Critically acclaimed Author Scott Overton Draws a Picture of a Troubling Future in Indigent Earth

 

Critically acclaimed Author Draws a Picture of a Troubling Future 

Will the rich and powerful abandon the Earth? 

Sudbury author Scott Overton has conjured up a compelling adventure story that explores today’s social divides taken to the extreme. 

The inequality between Earth’s rich and poor has grown even larger since the Covid-19 pandemic. Studies proclaim that the world’s eight richest men own as much wealth as the poorest half of the Earth’s population, and the planet’s two thousand billionaires account for more than 60% of the world’s total wealth. Where will it end? 

Along with that, we’ve all witnessed 2023 as a year of disastrous heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and devastating floods. Climate change is here with a vengeance. What if it’s too late to turn things around?

 

In Overton’s new science fiction novel Indigent Earth, the wealthy “one-percenters” have abandoned our ravaged planet 500 years earlier to go live in space colonies, leaving the survivors on Earth to live in stagnating communities known as Allocations. Now the colonists plan to come back. Earthman Killian Morningcloud dreams of the colonists’ return, hoping to become one of them. Colonist aristocrat and celebrity Natira Celestia is eager to visit Earth and meet the “noble savages” she’s sure must live there. Killian and Natira’s calamitous meeting will shatter their dreams and hurl them into a struggle for survival as they pursue the darkest secrets of the rich and powerful. 

“It’s an entertaining and gripping adventure story,” says Overton, “but with strong themes of colonialism, and economic inequality. The truth is, being on the wrong side of the ‘privilege gap’ could happen to any of us in the years to come.” 

Are things really so bad that those with the means might actually abandon the Earth? Overton points out that we’ve been polluting our home planet for most of human history, but especially in the past century, when we’ve devastated plant and animal species, acidified vast oceans, and turned the very climate against us. 

“I don’t want to believe there’s no hope of fixing these problems,” Overton insists. “But too many of the world’s most powerful people are still blocking the changes needed because their personal fortunes are threatened. And since billionaires are now dominating space industries, I don’t think my fictional scenario is implausible.” 

Still, he stresses that Indigent Earth is an adventure, not a lecture. “Killian and Natira are about as different as two people can be—both strong-willed with deep convictions, yet forced to work together. So, it was fun to write such a charged relationship.” 

A well-known radio morning host for more than 25 years in Sudbury, Overton has built a second career as an author. His radio-themed debut novel Dead Air was shortlisted for a Northern Lit Award in 2012, and his science fiction/thriller novels The Primus Labyrinth, Naïda, and The Dispossession of Dylan Knox have been well-received too, with readers most often comparing them to the work of Michael Crichton. The writer considered the ‘dean of Canadian science fiction’, Robert J. Sawyer, said of Overton’s thriller Augment Nation: “Scott Overton is a terrific writer and his vision of tomorrow is both realistic and frightening. Read this book!” 

Indigent Earth and all of Overton’s books are also available online in eBook and print (find them at your favorite outlet using these universal book links: https://books2read.com/IndigentEarth or https://books2read.com/ScottOverton ). If they aren’t in stock at your favorite local store, they can be ordered. Or ask for them at your local library. 

MORE INFORMATION  

www.scottoverton.ca

Facebook              https://www.facebook.com/ScottOverton.author  
Twitter                 @SFtruenorth
Goodreads            www.goodreads.com/ScottOverton 

To request additional review copies or an interview with Scott Overton, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.  

We look forward to the coverage!

MJ Moores dishes on her upcoming NEW RELEASE - The Hollow Kiss: White Raven Book 1!

 

Welcome back to my good friend, MJ Moores, who has some EXCITING NEWS to share!!

Imagine procrastination and stubborn perseverance getting together and procreating – that would be what MJ faces when she looks in the mirror every day. Her stubborn mind-set has gotten her into trouble more often than she’d care to admit.

But, that spunk and tenacity shine in her eyes when you speak with her, and it carries in the excitement of her voice. Get her talking about writing and the world of publishing, next thing you know she’s outlined the manuscript of your life and you can’t wait to write it. Granted, the instant MJ is required to do something she’s not particular about, procrastination tendencies creep in like assassins in the night.

MJ’s love of reading and writing at a young age drew her to adventure books of all genres. While she currently enjoys writing science-fiction and fantasy, her focus is on balancing the internal and external journey her characters make as they learn about themselves and face their darkest fears – this might take place on another planet, on a university campus, or in a magical realm; but there’s always an exciting adventure to spice up her work.

MJs dedication to her craft shows not only in the twenty-odd books she's written, but in the fact that she continues to share her knowledge with writers at every stage of their journey through networking, seminars, and workshops. These days, she's taken to coaching Indie Authors on the basics of DIY publishing as she readies to launch a new urban fantasy series. 

Website and social media

mjmoores.com

@AuthorMJMoores (both Facebook & Twitter) 

What would you say are your strengths as an author?

Hmm, strengths come in many different shapes and sizes (lol). I would have to say it's my ability to keep an open mind and to trust both my instincts and the process. I have developed a healthy balance of pantsing and plotting (plantsing?) now that I have a decade of publishing behind me and several decades of learning the craft. I have honed my storytelling telling ability but not my ego (lol). Yes, I trust myself and my process, but without the equal trust I place in my writing partner, critique groups, and editors, I would not be the writer I am today.

How often do you write, and do you write using a strict routine?

In my bio, you may have noticed my mention of a stubborn mindset. Frankly, I don't like being told what I can or can't/shouldn't do. I immediately have to prove them wrong or rebel in some way. Even if it's me giving the guidelines to myself :P So, nothing is set in stone. Do I like writing in the mornings? Not particularly. But it's a general habit I've gotten into because evenings are too busy with other things. Do I write every morning? Heck no. I work part-time at the library and some days my shift is the early one. Generally, on days that I don't get to write in the morning, I will spend the afternoon working on client projects or my own editing. My goal at each writing session is to complete either a scene or a chapter. This usually spans between 2-3 hrs of steady writing time.

Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

Ha! I'd love to say working on my writing full time and supporting my family with my earnings, but that was my goal five years ago! Realistically, I see myself continuing to put out two or more novels a year, starting a new pen name for my contemporary writing, and doing my best to help other writers reach their goals.

If you could offer once piece of advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Keep writing. Even on days you can't find the muse, write anyway. Write about the weather or what you did that morning or why you hate cheese (personally, I love cheese but at times it hates me!). By practicing your craft, and reading in the genres you like to write in, you will absorb intrinsic storytelling knowledge and grow and improve and challenge yourself. Always be open, but filter any advice or criticism with an eye toward your personal goal for that work, and what experience that person brings to the table. Stay true to you, but don't forget to learn and grow.

What would you consider to be the best compliment a reader could give your book?

When they say, "I couldn't put it down. Where's the next one?" LOL! It means I did my job well.

What are you working on now?

I am getting ready to launch my brand new urban fantasy trilogy. The Hollow Kiss: White Raven Book 1 encompasses everything I ever wanted to write: the world, the characters, the magic system, the wild supernatural beings, the adventure, and the emotional ups and downs. This isn't the first story or the last I'll ever write, but it's the one I was meant to write. The one all this practice and research and studying and reading and more reading (lol) grew inside me. Book one will launch December 11th, 2023, book two is set for February 2024, and once I've written book three, I'll let you know when that one will come out ;) All kidding aside, the trilogy will be complete by spring of 2024. And if the world likes it, I'm ready to turn it into a full-blown series :D

 

 Bloody Walls and Supernatural Espionage Were Not on the Final Exam

Graduation meant a whole new world away from the labels of outcast and freak, but a supernatural abduction leaves Corvina Dray with a hole in her memory and a deadly kiss.

Inexplicably drawn to a dark stranger in a back alley, Dray’s soul-sucking lip-lock lands her with a DB and the local PD on her trail. Then, a girl she doesn’t remember shows up out of nowhere and helps her dispose of the corpse.

Dray’s dead-body-bestie initiates her into an underground world with only one rule— expose the fae and suffer the consequences. But navigating this piranha-paradise to hunt down the maniac responsible for her transformation is likely to kill her… or worse.

Can Dray reverse the curse before she spends the rest of her life in an orange jumpsuit?

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CG3Y6BBB

Announcing The Tangled Stars by Saskatchewan author Edward Willett

 

Con-man, cop, and a talking cat who becomes a starship captain at the heart of twelfth novel for DAW Books by Saskatchewan author Edward Willett

A con-man, a female cop on the moon with secret revolutionary leanings, and a genetically modified, AI-uplifted talking cat who eventually becomes a starship captain are at the heart of The Tangled Stars, the twelfth novel by Saskatchewan author Edward Willett for New York’s DAW Books, one of the world’s premiere publishers of science fiction and fantasy. 

More than a century ago, the network of MASTTs, the space-time tunnels that made interstellar travel possible, violently collapsed, the backlash destroying a lot of the solar system’s space-based infrastructure. Cooper “Coop” Douglas, a thief and conman, is in serious debt to outer-system crime-lord Eric Galioto. While trying to salvage a valuable chunk of a space station destroyed by the backlash, Coop makes a startling discovery: MASTT Primus, the tunnel that used to lead to New Earth, is open again. That raises an intriguing possibility: Coop could flee the solar system and his debt to Galioto and make a new life—and possibly fortune—around another star. 

Accompanied by his first mate, the wisecracking, AI-uplifted, genetically modified cat Thibauld, Coop sets out to “liberate” the solar system’s only remaining functioning starship from an Earthside museum, enlisting the help of Laysa Grey, a former-lover-turned-cop on Luna. Along the way, he is pursued by Galioto and dogged by law enforcement and thugs. 

And beyond MASTT Primus, the tangled stars await . . . 

Edward Willett is the award-winning author of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction for readers of all ages. He's also host of the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers, featuring conversations with science fiction and fantasy authors about the creative process, and owner and publisher of Shadowpaw Press, which publishes new work by established and emerging authors and new editions of notable, previously published work. 

His previous DAW novels include Marseguro (winner of Canada’s top science fiction award, the Aurora Award, for Best Long-Form Work in English), and its sequel, Terra Insegura (an Aurora finalist); Magebane (written as Lee Arthur Chane); the Masks of Aygrima fantasy trilogy (written as E.C. Blake); the stand-alone science fiction novels Lost in Translation and The Cityborn, and the three-book Worldshapers series. Willett is also the author of The Shards of Excalibur modern-day YA fantasy series, originally published by Coteau Books, and Star Song, a finalist for the 2022 Aurora Award for Best Young Adult Novel, among several others. His YA fantasy Spirit Singer won a Saskatchewan Book Award and he’s been a finalist many times. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan. 

Edward is available for interviews, media appearances, speaking engagements, and/or book review requests. Please contact mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com by email or by phone at 403.464.6925

Abigail, a science fiction/horror novel by acclaimed horror author, Daemon Manx

 

ABIGAIL!

A book that combines Science Fiction and Horror into a place of twists and turns unimaginable by critically acclaimed horror author, Daemon Manx! 

The book is published by Last Waltz Publishing and is available worldwide in all formats

 

Abigail is the continuing Science Fiction - SciFi - Horror story about Adrian Billard, a Gay man whose life gets turned upside down.

"At the beginning of the third decade of the twenty-first century, being gay wasn’t supposed to be that big of a deal. It wasn’t supposed to be something you needed to hide in a closet, and it wasn’t supposed to be something that made you feel any less than the guy next door—certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Sadly, Adrian knew differently. He had experienced what it was like to grow up in the south in the “so-called” time of equality. He had known what it was like not to fit in. He had been called all those awful names, and he had felt the fists of acceptance. The horrible truth was that despite how progressive the world might have become, things caught on a whole lot slower in the south."

  Adrian has given up on the chance of ever finding true love, what with on-line dating and living in the bible belt, then he meets Dr. Mike. On what should be the happiest night of Adrian's life, his world is turned upside down by a strange package left on his doorstep. A baby-like no other baby he has ever seen stares up at him from the tangle of pink blankets.

Abigail: A Science Fiction Horror Story with a Surprise Twist Ending - Kindle edition by Manx, Daemon. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

 

Abigail: Manx, Daemon: 9798542682549: Books - Amazon.ca

About Daemon Manx:

Daemon Manx is an award-winning American author who writes horror, suspense, supernatural, and speculative fiction. Daemon has recently been nominated for the 2021 Splatterpunk awards for his debut, Abigail in the best short story category. In 2021 he received a HAG award for his story The Dead Girl. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), and the Horror Authors Guild (HAG) and has been featured in magazines in both the U.S. and the U.K. Daemon lives with his sister, author Danielle Manx and their narcoleptic cat, Sydney where they patiently prepare for the apocalypse. There is a good chance they will runout of coffee far too soon.

"A wide pair of violet eyes looked up at him. Silver flecks around the reptilian pupils flashed in the pale glow of the porch light. A hypnotic chimera washed over him as he fixed on the strange gaze. Suddenly, he felt weightless and out of the body; the sense that he was floating several feet above the ground was consuming. Adrian found himself face to face with the most peculiar vision. A small note accompanies the odd little girl."

“Please take care of my daughter. Her name is Abigail.”
A wash of emotion overcomes Adrian as he looks into the eyes of the strange but perfectly beautiful child. He is overcome by a sense of belong, a feeling of contentment, and the overpowering emotion of love. Abigail is the singular most perfect creature he has ever seen. He knows in an instant that he has been chosen to care for and protect this wonderful blessing. But there is something very different about Abigail...

How can Adrian care for a child on his own? He is a single, gay man who knows how difficult life can be when you are different ... and Abigail is different indeed.
He decides he must do whatever it takes to ensure the safety and well-being of little Abigail. And as the days and the weeks pass by, Adrian learns more about himself then he ever thought possible. He has been struggling with the ridicule and abuse he himself faced as a child and has suppressed those feelings for so long. But Abigail has a strange effect on anyone who comes in contact with her. Whoever sees her is overcome with joy and a sense of unconditional love.

"When all the projections of the unforeseeable future were reduced to one moment and all the pretentiousness of the “so-called” modern world were stripped away, the beauty of acceptance and unconditional love was all that mattered. The ability to love one of God’s creatures unencumbered by prejudice or fear was a quality that Adrian had seen little of in his lifetime. It was also an attribute he had no idea he might possess. But now he thought, maybe... just maybe.

The continuing story of Abigail follows the family through their life experiences. Part one is the telling of Abigail's introduction into Adrian Billard's life and the initial problem that creates. Part two, due out early next year, takes place fifteen years later and follows our family though those very trying times in a young girl's life: The Wonder Years. High school, puberty, and dating ... oh my!

On the surface it is a sci-fi horror story, but Abigail touches on some very deep topics. Racism, bigotry, homophobia, and ultimately, acceptance and unconditional love.
Watch for more titles to come in the Abigail Universe.
Strange things come in small packages. 

 To request additional review copies or an interview with Daemon Manx, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.   

We look forward to the coverage!

Shadowpaw Press releases Shapers of World Volume 2

 

Anthology from Saskatchewan publisher features short fiction by
bestselling and award-winning science fiction and fantasy authors

For the second year in a row, Regina publisher Shadowpaw Press (www.shadowpawpress.com) has produced an anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories that includes works from multiple bestselling and award-winning authors from Canada, the United States, and Australia. 

Edited by Regina author Edward Willett and releasing November 2, 2021, Shapers of Worlds Volume II, a sequel to last year’s Shapers of Worlds, features new stories from Kelley Armstrong, Marie Brennan, Garth Nix, Candas Jane Dorsey, Jeremy Szal, Edward Willett, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Lisa Foiles, Susan Forest, Matthew Hughes, Heli Kennedy, Helen Dale, Adria Laycraft, Edward Savio, Lisa Kessler, Ira Nayman, James Alan Gardner, and Tim Pratt, plus reprints from Jeffrey A. Carver, David D. Levine, Carrie Vaughn, Nancy Kress, Barbara Hambly, and S.M. Stirling. 

All of the authors were guests during the second year of Willett’s Aurora Award-winning podcast, The Worldshapers (www.theworldshapers.com). Among them are winners of and nominees for most of the world’s most prestigious awards for science fiction and fantasy literature. 

Like the “cabinets of curiosities” created by collectors of the sixteenth century, Shapers of Worlds Volume II displays a varied array of thought-provoking delights: tales of humour and sorrow, darkness and light, and hope and despair that are full of adventure, full of life, and sometimes full of regret. There are stories set in alternate histories, in possible futures near and far, and in the here-and-now, taking place on Earth, on distant planets, or in fantastic realms. All arise from the innate need of human beings to create, to imagine . . . to shape worlds. 

Willett is himself an award-winning author of more than sixty books of fantasy, science fiction, and non-fiction for readers of all ages, including eleven novels for New York’s DAW Books. His twelfth novel for DAW, the humorous space opera The Tangled Stars, will be out in 2022. His most recent release is the young adult outer-space adventure Star Song (Shadowpaw Press). In The Worldshapers podcast, Willett, a former newspaper reporter and editor and radio and television host, chats with other science fiction or fantasy authors about their creative process. 

Both Shapers of Worlds and Shapers of Worlds Volume II were Kickstarted, with each raising approximately $16,000 CDN in pledges. Like last year’s anthology, Shapers of Worlds Volume II is available through all major retailers as well as directly from Shadowpaw Press. 

Edward is available for interviews, media appearances, speaking engagements, and/or book review requests. Please contact mickey@creativeedgepublicity.com by email or by phone at 403.464.6925

Artifact Space, a new release from Miles Cameron

 

ARTIFACT SPACE

THE NEWEST NOVEL BY CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR,

MILES CAMERON 

A fresh and zingy space opera for fans of Revenger by Alastair Reynolds, The Expanse by James S. A. Corey and The Lost Fleet novels by Jack Campbell

Out in the darkness of space, something is targeting the Greatships. 

With their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city, the Greatships are the lifeblood of human occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume - and value - of goods from City, the greatest human orbital, all the way to Tradepoint at the other, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species. 

It has always been Marca Nbaro's dream to achieve the near-impossible: escape her upbringing and venture into space.

Amazon.com: Amazon.com: Artifact Space eBook: Cameron, Miles: Kindle Store

Amazon.ca: Artifact Space: Amazon.ca: Cameron, Miles: Books

“With all the thrills and intrigue of classic Space Opera served with a very modern heart, Artifact Space is a wild and hugely entertaining story” - Edward Cox, author of THE RELIC GUILD            

 “Now I've read Artifact Space I know what it's really going to be like serving aboard an armed interstellar merchant ship, with a smart lead character as my companion. Can't wait for part two.” - Peter F. Hamilton, author of The Night’s Dawn Trilogy

 

ABOUT MILES:

Miles Cameron is a full-time writer who lives in Canada with his family. He also writes historical fiction under the name Christian Cameron.

His works include both the critically acclaimed Chivalry and Tyrant series.  Artifact Space is his newest novel. 

More information can be found about Miles at:  My Books • Christian Cameron (christiancameronauthor.com)

To request additional review copies or an interview with Miles Cameron, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: Mickey@CreativeEdgePublicity.com/ 403.464.6925.    

We look forward to the coverage!

   

Gollancz

Blog Hop - What I Write and Don't Write

Paul Carr invited me to join in a blog hop with authors talking about what they write and what they don't write. Today, this is about all I'll get to write as I'm preparing for a company picnic tomorrow! So how did I get involved in this? It all started with Paul who writes:

Dr. Joan Curtis recently tagged me for this blog hop to post my version of "What 3 Things Do You Write? What 3 Things Don't You Write?" Dr. Curtis is an award winning writer who has published 5 books and numerous stories. Her newest mystery/suspense novel, The Clock Strikes Midnight will be released this fall. 

So what do I write? The 3 things I prefer to write are:

Cozy Mystery: I am currently editing my newest novel, a cozy set in a small Great Lakes town. It's the first book I've written that is only on one point-of-view and has a little more romance than any of the others I've written.
Young Adult: I have written many stories and novellas over the years, most of which reside in my closet. Bit by bit, as my work is published, I am unearthing and revamping the older books, many of which are Young Adult. Being the mom of 3 teenage boys, this seems like a good area to dabble in!
Short Stories: One of the things I love to do in my writing group is work from prompts. In fact, that is where a great many of my short stories--and novels--are born. I do have a collection of short stories I'm pulling together. All I need is a serious edit, and a few more stories!

The 3 Things I don't write are:

Erotica: I have many friends who write erotica and hard-core romance novels. Somehow, I just can't bring myself to write "those" kinds of scenes. Maybe it's hearing my mom's voice in my ear saying, "I can't believe you'd write something like that!"
Science Fiction: While I love to create new places, new people, new situations, the thought of creating whole new worlds is a bit overwhelming.
Horror: Things that go bump in the night are the last things I want to think about. I've never been a horror movie buff, yet love to read Stephen King and John Saul. I've just never tried to write like them.

Glad you popped by. Feel free to visit Paul Carr and say hello. A fellow mystery writer, his Sam MacKenzie books are a lot of fun and adventure all set in the tropics of the Florida Keys.