M. Darusha Wehm

Science fiction and mainstream books by award-winning author M. Darusha Wehm

News

Cover (and Title) Reveal

I am thrilled to share the cover and blurb for the forthcoming Andersson Dexter book, Pixels and Flesh.

After settling into a new job, new home and new living arrangements, Andersson Dexter has finally found a comfortable life in both the physical and virtual worlds. But that sense of security is blown apart when an explosion rocks Dex’s real-life Nice neighbourhood.

He and his colleagues begin an investigation into a string of seemingly senseless and random vandalism attacks, that remind them all of similar assaults in the simulated world Marionette City. While at first the attacks seem more like a nuisance than a threat, Dex discovers that there are more serious — even fatal — consequences.

As the trail leads Dex closer and closer to home, he is forced to confront the lengths he is willing to go for justice.

We are on track for a December 2017 release, but my supporters on Patreon will get it before anyone else, in ebook and audio formats!

Cover Teaser for My Next Book

Here’s a taste of the cover for my next book, coming in December 2017.

I’ll be revealing the full cover (which is gorgeous!) worldwide in late August, but my monthly patrons will get to see it first. Just sayin’. 🙂

New Work Available on Patreon

As many of you know, I love to be able to be able to share my work directly with readers. So, to that end, I’ve recently launched a Patreon site.

If you’re new to Patreon, it’s kind of like Kickstarter, but to receive ongoing content for a small monthly cost.

I’ll be releasing monthly short stories, plus other content to patrons. For the Dex fans in the house, you can get the ebook early, plus I’m working toward a goal of creating audio for the new Dex book.

For one US dollar a month, you’ll get access to the following patron-only content:

  • A monthly short story
  • The first look at new material
  • Inside the Sausage Factory: insights into the writing and creative process

For another buck, you get all that, plus a patron-only podcast of the new Dex audiobook before it’s released, and any other future audio

At $3/month you’ll also get ebook files of all my new in potentia press titles (like the new Dex book) before they are released.

This has only just begun, so I’m also asking folks what other kinds of content they’d like to see available. There’s a poll over on the site now and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

There are already a couple of stories available to be unlocked, so sign up now and be the first to get all the new content I’ve got planned!

New Dex book coming soon

A few weeks ago, I wrote “The End” on the first draft of a new book. Here’s a hint (from the opening lines):

"Andersson Dexter. It's been a while."

Some of you have been asking for a new Andersson Dexter book for… a while. 🙂

At the moment, I’m planning for a worldwide release in December 2017.

If you’re new to the Dex books, the first in the series, Self Made, is available for free download at most ebookstores and directly here on the site.

SFWA-Curated StoryBundle includes Children of Arkadia

I am thrilled and delighted that Children of Arkadia was chosen to be part of the inaugural StoryBundle curated by the Science Fiction Writers of America.

The all science fiction bundle includes excellent titles by incredible authors and I am honoured to be in their company. Check out the list:

The initial titles in the SFWA Science Fiction Bundle (minimum $5 to purchase) are:

  • Saiensu Fikushon 2016 by TOBI Hirotaka, Toh Enjoe and Taiyo Fujii
  • Borrowed Tides by Paul Levinson
  • The Weave by Nancy Jane Moore
  • Truck Stop Earth by Michael A. Armstrong
  • Children of Arkadia by M. Darusha Wehm
  • Beyond the Gates by Catherine Wells

If you pay more than the bonus price of just $15, you get all six of the regular titles, plus SIX more!

  • Unidentified Funny Objects by Alex Shvartsman
  • Factoring Humanity by Robert J. Sawyer
  • Strangers Among Us by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law
  • Tech Heaven by Linda Nagata
  • The Burning Eye by John F. Carr
  • The Leaves of October by Don Sakers

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) for all books!

Here’s more about the bundle, from curator and SFWA president, Cat Rambo:

I am so pleased to present the first ever SFWA-focused StoryBundle. The idea for it has been hovering in my head for a several years but it was only last year that we finally had the contacts and volunteer structure to actually enact it. Last year I asked SFWA members to send in their science fiction and fantasy works for consideration in the bundles, and the enthusiastic response to that call let me assemble this awesome bundle as well as a second one, this time with a fantasy focus, for later this year. Midway through this year, we’ll open up the call for applications for the 2018 bundles.

If you’re curious about other SFWA offerings, sign up for our quarterly newsletter, which features new and backlist releases from our members in the area of fiction, games, and other offerings.

One reason I’ve pushed this StoryBundle along is because it’s a program that works well for our small press and independently published members, whose market agility allows them to make full use of the bundle. The membership voted to accept these new members in 2015 and one of the challenges was making sure SFWA served their needs. They’ve added immense enthusiasm and knowledge to our hive mind, and it’s great to have a way that helps them promote their work while also supporting the organization’s Givers Fund, which gives grants each year to encourage and promote fantasy and science fiction writing, including organizations such as the the African Speculative Fiction Society, Alpha Workshop, Clarion and Clarion West, and Launchpad.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, it’s over 50 years old, and has a membership of professional writers and publishing professionals from around the globe. It administers the Nebula Awards each year. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, stop by the mass autographing session on the evening of May 19, which will feature (literally) dozens of authors, including many authors on this year’s ballot and SFWA’s latest Grand Master, Jane Yolen. Check out the SFWA website at sfwa.org for information on genre writing, the field, and other services. – Cat Rambo

The Obligatory 2016 Awards Eligibility Post (and my faves)

‘Tis the season… for awards eligibility posts.

2016 has been widely and rightly regarded as a complete shit of a year, but it was personally quite good for me in terms of publications. I published four books and five short stories (four originals) — a record year for me.

If anyone is so inclined to make awards nominations, my short stories are eligible for the Hugo, Nebula, Aurora and Sir Julius Vogel Awards. My eligible works this year are:

“Reflections on a Life Story.” Nature 540, 476 (15 December 2016)

“War Profiteering.” Mothership Zeta. July 2016

“Showing the Colors.” Procyon Science Fiction Anthology 2016. Procyon Press. July 2016

“Alexander Systems.” sub-Q magazine. May 2016

That out of the way, on to a much more fun topic: my favourite SFF reads from this year!

Novel
Stay Crazy by Erica Satifka (Apex Publications)

Novella
Runtime by S. B. Divya (Tor.com)

Novelette
“The Orangery” by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)

Short Story
“17 Amazing Plot Elements… When You See #11 You’ll Be Astounded” by James Beamon (Daily Science Fiction)
“5×5” by Jilly Dreadful (Lightspeed Magazine)
“Bend Back the Shadows” by Michael Reid (Escape Pod)
“Fish Dance” by Eric Schwitzgebel (Clarkesworld)
“Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies” by Brooke Bolander (Uncanny Magazine)
“Spirit of Home” by José Pablo Iriarte (Motherboard)
“The Birth Will Take Place on a Mutually Acceptable Research Vessel” by Matthew Bailey (Lightspeed)
“The Curse of Giants” by Jose Pablo Iriarte (Daily Science Fiction)
“The Hunter Captain” by David John Baker (Escape Pod)
“The Right Sort of Monsters” by Kelly Sandoval (Strange Horizons)
“Things With Beards” by Sam J. Miller (Clarkesworld)
“We Have a Cultural Difference, Can I Taste You?” by Rebecca Ann Jordan (Strange Horizons)

Photo credit: Brad.K

The Complete Andersson Dexter Series #FictionFightsBack

A few days ago, I saw a great idea posted by S.L. Huang: #FictionFightsBack. The gist is to use fiction as a way to support organizations that are doing the hard work of protecting people’s rights and fighting authoritarianism.

I decided right then that I’d put together a box set of the complete Andersson Dexter series and commit to donate all sales to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. So, I did and it’s available now.

Get the omnibus of all three books in the series here, for as little as $5 (but feel free to be generous).

If you’d prefer to make your own donation to the organization(s) of your choice, go for it! You can send me an email letting me know who you supported and I’ll send you a copy of the collection.

Also, do keep an eye on the hashtag #FictionFightsBack for more books and stories where sales are being donated to raise money for organizations that will fight authoritarianism and/or work to protect people’s rights.

Cookies and a Book: Earl Grey Shortbread and Breath of Earth with Beth Cato

My friend Beth Cato has dropped by again with another amazing recipe. And another amazing steampunk book to tell you about.

I’m steampunk fantasy author Beth Cato. My new series starts off with Breath of Earth, out on August 23rd. Unlike my Clockwork Dagger books, this novel is set on Earth—1906 San Francisco, to be exact. Yes, my book involves earthquakes. My heroine, Ingrid Carmichael, is a geomancer, and a profoundly gifted one at that… but women aren’t supposed to be endowed with such powerful magic. Nor is a woman of color supposed to be, well, anything of note. But Ingrid is not content with being a demure secretary, pouring coffee and tea for stuffy white men engaged in never-ending meetings. She wants recognition, meaning, in her complex world.

In tribute to Ingrid, let’s make our own darn tea and shortbread. In this case, I’m being literal: I’m sharing a recipe for Earl Grey Tea Shortbread! These are buttery, soft cookies with a small kick of heat from the tea.

Earl Grey Tea Shortbread
Print Recipe
originally posted on Bready or Not http://www.bethcato.com/bready-or-not-earl-grey-tea-shortbread-cookies
Servings
30-35 cookies
Servings
30-35 cookies
Earl Grey Tea Shortbread
Print Recipe
originally posted on Bready or Not http://www.bethcato.com/bready-or-not-earl-grey-tea-shortbread-cookies
Servings
30-35 cookies
Servings
30-35 cookies
Ingredients
Servings: cookies
Instructions
  1. Open up the tea bags and measure the contents to get a heaping tablespoon. Blend butter and tea together until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, which takes about 3 minutes. Gradually add in flour mixture until just combined.
  2. Divide the dough in half. Form into logs about an inch in diameter (to slice) or into flat rounds (to roll out and cut with a cookie cutter). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. (Or keep frozen for days or weeks, then allow to thaw in fridge for a day before proceeding with the baking.)
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the cookies into discs or with a cutter; be aware that the dough will spread when baking. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment or silicon mats.
  4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just turning color. Makes 30-35 cookies.
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More about Breath of Earth:

After the Earth’s power is suddenly left unprotected, a young geomancer must rely on her unique magical powers to survive in this fresh fantasy standalone from the author of acclaimed The Clockwork Dagger.

In an alternate 1906, the United States and Japan have forged a powerful confederation—the Unified Pacific—in an attempt to dominate the world. Their first target is a vulnerable China. In San Francisco, headstrong Ingrid Carmichael is assisting a group of powerful geomancer wardens who have no idea of the depth of her power—or that she is the only woman to possess such skills.

When assassins kill the wardens, Ingrid and her mentor are protected by her incredible magic. But the pair is far from safe. Without its full force of guardian geomancers, the city is on the brink of a cataclysmic earthquake that will expose Earth’s powers to masterminds determined to control the energy for their own dark ends. The danger escalates when Chinese refugees, preparing to fight the encroaching American and Japanese, fracture the uneasy alliance between the Pacific allies, transforming the city into a veritable powder keg. And the slightest tremor will set it off. . . .

Forced on the run, Ingrid makes some shocking discoveries about herself. Her powerful magic has grown even more fearsome . . . and she may be the fulcrum on which the balance of world power rests.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Beth Cato is the author of the Clockwork Dagger series from Harper Voyager, which includes her Nebula-nominated novella WINGS OF SORROW AND BONE. Her newest novel is BREATH OF EARTH. She’s a Hanford, California native transplanted to the Arizona desert, where she lives with her husband, son, and requisite cat. Follow her at BethCato.com and on Twitter at @BethCato.