Whatever Holiday Shopping Guide 2015, Day Two: Non-Traditionally Published Books
Posted on December 1, 2015 Posted by John Scalzi 239 Comments
Today is Day Two of the Whatever Shopping Guide 2015, and today the focus is on Non-Traditionally Published Books: Self-published works, electronically-exclusive books, books from micro presses, books released outside the usual environs of the publishing world, and so on. Hey, I put my first novel up on this very Web site years ago and told people to send me a dollar if they liked it. Look where it got me. I hope you find some good stuff today.
Please note that the comment thread today is only for non-traditional authors and editors to post about their books; please do not leave other comments, as they will be snipped out to keep the thread from getting cluttered. Thanks!
Authors/editors: Here’s how to post in this thread. Please follow these directions!
1. Authors and editors of non-traditionally published books only. This includes comics and graphic novels, as well as non-fiction books and audiobooks. If your book has been traditionally published — available in bookstores on a returnable basis — post about your book in the thread that went up yesterday (if you are in doubt, assume you are non-traditionally published and post here). If you are a creator in another form or medium, your thread is coming tomorrow. Don’t post if you are not the author or editor, please.
2. Completed works only. Do not post about works in progress, even if you’re posting them publicly. Remember that this is supposed to be a gift guide, and that these are things meant to be given to other people. Likewise, don’t just promote yourself unless you have something to sell or provide, that others may give as a gift.
3. One post per author. In that post, you can list whatever books of yours you like, but allow me to suggest you focus on your most recent book. Note also that the majority of Whatever’s readership is in the US/Canada, so I suggest focusing on books available in North America.
4. Keep your description of your book brief (there will be a lot of posts, I’m guessing) and entertaining. Imagine the person is in front of you as you tell them about your book and is interested but easily distracted.
5. You may include a link to a bookseller if you like by using standard HTML link scripting. Be warned that if you include too many links (typically three or more) your post may get sent to the moderating queue. If this happens, don’t panic: I’ll be going in through the day to release moderated posts. Note that posts will occasionally go into the moderation queue semi-randomly; Don’t panic about that either.
6. As noted above, comment posts that are not from authors/editors promoting their books as specified above will be deleted, in order to keep the comment thread useful for people looking to find interesting books.
Now: Tell us about your book!
Looking for your holiday dose of Norsemen, mythology, and axes? So many axes.
THE BLOOD-TAINTED WINTER is the first book in a new Norse saga. Rich with mythology, this new release combines Bernard Cornwell and Mary Renault, delivering action, feeling, intrigue, and a vivid world.
Raef Skallagrim wants to take the sea road. His ship is fast and sleek, his crew skilled and eager, and they will seek out new lands and win fame in the eyes of the gods. But Raef’s father refuses to allow the journey and when a stranger brings word that the king is dead and a gathering has been called to choose a successor, Raef must set aside his dream for his duty to his ancestral lands and his father.
When factions split at the gathering to choose a successor, Raef finds himself mired in bloodshed and treachery. Forced to make an uneasy alliance with a man he does not trust, Raef must navigate the tides of a war among three kings while seeking revenge for cold-blooded murder.
But winter has come early to Midgard, and even the gods will feel the cold.
E-book and paperback available!
Skol!
http://www.tlgreylock.com
(Fantastic timing as I must now go to the place where I exchange my brain power for digital information which I then exchange for a roof and food.)
http://insani-x.com/2015/10/29/thieves/
A woman, a man, and an AI. A hacker, a psychopath, and a crusader for justice.
Thieves is a free audio short story. Near future (it might happen tomorrow) sci-fi about a woman who couldn’t stop tracking down a puzzle and what she found at the end.
Space opera! Two Princesses and their navigator, lost on a mysterious planet! Ancient Galactic empires! Talking spaceships! Giant six-legged cat-beasts! It’s THE SONG OF FORGOTTEN STARS, Book Two of which, THE WISDOMFOLD PATH, just came out a few weeks ago. Suitable for all ages! More info on my official site (including ordering links).
(And as always, profound thanks to Mr. Scalzi for this opportunity to shout our wares from a pretty big rooftop!)
Thank you for this opportunity, John! My debut novel is BLOOD SURFER, the first in the THUNDER CITY series.
Their destiny is written in blood.
Welcome to Star Haven, where the police arrest and imprison alternative humans, if not execute them outright. When outlaw Hannah Quinn saves Officer Scott Grey’s life by bloodsurfing through his broken body, he winds up on the wrong side of the kill line.
Hannah blew any chance she had of escaping Star Haven when she chose to save Scott’s life. Scott has a reputation for killing Alts instead of arresting them. Now that she’s triggered his dormant Alt ability, he’s forced to go on the run with her until she can break his despised Alt power.
Suspicion dies hard after a lifetime of conditioning. Despite the threat to their lives, Hannah finds herself falling for the one man she can’t trust—and Scott falls for the woman who destroyed his life.
With love and mistrust at war in a city where betrayal can earn your freedom, will Hannah and Scott’s tenuous bond be enough to save them?
********
BLOOD SURFER delivers a fast-paced tale of danger and romance set in a well-imagined world of vivid characters, superhuman and otherwise. Recommended. — Richard Lee Byers, author of THE REAVER and BLIND GOD’S BLUFF.
You can find Blood Surfer at your favorite bookstore:
Kindle iBook Kobo Nook Print (Amazon)
An autographed edition can be ordered through:
Cliff’s Books
You can learn more about Thunder City and sign up for my newsletter at:
DebraJess.com
November Seed by David Nadas
Two field biologists from N.J. Fish & Wildlife discover a pair of waterfowl clinging to a metal cleat with twig-like growths protruding from their skulls and have traced the contagion to a common marsh grass called Phragmites. Shortly after their reporting to the CDC, the contagion has found a human host, then another and another. In less than 24 hours, Phragmites will release their seed to the world, carrying the contagion with it. The event happens quickly and is known among those who study this grass as, November Seed.
Great read that won’t disappoint.
https://offworlders.com/product/november-seed/
Save a father, rescue a giant, prevent a war. Duck Blood Soup – not just another fantasy novel. Available for $2.99 on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Duck-Blood-Soup-Caldarium-ebook/dp/B00AGOISEU/ and other fine formats. http://duckblood.com/purchase/
My series THE BENEVOLENCE ARCHIVES, a short story collection and a novel called THE SANCTUM OF THE SPHERE, is a sci-fi/fantasy/humor hybrid, influenced by Star Wars, Firefly and Douglas Adams. Lasers and spaceships and galactic threats, but the main characters are a gnome smuggler, her husband, and a halfogre.
My novel SKYLIGHTS is near-future sci-fi set in 2027; it’s about the second human voyage to Mars. The sequel to that book is currently in progress.
Finally, my newest book SEARCHING FOR MALUMBA is a memoir about my fifteen years of teaching.
All are available here in print or digitally. Enjoy!
http://www.amazon.com/Luther-M.-Siler/e/B00K9DQNWC/
I’m a bit surprised to find myself among the non-traditionally-published authors — and more surprised by what a great move it’s turned out to be.
When the original publisher of my novels allowed them to go out of print, I did the sensible thing: I got the rights back and republished them myself, as ebooks.
But it turns out that the Steerswoman Series (The Steerswoman, The Outskirter’s Secret, The Lost Steersman, and The Language of Power) is selling much better as ebooks than it ever did as paperbacks, and with a better rate of royalty, as well. I’m starting to wonder if my Day-job days are numbered…
Of course, great reviews helped:
From Hugo and Nebula winner Jo Walton: “If you haven’t read Kirstein’s Steerswoman books I envy you the chance to read them now for the first time…. I think they have a very good claim to be my favorite thing still being written. […] If you like science, and if you like watching someone work out mysteries, and if you like detailed weird alien worlds and human cultures, if really good prose appeals… you’re really in luck.”
Actual physicist Char Orzel (Eureka! and How to Teach Physics to Your Dog) said in Forbes online: “Maybe the best depiction of the process of science I’ve encountered in fiction is the Steerswoman series.”
In Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985-2010, Damien Broderick & Paul Di Filippo said: “[Kirstein] walks the tightrope between fantasy and science fiction with precision and grace… [her] compassion for even minor characters is evident on every page, and her prose is measured and alluring without being overworked.”
And noted online reviewer James Davis Nicoll: “These books are what SF should aspire to be; it is a shame they are not more widely known.”
Book One, The Steerswoman, is currently sale-priced at $.99, available everywhere ebooks are sold. Here’s the Amazon link.
Rider’s Revenge by Alessandra Clarke is a coming of age fantasy novel about a girl who sets out to avenge her father but finds herself in the midst of events far larger than that. (It also has a romance subplot, so be forewarned if you don’t like that kind of thing.)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1516880188/
Let’s be honest. You know you’ve always wanted to be able to do Magick. Who doesn’t? Mage Music: the Blog: Writings on Magick and Creativity is here to show you how.
Mage Music provides “…a different way of looking at Magick — not something limited to a selected elite in books of fantasy but something that could be tapped by any human with the requisite desire, will, and ritual.” (from one of the thousands… well, hundreds… well, the three reviews). An edited compilation of two years’ worth of posts to my blog of the same name, Mage Music is about the fundamentals of Magick, not as a dark art, but rather as a method for manifesting the changes you want in your life using your choice of any of the creative Arts as the ritual. Since I’m a Jimmy Page fan I use his work most often for examples (hence the title of the book), but you could tap dance or paint your way to Magick if you wanted to.
Available on Amazon $9.49 paperback, $7.99 Kindle, free for KindleUnlimited subscribers.http://www.amazon.com/Mage-Music-Writings-Magick-Creativity-ebook/dp/B00R3I808G
—
If Magick isn’t your cup of tea, how about something more prosaic? The Thrivalist: Beyond Survival in 2012 provides an introduction to living well in uncertain times. It’s a practical how-to guide for figuring out how to not just survive a disaster but to live comfortably whether it’s an extended power outage or a post-apocalyptic future. Available from Amazon for Kindle $2.99 or free for KindleUnlimited subscribers. http://www.amazon.com/Thrivalist-Beyond-Survival-2012-ebook/dp/B007X53P9I/
Imagine a planet with its center hollowed out to form the Pit, a prison to hold the gods. The gods tried to wipe out humankind, you see, even summoned up giant beasts the size of cities to wipe out said cities. Humankind won that war using wrightings, magical tools forged of special metal and imbued with soul energy harvested from heaven and hell. The humans imprisoned the gods and built new cities from the corpses of the beasts that destroyed them.
Imagine your grandfather sent you to apprentice as a blacksmith in the Pit, learning to forge wrightings and be a jailer to the gods. He wants you away from the surface world to keep your parentage a secret. Your father is the world’s most wanted terrorist, and your mother is the head of the wrightingworks he is targeting.
Imagine on your sixteenth birthday, someone attacks the Pit trying to breach the gods’ prison. The ensuing investigation reveals the secret of your parentage.
Suspicion in the attacks falls on you.
UNWILLING SOULS is the first book of its series. I’ll include the Amazon link here for Kindle and paperback, but its available in Nook, Kobo and iBooks as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Unwilling-Souls-Gregory-D-Little/dp/1518756425/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448937694&sr=8-1&keywords=unwilling+souls
I’m also running a Goodreads giveaway at this very moment, with five copies up for grabs if you enter by December 10th.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/164455-unwilling-souls
With a little twist on your typical family problems, THE ROAD TO HELL is a story about an underrated teen boy who must try to save his father from the clutches of a vampire before his father is killed…or turned into a vampire himself.
This story is available as both an ebook and a paperback. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017437W9W
Let me know what you think! http://clmannarino.com/
Hummingbird Futures is a collection of three previously published (by small presses) short SF and fantasy fiction.
It contains two stories from my hard SF West Country Singularity sequence (a policeman finds the end of the world in a soccer game and a gorilla rebuilds a bridge), along with the first Silicon Valley Magic story, where I start to explore the hidden secrets behind the tech world I write about in my day job.
Find it on Amazon Kindle here. It’s also free for the next five days!
Since 1970s/80s Star Wars nostalgia is a bit of a thing this year, why not check out the original paperback edition of Collect All 21! Memoirs of a Star Wars Geek – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1435743768/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gm02-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1435743768
– or the expanded e-book version?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GN83ES?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B008GN83ES&linkCode=xm2&tag=fiesedg-20
Or you could try something entirely different about friends, trains, and alternate realities, which would be Crossing Decembers.
http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Decembers-John-Booth/dp/1411691814
(Thanks, John!)
Are there any academics on your Xmas list? The Royal Academy at Osyth stories are for them! A development officer faces enchantment and incubi, an abusive prof is cursed by his grad student, a mild-mannered botanist is drawn into the world of green slavery and the department curmudgeon has to supervise the world’s most dangerous research museum in Want’s Master and Other Stories.
Folks willing to use e-readers can follow the adventures of a brand-new Demonology professor who picks up an unwanted friend at his first conference, find out what’s really in the Alchemy garden and why you should not go there, and sing along as the department head is swallowed by a demon in the Royal Academy novels.
Find links to all of these and more at http://www.raosyth.com.
Thank you John for the opportunity to tell folks about them!
EVO Nation by K.J.Chapman (Amazon Kindle 99p) http://www.amazon.co.uk/EVO-Nation-science-fiction-fantasy-ebook/dp/B010OSJPYE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448976683&sr=8-1&keywords=evo+nation
Blurb : The government tortures her, her own kind uses her, and she is learning the true meaning of ulterior motives. Teddie Leason has been dragged into the festering underbelly of the secretive world of EVO; a world about to be blown wide apart.
EVO are the next link in evolution, but with that title come the dangers of capture, torture, and experimentation. And with that threat come the need to survive, and a breed of EVO who are set to not only thrive, but rule.
Teddie has the fate of the EVO and Non-EVO world resting on her shoulders, and now, the reclusive teenager who couldn’t get upset without her unruly ability causing destruction, has to somehow embrace her gift to save her new friends and her new love.
Will the actions of one man fuel a suppressed, supremacist cult’s desire for war and vengeance, or will Teddie be strong enough to stop him? Should she stop him?
I’ll toss in my most popular series, Interesting Times. Oliver Jones is an entirely average man with an entirely average life, until things take a dramatic turn for the…well, interesting. He quickly finds himself in the company of a werewolf, a gunfighter from another dimension, and a girl who looks like she’s ten years old but witnessed the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. There is also a talking cat. Everyone likes the talking cat.
The first book is available at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGX9YVG/ . People seem to enjoy it. You might, too.
And many thanks to Mr. Scalzi for the space.
Time Travel. A disgraced guardian angel searches through the centuries for his lost love. Chased by the Time Cops, the guardian angels and a hungry kitten, if he fails to protect the inventor of time travel he will never see his beloved Lizzy again.
Last Days Forever.
Only in ebook. http://goo.gl/IIHcsL
Thank you, Mr. Scalzi for the opportunity.
Dystopian YA fiction is not dead.
An endless war! A repressive regime. A teenage girl in an illegal love affair, with another girl. A “free election” fixed by computers. A rumor of underground resistance. A radical preacher. A simmering hope of liberation. A handful of rebellious teenagers. A stolen cache of weapons.
These are the explosive ingredients of Discarded Faces by Betty Cross, now available as an ebook from double-dragon-ebooks.com. Recommended for ages 15 and up.
Purchase here: http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-55404-740-4
You can find my other two novels, Mistress of the Topaz and Mistress of Land and Sea at Double Dragon also.
I’ve got a couple of new novella’s out on Kindle. Each is a self contained story set in my Star Saga universe.
Devon’s Blade – Commander Devon Ardel is sent to a remote base on a backwater world to take over a struggling starfighter squadron. She soon realizes that her pilot’s simply lack the will to fight an enemy that has dominated them for months. Inspiring her people to fight proves easy enough until the enemy retaliates with a new and deadly fighter. Now she must figure out new tactics and overcome an enemy ace who threatens to kill them all in single combat aerial duels.
The Blood Empress – Empress Nykostra wasn’t like the previous rulers of the Votainion Empire. While still a youth she beheaded her Soothsayer and drank his blood. The blood of the Kwizera-lonn changed her. It made her clairvoyant and it hastened her descent into a wrenching madness.
Thanks for allowing this opportunity again, John!
FROM FIRED TO HIRED IN 113 DAYS (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KIYYE2S?keywords=from%20fired%20to%20hired%20in%20113%20days&qid=1448976682&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1) is the 30-ish page e-book that arose out of exchanging electro-messages with a then-unemployed colleague. Like many of us, I’ve done my share of job-searching over the years, and was urged to more broadly share what I have learned in those efforts.
(Parroting the monster talents that I humbly associate with in this virtual space, massive El Supremo Thanks to the esteemed and generous Mr. Scalzi for sharing his massive interwebs access with us small fry.)
Hi, Everyone!
Glad to be part of this. And, hey, what perfect timing — my new Christmas novel was just released by Red Adept Publishing at a special ebook price of only 99 cents!
SEEKING THE STAR is an inspirational Christmas tale that takes place in a cozy Cotswold village. A stranger with a secret past enters the town on a cold December night, collapsing on a cottage doorstep. After he’s nurtured back to health by the couple who lives there, he meets the friendly-but-quirky villagers and begins to find the redemption he so desperately seeks.
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Star-Chilton-Crosse-Book-ebook/dp/B011J46RMA/ref=zg_bs_7588886011_29
SEEKING THE STAR is actually the third book in my Cotswold series, but it’s very much a stand-alone novel for the holidays.
Series link: http://www.amazon.com/Chilton-Crosse-3-Book-Series/dp/B016DEKK3I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1446595890&sr=8-4&keywords=traci+borum
If you’ve clicked a link or read this far along — many thanks!! :-)
Traci Borum
“Between graduation and the apocalypse, a chance at love.”
Download my free book, 4, and remember what the 90s were like that time the world almost ended.
http://gabrielposey.com/?page_id=285
Swords and sorcery, dragons and beer, saucepans and laughs! Join the innkeeper of The Dragon’s Flight, Catlyn Fordman, as she battles the undead and tries to get her customers to pay their bar bills in this Pratchett influenced fantasy – HEROES WANTED – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJFOTWW
Or, if post apocalyptic sci-fi Westerns is more your style, check out the adventures of a crystal-eyed gunslinger in the first of the CRYSTAL EYES series – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ZJ56GY and the sequel, SORROW’S HERALD – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W5TZ0EU
Many thanks to John for providing this platform. You are a gentleman and a scholar, sir!
http://allendonnelly.com/
Ten strangers trapped in time… and one of them is just as dangerous as the
dinosaurs.
– – – – – THE DINOSAUR FOUR – – – – –
4.0 out of 5 stars (450+ customer reviews)
A recent review:
“If you start to read this tale, you’ll get hooked and then won’t be able to put it down. At least that is what I discovered. I was only able to read it, at first, in small snippets and couldn’t wait until I could get back to it. Finally, I found myself ignoring everything just so I could read. The last pages were read at something like 3:30am when I should have been asleep. Mr. Jones has created a world of terror and he doesn’t mince around when a character dies. At first the characters are a little cookie-cutter but as they are weeded out, the remaining characters begin to fill out and you can’t wait to know what happens next. The dinosaurs are well written. I think I would enjoy another trip back in time with the gang. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.”
Author’s note: The Dinosaur Four contains violence, profanity, and adult themes.
Thank you Mr. Scalzi for the opportunity to share this here!
I’m an appellate attorney who eventually returned to the love of her life, writing fiction. Recently I brought vocation and avocation together in a reference work for authors, about-to-be-authors, law students, prelaw students, and anyone who’d like to understand the American legal system better. I tried to keep the tone (mostly) light and the prose comprehensible — and I’ve been gratified to hear that I pulled it off.
Closest to the Fire is available in paperback and ebook formats. You can find the purchase links, as well as the detailed Table of Contents and a whole lot more, on the book’s website.
MARIAH’S DREAM by Grace Bridges: Belfast, Northern Ireland – a dystopia meets a perfect fantasy.
Kindle and print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZM0HX6W/
Reviewers say: “You can still hear the Titanic being built, even in 2079.” – “Recommended for those concerned about sustainable agriculture, world hunger, conservation and ecology.” – “IT MADE ME ANGRY!”
How far would you chase hope?
What if you could change the world?
The green has gone from Mariah’s Ireland. Every garden and field that was once lush with crops is now lifeless muck. And yet Mariah holds one seed…the seed of hope.
Together with Liam, her staunchest supporter, Naomi the biologist, Deborah, whose son sold out to the Senate, and Peter the farm boy, she sets out to make Ireland green again. That is Mariah’s hope. It is Mariah’s dream.
Mariah’s dream will change everything.
The Chronicles of the Kathya is space opera with a fantasy twist. Follow Rei, Captain of the Kathya, as she and her crew chase ill gotten gains and gems of ancient knowledge all while trying to stay one step ahead of her enemies.
Forgotten Relics, kicks off the series, but the latest, Captured Spark, is current available for 99 cent preorder until it releases on December 30th.
PRETTY DEADLY vol 1 is out in trade paperback! This comic, by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles (edited by me), is a fantastical western fable about love and death.
https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/pretty-deadly-vol.-1-tp
How about some time travel adventure and romance with dinosaurs? Think Mad Max and Jurassic World, except the hero is a woman:
Former soldier Andrea Herrera isn’t happy with where her life’s taken her. Specifically, Hell Creek, Montana, 65 million years before the present. As far as careers go, making sure the dinosaurs don’t eat her paleontologist clients comes in a pretty dismal second choice to serving her country. But when their time machine malfunctions, Andrea and her team are trapped in a timeline that shouldn’t exist with something a hell of a lot more dangerous than terrible lizards: other humans.
Kidnapped by the stone-age descendants of a lost time colony, Andrea finds herself stripped of her technological advantages and forced into a war against the implacable armies of the Slaver Empire. Even worse, the Slavers have captured the time machine and the mission’s one surviving paleontologist, using his futuristic weapons for their own ends.
Andrea’s only hope lies with the ferociously intelligent and violently insane tribal war-leader, Trals Scarback. Armed with his mystic sword, his trained velociraptor, and his herd of war-triceratops, this former slave has the resources and motivation to take on the empire. But can Andrea persuade him to see her as a partner rather than a tool for his ambitions? Only if she beats the barbarian at his own game and becomes the Tyrannosaur Queen.
http://www.thekingdomsofevil.com/?page_id=1884
A transatlantic tale of family feuds, corrupt politicians and . . . zombies?
Ben Potter’s life is a shambles. As a journalist he’s hit rock bottom, writing dreck about monsters and ghouls to make ends meet after a big story blew up in his face. As a son he’s a disappointment, unwilling to follow his father, grandfather, and great grandfather into the family business. As a father, he’s mostly just not there.
Now a new assignment could change all that. All he has to do is go from London to the hills of West Virginia to investigate the strangest of stories his great grandfather told. Did a sleazy politician really raise the dead to try and win an election? And if he did, what happened to the zombies? Could they still exist? Ben needs to find out, to solve the mystery and find a way to get his life back on track.
But once he finds the answer, Ben has to face a whole new batch of problems. Does he use what he learns to put his life back on track? Or is he compelled to do the right thing, even if it leaves his life a mess?
The hardest part of a mystery is deciding what to do once you’ve solved it.
Moore Hollow – available in electronic and paperback form from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014WQC5QE
http://www.jdbyrne.net
@JDBAuthor on Twitter
Thanks for this opportunity!
My latest stand-alone novel is WILLOW HILL. I’m calling it an alternate history/steampunk mystery. Here’s a brief description:
“Andrew Manson has traveled to Pensacola, Florida, to see his college friend Richard Abbott get married to a local lady, Samantha Grimes. The Civil War ended over a year ago, and all seems bright for the couple.
“But a rumor threatens to spoil the happy occasion. Samantha’s uncle is believed by some to have secreted away a fortune on the eve of the War. Those that believe the tale think the fortune is buried on the plantation he owned, Willow Hill.
“Ghost sightings, contradictory stories, and murder complicate the efforts of Andrew Manson to find out the truth of the tale. Can the promises of airships and inventions help or hinder Andrew as he tries to uncover the secrets of Willow Hill?”
It’s available in print and as an ebook. You can find the store links at the SF/F books page at my blog, along will everything else I have out: http://robertlcollins.blogspot.com/p/my-sff-books.html
David Gerrold’s A DOCTOR FOR THE ENTERPRISE limited edition comic – http://amazingstoriesmag.com/product-category/comics/
and our growing line of anthologies, facsimile editions and novels from FuturesPast Editions –
https://futurespasteditions.com/?p=2167
https://futurespasteditions.com/?p=2169
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Amazing-Stories-Anthology-Classics/dp/1503307751/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448978126&sr=8-1&keywords=best+of+amazing+stories+1927
http://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Life-Amazing-Stories-Classics/dp/1500768693/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448978188&sr=8-1&keywords=the+seeds+of+life+amazing+stories
What if you could walk through a waterfall and find yourself in world like the one you left behind, but subtly different? A place where the physical features looked the same, but with fewer people, with less technology, with a little bit of real magic?
What if just such a door existed in the middle of an art festival in Laguna Beach, California?
Meet Jack, who travels freely back and forth, and acts as a guardian – of a sort. Marla helps Laguna Beach’s abused and forgotten young women. Carly is struggling to grow up in spite of a drunkard mother. Gisele carves small animals alive. And more…
Originally funded as part of a successful kickstarter, Beyond the Waterfall Door is available in ebook format at Amazon.com.
Have that special someone who loves fantasy but wants something off the beaten trail? Like more of the literary stylings of Lord of the Flies and Catcher in the Rye? Maybe wants to read about cultures based on Native American spirits, Japanese and French languages, and just a dash of steampunk? This is the story for them.
At seventeen, Rutejìmo wanted nothing more than to be the clan’s greatest warrior. He dreamed of sprinting across the desert faster than a horse and using sunlight and flame as a weapons against the night. He wanted to be the hero that everyone spoke of over the fires.
When he and four other teenagers were abandoned in the middle of the desert, it wasn’t Rutejìmo who became the warrior, but his rival Chimípu. She was already the fastest and strongest. With her new powers, she became everything Rutejìmo dreamed for himself.
Plagued by jealousy and desperate to prove himself, Rutejìmo abandoned her to begin the long trek back home. One selfish choice led to another, and soon Rutejìmo’s fantasies were stripped away to reveal the man he had become. To redeem himself, he must sacrifice his pride for his clan, survive a warrior looking for blood, and offer his throat to the woman who stole his dreams.
Sand and Blood is the first of three novels exploring Rutejìmo’s life. It is a harrowing tale of self-discovery and his search to find his place among friends, clan, and the brutal world of the Mifuno Desert. It is set in an gritty world where the only way to learn magic is to risk death and survive.
TIME LIKE BROKEN GLASS is a fantasy novel, featuring magic and magicians, But it is also a time travel story.
In a world of magic one city is the focal point for a desperate struggle that is fought through all of time.
Mages harness the powers of different elements – air, fire, ice, metal, even death – and wield that power in their struggle to survive. But one powerful mage can cantrol time itself. Now mages and mortals alike find themselves allied against that power and three heroes, separated by vast gulfs of time, must find a way to save the magic, the great city and existence itself.
http://www.amazon.com/Time-Like-Broken-Glass-Magistria-ebook/dp/B00XT97DKO
My latest novel BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS is the story of a future Earth populated exclusively by identical clones. Seven billion people who all look, think, and act the same, and are killed and processed into more clones after a single year alive. That is, until one day, by a freak accident, one clone manages to survive his first birthday…
Available now on Amazon.
The Workhouse War is a Christmas story.
An afternoon for sketching in peace – that was all Nadine Darby wanted. She thought she was taking a shortcut to get past an overgrown levee and gain a better view of the Mississippi for some landscape work. Instead she ended up somewhere else. A place called Elyssium, where the past walks alongside the present. Where you can see a modern car pull up and a Confederate Navy officer climb out, talking on a cellphone.
On the riverbank Nadine met a strange little man who told her he was an artist as well, and showed her his sketchbook to prove it. But no sooner had Nadine made her first friend than she discovered all was not well. She watched in helpless horror as a young man was pursued, arrested and beaten by thugs from an institution that goes by the official name of the City Orphanage, but is generally called the Workhouse by the inhabitants of Port of White Fleet.
Nadine can count herself fortunate that she fell into the company of a man who has little use for this organization. But his efforts to help her attain her artistic ambitions instead attract the attention she must avoid, and draws her into quarrels that have simmered for decades.
Can Nadine thread her way through the myriad perils of this world and save herself and her new-found friends? And even if she defeats the Workhouse, will it be at the cost of losing everything she’s found here?
My first novel, Head of State, came out this year. It’s in the Faction Paradox series (a spinoff from the Doctor Who novels) but works on its own. It’s actually trad-published, by Obverse Books, but for some reason it’s not currently on Amazon so I’m linking it here today rather than yesterday. http://obversebooks.co.uk/product/head-of-state-andrew-hickey/
‘When the seventh head speaks, the War will end…’
In 11th century Arabia, Shahrazad tells her final story, on the thousand and second night.
In 19th century Britain, Sir Richard Burton is sent on the most important mission of his life.
In 21st century America, a serial killer is stalking a Presidential campaign.
And the hero has been written out of the novel.
‘”…and the true War will begin.’
People in North America would be better off ordering this from WhoNA, a bookshop specialising in Doctor Who-related stuff — http://www.whona.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=W&Product_Code=FPHEADSTPB&Category_Code=factpara
What’s more Sci-Fi and Fantasy than turning your food into edible spheres and foams dispensed from metal canisters? I have a whole range of books covering molecular gastronomy, sous vide, and modernist cooking that will help you take your cooking game up to another level. Learn “sufficiently advanced” kitchen technology to make your cooking “indistinguishable from magic”!
To start, I recommend my best selling sous vide book: http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/pages/modernist-cooking-made-easy-sous-vide
My modernist party foods book: http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/pages/modernist-cooking-made-easy-party-foods
My whipping siphon book: http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/pages/the-whipping-siphon-book (especially effective at Dr Who parties if you yell “FOAMING! FOAMING!” in your best Dalek voice as you dispense the foam)
Or my comprehensive book on infusions: http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/pages/modernist-cooking-made-easy-infusions
All books are available in paperback from Amazon and on Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and PDF.
Thanks all! (and thanks for the opportunity Scalzi!)
Don’t Listen to Your Parents.
No, seriously. That’s the title of my book.
This non-fiction book is about my thoughts and opinions on the world around me while I’m not listening to my parents. Some of the essays include topics like sex, dating, drugs, art, sports, violence, freedom, and much more.
Click here to buy on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Listen-Your-Parents-Thoughts/dp/1518704913
Are you looking for something to brighten your day or to tickle your inner unicorn? If you are, then ALIEN ABATTOIR AND OTHER STORIES is not the book for you. But if you’re into dark worlds, perilous situations, and impossible moral dilemmas, then this grimdark anthology may be just what you need to sully your soul.
ALIEN ABATTOIR AND OTHER STORIES is an anthology of grimdark science fiction and fantasy that includes stories about cursed alien artifacts, interstellar investment banking, ancient alien astronauts, parallel timelines, alien experimentation, and space colonization gone horribly wrong.
Both paperback and e-Book are available.
Texas is independent. Technology,corruption, and civil war have heralded in a new age of lawlessness.
J.D. is the sheriff in Dead Oak and it’s his job to hold strong the line of justice. A rancher gets himself murdered and J.D. needs to track down the killer before a megastorm wipes out any evidence.
This sci-fi western is an action-packed read and the perfect gift for anyone who loves cyberpunk, westerns, and guns.
Justice in an Age of Metal and Men
Also available now is Grit and Grace: A Metal and Men Novella. It’s full of action and violence and it’s a great introduction to the world.
Grit and Grace
Letters to an Old God
When a terrorist attack destroys the city of Ankan, the government sends for Tyran, the world’s foremost expert on magical destruction and a Shard–a magician who focuses energy through crystals. The president is focused on blaming the tree people in order to start a war to steal their land. When what Tyran finds becomes more complicated than the president hopes for, factions emerge that will tear the country apart.
Count von Abberdorf was staked, beheaded and burned by the villagers who lived beneath his castle on a hill, and there was the strong possibility that he deserved it . . .
Ever wonder what might have become of Wednesday Adams if she’d gone looking for her Prince Charming? Add in a Big Bad Wolf who reads Dostoyevsky, a scarecrow-like vagabond obsessed with avocados, and a bat-winged Puss-in-Boots, and you have a sense of my YA novel, THE FALLING OF THE MOON, published this October by World Weaver Press.
Some writers twist fairy tales. I shake ’em until their teeth rattle and they fall apart and reassemble themselves into configurations never before seen. If you like your humor served witty, with a side order of heart, check out THE FALLING OF THE MOON, available in both trade paperback and e-formats.
Link Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Moon-Moonfall-Mayhem/dp/0692526013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448980134&sr=8-1&keywords=falling+of+the+moon
World Weaver Press: http://www.worldweaverpress.com/store/p78/The_Falling_of_the_Moon.html
Free avocados to all who read and enjoy it.
Kidding.
Do you like good jokes?
Sorry then, this isn’t for you.
It’s just bad jokes.
Really bad jokes.
One liners, knock-knock jokes, looooooooong shaggy dog jokes.
Jokes that will make you want to throw your kindle across the room in disgust.
Illustrated with over 70 photographs!
Of which, at least three are somewhat funny!
Really Bad Jokes Volume I: Stupid, but Clean
Skip the paperback – it’s overpriced.
The Kindle version is just a buck.
It’s probably overpriced too.
The holidays are upon us, and that means it’s time for people who haven’t actually read the Bible to talk about how important it is to them and to everyone. Tired of not knowing what’s actually in the book, but just can’t bring yourself to sit through the tedious writings of some millennia-old scribes?
You need OKAY, SO LOOK, a humorous retelling of the Book of Genesis! This non-fiction book will walk you through the highlights of the Bible, which are of course the inconsistencies, bits of poor writing and other parts to make you laugh.
Available as an ebook or a hardcopy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Okay-So-Look-Humorous-Retelling-ebook/dp/B015QH2UKY/
And also at other fine retailers, the complete list of which can be found here: http://annorlundaenterprises.com/books/okay-so-look/
Read the book that Rabbi Art Blecher called “highly informative for both cynics and traditionalists alike”!
Like fairy tale retellings? Try my book The Beauty’s Beast, a sweet fantasy romance.
“…a page-turner fairytale for the adult (or younger!) dreamer….I really enjoyed this tale!…I can definitely see myself in Kathryn, a very practical, witty, and compassionate handmaiden to the new queen (i.e. think a more demur, non-glamorous, and 16th Century Jennifer Cruisie heroine). How can you not like a book with a cheeky protagonist and a noble gentle-… were?”
~Night Owl Reviews
Available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jxaDrq
More info and other vendor links on my website here:
http://edwalkerbooks.com/
Sixty years ago, the world ended – and took most of humanity with it. Little pockets of it survived, after a fashion, and built societies to try and preserve it. But it’s when those societies meet – even in as simple a form as a noble mistress and her new freeborn slave – that humanity shines forth the brightest.
Ray Anselmo’s THE SLAVE AUCTION, the first novel of the Scotia Saga, is available from Million Dreams Press. Don’t miss it! myBook.to/theslaveauction
Thanks for the opportunity to post here John! Much appreciated!
Most historical fiction embedded in the Elizabethan era tends to be bodice-ripping tales of Court intrigue, set amidst the silken splendor of palaces. Mine tends to hang about in ale-soaked taverns, muddy streets and fetid back-alleys where cold-steel by lantern light offers redemption or grim death by turns…
My debut novel THE JESUIT LETTER released earlier this year! In November it was reviewed and picked as an Editor’s Choice selection by the Historical Novel Society, and long-listed for the 2016 HNS Indie Award. Here’s a quick summary:
Ex-soldier turned play-actor Christopher Tyburn thought he had left bloodshed and violence behind him when he abandoned the war against the Spanish in Flanders, but fate has different and far bloodier plans waiting.
When Tyburn accidentally intercepts a coded latter from a hidden Jesuit priest in Warwickshire, he is entangled in a murderous and deadly conspiracy. Stalked by unknown enemies, he must race to uncover the conspiracy and hunt down the Jesuit to clear his name. . .or die a traitor’s death. His only hope – an eleven-year old glover’s son named William Shakespeare.
You can grab a copy of THE JESUIT LETTER exclusively on Amazon in either print or ebook formats.
http://amzn.to/1SufHJu
You can also get my prequel novella BLACK DOG for FREE on Amazon Kindle from Dec. 10 to the 14th, if you want to get a taste of London’s dark underbelly.
http://amzn.to/1Tr9hM5
Enjoy & happy holidays!
THEY CALL ME CRAZY by Kelly Stone Gamble
http://www.amazon.com/They-Crazy-Kelly-Stone-Gamble-ebook/dp/B00OSTANDS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1448980416&sr=8-1
“Fried Green Tomatoes meets Dolores Claiborne. This character-rich southern gothic-esque tale will keep you guessing up to the very end.” – NYT Bestselling Author Kate Moretti
Cass Adams is crazy, and everyone in Deacon, Kansas, knows it. But when her good-for-nothing husband, Roland, goes missing, no one suspects that Cass buried him in their unfinished koi pond. Too bad he doesn’t stay there for long. Cass gets arrested on the banks of the Spring River for dumping his corpse after heavy rain partially unearths it.
The police chief wants a quick verdict—he’s running for sheriff and has no time for crazy talk. But like Roland’s corpse, secrets start to surface, and they bring more to light than anybody expected. Everyone in Cass’s life thinks they know her—her psychic grandmother, her promiscuous ex-best friend, her worm-farming brother-in-law, and maybe even her local ghost. But after years of separate silences, no one knows the whole truth. Except Roland. And he’s not talking.
MIDNIGHT BURNING
An Urban Fantasy Novel
Solina Mundy lives a quiet life, running the family bakery in the foothills of North Carolina. But a nightmare of a vicious wolf devouring her twin brother changes everything. When Solina learns her dream was real, she journeys to her brother’s home in Alaska, the Land of the Midnight Sun, to search for answers.
Solina soon suspects her brother’s friends are more than they seem, and they know more than they’re willing to admit. Skyla, an ex-marine, is the only one willing to help. As Skyla and Solina delve into the secrets surrounding her brother’s death, Solina learns her own fate is tied to his friends, his murder, and a dark history of forgotten myths, legends, and ancient gods.
Solina also discovers a powerful new ability. She must learn to control it if she’s to keep everyone safe. If she fails, a long-lost dominion will rise, and everything she knows will fall into darkness.
When you get a taster flight of wine or beer, you notice things about the individual members of the flight that you wouldn’t notice if you had them on their own. I think the same thing can happen with stories.
I recently published Missed Chances, a “taster flight” of classic short stories all with a theme of “the one that got away.” They range from funny (e.g., Aunt Philippa and the Men, by L.M. Montgomery) to tragic (e.g., The Victory, by Rabindranath Tagore). All are great stories that have stood the test of time, and I think that by reading them together, you’ll notice aspects of them you might miss if you read them on their own.
And they’re just fun to read.
Missed Chances is available as an ebook from Amazon, BN.com, iBooks, GumRoad, and Kobo, and as a paperback at Amazon. You can also buy it as a gift card from GumRoad- you get a nice printable card with the cover on the front and a gift code on the inside that your recipient can use to download the ebook.
Here is the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Missed-Chances-Short-Stories-Might-ebook/dp/B017AMC07Q/
And here is the book’s home page, with links to all the other retailers:
http://annorlundaenterprises.com/books/missed-chances/
The Earth is dying. To save it, one young woman will have to embrace her Mayan heritage and master powers she does not want.
Following the death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with an aunt she’s never met. Little does she know, the entire population are channelers—magical people who immigrated there when they were driven out of their homelands. Channelers are tied to the fate of the world, and as it slowly dies, they are going extinct—and they alone have the power to save the earth. Soon, Eren learns she not only lives among them, but she is one.
http://heathermccorkle.wix.com/heathermccorkle#!channeler/cnec
Fantasy with a Twist
Fate’s Door – Secrets, like troubles, come in threes. Nerine, a sea nymph of the ancient world, knows too much about both. Love and coming of age in a mythic Mediterranean where the gods and goddesses of old shape history.
Amazon: http://a-fwd.com/com=jmnegr-20&asin=B017V04XCM
Caught in Amber – When young Fae awakes in a locked and deserted castle, she remembers nothing. Who she is, where she comes from, none of it. A mythic tale of family and betrayal told with all the twists and moments of sheer joy that belong in epic fantasy.
Amazon: http://a-fwd.com/com=jmnegr-20&asin=B017LDYE14
Winter Glory – Caught in a cold and snow-shrouded wilderness, far from home, Ivvar confronts the woman he once cherished and an ancient scourge of the chilly woodlands in a complicated dance of love and death. Ivvar’s second chance at happiness – and his life – hang in the balance.
Amazon: http://a-fwd.com/com=jmnegr-20&asin=B017LDFGUW
Happy holidays! :D
Dragon’s Honor
Rule 1: don’t marry an arms trafficker.
Rule 2: don’t fall in love with your bodyguard.
Rule 3: if you’ve somehow managed to fail at following Rules 1 & 2, don’t sell your jewelry for weapons money and run off to join a resistance movement that is almost certainly doomer. No. Stop. Come back. Put the weapons down. Oh, dear.
Fair Catch,” by me, Del Darcy, makes a great Christmas present for a reader interested in a poignant and realistic love story about two football players from rival high school teams. Blake and Alex’s competing ambitions threaten to break them up despite their strong attraction. Follow them through their final season competing together and into college — will love conquer all?
Published by Prizm, the YA imprint of Torquere Press, various editions are available. Here’s the link to “Fair Catch” at amazon.com
Looking for some epic fantasy in non-Western settings?
CHILDREN OF SUN AND MOON
The marriage of the Solar Emperor to the Lunar princess can end decades of war among the Skyfall Isles. Chandi, a scion of the Moon God, might have relished that peace … if only that Lunar princess were not her cousin. If only the two of them were not being sent the live in the Solars’ underwater city. And if only Chandi were not ordered to steal the Solar secrets for her people.
Chandi’s heritage makes her stronger, faster, and stealthier than any mortal–the ideal spy against the Solars. But every use of those powers drives her one step closer to lunacy. And Chandi must constantly avoid revealing her true intent to Naresh, the Solar set to protect her and her cousin. But as he shows her the wonders of the domed underwater city, she begins to realize the Solars are not what she thought. Soon, she’ll have to choose between loyalty to her people and her own heart.
A terraformed colony planet cut off from the rest of humanity. People get by. They work and do research, they marry and have kids. But there are hard constraints and unexplained rules. There are unanswered questions. There are unasked questions.
Lanton, the packet runner, Emi the librarian, and Mokan the renegade scientist each have their own questions, but they might not like all the answers.
MIASMA self-published by Pete Alex Harris is SF with a lot of science in it and some romance (which I didn’t expect to be there, but it turns out my characters decide what they want).
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Miasma-Pete-Alex-Harris-ebook/dp/B00Z0JHA5E
(also on kobo and smashwords if you want EPUB)
What happens when unreality becomes our reality?
Game designer Glen Cullather is about to find out.
PLAYER CHOICE is a fast-paced sci-fi gaming adventure:
http://www.amazon.com/Player-Choice-Jeff-Deck-ebook/dp/B00T01SAWA
It’s 2040. With neural implants, people can play games in an immersive virtual reality known as the aether space. Game designer Glen Cullather has a plan for the most ambitious aether game ever imagined: a fantasy epic that gives players the freedom to do anything.
But Glen’s own life is fragmenting into alternate realities. He can’t tell whether his aether game idea has succeeded, or failed miserably. And Freya Janoske is either his biggest rival, or his most intimate partner. Glen must figure out what’s real and what’s, well, fantasy — for his own survival!
“Highly recommended to all geeks.” — Words and Peace book blog
Thank you so much for offering this opportunity, John!
Sheriff. is a 6-foot sauropod with a gun and he might just know how to use it. See him take on grave robbers, feral chickens, and interdepartmental jurisdiction in a rural backwater with mysteries knee high and rising. Issues 1 and 2 available now with 3 on the way. Come check it out!
If you’re looking for something on the sexy side for your holiday season, try Thankful Hearts by Evelyn Aster. It was a best seller at All Romance https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thankfulhearts-1921896-149.html in November and is also available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Thankful-Hearts-Holiday-Cafe-Book-ebook/dp/B017OA0S46.
All Stacy wants is the perfect Thanksgiving at her new house. And after a year without sex, a boyfriend would be the whipped cream on the apple pie.
All Hudson wants is the perfect Thanksgiving after his third Army tour in Afghanistan. But he arrives home to find his brother engaged to his girlfriend. He takes off on his Triumph motorcycle to drive 700 miles to the only place he can think of: the Holiday Cafe.
Stacy and Hudson knew each other on Words with Friends, but when he arrives to meet Stacy and share an Apple Pie Latte with a shot of toffee their relationship goes from platonic to romantic faster than his Triumph accelerator.
CLAWS
OF THE GOLDEN DRAGON
Trouble in Strikersport When a mysterious evil force known only as the Voice begins to take control of the local mobs in the coast city of Strikersport, two new heroes appear on the scene. Their origin, the neighborhood streets of Chinatown. The masked Tiger and Dragon wield both science and magic in their battle to combat the forces of darkness. Soon several of the city’s prominent citizens become players in this cataclysmic war. These include players from a wealthy family with roots to Strikersport history, a rookie cop and a crusading newspaper editor. Writer Barbara Doran spins a classic pulp adventure with breakneck pacing, original characters and a tangled plot that will keep readers guessing to the very end. Mixing martial arts with Chinese mysticism, she offers a truly unique action mystery sure to entertain readers from beginning to end.
I wrote this out of frustration with my much loved pulps and Hollywood’s tendency to treat Asian characters like bit players with no personalities and far too much foolish accents. What, I wondered, would happen if I wrote a pulp/early 60s TV adventure where the Asian characters were part of the story and had more to do than look mysterious and perilous. What if the mysterious masked men really were Asian heroes? What if James Hong got to play the part of a congenial Tong boss on the good guys’ side?
WAR EAGLE WOMEN
http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Women-Tina-Coleman-Bausinger-ebook/dp/B00GXP1T1K
Samantha has a secret, and it’s killing her.
In the sleepy town of War Eagle, Arkansas, a tiny place steeped in Indian legend, a tragic car accident sends 17-year-old Samantha to the surgical ICU. Sam hovers between life and death, and her mother Eden worries that ghosts from the past have come for retribution. Deep in the recesses of Sam’s psyche, she hears the legends of the War Eagle Women and experiences a journey of her own where she finds her own identity within the words of the old tales.
“It is definitely inspiring to witness a literary star in the making, and there is no doubt that War Eagle Women will prove a success, not only for Bausinger, but for all of East Texas.” County Line Magazine
“This is a very good book, very well written, and being told from the memories of three different generations adds a lot to the interesting storyline.” Rene’s Getaway Book Reviews
“Congratulations on an excellent debut, Ms. Bausinger!” Goodreads
“Haunting, with a complex array of characters who each tell their own story in their own way. War Eagle Women is a poignant reminder that we are individuals with a history of strengths and weaknesses.” Goodreads
I work on the genetics of nematodes – roundworms typically about 1mm long – and when my sister had a kid a few years back I was inspired to create a cartoonish children’s book about how a tiny worm can use the power of symbiosis to survive and thrive. You can see a complete preview at this YouTube link, with links to a Kindle version and to contact me if you would like a physical copy.
THE PEGASUS POTENTIAL
On the day 12-year-old Sophie learns she may never walk again, she discovers that her seemingly-ordinary farm horse, Rooster, just might be able to fly. Together, they face a high-altitude stampede, a powerful snob, and a deadly secret before Sophie’s dreams can come true in a way no one ever imagined.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Pegasus-Potential-Pamela-Love-ebook/dp/B00N6WY49W
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/471238
DRAGON WHISPERER is about a young woman born immune to fire and forced to keep the peace with her kingdom’s dragons.
In the romantic fantasy category, AFTER THE DRAGON RAID features Tassia and Sam, who fall in love after she rescues him in a raid, but their world is turned upside down when his past catches up with him.
For the novice writer in your life, WORD SORCERY 101 offers guidance on the basics of good storytelling and a glimpse into the world of editing and publishing.
Thanks for the platform, John. Much appreciated!
Firstly, thanks, John!
Zeck is a bizarre sci-fi fantasy set in a world ruined by war and populated by wizards, super soldiers, and cyborg horses. Thirty years after the Churlian Empire conquered the world, a new threat from the bottom of the globe makes itself known. Former adversaries become uneasy allies in order to survive against laser-wielding homunculi in pneumatic suits and ravenous meat monsters.
Full of dark humor and memorable characters, Zeck is the first novella in a new series inspired in equal parts by pulp sci-fi, bizarro fiction, and Robert Heinlein.
Plus, there’s snake magic and weaponized spiders. Available in paperback and Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/Zeck-1-David-Jewell/dp/1517546842/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448982905&sr=8-1&keywords=zeck
Crazy Little Thing Called Dead
Sex, Death and Diapers (but no babies). Irreverent Mystery that’s long on attitude and short on violence. The third in the Bree MacGowan Series, this is for readers who like their mystery light, but a little racy to be called a cozy.
Available in Print, ebook and audible. Audible is the best, the incomparable Sara Mackie does a fabulous job as Bree.
http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Little-Thing-Called-Dead-ebook/dp/B00IQKUSIA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448983098&sr=8-1&keywords=crazy+little+thing+called+dead
Pitch the first: The Blood Calling series – YA vampires committing acts of mercy as they run from state to state to state, trying to stay ahead of other vampires who want them out of the picture.
Pitch the second: Originally sold as indie novels, then picked up by a publisher. Became top 100 Kindle bestseller. Now the publishing contract has expired and I’ve put them back into print myself.
Pitch the third: Future books are coming, but these three books (well, four, there’s a novella in there as well) tell a complete story that won’t leave you hanging in the event that I vanish off the face of the planet.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_gnr_fkmr0?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ablood+calling+patterson&keywords=blood+calling+patterson&ie=UTF8&qid=1448982711
Happy holidays, everyone! Thanks for this opportunity to post about my releases for this year, John.
THE BELLBOTTOM INCIDENT is the third and final book in my time travel series (ebook/paperback). Julia Olsen and Nate Kirkland, St. Sunniva University’s time-traveling crime-stoppers, are facing their toughest challenge yet: Sabina, their adopted niece from the lost city of Pompeii, has run away—into the bellbottom decade, of all places. The only clues to her whereabouts are hidden in a Kurt Vonnegut novel. Can Sabina be rescued before the final, unstoppable showdown with History?
http://amzn.to/1XCT3Qt
THE FELINE AFFAIR is a prequel novelette to the series (ebook only). A wager concerning a famous physics cat has everyone at St. Sunniva University’s time-travel lab choosing sides. Meanwhile, food has gone missing from the biology department fridge. Dean’s assistant Julia Olsen is on the case…or would be if the new chief of campus security didn’t stand in her way. Can Julia rise to the double challenge presented by one sneaky thief and one elusive historical cat?
http://amzn.to/1XCT7jg
Murder. Mayhem. Dumplings.
DIM SUM, DEAD SOME, another snarky Josie Tucker mystery.
Enjoy! And may you be hungry for more a half hour later.
http://myBook.to/DimSumDS
SF/Space Opera
DERELICT (Halcyone Space, book 1)
When Rosalen Maldonado tinkers with the derelict space ship, she doesn’t count on waking its damaged AI or having three stowaways on board. If the accidental crew can’t figure out how to work together, they’ll die together, victims of a computer that doesn’t realize the war ended decades before any of them were even born. http://www.ljcohen.net/derelict.html
ITHAKA RISING (Halcyone Space, book 2)
When Jem Durbin disappears, his trail dead ends at the black market. Ro Maldonado and Jem’s brother, Barre, race to fix their derelict ship, desperate to find Jem before he sells his future, risking his mind for an illegal neural implant. But they’re not the only ones looking for “The Underworld” and its rogue planet, Ithaka. What they find endangers more than just the three of them and forces them to confront a very different truth about the war they believed was ancient history. http://www.ljcohen.net/ithakarising.html
SAILOR TO A SIREN is a high-octane space opera thriller with a murky gangland setting.
Two brothers, Connor and Logan Cardwain, accidentally steal a superweapon during a regulation drugs theft, and find themselves in far more danger than racketeering had previously offered them. Every nearby crime king and would-be smuggler starts pursuing them for the superweapon, threatening Connor’s ambitions to start his own business. Logan’s girlfriend Éloise – an intergalactic rent-a-cop armed with powerful magic – stands in the way, but in a world where magic itself cannot be trusted, maybe Éloise herself is the biggest danger around.
“Addictive, fast-paced and highly entertaining” – review of Sailor to a Siren on Risingshadow
“If you like your space opera fast and violent, this is the book for you” – Jaine Fenn
SAILOR TO A SIREN is published with Elsewhen Press: it is available in paperback via normal channels in the UK (via Amazon only in other countries – or directly from the publisher) and in ebook format for Kindle, Nook and many other e-readers.
http://elsewhen.alnpetepress.co.uk/index.php/catalogue/title/sailor-to-a-siren/
Wow, thanks to John Scalzi for this awesome promo opp for my debut fantasy novel TRAITOR KNIGHT!
Lies… Betrayal… Deception… And that’s just the good guys.
When Morgan rescues a damsel-in-distress from a dragon, he expects she’ll swoon, murmuring “My hero!” Instead, Marissa has only loathing for the man everyone believes will betray Kilbourne. That’s fine with Morgan. A woman in his life would just complicate things.
A high-level informer threatens the kingdom’s security, and Morgan is out to stop him. Posing as a turncoat himself, he walks a fine line between honor and betrayal. A single misstep could result in disaster, and his mission is fraught with distractions: the pesky dragon, a pair of conniving courtiers, and the disillusioned damsel who’s certain Morgan can’t be trusted.
If Morgan’s going to save the kingdom, win the girl, and manage to stay alive, he’ll need to step up his game. Because the traitor is lurking in the shadows, and his scheme calls not just for the betrayal of Kilbourne, but also the destruction of Morgan McRobbie.
e-book format for Kindle, Kobo, Nook:
Available from Champagne Books http://tinyurl.com/pffcmpv
or fromAmazon http://tinyurl.com/z4ryjxw
A lot of these books look quite wonderful! However, if the person in your life who needs a gift wants something ridiculous, like so many of us do, may I suggest my choose your own adventure science fiction romance parody, The Adventures of Mari Shu? Mari Shu skewers genre fiction, movies, tv, my friends, maybe your friends — you name it. It’s currently at three volumes full of raunchy WTF hijinks, with the first one free.
Volume 1: Earthbound Passion – http://jodywallace.com/books/earthbound-passion/
Volume 2: Martian Conquest – http://jodywallace.com/books/martian-conquest/
Volume 3 (now with dino porn!): Far Galaxies – http://jodywallace.com/books/far-galaxies/
This is what you get the reader who thinks he or she has read everything…and who has kind of pissed you off.
Hi everyone! Happy Holidays!
I’d like to share my YA Contemporary Fantasy series, Prophecy of the Dragons. It’s a completed trilogy (Book 3, Dragon Magic, came out today, actually) about dragons and magic and the multiverse in our present day. I’m going to share with you the link to the first book, Dragon Guard. I’d love for you to get started with that one, either for yourself or for, as this topic is intended, gifts, and then move on to the next two to finish out the trilogy. (All three are also available in the Kindle Unlimited program, if you’re a member).
Here are the description and link for Dragon Guard: Book 1 of Prophecy of the Dragons.
As if high school wasn’t hard enough.
Sophomore Ben Phillips thought his biggest problems were homework and his bickering parents, but when he runs into a couple of wandering zombies on his way to school, he realizes there is a whole multiverse of worse things out there. His life gets even weirder when he falls for the new girl at school, Andi Thomas, who is a 758 year-old dragon in a fifteen year-old girl’s body. If all of that isn’t enough, fate has decided that Ben should be Andi’s Dragon Guard, her soul-bound mate with superpowers straight out of comic books and video games.
When a demon-infused necromancer kidnaps first Ben’s parents, and then Andi’s, those powers are the only thing that could save them. Unfortunately, Ben and Andi are only partially bound, meaning their powers aren’t anywhere near full strength. Will they be strong enough to save the day?
Oh, and there’s also the matter of a mysterious prophecy that Ben and Andi are at the center of …
Dragon Guard on Amazon
Thanks! I hope everyone enjoys!
[Deleted because today is for authors (and editors) to post, not fans and friends — that day is Thursday. Warcabbit, I emailed you back the text of this entry so you can repost on Thursday — JS]
What says happy holidays more than zombies? A fun, fast-paced read with coconuts, self-reflection, survival, and noodle keugel. You know, the usual.
Zombie Tetherball by Terry Taylor Hobbs
Thanks for the space, John!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B014LBRJA2/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1442549302&sr=8-1
The Golden Age of Heroes, capes and cowls is over. Beaten to death by fear, propaganda, and a weapon that renders Supers helpless; writhing on the ground and incapable of using their powers. One super, a young, blue-skinned man named Zeke, stumbles upon a plot involving sick torture and experimentation on his own people. He also discovers that he is somehow immune to the weapon that has crippled every Super it has struck: the Nullifier.
A sci-fi/comic blend with lots of high-intensity action. A book that’s been called a true page-turner!
“A sci-fi masterpiece!” – Amanda Porter
“Could not out it down, I was up all night!” – JD Mandrell
“Imaginative and amazing! I cried, twice.” – Ashley Nache
PARAGON is available on both eBook and Paperback, find it here!
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/stormstriker
Thank you for doing the promo post, John!
Jupiter Justice by Donald J. Hunt
“Ah, I know that look on your face, Captain Schroeder. You think we are paranoid, but we are paranoid by necessity.”
Jupiter 2269.
While at the funeral of a friend, Rico Schroeder is drafted into a murder investigation. The victim was an expert in antimatter physics, competing for the largest cash prize in human history. Suddenly, his friend’s death seems like much more than just an accident. As Rico pursues the killer, he must contend with a partner he doesn’t trust, a scheming crime lord who owns an asteroid, a past lover whose help he needs, and the paranoid ruler of the dwarf planet Ceres. Rico’s in a high-stakes game of chase that could lead to war in the solar system—unless he can stop the killer in time.
PRINT & KINDLE:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1516972546
My book, First Brood: Dreamhunter; is the first in a series of vampire novels featuring a woman who can hunt vampire souls in the astral world and snuff them out. Here is the summary of the book and the link to Amazon! Thank you so much for this opportunity!
” Vampires are dying by the hundreds. The Lilim – vampires born of Lilith – are accustomed to death, but their brethren are being taken in their sleep with not a single physical trace left on or near the piles of ash that were once their bodies. When Lilith calls her favorite vampire son, Auris, to investigate, he risks his very soul to find the Dreamhunter and save his kin from extermination. But this hunter’s appearance dredges up painful secrets from Auris’ past which may destroy his mind well before the Dreamhunter can steal his soul.”
http://www.amazon.com/First-Brood-Dreamhunter-Tales-Lilim-ebook/dp/B0051ZSA60/ref=la_B007H8NALY_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448985468&sr=1-1
“When I was a child, the school library had a Girls’ Section, which included fairy tales, and a Boys’ Section, which included all the science fiction. Things have changed, of course, but not enough. There is a strong need for science fiction, as opposed to fantasy, aimed at girls, especially in the middle grades. This anthology is an important contribution to the effort to fill that need, and I’m delighted to be a part of it.”~ Nancy Kress, winner of six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award
Earlier this year we published the 2015 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide – a collection of 24 science fiction stories aimed at middle grade readers with a focus on diversity and representation. Girls, boys, robots – everyone is welcome here. Our authors ranged from Hugo and Nebula winners to relative newcomers in the field. http://dreamingrobotpress.com/2015-young-explorers-adventure-guide/
And we’ve just released the 2016 Collection, with another 22 stories.
http://dreamingrobotpress.com/2016-young-explorers-adventure-guide/
Happy reading to all!
Shadowed Vengeance: The Third Arcane Court Novel
As a Dragon Lord of the Arcane Court, it’s my job to hunt down demons who toy with or kill humans. My bonus is the magic I absorb sucking down their putrid squirming souls. The new local demon lord, Kragen, is the oldest living drug dealer and we blew up his primary warehouse in Vegas last year. I’m sure he’s planning ways to pick my scales off one by one.
In the meantime, his most dangerous henchman captured human women, chained them to a wall, and captured a fellow dragon. I know it’s a setup, I don’t care. No one hurts humans in my town.
If my demon powers keep me alive long enough to survive the trap.
ARCANE COURT SERIES:
The Arcane Court was created in the early 1600’s to police paranormal individuals. It was a reaction to Cimmerian, a dragon, saving Wretch, a demon-dragon hybrid from his psychotic demon family. At the start of the series, the court is made up of five dragons and two demons who established the laws. This will change as we go along. Their main law is simple: No abuse of humans for fun and entertainment. Humans are not lab rats and we will not tolerate demons who use humans for games which result in death to the human.
Cim and Wretch work for the Court in New Orleans. They hunt rogue demons and keep vigilant watch out for Wretch’s family. Cim protects the humans in his city from a danger they don’t know is lurking. He owns a paranormal club in the French Quarter across from the French Quarter Market. The manager/bartender is Grace, a jaguar shifter who Cim thinks of, and treats, as a daughter. Along with the local werewolf pack, they try to keep peace while enjoying as many vices as possible.
Death Dealer: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GAG32N0
Red Lady: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017DKNYES
Shadowed Vengeance: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017DKNYI4
Demon Child: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017GDRGVO
Thanks John.
There is a lot of scifi and fantasy being posted. I’m not sure this is the crowd, but anyone up for a straight up romance? “This City Of Flowers” might be for you!
It’s set in Seattle and is a story about architecture, civic development, the importance of tattoos, and whether it’s worth giving up who you are to have your dream job. Come for your dose of pining, queer romance, and bemoaning the existence of the hideous EMP. One of my reviewers called it, “It’s a gentle read perfect for rainy days and hot mugs of tea.” If that sounds like something you’d like, I have you covered!
It’s available on Amazon for a static price of 5.99$ here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010Y9O4MQ
It’s also on Gumroad for 3.99$/Pay What You Want here: https://gumroad.com/l/YPUF
And thank you to Mr. Scalzi for the opportunity.
I’ve had a thing or three published this year – I’ll try and be brief.
My latest novel is called Random Dingoes. It is the third in my multiverse series. Transdimensional Authority investigators Noomi Rapier and Crash Chumley are called to another universe to investigate a cartel that peddles a drug that seems to let people see into multiple realities. Just as they are about to confront the cartel kingpin, they are thrown out of the universe because somebody has invented time travel. They find they have to team up with Time Agency agent Radames Trafshanian to stop the unauthorized time traveller. (If you’re not familiar with small British FSF publisher Elsewhen Press, which puts out my novels, you should check them out – they’ve published some really entertaining stuff.)
What the Hell Were You Thinking? Good Advice for People Who make Bad Decisions is the sixth book in my self-published series of Alternate Reality News Service article collections. (Think: a science fiction version of The Onion.) This one, as the title suggests, is a collection of advice columns.
I have also had two short stories published that I would like to bring to your attention. “Was Breakfast Good for You?” was published in Robotica: The Real Relationships of Artificial Life Forms (which I also helped edit). Canadian micro-publisher Pop Seagull Press has already put out some awesome anthologies – you should check them out, if only for the bragging rights you’ll have when Pop Seagull breaks big.
Finally, there was “The Stupefying Snailman, Gastropod of Justice versus The Disease That Steals the Soul,” which was just published in the second issue of England’s Singularity magazine. What happens when a superhero drifts into dementia? Only one way to find out!
Thanks, as always, to John Scalzi for giving us the opportunity to make our work known to his blog readership. It’s commendable that he uses his fame to support other writers, large and small.
TREASURED CLAIM
A Multi-Award-Winning Paranormal/Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Desperate for treasure, a dragon resorts to thievery, but a knight steals her heart…
A shapeshifting dragon on the verge of starvation…
For Elaina Drake, sparkling jewels aren’t a frivolous matter. Without more treasure for her hoard, she’ll starve. On the run from her murderous father, she’s desperate enough to steal—er, acquire.
A modern-day knight seeking redemption…
Disgusted by his father’s immorality, Alexander Wyatt, Chicago’s biggest corporate titan, is determined to be a man of honor. Yet the theft of a necklace, stolen by an exotic beauty at his latest fundraiser, threatens to destroy all his charitable work.
A predator made prey…
Passion ignites between thief and philanthropist, sparking a game of temptation where jewelry is the prize. But when Elaina’s exposure jeopardizes Alex’s life, she must choose: run again to evade her father—or risk both their lives for love.
Find all the buy links at http://jamigold.com/treasured-claim/
Thank you so much for the opportunity to tell people about our books!
Falling Into Flight
In a world where polar ice caps have nearly melted and the big quake rocked the entire west coast of the U.S., New Seattle rises from the rubble. A series of islands, a community divided.
Angus grows living buildings, the first of their kind. But something’s gone terribly wrong.
Caer’s an air dancer. The first human born with wings after decades of engineered humans. She’s expected to be the best of the best.
Then she meets Angus and all hell breaks loose. Caer suffers a likely career-ending injury, Angus is accused of attempted murder.
Readers who crave Post Apocalyptic stories and those looking for hopeful futures for humanity will love this book.
ebooks available at most vendors, but I’ve only listed three below:
(Coming in paper early in 2016)
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VB9L8AK?keywords=falling%20into%20flight&qid=1448942456&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/falling-into-flight/id980811596?ls=1&mt=11
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=falling+into+flight
Linda Jordan
http://www.lindajordan.net/
This year I published Part 2 of the Mason Chronicles entitled “Connect”. This story follows the events of Part 1, “Contact” (I know, obvious order of part 1 and part 2 is obvious).
Picking up right after the thrilling events of Contact, we find Mason and his team of Contacts fractured. Mason, C’er, and Tank race towards a destination that they do not know while Diana sets out on her own path towards revenge. Dathan’s horde of Brothers continue their crusade across the wastelands of the world of After. They offer a simple choice to all those they encounter: Join them and rebuild world from the ashes, or be burned to nothing.
Connect continues the Chronicles of Mason in the world of After. It is a harsh and unforgiving place and Mason is its perfect Paladin. He travels with a Prophet named C’er whose precognitive abilities are maddening, but somehow stifled by Mason’s presence. For this task he has made two contacts so far. First is a mutated giant named Tank who has exceptional abilities with all forms of tek, but otherwise is like a small child. Second was Diana, a teenage girl with natural affinity for all forms of weapons and combat. While Tank needs to bring the group someplace special, Diana is bent on revenge against Dathan and his army of Raiders who destroyed her village.
Meanwhile in a mysterious Facility from the time Before, a small group of people struggle to restore systems that they do not fully understand. Systems that may not want to be fully restored…
Connect is Available now on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015ERQHXM and Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/577597
Contact is Available as well on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DD4HY3Q and Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/325654
For more information on either you can review my Blog: https://richjonesblog.wordpress.com/
Thank you John for the opportunity to promote here, and thank you all for your consideration.
Have a wonderful Holiday!
Best of the season to all of you – and many thanks to Mr Scalzi for hosting this thread!
Weaving history with the present, fact with fantasy THE KNIGHTMARE is a genre-bending action/adventure.
When Formula 1 racing driver Conor Westfield is involved in a horrific racing accident, he is determined to devote himself to getting back behind the wheel and resuming the career that has been his obsession. But as he is recovering from his injuries Conor’s childhood nightmare recurs, a strange jumble of terrifying images that feel more like memories than dreams. Can it be mere coincidence that the very next morning he is informed a mysterious woman with whom he had very brief affair has died and left him as her heir? But this was no ordinary woman, no ordinary affair. Dogged by a feeling of déjà vu at every turn, Conor travels to Amsterdam to identify the body. At her home he finds an illuminated folio that transports him to the year 1209 and a past life as a Knight Templar embroiled in two missions—one secret, both dangerous. There he finds the woman he left behind and a life lived in the shadow of a tragedy that cries out across 800 years for resolution.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Knightmare-Deborah-Valentine-ebook/dp/B00BI1CWOC
Wreck of the Nebula Dream by Veronica Scott
(“Titanic in space…”) SFR Galaxy Award Winner
The story: A reimagining of the Titanic disaster set in the far future among the stars…
Traveling unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, Sectors Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson is ready for ten relaxing days, and hoping to forget his last disastrous mission behind enemy lines. He figures he’ll gamble at the casino, take in the shows, maybe even have a shipboard fling with Mara Lyrae, the beautiful but reserved businesswoman he meets.
All his plans vaporize when the ship suffers a wreck of Titanic proportions. Captain and crew abandon ship, leaving the 8000 passengers stranded without enough lifeboats and drifting unarmed in enemy territory. Aided by Mara, Nick must find a way off the doomed ship for himself and several other innocent people before deadly enemy forces reach them or the ship’s malfunctioning engines finish ticking down to self destruction.
But can Nick conquer the demons from his past that tell him he’ll fail these innocent people just as he failed to save his Special Forces team? Will he outpace his own doubts to win this vital race against time?
Amazon (and other ebook retailers): http://www.amazon.com/Wreck-Nebula-Dream-Sectors-Romance-ebook/dp/B007K3P2JE
Thank you, Mr Scalzi!
Technology has transformed our homes, schools and workplaces, from castles to virtual prisons. This book will help you discuss privacy and security issues with your children, grand parents, teachers, employees and elected officials.
Use it to start conversations at the dinner table, educate yourself, your family and your community.
Take BACK your rights…before it’s too late.
UNPLUGGED Luddite’s Guide to CyberSecurity: What To Teach Your Kids & Grandparents BEFORE They Access The Internet. Purchase from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/UNPLUGGED-Luddites-Guide-CyberSecurity-Grandparents/dp/0984424830/
THE LEGACY HUMAN (Singularity #1) – on sale for 99cents (limited time)
What would you give to live forever? Elijah Brighton wants to become an ascender—human/machine hybrid—they’re smarter, more enlightened, and achingly beautiful. But Eli’s a legacy human, preserved for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state miraculously lands Eli a sponsor for the creative Olympics, he might win the right to ascend. But when Eli arrives at the Games, he finds the ascenders are playing games of their own. Everything he knows starts to unravel… until he’s running for his life and wondering who he truly is.
The Legacy Human is the first in a new young adult science fiction series that explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul in a post-Singularity world… and how technology will challenge us to remember what it means to be human.
BUY HERE
In an alternate Jerusalem, a factory worker decides to steal a piece of the merchandise – one of the assembly line golems used as personal servants and blue collar workers.
http://www.amazon.com/Golem-Factory-Aimee-Kuzenski/dp/1518757375/
Let’s – a charming and playful story of merry monsters, friendship and forgiveness.
It’s a children’s picture book (you might have guessed) that’s fit for grownups, too (which you might NOT have guessed). Illustrated with my pretty delightful monsters, originally done in watercolor.
I’ll stop now because it’s 32 pages and if I write any more, this will be longer than the book. :)
http://scaryfairyfactory.com/kidsbooks
A YA fantasy novella with a twist: no castles, no knights, there aren’t even any cities, and nobody’s invented the wheel yet. A Gift from the Sky, by Jonathan Reeves, is palaeolithic “spear-and-sorcery”, the first foray into a world where magic, like a stone tool, is only as good as the hand that holds it.
Also by the same author, Izzy Hartley and the Luminal Magnifier, a scientific adventure concerning genius, tea, space exploration from the comfort of your own home, and what to do in case of military invasion. Keep your eye out for the sequel, Izzy Hartley and the Impossible Bridge, coming in 2016!
I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!
Lots of people are wondering about NATO’s role after the Paris attacks, but have a poor understanding of how NATO and its members operate. My co-authored book with David Auerswald “NATO in Afghanistan: Fighting Together, Fighting Alone” explains how NATO works and how much is left up to each member to decide (nearly everything). The book addresses mostly Afghanistan but also the Libya effort. The first chapter is free and available at Princeton University Press http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s10149.pdf and the book can be found at Amazon and all of the usual online outlets.
Heir To The North, by Steven Poore, is the first half of an epic fantasy from Grimbold Books here in the UK.
“Caenthell will stay buried, and the North will not rise again until I freely offer my sword to a true descendant of the High Kings—or until one takes it from my dying hands!”
With this curse, the Warlock Malessar destroyed Caenthell. The bloodline of the High Kings disappeared and the kingdom faded into dark legend until even stories of the deed lost their power. But now there is an Heir to the North.
Cassia hopes to make her reputation as a storyteller by witnessing a hardened soldier and a heroic princeling defeat Malessar and his foul curse. But neither of her companions are exactly as they appear, and the truth lies deep within stories that have been buried for centuries.
As Cassia learns secrets both soldier and warlock have kept hidden since the fall of Caenthell, she discovers she can no longer merely bear witness. Cassia must become part of the story; she must choose a side and join the battle.
The North will rise again.
Thank you for reading!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0156HGMGW (UK – kindle/paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Heir-To-North-ebook/dp/B0156HGMGW (US – kindle/paperback)
I’m going to let a reviewers words do the ‘talking’ here….
5.0 out of 5 stars Old school detective fiction with a fresh, paranormal flair
By TC Phillipson March 8, 2015
I have a certain special place in my heart reserved for detective fiction, and as such I jumped at the opportunity to get my hands on an advanced copy of RM Ridley’s new White Dragon Black Anthology, the latest addition to the growing case files of his paranormal PI Jonathon Alvey. Brooding, cantankerous, and so deeply flawed he’s almost on the verge of shattering completely, Alvey is a fantastic homage to the hardboiled detective fiction of old with a fresh insertion of the mystical and arcane.
Conjuring images of rot-gut bourbon, duplicitous dames and dangerous foes, Ridley manages to channel some of the best traditions left over from the old school of detective fiction, long before the current obsession with forensic scientists, psychoanalytic profilers and savant anthropologists polished the genre to a fine gloss and (sadly) caused it to lose its trademark, rust-pitted edge. Thankfully Alvey, however, is detective made purely of rust-pitted edges, the kind of man more content to have a beer for breakfast and leave his office unlocked to save him having to pay for the repairs caused by those seeking to break in. What truly sets Alvey apart though, is his unique field of expertise. A practitioner of the arcane arts, Alvey’s typical case load involves a hefty amount of hex and spell work, along with dealing with the odd reanimated corpse, poltergeist and mysterious tome. And amongst all of this, the biggest danger Ridley has made his character face is his insatiable addiction to the magic he barely controls – an addiction Ridley potently describes as making “heroin look like chewable children’s aspirin”.
Full of intrigue, danger and bleak humour – the stories in Blondes, Books and Bourbon not only expand on the world Ridley introduced us to in his debut novel Tomorrow Wendell, but rather supersede it. To me, detective fiction has always been best captured in the form of the short story, and I relished the opportunity to learn more of Alvey in this format. Whilst I’m excited to see more of Ridley’s PI in his forthcoming second novel, I also sincerely hope to see more of Alvey in future anthologies – to me the short story is where he really shines.
Overall a great read, particularly suited to be enjoyed on a dark night with a cheap bourbon sloshed into a dirty coffee cup.
I whole heartedly rate this anthology five fingers of the finest, cheap bourbon you can stomach.
http://www.amazon.com/Blondes-Books-Bourbon-Dragon-Anthology-ebook/dp/B00THP4CBC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
King Arthur, the once and future king, lies sleeping until he is needed once more. This is the story of how he knows when to wake up. It’s a tale of love and hate and learning to accept yourself as you are, as a group of near strangers gather together to prevent him from waking too soon.
Ring of Nine is a fantasy novel for ages 10 and up, available as paperback or ebook.
tinyurl.com/ringofnine
I’d like to share my novel Erased, a sci-fi/action tale that my editor likes to describe as “Firefly meets Bladerunner, with a dash of Total Recall.”
Blurb: Grey Singer doesn’t know who she is or what she’s done. All she knows is that the InterStellar Collective wants her dead. Her memories are muddled, she has no money, and no one to watch her back except a much younger bartender who claims to be her boyfriend. According to him, she’s been erased.
But how can she trust him to help her get through this when she can’t even trust her own mind? While caught in the middle of warring factions her very life, and the lives of countless others, might depend on the answers.
“With her latest release, Liz Strange has burst into exciting new territory. ERASED has everything you want: a kick-ass heroine, a shadowy government agency, and a futuristic plot so gripping that the pages practically turn themselves. What’s not to like?” – David McAfee, author of 33 A.D., 61 A.D., and OLD SINS
“Liz Strange weaves intrigue, violence, sex, double- and triple-crosses, and blazing laser-pistol action in a space opera that hits the ground running and never stops.” – Matthew Hughes, author of the Archonate series.
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/ERASED-Liz-Strange-ebook/dp/B00NO5H9DE/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448989250&sr=1-11&keywords=liz+strange
Happy reading!
A frustrated homemaker searches for God and finds Bigfoot instead.
Join Jackie Majesky and family in a delicious black comedy skewering consumerism, Christmas, and our search for meaning. A novel of belief and belonging, steeped in humor and hope.
You can order from Amazon, or from the publisher here: http://www.bonafidebooks.com/bigfoot
Thanks for this opportunity, John!
HORIZON – by Tabitha Lord – Releases Today!!!
Caeli Crys isn’t living—she’s surviving. On the run after the genocide of her empathic people, she witnesses a spaceship crash near her hidden camp. When she feels the injured pilot suffering from miles away, she can’t help but risk discovery to save his life.
Commander Derek Markham awakens stranded on an uncharted planet. His co-pilot is dead, his ship is in ruins, and he’s only alive because a beautiful young woman is healing him with her mind.
As Derek recovers, Caeli shares the horror of her past and her fear for the future. When Derek’s command ship, Horizon, sends rescue, Derek convinces Caeli to leave with him. But his world is as treacherous as hers—full of spies, interplanetary terrorist plots, and political intrigue. Soon the Horizon team is racing to defend an outlying planet from a deadly enemy, and Caeli’s unique skills may just give them the edge they need to save it.
Barnes and Noble: tinyurl.com/odpg9oa
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/q6p8b49
My contemporary romance series is sexy, nerdy, and light-hearted. The books have motifs like Batgirl and Princess Bride. The first two also feature interracial romances. All are available in print or ebook. And the 4th, a Hanukkah/Christmas holiday story with a Star Wars motif, comes out next Monday.
http://goo.gl/X7LWDs
I offer you the Marshab Series. Its the story of a group of academic surveyors in a hand me down Mars Colony… Episode 1.1 is here: http://www.amazon.com/First-Last-Trip-Marshab-1-1-ebook/dp/B00OAR70V6
I am not gonna lie, Agent to the Stars inspired me to put these out, and I hope people find them just as fun and funky (and that it works just as well…)
There is a collection available through KOBO, B&N, Itunes, Rakuten, Oyster, Scribbner… etc… But the Kobo deal might be the best right now!
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/volume-8
All the episodes are in Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Lending Library…
http://www.amazon.com/L.-Probus/e/B00OAWE9GK
So – if you want to inspire a Mars Colonist dreamer or budding Exobotanist, this is where you start.
May your holidays be blessed and your adventure good-
L. Probus
Ashes of Life: “A beautifully rendered look at love in all its forms. A must read!” ~ Kate Moretti, NYT Bestselling Author of “Thought I Knew You” “An emotionally rewarding story of hope, commitment, and the modern family.” ~ Claire Ashby, NYT Bestselling Author of “When You Make It Home” http://www.amazon.com/Ashes-Life-Erica-Lucke-Dean-ebook/dp/B00V5GATCW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
My second book, Seeing Red:
Beautiful, hardworking, Desdemona Murray doesn’t see herself the way others do. She only remembers the awkward teenager she once was. The talented landscape designer is hired to install a custom deck at the home of star football player, Ethan Samuels. When she catches the eye of the handsome professional athlete, and he begins to pursue her relentlessly, she is at first, flattered and amazed. However, her heart belongs to a man whom she believes only considers her a friend. Adam Quinn has always been a ladies man, not one to settle down, or so she thinks. Little does she know his feelings for her run much deeper. When Des finally sees both men for who they really are, the choice she must make is obvious. But when she chooses, Des finds out how dangerous it can be to break free from a man who can’t take no for an answer.
Here’s the link for it! http://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Bucks-County-Novel-Book-ebook/dp/B015JFY1IC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Thank you for this opportunity!
Hello everyone and thanks John for the opportunity!
My newest book, RISE OF RAULET is a stand-alone adult Fantasy Adventure novel with a rotating POV structure. It’s a fast paced read with competing destinies founded upon a theme of regaining lost elements of identity.
It’s available on Amazon in either paperback or eBook, complete with description and sample.
Thanks and happy holidays!
Ryan Spires
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Raulet-Ryan-S-Spires/dp/1514841800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448990206&sr=8-1
<editor-and-representative> Peter S. Beagle is a familiar name to fantasy readers. But The Last Unicorn did not suddenly burst from Viking Press’s forehead in 1968; he had begun writing it years before. Here, for the first time as an e-book, is what Peter calls the ur-Unicorn: The Last Unicorn: The Lost Version, available only in December 2015 (multiformat downloadable bundle).
Almost all of Peter’s other fiction (and some of his nonfiction) is newly available at Amazon, as no-DRM Kindle e-books. These are the first commercial e-book editions of these works.
Novels:
A Fine and Private Place
The Last Unicorn classic edition, deluxe edition, including "Two Hearts"
Fiction collections:
Four Years, Five Seasons
Lila the Werewolf and Other Tales
The Line Between
The Magician of Karakosk: Tales from the Innkeeper’s World
Mirror Kingdoms: The Best of Peter S. Beagle
Sleight of Hand
We Never Talk About My Brother
Nonfiction:
I See By My Outfit: Cross-Country by Scooter, An Adventure
Sméagol, Déagol, and Beagle: Essays from the Headwaters of My Voice
These Are They
</editor-and-representative>
Hi there! My YA fantasy “Untalented”, a Renaissance dystopia for anybody who’s felt overlooked being a dabbler in a specialist’s world, is available on Kindle here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MAFNNTS
Information about where to get it in print and other formats in the US, Canada, and internationally can be found here:
http://www.katrinaarcher.com/kats-work/untalented/
Thanks John and Happy Holidays to everyone!
Thanks for the platform!
Jessica Dall’s newest novel, Raining Embers, is now available just in time for the holidays:
Palmer Tash always follows the path of least resistance. He has an unusual disability involving his hearing. But in theocratic Latysia, being different isn’t a good thing, so he conceals his problem.
Brier Chastain’s malady is even more debilitating, and she often must take to her bed for long periods. Her days are spent in meaningless pursuits as she awaits an arranged marriage.
When Palmer and Brier are kidnapped on the same night, they meet and discover that their so-called disabilities are actually budding powers. They are the incarnations of Order and Chaos. With their country on the brink of war, the two must step into their predestined roles and learn to take control of their own destinies.
Find it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Raining-Embers-Order-Chaos-Book-ebook/dp/B016ZCD382/
or Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/raining-embers-jessica-dall/1122843110?ean=2940152699012
Find more about Jessica at http://jessicadall.com!
And this year, thanks to getting rights back from a publisher, I have TWO books to promote.
Science Fiction
NETWALK’S CHILDREN is the exciting standalone third book in the Netwalk Sequence. The mysterious war machine device known as the Gizmo is getting restless and trying to use Melanie’s daughter Bess and her nephew Richard as a means of escape from its confinement. Meanwhile, problems arise with potential rogue Netwalkers tied not just to Melanie’s past but to her parents and the original capture of the Gizmo. Can Melanie work with her estranged Netwalker grandmother Sarah as well as Bess to stop the Gizmo and deal with past shadows that threaten to dominate Bess’s future? What are the secrets that may drive Melanie’s mother Diana to try to take all three of her grandchildren? Come along for the ride as Melanie, Bess, and Sarah race to stop the Gizmo from breaking free from confinement as well as trying to save Diana from herself. Available NOW at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple iBooks, Smashwords, and other sites.
Fantasy
PLEDGES OF HONOR, the first book in the Goddess’s Honor series, introduces us to Katerin, a wandering circuit healer seeking to avoid both her past and a prophecy that could mean her doom. But when the suicide of a village healer sweeps her into the intrigues of Gods and humans, she has no choice but to face past and prophecy to do what is right. Can Katerin forge an alliance with the dangerously attractive Metkyi, avoid the curses of her destiny, and help restore a hidden leader to her rightful place? Explore this high fantasy story with a non-European setting and strong female characters for something different! Available for pre-order on Amazon until December 3rd, available at all outlets (Amazon, B & N, etc) starting December 3rd.
Quick! A new anthology curated by the venerable Samuel Peralta was released yesterday. Galaxy Chronicles is for lovers of space opera and military science fiction. Now go buy, before the price goes through the roof.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017PQOEU8
While, you’re at it, pick up a copy of The Big Red Buckle. Sports in space, you can’t miss.
http://www.amazon.com/Big-Buckle-Matthew-Alan-Thyer-ebook/dp/B00HC5JWH8/
One more time, thanks John!
OK, I am the author and this is blatant self-promotion, but who else will do it? “Shattered Glass” is the original 1987 vampire romance novel updated a bit with the sections cut for length years ago added back into the story. The novel melds fantasy, romance, suspense and science fiction, making the immortals here born that way, a separate species which pass as human. There are a total of five in the series, the last self published, as well as a gay-themed older YA novella, “The Violin.” These are available for Kindle or in paperback from me. My blog site, which has information on ordering paperbacks, is:
https://wordpress.com/stats/day/austravampireblog.wordpress.com
Circle the Sun – Summer’s Sol (Book 1)
Written and illustrated by Susan Schroder
“This is your path,” said the Whistling Tree in his creaking, earthy voice. “Beware as you step into the Shadow of the Light, for where there is Beauty there is also Darkness.” And so begins the other-worldly adventures of “The Traveler”.
Journey into this mythic-fantasy adventure that is kid friendly and filled with illustrations on every page! The fantastical artwork has lots of hidden elements ….a delightful gift to entertain any age.
Available in print and Kindle versions.
Find it here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692236929
Or on my website if you would like a signed print copy:
http://www.susanschroder.com
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Caught Between Monsters
Monsters hide among the suburbs. Roland McReedy knows because he works for one, under duress. “The Rajah.” Roland and his partner Nelson hunt down occult oddities under threat of death for themselves, and worse for their families. Roland and Nelson face the night with only their knives, billy clubs, and wits to protect them.
But the Rajah’s latest demand pits Roland and Nelson against the foulest creatures in the San Francisco Bay Area, including a horror older than time itself.
In a world full of monsters how can mere humans survive?
Caught Between Monsters, an exciting dark urban fantasy novel, set in a world where magic causes more problems than it solves. From Stefon Mears, author of the Rise of Magic series.
Starting today, Transgressive Tuesday, purchase all of Korin Dushayl’s indie-published print books for 25% off for two weeks only. Use the coupon code 3Z2S43Y3 to get discounted copies of Broken, Shattered, Playing With Dolls, Choices, and the second book in the Lady & The Spyder series — Spyder’s Truth.
Aboard a ship named Truth, Spyder carries the Lady Cassandra on her crusade to stop the Righteous Order of Piety Purists from enslaving the system in a sexless, joyless existence. But the Pietists want her dead and will sacrifice anything and anyone to kill her. Their determination to destroy his Lady, her ship, and its crew puts Spyder’s and everyone else’s life at risk. http://transgressivewriter.com/spyder.php#truth
Details at http://www.eroticawriter.net/frontpage.php
Buy copies for gifts or copies for yourself, but hurry … offer ends December 15.
Thanks, John, for this opportunity!
Book: Chasing Demons by M. E. Layton
Genres: Paranormal/Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Blurb: “Hereditary witch Morgaine Clemenson was enjoying a peaceful existence living above her metaphysical shop on the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks until one Halloween, a handsome stranger appears with a fantastical tale of time travel, demon incursions, and hints of a link to Avalon and Morgan Le Fae.
Victorian gentleman Alexander Ramsey has come to enlist Morgaine’s aid in ridding the human plane of a demon, but in the struggle to win the battle against the demon, Morgaine just might lose her heart to Alex. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing, if Alex wasn’t expected to vanish forever – leaving her behind – once the job is done.”
Available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook at Amazon and Barnes & Noble:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YPJTBCU
B&N: http://bit.ly/ChasingDemonsNook
CYBER MONDAY offer extended – ebook is only .99 currently for both Kindle and Nook!
What a great post – thanks, John! Here’s mine:
Black Magic and Mojitos (Urban Fantasy) 99 cents! **Bonus** I am donating ALL of my proceeds thru Christmas to Heifer International to fight world hunger!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/aachamberlynn
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/592205
Author website: http://www.alexiachamberlynn.com
Short pitch: When supernatural bounty hunter Zyan Star heads to Rio to hunt a herd of Nightmares, she gets caught in a feud between a powerful priestess and the half demon/half faery overlord of Brazil.
Longer pitch:
Zyan Star’s latest job is turning into a real Nightmare. Actually, a whole herd of them.
When supernatural bounty hunter Zyan Star jets down to Rio to meet a prospective client, everything goes as planned initially. That is, until she finds out the person hiring her is Raoul Cabrera, the half demon/half faery supernatural overlord of Brazil, who rubs elbows with Lucifer himself. And that he’s hired another bounty hunter, Donovan McGregor, to work with her.
Their target is a herd of Nightmares, horse spirits that torment people with visions of their worst fears before devouring their flesh. Zy and Donovan head out on the hunt, but it quickly becomes apparent that their client hasn’t given them all the facts. There’s a pissed-off, powerful witch summoning the Nightmares, and she’s out to exact some serious revenge on Raoul. Zy soon realizes she’s caught in the middle of a lover’s spat between two immensely powerful supernaturals, and it’s not clear whose side she should stand on. As if that weren’t enough, pulling off this job is going to require her to relive her worst fears and summon her own long-suppressed magical powers.
Let the supernatural Carnival begin.
Finally settle it, once and for all: Would you survive the zombie apocalypse? “Undead Rising: Decide Your Destiny” slams you into New York City just as it is struck by a zombie outbreak, leaving you to decide how to survive when your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and strangers join the undead. With more than 45 different scenarios, it’s tough to survive, but even when you die, sometimes you become a zombie—opening up new, monstrous options, including eating celebrities, being used as a genetic experiment, and exploring the Mariana trench. Every time you read “Undead Rising” you have the chance to change your destiny—but every scenario will leave you flipping pages to try again. Note: Nostalgic adults and teens welcome; not a kids’ adventure.
On Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0692394613/
What would happen if people stopped having children? And then collected into cities. And then a rebel group of anti-technologists brought down the cities. And there were still people trying to colonize the Moon who were now cut off from Earth.
That’s the premise of my book, Citadel 32. Told from the perspective of the descendants of the abandoned lunar colonists and the monks of the remnants of what society is left on Earth.
If it sounds good, here’s where you can pick up a copy. There’s even a free PDF, so why not right?
http://tommerrittbooks.com/blog/2015/2/25/citadel-32-a-tale-of-the-aggregate
Tales Untold by Lilith Lore and Micah Edwards
A collection of alternative and twisted fairy tales, originally conceived as a complement to Lilith Lore’s storytelling show, Poison Apples & Pretty Witches. Along with new takes on well-known classics such as Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, you’ll find a few lesser-known tales hiding in this collection.
http://smile.amazon.com/Tales-Untold-Lilith-Lore-ebook/dp/B017L5ZO7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448993464&sr=8-1&keywords=tales+untold+lilith+lore
Music, magic, and computer geekery: the Free Court of Seattle series! If you like Tanya Huff’s Gale Women series, or perhaps her Keeper Chronicles, you might find these to your tastes!
Book 2, Bone Walker, is available now both in print and electronically (and you don’t need to have read Book 1, Faerie Blood, to read Bone Walker). If you’d like to know more, c’mon over to my site, where you can read several samples:
http://www.angelahighland.com/books/bone-walker/
Look for the samples on the “Overdrive Excerpt” and “PDF Samples” buttons. All places you can buy the book are called out on the “Buy the Book” button! Thanks in advance to anybody who comes over to visit, and thanks much to John for letting us all come talk about our titles! :)
First, thanks to John Scalzi for sharing the love.
I produce a YA superhero adventure series, but as Mr. Scalzi suggested focusing on recent releases, I’ll plug “The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Scratching a Lich,” “an epic tale filled with action, magic, monsters, quests, treasure, inconveniently located ancient artifacts of great power, curiously specific prophecies, and dangerously rickety rope bridges that someone really should have repaired a long time ago.”
For sake of ease and simplicity, all my works can be purchased through this page on my website, which also has sample chapters you can read for free:
http://innsmouthlook.com/action-figures-buy-now/
Need some sword-swinging heroic fantasy? Robert Adams’ Horseclans Series- available as e-Books.
After two hundred years of searching for other immortals, the Undying High Lord Milo Morai has returned to the Horseclans to fulfill an ancient prophecy and lead them to their destined homeland by the sea….
http://www.mundania.com/author.php?author=Robert+Adams
Thanks, John!
A bungled museum theft. An ancient Egyptian riddle. The rumor of strange creatures moving beneath the streets of Paris.
Eleanor Folley knew she was in for a challenge when she accepted the task of cataloging Mistral’s archive of purloined artifacts, but she never expected to discover an Egyptian mystery buried in the heart of Paris.
When Anubis and Horus task her with a quest, she cannot refuse the ancient gods, even if it means venturing into the cathedrals of bones that clutter the catacombs of Paris
http://apokrupha.com/the-glass-falcon/
FIRST TO BURN: What if the saga of Beowulf really happened?
Fifteen centuries ago a band of outcast warriors fought — and defeated — a creature we call Grendel. The beast spread a symbiotic bacteria that gave self-healing abilities to the men who handled its severed arm or head. Beowulf and his crew became immortal Vikings. Only the poison from a dragon bite can kill them.
After more than a thousand years of festering group dynamics, the immortals avoid each other, lest their rivalries injure humans or draw attention. Wulf son of Wonred serves with a team of special ops soldiers in Afghanistan – normal heroes, not men like him, but they willingly conceal his secrets. His life is the way he wants it, as long as he doesn’t think too hard about his teammates’ homes and families, things he can’t have. To keep his carefully built life intact, all Wulf has to do is ignore the curious Army doctor with the deep brown eyes and the soft-looking hair.
But an ancient enemy is closer than Wulf realizes..
Thank you for the opportunity to share FIRST TO BURN, my military paranormal romantic suspense (definitely a hybrid genre!) from Carina Press. I donate part of the proceeds of my books to Doctors Without Borders/MSF and The Fisher House Foundation, which provides free lodging near military hospitals for families of wounded soldiers and veterans.
Books by Anna Richland, published by Carina Press/Harlequin Enterprises:
The Immortal Vikings:
FIRST TO BURN http://bit.ly/VikingBook
THE SECOND LIE http://bit.ly/SecondLie
Contemporary Military Homecoming Romance:
HIS ROAD HOME (Winner of the 2015 RITA Award for Best Romance Novella, Romance Writers of America) http://bit.ly/HisRoad
The Domains of the Chosen series is set in an Empire that considers itself the last bastion of civilization in a world still tainted by a magical apocalypse. It begins with Bloodlust: A Gladiator’s Tale, which follows the career of an unlikely Gladiator striving to prove himself. If you like action, magic, and adventure with a touch of romance and intrigue then give it a try!
Thanks for this thread, great idea!
Four stories telling the adventures of Olivia—intrepid girl scientist made famous by her time with the LEGO Friends—as she has a run-in with an NMRI machine, gets up close and personal with an onion nuclear membrane, resurrects Dorothy Hodgkin’s Nobel-prize winning work, and solves a puzzle with a only a telescope and clear seeing. (Kickstarted in 2012. Copious use of LEGO for illustration.) Ebooks on sale at Gumroad: Kindle/MOBI + Epub.
CITADEL OF THE SKY is basically Game of Thrones for the Friendship Is Magic crowd. Princesses! Swords! Friendship! If you know somebody who likes Fluttershy and Discord, this is the book for them!
I also have my SENYAZA SERIES, which is currently 5 books long. Fallen angels, nephilim, and technology, along with well-rounded heroines and a Publishers Weekly-praised focus on strong female friendships. Most of the books have different protagonists, although the recently released 5th book revisits the first two heroines. There’s also a collection of short stories (labelled book 4). Only the 5th book has romantic elements; if you know anybody who likes urban fantasy but dislikes it when they creep into paranormal romance, these books will scratch an itch.
All titles can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Chrysoula-Tzavelas/e/B005Y8GCFU/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Citadel of the Sky and the first 3 Senyaza books are available in print. (The most recent 2 will be available… soon.)
In 1864 30,000 half-starved Union prisoners pray for a way out of the disease ridden confines of Andersonville prison, unaware they are about to become unwary participants in a dark ritual enacted by a madman to turn the tide of the War Between The States.
One man, African American Black Dispatch agent Barclay Lourdes, is sent to infiltrate the prison by Mary Todd Lincoln on advice from her spiritual adviser, who has seen a vision of the world awash in blood. Lourdes must bring to bear all his training in the arts of Hoodoo mysticism and Vodoun traditions to uncover the secret of ANDERSONVILLE.
Available exclusively in ebook formats from Hydra.
http://www.amazon.com/Andersonville-Edward-M-Erdelac-ebook/dp/B00TWDZZGK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448994546&sr=1-1&keywords=andersonville+erdelac
Offering up two of mine!
White Noise
After an unusual day at school, Max just wants to unwind at home. When a stranger appears in his room and abducts him, he witnesses the murder of his parents and becomes the prime suspect.Max soon finds himself on the run with several other abducted teens, all being hunted down because they’ve developed unnatural powers. Even with his new allies and new found ability to heal, Max can’t get too comfortable. He knows that the people looking for him are still out there – and they’re closing in.
Also available in print!
Return to Wonderland
Years after that fateful fall down the rabbit hole, Alice has moved on from the memories of Wonderland and is now attending the prestigious Lucena Academy to get a fresh start.Unfortunately, a purple haired boy appears at school and reveals himself to be the Cheshire Cat. He speaks in riddles about how Wonderland is a much different place than when Alice last visited and tempts her with a visit back. Alice must decide whether or not she will go back, or the Cheshire Cat will make the choice for her.
Propitiation. by Damn Jones
In eastern Kentucky, people don’t have much; God, guns and Oxycontin, and if you try to take any of those away, you’re likely to have a run in with at least two of them. Caster is the son of the local preacher, Solomon Jenkins, who preaches more fire and brimstone than forgiveness and love. Caster is steeped in drugs and violence, running the hollers with a poetic recklessness, Jesus and Jim Beam on his breath. He finds himself a house divided, a path well-worn in these deep, dark hills, all the while longing for just enough light to find his way out.
Genre: Southern Gothic
Link: http://www.amazon.com/propitiation-Damn-Jones/dp/1518692648/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448993749&sr=8-1&keywords=Propitiation
Thank you for hosting this, John. 8-)
If you are a fan of Mad Max, Wasteland Weekend, or post-apocalyptic romance (and who isn’t, really?), have I got a deal for you! My new short story with Curtis Gropp just went live today on Amazon! For the low, low price of $3.99, you can enjoy your very own copy of A Meeting of Souls – A Tale from the Wasteland. It has adventure! It has romance! It has whips! It has motorcycles!
“Lash LeSabre, one of Wasteland City’s Elite Guards, doesn’t care for the whole master-and-slave business, but when a shanghaied slave girl asks for his help to escape, he risks everything to rescue her. Will they make it back to the relative safety of Wasteland City before the desperate slavers can recapture their prize?”
Buy it here – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018RTNOIA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Zen and the Art of Cannibalism: A Zomedy
A giant evil talking dog has come to a sleepy California burg. He’s got two things on the brain: snacks, and world domination. He raises the dead, and sets forth on a plot to open the gates to the underworld.
Only one guy can stop him: a weed dealer named the Wizard (who also has snacks on his mind.)
With the help of a binge-drinking Voodoo god, and a zany band of locals, can Wiz survive? Or will it all go up in smoke?
A horror-comedy beast forged in the bottom of the kitchen sink; sex, drugs, zombies, and pizza. Grab the book Publishers Weekly says, “Turns the smalltown horror on its head.”
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Cannibalism-A-Zomedy/dp/1511794070
Cops. Magic. Cops with Magic.
‘Undercover Unicorn’ is the first story in this short story series entitled ‘Changes and Changers’. One fateful day in July almost three years ago, the Change occurred: magic suddenly appeared in the world and a lucky few people were imbued with the magical abilities and forms associated with such legendary creatures as unicorns, dragons, trolls and succubi. But while the Changers Changed, they didn’t really change: they remained exactly what they were, only with magic, on both sides of the law and all points in between, so while there are criminals with magic, so, too, there are cops with magic.
‘Undercover Unicorn’ is the story of Vanity, a Changer and an FBI agent working in the Lafayette, Indiana district. As a unicorn Changer, Vanity wields her unicorn magic as part of her calling as a Federal agent. She leads a team of Changers to enforce both the existing laws and the new laws whenever Changers are involved. She is driven by her past to serve and protect even when her unicorn magic is best used to heal, until her past returns to threaten her present and not even her own magic can protect her.
‘Changes and Changers’ is a series of stories about the Changer division of the FBI. They enforce the law where there are old crimes with new wrinkles and new crimes with newer faces such as illegal magical drugs, monster mob enforcers and Changer slave trafficking.
This 8000 word short story is only 99 cents and is available through Amazon and SmashWords and other fine online distributors listed here.
“Five Corner Rose: Courage”
Cowboys and Dragons. Gods and Centaurs. The Five Corner Rose embodies the myths and legends of the creation of the world, and, perhaps, its destruction.
Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YTNNFNI
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Five-Corner-Rose-Courage-1/dp/1515028313
Thanks so much for this opportunity!
My urban fantasy/paranormal thriller series is The Alastair Stone Chronicles, and follows the adventures of Dr. Alastair Stone, snarky British mage and Stanford Occult Studies professor, as he deals with increasingly nasty magical threats while trying to keep the rest of the world from discovering his secret life.
It plays in the same general sandbox as The Dresden Files and Benedict Jacka’s Alex Verus series–and while I’d never presume to say it compares to either (it’s kind of off to the edge of the sandbox playing with its Legos and coming up with schemes to get the cool kids to notice it), so far readers seem to enjoy the books.
Here’s what Hugo-nominated science fiction author Jacqueline Lichtenberg had to say about the first book, Stone and a Hard Place:
“The magic is believable, the characters could be people you know, and the twists, turns and mysteries to be solved glue your eyes to the page. You will never forget these characters or their world.”
I’ve currently got three books out, and another one releasing December 15.
Check out the series (and while you’re at it, take a look at my Shadowrun novel!) at http://www.amazon.com/R.-L.-King/e/B0084QBKYC
What a remarkably generous blog thing to do. Thank you, John. And thanks to everyone else who’s posted a book here. I need something to read.
Tangible Angels treads an imaginary line between Gothic Americana and Magical Realism.
Vanessa Cavendish keeps to herself and minds her little shop out by the canyon on the outskirts of Keening, Oklahoma. She has but one employee, a gothed-out rebel debutante in fishnets and a ratty tutu. Both women have their secrets to keep. But after hours, when a freak blizzard traps them in her house together, Vanessa learns how deep the troubled waters in Jeannie Ivory run.
Jeannie says she invented the adopted son of a prominent Keening family. She claims he isn’t real. Claims he terrorizes her. She spins out her bizarre account of Eugene “Sewer Boy” Lamb’s unlikely rise from exurban legend to flesh-and-blood angel of polite, evangelical society.
Confident, accomplished, and so beguilingly good, Eugene is everything Jeannie Ivory can never be again. Every life he touches he seems to charm, including Vanessa’s. But how much goodness can a woman tolerate, when the cost of it is paid in another woman’s dignity, sanity, and blood?
All Jeannie needs is a witness. All she wants from Vanessa is a little faith. Is that so much to ask?
Available in paperback and a variety of e-formats HERE.
For anyone who thinks they work in the office from hell…
Jack Kasky should be more grateful. Leach, most benevolent of companies, has given him a challenging job, interesting coworkers, and a rigorous management structure. It is certainly reasonable for Jack to give his soul in return.
If the burgeoning Corporate Satirical Horror genre lights your fire, then this is the book for you! Find it here: Leach Novel
A power passed down through generations. A people hungry for freedom. The time for change has come.
Need a last-minute gift for the fantasy reader in your life? Secrets of the Conclave is now available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released December 21, 2015. Learn more at bethraymond.com.
Since its founding, the matriarchal society of Corinas has existed under the oppressive rule of the Masters of the Conclave, who use powerful child Adepts to aid in their governance. Rebellions have come and gone, but none have managed to displace the Conclave’s iron-fisted control.
Now, a new group of rebels hopes to succeed where others have failed. Nyona, a former Adept who only wanted to live her life free of the Conclave, is unwillingly thrust into the rebellion’s efforts when she finds a forbidden book containing the secrets to controlling her daughter’s Ability. Together with Mathis, a Guardsman who joined the rebellion after his parents’ execution, Nyona will help the rebels destroy the Conclave’s power–or die trying.
365 short fantasy stories, all in one book!
They’ve been called addictive and difficult to put down. It’s quite a bargain for the price.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0173MFIHW
FREE on Kindle until Friday, Dec. 6th: the first book in The Substrate Wars series, Red Queen. Fast-paced thriller set in a near-future US as fascist security state.
The Substrate Wars series tracks grad students who discover how the universe computes itself and use the gateways/weapons/power of their discovery to change the world. The second book, Nemo’s World, is on sale for $0.99 until Friday.
My readers say the just-released third book, Shrivers, is the best so far.
“…a lot of incredible speculative hard science in this one, not predicated on the originals, but supplementing and extending it. … the plot just sings along, an interwoven tapestry of people, places and events that come together for the exciting conclusion … Without spoilers, the Shrivers kill civilizations, but the ancient civilizations do indeed exist. A fascinating speculation into the Fermi Paradox, it is entertaining as well an interesting take to an old problem we have been kicking around for a hundred years.”
In My Brother’s Name- a terrorist attack rocks the nation’s capital. http://amzn.to/1QS8J3m
HeroNet Files Book 1- Three short stories on superheroes finding love. http://amzn.to/1TiOSYE
Legends of the Dragon- tales of magic and adventure at DragonCon. http://amzn.to/1HEfweg
It’s the holiday season, and that makes us all think of the same thing:
Zombies.
You know, those brain-eating, apocalypse causing monsters from everyone’s nightmares. Except for the small fact that…well, they aren’t. Sure, they’re dead and shambling, but they’re really more an annoyance than they are a danger—at least, most of the time.
As long as they’re fed, they’re happy. The problem is keeping up with what they want to eat, so the government has created an organization to keep them fed, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. And Cassandra Cole just happens to work at one of those facilities. She also happens to notice something about the zombies. Something that might just cause a little bit of trouble.
Edible Complex is a horror-comedy novel suitable for teens and up.
It was an amusing, sometimes heartfelt, zombie story with a twist. It was fast paced and engrossing, I couldn’t put it down! I very much so enjoyed the characters and the strong heroine was a definite plus. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to read more from the author! 5 stars! -Amazon.com review
Grab your copy here!
The story of a broken man setting off to fix his broken kingdom.
The Empire made him a slave. They should have killed him.
Saul and his allies plot to steal the crown of Ubrain from the Emperor’s vault. In the crown, he sees the means to unify his enslaved people and bring them to freedom. But their road is not a straight one, and they soon find themselves facing the Inquisition, and are caught in the middle of an unseen war as older powers work to twist the world to their own design. Saul has never been one to set easy tasks for himself, but he is determined to break the Empire’s grip on his people, no matter how much blood must be spilled along the way. They should have killed him when they had the chance, for he will not be so lenient.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LEMDH44
TWENTY-SIDED DIE:
Dorks versus orcs! Twenty-Sided Die chronicles the trials and tribulations of a group of small-town Pennsylvania summer camp counselors and their regular Dungeons & Dragons group. Young love, nerd hate, magic, Magic: The Gathering, swords and sousaphones abound. It’s one part Stand By Me, one part Clerks, and one part The Guild, shaken and served. These twenty interconnected short stories delve into the seedy underbelly of surburban life, as well as navigating the halls of high school and beyond. Marvel as our intrepid heroes battle savage Abercrombies, gun-toting hillbillies, and — more often than not — each other.
http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Sided-Die-Brian-J-Prisco-ebook/dp/B00HHLOBCI
The second short story collection, OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE, will be coming out in March 2016.
BOOGEYMANY: THE FIRST BOOGEYMAN COLLECTION:
THE HORROR NOVELETTES MASHED IN ONE SUMPTUOUS BUFFET!
BOOGEYMANY brings together the first three novelettes in the Boogeymen series for your horror and delight. BOOGEYMEN features the legends of movie horror together in a no-holds barred, madcap, battle royale to determine who is the ultimate slasher. BOOGEYMEN 2: CREATURE FEATURE brings five strangers trying to escape maniacs stranded in the basement of a haunted Blockbuster where an ancient spirit forces them to choose their fates from a pile of unlabeled videotapes. And BOOGEYMEN 3: MISCHIEF NIGHT, in the grand tradition of the third installment having nothing to do with the first two offerings, pits five teenagers wearing haunted Halloween masks against their small town community. Together in print form so you can rub it all over your face and bathe in the blood of a thousand paper cuts! Or, you know, reading is fun, too.
http://www.amazon.com/Boogeymany-Boogeymen-Collection-Brian-Prisco-ebook/dp/B017DV4DO2
As a journalist, I see more of the absurdities of the technology business than I can ever write about, plus I get a lot of ‘what-if’ ideas that are really ‘I wonder how badly that could go wrong?’ ideas. The itches of these have combined into a series of short technology mystery stories (three so far) about Cassidy Smith. Most people call her a troubleshooter (see trouble, shoot trouble, she tend to say), but she thinks about it more as being in the salvage business. “People think they’re asking me to consult, but what they’re really doing is asking me to come salvage a project that’s listing, taking in water or plain sinking. Sometimes I scuttle it for their own good, sometimes I tow it to a different port but usually I salvage the project and some of the budget. What I don’t salvage (at least on purpose) are reputations or wounded pride; any respect you get for knowing me well enough to call me in is rather undermined by having had to call me In In the first place.”
So far, Cassidy has exercised her defining feature (“geekier than you”) and her talent for problem solving through snark in three stories – all available on Kindle at http://bit.ly/cassidy_stories
Locate This: Helping out her oldest and most annoying friend Max Puck has put Cassidy in Cannes, but instead of relaxing on the beach she’s hijacking pedicabs, breaking into yachts and pretending to pitch her startup as she tries to track down the hackers threatening Treasure Island – Puck’s offshore haven – and the cryptocurrency it protects. She needs to find them before they break in- or before she cracks under the pressure and starts punching the people she’s supposed to be presenting to…
Flight of the Contours: Cassidy hits Los Angeles – and Los Angeles hits back. Drones. Movie sets. Mysterious deaths. Swanky hotels. Virtual currencies. It’s a packed itinerary when Cassidy Smith heads to the city of angels and angles to find out why buyers of the new selfie drone are literally dying to use it. But first, she’s going to need more coffee…
See Through Security: Sin City is swearing and Cassidy Smith wants to know why. Someone is using the state of the art, million-LED-lit art fountain lake at the Overachiever casino hotel to spell out X-rated messages, when they’re supposed to be flashing out psychedelic patterns in time to the music. Is it just a foul-mouth heckler or is this the first step in a clever casino heist?
I’m going to post about one book and one trilogy, all published withing the last 12 months:
First is A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark, a pacifist urban fantasy featuring a protagonist who’s a mix of Auntie Mame and Gandalf. Folks who would like to read the opening chapters (and/or buy a copy of the book) can do so from this link: http://www.harryjconnolly.com/index.php/a-key-an-egg-an-unfortunate-remark-chapters-1-6/
Second is The Great Way, which Kat Richardson blurbed “An Epic Fantasy that reads like a Thriller.” You know how most epic fantasies have an ancient continent-spanning empire that has fallen into ruins? This is the story of the collapse of one of those empires. The first book is The Way into Chaos and you can read sample chapters starting here: http://www.harryjconnolly.com/index.php/the-way-into-chaos-chapter-1/
Thanks for the opportunity, John.
Entropy by Joshua Edward Smith
Lisa is adrift—searching for connection on social media to compensate for the absence of love and attention in her marriage. But when a dominant married man entices her to become his online submissive, Lisa’s world starts to collapse around her. Could giving up all control be the secret to finding the serenity she longs to have? Cerebral and erotic, Entropy explores the murky depths of an online affair and how upheaval of the status quo reverberates through a woman’s life and sense of self.
This is a fairly erotic novel, but it’s also very smart. It appeals to people who do not ordinarily like “romance” novels. It particularly appeals to women of a certain age who might have played around a little online, if you know what I mean. If you wanted to like 50 Shades, but the terrible writing and flat characters and ridiculous behavior and stereotypes turned you off, Entropy could be your new favorite book.
Seriously, look at the reviews on Amazon. This book has a BIG emotional impact on a lot of women.
http://mybook.to/entropy
A steampunk alternate Victorian Era filled with dangers and decisions that cut to the heart of a person.
The Steamship Chronicles: Volume One is comprised of Books 1-3, Secrets, Threats, and Gifts.
These books follow Samantha Crill’s attempt to reach a place where she isn’t considered a monster. Note: Secrets, the first book, is free in eBook.
A fugitive because of her innate ability to transform machinery into what it wants to be, Sam is on the run. She stows away on a steamship bound, Sam believes, for the Continent, where places exist for special people like her.
Nathaniel Bowden struggles to overcome bias against his noble background in his quest to become a steamship captain someday, but strange things are happening on his ship and he’s often blamed. Curiosity and self-preservation set him to finding the cause despite what it could cost him.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B0173ORCOM (Click on the individual books for the Kindle editions.)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22The+Steamship+Chronicles%22
Visit my website to see my other titles and say hello: http://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/
Thank you for allowing me to share my stories with your readers.
~ Margaret McGaffey Fisk
Just out this past September is the anthology Coven: Masterful Tales of Fantasy, edited by Andi O’Connor and published by Purple Sun Press.
Brand new fantasy stories from famous folks like Eric Del Carlo and David Tallerman, not to mention my own latest story, “Irresistible Forces.”
Thanks, John, for this opportunity.
Time travel! Interracial lesbian romance! It’s by my nom de plume Elizabeth Andre.
“What if the woman you loved was more than a century away? Dara, a computer programmer from Chicago, is visiting London when she opens a door in an Edwardian house and slips into Edwardian England. Agnes, a beautiful London shop girl, takes in the bewildered 21st century American lesbian, but, as Dara begins to accept that she is stuck in 1908, she also begins to accept that she has feelings for Agnes that go beyond gratitude. And the longer Dara stays, the harder Agnes finds it to hide her growing love for the accidental time traveller from the future. Will they overcome grief and prejudice to acknowledge their true feelings for one another? Or will Dara be snatched back to the 21st century before they can express their love?”
http://www.amazon.com/Time-Slip-Girl-Elizabeth-Andre-ebook/dp/B00WAUWB8C
Fighting Monks & Burning Mountains: Misadventures on a Buddhist Pilgrimage
By Paul Barach
A 750-mile pilgrimage, an unprepared office worker, and everything that went wrong along the way.
Age twenty-eight and fed up with the office job he settled for, Paul Barach decided to travel to Japan to follow a vision he had in college: to walk the ancient 750-mile Shikoku pilgrimage trail.
Here are some things he did not decide to do: learn Japanese, do any research, road test his hiking shoes, or check if it’s the hottest summer in history.
And he went anyway, hoping to change his life.
Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains is the absurd and dramatic journey of one impulsive American’s search for answers on a holy path in an exotic land. Along the pathway connecting 88 Buddhist temples, he’ll face arduous mountain climbs, hide from guards in a toilet stall, challenge a priest to a mountaintop karate battle, and other misadventures. He’ll also delve into the fascinating legends of this ancient land, including a dragon-fighting holy man, a berserker warrior-priest, haunted temples, all manner of gods and monsters, and a vendetta-driven ghost that overthrew a dynasty.
Told with humor and humility, Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains is a funny, engaging memoir about the consequences of impulsive decisions, and the things you can discover while you’re looking for something else.
Also that boars are terrifying in person.
Available on Amazon here:
http://amzn.to/1lHGDeh
STEAM DOGS by SharonJoss
In this alternate history thriller, 19th-century technology and the supernatural collide outside London, when airships and aerialists from across Europe converge on the Isle of Dogs for an air show. Among the crowd, a master thief with his eye on the Queen’s jewels, a Metropolitan Police inspector, and a former royal wizard dead set on kidnapping the commander of the most powerful army in the world—Queen Victoria of Britain.
http://www.amazon.com/Steam-Dogs-Novel-Sharon-Joss/dp/1941544282/ref=la_B00GCXMBRY_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449001556&sr=1-2
My author page with other great titles here:
http://www.amazon.com/Sharon-Joss/e/B00GCXMBRY/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1446050109&sr=8-2-ent
Award-winning author Sharon Joss writes science fiction, fantasy and horror. In 2015, she won the Writers of the Future Golden Pen Award for speculative fiction and her novella, ‘Stars That Make Dark Heaven Light’, was a finalist for the 2015 Canopus Awards for science fiction.
Thank you, John!
A CROWD OF STARS by Dave Creek
Earth Alliance starship captain Jon Hendrik barely escapes death at the hands of the Star Rebellion, and vows to defeat it!
Rachel Adero, a young woman scarred by poverty, joins the Star Rebellion to fight for the destruction of the Alliance!
Meanwhile, the ruler known only as the Eminence is pulling the strings on both sides of the conflict!
This is an unabashed space opera novella written in a classic style.
http://amzn.to/1RkeuGk
Symbiosis: Book One of the Justice Keepers Saga.
This thing is what you’d get if Star Trek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer had an illegitimate love child after a drunken one-night stand. It’s a genre-bending space opera with a heartwarming love story, strong character arcs and some fantastic action scenes. And just for fun, I threw in a little cosmic horror.
Ten thousand years ago, a powerful race called the Overseers took primitive humans and scattered them on dozens of worlds across the galaxy. Now, some of those people have developed space flight and found their way back to Earth.
Anna Lenai is a Justice Keeper: an officer of the law tasked with protecting her people from the most serious threats. While pursuing a criminal who stole an alien symbiont, she stumbles across Earth and is stranded here. Stuck in an environment she doesn’t understand, she must rely on the help of a young man named Jack Hunter to recover the symbiont before it falls into the wrong hands.
You can check out a review here.
http://catesbooknuthut.com/2015/01/19/review-symbiosis-a-justice-keepers-novel-justice-keepers-saga-book-1-r-s-penney/
And here’s the link to the Amazon page.
http://www.amazon.com/Symbiosis-Justice-Keepers-Novel-Saga-ebook/dp/B00RKY0WJ8
Book 2 will be coming soon!
Books 1, 2 and N+1 of The Laughing Lip follow two generations of humans and others fighting the species-survival imperatives that turn sapient beings genocidal.
Long-Remembering HArpers (http://www.amazon.com/Long-Remembering-Harpers-Book-Laughing-Lip/dp/1466491620) Her grandparents were heroes to three intelligent species. Her parents are celebrated scholars. Bangaluru Agnivesh Kirthi is teetering on the edge. Seventy-three years ago Cuchulain “Murphy” O’Meath of the Emperor’s Jin Jun and Fleet fighter pilot B. P. Avinashini, Fleet helped prevent the genocide of the zhizhu, and began the long process of rebuilding the genocide-decimated Horns of Tau Ceti. Fifty-three years ago, they located the last vestiges of the Manifest Destiny movement and ended its two decades of multi-species terrorism. B. A. Kirthi, their granddaughter, tries to eke out a living in the obsolete, salvaged Rani Lakshmi Bai. Her dishonorable discharge from Fleet and the death she caused haunt her. Fleet Admiral Idanha keeps her from finding a future. Her grandmother, rigid and distant, is no help, and a friend of the zhizhu to boot. The unraveling threads lead Kirthi to the unstable flare star Zhu Rong, where she must reconcile past , present and future.
All Shall Go to Wrack (http://www.amazon.com/All-Shall-Go-Wrack-Laughing/dp/1456590901) Humanity barely holds back the spidery zhizhu, voracious competitors for rare Earth-like worlds. Imperial Fleet ships have disappeared from the Reserve Anchorage near Proxima Centauri. Piracy is increasing along Yi Tan’s Reach. Human “Manifest Destiny” fanatics are preparing biological genocide of Tau Ceti IV’s non-human bipeds while sympathizers in Fleet itself prepare for open rebellion. With these crises converging, Cuchulain “Murphy” O’Meath of the Emperor’s Jin Jun has been set loose to disobey orders, forge Imperial Writs, and just possibly find a way to get matters under better control. Along the way, he illegally detains Lt. Urwah Grunon, Fleet Marine, and Lt. Commander B. P. Avinashini, Fleet’s most skilled Gandiva pilot. O’Meath takes them to Tau Ceti IV to find Fahnisht, O’Meath’s non-human friend and Clanlord. The puzzle begins to come together as the zhizhu lurk and genocide begins.
Demand the Debt That’s Owing (http://www.amazon.com/Demand-Debt-Thats-Owing-Laughing/dp/1463570732) The religious, fanatial pro-human Manifest Destiny Movement’s genocide of the Tau Ceti’s intelligent species has all but succeeded. Now Manifest Destiny seeks to launch its biological weapons against the spidery zhizhu, voracious and uncommunicative competitors for the rare Earth-like worlds in local space. The Humanitas Church, a prime gateway to Manifest Destiny, has converted an unknown number of Imperial Fleet crews. Vessels stolen from Fleet’s reserve anchorage are already crewed by deserters, retirees, and others. Cuchulain “Murphy” O’Meath of the Emperor’s Jin Jun has limited time to interfere with Manifest Destiny. Fahnisht, his non-human friend and Clanlord, intends to collect the blood debt owed for his species’ near-destruction. They will do what they must to interfere with genocide, even of the zhizhu. Fleet fighter pilot B. P. Avinashini and marine Urwah Grunon, Fleet Marine, have both seen the ugly death the zhizhu bring to human “cattle.” Impressed by O’Meath as crew of Granuaile, they can help — or they can give Manifest Destiny its chance to end the zhizhu’s own threat to consume humanity.
NovoPulp: The Speculative Fiction Anthology – Published by Hermit Studio
Written by and for those who love the genre – pushing boundaries, asking questions, demanding answers, and even providing some. Bringing back the best of Pulp!
The NovoPulp Anthology is back with it’s third volume of speculative fiction. The stories in this volume range from the deeply thought-provoking (such as Death of a Universe by Lacerant Plainer), through the heartbreaking (Perfect by Chris Dangerfield), through classic hard-sf (such as Salvage by M. J. Kobernus and Nothing At All by H. David Blalock), to the just plain fun (Star-Crossed Lawlessness by William J. Jackson).
Released Nov 27th 2015. Available in Print, ePUB, and Kindle.
http://www.novopulp.com/store
What might be going through someone’s mind while they are waiting for a vampire to come to feed on them? Is it possible to have a lasting relationship with a monster? What kind of decision would you make if you were given the chance for an immortal life?
LEECH is an investigation of flipped power dynamics, a relationship with a literal monster, and what it might mean to become something that horrifies you.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015AMSACM
Learn more at http://www.robbneumann.com
Are you one of the (probably rare) Scalzi fans who also loves fly fishing?
My books River Characters and Fly Fishing Yellowstone Country might be just for you!
River Characters is a collection of essays, anecdotes, and as the subtitle states, deep thoughts and shallow stories about fly fishing. Fly Fishing Yellowstone Country is a no-nonsense guidebook to fishing Yellowstone Park and southern Montana.
I’ve been guiding fly anglers since 2001 and writing about the sport in magazines including American Angler, Fly Rod & Reel, and Fly Fishing & Tying Journal since 1999. Hopefully one day my NaNoWriMo flailings will result in a worthwhile novel or seventeen, but for now I hope you enjoy my fly fishing books.
River Characters: http://www.amazon.com/River-Characters-Thoughts-Shallow-Stories/dp/0692349995/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449004296&sr=8-1&keywords=river+characters
Fly Fishing Yellowstone Country: http://www.amazon.com/Fly-Fishing-Yellowstone-Country-Southern-ebook/dp/B00TRTO8M6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449004296&sr=8-2&keywords=river+characters
Towers
by Karl Fischer
A psychological kaiju love story.
After fighting giant monsters for a thousand years, a sentient guard tower is set to go to heaven with his soulmate. But for reasons unknown, the lovers are reborn as lowly humans living inside the Towers they once operated. Separated by thousands of miles and trapped within menageries of horror, only a profound transformation of mind and body can reunite them.
http://www.amazon.com/Towers-Karl-Fischer/dp/1621051986
Published by Eraserhead Press as part of their New Bizarro Author Series, “Towers” is just one of nine awesome new books from the 2015 NBAS. To learn more about the Series, visit: http://nbas2015.blogspot.com/
Not fiction, but possibly of interest to SF/F readers, many of whom work as editors, in the sciences, or both:
My book on onscreen editing (i.e., editing using a word processor):
http://www.geoff-hart.com/books/eoe/onscreen-book.htm
My book on writing for peer-reviewed science journals:
http://www.geoff-hart.com/books/journals/journal-book.htm
Mention that you saw them mentioned here at ScalziWorld and I’ll send you a link to a discounted price for the editing book. Haven’t set this up yet for the journals book, but I’ll figure a way to send you a rebate. No time limit on this offer (remind me that I said this if I forget!!!).
Meander Bound
When Addison Mosby’s ship is crippled, he must seek his fortune aboard Meander, the wandering planetoid that is at the center of political power for the humans who have settled space. There he finds not only his new fortune, but a new past that comes complete with intrigue and violence that can change the nature of how humans live among the known worlds.
Available in trade paperback and Kindle at:
Meander Bound
http://www.amazon.com/Meander-Bound-Charles-Wentworth-ebook/dp/B00AN50PR0
Huge thanks to Mr. Scalzi for this opportunity. Here’s the latest from the boys at Gelineau and King.
Best Left in the Shadows
A Highside girl found dead on the docks. A magistrate out for justice. Alys knows where to find the answers, but is she willing to pay the price?
Best Left in the Shadows is a noir fantasy tale from Gelineau and King.
http://gelineauandking.com/portfolio/best-left-in-the-shadows/
Are noir mysteries with a strong comedy element your thing? Why not try MURDER BALLAD, the first novel in my Malloy and Russell series? Read on…
Manhattan in 1947 is a man’s world, but hardboiled redhead Allison Malloy can match the boys drink for drink and wisecrack for wisecrack. As secretary to a private eye, she knows shorthand and typing are only a part of the job–and the job just might kill her. Rescuing her boss from the clutches of a dangerous femme fatale, helping him beat a murder rap, and saving his life don’t pay extra, but that won’t stop Malloy from trying…
Click here to buy the e-book from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008PVUIQM
or visit my website at http://www.elizabethkwadsworth.com and follow the links to purchase a hard copy. And please post a review–good, bad, or indifferent–after reading!
TALES OF THE CAPTAIN DUKE | Airships, pirates, & a stowaway debutante… check out this steampunk adventure series and follow Clara as she sets her sights on joining the crew of the legendary Captain Duke!
You can order signed copies directly from me until Dec. 6 at http://rebeccadiem.com/holiday2015 and have them under the tree! Individual books are just $10 each (+S&H)!
#1 – The Stowaway Debutante (2014) | When Clara dreamed of running away to seek her own adventures, she never imagined that a chance encounter with the legendary Captain Duke might set her life on an entirely different course. Armed with her wit and charm, Clara can usually talk her way out of any troubles. But first, she has to get back to solid ground… http://amzn.com/B00MP7RJBO
#2 – From Haven to Hell (2015) | Welcome to the Haven… The adventure continues as the Captain Duke and his band of airship pirates return to their hideout to uncover the traitor in their midst. Now that Clara has joined his crew, she must decide whether to trust her new friends before the secrets of her past are used to tear the pilots apart.
http://rebeccadiem.com
Happy reading!
xo Rebecca
LARCOUT—Cursed with the magic of mind control, one woman will unravel a legacy of treason to save or destroy the nation that damned her family.
Thanks, John! :)
A Division of Souls: A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe
Caren Johnson’s younger sister has been forcibly awakened as a powerful and supernatural deity, revered by multiple worlds…and a war has just been declared in her name.
The delicate spiritual balance between the Mendaihu and the Shenaihu is threatened when a renegade adept sets off a ritual that escalates a mass enlightenment well before the human race is ready for it. In the process, he has also awakened the One of All Sacred much earlier than anyone expected.
Caren Johnson and Alec Poe, two Allien Relations agents, are assigned to find an stop this leader, but as they learn more about his ritual and its aftereffects upon the citizens of Bridgetown, it becomes a bigger race to keep the global enlightenment under control before it turns into another all-out spiritual war. They must not only come to terms with a changed city, but the change within themselves, and what it means to be a part of a new concsiousness.
Available in e-book (for only 99 cents!) at:
Smashwords
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
The sequel, The Persistence of Memories, will be available in early 2016!
Blight Haven – Book Three of the Founders Gifts Series: Criminal investigators make a video of the bloody aftermath of the murders at the Bright Haven Academy, implicating Queen Adriana, and present this evidence to a gathering of world leaders. After seeing video technology for the first time, these shocked leaders immediately declare war on the young Queen.
Unaware, Adriana leaves on a mission to meet these same leaders. She hopes to expose the evil genetic tampering of a group of scientists who call themselves the Purists. When ambushed and facing certain defeat, she uses her nanite-powered camouflage to escape into the wilderness, hoping they will spare her wounded guards. Alone, she cannot prove her innocence. She needs real people with real power, if just one person would look at the facts of the case, there might be a chance to prove her innocence and reveal the real threat posed by the Purists. The Founder’s technology and her connection to its database of virtual experts isn’t enough to save her this time. Most of her friends have been captured, but one person just might help her, the Dowager Duchess Evelyn, Adriana’s future mother-in-law. What happens next, will alter the course of humanity forever in this action packed adventure complete with mutant monsters, young love, and a secret mission behind enemy lines.
BE A BACKER! Kickstarter preview almost ready to launch- https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/anklesneeze/1236743109?token=6a2d2952
In the mood for unorthodox erotica that’s “contemporary fantasy” in more ways than one? My brand of “smart smut” might be just what you need, and there’s even an Easter Egg Hunt contest to keep things hopping!
The Freshman’s Curse is the transgender romance I never expected to write, combining realistic modern characters and hot sex with ancient gods and hidden magic. One tie-in short story is available, with a second slated for a holiday release, but neither of those have any magical elements. They deal with events outside the main narrative, and can be read independently.
My fiction is available at Amazon, iBooks, B&N, and Kobo.
If you grew up reading and loving old adventure stories — I mean really old, 1880-1930 era — then Tom Derringer and the Aluminum Airship might be the book for you: http://www.misenchantedpress.com/tomderringer.html In 1883 Tom Derringer is a teenager setting out to become a professional adventurer who winds up battling a would-be world conqueror above the jungles of southern Mexico…
GETTING WILDE ~ Using her well-worn Tarot deck, magical-artifacts hunter Sara Wilde can find anything–for a price. And the price had better be right, since she needs to finance her own personal mission to rescue several young psychics recently sold on the paranormal black market.
Enter Sara’s most mysterious client, the wickedly sexy Magician, with a job that could yield the ultimate payday. All she’ll have to do is get behind Vatican walls… and steal the Devil himself.
But play with the Devil and you’re bound to get burned….
http://amzn.to/1Ov7zJC
(Thank you for the opportunity! A very cool thing.)
Title: Where Monsters Lie & Other Tales
Type: Novella with three short stories
Genres: Sci-fi/Horror/Adventure with a dash of comedy
Link: http://amzn.to/1LMl3u0
Where Monsters Lie- Trenton Rennick is a mover who just wants to get paid, but this latest job will have him working for his biggest paycheck yet, his life. If you like shotguns, robots, and banter, then this is the story for you.
Other Tales:
Lighthouse to the Depths- Amber is driven to find out what made her husband go mad, and will stop at nothing to find out the truth that lies under the cold waves of Europa.
Echoes- Margo enters an ancient library, in a world forgotten by time, and finds she isn’t alone inside of its dusty walls.
Nightlife- It’s California, 1965 we follow the journey of a man on the run from the law… and himself.
This book is better than sex–allegedly. Well, alright … It’s not better, but it will last longer(unless you are some sort of Tantric sex god/goddess. In which case, YOU should write a book). But I digress…
Ravinor:
For hundreds of years, once-human creatures called ravinors, who possess an insatiable hunger for human flesh, have plagued the Empire of Styr. Three times during that span of years, human forces had all but eradicated the infectious man-like monsters. And three times they have returned.
This time, only twenty years after the last Ravinor War, the creatures are back, but now they have become even more deadly. Led from behind-the-scenes by the mysterious Ravinor Queen, infected humans find themselves in a battle for their souls and control over their bodies in a dream world inhabited by the one known as the Shadowman. The Queen and her shadowy cohort’s mission is nothing less than to at last turn the tide against the humans for control over the world. They have lain dormant and ineffectual long enough, and now the ultimate battle for species’ survival is unfolding across the land…
Throughout the empire figures emerge who might have the power to swing the battle’s favor to one side: A retired captain living in the northern regions of the empire; a young healer at his first posting; a famed scholar and his apprentice; an assassin tired of his profession that circumstances have forced on him; and a young woman, horribly scarred at birth, who is cursed–or gifted–to witness the ravinor dream where the battleground for souls take place between the two species.
The Ravinor Queen has been planning her opening gambit for centuries, and now the time is right for vengeance and the subjugation of the human race, once and for all. The battle is only just beginning; each side must vie to destroy the other in this tale for ultimate survival–or extinction.
Please read the free sample before you purchase to see if it’s right for you: http://amzn.to/1j3ToPb
Thanks for your time! And thanks to John Scalzi for allowing all of us to post here!
This book is not only indy, it’s an orphan. Book 3, left out in the cold. Ok, I wanted it that way but still.
Pop Quiz: ever read Sci-Fi Romance? You should try it. Liberation was born *today!* It’s action packed, full of snark and for 18+ only. Since it’s best served as a follow on to the first two books, email me if you want to give the first book a try. I’ll send it to you. Free. Cuz I’m like that.
Here’s the link to book 3. http://goo.gl/kBj7uc
DEAD DIARY: A Ghost Whisperer for kids: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0179K8762
Thanks for letting us all signal boost!
Today is Release Day! \o/
Mine doesn’t sound like a “fun” gift, it sounds sad. But if you know someone who’s struggling with miscarriage or infertility, I can almost guarantee they’re thinking about it already, you won’t be “reminding” them of a sad thing. My hope is that your gift will make them feel loved and will indeed let them know they are not alone.
I have an essay included in Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage. Speaking as a reader, because MOST of the book is NOT me, heh — it’s really good and I recommend it to anyone who’s miscarried or struggled with infertility. Or anyone who knows anyone who has. So pretty much everyone. Though be aware it’s from a Christian perspective.
Traditional but small, Kalos Press.
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Looking for chick lit with superheroes and supervillains? Light romance with heists? Look no further!
We Could Be Villains (Valentine & Hart, book 1): Sarah Valentine is so over seeing drama about her city’s superheroes on every newspaper and TV broadcast. Besides, she has her own problems to worry about: her career isn’t going anywhere, she doesn’t have a boyfriend (or any prospects), and most of her weekends are spent escaping into video games that are way more thrilling than anything that will ever happen to her. And worst of all, her thirtieth birthday is right around the corner. But everything changes the day she runs into Nate—a chance encounter with a handsome stranger that turns her quiet life upside down and throws her into the middle of a world of heroes, villains, and adventure.
Unsung Villains (Valentine & Hart, book 2): Now a full-fledged member of infamous supervillain Doctor Oracle’s team, Sarah’s added tons of new skills to her arsenal: from lock picking to hot-wiring a car to flying an airplane, she’s learned things over the last few months that would put her old résumé to shame. But now it’s time for her to step up and tackle the final hurdle to becoming a true equal in Oracle’s team: leading her own mission. Sarah will take on all the plotting and scheming for a job that gets more complicated at every turn, assisted by an unexpected new ally from the superhero side of the fence, Oracle’s team of skilled professionals, and a boyfriend whose constant threats to buy an engagement ring just might be serious. And somehow, that last part is the thing that makes her the most nervous.
You can find both at my Amazon author page. (US store linked; also available in Canada and UK, in Kindle and paper versions.)
Thank you, John! May your scamperbeasts’ love bites not break the skin!
3-4-1: Three Tales Told Nine Ways is an illustrated short story collection! And we all know everyone likes pictures with their words. That’s like the whole basis for the Internet.
Three writers collaborated to write one short story each. Then we handed those stories to one another and wrote our own interpretations. We ended up with nine awesome stories: superheros, djinns, and drug dealers all make an appearance. There’s science fiction, slipstream, and horror.
In other words, something for everyone. And beautiful illustrations from three talented artists to boot. We want everyone to be happy. It’s a perfect gift!
3-4-1: Three Tales Told Nine Ways
Fragments is a collection of short stories set surrounded with beautiful illustrations.
Some horror, some dark fantasy, all guaranteed to bring you somewhere dark before finding just that little spark of redemption.
Self published and printed in Worcester, MA, this book is my first foray into the world of printing and publishing, and with enough support looks to become a yearly series, focusing on local artists and writers.
Did I mention every copy will be signed? Cause they will! Plus it’s only ten bucks!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/253724732/fragments?ref=shop_home_feat_1
Political prisoners, executed and reanimated to man a colossal whaling ship on an oceanic deathworld.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Hates-Coward-Tomes-Dead-ebook/dp/B013I681P8
The Sea Hates A Coward is my debut novel, commissioned by Rebellion Publishing (the company behind 2000AD) on the back of this twitter horrorshow: http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/a-guy-complained-no-one-had-wished-him-happy-birthday-on-twi#.ecgqwmzM6
It’s an ebook novella full of brine, blood, and oceanographic esoterica, and has been described as “Like taking a relaxing fishing trip with HP Lovecraft”, “Coleridge meets Philip K. Dick” and “A Proper Muscly Debut”.
Oh, and it’s £2.99. Do yourself a favour and get it!
Our box set of 26 (!) paranormal holiday romance stories hit the USA Today last week! And all of these midwinter monsters and Christmas canoodling can be yours for hook-you-hard-and-trick-you-into-one-clicking-more price of ONLY 99¢.
My thematically questionable contribution to the set is “Wish Upon a Werewolf” because alliteration gets me in the spirit.
http://tiny.cc/AlphaXmas4Scalzi
Thank you for letting us share!
“R. A. Salvatore meets the sarcastic wit of Terry Goodkind.”
The Crimson Claymore was a featured book for over 2 years on Wattpad with over two and a half million reads and 17,000 votes.
The brave warrior Searon is haunted by the deaths of his wife and children at the hands of the savage reptilian draeyks, who are on a bloodthirsty rampage. He walks the land of Calthoria alone and thirsty for vengeance. He hunts the creatures down one by one, showing no mercy.
But Searon is a one-man army—and no match for the legions of murderous draeyks. Lucky for him, the powerful wizard Karceoles finds him during his travels and enlists Searon in this coming war. Karceoles believes Searon can unite the races to defeat the draeyks once and for all.
Searon discovers he can do more damage with Karceoles and a band of warriors they find along the way. But as the war rages in earnest, Searon must make a choice: Is it more important to destroy the draeyks at all costs, or will his quest for vengeance endanger the lives of his new brothers and sisters at arms?
http://www.amazon.com/The-Crimson-Claymore-Calthoria-Book-ebook/dp/B017ZTTLIA/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8&dpID=514ZdOqQEOL&dpPl=1&keywords=Craig%20A.%20Price%20Jr.&noEncodingTag=1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&qid=1447895007&redirectFromSS=1&ref=plSrch&ref_=mp_s_a_1_1&sr=1-1
“Its fair to say I’m a picky reader and don’t read as much as I’d like to. However, upon finding this book I became hooked on many of Craig’s other works and highly recommend this one in particular.
Fantastic and vivid descriptions of the world and characters alike. Plenty of gritty action and soft-hearted moments to keep the most distracted eyes glued to its pages.”
I write modern vampires, no angst, no sparkle, via my small press.Book one: turning night: Sascha the vamp has to make some difficult choices to regain his freedom and that of his friends and lovers. Book 2: stealing sunlight: Asher and rachel face off with infiltrators into the closed community and her immortality, Bound lilies is full on erotica ( all happy consent going) and Winterblood: Isabel, one of Sascha’s allies, has a historical tale to tell.
http://nicomurray.ca/?page_id=156 on the tabs buy here/buy elsewhere, ebook and print.
Vasilissa is accustomed to spending her days in a world of eternal summer, but when her carelessness causes harm to a human being, she is exiled to the human world. Vasilissa tries to keep herself aloof, but as she interacts with men and women and learns about their struggles, cares, and bravery, she begins to care more than she thought possible.
But Vasilissa is not the only magical being in that world, and it will take all of her strength, wits, and magic to survive. The ancient witch Baba Yaga, and her servant, Koschei, are intent on ruling the world with blood magic.
And only Vasilissa’s blood will do.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UAY71CQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1
A Circle of Salt is inspired by Russian folktales, retold as a fantasy epic. Fans of Hellboy and Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters books are sure to enjoy it!
My novel, A Test of Honor, is about a Knight from a planet with a Medieval culture who returns to his home after three years fighting in a galactic war to find his land stolen, his family murdered, and his closest friends unwilling to help. As he joins an outlaw band and trains them into an army to take the land back, he uncovers a family secret that shakes him to the core and threatens to engulf his entire world in the fires of civil war.
You can find the Kindle Edition for $3 here: http://www.amazon.com/Test-Honor-Aidans-War-Book-ebook/dp/B00LB9SFQ0/
It’s book one of a trilogy and its sequel (The People’s Champion) should be available by the end of the year.
Cats in Space–an anthology of science fiction cat stories by Beth Cato, Dantzel Cherry, C.L. Holland, Joy Kennedy-O’Neill, Jody Lynn Nye, Erica Satifka, and Leona Wisoker. If you love cats and science fiction, this is the collection for you!
Published by Paper Golem, edited by Elektra Hammond, introduction by Steve Miller.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cats-Space-Jody-Lynn-Nye/dp/099624350X
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cats-in-space-elektra-hammond/1121801627
Oh look, it’s yet another damn story about a giant shark. Nothing to see here. We’ll just keep on scrolling down OH WHO DO YOU THINK YOU’RE KIDDING?!?! NOBODY CAN HAVE TOO MANY BOOKS ABOUT GIANT SHARKS!
Something strange is happening in the Sea of Cortez. Whales are beaching for no apparent reason and the local hammerhead shark population, previously believed to be fished to extinction, has suddenly reappeared. Marine biologists Maria Quintero and Kevin Hoyt have come to investigate with a television producer in tow, hoping to get footage that will land them a reality TV show. The plan is to have a stand-off against a notorious illegal shark-fishing captain and then go home.
Things are not going according to plan.
There is something new in the waters of the Sea of Cortez. Something smart. Something huge. Something that has its own plans for Quintero and Hoyt.
OCEAN’S HAMMER by D.J. Goodman. BECAUSE OF COURSE YOU NEED MORE GIANT SHARKS IN YOUR LIFE!
http://www.amazon.com/Oceans-Hammer-Thriller-Quintero-Adventure-ebook/dp/B016PUCOS4%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJBDF5XQBATGDX4VQ%26tag%3Dspea06-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB016PUCOS4
Henry Schmitt wants nothing more than a quiet life and a daily ration of instant noodles. At least until he learns the terrible secret that drove his father away—the Plague that killed his mother and ravaged his country was created by those now in power. He has one chance to help expose the conspiracy: a ragtag band of rebels needs a pilot for their hot air balloon, where they can launch a broadcast revealing the truth. If Henry accepts, he can experience his dream of flight. But he would have to leave his safe, tranquil life behind … and bring the wrath of a corrupt government upon his head.
http://claudiearseneault.com/?page_id=936
Sitting halfway between dystopia and solarpunk, VIRAL AIRWAVES is a quirky science fiction adventure with a diverse crew.
Z vs. V: Zombie vs. Vampire – Volume 1
The dead have arisen. So have their enemies. They both want human blood.
Professor Jo Asheberry must keep her family alive during the undead apocalypse. Her battle is with carnivorous decaying zombies, hooded zombie crushing giants, human cults with their assault rifles, and a volcano-eyed humongous bat monster which sweeps the night sky. And somewhere, secreted back in the forest, the vampires have been taking the surviving humans—apparently to breed. Set in the lush mysteries of the Pacific Northwest landscape, Z vs V is one wild thriller of the zombiecalypse.
The first in a planned series. Volume 2 is almost ready to go.
$2.99 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Vampire-War-Undead-Book-ebook/dp/B017PVV5YQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449017962&sr=8-1&keywords=z+vs+v%3A+zombie+vs+vampire
Thanks Mr. Scalzi for hosting our books. Very generous of you.
Thanks, John. Pimping my second superhero novel, CRISIS AT COMICON
Can’t a superheroine catch a break? Chloe Cole only wants to cosplay in her Temporary Superheroine uniform at the Chicago comicon, but when the evil Mistress Miraculous threatens massive disaster, Chloe has to step up and fight. She’s the only one who can control the Dimensional Diamond and save the comicon. Chloe flings herself into superheroine mode yet again in another comic book style adventure featuring the mysterious powers of the Dimensional Diamond, roman a clef goodness, a long list of suspects with grudges against a comic book company celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary—and far too much personal drama in Chloe’s romantic relationships.
CHARACTERS IN THIS NOVEL
Chloe Cole: Reluctant female superhero, possessor of the Dimensional Diamond, strong female protagonist, snarky twenty-six-year-old with boyfriend and career issues
Roland Kirby: Eager comics fanboy, dependable partner in superhero adventures, ex-boyfriend who keeps pushing
Eric Wood: Ruthless comic book company CEO, questionably honest lover and confidant, man with a past
Jean Westover: Veteran comic book artist now relegated to drawing in Artists’ Alley, prime suspect
Norman Krigstein: Troublemaking comic book writer
Howard Hogarth: Comic book personality—nobody’s quite sure what this old guy ever did in the comics biz
Ray Herriman: Discontented young comic book company employee
Leslie Evans: Naive female comic book artist, possible frenemy
Sarah Manning: Cosplayer, off-duty cop, heroine’s friend
Ardis Tenniel: Cosplayer, granddaughter of an artist cheated out of his rights, heroine’s friend
Damien Nast: Sword salesman, grandson of an artist cheated out of his rights, hot tattooed guy
Jovial Jerry Fine: Beloved elderly icon of the comic book world, benign but skeptical participant in fast-paced adventures
Mistress Miraculous: Tries to destroy the comicon any way she can. What’s her problem, anyway?
Marie Severin: Real-life brilliant comic book artist and all-round great gal who asked to be in this book
Available at http://amzn.to/1FCz0id
Read Chloe’s first adventure, Temporary Superheroine, at http://amzn.to/1L25FOw
‘Tis the season for stories by the fireside, no? Get into the holiday mood with Masters in This Hall, a short collection of Christmas and winter-themed sci-fi and fantasy, featuring the novella “Sun and Moon and Stars of Light”. Amanda Evans believes she escaped her homeworld six months ago, married to her beloved Dai. Her grandparents say Dai was killed in an explosion eight months ago. Who knows the truth? Only the Aelur (a cat-like race genetically modified from human standard) players of the starship “Wild Rover”, and their answer will leave everyone wondering where story ends and reality begins. Also contains two shorter stories, and exclusive to e-book, the full text of “The Tale of the Winter Princess” which interweaves with Amanda’s story.
Masters in This Hall is available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Masters-This-Hall-Holidays-Anne-ebook/dp/B0187VVFCK) and Smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/594294). Fourth in my series of holiday collections, and has references to two of my novels, but definitely stands alone. Many thanks for this opportunity!
Introducing, FACE OF OUR FATHER by G. Egore Pitir
**** Winner of the 2015 Best Indie Book Award ****
**** Awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion ****
If your looking for more of the same old thing, this is the wrong novel for you. I bent the typical thriller toward literary as the following snippets from various reviews explain.
“Pitir’s greatest strength is making this a nail-biting page turner, while still retaining character depth normally found in character-driven literary fiction.”-SPR
“In summary, the author of “Face Of Our Father” succeeded where many have failed. This is a great thriller with a soul.”-The Columbia Review of Books & Film
“Pitir’s powerful narrative thrust…opens each chapter with a bang and closes it with an anxious rush…maps the craggy terrain of the violent world of power struggles, centuries-old grudges, and the ordinary fight to keep a good marriage going strong.”-IndieReader
“There’s more to the US involvement in the Middle East than what meets the eye. It is a grey area where you just don’t believe one side of the story. Face of Our Father is the one novel that shows both sides…”-San Francisco Book Review
Here’s the summary:
On the surface, Face Of Our Father is a political thriller, a West versus Middle East current-events saga of clashing cultures. But at its core, Face Of Our Father is an intricate love story, a vexing account of one couple’s conflicting devotions—the man forced to choose between love and honor, the woman between love and justice.
Here’s some details:
Readers first encounter Stuart and Angela Pierce when much of the damage has already been done. Although the Pierces don’t realize it yet, the foundation of their twenty-five year marriage cracked long before the novel opened. Stu and Angie are the quintessential mature couple that has allowed their diverging life goals to gradually pull them apart. In the opening chapter, this all too common (especially in real life) tale of the imploding mature relationship explodes into the extraordinary when Stu discovers that Angie is concealing a death threat. Angie is a vocal women’s advocate, and a former prosecuting attorney. She’s not going to let a few death threats deter her from bringing a murdering rapist to justice. But this murderer lives half a world away. Obsessed with catching this monster, Angie plunges them both into a web of global intrigue where every cultural truth they hold dear seemingly becomes just another well-told lie.
Yet, as the story unfolds, Stu and Angie discover that the worst lies are not the lies the world tells us, but the lies we tell ourselves. In the end, with every lie exposed, the Pierces find that the only truth that really matters is love.
So, although I like to think that I’ve told a page-turner, a story worthy of the most ardent fans of the thriller genre, the core issue in my novel is not the clashing of cultures. Instead, I see that cultural clash as the pestle of the West mashing against the mortar of the Middle East, grinding away at Stu and Angie’s relationship, and asking questions. How strong is their love? Will it be enough? And perhaps, most importantly, can they endure?
Bottom line:
If you want a novel that takes your cultural assumptions for a roller coaster ride and leaves you reexamining your beliefs long after you’ve finished, then this novel was written just for you. Enjoy!
Purchase at this Amazon direct link http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_7?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=face+of+our+father&sprefix=face+of%2Cstripbooks%2C265
Isaac Bolachek isn’t exactly cut out for a zombie apocalypse. He’s not athletic, doesn’t like guns, and prefers tinkering with electronics over road warrior heroics. In a world now over-run with the walking dead, he feels even more out of place than usual. Then again, maybe he’s the hero the world really needs.
The Bolachek Journals has been described as MacGyver meets The Walking Dead. For a limited time, Part 1 is available for free at Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/361237
I’ll be releasing a new version shortly, with an added prologue and some minor edits. Part 2 will be released within a few months, so keep an eye out for that also. In the mean time, you can follow the progress of my other project, a serialized superhero story at Quillaria.com:
http://quillaria.com/thad-phetteplace/superhero-story-working-title/
It’s only 6 or 7 installments away from completion, then I’ll edit and release it as an e-book, please read now and comment… I’m eager for feedback.
Dreamweavers by Kelly Russo
Teenager Kari Lee has always been a dreamer. During a period of extreme loneliness, she creates a dream world she calls the Surine in her imagination. But it’s not long before it stops being her world as others begin to make it their own. Her and her new friends create a group called the Dreamweavers. Although this world and the friends she makes in it bring her happiness and a sense of purpose, Kari can’t quite shake her doubts about whether it is real.
But when fantasy and reality begin mixing, it is up to Kari and the Dreamweavers to figure out what is real and what isn’t, before it is too late for both of her worlds.
http://www.amazon.com/Dreamweavers-Kelly-Russo-ebook/dp/B008BTTWR4
IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME is a Santa Claus story…for adults. Because it was about time.
Cameron Jones is a semi-famous writer. It’s Christmastime, but he’s alone and depressed. His ex-wife is moving away to Europe with their daughter. His writing isn’t going so great. And that foul-mouthed, goldfish hallucination that keeps bugging him is no help at all. Neither is his buddy Dogwater Hunt, an alien abductee with a pathological fear of holiday lights. Dogwater is convinced Earth is about to be visited by aliens – that sound a LOT like Santa.
The third member of this trio is St. Nick himself, who is sort of suffering a mid-career crisis and walks off the job. The three men are thrown together and – of course – have to save Christmas by saving themselves.
Happy holidays!
http://www.amazon.com/St-Nick-Time-William-Pepper/dp/0981864708/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1449023316&sr=1-1
(I’m Madison’s proud mother and editor)
EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES: LIVING WITH MY DADDY IN JAIL
Author: Madison Strempek (10 years old)
Foreword by: Kevin Corke, Correspondent
Best Seller on Amazon in the Dysfunctional Family category
Published: November 27, 2015
Take a heartwarming journey with 10-year-old author, Madison Strempek, as she candidly depicts her life experience of living with her father in jail. Through her eyes, you will live the heartbreak of her life changing news, discover how she survives with her embarrassing secret, and ultimately finds resolution and strength in understanding everyone makes mistakes.
It’s truly a story of perseverance, forgiveness, and love. She skillfully helps the reader maneuver through difficult times by providing opportunities to reflect with blank pages of doodle space, letter writing ideas, and helping the readers find their inner champion.
Madison’s personal story is not only valuable for kids living with a parent in jail, but also brings great insight to parents, doctors, social workers, psychologists, judges, lawyers, inmates, law enforcement, friends, and family that support children with incarcerated parents.
Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Makes-Mistakes-Living-Daddy/dp/0692559299/ref=zg_bs_10166926011_12
Watch this video of her talking about why she wrote her book: https://www.facebook.com/everyonemakesmistakesdaddyinjail/videos/1117721521579960/
Here is Madison doing an interview: https://www.facebook.com/iseesomething/videos/997727660249544/
A Wing and a Prayer — Superhero science fiction
Q: What happens when a woman unexpectedly gets superpowers, but her husband doesn’t?
A: Read A Wing and a Prayer and find out!
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Wing-Prayer-Steve-Semler-ebook/dp/B00SLXADBO
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Wing-Prayer-Steve-Semler/dp/0692389636
Suddenly given the powers of an ancient Sumerian goddess, Sheena Gardner, a young Wisconsin game warden, must learn to use them properly before the superpowered villain who covets those powers kills her or her husband. But this sudden transformation out of the depths of time poses changes not just to Sheena’s abilities, but also to her relationship with her husband, her mutant pop-star friend, and everyone else she knows. In order to adapt, she must stretch and test her own limits while her husband, Eric, has to learn to deal with a very different dynamic of risk, responsibility, and power in their relationship. In the process, Sheena learns of the real reason she was given the powers and has to discover and foil a plot not just against her, but against civilization itself.
Written in the spirit of the City of Heroes MMORPG, The Secret World Chronicles, Arrow, The Flash, The Avengers, Iron Man, and many other works of comic book-based heroic science fiction.
Note: I’ll probably get cranky wankerness from Gamergate type folks for the way this is described, but that may make it all worthwhile, anyway. Thanks and a tip of the hat to John Scalzi for encouraging other authors and providing a forum!
Madeleine and the Mists
Enchanted pools, shadowy dragons, wolves that spring from the mists and vanish into them again, paths that are longer, or shorter, than they should be, given where they went. . . the Misty Hills were filled with marvels.
Madeleine still left the hills, years ago, to marry against her father’s will. If her husband’s family is less than welcoming, she still is glad she married him, and they have a son, two years old.
But her husband’s overlord has fallen afoul of the king. And all his men fall with him, including her husband.
She sets out, to seek the queen and try to bypass the king — and the Misty Hills.
Some things are not so easily evaded.
A Diabolical Bargain
Growing up between the Wizards’ Wood and its marvels, and the finest university of wizardry in the world, Nick Briarwood always thought that he wanted to learn wizardry.
When his father attempts to offer him to a demon in a deal, the deal rebounded on him, and Nick survives — but all the evidence points to his having made the deal.
Now he really wants to learn wizardry. Even though the university, the best place to master it, is also the place where he is most likely to be discovered.
Curses And Wonders
A collection of tales of wonder and magic.
A prince sets out to win his way to the dragon’s lair.
A woman fights a curse on her lands.
A man returns to his castle, bringing a magical sword, and worse things.
And more tales.
Enchantments And Dragons
A wizard must produce justice enough to satisfy a dragon.
A young man tries to rob a tiger’s lair.
An enchantress tries to keep a court safe while they ignore the perils of misusing her magic.
A lady finds that court intrigues can spread even to the countryside.
And more tales.
THE INVISIBLE CITY by Brian K. Lowe. Twentieth-century soldier Charles Clee is trapped nearly 1,000,000 years in the future, a world where anti-gravity airships hunt resurrected dinosaurs, subterranean mutants train genetically-engineered monsters as gladiators, and the Earth suffers under the yoke of an alien race. Searching for the fabled last time machine, which could take him home, Clee must decide whether to return and stand by his own country in his own time–or remain and follow the path that could set all of mankind free. Whichever he chooses, a world may die. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D69LF9C?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Magic And Secrets
A woman, sent to a far off duchy, finds a mysterious wolf haunting the forest, and learns there are secrets no one even suspects.
Playing with props for amateur theatricals has more consequences than any of those doing it dream. . . act with care.
A king’s tyranny sends a woman searching desperately for a legend of lions, there being no other hope.
Revisiting some of the classic comics tropes and formats, with watercolor characters and hand-composed panels, Erik Nielsen (and I, as trusty nerdy sidekick) turned what a 30-year old discussion, obsession and love of amphibious characters into “The Amphibimen” – the first four comics are available in Kindle format. Erik’s art is unique, and yes, some of the characters are based on people we knew in high school (the human ones, not the frog ones, that is). http://amzn.to/1YGp9gE
Chunnel Surfer II: A town mysteriously empty except for silent, lumbering horrors and a teenager with a secret; a coven of witches trying to survive on a battleship; a dragon in the grass; a house with a few extra rooms; a game of zombie that gets a little out of hand; a man who keeps his town whole by walking; a haunted library; a world shattered by a cosmic accident; fairies, ogres, grandmothers, cats, hustlers, vampires, detectives, queens, murderers, time travelers; poetry, drama, comedy, mystery, biography, video game, horror! Life happens as a series of seemingly unconnected events. Fiction however has to make sense. Until now. Chunnel Surf the realities of a cast of thousands in this novel that dares to tamper with the rules — or reality itself. Take care, one of the cast just might be YOU. — This book is not for children. It might even be dangerous. This book is not a sequel.
Amazon Kindle edition.
Check out the Ravensblood series! Award-winning urban fantasy set in an alternate-universe version of Portland, OR and environs. Amazon best-selling author R L King says about book 1 “I am a sucker for urban fantasy, for elegant, sarcastic heroes struggling against their indiscretions on the wrong side of the moral spectrum (especially when they’re powerful mages). . . Therefore, Ravensblood hit the spot quite nicely for me. . .I found the novel’s supporting cast to be engaging and believable as well. . .The ending was edge-of-the-seat suspenseful, and I’ll even admit to my room getting a little dusty at the end, a sure sign that a story worked for me.”
Ravensblood: http://www.amazon.com/Ravensblood-Shawna-Reppert-ebook/dp/B00G93U4F8
Raven’s Wing http://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Wing-Ravensblood-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00SFB77JS
If you like SciFi, check out the Universe in Flames saga, 2 books currently in the series, action oriented epic Space Opera with lots of space battles but also some fantasy and mythology thrown into the mix.
Book1: Earth Last Sanctuary: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0104MZRX8
Book2 :Fury to the Stars: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014I5OESG
Omnibus (both book 1 & 2 at lower price): http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Sanctuary-Stars-Books-Omnibus-ebook/dp/B018CLWSF8
Book 3 of the series (Destination Oblivion) will release in the next 3 weeks.
More info about all books on my website : http://www.christiankallias.com/
The 7 Secrets of the Prolific is a great gift for *any* writer seeking to boost his/her productivity and/or finish (or start!) projects in 2016.
*more than 180 5-star Amazon reviews
*unique, and uniquely effective, approach based on principles of personal empowerment
*special sections on academic writing and writing for the Internet
*illustrations by award-winning cartoonist Barry “Hereville” Deutsch
http://www.amazon.com/The-Secrets-Prolific-Procrastination-Perfectionism/dp/098364540X/
Thanks, John, for the opportunity, and for all you do!
An urban fantasy set in Singapore, complete with wolves, drakes, elves etc. The Myriad in Singapore are the non-human groups living side by side their human counterparts. Enter the Lang, the Chinese werewolves who long since settled on the island.
Jan Xu, mother, daughter and wolf, is suddenly thrown into a whirlwind of politics. Will she remain strong?
https://awolfstale.wordpress.com/urban-fantasy/
Thanks for this!
I have a geeky, feminist romance for sale, self-published but fully edited by a professional. It was written for feminist, lefty nerds like me who like sex scenes and find traditional romances to be skeevy in so many ways.
Details and sales links at http://findinggaia.com/book/.
WARNING/SELLING POINTS: it contains sex, swearing, and violence.
Thank you for the opportunity.
——————————————
When a mythical world threatens everything, an unlikely hero must join the battle…
College senior Aaron Jace is ready to start life in the real world. After the unexpected death of his grandfather, Aaron finds an unbelievable note that will change his world. The unknowing descendent of an ancient and powerful family, Aaron is thrust into a struggle that began long ago and will reach across worlds to pull him into the fight.
When he learns of the world of Safanar, it seems to be the stuff of legends: dragons, castles, and technologically-advanced cities. But it’s as much a dream as it is a nightmare. Danger lurks in the shadows, and a demon sentinel named Tarimus wants to steal Aaron’s power before he can learn his full potential.
With the help of an imprisoned Safanarion guardian, two mystical swords, and a puzzling family heirloom, Aaron must journey from Earth to find the fabled land of his ancestors. It may be a path that’s impossible to survive.
The Road to Shandara is the first book in an epic fantasy series that features fast-paced action, compelling characters, and a breathtaking world that will make you want to snatch up the whole series. This is not your traditional fantasy novel. Grab the first book in your next fantasy series today!
E-book and paperback available!
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FV6XIS4
Everywhere else: http://kenlozito.com/road-to-shandara/
Danger… Romance… Magic…
SECRETS OF THE THRONE by CC Rogers (writer of Rune: A Tale of Wizards and Kings) is the story of a confident young woman embarking on the adventure of her life.
What readers are saying:
– “I couldn’t put it down!”
– “A page turner”
– “Light fantasy with a dash of swoony romance!”
– “Five stars!”
The beautiful paperback edition is the perfect gift for women who love to read fantasy with a touch of romance. And, with Kindle MatchBook, your gift recipient can get the ebook edition for free!
If the ebook is all your gift recipient needs, you can use coupon code UQ75E to buy it on Smashwords for only $1.99! (60% off coupon expires December 25, 2015). (Smashwords offers a variety of ebook formats. Does your gift recipient not own a Kindle? No problem! You can read the ebook on computers and mobile devices!)
In an 1800s-esque world, where our fairy tales and rhymes are their real world events and people, a secret society has sent an agent to steal the first steam engine plans from master inventor, and grandfather, Nikolas Klaus.
His granddaughter, Tee, and her two best friends, Elly and Richy, get caught in the middle as they learn that the world outside their small mountain village is nothing but simple.
The series gets more intense as it goes, like Harry Potter. It has been a finalist for IAN’s Book of the Year 2015 award in both YA and Fantasy, and has been an amazon best seller in Steampunk and Fairy Tale.
It has built a strong audience among 9-15 year olds, and adults.
Book Series Trailer available at: AdamDreece.com/booktrailer
Information at: TheYellowHoods.com
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/AmzBook1 (internationalized links)
Kobo: http://smarturl.it/KoboBk1
iBooks: http://smarturl.it/iBk1
thanks for the opportunity to post!
Adam
Twitter: @AdamDreece
I have three fantasy novels that focus on non-human (mostly minotaurs and lizardy-folk) characters and sci-fi suitable for all ages available in print or for Kindle at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MWaxEv.
Wings of Twilight & Iron Fist of the Oroqs: are The Foundation of Drak-Anor and tell the story of the “monsters” of an underground city who are just looking to be accepted in a world that considers them nothing more than the goal of quests to wipe out evil.
Malediction is the first novel of a follow up trilogy to The Foundation of Drak-Anor, Scars of the Sundering. In it, the minotaur necromancer, Pancras, and the drak twins, Kale & Delilah, leave Drak-Anor to deal with the consequences of their actions and learn that to be an accepted part of the world, they must take responsibility for the mistakes of their past.
The Zack Jackson series is best described as Harry Potter in Space. It follows the adventures of a teen from 43rd century Wyoming as he joins the Junior Rangers and goes to school during a time when the Earth-Alpha Centauri Alliance is on the verge of joining the Galactic Confederation. It’s an optimistic, relatively hard sci-fi look at the future.
The Sojourn Anthologies feature my Seven Galaxies short stories about a universe where humans are enslaved and treated like cattle. The few free humans that exist try to find others to help them fight against their oppressors. It’s my dark take on a gonzo space-fantasy setting.
Thank you, Mr. Scalzi, for the opportunity.
https://youtu.be/sqprgUOcQig
My new novel, The Worker’s Heart,. set in the near-future MERCS universe, is available in eBook format at:
Amazon: The Worker’s Heart
Barnes&Noble: The Worker’s Heart
MegaconGames: The Worker’s Heart
Eclison Tavares Jorge Machado thought he had it all. As one of the youngest Unit Leaders in all of KemVar Acquisitions, he had a steady paycheck, a challenging job, and the respect of his superiors and peers. That is, until he forgot the soldier’s cardinal rule—always follow your orders.
With a single action he’s suddenly on Management’s radar and his unhappy commander has just the job to teach him a lesson. From the steamy jungle of the Lost Margin to the frigid outskirts of USCR territory, Machado soon learns that there’s more at stake than just his career. As enemies become temporary allies, what starts off as a simple, if unorthodox, mission holds ramifications that, if left unchecked, could tear KemVar apart.
Thanks for the opportunity to share!
Thank you for this annual tradition, John!
I write in two different genres, so I’m going to mention two different books.
For science fiction, I offer the recently available Bodyguard of Lies: On a future world where corporations have all but taken over the rule of law, Sabra makes her living as a star of arena combat. A “gladiator” in a sport that has roots in blood sports from knife fighting to wrestling, Sabra wins her battles, even when her opponents fight dirty, and then her arena manager manipulates her into taking a lucrative bodyguard contract for a corporate head.
A rival corp has been interfering with the exclusive deal Vuest has to distribute a particular drug. Sabra’s mission is to keep the head of Vuest safe while his merc team deals with the rival’s mercs. Then she discovers her brother, who she hasn’t spoken to in years, is working for the other side.
See the cover and find the buy links here on my blog.
If your tastes run to cozy mystery, the first book in my River Corners Mysteries series is the seasonal The Christmas Tree Farm Murders. River Corners is an ordinary college town. It has the typical town-gown divide, the quaint shops, and the diner where everyone goes to grab a quick bite to eat. It has a Christmas pageant every year, children who carol, and enough quirky characters to fill a graveyard.
It also has a killer — and an amateur detective determined to see justice done.
You can check out an excerpt and find buy links here (on my other blog).
Learn about coffee!
Do some fun, easy experiments!
Get tricked into learning about chemical engineering!
This is actually the lab manual for a very popular coffee class at UC Davis, but it doubles as an at-home guide. If you love coffee, or science, or both, this is for you.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Design-Coffee-Engineering-Approach/dp/1516894782
What many of our most brilliant physicists have long suspected is, in fact, true: beyond our universe, there are limitless others in mind-boggling variety. But humanity had never realized that the secret to those worlds was beneath its feet. For ten millennia, the D’ni lived in great caverns, ignoring the savages on the surface. Using their linking books, they built an empire that spanned dimensions. Its glory was ended abruptly a few centuries ago, and their city has stood empty. Until now.
Small groups of humanity have discovered the secret of the Deep City. Some have come to explore, and others have come to exploit. Some have been called to D’ni by a feeling they can’t describe, and try to make it their home. Others look out to the Ages, the universes suddenly open to them, and see opportunity and hope. And there are those among the Ages who are not happy that D’ni has begun to breathe again.
The D’ni civilization is no more. But the ending has not been written…
Unwritten: Adventures in the Ages of MYST & Beyond is a Fate-based tabletop RPG set in the universe of the MYST games by Cyan, Inc. Available in softcover & PDF: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/5893/InkWorks-Productions
~Eleri Hamilton (Co-author)
My Kickstarter book project “Metal Etched Memories” was a success and the art and story book is at the printers now and also available for preorder through my website. Through art and words it tells the story of a romantic history that could have been, through the eyes of a robot protagonist. It’s for mature audiences only.
It will be available in January so not a great Christmas gift idea, but I hope you’ll check it out anyway and consider preordering it
Website preorder page: http://www.lindaadair.com/metal-etched-memories/
Super tropey Alpha/Omega gay werewolf romance, anybody?
Sparks fly when a protective alpha meets an omega in danger, but there’s a catch: this omega is still human, and doesn’t know what he could become with a bite from the right wolf….
The Omega’s Bodyguard
And the sequel, new this week: The Omega’s Pack
Debt is always negative, no matter how positively you try to look at it.
Fifteen minutes of fame is all Isa Maxwell needs to solve her financial woes and win back Brad, the love of her life. Trouble is she doesn’t have a talent needed to get discovered, become a celebrity, or “show Brad” what he’s missing. She doesn’t even have enough self-awareness to understand what is happening around her. What she does have, however, is determination and sheer luck. When Isa literally lands on her butt in a billionaire’s office, she also accidentally lands the job of her dreams. She soars up the corporate ladder and is offered opportunities to change the corporate marketing strategy and renegotiate a major merger. Not a small feat for someone who doesn’t know what “marketing strategy” or “merger” mean to begin with. Meanwhile, she seems to attract attention of new love interests – a hot cop, a mysterious neighbor, the billionaire himself, and even her best girl Tara.
Life’s a dream. Until it turns into a nightmare…
Can Isa survive the tough world of corporate intrigue and constant looming bodily harm? Or will her persistence cause the end of Shizzle, Inc and possibly her life?
Kindle and paperback versions available: http://www.amazon.com/Shizzle-Inc-Maxwell-escapades-Book-ebook/dp/B014XFQPZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449114583&sr=8-1&keywords=shizzle%2C+inc
Thank you for this opportunity.
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Remember-Devanshu-Mishra-ebook/dp/B00M197DLM
A washed-up expat writer gatecrashes his brother’s dinner party and tells a tale about his college days in Delhi with a lethal twist in its.. tail.
http://www.amazon.com/Tangled-Hearts-Inc-Devanshu-Mishra-ebook/dp/B00R3QZYAK/
Widdle Marty returns, drunker and more deranged, to tell another Delhi story about love, loss and people named after arachnids.
On sale right now for just .99!
http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Fish-Chronicles-Ted-Cross-ebook/dp/B010F578U4/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Or if you prefer epic fantasy
http://www.amazon.com/Shard-Chronicles-Xax-Ted-Cross-ebook/dp/B00U8UQVGY/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Or science fiction!
http://www.amazon.com/Immortality-Game-Ted-Cross-ebook/dp/B00PGW5YZ8/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Here’s a book I collaborated on a while ago. It’s called “Bunny and Demon Go On a Picnic”, and it’s pretty much what it says on the wrapper. :-)
http://www.blurb.com/b/5521316-bunny-and-demon-go-on-a-picnic-10-x8
http://www.blurb.com/b/5504054-bunny-and-demon-go-on-a-picnic-13-x11
A bit late to this party, but I’l plug my book, “Slave in the City of Dragons.” http://www.amazon.com/Slave-City-Dragons-Dinosaurs-Gladiators-ebook/dp/B00OTQAZLU.
A reviewer called it “21st Century Pulp Adventure in the tradition of Conan, John Carter and Deja Thoris, and R. E. Howard’s finest!” That pretty sums it up pretty well. Basically, I love the books of Robert E. Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs, and wrote something they might enjoy. It’s on the Kindle Unlimited program, so if you have Kindle Unlimited, it’s a FREE, rip-roaring adventure.
The blurb:
Savagery, Lust and Adventure at Time’s Abyss: Beautiful Pashera sets off on a quest to kill a fabled beast and thus raise her status in her primitive tribe. But she’s captured by a warrior, Tol’zen … a warrior who’s not quite human. He’s a descendant of dinosaurs, and she becomes first his slave, then his lover in an ancient city. It’s a lost civilization of magic, mystery and unimaginable sin dating back countless millennia. But past glory has curdled to rot, and the city is sliding into decadence and depravity.
Tol’zen fights for the soul of his people, while Pashera finds herself fighting in the arena against fierce women, worse men and monsters straight out of hell. It’s an era of brutal violence, raw sex, wonders and horrors. Brave and resourceful, Pashera risks everything to find freedom and true love at the dawn of time. Will she succeed … or will she end up another nameless and bloody stain on the sand?
That’s it. I wrote “Slave in the City of Dragons” under a pen name for reasons I won’t bore you with. I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks, Mr. Scalzi. Love your stuff.
The novel I self-published this year, Circle Unbroken. A blend of sci-fi setting with formal, ritual magic. There’s magic, family intrigue, betrayals. unexpected allies, and action. All the info is here:
http://wp.me/P3sX1b-lX
And the link for all my books (the above novel, a dystopian sci-fi short, and a collection of fantasy short stories):
http://wp.me/P3sX1b-o1
Do you know a middle school aged kid (or teacher) who likes ot make a mess/ Do you know anyone who wants to learn more about how the world works with actual experiments like those done by real scientists? Then do I have a book for you!
The Secret Science Society is a chapter book filled with ten different experiments that you can do at home using things that you probably already have (eggs, bicycle pumps, beans). And, instead of being just a cookbook for experiments, this book shows the fun of science by asking you to join Mary and Peter as they do the experiments. Read along as they ask questions, make predictions, and then see what the answer is! In this book, Mary and Peter will discover what it feels like to be in space, how to make rainbows in the backyard, and how to do something impossible. Grab your friends and join in on the fun!
This is a self published novella I put out this fall. It’s a gritty fantasy set in the same vein as Steven Erikson, Ian Cameron Esslemont, and Glen Cook. Fans of grimdark, sword and sorcery, and epic fantasy, should definitely take a look.
Grim Drifts of Sand & Fate is available for $2.99 in ebook format here:
http://www.amazon.com/Grim-Drifts-Sand-Fate-Legacy-ebook/dp/B014XG46YM
and for $8.99 in oh-so-glorious paperback here:
http://www.amazon.com/Grim-Drifts-Sand-Fate-Legacy/dp/1517712157
In the ruined wastes of the once great empire of Ildestra, three knights hunt a fugitive. Taren Chem, once a noble hero of the empire, has fallen into irrelevancy. When an old acquaintance comes looking for the old knight to join the hunt, Taren jumps at the chance to relive the glory of his youth. Little does he know what darkness or terror the quest will bring. Old wars were fought in the Aesillian Wastes, wars of sorcery and forgotten power, and it is a power which lingers still.
As the knights begin their hunt, others move about the wastes, prisoners and guards, captives and prey. Two monks escort a giant to his execution, while once bound witches scour the sands for living souls. The Aesillian Wastes are not forgiving, the land itself at war with those who strive to stand on its broken foundation.
For Ceprium Past, an escaped inmate of an imperial prison, the wastes bring more than darkness, they bring redemption. Despite being hunted by three imperial knights, Ceprium searches for answers of his own, for an end to the memories which plague his dreams, and for a way to kill an immortal goddess. At the heart of this doomed hunt, weaving the threads of decay, is the goddess known as Tesc, the Flyborne Queen, the Empress of Wraiths. The dead goddess needs a champion, and while Ceprium Past has proven his will is strong, Taren Chem and the knights of Mirias Deil will not give up their prize so easily.
Hello, I’m here to talk about how my relationship was broken and how i save it, my husband saw me with my old school friend in college and said is over between us without even asking me what i was doing with him, because i truly love him i was looking for a solution to get him back till one faithful day i was searching through something on the Internet and i came across someone talking about Dr. EKPEN TEMPLE on how Dr. EKPEN TEMPLE save her marriage so i also took the details of Dr. EKPEN TEMPLE and contacted him and told him about my situation, he told me not to worry that everything will be ok, today I’m happy to tell you that my husband is back to me and I’m even pregnant for him right and we celebrated last Christmas together which the year 2014, here is Dr. EKPEN TEMPLE contact via email: ((ekpentemple at gmail. com))). Grateful
Bit late to this party, but I just released an illustrated edition of my urban fantasy Lies and Prophecy, with six pieces of art from Avery Liell-Kok. I also have a variety of other epubbed titles, ranging from a collection of very brief horror stories (Monstrous Beauty) to an Onyx Court novella (Deeds of Men) to a book on how to write fight scenes (creatively titled Writing Fight Scenes); buy links for all of those may be found here.
Thank you for the opportunity Mr S.
My book is called: Trespass: A Tale of Mystery and Suspense Across Time
Three stories, separated by five thousand years, united by one deadly secret: Somewhere, sometime, the stone is waiting.
Discovered over 5,000 years ago, the Darkeningstone affects everyone who finds it.
In Neolithic times, the night belongs to the Shades – the spirits that prowl through the dark. Only one man knows the secret of the Darkeningstone and he will guard it with his life. But someone is lurking within the shadows – someone with murder in his heart.
In 1939, as World War II looms, the Darkeningstone will cast its long shadow into the lives of two ordinary men. Their destinies will be changed forever.
In the twenty-first Century, Jake is too smart to believe the urban myths about the abandoned quarry, but when he strays too far, he puts himself in more danger than he could ever have imagined.
Trespass blends gritty, edgy modern-day threats with ancient superstitions.
When it finds you, what will you see when you look into The Darkeningstone?
Find out today, when you read this gripping tale of mystery and suspense across time.
Trespass is the perfect read for fans of A.G. Riddle, Kate Mosse, Barbara Erskine, and Rysa Walker. And if you’re fan of Dr. Who, we’ll get along just fine. There are elements of historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and time travel in this book – along with a good measure of suspense and a side-order of thrills.
Here’s a standard link: http://www.amazon.com/Trespass-Mystery-Suspense-Across-Darkeningstone-ebook/dp/B00WOPKL8U/
I hope you enjoy the book.
Corporate espionage, eco-terrorism, and territorial separatists complicate the lives of the crew at Permaron’s Antarctic Station Three. But they’ll have to navigate each other if they want to save themselves from certain doom.
ON THE ICE is a speculative fiction thriller available at https://amazon.com/author/kategorman.
Extra special thanks to the intrepid comment-readers who scrolled all the way down here :)
Homage to the short story sci-fi collections, SPACELORE answers the question – what will the stories be that get told in spacer bars? Chillers, thrillers, I-swear-I-once-saw, so long as they involve space travel? Here’s your chance to find out without having to buy disreputable people disreputable drinks in extraterrestrial dives!
SPACELORE is available now on Amazon for your Kindle, and is part of Amazon’s Kindle Select lending program!
Want to give someone the chance to make some medieval bling?
“Working Medieval Gold Embroidery – An Introduction” is just the book for this. Basic techniques, tools and materials are explained, and macro photographs of medieval originals show the nuts and bolts of the original work. Lots of photos, clear instructions – available only at my webshop!
Thanks for this opportunity, John! ^-^
______
The Calypsis Project takes place in the midst of a galactic war waged between the United Nations Planetary Defense and an alien organization known as the Drocain Royal Empire. After ten years of fighting with no sign of a conclusion in sight, and with mankind’s very existence on the line, the men and women of the UNPD have been forced into desperation.
When Corporal Alana Carmen stumbles upon an encrypted communications device, she learns that there is more to the conflict than a simple war-for-worlds. But to uncover the truth, she must make allies of those she once considered enemies.
And now, the fate of the entire galaxy may rest on the shoulders of a single alien warrior . . .
After being publicly shamed at his own Coming of Age ceremony, Kenon Valinquint enrolls in the Drocain Royal Empire in the hope of one day redeeming himself. Unbeknownst to the young Drahkori, this decision has set in motion a staggering chain of events that could very well change the direction of the war, and the known history of the universe, forever.
Hi John! I’m new to this site, and glad I found you. Thank you for this awesome opportunity! I’ve written my first two books self-published on Amazon, Emergence (Jael’s Birthright Trilogy) is available and free for those with Kindle Unlimited…
Jael Williams is a street-savvy, twenty-two-year-old nephilim (half-angel, half-human) who had to grow up fast, taking care of herself and her mom in her youth. Finding out she was nephilim came later in her life, making an all-inclusive offer to J.U., Justice University School of the Nephilim, a difficult adjustment.
Her ultimate goal now that she knows who and what she is? To be the best, badass warrior she can be!
Elijah Renaud, a sinfully gorgeous fae warrior in search of his soul mate, knows who and where she is, but he can’t tell her they are soul mates. Per the orders of the Archangel Gabriel, Eli must deceive Jael, his mate, and make her fall for him without full disclosure. The other catch? He only has thirty days to do it. If he fails, he will have to marry the fae female to whom he has been betrothed since childhood.
Will Eli’s old world ways and the secrets he withholds be his downfall? Can Jael prove that she’s the ultimate warrior and still keep her man? Or will she choose another, a stranger waiting in the wings for just the right opportunity to make her his?