Lani Lenore's Blog, page 8

Nevermor: Read It Again, Learn Something New

We live in a world where everything is speedy. People want it NOW. We want instant gratification, don’t want to take our time, and if something doesn’t catch our attention right away and hold on for dear life, then it slips from our minds to be replaced by the next shiner thing.

I believe the same is true for books. There are A LOT of books out there. New ones come out every day, and there are a plethora of unexplored volumes. Take Goodreads, for example. On the Goodreads site, you can make a list of books you’d like to read/plan to read, and perhaps unless reading is your favorite hobby, it’s easy to let that list get away from you. And just trying to tackle one when you have all these other books lined up behind it… I think it leads to the same result: me (or you) wanting to rush through one book to get to the next one – especially if the one I start with tends to drag a bit.  I can’t say I’m not guilty. I certainly do it too.

That annoys me about myself, and also about books these days. I think so many are written to accommodate for this – to propel us through at a quick pace, push us out the other side, so we can move on to the next… But does any of it really stay with us? Do these books that entertain us for the moment and leave us feeling the exact way we started really even leave residue in our minds?

I think a good book is worth reading. I mean it’s worth slowing down for.  It’s worth indulging in, taking one’s time to examine and live through – over and over again if need be. I’ve read books that I couldn’t WAIT to be done with. I’ve abandoned books in the middle because they annoyed me, and some didn’t make it very far at all. And then there are a precious few that have urged me to savor every word – that I truly could not put down – even a couple that I started reading again immediately after finishing because I simply knew there was more to it than what I saw the first time.

My mission statement, as a writer, is to create something worth reading. The books I write are not always meant to be read quickly. They are designed to immerse and lead, to be brilliant within themselves and as a group (if a series). I design them so that they can be read more than once, and dare I say: be even better the second time.

I’ve seen a few comments about Nevermor, where people have believed that there is a lot of ‘filler’ content (in #1 especially). Maybe so, or maybe everything has its place – its purpose. How many times have you read a book that you wished had more than just the bare facts? Or maybe the plot was good, but you wish there was more detail?  Because it’s not enough to simply say that the world is round. Personally, I like to spend a bit of extra time with the details (but there is a right way and a wrong way to do that, to be clear. Don’t give me 3 paragraphs describing the exact shade of a character’s eyes, for example.).

In Nevermor, as with all my books, I try to offer something more. I use subtleties which may not even make sense at the time, but everything I do is for a reason. You may have to get through the entire series to see those things, (and true, some things are done simply for the sake of timing), but every sentence is helping to paint a larger picture. Because I want the second reading experience to be as good as the first – better. I want to create works that can be read again and again, and the reader can see something new each time – tie things together within each book and within the series as a whole. I want readers to have a moment, weeks later, when a light bulb goes off and they think ‘Oh my God, I just made a connection with that thing that happened in book 1, and that’s why (blank) happened in book 3!’ (that’s not a hint, by the way…only an example).  But anyway, you get my point.

So, if you have the time, read it again. You’ll probably notice something new. :)

Cover Reveal: Forsaken Dreamscape Deluxe Peter Pan Edition

It’s time for the cover reveal! This is one of my favorite things. The fans and potential readers get to make their guesses about what the book is going to give them before they get to read it. …in this case, however, many already know what this book is going to give them. So this time, I guess, you get to judge whether the cover image actually suits the story or not.

In dealing with the artist that has done all of my Nevermor covers – the amazingly talented Omri Koresh – I pretty much knew what I wanted. For the others, I described what I wanted them to look like, and he created the idea with his own spin. This time, I described the character, sent him a portion of the text and just said ‘make me something’. And I have to say, he blew me away! He got back to me a few days later and said he was inspired by a line in the text:

Inside amber-colored irises, his pupils were long and narrow, like a cat, or a snake; [she] wasn’t sure which.

Omri said that he kept imagining the eye and the snake imagery, thinking of Rifter/Peter as a predator hiding in the leaves like a snake. I really love it! Not only is it beautiful, I think it sets the mood for the book very well – a dark fantasy Peter Pan, of course. What do you think?

Moving on, she was able to see a form in the distance, set off against the light of the moon. Someone was standing there, dressed all in black, and she was certain that it was a boy. She reached out for him – called his name. “Rifter?” He didn’t move – didn’t seem to hear her at all. She continued on, moving closer, picking up her pace. “Rifter, please look at me!” The dark figure shifted, finally hearing her plea. When he turned to peer over his shoulder, she saw only his eye, and it was enough to send her flailing backward, stricken with fear. The wicked amber eye saw her as well. It pierced her – saw into the depth of her soul.  (excerpt from Forsaken Dreamscape, Nevermor version)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m going to work on the details, likewise I hope to get the book listed on Goodreads soon. I have a proof copy on the way, and I’ll show you some pictures of the inside and out once I get it. I’ll also update with release details, which I’m not fully sure of yet, but I’m getting it together. It could be sooner than I estimated.

Anyway! I hope you like the new cover and the new blog theme! I’ll have more book news for you soon!

Nevermor Is Not A Place For Children

The other day, I was looking at my listing for Nevermor on Amazon (the print version), and I noticed that, at the bottom of the page, it stated that the age range was 1-17, and that the reading level was grade 1 and up. … I don’t know who decided to put that information there, but it wasn’t me.  Just because I didn’t mark it as having ‘adult content’ does not mean that it’s appropriate for all ages, CreateSpace! Also in the side column, I noticed that it was showing a link for ‘Best Children’s Books’. …am I being linked to children’s books?? Now, maybe it was just a coincidence, but let me officially say it again:

The Nevermor trilogy is NOT for children.

It’s based on Peter Pan, yes. Peter Pan is a children’s book and also a Disney film, yes. It has bred many retellings and continuations, most for children (but not all). That said, this is also not Peter Pan. See, changing the characters did another thing for me: it helped me to take the preconceived notions out of the characters and give readers a new first impression without the Disney baggage.

So, do not buy it for your young kids – unless of course that’s cool with you. I even wrote in the description that it’s for ages 16+ so that no one would be confused. That info is also on the back of the print book. (One of the strangest comments I ever got from a fan – not about Nevermor – was a message telling me how awesome I was, and then went on to say ‘even my 3-year-old loves you!’ …I’m just like ‘what? No… #you’redoingitwrong’) Anyway, Nevermor is dark, it is gritty, and it deals with mature themes. Whether or not the themes are always R-rated, they do require a deeper understanding, and I believe older readers will appreciate these things more. The plot is complicated, somewhat mature, and progressively gets more mature as it goes along, so note that as well.

At the same time, I think that certain people might find it’s exactly what they’ve been looking for, and not just in a fairytale retelling. Simply, in a book.

I often find myself with the misconception that I like YA books, when in reality, I’m not sure I do. Maybe some, but it’s wading through the sea of awful to find the good ones. Just because something sounds interesting doesn’t mean that it is, and I’m incredibly picky. Not only must it have an interesting plot, the characters must be interesting, the love enticing (no insta-love, though I don’t have to have romance at all, to be honest), the storyline creative, and on top of all that, the writing has to be immersive and poetic. …and if I feel like I can see the end coming, that’s a deal-breaker. I WILL stop reading. The writing in YA is often simple, the plots easy to figure out, and very often the characters are shallow and I wind up not having feelings for them at all.

That’s what I strive to work against. I want to make something better – or at least the sort of written treasure I long to discover myself.

So back to talking about Nevermor: Some people like to know exactly what they’re getting into when they read a book – or watch a movie, or play a game… Even I check some things out before I dive in. I think that the ‘dark fantasy’ tag scares people, but I didn’t want to lie about what sort of story it is. The last thing I want is for someone to get mixed up in a story they don’t want to be mixed up in, but I also think that if some readers would only give it a try, Nevermor may not be as bad as they think.

So what exactly is so mature about the Nevermor trilogy, and what can you expect? On some movie sites, I’ve noticed parental overviews which tell parents exactly what is in the film scene-by-scene so that they can judge it themselves. I even read those sometimes. So while I’m not going to tell you the exact instances of what you’re going to find in the series, I will give you an overview, which I don’t believe I ever did.

Nevermor’s warnings (considering you haven’t already read it)

There is plenty of cursing – maybe not a lot by the standards of what comes out of people’s mouths every minute or two when they get going, but including strong words, at least. I’m not the sort of author that dodges. If my characters are saying something bad, you’re certainly going to hear it too. You won’t catch me writing things like “he muttered something that sounded like ‘witch’ but wasn’t.” (Clare). I’m straightforward with the language and I like it that way. “But, Lani, can’t it be just as good without all the swearing?” NO! And you can’t tell me that pirates and teenage boys don’t swear A LOT.

I like to write about violence, fighting – mostly stylized or meaningful in some way. This comes from my personal love of action and horror, so there’s a lot of blood splashing around. (Don’t slip in it.) It annoys me when writers go to great pains to make sure that no one gets hurt at all. I will also do really terrible things to immortal characters, because they can’t die from it, of course. There is terror and there are hideous monsters, and people who do bad things. You know, fun stuff.

My characters are not always good people. Even the so called ‘good guys’ don’t always stick to the straight and narrow. I call it being human. Circumstances arise and choices must be made – sometimes selfish, sometimes sacrificial. Also, the ‘bad guys’ are usually incredibly bad…though sometimes it is hard to tell which is which at all. Characters are like people with different motives, and love is not always the most important thing.

I often deal with sexual themes – sometimes subtle, sometimes major. Not always involving love. I don’t always describe very graphic, erotica-type sexual encounters, but when I do… Nah, just kidding. Sometimes I do, but I don’t really plan to do that in this series. (Unless you’re reading the Neverland version, in which case I am warning you now…but most of you already know.) As far as dealing with underage characters, I suppose I push it a bit. But again, I won’t pretend those things aren’t issues or that feelings like that don’t exist between teenagers, even though they are young.

I don’t mind making people a bit uncomfortable for the sake of a point, but there are a few things I’m not willing to do, so…don’t think too badly of it, just because I say it’s a ‘dark’ story. What I really mean is that it’s fantasy/horror. At the end of the day, I’m not that outrageous. I have scruples.

Aside from all that, there are also many good things that can be enjoyed in Nevermor if you’re mature (also considering that you already enjoy those things I just mentioned). There are good messages, the plot is interesting, the writing is – well, not terribly simple like some. I don’t feel like talking big, I just felt like writing about this. I always get complements about my characters, and I usually do write character-driven stories.

Basically, Nevermor is Young Adult with adults in mind. ….and this was more of a rant than anything, I guess. :p

Forsaken Dreamscape Special Edition Announcement

Exciting news! But to start, I guess I should say: I’m sorry. Some fans begged me not to change Forsaken Dreamscape from being an honest Peter Pan fiction, and I did it anyway. I took something that was loved for what it already was, and I changed it. Over a year ago when I started Project Nevermor, I wanted to make sure this story was something that I was proud to put my name on before I released it to the world…but at the same time, I failed to realize that I already had given it. I chose it in the beginning because it was very popular, but I wanted to be proud of it too. Now, looking back, I see that was wrong of me, in a way; to alter something I’d already given to people. Even on a small, indie writer, free fiction scale, perhaps that was disrespectful.

Still, I don’t regret what I’ve done with it, and I hope readers understand. I feel better about the story personally, and I like where it’s been and where it’s going. But the way I feel about it is not the only thing that’s important. Some didn’t think it was broken, and I insisted on fixing it anyway. So I do feel sorry for that.

This is my way of apologizing.

I will be releasing a Deluxe Edition of Forsaken Dreamscape, which will include the Nevermor version as well as the original Neverland: Forsaken Dreamscape. To clarify, the book is not as I first wrote it in ’01, but it’s one of the later edited versions from years later before I changed it to Nevermor.  All the characters have names from Peter Pan – pretty much except for Mach and Mech, which I had named on my own anyway. You’ll get to see characters I edited out, like Anasia Angeldust, and see the return of classic characters like Mr. Smee.

I decided to do this several months ago for a few different reasons. When I started this project, I had wanted to do away with the old version completely and never have it be seen again, but the more I thought about it (and the more readers asked me about it) I realized that I couldn’t get rid of it completely. Though I never felt that the story was anything special, I reached many people with it. There are still those out there, I’m sure, who read this story years ago and have perhaps forgotten about me, but if they saw it again, they would remember it. By changing it, I took away memorable parts of the story. I was also worried that someone might have a copy of it stashed somewhere, and because I changed some of the parts, might decide to steal the writing from me since it was no longer in use. This is my way of stamping the old version so that it still has my name on it. To resolve all those issues, this is what I decided to do. I didn’t want to release the Neverland version to stand on its own, SO I decided to do it this way.

With this deluxe volume, readers can enjoy both, and compare them as they will. If something is different in Nevermor than what they remember, they can look it up in the old version. For the ebook, I plan to have it set up where it’s easy to navigate from one version to the next by connecting to a title screen that will give you one version or the other. I’ve been working on all this for a bit now.

More awesome news: it’s also getting new cover art!

I wanted it to be special, so I didn’t want to just slap the same cover on it. I thought about it, but decided against it. How would people tell them apart?? So once again, I’ve commissioned the very talented Omri Koresh to design a cover for me, and I’m always blown away by the results. (Of course, I get excited every time I see a cover for one of my works or the likeness of one of my characters). I’ll be showing that to you soon, so keep your eyes open.

I’ll set a date for release soon, but I’ve narrowed it to July or August this year. It should be up for preorder on some sites before that, but I’ll let you know. In search, it’ll be titled Forsaken Dreamscape: Deluxe Peter Pan Edition. It will be in e-book and print forms. As you might expect, it will be a little more expensive. The print book will be thicker, even though I tried to make the font a little smaller to get all the text in with fewer pages. The thicker the book, the more it will cost to produce. I’m putting it in print because I suspect that some might like their own printed copy of the old story, but I also want one of my own. :)

Also, the blog should be getting a makeover soon with the new theme, so look forward to that as well!

KOBO READERS!! – I am so sorry, but I don’t know what Kobo’s problem is. The other version of FD is still not up on their site, and I honestly don’t expect this one to show up for a while either. I’m really sorry about that, but they’re backlogged horribly and there’s nothing I can do about it. Eh. You can probably get a version that’s compatible with your device at Smashwords.

What else! Hm, I guess that’s enough for today.

Dark, Darker, Darkest – Nevermor’s descent into Book 3

If you’ve read through Nevermor 1 and 2 – and if you know anything about my style – you know I don’t let things stay light and happy for long. Most of my characters go through hell before emerging, either victorious or at least somewhat resolved. If there is a happy ending, don’t expect to get it easily, or without biting your nails to the very last page.

Nevermor, my friends, is no different.

In the beginning, I said this series was dark fantasy. Book 1 was not particularly dark as far as my standards go, but I tried to bring it down to that place so that it could meet up with book 2. It was a bit of a challenge actually. As most of you know, I wrote Forsaken Dreamscape first, and my intention in going backward was to recreate the story of Peter Pan in such a way that it could lead into Forsaken Dreamscape without fully abolishing all that was magical and carefree about the original story, while giving it enough of a dark touch that book 2 wasn’t a shock. There is certainly a tone of darkness to Peter Pan anyway, and I tried to draw from that while creating my own.

In book 2, of course we see the descent further into darkness – with the world and the characters alike – but if you thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse, think again.

The characters are a bit older now, so it seems only right that their intentions might have grown and changed as well. I still sort of call this a YA series, but I never intended it to be for children. I wanted to keep the younger feel in the first book but still give it a vicious nature, but the story has moved away from that now, on to different things. I’ve always thought of it as ‘young adult for adults’ which is an odd way of putting it, but that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to keep themes that appeal to me in young adult books – younger characters, first love, coming of age, a life without the responsibilities of adulthood – and then bring it to an adult level with deeper situations and a higher reading level.

Never growing up is a central theme of Peter Pan, but the characters in Nevermor have grown older, and it was always my intention to reevaluate that theme and use it myself.

Not long ago, I was perusing some of my older stories (from back when I consider myself to be in my writing prime) and I started wondering whether or not I’d gotten too soft. Does Nevermor, as a unit, live up to standards I’ve set for myself in the past? Does it portray what I do best, which is to twist things around and build an amazing horror/dark fantasy story that astounds? I wasn’t sure, but I made myself a promise. With book 3, I would try to get back to my roots.

So I can pretty much guarantee you that it’s going to be the darkest volume yet.

That doesn’t mean I’m going to trip over my own purpose. It won’t be like a horror movie where every scene is meant to shock and appall. I just want it to be as full and meaningful as what I’ve done before. I want it to strike the core and pack the same punch. You know, with lots and lots of terrible things.

That’s the road I’m currently on.

I’ve given you clues within the first 2 books (whether or not you might have realized it) and if you’re crafty, I think you can gather a fair idea of what might happen in book 3. Stumped? Nah, it’s okay. Book 2 might have seemed like an enormous leap from Book 1, but I’ve never lost sight of the story arc which stretches across all the books. I’ve always had a plan.

I’m not going to give you specifics right now, but if you want a hint, I’ll tell you this: In book 3, expect to revisit book 1′s theme with book 2′s consequences.

Just to update my progress, I finally have 50k written toward book 3, but the sections come to me in spurts. It’s possible I’m having slight writer’s block, but I’m going to try a new tactic soon and hopefully make more progress. In the meantime, I’ll have a few other books to release soon, so that will keep me busy and at least connected to my own writing, past and present.

I do this once in a while, but I want to thank everyone who is following the blog, who has read the Nevermor series and helped to support me by sharing my posts and reviewing my books. It’s very important to an indie author to have news pass by word of mouth (or writing).  So, if you haven’t (!!!), please help me out by doing so.

I’ll share more with you soon! I hope to start posting more frequently as I get my other books together and continue to work on Book 3.

Nevermor Update on the Fly

I keep thinking of things that I ought to post about, but by the time I actually settle down to it, the topic has fled and the words won’t come. Soooo that’s the story of why I haven’t posted anything here for a bit.

But, I hope to resolve this right now.

I suppose the first thing that needs to be addressed is to talk about what I’ve been doing lately. I have, I guess, been alternating between taking a break and working on Nevermor book 3. So, let’s start with that.

It’s April, and that means Camp Nano is underway, and I’m taking part in that. I’m aiming to add 20k to what I have already written, and camp is just getting started.  So far I have around 45k for the book in total, but I’m not sure it’s as I want it… That brings me to the next point. While I’m still going to aim for a Feb 2015 release, I’m not going to rush myself. I want this book to be worthy of me (and you, of course), so I’m not going to release it until I’m certain it’s just like I want it. You all know it will be worth it.

I’m not going to talk about Book 3 yet, but I’ll start giving information on it a bit later once i know I have things under control.

Additionally, I’ve been working on a few other projects – mostly proofing a couple of my older works so that I can hopefully release them later this year. I’ll go ahead and tell you which ones I’m thinking about, though I can’t say when they will be available.

For those of you already familiar with my works:

Jack and Jill (yes, I hear you rejoicing) – It was my original plan to rewrite this a bit, which I have done some of, and then I thought ‘You know what, I’m done with this rewriting junk. It was a hit before, why not just let it go?’ Soooo it will still be rewritten some, but not as much as I had planned.

The Hallowed – I think it’s in pretty fair shape, but I haven’t started going over it to edit yet.

The Nutcracker Bleeds – I have this one pretty well edited by now and I intend for it to be released in November of this year if all goes well.

These books will be in ebook format only for now. I’ve put two of my other books into print (Roses and Black Glass and Rickety House), and I don’t think I’ve sold a print copy of either. The only books I’ve sold in print are the Nevermor books, and it’s not really worth my trouble to mess with the formatting.

There’s another thing I’m working on currently.  Those who took a gander at my Kickstarter last year might have noticed that one of the prizes listed was that I would release a deluxe version of Forsaken Dreamscape which would include the Peter Pan version of the story. Though the Kickstarter didn’t fly, I’m still planning to do this.  People keep asking me about the old version, and while I now see that this version was important to people, I don’t want it to exist on it’s own. SO! It will be published alongside the Nevermor rewrite in this Deluxe Peter Pan Edition. This bundle will only be available as an ebook. Right now, I’m thinking July for the release.

Hmm, what else. Oh, some of you are STILL waiting for Forsaken Dreamscape to be released on Kobo. I just want you to know, that’s no my fault. I wanted it to be there in February, but I’ve been informed that Kobo is wayyyy behind with their listings, and I have no idea when they will actually catch up. But as of today, Forsaken Dreamscape is still not there. I’m annoyed, but can’t really do anything. If you haven’t already sought alternatives, you should be able to get a compatible version through Smashwords.

I think that’s about it! Again, comments are welcome!

The Next Step – 2014

I haven’t written a post in a while, so here goes!

On the first day of sales, Forsaken Dreamscape finished in the top 60 in the ‘Dark Fantasy’ category on Kindle, in both book and ebook formats. Also was counted in the top 60 in the ‘Fairytale and Mythology’ category. So, that was a good first day.

I’m trying to think up ways to get more exposure, so having people share info about the book, review it, and talk about it, is still very important!! There is a sea of books out there, indie and otherwise, and even if a book is good, that doesn’t mean it will get noticed. SO! I need all the help I can get from all of you!!

So, what is next for Nevermor, you ask. The second book has been released, but there is still more to do! There is a third book to work on, and perhaps some Nevermor-related side projects as well! I think I’ve already mentioned that I’ve started working on book 3, and I’ll be able to talk more about that as time goes on.

Lately I’ve been toying with the idea of turning Nevermor into an audiobook. I know not everyone has time to read, and audiobooks are a good way to go. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but I’ve been looking into the idea.

In general writing news, I’ve opened up a couple of my older projects in order to edit them and bring them to light. I’m not entirely sure how many of my books will be released this year. It just depends on how much time I have to get things ready. I’m a one-woman operation, and real life is creeping in more and more all the time. I may be lucky if I get to write book 3. :p But, you can all wish me luck anyway.

That’s pretty much all I have for now. I’m always open to questions if anyone wants to comment and ask me anything. Or if there’s anything you’d like me to mention in the blog, I’d be happy to entertain it!

Forsaken Dreamscape is now on sale!

It’s Feb 11th!! The clock has finally wound down and the official release day is here! Forsaken Dreamscape is now live!

The print version is available to order through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and the ebook edition is out on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and iBooks. Kobo and Sony still have not listed it yet. ><

It is also available on Kindle through Amazon’s international sites. A search should bring it up.

Here’s the Kindle link for the book. It’s not linked to my Amazon author page yet: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICXMKAU

Remember! If you purchase today, you get a lower price! 3.99 to celebrate the first day!

Thanks to all of you who have been waiting patiently and sticking with me since the beginning – since Nevermor and way before that! Even though it’s February, I feel like this is the end of the year for me and now another publishing year is about to start. But for now, I’ll breathe a little sigh of relief.

Dash off to get your copy of Forsaken Dreamscape, and don’t forget to share it and review it once you’re done! It would help me out so much!!

4 More Days Until the release of Forsaken Dreamscape!

Honestly, I don’t have much more to say than that. Everything is going according to schedule for the most part. Some sites still have not listed Forsaken Dreamscape as a preorder (Kobo, Sony, and Kindle) but others have (Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Smashwords). On those other sites, the book should still appear on the first day of sales, February 11th! (Tuesday)

IN 4 DAYS!!!

I’ve also approved the print version and it will be available to purchase on the release date as well (at least on Amazon. Other sites will follow.)

So, currently, I’m looking forward to that and trying to figure out what I’m going to work on next. I might finally get around to setting up a publishing schedule for this year in order to get a few more of my books out.  Of course I have to get going with Nevermor Book 3, and I’ll probably begin updating about that in a few months as I really get into it.

For now, there is only to celebrate the release of my new book! (And get to work on my next project)

Forsaken Dreamscape Preorder Details

If you’ll look to your right, you may notice that I’ve added a countdown to the release of Forsaken Dreamscape, and every time I look at it, I feel the pressure! 30 days, 29 days… ack! It’s coming up soon! But while this is a stressful time for me it is also glorious. Another of my books is going to emerge!

I was finally able to get the manuscript finished and formatted in enough time that I finally submitted it to be reviewed and set up for preorder like I wanted.

So, since I’ve done this (and I’ll link you there shortly) I’ll talk briefly about how this works and why it’s good.

Preordering

A preorder book is set up like any other you might order online. You just find the page on major ebook retailer sites, such as Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iBooks – then you just order it like usual. Your card won’t be charged until the release date, but on that day, you will automatically get the book sent to your device! (Magic!!)

Benefits of Preorder

Okay, there are two major benefits of preorder orders. One is for you, and one is mostly for me, but I hope it’s something that you all want FOR me!

1. Lower Price – Yes, the preorder price is going to be lower than usual – but only for preorders and first day sales. Then the price will go back to what is intended. So, the starting price will be 3.99, so you’ll save at least $2 if you preorder, or order on the first day.

Unfortunately, there is no way to offer preorders through Kindle for indie writers, so it will not be listed there until the day of release. Still, you will be able to get this lower price on the first day if you purchase through Amazon.

Also, while some ebooks often have days when they are FREE (on Kindle), this one will not. I have to be registered in a certain program for that to happen, and since I want wider distribution, I’m not in that program, so I don’t have any days when I can offer the book for free. So, that being said, to get it for preorder will be your best deal.

2. All my sales will hit at once and it will move my book forward in the best seller charts. Basically when you preorder a book, you won’t actually pay until the day of release when the money will be collected, and then all the sales come out at once and the book gets a sudden jolt to move it forward in the bestseller charts. For Nevermor, I tried to focus all my sales on Amazon in the beginning, but this time I’m scattering it out because I know some readers want it through different formats.  This may not be the best thing for me to do, but that’s what I’ve decided this time.

3. (bonus) Since the preorder listings are set up early, the book will be available through all sales channels on the day of release instead of having to wait for delays! Sometimes there are weeks of delay in being able to get the book through certain retailers, but listing it for preorder has given the book a head start.

Here are the links for the different sites where Forsaken Dreamscape is currently listed for preorder:

Barnes and Noble

Kobo – (should show up here eventually)

Smashwords

iBooks – (It hasn’t appeared here yet, but it should soon)

Sony – (Not here yet either, but also soon)

And don’t forget to add it to your ‘Want To Read’ list on Goodreads! It’s listed there now!

Print Book Details

Unfortunately, the release of the print book is going to run just a hair behind schedule unless I can get a preorder page going (2 totally different processes). If not, the book will be available to purchase in print through the CreateSpace store on the first day, but there will be a delay for the book to be listed in print format on other sites, even Amazon itself.

As for the price, I can’t offer it any cheaper than it already is due to the manufacturing costs and the way the middle men take a chunk out of it; however, it should be available with the special deal that if you purchase the print book, you can also get the Kindle ebook version for .99.

So I wanted to give you a preview of what the print version looks like in all its glory. It really does look great next to the first one! I’m proud of it.