Free review copy of new Morrison Formation adventure novel (Jurassic Frontier) available

[NeverEnoughDinosaurs]

Hi, everybody. I've been checking out the Dinosaur Toy Blog for years, and I have a huge toy/replica collection focused on the Morrison Jurassic (mostly Safari, PNSO, Papo, and some old Carnegie items) and Jurassic Park (mostly Mattel). I was hoping some of you would be interested in a new book I wrote and would want to help spread the word about it if you read it and if you like it.

It's called  Jurassic Frontier: A Lassen Malone Adventure. I spent over 10 years writing it and published it last year but have just started real publicity efforts. There's an ad (below) for it in the fall 2023 issue of Prehistoric Times. The book is available on Amazon.com, and for a limited time, you can get it as a free e-book if you have Prime. If not, you can sign up to receive a free Kindle review copy in exchange for an honest review by using the form below. Feel free to share the form and Amazon link across social media or wherever.

Sign up for a free Kindle review copy of Jurassic Frontier by Tristan Howard

I really want to get some reviews and get the word out. While breaking even on publishing costs would be great, a higher priority for me is making sure people who might like the book can learn of its existence and read it. It was a real passion project and my way to share my enthusiasm for the Morrison, paleontology, and science with others. I don't want 10 years and a ton of rewrites to be for nothing, though I had fun writing the book and was happy to learn a lot along the way.

This is my first book. Most of my expertise for the content comes from being a dinosaur/paleontology enthusiast, but I also have an MS in Geography and work as a research data specialist, which gives me a bit of credibility.

The book focuses on Old West bounty hunters who team up with scientists from the future to survive being stuck in the Morrison Formation ecosystem with an assortment of iconic dinosaurs and an outlaw gang (Tardell Traxton and his underlings, which all have unique personalities and backstories). The book starts in 1879 Wyoming and features cameos by Professor Othniel Charles Marsh and Arthur Lakes. The protagonists actually visit Marsh at Como Bluff on a day he was really there (June 6, 1879). There's plenty in the book for average readers and some references that only people in communities like this would appreciate. The book took forever to write because I heavily researched the paleontology and Bone Wars history in it and tried to keep up with changing science.

I would describe the book as kind of a unique mix of the visuals and feel of Walking with Dinosaurs, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future blended with NOVA documentaries and NPR science podcasts with a Michael Chrichton vibe and a dash of classic Western tropes. There's plenty of running from dinosaurs but also detailed scenery and plant descriptions and conversations about evolution, extinction, outer space, and the relative (in)significance of humanity. Serious and important topics are touched on, but the overall intended tone is lighthearted, fun adventure.

I also made an effort to portray the dinosaurs as animals instead of monsters. If they're aggressive, there's a reason. I didn't dumb down the science, but I also tried to make the science accessible to general readers and young people. The book is not necessarily for kids, but it is kid-friendly in terms of content. A big hope in writing the book was that it would help get kids interested in science, so don't hesitate to share with younger readers. I want to get the book into a lot of libraries.

I make maps for my day job, and below is a map I made for the primary setting of the book. The characters embark on an epic journey across this landscape, and the map was made after the book was written with landmarks added to match story moments.



Fill out the form at the beginning of this post if you want a Kindle review copy. Also feel free to provide any feedback on marketing or content in general. THANK YOU!

Below are a couple of excerpts.

Chapter 5: Digging into Danger Excerpt
"Who are these men with you, Lakes?" Marsh asked with irritation. "Cowboys? Drifters?"

"Not exactly," Lassen said. "You know, one of your boys is making good progress uncovering what looked like an Apatosaurus neck a few miles back."

"What!" Marsh said. "What! An Apatosaurus specimen here? Reed, how come you never informed me of that?"

"First I heard of it," Reed said.

"You boys could be workin' for Cope," Reed said, narrowing his eyes with suspicion. "What are they doing here? Where'd you meet these men, Lakes?"

"Over at one of the quarries here," Lakes said. "Rode in off the range earlier today. Said they want work."

"That's right," Lassen said as he and Durango got off their horses. "I said we're looking for work, and we do not have it with Cope. Why would we want to work for him? He thinks evolution followed the Law of Acceleration and was powered by bathmism. Now that's Lamarckian predetermination nonsense."

Durango nodded and narrowed his eyes as if he knew exactly what Lassen was talking about and strongly agreed with him.

"Darwin and Huxley have it right," Lassen continued, pointing defiantly. "Natural selection all the way."

Nearby, Lakes and Reed raised their eyebrows, impressed by Lassen's knowledge of evolutionary biology and how adeptly he was handling Marsh's temperamental nature.

"My boy, you seem to know your stuff," Marsh said. "I'm Professor Marsh of Yale University. I'm head of the Peabody Museum. If you want work, you may have just found it."

"I'm honored, sir," Lassen said. "I saw you speak at Yale, and I read your descriptions of Allosaurus and Stegosaurus in the Journal of American Science."

"A young paleontologist?" Marsh asked.

Lassen shrugged with a lopsided grin. "It's a hobby."

Chapter 10: Peril in the Plains Excerpt
Lassen took off his hat and wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He took a swig from his canteen. The water tasted like warm canteen metal, but it was still a refreshing reprieve. Pterosaurs circled ahead in the distance. Some also regularly landed on and took off from trees in the forested foothills to the west. Little frogs hopped out of the way as the horses tromped through puddles and Equisetum-clad water seeps. A gentle breeze flowing eastward out of the hills provided brief relief from the heat and brought the scent of forest duff and what smelled like pine needles. Lassen felt slight relief from the heat as air currents dried the sweat on his face and the back of his neck.

The time travelers gazed at a distant herd of green-brown Camarasaurus to the northeast. Then Kailani pointed out a lone male Stegosaurus to the east. It changed position in an attempt to intercept the breeze drifting out of the hills. Lassen and Kailani stopped their horses. Ahead of them, Durango and Adalya slowed and reluctantly stopped.

"Thermoregulation," Kailani said as she took photos of the nearby Stegosaurus with her phone. "Brilliant. So, the Stegosaurus does use its plates for that. The breeze must blow across its plates and cool the blood inside them, which then circulates throughout its body."

"Intriguing," Lassen said. "I would have guessed they would mainly be display structures."

"They're probably used for multiple purposes," Kailani said. "They look showy enough for display but can also help with cooling."

Lassen and Kailani got out their binoculars to get a better look at the Stegosaurus. As Kailani peered through binoculars, she said, "The Stegosaurus plates and thagomizers are covered in keratin sheaths. They're bigger and sharper than what fossil bones show."

"What are thagomizers?" Lassen asked.

"Stegosaurus tail spikes," Kailani said. "They got that name in 1982 based on a publication by Larson."

"Strange," Lassen muttered, "but yeah, those tail spikes are strong and sharp. Look like the horns of a Texas longhorn. Must be used for defense."

"Good theory," Kailani said. "In fact, fossils indicate that Stegosaurus used their tail spikes to defend against Allosaurus."

"How do fossils show that?" Lassen asked.

"There are fossils from each species," Kailani said, "that provide evidence of hostile interactions. For example, a fossilized Stegosaurus plate has been found that has bite marks arranged in a configuration that matches an Allosaurus jaw."

"Wait a minute," Lassen said. "How do you know that plate wasn't just from a Stegosaurus that was already dead and was being scavenged by an Allosaurus?"

"That has been considered," Kailani said. "Bite marks on their own are not enough to prove interactions between live animals. It would be difficult to prove the Stegosaurus was alive when its plate was bitten. However, solid evidence of live interactions has been found, including an Allosaurus tail bone with a partially healed injury that appeared to be caused by a Stegosaurus spike puncture."

"Of course," Lassen said, "partially healed wounds would be the best evidence for live interactions because an animal has to be alive to heal."

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for sharing this link! I'll check it out.

[Libraraptor]

I´ll definitely be checking this out, good luck for your book project!