The Imperative Chronicles, Books One and Two: clarification

For anyone who is more interested in the plot of The Tesserene Imperative (Book Two) than that of The Mars Imperative (Book One), or who doesn't want to get "hooked" on another never-ending book series, there is something you should know. These two books are only loosely connected. Yes, they're set in the same fictional universe, but the stories take place a decade apart, with different characters. And where The Mars Imperative is set in our solar system, The Tesserene Imperative takes place almost entirely in deep space.

For comparisons, think of Saberhagen's Berserker series (Berserker Throne, etc.) or McCaffrey's Brainship series (The Ship Who Sang, etc.), each with different characters and stories, with only slight overlap between them.

Therefore, either book could be read alone, or in either order, without affecting your enjoyment of them. I do, however, have plans for a third book to follow The Tesserene Imperative. I thought it would be fun to have an adventure involving characters from both books working together. (The working title is The Galactic Imperative.) 

There is also the possibility some day of a prequel (Book 0?) to The Mars Imperative, set two decades earlier and involving two of the secondary characters from The Mars Imperative at an earlier point in their careers, but that's speculative at best. I have no plans for any other books in the series, so you don't have to worry about The Imperative Chronicles turning into a Game of Thrones and having to wait a decade for me to finish the series. Except for Book 3 (which would benefit from reading Books One and Two first), the others could be read in any order--or skipped entirely. (You wouldn't do that, though, would you???)

Introductory prices expire soon!

The introductory US$1.49 price for my sci-fi novel, The Mars Imperative, expires on August 14. So now would be a good time to buy it, before the price increase. The same introductory price will expire for The Tesserene Imperative on August 28, so there isn't a lot of time left for that one either. :)


Here are the links for the two books:
The Mars Imperative
The Tesserene Imperative

New book cover postcard for My Other Car is a Spaceship

Here's a low-res image of how the new postcards will look when they arrive in a week or two:

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 92

Snuck vs. Sneaked

Wrong: He snuck in through the back window.

Right: He sneaked in though the back window.

Sneak is the past tense of sneak (to move surreptitiously). Snuck is simply a nonstandard variation. It is used quite often in dialog to give the speaker a certain relaxed vibe. But it shouldn’t be used in formal writing.

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 91

Udder/Udderly vs. Utter/Utterly

Wrong: That’s udder nonsense!

Right: That’s utter nonsense!

Wrong: She was udderly oblivious to the destruction behind her.

Right: She was utterly oblivious to the destruction behind her.

Don’t laugh! I’ve seen this entirely too many times. An udder is the large baglike mammary gland (teat) of female cows, sheep, goats, and other four-legged mammals. Udderly isn’t even a word.  Utter has several meanings, including (as a verb) to produce audible sounds or speak, and (as an adjective) complete, total, or unconditional. Utterly is an adverb meaning completely, totally, or absolutely. This is a case where “udder nonsense” is utterly nonsensical.

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 90

Foo-pa vs. Faux pas

Wrong: Did you hear about her foo-pa at the gala last night?

Right: Did you hear about her faux pas at the gala last night?

Faux pas (pronounced FOH-pa) is a French term (literally “false step”) for an embarrassing social blunder or slip in manners, etiquette, or conduct. In the above example, it was the speaker who committed the faux pas.

Book cover wars!

Hold the presses! We have another contender for the cover. Bear in mind that despite the whimsical title, the story is hard military/space opera. So which cover do you like better? One font probably fits the title better, while the other fits the story better. But which is more eye-catching?

New cover for My Other Car is a Spaceship

Here's a sneak peak at the cover for my upcoming military/space opera sci-fi thriller, My Other Car is a Spaceship. It should be out late this month. (Click on it for a larger picture.)

What do you think?

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 89

Literally vs. Figuratively

Wrong: I was literally buried under paperwork yesterday.

Right: I was buried under paperwork yesterday.

Wrong: Having a baby literally ended her life.

Right: Having a baby ended her life, figuratively speaking.

Literally means actually. Therefore, unless a huge pile of papers actually toppled over and trapped you beneath it, don’t say literally. If that was what happened, you might be advised to wear a medical alert bracelet so the search-and-rescue team can find you, in case it ever happens again—or change to a safer job.

If you’re not speaking literally, but using a figure of speech or metaphor, then say figuratively.

Frequently Misused and Misspelled Words and Phrases, part 88

Here's another one:

Expresso vs. Espresso

Wrong: I like to start every morning with a strong shot of expresso.

Right: I like to start every morning with a strong shot of espresso.

Espresso is a delicious hot beverage with quite a caffeine kick. Expresso isn’t. In fact, it’s nothing, not even a real word. So don’t use it.