Sneak-Peeks: OMG, have I finally got a title??? (Patreon)

Hey, do you like those in-world quotes and excerpts at the lead of each chapter of the Poor Man's Fight series! So do I! Let's use them in the new book, too!

In fact, here's the first!

“Humanity has not ascended to the stars because they are not ready. If we uplift them for our own needs, they will not return home when we are done with them.

“I do not argue against this course. Our foe is implacable. We are exhausted and spent. We need humans in their violent millions. We have no choice. I ask only that we consider what will come after the fight is won. Humans are not ready for the changes we will inflict. We cannot predict how they will change us.”

--Gankriid Matriarch Benae Orrtuun

Coalition Council, 2086 [thirty years ago]

Long-awaited space opera is still in the works. I've hit 115k words this week, working my way into the climax arc and feeling good about it. I don't have a release date yet, but the progress is real.

As I've said, this is somewhere between Poor Man's Fight and Good Intentions: it's a space adventure with some familiar themes from PMF, and also a non-monogamous love story with lots of sexytimes and comedy. I wanted to do something new while also hitting some themes and tones that work for my readers. Our protagonists are all looking for a way out of their current lives, a way to start over free and clear of the past... and oh yeah, one of them happens to be an assassin robot. And she REALLY wants to start over.

The familiar elements are deliberate. I wanted to do a fun, sexy comfort read. We'll have some new aspects, too: a little tourism, a few swerves away from the obvious and expected events, and gosh, our heroes might actually resolve all this WITHOUT a giant chaotic battle extravaganza in the end this time!

Y'know. Maybe. It could happen.

As it turns out, "starting over" has been a bit of a theme in the production of this book, too. I've had to change several elements on the fly and realized others will need to change in revisions. This is, of course, a thing that happens while writing a novel. Good Intentions is not at all the story I first set out to write. The climactic battle of Natural Consequences changed locations clear across Seattle while I was first writing it. And I had no idea how critical Christina Walters would be to the resolution of the Debtor's War when I first introduced her in Dead Man's Debt.

In writing this book, the antagonist's goals and the climax scenario have changed a couple times. I realized recently that Leeth, whom Patreon supporters met in the first couple chapters, would have to switch species to avoid a repetitive note. Lots will change in revisions. That's how it works. Still feels like a defining trait of this book to me.

"Hard Restart" was my initial title, but it's too close to an author-friend's recent release. (cough cough go check out Django Wexler's stuff if you haven't, he's awesome) So that's out.

But I wanted something about renewals and starting over, something tech-sounding to hit the sci-fi note, and also something short and punchy.

Course Correction? Live Changes? Field Testing (oh wait, I just used that)?

Live Restart?

I workshopped it with friends. I leaned toward Live Restart. And then a friend who works in Big Tech offered an adjustment, citing a practice in programming & operation, and it turns out it even hints at those sexytimes within the book...

I think "Hot Restart" sounds like a winner, don't you?