The Universe Within Update
And the first draft of THE UNIVERSE WITHIN is complete!!
It clocks in at 64,451 words, which is a hefty chunk considering all the [skipped scenes] and [vague notes and instructions] and [half finished chapters], lol. *motions at Alex and Caleb and all those rich, fully formed worlds and stories that burst to life wherever they go*
I don't think a story has come together this quickly since Abysm, which is really saying something. But boy, do I have a ton of work ahead of me. I was flinging brackets left and right as fast as I could type them, just to get the plot out of my head and onto the page.
So, yeah. Time to grab the fire extinguisher..
The Universe Within Update
Not too shabby for 6 weeks after The Thief came out! This story is fire. Or on fleek, or lit, or whatever it is the kids are saying this week.
(It's probably not any of those things. 😂)
The Results Are In
You guys rock (of course, I already knew this ). Despite only being out for 3 weeks, THE THIEF won 2nd place in Discover Scifi's Best Sci-Fi Books of 2024 (So Far)! I could not be more thrilled. I adore this book so much, and it makes me happy to know you all do, too.
You can see the Top 10 here: https://discoverscifi.com/the-best-sci-fi-releases-of-2024-so-far/
The Void
The next epic-sized Amaranthe trilogy is LITERALLY about the void physically manifesting - of course it's ok!
...
...
Right?
The Best Sci-Fi Books of 2024 (So Far)
My readers are the absolute best. THE THIEF has only been out for 2 weeks, but you've spoken up so much that it's now in the running for The Best Sci-Fi Book of 2024 (So Far) over at Discover Sci-Fi. And hey, Eren deserves every bit of recognition he gets (he would agree, I think).
If you're so inclined, head over and vote! https://discoverscifi.com/time-to-vote-first-half-of-2024-best-scifi/
Alex, what have you done?
It’s time for the occasionally annual celebration of the unofficial theme of the Amaranthe series:
This year, it struck me that this excerpt from INVERSION between Alex and Nika is rather on point.
Miriam wasn't on scene to exclaim "what have you done?" when Alex did this on Portal Prime in VERTIGO, but I'm pretty sure Caleb *thought* it, lol.
Of course, the answer to the question, "what have you done?" was "save everyone, obviously."
I wonder what utterly audacious stunt she's going to pull off in THE UNIVERSE WITHIN?
Extinguishing The Stars
While I was waiting for the edits for The Thief to come back, I dashed out a new short story! I can't tell you much about it right now, except that (a) it is a prequel of sorts to the third Cosmic Shores novel (the title of which you will discover at the end of The Thief), while also being a completely stand-alone story, (b) I LOVE it, and (c) you'll be able to read it this fall.
Winning at Character Development
Oh, Alex, how we love you and your way with words.
From a The Thief beta reader.
A Classic Eren Moment
In honor of Eren's impending (irresistible) adventure, I give you a classic Eren moment from RELATIVITY.
How fun is he to write? All the fun is the answer.
10th Anniversary Celebration
Mr. Jennsen took me out to a lovely dinner this weekend to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Starshine's publication and the start of this crazy book journey. (You can read all about that HERE, if you missed it in the newsletter).
The many wonderful thoughts you all shared about my books and the ways they've impacted you absolutely bowled me over - my heart is full. I truly have the best readers in the multiverse. Thank you all so much!
Update on The Thief
Hey, you all remember that next book I'm writing? The one with Eren in it and...that's all that really matters, right? Well, it hit its word count this week!
Where are we? Late in the first big editing pass. Is this book taking too long to write? Yes! It's not Eren's fault (how could it be). Sometimes RealLife™ is a bully. But I've got the book on the run now.
Sunlit
Story time!
I finished "The Sunlit Man" by Brandon Sanderson yesterday. After reading a short story of his in the "Galactic Empires" anthology and enjoying it, I decided it was time at last to read one of Sanderson's books. I chose "The Sunlit Man" because it has sci-fi elements mixed in with the usual helping of fantasy.
It was good! Not 5 stars, but an entertaining read. So last night, #MrJennsen and I are chatting about it, as two book lovers do.
Me: "It's ostensibly a stand-alone novel set in his Cosmere universe, but for a while I was doubting that assertion, as the MC kept referencing previous events in the universe.
"When I got to the Author's Note, I learned that the MC was a minor character in one or more other Cosmere books, and this was a one-off tale featuring him. I guess all the references were Easter Eggs for fans of his series. So basically, it's a stand-alone novel the way Medusa Falling is a stand-alone novel."
Mr Jennsen: *nods sagely*
Then I start talking about the plot of the book.
Me: "The MC arrives on this strange, unfamiliar planet. He's only planning on staying there for a hot minute, but events conspire to trap him on the planet. He falls in with a ragtag group of rebels, and of necessity starts to help them with their cause as a way for him to get off the planet.
"But over time, he comes to care for these people and realizes their cause is a just one, so he ends up throwing all in with them in a risky plan they hope will win freedom for themselves and others."
Mr. Jennsen: *stares sagely*
Me: "What?"
Mr. Jennsen: ...
Mr. Jennsen: "...So it's Medusa Falling."
Me: ...
Me: "...Yes."
***
PS: Not really, for every detail is different. The moral of this tale? Something all writers have to internalize eventually if they want to write fearlessly: every story has already been told; it's all in how you tell it.
A Sensible 74
I regret nothing.
I mean...we love them all, don't we? (Except the ones we love to hate.) Amaranthe just wouldn't be the same without all 74 of them, right?
Ad Astra, Per Aspera
"Shoot for the moon - even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."
I haven't posted about this before now, because the ultimate fate of the Peregrine spacecraft wasn't certain until yesterday. But now I can tell the story in full.
The space enthusiasts among you probably know that Peregrine successfully launched early last week, with a planned lunar landing in February. However, a propellant leak once it reached space derailed those plans. The team made a remarkable recovery, and the craft did reach lunar distance (but the moon wasn't there at the moment) and did a lot of science before sweeping back toward earth; it burned up safely in the atmosphere yesterday.
In the image below, top left is the DHL MoonBox, which held the tiny digital record of my short stories, Apogee, Solatium, Venatoris, Re/Genesis, Fractals, Chrysalis and Starlight Express, together with the writings and art of thousands of other creators, thanks to the tireless efforts of Susan Kaye Quinn (Writers on the Moon) and Samuel Peralta (Lunar Codex).
So for a time my stories soared among the stars where they belong, before returning home. And because Sam Peralta never, ever gives up (and understands the power of redundancies!), the Lunar Codex will also be flying on at least four additional lunar missions by Astrobotic and Inuitive Machines in the next year, so those stories will get to the moon soon enough!
Ad Astra, Per Aspera
Happy Book Birthday to Duality
Happy 1st Book Birthday to DUALITY, the book that, among many other feats, changed our perception of the 18 books that came before it. (If you know, you know. On that note, armed with this capital-K Knowledge, have you started your reread yet?)
Were you all as exhausted as I was after finishing the epic saga that was Riven Worlds? My goodness! This is one reason why we're taking a fun little diversion with the Cosmic Shores stand-alones - everyone (you, me, the characters) needs a little break to catch their breath, lol.
The Keys to the World
Now I can write literally ANYWHERE. This bodes well, I think.
Christmas Gifts?
Fancy gifting your favorite Amaranthe fan with a personalized, signed paperback for Christmas? Get your orders in early, before the postal service totally melts down!
https://www.gsjennsen.com/paperback-store?category=Signed+Paperbacks
P.S.: It's 100% okay if your favorite Amaranthe fan is yourself.
P.P.S.: I have paperbacks of Medusa Falling and the Short Stories Collection as well - I just don't have handy pics of them.
Lake Lasai
I came upon this piece by Moody Blue on Deviant Art this morning. It is an almost perfect visualization of the Lake Lasai setting in Medusa Falling, as Marlee describes it. (I tried to create the scene in Midjourney but was never happy with the results - but this is it.)
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/.../MoodyBlue-Stock-108-997750857
Spotify Audiobooks
Do you have a Spotify subscription? Well, as of today, you can use it to listen to audiobooks, including mine. Spotify Premium now comes with 15 hours a month of audiobook listening for no additional cost (you can also buy audiobooks a la carte). See all my audiobooks here: https://open.spotify.com/search/g.%20s.%20jennsen/audiobooks.
Noted: the Spotify interface for finding and browsing audiobooks is still really, really basic (you can't click an author or narrator name to see all their work, or sort by order in the series, for instance). It will improve, but until then, if you need a reminder, you can see my recommended reading/listening order here: https://www.gsjennsen.com/amaranthe-universe.
Does it seem like there's a lot of news about audiobooks lately? That's because there is! It's the hottest segment in the business, and the industry is undergoing rapid innovation (and a bit of turmoil). May you listen in interesting times.