I will be continuing my travelogue with my next post, but first I have some big news, and a shout out to some people you all may want to meet, if you haven’t already.

After about a month of talking and thinking about writing a novel in the Four Horsemen Universe of Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey, and finally coming up with a workable idea, I signed a contract to write a book in that Universe. When Eagles Dare will feature the Fierce Eagle Company, as featured in my short story in the anthology Few a Few Credits More, With The Eagles. In a universe where most of the mercenary companies use mecha and powered armor, the Eagles use good old-fashioned stealthcraft. So, this novel will be about that kind of mercenary unit. I am really excited about jumping into this universe. No, this doesn’t mean that I’m going to give up my own series and my independent career. Signing with Arc Manor to produce Kinship War didn’t mean that, and neither does this. But it is a big deal to get involved in this series.

Chris Kennedy has a winning formula here. I first met Chris, a retired Naval Aviator, at LibertyCon in Chattanooga, about four years ago. He was a successful independent author, and I had been working as a full-time author for over a year and a half. He was doing okay. Mark was struggling to get sales. They combined forces for a series and it took off. Both Mark and Chris are now full-time writers, and Chris is a publisher. The new paradigm of self-publishing allowed this. Chris and Mark both write in the Four Horsemen Universe, and imaginative setting filled with interesting aliens and the humans who are hired to kill them. For many years I have heard from my fans that they love how independent authors can put out more books in a series each year than a traditionally published author, who are normally limited to one. Chris and Mark, and the others they have enlisted into their cohort, allowing them to put out at least a book a month, are capitalizing on this fact. And the two anthologies of the series have helped other authors to be introduced to their reader base.

That’s what interested me in the anthology last year. Do I have enough fans to keep me going as a self-employed author? Yes, I do. Do I want more? Hell yes. Chris has a great business plan. And he has published a lot of really good authors. People like Kacy Ezell, Jason Cordova and Kevin Ikenberry. I have known Kevin for many years, dating back to Superstars in Colorado Springs. Kacy was on a panel I moderated at DragonCon, and is a kick ass Air Force helicopter pilot. Jason I also know from LibertyCon, and he was a Campbell Award Finalist some years back. So just getting into that crowd was also something of an attraction. So I will be doing at least one book in the series, a stand alone not in the main storyline, and see what happens. That means it will be my best effort, the same effort I put into Exodus, the same I put into the Kinship War series. I have gotten regular payments from the anthology. I hope for the same from the novel. And in other news, I will be back in the next anthology, due to release in early July I believe.

Now for a plug for Chris Kennedy Publishing, and not just because I will be doing a novel for them. It’s a good organization, that puts out a good product. Mark just put out a book called A Time to Run, not in the 4HU series, but it still looks interesting. Chris just put out a book in the 4HU with author Thomas A Mays called The Mutineer’s Daughter. Not in the 4HU series but recommended. If you want to get into the 4HU series the place to start is Cartwright’s Cavaliers. Or you can get the anthology I’m in, For a Few Credit’s More. Kevin has written Peacemaker, a part of the 4HU. Kacey Ezelle wrote Minds of Men, found on Amazon. And Jason has written Wraithkin with Chris, which can also be found on Amazon. A lot of good books by a lot of good authors, and I’m just scraping the top of the ice flow here. So get on over to Amazon and pick up some new reads. Or continue on with these series by a kick ass bunch of authors.

Up next:  The Third Trip Out West, Part Six: Day Five: Death Valley and the Armagoosa Opera House Hotel.