My latest novel

My latest book, now available on Amazon.

Of course, you need to read part 1 first if you haven't already!

New author blog

If you are more interested in following my journey as an author than my exploits as a skier you may prefer to follow my new author blog at http://www.dahillauthor.com

For those of you more interested in skiing, don't worry, the 2012-13 ski season is only 43 days away and I shall soon be providing my normal blow by blow account of what I hope is a better season than last year!

Fusion Reactors

As I have mentioned previously, I was very conscious in writing Newton's Ark to keep the science as real as possible. The most speculative technology I included was probably the micro fusion reactor - a small, highly portable fusion reactor that could power a sattelite for decades.

This technology requires us to find a way to build a self-sustaining fusion reaction that produces positive net energy. And then you have to miniaturize it - I'm going to ignore that challenge assuming we can solve the main problem.

This technology has been a decade away for the past sixty years. Will we ever solve this problem? Who knows. It may really be a only decade away, it may be another sixty years away or it may never happen. It's hard to extrapolate from the experience to date. There has been some progress but not enough to be completely confident that the fundamental challenge can be overcome.

It is still an active area of research though. In fact I recently received an assignment to design a biometric security system (iris recognition) for an experimental fusion reactor facility!

More on keeping sci-fi real

I posted recently on keeping the sci fi real in my first novel Newton's Ark.

I just ran across this article talking about prospects for stopping an asteroid, specifically debunking the scenario presented in the movie Armageddon of using a nuke to split it in half.

Here's a relevant passage from my book:

“Despite all the holo-movies you might have seen where they destroy the asteroid before it hits the Earth and everyone lives happily ever after, it isn’t possible with the technology and time we have available. To nudge the asteroid off course we have to hit it far enough out that we would need to launch now. Problem is we don’t have anything with the range and payload required....”

“Can’t we just nuke the damn thing when it gets closer to Earth?”

“Yes sir we can, but we risk turning a single very large asteroid into multiple asteroids, each still plenty big enough to wipe out a large city. Better to have only one object to track and to limit the impact to a single location.”

I think this quote from the article nicely captures my philosophy:

...fiction is all about the make-believe. But good science can make for a more plausible narrative, making it easier to suspend disbelief.

Keeping sci-fi real

One of the things I set out to do when writing Newton's Ark, was to keep the science part of the science fiction plausible, by basing the technology of the future either on already emerging technologies or at least on plausible projections of current technology trends.

This article on taking control of drones by spoofing GPS signals is a good example.

Here's the relevant section in the book:

“The early drones worked exactly that way, Major. They were vulnerable; if communication is disrupted the drone is pilot-less. Worse still, if the signal is intercepted it is possible for a hostile force to take control of the drone. Back as far as 2012 the Iranians captured what was then one of our most advanced drones by spoofing a GPS signal. They convinced the drone that it was landing back at its base in Turkey when it was really landing in Teheran. Incidents like that were the impetus for the EM program."

New book format

Newton's Ark is now available via Smashwords in EPUB format suitable for iBooks, the Nook and the Sony eReader.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179199

It should also be available via iTunes, Barnes and Noble and the Sony Store within the next week or two.

Update July 18: It is now available on iTunes (and looks great in iBooks on the iPad) but not yet on the other channels.

Update: July 21: It is now available in the Barnes and Noble store for the Nook.

Reality intrudes

I was making good progress on the sequel to my first novel, Newton's Ark, with the first thirty pages almost writing themselves. Then reality intruded. I was offered a month of consulting work at a daily rate that exceeds my annual book royalties based on current the sales velocity. Hard to say no to.

I also stumbled across a wonderful idea for another book which I had to start writing while the idea was fresh in my mind. So my expected completion date on book two of the Emulation Trilogy is now more like Christmas 2012. Apologies to those who have read the book and are waiting to discover what happens next!

Paperback now available in Europe

The paperback version of Newton's Ark should be available via Amazon in Europe from tomorrow for £5.99 or €6.99.

US pricing for the paperback is $7.99.

If you're really worried about price though, the Kindle edition is a bargain at $2.99 (or the equivalent in pounds or euros). Interestingly, I make a bigger royalty on a $2.99 kindle edition than I do on a $7.99 paperback.

That makes it hard to see how traditional publishers can justify asking almost as much for the Kindle version (and sometimes more!) than for the hard copy. e-books should be considerably cheaper, not only because they are much cheaper to produce and distribute, but also because they are more restrictive (you can only lend them once ever, if at all, and you can't resell them) which ought to mean more sales. The disruption of the publishing market has really only just begun.

"Plant Our Brains in Robots"

If you find the ideas in this article from Wired magazine title Russian Mogul’s Plan: Plant Our Brains in Robots, Keep Them Alive Forever interesting, then you should read my book Newton's Ark (and the forthcoming sequels).

I'm attempting to explore similar concepts through fiction, with the goal of trying to understand how these sorts of technological developments might affect the human experience. My view is that when confronted with ideas this radical, stories are the best way to explore the possible implications. Otherwise it's all too abstract, all to clinical, all too remote, and therefore all too easy to ignore, at least until it actually begins to happen and we're totally unprepared.

Book pricing in Australia

I'm in Australia at the moment visiting family and while I'm here I've been into a few book stores. Shocked is the only word I can use to describe my reaction to the price of books here. Take, for example, Caleb's Crossing, the latest book by Geraldine Brooks (I haven't read it but I loved People of the Book). It is available on Amazon.com for $10.88 in paperback and $16.17 in hardback; it's nearly $25 (in paperback!) in the book store here.

For all Australian readers, I would say if you don't have a Kindle buy one. Now. Forget about walking the dog. Forget about feeding the kids. Jump on Amazon.com now and buy a Kindle. Caleb's Crossing and lots of other great books are only $9.99 on Kindle (and even the 'expensive' books are $12.99). Not to mention there are lots of books like mine available at the ridiculously cheap price of $2.99.

Usual occupation?

We are in Australia at the moment visiting family. When filling out my arrival card yesterday I decided to answer the question on usual occupation as AUTHOR. Now the pressure is on to take this writing gig seriously!

Special offer - Newton's Ark for free

Amazon are running a special offer on my book for tomorrow. For one day only the Kindle version will be available for the special price of free.

The deal runs from midnight to midnight Pacific time (currently GMT -7) on April 22.

Writing the sequel

When I finished my first novel a little less than two weeks ago, I felt like I would need a break of a month or two before starting work on the sequel. One of the things I discovered though was that part way through the characters started to drive the story.

It seems the characters are still driving the story and were keen for it to continue. A few days ago I found the characters were giving me so any ideas for book two that I just had to start writing. The good news is that it is going much quicker this time--I've written four thousand words in the past two days. I think that is because most of the characters are already established. All I need do is ask them what happens next!

The working title is Faraday's Mine.

Seeking feedback

Now that my book has been available for a week and a half I'm hoping that a least a few people have read it. What I'd really like now is some feedback. What did you like, what didn't you like, which characters appealed to you, are you looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy? Anything that will help me improve as a writer.

I would especially like people to add a comment on Amazon because that helps not only me, but also potential buyers. I'm not looking for unrealistic five star reviews to pump the book up, but rather genuine and informative reviews that will help someone decide whether it's the kind of book that would appeal to them and whether it's worth handing over three bucks to read Newton's Ark (of course it is!)

Here's the link to create a review.

Paperback available

The paperback edition of Newton's Ark is now available.

For now it is only available through the CreateSpace estore.

It should be available on Amazon.com some time next week.

Feel free to order through CreateSpace though since I make a bigger royalty there, which makes absolutely no sense since CreateSpace is owned by Amazon.com!

I've already posted on the process of self-publishing for the Kindle. I'll post soon on the process of self-publishing a paperback through this channel.

Update: the paperback is now available through Amazon.com.

Self-publishing for Kindle

I recently self-published my first novel, Newton's Ark, as an e-book in Kindle format via Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing program. I thought it would be worth making some observations for the benefit of other inspiring authors who might be considering this path.

The big change that self-publishing makes is that it removes the traditional publisher as gatekeeper. There's plenty of stories out there of books that were rejected by multiple publishers only to go on to critical or commercial success or both.

What self-publishing does do though is push back on the author an awful lot of responsibility for the process of producing the book; stuff like editing and proof reading and formatting and design. You can do it yourself but it is not for the faint of heart. You need a combination of skills to get it right. Traditional publishing skills like attention to detail, editing and graphic design, mixed with the technical skills necessary to translate a manuscript in Microsoft Word into a properly formatted Kindle book within the constraints of the Kindle format (e.g. the fact that is has no such concept as 'keep with next') and the quirks of the Kindle publishing platform. The good news is that there are plenty of people out there who will take care of this stuff for a modest fee. I didn't try any of them - I was determined to do this myself - but if you don't like banging your head against a wall as much as I do, perhaps it is worth trying.

It is way too early to tell whether self-publishing via Amazon will be a commercial success. That seems to me to be dependent on a mix of the quality of the book, the marketing effort and sheer luck. I can control the first factor, am working on the second one but it's not my strength, and can only cross my fingers in terms of the third factor.

I will also be releasing a paperback version soon, also self-published, this time via a company called CreateSpace (which happens to be an Amazon subsidiary). I'll report on that process once it is complete.

It's published!

My first novel, Newton's Ark is now available on Kindle, for US purchasers here and for UK purchasers here.

Here's the brief description that appears on Amazon:

December 20, 2047 - the day the human race faces extinction. With a little more than two years to prepare, President Paul Carlson struggles with the awful choices he must make to ensure the survival of the American people. Meanwhile wealthy industrialist James Newton embarks on his own audacious and radical plan to save humanity. As both sides race against time and the growing economic and social collapse, Major Regina Lopez finds herself caught between these competing forces. Which side will she choose as she faces sacrificing everything she believes in to protect the people she loves?

A paperback edition will be available within the next 1-2 weeks, however the Kindle edition is significantly cheaper and I make better royalties on that, so all in all it would be a win-win if you purchase the electronic copy, and you'll save a tree in the process!

Proof-reading is hard

I've finished the final draft of my novel after receiving some excellent feedback on the first draft from several people (you know who you are), feedback which I think has significantly improved the story.

Now I'm doing the hard slog of polishing it for publication. Checking for inconsistencies in the story, tightening the language and fixing the typos. It's a process which involves reading the same material over and over again, which is really hard and much less fun that writing the story. I hope other people like this book, because by the time I'm done I don't think I'll ever want to read it again!

I know why Hemingway drank

I'm in the process of writing a novel - not intended to be great literature but I hope it will be entertaining and thought provoking. I'm planning to self-publish via Amazon on Kindle and in paperback.

It's an interesting experience. You start out with an idea and the outline of some characters and then they take on a life of their own and start hijacking the story. But the worst of it is that you can't switch them off. It's like a mild form of multiple personality disorder, all these voices in your head. So now I know why Ernest Hemingway drank so much!

For those who are interested, I started just before Christmas and I'm about half way done, so I hope to have a first draft by the end of the ski season (April). Unless of course every day between now and then is a powder day, in which case I may be delayed a little.

New Blogger

This is Marie, Steamboat Lion's "lioness".

For some time, I've been wanting to "put pen to paper" and begin a writing project, but it's always been at the bottom of my To Do List. I attended a seminar last week about independent publishing, and one of the speakers suggested that I begin with a blog, so I accepted an invitation from Steamboat Lion to be an additional blogger on his site, and here I am!

Now I can do my political venting to this site instead of to him...!