Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog, page 33

NEWS: Stepping Down from Dog Star Books

NEWS

It has been an incredible and fulfilling two years as the managing editor at RDSP's science fiction imprint, Dog Star Books, and now I'm ready to focus on new opportunities with my teaching at Seton Hill and my writing (more news on this front soon!).

I learned so much about the business while at DSB. Thank you to Jennifer Barnes and John Edward Lawson, owners of Raw Dog Screaming Press and all its imprints, for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity to create and shape an entire line of books.

I'm very proud of the imprint, the stories, my co-editor, Deanna Sjolander, my amazing cover artist, Bradley Sharp, and especially the wonderful authors, and I wish them all much success. I look forward to watching Dog Star shine bright into the future with all this hard-earned momentum behind them. Look out, 2015!

EVENT: PA LitFest Sponsorship

Sponsorship Packagesfor the Pennsylvania Literary Festival When you support #PAlitFest, you are helping to bring visitors from across the region, state, and country to Fayette County. Your support encourages creative expression and learning for young people.#PAlitFest and its sponsors will be heavily promoted through print and electronic media, social media, and personal outreach. We rely on the engagement of the community and community organizations for the success and sustainability of this event.Presenting Sponsorship ($5000)
•Title level recognition on all publications and on all event materials
•Recognition during all television broadcasts of the event (60 seconds)
•Logo on signage at the event
•Full-page rear cover ad on magazine distributed at the event
•Recognition from the stage
•Logo on FayetteTV.org and PAlitFest.com
•Author/Vendor booth at event“Best Seller” Sponsorship ($1000)
•Recognition on all publications and on all event materials
•Recognition during all television broadcasts of the event (30 seconds)
•Logo on signage at the event
•Ad in magazine distributed at the event
•Recognition from the stage
•Logo on FayetteTV.org and PAlitFest.com
•Author/Vendor booth at event

“Novelist” Sponsorship ($500)
•Recognition during all television broadcasts of the event (During thank you period)
•Logo on signage at the event
•Name listed in magazine distributed at the event
•Recognition from the stage
•Name listed on FayetteTV.org and PALitFest.com
•Author/Vendor booth at event“Speed Reader” Sponsorship ($300) 
•Recognition during all television broadcasts of the event (During thank you period)
•Name listed on signage at the event
•Name listed in magazine distributed at the event
•Name listed on FayetteTV.org and PALitFest.com
•Author/Vendor booth at event

To confirm your sponsorship online visit: http://palitfest.com/sponsorship/ or contact David Slusarick at 724.550.4493 Ext. 9 or at David.Slusarick@Coordinated360.com. Follow on Twitter    Friend on Facebook    Forward to Friend 

SFR Brigade Presents: Starrie 3.3

STARRIE 3.3

Enjoy some Science Fiction Adventure from the Ambasadora-verse! I'm posting excerpts of my novel Starrie in order starting from chapter one. This is the fourteenth post and we're into chapter three. It has been edited for content and space per the SFR Brigade Presents guidelines. Read the rest of the story (uncensored) so far on the Starrie page.

And, check out other wonderful Presents posts at the SFR Brigade .


STARRIE (FROM THE WORLD OF AMBASADORA) by Heidi Ruby Miller

"What the hell?" came a voice behind her.

Naela spun around to a battle rifle in her face. The Armadan holding it was the one barking orders during her escape. His age said he was a seasoned leader, but right now he was distracted by the chaos. Growing up the way she did, she learned quickly that distractions were just another type of enemy.

She thrust the weapon's short barrel up into his cheek. A cender blast sizzled past from behind them. The Armadan snagged her by the wrist and pulled her out of the way of the next one as he spit out profanities like he was getting paid by the word.

Naela saw the third shot coming from…

…Efron?

If her cousin were leading this group of contractors, there was no doubt that the Embassy was protecting Stavros. Things had just become more complicated. Worse than distractions and worse even than the Embassy was family. Naela's in particular.

Using her entire fifty-six kilos, Naela rammed the Armadan through the broken window. The momentum rolled them onto the knife's edge of the prow. She scrambled from on top of him as two female contractors leaped out of the window after them.

~~~

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Starrie is a direct sequel to Greenshift . It follows the story of Ben Anlow (David's younger brother) and his team as they embark on a revenge mission to bring down serial murderer and rapist, Liu Stavros, at his fortress in the inhospitable mountains of Tampa Three. But contractor Naela Starrie already has her own kind of vengeance planned for Stavros. Even as a battle-hardened soldier, Ben's not prepared for the darkness he sees in the female assassin, nor the way she challenges his prejudices about contractors when she makes a sacrifice to save to his life.

This novel runs concurrent with Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light , the first book of the main space opera series. And we follow a thread of Starrie into Book 2: Scarred by Light.

Look for Starrie from Dog Star Books in July 2014 and Ambasadora Book 2: Scarred by Light in late 2014.

ANTHOLOGY: Far Worlds Featuring "Rainer" from the Ambasadora Series by Heidi Ruby Miller

Attention AMBASADORA-VERSE fans, there's a story all about the man you love to hate, RAINER, in the third Bolthole anthology, FAR WORLDS. The story takes place right after Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light. 

And, there's an awesome illustration of Rainer by artist Manuel Mesones in the interior.  Get a sneak peek on Manuel's blog!!

Below is the cool premise for the book and the table of contents.

Pick up a copy on March 25 and visit the Facebook page for more information!


The Premise:
Out in the universe, there is predicted to be millions of planets harbouring sentient life, thousands of civilisations of sapient races, going about their lives; struggling, fighting, maybe loving, having adventures, maybe suffering under dystopian tyrants, or in societies of harmony and peace and complacency. These worlds, due to the nature of the speed of light and relativity, will never meet each other in person across the vast stretches of space, and any messages or signals sent between them wouldn’t reach their destinations for millions of years, long after both civilisations are gone.

The premise of our anthology is themed very specifically towards being an anthology which collects stories from these diverse worlds and settings. Each short story would be a snapshot of that location and time. The only motif linking the stories will be the mysterious Drift Engine; an outwardly-featureless cylinder exactly one kilometre long, and one hundred metres in diameter; a strange wandering machine from some forgotten corner of the universe, travelling the universe, searching out and documenting these settings.

Editors:
A. R. Aston
James Fadeley
J. L. Gribble

Contributors:
“Rainer” by Heidi Ruby Miller
“Anomaly” by Jonathan Ward
“Alone” by Alex Helm
“Shard of Heaven” by Damir Salkovic
“Endaris” by Michael J. Hollows
“The Lost and Found” by Kerri Fitzgerald
“Helzenthrax” by A. R. Aston
“Bequeathal” by K. Ceres Wright
“City Blue” by Edward Smith
“The War Room” by Michael Seese
“A Pelnodan Bounty” by James Fadeley
“Golden Planet” by Evan Purcell
“Salvation Comes” by Simon Farrow

BOOK: Exiles of Kho by Christopher Paul Carey

EXILES OF KHO by Christopher Paul Carey is now an e-book!

Hundreds of years before the hero Hadon sailed forth from his shining city of gold and jewels upon his legendary adventures, the heroine-priestess Lupoeth set out upon the decree of the oracle to discover a new land upon the untamed shores of ancient Africa’s southern sea. But Lupoeth finds herself little prepared for the trials ahead, as well as those that follow upon her heels—for the jealous queen who wants her rival banished has appointed a worshiper of the sun god with a criminal past as the expedition’s priest, hoping to undermine the mission and seal its doom.

Now, lost in the deep jungle, Lupoeth must fight to keep her ill-equipped band of followers alive in the face of deadly beasts, savage Neanderthals, and conspiring enemies. Soon she finds the most accursed deity of her people’s faith, exiled from the empire by the Great Goddess Kho Herself, may be her only ally in this wild land. But Sahhindar, the god of Time and bronze, has a mysterious agenda of his own—one that Lupoeth fears might spell doom not only for her expedition, but for the entire world…

CAST YOUR CHARACTERS: The Weredog Whisperer by Susan Abel Sullivan

THE WEREDOG WHISPERER
AUTHOR: SUSAN ABEL SULLIVAN
PUBLISHER: WORLD WEAVER PRESS (2013)
DESCRIPTION: The Tidwells are supposed to be on spring break on the Florida Gulf Coast, not up to their eyeballs in paranormal hijinks… again.

Bertram wants a baby, but Cleo isn’t real keen on the idea. After all, her sister, Molly, has four of ’em—who needs more? Hoping to throw Bertram off the baby trail, they adopt Luna, a white pit bull terrier, and take her to Florida with them, along with Bertram’s mother and Cleo’s nieces. Everybody loves Luna, especially the goofy little dog at a tacky tourist trap touting something called a “weredog whisperer,” so much so that he puts the moves on Luna and gives her a love bite during the throes of puppy love.
 
But when Luna shape shifts into a teenage girl on the first night of the full moon, the Tidwells wind up with an instant were-daughter. Poof! Just add moonbeams. A video of Luna’s transformation goes viral and the Tidwells are hounded by an array of reporters, sight seers, animal rights kooks, Hot Diggity Dog Pet Foods, a couple of hungry weresharks, a motley crew of weredogs, and AASS—a secret society of shape shifters that considers Luna an abomination and orders her immediate extermination.

The Tidwells’ vacation has gone to the dogs—literally—as they jump through hoops in this hilarious cozy mystery to protect their unexpected new were-daughter from a dog-eat-dog world.
(This book may be enjoyed without having read the prior novel in the Cleo Tidwell Paranormal Mysteries: The Haunted Housewives of Allister, Alabama.)

CHARACTERS: 
Sandra Bullock as CLEO TIDWELL

Cleo agrees to adopt a dog as a trial run for possibly having a baby, but winds up with an instant daughter—poof! Just add moonbeams--when her new pooch is bitten by a weredog during the throes of puppy love.







Jon Corbett as BERTRAM TIDWELL, Ph.D.

Bertram wants a baby but his wife is reluctant to start a family.  What better way to convince Cleo to have kids than to take her four nieces with them on their Florida Gulf Coast spring break vacation?


 



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Moxie Sullivan as LunaThe Tidwells adopt an American pit bull terrier from the animal shelter and name her Luna. But after getting bitten by a weredog, Luna turns into a . . .






Shawn Johnson as Luna
were-daughter during the full moon in the middle of The Hot Diggity Dog Canine Costume Contest in Sugar Sand Beach, Florida during spring break vacation.




 
The nieces: Brandie, Sherry, Collins & Morgan
Cleo’s 2nd youngest niece, Collins, sets events in motion when she spots the sign for a tacky tourist trap touting a “Weredog Whisperer” attraction on the way to the Florida Gulf Coast.







Jon Lovitz as Toby Talbot, the Weredog Whisperer
It’s love at first sight when Talbot first lays eyes on the Tidwell’s new dog.  Is Talbot a sick puppy or just a weredog in love?







 



Jean Smart as Georgia Tidwell (Cleo’s super cool mother-in-law)
Georgia has the hots for debonair veterinarian Dr. Jack Russell, D.V.M. But he’s got a big secret that could put him in the dog house.








John O’Hurley as Dr. Jack Russell, DVM
Does Dr. Russell have a drug problem or attention-deficit disorder? And why does he lock himself in a cage three nights a month? What’s up with the good doctor?







Sharon Stone as Jenna Finn
A real shark of a realtor who isn’t afraid to go after what she believes is right according to her skewed moral code.







Josh Holloway as Bubba Finn
Jenna’s brother, Bubba, has a thingfor married women…and his ownsister. Cue the banjos.




Susan Abel Sullivan writes paranormal mystery and speculative Young Adult fiction, usually with a wickedly dark sense of humor. She has written a smattering of horror, and even some bona fide science fiction, and has recently tried her hand at writing songs about vampire hookers from outer space and fried zombie dee-light!

Some of her favorite authors are: Stephen King, Janet Evanovich, Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Carrie Vaughn, Sue Grafton, Allen Steele, Robert McCammon, Lane Robins, & Richard Adams.

In addition to writing, Susan holds a BS in Exercise Science from Auburn Univsersity and is a certified Group X & Water Fitness instructor, Personal Trainer, Fitness Specialist, and Health Coach, as well as a licensed Zumba Fitness instructor.

She lives in a spooky Victorian house in northeastern Alabama with a husband, two dogs, and way too many cats. Susan writes a monthly column for the Calhoun Community Press: FUNdamental Fitness and she has written for the Aquatic Exercise Association.

Find Susan online at these links:

WEBSITE - www.susanabelsullivan.weebly.com


- http://www.facebook.com/susan.a.sullivan.927



- @susan_abel - https://twitter.com/susan_abel


Buy THE WEREDOG WHISPERER .

COVER: The Man Who Loved Alien Landscapes by Albert Wendland

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!


A science fiction novel that begins as a murder mystery and is taken over by an interstellar treasure hunt.

What could draw poet, explorer, loner and paranoid Mykol Ranglen away from the relative peace of his own ring-in-space habitat? He has no choice in the matter as one by one acquaintances are murdered or disappear altogether. Propelled by ever changing and deepening mysteries Mykol embarks to uncover secrets which could make people rich beyond their wildest dreams…or tear apart human civilization.

The escalating quest takes him through worlds of many dangerous extremes, leading him to confront the deadly alien Fist of Thorns, extinct species refusing to give up their power over the future, and those racing against him to uncover the secret first. But in the course of his pursuit, he must also face his own secrets. And some of these are even more dangerous.

The Man Who Loved Alien Landscapes by Albert Wendland

Cover Art by Bradley Sharp

Foreword by William H. Keith

Space Opera Paperback coming from Dog Star Books in June 2014

~~~

What They’re Saying About The Man Who Loved Alien Landscapes
"Mystery, heart-pounding adventure, and the dazzling wonders of far-flung space play significant roles in Wendland's breakout novel, all while gifting us with a mesmerizing tour of alien landscapes destined to get under your skin and remind you of the very reason science fiction exists: Not to escape to other worlds, but to find ourselves within them."
--Diana Dru Botsford, author of THE DRIFT and FOUR DRAGONS

Inside are alien worlds and titanic space habitats and a brilliant and paranoid hero, all skillfully blended together with long-vanished galactic secrets. Science fiction… good science fiction, by a college professor of literature who loves good SF."
--From the foreword by William H. Keith, New York Times Bestselling Science Fiction Author

BOOK: Blood and Iron by Jon Sprunk

Blood and IronPart One of The Book of the Black Earth Jon Sprunk445 pp • ISBN 978-1-61614-893-5 
Paperback • $18.00
March 2014
Cover Illustration © Jason Chan

 This action-heavy EPIC FANTASY SERIES OPENER is like a sword-and-sorcery Spartacus set in a richly-imagined world. It starts with a shipwreck following a magical storm at sea. Horace, a soldier from the west, had joined the Great Crusade against the heathens of Akeshia after the deaths of his wife and son from plague. When he washes ashore, he finds himself at the mercy of the very people he was sent to kill, who speak a language and have a culture and customs he doesn’t even begin to understand.  Not long after, Horace is pressed into service as a house slave. But this doesn’t last. The Akeshians discover that Horace was a latent sorcerer, and he is catapulted from the chains of a slave to the halls of power in the queen’s court. Together with Jirom, an ex-mercenary and gladiator, and Alyra, a spy in the court, he will seek a path to free himself and the empire’s caste of slaves from a system where every man and woman must pay the price of blood or iron. Before the end, Horace will have paid dearly in both.

Reviews Praise for Blood and Iron:
“The clear writing and fast pace make Jon Sprunk’s Blood and Iron a fun adventure of magic, political intrigue, and good old-fashioned heroes.”
—Michael Sullivan, author of the Riyria ChroniclesPraise for Jon Sprunk:
"The intrigue, action scenes, and ever-more-revealing character insights are masterfully woven together in a book the reader won't want to put down.... Overall, a first-rate sword-and-sorcery tale, with intriguing characters, that moves at a fast pace."
—Booklist"This book IS action. ...The pacing, action, and characters are all well written, and really that is what the focus is on for this novel. ...We'll read his stuff readily, every time. So should you."
—Elitist Book Reviews

EVENT: Pennsylvania Literary Festival

PA LitFest welcomes John Dixon as Keynote Speaker. John’s debut novel, Phoenix Island, inspired the CBS TV series Intelligence, starring Josh Holloway and Marge Helgenberger. Statewide Literary Festival in FayetteMay 30, 31 & June 1 The idea arose during a casual conversation between four Fayette County locals – two published authors and two television producers: Why not gather people and resources from across the state and country for a televised celebration of everything related to reading and writing?  From that chat, the Pennsylvania Literary Festival was born, and now, the building blocks are in place for a weekend-long festival, to be held at the Uniontown Mall May 30 through June 1.

The Pennsylvania Literary Festival, or #PAlitFest, as it is abbreviated by its growing group of followers on the social media Website, Twitter, will be coordinated by a team that is led by Fayette Community Television representatives Matthew Dowling and Dave Slusarick and husband-and-wife authors Jason Jack and Heidi Ruby Miller, who had the initial burst of inspiration for the event.

According to the Pennsylvania Literary Festival’s website, the gathering will seek “to engage and inform attendees concerning literary achievements, opportunities, and educational programs within the state and surrounding areas by assembling publishers, authors, libraries, schools, literary agencies, reading associations, book clubs, and the general public.”

The festival’s mission will be accomplished through author appearances and signings, readings, workshops, storytellers, and more. Fayette Community Television, a project of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce’s non-profit arm, the Redstone Foundation, will be in attendance to host two episodes of the community spotlight show “Going LIVE with FCTV,” and to record selected portions of the festival for rebroadcast.

Headlining the event will be keynote speaker John Dixon of West Chester, Pa., whose debut novel, Phoenix Island, inspired the CBS TV series Intelligence. Dixon has published over thirty stories, and formerly maintained the online magazine The Squid, which published the fiction of young writers from around the world.

Activities for children and contests for students will be an important component of the festival.

“We feel that in hosting the festival, one of our responsibilities is to advocate literacy and literature for young people… to show them that reading expands their imagination and opens them up to a whole world of ideas, and that writing is a great creative outlet that can have a profound impact on yourself and others,” Heidi Ruby Miller said.

Details about contests and competitions for area students will be available on the event Website, PAlitFest.com, in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the event team is seeking writers, publishers, schools, libraries, and community organizations that are interested in participating in the festival, through making a presentation, operating an information table, or assisting in event planning.

A limited number of intern positions are available, offering high school and college students learning experiences related to management, marketing/outreach, and multimedia production. (Applications due: MARCH 12)

Sponsors of the festival include FASTSIGNS Uniontown, Fayette Rental Solutions, Uniontown Holiday Inn and Conference Center, and Uniontown Mall. Sponsors will be recognized at the festival, on Fayette TV broadcasts, and in the official magazine for the event. More information for individuals and businesses interested in supporting the festival is available on the event Website.

Individuals interested in serving on the event team, or becoming involved with the Pennsylvania Literary Festival in any way should send a message to Team@PAlitFest.com.
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BOOK: Chasing Prophecy by James Moser

Title: Chasing Prophecy
Author: James Moser
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Thriller
Ebook available at: Kindle | Smashwords  




Book Description:
Mo is a shy teen who is just trying to survive high school. He has secretly fallen in love with a girl named Prophecy who lives with a group that some call a commune and others call a cult. When she disappears, Mo must find the courage to face the monster that her family has become. Chasing Prophecy is a contemporary coming of age story that is heartwarming, suspenseful, and beautifully written. This book chronicles the adolescence of one boy who must transform himself to save the girl of his dreams.

Kirkus Reviews:
"A stellar read for teens and adults, full of hilarious growing pains, tenderness and a few surprises. Moser’s debut is an unflinching young-adult novel that sees a group of friends tested by bigotry and the illegal machinations of a religious cult. The author serves up an irresistibly wisecracking narrator in Mo Kirkland. Every page ripples with a controlled cleverness. There’s also a rawness to this tale similar to that which many teens face in the real world. Moser can wax rhapsodic about young love, but he shows that he knows how to raise the tension in the second half of the novel."


Excerpt:
Richard said, “Why are you even talking, Maureen, I mean Maurice? Go sit in your highchair and let the grownups work this out, OK, little guy?”

Even with my new growth spurt, he never missed a chance to let me know I lived every second of my life ten seconds from a surfing lesson.

Max said coldly, “Don’t you clowns talk to him that way.”

Kazzy said, "—or we will kick your cracker asses."

I looked up at her and realized I’d been looking up to her my whole life. She was calm and still when she was standing up for herself. She didn’t have to stand on her tiptoes or raise her voice. When I tried to stand up for myself, I knew people saw the question marks in my eyes.

Kazzy’s eyes were full of answers, and I loved her. Deep inside me I felt something break, heal, and get stronger all at once.

Richard watched another carful of mourners pass us by. "Your little cult funeral all done?" he said.

Kazzy said, "Why do you say ‘Cult’? Do you see a fence keeping anyone in or out? Do you see us trying to blow anything up? There’s not a weapon on our whole ranch. You crackers have more guns than I’ve seen in my whole life."

I pulled out my pocketknife, found a smooth spot in the pine railing, and pushed the blade into the sun-bleached log. I worked the blade up and down, back and forth, deeper and deeper.

Kazzy said, "So let me get this straight. One of us jumps, and you don’t say ‘cult’ for two years? You don’t say a word to any of us all the way til graduation night?"

"That’s the deal."

I pushed the tip of the blade across the wood. I made a rectangle and rounded off the corners.

I pulled off my Seattle Mariners baseball cap and dropped in my keys and phone. I found a safe corner to stash my stuff near a gigantic steel bracket joining two logs. I walked to the other side of the bridge, across from the others.

Richard said, “We’re waiting, Kazzy, I mean Prophecy."

"Hey, Richard!" I said.

He looked at me. They all looked at me.

"Catch!" I yelled, tossing him my knife. I said, “It’s August twentieth. If you can’t spell ‘August,’ just write eight-dash-twenty."

They all stared at me. I held up three fingers. "Redneck Honor,” I said. I pulled off my shirt, dropped it to the ground, and ran right at Richard and Boo. They stepped back. Their eyes were full of questions.

For the first time in my life, my eyes were full of answers.

“He’ll never . . .” Richard started to say.

“Mo, DON’T!” Kazzy yelled.

Max screamed, “Oh, YEAH!!!”

My left foot landed on the orange Bigfoot “X”.

My right foot landed on the low rail. I pushed off.

I closed my eyes. I opened my eyes. I saw sky and mist kicked up by white water crashing into rocks.

I closed my eyes. I opened my eyes. I looked down. I was either going to just clear the boulder closest to the bridge or I was getting an ambulance ride, or I was about to die.

I screamed, “AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!”

The bottoms of my feet smacked the water hard, then all of me was underneath, then my feet hit the bottom. Knees and elbows on rock. I looked up through ten feet of clear, freezing water. Through the bumpy surface I could see the shapes of my friends, the colors of their clothes. I pushed off the bottom and shot through the surface.

Bloody. Dizzy. Alive. Icy water—snow the day before—stretched my skin tight.

I squinted up at the bridge, saw Max and Kazzy jumping up and down, arms over their heads, screaming. I pulled myself up to the flat top of a giant rock. I stood and raised my arms to the sky, the mist throwing little rainbows all around me. I held up the three-fingered redneck honor salute. My friends threw back their heads and laughed. They turned to Richard and Boo, showed them three fingers. The bullies walked slowly to their car. I stood on a rock but felt myself floating.

I thought, So this is what it means to fly.
About the Author:
James Moser has always loved stories in all forms. He is in his fourteenth year of working with high school students. The author’s goal was to write a book that would inspire even his most reluctant readers. Young adults have always inspired him. As such, he wanted to show teenagers transforming themselves to overcome obstacles, which is what he watches them do, every day.

Moser has a B.A. in English and a Master’s degree in Secondary English Education. He lives in Seattle with his beautiful wife and eight year old son. When he’s not reading and writing, or thinking about reading and writing, he’s watching way too much television while snacking on frozen treats from Trader Joe’s. Man, those things are good.

Where to find James Moser:
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