First Professional Review on "Hell, Heaven and Back"

3 out of 5 stars on Amazon

Book Reviewer Gail Welborn (Examiner, Christian News Northwest, the Midwest Book Review) says that Hell, Heaven and Back is:

"an unusual tale that melds science-fiction with the speculative supernatural spiritual world wrapped in a tale of time travel and a journey to heaven and hell that culminates in a crisis of faith. While the attractive book cover invites readers into a very fascinating story I would have liked more depth to the unusual and intriguing plot...

"...the premise is captivating and Zschomler captures readers with sympathetic, interesting characters and situations that reflect real church life, problems and questions pastors must deal with. The author is a good writer with a superb imagination and I'd like to see more of his adult speculative fiction." 

New News You Never Knew About Books, but no Gnus

As I write inside the cozy warmth of Insomnia Coffee Company it is a blustery-rainy day outside on the Oregon north coast. That's what you call perfection for a writer; no temptation to be enjoying the shoreline trio of surf, sand and sun. However I am enjoying a trail mix cookie and a white chocolate mocha while listening to big band tunes and working on a few writing related projects (including this blog post). Now here's the new news:

The New Book

The new book shipment arrived yesterday!

Earlier this morning I mailed out the first six orders of my new book, Hell, Heaven and Back. Signed, sealed, sent. Okay, one wasn't an order, it was a review copy. I have four local orders to deliver so leaves twenty out of my initial order.

If you want one (signed, sealed and sent for a flat $10) let me know. That's cheaper than Amazon ($9.99 + postage). Whatever I have left come next weekend I'll take to sell at the Portland Home & Garden Show.

Garden of Books

And speaking of the Portland Home & Garden Show: From Thursday, Feb. 25 through Sunday, Feb. 28 there will be thirty Oregon and Washington Author's books at the NIWA Garden of Books. That represents more than 100 titles in all genres (except Western, I don't think there are any of those).

Many of the authors will be making appearances to do signings. I will be at the show 2-6 p.m., Sun. Feb. 28 with all eleven of my titles, including my newest, Hell, Heaven and Back, hot off the press (no pun intended). In essence the official public launch party. There's a discount coupon for $2 off the show admission here and parking is free after 4 p.m. (before that it will cost you an arm and a leg).

Book Publishing Workshop

If you're close to the Oregon North Coast area and wish to know how to go about self-publishing with relative ease and little cost, I'm giving a two-hour workshop on the topic 1-3 p.m., Sat., March 26 at the Tolovana Arts Colony hall in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

If you click on the graphic on the left it will get larger and you can see all the things I'll be covering in this intensive workshop. (Plus, participation gets you some free consultation time, too, for when you're actually working on that book of yours.) Cost is $25.

Commute or stay, it'll be a great day.

Indie Author & Book Fair

Mark your calendar for April 10. That's the day of the North Coast Indie Author & Book Fair in the courtyard behind Jupiter's Books in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The book fair will follow on the heels of the weekend's Get Lit at the Beach event.

We're expecting 24 Oregon and Washington authors for the 12:30 to 3 p.m. fair. To date we have eighteen authors signed up with room for six more (contact me if interested in booth space).

Short Stories for New Book

My publishing company eyrie press is accepting short story submissions for an upcoming anthology called Chicken Poop on My Sole (subtitled Funny Fodder from the Farm). It is to be a collection of short, true stories of humor and inspiration about farm life and country living.

We need several dozen more stories to complete the collection before publication in time for the harvest season of 2016. So...

If you have a story to tell and share contact me for details on how to be included and get copies to sell or give as gifts.

"Hell, Heaven and Back" is Now Available on Amazon

Twenty days early and my new novel is available on Amazon in print ($9.99) or for Kindle $2.99 or FREE for Prime members). 

I'll also have copies to sign and mail on the 23rd ($10 postpaid)!

Read earlier post below or at Amazon for the description. And here's the video trailer:

All is On Track for "Hell, Heaven and Back"

PRE-ORDERS for Signed Copies are NOW being taken. $10 shipped!

New Speculative Fiction Novel Released Leap Day 2016

The final cover design by G. Zschomler
"I felt like I was channeling J.J. Abrams
with so many lens flares." 

The new book, pictured left, is on schedule for its February 29, 2016 release. What you see at the left is the final cover design. (Below and on the right you may also view the back cover.) I've also included the book's video trailer at the end of this post.

Before you go there here's a couple snippets from the opening of the book:

I

t has long been speculated that parallel worlds (or universes) exist side by side—or, rather, together in the same space; one, perhaps, within another within another. Although imagined, never in the wildest dreams of scientists, has anyone ever thought it possible to travel inter-dimensionally. And no one—no one—ever believes me when I tell them that I have, in fact, achieved that very feat...

S

o, there I was in a funk, licking my wounds and trying to decide if I should quit before they had the chance to can me. I was crumpled into my desk chair, wallowing in self-pity, pondering the sad state of human beings and questioning my calling when into my study walked a woman I had never seen before.

You may enlarge images by double
clicking them. Art by G. Zschomler

     In her hand she held a staff of the most grizzled wood, twisted, but worn smooth. She was the most ancient woman I’d ever seen and I’d seen some doozies down here (you can’t unsee the sagging, wrinkly sight of an aged woman sunbathing in a bikini on the beach).

     She looked well beyond old-age—craggy, leathery, thin to the point of frail, ashen and gray of hair—as if she’d actually come back from the grave where she might have spent more than a few decades.

     Mind you, she was gnarled and well-weathered, but not haggard, and didn’t appear to have the stink of death upon her. In fact, she smelled of jasmine, pine and cinnamon (sort of like Christmas), which was really quite lovely. I remember thinking: Perhaps they were burial spices?  

     Not only had I never seen her before (and I would know this because she was extremely peculiar) I was taken aback immediately by her manner of dress. The woman wore a long fur overcoat; black and white striped stockings, combat boots; a flour-sack prairie dress, and an aviator’s cap—complete with steam-punk type goggles cocked atop the cap.

    She extended a crooked, knobby finger and inquired of my identity, almost as if it weren’t a question at all.

     “You Pastor Micah Rickmond?” 

"I wrote this book to address questions we all have by sharing experiences similar to those we all endure, but I did it using a sci-fi vehicle which makes the story especially intriguing." ~the author

Preorders are now being accepted for signed copies ($10 plus post). Email me at: gregory.zschomler@gmail.com

Impending Release of My New Sci-Fi Novel

A burnt out pastor thinks he’s living hell until he actually goes there.

"I wrote this book to address questions we all have by sharing experiences similar to those we all endure, but I did it using a sci-fi vehicle which makes the story especially intriguing." 

Pastor Micah had no idea what kind of powder keg he was stepping into with his new church assignment. Half the Gulf Coast congregation hates him, the chairman of the board is out to get him, a church split is in the works, his youngest daughter suffers from an autoimmune disease, his marriage is in turmoil, and years of 60 hour work weeks without a vacation are taking their toll. And that’s only the beginning.

In seminary a professor had joked, “ministry is hard; then you die,” but it was no joke to Micah—the stress is killing him and death seems a reasonable option for escape. Maybe imminent hurricane Charlie will do that for him; he doesn’t care.

That is until a mysterious old woman shows up to take him on a series of interdimensional journeys—around the world, to heaven, to hell and far beyond what he’d ever imagined. Just as things come crashing down around Micah, and he’s questioning everything he believes in and pondering leaving it all behind, his eyes are opened to a few astounding realities.

Does God cause the chaos? If He’s truly Sovereign then isn’t He responsible for the mess the world is in? How can such a god be loving? How can He be trusted?

A work of supernatural, spiritual and speculative fiction based on actual events.

AVAILABLE LEAP DAY, February 29, 2016

A New Year of Hopeful Writing

Happy New Year fellow writers and readers!

It is with great anticipation that I begin 2016. I plan to have three books published this year, beginning with the novel Hell, Heaven and Back which releases on Leap Day (Feb. 29). A new cookbook (Southwest BBQ & Tex Mex) should be out in time for summer and Bayou Boys Adventure #4 (Alien Ambush) out in time for Thanksgiving.

What might you have up your sleeve?

My hope is that more writing this year will present a more hopeful future. I am quite tired, as I'm sure many are, of post-apocalyptic distopian fare. Also I am tired of angel and demon fights--especially with swords (how about some imagination folks).

Here's to a productive New Year for all. Oh, and sales, too. :)

So, NaNoWriMo No Mo, Y'kno

I did about 30K even though my ambitious goal was 80K. LOL I hope you did better, and I hope you y'all hit at least the 50K mark. I did get my entire story roughed out narratively. 

I'll be adding to it and fleshing out some more dialogue, adding a few scenes, etc. as December progresses. I will be happy if the final manuscript rounds out at 50-60K.

Here's the premise in a nutshell: A burned out pastor thinks he's living hell until he actually goes there. A visit to Heaven reminds him what he's living for.

At the right is a rough mock-up of the proposed cover art. A few tweaks are in order, but the general concept and layout are there. >

Final editing will take place in January and the book should be out in time for Valentine's Day.

I hope your Thanksgiving was fantastic and that your Christmas season will be a joyful blessing to you and yours.

New Book in the Works for Fall 2014

I am currently editing a book (due out this summer), gearing up to market another (due out at the end of the  month), and writing another (due out this fall). 

Here is a proposed cover for the one I'm writing. Tell me what you think.