Best Books of 2014 – Chicago Book Review

Chicago Book ReviewWhile eating breakfast and checking email this morning, I discovered that Upload made Chicago Book Review‘s list of the Best Books of 2014! As I work on my next novel, it’s great to be reminded that people loved my first — very encouraging.

Those of you familiar with Upload may be surprised to see it listed in a 2014 best-of list, since it was first published in late 2012. It’s a self-published novel, and Chicago Book Review didn’t review it until May of this year.
Thanks again to Vicky Albritton for an insightful and well-written review, and to Kelli Christiansen of Chicago Book Review for taking a chance on a self-published sci-fi novel.

Upload Among Winners of ForeWord Reviews 2012 Book of the Year Award

botya-2012-winners-announcedBack in March, I posted to say that Upload was a Finalist in Science Fiction for ForeWord Reviews’ 2012 Book of the Year Award.  Well, ForeWord Reviews announced the winners on June 28, and I’m very proud to share my happy news: Upload was among the winners!

This is one of the premier awards for books from small publishers, and especially for self-published books like Upload.

The winners in science fiction include:

State of Union, by Sven Michael Davison
The Samsara Effect, by Paul Black
The Water Thief, by Nicholas Lamar Soutter
Upload, by Mark McClelland (me)

For more info, read the ForeWord Reviews press release, or browse all of the BOTYA award winners.

Finalist for ForeWord Reviews 2012 Book of the Year Award in Science Fiction

botya-2012-finalists-announcedI got a happy bit of news today. My novel, Upload, is a Finalist in Science Fiction for ForeWord Reviews’ 2012 Book of the Year Award.

Curious about the other finalists in Science Fiction? I was, so I compiled a list of Goodreads links to the books and their authors. (In the case of State of Union, I couldn’t find the book on Goodreads. I suspect it’s a sequel to State of Mind.)

Document 512, by Thomas Lopinski
God Bless The Dead, by Evan Geller
Six, by Calvin J Brown
State of Union, by Sven Michael Davison
The Death of Eve, by Shaun Penney
The Samsara Effect, by Paul Black
The Serpent’s Grasp, by C. Kevin Thompson
The Water Thief, by Nicholas Lamar Soutter
The Webs of Varok, by Cary Neeper
Upload, by Mark McClelland (me)
Wildcatter, by Dave Duncan

What is this award? In their own words, “ForeWord’s Book of the Year Awards program was created to highlight the year’s most distinguished books from independent publishers.”

If you’re looking for some good fresh sci-fi, this seems like a great place to start!