My books
A Planet for Emily
Suzanne's sister Eve joined an expedition to a lost planet where, it is rumoured, people can walk on the surface without protective suits, as a new home planet for humans now that Earth has been taken by the Zards. Eve and the whole expedition is missing, feared lost, and Suzanne is hoping that cryptic clues left by her sister will guide her to the expedition. Along the way she winds up as a cruise director on an old space freighter with a mysterious, former naval engineering officer as a captain and a robotic crew, and meets Emily and family who are looking for a place where Emily can grow up. She and the captain must find and rescue the lost expedition, rescue herself from another race, the Oids, who want to make her into a vessel, and find a planet for Emily.
Claire Takes On The Galaxy
Fleeing the wedding day from hell and her mother Claire Williams enlists in the Stellar Marines Corps - recruitment slogan 'Take on the Galaxy, Join the Stellar Marines' - and is sent to defend the remote colony of Devil's Pit. There she meets exiled bank robber, James, and his adopted daughter, and finds she must fight mysterious creatures called Shades in caverns as well as the enemy they call Mercs who want the colony for the precious lift crystals mined there. In the meantime James finds himself drawn into his own deadly, shadow battle to fin a Merc agent among the colony's marine officers.
Note that book is on a pay-per-view site - Dreame.
Commentary
Of the six novels and four non-fiction books I have written. The most successful is A Planet for Emily (at left) with 40,000 downloads , mostly audiobook versions.
The online rights to Claire Takes On The Galaxy was bought by a women's pay per view literature site Dreame for a nominal sum. That means the number of downloads is not comparable but it has proved reasonably popular, and the sale means that at least I can claim a spot in the author semi-pro league.
The Musketeers of Haven - a science fiction story got rave reviews - all comments were positive - but a fraction of the downloads achieved by A Planet for Emily.
The non-fiction title Darth Vader - the good guy who lost is a bit of fun which has gained more than 900 downloads on just two free e-book sites (usually I use three).
If you want to read any of the books listed, click on the links. Claire is pay per view but the others are free.
The last item on the list has been published in Australia by Connor Court.
Darth Vader - The Good Guy Who Lost
The arch villain of the Star Wars series, Darth Vader, has been grossly misrepresented by historians. In fact he is a Richard III-like character given gross deformities and credited with all sorts of evil deeds to make the story of a supposedly fun rebellion against allegedly harsh overlords seem better, as well as ensure that the writers stayed out of the hands of the dreaded Skywalkerian secret police. Arguing by analogy from earth's history it can be shown that Vader was ordered to eliminate the Jedis as they had become a major obstacle to reform of the military. The famous declaration by Vader that he was Skywalker's son also probably owes much to writers shifting events around for dramatic effect as often happens in films. In fact Luke probably declared himself to be the general's son, long after Vader had been killed in his Death Star.
The Musketeers of Haven
- a science fiction story
Earth's one and only off-world settlement, dedicated to non-violence, equality, toleration, balanced development, and all politically correct good things has been overrun by sword and spear-wielding creatures. As the authority overseeing the development refuses to acknowledge the problem or even tell Earth's governments, the authority director shanghais a reservist soldier along with a rag-tag group of ex-cons to fight the creatures. But what can this tiny band do given that the colony has no weapons and what about the settlement's young people, sent away by their parents to a summer camp? Then there are the mysterious creatures who live in an equally mysterious structure who want to be left alone. The answer, the humans realise, lies in rediscovering Earth's violent past. For your copy, click on the link.
Disgraced in all of Koala Bay
Just up from the country and scratching for a job in journalist Miles Black winds up on the Northern Sydney suburban weekly the Koala Bay Bugle. Jobs in journalism are what you make of them but the office manager hates him, his fellow reporter detests him and the editor in chief cannot be bothered with the reporters in his charge. All that would be fine by Miles if only the beauteous Anne would notice a dirt-poor reporter from the bush.
The Zen of Being Grumpy
The Zen of Being Grumpy is about finding the right way to be grumpy. don't be an old person who yells, but a person who puts young people and their various enthusiasms firmly in their place. Young people bounce around in the morning. Provided they don't try to talk to you before your first cup of coffee, let them. With any luck they'll fall in love with someone from Greenpeace and move away. The next you'll hear of them is that they have been arrested by the Russians for trying to interfere with drills rigs in the Arctic. You'll think in passing, although not out loud, that at least the Russian prisons have some use, and get on with your own business. Published by Connor Court. Click on the link below.