Audio Book Now Available!

Exciting news!

 Home: Interstellar is now available as an audiobook on Amazon here.

The narration uses Amazon's virtual voices - computer-generated narration for audiobooks. Not the best, but not bad, and better than my scratchy voice.

Enjoy!

... Ray

Amazon invited me to publish an audiobook!

Amazon has invited me into a beta program from which and audiobook of Home: Interstellar and Pandora's Razor will result. I'll let you know when that will launch.

One of the impacts will be to remove non-english words and phrases that add color (i.e., fun) but not clarity to the story. One Russian phrase is below

 Cruiser

Mark IX Cила Грузчик, or Power Loader designed on a Russian colony near Bernard’s Star. They are nicknamed “cruisers” because in English, the name sounds like “silly cruischick.” Cargo handlers sometimes refer to themselves as cruisers, but the term is considered an insult if used by anyone else, especially when referring to a woman.

Zephyr's Flight launching in May

Our sister site for the Singer Series and the Dragon's War has a new post about the Oracle's Cosmology, the oral history of the mountain clans. Check it out here. The first in the series, Zephyr's Flight will be coming out in May 2025.

For the first release of the Singer/Dragon's War series,  I may be changing titles from "Zephyr's Flight" to "To Turn the Sky Crimson." That's based on a PickFU survey of titles. Results are below. Stay tuned. Your comments are invited.

... Ray

Zephyr's Flight - Coming Soon

 Hi, again …

Some very nice words and a 5-star review from Ellie Mitchel for the upcoming Zephyr’s Flight fantasy novel. That’s the first in the Singer series I’ve been working on for so long. Ellie is an excellent independent reviewer who posts her reviews on her blog, Bookish Beyond.

From her review:

“There were many things which I ended up liking about Zephyr’s Flight, some of which are listed below.

• “Firstly, the world-building was fantastic. You get an immediate sense of the intricacy of the world, its key cultures, and their core beliefs.
• “I loved the writing style. It proved to be very detailed and created vivid pictures in my mind’s eye.
• “The tension-building was well executed. You really do feel like you’re sitting at the edge of your seat at times, needing to know what happens next.
• “I also really liked the mythology included, of the old legends about Astrid’s people and the dragons.
• “In addition, I thought the bond between Astrid and Zephyr was sweet and profound from the start. They can share each-other’s emotions and pain, as if they can communicate between their souls.
• “The story unfolded gradually, exploring Astrid’s adventures as she endeavours to search for her lost father, and to become a rider. Every chapter furthered the story along nicely, with not a single scene wasted.”

Thank you, Ellie!

Current schedule for Zephyr’s Flight is later this year, and other novels in the series soon after.

… Ray

Pandora's Razor Free for Members of Amazon Kindle Unlimited

 Hi ...

Today Pandora's Razor will be moving to Kindle Direct Publishing so that you can read it for free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited. That means we'll be removing PR from the other distributors soon and you'll only be able to read it on Amazon.

Thanks for being an avid reader ...

... Ray

Good reviews for Pandora's Razor !!

Good reviews coming in for the next in the Hope's War series scheduled for December 17 launch! Preorders are live now on Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, Odilo, Scribd, and GardnersExtended Retail.

Here’s what people are saying about Pandora’s Razor:

“Impressively real; ... from its seedy bars to its spirituality to its fictional historical figures. Many of these futuristic elements are fun, but Strong also effectively tackles serious topics, such as media bias and bodily autonomy."
Kirkus Reviews

 Meriel[‘s] … resilience and determination made her a hero worth rooting for at every opportunity. There are few characters I have read about who have her strength of conviction, bar those like Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. … by the end, I didn’t want it to finish. I had become close to the main characters and their striving to do the right thing and found that I wanted my journey with them to continue. 
5 stars. Ellie Mitchell – Goodreads

 This was one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read!! …  I could feel the dust in the air, the zero g atmosphere, the cold and the wet. … fast-paced and exciting.
5 stars. Rochelle Gary – Goodreads

From the start, there's plenty of action and the scenes are so well written that you can easily visualize everything. 
5 stars. Andrew Shortall – Goodreads

Excerpt from Pandora's Razor

 Hi ...

This is an excerpt from the new book in the further adventures of Meriel Hope:

    Pandora's Razor

to be released December 17th. Enjoy!

Ebeneuer Wasteland

SC-1.Coyotes drop off refugees

The overcrowded hold of the tramp shuttle reeked of fear and sweat from the scores of men, women, and children huddled together. On the gallery above them, twelve rough men stood watch, their bandoliers bristling with blasters and pulse rifles. With each gust from the storm outside, the floor lurched, and a new waft of vomit swirled.

In one corner, Lars Yuan sat with his family, still disoriented from the hyperspace jumps. But his stained and wrinkled suit had endured the trip in better shape than his family had.

He smiled. “Almost there, kids. This is what we dreamed of.”

His wife, Marta, bit her lip, and his two children frowned.

This wasn’t their dream. Not at all. But Haven would be a fresh start and keep them off a low-g asteroid. The colony meant opportunity, and a refuge from Marta’s petty embezzlement charge that had revoked their citizenship on Dexter Station eight light years away.

It took all their savings, a life insurance withdrawal, and loans from friends, but they made the cash fare. And the inter-station credits Lars had hidden in his bags would help them get a fresh start.

“What’s the temperature like, Mom?” asked Julia, a frail teen they hoped would thrive in the Haven air.

“Tropical.”

The ship lurched again as the storm howled through the hull.

“Doesn’t sound like it,” his eldest son, Yuri, said as he shook his link in his chunky hand. “I’m outta juice, Pop. And there’s no compute resources to sync with.”

“When we land, son. They’re sure to have a visitor center.”

“I read Haven doesn’t have an industrial infrastructure yet, or—”

The shaking ended with a bang, and the guards hustled to the passenger deck and stood by a wall with batons drawn. The wall lowered into a ramp, and the dust roared in, replacing the foul air with fresh but obscuring everything in a gray haze.

“Welcome to Hell,” Corporal Greiber said over the whir of gears. “Last stop!”

A dozen of the guards took packs and weapons and filed out into the storm, but the refugees did not leave.

“There’s a storm outside,” Lars said. “Where’s the dome? What’s—”

Greiber’s scowl wrinkled the scar on his chin. “That’s Nature. Get used to it,” he said as he threw bags out the door. “Out! And take your crap with you.”

Hydraulics pushed bales of supplies onto the cracked dirt while the remaining guards herded the passengers off with cattle prods. Some passengers with masks grabbed their belongings and disappeared into the storm. But most clustered together near the ship in the choking dust and cowered at the chirps and growls of alien beasts that sounded much more dangerous than the briefings suggested.

“Which way to the welcome center?” Marta said. When no one replied, she led the children through the swirls of gray, searching for the bale with their name on it. After rifling through it and finding no goggles or masks, she wrapped the tent around her children.

As the tent snapped in the wind, Sven dug through the bale.

“Two days’ water. Three days of dehydrated soy paste,” he said and ran back to the ramp.

“Hey, there’s no extra water to make the food,” Sven shouted above the roar of the storm.

“Back off!” Greiber said and warned him away with the spark of a cattle prod.

“Our water will only last a day. And there’s no compass or link. This isn’t what we paid for!”

Greiber tossed him a link and pushed a button on the bulkhead. “Call customer service.”

Sven caught the link as the ramp began to close. “Hey! What about our personal bags?” he asked, worried about the credits he had hidden there.

“Opps,” Greiber said through the last sliver of opening before the ramp clanged shut.

The link was dead. And when Sven flipped it over, the device fell to pieces in his hand and blew away in the wind.

The ship disappeared into the storm, and Sven rejoined his family, holding them close in the suffocating dust as the growls circled closer.

Questionnaire for Pandora's Razor ARC

 Hi ...

If you're interested in receiving an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) for Pandora's Razor, please see the questionnaire at

     https://forms.gle/tGBcwVqxQDzoxPee6

... and I'll send you a copy.

... Ray

Release Date for Pandora's Razor is Dec. 17, 2021.

Hi ...

With the publisher's approval, release date for the new release in the Hope's War Universe is 

Dec, 17, 2021.

If you're interested in an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) and promise to write a review, you can get a copy at:

Booksprouts: https://booksprout.co/arc/74197/pandora-s-razor

Edelweiss: https://www.edelweiss.plus/#keywordSearch&q=pandora's+razor&page=1

Netgalley: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/235609

If you want me to send you an ARC copy direct to you, I'll post a form soon.

 Hi all ...

Impulse Fiction will launch Pandora's Razor (Book 2 of Hope's War series) later this year. So, stay tuned for the launch date.

Our first free days in years for Home: Interstellar (Hope's War)  begins tomorrow, June 23 and runs for two days. If you've been holding out, now's your chance to pick up a copy.

And a heads up, the follow-up novel in the Hope's War series, Pandora's Razor, will be coming later this year.

... Ray

 Cover possibilities for the next in the Hope's War series. Working title is Hope's Razor, and expected release later this year.

Now on NetGalley ...

All ...

Home: Interstellar is now on NetGalley if you want to read it and post a review. No obligation, but it's there if you want to read it.

Enjoy ... Ray

Hi ...

Just had 99Designs create new covers for H:I-1. Take a look below.

Regarding the original cover, my daughter thought that focusing on a pretty girl might take away from the mystery of the book content. I intended it to express hope because that's a major theme.

99Designs has a deep bench of talented designers. They compete with design ideas, and you can pick the one you like (or not). If you like one, you can work with them exclusively on future projects.

Take a look. Your comments are welcome.

Free day Nov. 18 and 19

Just a heads up ...
Home: Interstellar will be given away as a promotion on Amazon November 18 and 19, 2018.

New Logo

Hey!

I wonder if you can help me select a new logo for my books. If you'd like to help, please fill out the survey here.

Thanks
... Ray

Flow chart for Home: Interstellar, Escape from Etna

While Book 2, Lost Hope, is in editing, here's something that might interest you.

Warning: Major spoilers if you have not read Book 1 yet!

For those of you that are interested in what goes behind plotting a novel where time, space and the plausibility of coordination is important, here's some of my work.

... Ray

New Edition and Paperback Live tommorrow! At a Discount!

Ta-da!

Tomorrow the remastered 2nd Edition will be live on Amazon. And discounted to $0.99 (for a limited time only).

...AND...

The remastered paperback will also be released on 5/16.

Home: Interstellar 2nd Edition out May 16, 2017 on Amazon

Drum roll, please!

The 2nd Edition will be posted to Amazon on May 16.

I've taken all the reviews of H:I from Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere and tried to address all the comments that might impact the readability of the story. New readers should be pleased, but wait until May 16 if you want the new edition!

It's still the same prize winning story -- history doesn’t change, though how we speak of it might. There is only a little new content. So, if you've already read the 1^st Edition, you may be disappointed. Amazon tells me that if you’ve already downloaded the eBook, you can refresh for free, but you’ll lose the bookmarks.

Enjoy
… Ray