Neil A. Hogan Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer
Space Fiction Writer Author Editor
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Digital version available here
Three old boys are having their monthly get together, discussing esoteric concepts over wine and beer, when they discover something that they had not recognized about the universe before.
Something that will change how they perceive their reality, forever.
The Old Boys’ Club is #21 in the Science Fiction Weekly Short Reads series. A short story of approximately 4700 words.
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When Julie sees the Guider striding towards her, she knows something is up.
And when he invites her to a safe house to reveal that he had already known about her discovery, long before she had made it, she soon discovers that all is not as it seems.
With the dark matter having left the Oort Cloud, and now heading towards the inner Solar System, it is up to Julie to decide what to do next.
But she has absolutely no idea what that could be.
Could this mean the end of the human race?
A Little Matter is #20 in the Science Fiction Weekly short reads series. A short story of approximately 4600 words.
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The pod members on the inside of their bubble world roll back and forth in fear as the strange triangular shape breaks into their universe, and reveals something horrifying inside.
What is this long creature made of lines?
Why is it frozen in the air above them?
And what will happen if it touches the energy skin of their world?
First Interdimensional Contact is #19 in the Science Fiction Weekly short reads series. A short story of about 4500 words.
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Maisee has a plan to disrupt the zomboid working tradition in the tea plantations of the South, and enlists her dead husband to help. She wants the townsfolk to believe that selling their dead relatives to be reanimated as workers in the picking industry is a really bad idea.
But there is a bigger underlying plan that Maisee is unaware of.
Can she escape an A.I. that is always one step ahead?
Work After Death is #18 in the Science Fiction Weekly short reads series. A short story of approximately 5300 words.
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In October 2016 the first issue of Alien Dimensions was released. October was chosen with the idea that, if the series kept going monthly, then in October 2017 issue #13 could be released to have the number 13 associated with Halloween. Also, it was expected that the actor to play the 13th Doctor would be announced by that time, and some stories for the issue were commissioned months in advance. In that sense, Alien Dimensions Issue #13 took a year of planning!
When Jodie Whittaker was announced to be the first female Doctor in July 2017, commissioned and submitting writers were encouraged to write either strong female leads playing doctor-esque characters, or a story with a Halloween theme or both. So, Issue #13 has a bit of both! (It was also the First Anniversary issue, so a bit longer than usual.)
Issue #13 will be removed from sale within a few days, so if you haven’t had a chance to get it, here are the details and the links:
Inside issue #13
Aura Who by Aric Merchant
One to the Left by Isaac Teile
Charger Nine by K. L. Hallam
One Chance by Sam Honour
Under the Surface by Alison McBain
Rejuvenation by Neil A. Hogan
Promises Kept by Patrick S. Baker
Sacrifice by Nicky Martin
The Ghost Haunter by Martin Roy Hill
Available in Digital and in Print formats
If you haven’t already, please check out Alien Dimensions Issue #16. Our 2nd anniversary issue. Find out more here: Digital | Print
Also available from Kindle Unlimited
Many thanks for reading.
Neil A. Hogan
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Available in digital format and via Kindle Unlimited
While experimenting on himself to raise his brain waves frequencies to see the areas of reality that a normal human cannot perceive, a scientist discovers something completely unexpected.
Something that could affect the entire human race now and forever.
‘Still in Beta’ is #17 in the Science Fiction Weekly Short Reads Series. A short science fiction story of about 5500 words
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Available from Amazon: Oh My God. It’s Full of Stars.
When Captain Dhead’s ship appears near a black hole binary system, his alien first officer Khyrks eagerly tells him that there is treasure in a tear in space-time, right in the center.
Slightly uneasy at being in such a dangerous part of space, Dhead sends a drone into the tear to investigate.
And finds something incredible.
‘Oh My God. It’s Full of Stars’ is #16 in the Science Fiction Weekly Series. A short reads story of about 4200 words.
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When Kamryn Jones’ houseboat is destroyed by a black drone, she is contacted by a mysterious woman who sends her across the country to locate evidence of a UFO. Determined to uncover the truth, she follows the trail.
But what she finds is a lot more disturbing that she would ever have expected.
And how is the President of Australia involved in all this?
Alien UFO Disclosure is #15 in the Science Fiction Weekly Series. A short story of approximately 7700 words.
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Available in Digital Format from Amazon
When a wormhole to another dimension opens up for Dravo, he is surprised to find highly advanced aliens on the other side eager for tourism.
But just being in the same room as them could kill a human being within an hour.
Can Dravo convince the Space Council that trade is still possible?
Find out more in The Hydrofluorons of Krakon 7. #14 in the Science Fiction Weekly series. A short story of about 5200 words.
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Now available in print
My goal with Alien Dimensions Issue #16 was to release it in time for the 2nd anniversary. Of course, that was more of a marketing decision than anything else.
I was able to submit the final version of issue #16 for print checks this week. I also got confirmation this week that it was good to go. However, I had planned to release it next week, and wasn’t going to press the release button until the optimal day for publishing a print book (Tuesday).
A few days later I got an email from CreateSpace telling me that their system will be shut down in a few weeks and that everything would move to Amazon.
What?
Of course, I had known this would happen, ever since Amazon bought Createspace back in 2005. There has been a long term plan behind the development of ebooks, KDP and Createspace over the past 13 years, and I’ve been paying close attention since 2008. This is the next step and it will make things a lot easier for self publishers who prefer not to go wide.
(As a side note, I celebrate 20 years as a customer of Amazon this year, so you could say I’m one of its greatest fans!)
Even so, the idea that they are going to move everything from Createspace to Amazon print in a few weeks, whether I want it or not, was a bit of a surprise. My main concern was a huge amount of books with specifically-sized covers that weren’t compatible with the Amazon print system. The other concern was that the date hadn’t been set for my migration. If it happened on Tuesday, then it would cause a problem for the whole launch process of Alien Dimensions #16.
I couldn’t take that risk.
As Createspace says that it would take 3-5 days to appear on Amazon, I thought I’d post it at 12:30am LA time on the 1st of September. Rather than wait until Tuesday and hope it would have the 4th as a publication date, I posted it today and relied on the ‘business days’ situation to sort things out. It also meant I could sleep easy knowing that the launch could not in any way be delayed, as I’d already launched it.
Makes sense. Right?
I had no idea that, because of the merger, rather than everything being delayed, everything was actually being fast-tracked. Within an hour of the printed version being confirmed, it had become available on Amazon. Within three hours sales had started to come through.
Thank you to everyone buying copies. I’m shocked and quite appreciative that the issue has been discovered before I made any official announcements. A nice surprise.
So, if you read this and wonder why you haven’t received an email telling you the print version is now available, it’s because I am going to wait until the ebook becomes available too.
The ebook version is a different beast. There is a slight problem with KDP in submitting for approval, and the dates. If I submit it on the 1st, one of the operators will list it as the 30th or 29th of the previous month. If I publish it on the 3rd, I’ve got a better chance of scoring a ‘1st of September’ listing. I want early September rather than late August as early month dates within that month sell better than late month dates. (Yes, I’ve been crunching the numbers!) A number of times I’ve submitted Alien Dimensions late on the 2nd of a month, and had it listed on the last day of the previous month. I would then politely email customer service and have the date changed. I’d prefer not to have to worry about that, so I’ll submit it on the 4th, and see how things go!
So, if you’re looking for the printed version of Alien Dimensions Science Fiction Short Stories Issue #16, click here
If you’re looking for the ebook version, subscribe to the irregular mailing list newsletter here, and I’ll send out an email the moment it becomes available.
Many thanks for reading.
Neil A.