Hello everyone! Though this space is usually reserved for my own self-promotional blather, I recently received a message from fellow indie author Moira Katson, and she had something I knew I had to share.
I first spoke to Moira a little over a year ago when she was kind enough to thank me via email for inspiring her to follow the self-publishing route. It was and remains one of the most flattering messages I’ve ever received. Since then I’ve seen her grow, chatted a bit, and even worked with her in a promotion not so long ago. In a showing of confidence that I only wish I could emulate, she submitted her novel Crucible (Book 1 of the Novum Trilogy) for consideration for the Amazon Breakout Novel Award. And guess what? She made it to the semi-finals! Whoooo! Let us all collectively wish her luck on advancing further!
In light of this great news, Moira decided to strike while the iron is hot by releasing her book early! She asked if I would spread the word (which naturally I agreed to do), but to sweeten the deal she agreed to indulge my artistic sweet tooth by providing me with some custom character art to share! And here it is!
Lieutenant Commander Vasiliy Chagaev, Fleet of Human Nations
Gorgeous, isn’t it? The artist is Zezhou Chen. Do yourself a favor and check out that link. A gallery full of similarly masterful works.
Anyway, back to Moira! After getting a glimpse of such a commanding character, I’m sure you’re curious about the book! Well, check out the cover (by Sandro Rybak) and the blurb below. I assure you, if you’re looking for a wonderfully written and imagined sci-fi adventure, you’re going to want to give her story a read.
“We have come to a moment when what we know as goodness and mercy will not be enough to guide us any longer. Your loved ones may not ever understand what you did here today, but they need you to stand for all that is good in humanity.”
With these words, war hero Benito Sandoval launched one of the most brutal massacres in human history, attacking the undefended colony of Guan-Yu and slaughtering forty thousand of the civilians he had sworn his life to protect. When humanity’s fleet arrives, too late to stop the attack, all that is left is ruins—and the cryptic words of a lone alien survivor, warning humanity of the Henth, a race that has devoured everything in its path.
Hunted to the brink of extinction, the Aireni were fleeing across the galaxy when they stumbled onto a living weapon with speed, strength, and brutal cleverness: a fragment of humanity on a long-forgotten planet. In desperation, the Aireni set about honing humanity, breeding and modifying the colonists into a weapon that might be the last hope for life in the galaxy.
As the human fleet searches the stars for the Henth, they leave the ruined colony behind them. But the colonists have not been destroyed. They have hidden. They have survived. And they know who their enemies are.
It is only a matter of time before they return from their exodus to the destroyed city, to find the technology the Aireni left behind. It is only a matter of time before that technology carries them into the galaxy. And then, as the last remnants of the surviving races face down the final advance of the Henth, it is up to humanity to convince a long-lost weapon to come to its aid…
There you have it! Crucible will be available for pre-order soon. Until then, check out Moira at her website and on facebook! And check out the excerpt!
Thanks for reading!