More Information about the Books
This page may contain spoilers!
It is recommended that you read the books mentioned on this page before venturing forth. You have been warned.
"Do you ever feel trapped in dreams that somebody else made?" -AFOC, Chapter 5
An Excerpt from A Fragment of Chrome
Insignificance and Futility
I stood in this forgotten pocket of urban decay, this liminal space between what was and what would be, watching the others take their positions. We were the latest occupants in a place that had learned to outlast all human purpose, a place that would remain long after tonight's violence had faded into just another layer of its complicated history.
- A Fragment of Chrome, Chapter 9
- A Fragment of Chrome, Chapter 9
THE Carbon-Steel Divide
A Fragment of Chrome - Characters
Here's a brief of the four main characters in A Fragment of Chrome. There are other important characters, but these should, perhaps, come first.
Corren "Psyche" Vega
The SoldierA reflex boosted cyber mercenary and ex-soldier, Psyche is the protagonist of the story. Educated and battle-hardened, for such a brute, he possesses exceptional tactical ability and, sometimes, surprising cultural sophistication.
Amber Kattegat
The EngineerA professional engineer and the face of the Twilight Protocol, Amber is curious and diplomatic, serving as the primary carbon connection in the story. She is the glue that holds her team together.
Andon Romero
The MarksmanTall and broad of shoulder, Andon is the marksman and the street fighter of Twilight Protocol. As an ex-gang member, he carries scars from his past but remains rugged, loyal, and steadfast.
Zephyr
The HackerA capable and enigmatic hacker who operates within the shadowy underbelly of the digital world. The newest member of Twilight Protocol.
A Fragment of CHrome
Excerpts from the Book
Holographic dancers performed impossible routines above the crowd, their translucent bodies phasing through patrons who reached up with drug-numbed fingers. Above it all loomed a massive dome-like ceiling adorned with fractal patterns that shifted and morphed to the beat. The smoky neon jungle of Ocean City's skyline glowed through its translucent surface as an enduring demonstration of human ingenuity amidst a world gone mad.
- A Fragment of Chrome, Chapter 1
A Fragment of Chrome, Chapter 3
On the selcouth streets, blurry faces stared at me with black, leering eyes, like bullet holes in their heads.
A Fragment of Chrome, Chapter 5
It was not pretty work, and it was not clean. But they were dead, and we weren't, and that's the only tally that matters when you're running on empty and the world wants you cold.
A Fragment of Chrome, Chapter 13
"We forge our immortality in these moments between heartbeats and bullets. This is mine."
A Fragment of Chrome
Transmissions from The Sink - Map of Ocean City
(data redacted)
First Meeting at The Fathom
The betameth made their voices sharper, their expressions more vivid, their edges limned in chemical clarity, each gesture suggesting that true companionship required neither grand declarations nor perfect understanding, only the patient accumulation of shared dangers.
A Fragment of Chrome
An Excerpt from Chapter 2
Wash Away with the Tide
"In a world where everything changes and nothing lasts, having people you can count on feels... rare. And then you hope what you have won't wash away with the tide."
A Fragment of Chrome
An Excerpt from Chapter 13
Permanence and Fragility
Blood seeped onto polished granite that would remember none of this, would host new dreams tomorrow, indifferent as history. Brass casings rolled past overturned tables where deals had been made, fortunes traded, lives bought and sold. All of it ending here, in smoke and copper and the wet sound of bodies falling.
A Fragment of Chrome
An Excerpt from Chapter 13
The Erosion of Self
Like searching for water in a desert, my databases found only absence. Questions without answers. Protocols without purpose.
A Fragment of CHrome
An Excerpt from Chapter 15
The Chess Game
"You could be so much more. Unburdened by flesh, by sentiment, by the weight of a past that serves only to constrain your potential. I can offer you that freedom."
A fragment of chrome
An Excerpt from Chapter 16
A Fragment of Chrome
Reading the Book
Taking notes while reading is the ultimate way to read? I rarely do this, but went with it this time. Let me know if this, my messy notes on the pages of the book, is something you're interested in seeing.
- Might replace this later with a cleaner version/page/idea
A Fragment of Chrome - Writing Process
Before I started, I had an image in my head of the beginning (Abyss scene), the middle (AV flying over the ocean), and the end. From these humble beginnings, it took me nearly a year to write A Fragment of Chrome. My first novel was complete, after more than 30 years of failing to finish one.
Full disclosure: I used AI tools throughout the writing process in a collaborative way for drafting sections, brainstorming ideas and alternative words, refining prose, checking grammar and finally creating a book cover (which I then combined from four images and edited). My opinion is that AI can write well, but it also produces terrible text, often comes up with awful ideas, and always wants to reveal too much: it doesn't know how to tell a story. A human is definitely still essential in the process and ultimately, the story should stand or fall on its own merits.
Editing was the most time-consuming part of the writing process, taking me about six months to complete four editing passes on the first draft. But they were crucial. The story would not be the same without them.
I hope you enjoy the finished novel.
18.12.2025
I hope you enjoy the finished novel.
18.12.2025
The Power of Editing
Below you'll find two paragraphs of text from A Fragment of Chrome to indicate how important editing is. The first one is from the first draft. The second one is from the final edit. This is where aimlessness changes into focus. Yet, I could not afford an editor for A Fragment of Chrome. I relied, instead, on a beta reader (my sister) and AI to point out problems with logic or grammar, but otherwise did the editing myself.
From the First Draft, Chapter 13
I let the LWS XR-2101 assault rifle sing while Amber opened with her laser pistol, joining the deadly duet. Our weapons' clamor echoed across Marrone's opulent gallery, ricocheting off overturned marble tables, reverberating past ancient columns, and fading by the gallery's entrance where the blood of our fallen comrades slowly seeped onto the polished slabs of granite underneath. Blood and brass casings littered the floor where Damon Marrone had spent a lifetime dreaming of power and wealth.
Final Edit, Chapter 13
The LWS XR-2101 spoke. Amber's laser answered. Together, they threw their deadly accusation across Marrone's opulent gallery. Sound and light, chrome and flesh. It echoed against marble sculptures, ricocheted off fluted columns built to last centuries, reverberated through the dream of permanence Damon had spent a lifetime constructing. Blood seeped onto polished granite that would remember none of this, would host new dreams tomorrow, indifferent as history. Brass casings rolled past overturned tables where deals had been made, fortunes traded, lives bought and sold. All of it ending here, in smoke and copper and the wet sound of bodies falling.
A piece of the process
A Fragment of Chrome - Book Cover
Below are two images I used for the First Edition cover.
Cover without text
The watercolour-style image with Psyche after editing. The stunning rain-soaked city spires in the background were unfortunately covered by the back cover blurb.
Original Psyche image
Psyche with a foggy city in the background. I used this character image as the basis for the cover you just saw.