Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 56

Griffins, Gryphons, and other monsters

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Found this review of griffins across several cultures on Mr. P’s Mythopedia page.

I find it interesting, as Murder in Absentia includes a griffin (or gryphon, in the more Greek-like spelling used in the book). It’s based on the classic type below, with the front half including the forelegs as that of an eagle.

Not a central part of the plot, it was still one of the more memorable scenes. I chose it to represent the fantasy aspects of the novel on the cover.

Coincidentally, the cover artist f...

Interview Roundup – these were fun ones :)

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David Ellis of TooFullToWrite was kind enough to interview me on his blog. He had some unusual questions…

What would you choose as your own personal mascot or spirit animal when it comes to you and your style of writing?

Felix is called “the fox” for a reason. He is cunning, relying on quick wits rather than brute force or powerful magic to solve his clients’ troubles. I like to pose to him impossible situations, and like to see him weasel his way out of them. Or dump him – literally – in th...

Looking for Beta Readers!

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So… I’ve (almost) finished my self-edits for In Numina. Time to start soliciting feedback.

When can you get your hands on it?

I still have some minor edits to do. The book will go through professional copy-editing and proofreading before publication (so expect typos and grammatical errors), but in between I need feedback on the plot, characters, world, etc. I will be ready to send it out to beta readers next week.

While this is an independent Felix mystery, it helps if you read Murder In Abs...

That moment when…

[image error]…Goodreads’ #1 Best Reviewer, Archit Ojha, gives your novel 5 stars!

Anaïs Chartschenko – The Whisper Collector

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My good friend Anais – sorry, Anaïs – has relaunched her poetry collection The Whisper Collector. A new cover, a new paperback, and all the edgy poetry we love her for.

Allergies to Society

I do not have time for people who
need constant supervision and
promises of my love… Love in friendship…
I have exhaustion and illness that drives
stakes into me, see, stakes like the ones
you set on how our friendship would be.
I can not take the time to pet all your
wounds, that is something a signific...

Book Review: Dying to be Roman, by E.M. Swift-Hook and Jane Jago

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In case you missed it (it’s easy, I know), I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to ancient Rome and alternate histories. Yeah, who would have thunk it.

So I was really excited to get my hands on this new addition to the field. I was not disappointed.

What to Expect

Imagine that Rome remains the centre of power over the millennia. Diocletian established the tetrarchy but kept Rome as the center of power. Constantinus never embraced Christianity. The legions never left Britannia.

So now we have a...

National Maritime Week – two millennia ago

[image error]A few weeks ago, Mary R. Woldering has asked me to contribute a piece for her blog, with the theme of National Maritime Week. I have chosen to address the issue of the life of ancient galley-slaves, and who really rowed the naval war galleys.

Below I reproduce the full post.

Hi, and welcome to the ancient history section of Maritime week!

For this article, I will be talking about ancient galleys, and in particular about the notion of galley slaves. Everyone with a love of ancient history and...

Why you should post more cat memes (Sales Model of an Indie Author part 3)

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First and foremost, because I really enjoy them floating past my social-media feed.

Everything further down from here is pure conjecture.

If you’ve been around on social media, especially if you are a beginning author still building up your fan base, you’re probably wondering how to get noticed. The following are ideas about what might help you.

WAAAAIIIIT. I didn’t get to the point yet, don’t just rush off to post a cat meme.

First, let’s dispense with the obvious. Unless you’re Stephen Ki...

Author and Character Interview Roundup

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Some media appearances of late

Book Marketing 2.0

A few weeks ago I ran a Facebook giveaway for marketing material – images to help authors put some pizzazz in their book marketing efforts. It gotten quite a  response (particularly the later analysis of results), so I thought you’d all appreciate seeing what the fuss is about.

Here are a few different ways in which your book can grab attention