Hello lovely people!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and New Year’s celebration.

The release of THE CAGE OF DARK HOURS, the second book in The Five Penalties series, is approaching fast! It comes out February 14^th–Valentines Day–and is the perfect book to share with another dark fantasy fan in your life.

To celebrate the release, the audiobook for THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT is the featured deal on chirp books–you can get it for 3.99! https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/the-helm-of-midnight-by-marina-lostetter

In addition, here’s a sneak peek of THE CAGE OF DARK HOURS audiobook: https://soundcloud.com/macaudio-2/the-cage-of-dark-hours-by-marina-lostetter

Saturday, February 18^th I’ll be at the Barnes & Noble in Rogers, AR, signing books from Noon to 4pm. This will be your first chance to get signed copies of THE CAGE OF DARK HOURS! I hope to see you all there.

If you can’t make it to a signing, however, here’s a reminder that you can get free signed bookplates from me upon request. Just sent me your mailing info via the contact form.

Happy reading!

~Marina

Patreon

I’ve recently started a Patreon, where I’ll be sharing excerpts of upcoming work, reprints, writing advice, and exclusive new fiction! There will be public posts as well as tier-based subscription posts, so feel free to give my profile a free follow or upgrade to any one of the following teirs:

Ground Control: General support tier. Here to keep me down to Earth. You get excerpts from upcoming novels and my general updates, which will include adorable pictures of my cats and dog.

Space Cadet: You’ve left orbit and would now like some new discoveries, please. This tier gives you access to everything in the Ground Control tier, plus access to my posts on the craft of writing!

Astro Goblin: Now we’re getting somewhere. Out of orbit and amidst the stars are the Astro Goblins, on the lookout for a new read. This gives you access to everything available in Ground Control and Space Cadet, as well as reprints and new Patreon-exclusive story content, both stand alone short stories and serialized longer works. Expect the unexpected.

Great Galactic Dragon: The Great Galactic Dragons rule the stars, and my heart. You get everything in the three other tiers, as well a personalized hard copy of one of my books sent to you (signed and doodled in, with an inscription) once a year, for as long as you are a member of the tier (ie. 12 moths of membership = 1 personalized book). In addition, you’ll get your name in the acknowledgements of one of my upcoming books.

There are only 10 Great Galactic Dragon subscriptions available, and they’re already going fast, so make sure to slide in there asap if you’re after that personalized yearly book.

Hope to see you all over there at https://www.patreon.com/lostetter. Happy reading!

~Marina

Cover Reveal for THE CAGE OF DARK HOURS

The Cage of Dark Hours is the second novel in a new trilogy from acclaimed author Marina Lostetter, where the defeat of a serial killer back from the dead has pulled the mask off the myths and magics of a fantastical city.

Krona and her Regulators survived their encounter with Charbon, the long-dead serial killer who returned to their city, but the illusions of their world were shattered forever.

Allied with the healer Melanie they will battle the elite who have ruled their world with deception, cold steel, and tight control of the magic that could threaten their power, while also confronting beasts from beyond the foggy barrier that binds their world.

Now they must follow every thread to uncover the truth behind the Thalo, once thought of as only a children’s tale, who are the quiet, creeping puppet masters of their world.

Cover image by Reiko Murakami

Available for preorder at Indiebound, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold! Happy reading!

~Marina

Cover Reveal for ACTIVATION DEGRADATION

The Murderbot Diaries makes first contact in this new, futuristic, standalone novel exploring sentience and artificial intelligence through the lenses of conflicted robot hero Unit Four, from Marina Lostetter, critically acclaimed author of Noumenon, Noumenon Infinity, and Noumenon Ultra.

When Unit Four—a biological soft robot built and stored high above the Jovian atmosphere—is activated for the first time, it’s in crisis mode. Aliens are attacking the Helium-3 mine it was created to oversee, and now its sole purpose is to defend Earth’s largest energy resource from the invaders in ship-to-ship combat.

But something’s wrong. Unit Four doesn’t feel quite right.

There are files in its databanks it can’t account for, unusual chemical combinations roaring through its pipes, and the primers it possesses on the aliens are suspiciously sparse. The robot is under orders to seek and destroy. That’s all it knows.

According to its handler, that’s all it needs to know.

Determined to fulfill its directives, Unit Four launches its ship and goes on the attack, but it has no idea it’s about to get caught in a downward spiral of misinformation, reprograming, and interstellar conflict.

Most robots are simple tools. Unit Four is well on its way to becoming something more…

Cover design by Owen Corrigan
Cover illustration by Adam M. Milicevic

That’s right, I don’t have one novel coming out this year, but two! After The Helm of Midnight in April, you have Activation Degradation to look forward to on September 28th. Activation Degradation is a stand alone sci-fi novel full of twists and turns, and is available for pre-order.

Amazon Barnes & Noble Indie Bound Harper Voyager

For more on the cover, visit the Harper Voyager blog.

Happy reading!

~Marina

Cover Reveal for THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT

A legendary serial killer stalks the streets of a fantastical city in The Helm of Midnight, the stunning first novel in a new trilogy from acclaimed author Marina Lostetter.

In a daring and deadly heist, thieves have made away with an artifact of terrible power – the death mask of Louis Charbon. Made by a master craftsman, it is imbued with the spirit of a monster from history, a serial murderer who terrorized the city, leaving a trail of gruesome corpses.

Now Charbon is loose once more, killing from beyond the grave. But these murders are different from before, not simply random but the work of a deliberate mind probing for answers to a sinister question.

It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake.

THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT is the first in the Five Penalties trilogy. Book drops April 13th 2021, and is available for pre-order now! (Click for links to Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound, and direct from MacMillan.)

Happy reading!

~Marina

Reddit AMA today! (Plus a YouTube surprise!)

Hello all! Hope your summer is going well and that you’re staying safe!

Today is the North American release day for NOUMENON ULTRA! It’s the third installment in the trilogy, and takes ICC and the convoy members on a new far-reaching adventure.

To celebrate, I’ll be doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) over on Reddit starting at 12pm EST.  I’ll edit this post with the link as soon as it’s live!  Come ask me about books, SFF, games, hobbies–whatever! Username: MarinaJLostetter

ETA: Click here to go to the AMA!

I’ve also started a YouTube channel.  Since I’m not able to go out and do readings in person right now, I thought I’d bring the readings to you–including a reading of Noumenon Ultra!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!

~Marina

Cover Reveal for Noumenon Ultra!

Hello all!  Pre-order links for Noumenon Ultra–the final installment in the Noumenon trilogy–are now live!

Noumenon Ultra takes us far beyond the origins of Convoy Seven and Convoy Twelve to examine the evolution of human civilization and answer a question billions of years in the making: What are the ancient megastructures actually for?

Who designed them?

Why?

Deep in the heart of an alien mountain range, I.C.C. has lain dormant, its ships silent, for eons. Now, after one hundred thousand years, the AI is awakening. And someone is roaming the convoy’s halls–someone that isn’t human.

Come on one last ride with I.C.C., the Lùhng, and our wayward twenty-second century humans as they uncover an epic secret none of them could have anticipated.

Available for preorder now from places like Indiebound, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Available everywhere August 18th, 2020.

 

Ozark Bookcon Today!

The Ozark Book Con is this Saturday, November 9th, all day at the Holiday Inn on 1500 S. 48th Street in Springdale, AR.  It’s a one-day-only event, but it is jampacked with gaming, a dealers room, and panels on all kinds of writing-related topics.  Below is my schedule.

Admission is $20, but children 12 and under get in free, so bring the whole family!  If you’d like to grab a ticket early, you can register here.

Where to find me at the event:

10:00am, Join me in the Reading Room. Book giveaway to follow!

11:00am, Writing a Series, Panel Room 2
“Writing one book is hard enough. Writing three or four or more? Even harder. Learn from published authors the difficulties and triumphs in writing an overarching story that spans multiple books.”

12:00pm, Story Planning, Panel Room 2
“Whether you write by the seat of your pants, are a meticulous outliner, or something in between, come listen to our authors discuss story planning methods, tips and tricks, and more!”

2:00pm, Creating New Worlds, Panel Room 2
“From secret schools to star systems, fiction explores countless landscapes, cultures, worlds, and beliefs. Listen to published authors discuss how they create fictional (or not so fictional) worlds and how you might create yours.”

4:00pm, Perfecting Your Pitch, Panel Room 2
“How do you summarize a 100,000 word book into one sentence? Having a killer pitch can put you ahead of the game. Listen to our panel of authors discuss what works, what doesn’t, and how to make your pitch better than ever.”

5:00pm, Writing Short Fiction, Panel Room 2
“Can you write a story in 10,000 words or less? Join our panel of authors as we discuss short stories!”

If you’d like to see the full program with panel participants listed, click here.

Hope to see you soon!

-Marina

Dublin WorldCon Schedule

 

Hello all!

In just a few short weeks I will be at the 2019 WorldCon in Dublin, Ireland.  My schedule is short, but sweet!

Autographs

15 Aug 2019, Thursday 14:00 – 14:50, Level 4 Foyer (CCD)

I’ll be autographing books and other swag!

Invented mythologies in SF

Format: Panel

18 Aug 2019, Sunday 19:00 – 19:50, Wicklow Hall 2B (CCD)

Whether it’s creation myths for sentient AIs or a pantheon of alien gods, invented mythologies can add depth and weight to SF storytelling. How have myths from our own past informed the creation of fictitious mythologies in SF? Where do you start when inventing mythology? What makes a mythos convincing, and how do you subtly weave your mythology into the narrative?

Fellow panelists include Fonda Lee (Author of the Green Bone Saga) and Adrian Tchaikovsky (Author of Children of Time and Children of Ruin)!

Reading: Marina J. Lostetter

Format: Reading

19 Aug 2019, Monday 11:00 – 11:20, Wicklow Room-5 (Workshops) (CCD)

I will be giving a reading on, yes, Monday morning. I know it’s a tough time slot, but I want to make it worth your while to attend!  I’ll be giving away books and reading from either Noumenon Ultra (the third book in the Noumenon series) or from the first book in my brand fantasy trilogy from Tor Books (previously titled The Masks of Arkensyre).  Audience’s choice!  Both will be brand-new, never before read!

 

If you’d like more information about this WorldCon, please visit https://dublin2019.com/ for times, attendances, memberships, and events.

After WorldCon I’ll be roaming Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the UK for several weeks.  I don’t have any formal signings planned, but if there’s a bookshop you think I should visit and sign stock, let me know in the comments and I’ll try to get there during my travels.

Hope to see you soon!  Happy reading!

~Marina

Reddit AMA Today!

Hello all!

At 12:00pm EST, I’ll be on the subreddit r/books ready to answer your questions about my novels, my hobbies, whatever you’d like to ask about.  If you know you’d like to ask something, but aren’t sure where to start, might I suggest:

 

My cats, my plants, or my writing habits.  For additional suggestions, see this thread on Twitter.

At noon, please follow this link to r/books, and ask away!  Looking forward to your questions!

Happy reading.

~Marina