Preface to HERO ONLINE: Why LitRPG?

YO BEN! Why’d you write a LitRPG novel?

The short answer might be: why not?

Alright. So if you haven’t been playing fanboy to the denizens of indie authordom the same way I have been for the past few years, let me explain what the genre is, to begin with. Imagine your favorite role-playing game (RPG), with all the interesting characters, skilltrees, quests, world-building, and game mechanics. With me so far? Now imagine a massive multi-player online RPG (MMORPG). You all know the big one that comes to mind for most of us. Features orcs, trolls, elves, humans. You’re still with me, right? Now add a dose of virtual reality (VR), preferably full-immersion VR (FIVR), and you have what we call a VRMMORPG. Or, if you’re a purist, maybe it’s a FIVRMMORPG, but that’s really a mouthful, isn’t it?

HERO ONLINE: BOOK I IS LIVE!

Ladies and gentlemen, germs and gents, I’m SO so pleased to announce my very first LitRPG adventure is LIVE on Amazon! It’s called Quest for Vengeance, Book 1 of Hero Online, a LitRPG saga. I have 3-5 books planned for the series, depending on reader reception. So hey, if you like it, let me know!

What on earth is LitRPG?

Full disclosure / trigger warning: this story does include life-and-death stakes, violence, and quite a bit of cursing. Some of the characters are real pieces of work, and I just didn’t have much luck reigning them in. If you are sensitive to any of these things, this may not be a good read for you.

Starship Pegasus is Live!

It’s big! It’s beautiful! It’s… ooo, it’s so shiny! STARSHIP PEGASUS is finally live on Amazon. This rewritten relaunch (of The Lunar Gambit) can be read in Kindle Unlimited or purchased for Kindle devices, and will be on sale for 99cents through next Wednesday. Shazaam!

Here’s a glimpse at the front matter and first chapter, which can also be read in Amazon’s “Look Inside” preview feature:

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Starship Pegasus
Prophet Wars: Book 1

By Benjamin Douglas
Copyright 2019 Benjamin Douglas, all rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. All persons contained herein are fictional persons and not meant to represent other persons, fictional or real, outside of Benjamin Douglas’ work.
Large portions of this novel were previously published under the title The Lunar Gambit. This is an extensively rewritten re-launch of said work.

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Did you LOVE DEATH & ROBOTS?

Well, I did it. I got to the end of the recently released Netflix anthology, Love Death & Robots (or Love, Death & Robots, depending on where you read the title). Are you there yet?

STARSHIP PEGASUS up for pre-order

Guys, guys, GUYS! It’s official! Starship Pegasus is now up for pre-order! YOWAZAA!!! Check out this beautiful cover!

This is an extensively rewritten relaunch of what used to be The Lunar Gambit. Pegasus will be 99cents for the duration of the pre-order and for the first week of the launch (4/17/2019), after which time the price will go up.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

It feels like the whole authoring thing has been on hold for at least a year, while I’ve completed my degree and we’ve had a couple of babies. I’m trying to get back into the saddle, and I appreciate every bit of help anyone is willing to give! If that means you, and you want to read the book, share it with friends, post it on social media–whatever is your jam–I want you to know that I really, really appreciate it. My readers are the best readers!

Stay tuned for updates.

Last Day to Read STARSHIP FAIRFAX

Today is the day; it’s finally here!

This is the last day you can buy or download any title from ye olde Starship Fairfax series. Why, you ask? Because tonight I’ll be taking all five books down from Amazon and putting the rewritten, relaunched Book 1 up for pre-order.

Huzzah!!!

If you’ve already read and enjoyed the series, I can’t wait to share the revised editions with you. There are already some pretty substantial rewrites, and I’m not done yet! In addition to just *more*, you’re going to see *better* books now. I fancy I’ve gotten a little better at this writing lark in the two years since I first published.

That’s all for now; just wanted to give y’all this update, as a courtesy. Get ’em while you can if you’re midway through the series, because today is it for the old versions. Au revoir, Fairfax!

SCI-FI RELAUNCH

Hello!

It’s been some time since I’ve made a new installment in my action/adventure sci-fi series, Starship Fairfax. There are reasons. Two kids, a doctorate degree, three jobs… you know. That sort of stuff. But never fear; I have not given up on writing fiction, even if in the interim I’ve released a book of poetry (ha!).

If you’re a fan or have been reading the Starship Fairfax series, I have NEWS. I’m working on a rewrite and complete relaunch/rebranding of the series, including a whole new name. Stay tuned, folks. Things are going to get pretty shooken! (Shooketh?)

This means that I will soon be pulling all previous titles in the series both out of Kindle Unlimited and off from Amazon entirely. So if you’re in the middle of reading them, especially with a subscription, make haste!

More on this to come. Ciao.

I swallowed the sun: Published!

Exciting news: I’ve officially published my first collection of poems! I swallowed the sun is available here for purchase as a paperback, and here as an ebook. Here’s a sneak-peak at what’s inside. Thanks to everyone who has already picked up a copy. I hope you enjoy it!

 

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“I swallowed the sun,” Benjamin’s first published collection, is an amalgamation of myths, meter, and Michigan forests. The poems reflect on childhood, Fatherhood, loss, love, politics, and every day life in mythic Middle America. Benjamin briefly studied creative writing at Central Michigan University, and has been published in Allegory Ridge. In another life he writes speculative fiction (mostly high-paced science fiction adventures) as Benjamin Douglas.

From “I swallowed the sun:”

The Guardian: Eleven Short Science Fiction Stories

Just in time for Christmas:

Good news! “Stowaway,” one of my Starship Fairfax prequel stories, has been included in another of Alasdair Shaw’s short sci-fi story anthologies. The Guardian is available as an ebook for just 99cents from multiple retailers, with an affordable paperback option as well. Could be the perfect Christmas gift for the sci-fi reader in your life! Check it out here.

Stowaway: a Starship Fairfax prequel short story

“Stowaway”

A Starship Fairfax Prequel Short Story

By Benjamin Douglas

Copyright 2017 Benjamin Douglas, all rights reserved. No portion of this story may be duplicated or distributed without the author’s permission.

 

Ada Xander woke up cold, stiff, and standing up in pitch darkness. She tried thrusting her hands out in front of her, but they were stopped by a wall of metal. Her mind raced. She tried to slow her breathing, remembering where she was. Oxygen was limited. If she hyperventilated she might pass out and never wake up.

Slowly, cautiously, she ran her fingertips down the right side of the wall until her hand met the small perturbance. There you are, she thought. The latch wasn’t meant to be opened from the inside. It had been installed as a redundancy, no doubt, in case the ship operators had ever needed to smuggle persons, but most of the time small cabinets like the one into which Ada had stuffed herself were probably crammed full of ill-gotten goods or illicit compounds. Her fingers locked around the latch. She pulled, it clicked, and the wall swung outward.