News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #167…
Winter doldrums? My solution is to read, read, read. Of course, I read books in the spring and summer too, but there’s a lot of other things to do then, even if they’re just day-trips. Getting involved in a book makes me forget about all the cold and bad weather. What about you? While March is still roaring like a lion, spring is just around the corner. I’m already thinking about chef time at my BBQ.
Where are all the books? You can find your favorite authors’ ebooks online at Amazon and Smashwords and all the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.). Many libraries also offer ebooks (I give them a special discount on Smashwords), and you can also borrow them elsewhere (Overdrive, for example). Small presses often sell their own books on their websites (and offer sales!). Kobo/Walmart offers an alternative to Amazon—Walmart signed a deal with Kobo (subsidiary of Rakuten), so you can find Kobo ebooks at Walmart stores and their online retail site.
Print books are available on Amazon, B&N, and at your favorite local bookstore. The smaller ones don’t have enough room to stock all recent books, but they’ll order them for you. Of course, print books are more prevalent in libraries (I’ve denoted copies of my print books to libraries on the East and West Coast).
Interviews. You probably saw my interview last week of historical fantasy writer Bruce Woods (if you didn’t, take a peek—he writes interesting stories). These interviews are a common feature in my blog because they let readers know about authors. (My book reviews do the same for their books.)
Any author can request an interview. Use steve@stevenmmoore.com to query me. I’ll send you a list of questions that you can selectively answer (you can add your own too).
Readers like to know the authors who write the books—their perspectives, their history, and why they write…so this interview service is for readers too! And who knows? You might find some interesting and entertaining books to read.
Book sales. I now only offer ebook sales to my email newsletter subscribers. Here are the books on sale this month: the entire “Mary Jo Melendez Mysteries” series, Muddlin’ Through, Silicon Slummin’…and Just Gettin’ By, and the just published Goin’ the Extra Mile. You can receive the email newsletter by dropping me an email using steve@stevenmmoore.com.
I only offer special prices for my print books at special events (like last November’s Holly Berry Show).
All my books are reasonably priced.
New revision of “Writing Fiction” available. Mostly for writers, but also for readers who want to understand the hurdles writers have to jump over to bring readers all those wonderful books. The latter represents a lot of work, often for little pay. But for writers of fiction, it’s not about selling books—it’s about entertaining readers with stories that make readers laugh, cry, and think about the meaning in their lives and their world. And, of course, many of us are just addicted to writing!
Anyone can download this course by following the instructions on my “Free Stuff & Contests” web page at this website. You could also just shoot me an email to steve@stevenmmoore.com and ask for the course. It’s a free PDF.
There are other free PDFs available, free fiction and info for book clubs. That same web page has the complete list. Or send me that email and I will provide the list to you.
Why do I offer free fiction? There are three basic reasons.
The first: When I start writing a story, I never know whether it will turn into a short story, novella, or novel, but guess what? It’s just as difficult or more difficult than getting a short fiction story accepted for publication by a ‘zine (online or otherwise) as it is for a novel accepted by a small press. I prefer to spend my energy on my novels.
The second: ‘Zines pay next to nothing in royalties. They’re an endangered species, at least the print versions, and probably deserve to be so, because they often exploit authors more than the Big Five. That’s just my opinion, of course, and many authors only write short fiction for ‘zines. More power to them.
The third: Many authors give away free novels. I don’t do that except to reviewers in exchange for an honest review. I give away free short fiction so readers can try out my writing without obligation or cost.
Check out the free fiction available in the list of free downloads on my “Free Stuff & Contests” web page and in the blog categories “Steve’s Shorts” and “ABC Shorts.” I’ll start a new serialized novella next week in “Steve’s Shorts” in homage to the victims of the Christ Church massacre in New Zealand. Titled “Fascist Tango,” it is mostly set in South America’s Southern Cone, that setting inspired by my knowledge of all the horrible events in Latin American history that have occurred where I cry for a lot more than just Argentina.
Release of The Last Humans. Black Opal Books is set to release this post-apocalyptic thriller on March 30. Right now you can pre-order the ebook versions on Amazon and Smashwords. Visit either retail site to see the spiffy cover—main character Penny Castro looks like she’s ready for trouble…and it will find her!
One of those free PDFs, “Reading Notes for The Last Humans,” also contains the cover image along with a blurb, an excerpt, some articles I’ve written related to the book, and ten questions for book clubs.
More coming attractions in 2019. First up I suspect will be A. B. Carolan’s Mind Games, published by Carrick Publishing. Here’s a blurb:
The hero of this sci-fi mystery for young adults and adults who are young-at-heart is a fifteen year-old-girl who can’t remember her past before age five. She’s lived with her foster father Ferdie since then in the Dark Domes where all the misfits on the planet Sanctuary live. Both her father and she are adepts, persons with psi powers, but Ferdie has made her pledge to keep them hidden. When he is murdered, she vows to revenge his death. To do so, she must sharpen and employ these powers because his murderers also employ them. A. B. Carolan gives readers another thrill ride with many twists and turns as he continues the “ABC Sci-Fi Mystery Series.”
Next up will probably be the sequel to Rembrandt’s Angel, titled Son of Thunder; it has been accepted for publication by Penmore Press. Here’s a blurb:
The protagonists from Rembrandt’s Angel, Esther Brookstone and Bastiann van Coevorden, meet Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli and Christ’s beloved disciple St. John the Divine…and there’s no time travel! Esther, now retired as Scotland Yard Inspector from the Art and Antiques Division, first becomes obsessed with proving a newly discovered Botticelli painting featuring the saint is fake, and then with trying to prove the artist, egotistical antagonist of Da Vinci and Michelangelo, never went on a trek to look for the saint’s tomb. Bastiann, Esther’s paramour and Interpol agent, struggles to keep her safe and under control, maintain their romantic relationship, and solve the Interpol cases he’s assigned at the same time. The reader will jump back and forth between the early Christian era, the Renaissance, and present day riding on this suspenseful roller-coaster about mystery and crime through the ages.
Please consider these novels in your 2019 reading plans.
That’s all, folks! I try to keep these newsletters short, but there’s always a lot of news associated with my writing life. I thank you for being a reader, and I’m honored if you’ve read or will read my books.
***
Comments are always welcome!
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
