Apollos Thorne

Quick Update

I'm going to be saving today's chapter for tomorrow. There are a few things I'm tweaking with this mini-arc. :D I'm really enjoying this one.

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 19

The hobgoblins finally neared. They were split evenly between each gate with ten without psionics and one boss. The normal ones weren’t as normal as they seemed. Even in Freedom, there had been a large difference between the named hobgoblins and the generic ones. These were not of the generic variety. Destiny estimated they’d have a rank C Attack and rank C Defense. As for the boss, it was at the same level except with rank F psionics enhancing its body.

Looking down upon the coming...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 18

I blinked, fighting through my grogginess. The last thing I’d expected was to actually nod off with the little I needed to sleep these days.

Without even waiting for me to ask the question, Destiny chimed in. “You’ve only been out for a few minutes.”

Straightening in my seat against the cool stone at my back, I took in Mel’s sharpshooters lined up on the rampart. Most of them weren’t using swords or spears that were designed to second as projectile weapons, but actual ...

A very Italian, How you doin?

First of all, I want to apologize for going radio silent for a while there. The last year or so has been an emotional rollercoaster in regard Heaven's Laws and Underworld book 6. With the editing issue that came up, it's just been very hard for me to get emotional engaged with anything I've been writing. I'm a firm believer in writing even when you don't feel like it, but Codename is a series I've always found easy to get engrossed in. I didn't have that connection so I was feeling like the w...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 17

My first thought as my stomach seemingly jumped like it was determined to compete for a place in my chest was that billions of people were moments away from laughing at me. However, the reason I’d even dare such a thing was much more significant. With what our psionic made us capable of, jumping off a wall shouldn’t be seen as mad or impossible. We already had all the tools we needed to execute such landings as easily as descending a flight of stairs. It ate at me that the Ekseliksi were ...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 16

It wasn’t my first time seeing psionics used against psionics in battle. The world quest in Freedom had introduced mobs that used a variety of psionic abilities. Most of them were offensive ones like an empowering aura or Voli bolts, but defensive ones weren’t unheard of.

I kept a scrutinizing eye on the beginning of the battle below to see how this new tech performed. Pswords and pspears against force fields and body armor—random Volis were thrown in and even bursts of gunfire jo...

Update - Ninja Editing

Hey everyone,

I haven't forgotten about Codename or you guys. I've run into some issues with the editing with Heaven's Laws, which at first seemed typical, but have turned into a problem I can't ignore. Normally, I get a few reviews that mention typos, but this time it's common. I have a few readers that always send me typos after a book's published, and this time it's pretty excessive in comparison to my normal release.

I'm going through the entire book with a couple of beta rea...

Update - Calling it a day...

I wanted to give a quick update. I was planning on getting the next Codename chapter out, but I had a one star review drop on the Heaven's Laws release and I'm missing at least five reviews from people that told me they posted them on day one. It's impossible for me to focus right now so I'm going to go beg people that I know are reaching it for reviews. Lol.

Thank you for you patience! 

Heaven's Laws - Publishing Early!

When everything in the editing and formatting department goes well, I try to change to an earlier date to surprise everyone that's preordered. I don't get to do it every time, but I have with this one.

Heaven's Law's - Prodigies is dropping on the 19th!

I've also hit publish already on the paperback, which can take a while to appear on the Amazon website. It's possible it will be up even sooner than tomorrow. It's 729 pages with 11 point Garamond font, so still ...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 15

“Lastly, get everyone inside the gate. Once there, I’ll install our perimeter wall so that we have more than this fence to depend upon for whatever they throw at us,” Victoria concluded in her message to the leadership team.

There weren’t many of us, but those that had been placed in the voice channel were equivalent in rank to sub-guild leaders in Freedom. All our past partnerships had come to full fruition. We were all a part of one guild, Prodos, or as it was called now, the ...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 14

I turned to Destiny who was already prepared. “I’ll list necessary and obvious purchases,” she said, standing stiffly in her holographic form atop her drone. “Just tell me yes, or to hold off.”

I nodded, doing my best to give her my full attention as the horde headed straight for us.

“For an unrestricted lifetime membership to any Training Hall in human-occupied space, it will cost you 50,000,000 SP. This will give you full access to custom training modules developed b...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 13

As I began to mess around with the different psionic weapons, there was one large distinction between them. Some were made for people with limited psionic ability and worked much like the Adamantium ore we’d found in Freedom. It allowed those that had only unlocked their aura to focus energy and fire off psionic bolts, or use other psionic abilities. Then there was the type of items designed to better utilize or enhance the abilities that a person had already unlocked.

Picking up an i...

Preorder is Live - Heaven's Laws - Prodigies

Preorder is Live!
Publishing Sept. 20th!

Heaven's Laws - Prodigies
Book 1 in a new Cultivation Fantasy Series!

330,000 words!

Many of you were there as a part of my journey during writing this book and know it was extremely emotional for me. Thank you for all the feedback and encouragement. 

It's been depressing at times going through the editing process with this giant novel in a way that ...

Heaven's Laws - Prodigies - Ebook Copy

It is finished!

Your Patreon copies of the mobi and pdf are attached.

Many of you know how emotional this book was for me to write. I had just as much difficulty through the editing processes. 330,000 words will do that to you, I suppose. Hehe.

Preorder

It should be submitted tonight. I'll let you guys know when it's up.

Synopsis:

The Monolith continent.

Power and long life await those cultivators talented and ambi...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 12

Destiny’s reaction was extreme, but she recovered in a few short minutes. After calming down, she turned from her surroundings and rested her eyes upon me. She then came to her feet on my chest and hopped up to land on the top of her drone. Facing me, she smoothed out her skirt.

“Well, this is embarrassing,” she said with a giggle. “And just look at me.”

Her image disappeared before reappearing a second later in her adult form and in military formal dress. Then she gave ...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 11

By the time everyone had been broken up into platoons, it was already 10:00 AM and most of the first half of the day was already gone. Just as Peter had suggested, we marched—for two hours straight.

Our instructor sergeant was the furthest thing from a drill sergeant I could imagine. The man was straightforward as he corrected any mistakes he called out, but his tone was enthusiastic and cordial. More than once I caught him star-struck as he watched us. I couldn’t blame him really. ...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 10

Using bursts of speed, I played the angles to only have to face Sergeant Xavier or Brice one at a time. I whittled them down with each exchange. Even my energy use was minimal so it seemed it would only be a matter of time before I came out on top.

It was difficult to think of anything else besides the fight at hand, and too much of a distraction would be a sure way to lose, but I tried to stay mindful as to why this fight was happening in the first place. It didn’t make a lot of sens...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 9

The roar from the crowd shook the air even more than it had before. I wasn’t sure how many people were watching in the stands, but it seemed a good portion of them were taking my side.

Without Destiny there to help observe my opponent, I couldn’t get a precise reading on Xavier’s combat level. Unlike his rank E psionic level, his combat level measured the full scope of his physical abilities. It didn’t speak to his martial skill directly, however. Even without Destiny’s help, ...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 8

I took my family vehicle to a local private airport where I got on a shuttle. The seating was little more than steel chairs bolted to the polished floor with five point harnesses for seatbelts. Despite the austere design, the shuttle was filled with twenty celebrity passengers heading for the same place, Homeland Air Force Base.

From what Destiny had informed me, the base had been renamed a few years ago in the ramp up phase for Codename: Genesis. It would be my physical home over the n...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 7

On the morning I was leaving, I had to get up at 4:00 AM. I was surprised to find my mother, but also my father there in the kitchen with breakfast waiting for me. We’d had a few nice dinners together since I’d been home, and any of the past disagreements that my father and I had about users and creators went left unsaid.

In a sense, I enjoyed the peace that ignoring such issues brought, and the time I got to spend with him. At the same time, leaving things unsaid made my time with ...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 6

After the ceremony, Vector and Drool were too busy greeting everyone for us to do more than congratulate them and participate in a few toasts. I’d catch up with them later, maybe in a week or two, when all the craziness was over. They wouldn’t have much of a honeymoon, for it was a few days until Codename: Vanguard began.

When the afterparty was winding down, Victoria invited me to walk with her as she was leaving with Peter and Oliver. She took an odd turn as we neared the exit and...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 Revisions

Chapter 4

Note: The following full chapters have also been updated. I decided to bring the issue of Lucius's lack of reaction to the forefront instead of springing it on you guys in a coming chapter. There will still be some build-up, but it's a problem he's going to have to deal with soon.

Revision

“I used your DNA in the virus’s design. Nothing can go wrong unless your DNA has changed.”

I found myself without a response and did...

Whole Lot of Nonsense Update

So... We're replacing the AC unit to the house, so things have been a little crazy around here. It wasn't planned, but spare of the moment. Anyway, that's why things have been quiet on my end, and there are a few other things I've been working on in the time I've been able to set aside.

Heaven's Laws Audiobook News

Book was isn't going to just have one, but two different narrators. Because of this, I was asked to go through the novel and split up POVs to make thin...

Heaven's Laws Revisions Complete

Just as the title says, besides basic typos that I'll have to go through in the second round of editing, Heaven's Laws is complete! I cut out a little here and there with cleaner descriptions, so it's coming out at 331,000 words. It's been one emotional ride. 

I'm going to be going through Codename: Freedom book 4 starting tomorrow with a fresh head. Look for some updates and chapters in a few days.

No publication date as of yet, but as I start getting updates from my editor,...

Big Daddy Update

So this update isn't necessary big, as in long, or related to daddies in any way, but it's related to both Heaven's Laws and Codename: Freedom. I named it such because I didn't want anyone to miss it.

I have received the copyedit notes for the rest of the series and I'm going through them now. I've been trying to write CF half the day and edit and revise HL the other half. Instead of becoming more efficient, its just made it harder to be emotionally involved in either story. It's kind o...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 5

Nine months had passed, maybe ten, since I first told Peter I’d undergo a DNA Cleanse to become Ekseliksi. I’d had a lot of time to reconsider, but I didn’t regret my decision.

To say I completely understood what had happened to me would be untrue. The virus I’d ingested did many things. The change of DNA wasn’t so extensive that I looked different, or even felt much different. As far as my research had gotten me, I’d learned the cleanse focused on changing a specific set of...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 4

Instead of a mixed reality headset, I followed behind a purple flying orb. It was only the size of a small bird without wings, but this personal drone was being controlled by Destiny. Now that I had money coming in, I’d made a few quality of life purchases. This drone that my AI was now master of was designed to be far more durable than any common drone on the market. That wasn’t its only benefit.

The visual and audible sensors on this specific model gave Destiny a far clear picture...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 3

Note: Chapter numbers have changed.

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I received a reply from Victoria, but, besides a bit of back and forth, there was no chance to speak with her directly. She sent me some information that gave me a bit more direction in how to be best prepared for what was coming. Just because we were out of Freedom didn’t mean that our work was finished.

I’d tried to sleep, I really had, but without the physical exertion the recovery ability my psionics provided made it nearly imp...

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 2 Part 2

St3alth pulled me away from the crowd of players half an hour later. My stunt was a ridiculous one, but such things were expected. There were far more members of the guild than there’d ever been before I entered Freedom, but this was one part of the world that still felt that it belonged to me. I didn’t have to act like anyone I wasn’t.

“Nice view, right?” St3alth said, from his place beside me. He’d brought me to the roof of the guildhall so that we could have some privacy....

Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 2 - Part 1

Privacy mode wouldn’t be enough to hide my identity from anyone that saw me in person, so I took out a dark gray cloak and pulled its hood over my head. Gravel prided itself in realism, so hiding my facial features made it so that other players would be unable to identify me unless I was grouped with them. Once in the guildhall there were ways around this, but I should have enough time to pull off what I had in mind. I ported over to a newbie area while keeping my hood on.

Finding a n...