There’s just over four weeks—a mere 29 days—until my latest book, The Aleph Extraction—perhaps you’ve heard me ramble on about it—is…well, once I would have said “in stores.” But stores are so February 2020. So let’s say instead that it’s virtually floating towards your island, born by a cheerful balloon, or brought to your door by wonderful, hardworking delivery people.1 Either way, it’s going to be out in the world for you all to enjoy. And you will enjoy, won’t you. WON’T YOU.

In order to celebrate the run-up to Aleph‘s arrival, I concocted a little project. One of the silver linings of this whole “stay in your house and never talk to anybody” age that we live in is that it gives you time to try your hand at new things. In my case, the “new thing” in question was producing ebook versions of two Galactic Cold War short stories, which I’m making available today for everybody, in exchange for absolutely, positively, nothing at all. Totally free. Free like the wind!

All I ask is that if you read and enjoy these stories, consider pre-ordering yourself a copy of The Aleph Extraction, if you haven’t already. And, if you have, might I suggest a modest donation to a local food bank?

Here’s a little more about the short stories to whet your appetite. (Please do not eat short stories; they contain little nutritional value.)

Pilot Error is set right before The Bayern Agenda, and provides a bridge from The Caledonian Gambit, explaining in part what our old friend Eli Brody has been up to in the interim. Space action and feelings, oh my.

Showdown, meanwhile, takes place a little while before The Aleph Extraction, and follows Simon Kovalic and the rest of the Special Projects Team on what seems like a run-of-the-mill job—but they never are for this elite team of covert operatives, are they?

These short stories were previously sent exclusively to subscribers of my newsletter, but now they’ve got fancy formatting, beautiful covers, and newly-penned afterwords from yours truly, explaining their provenance, which is a highfalutin way of saying “where the hell did these come from?” In addition to downloading them directly from this very website, you can also grab them (still for free) on all popular ebook platforms; check out the Short Stories page for links, or search for them on whichever site you use to get your fancy electronic books.

Newsletter subscribers, however, get a special bonus perk. Tomorrow, I’ll be sending them a brand new, never-before-read deleted scene from a Galactic Cold War novel. Maybe it’ll make its way into an ebook too, eventually, but who knows? If you want to read it, there’s still time to subscribe.

I know it’s a weird time for all of us out there, and maybe books aren’t at the top of your priority list. I get it! But it means a lot to me that people have still been excited about the book, and express that they’re looking forward to reading it.

Things are just as uncertain for me these days—I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the next Galactic Cold War novel that I’d like to write, plotting out the twists and turns, the dramatic reveals and action sequences, the banter and relationships. But that book hasn’t been sold yet, and the chances of it being picked up are directly related to how well The Aleph Extraction does.

The good news is you can help! Tell your friends, family, and fellow cooped-up neighbors. Send them a link! Perhaps even point them towards these short stories to get them hooked. Spread the word! (Safely, of course, please.)

Stay well, everybody.