Category Archives: New Releases

New Book Launch: The Fated Blade, Book Three of the Areyat Isles Trilogy

Crazy 8 Press author Aaron Rosenberg has just released the thrilling conclusion to the Areyat Isles pirate series!


Serving as both a finale and a stand-alone adventure, THE FATED BLADE follows disguised companions Sundra and Ruhi as they face family conflicts, pirate conspiracies, and an ancient artifact while risking their new lives to confront Sundra’s past.

“This is a romping fun read that absolutely stands on its own, even to a reader who hasn’t yet enjoyed the first two books in the series.” —Robyn Bennis, author of the Signal Airship series


Aaron says about this book, “I’m a huge fan of pirate tales and swashbuckling adventures, and there’s nothing better than a heart-stopping conclusion to a trilogy. I had a big story I wanted to tell and knew from the outset I was going to need a few books to do all the characters and intersecting plotlines justice. With The Fated Blade, I held nothing back.”

And don’t miss the first two books of the trilogy! Journey to the treacherous Areyat Isles, where pirates rule and danger lurks in every shadow. Follow two young adventurers as they unravel deadly plots, confront ancient mysteries, and navigate a world of chaos and intrigue.

New Book Launch: Trigger Point, An Angela Hardwicke Sci-Fi Thriller

Q&A with Author Russ Colchamiro

With a new year comes a new sci-fi thriller from Crazy 8 Press inmate Russ Colchamiro, featuring his intergalactic hardboiled private eye Angela Hardwicke. Part Blade Runner, part Fringe, Hardwicke is back again in Trigger Point.

As Hardwicke gears up for another genre blending thriller, we sat down with Russ to discuss this noirish sci-fi tale and his long-range plans for the character:


Crazy 8 Press: What genre are the Angela Hardwicke stories?

Russ: These are all sci-fi thrillers, mixing noir, action, suspense, and touches of horror. Some are more cyberpunk than others.

C8: Angela Hardwicke is hard boiled private eye, but in a Blade Runner-style world. What kinds of cases does she take?

Russ: Hardwicke takes the kinds of cases you would think a private eye would take. Arson, kidnapping, missing persons, extortion, murder, and corporate espionage. But she also takes on cases dealing with galactic lunatics, cosmic repairmen, androids, soul stealers, off-world conspiracies, and a miles-long helixes of the Universe’s DNA, just to list a few.


C8: Are the Hardwicke novels serialized or can new readers dive in anywhere?

Russ: Each novel is a stand-alone sci-fi mystery/thriller, where I reintroduce the characters and worldbuilding so you can jump in anywhere. You can read these novels in any order. If Trigger Point is your first introduction to Hardwicke, you’ll know exactly where you are.

C8: What’s the set-up for Trigger Point?

Russ: Hardwicke has just been released from prison for reasons you’ll have to discover for yourself! As her first solo case back on the street, she is hired by a paranoid pimp whose best earner has been murdered under suspicious circumstances. Meanwhile, Hardwicke’s protégé Eric Whistler is missing, forcing her to partner with a sketchy police detective and a reclusive old friend as the fabric of spacetime begins to unravel.

Hardwicke is on a road of redemption, which leads her through a harrowing journey of ancient theories, terrified sex workers, nightmares, ghosts, the Dreamscape… and demons from her past she can no longer ignore.

C8: Hold on. How do you go from street-level investigation about a murdered sex worker to the disintegrating fabric of the Universe?

Russ: Ha ha! Well, that’s the fun, isn’t it? If you’ve read any of the previous novels in the series, I think you’ll find that Hardwicke has a knack for uncovering these kinds of cases. In Trigger Point, I wanted a case that pulled together various threads from the novels that came before it, and recurring characters who needed some closure, including her son, Owen, and her partner, Whistler. Living in Hardwicke’s world can take a toll; either you rise to the challenge… or you don’t. It’s a staple of the series, linking street-level investigations to larger conspiracies that often threaten a whole lotta people.


C8: You say Trigger Point deals with nightmares and the Dreamscape? Anything you can tell us about that?

Russ: In every Hardwicke book, I combine recurring landmarks and worldbuilding but want to give readers new territory to explore. I’ve wanted to delve into the Dreamscape since I first started writing Hardwicke. Her nightmares are pretty damn terrifying!

C8: Trigger Point also deals with pimps and sex workers. Are there any trigger warnings here (no pun intended)?

Russ: Sex work can be a taboo subject. And noir is often grimy. Trigger Point is one of those books, at least in part. There are many sex workers who willingly choose that life. Trigger Point deals with some who feel trapped. There are no sex scenes in Trigger Point, but what these women endure is often pleasant. I tried to handle the content respectfully. Your mileage may vary.

C8: Let’s talk about that cover. Wow!

Russ: Thanks! I knew from the beginning I wanted the main image of Hardwicke being electrocuted. It’s specific to the plot. And then the dog, well… it was a happy accident that also ties in directly with the dangers she faces.

C8: This is your fifth Hardwicke novel. What’s next for her?

Russ: Trigger Point wraps up what I consider to be Series 1. I have another five novels in the Hardwicke universe ready to go… if the fans want them (hint-hint). I also have some other Hardwicke projects I’ll be able to talk about next year.

Trigger Point is on sale now!

The Adventures of Cannon Belle is Coming This Month

NEW YORK, NY – March 1, 2024— Author collective Crazy 8 Press announced today that the new swashbuckling historical romance The Adventures of Cannon Belle is now available in paperback and eBook formats.

Written by award-winning author Aaron Rosenberg, The Adventures of Cannon Belle chronicles the tale of Isabella Parsons, the well-mannered daughter of a Regency England baron, who lives a secret double life as the feared female pirate captain Cannon Belle Pearcy.

But when a handsome Navy commander is charged with quelling this dangerous pirate threat—and begins wooing the loveliest lady in the region—Bella’s two worlds collide.

“I first created the character for our pulp anthology Thrilling Adventure Yarns,” Rosenberg said.“I wanted to write a swashbuckler story with a different spin, so I came up with a female pirate captain, but one rooted in the Regency romance style a la Jane Austen. The response was so positive I kept coming back to her. With the novel, I was able to expand the scope of her adventures and raise the stakes in ways even I hadn’t anticipated.”

While much of Rosenberg’s work is filled with humor, The Adventures of Cannon Belle is a straight-up adventure-romance. In the novel, buccaneer Cannon Belle sails headfirst into the risks and rewards of a life split between polite society, ruthless pirates, and the most dangerous treasure of all—love.

            “Aaron is never satisfied working in just one genre,” said Crazy 8 Press founding member Bob Greenberger. “His ability to immerse himself—and the reader—into new and different worlds is always a thrill. I never anticipated a female pirate adventure or a romance novel from him, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. I hope Aaron will keep this habit going. Each story is better than the last.”

The Adventures of Cannon Belle is available for sale on Amazon.com.

Geoffrey Thorne’s Into the Mystic Collection is now Available

NEW YORK, NY – Author collective Crazy 8 Press announced today that Into the Mystic: Tales of the Grim Arcana, a collection of tales featuring creatures, dark magic, and other threats overflowing from Hell, is now available in paperback and eBook formats.

Written by TV writer Geoffrey Thorne, Into the Mystic: Tales of the Grim Arcana, collects five tales set in Arcana, a city on the border between the comfortable reality of what is known and the dangerous shadows of what the world has forgotten.

Into the Mythic was inspired by other series that blended dark fantasy, horror, and adventure, including The Dresden Files, TV’s Angel, and The Librarians.

“Arcana is the city where that creepy house at the end of the street absolutely lives up to its chilling reputation, where an overcrowded Hell sends its excess damned,” explains Thorne, who has also done tie-in work for Star Trek and Ultimate Spider-Man and was a writer on the hit series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Leverage, and The Librarians. “It’s the place where Creation sits in a ball the size of a snow globe, and Armageddon lurks in the alley outside your door.”

Featuring inventive world-building, shady characters, and threats to body, mind, and soul, these dark, fantastical tales were previously released individually as The Grim Arcana books, now collected for the first time. They also set the stage for an upcoming novel that will expand on the characters and mythology.

            “Geoff is a tremendous storyteller who blends the fantastical, the grim, and the hopeful,” said Crazy 8 Press founding member Bob Greenberger. “With Into the Mystic, he’s invited readers into a creepy and mysterious world that straddles the border of reality, dark magic—and terror.”

Into the Mystic: Tales of the Grim Arcana, is available for sale on Amazon.com.

Blunt Force Rising, 4th Angela Hardwick Novel, Launches Today

NEW YORK, NY – September 13, 2023— Author collective Crazy 8 Press announced today that Blunt Force Rising, the fourth novel in the Angela Hardwicke sci-fi noir series from Russ Colchamiro, is now for sale. Set entirely on a galaxy cruise ship, Blunt Force Rising is the most intense, nail-biting novel in the series to date.

Featuring hardboiled private eye Angela Hardwicke, who Colchamiro describes as part Blade Runner, part Doctor Who, part Sarah Connor, the future-set series has received high acclaim from award-winning sci-fi, crime, and horror authors and film directors.

“Russ Colchamiro has staked out a territory of sci-fi mystery uniquely his own,” says Nicholas Meyer, writer/director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. “With Angela Hardwicke, he mines a vein of pulp fiction gold.”

In this latest sci-fi mystery featuring the titular heroine, Hardwicke, and her protégé Eric Whistler are hired by Ther’eda Ranadyne, the realm’s sole creator of androids, to provide extra security during an industry conference aboard a galaxy cruise ship.

Isolated millions of miles from home, the event quickly devolves into heated arguments between the pro-android community and its detractors, while a murder sets off a harrowing chain of events, the likes of which even Hardwicke has never faced.

“With Blunt Force Rising, I challenged myself in ways I’ve never done before,” Colchamiro says. “Androids serve as surrogates for the various marginalized communities we see today, who are under constant assault simply for being who they are, with their attackers extolling a violent, irrational hatred they themselves don’t seem to understand, nor ones they can calmly articulate.”

Yet with Blunt Force Rising, Colchamiro promises more of his Hardwicke sci-fi noir escapism.

“Set in a near-future weird-science, cosmic techno-noir, and featuring my new favorite hardboiled sleuth, Colchamiro’s latest mystery, Blunt Force Rising, pits organics against androids and friends against one another in a breakneck thriller,” says Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winner, and co-author of the Path of Ra series. “Deadly sharp social commentary delivered through hi-tech lenses. I love it!”

Colchamiro also notes that each novel in the series—which includes Crackle and Fire, Fractured Lives, Hot Ash, and Blunt Force Rising—is a stand-alone mystery. They can be read in any order, as in each mystery, he re-introduces the setting and characters for new readers.

Blunt Force Rising is on sale now in print and eBook formats.

ISBN: 978-0998364193

AISN: B0C9MWSPPK

MORE PRAISE FOR ANGELA HARDWICKE:

“I wanted to be Angela Hardwicke!” Linda D. Addison, Bram Stoker-award-winning author of How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend

“Colchamiro’s Fractured Lives is a fun house mirror of a compelling read.” Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of Sleepless City

“Angela Hardwicke is a wisecracking, tough, and tenacious PI worthy of unraveling a complicated investigation set in a fascinating universe without ever losing sight of the traits that make her—and by extension, us—human.” —Colorado Book Award-Winning author M.E. Browning

“[With Hot Ash], Colchamiro has created a fast-paced, action-packed sci-fi mystery. The gritty crime is well-crafted and unexpected, with punchy dialogue and graphic fight scenes that will appeal to genre fans.”  —The BookLife Prize

ABOUT RUSS COLCHAMIRO

Russ Colchamiro is the author of the ongoing sci-fi noir series featuring hardboiled private eye Angela Hardwicke. He is currently working on the fifth Hardwicke novel.

A member of Crazy 8 Press, Private Eye Writers of America, and board member of the Mystery Writers of America NY Chapter, Russ is also the co-author and editor of the noir novella collection Murder in Montague Falls, has contributed short stories to more than fifteen anthologies, including various Hardwicke mysteries, and is the author of the sci-fi adventure novels Crossline, Finders Keepers, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza.

Russ also hosts his popular Russ’s Rockin’ Rollercoaster podcast, interviewing a who’s who of science fiction, crime, mystery, and horror authors.

He lives in Northern New Jersey with his wife, two ninjas, a black lab, Jinx, and precocious kitten, Callie, who both may be aliens as well.

Social Media:

Instagram, Twitter/X, Threads: @AuthorDudeRuss

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@authorduderuss/featured

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/russ.colchamiro

“What Took You So Long…?”

There’s an old Yiddish saying that translates to: “Man plans, and God laughs.” Boyohboy, did the Writing Gods yuck it up at my expense.

FLASHBACK: Things were going swimmingly for me in September 2017. My new book Galloway’s Gamble had just been published by Western-historical fiction specialist Five Star Publishing, and (after four decades writing lots of Star Trek and other science fiction) my very first historical novel also won a Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award—a little icing on the cake.  

When my Five Star editors asked for more stories about endearingly argumentative brothers Jamey and Jake Galloway, I thought I’d won the writer’s lottery! I’d stumbled into a new storytelling niche I loved. I was embarking on my very own novel series. And I believed I’d found a happy publishing home for the rest of my writing days.  

But . . . “Man plans, and God laughs.”

Right around the time Galloway’s Gamble came out, I started having back problems that would keep me from sleeping for the next four years (which ain’t good for the brain). After twenty different medical practitioners, umpteen different drugs, and back surgery all failed to help; I’d lost four productive years and counting (although many people suffer far worse misfortune than I did). 

Speaking of which, there was also that disruptive little pandemic thing.

Then a tiny miracle happened—no thanks to all those doctors, I accidentally discovered a prescription drug combo which actually enabled me to get some sleep (and hasn’t caused alarming side-effects, like growing a second head or third arm . . . yet). I was able to resume making slow, steady progress on Galloway’s Gamble 2 and finally finished it—YAAAAAY!!!—only to learn that Five Star was being shut down by its parent company after 27 years of publishing award-winning fiction. Noooooo!

Faced with the reality that few other publishers (the kind that actually pays their writers, anyway) are doing this kind of book, I made the decision many fellow writers have also made—to self-publish. So that’s how I and Galloway’s Gamble 2: Lucifer & The Great Baltimore Brawl ended up at Crazy 8 Press, the writers’ collective I helped found a dozen years ago. Galloway’s Gamble 2 is the second book from Crazy 8’s new Western-historical imprint Silverado Press.

While science fiction has to be plausible, historical fiction has to be accurate. So, once I decided to write about 19th-century horse racing–America’s first true national sport, about which I knew very little—I dove into research. Not only did I learn lots of mundane details needed to give this tale authenticity, I also found some brilliant gold nuggets that enriched the entire story. 

When I read about millionaire horseman James Ben Ali Haggin, whose plan to enter a long shot stallion in the 1886 Kentucky Derby and collect a betting windfall was upended by a bookmakers strike, the legendary 1877 Great Sweepstakes match race at Pimlico, which drew nationwide attention; and the 19th-century dominance of Black jockeys, I knew I had the recipe for a tasty Galloway’s Gamble 2 stew worth cooking.

So what’s the story? After their friends are swindled out of a champion racehorse by ruthless rival Cortland Van Brunt III in a fog-shrouded San Francisco sprint, Jamey and Jake Galloway lead the gang on a snakebit, obstacle-strewn transcontinental quest: Can they reach Baltimore in time for a desperate long-shot bid to win back prized stallion Phoenix in a grudge-match race at Pimlico?

And that’s what took me so long.

But I’m happy to report that Galloway’s Gamble and Galloway’s Gamble 2 are available in paperback and ebook editions from Amazon.com. Both are fast, fun reads, and I hope even readers who’ve never tried historical fiction will enjoy them.