L.R. Braden's Blog, page 8

New Release: Chaos Song

Today is release day for CHAOS SONG, book 6 in my award-winning Magicsmith series! First I want to shout out a big THANK YOU to everyone who preordered the book. Thanks to you, Chaos Song made it all the way to the Top 50 Bestsellers list on Amazon for contemporary fantasy. If you bought the ebook version, you should be able to start reading right away. Physical editions are in the mail. :)

If you didn't get around to preordering, you can still support this launch by grabbing your copy today. Consistent sales are huge for the success of a book in the early days of its release.
You can find purchase links on the book's page here on my website. I'd also like to offer a special thanks to those ARC readers who have already posted reviews. Books thrive on reviews, and there's no better way of encouraging authors to write more books than recommending our work to other readers. Here are a few of those early reviews: "This author's books are always entertaining, in-depth and well written. I enjoyed this epic fantasy to the last. So many different species with different agendas brought to a battlefield most don't expect to survive. The battles and all the challenges Alex faces collide in a remarkable read." -Karen F.

"Once I started this book, I didn’t want to put it down. We see some old enemies, some old friends, and some great action....If you aren’t reading this great urban fantasy series, you are definitely missing out. Highly recommend." -Penny N.

"Chaos Song is an original and riveting story that kept me enthralled. It has great plot, strong and brave characters and a lot of heart-pounding action. A must read!" - NetGalley Reviewer

"This was another great entry in the Magicsmith series....The characters were really well done and I enjoyed every part of the journey." -Kathryn M. In case you need even more convincing to read this book, here's an excerpt!“Your lord was clever to send you, a mortal representative, to track his wayward general, but you were a fool to come without the full backing of the PTF.”
“He’s not my lo—wait, what? General? Are you talking about Shedraziel?” My brain scrambled to switch tracks from the knee-jerk response of denying Bael was my boss to the word “general” and its terrifying implications. If Shedraziel was somehow involved. . . . I shook my head. “That’s not possible. Bael gave me his—” I snapped my mouth shut. Even while at peace, the fae realms were political adversaries, and information was a precious commodity. If the undine didn’t already know that I was behind Bael’s decision to postpone his invasion of the mortal realm, I wasn’t going to tell them. Such an admission would only solidify the misconception that I was somehow bound to him, whether through debt or loyalty.
The Undine Lord remained silent through my moment of mental gymnastics, but the dark focus of her gaze was a constant prickle against my skin.
“Bael didn’t send me,” I said at last. “He doesn’t even know I’m here.” I didn’t want to be associated with Bael’s crimes at the best of times, but especially not when my life was in the hands of one of his victims. I bunched my fists and forced myself to take a deep breath, but the water that flooded my lungs didn’t soothe my nerves nearly so well as the air it had replaced. “I came here on behalf of the mortal realm to find out if the sea fae were responsible for the trash that washed up on our shores. A simple yes or no, and I can get out of your hair.”
“Your shores. A simple answer.” A deep sound like distant thunder flitted at the edge of my hearing. The vibration shook my bones. “Your arrogance rivals that of Bael himself.”
“I’m only trying to prevent future conflict between our people.”
“And what would you do if you learned we were responsible for your current situation?”
I double-checked her words in my mind. Phrased as a question, there was no actual admission of guilt.
“I’d report my findings to the PTF and recommend we open negotiations immediately, before the situation devolves any further.”
“Do you have the authority to negotiate for humanity?”
I frowned. “No. The PTF would send someone more qualified.”
She drifted side to side. I got the impression she was pacing. “You claim to act on behalf of the PTF, but you do not carry their support. You claim kinship to the Lord of Enchantment, but deny fealty to him.” She tapped one long, webbed finger against her chin. “It would seem the truth is that you have no authority . . . and therefore no protection.”
She abruptly came closer with one strong pulse of her limbs.
I back-paddled, but there was nowhere to go. I was literally out of my element.
“I invoke the Wayfarer’s Clause.” The words were out of my mouth before I even registered them.
The Undine Lord’s eyes were pools of oil, staring at me from inches away. A rainbow sheen rippled across the darkness. Her lips parted, stretching into a smile that showed the jagged tips of barbed teeth. Tilting her head to the side, she addressed Annabrae. “Put her in a cell.”
The lord’s tentacles brushed against me as she propelled herself backward in a gush of bubbles.
Annabrae’s hand wrapped around my upper arm like a shackle.
“Wait! Under the Wayfarer’s Clause you have to host me for three nights as your guest, safe from harm.”
My words passed into the darkness above as the Undine Lord vanished beyond the edge of the light provided by the glowing plants.
“My lord knows well the bindings of such a claim.” Annabrae’s grip tightened. “You will survive until the clause has lapsed.”
And after that? I was too afraid to voice the question.
Don't miss any of the Magicsmith adventures. Several of my books are discounted right now in either their ebook or physical format, including Book 1: A Drop of Magic, so it's a great time to complete your collection!Click HERE to visit my Amazon Author page to see the current prices.

Review: Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks

Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks by Annie Spence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a terrific and hilarious book that is basically a collection of book reviews from a collections librarian. Because this book is written as a series of love (and hate) letters addressed to the books they describe, I decided to write my review in a similar style. ;)

Dear Dear Fahrenheit 451,

You caught my gaze from across the room. Not a crowded room, mind, for not many people visit the library at 7PM on a Tuesday. I read your title, and it was love at first sight. In your pages I found truth and humor. I found insights and rants. I found old friends, new acquaintances, and a few shady characters that I'll be sure to steer clear of. Most of all, I found a kindred spirit. Keep up the great work, and know that you will always have a place on my shelf.

Your in commiseration,
~L

PS-
Thank you for making a slow shift go by faster.

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Spotlight: The Last Huntress

Today I'm spotlighting Lenore Borja and her debut novel, The Last Huntress!
I was lucky enough to get to read an advance copy of this book, so here's my personal take on it: The Last Huntress spins a fantastic tale of found family and fated love. The story is a blend of modern and mythic, fleshed out with distinct characters, vivid details, and an original spin on the idea of what lies behind the looking glass. Fans of YA paranormal romance won't want to miss this modern day Greek myth set in a familiar yet uniquely realized world.

The book will be released on November 1, 2022, but you can preorder your copy now! About the book:
Alice Daniels has a problem. Her reflection keeps misbehaving when she looks in the mirror—and the longer she ignores it, the harder it tries to get her attention. On her eighteenth birthday, she learns why: she is a huntress, someone gifted with the power to enter mirrors and the magical world that exists beyond. But with this power comes immense responsibility, for in the Mirror Realm lurks an evil that has infected the human race for centuries: demons. It is up to her and her three huntress sisters—with the help of one handsome and overbearing protector—to hunt and banish this evil one demon at a time, thereby keeping the chaos in check. But when an ancient god pays Alice a visit that turns deadly, it is clear the Mirror Realm is more than it seems, and she soon finds herself in a race against time to save the life—and soul—of the one man the gods are determined to never let her have.

The Last Huntress is a story of redemption and sacrifice, the bonds of true sisterhood, and the impossible, sometimes frightening, things we’ll do for love. You can find purchase links at: https://www.lenoreborja.com/ Q&A with the author: What inspired you to write this book? Where did the story/theme originate? When we were living in San Francisco, my husband accidentally bumped into a mirror in our apartment, and it popped open. We’d lived there for over a year and never knew the gold-framed mirror in our bedroom was a door. It wasn’t hiding anything nefarious—just an empty linen closet. But it made me wonder what it would be like if every mirror in the world had something to hide. This inspired the Mirror Realm I created in The Last Huntress. However, I was equally focused on writing a book that celebrated female friendships and the unique bonds of sisterhood. Once you began writing, did the story take you in any unexpected directions? Absolutely. I’m admittedly more of a pantser than a plotter. When I dive into a story, I have a general idea of the plot, but as most writers know, our characters don’t always behave. They say and do things we aren’t expecting, and it can take the story in an entirely different direction. Sometimes, it’s better than I planned, so I go with it. But other times, it gets messy, and I find myself backtracking to find the fork in the road where I took a wrong turn. But I still see the exercise as valuable. I have many pages that didn’t make the final cut, but that extra time with my world and characters was not in vain. It helped inform the parts of my story that DID make it to print. What did you edit out of this book? My first manuscript was 160,000 words. The final book is just over 102,000. When cutting that much from a book, you’re not only editing; you’re restructuring the story. What was originally a four-part book became a three-part book, and a large portion had to be rewritten. I also had to say goodbye to scenes and characters I’d come to love. But they no longer served the story, so they had to go. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it. It sounds like too daunting of a task. But I believed in the story, so I did the hard work to make it more marketable. What were the biggest challenges you faced or surprises you encountered in completing this book? I defer to question #3. Word count! I pay more attention to word count now. I’m currently in edits for book two (sequel to The Last Huntress), and it’s just over 120,000 words. I feel less intimidated by that number. Had I not been keeping an eye on it, it could quickly have crept up. How did you come up with the title? The original 160K manuscript title was A Mirror Darkly. After I cut it down and began querying, I changed it to Wayward Soul. It wasn’t until earlier this year that my publisher suggested we change it to The Last Huntress (Mirror Realm Series Book I). It’s a fantasy that involves Greek gods and magical mirrors, but it’s also about friendship and fated love. There were different directions we could go regarding the title, but I’m happy with where we ended up. How did you choose the genre you write in? I think it chose me! I love reading fantasy and paranormal, as long as there is an element of romance. I like a little love in all my books, even sci-fi and horror (though I don’t read much horror, other than Stephen King’s The Stand. I devoured that book when I was 15, and it never left my brain.) As far as YA is concerned, I think I’ll always be a teenager at heart, so it makes sense that I would find myself writing for that audience! What is your writing process? Where and how do you write? I have an office that I’ve tried to decorate in a way that inspires me. My husband works from home, and his office is right across the hall. I aim to spend the same time in my office as he does in his. If I treat my writing as a 9-5 job, that gets my butt in the seat. Some days are better than others, and the cat is a huge distraction. Occasionally I’ll set up in a coffee shop or on the backyard deck, weather permitting. But I’m most productive in my dedicated office space. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? She’s not that young. But I’d tell her to watch her word count, don’t worry too much about editing as she goes, and just get the story written. Whatever she’s working on, see it through. Finish it! What books have influenced your life the most? This is going to sound like a real hodge-podge of books, but here you go: The Stand (Stephen King), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë), Persuasion (Jane Austen), Outlander (Diana Gabaldon), and a book called Extinction Point (Paul Antony Jones).
The classics (Jane Eyre and Persuasion) because they are timeless love stories I’ll forever adore. Outlander because it inspired my honeymoon in Scotland. The Stand because, as I said earlier, it never left me. I still wander into grocery stores picturing the shelves dusty and empty or full of rotting fruit and swarming flies. And then Extinction Point, because it’s one of the few books I’ve read more than once. Like The Stand, it’s post-apocalyptic and pulls you into a desolate future world. Yet I felt compelled to live it again and consistently recommend it to people looking for a dark and adventurous read. What projects are you working on now? I’m editing book two of The Mirror Realm series and plan to get started on book three soon. But I promise book one does NOT end on a cliffhanger! It’s a standalone novel, and books 2-4 will focus on different characters. I’m also in final edits on a paranormal romance novel. I hope to have more updates on that one soon. About Lenore I love a good love story. From slow burn to first sight, it doesn’t matter. Add in paranormal, fantasy, or dystopian elements, and I’m all in. These are the stories I crave, so naturally, they are the stories I write! My love for writing started in the 8th grade when I wrote a short story about a girl on the Titanic. I loved imagining who she was, her hopes and dreams, and how she ended up on that ship. Of course, it wasn’t Rose and Jack (by a long shot), but it planted the seed that would eventually lead to my career as an author. Oh, I took a few detours along the way. I was an actor. A bartender. A financial recruiter. A human resources professional. I was a lot of things. But one thing I never stopped being was a lover of books. While I might gravitate toward a specific genre, I’ll read anything that engages and captivates me. Historical, Thrillers, Rom-Coms, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi, Memoirs, Young Adult, I’ll devour them all! (Okay, maybe not cookbooks. I’m useless in the kitchen – ask my husband) The point is, I love reading. I love immersing myself in another world for a while. Writing takes this one step further; it gives me the privilege of creating that world. And to be able to SHARE that world with you, the reader? That might be my favorite love story of all. To learn more about Lenore and her books, visit her author website.

Review: Talking to Dragons

Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fourth and final book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. The writing threw me off a bit when I first started reading it because, unlike the previous three books, this one is written in first person. We get the story from the narrative perspective of Daystar, who is the son of Cimorene and Mendenbar from the previous books. Once I got used to the the stylistic shift however, I enjoyed the story.

Daystar’s quest is a mystery to him. As a result, the plot comes across as somewhat random. He has no idea who he is (in relation to the plot), where he’s going, or what he’s supposed to be doing, so there’s a strong sense of him just wandering around without purpose. This didn’t seem to bother my daughter, but I found it irritating.

Along the way he stumbles across a fire-witch named Shiara and a young dragon (with no name), who become his traveling companions. The dragon is entertaining and adds a bit of extra humor to many of the situations. Shiara is short-tempered and rude. Note that this is not an issue with the writing, her character is designed that way. So if you don’t like head-strong characters you may not like her, but she fulfills her role well.

Daystar and his gang also come across several of the original series characters, including Morwen, Telemain, and Kazul, though none stick around for very long. While, having finished the book, I can understand the reason that Daystar was kept in the dark as much as he was, I found it rather annoying that no one shared any information with him that might have gotten him to the end of his quest sooner. I feel like his wanderings were overly complicated and their assistance overly cryptic in order to draw out the story.

Perhaps it was because of the aimless nature of his quest, but I didn’t pick up much personality from Daystar. He just sort of wandered from place to place and did his best not to upset anyone or anything as he went. Even at the end, when he realizes Mendenbar is his father (which of course the reader knew from the very beginning), he doesn’t have a strong reaction. He’s just sort of like, “Hey, Dad. Nice to meet you. Let’s deal with these wizards now.”

As always, the dialogue was primarily light, witty banter. The world building was great since the properties of the Enchanted Forest were already established. The pacing of the story, while aimless, was decent at moving the reader from scene to scene without much lag. The secondary characters who joined and left the main group were all distinct in that classically stereotypical way—i.e. the helpless princess, evil sorceress, or foolish knight—that is a hallmark of Wrede’s world.

All-in-all, the story was an entertaining read that both introduced a new generation of characters and managed to wrap up the Enchanted Forest series in a satisfying way.

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Game Review: Living Forest

Recomended age: 8+
Playtime: 40 minutes
Players: 2-4
Living Forest is a semi-competitive game in which each player takes on the role of one of the seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). The forest is under threat from a fire salamander called Onibi and the four (or however many) of you must band together to put out its flames and protect the sacred tree.

You can win the game by accomplishing any one of three individual goals, but it's also possible to block other players from reaching their goals, forcing them to change their strategy. Of course, they can also block you. So while each player is working toward their own individual goal they can be as competitive as they like. Since I prefer cooperative games, we played this without blocking each other. That makes the game more like a race rather than a head-to-head competition. There's also the collective issue of Onibi's flames, which affect all characters if they get out of control. So while you're all trying to be the first to reach your goal, you also need to work together for the greater good of the forest in which you all live.

The goals are: 1-Collect and plant one of every type of tree on you player board (12 in total). 2-Have 12 blossoms showing on any one turn. 3-Collect 12 extinguished fire tokens. I found that most people end up doing a combination of these as they play no matter what actual goal they're going for. You need to put out fires to keep negative consequences down. You need to plant trees to make your character stronger and get more out of your turns. And the flowers are included on some of the cards you inevitably buy to strengthen your turns. That said, the earlier you choose a focus, the more likely you are to succeed. Wait too long and the game will end before you even realize it. There's no "board" in this board game, it's more of a collection of elements set up between the players. Each player has an individual player board on which they collect saplings and build their personal deck of animal helper cards. Then there's the forest board that represents the forest you are trying to protect. This is where fire tokens are added during Onibi's turn, and where players looking to win by extinguishing fires get their tokens. This board also contains a stone path upon which little figurines of the seasons can travel. Because we didn't play very competitively, we almost never moved anyone around the communal board. As far as I can tell, the main point of that game device is to steal goal markers from other players so they can't win with that goal (unless they steal it back). There are two constructed containers that hold all the different seedling tokens a player can buy, ranged from least to most expensive. There's a card for Onibi that holds the deck of his cards and a bunch of little "X" tokens. The largest area is taken up with the recruitment cards. These are three rows (organized by cost) of animal helpers you can buy into your personal deck that give stat boosts, which determines which actions you can take on any given turn.

One of the most interesting game dynamics was that players can draw as many, or few, cards as they want for their turn... unless they call up three solitary animals, which forces a penalty by reducing their available actions. The animal cards in the deck are identified as solitary, gregarious, or neutral. Solitary cards tend to have stronger boosts, but they don't play well with others. On the other hand, gregarious cards can let you draw more helpers, but often come with unpleasant side effects. Deciding how you want to balance your deck is one of the most engaging parts of this game.

The artwork for this game (done by Apolline Etienne) is lovely. It's a lot of fun to look through all the animal helper cards, and the season spirit characters are so cute! The gameplay is easy to pick up. As I said before, the game is designed to be played competitively. The first playthrough ended too abruptly when one person reached their goal, leaving all the other players feeling unfulfilled since the game only felt half over. Since I'm me, we tweaked the rules just a little to make it a cooperative game. It actually didn't take much at all. We just divided the goals between the players and said we had to accomplish all of them to win. That way we were all playing against Onibi instead of each other. ;) I think it's nice that (with a few adjustments) the game can be played as cooperatively or competitively as suits you.

If you're interested in purchasing a copy, you can find it on Amazon HERE.

Review: Daybreak on Raven Island

Daybreak on Raven Island by Fleur T. Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I absolutely loved the characters in this story. The three kids who get trapped on the island are unique and memorable, and each has a distinct set of goals and motivations. Tori is a soccer goalie suspended from play due to bad grades. She hates being on the prison island because it reminds her of her brother who was just arrested. Noah is afraid of everything. He has been since his mother died. But he's willing to face his fears on the haunted island if it means getting a chance to see his mom's ghost. Marvin wants to be a movie director, and what better place to film a horror flick that a spooky, abandoned prison island? The three alternate having the narrative perspective, and each voice is unique.

The setting and world building are believable, based on stories from Alcatraz. The layout of the island is well reasoned, enough so that you can picture a map in your head as the kids explore. The writing style is smooth and descriptive.

The only place where the story fell down a bit for me was in some of the detail and motivational consistencies. The best example of this is Marvin and his phone. At the beginning of the story it was clear he wanted more than anything to film some of Raven Island on his phone to get spooky shots for his film, but the teacher said student phones were off limits until they got back on the ferry. So maybe he wouldn't risk filming while the teacher was around... but why wouldn't he whip out that phone as soon as he and his friends were out of sight of the teacher? He thinks about how much he wants a shot of the creepy forest they're walking through and the lighthouse they climb, but he never takes out his phone. This led me to believe the teacher had physically taken the kid's phones. Except then when the kids miss the ferry... they all have their phones. And yet Marvin STILL doesn't film anything. He's constantly considering shots he wants for his film, but never filming. What is he waiting for?

There were a few other examples of character inconsistencies like that, or straight up detail glitches when the narration shifted or timelines didn't quite line up. That's why I couldn't give the book five stars, but the overall story was fast and fun. My ten-year-old loved the book. She said she was glad the kids had a mystery to try to solve rather than just being trapped on a haunted island. She enjoyed trying to puzzle out the clues along with the characters.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Adventurer's Guilde to Successful Escapes

The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I liked this book much better than its sequel (which I read first). While the story was still a little "pull the main character along," there were a lot more plot twists and character development.

The main character is named Anvil, and she is joined by her friend Penelope from page one as they attempt to escape the orphanage where Anvil is being held prisoner. After a fortunate turn of events that sees them away from the orphanage, the two girls are joined by a boy named Hiro, and together they set off on a whirlwind adventure.

Anvil seems to be searching for her origins. She has no idea who her family might have been or where she came from. Thoughtful and introspective, finding clues about her past is a major driving force in her motivations. Penelope, on the other hand, knows exactly who her parents were. She's determined to climb out from under the shadow of their poor reputation, and she plans to do it by hitting everything that comes into range. Hiro is a bit of a mystery, and for good reason. He's just trying to stay under the radar as he learns to control his wacky magic, but his extensive knowledge and freakishly good memory make him a valuable ally. Together the three make a well-rounded, if poorly prepared, adventuring party.

The world-building in this story is wonderful. At some point in the world's past, the planet was shattered into chunks of land called tiers. Traveling between these tiers takes serious work, and poses one of the major challenges and unique aspects of the book. Most often the kids end up traveling by dragon fireball, though ancient portals also make an appearance. Each tier has distinct characteristics and inhabitants. For example, one tier is a desert which the kids cross on a sled pulled by sand wolves.

This book has a lighthearted tone of voice that is common among middle grade fiction. Dialogue often takes the form of joking banter. All the adults and most of the rules of their society are ridiculous. All in all this was a highly entertaining read.

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Review: The Great Hunt

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I definitely enjoyed this story more than the first installment in the series, The Eye of the World. I think the writing was smoother and the threads fit together a little more naturally. These books are designed to be read in order, so a lot of the plot and character growth that happens in this book is directly dependent on the events and reveals of book one.

Let's start with the characters. Rand continues to be the central protagonist, though he is not always the most important character. This is definitely a large cast story, which it kind of has to be to get that epic quality one would expect from this type of book. I liked Rand better in this story. While he started off annoying (pushing his friends away to save them), and he still made plenty of mistakes, I feel like he solidified as a character in this book. He no longer felt like an empty shell narrating events as they happened around him. Even when he made bad choices, at least he was actually choosing things.

Perrin and Mat took a back seat during this adventure. While both were present, neither showed any significant growth, although Perrin did come to accept his wolf-speak talent a bit more. Egwene continues to be my least favorite character. Although she was somewhat less annoying in this book she continues to come across as conceited and self-righteous. Nynaeve on the other hand seems to have evened out into a more relatable character that I can really root for. She's strong and proud, but not arrogant. There were lots of side characters that added flavor to the story. Moiraine and Lan were notably absent save a bit at the beginning and a scene at the end, but they were replaced by Verin, a sister Aes Sedai whom I quite enjoyed learning more about. This book also introduced multiple new adversaries to the world, including the strangers from across the sea and a familiar darkfriend who's been turned into something more.

As for the world, this story expands on what was built in book one, introducing more societies and revealing more of the hidden past. We get to visit one of the ogier steading, where more of Loial's culture and character arc are exposed. We visit a modern city consumed by political intrigue. And we're even shown a glimpse of a parallel dimension where characters live out the many iterations of their possible lives. I love the rich flavor of this world, and I'm excited to see more of it.

My biggest complaint about this book would probably be the over-the-top character of Selene. I guess maybe we're supposed to assume she cast some kind of spell on Rand and his companions, because I honestly can't imagine any other explanation for them ignoring all the red flags that went up as soon as she entered the scene. Sure she's beautiful and cultured, but I'd like to think even a hormonal young man like Rand wouldn't be taken in so completely by a pretty face when she was so very clearly manipulating him.

I'm curious to see where the next book leads since Rand can no longer hide from who he is. I'm also looking forward to diving deeper into some of these side characters, as I think that will be necessary to bring this sprawling of a story together.

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Other Worlds Ink has a new book out in the hopepunk cli-...

Other Worlds Ink has a new book out in the hopepunk cli-fi Writers Save the World anthology series: Save the World. And there's a giveaway.

Climate change is no longer a vague future threat. Forests are burning, currents are shifting, and massive storms dump staggering amounts of water in less than 24 hours. Sometimes it’s hard to look ahead and see a hopeful future.

We asked sci-fi writers to send us stories about ways to save the world from climate change. From the myriad of stories we received, we chose the twenty most amazing (and hopefully prescient) tales.

Dive in and find out how we might mitigate climate change via solar mirrors, carbon capture, genetic manipulation, and acts of change both large and small.

The future’s not going to fix itself.

About the Series:

“Writers Save the World” is an annual hopepunk anthology from Other Worlds Ink, featuring hopeful stories by sci-fi writers about ways to solve the world’s problems.

Universal Buy Link | Liminal Fiction | Goodreads

Giveaway

Other Worlds Ink is giving one lucky winner their choice of $25 Starbucks GC or a $25 donation to the Sierra Club in the winner’s name:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47244/?

Excerpt

No one ate for a full day. At night, they sat around their fires and counted the stars, their boats bobbing in the quiet, dark waters. No electricity was permitted. The drones were shelved. The holo-projectors unplugged. Even the radios were shut off. The next morning, they washed in the invigorating cold of the ocean, and beat their bodies with branches.

This was what Edgard instructed. And what Edgard instructed, everyone obeyed.

The waters seemed bright that morning, despite the depths below. Small dots of sea foam dotted the surface, reflecting the eager light of the new day. The weather was calm, and the ocean peaceful. It was an auspicious morning.

Jason leaned against the rails, elbowing between his crew mates as everyone shuffled for the best view. There was laughter and chatter, some singing, a few rude jokes. The ocean was alive that morning, all the ships of the tribe lining up, energy buzzing across the wide decks.

Then the drumming started, and silence fell. People leaned forward, craning necks.

The canoe emerged from between boats, paddled by a small crew, its painted bow slicing through the water. At the front was Edgard, standing tall. Jason felt someone nudge him, and as he looked over at Amelia, she nodded at the cloak draped over Edgard’s shoulders. The Thunderbird.

The canoe stopped, and Edgard placed a hand in the water. As he rose, he started to sing, lighting a bundle of dried cedar, and waving the smoke over his harpoon. He removed the muscle-shell hooks and wrapped them in cloth, tied rocks around the yew shaft, and placed it in the water. As it sank, his song ended. Edgard turned to face the ships, opened his arms wide, and smiled.

The crews erupted.

It was done.

The harvesting was complete.

—From "Thunder on the Ocean," by Christopher R. Muscato

Author Bio

Gustavo Bondoni is novelist and short story writer with over three hundred stories published in fifteen countries, in seven languages. He is a member of Codex and an Active Member of SFWA. His latest novel is Lost Island Rampage (2021). He has also published three other monster books: Ice Station: Death (2019), Jungle Lab Terror (2020) and Test Site Horror (2020), three science fiction novels: Incursion (2017), Outside (2017) and Siege (2016) and an ebook novella entitled Branch. His short fiction is collected in Pale Reflection (2020), Off the Beaten Path (2019) Tenth Orbit and Other Faraway Places (2010) and Virtuoso and Other Stories (2011).

J. Scott Coatsworth lives with his husband Mark in a yellow bungalow in Sacramento. He was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were. He decided that if there weren’t queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends. A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and is a full member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and the head of its self-publishers committee.

Rachel Hope Crossman is an ex-fry cook, ex-substitute teacher and retired Montessori teacher. Her childhood year in Athens, Greece left indelible imprints of olive groves, pomegranates and the sparkling, turquoise blue of the Mediterranean upon her mind. She is the author of SAVING CINDERELLA: FAIRY TALES & CHILDREN IN THE 21ST CENTURY, (2014) The Apocryhile Press, which examines the world-wide Cinderella story as an archetype and explains the symbolism of rings, knives, birds, pumpkins and more. Her personal heroes are Harold (and his purple crayon), Peggy Hill and Nancy Pelosi.

Jana Denardo is Queen of the Geeks (her students voted her in) and her home and office are shrines to any number of comic book and manga heroes along with SF shows and movies too numerous to count. There is no coincidence the love of all things geeky has made its way into many of her stories. To this day, she’s still disappointed she hasn’t found a wardrobe to another realm, a superhero to take her flying among the clouds or a roguish star ship captain to run off to the stars with her.

Derek Des Anges is an emerging cross-genre author working in London, who consistently fails to stick to a single format or genre but does at least really consistently write about the queer experience (or some of them, anyway). He’s into fungi, industrial and experimental music, and trying to avoid the climate apocalypse actually flooding his flat too many times, because he has far too many books to consider moving out.

CJ Erick’s stories have appeared in anthologies from WMG Publishing, WordFire Press, and others. He won the FenCon short story competition in 2015. He writes in multiple genres, publishes novels in a space fantasy series, and dabbles in poetry. He’s an MFA student in creative writing at Lindenwood University, and an editorial assistant for the Lindenwood Review. He lives in Dallas area with his wife and their rescue superhero dog Saber-Girl, calls his sourdough bread starter “Ursula” (K. Le Guin), and cooks crazy-good Cajun food for a Midwest Yankee.

J.G. Follansbee’s short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including Others Worlds Ink’s Fix the World. Other publications include Bards and Sages Quarterly, Children, Churches and Daddies, the collection Still Life 2018, and the speculative fiction anthologies Satirica, After the Orange, Spring Into SciFi 2019, Rabbit Hole II, and Sunshine Superhighway. He is the author of the series Tales From A Warming Planet and the trilogy The Future History of the Grail. He has won several awards in the Writers of the Future contest, and he was a finalist in the inaugural Aftermath short story contest. He also has numerous non-fiction book credits. He lives in Seattle.

Geoffrey Hart: Startled by an aggressive dictionary late in her pregnancy, Geoff’s mother was delivered of a child with a precocious antipathy towards users of words. Over time, he transformed this antipathy into a more functional, if equally passive-aggressive, editorial career. After nearly 35 years, the flame burns brightly as ever, leading to an errant, semi-evangelical career ranting against the evils of words from pulpits at any editing or technical writing conference that will have him, seeking new recruits for his cause. In his spare time, he roams the globe, entertaining locals with creative and unrestrained interpretations of their linguistic conventions. He also commits occasional fictions, and has sold 46 stories.

M. J. Holt lives with her husband on their 60-acre family farm with many animals on a peninsula in Puget Sound. She is horrified that the entire world isn’t working to decrease pollution of all kinds. When she was a teenager, she and her mother sat under an ancient crabapple tree and read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Her mother told her that future generations would pay the price for the sins of past generations. That price has increased and now several generations later, some not yet born, will pay the price. Lightning struck that crab tree decades ago. It grew on land her great grandfather bought in 1892. Her great grandmother farmed the land and had the current house, started in 1900, built. The farm passed to her grandfather, and then to her mother. She lives in that house amid the surviving bits of her ancestors’ lives. This generational continuity informs her fiction. Her crime thriller novels, The Devil’s Safe (2021) and its sequel Making Angels (2022) can be found on Amazon. Recent short stories have appeared in the anthologies Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day: An Anthology of Hope, Low Down Dirty Vote Volume II, Alternate Theologies, and her poetry may be found in the poetry anthologies 300K, Timeless Love, and other periodicals. She earned separate undergraduate degrees in History and English Literature, and a Masters in English Literature. She is a member of SFWA, MWA, and other writing organizations.

Jennifer Irani lives and works in southern California. Her story, “Graft,” was inspired by the recent fires in California, Greta Thunberg, and generation Z. A version of this story first appeared in Writing in Place: Stories from a Pandemic. Her work has been published in the anthology Dove Tales Empathy in Art: Embracing the Other. She has published essays in Orange Coast magazine. Her essay, Regeneration, received honorable mention in the Writers Challenge 2021 on Medium.com. Her poem, “Cool Colors Warm the Soul,” was selected for the Connecting Through Color, Art and Poetry exhibit. She is a member of Barbara Demarco’s Literary Posse.

Andrew Rucker Jones was born and raised in Falls Church, Virginia. No muse heralded his birth, and he has not been writing novels since he was in diapers. He received his Bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University in mathematics with minors in computer programming and German. He has always loved reading, so when the time came to choose a new career after twenty years in IT (programmer, system administrator, manager), he decided writing looked like fun. If only it paid. He now lives in Mannheim, Germany, with his Georgian wife, who actually earns money, and their three children, the eldest of whom also earns more than he.

Micháel McCormick likes to write stories in his Batman pajamas. He and his wife also enjoy travel, hiking, Tai Chi, and perplexing cats. They split their time between Saint Paul, Minnesota and Lake Superior. Mike’s work has appeared in Arcanist, Daily SF, DreamForge, Frozen Wavelets, Grievous Angel, Metastellar, Talking Stick, and elsewhere.

Christopher R. Muscato is an adjunct history instructor and writer from Colorado, as well as the former writer-in-residence for the High Plains Library District. He has published over a dozen short stories and is thrilled to be a part of this project.

Masimba Musodza was born in Zimbabwe, and has lived most of his adult life in the United Kingdom. His short stories, mostly in the speculative fiction genre, have appeared in periodicals and anthologies around the world. He has written two novels and a novella in his first language, ChiShona. His collection of science-fiction stories, The Junkyard Rastaman & Other Stories, was published in 2020. Masimba also writes for stage and screen.

M.D. Neu: Growing up in an accepting family. internationally award-winning author M.D. Neu always wondered why there were never stories reflecting our diverse queer society. Surrounded by characters that only reflected heterosexual society, he decided to change that and began writing, wanting to tell epic stories that reflect our varied world. When not writing, M.D. Neu works for a non-profit in Silicon Valley, and travels with his husband of twenty plus years.

Jennifer R. Povey: Born in Nottingham, England, Jennifer R. Povey now lives in Northern Virginia, where she writes everything from heroic fantasy to stories for Analog. She has written a number of novels across multiple sub genres. Additionally, she is a writer, editor, and designer of tabletop RPG supplements for a number of companies. Her interests include horseback riding, Doctor Who and attempting to out-weird her various friends and professional colleagues.

NRM Roshak is an award-winning Canadian author and translator. Their stories have appeared in various anthologies and magazines, including Galaxies SF, Daily Science Fiction, and Future Science Fiction Digest, and has been translated into several languages. They live in Ontario, Canada, with a small family and a loud cat.

Holly Schofield travels through time at the rate of one second per second, oscillating between the alternate realities of city and country life. Her stories have appeared in Analog, Lightspeed, Escape Pod, and many other publications throughout the world. She hopes to save the world through science fiction and homegrown heritage tomatoes.

Lisa Short is a Texas-born, Kansas-bred writer of fantasy, science fiction and horror. She has an honorable discharge from the United States Army, a degree in chemical engineering, and twenty years’ experience as a professional engineer. Lisa currently lives in Maryland with her husband, two youngest children, father-in-law and cats. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association and a Futurescapes 2021 alumnus.

Heather Marie Spitzberg is an environmental author, scientist, and lawyer who lives in New York’s Hudson River Valley with her family. Her writing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Award Winner: Demon Riding Shotgun

I'm so thrilled and honored to be named a Colorado Author's League 2022 winner!

CAL is a great group dedicated to local authors and every year (for over 80 years!) they judge the written works of the community in a variety of categories and give out awards for writing excellence. If you want to learn more about the group, or are an author looking to join, hop over to the CAL web page at https://coloradoauthors.org.

The awards ceremony took place on Sunday, June 19th at the Washington Park boathouse. It was a beautiful day with lots of people out enjoying the park and boating on the lake, and there was a nice breeze through the open-air pavilion that kept the heat at bay. It was wonderful to get to see so many familiar faces in person and reconnect with old acquaintances. I sat at a table with Todd Fahnestock and Kendra Merritt, whom I knew from previous author events. I was also able to make a new author friend named Chris Mandeville. Demon Riding Shotgun was entered in two categories: scifi/fantasy and paranormal, and managed to take first in both. Between Todd, Kendra, and me, our table took home five trophies!
For those of you unfamiliar with Todd and Kendra, I suggest you check out their work. They're both very talented. I also got these nifty book stickers: There's a video of the entire award ceremony if you'd like to watch it, but for those short on time here are the winners and finalists: