Future Certain

Book 1 of the new
Exceptionals sci-fi series

About the novel...

Future Certain

Book 1 of the new
Exceptionals sci-fi series

Logline

When seemingly normal people from all over the world discover they have exceptional abilities, they must learn to harness their powers to combat assailants, protect secrets, alter events, and ultimately band together to confront a mysterious force.

Our Goal

I created this website to complement my promotion of this science fiction novel series. If you are a representative of a publication company or if you are a literary agent or manager, please contact me. Upon request, I will give you access to my book series bible, a draft copy of book one, Future Certain (or excerpts), and a detailed series outline.

Conceptual Trailer

Exceptionals Series conceptual trailer

The Book Series

World

Characteristics of the series, Exceptionals.
  • Exceptionals is a fictional book series set in our present-day world. Story arcs take place all over the world though predominantly in the United States, India and China.
  • It’s a story about normal people who discover they have exceptional mental or physical abilities and how they integrate the positive and negative aspects of these powers into their lives. What is an exceptional?
  • Exceptionals’ special traits are genetic and rare. Out of every 10 million people on Earth, one has an exceptional ability.
  • Are exceptionals superheroes? The answer is: not in the traditional sense. The characters’ powers are subtle and obey the laws of [extreme] biology and physics. They use their powers to solve problems in their everyday lives. I call it “superhero realism.”
  • For those who don’t yet know they have a special ability, their worlds are about to be rocked!
  • Steeped in the high-stakes worlds of government intelligence and organized crime,the Exceptionals series has a global espionage feel, much like that in the Bourne series. Combined with science fiction elements in our present day, this book series has a tone similar to The X-Files television show.
  • The world of our characters is one of much danger and suspense, but it’s not a dystopia. There is plenty of hope and humor. The show embraces the highs and lows of the human condition and celebrates the possibilities of science.

Themes

The themes into which the series delves.
  • Science fiction concepts in the series are similar to those in Star Trek, but with a human, Earth-based perspective. Telepathy, genetic manipulation, alternate realities, spacial anomalies, and first contact are all explored.
  • There isn’t a generic “good vs. evil” concept in Exceptionals. Conflicts arise from the different ethical choices characters make which eventually put them in opposition. Heroes, villains and those in-between, will change over time.
  • Whether it be ethnic, national origin, class, gender, sexual orientation, intellectual or cultural, diversity is a key component of the stories. A major theme in the Exceptionals series is how people from very different backgrounds and cultures can learn to work together despite their differences. In many cases, working together is a survival requirement.

Structure

The structure of the series.
  • There are 3 major story arcs detailed in the book series bible (available by request). Each story arc follows 3 main characters and their stories begin to merge toward the end of Book 1 and the beginning of Book 2.
  • Each chapter (or sub-chapter in a few cases) follows one character. The narration is in third person limited, and it is limited to the character who is followed. The tone of the narration is moderately affected by the personality and values of the character who is followed which provides another means of knowing where you are in the story.
  • Chapters are predominantly serial and follow a specific timeline: Book 1 begins in mid-August and ends in mid-November of the current year. Significant events occur and, in several cases, those events create consequences for characters from more than one story arc.
  • Chapters typically begin with a hook-reminder and end with a cliffhanger which makes it easier to keep track of characters and story arcs.
  • Characters from all 3 arcs eventually come to be aware of each other by the end of Book 2 then later come together toward an epic common goal beginning in Book 4.

The Writer

Greg Kerr, creator and writer
  • The adventurous creator and writer, Greg Kerr, grew up on a farm in a small town, seemingly far removed from cerebral science fiction. That didn't stop him from enthusiastically reading and exploring everything he could about science and science fiction.
  • He traveled extensively, both before and during working on this concept, including filming scenes in India, Bolivia, and all over the United States.
  • Greg also likes to do proper research and get the details as accurate as possible, so he spent months, and in some cases years, researching science, medicine, geography, history, government agencies, astronomy, and many other topics that are included in the story arcs.
  • He laid out concepts for 6 books in the series
    • Book 1: Future Certain
    • Book 2: Breathing Underwater
    • Book 3: Blackbird/Banshee
    • Book 4: The Time Symbol
    • Book 5: Reality B
    • Book 6: To Save The World
  • His plan ensures that he knows where the story is headed at all times so that it always makes sense and satisfies even the most detail-oriented and savvy sci-fi fan.

How It’s Different

What makes this series different from others.
  • Strong women are the principal characters in this series and many of them are in STEM careers. Traditionally, most science fiction and superhero books, movies and television shows are over 75% men; Exceptionals’ main and recurring characters are over 75% women.
  • The stories and characters represent the diversity of people in the world.
  • Unlike typical superhero stories, these characters aren't over-powered to a point where it's impossible to provide a reasonable, realistic challenge for them. Every ability has a huge, and often life-threatening, disadvantage. And for every power, there is a way to stop it, block it, or counter it with an opposing power or through human-made technology.
  • Exceptionals' stories include futuristic concepts, yet they are grounded in our reality and introduced in a way that honors the awe and wonder a real person would feel when encountering these. The stories are laced, but not over-burdened, with thought-provoking science fiction that will appeal to both sci fi and drama fans. There’s also a great amount of detail and research behind the biology, medicine and physics in the series, so it will appeal to the hard-core sci fi geek who often laments that the science in science fiction is ignored.

Exceptionals may be everywhere, in every region on Earth, though the percentage in the population is extremely low.”

observation by Dr. Glenn Morris, founder of the Morris Medical Center

What is an Exceptional?

Exceptional, n. a person with a medically atypical and extremely rare mental or physical ability.

  • The term “exceptional” was coined by Dr. Glenn Morris, a neurologist and foremost researcher in the study of exceptionals.
  • Exceptional abilities are currently believed to be symptoms of complex genetic disorders.
  • Abilities studied by Dr. Morris include telepathy, extreme athleticism or intelligence, heightened electrical charge, rapid cell regeneration, the ability to breathe underwater, and the ability to amplify or suppress brain waves.
  • Dr. Morris will encounter some exceptionals who defy his definition, including a woman who can travel through parallel universes.

Probabilities

10,000,000

out of every 10 million people
on Earth, there is 1 exceptional

300

probable number of total
telepaths on Earth currently

250

telepaths who don't
realize they have telepathy

6

telepaths on Earth now who
have a power rank of high

Main Characters

Radha Misra

Radha Misra-Yasser

Radha is a survivor. When her father married her off to an organized crime family in Pakistan at age 14…

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Marnie Vega

Marnie Vega

A thirty year old who has overstayed her mother’s invitation to move back home, Marnie is lost. She has a power…

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Brynn Harris

Brynn Harris

Though often troubled by her ability to see the future, Brynn has a Pollyanna view of the world…

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Dr. Tina Plantes

Dr. Tina Plantes

A physics professor at Johns Hopkins University, Tina loves her work. In fact, she’d rather be married to her work than to any man…

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Adebayo "Abe" Rotimi

Adebayo “Abe” Rotimi

Abe is compassionate and selfless, a psychologist by training and an exceptional with a potent mental ability…

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Vivienne Hayley

Vivienne Hayley

Vivienne is a drifter, a grifter, and a bigot. And she’s fresh out of prison. A physical exceptional, her skin and cells rapidly die and…

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Dr. Jean Speerel

Dr. Jean Speerel

Jean is an imposing woman with icy blue eyes and dark secrets she’d do anything to protect. For one, she has the ability to read minds…

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Rachel LaTour

Rachel LaTour

An Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics and martial arts as a child, she is physically exceptional. Now using her talents as a CIA agent…

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Erik von Trapp

Erik von Trapp

A genius, engineer, and die-hard anarchist, Erik has zero allegiances and many passports – each with different aliases…

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In all other ways, mental exceptionals appear typical. The characteristic that is unusual about them may be discreet or overt, and it is often the case that it is physiologically or psychologically detrimental.”

excerpt of notes by Dr. Daniel Trent regarding Dr. Morris' unpublished observations

Featured Recurring Characters

(refresh to see others)

Gauthier Renne

Gauthier Renne

Exceptional Ability: Insinuative visual telepathy. What he sees, he can project those images into the minds of other people, including non-telepaths.

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Michael DeCosta

Michael DeCosta

Exceptional Ability: None. He’s the boyfriend and co-worker of Rachel LaTour. He becomes drawn into the anxiety and issues Rachel has when she shares her experiences with telepathy.

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Ashley Fuller

Exceptional Ability: Proximal (short-range), insinuative empathy. She can passively project her emotions onto others.

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Statistics

Current Comparative Ranking of Telepaths

Dr. Morris has devised a series of tests and benchmarks to quantify the telepathic power of exceptionals who have mental abilities.

Abe Rotimi

54%

Ashley Fuller

71%

Kamal

99%

Maruyama Kura (estimate)

95%

Candice Enapay

37%

Lauren Canella

12%

Dr. Jean Speerel

92%

Brynn Harris (based on tests of a similar telepath)

65%

Marnie Vega

(ability as yet unknown)

Sabriyya Azzi

48%

Gauthier Renne

83%

Wilson Childs

57%

Writer

Greg Kerr, creator of Exceptionals, writer and instructor

I have a scary-good memory for details. I wow (and annoy) friends and students with my recall of specific details on an almost daily basis. I'm serious about writing -- so much so, I got a Master's degree in it...

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Greg Kerr

Creator, Writer

You can contact Greg at fullbrainfilms@gmail.com or through his LinkedIn account above