Sunday, January 31, 2016

Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for January 2016

Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month
It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up of speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month, though some December books I missed the last time around snuck in as well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far, most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for future editions.

Once again, we have new releases covering the whole broad spectrum of speculative fiction. We have space opera, military science fiction, science fiction romance, paranormal romance, epic fantasy, urban fantasy, post-apocalyptic science fiction, dystopian fiction, young adult fiction, short fiction anthologies, shapeshifters, demons, time travel, questing knights, captive princes, wish granting djinni, drug-smuggling gnomes, hospital ships, were-squirrels, adventures on Mars, the battle of the sexes and much more.

As always, I know the authors at least vaguely, but I haven’t read all of the books, so Caveat emptor.

And now on to the books without further ado:

Zero Hour by Eamon AmbroseZero Hour Part 3: Revelations by Eamon Ambrose:

The acclaimed post-apocalyptic saga continues as our two heroes continue their journey, but it soon becomes clear that the odds are against them. Will they reach the Facility and find the answers they need?

51mCiUJuXcL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_Caught in the Rush by Eva Chase:

Fiona Wilde has always lived up to her last name, but a night in the emergency room was more than she bargained for. Now six months clean and sober, she's thrown herself back into the only job she feels qualified for—guarding the emerging stars of L.A. from the demonic Glowers—while getting the rush she craves from casual encounters, always leaving before anyone can leave her. When her teen TV star client's hot older brother Will arrives home for spring break, she sees the perfect opportunity for a fling with a built-in end date.

Then the Glowers launch an unexpected attack, leaving Fiona scrambling to keep her client safe even as Will steals past the walls around her heart. With the demons closing in and the starlet rebelling, the stability Fiona has clung to is slipping away. Her growing connection with Will might be the thing that saves her—or the thing that tears her apart.

The second book in The Glower Chronicles, a steamy New Adult paranormal series.

Each book in The Glower Chronicles contains a stand-alone romance, but it is recommended that you read them in order to best appreciate the ongoing subplots.

Singularity by Taitrina FalconSingularity by Taitrina Falcon:

The Temporal Response Unit (TRU) has one purpose: find time travelers and stop them in their tracks. It's not because there is a timeline to protect, for the future is unwritten. The time travelers can't change their past, but their actions impact our future in ways we can only guess.

TRU Agent Lucas Weiss is on his first case, charged with finding the time traveler and stopping him. Within an hour of the time traveler’s arrival, the town has its first murder of the year. On the eve of announcing a new cancer miracle drug, the victim is none other than prominent Leomins BioTech cancer researcher Dr. Lowe.

Finding the time traveler and learning his motives will require more ingenuity and know-how than Weiss may be prepared for, especially when the clues lead him to an even more elaborate scheme with far more operatives at play. As the TRU team searches, a showdown begins with potentially devastating consequences.

The Nexus has been formed.

Wit Fallo by R.D. HendersonWit Fallo by R.D. Henderson:

Wit Fallo, a white gnome, is a shiftless and lazy boat captain who loves money, but hates working.
The boat captain thinks he is presented with an opportunity of a life time to live the free and easy life when a drug kingpin hires him to be part of his narcotics trafficking operation. All Wit has to do is a four or five drug smuggling runs a week between three islands in the Brown Triangle on the Earth Realm, and in no time he would have more than enough money to do whatever he wanted without any worries or consequences.
Unfortunately, things do not work out as well as Wit hoped when three of the drug kingpin’s more senior people are killed in his office and he is the only survivor.

Instead of seeking revenge, the drug kingpin decides to retire and sells his narcotics trafficking network to Tom Bolden, a halfling, and crime lord based in the Fairy Realm.

Wit realizes with the retirement of the drug kingpin that the possibility of the free and easy life will not become a reality, and he will remain a boat captain in the Brown Triangle.

Tom Bolden, however, has other plans for the white gnome. Tom paid a lot of money to acquire the narcotics trafficking network, and someone has to pay him back. Wit is the person who has to pay Tom back because of what happened in his office.

Wit has no choice but to agree to become a messenger and enforcer for Tom as a way to pay him back.
The problem is Wit is ill-equipped and does not have the necessary skills and talent to be of any use for Tom.
The even bigger problem for Wit is despises living in the Fairy Realm because everything is based on magic. He hates magic. Pixies, brownies, fairies, and other types of fairy folk because they are made of magic and use magic. He hates pixies, brownies, fairies, and the rest of the fairy folk because of their connection to magic. Wit, unfortunately, has to work these fairy folk because they are trusted members of Tom Bolden’s organization.

The biggest problem for Wit, even with how he hates living in the Fairy Realm, is he still has to pay the money he owes Tom Bolden.

Nuts About You by Kate LowellNuts About You by Kate Lowell:

Nathan’s been crushing on one of his regular Bulk Mart customers for a while now. In squirrel form, he sits on Vince’s bird feeders, munching on seeds and enjoying the eye candy. Until the day Vince notices him raiding the feeder…

Three Wishes by Lisa ManifoldThree Wishes by Lisa Manifold:

Who wouldn't want a do-over?

That is the question that twenty-six year old Tibby Holloway is asking herself. After a long night of eating too much ice cream and going over all her missed chances, she's surprised by a visitor. A free-lancing djinn who makes her the offer of a lifetime. He'll give her three chances, three wishes, to go back and change her life. She can change her career, find the man she loves.That could be a problem as there's at least two in the "man she loves" category.

There's also a catch. A Really Big Catch.

She can't stay in any of these new lives her wishes create. Once she's gone back three times, the djinn will decide where she ends up. He's firm on this - she'll have no say in the matter. After deciding which points in her life she wants to do over, she must then decide if it's worth risking all she may achieve. Because to find out what might have been, she has to give up all control over what will be. Would it be better to not even know?

It will all come down to her
Three Wishes

Valley of the Shadow by Christina OchsValley of the Shadow by Christina Ochs:

A captive prince. A desperate princess. An alliance that will shake the foundations of an empire.

In the wake of battle, Kendryk finds himself the prisoner of Empress Teodora. As war ravages Terragand, Kendryk’s guilt is matched only by his fear that he will never see his family again. Gwynneth, in possession of a valuable captive but sworn to keep him close, faces Teodora’s wrath as she waits in anguish for relief.
But when Gwynneth’s rescue comes, the empire will never be the same again.

A tide of religious upheaval sweeps across the land, bearing men and women toward their fates. The delicate joy shared by Janna and Braeden will be shattered; the king of a neighboring kingdom will walk the edge of madness; and an oath of vengeance will bind three unlikely allies together in a desperate attempt to curb Teodora’s ambitions once and for all.

The Desolate Empire, Christina Ochs’ epic fantasy series, continues in Book 2:Valley of the Shadow.

Of One Skein by P.J. PostOf One Skein, Part 2 by P.J. Post:

This romance brought to you by the end of the world...

The Del Ray Motor Inn isn't real.

Zombies, they aren't real either.

But Jem and Pixie, they're real, and so is their pain.

Last night he was torn between saving the lost children, and selfishness, ignoring everything and racing back to Emily, to Sam, but none of that matters now.

He's infected and isn't ever going to see his friends again, his reason, his love.

But now, in his last days, Fate has given him one final chance at redemption; to get Jem and Pixie somewhere safe before the fever comes, before the black-eyed sickness comes - before he comes for them.

Author's Note: Feral is an ongoing serialized story.

The End of the TrailThe End of the Trail by Louis Rakovich:

A barren land of salt and snow; a castle where underground paths twist and turn in endless circles and a reclusive king has not shown his face in years; a forest where few things are what they seem. An unnamed hero must navigate through these places as he takes on the task of tracking down a supposed witch, in a story that blends dream and reality, rumor and truth, danger and hope.

Love Hurts anthologyLove Hurts: A Speculative Fiction Anthology edited by Tricia Reeks:

Twenty-six brilliant speculative fiction stories about love, and the pain that so often accompanies it. Enjoy a cornucopia of imaginative tales, wondrous settings, and unforgettable characters—such as the disillusioned time traveler who visits ancient Japan to experience a “Moment of Zen,” the young woman from planet Kiruna who can only communicate in song when the moonlet Saarakka is up, and the sorcerer who loses their happiness in a bet with a demon.

Rich and wonderfully diverse, this collection spans many speculative fiction genres: from SciFi to Dystopian, from Fantasy to Magical Realism, from Steampunk to Superhero, from Horror to Weird. Sometimes funny, occasionally happy, frequently gut-wrenching—these stories will take your heart on a wild emotional ride.

Stories by Jeff VanderMeer, Hugh Howey, Karin Tidbeck, Charlie Jane Anders, Holly Phillips, Aliette de Bodard, A. Merc Rustad, Steve Simpson, Mel Paisley, J. D. Brink, Matt Leivers, Michael Milne, Michal Wojcik, Carla Dash, Terry Durbin, Michelle Ann King, Kyle Richardson, Leah Brown, G. Scott Huggins, Dan Micklethwaite, Victoria Zelvin, Shannon Phillips, Keith Frady, Jody Sollazzo, David Stevens, and Morgen Knight.

Hospital Ship by Jim RudnickHospital Ship by Jim Rudnick:

"After exploding with rage and injuring some Caliphate marines, Tanner is sent to the Barony Hospital ship on a ninety day observation to see if he's really sane. At the same time, he is challenged by his doctors and psychiatrist to see if he can defeat his alcohol addiction and to combat his PTSD too.

Also on the ship is the Barony Secure labs where the research teams are trying to find the Ikarian virus vaccine to give longevity to the RIM—and the Baroness is interested in their success.

While the Caliphate continues to try to find a way to steal the vaccine, they end up using a vacjumper—someone who can go right out into outer space with no suit and attempt to break into the lab that way.

Called on to forget about his illness, Tanner must rise to heed the call to defeat the vacjumper and to do that he must jump out into space on his own. Death, virus vaccines and love all play a part for him and his quest…"

51qPsFaOCxL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_The Last Giant by Frances Smith:

Corona is besieged. Princess Ameliora can see her enemies gather beyond the walls. It has been many years since Ameliora abandoned the Captain-Generalcy of the Corona Firstborn, years since she donned her armour or took up her sword. Now, with all the warriors dead and the city gripped by terror, the aged warrior must take up arms and armour one last time, and usher an age of heroes to its close.

A story of 10,000 words.

Fusion by Phil SternFusion by Phil Stern:

With Aydia lurching ever closer to a general war, old loyalties are being stretched to the breaking point, even while radical new allegiances are taking shape.

Now on the run together, Rayson and Saira desperately strive to form a coalition opposing the dark forces sweeping their planet. Forced to work directly with both the Kax and the Alliance governments, the two former lovers must also finally acknowledge the scandal of their high-profile past.

Meanwhile, the details of that history continue to assert themselves. Fifteen years before, the Save Saira movement nearly destroyed the young Srendian. How can Saira possibly hold everyone at bay, even as the most damning fallout from her innocent college liaison remains secret?

Fusion is the second book in The Aydian Series, with the story picking up right where it left off at the end of Aydia.

Gen by H.S. St. OursGen by H.S. St. Ours:

Gen was angry and she knew it. Angry about her overprotective parents, angry about the way she was teased about her height, and angry about the dirt and grime that infested every corner of Mars. But soon, she'd be on rotations. Too few went Outside on purpose anymore, just to shiver against the icy cold or feel the pressure in the slowly thickening air. But an ancient prophecy of destruction came to her in haunting visions, and now it's up to Gen to warn them all - and maybe even save worlds.

Falling As She SingsFalling As She Sings by C.J. Sursum:

In the not-so-distant future, the rise of terrorism leads to a new and chilling subjugation of women. But as civilization breaks down, one wealthy woman builds a massive, walled-in enclave, and outfits it with the technology to be completely self-sustaining.

Her sole stipulation: only women are allowed in. Within the enclave walls, these women—Vestals—lead lives of culture and ease, free of the burden of husbands and children. Outside the walls, men have devolved into feral, violent Brutes roaming the surrounding wilderness. The Vestals need them for one purpose only—to reproduce themselves.

But Menna, a beautiful Vestal scientist in charge of breeding, makes a disastrous mistake while extracting one captured Brute's seed. Disturbing interactions with him shatter her preconceptions of Brutes, and her image of herself. Ultimately, she is forced to choose between her comfortable, sterile existence and a harsh, brutish unknown.

Powerful and profound, Falling as She Sings is at once science fiction adventure, spiritual thriller, and visionary love story. It's a searching, funny commentary on the eternal, yet ever fresh and compelling forces driving relationships between the sexes.

Burned by Magic by Jasmine WaltBurned by Magic by Jasmine Walt:

In the city of Solantha, mages rule absolute, with shifters considered second-class citizens and humans something in between. No one outside the mage families are allowed to have magic, and anyone born with it must agree to have it stripped from them to avoid execution.

Sunaya Baine, a shifter-mage hybrid, has managed to keep her unruly magic under wraps for the last twenty-four years. But while chasing down a shifter-hunting serial killer, she loses control of her magic in front of witnesses, drawing the attention of the dangerous and enigmatic Chief Mage.

Locked up in the Chief Mage’s castle and reduced to little more than a lab rat, Sunaya resists his attempts to analyze and control her at every turn. But she soon realizes that to regain her freedom and catch the killer, she must overcome her hatred of mages and win the most powerful mage in the city to her side.

Reckoining in the Void by J.T. WilliamsReckoning in the Void by J.T. Williams:

The world falls towards darkness.

Magic is awakening in the north and the Grand Protectorate retreats after its bloody defeat at Srun. Sviska stands with the Island Nation against the evils of The Order and the Itsu Priest as the allies of magic make plans for their push against the capital city of their enemy. But all is not as it seems.

The Itsu Priest is tightening his grip on the legions of the north changing them from men to unholy beasts. The Saints of Wura must move quickly to save Garoa's daughter from his evil clutches but some fear she could already be dead. Furthermore, hundreds have been kidnapped as sacrifices for a dark ritual and the time for the incantation draws near.

Sviska is moving closer to unlocking the powers of his Dwemhar ancestry but as the blood curse ensnares his mind, he can only pray he is powerful enough to resist the will of The Order.

He made a stand against a dark evil in the icy mountains of Elinathrond but now his life, and that of those he has grown to call friends, may be forfeit.

Friday, January 29, 2016

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January 29, 2016

Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with yet more Star Wars discussion, tributes to David G. Hartwell and discussion about the the TV shows Agent Carter, Legends of Tomorrow, Lucifer, The Magicians and the revived X-Files

Speculative fiction in general:

Tributes to David G. Hartwell:

Comments on Star Wars and The Force Awakens

Comments on Agent Carter:

Comments on Legends of Tomorrow

Comments on Lucifer:

Comments on the revived X-Files:

Comments on The Magicians

Awards:

Writing, publishing and promotion:

Interviews:

Reviews:

Crowdfunding:

Con reports:

Science and technology:

Free online fiction:

Odds and ends: 


Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Reckoning in the Void (Book 3 of Saints of Wura) by J.T. Williams

Release date: January 14, 2016
Subgenre: Epic fantasy

About Reckoning in the Void:

The world falls towards darkness.

Magic is awakening in the north and the Grand Protectorate retreats after its bloody defeat at Srun. Sviska stands with the Island Nation against the evils of The Order and the Itsu Priest as the allies of magic make plans for their push against the capital city of their enemy. But all is not as it seems.

The Itsu Priest is tightening his grip on the legions of the north changing them from men to unholy beasts. The Saints of Wura must move quickly to save Garoa's daughter from his evil clutches but some fear she could already be dead. Furthermore, hundreds have been kidnapped as sacrifices for a dark ritual and the time for the incantation draws near.

Sviska is moving closer to unlocking the powers of his Dwemhar ancestry but as the blood curse ensnares his mind, he can only pray he is powerful enough to resist the will of The Order.

He made a stand against a dark evil in the icy mountains of Elinathrond but now his life, and that of those he has grown to call friends, may be forfeit.

Excerpt:

 

“What of the fleet?”
“Tulasiro will go to them with speed as soon as we began, she will lead them in and we will jump onto my boat as it enters behind the flag ships. We only need to hold the gate for the ships to arrive. Was their any word from Brethor and the allies of Taria?”
“No.”
“Then we will assume they will not come. It is up to us, Saint of Wura.”
They were entering shallower water. Tulasiro’s horn was visible, a glistening sight with water splashing over it. The bridge was ahead and two lone guards stood near the center with torches behind them.
Sviska did not know if it was the sliding of Kealin’s blades from their sheaths or the sound of the narwhal, but the two men turned to see the form of the half-elf flying between them, his daggers cutting each of their throats. The bodies fell from the bridge, spilling their blood in the water.
Kealin landed back in the boat, his daggers held reversed against his forearms. He knelt down, “Prepare for our blade work.”
Sviska slid Sishan from his sheath and held it ready. Tulasiro had hit deeper water again and thundered underneath them picking up speed even as they began to see the torches along the walls of Lokam. Sviska spotted the river gate and a dock to the right of it. The dock was not very big, enough for one or two ships, but it was obvious it was no port. There were four legionnaires and none of them looked towards them. Any other night than this it would not have been such a folly.
The boat banked to the left of the river, skidding the riverbank before Tulasiro surged forward again. She seemed to aim her horn towards those on the dock. She turned to the right, leaving the mouthpiece she used to pull the ship behind. She dove underneath the water just before she exploded back out, striking the men on the dock, crushing two of them. Two others fell into the water. The narwhal rolled into the water crushing one before throwing the other away and then driving her horn into his side. Flapping her tail, she propelled herself back away from the gateway.
The boat slowed and Kealin and Sviska leapt from it and ran along the docks towards the wall. Above them, two guards pointed but Sviska threw his knives in quick succession, silencing them. Kealin jumped for the gate, climbing straight up before leaping off the metal and grasping two parts of the wall just below the level of the crenelation. In a few more moments, Sviska saw him disappear over the top, metallic clanging followed and a legionnaire flew off the wall.


Amazon

 

 

About the Saints of Wura trilogy: 

 

Book Two: Arcane Awakening

About J.T. Williams:

 

J.T. Williams is a fantasy author living in Texas with his wife and five kids. It is here he writes new books when he isn't in his backyard with his children having make-believe battles against the orcs invading from next door. As a longtime lover of fantasy and the surreal, he hopes you enjoy his contributions to the world of fantasy lore and magic. 

Website | Mailing List | Twitter | Facebook

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Happily Ever Alpha Box Set

Happily Ever Alpha box set

Release date: January 26, 2016
Subgenre: Paranormal Romance

About Happily Ever Alpha:
Happily Ever Alpha contains 14 alpha-male romances plus 7 additional kick-ass paranormal romance tales bundled together in one of the steamiest collections to date! Come join sexy shifters, hot vampires, wickedly cool witches, vampires, gargoyles, demons, psychics, and so much more. With 21 novels and novellas and over one million seductive words of fiction, this paranormal romance boxed set will leave you Happily Ever Alpha.



About the included titles:
NY Times Bestselling Author Sarah Makela - The Witch Who Cried Wolf
When reluctant witch Mia mixes up a potion, she must protect herself and her longtime crush, soldier Ethan Parker from dangerous werewolves--but that's easier said than done when he becomes one of them.


NY Times Bestselling Author Michele Bardsley - A Damned Deed
When Athena Davis is sent to bring in murderer Adam Deed, the gorgeous target is not what she bargained for.


Amazon Bestselling Author Sylvia Frost - The BBW and the Prince
A Shifter Retelling of Cinderella. Cynthia Cinders gives her wolf the slip, only to realize she's also given him the slipper. Can he use it to capture her and stake his claim on the curvy beauty?


USA Today Bestselling Author JC Andrijeski - Black In White
Police profiler Miri Fox gets pulled in by sexy and mysterious Quentin Black, who embroils her in a game of cat and mouse with a deadly killer--who might just be Black himself.


Amazon Bestselling Author Steffanie Holmes - Witch Hunter
Centuries ago a curse was placed on Ada's family. Now she must sleep with a man--any man--but the battle-scarred witch hunter who comes to her is as dangerous as he is handsome.


USA Today Bestselling Authors Conner Kressley & Rebecca Hamilton - Taken by the Beast
A Sexy Beauty and the Beast Spin Off. It's not until a missing girl is found chained up in Abram's home that this beauty realizes her romantic interest is a beast.


Amazon Bestselling Author Elle Thorne - Forbidden
White tiger shifter Rafe Tiero just thought he had it bad for his brother's woman--until a potty-mouthed, funky-nailed barista called Jax got under his skin.


Amazon Bestselling Author Alexia Purdy - Ardent
Vengeance is the only thing worth dying for in the supernatural city of Temple.


Amazon Bestselling Author Ambrielle Kirk - Wolf's Desire
Aiden's urge to protect a grieving widow is just as great as his desire to claim her as his mate, but can their love transcend a tragedy?


Amazon Bestselling Author Amy Lee Burgess - Heart of Stone
Being a gargoyle is easy, but it takes Brendan's love to show Deanna how to be human.


Amazon Bestselling Author Angel Lawson - Creature of Habit
Grant Palmer, Amelia Chase's new employer, is a man of many secrets--who spends his nights patrolling his city to protect residents from rogue vampires.


Amazon Bestselling Author Rozlyn Sparks - One Night With A Vampire
Whisked away to a vampire-run Brothel in Pahrump, Nevada, Daphne is in for a night of fun to exorcise her demons of boyfriends gone bad.


Amazon Bestselling Author Tasha Black - Hounded
This dog is about to have his day. Dulcie Alette, an empath with a knack for solving mysteries, is drawn to bad boy dog-shifter Van Blanco, a drop-dead gorgeous fighter who has just become the top suspect in an unusual murder.


Amazon Bestselling Author Kim Faulks - Beast
"Don't bother. It's locked. There's no way out of here." Trapped in a nightmare filled with lust and betrayal, there's a beast, and he's waiting for her.



Amazon Bestselling Author Katie de Long - Inkubus
When a working incubus discovers his mark can see him outside dreams, he must choose between love and survival.


Amazon Bestselling Author April Aasheim - The Witches of Dark Root
When Maggie left the enchanted town of Dark Root she thought she'd never come back. Will she embrace her witchy lineage or run once again?


Amazon Bestselling Author Jesi Lea Ryan - Just a Little Nudge
Stripper Marley Sexton has a gift--she calls it a "nudge." A sexy psychic novella featuring a street-wise stripper and a gadget-happy spy. Trouble ensues.


USA Today Bestselling Author Rainy Kaye - In The Moonlight
Kiera's boyfriend is dead, but he's still walking around.


Amazon Bestselling Author L.B. Gilbert - Fire: The Elementals Book One
When a child from a previous case goes missing, Fire Elemental Diana is determined to find her, even if she has to take on an entire coven of vampires to do it.


Amazon Bestselling Author J.E. Taylor - Saving Grace
After a hard break-up, CJ travels a destructive path that risks him falling into the devil's trap, becoming no better than the demons he battles.


Amazon Bestselling Author Aimee Easterling - Jaguar at the Portal
Ixchel is a lonely veterinarian fleeing from her past when she meets Finn, a were-jaguar hunting for his future.

The entire collection is 99 cents for a limited time.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo |iBooks



Saturday, January 23, 2016

Interview with John Hegenberger

Today's interview is with John Hegenberger, author of series CROSSFIRE and STARFALL, who has taken up the challenge of answering our interview questions!



Apple or PC?
I use about three PCs, depending on what room and stage I’m in.

Do you use Scrivener or Word? Or another word-processing program? Or even pen and paper?
I start with a pile of pencils and note pads.  This creates my first draft which then gets typed into a computer, creating the second draft.

Do you have any pets? Do they influence your writing?
I have a cat who appears in in one way or another in both my private eye series.  In CROSSFIRE, he’s a spy.  In STARFALL, he’s part of an alternate history mystery.  

Would you rather see your stories on the big screen or the little screen? 
I believe episodic electronic would fit best with my SF tales.

Are you hooked on any of the shows on the sci-fi channel? If so, which one(s)?
The Expanse is the best science Fiction TV since Idonowhen.

What is your view of Star Wars, and the latest episode (if seen)?
Not bad for a start, but it’s only a start.  Much, much more to come, right?

What is your favourite Science Fiction (or Fantasy) film?
I keep returning Back to the Future.

Are you a Luddite? Or do you prefer to be on the bleeding edge of technology?
I’m a leading edge Luddite.

Are you--or have you ever been--a gamer?
I learned long ago that the internet itself was one big game.

Do you cook? What is your best/favorite/most popular recipe?
Shrimp Scampi.

Do you have a garden? Have you ever grown your own food?
I tried to grow tomatoes this year, but got started too late and they never went beyond being green marbles.

Have you ever been to Starbucks?
Yes, it’s kinda hard not to, since they’re as omnipresent as telephone booths used to be.

Would you prefer an independent bookshop, or a big chain?
Independents are much, much more fun!

Do you have your own office, study or writing space, or can you write in a cafe or the library?
I have all three and write everywhere. I need a waterproof PC for use in the shower.

Who do you consider are your major influences in writing?
It changes from day to day, but now it’s Harlan Ellison, Philip K. Dick and H. Bedford Jones.

What writer, living or dead, would you most like to meet?
Raymond Chandler.

If you could have any director to shoot the film of your book(s), who would you choose?
It changes from day to day, but now it’s Sergio Leone, John Ford, George Lucas.

How would you define Speculative Fiction?
Clever and insightful free association breaking the mold outside the box.

On a scale of 1-10, how eccentric are you?
Twelve and three-quarters.

Do you consider yourself a slave to the muse?
I’m beginning to, but it might be insecurity or madness.  Here’s a few recent examples:

Here’s Stan Wade, L.A. PI, in the first of a series of six “noirstalgia” novels from 1959.  SPYFALL is your E-ticket to a nuclear threat hidden from the public until 2012.  The insightful tale teams Ian Fleming of MI6, Walt Disney of the FBI, and a hard-luck private eye searching his past for truth, justice and… well, you know.  With appearances by Karloff, Steinbeck, Cohen and Flynn, SPYFALL is a rollicking ride into a past that never was… or was it?  

The Secret Behind SPYFALL 
Here’s the facts behind the fiction of SPYFALL.
TOP SECRET until 2012 

If you liked SPYFALL, catch a new adventure of Stan Wade LAPI where he meets Rod Serling in Tales From the Otherverse.


About John Hegenberger:





Born and raised in the heart of the heartland, Columbus, Ohio, John Hegenberger is the author of several series: Stan Wade LAPI in 1959, Eliot Cross Columbus-based PI in 1988, and Ace Hart, western gambler in Arizona in 1873.  He’s the father of three, tennis enthusiast, collector of silent films and OTR, hiker, Francophile, B.A. Comparative Lit., Pop culture author, ex-Navy, ex-marketing exec at Exxon, AT&T, and IBM, happily married for 45 years and counting.  Active member of SFWA, PWA and ITW.


Friday, January 22, 2016

Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for January 22, 2016

Here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this week with yet more Star Wars discussion as well as tributes to David Bowie, Alan Rickman and David G. Hartwell and discussion about the the TV shows Agent Carter, Legends of Tomorrow, The Expanse, Colony and the revived X-Files

Speculative fiction in general:

Tributes to David Bowie:

Tributes to David G. Hartwell: 

Comments on Star Wars and The Force Awakens:

Comments on Agent Carter

Comments on The X-Files:

Comments on Colony

Comments on Legends of Tomorrow:

Awards:

Writing, publishing and promotion:

Interviews:

Reviews:

Crowdfunding:

Con reports:

Science and technology:

Free online fiction:

Odds and ends: