New Release: Forged From The Stars, a sweeping three-book science fiction collection

Greetings Blogtastics! It's my pleasure to tell you of a new Science Fiction Adventure collection from three authors (at least one of whom you already know *wink-nudge*) out TODAY!

Announcing

FORGED FROM THE STARS

Brought to you by best-selling science fiction series authors G. S. Jennsen, E. J. Fisch, and me.

Collection Includes:

FOREWORD: S. E. Lehenbauer from

The Novel Commentary

STARSHINE: AURORA RISING BOOK ONE (Aurora Rhapsody 1) by G. S. Jennsen

DAKITI: ZIVA PAYVAN BOOK 1 by E. J. Fisch

CONTRACT OF DEFIANCE: SPECTRAS ARISE TRILOGY, BOOK 1 by Tammy Salyer

At

Amazon for Kindle

with a limited-time special release price of 99¢.

SOME WOMEN ARE CONSUMED BY THE FIRE.

SOME

BECOME

THE FIRE.

An elite operative. A war-hardened soldier. A daring explorer. One strikes from the shadows to protect a deadly secret. One strives to reclaim what was taken from her. One searches the void for the answers denied her.Their stories are their own, but they share a gritty determination to fight for what they believe in and an unwavering conviction that they can and will do whatever is necessary to save themselves, those they hold dear and, if worse comes to worst (as it always does), civilization itself.FORGED FROM THE STARS brings you the first books in three exciting, original space opera adventure series, Ziva Payvan, Spectras Arise, and Aurora Rising. These epic tales feature empires that stretch across the vastness of space, suspenseful action as new worlds are discovered and old ones destroyed, thrilling interstellar warfare and deadly conspiracies that promise to reshape galaxies.At the heart of the storm stand three women: Ziva Payvan. Aly Erikson. Alexis Solovy. Forged from the stars, in the face of overwhelming odds they will bend those stars to their will—or die trying.

HELP US GET THE WORD OUT

If you've already read any of the novels in the collection, then you know what a terrific set of books this is. Why not help us get the word out by:

1. Sending a Tweet or ten. Here's one you can cut and paste: Three Warriors. Three Missions. Three Novels. FORGED FROM THE STARS. http://amzn.to/1nVMNIo By @EJFisch @GSJennsen @TammySalyer #scifi

2. Leaving a review on the collection for whichever among the novels you've already read. (For instance, if you read CONTRACT OF DEFIANCE, all you have to do is cut and paste your review to the FORGED FROM THE STARS page. Easy breezy.)

3. Sharing it on Facebook.

4. And, obviously, getting your own copy here! http://amzn.to/1nVMNIo

Thanks Blogtastics! You're going to love this. And the best thing about it is, each of these novels is merely the first of a series.

To continue E. J. Fisch's Ziva Payvan series, pick up:

To continue G. S. Jennsen's Aurora Rising series, pick up:

WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO

Writing. Yep, I know it's hard to believe, given how long it's been since I dropped another book. But I wrote one, and now I'm rewriting it. Because—OCD word-nerd perfectionism. I also spoke on a writing panel last weekend at the Orange County branch of the California Writers Club, and, as usual, had a blast. If you're in the SoCal region and want to have me speak for an event, I'm all over it. Just shoot me an email and we'll set it up.

Enjoy what you've seen so far? Bonus snark goes out to my newsletter tribe. Join to get novel news, including the first look at new stories, and invitations to contests and giveaways.

The Omnibus Has Landed

Spectras Arise Trilogy: Omnibus Edition

The trilogy became Amazon's #1 best-seller in Science Fiction Military over Memorial Day weekend. Not bad for a story that began as a humble firefight in my head while out on a run in Oregon's pouring rain about seven years ago. Thanks to all my readers who made these books a success (and who put me on the same Science Fiction best-seller page as one of my all-time favorite authors, Neal Stephenson).

Enjoy what you've seen so far? Bonus snark goes out to my newsletter tribe. Join to get novel news, including the first look at new stories, and invitations to contests and giveaways.

New Release: The Far Bank of the Rubicon by Erik Wecks

Bloggolites! It's very exciting to be able to tell you about my friend and fellow science fiction author Erik Weck's newest release today, The Far Bank of the Rubicon. You may recall, Erik was on here a few months ago to talk about his novel Aetna Adrift and his writing inspirations, motivations, and successes. Please welcome him and go and check out this new fast-paced science fiction book ASAP. And congratulations on your new release, Erik!

THE FAR BANK OF THE RUBICON

For three hundred years, the Pax Imperium secured peace throughout the galaxy. Now the empire teeters on the brink of collapse.

As war brews, the House of Athena expects Jonas to enlist. Unable to escape his gilded cage, the young prince accepts his fate. But when the factions come to blows, his secret affair with the daughter of a rival becomes a liability. As territory falls, Athena lays impossible demands on Jonas, and he is forced to choose between love and the ideals his family fights to preserve.

The Far Bank of the Rubicon is super-charged, adult science fiction from Erik Wecks, creator of the Pax Imperium and author of the critically acclaimed Aetna Adrift.

The Far Bank of the Rubicon begins a three-book series that picks up right where Aetna Adrift left off. This military space opera starts with a bang and keeps building tension until it explodes into an action-driven second half that will keep readers glued to their seats. It features Wecks’s trademark action scenes with characters who aren’t simply cardboard cutouts. They make mistakes, and those mistakes have consequences, not only for themselves but for the galaxy as a whole.

Wecks is perhaps most excited that in The Far Bank of the Rubicon he can finally begin to bring readers into the depth and width of the Pax Imperium. “The Pax is a huge sandbox with hundreds of tales waiting to be unearthed,” says Wecks. In conjunction with The Far Bank of the Rubicon, Wecks will release a Pax Imperium short story collection, Unconquered (August 23, 2014). All of the stories in the collection tie in with The Far Bank of the Rubicon in some way. Three of the stories in the collection have been previously released: Brody: Hope Unconquered, He Dug the Grave Himself, and Taylor’s Watch. A fourth, Rena’s Song, will be offered exclusively in the collected book.

Find Erik at all the following.

Amazon

Twitter

Facebook

Website

Book Review: Bypass Gemini by Joseph Lallo

I had the pleasure of being a finalist in the Kindle Book Review Best Indie Books Contest in 2012 with author Joseph Lallo. Both of us were in the science fiction/fantasy category (and we both lost to Hugh Howey, which is kind of like losing to Spartacus at Flanders—which is to say, you're a little overwhelmed by the company and just excited to be in the same contest/race). Joseph and I traded books, and now, over a year later, Bypass Gemini finally made it to the top of my stack of must-reads.Folks, I am positively bursting to tell you how incredible this book is!Excitement? You got it. Protagonist Trevor "Lex" Alexander, a down-on-his-luck delivery boy who also happens to be the most hotshot pilot in the galaxy, is hired by a nervous, no-name client to courier a package of top-secret data to a similarly ambiguous point. Problem is, VectorCorp, the largest trans-galaxy corporation in the universe, prefers it not get couriered, and the kind of no-holds-barred flying we haven't seen since Luke Skywalker took out the Death Star ensues. Along the way, there are some crashes, bruises, passive-aggressive arguments with a computer, death threats, shoot outs, black holes, lovable rodents, sorely slacking hygeine, asteroid wreckers, and stroke-inducing gadgets of all kinds to keep Lex from getting too comfortable with his skills.Fun? Check. Lallo's turn of phrase and quirky imagination create some of the most memorable characters and hijinks you've ever read. When it comes to Lex, think Neal Stephenson's Y.T. from Snow Crash meets Adam Young from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens. And that is just for starters. Throw in a mercurial but lovable artificially intelligent supercomputer named Ma, an evil genius/sociopath, who happens to love his pet funk, named Karteroketraskin "Karter" Dee (also the initials of Krispy Kreme Donuts. Coincidence?), a few intergalactic hotties, mob bosses, and douchey wet-work handlers for the corporate entity, and Gemini offers a crazy carnival of non-stop action and adventure. Every page will leave you chuckling.If you enjoy lighthearted space opera with a twist of detective noir, wry humor similar to the writing of John Scalzi, and surprising and fun characters much like you find in Stephenson's, Pratchett's, and Gaiman's novels, you will be in great hands with Lallo's Bypass Gemini and it's followup, Unstable Prototypes.About author Joseph Lallo from Amazon.A resident of Bayonne, NJ - the fabled birthplace of George R. R. Martin - Joseph Lallo is an unlikely entry into the world of literature. After a childhood spent daydreaming and reading, he fully intended to pursue a career in the tech sector. He received a Master's Degree in Computer Engineering from NJIT, and subsequently got a job working IT for a large healthcare corporation. Things changed when, in January 2010, his friends finally convinced him to publish the story that had accumulated over the course of a decade of spare time. That story, now known as the Book of Deacon Trilogy, was a surprise hit, and once he got a taste of the world of indie writing, he was hooked. Now he splits his time between crunching numbers at his day job, writing novels at night, and writing articles and reviews for BrainLazy.com, a group blog he helps run. His latest novels are Bypass Gemini and Unstable Prototypes, the first two books of a science fiction series.