Richard Phillips Rho Agenda Blog

Banned in China June 16, 2015

Apparently Dead Shift was hitting a little too close to home for the Chinese Government censors.  Looks like that’s the only one of the six Rho Agenda novels to be banned from Amazon’s China site.

Banned in China

Bob Mayer’s Excellent Take on Theme and Intent June 16, 2015

I saw this from my buddy, Bob Mayer, and wanted to share it.  Excellent stuff for all you aspiring writers out there.

Theme and Intent– Craft Tuesday at Write on the River.

Dead Shift ~ Rho Agenda Inception #3 #JackGregory #Thriller @RhoAgenda #wwwblogs June 10, 2015

Beta Reader Signup June 4, 2015

Hi all.  I know many of you are signed up for my free Beta Reader program.  For those other brave souls who are interested in reading the completed rough draft of Book One of The Rho Assimilation as soon as I have it ready to go, I’m taking sign-ups now.  If you are interested in being added to my Beta Readers list, send an email to me at Richard.Phillips@secondship.net

All I ask of my Beta Readers is to provide general feedback about what you thought of the draft and any egregious errors that really bugged you … my editor catches most but sometimes I make a mistake that only my Beta readers catch.  An example of this was my initial description of how the NSA’s quantum computer worked in DEAD WRONG, but I’ve also made significant changes to the initial draft based on general feedback.  It all helps.

By the way, anyone who is a past Beta Reader and would like to be removed from my list can also send me an email and I’ll remove you from my list.

Best
Richard

Announcing New Alpha Reader Program April 21, 2015

For a limited time, anyone interested in receiving periodic updates to my initial draft of Book One of The Rho Assimilation, can sign up for the program by sending an email to me at:
Richard.Phillips@SecondShip.net
requesting to be added to my Alpha Readers list.  I will also need your kindle’s email address (something@kindle.com) and you will need to add my email to your Amazon account’s approved document sender’s list.

All I ask is that you provide me your general impressions and thoughts on the draft and that you not share it outside of your immediate family.  A word of caution is in order … all first drafts are ugly babies that, once finished, undergo significant revision to turn them into wondrous things of beauty.

This warrants a short comment on my writing process and why such feedback is very valuable to me. When I first started writing, I got into a state where I would write a section of a novel and then go back and rework that, write another section and go back and rework all that had come before. You can see where this is going. It eventually brought me to a dead stop. That’s when my lovely wife, Carol, got frustrated and told me … “Just finish the damn thing. You can fix it later.” Best advice I ever got.

So now I start by putting together all the major plot points I want to hit for the main plot and major subplots, then charge straight on through to the end of the first draft. Then, I come back and take a hard look at sections that need more setup, or scenes later in the book that need to be foreshadowed earlier, or even significant areas that don’t quite make sense and need to be rewritten, and I add those things. I also look for scenes that don’t add much and merely slow the pacing and give them the ax.

In that regard, I’ve been using comments from my Beta readers (the readers of my second draft) for years, giving everything a hard second look. And while I don’t go with every idea or suggestion, I definitely give them a lot of thought.

With these novels, I want to get that feedback started earlier, saving the comments I receive to review prior to starting my second draft. This will help me improve the Beta Reader experience and speed the overall production of the finished novel.

Best,
Richard

New DEAD SHIFT Release Date March 7, 2015

I’m happy to announce that my publisher has moved up the release of DEAD SHIFT from June 30th to May 19th.

Final Chance for my Free Beta Reader Draft of DEAD SHIFT. February 24, 2015

I’m pleased to announce the last go-round of my free Beta Reader Program for DEAD SHIFT. I just need you to add my email address (Richard.phillips@secondship.net) to your Amazon account’s Approved Document Senders list and then email me with your kindle’s email address (something@kindle.com).  Then I will push the free Beta draft to your device.  All I ask is that you not share this draft beyond your immediate family and that you let me know your general impressions of the novel.
Best,
Richard Phillips

Answers to Two Questions from The Second Ship. February 19, 2015

A fan recently asked two excellent questions from The Second Ship.  I answer them here:

1. What exactly happened when Donald Stephenson stepped into the first ship?” I know he assimilated himself into the Kassari Collective mission after that day but how? There were no headbands that we know of, that being the competing tech, or was he blasted or injected with nanites by the ships damaged AI?

ANSWER: This is total backstory, but when Donald Stephenson went inside the Rho Ship for the first time, despite being badly damaged, the ship’s neural net activated the stasis field generator and used it to inject Stephenson with the Kasari form of nanites … a much more advanced version than what Stephenson was later able to reverse engineer and test on Priest Williams and Raul, prior to releasing it for distribution in Africa. Those nanites gave him the ability to interact directly with the ship’s neural net. It’s also why he was able to override Raul’s commands at the end of Immune.

2. How was the crew sucked out of the second ship yet their headbands were not on their heads? If they were piloting the ship attacking the first ship it seems like they would have had their headbands on …

ANSWER: Very good catch on the headsets and I probably should have explained this bit of backstory in The Second Ship. The Altreian crew didn’t actually need the headsets to tie into the ship while they were on board. However, whenever they left the ship, they put on the headsets to allow them to tie into it remotely. That is why they weren’t wearing the headsets when they were sucked out into space when it depressurized.

Rho Agenda Novels Special, $2 ea through January January 4, 2015

I’m very happy to let you know that The Second Ship (A Rho Agenda Novel Book 1), Once Dead (A Rho Agenda Novel), Immune (The Rho Agenda Book 2) and Wormhole (A Rho Agenda Novel Book 3)will be included in the 50 Kindle Book Deals for $2 Each in the US Kindle Store, starting 1/1/2015 and running through 1/31/2015.

Enter to Win – 20 Book Giveaway December 15, 2014

Enter the 20 book giveaway on Goodreads.com for your chance to win my new novel, DEAD WRONG.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22817315-dead-wrong?from_search=true Runs through 1/6/2015.

Free Beta Reader Program for DEAD SHIFT (Formerly DEADMAN WALKING) November 22, 2014

For those of you who would like to read the Beta draft of my new Rho Agenda prequel novel, DEAD SHIFT (formerly DEADMAN WALKING), I just need you to add my email address (Richard.phillips@secondship.net) to your Amazon account’s Approved Document Senders list and then email me with your kindle’s email address (something@kindle.com).  Then I will push the free Beta draft to your device.  All I ask is that you not share this draft beyond your immediate family and that you let me know your general impressions of the novel.

This offer will remain open until my editors finish the final edit.
Best,
Richard Phillips

What has had the biggest impact on my writing? November 20, 2014

I started trying to write while I was still an officer in the United States Army, when I began work on a fantasy novel titled “BLADE”.  It was a big project and the more I wrote, the more my writing style improved.  Noting that my later writing was of higher quality than when I started, I would go back and rework the beginning and then pick up where I had left off.  This happened repeatedly and each time I had more to rework before I returned to write new material.  As the book grew past one hundred thousand words and eventually past two hundred thousand, my progress slowed to a crawl, as I continued to rework what I had already written. 

One day my wife, Carol, looked at me in frustration and said, “Just finish the damn thing! You can edit it later.” As obvious as that seems, it was an epiphany to me.  My job as a writer is to tell the story that’s in my head without worrying about the imperfections, at least until I am finished with the initial draft.  Get it done.  Then go back and fine tune the verbiage, the descriptions, and the dialogue.  That one simple change to my writing process is what has enabled me to complete seven novels, four of which have already been published, with the fifth and sixth scheduled for release in January and June 2015. 

As I talk with aspiring writers, I find that many suffer from the same problem; they are overcritical of their work while they are still writing it.  This often leads to a new writer giving up in failure.  Always remember  that the first draft of every book is an ugly baby but, having finished it, you can be proud that that it has been given birth.  Then, with a bit of loving care, it can be transformed into the beautiful adult you always intended it to be.

Rho Agenda – Das zweite Shiff (The Second Ship), nominated for German Reader’s Choice Award November 20, 2014

I’m happy to announce that the German language version of The Second Ship (Das zweite Shiff) has been chosen for the short list for the German Reader’s Choice Award in the Science Fiction Category. (Leserpreis – Die Besten Bucher)  Below is the announcement:

Dear Richard

I hope you are doing well. For the sixth time already, we would like to honor the authors of the best books this year, which struck, entertained or impressed our readers the most whilst reading. We are excited that the so-called “Leserpreis” is as successful as the previous years since it is the biggest people’s choice book award in the German-speaking region. More than 4,500 different books and authors were nominated. Until yesterday, the readers could choose their favourite books for the Leserpreis 2014. Hereby, we would like to congratulate you: Your book “Rho Agenda – Das zweite Schiff” (The Second Ship) was chosen most often by the readers and therefore made it to the shortlist in the category Science fiction. In each category there are now 35 books available for choice. As of today you can see the shortlists on the following website: http://www.lovelybooks.de/leserpreis/2014/abstimmungen/science-fiction/#liste

Now the important phase starts: readers can vote for their favourite books until November 27th. On Friday, November 28th, the Leserpreis in Gold, Silver and Bronze will be awarded.

Best wishes Marcel from the LovelyBooks Team

Early Beta Reader Program for DEADMAN WALKING October 28, 2014

In the next few days, I will be opening my free Beta Reader program for the third Jack and Janet prequel titled DEADMAN WALKING.  For those of you who would like to read and provide general comments on the same rough draft I will be sending to my publisher (not yet edited), I will be glad to push a free copy to your kindle or kindle app.  To participate, send an email to Richard.phillips@secondship.net and let me know your kindle’s email address.  It will look like this:  something@kindle.com
Best,
Richard

Nanobots Fight Cancer October 6, 2014

When I published The Rho Agenda, the nanite technology sounded a bit far-fetched to many. Not so much anymore.
Check out this CNN video: Nanobots

Review of Vessel by Andrew J Morgan October 1, 2014

I just finished reading Andrew J Morgan’s excellent novel, VESSEL, and posting a review of it on Amazon.com.  Here it is:

REVIEW TITLE: A Better Extant Before Extant Came To Be

This is a very entertaining and enjoyable story that keeps dialing up the tension throughout. It is great fun to see an emerging indie author take advantage of the kindle self-publishing platform to get his work published where anyone can find it and Andrew Morgan has really shown off some good stuff in Vessel. If you like your sci-fi with a focus on realistic technology back-dropped by a looming alien threat and earthly conspiracies, you should like this one.

Third Book Title Feedback September 5, 2014

If you would like to participate in the naming process for Book 3 of the Rho Agenda prequels, I’m looking for two word names … one of which is DEAD, building on the previous two titles (ONCE DEAD and DEAD WRONG).  One of the novel’s major plots is the antagonist’s scheme to upload his cryogenically preserved wife’s brain.

Richard.

Bane’s Dominion retitled DEAD WRONG. September 4, 2014

Quick update. My next novel has been retitled DEAD WRONG (formerly BANE’s DOMINION).

Once Dead Available on Tuesday August 19th August 18, 2014

First of all I want to thank all my fans for your support.  We are finally only a day out from the launch of Once Dead.  For those of you who participated in my Beta Reader program or those who will read it shortly, I would very much appreciate it if you take a couple of minutes to rate it on Amazon and post a short review of the novel.  It really does help others to find it.
Thanks again.

Best,
Richard