Category: books.

books. castle frostbite.

Bookshelf tour, July 2025

The house has bookshelves everywhere, but the one in my office is kind of like the RAM to their SSD, the stuff I want to have close at hand for reference or as my next entertainment.

The top shelf holds all of my books, including the ones to which I have contributed over the years (that would be the Wild Cards novels, the Love Death + Robots anthology, and the Unidentified Funny Objects volume.)

The middle shelf is my current TBR pile, plus a few quick reference books and stuff I want to read again.

The bottom shelf is for books from writer friends as well as some signed copies.

(There’s another shelf below that for large-format books and my Holy Scripture–the Calvin & Hobbes and Far Side compendiums. And the top shelf is filled with the positively unwise amount of A5-sized notebooks I stocked up on just in case the manufacturer suddenly stops producing them.)

books. contests and giveaways. frontlines: evolution

CORVUS giveaway winners

All right, the Random Number Gods have spoken. The winners are:

  • Jacob Moore
  • Patrick Ryan Storey
  • Chris/chriskidd22
  • Ryan Beck
  • Kris Stacks
  • Ben Wiechman
  • Brian H.
  • Brenda J. Cromwell
  • Jim Foster
  • Emily Henry
  • Marla McOmber
  • Eric Hembree

You may have noticed that the list of names is twelve strong instead of ten. That’s because I decided at the last minute to make it an even dozen this time.

If your name is on this list, please send me an email to marko.kloos@gmail.com with your current U.S. or Canadian shipping address. I’d like to get those books on the way this week, so a prompt reply would be appreciated (and helps you get the book into your hands faster.)

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you for playing to all those who replied. It’s always nice to see the excitement for a new release.

 

books. contests and giveaways. frontlines: evolution

CORVUS giveaway begins right meow

All right, friends and neighbors—I’m giving away ten copies of CORVUS, the second installment of the Frontlines: Evolution series. The book is due out for release on August 19th, so whoever wins an early copy will get to read it a few weeks early.

You know the general rules—leave a comment on this post declaring your desire to receive a copy, and I’ll close the comments and pull ten name out of the hat via random number generator next Sunday, June 29th, noon EST. 

Winners will receive a copy of CORVUS, shipped at my expense. As I’ve mentioned in the last post, there’s a change in eligibility this time. As much as it sucks, I have to limit participation to US and Canadian addresses  because of the current tariff fuckery which makes sending international shipments a crapshoot as far as customs duties are concerned. I hate having to limit the pool of readers who can score a free copy, but things are what they are right now.

(As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve also had to eat the cost for some books whose recipients declined to pay the customs fees assessed by their home countries’ revenue services, which sucks doubly for me because I’m out the cost of the book and the international shipping. That is super uncool and ruins the fun for everyone.)

Anyway, the contest is now open. If you want to put your name in the hat for a free copy of CORVUS and you have a shipping address in the US or Canada, leave a comment below to be entered in the giveaway. Winners will be announced after noon EST on Sunday, June 29th.

books. contests and giveaways.

CORVUS author copies & future giveaways

Look what made it in yesterday—my author copies of CORVUS, second installment in the Frontlines: Evolution series, out on August 19th.

I’ll probably do the traditional giveaway again, but I think that a few changes are necessary. During the last giveaway, I had several of the international deliveries returned to me, incloduing one where the customs service of the reader’s home country levied an import tax and the reader was unwilling to cover it. For every refused delivery or wrong address return, I get to eat the cost of shipping (which is over $20 for a paperback to most international locations), and the returned book is personalized and can’t be sold or given to anyone else. Add to that the current tariff situation, and sending books internationally is too unpredictable and expensive for me right now. I already cover the shipping, and I generally take a full day to personalize the books, package them, and haul them to the post office. Having to figure out customs duties or tariffs and then potentially eating them myself is just not something I want to add on top of everything else.

If you’re a non-US-based reader, I know that this may be disappointing, but I am not a millionaire and I don’t have support staff. Until the tariff and international shipping situation changes, I’m going to have to curtail the scope of the giveaways and limit them to the U.S. and Canada. Sorry about that, and I hope things will change before the next book release so I can include international readers again without rolling the dice on setting $40 on fire with every padded envelope I send out.

books. frontlines: evolution

CORVUS ARCs are here

I received the customary box of advance reader copies for CORVUS, second book in the Frontlines: Evolution series, which will be out on August 19th.

If you’re a reviewer, lit blogger, BookToker or YouTuber interested in a review copy, send me an email at marko.kloos@gmail.com, and I’ll send you an ARC free of charge per media mail on a first-come, first-serve basis, or provide you with a NetGalley link for an electronic copy.

(Please don’t ask for one just to get an early/free read if you’re not a reviewer. I will get a box of author copies and do my regular giveaway with those as we get closer to release day.)

books. frontlines: evolution new hampshah.

07OCT2024

The developmental edits for CORVUS, second volume in the Frontlines: Evolution series, are finished and turned in. My developmental editor is excited about this book and says it’s my best one yet, so I hope it’ll land well with readers when it comes out in August.

(For those of you wondering why it can’t be released sooner if the edits are done already—the manuscript will get a few copyedit passes now, the cover art needs to be commissioned, and then the audiobook version needs to be scheduled and recorded. It takes time to get all the moving parts coordinated.)

It’s the best time of the year here in upper New England—temperatures in the sixties, sunshine, and the turning leaves of early autumn popping their colors everywhere. My personal idea of paradise has this kind of weather year-round. October is my favorite month, and that’s not just because it’s my birth month. It’s nature’s last deep breath before the onset of the cold season, which feels like it lasts half the year up here sometimes. I’ll be getting out the snow shovels and gassing up the snowblower soon enough, but for now I am enjoying the sunshine and the crisp fall air.

I am working on a secret project right now. Once that’s turned in, I’ll spend the rest of the year on Palladium Wars #5, which should be ready for Kindle Direct and paperback sometime in the first quarter of next year. Since 47North declined to continue the series, I’m limited to a Kindle and paperback release until I’ve squared the audio rights away separately with Audible or another party. (Watch this spot for updates.)

 

books. shameless self-promotion. the palladium wars.

DESCENT is out today!


 

Today is the release day for DESCENT, the fourth installment of the Palladium Wars!

If you already preordered it, you should either have the paperback in your mailbox, or the ebook magically appeared on your Kindle this morning. For those who haven’t preordered, it’s available in paperback, Kindle, and Audible formats. (No hardcover this time, sorry.)

The jacket copy:

“POW Aden Jansen has lost a decade of his life to both the war and internment when he’s recruited by the Alliance. He’s to return to Gretia as an undercover Blackguard operative and destroy Odin’s Wolves—an insurgency that’s setting his home world afire. The mission comes with a full pardon and a chance to reclaim his identity. It also means rejoining his friends and family in space. That’s motive enough. If he can succeed—and survive.

Dunstan Park is on piracy patrol to track down the spaceborne arm of the uprising. Meanwhile, the rebels’ insidious terrorist cells are targets for battle-hardened insurgent hunter Idina Chaudhary and her Palladian commandos. As for Aden’s sister, Solveig, she’s put herself in the line of fire before, but discovering who’s bankrolling Odin’s Wolves is as dangerous as it is personal.

As Aden works his way back into the confidence of his comrades, the stealth campaign to sow discontent descends into chaos. At risk: Aden’s legacy, and the very stability of a galaxy struggling for peace against all odds.”

That sums it up in broad strokes, so if you’ve read the first three installments and this sort of thing floats your boat, get your copy today!

For those who asked about the projected length of the series–there will be at least one more installment, hopefully in the first half of next year.

books. contests and giveaways. the palladium wars.

DESCENT giveaway winners

The random number gods have spoken and passed down ten numbers, which I matched up with the comments in order from first to last. There were 193 eligible comments in total, so your chance to win was a little lower than one in twenty.

The winners are:

  1. Victor Weffer
  2. Fred
  3. Adrian O’Neill
  4. Phil
  5. Fab
  6. Andrew
  7. AG
  8. Nick M.
  9. Ralph
  10. Dave Thomas

I am sending out an email to the winners in a few. If you’re on the list, check your inbox and respond as instructed to claim your book.

Thanks for playing, everyone, and I hope that even those of you who did not win a signed paperback will still purchase a Kindle or paper copy of the book on release day.

books. contests and giveaways. the palladium wars.

DESCENT giveaway is now closed

I hope you all got your comments in because the DESCENT giveaway is now closed to new entries.

I will pick ten winners with the help of the RNG gods and announce them at some point tomorrow. As always, I’ll ship the books to the winners anywhere in the world free of charge.

Hope you’re all having a great weekend! Tune in tomorrow to see the list of lucky winners.

books. contests and giveaways.

DESCENT giveaway starts right meow

 

Here they are–ten paperback copies of DESCENT, fourth book in the Palladium Wars series, ready to be signed and shipped to new owners.

YOU TOO could be one of the lucky winners! Just leave a comment on this post indicating the desire to own a signed copy, and you will be entered in the giveaway. Entries will be counted until next Saturday, May 25, at 3pm EST. One entry per person, please, and make sure you log in with a valid email address so I can notify you in case you are one of the Chosen. Good luck!