Lena Alison Knight's Blog

Hi everyone, long time no chat! I’ve got some news that I’m quite excited about: my next book project is going live on April 4! The Last Window to the Old World is the first book in The Practical Historian’s Guide to Time Travel, a new novella series about time travelers in space:

When Altren University opens a time travel research division, Ellie Nelseren is thrilled to land her dream job as the first historian on staff. She’s eager to make her mark in the emerging field, and not just for her own sake - as one of the few academics originally from the agriculture colonies, she hopes to pave the way for others to come after her.

Her first assignment is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to work with the oldest person on their planet to visit an important historical event, back on the world their people originally came from. And since the time machine requires a living person’s memory, it’s the last chance to observe this event that anyone on either planet will ever have.

It’s the perfect chance to prove herself, with a feat even the old world’s researchers haven’t been able to match. But between university politics and their memory partner’s secrets, the biggest challenge might be just keeping the department funded long enough to finish the project. And if she can’t pull this off, she might end up right back where she started in the farms…

The Last Window to the Old World is a bit different from Gift of the Stars, in that it’s much lighter in tone. It actually started as my ‘relaxation’ project between Gift of the Stars and another project I’m working on that’s also rather dark, and then it ended up muscling its way to the front of the release queue. The initial inspiration sparked from a drabble I wrote quite some time ago; the memory-based time travel idea just wouldn’t let go.

Expect the same character focus and adventures in a spacefaring world…but with stakes that are more “will we get our grant money” than “are we all going to die.”

So, fair warning, no explosions this time around. But we do have professional time travelers, a space colony whose past missteps are catching up with it, and an ongoing academic dispute on whether the latest time-bending science has just been magic the whole time. Preorders are live now!

If you’ve spend any time on Bookstagram, you’ve probably seen book blog tours - a bit like a social media press junket. It’s a popular way to get books in front of online reviewers, and readers who might not have seen them otherwise. Thanks to the fine people at Escapist Book Company, The Stars Within is starting its very own online media tour today!

We kicked things off today with a character interview on Escapist’s blog, in which Kerelle answers a variety of questions ranging from challenges and philosophy to everyday life. A few were a little hard to answer (I’d never really thought about Kerelle’s taste in music, actually), but it was a lot of fun! Also important to note, this is Kerelle at the beginning of Stars Within. I suspect Kerelle at the end of Stars Ablaze might answer a few things rather differently. Check it out here!

I’ll be keeping a running list below to book tour content on this post:

Book Tour Character Q&A: The Stars Within by Lena Alison Knight

And last but not least - to celebrate, The Stars Within is on sale for 99 cents through August 24. If you haven’t picked up a copy, now’s the time!

Telling a story in 100 words is hard. No, seriously.

I don’t write a lot of short fiction. I write some, but I have a terrible time keeping to short-story word limits. When I get excited about an idea, I want to explore it, and particularly the characters involved. Who are they, why are they here, how do they feel about all this? Let’s see them interact! Let’s give them a voice in dialogue! Let’s see how - wait, oh no, we’re already 200 words over the maximum wordcount and we haven’t even gotten to the action yet.

Needless to say, when a few of my writer friends suggested we all try drabbles (100-word stories), I figured I’d sit this one out - if I couldn’t stick a 3500 word limit, 100 was out of the question. But then an idea started to sprout as I was chopping vegetables for dinner, and it stuck around and settled in through washing the dishes, and then I found myself sitting down to take a crack at it after all (fun fact: “popped into my head while I was minding my own business doing something else” is how at least 50% of my stories originate).

Once I sat down it was actually kind of like a puzzle. How much can you pack into a hundred words? How can you phrase things for maximum effect and minimum wordcount? What words can you choose that carry connotations of the effect you want, without requiring other words to explain?

The result was Negotiating Time, which was published in sci-fi drabble magazine Martian earlier this month. Martian actually updates with new 100-word stories twice a week, and they’re always fun to read. Some are funny, some are serious, many impress me with what they manage to pack into 100 words (this one in particular is my favorite).

So now that you’ve read a 300-word blog post about writing a 100-word story, go ahead and check it out!

So somehow it’s already the end of August, and 2/3 of the way through 2021. I’m still not entirely sure when that happened, but it definitely means I’m overdue to update this blog!

It’s been a busy summer for The Stars Within, which was an entry in both SPFBO 7 and the inaugural year of the SPSFC. If you’re not familiar:

The Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO) is a yearly competition hosted by author Mark Lawrence, in which 300 indie fantasy book entrants are divided between 10 book review blog teams. Each team goes through their selection of 30 books , and ultimately picks one finalist to be reviewed by all 10 blogs. It’s lots of fun, and also a great way to find new indie books! You can see all the entries at a glance here, and track which books have been reviewed (with handy links!) on the official contest page on Mark Lawrence’s blog.

(But Lena, you might be asking, is The Gift of the Stars actually fantasy? Or is it sci-fi? Dear reader, it is both: Kerelle may fly in a spaceship and be vulnerable to chemical weapons, but she is still, essentially, a space wizard.)

The Stars Within, alas, was eliminated in its bracket of six, but not before receiving a lovely review from Booktuber Bookborn. There could be only one, and congrats to Stephen Rice’s A Handful of Souls for taking our bracket earlier this month (good luck in the semifinals, Stephen. Win it for us!).

This brings us to the Self-Published Science Fiction Contest (SPSFC).

For the first time, Hugh Howey and Duncan Swan are hosting a sister competition for science fiction books, and I’m very excited to have The Stars Within as part of the very first class. It will be part of the Book Invasion review group - check out the announcement video here for a quick intro to team and a look at the other 30 books in the allotment. Once again it looks like a very strong group - I’ve already grabbed a few of the others to read, and I’m looking forward to the reviews!

OK but Lena, are you working on anything?

Short answer, yes! I’m working on a couple of somethings, actually, but they’re still early in development and I’m not quite ready to share details (since they’re still quite likely to change!).

That’s been taking up the majority of my time lately, but in between I’ve been dipping my toes in Bookstagram. Follow me for probably more than you wanted to know about my reading tastes (bonus: occasional pictures of coffee). More info on the new projects to come!

This post contains spoilers for the ending of The Stars Ablaze.

Welcome to the third and final installment of deleted scenes from The Stars Ablaze epilogue! If you’ve finished The Stars Ablaze (and if you haven’t, you really should do that before reading this), you may recall a rather significant development has taken place in Nalea and Ilyen’s relationship. So, how did that go?

As before, this scene would have taken place immediately after part 1 and part 2.

***

Five months after the Battle of Amaecea

“Fuck.” Nalea worried her lip. “What if he says no?”

Kerelle paused. “Do you think he might?”

The scientist gave a heaving sigh and flopped back in her chair. “No. I mean, I think he’ll say yes. I hope. It’s just…” She pinned Kerelle with a look. “I never imagined I’d be doing this. It’s more nerve-wracking than I thought it would be. You get it, right? Weren’t you nervous my brother would say no?”

“Ah…he did, actually. At first.” Nalea’s eyes went big and Kerelle suppressed a wince. She probably shouldn’t have mentioned that bit until after Nalea had been successful. “But that was right after we’d rescued him from Dalanva, and his psionics were still damaged, and he was…” being an idiot “unsure of things that are normally more certain.”

From her expression Nalea did not find that reassuring. Kerelle hastened to add, “But it all worked out! We talked it through and went to the civil office the next day.”

“I should have gone to Sandrel about this,” Nalea muttered.

“I’m a bit surprised you didn’t,” Kerelle admitted. “He always gives good advice on this sort of thing.”

“I figured he’s busy with moving and all. And, I dunno…” Kerelle nearly did a double-take; Nalea was blushing. “You get Ilyen. Probably the best out of all our friends. If I was going to fuck this up, I figured you could tell me.”

Kerelle blinked, oddly touched. Vulnerability was not a look she was accustomed to seeing on Nalea.

“I don’t think you’re in danger of that,” she answered gently. “Honestly, I think that Ilyen will say yes no matter how you propose, because it’s you.”

Nalea blinked rapidly, and Kerelle made herself busy with examining the wall while the scientist composed herself. Finally she cleared her throat and gave Kerelle a tiny smile. “Well, since I still don’t want to fuck up, can you help me book the right whiskey bar?”

***

Five months and two days after the Battle of Amaecea

“Nalea’s been acting weird.”

Kerelle’s reflexive response was what, weirder than usual? That seemed rather inappropriate given the likely situation, however, so she swallowed it in favor of a vague questioning “Hmm.” It occurred to her a second later that that might be suspicious in and of itself. Kerelle was really terrible at this kind of thing; the pressing need to keep quiet about Nalea’s imminent proposal made her feel as though she was always a few seconds away from blurting it out.

Thank all the holy stars above Ilyen wasn’t a telepath.

She realized she’d been quiet for several seconds, and hoped that it just seemed like she was concentrating on keeping pace. Not that their pace was particularly punishing; their feet were a steady beat on the park’s running trail, punctuated by the occasional crunch of a dry leaf.

Still, she needed to say something. Their morning jogs were when Ilyen tended to be at his most unguarded. If he’d brought it up, it was bothering him.

She settled on a neutral-toned “How so?”

Fortunately Ilyen seemed distracted enough by the subject that he hadn’t noticed her brief internal struggle. “I don’t know, she just seems…like she’s holding back, or something. Like something’s happening and she doesn’t want to tell me.”

Oh stars, Kerelle thought with a suppressed smile, Nalea was nearly as awful at this as she was.

Her levity evaporated as Ilyen’s brows drew together. “I mean…that’s a bad thing, right? Does that mean something’s going wrong? Everything is still good for me, but maybe Nalea’s not happy? Fuck,” he added with feeling. “I don’t know. I don’t know what this long-term shit is supposed to look like. Longest I’ve been with anyone before Nalea is like twelve hours.”

“One of the many things the PsiCorp screwed us on,” she agreed. “I think it’s uncharted territory for a lot of us.” He glanced sideways at her as they rounded the bend near the ornamental lake.

“You and Ambrel figured it out just fine.”

“It’s…different, when you’re both telepaths.” Having learned her lesson with Nalea two days earlier, she didn’t bring up the rough patch they’d experienced when they briefly were not both telepaths.

Ilyen only gave a noncommittal grunt in response; for several minutes they jogged in silence. Kerelle sorted through how to reassure him without tipping Nalea’s hand.

Finally she spoke again. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, honestly. I think you’re very special to Nalea, in a way that no one else is.”

“When you put it that way I sound like her favorite pet.”

She smacked his arm lightly. “You know that’s not what I meant. Besides, she did shoot a sadistic SysTech agent for you. Pretty sure she wouldn’t do that for just anybody.”

He smiled in spite of himself as they started up the slope of the park’s only hill.

***

Five months and six days after the Battle of Amaecea

“Well hot damn,” Sandrel said under his breath as Nalea and Ilyen vanished around the corner to a more private spot in the rooftop bar’s garden. “She’s actually doing it.”

“You knew too?” Kerelle hadn’t meant the blurted question to sound quite so relieved, but the pressure of trying to act normal all evening had been intense. Having the secret out in the open was a weight off her shoulders.

Not that it had been entirely on her in the first place; naturally Galhen knew as well. High-powered telepaths had no secrets in their marriages.

Sandrel started laughing. “Doc didn’t tell me, if that’s what you mean. But Fury, seriously. First she suddenly invites us all to a top-shelf destination bar for some vague ‘catching up’ occasion. Nalea, our least-social former shipmate, who has to be regularly reminded to come out of her lab and eat things besides instant noodles. Then,” he added, gesturing with his spoon for emphasis, “we get here and not only is she so jumpy it’s making me anxious, but she’s also wearing a nicer dress than I would have believed existed in her closet.”

“Mm.” Lilika’s eyes danced. “It didn’t. She asked me what to wear and after a brief look at our options I practically marched her to the shop.”

Kerelle couldn’t help it; she started laughing too. “I don’t blame her for going to you for fashion advice…I just wish she’d told me. I’ve spent all night terrified I’m going to spill the secret.”

“You’re a good friend, Kerelle.” Sandrel toasted her with his drink. “But I’m pretty sure the only one at this table who hasn’t figured it out is Knives. When she asked him to go check out the view with her just now, anyone else would have realized exactly what was up. But since it’s Knives,” he added affectionately, “I bet he’s still going to be surprised.”

Aureis nodded his agreement with a slightly embarrassed grin. Galhen and Riyel only sipped their whiskey and radiated quiet amusement.

A sudden movement caught her attention. Nalea and Ilyen rounded the corner back toward them, hands tightly interlaced. They both grinned ear to ear, and Ilyen’s icy eyes practically glowed with elation.

“I think,” Kerelle noted with a smile of her own, “he’s probably figured it out now.”

Welcome to part 2 of “scenes I had to cut from The Stars Ablaze!” This week we see what Kerelle’s been doing in those six months between the end of Chapter 30 and the start of the epilogue.

This scene would have taken place immediately following the scene in Part 1 of the extended epilogue. Naturally, this excerpt contains spoilers for the ending of The Stars Ablaze.

***

Four months after the Battle of Amaecea

“It’s a consulting position,” Lilika was saying. “You’d be a civilian contractor leading the training program to teach mundane and psionic soldiers how to work together. It could be official military - Haskrai offered you the rank of Colonel, actually - but I told him I suspected you would decline.” She met Kerelle’s eyes. “Naturally his offer is on the table, if I was wrong about that.”

“No,” Kerelle said slowly, “You weren’t.” She turned it over in her mind; it was a generous offer, she knew that, but the thought of resuming full-time military service made her stomach twist. Even if it was for a better cause this time. “Unless we’re attacked again, my time on the battlefield is over.”

The biggest surprise from her time asleep was that Lilika had successfully wrung psionic protections out of the CIG, at least on Amaecea. A close second, however, was learning that the Psionic Union had ceased to exist. Or rather, it had merged with the Amaecean government.

Understandably, Haskrai and his advisors had been reluctant to cede the new arrivals a wholly separate government for their people alone; if they were staying on Amaecea, they needed to commit to it. Lilika now held one of the top posts in Haskrai’s administration, and made no secret of her goal to integrate more psionics into local affairs.

Which was exactly what Lilika was asking her to help do. Not everyone shared Kerelle’s aversion; a significant number of former PsiCorp had volunteered for service in the Amaecean defense force. A force that was, at present, not terribly prepared to handle them. Aside from the drills she’d been able to run in the leadup to the CIG hearing, the Amaecean military had no experience working alongside psionics.

“I’m not asking you to go back into combat,” Lilika explained quietly. “Stars willing, none of our troops will see combat. But what we do here now will set the tone for the generations that come after us. I trust you in this, to help build a future Defense Force where psionics are equal members of a team, rather than exotic curiosities.”

She sighed slightly. “And there is a less pleasant, more practical reason as well. Amaecea is not a large colony, and while recent events have given us an outsize influence they have also demonstrated how fragile that influence can be.” She met Kerelle’s eyes. “We now have legal protections conferred by the CIG and recognized, however reluctantly, by all its members. But headlines fade, attention shifts, and what will actually keep us safe in the coming years is for Amaecea to be well-defended enough that it is considered too costly to assault.”

“You think we’ll be attacked again?”

“Perhaps nothing so alarmist - perhaps more that we may be tested a bit. I think the multigalactics are very unused to being told ‘no,’ and there may come a time when we need to show them our teeth to remind them that we mean it. And if our teeth look sharp enough, we may never need to use them.” Her expression softened. “It doesn’t have to be forever, Kerelle, and it doesn’t have to be you. But no one else has your stature, among the Amaeceans or our people. You have the influence to make real change.”

An uncharacteristic hesitation, and she added: “I am making this offer as the Minister of Psionic Affairs. But I’m asking you as a friend. Help me start this off right, Kerelle. It’s not something I can do alone.”

Kerelle leaned back, weighing what she’d said. Her first instinct had been to refuse, but Lilika’s reasoning made sense. The whole “war hero” thing aside, Kerelle had more experience working alongside the Security Force than nearly any other psionic on Amaecea, tactical and otherwise. Almost against her better judgement, a half-dozen ideas were already springing into her head on how to integrate her psionics into the Defense Force so that they would be peers, not outsiders.

And then there was the matter of Lilika’s request. If she really needed Kerelle’s help - needed it enough to admit she needed it - then Kerelle could hardly refuse.

It was, after all, what friends were for.

“My telekinetics are still weak,” she answered finally, “but I can teach tactics without them. Once I’m fully recovered I can be available for practical demonstrations. In the meantime we can work on unit structure and cohesion.”

“I don’t want a second career as a military consultant,” Kerelle added firmly, “but I can help do the groundwork for a unified Defense Force.”

Lilika’s smile was genuine. “Then I’ll have your first class assembled. The position is yours as long as you want it.”

Note: This post contains spoilers for the ending of The Stars Ablaze.

Author fact: not everything that gets written ends up in a book’s final draft. Sometimes there are scenes that work well in an outline, but just don’t gel with the rest of the story once you have the real draft together. Sometimes these end up being scenes that you as the author really like.

This happened with an earlier version of the epilogue in Stars Ablaze. I had a plan with several vignettes on what happened after the climax, and individually I liked them all. In the actual book, however, they just didn’t work - they introduced new issues and ideas when the story was meant to be winding down, and overall the flow felt off. I ended up removing them to go straight into the party scene, which was originally meant to be the last vignette in the sequence.

If The Stars Ablaze were a movie, these scenes would be in the Director’s Cut DVD extras. Since it’s not a movie, I’ll be posting them here instead. Without further ado, here’s Part 1 of what didn’t make the cut to the final epilogue.

***

Three months after the Battle of Amaecea

The most annoying part about losing her psionics, Kerelle mused, was the new uncertainty in her physical world. If she suddenly dropped this coffee cup, she couldn’t count on stabilizing it midair before it could spill everywhere and shatter on the ground. She’d just have to watch it break, then hope she could get coffee stains out of her shirt.

For some reason, that fact felt like a personal insult.

“You don’t need to stare at it like it’s going to leap up and attack you, Fury.” Sandrel took a long sip from his own cup. “I know things are weird right now but trust me, it’s coffee. You can handle it without psionics.”

“Are sure you’re not a telepath?” She asked it archly as she picked up the cup, albeit with a bit more care than she might have done a month ago.

Well, three months ago, actually. She was still having trouble internalizing how much time had actually passed.

“Absolutely certain,” he responded with a small smirk. “Trust me when I say it does not take telepathy to realize what you’re thinking right now.”

She gave him a rueful smile back and finally dared her espresso. It was quite good, not that she was surprised. Sandrel had always had excellent taste in coffee, though the label wasn’t anything she recognized.

“Is this place new since the rebuilding?” The battle with Velrin had devastated parts of Amaecea City, but a surprising amount of reconstruction had happened during her…absence. It was disconcerting to find blocks she’d been familiar with transformed overnight.

Well, overnight for her anyway.

“It is. The owner used to run a cafe over on Autumn Street. That whole block got taken out in the attack, and he decided to reopen over here as a coffee shop.” He watched her carefully. “Does it bother you?”

She knew what he meant by it - the fact that she’d lost two months of time, that the world had started moving on without her. Kerelle took another sip of espresso, buying time to sort through her thoughts.

Not that she needed it - Sandrel had that patient look again, that meant he’d wait as long as she needed to decide on her answer.

“Yes,” she admitted finally. “It feels silly. I wasn’t gone that long, and I could hardly expect the galaxy to pause and wait by my bedside. And really, everything is fine. I’m here, everyone’s here, we all made it through. It’s just….a lot.”

“I can imagine,” he answered frankly. “Especially because this is, what, your first time out of the house by yourself?”

Her blush probably answered for her. As if losing her psionics wasn’t enough, sleeping for two months hadn’t been great for her physical fitness either, and returning to her normal activity levels was taking a lot longer than she’d like. At least she could walk further than the kitchen now without needing to rest.

“There’s that too,” she admitted with an embarrassed laugh. “Thank you for inviting me out, by the way. Galhen’s apartment is lovely but spending another day on the couch streaming media might have driven me insane. Though I am caught up now on all the hot movies that premiered while we were fighting for our lives, so that’s been nice.”

Sandrel gave her a knowing look. “This was Galhen’s first day back at work, wasn’t it?” It was phrased like a question, but he already knew the answer. That it was her first day alone was likely why he’d invited her out in the first place.

Sandrel really was the best friend she’d ever had.

“Yes,” she confirmed anyway. “Really, the fact that he’s willing to leave me alone all day is the most promising news since I woke up. It’s how I know I’m actually getting better.” Kerelle finished her espresso and eyed their plate of pastries. Her initially finicky appetite was finally starting to feel normal again. “You know, I’ve watched Galhen treat a countless number of patients, but it’s the first time I’ve ever been one of them. There was a lot of…hovering.” It came out a bit sharper than she’d intended.

“Cut him some slack, Fury,” Sandrel answered gently. “He was a mess while you were gone.”

Her cheeks grew hot. “I know…or, I can imagine, anyway, what it would have been like for me if he were the one unconscious for months. And I know I’m not a terribly good patient. It’s just frustrating how long it’s taken me to get better. It’s been a whole month since I woke up.” She grabbed a pastry, as a symbol of normal if nothing else. “I’m actually a bit surprised the hospital let him take so much time in the first place.”

“It’s not every day a class-3 regenerative saunters in and wants to run your trauma unit,” Sandrel noted drily. “If he wants a leave of absence to take care of his wife? Who, by the way, is a war hero credited with preventing untold civilian deaths at nearly the cost of her own life? They’re going to let him take all the time he needs.”

She reddened. Galhen told her she’d been awarded Amaecea’s highest medal of honor “in absentia,” which sounded nicer than “posthumously,” which is what she was pretty sure they’d assumed. She’d filed that whole idea under “too much too think about right now” and shoved it in the same box as the medal, which was currently in the back of her closet.

Sensing her change in mood, Sandrel leaned in to change the subject.

“If you’re up to it, we could head over to the arts district after this. They reopened Grand Park and got the fountains running again, it’s a nice stroll.”

Sunshine and fountains sounded like exactly what she needed. “Thank you, that sounds wonderful. Though,” the blush crept up her cheeks again. “You didn’t have to clear your schedule for me.”

Sandrel threw back his head and laughed. “What’s to clear, Fury? We’re both unemployed at the moment. Lounging around drinking espresso and looking at fountains is my schedule today.” He clinked his cup against hers, and Kerelle found herself laughing too as a lightness spread through her chest.

For the first time she could remember, there was nothing she was supposed to be doing, no duty that needed fulfilling. There was no imminent threat of destruction, hanging over all their heads.

Whatever came next, it could be whatever she damn well felt like.

Happy Friday, dear readers! First off, I wanted to say that I’ve been blown away by reception for The Stars Ablaze. It’s an honor to have so many people invested in Kerelle and her world, and I love hearing everyone’s reactions to the characters (a number of people have told me Ilyen is their favorite; secret confession, he’s my favorite too).

On the subject of Kerelle’s world, I’ve gotten several reader questions recently on a rather central topic: planetary governments, multigalactic corporations like SysTech, and how they relate to each other. So you know what that means - time for another Reader Q&A (note: minor spoilers for The Stars Ablaze).

Q: How is the galaxy governed? In the books, this seems to be all over the place.

That’s because it is all over the place! Just like earth, different localities have different governments, different rules, and different relationships with each other.

In general, most settled worlds have some kind of planetwide government, if just to make it easier to deal with each other. For wealthy, prominent planets like Tallimau and Astallia, this might be the central authority that runs the entire planet, with a uniform court system and local administrators that ladder up to a ultimate executive figure.

On the smaller, less-established frontier planets that dot the edges of the galaxy, like Cashaal (or places like Palhee that aren’t big on things like “rules”), individual settlements and areas might be more self-governing. At least on paper, these places usually still have some kind of “planetary governor,” even if that person’s primary job is just making sure the port taxes are getting collected - and picking someone to represent them at the CIG.

Q: So what is the CIG, anyway?

The Council of Interplanetary Governments is sort of a cross between the UN and the WTO. It’s made up of representatives from all eligible settled planets (more on that later), who come together to make rules governing relations between the member planets. Generally this means things like trade regulations, managing the standard currency, running the equivalent of Interpol, etc. If a rule transcends a single government or locality, it’s a matter for the CIG.

That’s why a lot of the rules governing multigalactic corporations (…such that they are) are matters for the CIG. That thing about multigalactics like SysTech having “talent acquisition rights” to conscript psionics into the PsiCorp? Agreed on by the CIG. That’s why in order to get those regulations overturned, Lilika needs to get in front of the CIG itself.

Q: So what’s this about “eligible” settled planets?

So this actually ties into another FAQ, which is “how is SysTech able to get away with All That on Elekar.” The answer has to do with how some space colonies are organized.

Founding the first human settlement on a new planet is really expensive. There’s transport logistics, building costs, supply costs, a certain amount of time before the colony can become self-sufficient, and a ton of other things that all add up (not to mention recruiting people to come live on a new planet in the first place).

So how does one raise the funds to actually launch a human colony on a new planet? Sometimes through an expansion-minded government, sometimes with a wealthy backer…but often, through a corporate sponsor. A large number of colonies across the galaxy were built on exactly that: funding provided by a multigalactic corporation.

Of course, multigalactics don’t do anything for free. If a colony is founded under corporate patronage, you can bet its charter will be written to the patron’s advantage around things like taxes and resource rights, usually until the startup costs are repaid (with interest, naturally). During the repayment period, the colony does not have independent representation in bodies like the CIG, and instead is represented by the patron (who essentially holds a lien on the whole planet).

Since the founding costs are generally astronomical, in practice this means that the “repayment” period often lasts several decades (or more). For resource-poor colonies like Elekar, there may be no realistic chance of ever exiting the patronage relationship.

Q: So sometimes SysTech is the government?

In practice, yes. SysTech generally isn’t interested in the nuts and bolts of actual governance, so standard practice is for its sponsored colonies to be self-governing…unless SysTech is unhappy enough with the way things are going, and invokes the clause in all its colony charters that allows it to assume direct control. This is what happens on Elekar, shortly before Kerelle’s arrival at the start of The Stars Within.

Q: Why is Amaecea special?

Unlike worlds such as Elekar or Zharal V, Amaecea was settled by humans without any corporate money (this is what Aureis is referring to, when he says Amaecea was bootstrapped). The fabulously wealthy Haskrai family bankrolled the majority of the founding costs…which is why they’ve played a hugely prominent role in Amaecean politics since the colony’s beginning.

Since Amaecea isn’t under corporate patronage, it has its own representation in the CIG - and so it’s able to get the Psionic Union on the CIG agenda.

Got a burning question for the next FAQ? Let me know at lena@lenaalisonknight.com .

I can hardly believe it, dear readers, but here we are: the third and final book in The Gift of the Stars is live. The Stars Ablaze picks up where The Stars Unbound left off, with Kerelle and her fellow psionic escapees resolving to take the fight to SysTech:

Kerelle and her allies are done running.

After their close escape from SysTech’s pursuers, one thing is clear: the multigalactic will never stop hunting them…and the only way forward is to take the fight to SysTech instead. With the help of a powerful new ally, Kerelle’s group begins working to free other PsiCorp members from corporate control - and the Psionic Rebellion is born.

If the rebels succeed, it could mean freedom for psionics across the galaxy, and an end to the future conscription to the PsiCorp. But SysTech will stop at nothing to see them crushed, and soon Kerelle and her new allies are locked in a desperate struggle for survival. As the stakes rise and difficult choices are made, only one thing is certain: come victory or death, the time for hiding is over.

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The Stars Ablaze was probably the most intense of the three to write, partially because I was writing the last third during a global pandemic, but partially because, well, it’s an intense book. I’m pretty happy with how it all came together in the end, and I hope it’s a satisfying conclusion to Kerelle’s story.

But wait, there’s more! To celebrate that the Gift of the Stars trilogy is now complete, The Stars Within will be going on sale for just 99 cents, Saturday April 3 through Friday April 9. If you haven’t grabbed a copy yet, now’s your chance! Get some quality space opera adventure, for less than a bag of chips. One week only!

Book 2 of Gift of the Stars is officially live! Find out what’s next for Kerelle and her new friends (…Associates? Accomplices? Let’s go with friends).

I’m legit excited to get The Stars Unbound out and into people’s hands. Some of my favorite moments in the whole series take place in this book, particularly since we finally catch up with Galhen. I think I missed him in The Stars Within almost as much as Kerelle did - their banter is always fun to write! And rest assured, she gets right down to business on that whole rescue thing.

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Kerelle Evandra has done the impossible: she’s broken free of her control collar and escaped the PsiCorp. For the first time in her life, her fate is in her own hands. But Kerelle didn’t escape for only her own sake. Her lover Galhen is still being held at a powerful oligarch’s estate, and she didn’t come this far just to abandon him now.

Kerelle and her allies devise a daring plan to rescue Galhen - but success comes at a terrible price, and they are left trying to find a way forward in a future they never imagined. Kerelle and Galhen soon discover that a new life outside SysTech holds its own set of questions, and they’re running out of time to find the answers. As old threats resurface, it’s clear that the past - and the PsiCorp - isn’t done with them yet.

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