Welcome, new folks!

Hi, there. If you've joined the mailing list recently, I want to make sure you get your free Frosthelm book, Traitors Unseen. If you haven't gotten it, you can get it free here (the site will ask you to sign up for this newsletter, which you're already getting) or here from Smashwords. It's also on Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Please, enjoy with my compliments.

Daros is free!

I'm running a free promotion for the ebook version of Daros, my space opera sci fi novel. It runs through May 4th, and it should be free on Amazon everywhere in the world. The book was a semifinalist for the first SPSFC competition back when it was released, and it's got a 4.4 average rating on Amazon with 162 ratings with similar numbers on GoodReads. Have a copy on me!

Here's the cover and blurb:

Plunged into chaos

High above Daros, sixteen-year-old Brecca Vereen prepares to unload a cargo of trade goods aboard her father's ship, the Envy's Price. Nellen Vereen shows her a mysterious artifact bound for a contact below, one that will earn them a lot of credits, and one that they definitely won't be declaring to customs.

Materializing out of nowhere, alien invaders fire upon all ships, destroy the jump gate, and knock out communications. The Envy's Price is crippled, and as her father tries to guide it down from orbit, Brecca rescues the illicit artifact and jettisons in a life pod to an uncertain fate below.

On the flagship of the invading fleet, Navigator Frim tries to persist within the cruel autocracy of the Zeelin Hegemony, under constant threat of death, but wishing for something better. And then she notices a whisper of radiation above Daros – the trail of a cloaked Vonar ship. What are they doing in the midst of all this? And will the captain kill her just for revealing this disagreeable news?

Daros is also available as a paperback and an audiobook.

Conventions - ConCarolinas and ConGregate

I've been trying to go to more conventions over the last year or so. I applied to be a guest at two North Carolina ones and was accepted, which is exciting. That means panels, events, signings, and other fun stuff.

I'll be at ConCarolinas in Charlotte at the end of this month, May 30-June 1. I signed up for some panels and events, but I don't yet know what I'll be doing - they should announce the schedule soon. I'd love to see people there if you're around, though. Let me know via email!

Also, In July, I'll be at ConGregate in Winston-Salem. I'll be in an improv show there and doing some other events, but the schedule there is still in the planning stages.

I'm also planning on going to WorldCon in Seattle in August, just as an attendee, but I'd love to meet up with folks there too.

Writing progress and a new cover

I've been hard at work finishing up second-round edits on my new mystery/thriller, and I am so happy to share with you the cover art by Abigail Blanchard, who also did my cover for What Grows From the Dead.

As the cover suggests, there is a big white couch, a dead guy, and a curious cat named Fleebs (short for Fleabag). I haven't selected a title yet, but I'm working on that too. I'm still hoping for a May release, but it may run into early June depending on how quickly things go.

Lady Isovar in a book club

The Glorious and Epic Tale of Lady Isovar was selected as April's Resident Author Book Club book for r/fantasy over on Reddit. If you'd like to see what people thought, you can read the comments here and here.

Some stories to try

I'm part of several author collectives, and we share each other's work to try to help all of us reach more readers. In many cases, the books we share are are free or discounted. Sometimes, they ask that you sign up for a newsletter like this one. Here are some new books I have to share this month:

First, I have Claire Beckett and the Forbidden Secret by Molly Chase. This is the sixth book in the Claire Beckett urban fantasy series, where Claire is a detective who can see runes around dead bodies. In this book, her family is involved in some weird magical business including an evil queen and an out-of-control ice spell. Neat stuff!

Next, I have Entities Connected by Barry S. Brunswick. This is a mix of sci-fi and portal fantasy with humans transported across space and time to take part in a high-stakes contest of arms and strategy.

Finally, I have Troy by C.L. Schneider. This is a FREE prequel to Schneider's Crown of Stones series. In this case, this is not Troy, the questionable-horse-owning city of the ancient world - it's Ian Troy, a warrior-mage from a long-dead race longing to prove himself on the battlefield (not unlike Hector or Achilles). Totally free to try out, so if that sounds like your kind of thing, go for it!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for signing up for my newsletter. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for upcoming books! I love hearing from people. If you've read one of my books and wouldn't mind leaving a review anywhere (Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, LibraryThing) I'd really appreciate it! Each review helps me reach more readers. If you're an audiobook reviewer, I have some promo reviewer codes I can share.

I hope you and your friends and family are having a safe and rewarding 2025!

May the Bloodmother watch over you - 

Dave