This coming Saturday is the annual celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, during which readers young and old will be gathering at their local non-franchise, non-Amazon bookshops to celebrate their favorite genres.
In the midst of all this, author Richard C. White will be on hand at Omnihedron at Savage Mills, a STEM-related event in Savage, Maryland, at which he’ll be promoting his sci-fi steampunk novel On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, the currently running Kickstarter campaign for the On Wings spin-off anthology, Southwatch Stories, and his latest release, the pulp-heroine novella collection Cry Havoc: The Furies, Book 1.
(Since the idea of Independent Bookstore Day is to inspire you to support your local bookstore, you can order On Wings of Steel and Cry Havoc through the Richard C. White page at Bookshop.org and have your purchases delivered to your favorite bookshop. They’re also available for download as ebooks.)
Rich is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; and the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase.
Be sure to stop by and say hi to Rich, and learn about his projects for 2026. (I’d provide a link for more info, but I keep hitting a “403 Forbidden” warning when I try to access the Omnihedron website. I’m sure it’ll be a fun event, though!)
This weekend, fans of horror, science fiction, and fantasy will be gathering at the Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, being held at the Wyndham Garden York in York, Pennsylvania.
Rich is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.
You’ll find Rich hawking his wares in the Dealers’ Room, so be sure to stop by his table and pick up any titles you might have missed, and to learn about his projects for 2026.
Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival runs April 17–19. For more information on the show, visit their website.
On an unnamed world, the island city of Southwatch is a steampunk marvel of science, technology, and innovation—if you live in Dayside, above the clouds, as the wealthy elite. But if you’re scurrying for survival in Darkside—the island city’s lower ranks engulfed by a toxic cloud of poison and pollution—existence is a very different endeavor indeed…
Introduced last year in Richard C. White’s steampunk sci-fi novel On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, Southwatch is now the setting for the sci-fi collection Southwatch Stories: A Darkside Chronicles Anthology, currently being developed by Rich White’s NightWolf Graphics book-packaging company and indie house Crazy 8 Press, to be released later this year right here at StarWarp Concepts.
Edited by White and SWC’s Steven A. Roman, Southwatch Stories boasts a host of writers in addition to White’s own contribution: comics legend Paul Kupperberg, Crazy 8 cofounder Robert Greenberger, Hildy Silverman, Aaron Rosenberg, Bobby Nash, Natalie Bartley, Steve Saville, Phil Giunta, and Dayton Ward.
To get the ball rolling on this momentous cross-publishing event, NightWolf Graphics and Crazy 8 Press recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the book’s production and publishing costs.
Revivals of Golden Age comic book and pulp-fiction characters have become all the rage in the last decade among publishers, and author Richard C. White has joined the fun with his latest release: a novel told in three novellas!
Cry Havoc: The Furies, Book 1 introduces a trio of costumed heroines—The Cat, Black Venus, and Miss Espionage—who fought both overseas and on the homefront during the darkest days of World War II, doing all they could to protect democracy—and doing it all with no superpowers!
Black Venus, a black-catsuited fighter pilot, was created by artist Charles Tomsey (Patsy Walker, Captain Midnight), and made her comics debut in Holyoke’s Contact Comics #1 (cover-dated July 1944). The super-spy Miss Espionage, the International Detective, was created by writer Bill Woolfolk (Airboy, Captain Marvel) and artist Rudy Palais (Blackhawk, Phantom Lady), and first appeared in Narrative Publishers’ Power Comics #3 (cover-dated September 1944). As for the Cat, a Hollywood stuntwoman turned lead actress turned crime fighter…well, she may be an original Rich White creation, but her adventures fit perfectly into that Golden Age timeline.
Here’s the back-cover copy to pique your interest:
Black Venus. The Cat. Miss Espionage.
A legendary fighter pilot, a Hollywood star turned crime smasher, and the daughter of Mata Hari—renowned adventurers still fighting the good fight in post–World War II America.
When the war ended, each moved on with their respective lives, but always with an eye out for trouble—just because the Reich has fallen doesn’t mean every spy and saboteur retired, or that criminals have suddenly changed their ways…or that there aren’t madmen eager to pick up where der Führer left off…
Lurking in the shadows is a new threat to freedom and democracy: the Triumverate. An organization whose global influence may rival that of the Third Reich—and whose plans for world domination may be more than just three costumed heroines can put a stop to….
Cover art is provided by Astor Alexander (Fallout 76, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus), with interior illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia (Carmilla, A Princess of Mars, Lorelei: Sects and the City) and cartoonist Rock Baker.
Cry Havoc: The Furies, Book 1 is available in print and digital formats from such online retailers as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org. If you’re a fan of pulp adventure, be sure to order a copy today!
This Friday, author Richard C. White will be journeying to Southfield, Michigan, to appear at Penguicon, the sci-fi and open source convention being held at the Westin Southfield-Detroit.
Rich will be promoting his sci-fi steampunk novel On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, and the first of his upcoming SWC releases for 2026, the pulp-superheroine novel Cry Havoc: The Furies, Book 1—which officially hits online retailers in print on March 31! (It’s rumored Rich may have some advance copies available for purchase at the con.)
As you know by now, Rich is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.
You’ll find Rich hawking his wares in the Dealers’ Room, so be sure to stop by his table and pick up any titles you might have missed, and to learn about his projects for 2026—he’s got quite a few lined up!
Penguicon runs March 27–29. For more information on the show, visit the Penguicon website.
If you’re a fan of role-playing games, then you probably know that today is InternationalGM’s [Game Masters] Appreciation Day. If you’re not, I’ll let this quote from the official GM’s Day site provide you with some background:
GM’s Day was born on the site EN World in December 2002. Originally a simple message board post by EN World member Spunkrat, the idea quickly gained popularity, championed by Mark Clover of Creative Mountain Games and, of course, EN World itself…. GM’s Day is an annual day to show your Game Master (or Dungeon Master, or Storyteller, or Referee) how much you appreciate them. Publishers and retail outlets across the world now join in GM’s Day, offering discounts, sales, and other cool stuff.
And what do you know? It just so happens that StarWarp Concepts has a book that’s perfect for game masters and gamers and fantasy movie fans alike:
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which sci-fi and fantasy author Richard C. White (On Wings of Steel, Harbinger of Darkness, For a Few Gold Pieces More) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. A bonus feature is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
What you’ll find in its pages is information that’s vital for just about any writer and game master, especially when it comes to world building, and Rich shows you how to do it:
Avoiding the pitfalls of naming characters, regions, and countries
Applying the technique of “outside in” to develop and then refine ideas for your world
Creating a world your readers can relate to, regardless of its technological levels
Identify how to create backstories and conflict by observing how your world comes together
Adding details to make your story richer without overwhelming your readers
Identifying useful resources for research
From its first publication, the book has been a hit with both fantasy writers and role-playing gamers as well. In fact, it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!
“I think Terra Incognito is a solid introduction to the subject of world building. The book succeeds in helping the aspiring writer in creating a skeletal framework for which to hang the moving parts required of a believable fictional setting.”—The Gaming Gang
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is available in trade paperback, hardcover, and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information. Order a copy for your favorite game master today, to show them how much you appreciate their work—or order it for yourself!
Hey, book lovers! Today’s the day when e-book distributor Smashwords launches its annual Read an Ebook Week Sale, during which you can purchase tens of thousands of digital books at special prices! It runs March 1–7—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.
Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can get the following digital titles at 25% off:
On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1 is a steampunk sci-fi novel by bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy) who has an ever-growing list of SWC titles under his belt. In On Wings of Steel, Erica Halgrim is a proud new member of the Angels of Steel: a courier service whose all-female members navigate through the streets of Underworld and the skies of the Aerie with the aid of winged flying devices that allow them to traverse the toxic Dark Cloud that separates the downtrodden masses on the ground from the wealthy socialites who live aboard enormous airships. But her job becomes secondary, however, when Erica attends a soiree at the Aerie with her fellow Angels and witnesses what appears to be an unfortunate accident—but could it perhaps have been murder?—and she becomes a suspect!
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which Rich White takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. A bonus feature is an exclusive interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is my young adult novel that’s perfect for lovers of dark urban fantasy. It introduces readers to Pandora Zwieback, a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets professional monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. In Blood Feud, Pan, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father.
In Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2, Pan and Annie face even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! But Pan isn’t about to let some ancient monster win the day, not when the lives of her parents and friends—along with those of every human on the planet—are at stake, so she leads a charge of her own. But whose side is going to emerge the victor remains to be seen…
For a Few Gold Pieces More is Rich White’s collection of linked fantasy short stories about a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure, romance—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly).
Harbinger of Darkness is Rich’s original fantasy-adventure novel in which a thief named Perrin steals an extremely valuable—and magical—gem from the evil king ruling her home country. With thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation, which directly conflict with her secret life—and identity—as a humble bookseller’s daughter. It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!
And Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is Rich’s collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!
The Read an Ebook Week Sale runs now through March 7, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher page at Smashwords and start reading today!
Hey, lovers of vampire fiction and supernatural romance, did you know that it was 95 years ago—on Valentine’s Day, of all days!—that the 1931 screen adaptation of Dracula made its theatrical debut? It’s true!
Directed by Tod Browning (Freaks, London After Midnight), with a screenplay by Garrett Fort (adapting the Bram Stoker novel and the then-popular stage play written by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston), and starring Bela Lugosi as the count, Dwight Frye as his crazy minion Renfield, Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing, David Manners as John Harker, and Helen Chandler as Mina Seward, the film proved to be a major box-office success and made Lugosi a household name.
Still, it’s not really a romance—Dracula’s interest in Mina is more along the lines of a predator stalking its prey than a love story; he’s a monster in human form. But maybe it works in a tainted love, psycho-stalker, Lifetime Movie sort of way? Whatever it is, and however you look at it, you do you, Cupid…
So, what’s the best way to celebrate this special Valloween occasion if you’re a horror fan? Well, you could read Dracula, of course, or have your own movie marathon of horror flicks starring the count, starting with the Bela Lugosi classic (or the Spanish-language version, released the same year, starring Carlos Villarias and using the same sets!) and leading all the way up to the most current screen adaptation, Dracula, written and directed by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element), and starring Caleb Landry Jones and Zoe Bleu as the count and his love interest, Mina Murray.
Or you could purchase a book that helped to inspire Bram Stoker in creating the count’s unforgettable debut—especially when it came to the presentation of his vampirie “brides.” In fact, it’s been ranked a “Best of #BookTok” title!
Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman named Carmilla practically turns up on the doorstep of the castle owned by Laura’s father, she thinks her prayers for companionship have been answered. But as she comes to realize, Carmilla isn’t as interested in making friends as she is in spilling blood…
Regarded as the one of the earliest female vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on Stoker’s Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. Our special Illustrated Classics edition contains six exclusive illustrations by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City, A Princess of Mars,The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1).
“With a cover that looks like it belongs on the paranormal romance shelf in a bookstore and half a dozen illustrations provided by Eliseu Gouveia, this edition stands a good chance of tempting some younger readers to pick up this classic vampire tale…. I wish I’d picked this book up in seventh grade instead of slogging through Dracula.”—The Gothic Library
Carmilla is available in print and digital formats. Visit its product page for ordering information.
Yes, the weather outside might be frightful (at least here in the northeast United States), but book lovers young and old know that today marks the return of Take Your Child to the Library Day.
Founded in 2011 by librarians Nadine Lipman and Caitlin Augusta, the annual event is held the first Saturday in February and encourages librarians to reach out to their communities and show folks just how wonderful reading can be.
Before the Internet, libraries were the source for information and reading, and these days they can use our support. So head out now, introduce your children to that big brick building with all the free books to borrow, update the library card that’s been stuck in the back of your wallet for all these years, and renew your acquaintance with a vital partner in the ongoing literacy campaign.
For more information, including the list of participating libraries, visit the TYCLD website.
This coming Friday, author Richard C. White will be braving the Arctic conditions currently smothering the US, to appear at Farpoint, the sci-fi//fantasy/horror/anime convention being held at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel, in Towson, Maryland. (The same inclement weather that unfortunately resulted in him canceling his intended appearance this past weekend at MystiCon.)
Rich will be promoting his sci-fi steampunk novel On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, and the first of his upcoming SWC releases for 2026, the pulp-superheroine novel Cry Havoc: The Furies, Book 1.
As you know by now, Rich is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.
You’ll find Rich hawking his wares in the Dealers’ Room, so be sure to stop by his table and pick up any titles you might have missed, and to learn about his projects for 2026—he’s got quite a few lined up!
Farpoint runs January 30 to February 1. For more information on the show, visit the Farpoint website.
No events to show
