“…a high-concept thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat…” – Paula Berinstein, The Writing Show Podcast
Pop Culture Zoo Press, the new publishing arm of Pop Culture Zoo, has partnered with authors Edward Miller and J. B. Manas to bring readers a captivating sci-fi thriller, The Kronos Interference, which received a coveted starred review in Kirkus Reviews.
“I really felt the authors crafted an extraordinary adventure that captures the essence of classic science-fiction while weaving an original story that is immersive and full of twists,” said Joseph Dilworth, Jr., publisher. “The fact that it got the Kirkus star just validated what I knew as soon as I read it. It was a perfect book to launch our new model with.”
Rather than a traditional publishing model, Dilworth decided to try something different. With Pop Culture Zoo, he already had a platform in the sci-fi arena. He needed a publishing model that built on that strength; and yet would give authors unprecedented freedom and the bulk of the profits while he focused on promotion and marketing. But he didn’t want it to be a vanity press, where authors pay to have their work published and there’s little to no quality control or any type of selective process.
“In today’s publishing market, this seemed a good decision for us,” said Edward Miller, co-author of The Kronos Interference. “It’s a true partnership, and gives us more visibility to the readers who we know would love our book. Also, we retain all the rights, so it’s an unusually flexible model.”
Miller’s co-author J.B.Manas, who’s had non-fiction books published by traditional presses, agreed. “We felt we had a really original spin on a classic time travel riff,” said Manas, “and we invested a lot of time in character development, research, and studying the masters. In the end, we knew we had something special. But traditional publishers are rarely offering strong deals to new authors in the speculative fiction space, so to partner with a publisher that already has that audience seemed ideal.”
In the book, when physicist Jacob Newman is pulled from his family, his job, and his whole life to investigate a strange vessel discovered at the bottom of the South Pacific, he finds evidence of time travel, along with implications that a judgment day against mankind is imminent. But it isn’t until he cracks the time travel technology and uncovers a startling link to his own family history that he undertakes a dangerous mission back to 1924 to kill Adolf Hitler and undo a horrific episode of Earth’s violent past. The results are catastrophic, and soon he discovers much darker forces working against him—forces he must overcome if he hopes to save humanity and see his family again.
The Kronos Interference was published on June 30, 2012 in ebook and trade paperback formats at major online retailers worldwide. Manas was kind enough to send me a copy to review so expect to hear my thoughts on the novel by next week. In the meantime, here is some more information about Manas, Miller and Pop Culture Zoo Press.
ABOUT EDWARD MILLER and J. B. MANAS
As chief editor for a sci-fi gaming website for over fifteen years, Edward Miller has crafted hundreds of stories designed to take readers to new places and immerse them in mind-bending situations. This is his first full-length novel. In a former life as a musician, Edward toured the United States with such acts as Foghat, The Allman Brothers Band, Edgar Winter, 38 Special, and others. Edward resides in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania with his wife and family, along with their dog, Lady.
J. B. Manas is a Philadelphia native whose world travels and passion for science, history, and the arts have led some to call him the consummate Renaissance Man. He’s an avid movie buff, a wine collector, a songwriter and guitarist, a technology geek, and an armchair philosopher—all of which make their way into his writing at one time or another. A senior editor by day and a leading expert on organizational ethics and lessons from history, his bestselling non-fiction works have received critical acclaim for being extensively researched, yet entertaining and accessible. This is his debut leap into fiction.
Visit the authors’ blog and Like us on Facebook.
ABOUT POP CULTURE ZOO PRESS
Pop Culture Zoo Press was founded as an extension of Joe Dilworth’s popular Pop Culture Zoo website as a way to help authors of superlative speculative fiction find a way to a receptive audience. Pop Culture Zoo has always sought to Build Better Geeks and Joe felt it was time to take it to a new level by publishing the kind of books he would like to read himself. More than that, Pop Culture Zoo Press also gives new authors a publishing home that allows them to retain ownership to their original work. Find out more about Pop Culture Zoo Press at www.popculturezoopress.com and be sure to Like us on Facebook.
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a volunteer editor for Alt Hist and a contributor to Just Below the Law. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and his own writing blog. When not writing he works as an attorney and enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana.
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