On the far reaches of the universe, the outlaw crew of The Rebell [sic] work in whatever ways they can to undermine the pervasive influence of the Coalition of Worlds.
The crew consists of Captain Josephine Snow, a malcontent leader with a heart of gold; Eloise, the angsty teenage mechanic with a heart of spite; Garvey, the iron-skulled muscle with a heart of violent chaos; Athena, the grizzled, conspiracy-minded vet with a heart of stone; and Carter, the infiltrator and thief with a heart in an ice chest if you know someone in the market for one cheap. Together, they work tirelessly to take down the Coalition and make the universe safer for the little guy.
The only problem is people generally like the Coalition. After all, it’s hard to be against an organization that brings peace, provides universal healthcare, and feeds orphans.
When the crew of the Rebell get word of a mining colony being exploited, they race to the miners’ aid. Could this be the opportunity they’ve been looking for to prove once and for all the Coalition’s malfeasance? Or is something else at play?
***
My name is Sean Arthur Cox, and I tell stories. I love stories in all shapes and sizes. In particular, however, I love science fiction and fantasy, the prospect of imagining how things might be different in a different time, in a different place, with different rules for how reality works. I’ve read a great deal in both genres and have come to know the tropes of each pretty well. When I published New Tricks in 2013 to pretty respectable reviews, I playfully toyed with the cliches of the fantasy genre, taking it apart the way only a fan could. Rebells is a chance for me to do the same thing to the much beloved "outlaw misfits in space" tales made popular by the likes of Blake’s 7, Firefly, Farscape, Dark Matter, and Cowboy Bebop.
The origin for the story is fairly tame. I saw earlier today (February 2) the Nerdist’s post about the contest. Got struck with an idea, felt guilty about not having a completed draft, saw that the Nerdist explicitly stated that wasn’t a non-starter. I drafted an outline and brief character profiles for the characters, sketched out a few scenes to capture the tone and have been running from there. I have a lot of time off from work in the near future. Expect a completed first draft before the contest closes (if not sooner). First chapter should be up by the 3rd of February.
So what can you do? That’s an excellent question. I’ve never used Inkshares before, so I’m not sure what it will let you do. But apparently at least one author says you can get access to access to early drafts from the author, so that will definitely happen. Read drafts, give feedback. Watch your comments shape the story! You can share your favorite sci-fi tropes and I’ll try to poke a little fun at them for you. I also will probably select a random reader to name a character. I did this for another book I worked on and what was supposed to be a minor character ended up being fairly major. Who knows? Maybe the same will happen for you.
You can track visual inspiration for the characters and locations as they come along here: https://www.pinterest.com/dumwytgi/rebells/
If you have any questions, you can reach me in whatever ways Inkshares offers. I can also be reached at sean.arthur.cox@gmail.com and on Facebook (Sean Arthur Cox) and Twitter (@SeanArthurCox).