Book Promo And Vignettes By Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike

*Sorry to be so late this week. I caught the extreme coughing bug that’s going around, and it’s making everything slow. – SAH*

If you wish to send us books for next week’s promo, please email to bookpimping at outlook dot com. If you feel a need to re-promo the same book do so no more than once every six months (unless you’re me or my relative. Deal.) One book per author per week. Amazon links only. Oh, yeah, by clicking through and buying (anything, actually) through one of the links below, you will at no cost to you be giving a portion of your purchase to support ATH through our associates number. A COMMISSION IS EARNED FROM EACH PURCHASE.*Note that I haven’t read most of these books (my reading is eclectic and “craving led”,) and apply the usual cautions to buying. I reserve the right not to run any submission, if cover, blurb or anything else made me decide not to, at my sole discretion.– SAH

FROM PAM UPHOFF: A Political Marriage (Chronicles of the Fall Book 20

Lord Kalev Meknikov a young noble in a high tech civilization . . . Lady Aurora Denhart a young lady with a father in politics . . . and you’d think in such a high tech society that political alliances wouldn’t require silly things like marriages between young members of the families . . .

But here they are . . .

A somewhat silly and sweet romance within a Science Fantasy Universe.

FROM MARTIN L. SHOEMAKER: Silent Tears (The Route Books of Bobo Buttons, Private Eye Book 2)

The end of a grifter…

When Heath Brothers Greater Shows settles in Florida at their Winter Village, word of Bobo’s detective work spreads among the local shows. Bobo is approached by Storywise the Clown, a mute mime from another show. Storywise’s mother has been roped into a financial con, and she’s in danger of losing her life savings. Bobo tries to help without breaking Mama Wise’s heart.

But when the grifter is found dead and Storywise is accused, can Bobo find the real killer? Who’s behind this deadly long con? In this Hanukkah season, Storywise needs a miracle. Fortunately he has Bobo Buttons, Private Eye.

FROM LAURA MONTGOMERY: WALKABOUT: A Waking Late Prequel

For fans of the Waking Late trilogy.

Clarence Satcom, prince and heir to one of Earth’s lost colonies, sets forth on a walkabout outside the terraformed valley of First Landing. He has plans both for the valley’s future and for the Pan who live outside it. The Pan steal First Landing’s children, and he intends to stop them.

But when he comes across one of his subjects trying to leave his domain, his journey veers down a more educational path. Whether he can learn the lessons offered is another question entirely.

For fans of Nwwwlf, the Waking Late trilogy, and Martha’s Sons. If you want a glimpse of Clarence in his youth, this story is for you.

FROM CHRISTOPHER G. NUTALL: Crash Landing (Boy’s Own Starship)

Eric Crichton and his brother John thought they knew all about space: buy a beat-up old freighter, haul cargo from star to star, and stay one step ahead of the bankers. Easy, right? But when a shady charter lands them a mysterious medical package bound for a newly terraformed world, things go from routine to red-alert in a hurry.
A pirate ambush knocks Max Jones out of the sky, stranding the young crew on a wild, storm-swept planet where the weather is only the second most dangerous thing. The “plague” they were supposed to deliver turns out to be a lie, the package hides something worth killing for, and the pirates want it back, along with the kids who carry it. With their sister Maryam fighting for her life in a stasis pod, Eric must team up with a tough colony girl named Daisy, a sharp-eyed heiress who won’t be left behind, and a handful of hard-working settlers who know how to handle trouble.
They’ll need every trick they’ve got: quick thinking, faster hands, and the kind of stubborn courage that turns a crashed ship into a fighting chance. Outnumbered, outgunned, and running out of time, the young crew of Max Jones learns the hard truth: in space, no one’s going to come save you—you save yourself.
A fast-moving tale of high adventure, daring escapes, and the unbreakable spirit of youth: straight from the Heinlein tradition of boys (and girls!) who face the unknown and come out on top.

EDITED BY LAWDOG WITH A STORY BY LEE ALLRED: Plasma Pulp: Lost Worlds (Raconteur Press Anthologies)

Step into ten stories of vibrant universes, where gleaming rays of energy shape the future and the past collides with the fantastic unknown. This collection of short stories invites you to explore a genre that is often called “Raypunk” or “Raygun Gothic,” but we call “Plasma Pulp”—because “punk” is overused, and we can. We bring you the electric optimism of retro-futurism, blending sleek technology of the future with the Old School spirit of adventure. Here, the impossible becomes tangible through visions of shimmering cities, heroic inventors, and cosmic mysteries illuminated by pulsating light. Within these pages, you will encounter daring escapades and enigmatic characters who navigate a landscape defined by gleaming technology and surreal possibilities. Whether it’s battling sinister forces with futuristic weaponry or unraveling the secrets of radiant power, each story pulses with the incandescent energy of plasma pulp’s unique vision.

FROM J. KENTON PIERCE (This time with cover because I got a link.): The Warlord of Greenline Town (Tales From the Long Night Book 2)

In the ruins of Hesperides Colony, scarred by volcanic winters and orbital threats, Captain Ravati Aziz safeguards underground Greenline Town. A veteran trooper turned cop, she balances family with bondmates and kids amid a corrupt town council, brutal Blackcheek gangs, and nomadic Pridesmen driving herds through deadly badlands.

When a notorious homesteader unearths a crashed starship packed with lost tech and comes to Greenline looking for help, Ravati volunteers, knowing what’s at stake.As vanished Gentle Walkers return with secrets and politicians scheme for power, Ravati allies with warriors and scholars to defend her home.

In a brutal world of hard choices, can she stop Greenline’s slide into tyranny?

EDITED BY JAMES YOUNG: On The Sea: Naval Alternate History (Arc of Ares)

You seldom hear of the fleets except when there’s trouble, and then you hear a lot.
— Admiral John S. McCain

The sea. Bearer of commerce, fertilizer for empires, and a battlefield where the environment itself is set to kill the warriors who engage each other upon it. From the galleys of ancient Greece to the deadly, silent murder machines of the nuclear age, Mankind has set across the oceans to visit great harm upon their fellow man on distant shores. On The Sea brings you alternate endings to these voyages, with characters and points of divergence as varied as the oceans themselves.

Prefer your sea tales in an era of wooden ships, coal smoke, and iron men? Dragon Award Winner Sarah Hoyt (“For Want of A Pin”), 2025 Imadjinn Award Winner Dan Kemp, and Day Al-Mohamed (“Martha Coston and the Farragut Curse”) will give you all the splinters, canvas, and cannonballs you could ask for.

Like your torpedoes to be self-propelled rather than damned and your fleet actions wreathed in coal smoke? Veteran authors Joelle Presby (“A Safe Wartime Posting”), Rob Howell (“Far Better to Dare”), and Philip Wohlrab (“Beatty’s Folly”) bring you very different endings to the Spanish American War and World War I that stretch from the Falklands to the Irish Sea.

“I don’t know, I’m more a fan of Long Lances than Black Lung…” Dear reader, On The Sea has so many Imperial Japanese Navy cameos, there should be an Imperial Chrysanthemum on the cover. Two-time Dragon Award nominee Kacey Ezell, 2024 Imadjinn winner William Alan Webb, and Sidewise Award Finalist Lee Allred will give you turning points from the volcanoes of Rabaul to the far reaches of the Indian Ocean.

More a fan of Détente than Bushido? 2010 Sidewise Award winner Eric G. Swedin provides a new short story set in his When Angels Wept universe, while 2020 Sidewise nominee William Stroock keeps the Geiger counters growling with his short “Atlantic Flash.” If you like your points of deviation with more pho sauce and less unscheduled sunrises, 2025 Dragon Award nominee Justin Watson (“Decision Over Cam Ranh”) and editor James Young (“Mr. Ford’s Cats”) provide two very different views of war in Indochina.

Bottom line: Whether you’re partial to Ares or Poseidon, On the Sea has alternate history that scratches the nautical itch. With a carefully curated mix of previously published favorites and new stories, this thunderous conclusion to the Arc of Ares series reflects what happens when the war god brings his chaos over the water’s edge. Grab a cutlass or activate the CIWS, as the fish are about to get fed!

Editor’s Note: Also includes excerpts from James Young’s Wonder No More, an alternate history of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

FROM JERRY STRATTON: The Padgett Sunday Supper Club Sestercentennial Cookery: Celebrate 2026 with recipes from 1796, 1876 and 1976.

This Sestercentennial Cookery celebrates the 250th anniversary of American Independence with recipes from Bicentennial cookbooks and from Centennial cookbooks. It also features recipes from the very first American cookbook, the 1796 American Cookery, and is interspersed with historical texts from Independence Days of yore.

FROM CHARLI COX: Whistles of the Wendigo: A Joint Task Force 13 Legacy Novel (Joint Task Force 13 (JTF 13))

When the war ends… a new nightmare begins.

The smoke of the Civil War has barely cleared when another battle ignites—this time, on the homefront. A fiery prohibition movement is tearing the state apart, and the governor calls in the US Army’s 6th Cavalry to keep the peace.

But peace is the last thing they’ll find.

On patrol, Sergeant David Wilkerson and his troop ride straight into a ghostly fog—and straight into hell. A terrified horse disappears—a mangled carcass returns. Something ancient and hungry has awakened.

The saloons go silent. The townsfolk go missing. The line between law and chaos is about to be crossed.

Now, with tempers boiling and terror creeping in from the shadows, Wilkerson and his men must ride into the unknown, face what lies in the mist…

…and stand as the last defense between Heaven and Hell.

FROM JOHN C. A. MANLEY: All the Humans are Sleeping (The Metaverse Trilogy)

A Farmer, a Robot and the End of the World

World War III lasted only six days. Within the first few hours, my farm in Manitoba burned to the ground. The blast that destroyed our home came from the same mushroom cloud that killed my wife. I wish it had nuked me, too, but those heartless robots saved me.

They also rescued my daughter, so I can’t damn them. She was the only thing keeping me alive… until the metaverse took her away.

Yes, I’ve tried to kill myself. I may do it again. But that purple Domesticbot with its pompous British accent keeps on interfering.

The robots won’t let us go to heaven and the humans have made Earth a living hell. As an alternative, the United Nations has offered our minds a virtual purgatory in the metaverse, while our bodies are preserved in synthetic amniotic fluid like overgrown babies. One billion survivors “live” in those pods — hard-wired to the internet — forced to dream a digital fantasy where flowers never wilt and wither.

Well, I refuse their faux flowers. So what if they burnt up all the real ones?

Still, how can I accept this post-apocalyptic world? Can I endure being cloistered on this desolate mountaintop on the northernmost tip of Norway with an unhinged robot that wears a suit and tie and aspires to be a poet?

My name is Peter Stevens, the last of the Luddites. But I don’t know if I can remain awake when… all the humans are sleeping.

FROM CHARLES ALDEN SELTZER, REVIVED BY D. JASON FLEMING: The Raider (Annotated): The classic pulp western!

When Ellen Ballinger got abducted, she managed to turn it into a complicated scheme to end up married to Jeff Hale. Jeff didn’t much like liars, nor stubborn, wrong-headed women like Ellen… and yet, there was something about his new wife, something a good deal less complicated than the land-grabbing scheme that he was facing from skunks like Dallman and Kellis. And seeing justice done, while staying on the right side of the law, and the right side of his new wife, would be more complicated still…

• This iktaPOP Media edition includes a new introduction giving the book historical and genre context.

FROM HOLLY CHISM: The Law of Magical Contagion

The capper to Siobhan Miller’s terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day was a dog, tied to the stop sign. She hates dogs. She’s terrified of dogs, and that was a big dog. Looking sad and lonely, tied to a stop sign. That was not okay. She was the only one around, so she took him home. Only to find that he wasn’t a dog, but one of the Good People, under a curse. And there were more of them.

And they were all after her. And all she had was the dog (who wasn’t a dog) to help keep her from being taken away from all she’s ever known. Because that dog? He and his twin sister are family that she didn’t know she had, and their appearance has upended everything she’s ever known about herself. Including that she was human to begin with. She has a lot of questions.

Starting with curses, and how and why they sometimes spread.

FROM NATHAN C. BRINDLE: The Lion of God (Timelines Book 1)

John Wolff has been handed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Again.
He’s already saved the love of his life from an early death – thirty years after she died.
Now, a beautiful young woman, who is clearly his daughter, has appeared from the timeline branch where that same love of his life survived and married his counterpart.
She says they need his help fighting off invaders from the far future. Who, by the way, are looking for him. Why? Because they want the starship drive he and a friend invented, the precursor to their time machine. Problem is, in her timeline, it hasn’t been invented yet.
What man can resist a cry for help from his own daughter?
Particularly when the invaders think she’s a saint. Or possibly, a devil wearing saint’s clothing. And they’re looking for her, too.
Thus begins the Timelines Saga, and the story of the Lion of God.

I’m rotating my recommendations like a sensible person would… Next week there will be a Collection on pre-order. Until then: this one’s still here, still awesome. (And every time I link it, it sells. I’m not arguing with results!)

FROM SARAH A. HOYT: No Man’s Land: Volume 1 (Chronicles of Lost Elly)

Sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic.

On a lost colony world, mad geneticists thought they could eliminate inequality by making everyone hermaphrodite. They were wrong. Catastrophically wrong.
Now technology indistinguishable from magic courses through the veins of the inhabitants, making their barbaric civilization survivable—and Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Kayel Hayden, Viscount Webson, Envoy of the Star Empire—Skip to his friends— has just crash-landed through a time-space rift into the middle of it all.
Dodging assassins and plummeting from high windows was just the beginning. With a desperate king and an archmagician as his only allies, Scipio must outrun death itself while battling beasts, traitors, and infiltrators bent on finishing what the founders started: total destruction.
Two worlds. One chance. No time to lose.

Volume 1
The Ambassador Corps has rules: you cannot know everything, don’t get horizontal with the natives, don’t make promises you can’t keep.
They’re a lot harder to follow when assassins are hunting you, your barbarian allies could kill you for the wrong word, and death lurks around every corner.
The unwritten rule? Never identify with the natives.
Skip’s already broken that one.
Now he’s racing against time to save his new friends from slavery—or worse—while dodging energy blasts and political intrigue. One crash-landed diplomat. A world of deadly secrets. And absolutely no backup.

Some rules are meant to be broken. Others will get you killed.

Vignettes by Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike.

So what’s a vignette? You might know them as flash fiction, or even just sketches. We will provide a prompt each Sunday that you can use directly (including it in your work) or just as an inspiration. You, in turn, will write about 50 words (yes, we are going for short shorts! Not even a Drabble 100 words, just half that!). Then post it! For an additional challenge, you can aim to make it exactly 50 words, if you like.

We recommend that if you have an original vignette, you post that as a new reply. If you are commenting on someone’s vignette, then post that as a reply to the vignette. Comments — this is writing practice, so comments should be aimed at helping someone be a better writer, not at crushing them. And since these are likely to be drafts, don’t jump up and down too hard on typos and grammar.

If you have questions, feel free to ask.

Your writing prompt this week is: LIMPING