Hey!
What a lousy month March was. We’ve been stuck inside, the news is scary, the stores have no toilet paper. School has been cancelled. Kids are cooling their heels at home, or worse, struggling with distance learning. Working from home isn’t as fun as it sounded, and if you have to go on site or drive delivery…well, you’re a 21st Century hero.
I’ve got good news for a change. As you know, I’ve been writing for years, first as a space historian, then a journalist. A couple of years ago, my short stories started getting published. I’ve received several Hugo nominations for Galactic Journey.
But this is the biggie: My first novel, Kitra, a YA Space Adventure, is finally out!
Nineteen-year-old Kitra Yilmaz dreams of traveling the galaxy like her Ambassador mother. But soaring in her glider is the closest she can get to touching the stars — until she stakes her inheritance on a salvage Navy spaceship.
On its shakedown cruise, Kitra’s ship plunges into hyperspace, stranding Kitra and her crew light years away. Tensions rise between Kitra and her shipmates: the handsome programmer, Fareedh; Marta, biologist and Kitra’s ex-girlfriend; Peter, the panicking engineer; and the oddball alien navigator, Pinky.
Now, running low on air and food, it’ll take all of them working together to get back home.
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No dystopia. No cardboard villain. Just a young captain, an inexperienced crew, and a hyperspace jump gone wrong. Plus, it’s charmingly illustrated by one Lorelei E. Marcus. 🙂
It’s a timely book, involving themes of isolation that everyone can identify with. It’s also a hopeful one where teamwork and ingenuity can save the day. If you’re a fan of The Expanse or The Martian, if you’re craving a positive story, if you want to see interesting, diverse, realistic characters, you’re going to love this book.
That’s the pitch. Now here’s my personal plea:
When we started Journey Press, we had a strategy. We’d launch Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1958-1963), and if it did well, we’d start selling other books. Well, thanks to you and many others, Rediscovery ended up being something of a bestseller. Within a few months, it was selling coast to coast in hundreds of bookstores. We got rave reviews, and word of mouth gave us a swell of interest beyond anything we’d expected.Now that we were established, we knew future books would have a ready base of support. To that end, we contracted with a couple of big names to reprint a couple of excellent books from the era of Galactic Journey: I Want the Stars, by Tom Purdom, andGalactic Sybil Sue Blue, by Rosel George Brown. We’ve got a terrific fantasy romance in progress called The Eighth Key. We’ve got more books in the Rediscovery series planned. And on and on.
With great enthusiasm, we were ready to launch Kitra on March 16. Many bookstores had already pledged to promote it, and advance reviews were super-positive.
And then COVID-19 happened.
Now the bookstores are closed or under restricted hours, and everyone’s worried about what’s coming next. Our old business plan is completely out the window.
I still want to make this work. Not just because I think Kitra is a great book, and I want as many people to enjoy it as possible, but because we have so many great books lined up. To get to those releases, we have to succeed with this first one. That’s why we need your help. I mean, you’re probably raring to pick up Kitra anyway — it sounds pretty amazing, right? But if you’re on the fence, or you’re trying to decide between various entertainment options while you’re stuck at home, please get a copy (or two!)
You can get Kitra in e-book and/or paperback here.
Not only will you get a great book, but you will ensure that Journey Press can continue to bring out more new books from interesting creators, classic and current, for years to come.
Thank you for listening. Thank you for your support. Please enjoy Kitra, and more importantly, be safe and well.
Gideon Marcus
Journey Press 