Happy New Years

I just wanted to pop in and say Happy New Years to everyone. I'm still battling this nasty virus, so hopefully I'll get back to more frequent posting after the New Year.

As for my celebration, I'm going to take Ny-Quil and go to bed early. I feel like crap, and I have to be at work at 7 a.m., so it would be stupid for me to try and stay up...

Happy holidays

I'm about to go off to the girlfriend's to do the Xmas thing, but I thought I'd drop in briefly to wish all of you a happy...whatever you celebrate. While I'm gone, enjoy a couple of Weird Al Xmas videos...

Falling behind

The annual Carl Sagan Blog-a-thon recently happened, and I really wanted to participate, but with the book release, and the fact that I'm battling some nasty virus that just won't leave me alone, I simply ran out of time. Maybe after the holidays I'll post some thoughts on what Carl Sagan meant to me.

If you want to read my post from last year, it's here.

It's here!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM NOMADIC DELIRIUM PRESS:


Today is the official release date of Seedlings on the Solar Winds!!!

America as a fascist state, soldiers driven to terrorism, insane computers, insane humans, insane aliens, these are just some of the things waiting for readers in the pages of this new collection from prize winning science fiction author J Alan Erwine.

Seedlings on the Solar Winds contains sixteen stories that will have readers question what reality really is, and wondering what the future of humanity might be.

"J Alan Erwine is a master at placing believable characters into plausible, and often dark, futures. In the process, he unflinchingly explores what is both base and noble about humanity." - David Lee Summers, editor Tales of the Talisman and author of Heirs of the New Earth.

"...Erwine always presents a banquet of plots and characters [not all of them human], generously seasoned with pith. You can relish him as the main course in your reading, or save him for dessert..." - Tyree Campbell, author of Nyx and The Dog at the Foot of the Bed.


Contains the stories:
The Opium of the People
Sad Grey Eyes on Tharsis
Sim-Shrink
Origins
A Chronic Mistake
Reality
A Singular Solution
Out of Plato's Cave
Lost in the Dark
The Limit of Tolerance
On the Word of Ancients
Seedlings on the Solar Winds
Living in the Styx
The Ancient Ones
The Mind of the Cat
Entropy

Order from us

Order from Amazon.com

You can also get your local bookstore to order the book by using the ISBN 978-0-9801703-0-6. They can order through Ingrams or Baker & Taylor.

Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 7

It's finally here. Sam's Dot has announced the release of our annual best of anthology Wondrous Web Worlds, which just happens to be edited by me...

The annual Wondrous Web Worlds series presents the very best science fiction, fantasy, and horror published online at Sam's Dot Publishing, and includes two dozen selections from The Martian Wave, The Fifth Di..., and Aoife's Kiss. The material in this seventh in the series deals with some of the fundamental questions raised in the genres.
What happens when you go mad from loneliness on Mars? If extra-terrestrials eat terrestrials, should you bring one back to Earth? Is it time to move on when you can't even entertain a rag-tag bunch of robots? What are the benefits of DIY terraforming?
Come experience the literary potential of zombies, and learn why the Bone Slayer needed help against the skeletile, and discover the true purpose of biwigglies out Alpha Centauri way.
You'll find some of the finest names in the genres between these covers: Richard S. Levine, Wendy Leeds, Marva Dasef, Tyree Campbell, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Keith P. Graham, Karen A. Romanko, and many more!
Home For Supper by Tyree Campbell
Alone on a Lake on Mars by Cathy Buburuz
An Asteroid By Any Other Name by David Lee Summers
Future Fourth by Bruce Boston
To Sit in Judgment by Amanda M. Hayes
Devoted by Julie Shiel
A Comic on Phobos by Richard S. Levine
First Tree on the Moon by s.c. virtes
Just a Kid by Derek J. Goodman
This Old Earth by Karen A. Romanko
Bone Slayer by Wendy Leeds
Zombies on a Roll by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Fish Story by Marva Dasef
Final Days by Aurelio Rico Lopez III
In the Mind of the Beholder by David Puro
The Raw Princess by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Unplugged by Keith P. Graham
Martian Vespers by Theodora Fair
Farewell, My Droidy by Karen A. Romanko
Judas Rising by Elizabeth Barrette
Geow-lud-mo-sis-eg by Jane Mitchell
Heart by Jaime Lee Moyer

Order from The Genre Mall

For my Atheist friends

This had me laughing out loud almost to the point of hysterics. This is, of course, a classic image, but look carefully for the one significant change.

If you're a believer, maybe you should move on to the next post...

Things to do...things to do...

I'm still trying to work on that pirate story I was asked to write. I'm having a lot of trouble with it...as in I haven't even started. I've made some notes, but nothing really grabs me as far as what I'd want to write about. I think the real problem is that the idea of space pirates doesn't appeal to me that much. Still, the editor who asked me to contribute has done a lot for me, so I fell like I should write the story for him. I know if I told him I just couldn't do it, he probably wouldn't care, but I feel like I owe him...even if he doesn't feel that way.

I finally heard back from a certain New York publisher about my novel A Problem in Translation. They apologized for the delay, and they said "Thanks, but no thanks." I think I really need to face the reality that I should be shopping the manuscript to agents and not publishers. So, I've decided that I'm going to go back through and do some revising on it, and then start looking for an agent.

I also need to start on the revisions for (working title) Red Moon Rising. That's going to be a major re-write for the second draft and will probably have me pulling my hair out before I'm half way through the revisions.

I also have the release of Seedlings on the Solar Winds coming up on Dec. 22nd, which means that I have a lot of promotional stuff to do...although I may have already lined up my first signing for the book.

Then of course, there's the "real" job, the holidays, one of my best friends moving, and a dozen other things I don't even have time to think about.

I always say that I like being busy...but maybe I'm getting a little carried away.

And I almost forgot to mention that the new edition of Wondrous Web Worlds, which I edited, will also be released next week...more promotion...

Writing humor

Thanks to Tyree Campbell for sending this my way...

We have a book

Nomadic Delirium Press has announced a special pre-sale on my new short story collection, Seedlings on the Solar Winds. Up until the release date of Dec. 22nd, the book is just $7.99 with no shipping charges. The normal list price will be $12.99.

Want a description...

America as a fascist state, soldiers driven to terrorism, insane computers, insane humans, insane aliens, these are just some of the things waiting for readers in the pages of this new collection from prize winning science fiction author J Alan Erwine.
Seelings on the Solar Winds contains sixteen stories that will have readers question what reality really is, and wondering what the future of humanity might be.
"J Alan Erwine is a master at placing believable characters into plausible, and often dark, futures. In the process, he unflinchingly explores what is both base and noble about humanity." - David Lee Summers, editor Tales of the Talisman and author of Heirs of the New Earth.
"...Erwine always presents a banquest of plots and characters [not all of them human], generously seasoned with pith. You can relish him as the main course in your reading, or save him for dessert..." - Tyree Campbell, author of Nyx and The Dog at the Foot of the Bed.

For ordering info, click on the title of this entry...that will take you right to the Nomadic Delirium Press website.

Visualization of the Orion Nebula

If you're an astronomy geek like me, you'll probably love this video...