Trevor Smith is done with the ebook covers for “End of the Line,” and now Rebecca Weaver is working her magic with the title/author typography. These are not final versions, but they are looking pretty awesome!
“End of the Line” alternative cover – title test #1
“End of the Line” main cover – title test #1
Julie Galbraith, my editor for “End of the Line,” has informed me that she is finished with the manuscript. I’ll be going over it once, and then hopefully the cover(s) will be completed and I can get it published ;).
Keith Draws sent me a rough paint of the cover he’s working on for “Portal Wars #1.” It’s going to be a killer cover (for a story about killer mechs/robots invading Earth!).
“Dollar Fiction: Portal Wars #1” rough cover paint
Man… what the… Trevor Smith is killing me. I just received TWO possible covers from him. Take a look:
“End of the Line” concept cover art – 3 Marines
“End of the Line” concept cover art – Through the Scope
Top picture – “Three Marines”
Bottom picture – “Through the Scope”
So… my dilemma is… which one? I’m actually thinking of asking Amazon if I can offer alternate covers, and if not, use one for the ebook and the other for the print paperback. What do you think?
Right. So. Trevor Smith and I came to the conclusion that the original cover idea gave away too much, so he’s back at the drawing board. However, we both loved what he’d drawn before scrapping the idea, and Trevor has decided to keep working on it to add to his portfolio.
The new cover will have Terran Marines in their CR-31 combat fighting suit, probably blasting the bad aliens and such. In the meantime, here’s some more of the original art that won’t be on the cover (however, I might go ahead and purchase it as an alternative cover for the paperbacks, because it is pretty damn awesome).
More concept art from Trevor Smith for “End of the Line.”
Just received an update from Trevor Smith, the artist working on the cover of “End of the Line.” This is NOT a finished piece, just a slight update to show me what some of the aliens look like. They look pretty %#@$! awesome!
“End of the Line” art (WiP)
Keith Draws and Rebecca Weaver have been working on some covers. Tonight, I received an update from both. First, Keith’s “The Big Bhang” cover:
“The Big Bhang” – Science Fiction + Stoner Fiction
Next, Rebecca has come up with replacements for my “Eight Hour Fiction” series of shorts:
“Eight Hour Fiction #1”
“Eight Hour Fiction #2”
Right. Keith sent me an update to look over for “The Big Bhang.” I’m loving it. The fur coat will be jeans + t-shirt, but other than that, only minor changes coming. Can’t wait to see the finished version! You can read some of this story here at the website (first five or six chapters, I think). It’s weird, so if I were you, I’d probably avoid it at all costs.
Thanks to Keith Draws Cover Art!
“The Big Bhang” cover, still in progress.
The gang over at ReadIndies is going to attempt to read one of my travesties. Haha, good luck on that. Betting lines are open that two reviewers will go insane before someone contacts me and threatens legal action ;). Here’s some info, go give their lists a shot and find something good to read. It HAS to be better than the drivel I vomit up.
Have you heard about Read Indies (http://readindies.blogspot.com/) where you can find book selections, top picks, and recommended reads? If you’re looking for something new to read, a great place to start is Book We Recommend (http://readindies.blogspot.ca/p/books-were-reading-recommend.html). There are also pages for specific genres:
Best Fantasy Books (http://readindies.blogspot.com/p/best-fantasy-books.html)
Best Horror Books (http://readindies.blogspot.com/p/best-horror-books.html)
Featured Authors (http://readindies.blogspot.com/p/featured-authors.html)
Hot Reads (http://readindies.blogspot.com/p/hot-summer-of-indie-reads.html)
Top Picks (http://readindies.blogspot.com/p/top-indie-reads.html)
Best Sci-fi Books (http://readindies.blogspot.com/p/best-sci-fi-books.html)
Best Mystery Books (http://readindies.blogspot.com/p/best-mystery-books.html)
Best Romance Books (http://readindies.blogspot.com/p/best-romance-books.html)
Best Children’s Books (http://readindies.blogspot.com/p/best-childrens-books.html)
Best Fiction (http://readindies.blogspot.ca/p/fiction.html)
Read Indies started out as a place where indie authors go to learn about important writing-related issues. Now it’s also a great place for readers to learn about great books. Periodically, you’ll also find recommendations from international bestselling author Robert Stanek (http://.www.robert-stanek.com/). In particular, Robert will be highlighting hidden gems, overlooked books, unsung heroes, and new favorites. Robert Stanek will also be helping to shape the following lists: Best Fantasy Books, Best Horror Books, Best Mystery Books, Best Thriller Books, and Best Children’s Books.
(First chapter of a nearly finished post-apocalyptic, alien invasion, military science fiction novel. Not sure why I can no longer get proper formatting in these posts anymore…)
ONE
I watched the endless lines of humans allow themselves to be herded to their deaths from three miles away. The combat scope’s digital zoom was top-notch, and allowed me to see too much detail. A woman in a torn red dress, crying with two children clutched to her chest, a family of at least eight, most of the children still in their pre-teen years, a group of at least thirty senior citizens, all of them too dazed to resist as they were led like cattle to the slaughterhouse.
The building that housed the Kai ovens reminded me of a warped children’s toy, one invented by a sadistic madman. Instead of malleable clay being fed into one end and spaghetti or pizza coming out the other, this one took in human beings and belched out an oily, blackish-grey smoke that hung in the air like thick smog. I wondered if the Kai had bothered to learn some human history, then decided to pick one of the most terrible events ever recorded as a fitting end for us. We had no idea what the Kai had done to the Hanura, other than once the Wire had gone silent, their amusing voices no longer chattering on the network, we knew that they’d become part of galactic history. The same with The Seven, our other ally against the Kai. Maybe this was the way that the Kai always vanquished their foes.
A commotion to the right caught my attention and I shifted the scope. A Kai soldier had picked up a human in each of its two powerful hands and carried them toward the entrance of the furnace. The two Kai soldiers guarding the doorway stepped forward to block the mass of humans while their comrade dragged the kicking, screaming men inside the building. The soldier reappeared three seconds later, and began patrolling the area as if nothing had happened. I thumbed the power button on the scope and rolled over when the Kai began shuffling people into the incinerator again. I couldn’t watch anymore.
“How bad is it?” Sergeant McAdams asked me from a few feet down the hillside.
“The same as Denver, Salt Lake, and Great Falls,” I whispered down to her.
“Come on, let’s go,” she said.
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