Alien Redemption - Coming in 2019 - Book Trailer

Greetings, all!

I decided to get an early start on promoting my SF novel Alien Redemption. The current publications date is set for sometime in 2019. The book will be published by Zumaya Publications through their Otherworlds Imprint.

So to get you excited about the project, I've created a "Coming in 2019" book trailer!

Enjoy!

Let me know how you like it!

Promoting Small Business Saturday 11/26/16

Greetings all!

11/26/16 is Small Business Saturday. A day to support and celebrate small business all over the US. You can get more info from the official site here.

As a small press author, all my publishers are small businesses. So I figured I'd go ahead and highlight them here as part of the celebration! (And so you know who to blame for what. Heh heh.)

Hard Shell Word Factory (Now part of Mundania Press)

Mundania Press

Uncial Press

Yard Dog Press

Zumaya Publications

Please help support small businesses wherever you find them! It's their fighting spirit that keeps us from only having cookie-cutter choices in what we read and enjoy! :)

ChibiChains - The resurrection

Going to toot my daughter's horn today. Like, why not, right?  :-P

Anyway, as some of you might already know, Drew creates chainmail jewelry and uses Chibi Chains for her brand name. She does some truly fabulous work, too!

Well her old website just didn't seem to be robust enough for what she really needed - so now we've moved her to wordpress and found an awesome plugin from WP-EasyCart.

So far she's only got the Bracelet's section complete - but it's worth showing off now!  8-)

This is the top front of the store. Has a decent slider showing a few teaser pics. Pretty!

Here's the current bottom of the index page. There's probably a category or more to add to the list. Though currently only Bracelets has been finished. (Between the photo taking, setting up each weave, and descriptions and more - it takes a while to get it all together!)

This is how the category page looks. Showing a 3 column setup for all the items in a category. (Sorted by name - though shoppers and change that for their viewing pleasure. )   ;-)

This is the Quickview of one of the bracelets. So you get a little more info.

This is the full detail page. Shows you all the lovely options you can pick from. Color 1 and Color 2, there's a spot to mention you'd like a 3rd color (Like the bracelet in the pic). The length and Ring Size (for the chainmail rings not your finger. Heh heh) and how many you want. Super nice!

She wanted the store to be as big and wide as possible, so all the extra stuff is in the footers. You can search by name, weave, etc. Find Drew on social media. Sign up for her newsletter so you can always know what's new. And a login screen. I believe it is even linked to Facebook so you don't have to create YET another log in.  :twisted:

Anyway, I wanted to share, I you have time, it'd be awesome if you'd stop on by. The store is functional (even if all that's out there is bracelets)! Chainmail makes for truly unique gifts!

And Valentine's Day is fast approaching. *hint hint* :mrgreen:

The Next Big Thing aka Blog-A-Thon of Doom!

Okay, maybe the Doom part is an exaggeration on my part. Heh heh.

I've been tagged by buddy Kathryn Sullivan to participate on this new (for me!) blog chain concept. I've attached a link back to her Next Big Thing. Thanks Kathy!

Now for my bit:

What is the working title of your next book?

"No Good Deeds" is the current title, though it looks like it's been used a lot. So I may need to rethink it!

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Originally the WIP was a short story. My daughter liked it so much, she demanded I expand it into a book. (Heck, her reading, let alone liking my work is rare! Must encourage it! Heh heh.) The actual spark that started the original short story came from Bill Ledbetter. He'd made a complaint about how all SF shows and stories always assumed aliens look humanoid, which in itself is a statistical improvability. So I thought why not play with that, use humanoid aliens, yet have the protagonist make the same claim, thus creating a mystery within the story itself on that point. Heh heh heh.

What genre does your book fall under?

Unlike all my other current, published novels, this one is Science Fiction.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Oooo! Warren Kole would be fun as Captain Bennett, one of the antagonists. Stana Katic would be fun as Claudia, but she might actually be too pretty. Lol. Jewel Staite would be fun as well. (Yes, she's pretty too! What?) Stevens would be Lucy Lawless but with a crew cut. Heh heh

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Ack, how to do that without using a cliché… Only when you hit true bottom, might you actually see the light. Yeah, needs work, I know.

Oh, how about: Stumbling over a new and unprecedented humanoid alien race, those who discovered them would rather exploit them than allow them to join the Dominion.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Neither. Though if I can find an agent, I would send it that route. However, what's worked best for me so far has been getting contracts from small publishing houses. It's highly likely that's the path I will follow.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I'm still working on it. Life has not been kind with regards to my writing time. Lol. Normally a first draft takes me about a year.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Hard to say. This type of thing is not my forte. L Perhaps it might resemble some of the Star Trek novels, but in a grittier universe? It's not hard SF, but it isn't Space Opera either. Just straight SF. 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Like I mentioned above, Bill Ledbetter is responsible for the core aspect, my daughter for her excitement on the premise.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

It's about taking risks despite previously being hurt for such a thing. Learning to embrace your humanity rather than crush it. Trying to figure out what the aliens are really up to, too! Heh.

To continue the blog chain I'm nominating: Gene Lempp, ChuckWendig, Bill Ledbetter, Rie Sheridan Rose, and Jami Gold. (Won't they be surprised? Bwahahahahaha!)

Pony Fest #12 Entry - Miko from In the Service of Samurai

Uhm, yeah... Life is weird. I'd seen a lot of My Pony stuff running around during Animefest a couple of weeks ago. I even learned what a Brony is. o.O Then today I stumbled on Rebecca Enzor's post about Pony Fest #12 and the Pony Creator by General Zoi. And having little to no brain today, I decided to get creative in a different way than usual. So yeah...I've been ponifying characters. (Hey, it's a word! My lack of brain says so!)

I'll share my others somewhere, but this is the one I'm submitting for Pony Fest #12:

From "In the Service of Samurai" - The Choice: Serve the Undead or become one of them.

Miko - An undead(skeletal) geisha in service to Asaka Iestsugu. She becomes the intermediary between the boy Toshi and her master Asaka, after the boy is kidnapped for his Western mapping skills. It is Asaka's intent to use Toshi's talent to complete the mission still tethering the samurai and his people to the Earthly plain.

***She's so cute!!!!***

The 2012 Zumaya Publications Scavenger Hunt!

An announcement from one of my publishers that could prove lucrative. heh heh heh.

Welcome to the 2012 Zumaya Trivia Scavenger Hunt! 

We had so much fun last year with a smaller version in conjunction with a chat we decided to expand it, gather some terrific prizes and give lots of people a chance to win them by running the event through the month of September.

         A number of our authors have donated those prizes, and they are all related somehow to their books. How they’re related, we aren’t going to tell, beyond maybe a hint or two. We don’t want to give away all our secrets.

         The way the contest works is that a group of Zumaya authors are hosting a collection of links on their blogs. There will be a question about themselves or their books, and a link to where you can find the answer. Visit all the blogs, collect the answers to all the questions, then go here, and complete the contest form.

         Now, a contest wouldn’t be any fun if it was too easy, so we’ve added some book and author-related trivia questions just to challenge you. Take your time—the Zumaya Trivia Scavenger Hunt will run through the entire month of September. You can see photos of some of the great prizes we’re giving away over at  Pinterest in the "What Do These Have In Common" album or at the Zumaya page at Facebook. Who knows— there might even be a few books and ebooks tossed into the mix before we’re done. We’ll definitely be giving away at least one ereader, but we’re waiting for all the new models to come out before we pick those.

         There will also be daily and weekly trivia contests, so keep an eye on Twitter and the Zumaya page on Facebook, or re-visit our company blog Zumaya Tales.  If you haven’t liked the Zumaya page on Facebook, now would be a good time. We’ll also have a chat at Coffee Time Romance and more on 4 September to launch, and a couple of hangouts on Google+ over the next four weeks.

         There is, of course, no purchase required, and your private information will remain between you and Zumaya. Unless we’re authorized to do otherwise, it will all be deleted when the contest ends. While we’d love it if you sampled our wares, our goal with this contest is to get to know as many people as we can, and to let them get to know us. So, welcome and have fun!

Now to get you started...

At the bottom of this post is a list of Zumaya authors. On each of their websites you’ll find the answer to a question. Collect the answers to those questions, then go to the ZP Survey Monkey page and fill in the answers. 

My question is: "Does Gloria Oliver wear glasses?" The answer is both here and at my website. Heh heh heh. (What? They can't all be super brain stoppers?) :P

Cindy Lynn Speer	Rachel Green	Kim Baccellia	Rie Sheridan Rose
Mike DiCerto	Linda Andrews	Arlene Sachitano	Gloria Oliver
Alana Lorens	Wendy Dager	Mark Roberts	Christine Marciniak
Carole Waterhouse	Robert E. Vardeman

InLinkz.com

Mind Sieve 5/7/12

Yo!

From the Huffington Post - Cute or Creepy? 9 Animals Which Could Be Aliens. Eek!

Solar Cells Must Emit Light To Attain Perfection, Research Suggests - article by James Holloway. Not the first thing I've heard of that must go counter intuitive in order to work.

Cool Kickstarter Project Called Steampunk Holmes. They've reached their goal, but got excited just watching their video. This could be a lot of fun! 

Birth to 12 Years in 2 Minutes and 45 Seconds from Hosmeester. Fascinating to watch her age through the years. 

Storm Trooper Shuffle - Star Wars Parody (Everyday I'm Shuffling) by Scifi 3D.com

NASA - Dawn Reveals Secrets of Giant Asteroid Vesta. 

NASA - Rubber Chicken (Camilla) Flies Into Solar Radiation Storm. (I met her! I've met Camilla! I have a pic of her in a Steampunk outfit! lol).

Designing From Bones - Heaven's Monasteries from Gene Lempp. So want to visit that place! 

Author Blogging 101: Listening by Joel Friendlander. Definite food for thought!

A Conversation over at Chuck (NSFW) Wendig's Terribleminds - "Let's Discuss The Nature Of Book Promotion" - comments galore.

The One Thing You Should Do To Sell More Books by Nick Thacker. (I need clones! Clones, I tell you!

Tips For Critiquing Other Wirters' Work by Melissa Donovan. Great advice!

From Jami Gold - What Does "Writing Is Subjective" Mean? Some definite wisdom here! Tell it, sistah!

And more Jami Gold - Why Does Feedback Hurt So Much? (Even without the "I suck" factor it can hurt. lol. The better I feel about a story, the more I know it's going to get blasted! Heh heh heh.)

Have a great week everyone!

One of the Many Hats of an Author!

(Having surgery this week so prepping a post for Friday ahead of time because I've a feeling no movies will be seen for a week or two (*cry*) while I recover. Dying to see Cowboys vs Aliens and Captain America, but they will have to wait!)

Many people believe that all an author does is write their book. Twenty to thirty years ago that would have been true, but nowadays authors must wear many other hats to try to get their books out there and into the hands of readers.

One of the least expected ones (aside from Marketing Guru) is having to become an artist! And I'm not talking being an artist to make covers, I'm talking about art skills for all the extra materials you have to get out there - like logos, bookmarks, business cards, banners and more!

So anyway, I figured I'd share some of the things I've been busting myself on for the last few weeks. You see, I decided my old book marks were too boring.  Case in point:

Yeppers, the old book cover, back cover info and urls with fancy name. They've done me good service for many years, but I really felt it was time to spruce things up more! (I'd also ordered a way bigger size than I meant to back then! Oops!)

I lost a little room on what the book's about, but they look so much more handsome, don't you think?

I've double sided them, so two books per bookmark. With the last one odd out, I added a backside that I think came out quite nifty with all five covers. :)

What do you all think? Improvement or not? Do you prefer more book info? Or is the bits tantalizing enough?

I also have business card sized promo with the book cover and tag line on the front, the book back cover on the other side. Had the newest one I really wanted to show off but looks like I forgot to upload it. Will sneak it in if I can, if not, I'm sure I can find another time to foist it on you. Heh heh.

Have a great weekend!