What’s up, everybody! I have some book news for everyone today, relating to two separate series no less. So, let’s get straight to it.
LGBTQ / Sci-Fi / Mystery
So, let’s start with the most immediate news. I’ve just got done with the final round fo edits for the fourth Cassie Tam book, Shadows of the Past. With that meaning that we’ll be looking a release sooner rather than later, I can now confirm a few little things about it.
First up, the book contains two novellas. The first, A Week in New Hopeland is set just after book three and is told from the POV of Cassie’s love interest Lori Redwood. It sees Lori going undercover to help Cassie on a case involving workplace harassment. Some of the events are based loosely on some things that I saw in one of my old jobs, which actually made it a little difficult to write. Regardless though, it was nice to write through Lori’s eyes, and you get some good progression for their relationship there.
The second novella is Shadows of the Past, which picks up shortly after the events of the first novella. This switches back to Cassie’s POV and sees her hired to track down a stalker. Expect some fun new tech and all the usual Cassie snark in that one!
But there’s more! I’m waiting on the contract at the moment, but I am very happy to announce that NineStar press has confirmed that they’re signing the final Cassie Tam book, Half-Light! I am so, so happy with that as it means that the whole series will be under the same banner, with the same editorial and cover team behind them. Working with NSP on these boos has been an absolute joy, so yay!
And there’s more!
During the last Rainbow awards, Addict, the first book in the series, got an honorable mention. I was absolutely thrilled by that. This year, I already posted about book three, LV48, getting an honorable mention too. Well, now The Fox, The Dog, and The King, the second book in the series, has got one too! What was said? Well, this:
“This author does one of my favorite things as a reader: puts me right into the action and trusts me to pay attention. And I did. The writing style is uncomplicated and engaging, with a main character I liked pretty much immediately and side characters who are unique and complex. Though the clarity of setting suffers a little at the beginning, by the halfway point, I was well settled in this fascinating futuristic society and trooping right along with Caz as she navigates the complex underworld of New Hopeland. This is the second book in a series, but the author is very clever about delivering what would otherwise have been a ton of exposition, using conversation and character relationships to show me who these people are and what their history is with each other rather than trying for a general info dump, which would have lost points with me. A second book in a series can be a risky choice for an awards submission, but this book can easily stand alone, with fully developed characters and an appealing mystery: close to cozy, but with a sinister edge. I appreciate being trusted by the author. I would love to go back and read the first book, as well as any that follow.”
How freaking great is that? I absolutely love seeing people enjoying my work, and to have had all three released books get honorable mentions is phenomenal!
But that’s not all! I also wanted to give a big thank you to Q’s Book Reviews. Why? Because Q recently posted a list of 5 of the best LGBTQ+ Private Investigators. Cassie Tam came in at number 4! I am so ridiculously happy with that!
If you’re interested in the series, you can see the purchase links here:
Addict: NineStar Press – Amazon – Kobo – iTunes – Smashwords – Barnes & Noble
The Fox, The Dog, and The King: NineStar Press – Amazon – Kobo – iTunes – Smashwords – Barnes & Noble
LV48: NineStar Press – Amazon – Kobo – iTunes – Smashwords – Barnes & Noble
GameLit / Sci-Fi
The Spark Form Chronicles was my first published work. It had a bit of an odd start insofar as it had some interest from a couple of publishers, but nothing stuck. As a result I ended up self-publishing the series. Now, my writing wasn’t a tight as it is now, but the books did okay. Often, they were described as a mix of 90’s pop culture, with comparisons to Yu-Gi-Oh! and pro wrestling getting thrown around a bit. Really, the whole thing was a homage to things I loved in childhood but aimed at an adult audience, so I was always happy with that.
If the idea of a story that mixes holographic card gaming, pro wrestling tropes, and some AI philosophy sounds up your street, then now may be the best time to check it out. Why? Because I’ve reduced the price of the collected edition.
What that means is that the collection featuring all four books (WICK, CARNIVAL, GIFTS, and MOTT), the new cover by ValyceNegative, and a bunch of bonus material is now only $0.99 in all electronic formats!
If that sounds cool to you, then these are the purchase links:
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – iTunes – Kobo – Smashwords
As an additional point to this, if you’ve already read the series, please do consider leaving a review for the collected edition. It really does help when people can see what others thought of the books.
Matt Doyle Media 