sci-fi

Who Wants a Cover Reveal?

Who Wants a Cover Reveal?

Update from my writer’s loft: work on LIMINAL SPACE is going fabulously. It’s over 145K words now (putting it on track to be the third-longest book in the series); I’ve finished the comprehensive, deep edit, and am now going back through it again for an extra layer of polish and shine - then it’s off for some formal editing.

I’m not quite ready to set the final release date yet, but from here, mid-to-late September or early October is looking entirely doable. I’ll keep you posted.

But today, I’m so excited to share the final cover with you! Quite mysterious and ethereal, isn’t it? As I always try to do, this art conveys the the theme and tone of the book, as well as the meaning of the title (or rather meanings, plural - you know how I love to sneak in more than one connotation). Let the speculation begin!

SEE THE COVER

* I’m excited to share that Kobo is featuring THE THIEF and THE UNIVERSE WITHIN as part of its Kobo Plus SciFi & Fantasy Feature this month.

What’s Kobo Plus, you ask? Well, it’s a sort of “Netflix for books.” Much like Kindle Unlimited (KU), except it’s cheaper for readers ($7.99 for ebooks vs $11.99 in the US), it includes audiobooks as well as ebooks, it’s available in a bunch of countries, and it’s fairer to authors. How? Well, in order for a book to be in KU, Amazon requires it to be published exclusively on Amazon and no other retailers (this is why my books aren’t in KU). Kobo Plus, however, has no such requirement. This means all my books and audiobooks are available in Kobo Plus - and so are offerings from a ton of talented authors.

Best of all? The first month’s free, so you can try it out and see if you like it. Kobo has a great free reading app you can install on your phone, tablet or computer, just like Kindle. So check out these featured scifi and fantasy ebooks and audiobooks on Kobo Plus today (just a small samplling of the many titles available). Click on a book that catches your fancy, and you’ll be prompted to start your free trial. Enjoy!

KOBO PLUS SCIFI & FANTASY FEATURE

Get your Cosmic Shores Collection - and come see me at Lilac City in Spokane

Get your Cosmic Shores Collection - and come see me at Lilac City in Spokane

Just because the Cosmic Shores novels all tell their own stories, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be wrapped up in a bundle for their own special collection! Though Medusa Falling, The Thief, and The Universe Within each feature different protagonists, they all take place in the same one-month period, offering a glimpse at a few of the many wild and dangerous adventures our friends in Amaranthe get up to in their free time.

Download AMARANTHE VII: COSMIC SHORES from your favorite retailer (including direct from me) at a 45% discount over buying the books individually. GET THE BOOK

* Do you live in the Pacific Northwest? Come see me at Lilac City Comicon in Spokane this weekend! It runs June 6-7 and features over 300 exhibitors, cosplay contests, panels, gaming and more.

I'll have a booth on the main exhibitor floor both days. Come by to grab signed paperbacks, or just to say hi and take a pic together.

If you're planning to be there, shoot me a message and let me know! You can learn more and get tickets here: https://www.lilaccitycon.com/

A Liminal Space Update, Plus The Universe Within Audiobook Is Here

A Liminal Space Update, Plus The Universe Within Audiobook Is Here

Well, LIMINAL SPACE already has over 100K words, and I’m not even done with the “zero draft” yet! The story has come together quickly and smoothly. This book is going to be so epic - everything you expect to see from the sequel to the Riven Worlds saga. It also picks up those relationship threads and story twists from the Cosmic Shores novels and takes them in exciting directions. I want to tell you everything - but I should probably wait and let the book do that, right?

Oh, what’s a “zero draft”? Why not a first draft? Well, the first draft comes later. When the zero draft is done, I’ve put words on the page for every scene in my outline. But I KNOW that when I read back through what I’ve written, I’m going to discover I have additional scenes to write. And I definitely know (because of all the words I didn’t write) that many of the scenes are stubs: they capture the major action of the scene, but they lack setting and context, which means many more words to write. Therefore, “zero draft.”

More news soon.

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Quick question: do I have any fluent German speakers here? I’d love a brief consultation on a project - it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes of your time. If you’re interested, hit ‘reply’ or email me at gs@gsjennsen.com.

Also, just to let everyone know: the website has gotten a lovely glow-up. The most important feature of the redesign is that it now looks 1000% better on mobile. It should be easier to find whatever book and format you’re looking for. The main page and series pages are much cleaner and more streamlined, too. And if you’re someone who keeps tabs on the WIP word count meter, you can now find it on the relevant book page (currently, Liminal Space).

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THE UNIVERSE WITHIN audiobook is here! Who’s ready to immerse themselves in the dulcet vocal stylings of Pyper Down as you join Alex and Caleb on a fascinating adventure - and meet their new Elakri friends? By the way, before you start The Universe Within, give the prequel short story, EXTINGUISHING THE STARS, a listen. It adds so much depth and emotion to the novel. You can get it for FREE in my audiobook store or for pennies at the retailers.

The most affordable option for THE UNIVERSE WITHIN audiobook is at my audiobook store (if you haven’t tried it yet, BookFunnel offers a lovely listening app that rivals the big retailers), but it’s also available at Audible, Apple, Chirp, Spotify and more retailers. GET THE UNIVERSE WITHIN AUDIOBOOK

For All The Marbles

For All The Marbles

From the moment you turned the final page on Duality, you knew this battle was coming. And when you turned the final page on The Universe Within, you learned it was coming soon.

This series has, from the beginning, been about saving the universe from destruction at the hands of the Dzhvar. About a tireless endeavor by Mesme to save not merely innumerable lives but existence itself. (Though you can be forgiven for not realizing any of this when you cracked open a little book called Starshine. I did hide the ball for a while).

As a brief aside: if I could change one thing about Starshine, it would be to put Mesme on the page somewhere. We learn in Vertigo how Mesme was watching all along, but I wish I’d found a way to squeeze them into a scene somehow. Because this is Mesme’s story, at least as much as it is Alex and Caleb’s.

Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes, the Dzhvar. Specifically, the Dzhvar trilogy—or as I like to call it, Shadows & Light.

THE UNIVERSE WITHIN Is Here

THE UNIVERSE WITHIN Is Here

It’s time to go hang out with Alex and Caleb again: THE UNIVERSE WITHIN is now available at all retailers in ebook, paperback and hardback!

GET THE BOOK

If you pre-ordered the ebook, it should be waiting for you right now on your ereader device or app. (Note: if you pre-ordered directly from my web store, you should have an email from BookFunnel with a link to download your book; if not, go to my.bookfunnel.com and login with the email you used to pre-order.)

You can get the paperback and hardback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble’s website and many other online bookstores, or you can order a signed copy directly from me.

Audiobook listeners: Pyper Down has already started recording! If you want to listen to the chapters as she records them, you can join my Buy Me A Coffee (Concord level).

The Clock Is Ticking

The Clock Is Ticking

THE UNIVERSE WITHIN is almost here! Last time, I promised you I would tell you a little about Alex and Caleb’s new friends in the book. The Elakri are a fascinating species. Closed off from the rest of the universe, they’ve forgotten the heights to which they once rose (see Extinguishing the Stars). Yet within their prison, they shine so brightly.

Laurent is a physicist who unexpectedly finds himself at ground zero of a murderous conspiracy as he scrambles to uncover a secret that will upend every Elakri’s world.

Deunan is a truva (a rebel / hacker / thief / general troublemaker) whose attempts to keep Laurent alive bring her face-to-face with her own buried secrets.

They are both fantastic, and I hope you come to love them as much as I do.

SEE A TEASER EXCERPT

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That awesome StoryBundle I told you about last time? It’s only available for THREE MORE DAYS. Don’t miss out on this one:

In the Sci-Fi Exploration StoryBundle, you can get up to 12 exciting novels of sci-fi adventure and exploration by top indie authors (plus The Thief, which I hope you already have) at a stellar price. What’s special about StoryBundles? For one thing, the books are hand-selected and participation is invitation-only, so you’re guaranteed to get high quality stories. For another, you get to pay what you want (starting at $5 for the core bundle). Want to reward the authors and encourage more independent authors by giving a little more? We love you for that. On a budget and need to save some money? You’ll get a tremendous deal for these books. As a bonus, you can (if you choose) support Girls Write Now, a wonderful nonprofit that helps mentor girls so they can develop writing skills, with your purchase.

CHECK OUT THE STORYBUNDLE

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As part of planning the next trilogy, I’ve been rereading all the Riven Worlds novels. I’ve had a blast writing these stand-alone adventure novels, but it’s so wonderful to be back with the full cast. Which Amaranthe characters are you looking forward to seeing again and finding out what they’ve been up to these last three years? What personal story arcs are you excited to see continue, or enter a new phase? Let me know!