Tracy Falbe's Blog, page 33

Flipkart of India Now Selling English Language Fantasy Ebooks by U.S. Author Tracy Falbe

Readers of English language ebooks in India can now discover fantasy author Tracy Falbe thanks to a new deal between Flipkart and her U.S.-based distributor.

As of November 9th all eight fantasy novels by Tracy Falbe of Battle Creek, Michigan are listed for sale in Flipkart’s ebook catalog. The well known online retailer of books, games, electronics, and apparel in India also has a large ebook marketplace that serves the demand for digital reading on ereaders, tablets, smart phones, and computers. 
Falbe is the author of two epic fantasy series known as The Rys Chronicles and Rys Rising. Although she also sells ebook downloads to customers in India from her web store Brave Luck Books, she is excited to be in a high profile online retail site in India.
“I know my novels can appeal to some readers in India because they have before. One of the nicest emails I got from a reader was from a man in India who said the only time he was not reading my novels was when he had to go to his office,” Falbe said.
Because India presents the largest English language reading market in the world, Falbe is hoping to gain some new readers. Her fans already come from numerous countries thanks to the internet and her marketing has always focused on a global audience.
“It really pleases me when my fiction connects with readers beyond my own country. It makes me feel like I’m part of the world community,” Falbe said. 
Her novels are full of adventure and magic. The stories include multiple civilizations and big themes related to religion, empires, war, corruption, and personal ambition. The rys in the stories are a magical species that rule over the humans and often expect to be worshipped.
People in India looking for English-language ebooks can sample Falbe’s fantasy fiction with Union of Renegades: The Rys Chronicles Book I that is currently free at Flipkart. 
In Union of Renegades readers will meet a man scarred by bad deeds who answers the call of a heroic cause. An unconventional heroine will tug at their sympathies as she bravely faces adversity with all the strengths and vulnerabilities of her womanhood.
Other fantasy ebooks by Tracy Falbe downloadable at Flipkart are The Goddess Queen, Judgment Rising, The Borderlands of Power, Rys Rising, Savage Storm, New Religion, and Love Lost.

I Have Some Good Coupons to Share for Smashwords Ebooks Today

Smashwords Deals for the week of November 13th

This is a weekly feature at Her Ladyship's Quest. Follow by email or with RSS and come back for the next Smashwords Deals feature.



Athame 

Morgan Alreth  

Epic Dark Fantasy

$2.99    Free    100% off with coupon code KM32T  
Present - 12-31-2013

Get it at Smashwords
   
Young witch Jessera takes pity on a nobleman lost in the woods. Before she knows it, they are on the run with royal assassins and temple witch hunters on their trail.

Book one of the Unfortunate Woods trilogy. Book two is also out and is offered for an introductory half price.



Wrath   

Morgan Alreth

Epic Dark Fantasy

$4.99    $2.50    50% off with coupon code PE95F  
Present - 12-31-2013

Get it at Smashwords

The crown prince is exiled and the woods are under attack. An old prophecy might offer hope, but the subject of the prophecy refuses to cooperate. Book two of the Unfortunate Woods trilogy. Book one is available for free with a coupon until the end of the year.    



This Changes Everything  

Sally Ember, Ed.D.

Science Fiction/Romance

$3.99    $1.99    50% Pre-order sale price good throughout pre-order days. No coupon required 11/9/13-12/19/13
Full price starts 12/20/13. Pre-order via Smashwords, iBooks, nook, or Kobo. Purchase after 12/20/13 there and Amazon and many other retailers. No coupon necessary!

Get it at Smashwords

Clara Branon, Ph.D., becomes Chief Communicator for the Many Worlds Collective when 5 alien holos come to her, changing Earth forever. What about her and Epifanio?


Have It All  

Lewis Attrib  

Fiction, Humor, Black Comedy

$4.95    99 cents    80% off with coupon code SH78U  
11 Nov to 31 December

Get it at Smashwords

Dr Hamid Mansourian, successful consultant gynaecologist, is the man who has everything, but wants more.            


Fire & Ice (Book I Icefire Trilogy)

Patty Jansen

Epic Fantasy

FREE! No coupon needed

Get it at Smashwords

In his despair to right the wrongs done to his family, the sorcerer Tandor takes a huge risk that could lead to the destruction of his homeland.

Happy Reading!

Follow Her Ladyship's Quest by email or with RSS and come back for the next Smashwords Deals feature.
Authors: Send me your coupon codes with the form at the bottom of the Smashwords Deals page.

Memorial Self Publishing - How to Honor a Lost Loved One's Writing, Art, and Photography

Forgive my oxymoronic statement but self publishing does not have to be limited to producing your own work. Sometimes a legacy of writing, drawing, or photography is left behind by a deceased friend or relative. You may want to preserve this work so it can be shared and appreciated for generations to come.

The self publishing comes in because you would be preparing the manuscript yourself and packaging and distributing it by your own means. You certainly have the option of pursuing an outside publisher for your project but being selected by a publisher is dependent on that company believing your project can generate a profit.

If you don't want to bother with long waits and frequent rejection, then you can use self publishing tools to make your memorial project a reality.

Self publishing a book based on materials created by your deceased relative does not necessarily have to be a commercial endeavor. You can often choose to limit distribution or keep the project entirely private. If you take this route, then the book you produce can be shared only with whom you choose. Friends and relatives of the deceased can buy each copy as needed. Or you can invest in the production of a few print copies to give to your family. You are in control with self publishing.

If you don't want to keep your self publishing project private, then you don't want to, especially if the story could appeal to other people. If this is the route you want to take, there are many ways to distribute self published titles. I'll describe some of these production and distribution options below, but first let's look at some scenarios for memorial projects.

Your late loved one left behind an unpublished fiction manuscript. Or the person had a collection of jokes, poems, songs, or short stories. You decide to edit and proofread and self publish it.

The deceased family member left behind an autobiography, diary, or account from an extraordinary period in his or her life. The same as with fiction, you could edit and proofread such a manuscript and prepare it for publication.

Perhaps the deceased wrote some type of nonfiction manuscript like a how-to book, historical research, a collection of letters, or recipes.

When a portfolio of art or photography is part of someone's estate, you could scan all the images and assemble them into a nice book or ebook to help preserve the legacy.

Producing the book

How to produce your self published book depends on your skills and your time available for the project. You can do everything yourself if you are capable and inclined or you can hire out some or all of the editing and formatting work to freelancers. An example would be to edit it yourself but pay a person experienced with book layout to format the manuscript for publication.

There are many freelancers who service all aspects of publishing. Be sure to shop around and get references and make sure that you are not overpaying. Fees vary wildly. Paying too little will likely get you what you pay for, but paying too much will likely just get you ripped off. An excellent freelance marketplace where you can study the market and assess professionals is Guru.com.

Another crucial decision you need to make about production is if you are going to make the product print, digital, or both. Producing your memorial project as both a print book and an ebook is very typical. I greatly recommend making an ebook version especially if you want to sell it in the open marketplace. You can price an ebook lower than a print copy and it will be easily and affordably available worldwide. However, if you are making a graphic intensive book like a portfolio of photographs you will probably want to create a print version. If you need to produce a book with full color printing throughout the interior, then be aware that the price of each book printed will be high because print-on-demand services cannot give you the same price per unit as a book printer of large print runs can. But a large print run will cost thousands of dollars and a lovely self produced coffee table book might cost you $75 with print-on-demand. This may not be a problem if you just want to make a few copies for family members. But if you want to distribute to the public at large, don't expect many sales because the price point will be high with full color productions.

If you do not need any color printing on the interior of your self published book, then you will likely be able to keep the price of your book within competitive market rates like $10 to $20 retail per copy. You can still have color printing on the cover, but the inside will be black print and black and white images. This will suit many projects just fine. A company I can recommend for full color books or basic trade paperbacks and hardcovers is Lulu.com. I personally use it produce hardcovers. This company is not cheap but it's not overly expensive either. Lulu does allow you to keep a project private if you want to share only with certain people. Lulu does have marketplace options as well if you want to sell your work.

Another company I can recommend is Createspace. This company makes print-on-demand paperbacks with either black only or full color interiors. The quality here is decent and you will get paperbacks at a lower per unit price than at Lulu. However, you won't have the option to keep the project private. If you never approve your project for sale, then every copy you buy will have PROOF in big letters on the back page. The good news is if you approve it for sale through Createspace, then your book will be distributed on Amazon.

There are many print-on-demand companies out there. You can research and choose any one. But be careful. Some companies charge ridiculous fees. You should not have to pay anything to access the system, set up a project, and upload files. The system should be free to use until you actually order a physical product. This is how it is at Lulu and Createspace. They do however have plenty of other services to sell you if you want help. I have not used them so I can't comment on their value. As a writer and publisher I do all the formatting myself so I don't have to pay for it. Even if you want to pay for it, remember you don't have to buy from the print-on-demand service. You can hire your own professional who can give you the files to upload to the system.

What about self publishing ebooks?

Ebooks are a great and affordable way to self publish your memorial project. The two primary companies I use to distribute and sell my ebooks are Kindle Direct Publishing at Amazon and Smashwords. Smashwords has its own retail store plus it will distribute your ebook to Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Sony, and more if you want it to.

You'll have to read the guidelines at each company about how to format your files for publishing. Once again you can do this yourself or pay someone to prepare the files for you. Depending on the quality and appeal of your work and the amount of marketing you do, you might even make some money with your ebook. Or, if money is not your motivation, at Smashwords you can make your ebook free if you simply want it out there to share your lost loved one's creation.

I do want to mention that graphic heavy ebooks can have large and unwieldy file sizes. This does not mean you can't make an ebook with many pictures. You certainly can, but I wanted you to know that it would have a big file size and therefore be slow to download from the internet. Also small screens on ereaders and tablets may not do the graphic material justice if you are publishing an art or photo collection.

I hope this article has given you some good pointers and inspiration if you've inherited a manuscript or interesting collection. However you publish it, I'm sure you'll add value to the work left by your deceased relative or friend. The effort of packaging it nicely for publication will be rewarding and you and others will appreciate the final product.

I've been self publishing my novels and how-to books for years, but in 2012 I stumbled across a collection of recipes from my late grandmother that she had started writing in the 1920s. I knew right away that I wanted to salvage the recipes and publish them. This is how I discovered the possibilities and rewards of self publishing a memorial project. I gained a new cookbook with a meaningful heritage to me and produced a work that meant a lot to my other family members. I even sell a few every month as total strangers find my grandmother's recipe collection. The cookbook I produced is personally very usueful to me. Using the fragile old notebook from 1926 day in and day out in my kitchen would have ruined it. I needed to resuscitate the material and make it new again.

See more about my memorial project My Grandma's Vintage Recipes: Old Standards for a New Age. It's availabe as an ebook or paperback.  

Press Release: Author Jumps at Chance to Sell Signed Fantasy Paperbacks on Etsy

For immediate release: 
Author Jumps at Chance to Sell Signed Fantasy Paperbacks on Etsy
The stir caused by the new marketplace rules at Etsy excited fantasy author Tracy Falbe. She saw them as an opportunity. A part-time seller on the site since 2011 at a shop called Perfect Pages, she had sold vintage books and supplies from her estate sale shopping and occasionally ebooks. The Battle Creek, Michigan-based author had always wanted to list her paperback novels but had believed they did not fit the market’s definition of handmade. Then the company’s 2013 update to its marketplace rules specifically allowed authors to use outside manufacturing services. 
Pleased by this green light from Etsy, Falbe decided to list for sale her 4-book fantasy series The Rys Chronicles as a signed gift pack. The individual titles from the series are also listed. These are brand new copies from the author’s stock that Falbe will sign for buyers. 
“Whether I sell any of my books on Etsy or not I still think it’s valuable to have my fantasy books in the marketplace. Exposure to an audience actively supportive of artists and independent creative businesses still helps my business. Part of book selling is building familiarity with an author’s name,” Falbe said. 
The new rules at Etsy that allow sellers to hire outside manufacturing services have been controversial. Some sellers and buyers worry that the less restrictive rules will ruin the marketplace’s original vision of selling handmade products. Sellers who create handmade products fear they will be undercut by cheaper mass produced items. 
On the flip side sellers who cannot keep up with demand for their handmade items can now hire employees and outside factories to build their designs. This will allow them to expand their businesses and thereby support more jobs. Sellers are required to disclose their use of manufacturers in detail so that buyers know exactly the origin of the products they are purchasing. 
 
Falbe’s paperback novels comply with the new rules about outside manufacturing because she designed the product and wrote all the content of the stories. She just requires an outside service to actually print and bind the books so that she can sell them at competitive price points.
“If I had to print and hand bind my novels at home, they would be ridiculously expensive and not look as nice as using a proper book manufacturing company,” Falbe said. 
Ever since discovering Etsy in 2008, Falbe was enamored with the spirit and purpose of the marketplace. “I loved shopping at a site that reflects the infinite creative capacity of people. I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it as both a buyer and a seller,” Falbe said.   She has been operating her business Falbe Publishing since 2005. She is the author of 3 nonfiction works and 9 novels. Although her titles are available worldwide at many popular retailers, she is always keen to find new outlets for her books, ebooks, and audiobooks. She believes that Etsy will prove to be a good marketing platform for her creations. Her Etsy shop Perfect Pages includes her original fiction along with vintage books, digital images, and vintage supplies. 
THE CONTENT OF THIS PRESS RELEASE MAY BE RE-PUBLISHED WITH CREDIT GIVEN TO THE SOURCE.
Have questions? Leave a comment here or email Tracy Falbe tracy (ATSYMBOL) falbepublishing (DOTCOM)
 

3 Days Left to Get Werelord Thal Ebook for $2.50

The official release of Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale is only three days away on 11/13/13. Until then the ebook will be at $2.50 at Brave Luck Books as a special pre-release reward to my fans. Upon its official release the price for the ebook will be $3.99.

About the novel:



Thal is wanted for Devil worship and shape shifting but still boldly walks the streets of 16th century Prague. Jesuits hunt him. Mercenaries fear him. Musicians sing his praise, and women are captivated by his alpha swagger.
Born of a witch and a sorcerer, he is summoned when his desperate mother casts the werewolf spell before facing torture and execution. Burdened with her magical call for vengeance Thal seeks the men that killed her. His hunt is complicated when the Magistrate’s stepdaughter Altea Kardas crosses his path. Horrified that her community is burning women to death, she can confide her doubt and fear only to Thal.
He desires her greatly but knows he will bring ruin upon her. Across Bohemia and beyond people who are different are labeled heretics in a restless world hobbled by tyrannical ignorance. The Renaissance has thrown the Holy Roman Empire into turmoil. Printed books are spreading radical ideas. Firearms are triggering a new age of warfare. And the human spirit is shaking off obedience.
Thal embodies the ancient magic of the pagan past. He challenges a world conquered by a spiritual system that denies the flesh and forgets the Earth. And he awakens within Altea recognition of these truths. She believes any risk is worth loving him until she becomes the bait in a trap set by Thal’s enemies.  

On Wednesday, the novel will release across retail outlets, including Smashwords and Amazon Kindle. People who pre-ordered Werelord Thal at iBooks and Nook will receive the novel. I expect to be approving the paperback of the novel in the coming week too. My proof copy is on the way.

For fans of paranormal romance in a historical setting, you can still buy and download my new werewolf novel for only $2.50. It's available worldwide in PDF, Epub, and Kindle formats. Go to its page at my web store where you can also read Chapter 1. Water and Blood.

Introducing 15% off coupon for Rys Rising paperback fantasy novel

Get Rys Rising as a 6 x 9 inch trade paperback for only $12.75 plus tax and shipping when you use the 15% off coupon code EHJ77M8M at Createspace.
Details:Available internationallyEnter the coupon code EHJ77M8M at checkout at CreatespaceThis coupon only works on the Createspace product page for Rys Rising.Shipping choices and country of destination will determine shipping charges.This discount coupon code does not expire.The coupon is only valid on products I designate.I know many readers still prefer printed books. That's understandable for a variety of reasons. However, the cost of printed books is more than ebooks because a manufacturer must be paid to make each copy. For the novels of the Rys Rising series, I use the company Createspace to print and ship the paperbacks. This company is the supplier for the Rys Rising paperback listed at Amazon. 
I obtain my paperback copies at Createspace for my personal stock that I sell at shows and markets. In my experience the company often prints them the same day as my order and ships them. This will vary depending on seasonal demands, like at the holidays.
As I've been learning my way around Createspace, I've discovered that it also ships its print-on-demand products to most countries around the world! I had wrongly assumed that it only serviced the U.S. outside of its relationship with Amazon. Readers can see the shipping rates for their countries at this page. 
About the novel:
A young warrior ruined and near death is saved by Onja a mysterious rys female. Forsaking all that he was, he will take the name Amar and serve his new magical mistress. A lord among outlaws he will become, feared by kings and called the dro-shalum or curse demon by the common folk. Indulge yourself and read this sumptuous epic told from many angles.

Reviews about the novel from Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

"I was hooked on this wonderfully written book that has magnificent plots and twists of interlocking story lines." ShawneePoling at B&N

"Everything is here. Magic. World building. Multidimensional character. Pathos. Conflict. I have read more than 50 books inthis venue. Rys Rising is the only 5 star rating I have given." Anonymous at B&N

"I particularly appreciated two things- her commitment to describing the world in detail, and the way she helps you feel sympathy for the main characters by placing them in predicaments." Trekelny at Amazon US

"I'm hooked and can't wait to get the rest of the series." SooperCynic at Amazon UK

Excerpt



The noisy mirth drew their leader into the lantern light. Demeda recognized the man who stalked back down the trail as the one who had bound her hands. He had a young face set in hard lines, and the laughter hushed upon his appearance.
He took in the scene quickly and Demeda succeeded in finally righting her clothing. While she was at it, she loosened her gag before someone yanked on one of her straps and she dropped her hands.
The leader confronted the man who had been carrying Demeda. “You can’t carry a girl?” he asked.
The man dropped to one knee. “Forgive me, Amar,” he said.
Demeda became perfectly still as she realized that she was looking upon the dro-shalum. Amar of the Kez had taken her and Ulet. She had naturally imagined him as older. Demeda thought that it was strange that his youth should command such solemn authority over these men. Her brother was young and shown respect and obeyed, but not like this. The men around her feared this Amar not because of his station but because he was the curse demon. Kings withered in his presence, and now he possessed her.
Disgust flitted across Amar’s face. He waved dismissively at the man who knelt before him and approached Demeda. She quailed back a step. He grabbed both straps on her arms and yanked her toward him. She fell against his chest. His net-like armor of small bronze plates poked through her thin clothing. Demeda looked up into his eyes and glimpsed a wild disregard for all of society that opened a gateway to a world unimagined.

Get the Rys Rising paperback at Createspace. Remember to enter coupon code EHJ77M8M at checkout to get 15% off.
Want to read it for free? Then download the free ebook version at my Brave Luck Books web store.
If you have any questions about the novel or the coupon, leave a comment here and I'll respond on the blog.

It is done so that you will live in fear - Audio Excerpt from Werelord Thal

I've been recording excerpts from my novels. I do this because I enjoy the audio medium. Hopefully it will give book lovers a quick way to consume samples of my writing and choose to read my novels. For ease of sharing and discoverability I'll be placing these excerpts on YouTube. Granted the graphic elements of the video aren't very flashy, but this is meant to be listened to and provide information about the novel to those whose interest is aroused. 
In this little scene my werewolf hero Thal meets with Altea, a woman he is trying not to fall in love with. He has more serious issues than desire for a woman on his mind. 


Here's the text of the excerpt from Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale.  
“Tell me your stepfather is a good man and I will be merciful,” he whispered.“He’s…” Altea trailed off. Her ugly fear about what he might do to her strangled the words in her throat. She was so afraid to go home, to go to sleep in her bed, but she could not be a party to murder. “He’s a good man,” she managed. Thal shook his head. “I’m very good at knowing when people lie,” he said. Ugly truths assaulted her. She sickened herself speaking in Martin’s defense. She wanted to ask Thal for help. There was no one else she could turn to for protection, but what safety could a wanted man give her? She had already imperiled herself more by sneaking away to converse with him. Thal continued, “There’s no guilt in answering my questions. You can make sure I don’t include the innocent when I strike. I saw you cry for my dead mother. You must want justice for her. She was tortured. She was burned to death.”Altea’s face fell in her hands and she sobbed a little. The agony and confusion that she had fought against for months escaped. Words that she could speak to no other she cried in Thal’s presence. “How am I to live in world where my neighbors watched her burn and called it good?” she said. Thal put a hand on her shoulder. His mother’s brutal death had been hard on more than just him. How many people in Altea’s community secretly mourned those who had been killed? Altea fell against him and he held her. “It is done so that you will live in fear,” he said.

Bargain Ebooks from Smashwords Available Worldwide

Smashwords Deals for the week of November 6th

This is a weekly feature at Her Ladyship's Quest. Follow by email or with RSS and come back for the next Smashwords Deals feature.

 Ocean's Gift
Demelza Carlton
Paranormal Romance
Only $2.99 no coupon needed
Get it at Smashwords
Sirens don’t fall in love with humans. For centuries it has been so… But Sirena is different. She lost her first love to sharks and a storm, cursing the islands that stole him from her. Surfacing once more, she meets Joe, the deckhand on the Dolphin. A handy man to have around when the lights go out. Can he seduce a siren? Or will she swim away, before he can uncover her secret?  
 The Vessel
Michael Alexander
Epic Fantasy
FREE, no coupon needed
Get it at Smahwords
On the happiest day of her life, Xela's world falls apart thanks to the actions of her brother Fael. Her fiance and father are dead and now she only harbors vengeance in her heart. But in her quest to exact revenge for her lost loved ones, she will be ensnared into a plot that threatens to resurrect an Old God and cast the world into darkness.  
And because I love westerns here's a bit of a bargain, no coupon needed. 
Trail Back to Eagle Rock by Dave P Fisher. $3.99 from Smashwords.com
The Eagle Rock buried his father on a rainy Wyoming morning. Blake rode away from his father’s grave, his place and the girl he loved. He killed the man who murdered his father and kept riding. Blake’s gun was fast and his nerve steady until the day he knew he had to return home to the Eagle Rock and the girl he left behind. There was just one more fight to finish.


It's no secret I like Epic Fantasy so here's some ebooks in the $3.99 range.

Lunula by Alyssa Auch. $3.99 from Smashwords.com
If history repeats itself, as it always does, Wynn will have no choice but to cross paths with her feared counterpart, the warlock. If given the chance, he would kill Wynn, absorbing her aura and obtaining ultimate power.



Highmage's Plight by D.H. Aire. $3.99 from Smashwords.com
Professor George Bradley, computer staff in hand, “envisions” an archaeological site, which could turn history on its head. Then he falls through a ripple in reality. This is a world where a starship crash landed, bringing about a war, which led to the laws of magic defeating those of science. If that wasn’t bad enough, George’s computer is now rather sarcastic.


For my last selection this week, a Young Adult/Teen fantasy for only $1.99.

The Purloined Boy: The Weirdling Cycle, Book 1 by Mortimus Clay. $1.99 from Smashwords.com
The Purloined Boy, the multiple-award winning book by Mortimus Clay, is a work of fantasy literature for young adults. It could be described as R. L. Stine meets Plato. It begins with the question, Where do all those children on the milk cartons go? It provides the answer through the eyes of one of those children, a boy named Trevor Upjohn, the purloined boy

Happy Reading!
Follow Her Ladyship's Quest by email or with RSS and come back for the next Smashwords Deals feature.
Authors: Send me your coupon codes with the form at the bottom of the Smashwords Deals page.

Save 40% off Hardcovers and Paperbacks of the Rys Rising Fantasy Series by Tracy Falbe

Sorry about the late notice, but 26 hours still remain on this coupon code at Lulu.com worth 40% off.

Rys Rising hardcovers and paperbacks by Tracy Falbe

At checkout enter:
coupon code:    FALLSALE40 
expires 11:59 pm on November 4th
 
I use Lulu to produce hardcovers of my Rys Rising series. I also include paperback versions of the Rys Rising novels there even though I also sell paperbacks at Amazon through Createspace. With the holidays approaching it's time to buy book gifts, and I'm well pleased with the casewrap hardcovers that I have printed on demand at Lulu. I just used the 40% off coupon to get a couple extra hardcover copies of Rys Rising for a shopping event I'll be participating in on December 13th and 14th.

If you're one of my fans and would like one or all of the Rys Rising fantasy novels in hardcover please take advantage of this coupon. The 40% off one does not come around too often. Lulu serves multiple countries.

Rys Rising hardcovers and paperbacks by Tracy Falbe

At checkout enter:
coupon code:    FALLSALE40 
expires 11:59 pm on November 4th

Pre-Order on Nook Exciting Paranormal Historical Romance Werelord Thal

Officially releasing at ebook retailers on November 13th, the 9th novel by Tracy Falbe enters Renaissance Bohemia with a werewolf story. Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale is currently available for pre-order on Nook readers from Barnes & Noble. Falbe's novels have been well received for years by Nook readers and she's pleased with her first effort in a historical setting instead of the purely imagined fantasy world of her prior novels.

About Werelord Thal:
Thal is wanted for Devil worship and shape shifting but still boldly walks the streets of 16th century Prague. Jesuits hunt him. Mercenaries fear him. Musicians sing his praise, and women are captivated by his alpha swagger.Born of a witch and a sorcerer, he is summoned when his desperate mother casts the werewolf spell before facing torture and execution. Burdened with her magical call for vengeance Thal seeks the men that killed her. His hunt is complicated when the Magistrate’s stepdaughter Altea Kardas crosses his path. She is horrified that her community is burning women to death. She can confide her doubt and fear only to Thal.

He desires her greatly but knows he will bring ruin upon her. Across Bohemia and beyond people who are different are labeled heretics in a restless world hobbled by tyrannical ignorance. The Renaissance has thrown the Holy Roman Empire into turmoil. Printed books are spreading radical ideas. Firearms are triggering a new age of warfare. And the human spirit is shaking off obedience.

Thal embodies the ancient magic of the pagan past. He challenges a world conquered by a spiritual system that denies the flesh and forgets the Earth. And he awakens within Altea recognition of these truths. She believes any risk is worth loving him until she becomes the bait in a trap set by Thal’s enemies.
ExcerptChapter 1. Water and Blood“I’ll show them the Devil’s own magic,” Gretchen snarled.
She held a sapling while she caught her breath. Her legs were shaking. The incline was defeating her old knees. Many years had passed since she had run up and down hills, and this would surely be the last time.
Her pursuers were crossing the pasture at the bottom of the hill. Her path across the thick grass was easy to see because her skirt had wiped the sparkling dew away. The sun rising behind the four men cast their shadows across her tracks. Two burly dogs pulled at their leashes.
Gretchen had been fleeing since the middle of the night when a line of torches had come up the weedy lane to her cottage. She dreaded when the dogs would bring her down. She wished they would maul her to death right here and leave her body on the fragrant Earth, but the men would pull the dogs off and take her away to even worse torments and burning death.
Gasping for breath, she watched her pursuers disappear into the coppiced woods at the bottom of the hill. She hauled herself up by the sapling and forced her creaking legs to run again. She knew where she was going. She had a secret place back in these hills.
In former days she had lived in secret places where magic was still strong and the world unsullied by the careless tread of ignorant men. She had been young then and known love and learned of powers that tapped into primal mysteries with open eyes. The nonsense magic her judges attributed to her was nothing compared to what she knew and what she had done.
Her heart thudded and her vision blurred. When she fell, her spine rattled, but she sprang back up and ran onward. She reached the top of the hill and started skidding down the other side.
The trees were old on this side of the hill. They were just far enough from the needy axes of village and town. Gretchen felt the spirits of the thick-trunked oaks swell against her flesh. She tripped again and twisted her ankle. Pain flared, but madly she limped toward the granite boulders jutting from the dark leafy humus farther downhill. Finally she flopped against the mossy stone. Even in her frantic state, she noticed a cluster of mushrooms in the shadow of a boulder. Their peculiar caps told of another cold spring.
The baying dogs slapped her mind away from its habitual cataloging of the land. She slid around the cool boulders until her feet splashed into a tiny spring. Above the pure water Gretchen brushed the leaves and dirt out of a cleft in the rock. Her dirty fingers found a silver box. Blackish corrosion crusted the metalwork. Her shaking hands cracked open the box that she had left here when she was a much younger woman.
She gasped at the lock of hair within. A rush of memories overtook her mind. The curving tuft of reddish brown hair with fine streaks of black and silver summoned vividly her son’s face. He had looked at her so trustingly when she had snipped the hair on their last day together.
“To remember you by,” she had whispered, and he had believed her.
He had thought that he was going to the forest forever, beyond the reach of all, but Gretchen had plotted a way to bring him back to her.
Despite her selfish trick, she had resisted the longings of a mother’s heart and not summoned him. She had lived her life and grown old, but now…
Voices were at the top of the hill. The dogs barked insistently. Their paws pounded down the slope and vibrated with her doom.
Tears wetted Gretchen’s cheeks. She was afraid, not of death but of the brutality that would bring it. She should leave her son free and not trouble him with the wickedness of her nasty world, but she wanted to lash out and not only for herself but for the dear friends who had died so terribly. Her name had been dragged across their lips in the butcher shop of authority.
When she bent over the pool, a tear fell into the glistening spring water. The spell would be all the stronger for it.
“Forgive me, Thal, but I would have them know my justice,” Gretchen said.
She dipped the lock of hair into the water.
“From the birth waters of our Earthly womb,” she murmured reverently.
The hair darkened in her wet fingers. She drew a knife and slashed across her wrist. Gushing blood obscured the meat and vessels beneath the skin. Blood flowed over her hand and pooled in her palm and soaked the hair.
“From the birth blood of the woman who bore thee, I call my son to me! Thal!” Gretchen cried and the dogs hit her.
Jaws gripped her upper arm. Another set of happy fangs dove for an ankle. She was thrown down. Water splashed. The animals tore at her and shook her. She cowered in the most useless shock, screaming.
Boots muddied the delicate ground along the spring. Grungy men in leather waded into the clean water. Deep-voiced cursing and grunting mixed with the dogs’ snarling. When the animals were finally hauled off, half her clothes were ripped away. The snapping servants back in the grip of their grim masters chomped triumphantly on the remnants.
Two men flung her blood smeared body against the boulder.
A dour man with a narrow face and a lanky height loomed over Gretchen. A heavy black cloak encased his shoulders and the pendant of the Prague Court hung over his chest, shining with his right to abuse her.
“Holy Christ protect us from this Devil bride,” he said.
Her brazen misery disgusted him. “You make us chase you till dawn and add to your sins with a try at suicide,” he criticized.
“More proof she seeks the Devil’s favor,” another man put in.
“That it is,” the tall man agreed and yanked out a handkerchief. He wound the pitiful bandage around her bleeding wrist and tied it tight against her scarlet defiance.
“What’s in your hand, witch?” he demanded upon noticing her clenched fingers. He pried open her hand and pulled out the redly sodden tuft of hair. Gretchen moaned.
The gathered men gasped when he lifted the odd find. “Fur pulled from the very back of your goat lover,” he said, almost in awe.
Gretchen shook her head desperately and struggled.
“Constable, look,” a man said and held up the tarnished box.
“Give that to me,” the leader said. He looked over the box but could determine no meaning from it. He put the lock of hair into it and pressed the lid back in place. He knew someone who paid coin for such rare objects.
“No!” Gretchen yelled.
He struck her across the face. “Bind her mouth before she speaks some spell upon us,” he said.

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