It seems like yesterday, but it’s already been three weeks since Comic Con Revolution 2026. CCR was a fun show: here are a few pics of some readers who picked up one (or more) of the Mechhaven series. It’s so fun to meet new readers and to talk with fans coming back for the next in the series. I hope to see you all again next year!
I truly appreciate all my new and existing readers. Thank you!
My Fantasy Influences-Part I
From a very early age, my imagination was active and vivid, so maybe I was always destined to become a writer. Sure, there were probably a lot of little things that contributed (like reading terrible books or suffering through lousy movies and TV shows), but like every superhero has an origin story, so too do writers.
Mine started when I was a nerdy, unassuming 7th grader doing my best to survive junior high school. I was in a class made up primarily of advanced students, and for the first time, I wasn’t the smartest, or one of the smartest kids in my class. Another thing that changed, though, was that our schoolwork was harder. I’m not sure if this was the jump to middle school curriculum or if they were pushing our class harder. I suspect the latter.
English class was a breath of fresh air. I don’t think curriculum standards were as strictly followed or enforced back then, but I’m so thankful for that; otherwise, I might not be where I am today. Our teacher, Mr. Kobelski (I hope I got the spelling correct), had long hair and, by the way he dressed in 1982, one might call him a “hippie.” Throughout the year, we had already studied Greek and Roman mythology, read through one volume of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and done a myriad of other activities.
Excluding the above, there were two points that year that changed me and would be pivotal to me becoming a writer.
First, we read The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. Some chapters we read aloud in class; others we read for homework and discussed the following day. When I think of The Hobbit, no matter how many versions come out, I always think of the version I had as a kid as the definitive one — the golden cover with the terrific Darrell K. Sweet cover art (see below). I’m not sure how many times I’ve read The Hobbit since then, but it’s more than a few. I’ll admit it took me longer to get into and finish The Lord of the Rings, but I’ve since read it many times. The sheer imagination Tolkien exhibited set the bar for fantasy literature. Reading The Hobbit at this age set me on the path to being a sci-fi and fantasy reader forever!
The next, and most important, thing we did in Mr. Kobelski’s class was write a short story. I knew I was creative: I played with Star Wars figures at home inventing my own stories, I was always thinking of new ideas, and my friends and I had wild adventures growing up as feral Gen X kids (yes, the stories are true. Mostly). The one thing I had never considered was actually writing the stories down. That’s exactly what we did. I had the greatest time writing that story — it was mostly derivative of what I was reading at the time (I’ll discuss that in Part II) and probably wasn’t very good — but it taught me that writing was something you could do. From that point on, I knew I wanted to write more stories. No, not wanted to…had to!
Like many people, I wrote in fits and starts. There were periods in my life when I wrote a lot and periods when I wrote nothing or practically nothing, but the die had been cast, and the seed had been planted. Finally, in 2019, I started Mechhaven, later to be changed to Pax Machina so I could use Mechhaven as the series name. But now, there’s no turning back, and I’ll be writing well into the future!
Next time… I’ll discuss the series the books that I read immediately following The Hobbit. It was a golden time for Fantasy books. Drop me a message if you’d like to take a guess!
Novel Notices
- Since the last newsletter, I’ve written 15,000 words, which puts me four chapters into Act III of Birthright!
- This weekend I’ll be writing two key scenes of Act III; one is the emotional climax of the story. After that, things get really crazy! I’m still targeting July 1st to finish my first draft, but at my current pace… we’ll see. It’ll be close.
- Beginning June 12th, I’ll have some promotions running on the Mechhaven series. I’ll send a rare extra email letting you all know when the promotions go live.
If you’d like to meet me in-person and purchase a signed book, be sure to check out my appearance schedule below:
The Geek Speak Expo August 8th in Fullerton, CA
- Podcaster Host Extraordinaire, Henry San Miguel, of The Geek Speak Show, invited me to take part in the 21st Century Creatives panel at his expo in August. I’m honored by the invitation and am looking forward to it. I’ll also have a small table with some books for sale.
- The Geek Speak Expo is smaller and more intimate than a typical convention. Think of it as a new way to experience Geek Culture. Badges are on sale now through July 17th, but space is limited, so if you’re interested in going, get your ticket ASAP.
GameACon 2026 October 17th and 18th
- This was my best show last year, so I’ll be back at The Shops @ Palm Desert. This time, I’ll be bringing friends! I’ll be exhibiting with the other authors of the SoCal Sci-Fi & Fantasy Crew. More details to come.
There are several more events in the works for late summer/fall and even into next year! Some could be very interesting… I’ll post info as soon as everything is confirmed.
Featured Authors
I have three featured authors for you this month. Please take a look and support them if you can!
Can she collect enough fragments of her past before the nightmarish figure from her dreams catches up with her?
As she wakes up in a bedroom she doesn’t recognize, Ellayne becomes increasingly aware of one thing: she has no memories—no identity—no name. Dark figures not only haunt her nightmares, but also stalk her in reality. Ellayne finds herself on the run, chased by a hooded archer with deadly aim.
When the source of her memory loss is uncovered, Ellayne and the companions she’s made along the way must find a way to reverse the damage done to her by magic before she loses her memories again.
FOR READERS OF THE EXPANSE, FRONTLINES, AND THE LOST FLEET
The relay station wasn’t supposed to be there.
Official records say it was destroyed decades ago. The crews who once operated it are long dead. Even the communication network it belonged to is gone from modern navigation charts.
Captain Daviad only investigates because salvage rights on a find like that could pay for months of repairs. Instead, he walks into the worst discovery of his life.
The station recognizes his command credentials. Locked systems open at his approach. Deep inside its archives are records that place him at the center of classified operations he has never seen, financial transfers he never authorized, and events that happened years before he arrived.
Before Daviad can make sense of any of it, ships begin converging on the star system.
Some want the station, while others want the information hidden inside it. And at least one faction seems more interested in him than in either.
With his own ship struggling against a growing series of system failures and every new piece of evidence tightening the noose around his neck, Daviad is forced to follow a trail that leads far beyond a forgotten relay and a routine salvage claim.
Someone spent years building a false history around his name. Now he needs to find out why.
Behold a cosmic competition! Discover the strange, immortal aliens known as the Cruiskeen! Witness Shakespeare and Marie Curie in a galactic battle of wits with some guy from Knuckleville, USA!
*A Complete Sci-Fi Novella.*
Can a humble Ad-Man from Knuckleville, USA, beat William Shakespeare and Marie Curie in a battle of minds?
Leap Hamilton is a can-do copywriter in 1959 who gets transported to the year 2119 by an AI known as Isaac.
Isaac needs a champion to help Humanity regain its former glory.
People, you see, have become too reliant on Isaac’s problem-solving abilities. Hence, future humans are as dumb as Toilet Golf.
So, Leap must compete against Shakespeare and Curie to solve an impossible task: help a race of aliens known as the Cruiskeen get to the next galaxy in time, or risk a brutal civil war.
Can Leap prove that he has what it takes? It’s not like he’ll be executed if he fails. . .
“Ad Man, Ad Astra” is a prequel to “How to Sell the Stars”, and the first Leap Hamilton Ad-Venture.
Group Promotions
I have three promotions for you this month. The authors in these promotions cross-promote each other’s books. Please take and look… maybe you’ll find your next favorite author.
FREE Sci-fi & Fantasy May-June 2026
Sci-fi & Fantasy in Kindle Unlimited
That’s it for now…have fun and read a lot of books!
Greg Sorber
