C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 103

Sneak Peek—Stories from The Expanding Universe Anthology #4: ‘Unexpected Bounty’ by Terry Mixon

There are 20 short stories in the latest volume of Craig Martelle’s The Expanding Universe anthologies. Today, with Craig's permission, we are taking a sneak peek at the start of Terry Mixon’sstory, ‘Unexpected Bounty’. Here’s how it begins:
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Zag the bounty hunter just wanted a beer. The universe had a different plan.
Once I’d set my ship down in the landing pit and shut her engines down, I carefully extracted myself from the cockpit. The damned thing was way too small for me, even after I’d had a mechanic relocate the overhead controls to the left side of my acceleration couch.The corridor from the cockpit to the extendable ramp was just as tight. No surprise there. Razor used to be a smuggling ship built for humans, not a 2.5-meter Borelian with meter-long horns spread above his head. Which made maneuvering around this tin can a pain in my furry butt.The only way I could walk through the ship was to crouch and turn my head a little to the side. Otherwise my horns scraped the bulkheads or ceiling when I walked.The only concession I’d made to living on this ship was having all the passenger cabins combined into one large one. The mechanic had even managed to get the ceiling high enough for me to fully stand and still have about a third of a meter of space over the tips of my horns.That was still as cramped as hell, but it saved me from cricks in my neck and back. Working solo, I just dealt with the problems and grumbled to myself. It was what it was, and I wouldn’t be changing anything, so why bitch?----------------------------------------------------------------Would you like to read more? 
The Expanding Universe #4 is now available on Amazon. You can also find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon in paperback.

Meet the Authors of "The Expanding Universe #4"—Kayelle Allen

Today, we meet Kayelle Allen, one of the 20 contributors to the latest Expanding Universe anthology, and author of the Bringer of Chaos and the Antonello Brothers series. Today, she's here to talk about what inspired her story "Lights Out", why she writes, and a little bit about her latest project. Please welcome her to the blog.

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Colleen, thank you for inviting me to share with your readers! To tell you a little about me, I've been writing since I could hold a crayon. I love inspiring readers with vivid images and fantastic tales. It's my mission write a great roller coaster ride of a story that provides excitement, fun, and takes readers in directions they didn't expect.   I've written professionally for fourteen years and have published seven books, three novellas, and multiple short stories. I have more books in the pipeline, most science fiction or space opera. I've also written a few sci fi romances, a contemporary Christmas romance, and one non-fiction book about writing a sci fi series. My background a US Navy veteran gives me an advantage when writing military-oriented stories. Most of my books feature misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, or warriors who purr. I've been married so long I'm tenured.

Why did I write Lights Out?  I loved the sole human character in my Bringer of Chaos series. Six won not only my heart but also the hearts of my readers. He's become a favorite of my critique group as well. So when I saw the opportunity to join Craig Martelle'santhology of space opera stories, I wrote an origin story for Six. In Lights Out, we meet him when he was known by his Ghost Corps name, Tornahdo.
Ghost Corps is a group of special ops soldiers who have been killed in action and resurrected with the blood of the immortal enemy race, the Ultras. The story begins when Tornahdo is assigned a mission to capture the Ultra's king, Pietas. Like Tornahdo, the story has tragedy, humor, and irony. Here's an intro.

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 Lights OutHe can save mankind. After he does one important thing. Die.
 
Join the Ghost Corps, they said. You'll live forever, they said. You'll save mankind, they said. They didn't say that to do it, first he had to die.
When Tornahdo signs on the dotted line, he puts his life into the steady hands of the mighty Ghost Corps. Three grisly deaths and three agonizing resurrections later, he's assigned duty on the space station Enderium Six.
He's facing his most dangerous mission yet, the very reason the corps exists.
Do they expect him to win? Fat chance. Tornahdo and his team are already dead and this mission is codenamed "Lights Out." No, there's more to this than he can see.
To discover the truth, he must face an unbeatable, unkillable enemy, and this time—somehow—find a way to keep himself alive...
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In the anthology, my story, Lights Out, is a prequel to book one of the Bringer of Chaos series, The Origin of Pietas . Here's a peek at that story:
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Bringer of Chaos: The Origin of Pietas Immortal Council member Pietas, leader of the Ultra race, wants nothing to do with faithless, lying humans. After discovering humans captured and tortured his people, Pietas declares war. To him, humans deserve nothing more than conquest and elimination. They possess no honor. They lie, cheat, and sign faithless treaties. He washes his hands of them.
Following centuries of battle, Pietas learns with dismay that the High Council has agreed to peace talks. He suspects a trap, but grudgingly complies. Upon arrival at the site, his worst fears are realized. Cornered, out of options and with his beloved mother's immortality at stake, Pietas surrenders.
Now a captive of the people he loathes, Pietas is left for dead on the planet Sempervia. He can't survive on his own. A human soldier abandoned with him, offers food and water. But is he worthy of friendship, or is this another trap?
Either way, Pietas must do the one thing he detests. Trust a human...
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Discover the Chaos serieshttps://kayelleallen.com/chaos-series/


How to find Kayelle Allen online
Website: https://kayelleallen.com
Reader Groups: https://kayelleallen.com/reader-groups/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kayelleallen/
Amazon Author page: http://amazon.com/author/kayelleallen



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Bringer of Chaos: The Origin of Pietas and the Antonello Brothers series, along with Kayelle's other works are currently available and "Lights Out" can be found in The Expanding Universe Volume 4 .




The Expanding Universe #4 is now available on Amazon. You can also find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon in paperback.

I’m a Guest Over at Kayelle’s Blog, Today!

I talk a bit about the thinking behind, Mothers, my story in Craig Martelles The Expanding Universe Volume 4, and share a short excerpt. Why don’t you come check it out?

TheExpanding Universe #4 is now available on Amazon. You can also find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon in paperback.

Sneak Peek—Stories from The Expanding Universe Anthology #4: ‘Lights Out’ by Kayelle Allen

There are 20 short stories in the latest volume of Craig Martelle’s The Expanding Universe anthologies. Today, with his permission, we are taking a sneak peek at the start of Kayelle Allen’sstory, ‘Lights Out’. Here’s how it begins:----------------------------------------------------------------
He can save mankind. After he does this one important thing. Die.
Chapter One
The air reeked of antiseptic and starch stiffened the pillowcase. If only the mind-numbing jabbering would stop.
Tornahdo pried open his eyes. The flattened blood bag above him, stenciled equipment and gray walls screamed military hospital.
He'd died. Again.
Spanish curses slipped out. His abuela would've taken a switch to him. He made the sign of the cross and kissed his fingertips.
After yanking the tube out of his arm, he pressed a thumb over the entry point. Thankfully, this time, he wasn't writhing on the floor in agony. Well, not yet.
A faceless android in a Ghost Corps uniform loomed over a bank of equipment displaying Tornahdo's name and vitals. First impression was right. Military hospital.
The weapons-grade yapping continued.
"Did you hear?" a youthful voice bragged. "He killed six of 'em last night."
"Yeah, but they don't stay dead. They never do."
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Would you like to read more?  TheExpanding Universe #4 is now available on Amazon. You can also find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon in paperback.

Meet the Authors of The Expanding Universe—P. R. Adams

Today, we meet P.R. Adams, one of the 20 contributors to the latest Expanding Universe anthology, and author of The Burning Sands, Rimes and Stefan Mendoza trilogies and the Elite Response Force  and The Chain series. Today, he's here to talk about what inspired his story "A Little Surprise" and why he writes. Please welcome him to the blog:

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Hi! I'm Phil. I publish under the name P. R. Adams. You can find my website at  http://p-r-adams.com/ or connect with me on Facebook at  http://facebook.com/PRAdamsAuthor/. The Books link on my website shows my catalog and the Amazon button actually links to a service known as Books2Read, which redirects to whichever of the stores you like (Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Nook, etc.).
I'm a lover of genre. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, suspense/thrillers, crime—I love them all. And I love mixing them up. My stories draw influence from all my experiences, starting with 1950s B movies with giant bugs and killer aliens and two-fisted pulp fiction, then on into classic SF TV movies and books. I also enjoy the rare brilliant modern movie, such as "Dark City" and "Inception." I'm just as at home reading a Richard K. Morgan SF novel or a Robert E. Howard Conan sword & sorcery short piece as I am a Richard Matheson horror story, a Michael Crichton thriller, or an Elmore Leonard crime novel, and I think the imaginary lines drawn between these are as misguided as Flat Earth theories.
Unless you believe in that sort of thing. I guess.
Somehow, I was lucky enough to be allowed into The Expanding Universe Volume 4 alongside so many truly gifted authors. My contribution is "A Little Surprise." This is a tale of Sergeant Wilson, a young soldier forced into a leadership position in a mission to test a new weapon against aliens that have conquered Earth. Wilson is the protagonist for the series The Prometheans, which picks up several years after the conclusion of my just-completed Elite Response Force series .
As with most of my military SF stories, I pulled from historical influences for the tone of this piece. In this case, World War II commando operations around Normandy such as Operation Tonga were the main source. For me, understanding futuristic military scenarios requires understanding past ones.
As far back as I can remember, I've been drawn to special operations--small units performing critical tasks at horrific risk. That forms the backbone of my Jack Rimes and Elite Response Force books , and it's at the heart of this story. More than any other military force, special operations units require grit, independence, and agility, and they're particularly vulnerable to failed communications and bad intelligence. That's only magnified when the enemy is something truly alien. I tried to put that essence in "A Little Surprise."
I hope you enjoy it!

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Would you like to read more? 
Phil’s Elite Response Force books , and his Jack Rimes series are currently available and "A Little Surprise" can be found in The Expanding Universe Volume 4, released on September 17, 2018. You can also connect with P.R. at: http://p-r-adams.com/ and http://facebook.com/PRAdamsAuthor/.

 







The Expanding Universe #4 is now available on Amazon. You can also find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon in paperback.

New Release—‘Mothers’ in The Expanding Universe Anthology #4

This is just to let you know that TheExpanding Universe Anthology #4 has just been released. It’s the only place you can currently find my latest science fiction short story, Mothers—and that’s exciting.
But it’s not just exciting for me. If you like, or are curious about the work of any of these people: Craig Martelle, Jonathan P. Brazee, Michael Campling, Terry Mixon, Yudhanjaya Wijeratne & R.R. Virdi, Bill Patterson, Kevin McLaughlin, P.R. Adams, Kayelle Allen, Drew Avera, Justin Bell, David R. Bernstein, Timothy Ellis, Lyn Forester, Nathan Mutch, J.L. Stowers, Jenetta Penner, and David J. VanBergen Jr.; then this collection is a good place to start.You now find The Expanding UniverseAnthology #4, on Amazon in ebook form—and you can purchase the other volumes in this series, which can be found at the following links: Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon.

Sneak Peek—Stories from The Expanding Universe Anthology #4: ‘A Little Surprise’ by P.R. Adams

There are 20 short stories in the latest volume of Craig Martelle’s The Expanding Universe anthologies. Today, with Craig's permission, we are taking a sneak peek at the start of P.R. Adam’s story, ‘A Little Surprise’. Here’s how it begins:----------------------------------------------------------------
Military plans never survive first contact with the enemy, but sometimes those disastrous changes can come with a little surprise.
“All right, everyone, listen up!”
Staff Sergeant Gerhardt’s voice always made me cringe. Unfortunately, drop was imminent, and everyone was crowded around the entry to the Catapult drop bay, so there was no shutting off my earpiece to avoid him. Normally, when he gave his little preamble, I’d mute his ass and stare at an imaginary spot just behind him.
Not today. With Travis—Sergeant Desai—still in the hospital thanks to me, I was the ranking private.
“You’re Sergeant Wilson this mission.” Gerhardt had said that with all the enthusiasm of a recruit on latrine detail after the platoon overdosed on the Burrito Surprise buffet. “Don’t screw it up.”
Yay, me.
So there I was, running Travis’s squad, the squad I’d been in since we’d signed up. Hating life. Feeling guilty for laying him up. Feeling worse for how it happened.----------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like to read more? 
The Expanding Universe #4 is now available on Amazon. You can also find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon in paperback.

Sneak Peek—Stories from The Expanding Universe Anthology #4: ‘Breaker’ by David VanDyke

There are 20 short stories in the latest volume of Craig Martelle’s The Expanding Universe anthologies. Today, with Craig's permission, we are taking a sneak peek at the start of David VanDyke’sstory, ‘Breaker’. Here’s how it begins:
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When the most notorious freedom fighter in human space is captured, his mission is over. Or is it?
“Why did you decide to rebel again, Assault Captain Straker?” Inquisitor Lazarus poised his elegant stylus over the sheet of hardcopy, an intimidation by script. “That’s Colonel Straker, you piece of shit clone. Or you can call me Liberator.” Straker flexed his big hands within the manacles as if to reach across the table to strangle the man before him. A system of chains on his feet and hands prevented him, attached to a stun-belt.Two muscular, pebble-skinned Hok guards moved forward and lifted prods. Lazarus raised a forestalling hand. “No need for insults, Straker. You gave yourself promotions, but they were never confirmed by any legitimate government. Nor was your popular title, Liberator.But let’s put that aside.” Lazarus took out a pack of smokesticks and offered it, lighting one when Straker declined.After a deep drag, Lazarus spoke again. “I return to my question. Why did you rebel against your government?”----------------------------------------------------------------Would you like to read more? 
The Expanding Universe #4 releases in a couple of days, on September 17, 2018, and is available for pre-order. However, if you’d like something to read, right now, you can find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon.

Sneak Peek—Stories from The Expanding Universe Anthology #4: ‘Checkmate’ by Jonathan P. Brazee

There are 20 short stories in the latest volume of Craig Martelle’s The Expanding Universe anthologies. Today, with Craig's permission, we are taking a sneak peek at the start of Jonathan P. Brazee’s story, ‘Checkmate’. Here’s how it begins:----------------------------------------------------------------

Winning is everything, especially in war.
“Come on, Lettie,” Jorge muttered as he popped up out of the fighting hole and snapped off a burst at the advancing Valks.He ducked back as return fire showered dirt and debris over the three in the hole.“What the hell is taking her?  The damned Valks are closing in!”“Lettie’s on top of it,” Military Tech 2 Isaac Stein said, gripping his Compton-3 to his chest.  He raised his rifle over the edge of their fighting hole and blindly emptied his mag, exposing only his hands for a few seconds.  He knew he hadn’t hit anyone firing like that, but hopefully it would give the advancing Valks pause.“What are you worried about, Jorge?” MT3 Anatasha Dela Cruz asked, only half-facetiously as she pushed up the snakeyes.  “PrimeMil takes good care of us.  Only the best medical care for their miltechs.”“Easy for you to say.  You don’t have exes and kids to support.  I can’t afford to get zeroed.”----------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like to read more? 
The Expanding Universe #4 releases a few days from now on September 17, 2018, and is available for pre-order. However, if you’d like something to read, right now, you can find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon.

Sneak Peek—Stories from The Expanding Universe Anthology #4: ‘Information War’ by Craig Martelle

There are 20 short stories in the latest volume of Craig Martelle’s The Expanding Universe anthologies. Today, with permission, we are taking a sneak peek at the start of Craig Martelle’sstory, ‘Information War’. Here’s how it begins:----------------------------------------------------------------


The first casualty, when war comes, is the truth. - Hiram Warren Johnson
“Did you see that? They killed every man, woman, and child! They have to die!” With each word, foam flew from the old man’s mouth toward the video screen mounted over the bar. He was furious. His face twitched from his rage. He perched above his barstool. “Where did that happen?” the young man wondered aloud. “Did anyone actually see the dead?” “Does it matter?” The old man turned on him, waving a skeletal fist in his face.“I think so, but what do I know,” the young man replied, recoiling from the old man’s anger, his press pass concealed in his pocket. Kenny Freeman considered himself a researcher first and a journalist second. He thought that made him a scientist, because he loved the data. He put a hand in one pocket as he tried to assume a casual pose. The old man continued to vibrate, shaking his fist at anything and everything. The hard part of the reporter’s job was determining the facts. Maybe that was the impossible part of his job.----------------------------------------------------------------Would you like to read more? 
The Expanding Universe #4 releases in a few days from now, on September 17, 2018, and is available for pre-order. However, if you’d like something to read, right now, you can find the paperback versions of Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre , Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre , and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon.