Without Brakes, Fingers Crossed—Available Now

There is no better way to improve as a writer than to sit on the other side of the editor’s desk. Linda Ditchkus and I did exactly that when we volunteered to lead RMFW’s 2024 anthology project in early 2023. Buy a copy today! It’s available in print and Kindle eBook, and proceeds benefit RMFW, a Colorado non-profit that promotes writing genre fiction.

What Is It?

We asked for stories fitting a theme of Colorado’s Changing Climate. We got tales of uncertainty, urgency, and hard decisions that spanned the genre spectrum. Whether you read horror, thriller, science fiction, young adult, women’s fiction, romance, or humor, Without Brakes has something for you. And more than a couple of stories will surprise you with their creative spin on the theme. It’s not all about the weather.

Paolo Bacigalupi with Paul Martz at the Boulder Bookstore.

To make this anthology a must-buy, we reached out to award-winning Colorado author Paolo Bacigalupi, who contributed his story, “The Tamarisk Hunter.” Paolo won both the Hugo and Nebula awards for his novel The Windup Girl, and probably a few other awards that I missed. I met him at the Boulder Bookstore recently where he signed my personal copy of Without Brakes, along with his new novel, Navola. Thanks Paolo!

How Did It Go?

Linda has extensive experience with self-publishing and judging writing contests. And we’ve both contributed to editing and production of anthologies from our Speculative Fiction Writers critique group. After our volunteer judges Amber Herbert and Pamela Goldner Prohoroff helped us narrow down the submissions, we began the editing process in earnest.

By January, our focus turned to production. Linda took the reigns on formatting and cover art, while I focused on marketing and promotion. We soft-released three months ahead of the September 7 target release date. I call that a huge success. 

The result is a book that you must read. Thirteen stories that will thrill, entertain, and make you think. I’m proud to say I had a hand in this outstanding anthology. Thanks to everyone involved, especially Amber Herbert and Rachel Delaney Craft for copyediting, Laurel McHargue for proofreading final copy, and Natasha Christensen for brainstorming marketing ideas.

I can’t say enough good things about Linda Ditchkus. This anthology is a success thanks to her creativity, hard work, and commitment to quality. She was the perfect co-editor. Visit Linda’s website, read her Sasquatch Series, and watch where she goes.

Spreading the Word

Listen to Outlook on Radio Western

I did a boatload of public speaking in my years as a programmer and corporate trainer, but to promote the anthology, I needed to sharpen those rusty skills. After I recovered my talent for running my mouth (some will say I never lost it), I started appearing on podcasts, and I wasn’t shy about using my eyesight to get my foot in the door. Here are some shows you ought to check out, and they’re all worth subscribing to.

  • Alligator Preserves—Contributing author Laurel McHargue interviews Linda and me. Laurel reads from her story, “Iphus.”
  • The Rocky Mountain Writer—Linda and I reveal the cover, title, and contents with host and contributing author Mark Stevens.
  • Outlook on Radio Western—Blind co-hosts Brian and Kerry Kijewski help me promote the anthology to their primarily Canadian listeners.
  • Blind Abilities—Thank you, Jeff Thompson, for giving me the opportunity to promote the anthology on your platform. Outstanding audio production, as usual.
  • Disability and Progress—I stumble through technical difficulties with hosts Sam and Charlene.

More podcasts and appearances are in the works. Basically, I’ll promote this anthology any and every way I can.

I Think We Need to Party

You can’t publish a book without a release party, and this anthology is no exception. Plan to join us at The Bookies Bookstore, 2085 S. Holly St., Denver, Saturday, September 7, 2024, 11:30AM-12:30PM. Several contributing authors will be on hand to read excerpts from their stories. By a copy of Without Brakes and collect a few autographs!