Nook and Kobo for .99 cents or snag it free here on the blog in the column to your right. As it happens, Book 3, Counterattack will be out in April. Just as soon as I finish proofing it and we get a cover completed.

So lots of reading ahead of you if you like my fiction. For the first time all three books of the Star Saga’s first trilogy will be available. I’ll be spending some time on advertising after Counterattack launches, so be ready for that media blitz. As a reminder, the reading order for the Star Saga is as follows:

  1. Tales From Ocherva, Volume One (anthology) – Devon Ardel’s days as a Stellar Ranger.
  2. Starforgers, Book One (novel) – Devon joins the Federation Stellar Fleet and helps start a war with the Votainion Empire.
  3. Devon’s Blade (novella) – Devon is assigned to a demoralized fighter squadron on a backwater world, to help turn it into a fighting unit.
  4. The Rising, Book Two (novel) – Devon goes home on leave when her mother, the President of the Alliance is blown up by a Silicant.
  5. The Blood Empress (novella) – About the rise in power of Empress Nykostra.
  6. Counterattack, Book Three (novel) – Devon commands a starship named for her mother and must stop a massive enemy counterattack.

These six books cover the career of my heroine, Devon Ardel, from a gun slinging Ranger to a gun shooting fighter pilot to a starship captain. There are lots of reoccurring characters throughout the series from Silicants to space pirates, politicians and military personnel. The overall story is of the beginning to a millennial war between the Alliance and the Votainion Empire. There is about a 500 year gap between Book Three and Book Four, so all the characters and the situations change in the second trilogy. You can read the first book of the second trilogy, Starstrikers, but I’ve yet to write Book Five and Book Six. If you really want to know how it all ends, skip to Book Seven and read Starveyors. I know, it’s complicated.