Elliott Scott's Blog: Elliott Scott Writes
July 17, 2022
New Book Live: State of Ruin — A Sci-Fi Noir Mystery
State of Ruin is officially live on amazon!
It's been a while since I've put up a new post. I've been really busy finishing up my third book and am happy to report that it's complete!
Click here to take a peek at the amazon page. Also, as a quick announcement, all of my books are now on Kindle Unlimited. So feel free to hop into them at no cost if you're already a member.
I might add some behind the scenes posts about the creation of State of Ruin later, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. So far ARC/Beta readers have really enjoyed it. If you've read any of my previous work, I think you'll really like it.
Thanks, and happy reading,
Elliott
It's been a while since I've put up a new post. I've been really busy finishing up my third book and am happy to report that it's complete!
Catch your first real murder case, get kidnapped at sword-point, or ride a digitally rendered super-chicken into the sky—who says Neotopia's lost its charm?
Desperate to atone for releasing wild A.I. Harmony, Felix Lasko needs a win more than ever. When a brutal terrorist bombing is unleashed by an Alt Clan member, Felix is hellbent on bringing them to justice. Spurned by his old allies and pushed off the bombing case, Felix must scrape his way to the truth through the murder of Alt programmer Wella Monse. Somehow she's been killed with a gun—which should be impossible within Neotopia. But who's pulling the trigger? And how are they getting away with it?
Ghosts of his past, and a shadowy cabal lay waste to the city as Felix closes in on the killers. Can he catch them? Or will he fall prey to their brutal abilities, leaving the secrets of himself and Neotopia dead and buried?
Click here to take a peek at the amazon page. Also, as a quick announcement, all of my books are now on Kindle Unlimited. So feel free to hop into them at no cost if you're already a member.
I might add some behind the scenes posts about the creation of State of Ruin later, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. So far ARC/Beta readers have really enjoyed it. If you've read any of my previous work, I think you'll really like it.
Thanks, and happy reading,
Elliott
January 7, 2022
That Hardline Habit Debut on Amazon
My new short story is live on Amazon!
"A Sci-Fi Dresden Files, with a grittier edge..." was what one of my reviewers called it. A comparison I don't mind at all.
It's a Sci-Fi Noir short story, and it's listed at $0. Please come check it out.
Live on Amazon now, free! Felix gets his first case at the bottom of the barrel in Neotopia. He's happy to take it, but wondering how he'll get paid by the junkie who hired him.
Can he solve it? And more importantly, what the hell is he going to do if his client won't pay him? He's got to be a detective. It's all he's ever wanted!
This quick ten-minute read is a wonderful introduction to the Spectrum Lathe series and has all the humor, mystery, and thrills of Rim City Blues and Terms of Service.
Come check out That Hardline Habit on Amazon today!
"A Sci-Fi Dresden Files, with a grittier edge..." was what one of my reviewers called it. A comparison I don't mind at all.
It's a Sci-Fi Noir short story, and it's listed at $0. Please come check it out.
Live on Amazon now, free! Felix gets his first case at the bottom of the barrel in Neotopia. He's happy to take it, but wondering how he'll get paid by the junkie who hired him.
Can he solve it? And more importantly, what the hell is he going to do if his client won't pay him? He's got to be a detective. It's all he's ever wanted!
This quick ten-minute read is a wonderful introduction to the Spectrum Lathe series and has all the humor, mystery, and thrills of Rim City Blues and Terms of Service.
Come check out That Hardline Habit on Amazon today!
November 28, 2021
The Drone That Decides When You Die
May I present to you the most cyberpunk thing I have seen in recent months: A cheery YouTube video set to the tune of upbeat techno, in which a cpu rendered voice cheerily advertises the features of an automated killing machine.
Welcome to the kargu-2 quadcopter. With facial recognition software, a 30 minute fly time, 3 payload ordinances, and 90 mph max speed. Follow us on twitter.
As I often talk about, I believe we are living in the sci-fi future. There are often debates about whether drones should be allowed in warfare—how any kind of ban would even be enforced is another matter entirely. That we are even debating how to handle such a reality is a shocking development for humanity. What is truly surprising though, is that this debate has now reached a new level.
It’s recently been reported that last year in Libya, the first instance of a self-guided drone kill occurred:
All loss of life is tragic, and proponents of drones herald the minimal “boots on the ground” presence that they allow. Those against drones have many arguments, including that killing with one creates a distancing effect that makes killing “feel too easy for the operator”. There are of course the heavy civilian casualties that are caused by drone strikes as well.
The Kargu-2 quadcopter is apparently capable of being directed to a set of coordinates, then using facial recognition to seek out and attack a target that matches its parameters. It is not under full control, and does not need confirmation from a human to execute a kill. Its method of attack is a kamikaze divebomb and detonation of a shotgun blast at close range.
As a sci-fi writer I sometimes find myself struggling in these situations. Media such as the Terminator has largely prepped us for the concept of being hunted down by a machine. It’s such a common trope now that it is almost a cliché. I feel like if you were to read about this in a fictional story you would probably be rolling your eyes.
Yet here it is emerging in the real world just last year.
How long will it take for this to become “normal”, in the same way that the public views piloted drone strikes? Ten, twenty years? Even if society at large comes together to reject their use, the technology is readily available to those that wish to use it. The least we can do is keep our eyes open and be aware that it is happening.
Have you heard about anything like this that I’ve missed? I consider myself pretty plugged in on these things, but this one slipped past me.
Welcome to the kargu-2 quadcopter. With facial recognition software, a 30 minute fly time, 3 payload ordinances, and 90 mph max speed. Follow us on twitter.
As I often talk about, I believe we are living in the sci-fi future. There are often debates about whether drones should be allowed in warfare—how any kind of ban would even be enforced is another matter entirely. That we are even debating how to handle such a reality is a shocking development for humanity. What is truly surprising though, is that this debate has now reached a new level.
It’s recently been reported that last year in Libya, the first instance of a self-guided drone kill occurred:
“The lethal autonomous weapons systems were programmed to attack targets without requiring data connectivity between the operator and the munition: in effect, a true ‘fire, forget and find’ capability,” the report from the UN Security Council’s panel of experts on Libya said.
All loss of life is tragic, and proponents of drones herald the minimal “boots on the ground” presence that they allow. Those against drones have many arguments, including that killing with one creates a distancing effect that makes killing “feel too easy for the operator”. There are of course the heavy civilian casualties that are caused by drone strikes as well.
The Kargu-2 quadcopter is apparently capable of being directed to a set of coordinates, then using facial recognition to seek out and attack a target that matches its parameters. It is not under full control, and does not need confirmation from a human to execute a kill. Its method of attack is a kamikaze divebomb and detonation of a shotgun blast at close range.
As a sci-fi writer I sometimes find myself struggling in these situations. Media such as the Terminator has largely prepped us for the concept of being hunted down by a machine. It’s such a common trope now that it is almost a cliché. I feel like if you were to read about this in a fictional story you would probably be rolling your eyes.
Yet here it is emerging in the real world just last year.
How long will it take for this to become “normal”, in the same way that the public views piloted drone strikes? Ten, twenty years? Even if society at large comes together to reject their use, the technology is readily available to those that wish to use it. The least we can do is keep our eyes open and be aware that it is happening.
Have you heard about anything like this that I’ve missed? I consider myself pretty plugged in on these things, but this one slipped past me.
November 23, 2021
The Future is When It All Hovers
Self-driving cars. Dancing robots. A grill-mounted fry-cook arm that can flip a thousand burgers a day.
Are we there yet? Can we say we're in the sci-fi future?
Not until it's hovering. All of it. Even your pen and the trash can next to your desk.
Every day I read a new piece of tech news and am blown away by what is developing. The funny thing to me is that almost no one seems to notice, and it's hard to track everything even if you're fascinated by all the developments. At a glance it seems silly, that it's such a sci-fi staple. Some long-term brain damage inflicted by the Jetsons on a society at large. Really though it may be more significant.
If we have the power for everything to hover, then we probably have the power to get all the essentials done too. In a world where oil power and nuclear facilities are such points of strife, it's comforting to think of a future in which humanity has it all covered. The lights are all on even if nobody is home--and who cares. It's limitless!
It's something I played around with in my debut novel Terms of Service. In Neotopia, power is so plentiful that even the skyscrapers are floating. It's needless and overt, and the ruler of the city--Premier Kazmer Hale--does it to flaunt his power in a world that is largely in darkness. I got some fun jokes in about it too, which always makes me happy.
Are we in "The Future"? Where is the threshold? This is a theme that I like to explore, so you'll see it pop up on this blog a lot.
Whenever we get there, I'll slide you one of my paperclips across the desk and giggle like a madman watching it go.
Are we there yet? Can we say we're in the sci-fi future?
Not until it's hovering. All of it. Even your pen and the trash can next to your desk.
Every day I read a new piece of tech news and am blown away by what is developing. The funny thing to me is that almost no one seems to notice, and it's hard to track everything even if you're fascinated by all the developments. At a glance it seems silly, that it's such a sci-fi staple. Some long-term brain damage inflicted by the Jetsons on a society at large. Really though it may be more significant.
If we have the power for everything to hover, then we probably have the power to get all the essentials done too. In a world where oil power and nuclear facilities are such points of strife, it's comforting to think of a future in which humanity has it all covered. The lights are all on even if nobody is home--and who cares. It's limitless!
It's something I played around with in my debut novel Terms of Service. In Neotopia, power is so plentiful that even the skyscrapers are floating. It's needless and overt, and the ruler of the city--Premier Kazmer Hale--does it to flaunt his power in a world that is largely in darkness. I got some fun jokes in about it too, which always makes me happy.
Are we in "The Future"? Where is the threshold? This is a theme that I like to explore, so you'll see it pop up on this blog a lot.
Whenever we get there, I'll slide you one of my paperclips across the desk and giggle like a madman watching it go.
November 14, 2021
Throwing Rubber Chickens into a Fedora
Absurdity, comedy, and thrilling mysteries. All smashed up into a glorious gumbo.
It's the flavor I like best.
From Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep to Douglass Adams's Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I stew my influences into something truly unique. All of this is why my debut novel Terms of Service is both a lampoon of, and homage to the Noir genre, in a sci-fi setting. Balancing satire and comedy with real tension in a thriller is a delicate dance, but so far I've managed not to trip over my own laces.
I'm looking to connect with readers, and also other indie authors. I'm seriously new to this, and getting a new subscriber to my mailing list makes my day. I'm always looking for a fun mystery and would be happy to chat about the genre. I'm more of a noir action guy than a cozy reader, but if there's a standout I'll take a peek.
If you're a pulp sci-fi author, give me a shout! I'm interested in talking about everything from the nuts and bolts of plotting to just how damn cool it is.
If you want to reach out, shoot me a message on here. If not, you can head over to my site at https://elliottscottwrites.com. You'll be able to find my contact info pretty easily.
To close this out I'm going to lay out a line from one of my recent works, The Hardline Habit. The story is about a 'drug' that takes the form of a wire laid into the user's brain. It's addictive, insane, and based on some real life technology--which are all hallmarks of my work.
It's the flavor I like best.
From Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep to Douglass Adams's Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I stew my influences into something truly unique. All of this is why my debut novel Terms of Service is both a lampoon of, and homage to the Noir genre, in a sci-fi setting. Balancing satire and comedy with real tension in a thriller is a delicate dance, but so far I've managed not to trip over my own laces.
I'm looking to connect with readers, and also other indie authors. I'm seriously new to this, and getting a new subscriber to my mailing list makes my day. I'm always looking for a fun mystery and would be happy to chat about the genre. I'm more of a noir action guy than a cozy reader, but if there's a standout I'll take a peek.
If you're a pulp sci-fi author, give me a shout! I'm interested in talking about everything from the nuts and bolts of plotting to just how damn cool it is.
If you want to reach out, shoot me a message on here. If not, you can head over to my site at https://elliottscottwrites.com. You'll be able to find my contact info pretty easily.
To close this out I'm going to lay out a line from one of my recent works, The Hardline Habit. The story is about a 'drug' that takes the form of a wire laid into the user's brain. It's addictive, insane, and based on some real life technology--which are all hallmarks of my work.
As far as highs went, getting a Wire installed was relatively cheap. If you’re talking the cost of Specs spent on the surgery, that is. What it really cost you was the rest of your life. The habit started off with stick-on applicators for a quick hit in the bathroom, and ended up where these feet were. No living soul could kick that hardline habit. The song its wire sang was just too sweet. And when they finally bit the dust, their thumbs locked down hard. Not even the dead got off it.
It was a deadly habit that was hard to watch, and it made heroin look like an afternoon jog.
