Category: What Is New

Posted on by

Epic Fantasy Fun! I Just Began Writing One

Andy Zach Fans

Epic Fantasy Fun! I Just Began Writing One yesterday. Boy, did that feel good, to finally get started. I wrote my first scene, 700+ words.

So what’s it all about?

Do you know who Dionne Warwick is?

If you know Dionne Warwick, let me know and I’ll give you a free book.

Epic Fantasy Fun – The Premise

I have working title for my next book. It may or not stick. If you got a better one and I use it, I’ll give you any book of mine, any format. Send your suggestions here or to [email protected].

My working title is: Magic Arrives. My premise is simple: our Earth, in 2023, becomes magical. I’ve worked out most of the rules for my magic system, but I won’t tell anyone, not even the readers of my book. I want the reader to discover how the magic works as the characters do.

Epic Fantasy Fun Andy Zach Fans
Earthrise on the moon. Click the pic to get autographed books directly from me.

What kind of cover am I thinking of? Something like this:

I’ll have my artist add magical hints to make it more fantasy, so people know this book is in the fantasy genre.

Where do you think I get my fantasy ideas from? Take a look at my reviews below.

Epic Fantasy Fun – My Reviews

Epic Fun Fantasy

[ 5 of 5 stars ]
Shelvesfantasy, 
FormatPaperback
StatusJanuary 11, 2023 – Finished Reading
ReviewPatricia McKillip practices her craft of writing fantasy at the highest level in this atmospheric depiction of a city, Ombria, rocked by the death of its regent, Royce. The mysterious and manipulative Black Dominia immediately orders his mistress, Lydea, out on the streets, presumably to die. Lydea, a beautiful former tavern wench, makes her way across the dangerous city at night to her father’s tavern. A mysterious girl, Mag, helps her.

Mag, was raised by a sorceress, Faey, who stays in the shadows of Ombria, content to sell her spells to the highest bidders–including the Black Dominia.

Ms. McKillip introduces more colorful characters, without explaining the magic they contain at all. The complex political and magical mystery continues until the end when the mystery pops like a bubble.

This is a must read for any fan of fantasy with vivid characters. (less)
 

Check out this Fantasy Review

Epic Fantasy Fun

Bronze Rank Brewer (Hawkin’s Magic Beers #1)
Rating[ 4 of 5 stars ]
Shelvesfantasy, read, rpg
FormatKindle Edition
StatusJanuary 6, 2023 – Shelved as: rpg4
ReviewFirst time I’ve read a book by James Ghoul, and I’m looking forward to the second!

Bronze Rank Brewer is a very unconventional RPG-type novel, where the main character, Hawkin, decides to embark on a brewing quest. He doesn’t want to travel; he loves his woody wilderness. He is very sociable and friendly. He befriends both a hideous, deadly monster who becomes a friend and helper and also earns the loyalty of a rejected goblin. And a goddess.

The goddess is of astral planes, not of brewing. Somehow, she thinks Hawkin will become the greatest brewer ever, and the brewing god is upset. So he sends his most trustworthy brewer to find Hawkin and find out his secret.

You will enjoy this one.

Don’t Leave Without Your Free Books

Claim your free books from me by clicking right here. I give ebooks and audiobooks to all my newsletter subscribers. Plus, I link to other authors’ discount and free books. And a lot more.

Posted on by

Cover Hints! A New Book is Coming!

Villain's Vacation cover What is it like?

Cover Hints! Wait, what’s the book? Secret Supers in Space. It’s the third book in my Secret Supers series (try saying that ten times fast) that started with:

Cover Hints

Jeremy Gentle fell flat on his face at therapy. That was normal since he had cerebral palsy. But his new superpower wasn’t normal.

Then things got weirder when his best friend, Dan Elanga, got a different superpower. But Dan was still blind.

Kayla Verdera and Aubrey Wilcosky, two girls in their middle-school special ed class, discovered they too had new superpowers. Kayla was mute and needed a walker. Aubrey lost two legs and used crutches. But they were as powerful as the boys.

What should the four friends do? Jeremy knew if the word got out, it’d be a media circus. Then they started fighting crime, as the Secret Supers. Who knew a disability could be a perfect disguise? No one would ever think of disabled kids as superheroes. Then they ran into problems they never expected.

Get your autographed copy by clicking here! Or, get your copy from Amazon and pay more here.

The Book Cover Before the Cover Hints

My second book in the Secret Supers series is:

Villain's Vacation cover What is it like? Cover Hint
Villain’s Vacation. Click to get your autographed copy!

Four disabled seventh-graders with superpowers take a vacation at Coaster World. They need a break from fighting criminals. Ever since the beginning of the school year when they acquired their unusual abilities, they’ve been training and using those powers to fight crime in their town.

Little do they know the arch-villain they recently defeated also loves coasters and is vacationing at Coaster World. Worse, the villain wants revenge. Nothing less than turning these teens to a life of crime will satisfy.

Can Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey withstand the villain’s attacks? Or will they become Super Villains?

You can only find out by reading the adventure ‘Villain’s Vacation’.

You can also get the book at Amazon by clicking here.

This is the same artist who did the third cover, Sean “Fuzzy” Flanagan.

The First of Three Cover Hints — Finally!

Cover Hints

This is the first cover sketch I got. It’s NOT the final cover. Fuzzy did five more sketches and then the final cover.

Click to see other covers by Sean Flanagan.

Do you want more hints?

Of course, you do!

See below.

Or, you can tell me what you think by clicking here.

Or, email me at [email protected]

Another Hint!

Here’s a piece of the background from the real final cover:

Do you want another hint?

Here it comes!

Cover Hints

This is also from the final cover. It’s part of the bottom strip. It shows the Earth in the background.

My cover reveal is coming! Subscribe to my newsletter by clicking here so you’ll be the first to see it.

You’ll also get free audiobooks and ebooks and short stories as a member of my newsletter!

When will the cover come out? My next newsletter will be November 20th. Maybe then. If not, then the next newsletter is December 4th.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Best of September’s Internet for You

September's Internet

Best of September’s Internet for You, curated by me, author Andy Zach. Find out what amazing news, discoveries, insights, and fun you’ve missed this month.

I’ve spent the month writing my ninth book and cruising the internet researching the Everglades, the coast of Florida, and the Dragon space capsule procedures. What’s new with you? Let me know, and I’ll send you a free book. Click here.

Or don’t. You can also get my books* for free here, by subscribing to my newsletter.

*My books: Zombie Turkeys, Zombie Detective, My Undead Mother-in-law, Paranormal Privateers, Oops! Tales of the Zombie Turkey Apocalypse, Secret Supers, and Villain’s Vacation. Click on each title to find out more and to get your copy in ebook, paperback, or audiobook.

Let’s begin the discovery of September’s Internet!

Yup, this shark would look fine on a cover of a 50s SciFi magazine.

September's Internet
Imagine a lurking shark here.

Speaking of science fiction covers, this picture from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) would be great as a cover:

For comparison, here’s a picture from the Voyager spacecraft as it flew by in 1989:

September's Internet

How About Some Videos from September’s Internet?

Would you like a flying bicycle/motorcycle?

In many predictions from the 50s, we were supposed to have flying cars by now. How about flying motorcycles? Is this for you?

Let’s take a break from SciFi and go to fantasy.

Legolas’ life and travels

Did you learn anything about Legolas from this video? Let me know.

September’s Internet – Some Humor

Back to Science Fiction–from 200 BC

The Antikythera mechanism is an example of Greek technical prowess as early as 300-200 BC. A good alternate history scifi would be for them to begin an industrial revolution at that time.

And speaking of the industrial revolution, the Brooklyn Bridge was built at that time in the US, chiefly managed by Roebling’s wife, after his death. The technology of the 19th century inspires steampunk SciFi.

September’s Writing Prompt

I belong to a writers’ group. Here was the writing prompt we got:

September's Internet
September’s Writing Prompt

He sat and waited. He’d been doing that for some time. Three million four hundred, fifty one thousand, and sixty one years, one hundred ninety one days, five hours, and thirty five minutes, according to his internal clock, accurate to five microseconds per millennium.

As usual, he absorbed all information he could from his surroundings. Crickets chirred. He recognized each within microphone range by their variations in timbre and frequency. Then there were the electromagnetic impulses flooding his various antennae. He’d identified thirteen distinct civilizations on this planet. Most of them were quite recent.

But no activation signal.

Wait! There it was. Now he could act.

This is what Andy Zach wrote in five minutes.