Sarah Ettritch's Blog, page 8

The Fussy Librarian Reader Survey

Jeffrey, the guy behind The Fussy Librarian, is looking for readers to take his reader survey. If you’re not familiar with it, The Fussy Librarian is a service that emails ebook promos to people on its list. When you sign up, you indicate what genres you’re interested in. Then you receive a daily email containing promos for 5-10 books in those genres.

There are quite a few of these services. They make money in two ways: through affiliate commissions (the links in the emails are affiliate links), and from the authors who pay to have their books listed. The people behind the services aren’t hand-picking the books. Their recommendations are essentially paid advertisements.

Most of these services will only list books that have a certain number of reviews and a minimum average star rating at Amazon. I took the survey, and I think Jeffrey is trying to figure out whether he should tweak The Fussy Librarian’s requirements.

Anyway, the survey only takes 5 minutes, so if you’re so inclined, pop over. The more responses he gets, the better the sample.

The Fussy Librarian Reader Survey

(I posted this on January 16, 2015. Depending on when you’re reading this, the survey could be closed.)

The Fussy Librarian Reader Survey is a post from: Sarah Ettritch

My Chat with Liz McMullen

My chat with Liz McMullen is out. We discussed Friends Torn Apart, Threaded Through Time, and one of my pet peeves when it comes to reviews (as both a reader and a writer).

Listen to it here.

My Chat with Liz McMullen is a post from: Sarah Ettritch

My Thoughts on Authors and 2015

I said in my video blog last week that I’d do a post about why I think 2015 could be a challenging year for authors and publishers. Here goes…

Before I get into it, I said “authors and publishers,” but after thinking about it further, I concluded that it will definitely be a challenging year for authors (regardless of how they were published). Publishers may or may not be affected. I’ve focused on authors in this post.

Over the past few months, I’ve noticed that some authors are reporting that their sales are down. This is interesting, because most people naturally only report successes in public forums. Few people will admit to poor sales or being unhappy with the way things are going. So the fact that authors are saying on forums and blogs, “My sales are down,” and “I’m doing worse than I was last year, even though I have more books out,” and other things along those lines, says to me that there are many more silent authors experiencing the same thing.

Some authors are pointing to the introduction of Kindle Unlimited as the culprit. I’m not so sure. Anecdotal evidence suggests that books in Kindle Unlimited get more visibility on Amazon than books not in the program, and voracious readers who buy a lot of ebooks are more likely to use a subscription service. But to me, that doesn’t account for the lower sales numbers that many are experiencing. I’d expect revenue to drop for books in Kindle Unlimited because of Amazon’s silly compensation model (though revenues would only drop for longer books, because of the silly compensation model). I wouldn’t expect the number of sales/borrows to drop.

I think there are two more basic reasons for why the sales waters are choppier these days, and I’m certainly not alone in pointing to these two reasons.

Supply and Demand

The supply of books is growing at an incredible rate, but the number of readers isn’t. I read a statistic at some point that said about 40,000 books are uploaded to the Kindle store every month, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that number has gone up since then. Growing supply and static demand means that each available item will sell fewer units. Of course, there will always be exceptions.

Now, as a reader, I wouldn’t want to go back to the days when a small group of people in NYC decided what everyone could read, and most of what they chose was based on what white heterosexuals would read. The avalanche of books isn’t a problem for me, the reader. I’m not having a problem finding books to read, and I haven’t heard of any other readers having a problem, either. It’s a problem for authors, not readers.

(Publishers might not be as affected because selling small numbers of a bunch of books can be equivalent to selling large numbers of a few books. Most authors don’t have tens or hundreds of books for sale.)

Ebook Sales are Flattening

The heady days of ebook sales growing exponentially from quarter to quarter are over. Ebook sales are flattening. I think there are two reasons for this. First, the majority of readers who are going to move from print to ebook have already done so. Second, there are too many free books floating around. Some people’s devices are stuffed with them.

This is more of a problem for indie authors than it is for those who go the traditional route, because most of us sell more ebooks than print books. Our print books usually aren’t available in brick and mortar stores. Our fortunes are tied to ebook sales.

The Consequences

I’m seeing two problems for authors. First, no matter how much promotion you do these days, you might not sell many books. There are simply too many available. As a result, many authors feel as if they’re on a promotional hamster wheel. They’re doing a lot of work for little gain. By work, I mean the book promotion, not the writing.

Over the past few months, I’ve seen more “I’m no longer going to publish/submit my work” and “I’m out, folks. Good luck to you” posts than I’ve ever seen before. I understand it. If an author’s primary goal is to sell books and make money (and there’s nothing wrong with that), why keep publishing when nothing you try moves books? It’s natural to take stock of the amount of hours (and sometimes money) that goes into promotional efforts and then ask whether it’s worth it. For some, the answer will be no.

The second problem is specific to indie authors (though publishers might experience it, too), and that’s production costs. Indie authors who strive to put out a quality book by using professional editors are finding it more difficult to recover their upfront costs. I’ve seen a lot of courses and posts out there about “How to self-publish for free!” but serious writers use editors. Some use cover designers, as well. All of this costs money. Service professionals like editors aren’t going to lower their fees because it’s more difficult to sell books, or because authors are receiving less compensation for their work from programs like Kindle Unlimited.

What about me?

Has this affected me? Well, I’ll be honest. I’ve experienced a sales dip, and since I don’t write blockbusters (meaning that my books have lesbian characters but aren’t romance or erotica), there’s a danger that I won’t be able to recover the production costs for the new stuff I publish. That’s one reason why I’ve only committed to Deiform Four and the Daros Chronicles this year.

Making money isn’t my primary motivation to write or publish. If it was, I’d dump the lesbian characters and write mainstream fiction with straight characters. If I wanted to stick with lesbian characters, I’d write lesbian romance. But I have no interest in doing either of those things. It would suck the joy from writing. I’ll continue to write my type of fiction, because I’d rather not write than do otherwise. I also think it’s important to have a diversity of stories out there (one of my motivating factors when it comes to publishing).

Having said all that, I need to at least break even on the production costs I’ve invested in a book. I’m not going to go into debt to publish my work. If I find that sales aren’t good enough to cover my production costs, I’ll have to cut back on what I publish.

Sales expectations have always been lower for writers like me who don’t write to market (in my case, meaning that my books have lesbian characters but aren’t romance or erotica. Yes, I’m repeating myself.). In this climate, I think things have worsened. Our books never got much visibility to begin with. Now they hardly get any.

I really enjoy writing—my primary motivation for writing! I’ve always seen publishing as an optional step, albeit one I enjoy doing. I like it when people read my work. But if sales continue to decline, that means few people are reading my work, which would make publishing a less attractive endeavour. Again, it’s a matter of looking at the work/money involved vs. the benefit, and deciding whether an activity is worth doing.

I tend to promote in spurts. I’ve never been comfortable pushing my books. I just don’t have the personality for it. This year, I’ve decided to only do stuff I enjoy. Some of it might be a little different and not go along with conventional wisdom, but since many promotional efforts don’t get results these days, I figure I might as well stick to stuff that’s fun for me. Maybe doing so will move more books. Maybe it won’t.

I don’t mean to make this sound all doom and gloom. I’m committed to publishing in 2015. Because the publishing world changes so rapidly, I’m never willing to plan more than a year in advance. Right now, all I know for sure is that 2015 will bring change.

What do you think about the state of the book world today?

My Thoughts on Authors and 2015 is a post from: Sarah Ettritch

What’s in Store for 2015

Happy New Year! I thought I’d kick off this year with a video blog. If you don’t like to watch videos, I’ve summarized the important points below.

Summary:

1. In 2015, I’ll write the Deiform Fellowship Four and several installments of the Daros Chronicles.

2. I’ll continue to post to the blog on Fridays, but only when I have something to say. If I can’t think of anything, I won’t post for the sake of posting.

3. I’ll chat with Liz McMullen soon. I’ll let you know when the interview is released.

Later.

What’s in Store for 2015 is a post from: Sarah Ettritch

Faith or Madness

Yesterday I released Faith or Madness, a novella that ties in with the Deiform Fellowship series. You don’t have to know anything about the characters and plots in the series books to understand the story.

I wrote the novella because I realized that I haven’t written much about Roberta, an important character in the series. Roberta guides the Deiforms; she makes life and death decisions. When Sam is faced with a dying Beguiler in the first book, she calls Roberta and asks her what to do, as in, “Should I heal her or kill her?” Those who’ve read the story will know what Roberta decided.

I could have had Jillian ask Roberta how she came into the Fellowship in one of the series books, but I could only have spent a page or two of dialogue on it. Faith or Madness is 20,000 words long, which is about a quarter of the length of The Cult and Unseen Bonds. Obviously I couldn’t go off on such a long tangent in the middle of another story, so I went the standalone novella route.

I might do the same for other characters. An obvious candidate would be Sam. We know a few details about how she came in, but there’s a lot more to tell.

Faith or Madness will be exclusive to Amazon for 90 days. You can pick it up here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R6C7D5A

Looking Forward to 2015

This will be my last blog post for 2014. The year has flown by! Next Friday is Boxing Day here in Canada, a holiday that’s pretty much a continuation of Christmas (and a big shopping day). We’ll either be out visiting, or have visitors. We’re still finalizing plans with everyone.

After taking a break over the holidays, I’ll be right back into things. In early January, I’ll chat with Liz McMullen, and the second installment of the Daros Chronicles will go to my editor on January 5.

Happy holidays, and all the best for 2015! See you on January 2. 

Faith or Madness is a post from: Sarah Ettritch

Friends Torn Apart is Available!

 

If you’re on my new releases list, this is old news. Friends Torn Apart, the first installment in my new epic fantasy serial, is available. Here’s the blurb:

When Princess Filmona of Daros is beset by assassins, her best friend Erryn Fyler steps in and saves her. But Erryn’s brave act reveals her true nature. She’s a Beast Master, a heathen cursed by the seven gods and condemned by the Holy Texts.

Princess Filmona can’t believe that one of the few people she trusts kept such an explosive secret from her. She’s torn between the Holy Texts’ teachings and the woman she considers a sister.

The king banishes Erryn from the Royal Province—or so he tells the princess. Will Erryn make it across the provincial border? Will the two friends see each other again?

Amazon link: Friends Torn Apart

Other buy links: Friends Torn Apart book page

More News

Just as with Unseen Bonds, I find myself in the position of announcing one book as I’m on the verge of releasing another. I’ll return to the Daros Chronicles when I release the next installment. Conventional wisdom says that when it comes to a serial, there isn’t much point talking about it until more than the first installment is available.

I’m preparing Faith or Madness, a novella about how an important character came into the Deiform Fellowship, for publication. The story takes place off the series timeline and is completely standalone, so reading the other Deiform Fellowship books isn’t required to understand the story.

Here’s the blurb:

Churchgoer Roberta Wilcox has a decent job and a loving fiancé. Life would be wonderful, if not for the recurring dream in which she’s fighting for her life. Then she’s fired from her job, and life takes a turn for the weird. She catches frightening glimpses of the future, encounters a beggar she’s not sure exists, and a man in her dream keeps urging her to find something called the Deiform Fellowship. She can’t shake the feeling that God is trying to communicate with her.

As she learns more about the man in her dream, she becomes convinced that she’s destined to serve God in a special way. But those close to her see a woman obsessed with a dream and a life spiralling out of control.

Is Roberta’s conviction that God has chosen her for a special purpose rooted in faith, or madness?

As I mentioned previously, I’m going to give the book to everyone on my new releases mailing list. To get the book for free, you have to be on the list by Tuesday, December 16, 2014. That doesn’t mean I’ll send out the book that day. It means you’ll definitely receive the book if you’re on the list by then.

I’d also mentioned that I might put the book into the Kindle Select program, and that’s what I’ve decided to do. The book will be exclusive to Amazon for 90 days. It’ll also be available from the Kindle Unlimited subscription program for that time. When the 90 days is coming to an end, I’ll decide whether to keep it in Kindle Select or make it available at the other bookstores.

Why Kindle Select? As usual, the publishing landscape continues to change. There have been stories/articles/forum posts about how having a book in Kindle Select boosts its visibility on Amazon. Books that aren’t in Kindle Select may be at a disadvantage. True? False? The anecdotal evidence is compelling, but because books and genres are different and authors don’t do the same level of promotion, it’s hard to draw any firm conclusions

I like to try different things with different books. I didn’t put Friends Torn Apart into Kindle Select. I considered it, but I decided to experiment with that route using Faith or Madness instead.

You don’t need a Kindle to read Kindle books from Amazon. You need an Amazon account and a Kindle app, and there are apps for every platform. I read most of my Kindle books on my PC (using Kindle for PC). I recently bought an Android tablet, and there’s a Kindle app on that, too. There’s also a Kindle app for iOS. You’ll find all the Kindle apps here.

More about Faith or Madness next week.

Have a good weekend!

Friends Torn Apart is Available! is a post from: Sarah Ettritch

Friends Torn Apart – First Scene

I’m almost ready to publish Friends Torn Apart, the first installment in the Daros Chronicles, so here’s a sneak peek at the first scene. The book should be available at Amazon, Smashwords, and kobo next week. It’ll take a bit longer for the other stores, because I have to go through an aggregator to distribute to them.

 

Friends Torn Apart – First Scene

ERRYN GLANCED AROUND the bustling bazaar while Fi examined the pair of earrings that had caught her eye. There were too many people within striking distance of Fi. They should never have ventured outside the castle walls without protection. “We should go back to the castle. We shouldn’t be out here, not alone.”

“We’re not alone.” Fi held the earrings up to her ears. “We’re with Cedric.”

Erryn looked at the elderly guard standing stiffly to Fi’s right. He turned to her and quirked a brow. “I know what you’re thinking, Erryn. You’re thinking I’d be useless in a fight.” He patted the hilt of the sword hanging at his left side. “Don’t you worry. I know how to use this.”

Erryn nodded but continued to scan her surroundings. Fi should know better. Erryn understood how Fi wished she could walk among the common folk without the royal guard surrounding her, how she longed to drink anonymously in a tavern and attend the outdoor theatre unrecognized. But the opulence in which she lived came with a price. Erryn agreed to these dangerous excursions because Fi hadn’t chosen her life, and Erryn adored her.

“What do you think?” Fi asked.

Erryn stopped scanning the bazaar long enough to give Fi’s prospective purchase an appraising look. “Very nice.”

“Very nice.” Fi scowled. “That’s all?”

“All right, they look beautiful, but do you really need another pair? You already have thousands.”

“I don’t have thousands.” Fi lowered the earrings. “Hundreds, maybe.” Her sly look made Erryn smile, but only for a second. “Why don’t you look for a pair?” Fi asked.

“No.” Unlike most women, Erryn didn’t wear earrings often. She also preferred trousers and shirts to dresses. She wore the latter only to banquets and balls, and hated every minute of it. “We really should get back.”

Annoyance flashed across Fi’s face. “Oh, all right.” She handed the earrings she’d chosen to the merchant. “I’ll take them. Please wrap them and deliver them to the castle.”

The merchant bowed. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Come on, then.” Fi looped her arm through Erryn’s. “The fastest way back is through the delivery lanes.”

“No.”

Fi pouted.

“Erryn’s right,” Cedric said. “Too many shadows. Too many ambush points.”

Fi blew out an exasperated sigh. “What is the point of leaving the castle when I’m stuck with two worry warts? Fine. We’ll walk the main road. I’d like to see the people, anyway.”

Erryn gave her an indulgent look. Fi would like the people to buzz around her, and they’d be happy to oblige.

The walk back to the castle took twice as long, with children rushing up to hand Fi flowers, women curtsying before moving out of her way, and men stopping to doff their caps. When one darted toward her and asked for a kiss, the tip of Cedric’s sword changed his mind. “You see?” Fi said with a laugh. “I’m safe here. Nobody is out for my blood.”

Perhaps she was right. Erryn saw only interest and respect in the eyes of those craning their necks for a look at the princess, and those following the trio back to the castle were keeping a respectable distance. “Are you eating with your father tonight?” she asked Fi.

“Probably. Why?”

Erryn wanted to talk to her about a subject that had preyed on her mind for several months. She wanted to stop wondering if Fi would laugh and stroll along the road with her when she knew of Erryn’s true nature. Would Fi still call her a friend? Was their bond that strong? “I want to talk to you about something.”

“Talk to me now,” Fi said, her eyes alight with curiosity.

“I can’t. It’s private.”

Fi leaned in to her. “In that case, I must find out what it is today, or I’ll never sleep. I’ll come to your bedchamber after supper. We’ll talk then.”

Erryn’s heart thumped. “All right,” she said, hoping the conversation that evening wouldn’t be their last. What would happen if Fi reacted badly? Maybe Erryn shouldn’t tell her, but she wasn’t used to keeping secrets from Fi. Doing so had cast a shadow over their friendship. It wasn’t the secrecy, per se; it was the growing conviction that Fi should know who her closest friend really was. Erryn wanted their friendship to be based on honesty. She hadn’t lied to Fi, but not telling her about—

“Death to the Lyos wench!” shouted someone behind them. Erryn whirled. “Death to the royal whore!” A masked man ran at them, a sword in his hand. A boy not more than fourteen darted into his path. With one smooth motion, the man lopped off his head. Screams pierced the air. Cedric drew his sword. Erryn pulled her arm from Fi’s and stood in front of her.

Fleeing townsfolk jostled them. Cedric’s sword clashed with the attacker’s. “Erryn!” Fi cried. “Behind. He’s coming from behind.”

Confused, Erryn shouted back, “Behind?”

“Help me!”

Erryn looked over her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat. The man fighting Cedric was only a distraction! A second assassin was running toward Fi, his blade glinting in the sun. No, he wouldn’t reach her. Erryn clenched her fists. Zayvang! Come!

The air shimmered. A saber-tooth cat leaped into existence. The assassin’s eyes widened. He faltered. Erryn gritted her teeth and held the image of the assassin in her mind. Kill.

Zayvang launched into the air and hit the assassin full in the chest. The man slammed onto the ground, his sword skittering across the cobblestones. He screamed and raised his hands to protect himself, but it was too late. Zayvang bit into his neck and tore away his throat, abruptly ending the assassin’s cries of terror. Blood sprayed onto the road. The man’s arms and legs stilled. It was done.

To me. Zayvang loped to Erryn and sat obediently before her. Blood dripped from the cat’s muzzle. Thank you. Return. Zayvang shimmered and was gone.

Erryn drew a ragged breath and dropped her eyes to the bloodied assassin. Then the silence rushed at her—everyone was staring at her, including Fi. Erryn winced at the shock on her face.

“Erryn,” Fi whispered. “No.” She backed away.

Erryn reached for her. “Fi, don’t…please, don’t.”

“She’s a Beast Master,” someone shouted.

“Protect the princess!”

“I was going to tell you,” Erryn said, hoping Fi could hear her. Then a push from behind forced her to her knees. Another one left her splayed, facedown. Cobblestones dug into her ribs. She tried to speak, but someone was on her back, pinning her down.

“Don’t hurt her!” Fi cried, sounding far away.

Boots thudded on the cobblestones. Erryn was able to lift her head enough to see the trousers and boots of the royal guard. The pressure on her back eased. Hands roughly grasped her arms and hoisted her to her feet. Angry, contemptuous faces swam before her.

“Heathen!”

“Cursed by the Seven.”

“Animal!”

Erryn wanted to hang her head, but her desire to find Fi was stronger. When the guards ordered her to walk, she could only shuffle. The voices around her swelled. She could no longer distinguish one shout from another, and she no longer cared. She’d spotted Fi. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed.

Fi shrank into Cedric, her eyes filled with fear.

Tears blurred Erryn’s vision. She’d no longer have to wonder about how Fi would react. She had her answer. The friendship she’d cherished was over.

***********

Have a great weekend! 

Friends Torn Apart – First Scene is a post from: Sarah Ettritch

The Daros Chronicles (Epic Fantasy Serial)

It’s time to talk about the Daros Chronicles, my new epic fantasy serial. I hadn’t planned to write an epic fantasy story. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’d intended to write a science fiction serial, but when I’d almost finished the first draft of the first installment, I took a step back. Something was nagging at me. Rather than getting excited because the end was in sight, I felt uneasy. I concluded that the society I’d created needed more work.

Also, there were too many story gaps. When you write a serial, you need to be able to see far into the story’s future. You don’t have to know every little detail, but you need more of an idea of what’s going to happen than you would when you’re winging a novel. Why? Well, if you can’t fill in the blanks when writing a novel, you just put it aside. If you can’t fill in the blanks with a serial when several installments are already published, you have a big problem.

I was missing too much for the science fiction serial. Some parts were clear to me, but some plot points had a gaping black hole between them that I wasn’t confident I could fill.

So I put the science fiction installment aside.

Problem #1

I’d already set up an editing date with my editor. When I’d contacted her about it, she was booked up for a while, so the November 24 date she gave me seemed far away. It turned out to be a good thing. When I put the science fiction installment aside, I still had time to write something short.

Problem #2

What to write, then? I’d decided to start a new series because I’m taking Holly Lisle’s How to Write a Series workshop. I’m not following her process to a ‘t’ (that’s a subject for another post), but I wanted to catch up to her. When I joined the workshop, she’d already published her first series installment (her second one is available now, too).

I enjoy writing shorter work. Even my novels tend to be shortish. Holly’s writing a serial for the workshop, so I decided to do the same. That’s how the science fiction serial started, but it was a no go, so now what?

I checked my ideas file, but nothing leaped out at me that I thought would be suitable serial material. My muse/subconscious mind/whatever had been floating a fantasy idea. I’d had my mind set on writing a story in the real world, but with an editing date and nothing to edit, I thought, “Okay, I’ll explore the fantasy idea a bit.” As I did, I recognized the feeling I get when my muse is jumping up and down shouting, “Write this one! Write this one!” So, I did. And that’s how the Daros Chronicles was born.

Daros

Why is it called the Daros Chronicles? Well, it’s set in the land of Daros. My first stab at the serial name included the central character’s name, but I decided to go broader, in case I ever want to write another story in the same world, but with different characters.

I said “central character” and not “main character” because there are quite a few main characters. Epic fantasy is…epic! And epic fantasy stories often require a group of main characters. One or two characters are usually key to the overarching plot. In the Daros Chronicles, events revolve around a woman named Erryn Fyler. I see her as the central character.

Lesbian main character?

The Daros Chronicles will be similar to Threaded Through Time. There will be lesbian and straight main characters. There will eventually be a lesbian relationship. The sexual orientation of the main characters will come out ( ) naturally, when it makes sense. In other words, the first installment won’t state who’s a lesbian, but it’s hinted at. I suspect that lesbian readers will pick up on it quicker than straight readers will, but I could be wrong.

The plan

The Daros Chronicles is a serial, so each installment won’t be a complete story. I’ll end each one at a logical place, but there will be a “to be continued” flavour. I’m going to do my best not to end with cliff-hangers, meaning that I won’t end an installment with a character facing imminent death, or something along those lines.

Each installment will be 10,000-15,000 words, or at least that’s what I’m aiming for. The first installment, Friends Torn Apart, is around 12,000 words.

A typical Rymellan story was about 15,000 – 20,000 words. I’m going for shorter for the Daros Chronicles because I’d like to release an installment every 8-10 weeks. But I won’t hold myself to that. Life happens, and my editor’s schedule might delay the occasional installment. But that’s what I’ll try for. I’ll also be writing the Deiform Fellowship series, so I need to be realistic about how quickly I can write, edit, and publish a Daros Chronicles installment.

Friends Torn Apart

Here’s the blurb for the first installment:

An orphan raised by the King of Daros has a bright future ahead of her until she saves the King’s daughter from an assassination attempt.

When Princess Filmona of Daros is beset by assassins, her best friend Erryn Fyler steps in and saves her. But Erryn’s brave act reveals her true nature. She’s a Beast Master, a heathen cursed by the seven gods and condemned by the Holy Texts.

Princess Filmona can’t believe that one of the few people she trusts kept such an explosive secret from her. She’s torn between the Holy Texts’ teachings and the woman she considers a sister.

The King banishes Erryn from the Royal Province—or so he tells the princess. Will Erryn make it across the provincial border? Will the two friends see each other again?

Coming soon!

Because Friends Torn Apart is short and only going to eBook, it could be available within a couple of weeks! I’m already working on the second installment and have an editing date for it. I’m not experiencing the “too many blanks” problem that I did with the science fiction serial. In fact, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of material my muse is throwing at me. There’s lots of great stuff coming up in the Daros Chronicles!

Have a great weekend. Happy Thanksgiving to Americans.

The Daros Chronicles (Epic Fantasy Serial) is a post from: Sarah Ettritch

Unseen Bonds is Available

Unseen Bonds is out! If you’re on my new releases list, this is old news. If you’re not, Unseen Bonds (Deiform Three) is now available at Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks, kobo, and Barnes & Noble. The print book will be available sometime in December.

If you’re wondering about the graphic, readers of the series will know that Jillian loves her rainbow unicorns. As she thinks in Unseen Bonds:

When one thought about it, nothing associated with God made sense. A benevolent God who loved his creations but never showed Himself and did nothing while millions suffered and horrors abounded? Yeah, and she was Mary freaking Poppins riding around on a freaking rainbow unicorn.

So this graphic is for Jillian. Sam will get the next one.

The teaser for the book: Jillian and Sam investigate one of Roberta’s visions and discover a dark secret lurking behind an affluent neighbourhood’s closed doors.

Rather than including the buy links here, I’ll just point you to the book’s page.

If you’ve finished the book and you read the Author’s Note, you might have tried to do a short survey and discovered that you couldn’t reach the survey page. Mea culpa. A security feature I have on this blog was allowing me to see the page, but nobody else. Since I could see it, I thought it was all working. Thanks to reader Mary for letting me know that it wasn’t. Anyway, you should be able to reach the survey page now (I had to remove the password, though). If you can’t, please let me know, either through a comment or the contact page.

What’s next: Friends Torn Apart, the first installment of the Daros Chronicles, a new epic fantasy serial. It feels strange to talk about a new story when I’ve just released a book, but I’ll focus more on the Deiform Fellowship series when I release Faith or Madness in January.

Friends Torn Apart is with my editor. She’s aiming to return it by December 1. It’s short (12,000 words) and will only go out as an eBook, so I should be able to release it before the holidays. I’ll talk more about it next week.

Have a great weekend! 

Unseen Bonds is Available is a post from: Sarah Ettritch

Deiform Three: Unseen Bonds – First Scene

The eBook version of UNSEEN BONDS (Deiform Three) should be available next week, so here’s a sneak peek of the first scene. It introduces the two main threads that run through the book. The story is about the same length as THE CULT. If you’re on my new releases list, you’ll get an email as soon as the book is available at Amazon, Smashwords, and kobo. The print book will be available sometime in December.

Jillian and Sam investigate one of Roberta’s visions and discover a dark secret lurking behind an affluent neighbourhood’s closed doors.

Roberta senses a situation requiring the Fellowship’s intervention, but her vision offers few clues for Jillian and Sam to go on. While the two Deiforms search for the troubled church in Roberta’s vision, Jillian experiences frightening breaks from reality.

Ropes and chains aren’t required to bind people together. Some bonds must be broken. Some bonds can’t be broken. In Unseen Bonds, Jillian and Sam must break one bond and come to terms with another.

 

JILLIAN UNCLENCHED HER hands and resisted the urge to snap, “You must know more than that!” If she wanted certainties and large flashing signs, she’d joined the wrong group. She gazed at the conference room’s blank monitor, then refocused on Roberta. “So it’s a church that caters to the rich, and it has cushioned pews and an organ?”

Roberta nodded. “I believe the minister is white.”

Well, that narrowed it down.

“You don’t have any idea where it’s located?” Sam asked, her tone milder than Jillian’s. “Any clue would help. Could you see out a window?”

“No. The congregation is English-speaking. I do remember seeing…” Roberta’s brow furrowed. “One of the children was wearing a blue sports jersey.”

“That helps.” Sam made a note on the pad in front of her.

“Someone mentioned a farmer’s market,” Roberta added.

“Those two hints will definitely shorten the list. Anything else?” Sam asked.

Roberta clasped her hands on her lap and closed her eyes. If it had been anyone else, Jillian would have snorted and labelled them a charlatan. She was beginning to trust Roberta’s ability to identify situations that called for the Fellowship’s intervention. In the two months since the Fellowship had shut down the soul healers, Roberta had directed Jillian and Sam on four other investigations. Okay, there had been a fifth case that hadn’t led anywhere, but according to Sam, that sometimes happened. Jillian couldn’t scoff at an eighty percent success rate.

The problems they’d resolved hadn’t been anything on the scale of the soul healers case. Two were hypocrites claiming they could heal; one, a clergyman with a weakness for the race track; another was protecting a fraudster from having his day in court. All were quick in and out jobs — cowards quickly caved when presented with solid proof and the threat of exposure. Two were ousted from their jobs; the two others would be monitored.

“Snow and cold in the winters,” Roberta murmured. “Oh, and the team name, the one on the jersey, starts with T-E-R.”

Now that does help, Jillian thought as Sam smiled and wrote down the information.

Roberta opened her eyes. “If I see anything else, I’ll let you know.”

“We have enough to start searching.” Sam picked up her pad. “I’ll get Jeremy on this.” She strode from the room.

For once, Jillian didn’t mind that Sam had left without giving her a second thought. “Can — can I talk to you for a minute?” she said when Roberta rolled back her chair.

“Of course.” Roberta crossed her legs and waited.

Jillian forced herself to meet Roberta’s eyes. The long preamble she’d rehearsed flew out the window. “Maybe it’s time for me and Sam to part ways. I think — I’m ready to work on my own.”

Roberta studied her. “Is that what you want?”

No. She was doing what was best for her, for both of them, even though she hated the idea. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m ready,” Jillian repeated lamely. “Because Sam doesn’t have to protect me anymore. The Beguilers have given up on me. We haven’t seen them since they grabbed me at the cemetery.”

Roberta’s gaze sharpened. “Is Sam being a problem?”

“No.” Well, yes, but not in the sense that Roberta was asking about. “But we both know she wants to work on her own. Our partnership was only a temporary arrangement, until I was ready to go solo — which I am.” Maybe Roberta disagreed. “Right?”

“You didn’t use your gifts during the last few investigations.”

Blood pounded in Jillian’s ears. She jabbed her finger toward herself. “I’m trained. I can use the gifts. I see them differently than you do, but that doesn’t mean they’ll fail me.”

“I never said it did,” Roberta said calmly. “When I said ‘you,’ I meant both of you.”

“Oh.” Jillian felt like a petulant child, especially since she worried that the gifts would fail her at the worst possible time. There were several she’d never used in the field. Lock picking, bugging residences, surveillance, perusing social media accounts, and eavesdropping on phone conversations usually did the trick. Sam had astral-projected a few times, but Roberta wasn’t concerned about Sam. “If you don’t doubt my gifts, why does it matter that I haven’t used them?”

“It’s not using them per se, but knowing when best to use them. After you’ve received more guidance in that from Sam, I’ll consider sending you out on your own.”

Give me a freaking break! Consider sending me out on my own? Had Roberta required the same of the others? Probably not. Was it Jim’s death, or was she lying about her confidence in Jillian’s gifts? Jillian wouldn’t press her, because she’d asked for something she didn’t want and was relieved that Roberta had said no. “We don’t know what this case is about yet.” If there was one. The jury was still out. “We might not use our gifts.”

Roberta nodded. “We don’t know the scope of it, either, another reason to keep you with Sam for now.”

Bullshit. Jillian was working her way through past cases and becoming more familiar with how the Fellowship operated. Deiforms usually worked alone. When they needed help, Supporters became involved. There were exceptions. Exceptions, not the rule. Wasn’t everyone always wishing there were more Deiforms? She was ready! And conflicted, damn it. “If that’s what you want, okay.”

Roberta frowned. “Are you sure there isn’t a problem?”

Nothing she couldn’t handle, or at least she kept telling herself that. It would blow over. It had to. “Positive. I just want to pull my weight.”

“You are pulling your weight.” Roberta paused. “Is there anything else?”

“No. I’ll go help with the search.” She quickly left the conference room, disappointed with herself for being pleased that Roberta had denied her request. It made it difficult to pat herself on the back for trying to do the sensible thing.

Time to focus on finding the church in Roberta’s vision and figuring out what, if anything, was amiss.

When she stepped inside Jeremy’s cave, as she called it, Sam was sitting next to him. Jillian listened as they discussed the meagre information Roberta had provided. “I’ll look at all the professional sports teams, and the university ones.” Jeremy pursed his lips. “I’ll try searching for sports teams with blue jerseys in places with snowy winters, but I doubt it’ll help.” He twisted to face his keyboard.

Jillian looked over his shoulder as he typed the phrase into a search engine. She skimmed the results. Yep, it wasn’t going to be that easy. “Don’t forget the farmer’s market.”

“I’ll use that to narrow down the list I get from the jersey clue.”

“The team’s name begins with T-E-R.”

“Or the town’s,” Sam pointed out.

“I’ll explore both avenues.” Jeremy flexed his fingers. “I’ll start by compiling a list of teams that match the criteria. Then I’ll move on to towns.” He bent over his keyboard, then glanced at Sam and Jillian. “This could take a while.”

“Talk to you later,” Jillian murmured.

“I guess there isn’t anything we can do,” she said when Sam joined her in the hallway.

“We can pack. We could be gone for a while. Knowing Jeremy, we’ll have a preliminary list in no time. We’ll leave tomorrow.”

“There could be a lot of churches on that list.”

Sam shrugged. “If we’re lucky, Roberta will come up with more to narrow it down.” When they reached the stairway, Sam gave her a tight smile. “I know you’re reading cases. Look up the Anderson case. It started like this one. Church hunting.”

“I will,” Jillian said, knowing she was being dismissed, so she wasn’t surprised when Sam said, “See you later,” and climbed the stairs. Whether Jillian would see her later was an open question. Sometimes they had dinner together — with others — and sometimes they didn’t. Well, she had a case to read. The sooner she absorbed herself in it, the sooner she’d stop thinking about how she wouldn’t mind if the church hunt took a while — although she also hoped they found the church quickly. Yep, conflicted. Con-freaking-flicted.

Deiform Three: Unseen Bonds – First Scene is a post from: Sarah Ettritch