Clare Dugmore: science-fiction

Showing posts with label science-fiction. Show all posts

NaNoWriMo A-Z Challenge 2019

Yes, I know I haven't updated in almost two months. I have started writing a March entry (which will become a March/ April entry now), but I've been busy with work (YAY! I have work. More on that in the full update). But I wanted to announce my participation in both NaNoWriMo and the A-Z Challenge this April, and ask for your help.

I've always wanted to combine the A-Z Challenge with NaNoWriMo. Some of you may remember me previously serializing All It Takes for the A-Z challenge, and the format works perfectly for me.

This time around I want to write a new(?) story and post a 2,000 word instalment each day for the challenge (the title of the chapter will be a corresponding letter of the alphabet.)

My problem is which story, and this is where y'all come in.

I have four different story ideas, and I want everyone to vote on which you'd like to see me write in April. Part of my reason for doing the challenge the way I am is to attracted new readers to my work, so what better way to do so than by writing something you're all interested in?

Here are the choices (some might be familiar to you, as they're re-writes of previous unpublished works.)

1. LGBT, Sci-Fi romance about parallel universes.

A recent episode of The Flash had me wondering, if parallel universes were real, would you be drawn to the same person from all universes? What happens if you've lost your lover and meet an alternate version of them?

The story I have in mind centres around a young (25-ish) lesbian couple - Sian and Jasmine - who met in uni, and have recently gotten married. Six months after getting married, Jasmine is killed in a car accident. Sometime later, a freak storm opens the doorway between universes, and a version of Jasmine comes through from Earth 2 to Earth 1, where she meets Sian. But E2 Jasmine doesn't know Sian, because in her universe they never met and fell in love.

2. Choosing Sides; urban-fantasy about witches oppressed by the government.

Those of you familiar with my writing will know Choosing Sides is my urban-fantasy novel about three young women, who discover they have magical abilities, in a world that hates those with magic.

This will be my third draft of the story, as I try to get onto the page exactly what is in my mind.

We have Esmee, who works with the 'good' witch resistance, and believes with the right policing witches and non-magical people can live peacefully side-by-side. Nola, who is part of the 'bad' witch rebellion, and believes witches should have power over those without magic. And Maggie, who is part of the PID, a team who believe witches are dangerous and should be imprisoned/ wiped out.

3. YA fantasy about a gender-divided magical school.

This one is a new idea, and I see it as a sort of cross between The Handmaiden's Tail and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

The story centres around a magical society where males are the elite and females are inferior. Men train in magic to become leaders, military, doctors, lawyers and other esteemed professions. Women are taught housekeeping, cooking and child rearing related magic.

Breena enrols at the Arcanium at fifteen, like all others her age, and at first falls in line like the other girls, knowing no better. But as her time progresses, she starts to see the inequality in the world and forms a group to challenge it, eventually uncovering a dark secret about society.

4. Cupid; upper YA/ NA paranormal-romance.

This is another one regulars to my blog will recognise, as it's a re-write of a previously unpublished story.

Eighteen year-old Ruby Collins discovers her biological parents are fae, of the Cupid verity, and now she must give up everything she knows and loves - including her adoptive parents, and her best-friend Lucas, who she's never worked up to courage to admit she's in love with. If she doesn't embrace her new destiny as a Cupid, and help seventy-two couples fall in love before her nineteenth birthday, a dark fae named Abraxas will claim her soul.

So those are my four story ideas. Two romances (though scifi and paranormal) and two fantasy with social commentary.

Whichever gets the most votes, I will write and serialize on my blog during April, and then probably self-publish a paperback edition. The other three will be the projects I work on throughout the rest of the year - so don't worry, you will get to read all four stories eventually.

To vote for your favourite, and the one you'd like to see me write during April, please visit the following poll:

What should Clare Dugmore write for NaNoWriMo/ A-Z Challenge April 2019?

Created with QuizMaker

COVER REVEAL: Starswept, by Mary Fan

It's cover reveal day for Starswept by Mary Fan! This sweeping YA sci-fi romance will be released on August 29 by Snowy Wings Publishing. The cover features photography by Roberto Falck, with graphic design by Streetlight Graphics.

Title: Starswept
Author: Mary Fan
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Publisher: Snowy Wings Publishing

Some melodies reach across the stars.

In 2157, the Adryil—an advanced race of telepathic humanoids—contacted Earth. A century later, 15-year-old violist Iris Lei considers herself lucky to attend Papilio, a prestigious performing arts school powered by their technology. Born penniless, Iris’s one shot at a better life is to attract an Adryil patron. But only the best get hired, and competition is fierce.

A sudden encounter with an Adryil boy upends her world. Iris longs to learn about him and his faraway realm, but after the authorities arrest him for trespassing, the only evidence she has of his existence is the mysterious alien device he slipped to her.

When she starts hearing his voice in her head, she wonders if her world of backstabbing artists and pressure for perfection is driving her insane. Then, she discovers that her visions of him are real—by way of telepathy—and soon finds herself lost in the kind of impossible love she depicts in her music.

But even as their bond deepens, Iris realizes that he’s hiding something from her—and it’s dangerous. Her quest for answers leads her past her sheltered world to a strange planet lightyears away, where she uncovers secrets about Earth’s alien allies that shatter everything she knows.

Preorder the hardback on Amazon

Preorder the e-book on Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), Kobo, or iBooks

Add it on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Fan is a hopeless dreamer, whose mind insists on spinning tales of “what if.” As a music major in college, she told those stories through compositions. Now, she tells them through books. She is the author of the Jane Colt space opera trilogy, the Firedragon YA dystopia/fantasy novellas, and the Fated Stars YA high fantasy novellas. She's also the co-editor of the Brave New Girls YA sci-fi anthologies, which are dedicated to encouraging girls to enter STEM careers and raising money for the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund.

Find her online at www.MaryFan.com.

Facebook: facebook.com/mfanwriter

Twitter: @astralcolt

Instagram: @astralcolt

Excerpt from THE LIGHT FROM OTHER SUNS by V. E. Lemp

In late afternoon Karen found a quiet spot behind the main quadrangle and sat on a stone bench to capture some quick sketches of crimson roses spilling over a salmon brick wall. The scent of the flowers hung heavy in the still air. A soft hum of insect wings was all that broke the hush blanketing the enclosed garden. Colored pencils in hand, her gaze focused on the shapes and hues of the scene before her, she felt at peace.

But when a shadow fell across the grass, she turned her head. Another person had entered the garden. Much to her dismay, Karen recognized her.

It was the dark-eyed woman from the lobby of the Indigo Building.

Karen leapt to her feet, dropping her sketchpad on the bench and casting a handful of pencils across the ground.

“Please don’t be alarmed.” The woman’s voice was low and strangely lacking in intonation.

“Who are you and what’re you doing here?” Karen gazed into those odd eyes and realized the reason they appeared so dark—there was too little white encircling too much iris.

“My name is not relevant, but you may call me Alice if you wish.”

“Alice? Alice what?”

“Just Alice.” The woman moved a few steps closer.

Karen instinctively backed away. “You were in the lobby of the Indigo Building the other day, asking for Dr. Vance.”

“Yes, but I was looking for someone else. I thought Ian Vance’s name might get me into the back offices, but that did not work out as I had planned.”

“Who were you looking for? Me?”

“No, not then,” said the woman who called herself Alice. “But I am glad to have found you now. I have a message for you. And another for someone else, if you will deliver it for me.”

“I don’t understand. What kind of message? I don’t know you. Why would I deliver any messages for you?”

“You don’t have to do so, but it might be in your best interest for you to agree.” Alice turned her head slightly so her discomforting gaze was focused over Karen’s shoulder. “I am actually taking quite a risk in coming to you like this. I hope you will grant me the courtesy of listening to what I have to say.”

“Very well.” Karen sank down onto the bench. “Give me this message, or messages or whatever. I’m listening.”

“Ah, but are you really?” Alice turned her gaze on Karen, who bit her lip and tried not to look away. “I wonder. But I feel compelled to warn you, despite your intention to dismiss what I say.”

“What, you can read my mind now or something?”

Alice stared at Karen for a moment. “Or something. At any rate, Karen Foster—yes, I know who you are—here is my message for you. Leave the Morpheus Project now, before more harm is done.”

“Harm? What in the world are you talking about?”

“‘What in the world’?” A faint smile crooked the corners of Alice’s mouth. For some reason this smile was more disconcerting than any of the woman’s previous expressions. “The Morpheus Project is not what you think, Karen Foster, and you were not recruited on a whim. There is great harm in what a few individuals are doing. I know I cannot stop them. But I can at least warn you. These people—what they plan to do—could be very dangerous for you, and those around you. This is all I can tell you.”

“What do you mean, recruited? For your information, I met one of the project researchers by chance, the night that meteor struck the campus.”

“Meteor? Ah yes, I see. Clever,” Alice muttered, as if talking to herself.

“Anyway, the Morpheus Project is just a university research study,” Karen said. “You must be mad, showing up and talking about harm and danger and I don’t know what else.”

“You are probably right. I am acting irrationally.” There was a hint of sadness in the woman’s voice. “But I can assure you I would be in great danger if I were to be discovered warning you. Or contacting you at all, for that matter. I can tell,” Alice added, with another of her piercing stares, “you will undoubtedly ignore me. Very well—at least I will have the comfort of knowing I attempted to change the course of events.”

The deadly seriousness of Alice’s expression raised the hair on Karen’s arms. “Was it you, then, in the street that day?”

“No, though I am aware of that incident.”

“It looked like you. Do you have a twin?”

“A twin? I suppose you could say so.”

“You either do or you don’t.”

“Things are not always so unequivocal.” Alice appeared lost in thought for a moment. When she spoke again her voice was tinged with sorrow. “You are in great danger. Perhaps less physical than mental, but I am concerned …” Alice met Karen’s stubborn gaze. “You have a talent, Karen Foster, granted to only a few. There are those who wish to exploit it, and you.”

“I don’t understand. Are you still talking about the Morpheus Project?”

“That is part of it, yes.” The odd, dark eyes looked Karen up and down.

Karen refused to glance away. “I’ve freely chosen to continue working there.”

“Have you? I thought perhaps you had been persuaded. And by someone who should know better,” Alice added, in a softer voice.

“It’s my choice.”

“But do you know what you are choosing?” Alice sighed and turned away. She walked to the open gate, pausing only long enough to cast one more glance at Karen. “Leave the Morpheus Project, Karen Foster.” Her voice rang out across the small garden.

“Wait!” Karen jumped from the bench and took a few steps toward the dark-haired woman. “You said you had another message, one for me to deliver. What is it?”

Alice turned and her expression, full of pity and remorse, stopped Karen in her tracks. “Yes, that is correct. One more warning, though I daresay it will fall on deaf ears just as this one has. But I must try. Very well, here is the message: tell Alex Wythe now is the time to choose. Tell him to think deeply and consider all that means anything to him and then to choose wisely.”

With that, the woman left the garden as silently as she had entered. Karen, frozen in place for a moment, finally shook her head and ran after the dark-haired stranger. But when Karen reached the break in the brick wall and stepped onto the gravel path outside the garden, she couldn’t see Alice anywhere.

THE LIGHT FROM OTHER SUNS

Artist Karen Foster draws while dreaming. Scientists label her a valuable commodity. Aliens call her their perfect messenger.

Seeking money for art supplies, Karen is thrilled when charming researcher Alex Wythe recruits her for a dream study called the Morpheus Project. But the Morpheus Project is not what it seems, and neither are the detailed technical illustrations Karen draws in her sleep.

Warned off by government agent Mark Hallam, Karen refuses to leave the project, even after her fellow subjects suffer breakdowns. Like the sun, her love for Alex blinds her.

Karen believes their love is forever, until a tragic accident blasts both their lives.

Aided by Mark—as well as a UFO investigator, his psychic daughter, and the dark-eyed strangers who haunt her dreams—Karen must fight to uncover the truth.

A truth that includes humans trading lives for profits—and a powerful cabal that will kill to keep such secrets from the world.

A truth that unveils the ultimate, terrifying, reality –

We have never been alone.

THE DARK OF OTHER SKIES

Older than our recorded history, and far superior in knowledge and technology, the Oneiroi are too alien to ever step foot on Earth.

Yet, aided by powerful human collaborators, they invaded Karen's dreams, stole her art, and shattered her life.

Now Karen must prevent them from destroying her planet.

The Oneiroi, extraterrestrials who’ve studied Earth for centuries, consider humans their lab rats. But a contingent of this ancient race—seeking to halt all experimentation—has launched a rebellion. Their mission, while just, is poised to ignite a battle that could blast Earth to a cinder.

With the planet tossed like a ball between fearsome forces, hope lies with a small band of humans and sympathetic aliens. Pursued by ruthless collaborators happy to sacrifice millions to silence the truth, Karen and her allies discover that only evidence bought with blood can expose those trading Earth’s autonomy for wealth and power.

It's time the world knew --

We are not alone.

If there’s one word to describe Vicki it’s “eclectic.” Equally enchanted by classical music and current chart-toppers, and appreciative of pop culture as well as high art, Vicki loves good writing in all genres. A lifelong fan of fantasy and science fiction, Vicki also enjoys a twisty mystery or mind-expanding literary fiction. Although her focus is on novel-length works, a few of Vicki’s short stories and poems have appeared in print and online literary magazines.

Coffee, cats, and chocolate are basic essentials in Vicki’s life. A library director for a performing and visual arts university, Vicki loves foreign films, but will defend the merit of television shows like BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, FRINGE, and TWELVE MONKEYS against all naysayers. She’d be happy to travel the world, if someone would just provide the ticket.

Vicki is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel, NY, NY. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and some very spoiled cats.

Curiosity Quills Press 99 Cents Sitewide Sale

Christmas has come early to Curiosity Quills Press, and you’re all invited! Between December 12 and 24, almost all* our titles will be on 99 cents coutndown sale. To make things easier, we’ve broken the sale period down into seven different genre-based categories, with each genre’s books on sale for a two day period.

Click through the following genre-based categories for each of the seven sale periods:

Horror: December 11 - 12 | Contemporary: December 13 - 14

Science-Fiction: December 15 - 16 | Fantasy: December 17 - 18

Historical: December 19 - 20 | Mystery/Thriller: December 21 - 22

Romance: December 23 - 24

* Please note, some titles are ineligible for sale, as they’ve recently been on sale or a separate sale for them is scheduled for some point in December.

Exclusive cover reveal for The Survival Pact by best selling author Christy Sloat

The Survival Pact releases February 17, 2017 from CHBB Publishing.

Three friends. One promise. One goal. Survive.

Kami thought she'd seen it all as a small time reporter for a New York Paper, but after hearing reports of the dead crawling from graves and attacking humans, she realized the world she once knew would never be the same again. Forced to flee the city, she heads south where her two best friends Emma and Lou reside in search of answers. As a drunken joke ten years earlier, the three friends made a vow that if the world went to hell they’d survive it together, no matter what. With the pact now a reality, they are forced to face a never ending tidal wave of the dead, tornadoes, earthquakes, and massive storms with hundreds of miles to go. Along with their new dog, Snack, the girls get closer to their destination but no closer to answers as to why their world is filled with such evil. Will their plan of survival keep them alive or will they drown in the sea of the dead?

Like what you see? Add this to your TBR on https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33019390-the-survival-pact?ac=1&from_search=true

Stalker Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christy-Sloat/e/B0071MMCU6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5445209.Christy_Sloat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christysloatauthor
Blog: https://www.christysloat.blogspot.com
Twitter: @Christysloat https://twitter.com/christysloat
Instagram: http://instagram.com/christysloat_writes

Guest Post: Keeping the Romance Alive, by Samantha Bryant

Falling in love changed my life. So did falling out. Which then made falling back in again a totally different experience. I was wary now, having been burned. Now I work to keep the romance alive, making sure I don’t lose track of how lucky I am in the ordinary day to day survival of working, parenting and living.

Love is so much a part of who we are as people that it’s no surprise that it’s so large a part of fiction. Whether a novel is classified as romance or not, love is always there—in the plot, the backstory, in the hope for the future, or in its absence. Love motivates characters and informs their choices. We are creatures of the heart.

So, when I started writing books of my own, I knew romance had to be a part of it. But, I’m not a romance writer. While I love to read a good steamy sex scene in someone else’s books, I get all blushy and awkward trying to write one myself. But neither was I going to pretend that it wasn’t part of the lives of my characters. So, I had to find my way into writing about matters of the heart.

Especially for Linda Alvarez. At the beginning of Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel, Linda is a forty-eight year old grandmother. She’s been married to David her entire adult life, and they are still very much in love. He’s been her rock through all of life’s travails, including her most recent struggle: el cambio de vida, or menopause. The two have survived moving, job and money struggles, temporary separations, raising children, and aging, but their biggest challenge is yet to come.

Linda’s changes are perhaps the most dramatic of any of the women in the book. I don’t want to spoil it for you (because I’m hoping you’ll read it!) but I am proud of my portrayal of a couple that has been together for many years and is faced with a new obstacle. Linda is a crowd favorite of the main characters. I like to think it is because of the warmth of her heart, and the loyalty of her love.

Writing Linda and David is where I got my mushy-gushy on. Like Jessica, another character, said about them: “Watching them, though, she wondered if her own marriage had that kind of strength. Comparing her marriage to theirs seemed like comparing a raspberry bush to an oak tree.”

So, here’s to the oak trees! May all our sapling loves eventually brush the sky!

Going Through The Change

Going through “the change” isn’t easy on any woman. Mood swings, hot flashes, hormonal imbalances, and itchy skin are par for the course. But for these four seemingly unrelated women, menopause brought changes none of them had ever anticipated—super-heroic changes.

Helen discovers a spark within that reignites her fire. Jessica finds that her mood is lighter, and so is her body. Patricia always had a tough hide, but now even bullets bounce off her. Linda doesn’t have trouble opening the pickle jar anymore…now that she’s a man.

When events throw the women together, they find out that they have more in common than they knew—one person has touched all their lives. The hunt for answers is on.

Sale

Going Through the Change is going through a change in price for a couple of days in early August. On August 5^th and 6^th you can get the Kindle edition for free on Amazon. Check it out at: http://bitly.com/face-the-change

Samantha Bryant

Samantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her debut novel, Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel is now for sale by Curiosity Quills. You can find her online on her blog, Twitter, on Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads, on the Curiosity Quills page, or on Google+.

Memorable Monday: Primetime and After Dark Cover Reveals

Happy Monday, Folks! Once again I forgot/ ran out of time in the week for Favourites Friday. I'm making no promises this week ... perhaps I should only post Favourites Friday once a month?

Thanks to all those who signed up for the Curiosity Quills Anthologies Cover Reveal on last week's Working Wednesday post.

The big moment has arrived, so without further ado, may I present the official covers for the Curiosity Quills Anthologies Primetime and After Dark ...

Curiosity Quills Press brings some of their bestselling authors together to create a spine-tingling, mind-blowing, quirky collection of short stories in their first ever, annual PRIMETIME Anthology, and its steamier, sexier counterpart, AFTER DARK.

Scheduled for release 7th October, 2013. Available in digital and paperback formats, with an IndieGoGo campaign launching after release to fund the hardback version.

The anthology is not limited to one specific genre, but all of our novels are guaranteed to be quirky and paranormal, in some way or another. We also guarantee 10% of every purchase will go straight to animals in need. The CQ team has selected humane societies on both the East and West coast that spend well and do not stray from the “no-kill” policies of their strays.

Primetime Featuring:

J.R. Rain, Tony Healey, A.W. Exley, Vicki Keire, A.E. Propher, Eliza Tilton, Gerilyn Marin, Grace Eyre, James Wymore, K.H. Koehler, Matthew Graybosch, Michael Panush, Michael Shean, Mike Robinson, Nathan Yocum, Nina Post, Rand B. Lee, Randy Attwood, Sharon Bayliss, William Vitka.

After DarkFeaturing:
A.W. Exley, Jose Prendes, Nathan Yocum, Jade Hart , Gerilyn Marin, A.E. Propher.

Official Primetime Page | Primetime on Goodreads

Official After Dark Page | After Dark on Goodreads

About Curiosity Quills Press

Curiosity Quills launched in 2011 by writers, for writers, presenting uniformly top-notch quality, tastefully curated, hard-hitting storylines. We know it’s hard to stand out from the crowd when it’s millions large, but Curiosity Quills Press helps level the playing field through its members’ innovative social media approach, a transparent culture, and a deeply passionate team.

The 3rd book of the Backworlds series is out!

Blurb:

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe.

To secure his future, Craze must propel his world into a more prosperous era. Only days away from the grand opening of his new and improved tavern, he is confronted by a loony Backworlder intent on mucking up his plans. Gaunt and trembling, she claims her spaceship is possessed. She also has a connection to the underworld that shakes loose the dark past of one of Craze’s closest friends. It all threatens to end Craze’s prosperity before it begins.

Meanwhile off world, Captain Talos works desperately to outwit the mercenary Jixes and lure them away from his and Craze’s budding prospects. The mind-control weapon Talos uses against them is wearing thin, and his next move may be his last.

Will Craze and Talos’s efforts bring about a grand new age of boom or damn them to forever struggle in the dust?

Paperback Available from:

Amazon / AmazonUK / OtherOutlets

Ebook Available from:

Amazon / AmazonUK / KOBO / BN / Smashwords / OtherOutlets

iTunes, Sony, and other links will be coming.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

M. Pax is author of the sci-fi series, The Backworlds, and the new adult urban fantasy Hetty Locklear series. A Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.

You can find Mary at the following places: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

The Backworlds Book 2 is Out!

Today I have the very special privilege of taking part in the Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge launch, the second story in the Backworlds series by M. Pax. A vision of how humanity might colonize the galaxy some day in the distant future.

The sequel to The Backworlds is now available. Craze and his friends continue their adventures in Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge. See what role chocolate plays in the galaxy this time.

The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned the enemy to Pardeep Station. A betrayal worse than his father’s, if Craze lives to worry about it.

Available for all ereaders from:

Amazon / Amazon UK / B&N / Smashwords

iTunes and Kobo will be available shortly.

If you haven’t read The Backworlds yet, it’s available as a free read from many outlets. See HERE for links. [http://mpaxauthor.com/the-backworlds-series/backworlds-the/]

Inspiring the words M. Pax writes, Mary spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the husband unit and two loving cats. She write science fiction mostly and has a slight obsession with Jane Austen. Mary blogs at http://www.mpaxauthor.com/blog/

The Backworlds is Here!

Today I have the very special privilege of taking part in The Backworlds launch, the first story in the Backworlds series by M. Pax. A vision of how humanity might colonize the galaxy some day in the distant future.

The Backworlds

After the war with Earth, bioengineered humans scatter across the Backworlds. Competition is fierce and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father decides to hoard his fortune by destroying his son. Cut off from family and friends, with little money, and even less knowledge of the worlds beyond his own, Craze heads into an uncertain future. Boarding the transport to Elstwhere, he vows to make his father regret this day.

Available from: Amazon / AmazonUK / Smashwords / Feedbooks

Other links to more outlets can be found at either Wistful Nebulae or MPax

The Backworlds is an ebook and a free read. All formats can be found at Smashwords and Feedbooks.

It’ll take a few weeks to work its way down to free on Amazon Kindle. It will also be available on B&N and iTunes. Sign up for M. Pax’s mailing list to be notified the day it does go free on Amazon, and when the book becomes available at other outlets. You’ll also receive coupons for discounts on future publications. NEWSLETTER

M. Pax’s inspiration comes from the wilds of Oregon, especially the high desert where she shares her home with two cats and a husband unit. Creative sparks also come from Pine Mountain Observatory where she spend her summers working as a star guide. She writes mostly science fiction and fantasy, but confesses to an obsession with Jane Austen.

She blogs at her website, www.mpaxauthor.com and at Wistful Nebuae. You’ll find links there to connect on Twitter, Goodread, FB and other sites.

The sequel, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, will be released in July 2012. It will be available in all ebook formats and paperback.