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Alternative History

The Valkyrie Protocol is now available in audio!

June 6, 2021 by hpholo Leave a Comment

It’s turning out to be a good summer for audiobooks – especially for our Gordian Division fans. 😀

This one came as a surprise to even us! 😮 But after a long wait, the audiobook version of The Valkyrie Protocol (Gordian Division #2) (once again published by Baen Books and narrated by the excellent Gabriel Vaughan) is finally out and ready to entertain your eager ears. 😄

We’re excited to finally tell you about it, and hope you find it worth the wait! 😊

You can currently find it on:

AUDIBLE
AMAZON AUDIO

Also, if you haven’t yet started your adventures through time and alternate history, The Gordian Protocol (Gordian Division #1) is out and ready for the listening on:

AUDIBLE
AMAZON AUDIO

Enjoy! 😄

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Alternate History, Alternative History, Amazon Audio, Audible, audible exclusive, audiobook, audiobooks, baen books, David Weber, Hard Sci Fi, Hard Science Fiction, Jacob Holo, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, The Gordian Protocol, The Valkyrie Protocol, time travel, time travelers

Vote for The Valkyrie Protocol in The Dragon Awards!

June 3, 2021 by hpholo Leave a Comment

Hey, readers! If you’re a fan of things and like to wield your fan power in fun ways, then let me introduce you to The Dragon Awards.

Hosted by Dragon Con, The Dragon Awards are annual awards given to the year’s best in science fiction and fantasy entertainment – that’s books, movies, television, comics, the whole shebang.

What makes them stand out from other awards of their ilk? They’re entirely decided by you, the fans. 😀 You don’t even have to have a Dragon Con membership to vote!

That said, The Dragon Awards nomination period is open now and will run through July 19th, 2021, but the earlier you get your nominations in, the better.

And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that Jacob and David’s The Valkyrie Protocol is eligible this year for Best Alternate History Novel. 😉 *wink wink*

To submit your choices, visit this page on the Dragon Con website before July 19th.

Remember, nominations need to have been released between July 1st, 2020 and June 30th, 2021, and you can only nominate a title in one category. (If you nominate it in multiple categories, then all are rejected. 😧)

The Valkyrie Protocol aside 😉, what are you voting for this year?

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Alternate History, Alternative History, awards, baen books, book award nominations, book awards, David Weber, dragon awards, dragon awards nominations, Dragon Con, Jacob Holo, nominations, the dragon awards, The Valkyrie Protocol, time travel, time travelers, valkyrie protocol

David Weber reads from The Valkyrie Protocol!

July 13, 2020 by hpholo 2 Comments

Valkyrie Facebook Cover Photo
Hey, Gordian Division fans! If you’re on YouTube and would like a sneak peek at the upcoming sequel to The Gordian Protocol, head on over to The Weberverse for David’s reading of The Valkyrie Protocol, Chapter 1! 😄
…Or you could just watch it below. 😜 (And don’t forget, it’s coming October 6th, 2020 from Baen Books!)

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Alternate History, Alternative History, Baen, baen books, David Weber, reading, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, The Valkyrie Protocol, time machine, time machines, time travel, time travelers, Weberverse, YouTube

The Valkyrie Protocol eARC is out!

July 6, 2020 by hpholo

Valkyrie Facebook Cover Photo
Hey, readers! Last month, we turned in our final copyedits for Jacob and David Weber‘s next book, and as of today, we’re exactly three months away from the release of The Valkyrie Protocol. 😀
However, if you just can’t wait to experience the second book in the Gordian Division series, you’ll be delighted to know that the eARC is now available on Baen Books’ website!
eARCs are pre-release copies of books that haven’t undergone their final edit – They’re the copies we just finished copyediting – so they lack the refined polish of a finished book. They have the heart of it, though! 😊
First time hearing of this sequel? Well, read on to find out more!

UNTANGLE THE PAST TO SAVE THE FUTURE. A NEW NOVEL IN THE WORLD OF THE BEST-SELLING THE GORDIAN PROTOCOL
TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Agent Raibert Kaminski and the crew of the Transtemporal Vehicle Kleio have made a shocking discovery out in the unknown reaches of the multiverse. They’ve stumbled across a temporal implosion that has claimed two whole universes, and neither Raibert nor his crew can figure out what caused this calamity other than it had something to do with reckless time travel.
The Kleio speeds back to their home universe of SysGov with this dire report, but an audacious plan is put into effect before they arrive. Old colleagues of Raibert’s from the Antiquities Rescue Trust, together with a version of Samuel Pepys transplanted from the 17th century into the 30th, have proposed an expedition into the past. Their goal? To branch the timeline by preventing the Plague of Justinian, one of the worst pandemics in human history.
Meanwhile, SysGov’s multiverse neighbor, the xenophobic Admin, is stirring. While their ambassadors put on a friendly show, the Admin is amassing a fleet of advanced, heavily armed time machines with SysGov firmly in the crosshairs.
Time is running out for Raibert and his team. But the crew of the Kleio won’t go down without a fight, no matter where—or when—the threat to their home comes from.

The hardcover is already up for preorder at multiple retailers, and if you need to catch up, The Gordian Protocol (Gordian Division #1) is out in eBook, hardcover, audio, and mass market paperback.
Otherwise, don’t forget to mark your calendars for October 6th, 2020! 😀

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Alternate History, Alternative History, Baen, baen books, Book 2, Byzantine, Byzantium, David Weber, Emperor Justinian, epidemic, Gordian Division series, Jacob Holo, Justinian, multiverse, pandemic, plague, Plague of Justinian, Samuel Pepys, Sequel, series, The Valkyrie Protocol, time machines, time travel

The Valkyrie Protocol has a Release Date!

April 9, 2020 by hpholo Leave a Comment

Valkyrie Facebook Cover Photo
Hey, readers! The sequel to The Gordian Protocol now has a release date, and as you can see above, it’s coming October 6, 2020 from Baen Books! 😀 Check out this awesome cover:
thevalkyrieprotocolcover
The stakes for our heroes were pretty high in Gordian, and now, in The Valkyrie Protocol, they haven’t gotten any smaller:

UNTANGLE THE PAST TO SAVE THE FUTURE.
Agent Raibert Kaminski and the crew of the Transtemporal Vehicle Kleio have made a shocking discovery out in the unknown reaches of the multiverse. They’ve stumbled across a temporal implosion that has claimed two whole universes, and neither Raibert nor his crew can figure out what caused this calamity other than it had something to do with reckless time travel.
The Kleio speeds back to their home universe of SysGov with this dire report, but an audacious plan is put into effect before they arrive. Old colleagues of Raibert’s from the Antiquities Rescue Trust, together with a version of Samuel Pepys transplanted from the 17th century into the 30th, have proposed an expedition into the past. Their goal? To branch the timeline by preventing the Plague of Justinian, one of the worst pandemics in human history.
Meanwhile, SysGov’s multiverse neighbor, the xenophobic Admin, is stirring. While their ambassadors put on a friendly show, the Admin is amassing a fleet of advanced, heavily armed time machines with SysGov firmly in the crosshairs.
Time is running out for Raibert and his team. But the crew of the Kleio won’t go down without a fight, no matter where—or when—the threat to their home comes from.

If you haven’t started the Gordian series yet, now’s the perfect time to catch up. 😀
For a limited time, The Gordian Protocol is available in a discounted pack in Baen Books’ May 2020 Book Bundle, where you can snag 7 books for $18 (Scroll to the bottom of the link to find the May bundle, but go fast, because it expires the first week of May).
It’s also coming April 28th in Mass Market Paperback, and of course, is already available in eBook, Hardback, and Audiobook form.
Finally, while you wait for Valkyrie‘s book birthday, enjoy this clean art of this cover, once again illustrated by the talented Dave Seeley! 😲
valkyrie
Jacob and David had a blast writing this novel together, and we look forward to you reading it, too! 😁

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Alternate History, Alternative History, Baen, baen books, coming soon, David Weber, Fall 2020 Books, Jacob Holo, Parallel Universes, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, The Gordian Protocol, The Valkyrie Protocol, time travel, Upcoming Books

Interview on The Baen Free Radio Hour!

May 18, 2019 by hpholo Leave a Comment

BaenPodcastAlbum
If you’re not familiar with the Baen Free Radio Hour and love sci-fi podcasts, you need to GET ON THAT.
If you’re also a fan of The Gordian Protocol, Friday brought a reason to DOUBLE GET ON THAT:
Here’s part one of a 3-part interview with Jacob, David Weber, and Baen publisher Toni Weisskopf, led by Baen Editor Tony Daniel. (It also includes the latest installment of the audiobook serialization of Larry Correia’s Son of the Black Sword)!
Subsequent parts will be added as they’re posted, but if you’d like to follow them, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or listen in-browser on the Baen website.

Listen Here:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

***
Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.
 

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Alternate History, Alternative History, Author Interview, Baen, baen books, Baen Free Radio Hour, David Weber, Interview, Jacob Holo, Larry Correia, Podcasts, Sci-Fi, Sci-fi Podcast, Science Fiction, Son of the Black Sword, The Gordian Protocol, time travel, Toni Weisskopf, Tony Daniel

A Funny Story About Writing The Gordian Protocol

May 10, 2019 by holojacob Leave a Comment

The Gordian Protocol Cover
*Originally posted 3/6/19 on the Weber Forums.
PLEASE NOTE: This post will contain a few vague references to parts of The Gordian Protocol‘s plot and characters. I’ll do my best to keep from spoiling anything, but those who wish to experience the novel without any spoilers of any kind should avoid this post in its entirety.
Though, honestly, if you’re reading this, are you really trying your best to avoid spoilers? 🙂
Now, onto the story.
It’s spring of 2017, I’m deep into writing my scenes for The Gordian Protocol, and I come across a…problem. Not a big problem, mind you, but more of a “Hmm, how best to handle this?” kind of situation. I was quickly approaching a scene where I needed to get a key character onto the protagonists’ time machine. And the character (let’s call him “Jimmy”) had to board the time machine willing. That’s the important part, and I need to be snappy about it, because the story was on a serious crescendo, and I wanted to maintain that forward momentum into the climax.
Problem is, there’s a lot tying Jimmy to his native place in history. A lot.
This is a man for whom duty runs thick through his veins, especially to his…goldfish. (Okay, you know it’s not his goldfish, but I’m rolling with this as part of my anti-spoiler tactics.) He needs a Very-Good-Reason to leave his goldfish behind. He and that goldfish have been through some tough times together! Granted, our protagonists have that Very-Good-Reason, but their story isn’t the easiest one to digest, and Jimmy is no fool, especially when the needs of his goldfish are concerned. There will be questions. There will be discussions. There will be…delays.
Hence, I had a problem.
I took a step back and reviewed David’s notes. This was often my first step when I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. Between the alternate history notes and deep character background, I had over 40,000 words of material to pull from when writing my scenes, and those notes almost always provided the guidance I needed to support David’s vision for the novel.
So, I looked up David’s notes on Jimmy and… Aha! This particular goldfish wasn’t named here! It only listed that Jimmy…found a second goldfish, long after the untimely passing of his first goldfish. (Have you figured out what the goldfish is?)
Well… 😜
Let me segue for a moment here and talk a bit about the collaboration process. As the junior partner on a project, I view it as my responsibility to support the senior partner’s overall vision for the novel while also contributing my own original ideas. Balancing the two can be tricky at times, so I was always keen to identify which parts of this story I needed to strictly follow David’s lead and which parts were my sandbox to explore.
The lack of a name for Jimmy’s second goldfish was like a bright green flag waving in my mind. We were in sandbox territory here! Yes! I could do whatever I wanted with the goldfish!
I pondered how to approach the problem with this newfound narrative freedom. And then it hit me. Jimmy’s goldfish couldn’t tie him down…if it wasn’t around anymore!
So I blew up the goldfish during one of the novel’s action set pieces. Little smoking pieces of fish strewn everywhere. Thus Jimmy was free to board the time machine without hesitation, and the plot could move forward efficiently. The engineer in me was quite pleased with how I’d dealt with the problem. KISS principle, you know? (Keep It Simple Stupid)
Sometimes it’s easiest just to dynamite the obstacle.
I went on to finish my portion of the novel and hand it over.
A little while later, David reviewed my work, and we had a conversation that went something like this (heavy paraphrasing to follow):
DW: So, you know Jimmy’s goldfish?
JH: The first or the second?
DW: The second. The one you blew up.
JH: Sure, I do. I’m the one who blew it up, after all.
DW: Right, about that. You do realize I had a story planned for that goldfish in the sequel.
JH: …You did? 😬
At this point, my internal dialogue looked something like this: Oh, &%#$! Oh, &%#$! Oh, &%#$!
DW: Yeah, you mind if I rework those scenes?
JH: What? Oh, uhh, no, not at all! Please, be my guest! Edit away! I wasn’t sure how best to approach that part anyway!
A little while later, I received David’s next set of revisions. And boy, was I in for a surprise!
You see, he didn’t take the goldfish death out. In fact, he ended up making the death scene even WORSE! He didn’t just blow it up! He mangled the goldfish’s body, had it flopping around on the floor, gasping for air, and then had it die in Jimmy’s arms!
I remember reading it, thinking to myself, “Wait a second. Isn’t the goldfish supposed to live?” And then a little bit later, “Huh. Guess not.”
And, wow. I absolutely loved the changes he made. He took a scene I wrote out of a desire to move the story forward as cleanly as possible, reworked it here, massaged it there, and then cranked the emotional impact up to eleven! It was a fantastic scene, but it’s also one he wouldn’t have written if I hadn’t killed…the goldfish…when I shouldn’t have. A small misunderstanding ended up blossoming into something neither of us would have written on our own, and it’s moments like this that make collaborating with another author such an awesome experience.
That said, I told David afterwards we should probably establish a “Thou Shalt Not Kill These Characters” list for future projects. 🙂
Speaking of which, I think I’ve procrastinated enough today. Time for me to get back to work on the sequel to The Gordian Protocol. I’ve got a lot of [REDACTED] to blow up this week. 😄😄😄

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Alternate History, Alternative History, Collaboration, David Weber, Goldfish, The Gordian Protocol, time travel, Writing, Writing Problems, Writing Techniques

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