Category: Interview

Adam Gaffen has a new LGBTQ+ space opera out, The Cassidy Chronicles volume 5: Triumph’s Ashes And there’s a $100 giveaway!

Viva la revolucion!

The Primus, Vasilia Newling, is facing her worst nightmares:

• A revolution on Luna.
• Titan and the Asteroids abandoning the Solarian Union.
• Defections from within her own government.

All because of those damned Cassidys!

But she’s still as ruthless as ever.

And if Aiyana and Kendra thought she was playing dirty before? They’re going to see how filthy she really can get.

There isn’t room for both the Terran Federation and the Union.

This time, one is going down.

For good.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Liminal Fiction | Smashwords

---

Giveaway

Adam is giving away a $100 Restaurants.com gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47213/?

---

Excerpt

Habitat Njord

“Commander? Aren’t you on your honeymoon?”

Commander Daniela Garcia-Kay stopped filling her coffee cup and to stare at the questioner.

“Ma’am,” she belatedly appended.

“Better, Rat,” Garcia-Kay said, finishing the pour. “And for your information, yes, I am, but I need to stay sharp.”

She added, in a much more conversational tone, “Boomer’s been after me as well. He says that he’s still trying to integrate with his new body and I should be flying him, so…”

Rat, Ensign (JG) Judith Bastin, grinned. The Epsilon-class AI’s installed in the Direwolf fighters could be nearly human in their personalities, if encouraged by their human counterparts. A good number of the pilots of Nymeria Squadron did so, reaping the benefits of the enhanced partnership, taking after the lead of their commander.

Daniela, as the first Direwolf pilot, had led the way. She’d investigated the interests the Admiral had in 20^th/21^stcentury ‘television’ and ‘movies’, eventually arriving at ‘Boomer’ as a good name for her AI. As a result, his personality tended to be cool, calculating, and confident, with a special knack for engineering his way around problems. His level-headedness complemented Daniela’s more aggressive flying style.

“I heard they salvaged your chair,” Rat said.

“They did,” agreed Daniela. “That was about all, though.”

Her face clouded briefly at the memory. Her prior Direwolf had been ruined by a mid-space collision with another fighter during an exercise in which the other pilot had lost her life. It was the first non-action casualty the squadron had faced and it still stung.

Rat picked up on her discomfort and tried to change the subject. “How’s Boomer doing? Does he like the new ship?”

“He appreciates the new capabilities, but keeps sending me messages about how things just aren’t quite ‘right’ with it. Which is why I’m here at oh six hundred instead of in bed with my husband,” she finished, raising her mug.

“Aye, ma’am,” said Rat, raising her half-empty mug in mock salute. “Do you need a wing? I’m scheduled for the mid-watch CAP, but I have a couple hours.”

“Thanks, Rat, I’m covered. Locksmith is going out with me.”

Rat nodded. Locksmith was the XO of the second Direwolf squadron under Lt. Commander Ashlyn Bontrager. Red Squadron was officially assigned to the TFS Endeavour, but only half the fighters could fit aboard at any one time for away missions if there would be a couple of the older Wolves attached for the duration. The other half remained at Njord and did drills until the Endeavour returned.

“Catch you later, Double Dip,” Rat said and strolled out.

She had to smile. For all that Starfleet was a military organization, the formality and rigidity which plagued longer-established militaries simply didn’t exist. Given the preferences of the Admiral, it probably never would.

Daniela spent the next few minutes with her thoughts before Locksmith arrived.

Lieutenant Lexie Marsh, recently promoted, was nearly a mirror image of Double Dip. She was just as tall and built in a similar, athletic manner. Her hair, which she wore in a single long braid, was dyed a pale green which set off her emerald eyes and dark skin. Her most prominent feature, though, was her smile. It was said in her division that as long as Locksmith was smiling you were doing well. If it flickered, though, you were in trouble. Nobody knew what would happen if it disappeared. Yet.

Today, it was in full force.

“Morning, Danni,” Locksmith said, already carrying her own mug.

“Morning Lexie,” Daniela answered around another sip. “Ready for today?”

“As soon as I finish my cacao.”

“You and Commander Cassidy,” Daniela chuckled. “What is it about that stuff?”

“I could ask you the same,” countered Locksmith. “Coffee, yuck.”

“Just for that I’m going to dust you,” Daniela said.

“Hello? We’re both flying the same bird?”

“Nope. I have the first of the Mark II’s.”

Instantly Locksmith was all business.

“I didn’t think they were going to be in production until next year! That’s why my girlfriend told me, and she should know; she works at HLC, testing.”

“She’s not wrong. But someone has to break them in before they start rolling them out, and since I have the most hours in Direwolves of any pilot in Starfleet, well, the decision was simple. Mine’s one of the two-seaters, too, a training model.”

“Is the scuttlebutt true?”

Daniela laughed. “I hope so! We’ll find out today anyways.”

Locksmith put down her mug, sloshing the contents onto the table, and stood. “What are we waiting for?”

Daniela took a final swallow and led the way to the bay. After they’d done the mandatory walkarounds and pre-flight checks they each climbed into their cockpits.

“About time,” grumped her AI as she settled in.

“It’s my honeymoon,” she grumped right back. “I’m permitted.”

“It’s all well and good for you, you can get out of the ship just by standing up. Me, it takes major mechanical surgery.”

“Sorry, Boomer. Admiral’s orders. I tried to delay the wedding but she wouldn’t allow it.”

“Hmmph.”

She could tell he was somewhat mollified, though, as they ran through the power-up checklists. They’d developed enough of a rapport over the previous months that they could do the tasks almost on automatic while holding a conversation.

“How does she feel?” Daniela asked now.

“It’s different,” Boomer said. “The basic systems are all the same, except where they aren’t. It’s tough to explain.”

“Anything I need to be concerned about? Anything radically different?”

“No. Most of the changes they made are incremental, evolutionary. Like the aiming mechanism on the lasers.”

“We can aim?”

“A little. About two degrees, but it’s enough so we can do some pinpoint shooting at longer ranges.”

“Awesome!”

“If you ask me, though, I’m most impressed with the new reactor, if it works.”

“What do you mean, ‘if it works’?”

“It’s a new design. The old reactor was a laser-pumped design, while the new one is a z-pinch. If it works the way it should, we ought to achieve increased thrust as well as higher power for the other systems.”

“How much increased thrust?”

“Up to 650 g.”

Daniela allowed herself a low whistle. The Mark 1 already had the highest acceleration of any sublight craft in any fleet, 500 g, and a skilled pilot/AI combination could squeeze an extra 10 g or 20 g performance. 650 g, though, was unheard-of.

“What will I feel?” she asked. She knew she could tap her implant to get the information, but one of the reasons she and Boomer were such an effective team was she treated him as a partner. Currently, at max accel, she felt 6 g, which was eight times more than the Federation standard aboard vessels and habitats. Her nanobots prevented the lower gravity from weakening her bones and muscles, but she’d been in Starfleet since the beginning. Three-quarter g felt normal now, hence her concern.

“You’ll love this. Five g.”

---

Author Bio

I was born in Maine, didn’t live there for long before my parents figured out that it was too bloody cold and moved south, all the way to Massachusetts. Grew up there and in Connecticut, lived in Maryland and Indiana for a while before moving back to Maine. Lived there for twenty years before I, too, decided the winters were too long. Of course, where do you to get away from long winters? COLORADO! Naturally. Married to a wonderful, inspirational, supportive woman; between us we have five kids, five dogs, and five cats.

As for my writing, well, I’ve thrown a bunch out onto Amazon. There’s a couple Sherlock Holmes stories, a few horror-ish shorts, and then you get to my longer books: Refuge, a time-traveling take on vampire stories, and The Cassidy Chronicles. Triumph’s Ashes is the fifth book in the series and completes the Artemis War story arc.

Like I said, thanks for dropping in! You can find me on Allauthor.com, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on my website www.cassidychronicles.com.This month, I’ll be appearing on the Meet the Author Podcast/Vidcast on November 24th, so tune in and check it out! It’s an hour of Cassidyverse talk and it’s at https://indiebooksource.com/podcast/ I love interacting with fans, but be warned: I often add my fans into my books!

Author Website: https://cassidychronicles.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/adam.gaffen

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/AdamGaffenAuthor

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamgaffen/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6587896.Adam_Gaffen

Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/adam-gaffen/

Author Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Adam-Gaffen/e/B009QMIW3K

Interview with Adam Gaffen, Author of The Cassidy Chronicles 

In 40 years, what books do you think will be considered classics? 

Start with an easy question, eh? I think any book coming out today which touches on – no, focuses on – timeless subjects, aspects of the human condition, has a chance to become a classic. However, what it comes down to will be how readable the story is in 40 years, whether it’s unintentionally dated or if it holds up to the changed standards. I hope to be around to take another whack at this question in 40 years!

What unique hobbies would you pursue as an immortal? 

Oh, you could have fun with this, couldn’t you? I mean, think of the riskiest thing you can imagine, and then try it! How about building your own rocket and flying into space? Or hiking the Sahara? Ever want to see the inside of a whale? If you’re invulnerable and immortal, there isn’t anything you couldn’t do! But don’t fall into the problems that Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged ran into, and stay away from baths on Sunday afternoons!

A toy company makes a replica action figure of your likeness. What 2 accessories do they include?

I’m pretty boring when it comes to accessories; I don’t game, I don’t use a laptop to write (I’m writing these answers at a desktop with two monitors and a hardwired keyboard, if that gives you any idea), and most of my fandom stuff is there to be looked at, not interacted with. But if you were going to do something, probably an oversized mule cup (you know the cups I mean? Sort of shaped like a barrel, usually copper-colored?) with my iced drink of the day in it, and an open book. Probably dog-eared and worn from multiple reads.

Is there a genre or literary niche that you feel hasn’t gotten it’s deserved amount of attention? 

I’m probably biased, but I think that science fiction (or speculative fiction, as I’ve heard it described recently) is hugely underrated. The perception of SF among the self-appointed literary cognoscenti is of “children’s stories”. Part of that is many SF writers are too concerned with creating the world, as opposed to the characters. Think of the last “literary fiction” book you read. How fleshed out is the world, compared to the characters? I’ll wager the characters are far more developed in the literary fiction. This is because the world of LF is our world, and the authors are using the characters to make statements and examine the human condition, something you need good character development to do. On the other hand, SF writers spend much of their time creating the world and society for their characters to inhabit, which then leaves less time in the novel to explore the nuances of character.

To put it another way, LF focuses on the minutiae of human existence, while SF will paint with a broader brush. Since we are all individuals and intimately involved in our daily lives, we can resonate more easily with the themes in LF as opposed to the “big picture” ideas in SF.

Yet speculating on what the world would be like if this or if that can be more rewarding and thought-provoking, both for the author and reader.

What has been your worst or most difficult job? How does it compare to writing? 

So all jobs have some aspect which is unpleasant or undesirable. This is a given. But I’d say the job I liked the least was way back in the day. I had a job cold-calling people to solicit them to come into a photography studio to get their portraits done. There was a list of numbers and names, and I was responsible for doing my pitch over and over and over.

I lasted two days.

Ironically, this job actually has a huge parallel to writing, or at least he business of being an indie author. See, I have to put myself out there, every day, in front of strangers who don’t know me from a hole in the wall, and ask them to buy my books. And when they don’t – which happens probably 98% of the time, maybe more – I have to be able to get out and do it again. And again. And again. I have to keep putting myself out there and asking.

Something which has been hugely helpful in this respect was Amanda Palmer’s book, The Art of Asking. It’s something I’ve incorporated so much into my life that my characters are now spouting it in the novels. In A Quiet Revolution Kendra Cassidy, the main driving force behind the nascent Terran Federation, is talking to a representative from a hostile star nation. Here’s the sequence, and it sort of sums up everything:

“We did get here the roundabout way. No, there is more. Madame President, I want Titan to do what the Guild has done: leave behind the decaying husk of the Union to join us, join an organization which cleaves more nearly to the ideals of the Union.”

“You certainly don’t ask for much!”

Kendra tossed her head to the side.

“The worst that happens is you laugh at us and tell us no. If I don’t ask, though, you can’t say yes.”

You are stuck in space in dire straits. Which science fiction authors would you want with you? 

Well, three, right off the top of my head.

Isaac Asimov – the man knew something about just about everything, and if we could overcome his phobias to get him into space he’d be a heck of an asset.

Robert Heinlein – my all-time favorite author, but also someone who overcame personal adversity to achieve. Like Asimov, knew much about many subjects, though his were a little more practical.

Finally, Douglas Adams, because he’d certainly have a towel.

My Review of Triumph’s Ashes 

Note: This is book 5 in the series and it’s probably best to read some of the previous books, tho if you are a Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica fan, you can probably jump right in and catch on quickly.

This is my favorite book of the series so far. While still very much Star Trek fan fiction, there’s a stronger Battlestar Galactica influence than we’ve seen in previous books. I like the politics going on in the background even as the Federation moves forward with exploring nearby star systems.

I absolutely love the addition of the 6-legged telepathic cat-like people discovered on a nearby planet. Very exciting! Reminded me a bit of the treecat companions in the Honorverse. It was especially cute how the kids bonded with a pair. I look forward to seeing what this series does with them going forward.

Artemis Union continues to be a pill, fighting against the tide of popularity for the Federation. Even as more groups join the Federation, Artemis ups the stakes and rains down havoc. This made the book quite exciting because for the first time in this series I truly worried about the safety of not just some beloved side characters, but also our main heroes Kendra and Cass. This story maintained a level of suspense and tension all the way through, keeping my attention.

This series continues to be very LGBTQ+ friendly, which I love. Cass and Kendra aren’t the only ones either – there’s a full spectrum of relationships. Additionally, the focus is on the adventure, the struggle to birth this space-faring Federation, and not on romance. Yay!

AIs play significant roles in this story too. Diane is the main one, providing a steady hand to the still-young Hecate. Then the Dire Wolves (think fighter shuttles) have smaller AIs (one of which has the personality of Starbuck). Most of the characters treat them with respect, recognizing them as sentient beings.

Overall, it’s a lot of fun even if it’s a little predictable because of the strong pop culture references, etc. I look forward to seeing what happens next in this series. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Veronica Wylie is growing on me. The first 3 books in this series were narrated by Jane Weatherstone and it was a little difficult last book to switch to a new narrator. That said, Wylie has mellowed out the New York accents and gotten better at her Australian accent. Her male voices are pretty good nd each character has their own unique voice. I especially like her fun, chipper voices for Mac (a speed-talker) and the young Hecate AI. The pacing is still a little slow but that’s easily solved by speeding up the playback slightly. There were no tech issues with this recording. 3.5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% my own.