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Thanks for stopping by. You’ve reached the online presence of a speculative fiction writer. In this case, speculative encompasses science fiction, space opera, horror, fantasy, historical fiction and paranormal mystery. Novels, novellas, short stories, and lately, screenplays. No poetry so far but maybe someday.

Note the vibrancy of life on Earth. It is rare not find some kind of life, regardless of how hostile the environment. But on Mars — currently — there is no life.

Perhaps billions of years ago there were primitive lifeforms, and the Red Planet had hot, radioactive cores that created a magnetosphere to fend off solar winds while holding onto its water and air. Now the rock and sand is barren and the weaker rays of a more distant sun can only illuminate the desolation.

Writing, on any given day, moves along a scale between these two extremes.

As you may have guessed, the Mars Wars series involves terra forming Mars, but there are conflicts and other undesirable consequences.

The Lars Kelsen Spectral Thriller series of urban fantasy books now has two volumes: Ghostly Summons and Octo Sapiens.

Publication News:

• Space opera short story Xeria: Demon Atomizer also has new cover art, and is offered free at various intervals on kindle.

  

• Sword and sorcery on Mars is the theme of RHONE, now with updated cover art.
  
  

  

• My science fiction short story, Dish Brain, is part of the February 2024 edition of Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction.

• Have found a publishing home in Golden Storyline Books for my paranormal mystery novel of hybrid beings and suckered arms, Octo Sapiens. I believe the surreal aspect of the latter might be enough to pique the interests of Franz Kafka and Salvador Dali. Yes, from beyond the grave.

• Piker Press has published my science fiction short story, Dish Brain. What happens when brilliant researchers go too far in growing human brains in labs? They’re doing it now, btw.
  

  

• The sequel to spectral thriller Ghostly Summons is titled Octo Sapiens. After a long search, this writer has signed on with Golden Storyline Books to publish it. They sent the manuscript proof my way and cover art is forthcoming.

• Ghostly Summons, A Lars Kelsen Spectral Thriller, edition 2 is now available in Amazon Kindle and paperback print formats.

• Amazing Stories has published my science fiction short story, Next Level Tina. A bit of sci-fi teenage rebellion. Below is cool artwork Amazing Stories created for the tale.
   
• Dark Stars is an anthology of science fiction horror drabbles, stories of exactly 100 words.
  Within, you’ll find stories of evil aliens, brood mothers, psycho AI, death machines, creatures
  of the dark void of space and so many more sinister sci-fi visions from authors around the world.
  • my drabble in this cool collection is called “Choices” and deals with making them on Mars when air is low and danger high.

• posted a free horror short story, “The Cicada Killer,” that centers on a mad scientist of humble circumstance that goes awry in a hurry.
• my science fiction short story, “Exodus,” has been published in the July 2022 edition of Dark Horses Magazine.

• Free sample chapters of Annihilation Plan: (Mars Wars Book 3). Give it a test launch.
• The audio version of Annihilation Plan: (Mars Wars Book 3) is now available via Audible slash ACX.
  Here’s the audio sample. 
  Free Audiobook Codes has the promotional codes for free downloads of the entire novel.

  And here’s the cover art:
  

• Bridget Devereaux, a young intern at Chambers Hospital, suspects something is strange about the strain of leukemia in recent admissions. She researches the blood cancer and traces the catalyst back to Andrew Raynorr, MD. But Raynorr is aware Bridget has found him out, and now not only her career, but her very life is in jeopardy in medical thriller, Shattered.

Sample chapters here.

• Imagine Vincent van Gogh in our modern world. Suppose, during the last year and a half of his life, when he severs part of his ear and commits himself to the insane asylum, he stumbles into the very circumstance he has longed for his entire adult life — a family. Would his life change for the better, or would his self-destructive tendencies again prevail? Set in modern-day North Carolina,  biographical fiction novel — Van Gogh, Encore — explores the turbulent and passionate aspects of Vincent’s world. 

• Enjoy zombie slash undead tales of horror? Death Clause ebook is free over at Smashwords.

  Can’t make it free on Amazon Kindle but at $.99 it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee and far more memorable, I’d wager.

  

• The Mars Wars series is now a complete trilogy.

  

• Announcement: Annihilation Plan (Mars Wars Book 3),  is available as of January 28, 2022 by Close To The Bone Publishing out of the UK. In the words of Senior Editor Craig Douglas, Close To The Bone’s focus is “to provide opportunities and to cut the bullshit out of publishing.” Craig did a great job on the cover art.

• my sci-fi short story, “The Foot Race,” has been reprinted by MetaStellar

• my short story titled “The Cicada Killer,” for inclusion in “Xenobiology – Stranger Creatures” Anthology, is now available from Rogue Planet Press, an Imprint of British Horrified Press. 

   

• Mars Wars sci-fi trilogy Books 1 and 2 found a home at Kensington Books for their Rebel Base Sci-Fi & Fantasy line. They crushed the editing and cover art. Mars Wars Books 1 and 2 are published, but they’ve decided to not publish Mars Wars Book 3 in these uncertain times. The working title is “Annihilation Plan.”
• The Weird and whatnot has published my science fiction tale, “The Source Beyond,” in the 03/2020 edition.

• The Weird and whatnot is slated to publish “The Source Beyond” science fiction tale, in late 2/2020
•  a guest post at Locus Magazine, “The Allure of Mars” (https://locusmag.com/2020/02/john-andrew-karr-guest-post-the-allure-of-mars/)
• Very cool to have my story, “The Paisley Witch,” included in one of Flame Tree Publishing’s latest anthologies, Pirates & Ghosts  Who else is making such handsome books these days? Silver, matt laminated, gold and silver foil stamped, embossed.
•  New Reader Magazine published my science fiction short story, “The Foot Race,” in their inaugural issue.
• Star Ship Sofa 558 features my science fiction short story, “The Foot Race.”

• Amazon has the list of my small press and indie titles, until I can incorporate them on this site.

Next Steps…

Forthwith.

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