Greg Hamerton's Blog, page 8
September 3, 2010
Author interview in The Star
One of the joys of being a fantasy author is being interviewed about writing fantasy (which is, after all, my favourite subject). Nerine Dorman interviewed me for The Star (part of the Independent News and Media group in South Africa). We talked about Ametheus, my relationship with Twardy Zarost and Tabitha's inspiring nature, as well as my favourite scenes and sources of inspiration.
Read the full interview on their website:
Enter South African fantasy author's world of music and magic.
September 2, 2010
Online marketing for fantasy novels
Effective book promotion and online marketing can make a big difference to building the brand of any new fantasy author. As part of my own efforts to publicise my fantasy novels, I've been studying graphic design and online marketing with the folks over at Sessions College for Professional Design. Highly recommended! Their courses don't come cheap, but the content is detailed, relevant and very useful. This website was designed using principles covered in the course, and I'm knee deep in the ...
August 27, 2010
How to find a fantasy publisher
You've written your first fantasy novel. You've gone over it a hundred times, checked spelling, grammar and done all manner of editing tweaks with every fine toothcomb you can find. It is perfect. Ready to print, in your opinion. It's practically burning a hole in the table, the magic is so hot.
But you're a step ahead of the game. You know you don't want a pile of books under the staircase, or another POD book in the sparkling obscurity of a bottomless online catalogue … you want to be on...
August 26, 2010
New fantasy book giveaway
If the best things in life are free, then free things must be the best
but if it costs nothing to write a book, why do they charge for the rest? — Zarost
August 24, 2010
More five star book reviews for Second Sight!
The new fantasy novel Second Sight seems to be making an impact on Goodreads.
Cynde Mitchell just rated it:
I really enjoyed this novel. it reminds me a lot of the novels by Katherine Kurtz-Deryni books. I'd like to read the first one too. It was a great read and easily read. The book was extremely well written and engrossing!!!
The second review comes from my good old dad. He is super-intelligent and has read most of the books in the library, so I'm chuffed as all hell that he likes the...
August 19, 2010
In conversation with Fantasy Book Review
A few years ago, Lee at Fantasy Book Review set out on a quest to find the top 100 fantasy books of all time. In a unique approach, the books are rated between 0.0 and 10.0 which offers a much more precise appraisal than the usual 5 star scale. This allows for an interesting ranking system which is enriched as more books are added. At the moment the book count is around the 250 mark. The Riddler's Gift was reviewed in 2008 and has held its own on the chart amongst books by David Gemmell...
August 16, 2010
Lifesong fantasy series released in the USA!
A few days ago, a box arrived containing these proofs for the shiny new version of the Tale of the Lifesong fantasy series. I'm impressed with the print quality and have approved the production, so The Riddler's Gift and Second Sight are now available in the USA.
Although my books and specials are still available to US customers on greghamerton.com, the cost of international airmail makes some of the options expensive. So I'm delighted to announce that you can now buy the Tale of the...
August 15, 2010
The Painted Man – fighting back against our demons
Fantasy novel review: The Painted Man by Peter Brett.
Brett's writing is simple, unpretentious, and action-packed. The Painted Man is a blend of a coming-of-age tale, a monster-violence thriller and a speculation on human nature. When Brett switches from Arlen's viewpoint and demonstrates that there is more to the story than the standard fantasy fare (a country bumpkin goes on a quest to learn magic and save the world) I know I'll stay till the end. Although the fast-paced action is often...
August 14, 2010
In conversation with author Nerine Dorman
On shadows, dens of iniquity, magic, and the influence of South AfricaNerine Dorman is a South African author, journalist and editor. She débuted with the dark horror series of Kephera Rising and Kephera Redeemed, but has many strings to her bow – travel writing, young adult fantasy and erotic fiction. How she keeps this caleidoscope of creativity going while working a full-time job with a national South African newspaper is beyond me. I got to know her during one of her projects last year...
August 13, 2010
A dark and gothic South African fantasy
Khepera Rising by Nerine Dorman was published by Lyrical Press in December 2009. The sequel, Khepera Redeemed was released in June 2010. Published as urban fantasy, it would more aptly be classified as horror.
It is an incendiary work of black magic that will leave kindergoths wide-eyed.
Occultist James Edward Guillaume enjoys living up to his reputation as South Africa's wickedest man, but in so doing, he becomes a target for those who believe his esoteric arts and alternative lifestyle are...
