“We’re a fun team,” Michiko said.
“What do you mean we?” Devika asked.
“Umm, the three of us,” Michiko said. “Kind of like Florian said. We’re Galaxy Mavericks.”
Devika rolled her eyes.
“Does have a nice ring to it,” Grayson said.
“I'm not resting until we stop Florian,” Michiko said. “That's your goal, too, right?”
Outside, Devika’s warship blasted out of hyperspace. A mechanical arm extended from the hull of the ship and reached for the escape pod as the ship’s airlock opened.
“I suppose we do have the same goal,” Devika said.
“I have to avenge my friends,” Michiko said. “I'll learn how to use a gun.”
“We all have unique skills,” Grayson said. “Devika’s a cop. I'm from the Guard. Keltie’s a hell of a navigator. Eddie is a flight guy. And you—”
Michiko smiled and closed her eyes.
“I'm the Chief Fun Officer,” she said. “And apparently I know how to speak with deadly aliens and bend them to my will. Ha. Ha.”
They looked at Clark, who looked away.
“Plus, I know about the aliens’ colony. Maybe I can help in some way,” Michiko said.
“Done,” Grayson said, laughing. “You're in.”
Devika folded her arms.
Michiko glanced out the window.
The stars were bright, so bright.
She hoped her parents were okay.
She thought of Ashley, Rudy and Hassan. Maybe they were smiling down from above, proud of her.
She imagine their faces in the stars.
Life had a way of happening, of steering you in the right direction. Even when you were in the dark.
She was ready to take the next step.
And the next.
And the next.
“I won't let you down,” she mouthed as the metal arm grabbed the escape pod and fed it into the airlock.
TO BE CONTINUED…
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Every book I write is special (to me) for at least one reason.
Rogue Colony is special because it happens to be the thirtieth book I’ve written.
Thirty books.
That means I’ve done this whole “write a book” thing thirty times.
Hard to believe for me because there was a time not that long ago when I said I would never write novels…now I just can’t stop!
Michiko’s Inspiration
I needed someone happy-go-lucky on the team. Grayson’s a hero type, Keltie is more serious than silly, Devika can be a little intense sometimes, Eddie is a family guy, Smoke is an assassin…so I needed a nice change of pace. Someone who could brighten the spirits of the group but also play a really important role. I took inspiration from a lot of Japanese anime and JRPGs. I wanted a “cute”-r character who people could laugh with and at. Someone who, even when the absolute worst things in life happen to her, can find a way to laugh and stay optimistic. And…someone whose personality would also create some drama and friction among the team, too. Can’t be all serious all the time.
It All Started With a Song
I had the idea of Michiko in my head early on—she was one of the mavericks I was most sure about in terms of personality.
And as you know, all of the major characters in this series (except Florian) are named after my favorite bands/musicians.
I was going through my top ten when I stopped on Yutaka Yokokura. If you’ve never heard of him, go look him up. He’s a Japanese jazz musician who plays the koto and keyboards. He fell in love with Brazilian music, and he mixes Brazilian samba with the traditional Japanese sound as well as jazz. His music is fusion at its FINEST.
I am a huge fan of Yokokura and have all of his albums. I love the way he thinks, and I love his chords and arrangements. There’s no one like him, and the world is a better place because of his music.
I was listening to his song “Brazasia”, which describes a world where east meets west, where Japan and Brazil have mixed together and become this incredible world of beauty and song (something both countries have always had in common).
And then I thought, that would be cool to have a character from a world like Brazasia. What would it look like? What would it be like to live there? How would I explain it geographically? So I created my own “Brazasia”—Asiazil.
Then I designed a character from that world. Half-Japanese and half-Brazilian, who loved music. Best of both cultures.
Then I took two musicians who were also on my top ten list—one from Japan and one from Brazil—and I named the heroine after them.
Michiko Naruke—Japanese video game composer most famous for her compositions in the Wild ARMS series. She is the first musician I remember “following.”
On a whim, I received Wild ARMS for the original Playstation for Christmas one year from a friend. I thought it looked hokey, and in some respects, the game was, but the soundtrack was mesmerizing.
Naruke mixes east and west, too. And when I say west, I mean wild west. I had never heard a video game soundtrack like that before, one from a Japanese composer that sounded like it could have been in a western film. Naruke had a signature style that sounds like the spiritual successor to Sergio Leone while also being true video game music.
When Wild ARMS: 2nd Ignition came out, I was obsessed with Naruke’s compositions. To date, it’s my favorite of her albums just because of how adventurous it was. Growing up, that album always gave me such an optimism for the world. Plus, it was nice to see a female composer killing it in a profession dominated by men.
Ivan Lins—Brazilian composer and singer whose music has no rival. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who get him and those who don’t. Chord-wise, he’s definitely one of the most brilliant minds that has ever lived. His chords are so complex and nuanced, and he uses so many of them in one song that I’m amazed he can even remember them all.
My best friend, Will, and I discovered Ivan in high school. His Modo Livre album. There was just something about his chords, his arrangements, and his voice—his voice sounded so familiar, like I’d heard it all my life.
However, when others heard it, they didn’t hear the brilliance that we did. One of my friends said it sounded like funeral music. That depressed me to no end.
In fact, most people who know of Ivan always cite his Grammy stuff (which I’ve always thought is his weakest). Few people know or care about how incredibly original his music is.
If you've ever studied music theory, especially chord theory, it's complicated stuff. My friend Will says it's like doing algebra, which is so true. Ivan’s stuff is so sophisticated he makes it look easy. But when you sit down at the keyboard to try to play it, you get frustrated. In my mind, that's the mark of a master.
And there are two things I learned from studying Ivan Lins that I have applied to my writing career:
1.) He has an incredible work ethic. Between 1970 and 1991 he released practically one album (sometimes two) per year. Back then, that was an extraordinary accomplishment. Even the most revered, famous musicians of all time couldn’t do that.
2.) He reinvents himself with every album. In fact, he reinvented himself with each new decade. You can draw a clear line between 70s Ivan, 80s Ivan, 90s Ivan, and 2000s and beyond Ivan. Most artists flounder when they “reinvent” themselves, but he’s one of the few that got better as he went on.
In my own writing, I try to do the same things: release a lot of books and constantly reinvent myself. I start each new series with a clean slate. I do this not because readers love it—but because it helps me stay on top of my craft, which ultimately benefits my readers. There’s nothing worse than reading a stale author.
And in the grand scheme of things, when my life is over, I hope that people will say the same things about me that I once said about Ivan Line: that I worked hard and reinvented myself with each new series, resulting in an extraordinary legacy that is all my own.
That’s what I learned from Ivan.
And so I named Michiko after him.
Favorite Yutaka Yokokura songs: “Brazasia,” “Urban Jungle,” “Rest of My Life”, “The Shadows”, “Evening Star,” “Wayward Wind”
Favorite Michiko Naruke songs: Anything on the Wild ARMs: 2nd Ignition soundtrack, “You’ll Never Be Alone No Matter Where You Go,” “First Ignition,” “Near the Seas,” “Guild Galad”, “That’s Just a RUMOUR!”
Favorite Ivan Lins songs: All of his albums and songs prior to 1991 (Awa Yio was his last best album in my opinion. After that his work wasn’t bad, but it’s just not the same). With Ivan, I prefer to recommend albums because his stuff is so consistently good: Modo Livre, Quem Sou Eu?, Amar Assim, Awa Yio.
Volunteerism in Space
It shouldn’t be a secret, but the Galaxy Corps is loosely based on AmeriCorps here in the United States. Originally, Michiko was going to be a Peace Corps volunteer, but translating the Peace Corps into space didn’t quite work for Michiko’s story. (That could be an interesting spinoff story, though…hmmm….)
So I made the Galaxy Corps more like AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps is a non-profit organization supported by the United States government that provides education and disaster-preparedness assistance in communities and schools, to name just a few things.
I was an AmeriCorps volunteer. I didn’t do the program where you had to sign up and travel, but I did volunteer with them often through my local American Red Cross.
The work they do is very cool, and they often don’t get enough credit. They often don’t have the proper resources to make the impact that they truly want to, either. And many people who join the AmeriCorps do it as a stepping stone into something else, like graduate school, medical school, or heaven forbid…the real world.
The other volunteers in the program were fun people. Really fun.
Most people don’t know this about me, but I spent a lot of time volunteering in the nonprofit space. My high school actually required that I complete a bunch of community service prior to graduating. I thought it was such a lame requirement. But then, I was a young kid who had no idea what was going on in the world.
Early on in my freshman year, my mom found an opportunity with the American Red Cross YouthCorps (like AmeriCorps, but for high school kids). I had no idea what it was or what it entailed.
The first week, I stuffed envelopes.
The second week, I stuffed envelopes.
The third week, I (wait for it) stuffed envelopes.
But I had the time of my life.
Why?
Because of the people there.
I ended making friendships that changed my life.
Through the Red Cross, I went to camps where I met even more incredible people. And I only got to know them for a few days. Then I never saw them again. But they stayed with me, just like I’m sure I stayed with them.
Maybe it’s because we were young. Who knows.
But there’s something about transient friendships that intrigued me. How you can meet people, spend a small amount of time with them, and then end up being friends for life. I tried to bottle some of that with Michiko, Ashley, Hassan, and Rudy.
Anyhoo…
I ended up clocking in way more than the required hours for high school graduation. I mentored middle school kids, performed first aid and CPR training, made movies (legitimate movies that were distributed across the city), stuffed envelopes, attended leadership conferences, etc. It was an important milestone in my life at the time, something that I will always carry with me.
Having Michiko as a volunteer also fit in with the theme of “ordinary people doing extraordinary things” that I followed so far with the Galaxy Mavericks.
Galactic Guard reservist. Real estate agent. Detective. Garbage man. Restaurant manager (who is turned into a super soldier against his will). Volunteer (former nursing student). Works for me!
More Music References
Rudy Rundgren=US rock musician Todd Rundgren. Early Rundgren though—think “Hello, It’s Me” or “Sweeter Memories”, anything from the Something/Anything album)
Ashley Momrelle=Tony Momrelle, UK house artist and a member of the band Reel People. I love his stuff—not only are the chords smokin’, but so are the lyrics, which is rare in house/electronica. He has a message of optimism which resonates with me. Seven Ways to Wonder is one of the best house/electronica albums in a long time. There are so many things I love about that album.)
Hassan Babayev=Rafiq Babayev, a jazz/film composer from Azerbaijan. I don’t even remember how I found this guy, but I love his stuff. It’s so fun and out-of-the-box. It’s jazz re-envisioned from the Middle East/Central Asia. With good chords. His “Elvida” and “One Evening” albums are so cool.
Arthur Lins=Arthur Verocai, Brazilian musician.
Pinheiro Space Station=Brazilian musician Leila Pinheiro.
Thanks for Reading
You’re in it to win it now! Four more books left, and even more craziness to follow.
As always, I appreciate you. Thanks for reading.
Who is the next maverick?
Well, he’s not technically a maverick, in the “good guy” sense.
Turn the page to read a preview of Book 7, Orbital Decay, which follows Florian. It’s available now in stores.
PREVIEW OF BOOK 7, ORBITAL DECAY
Chapter 1
“Florian, if you don’t get off that pillar and get over here this instant, I will cancel this entire vacation and you will go back to school and do double the homework, do you hear me? You’re going to kill yourself acting like that and I won’t have it!”
Florian Macalestern balanced on a metal post overlooking the blue ocean of Kavios Two.
The water, crystal blue and reflective, was a long way down. Shiny red coral gleamed from the ocean floor.
He dug his hands in his pockets and looked out across the bustling, rocky shoreline full of tourists, past the ferry that was rumbling into the dock, past the sail-shaped aquarium that imposed itself on the horizon like a glinting prism.
A strong gust blew, stinging his cheeks with warm, salty air. He looked over at his mother, who was standing on the sidewalk with a headset on her ear.
“Florian!” she cried.
He looked at the water again. What would it be like to jump, to land in the coraled waters? What would it be like to fly, over the tops of the ships and into the clouds?
He’d hated the whole idea of a vacation on the beach. Ever since his mother told him about it, he kept telling her how he’d rather stay home and play video games instead. Nine years of age and a trillion dollars in the trust fund, and he’d already seen all that the galaxy had to offer.
He hopped off the pillar and ran to his mom.
Greta Macalestern tapped him on the cheek gently.
“You need to adjust your attitude,” she said.
He didn’t want to disappoint his mother. In her white dress and brown bonnet, she looked like she always had. His mom. The woman in his life. He felt a slight twinge in his chest at the fact that he’d made her angry.
“Sorry, Mama,” he said. “I just wanted to look at the sea.”
“There’ll be plenty of water when we get on the ferry,” Greta said, softening. “It’s not every day that we travel to your father’s grave, you know.”
Florian lowered his eyes.
“Sorry,” he said.
Then Greta turned her attention to her headset, speaking to someone on her phone.
“Annaliese, this is so disappointing. You can’t even find time to attend your own brother’s resting place? I don’t care how late you are; it’s really important for Florian that you’re here.”
His aunt.
Probably sitting in her office making excuses for why she couldn’t be with them on vacation. His aunt Annaliese was a busy woman; busy running a company, traveling, taking people out to lunch. He’d only seen her only a handful of times, talked to her ma
ybe once or twice—and even then, it was always awkward, strange conversation, with questions she clearly had canned for just the occasion.
He rolled his eyes at the thought of her doing anything on his behalf. He was kind of glad she wasn’t here.
Greta paused as Annaliese said something.
“It’s just disappointing, that’s all,” Greta said. “At some point you’re going to learn that business isn’t everything. Not by a long shot.”
She pressed a button on her headset, ending the call. She was clearly flustered.
Florian took her hand.
“It’s okay, Mama,” he said. “I’m here.”
“Yes, you are,” Greta said. “And I’m glad. Your father would be, too.”
She smoothed out her dress and adjusted her sunglasses, turning back to look at the tree line of the park just behind them.
“Now, where is Tatiana?” Greta asked.
“There was a long line at the food court,” Florian said.
“I knew we should have paid extra for Rozello’s,” Greta said. “You text them what you want, and they’ve got a private chef who’s to die for. I hear their drones will delivered a home-cooked meal in less than an hour.”
“I’m hungry,” Florian said. “Can I have some ice cream?”
“You will not eat ice cream,” Greta said. “How dare you even ask before dinner?”
“But I’m hungry,” Florian said. “I thought we were on vacation and I could eat whatever I wanted!”
“Florian!”
“I have my credit card,” he said. “You can’t stop me!”
“I’ll freeze your account and stop your allowance,” Greta said, flushing. “You will have no video games, no nanny, no nothing for an entire week, young man, do you hear me?”
Florian folded his arms and puffed.
“Where is Tatiana?” Greta asked. Her voice was growing more flustered by the minute. Florian lightened a little.
Then, through the trees, a teenage girl ran toward them, carrying white plastic bags and a cardboard drink tray. She wore thick black glasses, a blue dress, and she looked like the weight of the bags were going to pull her to the ground.
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