Switching to a New Main Character
The Cassa series follows Byron from hot-shot gifted
pilot to retired war hero to commander of a base. He’s a character who has been
with me since I was a young teen. So why would I switch from Byron to his son
Bassan for the fourth book?
Each book has jumped ahead many years. By the
time the third one begins, Byron is approximately sixty-two. While Cassans live
to a hundred and twenty, Byron is at this point middle-aged. Another jump
forward would’ve put him near senior citizen. I didn’t want to write Cassa: The
Geriatric Years.
Enter Byron’s son, Bassan. He’s introduced in
CassaStorm and the ten year-old rather stole the show. Jumping ahead a few
years with Bassan made more sense. He’s a grown young man still finding his way
in the world, which provided the perfect scenario for an interesting story
line.
Bryon is still present, but he now takes a back
seat as CassaDark follows Bassan across the galaxy. Normally I tell a tale
through two points of view (and for CassaStorm, three) but this time I revealed
everything through Bassan’s eyes only. That created a new challenge, but it
also kept it simple in terms of voice and staying in character.
Will readers embrace this switch? I hope that
those who grew attached with Bassan in the third book will continue to follow
him into the fourth one. And for those picking up CassaDark on its own (since
it follows a new character, it stands on its own better than any of the others)
they will never know the difference!
Alex J. Cavanaugh works in web design and
graphics, and he plays guitar in a Christian band. A fan of all things science
fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online
he is known as Ninja Captain Alex and he’s the founder of the Insecure Writer’s
Support Group.
http://alexjcavanaugh.com
https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
https://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh
CassaDark
By Alex J. Cavanaugh
His world is unraveling…
Bassan’s father is stepping down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by fear and doubt. Could things get any worse?
Once there, new acquaintance Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission. Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s people. One problem though—it’s a prisoner planet.
On Ugar, he discovers things aren’t so straightforward. As each secret reveals itself, the situation grows more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again?
Trade paperback, 226 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, LLC
Science fiction - Adventure (FIC028010) / Space Opera (FIC028030) / Space Exploration (FIC028130)
Print ISBN 9781939844842 $16.95 / eBook ISBN 9781939844859 $4.99
Links:
iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1574189874
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0982FL3SH
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940164947033
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844859
Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844859&language=0
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58461762-cassadark
