STRAT: A New Military Scifi Novel

On a hell-class world where feudal lords joust with mechs and use memetic tech to imprint loyalty onto their vassals and thralls, all Charlie and his people ask is to be left alone, free to think for themselves.

Peek inside the novel:

“Whhhhy doeth thou hhhhesitate?” the alien Sulphine queen asked.

“Sorry, ma’am.” I shook my head. “I can’t put on the helm. Not even to save my life. It will steal my mind.”

With that decision, I felt a deep peace and joy. I wasn’t scared of death no more, I just felt good.

“And what of thhy mate?” the Sulphine asked me. “Hhhumans fighhht for many thhhings thhat to us seem worthhless but yet thhou wilt not for thhy mate?”

All my fine feeling left me. I choked. The sound of them bandits flyin away with Benisse on the plane rang in my ears. There was no way I could save Benisse if I was dead. Hell, wasn’t no way I could save Benisse if I was alive neither, not unless a miracle occurred.

A miracle, like, say, findin a weapon that would let me take the fight to them what took my girl.

Shit.

I hadn’t never been sure I believed I had a soul till I had to make the choice to give it up.

To save her, you gonna have to fight them on their own terms and win.

Better to lose my life than my mind; but better to lose my mind than to lose her.

I unzipped the kit of Lord Brin. For a minute, I stared at him, or what was left of him, a skinny white skeleton grinnin at me. Once I had got to knockin his bones out of my way, I sat into the lee of the open kit. Kits is designed with smart-threads so that an old one will weave off you and a new one weave on you without exposin you to the poison gas about you. The whole lot slid on smoothly.

“Thhhou hhhast made thhhy chhhoice,” said the Sulphine “Thhhou hhhast chhhosen life. We shhhall bidhh thhhee farewell now.”

Suddenly, I was blind and in pain again. But I was breathin better and I could feel Brin’s kit and helm. Can’t explain how, but I knew that me and the plane wasn’t in the Sulphine palace no more. It’s like them Sulphines was able just to melt clean away once they was satisfied they was done with me.

I took a deep breath of the stale air in Brin’s kit and pressed the button that welded the implants of the Helm of Brin into my skull.

(Another!) Cover Reveal for STRAT – New and Improved!

You’ve seen the draft of the cover art for STRAT, but the real cover art is now complete! Same design, a bit more detail. Ta-dah! You may find this already available on some sites….If not, keep checking. It will be up soon! We’re holding off on the official release announcement until it’s live everywhere.

The hero stands on Neraka, a hell-class planet. The atmosphere, lake, and ice that you see are all sulfur dioxide. (It is one of the few elements that can exist in all three states at a certain temperature range.) This is where Charlie Cooper was born and grew up. All his life, he’s known the importance of wearing a kit’n’breather at all times, because even the smallest leak can result in sulfur dioxide parts per million rising inside your breather…. the result is pulmonary edema, pain and blindness, and eventually, death.

As in this excerpt…

EXCERPT:

GOLEM an indie military sf short film

GOLEM from GOLEM on Vimeo.

This movie is based on the short story “GOLEM XIV” of “Imaginary Magnitude” by awesome Polish science fiction author Stanislaw Lem from 1973. Many of Stanislaw Lem’s stories concerned the futility of war. In this story, an intelligent military robot intelligence comes to question its purpose and the logic of war.

Stanislaw Lem is one of the less well known of the greatest twentieth century sf authors. It’s taken awhile for all his works to be translated.His stories are often strange and wonderful, and he touches on all the deep themes and questions of the field with a subtlety and depth often lacking in lesser works. The stories are very much idea driven, with characterization and adventure taking second place behind the sheer grandeur of the vast universe.

George Clooney did the sexiest version of Solaris EVAH.

Lem’s most famous story was Solaris, which has been made into a movie twice, once behind the Iron Curtain and once by Hollywood. My favorite book/collection of his is the Cyberiad, a sort of robot Decameron. In that collection too, you’ll find a story of two armies who are sent to war but achieve telepathy, which allows them to unify minds with the other side. At that point, they realize there’s no point to fighting and end the war mutually.

That all seems painfully utopian…until you consider how the Cold War ended.

Storm Dancer On Sale for 99 Cents!

My friend Rayne Hall’s dark epic fantasy, Storm Dancer, is currently on sale for only 99 cents! Definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of The Unfinished Song!

Demon-possessed siege commander, Dahoud, atones for his atrocities by hiding his identity and protecting women from war’s violence – but can he shield the woman he loves from the evil inside him?

Principled weather magician, Merida, brings rain to a parched desert land. When her magical dance rouses more than storms, she needs to overcome her scruples to escape from danger.

‘Storm Dancer’ is a dark epic fantasy. Caution: this book contains some violence and disturbing situations, and is not suitable for young readers. British spellings.

Storm Dancer is available to download on Amazon (US), Amazon (UK and other countries), Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes and Smashwords.

Armageddon’s Princess

Earlier this year my friend Anthony Pacheco published a wonderful scifi mystery, Armageddon’s Princess. Here’s some details…

ANGRY PRINCESS IS ANGRY. Investigator Lexus Nancy Toulouse, ex-soldier extreme: finds her Libido Generator is on the fritz, learns her old warship wants to “get back together” (despite the fact she already has four husbands!), loses whatever war-torn sanity she had left in a crime reenactment and becomes the Princess Concubine to the mysterious Empress. Then, while trying on lingerie, someone tried to blow her up and she regenerated all the way back to a teenager. Now there will be lots of blood AND NONE OF IT HERS.

An Excerpt

On command, the CSI bots begin their inspection of the bodies. Scott and I search the house while they do their job. We don’t find anything interesting at all. We take the trash, the garbage disposal contents, the air filters. I change out the filters for the replacements right by the HVAC, and turn the house system back on.

This takes another hour. With two of us, it’s taking a shorter amount of time to look for evidence and run the checklists, even while Scott is an amateur. It’s a sobering wake up call to my solitary existence.

Then Bob drops a bomb.

—ICDA has a scene reconstruction. Program available on request.—

Whoa boy.

I give the house commands, and the windows go opaque, the doors lock, and the lights dim.

“What’s up?” Scott looks curious. At least his color is back. Watching the bots swarm over the bodies is sure to remind him of some war shit he wants to forget. I know it does with me.

“Investigators use ICDA—Investigation Crime Database and Analysis. It’s a big honking supercomputer. We’re talking war shit—the computer used to design the AIs, so when paired with all the crime data known to man, it knows all about human behavior in a disgusting amount of detail. As the bots and I collect data, it goes to Bob, my work comp, and Bob sends it to ICDA. It’s an expensive system to maintain, but worth it.”

“ICDA—as in, Cheyenne Mountain ICDA? I thought that was some old Defense Agency thing.”

“Cheyenne Mountain, yes. And no, that’s also where the ICDA hardware is.”

Scott’s expression darkens again. Or still. I can tell he’s been to Cheyenne Mountain because what little happiness he was holding onto for dear life after seeing the murder scene has dripped from him as if I squeezed it out of his body with my armored fists. I can almost see it pooling at his feet, turning black.

“Between the details of the prior murders, your dream description, and the data from the CSI bots, ICDA thinks it can display a reasonable facsimile of the crime as it occurred.”

“Whoa,” says Scott. I give him a stiff smile. “How is that possible?”

“The CSI bots are finding forensic evidence, and ICDA matches that with M.O.s and details from prior crimes going all the way back to the beginning of recorded history. Even the lack of evidence has meaning, a profile. Data analysis doesn’t get any better.”

“Kick ass. Let’s watch it.”

Anthony lives and works in the Pacific Northwest where he dreams speculative dreams, smooches the wife, harasses the kids, tosses squeaky toys for the dog and serves as a human scratching post for the cats.

Assassin’s Gambit

Last month my friend Amy Raby released her latest fantasy romance, Assassin’s Gambit from The Hearts and Thrones and Series. Here’s a bit about the book:

Vitala Salonius, champion of the warlike game of Caturanga, is as deadly as she is beautiful. She’s a trained assassin for the resistance, and her true play is for ultimate power. Using her charm and wit, she plans to seduce her way into the emperor’s bed and deal him one final, fatal blow, sparking a battle of succession that could change the face of the empire.

As the ruler of a country on the brink of war and the son of a deposed emperor, Lucien must constantly be wary of an attempt on his life. But he’s drawn to the stunning Caturanga player visiting the palace. Vitala may be able to distract him from his woes for a while—and fulfill other needs, as well.

Lucien’s quick mind and considerable skills awaken unexpected desires in Vitala, weakening her resolve to finish her mission. An assassin cannot fall for her prey, but Vitala’s gut is telling her to protect this sexy, sensitive man. Now she must decide where her heart and loyalties lie and navigate the dangerous war of politics before her gambit causes her to lose both Lucien and her heart for good.

An Excerpt

Vitala was not her given name. When she was born dark-haired, Papa named her Kolta: “blackbird.”

She was eight years old when the stranger arrived. Mama and Papa took him into the bedroom to speak  with him. They shut her out, but she pressed her ear against the door to listen.

“We’ve completed the testing,” said the stranger, “and your daughter is exactly what we’re looking for. Highly intelligent, physically strong, and coordinated. And, of course, she’s black-haired.”

Mama said something she couldn’t quite make out.

“In the village, perhaps,” replied the stranger. “But in the Circle, dark hair is an asset. She can pass for Kjallan. It will allow her to move in areas where others cannot.”

More mumbling from Mama.

“The Circle is prepared to offer you compensation. Four hundred tetrals.”

Papa gasped.

Mama raised her voice. “I’m not selling my daughter!”

“Of course not,” soothed the stranger. “But Kolta will never reach her potential here in the village—not with the prejudice against girls like her. Why subject her to harassment and ostracism, when among the Circle she will be valued and revered? The money is our gift to you. A token of our thanks for aiding Riorca in its time of need.”

Mama began to sob.

“Treva, he’s right,” said Papa. “It would be selfish to keep Kolta here. A half-Kjallan bastard will never be accepted—”

“You hate her!” cried Mama. “You want to be rid of her!”

“Madam,” said the stranger, “consider the advantages to Kolta in joining the Circle. She will receive a thorough education, far better than anything she could get here. And she will be among her own kind. We have other half-breeds like her, dark-haired girls who know what it’s like to be Riorcan but look Kjallan. For the first time in her life, she will have friends.”

Mama continued to sob.

“Treva, think of it,” said Papa. “Four hundred tetrals! You know what that money would mean for us. This man is right. The Circle can do far better for Kolta than we can.”

Something unintelligible from Mama.

“No,” said the stranger. “It must be now. She must begin her language training immediately, or she’ll never speak with the proper accent.”

A long silence followed, broken only by Mama’s sobbing. There were soft words that Kolta could not make out.

The stranger was saying, “We find it’s best if there are no good-byes.”

The door opened, and the stranger stepped out. Terrified, Kolta hid in the corner between the wall and the door. But the door moved away, revealing her. The stranger stared down at her in surprise. “Were you listening, Kolta?”

She shook her head.

He knelt, bringing himself to her eye level. “Tell me the truth, and you will not be in trouble. Were you listening?”

She hesitated a moment, but nodded.

“And yet you do not cry.” His mouth twisted as he lifted her chin with his finger. “My name is Bayard. I’m going to be your friend, Kolta. Would you like that?”

She was silent.

“The people here don’t treat you very well, do they? They don’t like dark-haired girls. But I’m going to take you somewhere else. Somewhere you’ll be loved, Kolta. Do you want to be loved?”

Her chin began to tremble.

“Of course you do.” He folded her into his arms, and she began to cry. “It’s what we all want.”

Amy Raby is literally a product of the U.S. space program, since her parents met working for NASA on the Apollo missions. After earning her Bachelor’s in Computer Science from the University of Washington, Amy settled in the Pacific Northwest with her family, where she’s always looking for life’s next adventure, whether it’s capsizing tiny sailboats in Lake Washington or riding dressage horses. Amy is a 2011 Golden Heart® finalist and a 2012 Daphne du Maurier winner.

You can buy Assassin’s Gambit in paperback or ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo (ebook only).

Just released! ROWENA AND THE DARK LORD

I’m happy to be sharing this excerpt from Melodie Campbell’s latest release, Rowena and the Dark Lord. I think you all will enjoy this funny romantic fantasy series.

“A fantastical tour de force”

“The Princess Bride with Sex”

Cover Reveal: STRAT (military science fiction)

STRAT is a military science fiction novel that I’ve had on the back burner for a while. I confess: It’s a bit of an odd fish. The hero lives through five wars, which form almost complete stories in and of themselves. For a while, I thought it might work better as individual novellas. Eventually, however, I realized that even though the stories almost stand alone, they add up to a whole greater than its parts. The theme of the novel emerges from the gestalt.

I wrote the draft of STRAT while I was living overseas in a war zone, albeit as a peace-keeper, not a soldier. At the time, I was reading a ton of military science fiction–classics like Asimov, Heinlein, Haldeman, Card, Dickson, Drake, Weber, Turtledove and a host of others, whatever I could scrounge from other ex-pats and second-hand English-language bookstores. I was living in an area of the world formally colonized by a European power, which was now dealing with an rebellion of those who in turn wanted their own independence. The book started out a simple homage to the military science fiction genre, mostly for the fun of it, and, probably because of where I was and the conflict around me,   included a meditation on the legacies of colonialism and the strange twists and paradoxes of history. Which are never quite as we expect…

It was, ahem, a while ago. It’s strange to revisit the story now. I was tempted to revise it heavily–originally, I had planned on TEN wars–yes, I know, *eyeroll at self*–and restrained myself. I wouldn’t do it justice; it would become a whole new story. Of course, I started the Unfinished Song a while ago too, but I’ve worked on it continuously since then. And, as a result, I have ended up changing large swaths of the Unfinished Song, which is why it’s not as complete as I first, too rashly, promised.

I didn’t think it would be a great idea to become embroiled in a huge new project while I am still in the middle of the Unfinished Song, but it bothered me to see STRAT sitting there on my hard-drive, lonely and neglected.

Therefore, I finally decided to publish STRAT, letting it stand as I wrote it. I won’t second guess my earlier self, even if there are many things I would do differently today. I couldn’t anyway. I did a huge amount of research into the hard science regarding the planetary environments and mirror matter tech used in the story, and it’s no longer fresh in my mind. If it turns out to have rabid fans, despite itself, I might do the other five wars in a sequel. After I finish the Unfinished Song.

STRAT is complete and in the editing stages. If you’re curious and want to either Beta Read it, or Review it in exchange for a free copy, contact me or my assistant Katie at my publisher, Misque Press. (katie@misquepress.com) Be aware that it’s quite different from Dindi, and it’s not Young Adult. (Includes strong language.)

I’ll be post blurbs and excerpts from the book on this blog, so keep an eye out….

Google Treasure Maps

New Release: Easter Bunny (Here Comes Peter Cottontail)

Easter Bunny (Here Comes Peter Cottontail) is ready for downloading! This short story for young readers is only $0.99!

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
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Have you ever wondered where the Easter Bunny comes from? How old he is? And how he happened to become a talking rabbit with a fondness for chocolate eggs? Gather around, children, and I shall tell you the legend of Peter Cottontail…

Peek inside the first chapter:

So it happened that one spring day, a mother and father with a new baby worried how to protect their child. Goblins attacked their village, taking every child they could. The mother and father hid their baby in a basket and ran to the river. They gave him the only gift they had, which was a single egg. They wrote his name upon the egg: PETER.

They placed the basket in the river, and let it float away. They cried and hugged each other. Then goblins arrived with swords and crossbows, and captured them. But their little baby was safe.

Kind river fairies guided the floating basket swiftly past the burning villages of that ravaged land. The basket floated all the way to a magic forest, which was ruled by elves. Even goblins on their bravest days did not dare enter the forest of the elves….