The release of the fourth book of the six-book Dronefall series is fast approaching. Finally. Whether you’re new to Dronefall, a longstanding reader who’s been with me from book one, or a casual bystander who might have stumbled across this post by accident, I want to treat you to a quick self-interview to answer the questions that may or may not be going through your mind right now.
So, let’s start with a couple of basic things for the newbies here.
What inspired Dronefall?
I’d done a lot of novel-writing prior to starting the Dronefall series, but I hadn’t ever ventured into dystopia before. Neither had I delved too deep into fiction with more explicitly Christian content. I was in a place in my life and growing awareness of the world around me that made me think it was high time. And looking back over the years I’ve been working on the project, I can’t help but think I was right.
I actually wrote a whole three-part series here on Stardrift Nights telling the story of how I got inspired to take on Dronefall. If you’re interested in a more in-depth answer to this question, definitely check that out. (part one, part two, part three)
Who is Halcyon Slavic?
Halcyon Slavic is my main character. A young twenty-something left to her won devices by a society that has isolated and estranged her for reasons she doesn’t know for certain. In the beginning of Dronefall she finally drops out of mainstream society entirely to live with her Christian friend in a rough part of the city who happens to be a drone-sniper.
Everybody has their own reasons for making a lifestyle out of shooting down the city’s surveillance drones. The deeper Halcyon gets into the netherworld of hackers and trackers and sharp-shooting thrill-seekers in cyberpunk Budapest, the more she realizes something is up. Things are not what they appear, some somebody somewhere behind all those flying cameras seems to have a problem with her. If you want to learn more, check out this two-part interview I did with her. (part one, part two)
And now, we get to questions about book four, Nightstare. Firstly…
What took you so long?
Boy, I don’t really know. There won’t be another gap this long between books in the series, I promise. I really wouldn’t do that to you after you’ve read Nightstare. That would be terrible.
I think part of the reason this book took me so long is because I had a major growth spurt as a writer while I was working on it. I’m probably still too close to the project to see it, but I bet some of my readers are going to notice there’s something stronger about book four, whether or not they can put their finger on just what it is. I hope it makes for better reading.
What did you learn while writing Nightstare?
A ton. I’m getting deep into all my characters at this point in the series. I’ve been studying all I can about character-driven storytelling and learning to plot in a much tighter but more holistic way than I ever have before. I’ve learned to love the second act. That’s a giant leap in my development.
I actually feel really confident about my pacing and character arcs, now. I think I can guarantee the second half of the series will be even better than the first half. Things really start to pick up in Nightstare.
What makes Nightstare so momentous?
Book four is huge in the scheme of things. A lot blows up in this book. (Figuratively and literally.) Things are starting to tie together, even as things fall apart for the characters. We’ve officially hit the big midpoint of the series, and from here, everything is just going to escalate. I’m really excited for it.
This would be a really smart time to catch up on the series, if you’re not up to date yet. The first three books are all available on Amazon, and all ebooks are temporarily 99c each. They’re also available in paperback and on Kindle Unlimited, if you’ve got a subscription for that.
So, keep an eye out for updates. We’re getting really close to liftoff, here.