I’ve made a lot of changes since my last post.  Not the least of which include new titles for the books.  While I liked what I had previously, those titles seemed more pretentious than they did creative.  And while the original titles were good because they were unique, the new ones are more down to earth and simple.  So why did I like the originals so much in the first place?  First of all, they were creative and highly relevant to each novel.  But just as importantly, each title was distinctive and unique.  There wasn’t likely to be another thriller listed on Amazon, B&N, or GoodReads with the same name.  I liked that.

So, practicality won out over creativity.  Plus, with the covers I’ll be using for each book and the subtitle that I’ll be using to tie each book together as part of the same series, it didn’t seem as important to use such distinctive titles.  Who knows… that could change again at some point.  But I’m happy with the new titles, so I’m moving forward.

Book one will now be called Dangerous Minds.  It’s no longer called The Beta Praxis.  Book two is seeing even greater changes.  It was a massive manuscript at 187,000 words.  That’s out of line when you consider that book one comes in at 76,000 words and book four (Halon-Seven) is already too far on the high side at 140,000 words.  So I’m splitting what would’ve been book two into two parts and making it into books two and three.  They are titled, Infiltration and Rogue Faction, respectively.

Confused?  You should see the chaos inside my head!  It’s been insane.  But I’m happy with the end results.

For now, it’s enough to say that the plans are set and the titles are where they will stay through publication.  I have the first four books drafted and at various stages of revision at this point.  But here they are:

  • Book 1: Dangerous Minds
  • Book 2: Infiltration
  • Book 3: Rogue Faction
  • Book 4: Halon-Seven

I have the book covers roughed out and Dangerous Minds is moving forward.  I should have a progress update on that in the very near future.

I would also like to explain that, while I have the drafts of all four novels finished and Halon-Seven virtually finished in its final form, I’m holding off and publishing these in the order noted above.  The chronology of these tales is very linear.  So in spite of Halon-Seven being the book that is most ready to publish at this very moment, it will ultimately be published last.

Do I find that frustrating?  Absolutely.  I want to get my work out there for people to read.  But publishing the books out of order would ultimately confuse readers.  So I have no choice.  Interestingly, I actually did write Halon-Seven first.  And it will be published last.  In point of fact, I’ve written this entire series in reverse… Dangerous Minds being the most recently drafted of the four books.

What can I say?  My imagination works in unconventional and problematic ways!