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Last Chance for a Great Adventure
My husband and I have been watching a lot of movies lately. Rewatching some old favorites, actually.
We both love Star Trek, so we decided to rewatch the alternate reality movies. But once we got through the second movie, Star Trek Into Darkness, we decided to go down a Khan rabbit hole. We watched The Original Series episode “Space Seed” and then Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. (Khan as a child in an alternate timeline also appeared in Strange New Worlds Season 2’s episode “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” but that’s further down the rabbit hole than we were willing to go at present.)
I love it when you have storylines within series. It makes the universe richer.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch—a huge Star Trek fan herself and an author of Star Trek novels—is a master of the storyline within a series, as evidence by her massively expansive Diving Universe.
And if you haven’t yet ventured into this universe, her newest novel, Ivory Trees, is a great place to start. And our latest Kickstarter is a great way to get that new novel.
We’ve entered the last week of Ivory Trees: A Diving Universe Kickstarter, and we’ve hit 3 stretch goals so far, so let’s take a look at what you’ll get if you back this Kickstarter at the $5 level or above:
Bonus books:
“Rocket Girls”
“Once on the Blue Moon”
“Rick the Robber Baron”
Bonus workshops:
Writing About Building Cultures in Science Fiction ($150 value)
Writing About Relativity in Science Fiction ($150 value)
We’ve got more stretch goals to hit, too, so the value just keeps rising.
Click here to check out the Kickstarter and the many book, merchandise, and writing workshop rewards we have on offer.
It’s an adventure you won’t want to miss!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
The Art of Paper Folding, Hardcover-Style
My daughter started school last week, and something struck me. She’s never brought home a textbook. Everything is on the computer now.
That is so strange to me. One of my favorite parts of the beginning of the school year was putting covers on my textbooks. There was an art to cutting and folding those paper grocery bags to get the perfect dust jacket (of course, I didn’t know that’s what I was making back then) and then decorating it so it was personalized.
Nola has never had the chance to make her own dust jacket. Times have changed. Technology has advanced. But it makes me a little sad.
Good thing I still have plenty of opportunities to make dust jackets (even if I’m not hand-folding them).
Take the latest novel and collection in Dean Wesley Smith’s bestselling Cold Poker Gang Mystery series, for example. I got to make a dust jacket for each of those.
Case Card, the latest novel, and Action, the new collection are both available in ebook, trade paperback and hardcover (with a dust jacket!).
Here’s the synopsis for Case Card:
International bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith returns to his bestselling Cold Poker Gang Mystery series with another twisted mystery in Case Card.
Retired detectives Debra Pickett and Sarge Carson return to the Cold Poker Gang Task Force after the pandemic to tackle the most famous of all Las Vegas cold cases: the disappearance of a college student fifty-one years before.
Becky Williams entered her apartment building on November 24, 1971, and vanished without a trace. Now, Pickett and Sarge have one last chance to solve the case before a building remodel destroys whatever clues remain.
But the twisted trail they follow in their investigation might prove the strangest and just downright Las Vegas-weirdest case they have ever solved.
You can get the ebook edition of Case Card here and the paper editions here.
Here’s the synopsis for Action:
International bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith offers up eight thrilling puzzle mystery stories in his bestselling Cold Poker Gang Mystery series.
If you love puzzle mysteries, complicated cold cases, and detectives tackling the most twisted crimes, take this opportunity to introduce yourself to this talented group of retired Las Vegas detectives playing poker and solving cold cases.
These eight stories each feature a new cold-case mystery and offer a look at the hard-to-solve crimes found in all the Cold Poker Gang novels.
You can get the ebook edition of Action here and the paper editions here.
So, go ahead and grab these great mysteries for your fall reading pile. And if you have some naked hardcovers at home and want to try your hand at making your own paper bag dust jacket, check out this video tutorial here!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Diving into New Territory
We all look to the stars. Or at least to the moon. And last week’s blue supermoon was no exception.
Call it superstition if you wish, but ask any cop, ER doc or journalist and they’ll tell you full moons definitely affect people.
It’s that pull. That feeling that something celestial is tugging at us.
I love looking at the moon. And wondering what is out there.
That’s probably why I love Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Diving Series so much.
The Diving Universe is so vast that it spans not only multiple star systems but also millennia. Set far in the future, and 18 books in, we readers are still exploring new worlds and new times and new technology with each new installment in this amazing series!
And tomorrow, you can join us, too, on the next part of this adventure!
Because at noon tomorrow, Ivory Trees: A Diving Universe Kickstarter launches. And we have so many cool rewards to share with you!
First, of course, is the new novel. In Ivory Trees: A Diving Universe Novel, Kris takes us back to Wyr (which savvy readers will remember from City of Ruins), where we learn a whole lot more about The Spires of Denon, the Amnthrans, the Empire, and an ancient tech.
There’s no Boss or Coop in this one, but avid readers will recognize some familiar faces if they pay attention.
And for the first time ever, we have Diving merchandise! Thanks to the amazing art created for us by the incredibly talented Philcold, as well as a new logo for the new book, you can now join the Diving Crew with mugs, coasters, a blanket, a pillow or a calendar.
Plus, of course, all the books in the series, including some that are only offered in Kickstarters.
And for writers, special workshops, of course.
Click here to go to the Kickstarter preview page, which will convert to the Kickstarter link once the project goes live about noon tomorrow and check it out.
We can’t wait for you to join us on this journey!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Celebrating the Sisterhood
At WMG, we have long celebrated women in science fiction. Not the least of which is because we publish one of the greatest science fiction writers of our time—Hugo Award-winning and international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
It’s a sisterhood, really, women in science fiction. And Kris is a powerful voice in that sisterhood.
Kris not only writes amazing science fiction, but she also writes kick-ass female protagonists in that science fiction. Her Diving Universe is case in point.
Robert Jeschonek recognizes how many awesome women are writing science fiction, too. And he’s curated a whole StoryBundle featuring them, including one of Kris’ Diving books. It’s called The Space Opera Sisterhood Bundle. Here’s what Bob has to say about it:
What is it about space opera that makes us love it so much? The action, the exotic settings, the colorful characters, the alien species? The promise of countless adventures in the face of the great unknown?
Or is it mostly just the incredible wow factor of all the ships…the technology…the planets…the ray guns and laser swords? In many ways, it’s the ultimate escapist genre, transporting us to places and situations that dwarf our everyday troubles. And yet, at its heart, space opera is all about us—what it means to be human, and how we can triumph over our human limitations.
Whatever your reason for loving the genre, this bundle has what you’re looking for in abundance. The eleven books I’ve selected—each written by a true heroine of the genre—are packed with space opera goodness that will propel you to the furthest reaches of the known and unknown universe.
This fantastic StoryBundle offers four titles for $5 or all eleven titles for $20. And it includes Becalmed: A Diving Universe Novella. If you’ve never read the Diving series, or you missed this novella in particular, I highly recommend you pick up this bundle. Becalmed is a masterpiece of powerful writing.
You can buy the bundle or read more about it here.
So, c’mon. Join the sisterhood.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Take A Swing At This
Despite all the news about the Pacific Northwest heat wave, it’s been beautiful on the Oregon Coast this week. The marine layer has stayed offshore, but the ocean winds have kept us in the upper 60s most of the week. The wildlife is enjoying it, too. I’ve seen more species of butterflies and dragonflies recently than I’ve ever seen here. It’s amazing.
I also noted, as my husband and I drove to our favorite French café for breakfast last week past one of the resorts in town, that it’s perfect weather for golf.
I don’t have a lot to say about golf. I’ve always been, um, directionally challenged when it comes to my golf swing, so I’ve never really committed to learning. But we do have a resident golf expert in the company.
And he has some really cool words of wisdom about golf in his book The First Tee Panic.
Former PGA Golf Professional and bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith walks you step-by-step, club-by-club from your car to the first tee and beyond in a laugh-out-loud style that not only teaches, but entertains.
Any golfer recognizes the fears, the patterns, the downright horrors of the first shot of a round. Ever topped that first shot just off the front edge of the tee box? Or worse yet, whiffed it completely?
Come on, admit it. It happened. Remember?
The problems with that first shot don’t start with the swing. Nope, the problems start in the parking lot. And this book will get you flawlessly from the parking lot, through the clubhouse, onto the driving range, over the putting green, and finally successfully off the first tee with a smile.
You can buy the ebook direct from us here, or you can get the paperback here or the audiobook from Audible here.
It’ll change your golf game and entertain you at the same time.
And what better way to enjoy the summer weather!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
This Summer is Sizzling
This summer stands a good chance of being declared the hottest summer on record (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere). Even if it doesn’t hit that mark, it’s certainly breaking a lot of records. [link to ]
That certainly comes as no surprise to me. I suffered from heat illness myself this summer while in Las Vegas during the July heat wave. That’s something I haven’t experienced since Madrid in ’92. Years of living on the Oregon Coast have made me more susceptible to heat because we don’t get much of it here.
For example, although we are under an excessive heat warning all of next week, the predicted high temperature where I live will range from 70 to 79 degrees. Supposedly. If the marine layer doesn’t get sucked in by triple-digit heat in the Valley. Then, we’ll be lucky to get out of the 50s.
High temps in the 70s doesn’t sound high, but it actually is for here. We usually don’t break out of the 60s in the summer. And no one here has air conditioning. So, 79 can get rather warm, especially when you don’t expect it.
I certainly didn’t expect to suffer from heat illness while I was in Las Vegas. I knew to be careful, since Vegas was having record-setting heat (it was 115 degrees the day I fell ill). But I never expected five minutes on a sidewalk to take me out.
Still, nothing like some parts of the world are dealing with—which pairs record-breaking temperatures with high humidity. That’s a brutal kind of heat.
Here at WMG, we prefer to heat things up on the page instead. No chance of heat stroke there!
If that kind of heat sparks your interest, look no further than Summer Sizzles.
In this fourth Fiction River Special Edition, bestselling romance author and editor Kristine Grayson takes readers into the world of romantic suspense. These nine breathtaking stories—from military romance to love in the criminal underworld, from a highly unusual shipboard romance to a modern gothic novella set on an idyllic island—make a perfect beginning to summer reading. The heat of attraction, the sparks of passion, and the frisson of suspense all thread their way through every story in this spectacular volume.
Includes
“Night Moves” by Katie Pressa
“Safe Like Cedar” by Lisa Silverthorne
“Flying Above the Hindu Kush” by M.L. Buchman
“Love on the Run” by Kelly Washington
“Need to Know” by Sabrina Chase
“Bribing Ghosts” by Leah Cutter
“Come Summer, Come Winter, I’ll Come for You” by Rei Rosenquist
“Totality” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“That Summer on Blue Heron Island” by Dayle A. Dermatis
Intrigued? Of course you are. Buy the ebook now here. It’s a great choice for any summer reading list.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Grand Opening Sale!
Did you know you can buy books directly from WMG? Well, you can! And we have a brand-new online store for you to shop.
In addition to our main WMG online bookstore, we now have a dedicated store for Pulphouse Fiction Magazine. And we’re having a grand-opening sale this week to celebrate!
You can save 30% on books, 10% (plus free shipping) on merchandise, and 50% on everything we offer on WMG’s Teachable site.
That 30% off on books goes for every ebook we have for sale at pulphousemagazine.com and wmgbooks.com. (Right now, we only have ebooks available direct, but later this year we plan to add paper books and some audiobooks, as well.)
Every previously published issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine since our launch in 2018 is available on our Pulphouse store site, as well as all of our Pulphouse books, and, of course, subscriptions (but please note that subscriptions are not included in the grand opening sale).
Plus, not only do we have the Pulphouse merchandise we included in the 2023 Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Subscription Drive on Kickstarter—which ended on Thursday…thank you so much to all who supported it!—but we also have lots of new merchandise available for sale (at a 10% discount!).
Click here to go directly to the Pulphouse store.
Meanwhile, the majority of our ebook inventory is now available on our WMG bookstore. And all of it is 30% off.
Click here to go directly to the WMG Books store.
Last but certainly not least is the 50% off on our WMG Teachable site. That discount also applies to the recently launched Indie Writer’s Products Classes (where you can learn how to turn your series into merchandise) and the just announced Down in the Details classes.
To learn more about the new class and to read more about the Teachable part of the grand-opening sale, click here. (https://deanwesleysmith.com/grand-opening-sale/)
As you can see from our grand-opening sale, we are very excited about our new stores! Having the capability to do storewide sales on all of our available inventory is something we could never do with our retail partners. And while we’ll continue to offer our books through those venues, we will be focusing more and more on our own stores so that we can offer our readers the best deals possible.
And as my husband can attest, I sure do love a good sale!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
Last Call for Some Fun Stuff
Our 2023 Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Subscription Drive on Kickstarter ends on Thursday, so you only have a few more days to get some really cool stuff.
We’ve hit our third stretch goal, which means that every backer at the $25 reward level and up gets three bonus ebooks: Fiction River Presents: The Unexpected, Fiction River: Universe Between, and a brand-new Pulphouse book that will be created because of this Kickstarter: The Alien Who Ate My Homework and Burped.
That’s on top of six new monthly issues of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine coming your way. And that’s not all!
Now that we’ve hit that third stretch goal, we’ve unlocked that rare opportunity I mentioned last week. One we’ve never offered before in a Kickstarter.
Any writer backing this Kickstarter will now have a chance to submit a story to Pulphouse Fiction Magazine. The magazine is never open for submissions, but for only the month of August, backers of this campaign who would like to try to have a story in the pages of Pulphouse may submit one story. (We pay 6 cents per word if accepted, and guidelines will be sent in an update after the campaign closes.)
And the more stretch goals we hit, the more opportunities writers will have to submit stories. Plus, the more new Pulphouse books readers will get to enjoy.
And don’t forget to check out the new Pulphouse mugs, calendar and pillow we have available as rewards (bundled with a Pulphouse subscription, of course). Our office at WMG headquarters is now decked out with all sorts of Pulphouse merchandise. That wacky little Thumper makes a great mascot not just on the pages of Pulphouse but also on my reading chair in pillow form and on my new coffee mug!
Click here to check out the Kickstarter so you can read Pulphouse, try your hand at writing for Pulphouse, and spread Pulphouse cheer all over your own house.
Immerse yourself in this innovative magazine. You won’t regret it!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.
This Kickstarter is Heating Up!
Now that the Craft Workshop has wrapped up, I’ve escaped the heat of Vegas. Whew!
But the Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Subscription Drive 2023 Kickstarter is still heating up! And that’s a kind of heat I always welcome.
We’ve hit two stretch goals so far, and the third stretch goal introduces something we’ve never offered before: a chance for writers who support the Kickstarter to submit a story to Pulphouse Fiction Magazine!
You can find more details in the Kickstarter under Stretch Goals, starting at the $10,000 stretch goal.
We also have two very special craft workshops for writers, exclusive to this campaign.
There’s the “Known and Strange Things” Special Workshop, which describes what many Pulphouse stories are at their core: A known thing turned strange (think a lot of Twilight Zone stories) or a strange thing written as if it is known.
Then there’s the “I Can’t Believe I’m Writing This” Special Workshop. It’s that secret sauce that makes a story truly great.
You can buy either workshop individually or you can buy them both together (and get a Pulphouse six-issue subscription as well).
Both workshops are three weeks long, are offered only twice, and the final week’s assignment for both workshops will be to write a short story that editor Dean Wesley Smith will consider for Pulphouse. (Not as submissions, just how Dean will look at the stories and tell you he is interested in seeing it sent back as a submission.)
You have your choice of taking either three-week workshop starting August 15th or starting September 12th.
Like I said, this Kickstarter is on fire!
Click here to read all about it.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor
Calling All Pulphousers!
I’ve got a busy week ahead. First off, I’m in Las Vegas (in the record heat) managing logistics for the Fantasy/Thriller Craft Workshop that Kristine Kathryn Rusch is teaching. I love being on site for these workshops and seeing our writers in person. They’re so much fun! (I mean, hard work, too, but fun!) If you’re a writer, you should consider coming one of these days. You can learn more about them here.
Nola is here with me this time because she’s taking a theater summer camp at the Smith Center this week. So, that’s very cool, too! Las Vegas has a lot of resources that we, obviously, don’t have in little Lincoln City, Oregon, so the fact that this camp coincided with our workshop seemed like it was meant to be.
And while we’re here in Vegas, we are launching our next Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Subscription Drive on Kickstarter.
So much going on!
We have some very cool new stuff in this Kickstarter, including, for the first time, Pulphouse merchandise!
Reward options will include a mug and a pillow featuring the Pulphouse mascot Thumper as well as a calendar featuring some of our favorite cartoons from the pages of Pulphouse.
Here are pics by way of a preview:
Every reward comes with a six-month (six-issue) subscription to Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, as well (existing subscribers can have six issues added to their remaining subscription), so you can see what all the buzz is about. We’re also debuting our new 6×9 trade paperback format!
The Kickstarter launches at noon on Tuesday, but you can sign up here to be notified as soon as it does.
From Thumper to cartoons to tons of cutting-edge short stories, there’s so much to love with Pulphouse!
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer, working mother, and brain tumor survivor.