Category Archives: Books

April 19, 2014 · 5:43 pm

Look what I got in the mail

The Enceladus Crisis is in my house, and it’s fabulous. Of course, since I wrote it, I get first dibs on copies.

If you haven’t ordered yours yet, well…get on that! It’s available in ebook and print from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, IndieBound, iTunes, Google Play and…yeah, pretty much anywhere you like. And in audio from Audible, too. It comes out May 6, which is less than three weeks away. Which is…wow, coming very soon!

On another note, congrats to all the Hugo and Campbell award nominees! This was my first time voting, and I was excited to see some of my choices make the short list. There were many worthy nominees, and I look forward to reading them. I recognize that there are some nominees that are controversial, and since I keep well upwind from controversy, I’m just going to focus on the works and the good stuff. And that’s all I got to say about that.

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April 16, 2014 · 5:50 pm

Enceladus Crisis review and Goodreads giveaway!

While I was heading back home after our sojourn in Reykjavik — literally, I may have been off the coast of Greenland — Amazing Stories ran a review of The Enceladus Crisis that included very nice things. Reviewer Matt Mitrovich, who also runs the Alternate History Weekly Update, said:

Martinez’s writing style improved dramatically since the last book and I look forward to seeing how it will continue to evolve in the next book…. It was a great adventure tale that combined elements of a spy thriller with that of a space opera, with a bittersweet ending reminiscent to The Empire Strikes Back. I recommend Enceladus, and the series as a whole.

Thanks, Matt! I was especially encouraged by his comment on the writing. I’m still relatively new when it comes to fiction, so signs of improvement are most certainly a good thing.

Also worth noting: if you’re a member of Goodreads, you can enter The Enceladus Crisis giveaway there. We have 10 copies of the book up for grabs. The giveaway ends on May 6, which also happens to be the book’s release day. So go forth and enter!

Finally, I spotted The Enceladus Crisis on Apple’s iBookstore. It also includes a chance to download a sample of the book, and a decent sized one at that. So if you’re an Apple ebook customer, or just want to peek at the sample, check it out!

#SFWApro

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April 14, 2014 · 1:30 pm

The Enceladus Crisis audiobook now available for pre-order on Audible

Just saw this today, though it may have been up there for a while. I couldn’t say, because I’ve been frolicking amongst the fjords here in Iceland. As one does.

Anyway, I’m pleased to report that the audiobook version of The Enceladus Crisis, the sequel to The Daedalus Incident, is now available for pre-order up on Audible.com. I’m also incredibly happy that the two narrators of Daedalus are back for Enceladus. Bernard Clark and Kristin Kalbli did a great job with the first one. Can’t wait to see how they tackled the second book.

The audiobook will be released on May 6, just like the print and (most of) the e-book versions. In addition to Audible, you can also order the audio edition on Amazon.

Enceladus is mere weeks away! Hope you guys enjoy it!

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April 11, 2014 · 11:13 am

I got to blurb Mike Underwood’s Shield and Crocus

Consider this another authorial “achievement unlocked” moment, in which I get to do something cool by dint of being a published author.

Agency-mate Michael R. Underwood asked me to take a look at his latest book, Shield and Crocus, coming June 10 from 47North. Of course I said yes, because Mike is good people, and he was kind enough to do the same for The Daedalus Incident. Now, we’ve made it quite clear to each other that, hey, if we aren’t feeling it, we’re not going to blurb it. No harm, no foul.

But no worries here, because Shield and Crocus is a very, very good book. And Mike released my blurb about it today:

“Blindingly creative, Shield and Crocus delivers action-packed, four-color fantasy with a lot of heart.” — Michael J. Martinez, author of The Daedalus Incident

Yep, it’s that good. It’s a secondary-world urban fantasy with multiple sub-genres and a strong superhero vibe throughout. And it’s set in a city resting in the bones of a very large titan. Seriously, what more could you want?

It’s out June 10. Go pre-order it!

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April 4, 2014 · 5:30 pm

Great timing! Scientists find under-ice lake on Enceladus, possible home to extraterrestrial life

I’d like to thank the good folks at NASA and the scientists studying data from the Cassini probe for putting Saturn’s moon Enceladus in the news just one month before the release of The Enceladus Crisis.

Seriously, I need to send someone a fruit basket or something.

The news itself is cool: By studying gravity measurements from Cassini from 2010-2012, scientists believe that there is indeed a body of water under Enceladus’ ice — a big one, too. It’s believed to be the size of Lake Superior.

It’s that body of water, located at the moon’s southern pole, that feeds the plumes of water that erupt from the “tiger stripe” formations there.

Here’s the kicker, though: Those same gravity readings have led scientists to believe that Enceladus is a “differentiated body.” That means that the planet has a rocky core, with the aforementioned lake on top, and a layer of ice covering it all and protecting the water and rock from radiation and other space-y stuff.

And when you have carbon and silicates in contact with freestanding water, and a planetary core warmed by the immense push-pull of Saturn’s gravity, you have the possibility of life.

Now, we’re likely talking very primitive life — microbes if we’re super lucky. But still, that’s pretty amazing. The folks at io9 have a good write-up here.

I’m feeling really lucky on a personal level, what with The Enceladus Crisis hitting shelves in just over a month. I did a ton of research on Saturn’s little moon for the book, and this latest study confirms a lot of the stuff I put in there. Way cool.

And it certainly doesn’t hurt that there’s all kinds of headlines about Enceladus happening right now, what with the moon’s name in the title of the book, coming in mere weeks. I’m not going to get all spoilery about the role Enceladus plays in the novel, but let’s just say that this latest bit dovetails nicely with what I’ve got going on.

On a related note, Barnes & Noble now has Nook ebook pre-ordering available for The Enceladus Crisis. You can also pre-order the ebook on Amazon and Kobo. No word yet on iTunes and Google Play, but I’ll keep you posted. And, of course, if you like your books in paper form, you can pre-order it from wherever fine books are sold.

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April 2, 2014 · 9:36 am

The Gravity of the Affair on sale for just $0.99

To celebrate the May 6 release of The Enceladus Crisis, we’ve decided to give folks a deal on my novella, The Gravity of the Affair. For a limited time, you can pick up the ebook for just $0.99 across all major vendors, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo and iTunes.

For those that haven’t yet read The Daedalus Incident, this is a good (read: cheap) way to start exploring the Known Worlds. If you like Gravity, then you can check out Daedalus before the second novel in the series comes out. And if you prefer listening to your books, you can pick up the Audible version for just $1.95.

As a reminder, The Enceladus Crisis print edition is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and IndieBound (and most other major booksellers), and the ebook can be pre-ordered for Kindle and Kobo devices. Still waiting for word on iTunes, Google Play and Nook availability; I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading!

#SFWApro

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March 30, 2014 · 4:52 pm

The Enceladus Crisis ebook available for preorder on Kindle and Kobo

I’m very happy to report that The Enceladus Crisis ebook is available for preorder on Kindle and Kobo devices/platforms. I haven’t seen it up on Google Play, iTunes or Nook yet, but I’ll keep you posted if I do.

Because The Daedalus Incident was delayed last year due to Skyhorse Publishing’s buyout of Night Shade Books, the first book in the Daedalus series didn’t really get a ebook preorder. So I’m pretty psyched to see Enceladus getting out there ahead of time. I expect the second Daedalus book will be on all the platforms as the first, and I’m told the Audible audio version will launch around the same time as the book’s official May 6 release date.

Note the “official” in that statement, because at this point, May 6 is more of a “no later than” date. Amazon says the Kindle preorders will be released April 29. And last summer, I know that many folks who preordered print books from a variety of booksellers got them several days ahead of schedule.

This is not a bad thing, though. I can’t wait for folks to read this one. And I hope you guys feel the same way.

Still, I’m keeping May 6 as my official date. That’s when I’ll start carpet-bombing the Internet with interviews and excerpts and all sorts of other goodies. And that’s when I’ll be opening my official book-launch beer. The Daedalus Incident was launched with a 2006 Brooklyn Monster Ale, after all, so I’ve got my eyes on a few different bottles for May 6. My Untappd page will, of course, carry the results live.

Long story short, if you use Kindle or Kobo, you can now go preorder The Enceladus Crisis. And that’s a very cool thing. Of course, the print version is available for preorder right now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Books-a-Million, and lots of other places. So however you like your sailing ships in space delivered, you can ensure you get your fix.

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March 27, 2014 · 5:00 pm

A few links for your reading pleasure

Found a couple of pieces online that might be of interest to readers here, both of which make kind reference to The Daedalus Incident.

First, English teacher and writer Scott Reintgen talks about how he teaches his students to write antagonists. I won’t spoil it here, but it’s a pretty good read, so if you’re afflicted with the desire to write, you should check it out. Turns out The Daedalus Incident fits into Scott’s model neatly. I’d love to say I totally planned it that way.

Secondly, author Richard Ellis Preston Jr. of The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin series was featured on the Kindle Daily Post talking about steampunk and its splinter genres. He gave a very nice shout out to Daedalus as an example of “alchemypunk.” The article is also a pretty nice primer on steampunk for those new to the genre.

And…that’s about it for now. I’ve lined up some great stuff in the weeks ahead to mark the release of The Enceladus Crisis on May 6, and keep an eye out for a variety of giveaways coming very soon. Yes, free books. I’m also heading on vacation in less than two weeks, and looking forward to getting a bunch more writing done on The Venusian Gambit.

As for where on vacation…well, keep reading the blog and peek over at Twitter and you’ll find out when I’m there!

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March 25, 2014 · 6:15 pm

A deleted scene from The Daedalus Incident

The Daedalus Incident went through a fair number of drafts and permutations before it became the novel that’s on bookshelves now. Whole strands of plot were upended, characters changed substantially, you name it. And there were a few scenes that simply didn’t make the cut, like this one.

I was bummed to drop this scene because it was a cool bonding moment between the protagonist, Shaila Jain, and her boss, Maria Diaz. It showed their growing chemistry and gave a peek into their characters. It foreshadowed a bit more about Jain’s first mission, the ill-fated Atlantis, and how it might affect her reactions while it was hitting the fan at McAuliffe Base. And there were some nice Martian setting elements there.

And yet…ultimately, the scene didn’t carry enough water to move the plot forward, which is pretty much a cardinal sin of storytelling. It felt like it arrested the momentum of the story, and there were other ways of building character and relationships and backstory without that kind of pause in plot. Plus, the point-of-view here is that of Diaz, and this was the only time that happened in the entire book. (I basically stuck with Shaila’s POV in the future sections and Weatherby’s in the past.)

Looking back on this section, I do think it holds up decently, and could probably be inserted into the book without a major hiccup if you can forgive the shifting POV. Of course, reading this again more than three years after writing it, I can see how I’ve improved since and how that affected my approach to The Enceladus Crisis. (While Enceladus was revised thoroughly, I don’t have any full scenes that I tossed in their entirety. Progress? I’d like to think so.)

So here you are, a deleted scene, just like in a DVD. Except it’s a book. Enjoy.

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March 24, 2014 · 6:00 pm

One week to go before Hugo nominations close

Just a quick blog-based reminder that you have until Monday, March 31, at 11:59 PDT (in case you really want to procrastinate) to nominate eligible works for the Hugo Awards and the Campbell. The nomination form is here. In order to nominate, you have to have been a member of the 2013 WorldCon in San Antonio, this year’s WorldCon in London, or the 2015 WorldCon in Spokane.

Not a member and don’t plan on going? You can purchase a supporting membership to the London WorldCon for $40 in order to nominate works for the Hugos. And you’ll get access to the voter packet once the nominations are firmed up, which means you’ll get to read the vast majority of nominated works for the cost of your supporting membership. In other words, it’s a good deal.

I suppose this is a good place to remind folks that I’m eligible for the Hugos in the novel category (The Daedalus Incident) and the novella (The Gravity of the Affair). I’m also eligible for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. No, I really don’t expect to be nominated for anything, but I’m quite willing to be incredibly surprised.

I’ve already cast my votes (and no, I didn’t vote for myself), and I’m excited for the great writers I’ve read and, in some cases, have gotten to know personally. I had particular fun with the fan writer, website and podcast nominations. I’ve interacted with many of these folks over the past year, and they’re a good bunch.

If you’re eligible, get voting! And if not, consider giving it a shot.