Welcome, new folks!
Hi, there. I've had a number of people join the mailing list recently. I want to make sure everybody gets their free Frosthelm book, Traitors Unseen. If you haven't gotten it, you can get it free here (the site will ask you to sign up for this newsletter, which you're already getting) or here from Smashwords. It's also on Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Please, enjoy with my compliments.
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Getting ready for an Inquisitors' Guild box set
I'm about to put my three novels into an ebook box set for sale on Amazon. This is a little silly, because there's no box, because it's ebooks, but I still got a cool image made of a box.
A lot of indie authors do this with books, and the word is that it helps in a couple of ways. One is, it just lets people buy your whole series at once, usually for a discount (I'll be doing the three books for $6.99, or about two bucks off the individual prices). Another is, it can be a more attractive format for people who are Kindle Unlimited subscribers. These folks are generally avid readers, and the box sets can give them a whole bunch of books that are available for free for them all in one place. There are a couple of drawbacks that I can see, also. One is that because of Amazon's exclusivity rules, if I want to keep Traitors Unseen available for free outside Amazon, I can't include it in the box set and still have the set be available for Kindle Unlimited folks. So, people will have to grab that one elsewhere. Another is, the box set will start with no reviews, and the individual books have built up a pretty good reputaiton from readers posting reviews. But, there's no real cost to giving it a try, other than getting Olivia to make a cool box cover, so I thought it might be a fun idea.
A little help?
Speaking of reviews, if any of you have read The Woeling Lass and wouldn't mind leaving an honest review, good or bad, I'd appreciate it. There aren't any reviews or ratings on Amazon or BookBub yet, and only one on GoodReads. If you're willing, I'd really appreciate it. The links are here: Amazon GoodReads BookBub.
Ready for querying
I've got my thriller, Got Trouble, worked up and ready to submit to agents with great help from several earlly readers. This book is a little different for me. It's set in the modern world, in central North Carolina (where I am also currently set), and it involves a woman, Glynnis, whose life isn't going how she planned, whose kid is in trouble at school, and whose husband has become increasingly inadequate. Through an unexpected chain of events, she ends up in a desperate race against shadowy enemies, several of whom are more than willing to shoot her and her family.
Querying agents is a bit of a soul-crushing business, because interest and offers from agents are so profoundly scarce, but I thought it might be time to try it again. One thing you're often expected to do in queries is provide comps - other books or stories that are similar to yours - to help an agent understand what kind of book you've written. For mine, I've come up with the book Conviction by Denise Mina, which my wife suggested and which I'm now most of the way through, and the movie A Simple Favor. Neither is a perfect match, but both share a lot of plot, character, and attitude elements, and A Simple Favor definitely has the humorous undertones that I tried for in my book. I should get some letters to agents sent out this week, and then it's just a matter of hoping for a lucky break amid the silence and rejections.
The new story
I've started a new novel, and I'm about 11,000 words in (that's about 11-13% of a typical book length, or maybe 8% of one of mine). I'm having a lot of fun with it. It's a darkly comedic look at a goblin named Sweatbucket who gets spawned on a mysterious space station full of monsters and middle management. Due to a bit of incompetence in the spawning process, Sweatbucket receives the wrong brain. She knows her name should actually be Eshelke, but she doesn't know who or what she is, except that she should definitely not be a goblin, assigned to a life of drudgery and casual devouring by the other monsters. Maybe the murderous thoughts and visions of mandibles and venomous stingers she keeps experiencing might be a clue? She could just ask somebody, except that goblins can't talk. Or that's what everybody says when she talks to them. And talking gets her all the wrong kind of attention.
I'm going to try to get a draft of this one done by June, with a longshot goal of having it ready for the next SPSFC competition. If that doesn't happen, which it may not, then it will probably be a late summer release.
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Some stories to try
I'm part of several indie author collectives, and we share each other's work to try to help all of us reach more readers. In many cases, the books we share are are free or discounted. Sometimes, they ask that you sign up for a newsletter like this one. I have more than my usual three or four to share this time because of haphazard planning on my part, but I hope you'll give them all a look.
First is The Last Train by Jamie Brindle, a haunting tale about a mysterious, rickety railway accessible only after death. A quick read, and well-received by Amazon reviewers.
Next is Amy's Story by Mark Hood. It is a free story that's part of Mark's series of books continuing H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, which is a really interesting idea. I'm trying to figure out what other 125-year-old series might need some new life...
Next is Discovering Your Neighbor, a story by the prolific author Shane Shepherd who writes military sci fi about a future where Earth has come across a neighboring planet with remnants of ancient societies.
Up next is Out of Darkness by C.G. Harris, the first book in a young-adult series about the struggle to resist the vicious invasion of the Rax.
Next, I have a huge fantasy promo of free books and stories, all fantasy. There are over 120 novels, novellas, and stories here to try, all of them free. I'm sure there's something here that will tickle your fancy. Nearly all forms of fantasy are represented here except urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
Finally, I have a group of medieval fantasy and romance books. That's either swords, or kissing, or both. Who doesn't love swords and kissing? See if there's something up your alley here!
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Thanks
Thank you so much for engaging with my books and stories. I'm really grateful to have you along. I hope you and your family and friends are keeping safe and healthy and enjoying the warmer weather (or cooler weather, if you're in the southern hemisphere, or just the weather, if you're in the tropics). Have a great April, and I'll see you next time.
May the Bloodmother watch over you -
Dave
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