Note: All images below were created by the author and are meant as representations only, not actual book covers.
The Freelan Journals
This is a story of “what if…”, an imagining of possibilities.
A story so big, one book wasn’t enough to tell it all.
Over the past three years after finishing the drafts for the 3-part novel Freelan: The Dawning, I have written over 2 million words about the new nation of Freelan, sadly a place that for now is strictly fictional. I let the stories flow out of my head to my fingertips and onto the laptop screen. They are stories of people living truly free and facing the challenges presented by that freedom as well as those who wish to take them down The time has come to do some reorganizing. The process is proving to be slow and rather taxing to what Agatha Christie’s fictional detective Hercule Poirot called “the little gray cells.” So far, though, I have carved out two distinct novels with plans for five or six more.
The Ceres Stratagem
The first five years of the new Nation of Freelan were a time of tumult as people adjusted to life without the Nanny State and in a growing atmosphere of animosity toward them from totalitarian governments around the world. Now they have reached a time for moving forward with no government to stand in their way. The influence of these free thinkers expands to parts of Europe as the lives of many Freelanians progress toward productivity and wealth. But things heat up in the Freelan nation as a wealthy financial speculator plots to embarrass the nation before the world and take out two key figures, Jim and Rose O’Connell, in the process. Will Peter Thorn, recovering from a bout of amnesia, bring the “cavalry” to their rescue in time?
The Builders of Freelan
Freelanians are not people that anyone can keep down. From architects who think “outside the box” to visionaries aiming to revive dying cities, they are determined to make Freelan a true bastion of the best that man can do. And the people who want to bring them down aren’t going to let a little thing like a failed plot by that wealthy financial speculator deter them. Unlike many, though, these people, seeing themselves as the world’s elites and therefore its master, as usual underestimate the residents of the Nation of Freelan.
This is a story of “what if…”, an imagining of possibilities.
A story so big, one book wasn’t enough to tell it all.
Approx. 662K words
Part 1: Hammil Valley Rising
“A blend of Jane Austen, Ayn Rand, and William W. Johnstone.” – Mike R.
A lot has happened in Hammil Valley, California, before Peter Thorn arrives as a spy for the state government. Newly widowed Rose Wilson, faced with the choice of staying on the ranch she had inherited from her dead husband or returning to her home in Los Angeles, is being used as a pawn in a battle between her neighbor Jim O’Connell, who owns most of that valley, and an enemy from his past. Peter learns the true nature of life in the valley and how he fits in as the battle reaches its climax. And it is the start of Peter’s journey to become a true hero. This is a story of “What if…” that we hope will inspire others to see the potential of the world around them.
Part 2: The Hammil Valley Effect
Jim and Rose and characters spanning the full spectrum of humanity continue their struggle to live free, a desire that grows and spreads, affecting other parts of California, starting with the county in which Hammil Valley is located. Personal challenges and dangers loom from enemies past and present as well as from the natural world around them. And the need to break away from California becomes more apparent. This story of “And what if…” continues from Hammil Valley Rising with events and characters that we hope will inspire others to see the potential of the world around them.
Part 3: Beyond Hammil Valley
Jim, Rose, and a host of characters spanning the full spectrum of humanity interact in an intriguing and timely plot. Elements of romance, determination, danger, and triumph will keep the reader entranced. And the events spread beyond Hammil Valley as more people join the struggle for true freedom. This story of “Again what if…” continues from The Hammil Valley Effect with events and characters that we hope will inspire others to see the potential of the world around them.
Other Works In Progress (WIPs)
The B’raith Chronicles
Approx. 90K words when completed
About 2/3rds done
Stories could be published separately
A series of stories starting with the arrival of a faceless and mysterious creature in a red, hooded cloak with a “final task” to perform. It’s appearance starts Glenda Miller, a young woman in search of her second best-selling novel, on a life path she had never anticipated. Her search for the solution to the puzzle of her father’s murder 10 years earlier is part of the motivation that induces Glenda to help the creature in achieving his goal. And her friend, Maxie, the 60th Earl of Brayforth, conceals a surprise that the creature reveals to her.
The Greeting Card Girl
Approx. 86K words
Request synopsis or manuscript
A young woman in the fictional town of Steadville in eastern Colorado designs greeting cards, and to do her job well, she lives “upside-down,” designing Father’s Day cards in the Christmas season and Christmas cards in the heat of summer. She meets a young man who has his Uber car decked out for Christmas and is drawn to him even as she tries to shut out all the holiday cheer around her. Family and a friend’s betrayal all conspire to keep her from reaching her deadline for card designs before Christmas Day arrives, but the young man is there to help.
A Year of Stories
Approx. 90K words when completed
About 1/3rd done
Stories could be published separately
A collection of short stories in a variety of genres and arranged by season. Some are set at particular holidays, including Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and some are based on real events from my life but are fictionalized.
Titles so far include (in alphabetical order):
- She’s So Small (drama)
- Book of Memories (fantasy)
- The Glass House in Fender’s Woods (scifi)
- The Rube Goldberg Murder Club (mystery)
- The Cornfield (horror/scifi)
- Wind Down the Chimney (Halloween/ghost/horror)
- Evelyn’s Thanksgiving (holiday)
- A Christmas Alone (holiday romance)
- Mom and the Piano (drama)
- A Cup of Tea (drama) – posted on Stories from the Soul blog
- Grandma’s Braids (drama) – posted on Stories from the Soul blog
- Walter (drama) – posted on Greythoughts
- A Memory of My Sister (drama)
- The Blue Vase from Prague (drama)
More stories to come. See also Flights of Fantasy.
A.C. Cargill, Author 