The "Ripples in Space" eBook is available for pre-order!
Winston's short story is featured in this Sci-Fi anthology by Samak Press
I had a short story accepted by Samak Press for publication in their upcoming science fiction anthology, Ripples in Space. My story, Ascentia’s Downfall, is about a spaceship on its way to an uncharted planet that encounters a mysterious distortion. The passengers investigate the anomaly using an augmented VR program called Redshift and quickly discover that the distortion affects both the physical and virtual environments. When the game becomes reality, how can you escape?
Ripples in Space is scheduled to release on September 2, 2025. Find links to preorder the eBook below. Thanks for supporting independent writing and publishing! I’ve posted an excellent summary of the book below, courtesy of Samak Press.
Humanity has sought evidence of intelligent life beyond Earth since we first peered through a telescope. Space holds the answers to an enduring mystery of whether we are alone in the universe. We want to make first contact with extraterrestrial life.
What if making first contact takes a dangerous or deadly turn?
Samak Press presents a new original science fiction anthology, Ripples in Space, that features compelling first contact tales from fourteen talented science fiction authors. From sinister aliens to rogue artificial intelligence, these first contact stories will take readers to unexpected destinations where they will meet truly strange creatures who fit the definition of alien perfectly.
Here’s a quick glimpse at each story featured within the pages of Ripples in Space:
Salvaging an orb from a derelict space vessel puts a couple at the mercy of a mysterious alien entity in Out of Silence by Jean Marie Bauhaus.
Searching for her missing dog leads a woman on a trek into an isolated section of her sprawling ranch where time and reality are a disorienting mess in Tract 16 by Christopher W. McGuiness.
Two alien merchants dealing in exotic animals find an uncharted solar system that offers access to countless new species in Jah’s Sanctuary by John Coon.
An astronaut and her AI companion encounter a mysterious explorer on a distant world thought to be lifeless in Once We Peppered the Stars by Darren Todd.
Faced with a virus that is degenerating their bodies, aliens seek assistance from a human cargo vessel in Bellwether from Sarah Connell.
Five-sided aliens allow two human explorers to join their migration, an action that creates an unforeseen ripple effect for their entire species in Fear the Human by Mike Morgan.
Her brother’s abduction by an unseen alien entity upends a young girl’s life in Not James by K.L. Mill.
An aging exobiologist on a return voyage from Neptune is gifted a crystal infused space rock that is no ordinary rock in Space Amoebas by David Castlewitz.
A letter recounts the discovery of a planet-wide AI program with addictive properties in Adaptive Algorithm by Charles Chin.
When a man’s teenage son undergoes a dramatic personality shift, it signals the presence of another being from beyond the stars in Foreign Exchange by Brian Reindel.
Animals start randomly dropping from the sky, foreshadowing a mysterious apocalyptic event in Raining Cats and Dogs by Katherine Kerestman.
An aspiring rodeo star retreats into training for a rodeo to help her cope when attacking spaceships appear in the sky in The Silver Buckle by Angelique Fawns.
Two sisters explore mysterious and dangerous tunnels underneath a future London destroyed by a worldwide apocalyptic event in Gamma Day by Phillip Carter.
A spaceship is drawn to investigate the cause behind an unusual distortion emanating from a mysterious planet in Ascentia’s Downfall by Winston Malone.
Ripples in Space will be released worldwide on September 2, 2025. Preorder your eBook edition now from major booksellers, including:
Preorders for the paperback and hardcover print editions will be available in the near future (August).
If you’re a podcaster, blogger, or reviewer who’s interested in receiving an advanced reader copy in order to do a review, I’d love to hear from you. Samak Press welcomes reviews of this new anthology posted to bookseller websites, podcasts, and blogs. If you want to be an ARC reader, send an email to samakpress@gmail.com and include “Ripples in Space ARC request” in your email subject line.
Shame I encountered issues with John about submitting my XF. It looks like a nicely presented anthology. Still, I guess it means I should just go and publish my own, given it's been finished already.
Congratulations on your ebook and also your book store soon to open.