What's Been Happening? Yup, Lots of STUFF!

It has been a while and I have been neglecting my blog terribly! So, so sorry for the lack of updates. As we all know life can get busy and crazy and unexpectedly weird...more on that later.

Here are a few important updates, firstly a release of another anthology. This one is from the Christchurch Writer's Guild and it's called SPECTRA! AND IT'S SO PRETTY!

It's a collection of stories poetry and art by us local Canterburians and is available in paperback and ebook, so check it out.

Second update: After finishing the first draft of Once Were Angels I have put the manuscript down for a while to get some distance. Since then I have been playing casually with two connected science fiction novel ideas. The first one is called Bring Back The Clowns, and the second is PTFO. If you are a gamer then the second title will probably stand out.

Finally my third update- related indirectly to above actually.
 The Prisoners Of War Clan.
Over the last few months my life took an unexpected turn when I met a group of online gamers.  We banded together and became the Prisoners of War battalion, captured entirely by the game Battlefield 1. As a group, we aim to foster a professional, safe and fun gaming community for all our members while supporting our elite forces as they enter the professional E-sports Arena. I'm proud to be involved and am extra proud to now call this once random bunch of New Zealanders and Australians friends. They are a phenomenal group of individuals.  PTFO is a novel that I will be dedicating to them and their awesomeness...

So this is us...




We will be live streaming future battle events, some of which my gaming  alter-ego Iced Donut NZ will be involved with, so subscribe and watch out for updates.

That's all for now.

Visions II: Moons of Saturn

I'm thrilled to announce the release of Visions II: Moons of Saturn. This is the second book of the Visions Series, this anthology features: Tom Tinney, W.A. Fix, Thaddeus Howze, Ami Hart, Bonnie Milani, Jeremy Lichtman, S.M. Kraftchak, Timothy Paul, Tom Olbert, Amos Parker, R. E. Jones, and Duane Brewster.

 NASA’s Cassini mission has captured stunning images of Saturn with its mesmerizing rings of ice and rock, its 53 officially named moons and in doing so captured the imaginations of science fiction writers around the world – ripe with the promises of colonization and mining opportunities the Saturn System presents endless visions for mankind’s future. These twelve authors have presented their visions, as rich and diverse as the reality of Saturn and its moons themselves.

My own offering to the anthology is a story called Refuge. Fira, one of the survivors of the Raq-Ni Melt spends his days exploring the ventilation system on the Titan Flotilla. He finds comfort and safety in those small spaces. One day he discovers something. This discovery puts in motion a series of events that could ultimately influence humanities destiny. 

 Refuge is mainly a character focused piece. I found myself enthralled as Fira's story unfolded beneath my fingertips. This story feels very true to myself and I simply adore my character Fira. I really hope you enjoy reading Refuge as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

Check it out here:
Link:Visions II: Moons of Saturn

The Future is Short, Volume 2

The future is Short and by that I mean SHORT STORIES! I love writing them. Squeezing a story into such a shortened form is a monumental challenge, but it's a challenge that is more than met by the authors of this latest collection.  
I'm happy to announce that the 2nd volume of The Future is Short: Science Fiction in a Flash is available! *Confetti blizzard*

 Here's the press release, prepared by our fantastic TFIS crew member/ editor/ writer Carol Shetler.


THE FUTURE IS SHORT: SCIENCE FICTION IN A FLASH, Volume 2 Now Published
ISBN: 9 781514 151518 (trade paperback) Published June 3, 2015
E-book published June 11, 2015
Thirty-six authors took a leap of faith in January 2015 to contribute their stories to The Future Is Short: Science Fiction in a Flash, Volume 2. Twenty-two of them, published in the inaugural volume in June 2014, returned to present new ideas, tales and imaginative spins on specific topics in this latest edition; over a dozen of Volume 2’s contributors are new writers, many being published for the first time in this anthology. The Future Is Short: Science Fiction in a Flash, Volume 2 includes seventy-six glimpses at what the future might hold, arranged under 14 themes: among these are Apocalypse, It’s a Wonderful Life, Distance, First Contact, Unwanted Gift, Adolescence and Espionage.
The Distance theme, with ten terrific stories, examines distance in light-years or time: the authors also had to include a ship (of any kind), and a decision. Tom Tinney’s “Just Do It” lets us into the mind of a generation-ship traveler who has awakened months too soon; “Birthday” by D C Mills shows us the dilemma of the sole survivor on a far-flung outpost, when a spaceship full of other people comes calling; and Clement Chow’s “Mirrored Front-to-Back” tells of the new skill chosen by a cryogenic sleeper, awakening 150 years into his future.
For December 2014, the final section of The Future Is Short, Volume 2, the theme selected was Life Is Wonderful. Among the six stories here are J. F. Williams’ “Clarence 1.0″ which captures the theme’s essence while turning cyberbullying on its head. “Where Hides the Star of the Sea?” by Heather MacGillivray examines closer communication between humans and our animal co-habitants on this world; and Dean Hardage presents a profound solution to crime and poverty in “Buddha’s Legacy.”
Compiler and project manager Jot Russell is the author of SF thriller, Terra Forma. He also directed production of last year’s The Future Is Short: Science Fiction in a Flash, Volume 1. Editor Carol Shetler has worked on SF manuscripts for several writers, and is a lifelong SF reader and amateur astronomer. Cover artist Jessica Colvin also writes, under her pen name Ami Hart. All of them have stories in this anthology. The contributors come from all over the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Jason Klassi, author of The Everyday Space Traveler, wrote a compelling foreword that highlights the book’s key themes. “When you reach the final words of each journey, you suddenly find yourself in a new place… dramatically transported into an eye-opening future.” (From the Foreword, quoted on the back cover.)
The LinkedIn monthly SF Microstory contest is the root of The Future Is Short anthologies. Volume 1’s stories were submitted during 2013; Volume 2’s from the end of 2013 through 2014. All of the authors vote to choose their one favorite story each month, and the winner’s story heads up each theme section. The monthly contest winner presents the theme for the next month’s tales.
Featuring works by: J.J. Alleson, Philo Ant, Neill Burnham, Clement Chow, Scott Michael Decker, Kalifer Deil, Rejoice Denhere, Carrol Fix, W. A. Fix, Paula Friedman, Kelly Graseck, Andrew Gurcak, Gary Hanson, Dean Hardage, Ami Hart, Thaddeus Howze, Thomas Nevin Huber, R. E. Jones, S. M. Kraftchak, Helmuth Kump, Andy Lake, EJ Lamprey, Richard S. Levine, Jeremy Lichtman, Heather MacGillivray, Andy McKell, Jeremy McLain, D C Mills, JD Mitchell, Timothy Paul, Marianne G. Petrino, Jon Ricson, Jot Russell, Carol Shetler, Tom Tinney and J. F. Williams.
Print copies of The Future Is Short: Science Fiction in a Flash, Volume 2 are available through CreateSpace, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble at a list price of $12.99 US. Smashwords has the e-book version at $3.99 US.
Amazon Link (Paperback)
Smashwords Link (Ebook)
Barnes and Noble (Paperback)