Luke King-- Koening's World

Luke King writes for children and young adults. He lives on the east coast of Australia. To support his writing, he has worked as a delivery driver, a storeperson, a taxi driver, a sales assistant, and retail manager. Some of his favourite authors are John Wyndam, Jeffrey Eugenides, William Golding and Sonya Hartnett.
 
Koenig's World is about a boy who is left alone on a forbidden planet after his father's ship crash-lands. His father and sister die in the crash, and Jacob is left alone with Marron, a synthetic human.

The two attempt to survive, but there is something strange about Koenig's World. The company has demarcated the planet (it is off-limits), and Jacob begins to feel that he is being watched, and that the planet is somehow responding to his wishes.

They set up a camp near a stretch of forest, but soon learn that there is a dangerous predator in the forest -- a krecknel: a reptilian humanoid creature that can only move in the darkness.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book? Readers of science fiction will appreciate the unusual plot, the strange atmosphere of Koenig's World and the relationship between the synthetic and Jacob.

Q: Why did you go indie? I wanted to maintain control over what I write and where I choose to publish it.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre? My favorite science fiction authors are Robert Silverberg, John Christopher and John Wyndam.

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Koenigs-World-ebook/dp/B004DCB6EK/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291262842&sr=1-8

Link to Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/30848?ref=scottnicholson

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Joseph Robert Lewis-- Heirs of Mars

Joseph Robert Lewis (1979 - Right Now) began writing novels after a decade of writing and publishing about military theory and history, science and technology, politics and economics, and the real-life stories of soldiers, adventurers, and entrepreneurs.

HEIRS OF MARS: The dream that was Mars has become a nightmare for the children born there.To save New Troy from falling birth rates, Asher Radescu secretly clones people in the back of his old truck. To save New Troy from despair, Claudia Cruz hosts the most popular racing show on two worlds. And to save the city from destruction, they’ll rally persecuted cloners, resurrected colonists, and racing celebrities to fight homicidal AIs.

HEIRS OF MARS follows the lives of six men and women through the final days of the first war on Mars, a war between humans, machines, and the resurrected souls who aren’t truly one or the other. But even if they survive the war, there is no escape from the red planet.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

HEIRS OF MARS is a blend of two books. It's an action/adventure story that takes a close look at several hard science fiction concepts like cloning, artificial intelligence, global surveillance, and the harsh realities of colonizing another world. But it's also a group of very personal stories about broken families and surviving tragedies. It's about losing loved ones, mortality, racism, classism, sexism, and the definition of family. It may be technical, but it is also intensely human.

Q: Why did you go indie?

I played the industry game for several years with earlier novels before I soured on the system. I did get good feedback from agents, including requests for partial and full manuscripts, but ultimately made no progress. It seemed too arbitrary, too unstable, and far too slow. So with this new novel, I decided to publish directly.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
In science fiction today, Charles Stross. In fantasy, George RR Martin.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049H94G6/
Website: http://josephrobertlewis.wordpress.com/books/heirs-of-mars/
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Kae Cheatham--Child of the Mist

Author of twelve titles, Kae has been an indy author since 2001. Her first traditionally-published book Spotted Flower and the Ponokomita (1978) is also her first indy published book (revised edition in 2001); a 2nd printing of this revised edition will be out ion December 2010. Kae is also a freelance editor and book facilitator, working with authors to maximize their writing potential. She gives presentations and workshops in writing and history throughout her region. She lives in Montana.

Child of the Mist: A Gem of the Galaxy tale

Juilan Pranss is just a lowly government employee on a space-faring planet. Or is she? Juilan suddenly isn’t sure after she’s spirited from a spaceliner, kidnapped and continually under threat on a distant planet she knows little about. During this time, she keeps having visions and begins to believe she’s possessed.

Handsome benefactor Rodrig Ferstan is certain Juilan is the answer to all the galaxy’s problems. But his ideas seem dangerous. Juilan flees him, and comes under the tutelage of Trenner Curembac, a moody, driven outcast.

With doubt and danger at every turn, Juilan learns incredible truths about her background and the world into which she has been forced. Once she accepts the astounding realities, she must still evade her psychotic half-brother and handle the century-old Evincor—the indomitable gemstone that is the very basis of the culture—in a ceremony that could cause her death.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
Readers will appreciate the strong characters. My stories always develop from this. Also, this unique world is an interesting place. I’ve written historical fiction and truly enjoyed world-building for this book and its sister, Daughter of the Stone. People who like a series will like that the Gem of the Galaxy titles are stand alone.
Q: Why did you go indie?
Going indie was a function of getting burned out with the traditional route. I’ve had traditional New York publishers, small press regional publishers, online publishers, and it seemed something was never quite right. I decided if blunders were made, I’d take the blame and stop whining about the mistakes of someone else. It’s been refreshing to have control over my work.
Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
In Speculative fiction, I was inspired by Octavia Butler, who was a master at depicting the new and ultra-different. I enjoy reading David Brin’s books. He is deft at blending hard science with interesting characters. I’m just now getting introduced to Mary Buckner’s work. Fascinating!