Why Sci-Fi?: Introducing J.A. Huss and T.J. Hudson

Welcome to the last day of Sci-Fi Spotlight week!  I've teamed up with a great group of indie authors of science fiction to run a promo that ends today.  You can snag 15 books for free and another 15 books for a mere 99 cents.

Last but not least, I'd like to introduce you to today's authors:

Why Sci-Fi for J.A. Huss?

"I write science fiction because I am a 100% science nerd. I enjoy everything about science, I have two science degrees, I write science textbooks for my main business, and I’m just an all-around nerd.  When I first started thinking about Junco as a character in my series she scared me.  She’s not anything like the girls I see in books today.  She’s bad, she’s got a filthy mouth, and she enjoys her job.  (Which happens to be killing.) I wrote this series because I like this kind of complex, slightly insane character. So basically, I write SF for me."

Be sure to get your copy of Clutch for 99 cents today!

For more on J.A., check out her trailer on YouTube, become a fan on Goodreads, like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, read her blog, and visit her website.

Why Sci-Fi for T.J. Hudson?

"I write science fiction (and fantasy) because my mind won't let me do anything else. You can blame my geeky background for that.

There are millions of fantastic stories out there. It does not matter what format; prose, film, theatre or any other, a good story is a good story. I do, however, find myself drawn to those that step out of the bounds of our world. This can be a step into the past, future or even a side step into an alternate reality. What these stories do is let characters address conventional problems from unconventional angles. Sometimes these will be pure flights of fancy, other times they fly very close to this world; and it is this speculative fiction where things get really interesting."

For more on T.J., like him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, become a fan on Goodreads, and check out his website.

Why Sci-Fi?: Introducing C.E. Kilgore and Mark Whiteway

Welcome to day four of Sci-Fi Spotlight week!  I've teamed up with a great group of indie authors of science fiction, and we're running a promo from now until November 30.  You can snag 15 books for free and another 15 books for a mere 99 cents.

And now for today's authors:

Why Sci-Fi for C.E. Kilgore?

"I have always loved science-fiction, but I’m a true romantic at heart. The Science-Fiction Romance genre is still considered a fringe genre by many, but lately there has been new life breathed into it from many great writers. My hope is to contribute a well-written, fun and romantic take on science fiction through my Corwint Central Agent Files series. The first book in the series is Ghost in the Machine, and it explores one of my favorite science fiction themes: the development of emotions in artificial intelligence."

You can get a copy of Ghost in the Machine for free!

For more on C.E., like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Why Sci-Fi for Mark Whiteway?

"Writing Sci-Fi was a long held ambition of mine. As a kid, I read everything - Wells, Verne, Heinlein...At twelve years old, I wrote a novella with a pretty surreal ending. I still have it, hand-written in a huge ledger.

Following that, life intervened, and it was only in '09 that I determined to get back to writing. I had a lot of ideas running around in my head, but the Lodestone concept seemed the strongest. I soon realized there was no way to tell the story in a single book, and so the Lodestone Series was born."

You can get a copy of The Sea of Storms for free!

For more on Mark, follow him on Twitter and check out his website.

Why Sci-Fi?: Introducing T.S. Welti and Cate Dean

Welcome to day three of Sci-Fi Spotlight week!  I've teamed up with a great group of indie authors of science fiction, and we're running a promo from now until November 30.  You can snag 15 books for free and another 15 books for a mere 99 cents.

So, without further ado, here are today's authors:

Why Sci-Fi for T.S. Welti?

"Since I was very young, I've always loved sci-fi films and dystopian novels. Some of my favorites include Minority Report, The Matrix, The Giver, Brave New World, and 1984. More recently, some of my favorites have become Inception, Wool, and Delirium. However, I was never a big fan of high-tech science fiction. I often felt myself overwhelmed or bored with the technology. When I set out to write Darklandia, I set out to bridge the gap between a futuristic sci-fi film and dystopian fiction. I can't tell you how weird it feels, seven months later, to read the reviews and see my book being compared to so many of my favorite films and books."

You can pick up a copy of Darklandia for only 99 cents!

For more on T.S., like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, or check out her website.

Why Sci-Fi for Cate Dean?

"I grew up reading what is now called speculative fiction: fantasy, epic fantasy, sci-fi, the paranormal and the supernatural. So it was no surprise that I ended up writing that type of book. Though I head more in the direction of the paranormal and fantasy, I LOVE time travel stories. I consider those sci-fi, because they involve some kind of science, however farfetched. Choices is my first foray into time travel, originally written for a contest. It is a story of redemption, forgiveness, and making choices that change . . . well, you’ll have to read the story to find out. ;)  Thanks for hanging out with me, and until next time – read on."

You can pick up a copy of Choices for free!

For more on Cate, like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, become a fan on Goodreads, and check out her website.

Why Sci-Fi?: Introducing Saul Tanpepper and Anna Kyss

Welcome to day two of Sci-Fi Spotlight week!  I've teamed up with a great group of indie authors of science fiction, and we're running a promo from now until November 30.  You can snag 15 books for free and another 15 books for a mere 99 cents.

Today, it's my pleasure to introduce you to two other authors.

Why Sci-Fi for Saul Tanpepper?

"I love Stephen King’s works. So when a fan of mine asked why I write sci-fi, my natural response was to say I write horror.

“Computer codes, viruses, hacking,” she countered. “Hi-tech, biotech. Nope, GAMELAND is definitely sci-fi. Cyberpunk. Even biopunk.”

She was right. My past life in tech informs my writing. It’s therefore unsurprising that dystopias and the Undead populate my stories. Zombies are highly metaphoric of human overreaching. I guess I prove the old adage, “Write what you know.”

Which is horror science fiction."

You can get a copy of Failsafe for only 99 cents this week, and you can also pick up a copy of the first episode of the Gameland series, Deep Into the Game for free!

For more on Saul and his books, like him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, become a fan on Goodreads, and check out his blog.

Why Sci-Fi for Anna Kyss?

"I never imagined myself a science fiction writer until I stumbled upon near-future novels. Dystopian literature fascinates me: the myriad of ways that we could destroy our world, the frightening extremes that governments could go to, the questions raised about existence itself. The vast majority of dystopic worlds depict stark, destroyed urbanscapes, which led me to wonder… What if the setting of the dystopian occurred in nature—a false utopia of sorts, in which the beauty of the location hid the secrets of the society? From that single question, Cerulean was developed. And another science fiction writer was born."

Cerulean is only 99 cents this week!

For more on Anna and her books,like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and check out her website.

Why Sci-Fi?: Introducing Christine Pope and Tony Bertauski

Welcome to Sci-Fi Spotlight week!  I've teamed up with a great group of indie authors of science fiction, and we're running a promo from November 26-November 30.  You can snag 15 books for free and another 15 books for a mere 99 cents.

Each day this week, I'll feature some of the authors whose books are a part of the Sci-Fi Spotlight.  I hope this will help you, my readers, discover great new authors and books you'll love.

I'd like to kick this week's blog feature off with my own answer to the question:

Why Sci-Fi?

  

All good literature has the power to make us think, to shake the foundation of the things we believe, but I think good science fiction has a particular power to make us look ahead.  It forces us to consider the future impact of current events, and to think deeply about how those events will shape our future.  It makes us question how we want our world to look, and it makes us think about what we can do to ensure our world will look that way.

Contributor is only 99 cents this week!  You can also pick up a copy of Creators, the prequel novella, for free on Tuesday, 11/27, and Wednesday, 11/28!

Why Sci-Fi for Christine Pope?

"I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy. I adored those books, but even back then, when I probably wasn't the most analytical reader in the world, I noted a serious lack of strong female characters or interesting romantic relationships. So Blood Will Tell was inspired by the space opera I loved so much, but with a romance at the heart of the story. I guess I just wanted something with spaceships and explosions and kissing!"

You can grab a copy of Blood Will Tell for only 99 cents this week!

For more on Christine and her books, like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, or check out her website.

Why Sci-Fi for Tony Bertauski?

"Santa is not just about the presents. I wanted to get past that and see something deeper about this mythological figure. A story that’s more meaningful. For me, science fiction has always made me see life a little different. Perhaps a bit more clearly.

Claus: Legend of the Fat Man finds a cast of gritty, compassionate and courageous characters that make the journey to mythological fame despite their shortcomings and frailties. It pulls away the veil of magic, reveals the difficulties of love and loss and our struggle with life.

It’s not about the presents. It’s much more than that."

Get your copy of  Claus for only 99 cents this week, and you can also grab a copy of Tony's The Discovery of Socket Greeny for free!

For more on Tony and his books, like him on Facebook or check out his website.

Monday Musings: NaNo angst and big news!

Well, tomorrow I will hit the 50k mark for NaNoWriMo, and I am overwhelmingly relieved about it.  I've been able to hit my target word count every day, but I'm feeling so insecure about this draft that it's making me a little nuts.  It doesn't help that I really, really want to get Phoning It In done and just haven't had the time to devote as much editing time to it as I'd like.  Once I hit the 50k mark tomorrow, I'm going to take a bit of a break from Asleep so I can get Phoning done, and hopefully I'll be a saner person for it!

I'm really starting to gear up for the Sci-Fi Spotlight promotion I'm participating in, in honor of Cyber Monday.  I'll be offering Contributor for 99 cents from November 26-30 as part of the promo.  If you're a fan of science fiction, you won't want to miss the promo because it's your chance to snap up 15 free books, as well as 15 books priced at 99 cents.  And, if you haven't already, be sure to enter the Sci-Fi Spotlight giveaway for your chance at $175 in Amazon gift cards, along with autographed books and swag!

In honor of Sci-Fi Spotlight, my blog theme for November 26-30 will be "Why Sci-Fi?"  Each day, I'll feature new indie authors participating in the promo.  They'll explain why they chose to write a sci-fi novel, and I'll include their book covers and blurbs.  Hopefully, this will help you discover some new favorites.

On Wednesday, December 5th, I'll be revealing the cover for Phoning It In here on the blog.  I'm very excited about releasing the novel, and plan on having it out before the end of the month, though I'll announce an actual publication date once the novel is ready.

And, somehow, in the middle of all this, I'll find time to plan birthday parties, spend time with my family, and just generally enjoy the crazy ride that is the holiday season each year.  I can almost taste the turkey now!

Sci-Fi Spotlight: Win fabulous prizes

How would you like to win an Amazon gift card or autographed books and swag from some amazing indie authors?  Some of my fellow authors and I got together to put the spotlight on some amazing indie science fiction, and we're giving out prizes to celebrate!  Here's what's up for grabs:

• Grand Prize: $100 Amazon gift card
• First Prize: $50 Amazon gift card
• Second Prize: $25 Amazon gift card
• Third Prizes: Paperback copies of the following books:
• No Shelter Trilogy by T.S. Welt
• Autographed Clutch Trilogy by J.A. Huss + swag
• Blood Will Tell and Breath of Life by Christine Pope
• Lodestone Book One: The Sea of Storms (First Edition) by Mark Whiteway
• Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer 
• Gameland: Episode One by Saul Tanpepper (three available) and one copy of Insomnia by Saul Tanpepper

Click here for your chance to enter, and good luck!