Rayne Hall's Blog: Rayne Hall, Fantasy and Horror Author, page 5

24-Hour Story Contest - finished

I've submitted my entry for the 24 hour story writing contest. I managed to get it below the maximum wordcount (always a challenge for me) and to submit it one hour before closing time.

It's a creepy horror yarn. Is anyone surprised?

I'll probably expand it - I have some ideas how to make it even creepier, once I'm not limited to 925 words - and include it in Six Scary Tales Volume 5.

Who knows Jacquelyn Bartel?

I'm trying to contact the fantasy writer Jacquelyn Bartel. Does anyone know her? Can you put me in touch with her?

I've already tried Google, Facebook, Twitter and all the other obvious avenues. Perhaps someone knows her (a neighbour? colleague? member of a writers' group?)

If yes, I'll be grateful if you can help.

Performing in Hastings (E. Sussex) today

This is a fun project. Our local writers group, St Leonards Writers, are collaborating with a big local art gallery (Jerwood) for this event.

http://www.jerwoodgallery.org/whatson...

Each writer chose a painting from the gallery and wrote a poem or story inspired by that painting.

Today, we're giving a "promenade performance" i.e. we're walking from picture to picture, and the audience walks with us.

It's exciting.

My contribution is a dark flash fiction story with hints of horror.

If anyone wants to come (any Sussex residents among my friends and fans?) the performance starts at 5.30.

Who is using BookLikes?

It's a book lovers site, similar to Goodreads, Shelfari and LibraryThing (but not owned by Amazon).

I've joined yesterday. So far, I like it. It seems user-friendly.

If you want to connect with me there, my username is RayneHall.

Last Day Free: "13 British Horror Stories"

Today (Sunday) is the last day to get this Kindle book free from Amazon.

The offer ends tonight, so if you want the book, download it now if you plan to read it later.

viewBook.at/B00BG1V8RQ
(This link will open the book's page in your regional Amazon)

In the top free Kindle books lists
it is currently

Britain: #2 in Short Stories, #11 in Horror
USA: #8 in Short Stories
Canada: #5 in Short Stories
Germany: #10 in English Language Short Stories, #35 in English Language Horror
Italy: #5 in Short Stories

Surprisingly, in Italy it's also #5 in in Children's Stories. At least, that's what I think it means (libri per bambini...racconti).
Ahem. I wouldn't recommend these stories to young readers without parental guidance.

"Six Scary Tales" series gets new covers

The new artwork and design for the Six Scary Tales books is finished.

For the earlier design, I had used a stock photo of skull. I have now replaced this with original art. I commissioned Erica Syverson to paint the new skull. My instructions were to make it creepy and atmospheric, so it reflects the style of my horror stories, and I think she's done a superb job.

You can see the new covers and read an interview with the artist here:

http://madelinedyer.co.uk/cover-revea...

Madeline Dyer is hosting this Cover Reveal.

"13 British Horror Stories" free till Sunday for Kindle

You can download my short story collection "13 British Horror Stories" free from Amazon.

These stories are the creepy, atmospheric, disturbing kind of horror (not the slash and gore kind) and they're all set in Britain where I live.

The book is free until Sunday only.
To read it, you either need a Kindle, or download the free Kindle app so you can read ebooks on your computer.

Here's the US Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/13-British-Horr...

and if you paste this into your browser, it'll take you to the book's page for the Amazon of whatever region you're in - Germany, UK, Brazil, Canada, etc.
viewBook.at/B00BG1V8RQ


The more downloads the book gets, the better. You may want to download it now and read it later... maybe for Halloween? :-)

Asking a Quick Favour - Storm Dancer

Storm Dancer got a new cover in January. It's the one with the dynamic pose, where the tunic is maroon and the turban is scarlet. This one: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...

Alas, when people search Storm Dancer on Goodreads, the old cover shows, and each time someone clicks that, it reaffirms that the old cover is correct.

So I'm wondering if people could help me? If you've read Storm Dancer, if want to read it, if you rate it or review it or anything, could you please do it while the new cover is displayed? This will help a lot.

Thanks.

Rayne Hall

Fun, Fun, Fun! Showcasing "Storm Dancer " Fan Art

Fun, fun, fun!

I'm collecting art related to my dark epic fantasy novel Storm Dancer, and putting it all on a new web page.

Of course, there's the gorgeous painting Paul Davies and Erica Syverson created for the cover. Then there are some illustrations I've commissioned, and several pictures sent by fans.

It's exciting to see how people visualise my characters, sometimes differently from how I imagine them.

Although the web page is still a work in progress, and I haven't uploaded all art yet, you can take a peek here.

https://sites.google.com/site/stormda...

So far, the pictures of my villain Kirral delight me most. Whenever I look at them, I smile.

What do you think of the page, of the individual pictures, of the general idea?

Either I am Weird, or Yahoo is

Ok, we all know that Yahoo sometimes does weird things, such as delaying messages for a week or sending each message in multiples of five.
From time to time, it fails to upload or to deliver attachments. This is currently happening again.

Now comes the weird one. Prizes for anyone who can come up with a rational explanation for this.

When I send email from my rayne_hall_author@yahoo.com account, some recipients receive it as coming from Jonathan Broughton.

Somehow, Yahoo has substituted the sender name 'Jonathan Broughton' for 'Rayne Hall'.

Admittedly, I'm confused at times about who I am and which pen name I've used for which project (I have different pen names for different genres), but I'm pretty sure I'm not Jonathan.

I know Jonathan Broughton. He's a writer of fantasy and horror fiction whose stories I've published in the Ten Tales anthologies. His email address is in my contacts list. But he's not me.

The only logical way this could have happened would have been if I had changed my sender name for that account to Jonathan Broughton. I'm sure I didn't do that.
I do stupid and absent-minded things sometimes, but even I am not that mad.

I've checked my Yahoo mail option sections. They did not offer enlightenment. The rain_dancer_UK@yahoo.com address has Rayne Hall as the sender name, as before. The rayne_hall_author@yahoo.com address, which used to have the sender name Rayne Hall too, has nothing. Not even Jonathan Broughton.

Several people receive my emails with the Jonathan Broughton name. But not all. Jonathan, for example, doesn't.
I tested it by sending emails to my backup account on gmail. It arrived from Jonathan Broughton.

So I just want to reassure you: I'm not Jonathan and Jonathan isn't me. And if you have a rational explanation, I'd like to hear it.

I have no idea what to do. Maybe just wait until it's over? Most Yahoo glitches resolve themselves after a while.

Rayne
(not Jonathan)