Martin L. Shoemaker

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About Martin L. Shoemaker

Martin L. Shoemaker is a programmer who writes on the side… or maybe it’s the other way around. He told stories to imaginary friends and learned to type on his brother's manual typewriter even though he couldn't reach the keys. (He types with the keyboard in his lap still today.) He couldn't imagine any career but writing fiction... until his algebra teacher said, "This is a program. You should write one of these."

Fast forward 30 years of programming, writing, and teaching. He was named an MVP by Microsoft for his work with the developer community. He is an avid role-playing gamemaster, but that didn't satisfy his storytelling urge. He wrote, but he never submitted until his brother-in-law read a chapter and said, "That's not a chapter. That's a story. Send it in." It won second place in the Baen Memorial Writing Contest and earned him lunch with Buzz Aldrin. Programming never did that!

Martin hasn't stopped writing (or programming) since. His work has appeared in Analog, Galaxy's Edge, Digital Science Fiction, and select service garages worldwide. His novella "Murder on the Aldrin Express" was reprinted in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection and in Year's Top Short SF Novels 4. Learn more at http://Shoemaker.Space.

SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR

As an author, Martin has sold stories to the following markets:

"Not Close Enough", in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, May 2013.

"Murder on the Aldrin Express", in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, September 2013.

"Brigas Nunca Mais", in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, March 2015.

"Il Gran Cavallo", in Galaxy's Edge #5, November 2013.

"Pallbearers", in Galaxy's Edge #7, March 2014.

"Murder on the Aldrin Express", in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois.

"Murder on the Aldrin Express", in The Year's Top Short SF Novels 4.

"The Night We Flushed the Old Town" in Therefore I Am: Digital Science Fiction Volume 2.

"Father-Daughter Outing", the cover story for Heir Apparent: Digital Science Fiction Volume 4.

"Gruff Riders" in The Gruff Variations: Writing for Charity Anthology, Vol. 1

His writing has also won the following awards:

Writers of the Future, Quarter 1, 2011: Finalist, "The Mother Anthony"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 2, 2011: Honorable Mention, "Father-Daughter Outing"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 3, 2011: Honorable Mention, "Scramble"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 4, 2011: Semi-Finalist, "A Most Auspicious Star"

The 2012 Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest: Second Place, "Scramble"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 1, 2012: Finalist, "One Last Chore for Grandpa"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 2, 2012: Honorable Mention, "Incoming"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 3, 2012: Honorable Mention, "Fog Traffic"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 4, 2012: Honorable Mention, "Mama's Little Angel"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 1, 2013: Honorable Mention, "The Books of Cheswick"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 2, 2013: Honorable Mention, "Killing Buddy"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 3, 2013: Honorable Mention, "In Its Shadow"

Writers of the Future, Quarter 1, 2014: THIRD PLACE, "Unrefined"

In addition, he has self-published seven stories and a collection, and has more in the works.

SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE ANALYST

Martin is a software developer with 29 years experience in the industry. He has worked in the fields of color science, on-line shopping, databases, material handling, medical imaging, and customer relations management.

His most popular presentations are his UML courses, which he wrote and presents. As a side effort in his UML work, Martin has written two books on UML:

UML Applied: A .NET Perspective from Apress.

Ulterior Motive Lounge: UML, 80s Flicks, and Bunny Slippers, the world's first UML comic strip. Originally published online in 2009, this successful comic strip let Martin use humor and simple examples to teach UML to a wide audience. It is now collected in a version for Kindle.

John Joseph Adams

Diana Gabaldon

Ben Bova

Charles E. Gannon

Adrian Tchaikovsky

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The Last Dance (The Near-Earth Mysteries Book 1) Nov 1, 2019

by Martin L. Shoemaker

( 2,844 )

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At the heart of a mystery unfolding in space, the opposing forces make a treacherous journey between Earth and Mars.

In space, mutiny means death—that’s why Inspector General Park Yerim is taking her investigation so seriously. The alleged mutineer is Captain Nicolau Aames, whose command of the massive Earth-Mars vessel Aldrin has come under fire. The vast System Initiative says he disobeyed orders, but his crew swears he’s in the right.

En route to Mars, Park gathers testimony from the Aldrin’s diverse crew, painting a complex picture of Aames’s character: his heroism, his failures, even his personal passions. As the investigation unfolds, Park finds herself in the thrall of powerful interests, each pushing and pulling her in a fiery cosmic dance.

Corruption, conflicting loyalties, and clashing accounts make it nearly impossible to see the truth in fifty million miles of darkness, and Park faces danger from every direction. All eyes are on her: one way or another, her findings will have astronomical implications for the Aldrin and the future of space travel.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

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The Last Campaign (The Near-Earth Mysteries Book 2) Oct 6, 2020

by Martin L. Shoemaker

( 466 )

$4.99

A colony on Mars becomes home to a killer conspiracy in a Near-Earth Mystery by the award-winning author of The Last Dance.

Brazilian investigator Rosalia Morais, and her husband, revered American spacer Nicolau Aames, are building a life together in Mars’s Maxwell City, the fastest-growing settlement on the planet. Good news: there are no natural predators. Bad news: there are humans. That means the crime rate is growing, too.

To ensure public safety, Rosie’s appointed by the mayor as the Red Planet’s first chief of police. No sooner does she build a law enforcement squad than the biggest challenge looks to be internal. Policing the police for graft and corruption is one thing. But when an industrialist is found among the chars of an arson, it’s murder.

The fire leads to questions that can be answered by only one man—Nick’s former officer on the Earth-to-Mars vessel the Aldrin. And Nick is still duty bound to keep the officer’s secrets. As loyalties shift, trust breaks, and the tide of a political conspiracy rises, Rosie must solve a mystery that could doom the future of humanity on Mars.

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This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Third Annual Collection Jul 5, 2016

by Gardner Dozois

( 105 )

$7.99

In the new millennium, what secrets lay beyond the far reaches of the universe? What mysteries belie the truths we once held to be self evident? The world of science fiction has long been a porthole into the realities of tomorrow, blurring the line between life and art. Now, in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Third Annual Collection, the very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world. This venerable collection brings together award-winning authors and masters of the field. With an extensive recommended reading guide and a summation of the year in science fiction, this annual compilation of short stories has become the definitive must-read anthology for all science fiction fans and readers interested in breaking into the genre.

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The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection Jul 15, 2014

by Gardner Dozois

( 105 )

$7.99

In the new millennium, what secrets lay beyond the far reaches of the universe? What mysteries belie the truths we once held to be self evident? The world of science fiction has long been a porthole into the realities of tomorrow, blurring the line between life and art. Now, in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection the very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world in the year's best short stories. This venerable collection brings together award winning authors and masters of the field such as Robert Reed, Alastair Reynolds, Damien Broderick, Elizabeth Bear, Paul McAuley and John Barnes. And with an extensive recommended reading guide and a summation of the year in science fiction, this annual compilation has become the definitive must-read anthology for all science fiction fans and readers interested in breaking into the genre.

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Man-Kzin Wars XV (Man-Kzin Wars Series Book 15) Feb 5, 2019

by Larry Niven

( 181 )

$6.99

THE POPULAR MAN-KZIN WARS SERIES ROARS BACK INTO ACTION! New stories of the war between humanity and the catlike Kzin from Brad R. Torgersen, Brendan DuBois, Martin L. Shoemaker, and more!

The predatory catlike warrior race known as the Kzin never had a hard time dealing with all those they encountered, conquering alien worlds with little effort. That is until they came face to face with the leaf-eaters known as humans. Small of stature and lacking both claws and fangs, the humans should have been easy prey. But for years now the humans and the Kzin have been engaged in a series of wars, with neither side able to declare decisive victory once and for all.

A new collection of short stories set in the Man-Kzin Wars shared universe created by multiple New York Times best-seller, incomparable tale-spinner, and Nebula- and five-time Hugo-Award-winner, Larry Niven.

Complete Contributor List:
Brad R. Torgersen
Brendan DuBois
Martin L. Shoemaker
Hal Colebach
Jessica Q. Fox
Jason Fregeau

At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

About the Man-Kzin War Series:

“[The Man-Kzin Wars series is] excellent . . .gripping . . .and expands well on Larry Niven’s universe. . . .” –Locus

About series creator Larry Niven:
“Niven’s masterly use of SF strategies hits every note. . .“–Los Angeles Times

Larry Niven is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, both alone (The Integral Trees, The Ringworld Throne) and in collaboration with Jerry Pournelle (The Mote in God’s Eye, Lucifer’s Hammer, Footfall). His Known Space series, from which the highly successful Man-Kzin Wars books derive, is a landmark of modern science fiction, rating favorable comparison to Heinlein’s Future History series and Asimov’s Foundation series. Winner of a Nebula award and five Hugo awards, SF legend Niven remains among the foremost writers of the new century.

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On Being a Dictator: Using Dictation to Be a Better Writer (Million Dollar Writing Series) Jul 24, 2019

by Kevin J. Anderson, Martin L. Shoemaker

( 82 )

$4.99

Tired of being stuck in a chair behind a desk?

Do you want to write more without sacrificing your health and sanity?

Learn how you can get more written while
*Hiking or just going for a stroll
*Driving
*Watching your kids play at the park
*Taking a bath

Multiple New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson has written 160 books—nearly fifteen million words!—most of them by dictating into a hand-held recorder while hiking.

Award-winning novelist and short story writer Martin L. Shoemaker dictates chapters and stories while driving, turning his daily commute into a productive work session.

These two die-hard “dictators,” share their techniques and insights into how dictation can help you
*Improve your writing productivity
*Use otherwise lost time to brainstorm, plot, develop characters, write articles, and more
*Get inspired by leaving your confined office and getting a fresh perspective elsewhere
*Stay in shape while writing

On Being a Dictator, part of the Million Dollar Writing Series, will help you think outside the box, consider a different writing method, and up your game in the fast-paced ever-changing world of publishing.

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The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 1 Jun 7, 2016

by Neil Clarke

( 102 )

$13.49

To keep up-to-date with the most buzzworthy and cutting-edge science fiction requires sifting through countless magazines, e-zines, websites, blogs, original anthologies, single-author collections, and more—a task accomplishable by only the most determined and voracious readers. For everyone else, Night Shade Books is proud to introduce the inaugural volume of The Best Science Fiction of the Year, a new yearly anthology compiled by Hugo and World Fantasy award–winning editor Neil Clarke, collecting the finest that the genre has to offer, from the biggest names in the field to the most exciting new writers.

The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Clarke, publisher and editor in chief of the acclaimed and award-winning magazine Clarkesworld, has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year’s writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome “sensawunda” that the genre has to offer.

Neil Clarke is the award-winning publisher and editor in chief of Clarkesworld magazine, winner of three Hugo Awards for Best Semiprozine, and the editor of the 2014 cyborg-themed original anthology Upgraded. Clarke lives in Stirling, New Jersey.

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Weird World War III Oct 6, 2020

by Sean Patrick Hazlett

( 70 )

$6.99

TALES OF THE WAR THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

What if the United States had gone to war with the Soviet Union? What if these rival superpowers had fought on land, sea, air, and the astral plane? What if the Soviets and Americans had struggled for dominion across parallel dimensions or on the surface of the moon? How would the world have changed? What wonders would have been unveiled? What terrors would have haunted mankind from those dark and dismal dimensions? Come closer, peer through a glass darkly, and discover the horrifying alternative visions of World War III from some of today’s greatest minds in science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Includes new stories by David Drake, Brad R. Torgersen, Mike Resnick, Sarah A. Hoyt, and many more!

About the Contributors:

“Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.”—Booklist on David Drake

"He's one of the most talented authors I've ever read."—Larry Correia on Brad R. Torgersen

“[A] tour de force: logical, built from assumptions with no contradictions . . . gripping.”—Jerry Pournelle on Sarah A. Hoyt

"Lostetter remains at the forefront of innovation in hard science fiction.”—Publishers Weekly on Marina J. Lostetter

Contributors:
David Drake
Brian Trent
Mike Resnick
Erica Satifka
Brad R. Torgersen
Kevin Andrew Murphy
Dr. Xander Lostetter and Marina J. Lostetter
Martin L. Shoemaker
Sarah A. Hoyt
Deborah A. Wolf
Stephen Lawson
Ville Meriläinen
Peter J. Wacks and Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Alex Shvartsman
C.L. Kagmi
Nick Mamatas
T.C. McCarthy
Eric James Stone
John Langan

Sean Patrick Hazlett is an Army veteran, speculative fiction writer and editor, and finance executive in the San Francisco Bay area. He holds an AB in history and BS in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. As a cavalry officer serving in the elite 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, he trained various Army and Marine Corps units for war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sean is a 2017 winner of the Writers of the Future Contest. More than forty of his short stories have appeared in publications such as The Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, Terraform, Galaxy’s Edge, Writers of the Future, Grimdark Magazine, Vastarien, and Abyss & Apex, among others. He is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and Codex Writers’ Group. This anthology is his first.

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Today I Am Carey Mar 5, 2019

by Martin L. Shoemaker

( 141 )

$6.99

REMARKABLE DEBUT NOVEL FROM CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR MARTIN L. SHOEMAKER. Shoemaker proves why he has consitently been praised as one of the best story writers in SF today with this touching, thoughtful, action-packed debut novel, based on his award-winning short story Today I am Paul.

TODAY

Mildred has Alzheimer's. As memories fade, she acquires the aid of a full-time android to assist her in everyday life. Carey. Carey takes care of Mildred, but its true mission is to fill in the gaps in Mildred’s past. To bring yesterday into today by becoming a copy. But not merely a copy of a physical person. A copy from the inside out.

I AM

After Mildred passes, Carey must find a new purpose. For a time, that purpose is Mildred’s family. To keep them safe from harm. To be of service. There is Paul Owens, the overworked scientist and business leader. Susan Owens, the dedicated teacher. And Millie, a curious little girl who will grow up alongside her android best friend. And Carey will grow up with her. Carey cannot age. But Carey can change.

CAREY

Carey struggles. Carey seeks to understand life’s challenges. Carey makes its own path. Carey must learn to live. To grow. To care. To survive. To be.

At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Praise for Today I Am Carey:
"Kindness, love, and compassion make Carey an empathetic character through which to view Shoemaker's complex, beautiful world."—Publishers Weekly

“. . . takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, coming of age, and ultimately life itself. . . . Carey’s development as a character is fascinating. VERDICT This exploration of artificial life in the vein of Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot provides fresh insight into the human experience.”—Library Journal

"Martin Shoemaker proves conclusively that while a science fiction novel must have the trappings of science fiction, it is at its strongest when it is about people, even an artificial (but emotional) person named Carey."—Mike Resnick

“A dazzling ride through the near future. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I’ve never seen anything remotely like it.”—Jack McDevitt

“Martin Shoemaker is a rare writer who can handle the challenges of dealing with future technology while touching the human heart. This is a must-read!"—David Farland, New York Times Best-selling Author

Praise for the work of Martin L. Shoemaker:
"Martin Shoemaker’s ‘Black Orbit’ is a more conventional Analog adventure, and a very good example of such . . . a really solid story." — Rich Horton, Locus Online

"['Bookmark'] is an exceptional example of how to discuss deep moral and philosophical issues while maintaining a tight narrative that brings the reader along. This story will be added to the required readings for my SF classes. – Robert L Turner III, Tangent Online

Martin L. Shoemaker is a programmer who writes on the side… or maybe it’s the other way around. Programming pays the bills, but his second-place story in the Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest earned him lunch with Buzz Aldrin. Programming never did that! His Clarkesworld story “Today I Am Paul” received the Washington Science Fiction Society's Small Press Award, and was also nominated for a Nebula Award. It has been reprinted in multiple Year's Best anthologies and has been translated into eight languages.

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Nebula Awards Showcase 2017 May 16, 2017

by Julie Czerneda

( 17 )

$16.76

The Nebula Awards Showcase volumes have been published annually since 1966, reprinting the winning and nominated stories of the Nebula Awards, voted on by the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). This year's editor, selected by SFWA's anthology Committee (chaired by Mike Resnick), is Canadian science fiction and fantasy writer and editor Julie Czerneda. This year's Nebula Award winners are Naomi Novik, Nnedi Okorafor, Sarah Pinsker, and Alyssa Wong, with Fran Wilde winning the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book. Also included in this volume are works by N. K. Jemisin and Ann Leckie.

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The Long List Anthology Volume 2: More Stories From the Hugo Award Nomination List (The Long List Anthology Series) Dec 15, 2016

by Amal El-Mohtar, Elizabeth Bear, Ursula Vernon, Catherynne M. Valente, Ann Leckie, Kai Ashante Wilson, Alyssa Wong, Seanan McGuire, David Steffen

( 75 )

$4.99

This is the second annual edition of the Long List Anthology. Every year, supporting members of WorldCon nominate their favorite stories first published during the previous year to determine the top five in each category for the final Hugo Award ballot. Between the announcement of the ballot and the Hugo Award ceremony at WorldCon, these works often become the center of much attention (and contention) across fandom. But there are more stories loved by the Hugo voters, stories on the longer nomination list that WSFS publishes after the Hugo Award ceremony at WorldCon.

The Long List Anthology Volume 2 collects 18 fiction stories from that nomination list, along with 2 essays from the book Letters to Tiptree that was also on the nomination list, totaling over 500 pages of fiction by writers from all corners of the world. Within these pages you will find a mix of science fiction and fantasy and horror, the dramatic and the lighthearted, from android caretakers to Lovecraftian romances, from adventures to quests and more. There is a wide variety of styles and types of stories here, and something for everyone.

The stories included are:
"Damage" by David D. Levine
"Pockets" by Amal El-Mohtar
"Today I Am Paul" by Martin L. Shoemaker
"The Women You Didn't See" by Nicola Griffith (a letter from Letters to Tiptree)
"Tuesdays With Molakesh the Destroyer" by Megan Grey
"Wooden Feathers" by Ursula Vernon
"Three Cups of Grief, By Starlight" by Aliette de Bodard
"Madeleine" by Amal El-Mohtar
"Neat Things" by Seanan McGuire (a letter from Letters To Tiptree)
"Pocosin" by Ursula Vernon
"Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" by Alyssa Wong
"So Much Cooking" by Naomi Kritzer
"The Deepwater Bride" by Tamsyn Muir
"The Heart's Filthy Lesson" by Elizabeth Bear
"Grandmother-nai-Leylit's Cloth of Winds" by Rose Lemberg
"Another Word For World" by Ann Leckie
"The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild" by Catherynne M. Valente
"Our Lady of the Open Road" by Sarah Pinsker
"The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn" by Usman T. Malik
"The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps" by Kai Ashante Wilson

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Surviving Tomorrow: A Charity Anthology Nov 24, 2020

by Bryan Schmidt, Neil Gaiman, Orson Card, Cory Doctorow, Peter Wacks, Robert Silverberg, Livia Blackburne, Seanan McGuire, Chelsea Yarbro, A. Crispin

( 40 )

$4.99

Surviving Tomorrow is a charity anthology of stories about everyday people living through extraordinary, history changing times. Facing societal collapse or personal tragedy, some may lose who they are, some will suffer greatly… all will find new ways of being, of surviving, or not as the case may be. There may be a zombie wedding, definitely an alien abduction, nanotech gone awry, computer geeks saving the world, and a myriad of other world-altering events. Over half of the twenty-nine stories in Surviving Tomorrow are published here for the first time. Most are short enough to be read in a few minutes’ time—perfect for a brief respite from the very real worries of our own moment in time.

If purchased through the SurvivingTomorrowAnthology.com website, you can earmark the profits for one of several charities. Available in a limited, numbered, gold-leaf embossed collector’s edition as well as hardcover, trade paperback, and ebook, Surviving Tomorrow will provide hours of enjoyment even as it contributes to a charitable cause.

Contributing authors: Claire Ashgrove, Roshni “Rush” Bhatia, Livia Blackburne, Orson Scott Card, Beth Cato, Brenda Cooper, A.C. Crispin, Cory Doctorow, Raymund Eich, Tori Eldridge, Alan Dean Foster, Julie C. Frost, Neil Gaiman, C. Stuart Hardwick, J. Kent Holloway, Jonathan Maberry, Andrew Mayne, K.D. McEntire, Seanan McGuire, Jody Lynn Nye, Kathleen O’Malley, Kristine Katherine Rusch, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Ken Scholes, Martin L. Shoemaker, Scott Sigler, Robert Silverberg, John Skipp, Peter J. Wacks, Jay Werkheiser, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and Mercedes M. Yardley.

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