Shoshone Station #1 Not a Good Day to Die

The first installment of Shoshone Station is out now!

Grab your copy here:

Amazon

Everywhere else

Blurb:

Less than a year ago, they arrived over earth’s sky. They call themselves the Galactic Consortium and they are human, or at least, simian — from the same genetic line as humans. They claim to have terraformed this planet centuries ago to serve as a base for their exploration of this galaxy. What happened to the settlers, why none of us remember this, remains a mystery.

For America the concerns are more immediate. Will the Consortium accept our independence?

Shoshone Station is the first joint enterprise, a solar power, space station parked in geostationary orbit over Denver, Colorado. Its been “gifted” to America, but as Sherman Lannister takes command he wonders just how much control the new American crew will really have. After all, what do they know about running a space station?

For Sophia, a homeless transgender youth from Denver, and many like her the station is a second chance at a new life. But what will she do living amongst the stars?

Like Audiobooks? Children of a New Earth is out in Audio!

Enjoy audiobooks? My post-apocalyptic novel Children of a New Earth is out on audible.com now.

Buy it here

Blurb:

For nearly 30 years, since the collapse of society, Freedom Ranch has been self-sufficient, hidden deep in the Rocky Mountains. Amy Beland has grown up hating the small valley settlement and the survivalists that run it. Now it will be up to her to save them all.

Journeying out of the mountains and into what is left of civilization, they discover that much of what they’ve been taught about the collapse is wrong. They don’t find the enemy they expect on the plains beneath their home, which is good because Amy suspects they may have brought a couple with them.

 

Introducing Zoey and the Zombies

Zoey one

The world is overran with undead. Giant hordes are pouring out of the East Coast, threatening the Midwest. The defense of Mondamin Court, a quiet neighborhood in Des Moines, Iowa is up to a disabled cop, a fourteen year old boy and a transgender girl. What could go wrong?

Mondamin Court is a typical lower middle class neighborhood in a midwestern city. The people are a cross section of America. Each book starts with the same setting and characters but they face a different apocalyptic scenario.

Release date is: June 20th

Update, it’s out:

Amazon

Kobo

Everywhere Else

The Hunted: Cover Reveal

Bear Naked 3: The Hunted is in production. And now, the big moment…

My new cover:

The HuntedAmanda and the pack are back. Uncle Darren has gone missing on a camping trip to Idaho. Uncle Mitch is in a coma.

The obvious culprit would seem to be their known enemy: The Sons of Garm. However Idaho is home to the Skinwalkers, Native American cousins to the werewolves. Could they be involved?

Want update information about the release? Join The Hunted. Sign up for my newsletter today!

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My Latest Book is Almost Here!

My next novel, Children of a New Earth, is almost here. It’s on the final pass edit. After that I start formatting, which I am doing myself this time, so it shouldn’t take long. Hopefully the ebook can be out before the month is over. Print takes a little longer, maybe a week or two later.

For a quick reminder, it’s a post apocalyptic science fiction novel, set thirty years after the collapse of society.

Children of a new earth, front

The blurb:

For nearly thirty years, since the collapse of society, Freedom Ranch has been self sufficient, hidden deep in the Rocky Mountains. Amy Beland has grown up hating the small valley settlement and the survivalist that run it. Now it will be up to her to save them all.

Journeying out of the mountains and into what is left of civilization, they discover that much of what they’ve been taught about the collapse is wrong. They don’t find the enemy they expect on the plains beneath their home, which is good because Amy suspects they may have brought a couple with them.

 

The novel has a lot of fun inside stuff for long term members of the fannish community. The SCA has taken over most of the world and pagan tribes abound.

Anyone interested in a pre-release copy, hit me up at Racheleliason at gmail dot com, in the comments or on social media. All I ask in return is an honest review when you’re done.

 

Help me with this Blurb, Please

My next release, Children of a New Earth, is with my editor as I write this. Meanwhile I am working on the blurb and cover. I hope to have a cover ready to show soon. For the moment I could use some honest opinions about this blurb:

For nearly thirty years, since the collapse of society, Freedom Ranch has been self sufficient, hidden deep in the Rocky Mountains. Amy Beland has grown up hating the small valley settlement and the survivalist that run it. Now it will be up to her to save them all.

Journeying out of the mountains and into what is left of civilization, they discover that much of what they’ve been taught about the collapse is wrong. They don’t find the enemy they expect on the plains beneath their home, which is good because Amy suspects they may have brought a couple with them.

I know it’s not quite ready for print, but I am not sure what to do with it. Any comments or suggestions would be welcomed. Please and thank you.

Drum Roll, Please…

I have been trying to decide what to do next on Wattpad, now that I’ve put Bear Naked up, or if Wattpad is even worth the time. I posted a survey on my website but haven’t gotten much response. Thankfully, the Saturday Writers came through with an almost uncanny synchronicity. Before I even posed the question, several members asked about a work in progress I had mentioned at a past meeting, wanting to know if it was available in print.

It will be now.

The series is about Mondamin Court. It’s a small quiet middle class block in Des Moines, Iowa. The residents are a mix of middle class and working class families. Each story in the series starts with the same location and the same characters. Each story has a different apocalyptic event that occurs. Who survives, who doesn’t, who they pull together or splinter apart, depends on how events unfold.

The first project I am releasing in the series is Home for the Holidays.

My rough draft blurb:

Zoey Scott, a nineteen year old trans woman, planned to come out to her mom over the holiday break. She did not plan for a deadly flu outbreak, a virus that kills over ninety percent of those infected. She did not plan to watch the world crumble. Can she find the strength to go on?

Holly Wheatsfield is a barista at a local coffee shop. All she wants is a quiet holiday with her partner Nicky and maybe, just maybe, for Nicky’s conservative aunt Helen to keep her mouth shut this year. Instead she’ll find herself lost, homeless, in an increasingly hostile world. Can she survive with her humanity intact?

Home for the holidays web

Home for the Holidays in the first in the Mondamin Court series, a series of stories that explore how an average group of Americans might survive in apocalyptic times.


I will be posting chapters, relatively rough, as they become available, both on my website and on this blog. I am actively encouraging readers to share and comment on the story in progress. Stay tuned for more information. When the project is completed I will work on editing and possibly publishing it.

Cover Reveal: The Mage Chronicles

It’s here! The final cover for The Mage Chronicles:

Mage Chron front cover

The Gilded Empire: A magical empire so ancient it’s name has been forgotten to the mist of time. Its citizens believe they are in their golden age, but already the rot is showing underneath the gold veneer.

The Mage Chronicles: A mage level healer, Mary is unprepared when the Council of Mages wants her to intervene in a border dispute in a distant part of the empire. What does she know of nobility or war? Not one to back down, she must confront the harsh realities of life outside the central core, a legion of unstoppable warriors and the ghosts of her own past.

Coming soon!

Check out Aidana WillowRaven’s artwork on her webpage and see all the other incredible covers she’s done. 

 

Three Reasons I am Aggressively Building my Email List

And why, if you are a writer, you should too.

email-icon-isolated-13761939

I am working hard on building up a strong email list. By working hard, I am re-writing my appeal, creating a more central space on my website for that appeal and most importantly, I am giving away copies of my next book for free.

Why am I trying to build my list. Here are three simple reasons.

1. An email list is yours.

Email lists are platform independent. Many indie writers are too dependent on social media or a web platform (like a blogging site or retail site.) What happens if those sites change or disappear? It’s happened before and likely it will happen again.

Jeff Bezzo has said so. In an interview about Amazon.com’s disruption of traditional publishing he admitted that it was not only likely that some new site would someday disrupt and replace Amazon, it was inevitable.

These disruptions can be painful for both writers and readers. When Facebook changed the algorithm it uses to show posts, many bloggers and authors saw their page views plummet. But we aren’t the only ones who suffer. Fans who want to see our posts now don’t.

If you leave Facebook for whatever reason, there is almost no way to take your fan base with you. A tiny change in Google’s search engine could downgrade a popular website to obscurity. Amazon could change its royalty payouts (as critics keep fearing) and make it no longer profitable for Indies.

An email list is insurance against such disruptions. It’s the one thing you can download and walk away with. You can change social media focus, website and even retailer without losing those fans.

2. An email list takes a long time to build

Statistics show that authors with large email list make more money. I am more than a little suspicious of that statistic because it takes a long time to build a good email list, so those authors have likely been around longer and written more.

As I stick around longer and write more, that excuse is wearing thin. The fact that email lists take a long time to build is the best reason to get started now. Even if all you have is a half dozen emails and a short story on Wattpad to direct them to, start now. Your future self will thank you. When your books start coming out you will be ahead of the curve for once, not running to catch up.

3. Everyone’s doing it.

I don’t normally approve of peer pressure or doing what everyone else is doing, but I am making an exception here. One of my goals for 2014 was to learn book marketing. I’ve read dozens of books by successful Indie authors. They all agree on one point, email marketing is the most important first step.

 

So there you have it, three simple reasons why writers should have an email list. If you need more reasons, you will have to think of them yourself. I’ve got writing to do.

For readers, you can sign up for my newsletter and get a free copy of an epic fantasy.

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Bear Naked 2: Wolf Camp

The follow up to Bear Naked is out and available on Amazon.

Bear Naked 2: Wolf Camp follows the saga Amanda Burnson and her friends as they grow and develop their shifter powers.

Blurb:

Wolf Camp is not your typical arts-and-crafts summer camp. It’s a training ground for future 
werewolves, where their mental and physical limits are constantly tested and honed. 

There are many hurdles to overcome: Amanda, an adolescent werebear, can’t control her 
transformations yet; and Connor and his pack are the camp misfits. Then they discover a new 
threat from the Sons of Garm, this time from within the Leidulf tribe. 

Will Amanda and her werewolf friends be able to navigate these new waters? Maybe with a 
little help from a couple of old friends?