Star Cat: Exodus: A Science Fiction & Fantasy Adventure (The Star Cat Series - Book 5)

by Andrew Mackay

  I’ll always be upfront and honest with you.

  The point is this - I do trust myself to write my way out of problems. I carry the work in progress in my head wherever I go. Only yesterday whilst out having a coffee and listening to music, I came up with several awesome turns for Star Cat Forever. I never know when these details come, but trust that they always do - and often out of the blue. It’s just the way my brain works. Hopefully it’s never during an inopportune moment. Like in bed with my wife while we’re doing other things, to pick an example entirely at random.

  That can be annoying.

  Anyway, this leads perfectly onto point #2, and then to point #1. Daydreaming is SO important for me as a writer. I’ll tell you what I do. I go for a walk, or have a coffee, and listen to music. Usually soundtracks for films, and then I play out a sequence in my head in time to the music.

  It’s how I get my beginning, middle, and end.

  So, using Exodus as the template, one of the first things I “saw” in the week or two leading up to me writing was Jelly being too big for the hyper-sleep chamber and freaking out on her own as weeks and months flew past. I wondered what that might be like. Having your loved ones so close in a hyper-sleep pod, but you’re having to tough it out on your own with only a computer for company. A strange parallel to the news reports we’ve been hearing? In the UK, we’ve had reports of elderly people going insane because they have no one to talk to. This is no joke - the UK government has created a “Minister for Loneliness.” Their friends and family have either passed away or moved away. They’re lonely. As a writer, you get lonely. I see my wife for maybe two hours at night after work, and she goes to bed. It can send you around the twist if you don’t keep it in check.

  I “daydreamed” how I might react to spending months and months alone on a spaceship. I know I’d start talking to myself. Maybe make a little doll to keep me company. What would you do? To add more chaos to the mix, I wanted K-BOLT to be so small that Jelly was uncomfortable and permanently angry (it’s a set up for book six, don’t worry) — again, I hope it makes the reader feel sorry for her and her plight.

  Poor Jelly. I really have run her through the agony mill, haven’t I?

  Did you notice the unsubtle digs at political process with the IRI and the removal of Russian nationals? We live in the era of Trump and his wall, and in the UK we’re preparing for Brexit. Just something to consider. Be under no illusion that situations and circumstances never, ever, improve. Prices rise, tensions flare, and the rich get richer. We all fall for the hyperbole and false platitudes from our rulers - and in the future, the smart money is on it being much worse. Yet, we still carry on and survive.

  So, there’s the end. Next up was Maar Sheck, post heart attack - again, I’ll remind you that that event was completely off the cuff - and in Exodus, it formed the mid point (initially.) Once I’d finished the first draft I rearranged some of the chapters and it ended up being brought forward. So, very Tarantino-esque, in that respect. The mid-point actually became the first twist into Act II (around a third of the way into the book) - and Jaycee’s demise became the mid-point.

  See, for me, it’s all about leniency and the ability to move things around.

  I need that freedom. I actually wrote half a chapter which, when I took my usual balcony break, didn’t stand up to the quality control I insist on. I walked back to the computer and deleted it. However, it gave me the real chapter I needed to write - the one where Roman and the Misfits turn up to the RAGE Arena.

  I didn’t have a beginning for Exodus, and originally the first chapter involving Lydia and her mother had nothing to do with Roman and his gang. But, as I was writing, it became clear to me that I could kill two birds with one stone: 1) Lydia’s story now has relevancy to 2) Roman and his team’s desire to join the fight.

  Boom!

  So, at best, I’ll have a beginning (which starts with dialogue and is usually action-oriented) - if you think back to Killer Instinct, you’ll remember Brownie and her sisters being discarded at the side of the freeway; an intense opening chapter. I’m sure most of you have figured out that Brownie was Jelly’s former name before Jamie got her. I’ll have a middle, where something spins the story around 180 degrees. Then, there’s the finale. K-BOLT and the pink light tearing up the space time continuum is a wonderful event and quite exciting. She spent ALL that time in isolation. The moment death seemed inevitable, she practically committed suicide by entering the stream and accidentally saved herself and her daughter and Alex. Ooooh, I LOVE ironies like that. The clues are there, too. Jelly says to Furie early on -- “The light will guide us home,” for example.

  And then, of course, we see the aftermath from Jamie and the RAGE gang’s point of view. The heavens open and puke Jelly’s ship back onto Earth. “It’s her!”

  It’s a great ending.

  There were a number of sequences I knew I wanted in Exodus outside of the beginning, middle, and end. But there were some blanks, and that’s where trusting myself and the freedom to maneuver really comes into play. I don’t know if I could plot everything out strictly and stick to it. I’m a rebel at heart. I think some of my best work has been off-the-cuff and in the moment as I’m typing. Why? Because it feels right - and if it’s conducive to the story, then, even better. How frustrating would it be to follow an immovable structure and, say, be half way through the story when - bam! - a much better idea hits you as you write. But you don’t use it because it contradicts the plan you had.

  Ugh. Imagine if that happened in real life? Let’s take a car journey, for example. I intend to leave my apartment at 1pm and drive to the store. I’ll take road A and arrive at 1:10pm. Half way through my journey, a car slams on its brakes…

  You have two options

  1: Careen into the back of the car and risk injury because you hadn’t planned to brake.

  2: You act instinctively, swerve to the right, and avoid a collision. No damage done. You move on.

  I know, that’s a really, really silly example - but it still stands. A last moment reaction in the heat of the moment, and you’ve fixed all the issues. Perhaps you’ve created a new one, like I did with Maar’s heart attack.

  There are many, many more instances through the whole series where - as I’ve been typing - something has happened, or someone even DIED - and I didn’t expect it. I’ll confess. I hadn’t planned to kill Wool ar-Ban in Star Cat 3: War Mage until it happened. Suddenly, as I typed, she was turning into the Shanta and begged Tripp to kill her. Not blow her brains out, but actually shoot her in the battery.

  It was a decision and sacrifice that held me in good stead for the rest of the series. If you think, now, about Exodus, Jaycee complains about his battery being damaged. We all know the battery is an analogy for the heart. It makes sense, but when I killed Wool, it felt right. It also upheld my notion (as I’ve explained before) that I absolutely refuse to allow characters to live simply because I can extend the series. That’s utterly unacceptable to me.

  If Star cat works it’s because you buy into the fact that there is peril. That people may not survive. How many original crew members of Opera Beta are there left, now? Yeah, one. Jelly Anderson.

  Star Cat Forever.

  Get ready, it’s the last book - and it’s going to be epic and knock your pants off.

  On a final, personal note, I really need to get something off my chest. It’ll come across as preachy and desperate, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

  As you are probably aware, the Star Cat series is exclusive to Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited. My love for the company is unlimited (much like their subscription service!) because it offered me a way out of a life I hated. I became a writer.

  Lately, though, they have been cracking down - quite rightly - on reviews (a.k.a ‘social proof’) for books. There’s a reason for this. People are paying for reviews for personal gain and “gaming” the system. This doesn’t just apply to books, of course. I can see why the perpetrators do it
- I think most can. I also see why companies like Amazon want to crack down on it. I am not an advocate of illegitimate reviews. As a matter of fact, I detest them. I don’t want to trawl through Amazon or Ebay to find a vacuum cleaner based on 100+ fake 5 star reviews to find out the product is below standard. It’s a waste of my and everyone’s time for the inevitable refund that follows.

  So, why am I bringing this up?

  Quite simply, dear reader, if you’ve read this far then I am reasonably certain you are enjoying the series. With one book left to go, I would greatly appreciate if you could take the time to drop even the quickest review on the Star Cat series in order to strengthen the social proof. It’s one (of many) reasons that decide if a reader buys a book, as I am sure you know.

  I ask from a position of solvency. All I ask is for an honest review. So, if you think Exodus is only worth three or four stars, I’ll take it. I’d love to know what you thought, and include the negatives or room for improvement. An honest and thoughtful review will help potential readers decide if something as radical and new as Star Cat is for them. Don’t get me wrong, I know time is tight - ain’t that the truth?!) but a little goes a long way. If you’ve bought the book(s) then your reviews are verified and untouchable. Make no mistake, I do read them, and suggestions for moving forward or improving have actually, in some cases, shaped the way the series has gone.

  I know it looks like authors have an easy time of it, but lately I’ve been feeling a bit isolated (this is not a joke, by the way) and reviews mean everything for taking my game to the next level (oh, how I hate that phrase.)

  More of the stuff you love, and less of the things you dislike.

  Put simply, if I don’t sell books, I can’t afford to keep doing this. I’ll have to go and do something else. This will be music to some reader’s ears. For those who appreciate and enjoy my work, it’s simply a pity. You can play a small part in keeping me doing this, but of course you are not compelled to do so.

  At the end of Star Cat Forever - the sixth and final book due in December - I will reveal my plans for 2019 for another sci-fi series which I think you’ll find very exciting. I can’t tell you anything right now, but the seeds are starting to form. I’m dying to tell you what it is.

  Perhaps if you email me directly (my email address is below) I’ll tell you privately.

  Anyway, it might surprise you to learn I’ve already begun Star Cat Forever. It’ll be a big one. I’m really hoping I’ll see you at the end of that book in the author notes so we can party together and give Jelly and co. the send off they deserve.

  Happy reading (and, hopefully, reviewing!)

  Andrew Mackay,

  Hampshire, UK

  (September 6th, 2018)

  ***

  If you enjoyed this book I’d really appreciate a review on Amazon.

  As you know, reviews are very important to an author and their potential buyers.

  Just a few kind words would be great. Thanks!

  Star Cat 5: Exodus @ Amazon

  I love to hear from my readers! Please write to me… I will respond :)

  Email: andrew@chromevalleybooks.com

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  ‘Star Cat: Exodus (Book Five)’

  Copyright © 2018 Chrome Valley Books

  Written by Andrew Mackay

  Edited by Ashley Rose Miller

  Cover design by Kveather

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead (or somewhere in between), events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Acknowledgments:

  For K

  Also to:

  My immediate family.

  All the CVB Gang Members / ARC Street Team.

  Adele Embrey and Jennifer Long for reason far too complicated to go into, here.

  The members and admins of 20BooksTo50K.

  Up next: the sixth and final book - STAR CAT FOREVER.

  Beyond the stars.

  Beyond your wildest imagination.

  Discover how it all began…

  Star Cat: Origins

  Young Jamie Anderson’s world is turned upside down by tragedy.

  But a new character is about to enter his life and change it forever.

  A little cat named Jelly.

  USARIC are preparing a mission that will change history.

  And perhaps even the future.

  There’s a contest coming … to find the first cat in space.

  Wonder, beauty, and something fantastic are about to enter Jamie’s life.

  Star Cat: Origins is the prequel to the groundbreaking sci-fi series.

  It all started here…

  https://www.subscribepage.com/y5c5i8