Starshine

Reddit AMA & Audiobook News

Has it really been a month since Vertigo launched? Wow. Thank you all so much for helping to make it a success! On that note:

  • Vertigo is having a Countdown Sale on Amazon right now, and is available for the practically-free $0.99 for the next 2 days. After that the price goes up every 2 days for the next week, so grab it (or tell your friends to grab it) now.
  • I am excited to announce I've been asked to do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit next Tuesday, October 28th: Upcoming AMA: Sci-Fi Author G. S. Jennsen
    • If you're not familiar with AMAs, Reddit users post questions on any topic they like, and unless they are blatantly offensive I'm morally obligated to answer them. If you're not familiar with Reddit, it's the internet's forum of forums, with communities for every topic imaginable (over 8,000) and over 170 million visitors last month alone (I'm not expecting that many to visit my AMA).

If you're a Reddit user, I invite you to come by next Tuesday to /r/suggestmeabook and pick my brain (and keep me company). If you're not, feel free to post a question in the comments to this post, and I'll try to get it included. Also, you don't have to be a Reddit user to eavesdrop.

Contest! Win Signed Paperbacks of Starshine and Vertigo

Contest! Win Signed Paperbacks of Starshine and Vertigo

In my last blog post, I mentioned there were Easter eggs (subtle nods or homages to geek/literary/pop culture) in both Starshine and Vertigo. I’m running a giveaway over on Goodreads for a couple of Vertigo paperbacks, but I wanted to reward you guys specifically, because you’re awesome for coming to the website and following me on this adventure. So I came up with a little contest which hopefully will be fun for everyone. Here’s how it's going to work:

Exciting Vertigo News & Starshine Sale

You know how the teaser for Vertigo at the end of Starshine says "Coming Next Winter"? Is October 'winter' by chance?

  • So Vertigo is going very well. It's been edited about five times, and as of yesterday is off to some awesome people for review. Katie, Jules, Mark, Anne, Carole, EJ, Claire, a million 'thank you's!
  • With all the standard caveats, I'm tentatively eyeing an October 8th, 2014 release date; if the next month goes spectacularly, perhaps even as early as the end of September. Stay tuned.
    • [EDIT:] September 25th looks good to me!
  • Those progress meters over on the right have been updated to reflect the book's 'mostly complete' status. Before too long you're going to see a Transcendence word meter show up over there as well - because I have learned the hard way that it is far easier to just keep writing than to stop writing and begin again!

Amazon, Hachette, Kindle Unlimi— Oh, Who Am I Kidding?

Amazon, Hachette, Kindle Unlimi— Oh, Who Am I Kidding?

The internet writing community is all aflutter this summer about business clashes between Amazon and the publishing companies – specifically Hachette (the smallest of the ‘Big 5’ publishers). There is also the breaking news that Amazon has rolled out a subscription service for books called Kindle Unlimited. The announcement of KU intersects and influences the previous debate and sets off new discussions about how and why people do and should be able to read books, treatment of and compensation for authors, indie vs. traditional publishing, book pricing, price fixing, antitrust and monopolies, capitalism and fairness.

Like many writers, I have thoughts and opinions on these issues, and I wanted to share them with you. In summary, they consist of:

VERTIGO

Audiobook Release! Plus, Alex & Caleb Tell All, & Tracking Vertigo Progress

We had a terrific time at Denver Comic Con last week, and came away with art, autographs, and many business cards :).

  • I'm thrilled to announce the release of audiobook for Starshine, narrated by the wonderful Pyper Down. You can get on Amazon or directly from Audible. It should be available on iTunes within the next few days (I'll update this post with a link once it's posted).

  • New blog post: A Conversation with the Intrepid Heroes of Starshine. I had entirely too much fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it! (As an aside, while it is my policy to take all criticism seriously, Alex has a more cavalier attitude....)

A Conversation with the Intrepid Heroes of STARSHINE

A Conversation with the Intrepid Heroes of STARSHINE

[Spoilers for STARSHINE follow. I'm just saying.]

***

Reporter:  I’m here today with Alexis Solovy and Caleb Marano. These two individuals have been at the center of a storm of recent events. Now, amid rumors of conspiracy, murder and even aliens, they’ve agreed to go on camera and answer our questions.

First things first—how did the two of you meet?

Caleb:  She shot me.

Alex:  I shot you down. Then I shot you.