Author: R.J. Sullivan

R.J. Sullivan’s latest book, Commanding the Red Lotus, is a novel-length collection of three space opera tales in the tradition of Andre Norton and Gene Roddenberry. His novel Haunting Blue is an edgy paranormal thriller and the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer and her boyfriend Chip Farren. Seventh Star Press also released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella, and Virtual Blue, the second part of Fiona’s tale. R.J.’s short stories have been featured in such acclaimed collections as Dark Faith Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. R.J. co-hosts the Two Towers Talk Show YouTube program with John F. Allen. He resides with his family in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. He drinks regularly from a Little Mermaid coffee mug and is man enough to admit it.

RJ Sullivan’s Favorite Spaceship SF Novels

First of all, I want to thank SA McClure for asking me to be a part of the Rogue Skies Party Room today. My name is R.J. Sullivan. I write ghost stories, fantasy, and, most notably for this blog, I’m promoting my SF spaceship stories. But as you read this, you might want to call me Old Man RJ, as I will prove not only that I likely skew a bit older than many authors and readers participating here, but that my tastes run “older school” still.

I was a teenager in *mumble*-80-*mumble*. I’d seen Star Wars on the big screen as a kid and lived for Star Trek TOS TV reruns. My parents didn’t understand, but neither did they hold back my interests. I think they were just glad I liked to read.

Once a year when we traveled out of state, we’d pay a visit to my dad’s sister and her nerd husband, my beloved “Uncle Mick”, the only relative in the extended family who “got” me. He ran a used bookstore on the weekends, and had a huge collection of SF paperbacks in his basement.

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RJ at InConJunction 2019

36823155_1993638780646375_4031721397444149248_n Another July, another InConJunction!!

InconLogo-Small-256 This will be my… I don’t know…. several-eth year at InConJunction SF Convention as an author, and nearly thirty years since I attended the con (my first ever) on an early date with the future Mrs. RJ! For all these reasons, and more, the con holds a special place in my heart. If it’s not the biggest, or fanciest, it is the WARMEST con of the year, and I’m not talking about July weather. This convention is run by the sweetest bunch of awesome nerds in the galaxy, and I say that from the bottom of my heart. So without any further ado, let’s get to the details.

InConJunction is on the east side of Indianapolis at the Marriott off Shadeland Avenue Fri, July 5-Sun July 7. Here is the website with all the details.
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Haunting Obsession Audiobook Coming This Summer (Video Teaser)

I’m super-thrilled to announce that my Amazon top-40 bestselling sexy ghost story Haunting Obsession will have an ACX (Amazon) audiobook version released later this summer. The new format release is in partnership with Seventh Star Press as one of their first titles being adapted to audiobook.

I’m super-excited about this development for a couple of reasons, the first is that I’ve been hoping to adapt Haunting Obsession to audiobook since the initial book release in 2012. I think the novella length and finding the right voice talent to take on the Maxine Marie / Marilyn Monroe voice will elevate the drama to new heights. It will also open the material to an audience that just plain prefers audiobooks over print (Something I am coming to understand in recent years).
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RJ and The OSI Files Catch “The Peeping Blonde”

As a boy, I had *A* Farrah Poster on my wall (which is not *THE* Farrah poster, but that was okay)

A couple of months ago, I was thrilled to be invited to come on as a guest of The OSI Files, a popular Six Million Dollar Man podcast, to discuss Farrah Fawcett‘s second appearance on the program, an episode called “The Peeping Blonde”. I jumped at the chance. Not only was I a lifelong fan of the exploits of Steve Austin, but, like so many boys in the early 70s, Farrah had been my first crush.

Through the years, that crush shifted to recognizing a talent greatly unappreciated in her prime, a woman whose beauty would prove to be both her blessing and her curse. Then, much later and to this day, to stand amazed at her heroic decision to have her battle against the the colon cancer that would eventually take her life filmed and turned into a documentary.

As it happened, I was on a minor Farrah nostalgia kick when the invitation came, and had recently rewatched the first season of Charlie’s Angels and Saturn 3 on Amazon Prime.

Some holiday- and sickness-related issues caused the schedule to shuffle and re-shuffle, but last night, Friday, Dec 28, co-hosts John S. Drew and Jerry Lange sat down with me and we drilled down deep into the plot, themes, historical context and surprising timeliness of season 2, episode 11, “The Peeping Blonde.” John and Jerry were extremely gracious, and it was a fast and fun couple of hours. There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as geeking out with people who “get you.”
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How did I do? Well, click the link below and see for yourself. I’ll continue to add audio and video links here as each go live, starting with the Facebook Live video.

Muggle warning: Prepare to enter deep waters of nostalgic nerdiness. What follows is a long, detailed examination of a single episode of a 40+ year old SF TV show. You have been warned. Clips and summaries are provided, but if you happen to own The Six Million Dollar Man Season Two Box Set, you might give it a spin first. Enjoy!

Click to view:
The Facebook Live Video Link

The Beacon / Blue Christmas Now Live

KDP Print Wraparound

I’m super-excited to announce that my first Indie-published release on my DarkWhimsy Books label is out. The Beacon / Blue Christmas: Two Holiday Short Stories is now live on Amazon in Kindle ebook and paperback formats. A special live event version of the release will be available soon. Click here to go to the dedicated information page with all ordering links to get yours today!

And don’t miss my only Christmastime live appearance. I’ll be with over 20 local authors for the first ever Holiday Gifts Book Fair and your first chance to purchase The Beacon / Blue Christmas Shelf Edition in a public place. I’ll also be giving a public reading. Click here to go to the Facebook event page.
Pantheneum

COVER REVEAL: The Beacon

Production is in the final stages of my first-ever self-published endeavor, a pair of Christmas-themed short stories. One story is Blue Christmas, a paranormal thriller in the tradition of A Christmas Carol, and discussed in detail here.

The other story is a science fiction comedy presented in its play manuscript form; a Christian faith story with a cover that makes this aspect clear, so no potential buyer is blindsided. So without further ado, check out this awesome “Christmas Card with a Spaceship” front cover by Ash Arceneaux! Ash is the cover artist of the original edition of Haunting Blue (long out of print after I yanked the rights back from that disreputable-entity-whose-name-I-do-not- speak-and-not-JUST-because-its-name-is-literally-a-mild-curse-word-though-that-doesn’t-help.). Ash also created the slides for the very ambitious Haunting Blue Book Trailer. Ash is an amazing artist and talent (and truly a good friend). I’m thrilled to have her work represented in my titles once again. Link to the current edition of Haunting Blue.

“The Beacon” follows the three-person crew of the United Galaxy Corps Scoutship Starprobe: brave but hotheaded Captain Remmer, the logical but clueless cyborg engineer Gault, and the frequently panicky pilot Lanson. The ship arrives in orbit around planet Earth to investigate why a bright glowing star-like beacon has lit up the planet’s skyline.

Their ship barely has time to scan the horizon before they’re attacked by a renegade space pirate. Their incompetent captor, Ted the Merciless (because it sounds better than Theodore the Merciless), hoped to steal the treasure that the beacon represents, only to find he’s attacked the Starprobe way too soon. Can this group of misfits find a way to work together long enough to solve the mystery and message of…The Beacon? (Spoiler: It’s baby Jesus).
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RJ at Imaginarium this Weekend

MainPromoBanner-1_FacebookPage This weekend I’ll be wandering the panels, parties, and workshops of the Fifth Annual Imaginarium Convention at Louisville , KY! What makes this year different from previous years is a lack of a vendor table base of operations. My books will be available at the Seventh Star Press table and I’ll check in frequently, but I’m using this weekend to network and learn, so just keeping it real, finding me may be a bit tricky if you are shopping for books and doing little else. Continue reading “RJ at Imaginarium this Weekend”