M.R. Mortimer's Blog: M R Mortimer Sci Fi

New Edition: Shades of Farthrow

A new amenti books edition of Shades of Farthrow is coming soon. As a treat, here is a sample of a reworked cover. The artwork has been retained at this point, but the typography is new.

For comparison, below is the original version from 2012:

Final decisions are still to be made, but as with the rest of my back catalogue, this one will be released eventually on the Amenti Books imprint.

Longarm Severed – new edition

The new edition of Longarm Severed has been released in paperback on the Amenti Books imprint. The new edition is a larger format US trade 6×9 compared to the original 2015 release which was 5.25×8, and has an all new cover design. It is available now via the usual avenues, through POD company Lulu. In time, the Amenti Books store will have it available directly, once the store page is created. Meanwhile, you can buy it from this link: Longarm Severed Paperback

ISBN 9780648956310

New Editions!

There are the first two of a planned range of new print editions of my back catalog set for release soon. To start with, a new Amenti Books edition of Longarm Severed will soon be released, and also a beautiful, fabric wrapped, embossed hardcover with dust jacket omnibus of The Cinder Chronicles! As the new editions become available, I will announce them here. The hard cover omnibus will likely be followed by a paperback version, as hardcovers aren’t cheap, but that will be a bit of a wait. Over time I hope that most of the back catalog will be reformatted to these new US trade 6×9 formatted editions under the Amenti Books imprint.

Personally, I’m fond of the new Longarm Severed artwork, with it’s lizard skin like pixel effect. I prefer it to the original prison bars and trees cover.

These two should be released before the end of the year. For now, here are some cover images as a teaser:
(That omnibus image is poorly cropped, I’ll prepare a better one later.)

working in 2020

Hi. I know this page has been quiet for a long time. But with things settling into a better rhythm at home after “interesting times,” 2020 will see some work from my desk. First up, I am working on a new stand alone novel, titled “Finding Horses.”

You can see it’s page in the “in progress section – under “On My Desk Now” via the menus above.

On that note, you will find that section reworked a little, with the in progress section divided into “On My Desk Now” and “Future or Hiatus.”

There will be more news a little later in the year. In the mean time, I am plugging away at this new novel. I hope you enjoy it when it is done.

The Children are Coming in 2018

Welcome everybody to 2018!

With Sand Rangers released in ebook and paper versions, and fans of The Cinder Chronicles making their way into the third book of the trilogy, I will now be returning for a while to my Science Fiction works.

To that end, I will be working towards my next release, sequel to Dance of Nevermind, Children of Nevermind. This book has been a long time coming, and the number of readers requesting it has been significant, so I can not delay any longer. I am excited to be returning to one of my favourite worlds, and I hope you are ready to enjoy it once it is done.

For fans of Nevermind, today I present you a mockup of a possible cover.

Children Of Nevermind mockup cover

With the enormous number of projects ahead, I had better get a move on I guess, but I can think of no book I would rather dive into right now than this one, so if you will excuse me, I will leave you to whatever it is you were doing, and get back to the books!

For those interested, Lady Graile

Of all my characters, one of those I receive the most comment on is Lady Graile, a minor character in Longarm Severed.

Many readers are curious about who she really is, and what is her background. As such I have drafted a short article about her and placed it in the character profiles section of this site.

Enjoy!

Find it here: Lady Graile background

All about starlight! #kickassgirlsofYA Blog Hop

Starlight Hodgens, the young protagonist of the novel Starlight, has been a popular young adult female character among my SF readers for a long time now. Since she burst into the books, breaking hearts as a very young girl watching her mother die at the start of “Starlight,” this girl has fought every challenge to come her way with the tenacity and determination she learned from her parents. As she grows, Starlight overcomes enormous adversity to become a strong and respected pilot in her own right, continuing her mother’s legacy with dignity and a powerful sense of justice.

Having grown into a proud young woman, Starlight leads her team into adventure again in her second novel, Armada’s Disciple, narrowly averting a certain war between humanity and the remaining members of the FSC. Her tenacious attitude and undying confidence bely the humble roots of the orphanages she once lived in, and this girl spreads her reputation across the galaxy with her actions.

And now, we await the eventual release of “Blues of Deception,” the third book in what will become the Starlight Trilogy. Now taking her team back to the refurbished colony vessel which was discovered in Armada’s Disciple, Starlight and her team must solve the mystery surrounding a strange illness sweeping through the population, before it is too late and humanity loses it’s one chance to stand on the junction of human space and a wild new frontier. Though each book is a standalone, Starlight ties them together, bringing a solidarity to the team as she faces every trial with all she has.

The Cinder Chronicles continues

Ice Rangers, the second book in my new fantasy series, is now available in ebook and paperback. See links from page in the fantasy books drop down, or at the top of the right hand side bar of this site. Alternatively, you can find the links and other information at the official page, thecinderchronciels.com.

Book three, Sand Rangers, is already under way, and will complete this first trilogy, The Ranger Trilogy. The Cinder Chronicles will continue with The Merchant Trilogy at a later time, however before that I will be returning to some of my SF works in progress.

For now, I hope you all enjoy Ice Rangers as much as so many of you have said you enjoyed Flame Rangers, and I look forward to revealing more of this world of flame wielders when you read the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy.

Author’s Choice

I have seen a few articles by trade published authors about making the decision to “go indie” or self publish. Some of these are interesting for a multitude of reasons. I am not posting this as any kind of “Trad pub is bad” stuff, or “Indie is too hard” or whatever – both worlds are valuable and both have the promise of success and the risk of failure. That being said, this article gives an interesting break down of the paradigm shift in publishing: Why Authors Walk Away From Good, Big 5 Publishers

In it, Harry Bingham says “On the contrary, from my own point of view, the ability to say, “Thank you, but no” to a massive publisher is an utterly revolutionary and liberating shift.”

That pretty much sums it up. I have read many articles by authors abandoning the trade publishing treadmill for the freedom of “going indie” aka self publishing. But the freedom of choice, and I mean real choice, between a viable trade deal where you gain and lose some things dependent on your skin in the game, and an equally viable self published route in which you win and lose some things depending on your skin in the game, is a massive thing. Nobody has an author over the barrel when it comes to the treatment of their property any more.

Sure, it is hard (damn hard) to make any money in the indie game, but the indie game exists and there is no question that a lot of people are making a living at it. Many thousands of writers who would never make it in the old world.

Yes it is true, a lot of us don’t make much at all at this point from our books. We may work a menial day job which barely covers the bills. But I write and I control what I write and I have the freedom to say no to any offer which doesn’t add up. I’m not desperate to “publish at any cost.” Before the ebook and POD systems of today, many authors potentially lost out big time in their early careers because of just such desperation. That need never happen again, and publishing in both worlds, the trade and the indie, will only grow stronger now that those worlds have finally managed to adapt somewhat to the new paradigm.

For those who are curious, yes, I have already said “thanks, but no thanks,” to offers. I have not been querying agents or publishers. I have had approaches from shysters, small fry, and wannabes, we all get that, but also some more legitimate mobs as well, and so far none were the right offer at the right time in a world where I have real choice. I may well have been forced into a horrible contract twenty some years ago, but not today.

Some argue that the money earned from an advance and the backing of a big publisher would be worth it, but the reality is what advance? what backing? Not all offers come with such things, and in this world, we have the opportunity to say “no, come back with a real offer when you are ready,” and I feel that is what is going to happen – the real choice paradigm will correct the shift caused by the initial fear and revenue loss felt by trade publishers, and as the dust settles, it is authors and readers who are the biggest winners at the end of the day.

A couple more articles about authors moving from trade to indie:

http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/blog/why-a-best-selling-traditional-author-chose-to-self-publish-on-the-amazon-kindle/

https://janefriedman.com/i-left-my-agent/

The Ranger Trilogy

While Ice Rangers, book two of The Cinder Chronicles, undergoes the final throws of the production cycle, and my editor is hard at work ironing the MS out with all their best efforts, I have commenced writing for the third book in this series, Sand Rangers.

Sand Rangers will conclude a trilogy of Rangers books, but will not be the end of things for The Cinder Chronicles. Sand Rangers brings to a clsoe the trilogy, but not the story of the people of Cinder. As Sand Rangers reveals the final truth behind the rangers and their flames, as well as the truth of Cinder, the knowledge of how Cinder was created seven hundred years earlier spurs a new interest in what is “out there.”

This brings us to books four, five and six of The Cinder Chronicles, The Merchant Trilogy. Our heroes will be joining merchant caravans as they try to break through the ancient barriers which have for seven centuries kept the nation of Cinder isolated from the rest of the world. What will they find out there? Well, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves!

Ice rangers will be out soon, and Sand Rangers is underway. The truth of things, to be revealed in this third book, will I hope have fans of the series asking for more, and so, more will come!

Watch out for Ice Rangers, coming to Amazon, KOBO, paperback etc soon!