Douglas Smith's Blog
September 15, 2025
Release day for The Dream Rider trilogy box set!
The entire multi-award-winning Dream Rider Saga trilogy released today in one ebook volume that includes all three books in the trilogy, plus exciting bonus material:
The box set is available for the next two days only at the special release price of $4.99 USD, which will be going up significantly (at least DOUBLE) on Sept 17. Order it below from most major retailers, including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and many more.
Order it from your favourite retailer now!
Note: The book will NOT be available on Amazon in Canada, Australia, and Mexico, because of Amazon's pricing policies on box sets. However, if you have a Kindle, you can buy the book from my Payhip store here. Bookfunnel will provide easy-to-follow instructions to load it directly onto your Kindle.
#booksky #SFWPro
August 27, 2025
The Crystal Key is a BookBub Featured Deal
The Crystal Key, book 2 in my urban fantasy trilogy, The Dream Rider Saga, is a featured deal from BookBub from today until Sept 3.
The book, a finalist for the Aurora Award last year, will be available for just $0.99 during that time on all major retailers around the world, including Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and many more retailers.
Click on the link below, then select your preferred site. You'll be taken to that retailer's store in your home geography:
Buy The Crystal Key A reminder that The Dream Rider Saga is one large mystery, one single story, told over the course of three books, with each book building on what went before. That means if you want to enjoy The Crystal Key, you first need to read book 1 in the series, the multi-award-winning, The Hollow Boys .Feel free to share this post with your friends and fellow readers.
#SFWApro
August 13, 2025
The Dream Rider Saga box set on pre-order now
On September 15, the entire multi-award-winning Dream Rider Saga trilogy will be released in one ebook volume that will include all three books in the trilogy, plus exciting bonus material:
The box set is available for pre-order at a special price of $4.99 USD, which will be going up significantly (at least DOUBLE the pre-order price) on Sept 17, two days after release, so act NOW to save.
Pre-order it here on most major retailers, including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and many more.
Note #1: This is a lower pre-order price than was originally available. If you had already pre-ordered, don't worry. Your selected retailer will charge you the new lower price on the release date.
Note #2: This is now available on AMAZON for the first time!
Note #3: However, it will NOT be available on Amazon in Canada, Australia, and Mexico, because of Amazon's pricing policies on box sets. However, if you have a Kindle, you can buy the book from my store, and Bookfunnel will provide easy-to-follow instructions for how to directly load it directly onto your Kindle.
Pre-order it from your favourite retailer now!
Pssst! Want to avoid the wait? Get the box set NOW!
I'm also offering The Dream Rider box set in my own store, where you can get it NOW at the pre-order price and without waiting until September 15.
Just click here to buy The Dream Rider box set NOW
July 9, 2025
Aurora Award registration and voting closes soon!
Registration to vote in the Auroras closes this Saturday, July 12 at midnight. Voting closes July 19 at midnight, but first you have to be registered.
All the details about the Auroras, who can vote (hint: Canadians!), how to register, how to vote, and how to get your FREE voters package of ALL the nominated works can be found here in my earlier blog post here.
My latest novel and the conclusion to my multi-award-winning trilogy, The Lost Expedition: The Dream Rider Saga, Book 3, is on the ballot under BEST YA NOVEL. I would truly appreciate any consideration you would give to voting for it. You can read its reviews here.
June 6, 2025
Voting opens for 2025 Aurora Awards
Voting for the 2025 Aurora Awards is now open!
The Auroras are fan-voted awards recognizing the best of Canadian SF & Fantasy published the previous year. Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident may vote for the Auroras.
This year's final ballot has been announced, and I am thrilled that it includes my most recent novel:
The Lost Expedition: The Dream Rider Saga, Book 3
Nominated for Best YA Novel
I'm hoping you will consider voting for me.
Below, I explain how to vote as well as how to download the Voters' Package containing your complimentary copy of ALL the works on the ballot, including:
10 novels6 graphic novels5 novelettes5 short stories... and more!Pretty sweet, eh? But first, let me tell you a bit about my nominated novel.
The Lost Expedition: The Dream Rider Saga, Book 3The conclusion to The Dream Rider trilogy, which includes The Hollow Boys (winner of the 2023 Aurora Award and juried IAP Award) and The Crystal Key (finalist for the 2024 Aurora Award) has received universal praise, with a 4.7⭐ rating on Amazon and 4.6⭐ on BookBub, plus garnering these raves from top book review sites:
"A lavishly concocted ride brimming with magic, mystery, and mayhem… Takeaway: Explosive conclusion to this spectacular fantasy joyride.” — BookLife (Editor's Pick)
“There is a sweeping majesty to the world building we have not seen since A Wrinkle in Time.” — The Ottawa Review of Books
“I enjoyed every minute I spent with these characters, and I will miss them now that their story is done.” — SF Crowsnest Reviews
If you haven't read The Lost Expedition, see below to learn how to get it in your complimentary copy of the Voters' Package.
How to Register to VoteTo vote in the Auroras (and to access the Voters' Package of nominated works), you must be a 2025 member of the Canadian SF & Fantasy Association, the body that administers the Auroras.
(Note: If you nominated works earlier for this year's awards, you're already registered and can skip this step! Just jump down to "How to Vote.")
To register for 2025:
Go here and click on "Not a Member Yet?"Enter your info, then select a username and password. (If the password box contains black dots, hold down "DELETE" to clear the box, then enter a password.)Registration costs $10 CAD, which not only lets you vote, but also download the Voters' Package of ALL the nominated works: 16 novels, 5 novelettes, 5 short stories, and more! That's a pretty amazing deal, imo.Registration for voting (and access to the Voters' Package) closes at midnight on Saturday July 12, a week before voting closes.
How to Vote in the AurorasOnce you're registered, log in to the Aurora Awards site, then go to the Member's Home page. From there, click on "Voting" to access the 2024 Aurora voting ballot.The Auroras use a ranked voting method (more info here). To vote, sort your choices from 1 (your favourite) to 5 (your least favourite), by dragging your selections with your mouse (or finger for touch screens) above the voting line (the line that says, “No pick underneath this line will be counted”). As you do this, your choice will display its ranking. If you make a mistake, just move your choice to a different position or back below the voting line.You do not have to rank all works in a category, and you do not have to vote in all categories. But I would truly appreciate if you would consider voting for:
The Lost Expedition under Best YA Novel
Thank you for any consideration you give my book.
Submitting Your BallotWhen you've ranked all your choices for the categories you’re interested in, click the “Send Ballot” button at the bottom of the form. This will lock and submit your selections.Do NOT submit your ballot until all your selections are done. Unlike the nomination process, you will not be able to edit your ballot once submitted.Also, if you close your ballot before submitting it, your choices will be cleared and not saved, and you will have to start again.In other words, don't start to vote until you know everything you wish to vote for and can complete your voting in one session.Remember, for your ballot to count you must click the “Send Ballot” button at the bottom of the form.
Voting closes at midnight on July 19.
Get Your Voters' Package!The Voters' Package contains electronic versions of all nominated works, made available through the generosity of the nominees and publishers so voters may read the works and make informed decisions when voting.
Once you've registered to vote, you can download the Voters' Package from the Member's Home page (or directly here).
Access to the Voters' Package closes at midnight Saturday July 12, a week before voting closes.
~~~
I hope you'll take advantage of this great opportunity to read the best works of Canadian speculative fiction from 2024, and hopefully, vote for a work you enjoyed.
Until then, happy reading! And as always, thanks for being a fan and supporter of my writing.
May 22, 2025
Short Game Workshop for Literature & Latte's Webinar Week
Some of my readers are also writers. If that's you, you know there's a wealth of material out there to teach you how to write stories. But what happens when you've finished writing? Do you know how to sell what you've written?
On Monday May 26, from 1:00-2:30 EDT, I will be giving a free workshop on how to market and sell your short fiction.
This presentation is part of Literature & Latte's regular "Webinar Week." Literature & Latte are the people behind the excellent writing environment tool, Scrivener. I started using it a few years back and now swear by it. (And no, none of these are affiliate links. I don't get anything for recommending the product. I just really love it.)
Based on my popular writer's guide, Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction, this workshop will give you crucial advice on how to sell your short stories to professional markets and to begin a career as a short fiction writer. Topics covered include:
The benefits of writing short fictionAvoiding traps for the beginnerUnderstanding rights and licensing for short fictionFinding short fiction marketsSelecting the right market for your storySubmitting short fiction to a marketWhat not to do when submittingWhat to do after submittingThe webinar is free but you do need to register here.
May 5, 2025
The Lost Expedition is a BookBub Featured Deal
The Lost Expedition, the final book in The Dream Rider Saga trilogy and a current finalist for the Aurora Award, is available on BookBub for $0.99 from now until May 8!
Subscribe to BookBub for free to access amazing ebook deals from your favourite authors.
Go to this link to snag The Lost Expedition before the sale is over!
April 23, 2025
April 22, 2025
Pre-order The Dream Rider Saga Boxset
On September 15, 2025, I'm releasing the entire multi-award-winning Dream Rider Saga trilogy in one ebook volume that will include all three books in the trilogy:
Plus, I'm also including some cool (well, I think so) bonus material:
Deleted scenes that I wrote but dropped (and why)Alternate plot lines I considered but rejected (and why)Notes on your favourite charactersBackground on key locations and settings…and more!The boxset is available NOW for preorder at a special price, which will be going up after release, so act now to lock in this price.
You can preorder it here on most major retailers, including Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and many more. (Note: it will NOT be available on Amazon, as their pricing practices discourage offering boxsets.)
Want to avoid the wait? I'm also offering the boxset in my own store, where you can get it NOW without waiting until September 15. To get it from my store, just click here.
#boxsets #DreamRider #preorders
April 21, 2025
The Lost Expedition: Aurora Award Finalist!
I am absolutely thrilled to announce that The Lost Expedition: The Dream Rider Saga, Book 3 is a finalist for Canada's 2025 Aurora Award for Best YA Novel.
Every year, the Aurora Awards recognize the best of Canadian SF & Fantasy. Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident may nominate and vote for the Auroras. You can find this year's full final ballot here.
This is the third Aurora nomination for this trilogy. The Hollow Boys (Book 1) won the award in 2023, and The Crystal Key (Book 2) was a finalist last year. Plus, all three books received the coveted "Editor's Pick" from BookLife when they were released.
To my Canadian subscribers, thanks to any and all of you who nominated The Lost Expedition. Stay tuned, as I will be sending out a special mailing for my Canuck followers explaining how to vote and how to download the complete complimentary package of this year's nominated works.
And if you haven't yet read The Lost Expedition but would like to, just click here to find it on your favourite retailer or in my PayHip store.
