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MEDUSA’S TOUCH is out!

Emily L. Byrne has a new novel out! Medusa’s Touch is a sexy F/F science fiction romance set in the far future. It’s available in ebook on all major platforms today; print will be available later on this summer.

Betrayal, desire and danger: how did a simple side job go so wrong? Medusa Pilot TiCara X273 is in over her implants and she’s going to need all the help she can get from the lovely Sherin Khan…if she can learn to trust her.

Early praise:

Sacchi Green, Editor of Witches, Princesses and Women at Arms : “Emily L. Byrne’s Medusa’s Touch draws the reader deeply into her deftly created universe of starships and danger and conflict, with a fascinating main character who is entirely relatable even while she pilots her ship by means of hi-tech tentacle implants. Whether she feels the exultation of being at one with her ship amidst “the splendor of the starfields,” or the ecstasy of sex with the beautiful, mysterious woman she can’t entirely trust, we feel it all with her, and gladly follow her through inner turmoil and blood-stirring battle.

Dayna Ingram, Author of All Good Children: “Pilot-Captain TiCara X273 navigates more than just the stars in Emily L Byrne’s sexy space opera Medusa’s Touch. As a medusa pilot, TiCara is specially wired to command the Astra, the ship she longs to own so she can fly free from corporate interference. This latest job has just enough risk (and thus reward) to let her do exactly that. But this latest job also includes the beautiful and alluring Sherin Khan, who might prove to be as much of a distraction for TiCara in bed as she is a betrayer with an agenda of her own. Byrne spins a tightly-paced web of melodrama aboard the Astra, with the right balance of sex and explosions to keep the pages turning. TruTell: you’ll be savoring certain scenes long after you’ve left TiCara and Sherin’s orbit.”

Cheyenne Blue, Author of Blue Woman Stories and Editor of Forbidden Fruit: “Byrne’s fluid writing brings this twisty sci-fi tale to life. She pulled me in at the very start and kept me turning pages until the end. Byrne has created a fascinating character in TiCara. I cheered her on whether she was piloting her ship with her Medusa tentacles or seducing her woman.”

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MEDUSA’S TOUCH by Emily L. Byrne releasing 5/23/18 – available for preorder now

We have a new title releasing on 5/23/18 (due to a slight delay). Emily L. Byrne’s Medusa’s Touch is a new science fiction romance, set in the far future. It will be available in ebook initially, and in a print edition later on this summer. It’s currently in preorder!

What’s it about? Glad you asked!

Medusa Pilot Captain TiCara X273, ex-street kid, former bondslave and veteran of the Corps Wars, thought she wanted nothing more than to be captain of her own starship. Or, at least, that was all that she thought she wanted until Sherin Khan came back into her life. A bar singer turned corporate rep, Sherin is now working for Ser Trin Vahn, one of TiCara’s best clients and head of Vahn Corp.

Once they are thrown together on TiCara’s ship, TiCara and Sherin can no longer deny their simmering attraction to each other. But a simple mission to transport the ailing Vahn to the legendary asteroid, Electra 12, for medical treatments turns dark and dangerous as betrayal leads to betrayal. TiCara’s greatest enemy is pursuing them, there’s a traitor on her crew and Sherin has a secret that can tear them apart. Can they learn to trust each other before it’s too late?

“Emily L. Byrne’s Medusa’s Touch draws the reader deeply into her deftly created universe of starships and danger and conflict, with a fascinating main character who is entirely relatable even while she pilots her ship by means of hi-tech tentacle implants. Whether she feels the exultation of being at one with her ship amidst “the splendor of the starfields,” or the ecstasy of sex with the beautiful, mysterious woman she can’t entirely trust, we feel it all with her, and gladly follow her through inner turmoil and blood-stirring battle. “ – Sacchi Green, Editor of Witches, Princesses and Women at Arms

 

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Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures by Alex Acks is now available!

Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures by Alex Acks is out today!

Airships. Piracy. Murder. The Occasional Cup of Tea…Join Captain Marta Ramos, the most notorious pirate in the Duchy of Denver, and her crew as they negotiate the perils of air, land and drawing room in a series of fast-paced adventures in a North America that never was.

Available on Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, iBooks, B&N, IndieBound and other fine bookselling sites!

 

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SO MUCH NEWS!

For one thing, Alex Acks’s terrific Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures is up for preorder! It will be releasing in print and ebook on April 1! Why experience delayed gratification? Order now! Bookstores and libraries can order our print books, once they are available, through Ingram, FYI, and our ebooks through Kobo and Overdrive.

We should have print copies for sale at ClexaCon in Las Vegas in April at the table that we will be splitting with Blind Eye Books in the Dealer’s Room. We’re also hoping to throw a release party at WisCon (awaiting confirmation from the con) in Madison over Memorial Day weekend.

And in other Author News:

Catherine Lundoff will be reading at the Anderson Library at the University of Minnesota on Sunday, March 18th as part of the Women Who Write showcase of local authors.

 

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Starting a Small Press – Catherine Lundoff on starting Queen of Swords Press

This is a video by author Conrad Zero of a talk that our publisher, Catherine Lundoff, gave in November at DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis on the nuts and bolts of starting a small press.

Resource List

The Loft Literary Center (Minneapolis/St. Paul) – Offers classes on writing ad copy, evaluating cover art, marketing, etc.

Vellum – Software for formatting ebooks. New print option now also available. I use this to format my ebooks, but haven’t used the print option yet. Mac only, simple interface, short ramp-up time. Can be purchased for individual titles as well as lifetime option.

Jutoh – Software for ebook formatting. I haven’t used it but have seen it recommended by other publishers and indie authors.

Scrivener – Software primarily used for helping authors organize and write their work but can also be used to create formatted ebooks (but not by me so I recommend looking at reviews to see if it will work for you).

Bowker – The site for generating ISBNs for your books. Essential for print books if you want to sell them in stores and a good idea for ebooks as well. Use different ISBNs for the ebook vs. print editions of the same title.

Smashwords – Platform for selling and distributing ebooks. I use it for Kobo,iBooks, B&N, everything except Amazon, which I load to directly.

IngramSpark – I use IngramSpark to print and distribute the print editions of my books.  They produce good quality books at a reasonable price and have good distribution. I use them instead of CreateSpace or Lulu due to reports of quality issues with these two platforms, as well as for their finer points.

Canva – Software for creating advertising and other promotional documentation. There is a free version and a tier of paid versions.

Overdrive – Platform for ebook distribution to libraries. Smashwords includes Overdrive with its standard distribution.

Indie Author/Publisher links

Here are several sites that had a nice selection of reputable options. All of them include advice on various aspects of the indie publishing business, marketing tips, software recommendations and other useful things.

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New events and updates and books!

Emily L. Byrne’s Desire comes out tomorrow (11/26) but you can preorder today!

We’re running a Goodreads Giveaway for 2 copies of Catherine Lundoff’s Lambda-Award-nominated collection, Out of This World, until 11/30.

Amazon has Catherine Lundoff’s Silver Moon on sale this week for Prime users.

We’ve signed a two book deal with the amazing Alex Acks! Look for Book 1 of their steampunk adventures in 2018 and Book 2 in 2019. More info coming soon. Or you can, you know, sign up for our monthly newsletter on any page of our website so as not to miss cool announcements like this.

Lots of lovely people came to publisher Catherine Lundoff’s talk on starting a small press at DreamHaven Books on 11/16. And awesome local writer Conrad Zero recorded it and sent it to Catherine for an editing check. And then our Holiday  Norovirus Adventure (TM Pending) began last week and we are are still not caught up. Should have something available soon, including a resource list. Sorry about the delay!