A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 84

La Dernière Forêt

Des humains viennent abattre la dernière forêt, et ils pourraient bien avoir une mauvaise surprise.

Une nouvelle fantastique sombre sur le courroux de la nature.

#Fantastique, #Nouvelle, #Fantasy, #Nature, #Conte #Dystopique

https://books2read.com/LaDerniereForet

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Née en Grande-Bretagne, A. L. Butcher est une lectrice et une créatrice de mondes passionnée, une poète et une rêveuse, une amoureuse des sciences, d’histoire naturelle, d’histoire et des singes. Sa prose a été décrite comme « sombre et abrasive » et sa poésie comme « évocatrice ». Avec une sensibilité certaine et parfois érotique, elle parle de choses qui auraient pu être, qui n’ont jamais été mais pourraient être.

Alex est l’auteure des séries fantastiques lyriques Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles et Tales of Erana. Elle a aussi écrit plusieurs nouvelles et romances fantastiques, avec des excursions occasionnelles dans le genre de l’horreur gothique, notamment à travers la série Legacy of the Mask. Avec des connaissances en politique, en études classiques, en histoire et en mythes anciens, ses intérêts personnels apportent à ses œuvres une saveur éclectique et unique, et elle mélange rêve et réalité en proportions alchimiques pour donner vie à ses mondes et personnages.

Elle édite également des recueils de fiction sur BundleRabbit, principalement la série Here Be.

Alex est aussi fière d’écrire pour Perseid Press. On peut trouver ses œuvres dans Heroika : Dragons Eaters, dans Heroika Skirmishers, pour lequel elle a été éditrice et a créé la couverture en plus d’être l’auteure, et dans Lovers in Hell, qui fait partie de la série acclamée Heroes in Hell.

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Why you should produce a Large Print Edition of your book

I am in the process of producing large print editions of as many of my books as possible. Some people have asked me why I bother.

I did a quick search of LP editions available on Amazon UK – there were only 7 pages worth (109 results) , and most of those were calendars/planners.

Of the rest I found:

The Karma Sutra

Frankenstein

The Picture of Dorian Grey

Siddhartha

The Crimson Cryptogram: A Detective Novel

Dracula

Pride and Prejudice

Great Expectations

Emma

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Prince (Machiavelli)

Razor Sharp

The Yellow Wallpaper

The Importance of Being Earnest

Final Justice

Moby Dick

A Patricia Cornwell book

A Christmas Promise

Give Me Death

Eight Days to Live

Southern Lights

Capital Crimes by Stuart Woods

Most of these were via 3rd party sellers and may or may not have actually been available.

There may have been more which were incorrectly marked.

Abe books has a large print section https://www.abebooks.co.uk/docs/LargePrint/ and better accessibility than Amazon however Abe charges sellers to sell on its site – so that may exclude indies and small presses from considering it as an option.

https://www.wfhowes.co.uk/browse/formats/large-print – has a reasonable catalogue

W.F.Howes Ltd is the UK’s leading audiobook, digital services and large print publisher, releasing around 100 new unabridged audiobooks every month under a number of imprints including Clipper, Jammer, Avid, Lamplight, Nudged and Jammer Teen.

Our digital arm provides eAudiobook and eBook lending to the library market through the RBdigital platform, alongside several other platforms specialising in same-day newspapers and magazines, adult learning and language tutorial programs.

But unless you know that is there, or are accepted by them you’re book won’t be available in this accessible format. 

Why do I do this?

My father was partially sighted, having lost some of his sight serving in the army. He enjoyed reading but struggled to read printed books for any length of time unless they were large print. In his later life he could barely read regular print books at all. What a shame – he loved to read. Why should a person miss out on literature because they cannot see well?

It is easier now with e-readers and audiobooks, but these are not suitable for everyone (especially older technophobes like my dad), and audiobooks are pretty expensive. Listening to a story read aloud is a very different experience to reading the printed word. Surely the joy of reading should be available to all?

Our local town library (when there were such things) had a small assortment of LP books, but not many.

It’s better now than it was but lots of indie authors with great books simply don’t offer then in large print – maybe because they don’t think about it much, or don’t know.

How easy is it to produce a book in large print?

RNIB states large print is font 16-18 and giant print is anything larger than this. Regular print is 10-12-point font, so there is quite a difference. And some people really struggle with smaller fonts.

Amazon will allow authors to produce book in large print, there is a little box to tick stating it’s in large print format. Other than that it’s a case of formatting the book for a larger trim size (8×10 or above). KDP will provide a template of all of the trim and cover sizes. It’s relatively easy to copy the text into this template and use MS Word styles to change the font size (and pick a font like Times New Roman or Arial) and the chapter headers etc. The cover would need to be enlarged – but most of the image design programmes can do that, or you can use the cover creator and select the appropriate size for the book.

That’s it. There’s no extra cost, other than ordering a proof copy.

There are restrictions on expanded distribution for some trim sizes but there are a few which are suitable. ED puts the price up – and as LP books tend to be meatier they will likely be more expensive than the regular sized one. KDP print only caters up to 400 pages – so anything longer than that will need to be split – again this raises the cost to the buyer. I am going to investigate the logistics of that at some point soon.

So why not produce a large print edition when you produce your paperback? All it takes is a little extra time. Everyone should have access to books, and it’s easy to produce.

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https://www.rnib.org.uk/information-everyday-living-reading/large-and-giant-print

The Light Beyond the Storm – Large Print Edition

The Third Edition Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles Book I is now available in Large Print format – currently on Amazon only – but should aggregate to the Barnes and Noble online store in a few weeks.

In a dark world where magic is illegal, and elves are enslaved a young elven sorceress runs for her life from the house of her evil Keeper. Pursued by his men and the corrupt Order of Witch-Hunters she must find sanctuary. As the slavers roll across the lands stealing elves from what remains of their ancestral home the Witch-Hunters turn a blind eye to the tragedy and a story of power, love and a terrible revenge unfolds.

18 rated. Amazon, Audible, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and more on the link below.

In a dark world beset by tyranny and lies can love and magic entwined bring freedom? A dark adult fantasy with sizzling sorcery, romance and revenge.

Amazon.Com Large print





Amazon UK large print

L’ULTIMA FORESTA – Last Forest Italian Edition

Quando gli umani arrivano per abbattere l’ultima foresta, hanno una brutta sorpresa

Un racconto sull’ira della natura

Tweets: #Fantasy #Darkfantasy #distopico #racconto

Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L7ZCMTG

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08L7ZCMTG

5 books that Manipulate the English Language – Guest Post – Desiree Villena

Today we welcome Desiree Villena for a guest post.

5 Books That Manipulate the English Language

The scattering of words and phrases in fictional languages is not an unusual concept in fiction. Fantasy worlds, such as Tolkien’s Middle Earth and George R.R. Martin’s The Known World, are so fully realized that they not only come with their own history, topography, and mythology, but their own languages too. And I’m not just talking about the odd memorised Game of Thrones quote; I’m talking 4000 word Dothraki lexicons and university courses in Elvish.

Languages are an exceptional way of capturing the soul of the culture that spawned them — which is why fantasy authors aren’t the only ones to have dabbled in lexical invention. The limited vocabulary and sinister staccato rhythm of ‘Newspeak’ was used in Orwell’s cult classic 1984 to show how the totalitarian state kept original thought at bay. Meanwhile,  Roald Dahl used the ‘frothbuggling’ (silly) but ‘hopscotchy’ (cheerful) language he called ‘Gobblefunk’ to make his exuberant world even more playful.

But what about books that go a step further? Those written entirely in a constructed language or dialect? Though they can initially be a little daunting, these books take the immersive experience of reading to a whole new level. So if you’re up for the challenge, they’re not to be missed!

1. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Burgess’ dystopian novel is narrated by Alex — a nightmarish teen who thinks and talks in Nadstat. If you’ve never heard of Nadstat, don’t worry, you haven’t fallen behind the times; Burgess constructed it himself by amalgamating Romany, Cockney rhyming slang, and a Russian-English hybrid lingo. Along with white cricket codpieces and dark eye make-up, Nadstat is part of the performance of a violent youth subculture.

For readers, this street-slang acts like a screen, blurring our understanding of the brutal ‘ultraviolence’ they commit. If the words for blade, guts, and scream weren’t shrouded in Nadstat, we’d have to abandon the book within chapters to throw up or find a priest. Instead, a kind of rapport develops.

At first glance, Alex’s narrative may seem incomprehensible, but with a little bit of context, the meaning soon becomes clear. I bet you can figure this sentence out pretty easily (though the squeamish may not want to): “to tolchock some old veck in an alley and viddy him swim in his blood.” If you’re still having trouble, you can check out this dictionary. Before long you’ll be slipping Nadstat into conversation; though don’t let that lead to tolchocking old vecks in alleys!

2. The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth

Paul Kingsnorth doesn’t get on with historical novels written in contemporary language. To travel back in time, he argues, you need to speak the language of the era. You can debate the truth of this among yourselves; but whether or not you agree, The Wake is not to be missed.

It’s composed in what Kingsnorth calls a ‘ghost language’ — a language that aims to reflect a historical setting. In this case, England during the wake of the Norman conquest. As Alex points out in this post, the English language has changed a lot: to reproduce a version of Old English, Kingsnorth had to scrap any words that came over with the French and reintroduce words of Anglo-Saxon origin. The result can be a little disorienting:

“aefry ember of hope gan lic the embers of a fyr brocen in the daegs beginnan brocen by men other than us. hope falls harder when the end is cwic hope falls harder when in the daegs before the storm the stillness of the age was writen in the songs of men”

However, if you persevere (and maybe sound the words out loud), the language will soon come naturally, and you’ll be rewarded with a gripping story.

3. Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban

The language of Hoban’s dystopian novel, though it’s set in the distant future, is uncannily similar to that of Kingsnorth’s distant past. Riddley Walker imagines a world 2,000 years after nuclear war has obliterated civilisation as we know it. Living in a nuclear wasteland, humanity is more or less transported back to the Iron Age, where the language is as broken as the landscape.

Our narrator is 12-year-old Riddley Walker, who lives in Kent, ‘Inland’ (England). However, it’s not just the regional accent and Riddley’s awkward pre-teen slang that shapes the dialect in which the novel is written — it is also injected with Hoban’s invented post-apocalyptic vernacular. Here’s a little taster: “Every 1 knows about Bad Time and what come after. Bad Time 1st and bad times after. Not many come thru it a live.”

Though that sentence may look like a text message with one too many typos, as the story unfolds, you’ll realize just how important this language is to Hoban’s vision.

4. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

Unlike the other books on this list, Trainspotting isn’t written in a language constructed by the author. Welsh’s novel follows in a noble line of literature (including Wuthering Heights and several works by James Kelman) composed partially in Scots’ dialect — but Welsh takes things one step further.

If you’ve seen the cult movie starring pre-Obi Wan Ewan McGregor, then you might recognize the name Mark “Rent Boy” Renton. Alongside other drug-addled junkies living in Edinburgh’s inhospitable outskirts, Mark narrates Trainspotting in a thick Scottish dialect. The novel is written phonetically, so it can end up looking a little opaque:

“Ah sit frozen for a moment. But only a moment. Ah fall off the pan, ma knees splashing oantae the pishy flair. My jeans crumple tae the deck and greedily absorb the urine, but ah hardly notice. Ah roll up ma shirt sleeve and hesitate only briefly, glancing at ma scabby and occasionally weeping track marks, before plunging ma hands and forearms intae the brown water.”

But, if you start by reading it aloud, it’s much easier to understand; not to mention, you’ll instantly nail an Edinburgh accent.

5. The Policeman’s Beard is Half-Constructed

This collection of prose and poetry is written in a language that is essentially alien. In 1984, William Chamberlain and Thomas Etter created a computer program called raconteur (Racter for short) to answer the question: what kind of language would a machine, with no knowledge of the human experience, come up with?

I suppose getting a computer to do all the work is one way to deal with writer’s block. And honestly, the results could give Anne Carson a run for her money:

BILL. I love a child.
MARCELA. Children are fortunately captivating.
BILL. Yet my love is excellent.
MARCELLA. My love is spooky yet we must have a child, a spooky child.
BILL. Do you follow me?
MARCELLA. Children come from love or desire. We must have love to possess children or a child.
BILL. Do we have love?
MARCELLA. We possess desire, angry desire. But this furious desire may murder a child. It may be killing babies someday.
BILL. Anyway let’s have a child.
MARCELLA. My expectation is children.
BILL. They will whisper of our love.
MARCELLA. And our perpetual, enrapturing, valuable fantasy.

Influenced by technology and the merging of cultures, language is constantly shifting. Maybe one day we’ll all be talking ‘Textspeak’, or regional dialects will die out completely, leaving some standardised form of language. The possibilities are endless. Which is why novels like these, that explore the evolution of language and the effect it has on a consciousness, are so uniquely fascinating. Granted, they aren’t for everyone — some people will simply conclude that these books are in serious need of a professional editor. But, if you have the patience to scramble through a rough few pages, then they’re not to be missed!

El Secreto de Blossom Rise (Secret of Blossom Rise – Spanish Edition)

Cuando una joven enfermera acepta un trabajo en el antiguo hospital militar, ella desentierra un secreto familiar y encuentra a los ocupantes espectrales un poco familiares. 
Una corta historia de fantasmas. 

https://books2read.com/ElSecretoBlossom-Spanish

#Fantasmas, #Paranormal, #Horror, #HistoriaCorta

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Fortellinger om Erana – Tales of Erana – Norwegian Edition

Erana er en verden full av magi og selv om forbudt, holder trolldommen seg fast for trolldom er mektig og følger ingen lov.  Det er en verden styrt av undertrykkelse, men håpet vandrer i skyggen, alltid letende etter en sjanse til å blomstre.  Det er en verden full av kjærlighet og fortvilelse i like mengder. Dette er fortellingene og mytene fra en slik verden.

https://books2read.com/TalesErana-Nor-Fortellinger-om-Erana

https://www.kobo.com/gb/fr/ebook/fortellinger-om-erana

https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1531993869

Amazon.Com https://amzn.to/33mULCr

Amazon UK https://amzn.to/3cP3IHM

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=JPH_DwAAQBAJ

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Prisbelønnet fantasi, historisk fantasi og erotisk fantasi forfatter.

Britisk fødte A.L. Butcher er en ivrig leser og skaper av verdener, en poet og en drømmer, en elsker av vitenskap, naturhistorie, historie og aper.  Hennes prosa har blitt beskrevet som ‘mørk og mektig’ og hennes poesi som ‘tankevekkende’.  Hun skriver med en sikker og noen gang erotisk følsomhet om ting som kunne ha vært, ikke var, men kan bli.  

Alex er forfatter av ‘Light Beyond the Storm’ krønikeren og ‘Tales of Erana’ lyrisk fantasi serie.  Hun har også skrevet flere korte historier i fantasi og romantisk fantasi stil, og har streifet innom gotisk skrekk stil, innkludert ‘Legacy of the Mask’ serien.  Med en bakgrunn i politikk, klassiske studier, oldtids historie og myte, bringer hun et eklektisk og unikt preg til arbeidet sitt, som blander virkelighet og drøm i alkymistiske deler og bringer figurene og verdenene til live.  

NN Light Trick or Treat Bonanza

Trick or Treat! ‘Tis the month to celebrate all things paranormal, supernatural, suspenseful and mystical. If you’re like me, you’ll want to accept this very special invitation to join the festivities at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s 2nd annual Trick or Treat Book Bonanza. 46 authors share what they’d dress up as for Halloween as well as 53 books featured plus a chance to win one of the following:

Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $25 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $15 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $10 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My books, Nightly Bites II will be featured on 13th October and The Secret of Blossom Rise on 26th October. Wait until you read what my Halloween costume would be. You won’t want to miss it.

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Bookmark this event and tell your friends:

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/trick-or-treat-book-bonanza

Featuring

1- Katie O’Sullivan, Marilyn Baron, Kayla Krantz

2- Judith Sterling, Michelle Bryan

5- Debby Grahl, Willa Blair, N. Christine Samuelson (Eternal)

6- Ruthie Marlenee, Nancy E. Polin (Soul)

7- Theresa Dale, Alina K. Field, Paula Benge

8- G.A. Finocchiaro (Knightmares), Charles E. Yallowitz (Ravenous)

9- Nancy Fraser, Dee S. Knight, Lelani Black

12- Maddie James, Robert Herold, P.L. Parker

13- A.L. Butcher (Nightly), D.W. Adler

14- Tena Stetler, S.K. Andrews, Naomi Bellina

15- Regina Jeffers, Karen Michelle Nutt (Two)

16- Randy Overbeck (Blood), Beverley Bateman, Catherine Mesick

19- Helen C. Johannes, Marilyn Barr, Judy Bruce

20- Mary Martinez, Cherie Colyer

21- Karilyn Bentley, Catherine Milos

22- Maureen Bonatch, Aubrey Wynne

23- Elyzabeth M. Valey, Emma Ames

26- Nancy E. Polin (Raven), A.L. Butcher (Blossom)

27- G.A. Finocchiaro (Grace), Charles E. Yallowitz (Eradication), N. Christine Samuelson (Echoes)

28- Roni Denholtz, Mary Morgan

29- Karen Michelle Nutt (Heart), Jana Richards

30- Sharon Buchbinder, Randy Overbeck (Crimson)

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Here Be Zombies Bundle

Here Be Zombies!

The Zombies are coming in time for Halloween!

https://books2read.com/HereBeZombies-Bundle

Brainsssss! The dead are walking, hungry and brains taste so good…

12 Tales of zombies and zombie hunters.

1. “Alice’s Adventures in Underland” by DeAnna Knippling
2. “I Hate Zombies” by Shantnu Tiwari
3. “Zomopolis” by Russ Crossley
4. “Zombie Ever After” by Carl S. Plumer
5. “Zombee A Go-Go” by Rebecca M. Senese
6. “Zombie Girl Invasion” by De Kenyon
7. “Life Among the Dead” by Rebecca M. Senese
8. “Usher Falling” by Sandra Seymour
9. “My Zombie Prince” by Russ Crossley
10. “A Chat Before Dinner” by Michael Kingswood
11. “The Island” by Will Overby
12. “Dragon Rising” by Russ Crossley

https://books.apple.com/gb/book/here-be-zombies/id1533584872?

Amazon.com https://amzn.to/36fTOxx

Amazon UK https://amzn.to/3mWwScN

https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/here-be-zombies?

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-be-zombies-a-l-butcher/1137764224

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Stolen Tower – The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – Book III – Audio Edition

What stalks the land cannot be but is.

Where magic is outlawed a troll Shaman calls from her deathbed to her heiress, Mirandra Var, daughter of the storm. Mirandra vows to find her missing kin, sort friend from foe, and claim the dangerous secrets guarded by unthinkable creatures. If she succeeds, she will become the leader of her tribe. If she fails, there will be no tribe to lead.

Amazon US Audio https://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Tower-Light-Beyond-Chronicles/dp/B08K4G75VB/

Amz UK audio https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08K3SDVBS/

Audible.com https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Stolen-Tower-Audiobook/B08K3SQFCB

Audible.co.uk https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Stolen-Tower-Audiobook/B08K3RND8F

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