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The Silver Ship book cover 1
The Silver Ship book cover 2
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The Silver Ship
Series · 6 books · 2007-2020

Books in series

The Silver Ship and the Sea book cover
#1

The Silver Ship and the Sea

2007

The colony planet Fremont is joyous, riotous, and very wild. Its grasses can cut your arms and legs to ribbons, the rinds of its precious fruit can skewer your thumbs, and some of the predators are bigger than humans. Meteors fall from the sky and volcanoes erupt. Fremont is verdant, rich, beautiful, and dangerous. Fremont's single town, Artistos, perches on a cliff below rugged mountains. Below Artistos lie the Grass Plains, which lead down to the sea. And in the middle of the Grass Plains, a single silver spaceship lies quiet and motionless. The seasons do not dull it, nor do the winds scratch it—-and the fearful citizens of Aristos won't go near it. Chelo Lee, her brother Joseph, and four other young children have been abandoned on the colony planet. Unfortunate events have left them orphaned in a human colony that abhors genetic engineering—and these six young people are genetically enhanced. With no one to turn to, Chelo and the others must now learn how to use their distinct skills to make this unwelcome planet home, or find a way off it. They have few tools—an old crazy woman who wonders the edges of town, spouting out cryptic messages; their appreciation and affection for each other; a good dose of curiosity; and that abandoned silver space ship that sits locked and alone in the middle of the vast grass plain …
Reading the Wind book cover
#2

Reading the Wind

2008

The colony planet of Fremont was supposed to be free of all genetically altered beings—a new home for a pure race. So when Chelo and her brother Joseph, along with four other genetically altered teenagers, were abandoned on Fremont, they were not welcome. They vowed to get off the planet by any means necessary. Joseph and the others managed to escape, but Chelo was left behind with her new found love, forced to live underground. Joseph and the others find that their homeworld is full of vengeance. Believing that the people of Fremont killed the teenaged castaways, they sent a technologically advanced mercenary team to Fremont to eliminate the entire planet's population. With the help of Joseph's father, the youngsters head back to Fremont to try to save Chelo.
Wings of Creation book cover
#3

Wings of Creation

2009

Joseph has succeeded in rescuing his sister, Chelo, from a pitched battle on the colony planet Fremont. Now he and Chelo and the love of his life, Alicia, and all of their extended family, are finally returning home. Halfway there, a probe intercepts them, sending them new coordinates and a message from Joseph’s enigmatic supporter and teacher, Marcus. War is brewing. Joseph is wanted for escaping to save Chelo. To stay safe, Joseph must bring his family and friends to the renowned planet of Lopali, where men and women can fly, and peace and freedom abound. Or do they? Alicia has always wanted to fly, but the modifications that give humans wings kill as often as they work. Joseph must learn to actually change humans, to free the fliers of a tyranny that has enslaved them, since their species was born. If he can do this, the fliers have agreed to help him stop the war. But it’s not as easy as it seems.
Stories of Fremont's Children book cover
#3.25

Stories of Fremont's Children

2018

What Happens When The Universe Is Not Big Enough For Everyone? Differences define us. They set us at odds with the world. How we handle such conflicts establishes our character. For good or ill, Fremont’s Children are full of character. Battling society. Each other. Themselves. Eking out a place to live and be free in peace on unforgiving worlds, among—at times—unforgiving people. And yet Fremont’s Children persist, learning that it isn’t about the conflicts, but about the friends and family that stand at your back. These stories—written by Brenda Cooper, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and John A. Pitts—are about the heart of humanity in all its flawed and courageous glory, standing unbowed beneath the stars. Based on the Fremont’s Children Novel Series Available from Wordfire Press The Silver Ship and the Sea Winner of the 2008 Endeavor Award Riding the Wind Wings of Creation And coming soon… The Making War
The Making War book cover
#4

The Making War

2020

When humans can create new species, what rights do they have over the beings they create? The Making War is the long-awaited final book in the award-winning series that began with The Silver Ship and the Sea. Six genetically engineered children fought to survive in a small town where everyone hated what they were, on a difficult planet full of out-sized predators with long teeth and sharp claws. Because they were stronger than the colonists, they found a way to live, and eventually a way to leave. Alicia wants nothing more than to fly. But if she survives the dangerous transformation that will give her wings, she will become a slave. In the meantime, her ex-lover Joseph plans to fight for her freedom in a battle between two opposing planets. Powerful fleets are about to meet in the empty dark of space, and he wants neither to win. For help, he has his family, including his pacifist sister and his border collie.
Infinite Stars book cover
#5

Infinite Stars

Dark Frontiers

2019

The second volume of short science fiction anthology. 26 stories from series such as Confederation, The Lost Fleet, Waypoint Kangaroo, Ender, Dream Park, Wayfarers and the Polity. Authors are: Arthur C. Clarke, Jack Campbell, Becky Chambers, Robert Heinlein, George R.R. Martin, Susan R. Matthews, Orson Scott Card, James Blish, E.E. “Doc” Smith, Tanya Huff, Curtis C. Chen, Seanan McGuire, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Larry Niven and Steven Barnes, Gardner Dozois, David Farland, Mike Shepherd, C.L. Moore, Neal Asher, Weston Ochse, Brenda Cooper, Alan Dean Foster, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Kevin J. Anderson, David Weber and C.J. Cherryh.

Authors

Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Author · 19 books

Award-winning author, editor, and publisher Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for longer than she cares to admit. In 2014 she joined forces with husband Mike McPhail and friend Greg Schauer to form her own publishing house, eSpec Books (www.especbooks.com). Her published works include eight novels, Yesterday's Dreams, Tomorrow's Memories, Today’s Promise, The Halfling’s Court, The Redcaps’ Queen, Daire’s Devils, The Play of Light, and Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn, written with Day Al-Mohamed. She is also the author of the solo collections Eternal Wanderings, A Legacy of Stars, Consigned to the Sea, Flash in the Can, Transcendence, Between Darkness and Light, The Fox’s Fire, The Kindly One, and the non-fiction writers’ guides The Literary Handyman, More Tips from the Handyman, and LH: Build-A-Book Workshop. She is the senior editor of the Bad-Ass Faeries anthology series, Gaslight & Grimm, Side of Good/Side of Evil, After Punk, and Footprints in the Stars. Her short stories are included in numerous other anthologies and collections. In addition to her literary acclaim, she crafts and sells original costume horns under the moniker The Hornie Lady Custom Costume Horns, and homemade flavor-infused candied ginger under the brand of Ginger KICK! at literary conventions, on commission, and wholesale. Danielle lives in New Jersey with her husband and fellow writer, Mike McPhail and four extremely spoiled cats.

J. A. Pitts
J. A. Pitts
Author · 6 books

(from author's website) I learned to love science fiction at the knee of my grandmother, listening to her read authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard during my childhood in rural Kentucky. My life has always been heavily influenced by strong women. My mother first among them: raising three boys after the death of my father, with grace and wit. There were always women coming and going in our house, friends, family, folks who needed a hand, and folks who had one to lend. All of my life has been steeped in the stories of average people doing extraordinary things—and most of them were women. That is why I was drawn to the character Sarah in my new novel. She embodies all the strength of the women who have influenced me over the years. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t absorbing and creating story. I read early, and became a regular at my local library. There for a while, I thought the coolest thing in the world would be to grow up and be a librarian. I even got the degree. Once I hit the workforce, I discovered how poorly most librarians are paid, and I ended up in high tech instead. But I live my life surrounded by books and story. Selling my own tales still comes as a surprise to me. The characters and worlds I build have been given loving care by some pretty spectacular editors. I’ve been very lucky. I continue to launch my words into the world, for all to read if they have the mind. I just hope you are entertained in the process. The opportunities for you to read my work has just gotten even better. Tor Publishing has agreed to purchase the first three books in my Black Blade series. The first—BLACK BLADE BLUES—comes out in trade paperback and hardback April 27th, 2010. Of course, if you want a sneak peak on the novel, you can read the short story which launched it all in the DAW anthology Swordplay, edited by Denise Little. It was released June 2, 2009. My other short fiction can be found in such fine magazines as Fortean Bureau, Talebones magazine (issue 36 and forthcoming in issue 39) as well as two additional DAW anthologies Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies (Oct 2009), and The Trouble with Heroes (Nov 2009). I have a BA in English and a Masters of Library Science from University of Kentucky. In addition, I am a graduate of the Oregon Coast Writers Workshops with Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith. When I’m not writing, you can find me practicing martial arts with my children or spending time with my lovely wife. I am a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

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