Writing Colonies XLIV: How to Read Volume One

"Um, duh.  I can read."

I'm sure one of you said that.  There's more to it than that.

First, the technical stuff.

On February 7, at around noon Eastern Time (US), I will post it on Smashwords.com.  It will be available there in all formats (Apple, Nook, Kindle, PDF, etc.).  In the days after it goes up, Smashwords will distribute it to the other stores around the web, like iTunes, B&N, etc.  I will post those links as I become aware of them on my personal webpage here.

(Smashwords now has a pre-order option and I attempted to use that.  I thought it would be cool for everyone to sign up for it in the week leading up to the release, and then you get an email saying it's ready or whatever.  Nope.  To do a pre-order release, I have to charge money.  Because I am still afeared of lawyers, I won't do that.  I do, however, still have a tipjar, in case anyone feels so inclined.)

Now, actually reading the thing.

Lords of Kobol was, primarily, dated at the top of each chapter with the phrase "X Years Before the Final Exodus," obviously referring to the exodus of mankind from Kobol.  In Colonies, the phrase you'll see most often is "X Years After Colonization."  This refers to the day civilian ships landed and human feet trod upon Gemenon with the intention of staying.  

Also, a phrase you'll see often is, "Unknown Years Before Activation."  That's cryptic and it's supposed to be.  (Perhaps it's something that won't be resolved until, say, Volume Three.)  Regardless, that phrase means what you're reading is outside of time and space and you're witnessing the Messengers of The One True God as they conduct "interviews" with people from humanity's past.  Yes, this is how I finagled my way into writing chapters with some beloved characters from Lords of Kobol, BSG, and Caprica, living and dead.  

In other words, with shifting dates and the possibility of extra-dimensional interviews, I'm saying, "Read carefully."

Related to this, I'll mention that I'm working on a chronological reading and viewing guide for inclusion in Volume Three.  Meaning, a list of what to read and watch in order, including all of Lords of Kobol, Colonies of Kobol, Caprica, BSG, and more.  I briefly toyed with making Colonies a strictly chronological story from jump, but that would have meant bouncing from colony to colony on a more frequent basis.  I thought keeping the separate books, one for each planet, worked best, and I believe the larger narrative doesn't suffer because one part of Book Two, for example, takes place after Book Four.

Oh, one more SITREP before next week:

I now consider Volume One locked.  I've read through a few sections since the last full edit and tweaked some things, but that is at an end.  While I craft the social media posts for One's release next week, I am now beginning the next editing read-through of Volume Two.  As Two is nearly twice as long as One, those edits will require more time, so I can't rest on my laurels yet.

February 7 is just one week away.  Thanks for reading.