Fantastical histories for modern feminists
Released today: The Vitruvian Mask
It’s been three and a half years since I started writing this book and it’s finally out in the wild! <happy dance>
What is it about? Loss, motherhood, learning to trust, love…and scary nuns. <grin>
Available in print or ebook online in all the usual places (but I like Bookshop.org best).
I am well-chuffed. A five-star review and the reviewer really delved into the themes of the book. Here’s the full review.
The Vitruvian Mask is a historical sci-fi drama story by BJ Sikes. After disposing of the previous regime, the Naturalists have taken over France, methodically targeting scientists and destroying every one of their creations. Former Head Scientist and Roboticist Adelaide Coumain takes refuge on a remote farm alongside three of her colleagues, only to be left homeless when the authorities arrest her colleagues and burn down the farm. Pregnant and on the verge of giving birth, Adelaide arrives at a Paris hospital to deliver a healthy boy. But she soon realizes that hospitals are no longer the bastion of science and starts treating injured Augmented soldiers with significant risk to herself. Meanwhile, Henri Desjardins returns to France following his exile and accidentally stumbles onto Adelaide’s path. What does fate truly hold for Adelaide?
Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
A splendid mix of suspense, drama, and thrills makes The Vitruvian Mask a sci-fi thriller you don’t want to miss. Set in an alternate history of France, BJ Sikes’ tale is high on political intrigue and touches upon some issues that feel more relevant today than ever. In the story, scientists are persecuted, and superstition and misinformation are favored by the totalitarian regime, which has uncanny parallels with how some nations of the world operate. The characters have human flaws and personalities in how they react to adversity, making you relate to them. Sikes keeps an even pace with a thoroughly compelling plot. Recommended to readers of sci-fi and historical fiction alike.
Now that The Vitruvian Mask is done (and about to be released), I’m going to work on another writing project, The Cultist’s Wife. I will finish it. I swear. So I signed up for the April NaNoWriMo camp. I find that it gives me some external pressure to work on those final (?) edits to the manuscript.
Hopefully, by the end of the month, I will have the 6th (!) draft edited.
The Vitruvian Mask is featured on the Awesomegang’s page! https://awesomegang.com/?p=1081609 Getting the word out to new readers about the book! Many thanks to the good folks at Awesomegang.
What is one word that describes you?
The first word that popped into my head was “dedicated” but I don’t know if that really does it. I mean, it seems kinda dull, no?
Here’s some info from their website:
https://www.clockworkalchemy.com/
Clockwork Alchemy is the San Francisco Bay Area’s own steampunk convention, celebrating alternative history, sci-fi, and fantasy.
For anyone who loves sci-fi with an alternate history spin, Clockwork Alchemy provides a 3-day event with an immersive environment, welcoming community, and many hours of panels, games, social events, and concerts.
Clockwork Alchemy is a great event for readers, artists, makers, crafters, costumers, fans, families and more
Immerse yourself in fun and activities all weekend long.
Attend educational panels and classes to learn history, science, literature, crafts and martial arts.
In the evenings, the convention transforms into a showcase of entertainment and music, with concerts and dancing.
It’s my birthday so I thought I would give you, my readers, a gift! How about a free ecopy of my soon to be released novel The Vitruvian Mask? Yes, you get a copy of the book before it’s even released! Send me an email at bjsikesauthor at gmail .com and I will send you a book, your choice of ePUB, MOBI, or PDF. Just let me know which you’d prefer. Offer good TODAY ONLY, March 13, 2023, so email me quick!
Happy reading, friends!
Write about your dream home.
To be honest, my home is probably 75% there. I live in a Victorian with a mid-century addition. I adore the high ceilings and sturdy baseboards and door frames. It has hardwood floors in some rooms but laminate in others. In my dream home, they would all be hardwood. The windows are thin and tall, just how I like them. I think the biggest changes would be in the bathroom and kitchen. My dream bathroom is an actual room, not a little closet. Enough room for a clawfoot tub, a shower room, a toilet room and a window looking onto a beautiful secret garden. Kitchen would be all tile with updated appliances and wooden cabinets.
And I’d move the whole house to a quiet village in the North of England, with hills and trees all around, and a sweet little cottage garden.
Hey folks! I’m excited to announce my book, The Archimedean Heart, will be promoted as part of a special sale (psst, it’s free!) on @Smashwords to celebrate Read an Ebook Week 2023 from March 5-11. Be sure to follow me for more updates and links to the promotion for my books and many more! #ebookweek23 #Smashwords #freebooks
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/648549
Hi friends, If you have been madly downloading all those free ebooks (including the Archimedean Heart 😉) from Smashwords during their Read eBooks event like I have, you should try this book reading app I am using. It opens all the formats and the controls are easy, unlike others. It has no ads and it’s free! We love free, right?
ReadEra https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.readera&hl=en
BJ Sikes, author 