A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 129
July 11, 2017
Swift Six Author Interview – Barbara G. Tarn – Fantasy Secondary Worlds Bundle #Fantasy #Specfic
Name: Barbara G.Tarn
What attracts you to the genre in which you write?
It’s speculative fiction! I can make up stuff! Or so I thought when I started writing. I still write more fantasy than sci-fi because historical research is easier for me than science and technology…
What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d known when you started your writing adventures?
I think I unknowingly followed most of Heinlein’s Rules… I wrote. I finished what I wrote. I moved on. Problem was putting it out there. In the 20th century and legacy publishing world. Sigh.
If you could have dinner with any famous person or character who would you choose?
Since I’m currently mad with Da Muse who posts pictures of snow in the middle of the hated long hot summer, I’d go back to the previous Muse who lasted some 15 years anyway (but then, they say he’s immortal, LOL)… that would be Keanu Reeves!
Who has been the greatest influence on your own work?
When I grow up I wanna be Dean Wesley Smith. Or Kristine Katryn Rusch. Or both. For the work ethic, mostly, although I have my own! 
Book Spotlight – The Path of Water/Secondary Worlds Fantasy Bundle
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Title: The Path of Water (Quests Book 1)
Author: Barbara G.Tarn
Genre: fantasy
Main character description (short).
Hinrik is a warrior and a half-blood trying to find his place in the world. Interview wih Hinrik and Bellinda on author’s blog.
Synopsis:
Hinrik survives the battle outside the walls of Moriana, battered and hurt. He drags himself to the River Ondan to put an end to his misery.
But it’s just the beginning of a new life of discoveries about himself and the world, a quest for his true calling in life. He is a half-blood and must learn what it means with the help of Bellinda the healer and Keneith the magic user.
The warrior, the healer and the magic user are all outsiders or outcasts looking for a place to call home in a hostile world, away from the aggressively expanding Varian and Blackmore Kingdoms.
A story of the northern kingdoms of Silvery Earth with magic and pain, loss and rebirth.
Brief Excerpt 250 words:
Hinrik’s eyes widened in shock. This couldn’t be. He was already dead and the underworld was underwater.
The man’s hand on his chest calmed his heartbeat. He looked sorrowful now.
“You are my son, Hinrik. And you are badly hurt. But the kingmaker is coming this way and he is with an excellent healer, she will help you.”
Hinrik closed his mouth and gulped. He still couldn’t believe all this was happening underwater. His mother had told him his father was a magical being, but he wasn’t expecting this! She’d been blamed all of her life for having a son outside of marriage and now, twenty-five years later, this… stranger walked, no swam up to him and told him he was his father!
“You are half-Waiora, Hinrik, that’s why water heals you. But what you’ve been through needs more healing power, and only the Genn can give you that. Go back to the surface, the kingmaker is making camp on the river shore with his friends, you will find him easily and they will help you.”
“I don’t want anybody’s help!” Hinrik’s scream was lost underwater. He didn’t want anybody to see him right now. He was naked, bruised and hurt. He wasn’t going to go back to the surface and meet people.
His father hugged him and gently rocked him as he burst into sobs. His tears were lost in the water and he was too weak to free himself from the unwanted embrace.
Why should readers buy this book (50 words max)?
A personal, non-heroic quest to find one’s place in the world in the company of other “different” people.
http://www.unicornproductionsbooks.com/books/the-path-of-water-quests-book-1/
is also in Quests Volume one http://www.unicornproductionsbooks.com/books/quests-volume-one-the-paths-of-water-and-air/
and the First Glimpse of Secondary Fantasy World bundle along with 11 other authors.
Title: Star Minds Next Generation
Author: Barbara G.Tarn
Genre: science fantasy
Main character description (short).
Shan-leo Shermac is the descendant of the last emperor, but he’s never going to sit on his grandfather’s throne. He’s not interested.
Synopsis:
A sequel to Star Minds – the Trilogy, it’s the story of Shan-leo, Ker-ris’s son, now no longer an imperial prince.
Raised as imperial prince, Shan-leo doesn’t miss his former status. At twenty-two, he gets to define his destiny without being forced on a path traced by his family. Following his love for calligraphy, he discovers a black market of stolen manuscripts, which starts the adventure of a lifetime.
Aristocratic adventurer on a starship called “outlaw”. The next generation of Star Minds is out in the galaxy.
Brief Excerpt 250 words:
Shan-leo got out of bed, showered and dressed, grabbing his bandanna. He went downstairs and found his father and uncle in the living room, seated at the breakfast table side by side as usual.
Uncle Kol-ian saw him first and greeted him. “Good morning, birthday boy!”
“Good morning,” he answered as his father rose to give him a bear hug.
“Already twenty-two… where did time go?” he whispered in Shan-leo’s ear.
“You mean the past twelve years went even faster than the previous ten?” Shan-leo teased, giving the bandanna to uncle Kol-ian who wrapped it around his nephew’s arm with a smile. Shan-leo knew his father disapproved of his showing off the bionic arm – especially when he had on a tank top like today – but Uncle Kol-ian was very supportive, having had prosthetics himself.
“Shan-leo…” his father chided.
Shan-leo smiled at him. It wasn’t his fault if he’d been mind-controlled for all the time he’d been married to Shan-leo’s late mother and had missed most of his son’s childhood.
“I love you anyway, Father.” He sat with them to eat breakfast. “Even if you want to hide my beautiful prosthetic! Why don’t you ever suggest Uncle Kol-ian cover the scars on his back with synthetic skin?”
“Your uncle doesn’t go around bare-chested to show off his scars!” his father protested while Kol-ian guffawed.
Why should readers buy this book (50 words max)?
If you loved the Trilogy and the Snippets or if you’re new to the Star Minds universe, you will enjoy this wandering prince’s adventures in space.
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July 10, 2017
Swift Six – Author – P A Wilson – Fantasy/Heroic Tales Bundle
Here’s the first author interview from the Heroic Tales Bundle
Name: P. A. Wilson
What attracts you to the genre in which you write?
I love stories that all you to break the rules and then glue them back together. Creating a world where I control how things work is fun and challenging. When it comes to magic, people sometimes think any problem can be solved with magic, and that means there’s no real story. I think in a good fantasy tale, there needs to be a cost of doing magic, something that will restrain the wizard, witch, fairy, whatever creature is in the world, from simply pointing a wand and getting what they need.
In my fantasy, I tend to make the rules either a resource issue, you can’t use magic all the time because you use up something, or I make it ambiguous. Yes, you can get your answer, but it’s not going to help much.
What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d known when you started your writing adventures?
I’m always learning new things. I think that’s the advice most people miss at the beginning. Writing isn’t a ‘learn it and you’re good to go’ kind of thing. Every book is different and my process changes a little each time. Other than the fact that I need a loose outline that is.
If you could have dinner with any famous person or character who would you choose?
If I had to choose one, I would dine with Isaac Asimov. The conversation would be me fangirling out and him explaining how he was able to be so prolific.
Who has been the greatest influence on your own work?
Anne McCaffrey. Her Pern books enthralled me when I first read them; excellent world building, excellent characters. When I started to write my own stories, I often re-read her books to find her techniques.
Do you think the e-book revolution will do away with print?
I think we have yet to see the final and ‘perfect’ method of storytelling. Ebooks are convenient, and there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that people read more when they choose ebooks. As authors, we love to hear people are reading more. But print, both soft and hard cover, are different experiences. People like to feel the weight of the book in their hands, smell the ink and paper, and feel like they own something.
What I do see right now, is a segmenting of the market into people who only read digital, people who read either format, and people who only want print. The market is big enough to carry both.
Which 3 books would you take to a desert island and why?
The Dragonriders of Pern, I never seem to get tired of reading them. The Pillars of The Earth, Ken Follett, the way he deals with complexity and the epic scope of the work means I find new things every time I read it. The complete works of William Shakespeare, maybe on a desert island I will finally get time to read all the plays and sonnets.
Author bio and book synopsis
Perry Wilson is a Canadian author based in Vancouver, BC who has big ideas and an itch to tell stories. Having spent some time on university, a career, and life in general, she returned to writing in 2008 and hasn’t looked back since. She writes the Quinn Larson Quests an urban fantasy series, the Charity Deacon Investigations, and two science fiction series. A member of the Royal City Literary Arts Society, the Vancouver Writer’s Social Group, and the Surrey Writers Group, she spends much of her time creating new books, and learning the craft.
Please introduce yourself (250 words or so):
Tell us about your book(s) – title, genre etc (short)
I write in multiple genres, currently focussing on Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Mystery, and Science Fiction. You can find a list of my current books on my website at pawilson.ca
Links
Website: https://pawilson.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPAWilson/
Twitter: @perryawilson
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New Release – Tears and Crimson Velvet #Phantom #shortstory #horrorfantasy
Here’s today’s news:) I am delighted to announce the release of my latest short story – Tears and Crimson Velvet – a short story based (loosely) on the characters and events in Phantom of the Opera.
The latest Legacy of the Mask Tale features Madam Giry, a much underrated and misunderstood character.
Giry finds herself embroiled in the tragedy unfolding at the Opera house; mystery and murder stalk the corridors and, it is said, a ghost haunts the place. Giry knows the truth, for she recalls the caged man she met so many years ago. This is her story, their story.
When murder and mystery begin at the Opera House one woman knows who is behind it, and what really lies beneath the mask. Secrets, lies and tragedy sing a powerful song in this ‘might have been’ tale.
A short, tragic tale based on characters from Phantom of the Opera.
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https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073TMFF9M/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073TMFF9M/
July 9, 2017
Adventures in Marketing – Bundle Rabbit II – Heroic Tales #Fantasy
You may remember my previous post about Bundle Rabbit – the online book bundling service. I now have The Light Beyond the Storm – Book I featured in a forthcoming bundle. Heroic Tales features 19 tales of fantasy and heroes, brave deeds and daring adventures.
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Synopsis
Imagine: you are seated about a blazing campfire, you and the other bards. Tales of Achilles, Beowulf, Alexander, Odysseus, Conan, Tarzan, Joan of Arc and other heroes are told, along with new ones that carry on with the Jungian archetypes so central to our very nature. Men and women who brave the unnatural, the fantastic, and the plain weird.
Without the circle of firelight, shapes of menace and strangeness stalk horrifically, but the heroic tales hearten us, and strengthen the entire tribe in both body and spirit to continue the battle of good and right, against the strange and evil. We all have the need, deep within us, for Heroic Tales!
It’s quite a mix of tales from Jay Bowers, Stefon Mears, N.W. Moors and Jerusha Moors, Michael Kingswood, Carl S. Plumer, J. D. Brink, Louisa Swann, Xina M Uhl, Robert Jeschonek, Blaze Ward, Douglas Smith, Robert Jeschonek, Perry A Wilson, Debbie Mumford and Leslie Claire Walker. For details of each book please check out the Bundle (as we will be overrun with links).
Table of Contents
1. “A Barbarian in Chicago” by Simon Stanton
2. “Lair of the Wulf” by Simon Stanton
3. “With a Broken Sword” by Stefon Mears
4. “Icarus Rising” by N.W. Moors
5. “Lee and the Monkey Idol” by Jay Bowers
6. “Glimmer Vale” by Michael Kingswood
7. “Afterlife” by Jay Bowers
8. “Shadows of Death” by Carl S. Plumer
9. “The Quest” by J. D. Brink
10. “The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – Book I” by A. L. Butcher
11. “The Girl with the Candy Cane Legs” by Louisa Swann
12. “Necropolis” by Xina M Uhl
13. “The Sword That Spoke” by Robert Jeschonek
14. “The Forestal” by Blaze Ward
15. “The Wolf at the End of the World” by Douglas Smith
16. “The Wife Who Never Was” by Robert Jeschonek
17. “Family” by P. A. Wilson
18. “Witchling” by Debbie Mumford
19. “Faery Tales: Volume 1” by Leslie Claire Walker
It’s due out 11th July – on Bundle Rabbit, Kobo, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 19 books for less than $5 – now that is a bargain right there!
BundleRabbit https://bundlerabbit.com/b/heroic-tales
Heroic Tales on Barnes and Noble
[image error]Hopefully there should be some forthcoming interviews with authors and characters for this bundle – so keep your eyes peeled for those.
July 8, 2017
Book Spotlight and Release Blitz for Mean Girls – Erotic Romance/Audio
Mean Girls by Lucy Felthouse Now Available in Audiobook Format! #audiobook #audible #romance #BBW #Rubenesque
Lucy Felthouse’s Rubenesque erotic romance novella, Mean Girls, is now available in audiobook format. Narrated by voice artist Xanthia Bloom, you can now listen to this sweet and sexy curvy girl tale on the go!
Mean Girls Blurb:
Adele Blackthorne is a big girl, a curvy chick. She knows it, and she’s been picked on all her life because of it. But she’s gotten to the stage where she doesn’t care. She may be Rubenesque, but she’s healthy, too. Much healthier than the mean girls at the leisure center that point and stare and say spiteful things about her. Adele rises above it all, and simply enjoys her secretive glances at the center’s hunky lifeguard, Oliver.
As the bullying of Adele becomes worse, Oliver finds it increasingly difficult not to intervene. He doesn’t want to get into trouble with work, but equally he can’t stand to see Adele treated in such a horrible way. Especially since he doesn’t agree that she’s fat and unattractive. He thinks she’s a seriously sexy woman, and would like to get to know her better. Much better.
Audio links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2sFENhc
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2szphZ8
Audible UK: http://adbl.co/2spsB4I
Audible US: http://adbl.co/2tIoBQX
iTunes UK: http://apple.co/2tpm9vW
iTunes US: http://apple.co/2upu64o
eBook available here: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/mean-girls/
*****
Author Bio:
Lucy Felthouse is the award-winning author of erotic romance novels Stately Pleasures (named in the top 5 of Cliterati.co.uk’s 100 Modern Erotic Classics That You’ve Never Heard Of, and an Amazon bestseller), Eyes Wide Open (winner of the Love Romances Café’s Best Ménage Book 2015 award, and an Amazon bestseller), The Persecution of the Wolves and Hiding in Plain Sight. Including novels, short stories and novellas, she has over 160 publications to her name. She owns Erotica For All, and is one eighth of The Brit Babes. Find out more about her writing at http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk, or on Twitter or Facebook. Sign up for automatic updates on Amazon or BookBub. Subscribe to her newsletter and get a free eBook: http://www.subscribepage.com/lfnewsletter
Release blitz hosted by Writer Marketing Services.
July 5, 2017
Swift Six – Author Samir Karimo – Supernatural/English Language
Name: SAMIR KARIMO
What attracts you to the genre in which you write?
I like to create different worlds, namely strange and surrealistical ones with known characters which try to attract the audience. I have a strange relationship with the reader, I like to play with him/her, e.g. I like to try them to question about things, even the smallest ones and that’s why most of my stories are flash stories. In those short stories I try to synthesise my conception of horror, science-fiction and terror.
What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d known when you started your writing adventures? First of all, follow your dreams, whatever they are and try to have a certain writing style. People will always criticise the way you write but it’s important to create your own style with your features. When I began I wanted to write grammatically well but now I want to have a style of my own.
If you could have dinner with any famous person or character who would you choose?
Pirandello, Unamuno and Pessoa due to their idea about the being, not being and the different characters we assume every day. Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hide, Adriano Meis, Sheherazade from Arabian Nights without doubt and Ramayana’s Valmiky.
Who has been the greatest influence on your own work?
As I have mentioned, on one hand I was deeply influenenced by Pirandello, Unamuno and Pessoa. Their ideas are still updated and even today we don’ t know how to interact in society…. I like that idea of double personality, the heteroynms and ortonyms, on the other hand, as you read the book, you’ll find references to Indian mythology, Nordic folklore and also D.Juan’s Myth. Kafka also, there’a flash story, DAMNED WORDS which looks Kafka’s IN THE PENAL COLONY. But I have also a muse called Reyam who inspires my work. Besides I have a text dedicated to her, music divine.
Do you think the e-book revolution will do away with print?
Someday maybe, but there are still people wanting to feel the “taste of the book”. I like both, but more and more people are using e-books . And besides, e-books are more compact and easy to carry than a book. And with the digital stuff in e-books it is possible to create more things than in a book, like for example holograms, and so on.
Which 3 books would you take to a desert island and why?
Arabian nights because I love the stories Sherazade tells to the sultan, and because is one of the most important books of the world which influences our way of seeing the world.
Lucian of Samostata’s true story because it’s a very advanced book, even today with their creatures and the idea of Moon and, finally, Charles Nodier’s Infernaliana, one of best scary books ever written. Some stories make me beg for more, one of my favourites is the “Devil pact”.
Author bio and book synopsis
Please introduce yourself (250 words or so):
My name is Samir Karimo, and besides of being a translator, I’m also a writer. This book SOBRENATURAL is my first English book which was written almost at the same time that in Portuguese and Spanish also. I usually write in Portuguese to BABELICUS EM PORTUGUÊS and in Spanish and English to MINATURA. I also collaborate with DEMENCIA magazine and WAX MAGAZINE, both in Spanish . And I’m also a comic screenwriter to a comic magazine called H-ALT where by September it will publish my first story.
My first stories appeared at FENIZ FANZINE in Spanish in 2013. But I published my first Portuguese poems in late 1998.
I like to create strange situations with strange characters…. like Kafka
Tell us about your book(s) – title, genre etc (short)
Sobrenatural (supernatural surrealistical scary stories ), a small anthology of flash stories and tales where the reader will find famous characters in strange situations. Imagine yourself having a dream where nothing is what it seems, when you find space vampires and their connection to dinosaur’s extinction, killing noses and other alien creatures. Imagine if D.Juan would go to paradise or, finally, would find peace. Also imagine Oscar Wilde as an attorney or Dulcinea having a relationship with a snake…. And imagine a character called INTRODUCTION, and a FUN GOD falling in love by a cyborg woman in Harlequin Carnavalin.
Finally, the book cover was done my the ESFS Awards winner’ JUAN MIGUEL AGUILERA
Links
For United States
For United Kingdom
https://www.amazon.co.uk/sobrenatural-supernatural-surrealistical-scary-stories-ebook/dp/B07262DJFX
Social media
https://www.facebook.com/samir.karimo
https://www.facebook.com/sksobrenatural/
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July 2, 2017
Book Spotlight – How to Trust Your Human – Animals/Kids/Social Issues
Title: How To Trust Your Human
Author: Victoria Zigler
Genres: Children’s Stories – Animals / Children’s Stories – Social Issues – Death And Dying
Main character description (short).
“Buddy is a degu, which is a kind of rodent closely related to guinea pigs, with an appearance that resembles a furry-tailed rat.”
Synopsis:
“Losing a sibling is hard. Losing three of them is even harder. Repairing a broken bond of trust is harder still.
After his three brothers disappeared, one after another, gone to a mysterious place known only as The Rainbow Bridge, Buddy the degu is all alone in his cage. Confused and frightened, he knows only one thing for certain: he last saw his brothers in the hands of the human caretaker. That knowledge breaks the bond of trust forged between Buddy and his human in the years since he was a pup, and leaves him convinced that letting her get her hands on him will mean he disappears too. Somehow, she has to convince him he’s wrong, and earn back his trust.
Based on actual events that took place in the life of one of the author’s own degus, and told from the point of view of a degu, this is the story of how patience and love taught a confused and terrified rodent how to trust again.”
Brief Excerpt 250 words:
“I was starting to relax, and no longer running to hide when my cage door opened.
Then, one day, one of the human caretakers held her hand out in my direction, and appeared to be waiting for something.
As you might imagine, I was immediately suspicious – not to mention back to being absolutely terrified – so I rushed off to hide, watching the hand closely, even as I cowered behind the wheel at the opposite end of the cage. I was literally trembling from nose to tail, wondering what she was up to, and if it was finally time for them to make me disappear like my brothers.
I thought the hand would follow me, and at least make an attempt at grabbing me. But it didn’t move even the slightest amount.
I watched and waited for a very long time.
Still the hand didn’t move.
My trembling stopped, but I continued to stay in my hiding spot, watching the hand to see what it was going to do.
Nothing happened; the hand still didn’t move.
After a while, my curiosity got the better of me. Look, I might have been terrified, but we degus are curious creatures, and there’s only so long I could resist the urge to find out what the hand was doing. So, I cautiously crept closer, ready to bolt back to my hiding spot at the first sign of danger.”
Why should readers buy this book (50 words max)?
“It’s a story about how a little love goes a long way, and how pets have feelings too. If you’re an animal lover, or you have children who love animals, this book is for you, especially if you’re in a situation where you have a pet who is suffering after losing his or her furry companion.”
Links etc.
Find the book on…
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35160154-how-to-trust-your-human
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/724848
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-trust-your-human-victoria-zigler/1126412328
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/do/book/how-to-trust-your-human/id1237703591?l=en&mt=11
Available in paperback soon!
Author bio:
Victoria Zigler is a blind poet and children’s author who was born and raised in the Black Mountains of Wales, UK, and is now living on the South-East coast of England, UK. Victoria – or Tori, if you prefer – has been writing since she knew how, has a very vivid imagination, and spends a lot of time in fictional worlds; some created by her, others created by other authors. When she remembers to spend some time in the real world, it’s mostly to spend time with her hubby and pets, though sometimes to indulge in other interests that capture her attention from time to time, such as doing crafts, listening to music, watching movies, playing the odd figure game or roleplaying game, and doing a little cooking and baking. To date she has published 8 poetry books and more than 40 children’s books, with more planned for the near future. She’s also contributed a story to the sci-fi and fantasy anthology Wyrd Worlds II.
Author links:
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June 30, 2017
Smashwords Summer Sale 1-31st July #Fantasy #Booksale
It’s that time of year again! Smashwords are having another sale.
This year I am offering the following in the sale at 50% discount with code SSW50.
(Please note the Light Beyond the Storm, Shining Citadel and Stolen Tower are 18 rated for sexy scenes, themes and some violence).
Shattered Mirror – A Poetry Collection
Now $1.50
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The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – Book I
Now $1.50
Now $1.75
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Now $1.62
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And Free!
Tales of Erana: Myths and Legends
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