u/Optimus_Joe

My debut hard-science-fiction thriller was released 2 weeks ago today. It is titled The Toll of the Forgotten. This novel took me over two years to write, as I tried to verify the science and math as I wrote.

Novel Description:

The Janus and its crew are slowly dying in the dark, and no one will be sending help. Captain John Nesbitt and his Chief Engineer, Colt Blaire, are forced to rely on their ingenuity to keep themselves and their ship alive. Their only chance at salvation is a desperate, against-all-odds flight to an abandoned Martian colony. But surviving the isolation of space and failing life support is only the beginning.

The red planet harbors a chilling mystery. Beneath the dust of a terraformed future, a shadowy conspiracy from the past stirs—one that defies the limits of human science and forces John and Colt to confront a lethal past long thought permanently buried.

Closer to home, a fragile peace is shattering. Captain Luisa Deveraux commands the Space Force flagship Missouri on a mission that will test her to her absolute limits as a leader. Burdened by the crushing weight of command, Luisa must navigate a maze of political treachery and questionable orders to avert a catastrophic threat. With hidden saboteurs threatening her crew from within, she is forced into impossible choices, with millions of lives hanging in the balance. One hesitation could mean the end of everything she has sworn to protect.

Two desperate fights for survival. One unforgiving universe.

I have seen some things about joining the IAN and would like to know if anyone has done so. If so, did you find it worth the costs? I know they say they send out PR statements and host a page for you, but is there really any value to it?

Thanks

I discovered this band and like what I have heard so far. I saw that they have done some US festivals like SXSW, although they tend to stick to EU gigs. Has anyone seen them live? Would they be a good candidate for Rockville?

I am an independent author who has just released my debut science fiction novel.

Quick synopsis: It’s a hard sci-fi thriller about a stranded spaceship crew that is forced to investigate what is supposed to be an abandoned Mars colony, only to discover the colony is active and thriving. While trying to survive their failing life support, they uncover a decades-old secret that sparks a massive political conspiracy and fleet sabotage across the rest of the solar system.

One of my early readers compared it to a cross of The Martian meets Leviathan Wakes, and another said it was reminiscent of The Lost Fleet and Revelation Space.

The book is available on Kindle Unlimited, Kindle, and Paperback for anyone who may be interested.

Thanks in advance.

The Toll of the Forgotten

I am an independent author who has just released my debut science fiction novel.

Quick synopsis: It’s a hard sci-fi thriller about a stranded spaceship crew that is forced to investigate what is supposed to be an abandoned Mars colony, only to discover the colony wasn't actually abandoned. While they are just trying to survive failing life support, they uncover a decades-old secret that sparks a massive political conspiracy and fleet sabotage across the rest of the solar system.

One of my early readers compared it to a cross of The Martian meets Leviathan Wakes, and another said it was reminiscent of The Lost Fleet and Revelation Space.

The book is available in paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited for anyone who may be interested.

OK, I need some opinions.

I wrote a science fiction book that is hard science fiction. While the story is not the same, I have been told it is similar to or a cross between Andy Weir's stuff and The Expanse series. I was thinking of going to those Reddit boards and trying to market my book there, but I'm not sure if that is going too far?

What do you all think?

For those of you who use resin molds to melt your PLA, what do you use to shred your tree supports and failed prints? I want to get them down to a smaller size so they fit better into the resin molds. For larger, failed prints, I break them into pieces, but I want to get them and the trees into smaller pellets.
I have tried blenders that I have picked up at thrift stores, and they do not work well. I have also tried using a planer, and that didn't work well either.
What is everyone else doing?

https://preview.redd.it/6wkg07sq27gh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=791caa8bd51fa8c4d2e1350ea06070b22968558e

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I got my first review in under 24 hours. Granted, it was an ARC reader, but considering how little luck I have had with that program, I was happy to have one.

They posted on both Amazon and Goodreads and overall, I have to say I am pretty happy with it.

I have my debut novel coming out on Amazon in a week and a half, in both paperback and e-pub. I set my pricing based on suggestions from similar-length books, but as I get closer, I am afraid I set the price too high and would like feedback.

My book, on Kindle, is 521 pages long, and in paperback it is 489 pages. I am planning on charging 5.99 for the e-book and 17.99 for the paperback. I know those prices are similar to other books of the same length, but those are from established authors.

Should I lower the price? What do you all think?

What are the chances of The Pretty Reckless coming in 2027. They will have wrapped up the AC/DC tour by then as well as their own tour for their new album.

I'd like to think they are big enough to headline the Octane stage.

Thoughts?

I have written two different descriptions for Amazon and the back of my book. I would like feedback on if I should use one for the book and a different for Amazon, the same or what.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Blurb 1

The crew of the Janus has run out of time.

With life support failing and no hope of rescue, Captain John Nesbitt and Chief Engineer Colt set course for a long-abandoned colony on Mars—their only chance of survival.

But Mars was never truly abandoned.

What lies beneath the red sands is the truth behind a decades-old secret—one powerful enough to reach across millions of miles. As John and Colt struggle to stay alive, they uncover a conspiracy whose consequences never truly ended.

Far from Mars, Captain Luisa Deveraux commands the Space Force flagship Missouri. Sabotage, political intrigue, and impossible choices push her crew toward a conflict they don't yet understand—one tied to the same forgotten past.

Some believe the past can be buried.

Some know it never stays buried.

The greatest threat isn't what was discovered—it's what was left behind.

Blurb 2

The Janus and its crew are slowly dying in the dark, and no one will be sending help. Captain John Nesbitt and his Chief Engineer, Colt, are forced to rely on their ingenuity to keep themselves and their ship alive. Their only chance at salvation is a desperate, against-all-odds flight to an abandoned Martian colony. But surviving the isolation of space and failing life support is only the beginning.

The red planet harbors a chilling mystery. Beneath the dust of a terraformed future, a shadowy conspiracy from the past is stirring—one that defies the limits of human science and forces John and Colt to confront a lethal past that was thought permanently buried.

Closer to home, a fragile peace is shattering. Captain Luisa Deveraux commands the Space Force flagship, NAS Missouri, into a mission that will test her absolute limits as a leader. Burdened by the crushing weight of command, Luisa must navigate a maze of political treachery and questionable orders to head off a catastrophic threat. With hidden saboteurs threatening her crew from within, she is forced into impossible choices where millions of lives hang in the balance. One single hesitation could mean the end of everything she has sworn to protect.

Two desperate fights for survival. One unforgiving universe.

I am coming up on year 3 since surgery and have noticed I have cold feet frequently.

I have had my labs recently and everything looks good there. I do have hypotension and my resting heart rate is around 58bpm.

Anyone else have this issue?

I print often. Not every day, but often. I have had my printer for one year now, and I feel like I have to replace my plates a lot. I am now on my 5th PEI plate. No matter how many times I clean them, they just seem to lose the ability to hold prints.

I have tried upping the plate temp, but then the print warps. I have tried cleaning them after every print and was told that is too often and actually hurts the plate's adhesion.

At this point, I am wondering if I just need to start bulk ordering them from AliExpress or what.

Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.

I am looking to print with ABS and was told I need an enclosure and to turn off my cooling fan. This is coming from someone with a Bambi Labs printer.

Has anyone on here printed with ABS on their Ender 3 successfully. If so, what settings did you use and did you make an enclosure for it?

I am writing under a pseudonym since I have built a professional name for myself for my day job. Not that I am embarrassed by my book, but I do not want the two lives to intersect. My book is coming out in a month and I am prepping for it.

For those of you who also write under a Pseudonym or Pen Name, do you give a bio of yourself and if so, how do you do it? Do you keep it generic, like, Joe lives in the Midwest with his wife and kids, or do you say, Joe lives in Jacksonville, FL and when he's not writing, he plays Dungeons and Dragons, hikes, kayaks, and binge watches TV's and movies.

I know my photo is not going to be of me, per se, it's going to show me but my face will be covered by my Kindle. I was just wondering about the details.

Thanks

Due to health and dietary issues my wife and I are considering doing the 4 day owners club. We heard that if you do owners club you can get into the VIP areas as well and get free drinks in those areas. Can someone verify this for me?

Also, does owners club come with a locker or so you still have to rent one?

​

Thanks

https://preview.redd.it/ebxeweum396h1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=6d970599fcd720b687b21efd87f6c3909d96aaef

I stumbled upon this on Amazon and AliExpress. It says it is for the Ender 3 Pro and VE. Would this work on the SE so that I can fine-tune my levels?

Thanks in advance.