Steph Bennion's Blog, page 4

Smashwords 'Read an Ebook Week' Sale

THE TWELVE ANNUAL SMASHWORDS 'READ AN EBOOK WEEK' takes place from 7th to 13th March. Thousands of Smashwords authors and publishers are offering deep discounts on ebooks, including yours truly: THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL (RRP USD 3.99) and short-story anthologies TO DANCE AMONGST THE STARS (RRP USD 1.99) and MERRY CHRISTMAS, MISTER WOLF (RRP USD 1.99) are all on offer at USD 0.99 each. Happy reading! Steph.

Smashwords End Of Year Sale

SO THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS... As 2021 approaches, ebook distributor Smashwords is running its usual End of Year Sale from 18th December 2020 to 1st January 2021. THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL (RRP USD 3.99) and short-story anthologies TO DANCE AMONGST THE STARS (RRP USD 1.99) and MERRY CHRISTMAS, MISTER WOLF (RRP USD 1.99) are all on offer at USD 0.99 each. Happy reading and best wishes for the new year... It's got to be better, right? Steph.

Free seasonal short story - "Festival Of The Star"

PUBLISHED TODAY is "Festival Of The Star", this year's free seasonal tale from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon. This one is a pastiche of the macabre folk tale 'Bluebeard': Fifteen-year-old Tr��phine has been chosen against her will to be Bishop Maleb��te's next wife. Three years ago the misogynist bishop and his right-hand man Doctor Falacer seized power and made his word the law. Maleb��te's previous brides have all disappeared without trace. As the town prepares for the Festival of the Star, can Tr��phine escape her marriage and the horrid secret lurking in the basement of the bishop's ch��teau? Merry Christmas, one and all. I hope you are keeping safe and well as we near the end of this strange and troubling year. Happy reading! Steph.

THE AVALON JOB (Hollow Moon #4) is released today!

THE EBOOK EDITION OF 'THE AVALON JOB', the fourth novel in the Hollow Moon series, is finally available for pre-order! The ebook will be available from retailers on 14 August. Pre-sale copies can be bought and downloaded from Smashwords today! During the pre-order period, THE AVALON JOB will be available to buy from Smashwords for the bargain price of 0.99 GBP / 0.99 USD. Alternatively, the ebook can be pre-ordered at this price from the usual retailers (website links will be added to the book page as they become live). The RRP of 1.99 GBP / 2.99 USD will apply from 15 August onwards at all outlets. Blurb as follows: "Ravana O'Brien is confronted by her past in more ways than one. Secret agent Kedesh is back on the scene, seeking help for a mission to Alpha Centauri. Artorius, the young boy taken by Que Qiao agents after fleeing the Dhusarian Church, has been traced to a shadowy American base on the moon of Avalon. A second alien portal has been found, a mysterious ancient machine that can twist space and time." Happy reading! Steph.

Flash sale: THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL

AS PART OF THE SMASHWORDS SUMMER SALE (see previous post), the ebook of THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL will be on offer for USD 1.00 (RRP USD 3.99) using code SSW75 for one week only. In other news, THE AVALON JOB (Hollow Moon #4) is very nearly ready for publication. I'm still hoping this will be out by the end of the month. Happy reading! Steph.

Ebook price changes and Smashwords July Summer/Winter Sale

EBOOK BARGAINS GALORE! A few WyrdStar titles have seen price reductions: The ebooks for HOLLOW MOON and THE BATTLES OF HASTINGS are now both priced USD 0.99 (from 2.99 / 1.99 respectively); and the ebook for THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL is now USD 3.99 (from 4.99). The ebook for BREXIT: A HAIKU DIARY is now USD 0.99 (was free). These recommended retail prices apply across all retailers for the foreseeable future. The annual Smashwords Summer Sale (or Winter, for those in the southern hemisphere) runs throughout July, with hundreds of participating authors and discounted titles. TO DANCE AMONGST THE STARS and MERRY CHRISTMAS, MISTER WOLF are both free of charge from Smashwords throughout July using code SS100. Happy reading! Steph.

THE AVALON JOB finally has a book cover...

THE AVALON JOB, the fourth novel in the Hollow Moon series, is slowly inching closer to publication. I've finally concocted a book cover, which admittedly looks a little chaotic but there's a lot going on in this novel (see website). Ravana O'Brien and friends find themselves in the Alpha Centauri system, where the brutal Gods of Avalon holovid show subjects third-rate celebrities to a robotic fantasy world controlled by the votes of a blood-thirsty audience. The book takes affectionate digs at Arthurian fantasy, 'The Hunger Games', 'Neuromancer', '2001: A Space Odyssey', the classic British crime comedy 'The Italian Job' and more in a space-opera epic of mystery, adventure and tongue-in-cheek weirdness. Artwork is by WyrdStar; see website for full Pixabay credits. Editing of the book itself is three-quarters done and I'm quietly confident it will be finally published this summer. Happy reading! Steph.

Coronavirus Lockdown Blues

GREETINGS, DEAR READERS. I hope this message finds you and your loved ones in good health. This is my first update for a while and comes at a very weird and troubling time. Science fiction has often dabbled in the perils of global pandemics. The reality, as is often the case, is proving stranger than fiction. How many writers predicted doctors and nurses becoming our new superheroes, on the harsh front line of key workers keeping health and welfare services going as everything else grinds to a halt? How many disaster movies start with the panic-buying of paracetamol and toilet rolls!? Who foresaw how frustrating it would be for those laid off work, isolated from friends and family, stuck at home waiting for government bailouts for the first time in their lives? I for one never imagined that after years of drafting policy in Whitehall I'd be working with Jobcentre Plus colleagues to pay welfare benefits, but here we are. Anyway... On the fiction front, I'm halfway through editing THE AVALON JOB, book four of my Hollow Moon series for young adults. The publishing date may slip to late summer but the ebook will definitely appear this year. A couple of WyrdStar titles are currently on offer from Smashwords: HOLLOW MOON is available for just USD 0.99 (RRP USD 2.99) using code BQ85K, THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL for USD 2.99 (RRP USD 4.99) using code UN49V. Both codes are valid until the end of June 2020. Happy reading... and stay safe. Steph.

Smashwords End Of Year Sale

SMASHWORDS is running its annual End of Year Sale from 25th December 2019 to 1st January 2020. THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL is available half-price at USD 2.50, HOLLOW MOON is available for free. Happy reading! Steph.

Free seasonal short story - "The Narcissus Solution"

PUBLISHED TODAY is "The Narcissus Solution", this year's free seasonal short story. A trader and young daughter leave the hollow moon to reclaim a lost fortune, but are forced to seek refuge in a mysterious starship after an accident at the orbital dock. The strange ship has no crew, only a beastly robot that takes a shine to the young girl. Can she unravel its true intentions before she is spirited away for good? Merry Christmas, one and all. I've said this before, but it's worth repeating that books and ebook readers make excellent gifts... Happy reading! Steph.