My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in September: Free Fantasy & SciFi.Seventy science fiction and fantasy books, available at no cost.A black hole is coming for Earth, but that is only the beginning of Miranda’s problems.Get a free sample of Without a World by Kristen Illarmo!Subscribe to Kristen's newsletter and receive special offers, new release details, and a welcome gift delivered right to your inbox.20% off for new readers!She thought life in the Trash Lands was bad, scraping for food and water, wishing she could blend into the sea of ash. But when she learns her mother was right, Earth will get sucked into a black hole, Miranda must trust in skills she never knew she had to get to a place she refused to believe existed. When she finds an idyllic new world, to Miranda’s surprise, she cannot turn her back on the suffering on Earth, but will she risk it all to save a doomed world? Without A World, the first book in the Kirasu Rising duology, delivers non-stop adventure as we race through space and alternate dimensions alongside a strong female protagonist. Fans of Marie Lu will love this action-packed science-fantasy duology.Last month, I had the privilege to participate in the Sturgeon Symposium at the University of Kansas.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.While we spent most of Thursday and Friday discussing the work of Samuel R. Delany, the highlight was the presentation of the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for the best science fiction short story published last year.The jury selected "Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200" by R.S.A. Garcia.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! This post is public so feel free to share it.A native of Trinidad, Garcia has also won the Independent Publishers Book Awards Silver Medal for Best Scifi/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. Attendees at the conference had the opportunity to listen to her read her short story. As it takes place in Trinidad, hearing it in her Trinidadian accent was a special treat.You can read the story for free in its entirety at Uncanny.Questions or comments? Please share your thoughts!My latest novelette, “Nasty, Brutish, and Short,” now appears in Boundary Shock Quarterly 28: SF Horror.When the first expedition to the mysterious planet Janus takes a deadly turn, Lieutenant Carita Keahi must fight for survival against an alien ecosystem unlike anything humanity has ever encountered. As crew members fall victim to bizarre and lethal life forms, Keahi races against time to escape the dangers of this two-faced world. With mind-bending alien biology and gut-wrenching sacrifices, this tale of planetary exploration gone horribly wrong will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. Prepare for a journey into the unknown that will challenge everything you thought you knew about life in the cosmos! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecosmiccodex.com
