Lauren Dawes's Blog, page 18

Guest Post: A w-w-w-word in your ear by Keith Austin

WORDS have always been a big part of my life. They have always fascinated me and, looking back, surely helped to form me even when they were recalcitrant and squirmed and kicked in my mouth, when they refused to be pinned down, or when they just plain and simple refused to come out and play.
Not all of them, of course, just a few such as the number ‘seven’. I wrote in The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jan/09/stammering-the-kings-speech) of the tribulations of being a stutterer and working at a newspaper where the first digit of the phone number was a word I couldn’t say, but I do wonder now just how much the stammering shaped who I am today.
The written word has never been a problem. There didn’t seem to be a time when words didn’t speak to me. It was as if they had just lain hidden in my head, a fully formed alphabet waiting to get out and cause mischief and wonder. But while they played nice on the page they were bully-boys in my mouth.
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t stutter. From before primary school to, well, now. Though today it’s more or less gone and, indeed, after the Guardian piece came out even close friends admitted surprise: “I didn’t know you stuttered!”
I wonder now, though, how much the stuttering shaped both me and others of my ilk. Certainly, acting was out. A few early appearances in drama class put paid to that: “W-W-When sssshhall w-w-we three m-m-m-meet again, in thunder, lightning or in r-r-rain?”
Though it didn’t stop Nicole Kidman, James Earl Jones, Emily Blunt, Nicholas Brendon(Xander in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series), Bruce Willis, Sam Neill, or Jimmy Stewart – erstwhile stammerers all. 
These must be the stammerers who, rather than stick their head in the sand as I used to do, supposedly overcompensate by taking on speech challenges that even most fluent people would avoid.

That suggestion comes from an online stammerer who has also lists what he calls the predictable personality ingredients of stammerers: a strong streak of perfectionism, sensitivity to criticism, an inordinate need to please people, avoidance, procrastination, passivity, fearfulness.

I’m not convinced; this seems to me to be as scientific as predicting personality based on star signs: “Hi, I’m Keith and I’m a Pisces, I’m sensitive, a dreamer and I love f-f-f-fish.”
My stutter followed me through a reporting career on local newspapers in the UK before I wormed my way on to a subbing desk. I’ve never really thought about it before but was this perhaps a way of avoiding speaking? I had always seen it as simply a career move but perhaps I was still running away. I could edit, write headlines, design newspaper pages – just play around with my beloved words, if I’m to be truthful - without ever opening my mouth.
In the ensuing years I learned to deal with the stammer, to word switch, use my hands as distraction pieces, pepper my speech with pauses and conversational tics so any stuttering was hidden under layers of artifice.
Ever since I was little I’ve wanted to be a writer, a proper writer with a proper book on a proper shelf in a proper bookshelf – and I have the discarded manuscripts to prove it. Finally, though, it happened with the publication of Grymm in 2012 and Snow, White, in May last year.
And in Snow, White, at last, I got my own back. The main character, John Creed, is a teenage boy with a stammer who, because of it, is bullied at school. I knew, quite literally, how he felt. This time, though, the outcome was different.
The stammer? It’s still there at times. So if I do pop up in your neck of the woods, please be gentle with me; don’t finish my sentences and be a little patient – I will get there in the end.
Of course if all this goes really well then one day I’m going to have to come out and publicise my s-s-s-sssseventh book. Which is easy for you to say but for me, well …

Keith Austin is the Sydney-based author of Grymm, Snow, White (both published by Random House) and Jago, the 3rd in his loose Fractured Fairytales trilogy (Jago is available at www.keithaustin.org/jago-2  for $15 plus P&P).
Keith will be appearing at the Somerset College Celebration of Literature on the Gold Coast from March 18-20. Visit www.somerset.qld.edu.au/celebration-of-literature for more details.

Website | Twitter 

Book Spotlight & Giveaway: "Grymm" by Keith Austin

SOMETHING stirred in the gravelly yard beneath their window . . . A soft slippery nuzzle, the sort of sounds you’d expect a pig to make with its snout in a trough . . . The small mining town of Grymm perched on the very edge of the Great Desert is the kind of town you leave – but when Dad gets a three-month contract in the mine there, Mina and Jacob, unwilling stepbrother and sister, are reluctantly arriving. From a grotesque letting agent who seems to want to eat their baby brother, a cafe owner whose milkshakes contain actual maggots and the horribly creepy butcher, baker and candlestick-maker, Mina and Jacob soon realise that nothing in Grymm is what it appears to be. And then things get seriously weird when their baby brother disappears – and no one seems to even notice! In Grymm, your worst nightmares really do come true . . .



Genre: Young Adult/Teens/Horror
What people are saying about "Grymm"
The Guardian online
“I can't quite place Grymm in any particular genre, apart from (obviously) fiction. It is mostly definitely horror but it also has elements of a mystery, of mythology and adventure. And if it was to be classified as purely young adult's horror then it is up there with the best of its kind. Keith Austin deserves to take his place, up there with Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.”

Book Zone 4 Boys  
“"It is unlike pretty much any other book I have read and I'm really not sure how to describe it … if you like your stories to be darker than a city banker's soul then Grymm is for you ... This book is one of those that really does need to be read to be believed, and I only wish I could come up with a more coherent way of describing it. Dark, macabre, bizarre, hilarious, chilling - none of those words are really enough.”
Amazon Review
"I loved this book. Although Young Adult fiction, it was just wonderful, a real page turner with brilliantly created vivid characters that draw you through. Can't wait for the next book!" 
Where can I get my copy?  

Amazon | Kobo

About the author    

Keith Austin’s first book for Young Adults, Grymm, was published in 2012. His second book, Snow, White, was published in May 2014 to critical acclaim and Jago, the third of his Fractured Fairytales, was released as an Amzon Kindle edition in November 2014. He is currently working on several new book projects. Website | Twitter 



*** Giveaway is open internationally ***
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Spotlight: "Grymm" by Keith Austin

SOMETHING stirred in the gravelly yard beneath their window . . . A soft slippery nuzzle, the sort of sounds you’d expect a pig to make with its snout in a trough . . . The small mining town of Grymm perched on the very edge of the Great Desert is the kind of town you leave – but when Dad gets a three-month contract in the mine there, Mina and Jacob, unwilling stepbrother and sister, are reluctantly arriving. From a grotesque letting agent who seems to want to eat their baby brother, a cafe owner whose milkshakes contain actual maggots and the horribly creepy butcher, baker and candlestick-maker, Mina and Jacob soon realise that nothing in Grymm is what it appears to be. And then things get seriously weird when their baby brother disappears – and no one seems to even notice! In Grymm, your worst nightmares really do come true . . .



Genre: Young Adult/Teens/Horror
What people are saying about "Grymm"
The Guardian online
“I can't quite place Grymm in any particular genre, apart from (obviously) fiction. It is mostly definitely horror but it also has elements of a mystery, of mythology and adventure. And if it was to be classified as purely young adult's horror then it is up there with the best of its kind. Keith Austin deserves to take his place, up there with Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.”

Book Zone 4 Boys  
“"It is unlike pretty much any other book I have read and I'm really not sure how to describe it … if you like your stories to be darker than a city banker's soul then Grymm is for you ... This book is one of those that really does need to be read to be believed, and I only wish I could come up with a more coherent way of describing it. Dark, macabre, bizarre, hilarious, chilling - none of those words are really enough.”
Amazon Review
"I loved this book. Although Young Adult fiction, it was just wonderful, a real page turner with brilliantly created vivid characters that draw you through. Can't wait for the next book!" 
Where can I get my copy?  

Amazon | Kobo

About the author    

Keith Austin’s first book for Young Adults, Grymm, was published in 2012. His second book, Snow, White, was published in May 2014 to critical acclaim and Jago, the third of his Fractured Fairytales, was released as an Amzon Kindle edition in November 2014. He is currently working on several new book projects.   Website | Twitter 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Spotlight: "Snow, White" by Keith Austin

A dark and twisted take on some classic fairy-tale characters, Keith Austin’s brand-new novel will have you on the edge of your seat as you find out if there really is such a thing as Happy Ever After . .
 
John Creed’s nights are haunted by dreams of a white wolf, his days by the hideous class bully. He’s a loner with a stutter and his home-life – with an eccentric grandfather who wants to teach him folklore and ancient languages – is isolated and unusual.

But then John makes a friend – Fyre. She’s as unusual as John and has her own secrets to keep, but as the truth about John’s past starts to emerge, she’s the best ally he’s got . . .




What people are saying about "Snow, White"

The Guardian online  
“I would have never described myself as a fan of horror fiction before picking up this book, but I have been converted. Austin's vivid and descriptive narrative sends the reader tumbling into a world of heroes, villains and blood-curdling horror. I was hooked from the first page through to the very last. Fans of Austin's Grymm will particularly enjoy his second horror novel. Just make sure the lights are turned on and the windows and doors are firmly locked!” 
The South China Morning Post 
“Austin’s take on a fairytale you thought you knew is a chilling and involving read. The story is heartbreaking and sad in places and horrific in others, making it a hard book to pigeonhole … John Creed is one of the most interesting characters to appear in YA fiction for a long time.”
Amazon Review
"This book was a lovely surprise to me as it was one of those books that you go into thinking it will about one things and it turns out that that really isn't what it's about at all, sometimes this can be a bad thing but in this case it was a really good thing and it's a really intriguing book."
Read a sample...
Where can I get my copy?
Amazon
 KoboBarnes & Noble  
About the author    Keith Austin’s first book for Young Adults, Grymm, was published in 2012. His second book, Snow, White, was published in May 2014 to critical acclaim and Jago, the third of his Fractured Fairytales, was released as an Amzon Kindle edition in November 2014. He is currently working on several new book projects. Website Twitter

Fiona Price - author of "Let Down Your Hair" - talks about researching for her book

My name is Fiona Price, and my debut novel, ‘Let Down Your Hair’ has just been published by Momentum. It’s a coming of age story based on the grittier early version of the ‘Rapunzel’ fairytale. A big thanks to Lauren to inviting me to post on her blog!
 When researching a novel that’s based on ‘Rapunzel’, you don’t expect to end in a strip club. But two drafts in, that’s exactly where I was, making notes on the patrons and the décor. That’s what can happen when you decide to retell a fairytale in the twenty-first century.
 The journey which ended in a strip club began when I got my idea for the tower. I decided to milk the term ‘ivory tower’ and set the novel in a university, with a controlling professor as the Witch. Once I’d laid down these details, I needed to answer two important questions. How did this professor find herself raising a baby girl? And what would drive her to lock that girl in a tower when she turned twelve?
 In the fairytale, what drives the witch is protecting her turf from men. When a man steals her herbs for his pregnant wife, she terrifies him into giving her the baby. She calls the girl Rapunzel and locks her up at twelve—around the age when girls hit puberty—presumably to protect her virginity. When the Witch discovers Rapunzel’s affair with the Prince, she cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and banishes her to the wilderness.
 In ‘Let Down Your Hair’, the witch is Professor Andrea Rampion, a hardline feminist who’s driven by the same motivation in updated form. When a married man gets Andrea’s teenage daughter pregnant, Andrea is left raising Sage, the baby. Determined to stop Sage turning out like her mother, Andrea shields her from all sexist messages. She bans TV and the internet, vets everything Sage reads, and educates her at home in isolation. When Sage turns twelve, she inducts her into the feminist ivory tower with a field trip to Andrea’s idea of a wilderness: the local red light district. Which is where Sage ends up when Andrea discovers she’s having an affair with the Prince. And where I ended up, with clipboard in hand, taking notes on what it’s like in a strip club.
 In my first draft, I based my chapter in the strip club on the strip shows I’d seen at people’s hens’ nights. But when I handed the manuscript to a male beta reader, he quickly set me straight. “Have you been to a strip club?” he asked me, and I had to admit that I hadn’t. “Well, maybe you should,” he said, avoiding my eye, “because they’re really not like this.” I was tempted to ask for more details, but he looked so embarrassed I decided I’d better spare him. Instead, I recruited a burly female friend as my bodyguard and organised a trip to a strip club.
 Inside, the low lights and dark red wallpaper made me feel like I was sitting in a mouth. I sat on a stool near the pole-dancing table, and tried to think like Sage. How would this place look to a sheltered young girl brought up by feminist control freak?
 There were twenty or so young women in the club, wearing high heeled shoes and lingerie. One was rotating on the pole by my table, and the rest were wandering around and chatting to the men. Andrea would have taught Sage that these women were victims, who were being demeaned and exploited. Others would argue that that these women freely chose their job because it made them feel empowered and desired.
 From what I could see, the staff didn’t seem to feel victimised or empowered. When I watched the women trying to chat with the men, the word that came to mind was awkward. As for the pole dancer, the way she kept checking her watch could only be described as bored.
 Most of the patrons were middle-aged professionals, sitting in groups at tables. Andrea would have pointed out that the patrons had far more money and status than the staff. But what struck me was how self-conscious most of them looked. I sneaked around to eavesdrop and heard stilted conversations about real estate, work and sport. Most seemed to be pretending to their friends that they were too jaded and manly to check out the girls. Unless the girls attempted to strike up conversation, most patrons barely glanced their way.
 Even Sage couldn’t have felt too shocked or threatened by what I saw in my first hour in the club. I was wondering if I’d chosen too tame a venue when a patron gave twenty dollars to the pole dancer. Suddenly the atmosphere changed, and the whole room turned to watch. And there, just a table away from the pole, I watched the dancer strip naked and give that patron a lap dance.
 For the first time, I felt how Sage might have felt in a den of unfeminist sin. I’d never seen a lap dance and had naively assumed that two people’s laps were involved. When I realised it was actually one lap and one face, my bodyguard and I turned and fled. As we hurried to our car, I made a mental note to amp up my feelings of horror and give them to Sage in the book!
 If you’d like to read ‘Let Down Your Hair’, it’s available from all major digital platforms. Thanks again to Lauren, and I’d like to wish her and her readers happy reading in 2015!

Genre: Fairy tale/women's fictionPublisher: Momentum Publication date: December 11th, 2014
One modern-day Rapunzel. One naked man. Two very different wicked witches.
At 22, Sage Rampion has barely spoken to a man, but she’s read a lot about them. She was raised and home-schooled by an expert on the subject: her grandmother, a Professor of Womyn’s Studies (spelt with a Y).
When Sage meets the male nude model she saw from her grandma’s office window, her sheltered world begins to unravel. She starts asking questions about how she was brought up, and the teenage mother who abandoned her. It looks like the battle of the sexes is way more complex (and far more fun) than she’s been told …
About Fiona...
Fiona Price has a lifelong passion for words. She has studied multiple languages, talks too much, and spent her teens exchanging long letters with penfriends all over the world. After declaring she was going to be a writer, aged six, she began work on her first masterpieces: a novel about a wild pony and an incisive satirical song called ‘Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep’. Since then, she has attempted just about every form of writing, from bush verse and screenplays to elegies and academic articles.

When not writing, Fiona uses her storytelling skills as a cross-cultural trainer and public speaker. She runs workshops on cultural diversity issues, is a member of Toastmasters, and was MC at the 2014 Chinese New Year Dinner for the Museum of Chinese-Australian History. Her non-fiction book Success with Asian Names was published in 2007, and she was a co-author for the HarperCollins International Student Survival Guide in 2014.

Fiona is plotting further novels based on fairy tales, and is currently working on a fantasy trilogy for young adults. She has an Australian father and a Chinese mother, and she lives in Melbourne by the sea.
Check out Fiona's blogor connect with her on Twitter

My journey from self publishing to traditional

Recently I went to Armageddon in Melbourne with good friend and fellow author Kimberley Clark. For those of you who don’t know, Armageddon is a comic/pop culture convention that is held in Australia and New Zealand. I’d never done anything like that before. Sure, I attended an author convention in March this year, but it was saturated with romance/erotica authors, so little ol’ me with my dark urban fantasy books simply didn’t get a look in.


But comic/pop culture conventions are a different story. I soon realized that I’d found my place. While there, a lot of people approached our table. They were excited and had so many questions for us. The most common opening statement was: “I’m writing a book too. How do you go about getting your books published?”
Of course, there are two methods: self-publishing and traditional, and I’ve been lucky enough to have experienced both.
Self-publishing has shaken off the stigma of simply being vanity publishing in the last four to five years, and for some authors, self-publishing has been very lucrative and successful. For others, the opposite is true. You might have the greatest book ever written, but unless the right people take notice, it’ll just be another book.
I started off my writing career as a self-published author. After a couple of years of rejections from major publishing houses and literary agents, I was left with two options. Give up and keep going. I didn’t understand the term ‘give up’, so ‘keep going’ it was. That was when I discovered Kindle’s KDP program. Can you imagine it? A way to get your books published and out there into the world without someone telling you, “no you can’t.”
And that is exactly what I did. But what I didn’t know at the time was that if you want to be taken seriously, and if you want to be professional, self-publishing requires a phenomenal amount of work. It’s not enough to simply write the book. You have to spend time, and money (A LOT of money), on making sure it’s the best book it can be. That means editors and proof readers and cover artists and time spent on promoting your work on so many social media platforms that sometimes it makes your head spin! 
It was a crazy ride, and I never realized just how much a publisher does for the author until two of my books were picked up by Momentum earlier this year. When I first read the email telling me they were interested in my books, I had to read it again…and again, and then take it to my husband so he could read it too. I remember asking him, “Is this saying what I think it’s saying?” When he said I wasn’t going crazy and that I had read it correctly the first time, I just kind of sat there for a little while and absorbed the news. An honest-to-god publisher wanted my books?
After that first phone call with Momentum, I knew that this was what I wanted—what I’d always wanted. From there, things started happening. I had an editor. I had a copy editor. I had a proof reader. I had a publicist and marketing teams. I had someone to take my ideas for the re-vamped cover and create something visually stunning. 
Having all these people and resources at my disposal has been great. It meant that I didn’t have to worry about finding editors and proof readers to go over the manuscript. It also meant that I didn’t have to spend hours on Photoshop trying to perfect my cover, or deal with formatting the book for e-book and paperback. 
Many self-published authors think that their publisher will simply take away all their creative rights, but I have to tell you that that’s simply not true. If the author works with the publishing team, magic happens. Although many things are now done for me, there is still one element that stays the same between being self-published and traditionally published, and that is promoting yourself. 
It’s a twenty-four seven kind of thing, and at the end of the day, it benefits you as well as your publisher. I’m still new to all of this, but I’ve come to realize that a publisher/author relationship is symbiotic. The publisher wouldn’t have a business without authors and authors wouldn’t have the opportunity to have their books read without a publisher. So whether you choose to go down the self-publishing route (as many previously published authors are now doing, too) or if you’re hanging out for the recognition from a traditional publisher, know that it is a lot of hard work either way, but so very worth it.

Update on Half Blood

Half Blood: Chapter Five

*Warning: contains graphic scenes and swearing* Five
Buddy’s eyelids peeled open reluctantly. He didn’t know how much he’d drunk, but if the pounding in his skull was anything to go by, he’d have said he’d drunk his weight in whiskey sometime in the last twenty-four hours. With clumsy hands, he probed his pockets for his tobacco and rolling papers, biting back a curse when he found that they weren’t where they were supposed to be.
He hauled his body up into a sit, resting his elbows on his knees while cradling his head between his hands. Running a hand through his short dark hair, he couldn’t remember a damn thing about what had happened last night, but all he knew now was that he needed a fucking cigarette. He looked down and found himself wearing a football shirt, which was really fucking strange since he hated the sport. He stood up, peeling the shirt off his body and dumping it on the floor. He must have lifted it off some cocksucker in the bar last night. Some fucking souvenir from a night he couldn’t even remember.
He stalked around the kitchen looking for his cigarettes, agitation and addiction taking its toll on his temper. They weren’t where they were supposed to be, and he fucking hated it when things weren’t where they were supposed to be. He lashed out, kicking a pair of red high tops out of the way. As they thumped into the paper-thin wall of his apartment, his tobacco and rolling papers tumbled out. He walked over to them, shaking his head, thinking that it must have been some fucking night…or day… ahh, who the fuck knew. Rolling a fresh cigarette with practised precision, he lit it and took in two deep drags.
With his cigarette still balanced between his lips, Buddy kicked off his shoes and stripped off his jeans. He sucked in another drag, stumbling towards the shower as the smoke drifted after him. He pulled the cord hanging from the ceiling, turning on the bare bulb and starting up the water while he finished his hand-rolled. When steam was billowing out from behind the shower curtain, Buddy flicked the butt of his cigarette into the sink and got under the spray.  
Water barreled over his head and neck, sluicing over his muscular chest and stomach. He was still surprised that he’d even been able to get this body after all the nutritionally defunct food he’d had to eat when he was on the streets. He’d been wiry then––sinewy and lean––but that was always an advantage for him. People didn’t see him coming in a fight. He was always the first to pull a knife, and always the one who finished the scuffle with a payment of blood. He had a lot of firsts out there on the street, including his first whore.  
He remembered he’d been scrounging around the dumpster at the back of a Chinese restaurant when she came out from farther down the alleyway with the john she’d just sucked off. She’d caught him staring at her and offered him a freebie because she liked the color of his eyes. The whore was good. She let him dominate her, restrain her; he slapped her around a little, too.
“Choke me,” she breathed as his body pounded into hers. The sound of flesh slapping flesh was music to his fucking ears. With a growl, he’d wrapped his hands around her throat and applied a little pressure. The whore’s lids grew heavy with arousal. With a sneer pulling up his top lip, he squeezed a little harder.
Buddy felt his erection form from those vivid memories. Taking the familiar weight in his palm, he ran his hand up and down the smooth shaft, feeling it grow even harder still. He began pumping his hand along the length of his cock, thinking about the last time he had fucked someone––someone completely nameless and faceless to him. That was the only way to do it as far as he was concerned. Women were only good for one thing from his experience. His favorite fantasy while jacking off was having the girl bound and gagged. He didn’t like it when they could touch him. He did like to hear them scream around the ball gag in their mouth though. 
The ache of his orgasm was coming. He could feel it deep down in his body––a tingle of pleasure warming up his skin. He picked up the pace, stroking himself from the base of his shaft to the tip, twisting his wrist to crank out a little more pleasure, his balls tightening from the extra attention. The intensely warm feeling that had started traveling up his shaft began to burn like liquid fire until his orgasm pulsed out of his body in slow hot waves all over his hand and stomach. He milked his body until the rest of him was shaking. With one final shudder, he released his cock and washed himself off quickly before killing the water.
Water dripped from his hair and slid down his chest as he stood in the steam for a long time waiting for his cock to go soft. But it was just as hard as it had been before. When he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom, he realized what he needed to do. 
Throwing on some clean clothes, he slid his feet into some old shitkickers and left the apartment, determined to find one of two things: A whore or a fight. If he was lucky, it would be both at the same time.

Cover Designers - a run down

So you've written your book, you've had it edited and proofread...now all you need is the cover. But how do you choose? There are so many cover designers out there. I put the call out for recommended cover artists, and here is what authors had to say. I've got a link to their website/Facebook in their header and a general price overview beneath. All the prices are correct at the time of publication, but I'd recommend contacting the artist directly to get a more comprehensive quote. I've also put a sample of their work below.



Art by Karri



Prices   
eBook/Front cover only: $250 USD + the cost of stock

Add spine & back: add an additioanl $50 USD


















Berto Designs

 Prices
Standard eBook Package: 
$90 (includes one or two images (purchase by client) with little Photoshop manipulation, a custom design based on client's needs, both high- and low-res eBook cover images and unlimited changes)

Standard eBook & Paperback Package: 
$150 (includes everything in eBook package PLUS free 3D graphic of cover, full paperback wrap, free PDF of cover and unlimited changes)

Complex eBook Package: 
$109-$129  (includes one or more images (purchase by client) with complex Photoshop manipulation, a custom design based on client's needs, both high- and low-res eBook cover images and unlimited changes)

Complex eBook & Paperback Package: 
$169-$199 (includes everything in complex eBook package PLUS free 3D graphic of cover, full paperback wrap, free PDF of cover and unlimited changes)














Book Cover by Design


 Prices
eBook covers: 
$60

eBook & Printable covers: 
$105

Digital Package: 
eBook cover with Facebook banner and 3D image: $90

Printable Package: 
printable cover, eBook cover, Facebook banner and 3D image: $130













Bookfabulous Designs


 Prices
Please contact Bookfabulous Designs for a personalized quote














By Hang Le


Prices

Between $125 and $250 for both print and eBook (+ the cost of stock images (approx. $10-$40 each))

 











Cover to Cover Designs

Prices
 Custom cover: 

$145 GBP (includes eBook covers sizes and formats, paperback formats, Facebook cover image & two 3D images of the book)













Cover It! Designs



Prices
 eBook Package: 
$90 (includes hi-res eBook cover, Facebook cover and 3D image of eBook cover)

eBook & Digital Package: 
$150 (includes hi-res eBook cover, hi-res paperback jacket design, Facebook cover and a choice of 3D images of your paperback and eBook covers)














LM Creations

Prices
The eBook Cover Package: 
$50 (plus free bookmark designs)

 Full Jacket Cover Package: 
$130 (plus free swag and promotional inclusions)














Jays Covers by Design




Prices
Digital Package: 
$90 USD (includes high res eBook cover, small preview cover, 3D render & social media banners)

Physical Package: 
$130 USD (includes everything in the digital package PLUS a fully printable pdf of paperback cover & advertising images for release dates etc...)














KILA Designs
 Prices


Please contact KILA Designs for a personalized quote














Mae I Design

Please contact Mae I Designs for a personalized quote














Rebel Edit & Design




Prices

eCover: 
$50 (+the cost of image licenses)

Wrap cover: 
$95 (+the cost of image licenses)

New Release Package : 
$125 (includes wrap cover, 3 teasers & tour banner OR wrap cover, swag design (postcard or bookmark) and Facebook banner)










The Scarlett Rugers Book Design Agency

  Prices
 $110 - $1450*
 *There are 5 different packages available with varying degrees of work. Check out their website for more details













Soxsational Cover Art
Prices
 Pre-made: $30-$50 AUDCustom: $65-$95 AUD











Cover Art Collective


Prices
Primarily pre-made: starting at $30 












Wicked by Design

Prices
eBook Package: 
$100 USD (includes hi-res eBook cover, FB cover, Twitter banner & 3D image + one sales/promo ad)

eBook + Print Package: 
 $160 USD (includes  hi-res eBook cover, hi-res PDF  for use on Createspace, FB cover, Twitter banner & 2 x3D images + one sales/promo ad)











Novel Idea Design Prices
 Pre-made covers: 
$69e-book cover design: 
$99Print & e-book: 
$129 

"Omega" - book 5 in the Helheim Series...a sneek peek between friends....

I've been working on "Omega" today and I thought I'd share a little bit of chapter one with you. Enjoy!
*This is unedited and due to change. This work belongs to me and any reproduction or copying is a violation of copyright.
Chapter One
The rumble of an engine hummed through the back of Saxon’s skull, dragging him into consciousness. He blinked, trying to make sense of where he was and what was happening to him. But no matter how much he tried to focus on his surroundings, his mind was too sluggish to keep up. 
A bump in the road surface brought a sharp, distinct ache to his shoulders. He bit back the groan when a gentle tug confirmed his arms were tied behind his back. He tried to separate his wrists, testing the tightness of his bonds. He could feel the tell-tale bite of a cable tie around his wrists, and although he should have been able to break the plastic easily, Saxon struggled to do just that. 
Over the sound of the engine, there were two voices. One belonged to Mark, the bastard who had seemingly fooled him and the entire Helheim pack into believing he was the victim of an accidental biting by a rogue wolf. Mark had shot Saxon with a tranquilizer dart while they tried to move a fallen tree from the road as he, Saxon and Casey had driven back to Casey’s pack over four hundred miles away.
The other voice was female who Saxon had never heard, nor smelled, before.
“This is a mistake, Vivian,” Mark said, his voice tense. “He wasn’t who we needed.”
Saxon tilted his head back, straining to hear the conversation over the whir of the motor and the rush of asphalt racing beneath. The woman replied, but he couldn’t make out the words.
“—need to kill him.” Mark spoke again and Saxon’s heart raced in response to the cold tone he could hear in the other male’s voice.
“We can still use him,” Vivian replied in a dark purr.
With his heart still pounding in his ears, Saxon knew he had to find a way out of there. His gaze slid to either side of his body, inspecting his surroundings. That was when he realized he wasn’t in the backseat of his car as he thought. It looked as if he was in the back of a utility van – a brand new one judging by the new car smell still clinging to the upholstery on the front seats. 
Saxon tried to bend his legs, but his range of movement was limited thanks to the matching set of cable ties on his ankles. They’d been tightened until the circulation was severed, making his toes numb. 
Even if he were able to get the ties off, he wouldn’t make it very far on foot. His shoes had been taken off, and the bottom of his jeans had been hacked away, leaving his lower leg – from his knees to his ankles – exposed. 
The van slowed down, veering to the right as it took an exit and left the highway behind....