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Crazy 8 Press Expands with Two Additions

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NEW YORK – November 16, 2020 – Crazy 8 Press, the author collective populated with an all-star line-up of notable and best-selling science fiction and fantasy authors, announced today the incredible expansion of its roster with the addition of Geoffrey Thorne and Hildy Silverman.

As the first writers to join Crazy 8 Press as official members in more than five years, Thorne and Silverman bring the collective up to ten, the largest it’s ever been, adding to the collective’s roster consisting of Russ Colchamiro, Peter David, Mary Fan, Michael Jan Friedman, Robert Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Paul Kupperberg, and Aaron Rosenberg.

Thorne won accolades for his work in Simon & Schuster’s prestigious Strange New Worlds anthology, wrote the LOCUS best-selling Star Trek: Titan novel Sword of Damocles, was a writer on the hit TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent and became a writer-producer on multiple seasons of TNT’s Leverage and The Librarians.

Known for her short fiction, Silverman served as Editor-in-Chief of Space and Time Magazine for twelve years, cementing her as one of the most respected voices within the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres.

“Geoff and Hildy are terrific writers, great friends of ours, and individually and collectively bring a wealth of experience and success across multiple media to Crazy 8 Press,” Friedman said. “We just made a huge leap forward.”

“Crazy 8 Press just celebrated its tenth year together, and as we thought about the next ten, it was important to us that we grow, not just in size, but in diversifying our roster,” Greenberger said. “We are dedicated to bringing in talent that will further energize us, excite our fans, push us in new directions, and help us reach new readers and markets.”

Thorne previously contributed to all three volumes of Crazy 8 Press’s Pangaea anthology series, and wrote for Ben 10, Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers culminating with him being named head writer and showrunner of the two-time Image Award-nominated series Avengers: Black Panther’s Quest, as well as creating the Mosaic character and series for Marvel comics. Thorne is also executive producer of Pendant Audio’s Dreamnasium, a scripted scifi anthology series based on his novella collection of the same name.

Silverman previously contributed to several Crazy 8 Press anthologies, with her stories appearing in Love, Murder & Mayhem, They Keep Killing Glenn, Altered States of the Union, and Badass Moms. Her short fiction has also appeared in anthologies with other publishers including:Baker Street Irregulars II: The Game’s Afoot; Camelot 13; and The Divided States of America, among others.

“There is nothing, nothing, I like more than a bunch of good writers, writing stuff they really want to write,” Thorne said. “I’m thrilled to be invited into the pirate crew. Yo ho, maties! Let’s GO!”

“I’ve been a fan and friend of Crazy 8 Press since they launched ten years ago,” Silverman added. “They’re such a good bunch and loads of fun. I was shocked when they asked me to join and delighted to accept. I think I bring a lot to the table, and I’m excited to become an official member.”

Crazy 8 Press welcomes Thorne and Silverman as the collective promotes the Kickstarter campaign for its newest anthology, Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2, scheduled for publication in the spring of 2021. Earlier this year Crazy 8 Press released several new books, including Pangaea III, Badass Moms, Crackle and Fire, ZLONK! ZOK! ZOWIE! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman ’66 – Season One, and, most recently, Death In Silents.

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Debra Doyle: 1952-2020

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We are very sad to report that science fiction and fantasy author Dr. Debra Doyle passed away of a sudden cardiac event the evening of October 31, 2020 at the age of 67.

Debra was known for her numerous novels and stories co-authored with her husband James D. Macdonald (including their story “Gertrude of Wyoming” in our Altered States Of The Union anthology, her editorial work, her teaching work including her time with the Viable Paradise workshop, her doctoral thesis on Old English poetry, and her musical contributions to the Society for Creative Anachronism (under the name Malkingrey). She is survived by her husband, brother John Doyle, and children Katherine, Brendan, Peregrine, and Alexander.

The family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral costs, the extent of which is not currently known. Any additional funds raised beyond what is needed for burial will be used to ease the transition for her husband, Jim.

A wake will take place after the pandemic eases, as is believed Debra would prefer.

Her family is accepting messages and memories at this Google Form.

All of us here at the asylum offer our deepest condolences to her family, friends, students, and fans.

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Introducing Progenitor

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By Christopher D. Abbott

‘You think, sir, that unless this document is recovered there will be war?’

‘I think it is very probable.’

‘Then, sir, prepare for war.’

Sherlock Holmes to Lord Bellinger, taken from The Second Stain by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When it comes to war, I think we can all agree that no matter the reasons why we end up fighting, the business of it is, well… nasty. Like most people born after 1945, I cannot truly understand the horrors of it. Some 85 years have passed since its ending and despite the many terrible situations our world has faced since then, those horrors have diminished. We will remember, we say. But do we honestly recount the specifics of those who lost their lives so horrifically? I don’t think we always do.

When I wrote Progenitor for Crazy8Press, I decided on horror as my theme for the narrative. It made sense, since I set it during that terrible war. Yet the story itself isn’t about the war. It’s about a different kind of struggle under hideous circumstances, with a sci-fi(ish) twist.

Anyone who has read my work will know that I’m a character driven writer. I prefer dialogue and interactions over swathes of descriptive texts. Watching old sci-fi TV shows from the 50s and 60s, I find myself embroiled in their situations, lost inside a strange world that I can recognise… almost. And that’s what I wanted for this book. A sense of the real world, coupled with a terror that is far removed from it.

Progenitor, then, is a sci-fi horror mash-up with a little detective work thrown in for good measure. A story set in the backdrop of war, yet far enough away from it that it hardly features at all. A cataclysmic event in Washington, DC., finds the city destroyed by monsters. A few lone survivors, led by General William Marshall, escape to a facility that they hope they’ll be safe in. They couldn’t be more wrong.

The premise was borne from stories like The Thing and Alien. Combining the two, I put my heroes in circumstances that would test their strengths and weaknesses. Along the way, they come to understand that their world has changed. But there are still those misguided men who persist in holding onto their selfish and hideous ideals. Our heroes find themselves locked within a facility they thought would protect them. But they are not alone. They have to deal with an unscrupulous monster who has zero empathy for them or their predicament.

I hope that you enjoy the tale I’ve written. It has been a genuine joy delving into this genre. I, therefore, invite you to take a walk with General Marshall and his ragtag bunch of survivors but beware… the terrors that lurk within the pages, are not for the faint of heart.

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Angela Hardwicke, Intergalactic Private Eye

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I love private eyes. Always have. Part detective, part crime stopper, part secret agent. And lots of mystery.

And yet Angela Hardwicke, my hard-boiled PI who has now appeared in eight of my books through Crazy 8 Press, seemingly came out of nowhere.

Then again, doesn’t that sound like a private eye?

An amalgam of Doctor Who, Blade Runner, and Philip Marlowe, Angela Hardwicke first appeared in Genius de Milo, the second in my Finders Keepers sci-fi comedy backpacking trilogy, which might seem an odd place for a private eye to show up in the first place.

Loosely based on a series of backpacking trips I took through Europe and New Zealand with a buddy of mine, Finders Keepers is a Bill and Ted-style romp about two loveable knuckleheads running around the globe having zany adventures, while simultaneously mixed up in a quest for a jar containing the Universe’s DNA.

Finders Keepers was supposed to be one and done, but I left it open-ended, and ultimately followed up with the sequels Genius de Milo and Astropalooza, with the scope of the three-book narrative far exceeding my expectations.

When Hardwicke first shows up in Genius de Milo, it’s a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance, but I knew even then I was onto something, so Hardwicke played a much larger and significant role in Astropalooza. After that I was utterly hooked, and knew I’d be writing Hardwicke stories again.

Before I gave her a stand-alone novel, however, much less her own series, I put together an anthology for Crazy 8 Press called Love, Murder & Mayhem—I served as editor—collecting 15 stories from as many authors contributing a range of sci-fi mysteries. It was in this collection I wrote my first Hardwicke short story, “The Case of My Old New Life and the One I Never Knew,” about arson in a rock club in the galactic realm of Eternity.

Since then I’ve written a half dozen Hardwicke short stories, taking her from one end of the Cosmos to the other, with cases about a massive helix of the Universe’s DNA, rerouting Halley’s Comet, a whodunnit in a daycare center, and a case about an AI on death row, “The Case of Jarlo’s Buried Treasure,” which appears as a bonus story at the end of my first Hardwicke novel, Crackle and Fire, on sale today.

On the surface, Crackle and Fire has Hardwicke tracking down an intern from a galactic accounting firm who has disappeared with sensitive corporate files.

Yet the mystery, as these things do, becomes much larger than Hardwicke ever envisioned—she soon finds herself embroiled in a deadly case of lies, intrigue, and murder, clashing with vengeful gangsters, MinderNot rallies, and a madman who’s come a long way to get what he wants.

Dig even deeper, though, and you’ll find that Crackle and Fire is as much about Hardwicke having to make a critical decision—can she be an intergalactic private and all that comes with it and be a mother to her young son who, for reasons I won’t share now, is not in her care?

It’s a critical question for Hardwicke, and the answers don’t come easy.

As you can see, Hardwicke and I have been getting to know each other. It’s been a great relationship so far, but we’re just getting started. Hopefully you’ll come to know her, too.

Crackle and Fire is Hardwicke’s first novel, with many more deadly cases yet to come. I’m working on the sequel now, and it’s a doozy.

The only question for you is: are you ready for the ride?

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It was 10 Years Ago Today

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Ten years ago today, Mike Friedman had to pee.

One of the three charity roasts, organized by David Mack. A day later, the idea for Crazy 8 Press was launched and everyone depicted here (from left: Mike Friedman, Bob Greenberger, David Mack, Keith R.A. DeCandido, and Dayton Ward) has contributed to at least one release in the past decade,

While he was taking care of business, a gaggle of authors at Shore Leave, the premiere fan-run con in America, were lamenting the idiocy of publishers letting marketing people drive editorial purchases. As a result, ideas that got us excited were being met with, “we can’t pigeonhole that so can’t sell it”.

We were watching other authors begin to self-publish, with more than a few forming their own consortiums. By the time Mike came out of the men’s room, we buttonholed him, since he started this thread of thinking earlier. Before we knew it, a group was forming.

From left: Glenn Hauman, Howard Weinstein, Peter David, Mike Friedman, Aaron Rosenberg, and Bob Greenberger introduce the world to Crazy 8 Press during our debut panel.

A year later, Crazy 8 Press made its triumphant debut at Shore Leave, with the authors publicly writing a round-robin novella that was our first release. Demon Circle was published at the beginning of fall 2011 and we have been going at it ever since.

We started with Mike, Aaron Rosenberg, Peter David, Howard Weinstein, Glenn Hauman, and Robert Greenberger. Others, who were part of the initial planning, bowed out, but we still called ourselves Crazy 8, because, why not? Soon after, Paul Kupperberg joined the band and a few years later, we welcomed in Russ Colchamiro. Two years back, we invited Mary Fan to the asylum. Kathleen O’Shea David and Jenifer Purcell Rosenberg both took turns trying to help our social marketing and wrangling the eight author cats. Silly them. But, both were welcomed to the party and each has contributed to several of our anthologies.

Our founding father, Mike Friedman, takes his turn writing our round-robin story, Demon Circle, in the brick prison, as an anxious public watched his sweat.

Crazy 8 Press is unique in that it has a decentralized structure as authors publish as they see fit, and we all join forces to help market and support each new release. About six years ago, we struck on the notion that since most of us attended Shore Leave, it was an ideal place to launch a new title and hit on the themed-anthology idea in order to showcase all of our us. Then we started inviting our friends and we generated some excitement.

Last year, we decided this was working so well, that we’d shift to twice a year releases, timed to our appearances at Farpoint in February and Shore Leave in July. Covid-19 sort of threw a spanner in the works so that first release, Mike’s Pangaea III, got delayed. But, tomorrow, right on schedule, Mary Fan’s Bad Ass Moms arrives right on time. Since it is coming out at the beginning of our tenth anniversary year, it also sports our brand new 10th anniversary logo.

We have plans brewing for the next twelve months, including some new titles, some merchandise, and whatever else we can do while socially distance and keeping one another safe.

This looks to be an exciting year for us so stay tuned for our announcements.

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