If you’ve followed me for a while, you probably know that I’m a fan of American science fiction writer Roger Zelazny (1937-1995), author of classic novels such as Lord of Light and the Amber series. I learned a lot about writing from comments he made about the writing process in essays and introductions to some of his works.

Unfortunately, I also sometimes emulate Zelazny’s biggest weakness: ineffective titles.

Consider a story of three agents of the galactic government hunting down a human pilot turned traitor. Would you be more likely to pick up that story if it had Zelazny’s original title The Hunt for the Happy Wallaby? Or the title assigned to it by his editor, The Furies? The latter clearly suggests the plot and themes to the reader.

Or another classic, the story of a man hunting down the leader of a pack of self-driving cars that killed their passengers and terrorize the roadways of a future America. Zelazny’s original title: The Morning of the Scarlet Swinger. The title his editor picked? Devil Car. The editor’s title is less poetic, but far more evocative of what the story is about.

I have an entire series where I followed Zelazny’s approach to titling. The premise behind the titles wasn’t bad… but it didn’t fit with the wormhole-spanning adventures of Stone Chalmers, Earth’s top secret agent.

(The covers didn’t communicate the themes and genre very well either, but that’s another story).

But in the indie era, I can change one title—or four—far more easily than writers trapped in traditional publishing.

So I did.

I’m pleased to announce the rebranded Stone Chalmers series:

Stone Chalmers #1: The Freeland Vendetta

(previously published as The Progress of Mankind)

Stone Chalmers #2: The Trinity Deception

(previously published as The Greater Glory of God)

Stone Chalmers #3: The Minerva Conspiracy

(previously published as To All High Emprise Consecrated)

Stone Chalmers #4: The Terra Betrayal

(previously published as In Public Convocation Assembled)

The list price for all volumes is US $4.99 or equivalent, but read on if you’d like to get book 1 at a steep discount…

The EPIC Indie Summer Sale

Need science fiction and fantasy books for an upcoming road trip or lounging session by the pool or on the beach? Check out the EPIC Indie Summer Book Promotion. Over 200 titles from well-known to lesser-known indie authors.

The sale includes two of my titles: The Freeland Vendetta for only US$0.99 or equivalent, and military sci-fi trilogy starter Take the Shilling for free.

Act soon! The sale ends July 11, 2025.

Visit the sale

Till next time,

Happy reading!

Raymund