Kobo Promo

Right Now On Sale for $1.99!

Click on the image to check it out

Kobo is having a back to school sale. Click HERE to see all the deals. All genre ebooks are discounted.

Smashwords Sale and Other Things

Smashwords is having its Summer/Winter sale (depending on your hemisphere). A bunch of ebooks are on discount, including all of mine. Click HERE to see my books, and HERE  for the main page. You need to scroll down to see the discounts.

General Updates

 Cue the trumpets...

Greenvale is now available in print!

And in other news...

The audiobook for Lethal Seasons will get underway in another week or so. I'm very excited about starting that. I'll blog updates as I have them.

Alex is working on a very cool design for the print version of Facade. That will be coming out soon also. And I will do a lovely cover reveal as soon as it's available.

Book 3 of the Transmutation series is coming along well. I have an October release date penciled in. Hopefully, I can keep on track for that. No title as yet. Sometimes titles are easy to come up with and other times it comes right down to the wire. One book I worked on had at least 4 working titles and none of them ended up being the one I finally went with.

And now I need to get back to writing!

Greenvale is Out and High Barrens is 99c

Greenvale is now available at most retailers. Click HERE to find your favorite store.

I am having a bit of trouble finding it on Google Play Books, but it should be on there. And this time around, I loaded it into Smashwords also.

Although this book is written as a stand-alone, book 1, High Barrens, will be 99c all over thru June 30. Click HERE to find your favorite store. There is a little bit of crossover, so if you were hoping to see Flint and Catbird again, they do drop in for a few chapters.

Another fabulous cover by Alex Storer! It's always a surprise to see how he interprets my vague ramblings. This one was spot on.

The next book on the drawing board is book 3 in the Transmutation series. No working title as yet. Back to a little space opera for awhile. I am planning an early fall release for this one. Let's see if I can keep to that schedule.

Greenvale is Coming!

I finally have a release date for Greenvale, book 2 in the Tales of Haroon world.

The ebook will be available June 27th at all retailers. I hope to have the print book a couple weeks after that.

Although these books are written as stand-alones, the first book in the series, High Barrens, will be down to 99c from June 23 through June 29.

This series is a little different. It's about people who don't have magic in a magical world. What they do have is an odd little innate ability that isn't good for much. Except, maybe, getting them in trouble.

The first book was about Flint who can see a person's heart-fire. It lets her know a little about them - their health, if they're lying, and it they have any inclination towards one of the many gods that imbue magic.

This book is about Chance. He can sense wrongness in the world. That doesn't give him an explanation or any special knowledge about how to correct it. But he can also sense rightness, and sometimes that is the way to fix the wrongness.

Alex did another fabulous cover for me. I can't wait to share it.

The next book I'll be working on is book 3 for the Transmutation series.

Looking Back on a Wonderful Year

I don't think I knew it while I was in it, but this has been a pretty good year for me.

I took a look back on my calendar and was very surprised to see how much I've gotten done. Part of that is probably because I've been very healthy this year. You can't believe the difference in your energy level when you are healthy.

I released 4 books this year. That amazes me. I planned it, stuck to my schedule and got them out on time. And a lot of that happened because I stopped buzzing around the forums trying to figure out what I should be doing. I put my head down and got to work. And that turned out to be easier and more enjoyable than debating the next steps an author should take.

Lessons Learned, book 4 of A Changed World post-apocalyptic series came out in January. High Barrens, the first book of the Tales of Haroon fantasy series came out in March. Blood Relations, the third book of the Asher Blaine Mysteries series came out in August, and Desperate Measures, book 5 of A Changed World came out in December. I don't know if I will be as prolific next year, but I am sure going to try.

Through trial and error, I sort of got a handle on the art of marketing. Then in June, I got the golden ticket - a Bookbub. Books flew off the shelf for a week, then marched, then strolled and it slowly worked its way down to a number of sales much higher than all the previous months. I made a lot of money and that feels amazing, too.

I cracked 10,000 sales. Lethal Seasons has over 100 reviews. I took my books wide and starting selling them in new markets like Kobo, Google Play and Apple.

And I still managed to do a little traveling, visit with family, work in the garden and start on a family history that I've been thinking about.

In the fall, we started work on turning a shed into an office for me. It took a little longer than expected, but the outcome is fabulous. I have all my things in one place. There are big windows to let in natural light and a ton of storage space for all my odds and ends.

This has been a wonderful year, and I hope you've had a good one, too.

Here's hoping for a great 2019 for everyone!

Fantasy for 99c

Some of the authors involved in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off have put together a 99c promotion for the first 5 days of August.

If you're looking for a new read, please check this out. All the sub-genres are covered. Click HERE to see over 100 books at 99c.

High Barrens is in there, if you haven't gotten your copy,yet!

High Barrens in the 2018 SPFBO

The Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off was created by Mark Lawrence to help readers cull through the tsunami of self-published fantasy books. Only 300 books are accepted each year.

The judges are well known fantasy book review bloggers.The books are distributed to 10 bloggers who each choose a favorite from the 30 books they are assigned. Then the 10 finalists are read by all of the judges and a single winner is chosen.

Here's a link to Mark's blog where he explains the process.

A couple of previous winners have gotten traditional publishing contracts. And a couple were listed by Barnes and Noble as top reads. It's all about exposure.

I submitted High Barrens. It has been assigned to Lynn's Book Blog. She sounds like an excellent reviewer and I look forward to her comments on my book.

If you are looking for some new fantasy reads, check out the list on Mark's blog. Or you can meet some of the other authors on the official Facebook page HERE.

And so the adventure begins!

High Barrens only 99c until Sunday

If you haven't had a chance to pick up my latest book - now's the time to grab the ebook.

High Barrens - a stand-alone, high fantasy, coming of age is on sale for 99c through Sunday, May 13. After that it will go back to $2.99

Click HERE to pick your favorite retailer.

Click HERE to see a preview on my website.

I just got my first review and it was a 5 star. Woohoo!
"Well written book that grabbed early and kept you interested and reading straight through."

It's always a boost to see that people are enjoying my stories. While I'm busy writing, I don't think about how people will react to what I'm putting on paper. At that time, I'm too busy working my characters through their world. It isn't until I push the Publish button that I start to worry about my audience. And until the first review shows up, I'm constantly second guessing it. Reviews like that say I probably got it right. Yay.

I'm in a New Anthology

Blank Tapes is a collection of 17 odd, dark or quirky short stories that don't quite fit in anywhere. It is available for preorder now - click here - only $2.99.  It will be released on April 9th.

In other news...

High Barrens, the print version, has been held up while I mess around with the maps. They came out as small smudgy squares in the front of the book, so I've obviously done something wrong. 

The 3rd book in the Asher Blaine series is coming along. I was a bit baffled as to why the murder occurred, but luckily I've figured that out.

And speaking of that, time to get back to writing.

High Barrens Release!

High Barrens is now available all over!

Click here to choose your favorite ebook retailer.

Print is in the works. Should be available in early April.

Cover Reveal - High Barrens

Now available for preorder! Click HERE for your favorite retailer.

I think Alex did a super job on this one. It really holds the flavor of the story. I'd love to hear your comments!

High Barrens Excerpt

Here is Chapter 1 from High Barrens which will be up for presale next week.

     Flint came home from the graveyard knowing that her life was finally going to change. Her father’s death set things in motion that had been stagnant for far too long. The house was somber with the whispered condolences of her neighbors. She laid out a meal for them taken from the winter stores that she had spent the summer putting up. She could be generous because she knew she wouldn’t need them. There was no reason to stay here anymore.

     Only four of her six brothers were present. Steel, the oldest, was a soldier for the King and too far away to return for something as paltry as the death of a father who had disowned him. Flint had sent Steel a warning as soon as she saw her father’s spirit fire dim. Her brother understood what was about to happen. A few weeks later, a bundle of sturdy woolen cloth arrived for her with a handful of silvers hidden inside. She hadn’t seen Steel in years. It was more than she’d expected and a kindness that lightened her burdens.

     Granite, the other missing brother, was in the lockup again, probably for another bar fight. He’d been given that name in the hopes that he would be persistent. Instead, he was stubborn and blockheaded. She knew he cared even less than Steel about their father, but she’d have to find him.

     “I’m sorry to intrude at a time like this,” said a stocky man in threadbare clothes.

Flint knew he wasn’t the least bit sorry and wondered if he’d had to borrow those clothes to present such an impoverished aspect. “Good day, Mortar,” she said civilly.

     “I’m wondering about the bills.”

She knew this was coming. Her father owned money to a lot of people. “I promised you’d be paid. It’ll take a bit of time to sort it all out, but everyone will be paid.”

     He scrutinized her with a sour look. She held her head high. There was nothing for her to be ashamed of. The debts weren’t hers. But she had promised everyone in town that they would be paid. Mortar finally came to the conclusion that pestering wouldn’t advance his cause and slunk away. She let out a soft breath of relief.

     Her other brothers stood awkwardly by the hearth, heads hanging, brows furrowed. Not a one of them mourned. Their father had been a hard man, unfair and selfish. It was a relief that he had finally passed, and yet it was still hard to lose a parent. He had been a larger than life figure, ordering her about for her entire life. She would miss him in a fashion, but she didn’t mourn him either.

     Coal glanced at her. She knew he’d be the first to speak. “What do you need?” he asked. Second oldest son and seventeen years her elder. He still treated her like a child when she’d already passed marrying age, but she knew it was out of love and forgave him.

     “Can you handle the sale of the farm?” she asked, knowing it was a burden. Coal was a blacksmith in a town on the western edge of the barrens. It was a good three-day ride to come back here.

     Coal shrugged. “You think he’ll sell it?”

     In a fit of pique, their father had disowned Clay, the oldest, and left everything to Granite, his fifth son. Flint thought it was because with his drinking and fighting, that was the son most like their father. “He’ll want the coin more than the land.” She knew in her heart that he would never come back here. Granite wouldn’t know what to do with the land. The house would fall down and the fields go to weeds unless someone else made things happen.

     Her brawny brother fidgeted, dropping his eyes away from her. “Who will ask him?”

     “I will.” Flint was the only family member that could talk to Granite without putting him into a fury. She’d been thinking about the proper phrasing since the moment her father’s health had started to fail. She’d asked around and found a buyer for the land. When her father became bedridden, she’d sent the livestock to her brothers Clay and Basalt. They had a farm of their own up north near the Icy River. None of her neighbors questioned it. A sick man couldn’t take care of his animals. She still had her brother Marl at home, but his heart wasn’t in it. He was another one that shouldn’t be forced to work the land. He was across the room speaking with the Servants of the Lady of Shadows. She knew that when they left, Marl would go with them.

     “I don’t need any of it,” Coal said, bringing her back to the issue at hand.

     “Nor do we,” Clay said, joining the conversation.

     Basalt made a face. He never could keep his emotions hidden. “You gave us the animals, I guess that’s fair.”

     “It’s more than fair,” Clay snapped at him. “How much do you think someone would pay for this place?”

     Flint stepped between them. “Most of it’ll go to pay Pa’s debts.”

     Basalt grunted his understanding. He was almost as hard-headed as Granite but had a much sweeter nature. Flint knew that he was thinking of his betrothed and the house that they were building.

     As soon as the conversation had started, the rest of the neighbors had slipped away. It was just family now. Flint sent her brothers to the table while she fetched the parcels she’d made up. They were quiet as she handed them out. For Marl, youngest son but still six years older than she, a warm shirt she’d sown from the fabric Steel had sent. She gave him the things he might need while in service and sent him off to find the Servants.

     “Soft-hearted boy,” Basalt grumbled fondly.

     “It’s where he belongs,” Flint said. She wasn’t sure when she had become the de facto head of this family. It had come about like an icicle forming from a single drop of water. The day her mother died, that drop had started and even though she was the youngest, she’d taken it all on.

     “Not a calling I’d choose for anyone,” Coal mumbled.

     “He’s kind and honest,” Flint said. “That’s who I want to hold my hand when I’m dying.”

     Her brothers grumbled their agreement uneasily. She wasn’t sure if it was the topic of death in general or her death that had them so discomfited. She knew that she was the only thread left that kept them a family. If she raveled away, they would all trundle along in their separate lives without expending the energy to stay connected.

     She gave Coal a shirt also. This one she’d spent a lot of time thinking about. Coal didn’t need money. He was a skilled blacksmith and had built a good business for himself. What he needed was a woman in his life. So she’d made a shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and deep chest. She’d done some fine handwork on the collar and cuffs. The buttons were shiny brass from their father’s old uniform.

     Coal recognized them. She could tell by the way his eyes got misty. He was old enough to remember how their father was before the drink turned him dark. Something she’d only heard about, but never experienced for herself.

     “Thank you. This is a fine shirt,” Coal said

     For Basalt and Clay, she gave them the few useful items from the house and all the tools from the shed. “But what about you?” Clay asked. “Don’t you need…,” He waved at the yard unable to finish the sentence.

     “I’m leaving,” Flint said.

High Barrens Map Reveal!

My first attempts at map making. This is probably the 3rd or 4th version.

This is the map of High Barrens in the world of Haroon. This covers most of the journey in the book.

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Here's a look at the other countries where a bit of the action takes place. I will be adding these to the website soon.

High Barrens is on track for release on March 29th. It will probably go up for preorder the week before.

As usual, Alex has made a gorgeous cover for it. I'll be doing a cover reveal soon. Stay tuned!