Monday, June 20, 2016

I HAVE BOOK NEWS

I've been somewhat vague about upcoming projects, because I'm still getting the hang of this self-publishing thing, and I'm always afraid I'll jinx myself if I speak before I have my ducks in a row.

Right now, my ducks are all at least in the same pond, so here's what's cooking, by way of a long story: way back in college, when I was still considering a career as a screenwriter, I began working on what was then a pilot for a TV show featuring characters with telepathic/telekinetic abilities. I wrote two episodes, and then put them away because what was someone from Delaware going to do with TV show scripts, right?

Not long after that, I got back into writing prose fiction, thanks to participating in fanfiction forums online. So I pulled those scripts out of the drawer and rewrote them as novels. First they were two long novels. Then three short novels. Then one long novel. Over the years, they've been rewritten, because my writing skills have vastly improved in the last 13-odd years. I removed unnecessary flashbacks. Killed a small subplot. Tightened what was actually happening.

And now they're ready for you guys. As a complete duology, with book one releasing this summer, and book two in the fall. Don't worry, there are no major cliffhangers at the end of book one. I wouldn't do that to you guys.
 
 

ORACLE: The Project Files Part 1 is scheduled for release on July 18th. I will have early paperback copies for sale at the Meet the Pros event at Shore Leave 38 that weekend, for folks who attend. I've long described the books as "The A-Team with superpowers," if that piques your interest at all.

I'm super-excited to be working with the very talented Robin Ludwig Design Inc. on my cover art. She did the artwork for Requiem for the Dead and The Night Before Dead, and she killed it both times.

And to give you an idea of what to expect from this book, the finalized back cover blurb is below.
 
 

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Dr. Dean Frey is a man of science. His lifelong desire to create a better future for mankind has led him to the prestigious, and highly mysterious, Wilderness Institute of Scientific Research & Technology, as the head of their Robotics Engineering department. Building on the research and designs of others before him, Dean’s own genius culminates in the successful creation of Anthony—the first fully-automated, free-thinking android prototype. And now Wilderness wants to sell Anthony to the military.

Unwilling to allow his achievement to become weaponized, Dean reaches out to a former Wilderness employee with the resources to help him steal Anthony and relocate them both to safety. He’s put into contact with the very secretive Nick and Olivia, who ask for one simple thing in return: trust us, no matter what you see or hear. Blind trust isn’t in Dean’s cautious nature, but he has no other choice.

For telekinetic Olivia, rescuing a fellow Psion from a life of imprisonment and experimentation is one of her favorite things. Being paid is nice, but she’ll do the job for free, if it means giving Wilderness the finger. When Olivia’s reclusive mentor solicits her and her telepathic partner Nick’s help in smuggling a very special Project out of Wilderness, they jump at the chance to infiltrate their former home and do some internal damage to the institute that created them.

With their combined knowledge of the facility, breaking Anthony out of Wilderness should have been easy—but Olivia learned a long time ago to never underestimate her enemies, or the lengths they’ll go to retrieve what’s theirs. And this time, the price for stealing the Project may be more than she’s willing to pay.