Smashwords: Smashwords Unveils Major Website Redesign

Smashwords: Smashwords Unveils Major Website Redesign

The Sound of . . . Sound in Novels | Live Write Thrive

 Sound may not be something writers pay much attention to when they work on their novels. Of course, there usually is a significant amount of dialog, and there may occasionally be found a noise shown in the scene, such as a branch cracking underfoot, the whoosh of an arrow zipping by, or the hiss of a snake. But other than the obvious, basic sounds, novelists don’t usually think much about this sensory element. But by looking at some of the ways filmmakers deal with sound, we can see many possibilites of how writers might enrich their books with this often-ignored component. ...

read the rest at   The Sound of . . . Sound in Novels | Live Write Thrive

Book News

Book News


Year of the Demon
by Steve Bein
Published 2013 by Roc

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780451465191
Find this book in our catalog.
Jacket Notes:
" A MASK OF DESTRUCTION Detective Sergeant Mariko Oshiro has been promoted to Japan's elite Narcotics unit-and with this promotion comes a new partner, a new case, and new danger. The underboss of a powerful yakuza crime syndicate has put a price on her head, and he'll lift the bounty only if she retrieves an ancient iron demon mask that was stolen from him in a daring raid. However, Mariko has no idea of the tumultuous past carried within the mask-or of its deadly link with the famed Inazuma blade she wields. The secret of this mask originated hundreds of years before Mariko was born, and over time the mask's power has evolved to bend its owner toward destruction, stopping at nothing to obtain Inazuma steel. Mariko's fallen sensei knew much of the mask's hypnotic power and of its mysterious link to a murderous cult. Now Mariko must use his notes to find the mask before the cult can bring Tokyo to its knees-and before the underboss decides her time is up..."--

Publishers Weekly 08/05/2013
In this gripping follow-up to 2012's Daughter of the Sword, Tokyo police officer Oshiro Mariko is now working in the Narcotics division. In the aftermath of a raid, an ancient mask is stolen, and its Yakuza owner demands that Mariko retrieve it. Her search for the mask leads her to a cult with a deadly agenda and a centuries-old mystery connected to the legendary sword she now possesses. Extensive flashbacks to the lives of two historical characters Daigoru, a 16th-century lord who wielded Mariko's sword, and Kaida, a 15th-century one-armed pearl diver forced to contend with ruthless mercenaries further expand the story, essentially making it three books in one. Bein combines the best parts of police procedurals, buddy-cop films, historical fantasy, and intrigue-laden adventure, enhancing them with painstaking research and attention to atmosphere. Despite all the action, this middle volume feels incomplete, but all three stories promise to wrap up in gripping style. Agent: Cameron McClure, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Oct.) Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

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The troubles with KDP Select | Cussedness Corner

The troubles with KDP Select | Cussedness Corner

The troubles with KDP Select

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The value of using KDP Select has become questionable in many cases. Jennifer Malone has an excellent article on it. Be sure to read the comments.
Daverana’s own  experience with it has been that it does not  work well. We have offered three different books by three different authors and not seen a bump in sales as a result of it.
A year ago, Carolyn McCray wrote an excellent article on the ways to decide whether KDP Select would work for you or not.  And from reading the article, I see that she’s saying you already have to have fabulous sales numbers to get any benefit from it. She could be right there.  If you don’t already have substantial visibility, KDP Select is not going to give it to you. . . .

read the rest at Cussedness Corner

Award Scams | Cussedness Corner Steven Beeho guests

Award Scams | Cussedness Corner

Guest post by Steven Beeho. Coming next week a deeper digging from another angle by  another Steven, Steven Saus.)
Here’s to my wealth of Stevens. Mr. Beeho is the author of Big Bad Man and other tales.

STEVEN BEEHO:
Congratulations. For reading this article, I hereby declare you the winner of this decade’s Article Reader of the Internet. This award is newly created by me and without any merit whatsoever, but feel free to brag about something you didn’t get fairly or honestly. Because that works, right?
Wrong.
There’s no merit to it. Nothing to show you earned this. No indication that you have been judged by your peers and found worthy of notice. This is what people crave. Awards have meaning only due to the weight behind them placed there by those bestowing it or those who have won it before you. You hope that serious thought has gone into the giving of such a thing, and that those who thought about it knew what the hell they were doing.
But people still want that recognition, and others know it. So you can dangle that shiny trinket and lure them in. Hey, want an award? Want something to show off? Wait, you don’t care about what it means or who decided to give it to you? You just want something to make you feel worthy? . . ."

read the rest at Cussedness Corner

The Pool Boy’s Beatitude

Our guest today is DJ Swykert

DJ Swykert is a former 911 operator. His work has appeared in The Tampa Review, Detroit News, Monarch Review, Lunch Ticket, Zodiac Review, Barbaric Yawp and Bull. His books include Children of the Enemy, Alpha Wolves, Maggie Elizabeth Harrington and The Death of Anyone. You can find him at: www.magicmasterminds.com/djswykert .He is a wolf expert.

"Like my character, Jack, I have always been attracted to the great mysteries of life. While Quantum Mechanics continues to search for a Theory of Everything, so have I. And I can write with authority about addiction, rehabilitation and jail. If you add the desire for a real and loving relationship into the equation you come up with the story of The Pool Boy’s Beatitude. Though it is fiction, it’s perhaps the most cathartic piece of writing I have ever produced. Not only does Jack discover anomalies to the large physical world we exist in, but also poignant truths about his own personal little universe. 

"In his search for the God particle Jack Joseph has lost control of the most important particle of existence, himself. Jack’s intellect may have expanded at the speed of light, but his emotional development is mired in the darkness of addiction. Without change Jack is accelerating towards a personal collision that would render his interest in the cosmic one irrelevant.

"Jack is a drop-out physicist cleaning swimming pools to support a lifestyle of addiction and detachment. He has a wife divorcing him, a wealthy woman seducing him and the justice system convicting him. Jack’s personal cosmos is spiraling out of control. When he met Sarah his universe further expanded. The Gravitational Constant he studied at university lacked the velocity with which their galaxies rushed toward one another. It was a life changing Big Bang. A new and brighter Jack was created and he found his supreme happiness. But there was a lot of space junk in the form of addiction and legal consequences standing in the way of his pool boy quest toward bliss."

This is a brief excerpt from the book: 

            I believe God thinks in numbers. Most of what I know best can be described with an equation, numbers predicting an outcome, relating the position, velocity, acceleration and various forces acting on a body of mass, and state this relationship as a function of time. And isn’t that what we are, what everything is: accelerated particles in space time. 

            

And this velocity of motion is what creates gravity and holds everything together. But what creates the motion? I think about this shit all the time. Until I feel like I only know one thing: nothing.

            

I sat out on the grass and opened a bottle of Mad Dog 20-20. Drank it to the bottom, sucked it in like a black hole swallowing light. Alcohol goes through the brain in stages, first the cerebral cortex, the thinking brain. A friendlier, more daring person emerges, and becomes ever more creative, imaginative, as the drug continues deeper into the brain. Last to go is the limbic brain. That’s when you go numb.

           

 I got ultimate this night, left the past, present, and flew into my future. It was brilliant, until in the morning, when I stared into the eyes of a cop. I realized I had evolved, I was homeless. Passed out on the lawn I had merged my present into my future and lost the past. I had become what I refused to change. There are no corners in a round expanding infinite universe. But I had turned one. 

The Pool Boy’s Beatitude can be ordered at bookstores or purchased direct at:

http://rebelepublishers.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

You can read more about this author and his work at

http://magicmasterminds.com/djswykert/

Clarion Review

“The Parchman Redeemer offers a tantalizing murder mystery filled with chilling explorations of hypocrisy, true faith, and small-town secrets. It’s about sin and redemption. It’s about the search for truth, in both the physical and spiritual realms. And it’s all wrapped up in a puzzle that keeps even skeptics on their toes. The writing is compelling with a plot that grows ever thicker and offers even ardent mystery fans delightfully unexpected twists and turns. The intrigue is well developed with well-placed clues and cliffhangers. The characters are multidimensional and fascinating. The faith themes are so masterfully woven in that those who aren’t religious should simply find the novel to be top-notch suspense. ~~ Diane Gardner, 
 ForeWord Clarion Reviews.

Full version can be found at http://www.ParchmanPreacher.com

Thank you.

Michael H. Thompson

Shepherd King Publishing, LLC

Motherhood.org

Motherhood.org

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Balancing life, family, and your career can be overwhelming. Give yourself
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Guest post: Thea Larson | Cussedness Corner

Guest post: Thea Larson | Cussedness Corner

 Hi everyone! My name is Thea Larson, a new writer for Daverana Enterprises. Well, new-ish. I have a book out already, called Trust, starring the most adorable boy in fiction. I daresay he could put Oliver Twist to shame in a contest of cuteness. Then again, I’m incredibly biased, so I’ll let my readers decide the outcome. . . .

read the interview at Cussedness Corner. buy the book at 

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/349840

Post by Daverana Enterprises.

http://baronhieronymous.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/grilling-an-editor-elaine-daniels/

The Undead Smart Set

 

Grilling an Editor: Elaine Daniels

November 4, 2013 at 2:35 pm 

Greetings, undead readers!
As most of the undead know, once we get on a roll, we are difficult to stop.  In this case, I’ve gotten into the groove of doing interviews, and it’s possible that I may be getting carried away (in this way, it’s similar to the taste for human flesh: while one dreads the old pitchfork-and-torches routine, it’s just so tasty!).  Anyhow, I managed to line up an excellent interview with Elaine Daniels, Editor-in-chief of Daverana Enterprises.  I think all aspiring undead authors need to read this in order to lear the dos-and-don’ts of the industry.
Enjoy!

USS:  My grapevine (which, to be honest, consists of a single self-absorbed zombie fox) tells me you are the Editor-in-chief at Daverana Enterprises, an imprint dedicated to everything fantasy-related – from humorous to erotic.  My undead readers would like to know what kind of serious mental disorder allows you to judge such a wide range effectively (my readers enjoy mental disorders – it reminds them of when they were alive)?

ED: It’s not so much a serious mental disorder, than the voices guiding me. Although I refuse to step into the light, I believe they have my best interests at heart so I take all their opinions on board. Plus, it’s always a good sign when we all agree that we love to read literature that is refreshing, unique and leaves us wanting more. . . .

 

daverana.com

Post by Daverana Enterprises.

#DarknessbeforetheLight  is a festival published on facebook and their website by daverana.com. Go to 

https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/darknessbeforethelight

for links to Halloween trivia and exclusive excerpts from authors like Steven Beeho and Jane Timm.

From the web...

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1395899_604716596257926_1583879630_n.jpg
from shoeboxblog.com

Socrates himself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_WRFJwGsbY

Post by Daverana Enterprises.

New post on Cussedness Corner

Out with the New, In with the old by cussedness

I have been puzzling over this for months. My old lycan series, Lycan Blood, is selling very well; yet my new lycan series (Lycan Pride) is not?

I have several possibilities here.

DOES ANYONE EVEN KNOW THAT I HAVE A NEW SERIES OUT THERE?

Maybe people are more interested in the Sinclair family than they are the Dohertys?

http://cussedness.wordpress.com/author/cussedness/

So the second book is out in the Lycan Pride series and I am working on the final one. It might be time (or past time) for me to discuss this whole situation.

Old series, Lycan Blood, started with Serpent's Quest, which is told mainly from the POV of the antagonist, who is handsome, intense, loyal, courageous, and excitingly malevolent. The ladies are drawn to seriously bad men? Meet Malthus. Read Serpent's Quest free on Wattpad. Or wait and buy the print edition with six illustrations by Anne Stone.

The 90s and the early 00s were dominated by long series, such as the Wheel of Time.  Taste changed and another author, Terry Goodkind, started reducing his long series to linked groups of trilogies. Now more people just want standalones.

Now where does that put my own work.

When I wrote the Lycan Blood series, we were still considering long series to be the IN thing.  I am in the midst of finishing The Dark Brothers of the Light series (11 volumes with 2 remaining) and the Lycan Pride trilogy with one book remaining.

What the hell am I doing with my lycans?

Well, I have three more trilogies coming from my lycans along the current thread and a new ten book series, Banes of Killcaldy, coming up

These books are in chapters, scenes, and partials and notes, and just a mess.

Okay, here's the point. I set out back in 75, to write a set of novels that covered all of the aspects of WW 2 and subsequent conflicts in a metaphorical setting. It was heavily influenced along the way by Masterpiece Theater, Nikolai Gogol, and Shakespeare, as well as news reports on various on going conflicts, such first Vietnam and then Afghanistan and Somalia.

For the lycans, the center of the darkness started when they tried to rebel against their masters, the Sa'necari.  The Rebellion of 997 was put down harshly and many noble families perished. The various lycan kingdoms, Like Red Wolf and Silverpaw were forced to relinquish sections of their territory in the surrender agreements.

But my books are a family saga at heart.

The first series is about the Infiltrator, Malthus, and the Sinclair family. It is a war time family saga at it's core. Todd Sinclair, a legendary armsmaster, mercenary and patriot raised four strong sons, although he claimed them all as his own, one was not of his blood and he knew it. Branduff Maguire was the illegitimate son of Prince Tarrant Redhand and Cahira Sinclair, Todd's wife. Tarrant had been Todd's apprentice and Todd knew that Cahira was carrying Tarrant's child when he went in search of her. He raised their son, Branduff, as his own.

The Lycan Blood series could just as easily be called "The Sons of Todd Sinclair" as anything thing else (and the first one to get the reference I'll give them a coupon for a free copy of my novel of choice)

The new series, Lycan Pride, could easily have been called The Cousins Doherty (and the firs to get the reference will get a free copy of any Daverana book of their choice).

please read this

A Little Help From My Friends

 

 http://www.eugiefoster.com/in/blog

 

Now that I've had a few days to deal with the first round of this c-word emotional roller coaster ride, I've started to dwell on other, more pragmatic, issues. Like OMG, how much is it going to cost to pay for my treatment and how the hell are we going to afford it? Thankfully, we do have health ...

Serpent’s Quest and Self-Publishing by cussedness

Serpent’s Quest and Self-Publishing by cussedness

"Serpent's Quest is now complete on Wattpad. That is the entire novel. We will be bringing it out this month in print edition with six outstanding illustrations by Anne Stone and a new cover by Kirsten Maloney.

Baring unexpected circumstances, I will be spending the week of my birthday with my daughter and her fiance. They make an amazing pair. I love them both to pieces. (No, no, not like Humpty Dumpty)...

read the rest at

http://cussedness.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/serpents-quest-and-self-publishing/

Myke Lynch says "My story is doing better than expected "

My story is doing better than expected

Mike Lynch Registrar at East Side Union High School District

After only being released for three days, my novella, The Tree, is listed #39 in the allegory category, and #2 in hot new releases on Amazon. This is crazy.

Here's the link if you want to check it out: http://www.amazon.com/The-Tree-ebook/dp/B00F5588B8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1379294562&sr=1-1&keywords=the+tree+mike+lynch

amazon.com amazon.com