Tarah Benner

Hello friends,

Today’s the day! Colony World, book four in the Elderon Chronicles, is now available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited!

If you haven’t started the series yet, I am running a special promo Thursday through Sunday on the Elderon box set. For four days only, you can grab books 1-3 for just $4.99 USD! That’s half price — crazy, right?

I did a lot of research for Colony World to make it as terrifyingly realistic as possible, and I think it’s gonna give you chills. You will definitely want to read the Author’s Note at the end of the book. It all centers around a really important issue — one that affects the freedom of more than a billion people.

Colony World was also really enjoyable to write because it gave me a chance to fall in love with the characters all over again. Maggie, Ping, Alex, and Tripp really get a chance to shine. They’ve been beaten down by Mordecai, and I think their challenges only make them stronger.

You can read the first chapter here or download your copy now! (It will be available in print within the next two weeks.)

What are you waiting for? Start reading! And let me know what you think of the book. 🙂

Hey friends,

It’s almost that time…Colony World is nearly ready for release. Patrons will receive their copies in just two days, and the official book launch is May 16. (It’s not too late to become a patron, but you need to sign up no later than Wednesday! Remember that patrons get access to a bunch of extra short stories starring your favorite Elderon characters.)

But in the meantime, I wanted to tell you about something that’s more personal than fiction. I know many of you are writers and artists yourselves, so I wanted to share what I’ve been up to…

I’ve launched a podcast called The Fearless Creative geared toward writers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs. In the podcast, I share my personal story of becoming an author and everything I’ve learned along the way. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at my life, my creative process, and how I make it all work.

There was a time not too long ago when fiction was all I wrote. I was Tarah Benner the dystopian author. That was my identity. When I first got married, my new name Tarah Thornburg felt like my alter ego. I wanted to symbolically merge with my husband’s family, but I kept Benner as my middle name because I didn’t want to give that part of myself up.

Over the past year or so, I have remained Tarah Benner. I am still a dystopian author through and through, but I have begun to branch out with a blog for writers and this new podcast. I have started to identify with Tarah Thornburg the artist, teacher, wife, and creative entrepreneur and expand my identity to hold both of these women. The Fearless Creative is part of that journey.

I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you are a writer or a creative entrepreneur (or you want to be), this is a great place to start. You can find it on most major podcatchers, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Subscribe, review…let me know what you think. This may be the most personal project I’ve put out in the world yet, and I am really excited to share it with you.

Hello friends! Happy spring! I’ve got great news for you…

Colony World will be out May 16, and I’ve just made it available for pre-order.  Book four picks up three whole years after the end of Colony Assassin. Maggie’s world has changed completely. She’s gone underground to hide from Mordecai. Her career as a journalist is over. She’s scrubbing toilets in a seedy hotel just to make ends meet.

Mordecai’s vision for bot domination has brought the country to its knees. An attack on Congress and a humanoid army has shrouded Maggie’s city in fear. Tripp is a hostage on his own space station, forced to finance Mordecai’s campaign of terror.

I can’t say much more without spoiling the ending of Colony Assassin, but let me just say that this book is EPIC. I had so much fun writing it, and I think you are going to devour it. It’s dark and dangerous and full of action. AND there’s a great new character.

Of course, if you are a patron, you’ll get the book a week early with the bonus short stories. (If you want to become one, May 8th is your last chance to get Colony World delivered that way.)

If you aren’t a patron, make sure you pre-order your copy now so that you don’t forget. If you’re making your way through the series, you don’t want to be stuck on a deserted island with book three and no book four. TRUST ME.

Hello friends!

Today’s the day…I have a mini release to tide you over until Elderon book four comes out in May. The Elderon Chronicles is now available in a beautiful box set. You can get all three of the first books (Colony One, Colony War, and Colony Assassin) for the price of two. Or you can read them all for free in Kindle Unlimited!

Some of you may be wondering why I went with such a different cover for the box set. While Colony One is a story that takes place on a colony in outer space, that is not what the series is really about. Yes, there is space travel, but it is not a “space book.” I worry sometimes that people who like my other books (but don’t read space opera) might be turned off by the space station on the cover. Most of book two actually takes place on Earth, and the colony is really just a setting for the dystopian-esque adventure that unfolds.

The box set cover is a little friendlier to my bread-and-butter audience who love strong female characters, action, adventure, conspiracy, and steamy tension. The Elderon Chronicles has all of that and more, and it’s written from both the male and female perspectives. If you enjoyed The Fringe, I suggest that you read this series next. You’re gonna love it. I promise.

Hello friends,

Is it springtime yet? We’ve been fighting some crazy winter weather out here in Colorado. My husband and I are in the process of building a house in the mountains — totally off the grid — and the snow has been an epic battle.

Good news! I’m getting ready to launch a brand-new box set for The Elderon Chronicles. To celebrate, I’m giving away Colony One (book one) for FREE this Saturday, Feb 23rd through Monday, Feb 25th! Full disclosure: I’ve never done a free giveaway on Colony One, and I don’t have any future plans to do it again. This is for three days and three days only, so you don’t want to miss it.

If you liked The Fringe, you’ll LOVE The Elderon Chronicles. It’s got a strong, sassy heroine and a tormented hero that might be even more compelling than Eli. It’s going to be six books in all, and I’m hoping to have book four out near the end of May. You’ll want to get started now to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

If you are already a fan of Colony One and would be willing to review the box set when it goes live, please shoot me a quick email at tarahbenner@gmail.com. Reviews make such a huge difference to the success of a book or box set, and I’m gonna need your help.

What are you waiting for? Go grab your free book here! You’re gonna love it — guaranteed.

Hello friends,

Happy holidays! Christmas isn’t over yet…Colony Assassin is now available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

If you haven’t begun The Elderon Chronicles yet, you must. It’s perfect for fans of The Fringe or for those who just love sassy heroines, tormented heroes, and conspiracies in outer space. You can read all three books on Kindle Unlimited!

For you Elderon fans, book three picks up right where book two left off.

Maverick Enterprises has been reduced to rubble. Mordecai has fled from Earth. He’s ensconced himself in a galactic fortress and surrounded himself with an army of bots.

When Jonah is framed for the attack on Maverick, Maggie must go to Elderon alone. She is determined to clear Jonah’s name and stop Mordecai’s reign of tyranny, but a stowaway on board the space station has her own ideas. Even worse, the US military is plotting an attack — one that could kill everyone on Elderon.

To save the colony, Maggie and Tripp will forge a controversial alliance, and Jonah will make a choice that could have permanent consequences.

This book is huge for Maggie and Jonah. You aren’t going to want to miss it. So what are you waiting for? Download your copy or start reading on KU now!

Hey friends,

Get excited. Colony Assassin will be here soon! December 27 is the official release, but it will be here sooner for others. Let me explain.

If you sign up for my new books on Patreon, you’ll get each new release early and get the bonus short stories. I wrote three bonus shorts for Colony One, three for Colony War, and two (including one extra-long story) for Colony Assassin. You get to access them all even if you pledge at the $1 level.

This time around, the bonuses are particularly awesome because Maggie’s short story gives you a sneak peek into the action that takes place between books three and four. You’ll never know what happens otherwise!

Patreon is also great because it gives you the option to download the book in the format of your choice. That means if you read on Apple, Kindle, Kobo, Android, or Nook, you can get the book on your preferred e-reader in a snap.

For the same price as you’d pay on Amazon, you get to read Colony Assassin THURSDAY, as well as all the awesome shorts. (Patreon also makes a great Christmas present — you can get a whole year’s worth of my books for just $12!) But you MUST do it by Wednesday. After that, my exclusivity with Amazon goes into effect, and you won’t be able to get the new book on Patreon.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up. I promise you’re going to love it.

The last time I was here, the place was packed. Hundreds of people from all over the world were waiting anxiously for their flight to space. We were all making history, going to Elderon. The collective optimism was contagious.

That day feels like a lifetime ago. Many of those people are dead. The rest are trapped in space with a madman, cowering inside their suites. I feel their fear in the wide empty space as I walk across the carpeting. The terminal was designed to hold thousands of people bound for colonies in space. Now Strom is gone — his company in shambles. The Maverick dream is dead.

Hey friends,

It’s been a while. I’ve been hard at work on Colony Assassin — book three in the Elderon Chronicles.

As you might have guessed, the book picks up right where Colony War left off. Silicon Valley is reeling from the recent attacks, and Jonah and Maggie have made a horrifying discovery. Old characters will be forced to take on new roles in the fight against the bots, and a compelling new character will be introduced for the very first time.

Colony Assassin will be available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited by December 27, but my Patreon subscribers will get the book a week EARLY!

That’s right — if you sign up on Patreon, you’ll get book three December 20 AND all the Colony One bonus short stories that you can’t get anywhere else. (That’s NINE short stories, people!) If you buy all my books anyway, this is a fantastic deal. The book will still only cost you $4, but you’ll get all those amazing extras.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up. If you just can’t wait for December, you can read chapter one here.

Hey friends,

Today’s the day! Colony War, book two in The Elderon Chronicles, is finally here! Book two picks up right where Colony One left off, and the action does not stop!

I had so much fun writing the sequel, and I still have not decided how many books are going to be in the series. I’d like to write five or six, because I love these characters and this universe is BIG!

The book is available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. (If you’re bummed because you read on Apple or Nook, check out my Patreon page. I release all my books a week early there, and you can get all my upcoming books in whichever format you please.)

If you grab the e-book within the first week, you’ll get access to special Colony bonus content:

• Designing Tripp’s House and Meditation Garden
• Will Humans and Robots Ever Coexist?
• Is It Possible to Digitally Disappear?
• Plus all the extras from Colony One

If you’re in the middle of another book and you think you might want to wait to get this one, here’s a little teaser that might change your mind…

An army of bots is roaming the space station — hijacked by a terrorist inside BlumBot International. The bots share a hive mind that learns and adapts, making them the most deadly adversaries Jonah has ever faced.

Jonah and Maggie are prepared to fight alongside the Space Force, but how can they defeat an army that never eats, never sleeps, and never grows tired?

To protect the colony, they must join forces with Tripp Van de Graaf — the cocky young executive with dimples for days. Tripp makes no effort to hide his attraction toward Maggie, and Jonah hates him instantly. But Tripp’s company holds the key to defeating the bots: their human creator, Ziva Blum.

When Maggie, Tripp, and Jonah learn that more humanoids are hibernating on Earth, they must race to stop a madman bent on destruction and save the world from a robot apocalypse.

You can read the first chapter here.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab the book today and see what’s next for Maggie, Jonah, and Tripp!

Hey friends,

Get excited. Colony War is almost here! Check out the awesome cover designed by Slobodan Cedic.

I wanted something creepy and unnerving, and I think he definitely delivered on that.

The official digital release date is August 30, but you can read the book A WEEK EARLY when you sign up on Patreon.

Patreon is essentially a subscription that allows me to deliver the book directly to you in whichever format you wish. It’s the same price as an e-book, and you are only charged when I deliver a new novel (about every four months).

Patreon also gives me an exciting new way to deliver fan extras as a way to say thanks. For Colony War, I’m giving away three short stories starring Tripp and Ziva. They reveal new insights about the characters and the world, and I am so thrilled to share them. Patreon subscribers also get all the new portal extras!

If you want to get the book early and gain access to the bonus shorts, be sure to sign up by end of day Monday. After August 20, you can still subscribe to my books, but the first you receive will be book three in The Elderon Chronicles. (Remember, you’re only charged when I deliver a new book.)

If you prefer to download the book on Amazon but still want the short stories, you can subscribe on Patreon at the $1 level. This will get you the shorts from books one and two, and you won’t be charged again until I release new shorts with book three. Or you can go hog-wild and get a signed PRINT copy of the book by upping your pledge to $25.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up! Colony War simply can’t wait. Once you start reading, you won’t want to stop.