Last year’s publication of The Armageddon Protocol might have been the final novel in the Galactic Cold War, but that doesn’t mean the universe doesn’t still have some stories left to tell. And let’s be clear: I’ve spent a long time thinking about and writing in this world. Close to twenty-five years, at this point. It’s not about to evaporate into nothingness.
Over the past several years, I’ve been releasing short stories that bridge the gaps in the Galactic Cold War novels. More than anything, I see these stories as opportunities to spend more time with characters that don’t always get a chance to shine during the course of the longer books. We get to see things like where Nat came from, or what happened to Harry Frayn after the events of The Bayern Agenda. Little peeks into corners of the universe that there just isn’t time for in a novel.
My latest story is just that. In fact, it’s about the one character who I’ve been asked about more than any other, maybe because he’s been there since the beginning, but really, I think, because he is the character who is the most unapologetically himself, and people love him for it.
So what happens when somebody who’s defined by his job—the grunt’s grunt, the sergeant par excellence—…takes the day off? Good news: you’re about to find out. Here’s the synopsis:
Even sergeants need a break sometimes. On an outing to the aquarium with his daughter and grandson, Tapper catches sight of something suspicious—or is his imagination just getting the better of him? What’s a concerned citizen to do?
And why is it that trouble always seems to find him, even on his day off?
“Tapper’s Day Off” will be released on July 29, and is now up for pre-order in most popular ebook stores. You can find all the relevant links on this very website.