<aside> 💡 Hit Sci-Fi author Rachel Aukes has created a Wild West-style space fantasy in her riotous *Bounty Hunter* series.

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Award-Winning Science Fiction Author, Rachel Aukes

We don’t have to tell you that science-fiction is cool.

Science-fiction basically invented cool (shoutout to our BFF Mary Shelley). Even before cinematic special effects had reached current levels of “may induce depression in viewers who are forced to return to the real world”, practical effects were bringing science-fiction to life in ways that the sci-fi lit nerds of the past could have only dreamed up in their weekly D&D basement sessions.

Despite the booming presence of on-screen science-fiction media (looking at you MandalorianWitcherDuneBookOfBobaFett-), the heart of all sci-fi has always been the “fi” — that is, the fiction part of science-fiction. With thousands of new science-fiction novels published every year (not to mention the genre doubling in popularity since 2010), the proof is there: you don’t need to include cool immersive effects to bring an entirely new galaxy to life with prose.

But, c’mon…it is way, way cooler if you do.

So we teamed up with sci-fi author Rachel Aukes to take her rootin’ tootin’ space shootin’ epic Bounty Hunter to the next level. The best part? We didn’t need a Hollywood budget to do it — but damn does the result feel like a million bucks!

Whether it’s a laser gun shoot-out outside the local space saloon or a rare moment of on-screen vulnerability from our hardened-hero-with-a-heart-of-gold “Havoc” Joe Ballast, the addition of backgrounds and special effects takes Aukes’ universe to astronomical new heights — while still letting her prose shine through as the start of the show.

First, we set the scene with a cinematic intro right off the bat in Chapter One: dim the lights, cue the music, and get the reader hyped for what’s about to come.

A combination of floating text and sound slapped onto an other-worldly desert wasteland view paired with a flashy transition into the first scene brought an immediate sense of the action, drama, and general badass-ery that awaits readers. …and it takes exactly zero coding & just a few minutes to implement.

The real spark that makes Bounty Hunter an incredible experience as a piece of immersive fiction is exactly the same as what makes the plain text experience unforgettable: yeah, we’re talking laser gun space outlaw shoot-outs.

You know what makes the pewpewpew really pop? Some actual pewpewpews.

Our no-code interface makes it a cinch to drop in some laser gun visuals and sound effects whenever felt good — not by interrupting the flow of the action on screen, but by augmenting it. If Aukes’s prose is the star quarterback of the show, a couple of clicks added the explosions, high-octane soundtrack, and the character costumes that become the cheerleader section.

Did we mention the character costumes are awesome? Because these armor-clad space desperados are lookin good. Our character creator tool generates all of these for you.

Still, we all need a break from the action every now and again, even ol’ Joe Havoc himself.

When the figurative eye of the prose needs to zoom in on an especially emotional moment, we are right there with it with a swell in the music, or — because less is more sometimes — with a particularly poignant silence. Suddenly, once you’ve added these elements, there’s room to control the tone by removing them too. Chef’s kiss! That’s drama, baby.

When all is said and done — when the laser-fire settles and the bounty hunter helmet goes up on the wall and both suns are beginning to dip below the wasteland horizon — Rachel Aukes’ lovingly crafted Bounty Hunter is an instant favorite even without all the music and the explosions and the costuming.

’Cause duh, sci-fi is cool.