Author: Craig Alanson
Narrator: R.C. Bray
Length: 16 hours 23 minutes
Publisher: Podium Publishing⎮2016
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Expeditionary Force, Book 1
Release date: Dec. 13, 2016
Nominee, 2018 Audie Awards — Audiobook of the Year
We were fighting on the wrong side of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news.
The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits.
When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved. The UN Expeditionary Force hitched a ride on Kristang ships to fight the Ruhar wherever our new allies thought we could be useful. So, I went from fighting with the US Army in Nigeria to fighting in space. It was lies, all of it. We shouldn't even be fighting the Ruhar; they aren't our enemy. Our allies are.
I'd better start at the beginning.
We were fighting on the wrong side of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news.
The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits.
When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved. The UN Expeditionary Force hitched a ride on Kristang ships to fight the Ruhar wherever our new allies thought we could be useful. So, I went from fighting with the US Army in Nigeria to fighting in space. It was lies, all of it. We shouldn't even be fighting the Ruhar; they aren't our enemy. Our allies are.
I'd better start at the beginning.
About the Author: Craig Alanson
Craig Alanson is a NYT best-selling author. His first audiobook 'Columbus Day' was one of five finalists for Audiobook Of The Year 2018 Visit craigalanson.com for FAQs, blog posts, merchandise, etc.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads
INTERVIEW
If this title were being made into a TV series or movie, who would you cast to play the primary roles?
Fans have asked what aliens in the books look like, and my answer is they look like whatever the art director if the TV series thinks they look like. Same with casting actors. Whatever I say will get someone upset. The ‘Expeditionary Force’ Facebook page has many fans who argue about that subject.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
I would say nothing. Actually, I would say ‘Umm’ and smile and nod politely, and then never speak to them again during their sad, lonely little lives. The world is full of idiots, never waste your time arguing with them.
How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
By hitting the ‘Send’ button to email the manuscript to Podium. Then I clean my laptop, open a new Word document and start the next book. Usually my wife and I also go out for a nice dinner.
What gets you out of a writing slump? What about a reading slump?
My wife shows me that we have to make a mortgage payment at the end of the month. I find that very inspiring.
In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
Writing a series can be easier because you already know the world and the characters. It can be more difficult because with each book, you have to keep that world and those characters fresh and interesting. With Expeditionary Force, I am writing to a series outline, so it is really like writing a really long book. Really long, like the books you were forced to read over the summer in high school.
Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?
Not yet. I think about them constantly while I’m awake.
About the Narrator: R.C. Bray
From an early age Audie, Earphones, and SOVAS Voice Arts Award-winning audiobook narrator R.C. Bray despised reading. Truly hated it with a passion.
And audiobooks? Even worse. Those were for people too lazy to read (not to be confused with those like himself who didn’t want to read to begin with).
R.C. eventually got older and wiser (he was always good-looking) and eschewing his capricious convictions fell head-over-heels with reading. Not just to learn words like “eschew” and “capricious” so he could use them in a bio line, but because someone was actually going to give him money to do it.
Website⎮Facebook
About the Publisher
Podium PublishingPodium is an industry-leading independent audiobook publisher built upon the foundation of successful partnerships with self-published authors and narrators. With deep share of voice in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Romance, the company has enjoyed quick commercial and critical acclaim, releasing almost 1,300 audiobooks, numerous best-sellers, winning an Audie Award and 13 Voice Arts Awards. Podium is best-known for supporting, nurturing and discovering independent authors and narrators from the U.S. and around the world. The company gained international notice when it took a risk on one-time unknown author Andy Weir (The Martian) and turned his e-book into the largest audiobook seller in the world.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram
Craig Alanson is a NYT best-selling author. His first audiobook 'Columbus Day' was one of five finalists for Audiobook Of The Year 2018 Visit craigalanson.com for FAQs, blog posts, merchandise, etc.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads
INTERVIEW
If this title were being made into a TV series or movie, who would you cast to play the primary roles?
Fans have asked what aliens in the books look like, and my answer is they look like whatever the art director if the TV series thinks they look like. Same with casting actors. Whatever I say will get someone upset. The ‘Expeditionary Force’ Facebook page has many fans who argue about that subject.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
I would say nothing. Actually, I would say ‘Umm’ and smile and nod politely, and then never speak to them again during their sad, lonely little lives. The world is full of idiots, never waste your time arguing with them.
How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
By hitting the ‘Send’ button to email the manuscript to Podium. Then I clean my laptop, open a new Word document and start the next book. Usually my wife and I also go out for a nice dinner.
What gets you out of a writing slump? What about a reading slump?
My wife shows me that we have to make a mortgage payment at the end of the month. I find that very inspiring.
In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
Writing a series can be easier because you already know the world and the characters. It can be more difficult because with each book, you have to keep that world and those characters fresh and interesting. With Expeditionary Force, I am writing to a series outline, so it is really like writing a really long book. Really long, like the books you were forced to read over the summer in high school.
Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?
Not yet. I think about them constantly while I’m awake.
About the Narrator: R.C. Bray
From an early age Audie, Earphones, and SOVAS Voice Arts Award-winning audiobook narrator R.C. Bray despised reading. Truly hated it with a passion.
And audiobooks? Even worse. Those were for people too lazy to read (not to be confused with those like himself who didn’t want to read to begin with).
R.C. eventually got older and wiser (he was always good-looking) and eschewing his capricious convictions fell head-over-heels with reading. Not just to learn words like “eschew” and “capricious” so he could use them in a bio line, but because someone was actually going to give him money to do it.
Website⎮Facebook
About the Publisher
Podium PublishingPodium is an industry-leading independent audiobook publisher built upon the foundation of successful partnerships with self-published authors and narrators. With deep share of voice in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Romance, the company has enjoyed quick commercial and critical acclaim, releasing almost 1,300 audiobooks, numerous best-sellers, winning an Audie Award and 13 Voice Arts Awards. Podium is best-known for supporting, nurturing and discovering independent authors and narrators from the U.S. and around the world. The company gained international notice when it took a risk on one-time unknown author Andy Weir (The Martian) and turned his e-book into the largest audiobook seller in the world.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram
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