Ian J. Malone

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

4HU

Thanks for the memories, Harv

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I started watching NASCAR back in the late-90s because of friends. Obviously, the skill of driving a racecar wasn’t something I could personally identify with. However, the crew I ran with back then had such a ball watching the races — holy smokes, those were some amazing parties! — that one couldn’t help but get sucked into the NASCAR culture.
In the beginning, I was there for the shindig, the food, and the social aspect of the event, not the racing. As such, I had no allegiance to any driver, although the Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte fans in my life at the time tried like crazy to sway that.
Everything changed in February of 2001 when the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. aka “the Intimidator” passed away suddenly in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500. Naturally, the outpouring of thoughts and prayers from NASCAR Nation went mostly out to the Earnhardt family, as did mine. However, in the week following the crash, Earnhardt’s team (Richard Childress Racing) announced during a press conference that his iconic black Chevy would be painted white, the number 3 would change to 29, and a fresh-faced unknown driver from Bakersfield, California who was barely a year older than me at the time had been tapped to fill Earnhardt’s seat.
“No athlete in any sport should ever get their shot at the big leagues under these sorts of conditions. It’s just not fair.” That was my thought upon watching the RCR press conference live on ESPN.
Just over two decades have followed that day. Since then, the driver in question has gone on to win more races than Gordon along with the 2007 Daytona 500 crown and the 2014 Cup series title on route to what will undoubtedly go down in NASCAR history as a first-ballot hall of fame career.
That driver’s name was Kevin Harvick, and today he will announce his retirement from full-time NASCAR competition after the 2023 season.
It’s been a helluva ride, Harv. Thanks for the handshake at Dega and the 22 years of incredible sports memories.
PS – Seeing as how NASCAR is circling the drain these days, here’s hoping your descendants really do go on to own an interstellar mercenary company based out of Jacksonville, North Florida in the 23rd century. 😉 #SwampEagle

IJM talks ‘Lasers and Lagers,’ sports with ESPN Northwest Florida

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Huge thanks to Dave, Old School. Boston Tim and the rest of the crew on ESPN Northwest Florida for letting me take over their show for an hour to talk all things Lasers and Lagers, the 4HU, FSU sports, and NASCAR. The old radio jock in me is forever grateful.

 

Watch the interview on Facebook at https://fb.watch/6M3KxR0oYk/

IJM and Chris Kennedy talk ‘Lasers & Lagers’ and more with the Unstacked Podcast

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I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by the Bay County Public Library in Florida on their “Unstacked Podcast” alongside my good friend and THE STREET SURVIVORS collaborator Chris Kennedy.

Topics discussed include:

  • The Street Survivors, the 4HU
  • The Lasers and Lagers book event happening June 29 in Panama City, FL
  • Craft and Publishing
  • Creating new universes vs. writing in somebody else’s
  • What makes a CKP book?
  • Better Rock Era: 70s, 80s, or 90s?
  • How Ian and Chris became friends then collaborators
  • Ian and Chris favorite reads
  • The importance of supporting libraries in 2021
  • Where is the scifi/fantasy genre headed in the future?

Ways to watch/listen:

  • YouTube
  • Web Player
  • Also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and most major platforms.

Visit the Lasers and Lagers website or FB event page to learn more about our event. Otherwise, we hope you enjoy our interview with the Unstacked Podcast!

 

NEW RELEASE: The Street Survivors

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Brothers look out for brothers. Usually…

With the Merc Guild opening up contracts again, it’s Zuul eat Zuul to get one as there are far more companies looking for work than there are contracts to be had. So when Taylor Van Zant gets an inside line on a 30-million-credit contract for Swamp Eagle Security, he races to Karma to throw his hat in the ring.

Unfortunately, Taylor arrives to find that the other North Florida mercenary company—the River Hawk Defense Group —is also bidding, and Taylor is forced to watch as they steal the contract out from under the Eagles. Which might have been a good thing, Taylor finds out later, as the River Hawks return beaten and bloodied from it.

But only half of the River Hawks returned…the other half disappeared. And if there’s one thing Taylor stands for, it’s solidarity with his mercenary brothers, even when they may not have done him a good turn to start with. So, with only a fraction of his company available, Taylor decides to go find out what happened to the missing people. It’s what brothers do.

But what he finds will make him rue that decision and draw him firmly into the Guild Wars.

Grab your copy of THE STREET SURVIVORS on ebook or paperback today on Amazon!

NEWS: IJM to collaborate with Chris Kennedy for new 4HU novel, ‘The Street Survivors’

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I am beyond thrilled to announce two very important things today.

  1. Seventh Seal Press has formally accepted my story pitch for the next installment in the Swamp Eagle Security mercenary series, which is set in the mega-bestselling Four Horsemen Universe (4HU).
  2. 4HU co-creator Chris Kennedy has signed as a collaborator to help pen the novel.

Aptly titled The Street Survivors, this new story will serve as the direct sequel to 2018’s Free Bird Rising while continuing the stories which are currently being told in the 4HU Guild Wars series.

The Street Survivors by Ian J. Malone and Chris Kennedy is slated for worldwide release in 2021.

Stay tuned to the IJM newsletter and News Desk as more details unfold.

INTERVIEW: IJM chats with the Future Books Podcast

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I was honored sit down with host Randall Willis for a wonderful chat about the craft of writing, the re-release of the Mako trilogy through Theogony Books, and much more on the first ever episode of the Future Books Podcast.

Click here to check it out!

(The Future Books Podcast is a production of Chris Kennedy Publishing)

FREE BIRD RISING arrives in audiobook

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I’m thrilled to announce that the audiobook for FREE BIRD RISING is now available for purchase on the following platforms:

The story is read by James Patrick Cronin and is a service of Podium Publishing in conjunction with Seventh Seal Press.

Story Synopsis:

“A noted explorer once asked, ‘Who knows if there are secrets lurking in the unseen corners of hyperspace?’ The answer is simple. There are!” — Colonel Terrance Van Zant, Commanding Officer, Swamp Eagle Security

Taylor Van Zant has a lot on his mind.

Like everyone in Jacksonville, North Florida, the early-twenties bartender from Riverside saw his world upended when his brother, Terry, an interstellar mercenary and local hero, died suddenly in a freak starship accident. Five years later, having been stonewalled for answers, Taylor faced a choice: Honor his mother’s wish that he never go merc or defy it to save her life by resurrecting Terry’s company.

That was thirteen months ago. Now the newly reformed Eagles stand on the verge of a major milestone: owning their own flagship. There’s just one problem. Terry left behind a ship that no one knew about, a rare breed of cruiser with a most peculiar secret.

“Free Bird Rising” is the story of a young man’s quest for justice and to escape his brother’s shadow. The shocking revelations he finds, though, will likely rock the Galactic Union to its core and get him killed.

INTERVIEW: IJM returns to the Sci-Fi Shenanigans Podcast!

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It’s always a treat to hang out with J.R. Handley and Chris Winder of the Sci-Fi Shenanigans Podcast!

In this episode we discuss my latest book, “Free Bird Rising,” as well as the craft of writing, geek culture, and more.

Click here to hear to the interview online or listen through your favorite podcasting app i.e. iTunes or Google Play!

Enjoy!

IJM