While we're talking about good fiction, I thought I'd pass along a review of Cirsova issue #5, which was dedicated to Lovecraftian-type tales. The review is from writer Dave Higgins, who opens with this:

"[Editor] Alexander gathers a series of tales that suggest what might happen if people of violence and cunning rather than book-learning faced Lovecraftian threats." 

Sounds like a winning combo to me! 

Check out his review on his blog, which is here: https://davidjhiggins.wordpress.com/2019/11/22/cirsova-heroic-fantasy-and-science-fiction-magazine-volume-1-issue-5-ed-p-alexander/
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​(Note that no stories of mine or Mr. Higgins appear in the issue -- this is a totally non-biased push!)

Just a quick mid-week note to tell you about a book I’ve been reading and a limited time Kindle Countdown deal on a couple of mine.
 
I’ll try to keep it short!
 
First up:
 
I told you about Kings of the Wyld some months ago, which I enjoyed immensely. Nicholas Eames comes back for the sequel with Bloody Rose, which moves on to the next generation: Golden Gabe’s badass daughter, the merc with a chip on her shoulder known as Bloody Rose.
 
While I loved the first book, this one... Was good, it really was! Same humor and classic fantasy tropes used to good effect. Cool characters and lots of great character development. If you read Kings and want more (as I did), Rose probably has just what you need.
 
So where’s the but I’m hinting at?
 
I tend to get bored with extra long books. I probably complain about “kids today” and their short attention spans decayed by Youtube and cellphones and all that crusty curmudgeon stuff, but I have my own limits on attention span, too. The book is about 500 pages, as was Kings. My problem with Rose, though, is that it just seems to take too darn long to get where we’re going. I’ve gotten through page 400, where the final conflict seems right there, ready to go! And yet, it takes another 100 pages to resolve it!
 
That’s just too much for me.
 
I imagine there’s way more scene and sarcasm and extra funny little details in there than I feel necessary, just like the previous 400 pages. Those are great fun elements, but like anything, there can be too much of a good thing. For me and my tastes, I’m just tired of some of the fun extra padding and am ready for the story to move on and wrap up. I envision that needing way less than another 100 pages to get done, and so... I’m out. The book overall just has too much filler for me. At 400 pages, maybe 425, I think it’d be perfect. But 500 is just more tastee food than I can eat. I’m full and just can’t take anymore. I wish we’d gotten to the last course of the meal before I get saturated, cuz now there’s no room for dessert. Sorry.

Ironically, King of the Wyld actually reminded me very much of my own fantasy novel, Tarnish. Even down to the names and descriptions of some of the characters and the whole retired heroes theme. And, doubly ironically, some folks might think that Tarnish doesn’t need to quite be 400 pages long. I can see that opinion and respect it, but I disagree. (So do the 20 reviews on it thus far, giving a 4.5 star rating overall.)
 
If you haven’t read Tarnish yet and are curious, now’s a great time to try it. This week only it’s on a Kindle Countdown Deal at half price: only $2.99 instead of $5.99.
 
The prequel, The Prince of Luster and Decay, is also on a Kindle Countdown, only $0.99 instead of $2.99.
 
These are only available on the US and UK Amazon sites (sorry, not my decision) and only for 4 more days!
 
Try these buttons to check them out. Since the two books are linked as a series, you can get to one from the other.

And as a reminder, my space pirate novella The Lion’s Share is also $0.99 while it’s in preorder, which is just until Monday!
 
Have a good week, weekend, and month of November! I’ll “talk” to you again next month for the year-end wrap-up!

Happy early winter... I guess.

I like snow but I'm not a huge fan of 30-degree drops in temperature. Or of a quick end to what might be my favorite season, fall. (As in "dramatic fall in temp and/or snow, I guess.)

But I do like November. My birthday's next week, Four Days of Feasting after that, and then the rather rapid wind-down of the year. (Not that any of us can believe that 2019 is over already. Holy cow, have I been in a coma or something?) 

Well, I should be writing right now, so I'll cut to the chase.

Do you like space pirates? 

How about wily rogues with snippy lips and secretly golden hearts? (Well, maybe not golden... Would you believe silver? Slightly tarnished?)

My Captain Leonidas Hawksblood stories first appeared in Hugo-nominated Cirsova Magazine. I have since been planning to write a series of novels featuring the The Lion's Share and its crew but... Well, let's just say it's on the list. And since I currently have to handle a 45-hour-a-week job and be a single parent most evenings, I'm not getting to write those anytime soon. 
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(Right now I'm working to finish a 3rd Identity Crisis Superhero book so I have a nice, rounded trilogy done before weighing my next project for 2020. I have lots of sci-fi stuff that's been waiting patiently for years. Actually, I have a whole crap-ton of ideas that have been waiting for years. Damn day jobs!)

Anyway, I figured I might as well put these out as-is for now and worry about "the further adventures of" when I get to it. 

The paperback version (if I were to make one, which I probably won't at this point) would be 116 pages. That's 116 pages of wise-cracking space piracy for $0.99 during the preorder period, which lasts until Monday, November 25th. After that, the price will go up to $2.99 for the foreseeable future.   

If you want to check it out at your favorite ebook retailer, just click the button below. It's a universal link, which will give you options on where you want to shop (Amazon, B&N Kobo, Apple, etc.)

Thanks and have a good weekend!