Latest News
March 12, 2013:
Good news! Hanzet is almost ready! It has come back from the editor (thanks Amy) and I am now working through the manuscript one comment at a time. I've given myself till Friday to get it finished, after which it's back to Amy for a final check and then, hopefully, off to the (virtual) printers.
This is the one story I've written that I actually enjoy reading myself. I'm not sure if that's a good sign, but it certainly makes editing a lot easier.
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March 6, 2013:Alas, patient reader, March has arrived with deceptive zombie speed, but I'm afraid both Hanzet and Alpha Revelation are still stuck in editing. Things do move at a certain rate in the publishing industry and it does no good to rush. Bitter experience has taught me that a hurried manuscript is very often a typo-ridden manuscript headed straight for the bottom of the slush pile.
I'm hoping for both books to be released soon, but I would rather take longer and get it right than rush and get it....er, wrong.
Also, my daughter is busy with the cover for Alpha Revelation, and I think it looks "vet cool" as they say here in Holland.
Watch this space. Or this one. Good things coming soon. . . .
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January 14, 2013:
Things are moving along nicely for my two upcoming releases. Alpha Revelation has shipped off to Grace for a final read and edit. We're looking at an April publication date there. Meanwhile, Hanzet is being edited by Amy over at Other Sheep (an imprint of Written World Communications). All going well, Hanzet will hit the shelves sometime in March.
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January 1, 2013:
Get your reading goggles on and head over to Readers' Realm where they are hosting an interview with yours truly and a chance to win a FREE copy of Alpha Redemption. Just leave a comment.
December 14, 2012:
It's "The Next Big Thing" blog hop time. If you don't know what a blog hop is, it's what happens when you drop a blog tour onto a trampoline. Or if you kick a blog tour in the shin. Or stand on its toes. . . .
A blog hop is a meme in which a writer "tags" 5 other writers, who then post the answers to a bunch of questions on their own site, before tagging 5 other writers. The idea is to let the world know what we're doing, in a networky, fun kind of way.
I was tagged by CathiLyn Dyck and Kristen Stieffel. If you need an editor, CathiLyn offers a top-class editorial service. I can vouch for her. Cat is good. She edited Alpha Redemption and the forthcoming Alpha Revelation. For anyone needing a Writing Coach, Kristen can help you. She has many years of experience in business journalism, so she knows her stuff.
Without further ado, here are my answers to "The Next Big Thing" blog hop questions. I'll post links to my 5 victims volunteers when I find them.
1) What is the title of your next book/work?
I've got two books due for release early 2013, plus another in the pipeline. I'll mention all three, but I'll focus on just one.
* Alpha Revelation (due out early 2013)
* Hanzet (due out March 2013)
* Odd Jobs (work-in-progress)
. . .more
November 29, 2012:
Hanzet is now with Written World Communications for editing. This means that I now have two books in editing and another that I'm busy writing. Hoo boy, talk about multitasking -- and this from someone who struggles to walk and chew at the same time.
All going well, both Hanzet and Alpha Revelation will be out early next year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------November 9, 2012:
Alpha Redemption is now listed at Awesome Indies. This is a site dedicated to publicising high-quality books published by small presses. I'm thrilled that Alpha Redemption has been accepted. Find out more here, or click on the pic.
November 6, 2012:
Available right now! The Fall edition of SciendaQ is out. Full of readable goodness to get the old gray cells going while giving your funny bone the odd nudge. Click on the picture to go to the Amazon Kindle store.
October 19, 2012:
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October 11, 2012:
NEW RELEASE from SPLASHDOWN BOOKS
Devil's Hit List by Frank Creed
Part of The Underground series
Excerpt:
I clipped myself onto my hang glider's frame. "Okay, self, ya gotta do what ya gotta do." Running with closed eyes and a Grrrr through clenched teeth, I followed e-girl and Lethe over the rooftop's edge. . . .more
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NEW RELEASE from SPLASHDOWN BOOKS
Seeking Unseen by Kat Heckenbach
Part 2 of The Toch Island Chronicles
What is the story behind your cover art? I wanted something that shows elements from the story, rather than a scene or a character. It's the same way I approached the cover for Finding Angel. One of the major elements in Seeking Unseen is a leather notebook. I thought it'd be really cool to make the book cover itself look like that notebook. During a conversation. . . .more
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September 10, 2012:
Read my review of The Muse by Fred Warren here. 
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August 27, 2012:
The Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers Summer Blog Tour is here today!
Looking for a "cool" hot summer read? Alpha Redemption may be just what you need.
Join Brett Denton as he travels across space and time in an attempt to leave his past--and God--behind.
On the way to Alpha Centauri, Brett's only companion is a learning-capable computer on the brink of self-awareness, called "Jay".
While Jay sets about discovering his own place in the universe, Brett begins the slow process of healing from a past filled with pain and sorrow.
Medal winner in two categories in the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards,
What People Are Saying about Alpha Redemption
Wow! Can I say it again? Wow! Alpha Redemption is easily one of the best books I've ever read.
~ Rev. Steve Wilson, author of "The Gifted"
A book that is not simply bold and adventurous but also well-written. Bravo!
~ Chris Walley, author of the "Lamb among the Stars" trilogy
I challenge you to read this book and feel the power released in the words that could change your life for the better. Thank you P.A. Baines for reminding me this power is available to all of us, if only we would believe.
Brett's journey to Alpha Centauri with Jay will touch you in a place you didn't know existed. Even now as I write this blog, there is a stirring in my chest I want to feel for a long time.
~ Laura O'Connell, author of "African Hearts"
An all nighter, can't-put-it-down read, with a unique twist I didn't see coming and the perfect book for fans of Asimov or Clarke!
~ Dana Bell, author of "Winter Awakening"
Alpha Redemption is available from all major online retailers:
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August 23, 2012:
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August 2, 2012:
Marcher Lord Press have released The Cross and the Cosmos Anthology: Year 1. This is a collection of short Christian spec-fic stories from the fist year of the Cross and the Cosmos e-zine. Includes my own short story, Mars Deep-Crust Mine ZB203-South, which describes an unusual discovery by a mining team deep under the Martian surface.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 11, 2012:
NEW RELEASE from SPLASHDOWN BOOKS
Rift Jump by Greg Mitchell
The day Michael Morrison died was the day his life began.
A sinister threat is growing in the void between realities, and Michael has been recruited to stop it. Ripped from his own violent life, he is sent rift jumping to other worlds seeking out the agents of the Dark and putting them to an end by any means necessary. The love of his life, Sara, joins him as he battles Civil War space ships, sea serpents, superpowered humans, and even his own duplicate from a parallel timeline.
But the darkness he fights is growing within him too, calling him to the same destiny as every other Michael from every other world. If he is to change his fate, he must learn to love, to forgive, to trust, and to let the man in the Stetson guide him to become the warrior of the Light he was always meant to be.
read more . . .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 8, 2012:
The publication date for Hanzet has been set at March 2013. You can find out more about Hanzet at Written World Communication.
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June 9, 2012:
My "Seven Questions for the Horse" are up at Rambles of the Literary Equine. If you want to know more about Alpha Redemption and why I wrote it, please pay a visit. Seven questions is just the right amount to be interesting without inducing boredom.
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June 7, 2012:
It's official. Hanzet has found a home. The contract has been signed, which means Hanzet will be published by Written World Communication sometime over the coming months. I'll post more details as I get them....
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May 21, 2012:
Aquasynthesis was a finalist in the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Congratulations to all involved. 
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May 10, 2012:
Aquasynthesis, an anthology of short stories written by the authors at Splashdown Books, has reached the finals of the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.Watch this space for more details....
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April 23, 2012:
Available from May 1st. Grab your parrots, don your eyepatches, swash your buckles, and prepare to say "Aaaaar" as you join us in the high-seas adventure that is the Summer 2012 issue of SciendaQ. Available at all good ports-of-call (Barnes and Noble, and Amazon). Details of the treasure be here.
April 13, 2012
Adam Collings over at The Collings Zone has given Alpha Redemption five stars. Read his review here.
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March 26, 2012:
Alpha Revelation, the sequel to Alpha Redemption, has now entered the final week of editing before it gets some serious attention from my publisher and editor. Beta readers have responded favourably but the typo fairy appears to have been working overtime. The manuscript looks as though it has been set upon by a herd of angry red pens.
March 13, 2012:
Alpha Revelation, the sequel to Alpha Redemption, is almost ready to be shipped off to the editor (Cathi-Lyn Dyck). Here is a preview of the cover.
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February 6, 2012:
The Cheesecake Thickens, the NAF alumni sister site dedicated to everything but writing, launched this week. In case you're wondering what this is all about and what on Earth cheesecake has to do with anything, have a look here.
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January 16, 2012:
The inaugural edition of Scienda Quarterly: The Armchair Adventurer's Magazine (also called SciendaQ) is available from Amazon, B&N and Smashwords.
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January 2, 2012:
Have a look at the new trailer for Alpha Redemption. It was created using Windows Movie Maker and was inspired by the excellent music of Michael Rogers.
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December 5, 2011:
My short essay Show Me How to Show'is featured in the Winter 2011 edition of Starsongs Magazine, available here. Aimed at young authors, the piece explains the difference between telling your reader that there is a dinosaur in your vegetable patch, and showing it.
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May 10, 2011:
Alpha Redemption made it to the finals in two categories in the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category as well as the Religious Fiction category. I am particularly excited about being a finalist in Science Fiction/Fantasy because it includes books in the secular market..
