Continue readingHey 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!
Free Sample
Starforge Preview: Chapter 3 Excerpts
Well, we’ve reached this moment. We’ve seen Jake. We’ve seen Anna. That just means that there’s one member of the trio left to get our early look at.
That’s right, it’s Ray Candy! Though to his friends he’s just Sweets. Or Dystopian_Snowman if you’re one of his hacking buddies.
Jungle was a huge shift for Sweets. While Jake and Anna were marooned down on the surface of [REDACTED], Sweets was shuttled off on his own aboard the military cruiser Casimir, where things were absolutely not what they seemed. Alone and with limited resources, Sweets had to push ahead, ultimately saving the lives of not only Jake and Anna but several others as well in a daring dropship rescue … which since it involved flying, was a pretty bold move for Sweets. And honestly not the first time, either, if you recall the end of Colony.
But what’s happened in the meantime? With the threats now facing Pisces, what’s the last member of our group been up to, and how might he play a part in the what’s to come?
Well, to find out in full, you’ll have to snag a copy of Starforge when it releases this holiday season. But you can get a taste of what’s to come—as well as what Sweets has been up to—by hitting the jump.
Continue readingStarforge Preview: Chapter 2 Excerpts
I know many of you have been waiting for this moment to arrive. Last week, the writing was on the wall when you all got your first look at some bits of chapter 1 of Starforge, at long last giving you a peek a what our famed corporate investigator has been up to since the end of Jungle. And, of course, there was the sense of omnipresent dread that the prologue chapter (revealed a few months ago) delivered. But I know for a number of you, the big question was “What about Annalyne Neres?”
Well today, readers, you get to find out. Today we’re taking a look at some scenes from chapter 2 of Starforge! Today you get your first taste of what Anna’s bringing to the party when Starforge drops this holiday season.
Are you ready? Hit the jump.
Continue readingStarforge Preview: Chapter 1 Excerpt
Hello readers! Looking for something a little … exciting? Because I’ve got just the thing for you. A look at the first chapter of Starforge! Not a big preview, and you’ll notice some cuts right away, but a look nonetheless.
Mind, this is not the first thing you’ll see when skipping to page one of the book. That would be the prologue, which is already online here. This is a chunk of text from chapter one. It’s not the whole chapter, but it is a few select scenes from it. Just enough to wet your appetites for when the full conclusion to the UNSEC Space Trilogy drops this holiday.
So, are you ready for your teaser? Hit the jump, folks. And get ready.
This book is a ride.
Continue readingRead the First Four Chapters of Shadow of an Empire Absolutely Free!
We understand: Shadow of an Empire can be a daunting prospect for a reader. A nine-hundred-plus page book? In paperback? Is it even worth the money? The reviews say yes, but folks don’t always trust reviews. They’d like to experience what’s between the pages themselves.
Which is why as we’ve done with our other books, we’ve made the first four chapters of Shadow of an Empire free to read for all. Right through your device and broswer. No catches, no subscription needed, no personal information required. Go ahead, open it in an incognito tab if you so desire! We don’t mind! Four chapters of Wild-West Fantasy adventure, right here at your fingertips.
It’s as easy as clicking the cover below. Hit that gorgeous sunny scene, and if your time in the deserts of Indrim leaves its impression, you can pick up a personal copy from our books page (or your local bookstore can order it for you). Enjoy!
Read the First Three Chapters of Colony, First Book of the UNSEC Space Trilogy, for Free!
We get it: It’s daunting to be asked to spend money on a book when you won’t be certain that you’ll like it or not. And when that book is an 1100-page Sci-Fi Epic, and the first title in a trilogy atop that, the hesitation can be brutal indeed.
But it’s a lot easier to make that choice when you’ve already read a portion of the book and enjoyed it. Which is why we’ve made the first three chapters of Colony, book one of the UNSEC Space Trilogy, absolutely free. You can read it right now, on your phone, tablet, or other electronic device of choice, properly formatted and delivered right to you.
No strings. No hidden catches. Just a free sample of what the book entails. Three chapters (plus a prologue) of Sci-Fi adventure, action, and exploration.
It’s easy as clicking the cover below. Do that, and the world of Colony will open up in your browser tab. Enjoy, and we’ll see you on Pisces.
Read the First Three Chapters of Axtara – Banking and Finance for Free!
Hey, did you know that if you’ve been curious about whether or not you’d enjoy a tale about a dragon setting out to open her own bank—the very tale contained within the pages of Axtara – Banking and Finance—then you can read the first three chapters absolutely free?
That’s right! The first three chapters, free to read, no strings attached, in your browser. So you can read it on your device, be that tablet, phone, or if you’re really going for the Jetsons look, your smart watch. Properly formatted and everything!
No strings. No catches. Just three chapters of the dragon Axtara and her lifelong dream of owning her own bank.
We even make it easy for you. Just click the cover below, and three chapters of free, cozy adventure with Axtara will open in a browser tab. Enjoy.
Flash Fiction – Firstborn
Hey folks!
So last night I was browsing the web before (planning) to go to sleep when I spotted a writing prompt on Reddit, and well … the creative brain took over. Next thing I knew it was past 1 AM, and I’d written a fun little story about man who makes a deal with a witch for his firstborn child, but has already, unbeknownst to her, cheated.
You can see the Reddit Writing Prompt that spawned it here, but for a short bit of flash fiction I was quite happy with how it turned out, and figured it deserved to be on the site. So here you are, folks. Firstborn.
Jungle Releases in One Week
One week, readers. One. Week!
We are one week away from the release of my biggest book ever, and the sequel to Colony. It’s almost here. All you readers are about to get your hands on Jungle. Are you ready?
You should be. Jungle sees the return of Jake, Anna, and Sweets after their mission to Pisces. You know, the one where everything went crazy? Well, certain folks back on Earth aren’t too happy with how the trio handled things. Not happy at all.
You can pre-order Jungle now to make sure you’ve got your copy right as they start releasing next Tuesday. Just click that cover! But if you’ve already secured your copy, hit the jump past the cover and synopsis for another early preview!
Jake, Anna, and Sweets are back in the long-awaited sequel to Colony!
Fresh off their mission to Pisces, the trio is looking forward to a well-deserved rest, and better yet, a fat paycheck after everything that occurred on the alien world. But all that comes to a crashing halt when they’re waylaid above Earth by their employer and find themselves with an extended contract, sending them right back out into space.
Worse yet, their trio has been split to best handle their new assignments. Jake and Anna find themselves attached to a scientific expedition, tasked as security escorts keeping the expedition safe as they investigate a new potential colony world thriving with a vast, vibrant jungle. Meanwhile, Sweets has been assigned aboard an UNSEC military vessel, tracking down the source of a pervasive cyberattack against their hardware.
But as both teams get to work, it’s clear that there may be more to their respective missions than they were led to believe. The cyberattacks are brazen and powerful, but simplistic and utterly untraceable. The alien world’s ecology defies logic and sense, puzzling the expedition team.
And above it all, the ripples of events on Pisces continue to spread through the galaxy …
Hit the jump for a third and final preview!
Human Resource – A Free Short Story!
All right, guys, a bit of a warning with this one. It’s … dark. Very dark, especially if you stop to think about it. And grim.
Worse still, it’s not entirely untrue.
A bit of background: I wrote this story after my second frustrating workplace injury and experience dealing with Worker’s Comp and my part-time job’s Human Resources department. If you’re interested in hearing the details about that, you can check out this post here, which is all about how I acquired the injury and the recover I underwent. But the short of it is that within days I was already feeling like I had when I’d had my knee injury. In other words, very much like my company just wanted to practice horse medicine and shove everything under the rug.
In my frustrations, I ended up writing this short to blow off a little steam. It’s dark. It’s grim. And, worst of all, it’s actually pretty true, and like most good fiction, that makes it all the more alarming.
The microphone monitoring tech? That’s real. A certain massive mega-conglomerate retailer patented it last year and has already started rolling it out into stores. It monitors all employees at all times. And yes, they do warn that ‘certain problem words’ can trigger an automatic, computer-driven firing. Boop, a text to your phone, go home, you’re done here.
That’s what scariest about this story: It’s really not that far off. The tech involved here is very real, and already being rolled into the workplace much in the same way you see it in this story. It’s just all in one package, and seeing the sudden jump from where we are now to where we may be in five, ten years really does seem jarring, compared to coming in to a new bit or piece every day.
Am I worried we might go as far as this story? Well … in a way, yes. We were once already there, if you know your history of what jobs used to be like before labor laws were put in place.
But I’ll stop waxing on it now. You’re here to read a story. So, without further ado, I present to you Human Resource. Enjoy!
And try not to let it depress you too much. I can tell you it was therapeutic to write.
Unusual Things 