Sunday, December 13, 2015

New Release: Provocation

Hello, all! I have released a new novel called Provocation. It is a paranormal werewolf novel, so a bit of a departure from my usual science fiction/adventure fare, but I've been working on it for quite a while now and am very pleased with how it's turned out. You can get it at a special price of 99¢ through Thursday, December 17 at the links below. And keep reading for a bit about the development of the novel!

Provocation - 99¢ Through Dec. 17:


Some men should never be provoked….

Following a vicious attack by a legendary creature, Graham Morgan’s life is forever changed. After a year of struggling with his transformations during the full moon, he is determined to get his affliction under control so he can safely marry the woman he loves. But not everyone knows Graham’s secret, and one friend’s attempt to sabotage his relationship might instead unleash the monster within.

***

Even though I'm mainly a science fiction writer, I've always enjoyed reading stories about the paranormal. As a kid I devoured those books of ghost stories and the hardcover books purporting to tell of strange and unusual happenings. Ghosts, Bigfoot, aliens, demons... I loved all that stuff.

Oddly, I never had any experience with the classic Universal horror films until an adult. I always knew about them, but somehow had never seen them. But since discovering them, I have come to love them as well, and my favorite Universal monster is Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man. I suppose what drew me to the character was the fact that he was a generally decent guy who was compelled, through his curse, to do things he did not want to do. Throughout all his appearances in the Universal films, he retains his humanity and seeks only to put an end to his condition, one way or the other.

This character influenced the development of Provocation, but in an unexpected way. I began to wonder what would happen if I started with someone who was a horrible person. How would he react to becoming a werewolf? This horrible person became Graham Morgan, the main character of the book. Throughout the novel I toy with the idea of the external beast replacing the internal beast. It considers the possibility that being bitten might in fact have been the best thing to happen to Graham, all other complications notwithstanding. Becoming a monster might actually make him a better man.

This has yielded a dialogue-heavy, character-driven book, and I think that by the time you reach the ending, the time spent getting to know these characters and watching them develop will make it worthwhile. If you've read my previous work, you know I am generally a relatively tight writer, and I don't like padding a story for the sake of word count. In Provocation, even though there is less action than in my other books, I think that following the initial events during which Graham is bitten, the novel builds in tension and suspense up until the climax. That was my intent, at any rate. I hope I was able to accomplish that to your satisfaction.

I am proud of this novel, and I struggled with it for almost two years, but I feel the effort has been worthwhile. I hope you enjoy it! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. And special thanks must go to Alexia Purdy, who read through two drafts for me, offering invaluable advice, and also designed the striking cover!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

New from Alexia Purdy: The ArcKnight Chronicles

My good friend Alexia Purdy has just released a new paranormal novel. Check it out!

Vengeance is the only thing worth dying for.

Only love can save you.

Teaming up with a handsome shifter named Ephrem, the banished Princess Lilliana must find her stolen Ardent talisman before a sinister enemy uses it against both rival wolf pack strongholds. Thrown onto a path neither of them expected, they stumble across a third cell of supernatural shifters lurking in the city’s Outlands where tensions mount. These new strangers want nothing more than to disrupt the two royal strongholds, the ArcKnights and the MarkTiers, and reignite a long-forgotten feud from decades past.

In the treacherous City of Temple where supernaturals and humans intertwine, only the most cunning will survive.

The ArcKnight Chronicles collects books 1 & 2, of the series, Ardent & MarkTier. Just 99 cents for a limited time!

Friday, January 30, 2015

NEW RELEASE: RIDERS OF THE RED LAND

Hello, all!

Book II of The Chronicles of Dushara is now available. Just like Book I, it's packed full of action and adventure as well as more clues about the history of Dushara.

War has come to Dushara.

Under the orders of a cruel new tyrant named Silva, the Indian city of Thanjavur has launched an attack against the Arabs. Hoping to find clues that might lead him home, Will Kelly and his companions decide to travel with the Arab army as it sets out to meet the enemy, despite being outnumbered and unprepared.

As members of a resistance movement plot in Thanjavur and a displaced band of Old West outlaws fight their way through hostile territory, the tide of the war begins to turn. With battle after battle, Will and his friends draw ever closer to Thanjavur but also to one inescapable truth: victory may come at a terrible price.

Riders of the Red Land is the second book of The Chronicles of Dushara, a fast-paced adventure series written in the spirit of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard. The story will continue this summer in The Sea Dragons.

Begin reading Riders of The Red Land on your Kindle:

And, if you've yet to read the first book, The City Beyond the Sands, you can find it here:

Thursday, January 1, 2015

2015 Projects

Every new year I try to plan my upcoming projects. I'm not always successful at enacting those plans, but if you'd like a possible glimpse of things to come, look no further!

At the end of January, Riders of the Red Land, the second book in The Chronicles of Dushara, is set to be released.

April will see the release of the third Chronicles of Dushara novel. This book will bring an end to the main storyline of the series. Any further books set in Dushara will most likely be stand-alone stories and may even follow new characters. I'll know more about where to take the series once the third book is finished.

In July, I hope to release a fourth book in The Sullivan Saga. Those of you who've read the series so far know that at the end of book three, Rick Sullivan was beginning a new phase of his life. This book will jump ahead about a year and rejoin Rick and Kate as they pick up the pieces following the events of the first three books.

I would like to release one more novel in 2015, around October or November. I have several ideas as to what this may be, but I have not made any firm decisions. I also have several short stories either outlined or begun that I hope to finish this year. Some I would like to release as eBooks, others I will be submitting to the various speculative fiction magazines.

On the blog front, I would like to revitalize Spaceship Urff. It languished after a single issue last year--entirely my own fault, of course--and instead of using an issue format, I think I will continue it on an article-by-article basis. I have another blog set to go called To Unknown Lands. Its focus will be adventure fiction as opposed to speculative fiction.

Finally, my 101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing series will be retitled 101 Thoughts on Indie Publishing and moved to its own blog. Stay tuned for more information on that!

Here's wishing you all the best in the new year!
Michael K. Rose