New Covers for The Cyber Chronicles Series

Here are the new Cyber Chronicles covers, which I really enjoyed creating. Science-fiction allows leeway for great creativity, and I'm very pleased with how these turned out, although some went through several versions before I was reasonably satisfied. The curse of a perfectionist. I would have spent more time on all the covers, and perhaps improved them more, but at some stage I had to call a halt and move on, or I'd never have finished them. I hope you like these!

New Covers for Slave Empire and The Broken World

Below are the new covers for these two series, either completely new or totally revamped with some previous elements. Some of these went through several versions before I settled on a final cover design that I like. As I got better at using the software, I was able to improve the quality and be more adventurous. I love art, and enjoyed making these, although there’s always room for improvement. I think these are much better than the old ones.

New Covers for The Queen’s Blade Revealed

Here are the new covers for The Queen’s Blade series. These are now on the paperback versions of the series, currently available at CreateSpace.com and Amazon worldwide. You'll find Book One here:  https://www.createspace.com/3658659. It took a lot of consideration before I was satisfied that these covers suit the series and the characters, and I hope you agree.

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!

Time Stop - Extract from Demon Lord IX: The Forgotten Lands

This extract is from Chapter Four:

Bane said, “I am on the same quest, but I cannot reveal myself. Telvaron will want to kill me.”

“Telvaron wants to kill everyone,” the greying man said. “It’s just a matter of how and when.”

“True, but he will hunt me down himself.”

“Why?”

Bane glanced around, steeling himself to take the plunge. “I am a god.”

The men roared with laughter for several minutes. Bane sipped his ambrosia and waited for the hilarity to die down. The grey-haired man wiped his eyes, chortling.

“What sort?”

“I command the darkness.”

The men fell about again, hooting, and two were so overcome they slid under the table. Other patrons drew closer to share the joke. Bane raised a hand and flicked his fingers.

“Stop.”

Everyone in the taproom froze except the five at his table, whose laughter died as they became aware of the silence. They stared about, their expressions wary or disbelieving. The grizzled man tore his eyes from the stationary scene and gaped at Bane.

“You did that? You… stopped time.”

“Yes.”

“To prove -”

“Yes.”

“So -”

“Yes.”

The man sat back. “Why do you want to free the goddess? If you’re a master of the darkness…”

“I fight for the light.” Bane flicked his fingers. “Resume.”

The hubbub recommenced, and the patrons who had taken an interest in the joke at his table returned to their previous pursuits after a few moments of eyeing the now-solemn sextet.

“Oy!” A bellow from across the room made Bane wince and close his eyes. “What the hell do you think you’re playing at, old bean?” Dramon shouted.

Bane shot him a glare. Dramon snorted and nudged his brother, and the two muttered.

“Who’s he?” the greying man asked.

“Do not worry about him. Do you want my help now?”

The man thrust out a callused hand. “I’m Jogan.”

Troll God - Extract from Demon Lord IX: The Forgotten Lands

This extract is from Chapter One:

Nomard stamped, sending a ripple through the quasi-rock under their feet. It shivered, and then heaved. The stench intensified to a sickening putridity, and the valley floor writhed, sent up tendrils in search of prey and turned from black to mottled grey. Several tendrils snaked up the ship’s flanks, and it rocked, and then rose. Bane jumped back onto the ramp, and Drevarin followed.

Nomard drew his sword and set off. “Tallyho!”

The troll god was over a thousand yards tall, Bane calculated. Nomard, however, grew larger with every step, and his apparel and sword grew with him. Like an earth demon, he drew matter from his surroundings, particularly under his feet, which meant he incorporated the dromon’s substance too. The semi-sentient entity groped for him with multiple tendrils, but Nomard merely added them to his flesh and ripped them free. Molten metal erupted from the ground in glowing streams and joined the medley of matter that swelled the demon god’s form. By the time he was halfway to Eord, Nomard was about five hundred yards tall.

Drevarin grunted. “Impressive.”

Nomard was roughly seven hundred yards tall when the troll god twitched, shedding dust, then raised his head and opened purple eyes. He focussed on Nomard, and his brow furrowed.

Drevarin remarked, “Troll gods spend so much time immobile that dirt accumulates and moss and plants grow in it. If they fall asleep in a sunny place, they can end up resembling troll-shaped forests. It serves as excellent camouflage, but they tend to rub off the trees when they wake up.”

Nomard was now almost as tall as the troll god, streams of dust flowing into him from all around, along with chunks of the dromon, which writhed and tried to snag his legs. The troll god bent and gripped a massive, battle-scarred hammer that was half-buried in the mountainside. He ripped it free with a gritty scrape and turned to face Nomard. The demon god hefted his sword.

“Eord, old chap, is that you?” Nomard’s deep voice echoed around the valley.

 

Demon Lord IX: The Forgotten Lands Launch Coming Soon!

Good news! It’s almost here! Only eleven days to go before Demon Lord IX: The Forgotten Lands is released. It’s already available as a pre-order at the iBookstore, Barnes & Noble and Kobo, and will be available at Amazon on the release date: 30 June. So place your pre-order today and ensure you receive your copy right away! The book is now on the final leg of the creation process: editing and proofreading. To all of you who have been waiting almost two years for the next instalment of the Demon Lord series, deepest apologies.

My creative process was stymied by my first visit to hospital, where I underwent major surgery to cut out a five-kilogram ovarian tumour. It wasn’t just the trauma of the op or the recovery time that delayed the next book for so long; it was also the illness beforehand and the diagnosis that rendered me totally incapable of writing. That’s a lot of stress! The good news is, that’s all in the past. The tumour was mostly benign, I’m cancer-free and my channel to the fantasy worlds where my heroes and heroines live is unblocked.

The Forgotten Lands may be the penultimate book in the Demon Lord series. I can’t be sure until I write the next one, but it seems to be a distinct possibility. So for everyone who feels my series are never-ending, good news! They do eventually end. I’m hoping for a happy ending, but it’s out of my hands. I go where the story takes me, and I have no idea what will happen next. It’s as much of an adventure for me as it is for you. I’ll be publishing some extracts here on my blog over the next few days, so watch this space!

iBooks Free Series-starter E-books Promotion!

 

iBooks has done it yet again! Just as I recovered from reeling in amazement at their last promo of indie authors – in which I had a taste of the action – they’ve started another multi-genre free series-starter feature and included The Broken World Book One – Children of Another God! I can’t begin to express how much it means to an indie author to see his or her books featured at iBooks, which, in my humble opinion, is the best indie e-book promotor in the world! Go iBooks! We love you! iBooks rocks!

For all of you looking for a great holiday read, you’ll find a wide selection of the best free series-starters at iBooks, so don’t miss out! Grab your free e-books today and discover super series to read in 2015! Thank you iBooks for all the great promotions in 2014, and all those still to come. Thank you Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords.com, for all the support and encouragement. You rock! If you’re an indie author looking for the best place to publish your books, I highly recommend Smashwords.com. Congratulations to all the Smashwords authors who made it into the iBooks feature!

On another note, Demon Lord 9, tentatively titled The Forgotten Lands, is now available on pre-order, and the proposed publication date is June 7, 2015. It might happen sooner, depending on how the writing goes, and I’m hoping it will. This title may also change, subject to what happens in the book, which isn’t finished yet. I have two other books in the works – The Cyber Chronicles 10 and Slave Empire 4, both as yet untitled. I’ll put those on pre-order as well, as soon as I’m comfortable that I’m within striking distance of finishing them. I intend to try to make up for my lack of writing last year – due to illness – and publish at least three new titles in 2015. Lots of adventures still to come!

Apple's iBooks Store Does It Again!

I’m delighted to announce that four of my free series-starter books, The Queen's Blade, Children of Another God – The Broken World, Demon Lord, and Queen of Arlin – The Cyber Chronicles, are featured on the 'First in a Series: Free' feature that the Australian/New Zealand iBooks Store launched this morning. I love Apple! The iBooks Store is constantly coming up with new ways to promote indie authors. It’s such a rush for a relatively unknown indie author like me to see my books touted at a huge worldwide retailer like Apple.

It’s the type of publicity all new, unknown and up and coming authors need to gain a foothold in this tough and competitive market, and I encourage new authors to choose Apple as one of their targeted retailers. It’s the best decision you'll make when it comes to marketing your books! Apple gives credit where it’s due, and for readers, that means it’s one of the best places to find exciting books by new and original authors who break the mould with their writing and therefore don’t fit into a niche mainstream publishers are prepared to publish. Here's the link, if you want to check it out: http://bit.ly/1hlzFRW

10 Things to Avoid in Your Writing

1. Avoid using flowery language to make yourself look clever.

This can be confusing for readers and is unlikely to have the desired effect. Instead, write the way you’d speak to someone in real life – not using informal English, but natural and flowing.

2. Avoid using generic descriptions.

Readers need to be able to visualise what they’re reading. Using nouns like ‘home’ or ‘tree’ don’t give the same visuals as words like ‘flat’, ‘double storey’, ‘log cabin’ or ‘great oak’.

3. Avoid using character names too often in dialogue.

When speaking to each other, most people don’t use the other person’s name that often. Most of the time, people only use another person’s name in real life to greet the person, to get that person’s attention, as an exclamation of shock or surprise, and perhaps every now and then. It’s unrealistic and annoying to read a conversation between two characters in which they address each other by name in almost every dialogue section.

4. Avoid using redundant descriptions.

For example, if the music is blaring, it’s a given that it’s loud, so if you write ‘it blared loudly’, the word ‘loudly’ is redundant.

5. Avoid swapping point of view (POV) in the same scene.

While many find it acceptable to write in God Mode these days, I don’t like this POV, as it can confuse readers too easily. Rather, choose a character from whose POV to write from in each scene, and stick to that character’s thoughts and observations for the duration of the scene.

6. Avoid info dumps in narrative.

Obviously, you need to share a certain amount of information with your readers. However, in cases where the information is long-winded and detailed, try to split this up across a few scenes, or add it in dialogue rather than narrative. In narrative, it can feel like an info dump that might bore readers (after all, they want the story more than the information). When you add the information to dialogue – say, one character explaining how something works to another character – you can add character interactions and give readers an indication of those characters’ personalities and relationships with each other at the same time, thereby making the information-giving more entertaining.

7. Avoid using clichés.

Avoid it like the plague. Seriously. Clichés are boring and unoriginal. Rather, use more interesting comparisons that you thought up yourself. This will entertain your readers a heck of a lot more than a well-known cliché, and they’ll be more likely to remember you for it if the comparison is good[V1] .

8. Avoid plagiarism in any form.

This might sound obvious, but many writers don’t realise that using song lyrics and quoting other authors’ work in their writing is considered plagiarism just as much as putting your name on another author’s manuscript. It’s okay to refer to songs by title, but, if you really want to include lyrics, rather make up your own. If you desperately want to use existing lyrics (I don’t recommend it), get written permission from the copyright-holder.

9. Avoid passive voice.

There are times when passive voice works better than active voice, but, most of the time, it just slows down the story’s pace and can often lend confusion. For example, rather than write ‘the food of the cat’, write ‘the cat’s food’.

10. Avoid using the same sentence structure too closely together.

While there are only so many ways to structure a sentence, avoid using the same structure too often too closely together. It makes the writing feel repetitive and boring, and takes the reader’s attention from the story. An example of this is: Slowly, he opened the door a crack. Cautiously, he peeked through the crack and looked down the path. Amazingly, no one was there.

When Angels Fall at Amazon

Due to the fact that Amazon doesn’t do pre-orders, When Angels Fall will only be available there on the release date – November 26th. It will, however, also be available on that date at Smashwords.com in Kindle format, so there is that alternative for Kindle users. I do prefer to sell via Smashwords.com, and it might be a choice you would want to consider because, although I’ve done my best to keep Amazon in line, they keep jacking up the book prices, so you may very well find them cheaper at Smashwords.com.

I object fiercely to Amazon's price gouging, and they keep the extra profit as well as paying a much smaller percentage to the author. I have to keep going there and doing a price check – where people can show that the books are available cheaper elsewhere – so they reduce the prices, but if they jack up the price of When Angels Fall as soon as I publish it, I won’t have had time to force them to reduce it. So, if you’re a Kindle user, there is a choice, and I highly recommend Smashwords.com. Books are available there in every known format, as far as I’m aware, and it’s the place to discover new talent.

Demon Lord VIII - When Angels Fall

Good news! Demon Lord VIII - When Angels Fall is now finished and will be available for pre-orders at Apple iBookstore very soon, perhaps tomorrow! It should also be available for pre-orders on Barnes & Noble and Kobo by next week. Follow Bane’s continuing trials and tribulations has he fights the darkness in all its forms. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Demon Lord VIII - When Angels Fall

The archangel Majelin has been imprisoned and tortured in the underworld of Sherinias’ domain for five centuries. Eventually, his light will die and he will fall to the darkness. Whispers of a tar’merin travelling with Kayos have reached Airedene, the Sacred City of Angels, giving Sarmalin hope that her husband might be saved, and she goes to plead with the Demon Lord.

The archangel is in a chamber warded against dark gods, however, so Bane must enter it powerless, or Majelin will die. Bane is forced to use the shadows when demon guardians attack, triggering the trap. He follows the archangel into the underworld’s depths to protect him, and they fall into a hidden world inhabited by legendary beings from the Times of Reckoning.

Many of Bane’s powers do not work there, and his attempts to escape fail, but if he does not return to Sherinias’ domain in time, the dark gods he cast down will rise again and enslave the child goddess. He must find a way out, but the further he travels and the more he learns about the hidden realm, the more he fears that he is in a prison created by a Grey God, and there is no way out…

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!

Virtual Book Tour – Day 13: Guest Post on Tips for New Writers

 

Today’s tour host is book blogger The Independent Bookworm, which will be sharing a guest post from me with tips for new writers.

First and foremost, follow your inspiration, and secondly, don’t give up. Find your genre, which should be the one you most enjoy reading, and be inspired to write original stories that utterly captivate you. If you find them engrossing, so will your readers, and your passion for your story will translate into your writing. Write for your personal pleasure, and never for what other people might find interesting.

To read the rest of this post, please visit The Independent Bookworm’s blog.

To celebrate the last two days of my blog tour, I’m offering readers a 15% discount on Demon Lord II, Dark God for today and tomorrow, 13 and 14 August.

Promotional price: $2.54
Coupon Code: JX99Z

If you’ve been purchasing my books throughout the tour, remember that the person who purchases the most of my books for the duration of the tour receives the gift of Books 2 and 3 in The Slave Empire series (to see if you qualify, you should, on the first day after the tour, email all your PoPs to vanessa@wildorchidbooks.com).

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

Virtual Book Tour – Day 12: Guest Post on Literary Characters I Would Date, Dump or Marry

Today’s tour host is indie supporter, author and reader Nicole Hill, who has kindly hosted two tour dates for my virtual book tour. Thank you, Nicole, much appreciated! Nicole will be sharing a guest post from me today on literary characters I would date, dump or marry.

It’s not a very long list! The hero of my favourite fantasy series by another author, Stephen R. Donaldson’s The Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever series, is definitely someone I would dump, if I ever even considered dating him. Aside from his leprosy, he’s not my type of guy at all, even though his world and the story he was in fascinated me.

To read more of this post, please visit Nicole’s blog, and do share some literary characters you would date, dump or marry!

Today is also the last day you can take advantage of the 40% discount on The Queen’s Blade II, Sacrifice.

Promotional price: $2.39
Coupon Code: DX53X

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

Virtual Book Tour – Day 9: Guest Post on Why Reading is Important

 

Today’s tour host is reader, writer and Spanish teacher Cinta Garcia de la Rosa. Cinta will be sharing a guest post from me about why reading is important, even if it’s fiction.

Reading is a great way to expand one’s horizons and discover a great many fascinating things, even if they’re not found in our world. Fantasy is the best form of escapism, since it takes us to strange new worlds and introduces us to a host of interesting characters, fantastic beasts and magical escapades. While reading a fantasy book, you should be transported into another world and share in all of its wonders. Although adventure books, who-done-its, thrillers and romance novels also free us from our humdrum mundane existence, fantasy and science-fiction books offer the most uniqueness.

To read the rest of the post, please visit Cinta’s blog, and don’t forget to leave a comment if you have any thoughts on the topic.

From today, readers can grab a 15% discount on The Cyber Chronicles II, Death Zone for 3 days, 9 – 11 August.

Promotional price: $3.39
Coupon Code: UL86M

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

Virtual Book Tour – Day 8: Guest Post on Writing Good Fight Scenes

 

Today’s tour host is publishing services company Fireblade Publishers, which will be hosting a guest post from me on how to write good fight scenes.

A fight scene should be gripping, believable and fast-paced. I always write a fight scene at the speed at which it happens, so it’s ‘real time’, and the reader can, therefore, imagine it at the correct speed. You can’t add much in the way of thoughts or feelings during a fight scene, as this will slow the pace of the action and the characters will ‘pause’ in the reader’s mind while the protagonist has his/her thoughts or feelings. Aside from that, someone in the middle of a fight won’t have time to think about stuff.

To read the rest of this post, visit the Fireblade blog, and don’t forget to leave a comment if you have anything to add.

For those who have just joined us, The Queen’s Blade II, Sacrifice is now free on a 3-day promotion, 6 – 8 August. Today’s the last day, so grab your copy before it’s too late (Book 1 is free) – Coupon Code: EN88H.

Don’t forget that the person who purchases the most of my books for the duration of the tour receives the gift of Books 2 and 3 in The Slave Empire series (to see if you qualify, you should, on the first day after the tour, email all your PoPs to vanessa@wildorchidbooks.com).

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

Virtual Book Tour – Day 7: Guest Post on Creating Original Fantasy Creatures

 

Today’s tour host is fellow fantasy author Michelle Louring, who will be hosting a guest post by me on creating original fantasy creatures.

Originality is something every author should strive for. Using the hackneyed, stereotypical creatures that have been around for centuries – unicorns, vampires, fairies, elves, dragons and ogres, etc. – detracts from a good fantasy tale, in my opinion. Sure, it’s easier to write about something everyone knows, so you don’t have to describe it in detail, but for readers, discovering new and exciting fantasy creatures enhances a story. While the tried and trusted has a fan following all of its own, it’s so much better to make the effort to be original, not only in your storyline, but also the creatures that populate your world.

Visit Michelle’s blog to read the rest of this post, and don’t forget to leave a comment if you have anything to add on the topic.

Don’t forget The Queen’s Blade II, Sacrifice is now free on a 3-day promotion, ending tomorrow.

Coupon Code: EN88H

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

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.

Virtual Book Tour Itinerary

1 – 14 August 2013

For all of you who would like to visit the various blogs partaking in my virtual book tour and read the interviews and articles being posted, below is a complete list of the dates and blogs taking part. I hope you all enjoy the tour!

Thursday, 1 August
Tour kick-off: author showcase, hosted by Glynis Smy and Fireblade Publishers

Friday, 2 August
How to Create Good Characters, hosted by Rebekah Grow

Saturday, 3 August
Author & character interview, hosted by Nicole Hill

Sunday, 4 August
Showcasing The Queen’s Blade fantasy series, hosted by Chris Graham

Monday, 5 August
World Building, hosted by Pippa Jay, and showcasing The Queen’s Blade on Glynis Smy’s Virtual Bookcase

Tuesday, 6 August
Familiar’s Relationships with Humans in The Queen’s Blade, hosted by James L. Wilber, and author showcases, hosted by Mathew Reuther and Louise Blankenship

Wednesday, 7 August
Creating Original Fantasy Creatures, hosted by Michelle Louring

Thursday, 8 August
How to Write a Good Fight Scene, hosted by Fireblade Publishers

Friday, 9 August
Why Reading is Important, hosted by Cinta Garcia de la Rosa

Saturday, 10 August
Inside the Mind of an Author, hosted by Tracy Falbe

Sunday, 11 August
How to Deal with Book Pirates & author interview, hosted by the Indie Author Network

Monday, 12 August
Literary Characters TC Southwell would Date, Dump or Marry, hosted by Nicole Hill

Tuesday, 13 August
Tips for New Writers, hosted by The Independent Bookworm

Wednesday, 14 August
Extract from The Broken World fantasy series, hosted by the Indie Author Network, and The Magic Systems in Southwell’s Books, hosted by Marsha A. Moore

For daily tour updates and a tour overview on Thursday, 15 August, visit this blog.