Greg Hamerton's Blog, page 9
August 12, 2010
Fantasy books and viral marketing
Because I'm actively involved in promoting my own titles, I'm always on the lookout for clever ways to find new readers. Well here's a very very clever viral marketing campaign designed by Orbit for the new fantasy novel The Black Prism by Brent Weeks. Because it's viral, when it works, it infects you with enthusiasm for the book. So now that I've caught it, I'm passing it on to you!
Made of wavelengths shorter than most human eyes can see, superviolet luxin...
A masterpiece of fantasy
Memory and Dream by Charles de LintThis story had a deep impact on me. It opens with an innocent sketch in a town square; it soon becomes a deeply engaging study of the act of creation and the mind of an artist.
If I took out my editor's pencil, I'd only be able to mark one paragraph in the entire book, where a minor character is granted a bit too much page space to rant about his over-intellectualised opinions of art. It is in character though. And that's it. The single tiny flaw I was aware ...
August 3, 2010
An interview with Toad
The internet is stranger than a fantasy novel. I've been working hard to publicise the release of Second Sight, digging under the surface of fantasy book review sites, turning over fantasy/sci-fi blogs to see what's underneath, blinking into the bright lights of international obscurity on YouTube. I remember a pizza with mushrooms, I remember a glass of red wine … I woke up today, and found that I had been interviewed… by Toad.
TOAD: When did you know you had it in you to be a writer?
Many, ...
August 2, 2010
Magic and make-believe … on Fantasy Book Critic
Now that Second Sight has been released, it's time to take Tabitha and her crew on a blog tour to find some interesting websites and have some fun. What better place to begin than Fantasy Book Critic, a mighty fantasy book review site in the States. They produce in-depth critiques of the books they read and they're not afraid to slate the books they don't like. I follow their reviews on Goodreads to keep up to date with the latest developments in fantasy.
Developing second sight, with one eye...
August 1, 2010
Second Sight launch party!
Stroll on over to the Tale of the Lifesong page on Facebook and join us by scratching something on the wall. Then at 6pm the Crowbar will be open here for a live chat with the author, fans, and strange creatures …
July 30, 2010
Come to the book launch party for Second Sight!
Come and join me for a bit of release day fun. At 5pm (GMT) on 1 August 2010 there's a launch party for Second Sight on Facebook and you're welcome. This is a virtual party … just wander over to the Tale of the Lifesong group page then post whatever you like on the wall.
Bring an image from Eyri … a sprite, a mote, the last photo your friend took on his phone when he tried to raise a morgloth. Come surprise us with the image post, scratch a secret you stole from the Shadowcasters on the...
Fantasy Book Critic review of Second Sight
Another 5 star review, this time from Liviu Suciu of Fantasy Book Critic, 
a seasoned reviewer in the US who reads more fantasy novels than anyone I know. If you enjoy deep insight into the latest fantasy novels, I highly recommend checking out the website by clicking on the image.
Liviu wrote: "Second Sight" is the second Tale of the Lifesong following the author's debut "The Riddler's Gift". While quite a traditional fantasy tale – the destined girl, the magical artifact, the mentor of the...
July 26, 2010
First review for Second Sight
Second Sight just got a 5 star review!
A few advance reading copies of the new fantasy novel Second Sight went out last week. The first review has just come in from Samantha Shove:
"This book continues the promise of the epic fantasy laid down by Riddler's Gift and follows the story with all the dry wit, humour, tenderness, magic, mystery and mayhem (actually there's a hell of a lot more mayhem in this one, unsurprisingly considering where they're travelling through) found in the first...
July 25, 2010
Developing creative consciousness for fantasy writing
Reading fantasy fiction allows us to dream in a very vivid way. Writing fantasy fiction takes the dreaming to another level. You are the dreamer who leads the dream, the creator of the dreamworld. It is the most powerful kind of meditation, an experience of controlled psychosis that results in a prolonged experience of altered consciousness. In this article I will examine ways in which you can induce the receptive state, how you can deepen the intensity of the dream, and how to hold onto the ...
Wicked fantasy author interview
This interview was conducted in June 2007 by Something Wicked Magazine, when Viane Venter talked to Greg Hamerton about The Riddler's Gift.
The average South African 'best-seller' comes in at just 4000 copies, and with writers typically seeing less than 10% of the returns, it's anything but a get-rich-quick profession. In a market of 'serious' and 'worthy' novels, fantasy fiction is an even tougher nut to crack, but there are some hungry young newcomers who plan to do just that.
Greg...
