New Covers Revealed

I’ve now created new covers for most of my books - the ones that had horrible, rushed jobs with the ‘never judge a book’ thinking and the hope that readers wouldn’t feel the covers detracted from the overall experience. I intend to publish all the books as paperbacks, so good covers are crucial. I hope these are the last covers I do, at least for a while, not counting new books, of course. I think these are truer to the books’ content, some depicting scenes. I’ve taken into account the results of my poll on FaceBook, wherein I learnt that the book title is more important than the series title, and changed the titling accordingly. Below are the new covers for the Demon Lord series. I hope you like them!

Guest Post Request

As many of you know, I’m currently in the process of writing Demon Lord, Book 8. I’m pleased to report that the book is going well and almost complete, but then I still have to edit it until I’m 100% happy with it, so it could be a while still, particularly if I spend too much time blogging. Therefore, I’ve decided to request guest posts so I can keep my blog busy and still focus on writing as much as possible.

If you have anything interesting to say about science fiction or fantasy in general, I’d love to share it on my blog. Reviews, interviews, or guest posts on writing, publishing and marketing are also welcome, or any other relevant topic you can think of.

Please send all post submissions to my publicist at vanessa@wildorchidbooks.com and she’ll run them by me. Please note that all posts might be edited for typos and other errors. If you haven’t already written the post, it’s best to check with Vanessa first to make sure your desired topic is suitable for my blog, as not all submissions will be accepted. Please also keep in mind that my blog is for all ages, so nothing naughty and no swearing in the guest posts, please.

Thank you, and I look forward to hosting your post!

Free Book Binge Week – FREE BOOKS!

Today, I’m pleased to bring you 10 permanently free science fiction and fantasy books. Don’t forget to leave the author a review on his/her download page if you enjoy the read!

In his search for the origin of the human race, Liam MacAskill travels to another planet and comes face to face with the Devil himself. He’s driven to claim sanctuary from the monks and nuns at Tridor Monastery, where another stranger to the land lies in a coma.

Download this fantasy novel from Smashwords.

A man scarred by bad deeds answers the call of a heroic cause. An unconventional heroine will tug at your sympathies as she bravely faces adversity with all the strengths and vulnerabilities of her womanhood. And overarching it all are the rys. Their magic makes them superior to humans, but they are not above employing humans in their deadly schemes. Union of Renegades begins the love story between Dreibrand, an ambitious military officer, and Miranda, an escaped slave. They'll become a power couple that rules a vast kingdom, but only after grim struggle and terrible sacrifice.

Download this fantasy novel from the author’s website.

 

Clinging to the bar running along the front of the platform, Sergeant Osric has a lot of time to think about how he got there. About how he’s shooting through a forest on a rocket powered train platform. About how a grinning thief is clinging to the same bar beside him. Most of all, though, about how he’s heading for Bytarend; a town no-one has heard from in almost a hundred years. There has to be a reasonable explanation for their silence, after all. Osric tries to think of a reason that doesn’t end in his horrible death…

…he can’t come up with one.

Download this fantasy novel from Smashwords.

Dark twist on faeries. For Shade, a chance meeting with a powerful Teleen Faery warrior who wields electrical currents and blue fires along his skin, has her joining him on a treacherous mission for the good Seelie Faerie Court across the land of Faerie. Magic and malice abound and nothing is what it really seems to be.

Download this free fantasy novel from Amazon.

Michael is just an ordinary, average, normal, everyday middle schooler in the perfect town of Lincolnshire, a town that happens to have more superheroes per square mile than anywhere else on the planet. What could possibly go wrong, surrounded by so many people who could destroy the town with a snap of their fingers?

Download this free YA fantasy novel from Smashwords.

With so many humans focussed on snakes on July 16 each year, World Snake Day, the snake god Calebius gains more power. Power that builds over the years until one day, 16 July 2013, he’s finally powerful enough to free himself of the curse that, millennia ago, rendered him incapable of achieving physical form. Now, he seeks revenge on those who trapped him, but they are long dead, so their descendents will have to do… Only one person can quell his thirst for blood, but can Lily learn to trust her heart in time to save the human race?

Download this fantasy romance short story from Smashwords.

...Love and other man-made disasters... A woman looking for a new life gets trapped in a commuter tube, and manages to find love and herself in the aftermath of the disaster.

Download this sci-fi romance short story from the author’s website.

Victor Mansfield, king of Dalmar, has infiltrated the occupied castle of Argonna in order to free the Queen of Argonna, Fiora Durassil, from imprisonment by the D'rolock Empire. At first everything goes according to plan, but soon his plan begins to unravel in this thrilling story by Timothy Wilson.

Download this free fantasy ebook from Smashwords.

This is the epic tale of Kirin of House Dar’Shiel, the elfish daughter of an exiled priestess who must travel to the elfish high city to serve the goddess Alorana. Upon her journey she must learn what it is to be a Namari. This goddess-given gift of foresight makes her an invaluable commodity in a war between two elfin goddesses, one of whom will have her death, or her service. Her path crosses that of an injured harpy, a creature thought to exist only in myth, who is upon a quest save her tribe from extinction. Together, they must find a way to thwart a dark goddess and save their homeland from destruction.

Download this fantasy novel from Smashwords.

The Clements Academy was established, somewhere around the year 2045, to train the best and brightest orphans from around the world into the perfect agents. Weapons training, martial arts training, and small unit tactics are just a taste of the curriculum for Clements students. Mark Eblin is one graduate who's never been amazing...and now he's been had.

Download this free science fiction short story from Smashwords.

If these free books whet your appetite for more, visit the other participating blogs below:

Her Ladyship’s Quest

Fireblade Publishers

Lauren Scharhag’s blog

Aneza Lee’s blog

Alexia Purdy’s blog

Richard Foland’s blog

Toni Plaisir’s blog

Virtual Book Tour – Day 2: Guest post for Rebekah Grow

 

Today’s tour host is multi-genre author Rebekah Grow, who will be sharing a guest post from me on how to create good characters:

The key to creating good characters, whom your readers will find engaging and empathise with, is, first and foremost, to love them yourself. When you’re invested in your characters, especially the main ones, but also the supporting players, it comes across in your writing. As soon as possible after you introduce a character, describe what he or she looks and sounds like, and anything else that’s relevant.
To read the rest of this post, please visit Rebekah’s blog, and don’t forget to leave a comment with any other tips you might have.

For those who have just joined us, Demon Lord II, Dark God, is currently only 99c for 5 days, 1 – 5 August.

Promotional price: $0.99
Coupon Code: XX57H

Grab the discounts and freebies while you can!

To make sure you don’t miss a tour post, download the TC Southwell Virtual Book Tour Itinerary.

Paperback Books Not On Amazon

I have removed all the paperback versions of The Queen’s Blade from Amazon, because it marked them up to exorbitant prices, and I don’t want readers being ripped off like that. Amazon also keeps the extra bucks, thereby making a killing out of every book it sells, even more than I make, because the prices I chose are barely more than cost. I have no wish to make people pay through the nose, but Amazon was doing it without my consent.

Therefore, the paperbacks are now only available at CreateSpace.com, at the prices I chose. It means I sell a lot less – hardly any – but I’d rather that than have people pay Amazon’s rip off prices. So far, I’ve only converted The Queen’s Blade into paperback format – it’s a lot of work – and Demon Lord, Book One, due to a special request for two autographed copies. Once I’ve finished the final edit of all the series, I’ll re-do The Queen’s Blade and then convert the rest of the series, even though I haven’t sold many copies. It’s mostly for me, so I can have hard copies for my bookshelf.

I’m sure most people will still prefer e-books, which are so much more convenient, and cheaper. Paperbacks have costs involved – paper, printing, ink, shipping, etc. – so they’re a lot more expensive to produce. The conversion is time-consuming, as is making the covers for them, and I’d rather spend my time writing new books. I will get around to making all the series in paperbacks, however, just as soon as I can.

Some Questions Answered

I received some interesting questions via email this week, one of which was about the time period that The Queen’s Blade is set in, and what countries the kingdoms there resemble. The time period doesn't really conform to any Earth norms, but it's similar to a feudal era, with a slightly more modern language amongst the commoners. Jashimari is similar to feudal France or Britain, with a bit of an exotic Eastern influence. Cotti resembles Arabia at that time period, I would say, except for the people, who are more like tanned Teutons, and Contara is a mixture of the two. I hadn't really considered what Earth-type cultural or historical similarities they might have, but those are the best parallels I can draw.

Another reader asked about my inspiration… That's a tough question! There isn't any one thing that inspires me. Mostly, I think it's my characters, whom I love to write about and share in their adventures, and sometimes it's what's happening in the world around me. Often, it's a way to escape my own dull life and explore strange worlds, too. I've always been a dreamer, and channelling adventures in other worlds is even better than going on holiday.

I also had a question about producing a signed edition of The Queen’s Blade. I would love to offer a signed edition, only the postage, if they're sent to me and then I post them to the readers, is exorbitant from South Africa, where the post office charges according to weight. I could print the books with a signature in them, but it wouldn't be a genuine signed copy, as the signature would be printed. I'm not sure if that would be as good.

Apple's iBookstore: Breakout Books features The Queen’s Blade and Slave Empire

I have just received the most fabulous news and have to share it with everyone. The Queen’s Blade and Slave Empire – Prophecy, have been selected for Apple’s iBookstore promotion, Breakout Books, a major feature that has just been launched in the US that highlights several dozen titles.

Read The New York Times coverage of this story.
 

Mark Coker (founder of Smashwords) blogged about the feature and mentioned my books. Learn more about Breakout Books 

Check out the books on the iBookstore!

Download Slave Empire

Download The Queen's Blade
 

They're both free!
 

I’m over the moon about this! I’m also gobsmacked! Thank you to Mark Coker and Apple, and, of course, all my fans who wrote great reviews and made positive comments about the books; it’s all thanks to you, and I love you so much for it! Thank you!

This is now going way beyond my wildest hopes and dreams; it’s actually hard to take it all in. I keep pinching myself so much I’m getting bruises! Yet, I can’t seem to wake up from this happy dream, and I certainly don’t want to. The emails I’ve received, about The Queen’s Blade, in particular, have been overwhelming, and I love them all.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to write to tell me how much they enjoyed the books. I love hearing that! It’s so encouraging, and it makes me want to write more books, which I intend to do soon!  So for all of you who are waiting for new books, one will be in the works in the not to distant future!