Martin and Martine - Part 1, is the next in a series of “Movie Novellas” brought to you by veteran filmmaker Lawrence Bridges.  This new kind of reading experience, serialized in short chapters, was created specifically for the Kindle.

Meet MARTIN, a young American working at a bank in Paris. He surfs the coast of France, drives a classic Alpha convertible through the back roads of the French countryside, and sings in the Metros with his dog “Bits” at his side. Martin is about to meet MARTINE who works in telecommunications. She is 23, tall, with short blond hair. They both love music. They both have perfect pitch.

It is the not-too-distant future and the world has been transformed by the power of technology. Think beyond “The Terminator,” beyond “The Matrix.” Benign machines run the economy and innovate well beyond the capabilities of human brains. The citizens of Paris enjoy a comfortable life, fenced in and protected from the perils of the outside world. Cities like New York, Perth, Tehran, and Beijing share the same lifestyle, frozen early 2000’s.  In return for protection from the forces outside the “Fence”, human beings have relinquished control of their lives to the all-knowing “Server,” a silicone intelligence supervised by an aristocratic race of genetically engineered clones known as “the Perfects.” But for average citizens, life has never been better. Martin has never felt so alive, especially after trying a new form of entertainment released by Apple Computers that overcomes the computer/brain barrier. It’s called Best Friend, and it provides intense emotional encounters as well as instantaneous realizations of dreams and fantasies, all in 3D. Hardwired into the human brain, Best Friend is the rage of Paris and Martin is one of the earliest adopters.

Martine is similarly using the powers of Best Friend, to try to figure out a way to meet Martin. While sitting on opposite sides of the Metro tracks, they are drawn to each and connected mysteriously by Best Friend. But inside Best Friend it difficult to know what is organic and what is artificial. Will Martine be able to find out who he is, or if he even exists, before the trains come and the moment is lost?

Parts 2 and 3 are also available for download at Smashwords and the Kindle Store.

2009 Fiction Novel of the Year!

The war with the Rilz is pushing humanity to its limits and Intruder pilot Lt. Alan ‘Mac’ McAllister and his flying partner ‘Ivan’ Ivchenko are in the thick of the fighting. Battling the Lizards is bad enough, but fighting a planet full of rebel humans tests their friendship and Mac’s integrity as a Naval pilot. But the biggest test for Mac is maintaining his own sanity in the face of a creeping dependence on the electronic link that allows him to fly the most advanced combat spacecraft ever devised. When a vicious counter attack by the Rilz places the lives of his ex-wife and her new family in harms way, he must set aside that which is still human within him in a final showdown with mankind’s most implacable enemy.

Rated PG-13

The Visions of Koto-Ryin, is a collection of short stories that takes place after Return 2 Earth, when the assistant of an Elder, Koto-Ryin receives visions of her Deltorian ancestors from more than a hundred years ago. 

These five short stories are about the Deltorian Warriors, also known as the Delta Four who must protect Queen Lora and the citizens from Deltor from the ravenous bodiless beings known at the Revkar, the evil aliens called the Skyro, and any other creatures who are against the realm.

Koto-Ryin doesn’t know who to trust when she begins to receive these visions of her long hidden Deltorian history. She approaches the soon-to-be Oracle Nolan from the planet Xanar. And together the two travel to the past without being seen or heard and witness the events of the battles of these warriors.

Vision I: Battle at the Revkar Portal

Vision II: Attack of the Skyro

Vision III: The Vadarian Nightmare

Vision IV: The Return of the Skyro

Vision V: Double Crossed on Kitnar

Author Website

Oliver Lincoln III is a walking contradiction – he sells combat fighters for his dad’s defense plant, but he is a dedicated pacifist.

During a sales trip to the Sirian Confederacy, Oliver’s sister, a holonews reporter, tells him a disturbing secret. When his sister is later murdered by the Sirian secret police, the KK, it doesn’t take Oliver long to put the squares together —
Sirius is about to invade a peaceful world, using the combat fighters he sold them!

Oliver can’t prevent the invasion, but in a desperate race against time he travels to Vega 3, hoping to arm them with Lincoln fighters so they can at least defend themselves. But the timetable is shorter than he thought, and he finds himself trapped in a global war with a difficult choice to make.

The Fighter King is a novel about the clash of civilization, personal choices, and coming of age. Before The Fighter Queen, there was The Fighter King. It all starts here.

Rated “R” for sex, language, and violence.

Frank Fisher is nothing. He wants to be something. When a mysterious young woman named Bonnie offers assistance by injecting seeds of inspiration directly into his brain, Frank finds himself involved in a twisting mystery full of addiction, desperation and self-discovery. Broken Bulbs, a novella by Eddie Wright, tells the story of the lengths one young man will go in the pursuit of “somethingness.”

Praise for Broken Bulbs:
“…a brilliant and stunningly original work, by far the best novel I read in 2008.”
- Alternative Reel

“as authentic as they come, experimental without trying to be intentionally obscure, dark without making you doubt humanity, smart and energetic. In short, it’s great writing.”
“…it’s about obsession, self-negation, love, even God (“The Everything”), making Broken Bulbs an entirely unique take on a subject. It’s a science fictional, hard-boiled, poetic vision of drug addiction and hamsters (read it!) A great addition to a genre that has never existed before.”
- Self-publishing Review

“…this slim volume is the bastard child of Memento and William S Burroughs, absolutely not for the faint of heart nor for anyone seeking a nice, simple beach read.”
- Jason Pettus, The Chicago Center for for Literature and Photography

“An existentialist’s dream, the author has dug in deep and laid bare the raw emotion so candidly that we can actually feel the futility, the desperation, and the humour.”

“Philip Dick would be proud.”
- POD People

“…the absolute perfect spot-on portrait of the mind of an addict.”
“The first chapter alone is a nauseating churn of short choppy staccato sentences, random thoughts and actions, that read like beat poetry at a slam.”
“The whole thing is filled with crazy quips and one liners worthy of a high lighter so you can memorize and use them later.”
- The LL Book Review

“…strangely complex and fascinating.”
- Kaye Trout’s Book Reviews

In a misty land, long ago, and far away, lived a lovely girl-child of fourteen. Her lineage was as mysterious as the mountain range that loomed over the valley where she lived. Her father grew flax, and her grandmother, “The Dark Weaver”, wove the linen into beautiful tapestries, some with strange powers. This was their only means of a living. Deila tended the animals on the small farm and helped “Gran” with the weaving.

One night everything changed when a foal was born to the dray horse and by morning was taken from them by a mysterious, evil creature.

A man on the run from his wife’s wrath after selling her dog. A dozen crash-landed bounty hunter clones. An alien on the tracks of the man who scammed him. An intergalactic detective looking for a mysterious artefact. Above all, a world which is familiar but yet is slightly off - legalized bribery, cities run by gangsters, mysterious sects which believe in the power of jokes. This is the story of Normal Kint and Johnny Goolbhai the android, who are determined to get to Kabul City despite highwaymen, scheming opponents and the occasional cop on the take.

Free anthology of quality sci-fi & fantasy
Detective thrillers, political satire, family drama, fables, fable deconstructions, the mysteries of debugging: there’s something in this anthology for every fan. Contains nine original stories and five original artworks.
We found awesome fiction, bought it, and released it online under a Creative Commons license. We learned a lot, so the appendix, “How To Do This And Why,” has submission/rejection statistics, our budget, and some behind-the-scenes musings on process, supply and demand.

Some excerpts from the stories that got us over four stars on GoodReads:

Day-to-day life with a sponge golem was pleasant.
-“Daisy” by Andrew Willett (audio version)

Anyone who’d ever seen the Martian Ambassador would recognize it, the way he wielded it like his staff of office.
I frowned at Seeth. “So how does the Ambassador’s staff wind up broken on a street in the Crops, when the Ambassador is dying peacefully in his hotel room?”
“I guess that’s what I need you to find out.”
-“The Ambassador’s Staff” by Sherry D. Ramsey

Sarita kept feeding her, one bite after another. “You were the one who insisted on breast-feeding. Joshua and I would have been fine using formula. They’ve duplicated the ingredients found in breast milk, you know. Perfected it two decades ago.”
“It’s not the same,” Kate insisted. “I can’t prove it, but I’m sure it isn’t.”
-“Jump Space” by Mary Anne Mohanraj

Xanathan Kurtler didn’t die because of greed. Not his own, anyway. It wasn’t greed that made him plant those trees.
-“Goldenseed” by Therese Arkenberg

The technically proficient could breach the best software security systems by deliberately inducing errors in the hardware. Couldn’t the rational induce faith in themselves the same way?
-“Single-Bit Error” by Ken Liu

The crack of leather that followed hurt more than my own whipping.
You might think we’d never be dumb enough to eat Jilly Jallys again.
-“Friar Garden, Mister Samuel, and the Jilly Jally Butter Mints” by Carole Lanham

Those and more, available as HTML, PDF or print-on-demand physical book. Plus mobile editions:

• A hand-crafted ePub edition by Marshall T. Vandergrift.
• ePub, Kindle/Mobipocket, Microsoft Reader, and Sony Reader editions by Arachne Jericho.
• Many, many formats at manybooks.net.

Sue Lange again engages the mind as she entertains the senses through Uncategorized (publ: BookViewCafe.com), a collection of randomly genius short stories. Re-defining the aspect of “Theater of the Mind,” this progressive sci-fi author takes advantage of new multi-media tools that technology affords the modern reader. In this, her latest book, the short story meets old-time radio buckled up in a time machine and blasted into the future. In this thought-provoking collection, Lange grabs the reader with an “audio download” and segues into her eclectic set of short stories with the aggressive delivery of a beat poet and the timing of a stand-up comedian. Her Uncategorized readers are certain to be a good crowd, for they will find themselves laughing out loud and at the same time nodding in agreement. You can find Lange at her website.

Zombies have invaded the U.S., but one political party is hoping to promote brotherly love. A young girl sells nice dreams for a nickel, but be sure to read the fine print. Gorillas teach kindergarten, or deliver unexpected refrigerators. Magical gypsies deliver predictions that have uncomfortable ways of coming true. People unhappy with their own lives can enjoy someone else’s past for a cheap price…but be careful of the sudden ending. In the land of the novel-writers, poets beware.

From zombies to space aliens to fortune-telling gypsies to ancient and magical statues, author Michael Kechula delivers 71 complete stories of speculative fiction. Kechula has become a leader in ‘flash fiction,’ super-short stories that contain characters, dialogue, and a complete plot, all within a very small number of words. In THE AREA 51 OPTION AND 70 MORE TALES OF SPECULATIVE FICTION, Kechula shows why he’s been so successful.

For its first month of availability (until October 18, 2009), this complete collection is available for only $1.00 directly from the publisher. After October 18, it’ll be available at its regular price of only $3.99. (Multiple eBook formats).

Eva thought she could outrun the plagues, but she was wrong. The bio-hackers that ripped the world raw are targeting her hometown of Prague, and this time there may be no escaping it.

Now, hunted by police who think she’s a hacker herself, Eva must brave the rotting city streets to find her mother before it’s too late. But with a ruthless agent known as a “Healer” on the prowl, it may only be a matter of time before Eva becomes another victim of his blood-soaked carnage.

In this snowy, ash-strewn apocalypse, Eva’s greatest fear is this new threat may not be coincidence at all… it may be personal.

“A gripping, scary viruscore tale.”

— io9.com

“MCM is one of the most unique voices working in SciFi today.”

— Martin Gero, Producer, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: Universe

.tech is a free e-book of poetry about technology, artificial intelligence, video games, and computers. Several of the poems are actually composed in programming languages and can actually be run.

The poems discuss a digital mindscape, telling a story of how technology affects many aspects of our lives, both in fantasy and reality.

The book is published free on scribd. A stylized audio version of one of the poems, building can be found on my blog. building is about how assembling a computer and bringing it to life resembles an act of mystic creation.

Nano Wars is a techno-thriller of a world unknowingly gripped in conflict by the emergence of dark uses of nano technology and the amazing nano based devices and weaponry it brought with it, a new era of hybrid soldiers and warfare. Nano Technology had been introduced into society with much fanfare, specifically in the medical field and had generated new levels of investments in medical companies utilizing such technology based procedures. However, as the nano based procedures were made available, their costs proved to be too costly for the masses. This caused a tremendous tremor in nano companies as they scrambled to reinvent themselves or close operations. This tremor caused a severe crack in morality, out of which was born a new form of espionage and warfare. Any force armed with this technology is invisible to their enemy, able to kill hundreds, thousands, in seconds and can penetrate any facility at will. The problem, this technology was introduced by the wrong side and it is DATIS’s job to recreate itself, fast. DATIS is scrambling to meet this challenge by creating a new hybrid army molded out of new soldier classifications and weapons, but time is short and the world is hanging in the balance.

In an alternate present the minds of teen offenders are uploaded into computers for rehabilitation—a form of virtual wilderness therapy. Zach is a homo cognoscens, one of the new humans who can navigate the Fulgrid. Though still a high school student, he is indentured to the Fulgur Corporation as a counsellor. Laura is a homo sapiens. Their story is part odyssey, part tragedy, part riff on the nature of consciousness.

The novel is being serialised in weekly instalments, a chapter each Friday. Podcasts (audiobook) are also available, read by the Welsh actor Ioan Hefin.

Set three thousand years in the future, at a time when spaceships travel between the worlds with the help of “webbers.”

Human worlds are organised in two empires - the “Old Empire” and the “New Empire” - and each of the two emperors is immortal. The two emperors have each signed an oath to respect the interests of the guild of Webbers which is seen as central to keeping the peace between the worlds.

In place of a single commanding officer, ships are run by a trirumvirate or “Three.” At the start of the book, the patrol ship Bhattya needs a new first officer. Commanda Rallya and her two colleages who make up Bhattya’s “Three” decide to offer the post to Rafe, a brilliant webber who looks twenty five, and believes himself to be thirty, but has had his memory erased on defecting from the New Empire to the old one.

As the Bhattya gets caught up in events which appear to threaten the stability of the galaxy it becomes very clear that there is something very unusual about Rafe. He is every bit as talented as Rallaya and her colleages had hoped, but his background seems to be very mysterious - and hint at an age rather greater than the 25 which his physical condition suggests or the 30 which he admits to. And whatever his past is, both of the two emperors are taking a close personal interest in him. Who or what is Rafe - and why is he so important ?

I really liked this book and am surprised that it didn’t become a bestseller. Good for a try if you want to read a science fiction book which is a bit different from the usual run.

By Marshall Lord, Amazon.com

Playing on every teen’s passionate desire to look as good as everybody else, Scott Westerfeld (Midnighters) projects a future world in which a compulsory operation at sixteen wipes out physical differences and makes everyone pretty by conforming to an ideal standard of beauty. The “New Pretties” are then free to play and party, while the younger “Uglies” look on enviously and spend the time before their own transformations in plotting mischievous tricks against their elders. Tally Youngblood is one of the most daring of the Uglies, and her imaginative tricks have gotten her in trouble with the menacing department of Special Circumstances. She has yearned to be pretty, but since her best friend Shay ran away to the rumored rebel settlement of recalcitrant Uglies called The Smoke, Tally has been troubled. The authorities give her an impossible choice: either she follows Shay’s cryptic directions to The Smoke with the purpose of betraying the rebels, or she will never be allowed to become pretty. Hoping to rescue Shay, Tally sets off on the dangerous journey as a spy. But after finally reaching The Smoke she has a change of heart when her new lover David reveals to her the sinister secret behind becoming pretty. The fast-moving story is enlivened by many action sequences in the style of videogames, using intriguing inventions like hoverboards that use the rider’s skateboard skills to skim through the air, and bungee jackets that make wild downward plunges survivable — and fun. Behind all the commotion is the disturbing vision of our own society — the Rusties — visible only in rusting ruins after a virus destroyed all petroleum. Teens will be entranced, and the cliffhanger ending will leave them gasping for the sequel. (Ages 12 and up) –Patty Campbell, Amazon.com Review.