Dragging My Feet

I generally talk a good game about embracing Change and emphasizing its positive benefits. After all, The Universe doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Well, okay it does, but not in the way that I mean. I’ve been dragging my feet in implementing some items on my website (http://www.wwcassjr.com) for some time now because there’s a part of me that is still holding on to that youthful fantasy about what it means to be a writer. But Change is inevitable and you have to go with it if Progress is to be made.

Here are a few changes that are now in place:

1) A Mailing List and Sign-Up Form: There’s something unromantic about putting a mechanism in place to notify people of new developments. However, it would be the height of naivety and a little arrogant to assume that just because there are people who like my work that the carrier pigeons are flying far and wide with news of my activities.

2) Patreon: I’ve made no secret that I am dubious about crowdfunding, but I prefer to leave my options open. After all, my personal funds are not extensive so every little bit helps.

And now, for The Future:

1) Newsletters: I’m not exactly sure how I will tackle this one, but I’m fairly sure that it will involve some writing and if there is one thing I do know, it’s Writing.

Hmm, I thought there would be more to this article than this but the important stuff is out there. Thanks for your time and enjoy your weekend. 🙂

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Parallax: The Players

I got started way late today because, to be honest, I had a case of the “F*ck its”. You know what I’m talking about. That wonderful feeling when Life isn’t feeling so great and you just want to pack it in and go back to bed. Thankfully, after a few hours the feeling passed and I felt like my usual productive self.

Today I want to discuss the principal players in Parallax, my newest novel out on Amazon now. I’m going to try very hard not to reveal spoilers so this should be interesting to pull off…hehe.

1. John Pratt: Parallax’s Main Character and Chief Protagonist. Pratt starts out as your basic garden variety space fighter pilot who holds the rank of Lieutenant in the United Earth Union Navy which is a member of the Stellar Alliance with the Paran Star Nation. He is 35 years old, rather old for a Lieutenant, but an incident in his past cost him his Lieutenant Commander rank. He is an intelligent, courageous and professional officer who thinks outside the box and while these are admirable traits in a heroic figure, they tend to land him in hot water when he deviates from his missions. Pratt’s family works in both the military and in Science, his parents are flag officers but his brother and sister work as Terraforming scientists and may show up in either Book 2 or 3 but I haven’t decided whether or not that will happen yet.

Pratt is also blessed (or cursed) with an obsession to find the Truth no matter where it takes him. In Parallax, it takes him across Known Space to the Orion Nebula where he participates in one of the last climactic battles of the Stellar Alliance / Locknar Hegemony War of 2220-2223 before his life and career take a hard right turn and he finds himself branded a traitor due to mysteriously disappearing and reappearing at the end of a major battle with a missing or dead co-pilot and all indications that he has been compromised according to an old protocol left over from the AI Rebellion, an incident that took place on Earth from 2183-2190 where a renegade computer software engineer attempted to take control of the United Earth Union using a bioelectronic virus that enabled control over electronic devices and human beings. The conflict devastated civilization to the point where it almost collapsed. As a result, he grew up in a world where many aspects of normal life are strictly controlled and loyalty oaths and monthly vaccinations for essentially half the population are strictly enforced.

2. Ariel DuBois: Pratt’s Main Ally in Parallax and a representative of Alliance Intelligence who is sent to investigate and arrest him. She is young, competent and attractive with a sharp wit and a fierce intelligence and heart that at first doesn’t mesh well with Pratt. She also represents the side of Humanity that is subject to loyalty oaths and compulsory vaccinations because during the AI Rebellion, women were found to be particularly susceptible to being co-opted and as such are viewed with general distrust although by Parallax’s Time that view has been steadily changing for the positive.

DuBois starts out rather naive when out of her element but over time she learns to adapt to her surroundings and becomes quite adept at rolling with the punches as she assists Pratt first as his arresting officer, then as an equal partner.

3. Koren: Another Pratt Ally and the leader of a Locknar Hegemony Clan, he is a reptilian alien who is very tall, very strong, and possesses a unique sense of humor that centers around pointing out the literal differences between Humans and Locknar. He is also extremely adventuresome and preferring to eschew his leadership duties in favor of traveling the galaxy and getting into one imbroglio after another in defense of his home and family. Koren is well-versed in how to fight, fly a ship, and possesses a battle staff with some unique optional extras. He also has a great sense of timing where he manages to show up at just the right times.

There are many many more characters in Parallax, but these are the Big Three and I didn’t want this post to go too terribly long. Thanks for you time. 🙂