Abraham Lincoln: Dinosaur Hunter |

Giveaway: Abraham Lincoln Dinosaur Hunter-Land of Legends (early reader scifi)

Published on March 15, 2013March 9, 2020 by Bryan2 Comments

My publisher, Delabarre, is giving away 20 copies of the ebo0k (epub or mobi, your choice) for my debut early reader book: Abraham Lincoln Dinosaur Hunter – Land of Legends.

“ABRAHAM LINCOLN: DINOSAUR HUNTER — LAND OF LEGENDS succeeds on almost every level –readability, alternate history, adventure, and excitement.” — Mike Resnick

“Prehistoric action and Abe Lincoln in one rollicking swoop!” — Tamora Pierce

Abraham Lincoln may or may not have fought vampires, but not many people know that when Abraham Lincoln was 10 years old, he fought something much worse – a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

One day young Abe Lincoln is marveling over meeting his hero, Davy Crockett. The next, Davy saves Abe’s life. But when they kindly agree to teenage inventor Nehemiah’s urging to test his newfangled time machine, they wind up sent back in time…to the age of dinosaurs.

When the machine gets broken, adventures ensue as Lincoln and Crockett fight dinosaurs and race to find the materials needed to fix the machine that can take them home. Abraham Lincoln – Dinosaur Hunter: Land of Legends is the first volume in a new action-packed middle-grade series. Science Fiction/Fantasy Adventure with great humor and good lessons about friendship, teamwork and more.

This is the first book of an ongoing series for which I have 7 more planned already. It hit stores in ebook and trade paperback in February 2013.

All you have to do to win is leave a comment as to why you’d like to win a copy, your name, preferred ebook format, and email address. We’ll do the rest. I’m closing the entries March 30th. Winners will be chosen at random and contacted via email.

Easy, right?

Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetities!

PROLOGUE
On The Run…

Davy Crockett’s eyes widened. He motioned for us to hurry as he cocked the rifle and took aim at the treetops. “Run!” He fired three shots in a row as we took off then turned to race after us.

GRRRRRRRROOOWWWWLL!

I, Abe they call me, looked back as I ran up the hill. A giant cat with two huge, white fangs like swords, extending from its mouth bounded down from a large tree and picked up speed, chasing us.

We broke through the tree line atop the next hill and started down the slope.

GRRRRRRRROOOWWWWLL!

ROOOAAARRR!

The second sound was oddly familiar. I glanced around for the source and my breath caught in my throat.

The giant lizard was back and rushing toward us from the north, following the tree line.

“Scarface! Run!” Nehemiah Winkler, our teenage neighbor, called.

GRRRRRRRROOOWWWWLL!

ROOOAAARRR!

“I wanna go home!” Jacob Carter cried as I grabbed his hand and pulled him along. I had no doubt the rest of us shared that sentiment right then.

Davy stopped atop the hill and fired back at the cat again, then turned to fire at the lizard. None of his shots had any effect. The predators kept after us at top speed. “Get amongst the trees where at least the lizard can’t get to us!” Davy instructed as he started after us again.

I bounced down the slope toward the next tree line like a rabbit in a race and burst through the trees into the shadowy cluster. The cat would have no trouble following, but the closeness of the trees might impede the lizard. If it didn’t just smash them down, that is.

“We’re doomed!” Jacob said.

I nodded, reluctantly agreeing. “There’s nowhere to hide.”

Wait! I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning. We’ll get to old Scarface the T-Rex soon enough. This is the story of how I, Abraham Lincoln, became a dinosaur hunter with Davy Crockett.

Bryan Thomas Schmidt is the editor of Blue Shift Magazine and an author and editor of adult and children’s speculative fiction. His debut novel, The Worker Prince (2011) received Honorable Mention on Barnes & Noble Book Club’s Year’s Best Science Fiction Releases for 2011. A sequel The Returning followed in 2012 and The Exoduswill appear in 2013, completing the space opera Saga Of Davi Rhii. His first children’s books, 102 More Hilarious Dinosaur Jokes For Kids (ebook only) and Abraham Lincoln: Dinosaur Hunter- Land Of Legends from Delabarre Publishing. His short stories have appeared in magazines, anthologies and online. He edited the anthology Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6 (2012) and is working on Beyond The Sun for Fairwood Press (July 2013), headlined by Robert Silverberg, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Mike Resnick and Nancy Kress, and Raygun Chronicles: Space Opera For a New Age for Every Day Publishing (November 2013). He hosts #sffwrtcht (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer’s Chat) Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on Twitter and is an affiliate member of the SFWA.

Project Status Updates

Published on February 19, 2013March 9, 2020 by Bryan

Well, I’m a bad blogger. I have not been taking my own advice and keeping my regular blog days lately. I have a good excuse. I’ve been sick on and off for the past 10 days and I’m so busy with creative projects, it’s hard to think of blog topics that are fresh and worthy of your time. But some of you do follow this blog. I get enough traffic even without posting, that my numbers hardly drop, so that’s encouraging, and I’m grateful.

But here, at least is some news.

We released the cover for Beyond The Sun in its final incarnation. I am finishing manuscript prep on that now and will turn it in tomorrow to Fairwood for July release. I’ll have Advanced Reader Copies in April. Hard to believe. What a ride it’s been since I dreamed this up in August, and here it comes! There are some truly great stories in this, though, so I can’t wait to get it out in the world. In case anyone missed it, the cover is included here. A full Table Of Contents can be found at http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2013/01/toc-beyond-the-sun-edited-by-bryan-thomas-schmidt/.

Also, Abraham Lincoln Dinosaur Hunter: Land Of Legends, the first chapter book in my fun new scifi alt history series for young readers released after a delay on my birthday, February 13, 2013. The day after Lincoln’s birthday, by the way. So far sales are steady and I know they’ll only increase when reviews pour in. That cover and more info can be found here: https://bryanthomasschmidt.net/writings/childrens-books/.

I have started the first novel in a new scifi series. Garret Hawke, Lunar P.I. is a detective noir set in colonies on the moon. The first story has Hawke’s young neighbors’ baby murdered and the parents accused, when he sets out to clear them. This is a world of A.I.’s called Synthetics, where humans live underground because of radiation and Synthetics cover the above ground work. Colonies have only existed on the moon for 15 years, in this 22nd Century setting. Each book will stand alone but there will be some through arcs to the storylines that continue in each consecutive book. Again, illness has slowed me down, but I’m hoping to get this done by April 1st.

After that, I have to write the next Abraham Lincoln Dinosaur Hunter, and then, depending on response, perhaps start book 2 in The Dawning Age. (see next paragraph). Plus, I have the May issue of Blue Shift to turn in this week. And I have 3 other partial novels I can resume work on.

I have agents looking at Duneman, Book 1 in my epic fantasy/steampunk mix, The Dawning Age. Excited to see what comes of that.

Raygun Chronicles is 1/4th funded in Kickstarter, but hopefully the next 15 days will turn that around so I can release that. There’s some awesome writers attached. I’d hate to see it fail. But Kickstarter is a giant waiting game. The t-shirts though are awesome and to die for. I think people will really want those!

Jennifer Brozek and I also signed a contract with Baen Books to edit what we hope will be series of military fantasy anthologies, called Shattered Shields. Coming in 2014, you can find details on writers, etc., here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/601968027/raygun-chronicles-space-opera-science-fiction-anth/posts/405709.

And I also have a YA reprint anthology in the works and so far have Cory Doctorow, Robert Silverberg, Mike Resnick, Jay Lake, EC Myers, and several others committed to that.

So, as you can see, I have a good excuse for being too busy to blog but I will be doing another Write Tip later this week, and I hope to get more active again soon.

Thanks for following and cheering me on!

Bryan

Stories In, Kickstarters Out, and More News

Published on January 7, 2013March 9, 2020 by Bryan

Well, I’m getting a slow start on blogging in 2013. In fact, I was so busy the last half of the year, it was hard to stick to even my steady schedule of two posts per week (Mondays and Thursdays). But 2012 ended with the sale of another children’s book and 3 anthologies to publishers, including 2 which involve Kickstarters, and the marketing of several more anthologies and a fantasy trilogy. I’m still working on prepping the fantasy trilogy for agent queries, in fact. Just a few more polishes. Add to that steady editing and blogging work for a number of clients, and I was pretty exhausted.

But at this point, some of that is moving to the next stage, which is a good thing. Abraham Lincoln Dinosaur Hunter: Land of Legends, the first early reader chapter book in a new adventure series is due out this month (delayed due to cover art issues), and stories for Beyond The Sun, the colonist SF anthology I funded on Kickstarter, are rolling in (with the January 15th deadline fast upon us). So far I have great stories from headliners Robert Silverberg, Mike Resnick and Nancy Kress, along with stories from Jamie Todd Rubin, Jennifer Brozek, Autumn Rachel Dryden, Jason Sanford and Maurice Broaddus. In the queue awaiting decisions are stories by Cat Rambo, 2012 Philip K. Dick Award nominee Jean Johnson, Dana Bell and Anthony Cardno. It looks like I’ll have a harder time choosing whose stories to reject than finding good ones to fill the remaining 9-10 slots here. It’s a nice problem to have, as they say, but I hate rejecting writers, especially friends. Comes with the territory though.

The Kickstarter for Raygun Chronicles: Space Opera For a New Age is supposed to launch next week, and we are working on the Kickstarter page now. That will run for 6 weeks with hopes we can start finalizing story contracts and get the headliners working on some great new tales. Plans include an OryCon 35 launch this November, and it will be my first hardback release. Some great writers involved (see the link under the title).

Additionally, Jennifer Brozek and I are awaiting a contract on a military fantasy anthology which sold to one of the big pro publishers. We can’t announce until the contract is final, but for me, it’s my first pro-qualifying book sale, and we have some amazing authors involved. Can’t wait to get that going. It will be turned in by December and released in 2014.

I also am getting gamma comments in on Duneman, my epic fantasy, book 1 of The Dawning Age trilogy, and I am going to do some clean up and polishing and query agents later this month. One of my writing heroes, AC Crispin is kindly helping me polish my query, so that’s also a thrill and quite good fortune. I’m hoping to enter the next phase of my writing career quite soon.

I have a story out tomorrow (1/08/13) in Triumph Over Tragedy, which is raising funds for Red Cross efforts to aid victims of Hurricane Sandy. An ebook only release, it will be available for only a limited time but has stories by Robert Silverberg, Timothy Zahn, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Elizabeth Bear, Michael J. Sullivan, yours truly and 20+ others. Some great stuff in there. I was one of four editors helping put the project together. My story is titled “Duncan Derring & The Call Of The Lady Luck” and is a tongue-in-cheek science fiction story about a demolitions expert who must help a starliner escape space tumbleweeds. Originally written for Wandering Weeds, which came out in November, it’s an updated, more polished version. My first resold story.

The Exodus, Book 3 in The Saga Of Davi Rhii, is 3/4ths done first draft but I’ll have to get back on that as soon as Duneman is finished. I may not send it out to a publisher if I can get a mass market deal explored via agents. That all has to wait on that process. I had already decided, for various reasons, not to go with Diminished Media Group for this one. I have interested from another small press, but since The Returning is not selling very quickly, it may just have to wait a while so I can focus on that.

Speaking of The Returning, I will be doing a review blog tour for that soon. I really need more reviews on Amazon to boost sales. Book 1, The Worker Prince, is getting regular sales via Amazon now because of it’s 24 reviews, and so I need to catch up The Returning and get that moving as well. The more people who discover and like The Worker Prince, the more likely it will be to sell, of course, so I’ll be continuing to promote that as well.

Last, but not least, I am marking a future Olympics themed anthology called Galactic Games, which the publishers I approach all seem to like but which no one has bought yet. It’s headlined by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Mike Resnick, Esther Friesner and Robert Reed. I’m hoping to push it out for release during or just after the 2014 Winter Olympics, but for that to happen, I suppose I’ll need to find it a home first.

In any case, lots going on here. I’ll do my best to get the first Write Tip going for 2013 on Thursday. And be sure and check Finish The Story, my editing site, where we have new 2013 rates and some specials going on, including a nice coupon or two on our Facebook page for $100 off. Three published authors and editors at your service with a good track record and developing client list. It’s what we do to support ourselves while writing, so we’d love to help you if we can.

Thanks for checking in.

Bryan

The Next Big Thing

Published on January 4, 2013March 9, 2020 by Bryan

The idea behind The Next Big Thing meme is pretty simple: another author tags you, you answer ten standard questions, and then you tag five other authors, propagating the meme through the interwebs like some sort of virus. So R.T. Kaelin tagged me in his post, and well, here I go spreading the infection:

1) What is the working title of your next book?

Duneman.

It’s book 1 of The Dawning Age, my first epic fantasy trilogy.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

In part, it was inspired by two of my favorite fantasy reads: Lord Valentine’s Castle by Robert Silverberg and Lamentation by Ken Scholes as well as Walter Miller’s classic A Canticle For Leibowitz. The first chapter started as what I thought was a short story but clearly revealed itself to be much longer when it was finished.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Fantasy for sure.

Epic Fantasy more specifically, although some will label it steampunk or even science fantasy because I employ airships, guns and electricity in the setting, which is a world transition from an age of faith and magic to that of technology and science and all that entails.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I’m gonna skip this. For one, I never think that way. I almost hope Hollywood never adapts my books. I went to film school and spent years working in movies and television. Hollywood loves to screw up other people’s stuff. If I got as popular as JK Rowling and could get creative control, I might change my mind but otherwise, I’m not interested, sorry. I will say that the role of Smithy is very much inspired by John Rhys Davies’ performances as Gimli in Lord Of The Rings, Sallah in Indiana Jones, and Rodrigues in Shogun.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

In a world transitioning from an age of faith and magic to one of science and technology, an amnesiac man launches a quest to recover his kidnapped wife and son and rediscover his past.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

As soon as the gamma reader notes come back and my synopsis is finished, I am querying some top agents, thanks to intros from writer friends who are their clients.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Nine months. January through September 2010.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’m not a big fan of self-comparison. It comes across as either pompous or self-serving. But I did aim to be family friendly and fun in the vein of Michael J. Sullivan’s Riyria books. I mentioned the influence of Scholes and Silverberg. I think fans of David B. Coe’s Lon Tobyn and Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer would enjoy it as well.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I love epic fantasy. And after spending so much time on my space opera trilogy, The Saga Of Davi Rhii, it seemed natural for me to try my hand at fantasy and expand my writing palate, so to speak. Plus, the amnesia thing, which Silverberg did so well in Lord Valentine’s Castle, is a great device, and I wanted to see if I could take it further than he did and stall the reveal of past and identity in many ways that would be compelling while still keeping readers guessing.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

A traditional fantasy setting with airships and steamships, guns and more mixed with swords, horses, and the classics. Trolls, dwarves (little humans not the Tolkien kind) and women who fight alongside the men. A story of a man discovering himself along with us, with lots of intrigue, mystery and twists and turns. Some surprises, too. And a story about loyalty, honor, family, and friendship. All of these and more.

My next book release is coming this month from Delabarre: Abraham Lincoln Dinosaur Hunter: Land Of Legends, a early readers’ adventure about young Abe traveling back in time with Davy Crockett and learning to survive amidst dinosaurs. Full of humor, action, dinosaurs, bears, sabretooth tigers, and more, it was as fun to write as I hope it is to read. Abraham Lincoln is a timeless character and I find adults get as excited about this one as kids. You can read an excerpt at the link from the title.

Every person below has proven to be both a good writer and very nice. I am glad I have gotten the opportunity to know them all. They may have done this before. I had a hard time finding people who haven’t, but if they haven’t and want to here they are:

Guy Anthony DeMarco
Claire Ashgrove
Robin Wayne Bailey
David B. Coe
Linda Poitevin

Goodbye & Thanks 2012! A Good Year In Review

Published on December 31, 2012March 9, 2020 by Bryan2 Comments

Well, as many of you know, Fall 2009 through Fall 2011 were some tough times for me. Although it all ended on a high note with the release of The Worker Prince and mention by Barnes and Noble Book Club’s Paul Goat Allen in his Year’s Best Science Fiction Releases of 2011. But 2012 has been a much kinder year. So here are a few of the highlights:

Books Released: 5
Magazines Released: 1

February 2012

— my first self-published ebook, a prequel short story to The Saga Of Davi Rhii novels

Rivalry On A Sky Course
by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6

April 2012 (Flying Pen Press)

— headlined by Mike Resnick, Jean Johnson, Brad Torgersen and CJ Henderson, my first anthology as editor

Space Battles: Full Throttle Sp…

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt (Editor)

June 2012 (Diminished Media Group)
— Sequel to The Worker Prince, 2nd in the Saga Of Davi Rhii space opera trilogy, a bit of a rough launch and sales are still slow but I feel very proud of the progress in my writing shown here and the story. Blurbed on the cover by Mike Resnick, Paul S. Kemp (Star Wars), and Howard Andrew Jones.

The Returning (Saga of Davi Rhi…

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

August 2012 (Delabarre)
— my first children’s book, written in January, ebook only. Also my first humor book. Cute artwork by Evan Peter. A lot of fun.

102 More Hilarious Dinosaur Jok…

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Evan Peter(artist)

August 2012 (Hadrosaur)
— La Migra: my first print magazine short story, third short story I ever wrote, sold in El Paso in early Summer 2011, and set there, it finally made publication.

Tales of the Talisman volume 8,…

by David Lee Summers (Editor), Bryan Thomas Schmidt (Author), etc.

November 2012 (Hall Bros.)
— edited by dear friend Jaleta Clegg, a fellow novelist, my first space opera humor piece, third anthology appearance: Duncan Derring & The Call Of The Lady Luck. Some great stories here despite a rough road to publication for us all. Duncan Derring will also appear in Triumph Over Tragedy in January 2013, my first 2nd sale of a short story.

Wandering Weeds: Tales Of Rabid…

by Jaleta Clegg (Author/Editor), Frances Pauli (Goodreads Author)(Author/Editor), Bryan Thomas Schmidt (Author), etc.

Books Written: 7

102 More Hilarious Dinosaur Jokes For Kids (Delabarre)
The Returning (Saga Of Davi Rhii Book 2) (Diminished Media) – final polish draft

Duneman (Dawning Age Cycle) (TBD) – second and third drafts, epic fantasy
Belsuk The Half Orc 1 (TBD) – partial sword & sorcery
Tommy Falcone 1 (TBD) – partial noir science fiction time travel

Abraham Lincoln Dinosaur Hunter: Land Of Legends (Delabarre) – forthcoming January 2013, my first children’s chapter book, 1st in a series cocreated with Jeff Rutherford

101 Hilarious Science Fiction Jokes (Delabarre) – forthcoming 2013

Books Sold: 3

102 More Hilarious Dinosaur Jokes For Kids (Delabarre)
Abraham Lincoln Dinosaur Hunter: Land Of Legends (Delabarre)

101 Hilarious Science Fiction Jokes (Delabarre)

Short Stories Written:

2 North Star Serial episodes (Sold to Digital Dragon Magazine) scifi
Brasilia with Octavio Aragao (on market) scifi
The Day Bobby Bonner Woke Up Striped (on market) scifi

Anthologies Sold: 3
Beyond The Sun – Kickstarter sold to Fairwood Press, forthcoming July 2013 (Mike Resnick, Nancy Kress, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Robert Silverberg headliners) – science fiction colonist stories

Raygun Chronicles: Space Opera For A New Age – Kickstarting in January 2013, sold to Every Day Publishing pending funding, for November 2013 release (Mike Resnick, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, A.C. Crispin, Dean Wesley Smith, Seanan McGuire, Robin Wayne Bailey, Sarah A. Hoyt, Allen Steele, Brenda Cooper headlining) – space opera new and reprint in pulp style

Shattered Shields – coedited with Jennifer Brozek, sold to a major publisher (cannot announce who until contract final) for Summer 2014 release (Larry Correia, Elizabeth Moon, Catherine Asaro, David Farland, Glen Cook, Seanan McGuire, Sarah A. Hoyt headlining) [first SFWA qualifying sale]

A very productive and awesome year which also saw me start earning significant income from editing in the Fall, with 3 anthologies sold and 5 more in the works, including collaborations with John Helfers, Rich Horton and Maurice Broaddus. I also joined White Cat Publications to edit Blue Shift Magazine, a new semi-pro science fiction zine which debuts in May 2013, but which I did most of the buying for in November 2012. I finally finished the epic fantasy novel started in January 2010 and will be querying agents with hopes of my first major publishing novel deal. I survived my first full year back in Kansas, attended my first World Con, moderated my first World Con panel, appeared on my first World Con panels, and attended 5 Conventions and 6 signings. Also, The Worker Prince earned out its advance and went into profit in October.

So, it’s been a pretty fun and exciting year. And 2013 is already headed toward being even more exciting, with 3 books expected to release, 2 anthologies, and hopefully a few more short story and anthology sales. I also hope to write 2-3 novels and 2-3 children’s books, land agents for both adult and children’s and become a full SFWA member. Maybe I’ll even start dating again or something wild and crazy like that. Ha! Who has the time? Let’s not go off the deep end, now!

Thanks all for the interest and support.

Latest News: Beyond The Sun Gets A Publisher & Announcing SAGA

Published on October 30, 2012March 9, 2020 by Bryan1 Comment

In case you haven’t heard, I finalized a deal last week with Patrick Swenson for Fairwood Press to release Beyond The Sun next summer. Going into their 13th year, Fairwood has released titles by authors such as Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Michael Bishop, Laura Anne Gilman, Daryl Gregory, Jay Lake, Ken Scholes, Jack Skillingstead, Louise Marley, Paul Melko, William F. Nolan, Patrick O’Leary, Ray Vukcevich, Devon Monk, Tom Piccirilli, James Van Pelt, Ken Rand, Alexei Panshin, James C. Glass, Mary Rosenblum, and Bruce Taylor and I’m humbled and honored to join their ranks (as editor at least). Stories from Fairwood publications, which included the semi-pro zine Talebones, have been nominated for major awards. Scheduled for July 16 release, Beyond The Sun should debut at ReaderCon and World Con next year and I have no doubt some of the awesome authors will be in attendance at one or both. So far authors include: Robert Silverberg, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Mike Resnick, Nancy Kress, Jamie Todd Rubin, Jennifer Brozek, Jason Sanford and Autumn Rachel Dryden. The cover is done by Mitch Bentley, who did the Davi Rhii covers, and Sarah Chorn is assisting me with edits. Expecting some great stories to come in for this now through the January 15 deadline and I’ll be posting updates.

In other news, I have signed with Every Day Publishing to edit SAGA: Space Age Golden Adventures from Ray Gun Revival, an anthology collecting the best of stories from the former space opera ezine with new stories by headliners. Signed up so far are Allen Steele, Sarah A. Hoyt, Mike Resnick, Paul S. Kemp and Robin Wayne Bailey, with more invitations awaiting responses. Doing the cover is artist Writer’s Of The Future winner Paul Pederson. The deadline is May 2013, so this one won’t be available until Fall 2013. But it’s going to be quite fun and thanks to Peter J. Wacks for the perfect title! Every Day Publishing publishes the zine Every Day Fiction as well as Every Day Poets and Flash Fiction Chronicle, anthologies and novels. They are Vancouver, BC Canada based. I’m very pleased to be collaborating with them on this with the support of Ray Gun Revival‘s founding Overlords.

Beyond that, gearing up for Abraham Lincoln: Dinosaur Hunter “Lost In Legends'” holiday release. This first in what Delabarre Publishing and cocreator Jeff Rutherford and I hope will be a series of chapter books to help get boys excited about reading again is one of my more fun projects this year. Looking forward to starting a second book soon.

Lots of stuff going on. For more projects and a Works In Progress report, click here.

Bryan Thomas Schmidt is an author and editor of adult and children’s speculative fiction. His debut novel, The Worker Prince(2011) received Honorable Mention on Barnes & Noble Book Club’s Year’s Best Science Fiction Releases for 2011. A sequel The Returning followed in 2012 and The Exodus will appear in 2013, completing the space opera Saga Of Davi Rhii. His first children’s books, 102 More Hilarious Dinosaur Jokes For Kids (ebook only) and Abraham Lincoln: Dinosaur Hunter- Land Of Legends (forthcoming) appeared from Delabarre Publishing in 2012. His short stories have appeared in magazines, anthologies and online. He edited the anthology Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6 (2012) and is working on Beyond The Sun for Fairwood Press, headlined by Robert Silverberg, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Mike Resnick and Nancy Kress, a Ray Gun Revival Best Of Collection for Every Day Publishing and World Encounters and Space & Shadows: SpecNoir with coeditor John Helfers, all forthcoming. He hosts #sffwrtcht (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer’s Chat) Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on Twitter and is an affiliate member of the SFWA.

Works In Progress: Writing & Editing Projects I am Working On

Published on October 28, 2012March 9, 2020 by Bryan1 Comment

Here’s a list of the projects I am currently working on for interested friends and for clients.

Novels:
The Exodus (Saga Of Davi Rhii Book 3), Science Fiction, On Chapter 9 of 12 expected. (Anticipated end date: December 1, 2012)
Duneman (Dawning Age, Book 1) , Epic Fantasy, Awaiting 3rd/polish draft. (Anticipated start date: December 1, 2012 for January query)
Tommy Falcone 1, Science Fiction, on hold but half finished. (Anticipated Resume date: Spring or Summer 2013)
Belsuk The Half Orc 1, Sword & Sorcery, on hold but half finished. (Anticipated Resume date: January 2013)
Believer (Dawning Age, Book 2), Epic Fantasy, synopsis in progress. (Anticipated start date: Spring 2013)

Short Fiction:
Brasilia (with Octavio Aragao), Science Fiction, half finished, in progress. (Anticipated end date: November 2012)
The North Star Serial Episodes 17-25, Science Fiction, on hold. (Anticipated resume date: November 2012)

Children’s Books:

Abraham Lincoln: Dinosaur Hunter book 2, tentatively titled On The Hunt, Science Fantasy/Alt. History chapter book for kids 7-11, Delabarre Publishing. (Anticipated Start Date: December 2012/Release date: 2014)
Kansas Joke Book, humor, Delabarre WFH, in progress. (Anticipated Release date: 2014)
Science Fiction Jokes, humor, Delabarre WFH, in progress. (Anticipated Release date: 2014)

Editing (Books):
Rage One, Thriller, Delabarre Publishing
Razing Kane, copyedit in progress. (Anticipated finish: November 10, 2012) Finish The Story edit.
Nancy Wing Middle Grade Novel, awaiting deposit. (Annticipated start: November 2012)
Walter Esselman Novel, awaiting manuscript and deposit. (Anticipated start: November 2012)

Editing (Anthologies):
Beyond The Sun, Science Fiction, in progress for Fairwood Press. (Deadline: January 15/Release date: July 2013)
SAGA: Space Age Golden Adventures From Ray Gun Revival, Science Fiction, lining up authors & prepping Kickstarter for Everyday Publishing. (Deadline: May 15, 2013/Release date: Fall 2013)
Shattered Swords, Military Fantasy, Co-Editor: Jennifer Brozek, lining up authors & prepping for pitch. (Deadline August 2013/Release date: 2014)
SFFWRTCHT Anthology, Various speculative fiction, lining up authors & prepping for Kickstarter. (Deadline: TBD/Release date: TBD)
World Encounters, Science Fiction, Co-Editor: John Helfers, lining up authors & prepping for pitch. (Deadline: TBD/Release date: 2014)
Space & Shadows: SpecNoir, Science Fiction & Fantasy Noir, Co-Editor: John Helfers, lining up authors and reprints & prepping for pitch. (Deadline TBD/Release date: 2014)
Writing With The Grandmasters, Science Fiction, Fantasy & Nonfiction, Co-Editor: Rich Horton, planning & prep. (Release date: 2014-2015)

I’ll start keeping this updated month or biweekly, depending. But this is what I’m working on. An exciting time to be creative but definitely daunting and requiring organization and focus.

What Is Abraham Lincoln: Dinosaur Hunter? (Includes An Excerpt)

Published on September 24, 2012March 9, 2020 by Bryan2 Comments

I’ve gotten questions about this since I started tweeting about in July when I wrote and finished my first draft at 13k for this new book. Basically, it’s a chapter book for early readers, ages 6-10, in this case probably aimed more at boys.

The idea itself was a collaboration with Jeff Rutherford for whom I blog at www.tobereadbooks.com and for whom I am primary editor. He also contracted me for four books, the first of which, 102 More Hilarious Dinosaur Jokes For Kids, is out since August and in the Top 10 for its category. It’s ebook only, at the moment, but print may be in the works.

First blurb:
“ABRAHAM LINCOLN: DINOSAUR HUNTER — LAND OF LEGENDS succeeds on almost every level –readability, alternate history, adventure, and excitement.” — Mike Resnick

Abraham Lincoln: Dinosaur Hunter is intended to be a series of science fiction adventure stories. The idea came from our mutual love of history, my desire to do something more for kids with dinosaurs, and Jeff’s desire to produce books for kids like his own. The basic concept came from putting our ideas together: Abraham Lincoln as a boy winds up hunting dinosaurs with Davy Crockett, who is in his early 30s. We knew we wanted a T-Rex. We knew it would involve a time machine. After that, I went off and wrote the specifics and book 1, which I’ve titled “Land Of Legends.” It’s the story of how they meet and wind up going back in time, and their introduction to the dinosaur world.

Now, as you may have guessed from the concept, it’s science fantasy. I did research historical figures, such as the scientists who inspire the time travel theory, the dinosaurs and plants of the prehistoric age, Lincoln’s boyhood life and friends, Davy Crockett, etc. But I also put dinosaurs in as I need them without regard for which actually would have encountered each other and I use time travel, so I’m not dealing with historical fact. What I am dealing with is fun and humor and lots of action. I wanted to write the kind of tale I’d enjoy as a kid. If there’s any message in the first book, it’s about friendship and heroes and working together to get through hard times. Those things naturally flow out of the story itself. And I think in future books any such “lesson” would have to work the same. There’s no intended lesson. I think different readers might get different things and that’ s great!

I structured it like the old serials. Each chapter is like flash fiction piece around 1400-1600 words with a cliffhanger ending. So it can be read in segments but readers will keep wanting to come back. My friends who beta read it with their kids said the effect worked really well, as the kids looked forward to the next reading to find out what happens next.

Being as there are humans and dinosaurs, there’s a bit of danger, yes, but it’s usually resolved fairly quickly so as not to overpower young readers emotionally. There are great action pieces including encounters with the aforementioned T-Rex, a Stegasaurus, a sabre-toothed tiger, and a bear which Davy Crockett dispatches at a much older age than three.

In any case, I have done rough sketches of seven more books so far and am pretty sure I could do at least three a year and still keep producing my two novels a year and editing anthologies. At 13.5k, these chapter books use simpler wording and shorter sentences and can be drafted much more quickly. And as I get used to the voice, etc., I expect it will go even faster. The polishing took me a weekend after beta notes came back and I let it sit a few weeks.

It’s a fun project to work on, one of the funnest I’ve had. It’s fun to write in a precocious young Abe Lincoln’s voice. And it’s also fun to play with the Crockett legend and all its exaggerations, using that for humor. And I get to write dinosaur scenes, okay? Can somebody pinch me?

In any case, book 1, “Land Of Legends”, is off to the artist and in final edits at Delabarre. We expect to release it for the holidays, if all goes well. It’ll be in trade paperback and ebook, and I really look forward to sharing it with you.

For what it’s worth, I offer this brief excerpt:

The world around us became less hazy again. Soon we were surrounded by trees with thick trunks and heights I’d never seen before. Leaves grew up the sides of their trunks, not just on their branches, and some of the leaves themselves were bigger than my head.

“Where are we?” Jacob mumbled.

ROOOAAARRR!

Jacob and I exchanged a panicked look. Had the bear come back to life? It wasn’t aboard the machine.

Nehemiah grumbled as he fiddled with the controls.

The rest of us turned to see the giant green nostrils and gaping, sharp teeth of a mighty-jawed lizard. It stood at the edge of the trees, its small front arms flexing as it reared back on giant back feet and rambled toward us.

ROOOAAARRR!

The ground shook from its every step. The booming echoed in our ears.

Jacob shook beside me, his mouth opening in a silent scream.

Davy swung around, reaching for his rifle and shouted: “Get under the seats, boys!”

“Something went wrong,” Nehemiah muttered.

“We knew that!” Jacob called as we did our best to squeeze under the seats.

ROOOAAARRR!

The roaring sounded as loud as before. The time machine offered little shelter from those glinting, knife-like teeth. As I looked up at him, I saw the beast also had a jagged scar running down its right cheek.

“Judging from the scar on its face, it can be wounded.” Davy jumped down to the ground and took aim with his rifle.

“Shouldn’t we run?” I asked, looking toward him.

“I’ll try and distract him, lead him away,” he replied, eyes locked on the towering predator. Davy took aim and fired twice at the raging animal’s legs. I saw the bullets tear into flesh and blood start to flow. The animal snarled and screamed but didn’t even slow down. Davy prepared to fire again.

“Wait!” Nehemiah called as the time machine vibrated and hummed again. “I can take us away.”

“To somewhere worse?” Jacob whined.

“Out of here at least,” Nehemiah snapped. “Mister Crockett, get back aboard.”

Davy fired twice more at the monster then scrambled aboard. Nehemiah pushed a lever.

TOOT! TOOT! HISSSSS! RUMBLE!

The world faded and spun around us again as we felt the familiar sensation of time flight.

Bryan Thomas Schmidt is an author and editor of adult and children’s speculative fiction. His debut novel, The Worker Prince (2011) received Honorable Mention on Barnes & Noble Book Club’s Year’s Best Science Fiction Releases for 2011. A sequel The Returning followed in 2012 and The Exodus will appear in 2013, completing the space opera Saga Of Davi Rhii. His first children’s books, 102 More Hilarious Dinosaur Books For Kids (ebook only) and Abraham Lincoln: Dinosaur Hunter- Lost In A Land Of Legends (forthcoming) appeared from Delabarre Publishing in 2012. His short stories have appeared in magazines, anthologies and online. He edited the anthology Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6 (2012) and is working on Beyond The Sun,forthcoming. He hosts #sffwrtcht (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer’s Chat) Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on Twitter and is an affiliate member of the SFWA.