Jonathan Moeller's Blog, page 288

Sword & Sorceress 29!

I am pleased to report that my short story GODS OF THE ELDERS will appear in the SWORD & SORCERESS 29 anthology later this year!

The story is set in THE THIRD SOUL universe, and describes what happens when Sichilde, daughter of Maerwulf, joins the Conclave of Araspan as an Initiate.

-JM

Sign up for my newsletter and get a free story

As the release of GHOST IN THE MAZE draws near, this seems like a good time to mention that if you sign up for my new-release newsletter, you’ll get a free short story (via Smashwords coupon code) with the book. Just enter your email address in the form here, and then click on the link in the resultant confirmation email, and you’ll be subscribed. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

-JM

various questions concering the FROSTBORN series

The FROSTBORN books are doing very well, and I would like to thank you all for that.

Now that FROSTBORN: THE MASTER THIEF has been out for a few weeks, I’ve gotten a number of questions about it. Since many of the questions fell into the same three categories, I thought I would answer them all here.

1.) How many books will FROSTBORN be? I like the series, but I’m afraid that it’s going to bog down and shoot off into too many side plots like (various other fantasy series, names redacted)?

15 books. I’ve already plotted out FROSTBORN from start to finish, and it will be fifteen books (not counting FROSTBORN: THE FIRST QUEST).

Why 15? One of the reasons I wanted to write FROSTBORN was because I always wanted to do a big epic fantasy with elves and dwarves and such, but legacy publishers stopped buying such things years ago. But now with ebooks, writing such an epic fantasy is entirely possible. And given how long the four FROSTBORN books have sat atop the Arthurian fantasy list on Amazon UK, I think it is safe to assume that the appetite for an epic fantasy like that is still there among the readers.

I also wanted to write a series that recreated the feel of a long paper-and-pencil RPG campaign or a computer RPG, one where you started out with a few ragged characters with minor concerns and ended with those characters deciding the fate of kingdoms and empires. Given that a few of the negative reviews have complained that the books “seem like a D&D campaign”, I would say I have achieved that goal.

So, 15 books, which I think is enough to cover the main plot arcs.

2.) Why can’t I find FROSTBORN: THE IRON TOWER?

Alas, because I have not written it yet. After I wrap up GHOST IN THE MAZE, I’ll start writing FROSTBORN: THE IRON TOWER in June.

3.) Why did FROSTBORN: THE MASTER THIEF end the way it did?

Without giving any plot points away, the ending set up the next two books in the series. I don’t like cliffhangers and try to avoid them whenever possible.  And while FROSTBORN: THE MASTER THIEF isn’t a cliffhanger, it is obvious the story will continue. So once June comes, I’m going to get cracking on the next step of the story.

-JM

FROSTBORN: THE MASTER THIEF now available on iTunes!

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It took slightly longer than I would have liked, but FROSTBORN: THE MASTER THIEF is now available on iTunes!

-JM

GHOST IN THE MAZE cover art

 

Now that editing is underway for GHOST IN THE MAZE, it’s time to share the cover art! As with the previous GHOSTS books, the cover was done by the excellent Clarissa Yeo.

-JM

Windows 8.1 vs Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr

Time for a brief digression into tech geekery. As many of you know, in addition to fantasy novels I also write short tech books. I have three books on Ubuntu Linux, and one book on Windows 8.1. In April, my three Ubuntu books combined sold 331 copies, which was pretty cool. However, my Windows 8.1 book sold 454 copies, which was even cooler. (Thanks everyone!)

So more people purchased an introductory guide to Windows 8.1 than an introductory guide to Ubuntu. There is only one conclusion we can draw from this data.

Windows 8.1 is now more confusing to use than Linux.

-JM

Frostborn #20

The US is currently the biggest ebook market in the world, but that also means it’s the most competitive. So I was quite excited to see both FROSTBORN: THE MASTER THIEF and FROSTBORN: THE GRAY KNIGHT get to the top #20 in their category on Amazon US. Thanks, everyone!

GHOST IN THE MAZE rough draft finished

I am pleased to report that the rough draft of GHOST IN THE MAZE is finished! 94,500 words in 22 days, which will make it a few thousand words longer than GHOST IN THE COWL.

Next week I will reveal the cover image here.

-JM

THE GHOSTS OMNIBUS ONE one-day sale

Today we have a special one-day sale on THE GHOSTS OMNIBUS ONE – it’s 99 cents at Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon Canada, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Google Play, and Smashwords.

If you’ve been curious about THE GHOSTS series, but haven’t given it a try, this is an excellent time to do so!

-JM

milestone for FROSTBORN: THE GRAY KNIGHT

The end of spring is always a good time to sit back and reflect for a moment on the past year, and I am pleased to report that as of April, FROSTBORN: THE GRAY KNIGHT sold its 3,000th copy.

Thanks, everyone! I am pleased that you have enjoyed the book so far. And I know that at least 2,271 of those 3,000 liked the book, because that is how many people bought the sequel.

-JM