Alasdair C. Shaw's Blog, page 13
December 31, 2016
The December Round-up of Scifi Books
This month's round-up of science fiction books is the first one I've set to automatically feed my mailing list from my blog. Hopefully the formatting will all come out OK.
Outsystem by M D Cooper
Major Richards needs to get out of the Sol System.
Demoted by the military and hung out to dry, the media labels her the Butcher of Toro. Despite her soiled record, Tanis is still one of the best military counterinsurgency officers in the Terran Space Force.
They need her to find the terrorists responsible for trying to destroy the GSS Intrepid, a massive interstellar colony ship in the final phases of construction at the Mars Outer Shipyards.
It'll be her ticket out of the Sol system, but Tanis discovers she is up against more than mercenaries and assassins. Major corporations and governments have a vested interest in ensuring the Intrepid never leaves Sol, ultimately pitting Tanis against factions inside her own military.
With few friends left, Tanis will need to fight for her life to get outsystem.
Hoarder in the Down Deep by Marilyn Peake
It’s against the law to have children without winning the lottery. Implanted with a birth control device as required by law, Evangeline Hubbard, a dirt farmer in the down deep, discovers that implants sometimes fail. But in a world strictly controlled by the authorities, one pays a terrible price for tampering with the established order. Consumed by fear and madness after things go horribly wrong, Evangeline hoards in order to hang onto things. She adds them to the nest she’s building in the down deep.
Hoarder in the Down Deep is a novella based on the best-selling Wool series by Hugh Howey, and was written with his permission. It’s set in the time when Sheriff Holston and his wife Allison had won the lottery, giving them one year to conceive a child. Investigating the case of Evangeline Hubbard, Sheriff Holston and Mayor Jahns are unprepared for what they find. Hoarder in the Down Deep explores how psychological issues and emotional pain can lead to hoarding. It also explores the mental strain placed on women who have lost control over their own reproductive processes.
Broken Worlds by Drew Avera
The Greshian Empire has reached across the Alorian Galaxy, using its naval might to bring its enemies to their knees. Dead planets float in their wake as the empire fights to assert themselves as the supreme race. Ensign Brendle Quinn has spent five years loyally serving the Greshian Empire in their relentless quest to dominate the Alorian Galaxy. But as his ship decimates planet after planet, he finds his sympathies swinging towards their defeated enemies.
Sergeant Anki Paro, a Luthian Marine, has been anxiously awaiting the call to deploy. As the last line of defense against the crushing Greshian forces, she hopes the time has finally come where her world can stand against tyranny and protect the rest of the worlds in her sector of the Alorian Galaxy. As her path towards war draws near, Anki begins to notice a shift in balance as her society prepares itself for imminent destruction. Questions of misplaced loyalties lead her to wonder if the world she is trying to save has any real intentions of surviving. As Brendle and Anki’s worlds collide, they find themselves in an unlikely alliance to try to stop the full might of the Greshian Empire before there’s nothing left to fight for.
Incursion by Mark E Cooper
The Alliance is ready for the war games. The spectacular show of innovation and strength may change the way war is waged, but on far-flung worlds, devastating incursions have already begun. The Merkiaari are back, but news can only travel as fast as a foldspace drone.
Captain Eric Penleigh of the 501st Infantry Regiment looks forward to an easy assignment. All he needs to do is evaluate the best cutting-edge tech the Alliance has to offer and make nice with new alien allies. But when preparation for the games turns into a deadly war, nobody will be ready for what comes next...
Earth Fire by Daniel Arenson
They emerge from shadows. Hungry for flesh, they scurry forth. They are the marauders, the galaxy's deadliest predators.
And they crave Earth.
Five years ago, we won our first galactic war. We defeated the scum, a race of alien centipedes. But the marauders are stronger, smarter, and crueler by far. And they will show us no mercy.
Marco Emery, hero of the last war, struggles today as a civilian. Shell shock cripples him. Nightmares haunt him. Yet now he must become a soldier again. Now his old platoon must reunite. Together, they must defeat the greatest threat Earth has ever known.
Or humanity will fall.
Constellation by Robert Scanlon
The most powerful battlecruiser in the Galaxy is missing in action. One daring space pirate must find it to save the Sector from annihilation. Indy Jackson is just a stubborn pirate with two goals in life: keep her father's smuggling operation alive, and exact revenge on her father’s murderer.
When Indy is framed for an alien massacre, she is forced to go on the run to clear her name and attempt something dozens of professionals before her have failed to achieve: find the Sector's fabled battlecruiser.
Missing in action, and believed to be destroyed in the last Great War, Constellation is the only ship capable of defending the Sector against its mightiest enemy, the Blood Empire.
But the Sector is crumbling and on the brink of civil war. If Indy sides with the wrong faction, then no one will survive the Blood Empire's onslaught. Especially not Indy, her brother, and her ragtag crew.
Will Indy make the right choice, and successfully play the Sector’s fragile politics ... or will the Galaxy fall into disarray, bringing death and destruction to all?
Momentary Stasis by P R Adams
World peace can be deadly.
Humans discover alien technology and start colonizing worlds outside the solar system. Genetic modification produces miracles. Science advances the human condition. And, for the first time in history, the nations of the world have achieved real peace with each other.
But only the elite truly benefit from all the advancements. Most people are still trapped on an Earth ruined by chemical pollution, nuclear accidents, and chaotic weather changes. Rebellious "genies", genetically engineered servants, cause more harm than good. And global corporations have stripped the idea of nations and freedom of any real meaning.
Sergeant Jack Rimes is no stranger to intrigue. The U.S. Army Special Forces operator lives in a time where every nation on Earth is at peace… but there are plenty of secrets to go around. As corporate greed threatens humanity, genetically engineered humans are making international mayhem of their own.
After his unplanned reassignment to the Intelligence Bureau, Jack is tasked with tracking down a rogue agent implicated in a political assassination. As he and his new partner, an old flame, search the globe for answers, the truth shakes him to his core. The powers-that-be may not be very interested in keeping humanity alive...
Missing by Andrew C. Broderick
Despite his reputation as a brilliant and dedicated space engineer, John Rees is certain he is not the man everyone thinks he is. Haunted by the death of his father and one fatal decision that questions his morality, he doubts he will have a chance to redeem himself for a past he cannot escape.
But when 100 colonists go missing on an alien planet, he sees his chance to prove once and for all that one decision doesn’t create a monster. With only a skeleton crew chosen to lead the rescue mission, and John not making the cut, he struggles to find any way possible to help save them.
Can John find a way to get on board the vessel bound to find the lost colony, or will he be forced to watch from the sidelines as his destiny is snatched from him?
Anstractor Vestalia by Greg Dragon
Commander Rafian VCA the most gifted Space Marine in the Anstractor Alliance remembers nothing.
Waking up with no recollection of his life before becoming a Jumper recruit, he falls in love, joins a rebellion, and focuses his efforts on overthrowing a government. But as his memory slowly returns, he recalls his original mission. Rafian now has a new goal: find his way home, make things right with the love of his life, and avenge the aliens who invaded his planet. But first, the Jumpers must pay, pay for ruining his life.
Outsystem by M D Cooper
Major Richards needs to get out of the Sol System.
Demoted by the military and hung out to dry, the media labels her the Butcher of Toro. Despite her soiled record, Tanis is still one of the best military counterinsurgency officers in the Terran Space Force.
They need her to find the terrorists responsible for trying to destroy the GSS Intrepid, a massive interstellar colony ship in the final phases of construction at the Mars Outer Shipyards.
It'll be her ticket out of the Sol system, but Tanis discovers she is up against more than mercenaries and assassins. Major corporations and governments have a vested interest in ensuring the Intrepid never leaves Sol, ultimately pitting Tanis against factions inside her own military.
With few friends left, Tanis will need to fight for her life to get outsystem.
Hoarder in the Down Deep by Marilyn Peake
It’s against the law to have children without winning the lottery. Implanted with a birth control device as required by law, Evangeline Hubbard, a dirt farmer in the down deep, discovers that implants sometimes fail. But in a world strictly controlled by the authorities, one pays a terrible price for tampering with the established order. Consumed by fear and madness after things go horribly wrong, Evangeline hoards in order to hang onto things. She adds them to the nest she’s building in the down deep.
Hoarder in the Down Deep is a novella based on the best-selling Wool series by Hugh Howey, and was written with his permission. It’s set in the time when Sheriff Holston and his wife Allison had won the lottery, giving them one year to conceive a child. Investigating the case of Evangeline Hubbard, Sheriff Holston and Mayor Jahns are unprepared for what they find. Hoarder in the Down Deep explores how psychological issues and emotional pain can lead to hoarding. It also explores the mental strain placed on women who have lost control over their own reproductive processes.
Broken Worlds by Drew Avera
The Greshian Empire has reached across the Alorian Galaxy, using its naval might to bring its enemies to their knees. Dead planets float in their wake as the empire fights to assert themselves as the supreme race. Ensign Brendle Quinn has spent five years loyally serving the Greshian Empire in their relentless quest to dominate the Alorian Galaxy. But as his ship decimates planet after planet, he finds his sympathies swinging towards their defeated enemies.
Sergeant Anki Paro, a Luthian Marine, has been anxiously awaiting the call to deploy. As the last line of defense against the crushing Greshian forces, she hopes the time has finally come where her world can stand against tyranny and protect the rest of the worlds in her sector of the Alorian Galaxy. As her path towards war draws near, Anki begins to notice a shift in balance as her society prepares itself for imminent destruction. Questions of misplaced loyalties lead her to wonder if the world she is trying to save has any real intentions of surviving. As Brendle and Anki’s worlds collide, they find themselves in an unlikely alliance to try to stop the full might of the Greshian Empire before there’s nothing left to fight for.
Incursion by Mark E Cooper
The Alliance is ready for the war games. The spectacular show of innovation and strength may change the way war is waged, but on far-flung worlds, devastating incursions have already begun. The Merkiaari are back, but news can only travel as fast as a foldspace drone.
Captain Eric Penleigh of the 501st Infantry Regiment looks forward to an easy assignment. All he needs to do is evaluate the best cutting-edge tech the Alliance has to offer and make nice with new alien allies. But when preparation for the games turns into a deadly war, nobody will be ready for what comes next...
Earth Fire by Daniel Arenson
They emerge from shadows. Hungry for flesh, they scurry forth. They are the marauders, the galaxy's deadliest predators.
And they crave Earth.
Five years ago, we won our first galactic war. We defeated the scum, a race of alien centipedes. But the marauders are stronger, smarter, and crueler by far. And they will show us no mercy.
Marco Emery, hero of the last war, struggles today as a civilian. Shell shock cripples him. Nightmares haunt him. Yet now he must become a soldier again. Now his old platoon must reunite. Together, they must defeat the greatest threat Earth has ever known.
Or humanity will fall.
Constellation by Robert Scanlon
The most powerful battlecruiser in the Galaxy is missing in action. One daring space pirate must find it to save the Sector from annihilation. Indy Jackson is just a stubborn pirate with two goals in life: keep her father's smuggling operation alive, and exact revenge on her father’s murderer.
When Indy is framed for an alien massacre, she is forced to go on the run to clear her name and attempt something dozens of professionals before her have failed to achieve: find the Sector's fabled battlecruiser.
Missing in action, and believed to be destroyed in the last Great War, Constellation is the only ship capable of defending the Sector against its mightiest enemy, the Blood Empire.
But the Sector is crumbling and on the brink of civil war. If Indy sides with the wrong faction, then no one will survive the Blood Empire's onslaught. Especially not Indy, her brother, and her ragtag crew.
Will Indy make the right choice, and successfully play the Sector’s fragile politics ... or will the Galaxy fall into disarray, bringing death and destruction to all?
Momentary Stasis by P R Adams
World peace can be deadly.
Humans discover alien technology and start colonizing worlds outside the solar system. Genetic modification produces miracles. Science advances the human condition. And, for the first time in history, the nations of the world have achieved real peace with each other.
But only the elite truly benefit from all the advancements. Most people are still trapped on an Earth ruined by chemical pollution, nuclear accidents, and chaotic weather changes. Rebellious "genies", genetically engineered servants, cause more harm than good. And global corporations have stripped the idea of nations and freedom of any real meaning.
Sergeant Jack Rimes is no stranger to intrigue. The U.S. Army Special Forces operator lives in a time where every nation on Earth is at peace… but there are plenty of secrets to go around. As corporate greed threatens humanity, genetically engineered humans are making international mayhem of their own.
After his unplanned reassignment to the Intelligence Bureau, Jack is tasked with tracking down a rogue agent implicated in a political assassination. As he and his new partner, an old flame, search the globe for answers, the truth shakes him to his core. The powers-that-be may not be very interested in keeping humanity alive...
Missing by Andrew C. Broderick
Despite his reputation as a brilliant and dedicated space engineer, John Rees is certain he is not the man everyone thinks he is. Haunted by the death of his father and one fatal decision that questions his morality, he doubts he will have a chance to redeem himself for a past he cannot escape.
But when 100 colonists go missing on an alien planet, he sees his chance to prove once and for all that one decision doesn’t create a monster. With only a skeleton crew chosen to lead the rescue mission, and John not making the cut, he struggles to find any way possible to help save them.
Can John find a way to get on board the vessel bound to find the lost colony, or will he be forced to watch from the sidelines as his destiny is snatched from him?
Anstractor Vestalia by Greg Dragon
Commander Rafian VCA the most gifted Space Marine in the Anstractor Alliance remembers nothing.
Waking up with no recollection of his life before becoming a Jumper recruit, he falls in love, joins a rebellion, and focuses his efforts on overthrowing a government. But as his memory slowly returns, he recalls his original mission. Rafian now has a new goal: find his way home, make things right with the love of his life, and avenge the aliens who invaded his planet. But first, the Jumpers must pay, pay for ruining his life.
December 3, 2016
An Interview with Dawn Chapman
This month I am talking to Dawn Chapman, author of The Secret King Series, and Director of TSK Productions Ltd.
How did it all begin?The Secret King began its journey in 2007 when I broke my hand. I had a dream and that dream became a feature script. I wanted to learn and find likeminded people, so I joined an online writing community, this is where I met one of TSK’s partners Steven Kogan and from that first rough draft of a feature film I began to plot a TV series. I asked Steven if he would like to write inside my world and he accepted, together we penned 13 episodes, and became fast friends over the next few years.In 2010 I started entering competitions and discovering NaNoWriMo was where I found my second partner, Jaime Bengzon, who also came on board with TSK’s TV series as a character designer. In 2016 we made it official and formed TSK Productions, with the dream of novels, novellas, comics and animation in our sights.To date the TSK team is 14 strong, and growing.
Very impressive! Did you make any marketing mistakes or is there anything you would avoid in future?Yes, when planning a blog tour, and trusting the people who run it. Make sure it’s aimed at the genre you’re actually writing in. I write Sci Fi and I was promised a good amount of the same kind of bloggers only to end up on blogs which dealt with Romance and Fantasy. It didn’t work.I can imagine that is a common problem. I'm glad you found my blog a better match.
What do you think of video trailers for books? I've been wondering whether to do one for my Two Democracies: Revolution series.We have a short trailer from Karina which is great to see, but we’re also working on an animated short to show the skills of the team off and the project on the whole.
Where do the your ideas come from?Everywhere, my characters are literally alive in my head, and if I don’t listen to them telling me their stories, then they get annoyed… they keep me awake. So the best thing for me to do, is to write and let them have their say. Sometimes they are quiet, but if one is resting, believe me the others aren’t. I sometimes think I’ve a split personality.
Finally, what inspires you to get out of bed each day?The Team. I love working with them, and sometimes when life’s been really, really hard. I’ve had them to fall back on, and TSK’s world has kept me solid.
Thank you for your time.
Dawn Chapman has been creating sci fi and fantasy stories for thirty years. Until 2005 when her life and attention turned to scripts, and she started work on The Secret King, a 13 episode Sci Fi TV series, with great passion for this medium.
In 2010, Dawn returned to her first love of prose. She’s been working with coach EJ Runyon who’s encouraged her away from fast paced script writing, to revel in the world of TSK and Letháo as an epic prose space journey.
How did it all begin?The Secret King began its journey in 2007 when I broke my hand. I had a dream and that dream became a feature script. I wanted to learn and find likeminded people, so I joined an online writing community, this is where I met one of TSK’s partners Steven Kogan and from that first rough draft of a feature film I began to plot a TV series. I asked Steven if he would like to write inside my world and he accepted, together we penned 13 episodes, and became fast friends over the next few years.In 2010 I started entering competitions and discovering NaNoWriMo was where I found my second partner, Jaime Bengzon, who also came on board with TSK’s TV series as a character designer. In 2016 we made it official and formed TSK Productions, with the dream of novels, novellas, comics and animation in our sights.To date the TSK team is 14 strong, and growing.Very impressive! Did you make any marketing mistakes or is there anything you would avoid in future?Yes, when planning a blog tour, and trusting the people who run it. Make sure it’s aimed at the genre you’re actually writing in. I write Sci Fi and I was promised a good amount of the same kind of bloggers only to end up on blogs which dealt with Romance and Fantasy. It didn’t work.I can imagine that is a common problem. I'm glad you found my blog a better match.
What do you think of video trailers for books? I've been wondering whether to do one for my Two Democracies: Revolution series.We have a short trailer from Karina which is great to see, but we’re also working on an animated short to show the skills of the team off and the project on the whole.
Where do the your ideas come from?Everywhere, my characters are literally alive in my head, and if I don’t listen to them telling me their stories, then they get annoyed… they keep me awake. So the best thing for me to do, is to write and let them have their say. Sometimes they are quiet, but if one is resting, believe me the others aren’t. I sometimes think I’ve a split personality.
Finally, what inspires you to get out of bed each day?The Team. I love working with them, and sometimes when life’s been really, really hard. I’ve had them to fall back on, and TSK’s world has kept me solid.
Thank you for your time.
Dawn Chapman has been creating sci fi and fantasy stories for thirty years. Until 2005 when her life and attention turned to scripts, and she started work on The Secret King, a 13 episode Sci Fi TV series, with great passion for this medium.
In 2010, Dawn returned to her first love of prose. She’s been working with coach EJ Runyon who’s encouraged her away from fast paced script writing, to revel in the world of TSK and Letháo as an epic prose space journey.
November 27, 2016
The November Round-up of Scifi Books
This month, to celebrate the release of The Newcomer, my round-up of science fiction books will focus on anthologies and box sets.
From a young couple struggling to look after their baby to a new captain's reluctance to take command of her ship, and from a sun-addled stranger's appearance in town to the emergence of a sentient AI, the twelve tales presented here explore the central theme of an arrival by someone or something new.
There's even an alien puppy.
It's 2052 and the first known wormhole appears in lunar orbit. Earth sends a ship to investigate and the future of space travel changes forever. The Solar System develops in many ways over the centuries, but one thing remains constant; the wormholes continue to appear.
Join many of today's most exciting indie science fiction authors as they chart a shared universe and future-history
The Dark Humanity Boxed Set is a compilation of 21 Full-Length Science Fiction and Epic Fantasy reads! We’ve spared no great discovery, with inclusion of a diverse mix of existing titles and brand new content!
The pages inside are packed with everything from faeries, dragons, and mysterious viruses to fantastical quests, frozen cities, fearless knights, ancient foes, and powerful enemies. With over a million words of fiction, this is your one stop shop for sword and sorcery, military and AI science fiction, dark fantasy, and mesmerising space opera adventures from more than twenty Award Winning and New York Times & USA Today bestselling authors!
Step into the world of sentient androids. Humans no longer have to woo a human mate or wait for that perfect match...they simply order their heart’s desire and live life to the fullest. Called PePrs - say it like pepper, the spice - they have become indispensable to humanity. They do the jobs we don’t want to do, act as our windows to the wider world, fill all our social needs, and have become the expressions of our collective will. From the battlefield to the dog pound, from our perfect mate to the nanny that cares for our children...almost every task can now be done by a PePr, leaving humans to explore a life free of drudgery.
It sounds perfect. Then again, things that start perfect don’t usually stay that way.
Dr. Albert Snowden just wanted to be there for his niece, Emily, after the loss of her father. Being abducted by aliens, and then rescued by a mysterious being known as Evaran, has made that difficult. Despite their situation, they try to make the best of it while travelling through space, time, and beyond with Evaran and V, Evaran’s trusty mobile artificial intelligence. With the use of Evaran’s time-travelling ship, the Torvatta, they will try to maintain timeline integrity while dealing with the challenges that brings.
From USA TODAY bestsellers and top authors in space opera, this collection of novels will take you on a journey to worlds in this galaxy and beyond. More than half a million words of space adventure, action, and intrigue!
From Victorian zombies to intergalactic comic capers, near future wars to the human colonisation of space, take a trip with nine stories from eight great British independent authors.
October 31, 2016
The October Round-up of SciFi Books
Here we are again. Autumn has hit hard, and I'm spending the evenings curled up in front of the fire. I miss the long evenings out in the garden or walking in the countryside, but at least it means I'm catching up on my reading.
Here are my top selection of science fiction books I've encountered while also-bought surfing. As always, I started with one of my books (Liberty) so if you are following me its likely you;ll enjoy these too.
A warlike alien race. A stranded platoon. One man's fight to save his brothers--and humanity itself--from total annihilation.
Rade Galaal and his elite team are dispatched to the farthest reaches of known space to investigate the disappearance of a classified new supercarrier.
Equipped with Hoplites, powerful battle suits laden with enough firepower to raze a small city, Rade and his team explore the barren world where the starship issued its final transmission.
But shortly after they land, things start to go very wrong.
Cut off from the fleet, stranded on an unforgiving planet, and surrounded by hostiles, Rade and his men find themselves fighting for their very lives against a seemingly unstoppable foe. Even the awesome firepower of the Hoplites might not be enough.
Can Rade overcome his demons in time to save the platoon, or will his team become the first casualty of the coming Alien War?
It was a time of peace, prosperity, and exploration. But when an unexpected attack cripples a scientific vessel, the SRES Argo, it appears that time has come to an end.
Chief Medical Officer Tag Brewer is the ship’s only survivor. He is alone in the far reaches of space. To survive he must restore and protect the downed vessel from its unknown attackers on a planet as deadly as it is mysterious. He vows to do everything in his power to seek justice for his fallen crew.
When Tag uncovers a sinister secret about those who attacked the Argo, he realizes far more is at stake than just his survival. Something more powerful, more technologically advanced, and more ruthless has emerged from the darkest voids of the galaxy. It’s up to Tag to survive long enough to warn humanity and stop the dawn of a new war.
24 October 2114: the day that shocked the world.Young diplomat Cory Wilson narrowly escapes death in the assassination of President Sirkonen. No one claims responsibility but there is no doubt that the attack is extraterrestrial.
Cory was meant to start work as a representative to Gamra, the alien organisation that governs the FTL transport network, but now his new job may well be scrapped in anger.
Worse, as Earth uses military force to stop any extraterrestrials coming or leaving, as 200,000 extraterrestrial humans are trapped on Earth, as the largest army in the galaxy prepares to free them by force, only Cory has the experience, language skills and contacts to solve the crime.
But he's broke, out of a job and a long way from Earth.
In 2166, Earth was destroyed. It wasn't an alien spacefleet firing from above. It was a bomb planted in the center of the planet before humanity even existed. In an instant, the human population dropped from 11 billion to 1,066.
I'm Loris Roderick, set to take command of the Magellan space station. I didn't know I was to become the de facto leader of our species when its survival hung by a thread.
We should run, hide in some corner of the galaxy to eke out what existence we can. But I'd rather we get our revenge.
From the ashes of their past, Cygnus was rising.
Following in the footsteps of their forefathers, humanity returns to space to explore, learn what the galaxy has to offer, maybe even return to Earth. Cain, the great-great-grandson of the ones who brought peace and free trade back to Planet Vii, finds himself challenged to live up to the deeds of his ancestors, driven to excel as he joins the Space Exploration Service trying to earn a position on the latest deep space exploration vessel.
But space is a dangerous place, where the risks are great and the rewards fleeting.
Faced with the most difficult decisions he has ever faced, Cain is trapped on a human-colonized world. With hostile forces pressing in, Cain has no choice but to dig deep for lessons from his past, match wits with a ruthless enemy, and help his companions to transition from being peaceful explorers to fierce fighters if they are to survive.
A journey to the far reaches of the galaxy, an exploration of their inner souls, from space they came, to space they returned...
Jason Hunter, former Flight Leader of the infamous Bandit Jacks Fighter Squadron, has become the youngest Captain in Skywatch history. When an Admiral's ship disappears in the contested Gitairn Sector, Hunter re-unites his pilots to take command of DSS Argent, a brand-new strike battleship equipped with heavy weapons and squadrons of Paladin ground assault mechs, legendary Tarantula-Hawk hunter-killer gunships and next-generation Wildcat and Yellowjacket fighters.
Skywatch Command is well aware Gitairn is a powder keg and that Argent might be the match. When a Sentinel planetary defense battery and surrounding minefield are discovered in an asteroid field where no human should be, Hunter is forced to call in reinforcements led by his twin sister Commander Jayce Hunter and her battlecruiser, DSS Fury.
Before long, Argent is leading a 12-ship task force against enemy capital platforms ranging from heavy battleships to fleet strength carriers. Hunter's best marines, gunships, bombers and fighters will be put to the ultimate test against space pirates, interdimensional aliens, saboteurs, carnivorous insects, ghost ships, paranoid officers and a mysterious enemy so alien even its allies can't understand it.
Seventy years from now, climate change has damaged the world, and civilization has lost its appetite for radical dreamers and innovation. Niko Rafaelo believes that the key to our future lies in revisiting the banned technology of nanobots, and binding it with the human microbial cloud (the bacteria that surrounds each person). Cut from the same cloth as Steve Jobs and his Silicon Valley heroes of history, Niko is driven to see his dream become a reality, no matter the consequences.
Fletcher Connolly hasn’t got a lot to lose. Since he, and half the galaxy, signed on to the rat race of the technological relics trade, Fletch has long since come to terms with the idea that he will join the ranks of the unlucky explorers that perish lightyears from home without a dime to his name.
As the first mate of an old, decrepit exploration ship--the Skint Idjit--things can't get much worse. As if that isn’t enough, he has a hard time convincing himself his luck is bound to change when he finds himself stranded on the planet Suckass, on a remote branch of the Interstellar Railroad. With his new assignment an unlikely candidate to hide alien treasures, true to his personality, Fletch settles down to work on his tan.
But when disaster strikes and a member of his crew is killed, Fletch finds himself torn between loyalty to the surviving crew and the siren song of an unsuspected trove of A-tech.
Can Fletch save the Skint Idjit and her crew from a horrible death? Or will he ignore their dying screams and laugh all the way to the bank?
Here are my top selection of science fiction books I've encountered while also-bought surfing. As always, I started with one of my books (Liberty) so if you are following me its likely you;ll enjoy these too.
A warlike alien race. A stranded platoon. One man's fight to save his brothers--and humanity itself--from total annihilation.
Rade Galaal and his elite team are dispatched to the farthest reaches of known space to investigate the disappearance of a classified new supercarrier.
Equipped with Hoplites, powerful battle suits laden with enough firepower to raze a small city, Rade and his team explore the barren world where the starship issued its final transmission.
But shortly after they land, things start to go very wrong.
Cut off from the fleet, stranded on an unforgiving planet, and surrounded by hostiles, Rade and his men find themselves fighting for their very lives against a seemingly unstoppable foe. Even the awesome firepower of the Hoplites might not be enough.
Can Rade overcome his demons in time to save the platoon, or will his team become the first casualty of the coming Alien War?
It was a time of peace, prosperity, and exploration. But when an unexpected attack cripples a scientific vessel, the SRES Argo, it appears that time has come to an end.
Chief Medical Officer Tag Brewer is the ship’s only survivor. He is alone in the far reaches of space. To survive he must restore and protect the downed vessel from its unknown attackers on a planet as deadly as it is mysterious. He vows to do everything in his power to seek justice for his fallen crew.
When Tag uncovers a sinister secret about those who attacked the Argo, he realizes far more is at stake than just his survival. Something more powerful, more technologically advanced, and more ruthless has emerged from the darkest voids of the galaxy. It’s up to Tag to survive long enough to warn humanity and stop the dawn of a new war.
24 October 2114: the day that shocked the world.Young diplomat Cory Wilson narrowly escapes death in the assassination of President Sirkonen. No one claims responsibility but there is no doubt that the attack is extraterrestrial.Cory was meant to start work as a representative to Gamra, the alien organisation that governs the FTL transport network, but now his new job may well be scrapped in anger.
Worse, as Earth uses military force to stop any extraterrestrials coming or leaving, as 200,000 extraterrestrial humans are trapped on Earth, as the largest army in the galaxy prepares to free them by force, only Cory has the experience, language skills and contacts to solve the crime.
But he's broke, out of a job and a long way from Earth.
In 2166, Earth was destroyed. It wasn't an alien spacefleet firing from above. It was a bomb planted in the center of the planet before humanity even existed. In an instant, the human population dropped from 11 billion to 1,066.I'm Loris Roderick, set to take command of the Magellan space station. I didn't know I was to become the de facto leader of our species when its survival hung by a thread.
We should run, hide in some corner of the galaxy to eke out what existence we can. But I'd rather we get our revenge.
From the ashes of their past, Cygnus was rising.Following in the footsteps of their forefathers, humanity returns to space to explore, learn what the galaxy has to offer, maybe even return to Earth. Cain, the great-great-grandson of the ones who brought peace and free trade back to Planet Vii, finds himself challenged to live up to the deeds of his ancestors, driven to excel as he joins the Space Exploration Service trying to earn a position on the latest deep space exploration vessel.
But space is a dangerous place, where the risks are great and the rewards fleeting.
Faced with the most difficult decisions he has ever faced, Cain is trapped on a human-colonized world. With hostile forces pressing in, Cain has no choice but to dig deep for lessons from his past, match wits with a ruthless enemy, and help his companions to transition from being peaceful explorers to fierce fighters if they are to survive.
A journey to the far reaches of the galaxy, an exploration of their inner souls, from space they came, to space they returned...
Jason Hunter, former Flight Leader of the infamous Bandit Jacks Fighter Squadron, has become the youngest Captain in Skywatch history. When an Admiral's ship disappears in the contested Gitairn Sector, Hunter re-unites his pilots to take command of DSS Argent, a brand-new strike battleship equipped with heavy weapons and squadrons of Paladin ground assault mechs, legendary Tarantula-Hawk hunter-killer gunships and next-generation Wildcat and Yellowjacket fighters. Skywatch Command is well aware Gitairn is a powder keg and that Argent might be the match. When a Sentinel planetary defense battery and surrounding minefield are discovered in an asteroid field where no human should be, Hunter is forced to call in reinforcements led by his twin sister Commander Jayce Hunter and her battlecruiser, DSS Fury.
Before long, Argent is leading a 12-ship task force against enemy capital platforms ranging from heavy battleships to fleet strength carriers. Hunter's best marines, gunships, bombers and fighters will be put to the ultimate test against space pirates, interdimensional aliens, saboteurs, carnivorous insects, ghost ships, paranoid officers and a mysterious enemy so alien even its allies can't understand it.
Seventy years from now, climate change has damaged the world, and civilization has lost its appetite for radical dreamers and innovation. Niko Rafaelo believes that the key to our future lies in revisiting the banned technology of nanobots, and binding it with the human microbial cloud (the bacteria that surrounds each person). Cut from the same cloth as Steve Jobs and his Silicon Valley heroes of history, Niko is driven to see his dream become a reality, no matter the consequences.
Fletcher Connolly hasn’t got a lot to lose. Since he, and half the galaxy, signed on to the rat race of the technological relics trade, Fletch has long since come to terms with the idea that he will join the ranks of the unlucky explorers that perish lightyears from home without a dime to his name.As the first mate of an old, decrepit exploration ship--the Skint Idjit--things can't get much worse. As if that isn’t enough, he has a hard time convincing himself his luck is bound to change when he finds himself stranded on the planet Suckass, on a remote branch of the Interstellar Railroad. With his new assignment an unlikely candidate to hide alien treasures, true to his personality, Fletch settles down to work on his tan.
But when disaster strikes and a member of his crew is killed, Fletch finds himself torn between loyalty to the surviving crew and the siren song of an unsuspected trove of A-tech.
Can Fletch save the Skint Idjit and her crew from a horrible death? Or will he ignore their dying screams and laugh all the way to the bank?
October 7, 2016
Flash Flood #1
Looking for some short but high-quality entertainment over coffee or a snack? Grab Bite-Sized Stories and fill your stolen moments with 33 indie flash fiction tales. Just 5 minutes per engaging story.
Earlier this year, I entered my first two flash fiction attempts to a group project. At the time, it didn't even have a definite title. Weeks of discussion followed, and my suggestion Flash Flood was accepted as the series title.
Sadly, my stories were not included, but I'm not at all surprised - I'd never written anything in under 5000 words before, let along under 1000. You know, it is a very demanding and also very satisfying form of the writing art.
Today I noticed that it has been published, so I thought I'd fire out this blog post to share the word. Group projects like this are a great way for Indies to gain traction and find new readers.
October 2, 2016
Free Science Fiction and Fantasy eBooks
This weekend is a great time to discover some new favourite authors. Get down to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Free Books promo and dig in...http://pattyjansen.com/promo
October 1, 2016
Interview with Christina Feindel
This month, I am interviewing Christina Feindel, author of The Revenant. We'll focus on the writing process, its challenges, and how to get motivated.
With its advanced weaponry, the ghost ship Revenant was supposed to turn the tide of the war… but went missing instead. Ten years later, the Federation’s hold on the three suns is firmly cemented and corrupt in every way, and any Separatist hopes or dreams seem to have gone the way of Old Earth and its dinosaurs.
Grayson Delamere was still a child when the war ended and she doesn’t much care why it was fought in the first place. In the cold, dark vac of space, most lives are short and brutal with or without the Federation’s interference. She’s worked hard and kept her head down, making her living as a mechanic on any ship that’d have her. If she’s broken a few laws and made a few enemies along the way, well, that’s just the way life is on the fringe of the Trisolar System.But now, someone has discovered all of her dirty little secrets... and will hold them hostage to ensure Grayson’s help in the most dangerous job of her life: To recover the Revenant and rekindle the fires of rebellion.
Tell us about your writing process and the way you brainstorm ideas. For years, I only wrote when inspiration struck. I hated everything I wrote when I wasn't “in the mood”. Eventually I realized that I hated not writing even more. Now, I try to write something every day, even if it's only an outline or a bit of editing. And when I’m not writing, I’m thinking about the characters. What other problems can I throw at them? What if this happened instead of this? I’m always asking ‘what if’. It keeps me engaged and it makes sitting down to write a little easier. Of course, on days when inspiration does strike, I try to get as much work done as possible! Wow, that is impressive. I probably think about my characters and plot ideas every day, but actually sitting down to write only happens when all my other work is finished.
Did you come across any specific challenges in writing The Revenant? What would you do differently the next time? I have a bad habit of finishing a section of a book–for the Revenant, it was the first half–and then going back to perfect it before moving on to the next section. I justified it with the logic that if I was going to make any major changes to the first half, they’d probably impact the second half, so I’d better make those changes before I wrote the second half. But editing is very different from writing, and by the time I was satisfied with the first half, I’d lost my momentum for putting words on a blank page. I’ll try to write the next one all the way through before I start editing to see if that’s any easier. I can't leave things unedited. Even at the sentence level, I keep going back to correct things. Otherwise it nags at my mind and I can't concentrate. I guess it is why I find dictation things so horrible, even for text messages!
So, where do you see publishing going in the future? Self-publishing has certainly become more respected than it was ten years ago. A lot of these are great stories that traditional publishers just didn’t want to take a chance on, so it’s fantastic that there’s now a way to make them available to readers, bookstores, and even libraries. With more and more talented designers and editors freelancing, you might even turn out a higher-quality product than you would by going through a publisher who expects four out of five books to fail and is just trying to churn out as many as possible. I think we’re only going to see more and more successful self-publishers as time wears on. Without the contacts and finances of a publishing house, getting people to see your book is hard. What’s your marketing philosophy? Marketing has never been my strong suite. I just put my work out there in as many different ways and places I can, then I talk to the people who find it. What are they looking for, what do they want? Maybe I’ve got it, maybe I don’t, but I’d like to help them if I can. Good marketing is and always has been about connecting with people, but on social media, you’ve really got to compete for their attention. I just try to keep my online presence honest and open, and put most of my effort into generating more content for the readers I already have.
Finally, what inspires you to get out of bed each day? I’m very task-oriented. I need to know what I’m going to be doing that day and it needs to be something attainable that still feels like an accomplishment. If I wake up and say, “Today’s the day I finish edits on part three,” I’m going to be able to do that and I’m going to feel great when I finish. If I say, “Today I figure out that major writer’s block with chapter seven,” on the other hand, I could work at it all day and be no nearer an answer. That’s frustrating and off-putting and not something I want to get out of bed for. (Those are the days getting out of bed has more to do with breakfast than the work I love.) I’ve had a lot of days like that with The Revenant, so I try to always make realistic goals for myself and to remember that yes, it’s a long, difficult process, but every day makes the book just a little bit better than it was the day before.
Thank you very much for taking the time to chat to me. I wish you luck with the Halcyon Reach series.
Christina Feindel resides in central Texas with her multi-talented husband, Noah. While traversing academia, civil service, and chronic illness in early adulthood, she founded the whole-foods blog ACleanPlate.com and now works as a cook, photographer, and educator. She pens fiction in her spare time, with a particular passion for character development and genre-blending. More info about her and her debut novel The Revenant can be found at CLFeindel.com.
With its advanced weaponry, the ghost ship Revenant was supposed to turn the tide of the war… but went missing instead. Ten years later, the Federation’s hold on the three suns is firmly cemented and corrupt in every way, and any Separatist hopes or dreams seem to have gone the way of Old Earth and its dinosaurs.
Grayson Delamere was still a child when the war ended and she doesn’t much care why it was fought in the first place. In the cold, dark vac of space, most lives are short and brutal with or without the Federation’s interference. She’s worked hard and kept her head down, making her living as a mechanic on any ship that’d have her. If she’s broken a few laws and made a few enemies along the way, well, that’s just the way life is on the fringe of the Trisolar System.But now, someone has discovered all of her dirty little secrets... and will hold them hostage to ensure Grayson’s help in the most dangerous job of her life: To recover the Revenant and rekindle the fires of rebellion.
Tell us about your writing process and the way you brainstorm ideas. For years, I only wrote when inspiration struck. I hated everything I wrote when I wasn't “in the mood”. Eventually I realized that I hated not writing even more. Now, I try to write something every day, even if it's only an outline or a bit of editing. And when I’m not writing, I’m thinking about the characters. What other problems can I throw at them? What if this happened instead of this? I’m always asking ‘what if’. It keeps me engaged and it makes sitting down to write a little easier. Of course, on days when inspiration does strike, I try to get as much work done as possible! Wow, that is impressive. I probably think about my characters and plot ideas every day, but actually sitting down to write only happens when all my other work is finished.
Did you come across any specific challenges in writing The Revenant? What would you do differently the next time? I have a bad habit of finishing a section of a book–for the Revenant, it was the first half–and then going back to perfect it before moving on to the next section. I justified it with the logic that if I was going to make any major changes to the first half, they’d probably impact the second half, so I’d better make those changes before I wrote the second half. But editing is very different from writing, and by the time I was satisfied with the first half, I’d lost my momentum for putting words on a blank page. I’ll try to write the next one all the way through before I start editing to see if that’s any easier. I can't leave things unedited. Even at the sentence level, I keep going back to correct things. Otherwise it nags at my mind and I can't concentrate. I guess it is why I find dictation things so horrible, even for text messages!
So, where do you see publishing going in the future? Self-publishing has certainly become more respected than it was ten years ago. A lot of these are great stories that traditional publishers just didn’t want to take a chance on, so it’s fantastic that there’s now a way to make them available to readers, bookstores, and even libraries. With more and more talented designers and editors freelancing, you might even turn out a higher-quality product than you would by going through a publisher who expects four out of five books to fail and is just trying to churn out as many as possible. I think we’re only going to see more and more successful self-publishers as time wears on. Without the contacts and finances of a publishing house, getting people to see your book is hard. What’s your marketing philosophy? Marketing has never been my strong suite. I just put my work out there in as many different ways and places I can, then I talk to the people who find it. What are they looking for, what do they want? Maybe I’ve got it, maybe I don’t, but I’d like to help them if I can. Good marketing is and always has been about connecting with people, but on social media, you’ve really got to compete for their attention. I just try to keep my online presence honest and open, and put most of my effort into generating more content for the readers I already have.
Finally, what inspires you to get out of bed each day? I’m very task-oriented. I need to know what I’m going to be doing that day and it needs to be something attainable that still feels like an accomplishment. If I wake up and say, “Today’s the day I finish edits on part three,” I’m going to be able to do that and I’m going to feel great when I finish. If I say, “Today I figure out that major writer’s block with chapter seven,” on the other hand, I could work at it all day and be no nearer an answer. That’s frustrating and off-putting and not something I want to get out of bed for. (Those are the days getting out of bed has more to do with breakfast than the work I love.) I’ve had a lot of days like that with The Revenant, so I try to always make realistic goals for myself and to remember that yes, it’s a long, difficult process, but every day makes the book just a little bit better than it was the day before.
Thank you very much for taking the time to chat to me. I wish you luck with the Halcyon Reach series.
Christina Feindel resides in central Texas with her multi-talented husband, Noah. While traversing academia, civil service, and chronic illness in early adulthood, she founded the whole-foods blog ACleanPlate.com and now works as a cook, photographer, and educator. She pens fiction in her spare time, with a particular passion for character development and genre-blending. More info about her and her debut novel The Revenant can be found at CLFeindel.com.
September 24, 2016
The September Round-up of SciFi Books
Once again, I've been doing some also-bought surfing, starting with Liberty (Two Democracies: Revolution Book 1). Here are the pick of the crop...
Translucid by Zen diPietroWhat if you woke up knowing how to do your job, but not your own name? What if you had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?
What if you thought they were wrong?
Emé Fallon is the security chief of Dragonfire Station, and does a damn good job of it. That’s where her competence ends. Outside of work, she has a wife she doesn’t know, a captain who seems to hate her, and a lot of questions that don’t add up.
Without a past, all she has is the present, and she’ll stop at nothing to ensure she has a future.
Rescue by Ryk Brown A leader left behind...
An Alliance falling apart...
Friends stranded on an enemy-held world...
A chance to rediscover long forgotten truths...
The new threat will require an immediate response. But first, Jessica and the Ghatazhak must execute a daring rescue in order to secure their future. But to do so, they need the one man they have been trying to protect.
The question is... Will he agree?
The Chosen by Shay West
Astra. Kromin. Volgon. Earth. To each of the four planets are sent four Guardians, with one mission: to protect and serve the Chosen, those unwitting champions of prophecy who alone can save the galaxy from the terrifying Mekans. But the signs of prophecy have not yet appeared, and the decision to send the Guardians early could doom all in the galaxy to death.
Flashpoint by Adam Quinn
What is the cost of peace?
Guilt-ridden over her role in the cataclysmic Order War, Taylor Ghatzi decided to retire from galactic politics and dedicate her life to the Emergency Service—until a deadly terror attack strikes her home world, and she may be the only one able to unravel the mystery behind it.
Meanwhile, Cherran DeGuavra, the son of the most important statesman in the past century, gave up on trying to reunite the galaxy frayed by his late father's greatest mistake, but now must call upon all of his diplomatic powers to prevent it from tearing itself even further apart.
With the galaxy's powers on a war footing and their own government obstructing them, Taylor and Cherran may need to start a fight to prevent one.
Razor's War Episode 1 by Nick S Thomas
The year is 2512. War rages throughout the Alliance, but not for Razor, the Galaxy's greatest thief. She is set to make the biggest score of her career. A priceless jewel from one of the Alliance's most advanced and secure star bases. It is the perfect heist, but when the station comes under attack by the relentless forces of the Morohtan Empire, her mission becomes a terrifying fight for survival.
Ad Astra by Kevin McLaughlin
In 2034, the Earth is in crisis. Energy use is at an all-time high, and energy-hungry nations seem on the verge of going to war with one another.
But on the moon a discovery is made, something that changes the balance of everything. A set of caves is opened by explorers, revealing a buried base thousands of years old. Among the relics found is the ruin of an ancient starship, with an engine capable of carrying humanity to the stars - or becoming the golden apple that starts a war no one can win.
A handful of unlikely heroes will risk their lives to keep the starship safe.
If life knocked you down, would you risk everything you had left to reach for the stars?
Endurance by Amy Spahn
A disrespected ship, exiled to lonely patrol in the dark corners of the solar system.
A crew of screw-ups, written off by the entire fleet.
They're about to change everything.
If they don't blow themselves up first.
Join the Endurance's crew - a trigger-happy first officer, a hyperactive engineer, a shy covert operative, a conspiracy-spouting physicist, and a captain trying to earn his way back into his superiors' good graces - as they explore the galaxy by accident and trip their way into saving the world.
This anthology includes all five Endurance novellas, as well as two bonus short stories.
Translucid by Zen diPietroWhat if you woke up knowing how to do your job, but not your own name? What if you had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?
What if you thought they were wrong?
Emé Fallon is the security chief of Dragonfire Station, and does a damn good job of it. That’s where her competence ends. Outside of work, she has a wife she doesn’t know, a captain who seems to hate her, and a lot of questions that don’t add up.
Without a past, all she has is the present, and she’ll stop at nothing to ensure she has a future.
Rescue by Ryk Brown A leader left behind...
An Alliance falling apart...
Friends stranded on an enemy-held world...
A chance to rediscover long forgotten truths...
The new threat will require an immediate response. But first, Jessica and the Ghatazhak must execute a daring rescue in order to secure their future. But to do so, they need the one man they have been trying to protect.
The question is... Will he agree?
The Chosen by Shay West
Astra. Kromin. Volgon. Earth. To each of the four planets are sent four Guardians, with one mission: to protect and serve the Chosen, those unwitting champions of prophecy who alone can save the galaxy from the terrifying Mekans. But the signs of prophecy have not yet appeared, and the decision to send the Guardians early could doom all in the galaxy to death.
Flashpoint by Adam QuinnWhat is the cost of peace?
Guilt-ridden over her role in the cataclysmic Order War, Taylor Ghatzi decided to retire from galactic politics and dedicate her life to the Emergency Service—until a deadly terror attack strikes her home world, and she may be the only one able to unravel the mystery behind it.
Meanwhile, Cherran DeGuavra, the son of the most important statesman in the past century, gave up on trying to reunite the galaxy frayed by his late father's greatest mistake, but now must call upon all of his diplomatic powers to prevent it from tearing itself even further apart.
With the galaxy's powers on a war footing and their own government obstructing them, Taylor and Cherran may need to start a fight to prevent one.
Razor's War Episode 1 by Nick S Thomas
The year is 2512. War rages throughout the Alliance, but not for Razor, the Galaxy's greatest thief. She is set to make the biggest score of her career. A priceless jewel from one of the Alliance's most advanced and secure star bases. It is the perfect heist, but when the station comes under attack by the relentless forces of the Morohtan Empire, her mission becomes a terrifying fight for survival.
Ad Astra by Kevin McLaughlin
In 2034, the Earth is in crisis. Energy use is at an all-time high, and energy-hungry nations seem on the verge of going to war with one another.
But on the moon a discovery is made, something that changes the balance of everything. A set of caves is opened by explorers, revealing a buried base thousands of years old. Among the relics found is the ruin of an ancient starship, with an engine capable of carrying humanity to the stars - or becoming the golden apple that starts a war no one can win.
A handful of unlikely heroes will risk their lives to keep the starship safe.
If life knocked you down, would you risk everything you had left to reach for the stars?
Endurance by Amy SpahnA disrespected ship, exiled to lonely patrol in the dark corners of the solar system.
A crew of screw-ups, written off by the entire fleet.
They're about to change everything.
If they don't blow themselves up first.
Join the Endurance's crew - a trigger-happy first officer, a hyperactive engineer, a shy covert operative, a conspiracy-spouting physicist, and a captain trying to earn his way back into his superiors' good graces - as they explore the galaxy by accident and trip their way into saving the world.
This anthology includes all five Endurance novellas, as well as two bonus short stories.
September 3, 2016
Lots of Scifi and Fantasy eBooks at 99c
Today and tomorrow there are a good range of science fiction and fantasy books available to download for 99c, or the local equivalent. This promotion is across the whole world, and in many stores as well as Amazon.Liberty is one of those ebooks. Hurry up and snatch some bargains.
An Interview with Zeta Lordes
Today I am interviewing Zeta Lordes, fellow scifi author, about the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing.
I suppose the first, and most important questions, is: Why have you decided to self-publish?Honestly I’ve always been somewhat of a control freak and have a mile-wide streak of independence. I believe the more people actively participate in their own lives and endeavors, the more likely they are to succeed. Personally I think if just one person buys a book of mine and reads and enjoys it, I’ll have been a success. On the other hand, I don’t want to try to find that one person sending out queries to agents and publishers who might take months or years to get my stories in front of other readers. My aspirations and dreams are my priority, I don’t expect others to make them their priority.
Oh, I certainly understand about the nightmares of querying. I was lucky with my physics works that I found a publisher quickly, and indeed now get commissioned to write pieces, but I couldn't face the process when I stated writing Liberty.What do see as some of the drawbacks and advantages of self-publishing?
The drawbacks are pretty obvious—trying to wear multiple hats and a lot of responsibility beyond just writing a book and query letters. Self promotion, book promotion, costs of editing and covers; though it could be said that much of the promotion aspects will be your responsibility whether you self-publish or traditionally publish. The advantages are control of your time and work. As well as a much bigger slice of earnings. Traditional publishing can take years to break into (if ever), and it’s questionable what you might learn from the process. Self-publishing puts time on your side. Time to learn and grow your own business. Time to get to know your readers, time to take your writing up to higher levels based on the learning process.
Indeed. Trad publishers often seem to get you to hurry to finish by a deadline and then just sit on it for ages before the next thing happens, which again leads to a major rush on your side.One of the biggest complaints about self-publishing is insufficient editing. What are your plans to edit your final draft?As soon as I complete the first book, I’ll be posting it on the writer’s critique site Scribophile. I’ve been a member for several years and I consider the feedback of many of the writers there on a par with any decent developmental editor. At the very least, if they’re confused (as a reader) then I’ll know there’s a problem area I need to work on. Once I’ve workshopped at Scribophile and feel I’ve done what I can, I will send my manuscript(s) to a professional editor.
I use Scribophile too; it is a great tool for ironing out chapter-level issues. Even after that, and editing and proofreading, I still find I get comments about missing letters or words. Whenever they give an example it tends to be something like me using 'turn round' when they expected 'turn around'.I often advise new authors that they can't please everyone all the time, and just to try to produce something they like and enough others appreciate. If you were to offer other writers advice about self-publishing, what would it be?Remember self-publishing is a business and you need to treat it like that. Don’t be reluctant to spend money (editing, book covers, etc) to further your business and reputation. Asking readers to invest their money in something you’re not willing to invest in is bad business. Self-publishing is an invitation and an offering to potential readers on a one-to-one level. Always do the very best you can—respect your readers, provide a professional looking cover, a strong enticing blurb, and a satisfying read.
I understand you haven’t published yet, what is your schedule for taking that final step?Because I’m writing a Speculative Fiction series set in an extensive universe, I feel strongly I want at least two of the books written before I publish. This not only gives me a quick series follow-up, it helps me insure continuity in my story world. If I need to make changes, they’ll be more evident in the second story. Book one is nearly complete and the other is roughly drafted. I anticipate publishing the first book (The Victrule Factor) in December 2016 and the second book in February 2017. In the meantime, I’ll also be working on the third (and fourth?) one.
Well, I certainly look forward to the release. Let me know when you've got a date, and I'll put a review up here if you'd like.
Zeta Lordes is an author of Science Fiction and Paranormal Fantasy flavored with plenty of suspense and romance. When she’s not writing, she’s often playing with photo projects, including book covers for herself and other author friends. She lives alone in a rambling house littered with three generations of passed down books and three cats—who have their own litter.She’s just started reaching out on social media. You can follow her here:Blog: https://zetalordes.com/ or Zeta On Facebook
