Bis Rose by T.K. Toppin

As I furiously try to get everything sorted for the release of Bis Rose, a few have asked why 24 July, and why not let the pre-order run for a little longer. Well, simple. I’d always envisioned releasing a book on my birthday, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Bis Rose is also my 12th book out in the wild. There had been a few setbacks along the way, stuff that was out of my hands—so, the angst was real. But everything worked out in the end, with the addition of a few more grey hairs.

This was also the first book written in complete pantser mode. There were moments where I didn’t know where the story was going, what the character would do next, but I just went with it, and was equally surprised as the characters were. It’s odd because in the past, I normally followed a rough outline with key points to aim towards. Without sounding as if I’m blowing my own horn, but as I’ve developed as a writer, learning much from the craft (and still learning), my confidence has risen as well. I’ve drawn on my past experiences so I’m not second-guessing myself, so the words flow, and it’s not utter gibberish. Once the first messy draft was complete, I’d a better idea of how to fine-tune the story. So by the second draft, everything fell into place, was rearranged, and multiple plot holes were filled. But I’d done it! My first book, written on the fly!

But what inspired me to start writing Bis Rose? A couple years ago, I watched Cowboy Bebop and was enthralled! The rich backdrop of the setting, from sophisticated cities to the janky ones, the diversity in the cultures—and of course, the wild story and characters flitting through space. What fun! I wanted to write something like that—of course!—only I had a no proper character or story. Then, out of the blue, I started Bis in full pantser, and that desire to create a colourful potpourri manifested in my mind. I went with it. To add more character to it all, I made Bis being descended from a Barbadian heritage—why not, right? I am Barbadian, I know the vibe. So, it was easy to just go with it. Even the Japanese bit, because, hello…I kind of, sort of am Japanese as well. Write what you know, right?

Across the icy, untamed stretches of Neptune’s Kuiper Belt sprawl humanity’s habitat stations, repurposed generation ships and terraformed moons.

From megacity utopias to the Wild West of rundown ghettos, veteran Galactic Judicial Authority (GAJA) retrieval agent, Bis Rose, apprehends nefarious criminals. But when escaped convict Jun Hiro, the heir to the infamous Hiro Syndicate, drops in her lap, her stellar record may be in danger.

Bis follows the clues to capture her prey, but instead finds herself on a quest to prove Jun innocent of murder. An impossible task when an unknown force stalks her at every step.

I was born and raised in Barbados, and it's where I call home. I've been an artist all my life, doodling, sketching, painting, designing, writing, creating...

Previously published through small press where I had my first three science fiction/speculative fiction novels beginning with The Lancaster Rule, and its sequels, The Master Key and The Eternal Knot. In July 2012, I signed on with small publisher to release the To Catch A Marlin novels and short stories. In 2016, my contracts ended for my books, and since then, been flying solo.

You can find out more about T.K. Toppin on Linktree, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot.

Subscribe to J.C. Gemmell’s newsletter to discover other independent authors of sci-fi, dystopian and cyberpunk fiction.