Happy (Gregorian Calendar) New Year!
Wow. 2024. There’s a lot going on this year. (Looking at you, Ireland.) There’s a lot to look forward to, including the class warfare riots in September that spark the groundwork for establishing the United Federation of Planets–
Wait a minute.
I’m thinking of Star Trek again. Whoo boy. Maybe it’s because the entire series of Babylon 5 on Blu-Ray was one of my Sithmas gifts, or Mr. James working his way through the LEGO space collection that’s gotten sci-fi stuck in my head, but whatever it is, I’m okay with it.
I’ve always loved science fiction. I’m Gen X and grew up watching Aliens and John Carpenter’s The Thing, Alien Nation (I also have this series on disc), and V (the original). The neighbor boys were obsessed with Star Wars and had all the action figures and play sets. Later I learned about “the Roswell incident,” and when I found out my dad was born in the summer of 1947 I gave him the side-eye for months (look, I was eight or something; it made sense at the time). Later still, when I was in high school, The X-Files debuted and I was hooked. About the same time, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aired, and though Trek was “dad’s show,” I watched it anyway and loved it. I went to my first convention in 1993 and that was it. Little Dina was One Of Those People. (I have all the specs and diagrams at home!)
Over the years, there have been countless science fiction shows and movies. Some good, some not so good, some horrid, and some amazing (AND UNJUSTLY CANCELLED YOU MONSTERS). I’ve cosplayed Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and more, and thank God most of it was done before social media was a thing and film was expensive, because no one needs to see High School Dina in a Starfleet uniform (which I still have, BTW). I even joined my local chapter of Starfleet, and that was a lot more work than any teenager should commit to their senior year. (Boy, have they grown!)
Now, you all know me as a paranormal writer (The X-Files was more than aliens and conspiracies). I love my fangs and fur and things that go bump in the night and want to buy your soul, and long-time readers will understand when I say that writing sci-fi was not something I thought I’d ever aspire to. (Welcome to all the new folks! Ten cent tour here!) I have loads of books, both franchise tie-in and independent series (if you haven’t read The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, REMEDY THAT IMMEDIATELY), and now, I have one of my own on the shelves, with my name on the (gorgeous!) cover. It’s wild!
The Silverthorn Protocol is out now, and in celebration of the New Year, I’ve joined a Sci-Fi & Fantasy promotion over on Bookfunnel with over a hundred other authors to bring you new reads! This one is a sale, with each author offering up to three books! If you’re in need of new books for your TBR pile, this is an excellent place to look. As I’ve only got the one book that qualifies, there’s only one title from me and it’s the free preview version, but take a look around and see what you discover!
Also, for Kobo readers, there’s a massive collection of sci-fi/fantasy books available on Kobo Plus. If you’re not a member of Kobo, their app is free for all devices (including laptops) and platforms, and every month they have different free reads available depending on their genre. For as little as $7.99, you can read as many books as you want, regardless of the sale price. As long as a book is enrolled in the Kobo Plus program (like Silverthorn is), you can read it for free as long as you’re subscribed. If you’re not sure about yet ANOTHER subscription program, they offer a 30-day free trial so you can see if it’s something you’ll use. This link here will take you to OVER TWO HUNDRED books that are participating in Kobo Plus. I highly recommend it if you’re a big reader. You can also click the pic below to see the titles. Enjoy!
That’s all I have for you this month! Whatever your plans are for 2024, I hope you accomplish your goals and don’t get caught.
Live long and prosper.
-Dina