G.S. Jennsen's Blog, page 4

The Medusa Falling Audiobook Is Now Available

I’m thrilled to announce that the MEDUSA FALLING audiobook is now available at all major online retailers! I can’t wait for you to listen to this incredibly fun, exciting adventure, featuring Marlee and a whole new slate of amazing alien voices brought to life by Pyper Down.

    SO MANY OTHER RETAILERS

* A stand-alone adventure set in the Amaranthe universe *

“Can I ask where we’re going?”

“Someplace safe…as safe as anywhere on this broken, fallen world can be.”

A first contact encounter isn't supposed to kick off with a dead body.

Ambassador Marlee Marano has been dispatched to Belarria as part of a Concord initiative to meet new species and build alliances. But when an assassin murders her counterpart in front of her eyes and takes her hostage, she is plunged into an alien world on the brink of collapse.

With no way to contact Concord or get offworld, Marlee’s only allies may be a shadowy band of rebels with a questionable agenda steeped in government conspiracies, mysterious genetic experiments and bloody historical grievances that threaten to boil over. The rightness of their cause is the least of her concerns, though, for she finds herself wanted for murder and hunted by all sides.

Medusa Falling is a heart-pumping sci-fi adventure that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns as Marlee races to uncover the secrets and lies of a captivating but deadly alien culture and find a way home.

Dragon Con Schedule + an Epic SFF Sale

I hope everyone is enjoying Medusa Falling! If you haven’t grabbed it yet, go ye forth and do so: Medusa Falling retailers.

Dragon Con is next week, and I will be there! It runs Aug. 31-Sept. 4 in Atlanta, and is one of the world’s largest celebrations of all thing sci-fi and fantasy: movies and TV, comics, games, art, of course books, and so much more. Get your tickets here. This year, I will have my own vendor booth in the main vendor hall (3rd floor) for the entire convention. If you're going to be there, come see me! You don't need to buy a paperback, promise - just stop by, say hello, and we'll take a pic together if you like.

Where in all that chaos is my booth?

I leave you with the gigantic annual Indie Author Sale hosted by The Narratess. From Aug. 26-28th, get over 300 scifi, fantasy and horror books for free or pennies: Go to the Sale

Medusa Falling Is Here

Are you ready to go along for the ride as Marlee rocks the foundations of yet another alien civilization? MEDUSA FALLING is now available at all retailers in ebook and paperback.

If you pre-ordered the ebook, it should be waiting for you right now on your ereader device or app. (Note: if you pre-ordered directly from my web store, you should have an email from BookFunnel with a link to download your book; if not, go to my.bookfunnel.com and login with the email you used to pre-order.)

You can get the paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble’s website and many other online bookstores, or you can order a signed copy directly from me. The hardback is slightly delayed for technical printer reasons and will be available soon.

Audiobook listeners: Pyper Down has already started recording! If you want to listen to the chapters as she records them, you can join my Buy Me A Coffee (Concord level).

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* A stand-alone adventure set in the Amaranthe universe *

“Can I ask where we’re going?”

“Someplace safe…as safe as anywhere on this broken, fallen world can be.”

A first contact encounter isn't supposed to kick off with a dead body.

Ambassador Marlee Marano has been dispatched to Belarria as part of a Concord initiative to meet new species and build alliances. But when an assassin murders her counterpart in front of her eyes and takes her hostage, she is plunged into an alien world on the brink of collapse.

With no way to contact Concord or get offworld, Marlee’s only allies may be a shadowy band of rebels with a questionable agenda steeped in government conspiracies, mysterious genetic experiments and bloody historical grievances that threaten to boil over. The rightness of their cause is the least of her concerns, though, for she finds herself wanted for murder and hunted by all sides.

Medusa Falling is a heart-pumping sci-fi adventure that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns as Marlee races to uncover the secrets and lies of a captivating but deadly alien culture and find a way home.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I Have a Question For You

Okay, I have two questions. First, have you preordered MEDUSA FALLING yet? It will be here in one short month! Grab it now, and it will be waiting for you on your ereader on August 1st (also, note that preordering a hardback before release is the only way to get a signed copy).

PREORDER MEDUSA FALLING

Now for the second question. Since this is a stand-alone novel, I’m hoping to entice many new readers into the universe of Amaranthe. With that in mind, would you like to participate in the Medusa Falling Launch Team and help me make the book’s release the best ever?

Not sure what that means? Well, you click the link below to register your interest. If you’re a good fit and there’s room on the team, I'll send you the ebook of Medusa Falling before it's released. All I ask in exchange is that at launch you leave an honest review on your preferred bookstore site - be that Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, or Barnes & Noble, etc, along with review sites like Goodreads if you're a member. The more sites, the better! If you post or tweet about books often, sharing news of the book release is also a great way to spread the word.

If you'd like to take part, simply click here to register your interest.

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To whet your appetite, here’s the first teaser quote from Medusa Falling:

Finally, check out this awesome sale - over 75 stellar sci-fi books discounted for the month of July: SCI-FI FOR EVERYONE SALE

Medusa Falling Cover Reveal + Release Date

Are you ready to go along for the ride as Marlee rocks the foundations of yet another alien civilization? MEDUSA FALLING will be released on ** August 1, 2023 **, but you can pre-order it right now.

PREORDER MEDUSA FALLING

And now for the big cover reveal - and a proper blurb, too!

* A stand-alone adventure set in the Amaranthe universe *

“Can I ask where we’re going?”

“Someplace safe…as safe as anywhere on this broken, fallen world can be.”

A first contact encounter isn't supposed to kick off with a dead body.

Ambassador Marlee Marano has been dispatched to Belarria as part of a Concord initiative to meet new species and build alliances. But when an assassin murders her counterpart in front of her eyes and takes her hostage, she is plunged into an alien world on the brink of collapse.

With no way to contact Concord or get offworld, Marlee’s only allies may be a shadowy band of rebels with a questionable agenda steeped in government conspiracies, mysterious genetic experiments and bloody historical grievances that threaten to boil over. The rightness of their cause is the least of her concerns, though, for she finds herself wanted for murder and hunted by all sides.

Medusa Falling is a heart-pumping sci-fi adventure that will take you on a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns as Marlee races to uncover the secrets and lies of a captivating but deadly alien culture and find a way home.

*

MEDUSA FALLING takes place three years after the end of Duality. It’s a fun, fast-paced adventure (that clocks in under 100k words!) and is intended to be a new entry point for readers - so if you have someone you’ve been trying to convince to read the Amaranthe novels, this is an excellent opportunity to get them hooked.

Expect a bonanza of teasers and other reveals as we get closer to release. Who’s hyped? (I am, obviously. Hopefully you will be, too.)

Verge Audiobook Is Here, Plus a Huge Audiobook Sale & MisCon Appearance

The Amaranthe VI: Verge audiobook is now available! It includes the audio for the final three novels in the Riven Worlds series: All Our Tomorrows, Chaotica and Duality.

AUDIOBOOK RETAILERS

To celebrate the release of the Amaranthe VI: Verge audiobook, I’m throwing a massive sale on the audiobook collections through June 20. Get 232 hours of audio - 18 novels and 8 shorts - for less than $24. The sale is available on Chirp, Nook and Spotify (sorry, no Audible, as I don’t control the prices there).

*Note: Apple is supposed to be participating in this sale, but they’re being slow, and right now Riven Worlds and Verge are the only audiobooks on sale there. Keep an eye out here .

Live in Montana, Idaho or eastern Washington? Come to MisCon next weekend in Missoula for 4 days of SFF panels, books, swag, conversations and all-around fun. The Guest of Honor is sci-fi legend Robert J. Sawyer, and other SF guests include C.J. Cherryh, David Gerrold...and me.

Here's my schedule for the weekend - come hang with me!

More info: https://www.miscon.org/

Finally, I want to share a giveaway of 50+ SFF ebooks, every single one of them FREE, now through June 6. Check out the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Giveaway.

Next newsletter brings Medusa Falling reveals galore. I’m so excited!

Get the Amaranthe VI: Verge Collection Today

Collection readers, you have been so patient, and today that patience is being rewarded. Complete the RIVEN WORLDS saga by downloading the AMARANTHE VI: VERGE collection, which includes Riven Worlds Books Four, Five and Six (All Our Tomorrows, Chaotica and the explosive finale, Duality) from your favorite retailer, at a 45% discount over buying the books individually.

If you pre-ordered the ebook, it should be waiting for you right now on your ereader device or app. (Note: if you pre-ordered directly from my web store, you should have an email from BookFunnel with a link to download your book; if not, go to my.bookfunnel.com and login with the email you used to pre-order.)

* Need to catch up? All the previous collections are available HERE. *

Humanity has seized its destiny among the stars. But space remains vast and untamed, and nothing has prepared us to face the dangers rising from the deep shadows of the void.

**Includes the final three novels (All Our Tomorrows, Chaotica & Duality) in the RIVEN WORLDS series**

War has come to Concord. Now no one and nowhere is safe.

When indestructible warships and dimension-tearing weapons are not enough to defeat the enemy, how do you protect thousands of worlds and trillions of citizens from a Rasu tidal wave bent on devouring everything in its path?

The Rift Bubbles offer much-sought protection, but is the safety they promise anything more than an illusion? A weapon crafted by the nearly extinct Ourankeli may hold the key to gaining the upper hand—or it may be a doomsday bomb too dangerous to chance wielding. The Asterions strive tirelessly to improve upon and create new weapons that can kill Rasu, even as Nika Kirumase draws tantalizingly close to unlocking the true power of kyoseil.

Yet for every strategic move Commandant Miriam Solovy makes to thwart the Rasu’s advances, the enemy swiftly counters in a deadly battle of escalation.

We don’t need to fear death, for it cannot hold us.

Regenesis, long the exclusive domain of Anadens, begins to take root in human society. But the possibility of immortality for all does not sit well with those who would rather keep it for themselves. When a conspiracy to sabotage the future of regenesis is uncovered, an unlikely advocate decides to risk his one-and-only life to bring the perpetrators to justice.

And amidst all the conflict, the enigmatic Katasketousya have been playing a secret long game with the fate of the universe. Now events race toward a rendezvous with their unfolding machinations, and the resulting collision is going to change everything.

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In Amaranthe, where exotic alien life, AIs, wormholes, indestructible starships and the promise of immortality rule the day, no feat seems out of reach for humanity. But when the worlds of Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir collide and the Rasu horde descends upon them both, more will be asked of heroes past and future. More will be given and more taken, and when the dust settles the very fabric of Amaranthe will be changed forever.

The DUALITY Audiobook Is Here

I’m thrilled to announce that the audiobook for DUALITY (Riven Worlds Book Six), is now available all major retailers! I can’t wait for audiobook listeners to experience this tremendous finale to the epic Riven Worlds series.

Have the checked out my blog post on what comes next in the Amaranthe universe? It’s free of major Duality spoilers, so go ahead and check it out, even if you haven’t read Duality yet. What are Cosmic Shores and Medusa Falling? What comes after the new trilogy? And after that? Best of all, I want your input on the answers to these questions. So please give the post a read and make your voice heard.

READ: THE FUTURE OF AMARANTHE

What do you want to see next from Amaranthe? Plus new preorders & exciting news

First off, know that I have been blown away by the response to DUALITY, which has been everything and more than I could have hoped for. It makes my heart happy that you all love it so much! Thank you for trusting me to bring those long and winding plot and character arcs to worthy, compelling conclusions.

Now for the big reason we’re here: I have a new blog post up today, and it’s all about what comes next in the Amaranthe universe. It’s free of major Duality spoilers, so go ahead and check it out, even if you haven’t read Duality yet. What are Cosmic Shores and Medusa Falling? What comes after the new trilogy? And after that? Best of all, I want your input on the answers to these questions. So please give the post a read and make your voice heard.

READ: THE FUTURE OF AMARANTHE

In case you missed it, I’ve got two books up for preorder now. First, have you not yet read Duality because you’re an omnibus collection person? Do you scoff at mere single novels and not get serious until a tome tops 400K words?

Then you'll be pleased to learn that AMARANTHE VI: VERGE, containing the final 3 novels of the Riven Worlds series (All Our Tomorrows, Chaotica, Duality) will be released on MARCH 28, 2023.

Second, you already know that Riven Worlds is not the end of the Amaranthe universe. The first novel in a new trilogy of stand-alone adventures, MEDUSA FALLING, is available for preorder now (the 9/6/23 release date is a placeholder; it will likely come out sooner).

PREORDER AMARANTHE VI: VERGE PREORDER MEDUSA FALLING

I am over-the-moon excited to announce that EXIN EX MACHINA has been named a Semifinalist in the 2022 SPSFC (Self-Published Science Fiction Competition)!

Out of 300 initial entries, Machina is one of only 30 books remaining. You can read the book bloggers' lovely thoughts on the book HERE.

SPSFC is the brain child of sci-fi superstar Hugh Howey and Duncan Swan, and is modeled after the enormously successful Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. It's a year-long competition involving 10 teams of respected book bloggers, 300 books, a cover competition and much more.

So what happens now? Now, the 30 semifinalists are handed off to fresh teams for more reads. The 7 finalists will be announced at the end of April, and the ultimate winner in July. So, ah, stay tuned.

You can learn more about the contests and the other semifinalists here : https://thespsfc.org/the-competition/2022-semi-finalists/

I am ALSO thrilled to share that the Dragon Con 2023 Page to Stage Cosplay Competition has chosen our very own Onai Veshnael (Novoloume) as a one of the characters competitive cosplayers can choose to portray in this years epic event.

What does that mean? Well, the Invitational Division of the contest is where Page to Stage invites 10 competitors from the best of the best who have competed in regional and international cosplay events to vie for the grand prize. Those invited can choose from a pre-approved list of 40 characters from SFF novels - and Veshnael is one of them!

There's also an Open Division competition that anyone can register for (until the slots are full), so...fancy yourself a cosplayer? Going to Dragon Con this year? Want to try your hand at those shimmering, elegant Novoloume robes and opalescent skin? Go for it!

Learn more about this awesome contest here: https://dcpagetostage.com/.

PS: Yes, I’ll definitely be at Dragon Con again this year.

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THE FUTURE OF AMARANTHE - MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

I’m going to avoid significant spoilers for Duality as I talk about what comes next, so feel free to keep reading if you haven’t finished it yet.

Was Riven Worlds an epic saga, or what? Telling a single story arc over six doorstopper books was, honestly, the greatest challenge I’ve faced as a writer so far. I hope I delivered.:)

Our intrepid heroes deserve a break now, don’t they? My goodness. So let’s all take a deep breath alongside them, exhale…and forge ahead into the stars.

Because guess what? The story of Amaranthe is STILL just beginning.

Next up is a series called COSMIC SHORES, and it’s going to be a little different from what’s come before. I’ve colloquially been referring to this series as “adventure novels” for a while, and it’s an apt descriptor. My vision for Cosmic Shores is three (for now) independent, stand-alone novels that can be read by newcomers and Amaranthe veterans alike, in any order.

Each novel represents a fresh entry-point into this universe and an opportunity for new readers to discover its wonders. Each one will be a self-contained story with a complete resolution at the end, free of cliffhangers—isn’t that a crazy notion? They will be shorter than the Riven Worlds novels by a fair margin (I’m targeting 70-90K)—not because they won’t be as deep, but rather because they will focus on a single main plot and 1-4 POV characters. This will be a new experiment for me, but I never want my books to become dull, repetitive or predictable. It’s time for a new challenge!

So what are they about? Well, following the events of Riven Worlds, some of our most beloved characters are going to venture out beyond the safety of Concord’s borders, encounter new and exciting alien species, and get themselves into bucketloads of trouble.

Here’s a brief, preliminary blurb for Book One, MEDUSA FALLING (you can preorder it today):

A first contact encounter isn't supposed to kick off with a dead body. But when Deputy Ambassador Marlee Marano arrives for an all-important first meeting with a newly discovered species, she unwittingly enters a world on the brink of collapse. Government conspiracies, ruthless terrorists bent on revolution, historical grievances boiling over and mysterious genetic experiments are the least of her concerns, however. For she finds herself wanted for murder, trapped in a dangerous alien society and hunted by all sides.

 So Marlee’s first up. Book Two will follow Eren (with a solid assist from Nyx) on his own sure-to-be-wild adventure, and Book Three will feature Alex, Caleb and Valkyrie doing what they do best.

While this nominally makes Cosmic Shores a trilogy, I’m thinking I’ll leave it open-ended as an avenue to tell more stand-alone stories in the future. With that in mind, who else would you like to see get their own adventure? I’m not even going to make suggestions—you just tell me who you think deserves a book of their own (see the poll below or go HERE to vote).

What comes after the three Cosmic Shores novels? This is still very much in the planning stages, but I’m interested in telling a series of prequel stories—and I need your help to decide which ones. What events in the history of Amaranthe do you want to deep-dive into? You can vote for more than one (but help me out here—don’t vote for all of them unless you really mean it!):

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DON’T FORGET TO CLICK “SUBMIT” WHEN YOU’RE DONE WITH THE POLL (scroll to the end of the widget).

(If you don’t see or can’t interact with the embedded poll above, go vote HERE .)

Depending on which ones and how many of these events I decide to explore, this series might be a combination of lengthy short stories and novellas, rather than full-length novels. It depends on how much space each story needs to be properly told. We’ll see.

Great—we’ve got stand-alone character adventures and prequel stories galore. What then?

Well, then we’ll return to Concord and all our friends for a new, absolutely epic space opera trilogy. We left a couple of loose ends unresolved and one major shadow looming on the horizon at the end of Duality, and if you’ve finished it, you probably have an inkling as to what this trilogy will center around. But it’ll be a couple of years before we get there, so we’re going to let this one sit to the side and simmer for a while while we go off and have some fun.

I hope you all will join me for these and many more incredible adventures.