Steve Umstead's Blog, page 17
May 9, 2011
Review of Interference from Jim Blackstone
REVIEW: Interference starts off with a bang, literally. I won't be giving anything away by saying this, as the book jacket reveals it, but the dramatic assassination of the President of the North American Union sets events into motion that turn a science fiction novel into more of a suspense/mystery, and Blackstone definitely keeps the [...]
May 6, 2011
My thoughts on the impersonal side of Twitter
It's Friday, and on Twitter, that means another round of #FollowFridays (#FF) – so it's high time I get something off my chest. I'll preface this by saying I'm a nobody, only been on Twitter for a few months, and have no degree in social networking – so feel free to disagree, bash, etc. However, [...]
May 5, 2011
The Cover Reveal for Book 2 of the Evan Gabriel Trilogy
Here goes…only about halfway through the writing of book two, but this cover sure is providing some serious inspiration to get cracking: (Click the image for full size – go ahead, it's worth the click just to see the amazing detail on the ship itself.) Big kudos to AJ Powers for his design work. If [...]
April 28, 2011
I'm an author unwilling to talk about himself…
This just in: I'm uncomfortable talking about myself. The problem? It may be the only way to succeed as an independent author… Hi, I'm Steve, and I'm an author. [audience: Hi Steve…] That's about all I'm usually prepared to say. I mean, who cares who I am, what I do, where I've been? My wife, [...]
April 21, 2011
Review of The King Whisperers by Dr. Kerwin Swint
A few weeks back, I was privileged enough to twitterview* Dr. Kerwin Swint, author of The King Whisperers. *Twitterview – what a cool word, huh? Even cooler concept. Following along with a Twitter hashtag (#emlyn) and creating a real-time, online dialogue, audience members from around the world can peek in, see Q&A, and even throw [...]
April 16, 2011
Buy Scifi, get Horror for Free!
My good friend R. A. Evans, author of the suspense horror novel Asylum Lake, is just weeks away from releasing the sequel, entitled Grave Undertakings. I'm closing in on the halfway point of completing writing for the second in the Evan Gabriel trilogy, entitled Gabriel's Return, with plans to launch soon after Evans. So during [...]
April 15, 2011
Review of Loose Ends by AJ Powers
REVIEW: A hired hit man who previously worked for the mafia. An innocent friend by his side. A corrupt corporation with leak. A gruff CEO with a mysterious and beautiful security agent. A target with questionable morals and a shady lifestyle. This is the cast of characters put together in Loose Ends, a thriller novella [...]
April 13, 2011
Fellow ebook authors – what platform sells best for you?
It's now been officially two full months since Gabriel's Redemption has hit the 'bookshelves' of the major ebook distributors. I can honestly say I'm quite pleased with the sales; how could I not be? Three months ago I didn't even have an ebook, just a collection of Scrivener scenes lumped into a manuscript that was [...]
Review of Chasing Filthy Lucre by Jarrett Rush
REVIEW: When a greedy corporate power threatens the status quo in Weber Rexall's town and he's tasked to do something about it, nothing will stand in his way. Tough guy Rexall, his underground fighting ring cohort Berger, and a synthetic Serve-O named Simmer are just three of the incredibly interesting characters Rush writes into Chasing [...]
April 3, 2011
Review of The Chosen: Book One of the Portals of Destiny, by Shay Fabbro
REVIEW: Mekans…even the name sounds foreboding. Machine intelligence, stripping the resources of planet after planet, making their way across the galaxy, leaving burned out husks in their wake. The only hope for the survival of countless species are The Chosen, small groups of four different species who are watched over and trained by Guardians [...]
