Steph Bennion's Blog, page 9

Bookbuster, Hastings

Paperbacks of my science-fiction novels HOLLOW MOON and PAW-PRINTS OF THE GODS are now available from my local independent bookshop BOOKBUSTER (01424 539726), 39 Queens Road, Hastings, East Sussex. If you are in the area, support your local bookshop! In other news, coming soon is a short novella THE BATTLES OF HASTINGS, a romp through alternate time lines in England 1066 to mark this year's 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. Further details to follow soon... Happy reading! (Steph).

WyrdStar updates

The offer of a free ebook of HOLLOW MOON expires today. The reversion to the recommended retail price of GBP 1.99 / USD 2.99 will take some time to filter through to the various online retailers so you may still be able to grab a free copy if you are quick. The Hollow Moon short-story collection THREE TALES FOR CHRISTMAS will be available free of charge from Amazon UK / USA (and other Amazon sites) from Thursday 4th August to Monday 8th August (inclusive) - see WyrdStar website for more details. Finally, a couple of interviews have been published: Corporal Namtar and Private Inari, the bumbling freedom fighters who appear in both HOLLOW MOON and CITY OF DECEIT, have shared their wisdom (or not) at Creative Barbwire (https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.co...). Meanwhile, an interview with yours truly on City Of Deceit and other matters can be found at Library of Erana (https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/...). Happy reading! (Steph).

Published today - CITY OF DECEIT

RELEASED TODAY is CITY OF DECEIT, the much-delayed sequel to my science-fiction novels HOLLOW MOON and PAW-PRINTS OF THE GODS. Raja Surya, young heir to the throne of the moon of Yuanshi, cannot stay out of trouble for long. Zotz Wak, intrepid boy inventor otherwise known as The Flying Fox, decides Earth is the place to become a man. Together they must battle the dystopian darkness of 23rd-century London: a city of deceit, under the thumb of corporations, its people barricaded behind flood walls, bewitched by the hypnotic holoverse and worse. The far-flung worlds of the five systems would never be the same again. Taranis, the dark priest of destiny, has returned... -- The ebook of CITY OF DECEIT is currently available for free from Smashwords using voucher code BM62W; HOLLOW MOON is also available for free (see WyrdStar website for details). Happy reading! (Steph).

CITY OF DECEIT artwork unveiled...

I've been plugging away for a while on CITY OF DECEIT, the sequel to my novels HOLLOW MOON (2012) and PAW-PRINTS OF THE GODS (2013). I am pleased to be able to unveil the lovely new artwork on the WyrdStar website (follow link), which like the covers for the previous books was produced by Victor Habbick. The novel itself is in the final stages of editing and the ebook should be out in June or July. Watch this space... (Steph).

All quiet on the WyrdStar front (again)...

Spring is slowly creeping upon us. It's still cold here on England's south coast, so as a chilly reminder that winter should be behind us THREE TALES FOR CHRISTMAS will be available free of charge from Amazon UK / USA (and other Amazon sites) from Friday 18th March to Tuesday 22nd March (inclusive). As before, this offer starts around midnight US Pacific Standard Time, so should take effect from 8:00am in the UK. In retailer news, the UK's Nook Store closed yesterday (15th March); existing users will have their accounts moved to Sainsbury's Entertainment on Demand store. The chances are that new Smashwords books will no longer be available. Nook's departure is yet another on the lengthening list of ebook retailers closing down: Diesel, Sony and Flipkart to name but three. The ebook market appears to be consolidating into a small handful of players: a good thing, or bad? (Steph).

THE WATCHER AND THE PRIEST - a seasonal short story for free download

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Published today is THE WATCHER AND THE PRIEST, this year's free seasonal short story. Priest Taranis is far from home and close to death, his quest to find the mythical home world of the greys having ended in disaster. Against the odds, help is at hand, but who is the mysterious stranger wearing his boots? Caught between masters and slaves, sacrifices must be made if the dark priest of destiny is to live to tell his tale... Also, from 25 to 29 December, THREE TALES FOR CHRISTMAS will be available free of charge from Amazon UK, USA and other Amazon sites. Happy reading! (Steph).

Awesome Indies Read to Review programme

Awesome Indies Books has launched a 'read to review' programme, offering free ebooks in exchange for honest book reviews. Readers who sign up receive monthly updates of the Awesome Indies approved self-published books up for review. The first selection of ebooks on offer includes my very own novel PAW-PRINTS OF THE GODS. See WyrdStar website for further information and links. Happy reading! (Steph).

City Of Deceit and other updates

Another smattering of minor updates. Firstly, the completed manuscript of the much-delayed CITY OF DECEIT has been tucked away in a virtual drawer, where it will rest for a few months before being prepared for publication. The novel is a little bit darker than the first two books and shifts the landscape of the five systems further into classic space opera territory, but for now I'll say no more. This enforced break in writing is a key part of the editing process, but does mean that this third instalment of my science-fiction series will now unfortunately not see the light until early 2016. Secondly, on 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th October - a month of Thursdays, starting tomorrow - THREE TALES FOR CHRISTMAS will be available free of charge from Amazon UK, USA and other Amazon sites. Finally, I am happy to report a successful move to the damn fine town of Hastings on England's south coast. There were a few traumas - water leaks, faulty central heating boilers and one of the coldest, wettest summers in years - but we're here and loving it. We've also been befriended by a neighbour's tabby cat who looks (and acts) startlingly like the extra-dimensional mischief-maker Athene from PAW-PRINTS OF THE GODS. I'm sure it's a good omen... Happy reading! (Steph).

Last post from London (hopefully)

This will probably be my last update for a while. Things are finally coming to a head on the house-moving front and it is almost time for the elderly PC behind the WyrdStar website to be packed away. With any luck, the next post will come from somewhere sunny on England's south coast. I'm very much looking forward to a welcome change of scenery; as for moving day itself, not so much. In other news, I've finally completed the first draft of the third novel from 'The Worlds of Hollow Moon', which despite me calling it 'Flood City Blues' in previous posts may have become CITY OF DECEIT. Writing this has taken longer than anticipated (and it's still yet to be edited), but I remain hopeful that the ebook will see the light of day later this year. Secondly, from 25 to 29 June, THREE TALES FOR CHRISTMAS will be available free of charge from Amazon UK, USA and other Amazon sites. Once again, thanks for reading... (Steph).

Democracy: An Epitaph out now!

PUBLISHED TODAY is DEMOCRACY: AN EPITAPH, a short collection of political verse to mark the forthcoming UK General Election, by up-and-coming London poet Lallafa Jeltz: None Of The Above, Ode To Magna Carta, Civil Disobedience, The Road To Number Ten, Blameless Tiers and Democracy: An Epitaph. DEMOCRACY: AN EPITAPH is Lallafa's first poetry collection. The ebook is available at GBP 0.99 / USD 0.99 from Amazon and Smashwords, with more ebook retailers to follow. Happy reading! (Steph).