I can't stay away!

That's right folks, after a brief hiatus, I have returned to edit The Martian Wave for Hiraeth Publishing. For those of you that are new to following me, let me recap...

More than 20 years ago, I started editing two magazines for James Baker of ProMart Publishing. Those zines were The Fifth Di... and The Martian Wave. When Jim passed away, I moved over to Sam's Dot Publishing who had taken over the publishing of the ProMart titles. I stayed there for a while, and then some weird stuff happened that I won't go in to. Let's just say that the Sam's Dot titles went to a new publisher, and then I ended up taking the two zines from the publisher and started publishing through Nomadic Delirium Press. Eventually, it would be come to much of a time and money commitment, and I let Tyree Campbell take over at Hiraeth.

Now, Tyree has asked me to edit again, and I figured, what the hell! So, please check out the guidelines at https://www.hiraethsffh.com/martian-wave. Just to make sure you understand, there are only a few stories in each issue, so I'm going to be very picky in what I choose.

And if you'd like to see what The Martian Wave had been like at Nomadic Delirium, check out The Martian Wave Boxed Set at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKKDNNDJ. It's also available in paperback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D69NP4PP or in hardback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D6MS88BW. For whatever reason, Amazon can't seem to link all three versions, and they have the wrong e-book linked to the paperback and hardback, but that's Amazon for you...

 

A sale on Taurin Tales

I've been hard at work on the science fiction role playing game Ephemeris 2.0, and one of the things that I'm doing is adding new species to the game. Instead of the 11 species available in the current game, there will be 20 in the new version, and one of those species is the Taurins which I first developed for Taurin Tales. In looking back at that book, I realized just how great the stories were in it, so Nomadic Delirium Press has put it on sale for a limited time for just $1.99 at a variety of retailers: https://books2read.com/u/mdw26y

Taurin Tales is a shared world anthology featuring some of the top names in small press science fiction. The Taurins were created by science fiction writer, editor, and game designer J Alan Erwine. Once he had created them, he invited some of his favorite writers to play in the universe, and further flesh out these new aliens. Thus was born Taurin Tales.
The stories in this collection cover a large aspect of Taurin life…grand space adventures, small character studies, the tackling of difficult social issues, the past and the future of the Taurins.
Included in this collection, you’ll find David Lee Summers, D. Moonfire, Ian Brazee-Cannon, Tyree Campbell, Anna Paradox, Laura Givens, and Rick Novy.

Personalized short story collections

How would you like your own personalized short story collection? For just $2.99, you can pick any eight of my short stories, and I'll put them together in either epub or mobi format, and you'll have your own short story collection that's unlike anything that anyone else has. Seriously, it's less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks, and you get any eight stories!

To see the complete listings of my short stories, go to https://jalanerwine.com/shortstories.htm and you'll see a nice button near the top that will let you buy this once in a lifetime opportunity. I don't know how long I'm going to keep this going, but the option is there for you if you want it, so what are you waiting for?

A mistake works in your favor

As mentioned in a previous post, I am running a sale at DriveThruFiction on my novels, collections, and individual short stories. Well, this just happened to coincide with their Christmas in July sale, and as a result, some of my titles have been reduced in price even more than they were supposed to be. At first, I though about changing this, but I decided what the heck, my readers deserve some extra discounts, right?

So, head over to https://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse/pub/16618/ and you can save big.

For example, you can get Echoes from the Deep for just $1.28. Are you interested in A Problem in Translation? Well, you can get the novel for $1.20 and the screenplay for $1.28. Those are some really big savings, so what are you waiting for?

And yeah, you can still download individual short stories for just 40 cents.

The last free story for a while

I'm having a lot of problems with my blogspot blog, so no graphic on this one. These have been ongoing problems for months, so you might want to start using my alternative blog site at https://www.jalanerwine.wordpress.com

I hope you've all enjoyed the free stories. This will be the last one for a bit. If you like what you've read, please make sure you review them, as that's an indie author's bread and butter.

This week we have "Seas of Red," which you can download for free by following one of the links from https://books2read.com/u/mBJjrO

Attempts at cleaning up the ocean go very wrong and leave the entire planet in peril. Can it be saved in time? And if so, what will the consequences be?

Role Playing Game sale

Looking to beat the heat this Summer? How about playing a new role playing game? For a limited time, you can download any of our RPG titles for 50% off at DriveThruRPG. That's all of the titles from Rocks on the Other Side, The Battle for Turtle Island, and Ephemeris...all for 50% off. Head over to https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/2805/nomadic-delirium-press and you can be playing a new game today!

Fiction sale

For the rest of the month, my novels, short stories, and short story collections are on sale for 60% off at DriveThruFiction. Head over to https://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse/pub/16618/ and start downloading today.

Individual short stories for just 40 cents and all of my science fiction novels for 60% off. That’s a deal you can’t beat. I know none of you want to go out in the heat, so stay home and read some of my fiction!

Goatherds & Gods is the Deal of the Day

My rewritten version of the James B. Baker novel Goatherds & Gods is the Deal of the Day at DriveThruFiction. You can download the entire novel for just $2 at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/483552/

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…

And now for this week's free e-book

For this week's free e-book, I give you "The Least Practical of Jokes." Download it today at https://books2read.com/u/bw9eqP. All I ask is that if you enjoy the story, please review it. Indie authors, and if fact all authors, are dependent upon the reviews of their readers for their survival.

A man gets conned into helping Robert Lendorin pull off a practical joke, but when things go wrong, what will the consequences be?

And if you like Robert Lendorin, who is one of my personal favorites, there are plans for more stories about him...

Echoes from the Deep is the deal of the day

Echoes from the Deep is the deal of the day at DriveThruFiction today, and you can download it for just $1.60!!! Head over to https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/467842/ and download the book today and enjoy!

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?

Last chance to get your sixth Taste of the Madness

You've almost run out of time to get your sixth Taste of the Madness. In just over a week, this book will no longer be available, and remember, if you're a Kindle Unlimited member, the download is FREE!

Download today at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2G1VJB2

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.

10,000 words

That's how much progress I've made on the new novel. Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself, but I've never had a novel go as smoothly as this one is so far. I'm really enjoying the book and the characters. This is also the first time that I've written a novel in which all of the scenes are told from the perspective of one character. Hell, a lot of my short stories are told from multiple perspectives, so this has been an adventure, but so far it's a fun adventure.

Hopefully I'll have this in the hands of my readers by the end of the year, but you never know what life might throw at me...

Now for a sample of Goatherds & Gods

I know you'd love to read a sample of Goatherds & Gods, a novel originally written by James B. Baker that I've worked into something that I hope is better. Check out a free sample at https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B0D682Q9M5&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_KQBW243H1SGEPT0CG3VG

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…

How about another free story?

This week's free story is the first of my Solar Federation stories, "Mission Unknown." Download it for free at https://books2read.com/u/mq98DO. All I ask is that you please review the story if you like. Reviews are the bread and butter for lesser known authors like myself!

The Solar Federation Series is a new series of stories by prize-winning science fiction author J Alan Erwine. The series will explore a future federation that spans the solar system, and this is the first story in the series.
In Mission Unknown, Captain Jamieson and his crew are sent on a mission that only he knows the true meaning of. Worrying about sabotage and crew revolt, the Captain tries to keep the mission a secret for as long as possible, but what happens when the crew discovers the true nature of their mission, and what could happen if they fail…or if they succeed?

My Divided States of America stories are available at half price

All of the Divided States of America stories are on sale at DriveThruFiction for half off, that means you can download my stories for as little as 50 cents. You can't beat that. If you like good political science fiction, then this sale is for you. Below are links to all of my stories in the collection.

Richard hated being a corporate drone, but what else was there to be in Corprotopia? After losing his girlfriend to the government, Richard struggled with just surviving, but when he learns a deep secret, a secret of resistance, he suddenly finds a reason for his life…or does he?

Order: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/208308/

Captain Christopher Chases Crows knows that something horribly evil is going on in the Wastelands, but can he convince his government to get involved, and is getting involved even the right thing to do? Morality and law aren’t always the same things, but in the Wastelands, there are times when neither exists.

Order: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/221324/

The Great Lakes Conglomerate is ready to launch an ambitious mission to Mars, but is there a saboteur among the designers?

Order: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/245071/

Robert grew up in The Wastelands, where kids are forced to grow up fast, or they die. Now as a member of The Rose Clan, Robert finds himself on his first mission outside of The Wastelands…a raid into The Rocky Mountain States of America, but nothing has gone as planned, and now he finds himself on the verge of death…but he’s been there many times before, and maybe death isn’t as bad as going back to The Wastelands.

Order: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/363823/

Robert Jenkins escaped The Wastelands, but he feels that the best part of him has been left in that horrible place. Now, with the help of unexpected friends, Robert has to decide if he goes back to save the love of his life, or enjoy his new life in The Rocky Mountain States of America.

Order: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/392330/

The Green States of America is a fairly peaceful nation, but not everyone is happy with the current government, and when armed terrorists take over the congressional building, it’s up to Speaker of the Month Robert Nesmith to fight back for his nation, but what does he have to use against armed militants? Only his words.

Order: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/461405/

Divided States of America sale

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

For a limited time, all Divided States of America titles are available for half off at DriveThruFiction.

July is the month that we celebrate our freedoms in America, but with our country changing as it is, what will our future hold? The Divided States of America looks at our nation divided into various nation-states. Is this a future we could be facing?

Start downloading today at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse/pub/2805/

Bestseller for June 2024

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.

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRK79PSV

Order elsewhere: https://books2read.com/u/bwVAy9

Goatherds & Gods is here!

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

The wait is over! Goatherds & Gods by James B. Baker and J Alan Erwine is now available!

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…

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D682Q9M5

Order from DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/483552/Goatherds--Gods

Order elsewhere: https://books2read.com/u/49OL2w

The two star review currently listed on Amazon is for the old version of this book. We have contacted Amazon to remove the review, but Amazon does whatever it wants, so they probably won't. Unfortunately, that review also feeds to other retailers, so this book has already been handicapped before it's even released, so if you read it, and you enjoy it, please review it! Thanks!

This week's free story

Continuing on with some free science fiction. This week you can download my short story, "Danger on the Spectrum" at no cost by going to https://books2read.com/u/mdYrLy. Again, all I ask is that if you enjoy the story, please review it, as this is the best way for writers to grow their readership.

Richard doesn't see the world like most people, and for the most part, he'd like to avoid people as much as he can, but once he reaches Foster's Planet, he finds that even with a small population, he has to interact with people more than he'd like…and he also finds that the thing that makes him so different from everyone else might be the only thing that can save everyone on the planet…

Did we miss something in The Stars, Like Dust?

If you're a science fiction fan, then you've most likely read The Stars Like Dust by Isaac Asimov. If you haven't, then you're missing an important part of science fiction. Yes, the story seems a bit dated, and maybe the writing is too, but then again, this was written more than 70 years ago. I certainly hope my writing holds up this well in 70 years!

If you've never read the book, then I'd suggest skipping this post because I'm going to reveal an important plot element as I try to make a point.

Still here? Ok, here we go. Throughout the book, the characters continually make reference to a document from Old Earth that will help save their civilization. A document that can overthrow the tyrants that now rule just beyond the Horsehead Nebula. What is this document? The US Constitution.

How ironic that 70 years ago, this document was viewed as something that could save humanity, and now we have politicians that are willing to bend and even destroy the Constitution for their own personal gains. Where did we go wrong America?

It makes me wonder if we're viewing the beginning of the fall of the American Empire. This country has been deteriorating for a while, and over the last couple of decades, that decline has seemed to increase. Just once in my life I'd like to be able to vote for a presidential candidate instead of voting against someone. None of these politicians represent what made America great.

The Constitution, and our politics in general, once meant something, but not anymore...