The Transcendence audiobook is "headed to retail" - which means it should be available in the next 5-7 days. To celebrate its release, I'm giving away 10 copies each of all 3 audiobooks: Starshine, Vertigo and Transcendence.

• The contest ends at midnight on June 2, which hopefully will more or less coincide with the arrival of the Transcendence audiobook.

• If you already own the Starshine and/or Vertigo audiobooks, enter anyway! If you win, you can choose to decline the codes for those books, or you can send the codes to a friend you think will enjoy them.

• The codes work on audible.com, but you don't need to be a member or even sign up for a free trial in order to use them (you do need an Amazon or Audible account).

• Use the widget below to enter or go to the standalone contest page here.

• [EDIT]: The contest is over, and the winners are listed in the widget below.

• Earlier this week I gave an interview on Space-Commander's blog over on Deviant Art. Thanks to his fantastic questions, I get to talk at length about writing, the politics of science fiction and what I've tried to do differently. Also the incredible value of readers, approaches to character development, and the future of humanity in space. And metallurgy. It's a lengthy and at times brutally honest interview, but I really enjoyed the opportunity to expound on some (to me) very interesting issues. When you have a few minutes, check it out.

• I'll just note that there are a LOT of word meters over there in the sidebar. Titles to go with them and tons more information are on the way - just a few details still to work out. I sincerely appreciate your patience.

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At the risk of overdoing it, I have three books to recommend today. Why? Because they're all awesome...and because I've finally managed to make a little time in my schedule for reading again.

Idyllic Avenue by Chad Ganske: Stranded on a planet with two dying suns, humanity faces extinction. A massive bio-dome promises to offer protection - but only for the genetically perfect. As permanent night approaches, a terrorist group of mutants wages war against the Perfects for their right to survive.

You probably can't read the tiny print, but that's a blurb by yours truly on the back cover :). "Chad Ganske delivers a haunting, intensely personal tale of a dystopian society stratified along harsh, inescapable lines, and the determination of a people facing extinction to change their fate." Read my full review under "Editorial Reviews" here. 

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Contract of Defiance by Tammy Salyer: When a crew of arms smugglers botches their latest job, Corps-deserter Aly Erikson is separated from her brother and left behind to fight for her life. Then a crew of roughnecks press her into a deadly mission in the heart of Corps territory. Time is running out to get back everything she's lost: her crew, her brother, and her options. But no one is taking her gun.

"Aly Erikson is one of the toughest characters I've ever read, male or female, all the more so because she's entirely unassuming about it. This is her life, these are her skills; she knows nothing else." Read my full review here.

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Zero Echo Shadow Prime by Peter Samet: To save her life, Charlie's mind is uploaded into the body of a cutting-edge robot. The procedure is a success, but with a horrifying catch: Charlie wakes up four times as four distinct entities. Their paths intersect as they retaliate against the people determined to destroy them, in the story of one young woman who is split apart and fights to become whole again. 

"ZESP doesn’t pretend to give you all the answers; it doesn’t wrap the future up and put a tidy bow on it. Instead, the questions it asks linger with you long after the last page is turned." Read my review here.

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