Lee Stephen

I'm actually enjoying Xenonauts thoroughly right now (admittedly not really being a "gamer"). But outside of Xeno, I did have to give Alien Isolation a run, being as Alien was a huge inspiration for me! It's an awesome, heart-pounding experience.

Episode 2 is live!

All of the tips will help! I'm actually three missions into things now (all recorded), with episode two scheduled to pop up tomorrow. But this game is really, really fun to play. I have a feeling though that I'm going to get SMACKED. It also wouldn't be me playing if storylines didn't pop up, so get ready. The drama is ON. Coralie doesn't like me too well right now after I shot her in the back.

I'm finally getting a chance to sit down and take a crack at the game I wrote Crimson Dagger for, and I thought I'd invite you guys along. Here's the 411: - I am not a gamer. I am a husband/daddy/writer/knucklehead. But, I'm also not terrible at games, and some of them I can get quite good at. Whether Xenonauts falls into that category is yet to be seen. But don't watch this for tips and tricks! - This is a totally blind play-through. I have actually never played this game until now. - I'm not trying to accomplish any certain thing as it pertains to a "Let's Play" video. I'm just gonna talk. - If you ask me questions, I will definitely try to answer them in-video! Let's means "Let us," so I'm all about this being interactive. - You can make fun of me. And that about wraps it up! Away we go:

That's actually hilarious - I think he should stay.

At present there are no plans to write any additional Xenonauts stories (but I'm glad you enjoyed XCD!). I would direct anyone looking for more of my work to Epic, my novel series, currently four books long. Several members here have gotten into it, so I'm sure you could look back and see their thoughts! If you liked Crimson Dagger, Epic should be right up your alley.

I wanted to make sure you guys read my thread on writing reviews for XCD on Amazon! This is a huge way to help out both the novella and the game. You can find the thread (and the link to XCD on Amazon) here: http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/5359-Help-Xenonauts-by-Helping-Crimson-Dagger!

Thanks for the kind remarks, everyone! I wanted to make sure you guys read my thread on writing reviews for XCD on Amazon! This is a huge way to help out both the novella and the game. You can find the thread (and the link to XCD on Amazon) here: http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/5359-Help-Xenonauts-by-Helping-Crimson-Dagger!

Thanks, CP!

Greetings all! I received the go-ahead from Chris this weekend to upload Crimson Dagger on Amazon. You can find it HERE. "Officially," the novella's publication date is logged as June 1, 2013, though obviously those of you who received it as part of the premium preorder package got a chance to read it earlier. So how can you help? By reviewing Crimson Dagger, of course! If you read it and enjoyed it, put your opinions out there in the form of an Amazon review. What did you like about it? Did it get you excited about Xenonauts? Does it stand on its own, Xenonauts aside? These are all things that will get people checking it out. If you received it earlier as a preorder goodie, you can mention that, too. That kind of thing won't hurt! Just be honest and that's all that matters. The thing to keep in mind is that there will be people who have never heard of Xenonauts before who will discover it through Crimson Dagger. That was a big motivation for this thing getting done, in addition to having it as a Kickstarter goodie. An enjoyable experience reading the novella will translate into readers looking into the game. Having the game and the novella out there creates a sort of Xenonauts universe. We want people checking that out! Having reviews posted for the novella will help accomplish that. I know at some point Chris will have XCD posted on the site publicly for free. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't allow you to set list prices as free. Until things change with Amazon, that's the best we can do. There may be some back door loopholes out there to help make it free, but I need to look into it. It may or may not be able to happen. I'll definitely keep everyone posted as things develop. Thanks to everyone who had such positive comments toward XCD in the goodie forum here! I'm so glad it helped to flesh out the Xenonauts universe for you. It was a ton of fun to write. Take care, all! P.S. - Yes, Chris, you officially have editor cred on Amazon. Welcome to the literary ranks.

Sorry those book cover sizes were kind of wonky. I C&Ped them straight from Amazon. Yeah, these were definitely written for a fan base such as X-Com's. I mean, X-Com was the inspiration for me writing military sci-fi in the first place. I wish there was a way to let the whole of that group know that the series exists, but that's the challenge of writing and publishing - getting word out there. So hey, absolutely pass word of the books on to folks if you enjoy them! That kind of thing is huge for me. You can find out a lot more about the series at www.epicuniverse.com. Also, I'm working on a GINORMOUS audiobook adaptation for Dawn of Destiny, which will be released sometime in 2013. Check out the trailer here: EDIT: Fixed the audiobook link. Used IMG instead of URL.

There are actually four books in the series so far, all available via Amazon: Book 5, titled Enemy One, does not currently have a release date. The series as a whole will have between 8-10 books.

This whole thing made me smile.

You cur!

(First and foremost, thank-you, Chris, for allowing me to post this!) For anyone curious about my pre-XCD series, Epic, you'll get the chance to dip your toes in the water for free between April 2-4, when the first book in the series, Dawn of Destiny will be FREE on Amazon Kindle. This is part of a huge promotion for the series in what should garner Epic a slew of new fans. If you've read Crimson Dagger, you'll have a good idea of what to expect in the Epic series, except with much more time dedicated to character growth and development. XCD is essentially the equivalent of a single battle in Epic. I loved writing XCD. But Epic is my baby. You'll definitely get a feel for where I come from as a writer, and you'll absolutely see the influence of games like X-Com in the way I write military science-fiction. I dedicate a slew of time to character storylines in every book, so if you enjoy attaching yourself to a character and seeing where their journey takes them, this will be right up your alley. I also want to let you guys know that I'll be doing a live Twitter-chat at 7:00 pm CST (hashtag #epicchat) on Wednesday, April 3, to discuss Epic and writing in general. I am also more than happy to talk XCD, so don't be shy about bringing it up! You can find me on Twitter @epicuniverse. And if you feel so inclined, definitely feel free to spread the word (about DOD being free and the Twitter chat)! As most folks know, I'm an indie, so we live or die by word of mouth. Every little shout-out counts. I'm excited about getting you guys into Epic, and hopefully catching some of you on the Twittersphere! It should be a ton of fun.

NOT EVEN FUNNY. Check out Patrick Todoroff - he's another independent and absolutely exceptional. He pens a series called Eshu International that's on the verge of having its second book released. Book one is called Running Black.

I'm a Harlequin Romance kind of guy.

Part of the hope through this novella was that it would benefit both Xenonauts and Epic, both of which were inspired by the original X-Com. We hoped that through XCD, the lore of Xenonauts would be enhanced and publicized through fiction, and that fans of Xenonauts (and X-Com) would know that, hey, there's a serious science-fiction series called Epic out there that's smack-dab in the middle of this genre. Universes like Xenonauts and Epic were born to partner up. You want an X-Com inspired video game? Bam. There you go. You want an X-Com inspired novel series? Bam. There you go. XCD is the equivalent of an X-Com-inspired mash-up: the style of Epic in the world of Xeno. I do hope that those who enjoyed XCD decide to give Epic a shot. I really, really liked working on XCD. But I am thoroughly, madly, passionately in love with Epic. Xeno is Chris's baby. Epic is mine. We want the X-Com faithful to enjoy them both!

Actually, they are, just not "publicly" due to certain Amazon purposes. I'll send you a PM soon about getting some directly from me.

Probably the best way to view that ship in the context of the story is as a unique ship, not necessarily one you'd see in the game itself. One of the challenges we faced was that at the time of writing the interior battle/events, the interior of a ship that size hadn't been designed yet, so there was really no precedent for how it needed to be laid out. Also, I'm sure that when the original Xenonauts backstory was being written, Chris wasn't thinking, "we'll write a novella about this." So yeah, that's a part that might be a little tricky to wrap your head around if you hold the ship to the actual gameplay. If you wanted to keep it canon-based in your head, it'd probably be best to imagine that in the twenty years between XCD and the start of the Xenonauts game, the aliens designed different vessels for different purposes. Even though the ship in the story may resemble ships in the game, I know for me I always envisioned it as a standalone ship for that particular mission (for the aliens).

It's always fun getting to discuss stories with readers after they've gotten a chance to read. For those who have finished XCD already, what were your thoughts? Could you guys relate to Mikhail throughout his situation? Did anyone pick up on the mind control element before the reveal? Do you feel like you'll be jumping into a living, breathing world come Xeno's release? It was definitely a shift writing something so similar to Epic conceptually but in a totally different time period (near-future vs. late 1950's). It was also new writing in someone else's universe, XCD being in Chris's. There's always that feeling of needing to tread respectfully to ensure that, while you're still making the story your own, you're not taking it off in a direction the original creator didn't intend. This was a unique project in a lot of ways. It's just nice to finally be able to talk about it. And to finally have it out there! I hope the wait wasn't too painful.

I'm so glad you guys have enjoyed XCD. One of my biggest priorities was not approaching this from a, "make it like the game" perspective. Canon and accuracy are important, but a game is a game, and a story is a story. The draw for each is entirely different. It was important that this supplemented Xenonauts, not attempted to mimic its gameplay. I'm particularly pumped about folks unlocking Kseniya during their playthroughs! Hopefully there becomes an attachment to her as a character.

A lot of work went into making this both entertaining and faithful to the Xenonauts experience. Chris, Jean-Luc, and thothkins played huge roles in providing feedback and serving as would-be editors. I hope the final result is something everyone enjoys!

The final step (the cover) was submitted today. At long last, you can start counting the days!