Authors

 Sitrep: So, I was shocked to open my email and find the manuscript there waiting from Goodlifeguide. Awesome!

So, I will publish that hopefully in the next few days. (It is getting crazy now)

On to the snippet!

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Chapter 2

 

Politicians across the world debated the news. There was no way to suppress it; too many people knew about it across the world. The media was struggling with accepting it, which gave them some traction and an opportunity to get ahead of the problem.

Most science advisers scoffed at the idea of getting ahead of the problem. Many got roaring drunk when they dug into the science and found it was real. They rapidly went through the five stages of grief. Acceptance for some was hard to come by. Many politicians were stuck in denial.

A conference was called to discuss the problem. The media covered the conference, but the scientists who presented to the conference had no good news, only bad news. The news was televised reluctantly. Talking heads on the various news channels explained the details in excruciating details. There were skeptics and deniers, but the majority of trusted scientists were in consensus. The black hole anomaly was real and coming to them. There was no stopping it.

This sent the population into a depression spiral. A despondent population stopped working as apathy set in. Religious organizations reported a sudden uptick in interest.

The end of days was plastered everywhere. Every scientist agreed that there was no way for mankind to survive. The apathy was palatable.

Riots were sparked, and a loss of control worked its way into some nations. The people on the space stations were not immune to the apathy but had tasks to keep doing in order to insure their continued survival.

“This is why the governments decided long ago to not tell people if the world was going to end,” Dutch Firecreek said in disgust as they watched the news. Dutch was a pilot for the Stellar Works Aerospace Corporation, a company that had set up shop in the space stations in orbit of Earth and the Moon. They had several space stations, a growing tug business, several gas mines on the outer gas giant planets, and interests in asteroid mining.

“Yeah, to keep order and property values up,” Jake Black, his colleague said sarcastically.

“Not just that.” Dutch gave him a dubious look. “To also give them and us a chance to find a solution. You can’t do that if you are trying to survive, right?”

“True,” Jake said grudgingly. He had been a pilot in the Air Force before he had been bitten by the space bug. The Air Force had gotten him through college but hadn’t given him the stick time he had wanted. Everything was migrating to drones.

It was a little ironic that the company also ran drones and he spent more time managing a dozen drone tugs rather than actually flying inside a craft.

“Right now the chicken littles are ruling the roost,” the news anchor said on the video screen. “What happens if this turns out to be a case of the boy who cried wolf? Like that asteroid Apophis?”

“Oh, nice one,” Jake said with a nod.

<<O>>

Two of the governments went into denial about the anomaly. North Korea was a third, followed by small countries that had no presence in space. Each country released their own version of statements that the reports were in error and that the anomaly was a vicious hoax or would miss the star system. They bent the facts that had been presented by the science community badly, irritating many there.

Anyone who denied the reports or tried to counter them was arrested and jailed. A few were shot. The crackdown did cut down on the riots and apathy over the course of a week, however.

The media stated it was one of the stages of grief. “We each go through it in a different way. Anger seems to be prevalent now. Denial is obviously in the works for others. Eventually we will all have to accept our fate.”

<<O>>

Dirk Bradly, CEO of Stellar Works, also known as SWAC, refused to accept that they were all dead men walking. He firmly believed that they could work any problem as long as they had time and the resources to do so. Besides, the governments were offering a lot of money to companies to design and launch probes. The catch was that they wanted a paper study within one week.

He had a quorum of votes from the board agreeing to push forward with the probe and any other paper studies. He was grateful for that trust. He knew many on the board were running scared.

Many companies signaled interest in the proposal. Grants were sent out within hours of a company submitting an application so it was clear that Uncle Sugar as the U.S. government and the various Space Departments in it was called was serious this time.

His company had a readymade probe from a previous project. They had been underbid but the probe design was solid and they even had some of the hardware still on the shelf. It was all proven tech. They also had a new ion drive for a tug. The tug was running fuel back from the gas mines in the atmosphere of Uranus and Saturn. Therefore, it too was proven tech. He married the two in a spec doc and shot it off to the engineers and gave them twenty-four hours to come up with an initial plan and another seventy-two hours to have a complete blueprint.

They howled and complained they wanted to design it from scratch, but he was adamant that they go with as much off-the-shelf components as possible.

They had a lot of overtime and sleepless nights but managed to meet the deadline. He had the CAD drawings rendered by public affairs and then marketing had their turn at the cover sheet and design proposal. That meant his company was the first to submit a proposal.

He was not surprised when his office began to field calls from the DOD and NASA over the probe. They didn’t just accept it and wait; they wanted to run with it even though bidding had not officially closed yet.

He had his legal team and sales work out the contract specs even as the engineers began to draw the components from inventory and then begin to do tests to make sure they would survive the rigors of space. They came back to him asking about the margin, and he flat out told them to go costs plus 5 percent profit. No higher. They were surprised but passed it on.

An hour later, the contract was approved.

A day after that they had received initial approval from NASA while his company’s engineers signaled they had completed virtual stress tests and other simulations and were ready to go. Money came in; it would come in via a series of drafts as they met each goal.

He released the funding and the engineers got back to work.

<<O>>

   Noah's Arks is a 1 off initially intended for Multiverse 8. Like a few other stories it grew and grew until I turned it into a 1 off novel.

If there is enough interest I might write a sequel some day. 

  Anyway, I sent it to Rea over the weekend and she shot it back to me Monday. I punched out the final edits and then shot it off to Goodlifeguide. Fingers crossed I'll get it back before Thanksgiving.

 On to the snippet!

 

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Chapter 1

 

Mike Drasco nervously wiped at his hands on his ripped jeans as he finished setting up the big telescope. It was a cool New Hampshire night, down below 40 and dropping in the chilly October evening. His partner was Tisha, a pretty girl who had become his lab partner in physics class.

They had to do a report on astronomy, which was right up Mike’s alley. He was keen to show off the massive telescope array he and his dad had put together, along with a lot of other things. He had an entire speech prepared. He knew the locations of famous stars to heart and had a feeling she did too.

He started with the classics, the North Star and then Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. The computer hooked up to the telescope helped to enhance detail and filter out the light pollution coming from lights from homes nearby.

The back porch was dim, the lights were out, and they just had the glow from their laptops at the moment. He hissed and waved to his little sister who moved the blackout curtains aside to look at them. He growled.

Tisha turned and giggled as his little sister stuck her tongue out at him and then scampered off. She smiled and he ducked his head and blushed.

“Okay, where were we …?”

“Ursa Minor … has the North Star,” she prompted softly. She blew into her hands and then picked up the cup for a sip of hot chocolate.

“Oh, here,” he took his jacket off and put it on over her shoulders. She smiled softly and ducked her head as she put the cocoa down and put the lid on the mug to keep it warm.

“Okay, so, some of the classics ….” He pointed out Venus and Jupiter, which made her smile. He explained that some planets could only be seen at dawn or dusk. She nodded. He mentioned timing and then went on to explain how constellations moved and even spun from season to season.

They examined the moon and picked out a few things which she sketched and took images of. She loved the live view of three of the space stations in orbit. She sucked in a breath when he managed to catch a sublight tug moving to the moon.

“That is so cool!” she breathed with a grin.

“There are eighty-eight modern constellations. We can see thirty-six from North America. We don’t have to know all of them, just make observations on a few. Doctor Richalu will want a zinger. I think we can make his day with a couple of asteroids.”

“Oh! Wouldn’t it be cool to find one and name it?” Tisha said with a grin.

“Yeah, it would, and dad did twice,” Mike admitted.

“He did?” she asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah, one for my mom, one for my gram.”

She blinked.

“The bigger one he named for my gram. Something about she’s a big cold blooded … um …,” he stopped himself and rubbed the back of his head.

She snorted softly.

“Yeah, my dad doesn’t get on with his mother-in-law either,” she murmured.

He nodded and eagerly went back to his lecture. They moved closer to share body heat and to see the screen better. He eventually got a blanket he’d left out and wrapped it over her. She snuggled up to him.

Things were looking up, he thought. Don’t blow it, he thought as he switched to the next constellation before they switched to the asteroid hunt.

“Can we see other planets around other stars?” Tisha asked.

He didn’t laugh at that. “Unfortunately no, this scope isn’t as powerful as the big ones. Besides, they see planets by looking for wobble over several nights. See, they take the image from tonight, tomorrow, and so on, and then compare the images in software to pick out the planets.”

“Oh.”

He pointed out Alpha Centauri and then Sirius and then the Cassiopeia constellation. She smiled at that one.

When he went to find Perseus, he noted that some of the stars were missing in the constellation. He knew it was hit or miss; it was best seen in December. But something was off; the computer could only find some of the stars not all of them.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked as he ran a diagnostic.

“That’s funny,” he said clearly puzzled.

“Odd,” Tisha said. She was amused that he had goofed up.

“No, I know it is there, but …,” he frowned. But then she cleared her throat and he became distracted with other things. She kissed him.

<<O>>

In the morning, he talked to his father over breakfast. His father was an amateur astronomer and had gotten his son into the hobby as well. He’d been amused that his son had used it to get a girl. Amused but not surprised, after all it had landed him the love of his life.

When Mike showed him the images he’d taken with the camera attached to the telescope, Bob laughed and promised to look into it. “You were probably nervous and had it pointed at the wrong part of the sky,” he teased.

Mike blushed.

The following evening they sipped hot chocolate and went out to check again. They couldn’t find the constellation. “What is going on?” Bob demanded. “I’ve got the coordinates right …,” he tested the system on other constellations. They worked. “See?”

“Is there a space station overhead or something?” Mike asked.

“For this long?” Bob demanded. He frowned. “Maybe …,” he scratched at his chin and then pulled out his phone and tapped out an email.

“What are you doing?”

“Contacting a friend to see what they can see.”

<<O>>

Two other amateur astronomers reported that they too couldn’t see the constellation. They in turn called others. Word spread until it hit the professionals.

Doctor Hyu Phao Lao promised to look into it. He initially brushed the absurd idea away, but curiosity got the better of him and he dug into it.

When the twelve telescopes in the array he managed could not see anything even on the infrared, he grew concerned enough to contact his boss and a couple of other people in the community.

<<O>>

 

About:

  Nightmarish creatures looking for a new nest stumble upon an unused path into the heart of a new unsuspecting sector… Prisoners being tormented in a space prison plot an escape… Scientists begin work on the greatest project of civilization… The descendants of terraformers repair their titanic ship and make their way back to the outer Federation… these and other stories lurk within the pages here…

 

Amazon: Amazon 

B&N: B&N

 Sitrep: So, the cover to Multiverse 8 has been completed:

  There are 5 stories in it, 2 Federation, 1 PRI, and 2 new independent sci-fi stories. (one of which was recommended to be turned into a full novel/series!)

Anyway, that gives me 5 books in the hands of the Betas and Goodlifeguide. I think I'm well ahead! :)

They are:

World Builders (in the hands of Goodlife so it will be published anytime this month!)

 Noah's Arks (due in December)

Lowering the Hammer (Pirate Hunt 4)

Jethro 9 Siege

Multiverse 8

If any of the Betas want any of the books let me know. (you know who you are!)

I would also like to get 1-2 books into print. Possibly New Dawn and Jethro goes to War 1 next year. We shall see.

  For those of you wondering, (a little birdy told me) my bibliography is in the beginning of every book, and in the Federation books at the back you will find a 'Recommended Reading Order'. 

  In other news: I am poking at my Johnny 5 bust again and looking at the Delorian time machine print again too. I need to reprint a few parts that broke (or in this case were glued to parts that broke) so I can get things moving with J5 there. (upper strut mounts) I'm hoping to get somewhere with it soon.

Here is the snippet:

Backup Plan

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Edessa

 

The Guiding Intelligence finally felt like he was making some headway with the Gravemind when their people in the capital reported that the Xenos were pushing for more automation and less reliance on their kind.

It was a point of concern for them.

As a contingency plan built into their subconscious, they gathered a copy of everything they had, including nanites. They had reverse engineered the nanites so had recently begun manufacturing their own. Soon they would no longer be reliant on the Xenos for that critical resource.

Until then they had to be careful. They sent encrypted orders to the researchers to slow their research and be more thorough in their testing before providing results and conclusions. The same for the engineers.

They also dispatched two of their own ships outward. One would hide in deep space; the other would head to a neighboring sector. Both were contingencies against the possibility of their loss and destruction.

The temptation was strong to send it to the nearest one but that was Pi sector. That was occupied by the pirates and the Federation.

The Gravemind and independent leaders debated the odds of survival of a ship. If the Federation had not closed the jump lines across the sector, they could easily get a ship through. If, however, the Federation had managed to take over the sector, any ship would be detected and run down or destroyed.

Worse would be the detection. They did not need or want unwanted attention from the Federation.

Pity, they had holdings in Pi and the neighboring sectors, and some of their creators had been last sighted in those regions of space. It would have been nice to get back into contact with them and update them with their findings.

Instead, the ship was forged to run across the sector north to Xi sector. They could move in there and establish another Well of Souls and a backup of their kind somewhere in that sector.

>>><><<< 

In Hyperspace

 

Captain Charon MMXXIII was a humorless clone. It had a mission and it was programmed to complete that mission or die with his ship. The captain took the mission on with solemn dignity of his build, neither complaining nor attempting to shirk its fate.

As a clone, his mind had been drawn from the Well of Souls. He was not a draft, a fresh mind enslaved to the greater purpose in order to serve the collective. His genetic profile had been weeded and cleansed of any defects. He was wholeheartedly committed to the cause.

He did have enslaved minds on board his ship running some of the lesser functions. Their manic energy was useful when properly harnessed. The critical command positions were held by clones of course.

Charon 23 turned to look at Preserver II, his ship’s sister ship in the cause. It was a copy of his own save for two small details.

Each ship was a cruiser grade construction rather than a transport. Most weapons stripped out to house copies of the Cryptorium facility. The ships were flat black and shaped like beetles.

Preserver II differed in her mission. She had been set up to travel further since she was to go to an adjacent sector and set up its Cryptorium there. But the second difference was as in its captain.

Charon 23 was still grappling with the differences. It wasn’t certain if the initiative its clone brother had been programmed with would help or hinder the cause. Only time and the fickle winds of fate would show them which way the bones would fall.

>>><><<< 

Preserver II

As a Charon build, Captain Charon MMXXIII was known as a steady hand in a starship. Charons were transport captains who ferried the Necrons around. Normally they were selected to transport material and units between sites or, more likely and in this case, to ferry a unit out to a new location to set up a fallback cryptorium.

Charon 24, as he was known, had been grown in the same vat bath as 23. His hatching had been delayed by several months due to a temporary industrial priority shift. When they had returned to his ship, he had been hatched in order to oversee the final fitting out of the ship.

Unlike his vat brother, Charon 24 had a few extra modifications to allow for independent thought and action. He was, after all, to take his ship into unknown territory. He had a contingency order to return the ship if he could do so safely and discretely.

His clone brother had no such command. Twenty-three would most likely shut down when his function was complete and he was made redundant.

Charon had no idea what his original bio-parent’s name was nor did he care. His original bio parent might have been a volunteer or a draft; again, it didn’t matter to him. What mattered was the mission.

He was unaware if the Xenos were sending out their own ships to set up fallback bases. That was not his concern. His concern was to not alert the Xenos to his presence. The Xeno-Necron alliance was expanding rapidly through the sector like a wildfire. There were cracks starting to show in the unholy alliance though, which was why the Guiding Intelligence had triggered the backup contingency.

As Preserve vessels go, this one was better than any other in the history of the Necron cause. It was purpose built, a rarity. Normally, a Preserver was a captured ship that had been rebuilt to fulfill its programming. Occasionally, it wasn’t even fully suborned but a portion of a vessel, sometimes just a few shipping containers. When they arrived at their destination, the shipment would be “lost” at the destination and a new cryptorium would be forged somewhere.

As the best Preserver mission to be sent out to date, the ship had some beings selected from the Well of Souls to support and maintain the mission. Each had their own role to play.

The Guardian, known as Cerberus, Guardian of Tomorrow, was a Necron knight. He was a giant brute mech with the core of a cyborg. Black Gothic armor covered the mech body with spear points jutting out of the backpack. The mech tended to stomp around when he moved through the ship. Each step was powerful enough to shake the deck. It was so energy intensive and large it usually limited its movements around the interior of the ship.

He normally liked to squat in front of the chamber to the Well of Souls or to the armory.

Kha MMMXXXIII was the Cryptek Technomancer, the chief engineer of the starship. The Technomancer was quiet and went about his duties silently. His body moved swiftly and silently, seemingly floating through the ship.

Kha controlled two-thirds of the bots and lesser cyborgs that maintained the vessel at its peak efficiency. The Technomancer moved from one spot to another checking ship systems constantly.

Zramek the Harvester was the Necromancer assigned to the ship. He was a black brooding cyborg dressed in black robes who seemed bitter at the assignment but determined to follow it through. He looked like a dark Gothic priest with his pointed hat and shoulders. To the uninitiated, he would be terrifying. Most of the time a mortal only saw him once while strapped to a table being dissected and reformatted into a new form with a new purpose to serve the collective. Any mortal that had been drafted in such a way might harbor memories in their flesh and were therefore terrified and extremely deferential to the Necromancer.

Most likely because they didn’t want anything else cut off and reshaped, Charon thought moodily. Zramek was known as a harvester, but he occasionally experimented with ideas on how to “better the race.”

The Caretaker was one of his underlings. She was a cyborg Arachnes, a half human, half spider robot. She spoke with a sweet voice. The Caretaker cared for the fleshy parts of the cyborg amalgamation within the ship. She controlled some of the spiderbots in order to tend to the cyborgs who were fused to the wall or machinery in one fashion or another.

Samuel was the XO of the ship. He was another mostly silent being who went about his duties quickly and quietly.

Salem was once a small black domestic Neocat that had been a helmsman on a tramp freighter in his previous life. He was now a cyborg tied into the ships systems. He tended to roam the ship when they were not in hyperspace. He liked to sleep and would try to hide in odd spaces. The spiderbots always found him and rousted him out to attend to his duties.

There were clones of each of them on each vessel. There had been little interaction between them. Many had been programmed to not be interested in such matters. The Guardian was a humorless near automaton, rigid in his mission parameters.

The Charon could not help but debate their mission. The Necron species was in a better place than it had ever been before. Yet, still they moved with caution.

The hated Federation, which burned them from their hiding spots, was far away. They had an ally and had almost every technological resource that they needed to continue with their great crusade.

And yet they still proceeded with caution. They still acted like they could be destroyed at any time.

It made him question his mission. Of course he did it privately; it would not do to show adherent behavior. That could get the attention of the Necromancer with disastrous results for his existence and the mission.

He only had a slight care for this existence, enough to want to maintain it. He was aware that he was the best Charon of his subspecies build. A lot of that had to do with the quality of his cybernetics and his nanites.

Since his mission was so far reaching, he had been given a lot of latitude in his programming. That included initiative. He was programmed to think, to plan, and to watch out and avoid trouble.

He had temporarily toyed with his mission orders. He was supposed to go to a neighboring sector but initially the orders had been vague. South was obviously out, and they had been programmed against going into Pi sector and accidentally alerting the Federation of the Necron/Xeno alliance prematurely.

But there might be another direction. He considered headed west into deep space towards Upsilon Sector. There was a massive void between the arms of the galaxy, but if he could transition it safely, it would be a big leap for his kind.

He was uncertain of his chances though so he kept his ship in line with Preserver I until he needed to make the final decision.

>>><><<< 

 Sitrep:

So, I am almost finished the cover of Multiverse 8. Here is the snippet from the next story:

Congo City

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Purple Skies Star System, Tau Sector

 

Doctor Peter Ellington didn’t know his family well. His parents had died in a riot when the pirate plagues had killed many people. As humans they had been immune to the plagues but not to the violence from others. He had been living on the streets and had gotten pneumonia. He owed his life to a medic from a visiting hospital ship that had picked him up and brought him to the aide camp for treatment.

He had entered the foster care system there. He might have ended up as a tragic statistic but he had been determined to make a life for himself. He had proven he was gifted so he had been given more opportunities than other people in the same situation might have.

“Okay, folks, the grades will be posted by this evening. Oh, if you need adjustments, see me or Richy. We will be at the auditorium tonight trying to pitch the next expedition,” he said. He turned.

“Speaking of which, if we want to see it happen, please invite anyone interested in it to attend. We need to find a way to stop the beetles. I feel that the jungle may be the key to that threat,” he said firmly.

A few students smiled slightly at his insistence. They knew their professor’s hobby horse intimately.

“Make sure those of you who are on digs or other expeditions, check in with your team leads right away. I mean it! They might have changed the schedule, and you could get left behind,” he warned. He surveyed the students. “It has happened before,” he warned darkly.

He dismissed them and a gaggle of students immediately mobbed his assistant Richy. Richy did his best to handle the questions. Pete stood by and handled any leakers.

There were a bare twenty students so they got through that relatively quickly. Richy smiled and sat down on a stool in relief.

“Ever wish you’d gone off on the science ship?” Richy asked.

“Sometimes. Not anymore,” Pete admitted.

A science ship had come by the star system and had done an orange peel orbit around the planet to map the surface. Anomalies were highlighted and the entire data set given to the government.

The scientists had done many things during their brief time in orbit. They had taken readings, talked to people, cataloged artifacts, and tisked tisked about the lack of museums and such.

The science vessel’s crew had goaded the government into creating a college university system again. The government had done so in order to elevate their people into the future, and Pete had been one of the gifted students who had gotten through it. He had even taken a few classes with the scientists on the ship until they had departed the star system.

There had been hope that there would be additional visits. But then the war with Tau had broken out and everyone had been busy looking for escape plans in case of invasion. Now that the war with Tau was winding down, they were keen to look into the lost cities and relics of the past.

One such location was Congo city, a reputed lost city near the equatorial region. The data from the science ship and their own old maps had mapped it out. Expeditions had tried to go there, but few had returned. Those that did or those that just overflew the region reported that the entire area was overgrown with seven centuries of jungle growth. Pete was keen to know how the jungle handled the beetle menace, which was devastating plants across the planets in the region.

Traenor Industries, an offworld company, had come in when they had heard about the lost city. They were eager to go there and check it out. They had a contract with the government to get loot from the city when they opened access to it. Pete was a bit dismayed by that fact, but at least they would catalog everything and make the data available to the scientists.

He was practical enough to understand the government’s reasoning. The government wanted to get a city going and to get the lost riches to fund growth and to combat the beetle pest. With them they could have a brighter future, perhaps even grow the college into a proper university.

The government was tapped out on sending another expedition, however. There was an economic depression hammering the planet and region. The beetle pest and the quarantine to keep it from leaving the world were tying their hands badly.

Pete had convinced his college to pay half of the costs for his expedition to the jungle. He had to fit it in between semesters, however. They had six weeks to complete the expedition, but only two days to find an investor to pay the rest of the money he needed, or it was a no-go. Pete had put in as much money from his meager savings as he dared.

He needed the data from the field. But there was more to it than that.

The official reason was to chart the progress of the beetles devastating plant life on their world and on the neighboring worlds in the region. He and his assistant were also supposed to look for some natural predator or some immune plant that killed the pest.

The idea was to find something that might give them a glimmer of hope to kill the pest. He had his doubts though.

He had another more personal reason to go to the jungle though. Her name was Amy.

>>><><<< 

 Sitrep:

So, Rea just sent me the manuscript back.

Here is a snippet from the second story, Customs:

 

Customs

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Nuevo B

 

Commander Jorge Rushbar eyed the star system map with misgivings. The place to be was inward to the Lagrange points around the Nuevo Alpha planet.

Unfortunately, he was on a space station around Nuevo Baker.

He scratched his head with a hand, running his fingernails through his stubble.

The star system was a G0 class system with six planets. The inner two were Mercury class rocks. The third planet was named Alpha because it was the first habitable world with its own trio of moons. Outward from there but still in the goldilocks zone was Nuevo Baker, a super Earth class with 1.4 gravity and a single moon.

Outward from there was Gamma, a Mars class with two moons and finally a Neptune class gas giant with its own subsystem of moons.

The natives had colonized the star system in the cluster after a light terraforming effort had made the planets habitable. Nuevo Alpha had been settled initially by retired military personnel and their families. Nuevo Baker or B as it was also called had been primarily settled by a colony of Centaurians as well as a scattering of heavy worlders.

Nuevo and a couple of other star systems like Bek were in an isolated cluster in a pocket of space within the Rho sector. There were two ways in and out of the cluster but only one was safe to transit, the rapids.

The two Nuevo worlds had been agro worlds, happy with being mostly forgotten by the Federation until the Xenos had come around. Admiral Irons had visited briefly to set them up as a redoubt in case civilization fell. Bek had traded with them using their small number of starships until the ships had one by one broken down and had been mothballed or recycled.

For centuries the Nuevans had been cut off from Bek and the rest of the galaxy. That was, until the light cruiser Caroline had managed to successfully navigate the rapids and bring them back into the Federation.

The commander wasn’t quite certain he should be happy about that or not. Bek’s industry and shipyards were damn good but they came with strings. As did the army units that were stood up on Nuevo Alpha.

Nuevo Alpha had developed an army to protect itself from swarms of worms called Tremor worms. Why they were called that he wasn’t certain. What he was certain of was that the colonists had been struggling with the swarms for centuries. Their technology had failed, and they had been reduced to buggies and animal drawn carriages until the Federation had re-established contact.

Now they were returning to modern technology. There were two space stations in orbit of that planet. And here he was on the partially constructed space station orbiting Baker.

The space station was to ship cargo and people to and from the planet. A fourth station was on the books; it was supposed to be built at the single jump point in the star system, eventually.

He wasn’t tasked with that project thankfully.

He scratched his scalp again and then tugged on his right ear lobe.

He was a Spacebee; he had come from Senka. His star system lacked a habitable world; the world had been destroyed during the Xeno war. The survivors had build colonies in the asteroids. He was at home in space even though he knew it was dangerous and could kill him in an eye blink if he got too careless.

He ran his eyes around the station. The current design had been set up for the basic species. Most sentient species were less than three meters tall. The Centaurians, however, were not.

Their body forms were too large for the spaces and modules. The station had needed to be redesigned after a lawsuit made its way through the courts. The State Department had intervened and arbitrated a deal to redesign the station.

That allowed everyone to get what they wanted and the administration would avoid accusations of racism. The administration had accepted that compromise and sent the Spacebees in to build the new space station. They were using the small modular one attached to the new one until the new one was complete.

To say that the Centaurians were prickly was putting it mildly. And that wasn’t just because of the poisonous spines on their backs.

Nuevo A exported army personnel, some military goods, and food products to the Sargasso star system and from there to Bek or the outer Federation. They were steadily improving the quantity and quality of their exports and even expanding to other export goods.

The army had a handle on the worms to the point that tourism was starting to pick up a little. There were even star liners that came in from Bek every quarter. The tourists enjoyed the visits to the “quaint” world and welcomed a respite from their time on the ships and casinos.

The natives on Nuevo B had only one export, information. Their work was important to science, math, genetic research, industry, physics, and navigation. Which explained why they wanted their own dedicated ansible at three times the capacity of a normal link he thought wryly.

That was a part of his mission, build the station, build a computer center on the planet, build a larger ansible platform, and possibly build bridges and other structures on the planet if there was anything left in the budget.

A second ansible link was on its way. Getting it through the rapids was tricky though; they had to account for losses in transit. The ansible cores were super sensitive to even the slightest shock to them.

The Centaurians wanted to hog the current ansible bandwidth while they waited. That was not acceptable. State became involved again, and a decree was announced that the two worlds split the data bandwidth down the middle with exceptions for military and government communications of course.

Conversations through the ansible was expensive. He was limited to a dozen characters a month. He had begun to save them up so he could send an entire sentence to his family and not just an emoji.

He shook his head and glanced at the image of Reuben Sullivan. The Neodog mutt was the undersecretary assigned to the star system. He predated Jorge’s arrival and was the bane of his existence. The dog was constantly on him to find ways to speed the process up.

He would if he could. He’d love to get out from under the mutt and the prickly natives. Love, love, love that idea. But, it wasn’t going to happen. At least, not any time soon. He couldn’t magically pull the parts out of the void. Even though he’d love to do just that.

Or send a certain pain-in-the-ass mutt in that direction he thought darkly.

He kept tabs on the dog’s whereabouts so he could be elsewhere. Usually being on the shitter was enough to keep the dog at bay so he wouldn’t have to listen to another lecture and whiny demand to hurry things along—oh, and keep it all under budget of course.

He shook his head and decided it was time for him to go walkabout for a bit. In the other direction from the mutt of course.

>>><><<< 

 

HELL OF A WITCH
coming out Oct 1, 2024!The hotly anticipated sequel to HELL FOR HIRE...

One month ago, Bex, the demon queen, and Adrian, witch of the Blackwood, pulled off the upset victory of the century. Now, they find themselves facing the question all unexpected champions must answer: what next? They declared war on Heaven, but how do you actually bring down a divinely powerful tyrant when your army’s still in the single digits and your magical fortress is an illegally modified Winnebago?

It seems like a hopeless situation. As always, though, Adrian Blackwood has a plan, and this time, he’s going big. He’s got an idea to take down the Seattle Anchor, the giant magical fortress that houses the Anchor Market and every other bit of critical infrastructure that connects Heaven to Earth.

How the Anchors work is a closely guarded secret, and getting to the good stuff will require going deep into the heart of Gilgamesh’s power. There’s a reason even the Queen of Wrath has never attacked one directly, but now that Adrian’s on her team, Bex thinks they can do it. She’s finally got the power she needs to actually move the needle on this war, and she’s going to hit that Anchor with all the fire she’s got.

But the enemies of Heaven aren’t the only ones making plans. After the fiery return of his most persistent annoyance, Gilgamesh has ordered his princes to take care of the demon queen problem personally. It’s time to roll out the big guns and show these rebels what divine wrath really means, starting with the Hell of a Witch who made it all possible.

Coming out October 1 in ebook, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, hardback, and an absolutely incredible audio edition!Preorder Now!Boston, what are you doing? Get out from in front of the title!

*Attempts to push familiar away with broom. Broom and cat team up. The author is forced to retreat.*

Ahem... It's sequel time! Y'all made HELL FOR HIRE one of my best new launches ever, and now the second book is almost here. HELL OF A WITCH has more of everything you love, and it's coming out all formats on October 1! Hooray!

Thank you all so much for making this series such a success. I'm so grateful you're enjoying the story, because I love these misfits to death. So much that I've already written book 3, which will be coming out in early 2025! So many books! It's the best of times.

I really hope you'll give HELL OF A WITCH a try, and if you haven't cracked into my Tear Down Heaven series yet, what are you waiting for? It's awesome! The audio book in particular is *chef's kiss*. One of the best things we've ever done. Highly recommended. 

Again, thank you all so so much for being my readers and listeners. I hope you love this book as much as I do. It's just so much fun and I can't wait for you to get into it. This series is going to be a truly epic ride.

Thanks again for making my dreams come true! Yours always and forever,

Rachel AaronWitch Career Counselor Assistant to the Familiars
HELL OF A WITCH is the second book in the Tear Down Heaven series. If you're new, start from the beginning with HELL FOR HIRE. I promise you won't be sorry!

In a few short days, Prince of Thorns becomes a teenager and will be the same age as Jorg himself for the first few pages of the novel!

I never expected to be an author. I certainly never expected this guy to pay off my mortgage. And I absolutely didn't expect to still be signing copies of the book in my local Waterstones 13 years after it was published.

The shelf life of an author is typically one book. Fantasy authors more often get a trilogy, because that's how fantasy rolls. But yup, not many of us hang around for long, and the past 13 years are littered with the bright flashes of many fine writers who came along about the same time as me.
I've said - so often that I'm bored of hearing myself say it - that all forms of writing success require large doses of luck. Skill at writing and at story telling are what buys you the lottery ticket. After that you need the stars to align.
It's easy to focus on the hyper-rare examples where the celestial alignment has been of atonishing proportions, and to feel a measure of discontent. But I'm constantly aware that so many fine writers have failed to flourish where I've been fortunate enough to make a living for over a decade now.
So, in part this post is a big thankyou to all you readers who've made that possible.

It's scary to look back at my bibliography and think that (with the exception of the Impossible Times books) each of those novels represents a year of my life. I have grown significantly older doing this...
People often talk to me about pride and about legacy, as if these stories are somehow more of an achievement than the myriad things everyone else has spent the last 13+ years on. I don't subscribe to that point of view, at all. Almost every book is a line drawn in wet sand and if the wave that will wash them away hasn't arrived in 13 years, then it's certainly going to hit the beach at some point, and sooner than most folk think.
I'm pleased and grateful that I've been able to share these stories, but 'proud' isn't a word I'd use. It's ... complicated.
Anyway, enough navel gazing. Just as I had no idea what the 13 years after Prince of Thorns hitting the shelves would look like, I have no idea where we'll be when the book reaches 18 or 21. Will anyone remember Jorg on the 25th anniversary in 2036 ... who knows. 
For now though, the ideas keep coming and the itch to write continues to require scratching. I've finished three books this year, and hopefully will have a 4th done by Christmas.
Thanks for reading!


Join my Patreon.Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter.  #Prizes #FreeContent
 

 

"Featuring a motley crew of loveable demons, a chaotic male forest witch with a sassy talking cat familiar, snarky sentient weapons, wicked warlocks, and plenty of magical mayhem, Hell for Hire is a bewitching and diabolically fun urban fantasy that is as thrilling as it is wholesome." - Before We Go Book Blog

"Rachel Aaron has never ever failed to deliver an effortlessly engaging story filled with lovable characters, and an amazing, yet accessible, worldbuilding that is uniquely hers. It came as no surprise that Hell For Hire has all her usual winning trademarks and is possibly her best first book in a series so far." - Novel Notions

"Hell for Hire is an urban fantasy tale that follows a ragtag group of demons and the outcast witch they're hired to protect. Boasting loveable characters, unique lore, and a whole lot of heart, this urban fantasy romp is an absolute delight." - Simple Reads

"Hell For Hire is an absolute blast to read as it combines action, comedy, and lots of magic for a unique story. Rachel Aaron with her eighth (or ninth) series opener showcases exactly why she has no peers in the urban fantasy genre. If you want to have lots of fun, thrills and action, look no further. Hell For Hire is available to fulfill all your needs and more." - Fantasy Book Critic

"Aaron has done it again, giving us a whole new world in which to enjoy her outstanding craft. While many of the themes will be familiar, Aaron has created something fun and wonderful that delighted me. I blazed through this book, sacrificing sleep and productivity. Loved the world building and as usual with Aaron, loved her characters and the obstacles they face, overcome, and the new crises that arise from the ashes to challenge the protagonists anew. Can’t wait for the next book! This is already a must-read." - J Graham (audiobook review)Get your copy now in ebook, print, audio, or KU!The time has finally come! I finally get to share the book that's consumed my last year with you, and I can't wait for you to read/listen to HELL FOR HIRE, which is available right now in ebook, print, audio, and Kindle Unlimited!

I know it's not the DFZ and there aren't any dragons (yet), but I still hope you'll give it a try, because this book was an absolute blast to write! I've never had so many great critic reviews right off the bat. And if you're worried about starting a new book 1, I've got you, because book 2 is already written and going through proofreads, which means it will be available later this year. This series, she is rolling!

And speaking of rolling, you should give the audio edition a try on this one, because our new narrator, Nicholas Cain, narrated the hell out of it, pun entirely intended. ;) The audiobook is also available in stores other than Audible this time! Here's a list of all places you can find it, I hope you'll give the story a listen :D

If print is more your thing, we have hardbacks, and they are sexy! I mean, just look at this.



Ah, the sight fills my book-hording heart with joy <3 

I think that's enough promo for one morning. Thank you all so, so much for coming along with me on this crazy journey! I couldn't do any of this without your support, and I hope from the bottom of my heart that you love HELL FOR HIRE as much as I do. Thanks again, and I'll see you for the next book!

Yours sincerely,
Rachel AaronProfessional Familiar Consultant, talk to me about talking cats!
HELL FOR HIRE is the first book in the new Tear Down Heaven series, which will be five books in total. The second book will be out in Fall of 2024. I hope to see you then!

 

Introducing...HELL FOR HIRE coming out June 4!The Crew
A hulked-out wrath demon who eats gamer rage and loves cats, a shapeshifting lust demon who enjoys their food a bit too much, and a void demon who doesn’t see the point of any of this. They’re not the sort of mercenaries you hire on purpose, but Bex wouldn’t trust her life to anyone else.
 
Ever since the ancient Mesopotamian king Gilgamesh decided death wasn’t for him, killed the gods, and conquered the afterlife, times have been rough for a free demon. But the denizens of the Nine Hells aren’t the quitting sort, and Bex and her team have been choking a living out of the Eternal King’s lackeys for years. It’s not honest work, but when Heaven itself declares you a non-person, you smash-and-grab what you can get.
 
This next gig looks like more of the same…until Bex meets the client.
 
The Job 
Adrian Blackwood is a witch with a problem. His family has skirted the edges of King Gilgamesh’s ire for centuries, but thanks to a decision he made as a child, Adrian is personally responsible for putting his entire coven in Heaven’s crosshairs.
 
Determined to set things right, Adrian drags his broom, caldron, and talking cat thousands of miles across the country to Seattle where he can fight the Eternal King’s warlocks without bringing the rest of his family into the fray. But witchcraft--like all crafts--takes time, and if the warlocks catch him before his spells are ready, he’s dead. So Adrian does what any professional witch would do and hires a team of mercenaries to keep the warlocks off his back. He didn’t expect to get demons, but when you’re already on the killing-edge of Heaven’s bad side, what’s a bit more fuel on the fire?
 
Sometimes you get more than you paid for.
Neither Adrian nor Bex knew what to expect when they signed their contract, but witch-plus-demon turns out to be a match made in the Hells. With this much chaos at their fingertips, even impossible dreams start to come back into reach, because Bex wasn’t always a mercenary. She used to be the Eternal King of Heaven’s biggest nightmare, and now that she’s got a witch in her corner, it’s time to put the old magics back on the field and show Adrian Blackwood just how much Hell he’s hired.
 Preorder Now!Big day in book-land! 

First up, BY A SILVER THREAD is on sale this week for $0.99, so if you haven't given my new DFZ Changeling series a try, now's a great time to pick it up for cheap!

Second (and way more excitingly), I've got a brand-new book for you to dive into! Introducing HELL FOR HIRE, the first in the Tear Down Heaven series and a return to the classic Rachel-Aaron-style of big ensemble casts full of funny characters, crazy magic, world-ending stakes, and epic swordfights. If you liked my Eli Monpress fantasy books or the original Heartstrikers series, this is going to be right up your alley. There's a new magical system, demons with weird immortality issues, witch-family drama, and terrifying heavenly princes who will murder you while looking gorgeous. It's just a ton of fun and I can't wait for you to read it!!

HELL FOR HIRE comes out June 4, 2024 in all formats, including ebook, print, KU, and audio. If any of that changes, I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks for being my readers/listeners! I couldn't do any of this without you. 

Yours always,

Rachel AaronDivine Orchestrator Professional Demon Herder

Want to see all of my books in order, read samples, and know which series are finished? Visit www.rachelaaron.net!

No Victor lasts forever.

Victor thought he won when he became the Hero. He thought he won when he took over the DFZ. He thought he’d made himself untouchable.

He’s wrong.

Lola isn’t the sad little monster she used to be. She has a plan, she has allies, she has more magic than she ever dreamed possible. Killing one blood mage should be easy with an entire fairy kingdom at her fingertips, but Victor didn't make himself a god by playing fair, and his bag of tricks is far from empty. Taking him down will require everything Lola and her friends can bring, but if there’s one thing Lola’s always been, it’s determined. No matter the cost, no matter what it takes, she will see this through.

To the bloody end.

Get your copy now in ebook, KU, print, or audio!This was an extremely satisfying book to write. I don't think I've ever enjoyed wrapping a series so much. It's epic, it's awesome, and I cannot wait for you to read it in ebook, print, or KU or listen on audio, cause they're all out today!

Thank you so much for coming with me on Lola's journey. This wasn't the sort of story I ever thought I'd write, but when the book needs to happen, it needs to happen, and I'm very glad this one did. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I do and that you'll join me for what comes next.

And speaking of what comes next...

This is going to be a very exciting year for new releases! Lola's series is done, but I've got a brand new Urban Fantasy set in a brand new world that I think you're really going to enjoy.

The first book will be called HELL FOR HIRE and it's all about a team of demon mercenaries who get hired by a witch. There's tons of action, mystery, ancient Sumerian sorcery, a loveable snarky cast, a know-it-all talking cat, magical sword fighting, and overall hijinks in modern Seattle. It's just the BEST. I'm so in love that I'm already working on the draft for book 3. It's THAT GOOD, and as soon as I have a cover, you will be seeing a lot more of my new favorite thing. This is the most fun I've had with a series since Heartstrikers, and I just know you're going to love it.

So yeah, gonna be a lot of reads coming in 2024. :) As always, mailing list gets first dibs on everything, so sign up if you're not already and keep an eye on your email box, 'cause it's going to get wild!

Thank you again so much for being my reader/listener. You are the reason these stories exist, and I hope you'll come along with me for many more novels to come. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and please enjoy TO THE BLOODY END!

Yours always,

Rachel AaronMother of Dragons Bethesda's Unpaid Intern
TO THE BLOODY END is the third book in the DFZ Changeling trilogy. If you're new, start from the beginning with BY A SILVER THREAD. I promise you won't be sorry!

No Victor lasts forever.

Victor thought he won when he became the Hero. He thought he won when he took over the DFZ. He thought he’d made himself untouchable.

He’s wrong.

Lola isn’t the sad little monster she used to be. She has a plan, she has allies, she has more magic than she ever dreamed possible. Killing one blood mage should be easy with a fairy kingdom at her fingertips, but Victor didn't make himself a god by playing fair, and his bag of tricks is far from empty. Taking him down will take everything Lola and her friends can bring, but if there’s one thing Lola’s always been, it’s determined. No matter the cost, no matter what it takes, she will see this through.

To the bloody end.

Preorder Now!Happy 2024 everyone!

I've got a lot of good books lined up for y'all this year, but first... The end is nearly upon us! The third and final book in Lola's epic quest to punch Victor in the face comes out on February 2, 2024 in ebook, print, KU, and Audible audio book! Hooray!!

Mailing list subscribers have already seen this (not on the list yet? Sign up now! It's free, there's no spam, and you get first dibs on everything!) but here's the cover for TO THE BLOODY END featuring the art of the amazing Luisa Preissler! I love the torn up Hero poster behind her and the glowing crown on her head (which IS in the book, and it's GREAT!).

This series has been a wild ride and I'm so pumped for you to finally read the ending. It's one of the most exciting and strange final battles I've ever written. I think you're going to really like it, so if you haven't already, please preorder the book or add it to your KU to read list so you don't miss out!

This is hopefully just the first of many books I'll have for you this year. I don't want to overshadow Lola (poor little changeling has been through enough) but I've got a brand new Urban Fantasy in a brand new world involving witches launching this summer, and it is SO much fun! Mailing list people will be getting everything first, so sign up if you haven't yet, and I promise you'll hear all kinds of cool things from me soon!

Thank you again for being my fans. I couldn't do any of this without you!

Yours sincerely,

Rachel AaronMayor of the DFZ
TO THE BLOODY END is the third book in the DFZ Changeling series. If you're new, start from the beginning with BY A SILVER THREAD! I promise you won't be sorry!

Standing up to Victor was only the beginning.

Three weeks ago, Lola put her soul on the line to save her sister and stop an abusive blood mage from making himself a god. But while she managed to derail the worst of Victor’s plans, the rest of the world still sees her old master as the hero. To make matters worse, the Nightmare King Alberich has entirely escaped his prison and is now leading the Wild Hunt on a rampage of fear and chaos across the skies of Europe.

With Alberich playing the villain, it’s only a matter of time before Victor convinces all of humanity that his abusive magic is their only hope. Lola’s not about to let him get his dirty hands on that kind of power. But while she’s free to fight him, Simon and the Black Rider are still trapped under the blood mage’s boot. Lola will have to break them both out before she can take Victor down, but her former master’s plans are far from finished. He’s playing a game none of them can predict for a prize no one yet understands, and once all of his pieces are in place, the future of the world will hang on the edge of a golden sword.Get Your Copy Now!Hooray! It's here! WITH A GOLDEN SWORD is out today in eBook, KU, print, and audio!

WITH A GOLDEN SWORD is the second in Lola's trilogy, but since I've been on a crazy writing binge, the third book, TO THE BLOODY END, is already written and up for preorder! This means the series will be complete Feb of next year, which I'm pretty sure is some kind of record for me o_o. I've just been on fire for this series and I can't wait for y'all to see where it goes.

Thank you all so much for coming on yet another DFZ journey with me! I hope you check out the book, have a great week, and I'll talk to you all again when the next book is on the horizon. Until then, please enjoy WITH A GOLDEN SWORD!

Yours always,

Rachel AaronCat Endangerer Loving Author
WITH A GOLDEN SWORD is the second book in the DFZ Changeling series. If this is the first you've heard about it, start from the beginning with BY A SILVER THREAD! I promise you won't be sorry!

"Exquisitely trademark Rachel Aaron. Immensely readable & instantly engaging, with new characters that you can't help loving. The inclusion of fairy lore just leveled up the already fascinating world of the DFZ. So good, so fun!"- TS Chan, Novel Notations
In the world’s most magical metropolis where spirits run noodle shops and cash-strapped dragons stage photo-ops for tourists, people still think fairies are nothing but stories, and that’s exactly how the fairies like it. It’s a lot easier to feast on humanity’s dreams when no one believes you exist. But while this arrangement works splendidly for most fair folk, Lola isn’t one of the lucky ones.

She’s a changeling, a fairy monster made just human enough to dupe unsuspecting parents while fairies steal their real child. The magic that sustains her was never meant to last past the initial theft, leaving Lola without a future. But thanks to Victor Conrath, a very powerful--and very illegal--blood mage, she was given the means to cheat death.

For a price.

Now the only changeling ever to make it to adulthood, Lola has served the blood mage faithfully, if reluctantly, for twenty years. Her unique ability to slip through wards and change her shape to look like anyone has helped make Victor a legend in the DFZ’s illegal-magic underground. It’s not a great life, but at least the work is stable… until her master vanishes without a trace.

With only a handful left of the pills that keep her human, Lola must find Victor before she turns back into the fairy monster she was always meant to be. But with a whole SWAT team of federal paladins hunting her as a blood-mage accomplice, an Urban Legend on a silent black motorcycle who won’t leave her alone, and a mysterious fairy king with the power to make the entire city dream, Lola’s chances of getting out of this alive are as slender as a silver thread.Get your copy now!The wait is finally over! BY A SILVER THREAD comes out today in ebook, KU, and print!
Hold up, Rachel, where is the audio book?I'm asking the same question. It was supposed to come out today, but it's trapped in Audible's review process and no one will tell me why. I'm working on the problem right now and I promise I will send another email as soon as it's available, which will hopefully be very very soon. Come on, Audible, get it together! 

For all of you who read books with your eyes, the ebook and print editions are out and ready to enjoy. If you preordered a copy, thank you! The book should already be on your Kindle. If you prefer KU, you're also ready to go! Head on over and click the button to start enjoying the story. I hope you love it as much as I do!
But wait, there's more!As I mentioned in the last email, I've been on fire for this story, and the fire has paid off. No more waiting forever for a sequel. The next book in the DFZ Changeling series, WITH A GOLDEN SWORD, is already written and will be out on October 2!

Why the long wait if it's already done? Well, as you'll see, the book has no cover yet or anything else. Writing is only the first step in a long process of making a quality book. But the novel is finished AND there's a sneak preview of the first chapter in the back of book 1! So if you love BY A SILVER THREAD, which I very much hope you will, rest assured that the rest of the series will be coming out swiftly. 
Can I read this book if I haven't read any of the other DFZ stories?Yes! Just like MINIMUM WAGE MAGIC, I wrote BY A SILVER THREAD to be an entry point for new readers. You don't need to know anything about the DFZ to enjoy it, but if you are a fan of my other series, I packed in a lot of goodies for you to enjoy. It's a win/win for everybody!
As always, thank you so so much for being my readers and listeners. I hope you love BY A SILVER THREAD as much as I do!

Yours always,
Rachel AaronChronic Magical City Endangerer 

 

Return to the DFZ with a brand new series, introducingBy A Silver ThreadIn the world’s most magical metropolis where spirits run noodle shops and cash-strapped dragons stage photo-ops for tourists, people still think fairies are nothing but stories, and that’s exactly how the fairies like it. It’s a lot easier to feast on humanity’s dreams when no one believes you exist. But while this arrangement works splendidly for most fair folk, Lola isn’t one of the lucky ones.

She’s a changeling, a fairy monster made just human enough to dupe unsuspecting parents while fairies steal their real child. The magic that sustains her was never meant to last past the initial theft, leaving Lola without a future. But thanks to Victor Conrath, a very powerful--and very illegal--blood mage, she was given the means to cheat death.

For a price.

Now the only changeling ever to make it to adulthood, Lola has served the blood mage faithfully, if reluctantly, for twenty years. Her unique ability to slip through wards and change her shape to look like anyone has helped make Victor a legend in the DFZ’s illegal-magic underground. It’s not a great life, but at least the work is stable… until her master vanishes without a trace.

With only a handful left of the pills that keep her human, Lola must find Victor before she turns back into the fairy monster she was always meant to be. But with a whole SWAT team of federal paladins hunting her as a blood-mage accomplice, an Urban Legend on a silent black motorcycle who won’t leave her alone, and a mysterious fairy king with the power to make the entire city dream, Lola’s chances of getting out of this alive are as slender as a silver thread.By A Silver Thread is the first in a new, stand-alone DFZ series set right after the end of Opal's series. There are cameos from old favorites and a brand new cast of charming, sinister fairies you'll love to hate.
Coming out May 2, 2023!Preorder Now!What is this? A new DFZ novel so soon? 

Yes, we are back in everyone's favorite city with a brand-new cast and a whole host of horrifying new problems. It was not my intention to start a new series until the Mary Good Crow books were done, but this idea would not let me go, so here we are.

I am so, so excited for y'all to read this book! It's got everything we love about the DFZ, but from an entirely new angle. It's action packed, and I think the magic is some of the coolest I've ever written. I had an absolute blast writing this book... and the sequel, which is already with the editor. What, I told you I was on fire! I just couldn't stop writing, and now you get more books. It's a win-win!

So does this mean the Western books are on hold? Absolutely not. I'm writing the third Mary novel as we speak. So yes, I am writing two series at once, but given how crazy I've been for these books, it definitely won't be long before they're all in your hands. I've already got two more launches lined up for this years, and next year should be at least two. It feels so good to be writing again after the Covid downturn. I can't wait to share everything I've been working on with you!
By A Silver Thread will launch in all formats (print, audio, ebook, and KU) on May 2. You can preorder the ebook now or wait until launch day for all the formats. Just don't forget to order, because you're going to want to read this book. Thank you so much for being my readers. I can't wait to see how much you'll love Lola's story! 

Yours with extreme enthusiasm,
Rachel AaronMother of Dragons Bethesda's Unpaid Intern

 Just an update to post this really fun interview I did with Tales After Tolkien! Check it out!

 Today's the day!

When Mary Good Crow came out of the crystal into the arms of her sister, the last thing she wanted was another fight. But war is coming to the Great Plains. With crystal on their side, the Lakota are poised to annihilate the town of Medicine Rocks, forcing Mary to choose between the friends she’s finally found and the family she’s always longed for.

When Rel Reiner accepted her father’s dark bargain to save Josie and the others, the last thing she expected was to survive. But there’s more to the Reiner’s magic than ghosts and bones. Magic Rel will have to embrace if she ever wants to walk in her own skin again.

When Josie Price left the crystal mines one step ahead of death, the last thing she intended to do was quit. But the wolves in town are circling, and with the crystal going crazy and the cavalry riding to war, just finding a way to protect her people might cost her everything she came to Montana to build.

Three women divided by a war none of them wants. But Josie, Mary, and Rel have always been strongest together, and with the world’s magical future on the line, “together” might be the only way anyone survives.

Get your copy now in ebook, audio, print, or KU!

I can’t tell you how excited I am for y'all to read this book! I'm sooo proud of this ending and this series as a whole. If you haven't tried out THE LAST STAND OF MARY GOOD CROW yet, I hope you'll give it a go! This series has been such a wild ride, and I really hope you enjoy it!

This is the first launch for what I hope is going to be a very busy 2023. I’ve got a new DFZ series I’ll be announcing soon along with other fun stuff, so if you're not already subscribed to my New Release Newsletter, I hope you'll come over and say hi! Subscribers always get first dibs on the good stuff, I never share your info, and I only send out emails when I have a new book. No risk, just awesome, so I hope you'll join in!  

Thank you so much for all your support over the years. Enjoy THE BATTLE OF MEDICINE ROCKS, and I’ll see you soon with a new story!

Yours with a hat tip,

Rachel Aaron

Return to the magical West forThe Battle of Medicine Rocks!
When Mary Good Crow came out of the crystal into the arms of her sister, the last thing she wanted was another fight. But war is coming to the Great Plains. With crystal on their side, the Lakota are poised to annihilate the town of Medicine Rocks, forcing Mary to choose between the friends she’s found and the family she’s always longed for.

When Rel Reiner accepted her father’s dark bargain to save Josie and the others, the last thing she expected was to survive. But there’s more to the Reiner family’s magic than ghosts and bones. Magic Rel will have to embrace if she ever wants to walk in her own skin again.

When Josie Price left the crystal mines one step ahead of death, the last thing she intended was to quit. But the wolves in town are circling, and with the crystal going crazy and the cavalry riding to war, just finding a way to keep going might cost her everything she came to Montana to build.

Three women divided by a war none of them wants. But Josie, Mary, and Rel have always been strongest together, and with the entire world’s magical future on the line, “together” might be the only way anyone survives.

 The second book in The Crystal Calamity, coming out February 1!
Preorder Now!What's better for the new year than a new book? How about several new books?

I've been writing like crazy and should have a lot of new titles coming for you all this year, but this first one is a doozy. THE BATTLE OF MEDICINE ROCKS is the sequel to THE LAST STAND OF MARY GOOD CROW and has (I think) the best ending I've ever written. I'm super proud of how it came out and cannot wait for y'all to read it on February 1! 

Even better, we've finally managed to line up all formats to release simultaneously! Whether you prefer ebook, print, or audio book, they all release on the same day. It's everything, everywhere, all at once, and really pretty to boot! Seriously, the print version is gorgeous.

Whatever format you fancy, I really, really hope you enjoy this new entry in the Crystal Calamity. I know Western fiction isn't everyone's thing, but if you haven't given book 1 a try yet, I hope you'll give me a shot. And for those of you already in the know, I can't wait for you to read what comes next. It's gonna be a blast! 

Thank you as always for being my readers and listeners, and I hope you enjoy THE BATTLE OF MEDICINE ROCKS!

Yours with a respectful hat tip,

Rachel Aaron 

 

 

"Brimming with imagination, wonderful characters and captivating magic. "

- Novel Notions

The long awaited day is finally here! The fantastic audio book of my newest novel, THE LAST STAND OF MARY GOOD CROW, officially goes on sale today!

If you already own the ebook, you can pick up the audio edition for super cheap! Who said audio books had to be expensive? I get paid the same either way, so there's no reason not to get yourself a deal!

I think Naomi Rose-Mock did a fantastic job with all the characters. I really hope you'll give it a try. Thank you as always for being my readers (and listeners!), and I hope you'll enjoy the audio edition of The Last Stand of Mary Good Crow!

Yours always,
Rachel

 It's time! 

Hungry darkness, haunted guns, tunnels that move like snakes--the crystal mines of Medicine Rocks, Montana are a place only the bravest and greediest dare. Discovered in 1866, the miraculous rock known as crystal quickly rose to become the most expensive substance on the planet, driving thousands to break the treaties and invade the sacred buffalo lands of the Sioux for a chance at the wealth beneath. But mining crystal risks more than an arrow in the chest. The beautiful rock has a voice of its own. A voice that twists minds and calls unnatural powers.

A voice that turns men into monsters.

Mary Good Crow hears it. Half white, half Lakota, rejected by both, she’s forged a new life guiding would-be miners through the treacherous caves. To her ears, the crystal sings a beautiful song, one the men she guides would gladly burn her as a witch for hearing. So, when an heiress from Boston arrives with a proposition that could change her life, Mary agrees to push deeper into the caves than she’s ever dared.

But there are secrets buried in the Deep Caves that even Mary doesn’t know. The farther she goes, the closer she gets to the voice that’s been calling her all this time. A voice that could change the bloody story of the West, or destroy it all.

"Possibly the best alternate historical fantasy that you will read."- Fantasy Book Critic

Get your copy now!

It's finally here! The first book in my new series is out today in ebook, print, and Kindle Unlimited! HOORAY! 

We're recording the audio version right now, so hopefully that will be available quickly as well. I'll send an email as soon as I have a date, so make sure you're subscribed to my New Release Mailing List to get all the info on, well, new releases! (And nothing else. Trust me, I hate spam as much as you!)

Thank you all so much for being my readers, and I hope you love Mary's story!

Yours always,

Rachel Aaron