Tag: science fiction (Page 2 of 2)

New Covers for the Nogiku Series by SJ Pajonas!

June 21, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

Today is the cover reveal for the Nogiku series by SJ Pajonas. The whole series has new covers! The covers are designed by Najla Qamber Designs. This cover reveal is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours.

Check out all five covers:

The Nogiku Summer Sale!

Start The Nogiku Series for free with Removed!
Removed (The Nogiku series #1)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction / Post-apocalyptic
Age category: Adult

Blurb:
The year is 3103, and the Earth is dying. One of the last remaining pockets of survivors are preparing for the inevitable future — they either find a way off the planet or be left behind to die.

Sanaa Griffin is ripped from the job she always loved and reassigned to work for the mysterious Mark Sakai. Her task: spy on the corrupt leaders of the city who are playing politics and pulling strings in the hopes of earning a ticket on the next ship leaving a planet now in its final death throes. War looms on the horizon, and Sanaa must help Sakai determine the key players and their weak spots before it’s too late.

Mark Sakai has many plans for Sanaa that will take her into a web of lies and danger. With the help of Jiro, a man who teaches her self defense while stealing her heart, Sanaa realizes Mark Sakai is holding back important truths about her life, her job, and her family. Learning the truth may put all of humanity in jeopardy as the great exodus from Earth begins.

REMOVED is the first book in a captivating post-apocalyptic series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.

You can find Removed on Goodreads

You can get your free copy of Removed here:
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– Kobo
– iTunes
– Google Play

Later books in the series:
Released (The Nogiku series #2)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction / Post-apocalyptic
Age category: Adult

Blurb:
Left in the desert to recuperate from her injuries, Sanaa Itami paces the floors and contemplates her mistakes. She trusted too easily, and now people she loved are dead, killed at the hands of men coming to assassinate her. Sanaa feels beaten, but life awaits her at home. While her city recovers from the devastating earthquake, negotiations for Sanaa’s future continue. New allies must be made, new friendships brokered, new skills acquired — at all costs.

Life at the top of the chain is complicated and lonely, though. With all her friendships rocky and uncertain, Sanaa must learn to trust others again more than she’s willing. Who is left holding a grudge? And will the new family Sanaa has found with Jiro support or betray her?

RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series, is the second book in a captivating post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.

Links for Released:
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– Kobo
– iTunes
– Google Play

Reunited (The Nogiku series #3)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction / Post-apocalyptic
Age category: Adult

Blurb:
Yūsei has surprises for Sanaa Itami. The long trip across the stars ends with Mark Sakai delivering bad news from orbit over their new home, and there’s no turning back or moving on. Despite all their misgivings, this is where they will have to stay.

Sanaa, Jiro, and the rest of Earth’s settlers move into a coastal town and stick to their plans to live the colonization life they dreamed of. But Sanaa’s existence won’t be kept secret from her enemies for long. Kazuo promised he would see her in another life, on another world, and he aims to keep his word. Now she will face those who want their revenge and make new enemies while dispensing with old ones on her journey across the fascinating and unfamiliar landscape of Yūsei.

REUNITED, Book THREE of the Nogiku Series, is the third book in a captivating post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.

Links for Reunited:
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– Kobo
– iTunes
– Google Play

Reclaimed (The Nogiku series #4)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction / Post-apocalyptic
Age category: Adult

Blurb:
On the road and gaining ground against Fujiwara, Sanaa and her team find the local population hesitant to accept them. Charm and bribes can only get the colonists so far, and no matter what Sanaa does, she is not welcomed amongst the men and women of Yūsei. When Sanaa is denied help again, she reaches out to a Northern clan, the Odas, and bargains for a secret technology that will give her an incredible advantage but comes at a steep price.

Being on the road means leaving Yamato undefended, though, and when enemies strike, they leave everything in chaos. With Sanaa and Jiro sacrificing all their time and effort to keeping their home secure, they both must give up nearly everything to save the colonization, their future together, and reclaim Yūsei for its people.

Family lines collide, secrets are finally spoken, and the freedom of Yūsei is in the hands of one woman determined to find equality and justice for everyone on the planet.

RECLAIMED, Book FOUR of the Nogiku Series, is the FINAL book in a captivating post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.

Links for Reclaimed:
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– Kobo
– iTunes
– Google Play

Revealed (The Nogiku series #5)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Science Fiction / Post-apocalyptic
Age category: Adult

Blurb:
Come back to the Nogiku world with Jiro Itō and Mark Sakai as they live the events of REMOVED from their perspective. Secrets, lies, and cover-ups are all in a day’s work for Jiro and Mark, but when Sanaa Griffin enters their world, truths emerge, plans fall by the wayside, and enemies come out of the shadows. How does Mark veer so far off course while training Sanaa? And how does Jiro win back his family’s loyalty after losing their trust? If you loved the Nogiku Series, REVEALED will uncover the details behind all the action and reveal the future life of Sanaa and Jiro on Yūsei. Don’t miss this companion novel to the four books of The Nogiku Series!

Links for Revealed:
– Goodreads
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– Kobo
– iTunes
– Google Play

About the Author:
Stephanie (S. J.) is a writer, knitter, amateur astrologer, Capricorn, and Japanophile. She loves foxes, owls, sushi, yoga pants, Evernote, and black tea. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing or spending time outside, unless it’s winter. She hates winter. Someday she’ll own a house in both hemispheres so she can avoid the season entirely. She’s a mom to two great kids and lives with her husband and family outside NYC. They have no pets. Yet. When it comes to her work, expect the unexpected. She doesn’t write anything typical. Find her online at http://www.spajonas.com.

You can find and contact SJ Pajonas here:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
– Tumblr
– Instagram
– Youtube
– Wattpad
– Amazon

Giveaway
There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of The Nogiku series. One winner will win A Bundle of S. J. Pajonas ebooks, which will include: Removed, Released, Mamachari Matchmaker and The Daydreamer Detective.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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CONVICTION by S. Usher Evans Book Blast

November 4, 2015 / Katie L. Carroll

razia cover

Now available – Conviction, the third book in the Razia series! Catch up on this fun, sassy space opera about a wayward scientist living a double life as a space pirate bounty hunter.

Missed the first two? Pick them up on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo.

About Conviction:

Clink.

Razia is in trouble. Captured by a fellow pirate, she now finds herself back on probation with a bounty worth zero credits. In the cold reality, she begins to question herself and everything she has been working towards all of her life–and what she’s willing to do to reclaim her glory.

Piracy is a game. What do you stand for?

Buy now on

Sneak Peek:

Razia’s eyes snapped open and she grasped at the wall to steady herself. She stood outside the supposed poker game location, in a dimly lit alley that smelled like trash. There was something wet leaking from the bin next to her, so she didn’t dare sit down. She had fallen asleep against the dirty brick wall for a split second, but was now wide awake and ready for Loeb to come out.

The door remained closed.

Poker, she reasoned, must be Loeb’s chosen vice because he’d been there playing this game for over an hour. She wondered how many times he’d have to go to Temple to ask the Great Creator for forgiveness for this break in his piety.

She snorted at her own joke then burped a little beer. She rubbed her face roughly, hoping the increased blood flow would wake her up. She wished she hadn’t had that that third beer (or however many she had from Sage’s pitcher) at Eamon’s, she wished she had some coffee, and she wished Loeb would just get a move on already. She had other pirates to capture, and he was being awfully selfish with her time.

She jutted her lip out and stared at the door, and her eyes began drooping again.

Her mini-computer began buzzing at her hip and she jumped ten feet. Scowling, she answered it without thinking.

“What.” She blinked at the face looking back at her and for a brief moment saw Vel. With another shake of her head she realized it was Heelin scowling back at her. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Yes, it’s me.” Heelin looked nothing short of livid. “The brother with whom you are supposed to be working.”

She grimaced. “Oh God in Leveman’s, I don’t have time for this.”

“Well you’d better make time, because this stupid planet was approved for membership, so Dorst wants me to accompany you on your next excavation.”

Excavation, what was that again? She rubbed her eyes, trying to make sense of the word. Slowly, her brain readjusted from a month of bounty hunting back to her life as Lyssa Peate.

Wait…Heelin wanted to go on an excavation with her? “I don’t think so.”

“I think that you have to since Dorst ordered you to.”

“I think that Dorst can get sucked.”

“What is with you lately? You look different.”

“I…what?” she said, looking down at the mini-computer.

“And where are you anyway? Are you in some kind of dark alley? Where are your glasses?”

Razia realized with a jolt of fear that she was, in fact, Razia and not Lyssa—her hair down, no lab coat, no glasses.

“Uh…gotta go!”

She ended the call quickly and breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t expect Heelin to recognize Razia from just a simple phone call. Unlike Lizbeth, who was sharp as a tack and made the connection almost immediately, the Peates seemed more eager to ignore that Lyssa ever existed.

Like Jukin.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, hating herself and her drunkenness for bringing him up. She still had no idea why she’d saved him. She’d told Lizbeth at the time it was because she wanted to believe he was a good person, but there was more to it than that. She was still harboring a little bit of guilt that she had been chosen as Sostas’ assistant, and not Jukin.

And perhaps she felt a little responsible for everything Jukin had done.

She belched loudly in the alleyway, ending the drunken philosophical train of thought. In some part of her mind, she wondered if it was a good idea to be out in her current state, but then again, she was simply stalking Loeb. He wasn’t going to surprise her and walk out…

Her eyes nearly fell out of her head as Jarvis Loeb exited the bar all by himself.

She braced herself against the wall, waiting to see if his body men were going to join him. Loeb got almost a block before she realized that he was alone. Whether this was some great twist of fate, or maybe some gift from the Great Creator, she didn’t know, but it was definitely an opportunity.

She nearly tripped over her own two feet as she barreled after him, the beer sloshing in her stomach uncomfortably.

“OI!” she called out, standing in the middle of the deserted street.

Loeb turned to watch her with an amused look on his face. “Hello there, dear. Are you here to capture me finally?”

“Sure am!” she announced, perhaps louder than she should have.

She walked up to Loeb, who seemed awfully sober to her, and she reared back her fist to strike him. But she was moving so slow—slower than ever—and Loeb easily ducked it. She lurched forward, her center of gravity completely off, and watched the pavement fly up towards her face.

Loeb’s hand clamped down on her wrist and she felt cold steel encircle it.

About the Author:

S. Usher Evans is an author, blogger, and witty banter aficionado. Born in Pensacola, Florida, she left the sleepy town behind for the fast-paced world of Washington, D.C.. There, she somehow landed jobs with BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Television before finally settling into a “real job” as an IT consultant. After a quarter life crisis at age 27, she decided consulting was for the birds and rekindled a childhood passion for writing novels. She sold everything she owned and moved back to Pensacola, where she currently resides with her two dogs, Zoe and Mr. Biscuit. Evans is the author of the Razia series and Empath, both published by Sun’s Golden Ray Publishing.

Be sure to check her out on the below social media sites:

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Cover Reveal for Released Book Two of the Nogiku Series by S.J. Pajonas

October 22, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m super excited to be a part of the cover reveal for S.J. Pajonas’ latest new adult sci-fi novel Released, book two of the Nogiku Series. (See my Goodreads review of book one, Removed.) S.J. is a great writer buddy of mine and a fabulous writer. So without further ado, here is the gorgeous cover!

RELEASED Blurb:

**Contains spoilers for those who have not read REMOVED!

Left in the desert to recuperate from her injuries, Sanaa Itami paces the floors and contemplates her mistakes. She trusted too easily, and now people she loved are dead, killed at the hands of men coming to assassinate her. Sanaa feels beaten, but life awaits her at home. While Nishikyō recovers from the earthquake, negotiations for Sanaa’s eventual rule on Yūsei continue. New allies must be made, new friendships brokered, new skills acquired — at all costs.

Life at the top of the chain is complicated and lonely, though. With relations in Sakai clan rocky and uncertain, Sanaa must learn to trust others again more than she’s willing. Who amongst the clans is left holding a grudge? And will the new family Sanaa has found with Jiro support or betray her?

From Nishikyō to Yūsei, RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series, is the second book in a captivating New Adult post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them in the future.

Queue it on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18674866-released. Visit http://www.spajonas.com for more information.

Read the first book in The Nogiku Series, REMOVED:

Amazon (Paperback): http://amzn.com/1940599032

Amazon (Kindle): http://amzn.com/B00F4IE978

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940148646532

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/removed

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Meet K.L. Pickett Author of Seventh Grade (Alien!) Hero

May 29, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

In case you missed it while busy at your Memorial Day barbecue, I had my first post up at the Enchanted Inkpot, discussing female heroines and naming trends. Today K.L. Pickett, author of Seventh Grade (Alien!) Hero and the upcoming Maybe It’s Magic! is guesting on the blog today. Welcome, K.L.!

Science Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Science fiction is a passion of mine. That’s why I wrote the middle-grade novel SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO. Science fiction fills a yearning inside of me, a longing to create a world based on what we as human beings know, but goes beyond that knowing. Science fiction takes us a step closer to what might be, as opposed to what is.

On any given evening, you’ll most likely find me reading a good science fiction novel. My husband, on the other hand, would be engrossed in a nonfiction book. “Why read about imaginary things,” he asks, “when the real world is so interesting?”

Yes, the real world is interesting. But getting involved with intriguing characters and their wants and needs – in other words, connecting with them – is the most important part of any writing, be it science fiction or other genres. The main character of SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO is a middle-grade student that kids can relate to. Dustin’s a normal seventh grade boy whose life has been turned upside-down. His parents have gotten a divorce, his dad’s remarried, and his mom has moved her and him out to the middle of the desert, away from the suburban life he’s always known. He has no friends. Middle-graders can understand him because they all know how hard making friends can be, even if they haven’t moved to a new home themselves.

Besides great characters, there has to be a captivating plot. Being compelled to turn the page to find out what happens next – that just doesn’t happen to me when I read nonfiction. Don’t get me wrong, I love learning new information, but I’ve never stayed up half the night because I couldn’t put a nonfiction book down. Yet there have been many, many mornings when I’ve gotten up groggy from lack of sleep, because I just had to finish a great science fiction story.

That was my goal when I wrote SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO. Dustin encounters one problem after another, each more urgent than the one before. I wanted to create a story that a reader wouldn’t want to put down until he or she had read the last page.

Like all good science fiction, the story involves technology. Dustin and the alien character, Bok, communicate by means of a holographic image. Now I’m sure reading about holographic images – how they are produced, who designed the first ones, how they are used – would be informative and interesting. However, I’d never lose sleep reading about them.

Both science fiction and nonfiction can be full of adventure. Reading about a dangerous and exhilarating trek to the top of Mt. Everest or to the bottom of the sea floor can be stimulating and informative. However, I’m never sitting on the edge of my seat while reading a nonfiction book.

I’ve never ‘lost’ myself in a nonfiction book, the way I do when I’m reading a good fictional story. Becoming totally immersed in a novel is a pleasure I’ve never had with a nonfiction book. My hope is that readers of SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO will become absorbed with the story and ‘lose’ themselves in it.

Many people, like my husband, may prefer nonfiction over science fiction. But for me, there’s nothing better than a compelling science fiction story, with great believable characters, an interesting setting, driven by an action-packed plot. Reading a great science fiction story is something worth losing sleep over.

Seventh Grade (Alien!) Hero Blurb:

Seventh-grader Dustin Cotter dreams of being the first human to make contact with an alien species. After watching a meteorite crash-land on Earth, he discovers it’s a miniature spaceship and becomes determined to catch it.

But first a dog grabs it. A dog that happens to be owned by Randie, the cutest girl at his new school. Then it’s stolen by another kid on horseback: Max, the school comedian/magician/cowboy.

And making matters worse, a dangerous motorcyclist saw the meteorite crash, too. Now he wants it and will stop at nothing until it’s in his possession. One dark night, he catches Dustin alone out in the desert – and Dustin’s dream turns into a life-threatening nightmare.

About the Author:

K.L. Pickett was born in Southern California. Her first job as a young teenager was collecting eggs on an egg ranch. She’s had many occupations since then: preschool teacher, real estate salesperson, special education teacher’s assistant, loan officer, furniture salesperson, and agricultural biologist. She currently teaches fourth grade in a tiny rural elementary school.

Over fifty of her stories and articles have appeared in national magazines such as Boys’ Life, Highlights for Children, Humpty Dumpty, and Ladybug under the name Karen Troncale.

She’s rescued dozens of cats, dogs, and birds in her life including a pelican, a pheasant, and several crows. An avid animal-lover, she’s a volunteer for the Tombstone Small Animal Shelter, designing their flyers each week and writing their public radio announcements.

Currently she resides in Tombstone, Arizona, along with her husband, dog, and mule. When she’s not writing, reading, or teaching, she’s riding her mule along the same desert trails that Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday rode upon.

SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO is her first book. It is available at the MuseItUp bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other ebook retailers. MAYBE IT’S MAGIC!, her second book, releases in August 2013.

Please visit her website: www.klpickett.weebly.com. Every month she features a free children’s short story to read and an inexpensive art activity to do at home.