Help Out An Author

This is a cross-post. Please read.

From Hans Shantz over on Substack:

Russell and Morgan Newquist have long been active members in the Based Book community. Through running Silver Empire press, and through their own novels, they set an example for us all how to create and promote Based Books.

Now, their daughter, Sera, is suffering from serious cardiac problems, and Russell and Morgon have had to travel hours away from home to ensure that Sera gets the care she needs.





They will need to be at a downtown hotel within walking distance of the hospital, and that can get pricey. Plus all the other expenses that come with a crisis of this magnitude. Let’s help them out

Russell and Morgon have made it clear that any money not used directly for the expenses of this event will be donated to the Children’s Hospital of Alabama because they treat everyone regardless of ability to pay.

You may donate directly via GoFundMe, and consider also picking up one of their excellent books.



War Demons: A Supernatural Thriller
When he came home, so did they...

Driven by vengeance, Michael Alexander enlisted in the Army the day after 9/11. Five years later, disillusioned and broken by the horrors he witnessed in Afghanistan, Michael returns home to Georgia seeking to begin a new life. But he didn’t come alone. Something evil followed him, and it’s leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

The police are powerless. The Army has written Michael off. Left to face down a malevolent creature first encountered in the mountains of Afghanistan, he’ll rely on his training, a homeless prophet, and estranged family members from a love lost...

But none of them expected the dragon.

Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden collides with Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International in this supernatural thriller that goes straight to Hell!

Hellgate (Neighborhood Watch Book 1)

Emilia King has made an art of bad choices. Just ask her mother, she’ll tell you every single thing she’s done wrong for years.

When her latest bad choice changes the locks to their apartment and leaves all her stuff on the doorstep, Emilia can’t bear to hear “I told you so” one more time. So she moves in with her grandfather. Then she can have some space to figure out who…and what she wants to be, without her mother breathing down her neck.

What she finds there is anything but peace. Her grandfather battles invisible creatures in the dark. Neighbors torn apart by wild beasts.

Not to mention the moody, gorgeous man across the street with the motorcycle. The kind of man that’s her kryponite.

But when her grandfather falls ill, his position of head of the Neighborhood Watch falls to her. And in this neighborhood, it’s more than measuring grass height or catching petty thefts.

Down the Dragon Hole:
A Tale of The School of Spells & War

Alis was a quiet librarian at the campus library of the School of Spells & Magic - that is, until the sword wielding buffoon Cahan had the audacity to battle a dragon in her library! Now she's following him off on some foolhardy adventure. As they try to save the university from the mysterious Formless, she fights an equally important battle - to maintain her self respect!

The School of Spells & War is an ongoing collection of old fashioned sword-and-sorcery adventure stories following a wizard and warrior duo as they galavant across the continent of Thillon. Good-humored, powerful warrior Cahan and intelligent, skilled wizard Alis work together to serve their university, the school of spells and war, by battling dragons, investigating plots against the king, hunting witches, and dealing with the ongoing threat of the ancient and mysterious Formless.


Here’s to a speedy and successful recovery for Sera, and thank you all for being part of the Based Book community.

Hans

Coming Soon: Winning Secrets!

Welcome back to the Wasteland!

I have a bit of a surprise to unveil for readers today. I don't usually post these sorts of things, except that one of the parties involved is Cirsova, the best NewPub publisher out there today, and one of the inspirations for getting me into the Pulp Revolution (as well as the man who wrote the foreword to The Last Fanatics), Jeffro Johnson.

As a consequence there is no way I could let this release go without highlighting and commenting a bit on it myself.

Jeffro and Cirsova's new work will be on Kickstarter next week, but you can look below for a preview of what to expect!

Longtime game blogger Jeffro Johnson earned Hugo nods for his in-depth analysis of AD&D’s Appendix N, in his book Appendix N: The Literary History of Dungeons & Dragons, as well as for the work he did as the editor-in-chief for the Castalia House blog.

During the COVID shutdowns of 2020, Jeffro and a group of friends gathered to explore a unique objective: explore the early D&D rulesets as thoroughly as possible. This was the birth of the nascent BrOSR movement, an effort that would take the implied goal of the Old School Revival (OSR) seriously.

The BrOSR coalesced as a group of Christian men who, through hearty ribbing and memes, encouraged one another to become better at playing Dungeons & Dragons and produce a better experience at the table.

The group’s principles included playing the game Rules As Written, eschewing homebrewing or house ruling, in an attempt to uncover what the game was truly like when taking author Gary Gygax’s prescriptions seriously. The game contained in the rules contrasts starkly with the “folk game” that D&D had become. While the OSR movement had largely been a vibe-based focus on the aesthetics of the older games, sometimes trying to rebuild them from the ground up, the Bros took an approach that centered on gathering a deep understanding and mastery of the foundational games of the hobby.

Members of this group radically changed the online discussion surrounding D&D, with a focus on RAW, use of 1:1 time, and re-incorporation of David Wesely’s Braunstein as seen in D&D co-creator Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor Campaign. In to providing extensive public-facing campaign reports, the Bros created Brozer: Island of War and Winter (out now through Cirsova Publishing), a Braunstein adventure product designed to teach other groups how to incorporate these elements, and offered it for free digitally and at-cost in print, moving nearly 2000 copies.

Cirsova Publishing is proud to present Winning Secrets, by Jeffro Johnson, RuleOfThule, and Bdubs1776. Originally conceived as the follow-up to Jeffro’s monograph, “How to Win at D&D,” published by Pilum Press in 2023, Winning Secrets collects the receipts for the style of play that Jeffro and the BrOSR championed. The book chronicles the sessions of Jeffro’s Trollopulous campaign, the first campaign of the BrOSR, and contains essays and commentaries offering insightful examinations of the definitive pillars of BrOSR-style play as well as illuminating the guiding values they champion. 

In Winning Secrets, you will join the Bros in their journey, uncovering the brilliant lost secrets of great campaigns which gave birth to the D&D game rules. You will see the complete story play out of how this arcane lore was won through Jeffro’s paradigm-shattering Trollopulous campaign.

In this landmark work, you will find:

    • A persuasive case for why contemporary approaches to RPGs cannot deliver on the game that was promised by the early D&D rule sets.

    • A thorough breakdown of the four pillars of Real D&D, lore from the dawn of RPGs that will elevate the excitement and engagement at YOUR table!

    • A detailed history of how Jeffro discovered these secrets and how he and his friends developed solutions to the challenges offered by high level play.

    • An explanation of why only Christian brotherhood could break down the barriers that were preventing all of us from experiencing the RPG campaign of our dreams.

    • The recreation of a lost artform and an entire world of gaming knowhow that Jeffro pulled out of complete oblivion.

This book will change the way you think about D&D forever. More importantly, it will show you how the game was intended to be played.

Praise for Jeffro Johnson’s "How to Win at D&D":

"These 30 or so pages of text in this book are the most impactful and important 30 pages I have ever read when it comes to tabletop roleplaying games and wargaming. It has changed the wayIi approach these games. This book put everything into focus for me, why I wasn’t having fun and didn’t feel good about the games I was running and how to run better games. I've bought five or six copies and have given them to each of my players and I recommend it to anyone I know who plays or wants to play D&D." -- Jon Asharan

"For the scholarly reader interested in the history of RPGs, this book is indispensable. It is thoroughly researched and, in my academic opinion, convincing." -- Gabe Mamola

Praise for Appendix N: The Literary History of Dungeons & Dragons:

"This book may be the most important thing to happen to science fiction, fantasy, and even horror in the past three decades" -- Jim Fear

"An absolute must-read for anyone wanting to rediscover the forgotten literary roots of fantasy in general, and role playing games in particular. I have already been blown away by some of the authors mentioned here, and look forward to a great deal more excitement as I progress." -- Sam Hart

Winning Secrets will be live on Kickstarter from February 25th through April 1st: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cirsova/winning-secrets

Cirsova Publishing:

www.cirsova.wordpress.com

X: x.com/@cirsova

Jeffro Johnson:

www.jeffro.wordpress.com

The Big Summer Booksale!

Find it Here!

It's that time of year again!

Get yourself 300 books, each for either a buck or free for one week only! Have your choice of some of the best NewPub has to offer from writers you already enjoy or maybe new ones you've never stumbled across before. There is no limit to what you might find.

It's a bit overwhelming with choice these days, but with the mainstream offering little of value you have more than enough choice in the independent NewPub space. With over 300 to choose from, you won't be bored anytime soon.

For myself, you can find the Gemini Man series on sale and, for the first time ever, The Pulp Mindset! I would jump on that one if I were you, because this is a one time thing. Amazon's parameter's for sales are getting more obtuse, which makes the time to be able to even do sales in the first place bizarre. Heck, sometimes you can only choose specific regional stores to do it. So be sure to jump on it for one of the few times I can guarantee it'll be there at all.

Aside from myself, there is quite the selection. Let me highlight a few to jump on, if you have yet to do so yet. I'm going to try more obscure books that even I might have missed on previous posts like this one. I myself haven't read (most) of these, it's just a chance to highlight a work or author that might become lost in the shuffle. See for yourself if it's for you.

Legends of Atlameria: Harbinger of Worlds End

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There exists a fine line between truth and legend, in the heart of Atlameria.

Following an encounter in a deadly forest, two unlikely souls must join as one—or perish alone. Outcast shape-changer, called Ursakar by his people; Thorn struggles to understand the mysteries of his shadowed past while bearing the burden of an even more uncertain future. Meanwhile, the huntress tasked with the execution of his kind, Keira is forced to question the nature of her mission and whether those of her ruling order are as noble as they appear. Past and present soon collide with the discovery of a relic both ancient and prophetic in design.

Drums of war resound from the north, yet the two find themselves beset by a far greater threat near at hand—the same darkness that prompted the downfall of those who dwelt amongst these lands long ago. Against an enemy all but forgotten to the sands of time, even the unlikeliest of allies will prove better than none. A harbinger of the end approaches, but only those with the eyes to see can forestall its inevitability.

The Kings of Corona

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Mauregal wants to marry his girlfriend, run his brewery, and enjoy his friends in sixth-century Britain; but the valley of Palavel is ruled by a series of capricious tyrants whose every whim is enforced by the mysterious Corona. Then a knight and his squire visit with news of a king named Arthur of a different sort, and things begin to change--but the power of the Corona must still be reckoned with. This is a young-adult Arthurian fantasy mystery tale, with a sprinkling of libertarian and Christian themes.

A Case of Lycans

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The central city of Cathedral is tumultuous at the best of times. These are not the best of times for the troublesome big city. Murderers masquerading as werewolves terrorized Cathedral. Corrupt law enforcement masquerading as justice seekers handicaps the city. False falling crimes statistics masquerading as actual facts haunts Cathedral. Bad intentions masquerading as good intentions intensifies the woes of the mega metropolis.

It is difficult to be a police detective in the twisted city of Cathedral at the best of times. Again, these are not the best of times. Cathedral homicide detectives, Lt. Eddie Knighton and Detective Emily Oftenmarch, known as the mud tusslers, diligently work to solve the ongoing homicides in the city of Cathedral while encountering the wrongdoings of killers dressed as werewolves. Those killers cloaked as werewolves leave a trail of unsolved murders. It becomes the pair of detectives' duty to sort werewolf themed homicidal maniacs from everyday homicidal maniacs.

To make the mud tusslers' job more difficult, private law enforcement companies focused on profitability disguise themselves as institutions for serving and protecting the public. Cathedral police policy disguised as departmental improvements impedes their progress. Malicious misdeeds camouflaged as madness complicates their investigations. Criminals are not as they appear to be, crimes are not what they seem to be, and the crimes of the evil are shrouded by the crimes of the wicked.

What a tangled web the citizens and employees of Cathedral weave when they practice to deceive. Emily and Eddie battle to untangle the devious deceptions of lycans, liars, and lunatics. The more they sleuth the more the dastardly duplicity in Cathedral becomes complicated. Crime begets crime, skullduggery begets skullduggery, and the masquerading murders continue to befuddle the police. Sin never ceases in a city that never sleeps. The sum of all this deception and macabre crime is enough to drive a detective in the urban supercenter to insanity. Or are they insane?

Where will the werewolves strike next? What is their motive? Wait, was that a werewolf over there?

Holding the Line: Book One of The Long Watch

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𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟖-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫.

His mother had died so long ago, he could barely remember her. Now he lives with his alcoholic janitor father in the basement of the 150-year-old New Territorial Military Institute. Growing up at the prestigious, low-profile military academy, Danny had watched as the Territorial discretely provided a college education for the sons and daughters of politicians and royal families across the world, as well as the children of the rich and dysfunctional.

Beginning his freshman year at the Territorial on a “child of an employee” scholarship, Danny has a simple plan: graduate, leave behind his widowed drunk of a dad, and get the hell out of Wyoming.

That was before his home exploded. Before he met the sickly, spooky Tatiana who could See. Before the whispers in the night.

And that was before things got really weird.

Star Core: Wild Space

Find it Here!

In a war-ravaged solar system where Earth clings to the remnants of its fractured colonies, the only thing more dangerous than venturing into the unknown is what lies within it.

The elite Star Core have been tasked with an impossible mission: to infiltrate the uncharted territories beyond the Kuiper Belt—known as Wild Space—and neutralize a threat that could plunge the entire system into chaos. But Wild Space is no ordinary frontier. It’s a lawless expanse filled with rogue warlords, ruthless pirates, and remnants of humanity’s darkest secrets.

The Star Core’s mission will push them to their limits, testing their courage, loyalty, and their very humanity.

When the team uncovers the shocking truth about a legendary war criminal thought long dead, the stakes are raised higher than they ever imagined. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, the Core must navigate a deadly game of cat and mouse, where every decision could mean the difference between survival and oblivion.

Filled with heart-pounding action, relentless suspense, and deep space intrigue, Star Core: Into Wild Space is a thrilling ride that will leave you breathless. In the farthest reaches of space, where the lines between friend and foe blur, how far will they go to protect the future of mankind?

Prepare for a journey like no other, into the heart of darkness, and beyond.

The Arid Lands

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The Tyrhennians struggle to survive in the dried out basin of an ancient ocean. Inez knows no other world than this endless cycle of heat and brine, but listens to the stories of a distant land of great cities and endless seas.

She never believed them, until the day her brother is injured by a strange craft crossing the desolate plains. So she discovers that the stories are true. But as she tries to find her brother in a strange city she realises that she is not the only person from the salt plains here. Others from the Arid Lands have infiltrated the city - and they have a plan.

Coming to Power

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There’s another Earth, just a few steps away from ours, and it’s under siege by a dark, hungry god. It’s a planet where ancient enchantments still rule, where human society is built on the ruins of something greater. It’s calling for a hero.

An angelic guardian finds Jon on the run for killing his best friend’s murderer in defense. The spirit gives him a way out - travel to this other Earth and fight.

It brings him into the battle, praising him for being the first to answer the call in ages. Blessed with magic he could never have imagined, Jon begins his quest for the bloody shadow.

But the mad god knows he’s coming, and he’s got a legion of monsters ready and waiting.

The Mousetrap Murders

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A man wakes up in his car, unaware of how he got there...

Shaken by his loss of memory, he drives home, not knowing that in twenty-four hours he will be in jail, arrested for the kidnapping and murder of a missing college student. Though a mountain of evidence points to his guilt, this man, Julian Gutierrez, maintains his innocence. He is sentenced to Death Row, set to be executed for a crime he knows he did not commit, yet having no way of escaping his deadly and unjust fate.

That is, until the day a postcard arrives.

It claims to be from a witness that knows he is innocent. It is now up to Julian's sister and her husband to find out the truth before his time runs out. What they uncover is a mystery bigger than any of them could possibly imagine.

And in the shadows is a foe, calling himself The Fulcrum, waiting for the day that someone comes knocking, knocking at the door of the mousetrap he has constructed.

Shadow Hand Blues

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In 1954 budding blues virtuoso Waymon "Tornado" Fuller is executed for the murder of a North Carolina woman.

In 1994 nomadic hot-rodder, moonlighting private investigator and blues aficionado Deke Jones stumbles upon Fuller's guitar, triggering a mudslide of buried truths. Fuller's innocence is one revelation. Another is “Shadow Hand Blues”--the last song he recorded, which Jones has never heard of.

An impromptu search for the studio where the recording session took place leads Jones to a small hippie town seemingly still enjoying the Summer of Love, where the psychedelic atmosphere turns from surreal to hostile when he begins asking questions.

Vintage Fender Telecaster in one hand, steering wheel of his radical Cyclone Spoiler II in the other, Deke Jones launches a one-man crusade to exonerate the infamous musician and find the obscure recording. The blood trails are 40 years cold, but neither corrupt good ol' boy cops, sex industry sadists, nor fanatical pyramid-schemers can throw Deacon Jones off this case. This investigative pilgrimage propels Jones right into the bloodstained fingers of a clandestine power elite Tornado Fuller called the Shadow Hand.

Cayote Cal: Tales from the Weird West

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There's Trouble on the Range

In these thrilling tales from yesteryear, Coyote Cal and his trusty sidekick Big Yap encounter a wizard able to change his shape at will, a scheming witch, a confused zombie, la chupacabra grande, bloodthirsty vampyres, and other sordid fiends. Our heroes will have to rely on their wits, skills, and loads of hot lead to ensure justice prevails.

This volume collects all 9 weird western stories in the Coyote Cal Adventure Series, including:

"Fool's Gold" - Coyote Cal and Big Yap encounter their most challenging adversary yet: a Portuguese wizard able to change his shape at will. Our heroes will have to rely on their wits, skills, and loads of hot lead if they hope to foil this shape-shifter's evil schemes before he ends them, once and for all.

"Coyote Cal's Guide to the Weird, Wild West" - Coyote Cal must match wits with Donna "the Witch" Jamison, a master of the dark arts intent on planting him in the ground. Cal has stood toe to toe with his fair share of villains in the past--but this time, he's up against something altogether different in the form of a metal-mouthed gunslinger named Sleepy Rider and his dead brother, Easy.

"El Diablo de Paseo Grande" - Something's attacking the livestock outside the little town of Paseo Grande, and our heroes are hot on the monster's trail. But Coyote Cal, Big Yap, and Donna "the Witch" Jamison may have bitten off more than they can chew this time, and only one of them will be able to save the day -- or die trying.

"Harbinger of Arroyo Seco" - Like many heroes, Coyote Cal was once a boy... There's a storm brewing over the town of Arroyo Seco, and a sheriff with his uncanny eye on the future sees nothing but trouble for our hero-in-the-making. In love with an older woman and hunted by a gang of outlaws seeking retribution, young Calvin must walk a fine line between protecting the one he loves and becoming a ruthless killer.

The Rooster Rider

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On the borderlands of Wales, the newly knighted Sir Thomas of Barley Mill Cross, astride his mighty warhorse Rooster, recklessly challenges an evil Witch. Through her black arts, the Witch gets the better of Sir Thomas and Rooster. In the aftermath of the encounter, Rooster is an actual rooster, and Thomas is left size of a child’s doll. Torn from their own world and cast down among the small creatures of forest and farm, they are drawn into a savage conflict...the vicious weasel clans are conquering all the small creatures.

The small creatures need a hero. Desperately.

Thomas and Rooster’s only wish is to be restored, the witch magic broken, to return to their old lives. But Thomas is a knight who will live or die by his Oath, and he will not turn his back on those in need. Finding his way among the small creatures, knight and steed make friends willing to die by their side in battle, and make enemies willing to sacrifice themselves to send Thomas and Rooster to their doom.

In the chaos of war, Thomas and Rooster must find a way to stop the weasel clans and their wicked allies in time to have the spells binding them undone. This must happen before the witch is executed for her crimes. But will they make it? Or will they be forever cursed in their altered states, to follow the Oath along a path unlike any a knight has ever travelled?

Gods & Proxies

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WHEN THE GODS GO TO WAR, YOU HAD BETTER BE SURE THE ONE YOU SERVE WILL PREVAIL...

The invisible god, El Elyon, has promised the young nation of Yacov their own homeland. Trouble is, the land is full of giants, backed up by a pantheon of gods who would rather see Yacov slaughtered to a man.

And they are just men. The Yacovites are desert nomads without even enough swords for all their militia.

Salmon and Othniel are two of the young soldiers who must face the gigantic warriors in battle, starting at the fortress city of Bet-Yariq, with formidable walls that only giants empowered by gods could build.

Brave men's hearts melt with fear. The very planet reels to and fro as if ready to tear itself apart. But though El Elyon is outnumbered by the enemy gods, and his warriors are far outclassed, he has assured them that he himself will lead them into war, and together they will beat all the odds.

Living in Times of Dragons

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"...as with everything in my life, all this began with dreams..."

American ex-pat, father and widower, Roger Rommel, did not believe in dragons. Unfortunately, they did not return the sentiment.

After returning from a self-imposed exile to his adopted country of South Africa, Roger is confronted by these legendary fire-breathing reptiles who risked exposing their hidden world simply to hunt him. Gifted with the ability to create and enter dreams, as well as to see the future, he tries to survive and protect his son from enemies he does not understand. But the past is alive, and he finds himself linked to a conflict thousands of years old.

The world he knew is now stranger, more fantastic and terrifying than he truly knew, especially when everyone is out to get you.

That Axe Anciently Was Mine: Swords & Seventies

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What if the hero of a savage and ancient land returned from the deep mists of time?

Samuel Rider is a man out of time and place. A man with a destiny undreamed of.
Necromancers and demons, werewolves and the undead. The villains and monsters of legend lurk still in the night, unseen by most.

Samuel battles the strange, the deadly, and the unholy with a band of on-again-off-again allies in the Ancient Order of Chandlers.

Sword & Seventies – High adventure in the age of the birth of Heavy Metal!

Deathbringer

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Inga Alenir is a Swordbearer. She is the latest in a long line of women to inherit a magical weapon called Deathbringer. She's also dead, murdered on her wedding day by the ruthless and covetous noblewoman Yenda Avard, who steals the sword after killing Inga and her entire family.

And yet, some secrets won't stay buried. Deathbringer has a will and a consciousness of its own, and even has the power to raise Inga from the dead for a short time. It warns her that she has one week to find and retrieve the sword before death reclaims her—permanently. With each day bringing her doom and final demise ever closer, Inga will have to see just how far she's willing to go to achieve her vengeance.

DEATHBRINGER is a compositional mix between the violent, grisly hunt for revenge in the film THE NIGHTINGALE and the tale of Vasher and his talking sword Nightblood in Brandon Sanderson's WARBREAKER. Other inspiriations are Fred Saberhagen's BOOK OF SWORDS series and Michael Moorcock's ELRIC stories. Fans of dark fantasy, of tragic love stories and tales about seeking revenge against long odds will enjoy this debut novel by Blake Carpenter in the world of Agareth where a scorned, young widow fights back against the powerful elites that wronged her, and begins a journey that might turn the entire world against her.

Gun Magus

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Low on luck, but not ammo

The last thing Kenneth Jericho needed was a gunfight and car chase with human traffickers. What started as a bad morning only got worse.

A flash of light sends Ken to a strange world filled with magic, hideous monsters, beautiful women,
and seemingly unlimited ammo.

With pistol in hand, Ken is thrown into a race against time to stop a local ganglord's reign of terror. But is the thug the brains behind the violence, or is someone - or something - else pulling his strings?

Shoot the Devil 2: Dark Matter

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Welcome back to a world filled with horrors beyond count. A world where madmen fly across galaxies chasing forbidden power and ancient evil seeks to infect and eradicate all life. A world filled with heroes ready and willing to fight the darkness. To raise the crucifix and the blaster rifle to send the evil straight back to hell.

The Dragon Hand

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An ancient evil is returning to threaten the world—at least, that’s what one of voices in Serivak’s head is telling him.

As the only dragon in the kingdom and technically a prisoner of war, Serivak’s position as the King’s Hand via his friendship with the young king is precarious enough before the voice of one of his ancestors warned of the new threat. With the help of two young foreigners, Serivak endeavors to avert disaster—but as evidence of a conspiracy grows, his political enemies close to home may be even more dangerous.

Three Rivers Plague

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The unleashing of a biological weapon across the United States forces the government to begin rounding up high-profile individuals, in hopes of preserving American society. Famous rockstar Thomas Wylde, fresh off the catastrophe at his latest concert, is taken to a shelter in the sky. That is, until a member of his band falls victim to the weapon's infection, convincing him to escape into the post-apocalyptic city of Pittsburgh, now plagued by undead horrors, cults, cocaine junkies, and even the mafia. Their only hope is to find a cure to this disease before the transformation occurs. But not everyone is convinced of this new bioweapons' origins -- like Boston police detective Dick Kennedy.

It's up to Thomas and his band of survivors to discover the truth, not only about this new world, but about his government, his friends, and himself, all the while trying to carve out a slab of life for everyone and everything he cares about.

Stellar Stories: Volume 1

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Eight stories of rockets and robots, monsters and Martians, fistfights and beauties, wonders and awe...

A young man's blind date is kidnapped by Martians and he is drawn into her secrets. A brotherhood outside of time seeks to mend a Solar System devastated by lunatic machines. Men from a Plutonian research base confront metaphysical chaos on Charon. Two runaway sisters resolve to rescue the implanted helper-sentience of a deceased warrior. And more!

The Operators: Monster Makers

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The Department of SuperHuman Activities observes and polices the superpowered community in the United States. Though cooperation and open dialogue, the DSHA ensures the safety of superhumans and the public in general. Only during emergencies that regular law enforcement aren't equipped or trained to handle do they send in their emergency response team, the Operators. Led by Major Peter Hicks, the Hunter, and composed of superhumans from all over America, the Operators handle threats that others can't.

When people are killed in a series of strange animal attacks, the Operators are called to New Mexico to investigate. There, they discover a factory where monsters are made by an underground society of scientists and terrorists bent on world domination. The Operators are hard pressed to stop these monster makers in a war where safety is an illusion and not everyone will come out alive. Still, facing threats like this is their job, and it's time to get to work.

Chronologues: Tales on the Theme of Time

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“Time marches on...”

But in what direction? Whoever said that never clarified whether time had to always go forward, or backward, or in a straight line. In this collection, we invite you to delve into five tales that explore the beautiful, bendable, breakable nature of time itself.

“The Camera” by D.L. White
A haunting portrait of a young man who is stuck in his grief over the sudden loss of one of his best friends. A story of frozen moments in time, it is a supernatural snapshot of what happens when past regrets turn into an obsession.

“The Ladies Three” by Chad Olson
Want safe passage for your ship and crew? You can have it. The price the Ladies Three require is but an hour of one sailor’s time. An hour, and perhaps something more. But what happens when the sailor selected has plans of his own?

“The Annuity Squad” by James Kenneth Rogers
Divorced and down-on-his-luck, Ralph receives an unexpected windfall, and the promise of even more money in seven years’ time. Should he sign on the dotted line, or is it all too good to be true?

“The Theatrica Mechanica” by Eric Nilles
Discover a world of wizards, kingdoms and unusual beasts during a time of great upheaval. The peaceful and the wicked are destined to clash, a peace-loving king will discover he has been granted little time to prepare, and only by enlisting the most cunning members of his court does his kingdom have a chance to endure.

“What If?” by Debra Robic
Sylvia and Alan have lived long enough to be involuntarily housed in the State old folks’ home. Dispossessed and disempowered, they find a strange book that suggests the path out of this dystopian future might lie in changing the past — if they are brave enough.

Life Support: Secret Operations

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Father Tanner treats the sick and injured on a dusty backwater planet. Desperate for supplies, he takes a job to treat a visiting alien official, teaming up with Damien Rogers, an out-of-work smuggler, to get him there. The problem? They’re on the wrong side of enemy lines in the middle of a cold war.

Forced to hide their identities, Father Tanner and his team are stumped by the bizarre patient, whose condition steadily worsens. To make matters worse, the alien crew catches onto the ruse, and the missionary is forced to turn to kidnapping. Can they find the diagnosis before their only bargaining chip dies on the operating table?

Faith and Empire

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One Faith. One Galactic Empire. A Thousand Worlds To Convert!

In the 51st century, man has spread throughout a great swath of the galaxy without having found any sign of alien life or another habitable world. Instead, mankind has splintered into a score of bio-engineered sub-species spread out across more than a thousand terraformed worlds. The Holy Terran Empire rules over three hundred of these man-made planets. Earth, the One, True World is the Empire’s Capital. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Rome governs the Empire, hand-in-hand, with the Imperial Family.

Not everyone is pleased with this arrangement.

Zephyrinus Zapatas, a dutiful citizen of the Empire and loyal son of the Church is more than happy with the Co-Dominion of Emperor and Pope. At sixteen, Zeph leaves home, seeking a life of service to the two crowns, hoping to find his opportunity by earning an invitation to join the Emperor’s Own, the elite Corps of Imperial Marines.

The Corps’ training will be arduous; its moral code, exacting, but; Zeph looks forward to the trials and the strictures. The Corps will demand sacrifices. In return, the Imperial Marines offer its recruits little more than a career fraught with peril to life and limb. Zeph is eager to accept the life, however short it might prove to be, because it comes with the chance of achieving his greatest ambition: reaching the rank of Knight Defender of the Faith and Empire.

The Holy Terran Empire is a new space opera series for anyone who can't get enough sword & blaster action.

Spengler's Future: An Outline of the Next 7 Centuries of Western History

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This projection of the future into the 27th century uses a simple computer program and even simpler interpretations of the Oswald Spengler's Decline of the West and Arnold Toynbee's Study of History. No, this is not a serious exercise, but it does suggest what the future would look like if the modern age really is analogous to the Hellenistic Age. Important years include 2080, 2309, and 2603.

So there you have it, 25 books out of over 300 in this year's sale, all for a buck or free. Check them out for yourself to see if they are for your liking, or maybe you might find something else that strikes your fancy instead!

I tried to focus on works that fall short of the review threshold on amazon (20 reviews) and works that have descriptions a bit out of the ordinary, of that would interest myself and any readers that share my interests. There is a lot to go through, so enjoy yourself and make some author's day by giving them a shot.

Also, as a reminder both my Gemini Man books and The Pulp Mindset are both included! Now is the chance to grab them.

As a reminder, the sale runs through Tuesday next week, so be sure to check on it before it's too late! Find yourself a new favorite NewPub writer!

That's all for this week! Have yourself a fun summer, enjoy the upcoming holiday, and I will see you again soon.

Aside from the sale, as a reminder, the new anthology Rock and Roll Mercenaries is out! 15 tales of hard rock adventure celebrating a musical genre unlike any other. Get yourself a copy today!

Ready to Rock?

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I told you a bunch of news was coming!

The first thing I wanted to announce is that today marks another new free episode for the podcast on the Patreon. In this one I talk about the Post-Geek mentality we're going to have to decide on in order to move from the crumbling culture we're currently clinging to.

If you want more, join the Patreon for more episodes as well as the ongoing Psycho Mission serial and other goodies now and to come. I make sure to give you as much as I can for the support you give me. Believe me, ever little bit helps.

Next, you might have noticed the above advertisement. The next project I will be in is the Rock and Roll Mercenaries anthology out later this month! It's a book containing 15 adventures based on the music, spirit, and legends that formed out of the genre over its half-century history. The eBook version is up for preorder now, and even includes a custom soundtrack made for fun (which is also free!) based on the stories included.

For those curious as to what is the "tracklist" or the author roster for the anthology, I have included a helpful graphic below:

A lot of great writers included in this project. I'm excited to read it all for myself when I get my own hard copy. Until then, you can preorder the digital version here.

My story, "Spirit Rock", is a new Night Rhythms story, one that's been in the works for awhile. For those who don't know, I've written three stories each starring a member of the band Three Wolves before. "Black Dog Bend" from StoryHack #5, "Living Land" from Sidearm & Sorcery Volume One, and "Mad Wind" from Pulp Rock, each starred the bass player, the drummer, and the guitarist, respectively. the goal  was to show different aspects of this backwoods forgotten world where the unknown awaits around every corner. "Spirit Rock" is the sequel to all three of these, though you don't need to have read them to get it for yourself.

So what's it about?

"Spirit Rock" is a novelette that stars all three of the protagonists from those stories, as well as their manager. The titular Spirit Rock is a legendary town from when humanity touched down ages ago that was said to have disappeared into thin air. A beautiful woman arrives to tell them that it does in fact exist. But is she telling the truth, or is there more to this than she's letting on? What is the truth of Spirit Rock? You'll have to check out Rock and Roll Mercenaries to find out!

I'm proud of this one, as it's been a story I've had in my back pocket for some time without any real way of getting it out to readers, until now! If you like adventure, wonder, music, and myth, you'll definitely dig this one!

The commercial!

Whether it's the Patreon or an anthology of rock stories, or other things I can't reveal yet, there is plenty of stories of adventure to be found.

Rock n Roll might be dead as far as culture is concerned, but there is remains a power and mystique to the genre that has managed to last and influence the way we see things. As the hedonism and arrogance that had once encircled like a boa to crush the life from it fades into memory, what remains is a power and passion that cannot be replicated in the same way elsewhere. Art is immortal, reaching for something higher than the here and now, and of all the 20th century arts that have died in the transition to the 21st, it still retains that strength, remaining even as the worst of it fades away. And I think this anthology helps show that.

While times are changing there are truths that never will. Even if rock n roll wasn't destined to last, what originally drove its creation, its evolution, and its tenacity, over the half century it was a powerhouse, cannot be understated. There will never be anything else remotely like it, and that's probably a good thing.

But that also doesn't mean it's going away anytime soon. Rock n Roll, despite its irrelevance for nearly two decades now, still inspires and still exists on the fringes, which is the way it was always destined to end. It started in a garage, and that's where it should end. When a bunch of teenagers with more free time than sense decide to make some noise, they are telling us all the spirit will never die. And that's a fitting end to its legacy.

Thanks for reading! I know this post isn't the typical one we get around here, but I thought it was a necessary one. Times are changing and I still really don't know what that means yet, but I'm going to go with what I know regardless. What else can I do?

Rock on, and I'll see you next time!

The song based on my story! Be sure to read "Spirit Rock" in Rock and Roll Mercenaries, up for preorder here!

Lets Go for a Ride!

Find the project here!

Welcome back, everyone! Have I got a special post for you today.

We've been talking a lot about fresh ideas and new blood in the entertainment space. It's easy to point out defects and flaws with the way things are now, but few ever try to point out solutions to move forward. This is mostly because there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. The fact of the matter is that we are more divided than ever, and creating art and entertainment that can link us together is a much more difficult feat than ever.

The only thing to do is to work for it. It's just a natural consequence of the state of the modern world. Without shared culture, it's more or less a free for all.

But one thing the state of things allow for is new ideas and new approaches to art in a way we never considered before. See today's example, one I wanted to highlight for myself, that being Jacob Calta's 365 Infantry project. It's quite ambitious, so I'd like to talk about it today, because I don't think anyone is really giving it the views it deserves.

I first caught attention of creator Jacob Calta floating around PulpRev and Iron Age spaces, a creative guy with a lot of love for art and entertainment and a million different ideas rolling around in his head. Not only does he also compose music (I hired him to not only create the Star Wanderers' themes, but also for the ongoing Phantom War serial on the Patreon, for a very good reason), but he is also a writer of action, adventure, the weird, and everything in between. so when I discovered his project, 365 Infantry, I was surprised with its scope and ambition.

The best place to learn about it would be on the official site here, so I will also include some choice quotes as well as the above primer video for newcomers. There is much to discuss.

"365 Infantry is multi-narrative digital magazine like no other. It concerns the many friends, foes, and dangers of the 365th Infantry, a fighting force for freedom waging war on A.C.E.S., a computer network gone mad with power in the last city on Earth. The series stars a cast of hellraising wolves and their magnificent machines as they take on all manner of dastardly villains and bizarre creations in a future of post-atomic anarchy and technological tyranny.

"Born from classic sci-fi, film noir, westerns, and more, 365 Infantry tells of paradises lost, psychological torture schemes, gruesome frontier justice, and at the heart of it all, a war with a computerized goddess, all realized through vivid prose and striking illustrations.

"The series is broken up into five “branches,” covering two serials, two episodic stories, and one anthology, with a wide cast of fun and unique characters exploring this strange anthro future through pulp thrills and thought-provoking concepts and storylines."

Welcome to 365 Infantry!

At the heart of the project is a world where the machines have won, chaos reigns, and all that remains to fight it are anthropomorphic wolves who love of guns, bikes, and being cool. there are different main strands of stories for the project, but they can be overwhelming if you are new to it all. I knew I was a bit flummoxed where to start with it.

However, there is a simple answer. You can either read the serials on the site, or you can do what I did and buy the yearly anthologies which include all the stories released that year in order and you can read it for yourself without getting lost in the weeds. The very first collection is not only available for purchase on amazon, but it's also available as an add-on for the Kickstarter.

Yes, that is the highlight of today's post. Mr. Calta is looking to grow his project and keep it going, and the easiest way to do that is to introduce new readers. Jump right in and enjoy them all, or pick the style that most suits you. Whether it be the war against the machines, urban chaos and violence, or high speed action, each strand has its own character. However, the main character is the setting and figuring out just how all of this fits together.

If you are interested in dipping your toes in for a quick read, I might recommend the one that first caught my attention called Acc Cult. It gives a good framing of the world, the threats, and the sort of thing one has to watch out for in this wild world. It's also a very quick read.

And then after that, you can check out the Kickstarter here!

It's an entire world of action and adventure to explore (there's even an audiobook radio show!) which has no shortage of stories to dig into and explore. As someone who has been following Mr. Calta's progress for a long time, I asked if I could write a post to highlight his project, and I hope I am doing it justice with everything I've showed you so far.

Truth is that the world is an exciting place with much wonder to discover, and it feels like our art used to reflect that more than it does now. With the limiting shackles of outdated genre expectations holding us down we are free to do anything, and yet we choose nothing most of the time. I for one would like to highlight a project that instead does everything.

And you do have everything. There are many different tiers available in the project's Kickstarter, all of which offer many stories for you to enjoy. Explore for yourself to choose what looks most interesting, though I personally recommend the yearly collections as the best place to begin. you will also see Mr. Calta grow as a writer along this journey with us.

Whether you prefer physical, digital, or subscription, you have your pick of format. As said, there is much to choose from!

There is something for everyone.

That's all for today! Thank you for letting me share this project with you and I hope I successfully showed a side of the NewPub sphere you might not have considered before. There is a lot out there, much to sift through, but much more than we could have imagined even a decade ago. 365 Infantry is a result of this new space.

With over three years of stories currently out and about there is no shortage of 365 stories, so take a look and see what satiates your curiosity. There's simply too much to go over, even in a post like this. All I can say is to just dive right in!

Back the 365 Infantry Kickstarter here, and have a blast. It's a good time. That's all I've got today so I'll see you on the next post!

There's a lot of cool stuff on the way! I can't wait to show you when it's time.

Check out the Psycho Mission serial on the Patreon! We've just reached Chapter 7. Join and get the first book as well as a slew of podcast episodes and extra posts!