Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts

Monday, March 18, 2024

Take another look at Rocks on the Other Side

The year was 2032. It will always be remembered as the year that the leaders of the world truly lost their minds. That was the year that they unleashed the massive nuclear arsenals they had been stockpiling. That was the year they tried to wipe out all life on Earth because of petty differences, differences that could have easily been overlooked if they would have just had open minds, but let’s face it, how often did the leaders of the world ever actually have open minds?
Now, two years later, civilization is gone, most of life on Earth is gone, but there are still pockets of humanity that try to eke out an existence. Some of the Earth’s flora and fauna have also survived the nuclear holocaust. Unfortunately, now everyone is trying to survive, and that means that everyone else must be viewed as a potential enemy. Even worse, nuclear mutations have created horrible lifeforms. Some used to be human, some were animals, and some were plants, but now they’re horribly deformed, and incredibly dangerous. Not to mention the fact that there are pockets of radiation all over the world that threaten life that comes anywhere close to it.
And, of course, there’s no longer a need to worry about global climate change since the world is stuck in a perpetual nuclear winter, killing more and more of the life on Earth.
Radiation everywhere, almost constant cold and snow, mutated people, animals, and plants…this is the world that waits for you in Rocks on the Other Side. Do you dare venture into this world and try to survive?

Order: https://amzn.to/3UJMWlj


Sunday, February 25, 2024

Who wants a free story?

My short story "Origins" is currently available for free from Smashwords. Download it at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/551493

Two men, who can't stand one another, sit down for what seems like innocuous drinks, but will their discussion forever change the future of humanity?

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Is there an echo in here?

Yes, it is definitely one of the best lines from Star Wars The Bad Batch, but it's also a great way to talk about my new novel again. There is an echo available, and it's called Echoes from the Deep.

The first human and dolphin colony team has arrived on Epsilon Eridani 2, a planet that was once inhabited by a highly advanced species that has gone extinct.
On this exciting new world, the humans have brought all of their typical problems with them, while the dolphins adjust quite easily to their new home.
All of this changes when bizarre events begin to happen to the colonists. Is the stress of a new colony causing unknown neuroses and psychoses to suddenly surface? Is there something in the atmosphere that the colonists didn’t know about? Or is there something else behind the bizarre occurrences?

Order from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3uleZgp

Order from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1509505

Order from DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/467842/

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Don't forget your fifth Taste of the Madness

The fifth volume is here!
A collection of six previously published short stories, that are available only for a limited time. Travel to distant planets and travel to different mad visions that prize-winning sf author J Alan Erwine has come up with, but beware, you can never be sure where his weird mind might take you.
Again, this collection is only available for a very limited time.

And Kindle Unlimited members can read it for free. So, download it today at https://amzn.to/3wk9vCU


Friday, February 09, 2024

The Rocks on the Other Side Gallery of Rogues

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

Do you need a quick ally for your Rocks on the Other Side characters? Or maybe the game master needs to come up with a quick enemy, or the mayor of the local town. The Rocks on the Other Side Gallery of Rogues gives you 50 characters that can be quickly added to your game for whatever reason you might need.
Each listing gives the characters basic stats, their preferred weapon, and a brief description that can help you add them to your game, but feel free to adapt each of the characters to the needs of your campaign.

Order from DriveThruRPG: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/470359/

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CV97B7MS

Order from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1519579


Saturday, February 03, 2024

Echoes from the Deep has been reviewed

It's a short review on Amazon, but it's always good to hear that you're a favorite author to somebody. Check out the review at https://amzn.to/3Us4277


Friday, February 02, 2024

Another Echoes from the Deep excerpt

Phineas found the waters to be warmer than he would have expected, but there was nothing strange below the boat, and there was no sign of the probe. He dove as far as he dared, but found nothing, not even a behemoth. Nothing. He began to re-surface when he heard the identity echo of Long Fins from above. He paused in his swim for a few seconds. Long Fins was his favorite female in the pod, and he couldn’t help but feel a slight arousal when he realized how proud she’d be of him if he could learn something. He decided to stay under a little longer.

He suddenly felt a strange sensation in his tail. It was the same sensation he felt when there was a behemoth nearby, or the same feeling he used to feel on Earth when there had been sharks nearby. He spun around, but sensed nothing. The feeling was still there however, so he sent off more intense echoes, but nothing came back to him.

Nothing came back to him! From the south, there were no echoes returning, but there was a reef not more than half a mile from him, but nothing returned. He swam in a quick circle and sent off another series of echoes. Nothing!

“Phineas, what is it?” The call was from Long Fins, but he didn’t respond. There was something to the south. He couldn’t see it or sense it, but he knew it was there. He couldn’t detect anything, and he knew that meant there had to be something there.

The water suddenly cooled to a temperature that he would have expected, so he sent off another series of echoes. This time, the echoes of the reef to the south came back to him. It was then that he realized that his lungs were burning from lack of oxygen. He shot to the surface, shaking his head violently once he was above the water, and gasping for air.

“Phineas, what did you see?” It was Eric’s voice being translated into Delphin that he was hearing.

“Nothing.”

“Did you detect anything?” Eric asked.

“No.” He had no idea why he was lying. He just knew he had to. Of course, it wasn’t really a lie. He hadn’t detected anything, not one damn thing.

Just then, Shark Lover swam up to the boat. Without thinking, Phineas lunged at him, dragging rows of teeth along the smaller dolphin’s dorsal fin. It made Phineas feel better.

“Phineas, stop!” It was Long Fins’ echoes.

Phineas just swam away from Shark Lover, away from the boat, away from the shore, away from the impossible lack of echoes he’d experienced. Phineas just swam.

Order from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OvQd3P

Order from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1509505

Order from DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/467842/Echoes-From-the-Deep


Saturday, January 27, 2024

A screenplay?

While going through some files last night, I found a screenplay I had started for A Problem in Translation. I remember starting it many years ago, and I thought I'd written something like five pages. I decided to take a look at it, and was surprised to find that it was actually 75 pages long and about half way done.

I realize that the odds of actually selling it would be very slim, but I'm still wondering if it might be fun to finish it. I only have about half a dozen projects going on...what's one more right?

If you'd like to read the book, please check it out at: https://amzn.to/42jDOWy


Friday, January 26, 2024

Two bestsellers at DriveThruFiction

Two of my titles are currently listed as bestsellers at DriveThruFiction. At the time I'm writing this, Do You Really Want to be a Writer? is listed at #27 and Echoes From the Deep is listed at #33. Check out the complete list at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/top_100.php.

This is the first time in quite a while that I've had two titles in their top 100. Let's see how high we can push both of them! And, of course, thanks for buying my stuff and supporting my writing!

 

 

 

 

 


 


 

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Echoes from the Deep is the Deal of the Day

My new novel, Echoes from the Deep is the deal of the day today at DriveThruFiction. You can download it for just $2at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/467842/.

The first human and dolphin colony team has arrived on Epsilon Eridani 2, a planet that was once inhabited by a highly advanced species that has gone extinct.

On this exciting new world, the humans have brought all of their typical problems with them, while the dolphins adjust quite easily to their new home.

All of this changes when bizarre events begin to happen to the colonists. Is the stress of a new colony causing unknown neuroses and psychoses to suddenly surface? Is there something in the atmosphere that the colonists didn’t know about? Or is there something else behind the bizarre occurrences?


Monday, January 22, 2024

An Echoes from the Deep excerpt

Prologue

From the journals of Eric Young

One of these days, something unfortunate is going to happen to our dear Governor Jornion, and I just hope I’m there to see it. Ever since our arrival on Epsilon Eridani 2, Jornion has been running this place like he’s some kind of dictator. I seem to remember him being chosen by the powers that had been on Earth, but then what did they know? That was more than fifty years ago. They may have killed themselves off while we were in hibernation. It certainly wouldn’t surprise me, even if we had been improving the species.

Suffice it to say, traveling ten light years hasn’t necessarily improved people, especially not Gov. Hendrik Jornion. Maybe I’m being cynical. Maybe it would be better to say that politicians haven’t changed, but I don’t really think anyone ever expected they would.

On the other hand, Phineas and the other dolphins seem to love their new environment. It’s been a year since our arrival, and they’ve already begun to reproduce, unlike the humans. I worry that we’re going to have to start pulling eggs and sperm from the labs to keep the human line going. This shouldn’t be necessary for the dolphins, except to add some genetic variation to the gene pool.

It's almost impossible to believe that I’m on a planet that once held intelligent life. Unfortunately, we really haven’t learned much of anything about that race yet. The archaeology team hasn’t found anything that I would consider of great importance at the first site, although I’m sure they’d disagree with my interpretation of their findings. The only thing we can say for certain is that the Eridanians were an amphibious species. Their coastal cities rest half in the oceans and half out, and it’s clear that they were designed this way because the structures are designed to climb down the coral-like reefs where they need to.

The Eridanians seemed to have had a special reverence for geometry, or maybe art, or maybe it was both. Their cities are laid out in geometric patterns, very few of which are squares or rectangles. In addition, the cities are symmetrical. It’s a truly awe-inspiring sight. There are also very few tall buildings, almost none more than seven stories tall. The city is also small, as are all of the Eridanian cities. Apparently, they had a small population that could live spread out, much as twenty-first century Earth had become after the plagues.

The idea of learning something about an alien race was one of my main reasons for wanting to leave Earth, never to return again. It was second only to my desire to protect the dolphins from the exploitation they might face at the hands of people like Jornion.

I guess that will have to be it for now. Someone’s knocking. I’m sure it’s going to be Nate Howahkan. We have to take the probe back out to the Silent Sea. I’ll write more about that later.

                                                                                                     Eric Young

                                                                                                     Chief Marine Biologist

                                                                                                     Epsilon Eridani 2

Order from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3U70l6L

Order from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1509505

Order from DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/467842


Friday, January 19, 2024

A Taste of the Madness Vol. 5

The fifth volume is here! And remember, this title is free if you're a Kindle Unlimited member...

A collection of six previously published short stories, that are available only for a limited time. Travel to distant planets and travel to different mad visions that prize-winning sf author J Alan Erwine has come up with, but beware, you can never be sure where his weird mind might take you.
Again, this collection is only available for a very limited time.

Order today at https://amzn.to/48Zo0dz


Thursday, January 18, 2024

Echoes from the Deep

My latest novel, Echoes from the Deep is now available.

The first human and dolphin colony team has arrived on Epsilon Eridani 2, a planet that was once inhabited by a highly advanced species that has gone extinct.
On this exciting new world, the humans have brought all of their typical problems with them, while the dolphins adjust quite easily to their new home.
All of this changes when bizarre events begin to happen to the colonists. Is the stress of a new colony causing unknown neuroses and psychoses to suddenly surface? Is there something in the atmosphere that the colonists didn’t know about? Or is there something else behind the bizarre occurrences?

Order from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3U70l6L

Order from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1509505

Order from DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/467842


Friday, January 12, 2024

Last chance to get A Taste of the Madness Vol. 4

There's less than a week left to download A Taste of the Madness Vol. 4, and remember, if you're a Kindle Unlimited member, the download is free.

Download it while you still can at https://amzn.to/3SpgjYR

A collection of six previously published short stories, that are available only for a limited time. Travel to distant planets and travel to different mad visions that prize-winning sf author J Alan Erwine has come up with, but beware, you can never be sure where his weird mind might take you.
Again, this collection is only available for a very limited time.


Thursday, January 11, 2024

New Year, New Game sale

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

It's time for the annual New Year, New Game sale at DriveThruRPG. You can save on the core rulebooks for all three of our games...Rocks on the Other Side, The Battle for Turtle Island, and Ephemeris. Head over to https://www.drivethrurpg.com/rpg_newyear.php?manufacturers_id=2805&filters=0_0_0_0_0_44298#selectpub and you can be playing a new game immediately!!!


Thursday, January 04, 2024

December Bestseller

The bestseller for December, traditionally a slow month for book sales (I guess people don't read much anymore), was The Divided States of America Vol. 1.

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.

Order from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aDCmlz

Order from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/899361

Order from DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/253968


Monday, January 15, 2007

Books are now available from Amazon

Even though we're still a few days away from the official release of Future Syndicate and The Opium of the People, Amazon has them listed for purchase. If you're interested in buying them, scroll down the right side of this blog to the "Amazon Buy Now" buttons!



The Opium of the People: After a near-miss of a giant comet, the American people fall under the control of a radical right-wing fundamentalist Christian government, ruled by the Grand Patriarchs, that slowly strips away their freedoms and establishes a rule of law that even the dictatorships of the 20th Century couldn't have dreamed up.
Forced into virtual seclusion, Edward Silverberg, a former English Lit professor, finds himself on a path that will lead to either his destruction, or the destruction of the Grand Patriarchs...or maybe both.
Future Syndicate: Crime has always been with us, and probably always will be. Future Syndicate looks at what the future of crime might be, and what criminals might be like in the future.
Featuring the works of Jason Sizemore, Bret Tallman, Jason Andrew, Rebecca S.W. Bates, J Alan Erwine, Lavie Tidhar, Bruce Horner, and Rebecca M. Senese, Future Syndicate gives you eight distinct views of what crime might become...