Nicholas S. Smith, bestselling author of Orbs, talks about his new book release, Extinction Horizon

Today my guest on the blog is bestselling author of the Orbs series, Nicholas Sansbury Smith, who's launching today his new science fiction thriller Extinction Horizon. I've read the book and I can tell you it's an edge-of-the-seat ride, really hard to put down. And the best part? There's a super cool epigenetic twist in the plot!

I'm thrilled to have Nick over to the blog today to tell us about his bestselling series Orbs and his new book release. Welcome, Nick!

EEG: You published the bestselling thriller Orbs and the sales have been so great that Simon and Schuster picked up the book. Can you tell us a bit about the process?

NSS: Orbs was initially self-published in 2013. It quickly topped the Amazon bestseller lists and attracted the attention of Simon451. I decided to go with them because of the exposure it would give the series. They have been great to work with and the experience has taught me a lot about publishing. I’ve also benefited by working with a fantastic editor. Not only have I improved as an author, but my stories have reached a larger audience.

EEG: You are publishing your latest book, Extinction Horizons on your own. This makes you an hybrid author. Do believe this is the ideal way of getting the best of both worlds?

NSS: In late 2013 I had a conversation with NYT bestselling author Bob Mayer. He’s spent decades in the trenches of traditional publishing and gave me some great advice. Part of it was to remain hybrid. And that’s exactly what I’m doing with The Extinction Cycle Series. This approach allows an author more flexibility and control over their work. Traditional publishing on the other hand gives an author the ability to reach a larger audience, as I mentioned above. I would caution authors of bad deals, however, and to do your research before signing any contract.

EEG: How did you get the idea of using epigenetics in Extinction Horizon?

NSS: I’ve always wanted to write a zombie book, but I didn’t want to write the same story that’s been told so many times before. So I decided to try and find a way to describe an outbreak using real science. Epigenetics seemed to be the answer and after talking with an author friend/scientist I decided to go that route.

EEG: What are you currently working on?

NSS: At this minute I’m working on an outline for a new novel. I just wrapped up a couple of projects including the sequel to Extinction Horizon and a standalone project I submitted to Simon451. Oh, and I can’t forget Orbs 3. I’m still working on putting some finishing touches on the third and final installment. It’s due out in March of 2015, along with Extinction Edge.

EEG: Wow, you sure are busy. And I can't wait for the final installment of Orbs. Best of luck with all your projects and congratulations for your new release today.

You can find out more about Nick and his books on his website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Tumblr.

Nick posing with Master Chief at the Simon
and Schuster booth, New York Comicon 2014.