Hi, Readers:
I’ve taken a hiatus from blogging to focus on writing and other matters, particularly my first novel, Warming Season. As I get closer to publishing the book myself, I’m planning to blog a bit more frequently in order to introduce Warming Season, its universe, its characters and its relationship to other writing.
Warming Season takes place in the same universe as my short stories, “In Cygnus and in Hell,” and “Home Cygnus.” These stories show the start of Dorothy Fenton’s interstellar journey aboard the Xi Zhong (奚仲), a journey to an exoplanet moon that pushes the limits of human habitability. The Xi Zhong mission was to forge a new humanity with 16 Cygni Bb as a crucible. 16 Cygni Bb is a real planet with an eccentric orbit that (most likely) gives it hellish summers and frigid winters. A humanity that faced both extremes and survived might be more resilient and more mindful of the value of life.
Warming Season explores the development of the Cygnus colony. It starts and the end of winter, three centuries after the founding of the Cygnus colony – a world on the cusp of fracture. The Xi Zhong colony ship landed in 2456 and eked out a harsh existence on one of Bb’s moons. Having survived disaster, they named their first habitat site Peng-lai, (蓬萊) – a land of immortals – to honor and keep alive the memory of their dead.
Seventy-five years later, the Bright Horizon, arrived. A faster ship, launched by a confident 26th century Earth, brought new technology and newfound optimism. They built the Spire, a massive skyscraper, on the opposite end of the continent as a hub for trade and expansion.
Three centuries later, in 2821, the zeal of the Xi Zhong and the optimism of the Bright Horizon have faded, but the end of winter offers new hope and new challenges. Over the next few months, I will introduce the inhabitants of the Cygnus colony, their ambitions, their fears and their vision for the future.
I hope you’ll check out my Cygnus stories and join me in introducing my first novel-length exploration of the Cygnus universe. It is the first of many, with at least four more novels in progress. I anticipate being able to publish Warming Season by January 2020 and will keep you all updated as the publication day nears. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did.
Until the next installment, happy reading and happy writing.
Note: I designed the cover art with images from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NASA and http://www.pixel.la Free Stock Photos. All images were listed as being in the public domain by Wikimedia Commons.
S. R. Algernon 