The Corsair Uprising #2: Nightstalkers is out now on Amazon!

That's right, now you can own the second installment of The Corsair Uprising Steampunk Space Opera Series! Nightstalkers has hit the Kindle shelves and now you can get the first in the series, The Azure Key, for just 99 cents for a limited time.

Also, to promote the release of my newest novel, get my science fiction thriller Symbiote for Free on Kindle through 3/18/2015! Symbiote has been related by critics to works by John Grisham and has garnered rave reviews from readers. Don't miss this chance to add it to your collection for free. Read it. Tell a friend. Review it on your social media site of choice. If you like my writing, please check out The Corsair Uprising series!

Nightstalkers Synopsis:
"Two months has passed since the battle for Garuda Colony, and Captain Liam Kidd is tired. His crew has worked diligently to retrieve a stolen artifact, but all of their efforts have failed. Finally, during a brutal boxing match, a lead has surfaced. The clue comes with entangled rumors of a nefarious Ansaran research facility on the Planet Narra, and a new danger from the Kraven Throng that threatens to destroy them all. Even stranger is what they find when they land on the wayward planet. Will Captain Kidd and his crew discover the truth before it’s too late? Or will they fall prey to the NIGHTSTALKERS?"

Symbiote, a Sci-Fi Thriller, is FREE on Kindle Through This Wednesday!

My Science Fiction Thriller Symbiote is free on Amazon from now through Wednesday, March 18th. Grab a free copy and tell your friends to do the same. It's Spring Break and what better way to spend that extra free time on a good book. Don't have time to read now? Add it to your library for a rainy day.

Here's what the critics are saying:
"Schmidt’s writing reads much like a John Grisham novel, but he asserts his own particular writing style skillfully to the betterment of the novel."

"The autopsy scene is one that will stay with me for awhile. A most poignant ending." (Amazon Top 500 Reviewer)

Here's a synopsis:
"When a normally meek Bay Area insurance agent suddenly turns into a voracious, homicidal maniac with an uncontrollable appetite, doctors quickly determine that the cause must be a brain parasite that can only be extra-terrestrial. Now, San Francisco Police Detectives Karen Hall and Yuri Markov are on a mission to end this wave of violence before more citizens become infected. But at every turn their investigation seems to be hindered by shadowy federal agents with a hidden agenda. Can they stop this reign of terror before one of them becomes the next Symbiote?"

Additionally, don't forget my new novel, The Corsair Uprising #2: Nightstalkers, comes out Sunday (3/15/2015)! Here's an advance look at the cover.

The Azure Key is FREE on Kindle for a limited time. Get it while it's hot!

Grab your copy of The Corsair Uprising #1: The Azure Key for free on Amazon Kindle or the Kindle App Sunday March 8th through Thursday March 12th. The Azure Key is the first novel in a new Steampunk Space Opera series readers have likened to a love child between Star Wars and Firefly.

Here's a brief synopsis to whet your appetite:

"Liam Kidd was a freelancer for Vesta Corporation, Earth’s largest and most corrupt asteroid mining company. Through a series of events he finds himself working the mines, a fate worse than death. When an opportunity presents itself, he and two other miners escape through a nearby wormhole. They find themselves across the galaxy in the middle of a conflict between three alien species. Liam’s only chance of getting home lies in finding a device rumored to be capable of opening a singularity. Now, he and his crew must face the horrors of war to return to their own system, a challenge that might prove deadly."

The second installment in the series, entitled Nightstalkers, arrives next week! Take this chance to read the first book for free before the next one is released.

Is It Steampunk? Week 7: Steampunk Dust

It's week 7 of the soon-to-be-classic game Is It Steampunk!  Today's product is none other than a bag of Steampunk Dust. No, this is not a joke. This actually exists and is being sold on Etsy for $6.95 by User FireflyStudiosAtFDJ.

From the Seller: "Each package contains .75 ounces of a assorted tiny watch screws, gears and other fun treasures. No two packages are alike."

The question is, Is It Steampunk? Use the voting buttons at the bottom of the post to vote. Click "Stone-Cold Steam" if you believe this product is "Steampunk," and "Sahara Desert" if you're wondering why you're reading this post. Have fun! Since you've been good and made it this far, have a cool video in which a guy stylizes a photo in Photoshop to make it more Steampunk: