Holo Writing

Authors Jacob & H.P. Holo

The Dragons of Jupiter

Giveaway – Military Sci-Fi and Space Opera

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Time for another giveaway, y’all! 😀 This time, Jacob’s teamed up with 5 of our author pals to bring you a signed mini-library of Military Sci-Fi and Space Opera books, including:

To enter, just follow this link and enter your mail address. The contest runs from now until Sunday, April 25th, at which point we’ll draw 3 lucky winners!

As always, if you want to increase your chances of winning, there are ways to earn additional entries! 😀

Once you enter, you’ll be sent a confirmation email. (Check your spam folder if you don’t see it in your inbox.) The link in this email will send you to a page of sharing buttons. If you share the giveaway through these buttons, then for every person who enters through your shares, you get 5 more entries! That’s 5 more chances to win!

Good luck! 😄

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Note: Holo Writing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and, as such, may earn a small commission from any product purchased through an affiliate link on this blog.

The Dragons of Jupiter Has a New eBook Edition! (Also, some eBook publishing tips!)

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I do a lot behind the scenes at Holo Writing, from actual novel-writing to handling our graphic design, marketing, and social media presence. One of my most recent projects has been teaching myself to design eBooks in Adobe InDesign*, and this is the fruit of that! 😀
Then I figured, while I’m updating the guts, I might as well update the cover, too, especially now that The Gordian Protocol has officially made Jacob a National Bestselling Author! 😲 Man, does it feel good to put that on a cover. 🤩
And so, without further ado, say hello to the new eBook edition of The Dragons of Jupiter!
The-Dragons-of-Jupiter-Cover-3-FINAL-FRONT-ONLY-WEB
*An FYI for aspiring authors: We’d previously hired eBook Launch to handle our eBook formatting, and they’re fantastic, but now that we’re definitely In This For The Long Run, I figured it would be good to learn how to build our indie books from the bottom up.
I mainly chose InDesign because I already had access to it through Adobe’s Creative Cloud and figured I might as well get my subscription’s worth. Plus, I like that it allows me to have infinitesimally specific control over what’s in my files (even if it’s a beast to learn 😬).
However, I wanted to add for the emerging authors who want a simpler, less technical mode of eBook production: Vellum is reputed to be an awesome piece of software, and at just $100, should probably be one of your first purchases as an indie if you plan on publishing lots of books. For comparison, paid formatting for us often costs $100ish PER eBOOK.
We didn’t know about Vellum when we started – if it even existed back then – but I wish we had, as having direct control over your eBook files makes it A LOT easier (and cheaper) to update internal links and booklists, change front and back matter, etc. As quickly as marketing strategies change in the indie publishing industry, any software that can help you nimbly alter your product to suit the market is Good Software To Have.
Personally, I’ve only played with the trial version of Vellum (and found it wondrously easy to use), but I have author buds who use it regularly and love it.
Hope this helps those of you who are just getting started! 😊

Holo Writing at AWA!*

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*Second in a series of VERY BELATED con posts because, again, EDITING. 😛
This past September, Jacob and I decided it was time to branch out from our usual tiny, comfy cons and tackle something a little bigger. So we packed up our bow ties and headed to Anime Weekend Atlanta.
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AWA held a lot of firsts for us:
It was our first large con (over 30,000 people)!
It was the first con for Bane of the Dead and Throne of the Dead.
It was the first con for our snazzy new Time Reavers t-shirts.
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And it was the first con at which we had a t-shirt stolen, which is a sign of success, I guess?
Despite that bump, it was one of the best cons we’ve ever attended. The Seraphim Revival was a massive hit (because obviously, giant robots at an anime convention).
Also, not to toot our own horn (Oh, who are we kidding? We are totally tooting), but the following exchange happened with a surprising number of people:
“I bought (insert book here) yesterday and read half of it last night. I want all the others!”
Variants included “I started this book at lunch and decided I needed the rest.”
My first thought at all of these was “When do you people find time to read at a con? Are there time turners involved?”
My second was, “WHOA. People really like our books.”
Which is a really lovely feeling to have.
Also lovely? Cosplayers, of course! I didn’t get to snap as many photos as I usually do at cons (because OMG SO BUSY), but awesome costumery was rampant. Here are some of my favorites:

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Zeppeli! 😀

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KOS-MOS!

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Princess Tiana!

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Mac and Bloo!

Finally, not a cosplay, but rather the best Dealer’s Room ad that I’ve ever seen:
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Needless to say, House Holo is now a little more manly.

Holo Writing at SC Comicon 2015!

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Holo Writing photographed by Indulge Images
Jacob and H.P. Holo at SC Comicon 2015, photograph courtesy of Indulge Images

SC Comicon 2015 has come and gone, and we at Holo Writing had an awesome time! We met a lot of cool people, saw plenty of superb costumes, and sold lots of books. The turnout was definitely bigger than last year with more people and a convention space about twice the size of the original, which given how huge the first one was is saying a lot.
Oh, and not to sound too excited, but SOMEONE CAME IN A TIME REAVERS COSPLAY! Seriously, people! This happened!
Time Reavers Tau Guard Acrobat Cosplay 1
A Tau Guard, acrobat class, readies his crossbow. Reavers beware!

 
Time Reavers Tau Guard Acrobat Cosplay 3
You can’t really tell, but I am actually so excited I’m a little dizzy.

 
Time Reavers Tau Guard Acrobat Cosplay 2
And just so there’s no confusion, this IS a Tau Guard cosplay!

The fine gentlemen pictured above is also a HUGE fan of The Dragons of Jupiter and has mentioned possibly embarking on the (very ambitious) project of making a suit of Crusader Armor as worn by Kaneda Kusanagi in the book. While we talked, I inquired how many times he’s read The Dragons of Jupiter. He asked if I meant cover-to-cover or just picking it up to read a chapter or two for fun. I specified cover-to-cover.
His answer? TWELVE TIMES! 🙂
Yep, that made my day.
H.P. and I also enjoyed having a table next to Fields of Geek. Whitney Jackson and her husband were delightful table neighbors with a wide selection of geek-related pins, and actually Whitney took it upon herself to craft a specialty pin just for us! H.P. wore her new Time Reavers pin proudly the rest of the convention.
Fields of Geek meets Time Reavers
Fields of Geek meets Time Reavers

Unfortunately, H.P. and I didn’t take as many cosplay pictures as last year because, well, we were really busy selling books! (Definitely a good thing!) Fortunately, Indulge Images was on hand to take plenty of photographs of the convention. You can see the Indulge Images SC Comicon 2015 Facebook post here.
And now, one final picture from Indulge Images of me explaining the Seraphim Revival trilogy. Apparently, this is my “there’s-no-such-thing-as-too-much-giant-robot-action” face.
Enjoy. 🙂
Jacob Holo talks about giant robots
Too much is just enough.

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Holo Writing at SC Comicon 2014!

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SCComicCon Ready for Day One
Ready for another convention!

This past weekend, H.P. and I participated in the first ever South Carolina Comic Con, organized by the very hardworking Rob Young of Borderland Comics and Games. The event lasted two days and, according to one of the staff members, drew in over six thousand people! I can believe it too. The convention center was packed. The pictures we took do not do the crowd justice because, simply put, we were so busy when the crowds really hit!
H.P. and I had a blast interacting with people at the convention. We met I.R. Harris, author of the dark epic fantasy Bound Trilogy as well as plenty of talented artists. Tons of cool people, many in costume, stopped by our table.
SCComicCon Laughing Man Cosplay
Oh no! My eyes have been hacked!

SCComicCon War Machine Cosplay
Jacob Holo strikes a pose with War Machine.

SCComicCon Impromptu Cosplay Battle
Impromptu Cosplay Battle!

SCComicCon Another Happy Customer
An excited new reader purchases Time Reavers.

SCComiCon Signing Another Book
I signed A LOT of books!

Many of those who stopped by left with our books in hand. We almost blew through our entire stock. Bear in mind, we ordered extras after the success of Tangled Web’s Free Comic Day. Even with that, we still almost ran out. It was a great weekend for us!
SCComicCon Survivors
Our last three Dragons of Jupiter copies!

To everyone who purchased our books, THANK YOU! Welcome to Holo Writing!

Holo Writing at SpartanCon!

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This past Saturday, H.P. and I hosted a table at SpartanCon. We had a lot of fun doing it. A big, warm thank you to Spartanburg County Public Libraries for extending the invitation to us and letting us host a table at their event.

Holo Writing at SpartanCon
H.P. and Jacob Holo are ready for SpartanCon

This picture was taken before things got crazy. And boy, did they get crazy! The head librarian mentioned to us that between eight hundred and a thousand people showed up. We had a wonderful day interacting with plenty of new readers. To everyone who bought our books, thank you! We hope you enjoy them!
The day was a resounding success for us. H.P. and I will definitely be participating in SpartanCon next year.
Of the people who attended SpartanCon, plenty came wearing some superb costumes. Not surprising, since the library hosted a cosplay contest with two 4-day tickets to DragonCon as the main prize. Here you can see me with the winner and her completely homemade Jawa costume.
SpartanCon Jawa Cosplay
Jacob Holo with the SpartanCon cosplay winner

Yes, there is a lovely young lady underneath all of that.
And there’s plenty more awesome cosplay where that came from. Early in the day, I had my picture taken with an Alucard cosplayer. The young gentleman stopped by our table afterwards and was so impressed with our books he brought his friends over to show them. They too left with our books in hand.
SpartanCon Alucard Cosplay
Jacob Holo vs. Alucard. I don’t stand a chance.

And here’s one more really cool cosplay. Why? Because it’s Dead Space. Does there need to be another reason? 🙂
SpartanCon Issac Clarke Cosplay
Jacob Holo with Isaac Clarke. I’m in good company.

Again, thank you to everyone who decided to give our books a try. You’re awesome!
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Holo Writing at Tangled Web Free Comic Day!

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Daniel McAbee, owner of the Tangled Web, graciously invited us to host a table during his Free Comic Day special. Both H.P. and I stayed the entire day and had an absolute blast. So many awesome people stopped by our table to hear about our books. We really enjoyed getting to interact with our fellow sci-fi/fantasy fans, and a warm thank you to all of you who decided to give our books a try.

Jacob Holo at Tangled Web
Jacob Holo at Tangled Web

We also got very good at summarizing our books quickly. H.P. did a particularly awesome job.
Fan-in-the-Making: The Dragons of Jupiter? What’s that about?
H.P. Holo: Space ninjas versus space marines!
Jacob Holo: There’s more to it than that, but yeah.
Fan-in-the-Making: Cool. And Time Reavers?
H.P. Holo: Teens with super powers versus giant interdimensional cyborg insects!
Fan-in-the-Making: Sounds interesting.
We also had free buttons and bookmarks, which were a huge hit. We actually ran out of The Dragons of Jupiter buttons. People especially loved the “I’m a Dragon” buttons with a piece of the back cover art on the button. I thought a hundred was enough for the day, but the crowd cleaned us out!
Holo Writing free buttons at Tangled Web
Free Holo Writing buttons at Tangled Web

Despite hosting the table for eight hours, the day went by in a flash. It’s a good thing we brought plenty of books, because people were in the mood to buy some action-packed sci-fi/fantasy! You can’t see them in the top picture, but there are boxes of books underneath our table. We emptied them. The books you see in the next picture are the only survivors from a fantastic day at Tangled Web (actually minus one, because we sold another shortly before we packed up).
Survivors of Tangled Web
Survivors of Tangled Web Free Comic Day

Again, both H.P. and I had a really great time at Tangled Web. Thank you to Daniel McAbee for being a truly stellar host, and thank you to all of our new readers! Welcome to Holo Writing!
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The Dragons of Jupiter – Kirkus Reviews It!

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Kirkus, the gold standard of book reviews, has reviewed The Dragons of Jupiter! And you know what? They liked it! Here is their review in full:
“An entertaining sci-fi action novel with light overtones of dystopian and political thrillers.
In Holo’s debut, set in a future version of our solar system, two brothers find themselves divided by interplanetary war. Kaneda and Ryu Kusanagi are from Europa, a moon of Jupiter, and both are veterans of a past war against a tyrannical artificial intelligence that sought to conquer humanity. In that conflict’s aftermath, they’ve chosen different sides in a new struggle. Kaneda, who hates AIs, fights alongside soldiers called Crusaders as they seek to destroy Matriarch, a “quantum mind” AI who was once human. Ryu, however, is a commando warrior with the Dragons, who fight the Crusaders with stealth and cunning in an effort to protect Matriarch, who guides Europa’s society. Kaneda, however, sees her as a computerized dictator and his old way of life as a lie. The Crusaders pit their powered-armor suits against the Dragons’ enhanced reflexes and invisibility technology. The brothers’ personal conflict is played out on a grand stage with the fates of Europa and three other worlds—Earth, Luna and Jupiter—in the balance. The story sticks to a familiar adventure style, and the battle between the brothers is an old chestnut of melodrama, but it’s told with gusto and conviction. The vivid secondary characters mostly avoid falling into stock types, and some plot twists and moral ambiguity add a bit of sophistication. The strong action scenes are fast-paced throughout (although often harsh and gory), the dialogue flows well, and the fictional world is detailed, plausible and well-designed, from its planets to its spaceships. The author isn’t afraid to show the more grotesque sides of society, which may seem off-putting to some readers, as when characters debate the merits and flaws of using technology to reanimate dead soldiers. There are some typos and minor grammatical errors but nothing that readers will find particularly distracting. The story builds to a satisfying conclusion, and naturally, the author leaves room for sequels.
Well-written, sincere and undemanding military sci-fi adventure.”
 – Kirkus Reviews
The review is posted here on the Kirkus website. I must say, I’m very happy with what they wrote. 🙂
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The Dragons of Jupiter – Sequel

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Wow. I’ve started getting questions about a sequel to The Dragons of Jupiter. Now that by itself is pretty cool, and I really do appreciate those who’ve asked about it. Instead of throwing out answers at random, I thought it’d be handy to put all of the answers in one convenient place. So, here they are. Answers to questions you may or may not have. Please enjoy! 🙂

Will there be a sequel to The Dragons of Jupiter?
Yes. Absolutely, yes.

*UPDATE 11.14.21 (from HP): Maybe? Back when Jacob wrote this blog, Dragons was our first book and we were still very much tiny little indie authors who had no idea if this publishing thing was even going to work out.

Fast-forward to today, when Jacob has several books under contract with one of the giants of sci-fi publishing, Baen Books (and a few already released). As much as he’d love to continue the Dragons series, when you’re writing under contract, contract work has to take priority, and the Dragons world is so complex technologically that The Dragons of Mars isn’t the kind of novel he can write in spurts between contracted projects.

All this to say, for now, The Dragons of Jupiter is shaping up to be a standalone. We definitely still want to continue the series, but it ultimately comes down to lacking not only the time, but a sufficient stretch of time in which to do it.

What’s it called?
The working title is The Dragons of Mars.

What will it be about?
The ongoing struggle between machine life and human life will continue to drive the story. Many characters from the first book (those that survived, anyway) will appear in the sequel, as it will pick up roughly where the first left off. Deimos, the moon of Mars, will play a major role in the story.

What will happen in it?
I’m not telling. 🙂 But it’s fair to say I have a few surprising twists planned for this book.

When are you going to finish it?
Whoa there! 🙂 I don’t know. I haven’t even started the detailed outlining yet.

I’m currently working on another military sci-fi book called Humanity Machine. Expect lots of epic space battles in this one as well as an unusual take on what a future human society might be. Right now, I am devoting almost all of my writing time to making this novel as awesome as possible. Once the first draft of Humanity Machine is complete, I’ll decide on my next project. The sequel to The Dragons of Jupiter is on the short list of projects I want to tackle next.

Also, check my Humanity Machine short story to get a taste for what the novel has to offer.

FINISH IT FASTER!
I’m sorry. 🙁