Friday, May 3, 2019

The Unwinding: New Space Opera Series

Update (July 2019): The Unwinding: Gin's Story is now available

The first in my "Unwinding Series" of space opera novels is about to unwind!

I'm excited to announce that "The Unwinding: Gin's Story" will be releasing on July 1, 2019, in e-book and paperback, under the new Sophont Press imprint. Here's a sneak peek at the cover.

I've published a number of short stories in anthologies, as well as a YA space opera novella series ("Dragon Stead/Erenarch Academy"), and a historic fantasy short story collection, "The Adventures of Mountain Ma'am." All of my writing has been tucked into spare moments between editing, publishing, and promoting the work of other science fiction/fantasy/horror writers under my Third Flatiron Anthologies imprint. (Oh, and did I mention I have other interests too, like bicycling, gardening, and pop culture?) It's been a long time coming, but I've finally graduated to novel-length works.

My first cut at "Gin's Story" was 50,000 words, written in feverish haste during NaNoWriMo. Early readers made numerous suggestions, and it grew to 60,000 words. A critique at Odyssey Workshop  encouraged me to expand my descriptive skills and apply them to building Gin's world and characters further. "Gin's Story" now sits at 75,000 words, and the follow-on novel, "Extremophile: Violet Rain," is also at 75,000 and counting. I guess that's my sweet spot.

I joined a critique group last year, and that's been a big help, and I'm grateful to the beta readers I've enlisted. I read a lot about how to market self-published work, and am exploring advertising avenues such as NetGalley and membership in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

So, What's The Unwinding: Gin's Story About?

Korean-American housewife Virginia Sun-Jones and her husband are enjoying a Christmas picnic on the North Carolina beach with their newly married daughter and son-in-law, when a shattering cosmic event, the "Unwinding," rips them all apart. Caught in a duel between warring universes, Gin embarks on a cosmic quest to be reunited with her family.

Gin would be the first to tell you that riding a whiskered Korean water dragon as transport is not for everyone. But ever since the Unwinding scattered her family, she's followed a breadcrumb trail of
clues, hoping to find them. Gin can't shake the feeling that with recent events the universe has a personal interest in what's been happening to her, as she discovers special quantum abilities and
ventures away from this tiny haven known as Earth. With the aid of a time-traveling civilization known as the Watchmen, she fights a despotic galactic emperor seeking to destroy our universe. "Gin's Story" is an exciting mystery adventure full of twists, disappointments, and triumphs.

Early Reader Praise for The Unwinding: Gin's Story

"A sci-fi romp that's vast in scale yet thoroughly playful."
--Kirkus Reviews

 "Exceptional writing, in readability, coherence, scope of the story. WOW! Goes beyond the Universe into the multiverse with great world-building and characters."

"The cosmic perspective offers the opportunity for metaphysical speculation. Descriptions are deftly handled, with details enabling the reader to grasp some of the ideas of quantum mechanics."

"As the story progresses, it turns out to be a time-travel plot at some point. I enjoyed that you used the universe's AI assistant as the means with which Virginia finds out and get hints toward her
situation."

Where to Get It

Advance reading copies of The Unwinding: Gin's Story are available on request
to NetGalley members during May and June 2019, and the e-book is available for pre-order on Amazon.

I'll be making periodic updates about the series on my author website, https://www.julianarew.com.