Ian J. Malone

Character-charged sci-fi with a shot of Rock & Roll!

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BREAKING: IJM inks publishing deal for ‘Colonies Lost’

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So, you might recall a few weeks back my saying, “Hey guys, the beta manuscript for my next book is done. Just for grins and giggles, I’m gonna shop it to see what happens.”

Well, stuff indeed happened… a lot of stuff. That brings us to today’s announcement.

I’m thrilled to announce that my next book, Colonies Lost, will be published by the wonderful folks at Red Adept Publishing.

Going Hybrid

I’ll blog more about this in the weeks to come, but suffice it to say I’m ecstatic to be turning in my indie card for that of a hybrid author (someone who publishes works both independently and traditionally). Don’t misunderstand me. I love being an indie, and all of the freedoms that come with that distinction. This deal, however, gives me the best of both worlds: top-flight editing and production services, as well as a partner to help me take my work to new audiences.

It also helps that this particular partner just so happens to be one of the top small presses in the country. Not a bad gig at all.

What this means moving forward

I know I’d promised that Colonies Lost would arrive this summer, but that’s about to change. Signing with a publisher means I’m now beholden to their schedule and as small presses go, Red Adept is extremely busy. Right now, we’re looking at an early-2018 launch for my next book.

That’s a long time to wait, I know. But trust me. In the end, this story is worth waiting for to get it right.

The other upshot to this kind of delay is that it’ll give me time to pen some more content and do some housecleaning with my existing trilogy.

*cough* new Mako story *cough*

More on that in later posts.

About Red Adept Publishing (RAP)

Based in the heart of North Carolina’s Research Triangle, RAP publishes works in a various fictional genres, ranging from romance and mystery to science fiction and fantasy.

Some of their more notable authors include:

  • New York Times bestseller Kate Moretti (mystery)
  • USATODAY bestseller Morgan C. Talbot (mystery)
  • Amazon bestseller Micheal Myerhoffer (fantasy)

For more on RAP and its authors or to purchase a book, visit them online at www.redadeptpublishing.com. You can also like them on Facebook.

Gotta jet now, gang, but thanks as always for your support of my work and stay tuned here as more unfolds.

Cheers, y’all.

IJM

A few thoughts before tonight’s NFL Draft

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Two blog posts in a day? *GASP* The end is surely nigh!

For those who don’t know, I’ve been an NFL Draft junkie since I was 14. Seriously, I used to do analysis for the local sports talk radio station in Tallahassee on it.

That said, here are a few of my thoughts heading into tonight’s selections:

CLEVELAND BROWNS — If the Browns take Trubisky first, they deserve every boo they get. I watched Mitch at UNC. He’s a solid player with some really good attributes. Know what he doesn’t have? Experience. The guy started all of 13 games in college, and in no way does that make for an NFL resume. Not even close (see Mark Sanchez, Akili Smith, Blake Bortles, etc.).

Garrett’s your pick, Brownies. Don’t spike yourselves in the nads by choosing otherwise unless you can land the mother of all trades to move down.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — If Cam Robinson or Ruben Foster are there at 19, TAKE THEM! Otherwise, trade down if you can find a partner. I love Dalvin Cook, but he does come with legit injury concerns and the Bucs have other, more pressing needs to fill. It also bears mentioning that this is a very deep RB class, meaning they’ll inevitably have the chance to snare one in later rounds. (Dalvin n early Round 2?)

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — Don’t overthink it, Jags. Take Fournette and be done with it. Rumors abound that Tom Coughlin loves Deshaun Watson, and while I do, too, I don’t in the first round. Great kid, enormous talent, but a project nonetheless.

Learn from your Blake Mistake, guys. Don’t reach for a QB when you’ve got tons of other needs, especially at OL which couldn’t block a statue last year.

WATCH THE BACK HALF — Depending on how the nights’ first half goes, the back half could make for a lot of intrigue. There are several teams in need of a QB, though most (I think) have enough sense to know that none of these prospects are worth drafting high. Take Watson, for instance. A team would be nuts to take him in the Top 20. The Pittsburgh Steelers at pick 30, on the other hand, could be a magical fit. Ben Roethlisberger is in the twilight of his career, and the team needs an heir apparent. Watson could ride the pine with no pressure from fans to start then slip in when Big Ben retires, conceivably without some much as hiccup to offensive production. (see Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay).

The Saints, Cardinals, Chargers, and Chiefs all bring similar situations with established veteran starters.

If Watson and others fall (or Dalvin, for that matter), expect some jostling as teams move back into the late-first round to get them.

PRIMETIME STILL SUCKS — The NFL Draft should be held at noon on a Saturday, period. End of story. In moving this even to primetime, ESPN might as well have been announcing to the world that they hate sunshine and puppies.

Stop hating sunshine and puppies, ESPN. Do what’s right and move the Draft back to Saturdays… and while you’re at it, STOP FIRING PEOPLE!!!

Happy Draft Night, y’all! I’ll be on Twitter for as long as I can stay awake if you want to chat picks (@ianjmalone).

IJM

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SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, REVIEW AN IJM BOOK TODAY!

Customer reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others are vital to the success of independently published works like those of Ian J. Malone. As such, if you enjoy his books, please consider leaving them a brief review on the retailer of your choice. (One or two sentences will do wonderfully.)

Please Note: Clicking “yes” on the “Did you find this review helpful?” line for other four and five-star reviews is also extremely helpful.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. It is much, much appreciated.

A quick rant about Facebook Ads

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Fair Warning: For the non-author readers of this blog, this post will probably bore you to tears. Just bear with me. It’s been that kind of week.

So, for grins and giggles I decided to “boost” a Facebook post, promoting my free ebook giveaway on Amazon. Granted, it was only $10, but I figured, “Gotta spend money to make money, right?” I set my budget, spent an hour going through metrics to hone my audience, then let fly with the ad when ready.

Fast-forward to this morning and according to FB’s Insights summary, I’ve reached nearly 1,500 users along with 500 engagements.

DANG RIGHT, SON! VICTORY IS MINE!

“Not so fast, my friend,” Lee Corso would’ve said.

After coming down from the engagement rate which far exceeded those of my ordinary posts, I scanned down the page to my ad’s click-through rate. This is the metric which shows how many people actually clicked the link to go download a free ebook.

Question: I know the number 2 is considered plural, but does it really qualify as “people?”

Now, let’s contrast this with Twitter (whom I paid nothing to) where I received 1 link click from a standard tweet, released at 9pm EST last evening.

Just so we’re clear, math lovers, that’s a savings of $5 to my already anorexic marketing budget. Is that a lot? No, but every little bit counts when you’re an indie.

So, Timmy. What did we learn from this little marketing experiment?

  1. Facebook Ads are still northing more than Mark Zuckerberg’s way of printing money for his shareholders.
  2. Twitter will ALWAYS be cooler than Facebook.

Here end of the rant. I’ll have some news next week on Colonies Lost (new novel, due this summer) as well as a short story I’m working on in the Four Horsemen universe from Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey (Military SF).

Cheers, y’all.

Ian

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SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, REVIEW AN IJM BOOK TODAY!

Customer reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others are vital to the success of independently published works like those of Ian J. Malone. As such, if you enjoy his books, please consider leaving them a brief review on the retailer of your choice. (One or two sentences will do wonderfully.)

Please Note: Clicking “yes” on the “Did you find this review helpful?” line for other four and five-star reviews is also extremely helpful.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. It is much, much appreciated.

Colonies Lost hits the next phase

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Hey y’all, just wanted to pop by and let you know that my family’s move into our new house is finally done, which puts me back on track in writing world.

HUZZAH!!!

The first COLONIES LOST beta manuscript has been finished and shipped off to my subject matter expert for “cop stuff” review. Ass mentioned before, this story does have something of a “who done it?” element, thus I felt it wise to let an actual cop give it a gander. Fortunately for me (and the story), one of my dearest friends in the world is a former detective, and he’s graciously agreed to help out.

I expect to have my friend’s notes back by the end of the month/first of May. After that, I’ll need a few weeks to make changes then it’s off to edit. As to how that’ll look, I’m not yet sure. I may well publish through my own press (Sharkflight Publishing), or I might go through one of a handful of small presses who’ve shown interest in the project.

Oh, and I’ve also queried a few agents, just for grins and giggles. Because, you know, why not?

Either way, barring a trip to NYC for meetings with major publishers (a fella can dream, right?), I expect COLONIES LOST to drop sometime this summer, as scheduled.

Peace for now, gang. Hope you’re staying dry (we’re getting pummeled with rain in Durham right now), and thanks as always for keeping tabs on my work.

Cheers,

IJM

Colonies Lost update, IJM joins an anthology in time for summer

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Cowboy 2

Hey guys, apologies for the radio silence the last few months but life around the Malone house has been pretty hectic. Nevertheless, that’s still no excuse for the fact that I really do need to get better at writing these. So, expect to see more blog posts in 2017 and beyond.

Okay, let the news begin…

A new book looms on the horizon

For those who don’t know, my new book is tentatively titled Colonies Lost and will not be set in the Mako universe. It’s an entirely new story about a present-day U.S. Marshal from North Carolina (Trip Hackett) who finds himself on the outs with his agency and in need of work to support his family.

Enter the enigmatic “Mr. Smith.”

Smith seeks to enlist the aid of someone who specializes in finding people — specifically, his boss’s daughter who has mysteriously gone missing.

Trip takes the assignment, and so begins the inevitable trek down the rabbit hole. In the end, he’ll be asked to find the girl, stop a conflict that could trigger an interplanetary war, and while he’s at it, solve one of the greatest mysteries in American history.

(Hint to the Latter: Google The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island.)

I won’t lie to you, people. This has been a HUGE undertaking, and one far greater than I set out to tackle when I started this project. It’s taken a lot of research, and a crap-ton of worldbuilding, the likes of which I’ve never done before. Suffice it to say, though, I’m really happy with the direction this project has taken, and I’m almost ready to unveil it to the world.

Where do we stand?

I’m on track to have the initial beta manuscript done by the first week in March. From there, it’ll go to a cop friend of mine for subject matter proofing (Trip’s a U.S. Marshal, not a pizza guy. He has to read like it). Once my subject matter guy is finished, I’ll make changes and be ready to roll for editor submissions.

Ah, but here’s the rub…

Before I go to press with my company, Sharkflight Publishing, I want to give this book a pass through a handful of agents and some larger publishers. I do this because I think this story has real potential to strike. That said, I won’t sit on it long, nor will I sell it to just anyone. If I get a reputable bite, so be it. We’ll talk. If not, I’ll go to press with Sharkflight after two months or so.

If Colonies Lost sells, I don’t know when it’ll release as that would be dictated by the publisher. If, on the other hand, I publish it myself, expect it to hit sometime this summer.

But wait! There’s more!

Not only am I working on content for my own projects, but in very short order I’ll be developing content for others. I’ve been asked by Amazon bestselling Military SF authors Chris Kennedy and Mark H. Wandrey to pen a short story for the second of two anthology books due out later this year.

The anthologies will be set in the duo’s Four Horsemen universe, and boy is it a doozy (see books cited below for more info).

In addition to myself, Kennedy, and Wandrey, here are some of the other authors who’ll be involved in this project:

  • Nick Cole
  • Christopher Nuttall
  • Doug Dandridge
  • Brad R. Torgersen
  • Sarah Hoyt

Oh, and the foreword is being written by NYT bestseller and Baen Books stalwart Chuck Gannon, so there’s that.

The first anthology is titled Fistful of Credits (frickin’ love that), and is slated for release later this spring. Anthology two (the one I’m in) should arrive this summer. In the meantime, readers can bone up on all things Horsemen with Cartwright’s Cavaliers and Asbaran Solutions, books one and two of The Revelations Cycle series.

So there ya have it, folks — the latest and greatest from yours truly, Ian Jazner Malone. As always, stay tuned here as news unfolds, and email me anytime if you’ve got questions.

Cheers, and talk then.

IJM

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SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, REVIEW AN IJM BOOK TODAY!

Customer reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others are vital to the success of independently published works like those of Ian J. Malone. As such, if you enjoy his books, please consider leaving them a brief review on the retailer of your choice. (One or two sentences will do wonderfully.)

Please Note: Clicking “yes” on the “Did you find this review helpful?” line for other four and five-star reviews is also extremely helpful.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. It is much, much appreciated.

Trip Hackett update + events abound in NC!

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Hey folks, what’s the good word?

It’s been a while since I’ve written, so I thought I’d take a few minutes and bring you up to speed on what’s been happening.

Work on Trip Hackett continues

I’m deep into editing on the second draft of my next book, THE NEW WORD: A TRIP HACKETT NOVEL. All and all, I’m really happy with the way it’s going, though it has been somewhat of a learning experience (aren’t they all?). It’s a very different kind of book for me. Yes, it’s still sci-fi. But Trip is a very different character than the Renegades, with a very different skillset. It also bears mentioning that the world I’m dropping him into (named Sunoro) is quite different than those of Aura and Alystier in that it’s much more grass roots. Think the Industrial Revolution with alien tech.

My goal is to be ready for an editor by Christmas for a late-spring, early-summer release in 2017. Stay tuned for more details as they come.

honorcon-logo

Spend Halloween weekend with me at HonorCon in Raleigh

Halloween weekend marks the return of HonorCon to the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown, and I’m “honored” as always to have been invited back as a panelist. This is a great event, no matter what strand of the SF&F genre you’re into. Of course there’s military SF (It’s the official con of the HONOR HARRINGTON series… duh!). There also loads of venders, panels, guests, and workshops to attend.

This year’s guest of honor is actress and writer Claudia Christian. Christian is best known for her role as Commander Susan Ivanova on the hit television series Babylon 5.

Other guests include the following authors:

  • David Weber
  • Chris Kennedy
  • Greg Cox
  • Christopher Nuttall
  • Marko Kloos

As for me, I’ll be in Authors Alley and on several panels. Hope to see you there!

For more information, or to register for the convention, visit HonorCon online.

The NC Writers Network fall conference

If you miss me at HonorCon, you can also find me the following weekend at the annual fall conference for the North Carolina Writers Network. I’ll be teaching a class that Sunday, titled “Beyond Vanity: How Indie Publishing Builds Professional Writers.” Come say hi and check out the class. If you’ve ever had interest in publishing a book, it’s my hope that these contents will put you on a path to making that happen.

Plus, who knows? Maybe one of the myriad publishers/agents in attendance meets you in the crowd and offers you a contract. Stranger things have happened, right?

The conference will be held at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley, Nov. 4-6. Visit the event’s official webpage for more details.

All right, gang, that’s gonna do it for this one. As you can see, I’ve got tons to do and not much time to do it. So back to the office I go.

Take care, stay warm, and see you around the inter-web thingy.

Cheers,

IJM

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SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, REVIEW AN IJM BOOK TODAY!

Customer reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others are vital to the success of independently published works like those of Ian J. Malone. As such, if you enjoy his books, please consider leaving them a brief review on the retailer of your choice. (One or two sentences will do wonderfully.)

Please Note: Clicking “yes” on the “Did you find this review helpful?” line for other four and five-star reviews is also extremely helpful.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. It is much, much appreciated.

Giving the boot to movie reboots

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Hey guys, IJM here.

So, I inadvertently found myself watching the trailer for the new Lethal Weapon TV show the other day, and walked away from it totally pissed. Can somebody please tell me why we need this?

Lethal Weapon

Before I go any further, it should be stated that Hollywood has every right to do whatever they want with their properties. As a rights-holder myself, I firmly believe that. Heck, they could reboot Casablanca if they wanted. That doesn’t mean I, as a consumer, have to support it with my hard-earned ticket money.

It should also be noted that I have zero issue with sequels. None. I don’t care if it’s the eighth one in a series, i.e. the forthcoming Fast 8. If it’s a good script, set in a world I know with characters I like, then bring the noise and let’s see what you’ve got. After all, that is, by definition, a new story.

Reboots, on the other hand, annoy me. They’re essentially a studio saying, “Hey, we need a quick cash infusion. Somebody paid a lot of money for this once. Let’s remake it with young faces and today’s technology, and maybe they’ll buy it again.”

Enter this television show.

Newsflash, people: Lethal Weapon was a great franchise, with innovative, fun stories played out by world-class actors. Could I have done without the fourth one? Sure, but that’s a different discussion for a different blog.

Back to the reboot. Say what you will for Mel Gibson, the man was, and forever will be, Martin Riggs. Just like Danny Glover will always be Roger Murtaugh, Joe Pesci will always be Leo Getz, and Gary Busey will always be nuts. It’s the way of the universe. To bring in an all new cast for a modernized spin on the same stories — on the small screen, no less — just feels cheap.

What’s next? We gonna pull some kid from Glee, give him a Glock, a wife-beater, and bare feet then call him John McClane for a CW Die Hard series? Gimme a flippin’ break.

This is why I had no interest in seeing the Robocop reboot a few years back. It was nothing personal against the cast or crew. I just didn’t care. I’ve seen that film, I’ve heard that story, and it’s one of my all-time favorites. Any Robocop film that doesn’t even acknowledge what came before feels like a store-brand knockoff, and Alex Murphy deserves better.

I felt the same way about the Footloose reboot, the Point Break reboot, and yes… the Ghostbusters reboot. I’m also not going to see Ben Hur.

Oh, and FYI? Apparently lots of other fans agree with me because every one of those films tanked at the box office.

In closing, I will make an exception to the no-fly reboot rule for comic book films. In many instances, these are stories that’ve existed since the early twentieth century, and they’ve been reinvented a thousand times over in print. So there’s a certain expectation among genre fans that they’ll be handled the same way in film.

Thanks for letting me rant, folks. I feel better. And for those who’ve never seen Lethal Weapon, do yourselves a favor. Don’t watch the TV series. Find the original online, pop some popcorn, crack a beer, and get ready to remember why the 1980s reign supreme as the greatest action generation of all-time.

*Drops the mic*

Cheers,

IJM

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SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, REVIEW AN IJM BOOK TODAY!

Customer reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others are vital to the success of independently published works like those of Ian J. Malone. As such, if you enjoy his books, please consider leaving them a brief review on the retailer of your choice. (One or two sentences will do wonderfully.)

Please Note: Clicking “yes” on the “Did you find this review helpful?” line for other four and five-star reviews is also extremely helpful.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. It is much, much appreciated.

New book, character sports allegiances, and early CFB thoughts

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Greetings, all!

HOLY FREAKIN’ CRAP, IT’S HOT!!!

Moving on.

Update on the new book

I managed to bang out another thousand words this morning, thus bringing my total so far to just under 30k. At this rate, I’ll have a first draft by the end of September, and a beta manuscript by Christmas. I say that, mind you, as this story grows like a weed every time I sit down at my computer. Seriously, when I first started this project, I expected it to be a nice, compact little 300 page scifi/alt history adventure tale. But no, it’s gotta run off and get all complex and epic on me… stupid imagination. LOL

OBX

Back to the matter at hand: I will take a break from writing next weekend so the Mrs. and I can vacay in the Outer Banks (OBX) for a few days. I’m really excited about it, too. That’s a part of NC that I’ve yet to visit and I hear it’s gorgeous. It’s also loaded with American history, and I’ll need that as research material for my next book… more on that in later blogs. 😉

Oh, one other thing.  I found out last night that Smalls and I are going hand-gliding in Kitty Hawk on Friday so keep an eye on my Facebook page for photos after.

Trip Hackett, sports enthusiast

As any reader of The Mako Saga knows, my characters tend to be sports fans. Shocker, I know. First there was Mac, the Yankees fan. Then came Link, the Bronco, Hamish the All Black, Danny, the Dolphin, and Lee, the Buccaneer — all of whom cheer for Florida State because, well, that’s what good guys do.

So, where are the allegiances of my new guy, Trip Hackett, native son of the Tar Heel state?

Drum roll please….

Braves Logo

Yep. My man is a Braves fan.

I know, I know. Most locals from the OBX area tend to support Washington or Baltimore teams, but hear me out on this. Right out of the gate, I knew I wanted the All-American element of baseball in this story. Thematically, it just fits, and when you read it next year, you’ll understand why. That said, North Carolina has no MLB club, which leaves me with two options: the Nationals (aka the Montreal Expos prior to 2005) or the more likely choice, the Oriels.

There’s just one problem with the latter: While the Os were solid during Trip’s childhood in the mid-90s, they paled in comparison to the Braves who were at the peak of their popularity with guys like Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Chipper Jones. Add to that Atlanta’s accessibility back then (they were televised almost nightly on TBS) and LOTS of people outside of Fulton County, Georgia were Braves fans.

So, there you have it. My guy’s a Bravo.

Okay, so maybe there’s one more reason. *sigh* Fact is, a lot of my peeps back home still haven’t forgiven me for making Mac a Yankee. So there. We square now or what?

Ridiculously early thoughts on college football

With ACC and SEC Media Days having just ended, the time is almost upon us to start talking college football.  It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it? Like Christmas or Happy Hour or BOGO milkshake day at Cookout.

Coming out of ACC Kickoff, a lot of folks are picking Clemson to repeat as conference champs. And you know what? I’m good with that. They’ve got arguably the nation’s top player under center (Deshaun Watson) and a full arsenal of weapons at his disposal.

That’s the group, you’ll recall, that pushed Bama’s defense to the brink in last year’s national title game. They’re a great squad, deserving of all the accolades they’ve gotten.

Now, do I think they’ll be conference champs? No, I don’t. It’ll be Florida State, for three reasons.

  • Reason 1: The Tigers’ defense is poised to take a significant step back this season due to heavy losses in the draft and graduation.
  • Reason 2: Clemson will travel to Tallahassee this fall for what will likely be one of, if not the biggest game of the CFB season.
  • Reason 3: In addition to home field advantage, FSU has two other things going for it: a defense tat’s expected to be ferocious and a generational talent at running back who’s healthy for the first time in a year.

It’s the tried and true formula, folks — a running game that slashes and a defense that smashes. Advantage, Noles.

It’s also worth noting that Louisville could be decent, provided of course that Bobby Petrino can steer clear of mopeds and co-eds for the duration of the season.

As for the rest of the ACC… eh, we’ll see.

That’s it, people. I’m off to that place that gives me money to play on Twitter all day. (No really. I’m in charge of social media.) Take care, email me anytime if you’ve got questions, and for the love of Pete, STAY COOL!!!

Cheers,

Ian

*************************************************************************

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, REVIEW AN IJM BOOK TODAY!

Customer reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others are vital to the success of independently published works like those of Ian J. Malone. As such, if you enjoy his books, please consider leaving them a brief review on the retailer of your choice. (One or two sentences will do wonderfully.)

Please Note: Clicking “yes” on the “Did you find this review helpful?” line for other four and five-star reviews is also extremely helpful.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. It is much, much appreciated.

Mako Saga wrapup, new book details, and a Goodreads giveaway

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Mojito

Hey folks, welcome to summer and another edition of the Mako Manifesto! I hope this blog finds you well and, preferably, on a beach somewhere with a mojito in one hand and a book in the other.

We can dream, can’t we? LOL

First off, I want to thank everyone who helped make the At Circle’s End launch a success — especially those who reviewed it on Amazon. To date, everyone seems to like the story a lot, and that’s a big deal for the last chapter in a series, no matter the medium. Letdowns are always possible — The Sopranos, anybody? — so I’m profoundly happy that everyone enjoyed The Renegades’ ending as much as I did.

I also can’t forget to thank ABW Voiceovers and everyone else who helped make the At Circle’s End audiobook a success. Andy Wehrlen always does a superb job on these, but he was especially on top of his game for this one. Really, really great stuff.

Next on the docket — Marshal: A Trip Hawkins Novel

I’ve already done some world-building for the next set of Mako books, one of which will follow the adventures of Danny and the Overlook crew, while another will feature a standalone story starring Link and Hamish (Think Butch and Sundance with a crap-ton of sarcasm).

Having said that — and please don’t kill me, Mako fans — but I’ve decided to table those for now in favor of something all new. It’ll be sci-fi, of course, but with a hard splash of alternate American history.

As a lot of you know, my reading tastes tend to fly all over the map, from urban fantasy to murder mysteries or thrillers to space opera. That said, next to sci-fi, one of my all-time favorite genres is still the American Western — specifically the Sackett series from Louis L’Amour. Those books are just a blast to read, and I’ve long since wondered what it would look like to take characters from that era — in this case a little earlier, e.g. New World, circa early-seventeenth century — and plug them into a modern-day science fiction setting.

Enter Trip Hawkins, a wrongfully disgraced U.S. Marshal from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

Naturally, this story will take place on another world, but it’ll still feature characters from our Earth, seeking an escape from everyday problems.

Sound familiar?

What can I say? As a writer, I’m a sucker for a sandbox that lets me play with wicked-cool spaceships and David Lee Roth references. Only in this case, it’s more like Waylon Jennings… but I digress.

As specified above, the book is tentatively titled Marshal: A Trip Hawkins Novel and I hope to have a somewhat finalized synopsis for you soon.

Goodreads giveaway

One other housekeeping note before I go. If you or anyone you know would like a signed copy of Mako, surf on over to www.goodreads.com. I’m running a four-week giveaway there through the month of June. You’ll need a Goodreads account to sign up, but from there, the process is pretty straight-forward.

Other ways to get a book signed:

Either works.

That’s gonna do it for this one, gang. Everybody take care, be safe if you’re traveling for Memorial Day, and see you back here for the next installment of the Manifesto!

Cheers,

IJM

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SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, REVIEW AN IJM BOOK TODAY!

Customer reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others are vital to the success of independently published works like those of Ian J. Malone. As such, if you enjoy his books, please consider leaving them a brief review on the retailer of your choice. (One or two sentences will do wonderfully.)

Please Note: Clicking “yes” on the “Did you find this review helpful?” line for other four and five-star reviews is also extremely helpful.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. It is much, much appreciated.

Curtain falls on bar buddies in space with final book in ‘Mako Saga’

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ACE Promo Cover

— For immediate release.

DURHAM, N.C. – In 2013, science fiction fans welcomed the release of MAKO, the debut novel from author Ian J. Malone about five college friends, dubbed “The Renegades,” who become intergalactic war heroes by way of a videogame. The book met immediate success, rising to fourth on Kindle’s Military Science Fiction list, and eventually spawned a sequel, 2015’s RED SKY DAWNING.

Now, one year later, the curtain falls on sci-fi’s most beloved band of bar buddies in AT CIRCLE’S END, the third and final stanza of Malone’s MAKO SAGA.

Story Synopsis — (spoilers ahead for Red Sky Dawning)

In the months since his disappearance, Danny Tucker has retreated to the darkest corners of Alystierian space in search of intelligence on the empire’s new chancellor, Alec Masterson. Backed by a crew of outcasts and fighting from the shadows as the enigmatic Rogue centurion, Danny will stop at nothing to achieve his mission: absolute vengeance for Masterson’s now infamous “Return to Fear” demonstration.

Still, try as he might, Danny can’t remain underground, and with sightings of the Rogue growing more frequent, Lee Summerston won’t rest until the lost Renegade is found. Meanwhile, in the core, Aura stands on the brink of annihilation as imperial forces, aided by an ancient enemy, draw ever closer to her shores.

In the end, scores will be settled, and brothers will rise united… or they’ll all burn together.

“This is very much a story about loyalty,” said Malone, a native Floridian now living in Durham, North Carolina. “At their core, these books have always been about family. That’s why book two was so hard to write, because in a lot of ways it saw that spirit fractured. In this story, we see the family come back to each other, and that was a really cool ride to take.”

While THE MAKO SAGA is unquestionably sci-fi, evidenced by soaring starfighter battles and high-precision tech, fans of the series laud its use of other genre elements such as romance and political intrigue to tell its story. Even still, its success is and has always been irrevocably tied to its six main characters.

“There’s a lot of nostalgia in this one,” Malone said of the saga’s finale, “for the characters, the fans, and for me as a writer. This time we all got to go home.”

AT CIRCLE’S END is now available in ebook and paperback on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the iBookstore. The audiobook will arrive in early-summer on Audible and iTunes.

*************************************************************************

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, REVIEW AN IJM BOOK TODAY!

Customer reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others are vital to the success of independently published works like those of Ian J. Malone. As such, if you enjoy his books, please consider leaving them a brief review on the retailer of your choice. (One or two sentences will do wonderfully.)

Please Note: Clicking “yes” on the “Did you find this review helpful?” line for other four and five-star reviews is also extremely helpful.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. It is much, much appreciated.

Curtain falls on bar buddies in space with final book in ‘Mako Saga’

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(BLOGGER’S NOTE: Here’s the press release that went out via my publisher, Sharkflight Publishing.)

— For immediate release. ACE Promo Cover

DURHAM, N.C. – In 2013, science fiction fans welcomed the release of MAKO, the debut novel from author Ian J. Malone about five college friends, dubbed “The Renegades,” who become intergalactic war heroes by way of a videogame. The book met immediate success, rising to fourth on Kindle’s Military Science Fiction list, and eventually spawned a sequel, 2015’s RED SKY DAWNING.

Now, one year later, the curtain falls on sci-fi’s most beloved band of bar buddies in AT CIRCLE’S END, the third and final stanza of Malone’s MAKO SAGA.

Story Synopsis — (spoilers ahead for Red Sky Dawning)

In the months since his disappearance, Danny Tucker has retreated to the darkest corners of Alystierian space in search of intelligence on the empire’s new chancellor, Alec Masterson. Backed by a crew of outcasts and fighting from the shadows as the enigmatic Rogue centurion, Danny will stop at nothing to achieve his mission: absolute vengeance for Masterson’s now infamous “Return to Fear” demonstration.

Still, try as he might, Danny can’t remain underground, and with sightings of the Rogue growing more frequent, Lee Summerston won’t rest until the lost Renegade is found. Meanwhile, in the core, Aura stands on the brink of annihilation as imperial forces, aided by an ancient enemy, draw ever closer to her shores.

In the end, scores will be settled, and brothers will rise united… or they’ll all burn together.

“This is very much a story about loyalty,” said Malone, a native Floridian now living in Durham, North Carolina. “At their core, these books have always been about family. That’s why book two was so hard to write, because in a lot of ways it saw that spirit fractured. In this story, we see the family come back to each other, and that was a really cool ride to take.”

While THE MAKO SAGA is unquestionably sci-fi, evidenced by soaring starfighter battles and high-precision tech, fans of the series laud its use of other genre elements such as romance and political intrigue to tell its story. Even still, its success is and has always been irrevocably tied to its six main characters.

“There’s a lot of nostalgia in this one,” Malone said of the saga’s finale, “for the characters, the fans, and for me as a writer. This time we all got to go home.”

AT CIRCLE’S END is now available in ebook and paperback on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the iBookstore. The audiobook will arrive in early-summer on Audible and iTunes.

*************************************************************************

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, REVIEW AN IJM BOOK TODAY!

Customer reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others are vital to the success of independently published works like those of Ian J. Malone. As such, if you enjoy his books, please consider leaving them a brief review on the retailer of your choice. (One or two sentences will do wonderfully.)

Please Note: Clicking “yes” on the “Did you find this review helpful?” line for other four and five-star reviews is also extremely helpful.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. It is much, much appreciated.

IJM invades podcast land with The Brotherhood of the Evil Geeks

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Had a blast talking Mako, Star Wars, comics, writing, and more with The Brotherhood of the Evil Geeks! Listen to the podcast here!

About the Geeks:

Sequestered in the dankest depths of the Evil Lair, the Brotherhood of Evil Geeks strive to bring you their honest opinions on the entertainment that we all love. Comics, video games, movies, TV shows, and geek culture in general are dissected, reviewed, then re-assembled by each Evil Geek with devious care and nefarious ingenuity.