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There is a copy of Year Two on eBay right now, with a discounted price. Shipping to Canada is $15.
We will be re-releasing Miss Freedom, but via Lulu, sometime this spring. We’ll be posting an update announcement soon.
Mateo
I agree. I only learned about the dislike of the character on Online Alpha. I had never thought badly of her before then.
We won’t be charging extra because the artwork is printed on the disc (rather than a paper label).
Here’s the latest update.
We were told that as the entire project is 702 MB, that puts it over the 700 MB limit. We will begin compressing the files to get it down to the right size. Once that is done, we’ll burn a master and resubmit it. Can’t give you anymore information until those things occur.
Mateo
That post alone makes all the effort worth it. It was a decision we made early on to not JUST have a series of stand-alone novels (though there have been and will be more), but to have a series of books (even the stand-alones) that contribute to a larger “meta-story” along the lines that Johnny and Chris set up. It is an “origin” tale–and an epic one at that–with the Alphans thrown out into a mysterious and often threatening universe, wherein they try to survive, encounter alien races and cultures, uncover and understand the tracks and machinations of beings akin to gods, and all the time retain their basic humanity and values.
It other hands, who knows what the books would be like? As we say in Spanish, “I am not trying to put cream on my tacos.” But you have to wonder.
Yes, we are following the example set by the editors and authors of the Virgin Doctor Who New Adventures–and Big Finish (many of the same people). I think they did (do) a great job. We aspire to do for Space: 1999 what they’ve done for Doctor Who.
Though, of course, Space: 1999 is NOT Doctor Who. It has its own precepts and possibilities.
I met Gerry Anderson once. They were showing Breakaway on the big screen (pun intended) at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. He signed a few copies of Resurrection for me. We spoke very briefly.
In New York City, Gerry Anderson did a signing event with William Latham alongside signing copies of Resurrection. I think it was during the same promotional tour. There are pictures of them and a few people on this forum were there.
Anyone?
I got the estimate today–and specifically asked about printed directly onto the discs (as you suggested). It was more expensive, but not that much. I took your advice and gave the go ahead to print the artwork directly on the CDs. Once they receive the master discs, they’ll begin manufacturing them. They should get there today.
We’ll announce when the audiobook becomes available.
How about this: send me your name and address and I’ll have Lulu ship you a copy of Alpha compliments of Powys. Getting the info any other way would just spoil it for you.
Mateo (name of the company all one word in lower case) @ prodigy.net
We are grateful for Molly’s enthusiasm and understand her financial situation, but we’d like to respectfully ask that people refrain from posting synopses of our books on this (or any other) forum. For Powys to survive, we have to sell books. Doing so allows us to invest the money earned in MORE books.
We want you to feel free to discuss the books, certainly. But we still need to be able to sell them in order to keep running. It’s a thin line. Everyone so far has been very respectful of it. We are grateful for that too!
I can give you a little more info than that. I sent the audio book and all the art files to the printer today. They will give me a revised quote tomorrow or Friday. I am deciding on whether to have a label pressed on or artwork printed directly onto the disc. Once I get the quote, I will choose and give the go ahead.
Once it’s done, we’ll make an announcement and give everyone information on how to purchase it.
Exciting! This will be Powys FIFTH release is less than three months.
Simultaneously, the soundtrack to John Kenneth Muir’s THE HOUSE BETWEEN was sent out on Monday to be ID tagged so that all the MP3s play in the correct order. Once that’s done, we’ll send the new master to CD Baby (who already have the artwork) and they’ll manufacture copies.
Yours truly co-composed the score for the series which was created, written and directed by the author of Space: 1999 The Forsaken, John Kenneth Muir.
Mateo
Just a few quick answers:
Powys was started in May 1999. Our first published book was Mary’s Monster by William Latham. We were at the Breakaway Con in L.A. (I was) in September 1999–some of you may have bought copies!
Johnny Byrne and I had been emailing and calling each other for a year prior, though we me at Breakaway. I also met John Kenneth Muir at the L.A. convention as well. The plan to publish new 1999 books was already hatched. In fact, sales of Mary’s Monster went to making it happen.
We submitted a licensing proposal in 2000.
At Main Mission 2000 John, Bill, Martin and I gave a presentation on our plans. Johnny was at the convention as well, as was Christopher Penfold. I talked with Johnny and Chris briefly about our plans. I also met Barry Morse there. I asked him if we could name the character Yendys after his wife (who was ill at the time). He agreed. Later, he’d contribute a foreword to the book (Survival).
Johnny Byrne went to their offices personally to encourage them. Eventually the license changed hands was then controlled by Carlton. Carlton’s licensing agency in the U.S. contacted us (one month after the convention) and told us they had been instructed to set up a deal with Powys–just when we’d given up hope!
The first three novels published were Resurrection by William Latham, followed by The Forsaken by John Kenneth Muir, followed by Survival by Brian Ball. As you know, Johnny contributed a foreword to Resurrection and gave us his blessing.
Years later, Christopher Penfold agreed to book end William Lathams next two Powys novels, Omega and Alpha. Omega was dedicated to Johnny Byrne. Full Circle.
Mateo
Thank you Spacefan. If what you say is true, then we have succeeded.
On another note:
Way back in 2000, in New York, I gave a presentation alongside John Kenneth Muir and William Latham talking about the possibiliity of doing Space: 1999 novels. There was a guy who used to write for Starlog there too. I don’t really remember who else (if anybody) sat on the panel. There was a small crowd in attendance, 15-20 people. I handed out a mission statement about what Powys hoped to do. That was before we got the license.
So was anyone HERE in attendance THERE? And does anybody still have that handout? It would be interesting to see if we accomplished the goals stated in that document.
JKM and WL, feel free to chime in if you find a free moment.
Mateo
Okay, let’s see if my memory is still working.
Eroca. Eroca originally named something else, or she was first Eroca, then something else, then Eroca again. I forget was the other name was. I’d have to look it up. I didn’t come up with the name, but I think it might be closer to Eroica than to Erotica, actually.
Susurra was the name I’d originally had in mind for Pyxidea in John Kenneth Muir’s The Forsaken. I imagined the Cryptodira music/encryption to be something like a great murmuring choir. It came from the Spanish verb “susurrar”. I never told John about the word while he was writing the book–I didn’t want to rob him of the fun of naming a new planet.
Later when I was editing Survival, I told John about Susurra and my unspoken idea. John came up with the idea to name the Leiran ship Susurra as a means of highlighting its individuality and sentience. Brian Ball agreed heartily.
Leira. I think I’ve already answered this one in a different thread. The Leira come from the planet Leiram. Leiram spelled backwords is Mariel. In the early 80s, a number of refugees and prisoners were released from Cuba from the port of Mariel. A number of these were boatlifted to the U.S. (some directly into U.S. prisons). I named the alien race in Survival after the “Mariel” refugees.
