Holo Writing

Authors Jacob & H.P. Holo

Anthologies

Dancing with Destruction is up for pre-order!

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It’s pre-order time again, this time a sci-fi anthology! šŸ˜„

Dancing with DestructionĀ comes from Editor Jason CordovaĀ at Baen Books, and has a super fun origin story.

Basically, cover art was commissioned for another of Baen‘s books … but the resulting illustration ended up not fitting the vibe the publisher was looking for.

However, it was still a kick ass piece of art.

So, Jason presented this art to a handful of authors – ourselves included – and said, “Hey, want to write a short story for an anthology based on this cover?” šŸ˜€

Jacob saw this art and immediately said “HECK YES! I already have the perfect Sol BlazersĀ story in mind.” But then he looked at his packed writing schedule. šŸ˜¬ Then he looked to me and said, “What if we make this a Jacob Holo + Edie Skye collaboration?” šŸ˜

Thus we get “The Joy of the Chase,” an adventure in Jacob’s Sol Blazers universe wherein our underpaid heroes take a simple missing persons job on a deserted jungle habitat … and find it not so deserted at all. In fact, it’s a whole lot hotter than expected. šŸ˜ˆ

Also, if you weren’t aware of my love for over-the-top 80s action movies, you will be after this short. Yes, I watched Predator for research. Yes, Jacob had to cut plenty of 80s action movie references, and YES, Jason cut more. šŸ¤£

(This is not the version where Nathan + Aiko chase an acid-bleeding monster through simulated vents made of interwoven jungle branches, but I assure you, it’s still cool.)

Dancing with DestructionĀ releases on July 1, 2025, but you can pre-order it in trade paperback now!

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Also, if you have no idea what Sol BlazersĀ is, go check it out! It’s basically adventure space opera for people who are mad that Firefly never got a second season, with catgirls, sassy androids, and maybe a lil’ mild cosmic horror. šŸ¤£

Freelancers of Neptune Book Cover

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Surprise! šŸ˜„ A new mecha short story from Jacob!

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Hey, yā€™all! šŸ˜„ This short storyā€™s been turned in so long that honestly, we forgot about it until Raconteur PressĀ told us the anthology was out. šŸ¤£ That said, if youā€™ve been jonesing for some giant robot action, check out Giant Stompinā€™ Robots, edited by our good author pal James Young.

READ GIANT STOMPIN’ ROBOTS HERE

Itā€™s got a bunch of kickass giant robot stories in it, but it especially has a new short set in the Titan Mage universe I wrote as Edie Skye! (Be warned: The short’s not spicy, but the series is.) ā€œOnce a Titan Mage” basically boils down to ā€œWhat if John Wick, but with a giant robot?ā€ with all the epic action that implies.

Also, if you havenā€™t read it yet, Iā€™ve got a story (as Edie Skye) in the companion volume Giant Freakinā€™ Robots:

READ GIANT FREAKIN’ ROBOTS HERE

ā€œIā€™m in Love with a Helicopterā€ involves transforming helicopter mechs and epic battles with air pirates ā€¦ but is ultimately inspired by that one Armored Core VI tutorial that kicked my butt so many times I developed Stockholm Syndrome and started to love it. šŸ¤£

Speaking of which, I gotta show off this review from Tangent Online, which loved the entire anthology ā€¦ but especially loved Rion, Sevas, and Jennyā€™s adventure.

If you’re into giant robots, we hope you’ll give both a look! šŸ˜„

Space Cowboys 5: Cattle Drive is Out Today! :D

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Hey, y’all! šŸ˜„ Jacob’s next Baen Books title, Freelancers of Neptune, releases this October – but if you’d like a little taste of what’s to come, check out his short story “Release the Cyber-Kraken!” in Raconteur Press’ latest anthology!

Space Cowboys 5: Cattle Drive

Raconteur Press Anthologies #27

Edited by LawDog

Published by Raconteur Press

***

When every inch of our planet has been explored, from the depths of the sea to the top of every mountain, Space and her untamed frontiers will still be beckoning us, calling us to go beyond the farthest star and see what there is to see.

Old Sam Clemens once said that History donā€™t repeat itself, but it do rhyme. In Space, we got a vast, unexplored, mysterious, and dangerous frontier. Weā€™ll have herds of some kind to watch over and to drive to market. Most times weā€™ll be far and beyond the reach of ā€œcivilization,ā€ with their myriad of laws, lawyers, and politicians. Those tough enough to carve out a living will need the independent, rugged spirit of the cowboy to survive. There will be leeches and villains, for sure, heroes and anti-heroes, and some folks just trying to eke out a living. If we choose to tell their tales draped in the lingo and trappings of the cowboy, thatā€™s just another rhyme, with form following the function.

If youā€™re new to the Space Cowboy series, youā€™re in for a treat. These ten stories, from ten different authors, are where youā€™ll find Explorers charting new frontiers in space, Trailhands and Drovers watching over their cattle on alien plains, and Lawdogs of every stripe meting out frontier justice, and doing their best to make sure scallywags with evil intent donā€™t win in the end. These cowboys and cowgirls donā€™t back down from a challenge. Itā€™s not in their nature.

(From the Introduction written by Rick Cutler)

READ SPACE COWBOYS 5: CATTLE DRIVE HERE

Time Troopers is out today!

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Time Troopers Cropped

Today’s the day! āŒ› If you’re a fan of time travel stories both classic and new,Ā Baen BooksĀ has an anthology for you –Ā Time Troopers, edited by Hank Davis and Christopher Ruocchio.Ā 

My entry,Ā “Doctor Quiet,”Ā provides an action-packed first look at some new characters you’ll meet in the upcomingĀ The Janus File, but it sits alongside stories from such classic names asĀ Robert Heinlein,Ā H. Beam Piper, and many more.

Publishers WeeklyĀ has already had good things to say about it –Ā “Fans of literate speculative fiction will hope for more from these experts”Ā – and we hope you’ll enjoy it just as much. šŸ˜„

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Time Troopers Book Cover

Time Troopers

Anthology Edited by Hank Davis and Christopher Ruocchio

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NEW AND CLASSIC STORIES OF TIME TRAVEL MILITARY SF

BATTLEZONE: ETERNITY

Once, military actions were entirely two dimensional, confined to the surface of land and sea, but then submarines and aircraft added a third dimension, vastly extended by spaceflight.

Now, consider that if time travel is possible, the fourth dimension of time opens up new possibilities for combat, necessitating new defenses, new strategies and tactics. A battle that was once decisively won might be refought, or a narrow victory might be subtly tilted to the other side.

Never mind the history books, theyā€™re only works in progress.

There might be even more than four dimensions involved, if parallel universes and alternate realities exist and can be accessed.

Imagine a universe where Rome never fell and its troops want to do something about our universe, where it did fall. Or another where more recent wars turned out very differently. Battle is a recurrent motif in the Earth of this universe, and would alternate realities be different or all too similar, with the tune the same, but different lyrics?

Supplying the lyrics for spacetime combat in these pages is an all-star general staff including Robert Silverberg, Poul Anderson, Fritz Leiber, John C. Wright, H. Beam Piper and more.

Itā€™s zero hour, in whatever time stream, so grab your time-appropriate weapon, be it sword or ray blaster, buckle on your general issue timeporter belt, and follow the Time Troopers into action across strange aeons!

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