Tag: Sci Fi

a look at ‘Scenes of Mild Peril’ by David Court #Horror #ShortStories @DavidJCourt @SDSXXTours

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Scenes of Mild Peril
by David Court
Genre: Horror / Sci-fi / Satire , Short Stories
Across thirty disquieting stories, we’ll encounter such tales as, “Sovereign’s Last Hurrah”, featuring a team of retired super-powered villains embarking on one last caper with their legendary super-hero rival.
“A Comedian Walks into a Bar”, in which a hungry and ambitious amateur learns that the fabled secret of comedy may come at too high a cost. “83”, where the interview for a dream job becomes a nightmare, and “In Vino Veritas, In Vino Mors”, where a dying wine collector takes part in a very special tasting session, courtesy of a very special visitor.
You’ll encounter possessed little fingers, magic swords, sanity-defying factories, stranded astronauts, lovecraftian librarians, virulent plagues, and pork scratchings … all with a twist in the tale, courtesy of the equally twisted mind of David Court.
Check out the podcasts here!
David Court is a short story author and novelist, whose works have appeared in over a dozen venues including Tales to Terrify, Strangely Funny, Fears Accomplice and The Voices Within. Whilst primarily a horror writer, he also writes science fiction, poetry and satire.
His writing style has been described as “Darkly cynical” and “Quirky and highly readable” and David can’t bring himself to disagree with either of those statements.
Growing up in the UK in the eighties, David’s earliest influences were the books of Stephen King and Clive Barker, and the films of John Carpenter and George Romero. The first wave of Video Nasties may also have had a profound effect on his psyche.
As well as being a proud VIP writer for Stitched Smile Publications, David works as a Software Developer and lives in Coventry with his wife, three cats and an ever-growing beard. David’s wife once asked him if he’d write about how great she was. David replied that he would, because he specialized in short fiction. Despite that, they are still married.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

a look at D L Richardson & ‘Earth Quarantined’ @DLRichardson1 #SciFi #AlienOccupation

On By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Book Tours1 Comment

Today we have author D L Richardson visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* D L Richardson writes speculative fiction, which encompasses science fiction, supernatural fiction, and fantasy. She lives in Australia with her husband and dob, and when she’s not writing, she can be found wandering in her yard waging war on weeds, watching back-to-back episodes on Netflix, playing her piano or guitar, curled up on the couch reading a book, or walking the dog.
* She is the author of the ‘Welcome to the Apocalypse’ series and ‘The Shivers Novellas’. She also conducts writing workshop and appears at Australian pop culture conventions as few times a year.

Find D L Richardson here…
Blog | eMail | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website

A look into…

~ About the Book ~

* It’s release day for Earth Quarantined, a new alien occupation fiction novel by the author of Welcome to the Apocalypse.
* If you like alien occupation fiction, then this book is for you. It’s like ‘The Expanse’ but played out on Earth. Aliens brought peace to Earth and promised us the technology for interstellar travel. 300 years later and they still haven’t given us this technology. They’re lying to us. What they don’t know is that we’re lying to them…
* The author is giving away to one lucky winner one $15 giftcard. Easy to enter. No purchase necessary. And you can choose between amazon, Kobo or Barnes & Noble giftcard. Read on to find out how you can enter. And, there’s a SPECIAL LAUNCH PRICE! Get the ebook for only $2.99. ENDS NOV 30. The book is also available in print.

~ Inspiration for the Book ~

* What I love about sci-fi is the way it looks at current policies and practices from around the world and asks “what would happen if a particular current policy or practice continues unchanged?” This thought process heavily influences my science fiction novels. Science fiction can be scary – it should be scary – because it often holds a mirror up to humanity. That, to me, makes great science fiction.
* In this case, there are two topics that are featured in Earth Quarantined.
* The first theme is population control.
* One of my favourite science fiction movies is Logan’s Run, which is a movie that looks at how a utopian society is possible because it terminated adults once they reached the age of 29. So population control isn’t new to sci-fi, but it’s making a comeback, I think, due to climate change and the plastic waste and other factors that are highlighting the impact humans have on this planet.
* The dwindling resources of this planet formed the foundation for the setting of Earth Quarantined book. The world is in ruins due to a Great War and aliens arrive to put in place measures to get humanity operational using what resources we have left. In order for that to happen, population has to be controlled so humanity can survive on what little resources we have. In this case, the world leaders adopted the ‘one child per couple policy’ that was in place in what is known in the book as Old China.
* What inspired me about this policy is that I have a twin brother and sister, and whenever I hear this phrase I always think “what happens to the twin?” I wanted to write a story that explored what happens if you took one twin and hid them away.
* The other theme in this book is refugees.
* With the current refugee crisis around the world, the inspiration for some of this book, particularly the ending, came from wondering what would happen if a hidden city decided that they wanted to join the rest of civilization. What impacts would a sudden growth in populace have on the cities in this book? Is it so easy to tell the indwellers as they’re called m to go back to where they came from? In this case the leaders now have to decide what to do with this influx of people, coupled with limited resources, but these people didn’t ask to be hidden away and cut off from their families.
* I see the news and there’s a sense of loss and disconnect with our fellow humans that I cannot understand. I only touch upon this issue in this book. I’m not even pretending that I have the answers, but compassion is certainly something that needs to be increased. So I made sure my characters have compassion.
* And of course, I love the entertainment value that sci-fi offers. Writing this book gave me a chance to make up a future world that readers can escape to. I hope readers can see these hints of world policy in Earth Quarantined, and I hope they enjoy the thrilling read.

~ Blurb ~

* World peace came with rules. We’ve just broken them.
* In the year 2055, millions of humans were wiped out by a deadly virus known as EMB-II, a bioweapon strain of Ebola that could not be stopped. The need to get off the planet and into space was never stronger. Before the ships could be launched, First Contact was made. A dozen spaceships arrived, carrying twelve Criterion Advocates – peacekeepers of the universe – and thousands of Criterion soldiers, aides, workers, and engineers. To stop the virus getting into space, Earth was placed under quarantine and work begun to save the planet and humanity. Through tough control measures, world peace was achieved.
* The year is now 2355. The virus is gone. Humanity is eager to get into space. Yet the Earth is still under quarantine. The Criterion are lying to us. What they don’t know is that we’re lying to them.
* Kethryn Miller is an award-winning actress, but nothing will prepare her for the role she’ll take on when a strange woman who shouldn’t be alive turns up in the city, threatening to expose the lies that have kept peace on Earth for 200 years.

~ Excerpt ~

For an excerpt, visit one of the buy links below.

Buy Earth Quarantined here…
Amazon – US | Amazon – UK | Amazon – AU | Amazon – CA | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords

Other book links here…
Books2Read | Goodreads | Website | Bookbub

Thank you for joining us here today, D L Richardson! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! D L Richardson is giving away to one lucky winner one $15 giftcard. Easy to enter. No purchase necessary. And you can choose between an Amazon, Kobo or Barnes & Noble gift card! So be sure to use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing.

a look at ‘The Shadow City’ by Ryan Wieser #SciFi #SpaceOpera #series @SDSXXTours

On By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Book ToursLeave a comment
The Shadow City
Hunters of Infinity #2
by Ryan Wieser
Genre: Sci-Fi/Space Opera
Pub Date: 10/16/18
The Hunters of Infinity have guarded the Daharian galaxy for ages, but when betrayed, they can become a vicious enemy . . .
Jessop, the first woman to join the Hunters, has finally been reunited with those who mean the most to her. In her quest for vengeance, she has left many embittered and betrayed, chief among them Kohl O’Hanlon, the Hunter who once loved her.
Now, as the feared Falco Bane leads his forces into the Hunters’ territory, Kohl attempts to retaliate, flooding their infamous Shadow City with his own followers. Jessop must fight a war on two fronts, testing her commitment to the ones she loves and challenging her abilities as the most elite warrior among the Hunters. With the future of Daharia’s leadership at stake, Jessop is determined to protect those closest to her at all costs . But when allies turn into adversaries, the real threat comes from a place least expected . . .
The Glass Blade
Hunters of Infinity #1
The Hunters of Infinity have been protecting the Daharian galaxy for years, but there has never been a female Hunter—until now.
In a seedy bar in the shadowy corners of Daharia, Jessop comes to the rescue of young Hunter Kohl O’Hanlon. Impressed by her remarkable sword-wielding skills, the Hunters invite her to their training facility, the Glass Blade, though not all are pleased with the intrusion. But they soon discover that Jessop learned to fight from the rogue leader of the Shadow City of Aranthol—and escaped. Now they want to use her intimate knowledge of their enemy to destroy him.
As Jessop grows closer to this elite brotherhood, their leader succumbs to a mysterious ailment, and Kohl learns that Jessop is hiding dark secrets, raising suspicions about the enigmatic woman who saved his life. Has the Hunters’ security been breached—or do they have a traitor in their ranks?
Allegiances will be questioned.
Loyalties will be betrayed.
Vengeance will be brutal.
“This thrilling, action-packed debut ties together a strong characters with a building story line that will have readers clamoring for the next volume in this new series.” — Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW, on The Glass Blade
Ryan Wieser completed her B.A. in Sociology and Socio-Legal Studies before going on to complete her MSc. in Experimental Psychology. Having been raised in Africa and educated across multiple countries, Ryan has a passion for travel and an interest in diverse cultures. She currently resides in Wyoming with her husband, where she is writing her next book.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!