S.C. Green's Blog, page 15

My new novel, WATCHER, is out now and just $0.99 for release!

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you probably know about this already, but I’m so excited to announce my latest paranormal romance, Watcher, is now live! A free copy went to my wonderful Patreon backers a few days ago, and now you can get your hands on a copy hot off the virtual printing press.

Can love truly set you free?

Belinda Wu is in trouble. She’s just one bad day away from losing Bewitching Bites bakery, the business she built from scratch. The 80-hour weeks, the assistant who can’t bake, and the constant stress are taking a toll on her health. And on top of it all, Belinda is nursing a broken heart. When she rescues an injured raven in the park one evening, she has no idea he could be the answer to her prayers, or the final nail in her coffin.

Cole Erikson is a prisoner. Bound to his human master by a centuries-old spell, Cole refuses to let anyone get close to him until he is a free man. But when his escape plans turn dangerous and he ends up being rescued by a beautiful but impossibly sad woman, he can’t help but be drawn to her.

But love between a raven shapeshifter and a human girl is doomed to fail. Powerful forces are gathering in Crookshollow, determined to keep Cole and Belinda apart forever.

Watcher is a full-length paranormal romance novel with a cliffhanger ending by USA Today bestselling author Steffanie Holmes. It is the first of a two part series exploring the idea that love truly can set you free.

BUY WATCHER FOR $0.99 – or read free in Kindle Unlimited!

Currently, Watcher is out in ebook only, I’ll do print when I can. But the exciting news is that Reaper – the sequel to Watcher – is only a few days away from being released, as well. So you won’t have to wait long to hear how the story concludes.

I also have about 5 blog articles halfway written, which someday soon I will get around to polishing and publishing. It’s been a little crazy around here. The scaffolding on my house is supposed to come down today, and then I’ll be able to show you some pics of my great hall!

Thank you so much for your support, and remember, if you’re interested in reading/supporting my writing, you can also sign up for my Patreon page.

Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, Auckland 2016

Photo, Alexander Hallag

Last weekend was pretty epic, because not only did we manage to chop down some 15 trees that were growing dangerously close to our house, but we also got to see two of the biggest bands in metal within 4 days of each other.

Thursday night was Black Sabbath. This was to be one of their final ever shows, as part of their The End tour – a grim pronouncement brought about by Iommi’s battle with lymphoma. Opening band Rival Sons weren’t memorable, and I’m not sorry I spent the first half of their set sitting in a bar drinking whisky with friends. At precisely 9:45, the screen erupted with a short animation, and then the first iconic chords of “Black Sabbath” filled the stadium, the last time that song would ever be played live.

They rolled out hit after hit, “Fairies Wear Boots”, “Into the Void”, “Snowblind”, “War Pigs”, “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” … an endless onslaught of heavy bass and deep, thundering riffs. A highlight for me was “After Forever”, which is probably my favourite Sabbath songs.

I was very, very, VERY skeptical about this show, and honestly wasn’t expecting to enjoy it that much. I’ve seen Iommi and Butler perform with Heaven & Hell twice, and they were incredible, but I’ve also seen Ozzy twice, and both times (but particularly the last time, at Wacken) I watched him butcher his way through some of the most-loved Sabbath songs while running around like a maniac and basically making a bit of a fool of himself.

This time, Ozzy wasn’t jumping around trying to be mad. He’d pulled his hair down over his face, and he bent over the mic, wrapped head to toe in black, pouring himself into the songs. The result was a more intimate, haunting performance. It was what a Sabbath concert should be – there was no pageantry, they let the music speak for itself.

Iommi and Butler were, of course, perfect. Butler shined during Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Holy shit, that gave me chills.

Oh, and Tommy Clufetos did a drum solo, and it was bloody good. I’m not a drummer, so I can’t say I really notice the absence of Bill Ward. Clufetos did a bang-up job in my opinion.

I’d actually sold my seated Sabbath ticket some months ago because I was supposed to be going to a conference during the show, but that fell through so I had to buy a standing ticket. It was pretty neat being right in the thick of the crowd, although my friend John did have to take a flying leap across the pit to save me from getting caught in a scrap between two dudes. Bless wonderful friends! Apart from that it was a great crowd and everyone was really into it.

It feels very full-circle to be listening to the final show of the first heavy metal band, to say goodbye to one of the bands that helped to first enchant me with this music. I missed a lot in the early metal scene by being born about 20 years too late, but I got to be here for this.

We returned to the city on Sunday night for Iron Maiden. This is my fourth time seeing the NWOBHM greats, and I think it’s one of my favourites so far (although the first time was pretty special – Earl’s Court, in London, just before Christmas. We were front row. Anyway …

Maiden are currently touring to promote their new album, Book of Souls, which explores themes and stories from Mayan mythology. Although I’m not crazy about every song on the album, I think overall the best they’ve put out in the last ten years, and it was cool to see those songs performed live. Bruce Dickinson has been recovering from cancer but you wouldn’t know it from the way he works the stage, running and leaping and pouring everything into putting on an incredible show.

In true Maiden style, the stage was decked out to resemble a Mayan pyramid, with elaborate painted backdrops and idols aplenty. A cutout section in the middle barely contained Nicko’s drum kit. The show opens with a short animation of Ed Force One being stuck in a jungle, before being thrown into the air by a huge demonic hand. This band really do know how to create a theatrical experience.

And the setlist! Oh, the setlist! Maiden rocked their way through most of the songs on the new album, including my two favourites “The Red and The Black”, and “Book of Souls”. But they interspersed these between what Bruce termed “legacy” songs – the metal classics we love. This was much better than what I expected. When I saw them in London, they played the entirely of Matter of Life and Death in one go, and then finished with five legacy songs. Mixing things up made for a much more balanced, energetic set.

Maiden has so many incredible songs, and every time I’ve seen them they’ve chosen a different selection. This time was such a treat, with “The Trooper”, “The Number of the Beast”, “Powerslave”,  “Wasted Years”, “Fear of the Dark” (probably the best live song, ever), “Children of the Damned”,  and “Blood Brothers” – a treat for me as that’s one of my two favourite Maiden songs and I never would’ve expected to hear it live. Bruce sang this wearing an All Blacks jersey and I was crying by the end of that one. It was stunning and I am a sap.

(If you’re curious, my other favourite song is “Running Free”, although my favourite album is actually Seventh Son of a Seventh Son).

We had seated tickets for this show, and they were literally the best seated tickets I’ve ever had. At the back, right at the front of the top tier, directly in the centre, facing the stage. It felt like Bruce was singing at me.

The cancer has clearly affected Bruce’s voice, but I actually preferred this performance. Usually he’s so on-the-note you can’t hardly tell it’s not a track, but this time he was live and raw and very real, while still hitting those soaring choruses we love. The man is a consummate showman, and he knows how to get every single person in the place into the music.

Of course, the rest of the band were incredible, too. They make it all look so easy. All I could see of Nicko was drumsticks flying in the air. Steve Harris is such a fan favourite, every time he appeared on the screens, people around us would cheer. The three guitarists that give Maiden their signature sound – Dave Murray, Janick Gers, and  Adrian Smith – were in fine form. Janick was pulling out all the stops on his moves, swinging his guitar around his neck and throwing huge leg kicks.

And, of course, there was Eddie.

What I love so much about Maiden is that even though they are so over-the-top, there’s no prevention in their shows. They pour everything they have into the music and into bringing that music to you. There is nothing but space between the stage and the audience – Maiden are just six mates who get to do this awesome thing because we’re there to enjoy it. I always come away feeling privileged to be a part of such a big, fun metal family, and like I want to create things that people will enjoy, too.

Then I went home, and slept. Because I am not 20 anymore, and two days of partying is about as much as I can handle.

Did you go to one/both of these shows? What did you think?

I’ve got new books coming out soon! If you want the details, then sign up for my newsletter (you get a couple of free books, too!).

 

Magic & Mayhem: 21-full length fantasy novels for $0.99

Magic & Mayhem: A boxset of 21 fantasy novels by bestselling authors – only $0.99 for a limited time.

Get ready to be swept off into lands filled with magic, mystery, action, adventure and even romance with these 21 full-length fantasy novels!

With over one-million words packed with witches, dragons, pirates, shape shifters, mercenaries, gods and more, these stories will introduce you to some of the most memorable characters and exotic worlds that exist in fantasy today.

22 NY Times, USA Today and International Bestselling authors (including yours truly) have banded together to bring you this incredible boxed set, but it’s only available for a limited time! For only $0.99, you’re paying a penny per sixty minutes of spellbinding fiction — a bargain that can’t be beat.

The first book in the Engine Ward series, The Sunken, is part of this collection, but even if you’ve already read it, there are plenty of other awesome stories to devour, from Jasmine Walt’s dark city of Solantha where mages rule absolute, to AW Exley’s tale or survival and love on and under kraken-filled oceans. I love working with other authors on projects like this, so grab a copy for less than a buck and see what we’ve created.

Grab your copy for only $0.99 cents and save over $50! This set is only available at this price for a limited time, so order your copy before it’s gone!

(This set is available from Amazon, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo, but only for a limited time. You can grab yours for the device of your choice.)

Post-scriptum: Mexican Noms, Chicken Shenanigans, & Jomsvikings

Mexican Noms

I started a new job last week, so things have been a bit hectic. I’m working at their office for the first few days, in order to get settled in before I start working from home again. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the work and learn a lot of new things.

Thorn is live, and I’m so excited. My Patreon backers got their copies of the ebook files last week, and so far the feedback has been really great. This book completes the Engine Ward trilogy, although I am working on a forth story in the world (not sure yet if it’s a full-length book or not). My backers at $5 and above got the first chapters of this new novel as part of their reward. (If you want to learn more, check out Steff’s Patreon.)

In my ears: The new Amon Amarth album, Jomsviking. It’s a concept album dealing with the jomsvikings, and it’s glorious. Johan Hegg said, “It’s a pretty simple story where a young man is in love with a girl but unfortunately she’s being married off. He accidentally kills a man when this happens and he has to flee,” … “But he swears to have revenge and win her back. He can’t let go of the past. He feels that he’s been wronged and his life has been destroyed. The story of the Jomsviking is the background – it’s the way he finds to go back and claim his revenge. The way the story evolves is not a happy story… it’s a tragedy, I guess! But I like sad endings, because they’re the ones that affect you the most.”

Reading: Not That Kind of Girl, Lena Dunham. She is an incredible writer. Reading personal essays like this kind of makes me want to write them, but I doubt people want to read about awkward sex and crashing into doors.

Writing: I am simultaneously working on Curse (the third Witches of the Woods book) and a raven shapeshifter book. I am tossing up between ideas for two new series under S C Green, can’t wait to start on either.

Watching: Star Trek All The Things.

On the Farm: Exterior cladding is now going on the house, and we’re doing a bit of planning for our next garden project, and waiting (eternally) for a fencer to show up. The chickens are made of mischief. Last week I collected about 20 ripe tomatoes off the vines in the garden, and set them all down on the welcome mat while I went for a run. When I returned, instead of a pile of tomatoes greeting me, there were two chicken, so fat and full they could hardly move, and a single scrap of tomato skin in front of them. They’d scoffed the lot!

Loving: It’s the British Invasion weekend, with Black Sabbath on Thursday night and Iron Maiden on Sunday. If you’re there and you see me, come say hi \m/ I’ve been experimenting with a sugar-free diet, which has been really interesting. I’m trying to break the habit of having a sweet tooth and be a bit healthier. I will write a bit more about this when I’ve done a few more weeks, but so far I’m finding it easier than I thought, and I have more energy, sleep better, and have also lost a bit of weight. \m/ Mongolian folk metal \m/ Planning an epic 4-course medieval banquet for 30 people for my husband’s 40th birthday. It’s quite fun researching the menu and source decorations and things \m/ Finding a set of fireplace tools shaped like a medieval knight \m/ visiting the hard-to-find bookstore and only spending $100 (bloody difficult, I tell you!) \m/ Our new banquet table! \m/ Wonderful friends and writing colleagues who are very patient with me when all the disasters happen and I lose the internet for 3 days again. \m/ Cats, always and forever. \m/ THREE DAY WEEKEND. \m/ Mexican noms with awesome people on a Friday night. My friend John let me choose all the food for us to share, and I discovered some awesome yum things.

That’s my week, what about yours?

I’ve got new books coming out soon! If you want the details, then sign up for my newsletter (you get a couple of free books, too!).

Thorn release day: Available on Kindle now!

Thorn is live! I’m so excited. You can grab your copy now from Amazon.

This is my absolute favourite book from the Engine Ward world, and one of my favourite characters I’ve written so far. It was actually the first book I wrote in the world. I worked with an editor at HarperCollins for years polishing it, before she declared the problem with it was that it needed another book before it to explore what happened in the past. That book turned into two books – The Sunken and The Gauge War – which I self-published in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Now, Thorn is out in the world and I can’t wait for you to find out what happens.

Brunel may be dead, but his iron legacy still lingers …

Forced from London after the death of Brunel, Thorn and her people – the Stokers – reside in the Graveyard; a wasted landscape of scrap metal and disused railway carriages. Shunned by her own people for her father’s part in their exile, Thorn’s skill with animals is the only thing saving her from banishment. With her friend Lurgo, she hunts the great tri-horned monsters in the surrounding swamps, desperately trying to keep control of her strange power and restore her family’s soiled name.

Now Brunel’s old Wall is moving again, expanding over the English countryside. And with it comes a horror that should have been long dead – once human creatures turned maniacal by a diet of lead and soot. The Stokers propose a suicide mission, a last-ditch effort to reclaim their home – sending Thorn into the Wall to die; an expendable distraction to ensure their own survival.

But Thorn has other ideas. Together with Lurgo, a blind adventurer, an eccentric menagerie proprietor and a tame triceratops, she sets out to stop the new threat. In a world dominated by powerful men and fierce mechanical monsters, can one woman triumph where so many have failed?


Grab your copy of Thorn today! And if you’re so inclined, leave me a review and let me know what you think.

(Thorn will be available on other vendors – including iBooks, Nook and Kobo – over the next week or so.)

Thank you so much for your support! It’s a pretty amazing feeling finishing a series like this, and it’s because of you guys that I’m able to do it. Now I get to start again with a new series in a pretty unique dystopian world I’ve been putting together. I think you’re gonna love it.

Steff

PS. Backers of my Patreon campaign $5 above got to see the first two chapters of a new book I’m working on. Called The Grey Train, it is another story set in the Engine Ward world, after the events in Thorn. I affectionately call it “The redemption of Holman.” I have no idea when it will come out. If you want cool random surprises, free books and other fun stuff from me, consider joining my Patreon campaign.

Steff Loves: Gothic & Alternative Clothing from Kate’s Clothing! (+ discount code)

When we were at the Bloodstock Festival in the UK, I was quite pleasantly surprised to wander around the shops there and discover some quite distinctive clothing. A lot of the gothic stores in the UK stock the same brands and pieces, and everything starts to look a bit cookie-cutter (which is the exact opposite of what we want!) But although there were the usual Lip Service and Queen of Darkness stockists, I noticed a lot of unique places and bespoke designs.

One store in particular drew my attention – their clothes were devoid of the usual skullduggery and excessive zips and buckles of the usual goth gear. The styles were still awesome, but a bit more grown-up, a bit more suited to everyday wear. I brought a red skirt with dangling straps that has been a favourite of mine for years and a couple of shirts I wear to work. I would have brought a lot more, but I had to save money for the rest of our adventure. But I’ve always wanted to go back to that same shop again.

So imagine how excited I was when I received an email from Kate’s Clothing, asking if I wanted to try some of their ranges. It turns out, they are the makers of my favourite clothes! These guys dress bands like Lacuna Coil, Cradle of Filth, and Lounge Kittens. And now, they want to dress me! Of course I said, “Hell yes!”

The Kate’s Clothing website stock a lot of common alternative brands, like Killstar, Queen of Darkness, Hell Bunny and Sourpuss, but I was more interested in their three in-house brands. My favourite label, Necessary Evil, was the line that first attracted me to their stall at Bloodstock. It’s designed by Kate, who is a full-time mum as well as the brains of the operation and the main creative force behind Necessary Evil. Kate’s Clothing also carry two other lines – Chic Star, and Devil Fashion (which isn’t really for me – a lot of PVC and zips and buckles).

My package arrived a few weeks ago, and I roped my friend Amy (from Northwic) to come visit for the day and model. We had a great time running through the grass and styling the Kate’s Clothing pieces with some goodies from our respective wardrobes.

I think this is my favourite photo of the two of us, ever. We were trying to go for more of a workwear look here. Amy is wearing the Chic Star Gothic Pinstripe Tiered Bustle skirt, and a white shirt from Kmart here in New Zealand. I’m wearing the Kate’s Clothing Chic Star Black Wrapped Belt Blouse, and the French Reminiscent skirt from Heavy Red. Our boots are from Number 1 Shoes. My medallion is from my grandmother.

Once more with some smiles. :)

 

Here, Amy is wearing the Necessary Evil Butterfly Belisima shirt. Kate’s clothing also offer this shirt in a plain black or with the mermaid print. It has this great square neckline and pop domes instead of buttons. It looks great dressed down with jeans but can also work with a skirt.

If you’re like me and have broad shoulders and an athletic shape (read, no waist to speak of), then styles with a sweetheart neckline and A-line skirt are great. Necessary Evil sent me the Damara Retro dress in three styles – butterflies, octopus, and this mermaid design. These dresses have a side zip and elasticated waist panel and are my new summer staple. Like many of the Kate’s Clothing designs, they go from the office to a party with just a little flourish!

The dress I’m wearing – the Retro Wrap Black Dress – is another item from the Chic Star line, also by Kate’s Clothing. While the Necessary Evil line is more gothic in tone, Chic Star has a distinct retro theme, and there are a lot of plainer, beautifully-fitted coats and dresses. The clothing is also designed with plus sizes in mind, and every piece comes in the full range of sizes.

The skirt is huge! It billows everywhere and is a lot of fun to wear.

The Retro Rohini Butterfly Dress is insanely flattering. It was also the only item that didn’t quite fit me (the waist, which is quite high, was just a little tight, as were the armholes, so I’d recommend sizing up one size from your usual if you’re getting this one) so Amy stepped up to take it off my hands.

All the pieces were of a high quality, well made, and well-fitting. I am very impressed and will definitely be going back for more in the future.

Kate’s Clothing have given you guys are discount code of 10% off your order – just use 10METAL10 at checkout to get it and support an awesome indie alternative brand.

I am now on Patreon!

A fortnight ago I posted a blog post about some of the changes that had been happening at Amazon, and how – as a writer – I was concerned at what future changes could mean for my income. Writing novels is more than just a hobby for me, it pays some of our bills and will hopefully one day be what I do for my job, all day, every day. In that blog post, I asked you guys if you’d be willing to participate in a survey about a potential way for me to diversify my income so that I had to rely less on Amazon – by turning to the crowdfunding model that is working so well for artists, musicians and writers across the globe.

Thank you to everyone who filled out the survey and wrote such thoughtful responses! Your answers really helped me to clarify what it was I wanted to do with this new platform and how best to structure it to ensure everyone got something awesome out of it. Due to the overwhelming positivity toward the idea, I’ve decided to go ahead and launch a Patreon page for my novels.

Even though I’m only officially launching the page today, I’ve already had a few people jump on as backers. You guys are awesome!

Want to support my work via Patreon? Click below to pledge an amount.

STEFF’S PATREON PAGE

To answer all your questions, here’s a little FAQ:

Why are you going to Patreon?

The main reason is that I’m very aware that I’m putting all of my eggs in one basket in self-publishing exclusively with Amazon. Unfortunately, there are very few options out there. What I’m trying to do with Patreon is diversify my income potential by allowing fans who wish to do so to support me via another avenue. I get some semblance of a regular income I can count on – despite the ups-and-downs of royalty payouts – and you get books, rewards and bonus content directly from me. It’s a win-win.

I also love crowdfunding. I’ve been a huge supporter of Kickstarter over the years, backing more than 30 projects. And I’m starting to shift some of my support over to artists on Patreon, too. It’s fun being able to be a part of seeing creative work come to life, and I’m excited to finally be involved in the community as a creator.

What is Patreon? How does it work? Is it different to Kickstarter?

Patreon was designed by a couple of Youtube vloggers who wanted to create a platform where fans could support artists who make work on a regular basis. Most people are familiar with the Kickstarter model, where a creator can make a page for a project – such as a single book, a board game, a collection of cartoons, or a short film – and ask for money to help fund the project’s creation, in exchange for rewards. Kickstarter is great for one-off projects, but doesn’t really work for creators who put out work on a regular basis.

So Patreon was created to allow fans to give regular pledges to support artists over a longer period of time. It means that instead of having to create a Kickstarter campaign for every new video, cartoon, book, artwork, or game, the creator could direct fans to one page where they could support all ongoing work.

Creators ask patrons to pledge a certain amount of money either per month or per “Thing” produced. I am running my campaign per “Thing” produced, and each pledge is eligible for cool rewards (similar to Kickstarter, but the rewards are ongoing). If you want to see the different pledge levels and rewards, you’ll have to check out my Patreon page.

Patreon is designed around the ancient patronage system, where a wealthy person like a king, nobleman or businessperson would financially support an artist, philosopher, writer, or astrologer to create their work. During the Medieval and Renaissance periods, wealthy people would become patrons, and in return be rewarded with increased social status, prestige, and sometimes political assistance. Patrons also often had some say in what work was created and how the finished product may look – it was an active, two-way relationship. Now, with Patreon, you don’t have to be a king to become a patron, and instead of climbing the ladder of society through your generosity, you get cool rewards and bonus content from the artists you help support.

Patronage has provided the world with some of its most beautiful and important art. Without patronage, we wouldn’t have the works of William Shakespeare, Michelangelo, or Leonardo da Vinci. I’m not putting myself on the same level as those guys here, but I’m saying this is a valid and vital way of supporting the arts, and now in the digital age, it’s easier than ever to become actively involved in the creation of work you enjoy.

What constitutes a “Thing”?

As a writer, I publish many, many finished things in a given year. But I don’t expect you to send me a pledge every time I publish a blog post or write a grocery list. These are things, but they are not Things (with a capital T). I consider my Things to be substantial works of prose, or other projects with significant production requirements.

Defining a “Thing” is difficult, because I don’t know exactly what I’m going to be producing in the future. But, since I have some idea of my current upcoming projects for the next year, I can tell you that a Thing will include a novel, a novella, a short story collection (but not the individual short stories), a children’s book, etc.

A Thing will NOT include blog posts, social media updates, individual short stories under 15,000 words in length, any kind of essay or article I write for promotional purposes, or unfinished products, such as novel drafts.

From time to time I will send out a free Thing to Patreon backers, because you are awesome. This might be a short story, a novel excerpt, some drawings … just whatever. This will be clearly labelled as a FREE THING and you won’t have any money deducted for it.

Can you tell me how many Things you’ll be producing?

I understand exactly why you want to know this; you’ve got to budget accordingly, especially if you want to support me on a higher tier. You can’t offer to support me at $50 a thing, only to find out that I’m producing 65 things every month.

Writing books takes a fair amount of time, so if you look at my definition of “Thing” above, you can see that I won’t be producing 65 items for you every month. My fingers would fall off, and I need my fingers to write and buy candy and scratch the cat in just the right place under his chin.

Although my schedule may vary, I aim to produce one new Thing approximately every five-to-eight weeks. Sometimes, I may go crazy and publish two Things in one month, but it’s rare.

And remember, Patreon allows you to set a limit to the amount of Things you’ll fund each month, so just choose a limit you’re comfortable with and stick to that.

I’m only interested in one of your pen names. Is there any way to just support the one, and not the others?

Unfortunately, no. I didn’t want to leave anyone out by making the Patreon pen-name specific. This one page has to cover all the different projects I do, which might include other book projects that aren’t romance or science fiction novels. Even if you’re not into the finished product, you may enjoy following along with me as I chart progress and discuss project creation in the Patron-only feed.

If that’s not for you, that’s totally cool – you can always continue buying and reading my books in the normal way. I’m honoured to have your support!

Some backers are raising their pledges for projects they’re interested in, then lowering them for those that aren’t quite their thing. This is totally cool and a great way to show me what I should be doing more of!

To give you an idea of what you can expect, my yearly aim is to produce:

Approximately 6 books under the Steffanie Holmes pen name.
Approximately 3 books under the S C Green pen name.
Approximately 1 other “Thing”, which might be a non-fiction book, a kids book, a collaboration, or some other surprise fun project.

I’m not interested in crowdfunding or supporting all of your books. Will I still be able to read your content / purchase the books I’d like to read?

That’s totally fine! I understand that this model doesn’t appeal to everyone, and that some people only like some of the books and projects I’m involved with. That’s totally cool, and I am so grateful for the support you give me. My books will still be available through all the normal channels, I’ll still be on Facebook and updating the blog, the only thing that’s changed is that now there is this new option for fans who’d like to support me regularly and get access to the rewards.

Is Patreon secure?

Some people who took the survey were concerned about their credit card safety, which I completely understand!

No credit card information is stored on Patreon servers.  They use Stripe.com, one of the most secure and reputable payment processors available. All card numbers are encrypted on disk with AES-256 and decryption keys are stored on separate machines. For more information you can visit Stripe’s security policy right here!

You can also choose to pay by Paypal, which doesn’t require a credit card number at all if you have it set up.

In other words, your credit card details are safe! For more info on how payments work, you can check out the Patreon Help FAQs.

What’s the next Thing you’ll be publishing?

It might spoil the fun if you know what I’m getting up to next, so SPOILER ALERT if you don’t want to know.

The first project I’ll be publishing with Patreon is the third book in the Engine Ward series, Thorn. This is a dark steampunk science fiction story with dinosaurs and a very cool female main character. One of the biggest criticisms of the first book in this series, The Sunken, is the lack of a really obviously strong female lead, and so I’m excited to get Thorn’s story out into the world to help balance out some of that testosterone.

The next Thing will be two novels in the Crookshollow universe – Watcher and Messenger.  I’ve nearly completed book one and I can tell you there are shapeshifters and vampires and a very damaged but wonderful heroine. I’m having so much fun with these books and can’t wait to write them along with you guys.

And after that, who knows? Perhaps we shall all take a vote. Yay, democracy!

***

I think I’ve covered everything. If I haven’t answered your question, sing out in the comments or read through the Patron FAQ on the Patreon website. If you like the sound of this, then PLEASE get over to my Patreon page and pledge an amount. Your support means I can continue to publish books and maybe one day do this full time!

post-scriptum: Wellington shenanigans, Sinners on tour, and a cemetery wedding

I’ve had some seriously crazy weeks recently. Last weekend I went down to Wellington to marry a lovely gothic couple in a cemetery. The photo above was taken by my friend Shane while we were exploring the cemetery beforehand – it’s the Longfellow poem “The Reaper and the Flowers.” I love going to Wellington as I have a lot of friends there and there’s always so much to do and explore. This time was no exception. I marched in a pride parade, played on a playground made of recycled junk, went to a very unusual party, ate the world’s most delicious burger in the messiest way possible, stayed at a hostel that looked like a prison, got stuck at the airport as an art installation for several hours, and survived on combined 6 hours sleep over 4 days. Yikes.

Here’s everything else I’ve been up to :)

In my ears: Recently, NZ voted on whether to keep our national flag or change it to a new flag. The final votes came in yesterday – no new flag for us. The whole exercise constantly reminded me of the Skyclad song “Parliament of Fools”, so I’ve been thrashing a lot of Skyclad (particularly the album A Semblance of Normality) this week.

Reading: I’m currently working my way through the Sinners on Tour series by Olivia Cunning. This is a rockstar romance and it’s kind of wall-to-wall sex featuring the different members of a hard rock/metal band and their loves. The characters are really engaging and it’s definitely inspiring me for an idea for a new Steffanie Holmes series. I am also battling through Lord of the Rings again, because it’s been about 5 years since I last read it and that’s just wrong.

Writing: I’ve just past the halfway mark on the final read-through of Thorn. I’m flipping around projects a bit at the moment, adding more words to Curse (Witches of the Woods 3), while putting the finishing touches on a new novel, and working on a couple of small projects that won’t be released until later this year.

Also, thank you to everyone who took my Patreon survey! Your choices and especially your comments helped me to hone what I am trying to do with the platform. I’m officially launching next week, but for now you can poke around my Patreon page and even pledge a little if you like :)

Watching: We’ve just finished the first season of Star Trek: Voyager, and are now watching the first season of the original Star Trek series. I am hardcore in the whole franchise now. Although I am going to say something really controversial – Voyager is my favourite. I love Captain Janeway. And Nelix!

On the Farm: WE HAVE WINDOWS! The house looks amazing. I’m so excited. It feels like such a milestone, even though there’s still a lot of work to do. I even have a front door now. It’s so beautiful. I keep going in and out it like a silly person.

We also have LAMB IN THE FREEZER. Mmmmmm. Hoping to be able to have lots of friends up soon for lamb roasts in our new great hall.

We got given five bantam hens the other day, so we’ve added them in with our chickens and so far, everyone is pecking around nicely and behaving. We shall see how things go, though. These new girls are so tiny and cute! I love my chickens. There’s this one that runs over when she sees me and flattens down her back so I can pat her like a cat. It’s gorgeous.

Also, there’s a lot of end-of-season produce glutting the neighbourhood gardens. I’m overflowing with tomatoes, and have just been gifted bags of peaches, granny smiths, and a giant stack of pumpkins (I’m thinking of making pumpkin wine). So I have been frantically canning and cooking and preserving things. It’s one of the particularly fun bits about rural life.

Loving: WINDOWS. \m/ crazy Wellington adventures \m/ starting to plan my husband’s 30th birthday – we’re hosting a medieval banquet where I have to cook 4 courses for 30 people. Yikes! \m/ Doing lots of crowdfunding research and seeing all the neat projects people are doing with the support of their audiences. \m/ Having our friends and their two lovely girls up for lunch – they love feeding the chickens :) \m/ A four-day weekend over Easter – how nice is it to get lots of things done. I finished a novel, what about you? \m/ THE POP-UP GLOBE. I want to see all the things. We went to Twelfth Night last week and it was hilarious. We’re hoping to go to Hamlet on Mon 11th as groundlings. \m/ German sausages. \m/ Dreaming about travelling again when we finally have money and a house that we can actually live in. \m/ My big, dopey cat. \m/ The fact that every time I go to Wellington, they’re throwing a festival. \m/ City shenanigans with my friend John, including a zombie cocktail that came in a zombie-glass. It was amazing. I will have another one, pleasethankyou \m/ talking to my favourite Germans \m/ helping my two friends plan their fake wedding \m/ ROAST LAMB.

So that’s all the stuff I’m thinking about right now. What about you?

My Top Ten Underrated Metal Bands

Everyone loves a band they believe to be underrated, a band whose songs appeal on so many levels it seems downright criminal they’re not playing sold-out stadium shows around the world. Why are the Taylor Swifts of the world getting all the attention when all these amazing musicians are languishing in obscurity?

That, my friends, is the unfairness of popular music.

But that doesn’t mean that we, as fans, have to settle for less. We can be the voices of the bands we love, and spread the word to others about bands we know and love. These aren’t just bands I think are a bit of all right, they’re albums I play constantly, as much as I listen to Sabbath or Maiden or any of the other big guys.

And, in case you were curious, I’ve made a Spotify Playlist of songs from my ten picks. Listen to it here.

Mezarkabul / Pentagram

If ever someone asks me for a recommendation of a little-known metal band, I point them in the direction of Mezarkabul. I found their album Unspoken for $2 in the bargain bin at Real Groovy some ten years ago, and they have remained a favourite of mine ever since.

Mezarkabul hail from Turkey and play incredibly beautiful, catchy, stunningly-composed power / heavy metal incorporating Anatolian musical elements and instruments in their music. If you liked Amorphis’ Elegy, you’re probably going to enjoy these guys.

They are little known outside of their home country. They were originally called Pentagram, but changed their name to Mezarkabul after discovering the US doom band also called Pentagram were getting more well-known. But you’ll often find them still listed as Pentragram, so it can be hard to even find their stuff. (Some of their songs are listed under Pentagram on Spotify, for example).

Rebellion

These guys are probably my second-favourite German power metal band, and I don’t understand why they’re not headlining festivals alongside Blind Guardian. They were formed by guitarist Uwe Lulis when he left Grave Digger in 2000. All their albums are concept albums, and it is the three albums they wrote about the Norse Sagas that stand as their most brilliant works.

Sadly, Lulis and two other original band members left in 2010, and while the band are still awesome, I don’t think they’ve been quite the same since. Their music incorporates everything you love about German power metal, but it’s just heavier and intelligent and exceptionally catchy.

Solstafir

Solstafir are an icelandic metal band fromed in 1995, and like all other Icelandic bands, are a little bit weird. I’ve talked about this band on the blog before, when I reviewed their 2014 release Ótta. Simply put, it’s a stunning album, and you should listen to it now.

Sadly, two of the band members had a bit of a showdown over social media last year that left a bit of a sour taste in some fans mouths. Their music still stands as some of the most beautiful and imaginative scores to have come out of metal in the last twenty years. Why are they not as beloved by the indie scene as Sigur Ros?

Nachtgeshrei

We saw these guys at a tiny German medieval festival where they were the standout act of the day. They call themselves a folk metal band, although the folk elements in their music aren’t the sole focus, and their songwriting leads more to rock than metal in many songs.

Nachtgeshrei’s lyrics are in German, which limits their commercial appeal outside their own country. But if Eluveitie have such respect for writing their songs in Gaulish, then it’s possible for Nachtgeshrei to gain international appeal, right? Right?

Skyclad

Skyclad invented folk metal. There’s no debate. And 30 years on, their albums are still some of the best folk metal around. Far from the polished pop-flavoured drinking songs popular now, Skyclad’s sound with rough, dirty English thrash and NWOBHM with a deeply political bent and some of the best lyrics to ever come out of heavy metal.

Apart from the fact that Skyclad have obviously broken up, so they’re not playing shows any more, I fail to see any reason why they don’t have as much respect as the more popular Finnish acts like Korpiklaani and Turisas. They’re often glossed over as folk metal “precursers” but albums like Vintage Whine and The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea should be classics.

The Project Hate MCMXCIX

A Swedish industrial metal band fromed in 1998, I first came across these guys when we were travelling through Norway and a lovely record store owner put on Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate. We begged him to sell us the CD so we could hear more. He was gutted as he’d only just opened the packet that day and it was his only copy, but sold it to us anyway (Capitalism, yay!)

The band contains members of Entombed, Grave, Witchbreed, House of Usher, and other relatively big names in the Swedish metal scene. They have suffered through most of their career with poor distribution

Why these guys aren’t as big as Marilyn Manson or Nine Inch Nails, I don’t know. They have never released a bad album, and produce a big heavy sound that mixes black metal elements with industrial music. There’s even a bit of orchestral stuff thrown in? And did I mention it’s duel male/female vocals? Basically, they are awesome. Go listen.

Annihilator

Annihilator are a Canadian thrash band founded in 1984 by Jeff Waters. They are the biggest heavy metal group in Canada, which isn’t really saying much (sorry, Canada).

Serious question. Did Annihilator ever write any bad songs? I bet you can’t name three. Jeff Waters is such a charismatic vocalist, you can instantly recognise an Annihilator song by his distinct sound. Annihilator are relatively successful, but I always felt they never got as big as they could have been, or should have been.

Battle Beast

The first Finnish band to make the list! It’s hard to call many Finnish bands “underrated” since the Finns are pretty vocal about their metal, but in the case of Battle Beast I think they need to be shouting a bit louder. The original lineup consisted of high school friends, and a few lineup changes (particularly of the vocals) have only led to a strong, more awesome sound.

In the same year, Battle Beast won the 2010 Wacken Metal Battle and the Radio Rock Starba, and they received a ton of exposure. Their third album in 2015, Unholy Savior, is their strongest yet. They are definitely gaining more recognition, and I’m hoping in another couple of years no one will be calling them underration.

I still can’t forgive Wacken 2011 for putting these guys on at the same time as Blind Guardian.

Beastwars

These guys are gaining a lot of critical praise across the world, but I’m adding them in because they deserve MORE DAMMIT. In case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard me the last 17,086 times I mentioned them, Beastwars are an incredible stoner rock/metal band from here in New Zealand. They are just … wow. That is all. Why are they not as famous as Mastadon? I think it’s only a matter of time.

Wishbone Ash

Not technically a metal band, Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who had a relative amount of success during the early/mid 1970s. Steve Harris of Iron Maiden was listening to Wishbone Ash when HE was dreaming of playing in a metal band. They were one of the first bands to use twin lead guitars.

Wishbone Ash are so vital to the sound of NWOBHM and yet they’re barely know in metal circles beyond a footnote in foundational essays. Just listen to Warrior. Holy shit, it’s such an incredible song. That’s proto-metal being formed, right there.

Listen to the playlist on Spotify

I want to hear what YOUR underrated bands or albums are. Sing out in the comments or post on my Facebook page. Add a couple of their songs to the playlist. Let’s do it.

I’ve got new books coming out soon! If you want the details, then sign up for my newsletter (you get a couple of free books, too!).

On crowdfunding and philosophy and the mighty Zon – your opinion wanted!

The philosopher Heraclitus had a lot of say about change. “Everything changes and nothing stands still,” and “nobody steps in the same river twice”, are the credos at the heart of his doctrine. If Heraclitus were alive today, he would probably work in Amazon’s Kindle direct department.

I’m an Amazon exclusive author. I do this not because I’m an Amazon fangirl (although I am pretty grateful for the opportunities and exposure they’ve afforded me) but because as an indie author I need the exposure of its Kindle Unlimited program in order to find new fans and readers.

Kindle Unlimited is basically Spotify for books. If I choose to put my novels into the program, as well as being able to buy my books outright, Amazon customers are able to “borrow” my books to read. It’s pretty cool if you’re a voracious reader, because you can borrow an unlimited number of books (as long as they’re enrolled) for $10 a month.

But as an author, Kindle Unlimited (KU) can be difficult to navigate. Instead of being paid a flat royalty rate as per sales, we’re paid a certain amount per page read. However, Amazon doesn’t announce what this amount is going to be (because it changes depending on how much KU is earning and how many total pages are read by KU readers each month) until the 15th of the following month. So authors have a huge uncertainty around what they’re actually earning.

Add to this, Amazon constantly tinkers with the KU program. Until recently, they paid the same rate for a page read across the world. Now, they pay a pro-rata fee based on each country, so the US might be 0.0041 per page, but a page read in India is worth significantly less.

We’re only had this current system for 10 months. Previously, Amazon paid a flat fee per book borrowed and read more than 10% of the way through. But they dropped that system after readers were complaining there were too much short fiction. Amazon gave authors two weeks notice of the change. Authors I know had their income drop from five figures a month down to three. Now, we’re swimming across an entirely different river.

The mighty Zon are currently tinkering with KU. They just limited the total number of pages paid out on a single book to 3000 in an attempt to stop scammers taking advantage of a loophole in the system by stuffing books with 100000 pages of useless junk. A lot of authors – myself included – suspect that some more big changes are coming, and it’s safe to assume those changes are probably going to cut into our earnings, not increase them.

I earn enough from my books that, if I were to really scrimp, I could live off my royalties. What I can’t afford to do, however, is to quit my wonderful steady income job and then have Amazon change things up on me again and see my income source stripped away, again.

I don’t like to sit around and complain. I’d rather find a solution. And the obvious solution to me is to become less reliant on Amazon for the sole source of income. After all, being beholden to one large corporation is exactly the publishing stranglehold indie authors like me were striving to avoid.

I am thinking about a change.

I want to be able to bring my work directly to my closest fans. That’s you. I’d like to use crowdfunding to take Amazon out of the picture.

I’ve considered using Kickstarter for some of my previous book projects, but I’ve never had a project I thought was a good fit for the platform. Also, my publishing schedule means I don’t have a lot of time to set up, manage and promote campaign after campaign. I need something that’s ongoing, and that’s where Patreon comes in.

Patreon is another crowdfunding platform that’s a great fit for creators like me, who are putting out new content on a regular basis. Patreon works on the ancient patronage system: an artist seeks “patrons” who pledge a certain amount (either per month, or per “Thing” created), thus enabling the artist to continue to produce Things and get them out to awesome people. In exchange for their generous patronage, backers get cool rewards, such as exclusive content, behind-the-scenes peeks, and other fun stuff.

What this would mean is that if you wanted to become my patron, you would sign up to Patreon and pledge a certain amount (from as low as $1) and every time I finished creating a Thing, Patreon would take the $1 out of your credit card to give to me. You can even set a limit for the amount of Things you’ll patronise each month, so I don’t suddenly decide to drop 65 stories and wipe out your savings.

I only get funded when I produce work, and you get to follow along as I write and experiment via the patron-only feed. Depending on your reward level, you’d also get my ebooks for free, signed paperbacks, exclusive short stories, peeks at early drafts, backer swag, and the chance to name characters and vote on story elements.

I am pretty excited about all the possibilities around this, but I only want to do it if it’s something you guys are keen on, and I’d love to hear your ideas on how to make it awesome. I’ve created a short survey about Patreon. I’d really appreciate if you could take a few minutes to fill it up and give me your thoughts on this idea.

I’ve been a huge crowdfunding supporter for years. I love being able to directly support projects and people I think are awesome. I’m really excited about being able to be on the other side of the creator/backer relationship, and I’m psyched to be able to produce some awesome books and projects with your support.

Here’s the survey again. Thank you!

\m/ Steff