Acknowledgments & Author Notes
From the author - Andrew Mackay
Author notes from Star Cat 5: Exodus
Hey gang!
Wow. We’ve come so far, together, right?
Remember when Jelly was just a little cat? My, how times have changed. It seems so long ago. In fact, it was this very thought that got me started with Star Cat 5: Exodus - just how far everyone has come, one way or another. This also extends to the reader journey, and also to me as your humble author.
I confess, I always knew Star Cat would be several books long. When I think back to the first book’s publication, I had plans to take the series in a few directions. All but a few of those ideas made it into the subsequent books (e.g. Pink Symphony, Bonnie falling off the edge of the universe etc) but there were some things that just grew organically.
Also, and I’ve been reticent to confess this, but the original plan was to have about ten books in the series. When I finished Pink Symphony (Book 2) I knew it’d be six, and not ten. What happened to that idea?
I’ll tell you.
Quality, not quantity. The story interests me so much and is too valuable for me to have softened its impact by keeping it going and going. Sure, the inevitable royalties and sales would have been nice. But, to be honest, I’m better than that. I only ever want to tell quality, well-written and formulated stories. Six books is about right, in my view. Also, because each book ends on a cliff-hanger, I have now referred to them as instalments. Rest assured that the sixth and final book will be the end.
Now, to plot events.
You may remember I told you that I had not planned on Maar’s heart attack in Killer Instinct, that it just sort of happened as I was typing. The same thing has happened in almost every book I’ve written.
I’d like to reveal to you how exactly I plan my books, in such a way that it doesn’t bore you to death lol (I know some of you reading this are fellow authors, but on the off-chance that you are not, you may find the process interesting. I’ll use Exodus as an example.)
I only need THREE things to write a novel:
1: A beginning, middle, and end
2: Lots of daydreaming time
3: The ability to trust myself to take risks
That’s it.
Let me explain.
I’ll start with points 2 and 3 first, if I may.
If you’ve delved into the author/writing process with more than a rudimentary interest in the process, you’ll have heard of some authors plotting their stories. Of course, you’ll know that some authors just fly by the seat of their pants and just type (a.k.a “pantsing”)
I fall somewhere in the middle.
I am (possible unwisely) very confident in my ability as a storyteller. I think any author has to be, otherwise there’s no point in doing it. You may disagree but I consider my strengths to be story structure and dialogue. These two things are very important, and you may have noticed that most of my books start with dialogue. This is, quite frankly, a little trick a writer can employ to immediately grab a reader. People like reading dialogue over prose. I’ll happily admit that it’s a trick I employ almost all the time, and I don’t mind you knowing that at all. Why? Because you’ve read the book and got this far, so I know it works lol.
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 R
AGE 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
(November 5th, 2018)
***
Jelly’s home. Now, it’s War.
Get Your murder On.
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
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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 reasons far too complicated to go into, here.
The members and admins of 20BooksTo50K.
Up next: the sixth and final book - STAR CAT FOREVER.
Star Cat Forever
Jelly’s Home. Now, it’s War.
Chapter 1
“Love is the answer.”
Pascal D’Souza
; (2056 - 2111)
***
— Earth’s Orbit —
Millions of stars hung against the black void of space.
Serene, and at peace.
It wouldn’t last much longer.
The pure white dots pushing from the darkness swirled around to make way for a violent tear in the space/time continuum.
A horizontal line of brilliant white light tore across the fabric of the universe.
PTCHOW — PTCHOW — KRAA-BLAAASSSTTT.
K-BOLT burst through the path created by the God-like pink stream. The vessel glowed as the energy rush fueled its trajectory toward a familiar planet - blue and green, with a sliver of gray shooting through its atmosphere.
Inside the spacecraft a warrior witnessed her ship’s trajectory to the one place she’d been dying to get to.
Star Cat The Complete Series Page 118