Graham Downs's Blog, page 28

Heritage of Deceit Paperback (Second Edition) - Coming Soon

For a while now, I've been a bit concerned about what the paperback edition of Heritage of Deceit looks like. It's U.S. Trade Paperback size (6" x 9"), but it's only 46 pages. It just looks too thin.

When I did the paperback of my latest book, Heaven and Earth: Paranormal Flash Fiction, I made it the slightly smaller 5.8" x 8.3". Really not much smaller, when you think about it, but it ended up being slightly more pages. It just feels a bit heftier, and fits more comfortably in your hand.

Because I was quite new to publishing print books, I didn't take into account the "bleed" of the cover, so the end of my surname exactly touches the right end of the book. Finally, there's a typo in it, that's been fixed in the e-book version for almost a year already. It's been bugging me about the paperback edition, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to fix it.

I've already mocked up a cover for the new edition - you can see it on the right. Please comment on this post and let me know what you think!

I'll be working on the new print edition over the next week or so, and it should filter through to all retailers within the next few months. So, you might actually want to hurry up and buy a first edition paperback while you still can. It'll be unpublished once the second edition filters through, and you'll have a collector's edition on your hands....

Crossword Puzzle - September 2015

This month, I have a really quick and easy crossword puzzle for you.

If you can solve it, e-mail me the answers before Tuesday, 20 October 2015. That's day on which I will post the answers to this blog. If you're the first person to send me the correct answers before then, I'll mention your name in that post.

Sound simple enough? Go!

CluesAcross1 Using animals to treat medical conditions (10)
3 On which a gun is mounted (6)
6 Jones (4)
8 To get married (3)
9 Yoko (3)
10 Independent (4)
12 Left-handed (6)
13 Sun City (10)
Down1 Nothing (4)
2 Tethered (5)
4 Author of When Twins War (4)
5 One of the two longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales (4)
6 Christmas Carol (4)
7 Cluster or sequence of notes or chords used in a song (4)
9 That special quality (5)
11 What a pity! (4)

Crossword Puzzle - August 2015 Answers

Okay, so I just know you've all been tearing your hair out trying to solve the August 2015 crossword puzzle, haven't you?

Well, tear no more: the answers are in!

CluesAcross1 Era (5) epoch
2 Ballroom dance (5) waltz
6 Wife of a nobleman between a count and a duke (8) marquise
10 Discount South African retail chain (3) pep
11 Edible kernel inside a hard shell (3) nut
12 Kiss kiss (4) mwah
14 Omega (3) end
16 Female sibling (3) sis
19 Fey, actress (4) Tina
22 Tac toe (3) Tic
24 Apple computer (3) Mac
25 WWII fighter plane (8) Spitfire
26 Drop him (fly my balloon) (5) pilot
27 Exert downward force (5) press
Down1 Active hostility (6) enmity
2 Sadness (3) woe
3 Patch of grass in front of a house (4) lawn
4 Lively (5) zesty
5 Seen from your balcony (4) view
7 Turkish brandy (5) rakis
8 At the very top (6) upmost
9 Get a massage here (3) spa
13 Having six rays (6) hexact
15 Capital of India (5) Delhi
17 Shorts worn as underwear (6) boxers
18 Remove all your clothes (5) strip
20 Demon (3) imp
21 Hit it with a hammer (4) nail
23 Medieval hood (4) cowl
25 Take a load off (3) sit

New puzzle coming next week. See you then!

Tales from Virdura: A New Queen

[image error] Jacob, constable of the Queen’s Guard at Virdura Castle, whistled softly to himself, as his feet pounded the cobblestones. It was a nice night in the city: the sky was clear, and the moon as high, full, and bright.

Over the past few months, the city had been very quiet. After the way that Queen Celeste had dealt with the fraud, Marcus, the people respected her. Everybody knew the new status quo. There were laws, and they were going to be upheld. The queen was going to see to it personally.

A woman’s scream penetrated the pleasant silence of the evening. Such sounds used to be quite commonplace here, but Jacob had not heard one for so long that he had almost forgotten what it sounded like, when a woman screamed in distress.

Jacob ran in the direction of the scream. It wasn’t long before he came across the source. A burly man, hovering over a woman, lying prone on the ground. He spied something in the man’s hand, glinting in the moonlight. A dagger, by the looks of it.

“You there, stop, by order of the Queen of Virdura!” yelled Jacob, as he unsheathed his sword and ran towards the man. The man stood up straight, turned around, and laughed.

“Fancy running into you here, you old dog,” he said.

Jacob recognised the man, Joseph, as one who grew up in Virdura. As young boys, Joseph was rather fond of chastising and humiliating Jacob in front of his friends.

Joseph had been getting himself into trouble ever since. In fact, the constable had run him out of the city almost a year before, for a crime he could not even remember.

“Joseph,” said the constable. “I don’t know what you’re doing back in Virdura, but I suggest you lower your dagger and back away.”

Joseph twisted his face into an expression of mock confusion. “Oh, come on, copper,” he said. “I was just having a little fun. Since when is having your way with a local peasant girl against the law?“ He spat on the ground as he said this, and his spittle landed a short distance from the woman’s face. She was shaking and sobbing, obviously too afraid to move.

“You’ve been gone a while,” answered Jacob, “but you should know: there’s a new queen in Virdura, and she will not stand for such things.”

“Not like Queen Tricia, you mean? Pity. Now there was a beauty – I’d have loved to have gotten under her skirt, I can tell you. Well, no matter, Jacob. I suggest you back away. This wench is mine.”

Joshua lunged at the constable with his dagger. Jacob, sword in hand, easily parried it away. More than parried: the sword hit the blade so hard that it flew out of Joshua’s hand. The constable quickly retaliated, and ended with the point of his sword pressed up against Joshua’s neck. The scoundrel took a step back, let loose a terrible, inhuman growl, and charged at Jacob. But Jacob, sidestepping the charge, stuck out his foot and tripped Joshua, who landed face first on the cobblestones.

Jacob walked forward, and pressed the tip of his sword into the back of the man’s neck this time. “I told you Joshua,” he said, “there’s a new queen in Virdura.” Then he turned his head, and started to ask if the woman was all right. By the time he had finished his sentence, though, she had gotten up and scurried away.

Jacon scratched his chin with his free hand. Not even so much as a thank you. He smiled. Yes, there was a new queen in Virdura.

Are you on QuarterReads? Do you know what a Quarter is?

Do you know what the coins on the right are? I didn't.
It turns out that those are called "quarters", a denomination of American currency denoting twenty-five US cents. I've heard of quarters before, obviously, from American movies, television, and books, but I'd never actually seen one, except in pictures - and in fact, today's the first day I've ever even seen that. If, like me, you were born and raise outside of the United States, chances are you can say the same.

According to Wikipedia, the coin was first struck in 1796, and continues to be in common circulation today.

I find that extremely interesting, because I'm not sure how many other currencies have a denomination equating to a quarter of their base unit. In South Africa, at least, our coin deonimations are 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, R1, R2, and R5. We used to have 1c and 2c pieces as well, and they're still legal tender, but no more have been struck for at least five years.

All About QuarterReadsSo why is the existence of the US quarter important? Well, because there is a new readers' site out there, devoted to short stories and flash fiction. It's called QuarterReads, and although the name may only really be significant to people living in the United States, I think the concept is really cool.

Here's how it works: When you first visit the site, you are greeted with a homepage listing the top stories there, which you can filter by category. You can also search for authors, story titles, or tags (extra words that the authors chose to further categorise their stories), or you can browse their growing list of authors and tags.

When you've found a story that you think is interesting, you click on the title, and the site gives you the first couple of lines to whet your appetite. If you decide that you'd like to read the story, you need to spend something called a "Read", which is worth one US quarter.

To get started, you need to spend a minimum of $5, which gives you twenty "Reads". You can purchase these using either PayPal, or a debit or credit card. After which, you'll be given the opportunity after reading the free sample of any story, to spend a Read and read the rest of it.

See? I told you it was a really cool concept!

I have a profile there, and for now, I've split up the individual stories in my latest release, Heaven and Earth: Paranormal Flash Fiction, and put them up on QuarterReads. There's also one other story at the moment, but I plan to add others soon.

Sound like a good deal? Well, click here to visit my QuarterReads writer profile, sign up, charge up, and start reading!

I Am a South African Author

Pinch and a punch for the first of the month!

I've been doing some thinking lately. I am a South African author. I was born in South Africa, and I was raised in South Africa. The furthest I've ever been out of the country was to Swaziland with my wife, for our honeymoon. Other than looking at the exchange rate (a poor indicator, to be sure), I have no real concept of what a US Dollar is worth, or what a Pound Sterling is worth, or what any other country's currency is worth to the average citizen of that country. I only know what a Rand is worth.

And yet, thus far, the vast majority of my books have been sold in the US or UK, in Dollars and Pounds. That's a bit ironic, and also a little unfair.

So I decided today, to showcase some of the places where my books are available in South Africa, starting with the paperbacks: PaperbackLootReaders' Warehouse & Exclusive BooksMy books are also available at Readers' Warehouse and Exclusive Books, both of which are large bookstores in South Africa, with both physical sites, and online stores:

AlibrisAnd finally we have Alibris. It's not strictly a South African store, but they do have the ability to quote prices in South African Rand:

E-booksOn the e-book side, there aren't any actual South African companies selling my books. I guess this is because e-books have yet to really take off in South Africa, and as yet there aren't any stores here selling indie e-books. If you know of one, please let me know in the comments below, and I'll do my best to try and get my books available there.

In the meantime, there are two sites which are quoting prices in Rands, similar to Alibris above. They are Kobo and Inktera:

Kobo Inktera ConclusionIf you've been looking for all the links to where you can buy my books in South African Rands... you're welcome!

If you know of any other places where you can buy my books online, please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Oh, and do also let me know if you're aware of any South African sites that sell independently published e-books, and I'll do my very best to get them available there.

Crossword Puzzle - August 2015

Hey everybody. Guess what time it is. It's crossword solving time!


Clues
Across1 Era (5)2 Ballroom dance (5)6 Wife of a nobleman between a count and a duke (8)10 Discount South African retail chain (3)11 Edible kernel inside a hard shell (3)12 Kiss kiss (4)14 Omega (3)16 Female sibling (3)19 Fey, actress (4)22 Tac toe (3)24 Apple computer (3)25 WWII fighter plane (8)26 Drop him (fly my balloon) (5)27 Exert downward force (5)
Down1 Active hostility (6)2 Sadness (3)3 Patch of grass in front of a house (4)4 Lively (5)5 Seen from your balcony (4)7 Turkish brandy (5)8 At the very topic (6)9 Get a massage here (3)13 Having six rays (6)15 Capital of India (5)17 Shorts worn as underwear (6)18 Remove all your clothes (5)20 Demon (3)21 Hit it with a hammer (4)23 Medieval hood (4)25 Take a load off (3)
How it WorksIn case you're not familiar with how this works, or perhaps you just need a refresher, here's the skinny:Solve this crossword puzzle before Tuesday, 22 September 2015E-mail me your answersIf you're the first person to send me your correct answers before the cut-off date, I will publish your name on this blog (if you want me to - if you don't, just say so)Sound simple enough? Go!
Never Miss Another IssueOh, and if you want to make sure you don't miss another issue of this crossword puzzle, sign up for my monthly e-mail newsletter. You'll get a free book, if you do. Click below:

Crossword Puzzle - July 2015 Answers

So, it's that time again. The time when I announce the answers to last month's crossword puzzle.

Did you take part? Did you get all the answers? If you did, why didn't you e-mail me? I could be featuring your name in this post!

Well, without further ado, here they are:


Across1 Unleashed (6) loosed3 Sol (3) sun7 Remove the skin off a fruit (4) peel9 Egg of a louse (3) nit11 Ball (3) orb12 Biblical Mount (5) Sinai14 Respectful address to a woman (4) ma'am16 Of the navy (5) naval17 Of a monarch (5) royal18 On demand (2, 3) ad hoc21 Have fun (5) enjoy23 Worn on the foot (4) shoe24 Describing words (5) nouns26 Made his acquaintance (3) met28 Of a smile, dry (3) wry29 TV psychologist (4) Phil30 For writing (3) pen31 Disconnect from a network (3, 3) log off (or log out)Down2 Bring about destruction of (2, 2) do in4 Alien ship (3) ufo5 Animal tracks (5) spoor6 Cain's brother (4) Abel8 TV award (4) Emmy9 Maths game involving picking things up (3) nim10 Get a dark skin (3) tan12 North Indian tree (3) sal13 Japanese martial art involving swords (5) Iai-do15 Moses' brother (5) Aaron18 Exclamations of enlightenment (3) ahs19 Scottish expression of surprise (4) hech20 For writing on a blackboard (5) chalk21 Red muppet (4) Elmo22 Alternative spelling for "you" (3) yow23 Afrikaans, "cut" (3) sny25 Russian mountain range (4) Ural27 For resting a golf ball on (3) tee
See you next week, for the August 2015 puzzle!

Tales from Virdura: Wolves

William walked into the kitchen just as Kathryn was serving breakfast. He kissed his wife Kathryn on the cheek and sat down, hanging his head in shame.
“What's wrong, papa?” Jeremy, the eldest son.
This made William feel even worse. He was not the children's father. Their real father, Marcus, had been an evil, abusive man who had tried to frame him for killing the children's favourite cow. That had been a year ago. He couldn't believe it had been that long since he had stood in the queen's court, facing allegations that he had had no idea about.
He sighed. “Wolves, my boy,” he said. “I have been up for many hours before dawn protecting our stock, trying to ward them away. They have taken three of our cattle this week, and I fear it may be a losing battle.”
Kathryn bent down and placed a plate of bacon and eggs on the table in front of William. “Have you considered going to Jacob with this? I really think we ought.”
“Jacob's the constable of Virdura Castle, my love. And there's been no crime. I wouldn't want to waste his time; besides, what does he know about wolves?”
Kathryn sat down at the table, and began eating her own breakfast, when there was a knock on the door.
William rose to his feet and opened it. In the doorway stood Jacob, holding his hat in his hands against his chest, looking very concerned.
“Constable, what seems to be the problem?”
“There's been an accident, sir,” said Jacob. “Young Master Thomas, from the farm opposite yours. He has been mauled by a wolf, on your property. He has been rushed to the healer.”
“Oh dear,” said William. “That's terrible! Is he going to be all right?”
“It seems so, sir,” replied the constable. “But it could have been worse. Those wolves on your property are becoming a real nuisance. You should really consider doing something about them.”

***
"Be vigilant, boy," said William to Jeremy. "These wolves could attack at any moment."
The moon was high in the night sky, and the two could hear night-larks in the distance. Jeremy brandished his pitchfork.
"Don't worry, papa. We'll get them. No wolf is going to take any more of our cows. As I live and breathe, I promise you that.
William smiled and ruffled Jeremy's hair. Brave young boy, he thought. First his cow is murdered by his own father, and now the wolves. He's had a hard life.
“It is strange though,” continued Jeremy. “I've never heard of wolves stealing cows before. Sheep, yes. But never cows.”
As William was about to respond, he heard a snarling sound from behind him. He turned, just in time for a snow-white wolf to leap into him, knocking him to the ground.
Jeremy screamed as William tried to fight off the wolf with his arms. The animal's jaws locked around William's forearm, and the blood flowed. The boy took courage, and charged at the wolf, pitchfork in hand. He ran the beast through.
The wolf yelped and then fell silent; Jeremy followed through with the pitchfork, pushing the beast off of William. The man sat up and cradled his arm. The blood seeped through his fingers and onto the ground.
“Papa, are you all right?” said Jeremy. “We need to get you to a healer!”
“I'll be fine, son,” said William. “Wolves always hunt in packs. The others must be close.”

***
Fully two hours later, there was still no sign of any other wolves, which William found strange. What was also strange was the fact that he was beginning to feel very sleepy.
“You're very pale, papa,” said Jeremy. “I think we should go to the healer.”
“I'll be fine,” said William. “I just need to... lie down... for...”
“Papa!” Jeremy screamed. But no response came from William. The boy got up, and ran as fast as he could for the healer.”
***
William opened his eyes, slowly. He looked down at his arm, and saw a clean white bandage on it. Looking up, he saw Kathryn and Jeremy, smiling down at him.
“Where am I?” he asked.
“You're at the healer's,” replied Kathryn. “You gave us quite a scare. Jeremy said you passed out.”
The memory started rushing back. “It's thanks to Jeremy that I'm still alive,” he said. “The boy killed a wolf, all by himself!”
Jeremy blushed. “It was nothing,” he said.
“We searched every inch of the farm,” said Jacob, stepping forward. “We found no other wolves. It seemed as though that one was hunting alone.”
“Strange,” said William. “They always hunt in packs.”
“Indeed,” said Jacob. “Perhaps the one that you saw was a loner, but you'd best keep an eye open anyway.”
“Yes,” said William. “Or perhaps it wasn't a wolf at all.”
* Image from Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmuth/8176793116/

Did You Go to the Exclusive Books Warehouse Sale?

Look at that queue!If you live in or around Johannesburg, you may have known that Exclusive Books had a pretty massive Warehouse Sale this weekend. All books (hardcover, paperback, new releases, old releases) were only R20, and all proceeds went to various literary charities throughout South Africa.

The event was supposed to run from 29 July to 2 August 2015, but it was such a resounding success, that it was completely sold out of several hundred thousand books, by the end of Saturday, 1 August 2015!

The photo on the right was shared on Exclusive Books' Facebook page on the morning of day one (29 July). Take a look at that queue! I wonder what that guy is doing on his cellphone: perhaps he's telling a friend or loved one that they'd better hurry if they want to get anything at the sale....

You may also know that I donated four paperback copies of my romantic crime novelette, Heritage of Deceit, to the sale. Like all books, it also cost only R20, and all proceeds went to charity.

I really wanted to attend, and take a photo of my book on sale, but due to circumstances out of my control, I couldn't make it.

Did you go? How was it? Did you find any literary gems out there? I'd love to hear your feedback - please post them in the comments below.

Also, if you happen to have picked up a copy of Heritage of Deceit while you were there, I would absolutely adore a photo! If you take one of you holding the book, or just of the book lying on your coffee or bedside table, and e-mail it to me, I'll send you one of my e-books (your choice), free of charge.

How's that?