Friday, November 9, 2018

Sci-Fi Book Spotlight #OurAuthorGang

The MechMen of Canis-9

A Three Against The Stars Adventure
Joe Bonadonna
 Cover Art Designed by Erika M. Szabo

Canis-9: a vast, oceanic planet in a far distant galaxy . . . called Devoora by its two indigenous populations. The Tulavi are a maritime culture inhabiting the islands west of the Great Aetherian Reef, living in harmony with their environment and the great oceans where the leviathans known as the kaizsu dwell. The Malvarians are an industrial nation running out of resources, living on the mainland east of the Reef. 


In this rousing sequel to Three Against The Stars, Sergeants Seamus O’Hara, Claudia Akira, Fernando Cortez and a platoon of Marines are deployed to Canis-9 — Devoora, the Ocean Planet. Their mission: find seven indestructible robot warriors hidden there for seventy years. Most of the platoon survives a crash-landing but are left stranded in a hostile environment of deadly sea predators. Rescued by native Tulavi islanders, the Marines get caught up in a war between this mysterious, maritime civilization and another indigenous race, the Malvarians, who hunt and harvest the eggs of the giant kaizsu — the Sea Dragons sacred to the Tulavi. As the Marines set out to complete their mission they discover a secret known only by the Tulavi: the endangered kaizsu are the key to Devoora’s ecosystem and the future of all life on the planet.

An adventure unlike anything the Marines of Company E have ever experienced, Sergeant Cortez finds romance and Sergeant Akira faces decisions that can save or ruin her troubled marriage. But at the heart of this story is a little Tulavi girl named Zherisa, who tends to a wounded Sergeant O’Hara and helps him overcome the grief he’s carried in his heart for the past eighteen years. And then there’s the stranger, Solis Lachus -- the Man from Outside, who holds the key to what the Marines have come searching for . . . The MechMen of Canis-9.

“What sets Bonadonna’s work apart from so many others who share similar influences is that he is able to authentically capture the fun and innocence without sacrificing intelligent commentary on war and imperialism. . . . The diversity among Bonadonna’s characters will resonate with modern readers more than if he had stuck with traditional Caucasian male protagonists. . . . One distinguishing feature I’ve enjoyed in Bonadonna’s previous work that is also present here is the fact that his characters are scarred by turmoil. . . . While all sorts of influences are present in his story and the worlds within, a surprising number seem drawn from outside the genre. This cross-pollination of ideas serves the book well and makes Bonadonna an author that is worthy of closer scrutiny.” — William Patrick Maynard, author  The Terror of Fu Manchu and The Destiny of Fu Manchu.

Rousing action, a wondrous and dangerous planet, and memorable characters, this Sword and Planet science fiction is in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Leigh Brackett, with a touch of Frank Herbert, Rudyard Kipling and Herman Melville. Available now in paperback and Kindle editions.

The Mechmen of Canis-9 in Paperback

The MechMen of Canis-9 in Kindle


Please check out Three Against The Stars.
Available in: 


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Erika M Szabo

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Great review, your story deserves it!
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Thank you, Erika. And thank you for that most excellent cover you designed for me -- and the whole packaging of the book, too.

Erika M Szabo shared this via Google+

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Thanks, Erika!

nicola L Osguthorpe

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
This looks great Joe, I will have to check it out!
 
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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today the #OurAuthorGang spotlight is on Joe Bonadonna's latest sci-fi adventure, featuring the trio we first met in Three Against the Stars. Action-packed science fiction with a diverse crew of space marines -- how can you go wrong?!? Yes, I've already bought my copy!!
 
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Ruth de Jauregui

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
GREAT reviews!! I got my copy the other day, so it's in my to-read pile. I'm looking forward to revisiting the trio in their latest adventure!
 
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Chris Weigand

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Sounds great Joe.
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Thank you.

Chris Weigand via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Another Sci Fi spotlight with Joe.
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Thank you!

P. J. Mann

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Sounds like a great read!
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Thank you, P.J.  It was fun to write, although it took 3 years. I'm rather proud of the story and the characters.

Toi Thomas

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
This sounds like a great continuation to a unique and engaging space opera. Nicely done.
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Thank you very much, Toi!

Joe Bonadonna via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I'm very proud to tell you that today on #OurAuthorGang, the Book in the Spotlight is my new release, "The MechMen of Canis-9," the Sword & Planet adventure and "sequel" to my Space Opera, "Three Against The Stars." Thank you!
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Lorraine Carey

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Joe Bonadonna's work seems to put a new spin on the ordinary SciFi novels. He's got the magic touch.
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+Joe Bonadonna Thank you. At the moment I'm not doing much writing.
 
+Lorraine Carey -- I'm sorry to hear that. But I understand. I just finished a 20-K novella for next year's Heroes in Hell volume. But I have no desire to start something new. Life happens.

Toi Thomas via Google+

2 months ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today, Joe Bonadonna​ shares The MechMen of Canis-9, the sequel to Three Against the Stars. #OurAuthorGang
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Thanks, Toi!

Stephanie Collins via Google+

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Erika M Szabo originally shared this
 
Great review, your story deserves it!
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Thank you!

Thursday, November 8, 2018

A NaNoWriMo Adventure


A NaNoWriMo Adventure

Christina Weigand





Earlier this week Tricia talked about signing up to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Today I want to talk to you about the experience. I have participated in NaNo for seventeen years. Some years I have achieved 50,000 words and others I haven’t. For a couple of years, while I lived in Washington State I was a municipal liaison in partnership with two other writers, one of whom is still my best writing buddy. Three of the books I’ve written during NaNo have gone on to be published. So what keeps me coming back? Why put myself through this torture once a year?



The first year I did it, 2001, I was a newbie writer, and I did this just for fun to see if I could do it. I didn’t reach 50,000 words, and in fact didn’t accomplish that until 2008, but I was hooked. Some years, especially when I lived in Washington, I was very focused and that is the period of time when I wrote: Palace of the Twelve Pillars (2008), Palace of the Three Crosses (2009) and Sanctuary of Nine Dragons (2010). Keep in mind those three books did not come out of NaNo ready to be published. I think that’s where the beauty of NaNo; you give yourself freedom to write the first draft, which by its nature is not supposed to be the best or final product.



Some other things that make the experience worthwhile: The companionship you receive from writers from around the world and in in your local community; putting away your inner editor and just writing and an organized group that promotes, supports and guides the writer.



I’m sure NaNo is not for everyone, but for me, I will keep doing it; maybe. There are years including this one that I have contemplated not doing it or didn’t have a specific project in mind. But somehow someone manages to convince me to take the leap and do it once again.


I may not have convinced anyone to do this, but that really wasn’t the goal. For me NaNo has been a fulfilling experience. There have been times that I have been in that zone, you writers know what I am talking about, where the words come faster than I can get them on paper. There have been times when I’ve felt as if I would never write a good word again. In those times the friends I have made find a way to talk me out of the slump.


So once again I took the plunge and will spend the next month writing or in my case rewriting. I went to the NaNo website today and saw my total NaNo word count for the seventeen years I have participated. It is 287,716, a lot of words but well worth the effort.
Now onto NaNo, to hopefully add another 50,000 words. I’ll see you on the fifteenth and give you an update on my progress.

If you are interested it's never too late to start. Here is the link to sign up or just check it out here: NaNo
If you know of a young writer or are a teacher that wants her class to participate in NaNo there is a Young Writers NaNo here:  Young writers

For more info on NaNoWriMo you can check out Tricia's post  here.


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