Writing with Mike Shepherd Read online

  There are several stories around this book. Foolish author, me, I thought Tenacious and Unrelenting could be one book.

  Ha. I told Ginjer that I wanted to write a book about Kris's first pregnancy. She's a young woman. Things like that happen. Sometimes not by intent. I've wanted Kris to be a woman, not just a guy with boobs, and pregnancy is one thing that very definitely separates the boys from the girls.

  Would you believe that Action Adventure heroes, or even heroines, can't get pregnant? Can't have kids? Really, they shouldn't even be married. Where's the fun in that?

  Anyway, I set out to see what I'd find under the pyramid on the alien home world, and, sure enough, we found it. Finally, we began to get a grasp on just what made the aliens tick, and it's certainly a time bomb. One thing led to another and next thing I know, we've got Cats.

  I had thought that putting a 12-year-old girl on the Wasp might get my granddaughter's attention. It hadn't. "Read a book my grampa wrote? Ha! I've got several bookcases of books to read."

  So, maybe, since she was fascinated by cats, I should add some cats? Anyway, I wanted to let Kris have fun with an alien that had the attitude of a Cat. Fun all around.

  Unrelenting

  Kris Longknife – Unrelenting

  Kris Longknife Series Book #13

  Publisher: ACE

  Date: October 27, 2015

  * * *

  The aliens attacking the planetary system of Alwa are an enemy unlike any Admiral Kris Longknife has ever encountered before. She doesn’t know who they are, only that they worship a being known as the Enlightened One, and are unafraid to sacrifice themselves against her fleet.

  But Kris faces more than just the fanatical behavior of an alien armada. A saboteur has infiltrated the military’s medical facility and unleashed an epidemic that has spread throughout the fleet without warning. Seventy-two career military women are down with something that not even the aliens could do to them – including Admiral Kris Longknife.

  Unrelenting turned out to be the longest book I have ever written. The first draft came in at 133,000 words. And to think, I thought I could cover the story of Tenacious and Unrelenting in one book.

  This was the first book of a new contract, and as it turned out, the last contract Ginjer would get me, and in the end, my last contract with Ace. I specifically proposed Unrelenting with Kris throwing up on the first page and they knew exactly what I'd deliver. They even let the artist give Kris something that could almost pass for a baby bump on the cover.

  The book went long because I had a lot of world building, character development, and a plot going in several different directions. Just because Kris is knocked up doesn't mean she can't be a battle commander, and she's definitely a battle commander with problems.

  Here, though, I began to run into problems. The enemy is vast in numbers, but they also haven't had a good fight in a hundred thousand years. They've been massacring low-tech peoples, but no one has really been in a position to put up an advanced tech defense. Their warrior skills and technology have been allowed to atrophy. The same can be said for their political skills.

  Then, they run into Kris and us obnoxious humans. We've been fighting ourselves and the Iteeche for years, even millennia. Yes, we've managed to have an eighty-year-long peace, but that didn't file down any of our claws. If you've read of Agincourt, Creasy, the wrecking of the Spanish Armada, the Spanish conquests in Mexico and Peru, or, for that matter, the German panzers in northern France in 1940, you know that lopsided battles are a fact of life when one side has a significant advantage either in weaponry, technology, or tactics. That is what Kris has in this book.

  Bold

  Kris Longknife – Bold

  Kris Longknife Series Book #14

  Publisher: ACE

  Date: October 25, 2016

  Despite her role as a fleet admiral and protector of a planetary system, Kris is still beholden to her great-grandfather, King Raymond’s commands. She has been personally selected for a mission that, should she succeed, will save millions of lives.

  The Greenfeld Empire is in the midst of a civil war. On one side is the tyrannical Empress: on the other is the last person Kris ever wants to see again – Grand Duchess Vicky Peterwald. Due to their shared history, the Emperor believes Kris can mediate between the factions and bring about peace.

  But before Kris even begins her mission, she survives multiple assassination attempts on her home world. Someone doesn’t want her interfering in the Empire’s affairs. Kris immediately suspects Vicky or the Empress, only to learn that it could also be a traitor among her own people.

  Bold completes both the story arc for Kris that began with Daring, as well as the story arc for Vicky Peterwald that began with Target. You might want to read both story arcs before you enjoy this book.

  How do you end a civil war? Especially a civil war where one of the sides is unwilling to compromise? Kris has done her best to end several wars, but this time, it's up to her to actually negotiate it the hard way. I finally got to put all my Foreign Service college courses to good use.

  I also got to follow my own wild hair idea that families belong on warships. Yes, Kris insists she will not leave Ruthie home. She has the advantage of being able to take along a nursery staff, who comes complete with weapon skills. Still, what Kris has to do to have it all is not among a normal woman's options.

  (Full disclosure: When the USS Shangri-la, an Essex class carrier, deployed from San Diego in 1956, my three-year-old sister was the one throwing a tantrum and screaming "I want my daddy!" loud enough to be heard by everyone manning the rail. I was ten and would have loved to get down on the ground with her. Such things leave a mark.)

  I was very nervous about putting Ruthie at risk, but Ruthie is a Longknife, and that is just part of the job. In Ruthie's case, she got introduced to it before she cut her first tooth. I think everyone has forgiven me for poor little Ruthie's plight.

  But the story isn't just Kris's, it's also the capstone of Vicky's arc. She's come a long way from the scared kid in Target that flashed her boobs to get more air time in the hope of someone giving her a safe ride home. She's willing to reach out, across the divide to her father, and, in the end, ask Kris to go easy on the fleet. They may be in rebellion, but they are her subjects as well. The bad girl is learning to be a gracious Grand Duchess.

  Historical Note

  Withthe publishing of Bold, my 25 year long relationship with Ace came to an end. I still had one book left in my contract with Ace, but with no future there, I returned my advance and chose to publish it myself.

  I've been very circumspect about my separation from Ace. I still consider them to have been one of the best groups I have ever worked with. However, the Ace that offered me my first book contract was not the Ace that produced Bold a number of years later.

  Ace was the first publisher to produce paperback books. They published the early SF novels by Heinlein at a cost people could afford. Paperbacks have gotten a lot more expensive, but they are still priced well below hardbacks.

  However, several publishers had decided that the e-book was the slayer of the mass market paperback. When Random House acquired Penguin, they cut back drastically on the Ace team, laid off the senior editor that was editing my work, and gave a young, less well-paid crew of editors their heads to run Ace. However, while cut the staff, they also cut the publishing list.

  In each month of 2016, Ace published a hardback book and an average of ten to twelve paperbacks. At present, Ace publishes only a handful of hardbacks; maybe three or four a month. They not only cost $26 to $30 each, but their e-books are $12 to $14. Now, with no mass market paperback coming out, the price of the hardback's e-book does not get discounted.

  Admittedly, the publishers produce only 30% of their previous production, but they have to pay fewer employees and they do their best to make more profit off of each book.

  This business model was explained to me over a delicious Kansas City BBQ dinner. The more
I heard of it, the more I wanted to throw up. I didn't wait to be told that Ace didn't consider Kris suitable for hardback and they, therefore, wanted no more of her books. I had already found the entire business model revolting.

  I returned from Kansas City WorldCon in 2016 pretty disgusted with the state of the NY publishing industry. I'd heard that the cozy mystery market had been wiped out. They didn't fit in hardback, so their readers would be abandoned.

  I spent the next 30 days knocking out Kris Longknife's Successor. I asked Ace for the return of the last book in the three-book contract I'd signed. I doubted they would support that book even if they published it. Also, if I was going to start an entirely new story arc for Kris, I wanted to own all the books in it, not all but the first one.

  I had already written the first two books of the Iteeche War (Enemy Unknown and Enemy in Sight), but Ace had messed around, not passing them but not rejecting. I got them rejected and consequently added them to my own planned 2017 production schedule.

  With much trepidation, I stepped into 2017 intent on publishing my own books through my own publisher, KL & MM Books.

  To my delight and amazement, my fans found me.

  I did several things to make that easier for you.

  When Ace cut Kris loose, they also cut her cover artist out of a job. I contacted the man who had done my artwork up to that time, Scott Grimando, and asked him if we could work something out, me having a lot shallower pockets than Ace. He came on board, and for a while, my KL&MM Books had the same cover feel as the Ace books.

  In late 2019, we sought new artwork and were thrilled to welcome Lee Moyer, a local artist in Portland, Oregon, to do our artwork. Even before the pandemic I've preferred to support local people where I can. He debuted with us on Kris Longknife - Stalwart.

  As I'm writing this, I've published nine novels and a short story collection, as well as brought my first three novels back into print, along with three collections of short stories. The books are available as e-books, as well as print from both Create Space and Ingram Spark. You can order them from your usual bookstore. They also are available from Audible, though usually a bit later. I have to decide whether to delay the e-book to meet the Audible schedule, or bring out the e-book with the audio book trailing along a bit later. I tend to decide to meet the calendar schedule and have Audible come later.

  It seems to be working. The new books usually sell 3,500 to 4,000 e-books the first month and then continue to sell at a regular pace. Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Smashwords, and the i-Store carry the e-books, so sales are worldwide.

  Despite the stark terror of trying my hand as an entrepreneur at the age of 70, I'm glad I did it.

  Emissary

  Note: Beginning with Emissary, a new story arc develops, since I went independent.

  Kris Longknife - Emissary

  Kris Longknife Series Book #15

  Publisher: KL & MM Books

  Date: March 9, 2018

  * * *

  Kris Longknife has discovered that this desk job is not at all what she expected. Being desk-bound hasn't even decreased the number of assassination attempts! Then Kris gets home after work to find her two kids playing with an Iteeche. Ron has come back to human space with a request. Should Kris honor it? Can she finally get some straight answers for her Grampa Ray, King Raymond to most? Does she risk taking the kids into a situation with a whole lot of unanswered questions? Oh, and what can go wrong? Kris knows something will go wrong. Something always goes wrong.

  Bold ended with Kris getting what she wanted . . . a desk job. A job where she could eat lunch with Jack and go home to the kids every night. It didn't take Kris long to find it both frustrating and boring. Still, what job could a princess do who had gotten jumped up to admiral without any of the usual steps? There were plenty of men who had filled all the proper billets in their career. Kris clearly had a P for Political on her back. Oh, and a target as well. The Peterwalds weren't trying to kill her anymore, but someone was.

  That was only part of the problem confronting me as a writer. What do you do with a princess, admiral, wife, and mother? Where's the fun at that stage of life? Adventuring is for the young.

  I think I tricked Kris into heading out to where there might be some room for adventuring, even for a thirty-something woman with too much baggage for swashing her buckles.

  For me, this book was a rite of passage. Could I write a book on my own and would you fans find it? I am so grateful that you did.

  Admiral

  Kris Longknife - Admiral

  Kris Longknife Series Book #16

  Publisher: KL & MM Books

  Date: November 1, 2017

  * * *

  Admiral Kris Longknife should have known the job offer was too good. Really, she knew by now that what was too good to be true really, really isn't. Still, she jumped at the chance to be the first human emissary to the Iteeche Empire.

  Only when she got there and met the Emperor, a teenage kid swamped by his throne, did Kris find out that there was a little civil war going on in the Iteeche Empire. The loyal forces were losing, and they needed the best fighting admiral they could get. So, they got Kris Longknife.

  Now Kris is sweating out collecting a fighting force - that won't make her their first target. Now she's trying to figure out how to fight ships identical to hers, that outnumber her four to one or worse. Oh, and she's got to keep the merchant princes in her embassy from making a mess of everything.

  A whole lot of people are hoping this Longknife can pull a grizzly bear out of her hat. A whole lot of other Iteeche are hoping the bear takes off her arm.

  This continuation of the Longknife Saga is 112,000 words of battle, intrigue and assassinations including a few wrong turns on Kris's part. Enjoy!

  Okay, I've given Kris a new challenge, balance a diplomatic mission, her family, and winning a civil war. This looks like a big enough collection of problems for even Kris. Oh, and Megan Longknife, her cousin, is not only getting to do some JO stuff, but Nelly's kids are discovering sex.

  Hmm, what can I add to that?

  Commanding

  Kris Longknife - Commanding

  Kris Longknife Series Book #17

  Publisher: KL & MM Books

  Date: May 1, 2018

  * * *

  Grand Admiral, Her Royal Highness Kris Longknife is up to her ears in problems . . . again. While summoned to the Imperial Iteeche Court to be humanity’s Emissary, it turns out that what the Iteeche really want is a fighting admiral! You see, they’ve got this huge civil war going, and the Imperial side isn’t doing so well. Kris now has command of the entire Imperial Combined Fleet. Sort of. The Iteeche Empire has a ten-thousand-year long history. There is nothing that won’t say, “We’ve always done it that way,” pointing to a track record lasting for thousands of years. Even when Kris reminds them they’re losing, many have a hard time changing.

  Many Iteeche also wonder if letting a human win this war for them isn’t losing everything already. Kris managed to win a defensive battle with a scratch force. Now she’s thrown together a larger force and is ready to take the fight to the rebels.

  It’s full speed ahead with Kris Longknife: Commanding.

  Kris is tackling a whole collection of problems, ranging from, "You can't do that! We've never done it that way before!" to the vagaries of a civil war and who's on whose side. Again, Megan gets to lead the Away Party, but Kris is looking over her shoulder and making sure she gets all the help she needs.

  The only problem is that Kris is away from her base and a lot of her team. We'll have to get her back to the Iteeche capital for the next book. Gee, what problems are ready to kick off?

  Indomitable

  Kris Longknife - Indomitable

  Kris Longknife Series Book #18

  Publisher: KL & MM Books

  Date: May 1, 2019

  * * *

  Grand Admiral, Her Royal Highness Kris Longknife, commander of the Iteeche Imperial Combined Fleets has the enem
y on the run. Literally. The last time she entered a rebel system, every disloyal ship picked up its skirts and ran. So why has she been ordered, as in requested and required, to make a formal report to the Emperor?

  Ron the Iteeche and his two young Iteeche Counselors have little to say on the subject except that some Iteeche think Kris is winning too much, too fast.

  What human combat commander has ever heard those words?

  Worse, when Kris returns to the capital, no one wants to sell her a ticket on the space elevator. Driving the streets is dangerous . . . not two roadside bombs, but three detonate! Now she's got her embassy in sight and she can't get in! What kind of games are the clan lords playing? What threats are being hatched against the young Emperor? Even more pressing, how does Kris get back into her embassy and back to her kids?

  The Iteeche Empire claims it has a ten-thousand-year history and traditions for every possible situation. However, they've never run into Kris Longknife Indomitable!

  This book took a year to write. Every time I started, it seemed I had to stop. My wife spent some time in the hospital. I had a cancer removed from my ear because of getting too much sun as a kid. The cycle of start/ stop start/stop seemed to drag on.