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.