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BlueMusings: October 25, 2017

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LJ Cohen
Science fiction, fantasy, assorted weirdness

 
 
 
   

Sales & Specials

The Collective runs a page to bookmark/follow/subscribe to for a weekly roundup of SciFi bargain books and new releases. New books are posted each Monday. Take a peek!

 


Sale: Ambassador Boxed Set

Well known and well respected SciFi writer Patty Jansen has a special on currently for a boxed set of 3 of her popular AMBASSADOR space opera series titles. 

If you enjoy high stakes space opera thrillers and galactic politics, take a look. I just finished SEEING RED and was hooked.

Just 0.99 for three books!


 

Sale: Archangel Down 

ARCHANGEL DOWN, book 1 of C.Gockel's SF thriller/Space Opera series is on sale for $0.99. 


New Release

I haven't yet read Wendy Knight's new release, BENEATH THESE WINGS, but it's at the top of my TBR list. She hooked me with the first line of her story's blurb:

"Tresa was taken by the aliens, but she escaped. Changed. Powerful. Terrifying."

If that sounds good to you, too, pick it up for $2.99.

Sale: 
DERELICT

 

Halcyone Space, book 1

If you've been hanging around here for a while, there's a good chance you already have this book in your library!

But, if not, here is your opportunity to get it for a special price of $0.99 (discounted from $4.99) only until November 7, 2017!

Amazon B&N iBooks Google Play Kobo Smashwords

If  you already own this book, would you please consider recommending it to a friend?

When Ro tinkers with a broken ship, she doesn't count on waking its traumatized AI. DERELICT 0.99 #sale https://ctt.ec/kdCg7+

Tweet: When Ro tinkers with a broken ship, she doesn't count on waking its traumatized AI. DERELICT 0.99 #sale https://ctt.ec/kdCg7+

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If you have read and enjoyed  DERELICT or any of my books,  I would very much appreciate it if you might consider leaving an honest review.

   

LJ Recommends

 

I read widely, across genres and when I've found something I've enjoyed, I'll share it with you.

YMMV* because what we enjoy is almost always personal.

 

 

(*Your Mileage May Vary)

THE MINUS FACTION

Omnibus Edition

Rick Wayne

I read these when Rick first wrote them and as he was releasing them as serial novellas. It was torture to have finished one and then have to wait for the next to be published. 

I did this for all seven episodes and I can honestly say they were worth the wait.

But here's the thing: You won't have to wait.

Gathered together for the first time, here are all the MINUS FACTION episodes in an omnibus edition so you can happily binge on these amazing stories. Part superhero fiction, part thriller, part scifi; all wonderful.

This is what I said after reading episode one and it only got better from there: 

THE MINUS FACTION "features singular characters, strong voices, believable moral dilemmas, adventure, brutality, beauty, and action. And did I mention the kick-ass writing?

Yes, I am biased. I adore Rick's writing. So much so that I friended him on social media and now we're writing a book together. 

And for a very short time, Rick is offering the omnibus: nearly 800 (!) pages of awesome entertainment for $0.99. But he's only offering it at this price until the omnibus gathers 30 reviews. (And as of my drafting of this email, he was up to 24.)

Buy it now - you won't be sorry.*

*I promise, I have no commercial interest in Rick's success; only that I love his writing and want to have him write more! 

     

The Science of Science Fiction

" Mounting evidence indicates “that the way we think and feel might be able to be controlled by our gut microbiota,” says study coauthor Gerard Clarke, a psychiatrist at University College Cork in Ireland. For instance, the presence or absence of gut bacteria can influence whether a mouse exhibits anxiety-like behaviors, such as avoiding bright lights or open spaces."

In the past few years, one of the hottest research fields in biology is that of the microbiome. Essentially, we have a population of microbes that live in our gut - they are inhabitants and we are their planet. 

And there is increasing evidance that the microbiome we carry can influence not only our digestion and health, but our thinking and mood.

New research in rodents have shown that our microbes might influence the balance of microRNAs in the brain, particularly in regions that have a role in conrolling anxiety. 

As a writer, I find it fascinating to see the scientific connection to the long-used language of 'having a gut feeling' about something. 

How is this related to science fiction? I often wonder what will happen to our gut microbiome when humanity takes the next step and lives on another planet or in permanent space stations. In the former, will native microbes interact with the ones we bring? In the later, will a sterile environment decimate our biome?

Read more here in Science News. And trust your gut!

How to hurt your characters

I recently wrote a blogpost for the New England Speculative Writers organization.

If you are a writer and have a character with an illlness, injury, or disability, this post can give you some relevant information. 

"Choosing to injure your character is like every other choice in a story. It has to exist for a reason. Preferably more than one reason. Does the injury deepen characterization? Drive the plot? Limit your character’s abilities? Force your character to problem solve more fully? Change the way others relate to them?"

"If the only reason the character is injured is to engender sympathy, then the injury is a thin device and adds little to the overall narrative. One of the dangers of incorporating injury and disability in a story is falling into the cliché of the ‘noble victim.’ Equally problematic is when the character is injured or disabled simply to motivate the actions of the non-injured protagonist. Both choices remove agency from the character and render that person into a plot-device."

Upcoming events

Mile High Con

Denver, Colorado

October 27-29, 2017


Arisia

Boston, MA

January 12 - 15, 2018

I'll be on panels as well as a the Broad Universe table in the dealers room.

Come find me there!

How am I doing?

Please let me know if you'd like to see me cover a particular topic or theme in future newsletters.

More recommendations?

More links to promotions?

More science of science fiction?

Excerpts?

You can let me know by replying to this newsletter or emailing me directly: lisa@ljcohen.net

 
 
 

©2017 LJ Cohen. All rights reserved.