R.K. Lander's Blog, page 2

Return of a Warlord Emerges

It’s been a while.

Summer has come and gone and now it’s time for book four. Return of a Warlord is being crafted and Shitty Draft #1 is slowly coming together.

It didn’t take me as long as I thought it would to slip back into my writing routine; getting up at six and writing, resisting the urge to check mail and stats. I put my background music on, brew coffee, eat biscuits and stare at the screen. Seconds later, my fingers are working.

Yes I know. My lamp doubles up as a dunce hat, but on with the story. 

This morning I managed to get through half a packet of Cadbury’s chocolate fingers. That’s the thing about writing action scenes; they’re fattening.

So where are we? Chapter six and the crew are heading back to the forest. I just scheduled with my developmental editor and my beta reader is right there with me, thrashing out a skirmish in the woods. Oh, I love this part of the process, those moments when you get the first glimpse of something you really like, a passage that just pulls everything together, a thought or reflexion that just feels right, that closes that chapter the way you want it to.

The bummer is that I have to eat and do the shopping. I have to put the washing machine on and look like a normal person in normal clothes and brushed hair. 

So apart from the draft, I have two events booked for the next six months. I will be in Glasgow for the British Fantasy Society’s FantasyCon. I’ll be there from the 18th to the 20th of October, so if any of you are passing that way, I am staying in a pub hotel – extremely convenient for fantasy writers, let me tell you. 

 

In March, I’ll be attending the Self Publishing Show Live in central London and the day after, I’ll be at the London Book Fair, and hopefully meeting the wonderful people from ALLI, the Alliance of Independent Authors. It promises to be fun and informative. If you’re around, drinks are on me. I’ll be in London from the 8th to the 11th of March.

Finally, I am planning to launch a box set with the first three books in the Silvan Saga. This is the Warrior Cycle. The next books in the series are the Warlord Cycle. The set will only be for Kindle initially although I am looking into producing a physical version.

So that’s about it for now. It’s time for breakfast and for the outside world to come into focus. Deviants are crawling back into the shadows, Fel’annár is waving goodbye for the day and the sun has come out. Until next time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audiobook Pre-release. Dawn of a Legend is Coming.

Dawn of a Legend Audiobook is now available on pre-release from Amazon. And that was quick. Unfortunately, this time round, I didn’t get to speak to my narrator, hell I wasn’t even in the loop. 

Luckily, reviews on Audible are still at 4.8 and 4.9 for Path and Road, so I am only slightly concerned that Daniel has the female voices as they should be. That was my main concern for book one, and book three does have two female characters. Tensari and Llyniel hit the scene and I can’t wait to hear them. I just need to stay positive and trust they’re gonna sound great.

One voice I always really liked was Pan’assár. So haughty and utterly Alpine, and I’m wondering now, what voice Daniel is going to conjure for Lords Sulen and Ras’dán. I’d love a Christopher Lee-type arch-baddie vibe, but I’m gonna have to wait to find out.

How about you? Which voices did you love? Which ones did you hate? 

 

 

Dawn of a Legend Launch Party

Dawn of a Legend is on its way and this is how we celebrated. 

I’d never organized a Cosplay party before, but I’ll certainly be doing it again. Seeing my garden full of elves – and me being sober – was quite a breath-taker. I mean, take a look.

 

With a quick welcome speech and then plenty of Bucks Fizz and Piña Colada, the activities began. The weather was just amazing, and candles and torches were blazing, adding to an already amazing atmosphere.

Jesus got the show rolling with his fire juggling.

https://www.rklander.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/fa5556bb-9010-41d0-acde-1ac794bf43eb.mp4

 

I have to say I did find some burnt wig hair on the lawn the next morning …

The warriors of Asociación Fénix then went on to teach us how to defend ourselves against the wicked Deviants. This is one of the better results …

https://www.rklander.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/b8bdb982-6012-4933-b3f0-cd0871fb84fa.mp4

I knew Sofia was a bookshop owner, but an elven warrior? Blimey.

And then came the dancing, to the beautiful Prayer, by Rolf Loveland. I think this might be Aria, come to celebrate the Dawn of a Legend.

https://www.rklander.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/FairyDance-1.mp4

 

And then a Deviant came and scared the wits out of everyone. Finally over the fright, I signed a few books. (Ever seen an elf wearing glasses?) We also judged the best costume, with the prize going to Micu and Antonio.

 

 

I was so pleased with the evening and I can’t wait to finish book four, just so that I can do it all again! For now though, it is a slow descent into concentration, planning, and the Rise of a Warlord.

Thanks for reading.

Dawn of a Legend. One Week Later.

So this is the way I like to start a launch. Dawn of a Legend is off to a grand start with best seller badges on the .com and .co.uk stores. And let’s not forget Australia!

Dawn is also ranking number 1 in various categories and my job is to keep it there for as long as possible. One week on and organic performance has been measured. Now, it’s time for promo…

Yesterday, promo went out on ereadernewstoday for book I, Path of a Novice, which has been reduced to 99C for the first 30 days of launch.Today, it will feature on http://www.fkbt.com and across their social media platforms. On Wednesday, we’ll be featuring on http://www.bookraid.com, then from Friday, on http://www.booksbutterfly.com. From the 6th of May, the Book Blitz for Dawn of a Legend begins. I’ll create a separate posts for the links.

So has it all been flowers? Eh, no. While feedback has been amazing, we are only a week into launch, which means the reviews, although they are trickling in, numbers are still quite low. One bad review and that takes you down a good chunk. And yes, we got a 2-star review from someone who liked the book but read far too much into the political plot line and thought I was sitting on the other side of his / her fence. Hopefully, reviews to come will take us back up to five stars.

I have also been checking my author ranking on Amazon and am delighted that we have hit an all-time high today.

#424 out of all fantasy authors on Amazon is pretty amazong!

Amazing too. But this is addictive and I wonder if I can’t work on that. 

So what now? Well, I sit and wait, and slowly but surely prepare myself for work on book four. I need to get back into that routine. Early nights and early mornings, but for now, I just want to relax, have fun, have a launch party and thank everyone who has been participating, reading, reviewing, motivating or simply hitting the like buttons across my social media. These moments don’t last long but they are memorable. If you’re one of those people, you’re amazing and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And now for coffee, biscuits and a ball game with my dogs.

Dawn of a Legend Release Day

It takes me a year to write a book, which means it’s been two years since Path of a Novice, the starter novel in the Silvan Saga. Book two, Road of a Warrior, went on to win the Best Indie Book Award 2018 for fantasy and who knows, you might be reading the third and latest instalment, Dawn of a Legend in just twenty-four hours. So I prepared a short video to refresh your memories. I hope you’ll like it and maybe share it; that would be very nice indeed.

I am desperately trying not to wring my hands and keeping myself busy. Yesterday I played padel and all but destroyed the balls and today, I am pacing. I will have to find a distraction. At least it’s market day so I can wander around the stalls and forget that tomorrow will be the Dawn of Dawn of a Legend.

I can do it, I know I can …

https://www.rklander.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Saga1-2.mp4

Dawn of a Legend Pre-release

It’s pre-release day!!

I can’t believe the time has finally come to release this into the wide world. You can’t read it just yet but there are only EIGHT DAYS TO GO!! 

Feedback from my amazing team of Advanced Copy readers has been just wonderful and I am dying to hear what you think about Fel’annár’s new adventure. But before we get to that stage, I have to knock this show into shape, and that’s not easy!!

So my categories on Amazon are all over the place and it’s Sunday, which means I can’t speak to anyone, and I need to speak to someone because the person that emailed me doesn’t understand me – and I don’t understand him. Blimey.

I am also waiting to get my print cover back from the designers, which should happen tomorrow so that I can get that soft cover produced and uploaded. Can’t sign books if I don’t have any to sign right? Not that I have any book signings – but I will, I will …

So if you want to rush out and order your copy today you can do that on all the major retailers. Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple … wherever you’re most comfortable. I just hope that when the time comes and you have it, that you enjoy it, and that perhaps you will tell me that you did.

You know when I think back over this last year, of those cold mornings at 05:30, writing in pyjamas with a dog on my lap and my tea station on overload – it’s like releasing something precious into the world – something I put my heart into. But I know I can’t protect it, because once it’s out there it is no longer just mine. Where the Hell is my tissue box … and don’t anyone dare give me a one-star review!! LOL.

So that’s me on a pre-release Sunday. Hopefully next week, I can share some great stats with you.

Have a wonderful week.

 

 

 

 

Dawn of a Legend Update #6

It’s T-minus 25 days to go for the launch of Dawn of a Legend and the Advance Reader Copies are in the hands of my Street Team. This is the first time the manuscript is being read by someone that is not me, my editor or my beta reader and I am quaking in my boots, seriously.

First reactions are great but it’s early days and I’m still not sure how good this book feels to others with respect to the first and second volumes. I think it’s better, but does everyone else feel the same? I’m about to find out, for better or for worse.

For now, there are some typos being reported, something I knew would happen but my team are picking them up and flinging them back at me. And while I´m tweaking, there is promo to set up, formatting to be done,  and a whole array of other mundane stuff that needs to be done.

Did I say I was quaking in my boots? Yes, I think I did. Time for a cup of tea, or even a cup of wine (I deserve it). 

If you have a blog and would like to participate in the Book Blitz set for 6th May, you’ll find more information below. I’d love to see you on the tour.

 

Dawn of a Legend Update #5

T-minus SIX WEEKS to launch. I just can’t believe where time went. Editing has begun and I am still tweaking furiously together with my utterly amazing beta reader Meng. Book one was a world-opener, book two was a world-builder, and I really want to make book three a show-stopper.

As any indie author knows, it’s not over when the book is ready, in fact it all just gets even more frantic and that is exactly where I am at. To start, Path of a Novice will be FREE on March 20th, on Amazon, Kobo, BN and Apple, and following that, we have the cover reveal set for 27th March.

If you have a blog, I wonder if you would like to participate? Just hop over to Xpresso Book Tours and see how you can help to launch Dawn of a Legend up to the stars! Well one can dream, right? Here’s the link: Dawn of a Legend cover reveal sign up.

Another thing about the promo phase, is that authors become shameless, and I am no exception. So, if there is anything you think you can do on your blog, website or social media to help Dawn of a Legend off to the best start it can get, I can provide you with a media kit with information and graphics you can use as you see fit.

And if you don’t think there’s anything you can do, you’re probably wrong, because even if you hit the ‘like’  or ‘share’ buttons here, on Facebook or Twitter during the next few months, that always helps.

And if you yourself are an author, maybe you have discovered some wonderful places for promo, or perhaps you have some great ideas you think I could use. If you do, please leave a comment, I’d love to hear what you know, what you’ve done, what worked and what didn’t. 

So back to tweaking and drinking coffee. I might even change out of my pyjamas and into some clothes – later – maybe.

Road of a Warrior Audiobook Release

So Road of a Warrior audiobook released 28th February, and made its way straight to “Hot New Release” on Amazon. That’s great news. I am still on chapter six and really enjoying it,  pottering in the garden while Daniel Thomas May reads my story. I still can’t get used to that but am loving it, honestly.

Releasing audiobooks is totally new to me. I could have gone the indie road and produced them myself, take the risk of spending thousands on a good production and narrator and hope that sales make up for the investment. Instead, I managed to land a great deal with Tantor Media and they offered me a contract for the first three books in the Silvan Series. I am not sure they know there will be more books in the series, and when book four becomes a reality, I will have to sit down and think about whether I want to go the ‘published’ road. You may be asking why.

At the time I accepted that contract, I was so busy writing, getting my head around being an indie author, understanding algorithms, promotion tactics, social media and everything that goes with the trade – I just didn’t feel I had the time for all the reading and research it was going to take me to do it myself. And then there is that ‘not-too-well-established’ author syndrome that drones away in your head saying, “What if it’s a flop?” “How many people actually listen to audiobooks?” 

I don’t regret working with Tantor at all and may well accept other offers that may come my way in the future. The cash came in handy and to be quite honest, it wasn’t the time to take the risk. But there are downsides. For one, I have no control over how the audiobooks are promoted and sold. I can’t choose categories, keywords and this, to the eyes of any indie author, is a terrible thing. We all know the value of properly categorising our books and therefore audiobooks. My epic fantasy story is in the Fairy Tales category on the UK store. 

Fairy tales? There is some Deviant (zombie) warrior with a rusty scimitar slicing through elven warriors, spewing guts all over the place and my book is in the Fairy Tales category. What a shock to some poor, unsuspecting amazon client. And who will they complain to?

The other question is the apparent lack of promotion going on. I see nothing at all, which really does seem like a recipe for failure, but maybe I’m wrong and it’s going on somewhere I can’t see? To be quite honest, the only reason the audio got to “Best New Release” seems to be because the books are ranking relatively well in their respective categories.

It is great that my books were deemed worthy of being published by one of the greats, but who knows, Rise of a Warlord may be produced by Yours Truly. Luckily there is still a year to go before that dilemma re-emerges and bites me in the bum.

I hope you enjoy the audiobooks. I’d love to hear your feedback.

Dawn of a Legend Update #4

It’s T minus three months to launch and there’s so much stuff going on right now.

Shiny new website

I have a shiny-new website and I’m dying to know what you think. Lots of hard work has brought me here, to a point where I needed a professionally-developed site to showcase my fantasy series and hopefully, interact more fully with my readers. 

There’s still work to be done. There are banners to develop and buttons to tweak, bits and pieces of coding and of course me getting my head around it all. Still, I’m chuffed with the results.

Coaching and editing

Dawn of a Legend is coming along just fine. We’re well into the third draft now and work is full-on. Early starts and midday siestas are on the menu, it’s the time when neighbours start wondering if I’ve gone mad, asking themselves why I am still in pyjamas at lunch time. But they know I don’t care about that.

When are we launching? We’re on target for a late April to early May release. There will be a cover reveal on 27th March and I’m wondering if any of you would like to participate? If you would, please visit this link to Xpresso, the organisers. I’d love to see my cover on your sites.

Sign up to participate in the cover reveal!

Audio Books

Path of a Novice is now available as a pre-release on Audible. You can check it out here. And Road of a Warrior has just popped up on the Tantor site with a release date of 28th February. The sample is not available yet though, and here I am frantically refreshing the site so I can be the first to hear it

Path of a Novice release date: 12 February

Road of a Warrior release date: 28th February

Remember, those of you on my newsletter email list get to participate in a prize draw. By purchasing Path of a Novice on Audible as a pre-release, you could win a signed, dedicated copy of book one or book two. I deliver internationally, so wherever you are, you’ll get it.

So back to work for now. Don’t forget to leave your comments on the new website!