A Dangerous Species (Book 10 of The Yrden Chronicles) (Final book in series)

Hello, my friends.

Here it is at long, long last, the end of my Yrden Chronicle series -- A Dangerous Species -- the book that was supposed to be a standalone novel, but which ended up as Book 10. In it you will find the answers to many questions that you may have had whilst reading the other books in the series.

Colleen Yrden and her Alliance have finally won the war against the Damarg Empire, and her people have captured her bète noir, Korsh. Now, at last, she can find out what happened to her husband, Clay, and the others that Korsh and his pirates took from her ship, Blue Powder, all those years ago -- as well as people from other ships. And then she and Brian can execute the monster who caused all the trouble for her, for Pelgraff, for the human worlds.

However, Korsh has one final card to play, and he plays it, forcing Colleen to endure the unendurable if she wants the answer to the one question that has plagued her. 

A Dangerous Species holds the answer. Get it today and discover that answer and the answers for other questions which you have been waiting for.

History:

Twenty-some years ago, I thought of a what-if with respect to certain events in our history. The idea stuck and I played with it for some time before finally beginning to write A Dangerous Species, which would not take place on Earth, but in a Universe that I created. It would become a stand-alone science fiction book. Yeah, right. I had only written a few pages when I had a thought. It might work better if I had a civil war on a planet to begin the story. And, thus, I stopped work on it and wrote the "prequel", Pelgraff, which told the story of a soldier in that war, but introduced the main character of my series, Colleen Yrden. Thus, I had a two-book series on my hands. Nice thought but nothing is ever that easy.

But, Pelgraff (a shiny object or squirrel) contained other shiny objects that took me off-course. A throw-away line had me writing a short story about one of the ancestors of the Yrdens, one Jaswinder Saroya and that short story eventually became the novel, Courtesan, which took place 450 years earlier. The success of that book led me to the four books of the Not With a Whimper group. Then, I returned to A Dangerous Species for a moment or two before deciding that I needed an origin story for Colleen. That became the true Book 1, Trading for the Stars. Fine, now could I please finish with the series, get back to that first book? No. You see, in Pelgraff I had given Colleen a loyal bodyguard, and he wasn't in Book 1 at all. Also, I had told the story of how her husband had been taken by the pirate Korsh, and I hadn't dealt with that. Thus came Books 2 and 3, Trading for a Dream and One Trade Too Many.

Fine. I now had caught up to Pelgraff ... or had I? No, that book had also mentioned that Colleen had spent time on the planet New Brittain. Great. So, I had one more novel to write, which would encompass the civil war, this time from the viewpoint of Colleen, but starting from before and ending after. That became Trading for War. Pelgraff now became Book 5, and now I could finally write A Dangerous Species ... or could I?

No. I became aware of a plot-hole. I needed to fix that, and a what-if idea for another stand-alone novel that I'd previously toyed with could be incorporated. Yes, good. Book 6, Trading in Secrets came into being, followed by another squirrel that I could shoe-horn into the series Book 7, Partisan of Pelgraff.

Whilst all this was going on, I continued writing in A Dangerous Species, but couldn't finish it, because it needed the information that came from the preceding books. But now I could finish it? No, because book 6 had left a bit of another plot-hole that needed to be filled, and book 7 needed a sequel to finish off the story of McLean -- the soldier from Book 5. Thus I needed two more books before I could finally tackle the one that had started it all. Back to Pelgraff and Trading Allegiances did the job for me. And, yes, now at long, long last I could finish the series.

And, finally, you have A Dangerous Species before you, and the series has come to an end -- as has this post. (Be thankful that I didn't mention the other squirrels that popped up during the course of writing the series and the novels that they spawned.)

I hope you enjoy A Dangerous Species, and that it will serve as a fit ending to what began so long ago. Now can I rest?

Thank you for staying with me to the end.

D.A. Boulter.

Trading Allegiances (Book 9 of Yrden Chronicles)

 Merry Christmas, everyone.  

With nothing else to do on this festive day (for some, I suppose), I gave myself the final kick in the pants that I needed and hit the publish button for "Trading Allegiances" Book 9 of the Yrden Chronicles. I had hoped to get it out just before Christmas, but it looks like I didn't quite make it. Still, I did make the date I had mentioned in my last post here: before the end of the year.

For any who are interested and still sticking with the story:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRHK22NJ

At the end of "Back To Pelgraff", Colleen Yrden got her alliance together and now she must force the Damarg Empire to the negotiating table to stop Star Patrol's raiding of human tradeships, stations, and planets ... and to repatriate the prisoners that the Damarg pirates took, including, hopefully, her husband, missing now for 14 years

Standing in the way of that are spies that have reported on Yrden doings and the mighty Damarg Navy which she hopes the Empire will not turn against her alliance before they are ready for it.

Welcome to the penultimate book of the series. Buy it now while supplies last!

In other news, Book 10, "A Dangerous Species, the final book in the Yrden Chronicles series, has now entered editing and proofing. With just a little luck and effort, you may see it before the end of January 2025. Definitely before the end of February unless disaster strikes.

It feels really good to have ended the story, which I started some 23 years ago. I had intended "A Dangerous Species" to be a stand-alone novel, but it kinda grew, as things are wont to do.

Anyway, once again

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. (May we all get what we desire in 2025 and not necessarily what we deserve.)

Live Well, Live the Joy.

D.A.

Back To Pelgraff (Book #8 of The Yrden Chronicles)

 Hello Friends:

So, at long last, Book 8 of the Yrden Chronicles is live on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Back-Pelgraff-Yrden-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B0DNGCXXMY

I've put it into Kindle Unlimited for the time being and it will stay there until Feb 16th, 2025.

2025? Where have the years gone? Nonetheless, Back To Pelgraff is now ready to be read.

After years on the defensive, Colleen Yrden struggles to create an alliance of human worlds and Families from the Family Trading League, and with their support to retake Pelgraff, push the Damargs out of human space, and force the Damargs to the negotiating table.

But that's easier said than done, for the Damarg Korsh and his allies still see the human worlds and commercial enterprises as easy targets. And now the Damarg Empire's navy may take a hand upping the ante from mere protection of resources to an existential crisis with what the Family Trading League spent centuries trying to avoid: War.

Fear not, you will not have so long a wait for Book 9, Trading Allegiances, for I am already editing the first draft and hope to have it up for you before the end of the year. And Book 10, A Dangerous Species, the final book in the series, will follow that shortly as the first draft of it is already complete. I'm aiming for the end of February for it.

I thank all who have waited -- patiently or impatiently -- for the finishing up of the series. I began the first chapter of book 10, which was supposed to be a stand-alone novel, over 20 years ago. But nothing ever goes as I expect it, and all sorts of other novels and expansions of what would become a series happened in between during the last 14 years since I first published Pelgraff (which was, at the time, supposed to be the prequel to A Dangerous Species -- a two-book series).

For any interested, I'm now about 1/2 way through the first draft of a new book in the same world as "The Steadfasting" and "A Throne at Stake". So, I've not given up writing yet.

Again, thank you to all who have stuck around, and if this is your first exposure to me or to the "Yrden Family", I hope you enjoy.

Live well, my friends, 

D.A. Boulter

The Yrden Chronicles Series

 Hello, Friends.

I have continued writing, hoping to finish the series, and I have -- in first draft at least. That means I have three novels to edit, proof, format, find covers for, and publish.

Right now I'm working on proofing #8 Back to Pelgraff. #9 Trading Allegiances and #10 A Dangerous Species, the final novel in the series, are waiting.

Editing, proofing, formatting, getting the covers for, and publishing often takes just as much time as writing the novel in the first place, but I'm hoping to have all of them out before spring 2025. With luck, I will publish Back To Pelgraff in October of this year.

It has been a long ride, I know, and I am thankful of those of you who have stayed with it. I will continue to keep you informed of my progress.

D.A.

Trading Allegiances -- First Draft Complete

 Hi All:

Just a note to let you know that instead of stopping writing to edit "Back to Pelgraff", I kept on with the next novel in the series, #9, "Trading Allegiances", and have now jumped to #10, "A Dangerous Species".

I know from bitter experience that I cannot edit one book while writing another. And, as I've gone months without writing after editing a book, I decided that I want to finish this series as quickly as possible and have thus continued to write.

Book #10, "A Dangerous Species" should be the last book in the "Yrden Chronicles" series. It was actually supposed to be a stand-alone novel when I started it. It became a testament in HOW NOT TO WRITE A SERIES

Book 10 was supposed to be a stand-alone novel, just like all the other ones I'd written to that point. I had this "wonderful" what-if that came to me. It had it's origin in our history, but to do the "what-if" without having to do a hell of a lot of research, I decided to take the major circumstances and shift them into Space and the distant future.

So, I started writing Book 10, which, as I said, was supposed to be a stand-alone novel. Early in chapter 1, it occurred to me that I needed a civil war -- like the Spanish Civil War -- to occur as a precursor. That "shiny object" took hold, and I wrote what was to become Book 5, "Pelgraff" -- then went back to work on Book 10. BUT, in Pelgraff, a certain throw-away line, just something to add a bit of depth to my universe attracted me, demanded to be written. So I wrote that book -- about the founding of a trading league (which figured in book 5) and a scientist that was instrumental in it -- which occurred 450 years before Book 5. That was "Courtesan"

Then, that finished, I went back to Book 10, but the story of the leader of the League in book 5 needed an origin, so I abandoned Book 10 and wrote Book 1 -- the origin story "Trading for the Stars". Then, again from Book 5, I knew I needed a story on how she acquired her bodyguard. So, Book 2 "Trading for a Dream". Then I had her inciting incident (mentioned in book 5), so I wrote Book 3 "One Trade to Many". Then I needed a leadup to Book 5, so I wrote Book 4 "Trading in War". Book 6, "Trading in Secrets" partially came from another "shiny object" that I wanted to put into a book, and decided to incorporate it into my series instead of a stand-alone. Book 7, "Partisan of Pelgraff" came from another "shiny object", but one which could be in the series. Then I buckled down to work my way to Book 10 -- which I had worked on from time to time, building it up to about 85,000 words.

In the middle of all that, fans of "Courtesan" began asking for a sequel, and the 4 novels of "Not with a Whimper" came about.

Now I'm finally working on finishing "A Dangerous Species". However, that may delay the publishing of books 8 and 9, but it's probably the fastest way to get the final 3 books out.

Anyway, that's my story ... and I'm sticking to it.

For those who have followed me this far, I thank you and I'll get these books out as soon as I can.

Back To Pelgraff -- first draft complete

 Been a while since I've made any posts here. I am going to try to be more conscientious about that, but if you're following this blog, I'm sure you won't believe me. Heck, I'm not sure that I believe myself.

In any event, latest news has me completing the first draft of Book 8 of the Yrden Chronicles, "Back to Pelgraff". Unfortunately, I think it needs more work than other first drafts I've written, so I can't give a real solid publication date, but I hope to have it out some time in the fall.

While I'm doing the old editing thing, I'm also working on Book 9, which will be titled something like "Trading Allegiances". I'm already about 15,000 words into it (about 50 pages) and it seems to be going a bit faster than "Back to Pelgraff", so there's a possibility that it will get published late this year as well -- but don't rely on that.

There may possibly be two more books in the series, but I'm hoping that Book 10 will finish it. Originally, when I thought this would be a simple, single, standalone novel and not a 10-book series, Book 10 was supposed to be that book. It will be a long one, and I've already written well over 200 pages in it. Once I finish "Trading Allegiances", I'll try to power through that one and have it out by the late summer of next year. After that ... who knows?

For those of you who have stayed with me thus far, thank you. I'll try to keep you better informed in the future.

D.A. Boulter.

 

Retribution's Last Stand (New)

 Hello, all.

It has been quite a while, but my newest book hit amazon a little earlier this month. It is called, "Retribution's Last Stand".

A symbol of the past refitted to fight in the present for freedom in the future

The battlecruiser Retribution, last surviving veteran of the Senien War, and a symbol of the union of both the Garvid and human populations of the planet Pacerea, has become a museum-cum-training ship, looked after by the descendants of those who once crewed her.

When a new threat emerges, Gwendolyn Smith, president of "Friends of Retribution", the society tasked with the upkeep of the old battlecruiser, must find a way to return Retribution to active status despite the opposition of ... well ... most everyone.

Retribution holds Pacerea's only chance of remaining independent and keeping intact the society forged by Garvid and human alike in its old hull. If Gwen can succeed against seemingly insurmountable opposition, she and Retribution may make a last stand against the coming chaos though it cost her her marriage, her life, and the battlecruiser itself.

* * *

I hope you'll check it out and -- if you like it -- leave a rating and/or review of it. 

I also hope all you are doing well in this new year of 2024, and hope we all get what we desire and not necessarily what we deserve. (It appears that I deserve to be chastised for not keeping the Cat's food dish topped up like he thinks I should -- even though he could well do with a little reduction in weight.)

So, with righteously indignant meows echoing in my ears, I go to do the Cat's bidding. 

Take care, all, and

Live the Joy