Lmst

Didn't do a marketing post in a while, so, uh...

If you DO like:
- your protagonists a bit on the broken side of things
- women who don't give a toss about what anybody is telling them
- "oh, shit" conga lines (that thing starts a few minutes after an explosion destroyed large parts of the ship and it doesn't get better anytime, soon)

And if you DON'T like:
- toxic relationships
- violence as the ultimate solution
- stories without glimmers of hope

#HeraldPetrel might be the #SciFi novel you haven't yet read, but might enjoy. You can get it at your favorite store here:
https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel

Book review by @liminalfiction here:
https://www.limfic.com/2025/02/16/review-herald-petrel-strange-seawolf/

@bookstodon #SciFi #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #CharacterdrivenSciFi #ReadingCommunity #BookReviews

Graphic with tropes and arrows for book promotion showing Herald Petrel and a can of Irn Bru. “Broken main character” points to the cover with an image of Captain Herald Galahad. “Seriously, he doesn’t want to be in this story. But still is.” points to “Broken main character”. “No white male savior (not sorry!) points to nothing. “Romantic subplot involved” points to “Broken main character” and to “Strong women”. “Dark” points to book. “But also hope” points to “dark”. “With situational humor” points to “dark”, “but also hope” and “broken main character”. “Hurt/comfort”, “Proud ace character”, “Cargo space ship in distress” and “unlikely heroes from various species and cultures” point to book. Can of Irn Bru is labeled “No Irn Bru in the story (sorry!)”

The one time I got the whole #HeraldPetrel crew to pose for a crew picture.

Left to right:
Bill Cox (logistics Specialist)
Waylon Grass (Chief of Logistics)
Lynda O'Brian (Chef Engineer and yes, that's a "Best Wife Ever" cup in her hand and she deserves it)
Raffi (assistant and best friend of our captain and that is title enough!)
Harry Galahad (Captain. Even though he doesn't want to)
Siff Braghor (Commander, First Officer)
Caesar Hector Merrimen (Defense Officer)
Intan Lanny Kartawijaya (Communications Officer, 2nd shift)
Peter Bergman (Communications Officer, 1st shift)
Hayden Sinclair (Chief of Security)

Yes, I am crazy enough to have my own set of custom #lego #minifigs made. No, I don't care what you think about that!

BTW: Today is the last day you can get #HeraldPetrel for 50% off at #Smashwords due to #ebookweek25

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1584221

#SciFi #SpaceOpera #QueerSpaceOpera #ReadingCommunity #WritingCommunity #bookstodon #EnsembleCast #Team #Crew #CharacterDrivenSciFi #Characters #LegoMinifigures

The crew of the Herald Petrel as lego minifigs standing in front of the hardcover edition of the book.

For those who wondered about my #WordWeavers answer yesterday: Yes, I was crazy enough to design even a few pages of The Company's Handbook of the #HeraldPetrel
It is the same kind of corporate bullshit you will find in today's marketing. Not much has changed since then.

Does this count as promotion? I sure hope it does when I place a book link here: https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel

#ScienceFiction #CharacterDrivenSciFi #SciFi #SpaceOpera #ReadingCommunity

Page from the Cargo SpaceShip Handbook in the usual, soulless company design 2024 corporate stuff radiates as well.

Table of Contents
01 Oath to The Company
02 Cargo Spaceships - The Petrels
History, Present, Future
03 Space Ship Act
Important Passages
04 Company Guidelines
05 Meet The Crew

Oath to The Company

“One Company - One Goal.“

From Mother Earth you came,
and shared your blessings wide.
We’re here to spread your fame,
to your rules we abide.

Oh, Company, sweet Company,
to you we pledge today.

We’ll do our best, we’ll help you grow!

One Company - One Goal.

A graph showing the development of three kinds of fleets between 2505 and 2525. The grey line of free cargo ships declining with a huge decline in 2015, the other two lines of passenger's fleets and Company cargo fleets steadily growing.
Text:
The Cargo Fleet -
You are part of something bigger!
In the last 20 years The Company’s cargo fleet has risen from meager beginnings to unfathomable heights.
With its unique growth, it even let the passenger fleet behind. You are part of one of the most powerful forces in the universe!
When you decided to wear the stripes of The Company you have made a wise decision.
The universe is an ever growing market and all those new species will need products from The Company delivered right to their doorstep.
You have subscribed to our highest ethical standards, emission reduction, and sustainable delivery.
In a competitive process, you have been chosen as one of the few worthy of wearing The Company’s uniform.

Meet the Crew page with three headshots which are lego minifigs of the charaters

Harold Galahad
Captain
With 30 years of experience Harold Galahad knows the ins and outs of space travel.
He has a background in Space Navigation and Intergalactic Law.
He is a true Earthborn.

Siff Braghor
Commander
First Officer of the Herald Petrel.

Hayden Sinclair
Chief of Security
A true self-made man of the Company he has risen through our ranks, from Aspirant to Lieutenant Commander.
He keeps everybody on board safe.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

"Beats Expectations [...] Needless to say, I will be reading any further works by this new voice (for me) - and looking into other independent authors."

Don't get me wrong, I love getting a great #review. But one that says it encouraged them to read more #IndieAuthors ? Priceless!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8KPPKP9/

https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel

@bookstodon #ReadingCommunity #ScienceFiction #SciFi #SelfPublishing #Reading #SpaceOperas #bookstodon #BookLovers #CharacterDrivenSciFi

Book cover of the SciFi novel Herald Petrel by Strange Seawolf, depicting Captain Harold Galahad running down a beaten up corridor on a space ship. He looks determined and wears a deranged company uniform with a long, flowing cloak, under his arm he carries a green glowing machine part.

Artwork by Alj:
https://www.instagram.com/aljeensane/

Back of the book with the blurb reading:

If you ask Harold Galahad, he isn’t fit to lead the crew of the half-destroyed cargo spaceship Herald Petrel back home. But nobody asks Harry.
An explosion leaves the ship helplessly floating in space and Harry reliving his own personal nightmare. He doesn’t want to be a captain anymore, and nobody trusts him as captain—least of all himself. The crew behaves strangely, his first officer is less than helpful, and the more he finds out, the more Harry has to challenge his own beliefs. While forced to relive the darkest part of his past, Captain Harold Galahad needs to figure out what happened and find a way back home.

Totally forgotten to post this gem.
A character interview with Commander Siff Braghor has dropped. Now, Siff is a whole different breed than Galahad or Raffi...

https://thereadingbud.com/2024/09/14/character-interview-siff-braghor/

As a reminder, here are the two others

Galahad:
https://thereadingbud.com/2024/08/13/character-interview-captain-harold-galahad/

Raffi:
https://thereadingbud.com/2024/08/26/character-interview-rafaela-louise-sanchez-gomez-aka-raffi/

And the book review:
https://thereadingbud.com/2024/07/28/book-review-herald-petrel-by-strange-seawolf/

Artwork by https://www.instagram.com/aljeensane/

@bookstodon #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #SciFi #SpaceOdyssey #HeraldPetrel #ReadingCommunity #CharacterDrivenSciFi

Commander Siff Braghor, a woman with short brown hair, undercut, dangles on a rope while something explodes behind her. She wears a teared company uniform, brown gloves, googles around her neck, a safety gear and a smug smile, In her right hand, she carries a can of "High Roar", a 26th century energy drink. Artwork by https://www.instagram.com/aljeensane/

Follow Galahad's Mental Health Advice in 5 simple steps!

#HeraldPetrel is a character driven #ScienceFiction adventure, categorized by a reader as "Dystopian But Fun Space Opera"

Another one wrote:

"Herald Petrel is a story unlike any other I’ve read. It’s part space opera, part dystopian future, part adventure, part romance."

I swear our captain offers sane advice here - which is rare (on both accounts).

https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel

@bookstodon
#SpaceOpera #CharacterDrivenSciFi #SciFi

A chart saying ""Galahad's Mental Health Advice" It shows captain Galahad in the middle with five equal sections of a half circle with advice:
1. Have a Raffi in your life. If you haven't, search for a Raffi.
2. Don't let anybody guilt-trip you into a position you don't want
3. Trust nobody
4. Don't board a cargo spaceship
5. Don't ask how the coffee in the canteen is made. Seriously, don't!

A few #SafetyWarnings for #readers

This is written for #HeraldPetrel but - except for who to contact in an emergency - definitely not exclusive.

Remember kids: read responsibly!

https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel

@bookstodon #SciFi #ReadingCommunity #SpaceOpera #ScienceFiction #CharacterDrivenSciFI #bookstodon #StupidInfoGrafics #SafetyFirst

A safety guideline style poster with "Herald Petrel Guidelines" on yellow ground, symbols and safety warnings are on a green ground.

Safety googles symbol: "Wear reading googles, a comfort blanky and warm socks at all times."

Symbol with three glass containers: "Have some pre-cooked food ready so you don't need to cook."

'no food allowed' symbol: "Do not eat or drink if you are using an ebook device."

A glass vial and a glass can with liquid: "If you made tea, don't forget you made tea."

A warning sign: "Know what to do in case of an emergency."

A sponge and spray bottle: "Do chores before starting chapter 1."

The inflammable symbol: "If you find a character hot, that's okay. The author does as well."

Trash cans: "Yes, it is trashy and cheesy in places. That's a feature, not a bug."

Glass with a label, arrow pointing to label: "Read the trigger warnings if you are sensitive to some topics."

Broken glass vial: "Don't complain if your heart gets broken. We'll fix it, eventually."

Below that in big black letters "in case of emergency" then in smaller font:

"Uhm, good luck. I mean, you can try connecting with the author.
You’ll find them on Mastodon @strangeseawolf@mindly.social and on Instagram strange.seawolf but seriously, it is probably a better idea to just scream into the void."

Good news! You don't need to buy #HeraldPetrel !

I made you a handy graphic with the #highlights for free! 😂

Cover art by Alj: https://www.instagram.com/aljeensane/

https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel

@bookstodon #SciFi #ReadingCommunity #SpaceOpera #ScienceFiction #CharacterDrivenSciFI #StupidInfoGrafics

Map that looks like a roadmap for company presentations with some pivotal points in Herald Petrel

2522/4/17 11:32 a.m.
Boom

2522/4/17 2:01 p.m.
Okay, that's bad.

2522/4/17 7:38 p.m.
Okay, that is FAR worse than it seemed.

2522/4/17 10.15 p.m.
OMG

2522/4/20
No rest for the wicked, huh?

2522/4/22 3:43 p.m.
WTF?

2522/5/5 3:36 p.m.
That's a showdown if I ever have seen one! Oh, wait, it's not over...

2522/5/5 5:05 p.m.
Aaaah. Oh? Oh. ooooh? Oh. Awwww!

Book cover of the upcoming SciFi novel Herald Petrel by Strange Seawolf, depicting Captain Harold Galahad running down a beaten up corridor on a space ship. He looks determined and wears a deranged company uniform with a long, flowing cloak, under his arm he carries a green glowing machine part.

Okay, bear with me, but I just love this review.🥺 🥰

"One of the best things about this book was the way the author has weaved a multi-layered mystery within the narrative. The suspense is palpable, driving the story forward with a relentless pace that ensures there's never a dull moment. Moreover, the author's world-building is out-of-the-world"

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6706141776

#HeraldPetrel #SpaceOpera #SpaceOdyssey #ScienceFiction #SciFi #CharacterDrivenSciFi #ReadingCommunity #bookstodon

"Herald Petrel is an amazing science fiction read, offering a story that is as much about overcoming personal demons as it is about the thrill of space exploration. It is a heart-pounding adventure that delivers in spades, making it a must-read that will leave you thinking long after the last page is turned."

5 stars on goodreads

(yes, I am hovering over the ground right now, why do you ask? 😂 )

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6706141776

#HeraldPetrel #SpaceOpera #CharacterDrivenSciFi #SciFi @bookstodon

Cover of Herald Petrel, Captain Harold Galahad running down a beaten up corridor with dangling wires, a strange glowing box under his arm. Artwork by https://www.instagram.com/aljeensane/

Thread: What the characters think #HeraldPetrel is about.

Captain Harold Galahad, what is this book about?

“It is about how I fail as a captain. I don’t want to be a captain. Better: I can’t be a captain anymore. This skill died with Aretha. I don’t want any of this. All I want is to be in Charkovaya again and hide behind my desk.”

Minifigs by minifigs.me

https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel?format=all

@bookstodon #SciFi #SpaceOpera #SpaceOdyssey #ReadingCommunity #grief #griefandhope #PTSD #CharacterDrivenSciFi