J.K. Ullrich's Blog, page 24

“Guess what?!”: Another Award for Blue Karma

Remember a few weeks ago I posted about  Blue Karma’s appearance in Library Journal’s curated SELF-e collections? Well,  Library Journal just announced the winners of the inaugural Self-Published Ebook Awards. The competition “recognizes authors who submit the best ebooks in their respective genres” (fantasy, science fiction, romance, and mystery). I received a Tweet about it while making dinner and idly clicked the link; if I kept “tasting” the chili, there wouldn’t be any left for the meal, and a list of top-prize e-books seemed a wholesome distraction.

When I saw the cover of the science fiction winner, my jaw dropped. Usually that’s just a metaphor, but today it went literal as I stood there with my mouth open (not even shoving chili into it). It was my book cover! A volunteer committee of librarians dubbed Blue Karma the best self-published science fiction e-book of 2015. I had to re-read the page several times to make sure I wasn’t misinterpreting it. A few minutes later, my Laddie staggered in from his evening run and I shoved my phone up to his face before he could even catch his breath. “Guess what?!”

Can you tell I’m excited? First the New Apple Summer E-Book honors, now a “Best Book of 2015”. This one has a certain sentimental resonance for me as well. I’ve written before about how much of my childhood I spend in libraries and my tremendous affection for the institution. Earning the recognition of librarians–people who aren’t interested in a book’s profits or Hollywood potential, but whether it deserves to be read and shared–means a great deal to me. More on this story as it unfolds! Meanwhile, check out the other winners and honorable mentions at LibraryJournal.

Top 5 Wednesday – Books I Did Not Finish

This list shames me. I try not to abandon books (unless the prose is so bad and riddled with errors that reading it causes me physical pain). Even when I’m not enjoying a story, I strive to at least skim my way to the ending, if only to give a more thorough condemnation. But here are a few titles that, for various reasons, I never finished.

Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry

A creative writing instructor once commented that every soul in McMurtry’s epic horse opera had motive and history. That’s admirable world-building, but sometimes it’s okay for the bartender to just do his job and serve the hero a drink. I don’t need to know the life story of every person mentioned in the narrative. It makes for dense, ponderous reading. However, that’s not the main reason I didn’t finish this book. I’d already seen the miniseries several times (one of the best Tommy Lee Jones roles ever!) so, by a certain point in the novel, I knew nothing remained but sad parts. No point in continuing.

The Stand, by Steven King

I think I just got sidetracked from this one. I like classic Steven King—titles like Hearts in Atlantis and The Green Mile—and I remember enjoying what I read of The Stand. At some point I’ll re-read it. I’ve made a point of avoiding spoilers, so I still don’t know how it ends!

Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

Early in the tale, one of the main characters lusts after a wench and proposes marriage to her…only hours after his poor devoted wife goes to her grave. Really? I know medieval life was “nasty, brutish, and short”, but really? I’m supposed to empathize with this soulless serf? Disgusted, I put the book aside. My love of historical fiction will probably compel me to try it again someday, but it’s not a priority.

Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon

This travelogue takes readers on a road trip, off the interstate and into the quirky back corners of America. Colorful characters and philosophical musings abound. It’s pleasant, but meandering, with no real plot structure to keep me turning pages. Eventually my interest just ran out of gas.

The Fires of Heaven, by Robert Jordan

Perhaps this is more accurately categorized as “series I didn’t finish”. Fantasy isn’t my favorite genre, but back in our teens, my sister insisted I read the first Wheel of Time book. It took me many chapters to get into it, but the marvelous characters—especially the strong, complex women—ultimately drove me through four books in a row. Imagine my disappointment when, upon opening book number five, several of those marvelous characters seemed conspicuously absent. Like George R.R. Martin, it appears Robert Jordan couldn’t accommodate all of his ever-expanding cast in a single volume. Without the promise of some favorite characters, my motivation to read an 800+ page tome withered. Now what limited patience I have for interminable fantasy series is reserved for Game of Thrones. Speaking of which…

Note to Mr. Martin: A Dance With Dragons came dangerously close to making this list. I only finished it thanks to a series of consecutive business trips, during which Skymall proved an insufficient escape from seat 22B. Don’t count on airport delays to save you again.

Top 5 Wednesday is the creation of Lainey over at Goodreads. Check out the group and join the other “Wednesday-ers“!

Blue Karma’s first award!

Indie authors face many challenges, but perhaps the greatest is getting their work recognized. One way of distinguishing your title among the flood of self-published material is through book awards. A shiny stamp on the cover immediately tells potential buyers that an objective institution reviewed your book (not just your cousin who gave you a five-star rating on Amazon) and deemed it worth a read.

So, for the second time this month, “good news, everyone!” Blue Karma won its first award!

Last week I received notification that my debut novel won top medalist honors in the cross-genre category of the New Apple Annual Summer E-Book Awards. According to the program’s website, the award was established “to honor the creative achievements of the unsung books fighting for their place within the digital publishing world.” I like that description. Makes me sound like Katniss Everdeen with a laptop, crusading for justice in literature, instead of a nerdy twenty-something who wears a suit to her day job and listens to video game soundtracks while she writes.

Needless to say I’m thrilled. In addition to the cute book bling, the award includes some publicity and a Twitter campaign to promote the book. Advertising is another major obstacle for indie authors, so this is a huge opportunity to introduce my story to some new readers. New Apple will release the official list of winners soon, so check out the other medalists and see what was hot in independent publishing this summer!

Recent Reads: The Islands at the End of the World

After allowing this book to languish for several months atop my seemingly interminable to-read list, I finally scored a copy at the local library. I began reading with excitement: the premise intrigued me, and initial reviews sounded promising. Perhaps these high expectations affected my judgement. During our evening co-reading session, my Laddie asked how the book was.

“It’s…adequate,” I said, grasping for an adjective that captured my feelings. When he laughed, I tried to elaborate. “I mean, it’s decent. There’s no outstanding issues with the story or the writing. It’s just not as good as it could be.”

Austin Aslan’s novel introduces us to Leilani, a Hawaiian teenager struggling to live a normal life despite her epilepsy. When a clinical trial offers hope of improving her condition, Leilani and her father travel to a hospital on the Big Island to participate. But disaster strikes. Mysterious green lights appear in the sky; electrical and communications systems across the world go on the fritz; panic quickly reduces the laid-back beach community to chaos. Stranded, Leilani and her father must find a way home.

Leilani is likable enough as a heroine, but I never felt really engaged with her. She doesn’t exhibit the kinds of flaws that memorable characters usually possess. Aside from embracing a plot-critical side effect of her epilepsy, the story doesn’t force her to overcome any tremendous challenges or discover personal strengths. Her relationship with her father is sweet, but their bond is never truly tested. Come martial law or nuclear meltdown, they never seem in conflict with one another.

This proves problematic because they are the only two characters readers ever really get to know. Other people drift in and out of the storyline without much attachment, and the conflict is all external—fighting for survival is a fine motive, but nameless characters shooting at each other or stealing food isn’t going to keep me reading late into the night. I need character drama, and in this story it’s lukewarm at best. Towards the end, Aslan tosses out a few intriguing hints about bad history between Leilani’s grandfather and a potential antagonist, but never explains (presumably leaving himself material for the companion novel).

The science fiction aspect of the book is highly imaginative. Unfortunately, there’s little revealed about it until the last few chapters, which culminate rather predictably. Most of the book concerns the collapse of civilization on the islands. I found the depiction alarmingly believable—Aslan has a deft mind for dystopia—but without a stronger affinity for the characters, the crumbling world never became as immersive as I’d hoped. The prose is solid, written in an appropriate style for young adult audiences. I enjoyed how Aslan wove Hawaiian folklore and mythology into the story.

Overall, it’s a competent debut. If I’d read it at age fifteen, I probably would have loved it, but maturing as a reader/writer has (sadly) made me more critical. Leilani’s story didn’t compel me to pick up the sequel immediately; however, Aslan shows promise as an author. He has some fresh ideas, and I look forward to seeing what he writes in the future.

Review of Blue Karma on “The Book’s the Thing”

Erika of “The Book’s the Thing” was kind enough to accept an review copy of Blue Karma and posted her thoughts yesterday. Thanks, Erika! Be sure to browse the archives as well; her blog includes numerous genres and a lot of intriguing lesser-known titles. It might tip you off to your next engrossing read.

100th Post: A Year of Milestones

It’s my 100th post! Hard to believe I’ve been curating this site for over a year. Add that to the surprising list of 2015 milestones. Published my first novel. Wrote a piece for a prestigious national magazine. Got married. Wait, what? Er, I mean, “good news, everyone!” My Laddie and I eloped on Monday!

A big, lavish wedding was never our plan anyway. So once we’d decided to tie the knot, we just skipped off to the courthouse with a few family members. Standing beneath beautiful autumn trees, we pledged to love one another without reservation, no matter whose baseball team wins. Instead of traditional ceremony readings, we asked guests to read our favorite words on love from Ray Bradbury, Henry James, and Carl Sagan. Geeky and unconventional, but sincere, just like we ourselves.

None of it has quite sunk in yet. The ring on my left hand catches the light as I type, an unfamiliar adornment distracting my eyes from the page. I stare at it with a marvelous mix of joy and disbelief. One of my literary heroes, Mark Twain, wrote “a marriage makes two fractional lives a whole.” I always believed I should be complete and content on my own, but finding someone who complements me in every aspect, and I him, enhanced life in ways I could not have imagined. My Laddie and I have been co-authoring our life stories for two years; now the volumes are officially bound. I’m excited to begin this new chapter together!

Review of Blue Karma on Amid The Imaginary

The modern literary sphere needs more rebels like Anela. She’s denounced major publishing labels and devoted her book review blog, Amid The Imaginary, exclusively to discovering self-published books in the sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian/paranormal genres. Yesterday she posted her review of Blue Karma. I appreciated the thoughtful commentary, and the critique I’ve already taken into consideration as work progresses on The Darksider part one. What really made my day was Anela’s recognition of the factual detail I incorporated into the book.

Research is actually one of my favorite aspects writing science fiction–as an incorrigible philomath, I love the excuse to learn new things–but it’s also a challenge. Gathering and organizing information takes a lot of time. Inconvenient facts blow can holes in major plot points, forcing me to restructure scenes or even entire chapters. Juicy factoids beg for inclusion, but showcasing scholarship risks dragging down the story with arbitrary data. If I do my job well, the facts integrate seamlessly with the narrative…and most readers won’t notice. As the God-entity says in Futurama:

I was particularly flattered that Anela acknowledged my effort to make Blue Karma read like a realistic future. But enough spoilers; go read her review for yourself! If you’re a fan (or writer) of sci-fi and fantasy, consider subscribing to the Amid The Imaginary newsletter as well.

Story Fuel: Where’s The Flux?

A mysterious flickering light in the dark…shifting shadows…is anybody home? No, it’s not a haunted house. It’s KIC 8462852, a star in the Cygnus constellation more than 1,400 light years from Earth. But its spooky behavior has brought us some science fiction-themed chills this Halloween.

Light bends oddly around KIC 8462852. It “blinks” in an unusual way, sometimes dimming by as much as 20 percent. This phenomenon suggests material around the star is blocking the light. It could be space dust, or a bunch of comets caught in the star’s orbit. Another possibility—unlikely but much more intriguing—is the presence of an artificial structure, igniting speculation that KIC 8462852 may be home to technologically sophisticated extraterrestrials.

The Kepler Space Telescope’s data revealed mysterious shifts in the light around KIC 8462852.

What kind of structure would block light from a star? Some have suggested a power plant, like those theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson popularized in the 1960s. He speculated that increasingly advanced civilizations would require increasing amounts of energy to sustain them. Two hypothetical structures are the Dyson Sphere, a shell that encircles a star and captures its energy, and the Dyson Swarm, an array of orbiting solar panels.

Planet Hunters, a citizen science program formed in 2010 to identify exoplanets using data from NASA’s Kepler spacecraft, first observed the anomaly. In September, members of the group published a paper entitled “Where’s The Flux” (popularly known as “WTF”) igniting public imagination. Last week SETI announced it would be pointing radio telescopes at KIC 8462852 to search for transmissions.

If SETI’s efforts don’t detect any signals, it doesn’t necessarily mean KIC 8462852 is uninhabited. Radio waves travel at the speed of light: since the star is over 1,400 light years away from Earth, any wavelengths reaching us would have been broadcast from the star over a millennium ago. We humans didn’t have radio capability that long ago, either. Unless the ancient Mayans sent some transmissions in the 7th century, our neighbors on KIC 8462852 currently hear radio silence from our little primate planet. We’ve come a long way in 1,400 years…and maybe we’re not the only ones.

“Blue Karma”, coming to a library near you!

As Futurama‘s Professor Farnsworth would say, “Good news, everyone!” Blue Karma has been accepted into Library Journal‘s curated SELF-e collections and named as a feature selection! Patrons of subscribing libraries across the country can now access the book via BiblioBoard Library. I practically grew up in my local library system, so I’m thrilled with the opportunity to share my debut novel through that channel.

Also, I’ve updated on the Amazon retail version of Blue Karma. Several readers pointed out typographical errors in the file (thank you for letting me know–I truly appreciate your candor and close attention). Here’s what happened. Before I published the book, my Laddie edited the manuscript with ruthless precision; after he finished, however, I re-wrote most of the last chapter and didn’t subject him to reading it a second time. So the story’s climactic scenes bore evidence of flying fingers. I’ve since made corrections and uploaded a clean file for purchase. If only my English-major pride were so easily repaired…sigh. As they say, writing is never truly finished.

Anyway, if you still haven’t read Blue Karma, check your local library’s e-book collection!

Location, Location, Radiation: Martian Real Estate

I saw The Martian on Friday. Great adaptation of a great novel. Poor astronaut Watney had so many ordeals with his inflatable habitat. If only he’d had one of the new Martian igloos! (Insert paid programming here—“but wait, there’s more!”)

Back in May, NASA announced a competition challenging innovators to design 3D printed habitats for space explorers—including Mars missions—using indigenous materials. It currently costs about $10,00 per pound to send stuff into space, so building with what’s already on-site would be much more efficient. The winning proposal, announced just a few days ago, uses water ice. Creators SEArch (Space Exploration Architecture) and Clouds AO (Clouds Architecture Office) call their innovation the MARS ICE HOUSE.

Just listed: all-new construction with huge backyard!

Frozen H2O crystals afford more advantages than just availability. Ice also works as a radiation barrier. Traditional space habitat concepts often confine their hypothetical residents to subterranean warrens, shielded beneath layers of regolith. The igloo design enables above-ground living. It also recreates some Earth-like comforts, including a “front yard” pocket and recreational parks with vertical hydroponic gardens.

So there’s an novel idea for Martian housing, and perhaps even the materials do do it (the ice house’s first prize win coincides nicely with the discovery of liquid water on the Red Planet). But NASA has another challenge yet to overcome: inventing a 3D printer that can work reliably in extreme extraterrestrial environments!

Take a virtual tour of the Mars Ice House and check out some of the other designs featured in NASA’s latest Centennial Challenge.