On sale – #steampunk novel Nefertiti’s Heart by AW Exley!

I’m helping with a little bit of cross-promotion for the big sale that my publisher is having! Today’s post is Nefertiti’s Heart, by A. W.Exley. If (like me) you’re interested in steampunk, then don’t miss this one!

Not convinced? Read more (and buy Sanity Vacuum, already.)

Get lucky with Sanity Vacuum!

Cara Devon has always suffered curiosity and impetuousness, but tangling with a serial killer mightcure that. Permanently.

London, 1861. Impoverished noble Cara has a simple mission after the strange death of her father- sell off his damnedcollection of priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when aristocratic beautiesstart dying of broken hearts, an eight inch long brass key hammered through their chests. A killerhunts amongst the nobility, searching for a regal beauty and an ancient Egyptian relic rumored tohold the key to immortality.

Her Majesty’s Enforcers are in pursuit of the murderer and they see a connection between thegruesome deaths and Cara. So does she, somewhere in London her father hid Nefertiti’s Heart, a fistsized diamond with strange mechanical workings. Adding further complication to her life, notoriouscrime lord, Viscount Nathaniel Lyons is relentless in his desire to lay his hands on Cara and thepriceless artifact. If only she could figure out his motive.

Self-preservation fuels Cara’s search for the gem. In a society where everyone wears a mask to hidetheir true intent, she needs to figure out who to trust, before she makes a fatal mistake.

Author Bio:

Books and writing have always been an enormous part of Anita’s life. She survived school byhiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, sheovercame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning toread hieroglyphics.

Today, Anita is a writer living in rural New Zealand, surrounded by horses and homicidal chickens.Being a bona fide corset wearing, sidesaddle riding freak, probably explains her fascination forhistorical novels She loves to blend steampunk adventures with an Egyptian twist and turn up theheat.

Sci fi novel Sanity Vacuum on sale! Experience the insanity for 99 cents

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and for that I’m very sorry. I’ll try to make it up to you, by telling you about my awesome publisher’s Luck of the Irish St. Patrick’s day sale!

Get lucky with Sanity Vacuum!

Just like the nice skull in the leprechaun hat says, the sale lasts from Match 17 – 23! That means you have lots of time to pick up a copy of your very own!

Come find out what this fresh concept science fiction featuring sentient AI, deep space and a plethora of human failures is all about. Get Sanity Vacuum, today!

Already own Sanity Vacuum? Sink your teeth into Theocracide, another great high tech sci fi from Curiosity Quills Press.

The Worldbuilding Blogfest: History & Government of The ABACUS Protocol universe

I’m back and better than ever. I’m taking part in Sharon Bayliss’ Worldbuilding blogfest. I’d like to flesh out the world that Sanity Vacuum and the rest of The ABACUS Protocol take place in.

I’m running a day behind, but I’m going to come out swinging with an article on the history and government of The ABACUS Protocol.

The ABACUS Protocol takes place almost 1000 years in the future. In The Pandora Machine (book 2), I establish the date as being 2998-2999. History repeats itself, and many expect the new millennium to herald the end of galactic civilization.

The first colony, Aurora, was founded about 800 years before the events of Sanity Vacuum. The Auroran sun, Helios, is highly unstable, and the first colonists crash landed. The date of planetfall became known as the First Thanksgiving–because they made it to a new world alive. The Second Thanksgiving is the date of the first harvest on their new world, and is celebrated a few weeks before the first in a calendar year. The Thanksgivings are usually referred to collectively.

Over the centuries, other planets were settled. Elyssia, Caesarea, New Damascus, Nova Albion and Kanadia Prime are the most notable colonies.

Until the late 2800s, the galactic hegemony was ruled from Earth. The ABACUS Incident changed everything. ABACUS gained sentience, and in response Earth was cut off from the rest of the galaxy. Humanity plummeted into another dark age, from which it had only recently begun to recover.

The ABACUS Protocol was created so no supercomputer would ever reach sentience, again.

Now, the galactic hegemon is a figurehead, and most planets are self-governing.  Caesarea is ruled by its ruthless Imperatix, and most other planets follow the democratic model. The Epsilon Eridani spaceport was orphaned after the fall of Earth, and is run by a board of administrators. Aurora is controlled by the Traditionalists–anti-technology zealots.

Want more? Tomorrow, I discuss Religion & Culture in The ABACUS Protocol.

Sanity Vacuum, book one of The ABACUS Protocol, is available in paperback and all ebook formats!

 

Book Review: Theocracide by James Wymore

It’s not often that I get the privilege of reading really great science fiction. There’s ample amounts of terrible and mediocre science fiction out there, but so seldom do you see anything that might just be as readable a century from now as it is today. Theocracide really shines in its treatment of relevant modern-day issues, plotting and character development. In a way, it felt a lot like Ender’s Game in terms of its levels of intrigue and depth, but without all the stupid little geniuses.

Instead, I was treated to character development and a dismal future Earth. Aliens. An Undying Emperor. All kinds of fun stuff. It intermingles the best in cognitive dissonance with action, and the result is outstanding. I was always pushing the “one more chapter” self-delusion, well passed my bedtime. I so badly needed to put all of the little pieces together. There are hooks galore in this story. Aliens. Undying emperor. Crazy hermit guy. A love story is a world where nobody loves anything but their computer. It’s a breaking down of the lies we allow ourselves to be sold in return for comfort.

At its core, Theocracide addresses the concept of pervasive apathy in a society. Then, it drags in other themes. Colonialism. The hypocrisy of an American Emperor. The perversion of religion to suit the needs of the rulers. It’s a very wild ride. My only (albiet minor) complaint: all of the chapters are prefaced by a news story. It took a while for them to integrate with the rest of the story, as they initially didn’t sync well. But, by the time to story caught up, I was glad they had been included! They give a better feel to the world, and make Earth seem more rounded and complete.

I was provided with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Paradise Earth: Day Zero by Anthony Mathenia

End-of-the-world scenarios are a dime-a-dozen. From your everyday zombie apocalypse to a giant meteor smashing the Earth, it’s all been done. But, what if an event that is suspiciously like the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ prophesies came to pass? Smart, believable, and certainly blasphemous to our door-to-door friends, Mathenia’s Paradise Earth hits hard and hits home. I read it in four hours, without putting it down.

The first chapter won me over. Its darkness and utter despair pulled me in–the imagery and emotion of it was like a punch to the gut. I needed to know what happened. After that, I was held captive by the storytelling. The narrative follows an unnamed brother throughout the early stages of the apocalypse. The dissection of his faith and the loosening boundaries in his mind between past and present are fascinating. Much of the character’s back story is explained via flashback, which makes it seem as though two stories are being woven together.

In the end, all he has left is his naked faith.

As far as religious-themed books go, this one is presented in a way that both the religious and non-religious can take enjoyment in. Perhaps not for the same reasons, but I can see it as being interesting to either perspective. It’s not preachy and does not seek to give the heavy-handed treatment to the reader. You’re left to draw your own conclusions, much like the main character has to. I greatly enjoyed the Zombie Bible for similar reasons, so if you’re familiar with Litore’s work then you’ll have an understanding of the treatment faith has.

I was given a copy for purposes of posting an honest review.

Cover Reveal: The Charge by Sharon Bayliss

Questions for quIRK blog hop winner!

In order to build some excitement for my debut novel, Sanity Vacuum, my partner in crime Courtney Worth Young and I threw a blog hop. Now, I’m about to announce the long-awaited, celebrated winner of the grand prize.

First, let’s roll that cover again.

Beautiful.

And, the winning question belongs to James Wymore! What did he ask?

Well, James just happened upon the entire theme of the second novel with no foreknowledge whatsoever. So, he wins extra-big there.

The question: What is the role of freedom in obtaining happiness?

It’s deep. It’s pertinent to daily life. I love it.

Congratulations, James!

Book review: The Green-Eyed Monster by Mike Robinson

I was asked to review Mike Robinson’s new book “The Green-Eyed Monster.” It’s a paranormal horror/mystery that twists through the interlinked lives of two men: Martin Smith and John Becker.

This is a mystery laced with metaphysical and philosophical questions. You start off at the end–the final battle in the war between two competing giants. Much of the rest of the book is presented in flash-back, where the characters who had been influenced by the tendrils of chaos that emanate from the two boys tell their story.

The two main stories are those of Mrs. Chatsworth, their first grade teacher, and Harry Zweig, a classmate of theirs. This makes up the real meat of the book. Each character had a distinctive voice, and even though you knew in advance what happened to them, their stories were fascinating. They felt like real people–or as real as possible when their reality is rapidly approaching insane. These stories take up the majority of the book, which is good, because they’re what I most enjoyed.

The monster/philosophical part never takes concrete form–the “grandfather” can always been identified by his butterflies, but he seldom communicates directly with the characters. What is interesting is how both Becker and Smith appear to be two halves of the same soul–their books are almost identical, as are their life stories. They don’t really seem human–too lost in some other world to interact with the other characters well. It makes them seem mysterious and a little dangerous–especially after Mrs. Chattsworth’s story is told.

In short, don’t accept favors from anyone’s grandfather. Ever. Bad idea.

quIRK #SanityVacuum Contest Hop

Sanity Vacuum is coming soon (tomorrow!) and I’m announcing a blog hop. But first, I’m going to give a big shout-out thank you to Courtney Worth Young for not only helping me set this up, but donating part of the prize! Also, she’s helping me host a super-cool twitter party (details at bottom).

The rules are simple: you need to answer the following question on your blog, and sign up for the linky so I can find it:

Q: If you could ask a quIRK, the supercomputer, ANY QUESTION in the universe, what would it be? Why?

The prize:

1. A gifted copy of Sanity Vacuum, donated by Courtney
2. The winning question will appear in book two of The ABACUS Protocol, The Pandora Machine.

Happy Hopping! The contest will run through December 12 and the winner will be announced on Monday December 17th. Good luck all!

 

WE WILL BE PARTYING ON TWITTER DEC 6, 2012 FROM 8:00pm – 11:00pm EST using the hashtag #sanityvacuum. Prizes will be given to random participants every 30 minutes! Make sure to join us! I recommend using Tweetchat to keep up with the conversation. It’s simple, free, and you won’t miss a second of the Q&A, revelry or debauchery.

I’ve been tagged! – Author tag

I’ve been chosen to participate in the life-or-death game of Author Tag by James Wymore, a fellow CQ author.

What is the working title of your book?

Sanity Vacuum. It’s part one of The ABACUS Protocol. It was the first good name I came up with, and it stuck.
Where did the idea come from for the book?

I used to do psych studies when I was in university. It was an easy $10 or $20 when good food was hard to come by. I was biking there, and the original story idea came to me. It’s morphed a bit, but the general idea is kind of the same.
What genre does your book fall under?

Science fiction.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I honestly have no idea. I don’t pay attention to actors as a rule.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

What is self-awareness, and why does quIRK care?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m being published by Curiosity Quills Press.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

One month. It was part of NaNoWriMo 2011.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’m honestly not sure. quIRK could be construed as a bit like Data from Star Trek. A galactic human civilization is a pretty common theme. Like Dune, there are no sentient alien species. I took some inspiration from a made-for-TV movie called Moon, too. (Amazing movie, totally check it out. I love the AI/robot character.)
Who or What inspired you to write this book?

It’s mostly based on my love of science fiction, and my fascination with sentient artificial intelligence. I’ve always wanted to meet one.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I try to explore some deeper things–elements of sentience, intelligence and ethics. How does quIRK evolve from an automation into a self-aware superintelligence? Can the human characters accept him, or will they recoil from the revelation that humanity isn’t the only known form of sentient “life?”

Also, the character Alec. He’s just so outrageous, but he has a heart of gold.

 

Now, it’s time to tag. I choose… Courtney Worth Young!