Kickstarter: The Four ???? of the Apocalypse
OUT OF TUNE, Book 2 – On Sale Now!
OUT OF TUNE – Book 2, a brand-new anthology of original stories by some of today’s top authors of horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction, is out now, ready for immediate shipping and download!
In addition to featuring new fiction by such noted authors as Delilah S. Dawson, Cherie M. Priest, Laura Anne Gilman, and Rachel Caine, OUT OF TUNE – Book 2 includes my new short story “Midnight Rider,” a “weird Western” tale of love denied and trust betrayed, inspired by the classic folk song “The Suffolk Miracle.”
Edited by New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, this volume will be sure to delight fans of every stripe of speculative fiction.
First review of 2113: “Our Possible Pasts”
Over at Tangent Online, reviewer Brandon Nolta had these very nice things to say about “Our Possible Pasts,” my new original short story just published in the anthology 2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush —
“Mack manages to commingle legal proceedings, quantum physics, and the psychological machinery of loss into an elegant narrative of hope and the human condition. One of the most keenly felt, and outright beautiful, stories of this collection.”
He also shared his thoughts about each of the other entries in the anthology, and singled several other stories out for praise., including those by Michael Z. Williamson, David Farland, Larry Dixon, and Brad R. Torgersen.
I’m hoping this will be only the first of many thoughtful reviews of this wonderful anthology and of my story — a work of which I am quite proud, and that I hope I can get into the hands of as many readers as possible this year.
RUSH Anthology Update
Today at RushCon in Los Angeles, just hours before the final show of the “R40” fortieth-anniversary tour of the venerable Canadian prog-rock trio Rush, author/editor extraordinaire and Hugo Award nominee Kevin J. Anderson revealed the cover for 2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush —
Publication for 2113 has been tentatively scheduled for April 2016.
As previously reported, Kevin J. Anderson will be contributing an original novella, “2113,” a sequel to the titular suite of the band’s perennially popular fourth album, 2112.
Filling out the rest of the tome’s roster are such award-winning, bestselling, and acclaimed writers as David Farland, Mercedes Lackey, Greg van Eekhout, Dayton Ward, Steven Savile, Brian Hodge, Michael Z. Williamson, Brad R. Torgersen, David Niall Wilson, Ron Collins, Mark Leslie, Larry Dixon, and Tim Lasiuta.
In addition, the anthology will feature reprintings of Richard Foster‘s story “A Nice Morning Drive,” which inspired the Rush song “Red Barchetta” on Moving Pictures, and the Fritz Leiber tale “Roll the Bones,” which inspired Rush’s song and album of the same title.
I am especially proud of my contribution to the anthology, a short story now titled “Our Possible Pasts.” I just wish I didn’t have to wait until next spring for folks to be able to read it.
Ah, well — good things come to those who wait.
#SFWApro
APOLLO’S DAUGHTERS now on Kindle
Around this time last year, I started posting about a Kickstarter-funded anthology of short fiction called Apollo’s Daughters. Like its companion volume, Athena’s Daughters, it is a collection of tales ranging from science fiction to fantasy, all featuring female main characters.
The difference between the two anthologies is that the stories in Athena’s Daughters all were written by women, and those in Apollo’s Daughters all were penned by men.
I’m pleased to report that the Kindle version of Apollo’s Daughters is now available on Amazon, and that the paperback version is at the printers and coming this spring.
The new anthology contains my original novelette “Hell Rode With Her,” which tells a story that for space reasons I needed to cut from the manuscript of The Midnight Front, my current novel-in-progress and the first volume of my new original trilogy for Tor Books. So if you’d like to get a sneak peek at what I’m cooking up, you’ll want to snag a copy of Apollo’s Daughters on the double.
As if that weren’t enticement enough, Apollo’s Daughters also features stories by such bestselling, award-winning, and acclaimed authors as John Jackson Miller, Aaron Rosenberg, Donald J. Bingle, Joshua B. Palmatier, David R. George III, and Michael Stackpole. It also features the last original work by the late New York Times bestselling author Aaron Allston.
Athena’s Daughters was published last year in both eBook and paperback formats. Apollo’s Daughters was released in December 2014 in generic eBook formats on the website of its publisher, Silence in the Library. Get your eBook copy now, and remember to pick up the print edition this spring!
An Anthology of RUSH-inspired Fiction
Now that co-editor and fellow author Kevin J. Anderson has spilled the beans on his blog, I am free to announce my own participation in an upcoming short-fiction anthology he’s helping to curate.
2113: Songs Inspired by the Music of Rush started as the brainchild of co-editor and contributing author John McFetridge, who pitched the idea to Canadian publisher ECW Press. Kevin came aboard shortly thereafter, and with John he pitched the idea to Neil Peart and the other members of Rush to secure their blessings for the project, which they graciously granted.
Neil isn’t directly involved with the project, but wait until you see the lineup of authors who are.
Kevin J. Anderson will be contributing an original novella, “2113,” a sequel to the band’s perennially popular fourth album, 2112. Filling out the rest of the tome’s roster are such award-winning, best-selling, and acclaimed writers as David Farland, Mercedes Lackey, Greg van Eekhout, Dayton Ward, Steven Savile, Brian Hodge, Michael Z. Williamson, Brad R. Torgersen, David Niall Wilson, Ron Collins, Mark Leslie, Larry Dixon, and Tim Lasiuta. In addition, the anthology will feature reprintings of Richard Foster‘s story “A Nice Morning Drive,” which inspired the Rush song “Red Barchetta” on Moving Pictures, and the Fritz Leiber tale “Roll the Bones,” which inspired Rush’s song and album of the same title.
To say that I am excited to be part of this project, and to have my work alongside that of such an accomplished lineup of fellow authors and Rush fans, would be a massive understatement. I’ve just turned in my short story, “Mulligan,” to Kevin, and I am very pleased with how it has turned out.
No specific publication date has been set yet, but Kevin says we should expect to see it about a year from now.
One day left for Athena’s Daughters
There’s only about a day left in the Kickstarter for Athena’s Daughters. It is remarkably close to hitting its $38k stretch goal — a hardcover edition of its companion volume, Apollo’s Daughters, to which I’ll be contributing an original short story, “And Hell Rode With Her.”
Spread the word, folks. Time is short, and I’d really love to see this project make it over one more hurdle on its way to the finish line.
UPDATE #1
Just 30 hours left to raise $1,051 and green-light the hardcover edition of Apollo’s Daughters!
Update: 29 HOURS TO GO
$936 away from the hardcover edition of Apollo’s Daughters!
Update: 26 Hours to Go
$394 away from the next awesome stretch goal… damn, this thing is a juggernaut!
Update: 24 hours to go
Mission accomplished! With a full day to go before the finish line, the Kickstarter has passed the $38k mark, unlocking the stretch goal of a limited-run hardcover edition of Apollo’s Daughters. w00t!