Books

“Dog Save the King” – Submission Call From Hemelein!

Max Books! , , , , , , ,

Heads up, writers! Hemelein has posted their call for new short story submissions to the latest LTUE Benefit Anthology, titled Dog Save the King!

The LTUE Benefit Anthologies, if this is the first you’re hearing of them, are a feature of Life, The Universe, and Everything, a Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writing Convention/Symposium that’s nearing its 42nd year. The anthology collections, in addition to being fun short story collections full of all sorts of neat shorts, are actually a charity benefit, the proceeds from their sales used to support the cost of running the convention so that students—from elementary school to college—can get in at a steep discount.

Sop basically, buy one of these books, and you’re helping cover the costs of students attending the conference at a student rate, which for a con that’s all about writing and learning to write, is a major boon to all those students.

Alternatively, you can also submit a story to be in one of these books, and help keep the anthology tradition going! Plus, you get to see your name in print (some for the first time) and can attend the con and sign copies for readers! It’s great fun!

In any case, whether or not you can make it, it’s also a blast to submit to, because the LTUE Benefit Anthologies always have some fun prompts, often reflected in the title. Which is why we’ve had prompts like A Dragon and Her Girl, A Parliament of Wizards, or Troubadours and Space Princesses.

Which, naturally, leads us to this year’s prompt and title: Dog Save the King, a collection of Sci-Fi and Fantasy stories that all revolve around canine heroes saving the day for royalty.

If that sounds like a short story you’d want to write, then be aware that submissions close Friday, May 19th, at midnight. You can check out a larger list of requirements below the jump, then head over to Hemelein’s submission post to gather any other details you may need.

Hit the jump for details on Dog Save the King!

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Colony, Jungle, and Starforge – My Look Back at the UNSEC Space Trilogy

Max Books! , , , , ,

Six years.

That’s how long the UNSEC Space Trilogy took. Not for me to write and edit, mind. That time period was even longer—though I do note that I had other, smaller projects in between each book in the series. But even so, six years.

Colony, the first book in the trilogy, released in November of 2016, and I’m sure at the time few expected anything from it, even my readers. Prior to Colony, I’d only released a few books, each of them much smaller and far less grand that what Colony promised within its pages. One Drink and Dead Silver, while respectable, were both regular a novella and novel, respectably. Unusual Events, a collection of “short” stories I’d worked on while editing Colony that made it to print first, had sold a few copies, but not lit any fires (in fact, it remains my lowest-selling work to date by a large margin).

Then, with some fanfare but little attention from the world at large, I dropped Colony. An epic Sci-Fi adventure, first book of three in an at-that-time unnamed trilogy. from an author who had only published Urban Fantasy and shorts? There were definitely a few raised eyebrows. I recall that Christmas, when I returned to my hometown to visit my parents, garnering confused questions from people as to my reasons for jumping genres, or whether or not I thought people would buy it.

By then however, I’d already seen the numbers. November was over, and with it came more money than I’d ever seen in my time as an author. Reviews were rolling in too, readers gushing with praise and urging others to “Buy it, now!” Colony had struck, for my tine authorial imprint at the time, gold. Those readers that had trusted me and picked up the book found themselves “immersed” (that’s a deliberate pun) into the underwater colony world of Pisces, wrapped up in far-reaching mysteries as a search for a missing computer programmer by three complete strangers slowly but steadily expanded into an earth-shattering and action-packed conclusion full of big Sci-Fi ideas and tantalizing hints of what was to come.

Not everyone enjoyed it. A few people left one or two star reviews, citing complaints of one form or another. My personal favorites were two reviewers who each left Colony two stars, one angerly citing that there was ‘too much worldbuilding and not enough action,’ the other citing ‘too much action and not enough worldbuilding.’ But those reviews largely slipped to the bottom, mud for those who fed at that level to sling while above them the rest of the world purchased copy after copy, rapidly outselling every other book I’d released at that time and still maintaining a strong lead today despite stiff competition from one of my other books.

Colony was a hit. By my standards, at least. And now, six years later, by indie book standards as well, its sales numbers well above the average for indie titles.

Oh, and did I mention it was huge? It didn’t shy away from the “Epic” part of its genre. The finale alone ended up being more pages in length than my first published book.

And readers loved it. They loved the characters, with fans evenly split over which of the three protagonists was their favorite character (to this day one my favorite questions when someone starts talking to me about Colony is “Who’s your favorite of the trio and why?” because never has one of the three won out, and everyone always has a wide range of reasons why they prefer Sweets, Anna, or Jake as their favorite protag). They loved the setting, the dark future of Earth, the underwater environs and cities of Pisces, that Colony painted. They loved the mystery, even if some questions went unanswered by the end of the book. They just loved it.

Speaking of those unanswered mysteries, one of the most common questions I’ve been asked about the series as a whole is “When you released Colony, was all this planned? Or were you just making it up as you went along?”

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One Drink Celebrates Its Tenth Anniversary, Plus a Topic Call and Other News!

Max Books!, Weekly Updates , , , , , , , ,

Well, it’s been a long road, hasn’t it? As of this week, One Drink, the first title I ever published, is ten years old. It released ten years ago, on February 20th, 2013. The first step in what would become a much wider, larger writing career.

Where it all began ...

So to celebrate this fact, I’ve made it free this week! Yup, all you have to do is click that cover there on the right, and you can grab a copy of your very own to keep and enjoy.

Sure, most of you probably have it already. I wouldn’t be surprised at this point. After all, it’s been ten years. And in my own personal opinion, it’s not that spectacular a book. Though that’s a point where I’ll be happy to disagree with my fans, many of whom consider it much better written than I do.

But hey, you can’t argue with free!

Better yet, its sequel, Dead Silver, while not ten years old, is on a 75% off sale too. It’s a safe bet that if you enjoyed One Drink in any capacity, you’ll find the sequel an even more entertaining read.

Again, as before, if you click the cover there, you’ll go right to it.

Though I’ll warn you, Dead Silver is a sequel. So I advise reading One Drink beforehand if you haven’t. You don’t have to, of course, but since one is free, if you’re grabbing Dead Silver to complete the set, you might as well read them in order.

Or not. I don’t have any control over that. And I’m well aware that some people like to read things backwards.

Anyway, it’s been TEN YEARS. It’s amazing to think that it’s been so long since I published my first book. Since those days, I’ve seen the world of writing shift and change. I’ve seen publishers people believed were unstoppable titans topple and fall. I’ve seen the authorial view of trad vs indie shift and slide away from the former and toward the latter, right up to the point where we’ve got authors at their peak doing forty-million dollar kickstarters and breaking from their old publishers.

And I’ve watched my books steadily climb in readership. I’ve watched the progression of new readers, new fans, and the slow but steady climb upward, my sales in one month now topping what I used to manage in a year.

And it’s still going. I won’t wax on this for much longer, but I hope most of you can excuse me a little bit of bittersweet satisfaction at how far things have come. It’s been a long ten years. At LTUE’s closing event, a particular speaker who I shall not name-drop spoke of writing and selling books as trying to climb a mountain, only to reach the top and realize you built that mountain, stone by stone. Or perhaps book by book.

They’re right. And while I don’t consider myself near the peak of this journey yet, right now taking a glance back and seeing the mountain of words I’ve assembled so far, with characters like Anna and Axtara, Jake and Jacob, Sweets and Salitore … Well, it’s been a long, steady climb.

But there’s a lot more to come.

Thank you. Readers, reviewers, folks that shared their favorite titles with friends. Patreon Supporters. Without all of you, the last ten years … Well, it couldn’t have happened. A man can build Rome, but if no one shows up, what good is it?

Thanks for reading, folks. And I hope you stick around for the next ten years. Because I’m not done yet. Not by a long shot. There’s more to come, more Axtara, more Indrim, more Jacob Rocke, and even a bunch of new worlds you’ve yet to set foot in.

Thanks for reading, sharing, and reviewing. I’ll build the mountain. You guys mine it.

Now, before we hit the jump for some other news, there’s one more thing I want to address: A Topic Call!

Yep, that’s right! It’s time again. Topic List #21 has reached its end. It’s time for Topic List #22.

Now, those of you that have been around for a while? You know what that means. Hit the comments below and post your topic requests!

Those of you that are new? This is a primary manner with which to request topics for future Being a Better Writer topics!

That’s right! Got something you want covered by Being a Better Writer? Post it! And Topic List #22 will take shape with your questions on it! Then watch each Monday, and your Being a Better Writer request will show up!

That’s all there is to it. So get to the comments and post the writing topics you want to hear about!

Now, on with the other news. Which isn’t much, but it’s news. Hit the jump for it!

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Book Twitter is a Strange Place

Max Misc , , , , , ,

I mean it. Book Twitter is a weird place.

And yes, that’s already acknowledging that Twitter is a flaming cesspool. Which was true long before Musk got his hands on it. It definitely hasn’t gotten any better, but my brief examination of the book side of things the last few weeks was … Well, let’s just say it kind of felt like watching The Godfather or reading about The Sopranos.

Book Twitter is a very strange place.

Okay, let me give you some context. Normally, I ignore Twitter. I only have an account at all for two reasons, the first being that I didn’t wish anyone else to claim my name and start making posts and tweets under false pretenses—which is sadly something the book world has to worry about—and the second being that one fan has requested that I keep the Twitter account going because that’s how they keep track of the goings-on of my site.

Those are the only reasons I have it. Occasionally I’ll dabble in tweeting something specific for a book, or occasionally it has come in handy when needing to contact tech-support somewhere, but by and large, Twitter is something I ignore.

Oh, and it’s a flaming cesspool, if you haven’t heard. Twitter is insane. Even checking out my “feed” (which is supposedly content you’ll “like,” but Twitter seems to have a very different idea of what a rational person would like, and it’s only gotten crazier under Musk) a few times a year was enough to convince me “No, I have nothing I need here.”

But these last few months, I decided to actually look at the book-side of Twitter. I was following a project that interacted with “Book Twitter,” which until now I’d avoided, and I finally got my look at it.

It’s an utterly odd place.

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The Price We Pay – Ten Year Edition!

Max Books!, Weekly Updates , , , , , , , ,

You know, now that I’ve reached this point I almost don’t know what to say.

Technically I’m not at my ten year anniversary of publication just yet. But I’m long past it in writing. Even if one only counts my career as “starting” when I first wrote One Drink all those years ago, I’d be past the point of a ten-year anniversary there, and I was writing long before One Drink came along.

But … we’re close. February 20th, 2023, to be exact, will mark the ten-year anniversary of the publication of my first book, and my foray into making a living as an author.

It’s been a long road. But I’m not hear to talk about that today. Instead I’m here to talk about something else, actually. My pricing. See, here’s the thing … I sort of haven’t updated most of my prices since I started ten years ago.

Axtara reflects a more modern price point. As does Starforge. But the rest of my library? Well, if you remember the classic (and still quite popular) post on book prices, The Price We Pay – Are Book Prices Too Much? from a few years back, I broke down the pricing points of my books and showed how they were chosen to reflect a price point below that of a 1994 paperback book.

It’s a pretty popular post for a reason, since it not only discusses my prices, but also those of the book industry in general, showing how people’s memories of prices—especially with regards to how inflation and the changing value of the dollar fluctuate over time and impact the price of goods.

But here’s the thing: That post? It’s out of date. Especially in the wake of the last several years, which has seen the US economy—and the value of the dollar—fluctuate wildly as the economy did its best to represent a Six Flags roller coaster. Combined with the fact that I’d not bothered to modify my price points since One Drink came out ten years ago, plus the drop in price as the “long tail” goes into effect … and my books have been rapidly dropping below market value.

Which brings us to today. Starforge has just released, at a newer price point, and the time has finally come. Starting today, as of this post going up, I will be updating book prices for (hopefully) the next ten years alongside updating the usual manuscript updates and whatnot to the latest editions. The prices will then go live over the next day or so.

I’ve been talking about it for weeks, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to any of you. And if it is … well, I really can’t be blamed for that.

The big gist of it is that book prices are being updated today. But … if you want a more detailed breakdown of what the new prices are, what the values look like compared to their prior price, and how that is modeled compared to the prices from 1994 … then hit the jump.

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Starforge Is Here!

Max Books! , , , ,

What more is there to say? The finale of the UNSEC Space Trilogy has arrived at last. Those of you who pre-ordered should be getting your copies as midnight ticks over, and those of you who didn’t pre-order … you can just go purchase it now! Click the cover below and experience the end of the journey! You can also click here to read the first five chapters for free before you make up your mind!

The end arrives in this epic conclusion to the UNSEC Space Trilogy!

Mankind stands on the edge of a precipice. The All sweep across colony worlds, consuming everything in their path. Earth has recalled her fleets to Sol, abandoning its charges. Pisces, her independence won, now stands alone as a foe unlike any other threatens from the dark. It is not a question of if the All will attack, but when.

Reunited at last, Jake, Anna, and Sweets again find their skills called upon, this time by the new leadership of Pisces. A desperate plan has been conceived, an all-or-nothing long shot out into the darkness of unexplored space to find a means of reactivating the artificial world beneath their feet. If Pisces’ weapons can be brought online there remains a chance that the relentless force of the All can be stopped before it extinguishes the light of mankind forever.

If. Threats move against them from all sides. The All has set its own plans in motion, determined to finish the work it began so long ago. UNSEC and Earth plot from the shadows, uncompromising under Eidre’s vision of a unified empire with Sol at the center, and willing to do anything to bring Pisces back into the fold—even burn it to ashes.

The Trio’s final journey has begun … and it’s an adventure unlike anything you’ve ever read before.

UNSEC Space Lore: A Tour of a Nemesis-Class Destroyer

Max Books! , , , ,

Hey guys, Max here reminding you that Starforge—the book which you’re about to get a little bit of lore from—is now available for pre-order and can be found at this link! The finale to the UNSEC Space Trilogy releases November 29th, bringing the series to a breathtaking conclusion that should not be missed!

Got it? Good! Now on with the lore!

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Starforge’s First Review!

Max Books! , , ,

So, starting this post with the obligatory reminder: Starforge is now available to pre-order and releases November 29th! That’s right, the epic conclusion to the UNSEC Space Trilogy is finally here! The journey that began in Colony six years ago and continued in Jungle three is now finally coming to its breathtaking, action-packed conclusion, and you won’t want to miss it!

Of course, some of you might be skeptical. After all, it’s not unheard of for the final book in a series to deliver a less-than-spectacular ending. Maybe you’ve read Colony and Jungle but are worried that the big finish won’t do what you hoped to wrap everything up and answer those lingering questions?

Well, that’s why with Starforge I decided to send out early copies for review. And now that the pre-order is live, Starforge has it’s first review, courtesy of reviewer PaulAsaran (who also reviewed Colony and Jungle). How does he find it? If you’ll pardon the pun, “stellar.” Here, have a few choice selections of his words on the matter:

… Starforge jumps into the action from the start. Max’s action is as riveting as ever, and is accentuated by new threats, new solutions, and new consequences. The trio find themselves traveling across an alien world yet again, only this time accompanied by a bunch of soldiers … As time goes by and these people survive more and more brutal encounters, it can be easy to start recognizing names and rooting for a few … Then people start dying.

In the midst of these character elements comes the worldbuilding. We’re traveling across an alien world, and our inquisitive protagonists can’t help but theorize and guess at what it all means for the race that not only used to live there, but literally built it. There’s an effort here to truly embrace the concept of “alien life”, with unique architecture, quirky technological concepts, and interesting ideas regarding how an aquatic species might view the world around them.

The worldbuilding is, not to put too fine a point on it, stellar.

Just know that this is a big story with a lot going on … But you should be reading the whole thing anyway, because it’s all great … A great read, and a delightful way to end the trilogy.

Ultimately, Starforge has earned its first 5 Star rating, what will likely be one of many. You can check out the full review on Goodreads, or if you’re already convinced, go pre-order Starforge here.

November 29th can’t come soon enough! See you all tomorrow for another Starforge lore preview—this time with a new spin on things—and Monday for more Being a Better Writer. Until then, have a great weekend!

Starforge Is Now Available for Pre-Order

Max Books! , , , , ,

Ladies and gentlemen, readers of all ages, fans of Science Fiction … Starforge, the last book of the UNSEC Space trilogy, the conclusion to the epic journey that began six years ago with Colony and continued three years ago with Jungle … is now available to pre-order.

Yes, this does mean that it has a release date. I am pleased and proud to announce that Starforge will release on November 29th, 2022, just under three weeks from now. You can pre-order it today at the price of $9.99, and this juggernaut of a finale will be delivered to your e-reader of choice November 29th.

If you wish to pre-order now—and I don’t blame you—then just click the cover image above to go right to the pre-order page. Or, you know, that link right there. Or you can check out the synopsis below, as well as hit the jump for more details about the final product.

A quick reminder: Starforge is the third and final book in the UNSEC Space trilogy. For the full experience, it is highly recommended that you read the first two books in the trilogy before reading Starforge, Colony and Jungle, before reading this. The choice is yours, obviously, but as befitting the end to a trilogy, there are major spoilers for the first two books within the pages of Starforge.

Now, onto that synopsis! Here’s a summary of what you’ll be experiencing when Starforge releases November 29th!

The end arrives in this epic conclusion to the UNSEC Space Trilogy!

Mankind stands on the edge of a precipice. The All sweep across colony worlds, consuming everything in their path. Earth has recalled her fleets to Sol, abandoning its charges. Pisces, her independence won, now stands alone as a foe unlike any other threatens from the dark. It is not a question of if the All will attack, but when.

Reunited at last, Jake, Anna, and Sweets again find their skills called upon, this time by the new leadership of Pisces. A desperate plan has been conceived, an all-or-nothing long shot out into the darkness of unexplored space to find a means of reactivating the artificial world beneath their feet. If Pisces’ weapons can be brought online there remains a chance that the relentless force of the All can be stopped before it extinguishes the light of mankind forever.

If. Threats move against them from all sides. The All has set its own plans in motion, determined to finish the work it began so long ago. UNSEC and Earth plot from the shadows, uncompromising under Eidre’s vision of a unified empire with Sol at the center, and willing to do anything to bring Pisces back into the fold—even burn it to ashes.

The Trio’s final journey has begun … and it’s an adventure unlike anything you’ve ever read before.

There you have it! If you’d like a few more details about the final product, such as page count, pricing, etc, they’ll be below the jump.

Continue reading →

Starforge News Post!

Max Books! , ,

First of all folks, I’m sorry there’s not a Starforge preview post today. They’ve been quite popular, and I know you guys are really excited to see the book finally drop. But sadly, I don’t have a teaser today.

I know. This will be the last one I miss. I promise. I didn’t hit it today because, well, I went over 50,000+ plus words today, a full tenth of Starforge, polishing stuff. Seeing as it’s now 3:30 AM … yeah. Sort of behind on getting that post written. And I didn’t just want to drop random chapter excerpts on you. I’ve only got one more of those kind of previews planned, and I need to be—to put it bluntly—a bit more cognizant than I feel right now.

So why make this post? Surely there’s a point here? Well, there is. After spending the last week going over more than a 100,000 words worth of Starforge (and that’s just this week) with a fine-toothed comb, I’m making the call.

Starforge is going into Copy-Edit.

What does this mean? It means that the pre-order, will, at last, go up next week.

That’s right. It’s finally here. I’m going to punch Starforge onto my reader and start doing formatting checks, on the introduction, the author page, table of contents, all that good stuff. Plus, you know, make sure all the “page breaks” are in the right place, and that everything is ready to go.

But while that’s happening? The pre-order can go live. Ladies and gentlemen, this is about to happen. The final piece and part of the UNSEC Space trilogy is going to be in your hands at last. One final ride for our trio. Jake … Anna … Sweets …

It’s all about to end.

And believe me. You won’t want to miss it.

I am exhausted and need sleep. See you folks Monday.