All posts by Aaron Rosenberg

What I’m Working on: Aaron Rosenberg

JLS_2629I’m currently writing an Ogmios novel with Steve Saville—it’s titled Lost Cause and follows both the first Ogmios novel Silver (which came out a year or two ago) and the sequel Gold, which is out this fall. In Lost Cause, the Ogmios team goes to Japan, initially to help a friend with a kidnapping, but it rapidly turns into a much larger issue involving national treasures, the Yakuza, and a treasure hunt several centuries in the making.

Steve and I are also returning to our Phoenix story, which started with For This Is Hell and will continue this Halloween with Haunted Summer. The Phoenix, who was previously known as Christopher Marlowe, is back, this time in a new guise. And with several friends he is enjoying a lazy summer of stories, wine, and laughter. Until events force the stories to take a darker turn, becoming tales of horror that reflect the danger they now face. FTIH3

Bob, Paul, and I are getting the last few details nailed down so we can return to the world of ReDeus, this time with full-length novels, and of course I’m writing a story for Pangaea. After that I’m doing an urban fantasy novel with Silence in the Library, tentatively titled Oversight. I’m also doing a middle-grade book and a YA novel but I can’t talk about either of those, and I’m doing some work for a videogame company as well. And there will be one final DuckBob novel, Not for Small Minds, which is planned for the end of the year. This time the focus is on DuckBob’s lady love, Mary, who is brilliant as she is beautiful—and often has trouble getting people to see past the latter to the former. Native Lands front cover Continue reading

NaNoWriMo Success Stories, or how DuckBob was born

“Write something different.”

That’s what my friend said to me. It was a challenge, really. We’d been talking about writing, and I’d mentioned that, for once, I might actually be able to do NaNoWriMo properly. I’d “sort of” done it once or twice before, by writing novels while it was going on, but I’d already been working on those when November had rolled around and so technically they didn’t qualify. But this time I had a gap in my writing schedule at just the right moment, and I thought “this time, I’m going to do it for real.”

The only question was, what to write? Which is where my friend’s challenge came in.

I decided to rise to the occasion. I’d written mostly genre action-adventure to this point, for properties like Star Trek and WarCraft and Eureka—lots of fun, lots of action, the occasional bit of humor but mostly serious, in the way that big-budget cinematic action is serious. Which is why I decided to do something actually full-on funny for a change. Continue reading

Take three DuckBobs and call me in the morning!

No, that wasn’t it. Hang on . . . DuckBob takes three in the morning and never calls!

Still not right.

Oh, wait, I remember now—it’s DuckBob, Take Three!

That’s right, if you loved No Small Bills and Too Small for Tall, and have been tearing out your hair in despair because there weren’t any more stories about everyone’s favorite alien-altered, duckheaded bloke, your prayers have been answered! Because the third DuckBob novel is now here! DuckBob is back, along with Tall, Ned, Mary, and a whole host of other wacky characters. See what happens to DuckBob’s job! Learn why Ned sounds like he’s from Brooklyn! Meet DuckBob’s family! And more!

Want more info? Check out the back cover copy:

Bob Spinowitz was an Coinkydinks coverCaverage guy—until aliens abducted him and gave him the head of a duck. Then they asked “DuckBob” to save the universe, since their modifications meant he could. Talk about a backhanded compliment!

Amazingly, though, DuckBob did it. And thus became Guardian of the Matrix, which protects the cosmos from further invasion—as long as he’s plugged in. Literally. Continue reading

Funny books? We got you covered!

Almost three years ago, as Crazy 8’s second (one could even say “sophomoric”) release, we put out a zany little book about a duck-headed man and his bizarre, disjointed, hilarious quest to save the universe. That book, of course, was No Small Bills, which became a NOOK bestseller right out of the gate. Apparently people like to read funny stuff–who knew?

A year later, our avian-altered friend was back for more wacky hijinks in a second novel, Too Small for Tall.

Now, two years later, it’s time to saddle up and ride out yet again, because DuckBob Spinowitz is coming back! The third DuckBob novel, Three Small Coinkydinks, will be out later this month—but you can ooh and aah over the cover starting now!

Coinkydinks coverC

There, isn’t it pretty?

Not enough for you? How about a small sample to whet your appetite? Read, enjoy, gaze longingly at the cover some more, and watch for the book’s debut coming soon!

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Meanwhile, I’m outside my old office. Should I go in? Should I tell my old boss, Phil, that I want my old job back? Should I grovel? Should I just stroll in like I own the place, say, “Yo, Phil, how’s it hanging? I was busy saving the universe and all but that gig got old so I figured I’d swing on back, you don’t mind, do you? And hey, can you grab me an espresso? I’ll be at my desk,” and see how long it takes anyone to wonder what I’m doing back or to point out that I may not actually work there again? I’m pretty sure I saw this movie years ago and it worked pretty well, especially for Teen Wolf and Supergirl. Continue reading

Tales of the Crimson Keep—Revealed!

At long last, the moment you’ve all been waiting for—the first glimpse of the cover to the all-new Crazy 8 Press anthology Tales of the Crimson Keep!

In a way, this book has been three years in the making—at least, the first story involving the Crimson Keep, “Demon Circle,” was created three years ago. Right around the same time that Crazy 8 Press itself officially began. Now here we are, three years later, with over a dozen books to our collective name, yet this is the first time every member of the team has contributed to the same project. And we’re debuting it at Shore Leave (Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD, August 1-3), the fan-run SF convention where Crazy 8 started and where, three years ago, we wrote “Demon Circle” as a round-robin story out in the exhibit hall.

If you’re at the show, come by and see us, pick up a copy, and get all of us (sans Paul, who will be there in spirit and possibly in effigy) to sign it. And if you can’t make it don’t worry, you’ll still be able to buy the book online or from us at any of our other con appearances. It will be available in ebook formats soon after the convention as well. Continue reading

An Asimovian Surprise

PebblecoverOkay, time to set the Wayback Machine. The year is 1984. I’m fourteen. My parents, my older sister, my two little sisters, and I are up visiting my grandparents in New York. My dad is reading the paper one morning and says, “Hey, Aaron, there’s a science fiction convention in town! Do you want to go?” Now, this is one of the cool things about my parents—neither of them were all that big into genre themselves (although my dad is the one who introduced me to Doctor Who) but they knew I was and had no problem with that. Case in point: the aforementioned exclamation. I, of course, say, “Wow, really? Yeah!”

Next thing I know, my parents are dropping me off at the convention—they give me money for a one-day pass and tell me when they’ll be back to pick me up. Yeah, I know, but different times and all that.

I spend the next few hours wandering the show. It was in a hotel downtown, I don’t remember which one anymore, but it had an enormous ballroom and that’s where they put the dealer’s room. I go from booth to booth, gawking at videotapes and patches and comics and books and posters and action figures and so on. It’s great—I’ve never been to a convention before and I absolutely love it. Continue reading