New Year's SF Giveaway - 12 Books from Carina Press!

To celebrate the New Year, the fabulous authors at Contact: Infinite Futures are giving away a bundle of TWELVE science fiction books (digital format) to the lucky winner of this 1-day-only contest on Twitter.

 

You can follow us: @ContactIF

 

Simply use the hashtag #Ilovescifi and start with "because..." giving one reason why you love sci-fi.

 

The contest will end at 10am CT on the 2nd. Here is the final list of books on offer (a damn good selection if I do say so myself! Something for everyone):

Blue Galaxy - Diane Dooley
Alien 'n' Outlaw - KC Burn
Stellarnet Rebel - JL Hilton
Liar's Game - Kait Gamble
Sparks in Cosmic Dust - Robert Appleton
Escape Velocity - Anah Crow and Dianne Fox
Winter Fusion - Anna Hackett
Undercover Alliance - Lilly Cain
Supercritical - Shawn Kupfer
League of Illusions: Leagcy - Vivi Anna
Desert Blade -- Ella Drake
Rulebreaker - Cathy Pegau

 
Good luck and Happy New Year to you all!

Prehistoric Clock - EPIC Awards Finalist 2013

Great news! My steampunk novel Prehistoric Clock is a 2013 EPIC Award finalist in the Best Science Fiction category. This follows my double nomination two years ago, from which I ended up winning for Sunset on Ramree (Best Historical Fiction).

Prehistoric Clock was published in Feb 2012 by Carina Press, and is book one in the Steam Clock Legacy series. Here's the Amazon link.

http://amzn.to/U7nT8h

Who Got it Right? A History of the Future

To celebrate the release of Cyber Sparks, I’ve invited its heroine, Allegra Mondebay, to give you some fascinating insights into the 23^rd Century. It took a bottle of Vodka McCormick’s to convince her, but the men in the room (including me) all agree it was worth it. Now, she isn’t much of a history buff, but she does love old movies, especially early science fiction ones, and she once started a college project titled “Who Got it Right? A History of the Future in Science Fiction Cinema.”

RA: Allega, when you say you “started” the project, how far did—

AM: I sort of kind of thought about it in the shower once. The label on the shampoo bottle got me to thinking.

RA: About what?

AM: Hair. Duh. You really need to start paying attention.

RA: Sorry. So…who did get it right? Which movie predictions came true?

AM: Well, Audrey Hepburn had it spot-on when she cut it short. I’ve used that style quite a lot. I was Face of Semprica with that little number, in fact, before I was canned by those evil motherf—

RA: We’re here to talk about science fiction.

AM: Oooh. Sor-ree.

RA: Which movie was most accurate?

AM: Not many of ‘em, to be honest. Those dark and dingy worlds—Blade Runner, for instance—are a pretty good approximation of the inside of my garbage chute, but that’s all. Did they really think the people of Earth would let things get that bad? Wow. Glasses half empty, I guess. A Scanner Darkly—that was a 20^th Century book, you know.

RA: And then it was made into a really good animated “rotoscope” film starring Keanu Reeves.

AM: From The Matrix. Another vision of the future that was way, way off base.

RA: You don’t have artificial intelligence in the 23^rd Century?

AM: Eew, not to my knowledge, no. I’m pretty sure machines can never have that capability. You can’t create consciousness artificially. Intelligence, yes, but not consciousness. Think about it: of all the species that ever evolved on Earth, only one achieved true self-awareness, and even it can’t pinpoint its own capability. There’s no conscious core. It’s everything or nothing, and it’s infinitely complex. Try writing that as computer code.

RA: Heavy stuff. You studied that in university?

AM: In fifth grade. Right about the time I saw Avatar 17…in 6D.

RA: 6-D??

AM: Oh dear, you are neanderthal, aren’t you. Still wearing those pitiful 3D glasses. Just wait till you get to interact with your favourite movie worlds inside VR. You’ll no longer be passive spectators. It’ll kick your brain functionality up several neural gears. Trust me, Angelina Jolie will make all your dreams come true.

RA: Ahem. You’ve told us which films got it wrong. So who gets the gold star?

AM: Well, it may sound dumb to you guys obsessed with garbage chute futures and whizzy-whizzy lightsabres, but the closest prediction to what really happens, at least in the spirit of what happens, has been around for decades in your time. It’s been laughed at by those that don’t get it. But let me tell you, that guy Rodenberry hit it out of the park.

RA: Khaaaaaaan!!!

AM: You’re funny. And by that I mean funny-looking. But yeah, Star Trek got the optimism of the future right. There’s no money in the Federation, so they got that ass-backwards—to quote The Right Stuff, “No bucks, no Buck Rogers”—but on the whole they got it. Politics, exploration, trying to be tolerant of all species, using technology to better ourselves—and failing most of the time. Just look at what happened to me with the omnipod. But also take a good look at life on board the Enterprise and you’ll see that while those people are all flawed, they’re trying, really trying to make things better for humanity. ISPA (the Interstellar Planetary Administration) is the Federation of my time, and it’s starting to get on its feet again. It’s a struggle. There are no answers, and there’s no utopia either. I don’t think human nature will ever allow that.

But there sure as hell isn’t a dystopia unless the public becomes brain-dead and lets it happen. Remember, that’s on you, not the government, not big business. You, the ordinary people. So drop your garbage chute obsessions and lighten up, for chrissakes. Here, have a salted peanut, Replicant.

RA: Eh? What do you mean, I’m a…

AM: Please. You’ve doodled three unicorns already. Do I have to spell it out for you? Tears in rain and all that.

RA: I think I need a drink.

AM: Damn, is that the time already?

Cyber Sparks is available now at Carina Press, and everywhere ebooks are sold.

You can read the first two chapters here

My name is Allegra Mondebay, and this is the story of my last days on Earth…

Unlike my sparsely populated home, on Earth everything and everyone is plugged in. As a blacklisted model who needs to reboot my career, I can no longer resist the ultimate in virtual-reality networking: the omnipod. At first, altering the sights, sounds and scents around me seems harmless. Then I hear the voice.

Do not adjust your headset. You are in danger…

He says I must help him warn the public about the perils of the omnipod. I think he’s just a hacker–until innocent people start dying, and the police want to hold me responsible. Now, I’m on the run in a stolen shuttle, trying to figure out why he needs me. And if I don’t do as he says, he’ll kill the woman I love.

32,000 words

Cyber Sparks - Read the First Two Chapters

With only ten days to go until the official book launch, I've uploaded the first two chapters of Cyber Sparks onto my website. It's a fairly fast-paced novella, so you'll get a pretty strong grasp of the characters and general thrust of the story from this introduction.

http://bit.ly/Ss0BE7

Hope you enjoy!

And here's the blurb for Cyber Sparks (Available now for pre-order from Carina Press; Official Release Date Aug 27):

My name is Allegra Mondebay, and this is the story of my last days on Earth...

Unlike my sparsely populated home, on Earth everything and everyone is plugged in. As a blacklisted model who needs to reboot my career, I can no longer resist the ultimate in virtual-reality networking: the omnipod. At first, altering the sights, sounds and scents around me seems harmless. Then I hear the voice.

Do not adjust your headset. You are in danger...

He says I must help him warn the public about the perils of the omnipod. I think he's just a hacker--until innocent people start dying, and the police want to hold me responsible. Now, I'm on the run in a stolen shuttle, trying to figure out why he needs me. And if I don't do as he says, he'll kill the woman I love.

32,000 words

Cyber Sparks is Book 3 in the Cosmic Sparks series from Carina Press.

Book Review: Stellarnet Rebel by J.L. Hilton

Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Science Fiction/ Romantic SF
Price: $5.99 (ebook)

DESCRIPTION:

Welcome to Asteria, a corporate-owned, deep-space colony populated with refugees, criminals and obsessive online gamers. Genny O'Riordan has shifted in from Earth determined to find a story that will break her blog into the Stellarnet Top 100, and even better--expose the degradation of the colony's denizens.

Duin is an alien--a Glin--a hero of a past revolution against the Glin royal family, yet branded a terrorist. Duin speaks every day in the Asteria market, hoping to spur humans to aid his home world, which has been overtaken by the evil, buglike Tikati.

When Genny and Duin meet, what begins with a blog post becomes a dangerous web of passion and politics as they struggle to survive not only a war but the darker side of humanity...

94,000 words

***

REVIEW:

Ms. Hilton made a huge effort with the worldbuilding in Stellarnet Rebel, and her characters play off it beautifully. The Glin, a semi-aquatic alien refugee race whose plight is given the Stellarnet spotlight by blogger Genny O'Riordan, are a fascinating bunch. Two males in particular, Duin and Belloc, who feature prominently in the story, couldn't be more different from one another if they tried, yet both point to a common underlying strength in this seemingly beaten species. They have unfinished business with their overlord enemies, and perhaps each other. All they need is a helping hand, and someone willing to bring the best out in them.

Genny's a fun, very liberal heroine who lives life by her own heart and her own moral compass. She sees helping the Glin as the right thing to do, and that's that. Her blog becomes a sensation, so presumably most people agree. But there's also a hint of a perverse public obsession with Genny and her alien partners, particularly in regard to the obvious interspecies attraction between them. It's the kind of thing that *would* send our internet of the future into a feeding frenzy.

I liked the romantic touches. They were sweet and tasteful and added a lot to the characters. They never dominated the plot either, which is refreshing to see in a romantic SF story. The action scenes were brisk and imaginative. Much of the humour was of the fish-out-of-water variety--always good--and perhaps the only quibble I had with the Glin language was that many of the words came across as a little juvenile, a la Phantom Menace.

I'd definitely recommend Stellarnet Rebel to SF and romantic SF readers, especially those who like clever worldbuilding, cyber tech, and intriguing human-alien relationships. It's an excellent debut novel.

BUY LINK

Stellarnet Rebel is available to purchase anywhere eBooks are sold, and also as an audiobook HERE.

New Book Cover: Pyro Canyon

Frauke Spanuth, who created one of my favourite book covers for The Mysterious Lady Law, has delivered another great-looking piece of artwork for my upcoming Military SF novella, Pyro Canyon. It's a terrific interpretation of the look and feel of the story. And those metal eagles--exactly what I had in mind for the Condor Squadron insignia. Beyond impressed with this one!

Pyro Canyon is set for release on June 4 as a standalone eBook and audiobook AND as part of Carina Press's prestigious anniversary anthology, Carina Press Presents: Editor's Choice Volume II. My three fellow authors are Carina favourites Janni Nell (Dance of Flames), Julie Moffett (No Money Down) and Shirley Wells (Dead Calm).

All titles are available for pre-order at Amazon Kindle.

In the meantime, here's the short blurb to introduce Pyro Canyon:

It’s a galaxy-wide red alert…again.

And it’s Corporal Gus Trillion’s job at the Propaganda Office to drum up recruits. But the colonists have heard one too many calls to arm to care. Disabled in battle and on the verge of burn-out, Gus feels pretty apathetic himself—until his reporter friend Lyssa Baltacha stumbles upon top secret satellite footage indicating that the treacherous Sheikers are planning to invade human-occupied space. Now Gus and Lyssa must find a way to galvanize humanity to rise up against the enemy—before it’s too late…

New Book Release & 2012 Update

Having just returned from a holiday in paradise (St. Lucia) to find several inches of snow waiting, I couldn't help wondering why the hell Great Britain, a country plagued by notoriously foul and fluky weather, was chosen to host this year's Olympics. One need only think of the showers of--and the shower that is--Wimbledon each and every year, in mid-summer no less. For the athletes' sake, surely there's somewhere more temperate to hold this thing, and economically, surely there's somewhere more deserving and in greater need of a financial/publicity boost in this world.

Anyway, the vacation was great--lots of snorkelling, beach reading, kayaking, and general exploring of the island. The highlights were probably a 2-hour kayaking expedition along the coast with my sister, who's even more of a daredevil than me--and a vertiginous cable car journey over the rainforest. Most of the St. Lucians were very friendly, though we did get pestered too often by beach hawkers and beggers, one or two of whom became needlessly aggressive. It didn't spoil the holiday, but I think the authorities need to get a handle on this excessive badgering of tourists. I'll definitely return to St. Lucia at some point.

While I was away, my new SF book, ALIEN VELOCITY, was lauched at Carina Press (March 26). It's actually a re-release of my EPIC Award finalist Charlie Runs Rings Around the Earth, but with several newly revised chapters and a professional polish by my ace editor Deb Nemeth, the story's in better shape than ever. Carina has also agreed to give my SF books a collective series name, as they're all set in the same universe and contain crossover characters and SF elements. COSMIC SPARKS is comprised of four Carina books so far, two of which are forthcoming releases.

In chronological (universe timeline) order, they are:

ALIEN VELOCITY (Out Now)
SPARKS IN COSMIC DUST (Out Now)
CYBER SPARKS (August 2012)
PYRO CANYON (June 2012)

Carina Press invited me to write PYRO CANYON for their second anniversary anthology titled CARINA PRESS PRESENTS: EDITOR'S CHOICE VOLUME II, to represent science fiction. It's a tale of redemption in the shadow of interstellar war, and features two legendary space fliers, Cardie and Brink, brough back from retirement to complete unfinished business. Gus Trillion is the wounded propaganda officer who makes it his mission to rouse mankind from its apathy, before it's too late.

Despite the tight writing deadlines, I'm very pleased with the finished story. Sparks in Cosmic Dust fans should enjoy the worldbuilding elements in this one, not to mention an important character who helps Gus on his mission. The other three authors chosen for the collection were Julie Moffett (action adventure/mystery), Shirley Wells (mystery), and Janni Nell (paranormal mystery)--all returning Carina authors, and all terrific storytellers. Can't wait for the collector's edition paperback, as well as the ebook and audiobook versions, which will be on sale as individual titles or in the anthology collection. Once again, Deb Nemeth deserves major kudos for putting the whole thing together.

Those who read and enjoyed PREHISTORIC CLOCK--and thank you for all the positive reviews and feedback--will be pleased to know I'm currently writing the next story in The Steam Clock Legacy. Tentatively titled Moon and Meridian, it will be a bridging story between book one and Subterranean Clock, the direct sequel, and will feature a new steampunk heroine, Meredith McEwan, whose coming-of-age tale really opens up the mystery of the Leviacrum in Victorian London. I did plan it as a novella, but Meredith and her sister are proving too much fun to write, so it'll probably be a novel by the time I'm done.

If all goes well, Moon and Meridian and Subterranean Clock will be wrapped up by the end of 2012, which will pave the way for the long-overdue release of THE RISE OF RED MULQUEEN, book 2.5 in the series, that I submitted for Carina's Christmas steampunk anthology last year and instead received a standalone contract for. Way down the line, then, most likely well into 2013--deep breath--I should have the entire Steam Clock Legacy written, including a final, epic novel that will tie everything together. That's the plan anyway!

Thanks for reading, and as ever feel free to contact me at sevenmercury7@aol.com I do my best to answer each and every email. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a selection of recently-read books (some in St. Lucia) that I can recommend:

THE CITY AND THE STARS by Arthur C. Clarke (Science Fiction)
RULEBREAKER by Cathy Pegau (Science Fiction Romance)
THE FORTUNE OF WAR by Patrick O'Brian (Historical)
DEFYING CONVENTION - Abby Niles (Contemporary Romance)
DUMA KEY - Stephen King (Drama/Horror)
STEAM AND SORCERY - Cindy Spencer Pape (Steampunk Fantasy Romance)
BEYOND THE REEFS - William Travis (Non-Fiction, Travel, Autobiograpical)

Best,
Robert

Prehistoric Clock - Exclusive Excerpt

Exactly two weeks to go until Prehistoric Clock, the first book in The Steam Clock Legacy series, is launched at Carina Press. The good folks there have put an exclusive excerpt up on Facebook--the first FIVE chapters for free download! Airships, diving bells, grand adventure, phenomenal steampunk science gone awry; check out all this and much more HERE.

Feb 6 is the official release date. Prehistoric Clock will also be available as an audiobook.

Writing a SF Novel: Part 3

My Sparks in Cosmic Dust celebration continues. I'm at bestselling SF author Shawn Kupfer's (47 Echo) blog today, with WRITING A SF NOVEL: PART 3. Join me for some insights on science fiction worldbuilding, and a chance to win a free ebook!

Best,
Robert

Writing a SF Novel: Part 2

To celebrate the upcoming release of my SF novel, Sparks in Cosmic Dust (September 26, 2011, Carina Press), I’ll be posting a five-part look at the book’s development, from initial concept to book launch. I'll also be giving away one SF title from my back catalogue with each segment, ending with a special Sparks giveaway. The winners will be all announced on release day on my own blog: http://robertbappleton.blogspot.com

Here’s where you can find the other installments:

Part 1: Concept (Aug 31)—Contact: Infinite Futures Blog
Part 3: Worldbuilding (Sep 23)—Shawn Kupfer’s Blog
Part 4: The Writing Process (Sep 26)—Cathy Pegau’s Blog
Part 5: Publication (Sep 28)—Carina Press Blog

PART 2: CHARACTER

Survivor: The Deep Space Heroine

Heroines in space opera science fiction have generally conformed to one of two types: decorative damsel or Amazonian warrior, the former in constant need of rescue, the latter all but indestructible yet waiting (though she might not realise it) to be conquered by the hero. Both are iconic male fantasies that cross most fiction genres, and neither really interest me. The plausible science fiction heroine, to me, exists somewhere in between.

I also think the trajectory of feminism into futuristic space opera is overstated, on the whole. In the vastness of deep space, without society’s laws to support or even encourage equality, I find it unlikely that any more than a few women would achieve a position of sustainable power over men. Sure, advanced weaponry would help level the playing field, and she might get to perform all the same jobs as her male colleagues—think Kaylee in Firefly—but unless she’s in some sort of existing hierarchy that demanded obedience (eg military), I think a woman would have to be exceptional to convince her male counterparts to serve under her. That’s why lady pirates have been rare throughout history. Outside the law, it’s survival of the fittest.

But that’s not to say women in deep space wouldn’t be strong characters. On the contrary, they’d have to be formidable survivors. Especially in spaceships or colonies without atmospheres, death would be a constant factor. Anyone living under such conditions would be cautious and pragmatic to a fault. A hardness of character, an instinct for the preciousness of human company, would govern the deep space dweller. And cunning, rather than obvious ambition, might best serve those who don’t immediately command obedience.

Varinia Wilcox—glamour girl with a haunted past

The celebrated strip poker queen of Kappa Max, an asteroid colony beyond the official outposts, might sound like a throwback to the worst sort of damsels in distress from old SF. But Varinia is probably the most cunning survivor on Kappa. She’s managed to remain undefeated—read celibate—throughout her contract, over a year, and it’s made her extremely rich. No one knows about her “coining” (astral projection) ability, but it enables her to cheat whenever she likes. It also ruined her previous career as a model in the inner colonies, through an incident that exiled her to deep space and forced her change her identity. Her new reputation as the unattainable goddess of the outer colonies draws punters from far and wide.

But she can never leave until she’s lost (had sex with a client) five times, as per her contract. So she’s trapped: either keep winning and getting rich OR let five complete strangers have their way with her. Time is running out. She can’t feasibly keep winning forever. She needs a way out.

Teaming with handsome-but-wounded roughneck Solomon Bodine, she hatches a plan to escape Kappa Max for good. But where can she go, and how can she get there? What she needs is to lie low for a while, to have a fresh start.

A chance meeting with cynical ex-doctor Grace Peters offers hope—a prospecting gig on a faraway alien moon, Zopyrus. But to pull it off, Varinia will have to adapt to an entirely new way of living. Hard manual graft, meagre rations, long hours swinging a pick axe: how can a model turned bordello glam girl possibly cope with that for ten months?

One of my favourite parts of writing Sparks in Cosmic Dust was the chance to reveal the characters’ pasts gradually, using their strengths and weaknesses in a given situation as windows to who they were before Zopyrus, and how they might be changing. They all have secrets, some more crucial than others, and the fate of the expedition is never certain.

Varinia’s desire to return to her happy, contented former life is symbolized by her decision to purchase a damaged mare to take along on the expedition. The animal has been ill-used as a beast of burden, but like her, it has survived against all odds. But can it ever be truly happy again, so far outside its milieu? Here’s another concept sketch I did:

Varinia Wilcox might be the most interesting of my SF heroines because she isn’t a natural leader. She doesn’t know engineering or how to pilot a ship or how to kill anyone. Everyone takes her for granted because of her looks. And no one would ever have imagined her digging for precious elements in a dark mine alongside a roughneck, a fugitive, a wily old doctor and a border criminal.

But she has the most important quality in an alien environment: the ability to adapt. And those who adapt...survive.

With this second installment, I’m giving away an ebook copy of my SF novelette Godiva in the Firing Line (Damnation Books, 2009). To enter, simply send an email to sevenmercury7@aol.com with SPARKS GIVEAWAY TWO in the subject line. Don’t forget to give your name.

Good Luck!

Sparks in Cosmic Dust is available to pre-order now at Carina Press and on Amazon Kindle.

Best,

Robert

Creating a SF Novel: Part 1

To celebrate the upcoming release of my new SF novel, Sparks in Cosmic Dust (September 26, 2011, Carina Press), I’ll be posting a five-part look at the book’s development, from initial concept to book launch. I’ll also be giving away one SF title from my back catalogue with each segment, ending with a special Sparks giveaway. The winners will be all announced on release day here on my blog.

PART 1: CONCEPT is now up on the Contact: Infinite Futures blog.

And don't forget to check here over the coming weeks for details of where to find the other installments.

Best,
Robert

Book Review: Rulebreaker by Cathy Pegau

Rulebreaker by Cathy Pegau

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Description:

Liv Braxton's Felon Rule #1: Don't get emotionally involved.

Smash-and-grab thieving doesn't lend itself to getting chummy with the victims, and Liv hasn't met anyone on the mining colony of Nevarro worth knowing, anyway. So it's easy to follow her Rules.

Until her ex, Tonio, shows up with an invitation to join him on the job of a lifetime.

Until Zia Talbot, the woman she's supposed to deceive, turns Liv's expectations upside down in a way no woman ever has.

Until corporate secrets turn deadly.

But to make things work with Zia, Liv has to do more than break her Rules, and the stakes are higher than just a broken heart...

89,000 words


I thoroughly enjoyed this SFR espionage novel. The worldbuilding is very good, the main characters are vivid and vivacious. The build-up was a *little* slow for me--mainly because I didn't much care for the mother--but once Liv (our gutsy heroine and narrator) starts her new undercover job as PA to corporate hotshot Zia, the tension, both dramatic and sexual, really begins to crackle. It never lets up.

This is the sort of story that doesn't really need a villain as such. They are there, but the real enemy here is circumstance. At its heart, Rulebreaker is a tender and poignant love story between two people who absolutely can't end up together, but absolutely MUST. Recommended to all SFR readers, and for those curious about the genre but have yet to give it a whirl. You'll find Ms. Pegau's future world easy to relate to.

BUY LINK (Carina Press)

BUY LINK (Amazon Kindle)

SF Novel Excerpt - Sparks in Cosmic Dust

My science fiction novel SPARKS IN COSMIC DUST has an official release date of September 26, 2011 at Carina Press. Head on over to my website to read the first two chapters.

http://bit.ly/pDmAVP

Meanwhile, here's the blurb:

The final frontier is shrinking. Interstellar Planetary Administration sanctions are forcing the border colonies of deep space into extinction. Kappa Max is one of the last major cutthroat outposts, home to the lawless and the lonely…

Varinia Wilcox, the star attraction of a lucrative bordello gambling house.
Solomon Bodine, spurned by his lover and looking for distraction.
Clayton Barry, AWOL and a few drinks away from having to live in the gutter.
Lyssa Foaloak, a double-crossing criminal who'll kill anyone for a few credits.

Four strangers, each with secrets that could cost them their freedom, are desperate to get off-planet. They meet Grace Peters, a cynical ex-doctor with an intriguing offer: a six-month trip to a faraway moon where she claims a stunning fortune awaits.

But this adventure is no easy escape. Danger, passion, secrets and madness await. Can they survive the mission, and each other, to make it out alive?

87,000 words

New Cover Art: Sparks in Cosmic Dust

Croco Designs came up with this colourful, exotic cover for my upcoming SF adventure novel Sparks in Cosmic Dust. It instantly captures the alien wildness of the faraway moon, Zopyrus, and the story's ebullient air of mystery. This is the largest-scale book I've written (in word count and scope), and features some of my most complex characters. Check out the official blurb from Carina Press:

The final frontier is shrinking. Interstellar Planetary Administration sanctions are forcing the border colonies of deep space into extinction. Kappa Max is one of the last major cutthroat outposts, home to the lawless and the lonely…

Varinia Wilcox, the star attraction of a lucrative bordello gambling house.
Solomon Bodine, spurned by his lover and looking for distraction.
Clayton Barry, AWOL and a few drinks away from having to live in the gutter.
Lyssa Foaloak, a double-crossing criminal who'll kill anyone for a few credits.

Four strangers, each with secrets that could cost them their freedom, are desperate to get off-planet. They meet Grace Peters, a cynical ex-doctor with an intriguing offer: a six-month trip to a faraway moon where she claims a stunning fortune awaits. But this adventure is no easy escape. Danger, passion, secrets and madness await. Can they survive the mission, and each other, to make it out alive?

The release date for this one is September 26th, 2011 at Carina Press. Can't wait!

Amazing Steampunk Trailer From Carina Press

In anticipation of Steampunk Week at Carina Press (the last week in April), the staff there have put together this utterly gorgeous trailer showing off seven steampunk titles. My novella, The Mysterious Lady Law, is among them!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKFmn6H-VYI

How's that for a visual feast?

The individual titles are:

The Mysterious Lady Law by Robert Appleton
Badlands by Seleste deLaney
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell
Photographs and Phantoms by Cindy Spencer Pape
Island of Icarus by Christine Danse
Steam & Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape
Like Clockwork by Bonnie Dee

Three More Book Contracts With Carina Press!

Exciting news! The contracts just arrived for THREE upcoming books, all to be published by Carina Press! Sparks in Cosmic Dust is an epic sci-fi adventure novel with romantic elements--I'm currently editing it with Deb Nemeth for a September release. Alien Velocity is a re-release of my EPIC Award SF finalist, Charlie Runs Rings Around the Earth. And finally, Prehistoric Clock is a steampunk time travel adventure (short novel) I'm hoping to make into a series. Yep, this lot will keep me busy while I tackle my long-in-the-offing haunted house novel this year. I'll post updates on all these projects along the way.

In the meantime, you can read a bit more about them here.

Robert

Jaq's Harp - SF with a Fairytale Twist

I haven't read this one yet, but I'm dying to. Jaq's Harp by lovely SF Romance author Ella Drake has one of the most imaginative premises I've come across in a while. I love it when old myths and fables are given the twisty SF treatment. Check this out:

In a world of floating islands and bio-engineered beans, the bad guys are taken down by agents of the Mother organization—agents like Jacqueline "Jaq" Robinson. Instead of accepting her next routine assignment, she sets out on a mission of her own—to destroy Giant Corp, the company responsible for her sister's wasting illness. Jaq must steal her cure from Giant's headquarters high above the city...even though she'll be brought face-to-face with Harper English, the man who left her to go deep undercover at Giant.

For Harp, Jaq had been a distraction the mercenary thought he couldn't afford. But once he sees her again, Harp knows he's made a mistake. Even though she vowed he won't have her again, it's clear they still have a powerful attraction. Harp's determined to get a second chance with Jaq—if they can escape Giant Corp and get back to solid ground in one piece...

20,600 words

A futuristic Jack and the Beanstalk, anyone? With added biotech beans? You just know this one's gonna rock.

Read an excerpt here!

Jaq's Harp is available now as an eBook from Carina Press

and also as an Audiobook!

To learn more about Ms. Drake and her fabulous dark paranormal and SF works, click here!

New Release: The Mysterious Lady Law

And there she goes! Wind all clocks back to 1899, hold your breath (London was rather smoggy in those days) and delve into the exciting world of airships, giant burrowing machines, and all manner of steam-powered awesomeness. Today, The Mysterious Lady Law makes her debut at Carina Press. Come and find out what all the fuss is about...

In a time of grand airships and steam-powered cars, the death of a penniless young maid will hardly make the front page. But part-time airship waitress and music hall dancer Julia Bairstow is shattered by her sister's murder. When Lady Law, the most notorious private detective in Britain, offers to investigate the case pro bono, Julia jumps at the chance—even against the advice of Constable Al Grant, who takes her protection surprisingly to heart.

Lady Law puts Scotland Yard to shame. She's apprehended Jack the Ripper and solved countless other cold-case crimes. No one knows how she does it, but it's brought her fortune, renown and even a title. But is she really what she claims to be—a genius at deducting? Or is Al right and she is not be trusted?

Julia is determined to find out the truth, even if it means turning sleuth herself—and turning the tables on Lady Law...


The eBook is available at:

Carina Press (20% off!)
Amazon Kindle
Diesel Ebooks
Mobipocket
Books on Board
OmniLit

Or downoad the audiobook from Audible (a first for me!)

Tally-ho, dear readers! Hope you enjoy it.

Rob

Early Reviews for The Mysterious Lady Law

I have to say, my new publisher Carina Press has done a tremendous job of marketing The Mysterious Lady Law in the run-up to its release. Usually for a small press author, letting the public know that your book even exists is a long, laborious process that has you multi-tasking like crazy for weeks, even months on end, often to little reward. So it's a huge relief to know your publisher is working just as hard in that same endeavour. Trust me, that isn't always the case.

Carina (a digital imprint of Harlequin) uses a handy website called Netgalley, through which prospective reviewers can request a free ARC. And through todays's inexhaustible social networking magic, those early reviews can (hopefully) spark that elusive, cyber-alchemic reaction that spreads word of your book in avenues you never knew existed. It's a bit of a gamble--what if the reviewers hate your book--and there's no guarantee of anything, even if they like it, but Netgalley is one of the best ideas I've come across for eBook marketing.

Here are a few of the early reviews I found for my steampunk debut, The Mysterious Lady Law (officially released in 2 days!):

"...succeeds in capturing the spirit of the classic "Whodunit" detective fiction. With the added steampunk element, it's quite the imaginative romp...I hear-tell that this story is Robert Appleton's first go at steampunk. I think he wove a fun little tale, and hope he has plans to write in the genre again." 4/5 -- Alisha, My Need to Read

"...filled with adventure and wonderful steampunk gadgets ...It is interesting to see if a dance hall girl, detective and aging adventurer can outwit the formidable Lady Law. I recommend this book to lovers of steampunk and lovers of mysteries." -- Kathy, Inside of a Dog

"Journey into a steampunk reimagining of Victorian London in The Mysterious Lady Law. Robert Appleton has penned an entertaining mystery that starts off with a bang and ends in a mostly satisfying way. I liked Julia, Al, and Holly, the tale’s protagonists. They’re interesting characters with unique voices and their energy buoyed the story." -- Shayna, Joyfully Reviewed

"Robert Appleton does an excellent job of realizing this world and building the bits and baubles up a piece at a time... Overall, I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the mystery. I was kept guessing on what was coming right up to the end and I was left satisfied with the story we were given." -- Kelly, Reading the Paranormal


See you at Carina on Monday!
www.carinapress.com

Best,
Rob

The Mysterious Lady Law - Cover Art

Carina Press artist Frauke Spanuth hit the steampunk vibe dead centre with this corker of a cover for The Mysterious Lady Law. The mystery, attitude and retro-science are all here in spades--I couldn't have asked for a more fitting piece of artwork.

Thank you, Frauke!

Lady Law will make her debut on January 31, 2011, in digital format from Carina Press. Here's the official blurb:


In a time of grand airships and steam-powered cars, the death of a penniless young maid will hardly make the front page. But part-time airship waitress and music hall dancer Julia Bairstow is shattered by her sister's murder. When Lady Law, the most notorious private detective in Britain, offers to investigate the case pro bono, Julia jumps at the chance—even against the advice of Constable Al Grant, who takes her protection surprisingly to heart.

Lady Law puts Scotland Yard to shame. She's apprehended Jack the Ripper and solved countless other cold-case crimes. No one knows how she does it, but it's brought her fortune, renown and even a title. But is she really what she claims to be—a genius at deducting? Or is Al right and she is not be trusted?

Julia is determined to find out the truth, even if it means turning sleuth herself—and turning the tables on Lady Law...