“We have a few weeks before that.” Craig tried to mollify him.
It didn’t work—Aleksi still looked glum. “Yes, but after that we go back to our own classes. I have enjoyed getting to know you all better.”
“Even if it was in the middle of a warzone?” Masha quipped. “I’m sure we can arrange another if it would make you happy.”
Craig fell about laughing at that, setting off a chain reaction which spread through them like a virus. One by one they succumbed, until even little Bai Hu, who only had a faint idea of what was happening, was rolling about with the infectious mirth.
Ron managed to speak through his tears. “Sure, let’s do that!”
Tina clutched her stomach. “Oh my… Can’t breathe…”
“I’m glad we are back together,” Yana said when they’d pulled themselves together. “But I also enjoyed this time apart, even if I did not believe I would. I made friends of Ksenia and Jayden, and I learned a lot from Tina’s mom. She showed me enough that I know what I want to do when we graduate.”
“What are you going to do?” Maxim asked, head tilted in curiosity. “I have also seen my future.”
Yana clasped her hands together in glee. “I’m going to focus on cultural relations and diplomatic studies. I want to meet the new species and learn about them. Help make the road to becoming allies smooth, starting with the Yollins. What about you?”
Maxim grinned. “I realized exactly where my heart lies during the battle at the castle. I will fight to protect our people against those who do not wish to be our allies. As soon as Commander Silvers will allow it, I am enlisting in the Guardians.”
Craig clapped him on the back. “That’s great, buddy! I’ll look out for you when you get there.”
“That would be good, my friend.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Perhaps I have learned the value of accepting others too, Yana.”
“God help the enemy when you grow up, Maxim. You did a great job of leading us through the siege.” Aleksi grinned. “When you go to war, I will be in your ear directing. I knew I would be headed for tactical, anyway. Everything that happened at the castle just confirmed that for me.”
“And I will be flying high above, defending you from the skies of whatever planets we visit,” Nestor put in.
“You all seem so certain of the future,” Mischa fretted. “We still have time to decide, right? School isn’t over yet.”
Tina reached over and patted her hand. “You don’t have to know yet. I haven’t decided for sure what I want to do and I don’t intend to just yet, either. You two don’t graduate until the year after us, so there’s plenty of time to decide what to specialize in.”
“I already know what I will do.” Masha smirked. “I will be a spy, and sneak about getting information to help the Empire after we go through the Gate.”
Ron grinned. “Now all your illicit skills make sense! I’m going to work for Ms. Dukes’ department. I had an idea for armor that I want to develop into something real.”
“Who knows what the future holds?” Tina speculated, looking around the table at her closest friends. “We’ve only just begun to discover what we are capable of.”
FINIS
Author Notes - N.D. Roberts
Written March 24, 2018
Thank you!!! And you!!! And you, too!!!!
Book! ... Book! ... Book!
Oh wait, we just had the book! Thank you so much for reading it! It wasn’t that long ago that I was in the Fans and Authors group on Facebook baying for this book along with the rest of you. Now, WOW! I was the one blessed with bringing it to you! For those of you who aren’t familiar with my admin posts from Fans Write, settle in. This is going to be long, soppy, and in UK English (sorry, JIT!) I am Welsh, after all.
I almost cried when I heard that Scott (TS) Paul was having so much success with his Federal Witch series that he (quite rightly) was prioritizing it over Alpha Class. Okay, I cried... Just a little bit... Ok, I cry all the time, but that’s neither here nor there. I was sad, like we all were! When Michael asked me if I’d like to take over, it took me less than a fraction of a second to reply, “YES! OF COURSE!!!” This was the book that got left behind, and we just don’t do that around here!
I need to talk about Fans Write first, because without it you wouldn’t have this book at all. If you don’t know the story, eight or so months ago I decided to be brave and take Michael up on the offer he made in his Authors Notes. It went something like, “hey, want to come and do some writing?” (at least that’s what I read) so I reached out, and Fans Write was born. Just after New Year’s 2018 Volume I hit the ‘Zon and not a single one of the authors involved expected the overwhelmingly positive reaction from everyone who read it, or the strong friendships that formed between us as a result. We did expect it to get bigger, though, and we were right! Volume II is underway with plans for Vol-III and Vol-IV in place. (Popping my admin hat on for a second... if you have an idea for a TKG fanfic, come and join us, there’s a link at the end of my notes)
I can’t tell you all how overwhelmed I am by all the support from our wonderful community after Fans Write Vol-I was released. Thanks to all of you, I get to write in the best universe in the history of universes for the best fans in the history of fans! So thank you! I raise my patented Guaranteed TKG Author Motivator (pitchfork) in salute to you all!
I dedicated this book to everyone who has been right alongside me as I made the journey from fan to author, because I don’t have the words to express how much it means to me to have you all cheering in my corner. So for all my family, friends, and everyone I’ve met in the last few months who has been there—you are amazing!
Special mentions for Micky Cocker, James Caplan, and Kelly O’Donnell for all the time they spent with me in January helping me improve every aspect of my writing. You all are too modest! I had a serious level-up, both in skill and speed, and that’s reflected in Discovery. You rock, and I love you all! (Editor’s note: she really did! This book is amazing!) Edit from Nat: This book is even more awesome because Lynne is magic.
Another edit from Nat: JIT did a fantastic job of picking out every tiny little thing. They were the maths teacher who looks at your sums and says “Where’s your working out?” and it made a big difference. Thank you all!
Much respect to Diane and Dorene (the real ones) for allowing me a glimpse into their minds. I’m utterly in awe of you both, and my snark game improves every time we talk!
Massive love to Lynne Stiegler and Steve Campbell for making this story into the polished book I know it will be by release day. Lynne, you’re an absolute legend and I love when you send me cute animal memes (especially when I should be writing!). Steve, you have an answer for every question and you never think I’m silly for asking!
Let’s all admire Jeff the Artist for this cover as well, it’s so cool! I was unsure of the process, and you pulled this out of the bag. Fabulous!
Huge thanks to Karla Kay for the priceless resource that is the wiki. Seriously, it saved me SO many times!
Last but not least, my fantastic co-author (who I’m going to embarrass now, see the next bit to find out why) Working with Michael is the most amazing experience! He’s going to laugh at this, but it’s kind of like I went to see The Beatles, and John Lennon invited me up on stage to sing Imagine and then passed me the mic and told me to make up my own verse. I sat writing Bethany Anne and realised mid-sentence that this is the canon I’m writing and my hands just shook. That is a gift I will be eternally grateful for. He says it will sink in, but I hope it never does and I get to keep my sense of wonderment forever.
Being an Author
It’s really cool over on the author side of things. Slack is like an office that I don’t have to get dressed to go to, and everyone there talks about books all day and night. It’s author heaven! Sarah (SE) Weir, Erika Everest and I have been furiously plotting (books, not world dominance) over in our Slack channel and I can tell you that you’re going to l
ove what they are bringing you! If you would like to find out what they are up to, pop along to our Facebook group, STARDUST (link at the bottom)
Slack is fun, except when it’s almost 2am and I’m squinting at the screen and MA is punking me! (Editor’s note: he does that!) See the evidence...
(very late chat on Slack)
MA: So, what's your date? ;)
(biiig long pause while I open and close my mouth like a fish—my brain is fried because I’ve been editing Discovery nonstop for the entire day!)
MA: (Steve helps w/ dates)
Nat: Cool. I went blank then ;)
MA:
Nat: *narrows eyes*
Joking aside, it is an absolute joy and my honour to work with you, Michael. You are nurturing, kind, and a hell of a lot of fun! I couldn’t ask for a better co-author to begin my writing career with. I learn something new every time we talk, and I love that! Here’s to many more books together!
Alpha Class (and beyond!)
Writing Discovery was both a challenge and a dream come true. The challenge was to bring you a continuation of the story that I (as a rabid pitchfork-wielding superfan) would be happy with, and to do it in four weeks or less. I think this is the best thing I’ve written yet, and book four is going to be even better!
My favourite bit in Discovery is the scene where Jean Dukes storms out of the gates at the beginning of the siege. I sent a snippet to Erika and Sarah, and Erika coined the phrase ‘delicate dismemberment’ to describe my writing style—which I love, and have adopted.
I am dying to know what the community thinks about the direction I’ve taken Alpha Class in! Come and find me and tell me! I’ll put links to all the TKG groups I hang out in at the end and I’m getting an author page together right now that should be up and running by the time you read this (reviews are nice too, thank you in advance if you take the time to leave one after you’re done reading!). If I’m not writing, I’m on Facebook, talking!
Uh-oh, I can hear the chant starting again! When will Alpha Class book four be ready? I’m starting it next week, and you can expect a fun story to close out the arc. I’ve been having the most fun planning it, and I’m looking forward to getting you all involved. After that I’ll be getting to work on Holi’s War, the continuation of my first story in FWVI. You demanded it, so it shall be!
Until then,
Ad Aeternitatem,
Nat
P.S. Here are the links I promised, I hope I see you there!
My author page
https://www.facebook.com/NDRobertsBooks/
STARDUST: Stories by the Sisters Three
https://www.facebook.com/groups/414869612270799/?source_id=1808528092775135
Kurtherian Gambit Fans Write for the Fans group https://www.facebook.com/groups/TKGFansWrite/
Kurtherian Gambit Group for Fans and Authors https://www.facebook.com/groups/AgeofExpansion/
Author Notes Michael Anderle
Written March 27, 2018
First, THANK YOU for not only reading our story, but reading these author notes as well!
I’m not too sure where to start with this story.
(I’m sitting in a PF Chang’s restaurant in Henderson, NV right now. Somewhere around here lives the military sci-fi author Richard Fox– I’ll have to ask him sometime when it doesn’t seem like I’m being a stalky-stalker.)
Ok, back to starting again. I guess I could go back to the last thing I was thinking a moment ago about Natale’s journey.
It was the way she ended her author notes “Ad Aeternitatem.” You might recognize that phrase from earlier books in the Kurtherian Gambit Universe, and something I started placing at the end of my author notes (I was thinking of Stan Lee’s “Excelsior!” when I started doing that.)
Now my co-authors are writing it! I am getting such a kick out of seeing their names in print, and the love and fun they are enjoying.
Last summer I was dreaming up new ways to get the word about Kurtherian Gambit out to other readers, and the BEST marketing is word-of-mouth. Or for couples, “giggles-of mouth” work really well. You know, when one of you giggles at 2:00 o’clock in the morning and your partner who is trying to sleep is woken up because you laughed out loud at one of our books?
Yeah, that’s the best marketing.
Anyway, I was thinking about the blessings in my life, and the coolness of how many of my fans who have taken the plunge to become authors. The challenge was, SO many of you have reached out with story ideas, but they couldn’t / can’t go anywhere for legal reasons with me.
Yet 20BooksTo50k (Facebook group I started) was too much for many of the fans who, like me, aspired to write something and be published. What could I do?
These thoughts and a couple of others swirled in my head, and I created that offer in the Author Notes so long ago which Natale decided to go for. I’ll let her tell you more of the story—but suffice it to say that because of you, the fans, allowing me the opportunity to share with you, a person in another country has found her calling!
She is an author!
I am very aware how blessed I am. I am very aware the gift you provide me, and I am honored to provide said gift (opportunity) to others.
What I was NOT aware of, and it continues to amaze me, is the willingness of so many of you to join the Kurtherian Fans Write for the Fans group and help others who aspire to write. You do it as beta readers, JIT readers, support fans and everything else.
You are changing lives, which brings me back to Natale.
Her life was changed when that first TKG Fans Write anthology was published. She has found friends in other countries who will be with her for years. She is supported by caring folks whose passion is reading, and who are just awesome human beings. Without YOU, her life would have absolutely taken a different path.
Now, I think you can tell from her author notes and support that she is loving every day, and her family’s life will be affected positively because “we” readers give a shit and we are willing to offer a chance to new authors in a safe environment.
Many of you congratulate me on finding them and having great co-authors.
Folks, I’d love to take credit for some amazing smarts or something, but finding Natale, (Erika, Sarah and the others) was a damned fluke.
I don’t think I thought about how cool it would be to find new authors who already know the Universe and are passionate about writing in it. I didn’t stop to consider the ramifications of GROWING the collaborators through the book series.
In hindsight, it is stupidly obvious—but that’s hindsight.
Now, Natale is the first out of the gate as the ‘second wave’ of fans becoming authors. I’d put TS (Scott) Paul as the very first wave, and arguably the most famous due to his own work.
(Technically Paul C. Middleton was the first to write in TKG – but I’m speaking to the first fan to publish a book.)
So, I think it is very appropriate that the first of the second generation takes the baton here on Book 03 of the Etheric Academy from the first of the previous generation and closes out the series.
So, welcome her to The Kurtherian Gambit Universe the way we do all of our freshman authors—with a Review where you ask…
“WHERE’S THE NEXT ONE?”
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael Anderle
Other Books by Michael Anderle
For a complete list of Michael’s Kurtherian Gambit Universe books please click this link.
Kurtherian Gambit Series Titles Include:
FIRST ARC
Death Becomes Her (01) - Queen Bitch (02) - Love Lost (03) -
Bite This (04) - Never Forsaken (05) - Under My Heel (06) -
Kneel Or Die (07)
SECOND ARC
We Will Build (08) - It’s Hell To Choose (09) -
Release The Dogs of War (10) - Sued For Peace (11) -
We Have Contact (12) - My Ride is a Bitch (13) -
Don’t Cross This Line (14)
&n
bsp; THIRD ARC
Never Submit (15) - Never Surrender (16) - Forever Defend (17) -
Might Makes Right (18) - Ahead Full (19) - Capture Death (20) -
Life Goes On (21)
THE SECOND DARK AGES
*with Ell Leigh Clarke*
The Dark Messiah (01) - The Darkest Night (02) -
Darkest Before The Dawn (03) - Dawn Arrives (04)
THE BORIS CHRONICLES
*with Paul C. Middleton*
Evacuation (01) - Retaliation (02) - Revelations (03) -
Redemption (04)
RECLAIMING HONOR
*with Justin Sloan*
Justice Is Calling (01) - Claimed By Honor (02) -
Judgement Has Fallen (03) - Angel of Reckoning (04) -
Born Into Flames (05) - Defending The Lost (06) -
Saved By Valor (07) - Return of Victory (08)
THE ETHERIC ACADEMY
*with TS Paul*
ALPHA CLASS (01) - ALPHA CLASS: Engineering (02)
*With N.D. Roberts*
ALPHA CLASS: Discovery (03
TERRY HENRY “TH” WALTON CHRONICLES
*with Craig Martelle*
Nomad Found (01) - Nomad Redeemed (02) -
Nomad Unleashed (03) - Nomad Supreme (04) -
Nomad’s Fury (05) - Nomad’s Justice (06) - Nomad Avenged (07) - Nomad Mortis (08) - Nomad’s Force (09) - Nomad’s Galaxy (10)
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
*with Natalie Grey*
Risk Be Damned (01) - Damned to Hell (02)
~THE AGE OF MAGIC~
THE RISE OF MAGIC
*with CM Raymond and LE Barbant*
Restriction (01) - Reawakening (02) - Rebellion (03) - Revolution (04) - Unlawful Passage (05) - Darkness Rises (06) - The Gods Beneath (07) - Reborn (08)
Alpha Class - Discovery: A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Etheric Academy Book 3) Page 17