This Saturday in Xenia, Ohio, Bluejacket Books is hosting three Dog Star Books authors for readings, signings, and a bit of Q&A! By now, you should all be pretty familiar with me and my work, so today I'd like to shine the spotlight on fellow author Matt Betts. (This is where he starts claiming that … Continue reading Dog Star Books Author Spotlight: Matt Betts
Cover Reveal: STEEL MAGIC
I'm pleased to announce the official cover reveal of the second book in my Steel Empires series: Steel Magic! You can also preorder the book from Amazon today, ahead of the release on July 6, 2016! Don't forget that when you buy a hardcopy of an RDSP book, you'll also be able to download the … Continue reading Cover Reveal: STEEL MAGIC
Review: LIVE BY THE CODE (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #4) by Christopher L. Bennett
DISCLAIMER: I received this book as a freebie from the publisher at Cleveland ConCoction 2016, where Bennett was the author guest of honor. Though book titles should always have something to do with the contents of the book, I will always appreciate a book title that is also a good pun. Live by the Code can … Continue reading Review: LIVE BY THE CODE (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #4) by Christopher L. Bennett
Review: Uncertain Logic (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #3) by Christopher L. Bennett
DISCLAIMER: I received this book as a freebie from the publisher at Cleveland ConCoction 2016, where Bennett was the author guest of honor. My favorite aspect of this novel was the fact that Bennett allows a Starfleet ship to make a major mistake. This series might be about the ascension of the Federation to a … Continue reading Review: Uncertain Logic (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #3) by Christopher L. Bennett
Review: TOWER OF BABEL (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #2) by Christopher L. Bennett
DISCLAIMER: I received this book as a freebie from the publisher at Cleveland ConCoction 2016, where Bennett was the author guest of honor. My only major complaint about this series is also, oddly, one of the things that I like most about it. On the one hand, I feel like a lot of the issues that … Continue reading Review: TOWER OF BABEL (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #2) by Christopher L. Bennett
Review: A CHOICE OF FUTURES (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #1) by Christopher L. Bennett
Though Star Trek Enterprise is not my favorite of the television series, I found myself easily sucked into these tales that follow the on-screen adventures. The first four books made for great vacation reading, and I anxiously waited for my turn to read them since my husband had laid dibs first. (Star Trek Enterprise is … Continue reading Review: A CHOICE OF FUTURES (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #1) by Christopher L. Bennett
Review: THE CURIOSITY KILLERS by K.W. Taylor
Today I'm celebrating the launch of K.W. Taylor's first science-fiction novel, The Curiosity Killers! This book is close to my heart because I have been friends with the author since she was still writing it, cheered her on as it passed as her thesis for Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction graduate program, and then threw … Continue reading Review: THE CURIOSITY KILLERS by K.W. Taylor
STEEL MAGIC cover reveal coming soon
The official release date for Steel Magic, book 2 of the Steel Empires series and direct sequel to Steel Victory, is July 2016! This novel features the first solo adventure of Toria and Kane, journeymen mercenaries of Limani, as they embark on a magical quest. Soon I will be hosting an official cover reveal to … Continue reading STEEL MAGIC cover reveal coming soon
Review: THIRD PATH (Stargate Atlantis) by Melissa Scott and Jo Graham
And thus, we finally come to the conclusion of the Stargate Atlantis Legacy series, which continues the story past season 5 of the television series. Overall, this novel was both a bittersweet and very satisfying ending to a much larger and more complicated story line. One of the benefits of media tie-in novels is that … Continue reading Review: THIRD PATH (Stargate Atlantis) by Melissa Scott and Jo Graham
Review: ARMADA by Ernest Cline
Because I loved Ready Player One so much, I didn't argue very much when my husband insisted on pre-ordering the hardcover of Ernest Cline's second novel, Armada. My husband read it first, and I have to admit that my stomach sank a little bit when he described it to me. My takeaway was that it … Continue reading Review: ARMADA by Ernest Cline
Review: THE COST OF HONOR (Stargate SG-1) by Sally Malcolm
A good media tie-in novel should hit a number of criteria. Expand upon the established universe. Give the reader better insight into the internal motivation of the characters. Build a setting that goes beyond the restrictions of the original format. Sally Malcolm's conclusion to the story she started in A Matter of Honor does all … Continue reading Review: THE COST OF HONOR (Stargate SG-1) by Sally Malcolm
REVIEW: A NEW DAWN (Star Wars) by John Jackson Miller
Let’s get one thing out of the way first. Star Wars Rebels is a kid’s show. A New Dawn is not a kid’s book, which was a surprise and provided a bit of interesting cognizant dissonance while I read it. It is not necessary to be familiar with both to enjoy either, but both of them … Continue reading REVIEW: A NEW DAWN (Star Wars) by John Jackson Miller
Review: AFTERMATH by Chuck Wendig
I’ve been sitting on writing this review for a while because this book ended up being pretty contradictory for me. In the end, my rating averages out to a low 4 stars. Mostly objective rating of writing quality: 5 stars! I note that this is mostly objective because I like a fast-paced narrative style that … Continue reading Review: AFTERMATH by Chuck Wendig
THE CURIOSITY KILLERS Cover Reveal!
I had the honor of proofreading the science-fiction (time travel/steampunk/murder mystery) novel THE CURIOSITY KILLERS by fellow Dog Star Books author K.W. Taylor late last year. Hands down, it is one of the best novels I've read within the past few years, and I'm really excited for the rest of you to get to read … Continue reading THE CURIOSITY KILLERS Cover Reveal!
Review: LOST STARS by Claudia Gray
My husband and I were really surprised to learn that this novel was marketed as Young Adult after we'd read it. We both thought this novel was better than many adult STAR WARS books we've read over the years! It's obvious from the beginning that the novel is a take on the Romeo & … Continue reading Review: LOST STARS by Claudia Gray
SF Signal hosts my blog post about vampires in popular fiction!
I took a film genre course in college, and wrote an entire research paper on the evolution of vampires in film. No knowledge is ever wasted, so with a little more work, I was able to write a (much shorter) essay on the evolution of vampires in popular fiction. SF Signal was lovely enough to … Continue reading SF Signal hosts my blog post about vampires in popular fiction!
KW Taylor: New Dog Star Books author!
Some facts you might not know about speculative fiction writer K.W. Taylor: Like me, she is from Dayton, Ohio. By law, all Dayton writers must go by their initials for publication. Her adorable tabby cat Dharma and my blue-point Siamese Alex are having a sordid long-distance romance. In our spare time, we front a postmodern industrial synth band … Continue reading KW Taylor: New Dog Star Books author!
Review: THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir
In honor of the film adaptation's release, I figured I should post my review of THE MARTIAN today! My husband heard about THE MARTIAN from a coworker and asked me to order it for him a few months ago. I was a bit on the fence about it after reading the back cover, but when … Continue reading Review: THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir
Review: REDSHIRTS by John Scalzi
As I think I've mentioned in a previous book review, I'm a bit of hipster when it comes to popular books. REDSHIRTS, by John Scalzi, was another book that I'd heard great things about, but since everyone was reading it already, I put it off in favor of other books on my epic to-be-read pile. … Continue reading Review: REDSHIRTS by John Scalzi
Con Report: Confluence 2015
This weekend I attended Confluence, Pittsburgh's science fiction/fantasy/horror literary convention, hosted by Parsec. I had a great time being on panels and meeting other writers and readers. I'm lucky enough to live close enough to other writer friends that I didn't have to make the 4.5 hour drive to Mars, Pennsylvania, all by my lonesome. … Continue reading Con Report: Confluence 2015