What I'm working on now...

 

I know it's been a whole, but I had a very good reason why I haven't blogged in the last month: I suffered a very personal loss in late March and I've been throwing myself into my writing to take my  mind off my loss. It hasn't been easy, but I'm hanging in there.

But enough about that. Elements of Treason: Honor is still being edited, so it's out of my hands until I get it back for some last-minute rewrites. After that, it shouldn't be too long to be published. I was also commissioned and completed a novella in what I think will be another of the merc novellas. I won't say anything more than that for now. But once it's out, I'll talk about it more.

But the Kickstarter was the big news this past month. Over $7.5 million for the Battletech Mercenaries boxed set. That's three times the Clan box Kickstarter earned, with twice as many backers. (Clan Box: 11,277 backers, pledged $2,586,421 Mercenary Box: 23,654 backers pledged $7,549,241). It's great to see such a reaction -- the Kickstarter made the top twenty list of largest Kickstarter ever AND the top ten Kickstarter Tabletop games list. So, it was very successful for Catalyst.

At the not realized $8 million stretch goal had a perk not many people talked about: The War of Reaving trilogy. And like the Blood Asp and the Sommerset Strikers, this too will be realized as a future product.

Three well-know Battletech Authors -- Myself, Jason Hansa, and Phil Lee -- are going to tackle the massive and densely-packed War of Reaving. And make no mistake: these will not be short novels, but fully packed novels telling the story about the worse war in the Clans history. This is a daunting task, but I think we can do this event some justice. The three of us, along with John Helfers, are in constant communication with each other, looking at how we divide this event up into manageable chunks. We each will be writing a book, but there will be characters that will appear in all three books, to carry the main plot through. I won't go into much more detail on it -- we are plotting our own books and banding about which characters to use where, and what events we tell from the War and where. It's going to take a while, as we're still in the plotting stage, but the project is underway.

I have written a novella that should be out soon. It has to do with Hansen's Roughriders, and one of the least described fronts in the Jihad, but one of the bloodiest. Also, I don't think I mentioned that Icons of War is out on audio! Read by Trent Sparks, Icons has been nicely received by the Battletech for it's plot and the look at Clan society, something we haven't seen much of. It's a great book to listen to and I love some of the tones he takes with the characters, especially Kyne. You can find it here: Icons of War (Audiobook). There's a sample on the page so you can see of you like it.

That's all for now. Need to get back to plotting (the book)!

Later!

Craig

Day One of the Mercenaries Kickstarter -- Wow!

Day one of the Battletech Mercenary Kickstarter is in the books, and I am blown away.

I monitored the Kickstarter from the start and watch as it was funded within the first thirty seconds. In less than two hours, It hit a million and two Million by the afternoon. After about twelve hours, it now sits at $3.4 Million, with twenty-seven days to go. It has blown past the First Battletech Kickstarter in numbers if backer and money. I am looking forward to see how far this goes.

I've noticed that the number of levels and stretch goals are not as numerous nor as varied as the first Kickstarter. Catalyst has learned from their mistakes, trying to make sure they can meet the goals this time around.

There are a few changes. Fewer Mechs, and a good selection of vehicles. No Dice and no Character canonization this time around. No swag packages (I want to be able to order a faction pin/patch/challenge coin combo instead of choosing one of them.) 

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There seems to be less fiction offered this time around, as well as salvage boxes. But its designed to be more streamlined, as the last Kickstarter broke the fulfillment company's system -- twice!

The stretch goals were blown through quickly, and now they are only set at the million/half-million levels. From the reaction on the Adeptacon livestream, they were surprised as the speed in which the stretch goals were broken after only a few hours. Maybe there will be more surprises for future stretch goals. I don't know. We'll see.

So after only one day, the Battletech Mercenary Kickstarter is a massive success. How much will be pledged at the end? We'll see....

Later! 

Craig

Shrapnel #12 -- "Three White Roses" Story Background

After a couple of issues off, writing Elements of Treason: Honor, I have a new story in Shrapnel #12. It's a bit of an odd story, because I go back in time, further than I have ever gone before in Battletech History, to the time of the Davion Civil War, the Five Regents, and Alexander Davion.

Alexander Davion is an important Leader in Federated Suns History. He is the one who decides to join the newly forming Star League, reforms the Federated Suns military into the AFFS, and rules the Federated Suns for most of the 26th Century. A pawn in the game between Regents, Alexander escapes the clutches of Regent David Varney, who daughter Alexander marries, in 2525, setting the stage for the Davion Civil War.

What drew me to this story was there's little detail on how Alexander escaped Varney's clutches. Alexander's seventeen, not old enough to be First Prince, so not experienced enough to escape on his own. And where is the his bodyguard? He's not sneaking out on them, if they're any good.

So,it has to be his personal protection team, Federation Protection Forces (the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns does not exist yet) soldiers who has to be the lead in getting him out. And this is where Captain Cadmon Mallory comes in. (If you're wondering, Vengeance Games's Baron Riordan Mallory is from the same family, just a different branch.). Cadmon is a professional, loyal to the soon-to-be First Prince, and knows he's in a tough situation. The rest of his command is equally skilled and loyal to Alexander.

When it becomes clear Alexander is in danger, it becomes Cadmon's job to get his charge out of it and away from the danger and David Varney, who is "escorting" the First Prince around the Capellan March. He needs help and he finds it from an unlikely source.

I had only a couple of facts to work with: where Alexander was when he made his escape, and when. From there, it's deciding how the escape happened and the background of the escape. And it wasn't that hard -- as soldiers and bodyguards, Cadmon and his soldiers are use to planning on the fly and having plans in place to handle most situations. It doesn't go smoothly -- few plans do -- but Cadmon and his soldiers win through.

As I said before, this is the earliest story I've written on Battletech History, some 500 years before the the Gray Death Legion story starts. There are a few stories from before the 31st Century, and the only novels I can think of that are set before the first Battletech novels is the Founding of the Clans trilogy. Which is a pity, because there are great tales yet to be told -- the Amaris Civil war is worth a novel series similar to the Twilight of the Clan series in breath and scope, nine novels that detail the most important event in Battletech history. The first and Second Successor Wars also deserve stories to explore the events. And the Jihad is also another event that needs multiple novels to bring away from the sourcebooks and making it personal.

But I also realize that Battletech is a large universe, and Catalyst has limited resources. The IlClan is the focus of the novels, bringing a new era alive and showing the fans this new universe and this era. I hope one day we can go back and explore those stories of the past. But we have a new era waiting for us writers and others to create, so that is where we will be. But if I have my way, this will not be the last time Cadmon Mallory appears in the pages of Shrapnel. There are still stories to tell about Alexander Davion, and Cadmon will be the start of a Mallory family saying -- "Where there's a Davion making history, there'll be a Mallory guarding their back." And Cadmon has plenty of reason to guard Alexander's back.....

Later!

Craig

(PS: I hope Elements of Treason: Honor will be out in April, but no guarantees -- the KS prep is sucking all the air our of the room ATM. Hopefully after Adeptacon, things will calm down and things get back to normal.....)

No Greater Honor: The Erindani Light Horse Chronicles Audiobook

 

I was getting ready for bed, when I got an email from John Helfers, announcing the release of the audio version of No Greater Honor: The Complete Eridani Light Horse Chronicles.

From the back cover copy:

Traditions run deep….

Most mercenary units fly flags on two flagpoles at their headquarters: one with their unit’s flag, and other bearing the flag of their current employer. However, the Third Regimental Combat Team—a.k.a. the Eridani Light Horse—leaves one flagpole bare, as a reminder of the death of the Star League, and the other pole flies the Light Horse’s unit and regimental flags at half-mast.

What triumphs and tragedies shaped the Eridani Light Horse and its traditions? What drove them to become a force to be reckoned with, an elite mercenary unit with one of the longest histories and the deepest traditions in the Inner Sphere? Now, collected for the first time, nine of BattleTech’s finest authors bring the legacy of this storied unit to life like never before.

Witness the Eridani Light Horse’s origins in the Star League, and follow their evolution all the way through the Succession Wars and the Clan Invasion to their downfall during the Dark Age and their resurrection in the uncertain future of the ilClan era.

Featuring stories from:

Joel Steverson

Craig A. Reed, Jr.

Chris Hussey

Randall N. Bills

Jason Hansa

Daniel Isberner

Alan Brundage

Jason Schmetzer

Michael J. Ciaravella

Narrated by Gabriella DeLuca, Jack Douglas, Sierra Taft, Robert Dale Brown Jr., and Stephen-Paul Dieter.

This ten-story anthology covers one of the oldest and most respected Mercenary units in Battletech -- the Eridani Light Horse. Now, it's available as an audiobook on Audiable, this anthology has multiple narrators, a first for any Battletech Audiobook. My own story in this collection is No Tears, and tells the story of one of the worse events in Light Horse History -- the massacre of dependents by a desperate Combine planetary government, and the resulting vengeance carried out by the Light Horse.

So, a quick post to let you know it has been released for your listening pleasure. It can be found here: BattleTech: No Greater Honor The Complete Eridani Light Horse Chronicles. SO, if you have a long trip and you want some new Battletech to listen to, the Light House awaits!

Later!

Craig

Kickstarter Characters' Names in the Elements of Treason: Duty

As part of the Kickstarter from a couple of years ago, Backers had the option of  having a canon character in the Battletech Universe. I did use a number of the characters for both Elements of Treason novels that have been published. Unfortunately, the list didn't make it into the either book, and I am here to rectify that and I hope to have a full list in the third Elements of Treason novel.

Now, I tried to match the character with as close a role as I could get. I tried to take advantage of the backer's wishes as much as possible, and I hope those of the backers who I chose the name for are satisfied with my efforts. I tried to make each character more than just a name check -- every characters I used from the list has at least one speaking part and a couple have supporting roles.

Today, it's characters from Elements of Treason: Duty. I went heavy with this one, clearing as many names as I could. I also wanted to spend a few words talking about each one, and what decisions I made.

First one is Karen "Kampfhund" Zimmerli. The original role the backer wanted was as Lyran Intelligence Corps, Espionage-Loki. I couldn't find a role for her as a Loki agent, but I did have a spot of the commander of an Arcturan Guards Special Forces team leader. She fit almost perfectly and has a decent run as a supporting character. I do have to apologize for spelling "Kampfhund" as "Kampfhound" That one is completely my fault.

Next up is Blue Ryne. The backer wanted the character to be a sniper, and I found a place for him exactly as that. To whoever submitted the name, I hope your son was surprised.

Ingrid Jilani was supposed to be a noble in military intelligence. Instead, I made her Chief of Staff for the Twenty-Sixth Arcturan Guards. She also deals with intelligence, and she has a few scenes.

Killien Dunard has a role as part of the Battle of Pandora. He's only in one chapter, but he has a few lines.

Torrian Dann and Sven Wichert had a larger role in early drafts of the novel, but word count forced me to cut the chapter. Though I do have enough to construct a story around the chapter for a future Shrapnel issue.

I hope those of you who have a character in Elements of Treason: Duty enjoy their appearance in the novel. I tried to get them as much screen time as possible, and some were in position to become major supporting characters.

Enjoy!

Craig

Update on my Writing for March

As the Mercenary Kickstarter is on the horizon, I thought I'd write about what I'm up to.

We are very busy on the fiction side of things. John Helfers is nothing but ambitious in getting Battletech Fiction out to everyone. I will be talking in general terms, as there are things happening behind the scene that I can't talk about yet.

The logo at the top of this column is tied to the novel I wrote: Elements of Treason: Honor. And it's about a faction that rarely gets any time on-screen, so to speak: Clan Hell's Horses. Like the other two Elements of Treason novels, this one has ties to the Tamar Rising sourcebook, covering the events that happened in that book. But unlike the other two novels, the Horses refused to be corralled to a 45K word count, so this novel will be the longest of the three. How much longer, I'm keeping to myself for the moment.

The Hell's Horses have always been a blank space of sorts. We know they are more open to combined-arms warfare than any of the other clans, they and the Ghost Bears don't get along and what was left of them back in the Clan Homeworlds became Clan Stone Lion. Other than that, they are a bit of a mystery, one I had to crack and bring them into line. I had mostly some established characters, recent history, the Mongol Doctrine, and the Tamar Rising sourcebook. So, I went to work. I turned in the second draft of the novel last week, so unless there's a need for a major rewrite, it's out of my hands.

The result is a good look inside the Clan itself, one I will talk about more when the novel is published. I've seen the cover image and it's a great image.

Shrapnel #12 is due out March 15, and Another short story of mine is in it. It's a look at an event from Battletech history, one that hasn't been filled in before. I think its the earliest story set in Battletech's history that I've fully written.

I have another novel submitted I'm waiting for feedback on. I won't say much more until it's in the chute for publication.

In addition, I have a couple of pitches in for approval and waiting on them. There are also a couple of other projects that are on the back burner at the moment, but soon will move to the front burner.

I can't want for the Kickstarter and what comes out of that.....

That's all for now,

Craig

The Life of a Battletech Writer

I write Battletech, but what does that mean?

To be a a writer in an IP with such a rich and deep background, it can't be a casual relationship. While other IPs, such as Star Trek and Star Wars have a much more open universe, Battletech has a single unifying history and well-defined factions. While Star Trek's canon is malleable, and  Star Wars is only now beginning to unify their canon (after removing a large chunk of the previous 'canon'), Battletech's has been consistent (in general terms, some details were altered by following authors to better fit in with what is now canon.) for almost 40 years. 

I remember when The Sword and the Dagger came out -- that novel, if it was written today, because today's canon would have not allowed a number of places and events to be in it. It isn't a bad novel, but the author was writing that novel with only a few notes and no background to base the story on. So reading it today, it doesn't have the same ring of later novels.

Any Battletech story or novel today has to past through a battery of fact checks, ranging from correct military ranks in a faction's military, the correct 'Mech variant, history check, and even language. Yes, things will slip through, but most are caught and the writer notified about what needs to be changed.

So, what does this mean to me, as a writer? What follows is a rough outline about how I go about writing a story. This is about story fiction, not sourcebook fiction.

Stories come in two ways: me writing a story, and John saying, "Hey, I need you to write this!" (like the Elements of Treason series). 

For my own stories, it sometimes starts with a story idea -- A "What if?" question. For example, "What if a soldier gains an undeserved reputation?" (The Lance Killer) or "What if a priest found his faith being tested?" (State of Grace). Other times, it could be an image that inspires a story. Hikagemono was inspired by the first TechManual cover.

After the idea is born, I research. When would be a good time and place to set this story? Sometimes,  it can be lines from a sourcebook that set the time and place -- The Lance Killer was set in time and place by two lines in the FedCom War sourcebook. Heroes' Bridge was inspired from a description of the fighting on Mandate described in the Fourth Successor War sourcebook. Kurodenkou has it basis in a scenario from the The Dragon Roars scenario book. Every so often, I will read through a Battletech book, seeing if anything sparks a story idea.

After I have a story's basic idea, along with a time and place, I research details. 'Mechs need to be the right ones for the time and place the story occurs, and things like ranks (Important to have the right ranks), anything from a planet's description I can use, such as locations, and where a unit should be.

While I'm researching, I'm writing. Depending on the level of detail, I may skip a section, or use things like "XXXXX" for words or locations I don't know at the moment and come back later and fill it in. I don't usually outline a story, but let it flow naturally.

Once the story is done, I send it in and continue onto the next story. Sometimes, I have more than one story I'm working on at any time. When I get feedback on a story, I make the corrections, or make an argument to leave certain details as they are.

Now, novels are John Helfers IMing me and saying, "I have something for you. You interested?" Icons of War was passed onto me because the original author didn't have the time to write it. The Elements of Treason series have their roots in the Tamar Rising sourcebook. In this case, I take the events from the sourcebook, and construct a plot around them. 

I also am not afraid to go back and revisit characters to use them in other stories. I feel that their usefulness is far from over and they have more to say. I've done that with several characters, and I find they are still as fresh as they were when they first appeared.

With novels, it allows me to broaden the number of characters and subplots. While I have the events I must include, I can put my own spin on them, staying with the spirit of the sourcebook's words while adding depth to the events.

In Icons of War, I had to come up with a reason why the McKenna's Pride was in the Inner Sphere with General Kerensky's body onboard. The largest problem was the Wolves left the Clan Homeworlds in 3071, but the McKenna's Pride is still there in 3076. It is this problem that led to the main plot of Icons, and the characters and events that branch off of this plot. The blank slate of non-warrior Homeworld Clan society and a mention of Free Guilds in the Jade Falcon, combined with the presence of the Dark Caste led to Satinka and her people being created. To show the Clan government wasn't completely clueless led to the creation of Bhu Telinov and Warrior Kyne. Stas and the Wraiths came about because I needed a 'Mech battle and only a couple of my other characters were Mechwarriors. The running space battle at the climax was  necessary to maintain tension. As the pieces came together, they answered questions that I had, like "Why did it take Garman's team five years to steal the battleship?" and "Why did Garman take the McKenna's Pride instead of just the General's body?"

Once I've completed the first draft, I send it in and wait for the editor to read though it, make notes and changes. Once I have the list of changes, I read through them and change what I agree with and argue those changes I don't agree with.. I know that I do not write perfect first drafts; few people do. And most changes are made without complaint, a few with muttered curses, but not worth arguing about, and a few changes I strongly oppose. I will sometimes take a note and incorporate into the story in a way they don't expect. The second draft gets sent back and the process is repeated until everyone is satisfied. 

Sometimes, the Word Count is the limiting factor. I am given a word count and I have to try to stick to that. Sometimes I can hit the WC, other times, I have to ask for another 5K words to complete the story. The word count is why some events are not covered, but are glossed over. I have told John that "It's stuffing a 60K story into a 45K bag." I'm looking at writing short stories to cover some of those events I glossed over in the novels.

I am never not writing; if it isn't Battletech, it's for my other projects. For Battletech, I have several short stories started, as well as novellas in various states of written. Some may see the light of day, others won't -- for those I don't, I may strip out characters and put them into other stories that need them.

I think I've rambled on enough for this post. Enjoy yourselves and be safe.

Craig