Oi. With all this talk about republishing Prossia, it's probably easy to forget that a prequel will be coming right off its shoulders. Operation: Sand Gnat (I love my code names for things :P) will be available this November in digital format for free. Yep. You heard me. Free FREE FREE. I've explained before that readers shouldn't have to wait 3 years for an author to produce another book. So, here's my way of saying, "My bad!"
So, what can one expect from a Prossia prequel? Well, there'll be plenty of action, of course, but I always like to have some sort of underlying message. Sand Gnat will bring readers twelve years back before Alytchai, Catty, and the rest of Gooliun learned about the galactic war with the Cyogen. You'll see them at the ripe age of five, and follow them all the way up to their adolescent years as they prepare for a local rite of passage of sorts. The pressure is being put on them more than the classes before them for numerous reasons, and Aly and Catty in particular both have extra standards to live up to. Aly's father, Shanvi, was the famous sparring instructor for her entire village, whereas Catty was born into nobility, since she's the daughter to the village's field lord, Quongun.
Thing is, it's not the village the two are worried about getting approval from. It's their peers. Aly can't seem to muster up the ability to make pure energy from her hands the way everyone else can, while Catty is scuffed at for being too good at the act, being hailed as a child prodigy from the grownups. Friendships will be challenged and priorities will change as we watch these two young people grow into the soldiers they'll later become.
Be on the lookout for more Sand Gnat info in the not-so-fat-off future. ^_^
