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Excerpt Thursday: SILENT ORDER: ECLIPSE HAND

SILENT ORDER: OMNIBUS ONE was on Bookbub earlier this week, so today’s excerpt is from its immediate sequel, SILENT ORDER: ECLIPSE HAND.

This was the book I wrote to prove that you could write, edit, layout, and publish a book using entirely free software, so I have a soft spot for it.

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“Well, the director thought I had enough to publish,” said Cassandra. “I just had to think up a clever name for my device. I called it the Eclipse since eclipses are my favorite astronomical phenomenon, other than comets. We published the results, and then I forgot about it.”

“But then,” said March, “strange things started to happen to you.”

Cassandra blinked. “How did you know?”

“Because I know part of the story that you do not,” said March. “Go on.”

“Okay,” said Cassandra. She looked uneasy again. “Well…my paper got pulled. No one would tell me why. Then the military came to interview me. They seemed to approve of the work that I had done. But they told me I couldn’t leave Sonari City, and people were following me everywhere I went. Then I met Captain Torrence. I was sitting in a coffee house near the Sonari City spaceport, thinking about maybe leaving Oradrea for a while, when he sat next to me. He told me that he was part of the Silent Order, even though I could get him arrested by the secret police for telling me that. He said that I had discovered something dangerous to both the Oradrean government and the Final Consciousness, and they would kill me for it.” She swallowed. “I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t tell anyone. Then the next day I met President Murdan. He’s, uh, the President of Oradrea, if you haven’t heard of him.”

“I have,” said March. “President-For-Life Paul Murdan, I understand. Tell me more.”

“He was waiting in my lab at the University with his security people,” said Cassandra. “I didn’t know why the President would care about the Eclipse device. But he was friendly. He congratulated me on my work, said I was a credit to Oradrean science. But his security people…they kept staring at me. You know how men sometimes stare at women?”

“I’m familiar with the idea, yes,” said March.

She missed the sarcasm. “Men usually don’t stare at me because I’m not…you know, pretty,” she was wrong about that, “but they sometimes do. This, though…it was like they were wolves and I was a sheep. I didn’t like it. President Murdan said he would send a car for me to visit the Presidential Palace the next day, and…and I panicked. It was exactly what Captain Torrence had said would happen. And…I know what happens to people who disappear, who get on the bad side of the government. I’ve seen the execution videos the secret police put out.”

“So how did you get away?” said March.

“The astronomy department has a telescope in orbit,” said Cassandra. “Every week one of the instructors from the astronomy department takes the shuttle up to the telescope station to do maintenance. I put drugs in his coffee and stole the shuttle.”

“I’m impressed,” said March.

Cassandra blushed. “I…well, I was desperate. And the autopilot was pretty good. Captain Torrence said his starliner would be in the JX2278C system in another four days, and if I arrived, he would make sure I got asylum on Calaskar. I headed for JX2278C and jumped to this system…and then those Raptors were waiting for me. You know the rest.”

“I see,” said March. “That plastic trunk of yours, the heavy one. I assume you’ve got a prototype of the Eclipse device in there.”

“And the blueprints and technical documentation,” said Cassandra.

“That’s good,” said March.

“So…will you help me?” said Cassandra. “Will you take me to JX2278C and Captain Torrence’s ship? I think it’s called the Alpine.”

“I will,” said March. “If I can.”

Cassandra frowned. “If you can? Oh, the damaged hyperdrive.”

“It’s worse than that,” said March. “We’re both in a lot of trouble.”

Cassandra flinched. “But…but why?”

“Because I know the other half of the story that you don’t,” said March.

-JM

GHOST IN THE AMULET rough draft done!

I am pleased to report that the rough draft of GHOST IN THE AMULET is done! Amusingly enough, it is almost exactly as long as GHOST IN THE GLASS.

What will GHOST IN THE AMULET be about? A six word TV Guide style summary:

Caina meets Aunt Talmania. Trouble enuses!

Next up, I’m a quarter of the way through CLOAK & GHOST: LOST GATE, another crossover where Nadia Moran meets a version of Caina who lives on her world. My newsletter subscribers will get it for free when GHOST IN THE AMULET comes out. (You should really subscribe to my newsletter!) What is CLOAK & GHOST: LOST GATE going to be about? I’m glad you asked!

Andromache Kardamnos needs a favor, and since Andromache is in the High Queen’s good graces, Caina needs to help her.

But Andromache’s problem is way more serious than it appears on the surface – something is draining the life force of children born at the hospital Andromache founded.

To solve Andromache’s problem, Caina’s going to need to call in help from the most dangerous wizard she knows: Nadia Moran.

-JM

 

 

GHOST IN THE AMULET progress

Wrote 6600 words of GHOST IN THE AMULET yesterday, much of it while waiting for a phone call.

The nice thing about writing is that you can fit it around other things.

Like, I wrote the first chapter of FROSTBORN: THE BROKEN MAGE sitting in a car waiting to pick someone up. And speaking of cars, I’ve written large chunks of previous GHOSTS books while sitting in the waiting rooms of various car repair businesses.

-JM

Interesting Links #24: Kickstarter Crash

For the 24th Interesting Links post, we discuss writing advice, changing publishing technology, and the dangers of crowdfunding.

-At some point, you have to stop rewriting your book and move on to a new one: The Rewriting Myth.

-I’ve been meaning to read Peter Grant’s new SF trilogy, and here he discusses some lessons learned from writing all the books at once and then releasing them one at a time: Lessons Learned From A Trilogy: An Interim Report.

-I thought shifting from CreateSpace to KDP Print was going to be annoying, but it went more or less smoothly. CreateSpace Closing -It’s Official.

-An interview with a KDP manager: Self-Publishing Ebooks With Amazon KDP.

-This year is the 27th anniversary of Linux! So, 27 Interesting Facts About Linux.

-Don’t get an agent. Self-publish! Agent’s Former Clients Speak Out.

-If you’re self-publishing a book, you probably need a cover designer. Here’s a good article on how to work with a cover designer.

-When I need a break, I play some Skyrim and mow down some dragons. Why Every Indie Author Needs To Take A Break Now And Again.

-I agree with this: 5 Reasons This Is The Best Time To Be A Creator.

-A lot of people fail to realize that running a successful Kickstarter is a LOT like running a small business, with all the same problems as a small business. The Kickstarter money just replaces the small business loan. When Kickstarters fail, it’s because people didn’t realize they’re basically starting a small business: How a CEO fiddled while beloved board game Glory to Rome crashed and burned.

-JM

SILENT ORDER: OMNIBUS ONE special sale

SILENT ORDER: ARK HAND is coming out this month, so SILENT ORDER: OMNIBUS ONE is on sale for $0.99 USD for the next few days. You can get it at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Google Play.

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-JM

GHOST IN THE AMULET underway!

Now that SEVENFOLD SWORD: SERPENT is out, it’s full speed ahead on the rough draft GHOST IN THE AMULET!

I’m currently on Chapter 15 of 20.

A couple of weeks ago a concerned reader asked if the GHOSTS series had been banned from Amazon, because 1.) it had been so long since a new GHOSTS book (GHOST IN THE GLASS came out in December 2017), and 2.) a bunch of writers recently got banned from Amazon.

Nah. To get properly banned from Amazon, you need to engage in TOS-violating shenanigans while being in Kindle Unlimited. I don’t do shenanigans, and I don’t have any books in Kindle Unlimited. The real reason it’s been so long is that writing both CLOAK GAMES and GHOSTS at the same time was getting to be a strain, so I decided to finish CLOAK GAMES first, and then come back to GHOSTS. The original plan was to publish GHOST IN THE AMULET in August, but I realized I needed to write one more CLOAK GAMES book than I had originally thought, so I did CLOAK GAMES: MAGE FALL first.

But! If all goes well, GHOST IN THE AMULET should be out in October, along with a bonus CLOAK & GHOST book. And I think I’ll be able to have another GHOSTS book published in December.

And, who knows? Maybe I’ll have some good news about GHOSTS audiobooks before the end of 2018.

-JM

Excerpt Thursday: SEVENFOLD SWORD: CHAMPION

It’s Excerpt Thursday! And since SEVENFOLD SWORD: CHAMPION was a Kindle US Daily Deal yesterday, let’s have an excerpt from CHAMPION!

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“But where am I?” said Ridmark. “What is the name of this land?”

For a moment, bewilderment overruled pain on the old knight’s face. “You truly do not know?”

Ridmark shook his head.

“This is the Nine Cities, the realm of the Nine Kings of Owyllain, ruled by the Pendragon High King in the city of Aenesium,” said Tyromon. “At least, it used to be. Then that harlot Talitha betrayed High King Kothlaric, and the Seven Swords appeared, and…”

Tyromon winced and closed his eyes. He went rigid, and Ridmark feared that death had claimed the old warrior.

“Who are you?” said Tyromon. “I have not long until I stand before the judgment seat of the Dominus Christus, and it seems my vision becomes clearer. You wear the armor of a dark elven lord, yet you have the brand of a coward upon your left cheek, and while you speak Latin, your accent is strange.”

“My name is Ridmark Arban. I am the Shield Knight of Andomhaim.”

“Andomhaim?” said Tyromon, blinking. “No, impossible. The urdmordar destroyed Andomhaim long before our ancestors came here.” His voice was growing fainter.

“An elven wizard called Rhodruthain brought me here,” said Ridmark.

That brought a blaze of wrath to Tyromon’s face. “Rhodruthain? Are you certain?”

“Entirely,” said Ridmark. “He carried a staff of red gold with its end shaped into a dragon’s head.”

“He betrayed us,” said Tyromon. “High King Kothlaric defeated the Sovereign and scattered his hosts, but the Master Talitha and the Guardian betrayed us. This damned war could have been averted.”

“What happened here?” said Ridmark.

“We were betrayed,” said Tyromon. “King Hektor sent us to reinforce the Arcanius Knight Archaelon at Castra Chaeldon. But that scoundrel Archaelon has betrayed us and sided with the Confessor. The Confessor’s soldiers ambushed us, and we were overwhelmed. The orcs took many prisoners and carried them off to the castra. I fear…I fear for their fate. Archaelon has turned to necromancy.”

He shuddered again, sweat pouring down his face.

“Listen to me,” said Ridmark. “Rhodruthain brought my wife and children here as well. A blond woman in a green dress and two small boys. Have you seen them?”

“No,” croaked Tyromon. “Only…one woman. Not her.” His shaking hands grasped his sword hilt, reversed the weapon, and offered it to Ridmark. “Take…take my sword. Give it…give it to King Hektor. Tell him that I am sorry. Tell him that Archaelon is a traitor.”

“If it is within my power, I will tell your king,” said Ridmark, “and I will tell him that you died fighting as a knight should.”

Tyromon sighed, slumped against the ground, and stopped breathing.

Ridmark gazed at the dead knight for a moment, and then reached down and closed his eyes. He knew nothing about Tyromon Amphilus, and nothing about this realm of the Nine Cities of Owyllain and the wars of which Sir Tyromon had spoken, but Ridmark suspected a brave and valiant knight had just passed.

-JM

SEVENFOLD SWORD Kindle Daily Deal!

I am very pleased to report that today only (9/5/2018) SEVENFOLD SWORD: CHAMPION is one of the Kindle Daily Deals on Amazon US! You can start the SEVENFOLD SWORD saga for $1.49 here.

-JM

SEVENFOLD SWORD: SERPENT now available!

I am pleased to report that SEVENFOLD SWORD: SERPENT is now available at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Google Play, and Smashwords.

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-JM

table of contents for SEVENFOLD SWORD: SERPENT!

I plan to publish two books in September, and I have a bunch of promotional stuff lined up which took a lot of planning.

But! Everything is ready to go. September’s going to be exciting.

Meanwhile, here is the Table of Contents for SEVENFOLD SWORD: SERPENT. Coming very soon!

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-JM