Asylum Earth: The Covenant [New Cyberpunk Novel]

New Cyberpunk Hardcover Novel

 How do you turn a simple idea into an engaging book concept?

The answer to that question lies between the covers of this new novel:

Asylum Earth -The Covenant.

Four years ago I decided to challenge myself and design my own board game, just for kicks and giggles. One of the components of the game (previously named, Millennium) was a journal, which the main character, Andrea, kept religiously. 

The actual journal included with the game is only about 24 pages long where Andrea tells about her dangerous trek to New York City from Austin, Texas with her best friend, Maria, during an all-out apocalypse, of course. That idea led to this novel, which, in turn also produced 3 short paperback stories that accompany the game. (the paperbacks are sold separately, however, all 3 e-books are available as a free download on this blog.

The original story focused on an impending apocalypse and how that horrific event played out in the lives of Andrea and Maria, total strangers turned BFF's, who try to escape not only the terrorist attacks befalling them but the verbal attacks and mind games they routinely unleash on each other in the wake of WW III.

That concept by itself is intriguing but perhaps a bit predictable, especially if the story ends with planet earth in ruins. A grim ending that just doesn't work considering the state of global affairs these days. 

Enter, Asylum Earth, which promises to be a refuge from the chaos, the bombing, and nuclear fallout. No, it's not a perfect world yet and it may never be, but this new earth, ordained by the powers that be, holds the promise of better things to come; a much brighter future for all survivors.

Striking the perfect vibe between chaos and hope is one heck of a balancing act that can easily derail a story when you miss the mark, although, for this author, that's the proverbial sweet spot. The trick is to keep things light but introduce dark moments with a way out. Don't box yourself into a corner with a storyline that dead-ends. That's the only trick writers need to know. Always give your main characters a way through.

And speaking of a way through, what about finishing the game?

Great question. Stuff happens and life always finds a way to get in the way of your goals and so as it stands now, I'm still several card decks away from printing the next and hopefully final prototype.

I've got a small window coming up when I'll be able to continue designing and updating the rulebook, which has changed considerably because the evolution of the game has improved thematically and the storyline is more solid than it ever has been. Sometimes, stories work that way. You won't find them all at once. Writers have to tease out every bit of it as time goes by and as time permits. 

All I can say is that Asylum Earth is far better off today than it was 2 years ago. Everything about it has improved including and especially its name and box cover. 

Everything evolves over time and games are no different. What game designers must understand is that the core concept of a story is the only thing that matters as far as identifying a genre.

Everything else is flexible and can change to fit your narrative and themes as the story grows. For example, the genre, or sub-genre is post-apocalyptic. That covers a multitude of themes including Cyberpunk, which Asylum Earth delves into with a focus on its genesis. 

I'm capturing Cyberpunk as it breaks into the mainstream population in its early stages. That's interesting to me because we usually read stories well beyond that point in time. In Asylum Earth we get to see and feel how Cyberpunk emerges and develops into a culture all its own.

The game, of course, doesn't need to get into all of those details. What makes the game interesting are the goals of each player, the tension that creates, and how players strategize to win the game. That's still a work in progress due to the limited time that I can devote to finishing the game at this point. The trick is not to rush into finishing because that will only lead to a poorly designed game that nobody wants to play.

So as much as I would like to call it a day and put the game out there, that's not the right option until I can iron out all the new changes and card decks and how all that works together to make an exciting and engaging game that players talk about and look forward to playing.

Creating that anticipation is what it's all about. That helps build momentum so when the game finally hits the shelves, players are eager to buy it and get into it. And speaking of that, it gives me an idea for my next topic. What makes a board game successful? What makes any product a winner? 

In all honesty, an entire book revolves around that idea and that's also in the works. For those who follow this blog, you'll get the first crack and insights into that process that starts with the name and design of your game box. I've mentioned that before when I compared a game box to a movie poster. If screenwriters can't get the movie poster to work with a great title, image, and tagline, nothing else matters because the trick is to reverse engineer the concept before you waste your time writing 120 pages of description, narrative, and dialog. 

This shortcut actually works and in fact, the finished poster will inform the writer and director in advance about everything that fills that 120-page script.

And for those of you wondering: How did I manage to change the title from Millennium to Asylum Earth, without re-writing the entire novel? Easy. Write a great prologue. I realize that prologues are frowned upon but from my point of view, I enjoy a well-written prologue so that's what I added to the new novel; a short three-page prologue that sets up the story that's about to unfold.

To me, it's not a cheat. It's adding depth to the story concept so readers are primed for the main event. There are effective ways to write prologues that enrich your story without cutting corners. I'll post my prologue here to give you an idea of how to go about it.

BTW, one of the best prologues I've ever read was in a novel titled, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski, which debuted in 2008. Check out this story and in particular its prologue to see what I mean. Thanks to Oprah Winfrey, this novel was a bestseller after she included it in her book club. A well-deserved ranking for a terrific book. I've not seen another book by this author so he's a one-hit wonder so far. A modern classic novel in my opinion with a great backstory.

Okay, this post has gotten away from me but I've covered some interesting points. You can sign up for updates to the game and keep track of its progress right here. 

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P.S. What about Asylum Earth the hardcover novel? I'll be able to release the new novel when the game hits the shelves or shortly before, which will most likely be around this same time next year in 2023. I'm glad to announce that the novel is totally updated and finally completed with its new title, cover, and prologue. 

I just have to decide which way to publish it. Self-publishing with B&N is a bit of an uphill battle for me right now but I might be able to offer a limited number of advanced copies to readers of this blog. Otherwise, I might go with Amazon for now, although they only offer case laminate hardcover bound editions.

Stay tuned for much more about the new novel since I'll be posting parts of it here and eventually a digital PDF download of the whole book will be available as well.

BTW, if you have any projects you'd like to announce here, I'll be happy to post them. Just send me an email with jpgs of your writing or gaming projects.

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