Kate Genet's Blog, page 6

Remnant Sequel?

Remnant is currently free on all platforms, and there have been a lot of readers taking advantage of it, which I’m pleased about. Some of the comments in the reviews have had me thinking however.

I wrote Remnant never thinking it would be anything else than a stand alone book. Although I’m involved in writing two series (the Michaela and Trisha books, and the Reality Dawn series) I’m not someone who thinks automatically in terms of sequels. Yet several readers have suggested, both in their reviews and their emails to me, that a sequel to Remnant would be welcome, and answer a lot of questions the book left them with.

It would actually, be a book where a sequel could come easily and naturally. I had a problem with the ending of that one, because if I had been to carry it on, there could have been no natural stopping place until the book was at least twice its length, probably longer. I was forced to end it where I did, unless I wanted to write a complete whopper of a book, and at that stage I did not.

I’m not sure if I do now, either, for all that, but this morning it makes an interesting thought. The scene I set in Remnant before it ended, provides rich fodder for another full length novel. There’s certainly enough story in there to write.

I’m not making any promises, but I am going to give some thought to writing a sequel. It’s been so long (years) since I wrote Remnant, that it would be almost like working on something completely fresh, which is important to me as I have so many new ideas that I’m easily irked by going back to old characters and storylines . But the sequel to Remnant, if there were to be one, would be so completely different to the first, that it would be something very new for me to write, a story of a type that I haven’t done yet. That holds quite a lot of appeal, as I love nothing more than challenging my story-telling skills.

Interesting.

I’m a third of the way through the fourth Reality Dawn book at the moment, and it won’t take too much longer to finish that. I’ve no real plans for after that one is done, a lot of ideas, but nothing I’ve picked to work on yet. So maybe this is something I could do. I’ll be interested to see what I decide!

What about you – any thoughts on the matter?

(If you want to pick up a free copy, please go ahead and do so from your favourite retailer. It won’t be free forever!)

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Reality Dawn Review

This review just through from Terry Baker, over at Affinity Ebooks:

 

Episode One of the Reality Dawn Series

 

 Reality Dawn travels between dimensions as a Reality Worker. Her job is to ensure no unauthorized doors between the dimensions are left open. This happens a lot, although most people aren’t aware of it. Passages between one earth to another parallel earth open up with dire consequences.

 

 Reality Dawn enjoys her job and likes to have company on her journeys. Being alone all the time doesn’t please her.

 

 When Rae’s sister in law, Morgan, disappears suddenly without a trace from the family farm, Reality Dawn turns up, seemingly from nowhere and offers her services.

 

 Rae is quite taken aback by Reality Dawn. She’s a rather weird woman with a love for tea and biscuits. When Reality Dawn asks Rae to keep her company on her journey to find Morgan, Rae has no qualms about joining her. She would do anything to rescue Morgan and bring her home safely to her wife and child.

 

 This is the first of a new series and it’s off to a flying start.

 

 Kate Genet always writes books that are so vastly different, I never know what to expect. This series is no exception and as always, I was enthralled and hooked from the first page.

 

 The main characters, Reality Dawn and Rae are both multidimensional and are characters that are easy to get to know.

 

 This book is a mixture of sci/fi and fantasy in the vein of Dr Who, a very long running British TV program, but with lesbians as the main leads. I loved the story, meeting the witch in her sponge house was amazing.

 

 I have the second and third parts of the series to read and I’m looking forward to seeing which direction it will go in.

 

 To buy:-

 

 http://www.amazon.com/Reality-Dawn-ebook/dp/B00DDTDN2C/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1374848177&sr=1-6&keywords=kate+genet

 

 Terry

I’m very happy so far with the feedback about this series of novellas, and just today started writing the fourth. It’s to be called Painted Dawn (so far) and I’m more than pleased to be back writing.

Thanks again to Terry for her dedication to writing reviews, and the fact that she likes all my books.

 

 

 

Filed under: Writing Journal

Pursuit

Each thing I do I rush through so I can do

something else. In such a way do the days pass -

a blend of stock car racing and the never

ending building of a gothic cathedral.

Through the windows of my speeding car, I see

all that I love falling away: books unread,

jokes untold, landscapes unvisited. And why?

What treasure do I expect in my future?

Rather it is the confusion of childhood

loping behind me, the chaos in the mind,

the failure chipping away at each success.

Glancing over my shoulder I see its shape

and so move forward, as someone in the woods

at night might hear the sound of approaching feet

and stop to listen, then, instead of silence

he hears some creature trying to be silent.

What else can he do but run? Rushing blindly

down the path, stumbling, struck in the face by sticks;

the other ever closer, yet not really

hurrying or out of breath, teasing its kill.

         Stephen Dobyns. Cemetery Nights

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Free Novel Remnant

[image error]Just a quick post to let you all know that my novel Remnant, is currently free on Smashwords. Just in case you haven’t read it yet. I’ve updated the cover and the formatting, but it’s the same good story, a real twist on the apocalyptic genre.

Having recently moved back to my little house in the country, I’ve not been getting any writing done – yet. Starting to get that itchy urge to put words on the page again, so I don’t think I’ll be able to hold out for long. I’ve no idea what story is next on the to-do list, but I’m looking forward to finding out.

Here`s the blurb for Remnant:

What would you do if you woke up one morning to find the world you took for granted was gone?

 It’s a beautiful sunny day when Cass wakes up to find herself alone. It should be just a normal day – there’s a beach to enjoy with family and friends and the summer is at it’s height. Except today is not a normal day. Today there is no one around. In fact, the only living creatures Cass can see are birds. And a horse. Where is everyone?

As Cass struggles to find other survivors in this strange new world where nature is taking back the land, she discovers that being alone might not be the worst thing. It depends on who or what else is out there…

And a review from Baxter Clare Trautman:

I once dubbed Kate Genet ‘the lesbian Stephen King’ then recanted the statement in favor of calling her ‘the lesbian Nancy Drew’. After reading Remnant I realize my first proclamation was premature but nonetheless accurate.

 Remnant has all the elements of a good, old-fashioned horror story: the tingly ‘Oh !@#$ what’s going on’ feeling; the sickening drop when you realize what’s going on, then the subsequent wavering between hope and despair of surviving this very bad thing.

 In Remnant, the very bad thing is that one morning Cass wakes up and her boyfriend’s gone. (I just heard a collective groan from half the lesbians reading this. Hold on. Stick with me. I had to trust Ms. Genet and so will you. I promise it will be worth it). So the boyfriend is gone, all his family, and the chickens too. Other than the native birds singing merrily in the bush, there doesn’t appear to be another living creature around but for a darling horse named Esmerelda. As she searches vainly for other humans, Cass gradually realizes that not only is everyone vanished but the land seems to be quickly reclaiming the evidence of human existence. Cities disappear in volcanic upheavals. Homes, stores and streets are engulfed by the encroaching vegetation. Cass and Esmerelda appear indeed to be remnants of a suddenly lost civilization. Just as Cass starts – oh, but wait. I can’t say more without giving away the fine suspense of the novel. You’ll have to read it yourself to find out if Cass is the only human left on earth, or at least in New Zealand.

 There were enough twists and turns in Remnant to keep me up late two nights in a row. I get up fiendishly early so rarely stay up late with a book but Remnant was just too fun to put down. Reading it felt like being at a slumber party with your best girlfriends, you know, that magic time after you’ve all gone to bed but are too wired to sleep, so you tell ghost stories until someone gets too scared and makes everybody stop. Then you tease that poor girl for being a baby but you’re secretly relieved.

 Remnant is only available as an e-book, but Genet is all the incentive you should need to pop seventy-nine bucks for a Kindle. I was lucky enough to discover her on Smashwords when her writing was free but Genet is still a bargain with her works priced at $4.99 or less.

 Genet’s brand of horror is not without humor and tenderness, so don’t be put off if you’re not much of a horror fan. And I’m not even sure if horror is the correct genre. Maybe call it futuristic sci-fi and leave it at that? Whatever the genre, Remnant doesn’t disappoint. It’s a quick, fun, spooky read. Enjoy!

Filed under: Writing Journal

Time to Visit a New Earth

Just a quick post to let you know that Dragon Dawn is finished and available to buy. I’m getting quite attached to these novella-length books, and I think I’ve already found the right picture to use for the photo for the fourth story. As I’ve not come up with the story idea yet, I think I may just let the photo inspire me.

But that’s getting way ahead of ourselves. The big news is that Dragon Dawn is finished and you can go get your copy today, and go visit a new earth with Reality Dawn and Rae. The’ll love to have you along.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E7KPRQQ

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/341769

Filed under: Writing Journal

Branding Book Covers

I haven’t been totally unfocused on work the last few weeks, even though little actual writing has been happening (something I’m hoping to have time for next week). I’ve been self-publishing for about two and a half years now and I’ve learnt so much over that time. Not only has my writing improved, but my knowledge of formatting is much broader now, and I’m also a lot better at making book covers.

It’s the book covers that I’ve been playing around with recently. I absolutely love the covers for my Reality Dawn series, and decided I needed to update all my others too. I especially wanted a more uniform look for the Michaela and Trisha books, making it obvious they are a series, and even my stand-alone novels needed a coherent, branded look to make it look like they are by the same author.

So, that’s what I’ve done. Working on them here and there as time and energy allows, I’ve made seven new book covers, and to my mind, they’re a vast improvement over the old ones. I’ve made the switch for the novels, but it will be a little longer before Michaela and Trisha get their new covers, as I also want to redo the formatting and fix a few errors. I’ll work on that over the next week, so it shouldn’t take too long. Building Character has been unavailable for a while but is now back up for sale.

So, what do you think?

[image error] [image error]

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Dragon Dawn (Reality Dawn #3)

It takes a certain type of space to write a book. There have to be hours available in a succession of days, and ideally, there needs to be a serenity to those days, where the body is not taxed too greatly, where the mind isn’t either. The days need to be peaceful to let the imagination run, and creativity blossom.

I’ve not had any of this, the last month, and so I’m afraid, my book Dragon Dawn is incomplete. I’ve done most of it, indeed I only need two or three days more in which to finish it, but two or three days of peace which has lately been hard to find. Sometimes life interferes, when my health is poor, too many errands need to be run, and all my energy is used up, with none left over for the creative process which writing requires.

Soon, I hope to be able to finish it. It is a priority, and I hope, somewhere amongst the hectic business of the next few weeks, I will find the space I need to write. I’ll let you know.

Filed under: Writing Journal

Find Yourself a Perfect Earth

I’m finally back to work almost three weeks after my operation to have my thyroid removed. It took a lot more for me to recover than I was expecting, but now that my new medications have been sorted out properly, I’m feeling a lot better.

 I’ve just spent the last couple of hours working to finish the third Reality Dawn book ‘Dragon Dawn’. I had thought to have it finished by now, and the fourth too, but the unexpected date for my operation put a spanner in those works. I’m pleased though, that it was so easy to slip back into the story today. In fact, as I read through the two thirds of it that I had already done, I found myself enjoying the story a great deal and feeling pretty damned pleased with how good it is (in my humble opinion, of course).

 So, while I’m hurrying to finish this third episode, now’s the opportunity to make sure you’ve read the first two, the second of which, ‘Perfect Earth’, has been out for a few days now. They’re quick, enjoyable stories (also in my, okay not so humble opinion) and good for a few hours adventuring. I’ve been having trouble categorising them during the publishing process, because they’re this weird combination of science fiction and fantasy. The third story leans more strongly towards the fantasy end of things (it has dragons!) so I still haven’t decided quite where they fit on the bookshelf. But of course, that’s the last thing to worry about during the writing – the only thing on my mind while I’m writing, is the story, going where it takes me and getting it down on the page. All the rest are just details to quibble over.

 Here’s the draft blurb for Dragon Dawn. I’m going to have to go back and rewrite the blurbs for the other two, I think. I can’t even remember writing them, in the pre and post operative fog, but I’m sure they’ll do until I get to them. Meanwhile, where was I? Oh yes, the blurb for Dragon Dawn. Just a draft, but, maybe it’ll whet your appetite:

 Reality and Rae think they are heading back to Earth – Reality’s base and Rae’s home. But when they open the door to the wagon, they don’t step out into the world they are expecting. Instead they come across a rural landscape where a dragon roams the sky.

A dragon! Seized as strangers in the land they are roped into helping kill the dragon. All the time wondering why there is a dragon there at all. Obviously it has come through from a Reality Door somewhere, but where is the door? Reality can’t find it. What she finds instead, is a small boy who suffers from nightmares.

 

Buy PERFECT EARTH

Buy REALITY DAWN

Filed under: Writing Journal

Reality Dawn – Out Now

Actually, it’s been available for almost a week. I hurried to upload it after receiving a phone call from the hospital here telling me they had a surgery time available for me on Friday if I wanted to take it. Of course I did – we have free health care here in New Zealand, but it does mean waiting lists. So with little time to prepare, I published Reality Dawn, then toddled off to the hospital to have my thyroid removed. I woke up feeling like I’d been partially decapitated. Home again, the last thing I feel like doing at the moment is working, unfortunately, as I’ve a bunch of deadlines – self-imposed, sure, but important to me nonetheless. 

However, partial decapitation isn’t something one recovers from overnight, so I’m just starting to get back into the swing of things, and even then, as soon as I’ve posted this, I’m turning off the computer and lying down to read a book instead. 

But to the real news – the first episode in my dimension-travelling Reality Dawn series is now out. Go and grab yourself a copy, then let me know how you liked it. Or I should say, tell me you liked it, because I’m too sick and grumpy and sorry for myself to be told anything other than I’m brilliant and you loved it. 

 

Filed under: Writing Journal

Reality Dawn – A Different Earth Every Day – New Series

I would like to announce the upcoming publishing date of my new series Reality Dawn.

 Reality Dawn is a dimension travelling Reality Worker. She’s on our Earth to make sure no unauthorised doors between dimensions are opened, Unbeknownst to most people, this happens quite often – passages from one Earth to another, parallel Earth open without warning, and the consequences can be alarming. Fearless, adventurous Reality Dawn loves her job, and loves having company on her travels, which is why, when Aussie-born Rae meets her when Rae’s sister-in law mysteriously disappears, Rae is invited along for the daring rescue from a parallel earth unlike anything Rae’s ever seen.

In the first episode, Rae’s sister in law vanishes into thin air right outside her house. No one can figure out how that is even possible, never mind what has happened to her. Until, that is, the equally mysterious Reality Dawn turns up late that same night. Rae is alternately baffled and intrigued by this strange woman who is addicted to tea and biscuits but claims she can get Rae’s sister-in law Morgan back from wherever she disappeared to. When Reality invites Rae along, Rae can’t help but go – this might be the big adventure she was always hoping for. If not, at least it’s better than sitting around twiddling her thumbs. And anyway, if this Reality woman is half as nutty as she seems to be, it’s going to be one interesting trip. She only hopes Reality is serious about rescuing Morgan.

Inspired by an online conversation one day, where one lesfic reader commented how much she’d enjoy a story about a lesbian Doctor Who, I’ve had a great deal of fun writing these stories. A mix of fantasy. Sci-fi, and adventure, there are three written so far, and another three planned for the first series. They’re novella length – about 32000 words, or just over 100 pages, and will be published every two weeks. Each is a complete story, but they do lead from one to the next, Reality Dawn and Rae deepening their friendship and understanding of each other in each story.

I do hope you’ll join me in this latest adventure of mine. They’re light, fun reading, no overt horror in them, though our two characters do get themselves into some awfully tight spots.

The first episode in the series is ‘Reality Dawn’ and will be on sale on the 15th June from Amazon, Smashwords and Kobo for an introductory price of US$1.99.

The second in the series, ‘Perfect Earth’ will be available on 1st July for the full price of $2.99, and ‘Dragon Dawn’ will follow two weeks later. By that time, the next stories should be available and published every two weeks.

 Liz McMullen was kind enough to invite me along to read an excerpt for her Bedtime Stories series. Tune in to hear me read the first few chapters of Reality Dawn (you know you want to hear my sexy accent again!).

 http://www.thelizmcmullenshow.com/lbs-episode9/

Filed under: Writing Journal