Tracy Falbe's Blog, page 62

Rys Rising: Book I epic fantasy now in paperback

Yesterday I received the proof copy of the paperback version of Rys Rising: Book I. Satisfied with its physical presentation, I just made it available for sale at the print-on-demand service Lulu. The paperback has a friendly pricepoint of $15.00.

As I explained when I released the hardcover, I am barely making a couple bucks off each copy. The bulk of the price goes to manufacturing. The print versions of my new novel are about making them available in this format more than making a profit. I have learned that I am not going to make many print sales because the vast majority of my readership chooses ebooks, which have become the backbone of my business.

Because my focus at this point is firmly on marketing the ebook versions of my novels, I do not have plans to distribute the hardcover or paperback versions of Rys Rising: Book I to online retailers. I just don't see the point. To accommodate the necessary percentages needed by the retailers, the prices would have to be raised so high that no one would bother to buy them anyway.

But if you would like Rys Rising: Book I in paperback at the reasonable price of $15.00, please use the buy button for the printing service Lulu below. The book is a 6 x 9 inch trade paperback of 418 pages. As always, I appreciate your interest.

 Rys Rising: Book I paperback $15.00

Also note that Rys Rising: Book I is a free ebook at Brave Luck Books.

Union of Renegades audiobook and podcast coming soon

The appeal of listening to a good story goes far back into our preliterate past. Modern audiobooks capture this age-old way of storytelling, and they offer consumable entertainment for people with vision issues or who are busy with mind numbing tasks like housework, data entry, and driving. Many people enjoy audiobooks, and I've wanted to enter that arena for some time.

Well, I finally (sorta) had the money to reinvest in my business and sent it off to DarkFire Productions. I needed to pay for professional sound production and hire voice talent because my little girl voice totally does not suit my material. This outfit is run by some indie author gentlemen who also have some audio skills. The upcoming audio version of my first fantasy novel Union of Renegades: The Rys Chronicles Book I was read by Chris Snelgrove. In many ways I think he did a magnificent job. My novel has numerous characters. Maybe I did not like how he interpreted every one of them, but the scale of his effort is commendable. He did very well with the main characters, and I still have trouble believing that it's actually him doing the voice of the heroine Miranda.

Union of Renegades will be presented as both a free serial podcast and a paid audiobook. The very first podcast of Chapter 1. In the Service of the Empire is already scheduled at Podiobooks.com for September 26th.

This project has been months in the making. The podcast will be a full 40 episodes. The audiobook clocks in at 19 hours. I really mean it when I say I write EPIC fantasy.

Please follow this blog so you will see the announcements related to this fantasy podcast and the release of the audiobook.

 

I'm a featured author at the blog of J.M. Tresaugue

Science fiction and fantasy author J.M. Tresaugue began a profile of me at his blog today. It's the first of three parts. I am entirely flattered by the attention. Thank you very much for choosing to spend some of your precious writing time profiling me and my fantasy fiction. J.M. Tresaugue says that his fiction tends to be dark and disturbing, but at his blog he shows off his playful spirit. Please visit his blog.

J. M. Tresaugue: WRITER PROFILE: TRACY FALBE (Part 1 of 3) AN INTRO...

Fantasy novel Rys Rising: Book I now available in hardcover

Fantasy isn't just for good guys. Rys Rising: Book I now in hardcover.My fabulous new fantasy novel Rys Rising: Book I is now available as a hardcover. It will be produced at Lulu.com as a print-on-demand product. I've used Lulu over the years to produce advance reading copies and design prototypes and have personally been quite pleased with the quality of the books produced by this company.

The hardcover book I designed is in the casewrap style. This means that the cover art is printed directly onto the hardcover. There is no annoying book jacket to get ripped and be in your way while reading. Can you tell I hate book jackets?

I was pleased with the proof copy I had made for myself and think it looks quite smashing. I'm prejudiced of course. I have priced the hardcover version at $24 plus shipping. I am only making a couple dollars on each one because I want to keep the price point reasonable. Print products are not where I make my profits anyway. I do not plan to distribute this hardcover version through major retail channels because I would have to significantly raise the price to factor in additional payment to more middleman companies. My novels are long. This hardcover is 418 pages and print-on-demand manufacturing is quite expensive per unit. I have produced the hardcover for two reasons: 1) to satisfy the tiny number of readers interested in a print version, and 2) to have and to hold and cherish in my secret lair. Yes, I do pet it and smile at it.

To add this likely very rare hardcover to your book collection (at least until I break out and become insanely popular) click the Lulu button to arrange payment and shipping.

Rys Rising: Book I 6 x 9 inch hardcover, casewrap, 418 pages

$24.00 USD + shipping



Please note: Paperback version coming soon.

Readers can collect digital author autographs on Kindle and other devices

Yesterday, I was introduced to a new system that allows authors published on the Kindle platform to connect with readers who would enjoy the digital equivalent of an autograph. I tested out the system and it allows you to fulfill reader autograph requests with a little digital message and signature. The system creates a small file to be stored on Kindles that writes the message in a handwriting script font. Additionally, a person does not have to use a Kindle to use the signature request system. A pdf file of the digital message can be sent to an email address and stored however the person chooses.

The system is called Kindlegraph. It works in conjunction with Twitter and "lets authors send personalized inscriptions and signatures ("kindlegraphs") directly to the electronic reading devices of their fans"

If you've read any of my novels, click the link to request a digital autograph.


http://kindlegraph.com/authors/tracyfalbe

New epic fantasy serial started at Wattpad

Start reading some awesome fantasy on your mobile device. Wattpad is a very active online digital reading venue. Writers add their stories and readers can access them through a variety of devices. According to Wattpad it has 1 million registered users who add 3 million comments or votes each month. People read Wattpad content as a mobile application, a mobile site, or from any computer by visiting http://www.wattpad.com/. Right now the most popular device used at Wattpad is the iPhone.

I placed my first fantasy novel Union of Renegades: The Rys Chronicles Book I on Wattpad in its entirety quite a while ago, and I know for a fact that some readers discovered me there and went on to buy more of my novels.

Now that I am launching a new fantasy series, I have started serializing the novel Rys Rising: Book I at Wattpad. I added the first chapter last Friday and will update the Wattpad version with a new chapter every Friday.

If you already use the Wattpad App, enter the code 2160964 to connect your device to my new fantasy novel.

If you want to get the Wattpad App, you can download it here.

While you're on the site, please vote for Rys Rising: Book I, leave a comment, or mention it at your social media venues.

About Rys Rising: Book I

An outlaw rises to become a dreaded warlord, the terror of kings. He takes the name Amar and seeks to join the Kez, the fiercest mercenary society in the tribal kingdoms of Gyhwen. His fearless ambition is inspired by Onja, a mysterious rys female whose magic has shaped Amar into a loyal friend. He zealously pursues her every command and hopes to join her in her mythic homeland of Jingten. But he knows little about the challenges confronting Onja. She and all rys are the reviled creations of the tabre of Nufal, and Onja longs to expel her hated masters. To liberate the rys, she knows that she will need more than Amar's help. Onja sees her best hope for an ally in Dacian, a prodigy among rys, but he is loyal to the ruling tabre order and dreams of winning equality for the rys nonviolently. He holds tenaciously to his ideals even as the tabre brutally subjugate him. Will he endure more dark abuses for the sake of peace or reach out to Onja? And what fate is Amar blindly embracing as he kills for her? Like a tree crashing in a storm, all civilizations will crack when hit by the force of the rys rising.


Available for free in Epub, Kindle-compatible PRC, and Adobe PDF.

Click here to download the free ebook right now.

Character profile: Kolinski the Bolshevik badass from Hugh Ashton's alternative history Red Wheels Turning

Red Wheels Turning, a First World War alternative history by Hugh AshtonKolinski (other names unknown) is the anti-hero of Red Wheels Turning, an adventure story set in the First World War. A Russian ex-criminal (bank robber and murderer) and member of the Oupinsky gang who has joined the Bolshevik Party, at the start of the book he is living in Switzerland, along with Lenin and other leading Bolsheviks.

Determined to carry out the orders of his chief, Lenin, he is possessed of remarkable strength, combined with a ruthlessness that results in his leaving a trail of cadavers in his wake as he crosses Europe to capture the war-winning secret weapon for the Bolsheviks. Amazingly for such a man, he has never learned to swim, and is frightened of the water, nearly drowning in the Baltic Sea as a result.

Excerpt from Red Wheels Turning

"So I'm looking for some strong able-bodied volunteers to man the lifeboats and help save the lives of those men."
Several passengers stepped forward, but Kolinski stayed where he was.
"Excellent," said the officer. His eyes met Kolinski's, and he looked Kolinski up and down. "We need a big strapping fellow like you," he said. "Come on."
"Can't swim," mumbled Kolinski.
"Doesn't matter. You'll have a lifejacket, and even if you do fall in, we'll have you out of there in no time at all."
Kolinski still hung back, and a woman's voice cut through the crowd. "It could be you in the water. Shame on you for refusing to help those poor men in there."
"Shame, shame," came the murmur from the crowd. Kolinski flushed. "Oh, very well," he muttered, and stepped forward.

His sheer physical size and strength, with a certain degree of low cunning allow him to overcome almost all the obstacles in his path, but he meets his match when confronted by Lieutenant Brian Finch-Malloy of the British Coldstream Guards in a final showdown in a forest outside Moscow.

Buy the paperback from:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Red-Wheels-Turning-Hugh-Ashton/dp/4990516567/

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/red-wheels-turning-hugh-ashton/1104562084

Signed copies direct from me: http://redwheelsturning.com/?page_id=250
Buy the ebook from:

Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/73965

Amazon Kindle (adds $2 for overseas sales): http://www.amazon.com/Red-Wheels-Turning-ebook/dp/B005EM6U1C

Book Review: A Plethory of Powers by Gerald Costlow

Fantasy author Gerald Costlow returns to his world of witches, elves, and the ancient being Keyotie the Trickster in A Plethory of Powers. This book starring Rose, the Witch of the Woods, contains two novellas: The Case of the Missing Succubus and Conference of Powers.

Both stories provide pleasant reading. As the title implies The Case of the Missing Succubus follows the mystery format as Rose is asked by the Dean of the White College to find one of his missing students, who turns out to be a succubus. Rose enlists the help of her friend Keyotie. He is a shapeshifter who can take the form of a man or coyote. People often mistake him for a dog, which irks him to no end. Keyotie is a character that Costlow can be proud of. Keyotie really makes both stories sparkle. His womanizing and general disregard of the rules of decent society somehow make him totally likable. Keyotie really is a character who can talk his way out of anything. And if that fails, he can shapeshift, bite you, and run away.

The next story, Conference of Powers offers a more complex narrative with more characters. It is really a happy romp through Costlow's fantasy world as he meanders through a series of mini adventures that manage to be funny and high stakes at the same time. I liked the ending of it too. Conference of Powers also pleased me by including the character of Rose's husband, Tom. He played a prominent and heartwarming role in Costlow's previous novel The Weaving, and I was glad to find him in this story. To tell the truth I missed his presence in The Case of the Missing Succubus. The episode in Conference of Powers in which Tom and Keyotie are forced to break into a witch's chambers naked in order to avoid her protection spells was pricelessly funny.

Costlow has a real talent for crafting fantasy stories that are both humorous and serious. Elements of serious issues from reality are incorporated in the stories and make them feel very genuine. For example, the fact that a succubus is meant to only seduce and consume sexual predators acknowledged the reality of rapists in society while making the succubus characters sympathetic instead of scary.    

A Plethory of Powers will provide you with an entertaining and clever introduction to the fantasy world and characters of Gerald Costlow. Whether or not you read this one before his main novel The Weaving does not matter. Both books deliver charming stories in a fun fantasy world, and Costlow's wit is always daring and quick on its feet.

I rate A Plethory of Powers four wags of a coyote's tail.

Sample A Plethory of Powers at Pill Hill Press.

Find the book at Amazon.

See more about Gerald Costlow.

Related post: Fantasy character profile: Keyotie the Trickster from A Plethory of Powers by Gerald Costlow

Review at Goodreads compares me to George R.R. Martin

Judgment Rising, the third book of The Rys Chronicles fantasy series
Reviews are always difficult for me to look at. They are like listening to someone criticize your children. Despite this discomfort, I do occasionally browse through what readers are saying at Goodreads. The other day I had the gratifying experience of finding a review on Goodreads from a member who has read The Rys Chronicles series. This reader compared me to George R.R. Martin, writing that "Tracy could fill the same kinds of shoes that George R.R. Martin fills."

I am certainly trying to do that! I discovered the Song of Ice and Fire after writing The Rys Chronicles. I greatly admire the writing of Martin. He really gets me wrapped up in the characters, especially Jon Snow and Daenerys. When I read A Game of Thrones, I jealously thought, "Darn, this guy is better than me." I like to think that I've improved my craft since then and that readers will see the improvements in my new series Rys Rising.

I will toot my own horn and say that I think I do one thing better than Martin, which is I tie up story lines and draw them together into a conclusion, as opposed to the ceaseless expansion of a meandering narrative.

This same Goodreads review that was placed on my novel Judgment Rising also added that my writing has "exquisite diction, resulting in some of the best poetic prose ever written."

Thanks for noticing! I'm glad you enjoyed my efforts. I labor over every phrase in my novels and am still seeking to improve.

You may see the complete review at this link: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/184601922

New chapter added 14. Urgings to Defiance

This morning I added Chapter 14. Urgings to Defiance to the fantasy web novel version of Rys Rising: Book I. The action switches to Jingten where Dacian remains under house arrest. He decides to ignore his probation and indulge in a trip to town. He rehashes an old argument with his father and then encounters Onja in the town square when she returns from the western tribal kingdoms. The tabre are extremely displeased with her wandering, and the beginnings of rebellion rumble in Dacian's heart.



I also have a couple other items of news.



The book blog Free Book Reviews is offering free ebooks to new subscribers. My novel Rys Rising: Book I is one of the prizes. It's normally 99 cents at Smashwords, but new subscribers at Albert Robbins III's blog will get a coupon to download Rys Rising for free at Smashwords. His blog updates frequently and is a good resource for discovering a variety of titles from indie authors. If you get my novel through his site be sure to leave a review for it at Smashwords.



Additionally, I offered all four novels of my other series The Rys Chronicles for a giveaway drawing at the Angle-on-a-move blog. You enter the drawing by leaving a comment on my guest post Building a good hero.