J.K. Ullrich's Blog, page 19
July 20, 2016
Moon Day 2016: Four Facts About Luna that Influenced My Science Fiction
Wednesday. I hit the alarm, staggered to the bathroom to get ready for work…and gasped as a cosmic pearl dazzled my bleary eyes. At 5:45 AM, the moon still hung over the field behind my house, shrouded in lavender dawn clouds. The sight was breathtaking, and appropriate: it’s not just Wednesday, it’s Moon Day! July […]
July 13, 2016
Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Pokemon Go Showed Me The World Through My Protagonist’s Eyes
“Watch out!” I caught my Laddie’s arm before he stepped off the curb, uncomfortably close to an SUV speeding down our street. The neighbor scowled at us from behind the wheel, but my Laddie was too absorbed in his phone to notice. “Stupid zubat got away,” he muttered. “You need a bodyguard to play Pokemon […]
July 8, 2016
Fantasy Flashback: Analyzing Two 90’s YA Books
I finally set up my writing/music studio in the new house, and while unpacking I discovered several of my favorite childhood YA titles in a neglected box of books. (No, I’m not a book hoarder. I can donate them to the library any time I want. Really.) Around ages 9-12, I gobbled up heroine-centric adventure stories, many in […]
Fantasy Flashback: Analyzing Two 90’s YA Favorites
I finally set up my writing/music studio in the new house, and while unpacking I discovered several of my favorite childhood YA titles in a neglected box of books. (No, I’m not a book hoarder. I can donate them to the library any time I want. Really.) Around ages 9-12, I gobbled up heroine-centric adventure stories, many in […]
July 1, 2016
Voices from the Somme: History, without the fiction
While we Yanks are firing up our grills for a weekend of patriotic festivities, our mates across the pond observe a much more somber anniversary. Today marks one hundred years since the start of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest episodes in recorded history with approximately one million casualties over six months. […]
June 28, 2016
Book (and rocket) Launch! “Transient Phenomena” now available
My new book has launched! Transient Phenomena, part one of seven in the Syzygy novella series, is now available on Amazon. Appropriately, it’s not the only thing blasting off today. At 10:05 EST, NASA will test a powerful new rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS) intended to propel astronauts to Mars. It’s an eerie confluence: […]
June 16, 2016
Release Date and ARCs for SYZYGY Pt I
I love NASA’s (presumably) faux recruitment posters for colonizing Mars! They reminded me of a scene in Syzygy Part I: Ash battled claustrophobia all the way to the Educational Centre, where screens hid the grey walls beneath bright animated posters about astronomy, genetics, and habitat safety. Ash watched an cartoon rocket hop across three globes: blue, […]
June 8, 2016
Project Update: My New Sci-Fi Now Serial Novellas
I chose independent publishing primarily for the complete creative freedom it afforded me. So hold tight—we’re about to have an adventure! Instead of the standard novel trilogy I’d originally planned, I’ve decided to release my new story as serial novellas. The project formerly known as The Darksider has evolved into The Syzygy Cycle, a gritty sci-fi saga […]
June 1, 2016
Top 5 Wednesday: Book Theme Songs
As both a writer and a musician, songs and stories are inextricable for me. Lyrics are a fascinating narrative form–Springsteen is like Steinbeck with a guitar–and even the flimsiest dance tune develops a narrative in an author’s imagination. I’ve got whole soundtracks for novels! No room for that today, so here are a few of […]
May 29, 2016
Recent Reads: Operative, by A. Deen
The second installment of the Insurrection short story serial–which Anela, the indie author champion behind Amid The Imaginary, offered me in exchange for my honest review–ups the ante on its predecessor. After devouring Subversive in one sitting, I plunged immediately into the sequel. Operative focuses on Ellie, a young analyst forced to choose between love and duty. Following the cliffhanger events of […]
