K.B. Sprague's Blog
March 20, 2022
November 13, 2021
Luminary Series Book 2
Release date **new** hardcover 03/2022, paperback 09/2022
⚡️A BookLife Reviews Editor's Pick - defined as an unbiased indication of truly outstanding quality.
"This memorable fantasy sequel embraces and challenges the expectations of lovers of the genre."
"Like its predecessor, Reforged is distinguished by its author’s inventive zeal and what seems like a deep love for—and slight impatience with—the familiar beats of fantasy stories."
"... mixing traditions and tropes like a DJ but always with a fresh spin: gryphon-riding valkyries face wolf folk, giants, and ghost pines in the haunted Whisperwood..."
"Great for fans of: Gene Wolf, Shanna Germain’s The Poison Eater."
- BookLife Reviews
Full Review: https://booklife.com/project/reforged...
October 2, 2021
Luminary series: Review of Book 1
... feels lived in by real characters... worth caring about and keeping up with...
Takeaway: This accomplished, ambitious epic fantasy swells with fresh ideas, memorable characters...
Great for fans of: Steven Erikson, R. Scott Bakker."
- BookLife Reviews
Full Review: https://booklife.com/project/out-of-the-grey-56739
February 1, 2021
Just in - eBook Review: Mark of the Green Dragon
(eBook version review, 2nd edition)Writing:
"For the age of the target audience, which to me read as YA, the length of the chapters is perfect. There is enough action contained in each that propels the reading forward and just enough is left unknown to really snatch the reader’s interest as well. The balanced world-building here is well done, too. I thought it was just gritty enough to convey that dark and grim level of the stakes, but it was never off putting or too much for me. I felt that I could trust the author’s decision to reveal just enough information at the right times. It didn’t feel like an overload or like I was confused about what was going on and for me that added to the enjoyment of the way the plot moves. I need to read the next one and while I would have loved to have a full conclusion to the events that Leno and his friends have dealt with and revealed, I think the ending is handled well and definitely leaves the reader wanting the next book as soon as possible."
Cover & Map*:
"The cover art for this book is lovely and attention-grabbing... the map included is one of the best I’ve seen. I love the detail, the colors, and how well-thought-out it is. It was tremendously enjoyable to read the story and flip back to the maps to see how that geography and landscapes actually connect with the adventures. Loved it."
Reviewed by: Judge, 8th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards.
*note - color map available in eBook format, grayscale in paperback
November 11, 2020
Order of the Undying 2E Available
This is the second book of the Incarnation trilogy.
The final book in the series is Dark Waters, eta 2021.
K
October 4, 2020
Order of the Undying 2E - sent for formatting
This is the second book of the Incarnation trilogy.
Knowledge, Undeath, and Echoes of a forgotten past drive Nud Lenokin - "Leno" to his friends - to face off against nefarious forces while his friends' lives hang in the balance and his homeland is threatened by ecological disaster.
Leno must take diplomacy into his own hands to set things straight - diplomacy with twisted leadership bent on exercising the will of an imposter deity.
August 22, 2020
MoGD, 2nd Ed.
Mark of the Green Dragon, 2nd Edition is now available. This is the first book of the Incarnation trilogy.
The next book in the trilogy is Order of the Undying, 2nd Edition which should be out in October.
Why a 2nd Edition?
Some readers were curious about what happened during a gap in time near the end of Order of the Undying involving a journey across the Dim Sea, so I decided to expand the Incarnation storyline. That gap is now the setting of a pivotal new adventure to appear in the final book, Dark Waters (~spring 2021).
Also, changing the point of view of the main character from dual first person to first and third person necessitated a rewrite from the beginning. This was done to synch up the writing style with a related series Luminary.
Happy reading!
K.
November 14, 2016
Book signing event: This is how it went down
The goal was simple: sell 10 books to win a place on the store’s bookshelf. It was the day before Halloween and our time slot ran from noon until 4:00 pm. Although SPARX Incarnation is available nearly anywhere in the world online (plus it can be ordered from in-store kiosks), getting copies into bookstores can be a bit of a challenge for a new author.
GaleWind Books had a fresh print run of the Full Edition (Parts I & II combined) standing by from Montreal’s Rapido Books, and the quality was fantastic: color map, premium paper, and well-bound. Gena (from GaleWind) agreed to accompany me. She had done some web research on new author book signings and said that selling and signing 4 to 8 books seemed to be about average in Ottawa, and those who sold/signed 20 books had something to gloat about. Unfortunately, some even get skunked. I went in expecting an absolute minimum of 2, an absolute maximum of 20, and a middle-of-the-road expectation of selling/signing 4 to 8. We would have to do better than middle-of-the-road though. We needed 10. On top of that, the price was on the high side (close to $30 CAD after tax) which I was worried might deter some readers. The pressure was on.
A surprisingly large number of preparations preceded the book signing. Little things, mostly, but never a shortage of them and always a hitch or two just to keep life challenging. Here is what we did.
Prep work
A good friend had printed off our three book covers as 24” x 36” posters. We framed the Full Edition poster in a fancy wooden frame and put the other two in plain black frames, movie-theatre style. Next, we picked up an easel to display the main SPARX Incarnation poster so it would stand on its own.
Why did we bring all three book cover posters? Although we were only selling the Full Edition, we thought the other two covers might draw in fantasy readers. Plus, there was the Halloween factor – the Part I & II covers are kind of creepy.
Next we printed flyers and info sheets. We weren’t really sure what we would do with them all, but we printed them anyway. We also laminated story maps as a free giveaway with the book, and bought some lollipops and put them in a bowl. Despite my maximum expectation of having a 20-book day, we packed 96 books ... just in case. In retrospect, that was a bit of overkill. Gena also crafted announcements for the PA system (which, unfortunately, was not available). 
The setup
I imagined we would have some elbow room, like a corner or something. We didn’t. We had a small table with adjustable height – either perfect for sitting or perfect for standing behind. I chose the standing. The placement was ideal, right beside the main entrance. Customers entering could choose to look my way or keep their blinders on and fixate straight ahead as they passed. A lot of people took a good long look at the posters as they strolled by.
Not so many came over upon entering the store. They wandered around for a while and then circled back.
I put the Full Edition poster in the most visible spot beside the table, and the others in front of a cook book table that wasn’t getting much attention anyway. Right behind me was Mike Myer’s new book (Don’t worry Mike, I didn’t block the view much. Plus, I recommended a copy to someone too, so we’re even, right?)
Dynamics
We started off great. As we were setting up, our first reader swung by and agreed to buy a book. He was only in the store by chance – to wash up after car trouble, and we had a very interesting conversation*. Gena passed out flyers and also left some on the tables at the in-store café. Her efforts brought people to the event.
It was a Sunday though, and traffic seemed a little thin. Indeed, the store manager confirmed that it was a little slow. At the time, I wondered if Halloween might have something to do with it. Perhaps people were out costume hunting instead, or had stayed up late at Halloween parties the night before, or were just doing a candy and treat run to get ready for trick-or-treaters. Whatever the reason, the first two hours were slow. By about 2:15 I had signed four books – not quite halfway after more than half the time.
But then something happened.
Things started to pick up. More people showed interest. Fantasy readers from all walks of life stood around sharing their opinions and personal stories with us. At times, a small crowd gathered. There were even a few line-ups. People were asking for books, and several young teens on their own showed interest and then went off to find their parents. On top of that, Gena kept walking through the store, handing out pamphlets and bringing people in. So we had a managed to draw in a late surge on top of maintaining that steady pulse. As 4:00 pm approached, we sold our eleventh book.
Then, as we began to pack up, came the “window is closing effect.” We sold and signed another five copies, for a grand total of 16 books! SPARX Incarnation is on the shelf as I write this!
*The next day, our very first book signing reader emailed a great review to GaleWind after rifling through the first 400 pages before dinner! He finished it the next day. That’s the kind of reaction that puts wind in my sails!
Stats
I kept track of a few things. Not a lot, but just enough to answer a few questions I knew I would be wanting the answers to later. Here they are:
Male enquiries: 19
Female enquiries: 19
Couples (MF included in above numbers): (6)
Total number of enquiries: 38 over 4 hours (averages to one every 6-7 minutes)
Male buyers: 8
Female buyers: 8
Couple buyers: (1) (included with the male count, as he was the one interested)
Total sold: 16
I was surprised at the exact equal split between male and female buyers. Couples generally didn’t end up purchasing a book, although two or three women out on their own bought one for their significant other who was not present. With 38 enquiries, having 16 buyers equates to about a 42% success rate.
Things that seemed to work well
• Having another person at the signing to help out.
• Posters and cover art that drew people in.
• Pamphlets on nearby tables + handing out to Sci-Fi & Fantasy section browsers.
• Book summaries and quality binding (people want a solid product). Knowing how to describe the book. I kept it very simple. Gena focused on the vision.
• Laminated story maps were a big hit.
• Striking up a good conversation.
• Personalized signatures.
Missteps and lessons learned
• I don’t have any pictures of the book signing event. We were so busy with people we forgot to take any. We should have taken a few pics at the beginning when only a handful of people came by.
• I never thought to prepare a big sign that says “Author Book Signing Event.” Some people were wondering what the heck we were doing there. Some thought it was a kind of book fair, while others imagined it was the food-for-thought equivalent of a baked goods sale. I sort of had the impression in my head that it would be obvious to everyone that I was doing a book signing event, or that the store would have a banner maybe – I just didn’t think this aspect through or verify the setup one way or the other.
• I believe that one of the readers bought a copy of the book but did not take a map. I had mentioned it at one point, but we had a good long chat and her two adorable children kept her mind busy as well – they have really great names, by the way. Sam (short for Samantha?): If you are out there I would love to send you the map! Please pass your mailing address along to galewindbooks@gmail.com. To verify that it is really you, please include your special way of spelling the name of a certain scary movie that you mentioned (the way it sounds). Do you remember the conversation?
A BIG thank you to …
Allana for graciously inviting us to Chapters; the staff for making us feel welcome; Gena for convincing me to go and for rounding up fantasy fans when we got there; Paul for supplying the fantastic posters; My Aunt Marvel & cousin Kayleigh for visiting; interesting people in general for stopping to chat; and of course, all the great fantasy readers we met!
