Science Fiction Awards List

The nominations for the 2017 Hugo are in, but to refresh your memory here are the winners for 2016: https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/20/12551696/2016-hugo-awards-

Of the four mentioned here, I blogged on Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, read an intro of Seveneves by Neil Gammon (thanks to Amazon which offers free introductions) and liked what I read but haven’t bought the book yet, and have been an enthusiastic reader, and blogger of, Jim Butcher’s other two series: Codex Alera and The Dresden Files. Makes me feel that I’m picking books to talk about that other people like too.

Also out are the Locus Awards.
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2017/06/do-not-touch-2017-locus-awards-winners/

On the Locus list, this year in blogs, I talked about Visitor by C.J. Cherryh, Babylon’s Ashes by John. S. A. Corey, Last Year by Robert Charles Wilson and All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Anders. I tried to read Take Back the Sky by Greg Bear but for some reason abandoned it.

Now we have Hugo nominations for 2017:

http://www.tor.com/2017/04/04/2017-hugo-award-finalists-announced/

In this list is All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Anders, The Obelisk Gate revisiting J.K. Jeminsin, A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers, who also did A Long Way to an Angry Planet that I commented on in a recent blog.

And Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer.

I don’t know where to begin with this one.

My usual policy is not to discuss a book that I don’t like. I acknowledge that each reader brings their own experience and taste to a story and being in my Powell’s Book Group (25 plus members) has made it abundantly clear, everyone’s taste is different. So what I don’t like, others may love.

But as an author and writer, Ada Palmer has had me ranting for days. (My poor husband) She breaks all the conventions of what I’m told is good writing and then makes the Hugo nominations list! Thanks TOR.

Right off the bat, her first sentence warns the reader that the narrator is unreliable. So throughout the entire book, you’re wondering if what you’re being told is true or not. A lot is left out.

Constantly, in the book she talks directly to the reader as if they are sitting in a chair across from her. In her far future world, an attempt to level the playing field of gender results in people not using a definitive pronoun. So in describing a person, it can be a they one moment, then a he or a she, the next. Gets confusing, but it worked for Anne Leckie, also a Hugo winner and nominees, so maybe Ada liked the idea.

In addition, one person often has several names depending on who is in the room talking to them. And there are a lot of characters to keep track of throughout the book. The names are crazy, taken from the 18th century. For example, the narrators name is Mycroft Canner, an homage to Sherlock Holme’s brother.

In fact, the whole book is packed with inferences involving the 18th century, and unless you are a history major of that era, you spend more time researching Palmers’ allusions to the time period than you spend paying attention to the plot.

What plot?

Also, she didn’t hear about the “show, don’t tell” rule and expounds in detail on several historic names, places and events.

Point of view jumps around incessantly and some major characters don’t even talk in English. When they speak Latin, Palmer puts the translation in parenthesis after each sentence. Fonts are constantly changing. There’s sprinklings of French, Spanish and Japanese in the dialog.

In due time, the reader (hopefully) realizes that Mycroft is a criminal (she alludes to his servicer’s uniform) and is sentenced to pay for his crime in service to those families he harmed. But the mystery is that he /she /they is constantly being relied on by the powerful leaders of this world to supply sensitive information or used for top secret activities. He is on familiar terms with every powerful leader throughout the world. Mycroft is more than a common criminal who has performed unspeakable crimes, but as a reader, I wasn’t sure what his connection was to the others, and why they were so nonchalant at having him constantly nearby. I’d hoped to learn by the end of the book.

And that is my main complaint. While Mycroft harbors a boy who can touch toys and make them come alive, (rather cool) the commotion in the story is caused by a list of ten names that is stolen from Mycroft bash (commune/house). For some reason, undisclosed to me, this list is controversial. It’s rather a list of the top ten most important people in the world, according to a journalist who puts out the list once a year. Then you find out there is more than one list floating around.

Have I confused you enough? Not even close. The politics (a blend of distant future and 18th century) and network of intertwining relationships is mind boggling. I read this to the end to see if I could make sense of anything… guess what?

Nope.

It’s a Hugo nomination and I’m ranting and raving all over my house about it… Could you tell? At least as one member in our group commented, “It’s different from any other science fiction novel.” And there she was right.

One last announcement while we are talking about new books out. I’m waiting on my proof for Somewhat Alien and within a week or two should be launching the book. Here is the cover:

It’s an exciting story that takes place on a space station. No Latin or French involved. (Tant pis)

 

Stay tuned.

Saturn’s Run: Hard Science Fiction

Everyone likes a sneak peek.

So, I’m giving my readers of this blog only an advance squint at my new cover. It is so hot off the press that you might burn your fingers.

Oh, no. That’s right, we’re digital. Your fingers are safe.

Anyway, I’m in the throes of birthing my next book in my Terran Trilogy series called Somewhat Alien. I spent the week working with cover designer Toni Boudreault to get the look I want.

There’s a lot to think about when doing a cover. It has to be artistic, the fonts large enough to read in a thumbnail version, and it has to suggest a story that invites the reader in. This time I’m experimenting with two faces on the cover. This is to let the readers know that there is a relationship arc in the story. I include ships, space stations, and time travel for the more hard science readers, but have added cute rodent-like gebbits that stir up all kinds of mischief on the space station. Then, I throw in a recent controversy concerning immigration. After all, the main goal of the story is for the Terran aliens to land on the planet Alysia, and the native Alysians are less than welcoming. There’s a flavor of the recent headline news in the story.

In addition to that, details on the faces like the correct hair and eye color have to be checked. I have an art background and worked in an art gallery for eight years along with painting oil landscapes. You can see my work behind a few of my blog pictures. So, this is one of my favorite parts of this whole author gig. Toni handles the dpi and megabytes, along with a professional designer’s eye, while I make comments on the look and subject matter.

Next, I’m waiting on several Beta readers to report back. Already, Cathy has given me some great suggestions that I plan to implement in the story. I’m at the final tweak stage with  changes still happening.

So stay tuned. Launch will be at the end of June.

This week, I’m presenting Saturn’s Run by John Sandford and Ctein. This is a good story that includes science so hard that you could chip a tooth. So if that’s your flavor, here’s the downlow.

Sanders Heathcock Darlington’s father is filthy rich, and in two years at the age of thirty, Sandy will inherit. Right now, however, thanks to dad, he works at the Caltech Astrophysics Working Group headed by Dr. Edward Fletcher, who is coming to regret the hire, no matter how much money daddy has promised to donate to the school. Surfing is Sandy’s current hobby along with playing guitar with a girl band called the LA Dicks. Often dressed in shorts and t-shirt, his make-work job is to double check one of the telescopes with a human eye and, if anything looks amiss, to pass it on to a Real Scientist who would evaluate the findings. The fact that he constantly scans his environment and flinches at unexpected movement as if expecting a sniper nearby, escapes most people’s notice. Still, he has a dark side to him that smart people sidestep.

Arriving at work late again, he just puts up his feet when the computer pings a critical anomaly. Close inspection reports an object decelerating, emitting hydrogen, with rich uvs approaching orbit around Saturn. A second computer check reports the same findings with a 99% chance of the object being real.

Fifteen hours later another meeting with the same group and a scary, dark-eyed man from Washington confirms the object is an alien ship. Fast forward to the oval office and President Santeros with eight select people, including Fletcher and the thin, dark -eyed man.

From there the story becomes a political race since the Chinese are readying a launch to Mars. Not wanting another country to get their hands on advanced alien tech, the American military and scientists advise President Santeros to convert the current International Space Station to a spaceship in order to beat the Chinese to Saturn. Unfortunately, the Chinese telescopes discover the alien ship and frantically begin to transform their Mars ship to a ship capable of reaching Saturn.

And the race is on.

Here Sandford involves the reader in some heavy science, discussing the ion propulsion engine, the various trajectories, needed space requirements and so forth. A frantic search for crew brings in an interesting cast of characters, and the ticking clock as the Chinese head to Saturn amps up the tension.

President Santeros’s security head, named Crow, knows ultra secret details about Sandy and urges the president to include him in the crew. Sandy is recruited as their cinematographer who works with a beautiful hard-assed reporter determined that this will make her an ultra star as they record every aspect of the journey.

Sandford does a nice job bringing in interesting people, then throwing a mole into the crew. While doing their main job, Sandy and Crow try to work out who is leaking vital information to the Chinese. A section also shows the Chinese crew and their problems as they race toward the aliens in a totally different style of ship. Technical details included.

Without giving away too much, Sandford also offers a reasonable answer to what they both eventually find.

If you can gloss over the extensive science explanations that show up in lumps, you will enjoy this story. If you are a science geek and have passed over my recent offerings of fantasy with werewolves and vampires, then this one is for you.

Fake News and Incorrect Prognosticators

I’m tired of it. Headlines screaming out facts that aren’t true or are heavily biased. Same with mouthy broadcasters trying to make their mark or air controversial opinions. I also wish the politicians would quit trying to destroy each other and get on with making America better.

Notice I’m not going for great… merely better.

I wish other countries would stop preying on the gullibility of Americans. I’m not even sure the article claiming Macedonian teenagers created fake news to make big money and influence the vote isn’t fake itself. Although it has the ring of believability about it. Not so much the Indian accented guy who wants to help me fix my computer.

And my eyes keep crossing when I sit across a table and hear the other person assure me of what a well known person is going to do or what event will destroy us all, as if they had insight into the future. They need glasses.

From pollsters who assured us that Hillary would win, to market analysts who predicted a market crash if Trump won, to people on the street who were sure that ObamaCare was over–every one of those pontificating prophets were wrong.

No wonder I don’t believe anyone any more.

It’s just as bad in the publishing world as big publishing floats desperate “facts” either including them in serious sounding articles or whispering rumors into the ears of gullible authors.

Joel Friedlander, another excellent blogger who you should put on your must read list, addresses the truth versus fiction in the publishing world.

https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2017/04/fake-news-self-publishing/

Fake news busted. Now if we could only sort out the politicians.

This week I read The Dispossessed by Ursula LeGuinn. This is the required book for the Powell’s April reading group. LeGuinn is a well known local author living here in Portland since 1959. Back when science fiction was regarded as mostly pulp fiction, Ms. LeGuinn stood the genre on its head with her work. Using the medium of science fiction, her stories explore politics, society, gender, and other hot topics with a critical eye. She put a bright literary polish on what had been considered lowbrow fiction. She has won the Hugo Award, The Nebula Award, the Locus, World Fantasy and others, each more than once. My favorite of all her novels is The Lathe of Heaven, a unique novel of dreams versus reality.

In the the Dispossessed, Urras is the origin planet that runs on capitalism fueled by greed. It is opulent, corrupt and rich in resources. Back in Urras’s past, a band of anarchists escaped to her moon, Anarres, to set up their own socialist society and separate from the inequalities of the prevailing system. A wall of hate sprung up between the two.

Life on the Anarres is hard scrabble. The barren moon has to be coached to provide sustenance to its inhabitants. Everything is shared and under the philosophy of Odo, the greater good trumps the individual. Choices are limited and often not real choice. Years may separate a husband and wife as each is sent where the need is greatest according to their skills. Sacrifice is the mindset.

Shevek is a brilliant scientist on the verge of discovery. Several important scientists believe he is close to discovering the math for faster than light travel. He writes a thesis, but his department head, Sabul, who has access to the University’s printing press, will only approve and print the paper if his name goes on as a co-author with Shevek.

Shevek decides to go to Urras to break down the walls of mistrust between the two worlds, not realizing the ulterior motives beneath the welcoming smiles of the professors and leaders of the University there. Shevek is a scientist, who understands quantum theory and formulas, but not people.

The story starts with him taking off on his journey to Urras and contains interesting details on traveling through space. He is the only person to visit the planet since the exodus, and goes through a bit of cultural shock after he arrives. He is not used to the lush greenery and is startled by the singing birds, wealthy clothes, and wide variety of rich food.

The narrative jumps back and forth between present and past, revealing Shevek’s earlier life and struggles. The novel becomes a treatise on socialism versus capitalism as Shevek tries to create understanding but only causes a revolution.

Both societies suffer under LeGuinn’s sharp microscope. Both are flawed.

By the time I finished, I’d had enough of serious politics, and my next read will be strictly frivolous fantasy.

So there. Be warned.

Authors Answer 104 – Best Advice for Authors

For any writers out there, some great advice from successful writers. The one I added to my arsenal was : “Write what you would like to read.” Thank you Thomas Weaver and congratulations for two years of interesting blogs.

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

Welcome to a very special Authors Answer! This is our 104th edition, which means it’s the end of our second year. And just like last year, we have some guest authors giving their answer to this very important question. I’d like to thank authors Mark Lawrence, Michael J. Sullivan, Django Wexler, and Andrew Rowe for agreeing to participate. They were very gracious when I asked them to participate. And thank you to Jacqueline Carey for her response. Unfortunately, she has her hands full at the moment, so was unable to participate. I love authors who take the time to respond when they can!

This week’s topic is an important one. Authors sometimes need a bit of help, so we’re talking about the best advice we have received in our quest for being published.

Celebrating our 2nd anniversary!

Question 104 – What is the most important piece of writing advice anyone…

View original post 1,767 more words

Publishing Science Fiction

Lots of exciting stuff is happening at my place.

First off, A World Too Far just got published! This is the first in a new exciting trilogy built around: The Ship, the Station and the Planet. I love to write about space ships and space stations. Our view of the universe has changed so much since I was in school. Yeah, yeah, I did learn the sun was the center, not the Earth, but black holes, dark matter, multi-verses– so much more has been discovered or speculated about over the last few years. I wanted to put some of that in my book.

Next, I’m working on marketing… my style. This means I don’t have the funds for a blizzard of ads or the inclination to travel the country for low attendance signings. That gets expensive too. I haven’t built up a large local fan base, but my readers in Australia are amazingly enthusiastic.

Thanks, mates.

I want to go there some day. My daughter studied at Macquarrie for a term in Sidney and enjoyed the city. It’s on my radar.

I will be offering Caught in Time for free once more as a first in a series book on September 14th and on Free Kindle Books and Tips on the 15th. Here’s the link for Free Kindle Books and Tips: www.fkbt.com Check it out. I’d heard they were good and so far the process has been smooth and the cost reasonable.

The beauty of Indie publishing is that you can go back into the book and update to your current books in the front matter and give new links and information at the back. I also did another read through looking for punctuation and grammar corrections …and found a few. Fixed those.

I taught high school English, but commas still give me the fits.

Along with all this commotion, I’m writing the next book in the series and purely loving it. There are moments of panic when I wonder what is coming next, but the characters always come through with some new crisis that gets me scribbling away…er…madly texting. Human nature being what it is. Aliens being what they are–something always happens.

Also, I’m working on marketing A World Too Far and found a charming new reader who is a big science fiction fan. (my kind of guy) His son works at the Oilerie and just by mentioning I was an author, he showed interest, I showed my card…and the rest was fate. This is a shop that sells mainly olive oil along with a few other intriguing condiments. It’s become my go-to place.

Folks, real life is sometimes quirkier than fiction. And I’m richer for it.

I did a Facebook announcement and was overwhelmed by the response. Some of my former Bradford High School students that I taught back in the day in Florida, stay in touch. I get glimpses of their lives long after high school. It was also nice to reconnect with some of my earlier readers and catch up with them.

This week I’m highlighting another ebook space adventure called To the Stars by Thomas C. Stone.

After a brief prelude, the story starts with the process of selecting a crew to go search for new worlds. Braithwaite Corporation is a conglomerate reaching out to develop new planets and they are sending out a ship. Our main character, Harry Irons, is put on standby but then gets selected for the crew through a suspicious death. So the flight starts out with some uneasiness with him wondering if a murderer is on board.

Of course, the crew doesn’t get along with each other. However, a serious romance develops between Harry and a smart, attractive girl named Kathleen. Their Captain, Fagan, has deep secrets and appears to be directing the expedition to a particular planet.

They land on a world that has large forests and a livable atmosphere, but questions concerning its evolution cause the explorers uneasiness. Then an indigenous species, very much like the aboriginal man, is discovered. There is a viewpoint shift as we see events transpiring through the eyes of two primitive men who are brothers.

But as the crew learns more about this world, another high-level species encased in a machine body shows up to hunt the humans.

While all this develops, tensions escalate among the human crew. Kathleen is kidnapped by the local cavemen where she learns about their primitive culture.

I enjoyed the description of traveling in space and the deepening mystery of the planet. Things were not fitting together, and it became more and more apparent through the character of Harry that their Captain, Fagan, had an undisclosed agenda and knew more than he let on.

I also liked the portrayal of the two different aliens. The plot moved along and the characters were believable. However, the cover could be better. Some readers didn’t like the treatment of other crew, calling it racist or biased, but I was fine with a varied crew, and I didn’t mind that it wasn’t politically correct for affirmative action bureaucrats.

It was not trendy scifi, but it was classic and enjoyable.

More than Science Fiction Novels

Science fiction is not always about books. I was watching Orphan Black, wondering what I would talk about in my next blog and suddenly realized that I was looking at it. While I’m finding it hard to dig out good hard science fiction or space opera novels, there appears to be a blossoming of science fiction on TV and in movies.

I recently attended David Levine’s signing at Powell’s in Beaverton where he read from, and sang about, his debut book Arabella of Mars. Quite the entertainer. David is a long time friend from when I used to be in a Portland Author’s lunch group with him. He said that he had a hard science fiction book about Mars that he was shopping around and the traditional publishers didn’t accept it, telling him that science fiction didn’t sell well.

What!

Definitely this was before the best seller The Martian...and, by the way, a well done movie with a powerhouse actor. (I did a blog on the book)
No wonder it’s hard to find science fiction out there. The gatekeepers have slammed closed the gate. So to keep a writing career, David offered a fun Steampunk novel, and got accepted. Now, however, I fear the Steampunk fad is fading. Still, I recommend Arabella as a fun read…but even David admits the science became fantasy when he had billowing sailing ships plowing the space lanes.

Meanwhile, TV and movies are flourishing. I want to just mention a few you may or may not know about and, in this day and age, with streaming video, you may still be able to access some earlier seasons if you have missed them.

Currently, I am following Kill Joys on the Syfy channel. This is space opera. Think Firefly. They are kickass mercenaries with attitude and shadowy world corporate figure after them. They are hired on for jobs that occasionally are not what they first seem to be. A tough bunch that gets it done across the universe.

Another series is Orphan Black on BBC. Clones, clones, and more clones all done by one amazing actress. They are being hunted and have a dreaded disease for which they are desperately trying to find a cure. One line is female, and there is an alternative line of males. A unique series.

The Expanse will be starting season II soon. This is a well done series based on James Corey’s (Abramson and Franck) novels in the Expanse Series. (See several previous blogs on the books) I recommend you read the books first or the TV series can be confusing. Still lots of interesting sets of space stations and star ships.

Dark Matter is another TV series I’m enjoying. This has a collection of humans on the run from shadowy corporate bad guys. One is a cyborg with mysterious powers, the other an angry mercenary, a young girl with mysterious background, a downloaded holographic with personality…you get the idea. The mystery is who is after them and why.

Let’s not forget the fairly recent movies of Independence Day 2, Enders Game, Hunger Games series, X-men: Civil War, and other super hero movies that are currently very popular.

Okay, I know you have more you want to mention, but that’s a taste.
I want to save room here in order to mention two very important blogs that I’ve recently read.
The first continues  Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog on publisher contracts and what to watch out for. Critical information for any author, Indie or traditionally published, and especially, if you are submitting to publishers big or small.

http://kriswrites.com/2016/07/20/business-musings-other-evil-clauses-contractsdealbreakers/

The other is a blog by my friend Mary Rosenblum who works with self-published authors to help them launch and sell their books. It’s a scary account of how one of her clients got wrapped up in the Amazon effort to clean up reviews. In their enthusiasm to get reviews, authors need to be very careful of new rules and oversights by Amazon or they might find themselves out in the cold. Being booted out by Amazon can be a career killer.

http://www.newwritersinterface.com/amazon-bites-author

On a more upbeat note, I’m now going to pop off to the local Ponzi vineyard for some wine sipping and a plate of cheese and crackers on the deck. My newlywed daughter will provide charming company and insights into Pokemon.

                          Oregon summers are a delight.                  

Time to Read: Bone Clocks

Interesting science news:

Currently I’m writing about space travel. It’s a story called Worlds too Far and has been a blast to write. I had the convoy of ships stop at an asteroid field for water and minerals…then I saw this great article on space.com.

Also turns out that oxygen has been found within a comet. There’s more out there in space than man can imagine…. except for we science fiction types.

http://www.space.com/30582-asteroid-mining-water-propulsion.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=more-from-space

In the marketing information section:

This month I’m back to marketing. I will be trying out the Amazon Countdown for Caught in Time January 22 thru 29 and combining with Booksends on January 22 @ 99 cents and Bargain Booksy @ 99 cents on the 23rd. With Countdown, the price goes up every two days so get in early for the best price. I like that doing it this way encourages readers to act immediately rather than put off a purchase. Caught in Time is my first book, although often I’ve said that with time travel you can read any of the the first three and be fine. Each book in the series has a stand alone story. I’ve tried to model Lois McMasters Bujold’s concept of a series having a timeline with each book complete in itself.

November’s marketing strategy turned out well using Booksends for Cosmic Entanglement and carried over into December where I was too busy to do much marketing. Now’s a new year and I want to keep momentum going.

Figuring out marketing is difficult. Personal signings require a large local fan base and craft shows aren’t always successful. Having said that, one of the authors in my writing group sold 70 books at a local book fair over the holiday. So, you never know. The word got out.

Book Review:

This week I’ll report on one of my 2016 selections. A lot of people have read this to mixed reviews. It is different– Urban Fantasy with a background of paranormal.

Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

Voice. Sometimes a story has a character with a distinctive voice brought on by unique dialogue and particular behaviors.

Bone Clocks tells a story unlike any I’ve read in speculative fiction. Actually, it’s four sections told from different viewpoints that intersect each other, going from 1950 to the far future.

The start is the strongest part of the book, as fifteen-year-old Holly Sykes has a row with her mother and hies off to live with her boyfriend only to discover him in bed with her best friend. A fifteen year old, torn by betrayal, doesn’t stop to consider the dangers and struggle in store for a homeless and penniless young girl as she runs off aimlessly and grief-stricken.

But Holly is no ordinary girl. She hears “radio voices” and, as a young girl, was visited frequently in the night in her bedroom by a strange and ghostly woman who would have conversations with her. Something is going on behind the curtain, but Mitchell is shy about revealing all too soon.

We skip to Hughe’s part in the story. Hugh Lamb is the opposite of Holly. A rich kid at university with low morals and a clever mind, Hugh manipulates his friends, eventually causing one to suicide. In the end of the second section, he briefly meets up with Holly but selects to follow strange, shady beings who promise immortality and awesome power. We leave the dangerous Hugh tripping off with his new companions. The timeline then continues with Ed, a wartime journalist and Crispin, an embittered author, past his prime.

Eventually two factions reveal themselves in the background. One powerful and immortal faction fights for the survival of humankind; the other immortal aliens, are trying to consume humans. The ending is a bit of a let down and confusing for me.

However, the strange and powerful immortals in the background fighting for power while only certain human with psychic powers are aware was interesting.

Still, if you are looking for a different slant to a speculative novel, you might enjoy the Bone Clocks.

Some readers did; some didn’t.

Science Fiction Series

I am serious with series. I write the Alysian Universe Series and several other author’s series are favorites of mine. I’ve been hanging around Powell’s lately. My volatile reading group read Dies the Fire by S.M. Sterling, which is a post apocalyptic novel that takes place here in Oregon and also the Idaho area. Because of that, it was interesting. With a bit of hand-waving, Sterling causes all electricity to stop and gunpowder to become a small puff. Planes fall out of the sky, cars stop on the highway…you get the picture.

Society reverts to earlier cultures. Medievalists and woodsmen may love this for the details of that life style. I may pull my English sword off the wall and consider lessons…just in case. Another major character is Wiccan, so that culture becomes important for survival.

The response from my reading group was mixed. Several really liked the story; others thought it contrived. So, fair warning.

Then, last night I attended a Robin Hobb’s signing as she introduced her second book, Fool’s Quest, in her new trilogy. I’m currently reading it, so look for my opinion in the near future. I love her work, particularly the Assassin’s series and the earlier Fool’s and Tawny Man trilogies.

Which brings me to Nemesis Games by S.A. James Corey. This Expanse Series has been a favorite since book 1: Leviathan Wakes where I wrote a positive blog a while ago. It garnered the Hugo Award in 2014 and will become a series on the Syfy channel in December 2015. Look for it.

And book 5: Nemesis Games didn’t disappoint. The crew of the Rocinante: Amos, Naomi, James and Alex have been through a battle (Cibola Burns) and their ship needs repair and refitting. They settle at Tycho Station, between the Belt and Earth. This massive complex is considered the pride of the Outer Alliance and Fred, a favorite character, runs it.

Soon everyone from the crew is restless and finds reasons to take off. At that point, the book splits as it follows each one to various ends of the solar system. Amos goes to Earth, Alex ends up on Mars, Naomi is captured by old acquaintances of the Belt, and Fred and James are put in peril as Tycho Station is attacked and the protomolecule stolen.

I enjoyed this part of the series as old characters came back on stage, action ramps up and the reader learns more about the personal lives of the crew. What starts off as an r&r gig, soon involves terrorist raining down rocks that massively damage Earth, betrayal and disappearing ships within the Martian military, and a kidnapping by a megalomania from the Belt. Chunks of Tycho Station are blown up. Enough action to keep most people reading.

Right now good space opera is hard to find and, for me, Nemesis Games delivered.

New Authors in Military Science Fiction

New this month

I’m running a special on Caught in Time for three days after Mother’s Day. May 11,12, and 13th. I will offer this first book in the Alysian Series free, free, free.

The story concerns a time travel romance and adventure to medieval times, along the lines of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, except it takes place on an abandoned alien world rather than Earth.

Lots of adventure, intrigue and a pinch of romance bubble through the story.

Available on Amazon or through the Fussy Librarian. The Fussy Librarian is a new venue that I’m experimenting with, so I’ll let you know if it proves successful or not.

Also our Beaverton Writers’ Five Elements Anthology will also be free on Amazon for a limited time. (May 7-11) I have a short story in it called “The Peace Treaty” that was fun to write.

Furthermore, I’m excited that Ted Blasche has finally published The Rust Bucket Chronicles. Ted is ex-military and has a wicked sense of humor. He loves military scifi and often suggest books for me. Lois Bujold is one of my favorite authors, and Ted has that same flavor of military action, humor, and adventure with a touch of romance that has made her so popular.

The Rust Bucket Chronicles takes place on one of Earth’s long abandoned colonies. Russell Buckley is a back alley kid who loses his mother to the plague, but is saved by a medic of her Majesty’s Third Rifles. From then on, his goal is to join that special military unit. When he finally secures an interview with Queen Arrabella to qualify for the unit, he lands smack in the middle of a palace coup attempt where he is the only one left to save the young queen. Danger and narrow hiding spaces soon make them close companions as they thwart the rebels’ attempts of a takeover.

While he sees Arrabella as the woman of his dreams, she sees him as a troubleshooter who she can use to solve her many political problems. Within six months, Rusty finds himself on the nearby world of Garbasso battling mud, incompetent officers and ten foot lizard-like aliens that are eager to have him for lunch. His courage, his daring and common sense help save him and his unit, while his candid observations and determination to change the system lands him in trouble. In anger, one of the officers call him “Rust Bucket,” and the nickname sticks to haunt him for the rest of his life.

This adventure is the first of many in this fun new series. Check it out on Amazon.

Another military series catching on is Ryk Brown’s Frontier’s Sagas. Often I recommend the first book in the series, but have little time to go back and read the rest. This time the first book Aurora CV-01 was so fast-paced and exciting that I was determined to check out others in the series.

So I just finished reading the second book, The Rings of Haven, which is calmer, as you are introduced to an alien planet far from Earth. Young Nathan Scott, son of a rich senator, finds himself Captain of a damaged spaceship far, far from Earth and home.

Having survived two unexpected battles with alien humans, he has guided his surviving skeleton crew and ship to a planet called Haven on the advice of dodgy alien rebels. His ship is running out of food and supplies, and he must somehow repair the ship and figure out how he can return them all safely back to Earth. The only way appears to be through the prototype jump drive that got them so far out in the first place. But nearby enemy Tarkans are very interested in such devices and would do anything to get their hands on it. Who can he trust? And how can he get his ship home?

While I liked this next episode, it didn’t have the fast-paced action found in Aurora CV-01. Still, the new world was interesting as Captain Scott and crew try to gain allies in order to find their way back to Earth.

Spread the word of my limited free offer for Caught in Time and have a wonderful May.
I love Spring!

A Science Fiction Time Travel Series

Discounting or offering your book free…does it work as a marketing strategy?

When casting about as to what book to suggest for this week’s blog, I wandered over to my Kindle app to see what I had stashed in my library there.

Lately, a number of websites have emerged that offer free or discounted books. Every day I get an e-mail from Bookbub, Sweetfreebooks, Ebook Daily Kindle Freebi , and now Bookdaily. I also receive a number of Indie books asking for reviews. I specify the genre science fiction and fastasy, and that’s what appears in the e-mails. If I find a book that looks intriguing, I put it on my Kindle “shelf” for future reading.

When I went to look for this week’s suggestion, I was surprised at the number of books that I had accumulated. I picked out a few that had interesting covers and blurbs and started to read. After several chapters, a few didn’t engage me; so I moved on.

I think a lot of readers are finding new authors this way. It’s also a great way to introduce an interesting series at a reasonable price. If you have an author you love and know you’ll like the story, then go ahead and go retail. Sometimes, you want that book now, and you have the funds to indulge yourself. After all, Starbucks coffee is over $4.00 for a fifteen minute drink, and no one thinks twice about that, it seems…at least in my family. Or if you like that paperback, hardback feel, then click on that cart icon and bring happiness into your life. But for those new books that you’re not sure of, this is a way to winnow out those that match your taste from those that don’t when you’re not sure. And discover something new.

So, when my brother requested a recommendation on a time travel book, I sorted through the time travel books at Amazon and latched on to a few. Slipped them on my “kindle shelf.” I kept an eye out for books in my e-mails from the various specials that involved time travel. Those I set on my “reading shelf.” A few days ago, I selected a few, opened up several, and sampled them. After plowing through a number of eBooks, I found a series that I’m now enjoying and want to recommend.

Time Travel Adventures of the 1800 Club by Robert P. McAuley has a very H. G. Wells flavor to it. It’s 2011, but a group of people dress up periodically to attend a dinner party to pretend for a night that it’s 1800. The rules state that you must stay in character the whole evening. Those that don’t are soon asked to leave.

Bill Scott enjoys his evenings at the club and is a stickler for keeping the verisimilitude of the 1800s. Then, the organizer of the club asks Bill to stay after and over drinks reveals that the club is a recruiting mechanism for time travelers. Their purpose is to travel back in time and repair events that are threatening to stray off the true historical path.

Bill’s first adventure is to disguise himself as Abraham Lincoln and give the Gettysburg Address. Seems Lincoln’s depression and drinking made him unreliable, and history needed the impact of the speech. So, off he goes.

I use a similar idea in my first book, Caught in Time when I send Rowyna back to the Medieval Ages in order to make sure that certain events take place and keep the future intact.

Time Travel Adventures continues episodically with various famous people and events helped by the 1800 club. Not only 2011 becomes involved, but future travelers from 2066 visit to assign certain tasks to the members. Soon enough, Bill Scott takes over the leadership role of the club and is surprised to meet a future relative who confides that his family runs the club from then on out.

The first book is free at Amazon. Much like Hugh Howey, the stories range around 157 pages and the subsequent episodes cost $1.99. There are quite a slew of them if you become an avid fan, and the reviews are good.

McAuley does a nice job with the story, providing an entertaining series based around time travel. He writes in a clear clean style. If you want gut wrenching emotion, so far I haven’t experienced it, but the situations and events are interesting and for time travel enthusiasts, it’s worth a peek.