It's Sci-Fi Monday!

I hope you've got plenty of spare time this week, because there's a truckload of great stuff for you to read...if science fiction is your thing!

First up we have the release party for Karina Fabian's new book Magic, Mensa and Mayhem featuring Vern the dragon detective! Don't miss the celebration, which will be held in the Swimming Kangaroo chat room on March 17, 7-9 EST.

Then, another read at Wayfarer's Journal you should definitely check out for the very best in cyberpunk: Natalia, a new short story by Frank Creed - legendary founder of the Lost Genre Guild. The story's set in the Underground world of his award-winning novel, Flashpoint.

Member Tony Lavoie celebrates his first publication with Moon Dust at Mindflights Magazine. Could a big ball of rock be the punchline of God's ultimate joke? Get along to Mindflights and find out.

And don't forget to download the latest issue of Raygun Revival here. Check out the awesome cover design!

Finally, if the classics inspire you, take a look at Gutenberg's Science Fiction Bookshelf. Here you can download a large number of titles for free, in various formats.

News from Online Worlds...

First up today we have the new-look Underground update - brought to you by Frank Creed and Cynthia MacKinnon of The Writers' Café Press - reborn as an e-zine! Content in this issue includes interviews with Jeremy Robinson and Karina Fabian (which you may have seen already if you are a regular at this blog), new reviews, articles and news items. You'll also find an Archives section with all the news from prior editions.

Spirit Blade Productions is looking for participants in their Christian Sci-Fi podcasts - are you an actor, artist, designer or musician? Maybe you'd like to be involved. Check out the Spirit Blade Operations page here.

Not exactly new, but perhaps new to some of our readers: the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life! Its leader is Reverend Mark Brown of New Zealand, with the blessing of the real life church. To read more see this article about the Cathedral; for Second Life users, click here to visit the Cathedral directly.

Excerpt from Miracle Micro

A STRING OF BARE bulbs cast dim light down the concrete tunnel. My electric cart’s motor hummed loud in the close-quarters. The familiar sound soothed me. It had been almost a year since I drove these tunnels and wore Sparky Services’ blue coveralls. One final intersection separated me from the scene of my impending crime, and that knotted my gut.

Don’t get me wrong, I was not a member of Chicago’s most notorious underground terrorist organization. Everyone knew the Body of Christ was pure-paranoid-potato-flakes, end of story.

Believers of all flavors had been blowing things up through all of history. At least these people had a new twist. They claimed the One State government was really behind all the violence.
But who knew? I didn’t believe in truth anyway—everything was just spin and opinion. In all my months underground, the most explosive thing I’d seen was a baked bean, but I hadn’t exactly worked my way into their Elders’ Circle.

I’m in it for the money I reminded myself.

For decades Sparky Services had remained well-connected with certain people in the mayor’s office. They provided utility maintenance for more than one-third of the Chicago Metroplex. Before I joined the underground, workin’ for Sparky had been a great job. One I thought I’d retire from. But that was a different lifetime . . . a workin’-stiff’s lifetime.

When the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Bureau of Terrorism approached me with a seven-digit onetime undercover offer, I left Sparky faster than a rock-fan at a D.J. Danglewood concert.

I put on my Casio headphone-goggles, and a virtual desktop of icons appeared before me. I poked a finger at a telephone-shaped symbol and then the re-dial option from a sub-menu. The icon flashed five times before glowing bright yellow . . .

And, you can read the rest of Miracle Micro's preview HERE . . .