Author :: Geek :: Dad
I’m a very, very naughty book reviewer. Very naughty. I’ve reviewed indie books at the New Podler Review of Books for almost a year and have failed to promote my reviews on my own blog. I’m hanging my head in shame right now…
So here they are:
» Lodestone Book One: The Sea of Storms by Mark Whiteway
» Diggers Bones by Paul Mansfield Keefe
» The Hawk and His Boy by C.H. Bunn
» The Crown Conspiracy by Michael Sullivan
» TAU4 by V.J. Waks
» Candy and Cigarettes by CS DeWildt
Buy it on Smashwords (all other e-formats)!
Think Stephanie Plum meets The Big Bang Theory, and you’ll have the premise behind my all new “geek chic†mystery novel, ASPECT OF PALE NIGHT.
Times are tough in metro Detroit, especially for Hamtramck girl and part-time tech blogger Toni Dzielny. Within days, she’s lost her technical writing job, has to swear off coffee due to her hypertension, and interviews for her dream job as a writer for the Detroit Free Press, only to find she’s competing for the same job with her beautiful nemesis, Kayla Ratcliff.
As if that weren’t enough, she learns her ex-boyfriend, Leo Donnelli, was murdered less than two miles from her house. But before he died, he snail-mailed her a mysterious computer disc telling her to “keep it secret, keep it safe.†And the fact the police consider her a “person of interest†in Leo’s murder doesn’t bode well.
So when the real murderer threatens violence against Toni, her friends, and her family, she’s had enough.
Toni enlists the help of her brilliantly nerdy friends to clear her name and learn the contents of the disc before she shares Leo’s fate. They discover the disc not only points to why Leo was murdered, but that it holds a secret that could destroy a local cancer center’s new research…and her mother’s only hope for treatment.
WARNING: It’s rated “R” for naughty language, so if that’s not your thing, you may want to skip this one.
My UMBRA CORPS Kickstarter project didn’t make its $2000 goal, but 41 people did pledge $886. Though I don’t get any of that money, I’m humbled and thankful for not only the monetary support, but the simple acts of spreading the word so many more of you did.
I will publish the book, but it might take a bit longer to raise the money to hire an editor/cover artist than I had hoped. My goal is to release the book sometime early next year.
Again, thank you all for you support!
I just posted my new novel UMBRA CORPS on Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a patronage site where you make pledges to projects you find interesting. Kind of like the pledge drives you see on PBS stations — for every amount you pledge, you get rewards like t-shirts, mugs, books, etc. The more you pledge, the greater the reward.
I figure a good editor and book cover artist will cost around $2000. That’s quite a bit more than I can afford at the moment, hence my plea for backers. So check out my Kickstarter page, watch the video, and look over the pledge rewards. If my book sounds interesting to you (or if you’d like a character named after you 😀 ), I’d be most grateful if you became a backer and helped me make my funding goal.
Here’s the teaser-trailer for my new sci-fi/alt-history novel UMBRA CORPS. Took me five hours to find the images and music, only 30 minutes to put it together in this video.
I love iMovie.
“It’s science fiction crossed with chick lit crossed with literary fiction.”
Jim Butcher, Joe Abercrombie, Peter V. Brett, Naomi Novik, Deborah Harkness, and Brandon Sanderson took part in an author’s panel at Comic Con 2010 in New York last month. Whether you’re published or “pre-published” (thank you Lisa Shearin), you’ll find something educational in this one hour panel with some of fantasy’s best selling authors.
NYCC Panel Video: Fantasy Authors from Suvudu on Vimeo.
NYCC Panel Video: Fantasy Authors Part II from Suvudu on Vimeo.
I couldn’t be more thrilled New Podler’s review of THE LAST KEY:
“The Last Key is a great fantasy story. Steiner has crafted a world where politics muddy the boundary between good and evil and forces the characters to find a clear path to solve a world-shattering crisis. His characters rise above stereotypes and engage each other with realistic dialogue that comes naturally to them. And they evolve. Although it is only his first novel, The Last Key clearly exemplifies Steiner’s mastery of writing high fantasy. He is one to watch.”
Read more at The New Podler Review of Books.
Seriously, this is the album cover. How awesome is this?
It’s even inspired other “Lost” mashups. The only one I’d add — “Ben” by Jimmy Buffett. No one loved the Island more than Ben, so who better to write the semi-tragic, part-time villain’s album than another man of the islands? Off the top of my head, “I Did It For the Island,” “Otherville”, “Coconut Teleporter,” and “Son of Son of a Janitor” are possible tracks.
I’m in an ebook mood today, particularly the marketing and publishing side. Might be because I’ve been rethinking some of my marketing strategies for my Kindle novel THE LAST KEY now that I’m developing a sequel. Hope these inspire you as much as they did me.
