Dear ,

May the 4th be with you!

Be honest, now! Are you a Star Wars or a Star Trek fan? Or neither? Or maybe you belong to that small elite group that has never seen either. If so, why not? No judgment here. Just the plain truth. :)

👉 Let me know: raeknightly@gmail.com.

Whether you like it or not, this newsletter will be jam-packed with sci-fi because, well, you know, May the 4th... So I'll start with the cover reveal of book 2 in The Lost Space Treasure Series. If you follow me on Amazon or if you've read Exostar, then you will already have seen it. If not, take a look:

Is that awesome, or what? 😎

MEGASTAR, Book 2 in The Lost Space Treasure Series, will publish on November 15, 2023. Trin Moonrise's adventures continue as she travels through the Magnus Star Cluster, always staying one step ahead of the evil Remnant Supreme Leader, in search of the treasure and her identity.

To celebrate this book cover reveal, EXOSTAR will be FREE on - you guessed it (because you guys are so smart) - May the 4th !

Aside from working on Megastar, I'm also working on some exciting side projects, but I'd rather talk about them when I have something more concrete to report (it's not a new book, though). Some side projects need time to materialize, like good cheese or wine, and I've had to learn to be patient.

I would like to say that I take each and every one of your personal requests to heart, but I'm not always able to deliver right away. Or sometimes I stumble and mess up because I have to learn how to use a new platform or create a new format. I constantly need to remind myself that my main goal is to provide you with new stories because, after all, I think that's what we're all after. And when I have some extra time, then I can work on those requests. For example, I've had requests for Ben Archer audiobook "boxed sets", which is an excellent idea and I will definitely look into it. In fact, I have asked the narrator of the Ben Archer books to work on the rest of the series and he will do so as soon as he's available. Again, all this takes considerable time and financial resources and I am just one person, but I promise I will deliver (I may need an administrative assistant soon. Or an army of AI robots. Or some clones. Yikes!). In any case, this newsletter is the perfect place for you to get news firsthand!

All this to say that I truly appreciate your enthusiasm and impatience to immerse yourselves in my fictional worlds through a wide variety of formats! Thank you!

What's up in the neighbourhood?

For the moment the "fictional me" is a lot more exciting than the "real me". I mean, the fictional me is currently facing a supergiant sun that is about to go supernova, and a robot king that needs a new heart, and Ben Archer keeps getting into trouble, and the Knowledge Seeker has found the Nucleus, and... and...

Oh, never mind.

I'll admit it. I haven't done anything interesting lately. How about you?

April 2023 reading list

Weakling by L.I.T. Tarassenko

A geeky highschooler develops superpowers and is recruited to an international peackeeping unit at the same time as struggling with mental health problems.

Gonzalo Lopez, nicknamed 'Weakling' by his bullies, is just a normal teenager except that he has superpowers.

Ever since that fight with Bill Jackson where his powers first manifested and he broke his attacker’s hand by accident, everything has been spiralling out of control.

Now all of a sudden he’s getting invited to parties, his psychiatrist’s started dating his Mom, and at least two different international organisations are trying to hunt him down.

Then there’s Ali--the new girl at school, the only other person who believes any of this is happening to him, who seems to be hiding a secret of her own. Is she really his friend like she says she is, or does she have some sort of ulterior motive for being so nice to him all the time? Should he tell her about Miracle Force, the superpowered United Nations peacekeeping unit he’s just been recruited to?

And how is he going to keep his head together when all of this is happening so fast?

Lies of the Haven by J.A. Curtis

Rival brothers. Lost fae. A war full of betrayals.

Nothing is as it seems.

Mina didn't realize she was a changeling, switched at birth until two warring near immortal brothers crash her party and burn her nanna's house to the ground. Stolen from her home, the two brothers fight for her attention. They tell her that she is their reincarnated faerie leader who fell and was reborn in the midst of a great battle.

Now they expect her to lead. To destroy the other side. But she just wants to go home. As Mina seeks a way back to her human family, she finds herself becoming caught up in a war she cannot stop and in the lives of two brothers who are bent on each other's destruction.

Rise of Gaia by Kristin Ward

Beneath rock and soil, trees and oceans, she lies.

Under concrete jungles and poisoned rivers, she slumbers.

She is Mother Earth.

And mankind has turned its back on its mother.

The visions begin on Terran’s seventeenth birthday. Horrifying images pummel her brain, while a voice commands her to see beyond the world she thought she knew and into the heart of it. Gaia has awakened, brought to consciousness by the greed of a species that has tainted every aspect of her being in a tide of indifference. With this awareness comes rage. Gaia calls upon her children to unleash her fury, wreaking vengeance on humanity.

Terran will emerge in a world on the brink of collapse to face a being whose wrath is beyond imagining.

They Came from the Trees by Christopher Francis

They murdered the weak, infected the strong, and took over the world. But why should I care? I just met the coolest girl in Hidden Trail.

The invaders need the mentally strong and the physically able—the rest of the human population is simply landfill. Who are these creatures and what are their intentions? Sheldon, a fifteen-year-old high school dropout, has no interest in finding out—at least not yet. Instead, he fights for his life as these ruthless aliens take over the little town of Hidden Trail. Sheldon takes refuge in an abandoned school with a beautiful girl named Cara and a couple of kids with profound ideas about the motives of the alien invasion. The group is soon picked up by some edgy teenagers who prepare to escape to the water. However, when Cara goes missing, Sheldon deviates from the plans and discovers more about the rapidly evolving aliens and their horrifying yet curious vision.

Anya of Ark by Kristian Joseph

The earth has flooded, the old world drowned, and now the last humans fight against the elements, on a vast driftwood town:

Welcome to the Ark, humanity’s last chance of survival.

On her sixteenth birthday, Anya must choose her role within the tribe. All she wants is to be a hunter, but only men are allowed to take the daring trials. To prove herself worthy, she journeys to the Shallows where she discovers a mysterious underwater world beyond her wildest imagination.

End of Days, Books 1-7 by Sam J. Fires

No lights. No power. No help.

During the coldest winter on record, an EMP attack wipes out the nation's power and cripples the country.

As the city spirals into lawless chaos, investigative journalist, twenty-six-year-old Cassandra Drews is forced onto the dangerous streets of Portland to begin the long walk to her parents' home in Oregon.

But hypothermia and starvation aren't the only dangers Cass and her rescue dog, Daisy, face on their perilous trek. Danger is stalking them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Help comes in the form of troubled ex-marine Isaac Winters, who slips back into soldier mode with the city's collapse.

Now, the trio must work together in a fight for survival as they race to escape the city before violence, or the bitter wintry storm can claim them. Do they have what it takes to make it out alive? Or will they be crushed by the brutality of the unforgiving cold?

ARIA Science Fiction & Fantasy Firsts Boxed Set Vol. #1

The Association of Rhode Island Authors proudly presents their first boxed set! Each author has contributed one book of an ongoing series. From the sandy wastelands of far-off world filled with magic, machines, and men to war torn edge of space to aliens invading Earth. There's a little something for everyone. We hope you enjoy sit back and enjoy the ride.

All the best and May the 4th etc.

Rae