Tara Maya's Tales

On a hell-class world where feudal lords joust with mechs and use memetic tech to imprint loyalty onto their vassals and thralls, all Charlie and his people ask is to be left alone, free to think for themselves. Then, on his wedding day, Charlie's bride is kidnapped to be a thrall. As he fights for his life and her freedom, he discovers the war helm of an ancient and powerful lord. He needs the knowledge in the helm to bring the battle to his enemies. But if he uses it, he risks losing himself... and becoming embroiled in a war that will soon span the galaxy. Peek inside the novel: “Whhhhy doeth thou hhhhesitate?” the alien Sulphine queen asked. “Sorry, ma’am.” I shook my head. “I can’t put on the helm. Not even to save my life. It will steal my mind.” With that decision, I felt a deep peace and joy. I wasn’t scared of death no more, I just felt good. “And what of thhy mate?” the Sulphine asked me. “Hhhumans fighhht for many thhhings thhat to us seem worthhless but...

You've seen the draft of the cover art for STRAT , but the real cover art is now complete! Same design, a bit more detail. Ta-dah! You may find this already available on some sites ....If not, keep checking. It will be up soon! We're holding off on the official release announcement until it's live everywhere. The hero stands on Neraka, a hell-class planet. The atmosphere, lake, and ice that you see are all sulfur dioxide. (It is one of the few elements that can exist in all three states at a certain temperature range.) This is where Charlie Cooper was born and grew up. All his life, he's known the importance of wearing a kit'n'breather at all times, because even the smallest leak can result in sulfur dioxide parts per million rising inside your breather.... the result is pulmonary edema , pain and blindness, and eventually, death. As in this excerpt... EXCERPT: Thirteen helmed Lords escorted me out to the center of the caldera: twelve lords from the ...

GOLEM from GOLEM on Vimeo . This movie is based on the short story “GOLEM XIV” of “Imaginary Magnitude” by awesome Polish science fiction author Stanislaw Lem from 1973. Many of Stanislaw Lem's stories concerned the futility of war. In this story, an intelligent military robot intelligence comes to question its purpose and the logic of war. Stanislaw Lem is one of the less well known of the greatest twentieth century sf authors. It's taken awhile for all his works to be translated.His stories are often strange and wonderful, and he touches on all the deep themes and questions of the field with a subtlety and depth often lacking in lesser works. The stories are very much idea driven, with characterization and adventure taking second place behind the sheer grandeur of the vast universe. George Clooney did the sexiest version of Solaris EVAH. Lem's most famous story was Solaris , which has been made into a movie twice, once behind the Iron Curtain and on...

My friend Rayne Hall's dark epic fantasy, Storm Dancer, is currently on sale for only 99 cents! Definitely worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of The Unfinished Song! Demon-possessed siege commander, Dahoud, atones for his atrocities by hiding his identity and protecting women from war's violence - but can he shield the woman he loves from the evil inside him? Principled weather magician, Merida, brings rain to a parched desert land. When her magical dance rouses more than storms, she needs to overcome her scruples to escape from danger. Thrust together, Dahoud and Merida must fight for freedom and survival. But how can they trust each other, when hatred and betrayal burn in their hearts? 'Storm Dancer' is a dark epic fantasy. Caution: this book contains some violence and disturbing situations, and is not suitable for young readers. British spellings. Storm Dancer is available to download on Amazon (US),  Amazon  (UK and other countries), B...

Earlier this year my friend Anthony Pacheco published a wonderful scifi mystery, Armageddon's Princess. Here's some details... ANGRY PRINCESS IS ANGRY. Investigator Lexus Nancy Toulouse, ex-soldier extreme: finds her Libido Generator is on the fritz, learns her old warship wants to "get back together" (despite the fact she already has four husbands!), loses whatever war-torn sanity she had left in a crime reenactment and becomes the Princess Concubine to the mysterious Empress. Then, while trying on lingerie, someone tried to blow her up and she regenerated all the way back to a teenager. Now there will be lots of blood AND NONE OF IT HERS. An Excerpt On command, the CSI bots begin their inspection of the bodies. Scott and I search the house while they do their job. We don’t find anything interesting at all. We take the trash, the garbage disposal contents, the air filters. I change out the filters for the replacements right by the HVAC, and turn the house ...

Last month my friend Amy Raby released her latest fantasy romance, Assassin's Gambit from The Hearts and Thrones and Series. Here's a bit about the book: Vitala Salonius, champion of the warlike game of Caturanga, is as deadly as she is beautiful. She’s a trained assassin for the resistance, and her true play is for ultimate power. Using her charm and wit, she plans to seduce her way into the emperor’s bed and deal him one final, fatal blow, sparking a battle of succession that could change the face of the empire. As the ruler of a country on the brink of war and the son of a deposed emperor, Lucien must constantly be wary of an attempt on his life. But he’s drawn to the stunning Caturanga player visiting the palace. Vitala may be able to distract him from his woes for a while—and fulfill other needs, as well. Lucien’s quick mind and considerable skills awaken unexpected desires in Vitala, weakening her resolve to finish her mission. An assassin cannot fall for her prey,...

I'm happy to be sharing this excerpt from Melodie Campbell's latest release, Rowena and the Dark Lord . I think you all will enjoy this funny romantic fantasy series. Is that a broadsword on your belt, or are you just glad to see me? “Hot and hilarious!"   “A fantastical tour de force”   “The Princess Bride with Sex” Excerpt from ROWENA AND THE DARK LORD, book 2 in the Land’s End fantasy series: I rose to my feet and turned to the east as the spell book instructed. “What is she doing?” Lars’s voice. What was he doing here? I chanted the words from the book in my hand, silently, beneath my breath. Then I chanted them once more, louder and with confidence. My voice became richer, louder, resonating in my ears. Whoosh. The ground trembled. The air in front of us seemed to swirl, clouding my view of the field ahead. A grey mist rose from the ground, thick with dust or soot, obliterating all vision. I stood rock still, hardly able to breathe. The mi...