Bert S. Lechner's Blog

Hello there! Good news!

This year (or maybe it was last year (time has dissolved over here (This parenthesis is just here so I can have three over here-> ))) I left Booksirens.

Instead, going forward I am using Google Forms for ARC signups.

If you’re interested in receiving Advanced Reader Copies of my upcoming works of cosmic horror, make sure to sign up via the link below:

ARC Signup Google Form

In terms of upcoming ARCS, I’m hoping that my next book, another collection of short cosmic horror stories, will be available in the latter half of 2025, so make sure to sign up ahead of time!

That’s all for now, but stay tuned for more book announcements (and maybe some teasers) in the future.

Happy New Year!

Well, not sure ‘happy’ is a great way to describe the year in particular: in many ways it feels like it’s going to be a doozy of a time coming up. But I’m not here to talk about that, I’m here to catch you up on what’s happened since my last post and get you up to speed on what’s coming.

Last year saw the launch of my poetry collection about surviving abuse, and I was blown away with the positive reviews the book received! While a broken vase, envenomed, has not sold all that many copies, I’m very happy with the reception, and I hope people who need hopeful messages about their healing continue to find the book in the future.

My other book, The Roots Grow Into the Earth, also hit the 500 sales milestone last year, which blew me away. I’m so excited that so many copies of this book have found their way into peoples’ hands, and I hope more people continue to give it a look.

In less fun news I’ve come to the tough decision to stop using Booksirens to distribute my ARCs, which does mean that I’ve closed an avenue to receive copies of my books for free for the time being. I’m looking for options to replace Booksirens, but for the time being if you’re looking for an ARC of any of my books the best way to get one is to send me a note on Instagram (@authorbertslechner).

For future ARC opportunities, also make sure to subscribe to this blog/newsletter thingy, as you’ll hear about any opportunities here first.

As for upcoming books, I’m hoping you won’t have to wit too long.

I currently have five release candidates for this year: that is, books that are close enough to completion that I could feasibly finish them up in the first half of the year and get them published by the end of the year. Which one (or ones) ends up being published this year is entirely dependent on which one strikes my fancy first.

I also have a top secret project that I have mentioned to only a handful of people which I’m going to begin working on in February.

Thanks for joining me here for my first newsletter/blog thing of the year. I’m admittedly awful about updating this as progress over here is often slow and riddled with roadblocks. I don’t expect to be able to provide updates on a regular schedule, but make sure to subscribe so that you can catch these updates when I post them.

Today is publication day for my poetry collection about surviving, healing from, and thriving after abuse: a broken vase, envenomed.

This book was a major change from my preferred genre and writing style, but as a survivor of abuse I felt strongly about speaking up about my experiences and sharing the healing journey.

You can find a broken vase, envenomed on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, as well as at Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and any independent bookseller that uses bookshop.org as their online storefront.

If you’re interested in reading about the healing journey, or if you’ve survived abuse and feel the need to be seen and validated, make sure to go give it a read.

It is officially time to start the final countdown for the release of my poetry collection, a broken vase, envenomed!

I am elated with the feedback I’ve gotten on this book so far. Reviews on Goodreads by the ARC readers have been overall positive, and feedback from Beta readers was overwhelmingly positive. My goal with this poetry collection about healing and thriving after abuse was to inspire hope and help others through their own healing journeys, and according to readers I have succeeded in this.

a broken vase, envenomed, releases August 6th on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at many other independent booksellers on their websites. Make sure to grab a copy or recommend it to a friend!

As for what’s coming after this poetry collection, I will be returning to horror, and there are a few different projects which are in the works: I’m not sure which of these I’ll finish first, but you can expect at least one of them to come out next year.

Happy Wednesday!

The title says it all: my upcoming poetry collection, a broken vase, envenomed, is now available for paperback pre-order on Barnes & Noble. If you are a fan of B&N please consider giving them your business.

If you have a local store near you as well, please also consider requesting that they stock this particular book, as that would help out tremendously.

Follow this link to pre-order: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-broken-vase-envenomed-bert-s-lechner/1145739975?ean=9781960086051

a broken vase, envenomed, releases August 6th, and so far early readers have agreed it’s a heartbreaking, yet hopeful, read.

Stay tuned for more information about this poetry collection as more stores roll out pre-order options.

Happy Tuesday!

I’ve decided to expand my June sale of my cosmic horror collection, The Roots Grow Into the Earth, over to Amazon!

If you get your books from Amazon you can now get a copy of my cosmic horror collection for $9, down from $10.95

Additionally, for each book sold I’ll be donating a portion of my royalties to the Trevor Project at the end of the month in support of Pride Month.

Make sure to check out The Roots Grow Into the Earth at this link here: https://www.amazon.com/Roots-Grow-Into-Earth-Collection-ebook/dp/B0CDH7XDJD?ref_=ast_author_mpb

Hello and welcome to June! This month I have a few exciting things going on, so let’s get right to them:

I’m excited to share that a short horror story of mine, Room for Two, will be releasing as part of the Curbside Curses anthology on June 25th. This anthology contains 22 stories from different indie authors, all themed around individual items obtained from a singular yard sale.

If you’d like to grab a copy of this collection make sure to check it out on Amazon, as it is available for pre-order up until its release date.

As for my existing works, I’ve been nominated for two separate Golden Scoop awards: one for my collection of occult cosmic horror, The Roots Grow Into the Earth, and one for ‘funniest promotion of a book.’

If you’re a regular reader of horror, and want to support some awesome indie authors, make sure to head over and vote at this link here (if you have read my book and choose to vote for me, I’d be honored): https://www.thesinisterscoop.com/post/voting-is-open

I have not been idle with writing my next book, as well. After the release of my poetry collection, a broken vase, envenomed, my next book is going to be another collection of short horror stories, once again set in the Universe of Roots.

So far I have written the first drafts for seven of the planned short stories, and I have at least something written for all but one of the other six stories. If you miss out on Room for Two this June, you’ll likely be able to read it in this collection as well.

There’s no planned release date for this book, but in all likelihood it will be ready for publication next year.

Last but not least, with June being Pride Month I wanted to make sure to provide what support I can to the LGBTQ+ community. At the end of June I’ll be donating 10% of my book sales to the Trevor Project, which I’ve donated to in the past and provides so many awesome resources to the LGBTQ+ community.

That’s all I have for now. Wishing all a fantastic June, and stay tuned for additional updates on what’s coming.

My next solo publication is a broken vase, envenomed: a short poetry collection about surviving, healing from, and thriving after emotional abuse, based on my own experiences as a survivor of intimate partner violence.

a broken vase, envenomed, will be releasing August 6th, 2024, in eBook and paperback formats.

The paperback edition comes with quite a few extra blank pages that I hope readers will use to create their own art. It also includes an extended introduction and an additional poem to guide readers towards adding their own contributions to the book.

Advanced Reader Copies are now available for free from Booksirens for this book, if you are interested in getting a copy early. If you do grab one of the ARCs, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and any blogs or social media accounts you manage.

You can grab your free copy of a broken vase, envenomed, here: https://booksirens.com/book/PFFJ4QS/X3TWBXZ

Additionally, a broken vase, envenomed is available for digital pre-order on Amazon, so if you’d like to grab a copy there head over to this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D344XQJW?ref_=ast_author_dp

This book comes with content warnings for suicide, abuse, and alcohol abuse.

(as of writing this there is a typo in the blurb for Amazon, which should be cleared up as soon as they approve my update request)

Exciting news!

The cover for my next book is live, and I’ve settled on a publication window! This collection of poetry is very different from the rest of my body of work: a far more personal, vulnerable piece, drawn directly from personal experience.

a broken vase, envenomed is a collection of my poetry about surviving, healing from, and thriving after emotional abuse. Writing the poems in this collection helped me so much in processing the confusing emotions that come with escaping an abusive relationship, and I wanted to share them in the hopes that it might help other people process their own emotions.

I’m planning a release during the summer of 2024 for this collection, and am currently looking for help beta reading and spreading word about the collection prior to its pre-order period and release. If this is something that interests you make sure to reach out and I’ll find a way to get an early copy of the book to you.

My newest short cosmic horror story, He Wouldn’t Say Its Name, is now available to watch on my YouTube channel! It is also embedded here in this blog and on the media page for the website.

I’ll likely be saving the publication of this story for a future release, so a physical version may not be available for a while. Until then please enjoy my live narration (and the frequent interruptions by my cats).