News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #169…
Spring rain. Inevitable I guess. Maybe April showers will bring May flowers. At least it’s not snow. (Okay, some have had a few late winter storms, but here in NJ, it’s just a lot of rain.) I’m always going out with a hat now—serves as an umbrella I don’t have to carry. And speaking of hats, see my post last week on them.
Recent reads. I’m an avid reader as well as a full-time writer. I thought I’d mention some books I recently read: Cherubs 2 by Marc Liebman is a military thriller about a helicopter SAR pilot (search and rescue pilot) during the Vietnam War; You Say Goodbye by Keith Steinbaum is a mystery/crime story about a washed up rock musician who struggles to find his girlfriend’s killer, and Kilts and Catnip by Zoe Tasia is a romantic/fantasy with a splash of mystery about the happenings on a mysterious island just off the coast of Scotland. I think I wrote reviews for all these on my blog. Check them out.
Is it fantasy or is it sci-fi? My novel Rogue Planet was inspired by John G. Stockmyer’s Under the Stairs series. It’s a hard sci-fi thriller with Game-of-Thrones-style fantasy elements. A. B. Carolan’s new sci-fi mystery for young adults, titled Mind Games (soon available in ebook and print versions), will mix ESP and android manufacture (see the excerpt immediately below). All these books should appeal to both sci-fi and fantasy lovers.
Excerpt from Mind Games. The main character is Della, a fourteen-year-old with psi powers. Her adopted father was murdered and she is trying to discover who the killer is. So, just to whet your appetite….
The puzzle’s loose pieces were starting to come together. But Androids Incorporated plus SISA plus Psi Corps equaled what? Was there some kind of conspiracy? If so, why had the people involved needed to kill Ferdie? Realized I didn’t know that much about Ferdie although we’d been so close. Had they asked him to participate in something he couldn’t morally do, so he turned them down? If so, had they killed him because they were afraid he’d expose them? Or was I only a paranoid schoolgirl who should leave such weighty issues to adults?
All these thoughts swirled around in my head as I fought off mind-probes sent out by three strange men. They easily detected my firewall just as I’d detected theirs. Why didn’t they attack? I decided to find out.
Picked the agent who seemed to be the weakest fellow. Followed his probe right back to the source and hit his mind hard. Broke through his firewall and, before he collapsed, read everything in his mind. Sweeping aside his confusion about the attack wasn’t easy, but I knew I could make sense of all that chaotic information later. Didn’t feel sorry about it, but he would need a psych’s help. Tough, I thought. I had acquired some information in the process, and he at least would have mind-wiped me.
Smashwords sale. To celebrate A. B. Carolan’s third book (see above), he’s putting the first two on sale at Smashwords. Great summer reading for young adults and adults who are young-at-heart. As usual, only subscribers to my email newsletter have access to these sales. You can subscribe by contacting me at steve@stevenmmoore.com.
Reviews for The Last Humans are coming in. This recent book from Black Opal Books is a post-apocalyptic thriller for our times. Lots of action that will keep you thinking, “Can this really happen?” Did you miss it? Available in ebook and print versions online and at your favorite bookstore (if they don’t have it, ask for it). FYI: The sequel is almost finished!
Also coming soon. In addition to Mind Games (see announcement and excerpt above), Penmore Press will soon publish Son of Thunder. It features the principals from Rembrandt’s Angel, Esther Brookstone and Bastiann van Coevorden, along with Sandro Botticelli, the Renaissance painter, and St. John the Divine, Christ’s most beloved disciple…and there’s no time travel involved. This mystery/thriller will keep you guessing, just like the first book. Look for it.
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Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
