M.H. Bonham's Blog, page 73
January 28, 2012
[SkyWarriorBooks] Nice Review of Firedancer
Nice review of Firedancer:
Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys: Firedancer - and SA Bolich on weaving a rich tale
Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys: Firedancer - and SA Bolich on weaving a rich tale
[SkyWarriorBooks] Book Giveaways a GREAT Success!
Hey, folks! Thanks for making our giveaways a huge success! We hit #3 on the Kindle Bestsellers List for Genre Anthologies on Zombiefied and Michael J. Parry's The Spiral Tattoo hit number #77 on the Hard-boiled bestseller lists for The Spiral Tattoo. Wow! Thank you so much! Enjoy the books--I know you will. If you like these books, check out our other books at www.skywarriorbooks.com Many of the authors featured in Zombiefied are published in our line.
If you missed our giveaways, which some of you did, you can still purchase Zombiefied! An Anthology of All Things Zombie and The Spiral Tattoo through Amazon for the low price of $2.99.
That being said, keep an eye out. Sky Warrior Books will be giving away ANOTHER novel next month! Follow me on Twitter (user name MH_Bonham and SkyWarriorBooks, or Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/skywarrior or follow the Sky Warrior Book's blog at either http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/sky_warrior_books or http://skywarriorbooks.blogspot.com/
One more thing: if you enjoyed the books, feel free to "like" it on the Amazon homepage, add your own tags, and even write a review.
Again, thanks so much. You guys are the best!
If you missed our giveaways, which some of you did, you can still purchase Zombiefied! An Anthology of All Things Zombie and The Spiral Tattoo through Amazon for the low price of $2.99.
That being said, keep an eye out. Sky Warrior Books will be giving away ANOTHER novel next month! Follow me on Twitter (user name MH_Bonham and SkyWarriorBooks, or Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/skywarrior or follow the Sky Warrior Book's blog at either http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/sky_warrior_books or http://skywarriorbooks.blogspot.com/
One more thing: if you enjoyed the books, feel free to "like" it on the Amazon homepage, add your own tags, and even write a review.
Again, thanks so much. You guys are the best!
January 27, 2012
[SkyWarriorBooks] Today is Z-Day at Sky Warrior Books!
Just when you thought you couldn't get another free book on us, we're giving away a book that groans, shambles and eats brains! Get ZOMBIEFIED at Amazon for the low price of FREE. That's right, FREE. But today only, Pacific Standard Time.
You'll get some of the funniest, scariest, and just plain weirdest stories about zombies that you can't read just anywhere. We've got stories by Dayton Ward, Gary Jonas, John Lance, MH Bonham, David Lee Summers, Carol Hightshoe, and other exceedingly warp individuals that are sure to make you groan and shamble.
We've got stories about zombie politicians, zombie rescuers, zombie soldiers, zombie call center workers, zombie bowlers and zombie prom dates. Heck, if you don't get this book, your brain will rot!
Get ZOMBIEFIED, FREE at AMAZON.COM, January 27th only!
You'll get some of the funniest, scariest, and just plain weirdest stories about zombies that you can't read just anywhere. We've got stories by Dayton Ward, Gary Jonas, John Lance, MH Bonham, David Lee Summers, Carol Hightshoe, and other exceedingly warp individuals that are sure to make you groan and shamble.
We've got stories about zombie politicians, zombie rescuers, zombie soldiers, zombie call center workers, zombie bowlers and zombie prom dates. Heck, if you don't get this book, your brain will rot!
Get ZOMBIEFIED, FREE at AMAZON.COM, January 27th only!
January 1, 2012
[SkyWarriorBooks] Happy New Year and Books to Look Forward to in 2012
I hope everyone has had a good holidays and a safe and happy new year. Tonight I figured I should tell you what new releases are coming up for Sky Warrior Books.
Sky Warrior Books welcomes John Dalmas to our list of authors! We'll be reprinting John's amazing work, The Second Coming. We're planning on other books by him, so check out our blog for more news.
The Feathered Edge, edited by Deborah J. Ross, is an anthology of swashbuckling and romance, guaranteed to delight fans with new works by Kari Sperring, Tanith Lee, Sherwood Smith, Diane E. Paxton, Judith Tarr, KD Wentworth, David Smeds, among other very amazing authors. Should be out early this year!
World bestselling author, Alma Alexander's Tiptree nominated book, 2012: Midnight at Spanish Gardens , is now available in print on Amazon for $16.95!
Speaking of Alma, I'm editing Embers of Heaven, the sequel to the international bestseller, The Secrets of Jin-Shei. It should be out early this year.
SA Bolich has done it again with her sequel to her popular Firedancer . Windrider will be coming out this Spring.
Gary Jonas follows up his bestselling novel, Modern Sorcery , with Acheron Highway, another Jonathan Shade novel. He and Brand Whitlock are working on a Graphic Novel of the Hitman, so keep an eye out for that.
I'll toot my own horn and mention that my own book, Prophecy of Swords , hit the Amazon bestseller lists again for fantasy, selling more than 500 copies in one day. By the time I noticed it, it was down to the top 20th book in fantasy. Pays for me to look at my own books, eh?
We've got some interesting books by Pat MacEwen coming out. One, Rough Magic, is an urban fantasy and mystery where the realm of Faerie and our own world collided to make a difficult world for those who cannot abide cold iron. The Dragon's Kiss is a YA book about a handicap child who wishes to become a dragon rider. Great stuff!
We've also signed on Deby Fredricks with her fantasy, The Seven Exalted Orders. Look for it this summer. Michael Parry's Gurt and Eleanor, will return with the mystery, The Oak Grove. We'll be having two more anthologies out in the Spring, Gears and Levers, a Steampunk Anthology edited by Phyllis Irene Radford, and The Mystical Cat, edited by Dusty Rainbolt.
That's all I can talk about at present, but I'll continue to make announcements as they come up!
Sky Warrior Books welcomes John Dalmas to our list of authors! We'll be reprinting John's amazing work, The Second Coming. We're planning on other books by him, so check out our blog for more news.
The Feathered Edge, edited by Deborah J. Ross, is an anthology of swashbuckling and romance, guaranteed to delight fans with new works by Kari Sperring, Tanith Lee, Sherwood Smith, Diane E. Paxton, Judith Tarr, KD Wentworth, David Smeds, among other very amazing authors. Should be out early this year!
World bestselling author, Alma Alexander's Tiptree nominated book, 2012: Midnight at Spanish Gardens , is now available in print on Amazon for $16.95!
Speaking of Alma, I'm editing Embers of Heaven, the sequel to the international bestseller, The Secrets of Jin-Shei. It should be out early this year.
SA Bolich has done it again with her sequel to her popular Firedancer . Windrider will be coming out this Spring.
Gary Jonas follows up his bestselling novel, Modern Sorcery , with Acheron Highway, another Jonathan Shade novel. He and Brand Whitlock are working on a Graphic Novel of the Hitman, so keep an eye out for that.
I'll toot my own horn and mention that my own book, Prophecy of Swords , hit the Amazon bestseller lists again for fantasy, selling more than 500 copies in one day. By the time I noticed it, it was down to the top 20th book in fantasy. Pays for me to look at my own books, eh?
We've got some interesting books by Pat MacEwen coming out. One, Rough Magic, is an urban fantasy and mystery where the realm of Faerie and our own world collided to make a difficult world for those who cannot abide cold iron. The Dragon's Kiss is a YA book about a handicap child who wishes to become a dragon rider. Great stuff!
We've also signed on Deby Fredricks with her fantasy, The Seven Exalted Orders. Look for it this summer. Michael Parry's Gurt and Eleanor, will return with the mystery, The Oak Grove. We'll be having two more anthologies out in the Spring, Gears and Levers, a Steampunk Anthology edited by Phyllis Irene Radford, and The Mystical Cat, edited by Dusty Rainbolt.
That's all I can talk about at present, but I'll continue to make announcements as they come up!
December 28, 2011
[SkyWarriorBooks] Holidays and Publishing Biz
Yep, it's the holidays, so what am I doing? Working on the next books coming out. That was, of course, after getting Q3 royalties out to the authors, editors and artists, and looking in despair at my own writing. My managing editor and I have taken to sending each other emails even though we sit less than 5 feet from each other in our great room about the current books. Not that we aren't talking; we just have to have things in writing so no one goes nuts over something misinterpreted.
I've been finishing the final print format for 2012: Midnight at Spanish Gardens. The print formats for Modern Sorcery and Spanish Gardens required a crash course in Adobe InDesign and there have been some long nights into the wee hours of the morning where I was pretty sure that pounding my head into the monitor would've been a good thing. Modern Sorcery had some format goofs we caught, so it is in the final proof. But they're both off at the printers and almost ready for purchase. Yay!
On the new book side, we have two books in January! One, the Anthology, The Feather's Edge, edited by Deborah Ross, is a collection of new swashbuckling stories by Kari Sperring, Tanith Lee, Sherwood Smith, among other notable fantasy authors. The other is Embers of Heaven, by Alma Alexander, the sequel to her bestselling novel, The Secrets of Jin-shei . I'll let you know when those come out.
In the meantime, I hope you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Solstice, Happy Kwanza, or whatever you celebrate, or don't. Be sure to have a safe and happy new year.
I've been finishing the final print format for 2012: Midnight at Spanish Gardens. The print formats for Modern Sorcery and Spanish Gardens required a crash course in Adobe InDesign and there have been some long nights into the wee hours of the morning where I was pretty sure that pounding my head into the monitor would've been a good thing. Modern Sorcery had some format goofs we caught, so it is in the final proof. But they're both off at the printers and almost ready for purchase. Yay!
On the new book side, we have two books in January! One, the Anthology, The Feather's Edge, edited by Deborah Ross, is a collection of new swashbuckling stories by Kari Sperring, Tanith Lee, Sherwood Smith, among other notable fantasy authors. The other is Embers of Heaven, by Alma Alexander, the sequel to her bestselling novel, The Secrets of Jin-shei . I'll let you know when those come out.
In the meantime, I hope you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Solstice, Happy Kwanza, or whatever you celebrate, or don't. Be sure to have a safe and happy new year.
December 26, 2011
[SkyWarriorBooks] Prophecy of Swords #free on #Amazon #Kindle!
Great news! From December 27 through 29th, get Prophecy of Swords (Swords of Destiny) free on Amazon! That's right, I'm giving away the book to Amazon customers for three days. So, check it out, and download your very own copy. Get your own and let others know about this great deal! Normally, $2.99, but now free for the next three days!
December 5, 2011
[SkyWarriorBooks] Eating Elephants and Portion Control
There's an old joke that goes "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer is "One bite at a time." While it may seem a silly notion, if you substitute "novel" for "elephant," "write" for "eat," and "word" for "bite," you pretty much get the answer for how to write a novel.
When you think about it, writing novels are a daunting task, but the reality is that sometimes you really do "bite off more than you can chew." That has been happening to me lately with my book, Web of Wyrd. You see, at some point, I was trying to put too much in, the proverbial stuffing 50 lbs of crap in a 5 lb sack.
Web of Wyrd has languished at about 80,000 words since sometime around 2003. It sat unfinished and unloved mainly because every time I looked at it, I despaired. I had other books to write and other things to do, but I knew I had to go back to it someday.
The problem was one of success, however. Namely, Prophecy of Swords became a Kindle bestseller. Then, Runestone of Teiwas started doing well. I realized I had to get my next book out. Being a publisher, I know the need for timing. The time is somewhat past, but the book should still get out there. But the mess remained.
Going through the book, I realized what was causing problems was portion control. Basically, like Runestone, its predecessor, I was trying to fit too much into a 115,000 word book. Oh sure, I could come up with one of those ungainly tomes that we see fantasy novels fill, but I really didn't want that. So, I had to scale back, and I had to start cutting subplots.
So, what does all this mean and how does that apply to your fiction? As a writer, your should first think in terms of small steps. That means writing something every day, even if it's daunting. Even if it's not much. Some days I write very little. Nowadays it's harder to write. But I figure I have to take it a step at a time. Anne Lamott, who wrote the book Bird by Bird recommends this.
Some books are naturally behemoths, but for this publisher, I really prefer a nice size of 100K give or take. That means you've got to make some hard decisions. If your book is going upwards of 200K, maybe you have too many subplots, you're too wordy, or (koff) your book is too convoluted. If it makes sense to keep it at that size, see if you can split it up at a logical point. From a marketing standpoint, you'll make more money from small press with three books than one big one. Plus you'll have three books out. What a concept.
So, I'm looking at Web of Wyrd and realizing that I'm cramming in too much and need to push some more off to later books. Some subplots can keep until later. Clean up what is already there. Define the plot and resolution. And be glad when I finish the book.
When you think about it, writing novels are a daunting task, but the reality is that sometimes you really do "bite off more than you can chew." That has been happening to me lately with my book, Web of Wyrd. You see, at some point, I was trying to put too much in, the proverbial stuffing 50 lbs of crap in a 5 lb sack.
Web of Wyrd has languished at about 80,000 words since sometime around 2003. It sat unfinished and unloved mainly because every time I looked at it, I despaired. I had other books to write and other things to do, but I knew I had to go back to it someday.
The problem was one of success, however. Namely, Prophecy of Swords became a Kindle bestseller. Then, Runestone of Teiwas started doing well. I realized I had to get my next book out. Being a publisher, I know the need for timing. The time is somewhat past, but the book should still get out there. But the mess remained.
Going through the book, I realized what was causing problems was portion control. Basically, like Runestone, its predecessor, I was trying to fit too much into a 115,000 word book. Oh sure, I could come up with one of those ungainly tomes that we see fantasy novels fill, but I really didn't want that. So, I had to scale back, and I had to start cutting subplots.
So, what does all this mean and how does that apply to your fiction? As a writer, your should first think in terms of small steps. That means writing something every day, even if it's daunting. Even if it's not much. Some days I write very little. Nowadays it's harder to write. But I figure I have to take it a step at a time. Anne Lamott, who wrote the book Bird by Bird recommends this.
Some books are naturally behemoths, but for this publisher, I really prefer a nice size of 100K give or take. That means you've got to make some hard decisions. If your book is going upwards of 200K, maybe you have too many subplots, you're too wordy, or (koff) your book is too convoluted. If it makes sense to keep it at that size, see if you can split it up at a logical point. From a marketing standpoint, you'll make more money from small press with three books than one big one. Plus you'll have three books out. What a concept.
So, I'm looking at Web of Wyrd and realizing that I'm cramming in too much and need to push some more off to later books. Some subplots can keep until later. Clean up what is already there. Define the plot and resolution. And be glad when I finish the book.
[Eating Wild Montana] Blue Scale Quail, Bored Horses and Freezing Temperatures
Ducks and Geese around the watering hole
Well, it was going to happen. We got our first real cold snap of the season and all the water froze with the birds except those under heat lamps and on top of the heat mat. Sid the llama's water is fine as is the duck's water because those are heated buckets. The horses' water is fine too because we have a heater.
Well, not fine exactly. The horses decided to break the water trough. (Second broken one). We had one more spare and then, if they bust that we've got to buy a steel one. Someone told us to use the plastic troughs and that has been a huge mistake. A friend of mine told me I had bored horses, and given the size of the pen, not a huge surprise. We're going to have to figure out how to expand in the spring. How, I don't know.
Troublemakers
My friend recommended a horse ball and hanging plastic bottles so the horses can nudge them. I got them a Jolly Ball and they seem indifferent. Today, I hung two plastic bottle so they can nudge them. I may have to put out a treat ball so they can whack those around too.
Lastly, I've been playing with the idea of getting quail. There are a number of good reasons for this: 1. Quail takes a short time to mature and within less than 2 months, you have a bird that lays eggs. 2. Their eggs are expensive and quite a delicacy. 3. They taste good. And 4. They don't need a lot of room.
The problem with purchasing quail is that you either have to order them by the dozens and pay a lot for the birds and shipping, or you get eggs mailorder and hope they hatch. I don't mind hatching eggs, but my little incubator can only do about 12 or so at a time. When someone is offering more than 50 eggs, it gets silly. So, when I saw someone in Missoula selling pheasants that might have blue scale quail, I decided to check them out.
Blue Scale Quail
Blue scale quail are native to the American Southwest, going north as far as Colorado and as south as Mexico. The fellow who had them had exotic pheasants that were amazing and impressive. But the quail-- oh my. I bought a breeding pair for a lot less than I would to buy one online and have them shipped.
They're skittish little things. Right now, I'm keeping them in a crate, but I will probably figure out a nice pen for them.
Well, it was going to happen. We got our first real cold snap of the season and all the water froze with the birds except those under heat lamps and on top of the heat mat. Sid the llama's water is fine as is the duck's water because those are heated buckets. The horses' water is fine too because we have a heater.
Well, not fine exactly. The horses decided to break the water trough. (Second broken one). We had one more spare and then, if they bust that we've got to buy a steel one. Someone told us to use the plastic troughs and that has been a huge mistake. A friend of mine told me I had bored horses, and given the size of the pen, not a huge surprise. We're going to have to figure out how to expand in the spring. How, I don't know.
Troublemakers
My friend recommended a horse ball and hanging plastic bottles so the horses can nudge them. I got them a Jolly Ball and they seem indifferent. Today, I hung two plastic bottle so they can nudge them. I may have to put out a treat ball so they can whack those around too.
Lastly, I've been playing with the idea of getting quail. There are a number of good reasons for this: 1. Quail takes a short time to mature and within less than 2 months, you have a bird that lays eggs. 2. Their eggs are expensive and quite a delicacy. 3. They taste good. And 4. They don't need a lot of room.
The problem with purchasing quail is that you either have to order them by the dozens and pay a lot for the birds and shipping, or you get eggs mailorder and hope they hatch. I don't mind hatching eggs, but my little incubator can only do about 12 or so at a time. When someone is offering more than 50 eggs, it gets silly. So, when I saw someone in Missoula selling pheasants that might have blue scale quail, I decided to check them out.
Blue Scale Quail
Blue scale quail are native to the American Southwest, going north as far as Colorado and as south as Mexico. The fellow who had them had exotic pheasants that were amazing and impressive. But the quail-- oh my. I bought a breeding pair for a lot less than I would to buy one online and have them shipped.
They're skittish little things. Right now, I'm keeping them in a crate, but I will probably figure out a nice pen for them.
December 1, 2011
[SkyWarriorBooks] Got Contacted by the Tiptree Awards Folks
Yesterday, I got an email from the Tiptree Awards folks asking for me to send copies of Alma Alexander's book, 2012: Midnight at Spanish Gardens for consideration of the award. It appears that it was recommended for the Tiptree Award, which is simply amazing because we're a new press and while Alma certainly isn't a new author, it is still an awesome achievement. Congrats, Alma!
November 27, 2011
[Eating Wild Montana] Midnight Visitors
A few nights ago, I was getting ready for bed around midnight and I noticed the outside security light was on. As I looked down, I saw a young muley buck with just knobs for antlers grazing in the snow. He was joined by a doe, two other youngsters, presumably does, another youngster and two adult does. It seems they walked across my front yard, under my porch awning or up the driveway, and then up the stairs on the hill to go up. I guessed that there was at least 7 deer in the herd.
A few days later, my husband noticed that they had made beds right on our front lawn and spent at least some of the night.
Oh if they only knew that three of their buddies were cooling their heels in my freezer! Lucky for them, it was dark and we had maxed out our deer tags.
Sadly, our elk hunting had to be called off due to colds -- first my husband, and now me. Oh well, three deer is still a good hunt.
A few days later, my husband noticed that they had made beds right on our front lawn and spent at least some of the night.
Oh if they only knew that three of their buddies were cooling their heels in my freezer! Lucky for them, it was dark and we had maxed out our deer tags.
Sadly, our elk hunting had to be called off due to colds -- first my husband, and now me. Oh well, three deer is still a good hunt.
