Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative Indie Authors Review discussion
This topic is about
Leopard's Kin
Book market
>
Leopard's Kin - free at Smashwords
date
newest »
newest »
I'm new to the group, so hope I'm not overstepping my bounds by letting you know about a free novel of mine that's available at Smashwords here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Brief summary:
Lori Pate, newly-wedded and newly-widowed, is learning how to cope with the loss of her husband – and make a living as a horse trainer – when the cats on her farm start doing some fairly unusual things. And when her hair starts turning gray at the age of 21, a cougar shows up on the farm, and a Native Canadian stranger enters the picture shortly thereafter, Lori gets the sinking feeling her world is turning upside-down.
The stranger, Noel Tecumseh, and two of his eccentric friends soon show Lori that she’s now part of a unique club – one where snow leopards, black panthers, lynxes and others protect and guide “their humans” from both natural and supernatural dangers that threaten the gang of four. So when a group of Jaguar Knights comes to town with the intent to “clean up” the weaker parts of the human population, Noel must instruct all of them in how to direct their thoughts to evade notice.
LEOPARD’S KIN is a blend of the philosophies introduced in works such as Conversations with God and The Celestine Prophecy but is designed to appeal to a new generation of fantasy enthusiasts. While it stands alone as a novel, subsequent books will expand on the power of thought in ushering in a New Age, utilizing a variety of legends and myths of big cats from around the world.
With a 5 out of 5-star rating at Smashwords - and over 1100 copies now downloaded - I've been pretty pleased with the results. Unfortunately, I wrote the first book in this series while I was "between jobs" and now that I'm back to work full time, I've found it very difficult to dedicate the time required to the 2nd and 3rd novels. Lion's Kin - the 2nd in the series - felt rushed even to me and has gotten mediocre reviews. I'm debating now whether to yank it entirely and rewrite (adding to the length and expanding the plot) or to just carry on by working on the 3rd novel (Tiger's Kin).
Are there other writers out there who've had success with their first in a series, but fell short with their 2nd? What did you do? Thanks for the input!