sci-fi

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Choose the Name of Nika’s Ship

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Choose the Name of Nika’s Ship

[UPDATE]: The poll is now closed, and the winner was Wayfarer! While Wayfarer had a small lead from the very beginning and never relinquished it, all the choices were popular! Perhaps I need some more ships....

If you’ve read Exin Ex Machina, you know that near the end of the book, Nika gets herself a lovely starship. If you’ve read Aurora Rhapsody, you know that in my books, ships tend to take on a personality (and sometimes a life) of their own. Ships are characters in their own right, and they deserve proper, meaningful names.

So here’s your chance to contribute to Asterion Noir in a cool way. [SPOILERS for Exin Ex Machina follow!]

As you’d expect, Nika and Dashiel will be spending some time on the new ship in Book 2. Like I did, they’ll decide it needs a name - and what they choose is up to you. All the options have personal meaning for Nika, so we’ve got that prerequisite covered. Your options are:

  • KIR (Nika's Artificial during the SAI Rebellion that became part of her core psyche)

  • Nova (NOir Vertsatile Adjunct /a star that suddenly becomes thousands of times brighter)

  • Riven (to be torn or split asunder)

  • Wayfarer (traveler, or one on a journey)

Vote HERE!

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As promised, a dark Asterion Noir shirt style (t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, sweatshirts, etc.) is now available in the Zazzle store. Check it out and lots more Aurora Rhapsody and Asterion Noir gear here.

Next time: Cover and title reveal for Book 2! And a release date? Stay tuned….

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Exin Ex Machina Now Available Everywhere

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Exin Ex Machina Now Available Everywhere

Readers of iBooks, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and everything that isn't a Kindle - the wait is over. Exin Ex Machina (Asterion Noir Book 1) is now available on all major ebook platforms, worldwide: links here. And of course you can also get it in audiobook on Audible, Amazon and iTunes, and in paperback  at online retailers worldwide.

Did you tune out all the Exin Ex Machina chatter once you learned you couldn't read it yet? Now suddenly curious what the fuss is about? I hope so. I'll let readers fill you in:

“A game of rebels, politicians, cops, criminals and black markets - a big twisty web of motivations and intrigue.”

“Techno space opera with romance and lasers - what more could you want?”

“Puts a whole new spin on the ‘noir’ concept - even the combat has a rebellious-outlaw flare to it.”

“Great characters, cool-ass tech, wonderful plot-lines that keep the reader wanting more, and twists and turns that you don't quite expect.”

Read about the background of Asterion Noir and how it relates to Aurora Rhapsody in my blog post, “Introducing Asterion Noir.” And for everyone who's all caught up and waiting for more, know that Asterion Noir Book 2 is now quite far along - expect a cover and title reveal and release date announcement next month!

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Beyond the Stars: Unimagined Realms - With a New AR Short Story

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Beyond the Stars: Unimagined Realms - With a New AR Short Story

Who misses Alex and Caleb? It's okay, you don't have to raise your hands - I can guess the answer. Well, today I have a treat for you. A small, bite-sized short story treat, but a treat nonetheless.

Available today and for only $0.99 is the latest volume of the bestselling Beyond the Stars anthology, titled UNIMAGINED REALMS. It includes "Fractals," a brand-new short story set in the Aurora Rhapsody universe, but outside the primary timeline of the series. The official teaser reads like this:

"A mysterious signal coming from deep space attracts the attention of humanity’s scientists and the soldiers who protect them—the kind of attention the originators of the signal will do anything to avoid. When the two converge, first contact doesn’t go the way either side planned."

A mysterious signal coming from deep space? If that sounds familiar, you're not wrong. But here's the real hook for Aurora Rhapsody veterans: What if the 1st Crux War had never happened? How would that have changed the trajectories of Alex and Caleb's lives in the years leading up to the events of Aurora Rhapsody? Who or what could change history in this way, and why?

In Fractals, see Alex and Caleb in action again, but not exactly as you remember them - yet in some ways, exactly as you remember them ;). Is the story Aurora Rhapsody canon? For now, I'll just say this: I'm reminded of a quote from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

I should probably mention that Unimagined Realms also includes 11 imaginative stories by top-notch indie sci-fi writers David Bruns, T.R. Cameron, Marion Deeds, Patrice Fitzgerald, Joseph Robert Lewis, J.E. Mac, Craig Martelle, Sean Monaghan, Chelsea Pagan, R.A. Rock and Mark Sarney. And I should definitely mention that the $0.99 release price will only last through August 31st, so grab it from any of these retailers for pennies today, while you still can: [read more]

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Epic Rhapsody Sale, Blogging & ANR Updates

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Epic Rhapsody Sale, Blogging & ANR Updates

An advantage of having a completed series is that I can (1) wrap it all up in a couple of collections and (2) put those collections on sale to woo new readers and convince them to dive in, big time :).

From now through Monday readers can pick up the entire Aurora Rhapsody saga for under $12 (or foreign currency equivalent, because this is a worldwide sale). The ebooks are available and on sale at all major retailers - Amazon, iTunes, Nook, Kobo, Google Play - and many smaller ones. Tell your friends!

What else is going on?

I have a new blog post today: Cross-Country Journeys, Chicken Scratch & Bossy Characters. Give it a read to find out how a notebook buried in a stack of other notebooks led to a stroll down a nostalgia lane named Aurora Rhapsody, and the things that almost were.

The Exin Ex Machina (Asterion Noir Book 1) ebook will leave Kindle Unlimited and be available on all major retailers in very early September - so not long now. You'll hear from me again when it's up everywhere!

  • Have you read Exin Ex Machina? Sharing your thoughts in a review - even just a sentence or two - is a great way to boost the book's visibility, bring in new readers and increase its success. Much appreciated :). Amazon / Goodreads

The first draft of Asterion Noir Book 2 is done, and I'm well into draft #2 - which basically means it's still on track for a release late this year. Title and cover reveals are coming...soonish.

The Zazzle store has gotten a much-needed revamp: all the previous designs have been updated from "Aurora Rising" to "Aurora Rhapsody," and I've added a selection of Asterion Noir gear and t-shirts.

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Exin Ex Machina Audiobook Is Now Available

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Exin Ex Machina Audiobook Is Now Available

I'm excited to announce that the EXIN EX MACHINA audiobook, narrated by Pyper Down, is now available on Audible and Amazon, and [UPDATE]: iTunes.

Audiobook listeners have been waiting so patiently, but wait no longer. Now you get to meet Nika, Perrin, Joaquim, Dashiel, NOIR and the Asterions' corner of the universe - full of new alien races, new tech, new wonders and new deadly threats to life as they know it. Pyper does an amazing (but not surprising) job of bringing these characters and this world to life, and I can't wait for you to experience it all.

OTHER NEWS:

I've joined 7 stellar sci-fi authors to offer 3K pages of epic space opera in one download - for FREE on all major retailers. ROGUE STARS (links and more info here).

By popular demand, "Alex, what have you done?" t-shirts are now available in my Zazzle store. Choose your t-shirt color and style (price varies based on style): Light version, Dark version

I created some concept art of Nika's phoenix constellation tattoo :). You can see it in full resolution in the Concept Art Gallery.

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EXIN EX MACHINA Is Here

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EXIN EX MACHINA Is Here

EXIN EX MACHINA, the first book in the new sci-fi trilogy Asterion Noir, is now available in ebook and paperback! Through this weekend, the ebook has a special release price of $0.99, so grab it before the price goes up :). Then take it to the beach, the lake, the park, your kid's ball game or just out on your back porch, and escape to another universe.

The Exin Ex Machina ebook will be available exclusively on Amazon (and borrowable in Kindle Unlimited) for the first 90 days. After that, my intention is to make it available on all ebook retailers - and I'll of course let you know when I do. The paperback is available only on Amazon today, but it will be added to more retailers in the coming days. Also, Pyper Down has already begun recording the audiobook; it should be available next month.

New subscribers who are still working your way through the Aurora Rhapsody novels, you don't need to have finished Rhapsody to read Exin Ex Machina. While there are some historical connections between the setting of Asterion Noir and Aurora Resonant (the final Rhapsody trilogy) that long-time readers will appreciate, you won't suffer for not being familiar with that background - so feel free to take a break and hop over to this new world :).

Once you've devoured Exin Ex Machina, spread the word! Reviews are the greatest gift you can give, but posts on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites, your own blogs, and forums are also most welcome. Here's the book's Goodreads page, too. If the book moves you, tell others about it. This is a new series, and the first entry has to earn its credibility just like Starshine did. You all are a huge part of making that happen.

As ever, thank you for all your overwhelming support. Thank you for coming along with me, with Alex, and now with Nika on these many wondrous journeys :).