R.A. McCandless's Blog, page 7

Margaret and the Awesome Covers of Awesomeness

The model, the myth, the legend!
The first rule of cover art is: Don’t overcomplicate things.
I overcomplicate things out of reflex.
A couple of years ago, when I’d been freed from my evil contract with the evil publisher Evil Maya (cue the ominous lightning and thunder) I immediately set about recovering the disaster that she’d insisted was a work of art. My new publisher, Johnathon Clayborn at Clayborn Press was thrilled and very supportive.
I started sifting through models that never quite met...

S. Andrew Swann's "Teek: The Children of Prometheus"

Does she have psychic powers? Oh yeah!
Years ago, way back in 1993, I stumbled on the book “Forests of the Night” by S. Andrew Swann. The cover alone, which features an anthropomorphic tiger holding a rather large firearm, was enough to get me to shell out the $4.99.
Put simply, it was amazing. Riffing off the idea of genetically-engineered animal soldiers, Swann crafted a genius story where those animals—or rather their descendants—now found themselves not on the battlefield, but in a post-war...

Old Grudges - Excerpt from The Clockwork Detective

Beware the steampunk girl who carries a big cane!
A little excerpt from THE CLOCKWORK DETECTIVE. Here, Constable Sterben and Aubrey are being confronted by a “street tough” with a grudge. How he’s out of prison so early baffles Sterben and is part of the mystery Aubrey later untangles. For now, she and Sterben face a fight they may not be able to win:
“Anders,” Sterben said as he rolled his shoulders inside his coat, “you don’t have the stones to pound that little girl, much less me. But if you...

Bad Cover. No Dessert!

And there's no "Charlie" either!
If I could ever give one piece of advice to indie authors about to publish, it would be to go ahead and SPEND MONEY on your cover.
It's the first thing readers will see. It should be an open doorway, beckoning them to come inside and have a look at all the lovely awesomeness you've created in your world. They should be invited, with glowing signs, the smells of baking bread, and the promise of excellent libations.
“Please, sample the Turkish Delight, leaf throug...

Eric Lahti Reviews Company of the Damned

This time evil has an ace up its sleeve!
It’s always good to get back a nice review. The first time I sent my work off to a professional at a magazine, I held my breath and assumed the worst. I assumed I’d get a middling review. I was hoping for it. I didn't expect to do better than that!
Surely, I wasn’t anything to write home about.
It still shocks me that people read, and like what I’ve written. It’s even more shocking when they give me high praise, just like Eric Lahti did in his recent revi...

Covers, Covers, and More Covers

Not sure who that guy is, but those covers
are awesome!
So, this happened last night. I wanted to get five copies of each book with the new covers, but the budget said, “No! No! No!” Apologies to all my completist readers out there! Still, each one is so beautiful that I spent time looking them over and just loving them. A special shout out to my good friend across the pond Margaret, who offered to model for the cover, and looped me in with her photographer. Another special shout out to Julie f...

Just For Laughs - 2-Star Review

No explanations necessary. This one is just too funny. Maybe she thinks one-star is awesome so two-stars must be hella good! After all, Clooney and Pitt, amiright!?
“The first book in a new steampunk fantasy mystery series, though not one of my favorite titles of the year I enjoyed it as a story, and would consider reading another in the series.”shelly m
Thanks Shelly!

9/11 Thoughts For Me - Not a Fun Post

This is the first 9/11 anniversary where I may not actually be able to do it.
I didn’t have any direct connection to New York or the events that transpired. I walked into my office without a clue. I was so clueless, that when I IM’d a buddy, asking what he was up to, and he mentioned watching the plane crash into the World Trade Center, I made a joke.
“Well, they are very big.”
Without context, I assume a small, private plane had clipped the tower somehow.
Yesterday, my oldest son let me know the...

September SciFi and Fantasy Giveaway (Newsletter Signup)

Enter early, share often!
Summer is coming to an end! With the cooler weather on its way, what a better time to fill up your Kindle with new books? Ready to curl up with some fantastic SciFi and Fantasy books after a long day? We’ll help you get started!
These amazing authors are giving you a chance to win four fantastic books and a $20 Amazon Giftcard just for signing up for our Monthly Newsletters!

Participating Authors:
R.A. McCandlessMack LittleJenn Nixon          &nb...

A Nice Surprise Review—5 Stars

Looks like I won't have to kill anyone . . . today.
I was digging up a weird 2-star review that I received for THE CLOCKWORK DETECTIVE a few weeks back , and I stumbled on the following recent 5-star review, which really made my day. So I had to share it:
The last couple of years have brought a slew of wonderful steampunk adventures with resourceful, kick-ass heroines, and this one by McCandless is a worthy addition. Aubrey Hartmann is a veteran of recent war, having lost the lower part of one...