Welcome to another book promo/ author spotlight on Lipsyy Lost & Found.
Today I’m celebrating the re-release day of Redshift Rendezvous by acclaimed Sci-Fi author John E. Stith.
Last week I spotlighted some of John’s classic sci-fi titles which have already been re-released & given a makeover. There will be nine in total, some being released in paperback for the first time in ten years.
Today it’s the turn of Redshift Rendezvous…check it out below.
Redshift Rendezvous
ReAnimus Press
244 pages
November 15, 2016
WARNING: Read This Guide Before Boarding the Redshift.
The environment aboard a hyperspace craft is quite safe as long as you are careful. The management reminds you that the speed of light on board this craft is ten meters per second (or about 30 million times slower than what you are used to). This means you will frequently encounter relativistic effects and optical illusions.
Aboard the hyperspace liner Redshift is a relativistic world of slow light and treachery. The first sign of trouble is the apparent suicide of a passenger. When the first officer discovers that she was murdered – he wants answers.
Before long, a desperate group of hijackers use the hyperspace liner to plunder a fabled colony – and only one man stands in their way.
Q & A with John E. Stith
You’re re-releasing nine of your novels in just under a year! Can you share what inspired this decision?
Since originally published by Tor Books and Ace Books, most of these books were available in ebook form, but some haven’t been available in paper for more than a decade, so I felt it was time to correct that. ReAnimus Press specializes in bringing back SF that has been unavailable for a while (e.g. Jerry Sohl) and re-releasing works that have been in print all along (e.g. Ben Bova).
You write both sci-fi and mystery – do you have a preference for one over the other?
I love both. Some of my work even blends the two. Deep Quarry features a private eye. The protagonist in Death Tolls is an investigative reporter. Naught for Hire is a futuristic private eye tale, Reckoning Infinity is a space exploration and Manhattan Transfer deals with a very unusual form of first contact– kidnapping.
Any special research you had to do for these various titles?
I almost always wind up picking projects that require more knowledge than I already have, partly because I enjoy constantly expanding my horizons. Memory Blank necessitated knowing more about Gerard O’Neil-inspired L5 orbital colonies and Death Tolls required media and reporting research. Redshift Rendezvous also required research into relativity because most of the novel takes place aboard a hyperspace craft where the speed of light is ten meters per second. That means relativistic effects like redshift happen when people run. Flipping a light switch causes a room to slowly fill with light.
What fascinates you most about writing?
That it seems almost universal. When I worked in software engineering, people would ask what I did for a living. I’d run into some people already in the business, but many of the others had zero interest in the field. When I mention to strangers that I’m a writer, it seems like half the time I find they’ve written stories or want to write, and in many cases, have sold their work already.
Do you have a favorite author?
Robert Heinlein is really high on my list for several reasons–fun characters, interesting ideas, thoughtful speculation, and pure storytelling power.
How has your education, profession or background helped you in your writing career?
My degree is in physics, and part of what drives my efforts to make my stories convincing, not with quite the nuts and bolts aspects of THE MARTIAN, but closer to the ENDER’S GAME portion of the spectrum.
Can you pinpoint your biggest influence?
My parents. They gave me values and a love of reading that eventually became a love of writing. And my brother, Richard, who is a fountain of love, support and good humor.
Have you received any awards for your work? Book related and not book related?
My work includes a Nebula Award finalist, a Seiun Award finalist, a La Tour Eiffel Science Fiction Book Prize finalist, a Hugo Award Honorable Mention, Colorado Authors’ League Top Hand Award winners, HOMer Award winners, and Science Fiction Book Club selections.
My work has also appeared on the New York Public Library Best Books for Young Adults list, Science Fiction Chronicle’s List of Year’s Best Novels, and the yearly Locus Recommended Reading Lists.
Any organizations you are involved in (in the literary world, or others that you are passionate about?)
I’m a past contracts committee chair for Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. I’m a past regional VP of Mystery Writers of America. I’m also a member of International Thriller Writers, Colorado Author’s League, and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
Any other new projects on the horizon after these re-releases?
I have a psychological thriller that should be out in 2017. A web series based on Naught for Hire is in development with Ben Browder to star. Another producer hopes to film a pilot of Manhattan Transfer to use to sell the series. In parallel, a number of audiobooks and short stories are in the pipeline, as well. “Simon Sidekick” and “One Giant Step,” both short stories, should be available in ebook and audio form by July 1, 2016.
The fourth book to be re-released, Memory Blank, will be with us in December with a further three titles expected next year. Many thanks to John, and Sami @ Roger Charlie.
