Ryan Southwick, Author of The Z-Tech Chronicles

Dear Reader,

Fortunate to say that my family and I are safe and, apart from some smoke, are currently unaffected by the 500+ fires raging in California. We were driving from the Bay Area down to my hometown of Santa Maria when the dry lightning storm was making its way north, and what a light show it was.

Unfortunately, with high temperatures and a lack of rain, it was also like throwing matches from heaven. We started the trip without power in the house from a traffic accident up the hill. By the time we reached our destination, the power was out from the lightning, leaving us with a trunk full of food we couldn't refrigerate or reheat until four hours later.

Many aren't as fortunate as us, however. If you'd like to help some of the thousands of families who are or will soon be displaced, this article has several suggestions on how to best support the firefighting efforts and victims in their time of need.

Apart from that, August has been a busy month. Most of you saw that Zima: Origins launched earlier this week—the first official novella in The Z-Tech Chronicles universe! Thanks to everyone who helped make that a memorable experience.

Keep scrolling for more good stuff, and please forward this email to anyone you think may be interested in fresh urban fantasy / contemporary science fiction!

In this newsletter:

• Angels Fall (The Z-Tech Chronicles Book 2) updates and sneak peak
• Holtondome - first book in the new dystopian fantasy Timeless Keeper Saga
• Giveaway x 2!
• Interview with Mari Mitchell on Dare To Be Authentic Radio
• Currently Reading: Broken Bridge by J Dark
• A Surprising Review from Duovolt Art

Angels Fall

The Z-Tech Chronicles Book 2, Updates and Sneak Peak

Angels Fall is a month and a half from launch! The last few weeks have been spent finalizing the manuscript and (the really fun part) working with the artist on the cover art. We've just about finalized the initial sketch. It looks amazing, and I can't wait to share the final cover with you. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, here's a snippet from the first chapter to whet your appetite.

Angels Fall - Chapter 1 Excerpt

    Calum MacLean reached for his gun at the sound of his name. A large man in jeans and a collared shirt pushed through the bustle of the terminal at San Francisco International Airport with an uneasy look. Calum forced himself to relax. It was the middle of the day in a large crowd. The sun shone brightly outside. He had little to fear until evening.

    “Glad you made it,” the large stranger said. His smile was genuine but dull, likely reflecting the big man’s intellect. The overhead lights glared from his shaved head. He extended a meaty hand. “I’m Don.”

   Calum glanced at his teeth. Don’s coffee-stained canines were blunt, which eased Calum’s immediate fear but did nothing to improve his mood. If Don wasn’t a vampire, then he was from the local chapter, and Calum wasn’t happy with the local chapter. Not happy at all.

    “I’m glad I made it, too,” Calum said, ignoring the proffered hand, “though I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”

    Don looked confused, which wasn’t a surprise. Although Calum had been away from his Scottish homeland for decades, at fifty-eight years old, he still had a strong accent, which was difficult for most English-speaking people to understand. The noisy airport didn’t help, either. Calum gestured with a black-gloved hand for Don to lead them outside.

    “It seems my invitation was lost in the mail,” Calum said.

    Don led them toward the short-term parking lot. He cleared his throat nervously. “Mr. MacLean, w-we called you as soon as—”

    “As soon as what? Did you call me when you realized you might have an epidemic on your hands, or immediately after you discovered the vampire, as protocol clearly dictates? Or maybe it was just when you damn well felt like, eh?”

    “We thought we had it contained!” The sweat on Don’s forehead glistened under the flickering fluorescents of the multi-level garage. “He was only out of his casket for a few minutes before we caught him.” He pushed the elevator call button.

    “Contained? Have you actually read the local police reports?”

    Don gulped, tugging his collar, and nodded. Police reports were the first thing Calum had requested after he’d received the call he’d hoped he never would. Incidents of missing persons had risen over the last three months, and sharply over this last month. Divorce rates in San Francisco had also risen, as Calum would expect from a vampire outbreak, as had reports of people wandering the streets with no recollection of how they got there or why. The signs were all there, and they painted a grim picture.

   Calum tensed when they exited the elevator into the dark underground parking level. Down here where the sun never shone, a vampire could live indefinitely, so he stayed vigilant until they were safely in the car—a black sedan with tinted windows. The stereotype made Calum cringe. Too often, chapter members mistook their stations in the organization for privilege, purchasing cars or clothing which they thought distinguished them, instead of allowing them to blend with the rest of the populace.

    Pride, he thought disdainfully. Focused on their image instead of their duty.

    They weren’t solely to blame, however. Only two chapters had faced vampire breakouts since the society’s formation over a century ago. Calum’s chapter, nestled in the highlands of Scotland, had been one of them. There were dozens of chapters around the world, which meant that few chapters, and fewer members still, had any practical experience fighting vampires.

    Which, if the rumors of a vampire outbreak are true, doesn’t bode well for our chances of success.

    Calum mulled on that as the lavish black sedan sped from the airport.

Holtondome

Timeless Keeper Saga Book 1

Fast-forward 500 years. Civilization has nearly wiped itself out of existence, and is on the long, slow road to recovery, held together by an agreement called the Pact between cities, agricultural domes, and a new global government.

Seg is a farmer in Holtondome. Like his ancestors, he's chosen a life of ignorance about technology and the outside world in favor of a simple existence, free of the corruption that almost destroyed the human race.

His world turns upside down when Fi arrives. Tall, exotic, and far too wise for her age, she challenges everything he's been taught to believe, making him question for the first time if the simple life is right for him or, indeed, for the rest of humanity.

But Fi has a secret darker than her black-ringed eyes, a secret bigger than the Pact, that has implications far beyond Seg and the residents of Holtondome.

Holtondome is a dystopian fantasy with the same, personal feel as Angels in the Mist that will draw you into a fantastic adventure in one of Earth's remaining domes, protecting its inhabitants from Mother Nature's violent wrath.

Progress is going well! I'm about 2/3 finished with the first draft and loving how the relationships are developing between the varied characters. Look for more information soon!

Giveaways!

In case you missed it, Angels in the Mist is included in 2 great giveaways. Click on the images below to enter!

Interview with Mari Mitchell

Currently Reading

Broken Bridge (The Glass Bottles Series Book 2) by J Dark

J Dark continues the story of Fern, an eccentric solver of problems other people wouldn't come near, in a world of magic and intrigue that keeps the pages turning. Fern is a refreshing realist who manages to be a strong female protagonist without seeming ridiculous. Her punchy, flowing humor has kept me laughing throughout, and I already can't wait to read Book 3.

A Surprising Review

It's not often that a review of my own book makes me see it from a new perspective, but June at Duovolt Art did exactly that. In her writeup of Angels in the Mist, among many other flattering things, she says:

"At the heart of this enigmatic story is Southwick’s dedication to breathing life and dimension into the hero of the novel – Anne Perrin. Unlike so many storytellers introducing a heroine, Anne is not simply a hero wrapped in a feminine veneer. Southwick gives us a true-to-life protagonist who is, at the same time, on a classic hero’s journey of self-exploration, growth, and empowerment while also maintaining a genuine female perspective and truth."

Yes. That. I couldn't have even told you through the numerous drafts and revisions what I was trying to achieve, but when I read June's review, it hit me with striking clarity. I wanted Anne to be a person first, with all the trials, real-life issues, and insecurities that come with it, and a hero second. I wanted readers to be able to pick up the book and truly believe that they could be in that situation just as easily as her, and might have similar difficulties coming to grips with the strange realities that assault her one after the other.

Thank you, June. You've given me focus and purpose which I hope to carry through the rest of my writing career.

Click here to read the entire review.

Zima: Origins

A Z-Tech Chronicles Story

Free at last of the programming that drove her to kill, the formerly enslaved artificial intelligence known as Zima now has her own android body, and is determined to find her place in the world … and to gain
the family she never had.

The story is primarily told through the eyes of Emilio, a teenage boy caught in a gang who can't see a way out.

While the story is fiction, Emilio's circumstances aren't. In addition to a healthy dose of contemporary science fiction, Zima: Origins explores some of the real reasons youths are lured into gangs, how those gangs prevent them from leaving, and the impact that dangerous life has on them and their families.

It also explores some of the culture of the historic, colorful Mission District. You can see a sampling of the wonderful artwork decorating the neighborhoods in this recent post.

Haven't read Angels in the Mist?

Get the contemporary science fiction adventure that according to BookTrib.com, "...has enough intensity and inventiveness for three books all by itself. Brimming with elements of practically every genre including exhilarating action-adventure, riveting sci-fi, urban fantasy and breathtaking romance, Angels in the Mist surprises and satisfies with every hairpin turn."

"At the same time classic fantasy, futuristic sci-fi, tense page-turning suspense novel, and surprisingly contemporary ode to a new generation of female protagonist driven adventure stories, Angels in the Mist is a unique and refreshing amalgamation of narrative that is simultaneously both refreshing in its novelty, yet oddly familiar and genuine in its telling." 

- June, Duovolt Art

"I recommend this book whether you are a romance reader, a cyberpunk hacker, or a researcher of the paranormal. It's all here, mixed in a wondrous mish-mash of genres that do not compete or collide, but blend easily with each other through the story."

- J Dark, author of the Glass Bottles series

Until next time, stay well and stay safe.