Peter Hodges

In an effort to follow the advice of both my agent and some editorial comments that I received, I’ve asked Kate to do a special series of pieces that are set in the universe of my novel Loss of Innocence. If you recall from our initial writing sample/podcast days, this was the story of Michael Collins, as he learned what it meant to be a soldier and a leader of men in the face of conflict with an extra-terrestrial invader. A main character in this story was Shannon O’Leary, a fellow soldier and Collins’ chief love interest. Their rocky relationship provided an anchor for both of them to weather the demands placed on them by serving their planet.

In the original draft, O’Leary perished during a large action set-piece. Her sacrifice allowed Collins to escape and resolved some tension between the two characters on a personal and professional level. However, this sort of took the easy way out. Since a remarkable number of women now read genre fiction (some surveys place it as high as 60% for science fiction), it made sense to re-write this set piece so that O’Leary made it through. This also allowed Collins to explore a side of himself that he intentionally suppressed while in combat.

This series of pieces provides a female perspective to the war and gives readers a unique insight into O’Leary’s character. It also provides an alternative narrative voice to a novel written in first person (from Collins’ PoV). I can’t say enough how thrilled I am with the work that Kate has done thus far on these short pieces. Her empathy and her flair for the emotional serve as an essential corollary to the story of an Earth under siege.

With no further ado, I give you Letters Home.

Letters Home  - set in the universe of A Loss of Innocence
Universe by Peter Hodges
Story by Kate Baker
Dramatic Reading by Kate Baker
Music: “Valerie” from the V for Vendetta Soundtrack

 

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