The Cometeers by Steven R. Southard

NEW RELEASE SEPTEMBER 1, 2014!

The Cometeers by Steven R. Southard

#gypsyshadow #steampunk #armageddon

http://www.amazon.com/Cometeers-What-Hath-Wrought-Book-ebook/dp/B00N7YH0AO

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cometeers-steven-r-southard/1120256981

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/472376

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#Cometeers

A comet threatens Earth . . . in 1897. Of the six men launched by cannon to deflect it, one is a saboteur. It’s steampunk Armageddon! The Cometeers by Steven R. Southard. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#Cometeers

 huge comet speeds toward a devastating collision with the Earth, but no one will launch space shuttles filled with nuclear weapons. It’s 1897. Instead, they’ll fire projectiles from the Jules Verne cannon and try to deflect the comet with a gunpowder explosion. Commander Hanno Knighthead isn’t sure he can motivate his argumentative, multinational crew of geniuses to work together. It turns out one of them is a saboteur. Then things get worse. Only a truly extraordinary leader could get this group to cooperate, thwart the saboteur, and jury-rig a way to divert the comet. Lucky thing Hanno brought his chewing gum.

Word Count: 10500
Pages to Print: 37
Price: $ 3.99 

EXCERPT:
This crew couldn’t figure out how to shoot a pop-gun, much less save the world, Commander Hanno Knighthead thought. As he chewed a stick of gum, Hanno wondered how he was supposed to lead such a mismatched and argumentative group, but knew if he didn’t, thousands of people would die when Comet Göker struck on September 9, 1897, just eight days hence. Just now, more bickering had broken out.

“No,” Sutton Woolsthorpe said with a snarl, “my preliminary calculations show we should fire cannon number three in five minutes, but I require time to refine the analysis.” He went back to turning gears on his portable Babbage Machine with pudgy fingers.

“There’s no time for calculating.” Gotzon Voegler’s rich German accent emphasized each consonant. “You must trust my judgment and fire the number three now.”

“Based on what?” Woolsthorpe asked, “The ramblings of a witch from a Grimm’s fairy tale?”

“No. Based on rules of thumb formed from decades of explosives experience.” Voegler held up a thumb. Prosthetic fingers made up the remainder of his right hand.

“A rule of thumb?” Woolsthorpe laughed. “But all your other fingers were blown off in an explosion.”

When Hanno saw Voegler cocking his other fist for a blow, he said, “That’s enough, gentlemen. Voegler, I’m siding with Woolsthorpe’s recommendation this time. Prepare to fire number three on his mark.”

Voegler grumbled, but then spoke aloud to Woolsthorpe. “One day you won’t have time for your calculating machine. On that day, you’ll have to trust my thumb.”

Hanno and his crew travelled within two identical, bullet-shaped vehicles, each quite cramped, being only twelve feet long and nine feet at the widest diameter. Once in space, they’d attached a short connecting tube to join the two projectiles together, allowing three men to sleep in each one. Hanno realized he’d soon have to rearrange the berthing arrangements to lessen the chance of brawling.

“What’s this?” asked Konstantin Golubev, pointing at some wires leading from a switch. “Someone tampered with my electrical system!” He glared at Hiroto Takahashi as he spoke.

Hanno had known a multi-national crew of experts would be a mistake for this mission, and had argued against it, but had been overruled.

Takahashi wore a mechanical, prosthetic right arm, and now used its screwdriver attachment to fasten his Buddha shrine in place near his bunk. “Not tamper, improve.”

“How dare you do that!” Golubev shouted, his voice reverberating in the enclosure. “I designed the system myself using minimal wire exposure for safety. I’ll also remind you it was Russians who invented our air purifier, our plumbing system, our—”

“I improved your design,” Takahashi shrugged, “by adding more switches to safely cut out sections in case of fire.”

“But just look at this loose wiring! I’ll have to re-route it all.”

“Leave the system alone for now,” Hanno told Golubev. “And Takahashi, no more improvements to the system without checking with Golubev first.” He hadn’t figured on treating geniuses like children, but that’s how they behaved.

The two manned projectiles travelled through space, linked to seventeen others of the same size, but those seventeen contained only gunpowder. After each projectile had been launched from the ground-based cannon, the crew had joined them together in orbit, linking the manned ones with an access tube, and the seventeen others with ropes. They’d installed small cannons on the exterior of the projectile cluster, and Hanno hoped the cannon they were about to fire would put them on a close path around the moon, increasing their speed and flinging them out toward their real target, where they could accomplish their mission, God willing. If they didn’t kill each other first.

“Upstart Japanese,” Golubev said, shaking his head at the wiring.

“Arrogant Russian,” Takahashi said to his Buddha statue.

“Reckless German.” Woolsthorpe watched the bulkhead chronometer.

Voegler rolled his eyes. “Haughty Englishman.”

And it never takes long for nationalism to emerge, Hanno thought, like the squalls that had often spoiled the fair weather days of his seagoing career. Only months before, Hanno had been serving as captain of a U.S. Navy torpedo boat. When in port, he’d followed with increasing interest the news of Comet Göker, named for its Ottoman discoverer. Astronomers had at first claimed this body would put on a spectacular show, visible even by the naked eye. Concern had become worry when orbital calculations showed it would pass quite near the Earth. This had given way to alarm when later observations confirmed a collision to be inevitable. Scientists could not say where it would strike. Most likely it would impact at sea, causing no harm, but it could strike a city instead. Experts had been clear about the date, however, and the comet would keep its unsought appointment on September 9th.

“Mark,” Woolsthorpe said, “Fire cannon number three.”

“Firing cannon three,” Voegler said as he moved the handle of the electrical switch.

Hanno heard a muffled report, and the walls of their vehicle shook.

Woolsthorpe brought out his handheld telescope and peered out a window, “I daresay that nudge should be enough.”

To Be First/Wheels of Heaven by Steven R. Southard

NEW RELEASE JULY 1, 2014

To Be First/Wheels of Heaven by Steven R. Southard

#gypsyshadow #alternatehistory #fantasy

http://www.amazon.com/First-Wheels-Heaven-What-Wrought-ebook/dp/B00LFW9V4S

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-be-first-and-wheels-of-heaven-steven-r-southard/1119886258

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/453881

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#ToBeFirst

Twin tales of legend and fact—Ottoman space voyagers from an alternate universe, and the truth about an ancient Greek cosmic prediction machine. To Be First/Wheels of Heaven by Steven R. Southard. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#ToBeFirst

                       

Two intriguing historical tales packaged together! “To Be First” follows two space voyagers from an alternate universe as they return from the moon, in 1933. In their timeline, manned rocketry began in the Ottoman Empire, which advanced and spread. When these Ottoman lunanauts end up orbiting our comparatively backward world, they have a choice to make, one that will forever change their future and ours. In “Wheels of Heaven,” an arrogant Roman astrologer finds a geared Grecian machine for predicting the positions of celestial bodies. On the voyage back to Rome, he meets a sailor who dismisses astrology, an astonishing notion in 86 B.C. But when the sailor's prediction is right, and every one of the astrologer's is wrong, he must question his most basic beliefs.

Word Count: 10350

Pages to Print: 37

Price: $3.99

EXCERPT:

Wheels of Heaven

Athens, 86 B.C.

The star-signs decreed it an ordinary day for routine matters, but when Drusus Praesentius Viator saw the box, he knew his world had changed.

“What is this device?” General Lucius Cornelius Sulla stood nearby with arms crossed. “Something related to your craft?” After conquering Athens, the General and his officers were inspecting the art and treasures of the Greek city-state, selecting items to send to Rome.

Viator, the General’s personal Astrologer, turned his gaze back to the box with his good right eye. A patch covered the left one.

The small wooden box sat on a waist-high pedestal, looking dull and ugly among the museum’s bronze statues, marble sculptures, and ceramic urns. Looking around at the Grecian artwork, Viator wondered how some of the museum’s delicate pieces would remain undamaged after being lifted onto carts, pulled by draft animals over rutted roads, and unloaded at Rome.

“Well?” Sulla asked. “I can’t spend a whole day on this matter.” The port wine stain birthmark on his face made him look angry even when he wasn’t, and he rarely wasn’t.

“I’ve heard of such machines, my liege, but never seen one,” said Viator, and never imagined they could be this small. The box stood no taller than the length of a man’s forearm, about as wide as a man’s hand was long, and one hand-width deep. A large metal dial with a projecting handle adorned the front face. Two similar dials dominated the back side, one above the other. Grecian inscriptions covered all sides of the wooden box and all three dials. No doubt the General saw the star and zodiac symbols and sent for me.

The machine’s dials showed a date in the Grecian Calendar, which Viator converted to the Roman equivalent, the Nones of Quintilis. He touched the handle and found it turned with ease. When he did so, concentric outer wheels turned as well, as did dials on the back of the box. “I think it is a device for showing the positions of stars, sun, and moon for any date.”

“Would it be of any use to you?” asked the General in an impatient tone.

“Yes,” Viator said. He didn’t want to sound too eager, but feared Sulla was losing interest and would turn to other matters. He gazed at the box with increased admiration for Greek mechanical skill. If this machine was accurate, it would save countless hours of computation time. “I believe it is worth further study.”

“Fine.” The General walked away and spoke to one of his men. “Have the box loaded aboard ship with the artwork and other treasures. The Astrologer will sail with the machine to Rome.”

Viator decided he would test the mechanism, see if it truly indicated celestial positions, and then—

Sail? Aboard . . . ship? Viator looked up at the receding General and his officers. “Wait! General! My liege!”

****

Viator’s heart sank when he arrived at the Piraeus quay, just southwest of Athens, and saw the tiny ship he would ride. Even just thinking how such a craft would roll in the waves brought on a pang of nausea.

He’d been given no chance to avoid this trip. General Sulla had ignored his pleas and his caution that the General should not march with his army all the way to Rome without the services of his astrologer. Years before, Viator had ridden a warship and well recalled getting seasick, but telling the General even this failed to reverse the decision.

He boarded, along with one of Sulla’s officers, the Decurion known as Metunus. Metunus supervised the loading of cargo, including Grecian artwork and the celestial prediction machine, into a hold beneath the main deck.

From Viator’s limited experience with vessels, this one looked odd. In contrast to the warship he’d once had the misfortune of riding, this ship held no oarsmen. Only sails moved her along. Even odder, a huge, wooden replica of the graceful neck and head of a swan jutted upward from the stern deck. Twice the height of a man, this white-painted swan gazed aft at the ship’s wake.

“Welcome aboard the Prospectus,” said an old man who came up to him. “You must be the Astrologer they told me about. I’m the ship’s captain.” Except for his pinched and wizened face, he could have been Neptune himself, complete with flowing, gray hair.

GSP's Book of the Day November 24

The Wind-Sphere Ship by Steven R. Southard

#gypsyshadow #historicalfiction #fantasy

Heron of Alexandria, in the 1st Century A.D., invented a primitive steam engine he called an aeolipile, or “wind-sphere.” Persuaded by his friend Praxiteles, he used this engine to propel a ship. If his steam-ship could beat a man-rowed galley in a race, could Heron bring about the Industrial Revolution 1700 years early? The action never ebbs in this tale of friendship, technological vision, and one of history’s missed opportunities. Let the race begin!

Word Count: 6000

Pages to Print: 25

Price: $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/Wind-Sphere-Ship-Wrought-Series-ebook/dp/B00440DPBS
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wind-sphere-ship-steven-r-southard/1103096280
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/22424
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#Wind

If his steam-ship could beat a man-rowed galley in a race, could Heron of Alexandria bring about the Industrial Revolution 1700 years early? The Wind-Sphere Ship, a short story by Steven R. Southard. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#Wind

GSP's Book of the Day November 16

The Six Hundred Dollar Man by Steven R. Southard

 #gypsyshadow #fantasy #steampunk

Sonny Houston, cowpoke. A man barely alive. “I can rebuild him, make him the first steam-powered man. A darn sight better than before. Better, faster, and a heap stronger, too. I’ve got the know-how.” A century before any bionic man, a doctor in the Wyoming Territory attached steam powered legs and an arm to a man trampled in a stampede. Get ready, Pardner, for a rip-roarin’ steampunk adventure!

Word Count: 7000
Pages to Print: 27 
Price: 2.99

http://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Dollar-What-Wrought-ebook/dp/B00A9N5XT6
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-six-hundred-dollar-man-steven-r-southard/1113818523
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/256421
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#SixHundred

Sonny Houston, cowpoke. A man barely alive. “I can rebuild him, make him the first steam-powered man. A darn sight better than before.” The Six Hundred Dollar Man, a short story by Steven R. Southard. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#SixHundred

NOT! GSP's Book of the Day June 15

Alexander's Odyssey, a short story by Steven R. Southard

Alexander the Great might well be on his way to conquering the world, but when he decides to explore underwater in a glass-windowed wooden barrel, he enrages Poseidon. The other gods may debate Alexander’s fate and make their deals on Olympus but the ocean deity is determined to frighten the young King out of the watery realm. Will Poseidon defeat Alexander and prevent future deep-sea exploration by mortals, or can a single clever Macedonian outwit a god?

Word Count: 7880
Pages to Print: 30
Price: $ 3.99

http://www.amazon.com/Alexanders-Odyssey-Wrought-Series-ebook/dp/B004UGNDPO
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alexanders-odyssey-steven-r-southard/1030691020
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/50013
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Images/AlexandersOdyssey2.jpg

If the legends are true, Alexander the Great descended under water in a glass-windowed barrel. But how would the sea-god Poseidon react to that? Alexander's Odyssey, a short story by Steven R. Southard. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Images/AlexandersOdyssey2.jpg

Book of the Day April 26

Alexander's Odyssey by Steven R. Southard

Alexander the Great might well be on his way to conquering the world, but when he decides to explore underwater in a glass-windowed wooden barrel, he enrages Poseidon. The other gods may debate Alexander’s fate and make their deals on Olympus but the ocean deity is determined to frighten the young King out of the watery realm. Will Poseidon defeat Alexander and prevent future deep-sea exploration by mortals, or can a single clever Macedonian outwit a god?

Word Count: 7880
Pages to Print: 30
Price: $ 3.99

http://www.amazon.com/Alexanders-Odyssey-Wrought-Series-ebook/dp/B004UGNDPO
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alexanders-odyssey-steven-r-southard/1030691020
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/50013
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Images/AlexandersOdyssey2.jpg

If the legends are true, Alexander the Great descended under water in a glass-windowed barrel. But how would the sea-god Poseidon react to that? Alexander's Odyssey, a short story by Steven R. Southard. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Images/AlexandersOdyssey2.jpg

Book of the Day April 25

Against All Gods by Steven R. Southard

In ancient Athens, trireme commander Theron and the woman he loves, Galene, have each earned the wrath of jealous gods. To marry Galene, Theron must voyage to all seven of Wonders of the World. At every stage the immortal gods test their love with all the power and magic at their command. While Galene suffers anguishing torment in Athens, Theron faces overwhelming challenges at every Wonder from Ephesus to Rhodes to Babylon. Theron and Galene may be devoted to each other, but it’s doubtful whether mere mortal love can survive...against all gods.

Word Count: 12900
Pages to Print: 46
Price: $3.99

http://www.amazon.com/Against-Gods-Wrought-Series-ebook/dp/B008R0J6CI/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/against-all-gods-steven-r-southard/1112313331
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/209897
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#Against

Two mortal lovers in ancient Athens have angered jealous gods. Separated by a voyage of wonder, their love is pitted...against all gods. Against All Gods, a short story by Steven R. Southard. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at: http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#Against

Book of the Day April 23

A Steampunk Carol by Steven R. Southard

That stuffy Victorian inventor, Stanton Wardgrave, is back again, eight years after inventing holograms and meeting the American Josephine Boulton.  Married now, with a son and daughter, he’s dealing with rather too much balderdash and poppycock this Christmas Eve.  Conversing with his dead father?  Expecting three visitors?  It all seems so very Dickensian.  But he knows he’s not at all like that Ebenezer Scrooge fellow...is he?  What, this story asks, would Christmas be without a bit of steampunk in it?

Word Count: 5700
Pages to Print: 26 
Price: $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/Steampunk-Carol-What-Wrought-ebook/dp/B00A9K1KAA
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/256403
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-steampunk-carol-steven-r-southard/1113818377
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#SteamCarol

Ah, Christmas Eve in Victorian London, with softly falling snow, and a hologram, and a talking ghost, and, well, it’s A Steampunk Carol. A Steampunk Carol, a short story by Steven R. Southard. Available from Amazon, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenSouthard.html#SteamCarol