{"id":23007,"date":"2026-04-03T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/?p=23007"},"modified":"2026-04-03T08:34:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:34:36","slug":"the-rough-draft-of-captive-of-the-falconstar-is-complete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/the-rough-draft-of-captive-of-the-falconstar-is-complete\/","title":{"rendered":"The rough draft of Captive of the Falconstar is complete!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/COTF-test1-533x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21930\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/COTF-test1-533x800.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/COTF-test1-267x400.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/COTF-test1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/COTF-test1-450x675.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/COTF-test1.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good news! The rough human draft of <em>Captive of the Falconstar<\/em> is now complete! I finished it just this morning. It clocks in at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>12 chapters<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>63 scenes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>84,786 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The AI draft was a little bit longer, at 85,055 words. I finished that last week (I&#8217;ve been working on the AI draft and the human draft concurrently). But the AI draft was never going to be good enough to put out into the world on its own. There were definitely parts that I needed to rewrite in my own words, in order to work out the finer details of the story. That&#8217;s one of the reasons why I always do a complete human rewrite of everything I generate with AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next step is to make a revision pass through the book, to check for any plot holes or loose threads, and to make sure that all of the scene and chapter transitions work the way they&#8217;re supposed to. Then I&#8217;ll make a final polishing pass, where I cut the word count by at least 10%. At that point, all it needs is a copy edit and\/or a proofreading pass, and it&#8217;s ready to go out into the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to preorder this book, you can already do so at most of the major online retailers. It&#8217;s set to release on July 11th, which is plenty of time to finish all the revisions and edits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mybooktable-single-book\"> <div id=\"mbt-container\"> <div itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Book\" id=\"post-22978\" class=\"mbt-book mbt-book-single mbt-display-mode-singlecolumn\">\r\n\t<div class=\"mbt-book-sections\"><a class=\"mbt-book-anchor\" id=\"mbt-book-summary-anchor\" name=\"mbt-book-summary-anchor\"><\/a>\r\n<div class=\"mbt-book-section mbt-book-summary-section\">\r\n\t<div class=\"mbt-book-section-content\">\r\n\t\t\t<h1 itemprop=\"name\" class=\"mbt-book-title\">Captive of the Falconstar<\/h1>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"mbt-book-images mbt-book-images-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Captive of the Falconstar\" class=\" mbt-book-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/COTF-test1-533x800.jpg\"><\/div>\t\t<div class=\"mbt-book-right\">\r\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"mbt-book-teaser\">When freedom is a fantasy, only revenge is real.<\/h2>\t\t\t<div itemprop=\"description\" class=\"mbt-book-blurb\">\r\n\t<p>Sonya has lost everything to the Hameji raiders who carried her off across the stars. To make matters worse, her only friend has become a Hameji queen and treats her as a pawn. As rival brides scheme to bear the firstborn son and heir, Sonya is drawn into a ruthless world of power, secrets, and sex. But if she can survive the role she has been forced to play, she may finally have the chance to bring her captors to their knees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div>\r\n<a href=\"#mbt-book-purchase-anchor\" class=\"mbt-book-purchase-button mbt-primary-button\">Order Now!<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div><a class=\"mbt-book-anchor\" id=\"mbt-book-overview-anchor\" name=\"mbt-book-overview-anchor\"><\/a>\r\n<div class=\"mbt-book-section mbt-book-overview-section\">\r\n\t<div class=\"mbt-book-section-title\">About the Book<\/div>\r\n\t<div class=\"mbt-book-section-content\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"mbt-book-overview\">\r\n\t\t\t<strong>When freedom is a fantasy, only revenge is real.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSonya has lost her home, her name, and her freedom to the Hameji raiders who carried her off across the stars. Her only friend has remade herself as a Hameji queen\u2014and now treats Sonya as just another pawn in her desperate game for power.\r\n\r\nSonya tells herself that all she wants is to escape. But beneath that hope burns a hunger for revenge.\r\n\r\nWhen Lord Khasan takes a second bride to secure a powerful alliance, the women of the Falconstar are drawn into a ruthless contest to produce the firstborn son and heir. As rival queens scheme for position and an old blood feud erupts into war, Sonya is pulled into a world where a woman&#8217;s worth is measured by the sons she bears, the favors she can trade, and the secrets she can exploit.\r\n\r\nIn the ruthless game of Hameji politics, captivity takes many forms. And if Sonya can survive the role she has been forced to play, she may finally have the chance to bring her captors to their knees.\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div><a class=\"mbt-book-anchor\" id=\"mbt-book-meta-anchor\" name=\"mbt-book-meta-anchor\"><\/a>\r\n<div class=\"mbt-book-section mbt-book-meta-section\">\r\n\t<div class=\"mbt-book-section-title\">Details<\/div>\r\n\t<div class=\"mbt-book-section-content\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"mbt-book-meta\">\r\n\t\t\t<span class=\"mbt-meta-item mbt-meta-mbt_author\"><span class=\"mbt-meta-title\">Author:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/authors\/joe-vasicek\/\">Joe Vasicek<\/a><\/span><br>\t\t\t<span class=\"mbt-meta-item mbt-meta-series\"><span class=\"mbt-meta-title\">Series:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/series\/falconstar-trilogy\/\">Falconstar Trilogy<\/a>, Book 2<\/span><br>\t\t\t<span class=\"mbt-meta-item mbt-meta-mbt_genre\"><span class=\"mbt-meta-title\">Genres:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/genre\/fic028010\/\">Action &amp; Adventure<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/genre\/fiction\/\">FICTION<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/genre\/general\/\">General<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/genre\/fic028050\/\">Military<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/genre\/science-fiction\/\">Science Fiction<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/genre\/fic028130\/\">Space Exploration<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/genre\/fic028030\/\">Space Opera<\/a><\/span><br>\t\t\t<span class=\"mbt-meta-item mbt-meta-mbt_tag\"><span class=\"mbt-meta-title\">Tag:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/bookstag\/2026-release\/\">2026 Release<\/a><\/span><br>\t\t\t<span class=\"mbt-meta-item mbt-meta-publisher\"><span class=\"mbt-meta-title\">Publisher:<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/onelowerlight.com\/writing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"mbt-publisher\">Joe Vasicek<\/a><\/span><br>\t\t\t<span class=\"mbt-meta-item mbt-meta-length\"><span class=\"mbt-meta-title\">Publication Year:<\/span> July 2026<\/span><br>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"mbt-meta-item mbt-meta-length\"><span class=\"mbt-meta-title\">Length:<\/span> Novel<\/span><br>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"mbt-meta-item mbt-meta-asin\"><span class=\"mbt-meta-title\">ASIN:<\/span> <span>B0GS9C2S52<\/span><\/span><br>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"mbt-meta-item mbt-meta-length\"><span class=\"mbt-meta-title\">eBook Price:<\/span> $4.99<\/span><br>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<a class=\"mbt-book-anchor\" id=\"mbt-book-purchase-anchor\" name=\"mbt-book-purchase-anchor\"><\/a><div class=\"mbt-book-section mbt-book-purchase-section\"><div class=\"mbt-book-section-title\">Order Now<\/div><div class=\"mbt-book-section-content\"><div class=\"mbt-book-buybuttons\"><div class=\"mbt-book-buybutton\"><a class=\"mbt-universal-buybutton\" href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/product\/captive-of-the-falconstar\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">$1 off the ebook with coupon code: BUY DIRECT<\/a><\/div><div class=\"mbt-book-buybutton\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0GS9C2S52?tag=1001parsec-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/plugins\/mybooktable\/styles\/silver\/kindle_button.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Buy from Amazon Kindle\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"mbt-book-buybutton\"><a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/captive-of-the-falconstar\/id6760476806?uo=8&amp;at=1010l3Ee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/plugins\/mybooktable\/styles\/silver\/ibooks_button.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Buy from Apple Books\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"mbt-book-buybutton\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.qksrv.net\/links\/7737731\/type\/am\/https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/captive-of-the-falconstar-joe-vasicek\/1149675329?ean=2940185017210\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/plugins\/mybooktable\/styles\/silver\/nook_button.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Buy from Barnes and Noble Nook\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"mbt-book-buybutton\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/1987698\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/plugins\/mybooktable\/styles\/silver\/smashwords_button.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Buy from Smashwords\" \/><\/a><\/div><div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><a class=\"mbt-book-anchor\" id=\"mbt-book-about-author-anchor\" name=\"mbt-book-about-author-anchor\"><\/a><div class=\"mbt-book-section mbt-book-about-author-section\"><div class=\"mbt-book-section-content\"><div class=\"mbt-book-about-author\">\t<div class=\"mbt-book-about-author-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/profile2020-small.jpg\"><\/div>\t<div class=\"mbt-book-about-author-right\">\t\t<div class=\"mbt-book-about-author-name\">Joe Vasicek<\/div>\t\t<div class=\"mbt-book-about-author-desc\"><p>Joe Vasicek fell in love with science fiction and fantasy when he read The Neverending Story as a child. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Genesis Earth, Gunslinger to the Stars, The Sword Keeper, and the Sons of the Starfarers series. As a young man, he studied Arabic at Brigham Young University and traveled across the Middle East and the Caucasus Mountains. He lives in Utah with his wife and two apple trees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\t<\/div>\t<div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><a class=\"mbt-book-anchor\" id=\"mbt-book-series-anchor\" name=\"mbt-book-series-anchor\"><\/a><div class=\"mbt-book-section mbt-book-series-section\"><div class=\"mbt-book-section-title\">Other Books in the \"Falconstar Trilogy\"<\/div><div class=\"mbt-book-section-content\"><div class=\"mbt-book-series\"><div class=\"mbt-series-book\"><div class=\"mbt-series-book-images\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/books\/queen-of-the-falconstar\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/QOTF-test3-533x800.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><div class=\"mbt-series-book-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/books\/queen-of-the-falconstar\/\">Queen of the Falconstar<\/a><\/div><\/div><div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><a class=\"mbt-book-anchor\" id=\"mbt-book-preview-anchor\" name=\"mbt-book-preview-anchor\"><\/a><div class=\"mbt-book-section mbt-book-preview-section\"><div class=\"mbt-book-section-title\">Preview<\/div><div class=\"mbt-book-section-content\"><iframe class=\"mbt_kindle_instant_preview\" src=\"https:\/\/read.amazon.com\/kp\/card?asin=B0GS9C2S52&amp;preview=inline&amp;linkCode=kpe&amp;ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_Ol2Ywb1Y4HHHK&amp;tag=1001parsec-20\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"mbt-affiliate-disclaimer\">Some of the links in the page above are \"affiliate links.\" This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. You will not receive any additional charge.\r\n\r\nAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Good news! The rough human draft of Captive of the Falconstar is now complete! I finished it just this morning. It clocks in at: The AI draft was a little bit longer, at 85,055 words. I finished that last week (I&#8217;ve been working on the AI draft and the human draft concurrently). But the AI&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/the-rough-draft-of-captive-of-the-falconstar-is-complete\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The rough draft of Captive of the Falconstar is complete!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1567,1542],"tags":[756,925,63],"class_list":["post-23007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-captive-of-the-falconstar","category-falconstar-trilogy","tag-new-releases","tag-news-and-updates","tag-triumphs","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iXK-5Z5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23007"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23033,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23007\/revisions\/23033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}