Interview About My VECTO Book, Info About Light Novels, and QA

Book cover by Rafael Fitzgerald.

I was interviewed by fellow author and blogger James Kresnik about my VECTO light novel and BitNovel format. Check out the interview on his returnnovel.com blog here. In the interview, I go over what motivates me, why I call VECTO a light novel, and what a BitNovel is, among other things.

For those who aren't familiar with what a light novel is, Wikipedia defines it this way:

"A light novel (ライトノベル raito noberu^?) is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting middle and high school students (young adult demographic).^[1][2] "Light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Such short, light novels are often called ranobe (ラノベ^?)^[3] or LN in the West. They are typically not more than 40,000–50,000 words long (the shorter ones being equivalent to a novella in US publishing terms), rarely exceed 200 pages, often have dense publishing schedules, are usually published in bunkobon size, and are often illustrated.^[4] The text is often serialized in anthology magazines before collection in book form."

Basically, light novels are short, fun, character-driven stories that are very popular in Japan. There are a few English speaking writers such as James Kresnik and me who are using the light novel format (my story so happened to match the style). Hopeful, more light novels will originate in English instead of having to be translated.

Now about BitNovels. I coined that term to represent stories that are released in small parts with mobile readers in mind. I'm posting a "bit" of my story on this blog ever Saturday at 10 a.m., but you can read more of my story on Wattpad here. Also, you can check out Kresnik's light novel titled Return - The Survivalists here and follow him on Twitter @JamesKresnik1.

Do you like the interview but want to know more? Well you get to be the interviewer this time. Comment below with questions you have, and I'll do my best in answering them. It's QA time!

(Oct. 23, 2014, update: You can buy my Vecto: Vengeance light novel on Amazon here: Vecto: Vengeance.)

Reid Stories: Power Rangers Battle and VECTO Chapter 1.1

Here's a classic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers battle:



"Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, later by BVS Entertainment, and currently by SCG Power Rangers LLC, the television series takes much of its footage from the Japanese tokusatsu Super Sentai, produced by Toei Company.^[2] Its first entry, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, debuted on August 28, 1993, and helped launch the Fox Kids programming block of the 1990s, during which it catapulted into popular culture along with a line of action figures and other toys by Bandai.^[3]" - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the first series: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Complete Series.

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: CheatNotes Summary of VECTO Prologue

VECTO book cover by Rafael Fitzgerald

You may have heard of SparkNotes and CliffNotes, but have you heard of CheatNotes? I created CheatNotes (TM), which are detailed summaries of chapters, for two kinds of people:

1. Those who don't have time to read the story and want a quicker version of it.

2. Those who want to refresh their memories about previous chapters they read.

You can use cheat codes to speed through video games, so why can't you do the same with books? These summaries are filled with spoilers from my VECTO book, so beware!

Disclaimer: Don't cheat in school, or Vecto will consider you a traitor. And if you read the book, you'll know what he does with traitors!

***

Vecto, a robot that's part of a group of fighters called the Alpha Squad, wakes up as his friend and teammate Gyro puts together Vecto's new body. His body was destroyed save for an orb called the Flummox Capacitor, which is his power source. The orb creates invisible shields that also can amplify his voice. Vecto had sacrificed himself to save Gyro from being killed by their arch nemesis Morphaal, who had conquered planets and committed mass murder. Because of cost and availability, his teammate Gyro makes Vecto's body using solid parts connected by wires instead of Vecto's old body made with Dinishmen technology. That body consisted of floating parts that used laser conduction instead of wires.

Gyro has a pitch-black body with unique DNA, has solid green, concave eyes, and doesn't have a mouth (he speaks through the cells of his body). As he puts together Vecto's body, he thanks him for his sacrifice since it gave Gyro enough time to disintegrate Morphaal with his Giga Ball energy attack. He comments that Vecto shouldn't talk robotic since he has emotions.

After waking up, Vecto realizes that they on a planet called Acaterra in Gyro's quarters. The room contains Gyro's rest capsule, a hologram of his ex-girlfriend Charisma, and a framed cross on a wall. Since the Alpha Squad was created to defeat Morphaal, Vecto questions what their purpose was. Gyro jokes that they disband and raise a family but says that he would always stay with the Alpha Squad since it's more exciting than "standing guard on Hodos." Other members are Phantom and Shadow. Phantom is a black-and-brown-cloaked figure who wears a hood. He opens the door and tells Vecto and Gyro that they have a mission to take down one of Morphaal's henchmen who survived.

***

It's revealed that Vecto was replaying internal memory data of the time Gyro repaired his body. That event happened years ago in the same room Vecto was in. Although Gyro got to create Vecto's body with floating parts and laser conduction, that body was destroyed as well and Vecto was creating another one for himself. The only thing left working from his body was one of his oddly shaped feet.

Vecto uses his foot's Air-to-Ice function within his shields to freeze valignium, also known as tyrannium, which weakens in extreme cold instead of vice versa. He then curves his shields to mold the valignium into body parts. As he creates his body, he misses having Gyro around but disregards it as a programmed response. He questions why Gyro sacrificed his life to save him since Vecto considers himself a replaceable machine. He wonders if the outcome could have been different if he was stronger, if he had stop Morphaal's henchman beforehand, if the Alpha Squad had disbanded after Morphaal's death, and if Phantom wasn't also dead.

Vecto's servant, Azul, then opens the door. He has blue skin, wears gold and white, and has several silver bracelets. Azul tells Vecto that Morphaal has been revived.

(Oct. 23, 2014, update: You can buy my Vecto: Vengeance light novel on Amazon here: Vecto: Vengeance.)

Reid Stories: Star Trek Clip and VECTO Prologue 0.3

Here's a clip from the 2009 Star Trek movie:



"Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry and currently under the ownership of CBS and Paramount.^{[Note 1]} Star Trek: The Original Series and its live action TV spin-off shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise as well as the Star Trek film series make up the main canon, while Star Trek: The Animated Series as well as the expansive library of Star Trek novels and comics are part of the franchise, but are generally considered non-canon.^{[Note 2]}" - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the 2009 movie: Star Trek [Blu-ray].

And here's my VECTO scene of the week: 

Reid Stories: Cool Ender's Game Scene and VECTO Prologue 0.2

Here's a cool scene from the Ender's Game movie:



"Ender's Game (1985) is a military science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. Set in Earth's future, the novel presents an imperiled mankind after two conflicts with the "Buggers", an insectoid alien species. In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, children, including the novel's protagonist, Ender Wiggin, are trained at a very young age through increasingly difficult games including some in zero gravity, where Ender's tactical genius is revealed." - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the book: Ender's Game: 1 (The Ender Quintet).

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: Favorite Star Wars Scene and VECTO Prologue 0.1

Here's my favorite scene from the Star Wars movies (spoilers):



"Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise centered on a film series created by George Lucas. The film series, consisting of two trilogies, has spawned an extensive media franchise called the Expanded Universe including books, television series, computer and video games, and comic books. These supplements to the franchise resulted in significant development of the series' fictional universe, keeping the franchise active in the 16-year interim between the two film trilogies. The franchise depicts a galaxy described as far, far away in the distant past, and it commonly portrays Jedi as a representation of good, in conflict with the Sith, their evil counterpart. Their weapon of choice, the lightsaber, is commonly recognized in popular culture. The franchise's storylines contain many themes, with strong influences from philosophy and religion." - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the original movie trilogy: Star Wars Trilogy Episodes IV-VI (Blu-ray + DVD).

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Free Promotions, Steelheart Book Trailer, and VECTO BitNovel

I'm going to change the direction of my blog to promote my VECTO story while helping other authors as well. Until August 1, 2014, I'm offering a chance to promote books by writers of science fiction or superhero fantasy, which will accompany a scene of my story. The space will look something like below.

Here's a book trailer for the Steelheart book by Brandon Sanderson:



"The Reckoners series is a fantasy series written by American author Brandon Sanderson. Three books are planned in the series: Steelheart (published 2013), Firefight (forthcoming 2014), and Calamity (forthcoming). In the post-apocalyptic world of the Reckoners series, random people have gained superpowers. These actions of these new super powered individuals, known as "Epics" have caused the collapse of traditional governments." - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the digital book: Steelheart (The Reckoners).

--
The promotional space will contain a trailer or image, a 100-word-maximum description of the book or series and a link to where people can find the book. If you have a science fiction, fantasy superhero, or anime-style book published that would be rated PG-13 or below if it's a movie (no sex scenes, no strong language, etc.), then you can contact me with the above information. The book must be available via online retailers such as Barnes & Noble and/or Amazon. You can find the contact form by clicking the "Contact Me" tab above. I'll let you know what day your info will be posted and only ask that you link back to my blog from your website if you have one. In the meantime, I will post videos from popular book, movie, and TV franchises.

Below the info, I will provide a BitNovel version of my VECTO story starting from the beginning. There will be a post every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. until at least December. The story is still in draft form, so I appreciate any comments or suggestions.

What's a BitNovel? Simply put, it's a name I created for bite-sized novels ideal for mobile phone users or readers who are in a hurry. Each part is short, and the following posts will pick up right where you left off with a brief reminder of what previously happened. Every time a chapter is completed, I'll post a detailed summary of the chapter on the following Wednesday at 5 p.m. This will help refresh your memory before the next chapter or help those new to the story get up-to-speed on what has happened.

VECTO blurb:  
"An obsessed robot, sidekick cyborg, ex-military commander, sword-wielding thief, determined assassin, martial arts master/farmer, and others cross paths in this action-packed, kick-butt story about a robot with emotions named Vecto who goes on a revengeful search of a longtime nemesis. But as Vecto's actions turn drastic, will he become a hero or a villain? Inspired by anime, comics, RPG video games, and other media, this story blends the best of all worlds. I rated it 13+ due to violence."

I hope you enjoy my book and learn more about other great stories.

(Oct. 23, 2014, update: You can buy my Vecto: Vengeance light novel on Amazon here: Vecto: Vengeance.)