Stephen Brooke's Blog: Stephen Brooke's Scribblings - Posts Tagged "book-release"
Schedules
The best laid plans can indeed run into difficulties. For example, my hopes that my latest book – whatever that might have chanced to be – would be out by the end of the first quarter of 2012, the first day of April.
It seems I was an April Fool. However, there will be a new title officially released tomorrow, May 1, from Arachis Press. Who knows, I may yet meet my goal of publishing four new titles this year, even if the first was a month late.
That doesn’t really matter, of course. New material will come out when it’s ready. In the mean time, there is a great deal else going on in my life that requires my attention.
So, the book: that would be ‘The Contrary Fairy,’ ostensibly a beginners’ chapter book. About 4000 words, spread over 11 chapters and forty pages, with 18 black and white illustrations. The pictures are all mine, naturally, and I think them adequate, considering I don’t really believe I’m that great an illustrator.
‘Fairy’ is available, as are all my titles, through The Arachis Press (http://arachispress.com and http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/arachis...). Retail price for the paperback is 6.99; the PDF runs 1.99. I have eschewed an EPUB version for this book as it is not well suited to products for small children.
What comes next? Much of that depends on how my life goes, my time spent as a caregiver, my projects in music, and so on. There will be more writing, more illustrating, more books. Just maybe not on schedule.
It seems I was an April Fool. However, there will be a new title officially released tomorrow, May 1, from Arachis Press. Who knows, I may yet meet my goal of publishing four new titles this year, even if the first was a month late.
That doesn’t really matter, of course. New material will come out when it’s ready. In the mean time, there is a great deal else going on in my life that requires my attention.
So, the book: that would be ‘The Contrary Fairy,’ ostensibly a beginners’ chapter book. About 4000 words, spread over 11 chapters and forty pages, with 18 black and white illustrations. The pictures are all mine, naturally, and I think them adequate, considering I don’t really believe I’m that great an illustrator.
‘Fairy’ is available, as are all my titles, through The Arachis Press (http://arachispress.com and http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/arachis...). Retail price for the paperback is 6.99; the PDF runs 1.99. I have eschewed an EPUB version for this book as it is not well suited to products for small children.
What comes next? Much of that depends on how my life goes, my time spent as a caregiver, my projects in music, and so on. There will be more writing, more illustrating, more books. Just maybe not on schedule.
Three Down, One to Go
My multitude of fans out there (yes, both of you) would know this already, but today marks the official release of the third novel in the DONZALO’S DESTINY saga, THE SIGN OF THE ARROW. Available in print or as ebook at Arachis Press (http://arachispress.com).
It may or may not have shown up at sundry ebook purveyors by this time — even at Amazon for those of you insist upon dealing with the Evil Entity.
Fourth and final book in the series is in the works. You must be patient.
The Sign of the Arrow
It may or may not have shown up at sundry ebook purveyors by this time — even at Amazon for those of you insist upon dealing with the Evil Entity.
Fourth and final book in the series is in the works. You must be patient.
The Sign of the Arrow
The Hand Is At Hand
Yes, THE HAND OF THE SORCERER, the fourth and final book of 'Donzalo's Destiny' is set for official release this coming December First. Expect it, however, to be available for purchase by 'Cyber Saturday.' Either way, HAND will definitely be available for ones seasonal shopping!
This book came out a tad longer than its three predecessors (THE SONG OF THE SWORD, THE SHADOW OF ASAK, THE SIGN OF THE ARROW)---where they each stand at just under 50,000 words, THE HAND OF THE SORCERER is well over 60,000. All together, this brings 'Donzalo's Destiny,' which is truly one long novel, to a bit over 200,000 words. I expect to put out an all-in-one print edition sometime before the end of next year.
This book does bring together all the subplots into some sort of resolution. But not so much that I could not revisit many of the characters (those that I didn't kill off!) in future novels. For now, I think I shall turn my attention to that mainstream novel I've had on the back burner and leave the fantasy world for a while.
THE HAND OF THE SORCERER will be available from Arachis Press (http://arachispress.com).
This book came out a tad longer than its three predecessors (THE SONG OF THE SWORD, THE SHADOW OF ASAK, THE SIGN OF THE ARROW)---where they each stand at just under 50,000 words, THE HAND OF THE SORCERER is well over 60,000. All together, this brings 'Donzalo's Destiny,' which is truly one long novel, to a bit over 200,000 words. I expect to put out an all-in-one print edition sometime before the end of next year.
This book does bring together all the subplots into some sort of resolution. But not so much that I could not revisit many of the characters (those that I didn't kill off!) in future novels. For now, I think I shall turn my attention to that mainstream novel I've had on the back burner and leave the fantasy world for a while.
THE HAND OF THE SORCERER will be available from Arachis Press (http://arachispress.com).
The Tower Released
Officially released this weekend by Arachis Press, THE TOWER is now available pretty much everywhere. This is my latest poetry collection --- my fourth chapbook of poems and my fifteenth book to be published. It can be purchased directly at:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-broo...
PDF and EPUB version are also for sale at the Arachis Press shop. Or it should be available at various retailers in both print and ebook versions. If not already at their sites, it will be appearing soon.
The next book, number sixteen, will be the second novel in my Malvern series, the sequel to COAST OF SPEARS. It should appear around the beginning of 2016 and is titled VALLEY OF VISIONS. The third and final Malvern novel, HERO FROM THE SEA, will come when I finish writing it --- which means there might be other releases before it appears.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-broo...
PDF and EPUB version are also for sale at the Arachis Press shop. Or it should be available at various retailers in both print and ebook versions. If not already at their sites, it will be appearing soon.
The next book, number sixteen, will be the second novel in my Malvern series, the sequel to COAST OF SPEARS. It should appear around the beginning of 2016 and is titled VALLEY OF VISIONS. The third and final Malvern novel, HERO FROM THE SEA, will come when I finish writing it --- which means there might be other releases before it appears.
The Eyes of the Wind
My new novel, THE EYES OF THE WIND, is officially set for release on July 15. From Arachis Press and available there and everywhere in print and ebook formats.
This fantasy novel to some degree fits into the gap between my Malvern novels and the Donzalo's Destiny sequence, chronologically (There's a pretty big gap, thousands of years, there so it is quite unnecessary to read either of those, though, of course, I wish you would!)
The long form blurb:
Young Saj only wanted to deliver his wagon-load of goods and be on his way to a new life in the South. How did he end up kidnapping a willful young noblewoman?
Or was it she who kidnapped him? He wasn’t quite sure.
Facing pirates, bandits, and sorcerers, Saj finds himself seeking the four mystic gems known as the Eyes of the Wind for a mysterious priestly order. Accompanied by Marana, who may or may not love him, and the wily wizard Xit, who may or may not be a god, his quest takes him from the sea to the mountains and into his own soul.
For Saj has powers that lie within him, powers of which he is only now becoming aware.
This fantasy novel to some degree fits into the gap between my Malvern novels and the Donzalo's Destiny sequence, chronologically (There's a pretty big gap, thousands of years, there so it is quite unnecessary to read either of those, though, of course, I wish you would!)
The long form blurb:
Young Saj only wanted to deliver his wagon-load of goods and be on his way to a new life in the South. How did he end up kidnapping a willful young noblewoman?
Or was it she who kidnapped him? He wasn’t quite sure.
Facing pirates, bandits, and sorcerers, Saj finds himself seeking the four mystic gems known as the Eyes of the Wind for a mysterious priestly order. Accompanied by Marana, who may or may not love him, and the wily wizard Xit, who may or may not be a god, his quest takes him from the sea to the mountains and into his own soul.
For Saj has powers that lie within him, powers of which he is only now becoming aware.
Waves
All is set for the publication of my new novel, WAVES, with the official release date of December 5, 2016. Print and ebook versions, of course, from Arachis Press.
WAVES is the followup to my novel SHAPER and is set in the same fictional Florida coastal town of Cully Beach. As SHAPER, it is ostensibly a 'crime' novel but that is primarily to provide a plot structure on which to hang a study of characters and relationships. I.e. if you are a fan of thrillers, WAVES is probably not your book.
The narrative follows the continued tale of 'Shaper,' Ted Carrol, surf shop owner and reluctant detective, through a troubled past and present. An old flame visits and decides to stay in Cully Beach. His lover fears to commit to the relationship for which he put aside his once-tidy lifestyle. A friend is framed and faces jail.
WAVES will stand on its own but it would help to read SHAPER first. Why not get both? :)
WAVES is the followup to my novel SHAPER and is set in the same fictional Florida coastal town of Cully Beach. As SHAPER, it is ostensibly a 'crime' novel but that is primarily to provide a plot structure on which to hang a study of characters and relationships. I.e. if you are a fan of thrillers, WAVES is probably not your book.
The narrative follows the continued tale of 'Shaper,' Ted Carrol, surf shop owner and reluctant detective, through a troubled past and present. An old flame visits and decides to stay in Cully Beach. His lover fears to commit to the relationship for which he put aside his once-tidy lifestyle. A friend is framed and faces jail.
WAVES will stand on its own but it would help to read SHAPER first. Why not get both? :)
God of Rain
It is time to announce the release of the next novel, God of Rain, coming officially on March 13 from Arachis Press. GoR is another 'fantasy-adventure,' the first of a projected trilogy set in the Mora world of my Malvern books, and a semi-sequel to those novels.
Essentially God of Rain and those that follow it will be related stand-alone tales --- there is no 'continuing story' here. Here's the official blurb:
Hito had tired of war, of knowing he would never be more than the second to the hero Aranu. It was time he sought his own destiny, to leave fighting behind and seek more. Peace, he desired, and a wife and home. If a bit of wealth came his way, too, that was to the better. But was that what he truly sought? Should there not be more?
From the Mora homeland to the jungled valley of the Gurang, from a new life as a trader to that of a Kohari prisoner, condemned to be sacrificed to the Sun Bird, his quest carries him. And does he find love, as well? Perhaps.
In Teva, the God of Rain, must he seek who he is truly meant to be. In the end, it will be Hito himself he finds, in the first novel of a new Mora Trilogy, GOD OF RAIN.
Essentially God of Rain and those that follow it will be related stand-alone tales --- there is no 'continuing story' here. Here's the official blurb:
Hito had tired of war, of knowing he would never be more than the second to the hero Aranu. It was time he sought his own destiny, to leave fighting behind and seek more. Peace, he desired, and a wife and home. If a bit of wealth came his way, too, that was to the better. But was that what he truly sought? Should there not be more?
From the Mora homeland to the jungled valley of the Gurang, from a new life as a trader to that of a Kohari prisoner, condemned to be sacrificed to the Sun Bird, his quest carries him. And does he find love, as well? Perhaps.
In Teva, the God of Rain, must he seek who he is truly meant to be. In the end, it will be Hito himself he finds, in the first novel of a new Mora Trilogy, GOD OF RAIN.
Release the Crocodile!
So, I have churned out yet another 'fantasy adventure,' officially set for release on June 3 by Arachis Press. Print and ebook, of course, having the title THE CROCODILE'S SON and following Qala the Pirate Queen, a secondary character in THE EYES OF THE WIND. A quick write, when I actually sat down to write, under three weeks to turn out something close to the final version of 60,000 words.
But that followed months of making notes and outlining and just plain thinking. Exactly how much time was involved I could not say as it was only one of several projects being developed. But I don't do the 'first draft and rewrite' bit; the kinks were worked out in that lead-up period.
Now editing and formatting and proofreading and all that stuff, which takes longer than getting a good draft. And we set a release date to make sure I work on this — while getting going on the next novel, of course.
But that followed months of making notes and outlining and just plain thinking. Exactly how much time was involved I could not say as it was only one of several projects being developed. But I don't do the 'first draft and rewrite' bit; the kinks were worked out in that lead-up period.
Now editing and formatting and proofreading and all that stuff, which takes longer than getting a good draft. And we set a release date to make sure I work on this — while getting going on the next novel, of course.
Later This Year
The latest 'fantsy adventure' has been put to bed, all edited and proofed and formatted and ready for printing and distribution. Print and ebook, as usual. This is 'Tsar of the Empty Lands,' a novel set in more-or-less the same world and time as the Malvern/Mora novels and peripherally related to them. Not necessary to read any of these books to understand the others (except the Malvern trilogy should ideally be read in order).
Here's the official back-cover blurb: Nineteen Thirty-Five, Soviet Russia. Josef Dobrov is only a soldier and wants it to stay that way, to be someone nobody notices. Some of his friends have been noticed and it did not end well for them. One of them is on the train of gulag-bound prisoners he is guarding. Not his affair, says Josef. He has no intention of getting into trouble. But high in the Urals, fate throws the young soldier into not only trouble but an whole new world, a world of savagery and beauty, danger and wonder. A world he adopts as his own, only to find it besieged by forces from without, and the woman he loves endangered and ensorcelled by those forces. Can he and the ancient and powerful sorcerer, Hurasu, stop them? Jokingly named ‘Tsar’ by his fellows, Josef becomes a man willing to step forward at last, to be seen as leader, as hero, in Tsar of the Empty Lands, a fantasy novel by Stephen Brooke.
'Tsar' will be out officially on Sept 8, from Arachis Press. There will also be a new poetry collection published before the end of the year, 'Magic,' to be released on Dec 1. Beyond that, into 2019? Nothing definite yet, but one should expect another fantasy adventure, 'The Jewels of the Elements,' which is a sequel to 'The Eyes of the Wind.' Yep, I'm keeping myself busy.
Here's the official back-cover blurb: Nineteen Thirty-Five, Soviet Russia. Josef Dobrov is only a soldier and wants it to stay that way, to be someone nobody notices. Some of his friends have been noticed and it did not end well for them. One of them is on the train of gulag-bound prisoners he is guarding. Not his affair, says Josef. He has no intention of getting into trouble. But high in the Urals, fate throws the young soldier into not only trouble but an whole new world, a world of savagery and beauty, danger and wonder. A world he adopts as his own, only to find it besieged by forces from without, and the woman he loves endangered and ensorcelled by those forces. Can he and the ancient and powerful sorcerer, Hurasu, stop them? Jokingly named ‘Tsar’ by his fellows, Josef becomes a man willing to step forward at last, to be seen as leader, as hero, in Tsar of the Empty Lands, a fantasy novel by Stephen Brooke.
'Tsar' will be out officially on Sept 8, from Arachis Press. There will also be a new poetry collection published before the end of the year, 'Magic,' to be released on Dec 1. Beyond that, into 2019? Nothing definite yet, but one should expect another fantasy adventure, 'The Jewels of the Elements,' which is a sequel to 'The Eyes of the Wind.' Yep, I'm keeping myself busy.
Old and New
Hmmm... I know I've posted at least a couple entries here since January but they seem to have disappeared. Maybe it is one of those aberrations of the internet (Aberrations of the Internet...that could be a band, couldn't it? Or something) and they'll show up again.
Be all that as it may (or may not). Everything is on course for the 'official' release of THE DICTATOR'S CHILDREN, my novel of espionage and adventure set in the Cuba, Florida, and Central America of 1948. The files for print and ebook are uploaded and, unless there are unforeseen problems, will be available before the release date of May 4. In the mean time, I've finished another fantasy adventure, THE CROCODILE GOD (book 2 of the Crocodile Chronicles and the sequel to THE CROCODILE'S SON) and have set it aside to edit further in a bit. Expect it before the end of the year. Maybe even by the end of summer.
Incidentally, I am experimenting with posting DICTATOR at WattPad. Just something to try out and see if it attracts any attention. A couple chapters a week---it should be available for sale well before I'm done with that. I know the bulk of those who use WattPad are kids but at least they read!
Finally, I was supposed to be working on a 'serious' contemporary novel but a sci-fi idea jumped up and waved its arms, calling 'Write me! Write me!' So that is what I am doing at the moment. We shall see how that goes.
Be all that as it may (or may not). Everything is on course for the 'official' release of THE DICTATOR'S CHILDREN, my novel of espionage and adventure set in the Cuba, Florida, and Central America of 1948. The files for print and ebook are uploaded and, unless there are unforeseen problems, will be available before the release date of May 4. In the mean time, I've finished another fantasy adventure, THE CROCODILE GOD (book 2 of the Crocodile Chronicles and the sequel to THE CROCODILE'S SON) and have set it aside to edit further in a bit. Expect it before the end of the year. Maybe even by the end of summer.
Incidentally, I am experimenting with posting DICTATOR at WattPad. Just something to try out and see if it attracts any attention. A couple chapters a week---it should be available for sale well before I'm done with that. I know the bulk of those who use WattPad are kids but at least they read!
Finally, I was supposed to be working on a 'serious' contemporary novel but a sci-fi idea jumped up and waved its arms, calling 'Write me! Write me!' So that is what I am doing at the moment. We shall see how that goes.
