The Critters Readers Poll is happening again and, this year, you’ve got more McSciFi you can support than ever before. Back in 2020, SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY was voted the Best Science Fiction Novel of the year. This year I hope to add to my awards shelf. Please take a minute to vote for each of these entries. All you need is a valid email address (one vote per address).

Click each title and follow the instructions. Voting ends January 6, 2023.

The Brittle Riders: Book One (Second Edition) – This book raced into the top ten sales slots in the Science Fiction/Dystopian categories on IngramSpark the first week it came out and shows no signs of slowing down.

A very unique tone and world, reminiscent of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY meets a MAGNIFICENT SEVEN/DIRTY DOZEN – type set up, but with a look, flavor, and lexicon all its own. In a world where studios and streamers are looking for IP that’s expansive, both narratively and in terms of ancillary possibilities (prequels, offshoots, video games, etc.), (The Brittle Riders) certainly seems to offer up a number of possibilities.
Garrick Dion – Producer (Joker / Drive)

Sci-Fi Lampoon – I’m a regular contributor to this quarterly magazine which features some of the most irreverent science fiction and fantasy you’ll ever read. I promise you’ll be offended once you stop laughing.

Sci-Fi Lampoon Submission Guidelines – Send us your best fantasy, sci-fi, and horror themed humor. Foul language and sexuality are OK if they’re part of the story, but nothing too explicit-we aren’t looking for gore or erotica-it’s a humor rag, not a smut mag, so if it’s funny, it’s all good! Please, no fanfic.

ICC Magazine – I am the assistant editor for the “go to” source for all your information needs when it comes to indie comics, cosplaying, and fiction, ICC Magazine has won fans the world over.

Artwork, Photography, Video, Music, Poetry, Movie Making, Design, Cosplay. Whatever you enjoy doing. Show us. Tell us. ICC Magazine is dedicated to, and focusing on, people as Individual Creators. The Talent is out there, we all have it, let’s share it!

To writers and creators these awards mean more than you could know. They are a vote of confidence in the middle of the most desolate time of the year. So, please, take a minute, vote for each entry, and realize you’re a better human than you give yourself credit for.

Another thing that keeps authors happy is press, and I scored some sweet words in December.

IONOSPHERE, a magazine released through The National Fantasy Fan Foundation, which has been around since 1942, added me to their pantheon of science fiction writers they have promoted. This iteration of Ionosphere has been run by John Thiel since 2016. My interview here is more in depth and covers some ground you may not be familiar with. It was a lot of fun to do so I hope you’ll take a minute to give it a gander.

Science fiction legend Eric Michael Craig also tossed up a lovely shout out to me in his newsletter.

If you don’t know Eric Michael Craig he broke with the tradition of only serial killers, and people whose last words are “Hold my beer,” using three names and seems to be fine with that. Not just fine, he’s thriving. Still, you might wish to avoid his basement just to be safe. He has a new book out called Legacy of Pandora that you really need to add to your TBR list.

Alone, beyond the edge of Civilization.

A routine exploration mission explodes into chaos and throws Commander Jephora Cochrane and the crew of the prospector ship Jakob Waltz into a crisis that tests his experience to the limit.

After a puzzling message from FleetCom warns him of an impending interplanetary war, Cochrane isn’t sure who he can trust. Yet somehow, regardless of their hidden agendas, he must push his crew to new levels to save their ship.

Together, they discover – something, buried at the edge of the solar system, that will alter the course of history. A secret, that changes everything.

But only if he can keep them alive until the truth gets out.

If you liked The Expanse or The Arrival, you should grab Legacy of Pandora now and unlock a half billion-year-old mystery that will shape the future of civilization.

To those who signed up over the holiday break, welcome. To everyone else, welcome back. Knowing that several thousand people follow this weekly missive is both humbling and daunting. Hopefully , as this year trundles onward, I will keep you entertained with more McSciFi and occasional glimpses into my world.

My best to all of you. Please stay safe and sane. See you next week.

Bill McSciFi
Bill McSciFi
Bill McSciFi
Bill McSciFi