Jonathan Moeller's Blog, page 341

Caina Amalas returns: GHOST DAGGER now available

I am pleased to report that GHOST DAGGER, a stand-alone novella in THE GHOSTS series, is now available. (GHOST DAGGER is a stand-alone story, but for long-time readers of THE GHOSTS, it takes place between GHOST IN THE FLAMES and GHOST IN THE BLOOD.)

Click here to read the first chapter of GHOST DAGGER.

And you can get the book at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords. (It should be available on iTunes in a few weeks.)

-JM

GHOST DAGGER – the first chapter

Read the first chapter of GHOST DAGGER right here.

-JM

the next project – Caina Amalas returns in GHOST DAGGER

Cover image copyright Oleg Shipov | Dreamstime.com

Now that SOUL OF SORCERY is finished, it’s time to turn to the next project – a short, stand-alone novella in the THE GHOSTS series called GHOST DAGGER.

This is a bit of an experiment. Regular readers know that I have several series of books, and not all of them are complete. For the last year I’ve been alternating between DEMONSOULED and THE GHOSTS – I wrote SOUL OF DRAGONS, then GHOST IN THE STORM, and then SOUL OF SORCERY.

But after I finished SOUL OF SORCERY, I wrote the rough draft of GHOST DAGGER. The idea is that after I finish a full-length book in one series, I’ll write a short novella (say, 20,000 to 25,000 words) in a different series. This is an excellent palate cleanser for me, and will give people waiting for the next book in the series something to read until I start the next full-length book. Additionally, I have enough books now that I am thinking about doing omnibus editions, and novellas would make excellent bonus content for the omnibus editions.

So, if GHOST DAGGER works out, I’ll be doing more novellas in the future – specifically, a DEMONSOULED one after I finish the next THE GHOSTS book.

Anyway, here is the table of contents for GHOST DAGGER:

Chapter 1 – Foretelling

Chapter 2 – Blood Under The Door

Chapter 3 – A Murder Of Sorcery

Chapter 4 – Crypts Of The Ashbringers

Chapter 5 – Screams In The Night

Chapter 6 – Spell Hunt

Chapter 7 – Disposal

Chapter 8 – Never Have Been

Chapter 9 – Take My Memories

Chapter 10 – The Refiner’s Fire

-JM

notes on SOUL OF SORCERY pricing

A few people asked why I set the price for SOUL OF SORCERY at $3.99, since the previous DEMONSOULED books were all $2.99. I thought about the pricing for a while, and decided on $3.99 for three reasons.

-First, SOUL OF SORCERY was a really long book. The final draft weighed in at 134,000 words, and Amazon calculated it at about 530 pages. By contrast, SOUL OF SERPENTS was about 120,000 words, and and SOUL OF DRAGONS about 110,000. SOUL OF SORCERY was long enough that I seriously considered splitting it into two books, but I decided to keep it as one.

-Second, Amazon weighs its algorithms in such a way that higher-priced books get a higher sales rank. So, if a $0.99 book and a $2.99 book sell the same amount of copies, the $2.99 book will get a higher sales rank. And people do look at sales rank when considering whether or not to buy a book. I think psychologists call this “preselection” – if we see someone else is enjoying something, we’re more likely to try it ourselves.

-Finally, I wanted to see what would happen if I did set the price at $3.99. One of the fun things about ebooks is that you can try things that you couldn’t with traditional publishing.

All that said, I do think very strongly that SOUL OF SORCERY is worth your $3.99. I am very grateful to the thousands of people (literally) who have read the DEMONSOULED books, and because of that, I take writing the best story that I can write very seriously.

And $3.99 is still cheaper than a gallon of gas in much of the United States (and certainly all of the UK), and an ebook will last much longer than a gallon of gas. Additionally, you don’t have to worry about an ebook accidentally making your car explode.

-JM

SOUL OF SORCERY now available!

Cover image © Chris Doyle | Dreamstime.com

I am pleased to report that SOUL OF SORCERY, the fifth book in the DEMONSOULED series, is now available. You can get it at Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords. (iBooks availability should be coming in a few weeks.)

You can read the first chapter of SOUL OF SORCERY right here.

And if you’ve never heard of DEMONSOULED before, you can get the first book in the series free at the link.

-JM

Reader Question Day #35 – all about DEMONSOULED

Since the release of SOUL OF SORCERY is imminent, it seems only proper to have a Reader Question Day that is (mostly) about DEMONSOULED.

Manwe asks:

1) Many authors like to give the physical description of a character as soon as the reader meets them. You do this sometimes, but not all the time. In particular, I’m talking about the main protagonist of the Demonsouled series, perhaps it slipped my mind, but I do no recall him ever getting an extensive physical description, sure there are bits here and there, but I don’t remember the whole thing. I can remember what other characters look like (like Gerald or Romaria, for instance), but Mazael has always been a bit fuzzy to me. And given that they are ebooks, it’s not easy to flip around a find it. If it is not too much trouble, can you enlighten me on the matter?

At the start of the series, Mazael’s in his mid-thirties, and he’d be just about forty in SOUL OF SORCERY. Gray eyes, and brown hair and beard that he usually keeps close-cropped (so it doesn’t provide an opponent a handle during a fight).

Mazael’s a big dude, well over six feet tall, and looks like someone accustomed to frequent violence. If by some fluke of space-time Mazael wound up in the modern world, most people would cross the street to avoid him, even in the middle of the day. That said, like many violent men, he has his own sort of dark charisma – it explains how he’s able to get people to follow him so easily (sometimes whether he wants them to or not).

2) And speaking of Mazael…I have been talking to some friends of mine about the books, but before I blab too much, I want to make sure I get things right. I have been wrong about name pronunciations before, particularly when all I have done is read them, and never actually heard them spoken. And seeing as how I don’t want to look foolish, how exactly do you yourself pronounce the name ‘Mazael’? I have my own ideas, but I’m not really sure I’m right. The last three letters keep throwing me off. Like take Romaria for example, it could be either ‘Ro-maria’ or ‘Rom-aria’? See what I mean?

My general rule for pronunciation is that people can pronounce things however they like. That said, I usually pronounce Mazael as “Mah-Zah-El”, and Romaria as “Ro-Maria.”

3) I have asked before about the possibility of a guide book, but you didn’t seem interested in doing any. That is understandable, but I still think it would be worthwhile, your Demonsouled universe (not to mention “Ghost”) is rich with history, it would be very interesting to read some more back story on it! At the very least, a Dramatis personae in the front of every book (take the Star Wars books for example) would be helpful, there are just sooo many lords (some having similar sounding names) that it becomes hard to keep track of them all, let alone not get them confused.

I’m planning to do omnibus editions of the 1st three DEMONSOULED and 1st three GHOSTS books at some point, so something like that might wind up in the mix. Sort of a bonus for the omnibus books.

4) I have expressed my like of the Demonsouled saga before, let me just say again that it is very good! One of the better S&S series I have read, no kidding. It’s a shame that the original never sold well enough in print, it would have been cool to see what happened with the series had it became a hit. Some reviewer on Amazon said she would liked to have seen someone make a movie or show of it, personally I’d rather have a game adaptation! Now that would be sweet! Let’s indulge in some wishful thinking here, if the DS saga ever were adapted into a video game, what kind would you prefer it as? Now I know RPG would top that list, but I mean even more specific, like would you rather see it be and open world-rpg (ala Skyrim) or perhaps a party based crpg (ala Dragon Age, Baldur’s Gate, etc), or both (I mean hey, why not!?)

Thanks!

Ideally, I’d prefer something along the lines of Skyrim – a big open world with a plot that you can start whenever you like, and dip in and out of as the mood takes you. But that would be really hard to do – there’s a reason it took Betheseda five years to develop Skyrim. So I think a more linear RPG in the mode of the original DRAGON AGE or MASS EFFECT might be more feasible.

5) Last but not least: of secondary characters in the DS universe, do you have any favorites?

I do like Sir Tanam Crowley, since he’s so cheerfully grim. Also Lord Robert Highgate, since he’s a long-winded jerk who’s nonetheless quite competent (his wife Tymaen might have a different opinion, though).

6.) Actually this is where you could help me out Jon, maybe you have heard of createspace before? Are their books good quality? I mean they won’t fall apart on you after one read, right?

I haven’t heard anything bad about Creatspace in terms of book quality, though I suspect very small books (like, under 60 pages) and very large books might have structural problems. I have been investigating Createspace more, since I’ve been contemplating doing print editions of any books that sell over 5,000 copies, but I haven’t had time to do it seriously yet.

JS asks:

I am just curious how “Worlds to Conquer” fits into the Tower of Endless Worlds series. Or if they are related in any way?

WORLDS TO CONQUER was the original version of the first book of the THE TOWER OF ENDLESS WORLDS series. I got the rights back from the publisher earlier this year, edited and revised WORLDS TO CONQUER extensively, and then released it as THE TOWER OF ENDLESS WORLDS, along with its three unpublished sequels.

A fuller account of the process can be found here.

Jason asks:

I came across your books on the Smashwords website. I was going to start with Demonsouled after I finish the last book in David Dalglish’s Half Orc Series. I wanted to make sure that there is no other linked series that I should start before this one. Also, are there any linked series that I should read after the Demonsouled series.

DEMONSOULED is self-contained. So far, there are five books in the series:

#1 DEMONSOULED

#2 SOUL OF TYRANTS

#3 SOUL OF SERPENTS

#4 SOUL OF DRAGONS

#5 SOUL OF SORCERY

That’s all the DEMONSOULED books so far. They don’t crossover with THE GHOSTS or any of my other series.

-JM

today’s SOUL OF SORCERY excerpts

It’s Thursday, so let’s have two brief excerpts from SOUL OF SORCERY:

“Lord Toraine is…rather rash,” said Timothy.

“That’s just a polite way of saying he’s an idiot,” said Molly.

Also this:

“What?” said Molly, looking over her shoulder. She half-expected to see an enemy with drawn steel.

“You’re smiling,” said Mazael.

“I am not.”

“You are,” said Mazael. “You never smile.”

Molly shrugged. “Is it forbidden for the heir to Castle Cravenlock to be in a good mood?”

“No, but you never are,” said Mazael. He thought for a moment. “Just how many people did you kill last night?”

-JM

SOUL OF SERPENTS – 5,000 copies sold!

Since the completion of SOUL OF SORCERY is imminent, it seems only appropriate to mention this.

On August 21st, 2011, SOUL OF SERPENTS went for sale, and I’m pleased to report that as of August 15th, 2012, the book has sold its 5,000th copy.

This is exciting because SOUL OF SERPENTS was the first book I wrote intending to sell as an ebook, without first attempting to find a traditional publisher. I started writing the book on May 1st, 2011, and prior to that date I had always tried to write for traditional publication. With SOUL OF SERPENTS,  I decided, I would have a fantasy trilogy of ebooks, completing the series begun by DEMONSOULED and SOUL OF TYRANTS. I figured SOUL OF SERPENTS would sell, say, two or three copies a month, and that I would turn my attention to writing short ebooks on computer topics, since those really seemed to sell briskly.

I am pleased to report that I was wrong.

(Though short computer books do sell briskly, and I have another three in the pipeline.)

Writing the book was a marvelous experience. Prior to SOUL OF SERPENTS, I hadn’t written anything new since December of 2010, since I had concluded that a.) breaking into a publisher was well-nigh impossible, b.) I was wasting my time writing fiction, and c.) I should find something else to do with my spare time. (I wound up teaching a section of Modern World History and Western Civilization 1.)

But writing SOUL OF SERPENTS was vastly enjoyable because I didn’t need to write it with editors and agents in mind. No need to cap the length due to submission guidelines, no need to consider the potential tastes of an agent, only the freedom to write the most entertaining story I could manage.

It seems to have worked out.

-JM

eBook of the month for August 2012 – LORD TALON’S REVENGE, by Tom Simon

I have been reading Tom Simon’s blog for years, and have always greatly enjoyed his nonfiction essays. In fact, one of his essays, THE TERMINAL ORC, was one of the inspirations for the Malrags in the DEMONSOULED series.* Metaphysics aside, when I saw that Mr. Simon had released one of his novels, LORD TALON’S REVENGE, as an ebook, I obtained it promptly.

If I were to describe the book in one sentence, I would it is a mixture of PG Wodehouse, Lord Dunsany, and GK Chesterton, with just a mix of HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC II thrown in for good measure.

The premise is that the kingdom of Ilberion is ruled by the incompetent and treacherous King Talvos, who combines the worst qualities of an American politician with the worst qualities of a DMV bureaucrat. However, a bigger threat arrives in the south – a vast army of ogres led by a mysterious masked man called Lord Talon who has a personal vendetta against King Talvos. Meanwhile, the youngest son of a no-nonsense nobleman, Sir Trianon Barr, is thrown out in the world as a knight-errant. Trianon has the twin misfortunes of a.) low intelligence, and b.) really believing in the tales of the bards, so he goes off to perform deeds of heroism, accompanied by his much savvier servant Zadek (who has a remarkable knack for picking up women after Trianon, concerned about his purity, rejects them).

The book is an epic fantasy, but has a very Wodehouse-esque sense of humor – one suspects Zadek and Jeeves could compare notes on handling their employers. It is also a fairy tale in the Tolkienian or CS Lewis sort of way – bits about the Deeper Magic and so forth. And unlike much modern epic fantasy, this is a book that actually likes people - no raving misanthropy or random chapters of extensively detailed torture and rape to prove how “gritty” and “realistic” the author is.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and hope Mr. Simon releases more of his fiction as ebooks.

-JM

*The other was reincarnation – the Malrags aren’t immortal, but they have all been slain and reborn dozens or even hundreds of time over the centuries.

today’s SOUL OF SORCERY excerpt

I am line-editing parts of SOUL OF SORCERY tonight, and this bit made me laugh:

Tymaen laughed. “You are many things, Lucan, but you are not a fool. Every year adventurers go into the mountains, seeking relics of Dracaryl. None ever return.”

“My brother and father returned,” said Lucan.

“They merely sought to slay dragons.”

-JM