Beta Readers Needed by The Masquerade Crew

The Masquerade Crew is looking for beta readers to help select the final stories for their time travel anthology. My short story “Road Trip” is one of the submissions you might get a chance to read if you volunteer. Find out more information here.

“Revenants in Warfare” shambles toward publication

After less than a week since my last announcement about a publication, I now have more good news. Last night I was contacted by Maria Kelly from The Were-Traveler. She loved “Revenants in Warfare”, my flash fiction piece which she described as a “meta-faux history article”. It is a “fake excerpt” from renowned historian Jorge Roman’s new book. The preeminent historian of the dead has broken new ground by detailing the history of the dead in warfare. Learn about the bloody genesis of modern society.

I had fun writing this story and I hope you will enjoy reading it as well.  Originally it was longer, but after several rewrites I shortened it to fall under your flash fiction category. This is one of my first forays into zombie fiction, despite being a huge fan of the genre ever since I stayed up late at a slumber party to watch Night of Living Dead.  While everyone else passed out, my eyes remained glued to the television as I absorbed Romero’s masterpiece.

The story will be appearing in Issue 5 of the magazine and will be published on October 29th or 30th, 2012, just in time for Halloween.

With a new short story coming out I decided to create a new bio to use a signature blurb. Check it out:

Matt Mitrovich is a long-time fan of alternate history, founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake’s Monthly, The Masquerade Crew and his own writing blog. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter (@MattMitrovich).

Farewell to Jake’s Monthly Anthology

Jake Johnson, editor of Jake’s Monthly Anthology, celebrated the publication of his last issue this month. A hearty congratulations and a fond farewell to the publication that published one of my first short stories “A Perfect Hell on Earth” (first edition). I wish you the best of luck Jake in your future projects, I know they will be successful.

Has “Road Trip” found a home?

Nothing official yet, but The Masquerade Crew recently posted on their blog the list of short stories submitted for their time travel anthology. My short story “Road Trip” is listed, but what is most important is this line near the bottom:

I don’t have any plans on rejecting any story as long as the author is willing to work with the team: me, beta readers, and editors.

Sounds good to me and though I hate to jinx it, hopefully you will all get the chance to read my foray into the future very soon.

Excerpt from “Collapse Theory”

As promised, here is excerpt from my yet to be published short story “Collapse Theory”. Enjoy:

The air felt warm for October and the patron’s of O’Hare’s Pub obviously approved. The bar looked half-full with the usual crowd of this working-class, smoked filled watering hole. Poor laborers blew away their weekly salary and proles spent the dole President Loeb’s Social-Democrats provided to the unemployed masses.

The Cubs were losing to New Orleans, once again on the barside television. One of the patrons swore loudly after another Cubs player struck out and his friends ridiculed him for his mistaken faith. The farside wall screen ran the local news channel, showcasing the death of six Yugoslavian UN Peacekeepers in Arizona while discussing the continued threat of the Pacific Socialist States or Texas intervening to end the Arizona insurgency.

Angela swung away from the farside screen, sleeking down her short black hair with a slight moue at the amount of smoke. The fifth, or was it the sixth? leering patron walked too near her, but had enough sense to stare at her eyes instead of her breasts. She looked him in the eye; indifference and the lazy unconcern of somebody easily able to defend herself gave him pause. He hesitated and then swerved for the bathroom.

Angela gave a sniff of disgust as he retreated, and immediately regretted it. Whatever happened to the Anglo-American Timeline prejudice against smoking tobacco?

A light haze of cigarette smoke interfered with Angela’s vision. It almost looks like the haze from…No! Do not go there! Just stay by the bar. The contact is expected to find a woman seated at the bar watching the news.

The news channel played part of a speech by the President of the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics, promising to increase financial aid to the United States if they allowed UN weapons inspectors back into the country. The crowd booed and hissed. Barbarians. Their timeline is on the verge of Collapse and all they care about is their petty feuds. She shook her head internally as she observed them with their coarse language, shabby clothes and vile liquor. Maybe we should unleash the Psych Bureau on this timeline. Long stay in a reeducation camp is what these animals need.

The chimes over the door interrupted her thoughts. She looked over and forced herself not to scowl.

She knew the arrogant young man in a faded leather jacket and jeans standing in the door. The white smudge lines on his left sleeve marked him as Angela’s contact. A five-o’clock shadow and small scar just under his lower lip did not disguise him from her. He waved at some men who greeted him, but scanned the bar. Spying Angela, he sauntered over to her.

Crap. Control should have warned me it was Jake. She stayed in character, tossing her head and giving him a cold shoulder. To calm herself she recited the Technocratic Creed: I am a cog. I am a piece of the machine. I work for the greater good.

“Hello, Angela,” the man said, smirking. “It’s been a long time.”

Angela sipped from her glass. “Do I have to say, it’s good to see you Jake; but you could have shaved. Or are you trying to hide the scar?”

Deliberately she traced the scar with her index finger. Her smile cruel and her eyes hard. Jake flinched and Angela continued to smile. Good, as long as you remember who put it there. Maybe we can get through this quickly . . . without your stupid nonsense.

Jake turned to the bar and quickly ordered a beer. Angela watched as he took the mug and felt her eyes narrow in satisfaction at the carefully controlled grip, the tremble that didn’t quite make it out. He gestured with the mug and she shrugged and walked to an empty booth at the far end of the bar. She noticed the men who’d spoken to him coming in watching them. They didn’t know if Jake had scored or not and she felt some grim satisfaction. Jake liked to build on a reputation of being the “Slavic Sensation;” the man who could take any woman for a ride.

“So when did you get in?”

“Two hours ago,” Angela replied. “I broke the brane in a clearing over on the Eggers Woods forest preserve. A parallel of it actually exists on 01-02-1891 so the transition was easy.”

Jake nodded and took a healthy swig. He took a moment to look at Angela. “You still look beautiful by the way.”

“I will castrate you, Jakub Tillich.”

He flinched for a second time and laughed uneasily, covering his momentary lapse. “You still don’t swear like a normal person. Crap, when we broke up . . . you were so much the model technocrat; I didn’t really believe you.

Jake fingered his scar. “Well . . . until the end.”

“I do not have time for this,” Angela said. “Remember that cultures can be wildly different. You tripped over a hidden trap and nearly died in it. Bait me and you could still die.”

She took a moment to let her threat sink in then continued. “This is business. The Time Stream Protection Task Force has assigned me a clean-up mission in this timeline and if you are not going to help me I am sure Odin’s Hell Hole would love to have a new inmate.”

Jake held up his hands. “Sorry, you are right…as usual. You do not have to threaten to feed me to the Vikings. I promise to cooperate.”

Jake leaned forward and put his hands on table. “Also I had nothing to do with us being paired again. I just passed on what I learned and then got orders to meet an agent here. So let’s forget about our . . . past relationship and get on with this.”

Angela searched the man’s face, but she could not catch any of the tell-tale signs of deceit. Her face became fractionally more sympathetic. “Did you ever go back home and find her?”

Jake looked away. Angela momentarily regretted bringing up mention of the woman from Jake’s childhood.

“Yeah, I did, after we broke up. She’s dead. The most excellent government of Vendia was kind enough to provide a pinewood box before dumping her in an unmarked grave.” He spit on the already filthy floor of the bar.

“I am sorry. She sounded like a wonderful person.”

Jake waved Angela’s comment away and his usual jovial voice returned. “No worries. I made sure to lodge a complaint with those responsible. It was good to see someone get cut up beside me for once.”

Jake chuckled as he unconsciously fingered his scar again. “Now I have been rewarded with a date with my crazy ex-girlfriend and a chance to rat out another criminal and hopefully move in on his territory. Good times.”

Jake quickly chugged his beer and waved toward the bartender for another. Angela just recited her creed again to calm herself before continuing.

“Do you have any information for me?”

Jake reached under the table with his right hand and placed a tiny plastic zip drive, which Angela quickly pocketed.

“Let us get on with the business at hand. I have been briefed and I will review this intelligence later, but I want to hear your opinion about this world and what is happening here.”

“I heard about what happened on 07-113-1558. Grade-A clusterfuck if you ask me. You were lucky to get out alive.”

Angela face became set in stone. “That is irrelevant to the mission.”

“I heard the Community is calling it ‘Gehenna’. You know…the Jewish hell.”

Angela stared daggers at Jake, “The situation, please?”

Jake gave a slight chuckle, “I was contacted about two months ago. They told me there was a job on 04-190-1945, but it was dangerous. The natives here a restless, you saw the news.”

A waitress arrived with Jake’s new beer. He thanked her and took a healthy swig from it. “At first I didn’t believe what they were asking. Turns out condoms and other birth control are illegal here. I almost choked on my beer when I heard it, but the guys who run this shit-hole had to make a deal with some religious nut-jobs to keep them from shooting up every tax collector who came knocking.”

Angela nodded and Jake continued. “So standard procedure, we bought wholesale on Santamaria…”

“02-083-1856?”

“Whatever. Like I said we bought wholesale, transferred it to this abandoned steel mill, jacked up the prices and raked in the profit. I got my share and everything else went back to the group running it from Santamaría.”

“So what went wrong?”

“I got suspicious when my ‘partner’ showed up. Said his name was John. They told me they wanted one of their guys working with me just to be sure I kept our bargain.”

Jake took a large swig from his beer. “Can you think of a better way to insult a smuggler?”

“A few. Tell me about this other smuggler.”

“He wasn’t a smuggler; I figured that out really quick. Almost blew our cover when he got into a pissing contest with a potential buyer.”

Jake took another drink from his beer before he continued. “He also kept me from looking at all of the products . . . well tried to anyway. Did you know assault rifles are considered contraceptives?”

Angela rolled her eyes. Jake hesitated and stared at his half-empty beer for a moment. “He had a look in his eye as well.”

“What look?”

“The one that says I have seen some deep shit. You have a little of it yourself.”

Angela sighed. She began to understand her adversary. “Soldier?”

“Yep. Called in a couple of favors and found an ID. Julius Williams, New Afrikan.”

Angela unconsciously rubbed her left thigh as she spoke, remembering the time she broke up another rogue New Afrikan operation in the Confederate States of American on Earth 04-020-1861. “I have experience with them on another timeline. Let me guess, trying to export their revolutionary ideas to the local black population?”

Jake nodded. “Blacks got it rough in this timeline. There was a lot of fighting in the 60s after they came back from their war in Cuba and still found whitey lording it over them. Now it looks like they found a sympathetic ear from the New Afrikans.”

“Tell me more about Julius.”

“Veteran of the Liberian Civil War on Santamaria and participated in some of their other interventions there until the powers that be put a lid on such . . . extracurricular activities.”

A waitress approached them and Jake ordered another beer. “Does he have any accomplices?”

Jake took another long drink and finished his beer. “You sure are talkative tonight. Not from his timeline, but he has several local boys running around. Five or six of them, young hotheads eager for the revolution.”

Angela nodded. “This United States is unlikely to hold out for long. If the New Afrikans are attempting to arm the local black population then they have very fertile grounds to work with. My briefing said they have been second-class citizens for generations and they have not attempted any significant acts of social engineering to placate the populace.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “You technocrats think you can solve every Earth’s problems by walling everyone up. When was the last time your Technocracy created a painting or film anyone liked? Your culture has been stagnant for generations.”

Angela felt an old surge to argue with Jake, but suppressed it. “As much as I would love proving you wrong again, how about we just focus on this Earth. I plan to move in a few days, be ready.”

“Just go after Julius and try not to shoot me or my boys in the process.”

Angela said as she gave her first genuine smile. “No promises.”

Writing Update 9/28/12

I know I say this all the time, but I need to get better about updating this blog. New goal is at least once a week.

Alright big news: Down in Dixie is coming along nicely, but I have decided not to submit it to Abaddon Books. I wrote it as a love letter to the alternate history genre and it is that indeed. Sadly I doubt anyone would actually be interested in publishing such a reference-heavy story set in a niche market. So instead I am going to spend more time on it, flesh it out and making it novel length. I might actually submit it to a publisher, but I will most likely be self-publishing this bad boy.

Speaking of self-publishing, it has been over a year since I wrote “Collapse Theory” and I have yet to find a publisher for the story. I like the tale too much to shelve it so in the near future (hopefully this October) I will be self-publishing it. It will get me acquainted with the process, which will only help me when I finally decide to publish Down in Dixie. Stay tuned for a brief excerpt from the short story just so I can hear from you whether it is a good idea or not.

I just submitted my new short story “Road Trip” to The Masquerade Crew for their upcoming time travel anthology. Wish me luck! In the meantime I am starting working on a really short story (max word count is 2k) for The Were-Traveler’s anthology featuring zombies in alternate history settings. My tale is tentatively titled “Revenants in Warfare” and will be a short excerpt from a much longer scholarly (and, of course, fictional) tome. I am really looking forward to writing this tale. Those who know me or else have read some of my fiction, will understand how much the zombie genre has had an effect of my writing. Ever since I stayed up late during a sleep-over to watch Night of the Living Dead I have been obsessed with the walking dead. Hopefully the lead up to Halloween will put in the right mood to write this horror story.

Writing Update 8/27/12

Wow, my last writing update was almost a month ago. I started this blog to keep my fans updated on what I was writing outside of Alternate History Weekly Update. Yeah, I have been falling down on the job.

Alright, just to prove I am still alive and working, I did record that guest spot on Dissecting Worlds and you can check out the final product where I join forces with my two favorite limeys to discuss alternate histories of the American Civil War. Please listen and if you need encouragement to do so, just look at some of these endorsements:

Interesting podcast about Civil War Alternate History. -Richard Small, author of Confederate Star Rises.

My knowledge of the American Civil War is not all it should it be and I actually learnt a few things listening to the podcast. -Geoffrey Wilson, author of Land of Hope and Glory.

Whoa, and that was my first ever podcast. When I raise enough funds to start my own, you can listen to my Chicago accent more often.

Okay, onto my actual writing. Wok on Down in Dixie is going well, albeit slowly. I have written about 7000 words, which is below the goal I set for the end of August. With work, Weekly Update and family keeping me busy I have found it difficult just setting aside time to write. Nevertheless, I am confident I will have something ready to send to Abaddon by the end of September.

In fact I am so confident about my ability to get back on track, I have actually started work on a new short story, tentatively called “The Road Trip”. The idea for the story came about shortly after I finished “A Perfect Hell on Earth” (still available for free from Jake’s Anthology at Smashwords) during one of my free times from helping my wife chaperone high school students at the Illinois FCCLA state competition.. Reveling in my latest literary victory, I took a break to read an article about optimistic futures set after Peak Oil from io9. Intrigued by a post-apocalyptic scenario that does not end with everyone dying in a lifeless wasteland, I decided to write my own scenario and I came up with a bare bones outline of the future stretching into the early 23rd century. After finishing, I put it away because I really did not have any ideas for a character-driven story at the moment.

Then I saw this call for submissions from The Masquerade Crew looking for time travel stories to the future. My mind immediately went back to my old scenario. Eventually an idea formed about a group of friends traveling to southern Illinois to attend a college party and getting caught up in some weird occurrences down I-55. They and the reader catch a glimpse of one of our possible futures. It may be grim, but it is not without hope. The story should be ready by September for submission as well.

So that is what is new in the writing world of Mitro. Stay tuned for (hopefully) more frequent updates from me. If you are attending Chicon7 this weekend, keep an eye out for me. I will be walking around as a member of the press thanks to Weekly Update.

A new novella?

So last writing update I mentioned a new setting for my first novel. After learning that Abaddon Books was calling for 30k-40k novellas in honor of their birthday I decided to take a shot at it using my new setting.  The working title of the novella is Down in Dixie and in the spirit of Newman’s Anno Dracula and Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen you will find a lot of references to fictional universes and characters.  I hope you guys enjoy all of the easter eggs, but just be ready for it to be fast, tense and dark.

I will keep you updated as the novel progresses.  I have just written the first 3000 words and I hope to have the manuscript ready to be sent to Abaddon by mid-September.  While I hope they accept it, I am tempted to self-publish in case they don’t.  I guess we will all have to wait and see what the future brings.

Writing Update 7/28/12

Wow, it has been a while since I last wrote a post.  Sorry about that.  Since I don’t want you thinking that I have been lazy this last few weeks, here is what I have been up to:

• My revised draft of “The Enchanted Bean” is with my editor.  I will keep you posted on any new developments.
• I have done some rewriting on “Collapse Theory”.  In the year since I wrote it I have learned a lot about writing, at least enough to realize that the draft I have been sending to publishers needs a lot of work.  I think the new version is a lot better and I hope that I will have some good news about it in the near future.  If not, I plan to retire it.  As the fist story I ever tried to get publish, I have a sentimental attachment to it.  I hope it will see the light of day, but if not, I will put away and return to it sometime in the future.
• I have been world building a new universe that I might try using as a setting for my first novel.  Think League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Anno Dracula.  More later.
• I will be recording my guest spot on Dissecting Worlds tomorrow.  The subject: alternate history based on an alternate outcome of the American Civil War.  I hope you guys like it.

Thanks again for reading.

Balkanized America: California

This is my take on the balkanized North America trope.  I tried to combine some common themes with a few inventions of my own that tickled my fancy.  This is not meant to be 100% plausible, just a fun nation profile that might inspire me down the road.  Enjoy!

* * *

The name “California” once referred to a large area of North America claimed by Spain that included parts of the modern day provinces of Shasta, Alta California, Colorado[1] and Baja California. Beginning in the late 18th century, the area known as Alta California, comprising the California territory north of the Baja Peninsula, was colonized by the Spanish Empire as part of New Spain. In 1821, Alta California became a part of Mexico following its successful war for independence.

Shortly after the beginning of the Second Mexican-Texan War in 1846, a group of American settlers in Sonoma declared an independent California Republic in Alta California. Inspired by the success of Texas in the First Mexican-Texas War, ethnic Americans overthrew the local Spanish government and defeated the small force that was sent to crush them. Following that easy victory, the new Republic spent the rest of the Second Mexican-Texan War establishing a government and sought recognition abroad. The early Republic was decentralized. Led by the Executive Committee, this early government of California had little control over the rest of the country and often encouraged vigilantism to maintain order.

Following the Texas victory in the Second Mexican-Texan War in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, in which Mexico ceded Alta California and all territory north of the Rio Grande to Texas. This worsened relations between the two countries and after a delegation from Texas arrived in Sonoma to assert Texas authority, they were arrested and deported back to Texas. Luckily for the Californians, Texas was unable to retaliate due to open conflict with the Mormons around the Great Salt Lake and Native American tribes,  such as the Apache and Navajo nations.

The California Gold Rush beginning in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic change, with large scale immigration from North American states and abroad, plus an accompanying economic boom. The Executive Committee moved the capital of the country to San Francisco, which quickly became the largest city on the West Coast of North America. One of the new immigrants who came to California during this period was Joshua Abraham Norton, who would go on to become the most influential man in Californian history.

Born in England, Norton spent most of his early life in South Africa. He emigrated to San Francisco in 1849 after receiving a bequest of $40,000 from his father’s estate. Norton initially made a living as a businessman, and thanks to his wise investments, became the richest man in the Republic[2]. Popular in the Republic due to his charitable nature, though he sometimes stirred controversy for his defense of Asian immigrants.

When the Great Southwest War began in 1853[3], California feared it would come under Texan domination if they ever establish a position on the Pacific coast, especially since Texas had refused to drop its claims on the Republic. With the Executive Committee lacking the will or the power to do anything, the filibuster William Walker requested funds from Norton to raise a volunteer force to take the Mexican province of Sonora before Texas could. Norton agreed to the plan, raising a force of volunteers that Norton would personally command, with Walker as his second-in-command. Due to Norton’s popularity, volunteers arrived en masse, giving him the numbers necessary to invade Sonora in 1854 and defeat the Mexican forces there. Texas, however, was not about to lose its desired Pacific port. A Texan army pushed through Sonora and besieged Guaymas, but thanks to the help of local Mexicans who preferred California rule over that of Texas, the Prussian trained Texan army was defeated.

After leaving Walker with a large enough force to defend Sonora, Norton returned to San Francisco with the rest of his army. While reinforcements were gathered, Norton met with the Executive Committee. They bestowed on him the title of Consul, but only for the duration of the war. This new title granted Norton virtually unlimited power in California. Norton than crossed the Sierra Nevada mountains where he campaigned against Texas for the rest of the war, aided by his Mormon and Native American allies.

With the signing of Treaty of New Orleans, Great Southwest War ended in 1856, California secured control over Sonora and Baja California and California’s eastern border to the 114th meridian. Norton ensured the Mormon nation of Deseret, the Navajo nation of Dinétah and the Apache nation of Apachería.  The three nations provided convenient buffers between California and Texas and helped secure the nations eastern border.

Returning to San Francisco, Norton continued to rule as Consul of the Republic, despite the war being over. Using his increased political powers, his popularity as a war hero and the loyalty of the only organized military force in the Republic, Norton replaced most of the Executive Committee with men loyal to him. His actions caused riots in several California cities, but most were crushed by the new Army of California, which was made up veterans from the Great Southwest War. Any remaining dissenters left for Oregon, where they settled and laid the foundation for the ongoing mistrust between California and Cascadia.

On September 17, 1859, with any opposition to his rule being silenced, Norton was crowned Joshua I, the Emperor of California. The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Mormon faiths at Joshua I’s request to ensure religious harmony in his new empire. The Republic was organized into a constitutional monarchy, similar to the Virginia model[4], with the Executive Committee being disbanded and reorganized into a two-house parliament (though in reality the true power was with Norton). Important Norton supporters were granted titles of nobility (William Walker, for his role in the war, was named the First Duke of Sonora)[5]. The Bear Flag of the Republic was kept, though the wording on the flag was changed to say “Empire of California”.

Joshua I ruled over California for twenty-one years. During that time he worked to turn California into the most powerful nation on the continent.  His desire to expand California was likely bolstered by the threat of Texas, which began to expand north across the Great Plains. Wealth poured into the Empire during this time, especially after the Comstock Lode was discovered in Nevada in 1859. Meanwhile, Joshua I extended California’s sphere of influence. Formal alliances were signed with Deseret, Dinétah and Apacheria. Joshua I also extended diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Hawaii.

During his reign, Joshua I worked to promote religious tolerance and civil rights for Asians. In 1870 his greatest success came when he helped found the Commonwealth of North American States (CNAS), a forum for North American nations in Dover, Delaware. Norton was also in correspondence with several important figures of the time, including Alexander II of Russia, Queen Victoria of Britain and President Lincoln of Virginia. He died on January 8, 1880. Over 30,000 people attended his funeral, along with foreign delegates from across North America and the world.

Joshua I was succeeded by his daughter Sarah, a Chinese orphan who Joshua I adopted and named after his mother. Sarah I was influential in the alliance negotiations with the Queen Liliʻuokalani of Hawaii  in 1893, that ensured the Kingdom’s status as a constitutional monarchy and leased Pearl Harbor to the Imperial Navy. Using Pearl Harbor as a base, California established control over several Pacific islands. Despite her diplomatic skills, Sarah I lacked her father’s flair for domestic politics and lost political authority to Parliament. This began the decline of the Imperial Family and by the 21st Century, they became figureheads for the true power of the Empire, the Parliament.

Key developments in the early 20th century included the emergence of Los Angeles as a major entertainment center of the world and the growth of a large, tourism sector thanks to looser set of rules governing Nevada. Following the Spanish-Japanese War of 1898, California grew close with Japan, which was a rising world power. Following the Partition of China in 1901, this relationship became a formal alliance out of fear that European imperialism would one day spread to North America.

California entered the Great War shortly after Japan, but gave little material support to the Entente and was one of the first nations to call for a white peace in Europe. The interwar years were a turbulent time for the Empire. Though the Empire had always supported free assembly, the Great Depression of 1929 caused the Socialist Party of California to reorganize itself as the Communist Party of California and began to espouse the violent overthrow of the Empire. Though Parliament outlawed the party and ordered the arrest of many of their leaders, Communist insurgencies sprang up in Shasta, where a growing secessionist movement had been brewing due to the cultural differences of the population compared to the rest of the Empire. Meanwhile, general dissatisfaction with the Imperial government grew as poor economic conditions and the inability to stop Communist attacks against civilians.

Matters were made worse after the Young Oregon movement, a fascist organization modeled after Mussolini’s black shirts, came to power in Oregon in 1933. Hoping to weaken the more powerful California and annex Shasta, Oregon put aside its political differences with the Communists and supplied them with weapons and other materials. By October 1941, however, Oregon became  impatient. Though California had yet to squash the Communist insurgents, dissatisfaction with the fascist regime was growing in Oregon. Hoping a short, victorious war would silence the dissenters and encouraged by vague Texan promises to enter the conflict, Oregon declared war on California, starting the Oregon War of 1941. Launching a bombing campaign on several California cities, the Oregon military hoped that the bombardment would ignite the Californian citizens against the Imperial government and allow the less powerful Oregon military to overwhelm the distracted Californian forces.

This prediction turned out to be foolish to the extreme. The Californians united against the invaders and the Imperial Air Force quickly regained control over the skies and soon bombed Oregon cities. California, however, decided to wait until spring to launch their invasion of Oregon. It was during this period of mobilization that the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Vladivostok on December 7, 1941, bringing Japan into the Soviet War. Though California honored their alliance and declared war on the Soviet Union and the rest of the Comintern, they adopted an “Oregon First” strategy and would not send troops to fight in Asia until Oregon was no longer a threat.

Finally in March 1942, California invaded Oregon. The outnumbered and outgunned Oregon military was no match for the modern Imperial Army which quickly gained control over the Willamette Valley, the heartland of Oregon. Though most of the fascist leaders managed to escape before Portland fell, the loss of the capital and the most important region of Oregon allowed anti-fascist elements across Oregon to rebel against the government and form the Second Provisional Government of Oregon. California helped the new government clean up the remaining fascist holdouts in eastern Oregon, the last surrendering in September. Meanwhile, California began sending troops to help the Japanese fight the Soviets in Siberia and China. Many Californian units fought with distinction and helped create stronger ties between Japan and California.

California’s involvement in the Soviet War ended following the defeat of the Soviet Union in 1945 with the nuclear destruction of Leningrad and Stalingrad by Germany. The destructiveness of this new weapon frightened the California government, who still feared European imperialism. As relations broke down with the Anglo-German alliance (the predecessor to the Grand Alliance), California became a founding member of the Greater Pacific Co-Prosperity Sphere (GPCPS) in 1955. In 1960 California exploded a nuclear bomb in the Mojave Desert. When Texas exploded a nuclear bomb in 1964, California was rudely reawakened to the fact that their old rival was still strong and an even greater threat due to its association with the Grand Alliance.

By the 1960s the growing differences between Britain and Germany led to the dissolution of the Grand Alliance and lessened the threat of nuclear war. California soon entered a period of economic prosperity thanks to their involvement with the GPCPS. The late 20th century saw the development of the technology and information sectors, punctuated by the growth of Silicon Valley. In addition to California’s prosperous agricultural industry, other important contributors to its expanding economy included aerospace, education, mining and manufacturing.

Despite its recent success, saber-rattling by its old rival Texas has put the continent on edge.  After accusations were made that Texas is supplying the Christian Confederation of Carolina with weapons, Texas left the CNAS.  Meanwhile, dissent is on the rise in Shasta, this time because of the green revolutionaries inspired by neighboring Cascadia.[6]

[1] There was a plan in 1854 to separate then southern, then sparsely populated, counties of California into a new state called Colorado.  It never happened and the name was taken by another territory.

[2] In our history he lost a fortune and went mad.  He declared himself Emperor of the United States, but was never taken seriously.  I was always fascinated by Norton, hence why I included him in this history.  Even though he is much more successful in this timeline, I still think he would seek political power.  You have to be a little mad to want to rule a country.

[3] Mexico is not doing well in this timeline.  It will only get worse when the Europeans get involved.

[4] Things back east are weird.  Ever since the Anti-Federalists successfully defended the Articles of Confederation, the former British colonies each experimented in governing themselves differently.  The Society of the Cincinnati found fertile ground for their ideas in Virginia.  To bad they ended up like the other American aristocracies.

[5] I always assumed this would never be enough for the House of Walker. Perhaps I ever write fiction for this setting I might make Walker’s children some of the antagonists.

[6] The Second Provisional Government of Oregon and became almost as bad as the government they replaced.  It was not until the Green Revolution that Oregon, now Cascadia, got a stable if slightly odd government.  Their desire the perfect “ecotopia” is not limited just to the Pacific Northwest.