Ask the Author: Dave Bara
Answered Questions (8)
Dave Bara
Hey Lance,
The answer to your question is yes, it's a trilogy, and no, it's not a trilogy! :)
I have a contract with my publisher, DAW books, for 3 novels. DEFIANT will obviously be the third in the series, and it will complete the story of Peter's initial rise to Captain of his own Lightship. Beyond that, we have to wait and see. Sales of the first 2 books have been good, but not knockout-for-sure-there-will-be-more-books yet. So yes, the idea of calling the series "The Lightship Chronicles" was so that I could keep things open-ended, depending on how the books sold.
I will give you a spoiler though. I do have an outline for the next book, and it will be called ENDEAVOR. It takes place about 5 years from the final events in DEFIANT. All of that, of course is dependent on whether my publisher wants more Lightship Chronicles books and if they like my idea. They may want me to just deliver the exact same kind of book as the first 3, in which case I would probably have to adjust my timeline somewhat.
If you like the books and you want more, the best thing you can do as a fan is rate and review the books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and here on Goodreads, and tell your friends who like sci-fi about the series. Believe it or not, word-of-mouth is probably the No. 1 factor in a book's success.
Thanks for the question Lance, and I hope to talk with you again soon!
db
The answer to your question is yes, it's a trilogy, and no, it's not a trilogy! :)
I have a contract with my publisher, DAW books, for 3 novels. DEFIANT will obviously be the third in the series, and it will complete the story of Peter's initial rise to Captain of his own Lightship. Beyond that, we have to wait and see. Sales of the first 2 books have been good, but not knockout-for-sure-there-will-be-more-books yet. So yes, the idea of calling the series "The Lightship Chronicles" was so that I could keep things open-ended, depending on how the books sold.
I will give you a spoiler though. I do have an outline for the next book, and it will be called ENDEAVOR. It takes place about 5 years from the final events in DEFIANT. All of that, of course is dependent on whether my publisher wants more Lightship Chronicles books and if they like my idea. They may want me to just deliver the exact same kind of book as the first 3, in which case I would probably have to adjust my timeline somewhat.
If you like the books and you want more, the best thing you can do as a fan is rate and review the books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and here on Goodreads, and tell your friends who like sci-fi about the series. Believe it or not, word-of-mouth is probably the No. 1 factor in a book's success.
Thanks for the question Lance, and I hope to talk with you again soon!
db
Dave Bara
Hi Myz,
Yes and no to both! Speedwing was written after Impulse, and was intended as an accessible YA space opera in the Heinlein YA vein. It precedes Impulse (in the future timeline) by about 5 centuries, showing young fighter pilots struggling in a war fought in the early 22nd century. It does have a Cochrane hero, and you could consider young Ethan as a distant ancestor of Peter and his family. But is it directly related? No, not necessarily.
Having said that, there were 3 intended books in the Speedwing universe (Lancewing and Battlewing were the follow-ons). The story as I envisioned it would have expanded, and you would have seen some of the seeds planted for later events that led to the formation of the First Empire. But I would not call it a direct prequel to Impulse or The Lightship Chronicles series.
As for Speedwing itself, the book was never edited as contractually agreed upon by the publisher, so while not disowning the book, I will say that the published version is not what it could or should have been, in many ways. I was planning a much different ending and the existing story would have changed. I still hope to one day to return to the Speedwing universe and finish the story, perhaps in one expanded volume rather than three separate books. A lot of that will depend on when and whether I can get the rights back from the publisher.
So I hope that answers your questions? - db
Yes and no to both! Speedwing was written after Impulse, and was intended as an accessible YA space opera in the Heinlein YA vein. It precedes Impulse (in the future timeline) by about 5 centuries, showing young fighter pilots struggling in a war fought in the early 22nd century. It does have a Cochrane hero, and you could consider young Ethan as a distant ancestor of Peter and his family. But is it directly related? No, not necessarily.
Having said that, there were 3 intended books in the Speedwing universe (Lancewing and Battlewing were the follow-ons). The story as I envisioned it would have expanded, and you would have seen some of the seeds planted for later events that led to the formation of the First Empire. But I would not call it a direct prequel to Impulse or The Lightship Chronicles series.
As for Speedwing itself, the book was never edited as contractually agreed upon by the publisher, so while not disowning the book, I will say that the published version is not what it could or should have been, in many ways. I was planning a much different ending and the existing story would have changed. I still hope to one day to return to the Speedwing universe and finish the story, perhaps in one expanded volume rather than three separate books. A lot of that will depend on when and whether I can get the rights back from the publisher.
So I hope that answers your questions? - db
Dave Bara
I actually came up with the idea for the Lightship Chronicles universe when I was still in college. I always knew I wanted to do a ship-based space opera, but until I put pen to paper I didn't know what form it would take.
Dave Bara
Basically, I sit down somewhere and write. I'm pretty much a seat-of-the-pants writer (a pantser, as it's called). I don't outline too heavily, which allows me to stay flexible in the story.
Inspiration can come anywhere, from the shower to laying in bed at night to sitting through a boring work meeting. If you let your mind wander, inspiration will find you.
Inspiration can come anywhere, from the shower to laying in bed at night to sitting through a boring work meeting. If you let your mind wander, inspiration will find you.
Dave Bara
The short answer is I just finished Book II of the Lightship Chronicles, STARBOUND. It's with my agent now, and after I get his comments I'll make some changes, then it's off to DAW, my publisher. I'm also working on the story outline for Book III, which will be titled DEFIANT.
Dave Bara
The chance to create and build an entire world of your own. That's the thing I love about sci-fi, you are not bound by what has been, but only by what your imagination can conceive.
Dave Bara
Write what you love. Forget the markets, forget the trends. If you write what you love you will never be bored or unhappy with your writing.
Dave Bara
The simple answer is, I've never had it. I guess in many ways, I don't believe in it. Sure, outside stresses can effect our writing, but as far as just not being able to write a word, no, I've never experienced that.
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