Chris A. Jackson's Blog, page 6

Chris A. Jackson Ebooks Now Available at Kobo.com

All right, it’s finally done! I’ve got all my books now up on Kobo. These ebooks are in ePub format, which is the standard format for the Kobo ereader, the Nook, and others. Of course, you can convert most any format to suit your particular ereader (or to simply read on your computer) using free conversion programs such as Calibre. Through Kobo, the books may also be distributed through additional online ebook retailers such as W.H. Smith in the UK. Expanded distribution with the click of...

Chris A. Jackson Interviewed Online by Kara Ashley Dey

Want to know what makes an author tick, and how an off-beat lifestyle can contribute to award-winning books? Check out my interview with Kara Ashley Dey on her website. Kara asks great questions—very personalized, and not the just usual “How did you start writing?” My cruising lifestyle strongly influences my writing, but how does writing influence my cruising? It’s all revealed in the interview!

Cover Art: How Important Is It For Book Sales?

Picture this: At a convention, a prospective customer starts to walk by your book display, does a double-take when he/she sees your book cover, comes over, reads the blurb, and walks away book in hand, another satisfied customer. Improbable, you say? Not when you have terrific cover art.

We recently received a compliment on the artwork for the Cornerstones Trilogy. I don’t think I’m being smug by saying that I completely agree! Take a look at the Zellohar cover pictured here. Click on it f...

Emulating the Big Boys: Talking Out a Storyline

“Raiders of the Lost Arc” is a classic movie—action, adventure, humor, engaging hero and heroine, nasty bad guys, exotic locales, and a bit of the occult thrown in for flavor… How do those guys come up with this stuff? If you want to know, read the Story Conference Transcript in which George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Larry Kasdan discuss the movie from basic concept to specific characters and scenes. They bounce ideas off each other, agree, disagree, build up, tear down, and end up wit...

Amazon Acquires Goodreads: What Does It Mean For Authors?

Well, if you have any interest in books, you’ve probably heard the news of Amazon acquiring Goodreads. We have to say, we like both sites…separately.

Goodreads is like getting together with a bunch of friends to exchange books. You can see what everyone is reading; get their opinion on which books they liked and which they didn’t like, and why; and post your own info. Getting recommendations on new books is a plus. And for authors, there are loads of opportunities to get to know your reade...

A Heartfelt Farewell to Uncle Vernon

You may have read that Richard Griffiths, the actor who played Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter movies, has died. Very sad, as he was only 65. It’s kind of a weird feeling to mourn someone whom you loved to hate, since we haven’t seen him in much other than the Harry Potter movies (though he apparently was good onstage, too, as he’s won numerous awards). But it’s really something for an actor to make a book character come alive in such a manner that he elicits such strong emotions, good o...

Liar’s Blade, Great Banter and a Web of Lies

Pathfinder Tales: Liar’s Blade by Tim Pratt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tim Pratt follows an unlikely pair of reluctant heroes in this Pathfinder Tales novel. Set in the Paizo’s rich world of Golarion, the protagonist, Rodrick, a womanizing swindler with a glib tongue and a magical blade (an intelligent, speaking, enchanted blade of ice, named Hrym) take employ as mercenaries with a pair of odd employers, a zealot priest and a hunch backed sorceress, both with more lies and more secrets than an...

Nightglass – New Pathfinder Tales from Liane Merciel

Nightglass by Liane Merciel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An excellent dark (and I do mean dark) fantasy! Nightglass is a shocking, brutal look into the dark nation of Nidal in the Paizo Pathfinder world of Golarion. The harsh indoctrination of children into the fold of this society is a teeth-gritting read, but so well done that it is hard to put down. The primary character goes through more than one metamorphosis throughout the novel. Trapped by his birth into this society, and trapped again by...

It’s Official! Pirate’s Honor Available for Preorder at Paizo.com

Pirate’s Honor, the newest Pathfinders Tales novel, is now online at Paizo.com. Here’s the description:

A pirate captain of the Inner Sea, Torius Vin makes a living raiding wealthy merchant ships with his crew of loyal buccaneers. Few things matter more to Captain Torius than ill-gotten gold—but one of those is Celeste, his beautiful snake-bodied navigator. When a crafty courtesan offers the pirate crew a chance at the heist of a lifetime, it’s time for both man and naga to hoist the black...

Pirate’s Honor Announced by Paizo!

Pirate’s Honor has been announced on the Paizo message boards! My new nautical fantasy tale, from Paizo Publishing, is set in the RPG (role-playing game, for you non-gamers) world of Golarion. But don’t think that you need to know about gaming to enjoy it. As part of Paizo’s Pathfinder Tales line of novels, Pirate’s Honor is a full-fledged fantasy geared toward any lover of the genre. The book is due out in April, and is currently available for preordering. It’s also part of the Pathfinde...