Jessica Rydill's Blog, page 16

Grimbold Patreon begins...

The Grimbold Patreon begins!Hi there, Patreons
First off, a massive thank you for supporting us. It’s difficult for me to put into words what it means to all of us here at Grimbold Books without coming across as sickly and over-the-top, but we are hugely grateful for your help. Please be assured that your patronage will help us market some incredible pieces of work and showcase talented authors.
The rise of social media and the way that technology now connects the world means that the possibilities are endless for small companies like ours.
I won’t echo too much of our Patreon plea here, but publishing is not a cheap business. We are committed to quality publications and with the uncertainty in the future of the UK at the moment, the blips in the financial market causing havoc, and the rising costs left, right and centre, we are tackling obstacles all over the place. Fear not - we’re not going anywhere, and instead we will focus our development and expansion at a slower rate. Money pledged on Patreon will undoubtedly help us ensure that we continue to bring you amazing books from new and talented authors.
2016 has been an amazing year, and we’re only just over halfway through! Two of our novels have been nominated and made the longlist for the Gemmell awards, and we have two Grimbold authors and one of our artists nominated on the shortlists for the British Fantasy Awards!
When we started our small company in 2013, I could only dream that we would be as successful as we currently are, and I can’t wait to bring you the rest of our catalogue this year.
I look forward to seeing and meeting you all face-to-face at Bristol Con later this year, but if you happen to see our trade tables at Gloucester Comic Con, Fantasy Con by the Sea, and other smaller, local conventions, then please do come and say hello.
Speak soon, and if you have any questions – fire away!
- Sammy

Coming up this month on Patreon, exclusive extras for our donors will include;
Behind the scenes look at our newest title, Autonomy (this will go up later today)An exclusive, never before seen short story by Joanne HallSpecial previews of The Summer Goddess, The High King’s
Vengeance, and The Sky SlayerAn art show by Evelinn Enosken, who has designed a number of
our covers and is just all round brilliant.An interview with Karen Miller, bestselling author of The
Innocent Mage, The Falcone Throne, and Empress!And, of course, a weekly comic strip starring Grim and Bold! Hi there, Patreons
First off, a massive thank you for supporting us. It’s difficult for me to put into words what it means to all of us here at Grimbold Books without coming across as sickly and over-the-top, but we are hugely grateful for your help. Please be assured that your patronage will help us market some incredible pieces of work and showcase talented authors.
The rise of social media and the way that technology now connects the world means that the possibilities are endless for small companies like ours.
I won’t echo too much of our Patreon plea here, but publishing is not a cheap business. We are committed to quality publications and with the uncertainty in the future of the UK at the moment, the blips in the financial market causing havoc, and the rising costs left, right and centre, we are tackling obstacles all over the place. Fear not - we’re not going anywhere, and instead we will focus our development and expansion at a slower rate. Money pledged on Patreon will undoubtedly help us ensure that we continue to bring you amazing books from new and talented authors.
2016 has been an amazing year, and we’re only just over halfway through! Two of our novels have been nominated and made the longlist for the Gemmell awards, and we have two Grimbold authors and one of our artists nominated on the shortlists for the British Fantasy Awards!
When we started our small company in 2013, I could only dream that we would be as successful as we currently are, and I can’t wait to bring you the rest of our catalogue this year.
I look forward to seeing and meeting you all face-to-face at Bristol Con later this year, but if you happen to see our trade tables at Gloucester Comic Con, Fantasy Con by the Sea, and other smaller, local conventions, then please do come and say hello.
Speak soon, and if you have any questions – fire away!
- Sammy

Coming up this month on Patreon, exclusive extras for our donors will include;
Behind the scenes look at our newest title, Autonomy (this will go up later today)An exclusive, never before seen short story by Joanne HallSpecial previews of The Summer Goddess, The High King’s
Vengeance, and The Sky SlayerAn art show by Evelinn Enosken, who has designed a number of
our covers and is just all round brilliant.An interview with Karen Miller, bestselling author of The
Innocent Mage, The Falcone Throne, and Empress!And, of course, a weekly comic strip starring Grim and Bold! 

 From the introduction on August 1, 2016 by Creative Director Sammy H. K. Smith.

Grimbold Books on Patreon - Upcoming Rewards for $7 Donors

MORE BONUS CONTENT!
Coming in August we will have interviews with bestselling fantasy and science fiction authors including;
Kameron Hurley (The Worldbreaker Saga),
Karen Miller (The Innocent Mage),

Now read on...

https://www.patreon.com/posts/upcoming-rewards-6117059

Children of the Shaman cover art reveal

Today on SFFWORLD, the cover art reveal for the new edition of Children of the Shaman to be published later this year by Kristell Ink.

Art by Daniele Serra, and Shellie Horst asked the interview questions.

http://www.sffworld.com/2016/07/children-of-the-shaman-cover-reveal/

Grimbold does Patreon

Not long ago, I mentioned I had signed up with Kristell Ink, an imprint of Grimbold Books.

Grimbold has just launched an exciting new campaign on Patreon, offering exclusive benefits to subscribers. 

What is Patreon? 

"the world's largest crowdfunding site for artists and creators"
For just $2 a month or more, you will obtain access to exclusive bonus content.

The Grimbold Newsletter

This will feature the latest news from Grimbold, announcements before anyone else gets to see them, and special write-ups about our latest books.

You'll be given behind the scenes words from our authors on what inspired their writing.

Also, you get the Grim and Bold comic strip! Brand new episodes every Friday from our two trouble-making cats and their love-hate relationship.

According to how much you pledge, you will receive more rewards. For instance, if you pledge $10 or more a month, you will receive one free ebook a month!

And why should I support Grimbold, you ask?

Here's why (apart from the exclusive content!) from the Goals section:

WE WILL CREATE A NEW FLASH FICTION COLLECTION
Patrons will get to submit their flash fiction stories first and we will give you feedback on your story.

$300 a month would help us cover our basic running costs, give us some breathing room, and help us to focus on the important parts of creating more brilliant books, and really getting the best out of our operation. Your pledges will be spent on marketing, cover art and costs such as ISBNs and website hosting.

Since opening their Patreon page, Grimbold have already raised $110 of the $300 goal.

Rewards will start on August 1st, and here are some of the things you can look forward to:

Steven Poore, author of The Heir to the North , and Joanne Hall, author of Spark and Carousel , will be releasing new short stories as Patreon exclusives.

Jessica Rydill (me) will be sharing her essay on avoiding cliches in world building.

And towards the end of August, there will be some exclusive art from Evelinn Enoksen, artist, illustrator, writer and book designer.

To read more and to view the amazing video featuring Joel Cornah, Sammy Smith and a host of Grimbold authors...and some cartoon kitties...why not go straight to https://www.patreon.com/GrimboldBooks

Remember - rewards will go live from August 1!

(And now you can see why I didn't pursue a profitable career in advertising).

(Main image courtesy of Joel and Joshua Cornah)

Updates to my blogs

You may have noticed that I've changed the appearance of both my blogs, this one and the other one that lives at www.shamansland.com.

This is because Kristell Ink will be publishing my fourth novel, Winterbloom, and republishing my first three books: Children of the Shaman, The Glass Mountain, and Malarat.

As a result, I've taken down the self-published editions of my books and am trying not to explode with excitement.

The books are being reissued with new cover art commissioned by the publisher. There will be a cover reveal soon for the first one (Children of the Shaman). Of which more anon.

I'm also working on my fifth book, with the working title Tunguska, which has something to do with the airburst meteor event over the Siberian Taiga in 1908.

Or was it caused by shamans fighting?

Review of Spark and Carousel by Joanne Hall

Spark and Carousel by Joanne Hall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book. It's very different to a lot of fantasy I've read, in that the main characters include a teenage boy who can't control his magic powers, Spark, and an older girl who befriends him when he hides in the big city. Carousel is a street rat, a waif who has grown up under the protection of a (mostly) benevolent underworld baron, and who aspires to work in a brothel.
It's also much more than that. There are different kinds of magic: that practised by the immortal, green-eyed mages, and Telesian magic, based in blood. Magic itself is morally neutral, but when humans use or misuse it, it can be destructive and dangerous. So Spark does harm because he can't control his powers, or his emotions; at the opposite extreme is creepy blonde aristocrat Allorise Carey, who uses power for entirely selfish ends, and is the ultimate mean girl.
The two Mages who come to rescue - or punish - Spark are amongst my favourite characters: Kayall, the man, is a peacock who loves good clothes, sleeping with men and women, and beer. Elvienne, an older woman, is more austere, but she is a strong and powerful character.
The story builds to a satisfying conclusion. I became involved in the fate of the eponymous hero and heroine; Carousel in particular is strong and likeable, much more than a victim of her impoverished circumstances. And the city itself is like a character in the story, with a believable history that is hinted at.



View all my reviews

Kickstarter: Interface - inSight video

Children of the Shaman promo

Children of the Shaman promo
My first novel, Children of the Shaman, will be on sale from 14th May on all channels (some may update more quickly than others!)
The new price is $0.99 or £0.99 and the promo will run until the end of June or when Winterbloom comes out, whichever is the sooner…
Where to download it: Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
iBook Store
24 Symbols
Inktera
Scribd
Or if you’d rather buy a paperback edition of the new version…a bit more than 99c but also discounted go here… (UK buyers)
or here! (US buyers)
Createspace

Guest Blog for Nobody Knew She Was There by Freda Warrington

Nobody Knew She Was There…This week's contributor on Sarah Ash's new guest blog is Freda Warrington, writing on "The Le Guin Equation". Funny and passionately argued.

There’s been much discussion lately about the visibility, or should that be the invisibility, of women writers within the SFF genre. Well, with millions of titles now on Amazon,…

Source: Guest Blog for Nobody Knew She Was There by Freda Warrington. – Sarah Ash – Fantasy Author

Nobody Knew She Was There - guest blog by writer and editor Jan Edwards

Jan Edwards on Nobody Knew She Was ThereMore from the new blog hosted by Fantasy writer Sarah Ash...

I am Jan Edwards and I write Fantasy fiction. 

It is true that I have published two mainstream fiction novels and ghostwritten non-fiction, and my latest novel will be firmly fixed in the crime sector, but when it comes to the short story I am Fantasy all the way. And by Fantasy (capital F) I do mean in its broadest sense. Within the big F I have strayed into most of the various sub-categories over the years: crime, Cthulhu mythos; fairy tales; folklore; horror; myths and legends; paranormal/supernatural; science fiction; Sherlock Holmes; steampunk; swords and sorcery; urban fantasy…

Read more on the original site here...