Kara’s Comments (group member since Jun 24, 2014)

Kara’s comments from the Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative Indie Authors Review group.

I'm currently working on a historical-fantasy series called the Ingenious Mechanical Devices, and I've put two of my books for free this week. What I'm hoping for is to get a few more reviews.

**SERIES SALE**
To celebrate everyone who is graduating, finishing the semester, or finishing grading (for the professors/teachers), I decided to put the whole series on sale. From Monday to Thursday (5/16 to 5/19), you can get the whole series for $2. Links below.
If you're so inclined, please help an indie author out and share this post.
The Earl of Brass (#1) FREE: http://smarturl.it/TheEarlofBrassIMD1
The Winter Garden (#2) FREE: http://smarturl.it/TheWinterGardenIMD2
"An Oxford Holiday" (short story) 99 CENTS: http://smarturl.it/AnOxfordHoliday
The Earl and the Artificer (#3) 99 CENTS: http://smarturl.it/EatAIMD3

Hi, everyone. From Friday 3/18 to Sunday 3/20, ALL of the books in the Ingenious Mechanical Devices series are on sale from Friday through Sunday! Get the whole series for less than $2.
The Earl of Brass (#1): FREE http://smarturl.it/TheEarlofBrassIMD1
The Winter Garden (#2): 99 cents http://smarturl.it/TheWinterGardenIMD2
"An Oxford Holiday": FREE http://smarturl.it/AnOxfordHoliday
The Earl and the Artificer (#3): 99 cents http://smarturl.it/EatAIMD3

If you're into historical-fantasy, steampunk, or period dramas, please take a moment to check them out.

Hi, everyone.
As a special Memorial Day promotion (and to celebrate marriage equality in Ireland), I have both books in my steampunk/historical fantasy series on sale for 99 cents each this weekend and Monday. Please stop by the links if you're interested:
The Earl of Brass: http://amzn.com/B00L4CWBVE
The Winter Garden: http://amzn.com/B00RU0R0YW

The Earl of Brass:
When Eilian Sorrell, a promising archaeologist and the eldest son of the Earl of Dorset, loses his arm in a dirigible crash, he fears he will face a bleak future among London's aristocracy. On a quest for normalcy, Lord Sorrell commissions a prosthetic arm but finds the craftsman is not what he seems.
After the death of her brother, Hadley Fenice takes over his prosthesis business but knows it will be an uphill battle as women are discouraged from doing man’s work. In return for building Lord Sorrell an automaton arm, he offers her a chance at freedom by following him to the Negev Desert under the guise of a man.
But what lies beneath the desert is more precious than potshards or bones. As they venture deeper, they discover a society where the path of life is not governed by gain but by passion. When imperialistic invaders come in search of a new colony to pillage, Eilian and Hadley are forced to defend their fleeting glimpse of paradise.

The Winter Garden:
Can death be conquered?
When Immanuel Winter set off to the banks of the Thames, he never thought his life would be changed forever. Emmeline Jardine, a young Spiritualist medium, drowns, but the potion given to Immanuel by his mother brings her back from the dead and irrevocably intertwines their souls.
But Emmeline and Immanuel aren’t the only ones aware of his ancestors’ legacy. Understanding the potential of such an elixir, the ruthlessly ambitious Alastair Rose knows securing the mysteries of death will get him everything he desires: power, a title, but more importantly, dominion over the dead and the living.
Unaware of what the dashing madman is capable of, Emmeline follows him deeper into a world of corrupt mediums, unscrupulous scientists, and murder. All that stands between Lord Rose and his prize is the boy who refuses to die, but both men know the key to stopping him lies within the girl who shares Immanuel’s soul.

I just "finished" the blurb for my current WIP, which is the third book in my steampunk/historical-fantasy series. I would appreciate any and all feedback, especially since blurbs seem to be the bane of my existence.

After an uneventful wedding, Hadley and Eilian Sorrell should have foreseen the trouble waiting for them at Brasshurst Hall. Eilian wants nothing more than to leave England, but at the insistence of his mother, he and Hadley travel to his abandoned ancestral home to meet his tenants. They soon find the house and the quaint neighboring village are not what they seem.
Behind a mask of good manners and gentle breeding lurks a darker side of Folkesbury. As Eilian and Hadley struggle to fit in with the village’s genteel society, they find everyone is at the mercy of Randall Nash, a mysterious man who knows every secret and seemingly appears out of thin air.
When the village blackmailer turns up dead, the Sorrells find themselves entangled in murder, theft, and intrigue with the manor at the heart of it all. Something long thought lost and buried within Brasshurst’s history has been found—something worth killing for.

Hi R,
I like your blurb, but there are two concerns I have that are rather general:
1) Is it possible to cut it down? I know it's a lot of ground to cover, but it seems like it's quite long for a blurb.
2) Is it possible to cut down on the names and titles throughout the blurb? Readers won't remember who is who, and cutting down on who you talk about probably won't take away from the overall effect of the blurb.

I take back what I said about it being a bad month. While not a spectacular month, my expanded distribution book orders came in, and for the first time my paperback sales exceeded my ebook sales.

I don't want to say good, but I'm kind of glad it isn't just me.

Same, Anthony. That's the problem I've had this month. We're between two major buying seasons: Post-Christmas Giftcard Season and Summer Reading.

Lol, that's what I was thinking. Plus, universities are wrapping up with finals and major projects, so I'm assume the millenials are busy. I know I am =/

Anyone else having an incredibly slow month in terms of sales for April?

I was thinking of doing something similar after book three of my series by putting together an anthology containing two novellas and a few short stories. Not sure how to gain a readership but a free short story can be a good incentive for someone signing up for your newsletter.

I feel that way about several authors. I absolutely hated James Joyce and can't make heads or tails of his work.

I find it funny that quite a few of us don't read the books in our genre. I write steampunk, but I rarely read it (only a few select authors) and tend to read much more historical fiction instead.

In some ways I think I step out of my comfort zone. I have gotten more comfortable about portraying sexual/sensual scenes. While writing them, I try to think of it more as choreography (physical and emotional) than sex for sex's sake, which is never is. I still don't do fan service scenes.

I tend not to venture out of genres that I read. My stories are always what I would like to read but haven't found yet. I wouldn't write a new adult romance story because I do not read new adult romances. Currently, I write historical fantasy, but I would like to pursue a series that is closer to urban fantasy in the future. It is still in the relative comfort zone, even if the contemporary world is not what I usually write about.

I just went in and changed tide to current on my MS. Makes more sense anyway.

(Just to clarify if I remember correctly, when I say taken by the tide or something like that, I just meant they were pulled along by the water. Maybe that's an Americanism).

Thanks, Christina :)

Christina wrote: "Hi Kara. I'll need to get to a computer before I can set this up. GR has some odd rules about what we can and can't do with mobile devices. If no one gets to it sooner, I'll have you set up this ev..."

It's all good, Christina. No rush.

Title: The Winter Garden

Genre: Historical fantasy/steampunk

Link: here (Look inside feature will give you the sample)


Hopefully this is big enough for a thumbnail.

Thanks, everyone =)

Hi everyone,
I wanted to let you know my second steampunk/historical fantasy novel The Winter Garden is out March today and is temporarily available for 99 cents. There are mad noblemen, a potion that can bring someone back from the dead, and a young woman who can speak to spirits. Check it out here: http://amzn.com/B00RU0R0YW An excerpt can be found here from chapter one: http://karajorgensen.com/2015/01/06/t...
You can check out the blurb here:
Can death be conquered?
When Immanuel Winter set off to the banks of the Thames, he never thought his life would be changed forever. Emmeline Jardine, a young Spiritualist medium, drowns, but the potion given to Immanuel by his mother brings her back from the dead and irrevocably intertwines their souls.
But Emmeline and Immanuel aren’t the only ones aware of his ancestors’ legacy. Understanding the potential of such an elixir, the ruthlessly ambitious Alastair Rose knows securing the mysteries of death will get him everything he desires: power, a title, but more importantly, dominion over the dead and the living.
Unaware of what the dashing madman is capable of, Emmeline follows him deeper into a world of corrupt mediums, unscrupulous scientists, and murder. All that stands between Lord Rose and his prize is the boy who refuses to die, but both men know the key to stopping him lies within the girl who shares Immanuel’s soul.

Please pass it on and spread the word.