#WordWeavers 3: Is your MC a good cook? Any special dishes?

Galahad is an okayish cook. Nothing fancy, but his mom has taught him all the necessary things about housekeeping (love that I could make that canon in the prequel), including basic cooking skills and knowlege about a balanced diet. No special dishes but he can cook a good stew with nearly everything.
In fact, the only thing that horrifies him if he thinks about his future career as a captain is that he has to eat the bland processed food that is standard on spaceships. In fact, one reason why he studies at Charkovaya University and not on Earth is that they have a decent cafeteria.

#MarkethingMonday What are 5 things to hate about #HeraldPetrel ?

* You call the main character "Galahad" and then he is like...never actually saving the day? He's like...dunno... a Non-Action Hero? That's false advertising!

* It says #SciFi but there aren't any robots? And no sentient ship AI?? WTF?

* TOO WOKE!!!! Shoves a queer character into your face every few chapters. Some of them are even couples *yuck* And all that tolerance for all species and cultures is just nauseating!

* Too straight!!! There is a romance between the male MC and a female really-also-the-MC and I don't care if you say he's #demisexual and his best friend is #aromantic, you have no rights to file it in the #LGBTIAQ+ category!

* But we need capitalism! It isn't the dystopian scenario you are describing as its logical endpoint. Capitalism good. How dare you challenging my belief in capitalism!

https://mindly.social/@strangeseawolf/112744652647377583

In other news, Herald Petrel is now available on Bookshare for those who are members of the service.
Thank you to @Fragglemuppet for pointing me to it! I think @WeirdWriter you were interested as well?

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6527411

I just donated 2 copies of #HeraldPetrel to the Queer Liberation Library https://www.queerliberationlibrary.org/mission-history-team
Will take until June to be available there but in case you have a few extra bucks to spare, this is a worthy cause to bring more queer books to people who need/want/should read them but may not be able to buy them.
#WritingCommunity #LGBTIAQ #QueerBooks #QueerWriters #Queer

#WordWeavers 11: Share an inspiration for one of your settings

*tries to pry skull open*
*gets screwdriver*
*screwdriver hasn't the right bit*
*searches the cellar frantically for the right bit*
*throws hands*

Sorry, no inspiration. It is just all in my head and I can't show you since I don't get that blasted thing open.

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

So, tomorrow it is my turn for #ScribesAndMakers Ask A Creator Day #TTMD. I have no idea what to expect but I am sure it will be a big adventure!
I enjoy gushing about my characters (which you probably don't know, but, just in case...) and "what if" scenarios. I chose to ignore personal questions if they make me uncomfortable. Which doesn't mean you can't ask them, anyway, just that you shouldn't take it personal if I ignore them.

See you tomorrow!

Oh, what do I make, you ask? I am writing #fanfiction and original stuff. My current universe is the one of the #HeraldPetrel

https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel

#PennedPossibilities 650 — What profession would you have if you lived within the world of your WIP?

I'd probably manage to sneak in on one of those positions that are always overlooked and nobody understands what they are doing but if you keep quiet, nobody makes you redundand. Not a classical "red shirt", since those don't exist, neither in reality nor on the #HeraldPetrel, but perhaps one of the systems crew or in the administration, so either troubleshooting the manifold systems of the ship ("Gosh, that thing is outdated, when did you run the last upgrade??") or filing reports for the different authorities (while occassionally sneaking a document under a pile of others for the higher-ups to sign which will result in someone I think deserves it getting a pay raise). Certainly nobody who makes it "on page".

#WritersCoffeeClub 20: What role does #religion play in your writing?
Since the crew is a mixed bunch religion does play a role in #HeraldPetrel in the sense that different cultures believe different things. It is not at the center of the story, neither in season 1 nor 2, but you will find it referenced in the way characters think about death and the afterlife or simply in side remarks or how they swear.
In #HeraldPetrel2 a common swear phrase in one culture is "What in the Mother Goddess fatherfucking name...??" and it drives my autocorrect crazy.

If you ask Harold Galahad, he isn’t fit to lead a crew or command a ship. But nobody is asking Harry.

Instead, he finds himself back on the bridge, on a ship stranded in space, no help in sight, only kept alive by remnants of a gradually failing life support system.

His crew? A nurse running out of tentacles and eyes to care for all the wounded, a chief engineer who knows all about her systems but struggles with people, a chief of security who thinks everything can be solved with paragraphs from the Company’s handbook, a cursing chief of logistics, an anxiety-ridden communications officer, and a first officer who stays mysterious and feigns ignorance. This ship needs a captain to avert a complete disaster that includes the death of everyone on board.

If you enjoy a complex tale that brings a human element to all species that travel space, combined with a multi-layered mystery, and starring a broken hero, Herald Petrel might be the book for you.

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

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

Artwork by https://www.instagram.com/aljeensane/
Blurred for direct eye contact.

After contemplating for a while I decided to join @liminalfiction as an author.

What won me over is that a couple of authors I know from the #WritingCommunity here like @crcollins and @youseeatortoise are there as well. Also, which place doesn't get immediately better when @clacksee is around?

And they have a really cool search option where you can search by tags, something I really miss in online bookstores.

Took me a while to tag #HeraldPetrel and now I have so many ideas... So far I haven't found a way to include a ferocious poodle in one of my stories but that might be a new challenge...

https://www.limfic.com/book/herald-petrel/

If you like:

- ensemble cast #ScienceFiction
- unusual heroes
- a broad range of personalities, belief systems, worldviews, genders, humanoid and non-humanoid species, romantic and aromantic relationships...
- a dystopian setting with light-hearted elements and a hopeful outlook
- a trauma-ridden and a bit dorky main character who doesn't want to be a captain
- a mix of action and emotions
- stories like The Expanse or The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
- solutions not based on violence
- finding out what the heck happened

Then maybe #HeraldPetrel is something for you. It is 50% off at #Smashwords due to #ebookweek25

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

A part of the crew getting together in the canteen and being their own, typical selves was brought to life by @fieryzard

So, uhm, guess what? It is #ebookweek25 on Smashwords so Herald Petrel is 50% off!

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

I tried to do one of those handy marketing arrow graphic to give you an idea if it could be something for you!

Also, @liminalfiction wrote

"A long and engrossing story which is kind of a thriller, set in the aftermath of an explosion on a space ship... If you enjoy ‘hard’ science fiction and space opera with a helping of romance, you will love this book. 5 stars."

@bookstodon #HeraldPetrel #SciFi #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #WritingCommunity

"If you enjoy ‘hard’ science fiction and space opera with a helping of romance, you will love this book."

Jay at @liminalfiction about Herald Petrel. Read the full review here:

https://www.limfic.com/2025/02/16/review-herald-petrel-strange-seawolf/

It was also posted on @queerscifi for its representation of various genders and sexualities.

You can get it online in all of your favorite bookstores:
https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel

Yes, this is a marketing post. It is also a "Still can't believe Liminal Fiction bothered with reviewing it and I am still floating about 2 inches above the floor because of it" post.

@bookstodon #bookstodon #bookreview #HeraldPetrel #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #SciFi

Do you see that?
https://www.queerscifi.com/review-herald-petrel-strange-seawolf/
Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, #HeraldPetrel got a review from @queerscifi and I am really, really proud of it although being queer is not in the center of the story so I feel a bit like an imposter although I am a nonbinary author.
Also: do you see that? Jay, an English teacher, saying it is well written even finding excuses for the passages my non-native was showing. Take that, all my English teachers who said I would never learn it!
#SciFi #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera

I couldn't bring myself to post it yesterday because I was completely floored by this. But Jay from Liminal Fiction has reviewed #HeraldPetrel and it came back with a solid 5 stars and the summary:

"If you enjoy ‘hard’ science fiction and space opera with a helping of romance, you will love this book."

I never would have been bold enough to even think of it as hard #SciFi

https://www.limfic.com/2025/02/16/review-herald-petrel-strange-seawolf/

@floofpaldi @DoctorMonkey2 @QuokkaMocha @Firlefanz @paulk @HeliaXyana @SJHoodlet

For #WritersCoffeeClub shameless self-promotion today, I got a wee excerpt of the next season of #HeraldPetrel I wrote today:

“Do you feel up for a little walk back to base?”

“Don’t you want to rest and sleep first?”

To that remark of hers she heard the sweetest sound in the world. Gengra laughed her loud, resounding, boisterous laughter.

“I can sleep when I’m dead, Sarge. I just need a bit of that.” The sound of a wooden spoon scraping remnants of stew from the bowl told Hertaki what her comrade had meant. “Then I am good to go. Was more thinking about you. Do you want to sleep first? I will take the watch, don’t you worry.”

“Don’t you remember that you have left me alone for hours? If I get more rest, fittacs will grow up my shanks. Ready when you are.”

“Fine!”

The scraping continued until Hertaki was sure that not even the raspy tongue of a rhogar could find any more leftover stew in the bowl. She doubted it was enough for Gengra to feel even remotely satisfied but they would for sure get something to eat at Sheila’s camp. Truth be told, she could use a good sleep but it would be far better to get that in the relatively safety of the camp, guarded by other members of their squad so Genra got some good rest as well. Perhaps after they had satisfied some other needs together.

“Ready!” Gengra announced with a hearty burp. “Are you coming or not?”

The first book is available in all stores:
https://books2read.com/HeraldPetrel