The Next Month (Or So)

Things have been rather … odd here in Malaysia for the last week or so. To sum up a long story, Indonesia is engaging in slash-and-burn agriculture and a LOT of smog has been drifting northwards to Malaysia, Singapore and everywhere else in the area. Right now, when I look out the window, I see a haze that reduces visibility to less than one kilometre. There’s a faint smell of burning in the air and breathing leaves an unpleasant taste in my throat. And if it’s bad for me, it’s worse for the kids and old folks here.

Anyway, this leaves us with something of a dilemma. We originally planned to go to the UK for most of July. (Hopefully, the smog will be gone when we come home.) This means, practically speaking, that there will be a delay in my writing. I’ve completed The Empire’s Corps V: The Outcast and I don’t want to start a new project that I will have to abandon while travelling.

In other news, I’ve just completed the editing process for Sufficiently Advanced Technology and started the process for The Great Game (The Royal Sorceress II). I hope to see them both online shortly.

For what it’s worth, my planned future projects are:

The Empire’s Corps VI: To The Shores: The Empire is gone … and representatives of the three of the most powerful successor states are meeting on a neutral world to discuss the future of humanity. But when a revolution traps the diplomats in the capital city, the Marines of Avalon must break through enemy lines and save them before it is too late.

Knight’s Move (stand-alone): Humanity has just won a savage war with an alien race, but there is no peace in the aftermath of war. The Federation is trying to reunite the human race, the colonies want to declare independence and shadowy factions are already attempting to restart the war. Captain Knight and his starship, sent to patrol the colonies, are thrust into a nightmare where the wrong choice might destroy the fragile peace and see humanity plunged into madness and death.

Learning Experience (Schooled in Magic IV): As her second year at Whitehall comes to an end, Emily sets off with Lady Barb on a tour of the countryside, only to stumble across a nightmare from the pas that will make her stronger … or leave her broken forever.

Learning Experience (stand-alone): When an alien race came looking for humans to kidnap and turn into biological computers for their starships, they made the mistake of picking on humans who could actually fight back. Now, those humans have control of the alien ship, it’s tech … and the human race will never be the same. (Yes, I know that two books have the same title. There’s a reason for that.)

The Very Ugly Duckling (Bookworm II): Only a small fraction of the human race has magic, but when one is the sole member of one’s family without magic, life can be hellish. For UNNAMED, his lack of magic and family doom him to a life of obscurity, a life where he’s little more than a laughing stock. But when he is caught up in a magical accident, he suddenly finds himself gifted with powers beyond any normal magician.

Elaine had hoped to sink into obscurity, but instead she is forced to play mentor to the new magician … and save from others who will see him as a tool, a weapon … or a very deadly threat.

Powerless (Stand-Alone): Lord Henry is the most powerful magician in the country – and he never lets anyone forget it. Charged by the King to keep the other magic-users in line, Henry seems almost unchallengeable , the object of everyone’s envy – and fear. But when he loses his powers, he must learn to live without them … and stop a dark wizard with his eyes on the throne.

The Unseen: Magic is real, but immensely hard to use. Only a handful of magic-users are left alive in our world, using arcane knowledge to keep themselves alive. But when terrorists discover the key to unleashing demons, the handful of surviving magicians must work together to save the world before it can be utterly destroyed …

The Gunpowder Plot (Revised): Britain is on the brink of anarchy. The economy is in ruins, the streets are in chaos and the government is completely unable to come to grips with the situation. Sir Charles Hanover has a plan to save his country, but the cure might be worse than the disease …

Big Brother Is Your Friend (stand-alone): When a bored NSA staffer listens in to a couple’s telephone conversation, she becomes obsessed with their life … and starts trying to fix it for them…

Which one would you like to see?

Chris