Tales From the Lyon’s Den cover
Today is release day for Tales From the Lyon’s Den (Lyon’s Den for short from here on). Nineteen authors, eighteen stories (for those doing the math, yes, there was one collaboration in the anthology), over one hundred and sixty thousand words (most novels are about a hundred thousand or so, so this is a thick book). This is my second anthology in the Four Horsemen Universe (4HU for short from here on). And to everyone who will wonder, no, I have not stopped writing in my own universes. However, this was a fun gig, a great universe to write in, and I couldn’t resist. I also know a lot of the authors in this volume, either personally, having met them at cons or workshops, or by reputation. All are what I would consider very skilled at their craft, capable of writing very interesting stories. I don’t consider myself a great literary writer. I write good entertainment, good enough that a lot of people buy and enjoy it. But we have some future stars in this lineup.
Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey have created a monster of a series. Lots of books, lots of authors, a huge central story arc and a bunch of side stories. A great series to get into as it is large and growing and promises to provide a lot of great reading for the military science fiction fan. They could have done well by themselves, but instead they opened the universe up to other authors such as Kacey Ezell and Kevin Ikenberry. And myself. And they opened it up to even more with the anthologies. It was a win-win. Chris and Mark gained new stories and the possible attention of other fan bases, while anthology authors were able to get their names out there to a new audience. The 4HU is a great thing in my opinion, opening up a whole new universe to explore and a great group of authors to sample. I recommend, if you haven’t read the 4HU, to go out and get this anthology, and then start getting the novels, including, ahem, the one I will talk about in a bit. If you have already read a book or two in the universe, or all of them, what in the hell are you waiting for. Go out and get Lyon’s Den, right now. Until you do, I will be sending psionic waves your way, forcing you to do my will. You have been warned.
In other news from the 4HU, there is a card game in the works, along with a Kickstarter campaign. The Omega War 4HU card game needs your help, troop. So, if you want this project to succeed, get on over there and plop down your credits. I had been remiss in doing so, and just gave them a few of my hard earned bucks.
When Eagles Dare Cover.
I will not be talking about my other projects on this blog. Just know that there are bunch of them, including books in several of my series, and some new stuff. But the one I want to talk about here is. When Eagles Dare, my novel entry into the 4HU will be out next month. I am exciting to be finally getting my foot in the door in this successful franchise with this novel. Those who have read my story, With The Eagles, from the anthology For a Few Credits More, will recognize many of the characters. And I introduce a new mercenary race, as well as some original aliens. I think fans of mine will like this novel. No, it isn’t Exodus: Empires at War, but it has the same gritty action and combat as those books. I would appreciate it if you would saunter on over to Amazon on release day and pick this one up. Coming in October.
Next up: My Adventures in Self-Publishing. What I have done right, What I have done wrong, What I am experimenting with now. I think this will be of interest to people who are already self-published or currently trying to make it.