Sunborn World Edition (epub) — At Last!

This has really been a long time coming. If you're outside the U.S., you can now get a legit ebook of Sunborn, the fourth book in The Chaos Chronicles, in epub format. I got the Kindle version up in the Kindle UK | Kindle DE | Kindle FR stores a few weeks ago, but the epub version (for Nook, Sony, Stanza, iBooks, and a plethora of other platforms) has finally hit the stores. It's been approved in the Apple iTunes stores in Canada, Australia, the UK, France, and Germany, in DRM-free editions. You can also get it from Smashwords, though I'm contractually obligated to say: If you're in the U.S., you should buy the Tor edition instead, available from the usual outlets.

Edit: Here are links to Sunborn in the iTunes international stores: 

Canada | UK | Germany | France | Australia

Edit: the above cover was the placeholder until the final cover was done.  Here's the new cover:

Irene Passes

Here outside Boston, we were all prepped for Hurricane Irene. Batteries on hand, everything secured outside, lots of jugs of frozen water in the freezer against a possible loss of electricity, gas in the car, and—most importantly for our state of mind—a large pitcher of margaritas in the freezer. Oh, and Captain Jack the energetic border collie heavily exercised the day before, in the pouring rain.

(I'm aware, of course, that if we lived in a more vulnerable location, we would have been taking way more serious precautions. I have a relative in the military, and I understand they had to do some fast work to secure their ship, which happens to be undergoing refit in a drydock in the path of the storm. I hope they stayed dry. And my sympathies to those who actually got hurt by this storm.)

For us, not too much happened as the tropical storm formerly known as Hurricane Irene passed to our west. Wind, rain, some fallen trees around town. We were lucky. Reports from friends and relatives who caught more of it indicate everyone came through in good shape. For that we are grateful.

The margaritas were excellent, by the way.

The Way Science Really Works

Here's another a bit of art to entertain you if you have a little to much time on your hands: How People in Science See Each Other, created by @biomatushiq.

See it bigger. 

It's hilarious, and undoubtedly accurate. 

Where’s WALL-E?

Here's a fun way to while away some valuable work time: See how many classic SF robots you can identify in "Where's WALL-E?" by artist Richard Sargent.

See it bigger.

And read how you can win a poster of it, here. 

Neptune Crossing Highlighted at Ereader News Today

I got a nice plug from a site called Ereader News Today, which highlights books in the Kindle store. Looks like another good place to keep an eye on ebook deals.

Anyone who'd like to help give me a boost could go there and "like" it, or whatever. (This Facebook "like" business makes me shake my head like some old-timer going, "What are these crazy kids up to now?" I have to admit. But it does seem to help generate a buzz. So if you're inclined to do that, I'd appreciate the "buzz.") Thanks!

http://ereadernewstoday.com/bargain-kindle-book-neptune-crossing/677273/

Sunborn World Edition in Kindle UK/DE!

International readers! You can now buy Sunborn (The Chaos Chronicles #4) in Kindle format outside the U.S.! This has been a long time coming, and it's mostly my fault, because I didn't realize for a long time that Tor only had U.S. ebook rights. Anyway, I've put a lot of time into trying to make sure everything is right in this ebook version. (If you find any typos, please let me know.)

You can get it now in the Amazon UK store and in the Amazon Germany store.

(Hmm. I just discovered that Tor has a Kindle edition in the German store. That's a mistake and should be coming down soon, as Tor doesn't have rights in that geographical area. You should buy the Tor edition in the U.S. and the Starstream version outside the U.S.)

This cover is temporary, by the way, until my crack designer can get to doing a more polished version.

This Starstream edition is DRM-free, and readers of other formats are welcome to convert it to suit their needs. (Calibre is an excellent free program for converting formats and much more.)

An ePub version is coming soon to the Apple store, and that will also be DRM-free.

Award!

A woman named Deirdra Eden Coppel likes my blog and has awarded it her Best of Sci/Fi Award! Here’s the very pretty award picture that came along with it. Thanks, Deirdra!

More than that I don't know, but here's Deirdra's blog, A Storybook World.

Cool Things in Space

We might not have the space shuttle anymore, but there's a lot to be psyched about in space. Here are a few, in case you haven't heard about them.

Antimatter Orbiting the Earth?
Sounds crazy, but it could be for real. Scientists working with the Pamela spacecraft (Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics, in case you were wondering about the name) report that they have found antiprotons in orbit around the Earth, apparently gathered into bands similar to the Van Allen radiation belts. While not in large enough concentrations to cause passing spacecraft to go boom, the researchers note that they could be a source of fuel for future spacecraft.

Water Flowing on Mars?
Could be. New studies of images from Mars orbit sure look a lot like seasonal flows of water. If it's the real deal, this could mean liquid water close to the surface, and that could mean a greater likelihood of life on Mars. Now, not a million years ago.

Beer in Space!
Now we're talking. Yeah, people—including NASA types—are really looking into the possibility of beer in weightlessness. Very serious stuff! They've already done parabolic flight testing!

Star Trek Theme Park in Jordan?
Okay, this isn't real space, but damn. King Abdullah II of Jordan is the main investor in a proposed Star Trek theme park, which has secured $1.5 billion in funding. Plans are to build it in Aqaba, Jordan. King Abdullah, you see, is a Trekfan, and even got himself a cameo appearance, back before he was king, in Star Trek: Voyager. You've gotta love it. But I haven't even made it to Universal Studios yet!

By the way, one reason I haven't posted in a while is that I've been really busy writing. I've also finished the proofing of text for the World Edition of Sunborn (crazy problems with Word losing styles, which I've finally gotten under control). Look for an announcement soon on that!