'The Viscount's Son' - free for one week!

It has been a month since the publication of my debut ebook, 'The Viscount's Son'.  To celebrate, I will be giving the novelette away for free for one week!

I have been very pleased with the sales performance of my little book, and this is 'free deal' marks the last week of my 'official' launch.  So, if you haven't had a chance to get a copy of 'The Viscount's Son', now is your chance.

What would I like in return?  Nothing, I just hope you enjoy it :)  Of course I'd love to hear about it in an email, comment here or even better, a review on Goodreads, Smashwords, Amazon, or your blog if you have one.  I'd like to thank all the readers and reviewers who have given me feedback, I very much appreciate the encouragement.

This will be the only free deal I'll be making for quite some time, so make sure you get it this week.  I hope you enjoy it!

'The Viscount's Son' is currently available for free at Smashwords.  It will also be free at Amazon and everywhere else soon - but remember, for one week only.

Blog Hop - The Next Big Thing

I know I've only just released my first publication - 'The Viscount's Son' - but recently I was 'tagged', by Kristen DaRay, to do a blog hop about my current work in progress.  So, for the first time I will reveal my next work.  This is my first Blog Hop, so go easy on me :)

1.  What is the working title of your book?

The Borderlands

2.  Where did the idea for the book come from?

My partner told me about a man he met who has gone through three nasty divorces, and after a number of financial 'settlements' he has found himself with not much left.  He built himself a boat and lives on it, sailing from one town to another.  I thought this was a fascinating story and I kept thinking about what it must be like to live like that.  Sure enough, the kernel of a story formed.

3.  What genre does you book come under?

Probably Urban Fantasy and Young Adult - although it has some strong language, so I think it might be older Young Adult.  It's like a coming of age story too.  I hate trying to classify my stories - I really don't know half the time!

4.  Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

If this happened I'd love to do a 'JK Rowling' and choose the actors from a bunch of unknowns.  Dale, the main character would have to be a redheaded 16 year old girl with very fair skin.  Rhys, also 16, would be a very dark and handsome young man.  Gareth - think Santa ;)  And here's a picture of one of my favourite characters - Cat. He's a Scottish wildcat.

5.  What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

After witnessing the murder of the only friend she'd ever had, Dale embarks on a journey to the mysterious and mystical Borderlands.

6.  Will your book be self-published, published by an independent publisher or represented by an agency?

Self-published.

7.  How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Roughly six months. But there's been another six months of redrafting and workshopping.

8.  What other books would you compare your story to within your genre?

Well, there's a few similarities to 'Harry Potter'.  But it also reminds me a little of a childhood favourite, 'My Side of the Mountain'.

9.  Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Aside from the man I mentioned above (question 2) I was inspired by the feeling of not fitting in that many teenagers experience at school.

10.  What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

I always try to add a sense of mystery in my stories and I think I have achieved this with 'The Borderlands'.  I've also incorporated magic and a mystical land.

Thanks for reading.  I hope to release 'The Borderlands' later this year.

I'd like to tag the following authors to undertake the blog hop and tell us all about their current works in progress:

A.K. Fotinos-Hoyer
M.R. Graham
C.J. Jessop
Nessie Strange

In the Shadow of the Mountains - review

It's time for me to take a break from pushing the release of 'The Viscount's Son' and share my thoughts on a great read by a fellow author.  Just quickly, though, if you would like to win a free copy of 'The Viscount's Son' head over to Freado.

Recently I sat down to read 'In the Shadow of the Mountains' by MR Graham, and found myself enthralled.  It's always exciting to find an Indie author whose work is of such a high standard.

'In the Shadow of the Mountains' is part of a series of novels called 'The Books of Lost Knowledge'. Set in the small Colorado town, Burns City, it begins with the mysterious arrival of a newcomer who moves into town during a snow storm.  No one sees him for days and this sets the tongues wagging as well as piquing the interest of readers.  I was certainly intrigued by him from the very start.

The new arrival is quickly introduced to us as the 'old' and gentlemanly Daniel Leland, who has come to Burns City trying to escape a mysterious past. The story is primarily told through the point of view of three teens who live in the town.  Liz, Chris and Aaron.  Liz and Chris have been friends for years and we learn that Chris is interested in more than friendship, but Liz is anxious about change and the uncertainty that the following year will bring once she moves away to college.  Aaron is a child genius.  He is younger than Liz and Chris, but his astute observations shed light on the puzzling events that take place when two more strangers arrive in town.

Then the deaths take place.  And with each new death, Aaron observes the two strangers in town.  His logical mind quickly works things out so that when one of the men moves without making tracks in the snow, Aaron and the reader wonder what the hell is going on!

The mystery unfolds with fantastic pacing that kept me turning the pages eager to learn more.  The story is so interesting, but the character development is equally so.  Liz, Chris and Aaron all have their own flaws and weaknesses but are extremely likable and I wanted them to be okay.  Daniel Leland is a mystery throughout the story.  I did guess his secret, but still, when it was revealed, it was great reading.   There were some very cool secondary characters too.  Mina Hobbs is fantastic as 'wing man'.

For me, a real strength of Graham's writing is her style.  She creates such wonderfully poetic imagery, it is truly a pleasure to read.  Her control of language conjures a dark atmosphere that is great for reading on a cool rainy day (like I did).

The only nitpick I have is trivial and there is a minor spoiler here so don't read on if you want to be surprised.  Essentially, this is a vampire story, and overall I think the 'vampiric' quality of the story is of a very high standard.  All 'common' knowledge of vampires is taken into consideration and the characters even refer to 'Dracula' as the 'bible' on the lore.  But there is no mention or explanation of sunlight.  This is a little gripe, but it seemed incongruous as so many other beliefs were addressed, just not that one.  I kept expecting it to come up but it didn't.  But, that's the only thing I can pick on.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to lovers of the paranormal genre, but also to anyone who enjoys a good story.  I know I will pick this up again to read one day, probably in the middle of winter, with a nice fire going - that's how much I enjoyed it.

My rating - 9/10

'In the Shadows of the Mountain' is available at Amazon and Smashwords.

The Viscount's Son - now available!

I am very excited to announce that my first publication, 'The Viscount's Son' is now available!

'The Viscount's Son is perfect for a quick, interesting read.  The novelette is a fictional blog that tells the story of book conservator, Emma, and her online project - to transcribe an ancient and mysterious text.  The trouble is, Emma's colleague, Jack, believes the medieval 'diary' is a fake.  Emma decides to translate the text and leave it up to her readers to decide - so what will you think?  Follow Emma's journey to discern the mysteries of the medieval memoir. 

Watch the trailer to learn more:

This book is available at Smashwords and Amazon.

Read a sample here:



I am also giving away 10 copies of the Kindle Edition on Freado, you can win it easily here:

Reviews:

From Smashwords - Review by Kirshy McAinch (5 stars)

If this is a first effort then I can't wait for the next instalment from Aderyn. I found this novelette incredibly enchanting and yet easy to read at the same time. The format of the blog style narrative was very clever and transitioned seamlessly. I was particularly impressed with the knowledge of the Latin language and English history and with a slight blush of my cheeks, admit that I found the sensual aspects of this story, quite captivating! Can't wait for the sequel Aderyn.

From WebFiction Guide - Review by Verydian

I am the type of reader who enjoys most things fantasy, but what drew me to this story, was not only its familial fantasy genre, but also the obvious historical atmosphere as well. "Historical fantasy" is not something I see very much of on the web, whether from my inattention, or its lack of popularity, you be the judge, but I was quite excited to begin reading . . . .

The author of the piece Aderyn Wood has only just begun to post the ‘fictional blog’, with only four chapters to date, but I still found it intriguing enough to swallow me into her world.

The story itself starts off with the narrator introducing herself as Emma, a book conservator at an unnamed famous museum in an unnamed famous city, hmm . . . ..Through chance she acquires an old diary thought to be from the 16th century, but apparently deemed fake by her colleague Jack for some particular reasons. The diary itself is in Latin, so in each of the chapters—which is Emma posting on an online blog—Emma tells the reader a brief telling of her own personal life usually relating to the book, and then an entry.

What makes it so interesting and enjoyable to read is the fact that although the important bits are really the diary entries, you also begin to enjoy Emma as well, as Aderyn writes enough detail about Emma’s encounters that she develops her own quirky little personality (oh the AC unit!). For me, it arouses the desire to see what’s also going to happen with Emma, not just the Viscount’s son.

Aderyn’s wording is clean and descriptive which I like, because she gets to the point, but uses enough detail that you can clearly visualize what it is the character’s are talking about as well as their setting. It’s also obvious, in my opinion that either Aderyn knows a lot about museum book conserving or she did enough research on the subject to make sure you believe that Emma might actually be of that occupation. The translations of the entries are nicely worded to seem like it might be from the 16th century as well with more classical descriptions.

I felt that at a few points, I was hoping for the story to pick up a bit as far as the diary went, but I also think that it is a work to ease into since the chapters are short, and there’s only four of them. The entries could still maybe be longer and/or contain more content, but that might be my own personal taste. So far, I can begin to see hints of the supernatural, but whether it full on becomes more fantasy, I will have to wait and see.

Overall, I feel this webfic is great, and I’m looking forward to reading more from it. At this point in the game, I say it’s too early to tell where exactly the story is going, whether Emma plays a bigger role aside from translator, and if the author plans on writing longer entries in the diary, but the story is still intriguing and gives you something to think about if you enjoy history

Now that I'm getting spammed has my blog made it?

This little blog of mine has been chugging on for over a year now. I've had the odd spammer during that time, but blogger has done a good job of catching spam comments and relegating them to the spam bin.

Over the last week, however, I've noticed a dramatic increase in spam and many comments seemed to have escaped the spam bin!  How has this happened?  Why has this happened?

Well I did do a little reading around the interwebs and it seems that spammers are getting more sophisticated in their commentary making it more difficult for programs and people alike to identify them as spam.  They're becoming more flattering too; check out this one (I deleted the pesky link) - 

This design is incredible! You certainly know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I ωas аlmost movеd to start my own blog (well, аlmost...HaHa!) Fantastiс job. І really еnjoyeԁ what yοu had tо say, and more than that, hοw you presented it. Too cоol!

Why thank you!

So I'm sure my research is right - spammers are becoming more sophisticated.  But I prefer to look at it as a sign ... my blog's finally made it!  Yay!

Seriously, if you're having trouble determining a spammer read this article.  In the meantime I've turned off my 'allow anonymous comments' option. I hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone.  But it will save my time deleting all those spams.

The Lighthouse - a dark read

Recently I read the short story The Lighthouse by Karen Heard.

I was in the mood for something quick, dark and mysterious - and that's exactly what I got.

The Lighthouse tells the story of a young girl, the lighthouse keeper's daughter, who has been left by her parents to fend for herself while maintaining the light -

"... our lighthouse [the] only guide past the treacherous reefs and hidden rocks that guard the passageway."

The lighthouse had offered protection for the many sea vessels that passed the dangerous waters of ocean, but over time, the boats stopped coming.  Then the girl's mother left.  Followed by her father.

We read the story through the young girl's narrative.  She begins by relaying her responsibility to maintain the light.  We also learn at the beginning that it has been forty days since her father left her, ostensibly to search for her mother who had left earlier.  However, there are hints weaved throughout the narrative that makes us wonder about the world outside the lighthouse, and if it still exists.

As the story progresses we learn more about the girl's mother and we imagine her reasons for leaving the island.  Moreover, we come to understand more about her father as his actions are recalled by the girl.

The writing is excellent.  Dark imagery is weaved throughout and adds to the maddening sense of isolation experienced by the protagonist. The experience of fear and loneliness is portrayed so convincingly, and reminds me a little of Poe's style.

As we read, the mystery builds and we realise, with the girl (who remains nameless throughout), what might be happening 'out there', and between her parents.

My only complaint is the ending - I wanted more.

I considered this story a great find.  It's a nice read for those of us who enjoy dark mysteries.

You can find it at Smashwords for free!

Words from George R.R. Martin

Like the rest of the world, I have become a George R.R. Martin Fan.  It wasn't very difficult for me because I have always been a fan of fantasy.  But, Martin's brand is different.  Indeed, he has taken the genre to another level - one that is more 'real' in fact.

His characters experience the real life problems of leaders and peasants from 'real' history.  The magic remains mysteriously, and sometimes frustratingly, in the background.  But this works.

Like every other fan I am eagerly awaiting the release of the next novel of the series - The Winds of Winter.

In the meantime, what to do?  Well, I spent the afternoon listening to Martin in a couple of interviews and a podcast.  interesting stuff for fans and aspiring fantasy writers alike.

So, what did I learn today?  Lots, I've divided it into a couple of sections:

A Song of Ice and Fire

The whole thing came to him in the summer of '81 when he struck upon the idea of a wolf that gave birth to pups during a summer snow.  The summer snow was very important.  From this he wrote a chapter and once that was done he knew what would happen in the next chapter.  He spent the rest of that summer writing what would become 'Game of Thrones'.  I like the way he stopped writing to draw a map and fully imagine this world of Westeros.

I'm happy to report his favourite character in this series is Tyrion, with Arya coming a close second (same as yours truly).  You may not be surprised to learn that Joffrey is loosely based on five to six people he went to school with (I think Joffrey reminds all of us of a few people we'd rather forget).

Martin often receives letters from people who complain about the detail of his sex scenes.  Interestingly, he receives no complaints about the detail of violence in scenes.  He states that this seems to be typical of America today.

But Martin takes the opportunity to challenge, politely, the sexlessness of Tolkien's work.  And it's an interesting point.  Amid all the imaginative landscapes and creatures - humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, hobbits, trolls and more, imagined by Tolkein - they're all ... sexless.  Martin hasn't shied from sex in his work, and this makes his characters and stories more realistic, despite the 'fantasy' label.

On Writing

Martin endorses four rules for writers, as espoused by Robert A. Heinlein:

1. You must write.
2. Finish what you write.
3. You must market what you write.
4. Refrain from rewriting - except on editorial feedback (endless fiddling with your story is not going to get you anywhere).

Martin adds two of his own rules to this list:

• Beginners should start with short stories - there is quite a demand for this in well renowned science fiction and fantasy magazines.
• Keep your day job, writing is a hard gig.

Other tidbits he said along the way:

• Martin's general philosophy for fantasy is to base it in reality, then get imaginative.
• Even good fantasy falls into the mistake of thinking the good man will become the good king - Tolkien does this with Aragorn.  Societies are more complicated than this.
• The character is the heart of fiction.  Make characters real.
• If everyone hates the villain and loves the hero - that's when we are dealing with cardboard.  People are more complex.

Some words for thought, no?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTTW8M_etko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdSPFJcxCNM
https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/george-r.-r.-martin-podcast/id200114114