Tag Archives: promotion

Beneath Pale Stars

whatever

PHOTO PROMPT © Lily

John finally crested the alabaster rim of the crater after hours of climbing under the cold sun. He was sweating and couldn’t catch his breath in the thin atmosphere. He sat down on the edge looking downward, his chest heaving.

He said at last, “All wrecked.”

He’d been hoping that the Crater Base had at least one working spacecraft left, but they were crumbled and lying across each other as if they were toys mangled by an angry child.

“I’ll never get home,” he lamented looking upward at pale stars.

Then a voice came from one of the derelicts. “Welcome.”

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My Science Fiction Novel “A Wobblegong And His Boy” is a Number One Best Seller

a wobblegong and his boy

Cover image for my novel “A Wobblegong and His Boy”

Okay, with a caveat although it’s still pretty fantastic. As I write this, my YA science fiction novel A Wobblegong and His Boy is the NUMBER ONE BEST SELLER in Amazon’s Children’s Space Exploration books.

I wish that qualified me to say I’m a best selling author but this value can change on an hourly basis.

I looked it all up on Guide to Amazon sales rank: Best Sellers Rank (BSR).

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Phone Photography, Still Lifes, and Other Silliness

ted

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

“Dad, what are you doing?” Harold watched his father using his phone to take a photo of a collection of breakfast items and a tablet.

“Creating a still life,” Leonard said trying to hold his smartphone with one hand and maneuver his thumb.

“Uh huh,” replied his son. “I thought that was done with a bowl of fruit, a canvas, and oil paints.”

“This is the digital age, Harold,” Dad replied pressing the button. “Oh, now you did it. I didn’t get the framing right.”

“Digital photography is forgiving, Dad.” Harold rolled his eyes and went back into the kitchen.

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Wishful Thinking

wish

PHOTO PROMPT © Lisa Fox

Jerry had been a little surprised that Yasna still lived with her parents. She was twenty-five and a rising star in his company’s HR department. This was their first date and he didn’t expect to have to meet her parents.

While Yasna was getting ready (he’d gotten there ten minutes early), they left him in their den. Her Mom went upstairs while her Dad offered to get him something to drink.

“Christmas wreaths I can get, but what are these?” He reached up and touched one of the odd ornaments hanging from the lamp.

“What is your wish my master?”

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Pre-Order “A Wobblegong And His Boy” NOW!

a wobblegong and his boy

Cover image for my novel “A Wobblegong and His Boy”

Today’s the day when my boy’s adventure science fiction novel A Wobblegong And His Boy goes on Pre-Order. Just click on the link and on the Amazon page, pre-order my novel for delivery to your Kindle device on Friday, March 20th.

I’m incredibly excited about this one. This will be my second published novel which I hope will lead to other, larger works and successes.

Here’s just a taste of what you have to look forward to:

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The City On The Edge of Heaven

city

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

“I’m in a city somewhere.” Rand stood on the sidewalk looking at his reflection in the windows of the building across the street. He pulled out his wallet.

“Yeah, plenty of cash and a credit card.” He stopped when he saw the name and address on the drivers license. “My picture, but from a long time ago.”

It got worse when he saw the expiration date.

“That was decades ago.” He looked at his reflection again. He was so young.

“What happened?” Then he remembered the wish he made. He had been dying. Cancer.

A voice said, “Welcome to Heaven.”

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Interviewed by Blackbird Publishing

haunted waters interviewMy interview by Blackbird Publishing about my tension-filled story in the “Haunted Waters” anthology. My story is based the actual loss of a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine destroyed in an “unexplained catastrophic event” in 1968 and sank in the Sargasso Sea.

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The Anthology “Haunted Waters” Is Now For Sale!

haunted waters

Cover art for the anthology “Haunted Waters.”

Almost sixty years ago, the American nuclear submarine USS Hollander sank in the Sargasso Sea to a depth of 3,000 meters under mysterious circumstances. Today, pirates operating the deep-sea submersible Thetis led by notorious weapons merchant Simon Harris are attempting to recover her nuclear arsenal. However when they find the Hollander, someone or something is still on board.

That’s just a taste of my short story “The Wreck of the USS Hollander” featured in the brand new ghost story anthology Haunted Waters edited by Jamie Ferguson.

My story  was inspired by a couple of television shows I saw as a kid that I don’t remember much about now. I do remember something about a submarine that had sunk years before, where there was no possibility of life, still sending out an S.O.S.

I also remember that it totally creeped me out.

Here’s some more:

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2025: A Year in Review

2025

© James Pyles

Looking back on 2025 and my publication history, here’s what has presented itself. Frankly, I expected two more anthologies featuring my short stories to have come out this year, but both have been delayed.

To start off with, I had four drabbles published in the Starry Eyed Press anthology Drabbles: First Contact, tales of exactly 100 words long, describing humanity’s first contact with aliens (the images above aren’t presented in publication order).

Then there is my first actual (short) novel Our Legacy, The Stars: A Tom Corbett Adventure. This was previously published in installments on the now defunct Amazon Vella but it was always intended to become its own novel. Old school space opera based on a 1950s TV show. A lot of fun. You should read it.

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Kickstarter for “Ruins: A Space Opera Anthology”

ruins

Promotional image for the anthology “Ruins.”

Across the vast expanse of space and time lie the remnants of civilizations that reached for the stars—and vanished. Silent cities carved into asteroids. Derelict megastructures drifting between galaxies. Temples buried beneath the red sands of dead worlds.

This book contains 13 bold tales of humanity’s encounters with these cosmic ruins.

That’s how the narrative for the Kickstarter for “Ruins: A Space Opera Anthology” begins.

Just to be clear:

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