Christian Schoon: author, reader, critter-wrangler

End o’ Summer Giveaway: Win Your Moment of “Zenn!”

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Christian

Zenn Scarlett: Lets you have your Sci Fi Fantasy adventure and eat it too.

The fabulous book blogging mavens over at ItWasLovelyReadingYou are celebrating summer’s emergence in an entirely appropriate manner by giving away a free copy of what should probably be your next on-the-beach-with-feet-thrust-into-Martian-like-hot-sand read: Zenn Scarlett.

And what’s more, the book may have brought a new fan into the sci-fi-fantasy corral. Here’s their kindly lead-in: “OK, so i have to admit the cover drew me in – i mean seriously. IT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE COVERS OF THE YEAR. but when i started reading it…it was just awesome. and i’m not really a fan of fantasy||sci-fi stories…”

So c’mon. Go do your entry-clicking-thing pronto. And score a copy of the young adult adventure that has the deeply-insightful editor and author Norine Dorman (Inkarna) saying: “I really enjoyed the ride… Zenn Scareltt… is kind of like a Star Wars bestiary with a bit of SF James Herriot thrown in for good measure.”

Thanks and good luck!

Posted in Authors & Their Books, Books | Leave a comment

We Have a Winner! Yowza!

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Christian

Hi all. First, thanks to EVERYONE who entered the Zenn Scarlett book giveaway with the “Name a Star” prize package. You people are grand. And the blog posts that many of you left were, frankly, inspiring and simply wonderful to see. I wish I had prizes for ya all. Seriously, this was my first raffle and I come away feeling like you all deserve more than my humble thanks, but I’m afraid that’ll have to do for now. So please know how much I appreciated your time and know that I can’t thank you enough for your thoughts/posts/entries.

And without further ado-ness, our winner is… *snazzy snare drum/high-hat kicker* “Snellopy,” a teacher working in exotic SE Asia who recently spent some class time getting his students interested in the subject of terraforming on Mars. A cool subject and a noble effort; kudos for that, Snellopy, and I hope you enjoy the book and the cosmic prize assortment.

Again, thanks to all for entering. This was so much fun I may have to do it again before too long. Please keep an eye out and come back when I do! Cheers!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Win Zenn Scarlett PLUS “Name Your Own Star” Gift Package! $80+ Value!

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Christian

Hey, how’d you like to be able to name your very own, actual, up-in-the-sky star? Plus: have your star’s totally cool new name launched into space? Plus-extra-plus: win a print or eBook copy of Zenn Scarlett? (That would be the new sci fi adventure that Melissa West, author of GRAVITY and HOVER calls: “Utterly imaginative, Zenn Scarlett is sci-fi at its best. Fantastic world-building. Deep characters. .. I couldn’t put it down!”) Oh yeah. You want this prize package. All of it!

Note: Entry deadline: May 30 (So act NOW!) Name a Star Pkg. valid thru June 5, 2013. Just scroll down, leave a comment telling us all why you’re the perfect Earthling to win this stellar prize assortment and then use the Rafflecopter widget to enter.

Here’s what’s in the lucky winner’s future:

 One shiny new print or eBook copy of Zenn Scarlett, from Strange Chemistry Books

Plus:

The Name A Star Live Instant Gift Set* Premium with Virtual Planetarium™

Including:

 Your Star’s Name Recorded and registered with Space Services, Inc. You even get to select the constellation your star is in!

 Downloadable Star Certificate prominently displaying the star’s name and registration details

 Downloadable Star Chart to help locate your star in the night sky

 Downloadable Photo Of Your Star and its constellation

 Virtual Planetarium™ downloadable Software — your portal to the latest images and video from NASA. Compatible with Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6

 Exclusive Launch Certificate — downloadable after your star name and dedication message have been launched into space aboard a real rocket

 Lavishly illustrated Astronomy E-book

Want more details on the Name a Star prize? Check it out here.

Contest open internationally. Contest entry deadline: May 30, 2013. Winner announced: May 31,2013.

*Name a Star Live coupon code valid until June 5, 2013. Available as online download only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted in Authors & Their Books, Books, Space | 18 Comments

Buckle up, SF and adventure-lovers… Zenn Scarlett On Sale Galaxy-Wide Now!

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Christian

The blogs have been blogged, the reviews posted (see some below), the finished books shipped, the warehouses alerted, and racks of ‘puter servers and legions of postal workers everywhere are trembling in terror at the coming tsunami of bookish downloading-and-snail-mailing pandemonium. Yup. Zenn Scarlett’s exoveterinary epic launched into the wilds of the US and Canadian markets this past May 7. (It was out in the UK on May 2).

Just for reference, here’s what some of my own fave authors had to say about the book:

Zenn, pondering the brave new world of print and ebook sales as she prepares for release into the wilds on May 7.

E.C. Myers, Nebula’s Andre Norton YA SF & F Award-winning author calls Zenn Scarlett “thrilling…refreshing… defies expectations. The breathtaking conclusion will leave you desperate for more!” Temple Grandin (ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION) says “All future vets will want to read Zenn Scarlett and her adventures with veterinary medicine on alien animals.” Melissa West, author of GRAVITY and HOVER: “Utterly imaginative, Zenn Scarlett is sci-fi at its best. Fantastic world-building. Deep characters. .. I couldn’t put it down!” Phoebe North (STARGLASS): “… a debut to remember. Highly recommended!” ” And Mike Mullin (ASHFALL, ASHEN WINTER) finds it “…delightful, bizarre, and occasionally terrifying.”

Need more? Read an excerpt now over at Tor.com!

Plus, find more reviews over at Goodreads and, when you’re darn good n’ ready to part with a few of your hard-earned holo-credits, click on over to find:

Zenn Scarlett for your very own at: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Indiebound|Powell’s

Or, of course, feel free to track down Zenn in paper or digi-form at your favorite book-hunting location online or off. Thanks for dropping by!

Posted in Authors & Their Books, Books, Publishing | Leave a comment

Let the Wild Exo-Rumpus Begin: Zenn Scarlett Blog Tour!

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Christian

Here's the cover at for Zenn Scarlett. Kinda nice, no?

Zenn Scarlett, thinking about all the fabulous bloggers who are hosting her tour….

Thanks to a roster of extranormously awesome bloggers and my editor at Strange Chemistry Books, the curtain goes up today on the Zenn Scarlett Blog Tour. The novel hits stores and download-buttons in about a month (May 7 in the US/Canada, May 2 in the UK). So between now and May 11 I’ll be materializing on about 65 blogs with guest posts or interviews about all things Zenn-ish. These amazing bloggers provide a vital service for the book-loving community all around the world, and for authors like me eager to reach out to their genre-savvy readers. So, I’d just like to say thanks again to all of them for being so generous with their time and pixel-space. I’ve posted the tour links below. Please stop in and join the conversation if you have the time!

Zenn Scarlett Blog-a-Palooza Tour Hosts	Date of Interview/ Guest Post
http://something-beautiful.org/	4/10/2013
http://reflectivebookworm.blogspot.com	4/10/2013
www.chooseya.com	4/11/2013
http://thefoundingfields.com/	4/12/2013
http://andthenireadabook.blogspot.co.uk	4/13/2013
http://badassbookreviews.com	4/13/2013
http://www.the-dailybookmark.com	4/14/2013
www.mangamaniaccafe.com	4/14/2013
http://beanieboo78.wordpress.com/	4/15/2013
wingedreviews.com	4/15/2013
http://edandemreviews.blogspot.com	4/16/2013
http://krweinert.blogspot.co.uk/	4/16/2013
http://shusky20.blogspot.com/	4/17/2013
http://civilian-reader.blogspot.co.uk/	4/17/2013
http://literarygrandrounds.com/	4/18/2013
http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com	4/18/2013
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/	4/18/2013
http://jonathangreenauthor.blogspot.co.uk/	4/19/2013
www.booksinthespotlight.blogspot.com	4/19/2013
http://watercolormoods.blogspot.com	4/20/2013
http://troubledscribe.wordpress.com/	4/20/2013
http://wesatdown.blogspot.com	4/21/2013
http://www.prationality.com	4/21/2013
http://bloodsweatandbooks.blogspot.com/	4/22/2013
http://lostinthought-becca.blogspot.co.uk/	4/22/2013
http://uncorkedthoughts.blogspot.co.uk	4/23/2013
http://morethanjustmagic.org	4/23/2013
www.loveydoveybooks.blogspot.com	4/24/2013
http://wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.com	4/24/2013
http://www.mybookishways.com/	4/25/2013
http://www.thefictionconniption.com	4/25/2013
http://redhousebooks.blogspot.com	4/26/2013
http://oopsireadabookagain.blogspot.co.uk/	4/26/2013
http://nuzsaysitwithbooks.blogspot.com/	4/27/2013
http://ceceliabedelia.blogspot.com	4/27/2013
http://jessabellareads.com	4/28/2013
http://fantasysink.blogspot.ca/	4/28/2013
http://www.curiositykilledthebookworm.net/	4/29/2013
http://www.whatyareading.com/	4/29/2013
http://leocristea.wordpress.com/	4/30/2013
www.randomactsofbooksandmore.blogspot.com	4/30/2013
http://www.escapismfromreality.blogspot.co.uk/	5/1/2013
http://laurenscrammedbookshelf.blogspot.com/	5/1/2013
http://library4delinquents.com	5/2/2013
http://booksbeforebed.blogspot.com	5/2/2013
http://thestephanieloves.blogspot.co.uk/	5/2/2013
http://readwriteandreadsomemore.blogspot.co.uk/	5/3/2013
http://bookaholicsbkcl.blogspot.co.uk/	5/3/2013
http://www.fictionstateofmind.blogspot.com	5/4/2013
http://www.elisquared.com/	5/5/2013
http://seeingnight.blogspot.co.uk/	5/5/2013
http://theauthoress-amelia.blogspot.co.uk/	5/6/2013
www.thebookmonsters.com	5/6/2013
www.thebooksmugglers.com	5/7/2013
http://wwwBuriedinBooks.blogspot.com	5/7/2013
http://foreveryoungadult.blogspot.co.uk/	5/7/2013
http://cuts-of-paper.blogspot.co.uk/	5/8/2013
http://adreamindream.blogspot.com	5/8/2013
http://caughtinasnyderwebb.blogspot.com/	5/9/2013
http://birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com	5/10/2013
http://www.tyngasreviews.com	5/10/2013
http://www.myshelfconfessions.com/	5/11/2013
http://oneminutebooks.blogspot.com/	5/11/2013
http://www.oneadayya.blogspot.com	5/11/2013

Posted in Authors & Their Books, Books, Publishing | 1 Comment

Zenn makes some new friends…

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Christian

“Utterly imaginative, Zenn Scarlett is sci-fi at its best. Fantastic world-building. Deep characters. And a story that will have you desperate for answers until the very end. I couldn’t put it down!” Melissa West, GRAVITY, HOVER

“Many young people want to become veterinarians because they love animals. All future veterinarians will want to read Zenn Scarlett and her adventures with veterinary medicine on alien animals.” – Temple Grandin, PhD, ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION and ANIMALS MAKE US HUMAN

“Mars, monsters, and mysteries: Zenn Scarlett is a thoughtful and thrilling science fiction adventure that’s perfect for readers who think they’ve seen it all! It’s refreshing to encounter an original young adult story that defies expectations, and the breathtaking conclusion will leave you desperate for more.” -E.C. Myers, FAIR COIN and QUANTUM COIN

“Christian Schoon knows his xenobiology! Zenn Scarlett has everything a sci-fi lover craves, from exotic alien life forms to quantum entanglement, all grounded by a stellar YA heroine. Zenn’s moxie and determination make this a debut to remember. Highly recommended!”- Phoebe North, STARGLASS

“Reading Zenn Scarlett is like venturing into a gargantuan alien animal in one of the in-soma pods Zenn uses to provide veterinary care: delightful, bizarre, and occasionally terrifying.”- Mike Mullin, ASHFALL and ASHEN WINTER

Posted in Authors & Their Books, Books, Publishing | 2 Comments

Most revealing post… ever: Zenn Scarlett Cover Art

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Christian

Cover Art by: Argh! Oxford & the Strange Chemistry Division of Artly-Awesomaxity

The image for the cover of Zenn Scarlett materialized in my inbox recently. I’m seriously stoked about it. Simply… breathtaking, as in breath… taken. A number of blogs were in on the reveal & have been dishing up some tasty reactions. After all the expert work and star-painting by the Strange Chemistry team & the designers at “Argh! Oxford,” it seems only fair to post some of the swell stuff said about this spangly celestial cover-win (and, yes, I’ll admit I’m basking a bit. Blame me? Naaaah.)

“Very introspective, thoughtful and dreamy, this is a wonderful cover, and definitely one of Strange Chemistry’s best yet.” --Shadowhawk, The Founding Fields

“This is a stunning cover. In fact, it’s my favourite so far. Hands down. The spacescape, the character, everything. The font is simple and elegant and it all screams “science fiction” in the best of ways.” – Leo Elijah Cristea, Jet Black Ink

“What I love the most about this cover has to be the vibrant colours. The cover also has this dreamy-like feel to it, if you know what I mean. The world that Schoon created sounds so amazing! I love the idea that Zenn is training to become an exoveterinarian, which is basically just a veterinarian for aliens. I don’t read nearly enough science fiction (besides dystopia, which I think is classified as science fiction) and would like to remedy that.” – Fantasy’s Ink

”As for the cover: from a graphic artist’s POV, I’m really liking the space theme and coloring… it definitely screams READ ME, I’M UBER AWESOME.” –The Authoress“

“I love the simplicity of the cover… It’s so unique and different to what’s currently on the market. I really love the emphasis on the sky and space. I cannot wait to read this book!” — Read Write and Read Some More

Posted in Authors & Their Books, Books, Publishing, Space | 2 Comments

NOW we’re gettin’ somewhere. Tractor beam… ENGAGED!

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Christian

NASA’s in the tractor beam chase too – in this hypothetical case, a rover is suckin’ in atmospheric particles for analysis using lasers. Mmmmm… particles!
Image: NASA

OK, so don’t go and open your interplanetary tow-truck service just yet. But this is still some pretty cool tech. The lab-coated humanoids at Scotland’s University of St Andrews (pretty sure Scotty’s lineage was in on this) and the Institute of Scientific Instruments in the Czech Republic have demonstrated tractor-beamish behavior on a micro scale using, yes, a beam of light.

The article, over at the usually excellent studentnewsie.com describes the beam as having a “negative light force” with, unfortunately, no explanation. I’m fairly well read in a lazy-science-news-scanner sort of way, but I’ve never come across this totally trekked out “negative light force.” I do, however, sure as hell like the sound of it.

Early applications might include medical use, shoving molecules or organelles around inside cells while said cells are still in a patient’s body. Which, I gotta say, sounds a lot like the mag-genis tissue repair device my exoveterinarian heroine Zenn Scarlett employs when she reconstructs the badly damaged body of a pet that’s been badly mauled in an accident. Yeah, I’m prescient that way, what can I say?

Anyway very intriguing stuff going on in the sci-fi-future-is-here-and-wants-to-say-hi category. So… next? Get to work on that Alcubierrian warp drive already! Thank you. Thank you very much.

Posted in Space | Leave a comment

17 billion earth-size planets in the Milky Way galaxy. Cheers, 2013!

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Christian

Some juicy numbers to start the new year with, courtesy of the Kepler planet-sniffing satellite, which is doing a great job, exceeding expectations and deserves a raise. Recent data sez Kep has found reasonable evidence for no less than 461 new planets. Some of ‘em orbit within their stars’ watery-microbial-maybe-more habitable zone. So that’s nice.

NASA Kepler planet candidate discoveries by size.

(….Hey, look! A chart! Thanks, NASA.)

But even more Sagan-licious: the data indicates that virtually every sun-like star in our galaxy has an Earth-size planet careening around it. Doing the math in my head (yeah. right.) that totals up to roughly 17 billion-with-a-B Earth-twins out there just waiting for us to discover and shortly thereafter begin bombarding with reality TV shows and used car commercials. Some of these earthy orbs orbit tighter than our Mercury, so could be a little too hot (but it’s a dry hot) for life. On the other hand, lots of the host stars are red dwarfs, so burn much cooler than Sol, so life is back in the equation. Presto.

Final analysis: potential exoplanets chalked up on the big board so far? 2,740, orbiting 2,036 stars.

These, my friends, are champagne-popping figures in any earther’s book. Happy New Year, and keep watchin’ the skies….

Posted in Exobiology, Space | Leave a comment

ALIEN LIFE PERCOLATING UNDER SUPER-EARTHLY LIQUID-METAL UMBRELLAS?

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Christian

Now then, the premise of the article that prompted this post is a bit of a stretch. A bit of a gi-normous not-bloody-likely stretch, actually, even for an exo-life-presumer like me. But I had to post it primarily because it describes its content as the result of “geo-boffinry.” Boffins, as you UK types have known for years, are authorities, scientists, those-who-know-more-than-the-rest-of-us. But the term is seldom glimpsed here in the U.S., possibly having to do with its nineteenth-century cachet of dank museum basement offices and musty taxidermy displays, but hey, I’m not judging… This latest boffination claims that some superearths, those giant exo-planets bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, might generate pressures that create liquid metal which might create a magnetic shield. This shielding might then protect a life form that might have evolved on said mega-world. Yeah, lotsa mights in there… Anyway, for those of you interested in the geo-boffinic details:

“A geo-boffinry study has found that super-Earths could have oceans of liquid metal and magnetic shields that protect life on their surfaces.”

“It is often thought that a planetary magnetic field protects life on a planet’s surface from harmful space radiation, like cosmic rays,” geophysicist Stewart McWilliams, with the Carnegie Institution and Howard University, told Discovery News.

“What we find is that magnetic fields may exist on more super-Earth planets than expected, resulting from the transformation of the planet’s rocks to metals in the deep interior. This could create new environments for life in the universe.”

The full article is at the UK’s Register. Happy boffinizing.