Book News

NEW RELEASE: ‘Colonies Lost’ is here!

June 13, 2018 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

It’s finally here, folks! As of June 12, Colonies Lost is officially for sale to the world!

To purchase your copy, visit the Colonies Lost book page on Amazon, or visit the Red Adept Publishing website for links to other sellers like Kobo, Barnes and Noble, or the iBookstore.

Book Synopsis:

Trip Hackett needs a beer.

On the heels of his latest suspension, the disgraced US Marshal packs up his Stetson and returns home to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where he hopes to circle his wagons and find a new means of supporting his family. He knew the shooting had been justified. However, with Trip’s history plus the white-hot spotlight on cops these days, and the deceased turning out to be the son of a Washington senator, he bet his paltry retirement savings that his time in investigations was over.

Enter the enigmatic Mr. Smith, an odd-looking stranger from out of town with a proposition. If Trip will help Smith’s employers find a missing girl then the former will never want for money again. Grudgingly, Trip takes the case, expecting it will be the last of his career. He may be right, though for reasons he could’ve never possibly imagined.

Trip soon goes on a journey to escape his present, only to run straight into a past he never knew existed. Trip Hackett’s travel to the stars will bring him face-to-face with the answer to America’s greatest unsolved mystery.

What other authors are saying…

“Colonies Lost is a twisting, turning, awesome sci-fi adventure wrapped in a police procedural wrapped in a history story garnished with introspection and mystery. Ian J. Malone has crushed it out of the park with this one. Reminds me of the old-school sci-fi I loved as a kid.” John G. Hartness, author of The Black Knight Chronicles

“With Colonies Lost, Ian J. Malone did one of my favorite things: He tossed half a dozen different genres in the blender. It’s a Police Procedural/Thriller and a Western, mixed with Historical Mystery and Science Fiction. Something for everyone, and great fun!” NYT Bestselling Author Taylor Anderson

Colonies Lost is available for pre-order!

May 21, 2018 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

Hey y’all, I’ve gotta keep this quick as I’m swamped with work today, but wanted to let you know that COLONIES LOST is now available for pre-order on Amazon. I say this for two reasons:

I know you guys have been waiting a while for your chance to score a copy, and
If you pre-order now, you get the book for the reduced into price of $2.99!

Ya’ll know me, man. I’m all about saving a buck where I can, and these days I figure a lot of you are in the same boat. I hope this helps.

Also, for those wanting a paperback, you’ll have to wait a bit longer there. COLONIES LOST is currently under consideration for a review by Publisher’s Weekly, which requires a delay of the print run. As soon as I have a release date for the dead tree version, I’ll let you know.

Gotta jet, gang.

Cheers, and talk soon.

Ian

NEWS: IJM to return to 4HU with “Free Bird Rising”

May 18, 2018 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

This week, I signed a contract with military science fiction publisher, Seventh Seal Press, to pen a full-length novel set in the Amazon-bestselling Four Horsemen Universe (4HU).

The book will be titled, Free Bird Rising, and tells the story of Taylor Van Zant, a bartender from Jacksonville, North Florida who is left to pick up the pieces when his older brother, a successful mercenary and local hero, passes suddenly away in a freak starship accident. It’s a story of legacy, loyalty, and loss, and one of a young man stepping into his own, only to stumble onto a conspiracy that could change the Galactic Union forever.

Free Bird Rising will continue the tale begun in A Family Tradition, the short story featured in last year’s 4HU anthology, For a Few Credits More (click here for more info).

Stay tuned to social media and the IJM News Desk as more details about this project unfold!

About the Publisher

Seventh Seal Press is the military science fiction imprint of Chris Kennedy Publishing (CKP) for books in the Four Horsemen Universe. CKP focuses on fun, message-free science fiction and fantasy for readers of all ages. You can learn more about their books and authors at chriskennedypublishing.com, or follow them on Facebook.

NEWS: “Colonies Lot” to arrive June 12

May 3, 2018 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

Hey ya’ll, I just got the official word from the publisher.

My new novel, Colonies Lost, will be released worldwide in e-book format on Tuesday, June 12.

Stay tuned here and on social media as more news unfolds. You can also get a jumpstart on this story by reading Nightfall, the prequel short story to Colonies Lost by signing up for my email list!

VIDEO: Talking Colonies Lost and FSU spring football on FB Live

April 14, 2018 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

Morning, y’all! I had a few seconds after breakfast so thought I’d take the opportunity to check in via Facebook Live with a quick project update on Colonies Lost, as well as a few other projects I’ve got in the works.

I also give my thoughts on tonight’s Florida State spring football game, and what fans should expect.

Come feed your eyeballs then weight in via the comments if you’re so inclined.

Cheers, ya’ll. Have a great weekend, and talk soon.

Ian

COVER REVEAL: Colonies Lost

April 12, 2018 by robmcclel 1 Comment

Trip Hackett needs a beer.

On the heels of his latest suspension, disgraced US Marshal Trip Hackett packs up his Stetson and returns home to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where he hopes to circle the wagons and find a new means of supporting his family. He knows shooting the man was justified. However, with his history and the scrutiny cops face these days, plus the deceased being the son of a senator, Trip would bet his paltry retirement savings that his career in law enforcement is over.

Enter the enigmatic Mr. Smith, an odd-looking stranger with a proposition. If Trip helps Smith’s employer find a missing girl, then he and his family will never want for money again. Grudgingly, Trip takes the case, expecting it will be the last of his career. He may be right, though for reasons he could have never imagined.

The search takes Trip on a journey to the stars. But while he escapes his present, he runs straight into a past he never knew existed. He may just find the answer to America’s greatest unsolved mystery: What really happened to the settlers of Roanoke Island?

(Coming to a bookshelf near you this summer!)

Click here to see this book on the publisher’s website.

Draft 1 of next book is in the can

March 6, 2018 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

BOOYAH!!! Draft one of the new Mil SF project, Where Eagles Fly, is in the can. Now I’m off to pen a quick short story based on those same characters (for email listers only) then it’s onward to draft two. Hoping to have the finished manuscript in to the publisher by Memorial Day.

Colonies Lost Update: I’m still waiting on line edit notes from the publisher, so nothing new to report on that front at this time.

Okay, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my couch, the Star Wars: Rebels finale, and a much-needed beer.

Cheers, y’all!

Ian

Quick Project Update

February 22, 2018 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

Hey ya’ll, just wanted to pop by for a quick update on where I stand with my current slate of projects.

Colonies Lost

Colonies has wrapped the content edit phase and is on to line edit with the publisher. I hope to have those notes back in the next month.

Where Eagles Fly

50,000 words and climbing on the new Mil SF project. At this rate, I should have draft one wrapped in the next three weeks. From there, it’s on to the fleshing out phase of draft two, the polish phase of draft three, then a submission to the publisher by Memorial Day.

Detron City Vice (A Mako Story)

Already outlined and ready to start draft one as soon as Eagles and Colonies are out the door. Right now, my plan/hope is to have Colonies launched by early summer, Eagles into the publisher by May 25 (late summer launch), then get cracking on Vice in June.

As always, all of this remains fluid on account of publishers. Vice is the lone exception. I’ll indie pub that one, so I’ll get to set the schedule.

In summery…

Roll on, Big River. Roll on.

Cheers, gang. Be good, and talk soon.

Ian

IJM 2018 Project Update

January 4, 2018 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

Happy New Year, y’all! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and are bunkered in for Snowmageddon 2018!

I wanted to take a second while I had one to bring you up to speed on my current slate of projects.

First,Colonies Lost is through round one of line edits and back in the hands of the publisher. We’ll now take that into round two of line edits before moving on to copy edits, then the first of two proofreads before sending the novel to post-production (formatting, cover design, etc.).

Sadly, I don’t have a release date yet for Colonies Lost, though it’s my hope the publisher will have it out by Memorial Day, if not sooner. Regardless, I think you’ll find Trip Hackett’s story well worth the wait once it does arrive.

Second, I’m currently penning draft one of a novel called, Where Eagles Fly. This will be a continuation of A Family Tradition, the short story I wrote in 2017 for the Four Horsemen anthology, For a Few Credits More. In brief, this story will follow Taylor Van Zant as he struggles to rebuild his family’s mercenary company while slowly realizing that there may’ve been more to his brother’s death than investigators let on.

My goal is to wrap this manuscript by May so the publisher can have it out by the end of summer.

BONUS: I’ll also be writing a second short story to set the table for this book, told from the perspective of Taylor’s late brother, Terry. It’ll be titled, Pronounced Ry-lee O-sy-ris, and be made available only to my newsletter subscribers.

Not a member? You can sign up here to get Pronounced when it drops, as well as the Mako prequel short story, Mako: Genesis, which is available now!

Finally, the long-awaited Mako spinoff novel, Detron City Vice, chronicling the adventures of Danny Tucker and the Overlook crew should be out by Christmas.

In closing, much of what I did in 2017 with The Mako Saga relaunch and two short stories was to set up what will hopefully be a banner year in 2018. I can tell you this: with four—FOUR—projects on the docket, it’ll be a busy one if nothing else. LOL

Cheers, y’all! Stay warm and talk soon!

Ian

Mako 2.0 is FINALLY HERE!

October 27, 2017 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

Well, folks, it’s finally here. As of this morning, MAKO: THE SECOND EDITION is now for sale on Amazon! Better yet, I’m offering it for a limited-time price of just $2.99!

For those who’ve never read my series, MAKO is very much a sci-fi adventure with all the starfighter bells and whistles one would expect from the genre. At its core, however, it’s very much the tale of five college friends from Florida State, reuniting at a time in life when frankly they need each other most. The story offers tons of action, along with a healthy dose of humor, a shade of drama — and, yes, even a touch of romance for those who dig that sort of thing. 😉

For those who HAVE read MAKO, I think you’ll find 2.0 quite different from edition one, as I’m honestly just a better writer today than I was in 2009. Give it a read and let me know what you think via the comments below.

Gotta jet for HonorCon, y’all. Take care, thanks as always for supporting my work, and please feel free to share this post with your friends/followers (The social media algorithm gods tend to smile upon that).

Cheers,

Ian

BOOK SYNOPSIS:

A down-and-out history professor leads a team of old friends to virtual glory as the first-ever group to beat “Mako Assault,” a revolutionary new game that has emerged from nowhere to take the Internet by storm. As a reward for their achievement, and under the guise of publicity, the group is flown to meet the game’s mysterious designer, only to learn that Mako’s intent was never to entertain its players, but rather to train them.

An epic science fiction thrill-ride of action, suspense, laughter, and romance; MAKO is the story of five ordinary people, rising to the challenge of extraordinary events, driven only by their faith in each other.

“Mako: Genesis” is here!!!

October 17, 2017 by robmcclel Leave a Comment

For those craving something new from the Makoverse, today is your day!

As previously announced, Mako: Genesis (the short story prequel to Mako, starring everyone’s favorite loud-mouthed Tuskan pilot, Link Baxter) is now available for download. Here’s the catch, though: it’s not for sale on Amazon.

The only way to get this story is to sign up for my email list, which you can do here if you haven’t already.

Oh, and did I mention that Mako: Genesis is totally FREE?

Story Synopsis:

Link Baxter defied orders on Mako Assault’s nineteenth environment to save Markus Katahl. Neither he, nor the others could’ve ever known what that started.

Witness the moment when the Renegades first came to Jon Reiser’s attention in “Mako: Genesis,” the action-packed short story available only to members of the Ian J. Malone email list.

The Genesis of Genesis

I’ve been meaning for some time to:

Pen something new for the Renegades, and;
Pen something exclusive for my email listers as a way of saying “thank you” for supporting my work.

It’s no secret that I’ve been undergoing something of a rebranding of late with my books, and frankly this just felt like the right time to roll this project out.

Mako: Genesis also gave me the chance to “put right what once went wrong” with one of The Big Five: Link (That’s Quantum Leap humor… Kids, ask your parents).

In going back over Mako for the second edition, it occurred to me that everyone got a proper backstory except for Link. He’s small. He’s brash. He’s a lawyer who hates his job, and blows off steam at night by flying starbombers into hot zones and shooting bad guys from extreme distances in a videogame. Beyond that, not much else is known about him in the beginning.

Genesis gave me the chance to flesh Link out a bit in those early days — who he was, why he hated his life, and what inevitably put him on that plane to San Diego with the others. You’ll even find out what drew him to sniper school as an MOS in the game, as well as later when… well, just later (keeping it spoiler-free here).

It goes without saying that all five of the Renegades changed a lot over the course of three books. However, in some respects, I think you can say that’s truer for Link than anyone. Read this story then think about where he’s at in life when the final page turns for At Circle’s End. Think about who he’s become, what his priorities are, and what it is in life that truly makes him happy.

Link came a long way, man. Read Mako: Genesis and you’ll know what I mean.

More short stories to come

FYI, this will not be the only one of these that I write. As mentioned on social media, I’ve got Colonies Lost on deck in the coming months, and I plan to write a prequel short for that one as well (titled Nightfall). Since you’re already subscribed to this list, you’ll have that (in addition to Genesis) as soon as it hits.

Again, these short stories are not available for sale to the public. They’re solely my way of saying thanks for following my work, and continuing to put up with my emails. LOL

Hope you enjoy Mako: Genesis and drop me a line anytime if you’ve got questions.

Cheers,

Ian

PS – Big thanks to my pals at Streetlight Graphics for helping me retool the original Mako cover for a new generation. I’ve always loved that cover, and am glad to see it sticking around.