He also writes video games such as Game of Thrones and Walking Dead, and has sold/optioned several screenplays/teleplays. Because of his five years in the U.S. Marines, you just might find some of his Devil Dog attitude coming to play in his novels. Justin's books are available in audio and print editions, and he has sold Turkish and French rights to several of his series.
www.JustinSloanAuthor.com
Author Notes
George Mahaffey
So who’s the Potentate? That’s probably the number one question I’ve been asked by fans of the Syndicate Wars books. I’ve received countless emails from curious readers who were convinced that the Potentate was going to turn out to be Samantha’s father. When we were initially constructing the story, we knew who the Potentate was, but that created a surprisingly difficult balancing act.
On the one hand we had to make the actions of the characters (specifically Cody), appear believable and logical, while on the other, we had to avoid tipping our hand.
There are certain clues sprinkled throughout the first 4 books that hint at the Potentate’s identity along with a number of red herrings, but hopefully we did a good enough job of concealing things so the ultimate reveal was a surprise.
The bottom line is, even though it was challenging coming up with the right way to resolve the Potentate’s story (and the climax of Book 5), creating the Syndicate Wars Universe and writing the books with Justin and Kyle was a blast. If you’ve ever been part of a team or a group trying to build something, you know it’s not uncommon to experience some initial growing pains, and we certainly had a few, including trying to find the proper voice for the first book and the right balance of action, grounded sci-fi, and characterization. Ultimately, we were able to overcome those initial issues and come up with a series that I think has a nice mix of action and heart.
I particularly enjoyed writing the Samantha character and I love what Justin has done with her in the Shadow Corps books. The one thing we chose not to resolve is the issue of the baddest of the bad guys referenced throughout the books – the other mysterious extraterrestrial force that even the Syndicate is afraid of.
You might’ve noticed that we’re coming out with a number of spinoff books, and we’re going to explore these uber bad guys in the spinoffs, including a series that I’m currently writing. Huge thanks go out to all the awesome readers and fans that read the books and posted reviews.
None of this would’ve happened without you along with our artists, editors, and all the great readers who were kind enough to review the books before they were published.
You guys rock. Remember … Book 5 isn’t the ending, it’s really just the beginning!
— George
Kyle Noe
When we set out to tell the story of how an alien invasion would propel humanity forward in technology and space travel, I couldn't yet imagine what new stories, characters, and possibilities would arise out of that initial kernel of an idea. But with your help, support, and feedback, the story created its own fertile ground for exciting new adventures. Even if this leg of the story is complete.
What excited me the most was to see how our characters evolved and responded to challenges. With that in mind, Samantha’s captivating story continues in Justin Sloan's incredible Shadow Corps series. The aftermath of the Syndicate Wars continues in Jonathan Yanez’s fun-packed War Wolves series. And it won't be long before The 57th Marine series serves as a leaping off point and begins to explore what the expanding universe will hold in store for humankind.
Working on Syndicate Wars has also changed me as a writer. I now know what works best for my style and vision, as well as what kinds of stories I want to create.
And I truly hope you enjoyed coming along on the adventure! Because I’m still enjoying the heck out of writing it.
All best,
— Kyle
Justin Sloan
And so ends the Syndicate Wars series, but it’s only the start of the Seppukarian Universe! If you haven’t yet, please join us on our Facebook group, www.facebook.com/SeppukarianBooks.
As you’ve seen from the books and the other author notes, this is just the beginning. We released my Samantha spinoff, which shows what happened to her between books 4 and 5, and that series is called SHADOW CORPS. Then Jonathan came out with his spinoff series, called WAR WOLVES, which follows Riot and is a blast. Soon there will be more!
It has been a roller coaster of excitement and emotions both creating this universe and seeing how the fans have reacted. Thank you so much for sticking with us! It’s funny watching some of the book 1 reviews that call out things as negative, without realizing that much of that is on purpose and related to the time loops. That’s the struggle with doing a time travel story and not laying every piece of the puzzle on the table. It’s also something I’ve noticed with indie publishing—readers seem to assume the author made a mistake, rather than thinking the answers will come. Interesting…
I hope you all continue the journey as we move forward with the spinoffs, and that you’ve enjoyed everything so far! You’re the best fans in the world! Be proud of that.
If you want to find out more about me and my works, head over to www.JustinSloanAuthor.com.
— Justin
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