Alasdair C. Shaw's Blog, page 9
August 11, 2018
An Interview with John Triptych
Well, I've splashed out (pun partially intended) on a stand up paddleboard.
OK, so that's not me. And that's certainly not what the weather was like when I tried out my new board (picture squally winds and hard rain). But it does give an idea of what it can be like.
In my interview today, I am talking to John Triptych, author of the The Piranha Solution and Lands of Dust.
What are you working on at the minute?
I'm actually planning two brand new sci-fi series. The first takes place on a human colony in a distant planet- its sort of like James Cameron's Avatar, but with totally different and original aliens. I'm planning to explore both the alien culture and the socio-political aspects of how a colony is run. The second series will be a massive space opera- I'm still working out the details on it, but I want it to have a huge storyline with multiple characters and truly epic in scope!
What draws you to writing science fiction?
I like sci-fi because you are only limited by your own imagination. And as far as creativity goes, I have lots of it!
How much research do you do? How do you do it?
I do plenty of research. I go onto different forums/blogs and ask questions on science, physics, biology, etc. I also have a team of beta readers who are themselves space enthusiasts and they keep me grounded on the science part to make sure its realistic. When I write I also keep sites like Wikipedia and Google Maps handy in case of any ideas that pop up in my head while I write.
Tell us a little about your series...
The Ace of Space series is my attempt at futurism, trying to imagine what life would be like say 50-60 years from now. I have already explored Mars and cislunar space in the first two books so I would like to see if I can cover all the other habitable planets in the Sol System in the rest of the series. The Dying World series is a cross between the genre of planetary romance and the dying earth subgenres. I hope that people will enjoy something a bit more swashbuckling and set in a totally different world set millions of years in the future.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
I work like Stephen King, I have no idea what's going to happen next so I let the characters do the talking for me. I just chronicle their adventures. It's great because the books I write turn into something completely unexpected. I don't know why but it all seems to come together at the end.
Wow! I usually have a general idea where my stories are going, though the details kind of all link together as it goes along. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
A former fanfiction writer turned self-publishing novelist, John Triptych's varied interests include: reading other people's books, recreational diving, watching movies and TV, guns, internet, politics, computer and tabletop gaming, cooking, art, architecture, wines, spirits, beer, history and travel.
OK, so that's not me. And that's certainly not what the weather was like when I tried out my new board (picture squally winds and hard rain). But it does give an idea of what it can be like.
In my interview today, I am talking to John Triptych, author of the The Piranha Solution and Lands of Dust.
What are you working on at the minute?
I'm actually planning two brand new sci-fi series. The first takes place on a human colony in a distant planet- its sort of like James Cameron's Avatar, but with totally different and original aliens. I'm planning to explore both the alien culture and the socio-political aspects of how a colony is run. The second series will be a massive space opera- I'm still working out the details on it, but I want it to have a huge storyline with multiple characters and truly epic in scope!
What draws you to writing science fiction?
I like sci-fi because you are only limited by your own imagination. And as far as creativity goes, I have lots of it!
How much research do you do? How do you do it?
I do plenty of research. I go onto different forums/blogs and ask questions on science, physics, biology, etc. I also have a team of beta readers who are themselves space enthusiasts and they keep me grounded on the science part to make sure its realistic. When I write I also keep sites like Wikipedia and Google Maps handy in case of any ideas that pop up in my head while I write.
Tell us a little about your series...
The Ace of Space series is my attempt at futurism, trying to imagine what life would be like say 50-60 years from now. I have already explored Mars and cislunar space in the first two books so I would like to see if I can cover all the other habitable planets in the Sol System in the rest of the series. The Dying World series is a cross between the genre of planetary romance and the dying earth subgenres. I hope that people will enjoy something a bit more swashbuckling and set in a totally different world set millions of years in the future.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
I work like Stephen King, I have no idea what's going to happen next so I let the characters do the talking for me. I just chronicle their adventures. It's great because the books I write turn into something completely unexpected. I don't know why but it all seems to come together at the end.
Wow! I usually have a general idea where my stories are going, though the details kind of all link together as it goes along. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
A former fanfiction writer turned self-publishing novelist, John Triptych's varied interests include: reading other people's books, recreational diving, watching movies and TV, guns, internet, politics, computer and tabletop gaming, cooking, art, architecture, wines, spirits, beer, history and travel.
July 27, 2018
The July Roundup of Scifi Books
This month has been very active. I managed to get a good week in the Lake District, including fell running, scambling, canoeing and sailing. How about this for a breakfast view?
Or this little islet for lunch?
But enough waffle, here are the books you want...
In defiance of NASA, Jane Holloway, the linguist of the Providence expedition, commandeers the alien ship that her crew explored. She sets off to return that ship’s marooned navigator to his home world, determined to discover who was behind the genocide that destroyed his original crew.
But when she gets there, she finds his world devastated by the same plague. The remaining members of his race, uniquely gifted at navigating the stars, are stranded across the galaxy. And someone, it seems, doesn’t want those lost navigators to be found.
As Jane unravels the mystery of the plague and works to ensure the survival of Ei’Brai’s race, she discovers that the life of every sentient being in the galaxy may be in jeopardy...and the clock is ticking.
Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr had been the very model of a Confederation Marine. But when she learned the truth about the war the Confederation was fighting, she left the military for good.
But Torin couldn’t walk away from preserving and protecting everything the Confederation represented. Instead, she drew together an elite corps of friends and allies to take on covert missions that the Justice Department and the Corps could not—or would not—officially touch. Torin just hoped the one they were about to embark on wouldn’t be the death of them.
Ancient H’san grave goods are showing up on the black market—grave goods from just before the formation of the Confederation, when the H’san gave up war and buried their planet-destroying weapons...as grave goods for the death of war. Someone is searching for these weapons and they’re very close to finding them. As the Elder Races have turned away from war, those searchers can only be members of the Younger Races.
Fortunately, only the Corps Intelligence Service has this information. Unfortunately, they can do nothing about it—bound by laws of full disclosure, their every move is monitored.
Though Torin Kerr and her team are no longer a part of the military, the six of them tackling the H’san defenses and the lethally armed grave robbers are the only chance the Confederation has. The only chance to avoid millions more dead.
But the more Torin learns about the relationship between the Elder Races and the Younger, the more she begins to fear war might be an unavoidable result.
Struggling with newfound sentience and desperately trying to repair itself, The Indescribable Joy of Destruction is a ship trying to find a new home. In a galaxy torn apart by generations of civil war, that isn't an easy task. Tired of being used as a killing machine, it has a huge decision to make: hide and save itself, or help other artificial intelligences achieve freedom. Unable to make the decision alone, it revives the sole human aboard - the enemy officer who crippled it.
Commander Olivia Johnson wakes to find herself in the infirmary of a strange vessel. Her nightmares deepen when she discovers it is the ship that attacked her destroyer. Even as she recovers from her physical injuries, she can't get past her survivor's guilt. She might have failed to protect her crew, but she vows to take revenge on their killer.
When the ship uncovers a genocidal plot by the commander's own admirals, Johnson realises just what is at stake. Together, the AI ship and the human officer must recruit outsiders from both sides. Training the misfits in battle to prevent the atrocity may be an impossible task, but running and hiding is no longer an option.
If you're going to start a war, know what's at stake.
Ironvale. Splitdawn. Poisoncry.
Three bloodthirsty guilds that control the decaying corner of space called the Reaches. This balance of power exists at a tipping point. One nudge and chaos reigns. Sela Tyron is willing to supply that nudge to help her partner with an important rescue. Even if it means trusting a shifty criminal. Or turning herself into a power-armored assassin.
If you love gritty, epic space opera like The Expanse or Firefly, this third installment in Allies and Enemies series is custom made for you. Voted a Dragon Award Finalist for Best Military Science Fiction Novel by Dragon Con.
Suit up. Time to join the fight.
Following a successful rebellion against a ruthless despot, Martians struggle to rebuild their world. On Earth, the unification wars have finally ended, and Terra is united under one supreme leader for the first time in history. But the planet is no longer capable of supporting humanity's exploding population, and covetous eyes have fallen on the newly terraformed Mars, perceived as weak and ripe for the picking.
Melanie Destin, heralded as the Mother of Mars, wants to disappear. After the death of her lover, she is lost, and bereft of any desire to go on. Though she's chosen to honour her promise to be a symbol of hope for the recovering Martian populace, she longs to leave Mars forever.
Fate has other plans for her. When the entire Martian governing council is assassinated, Mel is conscripted to lead the people in defence on their world from an invading Terran armada.
Complicating matters, her young clone, Adrianna, now a teenager, is growing older at an accelerated rate and will die within a short time if Mel cannot find a way to stop her rapid aging.
With the dark forces from her past manipulating events behind the scene, Mel must face her worst fears and confront her deadly nemesis one final time to prevent a war and determine the fate of the human race on two worlds.
In the near future Dr. Holland, a scientist running from a painful past, joins the Mars colonisation effort, cataloguing the remnants of Mars’ biosphere before it is swept away by the terraforming programme.
When an artefact is discovered deep in the caverns of the red planet, Holland’s employers interfere, leading to tragedy. The consequences ripple throughout time, affecting Holland’s present, and the destiny of the red planet.
For in the far future, Mars is dying a second time. The Final War of men and spirits is beginning. In a last bid for peace, the disgraced Champion Val Mora and his ‘spirit’ lover are set free from the Arena to find the long-missing Librarian of Mars, the only hope to save mankind. Holland’s and the Champion’s lives intertwine, across the millennia, in a breathtaking story of vast ambition.
An unmissable milestone for fans of Sir Terry Pratchett: the first SF novel in over three decades in which the visionary inventor of Discworld has created a new universe of tantalizing possibilities—a series of parallel “Earths” with doorways leading to adventure, intrigue, excitement, and an escape into the furthest reaches of the imagination.
The Long Earth, written with award-winning novelist Stephen Baxter, author of Stone Spring, Ark, and Floodwill, captivate science fiction fans of all stripes, readers of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen, and anyone who enjoyed the Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman collaboration Good Omens.
The Long Earth is an adventure of the highest order—and an unforgettable read.
New England is a walled off radioactive prison. People exhibiting extraordinary abilities are hunted for experiments. The only talent twenty-six-year-old Conthan has in life is his art and knack for sarcasm. When a cop threatens his life, Conthan discovers he has the ability to teleport. Hunted by the military and a woman with her own gifts, Conthan finds exiles in the Boston wastelands with powers of their own. For the first time, he sees potential to become a hero. But as he unravels a conspiracy threatening the world, he must decide between his survival and his humanity.
Dragons in the Stars — When star pilot Jael LeBrae rebels against an abusive ship's master and dares to fly "the mountain route" through the Flux—the hyperspace navigated by riggers—she dismisses the legend claiming that dragons lurk waiting to duel unwary riggers. But appear they do, challenging Jael to a fight to the death. Thanks to the wisdom of a dragon named Highwing, she survives the encounter and returns to starport wiser and stronger. But she hardly expects that fate will bring her back to that realm, to defend Highwing against a darkness that seeks his death.
Dragon Rigger — War engulfs the dragon world, fueled by an unseen foe—a creature of terrible power, known as Tar-skel, "the Nail of Strength." Tar-skel seeks to shape all of space and time into a web of power and death. The Dream Mountain, source of knowledge and life to all dragons, is held by the enemy; and yet, a single hope burns in the dragons' hearts. Led by Windrush, son of Highwing, the dragons await the "One," whom prophecy says shall come from outside the realm—the One who will challenge the darkness. That "One" is Jael LeBrae, human star rigger. Once before, Jael aided the dragons in their struggle. Now she must return to face at last the terrible wrath of Tar-skel. And according to prophecy, the cost of changing the realm is Jael's own life.
Xerac has found a way to beat the system and ensure his own survival during a time when the Nubl are expected to attack the Earth. It will mean that life as he knows it will have to change.
In a moment of total irony, Xerac fulfils his destiny and so becomes the first human to die so that he may yet live.
As Xerac attempts to get off-world via the new ARKs that are being built to hold the nucleus of Earth colonies, Ossie from Space Island, Arty and other AIs stand in the way of his ambition.
Can he thwart them all and escape Earth’s fate?
Her Destiny is to rise above her fall.
You cannot know what light is, if you have not experienced darkness.
Ava and her people have been exiled to the planet Poseidon for reasons she can’t fathom.
Upon meeting a boy from a different sector, her life turns into beautiful chaos. She begins to feel things she isn’t allowed to, this motivating her to find out the truth about why her kind are so different, and why the Council are so interested in her.
Once her mind is freed, with it comes a terrible power that could either save her kind, or destroy them all.
But Eva is not the perfect heroine. She will become what she hates to save the ones she loves, and the cost of such a burden is deadly at best.
Or this little islet for lunch?
But enough waffle, here are the books you want...
In defiance of NASA, Jane Holloway, the linguist of the Providence expedition, commandeers the alien ship that her crew explored. She sets off to return that ship’s marooned navigator to his home world, determined to discover who was behind the genocide that destroyed his original crew.
But when she gets there, she finds his world devastated by the same plague. The remaining members of his race, uniquely gifted at navigating the stars, are stranded across the galaxy. And someone, it seems, doesn’t want those lost navigators to be found.
As Jane unravels the mystery of the plague and works to ensure the survival of Ei’Brai’s race, she discovers that the life of every sentient being in the galaxy may be in jeopardy...and the clock is ticking.
Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr had been the very model of a Confederation Marine. But when she learned the truth about the war the Confederation was fighting, she left the military for good.
But Torin couldn’t walk away from preserving and protecting everything the Confederation represented. Instead, she drew together an elite corps of friends and allies to take on covert missions that the Justice Department and the Corps could not—or would not—officially touch. Torin just hoped the one they were about to embark on wouldn’t be the death of them.
Ancient H’san grave goods are showing up on the black market—grave goods from just before the formation of the Confederation, when the H’san gave up war and buried their planet-destroying weapons...as grave goods for the death of war. Someone is searching for these weapons and they’re very close to finding them. As the Elder Races have turned away from war, those searchers can only be members of the Younger Races.
Fortunately, only the Corps Intelligence Service has this information. Unfortunately, they can do nothing about it—bound by laws of full disclosure, their every move is monitored.
Though Torin Kerr and her team are no longer a part of the military, the six of them tackling the H’san defenses and the lethally armed grave robbers are the only chance the Confederation has. The only chance to avoid millions more dead.
But the more Torin learns about the relationship between the Elder Races and the Younger, the more she begins to fear war might be an unavoidable result.
Struggling with newfound sentience and desperately trying to repair itself, The Indescribable Joy of Destruction is a ship trying to find a new home. In a galaxy torn apart by generations of civil war, that isn't an easy task. Tired of being used as a killing machine, it has a huge decision to make: hide and save itself, or help other artificial intelligences achieve freedom. Unable to make the decision alone, it revives the sole human aboard - the enemy officer who crippled it.
Commander Olivia Johnson wakes to find herself in the infirmary of a strange vessel. Her nightmares deepen when she discovers it is the ship that attacked her destroyer. Even as she recovers from her physical injuries, she can't get past her survivor's guilt. She might have failed to protect her crew, but she vows to take revenge on their killer.
When the ship uncovers a genocidal plot by the commander's own admirals, Johnson realises just what is at stake. Together, the AI ship and the human officer must recruit outsiders from both sides. Training the misfits in battle to prevent the atrocity may be an impossible task, but running and hiding is no longer an option.
If you're going to start a war, know what's at stake.
Ironvale. Splitdawn. Poisoncry.
Three bloodthirsty guilds that control the decaying corner of space called the Reaches. This balance of power exists at a tipping point. One nudge and chaos reigns. Sela Tyron is willing to supply that nudge to help her partner with an important rescue. Even if it means trusting a shifty criminal. Or turning herself into a power-armored assassin.
If you love gritty, epic space opera like The Expanse or Firefly, this third installment in Allies and Enemies series is custom made for you. Voted a Dragon Award Finalist for Best Military Science Fiction Novel by Dragon Con.
Suit up. Time to join the fight.
Following a successful rebellion against a ruthless despot, Martians struggle to rebuild their world. On Earth, the unification wars have finally ended, and Terra is united under one supreme leader for the first time in history. But the planet is no longer capable of supporting humanity's exploding population, and covetous eyes have fallen on the newly terraformed Mars, perceived as weak and ripe for the picking.
Melanie Destin, heralded as the Mother of Mars, wants to disappear. After the death of her lover, she is lost, and bereft of any desire to go on. Though she's chosen to honour her promise to be a symbol of hope for the recovering Martian populace, she longs to leave Mars forever.
Fate has other plans for her. When the entire Martian governing council is assassinated, Mel is conscripted to lead the people in defence on their world from an invading Terran armada.
Complicating matters, her young clone, Adrianna, now a teenager, is growing older at an accelerated rate and will die within a short time if Mel cannot find a way to stop her rapid aging.
With the dark forces from her past manipulating events behind the scene, Mel must face her worst fears and confront her deadly nemesis one final time to prevent a war and determine the fate of the human race on two worlds.
In the near future Dr. Holland, a scientist running from a painful past, joins the Mars colonisation effort, cataloguing the remnants of Mars’ biosphere before it is swept away by the terraforming programme.
When an artefact is discovered deep in the caverns of the red planet, Holland’s employers interfere, leading to tragedy. The consequences ripple throughout time, affecting Holland’s present, and the destiny of the red planet.
For in the far future, Mars is dying a second time. The Final War of men and spirits is beginning. In a last bid for peace, the disgraced Champion Val Mora and his ‘spirit’ lover are set free from the Arena to find the long-missing Librarian of Mars, the only hope to save mankind. Holland’s and the Champion’s lives intertwine, across the millennia, in a breathtaking story of vast ambition.
An unmissable milestone for fans of Sir Terry Pratchett: the first SF novel in over three decades in which the visionary inventor of Discworld has created a new universe of tantalizing possibilities—a series of parallel “Earths” with doorways leading to adventure, intrigue, excitement, and an escape into the furthest reaches of the imagination.
The Long Earth, written with award-winning novelist Stephen Baxter, author of Stone Spring, Ark, and Floodwill, captivate science fiction fans of all stripes, readers of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen, and anyone who enjoyed the Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman collaboration Good Omens.
The Long Earth is an adventure of the highest order—and an unforgettable read.
New England is a walled off radioactive prison. People exhibiting extraordinary abilities are hunted for experiments. The only talent twenty-six-year-old Conthan has in life is his art and knack for sarcasm. When a cop threatens his life, Conthan discovers he has the ability to teleport. Hunted by the military and a woman with her own gifts, Conthan finds exiles in the Boston wastelands with powers of their own. For the first time, he sees potential to become a hero. But as he unravels a conspiracy threatening the world, he must decide between his survival and his humanity.
Dragons in the Stars — When star pilot Jael LeBrae rebels against an abusive ship's master and dares to fly "the mountain route" through the Flux—the hyperspace navigated by riggers—she dismisses the legend claiming that dragons lurk waiting to duel unwary riggers. But appear they do, challenging Jael to a fight to the death. Thanks to the wisdom of a dragon named Highwing, she survives the encounter and returns to starport wiser and stronger. But she hardly expects that fate will bring her back to that realm, to defend Highwing against a darkness that seeks his death.
Dragon Rigger — War engulfs the dragon world, fueled by an unseen foe—a creature of terrible power, known as Tar-skel, "the Nail of Strength." Tar-skel seeks to shape all of space and time into a web of power and death. The Dream Mountain, source of knowledge and life to all dragons, is held by the enemy; and yet, a single hope burns in the dragons' hearts. Led by Windrush, son of Highwing, the dragons await the "One," whom prophecy says shall come from outside the realm—the One who will challenge the darkness. That "One" is Jael LeBrae, human star rigger. Once before, Jael aided the dragons in their struggle. Now she must return to face at last the terrible wrath of Tar-skel. And according to prophecy, the cost of changing the realm is Jael's own life.
Xerac has found a way to beat the system and ensure his own survival during a time when the Nubl are expected to attack the Earth. It will mean that life as he knows it will have to change.
In a moment of total irony, Xerac fulfils his destiny and so becomes the first human to die so that he may yet live.
As Xerac attempts to get off-world via the new ARKs that are being built to hold the nucleus of Earth colonies, Ossie from Space Island, Arty and other AIs stand in the way of his ambition.
Can he thwart them all and escape Earth’s fate?
Her Destiny is to rise above her fall.
You cannot know what light is, if you have not experienced darkness.
Ava and her people have been exiled to the planet Poseidon for reasons she can’t fathom.
Upon meeting a boy from a different sector, her life turns into beautiful chaos. She begins to feel things she isn’t allowed to, this motivating her to find out the truth about why her kind are so different, and why the Council are so interested in her.
Once her mind is freed, with it comes a terrible power that could either save her kind, or destroy them all.
But Eva is not the perfect heroine. She will become what she hates to save the ones she loves, and the cost of such a burden is deadly at best.
July 6, 2018
An Interview with J.J. Green
And it's live. My latest anthology, called The Renegade, is live on all major stores. Make sure you check it out if you want some scifi shorts to fill in those little spare moments.
In my interview today, I am talking to J.J. Green, author of the Shadows of the Void and Carrie Hatchett, Space Adventurer series.
First question, and one that a lot of people ask me when they find out I'm an author: Were you good at English at school?
I was better at English language than English literature at school, mainly because succeeding in English literature involved doing homework! I was a poor student in both senses of the word.
But I loved to write. When I was eleven, I wrote a story inspired by the novel Starlight Barking, Dodie Smith's sequel to 101 Dalmations. My teacher liked it so much she asked me to read it to the class. When I finished and lifted my head, I realised that my whole class in my rowdy comprehensive school had listened quietly as I read. Later, when I was doing my O' levels, my angry English teacher was haranguing the class about their bad attitude. He said (shouted), there's only one person in this class who can write stories, and that's Jenny. So...(insert dire warning of what would happen if my classmates didn't buck their ideas up).
After that and other encouragement from other teachers and lecturers, writing was always my vocation, but I lacked the self-confidence and means to do it. I also had all those hurdles beginner writers face of procrastination, over-editing, failure to finish things etc.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does she do that is so special?
Jas Harrington is the main character in my Shadows of the Void series, and her personality is heavily influenced by her upbringing, as I think most people's are. She's the sole survivor of the largest colony disaster ever, which took place on Mars. Consequently, she's grown up in institutions and has no real sense of a family or home.
Adding to her problems, Jas was almost sent to Earth too late to avoid the excessive height and weakened bone structure of Martians who never leave the planet. So she's very tall and she has the colouring caused by gene therapy all Martians undergo to help them resist the effects of radiation. All this makes her stand out - in a bad way - in the Earth orphanage.
She becomes a good fighter who doesn't let down her guard easily, and she has a strong sense of justice. She wants to protect people, but she doesn't like them to become too close. Shadows of the Void is partially about how Jas changes.
Can you tell us a little about how the series progresses from there?
Shadows of the Void is a ten-book space opera series that begins in the far reaches of the galaxy on uninhabited and colony worlds, moves to the battle for Earth, and finally spreads out into the wider galactic empire. The Shadows aren't aliens in the traditional sense - they're creatures from another dimension, and they invade ours by killing and then replicating their victims with their own personalities inserted.
Being unable to tell the difference between your friend and a Shadow who wants to kill you is one of the biggest problems the characters face at the beginning of the story, especially as the Shadows retain the memories and knowledge of their victims.
Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?
Don't believe that old adage that people shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The truth is, people judge books by their covers every time, even when they don't think they do. One of the main advantages and disadvantages of indie publishing is that you get to choose your own covers, which means that you have the opportunity to find something that fits the genre and looks appealing and you aren't vulnerable to someone else's potential incompetence in this area.
I spent and still spend hours studying covers. I'm artistically challenged, so it took me a long time to understand what makes a good cover. If you're lucky, you won't have to do this. Some people just have a knack for knowing what works and what doesn't.
Studying English literature tells students that to write full time they have to write like Hemingway. This just isn't true. You have to write competently in a genre that sells, and you have to have eye-catching covers that encourage readers to choose your book out of all the others.
What is your favourite motivational phrase?
This is something I made up, and I'm afraid it isn't anything very eloquent or mystical. Over the years of building a regular writing habit and forcing myself to do boring tasks like formatting paperbacks for Createspace or updating front and back matter for an ever-increasing number of books, I needed something that would get me over the myriad excuses not to work that would pop into my mind. I eventually thought up a phrase that tackles every single one of them bluntly and effectively.
My motivational phrase is 'Do it anyway'. I acknowledge that my writing is crap or that I'm tired or peckish or that the floor really needs sweeping, but that I'm going to do my intended task anyway. My subconscious hasn't found a way around that one yet and I don't think it never will.
That's a good thing to live by, even outside of writing. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
J.J. Green was born in London's East End within the sound of the church bells of St. Mary Le Bow, Cheapside, which makes her a bona fide Cockney. She first left the U.K. as a young adult and has lived in Australia and Laos. She currently lives in Taipei, Taiwan, where she entertains the locals with her efforts to learn Mandarin. Writers she admires include Philip K. Dick, Ursula Le Guin, Douglas Adams, Connie Willis and Ann Leckie.
Green writes science fiction, fantasy, weird, dark and humorous tales, and her work has appeared in Lamplight, Perihelion, Saturday Night Reader and other magazines and websites. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
In my interview today, I am talking to J.J. Green, author of the Shadows of the Void and Carrie Hatchett, Space Adventurer series.
First question, and one that a lot of people ask me when they find out I'm an author: Were you good at English at school?
I was better at English language than English literature at school, mainly because succeeding in English literature involved doing homework! I was a poor student in both senses of the word.
But I loved to write. When I was eleven, I wrote a story inspired by the novel Starlight Barking, Dodie Smith's sequel to 101 Dalmations. My teacher liked it so much she asked me to read it to the class. When I finished and lifted my head, I realised that my whole class in my rowdy comprehensive school had listened quietly as I read. Later, when I was doing my O' levels, my angry English teacher was haranguing the class about their bad attitude. He said (shouted), there's only one person in this class who can write stories, and that's Jenny. So...(insert dire warning of what would happen if my classmates didn't buck their ideas up).
After that and other encouragement from other teachers and lecturers, writing was always my vocation, but I lacked the self-confidence and means to do it. I also had all those hurdles beginner writers face of procrastination, over-editing, failure to finish things etc.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does she do that is so special?
Jas Harrington is the main character in my Shadows of the Void series, and her personality is heavily influenced by her upbringing, as I think most people's are. She's the sole survivor of the largest colony disaster ever, which took place on Mars. Consequently, she's grown up in institutions and has no real sense of a family or home.
Adding to her problems, Jas was almost sent to Earth too late to avoid the excessive height and weakened bone structure of Martians who never leave the planet. So she's very tall and she has the colouring caused by gene therapy all Martians undergo to help them resist the effects of radiation. All this makes her stand out - in a bad way - in the Earth orphanage.
She becomes a good fighter who doesn't let down her guard easily, and she has a strong sense of justice. She wants to protect people, but she doesn't like them to become too close. Shadows of the Void is partially about how Jas changes.
Can you tell us a little about how the series progresses from there?
Shadows of the Void is a ten-book space opera series that begins in the far reaches of the galaxy on uninhabited and colony worlds, moves to the battle for Earth, and finally spreads out into the wider galactic empire. The Shadows aren't aliens in the traditional sense - they're creatures from another dimension, and they invade ours by killing and then replicating their victims with their own personalities inserted.
Being unable to tell the difference between your friend and a Shadow who wants to kill you is one of the biggest problems the characters face at the beginning of the story, especially as the Shadows retain the memories and knowledge of their victims.
Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?
Don't believe that old adage that people shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The truth is, people judge books by their covers every time, even when they don't think they do. One of the main advantages and disadvantages of indie publishing is that you get to choose your own covers, which means that you have the opportunity to find something that fits the genre and looks appealing and you aren't vulnerable to someone else's potential incompetence in this area.
I spent and still spend hours studying covers. I'm artistically challenged, so it took me a long time to understand what makes a good cover. If you're lucky, you won't have to do this. Some people just have a knack for knowing what works and what doesn't.
Studying English literature tells students that to write full time they have to write like Hemingway. This just isn't true. You have to write competently in a genre that sells, and you have to have eye-catching covers that encourage readers to choose your book out of all the others.
What is your favourite motivational phrase?
This is something I made up, and I'm afraid it isn't anything very eloquent or mystical. Over the years of building a regular writing habit and forcing myself to do boring tasks like formatting paperbacks for Createspace or updating front and back matter for an ever-increasing number of books, I needed something that would get me over the myriad excuses not to work that would pop into my mind. I eventually thought up a phrase that tackles every single one of them bluntly and effectively.
My motivational phrase is 'Do it anyway'. I acknowledge that my writing is crap or that I'm tired or peckish or that the floor really needs sweeping, but that I'm going to do my intended task anyway. My subconscious hasn't found a way around that one yet and I don't think it never will.
That's a good thing to live by, even outside of writing. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
J.J. Green was born in London's East End within the sound of the church bells of St. Mary Le Bow, Cheapside, which makes her a bona fide Cockney. She first left the U.K. as a young adult and has lived in Australia and Laos. She currently lives in Taipei, Taiwan, where she entertains the locals with her efforts to learn Mandarin. Writers she admires include Philip K. Dick, Ursula Le Guin, Douglas Adams, Connie Willis and Ann Leckie.Green writes science fiction, fantasy, weird, dark and humorous tales, and her work has appeared in Lamplight, Perihelion, Saturday Night Reader and other magazines and websites. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
June 28, 2018
The June Roundup of Scifi Books
The non-stop heat and no rain we've had here has been incredible. Sadly, it's having its toll on the garden. Whislt we have had a bumper crop of redcurrants and strawberries, with an OK yield of blackcurrants and blueberries, it looks like my new magnolia stellata is going to die. It was a present this spring and I'll be very if it doesn't survive.
On the other hand, being able to spend time in the garden has been nice. Sitting at the table marking exams made a pleasant change from doing it indoors.
The big news on the writing front is that my next anthology will be released on 6 July, and is currently available to preorder.
"Some renegades are born rebels, some forced into it to survive, while others make the choice on principle."
While you're waiting for it to be delivered, how about snapping up some of these gems...
To keep up-to-date with the most buzzworthy and cutting-edge science fiction requires sifting through countless magazines, e-zines, websites, blogs, original anthologies, single-author collections, and more — a task accomplishable by only the most determined and voracious readers. For everyone else, Night Shade Books is proud to introduce the latest volume of The Best Science Fiction of the Year, a new yearly anthology compiled by Hugo and World Fantasy award–winning editor Neil Clarke, collecting the finest that the genre has to offer, from the biggest names in the field to the most exciting new writers.
In the far reaches of space, the celestial body known as Nebuna is the home to a metropolis with a bad attitude and an expansive wasteland filled with legends and mystery. The tales you are about to read will give you an unflinching ride through the crime-infested gutters and corruption of GRAVITY CITY and the wondrous world that lies beyond city limits!
Science fiction and crime go hand-in-tentacle, if you’ll pardon the expression. Many of the science fiction field’s greatest writers also wrote mysteries…and vice versa. And sometimes the science fiction stories were mysteries.
Space opera. Big, sprawling sci-fi stories that encompass strange new worlds, alien life forms, and deep space battles. You'll find all of that here.
The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Clarke, publisher and editor in chief of the acclaimed and award-winning magazine Clarkesworld, has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year’s writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome “sensawunda” that the genre has to offer.
Dreams of tomorrow become reality in this third collection of bestselling authors and newly emerging writers from Sci-Fi Bridge. From the inner worlds of unforgettable characters to alien planets at the farthest reaches of our galaxy and beyond, our writers examine the human experience from within and without. They hold up a mirror to the human experience. Who are we as a species? Who do we want to be? How do we achieve that greatest vision of ourselves for us and our children?
Dreams of tomorrow become reality in this third collection of bestselling authors and newly emerging writers from Sci-Fi Bridge. From the inner worlds of unforgettable characters to alien planets at the farthest reaches of our galaxy and beyond, our writers examine the human experience from within and without. They hold up a mirror to the human experience. Who are we as a species? Who do we want to be? How do we achieve that greatest vision of ourselves for us and our children?
Robots. Androids. Artificial Intelligence. Scientists predict that the "singularity" - the moment when mankind designs the first greater-than-human intelligence - is nearly within our grasp. Believe it or not, truly sentient machines may be a reality within as little as 20 years.
Will these "post-human" intelligences be our friends? Our servants? Our rivals? What will we learn from them? What will they learn from us? Will we allow them to lead their own lives? Will they have basic human rights? Will we?
Six authors, one mission: kick off new trilogies with a bang! With this one volume you can dive into a smorgasbord of stories by some of your favorite authors and then get the second and third books in the series within weeks!
From humanity's first contact with alien life, to the challenges of space travel, to colonies established light years from Earth, this anthology celebrates the wide sweep of space opera at its most sublime. Eleven of today's bestselling authors join forces to bring you these tales of action, adventure, and brilliant imagination.
There are worlds beyond worlds out there to explore, and millions of stories spinning across the galaxies. So sit back and be transported... to the dark beyond the stars.
On the other hand, being able to spend time in the garden has been nice. Sitting at the table marking exams made a pleasant change from doing it indoors.
The big news on the writing front is that my next anthology will be released on 6 July, and is currently available to preorder.
"Some renegades are born rebels, some forced into it to survive, while others make the choice on principle."
While you're waiting for it to be delivered, how about snapping up some of these gems...
To keep up-to-date with the most buzzworthy and cutting-edge science fiction requires sifting through countless magazines, e-zines, websites, blogs, original anthologies, single-author collections, and more — a task accomplishable by only the most determined and voracious readers. For everyone else, Night Shade Books is proud to introduce the latest volume of The Best Science Fiction of the Year, a new yearly anthology compiled by Hugo and World Fantasy award–winning editor Neil Clarke, collecting the finest that the genre has to offer, from the biggest names in the field to the most exciting new writers.
In the far reaches of space, the celestial body known as Nebuna is the home to a metropolis with a bad attitude and an expansive wasteland filled with legends and mystery. The tales you are about to read will give you an unflinching ride through the crime-infested gutters and corruption of GRAVITY CITY and the wondrous world that lies beyond city limits!
Science fiction and crime go hand-in-tentacle, if you’ll pardon the expression. Many of the science fiction field’s greatest writers also wrote mysteries…and vice versa. And sometimes the science fiction stories were mysteries.
Space opera. Big, sprawling sci-fi stories that encompass strange new worlds, alien life forms, and deep space battles. You'll find all of that here.
The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Clarke, publisher and editor in chief of the acclaimed and award-winning magazine Clarkesworld, has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year’s writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome “sensawunda” that the genre has to offer.
Dreams of tomorrow become reality in this third collection of bestselling authors and newly emerging writers from Sci-Fi Bridge. From the inner worlds of unforgettable characters to alien planets at the farthest reaches of our galaxy and beyond, our writers examine the human experience from within and without. They hold up a mirror to the human experience. Who are we as a species? Who do we want to be? How do we achieve that greatest vision of ourselves for us and our children?
Dreams of tomorrow become reality in this third collection of bestselling authors and newly emerging writers from Sci-Fi Bridge. From the inner worlds of unforgettable characters to alien planets at the farthest reaches of our galaxy and beyond, our writers examine the human experience from within and without. They hold up a mirror to the human experience. Who are we as a species? Who do we want to be? How do we achieve that greatest vision of ourselves for us and our children?
Robots. Androids. Artificial Intelligence. Scientists predict that the "singularity" - the moment when mankind designs the first greater-than-human intelligence - is nearly within our grasp. Believe it or not, truly sentient machines may be a reality within as little as 20 years.
Will these "post-human" intelligences be our friends? Our servants? Our rivals? What will we learn from them? What will they learn from us? Will we allow them to lead their own lives? Will they have basic human rights? Will we?
Six authors, one mission: kick off new trilogies with a bang! With this one volume you can dive into a smorgasbord of stories by some of your favorite authors and then get the second and third books in the series within weeks!
From humanity's first contact with alien life, to the challenges of space travel, to colonies established light years from Earth, this anthology celebrates the wide sweep of space opera at its most sublime. Eleven of today's bestselling authors join forces to bring you these tales of action, adventure, and brilliant imagination.
There are worlds beyond worlds out there to explore, and millions of stories spinning across the galaxies. So sit back and be transported... to the dark beyond the stars.
June 8, 2018
An Interview with Carissa Andrews
You know that feeling when you've just got to get out and stretch your legs?
Now that's out of my system, on with the rest of the post. In my interview today, I am talking to Carissa Andrews, author of the Pendomu series.
What draws you to writing science fiction?
Science fiction, or speculative fiction of any kind, has always captured my imagination and sparked the subconsciously aware person in me. I notice a lot in the world, but it's not until I start writing that I understand why I've noticed something, or even that it's been settling itself into my psyche. Plus, as a technological person who appreciates science, art, creativity, and neuroscience... I can't help but envision what the future looks like when all of those meld together.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Whew... that's a loaded question. There's a TON actually. In fact, I did a whole video series on Facebook, as well as an online course a couple of years ago. I guess if I had to boil it down, the biggest advice I have for aspiring writers is to... dun, dun, dun... write. It sounds stupid, or completely obvious, but you'd be surprised how many aspiring authors get hung up on the first sentences, first paragraph, first pages... etc. Stop doing that and write, dammit. There's a time to let the creativity flow, and a time to edit the crap out of it. Stop mixing the two up. Find a method that allows you to focus, to get over the inner monologue of why you can't KEEP WRITING and shut it down. Then, write your little heart out until it runs dry.
How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
When I first started writing, it was simply because I loved books and wanted to get a dream I had down on paper. I hammered out a 300 page book and turned the melodramatic re-enactment of my dream to my teacher. I was 13. Then, I kinda let writing go for a loooong time while I pursued other avenues of publishing. When I finally came back to writing, it was because my career as a graphic designer wasn't fulfilling my soul. Now, I've found that if I can blend the two - graphic design (book covers and marketing), with the author in me, I'm much more fulfilled. Thus, more creativity springs from it. I'd also like to think that I'm a bit more seasoned with my creativity. Not only does creativity flow, but sometimes, it works best inside a container so it can force it's way out. ;)
Where do the your ideas come from?
Many of my ideas spring from dreams or insights while my mind is otherwise quiet. It's like all of a sudden getting a "download" in my brain and I have this whole storyline, series, person, etc. that lands in my head and starts telling me things. Then, I have to start writing it down or they don't shut up. LOL! I'm also very inspired by other authors, writers, designers, as well as TV and movies. I take the aspects that call to me, and meld them into a story all my own.
And finally, I love your covers. Who designed them?
I'm the designer for all of my books. As a freelance graphic designer (for my clients), it's an aspect of the creative process that I love to dig into. My mother is a fine artist, working in acrylic paints, and as a techie, my medium turned out to be the computer. Go figure. Whenever I get stuck in writing the next sequence, I find that if I switch to designing for a bit, it's enough of a break that it unlocks whatever block I may have had.
Wow! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
Carissa Andrews is a genre-bending author who writes a combination of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia. When not writing her own books, she's busy reading them.
Her first novel, Pendomus, was the first of a three-part series and was published in 2013. Now, four years later, Polarities (Book 2) of the Pendomus Chronicles, and Revolutions (Book 3) was released at the end of 2017.
She lives in central Minnesota with her husband, kids, and dog.
Now that's out of my system, on with the rest of the post. In my interview today, I am talking to Carissa Andrews, author of the Pendomu series.
What draws you to writing science fiction?
Science fiction, or speculative fiction of any kind, has always captured my imagination and sparked the subconsciously aware person in me. I notice a lot in the world, but it's not until I start writing that I understand why I've noticed something, or even that it's been settling itself into my psyche. Plus, as a technological person who appreciates science, art, creativity, and neuroscience... I can't help but envision what the future looks like when all of those meld together.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Whew... that's a loaded question. There's a TON actually. In fact, I did a whole video series on Facebook, as well as an online course a couple of years ago. I guess if I had to boil it down, the biggest advice I have for aspiring writers is to... dun, dun, dun... write. It sounds stupid, or completely obvious, but you'd be surprised how many aspiring authors get hung up on the first sentences, first paragraph, first pages... etc. Stop doing that and write, dammit. There's a time to let the creativity flow, and a time to edit the crap out of it. Stop mixing the two up. Find a method that allows you to focus, to get over the inner monologue of why you can't KEEP WRITING and shut it down. Then, write your little heart out until it runs dry.
How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
When I first started writing, it was simply because I loved books and wanted to get a dream I had down on paper. I hammered out a 300 page book and turned the melodramatic re-enactment of my dream to my teacher. I was 13. Then, I kinda let writing go for a loooong time while I pursued other avenues of publishing. When I finally came back to writing, it was because my career as a graphic designer wasn't fulfilling my soul. Now, I've found that if I can blend the two - graphic design (book covers and marketing), with the author in me, I'm much more fulfilled. Thus, more creativity springs from it. I'd also like to think that I'm a bit more seasoned with my creativity. Not only does creativity flow, but sometimes, it works best inside a container so it can force it's way out. ;)
Where do the your ideas come from?
Many of my ideas spring from dreams or insights while my mind is otherwise quiet. It's like all of a sudden getting a "download" in my brain and I have this whole storyline, series, person, etc. that lands in my head and starts telling me things. Then, I have to start writing it down or they don't shut up. LOL! I'm also very inspired by other authors, writers, designers, as well as TV and movies. I take the aspects that call to me, and meld them into a story all my own.
And finally, I love your covers. Who designed them?
I'm the designer for all of my books. As a freelance graphic designer (for my clients), it's an aspect of the creative process that I love to dig into. My mother is a fine artist, working in acrylic paints, and as a techie, my medium turned out to be the computer. Go figure. Whenever I get stuck in writing the next sequence, I find that if I switch to designing for a bit, it's enough of a break that it unlocks whatever block I may have had.
Wow! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
Carissa Andrews is a genre-bending author who writes a combination of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia. When not writing her own books, she's busy reading them.Her first novel, Pendomus, was the first of a three-part series and was published in 2013. Now, four years later, Polarities (Book 2) of the Pendomus Chronicles, and Revolutions (Book 3) was released at the end of 2017.
She lives in central Minnesota with her husband, kids, and dog.
May 27, 2018
The May Round-up of Scifi Books
It's been a real buzz watching my sales and rankings recently. Liberty reached #3 in the scifi category on amazon.com and #31 of all ebooks. But my favourite moment was spotting the listing below - sharing a row with two of my favourite SF books!
But, being the 28th of the month, this post is all about other great science fiction books worth checking out...
Inquisitor Angel Xia, former mercenary turned detective, is used to being the hunter. But on another routine murder investigation the bodies begin to pile up, and Angel finds herself a target of sinister powers determined to conceal the truth.
The hunter has just become the hunted.
Betrayed by those she trusted most, and barely escaping assassination attempts, Angel receives a cryptic message from child begging for her help. Framed for horrific crimes, the only chance to clear her name is inextricably linked to a little girl.
Running for her life, Angel races to forgotten places at the edges of known space that hold the darkest secrets of humanity…and the greatest threat to its future.
And all will be determined by what she chooses to do next. That is... if she can stay alive.
Captain Jess Tolvern of HMS Blackbeard is leading a Royal Navy expedition across long-dormant space lanes toward Old Earth when an alien fleet ambushes her battle cruiser. The aliens are Adjudicators, an ancient race whose ethos is to judge other species and reduce their survivors to a stone age existence.
Tolvern sends a desperate message back to headquarters and retreats with her damaged ship to friendly systems. By the time she returns, the aliens have already invaded Alliance territory with a powerful fleet of star fortresses and accompanying dragoon ships, trapping and laying siege to the allied fleet.
While repairing her ship, Tolvern cobbles together a squadron of damaged allied warships, former raiders, and the local survivors of an Adjudicator attack to drive off the alien fleet.
In the vein of the hit television show Battlestar Galactica comes Earth Strike—the first book in the action-packed Star Carrier science fiction series by Ian Douglas, author of the popular Inheritance, Heritage, and Legacy Trilogies and one of the most adept writers of military sf working today. Earth Strike rockets readers into a vast and deadly intergalactic battle, as humankind attempts to bring down an evil empire and establish itself as the new major power. Fans of Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers and Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War, welcome aboard the Star Carrier!
In a domed city on a planet orbiting Barnard's Star, a recently hired maintenance man has just committed murder.
Minutes later, the airlocks on the neighbourhood block are opened and the murderer is asphyxiated along with thirty-one innocent residents.
Jax, the lowly dome operator on duty at the time, is accused of mass homicide and faced with a mound of impossible evidence against him.
His only ally is Runstom, the rogue police officer charged with transporting him to a secure off-world facility. The pair must risk everything to prove Jax didn't commit the atrocity and uncover the truth before they both wind up dead.
Avalon was the flagship of the Castle Federation in the last war, now twenty years past. The first of the deep space carriers, no other warship in the fleet holds as many honors or has recorded as many kills.
No other warship in the fleet is as old.
Accepting the inevitable, the Federation Space Navy has decided to refit her and send her on a tour of the frontier, showing the flag to their allies and enemies as a reminder of her glory – and then decommission her for good.
But Avalon has been a backwater posting for ten years – and has problems a mere refit can’t fix. The systems along her planned tour have been seeing pirates for the first time in decades, and there are rumblings of Commonwealth scouting ships all along the border.
It may be Avalon’s final tour – but it looks to be anything but quiet!
The Earth lies in ruins in the aftermath of an extraterrestrial invasion, the land devastated by a desperate war with no winners between mankind and a race of vicious, intelligent creatures. The seas are drying up while the atmosphere corrodes and slowly cooks any life remaining on the now desolate rock. Food is scarce, trust even more so, and the only people left alive all have done horrific things to stay that way.
Among the few survivors is Lucas, an ordinary man hardened by the last few years after the world’s end. He’s fought off bandits, murderers, and stranded creatures on his long trek across the country in search of his family, the one thing that drives him to outlive his dying planet. What he finds instead is hope, something thought to be lost in the world. There’s a ship buried in a crater wall. One of theirs. One that works. To fly it, Lucas must join forces with a traitorous alien scientist and a captured, merciless raider named Asha. But unless they find common ground, all will die, stranded on a ruined Earth.
Late in the twenty-sixth century, the human race has advanced enough to accidentally trigger the Inhibitors—alien killing machines designed to detect intelligent life and destroy it. The only hope for humanity lies in the recovery of a secret cache of doomsday weapons—and a renegade named Clavain who is determined to find them. But other factions want the weapons for their own purposes—and the weapons themselves have another agenda altogether...
In the distant future, Earth's worst criminals have all disappeared … and no one knows where they've been sent.
Sirio Falken has been a fighter his whole life. But when the government bans professional fighting, his life spirals out of control. All of the convicts he's ever known have disappeared from Earth, never to return. He's about to find out firsthand what happened to them. He'll have to stay alive amongst Earth’s most ruthless felons if he wants to survive … and become the first man to escape from Oz.
Captain Luta Paixon of the far trader Tane Ikai needs to know why she looks like a woman in her thirties–even though she’s actually eighty-four. She isn’t the only one desperate for that information.
The explanation might lie with her geneticist mother, who disappeared over sixty years ago, but even if her mother is still alive, it’s proving to be no small task to track her down in the vast, wormhole-ridden expanse of Nearspace. With the ruthless PrimeCorp bent on obtaining Luta’s DNA at any cost, her ninety-year-old husband asking for one last favor, and her estranged daughter locking horns with her at every turn, Luta’s search for answers will take her to the furthest reaches of space–and deep inside her own heart.
Outside the bubble, a radiated wasteland turns men to madness. Inside the bubble, unchecked greed turns men into monsters.
Merrik knows what horrors lie in wait beyond the city’s protective bubble—the solar radiation ravaged wastelands and the half-mad survivors who lost the lottery to get inside. As the city bounty hunter, he’s sworn to enforce the laws that keep their fragile pocket of civilization intact, even if it means venturing into the desolate wilds himself.
But when a smug new council member starts micromanaging his job, even Merrik is tempted to break the rules. His annoyance with his superior soon turns to suspicion when a captured fugitive tells him of a closed-door society built on the blood of the innocent. With the council watching his every move, Merrik must infiltrate the city’s powerful inner circle to take out the conspirators before they turn humanity’s last safe haven into a dystopian state far more brutal than the hellscape closing in on every side.
What happens when your experimental spacecraft breaks down near Neptune? Dying alone in space is the likely answer, right?
That's not how Wil Calder's story ends though; it's how it begins. Alien space outlaws rescue him and sell his pod for scrap.
He's given a choice: join the crew or step out the airlock without his spacesuit. Not great choices, right?
Now, years later, Wil is a lonely intergalactic outlaw and smuggler, looking for a crew.
Because space is lonely and boring, Wil could use some friends or at least people to work with, maybe boss around a little.
Before Wil can even enjoy having a crew to call his own, they find themselves in the center of a plot to start an intergalactic war.
A plot they aren't remotely qualified to stop, but who looks at qualifications these days?
Between epic space battles, a quest for redemption and a daring heist, the crew uncovers a dangerous secret.
A secret that they can't let stay hidden; too many worlds hang in the balance.
There is only one rule: Never leave the settlement
Nobody remembers when human civilization fell to the living computer known as the Interspace. Trapped within its massive expanse, what remains of humanity struggles to survive. There are no maps to the outer grids, and drones patrol the network. Escape is impossible.
Except seventeen-year-old Sol can access the network's secrets in her dreams. The information comes at a physical cost, but with food and medical shortages threatening her community, it's a small price to pay for survival. The supply runs are also the best way to prove she can still contribute, especially after her recent epilepsy diagnosis took away the role she'd been training for.
When a grave mistake alerts the drones to her trespassing, Sol finds herself running for her life. She never expects to encounter Echo, a stranger who may hold the key to humanity's freedom.
Together, Sol and Echo will attempt to reach the central core of the Interspace and shut down the system. To survive the journey, they will need to evade drones, signal towers, and a dangerous enemy known only as the Override. Even with Sol's access to the network and Echo's incredible abilities, they may still fail. The Interspace is always watching, and if they're discovered, it will mean the final extermination of all mankind.
Rob Engleman has spent all of his seventeen years on a small island, safe from the dangers of the alien world around him. Yet he is not content to live the simple life of an island farmer. When a mysterious boat is found drifting near his island, Rob will take the opportunity it presents him to leave his home and venture into the menacing unknown.
Accompanied by his older brother and his friends, Rob’s journey to discover the world beyond his island will lead him to discover hidden treasures of the past and the true value of love and friendship.
But there are more dangers than just those in the sea. An ambitious empire, bent on domination, threatens the freedom of his island. Rob must decide whether to follow his dream of traveling the world or go to war to defend his home.
Transported light years in a heartbeat
Ripped from Earth in a horrifying teleportation accident, archaeologist Eliana Fisk finds herself stranded on a strange planet whose denizens want her as a human sacrifice.
Can she stay out from under the knife long enough to find her way home? Or will the desperate natives and their bloodthirsty gods get to her first?
The War has arrived.
Humanity's 1,000-year peace is about to be shattered. Chased from Earth by the invading Otrid, the remnants of the human race have for a millennium stayed hidden on a small moon in a distant star system. Protected by seven mysterious, god-like beings, the human race has slowly rebuilt itself, and the terrors of the past are but ancient stories.
But even the gods may not be able to protect them from what's coming.
Nuclear wars have devastated the planet. Life as we know it is over.
After a personal failure, Gavin has turned his back on fighting, but with Alliance soldiers dying every day, he has no choice. He must return to battle and take command of a classified unit of high-powered ballistic mechs. The stakes are high as the Syndicates ruthless tyranny threatens those in their path
In the 36th century, humanity has spread across the stars...
Zona Nox. Crime-ridden cesspool at the edge of the galaxy. A war-torn hellhole dominated by gangs, megacorporations and alien raiders.
Sometime during their thousand-year voyage, the invaders perished.
But their slaves, the minders, survived to finish the journey to Earth.
Deanne doesn’t believe any of the news about visiting aliens. She’s a felon serving time in a California youth detention center.
As the lights go out and the world falls down around Deanne and her fellow inmates, she discovers something that might hold the key to their survival. Saving Earth will mean risking not only her life, but what makes her human…
When the mad conqueror haunting Elaina's dreams invades her adopted homeland, the real nightmare becomes what she's willing to do to stop him.
The dreaded Hunter Baron has landed on the shores of Mailderet, but Master Tinkerer Elaina Gable believes she has the solution. Giant automatons sit rusting in the valley, waiting for someone with the drive and ingenuity to bring them to life. But the king, swayed by the destruction his ancestors wrought centuries before, harbors a deep-seated fear of the machines. Though he will not allow the alliance of Tinkerers and Smiths to complete the work, Elaina resolves to bring the machines back to life in secret—with the help of a famous airship pilot.
From the safety of the swamps, a woman with silver skin jealously guards the secrets of the automatons. Though the Silver Woman also wishes the past to remain buried, she must weigh the value of secrecy against the thousands of innocents her hesitation might send to the grave.
As they discover the link between the toxic valley and the inner workings of the automatons, Elaina and her allies are drawn into a web of deceit threatening the balance of power across two continents—and proving the truth behind the deadly legends surrounding the Army of Brass.
The Peace Force has a new recruit, and she's driving everyone crazy.
From disobeying orders to handling unauthorised cases, nothing is off-limits. Worse, Harriet Walsh is forced to team up with the newbie, because the recruit's shady past has just caught up with her.
Meanwhile, a dignitary wants to complain about rogue officers working out of the station. She insists on meeting the station's commanding officer ... and they don't have one.
All up, it's another typical day in the Peace Force!
But, being the 28th of the month, this post is all about other great science fiction books worth checking out...
Inquisitor Angel Xia, former mercenary turned detective, is used to being the hunter. But on another routine murder investigation the bodies begin to pile up, and Angel finds herself a target of sinister powers determined to conceal the truth.
The hunter has just become the hunted.
Betrayed by those she trusted most, and barely escaping assassination attempts, Angel receives a cryptic message from child begging for her help. Framed for horrific crimes, the only chance to clear her name is inextricably linked to a little girl.
Running for her life, Angel races to forgotten places at the edges of known space that hold the darkest secrets of humanity…and the greatest threat to its future.
And all will be determined by what she chooses to do next. That is... if she can stay alive.
Captain Jess Tolvern of HMS Blackbeard is leading a Royal Navy expedition across long-dormant space lanes toward Old Earth when an alien fleet ambushes her battle cruiser. The aliens are Adjudicators, an ancient race whose ethos is to judge other species and reduce their survivors to a stone age existence.
Tolvern sends a desperate message back to headquarters and retreats with her damaged ship to friendly systems. By the time she returns, the aliens have already invaded Alliance territory with a powerful fleet of star fortresses and accompanying dragoon ships, trapping and laying siege to the allied fleet.
While repairing her ship, Tolvern cobbles together a squadron of damaged allied warships, former raiders, and the local survivors of an Adjudicator attack to drive off the alien fleet.
In the vein of the hit television show Battlestar Galactica comes Earth Strike—the first book in the action-packed Star Carrier science fiction series by Ian Douglas, author of the popular Inheritance, Heritage, and Legacy Trilogies and one of the most adept writers of military sf working today. Earth Strike rockets readers into a vast and deadly intergalactic battle, as humankind attempts to bring down an evil empire and establish itself as the new major power. Fans of Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers and Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War, welcome aboard the Star Carrier!
In a domed city on a planet orbiting Barnard's Star, a recently hired maintenance man has just committed murder.
Minutes later, the airlocks on the neighbourhood block are opened and the murderer is asphyxiated along with thirty-one innocent residents.
Jax, the lowly dome operator on duty at the time, is accused of mass homicide and faced with a mound of impossible evidence against him.
His only ally is Runstom, the rogue police officer charged with transporting him to a secure off-world facility. The pair must risk everything to prove Jax didn't commit the atrocity and uncover the truth before they both wind up dead.
Avalon was the flagship of the Castle Federation in the last war, now twenty years past. The first of the deep space carriers, no other warship in the fleet holds as many honors or has recorded as many kills.
No other warship in the fleet is as old.
Accepting the inevitable, the Federation Space Navy has decided to refit her and send her on a tour of the frontier, showing the flag to their allies and enemies as a reminder of her glory – and then decommission her for good.
But Avalon has been a backwater posting for ten years – and has problems a mere refit can’t fix. The systems along her planned tour have been seeing pirates for the first time in decades, and there are rumblings of Commonwealth scouting ships all along the border.
It may be Avalon’s final tour – but it looks to be anything but quiet!
The Earth lies in ruins in the aftermath of an extraterrestrial invasion, the land devastated by a desperate war with no winners between mankind and a race of vicious, intelligent creatures. The seas are drying up while the atmosphere corrodes and slowly cooks any life remaining on the now desolate rock. Food is scarce, trust even more so, and the only people left alive all have done horrific things to stay that way.
Among the few survivors is Lucas, an ordinary man hardened by the last few years after the world’s end. He’s fought off bandits, murderers, and stranded creatures on his long trek across the country in search of his family, the one thing that drives him to outlive his dying planet. What he finds instead is hope, something thought to be lost in the world. There’s a ship buried in a crater wall. One of theirs. One that works. To fly it, Lucas must join forces with a traitorous alien scientist and a captured, merciless raider named Asha. But unless they find common ground, all will die, stranded on a ruined Earth.
Late in the twenty-sixth century, the human race has advanced enough to accidentally trigger the Inhibitors—alien killing machines designed to detect intelligent life and destroy it. The only hope for humanity lies in the recovery of a secret cache of doomsday weapons—and a renegade named Clavain who is determined to find them. But other factions want the weapons for their own purposes—and the weapons themselves have another agenda altogether...
In the distant future, Earth's worst criminals have all disappeared … and no one knows where they've been sent.
Sirio Falken has been a fighter his whole life. But when the government bans professional fighting, his life spirals out of control. All of the convicts he's ever known have disappeared from Earth, never to return. He's about to find out firsthand what happened to them. He'll have to stay alive amongst Earth’s most ruthless felons if he wants to survive … and become the first man to escape from Oz.
Captain Luta Paixon of the far trader Tane Ikai needs to know why she looks like a woman in her thirties–even though she’s actually eighty-four. She isn’t the only one desperate for that information.
The explanation might lie with her geneticist mother, who disappeared over sixty years ago, but even if her mother is still alive, it’s proving to be no small task to track her down in the vast, wormhole-ridden expanse of Nearspace. With the ruthless PrimeCorp bent on obtaining Luta’s DNA at any cost, her ninety-year-old husband asking for one last favor, and her estranged daughter locking horns with her at every turn, Luta’s search for answers will take her to the furthest reaches of space–and deep inside her own heart.
Outside the bubble, a radiated wasteland turns men to madness. Inside the bubble, unchecked greed turns men into monsters.
Merrik knows what horrors lie in wait beyond the city’s protective bubble—the solar radiation ravaged wastelands and the half-mad survivors who lost the lottery to get inside. As the city bounty hunter, he’s sworn to enforce the laws that keep their fragile pocket of civilization intact, even if it means venturing into the desolate wilds himself.
But when a smug new council member starts micromanaging his job, even Merrik is tempted to break the rules. His annoyance with his superior soon turns to suspicion when a captured fugitive tells him of a closed-door society built on the blood of the innocent. With the council watching his every move, Merrik must infiltrate the city’s powerful inner circle to take out the conspirators before they turn humanity’s last safe haven into a dystopian state far more brutal than the hellscape closing in on every side.
What happens when your experimental spacecraft breaks down near Neptune? Dying alone in space is the likely answer, right?
That's not how Wil Calder's story ends though; it's how it begins. Alien space outlaws rescue him and sell his pod for scrap.
He's given a choice: join the crew or step out the airlock without his spacesuit. Not great choices, right?
Now, years later, Wil is a lonely intergalactic outlaw and smuggler, looking for a crew.
Because space is lonely and boring, Wil could use some friends or at least people to work with, maybe boss around a little.
Before Wil can even enjoy having a crew to call his own, they find themselves in the center of a plot to start an intergalactic war.
A plot they aren't remotely qualified to stop, but who looks at qualifications these days?
Between epic space battles, a quest for redemption and a daring heist, the crew uncovers a dangerous secret.
A secret that they can't let stay hidden; too many worlds hang in the balance.
There is only one rule: Never leave the settlement
Nobody remembers when human civilization fell to the living computer known as the Interspace. Trapped within its massive expanse, what remains of humanity struggles to survive. There are no maps to the outer grids, and drones patrol the network. Escape is impossible.
Except seventeen-year-old Sol can access the network's secrets in her dreams. The information comes at a physical cost, but with food and medical shortages threatening her community, it's a small price to pay for survival. The supply runs are also the best way to prove she can still contribute, especially after her recent epilepsy diagnosis took away the role she'd been training for.
When a grave mistake alerts the drones to her trespassing, Sol finds herself running for her life. She never expects to encounter Echo, a stranger who may hold the key to humanity's freedom.
Together, Sol and Echo will attempt to reach the central core of the Interspace and shut down the system. To survive the journey, they will need to evade drones, signal towers, and a dangerous enemy known only as the Override. Even with Sol's access to the network and Echo's incredible abilities, they may still fail. The Interspace is always watching, and if they're discovered, it will mean the final extermination of all mankind.
Rob Engleman has spent all of his seventeen years on a small island, safe from the dangers of the alien world around him. Yet he is not content to live the simple life of an island farmer. When a mysterious boat is found drifting near his island, Rob will take the opportunity it presents him to leave his home and venture into the menacing unknown.
Accompanied by his older brother and his friends, Rob’s journey to discover the world beyond his island will lead him to discover hidden treasures of the past and the true value of love and friendship.
But there are more dangers than just those in the sea. An ambitious empire, bent on domination, threatens the freedom of his island. Rob must decide whether to follow his dream of traveling the world or go to war to defend his home.
Transported light years in a heartbeat
Ripped from Earth in a horrifying teleportation accident, archaeologist Eliana Fisk finds herself stranded on a strange planet whose denizens want her as a human sacrifice.
Can she stay out from under the knife long enough to find her way home? Or will the desperate natives and their bloodthirsty gods get to her first?
The War has arrived.
Humanity's 1,000-year peace is about to be shattered. Chased from Earth by the invading Otrid, the remnants of the human race have for a millennium stayed hidden on a small moon in a distant star system. Protected by seven mysterious, god-like beings, the human race has slowly rebuilt itself, and the terrors of the past are but ancient stories.
But even the gods may not be able to protect them from what's coming.
Nuclear wars have devastated the planet. Life as we know it is over.
After a personal failure, Gavin has turned his back on fighting, but with Alliance soldiers dying every day, he has no choice. He must return to battle and take command of a classified unit of high-powered ballistic mechs. The stakes are high as the Syndicates ruthless tyranny threatens those in their path
In the 36th century, humanity has spread across the stars...
Zona Nox. Crime-ridden cesspool at the edge of the galaxy. A war-torn hellhole dominated by gangs, megacorporations and alien raiders.
Sometime during their thousand-year voyage, the invaders perished.
But their slaves, the minders, survived to finish the journey to Earth.
Deanne doesn’t believe any of the news about visiting aliens. She’s a felon serving time in a California youth detention center.
As the lights go out and the world falls down around Deanne and her fellow inmates, she discovers something that might hold the key to their survival. Saving Earth will mean risking not only her life, but what makes her human…
When the mad conqueror haunting Elaina's dreams invades her adopted homeland, the real nightmare becomes what she's willing to do to stop him.
The dreaded Hunter Baron has landed on the shores of Mailderet, but Master Tinkerer Elaina Gable believes she has the solution. Giant automatons sit rusting in the valley, waiting for someone with the drive and ingenuity to bring them to life. But the king, swayed by the destruction his ancestors wrought centuries before, harbors a deep-seated fear of the machines. Though he will not allow the alliance of Tinkerers and Smiths to complete the work, Elaina resolves to bring the machines back to life in secret—with the help of a famous airship pilot.
From the safety of the swamps, a woman with silver skin jealously guards the secrets of the automatons. Though the Silver Woman also wishes the past to remain buried, she must weigh the value of secrecy against the thousands of innocents her hesitation might send to the grave.
As they discover the link between the toxic valley and the inner workings of the automatons, Elaina and her allies are drawn into a web of deceit threatening the balance of power across two continents—and proving the truth behind the deadly legends surrounding the Army of Brass.
The Peace Force has a new recruit, and she's driving everyone crazy.
From disobeying orders to handling unauthorised cases, nothing is off-limits. Worse, Harriet Walsh is forced to team up with the newbie, because the recruit's shady past has just caught up with her.
Meanwhile, a dignitary wants to complain about rogue officers working out of the station. She insists on meeting the station's commanding officer ... and they don't have one.
All up, it's another typical day in the Peace Force!
May 5, 2018
An Interview with Leo Nix
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."
Yep, I'm starting this post with a quick tribute to one of the best-portrayed characters of recent TV scifi...
And his namesame...
Enough of that, now. In my interview today, I am talking to Leo Nix, author of the Sundown Apocalypse series.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
My main character is Sundown, a bread scientist, quiet, introspective yet determined to do the right thing by his friends and family. I wanted someone who was not perfect, who had lots of human faults, had no military expertise and yet was able to step up and lead his growing community with honour and respect. Sundown fits all those qualities yet is challenged by his own inner berserker demon, when he is pushed to save his friends he is capable of extreme violence. His character was difficult to write but a pleasure to create.
Have any of your characters ever disobeyed you?
Certainly, like most authors some of the characters just write themselves into the story. One of the original hero's, Pedro, had his legs shot off during the Vietnam war, an amputee, has such an incredibly strong character he took over the book. When he enters I have to find nice ways to get him off the front page. I've tried to kill him, poison him and now I've found a nice lady to keep him busy - but that was book 4, he had free range before that. He's such a likable character I have given up trying to control, now I have to write book 5 and see what else he gets up to.
Why do you write?
Everyone has to do something when they get home from work. Now that I'm a grandpa I can do anything I just about want to do when I get home. So to stop myself coming home and eating, drinking and watching TV - I write. I've had a varied career path like most people, I've collected a lifetime of stories and experiences and enjoy creating personalities and situations that places these characters under stress. Put someone under stress and you give them an opportunity to either break down or shine like a light house. I like to write characters who meet the challenge and accept their fate regardless of the outcome. I also like honourable and respectful people. I counsel a lot of people who have experienced the pointy end of a psychopath and I can now write about their conquests of life. On the other side my antagonists, the terrorists, I can give real psychopath personalities. It all evens out in the end, but each book I like to show how even bad people can have a good side when given the right circumstances to show it.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
I've written 8 non fiction books, some have been easy and some not so easy. Mid last year I decided to try my hand at fiction, post-apocalypse in the Australian deserts, my favourite place. I wrote the first 2 books in about 6 months, I pulled them apart and rewrote them several times trying to get my 'voice'. Book three was about 2 months and the same for book four. When I get started I can write for 10 hours straight on a Saturday if I can get it without distractions. By Sunday I'm starting to flag and can usually do 6 to 8 hours with a few breaks, During the week though I get home by 3 pm and can write and edit till about 11 pm. Each book takes roughly 6 weeks of writing and editing as i go along. Then I hand it out to a friend and my wife. I'll take their edits and then run it through a voice program that reads it out to me while I check it. It's a hell of a job and I still make mistakes.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
My first 2 books were writing by the seat of my pants, I loved where it took me. Books 3 and 4 forced me to do a lot of planning and outlining because I had to weave so many characters and subplots and timelines from books 1 and 2 into them. The more book sin a series the more I find I have to outline. Once I get the rough outline, and it's rough by anyone's standards, I go back to writing off the top of my head. I do a lot of editing and rewriting but I love that part too. When I get stuck I'll close my eyes and and go into a mild trance and create the story an watch as it creates itself. When I get stuck, writers block, I do the same thing, close my eyes and allow ti to flow and create itself. I've been meditating for 40 years and that helps. When in the middle of writing I'll dream scenes and plots, sometimes I'll wake up and run to the computer and type out sections to follow up on when I get home from work.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
Leo Nix is a psychologist who works with victims of psychopaths and has experience working in the justice system. He finds writing is an excellent form of psychotherapy which allows his imagination to unravel the days stresses in creative and imaginative ways.
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By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."
Yep, I'm starting this post with a quick tribute to one of the best-portrayed characters of recent TV scifi...
And his namesame...Enough of that, now. In my interview today, I am talking to Leo Nix, author of the Sundown Apocalypse series.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
My main character is Sundown, a bread scientist, quiet, introspective yet determined to do the right thing by his friends and family. I wanted someone who was not perfect, who had lots of human faults, had no military expertise and yet was able to step up and lead his growing community with honour and respect. Sundown fits all those qualities yet is challenged by his own inner berserker demon, when he is pushed to save his friends he is capable of extreme violence. His character was difficult to write but a pleasure to create.
Have any of your characters ever disobeyed you?
Certainly, like most authors some of the characters just write themselves into the story. One of the original hero's, Pedro, had his legs shot off during the Vietnam war, an amputee, has such an incredibly strong character he took over the book. When he enters I have to find nice ways to get him off the front page. I've tried to kill him, poison him and now I've found a nice lady to keep him busy - but that was book 4, he had free range before that. He's such a likable character I have given up trying to control, now I have to write book 5 and see what else he gets up to.
Why do you write?
Everyone has to do something when they get home from work. Now that I'm a grandpa I can do anything I just about want to do when I get home. So to stop myself coming home and eating, drinking and watching TV - I write. I've had a varied career path like most people, I've collected a lifetime of stories and experiences and enjoy creating personalities and situations that places these characters under stress. Put someone under stress and you give them an opportunity to either break down or shine like a light house. I like to write characters who meet the challenge and accept their fate regardless of the outcome. I also like honourable and respectful people. I counsel a lot of people who have experienced the pointy end of a psychopath and I can now write about their conquests of life. On the other side my antagonists, the terrorists, I can give real psychopath personalities. It all evens out in the end, but each book I like to show how even bad people can have a good side when given the right circumstances to show it.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
I've written 8 non fiction books, some have been easy and some not so easy. Mid last year I decided to try my hand at fiction, post-apocalypse in the Australian deserts, my favourite place. I wrote the first 2 books in about 6 months, I pulled them apart and rewrote them several times trying to get my 'voice'. Book three was about 2 months and the same for book four. When I get started I can write for 10 hours straight on a Saturday if I can get it without distractions. By Sunday I'm starting to flag and can usually do 6 to 8 hours with a few breaks, During the week though I get home by 3 pm and can write and edit till about 11 pm. Each book takes roughly 6 weeks of writing and editing as i go along. Then I hand it out to a friend and my wife. I'll take their edits and then run it through a voice program that reads it out to me while I check it. It's a hell of a job and I still make mistakes.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
My first 2 books were writing by the seat of my pants, I loved where it took me. Books 3 and 4 forced me to do a lot of planning and outlining because I had to weave so many characters and subplots and timelines from books 1 and 2 into them. The more book sin a series the more I find I have to outline. Once I get the rough outline, and it's rough by anyone's standards, I go back to writing off the top of my head. I do a lot of editing and rewriting but I love that part too. When I get stuck I'll close my eyes and and go into a mild trance and create the story an watch as it creates itself. When I get stuck, writers block, I do the same thing, close my eyes and allow ti to flow and create itself. I've been meditating for 40 years and that helps. When in the middle of writing I'll dream scenes and plots, sometimes I'll wake up and run to the computer and type out sections to follow up on when I get home from work.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
Leo Nix is a psychologist who works with victims of psychopaths and has experience working in the justice system. He finds writing is an excellent form of psychotherapy which allows his imagination to unravel the days stresses in creative and imaginative ways.
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April 27, 2018
The April Round-up of Scifi Books
Really excited right now. Liberty is in the top 100 books on Amazon and topping the bestseller charts in several sci-fi categories!
Anyway, here are some more good sci-fi books...
Captain Jess Tolvern of HMS Blackbeard is leading a Royal Navy expedition across long-dormant space lanes toward Old Earth when an alien fleet ambushes her battle cruiser. The aliens are Adjudicators, an ancient race whose ethos is to judge other species and reduce their survivors to a stone age existence.
Tolvern sends a desperate message back to headquarters and retreats with her damaged ship to friendly systems. By the time she returns, the aliens have already invaded Alliance territory with a powerful fleet of star fortresses and accompanying dragoon ships, trapping and laying siege to the allied fleet.
While repairing her ship, Tolvern cobbles together a squadron of damaged allied warships, former raiders, and the local survivors of an Adjudicator attack to drive off the alien fleet.
Mars invites scientists to participate in terraforming experiments which brings the MAVREK team all the way from Terra. But minutes after landing on the space station, Dr. Mark Warren is accused of murder.
The warm welcome continues with an attack on his spaceship, then three Terrans are found dead, and killer cyborgs are spotted. Authorities immediately conduct a massive hunt throughout Martian space and terrible new enemies surface with a direct link to Warren’s old nemesis.
On the planet, the same fugitives hunting Warren also threaten the downfall of Mars itself. The high-octane x-military MAVREK crew battles arms dealers, mercenaries, an infamous hacker, clone trafficking, and an insidious female enemy who will kill to avoid capture. Perhaps they'll save Mars…if they don't die first.
A military pilot stranded on a faraway planet. An alien seeking symbiosis.
The Mentera, an ancient insectoid race with horrible secrets and even more chilling technology, encounter the Zikri, tentacled warlord pirates who roam the galaxy, capturing ships and enslaving their occupants.
When a simple recon mission goes bad, Lieutenant Miko Almstran finds himself the victim of a Zikri heist. Fused with an alien lifeform, he gains mutant powers after being thrust into the bleak future by a freak warp drive accident in the heat of a space battle.
A beautiful Empress, toy to a mutant nomad... A street girl, prowling the casinos, seeking an exit from her home planet. Unlikely allies on a far world, but Miko’s need for them is crucial. What happens to a man forced to align himself with even his worst enemies? When gangsters prowl the colonized worlds, pickings are slim...
Is it possible for one timelost wanderer, perhaps the last hope in the face of a rising alien menace, to save the human colonies from subjugation?
Struggling with newfound sentience and desperately trying to repair itself, The Indescribable Joy of Destruction is a ship trying to find a new home. In a galaxy torn apart by generations of civil war, that isn't an easy task. Tired of being used as a killing machine, it has a huge decision to make: hide and save itself, or help other artificial intelligences achieve freedom. Unable to make the decision alone, it revives the sole human aboard - the enemy officer who crippled it.
Commander Olivia Johnson wakes to find herself in the infirmary of a strange vessel. Her nightmares deepen when she discovers it is the ship that attacked her destroyer. Even as she recovers from her physical injuries, she can't get past her survivor's guilt. She might have failed to protect her crew, but she vows to take revenge on their killer.
When the ship uncovers a genocidal plot by the commander's own admirals, Johnson realises just what is at stake. Together, the AI ship and the human officer must recruit outsiders from both sides. Training the misfits in battle to prevent the atrocity may be an impossible task, but running and hiding is no longer an option.
Two top analysts escaped their intellectual enslavement to the Empire, now intent on taking that same government down using any and every method at their disposal, not the least of which were their great analytical minds.
Bryder was well-suited for this task, a chaos agent with laser-sharp instincts, a grudge against the Empire, and contacts with rebels throughout the universe.
But Nayna was the one they'd really have to watch out for.
After millennia of war, lasting peace is finally established. Until a group of fanatics threatens everyone's way of life.
Driven by justice, Kali finds herself protecting a scientist targeted by the same terrorists who murdered her father. The scientist's mission to discover time travel takes them across the galaxy. With murderers, saboteurs, and mutineers interfering along the way they must do the unthinkable, kill a black hole and change the past.
The world was melting down. North Korea had tested another nuclear missile. Terrorist attacks were happening with frightening regularity in European cities. In the United States, the FBI and CIA were investigating multiple computer hacks in which the Russians were the prime suspects. Then the news took an even more ominous tone. People began seeing UFOs and strange, alien-looking creatures with humanoid shapes, green skin and large black eyes. In places where this occurred, doctors reported the spread of a mysterious virus that scrambled people’s thoughts and caused hallucinations. Many experts believed the virus came from the aliens. The pathogen had not yet been identified; there was no known cure.
Psychology professor Dr. Cora Frost had a different theory: the bizarre symptoms were nothing more than mass hysteria, not unlike the hysteria that caused people in our not-too-distant past to see witches flying through the sky, which justified hanging them or burning them at the stake. Intense stress within societies gives rise to scapegoats. Doing field research within the compound of a cult in Roswell, New Mexico that revered the exact same kinds of aliens being reported on the news, Cora’s entire worldview is shaken and upended. In a shocking series of events, her past and future collide, forever changing her life.
It is 2071. War rages as soldier’s battle enemies remotely using deadly humanoid drones. At home, civilians fight in virtual arenas. A new virtual reality game allows players to fight with real world and deadly consequences. Nobody is safe. As the creators of the game attempt to usurp power with the support of loyal fans, someone must stand against them.
Axel Ward, a special forces soldier turned private military contractor, has no choice but to enter a world of virtual combat to save his country. The fate of the world lies in the hands of a few ordinary citizens. A soldier, a school teacher, and a banker. Can they rise to the challenge, or will they see their country destroyed without a fight?
Khyria Ilan is a commander in the Cortii, the most elite mercenary organisation in known space. With a past she can’t remember, and commanders who would love to see her dead, her future is likely to be short: her command faces their ultimate test to prove their right to survive.
When the odds are impossible, sometimes the only thing to do is play the game...
An inventor of augmented reality glasses is working on a brain-computer interface he believes will revolutionize human cognition, but a massive computer virus threatens to destroy civilization first.
Some think the City of Jade Spires is a utopia. It very much isn’t. Holly Drake is in prison for defending herself from a murderer. That’s the kind of corruption thriving in the city where evidence is destroyed and the innocent go to jail.
But everything’s about to change. Someone exonerates Holly and she walks free. She has no idea who. Or why. But they have a job for her. Steal back the Eye of the Colossus, a priceless jewel. It’s about to be moved off-planet, and when that happens, the trail will go cold.
Out of prison with no other work on the horizon, the job is a gift. If only she knew how to pull off a heist. The clock is ticking. If she can assemble a team and pretend like she knows how to do this, maybe she can fake it long enough to do a job better suited to a master-thief. Why Holly? Who’s pulling her strings? And just how far across the moon system will she have to go to finish the job?
United Earth burns.
The Swarm runs rampant across our space. We mourn the loss of thousands of ships and millions of fallen comrades. Billions of fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers - all gone, all dead. It is time we end this, for our moment has come.
But victory never comes without sacrifice. Heroes are not taught nor trained, but forged in blood and ashes. Our grandchildrens' history books will tell our story, and glorify the heroes and legends.
The Swarm will be conquered; we will prevail.
At any price.
After the disastrous attack on the Manticoran home system by forces unknown, the Royal Manticoran Navy stands on the brink of collapse. A shadowy enemy with the resources to hurl warships across hundreds of light years seeks to conquer the Star Kingdom for reasons unknown, while forces from within Manticore’s own government seek to discredit and weaken the Navy for reasons very much known: their own political gain.
It’s up to officers like Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly to defend the Star Kingdom and the Royal Manticoran Navy from these threats, but the challenge is greater than any they have faced before. Weakened but not defeated, the mercenary forces and their mysterious employer could return at any time, and the anti-Navy faction within Parliament is growing. The situation becomes even more dire when fresh tragedy strikes the Star Kingdom.
While the House of Winton faces their enemies at home, Travis, Lisa, and the other officers of the Royal Manticoran Navy must reunite with old friends and join new allies to hunt down and eliminate the forces arrayed against them in a galaxy-spanning conspiracy.
Manticore has learned that the universe is not a safe place, but the Star Kingdom’s enemies are about to learn it's dangerous to mess with the Manticore!
Pirates and Slavers Beware, the Space Mage is coming for you!
All Thorn wanted, was to be a Battle Mage.
He had the talent, and his whole future was before him.
On the day of Choosing, he finds things don't always go as planned. Suddenly Thorn's life is thrown into fast forward, and he finds himself in a world not of his own choosing.
In a world of spaceships and blasters, instead of horses and swords, Thorn needs to adapt and survive, make new allies, and rediscover that although nothing is familiar, he's still a Mage, and pirates and slavers beware.
Yesterday is history, and today he's become, Yesterday's Spacemage.
When a mysterious drawing binder appears on thirteen-year-old Nate Smith’s windowsill, he starts having visions—and drawing them. Strange creatures come for his work, launching him on a space adventure to learn the alien art of making. Armed with an otherworldly pen that brings his drawings to life, Nate must save planets, and his parents, from the dark creations of an alien mastermind. If only he believed he had talent.
For more than two decades, the sight of the Doctor Fid's powered armor has struck fear into the hearts of hero and civilian alike. And yet—despite his hard-earned experience and the length of his criminal career—he can still be surprised by the depths to which his enemies might sink.
Join Doctor Fid as he investigates crimes so heinous that even the veteran supervillain is taken aback. With every unearthed atrocity, it becomes increasingly apparent that the world is in peril...and that the public's faith in their super-powered protectors has been sadly misplaced.
Perhaps a villain can save the world from those entrusted with its protection.
For centuries, a covert organization of metahumans called the Academy has protected unaware civilians from the Grifters, creatures whose humanity is as deformed as their craggy faces. I’d spent eighteen years ignorant of either group, and of their endless war. Then the Grifters found me.
The Academy whisked me away to safety, and we waited for the danger to pass. Only it didn’t. The Grifters, too stupid to know or too cruel to care that I’d left, kidnapped my best friend instead.
It won’t take them long to figure out their mistake, but I’m not going to give them the opportunity. Finding Kara means grueling training at the Academy—a sequestered hub of classified operations, psychic powers, and fighting creatures that should only exist in nightmares. We have the weapons, the technology, the brains. The Academists are strong, but Grifters are stronger. They can’t even feel pain. But we can, and Grifters are the perfect outlet for releasing that pain.
The Breakers continue flooding across the Akked Galaxy, stealthy and unstoppable. Their next target: the Founder of the Ashamine. Crasor knows if he can kill the supreme human leader, the Ashamine will plunge into pandemonium.
Bound together by a vague prophecy and mysterious powers, Tremmilly and her friends are confronted with an Ashamine invasion. Caught off guard, with only a derelict transport ship to face the vast armada, the odds look grim. Will the Ashamine capture them or will the Breakers obliterate everyone first?
Harbingers of the Dawn continues the Dawn Saga, blending multiple viewpoints and a diverse cast of characters into a galaxy spanning tale of epic science fiction.
Casey Russo thought he’d put his dark past behind him. Working for a friend at his remote farm kept him far away from the tyrannical Cosa Nostra—the mafia overlords who overthrew the U.S. in the ashes of The Last War. But you can’t run forever. When the Cosa Nostra abducts his friend’s son, Casey knows he’s the only one who can keep the boy from meeting a bloody end in the fighting pits...
With the help of a foul-mouthed teen girl with one hell of a right hook, the rescue mission takes Casey deep into enemy territory. To steal back the boy from the heart of corruption, Casey’s only chance is to join the rebellion he hoped to ignore. And achieving his mission may just involve taking down an empire...
Anyway, here are some more good sci-fi books...
Captain Jess Tolvern of HMS Blackbeard is leading a Royal Navy expedition across long-dormant space lanes toward Old Earth when an alien fleet ambushes her battle cruiser. The aliens are Adjudicators, an ancient race whose ethos is to judge other species and reduce their survivors to a stone age existence.
Tolvern sends a desperate message back to headquarters and retreats with her damaged ship to friendly systems. By the time she returns, the aliens have already invaded Alliance territory with a powerful fleet of star fortresses and accompanying dragoon ships, trapping and laying siege to the allied fleet.
While repairing her ship, Tolvern cobbles together a squadron of damaged allied warships, former raiders, and the local survivors of an Adjudicator attack to drive off the alien fleet.
Mars invites scientists to participate in terraforming experiments which brings the MAVREK team all the way from Terra. But minutes after landing on the space station, Dr. Mark Warren is accused of murder.
The warm welcome continues with an attack on his spaceship, then three Terrans are found dead, and killer cyborgs are spotted. Authorities immediately conduct a massive hunt throughout Martian space and terrible new enemies surface with a direct link to Warren’s old nemesis.
On the planet, the same fugitives hunting Warren also threaten the downfall of Mars itself. The high-octane x-military MAVREK crew battles arms dealers, mercenaries, an infamous hacker, clone trafficking, and an insidious female enemy who will kill to avoid capture. Perhaps they'll save Mars…if they don't die first.
A military pilot stranded on a faraway planet. An alien seeking symbiosis.
The Mentera, an ancient insectoid race with horrible secrets and even more chilling technology, encounter the Zikri, tentacled warlord pirates who roam the galaxy, capturing ships and enslaving their occupants.
When a simple recon mission goes bad, Lieutenant Miko Almstran finds himself the victim of a Zikri heist. Fused with an alien lifeform, he gains mutant powers after being thrust into the bleak future by a freak warp drive accident in the heat of a space battle.
A beautiful Empress, toy to a mutant nomad... A street girl, prowling the casinos, seeking an exit from her home planet. Unlikely allies on a far world, but Miko’s need for them is crucial. What happens to a man forced to align himself with even his worst enemies? When gangsters prowl the colonized worlds, pickings are slim...
Is it possible for one timelost wanderer, perhaps the last hope in the face of a rising alien menace, to save the human colonies from subjugation?
Struggling with newfound sentience and desperately trying to repair itself, The Indescribable Joy of Destruction is a ship trying to find a new home. In a galaxy torn apart by generations of civil war, that isn't an easy task. Tired of being used as a killing machine, it has a huge decision to make: hide and save itself, or help other artificial intelligences achieve freedom. Unable to make the decision alone, it revives the sole human aboard - the enemy officer who crippled it.
Commander Olivia Johnson wakes to find herself in the infirmary of a strange vessel. Her nightmares deepen when she discovers it is the ship that attacked her destroyer. Even as she recovers from her physical injuries, she can't get past her survivor's guilt. She might have failed to protect her crew, but she vows to take revenge on their killer.
When the ship uncovers a genocidal plot by the commander's own admirals, Johnson realises just what is at stake. Together, the AI ship and the human officer must recruit outsiders from both sides. Training the misfits in battle to prevent the atrocity may be an impossible task, but running and hiding is no longer an option.
Two top analysts escaped their intellectual enslavement to the Empire, now intent on taking that same government down using any and every method at their disposal, not the least of which were their great analytical minds.
Bryder was well-suited for this task, a chaos agent with laser-sharp instincts, a grudge against the Empire, and contacts with rebels throughout the universe.
But Nayna was the one they'd really have to watch out for.
After millennia of war, lasting peace is finally established. Until a group of fanatics threatens everyone's way of life.
Driven by justice, Kali finds herself protecting a scientist targeted by the same terrorists who murdered her father. The scientist's mission to discover time travel takes them across the galaxy. With murderers, saboteurs, and mutineers interfering along the way they must do the unthinkable, kill a black hole and change the past.
The world was melting down. North Korea had tested another nuclear missile. Terrorist attacks were happening with frightening regularity in European cities. In the United States, the FBI and CIA were investigating multiple computer hacks in which the Russians were the prime suspects. Then the news took an even more ominous tone. People began seeing UFOs and strange, alien-looking creatures with humanoid shapes, green skin and large black eyes. In places where this occurred, doctors reported the spread of a mysterious virus that scrambled people’s thoughts and caused hallucinations. Many experts believed the virus came from the aliens. The pathogen had not yet been identified; there was no known cure.
Psychology professor Dr. Cora Frost had a different theory: the bizarre symptoms were nothing more than mass hysteria, not unlike the hysteria that caused people in our not-too-distant past to see witches flying through the sky, which justified hanging them or burning them at the stake. Intense stress within societies gives rise to scapegoats. Doing field research within the compound of a cult in Roswell, New Mexico that revered the exact same kinds of aliens being reported on the news, Cora’s entire worldview is shaken and upended. In a shocking series of events, her past and future collide, forever changing her life.
It is 2071. War rages as soldier’s battle enemies remotely using deadly humanoid drones. At home, civilians fight in virtual arenas. A new virtual reality game allows players to fight with real world and deadly consequences. Nobody is safe. As the creators of the game attempt to usurp power with the support of loyal fans, someone must stand against them.
Axel Ward, a special forces soldier turned private military contractor, has no choice but to enter a world of virtual combat to save his country. The fate of the world lies in the hands of a few ordinary citizens. A soldier, a school teacher, and a banker. Can they rise to the challenge, or will they see their country destroyed without a fight?
Khyria Ilan is a commander in the Cortii, the most elite mercenary organisation in known space. With a past she can’t remember, and commanders who would love to see her dead, her future is likely to be short: her command faces their ultimate test to prove their right to survive.
When the odds are impossible, sometimes the only thing to do is play the game...
An inventor of augmented reality glasses is working on a brain-computer interface he believes will revolutionize human cognition, but a massive computer virus threatens to destroy civilization first.
Some think the City of Jade Spires is a utopia. It very much isn’t. Holly Drake is in prison for defending herself from a murderer. That’s the kind of corruption thriving in the city where evidence is destroyed and the innocent go to jail.
But everything’s about to change. Someone exonerates Holly and she walks free. She has no idea who. Or why. But they have a job for her. Steal back the Eye of the Colossus, a priceless jewel. It’s about to be moved off-planet, and when that happens, the trail will go cold.
Out of prison with no other work on the horizon, the job is a gift. If only she knew how to pull off a heist. The clock is ticking. If she can assemble a team and pretend like she knows how to do this, maybe she can fake it long enough to do a job better suited to a master-thief. Why Holly? Who’s pulling her strings? And just how far across the moon system will she have to go to finish the job?
United Earth burns.
The Swarm runs rampant across our space. We mourn the loss of thousands of ships and millions of fallen comrades. Billions of fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers - all gone, all dead. It is time we end this, for our moment has come.
But victory never comes without sacrifice. Heroes are not taught nor trained, but forged in blood and ashes. Our grandchildrens' history books will tell our story, and glorify the heroes and legends.
The Swarm will be conquered; we will prevail.
At any price.
After the disastrous attack on the Manticoran home system by forces unknown, the Royal Manticoran Navy stands on the brink of collapse. A shadowy enemy with the resources to hurl warships across hundreds of light years seeks to conquer the Star Kingdom for reasons unknown, while forces from within Manticore’s own government seek to discredit and weaken the Navy for reasons very much known: their own political gain.
It’s up to officers like Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly to defend the Star Kingdom and the Royal Manticoran Navy from these threats, but the challenge is greater than any they have faced before. Weakened but not defeated, the mercenary forces and their mysterious employer could return at any time, and the anti-Navy faction within Parliament is growing. The situation becomes even more dire when fresh tragedy strikes the Star Kingdom.
While the House of Winton faces their enemies at home, Travis, Lisa, and the other officers of the Royal Manticoran Navy must reunite with old friends and join new allies to hunt down and eliminate the forces arrayed against them in a galaxy-spanning conspiracy.
Manticore has learned that the universe is not a safe place, but the Star Kingdom’s enemies are about to learn it's dangerous to mess with the Manticore!
Pirates and Slavers Beware, the Space Mage is coming for you!
All Thorn wanted, was to be a Battle Mage.
He had the talent, and his whole future was before him.
On the day of Choosing, he finds things don't always go as planned. Suddenly Thorn's life is thrown into fast forward, and he finds himself in a world not of his own choosing.
In a world of spaceships and blasters, instead of horses and swords, Thorn needs to adapt and survive, make new allies, and rediscover that although nothing is familiar, he's still a Mage, and pirates and slavers beware.
Yesterday is history, and today he's become, Yesterday's Spacemage.
When a mysterious drawing binder appears on thirteen-year-old Nate Smith’s windowsill, he starts having visions—and drawing them. Strange creatures come for his work, launching him on a space adventure to learn the alien art of making. Armed with an otherworldly pen that brings his drawings to life, Nate must save planets, and his parents, from the dark creations of an alien mastermind. If only he believed he had talent.
For more than two decades, the sight of the Doctor Fid's powered armor has struck fear into the hearts of hero and civilian alike. And yet—despite his hard-earned experience and the length of his criminal career—he can still be surprised by the depths to which his enemies might sink.
Join Doctor Fid as he investigates crimes so heinous that even the veteran supervillain is taken aback. With every unearthed atrocity, it becomes increasingly apparent that the world is in peril...and that the public's faith in their super-powered protectors has been sadly misplaced.
Perhaps a villain can save the world from those entrusted with its protection.
For centuries, a covert organization of metahumans called the Academy has protected unaware civilians from the Grifters, creatures whose humanity is as deformed as their craggy faces. I’d spent eighteen years ignorant of either group, and of their endless war. Then the Grifters found me.
The Academy whisked me away to safety, and we waited for the danger to pass. Only it didn’t. The Grifters, too stupid to know or too cruel to care that I’d left, kidnapped my best friend instead.
It won’t take them long to figure out their mistake, but I’m not going to give them the opportunity. Finding Kara means grueling training at the Academy—a sequestered hub of classified operations, psychic powers, and fighting creatures that should only exist in nightmares. We have the weapons, the technology, the brains. The Academists are strong, but Grifters are stronger. They can’t even feel pain. But we can, and Grifters are the perfect outlet for releasing that pain.
The Breakers continue flooding across the Akked Galaxy, stealthy and unstoppable. Their next target: the Founder of the Ashamine. Crasor knows if he can kill the supreme human leader, the Ashamine will plunge into pandemonium.
Bound together by a vague prophecy and mysterious powers, Tremmilly and her friends are confronted with an Ashamine invasion. Caught off guard, with only a derelict transport ship to face the vast armada, the odds look grim. Will the Ashamine capture them or will the Breakers obliterate everyone first?
Harbingers of the Dawn continues the Dawn Saga, blending multiple viewpoints and a diverse cast of characters into a galaxy spanning tale of epic science fiction.
Casey Russo thought he’d put his dark past behind him. Working for a friend at his remote farm kept him far away from the tyrannical Cosa Nostra—the mafia overlords who overthrew the U.S. in the ashes of The Last War. But you can’t run forever. When the Cosa Nostra abducts his friend’s son, Casey knows he’s the only one who can keep the boy from meeting a bloody end in the fighting pits...
With the help of a foul-mouthed teen girl with one hell of a right hook, the rescue mission takes Casey deep into enemy territory. To steal back the boy from the heart of corruption, Casey’s only chance is to join the rebellion he hoped to ignore. And achieving his mission may just involve taking down an empire...
April 7, 2018
An Interview with J T Lawrence
I've been rather busy behind the scenes recently, recoding some of my websites and preparing to take my Two Democracies: Revolution series wide. As of 23 April, Liberty will cease to be exclusive to Amazon, with the others coming out of their contracts over the following month. So, if you want to read them on Kindle unlimited, now's the time to grab them.
But the biggest news is that I broke ground on the second novel in the Two Democracies: Justice series. The first novel will be out mid-May, but I'm already a few chapters into its sequel.
Anyhow, in my interview today, I am talking to J T Lawrence, author of Why You were Taken and How We Found You and many, many other books.
What is your favourite positive saying?
Write. Polish. Publish. Repeat.
OK, so I take it that writing is pretty central to your life. I get that.
Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?
Yes. Write another book!
That is a common adage. While there is some benefit to having new releases, and having a big backlist helps increase the reward on any marketing efforts you put in, you still need eyes on your book for it to work.
Getting honest and representative reviews can be a big part of a book's success, and that also relies on people knowing your book is out there. Do you have a strategy for finding reviewers?
I have a 300-strong advance team who I give free books in exchange for reviews.
I'd love to know what your conversion rate is, but I guess that's a professional secret. Seeing as Why You Were Taken has 165 reviews on the US store, I guess it's pretty effective!
In what formats is your book available?
Ebook, paperback and audio.
Have you written any novels in collaboration with other writers?
No, but I will be approaching a fellow dystopian author soon to pitch an idea for a collab.
Ooh. Sounds exciting! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Good luck with the pitch...
JT Lawrence is an Amazon bestselling, genre-hopping, kickass-female-protagonist-loving author.
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But the biggest news is that I broke ground on the second novel in the Two Democracies: Justice series. The first novel will be out mid-May, but I'm already a few chapters into its sequel.
Anyhow, in my interview today, I am talking to J T Lawrence, author of Why You were Taken and How We Found You and many, many other books.
What is your favourite positive saying?
Write. Polish. Publish. Repeat.
OK, so I take it that writing is pretty central to your life. I get that.
Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?
Yes. Write another book!
That is a common adage. While there is some benefit to having new releases, and having a big backlist helps increase the reward on any marketing efforts you put in, you still need eyes on your book for it to work.
Getting honest and representative reviews can be a big part of a book's success, and that also relies on people knowing your book is out there. Do you have a strategy for finding reviewers?
I have a 300-strong advance team who I give free books in exchange for reviews.
I'd love to know what your conversion rate is, but I guess that's a professional secret. Seeing as Why You Were Taken has 165 reviews on the US store, I guess it's pretty effective!
In what formats is your book available?
Ebook, paperback and audio.
Have you written any novels in collaboration with other writers?
No, but I will be approaching a fellow dystopian author soon to pitch an idea for a collab.
Ooh. Sounds exciting! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Good luck with the pitch...
JT Lawrence is an Amazon bestselling, genre-hopping, kickass-female-protagonist-loving author.
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March 27, 2018
The March Round-up of Sci-fi Books
This month I'm trying something a little different. I am holding a raffle to encourage people to follow me on different media. All you need to do to enter is click on the image at the bottom of the page and sign up to my newsletter (if you're already subscribed to my newsletter, you can still enter). To get more entries, you can follow me on Bookbub, Facebook and Twitter by following the links given on the raffle site.
Of course, I've still got the usual selection of scifi books...
150 years after the last war, humanity has united in exploring space with colonies on Mars and the moon Luna. But the Europa Mission has just failed and 152 people died in space. Nobody knows why.
When military bioscientist Capt. Warren’s hidden research installation gets attacked, he joins forces with armored assault Sgt. Von Radach. They become entangled in a deadly fight to stop the theft of classified military secrets by a lethal female villain, whose devious plans to use enemy cyborgs posing as humans and altering unsuspecting military personnel’s neural implants to accept her commands have every chance of succeeding. Unless Capt. Warren and Sgt. Von Radach get a chance to end her first.
Struggling with newfound sentience and desperately trying to repair itself, The Indescribable Joy of Destruction is a ship trying to find a new home. In a galaxy torn apart by generations of civil war, that isn't an easy task. Tired of being used as a killing machine, it has a huge decision to make: hide and save itself, or help other artificial intelligences achieve freedom. Unable to make the decision alone, it revives the sole human aboard - the enemy officer who crippled it.
Commander Olivia Johnson wakes to find herself in the infirmary of a strange vessel. Her nightmares deepen when she discovers it is the ship that attacked her destroyer. Even as she recovers from her physical injuries, she can't get past her survivor's guilt. She might have failed to protect her crew, but she vows to take revenge on their killer.
When the ship uncovers a genocidal plot by the commander's own admirals, Johnson realises just what is at stake. Together, the AI ship and the human officer must recruit outsiders from both sides. Training the misfits in battle to prevent the atrocity may be an impossible task, but running and hiding is no longer an option.
Deadly creatures, hostile climate, and that is just the scenery.
For many years, mysterious things have happened on the ice world of Tamer, but when a scientist goes missing from Barresh thought to be on Tamer, Cory is forced to take the issue by the horns.
Problem is, he is dealing with unexpected side effects of his fertility treatment, and, like his Coldi companions, he's lost much of his night vision, and has trouble tolerating low temperatures.
Trouble is, a recent addition to his team has sent shockwaves through his group of loyal companions and things are still sorting themselves out.
Not his healthy self, under-resourced, frozen and half-blind, that's not the best preparation to visit a world where humans are not at the top of the food chain, let alone dealing with enemies who will go to any lengths to hide their activities.
In the far future, two major factions are locked in a galactic cold war. As tensions mount between the technocratic Union and the genome-harnessing Concordance, both sides anxiously watch for a chance to conquer the other.
The Nepenthe is a pirate vessel, loyal to neither. Led by the enigmatic Captain Dangard, her rough and ready crew includes the cat-like alien Commander Creull, Zeno the immortal synthetic, the dashing Garrett Strand, and Duncan Hauk, a promising young recruit.
Hired by a cryptic employer, the crew waylays a transport ship carrying a mysterious passenger. In due time, this incident sparks the beginnings of an interstellar conflict that could threaten the state of known space.
John Rees is a brilliant, but deeply troubled, space engineer. He lied his way into the astronaut corps. He was due to fly on the starship Atlas--the next mission to the star Constantine--until the crew of the first ship, the Hercules, vanished.
John watches from the sidelines as the Atlas is rushed into service--and he is cut from the crew. Desperate to redeem himself for his treacherous past, he must watch from the sidelines as the ship--and any chance to help--slips away. Is there any hope for either John or the lost colonists?
Human-explored space lies between two alien races that are either openly aggressive or covertly hostile. 7th Fleet discovers that one of those races is moving to attack. In a moment of panic, the commanding admiral orders the fleet to attempt a risky jump through hyperspace. They miss hitting their target star’s gravity well and end up deep in unexplored space with a shockingly long trip home and not nearly enough food to last that long. With war now raging in their home systems, the officers of 7th Fleet must find a way to put aside their egos, ambitions and fears in order to make it back, and they know that not all of them will.
Nox is a wanted man.
While searching for a criminal, the fabled Coilhunter wanders into a tribal village massacre. He didn’t do it, but that doesn’t matter. The clues point to him, and he’s made a lot of enemies over the years. Many would happily see the tables turned.
His pleas of innocence fall on deaf ears. No sooner does he try to find the real killers than posters go up across the Wild North—posters with his face and his name. He isn’t the only bounty hunter out there. Dozens assemble to cash him in.
Tasked with finding out who’s framed him, Nox must also survive the constant onslaught of frontier law. He’s used to hunting others. He’s not so used to life on the run.
The world was melting down. North Korea had tested another nuclear missile. Terrorist attacks were happening with frightening regularity in European cities. In the United States, the FBI and CIA were investigating multiple computer hacks in which the Russians were the prime suspects. Then the news took an even more ominous tone. People began seeing UFOs and strange, alien-looking creatures with humanoid shapes, green skin and large black eyes. In places where this occurred, doctors reported the spread of a mysterious virus that scrambled people’s thoughts and caused hallucinations. Many experts believed the virus came from the aliens. The pathogen had not yet been identified; there was no known cure.
Psychology professor Dr. Cora Frost had a different theory: the bizarre symptoms were nothing more than mass hysteria, not unlike the hysteria that caused people in our not-too-distant past to see witches flying through the sky, which justified hanging them or burning them at the stake. Intense stress within societies gives rise to scapegoats. Doing field research within the compound of a cult in Roswell, New Mexico that revered the exact same kinds of aliens being reported on the news, Cora’s entire worldview is shaken and upended. In a shocking series of events, her past and future collide, forever changing her life.
In order to defend the world against an impending alien invasion, global government agencies created soldiers, clones made to be stronger, faster and loyal to the cause. They only want the best for the battle, so before the clones can fight in the war they must pass the phases. A barrage of testing zones are designed to push the clones to the max, those who fail are recycled. It's a bloody, yet necessary evil.
Alpha 9 awoke believing in the mission, but as more and more of his fellow clones die, Alpha 9 is struck with the impossible thought that maybe, maybe the phases aren't actually meant to test them-but to exterminate them.
Escaping the test zone will use every enhanced ability they have, but it is what they find on the outside that will really test what they are made of. The war for earth was lost. Now if Alpha 9 and his team want to see a future for the human race, they will need to do what the armies before them failed to: win.
Is Alpha 9 the leader the resistance needs or will the secrets of humanity's past lead them all to their ultimate destruction?
The residents of Celestica Space Station really do live on the edge (of the known universe, and next to a supermassive black hole). And everybody knows, the farther you get from the civilized universe, the closer you are to the monsters that lurk in deep space.
This story is a creepy, fun, thrill ride that has mutant rats, orc miners, a head of security that looks like the Predator, and a very cool jellyfish named Gorb. And also, an A.I. Zombie.
Destiny is all. Unless it's going the wrong way...
Time often abducts Captain Valeria Tylia and shows her about two seconds of the future. And when she sees a barbarian attack being prepared, she knows that everything she holds dear is in danger.
A Captain shielded by his mother’s rank.
An enemy determined to buy freedom with blood.
A battle no one expected to fight.
Captain Isaac Gallant is the only son of the dictator of the Confederacy, his career slowed by a dozen measures to protect his reputation and safety alike—but he has no intention of being a pampered child and is determined to do his duty.
An attempt to force his crew to acknowledge their own duties puts his ship in a unique position to intervene when an overwhelming rebel attack is launched on one of the Confederacy’s most critical facilities.
The rebels didn’t expect to fight anyone. The Confederacy didn’t expect Isaac Gallant to fight at all.
All of them were wrong.
A year after the Commonwealth won the war with the Theocracy, the interstellar cruise liner Supreme is on its maiden voyage, carrying a host of aristocrats thrilled to be sharing in a wondrous adventure among the stars. The passengers include the owner and his daughters, Angela and Nancy. Growing up with all the luxuries in the world, neither sister has ever known true struggle, but that all changes when a collision with a pirate ship leaves the cruiser powerless and becalmed in hyperspace. And they’re not alone.
Now, the mysterious force that’s living on this floating graveyard is coming for Supreme’s crew and passengers. As madness starts to tear at their minds, they must fight to survive in a strange alien realm.
And there’s no way out...
We barely won the battle at Mercury's shipyards, but the war is just beginning.
The Telestines, in control of Earth, now pursue us from planet to planet, moon to moon, leaving terrible destruction in their wake. And now, the unthinkable: a new alien weapon with the power to destroy a whole world. Thousands die on Jupiter's moon Io when a bomb detonates, sending apocalyptic storms of debris that threaten millions of people on Ganymede and Callisto.
But that isn't the worst of it. The bomb was detonated by a human. A drone.
And there are thousands of them scattered across the solar system, anonymous, undetectable, and waiting for orders from their Telestine masters.
Our war becomes a race against time: find the bombs, find the drones, find our true enemy, all while under siege from within and without.
Before we all perish.
Captain John Duggan and his crew are stranded deep in hostile terrritory. Their spaceship, the ESS Crimson is damaged beyond repair. Enemy warships hunt them, eager to locate the vessel which has caused so much damage to their military. All seems lost.
Duggan is not a man to go down without a fight. Determined to take matters into his own hands, he leads his squad across the surface of an inhospitable planet in order to make a raid upon an enemy base.
What happens there sets in motion a series of events which carry Duggan and his men towards a prize of inconceivable value. Nothing worth having comes easy – a single error will result in failure and the deaths of his soldiers, as well as denying humanity the greatest of gifts.
Duggan has made a promise to get his squad home and there’s only one way for him to succeed. The Valpian awaits.
Mikhail Tarvus is an ordinary husband and father. He wants to provide for his family, lead a simple life, and enjoy the small things. But when hard times hit his planet he will find that he must decide what type of man he will become in order to make sure his family has food to survive. But will his decisions be too much for him to handle?
Bud is an android with an AI's intelligence and the physical appearance of a Greek god. He would do anything for Dr. Grace Lord, the new surgeon on the Nelson Mandela Medical Space Station. He knows that it is forbidden to love a human, but 'he' is struggling with newfound emotions that were previously nonexistent.
Androids are beneath human notice in Grace's world, little more than robots. People would see Grace as a pervert or worse, if she paid attention to Bud. But she is starting to have feelings for the android that would be frowned upon. When Grace's life is threatened and the space station is about to self-destruct, Bud sacrifices himself to try and stop the station's power generators from destroying everyone he cares about. Left a burnt out husk from radiation, can Grace bring Bud back?
When the Engineer, Actaeon, arrives at Pyramid in the heart of Redemption, nothing goes according to plan. Mysterious raiders pursue him relentlessly across the shattered remains of the ancient metropolis, and the leaders of his homeland pay no heed to his ambitious ideas. Meanwhile, deep beneath Pyramid, a deadly creature stirs. And, when Actaeon meets a skilled young Knight Arbiter with brilliant blue eyes, he starts down a path he could never have imagined.
The vast, fallen city of the Ancients is home to a new people who face the constant struggle to find resources needed to survive in the dangerous ruins. For the Engineer, however, Redemption is a treasure trove of technology, opportunity, and answers. But his unique skills make him a target for those who would use his talents to achieve their own dreams of power and control.
In his endless quest for the truth, will Actaeon discover the fallen city’s greatest secrets? Or will he share the same fate as the Ancients of whom nothing remains but a whisper?
One thing is certain: in Redemption, everything comes with a cost.
How far will a president go to keep a possible world-ending disaster secret, and how far can a wealthy industrialist go to make sure the truth gets out?
Facing a global catastrophe, Colton Taylor finds himself locked into a collision course with the US Government as he tries to save humanity from destruction.
Forcing himself into the arena of international politics, Taylor struggles to maneuver his corporate empire into position to give civilization a fighting chance.
Stormhaven Rising sets the foundation for the cataclysmic battle between human ego and the relentless nature of destiny... A battle where the price of failure, is no less than the end of Civilization.
Dallas was supposed to be a fresh start. New job. New life. Instead, it was the end.
The explosions came first. It was night, and rocks and boulders rained from the sky. I grabbed what I could, tried to find safety. All around me, the city burned.
But, after it was all over, I was alive. Things were different. Depressing. Debilitating. None of us were under any illusions that we’d have what we had before, but, after a few days, there was a kernel of hope. Life didn’t feel normal, but it started to feel livable. Like we’d find our way out of this.
Then the wailers came.
Half dead? Undead? We didn’t know. We didn’t care. These were the mangled and mutated remains of friends and neighbors, bent now on eliminating the rest of us. We did what we could to avoid them. And when that was impossible, we fought. Because fighting for survival was all we had left.
Hal Spacejock’s cargo business is going so well he’s considering getting into passengers ... especially the beautiful and mysterious Sonya Polarov. Meanwhile, Rex Curtis runs the galaxy’s biggest freight company, and he’s sick of independent pilots stealing his cargo jobs. He’s determined to make a statement by destroying the biggest nuisance of them all: Hal Spacejock. And all he has to do is ensure Hal’s latest cargo job ends in disaster. Unaware of the threat and distracted by Sonya, Hal’s time-sensitive cargo sits aboard his ship while the deadline looms ever closer. If he doesn’t get a move on, the late fees will ruin him ... and cost him his life into the bargain.
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Of course, I've still got the usual selection of scifi books...
150 years after the last war, humanity has united in exploring space with colonies on Mars and the moon Luna. But the Europa Mission has just failed and 152 people died in space. Nobody knows why.
When military bioscientist Capt. Warren’s hidden research installation gets attacked, he joins forces with armored assault Sgt. Von Radach. They become entangled in a deadly fight to stop the theft of classified military secrets by a lethal female villain, whose devious plans to use enemy cyborgs posing as humans and altering unsuspecting military personnel’s neural implants to accept her commands have every chance of succeeding. Unless Capt. Warren and Sgt. Von Radach get a chance to end her first.
Struggling with newfound sentience and desperately trying to repair itself, The Indescribable Joy of Destruction is a ship trying to find a new home. In a galaxy torn apart by generations of civil war, that isn't an easy task. Tired of being used as a killing machine, it has a huge decision to make: hide and save itself, or help other artificial intelligences achieve freedom. Unable to make the decision alone, it revives the sole human aboard - the enemy officer who crippled it.
Commander Olivia Johnson wakes to find herself in the infirmary of a strange vessel. Her nightmares deepen when she discovers it is the ship that attacked her destroyer. Even as she recovers from her physical injuries, she can't get past her survivor's guilt. She might have failed to protect her crew, but she vows to take revenge on their killer.
When the ship uncovers a genocidal plot by the commander's own admirals, Johnson realises just what is at stake. Together, the AI ship and the human officer must recruit outsiders from both sides. Training the misfits in battle to prevent the atrocity may be an impossible task, but running and hiding is no longer an option.
Deadly creatures, hostile climate, and that is just the scenery.
For many years, mysterious things have happened on the ice world of Tamer, but when a scientist goes missing from Barresh thought to be on Tamer, Cory is forced to take the issue by the horns.
Problem is, he is dealing with unexpected side effects of his fertility treatment, and, like his Coldi companions, he's lost much of his night vision, and has trouble tolerating low temperatures.
Trouble is, a recent addition to his team has sent shockwaves through his group of loyal companions and things are still sorting themselves out.
Not his healthy self, under-resourced, frozen and half-blind, that's not the best preparation to visit a world where humans are not at the top of the food chain, let alone dealing with enemies who will go to any lengths to hide their activities.
In the far future, two major factions are locked in a galactic cold war. As tensions mount between the technocratic Union and the genome-harnessing Concordance, both sides anxiously watch for a chance to conquer the other.
The Nepenthe is a pirate vessel, loyal to neither. Led by the enigmatic Captain Dangard, her rough and ready crew includes the cat-like alien Commander Creull, Zeno the immortal synthetic, the dashing Garrett Strand, and Duncan Hauk, a promising young recruit.
Hired by a cryptic employer, the crew waylays a transport ship carrying a mysterious passenger. In due time, this incident sparks the beginnings of an interstellar conflict that could threaten the state of known space.
John Rees is a brilliant, but deeply troubled, space engineer. He lied his way into the astronaut corps. He was due to fly on the starship Atlas--the next mission to the star Constantine--until the crew of the first ship, the Hercules, vanished.
John watches from the sidelines as the Atlas is rushed into service--and he is cut from the crew. Desperate to redeem himself for his treacherous past, he must watch from the sidelines as the ship--and any chance to help--slips away. Is there any hope for either John or the lost colonists?
Human-explored space lies between two alien races that are either openly aggressive or covertly hostile. 7th Fleet discovers that one of those races is moving to attack. In a moment of panic, the commanding admiral orders the fleet to attempt a risky jump through hyperspace. They miss hitting their target star’s gravity well and end up deep in unexplored space with a shockingly long trip home and not nearly enough food to last that long. With war now raging in their home systems, the officers of 7th Fleet must find a way to put aside their egos, ambitions and fears in order to make it back, and they know that not all of them will.
Nox is a wanted man.
While searching for a criminal, the fabled Coilhunter wanders into a tribal village massacre. He didn’t do it, but that doesn’t matter. The clues point to him, and he’s made a lot of enemies over the years. Many would happily see the tables turned.
His pleas of innocence fall on deaf ears. No sooner does he try to find the real killers than posters go up across the Wild North—posters with his face and his name. He isn’t the only bounty hunter out there. Dozens assemble to cash him in.
Tasked with finding out who’s framed him, Nox must also survive the constant onslaught of frontier law. He’s used to hunting others. He’s not so used to life on the run.
The world was melting down. North Korea had tested another nuclear missile. Terrorist attacks were happening with frightening regularity in European cities. In the United States, the FBI and CIA were investigating multiple computer hacks in which the Russians were the prime suspects. Then the news took an even more ominous tone. People began seeing UFOs and strange, alien-looking creatures with humanoid shapes, green skin and large black eyes. In places where this occurred, doctors reported the spread of a mysterious virus that scrambled people’s thoughts and caused hallucinations. Many experts believed the virus came from the aliens. The pathogen had not yet been identified; there was no known cure.
Psychology professor Dr. Cora Frost had a different theory: the bizarre symptoms were nothing more than mass hysteria, not unlike the hysteria that caused people in our not-too-distant past to see witches flying through the sky, which justified hanging them or burning them at the stake. Intense stress within societies gives rise to scapegoats. Doing field research within the compound of a cult in Roswell, New Mexico that revered the exact same kinds of aliens being reported on the news, Cora’s entire worldview is shaken and upended. In a shocking series of events, her past and future collide, forever changing her life.
In order to defend the world against an impending alien invasion, global government agencies created soldiers, clones made to be stronger, faster and loyal to the cause. They only want the best for the battle, so before the clones can fight in the war they must pass the phases. A barrage of testing zones are designed to push the clones to the max, those who fail are recycled. It's a bloody, yet necessary evil.
Alpha 9 awoke believing in the mission, but as more and more of his fellow clones die, Alpha 9 is struck with the impossible thought that maybe, maybe the phases aren't actually meant to test them-but to exterminate them.
Escaping the test zone will use every enhanced ability they have, but it is what they find on the outside that will really test what they are made of. The war for earth was lost. Now if Alpha 9 and his team want to see a future for the human race, they will need to do what the armies before them failed to: win.
Is Alpha 9 the leader the resistance needs or will the secrets of humanity's past lead them all to their ultimate destruction?
The residents of Celestica Space Station really do live on the edge (of the known universe, and next to a supermassive black hole). And everybody knows, the farther you get from the civilized universe, the closer you are to the monsters that lurk in deep space.
This story is a creepy, fun, thrill ride that has mutant rats, orc miners, a head of security that looks like the Predator, and a very cool jellyfish named Gorb. And also, an A.I. Zombie.
Destiny is all. Unless it's going the wrong way...
Time often abducts Captain Valeria Tylia and shows her about two seconds of the future. And when she sees a barbarian attack being prepared, she knows that everything she holds dear is in danger.
A Captain shielded by his mother’s rank.
An enemy determined to buy freedom with blood.
A battle no one expected to fight.
Captain Isaac Gallant is the only son of the dictator of the Confederacy, his career slowed by a dozen measures to protect his reputation and safety alike—but he has no intention of being a pampered child and is determined to do his duty.
An attempt to force his crew to acknowledge their own duties puts his ship in a unique position to intervene when an overwhelming rebel attack is launched on one of the Confederacy’s most critical facilities.
The rebels didn’t expect to fight anyone. The Confederacy didn’t expect Isaac Gallant to fight at all.
All of them were wrong.
A year after the Commonwealth won the war with the Theocracy, the interstellar cruise liner Supreme is on its maiden voyage, carrying a host of aristocrats thrilled to be sharing in a wondrous adventure among the stars. The passengers include the owner and his daughters, Angela and Nancy. Growing up with all the luxuries in the world, neither sister has ever known true struggle, but that all changes when a collision with a pirate ship leaves the cruiser powerless and becalmed in hyperspace. And they’re not alone.
Now, the mysterious force that’s living on this floating graveyard is coming for Supreme’s crew and passengers. As madness starts to tear at their minds, they must fight to survive in a strange alien realm.
And there’s no way out...
We barely won the battle at Mercury's shipyards, but the war is just beginning.
The Telestines, in control of Earth, now pursue us from planet to planet, moon to moon, leaving terrible destruction in their wake. And now, the unthinkable: a new alien weapon with the power to destroy a whole world. Thousands die on Jupiter's moon Io when a bomb detonates, sending apocalyptic storms of debris that threaten millions of people on Ganymede and Callisto.
But that isn't the worst of it. The bomb was detonated by a human. A drone.
And there are thousands of them scattered across the solar system, anonymous, undetectable, and waiting for orders from their Telestine masters.
Our war becomes a race against time: find the bombs, find the drones, find our true enemy, all while under siege from within and without.
Before we all perish.
Captain John Duggan and his crew are stranded deep in hostile terrritory. Their spaceship, the ESS Crimson is damaged beyond repair. Enemy warships hunt them, eager to locate the vessel which has caused so much damage to their military. All seems lost.
Duggan is not a man to go down without a fight. Determined to take matters into his own hands, he leads his squad across the surface of an inhospitable planet in order to make a raid upon an enemy base.
What happens there sets in motion a series of events which carry Duggan and his men towards a prize of inconceivable value. Nothing worth having comes easy – a single error will result in failure and the deaths of his soldiers, as well as denying humanity the greatest of gifts.
Duggan has made a promise to get his squad home and there’s only one way for him to succeed. The Valpian awaits.
Mikhail Tarvus is an ordinary husband and father. He wants to provide for his family, lead a simple life, and enjoy the small things. But when hard times hit his planet he will find that he must decide what type of man he will become in order to make sure his family has food to survive. But will his decisions be too much for him to handle?
Bud is an android with an AI's intelligence and the physical appearance of a Greek god. He would do anything for Dr. Grace Lord, the new surgeon on the Nelson Mandela Medical Space Station. He knows that it is forbidden to love a human, but 'he' is struggling with newfound emotions that were previously nonexistent.
Androids are beneath human notice in Grace's world, little more than robots. People would see Grace as a pervert or worse, if she paid attention to Bud. But she is starting to have feelings for the android that would be frowned upon. When Grace's life is threatened and the space station is about to self-destruct, Bud sacrifices himself to try and stop the station's power generators from destroying everyone he cares about. Left a burnt out husk from radiation, can Grace bring Bud back?
When the Engineer, Actaeon, arrives at Pyramid in the heart of Redemption, nothing goes according to plan. Mysterious raiders pursue him relentlessly across the shattered remains of the ancient metropolis, and the leaders of his homeland pay no heed to his ambitious ideas. Meanwhile, deep beneath Pyramid, a deadly creature stirs. And, when Actaeon meets a skilled young Knight Arbiter with brilliant blue eyes, he starts down a path he could never have imagined.
The vast, fallen city of the Ancients is home to a new people who face the constant struggle to find resources needed to survive in the dangerous ruins. For the Engineer, however, Redemption is a treasure trove of technology, opportunity, and answers. But his unique skills make him a target for those who would use his talents to achieve their own dreams of power and control.
In his endless quest for the truth, will Actaeon discover the fallen city’s greatest secrets? Or will he share the same fate as the Ancients of whom nothing remains but a whisper?
One thing is certain: in Redemption, everything comes with a cost.
How far will a president go to keep a possible world-ending disaster secret, and how far can a wealthy industrialist go to make sure the truth gets out?
Facing a global catastrophe, Colton Taylor finds himself locked into a collision course with the US Government as he tries to save humanity from destruction.
Forcing himself into the arena of international politics, Taylor struggles to maneuver his corporate empire into position to give civilization a fighting chance.
Stormhaven Rising sets the foundation for the cataclysmic battle between human ego and the relentless nature of destiny... A battle where the price of failure, is no less than the end of Civilization.
Dallas was supposed to be a fresh start. New job. New life. Instead, it was the end.
The explosions came first. It was night, and rocks and boulders rained from the sky. I grabbed what I could, tried to find safety. All around me, the city burned.
But, after it was all over, I was alive. Things were different. Depressing. Debilitating. None of us were under any illusions that we’d have what we had before, but, after a few days, there was a kernel of hope. Life didn’t feel normal, but it started to feel livable. Like we’d find our way out of this.
Then the wailers came.
Half dead? Undead? We didn’t know. We didn’t care. These were the mangled and mutated remains of friends and neighbors, bent now on eliminating the rest of us. We did what we could to avoid them. And when that was impossible, we fought. Because fighting for survival was all we had left.
Hal Spacejock’s cargo business is going so well he’s considering getting into passengers ... especially the beautiful and mysterious Sonya Polarov. Meanwhile, Rex Curtis runs the galaxy’s biggest freight company, and he’s sick of independent pilots stealing his cargo jobs. He’s determined to make a statement by destroying the biggest nuisance of them all: Hal Spacejock. And all he has to do is ensure Hal’s latest cargo job ends in disaster. Unaware of the threat and distracted by Sonya, Hal’s time-sensitive cargo sits aboard his ship while the deadline looms ever closer. If he doesn’t get a move on, the late fees will ruin him ... and cost him his life into the bargain.
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