Post #232 October 12 2020 “Download Numbers, Current Projects and the Future” Every so often, I like to take a moment to get a breath from my whirlwind writing career. Step back and consider where I am. First, some numbers…. As of this writing, some 47,073 downloads have been made of my online work. This has all occurred over the last six years. It’s sobering for me to realize that my work has been downloaded by somebody this many times. Somebody out there must be reading my stuff. Here’s the cumulative breakdown by category, as of 9-28-29: Tales of the Quantum Corps (seven Johnny Winger novels): 10,035 Quantum Troopers (series formerly known as Nanotroopers; 22 episodes): 21,005 The Farpool Stories (6 novels): 6531 Time Jumpers (series of 10 novellas): 2737 Quantum Troopers Return (series of 10 novellas; eight uploaded to date): 361 Three alternate-history novels: 2857 Two horror novels: 1899 Two story collections: 1477 That’s where my career stands concerning numbers of readers and downloads. As to current projects, I mentioned above that Quantum Troopers Return still has two novella-length episodes to be uploaded. The next one comes on October 9, followed by Episode 10 on November 13. I have just finished a science fiction short story entitled ‘Proxima’, which I hope to start submitting to print markets this week. I currently have one other short story circulating around, entitled ‘Halo Jumpers.’ Here’s hoping it finds a home. By November 2 (if not earlier), I will be starting first draft work on my next novel The Eureka Gambit. This is my fourth alternate-history story (all of them unrelated), a kind of what-if? story set in 1943. Here’s a brief description: Major premise: Hitler approves a plot to abduct Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill as they arrive and assemble for the Teheran Conference in Nov 1943, to prevent an invasion of western Europe. The plot involves ransoming off the lives of the Big Three for a cessation of hostilities in Europe and recognition by the Allies of current borders and military gains by the Third Reich. Recognizing a new order in Europe. The operation succeeds and Roosevelt and Churchill are abducted. Stalin escapes the attempt with injuries. Roosevelt and Churchill are spirited away by low-flying aircraft to a remote site in Turkey, then taken by train through the Balkans to a mountain hideaway in the Austrian Alps. Now Hitler has a bargaining chip for dealing with the U.S. and U.K. He also knows about the proposed Operation Overlord and one of his conditions is that Overlord be scrapped. A rescue effort must be mounted. Vice President Henry A. Wallace must coordinate with King George VI of England to coordinate rescue operations. Look for this one to be published online sometime in late spring or early summer 2021. Further in the future, I plan to re-start my series The Farpool Stories, with three more titles as indicated below: The Farpool: Plague The Farpool: Diaspora The Farpool: Destiny I’ll have to do a lot of re-reading of my original stories to maintain continuity and carry the main themes forward in a logical and believable way. I do have the basic story ideas down already. Even further down the road, I may attempt to take my two stories ‘Cloudchasers’ (published in a collection called Elliptical Galaxies) and Quantum Troopers Return: Episode 5: HAVOC and make a novel out of them. Both deal with the planet Venus, which often doesn’t find its way into much science fiction, almost as if it were a forgotten world. With the recent real-life discovery of the chemical phosphine (PH3) in the Venusian atmosphere, there is some speculation that such a discovery may in fact be a molecular indicator of some kind of odd life forms in that planet’s atmosphere. We’ll see. So, that’s where I stand as of this date. The next post to The Word Shed comes on October 19. See you then. Phil B.