Christopher Dunbar's Blog: Morrigan's Blog, page 5

Back from Comicpalooza

1990 High School History Fair Project

[Note: I (Christopher) started this blog entry the night we got back from Comicpalooza; Monday, May 28. It is now Wednesday, June 13, and I am just now getting back to it. Anyway, let's start with what I began, and then I will note what I added tonight.] Wow… what a weekend! Heather and I (Christopher) just got back from our second Comicpalooza, and we had a wonderful time! It was so great seeing old and recent friends and making new ones. Thanks to everyone who came by our booth and chatted with us, attended our reading, or came to our panel. Thank you especially to those of you who bought something from us… we can now pay bills.

Many of you left our booth with a small chapter book, a bookmark, a business card, or something else that has drawn you here, hopefully. This blog contains lots of information we wish our website contained, but that will be addressed at some point. For now, the blog contains the latest information about or goings on and where to find stuff. For example, if you check out our Box.net window, you can download our chapter book and the “how to start your own publishing company” presentation we gave Sunday.



[This is new stuff as of June 13th.]

Why I asked George Takei to sign a photo of a History Fair Project

I like to consider myself a student of history… not only in the classroom, but for fun and for broadening my horizons. Back in high school during my senior year, the captain of the varsity football team and I were teamed up to compete in our school’s history fair. For those unfamiliar with a history fair, each student team must pick an approved theme, conduct research on that theme, and present an argument using pictures, words, and other creative media. Usually, these projects took the form of either free-standing or tabletop boards with stuff glued onto them. Arguably one of worst travesties in our recent history was the forced internment of Japanese citizens and US citizens of Japanese ancestry in the United States during World War II. I chose that topic because despite the heinousness of removing people from their homes and forcing them to live in stables, barns, and eventually concentration camp-type dwellings out in barren country, this was not a subject detailed in our history books… perhaps a footnote, but that was it. Ack!!! I felt outrage as I delved into the callousness of those officials who proposed, backed, and executed the executive order forcing the internment of US citizens without trial, and so I managed to convince my teammate and the instructor that this would be the topic for our project.

Without giving away my age, I will say that we researched this project before the Internet, though AARPNET existed, but it wasn’t public knowledge. I don’t recall that the high school library or the local public library possessed enough research material, so we ended up traveling to Rice University to use their resources, as I recall. Looking back on our research and our development of the project, I remember the outrage I felt at how easily our government took basic rights away from its citizens… not only that, but outrage that so little information from back then was available… as if after 40 years “they” were still covering it up, to some degree… not owning up to it. So, the QB and I put together the project, which included a Japanese flag my mom made (in addition to sewing the black fabric for the 3-fold board), and we presented it to the judges. I don’t know whether we placed, but I think we did… Anyway, I took a picture of the project at home, before we headed to the fair, and I have kept that picture in an old photo album.

When I heard George Takei was going to be at Comicpalooza, I had remembered reading somewhere that he had grown up in an internment camp; I also remembered that I possessed this picture from the history fair project. As some might know, George is an activist spreading the word about the internment camps via a play he has put together and by hosting awareness events in major cities. Because of what he has lived through and because of his activism, I thought he would be interested to learn that even during the 80′s, when much of the history he lived through remained obscured, that someone felt strongly enough about the plight of those interned to spread the word.

Before going to Comicpalooza, I scanned that photo and printed two enlarged copies… one for me and one for him. I could have brought a book with his likeness as Sulu or or bought a picture of him for him to sign, but I thought the image of this history fair project had more meaning for me, at least, and that he might enjoy the copy for him. When I went to his table, he was more than happy to sign my print. He also spoke of his play, the awareness program, and a little about where his family was sent. He also talked about the 442, a brigade (or company… I don’t remember) of US citizens of Japanese ancestry serving with distinction in the European theater of World War II (the character Mr. Miagi in the Karate Kid had served in the 442). George told me a brief story that I had read before about how the 442 had come to the rescue of a unit drawn up from Texas that was surrounded. The 442 rescued the entrapped unit, but at the cost of 80% of their forces. Members of the 442, as well as the unit itself, were awarded with several medals of valor (I don’t recall which specific medals, but they were highly decorated for their courage and valor). George gave me a firm handshake and met my gaze before I left.

Looking back still gives me a bit of a tear in my eye… not only at the privilege of meeting George Takei and sharing such a poignant experience with him, but also of what he and all of those other people who were interned must have felt. One important lesson George and many others are trying to convey is that this should never happen again. And yet, I bet the gears were turning in the minds of war hawks after 911 to evict and / or intern people of middle-eastern ancestry and / or Islamic faith, US citizens included, for fear that they would sabotage America. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed. However, we as US citizens must be vigilant so our government never again rounds us up and imprisons us without charge and without due process… just because we are of a particular ancestry or culture, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender, or whatever.

Thank you George Takei for the discussion and for your kind words.

Other Stuff

We have a few more things going on, such as free giveaway winners, our Goodreads free giveaway, upcoming book signing events, and website updates, but I will add those in another post.

Thanks to our fans, friends, and family for your support!

Up and Coming, and Recent, Stuff for Morrigan’s Brood

Morrigan's Brood Series Chapter Book Cover

Oh no… not another one of those “Where have we been lately” kinds of posts. *sigh* Why can’t we just write stuff in this blog that other people want to read… like, you know… politics, religion, and football? Oh geez… Before going to Scotland for our honeymoon, my wife and I listened intently to a warning from a world-travel, which we heeded… When in a pub in Scotland (or anywhere for that matter), NEVER TALK ABOUT POLITICS, RELIGION, or FOOTBALL, or else we may be beaten to a pulp. Well, even though we aren’t at a pub in Scotland (oh, how I wish we were at this moment… or Ireland, for that matter), I suppose we have just chosen to keep out of those kinds of discussions on this blog. But hey, find us on Facebook, and we may have an opinion or two if you are really interested in hearing it, and we may listen (read) to your opinion with equal attention. Even thought I (Christopher) won’t be posting about those three taboo subjects, here are tidbits of stuff from previous and future events.

Madness & Reckoning is now in print as a paper-back novella

By popular demand (actually, it was a huge discount on printing costs if we ordered 50 books), we decided to slap a fancy cover on it and make it into a book. You can buy it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In addition to Madness & Reckoning, we released a new free read, which we call Chapters of the Morrigan’s Brood Series, or simply our Chapter Book. If you find us in person at various book-signing events, we usually pass these out to anyone who asks us about our free books (lots of signs that say to do that). However, I have also uploaded the cover (shown above) and the text to our Box.net widget on this very page. Just scroll down and there it is!

Manuscript of Odin’s Chosen: Morrigan’s Brood Book VI First Draft Complete!

I can’t believe it… another manuscript done… at least the first pass. Now it is Heather’s turn to write everything out and embellish it. For more information about our writing technique, look at interview links on this page near the bottom. While Heather works on book 6, she and I are continuing our work on the manuscripts for books 7 and 8; one of which will be called Dynasties of Night.

We will be at Comicpalooza!!!

What is Comicpalooza? Where is it? How much does it cost to go there? When is it? What celebrities will be there? All of those questions and more can be found here. Suffice it to say, we will be there, and we may also be on some writing panels and conduct a reading. We are also planning a book-signing at The Magick Cauldron, so keep checking our blog.

Internet Interview with Jay Jones Live from AggieCon43

From AggieCon43 [yes, this was a few weeks ago, and I am just now posting this to our blog... sheesh] and Jay Jones Live Studios comes the interview of the… hour… Heather Poinsett Dunbar and Christopher Dunbar, authors of the Morrigan’s Brood Series. Well, I sort of took over the interview (sorry Heather)… more of a ham-it-up-fest for me, as I seem to be drawn to the camera, even though it adds 15 pounds (like I need to add more weight to this gut). I recommend watching the disclosure and the introductions of the real talent in front of the camera (not me).

Our interview begins at 11:24 in the recording
My “dramatic” reading (me=ham) of the prologue of Morrigan’s Brood book 1 (the legend of the Deargh Du) begins at 23:03 and ends at 39:45
Our interview then ends at 51:18 when the author and artist of Two-Lumps comes on… love the series! Heather got books 3 and 4 autographed. Way cool!

Contains subtle adult humor and a few F-bombs and whatnot… I even caused Jay to lose it a few times… what… innocent me? To watch it, go here.

San Antonio Scottish Festival and Highland Games

If you are still reading this, here is a blurb we posted to Facebook about our experiences at this event, which was lots of fun.

At the San Antonio Scottish Festival and Highland Games, we met Jane McDaniel, who, among other things, is a storyteller of Irish stories (she also makes lovely Irish folk dolls). Anyway, Heather and I coaxed Jane to read the prologue from Morrigan’s Brood book 1, and my toes curled, it was so awesome. I also attended a storytelling session she performed a few tents down from us where she retold the story of Deidre, among other personal accounts and folktales.

Not only is Jane a story-teller, she also makes and sells traditional Irish dolls.  Here is her website.

Gosh… is it almost 4:00 AM???

Sheesh! That’s what happens when a large person (like me) spends all afternoon, evening, and night ripping out hedge bushes, shoveling and dumping a yard of garden soil, and laying out new shrubs to plant. Apparently, I was so tired that I became wired. Ah well… Anyway, I better finish this.

Thanks to our friends and fans!

Congrats to Our Giveaway Winners and the usual ‘haps

At long last, we’re finally announcing the winners of our latest giveway.

Congrats to -

Veronica Whiteacre

Gabby Marshall

and

Sam Carson!!!!

Yayyyy!!!!  *Does the flail-y Kermit-the-Frog dance.

Let’s see what’s been going on with us?  We’ve been dealing with a somewhat temperamental truck (I don’t feel like blowing AC on you!  Ha!  Now I’ll throw my brake pads and rotors!), finishing up the first draft of book six otherwise known as Morrigan’s Brood: Odin’s Chosen, various crazy work occurrences, and preparing for the latest event (Houston Indie Book Fest).  Honestly, I spent so much time at Professional Auto Care (where I used to work), they joked that the truck had decided to live there and that I may as well come back to work there.

The katkids have spent their days snoozing and lazing about.  Well, except for the Clydemonster who likes to race around the house and pounce on unsuspecting elderkittehs.

We’re both working fulltime and I’m wishing for quiet time now.  Sometimes it’s very hard to get the necessary quiet time that introverts seem to need, or at least I do.  I don’t quite get why the quiet time has become so important to me, but I need to hide away for a few minutes every day and not hear screaming kids or the demands of patrons or cats.

I’m also hoping that the summer won’t be too miserable.  I’m so very not heat tolerant.  After the highland games in San Antonio, I spent monday recovering from ‘the hot’.  Oh well…  I hope everyone here is doing great.  If you’re interested in some beautiful crafts check out Einini Glassworks.   I also need to post information about a wonderous Irish storyteller we met at the games named Jane.  Jane is reading bits and pieces of our book series and makes these fabulous dolls.

We’ll be sure to post more as hearing her talk about the Tuaths and Morrigan’s creation of the Deargh Du sent chills down our spines.  :D

Anyways, time to look busy at work again .   Love you guys…

Tagged: book giveaway

Congrats to Our Giveaway Winners and the usual 'haps

At long last, we're finally announcing the winners of our latest giveway.

Congrats to -

Veronica Whiteacre

Gabby Marshall

and

Sam Carson!!!!

Yayyyy!!!!  *Does the flail-y Kermit-the-Frog dance.

Let's see what's been going on with us?  We've been dealing with a somewhat temperamental truck (I don't feel like blowing AC on you!  Ha!  Now I'll throw my brake pads and rotors!), finishing up the first draft of book six otherwise known as Morrigan's Brood: Odin's Chosen, various crazy work occurrences, and preparing for the latest event (Houston Indie Book Fest).  Honestly, I spent so much time at Professional Auto Care (where I used to work), they joked that the truck had decided to live there and that I may as well come back to work there.

The katkids have spent their days snoozing and lazing about.  Well, except for the Clydemonster who likes to race around the house and pounce on unsuspecting elderkittehs.

We're both working fulltime and I'm wishing for quiet time now.  Sometimes it's very hard to get the necessary quiet time that introverts seem to need, or at least I do.  I don't quite get why the quiet time has become so important to me, but I need to hide away for a few minutes every day and not hear screaming kids or the demands of patrons or cats.

I'm also hoping that the summer won't be too miserable.  I'm so very not heat tolerant.  After the highland games in San Antonio, I spent monday recovering from 'the hot'.  Oh well…  I hope everyone here is doing great.  If you're interested in some beautiful crafts check out Einini Glassworks.   I also need to post information about a wonderous Irish storyteller we met at the games named Jane.  Jane is reading bits and pieces of our book series and makes these fabulous dolls.

We'll be sure to post more as hearing her talk about the Tuaths and Morrigan's creation of the Deargh Du sent chills down our spines.  :D

Anyways, time to look busy at work again .   Love you guys…

Tagged: book giveaway

Greetings from AggieCon43!!!

Morrigan's Brood Series Authors' booth at AggieCon43

Wow… what a con! Heather and I (Christopher) are having a wonderful time talking with all of you who have visited us at our "rainbow" booth. Yes… just look at the picture. See the lights? Too bad you can't see the green laser lights… er… fairies.



This is our second year at AggieCon, and we will definitely be back next year, even if December 21, 2012 "happens"… yeah right. Anyway, it is nice to see so many familiar faces stopping by our booth, and also so many new faces!

If you are new to our series, we have added some earlier posts describing some elements of our universe as well as highlighting the new features of our re-released books. You might even see some posts about our cats.

Our website www.triscellepublishing.com is out of date and needs updating. At some point, our publisher plans to host the site in WordPress using the same URL, but that hasn't happened yet.

Free Giveaway

For one week, we will have another free giveaway. If you missed our sign saying "Free to Enter Contest" or if you are on-line and can't attend in person, then send an email to chris_dunbar@triscellepublishing.com and ask to be entered into the free giveaway. We will hold the drawing a week from this Monday, so keep checking.

Well, more happy patrons to talk to. Come stop by tomorrow!

Thanks to our friends and fans, old and new!

New Cover for Crone of War: Morrigan’s Brood Book II

As part of the re-release of Crone of War, you will notice some changes in the cover design. While the beautiful art by the lovely and talented Khanada Taylor remains prominently displayed on the front and back covers, a few changes can be evident, such as typesetting, placement of ISBN, the ISBN itself, and a few other things. Here are both covers side by side:

New Book Cover





Old Book Cover

In addition to the cover changes, we have included new features introduced in Dark Alliance, such as the character biography, map guide, and additional content on the Blood-Drinkers guide and the Gods and Goddesses of the Series guide. Oh… yeah, we sort of changed the title too, from “Morrigan’s Brood: Crone of War” to “Crone of War: Morrigan’s Brood Book II”. The main reason was because our readers could sometimes not tell the difference between books 1 and 2. Now, the titles are numbered.

While Amazon.com is currently showing a listing for the new version of Crone of War, the cover and much of the metadata have not caught up. The same can be said with Crone of War on Barnes & Noble. The reason for the lack of complete information is because it takes time for booksellers to capture and post this information from the distributor. It sometimes takes two months before all of the information is available from a bookseller’s website. Once the cover and metadata are uploaded, the look-inside content needs to be submitted to Amazon so our readers can view a preview on-line.

I (Christopher) don’t have an exact date on when everything will be set up for Crone of War, but I will keep a look out on B&N and Amazon for those updates to post for the new release.

New Cover for Crone of War: Morrigan's Brood Book II

As part of the re-release of Crone of War, you will notice some changes in the cover design. While the beautiful art by the lovely and talented Khanada Taylor remains prominently displayed on the front and back covers, a few changes can be evident, such as typesetting, placement of ISBN, the ISBN itself, and a few other things. Here are both covers side by side:

New Book Cover





Old Book Cover

In addition to the cover changes, we have included new features introduced in Dark Alliance, such as the character biography, map guide, and additional content on the Blood-Drinkers guide and the Gods and Goddesses of the Series guide. Oh… yeah, we sort of changed the title too, from "Morrigan's Brood: Crone of War" to "Crone of War: Morrigan's Brood Book II". The main reason was because our readers could sometimes not tell the difference between books 1 and 2. Now, the titles are numbered.

While Amazon.com is currently showing a listing for the new version of Crone of War, the cover and much of the metadata have not caught up. The same can be said with Crone of War on Barnes & Noble. The reason for the lack of complete information is because it takes time for booksellers to capture and post this information from the distributor. It sometimes takes two months before all of the information is available from a bookseller's website. Once the cover and metadata are uploaded, the look-inside content needs to be submitted to Amazon so our readers can view a preview on-line.

I (Christopher) don't have an exact date on when everything will be set up for Crone of War, but I will keep a look out on B&N and Amazon for those updates to post for the new release.

Trouble Figuring out Which Books to Buy? Here’s Help!

My (Christopher) latest foray into Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble yielded duplications of our Morrigan’s Brood Series books.  But upon further reflection, I realized that the reason I was seeing double is because Triscelle Publishing is making the transition from one book printer and distributor to another.  As part of this transition, they are in the process of re-releasing our Morrigan’s Brood Series books, and Heather and I have been closely involved in this process.  It takes months for titles to change out there in distribution land, so it is not uncommon for booksellers to list the same title for the same format (i.e. trade paperback) for two prices, and for there to be a slightly different cover.  In order to alleviate confusion during this transition period, when old editions are retired and new editions are incorporated, I will provide a list of old and new ISBNs; this also includes eBooks.

ISBN-13
Media
Title
Version


9781937341008
pBook
Morrigan’s Brood
New


9781937341015
ePub
Morrigan’s Brood
New


9781937341022
Kindle
Morrigan’s Brood
New


9780615340425
pBook
Morrigan’s Brood
Old


9781937341060
ePub
Morrigan’s Brood
Old


9781937341077
Kindle
Morrigan’s Brood
Old


9781937341107
pBook
Crone of War
New


9781937341114
ePub
Crone of War
New


9781937341121
Kindle
Crone of War
New


9780692009925
pBook
Morrigan’s Brood: Crone of War
Old


9781937341169
ePub
Crone of War
Old


9781937341176
Kindle
Crone of War
Old


9781937341206
pBook
Dark Alliance
New


9781937341213
ePub
Dark Alliance
New


9781937341220
Kindle
Dark Alliance
New


9781937341268
ePub
Madness & Reckoning
New


9781937341275
Kindle
Madness & Reckoning
New


9781937341282
pBook
Madness & Reckoning
New


9781937341299
pBook
Chapter Book
New

At some point, all of the old ISBNs will disappear and the new ones will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and where ever you buy your books on-line. Search-Inside features for Amazon will also be added to the new ISBNs soon, so keep your eyes out.

The primary reason Triscelle Publishing went through this ordeal of moving Morrigan’s Brood to another printer was to reduce the print costs, thus reducing the price you pay when you buy the books of the Morrigan’s Brood Series. Thanks for your patience while we go through this transition.

Trouble Figuring out Which Books to Buy? Here's Help!

My (Christopher) latest foray into Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble yielded duplications of our Morrigan's Brood Series books.  But upon further reflection, I realized that the reasons I was seeing double is because Triscelle Publishing is making the transition from one book printer and distributor to another.  As part of this transition, they are in the process of re-releasing our Morrigan's Brood Series books, and Heather and I have been closely involved in this process.  It takes months for titles to change out there in distribution land, so it is not uncommon for booksellers to list the same title for the same format (i.e. trade paperback) for two prices, and for there to be a slightly different cover.  In order to alleviate confusion during this transition period, when old editions are retired and new editions are incorporated, I will provide a list of old and new ISBNs; this also includes eBooks.

ISBN-13
Media
Title
Version


9781937341008
pBook
Morrigan's Brood
New


9781937341015
ePub
Morrigan's Brood
New


9781937341022
Kindle
Morrigan's Brood
New


9780615340425
pBook
Morrigan's Brood
Old


9781937341060
ePub
Morrigan's Brood
Old


9781937341077
Kindle
Morrigan's Brood
Old


9781937341107
pBook
Crone of War
New


9781937341114
ePub
Crone of War
New


9781937341121
Kindle
Crone of War
New


9780692009925
pBook
Morrigan's Brood: Crone of War
Old


9781937341169
ePub
Crone of War
Old


9781937341176
Kindle
Crone of War
Old


9781937341206
pBook
Dark Alliance
New


9781937341213
ePub
Dark Alliance
New


9781937341220
Kindle
Dark Alliance
New


9781937341268
ePub
Madness & Reckoning
New


9781937341275
Kindle
Madness & Reckoning
New


9781937341282
pBook
Madness & Reckoning
New


9781937341299
pBook
Chapter Book
New

At some point, all of the old ISBNs will disappear and the new ones will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and where ever you buy your books on-line. Search-Inside features for Amazon will also be added to the new ISBNs soon, so keep your eyes out.

The primary reason Triscelle Publishing went through this ordeal of moving Morrigan's Brood to another printer was to reduce the print costs, thus reducing the price you pay when you buy the books of the Morrigan's Brood Series. Thanks for your patience while we go through this transition.

Welcome Inductees to the Morrigan’s Brood Series

I (Christopher) would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to all of you who visited our booth at the North Texas Irish Festival in Dallas, Texas this weekend! Both Heather and I enjoyed speaking with all of you! NTIF has been our best event thus far, and we look forward to attending next year. For those new to we authors of the Morrigan’s Brood Series, and those who have been following us for a while, I thought I would update you folks on a few things:

Triscelle Publishing Website

The website is out of date. Heather and I both know it, but we haven’t convinced the powers that be (the publisher… Triscelle Publishing) to get it updated. Until it becomes current, here are a few things to consider:

Things to Consider

If you want an eBook, all three novels and the short stories are available in ePub format and for the Kindle. However, updated versions will eventually be released for Kindle Fire. Books 1 and 2 are generally $1.99, book 3 is generally $3.99, and Madness and Reckoning is $0.99, although if you get it from Goodreads, it is free.

Heather and I are both active on Facebook, and I sometimes frequent LinkedIn. Goodreads, Shelfari, and the Library Thing are good places to find book info, but I have been remiss in keeping that updated (bad Chris). If you want to buy our print books, they are available on-line from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and several other on-line booksellers; even internationally. Of course, if you would like to order directly from us (in order to get signed books), we can accept payment over the phone or via PayPal. Our preferred shipping method is the fixed-rate USPS Priority Mail, using the padded envelope. We would charge the cover price, appropriate sales tax for our location (9.25%) and shipping; we can send media mail if you want something cheaper, but it might take a while to get there.

We will be at other events in Texas… later this week, Heather or I will post an updated event schedule. If you do happen to buy our books on-line, we would be happy to sign them for free at events we will be attending.

If you picked up a chapter book from us, I hope you enjoyed it. If you don’t wish to hold onto it, please free to pass it along. The chapter books are printed on the same paper and the same cover stock with the same inks as the big books. We felt this was the best way for you to get a good feel for the novels, as well as have a glimpse into the stories themselves.

Free Giveaway

In case you did not notice when you stopped by our booth, we are having a free giveway. That means you can enter to win without having to buy anything. If you did not fill out a ticket, please send an email to me at chris_dunbar@triscellepublishing.com and you will be entered in the giveaway. We will be announcing our three winners next Monday on this blog. We will also be hosting a free giveaway through Goodreads, so look out for that coming up.

Fellow Authors

We were happy to be able to carry novels of the Rowan of the Wood series written by Christine and Ethan Rose, as well as several books by O.M. Grey. If you purchased books from us written by the Roses or by Ms. Grey and you would like your books signed, please feel free to visit their blogs to see where they will be next. For Christine and Ethan’s blogs, visit www.rowanofthewood.com, and for O.M. Grey, please visit omgrey@wordpress.com.

Thanks to our friends and fans!