Post-release day ripples

Well, the release day seemed to go well, with positive feedback from several participants indicating that the evening was fun, engaging and informative. With a firm timetable (thank you, Sonya Loveday!) and a mixture of caption contests, music videos, and giveaways, there was a little something for everyone. With my ‘real’ life currently a bit of a whirlwind,  I had considered cancelling the event and having a covert book launch instead. Also, being a typical introvert, the idea of being totally responsible for the entertainment of literally dozens of people had put me on edge. But the encouragement I received before, during and after assured me that ‘If I held it, they would come.’ And although the event was scheduled to end at midnight (GMT / UTC), I was still chatting two hours later, such was the response.

Thank you to everyone who came along and everyone who donated a book. Hopefully, everyone will have received their prizes by now, except perhaps the little angel figure who is destined for Finland. If not, please let me know and I will investigate.

So, second novel under the belt. The third novel begins.

In the meantime, everybody, please:

Release Party – A Vengeance of Angels – November 1st

November 1st! There, I’ve finally committed myself to a release date for my second novel (see above) which will soon be available from Amazon as well as other outlets.

Many of you will have already seen the cover release, blurb, and teasers for my second novel ‘A Vengeance of Angels.’ It’s been two years in the making, and yet it’s still taken one year less than my first novel. Lessons learned during the steep learning curve that was the creation of my first eBook and paperback have been applied. The timetable created by my editor, Tara, has also been pivotal in this case.

Now, almost exactly two years after my debut release, the second part of The Angels of York is ready. I’ve edited the eBook and paperback side by side, so the physical version will be available from Createspace shortly after the eBook goes live. After having tried Amazon’s exclusive KDP with the first book, and seeing no real benefit, I will not be going exclusive with this novel. So it will be available from Smashwords and Kobo almost immediately after it appears on Amazon.

I’ve already begun advertising the sequel using the free space on my van, showing off Ravven’s artwork to all who follow me along the road.

(Magnetic signs supplied by Vistaprint)

I also took the opportunity to refresh my original magnetic poster, which had begun to look tired after 25 months of English weather. Yes, they do wear out eventually.

So, without further ado, I invite you (yes, you!) to my launch party on Saturday 1st November. Caption contests, funnies and music will be the order of the day. I hope you can make it.

Until then,

 

A Vengeance of Angels – Teaser 1

Last week I was able to reveal the cover for my long-awaited sequel ‘A Vengeance of Angels.’

This week, I can read you a short excerpt from the fourth chapter. I’ll reveal more later in the week.

BTW, Anyone who’s read the first book, ‘A Construct of Angels,’ might recognise this part, as it appears at the end of the book.

This passage is told from the point of view of Michael, the Angel-turned-mortal as he recuperates from his recent battle with the demonic ‘Aryan.’ He is in the company of Sara Finn’s father, Gil, plus Gil’s nurse-employee, Ingrid:

A long shriek from above sent Gil rocketing to his feet. Ingrid had already fled through the door. Concerned, I followed Gil as he dashed upstairs and into the room of Agatha Carpenter. As he and Ingrid tried to calm the old lady, I remained at the door. They might have succeeded in their efforts, but she caught sight of me and her deafening shrieks resumed. She waved a bony finger in my direction and I felt the chill of one whose fate is irrevocably sealed. I’d felt it before. As a doomed gladiator, as a convicted witch, as a Jew amongst the Nazis…

“The swordsman is falling,” she wailed. “Now! He seeks the one who shines most brightly. He will have his revenge!” Her arm swept around to encompass the room, but Ingrid’s body blocked part of the flailing gesture.

“All around him shall perish!” she declared in a voice edged with hysteria. I knew a moment of panic. She could only be referring to one person, one Anakim.

And he was coming for me.

“When, Agatha?” I called. I had to get clear, to keep everyone around me safe from Damocles’ fury.

“My god, Michael,” Gil snapped. “Don’t encourage her!”

“Now!” she shrieked as Gil rolled his eyes. “Now, now! Beware…” Abruptly, her voice tailed off as if she’d passed out—or the vision had overwhelmed her senses.

I spun and scrambled for the stairs, taking them two at a time in my headlong rush toward the door. Upstairs, Gil was shouting, but I paid him no heed. I was through the large conservatory in seconds, bursting through wood-framed doors to hurtle across the flat lawn bordering the rear of the large house. A line of trees separated the garden from the open fields beyond. If I could get far enough from the house, Damocles would never connect me to Gil, Ingrid, or any of the residents. While I ran as hard as my mortal legs would allow, my progress felt painfully slow. Chancing a glance back at the house, I saw nothing was amiss.

Until something in the bright morning sky caught my eye. A dark shape was dropping toward the hospice as fast as a missile.

Aw, hell…he’s still going for the house! I slithered to a halt on the damp grass. The dark shape became clearer. At the speed he was moving, with the strength and rage he doubtless harboured, Damocles would flatten the house in a heartbeat. I threw up my arms and tried to howl out the Anakim’s true name. But my human throat collapsed around the supernatural sound. Instead, I sucked in a deep breath and settled for:

“Damocleeeees!”

The dark shape hesitated, its pitiless assault wavering. And then it exploded toward me.

I stepped back toward the trees as he took shape, knowing that as a mortal, I would stand no chance against the Anakim. But if I could keep him away from Gil and the others…

Damocles slammed into the grass with a sub-sonic thump that punched at my feet and threw me to the ground. Using my heels and elbows, I scrambled backward as the grimacing swordsman stepped out of the foot-deep crater he’d formed in the lawn. I scuttled back over leaf-strewn soil and through bushes, intent on putting more distance between me and the house, but Damocles raised his arm and my flight was over.

The irresistible grasp of his power drew me toward him, my boots leaving deep furrows in the soil, then the lawn.

“Don’t run away, little mortal,” Damocles sneered darkly. “You’ll miss all the fun.” He flexed his fingers and I rose into the air, shedding autumnal debris onto the ploughed turf. I was turned upside down, then spun around on my head like a street dancer.

“So it’s true…” he breathed, spinning me upright to face him. My feet dangled six inches above the ground.

“You really did give it all up…” he sneered, “…to be mortal.”

*  *  *

Watch out for the next part!

In the meantime, I shall continue to:

 

 

A Construct of Angels – the relaunch

Party on here.

Todays the day! Everything is in place for the party. Along with my co-host Sonya Loveday we hope to tickle, challenge and entertain – all in one night!

Please drop by between 20:00 – midnight GMT (15:00 – 19:00 EST), even if it’s just to say hello.

Also, please feel free to reblog or share this with anyone you think may be interested.

The party will feature eBook and audiobook giveaways, fun and games, caption contests and general banter… plus I a few little items of swag.

Hope to see you there.

P.S. I would also like to say  to everyone who has offered to donate an eBook for the occasion.

If you’d like to join them and add something to the (growing) pile, please let me know in the comments below.

Write on – and party on!!

A Construct of Angels – two days to go

Party on here.

With only a few days to go until the relaunch, almost everything is in place for the party. Never having organised one of these before, I was initially faced with a writer’s worst nightmare – the blank page – before my friend Sonya Loveday sent me a list of suggestions. Thank you Sonya! 🙂

I’ve since found inspiration and added a few other items that ought to entertain those who are attending on Friday between 20:00 – midnight GMT (15:00 – 19:00 EST).

Please drop by, even if it’s just to say hello.

Also, please feel free to reblog or share this with anyone you think may be interested.

The party will feature eBook and audiobook giveaways, fun and games, caption contests and general banter… plus I hope to have some cute little items of swag to offer up.

Hope to see you there.

P.S. I would also like to say  to everyone who has offered to donate an eBook for the occasion. If you’d like to join them and add something to the (small) pile, please let me know in the comments below.

Write on – and party on!!

A Construct of Angels – the 2014 relaunch

Wish me luck – I’m about to host my first release party. Okay, technically it’s a re-release party, but since the book’s original release was a fairly subdued affair (way back in October 2012), I thought that I ought to make up for it this time round with the revised version.

Not that I’m attempting this alone, oh, no. I have some very competent assistants (for assistants, read: show me how to do virtually everything this time round) in the guise of Sonya Loveday and Candace Knoebel, they of the spectacular cover reveal and release parties on Facebook. The above promotion banner is all Sonya’s work.

Thank you, ladies, from a lumbering old Luddite whose Smartphone has more savvy than I do. Come to think of it, the house phone has too…

The party will feature eBook and audiobook giveaways, fun and games, caption contests and general banter. Please drop by if you have time on Friday 28th between 20:00 – midnight GMT (15:00 – 19:00 EST), even if it’s just to say hello.

Hope to see you there.

Write on!

ARCs of A Construct of Angels – the 2014 re-launch.

As part of the re-launch on Feb 28th, I’d like to offer out a few Advanced Review Copies to my fellow bloggers and readers, preferably in exchange for a fair review of the book on Goodreads or Amazon.

Would anyone be interested?

If so, please let me know in the comments below, and then email me your address to; andybee64 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Please let me know if you’d prefer a Kindle, ePub or PDF version. The paperback is not yet available, but will follow along later. I hope to give away a few of those in the future.

As I’m on the road a lot, plus there’s a re-launch to organise, and I’m trying to pen the sequel etc, etc, so I’ll have to limit the number of ARCs to just fifty.

So first come, first served, as the old saying goes. I’ll leave a comment below when I’ve reached capacity.

P.S. Please don’t just ‘grab and forget’ – this book was written to be read and enjoyed – not cached. And if you’re a book reviewer, let me know and I’ll make available a copy outside of the fifty limit.

.

A Construct of Angels – the 2014 re-launch.

It has taken many, many months of hard work, but the revised version of CoA (Kindle, ePub and Kobo) is finally ready to be shown to the world. The paperback is due to follow shortly afterward.

My editor, Tara Shaner and I have been bouncing the MS back and forth across the pond since July, and now, finally, we are both happy with the result. It’s fifty or so pages shorter, two characters lighter and a great deal tighter than before.

I’ve learned a great deal during the process of revision (old hands will nod sagely at this point, but bear with me).

An edit is not just about spelling and grammar. It’s as much about the flow as it is about the structure. It’s about plot threads and loose ends; developing characterisations as well as removing characters who either complicate or lend nothing to the plot. Pace, language and humour are also essential elements of an engaging MS.

I began 2013 with the certainty that after scores of read-throughs, my MS would be error-free and ready to roll.

No need for an editor, I thought.

I can do English. I know how to use punctuation.

I was so naive.

I’ve learned, by taking this long way around, that it really does take an outside and professional eye to spot repetitive or erroneous patterns in a Manuscript – and to offer solutions. A writer can become settled and overly accustomed to the flow of the story and (I have caught myself doing this at times) can tend to ‘read’ the story, rather than edit it objectively.

Be in no doubt that you may begin to question your own skill as a writer as overused words, inappropriate dialogue tags and pointless character actions are unearthed before your disbelieving eyes. ‘Did I really write that? What was I thinking?’

But a good editor should also indicate the places where your work shines, where the humour tickles and where the pace grips the reader. And whilst human nature will automatically remember the bad over the good, an indicator of  competent, nay, great work will help to soften the blow – as well as encouraging the writer not to throw in the towel.

I know where my towel is. 😀

So the re-launch is imminent. Watch this space and if you can, please join me on my Author page for some fun, frolics and giveaways on Friday, 28th February.

Five *star* review for CoA :)

Stone Angel Reviews have just awarded ‘A Construct of Angels’ five stars.

Please drop by and read Riiva’s reviews as they happen and perhaps ask if she’d be interested in reviewing your book too!

This is a brand new site and I will watch its growth throughout 2014 with interest.

If you’re struggling with that minority language called ‘British’…

I have occasionally ecountered comments that pointed out my failings – one of them being misspellings.

My spelling ‘mistakes’ often get picked up on Facebook and (occasionally) on WordPress.

I like to think I’m very thorough when I’m writing and take pride in my spelling and grammar.

Yes, I soemtimes mis-type (who doesn’t?) as my ‘want to type’ speed exceeds my ‘able to type’ speed and my fingers become a pink blur above the keyboard.

However, when I begin to receive feedback that I ‘should check my speling’ (sic) and see one-word corrections for my spelling when there is nothing amiss, I begin to see red.

I’ve been told (more than once) that I use a lot of British English (BrE). Yes, that’s true. I’m British, my characters are English and their story takes place in England. That would follow, wouldn’t you think?

Apparently not.

Ciara Ballintyne appears to have the same problem and states her case here .

So recently, I’ve been writing British English, but with the knowledge that non-Brits may very well read my work. For instance, my character drives a Volvo ambulance instead of the (correct) locally-sourced type because only Brits would know what a Vauxhall Astra was. However, I don’t compromise on ‘labour’ or ‘honour’, ‘realise’ or ‘criticise’ because Brit readers would hate me for it. My characters use Pounds rather than Dollars. I was astounded when I was told that someone had to Google ‘Biro’ because it wasn’t clear that it was a ball point pen.  What are those cheap, crystalline ball point pens made by BIC known as in the US – BIC pens?

These are things we need to know…

I had considered adding a disclaimer stating that the book contains ‘British English’ just to clarify. In this electronic age, the written word is spread far and wide and a novel in English could easily have been written in Australia, South Africa, Japan or any number of countries. I learned recently that along with Australia, Canada still uses BrE, which was a bit of a surprise. I wonder how many other countries do? I’d be interested to know that Britannia does not stand alone…

Write On!