3/12/2023 - SFWA Book Bundle, GoIndieNow Episode, and Coworking Corgis

Mar 12, 2023 7:09 pm

3/12/2023 - SFWA Book Bundle, GoIndieNow Episode, and Coworking Corgis

Happy March—or, as I recently learned from life-long mid-Atlantic people, “False Spring,”


I feel like I need to issue a retraction on the weather commentary in my previous newsletter, specifically in the voice of Pippin: “We’ve had one, yes, what about second winter?”


Fortunately for me, even if I might want to stay inside, I am currently boarding a pair of corgis who remind me (with their permanent smiles) to pause my work and take walks, which gives me needed time away from the screen in which I can listen to an audiobook or just muse about the current works in progress.

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Observations: 

  1. Apparently, I have a habit of taking pictures of dogs in the shadows of trees; I claim no photography skills.
  2. I have a lot of cool and weird ideas while on walks, some of which make it onto the page.


As I’m currently working on The Forever Song, book 5 of THIS FINE CREW, the fact that brisk weather and furry creatures are frequently featured might not be a coincidence. Also, for those of you who are interested in Tuckerization—having your name included as a cameo or larger reference—in a fiction novel, I’m making my list of needed names for the novel and will reach out to the group in the next newsletter to ask for volunteers.


SFWA Book Bundle - “Space Is Big”

Happy belated birthday to Douglas Adams, who very accurately defined space as “big” in The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—which is always on my list of the top 10 most formative books I’ve read. Although the author has been gone for a couple of decades, his work lives on to inspire authors, and his birthday was yesterday, March 11th.


The “Space Is Big” quip also inspired the SFWA Book Bundle going on this month:

https://storybundle.com/space

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12 days remain to get this Story Bundle, at $20 for 15 ebooks.


Great for yourself or other space-reading friends who like exploration, space opera, and aliens in their science fiction. For those who haven’t yet read The Signal Out Of Space, the ebook for that is also included.


“This Week in Indies” - A Go Indie Now Show

I returned to the GoIndieNow network with Ron L Lahr and Madilynn Dale for an episode focused on celebrating wins. Maybe it’s because we’re in Oscar season, or maybe because JD Estrada’s “March of the Authors” picked today 3/12/2023 to highlight successes, or maybe it’s just coincidence or tessenda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzDZqfZ_gHo


In any case, it was fun and uplifting to chat with fellow authors about recent successes. For me personally, I also got to use the last 5 minutes as a promo segment, in which I talked about what’s coming for me and WonderBird Press in the near future. 


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It’s sort of a sneak peak for the month of April, and I’ll go into more detail in the next newsletter as well.


Special added bonus, my parrot, Lutra, stayed on my shoulder throughout the entire show 😀


Spec Fic Community Shout Outs

Before I wrap this up, I want to add some recommendations for recent short story publications that can be downloaded and read in less than an hour.


  • If you’re looking for a quick dinosaur adventure, check out River Trap, a Queensland Crater Story from John K Patterson. This continues the Helen Larkwood adventures into a near-future dinosaur territory, this time with a Spinosaurus and (for me at least) a call out to the most iconic moment in Aliens. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVJB743Y
  • If you’re more in the mood for secret-mission space opera, check out A Courier’s Delivery, a story in the Anisian Convergence Universe. If you like stories with hidden agendas and wry inner monologues set on distant planets, this one’s a solid fit. https://www.amazon.com/Couriers-Delivery-Anisian-Collection-ebook/dp/B0BXJYPLQJ/


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Both of these stories are independently published by the authors and part of larger series. So in the spirit of Go Indie Now and March of the Writers, I encourage you to not only read but to also rate/review and share if you enjoy them. (Seriously, you can make an author’s week if you write an excellent review and specifically call out your favorite part of the story.)


That covers it for me on this gray and chilly Sunday. The corgis are telling me that it’s time to get off the computer.


As always, happy reading!


Mike Jack Stoumbos


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