I’ve talked about beta readers before, and how vital they are for Indie writers. Well, Chris James, author of The Race Against Time, has been one of mine for a very long time. And I’ve been one of his since Repulse, the novel that started his climb to fame.
I am now very proud to announce that the latest novel in the story arc, The Race Against Time, is not only published, it’s hit the top of the best seller lists in the UK:
You can read Chris’ post about The Race here, and garden lovers can also check out some truly gorgeous photos of tulips (grown by Mrs James). 🙂
As someone who loves good science fiction, I can tell you that it was hard to focus on the technicalities of The Race because I kept wanting to read what happened next. That’s one of the pitfalls of beta reading when you grow to love the characters, which I do.
The Repulse Chronicles encompass one of the most innovative, immersive and, dare I say it, topical story arcs in modern science fiction. Chris James lives in Poland with his wife and family, and the story is about the invasion of Europe in the future. I say no more.
Congratulations to Chris for a job very well done. 😀
Meeks
Meeka's Mind 
May 5th, 2022 at 12:52 am
How awesome to have played a role in this author’s success, even if a small one. And that’s a good sign that it was hard to focus on the technicalities as you were caught up in the story. And what a topic. The second I read that, a chill raced up my spine. I’m heading over to read more about the book! Many congrats to Chris!
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May 5th, 2022 at 7:59 am
Honestly? Chris’ success is all down to Chris. I think that as a writer he was building up to Repulse for a number of years, but the concept is not your standard scifi, but then he said, to hell with it, and wrote it anyway. And the rest…-cough-…is history. 😉
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May 6th, 2022 at 4:17 am
“Not your standard scifi” is a great recommendation. Thanks!
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May 6th, 2022 at 7:40 am
Welcome. 😀 😀
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May 4th, 2022 at 7:37 am
I looked at the sample that Amazon shows of the first book, Repulse, and decided right then to buy the whole series. Thank you for showing me a new-to-me science fiction author.
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May 4th, 2022 at 7:51 am
Oh! You are so very welcome. I’m always on the lookout for new scifi writers myself so I’m delighted I could help. And the Repulse Chronicles will not disappoint. 🙂
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May 3rd, 2022 at 4:15 pm
Huge thanks for your support, as always Meeka. I was pretty amazed when it got to #1 in HNR on release 🙂
Folks, I have to tell you it’s all a bit mutual here. Like quite a few of you, I expect, I was stunned when I read Vokhtah several years ago now and still regard that book as one of THE truly ground-breaking works of SF. I still hope every day that book will get the acknowledgement it deserves. And It’s a real honour to be praised by A.C. Flory, I can tell you! ***blushing***
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May 3rd, 2022 at 7:43 pm
-grins- bah and humbug, Mr James. 😀
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May 3rd, 2022 at 2:35 pm
How very cool! Just discovering the in’s and out’s of beta reading. It’s not as easy as it seems! When the book is a drudge, it takes forever. And when the story moves along, it’s hard to step back and be objective. But when the comments come in on your own work, it can be eye-opening, if painful.
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May 3rd, 2022 at 7:48 pm
Beta reading is quite hard, for exactly the reasons you’ve said. And being read…that takes a heck of a lot of trust, at least for me. I know Chris is always spot on, and never says anything out of ‘ego’. Plus he’s caught a few whoppers. lol So trust, yeah. 🙂
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May 3rd, 2022 at 2:28 pm
Hi Meeks, thanks for sharing about this author. I don’t read a lot of science fiction, but I will have a look and see.
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May 3rd, 2022 at 7:50 pm
The premise of the story arc is that a war happens in our future and a history is written about it. That history somehow travels back in time, so it’s a history of the future. That’s the original Repulse. Each book of the chronicles re-tells that history, but from the POV of the people critical to each stage. It’s hard to describe, but well worth the read. 🙂
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May 4th, 2022 at 12:35 am
What an amazing idea. Thanks for the extra information, Meeks.
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May 4th, 2022 at 8:03 am
You’re welcome, Robbie. I know you love history so I had a feeling the concept would resonate with you. 🙂
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