A new era begins – and it all takes me back to the first days of THE JOSHUA FILES, when I posted a photo of the proof pages of INVISIBLE CITY.
We went on to have postcards, enamel badges, glow-in-the-dark wristbands and T-shirts too, but it all starts with a manuscript. For GEMINI FORCE ONE we’ve got the whole kit and kaboodle ready from the start – thanks to the Power Of Kickstarter. How proud I was to turn to the back of the pages and see the list of awesome Kickstarter backers who donated enough to get onto the Official Backers list. Everyone who backed us gets a gift of some kind, but the Official Backers list will go down in history. Thank you all, guys!
In fact there is even more on its way than shown in the photo – also in the works are embroidered patches, a GF1 jacket, postcards of original artwork from Andrew Probert and others. We might even have a poster. And verrry excitingly, a team of costume designers who’ve worked for the BBC on top genre shows have offered to design and make a full GF1 uniform as worn by the official crew, in time for display at LONCON 2014.
Meanwhile, how is the story coming along, you may ask?
Well, the first draft of book 2 (working title, GHOST MINE) is about 80% completed. As far as Ben Carrington goes, as well as GF1, we’re still in Origin Story country here. Ben is finding his feet on GF-One, hoping to prove his worth to the elite team. But aspects of Ben’s personality make him a difficult recruit. Is it that he’s reckless, too eager, or does boy have a flippin’ deathwish? Either way, Truby has a tricky decision to make regarding the latest recruit to GEMINI FORCE.
I do find myself reflecting on the differences between Josh Garcia and Ben Carrington. We get to know Josh from a younger, perhaps more callow age. At just 13 when his adventure starts, Josh is more a reluctant hero. The end of the story sees him turned into a skillful pilot and fantastic problem solver, and a time-traveler to boot.
By contrast, Ben Carrington is 16 when we first meet him. There is nothing reluctant about his heroism. There’s a huge hole in his life where a family should be and he’s determined to fill it with something equally worthy and resonant. He’s more gleefully physical than Josh, far, far less adept when it comes to girls, but in one aspect, they are very similar. Reckless! Why? Because it is SO fun to write these boys into horrible situations, and then to help them find a way out.
Other firsts in book 2:
- A new teenage character is introduced to the base (read more about the process of writing teen characters in a Gerry Anderson world.)
- Ben steps up the official recognition of his role in GF1
- First mention of a character named after Gerry Anderson – his role in the evolution of GF1 is in the backstory but crucial.
We now have a date for the publication (7th August) of the special collector’s edition of GERRY ANDERSON’S GEMINI FORCE ONE: BLACK HORIZON. You can only get this from Goldsboro Books, unless you were one of our £50+ backers. Numbers are strictly limited – order now to be sure of a copy!
