Sunday, February 24, 2019

UNEARTHED Artists: Meet Sophie Iles


As we've mentioned before, Unearthed will feature new art by guest illustrators for each of our stories. We previously featured Monica Marier, and will have one more artist (handling our cover and a piece of interior art) to show off in the near future. Today, we're spotlighting Sophie Iles, who joins Monica Marier in creating multiple interior art pieces for the book.

Doctor Who fans may recognized Sophie's art as it coincides with the classic series's runs on Twitch. She's also been creating artwork for all eras of the show and featuring it at conventions in the UK.

Recently, Sophie headed up publication of Mild Curiosities, a charity anthology centered on Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright. Her work can currently be seen on the cover of the anthology Defending Earth, now available for pre-order.

You can find out more about Sophie Iles on her website. Look forward to seeing her work, along with art from Monica Marier and the soon-to-be-featured Ginger Hoesly, in Unearthed this spring!

Monday, February 18, 2019

UNEARTHED: Story Announcement!



We're very pleased to announce the title and author listing for the upcoming Unearthed anthology!

The book will feature 12 new stories of mystery and curiosity, from underground tombs to interstellar relics, from a feast fit for a king to a tomb fit for a prince. Appearing in the anthology will be:

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Disinfection Protocol by Michael O'Brien

The Sarcophagus: Or, Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty, and Tremble by Graham Tedesco-Blair

Hearing Things by Meredith Peruzzi

Rán for Your Life: A Tale of Cassie Zukav, Weirdness Magnet by Keith R.A. DeCandido

The Jar of the Alabaster Assassin by Paul Driscoll

Long Time Dead by John Peel

Quadrireme by James K. Maddox

In the Heart of the King by Richard Gurl

Whose Cuisine Reigns Supreme? by Sharyna Tran

Raffles the Amateur Cracksman: An Egyptian Cameo by James Bojaciuk

Was I a Viking Old? by I.E. Kneverday

Kill the Cat: A Story from the Owl's Flower Pantheon by Kara Dennison

Featuring illustrations by Ginger Hoesly, Sophie Iles, and Monica Marier

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More information will be coming soon, including sneak previews of the art and stories!

Sunday, February 10, 2019

THE CHRONOSMITH CHRONICLES: Who is Mordicai?


While the upcoming series The Chronosmith Chronicles jumps off from Seasons of War: Gallifrey, we make sure to note that Gallifrey is not required reading for the new books. And that's completely true! While readers of the charity novel might catch some things that new readers won't, the new books will be completely stand-alone and enjoyable on their own.

That said, according to Kara's calendar of weird holidays, it's National Inventors Day in the United States. And no one fits the bill there better than our own Mordicai.

So who is Mordicai?


When Kara and Paul first teamed up to write Gallifrey, they had to create four characters. Funnily (and luckily!) enough, each of them quickly took to two of the four plotted-out personalities. Kara "adopted" Savalia and Kendo, with Paul in charge of Mordicai and Tor Fasa. Once their personalities and histories were worked out individually, the notes were brought together of a series of Skype calls, and their stories intersected into what became the charity novel.

Each of the characters had (and has) a short title, with Mordicai's being "The Engineer." This was a very on-the-nose term in Gallifrey, being the name he actually ended up calling himself by. But Mordicai will just be himself as a Chronosmith: an engineer who keeps things working.

Mordicai and Savalia—our Soldier-Poet—make up the romantic leads of the team, and we have very firm rules in place for them. They've had a lot of their relationship trial-by-fire already, after all. At first glance, the two have very little in common: Mordicai is very logic-bound and rule-driven, while Savalia learns rules for the purposes of bending them (from a creative standpoint, at least). They're both past attempting to change each other's ways, though; both ways of thinking have their uses, after all, and aren't necessarily at odds with each other.


Going forward, Mordicai is absolutely the brains, and the designated driver, of the Chronosmiths. Where Savalia leans on emotion, Kendo on diplomacy, and Fasa on influence, Mordicai will always be the most down-to-earth (so to speak).

Saying much more would give away what we have planned... and we have a lot planned! In the meantime, there are still copies of Seasons of War: Gallifrey, both digital and physical, should you be curious about the origins of the series. Pick up your copies now, as we won't be doing a second printing of this particular book!

And stay tuned for more news about The Chronosmith Chronicles and our other upcoming projects.

Monday, February 4, 2019

UNEARTHED Authors: Meet John Peel


Sci-fi congoers and fans of Doctor Who—among other things!—will already know of John Peel. He's known in the Who community for being one of a very few people to commit Terry Nation’s* legendary Daleks to print, both in TV novelizations and original books. Star Trek and Eerie, Indiana fans may also be familiar with his books in those franchises.

And he's joining us for Unearthed!

John's done much more than contribute to the lore of your favorite shows, though. He's the creator of the Dragonhome, Diadem, and 2099 series as well. And he's contributed to a variety of anthologies, including charity works!



So what will you find him in right now? Most recently, he penned his very first audio play as part of the Sounds of Thunder 2019 annual. Toby Hadoke stars in the production, which also features writing from Kate Orman, Simon A. Brett, and more. Check out the website to find out more!

Plus, his short story "The Gutter God" appears in the anthology Tales of the Shadowmen 15: Trompe l'Oeil.

Coming soon, you can read his contribution to the charity anthology Unearthed, coming from Altrix Books and raising funds for the American Research Center in Egypt. What can you expect? Obviously we don't want to give too much away, but his story deals with a a pair of resurrectionists who dig where they shouldn't, and come up with much more than they bargained for.

Check out John's story, and many more, in Unearthed this spring! And to follow his work, drop a like on his Facebook page!

* Amended. Our co-creator isn’t allowed to type names anymore until she’s off the post-surgery painkillers.