Gender gets treated weird in the story. It's an issue for some of the characters but most don't really care (being robots and all). I only learned recently how much that reflected some issues faced by people with 'non-traditional' (for lack of a better term) gender identities. So yeah, I don't dig too deep in this book but there's some interesting things to explore in that avenue.

Hello readers!

Hello friends,

Hi everyone,

Two posts in two days? I’m sorry, that’s the nature of being in the last week of this contest. I’m going to be ‘pestering’ people. However, I can’t just send messages begging for support and asking for you to spread the message in my name. I have to give something in return.

One of the most entertaining yet challenging parts of writing The Life Engineered was breaking out of the standard ‘Android’ envelope. If you’re going to be over a millennia in the future and have advanced technology at your disposal, you’re not going to settle for two arms, two legs and a head attached to a torso. Especially if that form doesn’t suit what you intend to do with your existence.

So I had to come up with different forms for the robots in The Life Engineered and I thought it might be fun to introduce you to a couple of the more interesting ones.

Leduc Class Capeks: Let me get this one out of the way first. The Leduc Class of Capek is where you’ll find your standard android form factor. You’ll also find some quadrupeds and other recognizable shapes. What makes a Leduc however is a design made to work on a human scale within a gravity well. Everything else from there depends on the purpose of the Capek.

Sputnik Class Capeks: These are my favourite. The Sputnik Class of Capek are designed for travel within the Milky Way. Usually equipped with faster-than-light engines of one sort or another, Sputniks either carry passengers, cargo or simply information either too sensitive or to complex to be transmitted otherwise. They are characterized by a love of freedom and an addiction to the vacuum.

Von Neumann Class Capeks: A very popular design according to my readers of far. The Von Neumann Class of Capek can take many form but are distinct for their having multiple bodies for a single mind and personality. Each Von Neumann can have between three and a hundred or more bodies, all collectively housing their memories and cognitive function. This Class of Capek is best suited to construction and demolition as they can coordinate with themselves with unprecedented efficiency.

These are three of the types of robots you can expect to read about in The Life Engineered. I hope it helps you understand my fascination with the future of artificial sentient life and why I want to revisit this world again and again to tell it’s stories.

The best way to allow me to do that is to support this campaign as best you can, either by pre-ordering if you haven’t or by encouraging your Science Fiction loving friends to do so as well.

Thank you, 

 JF Dubeau 

It's the last week of the Sword & Laser Collection contest. I'm both nervous and exhilarated. What a ride so far.

Unfortunately, I'm not one to stay idle, hence on this day I bring to you two things:

1. You can now read the prologue to The Life Engineered and get a small idea as to the back story of why Capeks inherit the galaxy. 

2. I've started work on a model or prop of Koalemos, a fan favourite character in The Life Engineered. I do three things well; write, draw and model. If this model turns out well, I'll be raffling it off to supporters. What does Koalemos look like? Like that drawing below. I also tossed in two shots of the model being worked on.

As always; thank you for your support.

JF

Koalemos

Good day gentle readers,

It's a strange balancing act that I do today as we are getting ever closer to the end of the Sword & Laser contest but also getting farther ahead in the campaign to get The Life Engineered published. On one hand I'm positively awash with gratitude for your support. I know it gets trite to repeat it so often, but there's something awesome about people actively standing behind my work. Thank you.

On the other hand, I come to you asking for more. Not more pre-orders. You guys have been incredibly generous already. I need you to spread the word and help me find more science fiction fans who would enjoy The Life Engineered.

I don't come to you empty handed however. I come bearing gifts and promises of things to come.

• First, I have an easier way to get 10$ credit to pre-order on Inkshares. If you click here, you'll get access to the Sword & Laser secret 10$ credit sign up page. Spread the word. This is a free book. Doesn't get any better then that.

• Also, I've made more phone wallpapers. This time of the robot I drew for my book trailer.

• If you like the robots I've been drawing, how would you like to get your very own, custom drawn and signed print of a Capek? At the end of the campaign, I'll randomly pick amongst my readers who've referred The Life Engineered and the lucky winner will get to collaborate with me on a drawing which I will print, sign and send his way.

• Not enough? On May 1st I will take a snapshot of those who have pre-ordered The Life Engineered. I always need beta readers and I will give you guys right of first refusal to become beta readers. Now, if that list becomes to big I might have to come up with a random draw to keep the list to a reasonable size.
  

 More to come as we enter the home stretch for the Sword & Laser contest. Again, thank you so much for your support. You folks are awesome and the reason why I write fiction that has a more positive spin on the future.

JF