Whatever Holiday Gift Guide 2020, Day Two: Non-Traditionally Published Books
Posted on December 1, 2020 Posted by John Scalzi 210 Comments
Today is Day Two of the Whatever Holiday Gift Guide 2020, 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. If your book is only available in the UK or some other country, please let people know!
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!
Tomorrow (12/2): Other creators (musicians, artists, crafters, etc!)
MAGE MUSIC the Blog: Writings on Magick and Creativity is not a grimoire. It does not contain spells and invocations. Sorry, but if that’s what you’re looking for, look elsewhere — and good luck with that.
Mage Music is a compilation of selected posts from jimmypagemusic.blogspot.com of May 7, 2012 through November 22, 2014. Begun with the intention of discussing and analyzing the music of the extraordinary guitarist, Jimmy Page, it evolved into a broader look at the creative nature of Magick and the connection of Magick with music and other forms of art. This book is the text of those aspects of that blog.
You will find no spells or instructions for making magical objects or invoking entities in Mage Music because the focus is the ur-Magick: the source of the energy and the fundamentals common to all specific practices of Magick.
You will, however, find out how to connect with your own Magick and to appreciate the Magick of the Mage Musician, Jimmy Page.
MAGE MUSIC is available at Amazon https://amzn.to/2HU90a3
Thanks as always for this, John. It’s a great thing you do!
If you’re feeling the need for more epic fantasy worldbuilding goodness now that you’ve torn through RHYTHM OF WAR, ye fans of Brandon Sanderson, check out my series, Unwilling Souls. Conversely, if you like the *idea* of epic fantasy but are intimidated by the size of most examples (say you’re a Philip Pullman fan), also check out my series Unwilling Souls.
The gods are rightfully imprisoned, and Ses intends to keep them that way. But her rebel father has other plans. Unwilling Souls is a pulse-pounding chase through an epic fantasy world of skull cities, demonic conspiracy, and a magical industrial revolution fueled by harvested human souls. The secret daughter of warring parents and on the run for crimes she didn’t commit, Ses must unravel the secrets of her past while preventing the return of the gods themselves.
The series is still available for its Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale price. You can get the three available books (one more to come) for just $2.99 each if you act fast!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017QL9YZ2
Thank you for including indie writers, John & Athena! Much appreciated.
Here is my SAND RUNNER SERIES, a near-future SF action adventure with a splash of romance. For YA fans of all ages.
Sand Runner: https://www.amazon.com/Sand-Runner-Book-ebook/dp/B06XF6LD1R/
Cage Runner: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079S5H1RP
Ghost Runner: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085N65TXP
Hopefully, the previews above work. Available in ebook and paperback. Thanks for considering, and happy book shopping!
Thanks for doing this, as always.
I’ve written many books, of many different types — everything from music history to comics criticism — and all my self-published ones can be found at https://books2read.com/ap/vxbkLR/andrew-hickey . I think the one most people here would appreciate most is The Basilisk Murders, a satirical mystery novel set at a conference about the Singularity. Our protagonist is a bisexual, left-wing, female journalist who’s sent to cover a conference full of alt-right Puppyish types.
Rogue
A quirky, twisty scifi/adventure/romcom set in space.
Canterbury is one of thousands of ships wandering interstellar space. Life on board is quiet, stable, regimented, stagnant.
Siblings Kendal and Rowan are bright, imaginative and adventurous.
Kendal routinely takes “shortcuts” by leaping out of airlocks.
Rowan snoops through Canterbury’s restricted Archives, looking for ancient conspiracies.
In short, they’re “troublemakers”.
When one of Rowan’s wild conspiracy theories turns out to be true, the two (naturally) dive head-first into a cascade of events involving a rogue planet, an unexpected visitor, a malevolent A.I., and the very reason behind Canterbury’s existence.
And they have to do all this while dealing with familial obligations, politics, romantic entanglements, not to mention Rowan’s coming of age and subsequent gender assignment counseling sessions.
https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Steve-DeGroof-ebook/dp/B08HJ3Z6S7
Thanks again for doing this! I have a YA superhero series, and humorous fantasy series, but I want to focus on my urban fantasy trilogy Well-Behaved Women, featuring history’s most infamous heroines, anti-heroines, and villains. You can find WBW, and everything else, here: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00FH1QK6A
Thank you, John! I self-published my first novel LOST in 2000 and somehow it got a little press coverage back then. It’s been out of print forever so I republished it in 2019 (paperback and kindle).
It was the truth and there was no denying it. Jeremy Keller was being followed. At first he didn’t quite believe it. Who gets followed in real life? Welcome to Jeremy’s world: New York City at the end of the 20th century. Yes, Jeremy is being followed, but he doesn’t mind. He is, after all, destined for great things. A little being followed is to be expected. And no, he doesn’t know why he’s being followed. And his job is nothing to brag about either. And a certain police detective has it in for him. And the love of his life doesn’t know he exists. And he thinks he’s responsible for the death of an innocent man. And his rent is late. And he lost the mysterious envelope that just might have the answers he’s looking for. But at least he’s being followed. Not everyone can say that. But then, not everyone is destined for great things.
“There are a million laughs in the big city…wonderfully comic…a page-turner…Stein has a keen eye for the details of our cultural landscape. And he sprinkles his scenes with deadpan one-liners and cultural reference points…insightful tweaking of city living and modern times.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B082SDZR76&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_8YJXFb6R35HXC
Do you like cats, books and bookstores? Then you will love “Huck & Finn, Bookstore Cats” a picture book about a day in the life of Huck and Finn the most famous bookstore cats. Really? Yes, the have appeared in “Bookstore Cats” by Brandon Schultz, they are honorary members of the Feline Historical Society, are characters in the Totally Ninja Raccoons, and have been written about by Cole & Marmalade, just Google them. The book is self-published with the help of the tall cat (Kevin Coolidge) and it is available everywhere. If you want a copy signed by the cats, just visit https://kevincoolidge.org/products/huck-finn-bookstore-cats-paperback
Proceeds of the book go to buying Huck & Finn treats, catnip and cat toys
A healing flower that shouldn’t exist. A warrior named amongst the peaceful Kallie. There’s something happening in the forest, and Baeddan is determined to find that magic… his life may depend on it.
The Stolen Lives is a $0.99 series starter, with 10 books in the series (coming soon). Book 5 was just released today.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H5SYXY1
Thank you so much for this opportunity to share!
Thank you for the opportunity to promote! Here’s a helpful book for the non-traditional writer who wants to break in and have a long career of writing and selling books, with techniques used by many successful Indie (and some traditional) writers. With a long list of useful further resources.
https://www.amazon.com/How-be-Successful-Indie-Writer-ebook/dp/B08LS2KNHY/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=how+to+be+a+successful+indie+writer&qid=1603811456&s=digital-text&sr=1-3
Are you a creative genius? No, only Mozart is a creative genius, and you are not him. But you are creative—yes, you are, admit it—and you want to overcome your fears and your bad habits so that you can write that novel/paint that painting/compose that song/program that app.
LICHTENBERGIANISM: PROCRASTINATION AS A CREATIVE STRATEGY gives you nine Precepts, ways to restructure your thinking about how you create and why so that you can just get to work and create the work of your dreams. But not today. Tomorrow is better.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2z8c3pv
Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3d4KddH
website: https://lichtenbergianism.com
Thank you so much for this!
I’m going to pimp my Whyborne & Griffin series, which features a gay Victorian-era wizard who fights eldritch horrors and falls in love with an ex-Pinkerton detective. Series info here: http://www.jordanlhawk.com/whyborne-griffin/
Thank you again, Mr Scalzi. With your Big Idea columns and this yearly returning part of your blog, you really do help other writers.
I have self-published seven books:
– four novellas that are two series of two*,
– one poetry collection
– one short story collection
– one stand-alone novella
There are digital and paper versions of all books**
The short stories roam from slapstick to horror, sometimes within one story. The stand-alone novella is an urban fantasy that also has its gruesome and funny moments.
You can look at all of them here: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B0841RPQBS?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=author-sidecar-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeade
Possible extra selling point: the books are cheap. $2.99 for the ebook and $5.50 for the paper version.
You can see more detailed information about the stories on the Amazon site.
*Both series are quite demented comedies, set in two different story worlds. I’m presently editing a fifth novella that will bring these worlds together. Each first book of the two series also reads as a stand-alone story. (They were written that way.)
**Apart from the stand-alone novella ‘Everything Orpheus did (backwards in high heels)’, which can only be bought as an ebook for now.
Love SF/F, but tired of the same old tropes? Me too.
So, when I wrote my own epic series, I decided that I’d take every trope I could find and flip it, reverse it, or somehow turn it inside out — while having it still work in the story.
For example: You know how in fantasy novels there always seems to be a mysterious, secretive order? An ancient organization with a deep store of knowledge, arcane wisdom forbidden to any but their own members? And never (well, almost never) revealed to the simple, unworthy common folk?
Now, what’s the opposite of that? The exact opposite?
Meet the Steerswomen.
The Steerswoman series, by Rosemary Kirstein (Amazon Link)
The Steerswoman Series has four volumes so far, and more on the way: The Steerswoman, The Outskirter’s Secret, The Lost Steersman, and The Language of P0wer.
Here’s what some very smart people say about the books:
Hugo and Nebula winner Jo Walton (Among Others, My Real Children, Lent): “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… These books really are terrific fun to read.”
Science writer and actual physicist Chad Orzel (How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, Breakfast with Einstein): “Maybe the best depiction of the process of science I’ve encountered in fiction is the Steerswoman series… It’s a joy to watch the scientific reasoning process Rowan follows, and the plots have plenty of excitement as well.”
Damien Broderick & Paul Di Filippo, in Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985-2010: “[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.”
When the trad-pub versions of these went out of print, I got the rights back and re-released the series myself, in both paperback and ebook formats.
You can get them from any reputable seller (your favorite bookstore can order the paperbacks from their usual distributor), but to make things easy, just use the Amazon.com link, above.
More flipped tropes? Sure:
That 14-year-old boy with a talent for magic? Take a close look at what he’s doing.
Barbarian warrior nomad sidekick? Guess again.
And hey, that standard-issue group of itinerant medieval musicians — is that a banjo in there?
Hi, my name is H N Burkquest and I’ve been busy in lockdown! I’ve self published two books in what will become a 5 book series called Alchemy. My genre is erotic romance and magical realism – think Harry Potter universe crossed with 50 Shades!
If you like a steamy romance with two flawed, interesting characters give Alchemy and Redemption a try!
They’re available on Amazon (all markets) and here’s a link to my author page there;
Link to H N Burkquest author page
Here’s the blurb for Alchemy, the first in the series;
“A deliciously erotic emotional rollercoaster”
“Mythical and spellbinding”
Sorceress Ella Redemte has spent sixteen years trying to outrun the grief she feels after the deaths of her parents and sister. An archivist moving from job to job in a world of Purblind, who are oblivious to the world of magic that surrounds them, she has also been helping Hidden communities with their archives and seeking ways to monetise their assets in a modern world they don’t understand.
She accepts an assignment at Merlon Castle, on a remote island off the coast of Cornwall. There, she will not only curate the castle’s archive but also update their ancient herbals and healing practices with modern Purblind advances.
On arrival she is intrigued by the difficult master alchemist with whom she is keen to collaborate, but the last thing she expects is to fall desperately, passionately in love.
Does the notoriously unpleasant Master Paracelsus Stidolph feel the same? He has earned Lord Merlon’s trust, but can Ella come to terms with his history of collaboration with the Necromancer, who was enjoying a killing spree when her family died?
How can these damaged soulmates be happy when their pasts are revealed to be intertwined? Will Ella finally stop running and confront her past?
Find out, in this passionate story of forgiveness and redemption.
Liked the Old Guard? Then you will want to meet Silver, the immortal agent of faceless gods who shadows humanity’s rise throughout history. Something is happening in the world, and Silver is driven by her gods to shepherd it into existence. Only, something is wrong, and she can feel it.
A Silicon Valley executive is murdered, kicking off a chase across space and time. We meet Gold, Silver’s ancient lover, friend, and murderous enemy. And a third agent, the secretive man known only as Smoke, a traveler from another Earth, sent by his own masters to find and contact new intelligences. Silver, Gold, and Smoke must confront a new threat against the entire fabric of reality.
The first novel in the Tapestry Cycle, Silver’s Gods is a wild ride through history, viewed by a woman driven mad by her relentless gods. Time, space, reality…nothing is what it seems. If you enjoy techno-thrillers, alternative histories, stories in a connected multiverse…give the Tapestry Cycle a try. You won’t regret it!
https://www.amazon.com/Rich-X-Curtis/e/B0887NHLZ5
Hi, Good morning!
My books are a trilogy set in the not too distant future. They are a mix of Cyberpunk and dystopian Noir, but they are thrillers. They feature strong women, thoughtful men and paint a picture of a world which you will recognise but which is markedly different from the world we see around us today. They are available in e-format and paperback. The link is to the trilogy but they can be bought separately.
Sao Paulo Samba and the China 12, (book one, but can be read after the next one)
Brancusi’s head and the China 12 (book two)
The Dogs of Lamu and the China 12 (book three)
I hope you enjoy them
https://www.amazon.co.uk/China-12-Trilogy-first-three-ebook/dp/B089MGJ2QB
Thanks for making this promotion space available, JS! I’m a scifi writer with work published by Clarkesworld and Analog, and I’m launching a four-book SF novella series, MENAGERIE MYSTERIES. Pre-order of the first (out December 14) is now available on Gumroad (https://gumroad.com/l/nqxew) and Amazon (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08NXX6SWP).
Here’s the blurb for Book One, THIRD PLANET FALL DOWN:
The Ir have conquered Earth. Wiped out humanity. Installed some fancy theme parks in its stead. But when they render Pax Murillo, the greatest movie detective of the 2040s, to run one of the exhibits, the Ir get more than they bargained for. Murillo’s road to self-awareness is a bit dodgy—but then, so are the goings-on in The Corral, the Ir’s second-most lucrative planet-side tourist trap. The question isn’t whether Murillo’s up to the case—only, what’s in it for him when he succeeds?
—
I hope everyone finds something to love in the indie offerings this season! Stay safe!
💜A WIDOW’S GUIDE TO SCANDAL💜
✓ Forced Proximity 👩❤️👨
✓ Cinnamon roll/carpenter hero 🍥🛠
✓ Lady romance author 💃💌
✓ Golden Girls energy 🤩
✓ A dog 🐾
✓ And danger⚔️
On the brink of the American Revolution, an impoverished widow is forced to decode secrets for the British—accidentally revealing the identity of the rebel spy she loves.
“A Widow’s Guide to Scandal is a perfect read for fans who want a powerful plot with their passion and romance.” — InD’Tale Magazine
https://amzn.to/2ZxZqhJ
Thanks for hosting our books here, John!
Washington 1958: A phantom vigilante stalks the District of Columbia on the heels of a shadowy cabal from the future. In the middle – Allan “Smithee” Jones, an intrepid reporter chasing the scoop of his life. A tip from a dead man puts Jones on the trail of an assassination plot, and into the cross-hairs of organized crime and the government itself. Even with the help of his ghostly protector, will Jones survive long enough to unravel a conspiracy, prevent a murder, and answer the question:
Who is The Whisper?
Thanks, John!
If anyone out there is looking for some satirical sci/fi fantasy with a diverse cast of characters, check out the Brooks & Smith series. It follows two paranormal detectives and their found family as they investigate time machines, vampire cosplayers, a thinly veiled Elon Musk analogue, and more.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0753JLPTJ
I look forward to these annual posts each year! Thank you for hosting them and allowing us to participate!
If you like bantering couples and light paranormal romance, you’ll enjoy Bishop Takes Knight. She’s broke but independent. He’s drowning in a bottle. When mysterious artifacts vanish, can they capture the culprits and each other’s hearts?
I could post a blurb or embed a cover (If I could figure out how to do that, I would definitely post the cover—it’s AMAZING! Oh heck, I’ll try…) but you said keep it brief, so I’ll leave it at this: It’s Bringing up Baby meets WH-13. The X-Files meets Leave it to Beaver. Peggy Carter meets Q in a world of shifters (I didn’t come up with that last one—a reviewer left that comment) I’ve also had a reviewer (someone who is a complete stranger to me!!) say that this series would be an awesome one for Netflix to pick up, as it has that Miss Fisher’s Mysteries vibe only set in the 1950s with ray guns.
Winner of the New England Reader’s Choice Awards and PRISM Awards for paranormal romance. Book 2 out now!
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W79BTDS/
Books2Read Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/3Jj7lv
Two college sweethearts are forced to fight on opposing sides of an interstellar war that consumes dozens of worlds and billions of lives. https://www.amazon.com/Long-Way-Tipperary-Robert-Enders-ebook/dp/B072C21759
Hi, thanks for this!
I’m H N Burkquest and I’ve recently self-published my first two books on Amazon. My genre is erotic romance/magical realism – so think Harry Potter crossed with 50 Shades!
The series is called Alchemy and will eventually comprise 5 books in total.
Here’s the link to my author page on Amazon UK/a>, but it is on sale in all markets in either ebook or paperback format.
Here’s the blurb;
“A deliciously erotic emotional rollercoaster”
“Mythical and spellbinding”
Sorceress Ella Redemte has spent sixteen years trying to outrun the grief she feels after the deaths of her parents and sister. An archivist moving from job to job in a world of Purblind, who are oblivious to the world of magic that surrounds them, she has also been helping Hidden communities with their archives and seeking ways to monetise their assets in a modern world they don’t understand.
She accepts an assignment at Merlon Castle, on a remote island off the coast of Cornwall. There, she will not only curate the castle’s archive but also update their ancient herbals and healing practices with modern Purblind advances.
On arrival she is intrigued by the difficult master alchemist with whom she is keen to collaborate, but the last thing she expects is to fall desperately, passionately in love.
Does the notoriously unpleasant Master Paracelsus Stidolph feel the same? He has earned Lord Merlon’s trust, but can Ella come to terms with his history of collaboration with the Necromancer, who was enjoying a killing spree when her family died?
How can these damaged soulmates be happy when their pasts are revealed to be intertwined? Will Ella finally stop running and confront her past?
Find out, in this passionate story of forgiveness and redemption.
Thank you for this opportunity, John!
Flowing Water, Falling Flowers (MWC Press, Rock Island, Illinois. 254 pages, $15. ISBN: 978-1-7334802-3-9) is a debut novel by X.H. Collins. The novel has two intertwined storylines that span for generations.
When she loses her job and lover in one fell swoop, art history professor Rose Ming accompanies her mother on a visit to her Chinese hometown of Three Rivers, where she solves the family mystery and unearths an unutterable tragedy of the Han, Wang, and Fang families, hidden for over a hundred years.
Award-winning novelist Kali White VanBaale calls the book “…an engrossing, beautiful debut that glides through multiple times and places…through her storytelling magic.”
Midwest Book Review calls the book “…a masterful tale of intrigue and discovery that traverses lies, truths, spiritual intention, social interaction, and cultural revelation with an equally deft hand,” and “…highly recommended…to anyone interested in the lasting impact of Chinese heritage and culture.”
This book is a great gift for anyone who enjoys reading historical novels centered on strong female characters and books that present a different time and culture. Copies purchased from the author directly will have a personalized autograph and delivered wrapped as a gift. Copies can also be purchased from the publisher and eBook is available through Amazon (all links can be found on the author’s website).
Read complete synopsis, more reviews, and other work by the author, and order the book at
https://xhcollins.com/
My latest novel, from March this year
The government of Her Britannic Majesty, Queen Victoria, struggles against a criminal conspiracy that threatens to destabilize the Empire. A conspiracy that reaches from the riverside slums of London, to Whitehall and the palace itself.
History stands at a crossroads. The Empire may rise to new heights or fall into ruins.
Meanwhile, Benjamin West searches for the truth about his long lost father who disappeared in the Amazon basin some fifteen years before. His search has led to Cheapside and the funeral of the famous Polynesian engineer Mr Maybe, the man who had held the answers Benjamin seeks.
The death of Maybe, and how it is connected to the disappearance of West’s father bring together West, his former manservant Gothe and the mysterious woman standing by Maybe’s graveside. Fate entangles them in a struggle against criminals, murderers and the agents of those forces that threaten to bring down the government.
Can they hope to win out against the odds stacked against them?
Maybe…
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B085LTBCBC&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_FDKXFbGXEZBSM
Thanks very much!
My 2020 YA novel is Defying the Ghosts:A Haunted House Story
(A Mom’s Choice Award recipient)
A teen without a home. A dangerous residence.
Can she survive one terrifying night to secure her future?
Charlene Griffin never thought she’d be without a home. But when she’s kicked out on her eighteenth birthday, she has no choice but to sleep inside an ominous Victorian mansion. And with the owner offering the estate to anyone who can spend a full night in the haunted property, Charlene decides to risk life and limb to get off the streets.
Refusing to heed the warnings of those sent running in fear for their lives, Charlene is confident she can last from sunset to sunrise. But she’ll need all her wits about her to withstand the hours of terror, because these ghosts are determined to get rid of her.
Will Charlene outsmart her supernatural foes and make it to dawn?
Defying the Ghosts is an eerie YA haunted house story. If you like heart-racing action, fearless heroes, and survival adventures, then you’ll love this thrilling tale.
http://defyingtheghosts.com
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08GK8JRPF&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_rHKXFbCEE0863
Sous vide has two huge advantages for both the novice and experienced cook. Most importantly it will allow you to significantly increase the quality and consistency of the dishes you create on a daily basis. And for those of you whose lives are harried, the sous vide technique also allows you to create remarkable meals while working around your hectic schedule.
Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Sous Vide is the best selling sous vide book available and the authoritative guide to low temperature precision cooking and it will help make sous vide a part of your everyday cooking arsenal.
https://amzn.to/3fQmMa3
Hi, thanks for this!
I’m H N Burkquest and I’ve recently self-published my first two books on Amazon. My genre is erotic romance/magical realism – so think Harry Potter crossed with 50 Shades!
The series is called Alchemy and will eventually comprise 5 books in total.
Here’s the link to my Author Page, both books are on sale in all markets in either ebook or paperback format.
Here’s the blurb;
“A deliciously erotic emotional rollercoaster”
“Mythical and spellbinding”
Sorceress Ella Redemte has spent sixteen years trying to outrun the grief she feels after the deaths of her parents and sister. An archivist moving from job to job in a world of Purblind, who are oblivious to the world of magic that surrounds them, she has also been helping Hidden communities with their archives and seeking ways to monetise their assets in a modern world they don’t understand.
She accepts an assignment at Merlon Castle, on a remote island off the coast of Cornwall. There, she will not only curate the castle’s archive but also update their ancient herbals and healing practices with modern Purblind advances.
On arrival she is intrigued by the difficult master alchemist with whom she is keen to collaborate, but the last thing she expects is to fall desperately, passionately in love.
Does the notoriously unpleasant Master Paracelsus Stidolph feel the same? He has earned Lord Merlon’s trust, but can Ella come to terms with his history of collaboration with the Necromancer, who was enjoying a killing spree when her family died?
How can these damaged soulmates be happy when their pasts are revealed to be intertwined? Will Ella finally stop running and confront her past?
Find out, in this passionate story of forgiveness and redemption.
Things around Avalon Estates aren’t natural—in fact, they’re supernatural—but getting in is worth it. Some would even say the place is to die for. THE ASSOCIATION is a murder mystery set in a paranormal HOA and follows an amateur, human sleuth as she tries to discover who amongst her new vampiric and lycan neighbors is a killer. A little spooky, a little funny, and a lot ridiculous, you can grab it on Amazon (and get it free on Kindle Unlimited): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MBBTH3M
And if you like fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, you might like my other two books, THE KORINNIAD, a romcom set in mythological Greece, or SHE’S ALL THAUMATURGY, a Pygmalion retelling (sorta) but with dragons, both on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/A.-K.-Caggiano/e/B084F376Z3?
Thanks for this opportunity!
Happy winter, everyone! I write romances set in the 1920s (and a bit earlier) full of magic and mystery.
My most recent book is Carry On. Join Roland and Elen in the magical community of the British Isles as they figure out why Roland’s healer is so absent (and what it means). In the meantime, both of them desperately want to begin to recover from life-changing injuries in the Great War. (Also contains knitting, healing baths, and a lot of compassion.)
If you’d like something with less Great War, you might enjoy Pastiche. set in 1906. As Alysoun and Richard navigate their arranged marriage, they wonder if it might turn into a love match. When Alysoun stumbles across a mystery in a museum exhibit on stained glass, they tumble into a series of events that include smuggling, duels, intrigue, and forensic investigation.
(Links go to my website, where you can get copies from your bookseller of preference or explore other books. Carry On‘s paperback will be coming soon, everything else is available in both ebook and paperback.)
If you need an ebook gift for a small child, try the Little Mandarin bilingual picture book series! The little mandarin has adventures, makes friends and has fun in English and Chinese, with beautiful illustrations and simple Chinese character explanations – no previous Chinese needed.
Try The Little Mandarin Flies Like a Bird or the Little Mandarin Helps the Little Grape, on iBooks or Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KGBKTGZ/
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-little-mandarin-flies-like-a-bird/id1533743096?ls=1
How about something a little different?
Politics has been, well, exhausting this year. Wouldn’t it be nice if politics could just be better?
It’s been divisive long before the current woes, and people will always disagree. But we can restore civility and even joy to the process. It starts by looking beyond partisan divisions and finding something to celebrate in other people, no matter their party.
Better Politics, Please explores 35 politicians from both sides of the aisle and all levels of government looking for common ground.
It’s available on Amazon or you can learn more about the project here.
Some content was stripped by our security filters, but it should be possible for one of your Editors to embed the content for you.
Thank you John, and happy holidays!
When she rescues an abandoned cat, Amber Gerald has no idea that she’s interfering in the mad scheme of a time travelling bank robber. Or that the man that walks into her store dressed like Blade is about to become her bodyguard.
Between being an unwitting owner of an android cat and falling for a cybernetic bounty hunter, Amber finds her life a whole new level of weird as science fiction becomes very real fact.
TIN CAT is a novella that blends light sci fi and romance, and features a disabled heroine.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08NCGM3DD/
Thanks, John! I’d like to introduce my historical fantasy series, Regency Mage –
What if Jane Austen wrote Harry Potter?
Meet the fantasy heroine you never expected – Mary Bennet, the awkward bookworm middle sister from Pride and Prejudice. Mary, a scientific young scholar, does not believe in magic until she learns that she can perform magic herself. Recruited by the secret magical Order of Saint George, Mary discovers new friends, powerful enemies, and a courage she never knew she needed. Told in Mary’s own words, with an acute eye and dry wit, the Regency Mage series follows her adventures through 19th century society, combining Austen-style comedy of manners with fantasy high adventure.
Start with Book 1 – Mary Bennet and the Bingley Codex
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SHQNC9Z/
Thanks to Mr. Scalzi for putting up this thread each year!
Looking for some LGBTQ+ Fantasy Space Opera? Try out the Dissolution Cycle, including The Seeds of Dissolution, Facets of the Nether, and Fall of the Imperium.
Great for anyone interested in Space Operas with music-based magic, bisexual main characters with anxiety, plenty of nonbinary characters, neopronouns, and general acceptance of all people.
Start the series with The Seeds of Dissolution for only $3.99!
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B077V2YHKR&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_ZJKXFb3B8JTNA&tag=williamctracy-20
Swan Lake + The Magic Flute on a modern (pre-Covid) college campus! Swan & Shadow by A.R. Henle https://books2read.com/u/bzjBPG (and thanks for the opportunity to share!)
A city of rogues. A seedy bar. A thief who stole the wrong prize.
When a thief seeks refuge in the Dragon and Rose bar with a jeweled watch, Digger’s biggest mistake was hiding her.
A gang of assassins are hot on her trail.
Digger and the thief must race to discover the mysterious watch’s origins and why someone is willing to kill anyone who ever laid hands on the purloined prize!
“Just plain fun.” –Goodreads
Thanks, John, for the opportunity to share!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088NTC86S
Thanks for this, John!
SHADOW OF A DEAD GOD is a snarky fantasy noir, perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch and Scott Lynch.
It was only supposed to be one little job – a simple curse-breaking for Mennik Thorn to pay back a favour to his oldest friend. But then it all blew up in his face. Now he’s been framed for a murder he didn’t commit.
So how is a second-rate mage, broke, traumatized, and with a habit of annoying the wrong people, supposed to prove his innocence when everyone believes he’s guilty?
SHADOW OF A DEAD GOD is currently a finalist in the SPFBO 2020 contest.
“The Mennik Thorn series is the start of something great.” – Novel Notions
“I loved every moment of this book. In terms of sheer entertainment value, its certainly one of the best I’ve read this year and it’s been a while since I’ve had such fun with a book.” – Beneath a Thousand Skies
Get it now!
Shoggoths vs. Nazis! The madness of war tainted by horrors from beyond the ken of man!
Experience it in:
Kthulhu Reich
by ASAMATSU Ken
Translated by Jim Rion (Me)
This collection of related stories is another masterpiece of the War, the Cthulhu Mythos, and humanity trapped in the middle.
Two-fisted adventure, cosmic horror, and old fashioned war stories meet in this deep cut collection from Japan.
Available at
Amazon
And other online booksellers.
Hello All. This is such an awesome site! Thank you for the opportunity! Here’s my book which is Middle Grade/YA Fantasy:
“The Search For Synergy” is the story of two young men who are brought together by design to help save the world from the evil that lurks in The Void. Rome and Julian will have to join their fledgling powers and become a fighting duo as knight and dragon working to fulfill a primordial destiny. This will be especially hard for Rome, who up until now, thought he was merely human.
I know I said MG/YA, but it’s good for anyone who enjoys the myths of dragons and fairy tale creatures. Check out Amazon and search my name for the perfect gift for dragon-lovers: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brett+salter&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
You can read/get all four of my books in The Talisman Series on Amazon for those who want to delve further into The Talisman Series mythos. Enjoy!!!!
Of a Strange World Made comes out THIS WEEK and you can get it in paperback or kindle.
Scientist Ash Morgan doesn’t mind breaking rules, but this is ridiculous.
The colony of Edge is a bastion on the frontier of space and science, governed only by laws designed to bring humanity to the stars. Successful laws.
Outdated laws, if Ash has anything to say about it.
But when a child is born strange, Ash must decide which of the colony’s rules must be followed, which ones can be broken, and which ones will inevitably lead to Edge’s ultimate destruction.
Available on Amazon.
My name is Alfred Reynolds. My third book, ICE VIRUS, is a near-future action-adventure science fiction novel set aboard the aerostation Lakehurst, a giant winged dirigible outfitted with wind generators. When the Lakehurst approaches the colony of New Alexandria in the Antarctic, the crew discovers the true reason for the lucrative contract they desperately needed. The story also has a lot of flying, which is what you might expect from me because I’m a flight instructor. As for the virus, it came out of the past and may change the future.
The book is available on Amazon in Kindle and hard copy.
Two nonfiction books that will be of interest to editors and scientists, respectively:
Effective Onscreen Editing (4th ed.): http://geoff-hart.com/books/eoe/onscreen-book.htm
Writing for Science Journals: http://geoff-hart.com/books/journals/journal-book.htm
My 28 published short stories are linked to or available for reading on my Web site, along with some older self-published short stories and novels:
http://geoff-hart.com/fiction/index.htm
Thanks for the opportunity! :)
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz
10 short stories featuring everyone’s favourite man and rat pair as they tackle cases big and small! Water Ghouls? Demons? Ghosts and Goblins! Brennan and Riz will take any job*!
*As long as the client isn’t a dick
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1729119190/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabt1_RaLXFbH2VK8NK
Can Brennan and Riz keep themselves ahead of the bread line? Or will the talking rat be the death of Brennan? The answers are all inside…
Avani Patel was content researching a way to make a better magic battery. But when her rival Phineas’ science experiment goes disastrously wrong, terrifying shadow monsters are released that threaten not just her work, but the existence of all magic. Now she and the Guardian, Phineas’ would-be lab rat, must do their best to find out just what these monsters are, and how to stop them, before they destroy the world as she knows it.
I am the author + artist of Lanterns of Arcadia, an ongoing fantasy mystery webcomic. The story is recommended for ages 12+ – it contains minor cartoon violence / animal experimentation and some spooky imagery.
I recently self-published Volume 1, which collects the first two chapters of the webcomic in print. 176 full color pages can be purchased here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/799873379/lanterns-of-arcadia-book-1-chapter-12?ref=shop_home_active_1
Hi there – here’s something for those of you looking for something funny and inspirational:
Ian McDonald is trying very hard not to think about how the world might be going to hell in a handbasket. After all, what’s he going to be able to do about it? He’s just this guy, stuck in a small town, pinned there by a load of student debt and a stalled writing career. Oh, and a wicked case of writer’s block.
Or at least he was, until a dragon showed up in his bedroom. At midnight. Quoting Freud and muttering about the space-time continuum.
So of course, Ian must Make a Choice and decide whether he wants to follow the dragon back into the Connectome and find his muse again, or stay in a house that surely wants to kill him, one repair bill at a time.
Follow Ian on a rollicking adventure, where he finds out that he can make a difference. And that some things are worth fighting for.
Even if all you have is a can opener.
https://www.amazon.com/Pundragon-Chandra-Clarke-ebook/dp/B08C1GMH77/
Enjoy, and have a great week!
Winner of the 2020 Indie Author of the Year Award through Indie Author Project
(in collaboration with Library Journal and BiblioBoard)
“…a dystopian drama that shows the grim rise of totalitarianism with scenes that echo today’s headlines. The author has crafted an intricately detailed world. Intriguing and surprising supporting characters give depth to a somber story that begs for a sequel. VERDICT A must-have for all libraries and fans of sci-fi.” – School Library Journal
https://www.amazon.com/Seclusion-Jacqui-Castle/dp/1947848518/
Thank you for this opportunity!
My books are for kids or grown up kids…
iantm.com/books/
Tamaishi (Tama 玉 + ishi 石) is a tale of a tiny pebble named Tama who tries to fit in with the others, and instead discovers the secret of Korobu, a boulder looming on the mountaintop.
“This story will immediately transport you to your childhood, both in its lovely, imaginative writing and the stunning drawings that bring you into Tama’s world… This story is perfect for young and older children. Here’s hoping you enjoy it as much as I did!”
Some content was stripped by our security filters, but it should be possible for one of your Editors to embed the content for you.
Coming soon (Late December 2020) is a follow up book of sorts, Where All the Little Things Live.
Naio the feather doesn’t quite fit in.
She gazes at the clouds each morning, feeling lost and out of place. A sudden icy storm sweeps her into sky, where she discovers the truth of who she is and true nature of the clouds.
My book, Red in Tooth and Claw, is a wilderness survival fantasy taking place in a Neolithic setting.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Tooth-Claw-Ryan-Howse-ebook/dp/B088W5HBM7/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=red+in+tooth+and+claw&qid=1606832977&sr=8-3
A brutal wilderness.
Hungry, plague-ridden animals.
A winter so cold it snaps wood.
Chemosh, a scout imprisoned by the enemy, agrees to lead the way through this wilderness for his freedom. But both his knowledge and his resilience are put to the test, not just by the wilderness, but by the chaotic, violent man he guides. A man he must rely on if they are to survive.
SOMETHING ANCIENT IS WAKING.
An accountant misses his train.
A magician steals his hat.
A three-armed frog accelerates towards lightspeed.
A nun questions EVERYTHING.
A rat makes a delicious sandwich.
A conspiracy ends.
Evil wins.
Hope remains.
“LIKE POSTMODERN DOUGLAS ADAMS”
– PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“EQUAL PARTS GOOFINESS AND GRANDEUR”
– KIRKUS MEDIA
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07D94XGSX&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_AoLXFb1D6ZV0B
Realms’ Anchor: Contact is a mix of modern military and fantasy. In this first installment, a team of US Marines battles a magical entity from another world. They have the gear, the training, the espri de corps, and a full top-down support package from the most advanced military in the history of humankind. Piece of cake, right?
Print: https://www.amazon.com/Realms-Anchor-William-H-Nugent/dp/1732795002
Epub: https://www.amazon.com/Realms-Anchor-William-H-Nugent-ebook/dp/B08L34HGM5
Much appreciation to Mr. Scalzi for the opportunity.
Hi. I write quiet sff, full of warmth and queerness. My most recent books are:
Holding Onto Day – the story of a werewolf and vampire snowed in together and gradually becoming closer
Holding Onto Day at B&N
and
Birthday Landscapes – a queer family celebrates their kids’ birthday with magical illusions
Birthday Landscapes at B&N
I’ve committed trilogy! My three SF novels, The Mars Run, Pirates of Mars and The Night Watch are available on Amazon and other online retailers. You can even order them via your local indie bookstore!
They are near-future space opera novels, featuring strong female characters fighting each other and Mars. All three are available on my Amazon author’s page.
CANTERBURY MURDERS.
Set in Canterbury, England, Maeve discovers she can communicate with the dead, or rather they can reach her – particularly if they have been murdered!
FREE Kindle version today 1st Dec, as a thank you to all frontline workers and a distraction for those not working I will be giving a free kindle version on the first day of every month 🥰
Escape from the daily chores with this cozy mystery. It’s life affirming, even if there is the occasional dead body.
This is my first novel which has a cast of strong female characters.
Canterbury Murders: She can hear the dead (Maeve McPhilips, Medium. Book 1) b… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L551RBH/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdb_t1_x_IzLXFbMVA0WVC via @amazon
Thanks for doing this!
Urban fantasy
The Wrong Path (book 1 Sentinel Securities)
“Dani Norris found him: the dead guy. She was on her way home from her job in the PATH, the huge underground mall in downtown Toronto that connects hundreds of office towers, so it wasn’t like he’d been there long. Even though he looked like he had.
After that weird things kept happening. Ro Parks from Sentinel Security seemed to have some answers but Dani didn’t want answers. She just wanted things to get back to normal.”
Find it at your favourite online bookstore:
https://books2read.com/u/bPX7Z7
Thanks for the opportunity, John. I’d like to present my first novel, Sick Man.
Disgraced former defense attorney Mick Wray is trying to get his life back together after a drug-fueled collapse left him divorced, disbarred, and broke. But what starts out as an argument in a Portland bar is about to turn his world upside down. When police find one of the bar’s patrons murdered the next morning, a detective with a grudge against Mick hauls him in for questioning. Released but still under suspicion, Mick returns home to discover that the killer is just getting started, and Mick is next on his list. Desperate for help, Mick reconnects with his old friend, investigator Tony da Costa. They uncover links to a bizarre religious cult with ties to one of Mick’s former clients. With the body count rising, and the police still on Mick’s tail, they race to find the reason for the killings before Mick becomes the next victim.
Available on Amazon: Sick Man
Thanks John!
A Time and a Place:
Barnabus’s nephew is behaving oddly.
Calling upon Doctor Humphrey for assistance has not been particularly helpful, because the good doctor’s diagnosis of demonic possession is clearly preposterous. Even the demon currently ensconced on the front room couch agrees it’s preposterous. But then, how else to explain the portal to another world through which his nephew and Humphrey have just now disappeared? Barnabus knows their only chance of rescue is for Barnabus J. Wildebear himself to step up and go through that portal.
Thus begins an existential romp across space and time, trampling on Barnabus’ assumptions about causality, freewill, identity, good and evil. Can Barnabus save his nephew—and incidentally, all of humanity?
Available just about everywhere: https://books2read.com/u/4AKXoe
“Mahoney’s work is great for those who like their speculative fiction thoughtful, eloquent, and messy.” — Publisher’s Weekly
Thank you, Mr. Scalzi, for opening your site again this year!
I’m here to pimp Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,, a m/m erotic romance retelling of the classic Arthurian Christmas/New Year’s tale. It was once reviewed at Barnes & Noble as “the worst kind of liberal revisionism,” which I think recommends it highly. Please be aware: this book is extraordinarily naughty. Find it here! (Amazon link)
Give the gift of a heart warming comics collection!
From the wonderful intro J.D. Lundt wrote: “Kindness is tricky. You need an openness of spirit and a stiffness of spine to really practice kindness. Kindness is not passive nor is it always that gentle. Sometimes the kindest path is saying or doing what you really don’t want to. Liz Argall gets it. With her immensely entertaining and profound Things Without Arms and Without Legs – A Comic About Creatures Who Are Kind, Liz shows us kindness as a form of activism.”
https://www.thingswithout.com/shop/
I’ve self-published a book of personal essays and stories around a theme of pushing through hard times by looking for the good, the silver lining, the lesson learned. It’s an entertaining look at one life (mine!) with insight for yours.
https://www.amazon.com/Place-Start-Stories-Essays-Down/dp/1736057103/
I have two collaborative novels, plus an anthology I have a story in, all from small presses.
On sale now:
TO HELL AND REGROUP by David Sherman & Keith R.A. DeCandido (The 18th Race Book 3)
published by eSpec Books
The final showdown on Troy!
The strange bird-like aliens that humans have nicknamed “Dusters” have destroyed an Earth colony, the Semi-Autonomous World Troy. The North American Union sent a massive force of troops from the Marines, Army, and Navy in response.
In orbit, the remnants of the Navy must pull together and fight off the latest wave of Duster reinforcements to come through the wormhole and press their attack.
On the ground, Marines are locked in pitched combat with the Dusters, who continue to press their advantage, now with a weapon of devastating power, mounted on a large tank-like vehicle.
At headquarters, the Army Corps of Engineers must figure out how those tanks work and determine how to either stop them—or use them!
And back on Earth, the NAU President must decide humanity’s next course of action, even as scientists try to discover the Dusters’ secrets to help the soldiers, sailors, and Marines win—
—and time is running out!
“From the cold, detached environs of an orbiting battleship to the grit, sweat, and blood that defines life in a fighting hole on an alien world, Sherman and DeCandido pull out all the stops in this explosive concluding chapter of the 18th Race trilogy.”
—Dayton Ward, New York Times bestselling author of
The Last World War and Star Trek: Agents of Influence
[This is the third book in a trilogy of David’s. He wrote the first two books solo and I edited them for the publisher. When various personal and health reasons kept him from finishing the final book, I stepped in to work with him on getting it done. It’s a true collaboration, but it’s also very much the conclusion of David’s story. I just helped him get it over the finish line.]
The book is available from all the usual online dealers (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc.). To avoid a huge number of links, I’m just going to put the one that’s direct from the publisher:
https://especbooks.square.site/product/to-hell-and-regroup-by-david-sherman-and-keith-r-a-decandido/78?cs=true
Also there’s an 18th Race Omnibus that collects all three books, ISSUE IN DOUBT, IN ALL DIRECTIONS, and TO HELL AND REGROUP, plus a short story in the setting by David, “So Not Like Dogs.”
=-=-=-=-=
On sale in January (and available right now for preorder):
ANIMAL by Munish K. Batra, MD, FACS, & Keith R.A. DeCandido
to be published by WordFire Press
Two grisly murders have been committed at a meatpacking plant by a person wearing a cow mask…not long after the CEO of a water park is brutally killed by someone wearing an orca mask.
Interpol Agent An Chang believes these are the latest acts committed by a masked serial killer he has been chasing for more than twenty years…a killer who targets those who harm innocent animals.
Elephant poachers in Chad, Russian big-game hunters of endangered species, dog fighters in Atlanta, European food company CEOs who gorge ducks to make paté, gorilla hunters in the Congo, ivory merchants in China
Those who torture animals are not safe…
Working with two California detectives, Chang races to unmask the killer, as his spree ramps up. But the killer’s motives and history are far deeper than anyone realizes, and the truth of his rampage leads on a wild chase from the streets of Shanghai around the globe…
Animal is a relentless thriller by renowned surgeon and humanitarian Dr. Munish K. Batra, in collaboration with international best-selling author Keith R.A. DeCandido. This thought-provoking, pulse-pounding novel will engross and enthrall. Do the most noble of intentions justify the most horrific acts?
Who is the real animal?
“Animal is a brilliant and ferocious thriller. A tale of hideous inhumanity and very rough justice. Highly recommended!”
—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Rage and V-Wars
“I promise you it will grab hold of you and not let go; it will inspire you, it will anger you and it will live uneasily in your mind for a long time.”
—David Fisher, New York Times bestselling author of Lincoln’s Last Trial and Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow
“Animal is a serial killer thriller with a twist—the villain is actually doing something many animal rights activists might applaud. This provides the tale with a unique, ironic, and contradictory sensibility that is quite compelling. A cinematic, fast-paced ride!”
—Raymond Benson, author of the bestselling The Black Stiletto series and James Bond novels
If you preorder directly from WordFire Press before 24 December 2020, you get a free short story by me, an urban fantasy tale called “Under the King’s Bridge”:
https://wordfirepress.com/pre-order-promotion/
And you can preorder from all the usual places.
=-=-=-=-=
BAD ASS MOMS, edited by Mary Fan
published by Crazy 8 Press
This book is a real mother.
To celebrate bad-ass moms everywhere, Crazy 8 Press has assembled a fantastic line-up of authors to create stories spanning numerous genres, including sci-fi, contemporary, historical, and fantasy. Since moms and badassery come in infinite forms, the authors were given only one criteria: that their story be about a bad-ass mother or mother figure, whatever that meant to them.
From grandmas to new moms, biological moms to adoptive moms to mom figures, this collection features a fantastic range of stories. A human mom on the PTA of a school for supernatural kids. A new mom who adopts two babies with special powers. A hard-boiled detective who stumbles upon a mystery while looking for childcare. A grandma who fights back against an unsavory mayoral candidate. A witch who battles dark magic while wrangling her kids. An artificial intelligence who nurtures delinquent boys sent to her care. And much, much more.
STORIES BY:
Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Derek Tyler Attico, TE Bakutis, Russ Colchamiro, Paige Daniels, Kathleen O’Shea David, Peter David, Keith RA DeCandido, Mary Fan, Michael Jan Friedman, Robert Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Heather E Hutsell, Kris Katzen, Paul Kupperberg, Karissa Laurel, TJ Perkins, Jenifer Purcell Rosenberg, Aaron Rosenberg, Joanna Schnurman, Hildy Silverman, and Denise Sutton.
This is available from all the usual sources — here’s the Barnes & Noble link:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bad-ass-moms-mary-fan/1137315029?ean=2940164639143
As ever, John, thank you for this!
—Keith R.A. DeCandido
If you’re looking for character-oriented science fiction filled with sense of wonder, check out my site at http://www.davecreek.com. That’s where you’ll find everything from a space opera trilogy (THE GREAT HUMAN WAR) to tales of exploration and galactic diplomacy (SOME DISTANT SHORE, CHANDA’S AWAKENING, and many others).
I also have short story collections, an anthology of SF stories involving exploration, and a couple volumes of literary criticism. Something for everyone in this holiday period!
Thanks John! If Tolkien met Deadpool in a bar and went on a drunken bender, they’d write “The Screaming Skull,” named by Kirkus Reviews as a Best Book of the Year!
A cursed relic. A hungry demon. A prince who won’t be caught dead fighting the enemy sober.
Elberon messed up big time. After beating the king in magical combat, his glorious victory was short-lived when the royally pissed-off loser exiled him to a life of petty thievery… despite being his son. But when he stumbles upon an ancient Screaming Skull, he can’t decide what’s worse: the bloodthirsty murderous monsters it keeps summoning or the fact that the fleshless bony head just won’t shut up.
And as if a jaw-dropping villainous boss wasn’t distracting enough, Elberon and his rockin’ warrior crew must take on a child-eating fiend beneath the city. But when it appears a dark wizard is behind the chaotic mayhem, this low-level adventurer must exchange his beer for a sword to change his doubly doomed fate.
Can Elberon cheat death and save his realm, or will he fall victim to his own foul-mouthed delusions?
“The Screaming Skull” is the outlandish first volume in “The Chronicles of Elberon” heavy-metal fantasy trilogy. If you like hapless heroes, time-jumping storytelling, and breaking the fourth wall, then you’ll love Rick Ferguson’s sidesplitting epic.
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07K2G4HSB&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_KZLXFbN0PRK3X
What if a Cairo man dying before your eyes might hold the key to millions of dollars in buried treasure?
Dr. Hope Sze doesn’t need a free trip to Egypt.
She can’t afford the flight to Cairo, or the cruise down the Nile, so she’d keep studying in Canada—except her fiancé, Dr. John Tucker, yearns to patrol the pyramids and confront the curse on King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
So when a company offers them both a free stay in Cairo in exchange for a month’s work in an emergency department, Tucker lobbies for a pre-honeymoon in the Valley of Kings and Queens, investigating the windswept temple of Hatshepsut, or scuba diving in the Red Sea.
Instead, within 90 minutes of arrival, Hope drops to her knees outside the Grand Egyptian Museum, desperate to save a now-comatose 87-year-old Johannesburg man who’d raved about Kruger and treasure after receiving a nail through his skull.
Tucker fixates on their one chance at the legendary Kruger Millions, a rumoured fortune that many believe lies secretly stowed somewhere in South Africa.
Since their combined student debt load totals half a million dollars, Tucker can’t pass up the possibility of a treasure trove in buried gold.
Hope launches into her first mystery based in a birthplace of human civilization.
Where the evil god Set battled righteous Horus and Isis in an 80-year war.
Where wealth and power clash with political revolution.
Where Antony fell in love with Cleopatra.
Where Hope and Tucker must outwit, or fall prey, to a ruthless criminal mastermind.
“Bursting with murder, medicine, and mythology.”—Dr. Mamta Gautam, author of Irondoc
“ER meets Homeland in a frenetic Egyptian adventure. Hope Sze turns her medical crimefighting into an international incident. Terrorism, tombs, sarcasm, and sex.”—Dr. Frank Warsh, author of Hippocrates: the Art and the Oath
https://windtreepress.com/portfolio/scorpion-scheme/
https://amzn.to/3n7v27U
Thanks, John!
A classic sword and planet adventure in the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Charles Clee is a newly-minted infantry officer in the British Army, fighting against the Germans in the trenches of France through a once-romantic notion of warfare now thoroughly trampled by the reality of combat, when he discovers a time-traveling research team from the future. Ambushed by German soldiers, his only escape is to use their portal–but something goes wrong.
Clee finds himself in the 863rd century, a conquered Earth where the past has been resurrected in terrible ways, and he is a hunted relic.
When a friend is abducted by one of Earth’s alien overlords, he must cross the globe, fighting laboratory mutants, resurrected monsters from prehistory, and an entire planet to find her–and locate the last time machine, which may take him home–if he dares to use it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D69LF9C
If you’re here because you, or someone you’re shopping for, likes (or loves!) science fiction, perhaps my most intriguing stand-alone novel would be WATER TO WATER. When the time comes for Vushla to die, they go into the ocean and are dissolved away. Or so Terrill has always believed, and still believes after taking part in his father’s final journey. But when he meets a young Vushlu who lives by the sea, Terrill must confront information that calls this fundamental belief into question. Will the two of them discover the truth? And what should they do with what they find? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HM67TSW/
OTOH, if you’re shopping for historical romance, get ’em hooked on the Cowbird Creek series with
Thank you very much, Mr. Scalzi:
My name is David Perlmutter, and I am a freelance fiction and non-fiction writer from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, hoping to get exposure for my first novel, “Orthicon” (link below).
What if animated cartoon characters and the worlds they lived in were real? Likewise, what if the CIA thought they were getting too threatening for their liking? Thus begins a massive abduction operation by which the characters are removed from their “real” worlds and detained on a distant planet. It’s made even more intense through being structured as an oral history, by which you can understand and experience these events first hand.
I hope this is something you might be interested in. It’s available in print and ebook format from Amazon KDP, Kobo, Draft2Digital, Smashwords and IngramSpark.
You can find me on Facebook (DavidPerlmutterCanadianspecfichistorywriter) and Twitter (@DavidPerlmutt10).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NWD2X6M
(WHOOPS and apologies!) . . . WHAT HEALS THE HEART, set in 1870s Nebraska. Meet a doctor and Civil War veteran with invisible wounds, a plain-speaking yet enigmatic young woman, and a determined matchmaker who may not always know the best match. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VH1Q6C6/
(My Life and Other) Famous Train Wrecks of Ohio. This, my first book of poetry that I didn’t make at a copy shop and sell out of my backpack (and those were 20 years ago), is a series of poems about starting over after divorce, at a point in life when most people are having mid-life crises and buying red sports cars. Single parenting, starting over on the dating scene, general “life in Ohio” poems. Oh, and train wrecks. Lots of wryness and some surreality in a very accessible style.
Available here: (My Life and Other) Train Wrecks of Ohio
If you want some samples, google “Bill Abbott poetry.” And no, I’m not the artist, nor am I the Hallmark guy or the police spokesperson. I’m on Facebook and Twitter, and there are videos on Facebook of me reading some of my work, if you’re interested in such things.
Also of note, though older, is my history of Poetry Slam in the Southeast, Let Them Eat MoonPie. This chronicles the Slam from 1992 to 2000, with photos and stories of poets being strange people wandering around stages and yelling at each other to determine who was best in a gimmick game. Nonfiction.
Available here: Let Them Eat MoonPie
Thanks, John!
THE CRYSTAL THRONE
Two twelve-year-olds pulled into a magical world and asked to break a curse. Along the way they meet wizards, elves and talking horses.
I’m providing the publisher’s link, which also has links to Amazon, Kobo and other vendors.
https://www.zumayapublications.com/ebook-store/the-crystal-throne/
For a science fiction series with intense action, epic mystery and a dash of cosmic horror, check out the Primaterre books, available here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ML52J4J
Thanks John!
– S.A. Tholin
Thanks, you magnificent Scalzis, you!
I self published ENANTIODROMIA – collected stories in Jan of 2020, then followed it up in March 2020 with a 2nd edition – updated artwork and formatting. And then we all know what happened in March of 2020.
It’s a quick, 108 page read. 5 stories set in the Horror genre, with plenty of dark humor tossed in.
Here’s the description –
Featured Stories: Turning of the Bones – A lost spirit in Madagascar seeks to guide his descendants to his body so he can finally be free.
The First and Last Drink of Ilona Odd – A recovering alcoholic waits at a tavern in order to pay off a hit man. But there are more spirits around than just those behind the bar.
You Might Get It – A drunk and grieving widower has his wish fulfilled when his recently deceased wife knocks on the front door.
Tuesdays with Moran’d’arth – Sandy Kavanaugh is a world-renowned horror author with millions of dollars and a loving family. So why is he so miserable? Is it the ageless demon in his barn?
Peta Babkama Luruba – A Babylonian slave recounts the events that led to her emancipation – over 4,000 years ago.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085VGN2BM/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=enantiodromia+welch&qid=1584068879&sr=8-2
Thanks John!
The Last Vietnam Novel: Darling, They’re Playing our War by Fred Vigeant
The year is 2054. The last Vietnam War veteran has been located and is about to be interviewed by Time Magazine. The Last Vietnam Novel traces the activities and memories of the veteran — Wonton Lovely– as he prepares for the interview. Serving in Vietnam as the war was “winding down,” Wonton was not even close to a war hero. His body count was zero. As he tries to recall anything in his Vietnam experience that might have been risky or daring, he ultimately concludes that isn’t his job, it is his interviewers. The Last Vietnam Novel takes the reader through Wonton’s war career and his subsequent life as a Vietnam vet.
Available from Amazon in softcover: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Viet-Nam-Novel-Darling/dp/B08BD9D3LJ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
and Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Viet-Nam-Novel-Darling-ebook/dp/B08BKWWT3L/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
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My debut release, SHIFT HAPPENS, may be just the ticket if you’re looking for a fun urban fantasy read that also explores who has permission to be angry in our society.
Angela, a 50-something magical probation officer, has spent her career helping accidental shifters. Instead of using force — like her colleagues who idolize the star of the drama Shift Enforcers — she keeps everyone safe and builds community through knitting circles, yoga, and book clubs. But now her warnings about a new source of magic downtown are being ignored, and the shift is about to hit the fan…
SHIFT HAPPENS is available widely: https://books2read.com/u/4EoXze
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The Spare is about a disaster cinnamon roll chaos bisexual prince who makes really questionable life decisions while panicking about having been in love with his bodyguard for nearly a decade.
The entire royal family is joining in on his unscheduled identity crisis. His estranged father shows up. His sister flirts with the reporter hired to write their grandmother’s biography. His older brother is more reluctant than ever to take up public-facing duties, and Her Majesty is considering going out on a date. Keeping calm and carrying on becomes impossible when Eddie learns Isaac might return his decidedly inconvenient feelings. It’s time to panic and throw things.
In, of course, the most proper way possible. If you’re looking for something that feels like space opera and aren’t too fussy about the necessity of space just now, if you want a big messy angsty story with some glitz and banter, if you don’t want to worry about what’s going to happen to the queer characters at the end, then:
Here’s The Spare on Amazon link!
Here’s a collection of other buy links!
Thanks, John. I really appreciate this. I know we all do.
Oooh… I have a post-zombie-apocalypse Christmas tale coming out tomorrow – perfect for engendering holiday cheer (no actual zombies – it is a Christmas tale, after all!):
Zeke is a hermit in his late forties who lives a quiet life in a small cabin in the Western Montana mountains, a few miles outside of Thompson Falls. He’s gotten used to being alone since the end of the world, and has everything he needs. Everything but someone to talk to.
Nathan is a younger man on a cross-country trek, searching the country for someone… anyone still alive. Saddled with a ghost from his old life and a case of OCD, he stumbles upon Thompson Falls and a pack of rabid dogs.
Rescued by Zeke, he has to figure out how to be human again. And with Christmas just a week away, both men have to figure out if there’s something left to be hopeful for, and if they might have a future together.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NWQHTJP/
Thanks so much, John!
Thank you!
The Amazon-bestselling Alastair Stone Chronicles urban fantasy series follows the adventures of mage and Occult Studies professor Dr. Alastair Stone, a charming British expat who currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. He does his best to keep his normal and magical lives separate, but his burning curiosity, combined with increasingly nasty supernatural problems, lead to adventures ranging from helping out friends to saving the world. The series is currently up to 23 books (with another coming in a couple of weeks) along with standalone novellas and a spin-off series.
Check out the value-priced first Box Set, which includes books 1-4 of the series. If you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read it for free!
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B01AIVV6U8&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_xvMXFb7MKNF7G&tag=asc_05-20
If the preview didn’t work, here’s a direct link: https://www.amazon.com/Alastair-Stone-Chronicles-Box-Set-ebook/dp/B01AIVV6U8
Save Me A Dance is a novella I wrote in tribute to my parents’ own love story. While I changed some information, it is the essence of how fate intervened to bring them together.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HHCCHCR
Thank you for doing this!
THE STARSWEPT TRILOGY (YA sci-fi)
“…a sophisticated commentary on art, society, and how we perceive our own worth… an elegant, spirited rebellion saga.” – Kirkus Reviews
In 2157, the Adryil—an advanced race of telepathic humanoids—contacted Earth. A century later, 15-year-old violist Iris Lei considers herself lucky to attend Papilio, a prestigious performing arts school powered by their technology. Born penniless, Iris’s one shot at a better life is to attract an Adryil patron. But only the best get hired, and competition is fierce.
A sudden encounter with an Adryil boy upends her world. Iris longs to learn about him and his faraway realm, but after the authorities arrest him for trespassing, the only evidence she has of his existence is the mysterious alien device he slipped to her.
When she starts hearing his voice in her head, she wonders if her world of backstabbing artists and pressure for perfection is driving her insane. Then, she discovers that her visions of him are real—by way of telepathy—and soon finds herself lost in the kind of impossible love she depicts in her music. But even as their bond deepens, Iris realizes that he’s hiding something from her—and it’s dangerous.
The completed STARSWEPT trilogy follows Iris’s quest for answers leads her past her sheltered world to a strange planet lightyears away, where she uncovers secrets about Earth’s alien allies that shatter everything she knows.
Paperback / ebooks available via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MHH8CKC
Signed hardcovers available via Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/astralcolt
Thanks John for doing this!
Hello, my name is James Young and I write World War II Alternate History. My Usurper’s War Series has a point of departure (POD) of November 1940 when a lost RAF bomber unintentionally kills Adolf Hitler while jettisoning its bombs.
The latest book, Against the Tide Imperial, came out Thanksgiving Day. The series page is here on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074C82SXV?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks
In addition, I’ve co-edited the Phases of Mars series of alt-history anthologies:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XLRFTHX?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks
If your intended gift recipient is a fan of military fiction, there are stories covering land, sea, and air combat across all eras.
For the last four years, the Alternate Reality News Service, which sends reporters into other universes and has them write about what they find there, has focused on Earth Prime 1-6-7-1-8-2 dash Psi, where the United States of Vesampucceri is the world’s leading idiotocracy (rule by the stupidest). Whether it’s election interference from the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, the war on donuts, Global Hot as Hellification or * SHUDDER * the wall, ARNS reporters were there to cover it.
Although I have been writing a lot of science fiction over the last few years, and the Alternate Reality News Service is a science fictiony concept, the three books of the Vesampucceri trilogy are straight up political satire. Contrary to the common wisdom (that the Trump administration was so extreme that it defied satire), I found the last four years to be incredibly fertile (to the point where a fourth book, You and What Universe?/That’s When Everything Went Cow-shaped, will be out by the end of the year).
The Alternate Reality News Service: If you don’t like this reality, try another!
The Vesampucceri trilogy in one volume:
Idiotocracy for Dummies (https://www.amazon.com/Idiotocracy-Dummies-Alternate-Reality-Service/dp/192764531X); available in print only
If you would prefer to dip your toe into the individual books (which are available in both print and electronic formats), you can try:
Angels of Our Bitter Nature (https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Natures-Alternate-Reality-Service/dp/1927645263)
E Deplorables Unum (https://www.amazon.com/Deplorables-Unum-Alternate-Reality-Service/dp/1927645239)
ARNS and the Man (https://www.amazon.com/ARNS-Alternate-Reality-News-Service/dp/1927645190)
Thanks for the opportunity! On the day twelve-year-old Sophie Furrow learns that she may never walk again, she discovers that her seemingly ordinary farm horse, Rooster, just might be able to fly! Together, they face a powerful snob, a dangerous stampede, and a life-threatening secret before Sophie’s dreams take wing in a way no one ever expected.https://www.amazon.com/Pegasus-Potential-Book-ebook/dp/B00N6WY49W
In a time of blood and myth, humanity used its nuclear weapons to crack the world. In the year of blinding white light which followed, gods of death and cruelty poured in through the gaps and staked their claims. Now, two hundred years later, the city of Black Angel struggles to survive. The souls of the dead are burned into ash, smeared in books, then burned as offerings to the deadly and powerful Chahrboga. But Svana, one of the few readers left, sees books as something else: a glimpse of a time when human lives mattered. And when she collects the ashes of a lifelong friend in her most precious relic, she has no intention of giving him to Chahrboga.
Dark and gritty, but with splashes of hope, Holding the Ashes is a journey through grief, memory, and regret, and addresses the ultimate question about whether it’s ever okay to let go. Fans of The Fifth Season and City of Stairs should love its tangled emotional webs, dark fantasy landscapes, and contemplations on mortality.
https://www.amazon.com/Holding-Ashes-Season-White-Event-ebook/dp/B07GBH4TVZ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=holding+the+ashes+reese+hogan&qid=1606838300&sr=8-1
Yvonne K. Caputo
December 1, 2020
Author – Flying with Dad
I wrote this book using the stories my father told me about his WWII experiences. Not only did I receive his complete journey into the war, but I also received the dad I always wanted, and he received the daughter he didn’t know he had. That led us to a no regrets final journey.
★★★★★Award-Winning Finalist in the Health: Aging/50+ category of the 2020 Best
Book Awards, sponsored by American Book Fest.
Written with vivid detail, this encouraging, life-giving book is a tale of a World War II Veteran father and his daughter, who found the relationship with him she’d always longed for.
Flying with Dad is a heart-wrenching and heart-warming story of a daughter striving to understand her father and him opening up about the experiences that shapes so many soldiers and can get in the way of the rich relationships they and their children deserve.
Link to the book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Dad-Yvonne-Caputo-ebook/dp/B08176LSGW
Thank you so much for doing this, John! You’re amazing!
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RIFT CYCLE
Top 10 New Releases LGBT Sci-Fi & Horror
★★★★★ PRAISE: Dark, thrilling, brutal, romantic, riveting
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Book 1: EDGE OF THE BREACH
We all become monsters at the edge of the breach.
In a post-apocalyptic world where season of birth determines power, interrealm war beckons two lost and fated souls.
Book 2: ECHOES OF BLOOD
Let’s play a game.
This isn’t revenge anymore. This is a revolution.
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Buy here: https://mybook.to/RiftCycle
Thanks John!
Kaylee Crawford preferred the company of animals to people before people were trying to chew her face off. You can imagine how she feels about them now.
Up and down the Eastern seaboard, something is turning those people into monsters: strong, hard to kill, and…hungry. As civilization collapses around her, Kaylee will have to rely on her sharp-tongued wit, wily resourcefulness, and a few half-remembered flying lessons to keep herself and her younger brother alive. Those, and a giant shelter dog they call Beast.
THE WORLD I WOKE UP TO is out now in Paperback and Kindle, audiobook coming in the next month or two. All author proceeds go to support Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary: https://www.facebook.com/SafeHarborAnimalSanctuary/
Thanks for the opportunity for all of us to share our work! Time for wacky urban fantasy involving monsters, multi-dimensional fiascos, and a steady paycheck:
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Mercury Hale is not a hero. Not in his mind.
He’s happy spending his late nights slicing his way through monstrous astral fiends, using a weapon imbued with a mysterious power, at the behest of the secretive Procyon Foundation. It’s a strange way to earn a paycheck, but hey, he’s good at it.
The problem is, things are getting worse.
More attacks. More public exposure. None of which Procyon wants. When he tries to get to the bottom of the mess, Mercury is confronted by a tightly-guarded secret about Procyon – its true purpose, and what that means for the fate of the world.
Worse, Mercury is not who he thinks he is.
And he’s not alone.
https://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Guard-Hale-Book-ebook/dp/B081TXZZ4W/
Augustan Blunt is a washed out cop with a bad attitude, a drinking problem and a troubled past, oh, he’s also dead but that’s okay so is everyone else. Other than that things are just peachy.
Someone has stolen the Grim Reaper’s head and Blunt has been told to find it. In a new city where the rules of the living don’t apply Blunt’s up to his neck in the brown stuff and he’s never been much of a swimmer. With the aid of a woman who keeps turning involuntarily invisible, a journalist who hasn’t written an article since she died, and a bureaucrat who can’t say no to anyone, Blunt’s got to stop whoever is stealing the heads of the city’s elite.
As he begins his investigations he finds things aren’t all they seem.
Who are the Gloomwood Youth Order?
What do you call the murder of someone already dead?
Why are people having their heads chopped off?
And what is in the hot dogs? With time slipping away he needs to learn what makes the city tick before there’s no city left.
Mybook.to/Dead_Heads
Thank you John!
So great to see so many indie authors here! Thanks John, this is great.
Aerovoyant is an adventure set on a future colonized world–think X-Men mashed up with Little House on the Prairie. I wanted to make some of the super cool science of Earth history and climate digestible, fun to learn about. Here’s the blurb:
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On planet Turaset, droughts ravage farmlands, cyclones rip through coastal cities, and with every barrel of oil the combustion industry pumps from the ground, the climate worsens. Alphonse has just refused a council seat because taking it means serving that rapacious industry. He leaves the city to seek solace in the wilderness, and there, a power to live the past awakens within him. Alphonse walks the steps of his distant ancestors on long-dead Earth, soon growing plagued with memories of its collapse, and he’s left with a troubling certainty: He must infiltrate the combustion industry to secure proof of its treachery, or Turaset will be next to fall.
Alphonse finds an ally in Myrta, a farmgirl who sees air, every molecule in every pulse of breath or blast of exhaust. With her talent, she can evade the patrols on the industry’s grounds. Together, Alphonse and Myrta can prove the industry lies about emissions. They can convince the councils to shut down fossil fuel use permanently.
But people in the industry have grown wise to Myrta’s power–and now she’s marked for death.
https://www.amazon.com/Aerovoyant-Industrial-Age-P-L-Tavormina-ebook/dp/B081X4T51G
In Dr. Strangelove, Russian Ambassador de Sedesky reveals the existence of the Doomsday Device. Skeptical, Dr. Strangelove asks “Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you keep it a secret! Why didn’t you tell the world, EH?”
Fortunately, we don’t need an impending nuclear apocalypse to tell the world of the existence of
Amazing Selects!
Amazing Stories line of novella-length works featuring some of the biggest names in the science fiction field – Allen Steele, David Gerrold and, soon to be released – John E. Stith.
Amazing Selects feature a novella or a selection of shorts accompanied by illustrations and additional editorial material – a mini-magazine centered on a single author.
To date we have released two installments of Allen Steele’s updated and upgraded Captain Future tales – The Return of Ul Quorn – Captain Future in Love
(https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Future-Love/dp/1704073766/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Captain+Future+in+Love&qid=1606755515&sr=8-1), in which Captain Future is confronted by an old flame when he accepts an assignment to stop an attack on an orbital colony above Venus;
in The Guns of Pluto (https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Future-Pluto-Allen-Steele/dp/1650006446/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Guns+of+Pluto&qid=1606755558&sr=8-1), Captain Future and the Futuremen respond to an attack on a penal colony on Pluto, in the process encountering an old enemy.
Soon to be released is the third installment Captain Future: 1,500 Light Years from Home, continuing this epic space opera series.
In the meantime – David Gerrold took some time out from writing the sequel to Hella to put together a collection of short stories, Adrift in the Sea of Souls (https://www.amazon.com/Adrift-Sea-Souls-David-Gerrold/dp/B08GLWBTGB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DJQFBR9SL4CN&dchild=1&keywords=adrift+in+the+sea+of+souls&qid=1606755585&sprefix=adrift+in+the+s%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1): They call themselves travelers, hopping from body to body, from life to life, but in reality they are body-snatchers. Who are they and what do they want? This volume also features the original story “Jacob in Manhattan” and the reprint “The White Piano.”
and, coming this December 15th – just in time for a Holiday read – John E. Stith’s Young Adult novel Tiny Time Machine. A time machine on your phone? Well, why not? Meg is a typical teen loner out to save the world. When she discovers her father’s invention, she may have the tool to do just that, but can she save her father from being murdered over it?
Visit our website – http://www.amazingstories.com, and our store – store.amazingstories.com – for additional information and to order these and many other fine Amazing Stories publications.
Gratuitous word play because it’s become de rigueur: They’re Amazing. Selects. Amazing Selects!
Thanks, John!
Looking for a non-traditional sci-fi comedy? Well you could do worse than DUCKETT & DYER: DICKS FOR HIRE. (but you could also do much better.)
Michael Duckett is fed up with his life. His job is a drag, and his roommate and best friend of fifteen years, Stephanie Dyer, is only making him more anxious with her lazy irresponsibility. Things continue to escalate when they face the threat of imminent eviction from their palatial 5th floor walk-up and find that someone has been plastering ads all over the city for their Detective Agency.
The only problem is: He and Stephanie don’t have one of those.
Despite their baffling levels of incompetence, Stephanie eagerly pursues this crazy scheme and drags Michael, kicking and screaming, into the fray only to find that they are way out of their depth. They stumble upon a web of missing people that are curiously linked to a sexually audacious theoretical physicist and his experiments with the fabric of space-time. And unless Michael and Stephanie can put their personal issues aside and fix the multi-verse, the concept of existence itself may, ironically, no longer exist.
Read the book that critics are calling ‘one of several books released last year’. And grab the Sequel: The One-Hundred Percent Solution also on sale now!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q5Q789W
Thanks as always for the opportunity! Atthis Arts has just published my graphic novel Icarus, a story of wonder, friendship, and a battle to overcome tyranny, starring two unlikely heroes: a winged young man who falls into a dormant volcano with no memory of anything but his name, and a flamepetal prospector down on his luck (and everything else). Together they must discover the secret of Icarus’s identity if they are to save their worlds from those who want his powers for themselves.
Michael R. Underwood calls Icarus “A modern fable about friendship and self-discovery….a beautiful maze of a story, with surprises around every corner, brought to beautiful life by Áthila Fabbio’s striking art,” while Brandon Crilly at Black Gate described it as “intriguingly cinematic…[with] hints of light throughout. The artwork is particularly striking…throw in some intense action and adventure, and I’m hooked.”
Icarus features art by Áthila Fabbio, script by Keith R.A. DeCandido, and lettering by Kris Siuda, and I couldn’t be more proud of how well Atthis Arts did in bringing this package together. It’s available now from Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, and of course Atthis directly here: https://atthisarts.com/wp-content/uploads/Icarus.jpg
Gregory A. Wilson
Thanks for doing this! “Cold Comforts” is my latest collection of quiet horror stories.
“A fantastic collection of tales both terrifying and moving, a masterclass in atmosphere and character. A perfect read for a cold winter’s night.”
https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Comforts-Marianne-Halbert/dp/1950565521
John, Thanks for the opportunity for all of us to share our work!
Here’s some info on my abortion rights novel, “Children of Hope” (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LS7VHLG):
Synopsis:
Hope Hunter’s 14-year-old sister is raped on the same day that Roe v. Wade is overturned and, months later, dies in childbirth. Eight years later, Hope is a medical-school resident researching artificial wombs, hoping to help girls and women extract embryos early in their pregnancies. When Hope hears that a powerful conservative Senator wants to pass a nationwide anti-abortion ban, she decides to fight back by impregnating him with a bomb-strapped artificial womb. Live on C-SPAN.
Relevance to Current Events:
With the recent confirmations of Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, the topic of this book couldn’t be more timely. Women’s reproductive rights are under assault, and Roe v. Wade is almost certain to fall. I hope this book makes you think and—if at all possible—become active in defending women’s reproductive rights, which remain under fierce attack by religious extremists, misogynists, control freaks, and misguided souls across the country.
Hi, thank you for the invite! My stuff is fast-paced, action adventure scifi set in my far future high-tech Thieves’ Guild universe of galactic war, murder, betrayal, knife-edge intrigue, alien invasion, thieves, assassins, bounty hunters and pirates.
The next book to be released is the third in the Origins series which started with Kheris Burning, the story of a street kid who is used to running from trouble, stealing from the occupying Imperial troops and selling scavenged tech and intel to the Wintran-backed resistance fighters to survive. When he makes the mistake of picking the wrong pocket, he finds himself embroiled in a galaxy-wide conspiracy, and life will never be the same again…
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D5NG7LE
Thank you for doing this!
My name is MJ, and I am an indie author and professional game developer! My first ever full-length novel, Darkdrifters: The Key and the Crescent, is a YA fantasy/horror adventure about dreams, nightmares, love, and self-worth. You can find it for sale on my personal website (https://www.bewaretheblackcat.com/) or on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com! There is also a sample chapter on my website. Please check it out! Here is a longer description:
Everything you have ever experienced has been just one reality. The prime reality. However, there exist many more realities within the infinite realms of the Drift, throughout which the dreams of every living creature in the universe are interwoven.
For Poppy, a lonely young girl with severe narcolepsy, these myriad realities are a cherished escape from her own. But that all changes when she meets a mysterious black cat and discovers the nightmares that dwell within the Drift, infecting dreamers in the prime reality. Only those like Poppy who can travel from one dream to the next can hunt the nightmare down and slay it once and for all.
These Drifters live by a simple mantra: Protect the Drift. Slay the Nightmare. Free the Mara. Do not go Dark.
Shattering Worlds: A SciFi and Fantasy Story Collection
There’s more than one way to shatter a world.
Imbued with fiery magic, can an orphaned girl reclaim her future or succumb to the weight of the world on her shoulders?
As the climate crisis surges across the world, will a young man make the ultimate sacrifice for future generations?
What happens when humanity oversteps in its zealous colonization of new and ancient worlds?
Through fifteen riveting science fiction and fantasy narratives, C. D. Tavenor explores the big and little ways a person fractures into a million pieces before reforging into someone new. Prepare to embark upon adventures across virtual worlds, distant orbits, and fantastical lands.
A voyage across shattering worlds awaits you.
Available from your local indie bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781952706103
Also available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L8HKPJ1
Hi! Thanks for doing this!
My newest novel is Splatterfest, a whodunnit slasher, perfect for fans of Scream or slasher movies in general.
“A horror film convention descends into chaos as the celebrity guests are picked off one by one. This year’s Splatterfest will be a real killer.”
Eyrie is an epic creature fantasy full of gryphons, murder, war, and tasty fish. The tag line for the series is “interesting gryphons in interesting locations,” complete with saber-toothed tiger gryphons, peacock gryphons, sand cat gryphons, and every other combination you can think of.
It’s two parts Black Gryphon to one part Raptor Red, and it’s perfect for anyone who reads books and thinks “This would be better with less people and more mythical creatures.”
You can find links to the five book series on all platforms here: https://books2read.com/rl/gryphoninsurrection
(Available in hardcover and large print, too.)
Dungeons and Dragons and LARPing meets Jumanji in this YA Portal fantasy series. It’s All Fun and Games (Inkshares) was chosen by Nerdist as their first published novel and has over 100 Amazon reviews with a 4.4/5 average rating.
Books two and three, More Fun and Games and No More Games were self-published through Ingram and Kindle Direct Publishing.
Kindle editions for all three books can be found here https://www.amazon.com/Dave-Barrett/e/B01K5177W2
If you would also like to support local independent booksellers, all three books can be ordered through Ingram. You can also find them at https://bookshop.org/contributors/dave-barrett (not that Alaska one – I didn’t write that).
Thank you, John, for the opportunity to promote our projects!
The Curse of Steel is my debut original novel, after a long career of writing and editing for the tabletop game industry. It’s primarily inspired by Robert A. Howard, but with a tough female protagonist.
The novel tells the story of Krava the Swift, a young woman from a “barbarian” Iron Age tribe. In a single day, she suddenly comes into possession of a powerful (bur cursed) weapon and also learns that she’s a child of her tribe’s gods. At first, she enjoys being a god-touched hero, but she soon learns that a hero’s life is complicated – and possibly quite short.
Here’s a link to the book on Amazon USA:
https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Steel-Kravas-Legend-Book-ebook/dp/B08KRYM7W8
Thanks for doing this John! So cool!!
Treetops is about a young girl named Jackie who must journey to a strange realm high above the clouds. Her little brother has been kidnapped by a hooded rider and taken to a fortress ruled over by a being called Samuel Flood, who has mysterious designs on the boy. Aided by unlikely animal allies and a failing Guardian, Jackie races against time to save Dustin as well as a growing threat to the world below.
For fans of Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell and Altered Carbon!
Welcome to the year 2095. Killer cyborgs hunt down anyone who disagrees with the perfection that is society.
Nephilim is the best operator in these elite death squads. Genetically and cybernetically enhanced, she and her team strike terror wherever they go. Knowing nothing besides this lifestyle, Nephilim believes that she’s part of a righteous cause.
Then a system glitch changes everything. Separated from the grid, for the first time, Nephilim begins doubting the world she lives in. Things get even more complicated when she meets Jake, a 100% bio-human, who opens her neon-blue eyes to the lies she had been exposed to all her life.
Nephilim decides to take a stand against her creators. But in this brave new world, can one person beat an all-powerful system of oppression?
Soon, Nephilim finds herself hunted by her own people…
Corporate megacities, dystopian themes, cyborg assassins, badass heroines, charismatic villains – an adrenaline ride that never stops.
If you love action-driven cyberpunk full of unexpected plot-twists, you don’t want to miss this!
“Sexy, violent and absolutely intriguing!” -Review
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B088GSXB88/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Thank you so much for the opportunity!
Three grog-chugging trolls plan an Ocean’s 11 style on the evil corporation The Covered Bridge in this comedic fantasy that’s totally appropriate for kids just like Deadpool.
“Sover’s ability to gross out readers is nothing short of gleeful…Comedy-fantasy fans with strong stomachs will enjoy this book.” – Kirkus Reviews
Rent in New Metta is through the cavern ceiling. When Granu barely survives her first gig teaching students who attempt to fillet her for lunch, the baby-eating troll ends up unemployed and facing eviction. Granu’s only prospect for income is grueling work in the tar pits. That is, until her playboy best friend devises a perfect, if suicidal, scheme-a heist!
The Covered Bridge, the largest source of income for the city, has New Metta well under hoof. In a week, TCB Corporation pulls in enough cash to buy a small country. It’s the ideal target, but security is top-notch. Granu needs three things to survive this heist: a crew of specialists, impenetrable sun protection, and gallons of grog.
There’s just one thing Granu doesn’t plan for-those damn meddling billy goats.
https://www.amazon.com/Double-Crossing-Bridge-Sarah-J-Sover/dp/1087064821/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Thanks for the opportunity!
Curtain Call
When an assistant to the director role turns into P.A. to her favourite film star, Jen can’t believe her luck. Eleanor Francis is charming, kind and funny, but she has a secret, and when tragedy strikes, things threaten to unravel at an uncontrollable pace. Despite being out of her depth Jen has to adapt to her new role quickly, to protect Eleanor, with whom she is rapidly falling in love.
Available in ebook, paper and audiobook format. Find out more here: http://www.chclepitt.com/curtain-call/
A new humorous contemporary fantasy/cozy mystery series by Shanna Swendson, author of the Enchanted, Inc. books — Interview with a Dead Editor.
Alexa “Lucky Lexie” Lincoln has always had a nose for news and a knack for being first on the scene whenever there’s a big story. Now her luck seems to have run out. First, she loses her reporting job. Then she gets an interview for a job at a small-town paper, only to find the editor dead on the newsroom floor. That makes her a suspect in the eyes of local policeman Wes Mosby.
To make matters worse, someone sabotages her alibi, and a freak ice storm strands her in town. That’s when she learns that this idyllic little town right out of a movie set is full of secrets, including people with uncanny abilities and the ghost who really runs the newspaper.
To clear her name (and get the job), Lexie will have to find the real killer – a killer who seems to think she knows a lot more than she does. If she’s not careful, she could be the next victim.
Available in e-book from the usual suspects, as well as in paperback for gift giving, and book 2 is also available. Purchase links available at http://shannaswendson.com/writing/interview-with-a-dead-editor
Thanks for doing this John! So cool!!
Treetops is about a young girl named Jackie who must journey to a strange realm high above the clouds. Her little brother has been kidnapped by a hooded rider and taken to a fortress ruled over by a being called Samuel Flood, who has mysterious designs on the boy. Aided by unlikely animal allies and a failing Guardian, Jackie races against time to save Dustin as well as a growing threat to the world below.
Here’s a link to the book on Amazon:
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08DDK61NQ&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_YqNXFb7AEKSVQ
Dinosaur Sheriff
I’m Will Porter, and my comic, Dinosaur Sheriff is a story of what happens when a large animal is thrust into a position of authority over a rural county with an uncomfortable past. It is now said animal’s duty bring order to a community built on old wounds, unsteady ground, and the collective stubbornness of its people to thrive in spite of the fact that no one ever seems to die of natural causes. I like to think if it as Andy Griffith meets Twin Peaks. With a dinosaur.
Digital download link above, physical books at the Dinosaur Sheriff Store
If you like books with strong heroines in STEM, formidable adversaries, and a dash of light romance, check out The Calculated Series! These books are a mashup of cozies and thrillers with charming characters and a race to solve a crime in every book.
Check out the series here: https://ktleeauthor.com/books/
or jump right to Calculated Deception (Book 1) on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075LVXBSX/
Thanks so much for doing this! Here’s my light scifi dystopian novel with a romantic subplot :)
The Pestilence sweeps the globe with terrifying speed. A group of survivors finds an island sanctuary.
Three generations later, no one has heard from the outside world in years. The old radio only crackles with static. The Pestilence either finished its job or the world tore itself apart. In the Village of Lehom, Leilani has been called to court as a Virtue by the King. Going to court means losing her independence and self-respect. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a choice. Leilani decides to take a stand; the King be damned. She plans a daring escape and sets in motion a series of events that will shake the foundation of her village and the island to its core.
Free on Kindle Unlimited :)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XD674TJ
The stories you heard were wrong. While everybody else was at the sugaring-off dance, Pa and his crew stole Grandpa’s gold. Laura didn’t just throw a tantrum about how bad she wanted that Indian baby. She got it. Marlow told the story of a ruined seaman who fled to Borneo, but he couldn’t speak freely about the full horror and magic that Lord Jimi found. Stories of extremely petty theft, high stakes plumbing, a little witchcraft, a masked hero’s mistake, and a movie series so long forgotten that it never happened. You won’t lose your way in these woods. Get in, get what you came for, get out. No one will be the wiser except you.
Little Heist in the Big Woods and Other Revisionist Atrocities
Short stories self-published by Rob Northrup
$2.99 pdf ebook from drivethrufiction, and coming soonish in print.
https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/335675/Little-Heist-in-the-Big-Woods-and-Other-Revisionist-Atrocities
Thank you, John!
“Inheritance of Woe” is #5 in the “Saga of Bob” series, an old-fashioned SF adventure.
Bob has faced many horrors and dangers in his long life. He’s defended humans throughout the galaxy, but no good deed goes unpunished.
Enemies from his past have returned more powerful than ever. Galactic warfare threatens his adopted home.
Worst of all, he’s seriously on the outs with his wife (an ex-mercenary).
Once more Bob is forced to thrown himself into the maw of chaos to protect his family and save humanity.
Poor Bob.
available from Kobo and Amazon as e-book or paperback.
You can check out this, and my other books, on my site https://damnfoolpress.com/BrianGreiner/
Near future, high tech scifi cybercrime – the SimCavalier series.
Meet Cameron Silvera and the crack team at Argentum Associates, international cyber security experts in the 2040s, where banks walk the tightrope between cryptocurrencies and cash as cyberterrorists threaten to disrupt the world’s financial systems. Sensitive data thefts endanger lives, and a mystery man in a police morgue may hold the key. A terrorist group and a marketplace of highly skilled black hat cybercriminals plan disruption and destruction. Who will stand against the chaos?
These scifi thrillers are page-turning tales of puzzle-solving and mystery, opening the window to a world of very real technology which is already at our fingertips. Start the journey with the first tale, Bitcoin Hurricane, available from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MBB8BZC
Thanks John, really appreciate the opportunity to both browse what other authors have to offer and also promote my own work.
The first privately sponsored journey to Mars is a reality, and it is a complete disaster.
The Billionaire paid for the party, press-ganged or bribed his way to a crew, and a small thing such as the death of half the colonists and complete loss of communications will not stop him from from running the budding colony exactly the way he wants.
But as he tightens his grip, he finds there are those who oppose his rule. As everybody fights for survival on the harsh Martian surface, one thing becomes abundantly clear. There are now wolves among the stars.
Martian Dictator is a near future novel, and is available at Amazon or through my website, http://www.authorharding.com.
Link: https://amzn.to/39x8hac
Thanks, John, for your support! My book is a creative nonfiction collection of linked essays – part memoir, part intimate look at nontraditional college students in rural Ohio trying to figure life out.
Nontraditional: Life Lessons from a Community College speaks to any reader who believes in second chances, and it can be found on Amazon or through my small publisher Annorlunda Enterprises.
For additional thoughtful content, I offer short blogs twice a month at http://www.nankuhlman.com
https://www.amazon.com/Nontraditional-Life-Lessons-Community-College/dp/1944354530/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-p13n1_0?cv_ct_cx=nontraditional%3A+life+lessons+from+a+community+college&dchild=1&keywords=nontraditional%3A+life+lessons+from+a+community+college&pd_rd_i=1944354530&pd_rd_r=8eeaa3d0-78aa-40b4-8437-7db257230285&pd_rd_w=5hFqT&pd_rd_wg=CV55w&pf_rd_p=1835a2a9-7ed8-48dc-ad07-fcd7527bd2bc&pf_rd_r=5R40XTRZMT8QHZXKF8NY&psc=1&qid=1606843336&sr=1-1-80ba0e26-a1cd-4e7b-87a0-a2ffae3a273c
Thanks for this opportunity, John!
I write traditional fantasy with a modern flair, and can’t seem to avoid humour. Why would I want to?
You want a kick-ass female sword-fighting protagonist? Look no further. “Gatekeeper’s Key” is the first of a trilogy in four parts. “Gatekeeper’s Deception – Part 1 – Deceiver” will come out in the spring.
Outcast swordfighter, Kyer Halidan, walked out of a cornfield at the age of three. Now, she leaves to discover who put her there. And why. Along the way she makes mistakes and kills a man with powerful friends, while at the same time earning the respect of her greatest heroes.
New enemies pursue her relentlessly, desperate to learn what she knows about their plans. Kyer’s impetuousness and disregard for consequences put the mission, and her life, in jeopardy. But to save a village and possibly the continent from a despicable evil, she must choose between adhering to duty and breaking the rules.
Available in audiobook only, and narrated by ME, the author (!) Gatekeeper’s Key can be found on several audiobook platforms: Chirp, Google Play, Apple books, among others. (But NOT Audible.)
https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/gatekeeper-s-key-by-krista-wallace
In addition, To Serve and Protect is my first of several Audioshorts, also available on several platforms. https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/to-serve-and-protect-by-krista-wallace
Thanks for your interest. Have a great day!
This is always good, thanks again!
I’ve written three Edwardian Comedy-Crime novels, The Inexplicable Affair Of The Mesmerising Russian Nobleman (which has a murder mystery, a heist of seven statues representing sins, and a kidnapping), The Convoluted Adventure Of The Vengeful Yankee Financier (featuring a haunted house, finding a missing person and another heist, this time on a train) and this year The Mystifying Exploits Of The Scorned Caledonian Poetess. Heinrich von Schneemann, gentleman adventurer, is attempting to confront the most notorious Egyptologist in Europe. Unfortunately this makes him the prime suspect in the theft of a mummy. Every effort to prove himself innocent and set things right embroils him in more trouble… as though someone is attempting to frame him. But who would do something so outrageously dishonourable?
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As I’m currently working on finishing up its sequel, I thought I’d pimp my paranormal romance “Chasing Demons”, in which a time-travelling demon hunter enlists the help of a coastal witch to banish a major demon. Includes lesser demons, Nature Daemons, a cat, magical battles, and a supernatural hurricane! Oh, my! :)
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Demons-Time-traveling-Demon-Hunter-ebook/dp/B00YPJTBCU
Thanks for doing this for us, JS! 💜
Thanks for doing this John!
THE BLACK SKY – Available for Kindle for 99 cents until Christmas. Also available in paperback and audiobook. Chapter-by-Chapter “music inspired by” soundtrack streaming on Spotify and other streaming/download services.
“In the tradition of authors such as Neville Shute whose 1957 post-nuclear novel On the Beach, first drew me to the genre, or Octavia Butler’s The Parable of the Sower, with it’s all-too-real environmental ruin, Minneci’s The Black Sky has a believable and frightening premise. In a post-asteroid world of gated-cities and shifting tribal loyalties, the characters embark on a quest to lawless parts of the country with the promise of a better future should they succeed. Minneci is a masterful plotter. His book is filled with surprises, twists, turns, and unexpected events that make it difficult to put down. Strongly recommended for those who like dystopian fiction and fast-paced adventure.” – 5 STARS
Some content was stripped by our security filters, but it should be possible for one of your Editors to embed the content for you.
This one is for Canadians with a specific but very common problem: how do you invest? There’s a tonne of material out there saying that investing is important, along with the benefits of getting started early, but how to actually do it is left as an exercise for the reader.
The Value of Simple is a step-by-step how-to guide for investing. It includes information on low-cost investment options, how to choose which route will work for you, then all the practical steps from setting up your account to making a purchase, right through to how to read your statement. It’s written in plain language for regular people (which is not usually something you have to specify for a book but very much an important selling feature for a book on investing).
Give the Canadian in your life the gift of financial literacy!
Main page: https://valueofsimple.ca [And note the .ca domain — as much as I’d love for all you Americans to buy my book, the practical issues are country-specific and only the first few and last few chapters would apply]
Amazon link
And thanks John for providing the space every year, always neat to see everyone’s pitches!
Thanks for the opportunity.
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“Drawn to Flame” is the first book in the 3rd Eye Detective series. Detective noir, urban fantasy.
Down on his luck P.I. Caleb Carson didn’t believe in magic…
…until it tried to kill him.
Magic, mayhem, and evil cultists burning down the South.
(Book 2: “The Hungry Dark” also available.)
Store links and free chapters at:
https://yestess.com/books/
For anyone who enjoys classic, romantic Regencies with humour and heart…
THE MAGPIE MASQUERADE
Everyone who is anyone in London is shocked by a gossip column reporting the scandalous tidbits of the social season of 1812.
But no one suspects “The Magpie” is really Miss Marjorie Teague, the orphaned poor relation who hovers on the outskirts of high society as the companion to her debutante cousin.
Marjorie dons a boy’s disguise and files an anonymous story in order to stop a deadly duel. But when the newspaper offers to pay for regular reports, she realizes she can earn enough money to support herself, and be free of her cruel aunt…as long as her identity as The Magpie remains secret.
Captain Lord Findlay Drake returns from war to discover he’s inherited an earldom, and he plunges into the social whirl as the biggest prize on the Marriage Mart. Reluctantly doing his duty to preserve the family name, Fin’s mission to marry is sidetracked and his curiosity piqued by Miss Teague: a young lady who is totally ineligible…and totally unimpressed…by the new Earl.
When a newspaper publicizes Fin’s imminent duel and sets a Bow Street Runner on his tail, he is determined to put a stop to the scandal-mongering Magpie….
If only he can discover who it is….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“5 Stars! For The Magpie Masquerade “I absolutely loved this book! I had never found any contemporary author who writes books like Georgette Heyer until I discovered Victoria Hodge!”
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07643D594
I’ve spent a lot of this year thinking about one of my oldest books.
Sounds of Soldiers was written in 2008/9, about an imagined near-future where a crazed US president had started a civil war that poured out to involve other countries. It was a reaction to the military fetishism of technothrillers, but in 2020, it felt like the backstory was coming true.
I helped create SILK & STEEL — an anthology of swordwoman x princess f/f stories. (Loosely defined, we’ve got SF in there as well.) We ended up with a ton of wonderful authors and and a successful Kickstarter, and the book was finally released last week!
https://www.amazon.com/Silk-Steel-Speculative-Adventure-Anthology-ebook/dp/B088C49VMD/
http://jonstars.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Front-Cover-4-x-5-214×300.jpg
The year is 2035 and Charlie Noble invents N-hanced, an app for nano computers in the human brain. It promises to bring hope and prosperity to the downtrodden by making users instant experts on any subject. It will also free Charlie from his personal demons.
While still in the testing phase, one of his coworkers is murdered. Then one of his test subjects apparently commits suicide under mysterious circumstances. Before Charlie can find out whether the problem is his software, corporate espionage or something else entirely, his company’s board of directors terminates the project, bringing his dream crashing down and reigniting his secret fears.
Wrongly accused of negligent homicide, Charlie flees government agents who threaten his life. He turns to his estranged friend, Jeff, who has abandoned all things high tech and is against everything Charlie stands for. Jeff is Charlie’s last hope to help save him from disgrace and a life in prison—and to put N-hanced back on the track to changing the world.
What readers are saying:
Adrenalin-charged and hard to put down. Science fiction, mystery, action/adventure and courtroom drama. Stars makes it all work exceptionally well.
——Ray Walsh
——Lansing State Journal
This is an absolutely amazing story! I enjoyed reading it immensely. A really brilliant achievement—fully imagined, thoroughly plotted, peopled with strong, interesting and believable characters. It has a clear dramatic arc… and it engages the reader’s emotions: we become deeply invested in the outcome of the story and the welfare of the characters we are meant to care about.
——David Rumohr
https://www.amazon.com/N-hanced-Jonathan-Stars/dp/0989349101/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=N-hanced+jonathan+Stars&qid=1606838751&sr=8-1
Time: A Trilogy is comprised of three stories about the near future when three kids at MIT create the first testable computer-based awareness, and then follows with the unintended consequences.
Find each book of the collection of all three on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hank-M.-M-Greene/e/B0781VQ519%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
THE BLACK GUARD: BRING THE VOID
John M. Cowan
Ex-cop Lionel Burden and his team–the Black Guard–get word of a Conclave: a secret meeting of the Circle, a rogue band of warlocks and wizards whose agenda usually threatens disaster on a global scale. He crashes the Conclave and uncovers a plan to open a series of extra-dimensional portals that will suck the country—and the world—into eternal oblivion. Teaming up with a government agent also fighting the Circle, Burden and his team must hunt down and eliminate the sorcerers behind the scheme before they can bring the Void. The Black Guard will do whatever it takes.
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Guard-Bring-Void-ebook/dp/B07T9VG7SR/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=The+Black+Guard+Cowan&qid=1606789495&sr=8-4
THE BLACK GUARD: CAGE DANCE
John M. Cowan
A madman named Cage is gathering an army of witches and warlocks to unleash a war on the world. The Circle has created a golem to find and destroy him—leaving wreckage and death in its wake. Leo Burden and his team—the Black Guard—join up with their deadliest enemies to track the golem to its target: a small town in northern Michigan, cut off from the world. A cat named Aleska is the key. Day will become night. Loyalties will be tested. Enemies will become friends—and maybe lovers. The earth will break.
This dance may cost everyone their lives.
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Guard-Cage-Dance-ebook/dp/B084GGBNQB/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=The+Black+Guard+Cowan&qid=1606789495&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/Capitol-Secrets-Austin-Davis-Thrillers/dp/B087L4NG5S/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1591269306&sr=8-1 Thanks, John!. This one is my latest, the 2nd book in the Austin Davis series.
When political fixer Austin Davis is hired by Congresswoman Julia Lancaster to investigate her son’s death, he knew it was going to be nothing but trouble. Secret Service agent Jeff Lancaster died when a group of white supremacists attacked a visiting dignitary. The FBI, Secret Service and Homeland Security were all over the case and what was there to investigate, anyway? But if there’s one thing Austin knows from working for politicians, everybody has secrets. And if you dig, you’re going to find dirt. He just hopes the secrets he uncovers don’t get him killed.
Remember that line from “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”? “There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.” Telling ghost stories during the Yuletide season was a popular tradition during Victorian times, and David Allen Voyles revives the tradition with his collection of twelve original, frightening ghost tales and one novella, all set in the Christmas season.
You’ll find a wide array of supernatural entities within The Thirteenth Day of Christmas and Other Tales of Yuletide Horror, from traditional ghosts to modern twists on familiar Christmas characters like Santa and Krampus. You’ll travel to a modern hotel in the Arctic Circle that’s made entirely of ice, as well as to a nineteenth century village in Bulgaria whose citizens have a unique yearly ritual with an enigmatic toymaker. There are ghostly mysteries to be solved, wicked children to be punished, haunted graveyards, possessed dolls, and even a humorous account of Santa’s visit to a haunted house on Christmas Eve.
So turn down the lights, grab a cup of eggnog, and light the Yule log as you prepare to read these Christmas ghost stories. Just remember as you read them, you can cry and you can pout, but one thing is for sure–you better watch out!
Available in paperback and ebook formats.
https://www.gestalt-media.com/product/thirteenth-day-david-allen-voyles/
Most historical fiction embedded in the Elizabethan era tends to be tales of Court and royal 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…
Which takes us to The Tyburn Folios – a series of mystery/thrillers set in the height of the Elizabethan era, 2 books and a novella thus far. The latest is THIEVES’ CASTLE!
Kit Tyburn, ex-soldier turned play-actor and part-time intelligencer for the Queen’s spymaster Francis Walsingham, is back in London and adrift. Penniless, cut loose from both his playing troupe and his mercurial employer, Tyburn is hired to track down a missing gold-seller who has vanished, along with the monies needed for the completion of London’s first permanent theatre.
But London’s dark and fetid back-alleys hide deadly secrets, as Tyburn uncovers a more treacherous game – a war between two noble houses that pulls him into a murderous conflict on the streets, a deadly Spanish conspiracy and a twisted thief-lord chasing her vengeance.
If you want to gift some fabulous historical fiction to a friend, or are just looking for a getaway into another era for yourself over the holidays, please consider any of the books!
“As rich and as vibrant in detail as any of Shakespeare’s plays, Thieves’ Castle has it all — warring houses, intrigues, violence, love, death, a spymaster, & a plot that will keep you up until late into the night”
https://amzn.to/2m6u6GX
Ghost stories used to be a staple of the season. If you’re looking for a fun series about ghost hunters, psychics, found family, and with a bit of kissing, then the RESTLESS SPIRITS series is for you.
The first book, WHITE SPIRIT, centers on reluctant psychic Tristan. When a vengeful ghost kills his best friend, he joins forces with empath McKenna to find out what happened. And to stop the ghost from killing again.
The second book, CURSED SPIRIT, focuses on Drew, the tech guy of the ghost hunting team. Drew and his girlfriend Jaime fight a ghost who wants Jaime’s daughter and Drew’s death.
You can find out more at my website – amyravenel.com
Like those before me, I want to thank you, John, for this wonderful opportunity to share my trilogy, The Barbarians Saga.
The Triumvirate has known peace for 10,000 years. Their technology dwarfs that of Man, and for almost a century Humanity has done all they have asked of us to learn even a fraction of their secrets. With their help, we have abolished poverty and hunger. War is now a thing of the past. We have made incredible strides in that time… and yet the Triumvirate races keep us at arm’s length. They see us as half-evolved apes, too violent even now to keep company with our betters.
They call us… Barbarians.
But when a violent race appears on their borders, it forces them to recognize that sometimes, a Barbarian is exactly what you need.
All three Ebooks are available for sale on Amazon, and can be found here:
#1 – Barbarians: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HPN1S9Q
#2 – The Barbarian War: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HPMCW5M
#3 – The Barbarian Betrayal: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HQR9191
Pirates vs. Ninjas. With Magic.
The Consultant’s Guild has served the Aurelian Empire for over a thousand years, working in the darkness to hunt dissension and eliminate traitors.
Now the Emperor is dead.
For Shera, an assassin in the employ of the Consultants, the Emperor’s death is the beginning of a nightmare. Powerful forces hunt the Heart of Nakothi, a cursed artifact that can raise a second Emperor…and corrupt him in the process.
But some desire power at any cost.
The Guild of Navigators, an infamous collection of swindlers and pirates, has been paid a fortune to secure the Heart. Their only lord is greed, their only loyalty to gold, and they would sell the Empire’s freedom for the promise of a quick coin.
Will Wight’s epic dual-protagonists series THE ELDER EMPIRE concludes with volumes 5 and 6, OF KILLERS AND KINGS and OF KINGS AND KILLERS, out now. Start from the beginnings with OF SHADOW AND SEA and OF SEA AND SHADOW.
Hi, John, thanks so much for the opportunity!
There’s a battle raging in the stars above our heads.
Between aliens and humans. Between slavers and Rescuers. Between those who make us forget to keep us docile and those who make us forget to keep us sane.
But in the secret war to defend Earth, LOVE is the ultimate weapon.
Hundreds of humans have testified to having been abducted by little gray aliens and returned to Earth. What if those aliens were intergalactic slavers and the abductees were returned by an organization of abolitionists who somehow intervened? That’s the premise of my Interstellar Rescue science fiction romance series, available from Amazon. The four-title series can be read as standalone novels, or in order starting with Unchained Memory, Interstellar Rescue Series Book 1.
https://www.amazon.com/Interstellar-Rescue-4-Book/dp/B07S9SLZGJ/
How lovely, thank you!
I have several indie titles available, but in the spirit of the season, I offer HOME FOR CHRISTMAS:
She left everything familiar behind – but love found her anyway.
Sophia is determined to spend Christmas on her own terms this year. Her daughter will be spending the holidays with her boyfriend’s family, and Sophia has no intention of staying home alone with her memories. She knows Ethan would be more than happy to keep her company. But he’s her business partner – and her late husband’s best friend. It’s past time to stop leaning on him and learn to stand on her own two feet. A cruise to the Caribbean might be just the ticket to discovering who she is now, and what she really wants.
Ethan is stunned to discover that Sophia has decided to go on a cruise for Christmas – alone. He’d thought something more was finally developing between the two of them. If she’s ready to move on after the loss of her husband, he’ll be damned if he lets her move on without him!
On the spur of the moment, Ethan books a stateroom, determined to prove to Sophia that what they have goes far beyond friendship. The romantic atmosphere of the cruise sparks a passion the two had only dreamed of before – but can their fledgling relationship survive beyond the vacation of a lifetime?
Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language (but don’t tell my mom).
Kobo https://bit.ly/HFCKobo
B&N https://bit.ly/HFCBN
Amz https://bit.ly/HFCAmazon
Thanks for doing this, John.
I’m published by a small, UK press that I love. They’re what’s known in the UK as a social enterprise. In their case, they give back some of whatever profit they make to literacy enterprises. They treat me well and honestly. Their big drawback is that they don’t get wide distribution, so I appreciate things like this chance to tell about my YA fantasies.
My most recent book is THE WYSMAN. Here’s a blurb: Street kids are dying. Does anybody care? Former street kid Jarka is now training to be the king’s advisor. But he can’t stop hunting whoever’s grabbing street kids–even after the king orders him to back off. He also can’t stop wondering why the king ordered that.
Coincidentally, Amazon has the book on sale right now–$9.79 instead of its usual $14.99.
https://www.amazon.com/Wysman-Dorothy-Winsor/dp/1908600950/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+wysman&qid=1606848911&sr=8-1
Okay. With ten completed volumes of content in my store, I hope I’m not clutter. Sorry if I am. However, just about everything is also available for free, and under a Creative Commons License. That’s kind of the point.
https://tinsoldier.space or go directly to the store: https://tinsoldier.space/paid-content/
The content: Steampunk wizards occupy substandard housing. It’s character-driven, emotional, sometimes hysterical and as inclusive as possible with loads of characters. Like, imagine Fawlty Towers, Harry Potter and Les Miz crashed into each other. It’s like that.
The point: I’m preparing to throw open the doors and let everyone play in the universe I’ve created, remix my content, make their own and even sell it, as long as they profit-share with a charity – like I’m doing. This month it’s the Red Cross. Details at the site, which is still being renovated, but I think everything works and the store certainly should.
The available books are no frills, but only a dollar each. If you are an author or an illustrator or some kind of content-creator, or you know one, you’re not only getting/giving a fun story as a present, you’re also including a universe, and an opportunity to donate your talent to a worthy cause. So this really is a gift that keeping on giving! (I hope.)
Thanks.
Dressing in stolen skin, watching the world through silver eyes, or questioning local folk traditions about bodies hanging in trees, these stories and poems from the women of the New England Horror Writers will leave you bleeding with fresh nightmares and hanging on with splitting fingernails to questionable reality. Wander around islands with eldritch secrets, take drug-fueled drives with carnies, and explore the arcane labyrinths trauma builds in one’s mind. But whatever you do, don’t think for a moment that anyone is safe from these Wicked Women!
The New England Horror Writers are pleased to announce their latest anthology, Wicked Women, a collection of horror stories written by women. This is a brand new release (last week!) and is available in both print and Kindle formats. The anthology, along with two of its stories, has been submitted for Stoker Award consideration. Please do check it out and help support women in horror.
Wicked Women: An Anthology of the New England Horror Writers
The Counterfeiter’s Daughter
An international counterfeiter asks his estranged daughter to protect his family and secretly handle a stolen artifact. Criminals and an egocentric art conservator keep her on the run. She must guard her heart and secrets from the adventurous, faith-led archeologist involved in it all while she discovers the truth.
https://www.amazon.com/Counterfeiters-Daughter-Victoria-Marswell-ebook/dp/B0893PM7YK/
https://books2read.com/victoriamarswell
Thank you!!
THE BENCH
EVERNIGHT: https://BIT.LY/3EA5VJG
AMAZON: https://AMZN.TO/30IC6CT
SMASHWORDS: https://BIT.LY/3JBPOCO
NOOK: https://BIT.LY/3980JLT
KOBO: https://BIT.LY/3J71G2H
Public Defender James has been in self-imposed dating jail since his divorce, but Noah, the gorgeous dad he met at the playground, has him considering parole. Their kids are best friends, they have a lot in common, and they’re both single. It’s almost too perfect, except for one tiny detail: Noah is straight.
Noah’s terrible year started when his wife left him for their twenty-year-old neighbor. Ever since he met James though, things have been looking up. James is smart and kind and now Noah—whose only romantic experience with men was a brain-scrambling spin-the-bottle kiss in high-school—is utterly confused because he can’t stop thinking about him.
Over a midwestern summer, during playdates, sleepovers, and steamy sexting sessions, these sensitive and loving dads will discover even broken, uncertain hearts can still find love. When a dark family secret threatens Noah’s daughter, they’ll learn two dads are better than one.
The Weight Loss Habit: The No BS, No Gimmick, (Sort Of) Easy Way to Lose Weight and Keep It Off Forever
I lost 30% of my weight and kept it off 20 years.
By using intelligent strategies to build the right habits, you can make weight loss easy without relying on willpower, gimmicks, or self-deprivation.
https://www.amazon.com/Weight-Loss-Habit-Gimmick-Forever/dp/B089M54YZ5
Thanks for the showcase!
Little Blue Marble 2020: Greener Futures (edited by yours truly) is an anthology of the collected climate fiction and poems of Little Blue Marble magazine for this year. The digital edition is available now for pre-order from Amazon and Kobo, and any day now from most other online etailers. There is also a print version upcoming, if you prefer the tactile feeling of paper, but links are as yet unavailable.
Full disclosure: all of these stories are free to read online (to further our mission of highlighting the climate crisis), but LBM is funded entirely by sales of the anthology, our Patreon subscribers, and donations from readers, and we are never fully funded. So support a good cause and help us keep bringing more climate awareness to the world!
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Marble-2020-Greener-ebook/dp/B08PBZJ9V6/
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/little-blue-marble-2020
Thanks for the opportunity. I’m thrilled to share a new anthology I have edited and published which was just released last week.
OBSESSIONS is an anthology of all-original tales, including new stories from Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Obsessions are thoughts, ideas, emotions, desires, that have gotten out of hand. Obsessions can be born out of the desire to protect, or to right a wrong. But they can also be pervasive and disturbing. Each of the sixteen authors in this collection tackle the theme of obsession in a unique way, transcending genres.
https://books2read.com/obsessions
THE MANY WAYS OF HEARTBREAK is a Mannison Press mini-book available on Kindle and in Paperback on Amazon and Smashwords.
A great stocking-stuffer.
Teenage Jessamine is angry at having to leave Manhattan for science-light Texas and refuses to go quietly when she has poison right at her fingertips.
Written by Susan Iwanisziw under the penname Cecily Winter. See her other publications on her website.
Title: Red Moon (Arcana of the Crimson Era – Book one)
Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy
Synopsis below:
Have you ever imagined, the End of Humanity?
A world where Magic is life and Demons thrive?
Have you ever imagined, if it would be a better world?
I know I did, until the Red Moon.
Ice fell like rain, waves eclipsed the skies and death upon death.
All the while, Gods silent.
Then Saisho jumped into the pit, and a ripple began.
The First Hellbrids walked, and the ripple flourished.
Ten thousand years passed, and the ripple faded away.
Until the Red Moon again, and Chaos began,
The ripple again, and an Era began,
With the world echoing again,
“Those who sin die by the way they sinned!”
Trigger warning: This series is rated R18 for adult situations, graphic violence, harem relationships and mentions of rape.
Link: mybook.to/RedMoon
Again, thanks to Mr. Scalzi for his generosity.
I am an author of mystery/caper books.
The idea behind the series is a cross between things like Mission Impossible (the TV series, not the movies), Leverage (but less zany), and It Takes a Thief (the 60s series with Robert Wagner). The heroes use more mind than muscle, and tend to psyche their antagonists into submission. I currently have 3 books out (Into the Fire, A Dollar Short, and In for a Pound, all available on amazon). If you want to get a feel for my writing, I have a couple of stories posted at http://oddjobsmysteries.com/stories/.
Here are links to the amazon titles:
https://www.amazon.com/Into-Fire-Jobs-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01M5DLYR5/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=pl+hayes+into+the+fire&qid=1606851799&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Dollar-Short-Jobs-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B073PZQLLT/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=pl+hayes+a+dollar+short&qid=1606852275&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
https://www.amazon.com/Pound-Odd-Jobs-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B07YR5C8L5/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=pl+hayes+in+for+a+pound&qid=1606852308&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
All three are available for free on kindle unlimited, but also have a paperback option if you prefer.
The story is over. It’s already too late.
At the end of the Turkish War of Independence, a British soldier disobeys orders to return home. Setting out to explore a country he had only known as trespasser, he uncovers danger, mysteries, and magic—adventure, obsession, and true love.
One hundred years later, the soldier’s great-granddaughter sits at her great-grandmother’s deathbed while the old woman recounts this very tale; it is the last she will ever tell.
Secrets are revealed as past and present collide, and as one woman’s future draws toward its inevitable close, another finds hers thrown into uncertainty.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_1_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=adam+wing+matriarch&sprefix=adam+wing+mat%2Caps%2C205&crid=1CQJPUMLWMYN9
Thank you for the opportunity, John!
EVER THE HERO is the first novel in my Eververse series, of which Publisher’s Weekly said “Harn’s entertaining debut uses super powers as a metaphor to delve into class politics in an alternate America.”
Superheroes don’t help people out of the kindness of their hearts in Break Pointe. You have to pay for them, and if you can’t afford your superhero bill, you’re on your own.
Enter Kit Baldwin.
Kit just wants to make rent. The only work she can find in the ruins of her devastated city is scavenging for alien technology. When she finds a powerful alien weapon, her discovery pays off more than she could have hoped: it draws the attention of the most powerful of the superhuman Empowered, Valene.
Valene hears everything, everywhere. She suffers for it, and as they begin a precipitous romance, Kit believes she can use the weapon she’s scavenged to mitigate Valene’s pain. If she can’t, Valene will retreat to the soundlessness of space. Without Valene’s compassion, the stricken city is left to the mercy of Valene’s ruthless father, who denies the assistance the city needs unless it can pay for it.
As Valene’s condition worsens, Kit becomes more desperate and unleashes the full power of the alien weapon. In an instant, she is transformed into a being of cosmic power. With her strange new abilities, Kit has the chance not just to save Valene, but the city. If she can afford it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082GNFW1L
What an opportunity! Many thanks for letting us borrow your space. :)
Looking for some science fantasy with your romance? How about hot, shapeshifting, alien, Viking berserkers? Yeah, I thought you’d like that.
The Wolves of Fenrir contains the entire series of 4 standalone romance novellas — perfectly sized quick reads for the busy holiday season!
By the year 2225, humans have come a long way. Broadening Earth’s frontiers into the galaxy means taking a crash course in inter-alien relations, and humans are – mostly – embracing their new allies.
The Fenrir are Viking descendants of the Great Wolf of Norse myth – heroes and heroines from across the galaxy who have returned to Earth to help keep our planet safe.
A physicist and an assassin, a spy and a mechanic, an old soldier and a weaver, a general and an interpreter – fall in love and follow them into danger as they face down an enemy threat that could plunge the Earth back into a war to end everything.
https://www.amazon.com/Wolves-Fenrir-Box-Set-ebook/dp/B06XJ9XZBK
Thank you so much! This is lovely. Here’s a little about my holiday romance novella, HOME FOR CHRISTMAS:
She left everything behind – but love found her anyway.
*Friends to lovers!
*Young(er) widow!
*Holiday cruise! (wait, does that make it a fantasy these days?)
It can be found at the following retailers now (with more coming soon).
Kobo https://bit.ly/HFCKobo
B&N https://bit.ly/HFCBN
Amazon https://bit.ly/HFCAmazon
Thanks so much!
Lea Wylder has spent so long hunting werewolves that now one is stalking her in her sleep. In the unforgiving forests of the north, shape-shifting wolves have enslaved the sole human city for hundreds of miles, driving survivors up into the mountains. When Lea tracks a shifter and finds him caught in a trap, she’s convinced he’s the white wolf from her dreams. Not that it matters. He’s one of them. And they’re at war.
But as Lea pulls back the bowstring, Henrik shifts to human and begs her not to shoot. By name. But how could he possibly know her? In twenty years, the wolves have never crossed the river over to their side.
Injured and unable to walk, Henrik needs Lea’s help to get back home. If he could be turned against the pack, it could change the course of the war. But first there’s the small problem of returning him to the wolves—without getting caught.
https://amazon.com/dp/B07KNBGN4Z
Thanks for doing this!
It’s the dawn of the second millennia of space flight. Humanity has survived numerous wars, a couple of hard singularities, several religious events and first contact with a vastly superior alien species and, despite all that, for better or worse it remains resolutely and bloody mindedly human.
But things are about to get a whole lot weirder for humanity.
Finder retrieves things, in fact, even by the standards of the Kind, he’s a genius at it… that the things may not actually be lost to start with is an interesting consideration that he prefers to leave up to others, ideally from some distance – maybe several light-years – to decide. However, when he and his crew find an alien wreck they kick off a chain of events that could restart an ancient war.
Meanwhile, Tim Symbles and his misfit crew are having a well earned holiday, when a mysterious benefactor ensnares them in a plot which will take them to the Liberty Cluster, an ancient and cursed experiment into governmental theory, where life is cheap and toilet paper expensive.
Lurking there, in the dark, is an ancient secret and a crazed priesthood of freedom lovers looking for revenge…
Satire SF with a hint of political snark in the vein of Harry Harrison, Red Dwarf, and Discworld.
“Like a truly funny Iain M Banks”
“Very funny!”
“As funny as an audit…” – well, we can’t please everybody…
I appear to have mucked up that link…
Nobody would think I do this for a living… Sigh…
FETCH!
*****
Magick. Shifters. Witches. Doubles. Droids. Mysterious Watchers. Cloning. Blood. Mates. Portals. Beltane. A Muse. A Tiger. An Assassin.
One kitty rules them all…
*****
I didn’t ask to wake up with claws and fangs, much less a tail.
My life had enough complications—five pmates, a slew of lovers, and an entire community to protect—but I loved it.
Now, everything is a mess. Fights, ropes, demons, and blood are usually a good thing, but not since the cat came out to play.
I have to find a cure.
The only person who I know who might know how to help me get answers is an irritating, preening bastard living in self-imposed exile.
Did I mention that he’s the assassin that tried to destroy us during the Conflict?
This is going to suck…
Order now:
https://books2read.com/codenametheriftspecialedition
Thanks for this opportunity!
THE FROST EATER is dystopian YA fantasy with lots of action…plus some romance and dragons on the side. Available as a highly-rated audiobook through Amazon or Audible too!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08135W76P
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08135W76P&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_IUQXFbAJ9XX50
SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN
Mackenzie Bartholomew wakes up at her own funeral with no idea how she died. She was a healthy 39-year-old mother of three.
Was she murdered? Did she commit suicide?
She’s stuck somewhere in between life and death until she can find these answers.
Somewhere In Between is a psychological thriller available through Audible, in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.
https://www.amazon.com/Somewhere-Between-Dawn-Hosmer-ebook/dp/B089MGJ527/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3035B6YS4Q9OW&dchild=1&keywords=somewhere+in+between+by+dawn+hosmer&qid=1606857117&sprefix=somewhere+in+betwee%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-1
A Trio of Creepy Flash Fiction
by Corinne Lewandowski
Thanks for this great opportunity!
My first independently published eBook was released October 202 (self-published).
It’s a wee collection of three fiction pieces. It’s a fun, fast read of three flash fiction pieces in the genres of SF and Horror. Each tale is between 100 and 250 words. The collection has aliens, a pirate and well a little something else.
Creepy and horror genres I’ve branched into while writing a number of flash fiction pieces.
The stories included are:
Cut Throat’s Wife
The Gardener – This tale received an Honourable Mention in NYC Midnight’s Microfiction Challenge (May 2020).
The Painter
It’s a way to get some of stories out there and provide a small taste of my writing.
Available Wide (Kobo. Apple Books, Barnes and Noble etc):
A Trio of Creepy Flash Fiction
On Amazon US
A Trio of Creepy Flash Fiction
My bio:
Corinne enjoys writing in the SF and fantasy genres, playing games, and prefers BBQing with charcoal. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with her wife and two cats. Corinne’s published works include stories in both Dystopia From The Rock and in Pulp Science-Fiction from The Rock. Her flash fiction has placed well in both NYCMidnight’s and Engen Books’ Kit Sora Flash Fiction Photography Contests. She is an LGBTI author. Her current WIP is an SF alien contact novel with a lesbian protagonist.
You can find me at:
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/CorinneTheWriter/
I’ve been gathering my short fiction into novella-sized collections for a while now, and the most recent of those covers my urban fantasy stories: Down a Street That Wasn’t There. I also have Maps to Nowhere for secondary-world fantasy (including a Lady Trent short story!) and Ars Historica for historical fiction (including some Onyx Court stories!), as well as others.
And on the nonfiction front, I’m up to three volumes of the New Worlds series on worldbuilding.
Thanks for this. You’re awesome as always!
The third book in my ongoing series is available for pre-order with a December 8 release. It’s $3.99 USD and can be found here: https://books2read.com/u/38RyVZ
Inspired by classic pulp sf, the series starts out heavily plot-driven and becomes more character-intensive as it progresses. It remains, at all times, fast-paced and fun. A large cast must struggle to uncover the sinister alien influence which has subverted much of humanity. This story has it all: robots and androids, space pirates, political machinations, conspiracies, betrayal, alien mind control, gene-mods and aftermarket parts, and … always … loads of pew-pew.
Book 1, a sensible place to start and only $2.99, lives here: https://books2read.com/u/4Azw1o
Book 2 is $3.99 and can be found here: https://books2read.com/u/m2VoB1
Thank you John!
I have a series of books called ‘Dragons of Fire and Ice.’ They’re M/M YA fantasy short stories with a medieval twist! All the stories are SFW; there’s no sex, no swearing, dragon-shifters (who are gay!) and other beings (who are not!) There’s magic, adventure and food aplenty in each tale. There are nine books so far with many more planned; they’re available in both paperback and e-book format.
AMAZON LINK: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B06XD1W553?ref_=pe_1724030_132998070
Thanks John Scalzi,
Silly Little Monsters is a whimsical collection of nine tales to chill your spine and tickle your funny bone. The e-book is now available for the Kindle and Nook. The paperback is also available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. These aren’t your typical bedtime stories. From “Alpha” to “Omega”, everybody wants to make sense of their world.
To find a place to belong.
To connect.
What can be scarier than that?
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08K97GG73&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_2QRXFbRNZ7HSD&tag=alywelch-20
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silly-little-monsters-aly-welch/1138055408?ean=9781087916446
Thanks for doing this
My book is a middle-grade and up steampunk adventure about a girl whose dream is to be an engineer.
Thirteen-year-old Cog loved getting her hands greasy in her Uncle’s workshop and building the occasional mud-cannon before the return of her mother knocked her life completely off its rails. Before long she’s stowing away on a royal airship and tricking her way into a dream apprenticeship with the Queen’s master engineer by pretending to be a boy. But her situation takes a dangerous turn when she discovers a plot to assassinate the Queen and throw the kingdom into war. If she can keep her identity a secret despite her best friend developing a crush on her alter ego, unravel the deadly conspiracy, and keep the demanding master engineer happy, then maybe she can have the future she’s always wanted. Keeping hidden identities and saving kingdoms may not be the same as fixing a steam wagon or an auto-mechanical potion mixer, but Cog has a set of precision screwdrivers and she isn’t afraid to use them. Follow Cog’s rollicking adventure as she uses her wits and ingenuity to find friendship, trust, and justice in a colorful but sometimes unforgiving steampunk world full of mechanical mayhem.
Cog and the Steel Tower is available at:
https://smile.amazon.com/Cog-Steel-Tower-W-Larson/dp/1515330281
Old-school science fiction fans, please check out the recent anthology Vintage Worlds. This is a snazzy collection of stories set in the Solar System of mid-20th century science fiction, with adventures amid the jungle swamps of Venus, the elder civilizations of Mars, and the mysteries of the outer planets.
Published by a small press, it has not been generally distributed in bookstores but is available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Worlds-Tales-Solar-System/dp/1945810238/
BTW, the cover illustration rocks!
In addition to stories from 16 other writers in variegated planetary settings, Vintage Worlds features my own novelette “Pen Pal”. In this alternate history of the 20th and 21st centuries, a habitable Mars with an ancient civilization existing along its canals comes into contact with colonists from Earth – who have brought with them the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union. A girl from Earth and a girl from Mars engage upon a long correspondence by letter, and grow up to take on their responsibilities of adulthood amid family drama, not to mention historical currents of superpower conflict, plague, and unexpected alien invasion that will reshape both of their worlds.
My website http://canterburia.blogspot.com hosts some of my other writing, including science fiction, fantasy, essays, and poetry. This past year or two I have been having a blast learning German through translating 18th-century poems and ballads by Goethe and Schiller!
Thanks for this opportunity, John.
Grant Canterbury
Thanks, John!
What if Indiana Jones had served in special forces? It might be something like this…
The Mongol’s Coffin
An ancient song sparks a deadly race to Genghis Khan’s tomb
Former spec ops intelligence officer Grant Casey races to follow a musical map to Genghis Khan’s tomb before the Chinese government destroys it forever.
They used to be part of an elite group known only as the Unit—until the brass decided to ignore their intel, and they followed Lieutenant Grant Casey into a firestorm to save a museum, and the people trapped inside. The aftermath leaves Grant and his wingman in the hospital, and the whole team on the outs with the military. But Grant fuses his interest in history with his specialized training, and the Bone Guard is born.
When Liz Kirschner discovers a musical map to Genghis Khan’s tomb, her scholarly life explodes into arson and gunfire. Grant Casey brings in his team for a race to the tomb—to prevent Chinese authorities from burying it forever. This novel speeds from Cambridge, Massachusetts to Cambridge, England in search of clues—then flies to Inner Mongolia, bringing together a Mongolian singer, Grant’s ex-commanding officer and a Hong Kong billionaire with a secret past. Mongolian traditions clash with modern priorities in a high-stakes adventure to save one of the world’s greatest lost treasures.
The Bone Guard. . .where adventure and history ignite.
Here’s book one at the ‘zon for 99 cents: http://amzn.to/2hTtsY9 (also available in print or audio!)
And when you love it, you can read on to book 2, The Nazi Skull, and book 3, The Assassin’s Throne!
The dead don’t usually get to save the world.
Arimand has just arrived in the outermost circle of Hell. A soldier of the eastern armies, he was damned for following orders. Now he competes with the rest of Hell’s denizens for the resources to ease starvation, dehydration and exposure. Realizing there is safety in numbers, he secures a position with a clan called Vorilia. Every damned clan covets something, but Vorilia may possess Hell’s most extraordinary secret.
Kaylie is a soul too pure – too vibrant – for Hell. Either the old gods made a mistake when they assigned her, or the devil has something up his sleeve. Arimand is so certain, he spurs a mad expedition to set Kaylie’s soul free. Mad, because Hell’s only exit lies in its inner circles. To reach it, the clan will have to sail a burning river, avoid an army of demons and cross an impassible wall.
If the damned clan succeeds, they may be doomed to far worse torment than they started with. But if they fail, everyone still living might share their wretched fate. The key lies in Kaylie’s missing memories. To foil the devil’s foul plot, she needs to remember how – and why – she came to Hell in the first place.
But the demon stalking their every step was sent by the King of Hell himself to keep Kaylie in his realm.
This epic high fantasy novel is a perfect cross between Good Omens and Lord of the Rings.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08932ZHGH
A dying succubus decides to make a Montana bar catering to the supernatural her last meal in SAVOR THE WICKED, a taut, witty urban fantasy novel blending the weird and witty and serving it to you with a chaser of pulp.
Buy it on Kindle or paperback here: https://www.amazon.com/Savor-Wicked-Seven-Heroes-Book-ebook/dp/B087BG7WNN
They called her Isobel then. Her hair was bright and her eyes were dark; she took in the world and she burned. And so it was no surprise that she began to stray, into the forest and far from the village, to those deep forbidden places where the magicians were said to dwell.
https://www.amazon.com/Flower-Poison-Tree-Rose-Streif-ebook/dp/B08NSK13N8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=flower+of+the+poison+tree&qid=1606860997&s=digital-text&sr=1-3
My how-to-write horror guide WRITING IN THE DARK came out in September.
In this comprehensive textbook devoted to the craft of writing horror fiction, award-winning author Tim Waggoner draws on thirty years’ experience as a writer and teacher. Writing in the Dark offers advice, guidance, and insights on how to compose horror stories and novels that are original, frightening, entertaining, and well-written.
Waggoner covers a wide range of topics, among them why horror matters, building viable monsters, generating ideas and plotlines, how to stylize narratives in compelling ways, the physiology of fear, the art of suspense, avoiding clichés, marketing your horror writing, and much more. Each chapter includes tips from some of the best horror professionals working today, such as Joe Hill, Ellen Datlow, Joe R. Lansdale, Maurice Broaddus, Yvette Tan, Thomas Ligotti, Jonathan Maberry, Edward Lee, and John Shirley. There are also appendices with critical reflections, pointers on the writing process, ideas for characters and story arcs, and material for further research.
Writing in the Dark derives from Waggoner’s longtime blog of the same name. Suitable for classroom use, intensive study, and bedside reading, this essential manual will appeal to new authors at the beginning of their career as well as veterans of the horror genre who want to brush up on their technique.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Dark-Tim-Waggoner-ebook/dp/B08GCZ6GK9
In a distant future, the Roman Empire is at war.
It is the reign of Gaius Augustus, son of Julius, the greatest Emperor in Rome’s twelve thousand year history. Gaius, a more compassionate, temperate ruler than his father, would see Rome become a Republic again.
Many others in the Empire seek their own paths to the throne, aligning forces against Gaius. Some bring armies to batter down the doors and flood the streets with blood and death. Others scheme in shadows, waiting in the half-darkness between worlds for a chance to strike.
An Emperor has enemies on all sides. Gaius has more enemies than he knows, but he must first face the threat of an enemy army on his doorstep.
An army led by the mother of his child. The woman he once loved.
https://www.amazon.com/Romae-Futurum-Invaders-David-Duggins-ebook/dp/B07F73QBGL/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1606861924&refinements=p_27%3ADavid+L.+Duggins&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=David+L.+Duggins
Thanks for this yearly signal-boost, John!
Last year I was excited to bring out my debut novel RYSWYCK, a complex story about friendship and courtesy in a time of war — which turned out to be more relevant in these times than I had originally planned. This year, I published a novella in the same ‘verse, HOUSEHOLD LIGHTS, which deals with aftermath from the events of the novel…and also turned out to be a comfort read for 2020. In this story are things we can’t (or shouldn’t) have right now, like cuddling with friends, long-distance travel, family and community gatherings, casual caring touch…and, of course, the knotty problems associated with trying to help your friends.
You don’t have to have read the first book to understand this novella, but why miss out? They’re both available, at Amazon in paperback and other retailers in e-book!
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08B5KDKSX&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_98RXFbXVNW5F5
Household Lights by L.D. Inman
“I’m the Chimpman. But you can call me Zee.”
Zee is a private eye in 1950s Hollywood. A place where the rich and successful live cheek by jowl with the poor, the broken, and the rest. A place that epitomizes the American Dream, but also a place where criminals thrive in dark alleys and Beverly Hills mansions. A place where a mobster can be gunned down in his ritzy front parlor. A place where a fourteen year old girl can be an addict and a whore.
But Zee is not a typical private eye. He has a past. A past so incredible that most people are blind to it, no matter that it marks every part of him. He is unnaturally strong and hairy, his bones are all but unbreakable, and he is plagued by his alter-ego – a creature he calls the animal.
In a series of nine stories we follow Zee through his current cases and his past, from his escape to America as a child, to his years in an orphanage and Joiliet State Penitentiary, to Hollywood, and his early days as a detective, culminating in Zee’s discovery of his origins, and a deadly battle with a man who is determined to learn Zee’s secrets even if it means dissecting him to get them.
Available here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Chimpman-Zee-Baden-Chant-ebook/dp/B00T94AGMU
My novels run the gamut from dark science fiction to bizarro fantasy. :)
My first novel, “Oblivion’s Wake,” looks at David Glass, a man who has lost the first fifteen years of his life thanks to an illness (a global pandemic, don’tcha know, though it was written well before 2020). This is hard, psychological science fiction in the near future.
https://www.amazon.com/Oblivions-Wake-Jonathan-Sean-Lyster-ebook/dp/B00L3XZPPI
My second novel, “Judgment Daze,” (first in a series) is the tale of the Second Coming. Sort of. Seth is one of several messiahs (thanks to a colossal screw-up on God’s part). When someone starts killing his half-brothers, an act that could set off the Apocalypse, Seth takes the case. While he has never fired a gun before and has none of the skills of a detective or action hero, he does have all the talents of the Son of God: he can raise his dead cat and turn water into a fine mug of coffee. The forces of darkness… aren’t especially concerned.
https://www.amazon.com/Judgment-Daze-Armageddon-Boys-Book-ebook/dp/B07F6BBWKQ
Thanks John.!
Harold Hardscrable by GD Dess
Can a man find something he realizes too late that he’s lost?
Harold Hardscrabble is the story of a quintessential Everyman. Harold is a quiet, charming, hardworking husband living in the suburbs with his wife and dog and the requisite number of children. He is an idealist, a dreamer, like Walter Mitty. But somewhere in the numbing everyday world of work, school meetings, dentist appointments, and chasing the American Dream, Harold starts to suspect he might have made a wrong turn somewhere along the way.
We follow Harold’s transformation from a dreamer to a man of action as he struggles to discover how to live a meaningful life in a materialistic world. As the illusion of his perfect, successful life crumbles,Harold finds himself increasingly disenchanted, frustrated, and isolated. Although he manages to cope admirably for some time, Harold comes to see that the American dream, is just that, a dream. When he is finally overcome by circumstances beyond his control, he feels forced to take matters into his own hands to attain justice for the misfortunes he has been made to suffer.
Harold Hardscrabble unfolds slowly as it builds to its explosive climax. A frightening but endearing examination of what can happen to an ordinary man who is driven to the edge.
Buy here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Hardscrabble-G-D-Dess/dp/0998558907/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=harold+hardscrabble&qid=1606861645&sr=8-1
Thank you for the opportunity to promote my new anthology.
Love the classics? Island Terrors & Sea Horrors just launched! The danger-filled anthology features 36 short stories & poems from the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Washington Irving, Shakespeare, H.P. Lovecraft, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, H.G. Wells, Larry Atchley Jr., Ethan Nahté and more. Some of the included works date back over 2,000 years.
Enjoy the Book Trailers!
Gustave Doré, J. W. Orr, Winslow Homer, Ian Keattch, and Edvard Munch are just a few of the 24 illustrators & photographers furnishing both b/w & color visuals plus a monstrous cover by David J. Martinez.
The print version is a hefty 300 page book measuring 7″x10″ available through Amazon, or purchase the eBook version through Amazon or Kobo.
Thanks for doing this, as always.
Only Human by Frank Gullo
Mark Borraisle is a quarterback in a future in which the sport of football has gone high-tech. Human players are being replaced by faster and stronger humanoid robots.
But don’t tell that to Mark, who is determined to lead his team to the playoffs.
Only Human is a fast-paced science fiction novella about one of the last human quarterbacks in a future football league dominated by robots.
Thanks for doing this, as always.
Only Human by Frank Gullo
https://www.amazon.com/Only-Human-Frank-Gullo/dp/B08BD9CVYT/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1501873667&sr=1-1
Mark Borraisle is a quarterback in a future in which the sport of football has gone high-tech. Human players are being replaced by faster and stronger humanoid robots.
But don’t tell that to Mark, who is determined to lead his team to the playoffs.
Only Human is a fast-paced science fiction novella about one of the last human quarterbacks in a future football league dominated by robots.
HELL’S CEREAL: VERY SHORT STORIES FORTIFIED WITH ESSENTIAL SYLLABLES is a collection of crisp, bite-sized stories that stay crisp even in milk. You get stories featuring things like: sci-fi, fantasy, workplace, family, lost love, zombies and a weird amount of car racing. The stories are sometimes funny, sometimes serious. It’s like getting the marshmallows AND the toasted oat flakes! Out 12/10, but preorder now wherever you get books.
Thanks so much for doing this! Mine is below! :)
THE PHANTOM FOREST by Liz Kerin
Published July 16th, 2019 by Inkshares
YA Dark Fantasy/Adventure
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1947848992/
(Available as an eBook, paperbook, or audiobook via Audible!)
“Right from the very first page you’re drawn into the dark atmosphere of the world. There’s an expectant menace in every situation. . . Surprisingly, this is the author’s first novel and on this evidence I’d say dark fiction has a new rising star.” ―British Fantasy Society
SYNOPSIS: Every tree in the sacred Forest of Laida houses a soul. And each of those souls will return to the mortal world for many future lives. But not all of them deserve to.
Seycia’s father told her this story as a child―a story of the most holy place in the Underworld, the Forest of Laida, where all souls go to rest before embarking on a new life. But Seycia’s father is dead now, and his killer has put a target on her back.
After she is chosen for her village’s human sacrifice ritual, Seycia is transported to the Underworld and must join forces with Haben, the demon to whom she was sacrificed. Together, they journey to the forest in the Underworld where all souls grow in a quest to destroy the tree of the man who killed her.
Throttling the Bard is part action, part literature driven, and complete comedy.
“Throttling the Bard is a book of literature. Constant wordplay, dynamic characters, spiteful villains, and delightful scenery all come together in this adventurous tale of two interesting wordsmiths riding across Nevada.” –deathbydenver.com
https://www.amazon.com/Throttling-Bard-Jay-Barry/dp/0615419313/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Throttling+the+bard&qid=1606865224&sr=8-1
Thanks for the opportunity to post here. :) I have three titles from a verrrrrry small indie press (Odeon) that you can get anywhere, but I’ll post a link to them at one of my favorite local indie bookshops (Blue Willow in Houston).
The book that just came out this fall is HOMECOMING, Book 2 in my Animal Affinities series. Considered magic realism or urban fantasy, this is a world where most people have animal characteristics, and these traits ironically are what makes society consider them more human, fully developed or evolved. Not having an Affinity, or being Plain, means bad news for you. The first book in the series is FINIS.
In HOMECOMING, Raqia, a Plain One who immigrated to Houston from Beirut as a toddler, has to navigate 11th grade and the social pitfalls of that time of life with her two best friends, one of whom is also a wolf.
I also have a collection of poems: THE SHARP EDGES OF WATER. These poems tell a loose narrative set between the landscapes of Houston and Los Angeles, and one of the characters might or might not be a mermaid.
Thanks for giving them a look! You can find all three at the link below, and also on Amazon, B&N, the usual places. They can be ordered from Ingram by your local bookstore, too.
https://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/event/angelique-jamail-homecoming
Thank you, John. My late July indie release, ECHOES OF THE STORM, was just awarded an indieBRAG Medallion, and received a Gold Medal for Fantasy Book of the Year 2020 from the Coffee Pot Book Club. (The club places sci fi and fantasy together, but ECHOES is definitely sci fi!)
About ECHOES OF THE STORM:
A rebel double-crossed. A world fallen. And a relentless enemy who will not rest…
Jack Gamble is a shattered man. His lover betrayed him. His contacts in the resistance are scattered. And his best friend may be dead.
With the Galilei Empire closing in, Jack’s ship is intercepted by mercenaries under the command of Captain Ben Stone. Can Jack turn Ben to his cause, or will Ben turn him?
But Jack can’t afford any emotional entanglements. Not now. He has a rebellion to win and a homeworld to reclaim before the planet and its people are lost to the Empire forever.
If you like action-packed science fiction adventure with undercover spies, ace pilots, special forces teams, wild battles, and a slow-burn romance, then this space opera is the book for you. Available at all digital retailers but here’s the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CSVC9K2
Do you have a nursing student on your gift list? Then you know someone who’s scared of pathophysiology class — and doesn’t need to be as scared, if they prepare beforehand with this handy review workbook. I wrote ‘The Bridge Between A&P and Pathophysiology’ for my own students after 35 years of teaching nursing physiology and pathophysiology. This is the only book on the market that boils physiology down to a few pages per system of what you need to know going into pathophysiology, with self-tests, clinical application questions, and a ‘what if it goes wrong’ focus that will help you start to think like a patho student.
https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Between-Pathophysiology-black-version/dp/1733088814
If there are any other academics on your gift list, they’ll find everything we love, and love to hate, about academia in the Royal Academy at Osyth series. No matter how bad your job is, at least you don’t have to summon a demon every morning. You can find everything Osyth from short stories through novels at https://www.raosyth.com/raosythindex.html.
Thanks for the opportunity, and a happy holiday season to all!
Sorry to double-post, but something removed the link to ‘The Bridge Between A&P and Pathophysiology’ from my previous post. Here’s an alternative: https://smile.amazon.com/Bridge-Between-Pathophysiology-black-version/dp/1733088814/
I have three novellas that I have self published in my Run With the Hunted series. Run With the Hunted (2018), Run With the Hunted 2: Ctrl Alt Delete( 2019), and Run With the Hunted 3: Standard Operating Procedure (2020) They’re available in paperback from Amazon, and the ebooks are everywhere I can make it happen! you can see blurbs and buy links on my blog here: Run With the Hunted
The blurb for book 1: “In the fast-paced, tech-heavy future, diamonds are still a girl’s best friend. Bristol is more than happy to get dressed up and crash a private diamond sale that her hacker associate, Bits, has caught wind of on the deep web. The job is unbelievably simple and the getaway is a breeze; Dolly barely even gets to fire a shot during the holdup. But in the days that follow, things start to go wrong. Bristol’s dinner party is raided, their buyer backs out, and they find themselves on the run in a heavily surveilled city. Now that it’s become clear these diamonds are more than meets the eye, the trio has to find out who wants them enough to kill for it.”
Additionally, I have a standalone short story that was published this year by Sword & Kettle Press, called “Nothing Left But Mud,” that’s about survival at the end of the world at the Jersey Shore, and that’s available in ebook on their Etsy store: Sword & Kettle Press
If you’re into Steampunk, why not check out my comic Steampunk mystery/adventure ‘Champagne Charlie and the Amazing Gladys.’
Hungover aristocrat Edward “Charlie” Decharles awakens in the back of a steam-cab, only to discover that the driver has been murdered. Unused to feeling responsible for anything, he feels compelled to find the killer. As he investigates, he meets “The Amazing” Gladys Dunchurch, a stage magician’s assistant whose employer has disappeared – and not in a good way. They form an alliance – Charlie will help Gladys with his considerable resources and Gladys will help Charlie with her even more considerable brains.
Soon they discover that their respective mysteries are not only connected to each other, but related to other seemingly unrelated strangeness transpiring in London – the murder of an astronomer, an attack on a patent medicine factory, a mysterious cult in an idyllic town, and reports of deadly creatures in the London sewers.
Charlie and Gladys find themselves pitted against dead-eyed assassins, murderous pirates, wingless flying machines, and perhaps even creatures from beyond this Earth. And lurking behind it all lies a sinister cabal that knows the secret origin of the steam-powered society that powers their world. Can our heroes save the day, or will the fallout from that secret destroy two worlds.
http://books2read.com/cctag
If you know someone who has an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and wants to learn what’s new with iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, or watchOS 7, I’ve written a book titled “iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7 for Users and Developers”.
You can get the paperback in black and white, ISBN 9798677546914, or color, ISBN 9798677509582
Similarly, if you want to learn what is new with macOS Big Sur, there is a book for that as well. It is called macOS Big Sur for Users, Administrators, and Developers.
This is available in paperback in both black and white, ISBN 9798677547997, and color, ISBN 9798677510502.
Hope this isn’t a double post. I think WordPress ate my first one, so we’ll see.
Champagne Charlie and the Amazing Gladys
A Victorian London where steam-powered engines run on caloric fluid — heat in its pure, liquid form — a cab driver is murdered. His passenger — drunken aristocrat the Honorable Edward ‘Charlie’ Decharles — feels responsible for the death. Unused to feeling responsible for anything, he finds himself compelled to investigate the crime, in spite of a total lack of detective skills.
Charlie runs into ‘the Amazing’ Gladys Dunchurch, a talented Australian music-hall performer. Gladys is searching for her missing employer, a stage magician, who has vanished (not in a good way).
The two agree to pool their resources — Charlie’s wealth and connections and Glady’s intelligence — to solve their respective mysteries. They soon discover that both crimes are connected to a mysterious race of giant Bats that live in the London sewers — and also a ruthless conspiracy that has set itself against the Bats. Charlie and Gladys soon find themselves on the run from giant Rodents, submarine pirates, dead-eyed assassins and possibly a cult of rogue chimney-sweeps.
A fun, light-hearted Streampunk adventure, featuring a cast of eccentric characters, Why not check it out?
http:books2read.com/cctag
Thank you for this John.
My name is Steven Savanna, I write sf and I will only post for the one book, Floss, which is available at Amazon, Apple and other booksellers.
Here is the blurb for this book. I would love to be able post an image, but for some reason the thread will not allow me to do so. Anyhow, this is how it goes:-
What happens when a cyborg on probation falls in love with a human?
Chaos, blackmail and intrigue ignite when Floss plunges into a romantic liaison with journalist Jan Oort.
When Floss and Jan accidentally open a gateway in spacetime to another part of the galaxy, an alien menace is drawn to their planet and hovers over the multi-species city they call home.
Floss’s freedom and her very existence are threatened when she discovers the key that will re-open the gateway; a key that their alien visitors, are looking for.
But if she hands it over, an interplanetary war will erupt; and if she doesn’t, many on her planet will die. How can she make such an impossible choice? Her cybernetic brain, now freed of all controls, was never designed to cope with such emotional conflict. Will she survive whatever terrible decision she makes?
I hope you enjoy the story. At times I wondered if I would ever finish it. If you read it, thank you for the time you will have invested.
Floss is a standalone space opera. It is available from:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XQFH962
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1490530758
Phoenix in the Machine
Dreams come true in cyberspace — but so do nightmares.
Roger remembers dying in a fire on the launchpad. He’s reconciled it with being alive again. However, being an infomorph in a simulated environment has been a difficult adjustment. Toni tells him he went mad the first time he awoke, and she had to crash the computer.
Now he helps her playtest the games her employer designs. But cyberspace outside Toni’s local area network is a dangerous place. A disastrous experiment in Bangladesh left the world in a moral panic about AI and machine consciousness.
When a careless connection betrays him to those who cannot distinguish between an AI and a post-biological human being, he and Toni must flee. Their cross-country journey will either destroy him or deliver him the spaceflight he’s awaited for a century.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CBZ3NMW
A Dead Man and Doggie Delights by Aleksa Baxter is the first in a (so-far) seven book cozy mystery series featuring a “barkery” owner, her Newfoundland dog Miss Fancypants, and her ex-con grandpa Set in a small Colorado mountain town. Maggie May gets roped into investigating a murder when her grandpa is the prime suspect, but keeps making things worse the more she tries to help.
All seven books in the series are now available in large print format. Examples of what that looks like as well as links to Amazon and Barnes & Noble available in this post: https://aleksabaxter.com/2020/12/01/large-print-editions-now-available/
When The Time Comes and Other Stories by M.H. Lee is a collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories available on all major retailers. (The ebook is in a promo on Barnes & Noble this month for just 99 cents, print version is $9.99 USD) https://books2read.com/thetimecomes
The Taste of Memory which is included in the collection, is also available for free in ebook: https://books2read.com/tasteofmemory
“Werecockroach” is a cozy novella about friendship, aliens and people who can turn into cockroaches.
More info here: Werecockroach
“Dragons once led our people across the wastelands, away from storms, and toward hunting grounds.”
That’s what the elders say, but Akrist has squinted at empty skies his whole life. The dragons have abandoned them, and it’s Akrist’s fault. He’s cursed. Like every other firstborn son, he has inherited the sins of his ancestors. In his camp, he’s the only eldest boy left. Something happened to the others.
Something terrible.
When Akrist befriends Tanar, an eldest boy from another tribe, he discovers the awful truth: they’re being raised as sacrifices to appease the Goddess and win back her dragons. The ritual happens when the dual moons eclipse. Escape is the only option, but Akrist was never taught to hunt or survive the wastelands alone. Time is running out, and he has to do something before the moons touch.
‘Under the Lesser Moon’ is available at most online book retailers listed here:
https://www.mythosink.com/books/utlm/
Introvert Reed Rothwell is part of a subculture of art deco era enthusiasts, pushing back against bland mainstream society and its mandated technology. Stuck with an AI assistant in his head is bad enough, but when he’s inflicted with a forced upgrade to a new beta version, named Mazarin, the navigator starts to take on feelings and opinions of his own.
When rumors spread of beta navs turning on their pilots, Reed is determined not to become a victim. Mazarin hasn’t become violent yet—the AI is sympathetic and understanding—but with beta participants coerced into slitting their own throats, it’s only a matter of time before Reed is next.
The AI megacorporation already has an unhealthy interest in Reed, and all the beta testers who have sought help for their navigators have disappeared. The swingin’ cats of the deco scene have the means to illegally terminate Reed’s AI. But Mazarin has never tried to harm Reed—he loves Reed.
Grappling with ridding himself of intrusive technology, the morality of hurting his self-aware AI, and avoiding the attention of a company that wants to sweep Reed’s existence under the rug might be too much for one hep cat to handle.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N9LZGTX
Thank you for the opportunity John! I really appreciate it!
My novel is called Humanity’s Best.
It is self-published through Amazon and Kindle.
Carter Kincaid is chosen, out of the entire human race, to be the bearer of the Confluence Induction Field by an alien race representing The Unity, an interglactic collective of planets, working together in peace and harmony. Aided by a holographic interface known only as Guide, Carter finds himself transformed into the world’s first super human. Taking to the sky as the high flying Exemplar, he accepts their mission: to elevate humanity to the point where it can safely join The Unity and take their place in interglactic society.
He soon finds himself in way over his head and unsure of the best way to proceed.
He finds allies in reformed criminal Gunner Krogh and hard working police officer Kiala McConnell and together, they make headway in dealing with the world’s criminal underbelly. But is the world ready for a super man? What can one man really do to inspire a planet? Is Carter prepared for the choices he has to make?
I have three books out despite COVID-19 absorbing all my energy!
Zach Tragic in Forgotten Tokyo
Summer in the near-future city of Forgotten Tokyo is rough for Zach ‘Tragic’ Lejeune. People are out to frame him for murder, kill him for business, and generally bring hurt to his doorstep. Unfortunately for them, Zach Tragic is also a corollary to Murphy’s Law: things that can go wrong, go wrong around Zach. Can the troubled troubleshooter avoid the vengeful lawyers, illegal guns, and mysterious circumstances of his everyday life in Forgotten Tokyo?
You can get Zach Tragic here: https://books2read.com/ZachTragicZero
Garbage In, Demon Out
Alex Land is tired of learning magic. She’s about to start her freshman year of high school and needs to make friends! But when an argument with Grandfather leads to accidentally trapping a demon in her brand new smartphone, the start of the school year is the last thing on her mind. Worse, Alex unknowingly traps another demon, a real monster, in the Internet and it wants out! Now, trying to make new friends, survive a new school, and cope with being fourteen years old takes a back seat as Alex and her smartphone demon try to stop the worst Internet troll ever!
Garbage In, Demon Out: https://books2read.com/GarbageInDemonOut
The Generators Sequence
The prison ship should have been dead when the final failsafe, Tristan 08 awoke. But Xander, the Evolved leopard spy had no intention of dying that day. That chance meeting would throw two civilizations into conflict across the stars.
The Generators Sequence: https://books2read.com/TheGeneratorsSequence
The Generators Sequence Audio Book: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=B08MFGSHJ7 (The audio book is available from many more places than just amazon – ISBN 978-1-64887-002-6)
For the Doctor Who fans! Doctor Who’s Greatest Hits hits all the highlights from throughout time and space, from the earliest adventure of the First Doctor to the first season of the Thirteenth.
A race of war machines who conquer the Earth in the 22nd Century; a brilliant painter who perceives the world in a unique way; a reptilian species that sees the Earth as theirs and intends to reclaim it; an archaeology professor who never meets the Doctor in the right order; a dangerous world leader who bears a striking resemblance to the Doctor; amphibious aliens with the ability to shape shift; a murderous mummy on a space train; and the first woman to marry in Pakistan.With over 55 years of television stories, DOCTOR WHO has introduced its audience to some of the strangest creatures, weirdest places, and most dangerous times. This brand-new, fully updated edition of Doctor Who’s Greatest Hits takes a loving look at some of the Doctor’s most memorable adventures.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1734084006/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4
Or, to order an autographed copy directly from the publisher, which will include a video message to you or to your gift recipient, visit http://www.kozmicpress.com
(Thank you, John, giving us the opportunity to do this!!)
Thank you for this opportunity to introduce the MEI-HUA TRILOGY, John!
The MEI-HUA TRILOGY, a young adult, historical mystery series, transports the reader to 1380 China, a time of political intrigue, danger, and death.
It is in this roiling pot of suspicion and peril that Mei-hua’s father’s enemies begin to move against him, threatening the lives of his entire household. To protect his only child, he sends Mei-hua to live incognito with a friend in Hangzhou City. Before she can reach safety, however, bandits capture her, plunging her even deeper into a terrifying and life-changing journey.
In her struggle to survive, Mei-hua must use every ounce of wit and skill she has to find her father’s friend and stay hidden from the enemy seeking to destroy her family.
Along the way, as she makes new allies, she finds that the ever-present menacing forces threaten to engulf them all.
The MEI-HUA TRILOGY follows Mei-hua on a gripping journey of endurance and self-discovery.
The Author’s Notes at the end of each volume discusses cultural, social, and historical details of the books in this adventure/mystery trilogy.
Note that although written for a young adult audience and older, the trilogy is also appropriate for upper middle grade readers.
P.A. De Voe is a Silver Falchion award winner and Agatha and Silver Falchion award finalist. For her adult mysteries set in Ming Dynasty China go to padevoe.com.
Buy this award-winning, historical mystery/adventure set as an e-book at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075SQ261G/
If you prefer to buy them separately, HIDDEN, WARNED, and TRAPPED are also available as e-books or paperbacks on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084STLY9F.
If you’ve been cooped indoors for a bit too long, the days are getting cold and grey, and/or you’re longing for some sunlight, some greenery, maybe little a wildlife as a treat…this one’s for you.
“Seed, Star, Song” contains 9 poems with birds, bunnies, big trees and an undisclosed number of beetles. It’s available for free, but you can choose to make a donation at the link. May it bring warmth to your days!
https://ghostcitypress.com/2020-summer-series/seed-star-song
My self-published book on the James Bond films, Sex for Dinner, Death for Breakfast, is available on Amazon in hard copy (https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Dinner-Death-Breakfast-Screen/dp/1545074909/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-drs1_0?cv_ct_cx=sex+for+dinner%2C+death+for+breakfast&dchild=1&keywords=sex+for+dinner%2C+death+for+breakfast&pd_rd_i=1545074909&pd_rd_r=9b51050e-34fc-47cb-b00d-a4da90d6ae41&pd_rd_w=vAFwr&pd_rd_wg=hK2KO&pf_rd_p=c33e4373-edb9-47f9-a7e6-5d3d6a7a4ad0&pf_rd_r=BY9VBRJDY94JNFG680EG&psc=1&qid=1606921841&sr=1-1-5e875a02-02b1-4426-9916-8a5c26cd5a14) and from multiple retailers as an ebook (https://www.draft2digital.com/book/213529)
Thanks for the opportunity! My latest release is a light-hearted SF adventure, The Diamond Device. Mismatched buddies race to foil a bomb plot in a steampunk world. Written for readers seeking a cheery tone as an antidote to so much of 2020.
Available for Kindle and print: http://getbook.at/DD1e
Thank you for this opportunity. This is for
Lightning Strike, Book I
Lightning Strike, Book II
LIGHTNING STRIKE BOOK I
Excerpt: catherineasaro.net/books/lightning-strike-book-one/
Ordering: catherineasaro.net/books/lightning-strike-book-one/#order
Tina Pulivok is returning home one night to her Los Angeles neighborhood when she meets a man who seems lost—an understatement, as he and his Jag star fighter arrived from an alternate universe. As Tina struggles to understand Althor, this strange, handsome man with metallic-looking skin and other variations from Earth humans—they become the targets of a manhunt by police and the military, who captured Althor’s damaged starship.
From memories of her childhood in a Mayan village, to a barrio in East L.A., to a military base and a chance to reach the stars, Tina comes alive as an astute, sympathetic narrator, facing life and tough choices with courage, wit and compassion.
LIGHTNING STRIKE BOOK II
Excerpt: catherineasaro.net/books/lightning-strike-book-ii/
Ordering: catherineasaro.net/books/lightning-strike-book-ii/#order
A new Universe. A new Time.
Tina Pulivok is thrust into an unknown universe, a reality that exists hundreds of years ahead of her own time. Raised in a Maya village, and then later in an East L.A. barrio in the 1980s on Earth, she knows no one in this new universe—
Except Althor.
A starfighter pilot from the future, Althor ended up in the wrong universe when someone—he has no idea who—sabotaged his fighter with the intent of killing him. Instead, the faulty stardrive threw him into Tina’s universe. Both Tina and Althor are empaths, traits that draw them together. They return to Author’s universe in his sentient ship, where they face dangers known and unknown. From the vicious empire of the Trader slave lords to the ancient marvels of desert ruins holding the secrets of a long vanished past, they must survive an onslaught of danger. They face the future with only their courage and their love–but will it be enough to keep them alive?
Where Weavers Daire is the beginning of a new space opera series that’s a lovely mashup between Star Wars, The Expanse, Firefly and Babylon 5.
In a world of magic, mortals and machines, something else has dragged Melinda Scott home and the universe will never be the same!
It’s available wide in ebook or paperback over here -> https://buy.bookfunnel.com/llwqkqfauq
Hello. My name is William Still Lodge. I am a late bloomer as far as writing is concerned. I wrote, but I never could complete anything. One day my wife and I had an experience out in the world that I managed to turn into a short story. Friends who read the story said the same thing: I want to know more about these people. So, the story grew, and grew, and became Above the Flower Shop. If you are surprised to think a 60 year old man could write a contemporary romance with a strong female lead (as one reader told me) imagine how I feel. It’s a feel good story with heart, and two people i think you will come to care about.
Shelly. She’s Black, and a nurse, and she struggles to find people who will see her for who she is, not how she appears. Robert. He’s white, a teacher, and he wants to find a place where he belongs. Along the way they accumulate people who sometimes are their mentors, sometimes people who need them, and sometimes the people they meet become friends. There’s even a cat, specifically Jonathan Livingston Cat, who takes up residence and watches it all with amused tolerance, as long as he’s fed, and the center of attention.
Above the Flower Shop is about family, and the fact that family is who you choose, not always simply who you were assigned by birth. I hope you take a look at my book, after all, I wrote it for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Above-Flower-William-Still-Lodge-ebook/dp/B08BYB2VTQ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=JL5OZDWHNU60&dchild=1&keywords=william+still+lodge&qid=1606938659&sprefix=william+still+%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-2
Thanks for doing this!
I’m half of a duo making comics, and our current big project is titled Follower.
Follower is the story of a secret military project to create lab-grown warriors to unleash on a world that’s in the process of falling apart. Whether or not these new lifeforms are ready to face their destiny is another story.
You can get a physical or digital copy here: https://www.radiochio.com/product-category/books/
And you can check out the comic to see if you like it here: http://follower.messenger-comic.com
Earlier this year, I published my debut Novel, After Hastings, an alternate history which explores a world in which William of Normandy was defeated by King Harold and the Battle of Hastings, but Harold’s victory was not accepted by the Pope. The novel follows the political and religious ramifications that stretch across Europe at Harold jockeys to retain his throne.
Available in trade paperback, for Kindle, and .epub.
More information, including ordering links, background to the novel, sample chapters and author readers can be found at http://www.sfsite.com/~silverag/afterhastings.html
This is kind of amazing! Thank you so much Mr. Scalzi for this opportunity.
I have a YA trilogy set on the shoreline of Connecticut in a small port called Kelsey Town. All three book are available on amazon.
“The shadows move, the trees whisper and I’m pretty sure a cat defends the church next door from the Devil – or at least one of his minions.” – Nick Stanton Nick gets a pen and is charged with documenting the supernatural world – Mina gets a sword and super powers. Nick does not think this is remotely fair. When Halley’s Comet passes through the sky in 1986 the new kid in town – Nick – is partnered up with the strange girl in town – Mina – for a Science project. While observing this sometimes twice in a lifetime event, they learn that there are things that go bump in the night. And that it’s their job to hunt them down!
https://www.amazon.com/Pen-Sword-ballad-Nick-Mina/dp/0988798913/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Thank you again and Happy Holidays!
Books 1 and 2 of the Deep Space Cargoist series, which I think may be right up your readers’ alleys, are available now, and book 3 is available for pre-order.
http://books2read.com/Cargoist1
http://books2read.com/Cargoist2
http://books2read.com/Cargoist3
Book 1: The Loneliness of the Deep Space Cargoist
“A dazzling debut.” – The Prairies Book Review
Alone. Afraid. Fighting to survive.
A collision with space debris has left a gigantic hole in Inez Stanton’s ship, nearly crippling it. Inez is a cargoist, that rare breed of adventurer who takes to deep space solo, ferrying valuable cargo for the Tenth Great and Glorious Browns Company. Now she’s in a race against her own rig’s spaceworthiness, and that might not be the worst part.
The totalitarian Free Earth, led by the populist Brother Lin, has also lost a ship on this lane, and is intent on finding out why. The Company wants their cargo delivered and can make Inez’s life very difficult if she doesn’t succeed. With the nearest waystation three days away, death in the cold vacuum of space is a distinct possibility as well.
The clock is ticking for her to deliver her cargo. But will she want to when she finds out what she’s actually carrying?