M.G. Herron's Blog, page 6
March 21, 2021
“Cry From a Far Planet” by Tom Godwin
ILLUSTRATOR MARTINEZThis story is reprinted courtesy of Project Gutenberg. View the source text.
Amazing Science Fiction Stories, September 1958
The problem of separating the friends from the enemies was a major one in the conquest of space as many a dead spacer could have testified. A tough job when you could see an alien and judge appearances; far tougher when they were only whispers on the wind.
Welcome to MGHerron.com! I’m your host, and you’re reading a classic sci-fi sho...
March 7, 2021
The Big Reading List of Indie Published Portal Fiction
One of the oldest and most beloved tropes in science fiction and fantasy is the portal story. It goes like this:
Hero discovers a portal to a new world and steps through it. Sometimes the stepping through is an accident, other times a choice. Either way, when they land on the other side they’re in a strange new world, and they must face an increasingly difficult circumstances to adjust to their new way of life, or fight like hell to get back home.
No matter...
March 1, 2021
“Panic at the Tomb” on Audible
A few years ago when Podium produced the audiobook of The Translocator, they also produced a bonus audio short story to help promote the big audiobook during launch.
That story is called “Panic at the Tomb”, and it takes place between book 1 and 2 of the trilogy.
It follows Eliana to Cairo where she tries to recruit Lakshmi to join the new archaeology exploration team she’s putting together. Lakshmi refuses, so she offers to extend her stay in Cairo as a ploy to change her mind. Her plans ...
Panic at the Tomb on Audible
A few years ago when Podium produced the audiobook of The Translocator, they also produced a bonus audio short story to help promote the big audiobook during launch.
That story is called “Panic at the Tomb”, and it takes place between book 1 and 2 of the trilogy.
It follows Eliana to Cairo where she tries to recruit Lakshmi to join the new archaeology exploration team she’s putting together. Lakshmi refuses, so she offers to extend her stay in Cairo as a ploy to change her mind. Her plans ...
February 26, 2021
10+ Best Sci-Fi Short Stories in the Public Domain
These days, it can be difficult to get your hands on many of the most famous classic science fiction short stories. Even outside of the famous names like Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, the majority of stories are still under copyright, and will be for years to come. Some are available as overpriced paperback collections or—more rarely—as ebooks. Most not at all.
Fortunately, for those interested in exploring the wealth of “Golden Age” sci-fi stories published from the mid 1930s SF pulp mag...
10 Best Sci-Fi Short Stories in the Public Domain
These days, it can be difficult to get your hands on many of the most famous classic science fiction short stories. Even outside of the famous names like Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, the majority of stories are still under copyright, and will be for years to come. Some are available as overpriced paperback collections or—more rarely—as ebooks. Most not at all.
Fortunately, for those interested in exploring the wealth of “Golden Age” sci-fi stories published from the mid 1930s SF pulp mag...
February 25, 2021
Mailing list CRASH COURSE for authors Copy
I’ll be at Half Price Books in Austin at 4pm tomorrow to give a talk on mailing lists and newsletters for authors for the Indie Author Society. If you’re in town and you’re an author you might find this useful. It’s free to attend. RSVP on Meetup here.
If not, that’s cool too — hopefully I’ll get a video out of it, if all goes smooth.
Mailing lists 101Ahead of the event, I wanted to make sure everyone who attends has their basics down. This means you at least have a free Mailchimp account, and ...
February 23, 2021
Casting “Culture Shock”
Last night we met friends who had listened to Culture Shock’s audiobook on a road trip and surprised me by showing up to Austin with all the characters cast as famous actors.
Needless to say, I was delighted.
In their version of the film, the hero would be played by Jeremy Renner. With his background as a superhero, he’d undoubtedly take the action scenes by storm while employing a dry wit to suit the wise-cracking bounty h...
February 21, 2021
The Auriga Project joins the Century Club
It’s been over five years since I published The Auriga Project, which recently joined the three-figure ratings club. Average rating is currently sitting at a 4.2 stars.
If you’ve read these books or shared them with your friends, thank you. I’m thrilled that people continue to enjoy some wild story I dreamed up on a bus ride home from Chichen Itza.
We’d gone into the jungle to visit the Mayan pyramids, and their scale and ingenuity blew my mind. I’d always known about them, but SEEING them...
January 16, 2021
The Our Heroes Sci-Fi Bundle
Do you like science fiction books?
Of course you do!
How about a great deal?
Come on, MG, who doesn’t!
Then check out The Our Heroes Sci-Fi Bundle at Storybundle.com.
Curator Melissa Snark writes, “The hero is at the core of every great story—facing fierce foes, defying death, fighting for the greater good… The Our Heroes Sci-Fi StoryBundle celebrates the men and women who undertake an epic journey, sacrificing so that others may be spared pain and suffering.
Our collection...
