E.P. Clark's Blog, page 3
November 28, 2020
How spicy do you like your fantasy romance?
Hello all!
I hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend (if you're in the US) and not going too crazy with Black Friday madness. I myself may have just bought a new computer (gulp!). My current one had a nasty crash during a storm earlier this month, and so I decided to bite the bullet and get an upgrade. Especially since I've already worn out the keyboard on my current one, so that the “e" key tends to stick to my finger and lift right off the keyboard. Not a good thing, let me tell you.
All this has not, I am pleased to announce, stopped me in my mad quest to achieve a Double NaNo this month. I'm currently at just a shade under 97k words with three more days to go (counting today), so it's very possible, the NaNoWriMo gods willing! You can check out my progress here.
And I do have more stuff to say about my NaNoWriMo project, but first I wanted to let you know about a little Black Friday deal I'm participating in myself. Kobo is running a bunch of Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials this weekend, including $2.99 deals on the omnibus editions of The Midnight Land and The Breathing Sea. These are special short-time deals only at Kobo, so do take a gander at them if you're interested.
The Midnight Land: https://www.kobo.com/en/ebook/the-mid...
The Breathing Sea: https://www.kobo.com/en/ebook/the-bre...
All the deals on Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/
It's fun to look back at my previous works. It's even more fun to look at what I'm working on now. My NaNoWriMo project, The Singing Shore, is a continuation of the story begun in The Breathing Sea, with the same heroine, Dasha. I'm developing the storyline of the “Viking” raiders that Dasha's homeland has to deal with.
(Check out my Viking Longship board on Pinterest if you're into that kind of thing--they're fascinating!) https://www.pinterest.com/EPClarkAuth...
I'm also developing the story of Dasha's, ahem, romantic flowering. If you've read The Breathing Sea then you know that Dasha is in her late teens--she's about to turn 18, in fact--and is fairly ignorant about matters of the heart (or other body parts), but is starting to develop quite an interest. I knew when I started The Singing Shore that I wanted to carry on with that plot arc, and have her, you know, take the next steps in her development.
Of course, once I had that thought, I immediately came up with a love triangle that turned into a love quadrangle. Then I was all like, “Whoa, Dasha isn't even 18, I don't want to let this get too 18+ rated. We're going to go for the slow burn, like in the Twilight books. Right? RIGHT?”
Well, so far I can say that things are, you know, technically not X-rated, but it turns out you can go pretty hot n' heavy with a little handholding. I don't think The Singing Shore is going to be as racy as The Dreaming Land, but at this point, all bets are off.
I have to admit that this is a bit of a surprise to me, since I was never that into the romantic subgenre of fantasy. I was always mostly a hard-core epic fantasy fan. But it seems when I actually go to write it, romance--and other things--will keep inserting itself.
So with that in mind, I thought I'd ask: any fantasy romance fans here? What authors do you recommend? And how spicy do you like your romance? Apparently my characters are determined to crank up the heat level pretty dang high, so I guess I should look into what other people are reading and writing in that department. Your recommendations would be much appreciated :)
No matter what your spice level is, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
All the best,
E.P. Clark
I hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend (if you're in the US) and not going too crazy with Black Friday madness. I myself may have just bought a new computer (gulp!). My current one had a nasty crash during a storm earlier this month, and so I decided to bite the bullet and get an upgrade. Especially since I've already worn out the keyboard on my current one, so that the “e" key tends to stick to my finger and lift right off the keyboard. Not a good thing, let me tell you.
All this has not, I am pleased to announce, stopped me in my mad quest to achieve a Double NaNo this month. I'm currently at just a shade under 97k words with three more days to go (counting today), so it's very possible, the NaNoWriMo gods willing! You can check out my progress here.
And I do have more stuff to say about my NaNoWriMo project, but first I wanted to let you know about a little Black Friday deal I'm participating in myself. Kobo is running a bunch of Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials this weekend, including $2.99 deals on the omnibus editions of The Midnight Land and The Breathing Sea. These are special short-time deals only at Kobo, so do take a gander at them if you're interested.
The Midnight Land: https://www.kobo.com/en/ebook/the-mid...
The Breathing Sea: https://www.kobo.com/en/ebook/the-bre...
All the deals on Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/
It's fun to look back at my previous works. It's even more fun to look at what I'm working on now. My NaNoWriMo project, The Singing Shore, is a continuation of the story begun in The Breathing Sea, with the same heroine, Dasha. I'm developing the storyline of the “Viking” raiders that Dasha's homeland has to deal with.
(Check out my Viking Longship board on Pinterest if you're into that kind of thing--they're fascinating!) https://www.pinterest.com/EPClarkAuth...
I'm also developing the story of Dasha's, ahem, romantic flowering. If you've read The Breathing Sea then you know that Dasha is in her late teens--she's about to turn 18, in fact--and is fairly ignorant about matters of the heart (or other body parts), but is starting to develop quite an interest. I knew when I started The Singing Shore that I wanted to carry on with that plot arc, and have her, you know, take the next steps in her development.
Of course, once I had that thought, I immediately came up with a love triangle that turned into a love quadrangle. Then I was all like, “Whoa, Dasha isn't even 18, I don't want to let this get too 18+ rated. We're going to go for the slow burn, like in the Twilight books. Right? RIGHT?”
Well, so far I can say that things are, you know, technically not X-rated, but it turns out you can go pretty hot n' heavy with a little handholding. I don't think The Singing Shore is going to be as racy as The Dreaming Land, but at this point, all bets are off.
I have to admit that this is a bit of a surprise to me, since I was never that into the romantic subgenre of fantasy. I was always mostly a hard-core epic fantasy fan. But it seems when I actually go to write it, romance--and other things--will keep inserting itself.
So with that in mind, I thought I'd ask: any fantasy romance fans here? What authors do you recommend? And how spicy do you like your romance? Apparently my characters are determined to crank up the heat level pretty dang high, so I guess I should look into what other people are reading and writing in that department. Your recommendations would be much appreciated :)
No matter what your spice level is, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
All the best,
E.P. Clark
November 7, 2020
Pony pictures and NaNoWriMo progress
Happy November, everyone!
I hope you are remaining cool and calm--or warm and calm, if the weather is already cold where you are--in this super-stressful period. I am trying to remain relaxed myself and focus on my writing.
I've got writing-related snippets to share, but first I wanted to share a fun picture. I've been doing another Mold Purge (fortunately less major than last year's, since there's not a lot of old papers and textiles left in my house), and with my mother's help have been cleaning out a bunch of old boxes full of…I don't know what. Stuff I tossed in there in a mad rush during a previous move, and never dealt with. It's not the world's most enjoyable task, but we've also dug up some real gems. We found a collection of hair-band posters from the early '90s, and tons of old photos, including this classic from about 1990.
(Check it out on my blog here: https://epclarkauthor.net/2020/11/07/...)
If you've read The Breathing Sea, you know that there's a thrilling sequence in Part I in which Dasha, my heroine, has a near-death experience while crossing a flooding river on horseback. Nothing anywhere near that thrilling ever happened to me in real life, but my friends and I used to love to swim our ponies across the river in this picture. I combined that experience with a terrifying action sequence from one of my all-time favorite thrillers, Longshot by Dick Francis, to create that scene in my own book.
Speaking of The Breathing Sea, my NaNoWriMo project is a sequel to it. Dasha is going to head off--I hope; novels tend to have their own minds about where they're going to go--on her mission to make peace with the Rutsi. I passed 20k of the first draft yesterday afternoon, so I'm chuffed about how the project is going so far. If you're interested, you can check out my progress on my NaNoWriMo profile here.
At this point in the story, Dasha is still stuck in Pristanograd, which is based loosely on the real-life town of Vyborg (Russian)/Viipuri (Finnish). I took a boat to Vyborg while I was in Finland in 2010, and toured Vyborg Castle, on which I modeled the Pristanograd kremlin.
I also picked up a copy of The Kalevala, Finland's epic saga/myth cycle, in the original Finnish during that summer in Finland. Sadly, I've never gotten around to actually reading it in the original Finnish. I did manage to read a of the other books I got there, but not The Kalevala.
I am, however, rereading it right now in English as part of my background research/reading for my NaNoWriMo project. If you're curious, you can read a pretty decent English translation of it here: https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kven...
It's a fascinating and wonderful work. It also involves lots of maidens being abducted by our heroes, which is obviously completely unacceptable. I am currently stewing on how to rework the stories in it to make them more empowering for my heroines.
I'm also busily working away on Pinterest, making inspirational boards of awesome images of everything from the Northern Lights to Ivan Bilibin's illustrations of Russian fairy tales. If you'd like to see the images that inspire me, you can check out my Pinterest page here: https://www.pinterest.com/EPClarkAuthor/
Well, I'd better stop working on my newsletter and get back to writing if I want to hit my NaNoWriMo target for the day. As always, if you have any wonderful stories, especially relating to ponies and/or Finland, I'd love to hear them!
Have a wonderful weekend, and happy reading.
E.P.
I hope you are remaining cool and calm--or warm and calm, if the weather is already cold where you are--in this super-stressful period. I am trying to remain relaxed myself and focus on my writing.
I've got writing-related snippets to share, but first I wanted to share a fun picture. I've been doing another Mold Purge (fortunately less major than last year's, since there's not a lot of old papers and textiles left in my house), and with my mother's help have been cleaning out a bunch of old boxes full of…I don't know what. Stuff I tossed in there in a mad rush during a previous move, and never dealt with. It's not the world's most enjoyable task, but we've also dug up some real gems. We found a collection of hair-band posters from the early '90s, and tons of old photos, including this classic from about 1990.
(Check it out on my blog here: https://epclarkauthor.net/2020/11/07/...)
If you've read The Breathing Sea, you know that there's a thrilling sequence in Part I in which Dasha, my heroine, has a near-death experience while crossing a flooding river on horseback. Nothing anywhere near that thrilling ever happened to me in real life, but my friends and I used to love to swim our ponies across the river in this picture. I combined that experience with a terrifying action sequence from one of my all-time favorite thrillers, Longshot by Dick Francis, to create that scene in my own book.
Speaking of The Breathing Sea, my NaNoWriMo project is a sequel to it. Dasha is going to head off--I hope; novels tend to have their own minds about where they're going to go--on her mission to make peace with the Rutsi. I passed 20k of the first draft yesterday afternoon, so I'm chuffed about how the project is going so far. If you're interested, you can check out my progress on my NaNoWriMo profile here.
At this point in the story, Dasha is still stuck in Pristanograd, which is based loosely on the real-life town of Vyborg (Russian)/Viipuri (Finnish). I took a boat to Vyborg while I was in Finland in 2010, and toured Vyborg Castle, on which I modeled the Pristanograd kremlin.
I also picked up a copy of The Kalevala, Finland's epic saga/myth cycle, in the original Finnish during that summer in Finland. Sadly, I've never gotten around to actually reading it in the original Finnish. I did manage to read a of the other books I got there, but not The Kalevala.
I am, however, rereading it right now in English as part of my background research/reading for my NaNoWriMo project. If you're curious, you can read a pretty decent English translation of it here: https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kven...
It's a fascinating and wonderful work. It also involves lots of maidens being abducted by our heroes, which is obviously completely unacceptable. I am currently stewing on how to rework the stories in it to make them more empowering for my heroines.
I'm also busily working away on Pinterest, making inspirational boards of awesome images of everything from the Northern Lights to Ivan Bilibin's illustrations of Russian fairy tales. If you'd like to see the images that inspire me, you can check out my Pinterest page here: https://www.pinterest.com/EPClarkAuthor/
Well, I'd better stop working on my newsletter and get back to writing if I want to hit my NaNoWriMo target for the day. As always, if you have any wonderful stories, especially relating to ponies and/or Finland, I'd love to hear them!
Have a wonderful weekend, and happy reading.
E.P.
October 24, 2020
NaNoWriMo 2020 and Pinterest
Hello!
I hope you are having as beautiful autumnal/vernal weather as I am right now. And now, having gotten that weather chit-chat out of the way, let me jump right into all the news I have.
First of all, I've signed up for NaNoWriMo! I've never been able to do it before because it always comes at a particularly busy part of the semester, but since this year I am doing only research, no teaching, I decided to fulfill a long-held dream and NaNoWriMo. I'm planning to write another book in the Zemnian Series, probably a sequel to The Breathing Sea in which I send Dasha to Scandinavia. If you want to follow along, here's my NaNoWriMo profile: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/e-...
And if you want more stories, check out the free & 99c fantasy and scifi event on Bookfunnel to pick up some great new books: https://books.bookfunnel.com/freeandd...
Second of all, I have recently developed an obsession with Pinterest. Yes, I know, this is very unexpected. In fact, it's even more unexpected for me than for you. But what can I say…I opened up the app, and the next thing I knew, I was creating boards about traditional Russian clothing, Midsummer celebrations, Slavic fairy tale illustrations…you get the picture. So if you're interested in getting some (gorgeous) visuals of the culture behind my books, come see me on Pinterest. I have boards of everything from the Aurora Borealis (like in The Midnight Land) to golden Akhal-Tekes like Valya's horse in The Dreaming Land. There are also a bunch of colorized photographs of a costume ball thrown by the Romanovs in 1903 in the Traditional Russian Clothing board, and boards on adorable Arctic animals, warrior women, my own book covers, and so much more. I'm planning to keep adding to it (I just started a “Vikings” board), so if any of that sounds interesting, do check it out: https://www.pinterest.com/EPClarkAuthor/
Those links again:
Free and 99c Fantasy on Bookfunnel: https://books.bookfunnel.com/freeandd...
My Pinterest page: https://www.pinterest.com/EPClarkAuthor/
My NaNoWriMo profile: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/e-...
Happy reading, everyone!
E.P.
I hope you are having as beautiful autumnal/vernal weather as I am right now. And now, having gotten that weather chit-chat out of the way, let me jump right into all the news I have.
First of all, I've signed up for NaNoWriMo! I've never been able to do it before because it always comes at a particularly busy part of the semester, but since this year I am doing only research, no teaching, I decided to fulfill a long-held dream and NaNoWriMo. I'm planning to write another book in the Zemnian Series, probably a sequel to The Breathing Sea in which I send Dasha to Scandinavia. If you want to follow along, here's my NaNoWriMo profile: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/e-...
And if you want more stories, check out the free & 99c fantasy and scifi event on Bookfunnel to pick up some great new books: https://books.bookfunnel.com/freeandd...
Second of all, I have recently developed an obsession with Pinterest. Yes, I know, this is very unexpected. In fact, it's even more unexpected for me than for you. But what can I say…I opened up the app, and the next thing I knew, I was creating boards about traditional Russian clothing, Midsummer celebrations, Slavic fairy tale illustrations…you get the picture. So if you're interested in getting some (gorgeous) visuals of the culture behind my books, come see me on Pinterest. I have boards of everything from the Aurora Borealis (like in The Midnight Land) to golden Akhal-Tekes like Valya's horse in The Dreaming Land. There are also a bunch of colorized photographs of a costume ball thrown by the Romanovs in 1903 in the Traditional Russian Clothing board, and boards on adorable Arctic animals, warrior women, my own book covers, and so much more. I'm planning to keep adding to it (I just started a “Vikings” board), so if any of that sounds interesting, do check it out: https://www.pinterest.com/EPClarkAuthor/
Those links again:
Free and 99c Fantasy on Bookfunnel: https://books.bookfunnel.com/freeandd...
My Pinterest page: https://www.pinterest.com/EPClarkAuthor/
My NaNoWriMo profile: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/e-...
Happy reading, everyone!
E.P.
October 10, 2020
My All-Time Favorite Epic Fantasy Series
Hello!
Goodness, what a lot I have to talk about today!
In exciting personal news, after many weeks and many outlays of money, I now have a working water system. Yay! I was contemplating how to retrofit my 1920s home into a medieval castle, complete with privy, but (knock wood) that may not be necessary.
As far as writing, I know I haven't had anything new come out in a while. The reasons are myriad--working on my other pen name, focusing on making audiobooks, the limitations imposed by my health, that pesky day job--but I recently had some ideas, so I'm really hoping that we shall all see some new fantasy stories come out in the not-too-distant future. I have to thank everyone for their encouragement and inspiration--some of you may see things you've suggested appear in my stories next year!
Meanwhile, check out the free & 99c fantasy and scifi event on Bookfunnel to pick up some great new books: https://books.bookfunnel.com/freeandd...
I've also been doing some great reading and listening during my non-writing time. In fantasy, I just finished The Humility of Humans, the final book in the Penny White series. If you haven't heard of it, it's a kind of urban fantasy/Chronicles of Narnia thing featuring a female Anglican priest. The author is an Anglican priest herself, and writes very compellingly about the modern Church of England (and its fantasy surrogate).
In literary/translated fiction I just finished Captives: An anthology of Russian stories. This is for my “day job” research, but I recommend it to anyone interested in checking out some 20th-century Russian short fiction. It's got stories by reasonably well-known contemporary authors who are still outside of the canon of “the Russians” you may have read in school. Some of them definitely stray into the zone of “misery porn” (chernukha), but some of them are delightful and all of them are interesting.
And then I've also been engaging in that most wonderful of pleasures: rereading. Or in my case, re-listening. I've been listening to the audio version of Terry Brooks's The Heritage of Shannara series.
I made the bold claim in the headline to this post that this was my favorite epic fantasy series of all time. Some might look askance at that. What about The Lord of the Rings? A Song of Ice & Fire? The Kushiel series? The Discworld series?
Those are all excellent choices, and I could make arguments for why each one of them is my favorite epic fantasy series. But it was Terry Brooks, and specifically The Heritage of Shannara, that really sparked my love of epic fantasy. It was the first modern epic fantasy series I read, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of the genre. I went on to acquire, oh, about ten more of Brooks's novels, which I carried around with me for the next 20+ years.
Then…then there was the Great Mold Purge. All my old books had to go, including what I think were my original first-edition copies of The Heritage of Shannara. Okay, they were cheap paperbacks, but they were still beloved first editions.
Then a couple of months ago I saw a deal on Chirp (I really recommend it if you're in the market for audiobook deals) for the audiobook of The Scions of Shannara, the first book in the series. I got it and, with a certain amount of trepidation (what if it wasn't as good as I remembered? What if my entire adolescence was a lie???!??!), listened to it.
Wow! I'm glad to report that my entire adolescence was not, in fact, a lie. The Scions of Shannara was as good as I remembered, if not better, since now I could appreciate Brooks's writing craft. And John Lee, the narrator, does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life.
I just finished listening to The Elf Queen of Shannara, book 3 in the series and definitely up there in the top three of my all-time favorite fantasy books. I was worried about having a male actor narrate a book that's largely from a female point of view (despite having done cross-gender narration myself), but once again, John Lee did an amazing job. I've been taking notes on how to up my own narration game--when I haven't been caught up in one of the most nail-biting, tearjerking stories in modern American fantasy.
So there you have it! What about you? Are you a Brooks fan? What's your favorite epic fantasy series?
Oh, and here's that link again to the Free & 99c Fantasy giveaway: https://books.bookfunnel.com/freeandd...
Happy reading!
Goodness, what a lot I have to talk about today!
In exciting personal news, after many weeks and many outlays of money, I now have a working water system. Yay! I was contemplating how to retrofit my 1920s home into a medieval castle, complete with privy, but (knock wood) that may not be necessary.
As far as writing, I know I haven't had anything new come out in a while. The reasons are myriad--working on my other pen name, focusing on making audiobooks, the limitations imposed by my health, that pesky day job--but I recently had some ideas, so I'm really hoping that we shall all see some new fantasy stories come out in the not-too-distant future. I have to thank everyone for their encouragement and inspiration--some of you may see things you've suggested appear in my stories next year!
Meanwhile, check out the free & 99c fantasy and scifi event on Bookfunnel to pick up some great new books: https://books.bookfunnel.com/freeandd...
I've also been doing some great reading and listening during my non-writing time. In fantasy, I just finished The Humility of Humans, the final book in the Penny White series. If you haven't heard of it, it's a kind of urban fantasy/Chronicles of Narnia thing featuring a female Anglican priest. The author is an Anglican priest herself, and writes very compellingly about the modern Church of England (and its fantasy surrogate).
In literary/translated fiction I just finished Captives: An anthology of Russian stories. This is for my “day job” research, but I recommend it to anyone interested in checking out some 20th-century Russian short fiction. It's got stories by reasonably well-known contemporary authors who are still outside of the canon of “the Russians” you may have read in school. Some of them definitely stray into the zone of “misery porn” (chernukha), but some of them are delightful and all of them are interesting.
And then I've also been engaging in that most wonderful of pleasures: rereading. Or in my case, re-listening. I've been listening to the audio version of Terry Brooks's The Heritage of Shannara series.
I made the bold claim in the headline to this post that this was my favorite epic fantasy series of all time. Some might look askance at that. What about The Lord of the Rings? A Song of Ice & Fire? The Kushiel series? The Discworld series?
Those are all excellent choices, and I could make arguments for why each one of them is my favorite epic fantasy series. But it was Terry Brooks, and specifically The Heritage of Shannara, that really sparked my love of epic fantasy. It was the first modern epic fantasy series I read, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of the genre. I went on to acquire, oh, about ten more of Brooks's novels, which I carried around with me for the next 20+ years.
Then…then there was the Great Mold Purge. All my old books had to go, including what I think were my original first-edition copies of The Heritage of Shannara. Okay, they were cheap paperbacks, but they were still beloved first editions.
Then a couple of months ago I saw a deal on Chirp (I really recommend it if you're in the market for audiobook deals) for the audiobook of The Scions of Shannara, the first book in the series. I got it and, with a certain amount of trepidation (what if it wasn't as good as I remembered? What if my entire adolescence was a lie???!??!), listened to it.
Wow! I'm glad to report that my entire adolescence was not, in fact, a lie. The Scions of Shannara was as good as I remembered, if not better, since now I could appreciate Brooks's writing craft. And John Lee, the narrator, does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life.
I just finished listening to The Elf Queen of Shannara, book 3 in the series and definitely up there in the top three of my all-time favorite fantasy books. I was worried about having a male actor narrate a book that's largely from a female point of view (despite having done cross-gender narration myself), but once again, John Lee did an amazing job. I've been taking notes on how to up my own narration game--when I haven't been caught up in one of the most nail-biting, tearjerking stories in modern American fantasy.
So there you have it! What about you? Are you a Brooks fan? What's your favorite epic fantasy series?
Oh, and here's that link again to the Free & 99c Fantasy giveaway: https://books.bookfunnel.com/freeandd...
Happy reading!
August 1, 2020
Check Out Kobo's Free Fantasy Selection
Hi Everyone!
Another really quick post this week to let you know that The Shadowy Man is being featured in Kobo's Free Fantasy selection this weekend. You can check out it and loads of other free books in a variety of genres here: https://www.kobo.com/en/p/free-ebooks
And if that's not enough, Free eBooks Today's First in Series Digital Fiction giveaway is still going strong. Check it out here: https://books2read.com/rl/freeebookst...
Other than that, I don't have a huge amount of news. I was hoping that I would have codes for review copies of the audiobook of The City of Shadows to give away today, but alas, they aren't ready yet. Next time you hear from me...
Happy reading, everyone!
E.P.
Another really quick post this week to let you know that The Shadowy Man is being featured in Kobo's Free Fantasy selection this weekend. You can check out it and loads of other free books in a variety of genres here: https://www.kobo.com/en/p/free-ebooks
And if that's not enough, Free eBooks Today's First in Series Digital Fiction giveaway is still going strong. Check it out here: https://books2read.com/rl/freeebookst...
Other than that, I don't have a huge amount of news. I was hoping that I would have codes for review copies of the audiobook of The City of Shadows to give away today, but alas, they aren't ready yet. Next time you hear from me...
Happy reading, everyone!
E.P.
July 18, 2020
Get a Sneak Peek of the Audiobook of "The City of Shadows"
Hi All!
I hope you are doing well. The air continues to be hot, humid, and mimosa-scented here in my neck of the woods. Well, I like the smell of mimosas, so that's nice. It's that time of the year when I have to go drag my cats inside every night because they'd really rather be outside hunting like the little creatures of the night that they are.
I have been working rather slowly on finishing the audiobook of The City of Shadows. Audiobooks take a while to make, and since I'm a DIY-er, they take even longer. The good news is that everything you get from me is a lovingly handcrafted artisanal product. The bad news is that this means it can take a while to get new books out there. But I *am* kicking around some ideas for new stories, so there will be some...someday.
But in the meantime, I need to finish the audiobook for The City of Shadows. Narrating my own audiobooks is a great way to get a feel for the characters and develop "voice," in both the literal and figurative senses of the word. It's surprisingly physically exhausting, and ridiculously slow--it takes somewhere between two and ten hours to create one hour of finished audio, not counting the original writing and editing--but it's a way to get really close to your work.
If you'd like to get a free preview of the first hour of The City of Shadows, you can pick it up here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/et92kqpknl
If you don't already know, Bookfunnel has an app for listening to MP3s distributed through their site, so that's an easy way to listen to it. Ignore the bit at the beginning and end about the book being for sale--the ebook is, but the audiobook probably won't hit the stores for another week at least.
And if you're thirsting for more books, check out LitRing's Freedom to Read book event. There are dozens of books in lots of different genres, all free on multiple retailers, and there's a contest you can enter for a chance to win a Kindle Fire: https://www.litring.com/freebies/
And if you're looking for yet more free fantasy, the July Permafree Fantasy giveaway still has a few more days to it: https://books.bookfunnel.com/julyfree...
Happy reading, everyone!
E.P.
I hope you are doing well. The air continues to be hot, humid, and mimosa-scented here in my neck of the woods. Well, I like the smell of mimosas, so that's nice. It's that time of the year when I have to go drag my cats inside every night because they'd really rather be outside hunting like the little creatures of the night that they are.
I have been working rather slowly on finishing the audiobook of The City of Shadows. Audiobooks take a while to make, and since I'm a DIY-er, they take even longer. The good news is that everything you get from me is a lovingly handcrafted artisanal product. The bad news is that this means it can take a while to get new books out there. But I *am* kicking around some ideas for new stories, so there will be some...someday.
But in the meantime, I need to finish the audiobook for The City of Shadows. Narrating my own audiobooks is a great way to get a feel for the characters and develop "voice," in both the literal and figurative senses of the word. It's surprisingly physically exhausting, and ridiculously slow--it takes somewhere between two and ten hours to create one hour of finished audio, not counting the original writing and editing--but it's a way to get really close to your work.
If you'd like to get a free preview of the first hour of The City of Shadows, you can pick it up here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/et92kqpknl
If you don't already know, Bookfunnel has an app for listening to MP3s distributed through their site, so that's an easy way to listen to it. Ignore the bit at the beginning and end about the book being for sale--the ebook is, but the audiobook probably won't hit the stores for another week at least.
And if you're thirsting for more books, check out LitRing's Freedom to Read book event. There are dozens of books in lots of different genres, all free on multiple retailers, and there's a contest you can enter for a chance to win a Kindle Fire: https://www.litring.com/freebies/
And if you're looking for yet more free fantasy, the July Permafree Fantasy giveaway still has a few more days to it: https://books.bookfunnel.com/julyfree...
Happy reading, everyone!
E.P.
July 4, 2020
Running down Memory Lane to Russia, Plus Hot Reads and Cool Freebies
Hi Everyone!
I hope you are enjoying your 4th of July if you're in the US, and staying cool if you're anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. If you're Down Under, I hope the winter is being reasonably mild and pleasant.
Speaking of cooler climes, Facebook is reminding me that ten years ago I traveled by boat from Lappeenranta, Finland to Vyborg, Russia
This was ostensibly part of my dissertation research, since the poet I was writing about, Yevgeny Baratynsky, had been stationed in Vyborg for a time while it was still part of Finland, and Finland had just become an autonomous duchy in the Russian Empire (it's complicated).
Later I used Vyborg as inspiration for the city of Pristanograd in the Zemnian Series. Dasha visits it at the end of The Breathing Sea, and stays in a castle that's modeled (in my mind, at least) off of Vyborg Castle.
Sadly, I have no travel plans for this 4th of July, and I'm assuming that most of you don't, either. Maybe someday...
Meanwhile, with all this stay-at-home time, I've managed to get some interesting reading done. I recently read Marlon James's Black Leopard, Red Wolf. Have you read it? What did you think? Judging by the reviews, it's controversial. And while I fully acknowledge that it may not be for everyone, I thought it was excellent. I was thrilled to see an epic fantasy story set in an African-inspired world, written by a black author. The narrative style is distinctly non-Western/non-white, which may make it a more challenging read, but also adds significantly to the book's value.
Another great-but-challenging read I've done recently is Svetlana Alexievich's The Unwomanly Face of War. I'm edging gently into a research project on women's war writing, or something like that, so obviously I had to start off with Alexievich. If you haven't read her, I highly recommend it--but prepare yourself. The stories of Soviet women serving during WWII are harrowing, to put it mildly. Of course, if you've read Alexievich (or if you just have suggestions for other female war writers), I'd love to hear your thoughts!
(Side note: hot flashes suck! I'm dealing with one as I'm trying to type this. It's probably my own fault for going outside and trying to catch some sun earlier, but jeez!)
In my own writing news, I'm working on finishing up the audiobook of The City of Shadows, book 3 in the Giaco & Luca series. Meanwhile, I have made The Shadowy Man, book 1 in the series, free on all retailers! Well, I think Amazon is being kind of sketchy about it, but it's free in at least some Amazon stores and free for sure everywhere else. You can grab it plus a whole bunch more free fantasy books in the July Permafree Fantasy book event: https://books.bookfunnel.com/julyfree...
And if you've already gotten it, or you pick it up at this event, I would of course hugely appreciate a review! Especially on the non-Amazon stores. Amazon reviews are always welcome, but the other stores like Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo also need some love :)
Here's the link to that free book event again: https://books.bookfunnel.com/julyfree...
Stay safe and have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
E.P.
I hope you are enjoying your 4th of July if you're in the US, and staying cool if you're anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. If you're Down Under, I hope the winter is being reasonably mild and pleasant.
Speaking of cooler climes, Facebook is reminding me that ten years ago I traveled by boat from Lappeenranta, Finland to Vyborg, Russia
This was ostensibly part of my dissertation research, since the poet I was writing about, Yevgeny Baratynsky, had been stationed in Vyborg for a time while it was still part of Finland, and Finland had just become an autonomous duchy in the Russian Empire (it's complicated).
Later I used Vyborg as inspiration for the city of Pristanograd in the Zemnian Series. Dasha visits it at the end of The Breathing Sea, and stays in a castle that's modeled (in my mind, at least) off of Vyborg Castle.
Sadly, I have no travel plans for this 4th of July, and I'm assuming that most of you don't, either. Maybe someday...
Meanwhile, with all this stay-at-home time, I've managed to get some interesting reading done. I recently read Marlon James's Black Leopard, Red Wolf. Have you read it? What did you think? Judging by the reviews, it's controversial. And while I fully acknowledge that it may not be for everyone, I thought it was excellent. I was thrilled to see an epic fantasy story set in an African-inspired world, written by a black author. The narrative style is distinctly non-Western/non-white, which may make it a more challenging read, but also adds significantly to the book's value.
Another great-but-challenging read I've done recently is Svetlana Alexievich's The Unwomanly Face of War. I'm edging gently into a research project on women's war writing, or something like that, so obviously I had to start off with Alexievich. If you haven't read her, I highly recommend it--but prepare yourself. The stories of Soviet women serving during WWII are harrowing, to put it mildly. Of course, if you've read Alexievich (or if you just have suggestions for other female war writers), I'd love to hear your thoughts!
(Side note: hot flashes suck! I'm dealing with one as I'm trying to type this. It's probably my own fault for going outside and trying to catch some sun earlier, but jeez!)
In my own writing news, I'm working on finishing up the audiobook of The City of Shadows, book 3 in the Giaco & Luca series. Meanwhile, I have made The Shadowy Man, book 1 in the series, free on all retailers! Well, I think Amazon is being kind of sketchy about it, but it's free in at least some Amazon stores and free for sure everywhere else. You can grab it plus a whole bunch more free fantasy books in the July Permafree Fantasy book event: https://books.bookfunnel.com/julyfree...
And if you've already gotten it, or you pick it up at this event, I would of course hugely appreciate a review! Especially on the non-Amazon stores. Amazon reviews are always welcome, but the other stores like Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo also need some love :)
Here's the link to that free book event again: https://books.bookfunnel.com/julyfree...
Stay safe and have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
E.P.
June 25, 2020
Grab a Complimentary Copy of "The Shadowy Man," Plus Summer Reading Recommendations
Hi All!
Now that it's officially summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, I hope you're enjoying the heat. Or something. I admit to having mixed feelings about it. I'm from a warm climate, and I used to have a high heat tolerance. One of the irritating aspects of my current health situation is an intolerance for temperature extremes, by which I mean anything over 80 or under about 55 F. Grrr.
On the other hand, there are some lovely aspects of summer in the South that I can still (sort of) enjoy. Robin's eggs decorate the sidewalks, and the air is redolent with the scent of mimosa flowers. And while I'm not about to win any marathons, or even go for a hike, I can now enjoy the flowers while walking down to the end of the block and back, which is a huge deal! Plus I'm on summer break.
My summer break feels a bit odd, since I spent the second half of the semester teaching from home. Now I'm supposed to be segueing into a research sabbatical, but because of COVID-19, I will be doing a training program and working on creating a bunch of online course materials for my replacement to deploy over the fall while teaching in some remote or socially distanced manner. So I'll be busy with that as well as contemplating my next big research project.
But never fear! I will still find at least a little time to read and write! Which reminds me: I'm contemplating what to write next. Should I write another installment in the Giaco & Luca series (short mysteries/thrillers set in a magical version of Renaissance Italy), the Zemnian series (epic fantasy in a matriarchal Russian world), or start my long-planned Dragon's Forge series, which will feature, you guessed it, dragons? If you have any thoughts, let me know! You can reply to this post or email me at epclark@epclarkauthor.net.
Meanwhile on the reading front, I recently finished Mordred, Bastard Son, which I highly recommend. I picked it up during Kobo's "Read with Pride" event, and enjoyed it immensely. It's a retelling of the Arthurian legend of Mordred, from Mordred's point of view. I've always really enjoyed subversive retellings of Arthurian legends, so if that's something you're into, or you just want some lovely LGBTQ fantasy with a literary bent, I recommend checking it out.
And now for the big announcement! The Shadowy Man, the first book in the Giaco & Luca trilogy, is now free on many storefronts! I say many because Amazon is being slow to pricematch. But it's definitely free on most of the other major retailers. So if you haven't read it yet, feel free to mosey on down to your favorite retailer and grab a copy. Universal link here: https://books2read.com/u/mVKByP
That's about it for now. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and until next time!
E.P.
Now that it's officially summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, I hope you're enjoying the heat. Or something. I admit to having mixed feelings about it. I'm from a warm climate, and I used to have a high heat tolerance. One of the irritating aspects of my current health situation is an intolerance for temperature extremes, by which I mean anything over 80 or under about 55 F. Grrr.
On the other hand, there are some lovely aspects of summer in the South that I can still (sort of) enjoy. Robin's eggs decorate the sidewalks, and the air is redolent with the scent of mimosa flowers. And while I'm not about to win any marathons, or even go for a hike, I can now enjoy the flowers while walking down to the end of the block and back, which is a huge deal! Plus I'm on summer break.
My summer break feels a bit odd, since I spent the second half of the semester teaching from home. Now I'm supposed to be segueing into a research sabbatical, but because of COVID-19, I will be doing a training program and working on creating a bunch of online course materials for my replacement to deploy over the fall while teaching in some remote or socially distanced manner. So I'll be busy with that as well as contemplating my next big research project.
But never fear! I will still find at least a little time to read and write! Which reminds me: I'm contemplating what to write next. Should I write another installment in the Giaco & Luca series (short mysteries/thrillers set in a magical version of Renaissance Italy), the Zemnian series (epic fantasy in a matriarchal Russian world), or start my long-planned Dragon's Forge series, which will feature, you guessed it, dragons? If you have any thoughts, let me know! You can reply to this post or email me at epclark@epclarkauthor.net.
Meanwhile on the reading front, I recently finished Mordred, Bastard Son, which I highly recommend. I picked it up during Kobo's "Read with Pride" event, and enjoyed it immensely. It's a retelling of the Arthurian legend of Mordred, from Mordred's point of view. I've always really enjoyed subversive retellings of Arthurian legends, so if that's something you're into, or you just want some lovely LGBTQ fantasy with a literary bent, I recommend checking it out.
And now for the big announcement! The Shadowy Man, the first book in the Giaco & Luca trilogy, is now free on many storefronts! I say many because Amazon is being slow to pricematch. But it's definitely free on most of the other major retailers. So if you haven't read it yet, feel free to mosey on down to your favorite retailer and grab a copy. Universal link here: https://books2read.com/u/mVKByP
That's about it for now. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and until next time!
E.P.
June 6, 2020
Read with Pride Event and Other Reading Recommendations
Hi All!
I hope you are doing well. I know that it's a very difficult, scary time for a lot of people right now. You may be feeling frustrated, helpless, angry, frightened, or all of the above. You may also be feeling hopeful that things are going to get better, and there are many signs that that may be the case.
Some of you may be feeling like you don't have time for fiction right now. Some of you may be turning to fiction, either to escape from the harsh realities of the outside world, or to try to understand the people around you better. Both are excellent reasons to read, since reading, especially fiction, is one of the best ways we have to be transported to other times, places, and worlds, and to feel what it's like to live someone else's life.
Talking about your own work at a time like this feels a bit self-centered--even more than usual--but, with the idea of sharing diverse voices, I'm delighted to say that my book The Dreaming Land is part of Kobo's "Read With Pride" event this weekend.
The Dreaming Land is a story of healing, individual and national, under difficult circumstances, so it seems particularly relevant at the moment. The link is here: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-...
This event, which is running this weekend in the US and Canada, features discounts on selected books featuring LGBTQIA characters. They have selections in a variety of genres, including Fantasy and Science Fiction: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/list/these...
If you're interested, the US link is here: http://store.kobobooks.com/p/pride2020 and the Canadian link is here: http://store.kobobooks.com/p/3for2pri...
It looks like they've got a great selection of books, so I recommend browsing around and seeing what strikes your fancy!
Kobo is also featuring works by black authors and works that describe the black experience this week. They have some excellent recommendations, so if you're interested, I suggest checking it out. The "Walk a Mile in Their Shoes" https://www.kobo.com/en/list/walk-a-m... selection looks particularly good, but they have a number of different curated lists on their home page:
Happy reading, everyone, and stay safe.
And here's this week's book giveaway:
Check out the Fantasy Fiction Giveaway, running this week on Bookfunnel: https://books.bookfunnel.com/wyvernsl...
I hope you are doing well. I know that it's a very difficult, scary time for a lot of people right now. You may be feeling frustrated, helpless, angry, frightened, or all of the above. You may also be feeling hopeful that things are going to get better, and there are many signs that that may be the case.
Some of you may be feeling like you don't have time for fiction right now. Some of you may be turning to fiction, either to escape from the harsh realities of the outside world, or to try to understand the people around you better. Both are excellent reasons to read, since reading, especially fiction, is one of the best ways we have to be transported to other times, places, and worlds, and to feel what it's like to live someone else's life.
Talking about your own work at a time like this feels a bit self-centered--even more than usual--but, with the idea of sharing diverse voices, I'm delighted to say that my book The Dreaming Land is part of Kobo's "Read With Pride" event this weekend.
The Dreaming Land is a story of healing, individual and national, under difficult circumstances, so it seems particularly relevant at the moment. The link is here: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-...
This event, which is running this weekend in the US and Canada, features discounts on selected books featuring LGBTQIA characters. They have selections in a variety of genres, including Fantasy and Science Fiction: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/list/these...
If you're interested, the US link is here: http://store.kobobooks.com/p/pride2020 and the Canadian link is here: http://store.kobobooks.com/p/3for2pri...
It looks like they've got a great selection of books, so I recommend browsing around and seeing what strikes your fancy!
Kobo is also featuring works by black authors and works that describe the black experience this week. They have some excellent recommendations, so if you're interested, I suggest checking it out. The "Walk a Mile in Their Shoes" https://www.kobo.com/en/list/walk-a-m... selection looks particularly good, but they have a number of different curated lists on their home page:
Happy reading, everyone, and stay safe.
And here's this week's book giveaway:
Check out the Fantasy Fiction Giveaway, running this week on Bookfunnel: https://books.bookfunnel.com/wyvernsl...
May 23, 2020
Harvard and Captain Hook: Some Fun Lockdown Reading Recommendations
Hi Everyone!
I hope you're holding up well under lockdown. My wild and wonderful semester is more or less over, and now I am trying to focus on my research. But of course I'm getting plenty of non-research reading done! So I thought I'd share some books I've enjoyed recently.
I'm currently partway through Hook: Dead to Rights, which is currently free for a limited time, FYI.
Peter Pan was one of my favorite books as a child, and I'm enjoying the heck out of this retelling of it, which involves a female, half-mermaid Captain Hook as the main character. It's a fast-moving adventure story in which Hook is obsessed with rescuing kidnapped children from the evil Peter Pan. But will she succeed..?
Here's that link: https://www.melissasnark.com/captain-...
A completely different but also extremely entertaining book I recently finished is Elif Batuman's The Idiot.
Like me, Elif Batuman studied Russian literature in grad school and combines a literary and a scholarly career. She's just come a lot closer to getting a Pulitzer than I have...Anyway, The Idiot is the story of Selim, a young Turkish-American woman who studies linguistics and Russian at Harvard while existing in a state of deep confusion. There are many hilarious moments, especially if, for example, you know how first-year Russian is taught and you can follow along with the progression of grammatical concepts in the inserted text from Selim's Russian class. But you don't have to have studied Russian to appreciate The Idiot. Anyone who spent their late teens and early twenties wondering what the heck was going on will probably find something to laugh at in Selim's journey. Or to cringe at, but it will be a cringe tinged with laughter.
What about you? What books have you been enjoying recently?
Oh, and I'm still giving out review copies of my new omnibus editions of the Zemnian Series. If you'd like to read any or all of them, just shoot me an email at epclark@epclarkauthor.net.
And here's this week's selection of giveaways!
Last week for the Starlight Sci-Fi and Fantasy Giveaway! https://storyoriginapp.com/to/BM7Kt0l
Still a few days left for the Fantastical Tales in May Giveaway! https://storyoriginapp.com/to/YcpBoxw
I hope you're holding up well under lockdown. My wild and wonderful semester is more or less over, and now I am trying to focus on my research. But of course I'm getting plenty of non-research reading done! So I thought I'd share some books I've enjoyed recently.
I'm currently partway through Hook: Dead to Rights, which is currently free for a limited time, FYI.
Peter Pan was one of my favorite books as a child, and I'm enjoying the heck out of this retelling of it, which involves a female, half-mermaid Captain Hook as the main character. It's a fast-moving adventure story in which Hook is obsessed with rescuing kidnapped children from the evil Peter Pan. But will she succeed..?
Here's that link: https://www.melissasnark.com/captain-...
A completely different but also extremely entertaining book I recently finished is Elif Batuman's The Idiot.
Like me, Elif Batuman studied Russian literature in grad school and combines a literary and a scholarly career. She's just come a lot closer to getting a Pulitzer than I have...Anyway, The Idiot is the story of Selim, a young Turkish-American woman who studies linguistics and Russian at Harvard while existing in a state of deep confusion. There are many hilarious moments, especially if, for example, you know how first-year Russian is taught and you can follow along with the progression of grammatical concepts in the inserted text from Selim's Russian class. But you don't have to have studied Russian to appreciate The Idiot. Anyone who spent their late teens and early twenties wondering what the heck was going on will probably find something to laugh at in Selim's journey. Or to cringe at, but it will be a cringe tinged with laughter.
What about you? What books have you been enjoying recently?
Oh, and I'm still giving out review copies of my new omnibus editions of the Zemnian Series. If you'd like to read any or all of them, just shoot me an email at epclark@epclarkauthor.net.
And here's this week's selection of giveaways!
Last week for the Starlight Sci-Fi and Fantasy Giveaway! https://storyoriginapp.com/to/BM7Kt0l
Still a few days left for the Fantastical Tales in May Giveaway! https://storyoriginapp.com/to/YcpBoxw
