Thursday, June 30, 2016

Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month for June 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 May 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 a whole lot of space opera and military science fiction this month as well as postapocalyptic fiction, dystopian fiction, paranormal romance, epic fantasy, urban fantasy,  young adult fantasy, dark fantasy, horror, two awesome short fiction anthologies, vampires, demons, fae, dragons, half-demon PIs, half-vampire PIs, sorcerers, starseers, star rebels, aliens, gargoyles, rock 'n roll zombies, galactic conspiracies, forced marriages, the end of the world 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:

Gutted: Beautiful Horror StoriesGutted: Beautiful Horror Stories by Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell and others:
 
GUTTED: BEAUTIFUL HORROR STORIES – an anthology of dark fiction that explores the beauty at the very heart of darkness. Featuring horror's most celebrated voices, as well as a number of exciting new talents: Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Paul Tremblay, John F.D. Taff, Lisa Mannetti, Damien Angelica Walters, Josh Malerman, Christopher Coake, Mercedes M. Yardley, Brian Kirk, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Amanda Gowin, Richard Thomas, Maria Alexander and Kevin Lucia.

What is beautiful horror?
Awe meets ache.
Terror becomes transcendence.
Regret gives way to rebirth.

Edited by Doug Murano and D. Alexander Ward. With a foreword from Cemetery Dance magazine founder Richard Chizmar. Interior artwork by Luke Spooner. Cover artwork by Caitlin Hackett.

“Truly one of the best anthologies I have ever read.” – Paula Limbaugh, Horror Novel Reviews

Starseers by Lindsay BurokerStarseers by Lindsay Buroker:
 
The mysterious and powerful Starseers have Captain Alisa Marchenko's daughter, and she will do whatever she must to get her back, even if it means traveling to their stronghold and confronting them personally. Unfortunately, her strongest ally, the cyborg Leonidas, may become a liability since the cyborgs and the Starseers have a long history of hating each other. It doesn’t help that Leonidas and Dr. Dominguez have a mission of their own, one that could jeopardize all that Alisa is fighting for.

Star Rebels anthologyStar Rebels: Stories of Space Exploration, Alien Races and Adventure by Lindsay Buroker, C. Gockel, Patty Jansen, Pippa DaCosta, James R. Wells and others:
 
There are rebels among the stars...

Meet eleven protagonists battling to save themselves and the ones they love. Human, cyborg, clone, or alien, they'll find themselves pitted against intergalactic crime bosses, interstellar mercenaries, a quantum-wave-riding collective mind, and the universe itself. Along the way, there's plenty of action, adventure, humor, and even some romance.

Written by the freshest voices in science fiction, these stories are short, but they'll light your imagination like a solar flare. Strap yourself in and join the rebellion! Download this collection today.

Features stories by Lindsay Buroker, C. Gockel, Patty Jansen, Pippa DaCosta, James R. Wells, Christine Pope, L.J. Cohen, D.L. Dunbar, Anthea Sharp, Audrey Faye and Kendra C. Highley.

The Water Road by J.D. ByrneThe Water Road by J.D. Byrne:
 
Two women are about to expose a terrible secret that will turn their world upside down.

For centuries the great river known as the Water Road separated the Altrerians in the north from the Neldathi in the south. When the Neldathi clans united and struck out across the river, the nations of Altreria formed an alliance, the Triumvirate, to drive them back. For more than a hundred years after, the Triumvirate kept the Neldathi barbarians at bay, fighting amongst themselves across the Water Road.

Antrey is a woman without a country, the daughter of a Neldathi mother and an Altrerian father. She’s found a role for herself in Tolenor, the headquarters of the Triumvirate, that's given her access to a secret the alliance has kept for generations. When she finds it, she explodes with rage and embarks on a quest to find justice for the Neldathi people.

Strefer is a reporter without a story, desperately working the streets of Tolenor for any kind of lead. When Antrey flees the city, Strefer slips in and discovers her uncovered secret, stained with blood and fury. It’s the story of a lifetime, one powerful forces want to keep her from telling. With the help of a renegade Sentinel, Strefer sets out for a mythical city in hopes she can make the world listen to the truth.

Together, they’ll inflame the passions of a people and set the world alight. The Water Road - first book of The Water Road trilogy.

From Furies Forged by Michael ChatfieldFrom Furies Forged by Michael Chatfield:
 
The Kalu are not a long lost nightmare anymore.
They came from the black.
They destroyed Rosho.
They ravaged Heija.
That was just the scouting force.
They are coming back.
Power those reactors, charge those rail cannons and ready the fighters. The Free Fleet is going to war.

Branded by Rob CornellBranded by Rob Cornell:
 
Sorcerer Sebastian Light has long used his powerful magic to corner the market on demon hunting in Detroit. With control over the elements, he can burn through bounties almost as fast as the Ministry can issue them—much to the chagrin of the Motor City’s other hunters. But after a group of vampires taints him with their blood in an effort to turn him, collecting bounties is the least of his worries.

The Athena Operation by Dalton CortnerThe Athena Operation by Dalton Cortner:
 
In a future where wars and poverty are quickly on the rise, the universe has hit its ultimate enemy: itself. Once known for their dedication and loyalty to the good of the universe, the seythra, a strong-willed alien race, have attacked and declared war on the rest of the universe. Now, throwing their immense numbers against the opposition of the Confederate Military, hope is dwindling. Trust between factions, races, and planets are weakening by the moment. What caused the seythra to rebel? Why can they no longer be reasoned with? And most importantly, can anyone stop them in time?

Seraph Aydrian, an infamous soldier one reprimand away from termination, must lead an army of soldiers, mercenaries, and civilians against the seythra assault and not only stop the chaos and destruction, but uncover the dark and sinister motives that are driving the murders.

Trial by Fire by Cate DeanTrial by Fire by Cate Dean:
 
Reese Pierpoint is half human, half fae, and one hundred percent trying to figure out how to live with both sides of her heritage.

When the deaths of three local kids turn out to be sacrifices, Reese finds herself plunged into the world her overprotective mother had been shielding her from all her life.

Bran Malcolm - half human, half demon PI - is on the hunt for the creature responsible for the deaths. A creature who is using the dead children's blood to create a doorway to escape his prison.

But when Bran crosses paths with Reese, he falls for her - hard - and the distraction has him off his game. Until Reese becomes the focus of the killer's plan. Now Bran's on a mission to do anything to keep her safe.
Even if it costs his life.

On sale until July 1!

OfADarkHeartByChrisFosterCoverOf A Dark Heart by Chris Foster:
 
A supernatural killer. A prophetic gargoyle. A tale of revenge.

Excalem wants vengeance.

His daughter lay cold upon the coroner’s slab. Someone had taken her from this world. Yet there was no trace of harm. There were no answers to the questions he asked. She was simply gone. Pale. Cold. Dead.
Excalem hands in what little morals he had in exchange for the sword.

Walking through the desert, cracked terracotta under his feet and endless blue above he thinks he has gone mad. Or died. He is out of water, out of place and feels out of time. This is a world he didn’t believe in not long ago. Nowhere both its name and description. He cannot stop, he is the cat after the rat but the dog is coming.

Both pursued and pursuing, he knows only one thing.
 There will be vengeance.
The Gargoyle said so, and rocks don't lie.

Eclipse of the Heart by J.L. HendricksEclipse of the Heart by J.L. Hendricks:
 
Why do I have to be the girl of the prophecy?

Then there is the ripper threat too, everywhere I turn in Sendryl we’re attacked. There’s a car bomb that hurts one of my team members, badly.

All guys are confusing. Fae or Human, doesn’t matter. When it comes to affairs of the heart, they’re all the same. Fillie thinks I can have either one, but do I trust them with my heart?

It may not matter if the trial goes bad or we don’t make it back to Earth.

It’s time for me to put on my big girl panties and make a choice.

This is Book 4 of The Interdimensional Saga

MU-final-smallerMassive Unrest by Michael Hustleborn:
 
When the dead no longer rest in peace, nobody rests in peace.

Johnny, an American rocker living in Germany, dreams of stardom. Just when it looks like it might happen, people start dying in droves. The problem is they're not staying dead. Johnny and his new friend Lena are sent scurrying to survive, but while Johnny can definitely rock a crowd, he’s no doomsday prepper. When they team up with a modern-day ax-wielding viking, things start looking up, but all is not as it seems.

A zombie plague is spreading across the planet faster than a joint at a rock concert and the madman who released the virus is still out there. To make matters worse, he’s not even close to being done yet.

As everyone scrambles to find a place that’s defensible against massive hordes of undead, one crucial question remains: Who is the bigger threat, the living or the undead?

Sand & Storm by Patty JansenSand & Storm by Patty Jansen:
 
The entire world laid to waste. There are no second chances.

The ancient machine that produced icefire was destroyed twenty years ago, but the deadly magic is again on the increase. No one understands why or where it's coming from.

Icefire controls the weather and massive changes in weather patterns plunge the northern half of the inhabited world in deep drought. The tide of refugees swells, but as long as no one knows where the icefire is coming from, nowhere is safe.

King Isandor sends people to investigate a concentration of icefire in the mountains at the border, but two consecutive patrols both vanish. It appears that, after having suffered badly in wars, the neighbouring country Arania is on the offensive, and is using icefire as weapon. Their culture is harsh and their barbarism knows no boundaries.

Meanwhile two young meteorology students make a string of discoveries about icefire that will change the way the people understand the world. They're on the threshold of the age of enlightenment, but vital knowledge necessary to save their world may well get lost when war overruns the inhabited world.

Only 99 cent until July 4!

13282786_1218236274877992_970836211_oThe Martian Inheritance by T.S. Paul:
 
Athena Lee and her sidekick Wilson return for this action packed adventure. Athena is sent to Mars on a secret mission to help capture a war criminal responsible for the deaths of thousands. He is hiding on the Planet Mars. Athena has family she had never met on the Red Planet. This is her chance to visit them. The Cabal has given the fugitive shelter and is plotting to rule. Mysteries and plots abound as Athena discovers the meaning of her inheritance.

Coins for Charon by P.J. PostCoins for Charon by P.J. Post:
 
This Romance brought to you by the end of the world...

The only way out is the river, two short blocks away.

Jem and Pixie are fighting for their sanity, while Holly lies unconscious, burning with fever. Keats and Casey can only watch her eyes with dread, and be ready should she turn. Sam is fighting for love, for a life and for happiness. Emily is fighting to hold them together.

And they are all looking to Lane for salvation, but he’s out of second chances, out of options and quickly running out of time as the city burns to the ground.

Two blocks might as well be forever, the streets are overrun with Button Eyes. And for as long as they remain, no secret will be safe, no sacrifice will be held sacred, and no life precious; before all is done,

Freemont will have its due.

Author’s Note: Coins for Charon is the sixth and final Episode of Feral.

Transition by Olivia RisingTransition by Olivia Rising:
 
Two years ago, The Pulse—a sudden shift in Earth's electromagnetic field—caused a global blackout and wiped a minute from mankind’s collective memory. This event introduced superhuman powers to our world and changed everything as we knew it.

Now two young women are caught in the chaos of a changing world:

Christina Chung, an antisocial misfit whose force fields are fueled by the social bonds she broke during the event of her transition.

Former coke addict Sarina Baumann, whose reality-altering power forces her to abandon everything she holds dear.

The girls find themselves entangled with the renegade hero Radiant and the authorities that made him. The three must find a way—and a place—to be the heroes they're destined to become. But sometimes, even the heroes fall...

Crash Landing by Jim RudnickCrash Landing by Jim Rudnick:
 
"As the first wisps of atmosphere touched the badly damaged explorer ship, the craft was on it’s own AI–the pilot and nine of the ten occupants were already dead.

The only alive human lay in the robo-doc tank in the rear of the ship where he’d been for almost a full week. He had been injured during an asteroid incursion and had been placed in the robo-doc then. Now he lay half awake, half in a stupor, not knowing that the rest of the Drake’s crew were probably dead.

Boathi sphere ships had come upon the Drake twenty light years out-wards, and had so severely damaged the ship, that even as the pilot lay dying and he kicked it into AI and called on full FTL, their fate looked sealed…

Inside the robo-doc tank, the surviving human lay in the liquid bath surrounding him, and he was still in that stupor of drugged medical aid. While he couldn’t read it, on the interior visor, lay the dashboard with information for the patient—and it appeared he had still another two and a half days in here.

Alone...

Defenseless and in a sealed tank, as the AI would try to keep the robo-doc up and running to enable his recovery…at least that was it’s next task…”

Plague Cult by Jenny SchwartzPlague Cult by Jenny Schwartz:
 
In a small Texas town a desire for love becomes a curse that could unleash a deadly plague.

Ruth Warner is estranged from her family. She loves them, but her magic makes her an outsider in Bideer, Texas. Ruth has built a new life in New York. She's a healer at the Collegium, respected and...lonely.

Sometimes, you have to go home.

Ruth's boss orders her to Bideer after a local coroner reports a suspicious death. Could the new cult in town, a lonely hearts club, be playing reckless games with a death curse?

But if Ruth is going home, she's not going alone.

Shawn Jackson is a Collegium guardian, a mage trained to fight evil. He's also a man accustomed to keeping secrets. He's a hollerider, a huntsman; one of those who birthed the legend of the Wild Hunt. When he unleashes his magic, terror rides with him.

As evil stalks an innocent town, the dedicated healer and battle-hardened marine must heal their own broken hearts to prevent a devastating plague.

***

Warning: "Plague Cult" includes a haunted house, an unconventional ghost, and a home renovation love story.
If you love your paranormal romance fast-paced, intense and chilling, "Plague Cult" is irresistible.

3DefendersARCThe Defenders' Apprentice by Amelia Smith:
 
The Defenders' order is dying, but that's no surprise. After all, they've been in hiding for over a hundred years, and apprentices are getting harder to find – hardly anyone can see the dragons any more.

Eppie picked pockets on the streets of Anamat for years before one of the Defenders noticed her. She hid well, but one day she picked the wrong pocket, or was it the right one? She sets out to help try to save the dragon Tiada, but if her mentor and the others fall in the battle, who will defend the dragons against the next set of invaders?

Demon Bane by Jeff SproulDemon Bane by Jeff Sproul:
 
Forget what you think you know of the universe. This is Sinphoria.

The universe writhes under the influence of sin—a primal bond empowering infernal creatures.

The phoenix Mira is a sentient being born of the stars. Her purpose is to rid the universe of the demonic beings that plague it. The self-governed world of Malstyx is a breeding ground for sin and corruption. Mira's kin feel that Malstyx is beyond saving. If the situation escalates and threatens other worlds, then they would step in and purge Malstyx of all its inhabitants. It was up to Mira to prove them wrong and keep the shadows at bay.

Apocalypse Hill by Matthew StottApocalypse Hill by Matthew Stott:

The end of the world is just a game.

The Hill arrived in Apoc, in the far north of England, during a storm. The soil was soaked in ancient blood and the grasses that clung to its slopes were slashes of vicious crimson. The Hill did not arrive by chance.
The Hill came for a reason.

There's Mary, who saw her mother murdered when she was still in single digits and is now being pushed to do something dreadful by forces she can't understand. There's Bill Reed, trying to distract himself from worrying about his daughter by focussing on his latest novel, who finds himself waking to a world of familiar faces turned monstrous. And then there's Alice, a horror movie loving young girl sat in a car alone in the night as she awaits her Dad's return, trying to ignore the unnatural noises creeping from the shadows outside.

Dark forces are at play in Apoc Hill. The inhabitants will become unwilling pawns in an ancient game between the darkness and the light. An ancient game that could see the entire world laid waste.

'Apocalypse Hill' is the first part in author Matthew Stott's thrilling new supernatural fantasy miniseries.

The Matching by Angeline TreveneThe Matching by Angeline Trevena:
 
There was a time when a girl’s wedding day was the happiest day of her life.

In Falside, girls are a rare commodity; protected, controlled, and tracked by the administration. They spend their days idly waiting to be married off to the highest bidder.

When the marriage announcements include Tale’s lover, Freda, the women will do anything to stop the match from happening.

Their relationship is forbidden, and as members of the resistance, they’re already risking everything.

But as their attempts to stop the wedding fail, both women have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice for love.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Branded (Unturned, Book 1) by Rob Cornell

Release date: June 20, 2016
Subgenre: Urban fantasy

About Branded

 

Sorcerer Sebastian Light has long used his powerful magic to corner the market on demon hunting in Detroit. With control over the elements, he can burn through bounties almost as fast as the Ministry can issue them—much to the chagrin of the Motor City’s other hunters. But after a group of vampires taints him with their blood in an effort to turn him, collecting bounties is the least of his worries.

News of Sebastian’s vampire infection spreads through the city like Hellfire. Now he has a contract on his own head, and his rivals see an opportunity to take out their biggest competition. He can expend magical energy to keep the infection from blazing through him, but fending off constant attacks at the same time requires more power than even he can muster. Weakening daily and hunted wherever he goes, Sebastian scrambles to find a cure—before this fight for his life leaves him undead.

Excerpt:

 

I chased the vampire all the way from MacArthur Bridge to the William Scott Fountain on Belle Isle and my lungs burned. I’m okay with a foot chase as long as it doesn’t go on too long. I’m more of a sprinter.
The vamp had already taken three hits from my fire bolts, but he kept running. His name was Darius Strong, and he lived up to his last name just fine. His leather coat was half melted to his flesh, and I had singed off most of his hair so that he kind of looked like Darth Vader without his helmet.
Yet the bastard kept running, and he was fast.
Blue and red lights illuminated the white stone lions perched on the fountain, the colors in observance of Independence Day. The vamp headed straight for it. I had no idea where he thought he was going. Maybe he planned on jumping into the fountain to put out my flames.
Not happening.
I drew on the heat in the damp Michigan air with a simple act of will. My right hand grew warm and then burst into flame. I focused my magical energy into the flame then threw it.
A good fifty yards stood between myself and Darius, but I managed to hit him square in the back.
The force of the bolt sent him flying off of his feet. He soared like a flaming comet straight into the fountain’s basin with a wild splash. The water put the flames out immediately with a steamy hiss.
“Aw, man.”
Darius flailed in the water and then came up and spun to face me.
His lips peeled back a good two inches from his gums, exposing two-inch fangs. His mortal glamour had fallen away after the first time I had burned him. He glared at me with his red eyes. The skin on his wrinkled, gray face looked like it might slough off in a strong breeze. Pus oozed from pockmarks in his cheeks.
I jogged to the edge of the bricked area surrounding the fountain, puffing and huffing like an old man. I really needed to work on my endurance. I have a six-pack and some nice looking bulges in all the right places, but absolutely zero stamina.
I don’t usually need it.
“All right,” I said. “Might as well take it like a vamp.” I raised my right hand and clenched my fist. Again, my hand ignited.
I started to push my will into the flames, preparing to toss the bolt at him, when he was hit with another kind of bolt all together.
I heard the zip of the shot an instant before I saw the arrow slam into the vamp’s chest, inches from his undead heart.
The vamp’s eyes went wild. He threw back his head, and the screech that came from his throat made my ear drums quiver.
I released the magical energy powering the flame around my hand and the flame went out. I glanced back to try to spot the source of the arrow. The midnight shadows made a lot of cover for anyone to hide in.
But I had a pretty damn good idea where that arrow had come from.


Amazon


About Rob Cornell:


Rob Cornell is the author of The Lockman Chronicles, a five-book urban fantasy series featuring ex-government agent and monster hunter, Craig Lockman. He also has a new book series that starts with Branded, about a sorcerer with a serious vampire problem.

Raised on a steady diet of Star Wars, He-Man, G.I. Joe, and Transformers, he has always spent much of his time wandering the halls of his imagination, conjuring stories. Nowadays, he writes them down like a responsible adult. He lives in rural Southeast Michigan with his family.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Author Central

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

The Defenders' Apprentice (Dragonsfall, Book 1) by Amelia Smith

Release date: June 28, 2016
Subgenre: Epic fantasy, dark fantasy

About The Defenders' Apprentice

 

The Defenders' order is dying, but that's no surprise. After all, they've been in hiding for over a hundred years, and apprentices are getting harder to find – hardly anyone can see the dragons any more.

Eppie picked pockets on the streets of Anamat for years before one of the Defenders noticed her. She hid well, but one day she picked the wrong pocket, or was it the right one? She sets out to help try to save the dragon Tiada, but if her mentor and the others fall in the battle, who will defend the dragons against the next set of invaders?

Excerpt:

 

Thorat’s sword hand moved reflexively to stop the fingers reaching for his pocket. He twisted the wrist before he even looked to see who the pickpocket was.
“Ow!” the scrappling said.
It was the same one who had just left the temple against the priestess’s orders.
“Stay,” Thorat commanded. The scrappling tugged, but he had a firm grip on the wrist. The prayer droned on and he mumbled along, tightening his grasp now and then to keep the pickpocket near.
As the prayer drew to a close, the novices surrounding Iola rang a chorus of bells. Thorat looked up into her eyes. Every time he saw her felt like the first time they had met on that mountain path, the first time he had come to save her. His heart yearned to do it again, to save her forever.
The thief slipped out of his grasp. Iola wasn’t supposed to be looking at him, anyway, wasn’t even supposed to know him. Thorat grabbed at the twice-escaping miscreant.
The scrappling would have gotten away, but just then, a dragonlet scurried along a wall, and he – or she – stopped to watch. So did Thorat. The dragonlet’s crossing gave him just enough time to reach the pickpocket and grab an arm. Thorat watched the dragonlet go. A look of confusion crossed the scrappling’s face.
“What are you looking at?” the scrappling demanded.
Thorat studied the face, dirty and thin. The scrappling had short, ragged hair, and was a little too tall to have no whisper of hair on the upper lip, if this were a boy, but too sharp and awkward to be a girl. But then, some girls were sharp and awkward.
“I believe I was looking at the same thing you were,” he said.
“I wasn’t looking at nothing!”
“I think you were,” Thorat said.
“You can’t arrest me,” the scrappling said. “You’re not even the watch. You’re just a palace guard. Governor’s toady.”
Thorat sighed. He hated even looking like the governor’s toady even when it was only for a day or two at Midsummer, and he hadn’t officially been hired. It stopped people from asking questions—stopped most people, anyway. The youngster squirmed.
“No, I can’t arrest you,” he said. “You should be more careful whose pockets you pick, though. I’m just a poor guardsman. Besides, I used to be the best pickpocket in the East Market.”
The scrappling snorted. The gate was open now, and the ones who had gotten their share of festival bread were hurrying out to take cover in their own corners of the city.
The dragonlet reappeared, dancing along the roofline of the building opposite, one of the weavers’ warehouses. It glinted red and gold, dancing on the red-brown tiles of the roof, then disappeared. When Thorat looked down, the scrappling was still following some motion there with her—or his—eyes.
“Is it still there?” he asked.
“What?” the scrappling said. “Let me go!”
For a moment, their eyes met. He knew, they both knew, what they had just seen. “I believe that only a very few of the priestesses would have seen that,” he said quietly.
“I won’t be a priestess,” the scrappling said.
“Can’t be, or won’t?”
“What’s it to you?” she said.
“Nothing much,” Thorat said. “But if you don’t want to be one, you’d better find something else to do, and soon.”
One of the red-robed priestesses was talking to the one at the gate, pointing at the scrappling girl whose wrist was locked in his grip.
“I’ve got to go,” the girl said, pulling away.
“I have work for you,” Thorat said. “Meet me at the top of the first bridge over the east canal at sundown.” A worried look crossed the girl’s face for a moment, quickly replaced by affected nonchalance. She nodded, and he released her. She ran full tilt toward the east canal, her festival bread held tight against her chest.
“I have an aunt who needs help with her housekeeping,” Thorat shouted after her, not that she would believe him.


Amazon | Kobo | Apple iTunes | Google Play | Smashwords

 

About Amelia Smith:


Amelia Smith writes magazine articles about Martha's Vineyard, fantasy sagas about dragons, and blog posts about nothing in particular. To learn more about her, visit www.ameliasmith.net.

Website | Twitter

 

Monday, June 27, 2016

Star Rebels: Stories of Space Exploration, Alien Races, and Adventure by Lindsay Buroker, L.J. Cohen, Pippa DaCosta and more

Release date: June 16, 2018
Sub-genre: Science Fiction; Metaphysical and Visionary;
short stories and anthologies


About Star Rebels:


There are rebels among the stars... 
Meet eleven protagonists battling to save themselves and the ones they love. Human, cyborg, clone, or alien, they'll find themselves pitted against intergalactic crime bosses, interstellar mercenaries, a quantum-wave-riding collective mind, and the universe itself. Along the way, there’s plenty of action, adventure, humor, and even some romance. 
Written by the freshest voices in science fiction, these stories are short, but they’ll light your imagination like a solar flare. Strap yourself in and join the rebellion!


About the Star Rebels Stories: 


A Tale of Two Ships by Audrey Faye: A KarmaCorp Story 
Two ships crash into an unimportant digger rock. The first carries a newborn baby. The second will rewrite her destiny. 

Carl Sagan’s Hunt for Intelligent Life in the Universe by C. Gockel: An Archangel Project Story 
Sometimes intelligent life is right in front of your whiskers. 

Blood Ties by Christine Pope: A Gaian Consortium Story 
On the outlaw world of Iradia, Miala Fels and her computer hacker father discover that taking the wrong commission can have unexpected consequences. 

Passage Out by Anthea Sharp: A Victoria Eternal Story 
Street rat Diana Smythe has long since given up her hopes of escaping Earth, but that doesn’t mean she can’t watch the ships fly in and out of the spaceport and dream… 

Arcturus 5 by D.L. Dunbar: A Twenty Sectors Story 
Xella went to Arcturus 5 to mediate a simple trade dispute between the Mol and the Dark, but now she’s not sure she’ll get out alive. 

Treason’s Course by L.J. Cohen: A Halcyone Space Story 
In the midst of Earth's first off-planet war, a soldier is given a covert assignment and must decide if treason lies in carrying out her orders or disobeying them. 

Falling by Pippa DaCosta: A Girl From Above Story 
Trapped in a scrappers rig with a woman he’s been hired to kill, Caleb Shepperd is beginning to wonder if this job could be his last. 

Starfall Station by Lindsay Buroker: A Fallen Empire Story 
After the empire falls, cyborg soldier Leonidas Adler must avoid the Alliance operatives who want him for secrets only he knows, but that’s easier said than done. Worse, his past threatens those he’s traveling with, including Alisa, the freighter captain he has come to care about. 

Luminescence by Patty Jansen: An ISF-Allion World Story 
Hadie learns the price of being an artificial human when her partner has an accident and becomes unresponsive. 

Glome by James Wells: A Great Symmetry Story 
Humanity’s first interstellar colony ship has arrived at its destination, only to find an inhospitable death trap of a planet. Crew member Amanda Bowen wishes that was the biggest problem she faced. 

Unfinished by Kendra C. Highley: An Unstrung Story 
In a world where genetically-engineered humans serve as slave labor to “real humans,” two prototype children, designed to be the most superior models ever created, look to each other to find a way to escape their fate. They may discover that being “artificial” doesn't mean they can't love.













Sunday, June 26, 2016

The Water Road by J.D. Byrne

release date: June 22, 2016
sub-genre: Epic Fantasy


About The Water Road:


Two women are about to expose a terrible secret that will turn their world upside down.

For centuries the great river known as the Water Road separated the Altrerians in the north from the Neldathi in the south. When the Neldathi clans united and struck out across the river, the nations of Altreria formed an alliance, the Triumvirate, to drive them back. For more than a hundred years after, the Triumvirate kept the Neldathi barbarians at bay, fighting amongst themselves across the Water Road.

Antrey is a woman without a country, the daughter of a Neldathi mother and an Altrerian father. She’s found a role for herself in Tolenor, the headquarters of the Triumvirate, that's given her access to a secret the alliance has kept for generations. When she finds it, she explodes with rage and embarks on a quest to find justice for the Neldathi people.

Strefer is a reporter without a story, desperately working the streets of Tolenor for any kind of lead. When Antrey flees the city, Strefer slips in and discovers her uncovered secret, stained with blood and fury. It’s the story of a lifetime, one powerful forces want to keep her from telling. With the help of a renegade Sentinel, Strefer sets out for a mythical city in hopes she can make the world listen to the truth.

Together, they’ll inflame the passions of a people and set the world alight. The Water Road - first book of The Water Road trilogy.



Excerpt:


“Antrey, you know how happy it makes me to see you so involved with books,” Alban said, adopting a fatherly tone, “but your grasp of history is rather shallow at this point. Bringing together the Guilders, the Arborians, and the Telebrians has brought out the best in all of us. It has shown that we can work together peacefully in common cause.”
“Can you actually hear yourself, Alban?” Antrey asked. “How can you make that argument, to me of all people, in the face of this enthusiastic embrace of bloodshed? I know you, Alban. You are such a good man. If not, I wouldn’t be here right now. Why would you, of all people, defend this?”
“Because it’s worked, damn you!” Alban shouted, all pretence of respect and calm shattered. “Because in the century since the Neldathi revolt was put down and this alliance was formed the Neldathi have stayed where they belong, in those horrible mountains south of the Water Road. Their nature is base. They seek only conflict and know only strife. Better those urges be turned on themselves than on us.”
Antrey staggered under the weight of his words, unable to respond for a moment. “Is that it, then, Alban? No matter how distasteful the means, so long as your people benefit, the suffering of others is all right? You care nothing for the Neldathi who dies, cold and alone in the falling snow, in the wake of some pointless battle?” Although she spoke calmly and chose her words with care, Antrey’s fury was still present and had begun to focus itself. Her initial reaction to the Triumvirate’s policy had been abstract, a rage against something done long ago by people long since dead. All that had changed, however, the more Alban talked. Now the anger in her was directed at the man in front of her. He was her employer, her mentor, and her savior. Still, she hated him for the secret he kept and the way he kept it.
As she had come around the desk, Antrey had somehow picked up the pikti, the ancient Sentinel fighting staff, that was normally propped in the corner of Alban’s office. It was so light that it felt like barely anything was there. The weight surprised her. She had held a sword once, a small one, and by comparison it was a clumsy weapon, a weight that hung on the end of her arm like a dead limb. Not the pikti. Even when she took it in both bands, it felt like a part of her, an extension of her will. As if it would do whatever she commanded. She held it out in front of her, hands about a foot apart.
“Antrey, put that down,” Alban said, raising his hands again. His tone had softened considerably since he, too, noticed the weapon in her hand. “You have no idea what that can do, and you’re liable to hurt yourself. Neither of us wants anyone to get hurt, right?” He started to back away from her slowly.




About J.D. Byrne:




JD Byrne was born and raised around Charleston, West Virginia, before spending seven years in Morgantown getting degrees in history and law from West Virginia University. He's practiced law for more than 15 years, writing briefs where he has to stick to real facts and real law. In his fiction, he gets to make up the facts, take or leave the law, and let his imagination run wild. He lives outside Charleston with his wife and one-eyed dog.
He has a blog series called Water Road Wednesday where he talks about the book, provides excerpts, and more. You can read more about The Water Road Trilogy here.




Saturday, June 25, 2016

Interview with Joanne Hall, author of Spark and Carousel



Today the spec fic showcase have great pleasure in chatting with Joanne Hall, author of Spark and Carousel, and joint editor of the Fight Like a Girl anthology.




As well as writing novels, you have edited and contributed to several anthologies. What was the inspiration behind Fight like a Girl?
Fight Like A Girl grew out of a Twitter conversation instigated by Danie Ware, following a lot of discussion about how women are under-represented in SFF anthologies, and wouldn’t it be great to have an anthology that was all female writers that celebrated female strength? It kind of snowballed from there. I’m proud that we’ve managed to have not only a great collection of stories by women, but also two women editing it, a female publisher, and a female cover artist too – I think it shows what women in SFF can achieve.

Do you prefer to write series, or stand-alone novels?
Hard to choose – I often find myself accidentally committing series fiction when I intended to write a stand-alone (whoops!) What I really enjoy is writing more-or-less stand-alone novels in a world I’ve already established, so the stories are linked in small ways but can be read independently. I think that’s fun for returning readers but also doesn’t exclude new readers. It’s nice to be able to add little in-jokes and references for hardcore fans to get!


Fantasy can be both a radical and a conservative genre. What are your thoughts on this?
I think there was a time when Fantasy tended to be a little hidebound (certainly the popular, big selling fantasy) – there was a lot of debt to Tolkien and perhaps authors and publishers were nervous about straying from the profitable “elves and goblins” template. But there’s always been room for radical and ground-breaking books in the genre, and while they might not initially have been the biggest-selling I think they’re the books that have had a lasting impact, those that weren’t afraid to break new ground and try something bold. I’m thinking of books like Ammonite by Nicola Griffith, God’s War by Kameron Hurley, or Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint, which engenders a lot of love from everyone who’s read it.

Is there a specifically British strand of Fantasy writing?
I don’t think there is, really, any more than there is a specifically American brand of fantasy writing. I think what unites fantasy writers the world over is our fascination with the impossible, with a world that’s different from our own.

You describe your latest novel Spark and Carousel as “Oliver Twist meets The Godfather, only with magic and demons”. Tell us more…
Spark and Carousel is the story of a mage-trained boy who goes on the run, blaming himself for the death of his master. He ends up in the sprawling southern city of Cape Carey, where the underworld beneath the streets is dominated by rival criminal gangs. When Carousel, a wire-walker and petty thief, rescues him from the streets she takes him to join the Nobility, who are engaged in a turf war with rival gang Startide for control of the city. But Spark has little control over the magic he has learned, and when he lashes out in anger with it, he cracks the city streets and unleashes a terrible evil on the city. Only the mages, Elvienne and Kayall, who have come to the city hunting for Spark, can bring his power under control. But first they have to find him, and keep him out of the clutches of a beautiful daughter of high society, who has her own plans for both Spark and Carousel.



Do you use Scrivener or Word? Or another word-processing program? Or even pen and paper?
I use Word. I tried Scrivener but I found I was spending more time trying to remember how to use the various functions in it than I was writing, and I found them a distraction. If I have reference pictures or research notes for a novel I tend to save them in a folder on my desktop where I can access them easily, or on a Pinterest board. When I’m writing a first draft I tend to write it all roughly and very fast, and write notes in it to look things up later when I’m going through the second draft, so I’m not sure Scrivener works all that well for the way I write.


Do you have any pets? Do they influence your writing?
I have a very lazy greyhound, who mainly influences my writing by dropping tennis balls by my feet to try and encourage me to play when I should be writing…


Would you rather see your stories on the big screen or the little screen?
That would depend – I’d like either an epic 2-hour movie OR a 24 part high-budget HBO TV series. I’d be perfectly content with either of those things…

What is your favourite Science Fiction (or Fantasy) film?
Don’t make me choose! My favourite films vary from week to week but include Terminator, Star Wars, Dogma, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, Fury Road, Howl’s Moving Castle, Aliens…

Are you a Luddite? Or do you prefer to be on the bleeding edge of technology?
I’m usually slightly behind the curve when it comes to technology – I wouldn’t say I was a Luddite but my finger is some way from the pulse of what’s cool! My friend Jon has all the gadgets – the Raspberry Pi Arcade and the Oculus Rift, and he lets me play with them…

Are you--or have you ever been--a gamer?
Yes. Not a hardcore gamer and I don’t play well with others, but a nice big immersive single-player game like Skyrim, or a Zelda game – I can happily lose many hours playing. Often I hold off starting a new game and play as a reward for handing in a finished book!

Do you cook? What is your best/favourite/most popular recipe?
I do cook, but while some people find it relaxing and sip a glass of wine while whisking up a perfect paella, I’m more of the school of setting myself on fire / setting the kitchen on fire / drinking all the wine… I do make a very nice lasagne, and I also have a recipe for Redcurrant muffins which is mighty tasty.

Do you have a garden? Have you ever grown your own food?
I don’t have a garden, but I’ve experimented with growing strawberries and chillis on my window sills, with variable degrees of success…

Would you prefer an independent bookshop, or a big chain?
I like the atmosphere of indie book shops, and the choice available in a big chain – can I have both, please? In fact, can I just have all the bookshops?

Do you have your own office, study or writing space, or can you write in a cafe or the library?
I have an office – I need somewhere I can go into and shut the door, though in practice the door is rarely closed because the dog likes to wander in and out with tennis balls. But the office is mainly a repository for STUFF – I can pretty much write anywhere and manage to tune out what’s going on around me. I have all my published books on a shelf above my PC, so in moments of despair I can look up and remind myself that yes, I am actually capable of writing books that people want to publish….

Who do you consider are your major influences in writing?
I always knew I wanted to write, but when I read Diana Wynne Jones and David Eddings, David Gemmell and Anne McCaffrey, I knew that what I wanted to write was fantasy. I don’t know that I particularly write like any of them (Gemmell, probably, is the closest) but I consider them to be my formative influences.

What writer, living or dead, would you most like to meet?
Ursula LeGuin, but I’m not sure she would want to meet terrified gibbering fangirl me!

If you could have any director to shoot the film of your books, who would you choose?
Peter Weir. He directed “Master and Commander”, “Dead Poets Society”, “Picnic at Hanging Rock”. His films always look great but he’s never done a fantasy film. I just think he would make it look awesome.

How would you define Speculative Fiction?
The fiction of what could be, what might be, and what could never be – SF, Horror and Fantasy.



About Joanne Hall:





Joanne Hall lives in Bristol, England, with her partner.  She has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen, and gave up a sensible (boring) job in insurance to be a full time writer, to the despair of her mother.  She had previously dabbled in music journalism, and enjoys gaming, going to gigs and the cinema, and reading. 
Her short stories have been published in several anthologies, including Dark Spires and Future Bristol, as well as a number of magazines. With Roz Clarke, she has co-edited the anthologies, Colinthology, Airship Shape and Bristol Fashion, and, in 2016, Fight Like A Girl.
Her Art of Forgetting duology, as well as the stand-alone Spark and Carousel were published by Kristell Ink, and her latest novel, The Summer Goddess is due out in September 2016.
In the interests of not showing off, she’s not mentioning that her work has been longlisted for both the Tiptree and the Gemmell awards.
Joanne is also one of the founders of BristolCon. She’s always happy to hear from readers.