Something Fishy...

Alibi Jones and his covert-ops team are on their first mission, establishing their cover by delivering contraband seafood to a crime boss – or trying to! Get the story-so-far and then hear what happens in Chapter Seven of Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest! Free, serialized, Independent SF audio adventure each week on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio. The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue, written and read by host Mike Luoma.  



Join the mailing list: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z  

Check out Mike's radio home, WBKM: http://wbkm.org 

Promo is for Nutty Bites: http://nimlas.org        

Home(s): http://mikeluoma.com - http://glowinthedarkradio.com - http://alibijones.com

All New Audio - VATICAN ASSASSIN Continues!

The science fiction adventures of BC - Bernard Campion - the Vatican Assassin - continue on this week's episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! BC and his former flame Fiza find their way aboard Wentworth Station, home to one of the wealthiest men alive. Will Richard Wentworth help Fiza deal with the UTZ authorities, as she seems to think? Will they even make it off the station? Maybe - maybe not! Listen to the podcast and find out! It's a brand-new reading of chapters twenty-six and twenty-seven, exclusive to this podcast.

In other news - there are new covers for each book in the VATICAN ASSASSIN Trilogy! Check them out on the homepage or at http:vaticanassassin.com! And my new book Introducing... Red Hot! #1 is out this month fromEarthbound Comics! More at http://earthboundcomics.com. More info on everything at http://glowinthedarkradio.com.

"Introducing... Red Hot!" - Out Today!

Earthbound Comics releases my brand new comic book today! Artist Rhys ap Gwyn and I have cooked up a good old-fashioned super-powered coming of age story that's already drawing comparisons to Geoff Johns' run on JSA - Introducing... Red Hot! Rhys's art is drawing some great comparisons, too.

Get it in print - POD - from Indy Planet for $3.99: http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6589
Get the DL from Drive Thru Comics for 99 cents: http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=98677

Read Glenn's review at CRIKEY: http://www.crikeyuk.co.uk/Hot.html
Read Gordon's review at Blog THIS, Pal: http://www.blogthispal.com/2012/01/introducing-red-hot-review.html
Hear the We Talk Comics guys Talk Red Hot (at about 1:11:40):


There are a couple of previews out now, too!
Major Spoilers: http://www.majorspoilers.com/sneak-peek-red-hot-1
Graphic Policy: http://graphicpolicy.com/2012/01/23/preview-red-hot-1/
Comic Related: http://comicrelated.com/news/14911/red-hot-1-preview

You can also scroll down for a preview here on my blog :)
More info at http://earthboundcomics.com

BC Talks to God...

...Maybe.

BC is still a prisoner of the religious cult squatting the abandoned Fortune Station - they're dosing his food with poisons and mind-altering drugs, messing with his mind - hard to say what's real, what isn't - what BC's mind is creating and what he's actually experiencing. That's for you to decide...


It's 2109 and BC kills people - or tries to kill people - for the pope of the New catholic Church. But BC's mission to assassinate the cult's leader "The Light" isn't going so well...
The science fiction adventure Vatican Assassin continues on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Get a quick dose of news and a run down of the story so far, and then enjoy Chapter 18 of the novel. The science fiction is written and read by me - Mike Luoma. Our podcast theme music is by Juan Carlos Quattordio. I put The Vatican Assassin theme together myself.
Want to learn more about the world of Vatican Assassin and Alibi Jones? Head to http://vaticanassassin.com - http://alibijones.com - and http://glowinthedarkradio.com.

Black and Blue From the New 52

This is not a complaining, bitching and moaning blog post. Got no problem with the New 52. I approve of the idea, the sort of risk-taking relaunch DC approached but failed to follow through on before – they almost did it a few times. Kudos to them for finally following through. It’s working. Sales are up. Digital sales are finally beginning to uptick. The timing on that couldn't be better with the excitement for new tablets and the market exploding right in front of us. Those new toys are going to need content. Could be time for a new comics renaissance. The future looks bright.

But right now? OW! OUCH! CUT IT OUT!

I’m getting black and blued by the New 52!

Call it "sucking all the air out of the room" or "dominating the market" or whatever you’d like, DC’s New 52 initiative has grabbed hold of the comic world’s collective consciousness and ferociously refuses to let go. Even now, Google "New 52" and you’ll discover article after article, blog post after blog post on "The New 52 – Two Months In!" and the like. The coverage is intense and exhaustive, from the highest trafficked websites down to the smallest comic book bloggers.

Hell, s’pose this is even more coverage... hurm.

This is all great for DC. As a fan of their iconic characters, gifted artists and talented writers, I’m happy for them. But their market saturation and domination makes the life of an independent comic creator an awful tough slog right now – it’s not easy for the little guy to fight against Supes, Batman and the rest of the Justice League!

My new book The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1 came out last month from small indie publisher Earthbound Comics. It’s a pretty sharp 40 page black and white comic with fantastic art and pretty good writing and lettering, if I do say so myself. It’s gotten a couple of great reviews. Just a couple, though. Because Alibi Jones is no match for Superman – it’s been almost impossible to garner coverage and reviews for my little indie book in the wake of the New 52.

Comic book blogs and websites aren’t doing anything wrong. They’re covering and writing about what the comic book buying public are spending their hard-earned cash on. I get Gary Scott Beatty’s Indie Comics Magazine’s emails. Today’s triggered this post, as I read, "DC had 51% of the comics unit share in October. That was a whopping 21 points over Marvel. My diamond brand manager said indie books are still struggling, some canceled, going up against books like Action Comics #1, #2 and #3."

I knew it wasn’t just me. Hard for all us little guys to go up against the Superheroes at full strength. Bad time to try getting an indie book noticed. 

So this post is a bit of a plea. If you’re a web site reviewer, reporter, writer or blogger, please consider reviewing or covering an indy book or two this week. If you’re a comic book reader, please consider buying an indie comic book this week. You can find them at sites like IndyPlanet.com and DriveThruComics.com, to name just a couple.

Of course I’d love you to check out my new book The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1... more at http://AlibiJones.com. If you review or cover comics and want a pdf of the book, please email me at mike (dot) luoma (at) gmail (dot) com.

It’s hard out here for an indie comic trying to promote. Show your favorite indie creators a little love if you can this week. The future is looking bright, but right now we’re all a little black and blue from the New 52.

Earthbound Comics Presents #1 is OUT!

I've got a brand new short story in the new anthology Earthbound Comics Presents #1 - "Alibi Jones In Over His Head"! Juan Carlos Quattordio did the art. The book is out today, September 1st.

Earlier this year I became production manager for Earthbound Comics - helped shepherd this anthology into reality. It's a cool collaborative effort. One of the writer/artists is my old friend Ethan Slayton. Cover art is by Federico Guillen, artist on my Good Samaritan: Unto Dust. I'm proud of it!

You can get the digital edition here: DriveThruComics.com

The print edition is here: IndyPlanet.com

Here's the blurb: The new anthology from Earthbound Comics! Travel to dangerous, distant parts of the universe... and run into nearer threats just down the road a ways. Meet Villains - naturally - and some heroes, too. There's horror, and comedy - get a taste of what's to come from the new era of Earthbound Comics!

"The Core" - Story by Max Fauser and Ethan Slayton - Art by Ethan Slayton - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

"Shots Fired: Shake And Bake" - Story by Buck Weiss - Art by Ruth Garcia - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

"Alibi Jones In Over His Head" - Story and Letters by Mike Luoma - Art by Juan Carlos Quattordio

"Villains: Preview" - Story by Ethan Slayton - Art by Ben Ferrari - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

Cover Art by Federico Guillen

New Anthology on the Way From Earthbound Comics!

I've been working hard on the new anthology from Earthbound Comics this weekend - pushing it over the finish line! It's now off to Ka-Blam for print copies and up on Drive Thru Comics for digital downloads. Official release date is September 1st! I'm proud of this book, even though I've only got a four page short story in it's 36 pages. I've been working on the production and helping pull together the book - it's really the first Earthbound book that I've been full time production manager on, as The Longhunters #1 was a previously released work. I helped to give it it's new look, and get the book out... but the new anthology is a bit more my baby. Well, it's a book with a bunch of fathers and a couple of mothers - all the creators involved have a lot to be proud of.

Here's a look at the cover, and the book info follows:

Earthbound Comics Presents #1 - The new anthology from Earthbound Comics! Travel to dangerous, distant parts of the universe... and run into nearer threats just down the road a ways. Meet Villains – naturally - and some heroes, too. There's horror, and comedy - get a taste of what's to come from the new era of Earthbound Comics!

"The Core" - Story by Max Fauser and Ethan Slayton - Art by Ethan Slayton - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

"Shots Fired: Shake And Bake" - Story by Buck Weiss - Art by Ruth Garcia - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

"Alibi Jones In Over His Head" - Story and Letters by Mike Luoma - Art by Juan Carlos Quattordio

"Villains: Preview" - Story by Ethan Slayton - Art by Ben Ferrari - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

Cover Art by Federico Guillen

For Earthbound Comics - Ben Ferrari: Publisher and Editor in Chief - Mike Luoma: Production Manager - Buck Weiss: Web and Promotions

Earthbound Comics Presents #1 Published by Earthbound Comics. 1826 Silverwood Drive, Concord CA 94519. Earthbound Comics copyright Ben Ferrari 2011. All stories and related characters, logos and trademarks herein are copyright by their respective creative teams 2011.  

Podcast 160!

Welcome to the 160th episode of the Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Podcast! More from my science fiction adventure novel Alibi Jones on today's podcast episode. I run down the story so far at the start of the episode to catch you up on the story. Then we have Chapter Fifteen of Alibi Jones!


Back on Ceres Central after the trip to the abandoned Eldred planetoid, Alibi, his Aunt Anita and Katie have a nice dinner, and Alibi checks in with the mediation corps. He draws a new assignment, a week long negotaiation on Cat's Eye. Things almost seem like they're back to some kind of normal - until everything falls apart!



http://glowinthedarkradio.com
http://alibijones.com


Alibi Jones on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alibi-Jones/142797717510


Alibi Jones Paperback & eBook $13.98 combo at Drive Thru: http://scifi.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=89354

Latest update...

Just sending out this email:

Happy Thanksgiving!

There's a lot going on with my books to share with you – lots to be thankful for as we head towards Thanksgiving. Also added some names to the email list, so if this is the first time you're getting one of my updates and wish to be taken off my list, please reply and let me know. Heck, if you've been getting these but are fed up, let me know and I'll take you off the list. Don't mean to annoy.

As you know, I'm still trying to make a name for myself, so any recognition that comes my way is very cool. ProjectFanboy.com gives out the Project Fanboy Awards – and a couple of group efforts I'm involved with have been nominated for this year's awards! The anthology comic book I'm writing “Souverain” for – Lady Fight: Escalation – is up for Best Black and White Title. And the web site for which I've been writing features and my column – http://www.cosmicbooknews.com – is up for two awards: Best Comic Book News Source and Best Comic Book Web Site! You can vote for this year's awards through December 31^st at http://www.projectfanboy.com. I hope you'll stop over there and cast your vote. Speaking of my column, the latest one is here: http://www.cosmicbooknews.com/articles/mlmakingup11. And my most recent “Cosmic Spotlight” was on Monark Starstalker, here: http://cosmicbooknews.com/articles/csmss.

ALIBI JONES continues to come out as an audio book – you can get the free chapters weekly in their “pure” form at Podiobooks.com (http://www.podiobooks.com/title/alibi-jones) and with commentary and news on my Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Podcast. The 80^th episode went up last Friday with chapters seven and eight of ALIBI JONES: http://glowinthedarkradio.podomatic.com/.

My apology – the discount code I shared with you for Lulu.com last month was not a good one. Lulu messed up. They've given me a new 10% off code for November. I double-checked it – seems to work fine, this time: GREATBOOK. You can use it to get 10% off of any book you buy at Lulu.com when you check out. My books are here: http://stores.lulu.com/mikeluoma

Actually, my books are a lot of places. My thanks go out to fellow Podiobook author and publisher Brian Rathbone. Brian not only interviewed me for an upcoming Podioracket podcast, he also got my books up on Mobipocket! The Vatican Assassin Trilogy and my new ALIBI JONES are available for reading on your phone through White Wolf Press, LLC: http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/AuthorDetails.asp?authorId=117289&authorName=Michael+Luoma. ALIBI JONES has been available for the Kindle – now you can get the paperback through Amazon.com as well. Thanks to Smashwords.com, my books are available as eBooks from Barnes & Noble, too. Mark Coker of Smashwords is actively forging beneficial new partnerships – glad my eBooks are on Smashwords – you'll even find some of them there for free, with set-your-own pricing.

Finally, a couple of holiday-related items: Thanks to Podiobooks author A.P. Stephens for organizing “The Gift Of Lit” – you can find books of many genres from independent authors for holiday giving all gathered in one place – my Vatican Assassin Trilogy Omnibus Edition Hardcover is featured: http://glowinthedarkradio.blogspot.com/2009/11/gift-of-lit-holiday-2009.html. If you're looking for unique gifts, you also might want to check out my doodle-rama store. I just went through and updated the designs for T-Shirts and prints: http://www.cafepress.com/doodlerama.

Again, Happy Thanksgiving – I'm especially thankful to have friends and fans like you. Thank you for your support!

Mike

--

The Gift Of Lit: Holiday 2009

It is with great pleasure I bring forth and introduce you to The Gift of Lit, a collective effort by many of the fine authors from Podiobooks. Together, we would like to share with you our diverse works and invite you to take a look at the nice selection of books we have spent hours, days, months, or years writing.

The Gift of Lit: Holiday 2009 is now here. If you are looking for a great gift this holiday season, rather it be for a family member, friend…or for yourself, take a look at the list below and give one, some, or all of these books your consideration. There are books to suit your needs this holiday season. Here, you will find fantasy, sci-fi, crime drama, speculative fiction, techno thriller, and much more. Help support these authors and spread the joys of literature. Give spark to imagination.

Below, take a look at all of the different titles offered and follow the links to purchase your own copy for yourself or to give that special someone this holiday. Yet, no matter the time of year, The Gift of Lit will be sure to please all readers.

HORROR

NIGHT’S KNIGHTS by Emerian Rich

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $13.00)

Vampires on a quest for knowledge attempt to create the perfect offspring, but from the shadows an even more demonic evil threatens their immortality. Markham is a simple Irish immigrant striving for the American dream in 1860 when coach robbers cause his untimely death. Severina is an exotic beauty from the jungles of Brazil whose family is brutally murdered by the same man she later calls lover. Julien is a knight who serves as guardian angel to his family but has no clue about his predestined fate. Will a powerful mortal named Jespa be the one to save them all?

FANTASY

BRAVE MEN RUN by Matthew Wayne Selznick

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $8.98 new)

April 18, 1985-Into a world already wound tight with the desperate
tensions of the Cold War comes Dr. William Donner with a startling
declaration: superhumans exist, they demand autonomy, and he has the
reality-bending power to enforce their status. The traditional balance
of power is thrown askew by the addition of not one super-powered
human, but six thousand. Before the Donner Declaration, high school
sophomore Nate Charters was just an outsider and self-proclaimed
freak. His unusual appearance, hair-trigger reflexes, and overactive
metabolism should have made him something special, but his differences
and low self-esteem have long since marked him as a target for the
jocks and popular kids. Now, just as his unique nature brings him the
attention of a self-assured older girl, Nate must find his place in
the world. Why is he the way he is? What really happened to his long
dead father? Why is his biggest rival suddenly interested in a private
meeting? Is he part of a remarkable, powerful new minority… or just
a misfit among misfits? Nate must discover the answers to these
questions quickly, because those in power know more about him than he
could ever imagine. And they’re closing in…

LOST GODS by Drew Beatty

Buy it here at >> Lulu << (starts at $15.50 new)

Kweku Anansi is just another member of the African diaspora, trying to
make a place for himself in his adopted home of Toronto, Canada. He
dreams of better days, of a time when he could stop running small time
cons just to make the rent. He dreams of the life he used to live,
centuries ago when he was revered as a god.

A chance encounter with a fellow con man with a dark and secretive
past of his own, plunges them both into the dark world of the lost
gods, gods who would do anything to be worshipped again. Including
destroying the world, if necessary.

How far will Anansi go to reclaim his godhood? What will he give up to
have true power again?

THE FOX by Arlene Radasky

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $20.99 new)

The Fox by Arlene Radasky is a historical romance and fantasy novel that looks at true courage and truly selfless acts. In this epic fiction that crosses centuries, Druid healers at the beginning of recorded time will be rescued from obscurity by an archeologist of the twenty-first century. Jahna’s clan lay in the path of destruction exacted by the Romans. Her fate is sealed unless a bargain is made with the Gods, which without a doubt means a human sacrifice. Two thousand years later, Aine MacRae is on their trail. A struggling archaeologist, she is on the verge of uncovering the village where they once lived. Encouraged by a ghostly visit, she will do whatever it takes to unearth time’s mystery. Greed almost triumphs leaving the truth and ancient stories buried forever, but an undying love is rekindled.

CHASING THE BARD by Philippa Ballantine

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $12.69 new)

Born into the human world with a gift; a gift that brings him to the attention of powers both dark and light from the World of the Fey, it is his burden to defend all the world. Sive, the goddess of battle, hopes that he may be able to change the fate of her people.The Fey are dying, killed by something beyond the boundaries of worlds, and Sive will do anything to save them. So she enlists the help of her trickster cousin Puck to guard the child, and watch him grow into his gift. But a dark power imprisoned by human and Fey, plots to destroy both worlds, and unmake all that they have created. Can one boy stop the destruction, even if he is William Shakespeare?

THE DAWNING OF POWER by Brian Rathbone

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $17.98)

The Dawning of Power is the debut trilogy in Brian Rathbone’s fantasy series: The World of Godsland. Echoes of the ancients power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind s deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war. In times such as these, ordinary people have the power to save the world . . . or destroy it.

THE WHITE SHADOW SAGA: THE STOLEN MOON OF LONDOR by A.P. Stephens

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $8.60)

The era of peace among the elves, men, and dwarves comes to an end when one of Londor’s twin moons disappears from the heavens. Without the moon’s balancing effect, evil forces grow bold, and warfare, sickness, and chaos threaten life itself.

Hearing the prayers of desperation that ride on the violent winds, the ancient wizard Randor Miithra, servant to the elf-gods, takes it upon himself to mend the world he has sworn to protect. The task will not be an easy one, though, for the wizard, too, has begun to feel the effects of the world’s imbalance. As Randor struggles to maintain some semblance of his powers, he meets a secretive band of colorful characters from all walks of life, drawn together by a common goal: to find the stolen moon, whatever the cost. It does not take Randor and his motley company long to see that someone or something does not want the moon returned to the heavens.

The road is perilous…the stakes have never been greater…will they find victory…or will they only find their deaths?

SCIENCE FICTION

THE VATICAN ASSASSIN TRILOGY by Mike Luoma

Buy it here at >> Lulu << (starts as low as $35.99)

This three in one omnibus edition collects all three novels in the “Vatican Assassin” Trilogy under one cover. “Vatican Assassin”, “Vatican Ambassador” and “Vatican Abdicator” are joined in this volume by an extensive appendix of previously unreleased background material. There are some early concept sketches by Mike Luoma, as well as “The History of The Future”: a timeline developed to extrapolate from today into the future setting for the story; “The Original Story Outline”; “The Story of The Project”; “The Alien Timeline” and more.

THE PIRATES OF SUFIRO by David Lee Summers

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $14.95)

The Pirates of Sufiro is the story of a planet and its people — of Ellison Firebrandt the pirate captain living in exile; of Espedie Raton, the con-man looking to make a fresh start for himself and his wife on a new world; of Peter Stone, the ruthless bank executive who discovers a fortune and will do anything to keep it; and of the lawman, Edmund Ray Swan who travels to Sufiro seeking the quiet life but finds a dark secret. It is the story of privateers, farmers, miners, entrepreneurs, and soldiers — all caught up in dramatic events and violent conflicts that will shape the destiny of our galaxy.

CRIME DRAMA

JACK WAKES UP by Seth Harwood

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $7.68)

In JACK WAKES UP, we are introduced to Jack Palms, a movie star turned drug addict, turned has-been who has been living off of the residual checks from Shake ‘Em Down, his one–and-only action movie. The money is drying up though, and this new clean, uneventful life is starting to become too much for Jack to bear. So when an old friend comes calling and asks Jack to use his former celebrity to show some out-of-town high rollers around San Francisco’s club scene, he’s happy to oblige. What Jack doesn’t know, however, is these “guests” are a pack of former KGB agents turned coke dealers out to make a big deal with Jack as their tour guide. Soon people are turning up dead, and Jack’s got too many gunmen after him to count—including a South American drug cartel, a mountain-sized Samoan enforcer, and a mobbed-up strip club owner with an army of thugs. That’s not to mention a gorgeous new girlfriend who may be planning on shooting him in the back and the homicide cop who’s just given Jack twenty-four hours to bring down the Bay Area’s biggest drug dealer.

But the thing that scares Jack the most? He’s starting to have fun.

FICTION

CITY OF MASKS by Mike Reeves-McMillan

Buy it here at >> Lulu << (starts as low as $9.97)

In the city-state of Bonvidaeo, by custom and law everyone must wear a mask and act in character with it, or face civil, social and religious penalties. Gregorius Bass is sent to Bonvidaeo as the Envoy of Calaria (primarily to get him out from underfoot). Masked as the Innocent Man, and in the company of his radical young Bonvidaoan servant, Bass stumbles into mystery, intrigue, heresy and murder.

TECHNO THRILLER

7TH SON: DESCENT by J.C. Hutchins

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $9.21)

As America reels from the bizarre presidential assassination committed by a child, seven men are abducted from their normal lives and delivered to a secret government facility. Each man has his own career, his own specialty. All are identical in appearance. The seven strangers were not born, but grown — unwitting human clones — as part of a project called 7th Son.

The government now wants something from these “John Michael Smiths.” They share the flesh as well as the implanted memories of the psychopath responsible for the president’s murder. The killer has bigger plans, and only these seven have the unique qualifications to track and stop him. But when their progenitor makes the battle personal, it becomes clear John Alpha may know the seven better than they know themselves…

SPECULATIVE FICTION

DREAMING OF DELIVERANCE by R.E. Chambliss

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $19.99)

Five years ago when Lindsay Paulson, a naive college student and talented distance runner, was 18, she was convicted of drug smuggling. Now, halfway through a 10-year prison sentence, she begins having what seem to be dreams, in which she leaves her cell in the night and visits another reality called Trae. Dreaming of Deliverance tells of Lindsay’s experiences both in Trae, where she finds herself among people enslaved by terrifying creatures, and in prison where she tries to make sense of what’s happening in her sleep: Is she actually escaping from prison somehow or is she losing her mind?

FANTASY FICTION HISTORICAL

THE MARK OF A DRUID by Rhonda R. Carpenter

Buy it here at >> Amazon << (starts as low as $16.55 new)

Have you ever had a dream so real that when you awoke, it didn’t leave the recesses of your mind for days? Eve McCormick just did, and this experience will change her life and the lives of those around her permanently. A twenty-six year old hypnotherapist who oversees a research project based on discovering the answer to an age-old question, “Is reincarnation fact or fiction?” must learn to trust a Welsh stranger. An ancient Celtic prophecy and long sought-after revenge entangles the past with the present in the struggle for existence that threatens to destroy her project. A druidess and a shape-shifter must join as one to save the Druid way of life, while a Queen conspires to kill Erin’s only High King. Will the oaths and agendas of the past reach across the centuries to strengthen or destroy?