Hello folks! I’ve got loads of things to talk about today, so let’s get right to it.
NaNoWriMo StoryBundle Launches Today!
The first and most important thing is the release of the second ever NaNoWriMo bundle. Here’s my official press release on the topic.
Last November, as it does every year, the glorious madness of NaNoWriMo descended upon the literary world. In a business so often defined by its solitude—much of the task of being an author takes place entirely within his or her own head, after all—NaNoWriMo is an annual chance for writers all over the world to be a part of a single collective frenzy. During the event we challenge ourselves to wring every last drop of creativity from our minds and produce 50,000 words in just thirty days. For even the most seasoned author it can be difficult, and for those juggling a full-time day job with their writing habit it can be positively herculean. Every year some succeed and many fail. Even those who reach their goal seldom see their tale resolve into a polished manuscript ready for an eager audience. The elite few who push their project over the finish line deserve special recognition, which is why for the second time I’ve helped StoryBundle curate The Sci-Fi/Fantasy NaNo Bundle!
Writers young and old were invited to submit their sci-fi and fantasy stories from prior NaNoWriMo events, and from that pool of submissions I was tasked with selecting just a handful to feature in this bundle. In addition to one of my own NaNoWriMo projects, I’m happy to bring you stories from some of the most gifted authors with which I’ve had the good fortune of associating. The worlds crafted by these talented writers range from gritty, steam-driven worlds to dystopian societies stretching out into the fringes of space. You’ll read fascinating tales that combine police procedural elements with high fantasy alongside haunting contemporary stories of the paranormal. So what sort of stories can spring to life in a single month? Name your own price and find out!
This time around we’ve got seven books on offer. If you pay the bonus price, you’ll get:
Free-Wrench and Skykeep by Joseph R. Lallo:
That’s right, both of the first two books in my steampunk series. You’ll get to follow Nita, Lil, Captain Mack and the rest through their first two adventures, soaring through the skies in the mighty Wind Breaker! This is a rare second chance at Free-Wrench, which debuted in a bundle a few years ago.
Warrior Mage by Lindsay Buroker:
I’ve been familiar with Lindsay Buroker’s work for quite a while, and I’ve been lucky enough to work with her in multiple capacities over the years. When I started formulating this year’s NaNo bundle, I may have gently nudged her into making a submission. She did not disappoint. Warrior Mage showcases many of the things Lindsay does best. Her characters are brilliantly formed, her dialogue is loaded with personality, and her setting is top notch.
A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Perinovic:
One of the things I love about the twin genres of sci-fi and fantasy is just how far and wide the borders of those literary kingdoms stretch. Jenny Perinovic’s story reminded me that the mythic and mysterious doesn’t need the backdrop of a distant extraordinary realm to be captivating. A good ghost story, unraveling the mysteries of a small community in our own world, can be just as enthralling and immersive. A Magic Dark and Bright grabbed me right away with its gothic mood and its skillful blend of romance and horror.
Avarice by Annie Bellet:
Thank heaven for Annie Bellet. I was already familiar with her writing when I picked up her initial entry to this year’s bundle, A Heart in Sun and Shadow. When circumstances conspired to remove that story from contention, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to fill the gap. Her prolific NaNoWriMo track record saved the day with another submission, Avarice. This is a delightful story, and one that proves my “Reese’s Theorem.” If you take two wonderful things and combine them in the right way, they become even more wonderful. Avarice injects a sword and sorcery setting with the elements of a police procedural. It was too brilliant not to include in the bundle.
Bodyguard of Lies by E. M. Hartshorn:
I think E. M. Hartshorn’s submission was the first one I selected for this year’s bundle. I enjoy a good sci-fi story where the nature of society is such that morality is at best vague and at worst a liability. Bodyguard of Lies is as gritty as it is futuristic, and ties its characters in complex and agonizing knots before the end. I was particularly fond of the descriptions of the world itself, a place where the population is divided into color-coded levels that more or less determine the quality of air and water, the nature of employment, and pretty much whether or not a person is allowed to be happy or successful.
Shafter by Margaret McGaffrey Fisk:
Shafter, another sci-fi entry to this bundle. Margaret McGaffey Fisk’s story tugged at my heart strings something fierce. Futuristic elements like planet-hopping mix smoothly with the ruddy gutter-snipes and beggars more commonly found in medieval fantasy. I quite enjoyed it, and was pleased to find it was the beginning of a larger series.
The bundle releases today (March 3rd, 2016) and runs for three weeks. Head over to the NaNoWriMo Bundle Page at StoryBundle to check it out!
A Perma-Free Sci-fi Bundle!
What’s that? Two bundles? Yep. I’ve joined up with a few of my fellow indies and contributed Bypass Gemini to the freshly released Galactic Empires: Eight Novels of Deep Space Adventure. Here’s what you get:
Eight full-length novels of adventure, war, intrigue and survival in the far reaches of space.
The Backworlds by M. Pax
A man struggles to survive in the harsh world of humanity’s outer settlements and prove his father wrong.
Ambassador 1: Seeing Red by Patty Jansen
To look an alien superior in the eye is a deadly offense. To accuse him of a political murder…
Alien Hunters by Daniel Arenson
A scruffy alien pest controller faces an alien threat the likes of which the universe has never seen.
Hard Duty by Mark E. Cooper
Hostile aliens nearly eradicated humanity. Will the next encounter finish the job?
Bypass Gemini by Joseph Lallo
A disgraced racer pilot gets mixed up with a mega-corporation. Now he has to stop them.
Sky Hunter by Chris Reher
Sent to a human outpost to investigate sabotage, a pilot finds more trouble than she bargained for.
The Galapagos Incident by Felix Savage
A genocidal AI attacks the solar system, and a Space Corps agent has one chance of saving a bunch of asteroid squatters she was sent to evict.
First Conquest by David VanDyke
To find a home and keep humanity safe from hostile aliens, Task Force Conquest must fight to seize a new star system.
A pretty good value for the low, low price of free. So head over to Amazon to check it out!