20% discount on sci-fi dark fantasy paperbacks from David J Rodger until 2nd May

Special Offer

David J Rodger is a British science-fiction and dark fantasy author with seven novels under his belt. LULU have all of them available to purchase in paperback via their online store.

- The Guardian called his work “Atmospheric and Creepy”

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LULU are offering a tasty 20% discount

on paperbacks purchased through their online portal

For any order

Just use coupon code SILEO at checkout

(code is case sensitive)

Offer Ends 2nd May 2013

This is a great opportunity to grab any of my 7 novels, anthology of short stories, RPG work and any other authors who publish through LULU – in one awesome literary grab.

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If you’re a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos then why not try my latest novel: The Black Lake.

A novel

“The Black Lake: where only death survives.”

Order a bookstore quality paperback from LULU with 20% discount.

Full description & customer reviews on official website

The Earth has been ravaged by an event known as Yellow Dawn. Ten years later, survivors are putting lives back together and probing the frontiers of a new Wilderness; whilst overhead the orbital colonies slide across the sky, removed and unaffected. Five men leave the fortress island of Malta on an expedition to the sub-Arctic waters above Scotland. They intend to undertake scientific observations of an alien meteorological phenomenon that has followed the apocalyptic event. What they find is a cosmic horror that seethes amongst the shadows of a shattered Earth. It is a story of escape and wonder, of madness and terror.

BUY THE BLACK LAKE TODAY

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Go back to the start

Alternatively, if you’re interested in my first novel you could try God Seed.

View on Lulu

“Mankind will be judged, and smitten and cleansed”

Order a bookstore quality paperback from LULUwith 20% discount.

Full description & customer reviews on official website

I wrote God Seed in 1996: it is a tense, tightly packed thriller following a documentary film-maker as he tries to complete a new project: filming corporate mercenaries operating in western Europe. What starts as an action-packed campaign quickly descends into horror and madness as the film-maker is drawn into a conspiracy that goes far beyond the political, religious and ideological boundaries of neo-Nazis and Islamic fundamentalists, propelling him out beyond Earth, into the very heart of darkness.

BUY GOD SEED TODAY

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An entire universe to discover:

In between God Seed and The Black Lake are a number of novels that share and create a common universe for your imagination to roam, enjoy and find new thrills and terrors within. You can find a complete list of my work, including précis and customer reviews, on my official website.

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Click to browse paperbacks on LULU storefront

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Got Kindle?

If you’re keen to try these novels in digital format then you can buy all these titles at Amazon with a choice of currencies, $ US Dollars; or £ GB Pounds, or the Euro.

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David J Rodger – DATA

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Murder at Sharky Point: spice up your dinner party or just enjoy the hunt for a killer in this murder mystery game

Sharky Point: dine in danger

Photos from Murder At Sharky Point – Dinner Party Game – Guests and suspects

Murder at Sharky Point is a murder mystery game for 6 or more players

I wrote this murder mystery game for a friend’s birthday dinner party. I normally write novels so this was a good challenge and a lot of fun to create. The reaction from the dinner guests was really positive. I wanted to provoke argument and debate against a background of fun and laughter. I wanted people to really fight their corner to prove their innocence, with tongues firmly planted in cheek, or avoid suspicion by pointing the accusatory finger at somebody else. This is a game of wits and cunning, and above all, casting a sparkle of delight over any dinner gathering.

- David J Rodger

Setting

It can be set in any time-period. The story itself takes place at the lavish and arcane mansion of Dr Black. A man adored by the heartless and hated by the worthy. The guests arrive for dinner and quickly establish who is who. Dr Black seems to revel in the tensions simmering below the barely maintained facades of civility. After dinner Dr Black excuses himself to retrieve a bottle from his renowned champagne collection but never returns, and is not seen alive again. The police are called.

How the game unfolds

The game begins with the arrival of the Special Agent in Charge, plus any extra players in the role of Agent-Investigators. As they interrogate the guests, the guests themselves will ask questions, either to find out the person(s) responsible for the murder, or to deal in subterfuge and ensure they avoid suspicion, or even shoulder it onto somebody else. There are no rules on what can or can’t be asked. There are some tips, which are revealed at the start. As the questions force guests to talk about where they were and what they were doing, between the hour of 9pm and 10pm, other players will have a chance to spot inconsistencies, expose lies, and direct further questioning to make suspects as uncomfortable as possible. Even if you’re innocent, you may fall victim to foul-play of the guilty.

Duration

The game is written to last a little under an hour. Forensic updates arrive every 7 minutes, each update providing clues derived from crime-scene-analysis. However, the organiser of the game can chose to shorten or extend these timescales depending on how they feel the pace of the investigation is going.

Organising the game

Half the fun is the anticipation that comes after everyone has received their invitation packs and the waiting begins, waiting for the night to arrive with a nervous tickle of growing excitement. Whoever hosts the dinner party / murder party can choose to be any of the characters below. They can also decide which guest should play which character when sending out the invitation packs – there is information about each character that will allow you to match your knowledge of your friends to the characters described.

Photos from Murder At Sharky Point – Professor Drum

 

The characters:

• Miss Carleti.
• Reverend Malty
• Ms Eldrich
• Professor Drum
• Colonel Farquar
• Ms Kovit
• Special Agent in Charge (an optional role if there are more than 6 players / dinner guests)
• Agent-Investigator (unlimited number of roles if there are more than 7 players / dinner guests).

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About Dr Black

Dr Black, eminent physician for the small and affluent township of Sharky Point; he made a name for himself in annals of science for his work in genetics, developing a bio-chemical mechanism for delivering body-altering retro-viruses of recombinant DNA. This work also made him the enemy of many religious groups who saw his work as tampering with the Gods sacred design. He has also been criticised by other scientists for “going too far” and by charities working with war torn states who fear his work may lead to a new “Bio Weapon”. Charming, arrogant, intellectual, Dr Black has often been a contentious individual, but always a perfect host.

Sadly, he dies within the hour following dinner (at some time between 9pm and 10pm within the story included in this murder mystery). So there is no role for Dr Black in this game other than as a body.

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Player Feedback

I’ve always been a fan of mystery games and books, I own the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes and read it rather often, but before I played this I never had the opportunity to participate in a real Murder Mystery Party, so when I got invited I was quite the happy person!
Aside of being ever so slightly, okay maybe more then slightly, nervous about the whole idea it was easily one of the funniest parties I have ever been to! Especially once things really got rolling and the accusations started flying!
Practice your short hand people cause you gotta write rather quickly when everyone is at each others throats!
The packet is detailed and lines everything out wonderfully with lots of… More >twists and surprises in there that caught me by such surprise my jaw must have dropped a few times.
I loved playing and hope to play again and again! Definitely one to add to the game shelf, or bookshelf as it were.
Thanks so much for writing and making this available for us Mr. Rodger! I look forward to any more you do in the future!

By Andrew Corrieri

Features

• Over 80 pages containing: “How to Play” instructions, Character Invitation sheets, Player Packs, Forensic Evidence reports.
• Player Packs detail why each character is there, what their motives and secrets are.
• Simply download and print it out to play or order the printed version and tear out the pages to start.
• VERY MATURE THEMES: NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN!!!

Download Now or Order a Printed Version

• Purchase download  click here
• Purchase printed spiral-bound hardcopy- click here
• Download Free Sample – click here

Purchasing and shipping is handled through LULU .

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David J Rodger – DATA

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Holiday bonanza – 13 days of discounts from LULU – 20th Dec is 30% off any hardback Yellow Dawn – Age of #Hastur – #RPG

Looking for something new or coming back for more…

LULU are offering 30% off any hardback today

 purchased through their online portal

For any order

Just use coupon code 20DEC at checkout

(code is case-sensitive)

Offer Ends Today

This is a great opportunity to grab the special hardback edition of my RPG, Yellow Dawn – The Age of Hastur.

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If you’re a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos, Cyberpunk, Infection apocalypses, zombies and survival horror, then why not try this much praised role-playing game. It works either as a standalone system or as a setting for your own RPG system.

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Available exclusively from LULU

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Product Link: http://www.lulu.com/shop/david-j-rodger/yellow-dawn-25-special-edition-hardcover/hardcover/product-20012076.html  (Don’t forget Discount Coupon Code 20DEC)

YELLOW DAWN – THE AGE OF HASTUR

The Earth has been ravaged by viral pathogens, the death of billions observed by the orbital colonies and deep-space habitats that were largely unaffected by the Outbreak. Terrified of infection, nobody came to help. Less than 30 percent survived the first few weeks. Then came the 2nd Wave of infection, spreading steadily outwards from the impact points, and that was when the horror really began… YELLOW DAWN: This book is crammed with everything you will need to create characters, run scenarios and experience horror and adventure in the fictional world of David J Rodger. FEATURES: The Influence of Hastur; Medical theories on the Infection; Zombie surges; Comprehensive scavenging system; Computer hacking and drug abuse; Non-human characters; Enhancements through cyberware and bioware; Weaponry, equipment and armour; Complex political, corporate and quasi-religious tensions; Schools of Elemental Magick, occultism, demonology, and the alien horrors of the Outer Chaos — the Cthulhu Mythos.

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An entire universe to discover:

YELLOW DAWN  fits into a raft of novels that are set before and after the apocalyptic event.  In between God Seed and The Black Lake are a number of novels that share and create a common universe for your imagination to roam, enjoy and find new thrills and terrors within. You can find a complete list of my work, including précis and customer reviews, on my official website.

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Got Kindle?

If you’re keen to try these novels in digital format then you can buy all these titles at Amazon with a choice of currencies, $ US Dollars; or £ GB Pounds, or the Euro.

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See more posts like this – click

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David J Rodger – DATA

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Personal blog: Hayling Island March 2012 – Songs of Spheres and Mayhem At The Manor

¦ Dialling in from Hayling Island ¦

10:12 am on Sunday 4th March 2012.

I’m sitting in the large lounge, at the back where the dinning table sits near the wall; I’ve got the laptop set up there, a radiator behind me keeping the day’s grey-rainy chill out of my bones. Sitting here I’m facing the wide window-wall opposite, and through that I can observe the ocean that is only 30 ft beyond the boundary of the house. It’s moody out there.  Rain has speckled the massive window and droplets run down in rapid rivulets every few moments.

There are no lights on and the colour of the sky is seeping into the room; but as some of my friends say, I’m a mushroom and I get a kick out of this kind of atmosphere.

I’ve got a new soundtrack to the moment, an album by Aes Dana, called Perimeters.  Very very good.

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I got down here Friday morning, took the day off work, hired a car (I’m wary of my Rocket doing long journey’s at the moment) and drove down here.  Big Pete, who this house belongs to, was there to greet me with a 6ft 2″ hug and big grin. He’s been here since Wednesday. He lives in Newcastle and until recently was the neighbour of my parents place up there…. but that’s all dead now.

The drive down was fantastic.

The whole morning was shrouded in drifting banks of fog.

Last week I discovered an album by my guilty pleasure, The Alan Parsons Project, one that I’d not heard before.  I ordered it on CD, knowing I’d be doing this drive in a hire car, knowing it wouldn’t have input for my Mp3 player.  And now that album is the soundtrack to this bubble experience.  The album is Eve.  1979 and for me, it dials into the other albums by Alan Parsons Project and conjures up memories of being in Norway in the summer of 1980…. I’m 9 years old, my older cousin Bjorn who was camped out in the basement of the house in Ski… me discovering the Pyramid album on vinyl, the spooky start with the chiming of twelve bells, the fantastic sleeve art – which ignited my fascination with the Pyramids of Giza – and hence the flavour of the novel, God Seed.

Driving down with random sunbeams lancing through the fog and lighting up the landscape; the 1970s soundtrack… I was smiling and finger tapping the steering wheel and singing along.  Me, the happy camper.

Friday night. Out with Pete to the local; a salty-seadog kind of place that’s as rough as the bottom of a barrel of barnacles but Pete’s got part way to being considered part of the community… not an Islander but certainly regular enough.  The place sells Doom Bar so I was tres happy.

Back home Pete pulled out half a pig that had been slow-roasting in the oven, stuffed with garlic, coriander and chilli…served with rice and an amazing peanut sauce. We ate until we could barely move.

Saturday morning I was awake before dawn and lay in the room with the windows open to the dark, and the pounding boom and hiss of the surf crashing along the shore outside.  As the sun fought its way through the mist smothering the sea horizon, I sat up in bed and supped fresh strong coffee. Some people would have got texts about this moment. :o)

Saturday was less about me doing the big 6 mile walk to the far end of the island and back, and more about me sitting here, working on the laptop, interspersed with Pete and I playing Fury of Dracula (the copy of the boardgame that Richy and I played so incessantly back in 1990, up in the front attic room at 54 Osbourne Avenue, in Jesmond, the dormer window overlooking the graveyard there).

I finished putting together the anthology of short stories I’m planning to release soon; Songs of Spheres.  15 short stories, each one with a brief introduction and words about where I was when I wrote them.  Actually the introduction is interesting to write, it covers some of the key moments and encounters that have shaped my favourite stories.

This morning, sitting up in bed with a mug of coffee again, windows open despite the freezing wind howling into the room (there’s me with serious bed hair wrapped in a thick knitted green jumper), I was thinking maybe I should take March off… stop the whole creative obsession for a while and give my brain a break. Fat chance.  As I sat there, relaxing, staring at the rain sweeping in from the ocean… I had an idea for a whole new murder mystery.  And then the ideas crashed in upon the spongy shores of my mind, one afer the other… and I spent an hour and 2 mugs of coffee sitting there scribbling them down in my brown leather notepad from Santiago. Mayhem At The Manor.  2 bloody corpses and 7 suspects. Nobody is innocent but who is guilty?  And was it murder or just a mad accident?  I’m planning on basing a bunch of character roles (for people to play) based on Bullshot Crummond; Sir Henry (from Rawlinson End); Dr Frankenstein (Gene Wilder style); plus some others. The intention is to make it mad and funny for players to read through and then play, defending their actions whilst trying to uncover the truth.  “Mayhem At The Manor: 7 stories but only 1 truth”.

Sunday morning and here I am.  I’ve just finished the cover design for Songs of Spheres.  Very pleased.  Pete left about an hour ago, taxi ride to the airport. I’m going to hang out here until the afternoon then do the drive back to Bristol; 3 hours or less, depending on how bad the rain gets.

And then in 2 weeks time I’ll be back again. Another hire car (tank) with four of the Yellow Dawn player group; another weekend of non-stop role-playing.  Horror on the Orient Express, Yellow Dawn style.  It’s great to have the new rulebook actually finished and there in our hands to use and play!

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David J Rodger – DATA

Fabulous fan review: Murder at Sharky Point – a dinner party game and murder mystery download

I originally wrote this murder mystery game for a friend’s birthday dinner party. I normally write novels so this was a good challenge and a lot of fun to create. The reaction from the dinner guests was really positive. I wanted to provoke argument and debate against a background of fun and laughter. I wanted people to really fight their corner to prove their innocence, with tongues firmly planted in cheek, or avoid suspicion by pointing the accusatory finger at somebody else. This is a game of wits and cunning, and above all, casting a sparkle of delight over any dinner gathering.

- David J Rodger (Bristol, UK)

Since releasing it via LULU (print on demand) it’s done well and I’ve been delighted by the feedback from people who have played it.  The following is a blog entry from one such person:

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Click to read source

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David J Rodger – DATA

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