Tag: ebooks

15,000 hits! Weeeee!

Wouldn’t you know it? As of yesterday, on May the 4th of all days, I discovered that my hits tracker had just broken 15,000 views. I could scarcely believe it! This little blog which I started just over a year ago to publicize my thoughts on sci-fi and share my writing seems to be reaching far more people than I ever thought possible. Yes, what stated as a humble hobby to one day be able to write for a living seems one step closer to becoming true. I’m feeling happy, grateful, and a little smug… I’d like to chase that feeling!

So here’s what I’m thinking. Over the next few days I totally want to complete my reviews of the Star Wars franchise in honor of the Star Wars Day. And this will include the newer movies since someone was kind enough to ask me what I thought about them (thus enabling me to talk some more!) After that, I will be finishing up with my posts on Data Miners, which I’ve decided I will stop after chapter 12. First ten percent is free, you gotta follow the links to get the rest 😉 And of course, I will be getting back to what’s become a segment-in-itself, the Cool Ships thing. And of course there’s Crashland and all our work over at Grim5next to talk about, plus that review of Hunger Games I promised way back when. Gotta get on that before the movie’s finished!

So that’s my plan for the next few weeks and months, part of my hope to maintain this momentum and the lovely following I seem to have built up. Thanks be to all of you for making this little hobby of mine work. Now if I could just make it pay, I’d really be in business 😉 Good day all!

Latest Reviews!

Hey all! I am happy to announce that Source has just received another positive review. This one comes from Bibliotasitc.com from a user named george g (I’ll protect your anonymity!) who generously awarded it 4/5 stars!

“A story about water, or the lack thereof. Not exactly the makings of a great story, but the author pulled it off. When I first read this, I thought it was going to be a sermon about the environment, but it wasn’t. These actually a decent story in here. Check it out.”

Thanks man! I’ll have to post more stories to Bibliotastic. As it stands, Source is my only story that made it onto that site.

Meanwhile, over at free-ebooks.net, my latest entry there (Domicile 4.5) picked up the following comment:

“Very interesting! Such good technology–made inert by the greed and slackness of man. We are still not ready, and may never be–for such good things to be reality, since with great wisdom comes great sorrow. Good reading, only a few errors!”

And check out the cover I made for the ebook! Thanks for the feedback, folks! Looking forward to adding new material and seeing what people have to say about it.

New Covers up at Lulu.com!

Not too long ago, my hard drive crashed… again. Which naturally wiped out all the lovely covers that I’ve created since launching my site. Which was okey-dokey for me because it gave me the chance to update them. The ones I produced over at Lulu.com were not bad, but hardly the kind of thing that I felt dazzled the eye. So, having rebuild my harddrive from nothing, I managed to turn out some new covers as well for all my ebooks and short stories. Click on the links below to see what they look like now (all PDF files):

Eyes
Turncoat
Vega
Flight

Come by my Author Spotlight at Lulu to have a look-see.  And stay tuned for the release of Data Miners, coming soon to Lulu, Smashwords, Nook, and Amazon Kindle.

Dataminers.Lulucover

New Cover/New Book!

With all the work and build-up to the release of Data Miners, I’ve been somewhat lax in working on my other projects. Like I say, I suffer from a specific kind of ADHD that only attacks the literary part of the brain. As a result, I tend to take on too many projects at once, always start new ideas when I’m in the midst of one, and seem to work on them in a rather cyclic fashion. But during the last few months, I somehow managed to buckle down to complete my novel, and now my attention is roaming free again.

And so I find myself returning to the project of “Fortress”, which for the past two years has been the work-in-progress title for the sequel to Source. The other day, I noticed a comment on free-ebooks where a reader wondered when the sequel would be coming. To answer his question: Soon! The nearly-completed manuscript has been sitting in my file folder for almost two years now. Back then, I attacked the idea of some Source sequels with abandon, having finished the original story not long before. However, the project soon lost momentum as new ideas came to me (of which Data Miners was but one!) But now, having freed up a portion of my creative gland (you don’t need the whole thing for editing, I’ve found) I will be getting back on it and finishing it just as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I also created a cover for it, to be made available on Kindle, Nook, Lulu and Smashwords. Here she is, my first conception of what “Fortress” will look like:

Reviews are In!

Reviews are In!

Recently, I had the honor of enlisting the services of a freelance critic and literary enthusiast named Katy Sozaeva. After our initial meeting and some back and forth regarding what she does and what I write, she agreed to take on some of my work for the sake of giving it all a professional. Naturally, I volunteered my earliest stuff, the short stories that have been available online for some time: Source, Liability and Smartbomb.

Even though she was quite busy and had a stack of books a mile high, she swore to me she’d get to my stuff sooner other than later. Well, I had almost forgot about our discussion, being a man who clearly suffers from ADHD when it comes to my writing. And then, wouldn’t you know it, I happened to be checking out Goodreads and noticed she had reviewed all three in full and posted her thoughts! Here’s what she said:

Source:

“The Earth and its colonies are running out of water. The government, left with no options, decides to hedge its bets by creating a colony ship and sending off the best and brightest to colonize the stars, while at home strict rationing and a lottery system to decide who should live and who should die will be instituted. Millions will die, either of thirst or through violence. However, a scientist comes up with a daring idea in order to provide additional resources and keep humanity alive in the Sol system – reclamation. All bodies will be reclaimed for the source, providing fluids, minerals and other essentials. How will humans develop, at home and in the stars?

This was an interesting science fiction story, as well as showing the dangers of continuing to destroy the environment for short-term gains. To us, it seems almost impossible that we could ever run short on water, but it will happen if we don’t stop polluting the water sources and start paying attention. However, the book is not a sermon – it is also entertaining with an intricate plot and plenty of suspense. Fans of sci-fi should definitely check this book out. Williams also has some short stories, including “Smartbomb” and “Liability,” which I will be reviewing over the next few days.”

And sure as shooting, she did!

Liability:

“With crime spreading out of control, and martial law proving ineffective, the US passes the Libertarian Act, which allows private citizens to become bounty hunters and earn a living by bringing in criminals, dead or alive. While the crime rate has dropped substantially, there are some who feel that this method infringes on their right to due process and an individual’s protection under the law. Now, with the crime rates falling, the bounty hunters don’t have as much work, and are looking for ways to maintain their lifestyle. What sort of solution will they come up with? And why are bounty hunters now disappearing?

I was interested by the idea of the Libertarian Act – I’m one of those who believes that people should have the right to protect themselves and that by making guns difficult or illegal to own, all that will be accomplished will be ensuring that only criminals will have them, which hardly solves the problem. I was interested in the fact that this situation was presented in such a way as to make the common hunter, as they call themselves, seem like a decent person just trying to do their part for community and country. A well-written short story that raises interesting questions – recommended!”

Smartbomb:

“The major alliances in the world have developed Smartbombs, bombs with artificial intelligence that are controlled by a Central AI and designed to carefully destroy only enemy targets while keeping civilians and architecture safe. However, a major crisis is arising and suddenly the Central AI has denied access to everybody. What has happened? Has it been hacked into? And what will happen to the armed forces without the protection of the Smartbombs?

An interesting what-if situation regarding the evolution of warfare and the evolution of artificial intelligence, this short sci-fi story packs a lot of pop into a short piece. Those with an interest in sci-fi, short stories, and the evolution of awareness should find this piece interesting.”

How nice! Glad she liked them, really glad she found the time to take them on. Speaking of which, another review has shown up for Source over at free-ebooks.net.  I’ve been meaning to take it down that site, but wanted to keep it up a little longer. Good thing, because then I saw this one:

“Great read. Took a few pages to get into, but well worth it. Understand there is to be a sequel; however, still wish the ending had not been so abrupt. That being said, definitely look forward to the reading the continuation.” – J

And he’s right, I’ve been tinkering with a sequel to Source for some time, by the name of Fortress.  I guess I’ll have to get on that now. Can’t disappoint a reader, even if it’s just one, dangit! But Source is definitely coming off soon so get your free copies while you can!

For those interested in more reviews by Katy Sozaeva, check out her site. No spamming please, I have a reputation to uphold ;)!

Katy Sozaeva at Livejournal

And of course, where to find my stuff:

free-ebooks.net

Amazon-Kindle

Lulu.com

Smashwords.com

Data Miners… coming in 2012!

Data Miners… coming in 2012!

Well, its official now… My latest full-length novel, Data Miners, is set to be released in January  2012! In the coming weeks, expect podcasts (available here and on iTunes), sample chapters, and links to where you can obtain the first few chapters for FREE! This book has been many years in the making and I’m quite excited. I hope people enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it and thanks in advance to those who contributed their time and energy in helping me to create, edit and polish it up! You know who you are… But just in case, thanks to the following people:

Carla Jack (my love!)
Ben Stone
Katrina Cain
Anik Gour
Anne Koke
and Jasper (who’s caused a couple of crashes that made me rethink my plot lines!)

Couldn’t have done it without you. And just for fun, here’s a gander at what it will look like in paperback, plus the contents of the dust jacket. Paperbacks will be priced at $12.99 (available through Amazon, Lulu, and Createspace), and $2.99 for ebooks (available through Kindle and Nook)

Dataminers:

Prad is a member of the Deemarchy – an elite society dedicated to finding patterns in the chaos and fighting the power! Or so he thinks. In reality, he is a second-rate programmer who works for a faceless company and is obsessed with a woman he can’t possibly have. Until one day when a mysterious package arrives, throwing him into a mystery ten years in the making. Whoever knows about it is not safe, as the case is a matter of national security… and treason. If he can crack the code, he just might be able to save his friends, but if he can’t, he and his friends are screwed! Like everything else in Prad’s wireless world, the answer is out there, just waiting to be mined!

More Reviews

Some more reviews are in! Again, these are just for the free samples I’ve made available on a couple of ebook sites, but that’s what they’re there for! Besides, feedback always matters to me and I take it seriously wherever it comes from. For the sake of the commentators anonymity, I’ve also substituted their full names with initials. Here’s what people said:

Source:
K.K from free-ebooks.com writes:
“I enjoyed reading this, but was a bit distracted by the number of mistakes. Please have someone edit this book. Ta”

*Good advice. The free version of Source remains the most unpolished version I have. I’ll get right on it!

K.Z.F. from Authonomy.com writes:
“interesting start, I like the setting a lot”

*Hope that feeling lasts, the setting kind of jumps around after the beginning!

Liability:
B.A. from free-ebooks.com writes:
“It’s a well conceived and beautifully delivered novel. I wish it has more pages for a more lasting reading.”

At the same site, J. D. writes:
“Good story. Gets you wrapped up in the action right away and doesn’t stop till the end.”

and T.P. writes:
“Dont look behind you when you read this novel, they may be watching you. thoroughly enjoyable reading.”

*All good. Especially the part about expanding it. I was told, frankly and helpfully by a fellow author that the story needed more action. I shall deliver!

No comments from Obooko.com, but Source has been given five stars from three reviewers, Smartbomb‘s been given five stars from two, and Liability five stars from one.

New Ideas, New cover art, and Happy Birthday Pop!

So it’s been a pretty interesting month, and kind of productive (after a fashion). It seems that I can never maintain productivity in just one area, its always a few at a time and never quite consistently! I’ve described this before as literary ADHD, but I think OCD might also fit in there somewhere. One project gets all my attention for awhile, then I get bored and jump to another, or invent another entirely. I wonder if there’s a form of riddlin specially made for writers.

But before I go on, let me take this opportunity to say Happy Birthday to my Pops! How’s it feel to be… 40-ish? You’re only as old as you feel, right? In addition, hope you’re having fun in Tofino, sorry we couldn’t make it out.

As for news from my end of the island, my running projects are coming along, slowly: Genome, Akuma, and Dataminers. I was really hoping to be done those at this point, especially consider I have been hit by a new idea which has been occupying more than its fair share of my attention of late. With all the talk of debt crises and the possibility of defaulting in the US and the EU, I got to thinking about what the long term consequences of that might be. As usual, convergence takes place! Something in the news combines with something you’ve been reading, and – boom! – you’ve got an idea about the near-future where a second Great Depression hits, politics get radicalized, and quasi-fascists take over! The working title for this one is Republic, and I’ve even managed to write out a tentative outline and most of Part I (not to mention the manifesto that is the centerpiece of the novel). While I still need to create an original cover for it, the working one I have says it all. Check out it and the new covers I’ve devised for my latest works below.

I’ve also gone back to writing articles for Universe Today, as always on the subject of particle physics, astronomy, and everything in between. And, along with the good folks over at authonomy.com (i.e. other newby writers), I’ve begun re-promoting both Source and Liability. And of course, I’ve spent much time training and gearing up for my TaeKwon-Do test which is tentatively scheduled for the end November. If all goes well, I will have instructor certification in not one, but two TKD federations. With that under my belt (no pun!) I will finally be able to open my own school! Oh, and that reminds me, congratulations Ryan on getting your personal trainer certificate! With luck, we could open a full-on fitness school together!

Data Miners (Opte cover)
Republic (working cover)
Genome cover
Akuma cover

Reviews are in… well two anyway!

The reviews are in from fans who have taken time out of their busy day to post reviews for a story of mine. The story in question is Liability, which has been downloaded 2470 times and added to 33 personal libraries! Here’s what two of said people have had to say:

“Good story. Gets you wrapped up in the action right away and doesn’t stop till the end.”

“Dont look behind you when you read this novel, they may be watching you. thoroughly enjoyable reading.”

Just what I was going for too! Good to know other people spot this stuff, even better when they spot things you yourself didn’t intend when you wrote it. But that’s how it goes, oftentimes the reader will reveal things of the text that the author did not realize they were including, but which is no less valid (at least that’s what T.S. Eliot tells us!) More to come soon.

free-ebooks.com