The Qwillery

Rajan Khanna (2014)

Raining Fire
Ben Gold 3
Pyr, July 18, 2017
Trade Paperback and eBook, 271 pages

Ben Gold, former airship pilot has lost everything: his airship, his friends, and Miranda, the woman he loves. All that he has left is a thirst for revenge, a reckless plan to sate it, and some journal entries from Miranda to help ground him in the chaos. As he spirals out of control, he must survive old friends, new enemies, and of course Ferals, the mindless, violent victims of the global pandemic that shattered the world.

Meanwhile, the Cabal, a group of scientists on the floating city of Valhalla, are using the disease as a weapon while the militant Valhallans continue their raiding and destruction across the continent. When raiders from Valhalla massacre a town of innocents, Ben finds a new purpose in doing anything he can to undermine their power.

Ben must reunite with old friends and find new ones if he is to succeed. Can he overcome the forces arrayed against him in time to save himself—and maybe the world?

Michael J. Martinez (2013)

MJ-12: Shadows
A MAJESTIC-12 Thriller 2
Night Shade Book, September 5, 2017
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 384 pages

It’s 1949, and the Cold War is heating up across the world. For the United States, the key to winning might be Variants—once ordinary US citizens, now imbued with strange paranormal abilities and corralled into covert service by the government’s top secret MAJESTIC-12 program.

Some Variants are testing the murky international waters in Syria, while others are back at home, fighting to stay ahead of a political power struggle in Washington. And back at Area 51, the operation’s headquarters, the next wave of recruits is anxiously awaiting their first mission. All the while, dangerous figures flit among the shadows and it’s unclear whether they are threatening to expose the Variants for what they are . . . or to completely destroy them. Are they working for the Soviet Union, or something far worse?

Ilana C. Myer (2015)

Fire Dance
Tor Books, April 10, 2018
Hardcover and eBook, 368 pages

Palace intrigue, dark magic, and terrifying secrets drive the beautifully written standalone novel set in the world of Last Song Before Night.

Espionage, diplomacy, conspiracy, passion, and power are the sensuously choreographed steps of the soaring new high fantasy novel by Ilana C. Myer, one woman's epic mission to stop a magical conflagration.

Lin, newly initiated in the art of otherwordly enchantments, is sent to aid her homeland's allies against vicious attacks from the Fire Dancers: mysterious practitioners of strange and deadly magic. Forced to step into a dangerous waltz of tradition, treachery, and palace secrets, Lin must also race the ticking clock of her own rapidly dwindling life to learn the truth of the Fire Dancers' war, and how she might prevent death on a scale too terrifying to contemplate.

Myer's novel is a symphony of secret towers, desert winds, burning sands, blood and dust. Her prose soars, and fluid movements of the politically charged plot carry the reader toward a shocking crescendo.

Happy Monday!

There are 5 debuts this week.

The Bone Mother by David Demchuk;

Devil's Call by J. Danielle Dorn (eBook; print August 8th);

The Epiphany Machine by David Burr Gerrard;

Graveyard Shift by Michael F. Haspil;

and

Hook's Tale by John Leonard Pielmeier.




From formerly featured DAC Authors:

Company Town by Madeline Ashby is out in Trade Paperback;

Conspiracy of Ravens (The Shadow 2) by Lila Bowen (Delilah S. Dawson) is out in Trade Paperback;

Raining Fire (Rising Tide 3) by Rajan Khanna;

Arabella and the Battle of Venus (The Adventures of Arabella Ashby 2) by David D. Levine;

and

The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty 2) by Ken Liu is out in Trade Paperback.

Debut novels are highlighted in blue. Novels, etc. by formerly featured DAC Authors are highlighted in green.

July 17, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Hard Magic (e)(ri)	Laura Anne Gilman	UF - Paranormal Scene Investigations 1
Love Me to Death	Maggie Shayne	PNR

July 18, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Company Town (h2tp)	Madeline Ashby	SF/GenEng/Noir
Conspiracy of Ravens (h2tp)	Lila Bowen	HistF - The Shadow 2
Dice Tales: Essays on Roleplaying Games and Storytelling (e)	Marie Brennan	RPGs
The Empty Ones (h2tp)	Robert Brockway	HU/UF/H - The Vicious Circuit 2
Strange Dogs: An Expanse Novella (e)	James S. A. Corey	SF - The Expanse
War for the Planet of the Apes: Official Movie Novelization	Greg Cox	SF/MTI
The Memory Agent	Matthew B.J. Delaney	SF
The Bone Mother (D)	David Demchuk	H/FairyT/FolkT/LM/ F/DF
Devil's Call (D)(e)	J. Danielle Dorn	Occ/Sup/W
One Year After (ri)	William R. Forstchen	Th/SF/AP/PA - John Matherson 2
The Epiphany Machine (D - SpecFic)	David Burr Gerrard	LF/AH/SF
Spellbinder	Thea Harrison	PNR - Moonshadow 2
Graveyard Shift (D)	Michael F. Haspil	UF/SupTh/M
The Body in the Clouds	Ashley Hay	LF
The Unit (ri)	Ninni Holmqvist	Dys/SF/Psy
Raining Fire	Rajan Khanna	SF/AP/PA/SP - Rising Tide 3
Exodus	Alex Lamb
Arabella and the Battle of Venus	David D. Levine	AH/SF - The Adventures of Arabella Ashby 2
The Wall of Storms (h2tp)	Ken Liu	F - The Dandelion Dynasty 2
Equus	Rhonda Parrish (Ed)	F - Anthoolgy
Hook's Tale (D)	John Leonard Pielmeier	Fict
The Gradual (h2tp)	Christopher Priest	F/HistF/LF
Hell Divers II: Ghosts	Nicholas Sansbury Smith	SF - The Hell Divers Trilogy 2
And the Rest is History	Jodi Taylor	SF/TT/HistF - The Chronicles of St. Mary's8
Armistice: The Hot War	Harry Turtledove	AH/SF - Hot War 3
Icon (h2tp)	Genevieve Valentine	SF - The Persona Sequence 2
The Blood Mirror (h2tp)	Brent Weeks	F - Lightbringer 4
Underground Airlines (h2tp)	Ben Winters	Th/AH

July 19, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Hole in the Moon and Other Tales by Margaret St. Clair	Margaret St. Clair	SF - Collection
The Martian Obelisk: A Tor.com Original (e)	Linda Nagata	SF

July 20, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Quiet War Omnibus: The Quiet War and Gardens of the Sun (e)(ri)	Paul McAuley	SF - The Quiet War
The Vastening Omnibus: In the Mouth of the Whale and Evening's Empires (e)	Paul McAuley	SF - The Vasteming

July 21, 2017

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Of Masques and Martyrs (e)(ri)	Christopher Golden	DF - Peter Octavian 3

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback
Tr - Translator


AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CoA - Coming of Age
CW - Contemporary Women
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tales
FL - Family Life
FolkT - Folk Tales
FR - Fantasy Romance
GH - Ghost(s)
GenEng - Genetic Engineering
GO - Gothic
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HU - Humor
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legends and Mythology
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
MTI - Media Tie-In
Noir - Noir
Occ - Occult
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PI - Private Investigator
PM - Paranormal Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
PRS - Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Psy - Psychological
R - Romance
RPGs - Role Playing Games
Satire - Satire
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SH - Superhero(es)
SP - Steampunk
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
TechTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
VisMeta - Visionary and Metaphysical
W - Western
Z - Zombies

Note: Not all genres and formats are found in the books, etc. listed above.

Rajan Khanna (2014)

Rising Tide
Falling Sky 2
Pyr, October 6, 2015
Trade Paperback and eBook, 260 pages
Cover Artist: Chris McGrath

Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground.

Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back.

This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events turn deadly, Ben must decide what really matters-whether to risk it all on a desperate chance for a better future or to truly remain on his own.

Marko Kloos (2014)

Chains of Command
Frontlines 4
47North, April 19, 2016
Trade Paperback and Kindle eBook, 384 pages

Snorri Kristjansson (2014)

Blood Will Follow
The Valhalla Saga 2
Jo Fletcher Books, December 1, 2015
Trade Paperback, 320 pages
Hardcover and eBook, January 6, 2015

Starburst magazine called Snorri Kristjansson's Swords of Good Men--the first volume in the Valhalla Saga--"A cracking yarn (one that would make a great movie), filled with enough to satisfy any fan of Vikings and their mythology." Now this raucous and gripping fantasy adventure set in Viking Norway continues with Blood Will Follow, where plundering and pillaging are a way of life and creature comforts rarely exceed a mug of sour mead.

Ulfar Thormodsson and Audun Arngrimsson are battered, having barely survived the battle for Stenvik, waged between King Olav and the followers of the White Christ, and those whose allegiance remains to the gods of the Norse pantheon. Alas, the two Vikings' encounter with a mysterious witch just before escaping the town over the city's walls have left them without the one thing that made them human: their mortality.

While Ulfar heads home to Sweden, hoping to find a safe haven where he can come to grips with his newfound inability to die, Audun travels by foot to the south, searching for answers on the open road. But both men are about to discover that they cannot run from their destiny. King Olav has left the conquered town of Stenvik in the hands of his lieutenant so he can journey north, following the advice of the scheming healer Valgard, to hunt for the source of the Vikings' power.

Soon, Ulfar and Audun will realize they have important roles to play in the battle for supremacy between those seeking to spread the gospel of the White Christ and those who keep to the old ways of Odin, Thor, and Loki.

Jessica Leake (2014)

Arcana : A Historical Fantasy
Talos, January 5, 2016
Trade Paperback, 268 pages
Hardcover and eBook, November 11, 2014

Amid the sumptuous backdrop of the London season in 1905, headstrong Katherine Sinclair must join the ranks of debutantes vying for suitors. Unfortunately for Katherine, she cannot imagine anything more loathsome—or dangerous. To help ease her entrance into society, Katherine’s family has elicited the assistance of the Earl of Thornewood, a friend and London’s most eligible bachelor, to be her constant companion at the endless fetes and balls. But upon her arrival in London, Katherine realizes there will be more to this season than just white gowns and husband hunting.

Through her late mother’s enchanted diary, Katherine receives warning to keep hidden her otherworldly ability to perform arcana, a magic fueled by the power of the sun. Any misstep could mean ruin—and not just for her family name. The Order of the Eternal Sun is everywhere—hunting for those like her, able to feed on arcana with only a touch of the hand.

But society intrigue can be just as perilous as the Order. The machinations of the fashionable elite are a constant threat, and those who covet Katherine’s arcana, seeking the power of her birthright, could be hiding behind the facade of every suitor—even the darkly handsome Earl of Thornewood.

With so much danger and suspicion, can she give her heart to the one who captivates her, or is he just another after her power?

Peter Liney (2014)

In Constant Fear
Detainee 3
Jo Fletcher Books, December 22, 2015
Hardcover and eBook, 352 pages

Over a year has passed since "Big Guy" Clancy and the ragged band of survivors managed to escape from the hellish reality of the City. Pursued by the ruthless leader of Infinity-the corporation behind the systematic extermination of thousands of "lower class" citizens-they've been on the run ever since, constantly looking over their shoulders.

Despite this, they have forged a new life working the land on an abandoned smallholding on the other side of the mountains. Hidden there, they are as close to happy as they can be.

But peace is short-lived. Strange things start to happen in the valley: too many unlucky coincidences convince them that another power is rising against them, and there are many questions to be answered: what is the shadow maker? And who-or what-has begun to howl in the night?

TQ:  Welcome back to The Qwillery. Your new novel, Rising Tide (Falling Sky 2), was published on October 6th. Has your writing process changed (or not) from when you wrote Falling Sky (2014) to Rising Tide?

Rajan:  It definitely changed for this book. I wrote Falling Sky without much of a road map, essentially figuring out everything as I went. With Rising Tide, I knew the world and the characters so that was a big help. That gave me the freedom to focus on the plot and so for the first time, I outlined the novel first so that I would have an idea of what I was writing toward. That outline changed a bit as I wrote it, of course, but the process proved invaluable.



TQ:  In our previous interview I asked what is the most challenging thing about writing for you? You stated in part "Aside from never seeming to have enough time, I'd say it's sometimes seeing the ending to a work." Has this changed?

Rajan:  Somewhat. As I mentioned, because I outlined this novel, I knew what I was headed for. I knew what the climax of the book was going to be (mostly), so that proved to be a big help. But even with that outline, writing the ending still was a challenge. I think endings are important. I wanted it to be something that was big and climactic and still paid off what had come before. That being said, I'm sure the ending to this one will be divisive.



TQ:  What do you wish that you knew about book publishing when Falling Sky came out that you know now?

Rajan:  Everything, really. I was so new to the process, every step of it, that a lot of my time was spent in a state of generalized anxiety. I suppose in a small way it's like having a kid. For the first one, you don't know anything and you're looking at books and websites and asking your friends and really just scared about everything. But for a second one, you've been through it before and come out the other side. So you're not only better equipped, but you have less of that anxiety. Hopefully.



TQ:  Tell us something about Rising Tide that is not found in the book description.

Rajan:  While all of the books in the series are associated with the element of Air, each of the three planned books has a secondary element association. Rising Tide's is water. This shows up in the form of a ship, an island, a naval base, and a particularly nasty scene with Ben, the main character. For those interested, the secondary element of Falling Sky was Earth and the third book will have a theme of Fire.



TQ:  Which character in the Falling Sky series (so far) surprised you the most? Who has been the hardest character to write and why?

Rajan:  That's a great (and difficult) question. I think that at some point each of the characters has surprised me. Which is one of the things I love about writing, that feeling that these characters that you create can sometimes seem to have a life of their own. In this novel, though, I think Miranda surprised me the most. There's one moment in this novel that really hit that home. I won't spoil it but I'm hoping that the moment will surprise readers as well.



TQ:  What appeals to you about writing novels in a post-apocalyptic setting?

Rajan:  There's a lot I like about writing in this kind of setting. There's this mix of the old and the new -- you can create your own original elements but also pick pieces of our current society (and previous ones) that excite or make the most sense. It's also (and I've said this before) nice to be able to write about people trying to fix things, trying to pull something alive and meaningful out of the bones of the world. Miranda is trying to cure the virus that created the apocalypse. Others are trying to rebuild civilization. Even the cynical Ben has come around to the importance of these efforts.



TQ:  Please tell us about the cover for Rising Tide.

Rajan:  I've been extremely fortunate with the covers to the first two books. Early on in the process for Rising Tide my then editor, Lou Anders, suggested Chris McGrath and the cover he turned in is amazing. For Rising Tide, my current editor, Rene Sears, wanted to keep things the same but this time suggested having Miranda on the cover. She was very interested in making sure the portrayal was accurate and so we talked about Miranda's look and I searched for some photoreference. She was always meant to be of mixed heritage and I think Chris came up with something that works really well. It's Miranda in the post-apocalypse, essentially. And it's especially appropriate since she takes on a bigger role in this book.



TQ:  Please give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery lines from Rising Tide.

Rajan: 

“Don’t get too comfortable in your new world just yet,” I say. “You’re not the first to think you’ve emerged from the Sick. Not the first to think you’ve evolved. I’m all for civilization, but it’s not made of bricks, it’s made of paper.”

“I like paper.”

“So does fire.”



TQ:  What's next?

Rajan:  I've begun working on some other projects, but there will be one more volume in the series (at least for the time being). A trilogy is hardly original, but I envisioned having three novels to tell the stories of Ben and his friends and companions and finish that overall arc. So I will being working on that soon. Otherwise I have my usual slate of projects -- a YA book, a weird western, and a screenplay that I'm working on with my screenplay partner Devin Poore.



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Rajan:  Thank you for having me back.

Rising Tide
Falling Sky 2
Pyr, October 6, 2015
Trade Paperback and eBook, 260 pages
Cover Artist: Chris McGrath

Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground.

Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back.

This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events turn deadly, Ben must decide what really matters-whether to risk it all on a desperate chance for a better future or to truly remain on his own.

Falling Sky
Pyr, October 7, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 260 pages
Cover Artist: Chris McGrath

Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground.

Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back.

This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events turn deadly, Ben must decide what really matters-whether to risk it all on a desperate chance for a better future or to truly remain on his own.

About Rajan

Photo by Ellen B. Wright

Rajan Khanna is a graduate of the 2008 Clarion West Writers Workshop and a member of a New York-based writing group called Altered Fluid. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Shimmer magazine, GUD, and several anthologies, and has received Honorable Mention in the Year's Best Fantasy & Horror and the Year's Best Science Fiction. He writes for Tor.com and LitReactor.com and his podcast narrations have appeared on sites such as Wired.com, Lightspeed magazine, Escape Pod, Podcastle, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Rajan also writes about wine, beer, and spirits at FermentedAdventures.com. He currently lives in New York.



Website  ~  Twitter @rajanyk

Creating a post-apocalyptic world has its pros and cons. Setting a work in the future gives you the freedom of taking the world down a specific path without fear of contradiction. At the same time it has to work off of established rules. It's unlikely that you can have working electricity, for example, unless you can explain why. If society has collapsed and the infrastructure to support power plants has gone with it, you'll be hard pressed to explain how people can have working light bulbs and appliances. It becomes a careful balancing act between what is and what might be.

The first, most essential piece, is to define the apocalyptic event. When I was growing up the flavor du jour was a post-nuclear world with radiation and mutants as popularized in the Mad Max movies or the Fallout games. As the fear of nuclear war has faded, that flavor has changed. Today we're more likely to see worlds that result from pandemics, as current events shape our fears.

Part of the original concept that sparked the world of Falling Sky was that I wanted the ground to be dangerous. I wanted it to be avoided if at all possible. Radiation could have worked, I suppose, but a disease felt more fitting to me. Disease not only threatened the survivors, it created more threats. The pandemic I created regressed the infected into animal-like creatures – savage, bestial, and always hungry. Unlike zombies, these are living, breathing creatures – fast moving, with the ability to breed and spread all on their own. The disease is now doubly-threatening – it destroys its victims’ identities while turning them into violent and dangerous creatures with the ability to infect others.

The disease, of course, raised its own world-building issues – how would it be transmitted, what was its mechanism, how could it affect so much of the population? Airborne transmission would have been too much. I needed something that was dangerous but which could be avoided. As with some of the best fictional ideas, I pulled from the real world, from real diseases. Like HIV or Ebola, I decided that my virus would be transmitted through bodily fluids. Unlike those diseases, however, to make it truly earth-shattering, I decided it needed to be able to survive for long periods of time. HIV can’t really survive if exposed to air. My disease can, for minutes even. So if a drop of blood from an infected individual flew through the air and into your mouth, well, you’re done. If that blood hit your forehead and then dripped into your eye, same story. I’m not a microbiologist, so I don’t know the exact likelihood of such a virus, but it seemed within the realm of possibility.

So it became a world where survival takes a variety of forms. On a general level, people go about their lives covered as much as possible. Exposed skin means the risk of an open wound that can be infected. Eyes and mouths need to be covered. So people wear hats and scarves and masks and goggles. They minimize contact with other people. They fear physical intimacy. Because the disease can take days to fully express itself, it’s difficult to tell who’s infected and who isn’t. Humanity then faces extinction on two fronts – from the disease itself, and from the lack of reproduction that it inspires.

The other major method of survival is to stay off of the ground. That’s where the Ferals, the infected, live. So you have a group of survivors who live on airships or in floating cities. Places where the Ferals can’t get. Of course making that work involved some world-building as well.

It was easy to envision a world in the near future where fuel costs had become so prohibitive that other methods of transport had to be relied upon. We’re practically there now. Modern airships are being tested as we speak, for cargo, passenger transport, and even surveillance. In my world of the future, airships became the predominant means of transportation, taking up the role of planes and ships, if not outright replacing them. When the apocalypse happened, people flocked to these vehicles to take themselves to safety.

Airships still require fuel, of course, but here the speculative nature of the world came into play. These airships are designed for biofuels and rely partly on solar power. Helium would be a problem, but hydrogen, flammable thought it is, is much more easily produced. It wasn’t hard to imagine a world where these ships could continue to fly for generations.

Of course food doesn’t grow in the sky. Neither do any other supplies, so to make this kind of system work, you would need people to go down to the ground, to forage for supplies and food and whatever they could find from the old world. The economy would become one of barter, with people trading for what they need. Ben, my main character, became one of those foragers, someone who spent most of his time in the sky, but made a living by going down to the ground to pick among the remains of the past.

In the end, it all came together for me. The world came alive. A dangerous world full of scared, isolated people, forced to interact to continue to survive. Of course in a world like that, there would be those who would take advantage of those conditions to take more for themselves. But there would also be those, like Miranda, another of my characters, who would try to build something for the future. Who would organize to help heal the world in whatever way she could.

All of these considerations went into the creation of Falling Sky. I’m proud of what came out, and feel that it’s rich enough for me to base future stories in the world. I hope that readers find the world compelling enough to visit it along with me.

Falling Sky
Pyr, October 7, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 260 pages
Cover Artist: Chris McGrath

Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground.

Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back.

This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events turn deadly, Ben must decide what really matters-whether to risk it all on a desperate chance for a better future or to truly remain on his own.

About Rajan

Photo by Ellen B. Wright

Rajan Khanna is a graduate of the 2008 Clarion West Writers Workshop and a member of a New York-based writing group called Altered Fluid. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Shimmer magazine, GUD, and several anthologies, and has received Honorable Mention in the Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror and the Year’s Best Science Fiction. He writes for Tor.com and LitReactor.com and his podcast narrations have appeared on sites such as Wired.com, Lightspeed magazine, Escape Pod, Podcastle, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Rajan also writes about wine, beer, and spirits at FermentedAdventures.com. He currently lives in New York.



Website  ~  Twitter @rajanyk

Cover art and design: Scott Biel; (boy’s face) Masterfile

Cover Art by Chris McGrath

TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery. When and why did you start writing?

Rajan:  I've been telling stories my whole life but the first time I can actually remember writing a whole story was in 7th grade, for an assignment. It was a horribly cliche and moralistic tale, filled with elements lifted from D&D, but it is the first actual written story that I can remember. As for the why, as mentioned I've always told stories -- through action figures, roleplaying games, whatever. I had all these ideas inside my head so once I realized I could capture them in stories it put me on the path to writing.



TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Rajan:  I am mostly a pantser. Part of the joy of writing for me is figuring out the story, and even being surprised by it. However, I will say that after working on novels, I now appreciate the benefits of having a road map to work from, especially for longer works.



TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Rajan:  Aside from never seeming to have enough time, I'd say it's sometimes seeing the ending to a work. Because I don't outline, sometimes I jump into a story without knowing where it will go. Sometimes that means not knowing the ending for months. Or more. Luckily, as was the case with Falling Sky, sometimes it just seems to fall into place.



TQ:  Who are some of your literary influences? Favorite authors?

Rajan:  Roger Zelazny, Fritz Leiber, and Michael Moorcock are three of my favorites and influences. I'm also a fan of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Dune is probably my favorite SF novel. Contemporary writers include Richard Morgan, Jeff VanderMeer, China Mieville, George R. R. Martin, and Gene Wolfe, and Jeffrey Ford is my favorite writer of short stories.



TQ:  Describe Falling Sky in 140 characters or less.

Rajan:  I hate talking about my own book so I'm going to quote Tad William's blurb: " It’s a fast ride, scary and twisty-turny, and it also has plenty of airships, zombies, and sarcasm, three of the best things in the world."



TQ:  Tell us something about Falling Sky that is not in the book description.

Rajan:  I sometimes base character's physical appearances on actors. That is not the case with Ben, my POV character, but it was the case with two of my secondary characters, Diego and Claudia, who are based on two of my favorite actors. I don't want to give away who they are based on, but I will provide clues. The actor who inspired Diego is mostly known for his television roles but has appeared in movies, including two recent Marvel movies. The actor who inspired Claudia has likewise done both television and movies but has also done video game voices as well. Most of her work has been in science fiction. I wonder if anyone will be able to guess...



TQ:  What inspired you to write Falling Sky? How would you describe the genre(s) of the novel?

Rajan:  Falling Sky is based on a short story of the same name that I wrote at the Clarion West Writers Workshop back in 2008. I had a vague sense of a story where people lived predominantly in the sky, using airships to get around, to avoid something on the ground. One night that became a story and the response to that story was largely that it should be expanded into a novel.

In terms of genres, it is a bit of a mishmash. The setting is post-apocalyptic, taking place after a pandemic which has regressed most of humanity into bestial creatures called Ferals. It's not steampunk at all, but it does have airships. The Ferals are not zombies but bear a little resemblance to their undead counterparts. And it draws as well from thrillers with a touch of western and noir in there as well.



TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Falling Sky?

Rajan:  I mostly did research into modern airships and the geography of the western U.S. Not to downplay the research at all, but setting it in the near future meant that I had a bit more freedom (compared with other projects set in the past which have to stand up to more scrutiny).



TQ:  In Falling Sky who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?

Rajan:  Ben is the POV character and there's more than a little of me in Ben so I'd say he was the easiest. Other than him, I had a lot of fun with Claudia. As for the hardest, I think that it took me the longest to connect with the character of Rosie. I could visualize her pretty well, I had a good sense of her, but she wasn't coming through very well. Turned out I had to give her a little more space and that definitely helped.



TQ:  Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery lines from Falling Sky.

Rajan:

"The thing you have to understand for this to all make sense is that Miranda’s a little crazy. Back in the Clean, they would have called her idealistic, but back in the Clean idealistic wouldn’t have gotten you killed. Or maybe it would. I’ve never been too good at history."

TQ:  What's next?

Rajan:  I have a few projects that I'm working on at the moment. One of those is a sequel to Falling Sky. I'm also working on a young adult mystery novel. Then there are a few more projects after those including a weird western and something that might turn into a horror novel.



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Rajan:  Thank you so much for inviting me.

Falling Sky
Pyr, October 7, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 260 pages
Cover Artist: Chris McGrath

Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground.

Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back.

This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events turn deadly, Ben must decide what really matters-whether to risk it all on a desperate chance for a better future or to truly remain on his own.

About Rajan

Photo by Ellen B. Wright

Rajan Khanna is a graduate of the 2008 Clarion West Writers Workshop and a member of a New York-based writing group called Altered Fluid. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Shimmer magazine, GUD, and several anthologies, and has received Honorable Mention in the Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror and the Year’s Best Science Fiction. He writes for Tor.com and LitReactor.com and his podcast narrations have appeared on sites such as Wired.com, Lightspeed magazine, Escape Pod, Podcastle, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Rajan also writes about wine, beer, and spirits at FermentedAdventures.com. He currently lives in New York.



Website  ~  Twitter @rajanyk

Happy 1st Monday in October! Only 25 days until Halloween! I'm heading off to New York Comic Con this weekend so look for posts about that. The kitchen renovation (for those of you keeping track) is nearing the pause point - countertops will be measured for this week and then I wait for them to be ready (2 to 3 weeks). After the countertops are in, the finishing touches are completed and I have a kitchen again. I can't wait.




This week is full of debuts (6 of the 9 out this month):

Heraclix and Pomp: A Novel of the Fabricated and the Fey by Forrest Aguirre;

The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander;

Liesmith (Wyrd 1) by Alis Franklin;

Lemongrass Hope by Amy Impellizzeri;

Falling Sky by Rajan Khanna;

and

The Undying: An Apocalyptic Thriller by Ethan Reid.


From formerly featured Debut Author Challenge Authors:

The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher;

The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman;

Silverblind (Ironskin 3) by Tina Connolly;

Ancillary Sword (Imperial Radch 2) by Ann Leckie;

and

Knife Sworn (Tower and Knife Trilogy 2) by Mazarkis Williams is out in Trade Paperback.

October 6, 2014

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Mine Tomorrow (e)	Jackie Braun	PNR
Channeling Wonder: Fairy Tales on Television	Pauline Greenhill Jill Terry Rudy	LC/F
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Q are Cordially Uninvited... (e)	Rudy Josephs	SF - Star Trek
Reap & Redeem (e)	Lisa Medley	UF - Reaper 3
In the Void (e)	Sheryl Nantus	SFR - Tales from the Edge 2
Helmut Goes Abroad (e)	Matt Sheehan	UF/AH - Helmut Haase 2

October 7, 2014

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (ri)	Douglas Adams	SF
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (ri)	Douglas Adams	SF
Heraclix and Pomp: A Novel of the Fabricated and the Fey (D)	Forrest Aguirre	HistF
The Secrets of Life and Death (D - US)	Rebecca Alexander	HistF
The Night Garden: A Novel	Lisa Van Allen	R/Magic
Unseaming	Mike Allen	H/DF - Collection
A Vision of Fire	Gillian Anderson Jeff Rovin	SF
The Shotgun Arcana	R. S. Belcher	WW
One Potion in the Grave	Heather Blake	PM - A Magic Potion Mystery 2
Hawk	Steven Brust	F - Vlad Taltos14
The Lesser Dead	Christopher Buehlman	H
The Lost Stars: Imperfect Sword	Jack Campbell	SF - The Lost Stars 3
Ship of the Dead	John L. Campbell	H - Omega Days 2
Autumn Bones (h2mm)	Jacqueline Carey	UF - Agent of Hel 2
Poison Fruit	Jacqueline Carey	UF - Agent of Hel 3
Silverblind	Tina Connolly	HistF - Ironskin 3
Nightmare Carnival	Ellen Datlow (ed)	H - Anthology
Undead and Unwary	MaryJanice Davidson	PNR - Undead/Queen Betsy 13
The Baen Big Book of Monsters	Hank Davis (ed)	SF - Anthology
The Sentinel (h2tp)	Troy Denning	F - D&D: The Sundering
The Protectors (e)	Trey Dowell	SH
Midkemia: The Chronicles of Pug (h2tp)	Raymond E. Feist Stephen Abrams	F - Art
Liesmith (D)	Alis Franklin	UF - Wyrd 1
The Tess Noncoiré Chronicles: Volume I	P. R. Frost	F - Omnibus
Parasite (h2tp)	Mira Grant	SF - Parasitology 1
Gotrek & Felix: Kinslayer	David Guymer	F - Gotrek & Felix 16
Scarlet Tides	David Hair	F - Moontide Quartet 2
Reckoning	S.J. Harper	UF - Fallen Siren 2
Ghost Gone Wild (h2mm)	Carolyn Hart	PM - A Bailey Ruth Ghost Novel 4
Ghost Wanted	Carolyn Hart	PM - A Bailey Ruth Ghost Novel 5
Spark: A Novel	John Twelve Hawks	Th
Beyond This Horizon (ri)	Robert A. Heinlein	SF
Blood Debt (ri)	Tanya Huff	UF - Blood Books 5
Witch Lights (e)	Michael M. Hughes	H - Blackwater Lights Trilogy 2
Broken Soul	Faith Hunter	UF - Jane Yellowrock 8
To Love a King	Shona Husk	PNR - Court of Annwyn 3
The Madness of Cthulhu Anthology	S.T. Joshi (ed)	H - Anthology
A Midwinter's Tail	Sofie Kelly	PM - Magical Cats 6
Falling Sky (D)	Rajan Khanna	SF/Ap/PA
Bastion (h2mm)	Mercedes Lackey	F - Collegium Chronicles 5 / Valdemar
Closer to Home	Mercedes Lackey	F - Herald Spy 1
Ghost Phoenix (e)	Corrina Lawson	PNR - The Phoenix Institute 3
Ancillary Sword	Ann Leckie	SF - Imperial Radch 2
The Last Man Standing (h2tp)	Davide Longo	Dys
Princess Mononoke: The First Story	Hayao Miyazaki	F - Princess Mononoke
Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets : An Anthology of Holmesian Tales Across Time and Space	David Thomas Moore (ed)	SF/F - Anthology
The Dark Defiles	Richard K. Morgan	F - Land Fit for Heroes 3
Above (h2tp)	Isla Morley	Sus/H
The Wolves of London: The Obsidian Heart	Mark Morris	F - Obsidian Heart 1
Citadel (h2tp)	Kate Mosse	Th - Languedoc Trilogy 3
Valhalla	Robert J. Mrazek	Th
Brood	Chase Novak	Gothic
Living Language Dothraki: A Conversational Language Course Based on the Hit Original HBO Series Game of Thrones	David J. Peterson	F - Game of Thrones
The Undying (D)	Ethan Reid	Ap/Th
Orbs II: Stranded: A Science Fiction Thriller	Nicholas Sansbury Smith	SF/Th - Orbs 2
White Sands: An Orbs Prequel	Nicholas Sansbury Smith	SF - Orbs
We Are Not Good People	Jeff Somers	F - Ustari Cycle 2
Fearsome Magics: The New Solaris Book of Fantasy	Jonathan Strahan (ed)	F - Anthology
The Chaplain's War	Brad R Torgersen	SF - Chaplain's War 1
The Steampunk User's Manual: An Illustrated Practical and Whimsical Guide to Creating Retro-futurist Dreams	Jeff VanderMeer Desirina Boskovich	SP
The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures	Sean Wallace (ed)	SP
Immorta1	J.R. Ward	PNR - Fallen Angels 6
A Call to Duty	David Weber Timothy Zahn	SF - Honorverse: Manticore Ascendant 1
The Way of Shadows: The Graphic Novel	Brent Weeks Ivan Brandon Andy MacDonald	F/GN - Night Angel Trilogy 1
Field of Fantasies: Baseball Stories of the Strange and Supernatural	Rick Wilber	F - Anthology
Unbinding	Eileen Wilks	UF - World of the Lupi 11
Knife Sworn (h2tp)	Mazarkis Williams	F - Tower and Knife Trilogy 2

October 8, 2014

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Lemongrass Hope (D)	Amy Impellizzeri	R/TT/MR
Lost Under a Ladder	Linda O. Johnston	PCM - A Superstition Mystery 1

October 9, 2014

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Timebomb (e)	Scott K. Andrews	TT - Timebomb Trilogy 1

D - Debut
e - eBook
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
K e - Kindle eBook
ri - reissue or reprint


AH - Alternate History
Ap - Apocalyptic
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
H - Horror
HistF - Historical Fantasy
LC - Literary Criticism
MR - Magical Realism
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PM - Paranormal Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
R - Romance
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SP - Steampunk
Sus - Suspense
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy

James Tadd Adcox

Does Not Love
Curbside Splendor Publishing, October 14, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 200 pages

Set in an archly comedic, alternate-reality Indianapolis that is completely overrun by Big Pharma, James Tadd Adcox's debut novel chronicles Robert and Viola's attempts to overcome loss through the miracles of modern pharmaceuticals. Their marriage crumbling after a series of miscarriages, Viola finds herself in an affair with the FBI agent who has recently appeared at her workplace, while her husband Robert becomes enmeshed in an elaborate conspiracy designed to look like a drug study.

Forrest Aguirre

Heraclix and Pomp: A Novel of the Fabricated and the Fey
Underland Press, October 7, 20114
Hardcover and eBook, 280 pages

Heraclix and Pomp, Aguirre’s first full-length novel, explores the ideas of identity and immortality through the eyes of a man-like golem and a time-bending fairy who can barely grasp the idea of now, much less the dangers of what’s to come.

Before being sewn-together, Heraclix was dead—merely a pile of mismatched pieces, collected from the corpses of many troubled men. And Pomp was immortal—at least, so she thought. That was before her impossible near-murder at the hands of the necromancer, Heraclix’s creator. But when playing God, even the smallest error is a gargantuan weakness. When the necromancer makes his, Heraclix and Pomp begin their epic flight.

As they travel from Vienna to Prague to Istanbul and, even, to Hell itself, they struggle to understand who and what they are: who was Heraclix before his death and rebirth? What is mortality, and why does it suddenly concern Pomp? As they journey through an unruly eighteenth century, they discover that the necromancer they thought dead might not be quite so after all. In fact, he may have sealed his immortality at the expense of everyone alive . . .

Heraclix and Pomp is a richly textured and decadent read, filled with Baroque ideology and Byzantine political intrigue. Fans of fantasy and historical fiction alike will revel in Aguirre’s layered prose and vivid characterizations. Heraclix and Pomp brings the surreal and the macabre to one of history’s most violent eras, and it does so in a voice sure to resonate among this season’s best new releases.

Rebecca Alexander

The Secrets of Life and Death
Broadway Books, October 7, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 384 pages
(US Debut)

In modern day England, Professor Felix Guichard is called in to identify occult symbols found on the corpse of a young girl. His investigation brings him in contact with a mysterious woman, Jackdaw Hammond, who guards a monumental secret--She's Dead. Or she would be, were it not for magic which has artificially extended her life. But someone else knows her secret. Someone very old and very powerful, who won't rest until they've taken the magic that keeps her alive....

In Krakow in 1585, Dr John Dee, the Elizabethan Alchemist and Occultist, and his assistant Edward Kelley have been summoned by the King of Poland to save the life of his niece, the infamous Countess Elisabeth Bathory. But they soon realize that the only thing worse than the Countess' malady, is the magic that might be able to save her...

As Jackdaw and Felix race to uncover the truth about the person hunting her, it becomes clear that the answers they seek can only be found in the ancient diary of John Dee's assistant, Edward Kelley. Together they must solve a mystery centuries in the making, or die trying.

Trey Dowell

The Protectors
Simon 451, October 7, 2014
eBook, 240 pages

An enthralling debut, The Protectors offers a dark twist on the classic superhero story as fallen hero Scott McAlister embarks on a globe-hopping chase to stop his former teammate—and ex-lover—gone rogue.

Don’t call him a superhero.

Heroes change the world. Scott McAlister? On a good day, he manages to change out of sweatpants.

It wasn’t always like this. Scott used to be leader of the Protectors, the world’s one and only squad of superheroes. It was a decent gig, but far from the shiny force for good the UN advertised. He could abide the publicity stunts, the lies, the ham-fisted government handlers—but when one of the Protectors died under his command, it was too much. Wracked with guilt, Scott stepped down and into an early retirement.

Now, five years later, a desperate CIA chief shows up on Scott’s doorstep with a polite request and a cadre of shock troops to ensure that Scott accepts. His ex-teammate and ex-lover, Lyla Ravzi, has gone rogue. The former Protector has the ability to control minds, and she’s no longer interested in “protecting.” She wants world domination.

Scott’s mission is simple: Find Lyla and stop her. The messy little details are up to him. It’s the last thing Scott needs after five years spent trying to forget the Protectors and to get over Lyla, but the alternative is worse.

As he closes in on his target, Scott is forced to confront his past and face a chilling reality: Can he save the world and the woman he once loved? Or will he have to choose?

Alis Franklin

Liesmith
Wyrd 1
Hydra, October 7, 2014
eBook, 308 pages

At the intersection of the magical and the mundane, Alis Franklin’s thrilling debut novel reimagines mythology for a modern world—where gods and mortals walk side by side.

Working in low-level IT support for a company that’s the toast of the tech world, Sigmund Sussman finds himself content, if not particularly inspired. As compensation for telling people to restart their computer a few times a day, Sigmund earns enough disposable income to gorge on comics and has plenty of free time to devote to his gaming group.

Then in walks the new guy with the unpronounceable last name who immediately becomes IT’s most popular team member. Lain Laufeyjarson is charming and good-looking, with a story for any occasion; shy, awkward Sigmund is none of those things, which is why he finds it odd when Lain flirts with him. But Lain seems cool, even if he’s a little different—though Sigmund never suspects just how different he could be. After all, who would expect a Norse god to be doing server reboots?

As Sigmund gets to know his mysterious new boyfriend, fate—in the form of an ancient force known as the Wyrd—begins to reveal the threads that weave their lives together. Sigmund doesn’t have the first clue where this adventure will take him, but as Lain says, only fools mess with the Wyrd. Why? Because the Wyrd messes back.

Amy Impellizzeri

Lemongrass Hope
Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, October 8, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 302 pages

Set in the past, and present, Lemongrass Hope is a captivating and unpredictable love story, with a dose of magical realism and time travel.

Lemongrass Hope weaves together ordinary lives and events to tell an extraordinary tale of connection, loss, renewal, and of course, hope.

As Kate Sutton’s decade-long marriage to Rob erodes and unravels, Kate fears that the secrets she guards from the world, including Rob’s emergency room proposal, and a whirlwind love affair from her past, have always doomed her fate. When she unwittingly receives a glimpse at what her life could have been like had she made different choices all those years ago, it is indeed all she could have ever wanted. A confirmation of her greatest hope, and her greatest fears.

Lemongrass Hope will draw you in with characters so relatable and real, you will cheer for them one moment and flinch the next. A tale that invites you to suspend disbelief—or perhaps decide to believe once and for all—in the potent power of love and connection over time and choice.

Oh, and the dress. There’s this lemongrass dress . . .

Rajan Khanna

Falling Sky
Pyr, October 7, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 260 pages
Cover Artist: Chris McGrath

Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground.

Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back.

This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events turn deadly, Ben must decide what really matters-whether to risk it all on a desperate chance for a better future or to truly remain on his own.

Mike Meginnis

Fat Man and Little Boy
Black Balloon Publishing, October 14, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 416 pages

Two bombs over Japan. Two shells.

One called Little Boy, one called Fat Man. Three days apart. The one implicit in the other.

Brothers.

The winner of the 2013 Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize, Fat Man and Little Boy pulses with magical realism in an unprecedented approach to its tragic subject matter.

In this powerful debut novel, the atomic bombs dropped on Japan are personified, born on impact as human beings—as a Fat Man and a Little Boy. Their small measure of humanity is a cruelty the brother bombs must suffer. Given life from death, they travel west from Japan to France and later to America. Their journey is one of surreal and unsettling discovery, and author Mike Meginnis transforms these symbols of mass destruction into beacons of longing and hope.

Ethan Reid

The Undying: An Apocalyptic Thriller
Simon451, October 7, 2014
eBook, 272 pages

THEY HAVE COME FROM THE STARS…
In this riveting apocalyptic thriller for fans of The Passage and The Walking Dead, a mysterious event plunges Paris into darkness and a young American must lead her friends to safety—and escape the ravenous “undying” who now roam the crumbling city.

Jeanie and Ben arrive in Paris just in time for a festive New Year’s Eve celebration with local friends. They eat and drink and carry on until suddenly, at midnight, all the lights go out. Everywhere they look, buildings and streets are dark, as though the legendary Parisian revelry has somehow short circuited the entire city.

By the next morning, all hell has broken loose. Fireballs rain down from the sky, the temperatures are rising, and people run screaming through the streets. Whatever has happened in Paris—rumors are of a comet striking the earth—Jeanie and Ben have no way of knowing how far it has spread, or how much worse it will get. As they attempt to flee the burning Latin Quarter—a harrowing journey that takes them across the city, descending deep into the catacombs, and eventually to a makeshift barracks at the Louvre Museum—Jeanie knows the worst is yet to come. So far, only she has witnessed pale, vampiric survivors who seem to exert a powerful hold on her whenever she catches them in her sights.

These cunning, ravenous beings will come to be known as les moribund—the undying—and their numbers increase by the hour. When fate places a newborn boy in her care, Jeanie will stop at nothing to keep the infant safe and get out of Paris—even if it means facing off against the moribund and leaving Ben—and any hope of rescue—behind.

Martin Rose

Bring Me Flesh, I'll Bring Hell: A Horror Novel
Talos, October 28, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 232 pages

Vitus Adamson is falling apart. As a pre-deceased private investigator, he takes the prescription Atroxipine hourly to keep his undead body upright and functioning. Whenever he is injured, he seeks Niko, a bombshell mortician with bedroom eyes and a way with corpses, to piece him back together. Decomposition, however, is the least of his worries when two clients posing his most dangerous job yet appear at his door looking for their lost son.

Vitus is horrified to discover the photo of the couple's missing son is a picture-perfect reproduction of his long dead son. This leads him to question the events of his tormented past; he must face the possibility that the wife and child he believed he murdered ten years ago in a zombie-fugue have somehow survived . . . or is it just wishful thinking designed to pull him into an elaborate trap?

Unfolding like a classic film noir mixed with elements of a B-movie, Bring Me Flesh, I'll Bring Hell is an imaginative spin on the hard-boiled detective genre and a new twist on the zombie novel. In Vitus Adamson, you will find a protagonist you can care about and invest in as he takes you through his emotional journey of betrayal and quest for redemption.

Rajan Khanna

Falling Sky
Pyr, October 7, 2014
Trade Paperback and eBook, 260 pages
Cover Artist: Chris McGrath

Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground.

Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back.

This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events turn deadly, Ben must decide what really matters-whether to risk it all on a desperate chance for a better future or to truly remain on his own.