Any Sci-Fi Fans?

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Titan88

Creator of MashLab Brewing Software
Joined
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Fellow Homebrewers,

I wanted to give anyone that is a sci-fi fan a heads up. My book was published a few months back and is available in print and on Kindle.

Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1492776556/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F8PRVA4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The heads up: the Kindle version will be free on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Day. Get a free book and help out a fellow homebrewer!

EDIT: Here's the description so you know what it's about before you navigate to Amazon.

"Messenger Deorum" (Latin for "Messenger of the Gods") is the first installment in the Humanity Series, an eight-part space saga chronicling acts of selflessness, perseverance and sacrifice.


Eli Witt has a mundane, miserable life serving out his prison sentence at the World Penitentiary in Australia. The world is a much different place than it used to be in the early 21st century. There are no more countries, only provinces. All military forces have been dissolved and capitalism is dead. With the world's resources dwindling, the World Parliament has to consider new ways to acquire much-needed resources. There's only one solution: space exploration. Having no value to the public, the prisoners are offered the chance for a pardon...but they must take a risk. They must conduct a seven month mission to Mercury to drill for new sources of fuel. In a twist of fate, Eli is selected for the mission, and he is transported to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to begin his training. He is led by a noted historian, Harvey Belmont, who spearheads the effort. The journey leads Eli through moments that are adrenaline-pumping, heart-stopping and heartbreaking. When Eli finally makes it to Mercury, mankind's fate rests in his hands. Will he redeem himself?

Cover.jpg
 
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I thought about waiting for the free Kindle version but paid anyway for a fellow homebrewer. I am an avid reader, especially this time of year where I live and I am always looking for new authors. My favorites are Sci-Fi with a trend towards military but as my Wife can tell you, I'll read anything and often. When completed I will post a review here if you like and definitely on Amazon.
 
I thought about waiting for the free Kindle version but paid anyway for a fellow homebrewer. I am an avid reader, especially this time of year where I live and I am always looking for new authors. My favorites are Sci-Fi with a trend towards military but as my Wife can tell you, I'll read anything and often. When completed I will post a review here if you like and definitely on Amazon.

Thanks! If you want, you can get a digital autograph to go with the book. BTW, I'm guessing you're active duty because of your name.
 
Retired from Submarines in 1995 - best damn job I ever had and hated to have to retire.
Thanks, the digital autograph would be cool!
 
Retired from Submarines in 1995 - best damn job I ever had and hated to have to retire.
Thanks, the digital autograph would be cool!

I'm active duty Navy right now. Intel community. Waiting to hear if I got selected for OCS. PM your email address and I'll get that to you. How's Alaska this time of year?
 
I will get one for my kindle, Got a novella on the way myself. It's heading for its first scrub after Christmas. Didn't think about posting here, but they say to advertise and share everywhere you can. Congrats!

looking forward to reading it. :ban:
 
I will get one for my kindle, Got a novella on the way myself. It's heading for its first scrub after Christmas. Didn't think about posting here, but they say to advertise and share everywhere you can. Congrats!

looking forward to reading it. :ban:

Thanks! Let me know when you release yours so I can pick it up as well.
 
Finally got it to come in. Reads a lot like a mixture of the dreamlords triligy with Galad Sarian & Cemetary world. I think that last one was written by one of the original Star Trek series authors. I used to get them from the Science Fiction book club. Too bad some fool threw out the wrong box. This story def is in the same relm as those. Pretty good. I always wanted to write something in science fiction. Just never settle on a subject.
 
Finally got it to come in. Reads a lot like a mixture of the dreamlords triligy with Galad Sarian & Cemetary world. I think that last one was written by one of the original Star Trek series authors. I used to get them from the Science Fiction book club. Too bad some fool threw out the wrong box. This story def is in the same relm as those. Pretty good. I always wanted to write something in science fiction. Just never settle on a subject.

It's hard to settle, I know! I have seven more books in that series. I'm working on three different books at the moment. It can be exhausting at times. I'll usually write my basic outline, and then hash out the specifics over a HB.
 
Well,thanks for sending my mind back to 1964! You finally became the one to get me started. Write what you know finally came to me. All the knowledge & memories rattlin around up there finally came together. Good thing I've got open office. I took the Dream lords,my own memories of the dawn of the space age,etc that I grew up with since the mid-50's. Thanks for the inspiration! Def makes me feel better. Hmm...maybe the main Character will brew space beer or something? gotta work it all in somehow...do you do that? write what you know almost as if it were you?
 
Well,thanks for sending my mind back to 1964! You finally became the one to get me started. Write what you know finally came to me. All the knowledge & memories rattlin around up there finally came together. Good thing I've got open office. I took the Dream lords,my own memories of the dawn of the space age,etc that I grew up with since the mid-50's. Thanks for the inspiration! Def makes me feel better. Hmm...maybe the main Character will brew space beer or something? gotta work it all in somehow...do you do that? write what you know almost as if it were you?

Each of my main characters embody a certain aspect of my personality. The character in this book shows more of my hesitation and lack of faith in humanity. The next book's main character is a retired Master Chief. He embodies my hard-nosed traits. Plus, I try to be as scientifically accurate as possible. Just get an outline going and it really pulls itself together.
 
Now if I could just figure out how to get open office to make the next page. Saved page one. Just can't find anything clear cut to use where I can flip back & forth between pages while writing.
 
Started with MS Word but didn't want to pay the ridiculous price again to put it on my new laptop so I also am using open office now. As far as I can see the feature you are looking for isn't included. I got Scribner and I am trying to learn to use it now. lots of tutorials to work through but has features were designed for writing and publishing. I think it was about $40.

Good luck
 
I finally found out from my son that in open office,you have to finish typing on the current page for it to scroll down to the next page. you can then scroll up & down from one page to another. Works ok that way.
The more I get into this story,the more Orwelian it seems. But in a modern context with all the new high tech gadgetry that befalls the main character in his upside down world.
 
Myself, I can cobble together a tech manual but writing a story, forget about it. I did well in Composition, Literature and all that in high school and college but I just can't sit myself down to write.

I am very much respectful of those of you that you do.

I wonder how many other HBT folks are authors or aspiring to be, not just in Sci-Fi, but other genres as well. That would be a thread for them to support each other and those of us that love to read could get heads up ongood reads and new one to come.

Just a thought.
 
That's not a bad idea. I've been wanting to write a sci-fi book since I was 8 years old. A fellow member who writes sci-fi inspired me last night. finally realized to "write what I know". i used to get "A"'s in science,English Lit,etc in high school. got "A"'s in comm 1 & 2 in college as well. Just couldn't think of where to start.
I wrote a column in the mid-90's in Scale Auto Racing News called "The Soap Box Racer" that saw world wide publication. I went back & looked at the mag some 10 years ago now,& everyone tries to write like I did in the 90's. but the soul is missing. I wrote like Leonard emanuallson & John diana did when they were editors at HOTROD Magazine,crossed with some tool man humor.
The rather Orwellian story I'm writing since last night is about a guy who gets saved from the FEMA camps by his home brewing hobby. The well healed folks running this new world order like their craft beers,which he provides.
The kicker is that he can't remember how everything changed over night. Everyone else can't either when he finally decides to ask. And armed guards on every corner & in every business with a SCMODS-like device on their arm to monitor you. And those are fusion rifles as well. He digs deeper & deeper,looking for the truth,but must be careful. Hackers get capitol punishment in this upside down world.
 
Cool! I'll give it a look. Wrote a couple more pages the last couple hours. Funny how an outline just brings it out of your head...:mug:
 
Back when I dabbled in writing scenes and short stories, I downloaded yWriter. It's supposed to help you keep track of characters, timelines, scenes, etc. You can write inside it, or import text from another word processor. You might find it useful, I don't know.

This kind of makes me want to flesh out a few ideas I had floating around. I just never have time to do more than think about them. My writing quality varies considerably for some reason. There are days the words seem to flow great, and others I can spend 10 minutes searching for the word I want to use, but can never remember.

yWriter was ok, but i found that by the time I entered some character information and set up the basic outline, my creativity has disappeared. I think I spent too much time thinking about the details and not enough time just putting down the outline.
 
I actually wrote nearly 2 pages before stopping to get the outline in my head on screen in open office. Having an outline def helps the words just flow out of my head. I'm on chapter two Of this rather Orwellian saga. But my story is wider ranging than just being in a couple different places/rooms with narrow camera angles,like the orginal British version of 1954.
I also bumped it to 2034,50 years after orwell's predictive story. And a lot more detailed & deadly serious when needs be. I also keep on the news & latest science & tech breakthroughs. Helps a lot I think.
 
Before I give a review, as I was about a third of the way into the story; My Wife and I have a short conversation. It goes something like this:
She asks, what are you reading now?
Me; a sci-fi book by a fellow homebrewer.
Her; what's it like?
Me; it's pretty good so far, a criminal outcast just marking time, rejected by humanity and rejecting humanity he gets selected for a long, lonely mission to Mercury. Possibly, to return as a hero, should he survive.
Her; oh, all you homebrewers are so creative; you know the rest of story will be good.

Review:
As promised, I finished reading the Kindle version. I don't want to reveal too much. I like a good short story and this was a quick read for me. What’s nice is it was completely developed, some story’s, especially short ones, end up feeling like parts were missing or undeveloped but I didn’t get that with Matt’s book. I enjoyed the protagonist’s development, his interaction with the other characters and his inner struggles as well. His acceptance of his own changes or need of changes bring him to the place he needs to be; emotionally, mentally and even spiritually.
I enjoyed your writing style and look forward to the next book.
Thanks, Matt!
 
Now I know I have to read it. I used to love short stories by various sci-fi writers. I like trilogies as well. Who knows how far this story will go? I've got 14 pages so far,proof read some already. I'll just keep writing & see how the story goes till it's done. Interesting how an outline is one thing,but the story is so much more.
 
Before I give a review, as I was about a third of the way into the story; My Wife and I have a short conversation. It goes something like this:
She asks, what are you reading now?
Me; a sci-fi book by a fellow homebrewer.
Her; what's it like?
Me; it's pretty good so far, a criminal outcast just marking time, rejected by humanity and rejecting humanity he gets selected for a long, lonely mission to Mercury. Possibly, to return as a hero, should he survive.
Her; oh, all you homebrewers are so creative; you know the rest of story will be good.

Review:
As promised, I finished reading the Kindle version. I don't want to reveal too much. I like a good short story and this was a quick read for me. What’s nice is it was completely developed, some story’s, especially short ones, end up feeling like parts were missing or undeveloped but I didn’t get that with Matt’s book. I enjoyed the protagonist’s development, his interaction with the other characters and his inner struggles as well. His acceptance of his own changes or need of changes bring him to the place he needs to be; emotionally, mentally and even spiritually.
I enjoyed your writing style and look forward to the next book.
Thanks, Matt!

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. The first book leads directly into the second. E.g. the second book introduces a new character interacting with the plot from the first book. That essentially makes it one huge story. At eight books in the series, it'll end up being a pretty cool box set.
 
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