Dark Metal

I mentioned this a couple weeks back – now it’s out in the world and waiting to be read! Dark Metal, book 9 in the Dark Universe setting by yours truly. Dark Metal picks up a little while after Under the Dark ends. Mirabel and Challee are both part of Aden’s crew on board Aden and Sierra’s ship, the Sentinel, but that makes for a very full ship.

At the same time Captain Amber Hanes is struggling with her ship, the Uma. She’s a bit beyond struggling, to be honest, but Aden has a plan. Dark Metal is all about turning that plan into reality. The thing about plans is once the first punch is thrown (or shot fired), it all goes down the drain. There’s a lot of flushing in Dark Metal!

My goal in Dark Metal was to focus on more edge-of-your seat flow. I was going for a lot of suspense and thriller type activity. Even to the point where the chapters were arranged in mini-story arcs kind of like what might be seen in a television series. The overall plot and threat are always there though, hovering and waiting for the opportune time.

And that’s really about all I can say without giving away spoilers! So, rather than me do that, go and read it yourself! It’s a ton of fun, I promise! It should be available everywhere even on my new platform, Patreon. Check out the links below to find Dark Metal.

Amazon
Amazon UK
Everywhere Else

Now Patreon… I vomited words all over the screen about it recently so I’ll spare you that. I will say I really like it. I’ll also say it’s been almost a complete flop so far. I’m baffled – but I’m also patient and understanding. And I’m trying to build up a better reason. Case in point, in the last 10 days I wrote another book (which I discussed in my prior post). Early mornings and late night – 80,000 words and I released it chapter by chapter (one a day, pretty much), on Patreon for my readers. I’m on book 2 now – and already 3 chapters in to that one. I’ll share more about it as I go on, but I have to say I had a lot of fun with this character and book and so far I’m getting some great ratings and reviews on it!

But hey, this is about Dark Metal. Try it out, if you don’t love it I promise I’ll write another one and keep on writing until you do!

To learn more about Jason Halstead, join his Patreon page, visit his website to read about him, or sign up for his newsletter.

Fresh air

I’m doing something different with this post. It’s not a new release notice (give me a week or two – I’ve got Dark Metal, my next book, in editing now). I’m obviously not talking about politics (even my masochism has limits). I’m talking about business.

Don’t worry, this isn’t where I try to pull anyone into a multi-level-marketing scheme or try to sell oceanfront property in Indiana… although I did learn recently the London Bridge really is in Arizona. No, this is me changing my business model for my books. Or at least trying something new. I signed up as a creator on Patreon and spent the last several nights uploading my work there.

What is Patreon? It’s a website that allows creators of all sorts a medium to create and share their work. In my case, as a writer, I have you guys. Readers that, I hope, will embrace this new medium and sign up for it. In addition to access to all of my stories (at least all the ones I’m contractually able to share), I’ll be posting future works as I write them chapter by chapter. I’m also going to focus on some Patreon-only exclusive stories. Probably shorter stories, but most of you know I struggle with anything less than a novella! Oh, I almost forgot… my lovely Mrs. Has agreed to let me include her stories on there too.

Okay, now that I’ve got you interested (I hope), go check it out: https://www.patreon.com/booksbyjason

And like I said earlier, Dark Metal will be on the virtual shelves (and in Patreon) soon! Dark Metal is the 9^th book in my Dark Universe setting, and it was a real joy to write even thought I kept getting interrupted by long hours and extra-curricular activities (not the, ahem, romantic sort either).

Stay tuned, there’s more to come… or if you like more regular updates, join my Patreon where I will be making frequent posts.

To learn more about Jason Halstead, join his Patreon page, visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

I’m a Bad Parent

Not literally, but in an artistic license sort of way. My kids are fine, I haven’t let them wander into any abandoned mines or forgotten to pick them up from a creepy corn maze run by a guy in a clown mask. What I have done is let a new release go unannounced for over a week! That’s right, Confliction, Dark Universe book #7, is available everywhere!

Confliction picks up a little over a year after Lucky Star left off and continues the saga of the Dark Universe struggle against the Kesari, a race of alien beings intent on dominating the galaxy. There are new heroes and heroines in this book, although I really was searching for something a little grittier when I wrote this one. I even had one person accuse me of channeling some inner Shakespeare! Whether that’s true or not, the main characters might be better described as anti-heroes. As with all of my books, the story unfolds and the characters grow, evolve, and endure the struggles necessary to become better people. Or they fail and are never heard from again.

I’ll be honest, Lucky Star was a fun book for me, but I felt it missed a certain spark that made it really shine. This time I recaptured it, and I’m certain it had to do with including a lot of scenes with some of the stars from books past. It just didn’t feel like it was a complete story without some appearances and interaction with Aden, Twyf, Seph, Sierra, Niko, Neesha, and more.

So here is Confliction, anxiously awaiting eager eyes to dance across the curves and angles and expose it for the dark beauty that it is!

 

Into the Dark (book 1)	Out of the Dark (book 2)	Chasing the Dark (book 3)
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd
Dark Star (book 4)	Shades of Dark (book 5)	Lucky Star (book 6)
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd
	Confliction (book 7)
	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd

 

In other news, I’m very close to releasing a new Lost Girls novel: Bling. This character inspired me in a way that I haven’t been inspired since Katalina Wimple willed herself into creation in the back of my head and demanded I share her story with the world. Then she did it again, and writing back-to-back books in the same series was unheard of for me. Bling did that too – I’m working on book 2 about her as I type this, before the cover art for book 1 is even finished!

2019 feels like a better year for writing for me so far. Here’s to hoping I can keep that going all year long!

 

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Self-Taught

I struggled with a title for this blog. This is more about an old dog still being able to learn new tricks. Except these aren’t new tricks, these are old tricks I already learned and, I guess, let slip. I’m not that old, so there’s no good excuse to give. What the heck am I talking about? Well, read on, it was kind of a neat discovery for me and one I’m still feeling positive about.

I’m working on Confliction, book 7 in the Dark Universe series. I started it with a neat concept and crafted some characters to fit the roles I wanted. Then I threw some twists and turns along the way, as well as relationships and complications. All in all, it’s been a good ride but, I confess, a little rough to write.

I reached a point in the book where I’m tying in some of the earlier characters that made Dark Universe such a great series, but it’s been a while since I’ve written about them so I needed to go back and get a feel for them again. I reread some parts of Chasing the Dark and then Dark Star to get what I needed… and I was glad I was sitting down.

I was shocked by what I read and what I felt. In a good way! I was devouring the words and getting swept up in the characters and what they were going through and, more importantly, feeling. On top of all that I realized that I had written this.

That was kind of a wake up call that made me think. I liked my characters I’d created, but they weren’t the same. I tried to follow the formula to make them real, but that’s the problem, it was a formula. It wasn’t art. So that means I’m going back through the first 2/3 of the book I’ve written and flesh them out more. More experiences, more interaction, more relationships. More dialogue and quirks. More real.

But why did this happen in the first place? There’s no data to point to a specific reason or point in time, but this year has been particularly complex for yours truly. Not bad, just burdensome in some aspects. My writing has suffered a lot because of it. Excessive demand from my day job and ongoing stress caused by that has impacted a lot of things this year. I won’t say it’s improved either, but I’ve adapted and shifted a few things around. Does that mean I’ll be writing more and getting back into the groove again? I suspect it will be a bit of a compromise. I’d sure love to, but we’ll see how things go. All I can do is try… and keep trying until they wheel me away.

So hopefully I’ll have Confliction out yet this year or early next – that’s the goal I’m setting for myself. I’ve got plenty of time off during the holidays to help me make it happen.

 

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

 

Lucky Star

Brindal and Ellena are Terrans lured to an alien world with the promise of a new way of life and equality among the races. Potential for all, regardless of race, gender, or belief. The reality was far from the truth, especially when Ellena showed her first signs of mutation.

Mutated beings- those whose latent powers are awakened with the resurgence of alien energy brought about by the return of the Ampythean race- are hunted and taken away. Their fate is unknown, but nobody has heard from them since.

As Ellena’s powers grow and she fails to control them, they are left with no choices but to throw away their lives and run. They have to find a way with no weapons and no friends to get off the planet before the Vagnosian army catches them. If they can manage that, then they can hope for a better future among the stars.

 

You just read the blurb for Lucky Star, book 6 in my Dark Universe setting. I’m sharing it because it’s out there now, waiting for eager readers to devour. Longtime fans of the series might not recognize the names in the blurb, which might be confusing. Well, there’s a reason for that. These are new characters.

Brindal and Ellena are the kind of heroes that are made, not born. Except there’s nothing heroic about them. Brin is an eighteen year old young man trying to figure out what to do with his life and his growing skills in robotics. Ellena is fifteen and has nothing going for her except her talent as a track star and the fact that she’s a female on a Vagnosian world. Oh, and then there’s Ellena’s strange new powers that has her afraid of her own shadow.

But rest assured, there’s no way I’d completely abandon the old crew! I love those guys and gals. The problem is, they live a hard and dangerous life. Some of them aren’t what they used to be— or even at all. Brindal and Ellena need to get off of Marloon, the world they live on, but they can’t do it alone. They need help. And that’s where some old friends come in.

Into the Dark (book 1)	Out of the Dark (book 2)	Chasing the Dark (book 3)
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster
Dark Star (book 4)	Shades of Dark (book 5)	Lucky Star (book 6)
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera

 

Next up is something completely different. No, not a Monty Python skit (hopefully that jokes not lost on most of you), but a new book I’m trying out. It’s unrelated to anything / everything else I’ve done so far. The Vault, a story in a post-apocalyptic America that takes place after a disaster destroys almost everything on the planet. I’m talking about an extinction level event, except humanity has the technology, resources, and blind luck to insure a tiny percentage survives. Or, as Michael Crichton put it in Jurassic Park: Life finds a way.

As always (and forever), thank you for keeping up to date on my ramblings and for enjoying my books. Spread the word, the world could use more readers!

 

-Jason Halstead

 

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.