An excerpt from Slave to the Stars

Would you like to read an excerpt from my new novel, Slave to the Stars? Check it out at https://jalanerwine.com/excerpt.htm

Half off my novels

Now that my new novel is here, I'm making all of my novels, including Slave to the Stars, available to you for half off…but just for a limited time! Order from DriveThruFiction at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/saleguide.php?src=sgrc

You can also order each of them for half off at the following links:

Slave to the Stars: https://books2read.com/b/3Gg068

Echoes from the Deep: https://books2read.com/b/b5Y97p

A Problem in Translation: https://books2read.com/b/b6a1xx

Red Moon Rising: https://books2read.com/b/mKAaYE

The Opium of the People: https://books2read.com/b/4DnLZd

Or order at https://jalanerwine.itch.io/

My novels are available on Itch.io

All five of my novels are now available on itch.io at https://jalanerwine.itch.io/

I'm not sure if this was worth my time, but if the novels seem to sell there, I'll start uploading my short story collections as we

Slave to the Stars is a bestseller

My new novel is currently sitting at #33 on the bestsellers list at DriveThruFiction. Check it out at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/top_100.php

Tilmath was born a slave, but she was no ordinary slave. Unlike most humans, she was an Espari, a human capable of sensing the emotions of other beings.
Now, having escaped from her slave masters, the teenager finds herself on the run and about to meet some of the most interesting creatures she could ever imagine, and go on an adventure that she could never dream of. Using her poorly trained empathic senses, she tries to do everything she can to survive, but quickly learns that survival isn’t the most important thing for a slave girl escaping to the stars.

The bad part about finishing a novel

Now that my fifth novel, Slave to the Stars, has been released, I'm faced with that let down that comes from finishing a novel. I spent months on this book (it was actually the fastest I've ever completed a novel), and now I'm faced with the reality of what's next?

I have numerous ideas for new novels, but which one do I really want to write? In addition to this, I'm faced with the fact that none of these novels have even been started. It takes so much work to write a novel. Ideas are great, but the work is very difficult.

So, today I sit facing a blank computer screen, trying to figure out what should fill the page. Sigh....

Five novels for $12

Would you like five novels for just $12? You can now download all five of my novels, including my newest title Slave to the Stars from DriveThruFiction at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/468859/

You get The Opium of the People, Red Moon Rising, A Problem in Translation, Echoes from the Deep, and Slave to the Stars. These are five very different, but hopefully enjoyable novels. You're bound to find something you like.

A review of Do You Really Want to be a Writer?

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

A new review of Do You Really Want to be a Writer? by J Alan Erwine has been posted at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1503357

"Written in an informal, chatty, style this short book by experienced writer and editor J Alan Erwine gives sound advice for the beginner."-we corrected the spelling errors...

 

Slave to the Stars

My fifth novel, Slave to the Stars is now available.

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F7GTW1CZ

Order from DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/521193/

Order from another market: https://books2read.com/b/3Gg068

Tilmath was born a slave, but she was no ordinary slave. Unlike most humans, she was an Espari, a human capable of sensing the emotions of other beings.

Now, having escaped from her slave masters, the teenager finds herself on the run and about to meet some of the most interesting creatures she could ever imagine, and go on an adventure that she could never dream of. Using her poorly trained empathic senses, she tries to do everything she can to survive, but quickly learns that survival isn't the most important thing for a slave girl escaping to the stars.

Laura Givens

I recently learned of the passing of Laura Givens. That's her on the far left, next to me (Can't believe I was ever that young.)

Laura was an amazing artist, a great writer, and one of the best people that I've ever known. She did numerous covers for my books, the ones I've written, and the ones I've edited, and she was always wonderful to work with.

All the great memories I have of her art and her writing pale in comparison to the memories I have of all of the fun we had at cons. One of the first panels I ever did at a con was the Alien Archaeology panel at MileHiCon. I signed up for it thinking that it would be a discussion of how archaeology would work on other planets...boy, was I wrong!!!!

Laura was the moderator for the panel, and one of her improv partners was also on the panel along with MileHiCon guest of honor David Drake, and then the lesser types like me. What I thought would be a scientific discussion quickly turned into tales of sexual innuendo and double entendres as we "described" the various artifacts. Laura was a very outgoing person, one of the most outgoing I'd ever known. She could talk to anyone about anything. I, on the other hand, am one of the most introverted introverts that you'll ever meet. Talking to people has never been easy for me, and I was completely overwhelmed in this panel, but I ran with it, and we had the very large audience laughing their asses off for the full hour.

There are so many memories I have of the fun we would have at these cons, and it's an unfortunate reminder to me that I have neglected my friends so much over the years. I've shut myself off from the world quite a bit over the last few years, and as a result, I hadn't talked to Laura in years, and now I realize that I will never be able to again. Don't close yourself off from the world, people! We're only here for a very short period of time, and we lose friends so quickly and without warning.

Laura will be missed. I can't imagine ever going back to MileHiCon and not seeing her there...

Bestseller for April 2025

Maybe I should just keep cutting and pasting these posts. The bestseller for April was The Divided States of America RPG once again.

Order from DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/511906/

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWQJTXMV

Order from another retailer: https://books2read.com/u/4jzYgk

No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of fourteen nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.

The first state to break away from the USA was, not unexpectedly, Texas, and from there, things continued to spiral out of control as the national government tried to hold on to control that the state governments wanted back, and eventually, the federal government was no longer able to control the states, and the break-up came about.

Some of the nation-states kept the name “America” in their new names. Some did this as a tribute to where they had come from, while others did it to remind their citizens of what they were breaking away from. Others adopted new names, or took on names that were given to them.

Borders in some areas are heavily patrolled, even walled in places, while other borders have no protection at all…mostly it depends on the views of the new government and its citizens, even though sometimes those two groups still don’t agree. Let’s face it, greed and independence are bred into the human race, and even allying with others that have similar viewpoints does not necessarily mean that they will always get along.

As a game, players create characters with seven attributes that are used to enhance a variety of skills. As the characters advance, they gain experience, which can be put towards their skills, their health, or banked to allow the player to raise their character’s attributes.

Magazine sale

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

To celebrate regaining the publishing rights to The Fifth Di… and The Martian Wave, we're offering the back issues for these zines for just 50 cents…and we're also throwing in back issues of Environmental Holocaust and Mundanities. https://www.drivethrufiction.com/saleguide.php?src=sgrc 

 

The last $1 e-book...for now...

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

Our last $1 e-book…for now is The Divided States of America Vol. 1 available at https://books2read.com/b/bPw87Y

No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of 14 nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.

 

Mainstream Fiction

For the most part, I'm a science fiction writer that occasionally dabbles in other speculative genres, but there was a time when I tried my hand at mainstream fiction, writing several short stories and a one-act play. I'm still trying to find copies of some of those stories, but a few of them are available, so feel free to check them out at https://www.jalanerwine.com/mainstream.htm

The Fifth Di... and The Martian Wave

Nomadic Delirium Press has recently reacquired the publishing rights for The Fifth Di... and The Martian Wave, and I will once again be editing these zines. As a bit of history, both zines were created by James Baker of ProMart Publishing roughly 30 years ago. Yes, these magazines pre-date my writing career, and I feel like I've been doing this for a very long time. The zines have bounced around from publisher to publisher, with NDP publishing them for many years.

Now that the zines are back, we need to come up with publishing schedules, and figure out what and how to pay our authors.

More details will be coming when they're available.

$1 e-book for April 14th

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

This week’s $1 e-book is Future Syndicate II available at https://books2read.com/b/bzq9jj

Many would like to think that as our species evolves, crime will disappear, but most know this is not true. Crime has always been with us, and it always will. Future Syndicate II features stories told from the point of view of the criminals, sometimes bad people, sometimes people forced to make bad decisions, but always, in the eyes of society, criminals.

Climbing the Hill with Sisyphus

My one-act play, Climbing the Hill with Sisyphus is now available as both an e-book, and in print at https://books2read.com/b/bPpGz7

Eric is a teen with troubles, the biggest of which is his alcoholic father. This one-act play uses a split-stage, showing Eric talking to his therapist on one side of the stage, while we get to see flashbacks to the last couple of troubled years on the other side of the stage.

This was a play that I had written years ago when I was in college. I reworked it, and I had published it earlier, but there were some problems with it, so I pulled it, and reworked it some more. Unlike most of my work, this is not science fiction.

Ephemeris 1.0 sale

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

In answer to the huge demand for the re-release of the Ephemeris 1.0 titles, we have answered, and re-released all of them. In celebration of this, we’re making them all available for 50% off, and we figured if we’re offering these titles for sale, we might as well offer all of our RPG titles for 50% off. So, you can save on Ephemeris 1.0, Ephemeris 2.0, The Divivded States of America, Rocks on the Other Side, and The Battle for Turtle Island titles…all of them.

Order today: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2805/

 

I'm delaying the release of my new novel

I've decided to delay the release of my new novel until May. One of my daughters will be having her first baby sometime in the next couple of weeks, and when that happens, we will be leaving town to be with her, so this isn't the best time to be trying to worry about a book release.

I guess I'm delaying the release of one baby for another. Keep an eye on this page next month for all of the details.

Support me at Patreon

Want to help support my writing and get copies of my future releases? Support my Patreon at http://patreon.com/jalanerwine

There are three different levels of support, and two of them will get you copies of anything I write between now and well, til I can't write anymore.

The new novel is done

I've put the finishing touches on my fifth novel. I'm now waiting for the cover art, and I still need to come up with a title for the damn thing. Usually titles are easy, but not this one.

I'm really liking the way this book turned out, and I'm hoping my readers will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Another $1 e-book

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

This week's $1 e-book is Do You Really Want to be a Writer? Download it today at https://books2read.com/b/bwVAy9

Do you really want to be a writer? It's a serious question that anyone thinking about entering the field of writing should ask.
In this collection of essays, prize-winning science fiction author and editor J Alan Erwine uses his usual wit and sarcasm to educate and entertain potential writers as they start their journeys.
You won't find essays about plot or character development here, but instead, you'll find 17 essays that talk about the business of writing. Erwine uses his more than a quarter of a century of experience to talk about the submission process, and more importantly, what to do with your writing and career after you've started selling.
Do You Really Want To Be a Writer? is a great source of information for the new writer as well as the experienced writer.

 

Bestseller for March 2025

Once again The Divided States of America Role Playing Game was my top selling title. March was a lean month for sales. Obviously people are starting to worry about the economy, and books are one of the first things people stop buying.

Can the game be the top seller for April?

Order from DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/511906/

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWQJTXMV

Order from another retailer: https://books2read.com/u/4jzYgk

No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of fourteen nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.

The first state to break away from the USA was, not unexpectedly, Texas, and from there, things continued to spiral out of control as the national government tried to hold on to control that the state governments wanted back, and eventually, the federal government was no longer able to control the states, and the break-up came about.

Some of the nation-states kept the name “America” in their new names. Some did this as a tribute to where they had come from, while others did it to remind their citizens of what they were breaking away from. Others adopted new names, or took on names that were given to them.

Borders in some areas are heavily patrolled, even walled in places, while other borders have no protection at all…mostly it depends on the views of the new government and its citizens, even though sometimes those two groups still don’t agree. Let’s face it, greed and independence are bred into the human race, and even allying with others that have similar viewpoints does not necessarily mean that they will always get along.

As a game, players create characters with seven attributes that are used to enhance a variety of skills. As the characters advance, they gain experience, which can be put towards their skills, their health, or banked to allow the player to raise their character’s attributes.

Another RPG sale

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

Since we've decided to go ahead with our crazy idea of creating an RPG zine, we've decided to give you the opportunity to download our games for half price at DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/2805/

You can download Rocks on the Other Side, Ephemeris 2.0, and The Divided States of America for just $5. The Battle for Turtle Island can be yours for just $1.50. And we've even thrown in the Complete Ephemeris 1.0 tome for $10.

Order soon, as time is limited. We don't have a definite release date for the new zine, but we are hard at work on it. Keep an eye on this page for more information as it becomes available.

 

Half price novels

In anticipation of the release of my new novel, all of my novels are currently available for half price...

Echoes from the Deep: https://books2read.com/b/b5Y97p

A Problem in Translation: https://books2read.com/b/b6a1xx

Red Moon Rising: https://books2read.com/b/mKAaYE

The Opium of the People: https://books2read.com/b/4DnLZd

Order from DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse/pub/16618/

The $1 e-book of the week

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

This week's $1 e-book is Goatherds & Gods by James B. Baker and J Alan Erwine. Download it today at https://books2read.com/b/49OL2w

Joseph was born the son of a goatherd chieftain, destined to do nothing more than lead a small band of goatherds, Joseph quickly becomes disillusioned with his tribe and his life, and when his young wife and child die, Joseph leaves his people behind, having no idea what Yahovah has planned for him.

Joseph meets his new wife, Yasmen, and with the help of an ancient man who only calls himself the Elder Rishni, Joseph becomes the leader of a new group of people, a group that grows in numbers and strength, and eventually grows powerful enough to possibly challenge the mighty Indo-Aryan armies and their mighty leader, the Kzer…possibly…

 

International e-books

It's come to my attention that most of my e-books have not been available internationally except through Amazon or Kobo, so I've fixed that, and they should start appearing in stores outside of the US over the next few days. This just applies to my actual books. I haven't fixed the individual stories yet...there are almost 70 of them, so that will take a while.

GM's Day Sale

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

DriveThruRPG is currently running their GM’s Day Sale, and this is your chance to save up to 40% off of our titles. Check the sale out at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/2805/

You can get The Divided States of America Role Playing Game for 20% off during this sale.

 

Changes to my website

I'm making a few minor adjustments to my website. In the past, most of my purchase links have gone to Amazon, but starting with my new release, The Lies of Belial, the links will be going to Books2Read. I know there are quite a few people that don't like to buy from Amazon, and I understand that...

For now, these are just changes that I will make going forward. There are numerous purchase links on my site, and it will take a very long time to change all of them.

Drop by the site, and have a look: https://www.jalanerwine.com/

The Lies of Belial

Bradley makes a discovery on the hellish corp-moon known as Belial that could ultimately change the course of human history, but will the corps let him disclose his discovery…and for that matter, will they even let him live?
Originally released in the collection of the same name, the story is now available for the first time on its own.

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZ1JXS64

Order from DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/514092/

Order from a different seller: https://books2read.com/u/4N0P2o

Maybe it's ego

Maybe I'm just feeding my ego...I don't know, but I've decided to put together two massive books, both hardback. One will be a complete collection of all of my short stories, and I'm still debating if I want to include the new story I'm working on.

The second book will be a complete collection of all of my novels, including the new one that I hope to have finished in the next couple of months. On this one, I'm debating whether or not to include Goatherds & Gods, which is a reworking of a James B. Baker novel, so not entirely my own.

I'm still working on titles, but something including "the long ones" and "the short ones" are what are bouncing through my head right now. Like I said, I'm not even sure if there's really a market for something like this, but yeah, I think it would be really cool to see these books in print!

I also haven't decided yet if I will be making them available as e-books.

Keep an eye on this page, as eventually, I will figure all of this out.

Bestseller for February 2025

This month's bestseller wasn't even close. The Divided States of America RPG had the biggest first month of any title that I've ever released.

Order from DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/511906/

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWQJTXMV

Order from another retailer: https://books2read.com/u/4jzYgk

No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of fourteen nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.

The first state to break away from the USA was, not unexpectedly, Texas, and from there, things continued to spiral out of control as the national government tried to hold on to control that the state governments wanted back, and eventually, the federal government was no longer able to control the states, and the break-up came about.

Some of the nation-states kept the name “America” in their new names. Some did this as a tribute to where they had come from, while others did it to remind their citizens of what they were breaking away from. Others adopted new names, or took on names that were given to them.

Borders in some areas are heavily patrolled, even walled in places, while other borders have no protection at all…mostly it depends on the views of the new government and its citizens, even though sometimes those two groups still don’t agree. Let’s face it, greed and independence are bred into the human race, and even allying with others that have similar viewpoints does not necessarily mean that they will always get along.

As a game, players create characters with seven attributes that are used to enhance a variety of skills. As the characters advance, they gain experience, which can be put towards their skills, their health, or banked to allow the player to raise their character’s attributes.

I think I may have lost my mind

I think I may have lost my mind, but for a very brief period of time, you can save 90% off of my titles...short stories, novels, collections...they're all at DriveThruFiction at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse/pub/16618/, and they're all 90% off.

I think the men in the white coats may be coming to get me soon...

The second draft is done

I've just completed the second draft of my new novel, which unfortunately still doesn't have a title...which is weird, since titles usually come so easily to me.

I'm a little happier with the way it's turning out, but it's still going to need a great deal of work. The main character is now much more of a real person to me.

I think this novel has been more difficult because it's basically told from just the main character's perspective. There are no chapters, or even scenes that don't feature her. Usually my novels bounce from character to character, but hopefully this will make her a likeable character...sure she can be a little petulant at times, and she might cry a bit too much, but she's also a teenager. But I think she's believable because I can see bits of all three of my daughters in her.

Now the book sits for a little while, and then I'll get back to another draft. I'm figuring AT LEAST two more drafts to get it where I want it to be.

A letter to the leaders of the world

This is a very brief letter that I'd like to address to the leaders of the world. I've said all of this before, but obviously, I need to say it again...

1984, A Handmaid's Tale, Fahrenheit 451, and even my Opium of the People were meant as warning messages. They were not intended to be blueprints for you to use to destroy our world.

The people of the world would like their democracies back.

Thank you!

The Divided States of America RPG is a bestseller

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

The Divided States of America RPG is a bestseller at DriveThruRPG.

It currently sits at #57 among small press publishers: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?sortBy=titleStripPopularity&indie=true&languageId=1&partial=true&page=2#Hottest%20Small%20Publishers

And #113 among all titles…including major publishers: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?sortBy=titleStripBestselling&partial=true&excludeGiftCerts=true&page=4#Bestselling%20Titles

 

The Divided States of America Role Playing Game is here

No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of fourteen nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.

The first state to break away from the USA was, not unexpectedly, Texas, and from there, things continued to spiral out of control as the national government tried to hold on to control that the state governments wanted back, and eventually, the federal government was no longer able to control the states, and the break-up came about.

Some of the nation-states kept the name “America” in their new names. Some did this as a tribute to where they had come from, while others did it to remind their citizens of what they were breaking away from. Others adopted new names, or took on names that were given to them.

Borders in some areas are heavily patrolled, even walled in places, while other borders have no protection at all…mostly it depends on the views of the new government and its citizens, even though sometimes those two groups still don’t agree. Let’s face it, greed and independence are bred into the human race, and even allying with others that have similar viewpoints does not necessarily mean that they will always get along.

As a game, players create characters with seven attributes that are used to enhance a variety of skills. As the characters advance, they gain experience, which can be put towards their skills, their health, or banked to allow the player to raise their character’s attributes.

Order from DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/511906/

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWQJTXMV

Order from another retailer: https://books2read.com/u/4jzYgk

Bestseller for January 2025

Once again, the new game continues its big run!

Check it out at:

DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/497132/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJ9SGT7G

Other retailers: https://books2read.com/u/bayExy

Humanity has finally made it to the stars, and they’ve found they’re not alone. They are one of twenty species making their way around the galaxy. Some of the species they’ve met are friendly, while some are quite hostile, and others are just plain indifferent. The galaxy is full of warfare, trade, and unexplored star systems. This is the galaxy of Ephemeris 2.0.
The game features thirteen different character classes and twenty different species. You can play a Clipsie Cyber Wizard, a Human Pirate, or maybe a Taurin Nanist. Build your characters up with goods, cybernetic implants, genetic modifications, and special abilities that are unique to each class.
The universe of Ephemeris 2.0 is yours to explore, and yours to build. The new version of the game is a d20 version, and the rules are less convoluted, and more player friendly than the previous version.
Now, step into the greatest science fiction adventure that you’ve ever been on!

50% off at Ko-fi

I have a few of my titles listed at Ko-fi as PDFs, and you can download them for 50% off by going to https://ko-fi.com/jalanerwine/link/50OFF, or you can go to https://ko-fi.com/jalanerwine and use the code 50OFF at checkout.

A short story collection bundle

All of my independently published short story collections are now available in one bundle for just $12 at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/509887/

Even though it doesn't feature my collections that are available from traditional publishers, it does feature almost all of my 70 published short stories. And just as a disclaimer, some stories do appear in multiple titles.

Another RPG sale

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

As we prepare for the release of our new RPG, The Divided States of America, we’ve put all of our RPG titles on sale for 75% off at DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2805/

A Divided States of America collection

I've put all of my Divided States of America stories from Nomadic Delirium Press together in one collection.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTLMSKD9

DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/509453/

Other vendors: https://books2read.com/u/bzOMg2

No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of 13 nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one…sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others…sometimes too much order.
This was the theme created by Nomadic Delirium Press editor J Alan Erwine. With these ideas in mind, many authors have contributed to this concept, including Erwine, and now for the first time, all of the stories he’s written for The Divided States of America (so far) are gathered together in one collection.

So this will be happening next month

We have a rough draft

I typed the last words of the very rough draft of my new novel today. This one is definitely going to take a lot of work to fix. It's shorter than I wanted, which isn't a surprise. I don't include much description in my rough drafts (yeah, I know there's not much in my final drafts either), but that will lengthen it, and I will have to add several scenes to make sense of some of the things I wrote as I was going.

With my main character being a teenager, I'm debating whether to market this one as mainstream SF or YA SF, but I guess I have time to figure that out, as it will be at least three more drafts before I'm done...at least.

And I still need a damn title!

Progress on the book...so far

My new novel has now reached 40,000 words, so I thought I'd give an update on the progress. This book has taken me on so many unexpected twists and turns that it's going to take a great deal of revision. There are entire scenes, and possibly even entire chapters that will have to be created during my first revisions...of course I have to finish the book first.

There are parts of this book that I love, and there are parts of this book that I hate. The biggest difference from my past novels is that this one is told entirely from one character's POV, a teenage girl. That alone has created numerous challenges, but it has been fun.

I'm looking forward to finishing the first draft soon, but there will be more revisions on this one than what is typical for my work, as it just needs more revisions, but hopefully in a few months, I will have a nice new novel. My fifth, or sixth if you count the one I co-wrote.

Still don't have a title though...

Ways to help

There are a few different ways that you can help my career, if you're so inclined.

First) This one is quite obvious...buy my books. If you've read something of mine that you liked, you'll probably like others. If you haven't read my stuff, I bet there's something there you'd like. Check everything out at http://www.jalanerwine.com

Two) Reviews!!! These are so important to writers, and not just for their egos. It helps their book get noticed, and it boosts the chances of it being seen on book seller websites. So, if you've liked something of mine that you've read, please review it.

Three) Feel free to donate to my ko-fi to keep me at my desk. https://ko-fi.com/jalanerwine

#KofiGoalChallenge

New RPG

In my WIPS post yesterday, I mentioned that I was starting work on a new RPG, and that I'd talk more about it later...well, later is here. After a huge creative outburst yesterday, I can now announce that I'm hard at work on an RPG based on The Divided States of America, a series of stories published by Nomadic Delirium Press.

Not sure when I'll have it done, and although it will have some similarities to the other three RPGs I've created, it will also have some definite differences.

In the meantime, you can check out all of the Divided States of America stories at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/saleguide.php?src=sgrc, and oh yeah, they're 50% off for a limited time.

New Year, New Game Sale

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

DriveThruRPG is having their annual New Year, New Game sale, which means it's your chance to download a new RPG for cheap! Check it out at https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/rpg_newyear.php?manufacturers_id=2805&filters=0_0_0_0_0_44298#selectpub

You can download Ephemeris 2.0 for $7.99. Rocks on the Other Side for $5.99, or The Battle for Turtle Island for $1.79.

WIPS

As the new year starts, I thought I'd give an update on what I'm currently working on. Since my first writing book, Do You Really Want to be a Writer? was Nomadic Delirium Press' second best seller of the year, I'm hard at work on Do You Really Want to be a Science Fiction Writer? About 25% of the way through the 1st draft.

The new novel sits at just over 35,000 words, and I will hopefully be finishing the very rough draft soon. This one has been a battle, but I think I'm happy with the way it will ultimately turn out.

I'm working on two supplements for the new Ephemeris 2.0 RPG, and I've also started work on a brand new RPG that I think will be a departure from the first three I've created. There will be more on this in the near future...I hope.

There are a couple of other things that I'm working on in between these, but these are the titles that I'm sure I'll finish, and that I'm excited about.

Keep an eye on this blog and my homepage at http://www.jalanerwine.com for more.

 

Divided States of America sale

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

Political bitterness continues to plague the United States. Will this eventually lead to The Divided States of America?

All of our Divided States of America stories, and the first collection, are on sale for 50% off for a limited time at DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse/pub/2805/.

Bestseller for December 2024

The bestseller for December 2024, and my bestseller for the entire year was Ephemeris 2.0

Check it out at:

DriveThruRPG: https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/497132/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJ9SGT7G

Other retailers: https://books2read.com/u/bayExy

Humanity has finally made it to the stars, and they’ve found they’re not alone. They are one of twenty species making their way around the galaxy. Some of the species they’ve met are friendly, while some are quite hostile, and others are just plain indifferent. The galaxy is full of warfare, trade, and unexplored star systems. This is the galaxy of Ephemeris 2.0.
The game features thirteen different character classes and twenty different species. You can play a Clipsie Cyber Wizard, a Human Pirate, or maybe a Taurin Nanist. Build your characters up with goods, cybernetic implants, genetic modifications, and special abilities that are unique to each class.
The universe of Ephemeris 2.0 is yours to explore, and yours to build. The new version of the game is a d20 version, and the rules are less convoluted, and more player friendly than the previous version.
Now, step into the greatest science fiction adventure that you’ve ever been on!