FRIENDS IN DEED - 27 March 2016

Time for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!

Welcome back to another week of Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday crews! If you haven't already, catch up with my previous snippet, where Aston has been dumped on a prison planet, was chased by a pale, naked psychotic giant with a homemade boulder/tree mallet, and was saved at the eleventh hour by a homemade arrow out of nowhere.

And now, without further adieu, I present the final snippet from my Aston West novel, Friends in Deed. Enjoy!

He couldn’t pull it out from the front, so reached back. The beast’s mind finally gave up hope as soon as his fingers felt a stone tip emerging from the back of his neck. His eyes rolled up into his skull, then he fell backward.

The corpse splashed down and huge waves pushed against me. I jerked my head around and stared at the opposite bank. There, a bow in his left hand and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back, stood the man who’d just saved my life.

Elijah Cassus.

* * *

I shot awake, drenched in sweat and breathing heavy. The ship was rapidly decelerating, and something was definitely wrong. My ship’s computer usually gave me advance notice before we dropped below the hyperspeed threshold.

And there you have it...if you want to find out who Elijah Cassus is, I'm afraid you'll have to buy a copy over on Amazon (and while you're there, pick up one of my other titles). That, or you can make your deductions based on the blurb below. Please check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors! See below for more info on Friends in Deed.

Aston West was condemned to life on the prison planet Lycus IV for spitting in a man’s face. Being forced to reside with the likes of murderers and thieves, he owes his freedom to Lars and Elijah Cassus, who orchestrated an escape. Now the twin brothers call in the favor and force him to return with their team to Lycus IV to rescue crewmate Leah Jordan.

Aston discovers Leah’s desire to leave the twins forever, but Lars and Elijah use fear and intimidation to control their group and no one leaves alive. It’s a case of kill or be killed and Aston will need to become more like the brothers than he ever wanted.

FRIENDS IN DEED - March 20, 2016

Time for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!

Welcome back to another week of Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday crews! If you haven't already, catch up with my previous snippet, where Aston has been dumped on a prison planet, has just fallen in a riverbed, after being chased by a pale, naked psychotic giant with a homemade boulder/tree mallet.

And now, without further adieu, I present the continuation of my Aston West novel, Friends in Deed. Enjoy!

I flipped over and faced my attacker as his cold, dark shadow enveloped me. Milky-white foam oozed over his lower lip, dripping long strands toward the water below.

“Prepare to meet your maker!”

He raised the mallet high above his head. At least my death would be quick, but I couldn’t say much for painless. I shut my eyes tight and waited for the crushing blow.

A sharp whistle passed overhead and the giant beast gasped and choked. My eyes flashed open as the beast dropped his weapon into the river behind him.

Only one object stood between me and oblivion, a homemade arrow buried in his neck, with feathers fashioned into rear fins.

Oh, wow! That was sure a close one! But hopefully whoever shot that arrow is a friend, and not a foe...

Hope you enjoyed the snippet, and if you want to catch the rest of the book, it's available over on Amazon along with all of my other titles. Please check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors as well! See below for more info on Friends in Deed.

Aston West was condemned to life on the prison planet Lycus IV for spitting in a man’s face. Being forced to reside with the likes of murderers and thieves, he owes his freedom to Lars and Elijah Cassus, who orchestrated an escape. Now the twin brothers call in the favor and force him to return with their team to Lycus IV to rescue crewmate Leah Jordan.

Aston discovers Leah’s desire to leave the twins forever, but Lars and Elijah use fear and intimidation to control their group and no one leaves alive. It’s a case of kill or be killed and Aston will need to become more like the brothers than he ever wanted.

***

As a little side bonus,  you can also catch weekly snippets during my posts with Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday from this book's companion title (and fourth book in the series), All Good Things, with this link to the final snippet...

FRIENDS IN DEED - 13 March 2016

Time for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!

Well, hopefully this week will go better than last, and maybe Google won't eat comments to the blog post randomly (and in great quantities). Welcome back to another week of Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday crews! If you haven't already, catch up with my previous snippet, where Aston has been dumped on a prison planet and is being attacked by a pale, naked psychotic giant with a homemade boulder/tree mallet.

And now, without further adieu, I present the continuation of my Aston West novel, Friends in Deed. Enjoy!

He hoisted his club and swung it. I stumbled back and it sent a breeze across my face. Escape was my only chance for survival, so I turned toward the opposite bank and sprinted across the riverbed.

“Your punishment is death! Vengeance is demanded!”

I high-stepped through the water while the beast screamed bloody murder. I didn’t want to look back, because that would leave no doubt he gained on me.

My foot tripped over a cluster of submerged rocks and I splashed into the cool, clear water.

Oh, no! Let's hope Aston can find a way out of this one, because it's not looking good for him...

Hope you enjoyed the snippet, and if you want to catch the rest of the book, it's available over on Amazon along with all of my other titles. Please check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors as well! See below for more info on Friends in Deed.

Aston West was condemned to life on the prison planet Lycus IV for spitting in a man’s face. Being forced to reside with the likes of murderers and thieves, he owes his freedom to Lars and Elijah Cassus, who orchestrated an escape. Now the twin brothers call in the favor and force him to return with their team to Lycus IV to rescue crewmate Leah Jordan.

Aston discovers Leah’s desire to leave the twins forever, but Lars and Elijah use fear and intimidation to control their group and no one leaves alive. It’s a case of kill or be killed and Aston will need to become more like the brothers than he ever wanted.

***

As a little side bonus,  you can also catch weekly snippets during my posts with Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday from this book's companion title (and fourth book in the series), All Good Things, with this link to the final snippet...

FRIENDS IN DEED - 6 March 2016

Time for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!

Well, hopefully this week will go better than last, and maybe Google won't eat comments to the blog post randomly (and in great quantities). Welcome back to another week of Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday crews! If you haven't already, catch up with my previous snippet, where Aston found himself on a prison planet and accosted by a pale, naked giant running towards him.

And now, without further adieu, I present the continuation of my Aston West novel, Friends in Deed. Enjoy!

His makeshift mallet towered above his head, a boulder strapped into the fork of a tree branch. I jumped aside just before the weapon crashed down.

One of his eyes grew crazy-wide, while the other glazed over. Saliva dribbled from his lips. “I am King of the Wooded Realm! You dare invade my territory?”

This wasn’t a fight I planned to stick around for. This beast was obviously psychotic, and they were always the worst type of violent.

Obviously not too friendly, and armed to boot? Aston better figure a good way out of this one...and fast!

Hope you enjoyed the snippet, and if you want to catch the rest of the book, it's available over on Amazon along with all of my other titles. Please check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors as well! See below for more info on Friends in Deed.

Aston West was condemned to life on the prison planet Lycus IV for spitting in a man’s face. Being forced to reside with the likes of murderers and thieves, he owes his freedom to Lars and Elijah Cassus, who orchestrated an escape. Now the twin brothers call in the favor and force him to return with their team to Lycus IV to rescue crewmate Leah Jordan.

Aston discovers Leah’s desire to leave the twins forever, but Lars and Elijah use fear and intimidation to control their group and no one leaves alive. It’s a case of kill or be killed and Aston will need to become more like the brothers than he ever wanted.

***

As a little side bonus,  you can also catch weekly snippets during my posts with Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday from this book's companion title (and fourth book in the series), All Good Things, including my latest snippet from yesterday...

SFFS: Snippet #6 From ALL GOOD THINGS

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

I'm back with another snippet from my new Aston West "series" novel, All Good Things. If you didn't already realize it, the new novel is now fully available over at Amazon (in print and e-book) through the link above. I'll continue posting snippets for the next several weeks.

If you've missed an excerpt or more, be sure to check them out through the following:

Snippet #1
Snippet #2
Snippet #3
Snippet #4 
Snippet #5

First, the blurb for All Good Things:

 A new ship. A new love. A new life.

An old nemesis could end it all.

Space pirate Aston West never truly came to grips with the death of his friend, Leah Jordan. He’s tried to move on, falling in love with his best friend, Rione Sc’lari. But the memories of Leah’s murder at the hands of twin brothers Lars and Elijah Cassus still linger, gnawing at Aston’s soul as he blames himself for her death. Even though he exacted fatal vengeance on Lars, Elijah has promised revenge for his brother’s demise.

Elijah finally reveals himself, and Aston believes his life is over. But rather than carry out his prior threat, Elijah, possessing a new miracle drug, promises to bring Leah back to life if Aston goes along with his latest diabolical plan. Will Aston risk his newfound love and join forces with the ultimate evil, just to find absolution?

Last week, Elijah had just informed Aston that he wasn't there to kill him...and now, here's the new snippet:

“Funny, those were the last words you said to me. ‘Hunt me down’ or something to that effect.”

“Time has a way of changing things, Aston. Besides, I have a little surprise for you.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out what sort of surprise he had in store, but if it meant I’d survive this, I couldn’t complain. “And that is?”

“Aston...” Warm breath eased past my ear. I hadn’t heard that voice in forever, but there was no mistaking it.

Chills raced up and down my spine as I muttered, “It can’t be. You’re dead.”

I turned on my heels and saw Lars Cassus standing right in front of me, living and breathing, and carrying a disintegrator cannon of his own. I stumbled back, trying to scramble away from the man I’d killed. The corner of his mouth curled up. “I’m back.”

Hope you enjoyed it! (And if you don't know who Elijah and Lars are, why not pick up a copy of Friends in Deed? Sorry about the spoiler in this snippet about a major plot point from that one, though...) If so, pick up a copy of All Good Things from the link above. And of course, be sure to check out all of the fabulous SFFS snippets through the link at the top of this post.

FRIENDS IN DEED - 28 Feb 2016

Time for Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday!

This is my first time joining the Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday crews! Although I could start off with the first book in my (space pirate) Aston West series, I figured I would be a bit different and go with a snippet from the second novel, Friends in Deed. Enjoy!

In the depth of my nightmares, Lycus IV would always be a formidable hell, no matter if the scenery gave off the illusion of mighty grandeur. Lush green trees lined the banks. Sporadic cloud cover offered broken views of a distant pale blue mountain range.

This prison planet’s terror was not found in its natural surroundings, but from its unwilling inhabitants.

A wide river flowed slowly before me over a bed of rocks. Filthy clothing, ripped and shredded, barely covered my bruised and bloody skin. I gazed across the clear, inviting water.

A bellow filled the air. I turned as a pale, naked giant rumbled through the brush, yelling at the top of his lungs.

What? This isn't how all of your nightmares go?

Hope you enjoyed the snippet, and if you want to catch the rest of the book, it's available over on Amazon along with all of my other titles. Please check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors as well!

SFFS: Snippet #5 from ALL GOOD THINGS

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

I'm back with another snippet from my new Aston West "series" novel, All Good Things. If you didn't already realize it, the new novel is now fully available over at Amazon (in print and e-book) through the link above. I'll continue posting snippets for the next several weeks.

If you've missed an excerpt or more, be sure to check them out through the following:

Snippet #1
Snippet #2
Snippet #3
Snippet #4 


First, the blurb for All Good Things:

 A new ship. A new love. A new life.

An old nemesis could end it all.

Space pirate Aston West never truly came to grips with the death of his friend, Leah Jordan. He’s tried to move on, falling in love with his best friend, Rione Sc’lari. But the memories of Leah’s murder at the hands of twin brothers Lars and Elijah Cassus still linger, gnawing at Aston’s soul as he blames himself for her death. Even though he exacted fatal vengeance on Lars, Elijah has promised revenge for his brother’s demise.

Elijah finally reveals himself, and Aston believes his life is over. But rather than carry out his prior threat, Elijah, possessing a new miracle drug, promises to bring Leah back to life if Aston goes along with his latest diabolical plan. Will Aston risk his newfound love and join forces with the ultimate evil, just to find absolution?

And now, here's the snippet:

I kept my focus on Elijah. “So, it’s come down to this. Gunning me down in cold blood on some random planet?”

He snorted, leveling the barrel at my chest. “Cold blood would insinuate you’re innocent, which you aren’t.”

“Aston?” Rione repeated, this time more forceful.

Elijah interrupted, “He killed my brother.”

Rione knew the background, but now reality was hitting her right in the face. She turned to face Elijah, but didn’t say a word.

I insisted, “Do with me what you will, but leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with our past.”

He laughed. “Despite what you might think, Aston, I’m not here to kill you.”

Hope you enjoyed it! (And if you don't know who Elijah is, why not pick up a copy of Friends in Deed?) If so, pick up a copy of All Good Things from the link above. And of course, be sure to check out all of the fabulous SFFS snippets through the link at the top of this post.

SFFS: Snippet #4 from ALL GOOD THINGS

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

After taking a week off for my annual pilgrimage to Dallas for ConDFW, I'm back in the saddle again for another snippet from my new Aston West "series" novel, All Good Things. If you didn't already realize it, the new novel is now fully available over at Amazon (in print and e-book) through the link above. I'll continue posting snippets for the next several weeks.

If you've missed an excerpt or more, be sure to check them out through the following:

Snippet #1
Snippet #2
Snippet #3

First, the blurb for All Good Things:

 A new ship. A new love. A new life.

An old nemesis could end it all.

Space pirate Aston West never truly came to grips with the death of his friend, Leah Jordan. He’s tried to move on, falling in love with his best friend, Rione Sc’lari. But the memories of Leah’s murder at the hands of twin brothers Lars and Elijah Cassus still linger, gnawing at Aston’s soul as he blames himself for her death. Even though he exacted fatal vengeance on Lars, Elijah has promised revenge for his brother’s demise.

Elijah finally reveals himself, and Aston believes his life is over. But rather than carry out his prior threat, Elijah, possessing a new miracle drug, promises to bring Leah back to life if Aston goes along with his latest diabolical plan. Will Aston risk his newfound love and join forces with the ultimate evil, just to find absolution?

And now, here's the snippet:

I turned my head this way and that, trying to catch a glimpse of my nemesis. Then he stepped out of the corner shadows between us and the doorway, a disintegrator cannon in his hands.

“No...” I muttered beneath my breath.

The minimal light from the main corridor illuminated him like an angel, which I knew for certain he wasn’t. He hadn’t changed in appearance at all, wearing that same baggy white shirt buttoned halfway up his chest which did little to hide his muscular chest. Bristly blonde stubble adorned the top of his head. His face was hard and unmoving, as if chiseled in stone. A pair of tan pants and dark brown boots made him look like an extra in an old medieval holo-movie. They didn’t use disintegrator cannons in those, though.

“It’s been too long,” he muttered.

Rione was understandably confused. “Aston?” She hadn’t known Elijah Cassus, and given my choice, I would have kept it that way. Apparently, fate had other plans.

Hope you enjoyed it! (And if you don't know who Elijah is, why not pick up a copy of Friends in Deed?) If so, pick up a copy of All Good Things from the link above. And of course, be sure to check out all of the fabulous SFFS snippets through the link at the top of this post.

ALL GOOD THINGS Now Available

Taking a break off from Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday this week, as I'm currently celebrating the release of my latest Aston series novel, All Good Things. If you're in the Dallas area, we'll be selling print copies over at ConDFW (which is celebrating its 15th year). If not, pick up a copy of All Good Things through the cover link below. Here's the blurb:

 A new ship. A new love. A new life.

An old nemesis could end it all.

 

Space pirate Aston West never truly came to grips with the death of his friend, Leah Jordan. He’s tried to move on, falling in love with his best friend, Rione Sc’lari. But the memories of Leah’s murder at the hands of twin brothers Lars and Elijah Cassus still linger, gnawing at Aston’s soul as he blames himself for her death. Even though he exacted fatal vengeance on Lars, Elijah has promised revenge for his brother’s demise.

 

Elijah finally reveals himself, and Aston believes his life is over. But rather than carry out his prior threat, Elijah, possessing a new miracle drug, promises to bring Leah back to life if Aston goes along with his latest diabolical plan. Will Aston risk his newfound love and join forces with the ultimate evil, just to find absolution?

SFFS: Snippet #3 From ALL GOOD THINGS

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

For those who didn't already know, my new Aston West "series" novel, All Good Things, is now available for pre-order over at Amazon through the link. It goes live February 12, and I'll continue posting snippets for the next several weeks.

If you've missed an excerpt or more, be sure to check them out through the following:

Snippet #1
Snippet #2

First, the blurb for All Good Things:

 A new ship. A new love. A new life.

An old nemesis could end it all.

Space pirate Aston West never truly came to grips with the death of his friend, Leah Jordan. He’s tried to move on, falling in love with his best friend, Rione Sc’lari. But the memories of Leah’s murder at the hands of twin brothers Lars and Elijah Cassus still linger, gnawing at Aston’s soul as he blames himself for her death. Even though he exacted fatal vengeance on Lars, Elijah has promised revenge for his brother’s demise.

Elijah finally reveals himself, and Aston believes his life is over. But rather than carry out his prior threat, Elijah, possessing a new miracle drug, promises to bring Leah back to life if Aston goes along with his latest diabolical plan. Will Aston risk his newfound love and join forces with the ultimate evil, just to find absolution?

And now, here's the snippet:

I followed, keeping an eye on Rione, but also trying to look off into the darkness for any sign of trouble. If I saw a piece of dust floating in the air wrong, I planned to grab Rione and race out of here. She reached the huddled mass on the ground, kneeling down beside her.

“Are you okay?” She gently pushed the figure to no avail. I saw a small pool of blood below the woman’s head as Rione pressed fingers against the woman’s throat. She bowed her head. “She’s dead.”

I looked at the pool of blood again, and my gut instinct screamed. My eyes went wide and I grabbed Rione’s arm. “It’s a trap!”

“Right you are...” A familiar voice carried in from elsewhere in the room. My skin crawled.

“Elijah?”

Hope you enjoyed it! (And if you don't know who Elijah is, why not pick up a copy of Friends in Deed?) If so, pick up a copy of All Good Things from the link above. And of course, be sure to check out all of the fabulous SFFS snippets through the link at the top of this post.

SFFS: Snippet #2 From ALL GOOD THINGS

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

For those who didn't already know, my new Aston West "series" novel, All Good Things, is now available for pre-order over at Amazon through the link. It goes live February 12, and I'll continue posting snippets for the next several weeks.

If you've missed an excerpt or more, be sure to check them out through the following:

Snippet #1

First, the blurb for All Good Things:

 A new ship. A new love. A new life.

An old nemesis could end it all.

Space pirate Aston West never truly came to grips with the death of his friend, Leah Jordan. He’s tried to move on, falling in love with his best friend, Rione Sc’lari. But the memories of Leah’s murder at the hands of twin brothers Lars and Elijah Cassus still linger, gnawing at Aston’s soul as he blames himself for her death. Even though he exacted fatal vengeance on Lars, Elijah has promised revenge for his brother’s demise.

Elijah finally reveals himself, and Aston believes his life is over. But rather than carry out his prior threat, Elijah, possessing a new miracle drug, promises to bring Leah back to life if Aston goes along with his latest diabolical plan. Will Aston risk his newfound love and join forces with the ultimate evil, just to find absolution?

And now, here's the snippet:

Rione turned and looked down the corridor opposite the one that we’d used earlier. I knew what she was going to do, and wanted to object since we had no weapons and didn’t know what we were getting into. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance before she sprinted off, leaving me no choice but to follow.

I wasn’t sure if the corridor we ran through was being built, or in extreme disrepair, but half of the lights were out overhead. Several panels were removed along the walls, and resting next to their openings. My infamous gut was screaming at me that we needed our weapons for heading into the unknown like this. Rione apparently didn’t have those same qualms, as she kept up her sprinter’s pace until she came to a stop near an open doorway.

I finally caught up to her, while I huffed and puffed from the exertion, and peered inside into near darkness. The only light came from the corridor, which barely gave enough to see some sort of huddled figure on the floor.

“We have to help her.”

Rione stepped toward the doorway, but I grabbed her arm. “Something doesn’t feel right about this.” That was an understatement, as far as my gut was concerned.

“Stay here if you want, but she needs help.” She broke free and continued into the room.

Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy of All Good Things from the link above. And of course, be sure to check out all of the fabulous SFFS snippets through the link at the top of this post.

SFFS: Snippet #1 From ALL GOOD THINGS

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

It's been an extremely long while since I last posted a snippet. With a new year, I'm going to try and make a run at it again. For those who didn't already know, my new Aston West "series" novel, All Good Things, is now available for pre-order over at Amazon.

I've posted a few snippets over the last several years from this manuscript, even if it had about two or three other names at the time. I'm going to attempt to post a snippet from never-before-seen sections of the book. So, here goes...

First, the blurb for All Good Things:

 A new ship. A new love. A new life.

An old nemesis could end it all.

Space pirate Aston West never truly came to grips with the death of his friend, Leah Jordan. He’s tried to move on, falling in love with his best friend, Rione Sc’lari. But the memories of Leah’s murder at the hands of twin brothers Lars and Elijah Cassus still linger, gnawing at Aston’s soul as he blames himself for her death. Even though he exacted fatal vengeance on Lars, Elijah has promised revenge for his brother’s demise.

Elijah finally reveals himself, and Aston believes his life is over. But rather than carry out his prior threat, Elijah, possessing a new miracle drug, promises to bring Leah back to life if Aston goes along with his latest diabolical plan. Will Aston risk his newfound love and join forces with the ultimate evil, just to find absolution?

And now, here's the snippet:

We stepped toward the doors to the landing pad, which opened a moment before something clanged, echoing around us. I peered out at our ship, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Six containers were all lined up neatly underneath the ship. A yard technician was driving his tracked vehicle toward the ship, dragging along three more containers behind it as columns of smoke bellowed out of its vertical exhaust shafts. Another vehicle with huge wheels grabbed the first container with some sort of claw-like attachment on its front. Then, the second yard technician moved rapidly from the container drop-off point over to the first of the twelve bay loading platforms that were resting on the ground. Dropping it off, he went back for the next container while the lift pad began a quick trip up into its respective cargo bay. The tracked vehicle dropped off its load, and sped off toward its final load beyond my line of sight.

“Think it could have been the cargo containers?” Rione asked.

“Maybe,” I said with a grimace, “but I haven’t heard it again since we opened the doors.”

Yet again, I found myself debating the rationale behind leaving our weapons on the ship. Since that couldn’t be helped this time, I decided discretion was the better choice. “Let’s get back to the ship.”

Before we had a chance to make a move, a woman’s scream filled the foyer.

Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy of All Good Things from the link above. And of course, be sure to check out all of the fabulous SFFS snippets through the link at the top of this post.

ALL GOOD THINGS Now Available for Pre-Order

For those who haven't already been following my Facebook fan page, my fourth "series" novel All Good Things is finished, and now available to pre-order for your Kindle. The release date for both the e-book and print version is slated for February 12. So, without further adieu, here's the cover and tagline/blurb from All Good Things:

A new ship. A new love. A new life.
An old nemesis could end it all.

Space pirate Aston West never truly came to grips with the death of his friend, Leah Jordan. He’s tried to move on, falling in love with his best friend, Rione Sc’lari. But the memories of Leah’s murder at the hands of twin brothers Lars and Elijah Cassus still linger, gnawing at Aston’s soul as he blames himself for her death. Even though he exacted fatal vengeance on Lars, Elijah has promised revenge for his brother’s demise.

Elijah finally reveals himself, and Aston believes his life is over. But rather than carry out his prior threat, Elijah, possessing a new miracle drug, promises to bring Leah back to life if Aston goes along with his latest diabolical plan. Will Aston risk his newfound love and join forces with the ultimate evil, just to find absolution?

Writing Goals for 2016

Well, now that 2016 is here, it's time to start putting together a list of the writing goals I'd like to accomplish this year. It's actually pretty scary, because this is the first time in a long time that I don't already have another novel planned in my Aston West series. So, my guess is that there will be a lot of planning goals here.

 So, here goes:

1. Plot out a fifth Aston West series novel.

2. Finish a third Aston West novella.

3. Publish my new Aston novel All Good Things.

4. Publish another Triple-Shot.

5. Finish the next novella in the Max McCannor series.

All in all, it's going to be a busy year. Thanks to everyone who's purchased a copy of one (or all) of my books, and I'm looking forward to bringing you even more great stories in the near future.

2015 in Review

So, 2015 is now finished, and time to look back at my goals for the year, and see what it was that I completed...

1. Publish my new Aston short story collection, The Dirty Dozen.

Dropping "The" in the title, Dirty Dozen is now published and available for your reading pleasure.

2. Publish my new Aston novella Fallen.

Fallen is finally published and available. Pick up a copy if you haven't already.

3. Finish and publish my new Aston novel Life and Death.

Now that the book has been given another new title (All Good Things) for the second year in a row, I can happily say that I just finished final edits on this one. Hoping to have the cover art complete and printed copies ready in time for my annual pilgrimage to Dallas.

4. Publish another Triple-Shot.

This is another goal I actually did finish in its entirety...and if you haven't already picked up a copy, be sure to check out Sweet Embrace and its companion stories.

5. Finish the next novella in the Max McCannor series.

Lyndon Perry and I have both been neck-deep in other projects for most of this year. Although I've been able to get a few more chapters written on the next installment, tentatively titled Runaway, started, it hasn't gone anywhere so far.

All in all, it looks like I did a lot this year, even though I've felt like a complete sloth. Should be getting another set of goals put together for 2016 shortly.

Sales Update - December 2015

Yikes, guess it's been a whole year since my most previous sales update. I'm finally getting around to posting some updated numbers. Here goes:

Heroes Die Young has sold 504 copies (print and e-book total), which means 24 copies have sold in the last year (for a total of around 2 copies a month). This compares to 13 copies sold in the prior six months, so sales are holding fairly steady. September was the seven-year anniversary of its release, so around 70 copies per year.

Friends in Deed has sold  is chugging along at 143 copies (print and e-book total), which means that 9 copies have sold in the last year. This compares to around 9 copies sold in the prior six months, so sales are a bit down (cut in half). January marks the six-year anniversary of this one, so the average is around 25 copies per year.

Seeker is struggling along at 112 copies (print and e-book), so 15 copies have sold since the last update. This compares to 5 copies during the prior prior six months, so sales are a bit up for this one. December was the 5-year anniversary for this novel, which means we're running just under an average of around 25 copies per year.

Fallen is new since the prior update, and is struggling along at 27 copies sold (print and e-book), April is the 2-year anniversary for this novel, which means we're running around 15 copies per year).

Dead or Alive has sold 103 copies, which means 2 copies have sold in the last year, compared to 3 copies over the prior six months. This title came out in February 2011, which means that we're seeing an average of around 20 copies a year. My publisher on this one has indicated that the rights will be coming back to me on this one soon, so stay tuned...

Dirty Dozen is new to the update this year (from around August 2015), so we'll forgo any sales info on this one for now.

The Cure has now sold 119 total copies (print and e-book total), so 14 copies have sold in the past year, compared to 1 copy during the previous update. The sales on this one seem to roller-coaster, with terrible sales in the previous update, and great sales in the update before that. This book came out in July 2011), so I'm seeing sales of around 25 copies per year.

Death Brings Victory was released in March 2012, and 76 total copies have sold in the last year, meaning 6 copies have sold since the last update, compared to 6 copies during the prior six months, so sales are again cut in half. This puts it on track with most of my other titles, at around 20 copies per year.

    

I now have five Triple-Shot collections out, with the first having been released in November 2011, the second in July 2012, the third in September 2013, the fourth in August 2014, and the fifth in October 2015. 120 copies have sold, so 13 copies sold since my last update (versus 21 copies from the previous update). Breaking this down, 59 total copies of the first have sold (3 since the last update), 31 of the second (3 since the last update), 20 of the third (2 since the last update), 5 of the fourth (0 since the last update), and 0 of the fifth.

I also have my collaboration with Lyndon Perry, Escape. This title has been out two years now. I haven't gotten an update from Lyndon on all of his sales, but counting the last numbers I had from him and including my own personal sales, 25 copies have sold, so 9 copies have sold in the last year (compared to 2 in the previous update), for an average of around 2 copies per month.



Now for the analysis of this latest period:

Since my prior update, I've sold 119 books (compared to 60 books during the previous six-month update), so sales are still holding steady at about an average of 10 books per month.

And so I have a statistic when people ask (and quite often they do), the latest "total sales" number now stands at 1229 copies (counting all titles). This is why daddy drinks (if I did)...

Sadly, the low numbers cause me to lament why I spend time writing, which means I don't feel like writing more or promoting, which means the sales numbers will continue to stagnate...a vicious cycle.

Until next time, enjoy the statistics, and good sales to us all!
Thanks for stopping by!  

SFFS: Snippet #17 From Inoculation (a DIRTY DOZEN story)

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

As mentioned in prior weeks, my new Aston short story collection Dirty Dozen is available over at Amazon, I figured I'd continue on with my snippets from the last several months, and finish with one last snippet from my short story "Inoculation."

First, the blurb for Dirty Dozen:

Join space pirate Aston West in the second collection of short stories from his universe, featuring classic space opera tales by T. M. Hunter. Building on Aston's first collection (Dead or Alive), these stories feature even more wild adventures, unforgettable characters, and exciting plot twists to satisfy your space opera appetite.

So, here's the next snippet, from my short story "Inoculation":

“A momentary glitch in the lighting system. I’m currently running a diagnostic to determine the root cause.”

My tension melted away with her explanation. She’d detected the issue, unlike when all of this had started with the viewscreen. I pulled my hand away from the closet, and took a long breath to calm myself even further. The software was working after all, and I was sure I had nothing to worry about.

“Let me know what you find out, whenever you do,” I told her.

My eyes went wide and the tension all came rushing back into my body, though, with her next words. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Aston.”

And there you have it, the end of the story. Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy of Dirty Dozen from the link above.

SFFS: Snippet #16 From Inoculation (a DIRTY DOZEN story)

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

As mentioned in prior weeks, my new Aston short story collection Dirty Dozen is available over at Amazon, I figured I'd continue on with my snippets from the last several months.

First, the blurb:

Join space pirate Aston West in the second collection of short stories from his universe, featuring classic space opera tales by T. M. Hunter. Building on Aston's first collection (Dead or Alive), these stories feature even more wild adventures, unforgettable characters, and exciting plot twists to satisfy your space opera appetite.

So, here's the next snippet, from my short story "Inoculation":

Fortunately, Jeanie was already right on top of it.

“I have reconstructed our original flight plan, if you would care to resume it.”

“Certainly.”

I grabbed hold of the table nearby as we accelerated past the hyperspace threshold, and released it once we reached constant velocity.

It truly was good to have my best friend, and reliable ship’s computer, back again. As I walked through my living area, I looked around and had a half-smile on my face. I’d really grown dependent on Jeanie, and then to not have her working properly when I needed her the most? To have her actively trying to harm me within the confines of my own ship? That was something I never wanted to deal with again.

Just before I reached the divider at the living area’s front end, all of the lights flicked off and then on immediately after. Then, it did it again. I stopped, placing my hand on the closet door where my pressure suit was now stored. Every hair on my body was standing at attention. “Jeanie, what just happened to the lights?”

Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy from the link above. In fact, today only, several of my books will be available for free on your Kindle. Check out my Amazon page for specific titles.

And we are now close to the end, with next week's snippet being the last from this story...

SFFS: Snippet #15 From Inocluation (a DIRTY DOZEN Story)

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

As mentioned in prior weeks, my new Aston short story collection Dirty Dozen is available over at Amazon, I figured I'd continue on with my snippets from the last several months.

First, the blurb:

Join space pirate Aston West in the second collection of short stories from his universe, featuring classic space opera tales by T. M. Hunter. Building on Aston's first collection (Dead or Alive), these stories feature even more wild adventures, unforgettable characters, and exciting plot twists to satisfy your space opera appetite.

So, here's the next snippet, from my short story "Inoculation":

“Jeanie?” I asked.

“Yes, Aston.”

“Glad to see you back to your normal self.” On that, I was assuming, but it seemed appropriate, given the experience the technicians had with her earlier symptoms.

“It’s good to be back,” she started. A moment passed before she continued. “I would like to apologize for any actions I may have taken against you before. Apparently I was under the influence of an outside source?”

I placed the floorboard back into place. “That’s what I heard. We should be okay from here on out, based on what the maintenance technicians told me.”

“Yes, a new piece of code has appeared. There is no sign of any malicious code, and it appears to protect us from future infections.”

I smiled as I entered the living area, but then tried to remember what it was we were doing prior to Jeanie’s infection and all the subsequent issues we’d faced.

Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy from the link above.
And not to worry, only two snippets remain...

SFFS: Snippet #14 from Inoculation (a DIRTY DOZEN story)

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

As mentioned in prior weeks, my new Aston short story collection Dirty Dozen is available over at Amazon, I figured I'd continue on with my snippets from the last several weeks.

First, the blurb:

Join space pirate Aston West in the second collection of short stories from his universe, featuring classic space opera tales by T. M. Hunter. Building on Aston's first collection (Dead or Alive), these stories feature even more wild adventures, unforgettable characters, and exciting plot twists to satisfy your space opera appetite.

So, here's the next snippet, from my short story "Inoculation":

I shuddered, but at least I had my answer to my original question. Jeanie wasn’t acting of her own accord.

But that didn’t solve the overall problem. “Is there a way to fix it?”

“We have the patch to clean out the malicious code and prevent your system from getting infected again.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, not knowing what the situation would have been if that hadn’t been the case, but figuring that it would have resulted with Jeanie ending up a shell of her former self in some way, shape, or form.

I normally didn’t let other people work on my ship, but this was an emergency situation. “Let’s do it, then.”

A short while later, the technicians had done their work, and their ship disengaged from my own. I had tucked my pressure suit away, and was now stationed above the wide-open floorboard at the cargo hold’s aft end.

With a deep breath to calm myself, I placed my hand on the big throw switch and tossed it to the power position. Lights started illuminating in sequence around the panel, before the entire hold lit up once more.

Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy from the link above.