Book Launch: Dark and Twisted Dystopian Science Fiction Anthology

Four short stories from the desolate and tempestuous imagination of Jessica Halsey.

Originally published on Kindle Unlimited as “Speculative E-Shorts.”

The Wish Maker and Other Stories Jessica Halsey

Artist Konn Lavery’s work on Jessica Halsey’s The Wish Maker cover

“The Wish Maker” is a war-torn dystopian exposing the disturbing similarities between real-life evils and a larger-than-life Lovecraftian monster.

“Namaste Apocalypse” is a character-driven slice-of-life about maintaining healthy lifestyle habits during the zombie apocalypse.

“The Promise” is a YA dystopian tragedy about poison fog and an underground civilization.

“Echo” is a fast-paced corporate sci-fi adventure that combines notes of dark humor with all too possible futuristic concepts.

This collection includes a bonus preview of The Slaughter Chronicles, a genetic engineering supernatural suspense series.

Read Jessica Halsey’s short stories and poetry

The Wish Maker and Other Stories Jessica Halsey After the Flood by Jessica Halsey

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Book Launch: Danger lurks in every corner of space when hocking crappy merchandise

Saving an alien planet is nothing compared to meeting your sales quota.

Untrained tag-along, Marcus Aimond, aboard humanity’s first intergalactic exploratory Space Holes by B. R. Louiscommerce vessel has a singular mission: sell off-brand misprinted merchandise.

When the rookie and his crew encounter the Nerelkor, a frog-like civilization, he is thrust head-first into an alien civil war. The opposing factions, Rejault and Dinasc, are stuck in an ill-fated feud driven by deep-rooted ineptitude. To avoid the planet’s total annihilation and establish a local sales office, Aimond and the crew must survive arena combat, reshape the very structure of the planet, establish world peace, and stay alive—for the sake of positive branding, of course.

Read B. R. Louis’s Space Holes

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Book Launch: When espionage exposes a hidden world, war threatens its safety

A hidden people not so hidden anymore.

The Hidden Realm of Angolin has existed in peaceful isolation for centuries, but that’sAngolin by C. E. Taylor about to change. The enemy across the Abyss has discovered them and is intent on conquest. Lieutenant Dharmen Tate has a great love for his homeland and a greater understanding of its position in the world. When he discovers a plot by fellow officers to join the enemy and overthrow Angolin, he and his colleagues spring into action to defend the Hidden Realm from its foes—those without, and those within. The ensuing struggle magnifies Angolin’s vulnerability and exposes the collusion of a growing body of its citizens, signifying an uncertain and bloody future.

For readers who enjoy Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray, Embassytown by China Mieville, and Catalyst of Sorrows by Margaret Wander Bonnano.

Read Angolin by C. E. Taylor

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Book Launch: The king of medieval TV is dead, and the game is afoot

“A pitch-perfect combination of action, mystery, and humor.” ―Anthony Award-winning author Gigi Pandian for Jove Brand Is Near Death

“Fans of both superheroes and pulp noir are sure to love Crawford’s action-packed dialogue and descriptions.” ―Library Journal, for Heroes Ever Die

The King is Dead, and the Game is Afoot.

The hit TV show, The Lands Beyond, has become a cultural phenomenon, influencing King Me by J. A. Crawfordfashion and baby name trends. Its creator, R. R. Reynard, masterminds the story each season, pitting the cast against each other in a toxic, kill or be killed, environment. But Reynard has even greater ambitions.

He’s formed a feudalistic society of superfans who are willing to do anything to rise in the ranks and be officially canonized as a character on The Lands Beyond. With the show set to enter its final season, the cast, crew, and superfans attend a convention at the historic Chateau D’Loire. While holding court, Reynard is murdered, and the notebook holding all the secrets, twists, and endings disappears.

Enter Ken Allen, former D-list actor turned private eye.

As the body count rises, Ken discovers the stakes are far greater than just a television show. And the fantasy neophyte is about to learn that all is fair in love and war in The Lands Beyond.

For readers who love fun mysteries like the Spenser Series by Robert B. Parker, the Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich, and the M Murder Series by Anthony Horowitz.

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Book Launch: Is Daphne crazy, or is the Brotherhood of the Raven real?

Beware the Brotherhood of the Raven

When two boys vanish from her hometown, Daphne Gauge notices uncanny parallels to Girl Among Crows by Brendon Vayoher brother’s disappearance 30 years earlier. Symbols of an ancient Norse god. Rumors of a promise to reward the town’s faithful with wealth and power, for a price. She warns her husband that another sacrifice is imminent, but just like last time, no one believes her.

This leaves her with a desperate choice: investigate with limited resources, or give in to the FBI’s request for an interview. For years, they’ve wanted a member of the Gauge family to go on record about the tragedy back in 1988. If she agrees to a deposition now, Daphne must confess her family’s dark secrets. But she also might have one last chance to unmask the killer from back then . . . and now.

For readers who enjoy Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, Joshilyn Jackson, Riley Sager, Jennifer McMahon, and Simone St. James.

Read Girl Among Crows by Brendon Vayo

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Book Launch: She’s risking her dream of joining the FBI for four gorgeous criminals

Stalker ex? ✔ Four hot roommates? ✔ An illegal secret? ✔✔✔✔✔

I, Clara McElroy, always have a handle on things. List it out, check it off, and tally every win as a step toward joining the FBI. Then my perfect life explodes.

Now I’m living with four gorgeous guys I’ve never met while scrambling to make ends Brazen Criminals Maisie Kanemeet, and my perfect life is farther out of reach than ever.

Only my roommates Jansen, Walker, RJ, and Trips aren’t your typical undergrads. They’ve got the kind of secrets that can land you in federal prison. A thief, a forger, a hacker, and a bookie shouldn’t have a d*mn thing to do with a girl slated to put them behind bars. And I should run in the opposite direction if I know what’s good for my future.

But my ex isn’t taking our sudden breakup well. And these criminals are my refuge, keeping me safe and sane while the rest of my life spirals out of control.

When my ex gets dangerous, can I count on these guys to help? Or would relying on them destroy the last piece of my perfectly planned life?

Brazen Criminals is book one of the Brazen Boys series: a slow-burn, dark, forced proximity, new adult, heist romance series. Expect excessive longing, explicit content, more than one lover, and lots of broken laws. If you have content concerns, please visit Maisie’s website for additional information prior to reading.

Read Brazen Criminals by Maisie Kane

Preorder Brazen Deceits by Maisie Kane

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Book Launch: Coming home 11 years later was the worst thing she ever did

When I ran out of Poca eleven years ago, I never planned on seeing the confines of this small town again. Now, it’s mocking me. The very thing that drove me to run away at seventeen is what’s pulling me right back into Poca’s prickly embrace: my abusive, alcoholic mother.

Mom doesn’t want me here any more than I want to be here, but her failing health has meSierra by Lee Dawna trapped. Making matters worse is the rage my high school boyfriend, the love of my life, has built up over the years since I fled Poca. I couldn’t handle telling Conner goodbye or letting him know where I’d gone. Now he thinks that after I returned, I murdered the local bar owner, Mom’s unyielding alcohol dealer, by burning Rusty alive inside his own home.

Luke is the only other true friend I ever had in Poca and he’s followed in his stepdad’s footprints, becoming a member of the police force. A position he can use to help me. Or frame me. Conner took Luke’s wife and now Luke might be using me to get even.

The only clue I have to go on to find Rusty’s murderer and clear my name is the mysterious diary I found hidden away. But the unknown author is a twisted self-professed arsonist with ties to Rusty, my mother…and me.

My head and heart are aching, and long-buried secrets are coming to light. Poca has a murderer in its midst. One hiding just below the surface.

You know what they say—if you want the truth, dig for it. That’s exactly what I plan to do.

Read Sierra by Lee Dawna

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Book Launch: Can reality TV turn pretend lovers into true love?

Nothing’s real on reality TV―or is it?

Everyone knows Kell Simmons manages the Matthews brothers, the three hottest stars in Hollywood: action hero Ryan, romantic lead Ash, and sports star Jonah. But no one knows that she’s hopelessly in love with one of them.

When Ryan’s surprise engagement to a fan just about breaks Kell’s heart, Ash, himself unhappily in love, lends his shoulder to cry on. All this is great fodder for the brothers’ very own reality TV show, and soon the days of their lives are filled with scripted dates, fake drama, and real heartache―all in front of a camera.

As the brothers’ popularity skyrockets into the stratosphere, Kell finds herself wondering how much, if any, of the spotlight she wants, if it means foregoing real love for fun and games on TV.

Read Managing the Matthews by Haleigh Wenger

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Draft2Digital Acquires SelfPubBookCovers.com, World’s Leading Premade Covers Marketplace

July 24, 2023—OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.—Draft2Digital (D2D), LLC, which powers the publishing businesses of 260,000 indie authors and small presses, today announced the acquisition of SelfPubBookCovers.com (SPBC).  For the last decade, SPBC has operated a pioneering marketplace for premade book covers at selfpubbookcovers.com where indie authors have purchased thousands of original, one-of-a-kind cover designs from thousands of professional cover designers.

“Conventional cover design procurement is unnecessarily difficult and time-consuming for authors and artists alike,” said Kris Austin, co-founder and CEO of D2D.  “With the acquisition of SPBC, we’re excited to introduce a better way for authors and artists to collaborate on the perfect cover design.”

SPBC will operate within a newly formed D2D division, Author Success, headed by Nick Thacker.

“Our mission at Author Success, as it is with SPBC, is to help authors efficiently procure the highest-quality essential publishing services for the least cost and effort,” said Nick Thacker, vice president of Author Success at D2D. “Just as authors have always been a key constituency of D2D, with the SPBC acquisition, cover artists are also now a key constituency we seek to serve at D2D.  We want to help every professional cover designer in the world to participate in, and profit from, SPBC’s unique premade covers marketplace.”

The acquisition of SPBC follows D2D’s March 2022 acquisition of Smashwords. SPBC joins D2D’s growing suite of tools and services that help reduce the cost and complexity of essential publishing functions for book production, distribution, marketing, and business management.

How SPBC Works

For authors, SPBC makes it easy to find and purchase the perfect cover at a great price.

For artists, SPBC makes it possible to serve more authors with more cover designs in less time. SPBC virtually eliminates the time-consuming back-and-forth iterations necessary with conventional custom cover design. The artist’s customer is always thrilled because authors finish off their own cover and only purchase what they love.

Cover artists upload their original premade cover designs to SPBC along with recommended font treatments for the author’s pen name and title. For discoverability, artists tag each image with keywords to reflect the types of book categories, genres, and themes for which the image would be suitable.

Authors visit SPBC and can search thousands of artist portfolios at once using various keywords and categories to find the perfect one-of-a-kind cover image for their book.

The author applies their own pen name and title to the image using SPBC’s simple online tools. The author can either adopt the cover artist’s recommended font treatment and positioning, or the author can make adjustments. Authors only purchase once they’re 100% satisfied. The author retains future access to their one-of-a-kind book cover, should they ever wish to update their typography. Authors have unlimited typographic changes to their covers- at any time- at no additional cost.

What’s Coming Next

The acquisition has been completed. The services of SPBC are fully operational and available today to authors and cover artists at https://selfpubbookcovers.com. SPBC will operate as an independent marketplace outside of D2D, serving all authors, publishers, and cover artists.

SPBC co-founder Rob Sturtz will remain with the company during a transition period.

Over the next 12 months, D2D will operate the business as it is, introducing more D2D authors to its services while working closely with the artist community to help them develop their businesses on the platform.

D2D plans to introduce a major refresh to the marketplace in late 2024 or early 2025 that will enable improved cover image discoverability and workflows.

About SelfPubBookCovers.com

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in New York, SelfPubBookCovers.com (SPBC) operates a pioneering marketplace for premade book covers. The business was co-founded by the New York Times and USA Today bestselling hybrid author Shoshanna Evers (later known as Shoshanna Gabriel) and her graphic design artist father, Rob Sturtz. The company was an early pioneer in premade covers, and over the years developed a number of unique enhancements that remain industry-firsts to this day, such as the ability for authors to finish off their covers with self-serve tools that allow customized typesetting and placement of cover text. Sadly, Shoshanna, who was the inspiration behind the company, passed away unexpectedly in 2021.

About Draft2Digital

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Draft2Digital is the world’s leading publishing platform for self-published authors and independent presses. The company offers a broad suite of tools and services that reduce the complexity of operating an indie publishing business. D2D’s tools and services streamline ebook and print publishing, distribution, metadata management, marketing, and publishing business operations. Following its acquisition of indie ebook pioneer Smashwords in 2022, Draft2Digital now serves more than 260,000 authors and publishers that collectively publish, distribute, and manage over 900,000 books worldwide with Draft2Digital. Visit Draft2Digital at https://draft2digital.com or follow on Twitter @Draft2Digital.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Kevin Tumlinson, Director of Marketing & PR

kevin.tumlinson@draft2digital.com

or

Jim Azevedo, Corporate Communications Manager
jim.azevedo@draft2digital.com

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From the Despair of Grief to a Life-Changing, Daring Adventure

You can’t outrun grief, but you can try.

Former television anchor Dawn Picken was living the suburban dream in Spokane, Washington with her husband and two small children when disaster struck. Sean landedLove, Loss and Lifelines: My Year of Grief on the Run by Dawn Picken in intensive care with a mysterious illness later identified as necrotizing fasciitis-“flesh-eating bacteria.”

The community rallied around the family, and a virtual army of friends, relatives, and strangers provided what Dawn didn’t even know to ask for: babysitting, meals, cleaning, makeup (someone stole her good stuff) and a shred of sanity in the form of time out.

After months of false hope and heartache, Sean died, and the pandemonium died with it. What now? Brushing aside advice not to make drastic changes in the first awful year after a loss, Dawn rented out her house and packed six suitcases to travel the world alongside companions too young to appreciate a fine wine or a beautiful sunset.

When life has already handed you a massive shit sandwich, what’s another preschool tantrum during an extended holiday?

Deeply felt and often funny, Love, Loss and Lifelines is for people who have lost a loved one and picked themselves back up—or not. It’s for people supporting those who have lost a loved one. This medical tragedy/traveler’s tale is smeared with tiny greasy handprints while showing a young widow’s voyage through the messiness of grief, the baggage of loneliness, and the joy of rediscovered love.

Read Dawn’s memoir

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