I’m experimenting with the epistolary story form, and this is the novella that’s coming into being. I’ll get back to work on it after Chaos Junkie is through its first draft.
Into the Void: An Epistolary Space Opera
In the Scylla Cluster, where pirates sing sea shanties and regulations are more of a suggestion, Captain Candin Marre is juggling a secret mission, an insubordinate first mate, and a pirate leader who might be charming if he weren’t so infuriating. Meanwhile, her sister Eleta, a xeno-veterinarian with a soft spot for mysterious creatures, is trying to prove that a shape-shifting “Blip” is more than just a flashy cephalopod—much to the irritation of her crew.
As the sisters exchange letters across the stars, Candin navigates shady alliances with pirates while keeping EarthScope’s eyes off her trail, and Eleta fights to protect a creature no one else takes seriously. Secrets pile up, tensions rise, and at least one pirate gets away with far too many bad jokes.
With a galaxy full of rules to break, mysteries to unravel, and pirates to wrangle, “Into the Void” is an epistolary tale of sibling bonds, interstellar intrigue, and what happens when you mix scientific discovery with questionable diplomacy.