Category Archives: Writing

Spirits of a Glitch – Launch Day

Woot! Spirits of a Glitch is now available! 😀

This is the final book in Tim’s story, following what happens when a second terrifying airship made from shapeshifters and technology is created… only this one isn’t as obedient as the first.

With Spirits of a Glitch, the Glitch Saga is now complete, I’m off to work on other books in the Distant Horizon Universe. But, seeing as how those books still need editing before I can release them, why not check out Tim’s story in the meantime?

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Spirits of a Glitch - Banner

Upper YA Science Fiction

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | BN.com | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords

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Spirits of a Glitch - Book Cover

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“We are legion. But you, Master Zaytsev, are only one
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Nineteen-year-old council member, Tim Zaytsev, is tasked with removing glitches from the council’s newest living airship, the CLS Manticore. Like its predecessor, the Manticore is formed from living shapeshifters. Their minds were wiped and their memories erased, but the occasional “ghost” of their personalities remain.

Removing the “ghosts” should be simple after dealing with the first vessel. But the task descends into madness when the Manticore traps Tim within its fleshy walls and attempts to force him to join the shapeshifters who made the merge.

Determined to undermine the ship’s dangerous, telepathic games and convince the other council members that the ship is manipulating them, Tim must summon a courage he’s never had, the courage to stay and fight. But doing so would force him to confront the vessel alone—a path that can only end in his destruction.

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Buy now!

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | BN.com | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords

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Haven’t read the first book yet? Sign up for the Distant Horizon Universe newsletter to read the first book, Whispers in the Code, for free!

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Enjoy! 😀

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Infinitas Publishing – Status Report

Another month has passed. Not quite as much done this month, but that’s in part due to taking care of things like taxes and going on a trip to Missouri for Spring Break (visiting family, friends, and enjoying the anime convention my husband and I like going to).

We still have snow. It’s now a mixture of snow and ice, due to yesterday’s warmer day, but the snow still triumphed! It’s spitting snow now. 🙂

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Glitch: Whispers in the Code and Ghost of a Memory are both now available, and Spirits of a Glitch releases this Saturday! That means the mini-series will be complete!

With those books published, my next step with the Glitch Saga will be to create the print editions. With luck, I’ll have that done in April. But I still need to create the wrap-around covers and format the interior for print, as well as order proof copies, so I’m not setting any release date for the print editions just yet.

Fractured Skies: (Book 2 of the Distant Horizon series). I finished the latest round of edits and revisions a couple days ago, and I’ve sent it out to the next beta-reader. Depending on their feedback, this one might end up with another reader before it’s finished, or it might move on to the read-aloud stage. We’ll see. I feel like all the story elements are in place now, but there may be some pacing issues that still need to be resolved (especially since it’s currently sitting at 161,000 words).

Distant Horizon: When I create the print editions for the Glitch Saga, I also intend to update the print edition of Distant Horizon so that it has the new cover.

The Multiverse Chronicles: On hold.

Little One: On hold.

Book Three of The Wishing Blade series: This is my next big project. With the Glitch Saga complete and Fractured Skies out to beta-readers, I am now set to tackle Isaac’s notes and wrangle this one into a cohesive book. Oh… and I might finally have a title for it. Keep an eye out for news about that. 🙂

Wind and Words: (Book 2 of Stone and String). Out to beta-readers. After I get their feedback, I’m going to do one final pass and then hand it over to Isaac.

Cyberpunk / Dystopian Snow White Story: I’ve gotten feedback from beta-readers, so I’m ready to start work on this. It’s in the queue after I finish edits on book three of The Wishing Blade series. In the meantime, I still need to revise the related short story.

At the moment, I think these will stand alone, but I have ideas of what else I can do in this world if readers show interest.

Warrensburg Readers World Book Signing - March 2018

Marketing: While in Missouri, we stopped by the Warrensburg Reader’s World and did a semi-impromptu book signing (Thanks for having us, Sai! 😀 ). I think it went well. 🙂

In the meantime, I’m continuing to build our newsletters, and I’ve been releasing the Distant Horizon Universe and The Wishing Blade Universe newsletters every other week (I end up writing one newsletter a week).

 

Check out the top of this blog’s side bar for the updated newsletter section. It now has links for all three newsletters.

SBibb’s Photographic Illustration: Finished creating a banner related to the logo I created earlier.

LitRPG / GameLit Story: Got beta-reader feedback on the first 44,000 words, and I’ve decided to go ahead and make it a full-length novel. It’s currently sitting at 48,000 words. Slow going, especially with all the other projects I’ve been trying to finish, but I’m thinking about making it my CampNaNo project.

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That’s all for now. I hope you enjoyed this post. 🙂

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Weekly Book Promotion Highlight

For this week’s book promotion highlight, we have the Science Fiction: From Space Opera to Romance, Action/Adventure, and some Thriller, too giveaway! (Whew… that’s a long title).

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This week’s giveaway has quite a variety of titles, including a few previews from Jordan Elizabeth (for whom I have posted blog tour announcements before) and Stan C. Smith, for whom I had the honor of reading parts of an earlier draft from one of his novellas (Check out Parthenium’s Year if  you like magical realism–it’s only 99 cents, and I really enjoyed what I read of it).

Science Fiction InstaFreebie Giveaway

(Note: This giveaway is hosted through InstaFreebie. Both InstaFreebie and the authors will usually ask for your email address. In most cases, these addresses are collected for their newsletters.)

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I hope you find a good book to read. Let me know if you would like to see more of these posts. 🙂

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Weekly Book Promotion Highlight

For this week’s book promotion highlight, I’m featuring the Science Fiction and Fantasy Giveaway!

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This giveaway has a range of both science fiction and fantasy ebooks, so you’re sure to find something you like.

Science Fiction and Fantasy EBook Giveaway

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(Note: This giveaway is hosted through Book Funnel. Authors will usually ask for your email address. In most cases, the author will collect these addresses for their newsletters.)

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I hope you find a good book to read. Let me know if you would like to see more of these posts. 🙂

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Weekly Book Promotion Highlight

Continuing with the weekly book promotion highlight, I’m featuring two giveaways where you can download free ebooks from a variety of authors. 🙂

This week we have the Speculative YA Giveaway and the Spring Break Fantasy Giveaway!

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For our first giveaway, we have a wide range of young adult books with speculative elements. Science fiction… fantasy… horror… If you’re looking for speculative YA, give this giveaway a look.

Speculative YA - EBook Giveaway

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The second giveaway has a variety of fantasy ebooks, so if you want fantasy, this is a good place to start.

Spring Break Fantasy Ebook Giveaway

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(Note: These giveaways are hosted through Book Funnel. They will usually ask for your email address. In most cases, the author will collect these addresses for their newsletters.)

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I hope you find yourself a good book. Let me know if you would like to see more of these posts. 🙂

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Blog Tour – Rogue Crystal

Today I’m participating in a blog tour for fellow author, Jordan Elizabeth. Her new book, Rogue Crystal releases today. 🙂

(Note: I did not create this book cover)

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Rogue Crystal - Banner

Your family history has a way of haunting you.

Blog Tour - Rogue Crystal - Book Cover

Available now on Amazon for 99 cents!

Avery loves the prospect of visiting the country of Scarya with her cousin and boyfriend. Adventure and romance surely await. Instead, war breaks out, and Avery ends up with an ancient sword everyone is dying to possess.

Scarya isn’t just a foreign land – the longer Avery is trapped there, the more she learns about her past. Her ancestors lived in Scarya, and one of them brought an enchanted crystal from space. She never expected an alien to ruin her vacation, but sometimes the past has a way of reappearing.

ROGUE CRYSTAL is a fantasy for young adults.  This young adult novel is filled with elements of history and romance, published through CHBB, and is now available for purchase.

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Check out ROGUE CRYSTAL on GoodReads for fabulous reviews!

Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, can often be found exploring historical ruins and imagining what life would be like with magic.  You can contact Jordan via her website, JordanElizabethBooks.com.

Blog Tour - Jordan Elizabeth - Author Photo

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Weekly Book Promotion Highlight

You guys seemed to like these posts from last month, so I decided to go ahead and continue these for now. Today I’m highlighting two giveaways where you can download free ebooks from a variety of authors. 🙂

This week we have the Amazing SciFi & Fantasy Giveaway, as well as the March Mayhem Giveaway.

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The first giveaway contains a wide range of both science fiction and fantasy books.

Amazing SciFi and Fantasy - Book Funnel Ebook Giveaway

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The second giveaway contains books with horror elements underlying them.

March Mayhem - Book Funnel Book Giveaway

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(Note: These giveaways are hosted through Book Funnel. They will usually ask for your email address. In most cases, the author will collect these addresses for their newsletters.)

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Good luck finding a book you enjoy, and let me know if you would like to see more of these posts. 🙂

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Infinitas Publishing – Status Report

Well, this month sure flew by fast. But it’s been productive (aside from both me and Isaac catching a cold). At least, as productive as a launch month tends to be, while still figuring out the loops and holes that come with a launch.

Also, there is snow. There is a lot of snow. Really fluffy, pretty snow. A lot of it.

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Glitch: Whispers in the Code is now available! (You can download it for free if you sign up for the Distant Horizon Universe newsletter). In the meantime, Ghost of a Memory just released on Monday, and the third book (previously titled For We Are Many) now has its official name, Spirits of a Glitch. We hope to release it in mid-to-late March.

Isaac and I are progressing through the read-aloud phase of Spirits of a Glitch, and then I’ll format it, proofread it, and then upload it for pre-order. I also need to do the final touches on the cover.

Fractured Skies: (Book 2 of the Distant Horizon series). I’ve gotten notes back from my beta-reader, and I’m now in the process of editing. Then it will go out to another beta-reader.

The Multiverse Chronicles: On hold.

Little One: On hold.

Book Three of The Wishing Blade series: I need to review Isaac’s notes and then begin revisions. Hopefully this will start after The Glitch Saga is complete.

Wind and Words: (Book 2 of Stone and String). Got feedback from my beta-reader. I finished a round of minor edits, and then I sent it out to another beta-reader. Next, after I’ve made those revisions, I’ll hand it to Isaac to look over with developmental notes.

SBibb’s Photographic Illustration: Got a book cover done and created a flier / finished a logo.

Game Development: On hold while Isaac works on obtaining his PhD.

Marketing: Increased newsletter subscriber count by taking part in several giveaways on BookFunnel and InstaFreebie. I’m going to do at least one more month of BookFunnel, and then we’ll see if the newsletter translates into sales or not. Depending on the results will determine whether I try using InstaFreebie and/or BookFunnel giveaways as a long-term plan.

If you want to sign up for the Distant Horizon Universe newsletter (and download Whispers in the Code for free), click here.

If you want to sign up for the Wishing Blade Universe newsletter (and download “Stone and String” for free), click here.

If you just want to be informed of new releases and events, sign up for the Infinitas Publishing newsletter by clicking here.

Cyberpunk / Dystopian Snow White Story: I hadn’t planned on making progress with this, but since I haven’t had a chance to look at the notes for the third Wishing Blade series book, this sort of got shuffled upward on my to-do list. I’ve finished the first pass of revisions and it’s now out to beta-readers.

I still need to make revisions to a related short story, and then that can go out to beta-readers, too.

In the meantime, I created a proof for a potential cover for the main story, and I’ve been developing ideas for a possible continuation of the story into a series.

LitRPG / GameLit Story: Slowly making progress on this. I got feedback back from a beta-reader who read the first 20,000 words and confirmed it is going in the right direction (once a few tweaks are made), so I’m continuing to write this. It’s slow going since it’s a side project and the other projects take precedence… and because working game mechanics into the story means it takes me a little longer than usual to write the rough draft. I want to get the mechanics right the first time… rather than having a cascading effect of failures if I mess up the stats early on.

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That’s all for now. I hope you enjoyed this post. 🙂

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Ghost of a Memory – Launch Day!

Hey, everybody! Today’s the launch day for Ghost of a Memory! 😀

Ghost of a Memory is the second book in The Glitch Saga, and continues the story of Tim Zaytsev as he attempts to reprogram a living airship made from shapeshifters. But the glitches are getting worse, and the Legion Spore’s rogue personality is threatening Tim’s sanity with a series of nightmares that are more real than Tim wants to believe.

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Ghost of a Memory

Upper YA Science Fiction

Ghost of a Memory - Banner

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | BN.com | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords

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SBibb - Ghost of a Memory - Book Cover

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Some ghosts refuse to be forgotten.

Nineteen-year-old council member, Tim Zaytsev, oversees the Legion Spore—a living airship made from shapeshifters. He’s tasked with removing glitches, fragments of the shapeshifters’ memories that reside as “ghosts” in the ship’s code.

But as he removes each glitch, the ship shows an alarming trend toward developing its own personality. It clearly prefers to work with Tim instead of his superiors, and its haunting dreams invade Tim’s sleep, filling his mind with false memories of an affair with the alluring Lady Black, a council member known for her seductive advances. As the dreams intensify, he can’t even look at his loving girlfriend without remembering Lady Black’s touch.

Determined to perform his duties to the council while remaining faithful, Tim searches for the source of the Legion Spore’s rogue personality. But as the dreams descend into nightmares, Tim begins to suspect they aren’t random glitches; they’re warnings from the “ghost” of Lady Black’s lover.

To ensure a lifetime with the woman he loves, Tim must find the source of the Legion Spore’s rogue personality before the vessel usurps his mind, trapping him like all the other “ghosts” in the code.

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Purchase Today!

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | BN.com | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords

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Haven’t read the first book yet? Sign up for the Distant Horizon Universe newsletter to read the first book, Whispers in the Code, for free!

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Enjoy! 🙂

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Thoughts on Writing – Flash Fiction – “Unicorn”

I recently met Charli Mills, a local author who introduced me to her website, Carrot Ranch. There, a community of writers respond to weekly prompts for flash fiction, which, for their purposes, is fiction with an exact count of 99 words.

This week’s prompt is “Unicorn.” I very much enjoyed researching the mythology of unicorns when I was in junior high and high school, so I decided to take part in the fun. First, with a darker variant on the idea of the unicorn, which was inspired by stories in which the unicorn was used in courts to determine if a criminal was guilty or not. (You can blame these stories for the version of the chesnathĂ© mentioned in The Shadow War, a brutal, bulky, immortal equine who tends to pass judgment on “lower beings.”) Second, I also wrote a lighter variant (following a more European story).

Enjoy. 🙂

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“Judgement”

His curved horn meets with flesh and another criminal meets his fate. A sinner. A thief. No more shall he steal. The crowd roars their approval. The unicorn raises his bulky head and swings it side to side like a bull. They cheer for him and his judgment.

He flicks his tail, slender like a cow’s, with a tuft of brown hair at the end. The rest of his fur is black. His horn is tri-colored. Black at the base, cinnamon in the middle, and red on top. Stained red… it would be brown, but the blood never dries.

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“Captured”

Her fingers pass through the creature’s mane, which is silky white, like threads dipped in the morning dew. He is in chains. She slides her fingers under the delicate silver.

“You will be free.”

His ears swivel, listening. She strokes the damp fur of his neck. He breathes hard from the chase.

“Do not worry. I will return.”

She disappears, her slippers padding through the rain-flushed grass. When she returns, her gossamer gown whispering around her calves, the unicorn raises his head. His blue eyes regard her, pleading.

She reveals a pair of wire cutters and smiles. “Be free.”

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I hope you enjoyed this post. If you want to participate, head over to Carrot Ranch for their Feb 22nd prompt. 🙂

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