MILTON, ONTARIO, March 11, 2022 – Today marks the release of Live Nude Aliens and Other Stories, a new collection of mixed-genre short stories by London, Ontario-based author JD DeLuzio.
From a technological dystopia to small town Canada, this collection of short fiction explores themes of change, memory, and things hiding in the shadows. These tales, previously-published and new, take classic space opera, pest problems, and the recent past in new and fresh directions. Will electric light cast a world into darkness? Do you remember 1971, when Kennedy was in the White House, Hendrix sang about space, and the extraterrestrials returned? Has the invasion of the live nude aliens already begun? When you look at the world and see things slightly askew—our reality tilted just a few degrees—then you get stories like these.
The eleven-story collection covers a range of genres, eras, and ideals, but at the heart of them all is the humanity—or at least innate humanness—of their characters. DeLuzio says that “while I write about otherworldly events, I tend to view them from the ground up.”
Publishers Weekly agrees, noting stories that delve into “the human ability to excuse questionable behavior to avoid loneliness,” “a moving tale that tracks two men over several decades of great social change,” and “how, even in the face of an extraterrestrial threat, the greatest danger to humanity is humanity itself.” PW lauds the collection as offering “both gentle entertainment and insight” and says, “There’s enough to chew on in these clever “what-ifs” to make this worthwhile for SFF readers.”
Launch Day Publicity
The book is now available for purchase through bookstores everywhere in trade paperback (ISBN 978-1-928011-67-5, $20.99 CAD) and ebook (ISBN 978-1-928011-68-2, $4.99) formats. As part of the book’s release, it has received special features in The Sault Star, local newspaper of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, DeLuzio’s birthplace, and Whatever, the immensely popular blog of Hugo and Nebula-Award winning author John Scalzi.
In the feature on Whatever, Scalzi writes, “With a book title like Live Nude Aliens, it’s obvious that J.D. DeLuzio is going to be writing from perspectives other than his own.” DeLuzio goes into detail about the creation of the closing story of the collection, “Flying Whistle Stop”, about an alternate 1953 when highly advanced aliens arrive on Earth and the way history is altered as a result. DeLuzio explains the impact how even after the aliens depart, humanity “had to reconsider several deeply-rooted beliefs, and that is not a comforting thing. Some people feel left behind, as the world keeps watching the skies in a mixture of awe and terror.”
To celebrate the book’s release, DeLuzio and publisher Brain Lag will be hosting a livestreamed launch party on Twitch on Saturday, March 12th at 6:00 p.m. EST. The event is free for the public to attend and will feature an interview of the author, readings, and a Q&A with the chat.
Live Nude Aliens and Other Stories is DeLuzio’s third book and second from Brain Lag, following up his bizarre but critically-acclaimed 2020 novel The Con.
Media inquiries and requests to contact the author can be directed to publishing@brain-lag.com.
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