Hello again, dreamers. It was another great week, and I’m hoping this one will be even better. I’ve finally managed to get back into a rhythm in writing, and am now averaging 2000 words a day, frequently bumping up past 3k. This is a lot of fun. It feels good to be back. But the work of an aspiring writer is never done. So with that in mind, here’s what’s coming:

New Content: Poseidon

I’m pleased to announce that a new short story is coming next week. Poseidon follows Todd Helfrich: an astronaut with the Earth Space Administration. Helfrich has recently been given command of a Poseidon Deep Space Vehicle: a two kilometer-long spacecraft propelled by a solar sail ten kilometers in diameter. When Helfrich takes command, the ship is in route to Callisto, a moon of Jupiter. The story follows Helfrich over the course of his two-year journey to Jupiter, as he and his crew work to avoid an errant asteroid in the Asteroid Belt while he deals with his own personal life.

As I’ve previously mentioned, this story is a tie-in with the Dotiverse: the broader universe in which my primary series of novels will take place. This particular story takes place in 2094: a formative period, in which humanity is still exploring and colonizing the solar system even as we prepare to launch our first manned mission to an exoplanet. It’s a long read, but I dare say it’s some of my finest work.

Upcoming Content and Short Fiction

I haven’t felt this good about my writing since I completed Pioneers, and I’m happy to report I’ve completed two short stories over the past week (Poseidon being one of them). I have no intention of slowing down, so I can promise more short fiction to come over the next few months. Here are a few of the stories I’m working on, at least some of which will likely end up here:

Icebreaker follows Robi Novak, a Romanian-born chemical engineer. In 2100, Robi is a demolitions expert working aboard a mining vehicle in the Asteroid Belt. Robi loves his work, but soon learns his work is coming to an end, as the United Nations prepares to outlaw demolition mining in the belt. However, when the crew of an older prospecting vehicle accidentally trap their spacecraft inside an asteroid, Robi’s expertise may be the key to saving their lives.

SILOS 47 follows Trey Doyle, an astronaut piloting a short-range spacecraft running supplies between Earth’s space stations and the moon. When Earth loses contact with a transport vehicle bound for Mars, he is diverted to investigate, and finds the ship has lost main power. Doyle must then work with the ship’s arrogant engineering officer to find a way to get it moving again, without sacrificing his own ship in the process.

Terrarium follows the story of Wilbur Montoya, a United Nations inspector sent to report on efforts to evacuate the surface of Mars prior to terraforming. Wilbur is led around the Carson Geohabs on Mars by an elderly colonist, one of the first people to land on Mars with the intent to settle there. As his guide shows off everything they have build, Wilbur reflects on the fleeting nature of life, noting that everything the colony has built will ultimately be destroyed by terraforming. Despite this, he watches as the colonists carefully tend their doomed gardens.

Europa follows ESA astronaut and exobiologist Renate Stark as she and a team of researchers explore the subsurface ocean of the eponymous Jovian moon. Though firmly dedicated to her work, Stark is distracted by the memory of her father, who was the commander of the Pathfinder 7 mission that is currently presumed lost. Her regrets regarding her relationship with her father serve as the backdrop for the wonders she and her team encounter beneath Europa’s icy crust.

While at least a few of these stories will likely end up here, I may decided to shop a few of them around for publication first (as I have already done with Ganymede). However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a constant stream of new content. After wanting to for so long, I’ve finally begun my weekly flash fiction posts, Flash Fiction Fridays. From now on, every Friday I will be posting a 500-1000 word piece of original science fiction, gleaned from my vast storehouse of potential stories.

The Dotiverse

While I’m proud of the amount of work I’ve done on short fiction recently, perhaps the bulk of my recent work has come as a result of that. Over the past few weeks, for the first time in years I’ve been greatly expanding my notes on the overall Dotiverse. In so doing, I’ve been coming to a better understanding of this future I’ve created, fleshing out crucial details of culture as well as technology.

As my work with the Dotiverse is likely to be my primary focus for years to come, I’ve begun toying around with creating an entire page on this site dedicated to the concept. Such a page would offer a brief introduction to the concept, including an overview of the state of mankind at the three eras I’ve worked in thus far. The page will also spotlight short fictions pieces here on the site that take place within the Dotiverse, placing them in their proper context. Work on this new page is currently in the early planning phases. I will keep everyone posted.

Site Curation

Amid all these recent developments, I’ve also begun a project intended to streamline this site for readers. I’ve already begun cleaning up my post categories (which had grown chaotic, to say the least). The next step will be to fully separate certain types of posts.

Ultimately, my goal is to complete a task that began with my latest rebrand: separating fiction posts from all others. The intent is to not only have a page dedicated solely to fiction, but also one dedicated solely to blog posts. Once this process is complete, no blog posts will show up while scrolling through the fiction page, and vice versa. As part of this process, I will also be curating my existing works of short fiction on this site. Much of my older work is no longer representative of my style and vision. And while I’d long told myself it was important to retain those pieces, to show my development as a writer, I now fear they detract from the overall quality of my work. After all, the purpose of my fiction posts is not to show how much better I am than when I started; it’s to provide readers with quality content. I am an artist. My goal is to entertain.

As such, over the coming weeks some of my earlier fiction pieces, especially those not sci-fi related, will be taken down. So if any of my longtime readers would like to take another look at those pieces, there’s never been a better time for a stroll down memory lane.

I have big plants for the coming month, dreamers. And I can’t wait to share them with you. For now, keep reading, and as always, dare to dream. – MK