The place: The war-torn, ecologically devastated Earth.
The objective:Survive.
Sixteen-year-old Drusilla Zhao has done the impossible and escaped the meat grinder of space warfare alive. But Earth is far more dangerous than she imagined, and now she and her only remaining comrade, Jillian, are about to be rotated right back into the firing line and away from Dru’s love, Sarah.
Shattered Sky by David Colby continues the Lunar Cycle sci-fi trilogy that began with Debris Dreams. Publishers Weekly says Debris Dreams is “appealingly reminiscent of an updated Heinlein juvenile, it’s a story of wartime bravery, principles and self-sacrifice.”
Advance review copies of Shattered Sky are now available. If you’re interested in reviewing Debris Dreams, Shattered Sky, or both, please use the form below to let us know.
Show your support for writers, and help bring a book into the world.
For a limited time, we’re running a special tote bag sale hosted at Custom Ink featuring a hand-lettered design by Keiko O’Leary. From Nov 2 through Nov 17, you can order canvas tote bags featuring the message You have a story to tell.
Keiko O’Leary is one of the founders of Thinking Ink Press, where she writes, edits, and designs our limited edition hand-folded books and flash fiction postcards. Keiko leads the Write to the End writing group and teaches writing workshops, including a free poetry series at the Sunnyvale Library. If you’re in the South Bay, you may run into her at literary events like Flash Fiction Forum, literary pub crawls, or demonstrating how to create hand-folded art books.
Where does the money go?
Proceeds from this sale will be used to publish and promote a short book of essays by Keiko. The book focuses on encouragement and insights for writers, and it will be published in 2019. Any additional proceeds will fund Keiko’s Thinking Ink Press publishing wish list.
Want to hear a story about the Superspy with the Clockwork Eye? Twinstar Studios just released the audio story “Wild Card” by Dover Whitecliff, first published in our steampunk charity anthology Thirty Days Later: Steaming Forward, 30 Adventures in Time.
Congratulations to Dover Whitecliff! We’d also like to give a shout out to Emily Riley Piatt from the cast of Sage & Savant, who did a wonderful job reading this story.
Dover’s stories appear in all three of our charity steampunk anthologies: Twelve Hours Later, Thirty Days Later, and Some Time Later. A portion of the proceeds from these anthologies benefits public libraries.
If you’d like to get to know Dover a bit better, click the image below to check out her interview at Sage & Savant, or visit her website at DoverWhitecliff.wordpress.com.
Some time ago, during a Thinking Ink Press discussion about our small books, Anthony Francis floated the idea of publishing one or more classic short stories.
Bottle Imp art by Harvey Chin
Many of these stories entered the public domain because they were published before 1923 and their copyrights expired. Not everything that was published before 1923 is in the public domain. Some works have had their copyrights renewed, so it’s important to check, rather than making assumptions. Anthony looked into some classic sci-fi and fantasy stories he likes, but their copyrights were tied up.
In the meantime, Betsy Miller remembered a story that she had read and liked when she was growing up—“The Bottle Imp” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Set in Hawaii and San Francisco, this is a story with a cursed bottle that grants wishes but can send you to Hell. Not to mention, the story includes true love and leprosy—what more could you want?
Robert Louis Stevenson, by Artist unknown, via Wikimedia Commons
In case you sort of remember Stevenson and are not sure exactly why, he wrote The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, Treasure Island, and many, many more books and stories. “The Bottle Imp” was published in the book Island Nights’ Entertainments in 1893. We decided to look into publishing a small print edition.
The project took off when Betsy and Maria Judnick were chatting at Peet’s coffee shop in Cupertino. Maria is an English Professor at Santa Clara University, and when she heard about Betsy’s interest in publishing “The Bottle Imp,” she stepped forward with an offer to work with a group of college students to annotate the story and to provide historical context.
Maria Judnick <3 RLS
It turns out that Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the authors that her students study, so this was a perfect combination of publishing and academics. And that is why you should hang out with your friends at coffee shops from time to time.
So, the annotated edition is in the works now and we’re looking at publishing it in 2018. We might even have a party to celebrate. Because you should also party with your friends from time to time. We’ll keep you posted.
We’re happy to announce that our latest charity steampunk anthology Some Time Later: Fantastic Voyages Through Alternate Worlds is available for preorder at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online booksellers. The release date is June 1, 2017. Some Time Later will also be available for sale at the steampunk anthology Clockwork Alchemy on Memorial Day weekend.
If you’re coming to Clockwork Alchemy, stop by Author’s Alley and you can meet many of the authors who participated in this anthology. All the books in the Later series will be on hand, as well as other Thinking Ink titles, and we’ll also have con ribbons and other extras!
Some Time Later is the third volume in our set of charity steampunk anthologies that benefit local libraries such as the San Jose Public Library:
For Clockwork Alchemy this weekend, Thinking Ink Press is organizing a charity donation drive for the San Jose Public Library, and we have donors who will match that donation up to the first $1000.
Stay tuned for the outcome of this drive, but if you want to dive right in to the stories, you can read them now by coming by Clockwork Alchemy and picking up, or looking where fine books are sold!
We’re excited to announce that this April, Thinking Ink Press is the featured sponsor of Episode 11 of the continuing Steampunk podcast and blog of Dr. Petronella Sage and her friend Professor Erasmus Savant. Join us as we venture back to the Victorian Science-fiction world of Sage & Savant as they travel through space and time!
A new story, “Three Men and a Vampire” by Harry Turtledove, from our forthcoming charity steampunk anthology Some Time Later, Fantastic Voyages Through Alternate Worlds, available at the steampunk convention Clockwork Alchemy 2017.
“The Honorable Eddy” by Kirsten Weiss from our charity steampunk anthology Thirty Days Later. Kirsten Weiss writes genre-blending cozy mystery, urban fantasy, and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create a vivid world of magic and mayhem.
Starting in April, on the Savant & Sage website, you’ll also find interviews with Anthony Francis, Kirsten Weiss, Sharon E. Cathcart, not to mention steampunk anthology editors AJ Sikes, BJ Sikes, and Dover Whitecliff.
Please stop in for a visit at the Sage & Savant website and join us for fun and fabulous adventures. If you’re at Clockwork Alchemy 2017, look for Thinking Ink Press authors and editors!
We are excited to announce our next charity steampunk anthology, Some Time Later: Fantastic Voyages in Alternate Worlds, available soon through booksellers in print and ebook editions and at Clockwork Alchemy 2017.
Back by popular demand, Thinking Ink Press is republishing the out-of-print steampunk charity anthology Twelve Hours Later: 24 Tales of Myth and Mystery. The brainchild of the Treehouse Writers, fifteen talented authors, artists, and poets, Twelve Hours Later was released at Clockwork Alchemy 2015 and features pairs of stories set within the same day.
Myth! Mystery! Intrigue! Dirigibles!
Support public libraries and explore the world of steampunk fiction. Twelve Hours Later, 24 Tales of Myth and Mystery will thrill you with round-the-world and round-the-clock adventure, weaving lore from ancient Egypt, Greece, Japan, and more into a steampunk tapestry!
A devoted nursemaid braves mythical Japanese spirits to save a child’s life
Daredevil adventurers tangle with a Chinese demon called the Lord of Death
A lady archaeologist battles thieves for possession of Egyptian hieroglyphs
Linked pairs of stories, set 12 hours apart, fill a 24-hour day with a whirlwind of steam, legends, spycraft, and the occasional forest demon!
Half the proceeds of the anthology will be donated to nonprofit organizations that support literacy, including the San Jose Library System. As you indulge your literary senses, you’re also helping to promote literacy!
Twelve Hours Later will be released on Friday, March 24th, and is available for preorder on Amazon. So get a copy and find out what happens … Twelve Hours Later!
The year: 2068
