Sunday, February 11, 2018

Interview, Competition, & Spotlight: The Rose Thief



A little bit of everything with this one. Spotlight on The Rose Thief along with an interview with author Claire Buss and a chance to win an autographed copy.

Blurb:  Ned Spinks, Chief Thief-Catcher has a problem. Someone is stealing the Emperor's roses. But that's not the worst of it. In his infinite wisdom and grace, the Emperor magically imbued his red rose with love so if it was ever removed from the Imperial Rose Gardens then love will be lost, to everyone, forever. It's up to Ned and his band of motley catchers to apprehend the thief and save the day. But the thief isn't exactly who they seem to be, neither is the Emperor. Ned and his team will have to go on a quest defeating vampire mermaids, illusionists, estranged family members and an evil sorcerer in order to win the day. What could possibly go wrong?

Get The Rose Thief here>   http://mybook.to/rosethief


Interview:  

1. Tell us about the evolution of the Rose Thief. Where did the idea come from? How long did it take to write it?

The opening scene of Rose Thief came about during a writers workshop session where we were encouraged to free write whatever came to mind. Apparently, Ned Spinks was waiting, hanging upside down in the third best reception room. That opening scene plus 20k sat for a while in the ideas pile until NaNoWriMo 2016 when I was able to add another 50k and then began the slow editing process. The book was published in November 2017 so it took about a year and a half from idea generation to published book. I've always been a huge fan of Terry Pratchett and while I didn't set out to write a Pratchett-esque novel, it has been compared to his type of fantasy humour - a huge compliment.

2. I love this cover! How did it come about?

The cover was designed by the talented Ian Bristow. I knew I wanted Ned Spinks, Chief Theif-Catcher on the cover and his faithful sidekick Jenni, the sprite. I had some issues with my cover artwork, the original artist I hired let me down badly and at the last minute so I made a plea to a FB group I belong to for some recommendations. Ian offered his services and after a short conversation on messenger where I sent through character profiles and a brief description of Thief-Catcher HQ, he sent through some initial sketches which were perfect. I couldn't be happier with the end result.

3. Having published several books what would be your advice to a writer just beginning their author journey?

My advice would be to believe in yourself and go for it. The world of independent publishing is pretty scary when you first dip your toe in the water, however, there are lots of helpful articles and how-to guides out there. Plus other indie authors are usually happy to share their own experiences and give great advice so it's worth joining a FB group of similar genre writers. All writers go through the 'I can write, this is great stuff' and the 'What am I doing? This is the worst piece of literature in the world ever' phase. The key is to hold onto your self-belief. If you are passionate about writing, then follow your passion. It's hard work writing, editing and promoting your books but the satisfaction in being able to say, I am a writer, makes it all worthwhile.

4. What have you learned as an author that you wish you knew when you first started out?

I've learnt a lot about the self-publishing process, made mistakes with book and font sizes. I've gone wide with one book and stayed with KDP Select on another - always learning new things and figuring out what will work best for me. I went from being unpublished to having 5 books to my name on Amazon in a year so self-belief is important. It's very easy to get sucked into the social media hamster wheel and spend all your spare time maintaining your author platforms, and whilst that is important, it's not writing. It's crucial to find the right balance and keep writing. In a way, I'm glad I had to figure all this out as I went because I think it has made me a better indie author. I feel like my writing is constantly improving and I'm excited to see where it leads me. I wish I had known how much I enjoy being a writer ten years ago so I could've started this journey earlier.

5. What's next?

I'm currently working on the sequel to my first novel, The Gaia Effect. I've just finished the first rough, rough draft so now I'm gearing up to print out and figure out how many massive plot holes I have. It's not really editing at this stage. More like putting together the structure correctly. I am also planning on releasing another collection of humorous short stories in the summer called Tales from the Seaside as well as writing a couple of novellas to go with The Rose Thief. I do have several other projects bubbling away in the early stages, it's exciting, I have lots of ideas which I can't wait to explore.




Claire has a Love competition running....

My competition will run on 12th & 13th of Feb. I'll be asking what's the craziest thing you've ever done for love is and the prize will be a signed copy of The Rose Thief. I've attached a graphic that I'm going to use for the competition.

You can find and follow Claire Buss just about everywhere:





Tuesday, February 6, 2018

A Mound Over Hell by Gary Morgenstein


Here is the press release and pre-order announcement for A Mound Over Hell by Gary Morgenstein.


WHAT IF AMERICA LOST WORLD WAR THREE TO RADICAL ISLAM?
BHC PRESS TO PUBLISH GARY MORGENSTEIN’S PROVOCATIVE NEW NOVEL A MOUND OVER HELL
ON MARCH 29, 2018, LAUNCHING THE DARK DEPTHS BOOK SERIES
LIVONIA, Mich. – January, 2018 – BHC Press today announced it will publish Gary Morgenstein’s provocative new science fiction-baseball novel A Mound Over Hell (978-1-946848-01-7, 320 pp, $16.95) to launch the author’s The Dark Depths book series.
In making the announcement, BHC Press said, “This is one of the most unique novels to be published in the last fifty years, and we’re thrilled to bring Mr. Morgenstein’s vision to life.”
Morgenstein’s fifth novel is set in 2098, twenty-five years after America has been defeated by Islam. Led by Grandma, a new society has been established based on love, ethics, and honesty.
All acts of patriotism, from flying the flag to singing the National Anthem, are illegal. Social media has been banned. Religion is illegal. Children are now revered, and abortion and the use of contraceptives are capital offenses. Teachers, police, and doctors are the most trusted professions, while the entertainment industry, lawyers, and the banking industry are outlawed.
As A Mound Over Hell opens, baseball is beginning its final season—forever. The once all-American sport is now synonymous with terrorism and treason. Holograms run the bases for out-of-shape players and attendance averages fifteen spectators per game. The only ballpark left is Amazon, the once-famous Yankee Stadium. Led by baseball historian Puppy Nedick and a band of former baseball greats, baseball regains its popularity only to become a pawn between those who want peace, and those eager for another war.
“The power of speculative fiction is that it allows you to be timely while taking the reader through a window into a nightmarish future,” Morgenstein said. “Familiar, yet not. But as humanity has always done under the most terrible of circumstances, ordinary people will find the extraordinary courage to build a better world. Or at least try. For as Grandma says in her First Insight, ‘All you need is love.’ That and a baseball field.”
About Gary Morgenstein:
Gary Morgenstein’s previous novels were Jesse’s Girl; Loving Rabbi Thalia Kleinman; Take Me Out to the Ballgame and The Man Who Wanted to Play Center Field for the New York Yankees. An accomplished playwright as well, Morgenstein wrote the book for the critically-acclaimed off-Broadway sci-fi rock musical The Anthem, as well as the sci-fi musical Mad Mel Saves the World. His stage dramas are A Tomato Can’t Grow in the Bronx, Right on Target, Ponzi Man and Saving Stan. Contact him at @writergary.



About BHC Press:
BHC Press is an alternative publisher of general fiction and nonfiction hardcover, softcover, and ebooks for both YA and adults. To learn more
about Gary Morgenstein and BHC Press, visit: www.bhcpress.com.
Contact BHC Press
Joni Firestone, books@bhcpress.com
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Scheduled for a March 29, 2018 release, this book is available for pre-order now at Amazon...