C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 219

Progress Report: Week 4 January 2013

Achievements for this final week in January are as follows:Tier One Projects
DarkFantasyNovel1B—ShadowTrap: format and edited first 18 chapters in CreateSpace; 60 days ahead of scheduleDarkFantasyNovel2B: added 2,000 words; 551 days ahead of scheduleRomanceNovel14A: added 4,500 words; 14 days behind schedule
Backburner Projects
ShortStory29—The Runaway edited, formatted and released.
Publishing Tasks
Created 21 blog posts for C.M. Simpson Publishing blog.Created 24 blog posts for this blog.Updated FaceBook timeline with The Runaway and Old MagicUpdated Linked in with The RunawayCreated Magic Thursday post for 7th March.Uploaded and released The Runaway on SmashwordsUploaded and released The Runaway on KindleUploaded and released The Runaway on KoboUpdated Pinterest with The RunawayUpdated Facebook with The Runaway

First Pages: Old Magic

Old Magic is a short tale about surviving in post-apocalyptic Melbourne by C.M. Simpson. 



After disaster and disease wipe out the world we know, powers carried by right of ancestry act as a sixth sense for trouble in a ruined city. Can she be the only one to have survived?
Old Magic is one of the short stories that will be included in An Anthology of Bloodlines. It is currently available on Smashwords, and will soon be available on Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Page Excerpt: Old Magic

Heather stood amidst the wreckage of the city in the cold, grey light of dawn. She felt the soft mist of the newly fallen rain settle on her arms. Constant and clingy, the rain reminded her of gum leaves, silver-grey with the same misty drops. It brought to mind the sharp scent of eucalypts on a damp mountainside, a scent that momentarily eclipsed the smell of sodden cement and bitumen in decay.The rain formed a patina of dew over her hair, making the top layer matt so that heavier droplets rolled from her head and down the back of her daypack. Heather wiped a hand across her eyes, clearing away the moisture that clouded her vision, clearing the momentary glimpse of silver-barked trees from before the leaning buildings.The north of the city was dead. She had searched it for life, just as she had already searched through its north-western reaches. She had found only the emptiness of abandonment and decay.St. Albans, Sunshine, Footscray, Essendon and now, it seemed, central Melbourne. Once they had teemed with life. Now, they were only scars on a landscape, where the bush was rapidly moving to reclaim its own.Heather had survived the bombings and the first wave of plagues. She had survived the petty warlords, and the anarchy that had followed the sudden loss of contact with the rest of the world. She had even survived the second wave of sickness. There had to be others.Sighing and shaking her head so that raindrops scattered from her hair, she noticed what had once been a small cafe. Shaking her head again to clear the ghostly images of gumtrees reflected in the remains of the café’s plate glass window, Heather crossed the road towards it. Perhaps she would find food there.The cafe made her think of drier nights when the footpaths had been full of crowds, and trams had rattled down the streets. It reminded her of moonlit walks in the parks beside St. Kilda Road, and of feeding the possums in the trees, forbidden as that was.Clambering past the broken glass of the shattered front window, she stepped into the cafe. There were reminders of old gangs and overlords all around her. The reminders ranged from the paint-spattered walls to the bullet-riddled body at her feet. Something about the corpse caught her attention, made her pause. She moved slowly into the cafe, studying the body as she went.The body was wrong. Something… It clicked as she reached the door leading to the back of the shop. The body hadn't started to smell yet.

END EXCERPT
If you would like to read more, Old Magic is currently available on Smashwords, and will soon be available on Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook. 

New Release: The Runaway

The Runaway is the first short story to be included in An Anthology of Bloodlines . It is also available as a stand-alone short story.

With fire and otherworldly invaders closing in, a commander takes the time to tell the story of his capture and return to continue the fight. What are the secrets of his past?

The Runaway is currently available as a stand-alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook, but will one day be incorporated into the anthology, An Anthology of Bloodlines .

First Pages: The Buried Blade

To start the ball rolling on the short story excerpts, we have the first page for paranormal urban dark fantasy tale: The Buried Blade , which released last week.
 


When the grass in one of her uncle's fields starts to die, Amanda tries to work out why, but her uncle only sees stones, where she sees fragments of pottery. In a war as old as time, will Amanda convince her uncle of the truth, and remain unscathed, or will she fall under the control of an old and subtle power?

The Buried Blade is a short tale of dark fantasy, which will later be incorporated into An Anthology of Blades.

The Buried Blade is available from Smashwords and Kindle and will soon be available from Kobo, iTunes and Nook.

First Page Excerpt: The Buried BladeThe sword sang in the darkness. It sang through the rubble that buried it. It sang through the bones of skeletal fingers that had wrapped themselves around it.The song could not be heard through the muffling shroud of earth covering the sword although it echoed throughout the ancient citadel that was imprisoned with it. The song seeped through the earth for an age, pushing upwards and infecting the soil as it went. It was inevitable that, where the song forged the way, the ghosts would follow.Nature tried to sound a warning but its guardians were gone, driven out or sleeping or unaware of their powers—and the responsibility that went with them.Animals fled the mounded earth beneath the grassy field. At least, they fled it where they could. The wild ones forsook it with the freedom that only they possessed, while those of domesticity's prison could only show their reluctance for the field, before their masters forced them into it.
*   *   *
“Durned beast!” Willis Harran cried, bringing his willow switch down upon the milk cow's rump.She was the last of the herd to be forced through the gate and, though she had been the easiest of them all, Willis was ready to send her to the knackery. He waved his switch at her once more as his niece closed the gate behind her.“Don't know what's got into them,” he muttered, as he climbed the fence beside the field. “They've been right skittish of late.”Amanda looked at her uncle. The cattle weren't the only ones who'd been skittish about the field. She'd watched the rabbits forsake their warren, and the morning fox skirt cautiously around the fence instead of cutting straight across the field as he usually did.Even the birds had stopped hunting for worms within its bounds. Amanda said nothing of this to Willis. He wouldn't have believed her. He might even have laughed.She followed his broad no-nonsense back towards the small house that served him and her aunt as home, the smell of breakfast driving the field's strangeness from her mind.The sword's song kept upwards until the cattle began to lose their milk, and Willis's threats of both knackery and willow switch were no longer incentive enough to goad them through the gate.The field's grass began to fade. Willis moved the cattle to another field and watched their milk improve. Amanda, interested by this unseasonal change, began collecting soil samples to...

END EXCERPT
If you would like to read more, The Buried Blade is available from Smashwords and Kindle and will soon be available from Kobo, iTunes and Nook. 

Achievements in my first 7 months of being an Indie

And what, some want to know, have I achieved in the last ‘almost-seven’ months as a new indie:·         4 anthologies released (made up of the stories and poems below)·         25 short stories released (17 edited, 6 new, 2 completed, a total of 19,000 new words)·         7 poems released (7 edited)·         7 poems awaiting release (1 edited, 6 new, a total of 1,000 new words)·         2 novels released (2 completed, a total of 34,000 new words)·         11 tween chapter books edited and awaiting release (all pre-written)·         21 covers designed (not including one outsourced; 4 covers ‘retired’)·         5 b&w illustrations created·         1 roleplaying adventure proposal submitted (total of 1,000 new words).·         2 novellas released (2 edited, total of 4,000 new words)Is it a lot? I don’t know. Maybe not if I was writing full-time, but holding down a day job and running a family? Who knows. This year will show another set of figures. Maybe I’ll have a better idea in June. Ask me then.Sales?In 7 months: 38, with over half occurring in the last two months (November and December 2012). Is it worth it?YES!

First Chapters: Secondhand Sweetheart by Madeleine Torr

My publisher just poked me and said I should share the first chapters of my novels and the first pages of my shorter works with you. Given that the last couple of weeks have been all about paranormal, science fiction or fantasy works, I thought some romance would provide a change of pace. Usually these will come out a week after the book releases, but we'll be doing a bit of catching up as well. Enjoy!
 

Secondhand Sweetheart is my first full-length romance as Madeleine Torr. Set in both contemporary Melbourne and Tasmania, Australia, it is the tale of betrayal, recovery and how not everything is as it seems.


When Lisa Montgomery resigns her job as a flight attendant so she can mend her relationship with her long-time boyfriend, Duncan Holland, the last thing she expects is to have to face the prospect of a future with another man. Photographed in a compromising situation with one of the airline directors, and then compromised a second time by the same photographer, Lisa’s future looks bleak, until she decides to take control and see what she can do to repair her tarnished reputation.

Secondhand Sweetheart is available from Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, and CreateSpace.Chapter 1: Nightmare Flight
Lisa knew she shouldn’t have gone to work with a headache—but the flight wasn’t that long—just Perth to Melbourne. Besides she’d rather work it than sit and endure the mindless hours of travel from a passenger’s seat. It would help her stretch her last pay packet, too.
Before working for the airline, Lisa had trained as a secretary, and still had references from the temping agency she had worked for in Brisbane. She knew she would be able to find work; she just didn’t know when. Lisa sighed. She was going to miss being a flight attendant. It wasn’t just the travel, it was the variety of passengers she met, as well as the people she worked with, who made the job worthwhile. She didn’t mind working in an office, but she’d rather walk a flight to Perth or San Francisco than drive a desk all day.None of this mattered, of course. It was her relationship with Duncan Holland that mattered—and if that was ever to have the chance it deserved, then she had to stay in one place for a while. Duncan’s distraction over the past few weeks was proof enough of that. Promising career or not, Lisa knew where her priorities lay, and a life with Duncan was more important than serving the jet set crowd at thirty thousand feet or more.This afternoon would see her walk off the plane in her flight attendant’s uniform for the last time. She wondered how Duncan would take it. He’d be over the moon, probably. No more trips away, with him complaining of loneliness until she got back, and using her absence to excuse the most outrageous behavior.Nadine, who often flew with Lisa, had said she’d seen him dancing the night away with a striking brunette the last time Lisa had taken the Perth flight. And when Lisa had questioned him about it, Duncan had denied it. That is, he’d denied it until she’d said who’d seen him.“That lying bitch!” he’d exclaimed viciously, and had been about to embark on a tirade when Nadine’s voice had entered, sugar-sweet, into the conversation. “Would you like to see the photos, Dunky?”Faced with the proof on Nadine’s mobile phone, Duncan had been forced to admit that he had, indeed, been out with another girl, “but it meant nothing,” he’d said. “It never means anything unless it’s with you.”Nadine had rolled her eyes before snapping the mobile closed and walking away. It was, after all, Lisa’s decision to make. They both already knew Nadine’s opinion on what should be done. Lisa didn’t agree, and the two friends avoided any discussion of ‘The Duncan Problem’ unless one, or the other, of them thought it important enough to bring up. Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. At least Nadine wasn’t on this flight, and they’d probably not see each other too often after it, given that ‘The Duncan Problem’ was the reason Lisa was quitting, and that this had been the cause of one of the few arguments between the two friends. Lisa expected they’d meet for coffee once or twice on the next few occasions Nadine touched down in Melbourne, but then they’d finally drift far enough apart to not see each other anymore. It would be a pity, but that was the way life sometimes went.She stowed her cabin luggage in one of the forward compartments, and turned, smiling pleasantly, to greet the passengers as they boarded. All the time, the dagger-like pain in her temples continued to build until, by the time the doors had been armed and cross-checked, she was wondering if she would make it to the end of the flight. She hadn’t had a headache like this for ages!Turning, Lisa disappeared into the crew’s compartment and took a couple of painkillers. There, that should take the edge off it for a while. She gathered the safety gear, and went out to give ‘The Talk’ to the first-class passengers. Brenda caught her by the arm as she reached the door. “Are you alright? You’re looking a bit pale.”Lisa managed a comforting smile. “I’m fine, just a bit tired. It’s been a long week.”The other girl nodded sympathetically. “Of course. Big decision and all. You’re sure you’re doing the right thing?”Did everybody know? Lisa turned up the wattage of her smile: “Of course I’m sure. This relationship is worth it. I’d be silly not to give it the best chance I could.” Not wanting to hear any more negative comments about Duncan, she stepped out into the passenger aisle before the words forming on Brenda’s lips could be spoken. The dark-haired financier was the best thing to happen to her in a long time, and she wasn’t about to throw it all away because her job kept her from him. There were other jobs she could take that would let her stay by his side.It wasn’t until she was serving drinks later in the flight that her comment about the relationship being worth it came back to haunt her, and with it, her headache. Promising to become a full-blown migraine, it struck without warning, a sharp, stabbing pain that obscured her vision for a few seconds. With an effort, she suppressed a gasp and held her smile in place. “There you go, sir,” she said, hiding her pain and handing the man his coffee-nothing-stronger-thanks.He smiled back, and then frowned with concern as he looked at her. “Are you all right, Miss?” he asked. “You’ve gone as white as a sheet.”“Oh, yes, fine thanks,” Lisa replied, feeling as though she was smiling from behind a curtain of fuzz. “I’m completely fine.” As she said it, the pain faded to a tolerable level, and the fuzz cleared.It wasn’t true, of course. Lisa felt far from fine. As well as the dull ache that the headache had become, she was beginning to feel mildly nauseous. She hoped she didn’t commit the cardinal sin of throwing up on a passenger. Handing him the sugar he’d asked for, she moved on to the next person. Studiously ignoring the concerned look from her colleague, she continued to work. “Would you like anything to drink, ma’am?”Somehow she got through the first half of the flight, but she hadn’t realized how much it would take out of her. I must be coming down with something, Lisa thought. I feel exhausted.Concern about her deteriorating health was interspersed with worry about Duncan. She’d been away on flights for the past week now, with no time between them to really go out and be with him. He’d said it was okay, that some project at the office was taking a large amount of his time, and that she wasn’t to worry—they’d make up for the lost time when she touched down for a break. Lisa only hoped that the project he was working on had more to do with finances and accounting, than someone with a pretty face and nice legs. Surely he wouldn’t betray her again?Lisa scowled. She hadn’t told him this would be her last flight, or that she’d be moving in with him once the lease on her flat ran out. She’d wanted it to be a surprise. Now she was beginning to doubt her wisdom. Surely he wouldn’t have found someone else since she and Nadine had caught him out the last time. She was hoping she meant more to him than that. With an effort, she pushed aside the thought that there’d been another betrayal before the last, and maybe there had been others. That possibility didn’t bear thinking about. And besides, it was her own fault. She’d known he needed companionship. It was what had attracted her to him in the first place, and what had made her hold off telling him what she did for a living. When she had finally revealed her job, he hadn’t seemed to be too worried. That had come later, the first time she’d been away for three days in a row.He’d been sweet about it then, she realized, concealing his concerns behind phone calls every night, and ensuring there were flowers waiting for her at each airport. It had almost been embarrassing to have someone cling to her like that. After a while, he had seemed to grow used to it. The phone calls still came—that was natural in any relationship—and the flowers still waited for her, although not at every airport, just her end destination. It was still sweet, and not as clingy. A more mature approach, she’d decided, and one that boded well for the relationship. Lately, though, Duncan’s attitude had appeared to change.He had seemed distracted when they were together, and the flowers no longer waited to meet her when she reached the flight attendants’ lounge. He’d stopped calling her when she was away saying, in spite of her protests, that he thought he was still being too clingy, and smiling apologetically when she mentioned it. He blamed it on a busy patch at work, but then there had been the red-head, and now there’d been the brunette. Could it be that she was doing too little, too late? Had she already lost him, and he just hadn’t gotten around to telling her yet?Lisa hoped not. She had just sacrificed a promising career to give their relationship the chance it would have had, if she’d had a normal job in the same city as her boyfriend. Of course, it had also meant that she might need to give up her flat until her new career path was established, but Lisa didn’t think Duncan would mind. He’d probably appreciate the excuse to have her nearby, and he’d love the fact that she would be there every night to keep him company. At least, she hoped he would.Masking these concerns with a smile that didn’t quite warm her eyes, and pushing down a rebellious wave of nausea, Lisa stepped out into the cabin to serve the first in-flight meal. The painkillers had taken the edge off her headache, and the short respite had allowed her stomach to settle—although how much of the nausea was from the headache and her fear of appearing less than well to the passengers, and how much was worrying over her errant boyfriend was something Lisa didn’t want to think about. If she was very lucky, she’d make it to the end of the flight, call Duncan, and be able to collapse in the car as he drove her home.Disaster struck when she was about half-way down the aisle. She’d been distracted by that male passenger again. The other attendants had already commented on how good-looking he was, and they were right. His hair was so dark it was almost black, and his eyes were that deep, solemn blue of summer skies. What was even cuter was the light sprinkling of freckles across his nose and cheeks. She noticed, also, that the suit he wore was cut by an Italian designer, and his shoes were Italian as well. Whoever he was, he was one of the wealthy elite, like many of those who traveled first class. Even the subtle scent of his cologne reeked of expense.Lisa suppressed her body’s spark of interest with a snort of derision. He probably knew just how gorgeous he was as well and, judging from the contemplative frown on his face, he still thought there was something wrong with her. She knew the type, though. Once you’d gained their attention, they’d stare at you as though you were something unpleasant found on the bottom of their shoe, while contemplating if you’d agree to help them become a member of the Mile High Club. No doubt he’d be overjoyed if she made a mistake—and the way she was feeling now, she was bound to.The thought had no sooner crossed her mind than the headache returned with a vengeance. The cabin spun as Lisa turned to give the meal—a creamy chicken and mushroom paella—to her next passenger. She was aware of a startled shriek of horror, and of the tray and her world tilting sideways, as everything went grey, and the headache whited out all other sound. When her vision had cleared, and she could see again, Lisa found she had not quite fainted, but neither had she imagined things tilting. The contents of the tray were spread from the crown of the female passenger’s head, to the expensive silk skirt covering her lap. “I am so sorry,” Lisa mumbled, clutching the back of the seat for support. “Let me get something to clean you up.”“No, let me help you to a seat.”Lisa startled. That masculine rumble had come from right behind her! She turned to face the source of it, and the world spun again. There was a surprised oath, and she was aware of the world graying out as strong hands caught her and drew her into the supportive circle of a set of stronger arms. Her last thought before the world went completely dark was of the cleaning bill for the silk suit she had just ruined—and how the airline would never have her back, even if things went bad with Duncan and she changed her mind. Interwoven amongst it all was the alluring scent of an expensive cologne…
Mitchell Davidson looked down at the crumpled form in his arms and bit back the urge to swear. Although she weighed no more than a feather, she was awkward to hold, and he was embarrassingly aware that all eyes in the first-class section were on him.Wisps of chestnut hair had escaped the French plait the attendant wore and her face was as pale as spilt milk.“I’m going to sue you for every penny you’re worth.” The female voice came from the passenger that had been covered in paella.Mitchell suppressed a sigh and glanced up at her.“Now, Cassy, you and I both know the airline is not responsible.” He held up a hand to still her protest. “However, as a personal expression of regret, I will help you replace your suit.”“You do know it’s a designer one-off, don’t you?” Cassidy Lawrence’s voice held a hint of triumph.Mitchell could have argued that, with a sick woman in his arms, he didn’t care if the suit had been unearthed from the most exotic tomb of a lost civilization, but he bit his tongue just in time. Cassidy didn’t need the incentive to take him for all he was worth. Besides, flattery would do far more to smooth her ruffled feathers than sarcasm, no matter how well deserved.“I could tell,” he said, “but I’ll equal its value, when you find another you like.”There was an intake of breath from more than one passenger at his offer. He decided to sweeten the deal, hoping he wouldn’t regret his generosity later.“And I’ll take you to dinner.”“You know where…” Cassidy taunted him.Mitchell managed a smile designed to charm.“I know where. Call me to organize when.”Looking like a cat that had caught a canary and managed to cover it in cream, Cassidy succumbed to another flight attendant’s offer of assistance. Mitchell watched as she was led off to get cleaned up in private, before returning his attention to the woman in his arms. Even with the pallor of illness, she was beautiful, and he felt his heart lurch.“Can I help you, sir?” The blonde flight attendant who had been hovering on the edge of his vision leant towards him.Juggling her unconscious colleague in his arms, Mitchell fumbled for his wallet and took out a card.“If you would let me use the telephone in the staff kitchen,” he said, “I’d be grateful.”The attendant glanced at the card and paled.“I’ll need to confirm, sir,” she said. “It shouldn’t take too long.”Mitchell nodded, then focused on the task of lifting his burden clear of the aisle and settling her into the empty seat beside his own. Helping himself to a pillow and blanket from the overhead locker, he made her as comfortable as he could and waited for her colleague to return.All the while, he was wondering exactly what he’d done, and what on earth he was going to do next.


*END-EXCERPT*
Should you want to read more, Secondhand Sweetheart is available from Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, and CreateSpace.

Things I Wish I’d Known When Starting this Indie Gig

So, almost 8 months after I started publishing my titles in earnest, I’ve discovered a few things I wish I’d known about organising myself when I started. I know these sound basic, so bear with me, and, if you’re just starting out and have no idea what you're doing, bear them in mind.1.      The need to keep a single, easily referencable file of the following details for each title published:a.       Book titleb.      ISBN for each different platform (No, you cannot use the same ISBN for Kobo as you use for Smashwords as you use for Kindle as you use for DriveThruFiction and so forth. You must use a different one for each platform as each platform’s release counts as a different version, like hardbacks and paperbacks.)c.       Link to the book page on each platform so you can copy and paste them into blog posts without having to look them up on several different tabs. Looking them up individually each time you need them is not so bad if you only have one platform, but when your work is spread out over seven, it gets slow and tedious.d.      Blurb: as you use it in numerous uploads and blog postse.       Credits used in the front matter for ease of putting into different versions2.      The need to decide on a publisher name prior to uploading anything. Face it, I wasn’t sure how serious I was going to be when I started, so I decided to try it out and then decide if it was something I wanted to pursue. This was a bad decision for two reasons:a.       Going back to all the different pages I had recorded my book details on (Goodreads, Shelfari, Linked-In) and updating them to the correct version was a pain;b.      Clarifying and budgeting for my publishing and writing expenses was easier to see once I separated them completely from my day job earnings.That you can keep different pen names under one account on Amazon and Smashwords. I know it’s there in black and white but was a little overwhelmed at the beginning to actually register what those funny squiggles meant. Different pen names help you differentiate genres, so Carlie Simonsen and Madeleine Torr are pretty important for me to be able to help readers find which of my scribbles they might actually want to read. It also meant that I could branch into publishing for others more easily, which I didn’t expect to do.

Progress Report: Week 3 January 2013

Internet was back up to speed this week, so I released a short paranormal urban dark fantasy short story… among other things.Tier 1 Projects
DarkFantasyNovel1B—Shadow Trap: Completed Edit2 of Shadow Trap. This novel is now 45 days ahead of schedule.
Backburner Projects
ShortStory24—The Buried Blade: releasedShortStory25—Old Magic edited, formatted and released with cover art.
Publishing Tasks
Uploaded and released The Buried Blade on SmashwordsUploaded and released The Buried Blade on KindleUploaded and released The Buried Blade on KoboUploaded and released Old Magic on SmashwordsCreated the cover art and cover for Old MagicUploaded and released Old Magic on KindleUploaded and released Old Magic on KoboUpdated Linked in with The Buried BladeUpdated Pinterest with The Buried BladeUpdated Facebook with The Buried BladeUpdated Linked in with Old MagicUpdated Pinterest with Old MagicUpdated Facebook with Old MagicUpdated Anthologies page on C.M. Simpson Publishing blogScheduled 10 blog entry on C.M. Simpson Publishing blogUpdated Anthologies page on C.M. Simpson blogScheduled 8 blog entries to C.M. Simpson blogCreated a Google+ page for my short fiction and poetryCreated a Google+ page for my novels
Beta-Read Editing for Others:I want to do more for my fellow writers, and I can best do that through my editing skills. I have decided I will do a beta-read edit of around 100,000 words a month that aren’t mine. This month I agreed to almost 200,000. Two wonderful stories whose authors deserve every success. Why two? Because it’s January. Next month I’ll have to keep within the limits J.

Continued editing/beta-reading a 98,000 word science fiction romanceContinued editing/beta-reading a 100,000 word post-apocalyptic high fantasy adventure
New Arrivals:
ParanormalNovel3A: Assassins

New Release: Old Magic

Today, as part of my attempt to release one title a week, I released one of my earlier short stories: Old Magic. Set in post-apocalyptic Melbourne, Old Magic is about a meeting between survivors, and has an underlying theme of the inheritance in bloodlines.



After disaster and disease wipe out the world we know, powers carried by right of ancestry act as a sixth sense for trouble in a ruined city. Can she be the only one to have survived?

Old Magic is one of the short stories that will be included in An Anthology of Bloodlines . It is currently available on Smashwords, but will be releasing from Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iTunes soon.

New Release - The Buried Blade

The Buried BladeWhen the grass in one of her uncle's fields starts to die, Amanda tries to work out why, but her uncle only sees stones, where she sees fragments of pottery. In a war as old as time, will Amanda convince her uncle of the truth, and remain unscathed, or will she fall under the control of an old and subtle power? The Buried Blade is a short tale of dark fantasy, which will later be incorporated into An Anthology of Blades .

The Buried Blade can currently be found at Smashwords in most formats, but will soon be available on Amazon, Kobo, and iTunes