If you’re at Loncon, stop by and say hello. Friday at 3 pm.
Yes, I Am Doing a Signing at Worldcon
posted in: appearances, cons
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Cape Cod Writers Conference
posted in: writing workshops
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I’m nearing the wrap-up of my long weekend here in Hyannis, Mass., teaching sessions on speculative fiction at a conference that is very much about all kinds of writing. I’ve met some really nice poets, for example, and reconnected with a thriller writer, Gary Braver, who lives in the same town I do. For some reason, I never see him except at writers events. I met another writer who’s getting ready to move to my town, and several students who already do. This is largely, but not entirely, a middle-aged crowd, and quite dedicated to what they’re doing. My SF class is small, but focused and quite talented.
Here’s proof that I showed up at the conference center:
And here’s how I demonstrated by example how one can seek out necessary rest and inspiration. I needed it, since they scheduled me for 8:30 in the morning sessions. Anyone who knows me knows that is a profoundly risky idea! (Still, it worked out okay.)
The ocean is always good for a few ideas for me, and sure enough, after about a half hour of floating and swimming in the Atlantic, a couple of ideas came to me for the rewrite of Reefs, things that happen down the road a ways.
Day two, after a class and a private mentoring session, I hopped in my trusty Landshark and drove to my favorite place in Sandwich, the beginning of the bike path along the Cape Cod Canal. I got in a solid hour of roller blading, and returned just in time to shower for the banquet. (We won’t mention that I forgot that the keynote speech was before the banquet, not after, and I sort of missed—no, I said I wasn’t going to mention that.) Anyway, as usual, I’m drawn to the water when I have the opportunity. Best way to clear the head, reward myself for doing some good work, and gather thoughts and impressions for later.
And maybe dream a little.
Tomorrow we wrap, and I head home. (With a stop, I hope, for a bit of biking. I brought both skates and my bike.)
As usual with these events, the best part was the people I met. I hope to cross paths with some of them again. Maybe even at my local Trader Joe’s.
Reality Runs Free!
posted in: ebooks, free ebooks, my books, specials
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Actually, I don’t know if reality, per se, is running free, but my book Reality and Other Fictions, is free in ebook for the month of August! Really!
Why would I do such a crazy thing? Because I want more people to give a try and see if they like it. And if they like it, maybe they’ll give it a good review somewhere.* And they might even try some of my other books, while they’re at it.
*Please do! It hardly has any reviews in the stores. And as I’ve said before, reviews matter.
Here’s what it’s about, according to the blurb writer (me again):
Five science fiction stories to ignite the imagination.
Explore an Earth being devoured by entropy, in the ultimate runaway environmental crisis. Dive the depths of the sea to prevent the mother of all oil spills. Rocket into space as a tourist. Mine the asteroids with your enhanced border collie, in the can-do spirit of classic science fiction. These stories appeared in publications as varied as Science Fiction Age, F&SF, and the Boston Sunday Herald. They include Carver’s first published short fiction, and his most recent. With new introductions, all from the author of The Chaos Chronicles and Eternity’s End.
Contents:
Reality School: In the Entropy Zone
Of No Return
Seastate Zero
Rocket Ride!
Dog Star
There’s a pretty big range of types of story in this one, and I hope you’ll find something to your liking. It’s free to try! And for that matter, to keep.
Right now it’s free at Book View Café, Kobobooks, and Smashwords. Soon it should show up free at Nook and Apple. If you see it free there, you could do me a big favor by going to Amazon and reporting a “lower price elsewhere” (scroll down to Product Details)—in hopes of getting them to make it free, too. (You can’t do that directly at Amazon, unless you go into one of their exclusive programs, which I prefer not to do.) Thanks a million. Oh, and grab a free copy while you’re at it.
(Okay it’s free at Kobo again. Still waiting for Nook and Apple, though, and I can’t make it free at Amazon until it’s free at one or both of those places. Amazing how hard it can be to give something away.)
Rocket Raccoon Rocks in Guardians! Groot, Too!
posted in: theater and movies
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I saw Guardians of the Galaxy with family and friends on Sunday (in 3D), and then again on Monday (in 2D). If you’re guessing that I liked it, you win! What a great movie! And quite honestly, what made it great were the wise-cracking, machine-gun-toting raccoon and the walking, talking tree. (If you count “I am Groot” as talking.) The other people were excellent, too, and so was the music. And even the reason for the music.
Science fictional ground it does not break. But who cares? You’ll love the characters, and you’ll laugh a lot. And that pretty well covers the price of admission, in my book.
I’m buyin’ this one on Bue-ray.
Upcoming Appearances!
posted in: appearances, cons, personal news, writing workshops
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I haven’t posted about this in a while. I’ll be showing my face in public in two very different events in the next couple of weeks.
This coming weekend, August 7-10, I’ll be conducting several workshop sessions in science fiction writing at the Cape Cod Writers Conference, in Hyannis, MA. It’s not too late to sign up! (At least, I don’t think so.) This one is for the general public, and last I heard, there was still room in my workshop, which is just part of a much larger conference. So if you’re in the area, and you’re interested, check into it right away!
After that, I’ll be in London for Loncon, the annual World Science Fiction Convention! This will be the first worldcon I’ve attended in a number of years, and I’m looking forward to it. Cool fact: My wife Allysen went through Air BnB and got us a place to stay on a boat on the Thames! How can you beat that? I was late in registering, and apparently too late in asking to be put on the program—because they didn’t schedule me for anything, not even an autograph session. Ah well, that may make it a more relaxing trip, after all.
If you’re at Loncon, keep an eye out and say hello if you see me!
EDIT: I’m signing at 3 pm Friday. Please stop by!
Dog Days Sale at Book View Café!
posted in: Book View Cafe, ebooks, specials
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There are a slew of books on sale for half price at BookView Café, in our Dog Days of July sale! Fantasy, science fiction, romance, and more by a bunch of different BVC authors. Includes a couple of mine. From now until July 28!
Check it out. BVC has really well formatted ebooks, most of them previously published by the big houses, all of them DRM-free, and just generally good stuff. If you have any problems, just contact Customer Support. (You’ll probably get me.)
(Re)Introducing…Down the Stream of Stars!
posted in: ebooks, my books, personal news
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The second book of the Starstream, Down the Stream of Stars, is back! (Updated) Live at Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iTunes, and Smashwords as I write this. Soon to be at Book View Café.
Here’s what the blurb writer (that would be me) had to say about it:
A great interstellar migration has begun, down the grand, ethereal highway known as the starstream—from the remnant of the Betelgeuse supernova to the center of the Milky Way. Who could have predicted the wonders of the starstream, or the perils it would unleash—including the Throgs, shadowy beings of n-space that seem to understand only death and destruction? But life goes on, dangers or no, and colonists pour down the starstream seeking new worlds. Aboard starship Charity are many such colonists, including one Claudi Melnik, a child of uncommon talents—and an AI named Jeaves, with purposes of his own. When the unthinkable occurs, Claudi must face alone the challenge of the Throgs. And no one, not even Jeaves, could have predicted the final confrontation—or imagined where unexpected allies would be found.
Triumphant sequel to the bestselling From a Changeling Star, Down the Stream of Stars is a daring journey across the gulf between human and alien, to the heart of consciousness itself.
Named one of the best science fiction novels of the year by Science Fiction Chronicle. DRM-free ebook edition. Original print publication by Bantam Spectra.
“Carver’s ingenuity is everywhere apparent.” —Locus
“I enjoyed it immensely. Carver provides another wild ride through a deranged cosmos. His imagination is matched only by his compassion. Marvelous effort!” —Jack McDevitt, author of Seeker and Chindi.
By the way, you can read this as a standalone novel, but my recommendation is to read From a Changeling Star first, and then start this one the second you finish. You know, so as not to lose momentum. Low introductory price will not last!
And also by way, it provides some interesting background for The Reefs of Time, which I am still writing!
From a Changeling Star . . . Is Back!
posted in: ebooks, my books, personal news, science fiction, specials
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If for some odd reason you’d been monitoring my author page at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Apple these last couple of weeks, you would have seen nine of my books disappear from the listings. No, it’s not the battle between Amazon and Hachette. It’s that I’ve recovered the rights to these books (amicably) from the previous publisher, and I’m preparing my own ebook editions. (Probably paper editions, too, for the ones I have those rights to. But that’s further down the road.)
Well, the first one is making its reappearance. From a Changeling Star is live at the Kindle store, in progress at the Nook store, and set for “pre-order” at the Apple and Kobo stores (where it will release on July 22, same day as at Book View Café). The sequel, Down the Stream of Stars, is not far behind.
Edit: It’s now also available at Nook, iTunes, Kobo, and Book View Cafe!
|Beneath the roiling surface of Betelgeuse, scientists anxiously await the one man essential to the success of Starmuse, the greatest engineering project in human history. But on Kantano’s World, Willard Ruskin battles invisible agents for control of his life, his physical form, and even his memories. Drawn into a conflict from which not even death will free him, Ruskin must find a way to reach Betelgeuse before his enemies sabotage Starmuse—and humanity’s future among the stars. A harrowing journey from inside the human cell… to the mind of a dying star.A stunning blend of hard science fiction with moving characterization, both human and otherwise. Introduces the robot Jeaves, familiar to readers of The Chaos Chronicles. From the Nebula-nominated author of Eternity’s End.
Original print publication by Bantam Spectra. A Locus bestseller.
These other books will be back, in due course:
Panglor
Star Rigger’s Way
Dragons in the Stars*
Dragon Rigger*
Seas of Ernathe
The Infinity Link
The Rapture Effect
*These two are still available in the boxed set, Dragon Space. Which is still on sale at the price-buster price of $1.99! Until midnight tonight, July 9, EDT! Go find it!
Is the Frenemy of My Enemy My Frenemy?
I don’t know why that just popped into my head. But I thought I should share it and ask if it makes sense. I asked my daughter Julia, and she had no clear answer.
Oh well, Happy Birthday, USA!
BookBub Strikes Again: Dragon Space!
I’m doing it again! What a wild and crazy guy! Starting today, I have another BookBub promotion running, this time for Dragon Space: A Star Rigger Omnibus — for the low, low price of $1.99 for two complete novels in one volume! Zounds!
In case you came in late, or have forgotten, Dragon Space is a boxed set of Dragons in the Stars and Dragon Rigger, two of my favorite books of the star rigger universe. If you don’t already have them, why not invest two thin dollar bills, or maybe two gold Sacajawea dollar coins, on the ebook value of the month? (Do you want your penny change? Sure thing. Or I can just put it in the Have One/Take One cup.)
For the ebook bargain hunter, BookBub is the best thing since unsliced, fresh-baked bread. It’s free to sign up. And you’ll hear about some great deals.