Ubulembu and Other Stories is a collection of seventeen curious tales exploring the existential nature of being, or not being, human. Sitting on an edgy cusp where historical fiction, magical realism, science fiction, and surrealism collide, this collection transports readers into worlds that may not quite exist, but could, and perhaps should. Crossing continents, spanning centuries, and leaping from the primordial ooze to the stars beyond the stars, Ubulembu and Other Stories...

J. Eric Smith's bracing debut novel Eponymous paints a darkly humorous, yet reality-rooted, portrait of frustrated musician (but successful music critic) Hutson Colcock Collie Hay III. This entertaining, engaging novel is crafted with a detailed understanding of the forces that drive and foibles that define the music industry on both a national and a local plane, focusing heavily on the regional element of the music-making experience, where the vast majority of contemporary musici...

**"A sweetly charming love story that leaves the reader with a lasting sense of hope.” —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star"The perfect novel to snuggle up with.” —Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read**A heartwarming and thoughtful enemies-to-lovers rom-com about two teens—one trying to save his family's failing pinball arcade, the ...

Eric Smith takes you on a fast-paced fantasy adventure, perfect for anyone who has dreamed of being different . . . only to discover that destiny is more than skin deep.Sometimes your only chance to survive, and what you most fear . . . is to be INKED.Tattoos once were an act of rebellion.Now they decide your destiny the moment the magical Ink settles under your skin.And in a world where Ink controls your fate, Caenu...

"Wonderfully geeky and deeply compassionate." —Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times bestselling authorIn this charming novel by Eric Smith, two teen gamers find their virtual worlds—and blossoming romance—invaded by the real-world issues of trolling and doxing in the gaming community.We all need a place to escape the real world. For Divya and Aaron, it’s the world of online gaming. While Divya trades her rising-star status for sponso...

What’s a geek to do? Take some tips from The Geek’s Guide to Dating. This hilarious primer is jam-packed with cheat codes, walkthroughs, and power-ups for navigating the perils and pitfalls of your love life with ease. Geeks of all ages will find answers to the ultimate questions of life, the universe, and everything romantic, from First Contact to The Fellowship of the Ring and beyond. Full of whimsical 8-bit illustrations, The Geek’s Guide to Dating wi...

**"Joyful, thoughtful, and real." —Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners"Rom-com perfection." —Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart**New from Eric Smith comes a delightful YA rom-com about two teens caught in the middle of their families’ orchestrated rivalry between their Philly cheesesteak food trucks.All’s fair in love and (food tru...

Write an endless runner game for the web in Rust and test, deploy, and debug your 2D game using the WebAssembly toolchainKey FeaturesBuild and deploy an endless runner game for the web from scratch through this helpful guide with key images printed in colorLearn how to use Rust for web development with WebAssemblyExplore modern game development and programming techniques to build 2D games using RustBook DescriptionThe Rust pr...

A comprehensive guide to repairing, adjusting, and maintaining a piano, Pianos: Care and Restoration is suitable for pianists, amateurs, and would-be craftsmen. Eric Smith discusses the tools and materials required for restoration, and provides instructions for the repair and adjustment of the resonant parts, actions, and keyboard most often encountered. The book explains both upright and grand pianos in detail and includes explanations of toning piano hammers and purchasing and restoring ...

• Commune. I guess you could call it a commune: some of us were unrelated; we bought, cooked, and ate food as a group; we’d sit on the floor around a low table wolfing down fried rice, scrambled eggs, calf brains, and lungs. • The Draft. We all dealt with it one way or another. Some took cover in college throughout that period. Others enlisted for four years rather than serving the two-year minimum, sacrificing two years of their lives to gain control over how and where they spent their ti...

(Short Story, just over 2,000 words) A war in the future. Heavy AI and self replicating machines.Personally, I think there could be a plot here. So ya never know, maybe this will be the one I go back to in a few years and mine it for a novel or six. As always, I would love to get feedback and constructive criticism of all types.

An exploration of the initiation rituals of fourteen elite groups, both historical and contemporary, providing a roadmap for modern organizations to better themselves by implementing and managing their own rigorous portal processes.Throughout human history, civilizations have stratified their citizens, often by establishing royal, priestly, executive, or warrior castes. Many who have achieved elite-level power joined their civilizations’ premier organizations not t...