Monday, July 30, 2018

Reading: The Singularity Trap

This week I read THE SINGULARITY TRAP by Dennis Taylor.

Here is the description from Amazon:

The number one best-selling author of the Bobiverse trilogy returns with a space thriller that poses a provocative question: Does our true destiny lie in ourselves — or in the stars?

If it were up to one man and one man alone to protect the entire human race - would you want it to be a down-on-his luck asteroid miner?

When Ivan Pritchard signs on as a newbie aboard the Mad Astra, it's his final, desperate stab at giving his wife and children the life they deserve. He can survive the hazing of his crewmates, and how many times, really, can near-zero g make you vomit? But there's another challenge looming out there, in the farthest reaches of human exploration, that will test every man, woman and AI on the ship - and will force Ivan to confront the very essence of what makes him human.

--I really enjoyed this book! Recommended!



Friday, July 27, 2018

The Fast Friday Interviews: Starla Huchton

Starla Huchton

Tell me about yourself?

I am a storyteller in multiple types of media. Whether I'm designing a book cover, narrating an audiobook, or writing a novel, above all else my goal is to tell a great story. I've always had an interest in the written word, but didn't gain much direction with it until I was serving in the US Navy as a lithographer doing a lot of desktop publishing, which lead to me wanting to specialize in designing book covers. Once I got out, I started working towards a degree in graphic design while simultaneously beginning my first novel. After that was completed, a friend got me interested in the world of podcasted audiobooks, which is when I discovered I also had a knack for narration. It's nice having several avenues to pursue for a career, and I've alternated my focus on each over the years, depending on where I could get the most work. When I have a lot of design clients, I write and record less, but when I don't have Photoshopping to do and a quiet house, I can record. At one point I published 6 novels in a single year, so there wasn't as much designing and recording done. Having multiple hats is a great way to assure I'm never bored and keeps my creativity fresh by providing those small breaks. And as we're a military family, having a career that moves with me every time is almost a necessity.

Tell me about your current Book:

When the crew of the SS Nanshe takes in a troubled girl, they must untangle a sinister corporate plot, or else the galaxy could become far more dangerous than anyone is prepared to deal with.

Blast off into this new series with a Firefly-meets-Silverado flair!

"Soldiers need wars, doctors need patients, and the Nanshe needs trouble. That's just kinda how it is."

The galaxy ain't a friendly place, but it's a good sight better when you've got friends at your back. And when the crew of the Nanshe stumbles into larger-than-your-average trouble, they'll need all the help they can get.

What starts off as a simple retrieval of stolen goods turns deadly when Leena Espinoza discovers a girl stashed in a cellar, her guardian murdered. The crew has a soft spot for hard cases, and despite Delilah's odd behavior, offer help instead of turning her over to the authorities.

But what they don't know might kill them.

No good deed goes unpunished, and the crew winds up on the radar in the worst possible way. Merc squads, shadowy coalitions, plus the usual criminal element are all on their tails, so it's fight or flight.
As a plot to unbalance the entire civilized universe unfolds around them, the ladies of the SS Nanshe gear up for battle. Through blood and fire, they'll do everything they can to protect what little they have. In the vast blackness of space, taking matters into your own hands isn't an option... It's a matter of survival.


What are you working on now?

Well, I currently have a dozen or so works in progress, but only two I'm actively poking at, one being the second book in the Flights of the Nanshe series. I've also got other audio and design projects in various stages of completion, so there's always something to do!


Where is your favorite place to be when you write?

My writing is done whenever and wherever I have a spare moment to make it happen, and much of that is done on my phone. I don't really have a favorite place, but the past few years I've been able to spend a week at a writing retreat one of my friends organizes, which is generally the most productive and focused I can be, so I suppose that's my answer.

What is your favorite lesson you have learned about the business of writing?

Making connections with people is invaluable. As much as I'd love to barricade myself in my house forever, meeting other authors, narrators, designers, and readers really does make all the difference in the world. Leaving a good impression on someone carries you further than you can imagine.


What is your favorite Website?

This question has made me realize that I don't spend much time looking at websites that aren't related to my work. Stock photo sites, design tutorials (ALWAYS BE LEARNING NEW THINGS), social media, sales reports, book research... that primarily takes up most of my online time. I guess I'd have to say Twitch, as I watch a lot of video game stuff, plus that's where people can see me play a terrible cleric in Dungeons & Dragons (almost) every Wednesday night on Christiana Ellis's channel for the So Many Levels podcast. Seriously. I am probably the worst cleric ever. Well... if not the worst, definitely the most spiteful. LMAO


Links:

Email: starla.huchton@gmail.com 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B0058FOG9S
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarlaHuchton/ and https://www.facebook.com/CoversDesignedByStarla/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/starlahuchton
Websites: http://www.starlahuchton.com and http://www.designedbystarla.com


Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Quotes of the Week

There is no friend as loyal as a book.
—Ernest Hemingway

I don't believe in writer's block or waiting for inspiration. If you're a writer, you sit down and write.
—Elmore Leonard

Write for yourself and yourself alone. Don’t try to please anyone else, and don’t be afraid of anyone.
—Sallie Tisdale

You don't write a song to sit there on a page. You write it to sing.
—Bob Dylan

Those who never make mistakes lose a great many chances to learn something.
—Mary Pickford

Write. Write every day, even if it is only a page or two. The more you write, the better you’ll get.
—George R.R. Martin

You're only given one little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.
—Robin Williams

Characters are not created by writers. They pre-exist and have to be found.
—Elizabeth Bowen

If life was fair, Elvis would still be alive and all the impersonators dead.
—Johnny Carson

Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.
—Ayn Rand

In general…there’s no point in writing hopeless novels. We all know we’re going to die; what’s important is the kind of men and women we are in the face of this.
-Anne Lamott

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.
—J.K. ROWLING

Monday, July 23, 2018

Reading: Make Bright the Arrows

This week I read,  Make Bright the Arrows by S. A. Huchton.

This story drew me in from the first chapter and was over too soon.

Here is the description from Amazon:

"Soldiers need wars, doctors need patients, and the Nanshe needs trouble. That's just kinda how it is."

The galaxy ain't a friendly place, but it's a good sight better when you've got friends at your back. And when the crew of the Nanshe stumbles into larger-than-your-average trouble, they'll need all the help they can get.

What starts off as a simple retrieval of stolen goods turns deadly when Leena Espinoza discovers a girl stashed in a cellar, her guardian murdered. The crew has a soft spot for hard cases, and despite Delilah's odd behavior, offers help instead of turning her over to the authorities.

But what they don't know might kill them.

No good deed goes unpunished, and the crew winds up on the radar in the worst possible way. Merc squads, shadowy coalitions, plus the usual criminal element are all on their tails, so it's fight or flight.

As a plot to unbalance the entire civilized universe unfolds around them, the ladies of the SS Nanshe gear up for battle. Through blood and fire, they'll do everything they can to protect what little they have. In the vast blackness of space, taking matters into your own hands isn't an option.... It's a matter of survival.

The story had an excellent pace. I really liked the depth of character development and the world building. It kind of reminded me of the parts I loved in Firefly.

I hardly ever give a Five Star review because in most stories I can always see a way it could have been better.

Not only was the story great, the narration was excellent. The voice differentiation between the characters, including accents added another dimension. I am even more impressed because the narrator was also the author. Well done.

--I’ll be the first in line for the next installment in the series, Flights of the Nanshe.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Quotes of the Week

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.
—Friedrich Nietzsche

Repeat the mantra: Writing is when I make the words. Editing is when I make them not shitty.
—Chuck Wendig

A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build toward it.
—Edgar Allan Poe

Nothing teaches you as much about writing dialogue as listening to it.
—Judy Blume

Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can’t use the wrong words.
—Virginia Woolf

Writers don’t have lifestyles. They sit in little rooms and write.
—Norman Mailer

No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever.
—J.K. Rowling

Don’t ever write anything you don’t like yourself and if you do like it, don’t take anyone else’s advice about changing it. They just don’t know.
—Raymond Chandler

Be willing and unafraid to write badly, because often the bad stuff clears the way for good, or forms a base on which to build something better.
—Jennifer Egan

The way I write is really like putting one foot in front of the other. I really let the characters do most of the work, they start talking and they just lead the way.
—Quentin Tarantino

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.
—Stephen King

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Hardcover

My novels are all being released in Hardcover editions!

STILL FALLING has already hit Amazon and started to sell. I am really excited about this development for some reason.

I have received a ton of requests for hardback editions. I am also very excited that libraries are now going to be able to order them.

All my titles will soon have hardcover editions.

All future titles will have them as well.

--Fun stuff!

Thursday, July 12, 2018