Fractured Horizon
Please join me in welcoming H.E. Roulo to the site with her science fiction book, Fractured Horizon:
Katherine Downs sets off to find her mysterious father—and awakens hundreds of years later into a world guided by visionary Royals. But Kay inadvertently blinds their power.
Hunted, she joins the rebel Adams, bioengineered warriors who rely on banned technology for a precarious foothold on the fading world. Will they destroy Kay for being only human, or will revelations about her own unnatural origins cause Kay to help them in their ongoing war?
Greeted by a high-tech horde, courted by visionary royalty, and always steps away from her goals, Kay must master her own abilities before humanity is destroyed on Earth and the colonies in space.
Envision a world ready to collapse– and then watch it tip over the edge.
The first 6 episodes are in the default feed. Or go to the book’s page to start the book from the first episode and get ‘em delivered to you on your schedule.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
October 15th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Congrats H.E. Roulo I am enjoying your story. I can’t wait to see what Kay does next and how the Adams and the Royals will influence her search. The suspense has me waiting for the next installment.
October 30th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Great reading voice, filled with emotion. I just finished the first of the four parts.
I have to admit, even though you use the music to transition between the timeshifts, I sometimes have a hard time keeping track of the characters. (could also be that I mostly listen while driving.)
I do have one question though, what is the music you use at the very end of Episode 8?
Keep up the good work, good luck!
-Bill
October 31st, 2008 at 7:58 am
Hi Bill,
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I’m glad that you’re enjoying the story.
I don’t want anyone to have to choose between listening and driving! I have tweaked Ep 6 to have more cues for the listener.
After Ep 9 the timeline is simple, though the storyline remains complex.
The music of Everyday Jones is available for free download at http://podsafeaudio.com/jamroom/bands/207/music.php. I use several of their songs. Episode 8′s is “All You Said.” Good stuff, isn’t it?
I think I hit my stride in section 2, and can’t wait to see if you agree. Thanks again for commenting!
October 31st, 2008 at 8:13 am
Rhonda,
I know we’ve talked off-line, but I wanted to thank you for taking the time to listen to my stuff while you continue to podcast The Mark of a Druid.
I love getting comments on the book, especially positive ones!
Please remember to rate the novel, and keep letting me know what you think.
H.E. Roulo
November 14th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Hi, H.E., Julie at Forgotten Classics has given me a good lead again! She recommended this book as a good one to listen to, and she was right.
You have hit the sweet spot between giving listeners too much and too little information, and I want to know more about everything. Um, why is why Kay’s hair that color? lol I’m up to episode 4.
Thanks for a great story, Kay’s method of time travel has been convincing.
November 15th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Hi Gail,
Thanks for letting me know you’re enjoying the story!
I loved Julie’s review. She understood precisely what I wanted to express. It’s a pleasure to have such discerning listeners.
Episode 4 brings in the idea of art, so it’s appropriate you ask this question about Kay’s hair color now. Let me just say that her hair color is tied intimately with the fate of the Adams. You get an explicit answer at the very end of the book.
The concept of the story when I came up with it included the tag line, “She traveled through time the hard way– by living through it.”
November 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
There will be no new episode this week due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Just wanted to let folks know that there will be no new episode released the week of Christmas.
January 9th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Good audiobook, it becomes a lot more enjoyable after the first 4-5 episodes.
I do have a little bit of constructive criticism: In the first volume of the book, Devon’s memories seemed a bit too chaotic to keep up with.
But with the beginning of volume II, I was a happy listener. =)
Also, I would like to recommend to apply some compression in the application that you use to record/master your audio.
p.s. Oh, and thank you for this free audio book!
January 9th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Podcast *faster*!!! I’m loving this story. I’m devouring the episodes faster that you can dish them out. Thanks!
January 15th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I just saw the new comments. Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you’re thinking!
Marlene, comments like that certainly give me the incentive I need to produce new episodes! This week’s episode is a good one, too.
Anton, I’m glad that you stuck with it. When I finish the last few episodes, I’m considering going back to the first episodes to tweak some of the mechanics. It would be a shame if people were unable to listen simply because I was less deft at providing audio cues on time and place.
Let’s talk about the application I use further off-line. I’m curious to hear what you suggest.
Thanks again!
January 15th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Wonderfully done. This story is so good I was hooked from the word go. The writing & reading is very well done, well worth the download. Can’t wait to hear more. Please, please, please (did I say please) give us more.
LOVE IT.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Hi Cathie! Thanks for letting me know you’re enjoying the book. I put this week’s episode up a day early. It is really exciting to be this close to the end. There are only another three or four episodes to go!
February 16th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Just finished hearing the last episode and loved the end. Is there hope for more? Loved the ending, Great job. Thank you so much for sharing your work.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Very well done. I loved the story; it kept me interested and involved. The ending seemed to leave an opening for more books? I hope so and plan to listen when more are available. Thanks for all your hard work. Keep it up.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
It’s great to hear from people who enjoyed the book!
I’ll answer your question: Yes, there is a sequel. I’m 40,000 words into it. I’m just not certain when it will be complete because I’ll be working on other projects as well. I estimate that I can finish by the end of the year. Nag me and I might get it done sooner.
Now my turn to ask a question: Are you interested in a text version? I am considering releasing Fractured Horizon and the sequel in print. Would you want to purchase this book? Are there any changes that would make this better before I go to print? Please let me know your thoughts. Leave a comment here or you can visit my blog http://www.heroulo.com/blog and leave a comment there.
It was fun to share it. Thank you for listening.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Thank you to everyone who listened or is listening to the book.
Please remember to rate the book and consider leaving a comment if you haven’t already.
I’ll continue to post updates here as I work on new projects. There will be an announcement soon.
Also, I’m revamping the Fractured Horizon website (www.fracturedhorizonnovel.com) to be more interactive and later in the year there may be some giveaways and contests as things start ramping up for the sequel. I’ll let you know when these things are ready.
March 22nd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
As I listened to Fractured Horizon, by H.E. Roulo, I was reminded of the popular show Battle Star Galactica, the fighting between the cyborgs–Adams and the Royals–humans. Tonight is the final show of the BSG series and I wait anxiously.
I listened to the last episode of Fracture Horizon today.
I had grown to know Kay, watching her memories brought to her through the centuries via a chip and learning to survive in a world she did not belong in. She had to chose sides in a war that was bound to destroy one side or the other – did she choose correctly when she jumped and clung to a ship, rescued by an Adam?
Heather masterfully winds us around in her story, becoming friends with enemies and cringing when betrayed by them.
I enjoyed Fractured Horizon and hope the final hours of BSG can hold up to its promise as well as Fractured Horizon did.
Kay chose the right side. — or did she?
And what adventures lie ahead of her now?
April 23rd, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Wonderfully done. This story is so good I was hooked from the word go.
It was wonderful. Well written, socially poignant. I was immerse into her imaginary universe. She made my drive so pleasurable even with 2 accidents on the way home.
Watching Kay and her memories brought through time via capsule and learning to survive in a world she did not belong in. She had to choose sides; the bioengineer warriors Adams, or the human visionary Royals who are at war; a war that was bound to destroy one side or the other?
May 6th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Hi Arlene and Hooked,
I know that I’ve spoken to each of you individually, but I wanted to again thank you for your comments.
Arlene, it was fun discussing the Battlestar Finale.
Hooked, glad to hear that I didn’t contribute to those accidents!
Heather
July 29th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Fractured Horizon is a 2009 Parsec Award Finalist in the novel category!
I also have a sci-fi/horror audio short story appearing on http://www.horroraddicts.net on August 2, so if you like my work please check it out. And if you aren’t familiar with my writing but are considering starting in on my book you could just dip your big toe in and get a feel for my style this way.
As always, you can find me chatting away at http://www.podioracket.com and my own http://www.fracturedhorizonnovel.com. I’ve been threatening to upgrade the site for a long time and finally did. The Extras (short stories, glossary, character list) are now more accessible.
Love to hear from you!
Twitter: hroulo
August 14th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Sounds really cool! I like the storyline.
August 24th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
If you have andy thoughts or comments on the book, please get them to me now while I am making revisions for the text version.
Post here or write me at heather@heatherroulo.com.
Also, Fractured Horizon is now listed on http://www.storycasting.com. It’s a little premature to cast this book for a movie, but it is fun.
Finally, I’ve got my fingers crossed for the Parsec Awards. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Can’t wait to hear from you!
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Theory and plot seem to be great. Listened to 5 episodes so far, but the lack of solid character development is driving me nuts. Names of characters are brought up and used as if the listener already has a firm background for them and it can get quite disorienting. Story will start describing what a character is doing and you have little idea who they are or how they fit in.
September 5th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Utilac,
The book settles onto one timeline and I stop introducing characters in just another couple episodes. I hope you continue listening and please let me know what you think. I appreciate comments like this, since it helps me see how I can make my writing clearer.
While I do try for certain effects, I certainly don’t mean to drive you nuts!
Heather
September 11th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I’m so confused. I didn’t want to shut the player off just now, because I can sense how amazing the story must be. But so far the book is like a moving train that I can never quite run fast enough to hop on. I end up tossing 75% of the dialog, plot dev, and descriptions into a mental bucket labeled, “Items not connected to anything else, that I’m sure will make sense later.”
Maybe my bucket is just smaller than most, but it’s becoming clear information is starting to slop out the sides. And I’m sure I’m going to need some of that info later.
I’m thinking I’ll wait for the text version. That way I can go at my own pace, and flip back to re-read the disjointed parts. It’ll also be easier that way to keep a list of names, genders, associations, timelines, and connections.
September 13th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Just finished listening to the last episode. Have to say that i’ve listened to a few audiobooks before, but this is the first one that has pulled me in the way this one did.
I loved the expansive nature of the story and the idea of so much space and time to be explored. I was torn between the factions and my sympathies changed several times over the course of the story.
Found myself making excuses to ignore colleagues and put my headphones in so I could listen to the next episode. I hope there is a follow up planned – certainly sounds like there are lots more adventures to be had by Kay.
September 15th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Hal,
Thank you for letting me know how the book made you feel. I’ll try to get the text done as soon as I can, and I’ll keep thinking about how to make the story clearer from the beginning.
Hypotenuse,
Can I quote you? Love that your sympathies changed! I couldn’t have asked for higher praise. And yes, there are more adventures planned. I have it mapped out and the ending written. You’ll love it!
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:34 am
Glad to hear there’s more to come, and happy for you to quote me. Looking forward to the next adventure
October 14th, 2009 at 9:42 am
The HorrorAddicts.net WWW Contest is currently under way. My audio horror short story Graveyard Shift (and Re-shift) is in the running.
One lucky voter will win a prize box. See the article at Podioracket.com for links to the stories and information on how to vote.
The contest ends on October 25th.
December 4th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Voice casting for the sci-fi/horror audio drama I wrote for Necropolis Studio Productions is open until December 13th. Consider auditioning!
http://www.audiodramatalk.com/f83-necropolis-studio-productions/omega-road-chronicles-casting-call-4914.html
And a final note, I did win the WWW Contest for 2009. Thank you if you voted for my horror short story. I will be doing another story in the Horror Addicts upcoming 2010 season and I’ll be sure to let you know about that.
December 30th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Loved this podnovel so much, I had dreams of being an Adam! I don’t know why, but I find those Adam guys so sexy. Boyle, Penelope, they have to be my favs. Orlando was so cute as his innocent exuberance carried Kay into the Royal world. What an awesome tale about a gal hoping through time trying to make things right. Ward’s storyline was interesting. I kept wondering if he was going to turn good? I guess it depends on your definition of good. There are so many great characters in here it would be hard not to find one or two you enjoy. The Nudev twist was exciting to me. What a cautionary tale about how your future self (or a copy of your self) can twist things up so badly! I love the way this book can be looked at from so many different angles and still leave you wondering what the TRUE motives of the players are. Excellent!
April 5th, 2011 at 11:18 pm
Here’s a quick update for new and old Fractured Horizon listeners. I appreciate the fantastic number of downloads this book continues to get.
If you’re curious to see more of my writing then check out “Undergrowth”, a sci-fi/horror short story favorite of mine I’ve just put out on Amazon Kindle.
My zombie short story, “The Killer with Eyes of Ice” has been accepted into a zombie anthology coming out in August.
I have a great optimistic science fiction piece that appeared in Flying Island Press’s Flagship magazine’s first issue about a space pirate. It’s also available on Amazon. Just search for my name.
Finally, I’ve created an author page as H.E. Roulo in Facebook to help me connect with readers. I hope you’ll check it out. Hearing from you guys means more than anything.
October 31st, 2011 at 1:39 pm
The Podioracket Presents-Glimpses anthology is complete on Podiobooks.com. My short story appears as the 12th and final story. I hope you give it a listen if you liked Fractured Horizon.
“H.E. Roulo”s short story, “Future in Hand” is a follow-up to her Podiobooks.com novel Fractured Horizon. The future isn’t ready for Katherine Downs when she awakens after another long hibernation. At the wild borderlands of space, she’s excited to continue her secret journey. But is keeping her secret worth losing people’s lives?”