The Stellar Snow Job

Title: The Stellar Snow Job
Author: Marie Howalt

COMING AUGUST 27, 2022
Preorder at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookshop and by request at your local bookstore.

For Alannah Jackson, space is not the final frontier. As a professional travel writer, she strives to create the best and most conscientious travelogues to every visitable planet in the galaxy. But she might have bitten off more than she can chew when she agrees to survey a previously unexplored world.

Private investigator Richard Hart is an expert in interstellar human affairs. Weary of idling in space station bars, Richard and his snarky pilot, Eddie Macías, jump at the opportunity to take on an unusual and highly classified mission. (Anything beats retrieving lost pets or sorting out cheating spouses!) The new job whisks them, and their tiny but trusty spaceship, the Colibri, away to a distant solar system. Unfortunately, it’s in a corner of the galaxy overseen by a menacing power that’s not particularly fond of human involvement.

Will Alannah compose the ultimate, authoritative guide to an undiscovered land? Will Richard and Eddie make it home alive and, ideally, paid?

There’s no planet too distant, no job too strange, for Colibri Investigations!

ISBN: 978-1-951393-14-4
Price: $11.95 paperback, $2.99 ebook

Praise for THE STELLAR SNOW JOB

“A standout series-debut filled with excellent characters, a fun plot, and a rich sci-fi setting, The Stellar Snow Job is a delight. This science fiction world is thoughtfully constructed and naturally engaging… Comparisons could be drawn to The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy or Cowboy Bebop, but this one is in no way derivative of either… Fans looking for a light-hearted space adventure need look no further.”
— Steph Huddleston, Independent Book Review

“Howalt really shows great depth with Colibri Investigations: The Stellar Snow Job. Brand new compelling characters, entirely new worlds, societies, and alien beings flood Howalt’s short debut to this exciting new series. By marrying noir and sci-fi, Howalt’s canon is impressively expanded and opens the door for many exciting stories to follow.”
— William M. Brandon III, author of Welcome to Spring Street, The Exile The Matriarch and The Flood, and Silence

“Original and tongue-in-cheek… A rip-roaring space adventure. Howalt’s clever latest expertly combines well-executed action with witty banter between authentic characters. …the relentless tension, spirited characters, and witty dialogue keep the pages flying. (…) Readers will be delighted to know Richard, Eddie, and Alannah as they are pushed to confront impossible dangers in the lead-up to an exhilarating climax. Fans of intelligent, witty sci-fi will be wowed.”
— The Prairies Book Review

“I’m a sucker for a fleshed out universe. The less I need to wonder how things work, the less effort is required for me to suspend disbelief. So when Howalt explained in-universe how VoidNet and PlaNet (the intergalactic internet) functioned, I nearly squealed in delight. (…) Let’s face it. I was always going to like this book. It ticked all my niche boxes (…) The Stellar Snow Job shows Marie Howalt can deliver lovely characters and compelling worlds that jumps out at lightspeed even in smaller dosage.”
— Aden Ng, author of The Chronicles of Tearha series, and editor at Ombak Magazine

“Howalt has a knack for creating complex and instantly likeable characters and knocks it out of the park with Colibri’s cast. (…) The writing itself is polished. It pulls you in with its careful pace and style, masterfully interspersed with humour. (…) If you’re bored of the same old science fiction and looking for an off the rails space adventure, sensational worldbuilding, fantastic characters, and LGBTQ+ representation, Colibri Investigations: The Stellar Snow Job is the book for you.”
— Kathy Joy, author of Last One to the Bridge