Jonathan Moeller's Blog, page 303

Thursdays of SWORD & SORCERESS 28 – the Melissa Mead interview

As I have done for several years in the past, I will be running interviews with my fellow contributors to Sword & Sorceress 28.

It’s fun to do, and a good chance for the writers to talk about themselves and their work. This week’s interview is with Melissa Mead.

Tell us about yourself.

Hi! My name’s Melissa Mead. I live in Upstate NY, have a wonderful niece and 3 wonderful nephews, and when I’m not writing I’m usually reading.

Tell us about your S&S 28 story.

I love playing with fairy tales.

“Promises and Pastry” grew out of the thought “What if Cinderella LIKED working in the kitchen?” and the realization that the Fae were traditionally dangerous to deal with.

Can you share an excerpt from your story?

I’d just taken a loaf of rosemary bread out of the oven when the old woman appeared in the kitchen.

She looked like an old woman, like the kindest pink-cheeked, white-haired granny possible, but her eyes gave her away. They always do. All the Good Folk of our land have silver eyes, like mirrors with a fathomless hole in the middle, taking everything in and giving nothing back. All their magic can’t change that.

Besides, benevolent grannies don’t just appear from empty air.

“I’m your fairy godmother, Ella dear,” she said.

Would you say fantasy needs to reflect real life, or offer an escape from it?

Depends on what the writer wants to write, and thinks their readers would like to read. I don’t think there’s an obligation to do either 100% of the time.

 What are your preferred tools and environment for writing? (Typewriter, computer, pen, coffee shop, and so on.)

My computer in my writing corner at home, preferably with a bag of Jelly Bellys on the desk and the scent of lilacs drifting in the window.

 How many drafts of a story or novel do you typically write?

As many as it needs. Based on a quick look at my saved Word files, that’s typically 2-5.

Have you tried any self-publishing projects yourself?

Not yet.

If offering advice to a new writer, would you suggest they pursue traditional publication or self-publication?

I’d say that depends on how much time they want to put into promotion and marketing. (Although, as I said above, I haven’t tried any self-publishing yet myself.)

###

Thanks, Melissa, for the interview.

Check out our interviews with past S&S contributors – , , , Sword & Sorceress 25, Sword & Sorceress 26, and Sword & Sorceress 27.

And the novel featuring my Sword & Sorceress character, spy and assassin Caina Amalas, is now available for free in all ebook formats: Child of the Ghosts.

The Demonsouled Beginner’s Guide

After my post on technical books, a comment on Facebook suggested writing a Demonsouled Beginner’s Guide. I don’t think I’ll do that, but I do wonder what the back cover text for the book would be like…

Born Demonsouled? Don’t know how to use your powers? Fear not! THE DEMONSOULED BEGINNER’S GUIDE gives new Demonsouled an overview of their supernatural abilities, from simple regeneration and combat enhancement to advanced domination, high sorcery, and empire-building.

In the Guide, you’ll learn how to:

-Quickly heal wounds, both major and minor. No more trips to the emergency room!

-Use the dark power of your heritage to enhance your strength.

-Use Demonsouled power to augment your speed. Never be late for an appointment again!

-Employ the fury of your Demonsouled blood to succeed, whether in the boardroom or your personal life.

-Travel instantaneously through the shadows. You’ll save a fortune on gas and car maintenance!

-Use your power to command Malrags and lesser undead. You can create your own army of personal assistants and unholy creatures, 24/7!

-Enhance your magic with the wrath of your Demonsouled blood. No more embarrassing spell-casting failures!

-Command legions of loyal followers, using your supernatural charisma.

-Prevent nightmares from deranging your sanity. No more psychotic breakdowns or hallucinations of dead enemies!

-Ascend to the heavens and rule the earth as a god (advanced users only).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Moeller is the author of THE DEMONSOULED BEGINNER’S GUIDE, SIXTEEN STEPS FOR SERPENT SUCCESS: THE SAN-KETH CLERIC’S GUIDE TO WORLD CONQUEST ON NINETEEN DOLLARS A DAY, and ALWAYS LOOK UP: THE MAGUS’S HANDBOOK FOR AVOIDING GHOST ASSASSINS.

-JM

Free Fiction Tuesday – TOURNAMENT OF THIEVES

Available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, and Amazon Canada.

Connor is the boldest master thief in the kingdom, and by daring and skill he has pulled off heists of incredible value.

But now he faces a challenge that will test his skills to the utmost.

The Masked King of Thieves has proclaimed a Tournament. A valuable relic waits in a wizard’s library, and whosoever can bring the relic before the Masked King shall win riches beyond count.

Failure will mean a fate worse than death…

-JM

Baldur’s Gate II Enhanced Edition

I was excited to see that the Enhanced Edition of Baldur’s Gate II is coming out next month. The Baldur’s Gate series – Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal – was one of the great classics of computer gaming. In fact, when BG2 originally came out in 2000, I walked four and a half miles to the nearest software store to buy it, since I had neither a car nor a functioning bicycle at the time, and I never regretted it.

The Enhanced Edition of Baldur’s Gate had my favorite quality of a computer game – it doesn’t crash when I ALT+TAB away from it to a different program. My preferred method of writing a rough draft is to write as fast as I can for twenty to thirty minutes, and then switch to a computer game in the background for five minutes to clear my head via killing some orcs.

So, Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition is recommended, and I’m definitely looking forward to trying out Baldur’s Gate II Enhanced Edition.

-JM

a short review of GRAVITY

GRAVITY is both a piece of excellent storytelling and a superb technical achievement. Highly recommended.

Also, as I get older, I become more cognizant of the fact that there are some things I am simply never going to do. After watching GRAVITY, I am quite pleased that “going into space” is one of those things.

-JM

Reader Question Day #75 – World of the Demonsouled and technical books

A reader using the name of Sherlock Holmes asks:

Will you be making more short stories for Demonsouled? If so, when?

First, let me say that it is an honor to receive a visit from the Great Detective himself.

Second, I’m going to write a DEMONSOULED short story next month, right after I do THE THIRD SOUL short novel I’ve been planning for a while. It’ll be called THE WANDERING ARCHER, and will be from Romaria’s point-of-view.

Bob asks:

Why haven’t you written any computer books lately?

Math.

Let me explain. The last computer book I wrote was THE WINDOWS 8 BEGINNER’S GUIDE. It took several months to write and do all the research for it (complete with over 100 screenshots), and it finally came out in November of 2012.

It sold 19 copies that month, and since then has sold a grand total of 219 copies.

Immediately after I wrote THE WINDOWS 8 BEGINNER’S GUIDE, I started writing SOUL OF SKULLS. That book came out in January of 2013, and its first month sold 569 copies, and has sold a total of 3,021 since then.

So, when it comes down to it, fiction is a better use of my writing time than nonfiction.

And I cannot tell you how incredibly weird it is to say that. When I got into self-publishing in 2011, I thought I would do mostly computer books, with an occasional dabble in fiction. Instead it’s the other way around.

It’s just as well. I do like writing technical non-fiction, but I like writing fiction more.

-JM

ebook sales for September 2013

Some self-publishers (and potential self-publishers) read this blog, and since I haven’t done a sales post in a while, I thought I would do one today. Feel free to skip if you’re not interested in the business side of the writing stuff.

In September of 2013, I am pleased to report that I sold 6,014 books. Of those, 736 were copies of GHOST IN THE MASK. Thanks, everyone!

Some other interesting numbers as of September 2013:

-Both GHOST IN THE FORGE and SOUL OF SKULLS passed their 3,000th copy sold!

-SOUL OF SWORDS has sold 1,876 copies as of the end of September.

-GHOST IN THE ASHES has sold 1,920 copies. One of them was even in print!

-In August and September, FROSTBORN: THE GRAY KNIGHT sold 776 copies, which is pretty good for the first book in a series with no sequels yet. (I shall rectify this situation soon.)

-In the first 9 months of 2013, I have given away about 52,000 copies of CHILD OF THE GHOSTS and 25,500 copies of DEMONSOULED.

-This year so far I have sold 56,602 books.

Thanks, everyone! Obviously none of this would have happened if you didn’t, you know, actually buy the books.

-JM

sign up for my newsletter and get a free short novel!

If all goes well, FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE will come out next month, which makes this an excellent time to sign up for my new release newsletter.

However, FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE will be a particularly good time to sign up. As long-time readers know, when I send out the newsletter announcing a new book, I usually give away a free short story with the newsletter via a Smashwords coupon code. But with FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE, I am giving away a free short novel in the FROSTBORN world.

Specifically, FROSTBORN: THE FIRST QUEST, a short novel about one of Ridmark Arban’s early adventures when he was still a Knight of the Soulblade. The newsletter announcing THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE will include a limited-time coupon code allowing subscribers to get THE FIRST QUEST for free off Smashwords.

So sign up today, and get FROSTBORN: THE FIRST QUEST for free when FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE comes out in November. I only use the newsletter to announce new releases, so you don’t need to worry about spam.

-JM

Thursdays of SWORD & SORCERESS 28 – the Catherine Soto interview

As I have done for several years in the past, I will be running interviews with my fellow contributors to Sword & Sorceress 28.

It’s fun to do, and a good chance for the writers to talk about themselves and their work. This week’s interview is with Catherine Soto.

Tell us about yourself.

Not much to say. As I said in my bio, older than I look, younger than I feel. I live and work in San Francisco, write in whatever free time I have, and like to hang out at the Asian Art Museum and Sushi joints.

Tell us about your S&S 28 story.

I got the idea for my latest story in S&S 28 from reading about Tibet and Central Asia, where the Lin Mei stories are set, at about 640 CE. Tibetan marriage customs were, and sometimes still are, rather flexible. The supernatural elements come from Chinese folklore, particularly the Jong-li. I used the Tibetan name since the story is set closer to Tibet.

Can you share an excerpt from your story?

The crickets had fallen silent. Lin Mei set down her brush and looked up, puzzled. It was a warm summer night and the sound of their chirping had been almost a din, for crickets. The sudden cessation of the sounds had fallen like the drop in conversation at an awkward moment at the dinner table.

In the corner Shadow and Twilight stirred out of their semi-sleep, looking about. Lin Mei sat up straight; her hand reached out for her dagger and thrust it in her sash. Shadow’s tail twitched. His eyes were wary slits. Next to him Twilight sat up, looking about. That decided her. Grasping her sword she rose and went to the sliding door, slowly pushing it open and stepping out onto the veranda.

Outside the night was warm and still. Across the small courtyard a stand of bamboo stirred slowly in a vagrant breeze that did not reach beyond its confines. A rock garden filled the space between it and the veranda. Overhead a full moon lit the area.

Ordinarily such a peaceful night scene would have been pleasing. The caravan had stopped for a few weeks in the shadow of the Loksangha Monastery on the side of the mountains south of the city. The annual Taiyung silk fair had drawn merchants from as far as Kashmir to the west and Dunhuang to the east, and a city of tents had arisen in the open land around the city. The days were filled with raucous bargaining and trade, with good-natured insults and curses enlivening the din, followed by rowdy carousing into the evening. But by late night everyone was in an exhausted torpor.

The Taiyung Guard was more than adequate to secure the lands about the city, and only a nominal guard was needed for the caravan pickets. At night the more valuable goods were stored in safety inside the city walls. Lin Mei was second in command of the guards, reporting to Shin Hu, the guard commander. Aside from a round on horseback she had no duties after sunset. Her quarters were more than adequate, especially compared to what a caravan guard usually enjoyed, and she had spent the prior two nights in rare ease and comfort.

Beside her the two cats slipped out into the shadows cast by the railing, their attention on the bamboo. Shadow’s tail twitched. At that Lin Mei drew in a deep breath and pressed the guard of her sword forward with her thumb, loosening it in the scabbard.

Would you say fantasy needs to reflect real life, or offer an escape from it?

Fantasy and Science-fiction are always about the present, no matter where on when they’re set, but I feel that there always is, and should be, an element of escapism.

What are your preferred tools and environment for writing? (Typewriter, computer, pen, coffee shop, and so on.)

I do my writing at home, on my computer. I wrote my first story, way back when, on paper with a quill pen. No, I’m not that old (I just feel like it sometimes) but at a very young age I saw a woodcut of someone (Shakespeare I think) writing with a quill pen, and thought it was cool. So I cut a nib on a goose feather I had found, got a bottle of ink, and wrote my first story, a tale of a young boy who meets a visitor from Venus.

How many drafts of a story or novel do you typically write?

I generally do one draft, and then go back and clean it up.

Have you tried any self-publishing projects yourself?

I have not tried any self-publishing yet, but I am thinking about it. It seems as if the future of writing is electronic.

If offering advice to a new writer, would you suggest they pursue traditional publication or self-publication?

I would recommend that new writers try both.

###

Thanks, Catherine, for the interview.

Check out our interviews with past S&S contributors – , , , Sword & Sorceress 25, Sword & Sorceress 26, and Sword & Sorceress 27.

And the novel featuring my Sword & Sorceress character, spy and assassin Caina Amalas, is now available for free in all ebook formats: Child of the Ghosts.

FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE Rough Draft Day #22

Today was the 22nd day of writing the rough draft of FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE, and I am pleased to report that I am finished!

The total came to 98,750 words.

I kept track of the daily word counts because someone asked how long it takes me to write a book. The answer, of course, is that it depends on the book. But for FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE, the answer was 22 days to write the rough draft.

-JM