Dean Murray's Blog, page 17

Brittle Bonds Cover Reveal and Blurb Voting

I'm excited to be able to show you all the cover for the third Guadel Chronicles book, Brittle Bonds!

I've also pasted in three different blurbs below and would love to have you vote in the comments as to which is your favorite blurb.  If you think that none of them are any good you can tell me that as well and I'll go back to the drawing board. :)

Blurb 1

Va'del has saved his people for the second time in as many months.  This time he's determined to take what is rightfully his and marry Jain, but not everyone is happy with his accomplishments. Old enemies are preparing to see to it that Va'del and Jain never return home.

The coming treachery will do more than threaten Va'del and Jain's lives. It will test their devotion to each other and start them down a path that could lead to the overthrow of an entire civilization.

Blurb 2Before Va'del and Jain left with the food caravan to the lowlands there were signs that something wasn't right at the Capital.  Being imprisoned and almost killed distracted everyone in the caravan from the problems back home for a while. Now that they are headed back up the mountain things are getting serious, and the closer they get to their destination, the bleaker things look. Va'del  wants nothing more than to make it home and marry Jain, but instead the two of them are thrust into a dangerous new environment that will test not just their skills and determination, but also their commitment to each other.
Blurb 3Va'del has clawed his way up through the ranks of his people's military despite everything the establishment did to try and stop him. He and Jain have saved their civilization twice now, but there are still those that would stand in the way of the two of them marrying and becoming a nearly unbeatable force on the battlefield.The return trip back up to the top of the mountain range that their people called home was something everyone knew would be dangerous, but hidden perils quickly force the two of them in unexpected directions. Cut off from the rest of their party and in the greatest danger of their lives, the two of them will be forced to endure a test of their commitment to each other that could tear them apart.More than just their relationship rides on their ability to navigate the trials ahead of them. Part of the cabal that has been striking at them from the shadows is just about to make its presence known and this time there is a whole new set of innocents in danger.
Thanks again everyone for your help wading through these blurbs.  Blurb writing is my least-favorite part of all of this.
--Dean

Trapped is Live!

Thanks for hanging in there with me.  It's taken a bit longer than I expected, but Trapped is now live and available for purchase in all of the usual places.


The Setup:
Kristin has always been firmly grounded in reality. Trading in small-town Idaho for an Ivy-League school wasn't going to be an easy proposition and making it happen wasn't going to leave her time for unnecessary things like crushes on boys.

Kristin is about to find out that all of the creatures she thought were nothing more than myth are actually quite real. One of the worst of them is after her, an unstoppable killing machine that will chase her across a continent.

Kristin is completely out of her depth. Her one hope is a mysterious guy with dangerous skills and a dark past. He's the kind of guy that Kristin knows she shouldn't get involved with, but as their attraction grows it becomes apparent that being with him is going to require an even bigger sacrifice than she realized.

What fans are saying about Trapped:
...a kind of paranormal version of The Terminator, with an ordinary human being pursued across half a continent by a relentless killing machine. I’m [really liked] the high-octane action sequences.. —RJ Locksley

Dean Murray excels in showing a story rather than just telling one.  Trapped is a well-written and fast-paced story with intriguing and likable characters....one of Murray's best tales yet. —Kim Allred

Trapped is available:
From Amazon US ($3.99)
From Amazon UK (GBP 2.49)
From Barnes & Noble (currently $3.99)
From Smashwords ($3.99)
From iTunes ($3.99)
From Kobo ($3.99)


If for some reason you're on the fence about this one, please go out and at least download the sample.  In addition to the gripping story, I've also sprinkled in a bit more of the shape shifter history that some of you have been clamoring for more of.
In other news, I still need a review or two for the product page on the blog, so if you end up loving Trapped and want to e-mail me a review, there is a good chance that I'll end up quoting you here on my blog!
As always, thanks for all you do to help spread the word.  I've got a lot more action and romance on the way still for you all!  Forsaken is done with editing and I've started uploading it to the major retailing sites, so it should be available for purchase sometime in the next ten days or so.
--Dean

Forsaken Blurb Help + Cover Reveal

Hi, everyone.

It seemed like those of you who voted on the blurb for Trapped quite enjoyed being able to provide feedback, so I'm continuing the tradition and adding in a vote for possible covers as well.

I've got another three blurbs pasted into the post below. As always, I'd love to hear from you. Just use the comments section to let me know which blurb and cover combination is your favorite. I feel better about these blurbs generally than the ones for Brittle Bonds (which I'll be posting soon), but you can still tell me that they all stink and that I need to go back to the drawing board. :)

Here are the covers:
 

Here are the blurbs:

Blurb 1
The power he needs to protect his friends and family is just outside of Alec Graves' reach. The dominant shape shifter pack in North America is circling like vultures and there are other, more savage opponents approaching in the distance.

Given the danger he's in, Alec doesn't have time for a broken heart, but Adri's departure has left him barely able to function. The pressures inside his pack are building to lethal levels and for the first time in his life, he's not sure he can walk the path that honor demands of him.

Walking out on Alec was the hardest thing Adri had ever done, but she didn't bargain for the long-term impacts that would be involved. She hasn't been able to get past her feelings for him yet and it's starting to impact nearly every aspect of her life.

Even more concerning, she now knows what the darkness really hides. Dangers that she thought she'd left behind in Sanctuary are stalking her again, but this time Alec's pack isn't in a position to protect her.


Blurb 2
Shape shifter Alec Graves has kept his pack together against overwhelming odds but he can feel things starting to spin out of control. A steady stream of challengers are already lining up to try and take control of his pack and the contests will be to the death.

His most trusted lieutenants are at each other's throats and a strange sickness has started infecting some of his pack members, but he can't seem to find a path that will allow him to skirt ruin and fulfill his obligations. Even worse, he's not sure he cares to continue the fight anymore.

Adriana Paige is friendless and alone in New York City. It would be an intimidating prospect for anyone, but she knows that the shadows of the big city conceal supernatural dangers that she's ill-equipped to handle.

As both Alec and Adri's worlds teeter on the edge of ruin it's quickly becoming apparent that their actions will impact each other in ways they can't foresee.

Blurb 3
Not every girl would have the courage to walk away from a boyfriend worth billions of dollars, but that's exactly what Adri did. It wasn't because she didn't love Alec, but because she couldn't be part of his violent, unforgiving world.

Now Adri is alone in New York and quickly realizing that while she left Alec, his world isn't going to let her just walk out on it.

Alec should be on the top of the world. He defeated the alpha of a rival shape shifter pack and then proceeded to stand off the thugs sent by the dominant pack. The victory wasn't bloodless though and Adri's departure has sent Alec into a tailspin that even he can see won't end well.

Enemies, both old and new, are preparing to destroy the Sanctuary pack and it's starting to appear as though the only hope for Adri and Alec's friends and families rests in a reconciliation between the two of them.

Thanks again, everyone. I'm really excited for Forsaken to go live!

--Dean

A Big Book Promo!

A couple of developments have occurred that you all ought to know about. Firstly, I've joined another group of authors and we’re doing a joint promotion (The Winter Escapes Promotion), so starting tomorrow (the 7th through the 14th) we all have books that are either free or priced at $.99.

Additionally, we'll be giving away giftcards to Amazon, B&N, and iTunes. I haven't read any of their work yet myself (editing, etc. for Trapped, Brittle Bonds, and Forsaken has practically leveled me), but you all ought to stop by and see if anything catches your eye. The hope is that we'll each get some of our fans to swing by the site and that it will result in some cross pollination. So hopefully more Reflections fans will be coming onboard over the next few days as we head into the last little while before the next Alec and Adri book goes live.

Part of the idea behind the promotion is that we'll each post a little write up of one of our character's favorite winter memories as a way to help lure fans to the site. Hopefully you'll all be happy to hear that I'll be putting up two short pieces, one for each of our favorite Reflections characters. The second one should be a tug at your heartstrings moment as you realized just what a certain someone had in store for a certain someone else. The other is more of a teaser. If you read my first blog post on the promo site, The Greater Darkness, and Forsaken, you’ll find a common thread between the three of them.

The common thread is a big deal, but the full story there isn't going to become apparent for a while still. The plan is for me to peel back some of the secrecy around this particular part of the 'myth arc' little by little, but I'd like to start that process now. For the first fan to read The Greater Darkness, the first post on the Winter Escapes Promo Site, and the next Alec and Adri book (still due out around Christmas), and then come back here and correctly identify the important common thread between all three, will get a signed copy of Broken and Torn when I get them into print (still a couple of months away at least). To make sure that I know where to send the prize when it’s done, send me an e-mail with your comment pasted into the body of the e-mail right after you post your comment. Then I’ll have the contact information for the winner so that I can get a mailing address.

Thanks,

--Dean

How Much Is Too Much?

You'll want to swing by more often than normal for the next week or two. I'll be announcing a contest in the next day or two and after that there will be cover reveals for the next Alec and Adri book (Forsaken) and the third Guadel Chronicles book (Brittle Bonds).

In the meantime, I have another topic that has been rattling around in my head for a few weeks now. One of the challenges that comes along with social media is exactly how much familiarity a given individual should incorporate into their ‘professional’ persona. I've debated this a little and it seems like it’s probably past time for me to formalize what I've been doing so that you all have an idea of what I’m trying to accomplish.

One possible route would be to do like David A. Wells has done and have no interaction with his fan base (at least not that I can see). He has a webpage and occasionally adds an update post, but I couldn't find anywhere that he had an e-mail address and I haven’t seen him respond to fans on the Amazon forums yet.

Another route would be to just throw everything about me up where you could all see it. Some celebrities seem to get a lot of mileage out of that approach, but I think it requires a personality type that I don’t have. Plus I’d rather you just buy my books because that’s what you like to read, not because I've created some kind of personality cult (even assuming I could pull that off, which is very doubtful).

In between those two extremes is an almost infinite continuum. Obviously I’m not interested in the flamboyant cram-me-and-my-opinions-down-your-throat approach, but I’m also finding that I legitimately enjoy interacting with my readers to the extent that time permits. I like responding to the occasional e-mail and getting your take on a given book. As more and more of you arrive, there may come a time when I have to take a more David A. Wells approach, but for now this is my general plan:

My mailing list e-mails will just be straightforward communications to let you all know that something I've written is now available for purchase, either because it’s a new release or because I've managed to get it out in a new format. I won’t tell you when I found a new series I like, I won’t go on and on about my writing process or anything else that you might not want to hear about, but you’ll always be the first to know when I've got a new book up for you to go take a look at.

My blog will be a bit more familiar and you’ll get a bit more of ‘Dean’ in it. I’ll stay away from religion and politics, but you’ll probably get semi-regular updates about how things are going with my latest work in progress; and when I find a new epic fantasy, urban fantasy, or YA paranormal romance series that really blows me away, I’ll probably let you all know. You’ll always find out when something new goes lives, but generally a few days behind the mailing list, mostly because I tend to batch blog information so there isn’t a new post every couple of days.

Twitter will tend to be a bit more random. You’ll get the occasional ‘Holy cow I just added x,xxx words to xyz manuscript type posts and a bit more interaction with some of you readers that choose to drop me a tweet from time to time.

I hope that helps a little and gives you all a chance to ‘self-select’ what kind of information you get from me.

If there is something you would like to see added to the blog please let me know in the comments to this post. Some of you have e-mailed asking more about my writing process and I've answered those as one-offs, but if a lot of you are curious about something, I’m happy to try and work in a blog post about it, it just make take a while for me to get to it (Sorry Louise).

I've considered trying to add some forums in here (possibly on a new site entirely), but I’m not sure if anyone would be interested in them, and right now I don’t have time to take on another side project. Let me know what you think :)

--Dean

The Blurb for Trapped

Hello, everyone.  I'm currently tearing my hair out as I try to craft the blurb for Trapped, so I thought it might be fun to see what all of you think.

My four best attempts so far are below-please use the comments section to let me know which is your favorite!

Attempt 1:
Kristin had her future all mapped out.  She just needed to finish off her last two years of high school and then she was almost certain to swap her existence in small-town Idaho for four years at Harvard or Princeton.

Rather than continuing along her carefully planned route, she’s now running for her life from a threat that she couldn’t have even imagined just a few days before. Her pursuer is relentless, and her only hope is the handsome stranger who has managed to keep her alive so far.  Before their flight is over Kristin will find out just how big of a sacrifice is going to be required for them to survive.

Attempt 2:Ash appeared out of nowhere and saved Kristin from a threat that didn’t belong in her small-town world of classes and test prep.  Their pursuer is a relentless killing machine that Kristin is starting to suspect is unstoppable. Her situation is too bleak to be thinking beyond the next hour, but more and more Kristin finds herself attracted to her mysterious savior.  The more drawn she is to Ash, the more she realizes what each of them is going to have to sacrifice if they are going to have a chance to be together. 
Attempt 3:Anton is a nearly unstoppable killing machine.  He’s spent the last two hundred years killing whomever he wants, but when he targets Kristin, a small-town teenager, he’s foiled for the first time in decades.
Ash is an exile.  Stronger and faster than any normal human, he’s still forced to keep a low profile to avoid tangling with all of the things out there that are even more dangerous than he is.  He knew Anton was trouble, but he still couldn’t bring himself to let that kind of monster kill her.
Kristin only ever wanted a normal life, college and then a good job in a big city somewhere.  She didn’t count on Ash or the way that she would start to feel about him as they ran for their lives.  They are in too much danger to let emotions get in the way, but neither Ash or Kristin can help the attraction growing between them.
Attempt 4:Kristin has always been firmly grounded in reality.  Trading in small-town Idaho for an Ivy-League school wasn't going to be an easy proposition and making it happen wasn't going to leave her time for unnecessary things like crushes on boys.
Kristin is about to find out that all of the creatures she thought were nothing more than myth are actually quite real.  One of the worst of them is after her, an unstoppable killing machine that will chase her across a continent.
Kristin is completely out of her depth.  Her one hope is a mysterious guy with dangerous skills and a dark past.  He's the kind of guy that Kristin knows she shouldn't get involved with, but as their attraction grows it becomes apparent that being with him is going to require an even bigger sacrifice than she realized.

The Greater Darkness is Live!

I'm happy to announce that Greater Darkness is now available for purchase!

As I've indicated in past blog posts, I’m releasing this one under a pen name because it’s a bit darker than Broken, Torn or The Guadel Chronicles.  Torn is a bit heavier on the action and lighter on the romance than Broken.  The Greater Darkness is even a bit lighter still on the romance and heavier on the action than Torn.  Because of that I didn't want people to buy it based on my name without first giving them a heads up that it is a bit of a departure from the other stuff I've written.  That being said, while the romance isn't as strong in this book, it sets the stage for not one, but three separate love stories, so for those of you that like romance that is a bit more subtle and which develops slowly, over the course of several books, this could still be right up your alley.

I've actually written three different blurbs for The Greater Darkness, one focusing on the action, and one more focuses on one of the romances that it lays out in this installment.  I wasn't quite happy with either of those options so I've got a third blurb that tries to combine both elements.  Without further delay, here are the setups.

Balanced (Combined) Setup:
Something powerful is stirring in the darkness.  Something so ancient that even creatures who've been alive for hundreds of years have long since discounted this new threat as nothing more than myth.

Geoffrey knows even less than most about this rising menace.  His memories were all violently ripped away from him, leaving nothing of his past but dreams containing haunting glimpses of a beautiful girl.

A chance encounter offers up a possible link to his past, but forces beyond his control are threatening to push him into the middle of a conflict that could sweep away everything, and everyone he’s been fighting so hard to protect.

This time, saving the girl may very well cost Geoffrey his soul.

Action Setup:
Something powerful is stirring in the darkness.  Something so ancient that even creatures who've been alive for hundreds of years have long since discounted this new threat as nothing more than myth.

Normal humans will be caught in the crossfire, but then that's always the way of things.  Geoffrey has no memory of his past life or any idea how to survive in the violent, dangerous world in which he's trapped. Despite his best efforts, he's about to find himself in the middle of a conflict that threatens to sweep away everything, and everyone he's been fighting so hard to protect.

Romance Setup:
Geoffrey’s memories were all violently ripped away from him, but his dreams still contain haunting glimpses of a beautiful girl that he somehow knows was important to him.

Forces beyond his control are quickly arraying against him but he can’t abandon his one possible tie to his past life.  He knew going in that it might cost him his life, but now he’s realizing that his determination to save the tiny flame of goodness she represents, might cost him his soul.

The Greater Darkness is available at the following retailers:
Amazon US ($4.99)
Amazon UK (GBP 3.00)
iTunes ($4.99)
Barnes & Noble ($4.99)
Kobo ($4.99)
Smashwords ($4.99)

My Favorite New Epic Fantasy

Some of you will have read some of my early interviews and blog posts where I talk about how excited I got after reading the first two Twilight books.

I recently found a new epic fantasy series that I really love and I wanted to share it with those of you who have read and loved The Guadel Chronicles.  Partly that is because I think it’s a good match taste wise with the Guadel Chronicles, partly it’s because I've enjoyed the series (so far) a ton, and partly it’s because this is exactly the kind of thing that I appreciate all of you fans and super fans doing for my writing.  I guess this is me trying to pay it forward a little even though by all appearances Mr. Wells is doing quite well and doesn't really need me cheerleading for him. :)

Without further ado, the series is The Sovereign of the Seven Isles and the first book is titled Thinblade.



Here’s the setup from Amazon:
When second son Alexander Valentine loses his brother to an assassin’s arrow, he discovers that his family protects an ancient secret and reluctantly finds himself at the center of the final battle of a war that was supposed to have ended two thousand years ago.

Pursued by the dark minions of an ancient enemy, Alexander flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillian where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Ruatha, one of the Seven Isles, but before he can claim the throne he must recover the ancient Thinblade. Seven were forged by the first Sovereign of the Seven Isles and bound to the bloodline of each of the seven Island Kings in exchange for their loyalty to the Old Law. Each sword is as long as a man’s arm, as wide as a man’s thumb and so thin it can’t be seen when viewed from the edge. Thinblade is the story of Alexander’s quest to find the ancient sword, claim the throne of Ruatha and raise an army to stand against the enemy that has awoken to claim dominion over all of the Seven Isles.

My Thoughts:
I’m not sure why I picked Thinblade up.  Frankly I didn’t love the cover and I thought it was probably going to be one of those stories where the ‘magical sword’ was overpowered and ruined the balance of the book.  I couldn't have been more wrong!

David A. Wells knows how to tell a story.  He’s got a tremendous amount of back story behind the novel, but he doesn't just dump it on you all at once.  Nope, instead you get bits and pieces as the story goes on.  It leaves you wanting more, which I think is exactly the way to treat back story.

Wells also knows how to balance a world.  He’s got magic and magical items scattered all over the series, but none of them felt overpowered to me.  Instead I almost felt like a kid at Christmas as I went through the series.  I just couldn't wait to see what neat new toy the main characters unwrapped next.

The characters were very believable and three dimensional too.  It was just a dang good book.

Here are links to the first book at Amazon.  Unfortunately it looks like Mr. Wells has chosen to go exclusive with Amazon.  Hopefully he’ll change his mind sometime in the near future and get his books out to all of the other retailers.  If you click on the below link and buy I’ll make something like $.06, but I’m putting the affiliate code in there more because I’m curious to see how many people go buy off of my recommendation.  Maybe someday I’ll meet Mr. Wells and be able to tell him that I helped grow his reader base by a couple of hundred of the best fans in the world!

--Dean

Buy Thinblade from Amazon ($.99)

Reviews & Ratings

I really appreciate all of you that have taken the time to leave ratings or reviews.  The iTunes users seem to be way in the lead with more than 350 reviews of Broken so far, but Kobo seems to have 200+ with a bunch imported from Goodreads :)
If any of you that are reading this haven’t done a rating or a review of one or two of my books, it would really mean a lot to me if you could take five minutes and do a review/rating or two.  Going into the Christmas season it could make a difference as far as how many readers decide to take a chance on a very unknown author like me as they start filling up their new e-readers, tablets and smartphones.
Here’s links to my author page on some of the retailers where significant numbers of books have sold:
Amazon (US)iTunes Barnes & NobleSonyKoboAudible
Thanks again everyone.  I know that life can get pretty busy so I really appreciate all of you that have taken, or are taking, time to do this now.
--Dean

October Status Update & Cover Reveals:

Wow, by the time that this goes live another three weeks will have gone by since the last blog post.  I’m putting off my Dropbox/Sugarsynch post because frankly most of you probably couldn’t care less and I haven’t had time to write it. I will eventually put a brief bit up there though because I a few of you might read it and decide it was useful information after all.  If I can save a couple people from a meltdown when their hard drives fail, that’s a worthwhile thing to do.

New Cover:
Since the last time we talked, Katie came up with a new cover for Frozen Prospects.



The original e-book cover we had done isn’t high enough resolution to do a print edition and I wasn’t able to get a response back from the original cover artist, so Katie whipped (because it’s that easy right ;) up another version, which I actually like better.  I think it’s a bit harder and more realistic than the original one and I like the sword better :)  You’re getting the full print, wraparound cover here which reminds me that I need to find a few hours to finish up the work still outstanding for the Frozen Prospects and Thawed Fortunes print editions.  I had to start back over for a few different reasons and they just haven’t been as high of a priority as getting new material written and edited.  I’m still hoping that I can squeeze them in before Christmas, but I expect that you’ll all have your shopping done by the time they finally go live.

Next Book:
The Reflections book that I’ll be releasing under a pen name is back from the editor and I’ve been trying to squeeze it in little by little at the end of the day once I’ve hit my word count goals.  It’s still a little ways off, but it's getting very close!

Lone Wolf:
Lone Wolf has a final name (Trapped) and it’s now off to an editor.  You’ll all be glad to know that despite Katie not being overly enthused about the original concept she’s now read the rough draft and she thinks that it’s a great addition to the universe.  Not only are the characters pretty cool, and the plot sprinkled with plenty of action and romance, I went back and filled in a few more tidbits about the shape shifter lore and legend.  I suspect that there are some of you out there not planning on picking this one up because it’s not directly about Alec and Adri.  All I can say is please at least go download a sample when it goes live.  I think it’s some of my best writing yet and it sets the stage for the next Alec and Adri book in some pretty fundamental ways.  When all was said and done, I went back and added another 10% or so to Trapped.  The scene that I was on the fence about went in and I juiced up a pretty important fight scene.


Broken Audio:
The audio book version of Broken is now live:

Every time I write a bit of dialogue for Dominic I now hear the narrator, Sandy Rustin’s, rendition of Dom's accent!

That’s the last of the audio books that are currently on the to-do list.  I’m sorry for those of you that really love audio books.  They are a huge investment compared to the return so far.  As they continue to sell I’ll happily revisit the decision :).

Pick it up from:
Amazon (US)
Audible
iTunes

Frozen Prospects Push:
 A few weeks ago I contacted a bunch of sites that feature free books.  The hope was that it would bring in some more readers and help make the release of Guadel Chronicles #3 even more of an event.  It’s worked, not as well as I’d hoped, but every little bit helps.  Those of you who haven’t tried The Guadel Chronicles out ought to go download it and see what you think.

The Next Alec and Adri Book:
As of Oct 18th when I’m revising this, I’ve completed just under 94,000 words over the course of 17 working days (20 calender days) and the rough draft is officially done! I have to say that I’m very pleased with how this one came together.  There are a lot of ‘breadcrumbs’ scattered throughout this one as far as important things, people, and events that will be happening later on in the Reflections universe.  I’d like to go on and on right here but I’d better stop.  Let’s just say that I really, really hope that this one blows everyone away.  We’ll see what Katie says, but I think that my writing has noticeably improved with this one and Guadel #3.

As always, thanks for all you each do to help spread the word!

--Dean