You might conclude that pure science fiction requires no research--this is an absolutely wrong idea.  Good science fiction requires a basis of the real world with a projection of authentic science overlaying it.  If the world does not match the proper sense of the reader, the story is ruined.  If the science is not convincing and logical, the unique feel of the future is gone--the novelty of the science part of the fiction has been lost.  For me, writing science fiction is like developing a new idea in engineering.  I can see it in my mind, and I try to describe both its effects and its design.  The research is through constant immersion in engineering and in fiction.  This way, the imagined worlds are real and the science comes alive. 

The world of the Dragon and the Fox is a projection based on the idea that genetic manipulation was required for humankind to conquer the worlds they discovered when they traveled into space.  The genetic manipulation was used to create great doctors, technicians, scientists, and leaders.  Eventually the society became moribund and turned into something akin to feudalism--the Human Galactic Empire.  Against this backdrop, the Dragon and the Fox fight for honor while their world and civilization is falling around them.

The technology of the Dragon and the Fox is also a projection.  All of the concepts described are potential technological solutions.  The big idea isn't the technology or the changes to the human species.  The big concept is how little technology and human changes have really affected the fabric of human interaction.  The one specific change that is very evident in the world of the Dragon and the Fox is the differentiation between men and women.  This change in human culture historically reverses itself based on the organization of society and the identification of the differences between men and women.  The world of the Dragon and the Fox highlights this differentiation based on the feudal and genetic leadership base of their society.  I don't advocate these roles or this type of society--the ideas come out of the question that brought about the world of the Dragon and the Fox.       

The Question: 

A Season of Honor asks a unique question:  what would motivate a man of honor to compromise everything? 

The Characters: 

Shawn du Locke lost everything to his honor.  It was either taken from him by force or he gave it willingly to bring peace to the war torn Human Galactic Empire.  He must now choose again between that peace and his own happiness.  Unfortunately, the only reasonable solutions will require him to compromise his honor.  The Lady Elina Acier is the cause of his problems.  She is young and vulnerable and untutored in the intrigues of the Human Galactic Empire.  

The Theme: 

A Season of Honor places an impossible choice before a man of honor--peace in the universe and happiness for himself or his honor.  The question is how Shawn du Locke will solve his dilemma and can he do it honorably?   

Teaser: