All posts by ka1spriggs

Kal Spriggs is a science fiction and fantasy author. His website is kalspriggs.com He is an avid reader of books, enjoys gaming, and lives in Colorado.
Reading

Kal’s May 2024 Update

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Hey everyone, it’s May already!

I’m happy to announce that The Star Engine, book 7 of the Shadow Space Chronicles will be going live for pre-order very soon. I’m aiming for a July release.

I’m hard at work at a number of projects right now. Unfortunately the release of another book, which I’d planned for this month, is under a delay with the publisher, so I’m going to miss having a new book out this month.

I’m outlining and starting work on the 8th Shadow Space book, which I’ll follow with the 9th. It feels great to be working on this series again and, for those of you who have been reading my stuff since the start, you know this is the series that started my writing career, all the way back with The Fallen Race, the first full-length novel I released.

I’ll have a series trailer and a book trailer coming soon, and with the longer publishing timeline, I’ll start posting snippets for The Star Engine in June.

That’s all for now, thanks for reading!

Writing

New Release: Maligned Valor

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Now available, the 7th book of the Forsaken Valor series, Maligned Valor:

https://amzn.to/3TZ75So

In my life, I have been kidnapped, attacked, beaten, and tortured.  Now, they are accusing me of being everything that I hate.

My name is William Alexander Armstrong, I am serving as an Initiate in the Drakkus Imperial Space Korps.  I serve there for my friends, for the girl I love, and in the hopes that I can make things better.  For once, we’re on a mission of peace, trying to make allies, trying to build trust.
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Only, things have gone horribly wrong.  Elements of the Drakkus Empire have been doing terrible things and they got caught.  That’s spiked the peace talks and now we’re on the verge of war.  That would be bad enough, except the people we’ve been helping are now accusing me of piracy and worse.

I should just walk away, I should give up.  The thing is, there’s something rotten in the star system and I seem to be a magnet for that sort of trouble.  There’s a plot afoot, one designed to throw the entire Periphery into a state of war, and maligned or not, if I don’t have the valor to stop it, no one will.

Writing

Kal’s April Update

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Hey everyone! I’ve waited a few days to update for April since I don’t want anyone thinking I’m posting some sort of April Fools joke…

I’m releasing the latest Forsaken Valor book, Maligned Valor, next week, 12 April 2024. Maligned Valor is the 7th book of the series and it was an incredibly fun book to write. Several of my beta readers have said it’s one of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever written, which I took as pretty high praise!

In other news, I’m back to work on the Shadow Space Chronicles. Yes, it’s been a long while, which meant I reread the whole series to get myself back int he universe in preparation (I’ve also done editing for the whole series in the process, so if you own it on Kindle, you may notice an updated Table of Contents and the like).

The Shadow Space Chronicles is a special series to me, it being my first published series and I love the setting and story. My goal is to write the next three books of the series, closing out the current story arc and setting the stage for the next books. There’s a lot of story to tell, with the Balor, Shadow Lords, and various warlords and pirates to deal with, along with other threats that have yet to manifest. If all goes well, I’ll have the long awaited 7th book out within the next couple of months.

I’ve got some other books coming out later this year, so keep checking back here for more updates. One is the continuation of a series I’ve already released and the other is the start of a collaboration in another setting.

In other news, I’ve started a new position with the Army, which keeps me extremely busy. It’s definitely going to impact my available free time, so my blog posts are likely to drop off a bit as I focus first on the day job, second on family, and third on writing. Everything else after that is going to be more or less as I get time.

That’s all for now, thanks for reading!

Science Fiction

New Release: Valor’s Exodus

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Valor’s Exodus, the 9th book of the Children of Valor series is now available! https://amzn.to/3T1spGF

“You are put in a corner and you have to get out. I have to believe that you can always get out.” –Etgar Keret

The Centurions are going home.

For Jiden Armstrong and the others who have fought to assemble a fleet capable of liberating their planet and rescuing their refugees, this has been a tremendous effort. It has cost the lives of hundreds and Jiden has tackled one impossible task after the next, so that her people, her family, can return to the world of her birth.

Except, this is only the beginning. In defying the Guard, the Centurions have made themselves the target for the most powerful forces in human space. The UN Star Guard will throw spies, saboteurs, and even entire fleets at them if it means stopping them. Because if a group of mercenaries from one tiny planet can thumb their noses at the Guard, then anyone can and that could spell the beginning of the end for them.

The Guard are willing to fire on the civilian refugee ships if that’s what it takes. Valor will have to safeguard the exodus of Jiden’s people, all the way back to their homeworld.

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Coming soon: Valor’s Exodus

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Coming March 1, 2024: Valor’s Exodus!

The Centurions are going home.

For Jiden Armstrong and the others who have fought to assemble a fleet capable of liberating their planet and rescuing their refugees, this has been a tremendous effort.  It has cost the lives of hundreds and Jiden has tackled one impossible task after the next, so that her people, her family, can return to the world of her birth.

Except, this is only the beginning.  In defying the Guard, the Centurions have made themselves the target for the most powerful forces in human space.  The UN Star Guard will throw spies, saboteurs, and even entire fleets at them if it means stopping them.  Because if a group of mercenaries from one tiny planet can thumb their noses at the Guard, then anyone can and that could spell the beginning of the end for them.

The Guard are willing to fire on the civilian refugee ships if that’s what it takes.  Valor will have to safeguard the exodus of Jiden’s people, all the way back to their homeworld.

Reading

Kal’s February 2024 Update

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Happy February everyone!

It’s a bit of a belated update here, we’re halfway through the month and all. Earlier this month, I released Loaned Valor, the latest in the Forsaken Valor series. There was a bit of a mixup with the cover text (it said book 7 instead of book 6) though I got that fixed on Amazon so we should be good now.

I’ll be releasing the 9th book of the Children of Valor series in about 2 weeks, I’m aiming for the 1st of March for release. Look for the announcement soon, I just saw the cover and I’m really excited for it.

On the writing front, I’m finishing up Maligned Valor, the sequel to Loaned Valor, and the *actual* book 7 of that series. Once I’m done with that, I’ll finally start work on the next Shadow Space Chronicles book. It’s been far too long, I’m excited to get to work on the series and my plan is to have 3 more books in that series ready to go this year.

I do have a lot on my plate, and even with a leap-year, February is a short month. So wish me luck and look for more updates soon! Thanks for reading!

Science Fiction, Writing

New Release: Loaned Valor

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My latest novel, Loaned Valor, is now available! Loaned Valor is the 6th book of the Forsaken Valor series and follows William Armstrong as he fights for survival within the Drakkus Empire. https://amzn.to/48WhYLa

I have been a killer, a spy, and an executioner, now I am being sent on a mission of peace.

My name is William Alexander Armstrong. I’ve worked my way up through the Drakkus Imperial Military Institute. I’ve made friends and alliances along the way, and I’ve somehow managed to keep my soul.

Now, though, I’ve received a mission I never would have expected. The Drakkus Imperial Space Korps has sent my friends and I to build an alliance with neighboring star systems. Our ship is on loan, to show the skill and training that Drakkus can provide, even as we gift them ships and weapons. It’s a tall order, because in the past, all that Drakkus has brought has been raiders and chaos.

Even if our offers of peace and alliance are accepted, there are other threats, enemies old and new that have it out not just for the Drakkus Empire, but have personal grudges against me and my friends.

Science Fiction, Writing

Coming Soon: Loaned Valor

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Coming February 2nd, the next Forsaken Valor book!

I have been a killer, a spy, and an executioner. Now I am being sent on a mission of peace.

My name is William Alexander Armstrong.  I’ve worked my way up through the Drakkus Imperial Military Institute.  I’ve made friends and alliances along the way, and I’ve somehow managed to keep my soul.

Now, though, I’ve received a mission I never would have expected.  The Drakkus Imperial Space Korps has sent my friends and I to build an alliance with neighboring star systems.  Our ship is on loan, to show the skill and training that Drakkus can provide, even as we gift them ships and weapons.  It’s a tall order, because in the past, all that Drakkus has brought has been raiders and chaos.

Even if our offers of peace and alliance are accepted, there are other threats, enemies old and new that have it out not just for the Drakkus Empire, but have personal grudges against me and my friends.

If I don’t figure it out, if I don’t work out who to trust and show them that there is a way forward, then I might well find myself in the middle of a war.  A weapon loaned out is one that may come back in enemy hands.