Jennifer Allis Provost's Blog, page 24

Blog Tour De Troops Is Here!

This Memorial Day, I'm joining over 30 authors in thanking our troops for keeping our country safe and free.

I'm the third stop in a daisy chain blog hop, the previous being  Stacy Wallace Benefiel If you missed her, head on by, and don't forget the next stop, Jonathan Gould! This blog tour is getting national attention for a reason.

Yep. I'm indie. Self-published and proud of it. Along with hundreds of other authors, I'm helping to crumble stigma and prove that indie isn't a dirty word.

I have the reviews to back it up, too! Take this one from Indie Book Blogger for Rise of the Deva'shi: A Chronicle of Parthalan. Scott (Mr. Indie Book Blogger) is a great reviewer, and has done much to support indie publishing.

So… Like the review? Great! Because every commenter on my blog today gets the ebook FREE!

Not only do you get it, I'm giving one to a troop for every single unique commenter. So send a friend. Not only do you and they score a 5 star read, a troop gets one, too. And, don't forget your email address.

When the calendar rolls around to Memorial Day, talk inevitable turns to those serving in the various branches of the Armed Forces and our appreciation of all they do. Truly, their willingness to sacrifice themselves gives us the greatest of gifts: freedom.

But what about those who aren't on the front lines? The clerks and accountants and welders who never see combat, yet are still as vital as any soldier? More, what of those who see each battlefield, but only after the battle has been fought?

My grandfather, drafted during World War II, served in the Army's Grave Registration Unit. His regiment made it to every battle in Europe and North Africa about three to five days after the fighting ended. They were tasked with the morbid but necessary task of identifying those who'd fallen, ensuring a proper burial and notification of those back home. Without my grandfather and his men, many back home would have never known what became of their sons and fathers and brothers; truly, it's better to know than to wonder.

Grandpa never saw combat, but that didn't mean he was bereft of war stories. He also had quite the assortment of oddities, mostly trinkets such as buttons and coins. He could also tell you about every American cemetery in Europe, and met General Patton at Normandy. Well, maybe met is too strong a term, but he did take his picture.

On this Memorial Day, remember the accountants, and the potato peelers and the bottle washers. Every member of the Armed Forces serves a vital function, whether or not it involves artillery. And the next time you find yourself in a military cemetery, thank the Graves Registration Unit. Grandpa would appreciate that.

Speaking of freedom. Want more free? Good.

Head to the next  indie author, Jonathan Gould. Comment there and keep clicking your way through the weekend for tons of free ebooks. PLUS, a chance to win a KINDLE! Not just for you, for a troop, too.

Don't miss the list of authors and donors at the Indie Book Collective Blog, too!

Zombies and editing

But, not editing zombies. It had been brought to my attention that both quotations and em dashes are disappearing on the Smashwords versions of Rise of the Deva'shi - weird, I know. It seems to be a minor formatting issue, though figuring it out has become a major undertaking. Ah, the joys of self publishing. Luckily, Heir to the Sun has people who know what they're doing to handle these things.

In completely unrelated news, Hell Hath No Fury is now available on Kindle, with the paperback forthcoming. My story, Zombie Love Song, is lucky # 13.  Go have a look, and let me know what you think! Lots of great talent in that anthology, if I do say so myself.

http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Hath-No-Fury-ebook/dp/B004ZMWEP8/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

Zombies: What every woman wants for Mother's Day

Hell Hath No Fury is out! My story, Zombie Love Song, is lucky # 13. Check it out here:

http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Hath-No-Fury-ebook/dp/B004ZMWEP8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1304774890&sr=1-6

Good Friday, good in many ways.

My current place of employment gives us Good Friday as a paid holiday. Woo hoo! Maybe I'll get some stull done around here today, like cleaning my long-suffering birds' cage. Also, I need to write the back cover blurb for Heir to the Sun. Amazingly, it's more nerve wracking to boil the book's esence into 100-200 words than coming up with the plot in the first place. When I have it nailed down I'll post it here for your thoughts.

In other news, Scott the Indie Book Blogger has posted his review of Rise of the Deva'shi on his blog. And (lest you foget) he's currently running a contest to give away 40 different books! So stop by, say hi, throw you name into the mix.

http://indiebookblogger.blogspot.com/

Easy like Sunday morning

Or afternoon.

So, it has come to my attention that the ebook downloading public is generally unaware that Rise of the Deva'shi is .99 at Amason and Smashwords. Yes, yes, it is true. Their respective links are below, along with Hunter's Tales, Deleted Scenes from Rise of the Deva'shi.

If you'd like a print book, Google the ISBN for prices, since from what I understand they vary wildly. If you can't find a decent price, email me. I've got a few copies of both here.

And, in prequel to the sequel news, formatting is happening as we speak. More to come on the upcoming relase of Heir to the Sun!




http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Devashi-Chronicle-Parthalan-ebook/dp/B003V8BK66/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1



http://www.amazon.com/Hunters-Tales-Deleted-Devashi-ebook/dp/B004UHMK9S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1303069514&sr=1-2

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/19702

Spring has sprung

And things are moving along on many fronts.

Firstly, things are moving on Heir to the Sun, the next installment in the Chronicles of Parthalan. It takes place before Rise of the Deva'shi, and tells the story of a slave girl brave enough to rebel against the corrupt king of Parthalan. Along the way she organizes an army, gets magical aid from a sorcerer, and captures the heart of the elf king. Her name was once Hillel, but you know her as Asherah, the Faerie Queen.

Secondly, in time for Mother's Day we'll have Hell Hath No Fury, an all female zombie anthology. My story, Zombie Love Song, is lucky # 13. Check out the publisher here: http://maydecemberpublications.com/ Or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000007555407#!/pages/May-December-Publications/130807060292773

Last but not least, the intrepid Scott Poe is giving away a whopping 40 books this month! Stop by and throw your name into the hat. There's a lot of good reading on that list.


http://indiebookblogger.blogspot.com/

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ConBust 2011!

So what're we all doing this weekend? Me, I'll be at ConBust. It's held in Seelye Hall at Smith College in Northhampton, MA. Check it out: http://sophia.smith.edu/conbust/index.html

On Sunday, I'll be on a panel with the lovely Trisha Wooldridge and Annette Klause about children's fairy tales. (Well, I've only met Trisha, but I have it on good authority that Annette is also lovely). Here's the description:

Children's Fairytales - 10 am - Room 202. Description:" 'Once upon a time...' there was a panel involving brave orphans, lost princesses, evil witches, and a fuzzy talking animal. The story continues..."

Then, I'll be right next door in this:

 Broad Universe Round Robin Reading - 11 am - Room 201. Description:" Please join our lovely ladies for a round robin of reading!"

Readers: Trish Wooldridge, Jennifer Allis Provost, Connie Wilkins, Phoebe Wray

Do I know what I'm reading yet? Why, no, I don't. I was toying with the idea of reading Zombie Love Song, but now that I'll be on a fairy tale panel I'm considering something from Hunter's Tales. What do ya'll think?

Review: The Bone Sword

The Bone Sword tells the story of Malik, a sort of rogue guardsman/mercenary whose been on the run for far too long. He's resigned to the fact that he's a killer, until he meets a pair of blond siblings, Noah and Jasmine, under rather strange circumstances. Jasmine is a healer, but beyond healing Malik's ravaged body she heals his spirit, and gives him something to live for.

When we first meet Malik, member of the Camden Guard and bearer of a bone sword, he seems like an old, battle-hardened soldier, but we figure out that he's really quite a young man (unless my figuring is way off). However, he is world-weary and stricken with a fever that he'd just as soon let take him. Then he stumbles into a tavern and kills the Earl's cousin in mostly self-defense, and becomes a fugitive. Once captured, riddled with wounds and fever, he's dumped in a cart and hauled off toward his execution.

However, he was dumped in a cart alongside Noah and Jasmine, also sentenced to die because Jasmine is a healer and therefore an aberration against the church. They were captured after Jasmine used her gift to save their father. Jasmine heals Malik, a daring escape ensues, and the healer becomes the figurehead of a peasant uprising against the corrupt nobility.

All in all, I liked The Bone Sword. It's got some incredibly awful villains, and really, what fun is it without the bad guys? Jasmine and Noah also mature remarkably during their time with Malik. Also, the writer's style is pared-down and unique, and I don't mean unique as a euphemism for bad. Everything flows well, and I especially like how he handled the fight scenes. I do wish it was a bit longer, with more character development, but for all I know the writer's leaving that for the sequel. I give it 3 1/2 stars.

Buy it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Sword-Walter-Rhein/product-reviews/0982743726/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R2G79LMF4GP9ZG

Read an Ebook Week!

Today is the last day of Read an Ebook Week? What did you read? Me, I read some fairy tales by Charles Perrault, I finished the Mortal Instruments series, and did some research on fairy ointment.

What's fairy ointment, you ask? It's an assortment of herbs and spices that grants one the Sight. It shows up in folklore here and there, and the scientist in me wants to know exactly what was being slapped on these orbits. I wonder if there's a hallucinogen in the mix.

Remember, Rise of the Deva'shi has a reduced price in honor of Read an Ebook week. It's the perfect compliment to your new Kindle!

http://amzn.to/hBxVF8

Self publishing and associated whatnot

Today, I thought I'd ramble on about self publishing process. It seems to be a hot topic these days, what with people like Amanda Hocking enjoying great success and the overall ease of creating an ebook. However, just because you can create a book doesn't mean that you should.
 
By the way, if you haven't checked out Amanda Hocking I highly recommend that you visit her site here: http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/She's a great writer, and her blog's consistently enjoyable.
 
So if she's a self published success, shouldn't we all do it? Well, no. As many of you already know, Rise of the Deva'shi and its companion, Hunter's Tales, are self published. Since then, a traditional publisher has picked up the prequel, Heir to the Sun and will be reissuing Rise of the Deva'shi. Therefore, I fell I can somewhat accurately comment on the pros and cons of both processes.
 
The single best part about self publishing is that you have no editor. You can write about whatever you want, be it faeries, slime molds, or an intergalactic litter box incident. No one will make you cut 3,000 words here, add in a love scene there, and so forth. You are in total control.
 
The single worst part about self publishing is that you have no editor. You can write about whatever you want, be it faeries, slime molds, or an intergalactic litter box incident. No one will make you cut 3,000 words here, add in a love scene there, and so forth. You are in total control.
 
See my point? You can get so wrapped up in your fictional utopia that you lose sight of the overall story. Only a highly disciplined writer can truly forgo an objective editor. Me, I have lots of friends with mad skills, and they helped me tremendously. However, feedback from someone who doesn't care if they hurt your feelings is priceless, worth more than any publishing contract.
 
Case in point: Rise of the Deva'shi is long. LOOOONG. It's really two stories in one, the first being Latera coming of age, the second her finding her destiny. Should this all be in one volume? Hard to say. There are lots of epics out there far longer than mine, but some of those could use some shortening, too.
 
Well, it's all together now. Maybe someday I'll break it out into Part One and Part Two, but not anytime in the near future. I've got the rest of the series to complete
 
Incidentally, I want you all to check out Scott Poe's site: http://indiebookblogger.blogspot.com/. He's reviewing indie fantasy and interviewing the authors. I don't know how he does what he does, being that he also works full time and has a young daughter. His blog's pretty enjoyable, and his reviews are honest and forthright. Good to have someone who truly loves the genre reviewing the latest works.