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Mariner’s Wake Contest

Remember when I promised to do some giveaways for Mariner’s Wake? Well, I swear I’m not a liar because here’s another one!

I have ten hardback copies of Mariner’s Wake waiting to be sent to new homes. All you have to do is sign up on my mailing list from now until the end of January 2022, and you’re entered! I’ll randomly select ten winners to receive a copy of the book.

The Extra-Fine Details:

  • Winners will be selected by the assignment and selection of random numbers.
  • Winners will be notified via email and at that time will be asked to provide a shipping address for their book.
  • This contest is limited to shipping addresses within the United States. Hopefully in the future I can do international, but for now I need to limit it.
  • If a winner does not respond or claim their book within thirty days another winner will be selected.

New Email List

For a long time I’ve avoided doing sensible things like creating an email mailing list for readers. It’s not that I didn’t want to reach out to people, I just hate getting email spam so it felt weird to put together an email list of my own. Anyway, I’m over it.

When Mariner’s Wake was about to be released, I realized that I didn’t have a good way to reach out to all the readers who’d previously read and enjoyed my other books like The Changed and Survived. I couldn’t even send messages to the folks who’d left reviews on Goodreads.

So, this is where the mailing list comes in. I’ve attached the form on the Contact page.

Best of 2021!

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. A few days ago I received an amazing gift: Mariner’s Wake made it on the Kirkus Reviews 100 Best Indie Books of 2021 list! This selection means a great deal to me and I’m still in a bit of disbelief. Out of the thousands of indie titles released this year, mine made the list.

I’ve been writing for years. It can be difficult to find the time to put words on the page in between career and other life responsibilities, but I do it because I love it. Reading has always been a big part of my life and the idea of being a part of that creative cycle and bringing the joy of story to others lights a fire inside me. In that sense, it’s always worth the effort. However, I’d be lying if I said that this journey of writing, re-writing, and improving my craft has always been easy or encouraging. There is so much content out there it’s hard to stand out or get noticed. So, when one of the most respected editiorial review publications in the country recognizes my work, I can’t help but get excited about it.

If you’d like a review copy of Mariner’s Wake, there are some spots left on my BookSirens listing. Or if you’re a reviewer in the U.S. and you’d like a physical copy, send me an email and I’ll see what I can do.

Mariner’s Wake Pre-Sale!

Mariner’s Wake is now available for pre-order, with a release in mid-October of this year. Check it out at the Brick Cave Media store!

A Kirkus Star for Mariner’s Wake

In the past I’ve written a few posts that involved Kirkus, the editorial review publication. They’re one of the few trusted editorial reviews that will review indie books, so I’ve felt it was worthwhile to send in my novels. Mariner’s Wake is no exception to that trend.

Yesterday, I received the review. The tagline from the review is both clever and very positive:

“An oceangoing SF/technothriller made especially seaworthy by its depth, not just its depth charges.”

– Kirkus Reviews

From what I can tell, it seems like the reviewer enjoyed the story. Seriously, that’s all I could ask for. When I viewed the review on the Kirkus site, I got another incredibly pleasant surprise. The reviewer gave Mariner’s Wake a star!

Kirkus allows their reviewers to assign stars to something like 10% of the books they feel have exceptional merit. Those books are then eligible for the Kirkus Prize, which is awarded every year. It’s a pretty big deal for Mariner’s Wake to be recognized like this before launch and I’m still in a bit of disbelief.

We’re a little ways from the book’s release. Maybe another couple of months. The cover artwork is done, the manuscript is ready, so typesetting and printing are the last steps. The Covid-19 pandemic has of course complicated things but the team at Brick Cave is prepping the novel’s launch. I’ll post more updates once I have them.