Seventh Star Press

Firearms in Fiction

2012-01-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

Firearms in Fiction

by Terry W. Ervin II

All too often I’ve come across writers working on a short story or first novel involving a character carrying and using a firearm, and they (both the writer and the character) simply refer to it as "a gun" and "my gun."

Sure, it depends on the context. A steamy romance where the main character comments that she keeps a gun in her vanity’s drawer just in case is different than a hard-boiled mystery where a detective ventures daily into inner city neighborhoods packing heat or a heroine armed with silver bullets ready to fend off werewolves. The latter two would certainly be more intimate with the trusted firearm than would be the steamy romance character.

In the context of some stories, writers don’t even narrow the ‘gun’ used to a revolver, hunting rifle or shotgun, but they write as if the individual is competent, if not an expert with the firearm they’re carrying and using.

Quite often, upon asking a writer whose manuscript I am reviewing what type of firearm the character used in a particular scene, the response often is, “I don’t know.” That is usually followed up by, “I don’t really like guns” or “I don’t know the first thing about guns.” Then they ask, “Does it really matter?”

I think it matters. The limitations of a firearm based on the caliber or the effective range makes a difference. Can it be carried concealed and if so, where and how will that affect the character’s wardrobe? Failure to incorporate such basic knowledge could annoy, if not turn off, an entire segment of an author's the potential reading audience.

Does the writer have to own or be an expert in firearms to include them in his or her fiction? Absolutely not. But a writer, for example, who researches in great detail the layout of a city where the short story or novel’s action takes place, shouldn’t brush aside proper research on the firearms intimately involved in the action.

Online research is a good place to get the basics. Visiting a local gun store with questions will often net in-depth answers. An uncle that’s hunted whitetail deer every fall since he was thirteen could provide enough details about how a shotgun works, its recoil, types of shells, strengths and limitations to enable the prose to be both authentic and accurate. In my experience it’s a rare instance where someone balks at helping a writer with content in an area where he or she is experienced and knowledgeable. The individuals may even offer to take the author shooting, if desired, so that the author can get hands-on experience and understanding.

A little time and research effort can pay great dividends in the depth, quality, and authenticity of a writer's manuscript, the result being a more believable and enjoyable reader experience.

Did you enjoy this article? Learn more about Terry Ervin and his works at his website and blog:
www.ervin-author.com
http://uparoundthecorner.blogspot.com/

And be sure to check out Terry's outstanding fantasy novels:

Pick up Flank Hawk today! Direct Softcover and Kindle Links Below:
Softcover:

Kindle:

Pick up Blood Sword today! Direct softcover and Kindle links below:

Softcover

Kindle

not VAMPIRE: ALIEN

2012-01-18T21:54:00.000-08:00

not VAMPIRE: ALIEN

by Ren Garcia

It’s all about marketing, people. I always try to stay keen on what’s attracting people at the various shows; on what pulls folks in, what causes them to stop and foster up a conversation.

I often go to shows with my friend, fellow author Denise Verrico (Cara Mia). It’s better to go in pairs, as you’ve got a wingman to watch your back and keep your chin up. Denise writes urban horror/ vampire books. She has a furry little pillow that she brings with her that says “I Love Vampires.” I noticed that her little pillow was reasonably successful in making people stop and talk. “Oh, I just love vampires,” folks often said, bouncing up and down.

I just loooooove vampires …

And the wheels in my fiendish little Chipotle-soaked brain began to turn.

I do not write about vampires. I write about loose sci-fi fantasy and romance, lots of people fighting and wearing odd clothes in space, or wearing nothing at all as the case may be. It occurred to me that I needed to capitalize on the popularity of vampires to help attract attention–not on vampires themselves, but the word: Vampire. If I could tack up some big, proud marketing with the word VAMPIRE blasted out in lurid print, then maybe, just maybe, I could snag some of those Vampire-lovers to my table. And, then, using all the charm at my disposal, I could seduce the buggers and send them away with a League of Elder book tucked under their arm before they knew what the heck was going on. It just had to work. I just needed to figure out how to do it without libeling myself in the process.

My favorite heroine of the Temple of the Exploding Head trilogy, Lady Sammidoran of Monama, came to my rescue. Sam, all chalk white and matte black, has a rather Night-Stalking look to her. Sure, she looks an awful lot like a vampire. Of course, Sam isn’t a vampire, she’s an alien and ….

Ah … mindwave.

I had this painting done up for me by Eve Ventrue, that Teutonic Titan from Germany, of Sam and her man, Lord Kabyl. It was perfect. All I needed was a slogan. So, Sam looks lie a vampire, but she’s not. She’s an alien. So, how about using a play on words: not vampire, alien. Yes, I liked that, and, I’d strumpet it out there in gigantic, all caps text: not VAMPIRE: no, no: ALIEN.

I had Eve paint me up a second Sam/Kay pic, this time donning Sam in a pair of steampunk goggles. And, it works. People stop all the time and look at it. Getting people to stop and talk is the key to success. I had shirts made of it as well, and I sold out of them at a recent show.

So, when in doubt and you need a marketing angle, use pop culture and twist its ear a little to suit your needs. Works every time.

Bowl Naked

RG

Ren Garcia on Facebook

Ren Garcia on Twitter

Visit Ren's blog and website:
http://thetempleoftheexplodinghead.wordpress.com

http://www.theleagueofelder.com

Would you like to be introduced into Ren's literary world? Here's a couple of titles that will get you underway!:

New Cover Arts Revealed and Special Print-eBook Bundle Announced for Brotherhood of Dwarves Series

2012-01-17T14:28:00.000-08:00

Read the press release below the images!

For Immediate Release
January 17, 2012
Cover Art Revealed and Special Print-eBook Bundle Announced for Reissue of First Two Titles in The Brotherhood of Dwarves Series

Seventh Star Press proudly announces the reissues of the first two books in The Brotherhood of Dwarves series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, and Red Sky at Dawn.

To commemmorate the Seventh Star Press editions of these two titles, the publisher is offering special bundles that combine both the print and eBook versions of the books. Readers can get the first two books in this fashion, or a bundle of all three books in the series including the recently-released third title, The Fall of Dorkhun.

The Brotherhood of Dwarves and Red Sky at Dawn feature covers and illustrations from fantasy artist Bonnie Wasson. The latest artist to work with Seventh Star Press, Bonnie created and designed a new look for the first two titles that is consistent with the brand new third release.

The first two books were originally self-published by D.A. Adams and edited by Sherrie Shuler. They became strong sellers on the convention circuit and received a wave of positive reviews. The reissues were planned when D.A. came aboard Seventh Star Press for the release of his latest installment, The Fall of Dorkhun.

( interior illustrations by Bonnie Wasson for The Brotherhood of Dwarves and Red Sky at Dawn)

Living and working in East Tennessee, D. A. Adams is an established novelist, a farmer, and professor of English. He has contributed writing to literary and fine art publications, and maintains an active blog, entitled "The Ramblings of D. A. Adams".

Softcover and eBook formats will be available by mid-February, with a collectors' hardcover limited editions planned for mid-summer of 2012.

(all three covers side by side)

Those wanting to pre-order one of the special softcover-eBook bundles should visit: http://www.seventhstarpress.com/documents/books.html

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.brotherhoodofdwarves.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
email: ccjames at seventhstarpress.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Rodney's New Year's Resolutions...Two Weeks In!

2012-01-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Resolutions

I am a reviewer.

But, first and foremost, I'm a reader. As the second week of 2012 comes to a close, I sit here thinking about the choices I've made in these past two weeks, and how sometimes I don't know when to slow the hell down.

You see, I'm one of those that makes New Year's resolutions. I never used to be like that, but soon after I started writing reviews for the world to read, I realized that in order to make a name for myself and the site, I'd have to come up with a plan to optimize my time. By doing that, I would have more time to use towards reading, writing and maintaining the site. That was August of 2009.

Now, I sit here reflecting on these new resolutions for 2012, and just how far I've come since New Years Day of 2010. You see, it was then that I came up with the crazy idea to read 100 (one hundred) novels in a year. Whether I reviewed them all was a different matter. At the time I was so ambitious and ready to take on the world, that I told myself that that was exactly what I would do: I'd read 100 books and write a review for every last damn one of them, even if it killed me. Even if it meant I had no social life in 2010. I also set a goal of finding a way to optimize my time, that way I could reach my goal.

The idea came to me, after having visited horror author Brian Keene's year-end Top 10 Books of *insert year here*. In that post he mentioned that on average he managed to read 100 books or more in a year. Sometimes he fell short, but more often than not, he managed to click over, or far surpass his goal. That struck me hard. As a 19 year old who wanted nothing more than to write for a living (a dream and goal that is still with me to this day, more than ever I might add), I took those words too heart. Probably too far, if you ask me. So, I made it my New Year's resolution.

Like most people with the ambition and the drive to accomplish their New Year's resolutions, I didn't exactly make it to the end of my goal. I'd like to say that I blew it out of the freakin' water, but that would be lying, and as my momma always says: “liars go to Hell.” And seeing as I'm not very fond of Hell, I'll try not to stray too far from the truth. That year, I read 67 titles in the span of 365 days. I was working part-time, and going to school the other half of the time. Not too shabby, but it wasn't close enough.

As 2010 bled into 2011, I aimed for the same goal: read 100 novels in a year. I told myself that even if I didn't hit 100, as long as I clicked over 68 titles, I'd be happy with myself. I did better than 68, but not by much. Last year, I only managed to read a meager six titles more than the previous year. I had been working up until August, and finished school for the Spring semester before taking the Summer and Fall semesters off. I took on a new position with a company, but I still had plenty of time on my hands.

So now, with 2011 finally under wraps, I can officially say that it was another year I failed my goal. Another year where I didn't review everything that I could. The last few months of 2011, I found myself speeding through book after book, but never managed to find time to write reviews for them. I can sit here and say that I did my best, but who am I kidding? I had time. And plenty of it. I wasn't happy with myself, and I'm still not. But such is life.

It was several weeks before the end of '11, and I knew that I had blown my goal. So, I sat down and started work on a strategy for the new year. I swore to myself up and down that this year would be different that the past two. They say that the third time's the charm, and even though my OCD would argue with that, I decided to take that adage to heart. This year would be the year that I didn't do just a little better than last, no. 2012 would be the year that I would blow the past two years out of the water.

At the very least, I'd hit 100 titles read in 2012. My strategy to do this was simple: I would read a short story a day, for a year. As much as I'd like to credit this idea to myself, I can't. One evening, a little before I sat down to come up with a strategy for the new year, I had an interesting conversation with fellow writer Nicole Cushing. Throughout the evening she talked about reading a short story a day. I didn't think much of it at first, but several days later, after recounting that evening to my girlfriend over the phone, something about the concept struck my fancy. So I stored it for later analysis.

A short story a day. Five to forty-five minutes of my day where I did nothing but devote my attention to a couple of thousand words. And when they ended, I would reach my daily goal. It was genius. Not only would reading a short story a day for an entire year help me with understanding the structure and concept of writing a short story, but if done right, could very well be the catalyst I needed for surpassing my yearly New Year's resolution of reading a 100 books in a year.

“Well a short story collection/anthology isn't a novel,” you might say. Yes, you're right, but most of the anthologies and collections that litter the shelves of brick and mortar bookstores these days are as long, if not longer than your traditional 80,000 word novel. So technically they could count. And if you still want to argue about it, tough. It's my New Year's resolution, and not yours. I make the rules, thank you very much.

I told all of that to tell you this: As of the close of the second week of the year, I'll have managed to have read 14 titles, -- seven to eight of which I plan on reviewing on Sci-Fi Guys -- before the end of January. (And yes I was smiling smugly as I typed that. Hell, I'm still smiling.) Three of those titles will be short story anthologies/collections. The other eleven will be a combination of novels, novellas, trade paperback comics, and non-fiction selections.

I recently managed to recount this to a dear out of town friend of mine, who after listening tentatively replied: “Sounds like you finally managed to beat your system/goals.”

I laughed, clapped him on the shoulder, and said: “No, I finally figured out how to manage my time.”

“Well, I guess we'll see if you reach your goals or not.” He said.

I smiled, and explained to him that I'd be keeping track of everything that I read in 2012, including individual short stories, not just personally, but publicly as well, on my personal blog The Bloody Pen (insert shameless plug here: www.thebloodypen.blogspot.com/).

“So, if I fall off the wagon, or get lazy you'll now. Just think, it'll give you more reason to call me!”

~Rodney

Be sure to visit The SciFi Guys Book Review blog or add them on Twitter at the following links:
scifiguysbookreview.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/scifiguysbkrev

Rodney's personal blog and Twitter page can be found at:
The Bloody Pen
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kidstaple

Pick of the Week: Muscle Memory, by Steve Lowe

2012-01-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

Pick of the Week (#13): Muscle Memory, by Steve Lowe
(Eraserhead Press)
- Selection made by Rodney Carlstrom

The Book: Billy Gillespie wakes up one morning to discover that his junk is gone. In its place is his wife's junk. Billy is now Tina, and Tina is dead. That's because Billy's dead. His lifeless body is still in bed and empty beer bottles and a container of antifreeze litter the kitchen counter. Over the next 24 hours, Billy and an odd assortment of neighbors, all experiencing their own bouts of body switcheroo, try to figure out what happened and why. Can they do it before the Feds find Billy's body? Was it aliens that caused this, or God, or the government? And did Edgar Winter really sleep with his sheep? Pro football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw has those answers in a story that asks, What Would Kirk Cameron Do?

The Author: Steve Lowe is a former writer with the South Bend Tribune, and occasional stringer for the Associated Press. He also writes weird, dark, humorous fiction which contains just slightly more made-up content than his short stories. His first book, MUSCLE MEMORY, was published in 2010 by Eraserhead Press. His short fiction has appeared in the print anthologies AMAZING STORIES OF THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER, A HACKED-UP HOLIDAY MASSACRE, and DEAD BAIT, and several online venues including Three Crow Press and Unicorn Knife Fight.

The Publisher: Founded in 1999, Eraserhead Press is an independent publishing company with a focus on Bizarro Fiction, with an aim to bring you the weirdest most fun to read books you'll ever find. For more information about Bizarro Fiction visit: www.bizarrocentral.com

My Comments: In short fiction, it takes a lot to find the right words, or for that matter the proper way to convey a story. Limitations help to prove the authors abilities, and quite honestly, short fiction is the determining factor for me when it comes to a new author. If they can successfully pull of a short story, novella, or novelette and leave me wandering, or thinking hard after finishing it, then they get my stamp of approval. And more times than not, I end up going back that authors stuff, in every capacity available.

Steve Lowe is now one of those authors. From the get-go, reading the synopsis for the novella, it just sounded awesome. In a world where it seems tropes are the common thing; overdone and horribly at that, it's nice to see an author able to take an old favorite and breath new life into it. Steve does this brilliantly in Muscle Memory, with the Ol' Switcheroo. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Freaky Friday; Like Father, Like Son, and Vice-Versa, and then take those and flip 'em on their heads. Throw in a dash of government conspiracy, aliens, male breast feeding,and a talking sheep, and you've got Muscle Memory.

When he's not pulling on your heartstrings, he's making you laugh your ass off. And he does a remarkable job of both with believable characters, and a populated town that took me back in time to my hometown; very recognizable people that just added a whole other layer of down-right hilarity to the mix.

-Rodney

So make Muscle Memory, by Steve Lowe(Eraserhead Press) the SSP Blog Pick of the Week!

Pick up Muscle Memory today! Direct softcover and Kindle links below:

Softcover

Kindle Edition

Happy New Year! Call For Submissions for SSP's First Anthology!

2012-01-01T17:38:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! We're hitting the ground running in 2012 without delay! We are proud to announce our first anthology project, to be edited by Joshua Leet! The window is now open for submissions. Please read the information below for further details.

For Immediate Release
January 1, 2012

Seventh Star Press Announces Call For Submissions For New Fantasy Anthology

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce a call for submissions for an exciting new anthology to be edited by Joshua Leet, entitled The End Was Not the End: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales.

The stories can be up to 10,000 words in length, and must be set within a setting ranging between ancient worlds, like the Sword and Sorcery Hyborean Age of Robert E. Howard, to medieval settings like those found in many epic fantasy series. Timed appropriately for 2012, the anthology will focus on the aftermath of an apocalypse.

The stories can have any style or feature any Earth culture-inspired background, such as the more commonly encountered european-based knights and wizards, to Viking sagas, Russian folklore, Chinese wuxia, Japanese samurai, and Native American environments, just to name a few. The apocalypse itself can be whatever suits the writer, be it magical catastrophe, plague, monster horde, the death of gods, etc. It can include modern catastrophes that precipitated regression in technological level to a medieval or ancient world type level. The stories should have a serious overall tone, and can range from action-driven to tales with a darker edge.

The concept for the anthology was first pitched by Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer, who writes the Fires in Eden series (epic fantasy) and the Rising Dawn Saga (epic-scale urban fantasy). Joshua Leet expressed a desire to serve as the editor of Seventh Star Press' first anthology project, and worked with Stephen to solidfy the project concept. The project represents Stephen's first as a commissioning editor.

Joshua is currently serving as the editor for Sela, the forthcoming second book in the Leland Dragon Series by Jackie Gamber, as well as the newest Gorias La Gaul adventure from Steven Shrewsbury, titled Overkill. Joshua is not only an editor, but is also an author, whose credits include the recently released historical work Civil War Lexington, Kentucky: Bluegrass Breeding Ground of Power, co-authored with Karen Leet, as well as business projects such as two volumes he co-authored in the Compliance and Ethics field. Joshua's love for the fantasy genre and range of technical literary expertise promises to bring forth a debut anthology of outstanding quality for Seventh Star Press.

Submissions must be in by midnight on July 1, 2012. Provide a cover letter, and use standard manuscript format. RTF or Word Documents preferred for the file format. Communications and submissions should be directed to Joshua by email, using the address Joshua (at) seventhstarpress.com

The agreement on accepted stories will be for first print and digital rights, with exclusivity for one year from date of publication. After this time, authors are free to re-sell their stories in other markets. The stories need to be original works, and no previously published characters or properties will be accepted.

The anthology is planned for release in eBook, limited hardcover, and softcover formats in the 4th quarter of 2012. A royalty pool will be generated on print and eBook sales, at a rate of 10% royalties for print, and a rate of 50% royalties for eBooks, with each included story having an equal share of the royalty pool. Royalty statements and payments will be made biannually. All included authors will receive a complimentary trade paperback copy of the anthology.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com,

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Seventh Star Singles: An innovative new eBook line!

2011-12-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Seventh Star Singles! It is an exciting and creative approach to eBooks involving the writers of various series with us. Steven Shrewsbury has two new Gorias La Gaul Adventures, and Stephen Zimmer has three new tales set in Ave (of the Fires in Eden Series) and one new one from the world of the Rising Dawn Saga.

They are just 99 cents, and available now on Kindle (Nook should be available by this evening).

The stories are stand-alone tales, but they offer more material to the fans of the various series.

Steven Shrewsbury's new collection is called Blood and Steel: Legends of La Gaul

Stephen Zimmer's are titled the Chronicles of Ave and the Annals of the Rising Dawn.

Expect these collections to grow in the months to come!

The full press release can be found here:
http://seventhstarpress.com/documents/press_releases.html

And for a breakdown of the first six eBook short stories, visit here: http://seventhstarpress.com/documents/seventh_star_singles.html

Pick of the Week: Blood Sword, by Terry W. Ervin II

2011-12-06T12:47:00.001-08:00

Pick of the Week (#12): Blood Sword, by Terry W. Ervin II
(Gryphonwood Press)
-Selection made by Stephen Zimmer

The Book:The Necromancer King has been defeated and his surviving forces are in retreat. But a new threat marches against the Kingdom of Keesee, promising destruction. Scouting along the western frontier, Flank Hawk and Grand Wizard Seelain discover an army massing, the army of Fendra Jolain, Goddess of Healing. Weakened and battle weary, Keesee and her allies cannot withstand Fendra Jolain's powerful army of men and beasts arrayed against them. One hope of survival remains: Retrieve the Blood Sword from the immortal Colonel of the West and bring its sinister strength to the battlefield. To accomplish this end, Flank Hawk accompanies Grand Wizard Seelain as she leads a mission across land and sea. Together they find new allies while confronting new foes, learning that the war ravaging Keesee is part of a larger struggle whose roots stretch back to the First Civilization's Fall. If the Blood Sword can be obtained, it must be done quickly. Every day means more death for the defenders of Keesee. Every day is one day closer to utter defeat. Even if Flank Hawk can deliver the Blood Sword to King Tobias's hand in time, will the malevolent blade's magic be enough?

The Author: Terry W. Ervin II is an English teacher who enjoys writing Fantasy and Science Fiction. He is an editor for MindFlights, a guest columnist for Fiction Factor and is the author of two novels and over two dozen short stories and articles. Flank Hawk was his debut novel. When Terry isn't writing or enjoying time with his wife and daughters, he can be found in his basement raising turtles. To contact Terry, or to learn more about his writing endeavors, visit his website at www.ervin-author.com.

The Publisher: Founded in 2004 as a fantasy print/webzine, Gryphonwood Press publishes speculative fiction novels in print, including epic and modern fantasy, sci-fi, steampunk, and adventure with a touch of the supernatural. Gryphonwood is committed to introducing talented new voices to the field of speculative fiction. The roster of Gryphonwood Press includes authors such as David Wood, Jim Bernheimer, Terry W. Ervin II, and Sherry Thompson. Visit Gryphonwood Press on the web at http://www.gryphonwoodpress.com

My Comments: Blood Sword is simply an outstanding fantasy novel. Terry Ervin is really developing something very special with his First Civilization's Legacy series. I should say right away that the book would work well as a stand alone or in conjunction with his first novel, Flank Hawk (which is also the nickname of a main character in the series). As in his first novel, Terry weaves in a number of mythical creatures, putting his own stamp on each of them. From Centaurs to Griffins, and some very nasty sea creatures, there is much to encounter around every turn as Flank Hawk and his companions go on a very harrowing journey. The Necromancer of the first book was a great adversary, but Blood Sword ratchets up things up even more with a new, very powerful enemy. There is a really nice balance between action and character development. Some of the characters, like Lilly, really grow on you, and Terry has a knack for making them live and breath. Blood Sword is a tremendous installment in one of the most inventive and compelling fantasy sagas I have read in years.

-Stephen

So make Blood Sword by Terry W. Ervin II (from Gryphonwood Press) the SSP Blog Pick of the Week!

Pick up Blood Sword today! Direct softcover and Kindle links below:

Softcover

Kindle

Spec the Halls: Holiday Season Charity Project

2011-11-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

Today, we are passing along a guest post from Steven Saus, regarding a new charity project he is involved in. Steven is an author, teacher, and operates independent eBook services, and is one of the good guys of the small press/self-publishing world. We hope you give this project a look!
thanks,
Stephen Z

Spec the Halls

My name is Steven Saus; I'm an author and publisher. I run Alliteration Ink, where I both publish original work and also provide publishing services. This year, I've taken up the mantle of running Spec The Halls from Abra Staffin-Wiebe. There's both a writing contest and a charity fundraiser. Right now, I'm doing a bit of a blog tour to support the fundraiser; each entry talks about something different, so you'll want to stop by them all. You can see a full linklist of the guest posts at specthehalls.tumblr.com and read more about the whole project (and get the charity eBook) at specthehalls.com.

I've already been asked a few times why Spec The Halls is only going to be available in digital formats.

First, I want to point out that if you get the eBook from our website, not only will more of the purchase price be going to charity, but you'll get more formats. You will get a PDF as well as the ePub (iBooks, nook, Kobo, Sony) and Kindle formats. Basically, if you have a computer, you'll be able to read it.

Second, it means that more of the money can go to charity. If I printed the book (about 150 pages if you made it a trade paperback size), it would cost a few dollars a book - and that's not counting what the retailers take. Because the authors donated the stories, Kathleen Tennant donated the cover art, and I do eBook conversions myself, there are neither up-front or per-unit costs. More money for Heifer International!

Third, this eBook is only available for a short time for the fundraiser. When the fundraiser is over, I won't have excess inventory to worry about!

Finally, digital distribution means that we can do innovative things with the book - like accepting reciepts for donations that people make on their own instead of requiring people to pay me directly.

It's that kind of flexibility that made it obvious that this project required digital-only distribution.

This year's edition of Spec The Halls is only available for a limited time, so act quickly to get your copy!

Small Business Saturday-New Books Available!

2011-11-26T05:36:00.000-08:00

Today is Small Business Saturday in the United States, a day in which shoppers are encouraged to support the independent, more localized business. A small press definitely falls under the category of a small business, so we hope you will give our titles a look today, whether you pick up an eBook on Kindle or Nook, order a softcover on Amazon.com, or pick up something from our own online store.

We have two brand new releases available now in Kindle, Nook, and softcover. The pricing on our eBooks, as always, is just $2.99.

If you like urban fantasy, we have Angelkiller, Book One of the Angelkiller Triad, from H. David Blalock.

Kindle Link for Angelkiller

If you like fantasy, we have The Fall of Dorkhun, from D.A. Adams, the latest in his Brotherhood of Dwarves series.

Kindle Link for The Fall of Dorkhun

Both books feature some outstanding interior artwork, Angelkiller's was done by Matthew Perry and The Fall of Dorkhun's was done by Bonnie Wasson.

Give one of our titles a look today as one of your gift purchases.

Like YA Fantasy? Try Jackie Gamber's Redheart
Like Sword and Sorcery? Try Steven Shrewsbury's Thrall
Like epic fantasy? Try Stephen Zimmer's Fires in Eden Series (Crown of Vengeance, Dream of Legends)
Like horror? Try Michael West's Cinema of Shadows
Want to try epic-scale urban fantasy? Try Stephen Zimmer's Rising Dawn Saga (The Exodus Gate, The Storm Guardians, and The Seventh Throne)

Every one of them can be found in softcover, Kindle, Nook, on the iBookstore, and at other eReader vendors. A few still have some limited edition hardcovers left at the Seventh Star Press online store

We hope you will participate in Small Business Saturday, and pick up a nice gift from Seventh Star Press!

A Thank You to Our Readers

2011-11-24T09:17:00.001-08:00

With the holiday week, we won't be having our Pick of the Week or featured blog post, both of which will resume next week.

We do want to take a moment, in light of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, to say a few things to you, our readers.

We are always grateful to you, an appreciate each and every time you share a link, tell a friend, or buy a book from one of our authors. You come first with us, as authors and publishers cannot exist without you. You are the reason we are here, and we want you to know that we put every ounce of resource, time, and effort into bringing you the best books that we can.

As we grow, you can expect even more, as we strive to always improve in what we are able to offer you. Publishing is one of the hardest industries, in the midst of a very difficult time economically, but your support helps us to move forward and support our authors in every way we are able.

Just know that every time you pass a link, make a post, put up a review on Amazon.com or a similar outlet, or buy a book or other item related to Seventh Star Press, we deeply appreciate it.

Thank you!

An Emerging Issue With Online Book Ratings: The No-Review Review, and Non-Book Related Rating

2011-11-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

An Emerging Issue With Online Book Ratings: The No-Review Review, and Non-Book Related Rating
by Frank Hall

There is an increasing problem that needs to be dealt with soon. Unfortunately, I am not sure what to do about it. It's been happening for years, but now that ebooks are really coming into the fold, it's becoming more and more of a problem.

Stephen King's newest book just came out. Now, this is Stephen King I am using as an example, so I know that he is not going to be hurt by bad reviews. As of right now there are 10 reviews that are 1 star reviews on Amazon. Of those, 9 are just complaining about the price of the ebook.

We license people to drive cars. If you don’t have a license, you can't drive a car. We do this because if you can't drive, you can hurt yourself or others. Maybe we need to license people to use the internet. Now this has been a running joke for a while, but I think it is something that might need to be done. Maybe not a license for the entire internet, but maybe websites like amazon should put a hold on people's accounts like most forums do. For the first 6 months, everything you post will be reviewed before it is actually posted.

Like I said, Stephen King is not going to get hurt by a bad review. But what about all of the indie authors out there that only get a small amount of reviews? What about someone who is not reviewing the book, but making a comment about how Amazon took three days instead of two to ship them their book, or the fact that the Publisher has set the ebook price at 8.99, and that is way too much to pay for an ebook. A single bad review wont kill someone like getting behind the wheel of a car might, but it will damage an indie author's sales and their ability to make a living.

The world has gone digital. We are a digital society, and we need to start putting common sense, and at least some guidelines in place in cyberspace, like we would in real life. Like I said, I am not sure what the solution is, but we need to work on finding one.

UPDATE (as I finished this blog post): There are now 14 reviews of Stephen King's book, 3 of which have actual reviews of the book.

--Frank Hall
Owner of That Book Place and Hydra Publications

Visit the sites for That Book Place and Hydra Publications:

www.thatbookplace.com
www.hydrapublications.com

Pick of the Week: Crab Town, by Carlton Mellick III

2011-11-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

Pick of the Week (#11): Crab Town, by Carlton Mellick III
(Eraserhead Press)
-Selection made by Rodney Carlstrom

The Book:In this town, everyone's a bottom feeder...

Five desperate criminals are robbing one of the last remaining banks in Freedom City, a town devastated by the previous nuclear war. But these are no ordinary criminals. They are members of the House of Cards, an organization designed to help the less fortunate citizens of the city. In a place where the poor are separated from the rich, jobs are as scarce as clean water, and even the doctors are as corrupt as the politicians, the House of Cards are a final beacon of hope in an otherwise hopeless world.

Featuring: radiation fetishists, balloon people, mutant crabs, sail-bike road warriors, and a love affair between a woman and an H-Bomb. This is one mean asshole of a city.

Welcome to Crab Town

The Author: Carlton Mellick III is one of the leading authors in the new Bizarro genre uprising. Since 2001, his surreal counterculture novels have drawn an international cult following despite the fact that they have been shunned by most libraries and corporate bookstores. He lives in Portland, OR, the Bizarro fiction mecca.

Visit the author's site at: wwww.carltonmellick.com

The Publisher: Founded in 1999, Eraserhead Press is an independent publishing company with a focus on Bizarro Fiction, with an aim to bring you the weirdest most fun to read books you'll ever find. For more information about Bizarro Fiction visit: www.bizarrocentral.com

To visit the publisher's site, visit: www.eraserheadpress.com/

My Comments: Crab Town was my first foray into the messed up mind of Carlton Mellick III, and I enjoyed every single sentence of it! I originally picked Crab Town up because of it's awesome cover, and then fell in love with it after reading the synopsis for it.

With Crab Town, Mellick has managed to pack 85 pages with as many ideas as possible, without taking away from the story. Each page pops with two to three concepts that Mellick manages to blend together so well, without taking the reader out of the ridiculousness of it. (After the first few pages, your mind quickly realizes and adjusts to all of the crazy, twisted ideas of the story.)

It doesn't take much to trip my trigger, and immediately upon opening the book, several things jumped out at me that grabbed my attention: crime (the House of Cards, a crime organization created to help the less fortunate), crustecians (for which a specific part of town is named after), post-apocalyptic setting (Crab Town takes place after a nuclear war), and the novella length format (short enough to enjoy in only a few sittings, but long enough to get a full story). And ultimately it's a story of people who have nothing, trying to help others who are in the same situation, told each chapter from a different main character's point of view. Add to it the fear of debt and the extremes that people will go to in order to demolish such a burden from their shoulders, and you have Crab Town.

Not only is the cover art beautiful, but the genesis of the novella was brilliant, and I'm glad all the more for picking this quick read up based solely off of the cover art. If you've got a taste for the strange, weird or bizarre, or you're unsure of what Bizarro is, then check out www.bizarrocentral.com.

~Rodney

So make Crab Town the SSP Blog Pick of the Week!

Pick up Crab Town today! Direct softcover and Kindle links below:

softcover

Kindle

Seventh Star Press Announces Legacy of the Gods, the New Urban Fantasy Series from Michael West

2011-11-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

For Immediate Release
November 15, 2011

Seventh Star Press Proudly Announces New Four Book Urban Fantasy Series From Michael West

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce Legacy of the Gods, an exciting new urban fantasy series from Michael West that begins with Poseidon's Children. Four titles are scheduled in the series. The award-winning horror author's foray into urban fantasy is his second series with Seventh Star Press, joining his Harmony Indiana novels in a schedule that will see two books a year released from the prolific author.

Poseidon's Children has already received high praise from Maurice Broaddus, whose series, The Knights of Breton Court, has been making big waves in the urban fantasy world. As Maurice commented, “Poseidon’s Children is some of Michael West’s best writing and storytelling!”

As with all Seventh Star Press novels, the books will feature interior artwork, with covers and illustrations being done by acclaimed fantasy/horror artist Matthew Perry. His artwork appears in other Seventh Star Press releases from Jackie Gamber, H.David Blalock, Stephen Shrewsbury, and Stephen Zimmer.

"This has been an epic story that I have been passionate about for a long time, an idea that would not let go of my brain, it just kept growing, and growing, demanding that I start writing it all down,” Michael said in regards to the upcoming series. “I've talked about wanting to do this series for years, and my faithful readers kept asking me, 'When are you going to do that? When is it coming out?' Well, I'm happy to say that the answer is now, and I am so pleased that Seventh Star Press has given me the opportunity to finally make this dark, horrific, fantastical dream a reality."

In Poseidon's Children, man no longer worships the old gods; forgotten and forsaken, they have become nothing more than myth and legend. But all that is about to change. After the ruins of a vast, ancient civilization are discovered on the ocean floor, Coast Guard officers find a series of derelict ships drifting in the current--high-priced yachts and leaking fishing boats, all ransacked, splattered in blood, their crews missing and presumed dead.

And that's just the beginning.

Vacationing artist Larry Neuhaus has just witnessed a gruesome shark attack, a young couple torn apart right before his eyes ... at least, he thinks it was a shark. And when one of these victims turns out to be the only son of Roger Hays, the most powerful man in the country, things go from bad to worse. Now, to stop the carnage,Larry and his new-found friends must work together to unravel a mystery as old as time, and face an enemy as dark as the ocean depths.

Michael West is a fast rising force in the speculative fiction world. His work includes novels such as The Wide Game (Graveside Tales), Cinema of Shadows (Seventh Star Press) and a single author collection, Skull Full of Kisses (Graveside Tales). He also has an array of short fiction published, spanning many magazines and anthologies, including appearances in Shroud Magazine, and the Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest.

Amanda DeBord will be handling editing duties on Poseidon's Children and the other three Legacy of the Gods titles.

"Seventh Star Press is simply amazing to work with,” Michael commented. “They know good fiction, put out hardcover, paperback, and eBook editions of the highest quality, and they support their authors and releases more
than any other publisher in the business. I could not be happier to be working with them on my Harmony, Indiana books and now the Legacy series."

The projected release date window for Poseidon's Children is March of 2012, with versions released in limited hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, such Kindle, iPad, the Nook, and Sony/Sony compatible eBook reading devices. The second novel is slated for spring of 2013, with other titles to follow on an annual basis.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com, or at the author's site, www.bymichaelwest.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
email: ccjames at seventhstarpress.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

New Angelkiller Video Trailer

2011-11-13T20:39:00.001-08:00

Here's a brand new video trailer for the H. David Blalock novel Angelkiller, Book One of the Angelkiller Triad from Seventh Star Press.

There are still limited hardcover packages available for pre-order for about the next week and a half. Only 75 will be issued of this first limited hardcover edition of the exciting new urban fantasy series. Be sure that you get one of these sharp editions! Visit the online store today!

For the Self-Published: The Do-and-Do-Not's on How to get Reviewed

2011-11-12T03:10:00.000-08:00

For the Self-Published: The Do-and-Do-Not's on How to get Reviewed
-by Rodney Carlstrom

Okay, so you've written a novel. Now, let's assume that you're capable of holding it in your hands, or you've received the finished product; whether it's dead tree or space on your hard-drive. The next step is getting it into the hands of readers. Obviously, the strongest form of marketing is word of mouth. That's where people like myself (a reviewer), come into play.

For those who might not know, or are interested from a reviewer's perspective, here are some ways to avoid getting your work ignored, badly reviewed, or discarded.

Most people who run review sites have a set of rules they follow. Before you decide to up and send said site your book for reviewing, make sure that they take self-published works, and that your novel fits the bill for the specified genres that they are willing to review. If you're novel fits the bill for the site, the next step is to contact the person(s) who run it.

Every site should have some form of contact information available to visitors. If there isn't, then the next best way to contact the reviewer is by leaving a message, whether it be in the response section to a recent post, or, for the desperate, hunting them down on Facebook (which might seem stalkerish. Do this at your own risk).

Some would recommend that you use a form letter if you decide to contact more than a handful of reviewers. Others would suggest writing the initial letter so that each is authentic and personal. To me it doesn't matter, although I can tell instantly which one is used. This might matter to some reviewers, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just as long as you hit the main points: who you are, the title of your book, what it's about, if it's part of a series, and your interest in sending them a copy to review. Whichever method you decide to go with, make sure it's professional and courteous.

Once initial contact has been made, and a decision has been finalized in regards to the delivery of your novel, send your work forth to be devoured by hungry and objective eyes.

This next bit is crucial. For no reason should you do any of the following:

-Send a manuscript of your novel. Unless the reviewer specifies that it's alright to do so, don't. Not even if you've only released your novel in e-book form.

-Consistently e-mail or contact the reviewer to see if they've read your book yet, or to get their thoughts on it. Wait. Sooner or later you're going to find out, that's the whole point of a review. And by constantly contacting the reviewer you will not only make them annoyed, but it could very well land you with no review to speak of. Now, if it's been awhile, and you haven't heard anything about your book, then it's okay to send an inquiring e-mail. Otherwise, don't worry.

-And when the review does surface in regards to your work, even if it's a negative review, post it. Any publicity is good publicity.

-Don't argue with the reviewer, because ultimately what they've written in regards to your novel is their own opinion. They're just one person. If it upsets you, then too bad, grow thick skin and move on.

If you can manage to follow these steps, and avoid pissing the reviewer off, then you're set to get feedback and publicity for your newest piece of work.

~Rodney

Be sure to visit The SciFi Guys Book Review blog or add them on Twitter at the following links:
scifiguysbookreview.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/scifiguysbkrev

Rodney's personal blog and Twitter page can be found at:
The Bloody Pen
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kidstaple

Pick of the Week: Choices Meant for Gods, by Sandy Lender

2011-11-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

Pick of the Week (#10): Choices Meant for Gods, by Sandy Lender
(ArcheBooks Publishing)
-selection made by Stephen Zimmer

The Book:Not even the gods noticed when Chariss was born with the mark of The Protector. Now she and her wizard guardian seek shelter from a mad sorcerer in a household not just full of secrets and false hope, but watched by the god who will unwittingly reveal her role in an impending war.

When an orphan sets aside a lifetime of running and fear to accept the responsibilities of guarding an arrogant deity, can she face the trials in the prophecies she uncovers? Will Nigel Taiman of her latest refuge dare to use his dragon heritage to bind her to his estate or to help her in her duty?

The Author:Fantasy enthusiasts will recognize Sandy Lender as the author of the breakout novel Choices Meant for Gods and a leader of workshops on world-building and characterization. Her four-year degree in English and seventeen-year career in magazine publishing augment her book publishing experience for a variety of presentations.

Learn more about Sandy at www.authorsandylender.com

The Publisher: ArcheBooks Publishing is an independent commercial trade publisher of original Hardcover Editions, our own proprietary paperback ArcheBookZine, and eBooks (PDF and Kindle).

Visit their site at: http://www.archebooks.com

My Comments: Choices Meant for Gods was Sandy Lender's first novel, and what a debut novel it was! Well-written, imaginative, and full of diverse, distinctive characters, the novel is the first of the "Choices" trilogy.

Chariss is a very strong heroine, and is complimented very well by Nigel Taiman, who she becomes very inclined towards later in the story. It is a world where gods walk the earth in human form, a pantheon containing an array of individuals with different personalities and interests. Anyone familiar with Roman, Greek, or Norse gods will easily connect with these characters. On the other side of the equation is Jamieson Drake and Julette, a dragon who walks the earth in human form. The conflict between the two villains make for a very interesting element within the book. Overall, it is a fantastic book that readers of fantasy and those who enjoy myths about Roman/Greek-style pantheons.

-Stephen

So make Choices Meant for Gods the SSP Blog Pick of the Week.

Pick up Choices Meant for Gods Today! Direct hardcover and Kindle links below:

Hardcover:

Kindle:

Advice on Three Things Authors Can Bring a Blog Site That Are Good For Both

2011-11-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Advice on Three Things Authors Can Bring a Blog Site That Are Good For Both
by Stephen Zimmer

One of the best avenues for authors of all levels, major press, small press, and self-published, for raising awareness is the growing literary blogosphere. In every genre, there are growing numbers of active bloggers that cover new releases, do reviews, interviews, and much more.

Obviously, authors want reviews of their books, and this is a primary focus of most of these blog sites. Most blog reviewers, after publishing a review on their own blog, will cross-post the review to other highly important sites for authors such as Amazon.com, Goodreads, Shelfari, Barnes and Noble, and others.

But beyond the reviews, there are three areas in which an author can participate with a blogger, each of which is of direct benefit to the blogger and their site. These are; interviews, giveaways contests, and guest posts by the author.

The three areas also provide an opening for an author on a blog that is not accepting new reviews, due to having a large TBR (To-Be-Read) pile. As many sites are deluged with new books from publishers of all sizes, the authors that have the flexibility to participate in each of the three areas raises the chances for increasing the number of blogs they are exposed on.

Let's take a look at the trio, one by one:

1. The Interview. Blog reviewers will conduct interviews in a variety of ways. I have experienced some that send you a question at a time, almost like an ongoing conversation (such as one I did on the blog site of author Terry Ervin, writer of Flank Hawk). Others will send you a standard list of questions, and still others will customize the interview to you.

A few reviewers will want to read your book before doing an interview, but many do not have such a policy. This provides a nice opening for the blogger and you to get to know each other a little better before they read your work.

My advice regarding interviews is to work to make them conversational in tone. Do not worry about making them “formal” or perfect, literary-wise. It is tempting to do that, since it is a written interview. Just keep in mind it is not an essay, but an interview for a potential or current reader to learn more about you. Try to keep the tone similar to how you would be on a radio or podcast interview. This will make it more interesting, and it will also allow for more of your personality to be reflected.

When doing multiple interviews, you will sometimes come across similar questions. Answer them uniquely, as they happen, and do not “cut and paste” answers from early interviews where you responded to a similar question. While your answers might ultimately be quite similar when addressing similar questions, it is disingenuous to cut and paste responses. Providing unique answers shows proper respect to both the blogger and the reviewer, and you just may discover that you put a few different things into the responses that give your readers more to glean about you.

2. The Giveaway Contest: Giveaway contests are fantastic ways to expose yourself to new potential readers, as everyone likes the idea of winning prizes, or getting something for free. An author always has to take cost into account, as with most blog sites, the author is responsible for mailing the winner their book (the blog will typically just email you the winner's mailing address).

The cost for an author in postage and mailer will often be close to the cost of the book itself, in regards to a trade paperback of around 250-300 pages. Be careful of taking on too many prizes and contests, as things can add up in a hurry. Ebook giveways are a less costly option, as even gifting a Kindle edition is fairly inexpensive, and ePubs are free.

My advice regarding giveaways is to make the most out of them, especially in terms of building up your social networks. Most blog sites will have a system for allowing extra entries into the contest if the participant joins the author's own blog, Facebook page, twitter site, etc. A contest can result in several new adds to each of your social networking pages, which definitely does not hurt in terms of promoting your work. The blog sites will also often allow extra entries if the participant puts a Facebook post up or tweets about the contest, which puts the author's name out there even more.

Make use of these tools to maximize the benefits of sponsoring a giveaway contest on a blog site. The blogger will appreciate your participation too, as they won't mind being able to offer their readers some perks in the way of free books.

3. The Guest Post. Guest posts are a great way for potential readers to get to know you, as well as providing rich new content for the blog site, something a blogger will really appreciate. Some bloggers will suggest a topic to write about, and others will leave things wide open. Just be sure to stick to any parameters you are given, in terms of word count, and if you are given a topic, stay on it. If you are not given a topic, I suggest to try to get an idea of what the blogger's readership might enjoy, perhaps covering something relating to the genre of the site that has not been used in a post as of yet.

My advice regarding guest blog posts is to try and make them either very useful, or very interesting, such that readers will be tempted to share the link via Facebook or Twitter, maximizing your exposure. Give readers a reason to dive into your post. Do not forget to include links at the end of your post for your own website, Facebook page, etc. Give readers every way to find you, even if you have multiple links/social networks. Not all readers are on every social network.

The blogosphere is a fantastic place to raise awareness and secure interviews. It is growing larger by the moment, both in size and importance as eBooks increase in market share. Do not hesitate to reach out to bloggers, and explore ways to engage of activities that are of mutual benefit. Interviews, contests, and guest posts bring content of interest to a blogger's readership, while also promoting you and your work. Treat each instance uniquely, conduct yourself professionally, and you'll find yourself making headway without spending a large amount of money, never a bad thing for the typically cash-strapped author!

-Stephen Zimmer

To find out more about Stephen or connect with him, visit the following:

Stephen's Website
Facebook Page
Twitter Page
Blog Site
and also on Google+ and GoodReads

SSP's Latest Release, The Fall of Dorkhun by D.A. Adams, Cover Art and Hardcover Offer Unveiled!

2011-10-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release
November 1, 2011
D.A. Adam's The Fall of Dorkhun, Book Three of the Brotherhood of Dwarves Series, Unveiled with Limited Edition Hardcover Offer

Seventh Star Press proudly announces The Fall of Dorkhun, Book Three of the Brotherhood of Dwarves series by D.A. Adams.

The Fall of Dorkhun is now available for pre-order in both limited edition hardcover and softcover versions, both of which include special packages of collectibles. The limited edition hardcover run of 75 signed and numbered copies marks the newest addition to a growing line of affordable, high quality hardcover editions published by Seventh Star Press. The limited edition hardcover features an exclusive illustration commission not found in any other version, as well as a special signature page and unique ISBN number.

The Fall of Dorkhun also marks the debut of Seventh Star Press' newest artist, Bonnie Wasson. Bonnie created the cover art and illustrations for The Fall of Dorkhun, as well as for the forthcoming reissues of book one and book two in the series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, and Red Skies at Dawn. She joins Matthew Perry in producing some of the finest quality presentations in the small press world, creating an exciting and fast-growing collection of speculative fiction artwork in the process.

(two of the interior illustrations by Bonnie Wasson for The Fall of Dorkhun)

The Fall of Dorkuhn continues the story of the dwarf Roskin. In the newest adventure of the series, Roskin returns home to a kingdom divided by war with the ogres. On one side, his father desires to restore peace, but on the other, Master Sondious, seeking revenge for having been crippled, seeks to escalate aggression against the ogres Roskin and his friends make a desperate attempt to resolve the growing rift, but unknown to the dwarves, new and powerful menaces threaten to destroy the entire kingdom...

Living and working in East Tennessee, D. A. Adams is an established novelist, a farmer, a professor of English, and has contributed writing to literary as well as fine art publications. He also maintains an active blog, entitled "The Ramblings of D. A. Adams".

Limited edition hardcover and special softcover collectors packages include an assortment of collectible extras, such as a 14X20 art poster, bookmarks, a set of glossy art cards, a magnet, and a pair of buttons. Packages are scheduled to be shipped the second week of December, when the trade paperback will be made available everywhere, along with several eBook formats, including the Kindle, iPad, Nook, and Sony eReaders and other electronic reading devices.

The Fall of Dorkhun was edited by Philip Hopkins. Book One, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, and Book Two, Red Skies at Dawn, will be reissued by the end of 2011, with two more books remaining in the series.

Those wanting to reserve one of the 75 limited edition hardcovers, or pre-order a softcover collectors package, should visit Seventh Star Press' online store at http://www.seventhstarpress.com/documents/books.html

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.brotherhoodofdwarves.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Pick of Week: Asylum, by Mark Allan Gunnells

2011-10-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

Pick of the Week (#9): Asylum, by Mark Allan Gunnells
(Zombie Feed Press)
-selection made by Rodney Carlstrom

The Book:Curtis, a young college student is dragged to his first gay club by his best friend Jimmy for a night of dancing, drinking and sex... at least until the dead start to rise and attack the club. Trapped inside the Asylum are a small band of survivors, including a drag queen, a male stripper, a Vietnam vet bartender, a pretentious gay couple, and an unstable DJ. Will this motley crew survive the hungry undead rattling the sealed-off doors? Will they survive each other? Will they survive their own personal demons? Asylum recalls George Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead – except with more gore and a more current social message. (Synopsis from Amazon.com)

The Author: Mark Allan Gunnells is 37 years old and holds a degree in English and Psychology. He is the author of the Sideshow Press Book A LAYMON KIND OF NIGHT, WHISONANT/CREATURES OF THE LIGHT, TALES FROM THE MIDNIGHT SHIT VOL. 1, and DARK TREATS, as well as the novella ASYLUM from The Zombie Feed, the digital collection GHOSTS IN THE ATTIC from Bad Moon Books, and the forthcoming novel THE QUARRY from Evil Jester Press. A small town boy at heart, he still lives in his hometown of Gaffney, SC, with his partner of 10 years.

The Publisher: The Zombie Feed Press (TZF Press) is a specialized imprint of Apex Publications and publishes zombie novels, novellas, and anthologies. http://thezombiefeed.biz/

My Comments: With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to focus in on a scary title. And since zombies seem to be the new rage this year, I figured I'd share one of my favorite small press zombie titles. With Asylum, Mark Allan Gunnells does a superb job with creating characters that could easily carry a three hundred page novel instead of a mere eighty pages of story. Breathing life into them, Gunnells invokes an immediate understanding that the majority of the warm bodies in the nightclub are nothing more than zombie food.

Gunnells takes the phrase: “Death is not prejudice,” and executes it to it's fullest, reminding the reader that Good Ol' Mr. Grim doesn't care what color your skin is, if your rich or poor, what religion you practice, or your sexual preference... because in the end everyone will be thinking the same thing: BRAINS!!

-Rodney

So make Mark Allan Gunnells' Asylum, from Zombie Feed Press, the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up Asylum today! Direct softcover and Kindle links below:

Softcover:

Kindle:

Change is in the Air, Let's Work Together.

2011-10-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

Change is in the Air, Let's Work Together
-by Frank Hall

Change is in the air. It is affecting every part of our life. Governments are falling all around the world, and democracy is taking root. Even here in the states, we have the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has spread across the country and the world. It does not look like it is going away anytime soon.

For those of us in the book industry, be it as publisher, author, bookstore owner or even reader, change has come, and if we don't adapt, we will fail. Chain bookstores are shutting their doors. Publishing houses who have been around for years are having financial troubles, not paying royalties, and some are even closing down. It is time for us all to work together, to make sure we get through this.

Capitalism is the name of the game for the economy. Make money. That is everyone's goal. But just because I am out to make money doesn’t mean I have to hurt others to do it. In fact, in our industry, if we work together we make more money then if we fight amongst each other. For us it all equates to readers. The more of them there are, the more money we all make. Bookstores need to work with authors and publishing houses, particularly small presses, and get events going in the store and community. Authors need to talk to everybody they meet about their books, get those books in people's hands, and generate new readers.

Books are addicting, we all know this. There will never be enough time to read everything we want to read. But most readers will try. It is impossible for a single author to write fast enough to keep any one person occupied.

We can help our fellow authors by telling our fans about them. I have yet to meet a writer who is also not a reader, so I know we all have books we like. We just need to understand that now is the time for us to work together.

Change is here.

-Frank Hall
Owner of That Book Place and Hydra Publications

Visit the sites for That Book Place and Hydra Publications:

www.thatbookplace.com
www.hydrapublications.com

H. David Blalock's Angelkiller Unleashes New Urban Fantasy Series With Limited Edition Hardcover Offer

2011-10-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release
October 25, 2011
H. David Blalock's Angelkiller Unleashes New Urban Fantasy Series With Limited Edition Hardcover Offer

Seventh Star Press proudly unveils the cover art and pre-order windows for the limited hardcover and softcover editions of Angelkiller, book one of a provacative new urban fantasy series by H. David Blalock..

With only 75 limited edition hardcovers to be issued, Angelkiller continues the Seventh Star Press tradition of producing one of the best value limited hardcover editions available anywhere. The limited edition hardcover edition includes an exclusive illustration not found in any other version. The artist for the book and series is Matthew Perry, whose artwork can be found in other Seventh Star Press titles from Jackie Gamber, Steven Shrewsbury, Michael West, and Stephen Zimmer.

(two interior images from Angelkiller. Artwork by Matthew Perry)

Angelkiller introduces Jonah Mason, the oldest, and most experienced of the Angelkillers, an elite force in the Army of Light. They are fighting an ancient war, one in which the Darkness achieved a great triumph long ago that has had profound influence on the fabric of life as we know it. It is the simple answer as to why bad things happen to good people. The great battle may have been lost, but the war continues in a modern age, pitting Jonah against the Enemy in a way even he had never faced. A provocative mixture of the supernatural and technological, Angelkiller is a very special, thought-provoking tale, one that shines forth in the upper realms of urban fantasy literature.

Based out of the Memphis area, H. David Blalock has an impressive writing career of 35 years and counting that has achieved numerous publishing credits in print and online mediums. He is most known for his fantasy novel Ascendant (Sam's Dot Publishing), which was the basis for a twenty minute short film produced in 2010 that featured former WWE wrestler Al Snow. The sequel to Ascendant, Emperor (Sam's Dot Publishing), was released in March of 2011. David is also the founder of Imagicopter, an author-driven organization that creates an array of event opportunities for small press authors and artists, while also publishing the highly-regarded Imagyro magazine.

The limited edition hardcover and special softcover collector's packages are scheduled to be shipped the first week of December, when the trade paperback will be made available everywhere, along with several eBook formats, for readers with the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other electronic reading devices.

The editor for Angelkiller was Amanda DeBoard. Book 2, Traitor Angel, and Book 3, Doom Angel, will be released over the course of 2012 and early 2013.

Those wanting to reserve one of the 75 limited edition hardcovers, or pre-order a softcover collectors package, should visit Seventh Star Press' online store at http://www.seventhstarpress.com/documents/books.html

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.thrankeep.com

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Pick of the Week: A Mirror in Time, by Kim Smith

2011-10-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Pick of the Week (#8): A Mirror in Time, by Kim Smith
(Moongypsy Press)
-selection made by Stephen Zimmer

The Book:When Carly Jean Simms, also called CJ, and the hunky Josh Jamison get lead roles in the school play at Broken Branch High School, they never dream where it will land them. But Mrs. Mac, the drama teacher, warned them about playing with her "special" mirror. Now it's sent them back to the time of their play and they have to use all their drama training to survive the travails of the Civil War!
(synopsis from publisher’s website)

The Author: Kim Smith is the author of the zany Shannon Wallace Mystery Series, and several contemporary romances, all available from Red Rose Publishing .

Kim is branching out into the YA field, and her debut YA time travel, A Mirror in Time, is now available at Moongypsy Press . Kim is also the hostess of the wildly popular Introducing WRITERS! radio show on Blog Talk Radio. For a more complete listing of guests and segments, please go to the IW page at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kims

The Publisher: Moongypsy press is a small press publisher of romance titles, including all subgenres of romance, especially historical and gothic romances. Their catalog features the works of over 30 authors, in print and eBook formats. For further information, please visit their site at http://www.moongypsypress.com

My Comments: Ever since my first encounter with the Chronicles of Narnia series, I have always loved stories that involve a commonly found physical object with a transfer to another place or time. The YA novel A Mirror in Time, by Kim Smith, is very appropriately titled, as it does indeed involve a mirror in a tale that reaches from the modern age into the heart of the Civil War. Kim is a very talented writer, with flowing prose and well-developed characters. The story does not shy away from historical realities, and builds some nice suspense, from encounters with wild animals to the trials of war. The growth in the protagonists, CJ and Josh, over the course of the novel, is really well executed. A Mirror in Time is quite simply a wonderful excursion into another time and place!

-Stephen

So make Kim Smith’s A Mirror in Time, from Moongypsy Press, the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up A Mirror in Time today! Direct softcover and Kindle links below:

Softcover:

Kindle Version:

Authors and the Overwhelming World of Social Networking

2011-10-19T07:38:00.001-07:00

Social networking has been a significant factor for artists, authors, musicians, and filmmakers ever since the rise of MySpace. Obviously, there have been some seismic shifts in social networking during the intervening years, but the result has been a plethora of social networks available for authors to utilize.

The good news is that participation in these networks holds no financial cost. But there is a big cost in terms of time, as many authors have probably discovered as increasing portions of their day is consumed by activities on FaceBook, Twitter, WordPress, Blogspot, Google+, GoodReads and a wide range of other, more specialized social networks (such as Book Blogs for book reviewers/book bloggers).

After having worked with several of these, I have come to the conclusion that authors should definitely make use of multiple social networks. Currently, I have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Googe+, Blogspot, in terms of the larger and more popular networks, as well as ones on author/reader specific places like GoodReads. Google+ has been the latest entry, with a layout that brings in some Facebook-type elements, some Twitter-type elements, and adds a few things of its own.

Each community is different,each network has its strengths and weaknesses, and authors need to familiarize themselves with the tools that each one offers.

For example, in regards to myself, I love the ability to develop groups on Facebook (except for the fact that you can be added to a group by someone else, which is why I have developed my own policy of clearing permission with someone before I add them to one of my groups). I have some active groups relating to the two book series I have, as well as groups relating to Seventh Star Press and the conventions I do programming for. Google+ has some good options for developing similar things, but I have put most of my focus on Facebook groups, as the FaceBook community is still the largest by far.

Google+ shows a lot of flexibility for organizing a friends list into any number of circles delineated by geography, activities, or anything you want. This can be handy when sending out an appearance announcement relating to a specific town or city.

Twitter is wonderful for sending out periodic reminders about the titles you have available, with links.

Blogspot posts can be fed right into your Amazon.com page and other places that take feeds.

Needless to say, each network has much to be utilitzed for an author.

Yet for the author, the most important thing in regards to participating in social networks is maintaining discipline. The way I approach this is through doing all of my writing on one computer that is not connected online, and doing my social networking on a home office computer that I use for all of my business activity.

Keeping my creative and business worlds separate has helped greatly, as it eliminates the temptation to blur the line between the two or get distracted. I know I would be tempted to check up on a message or post if it were easy to access, so I got rid of the possibility of being side-tracked!

I have also evolved in the way I schedule myself, to where I do the bulk of my writing in one time slot, and do the bulk of my business work and social networking in another. I have found myself getting better at logging off on the social networking at the time windows I set, which is not always easy to do if I'm looking in to some new events, promotional opportunities, or other things.

I feel it is important to set some firmer boundaries, though. Similar to online games like World of Warcraft, social networking is an open-ended environment, where you can spend as little or as much time as you want. For authors, that alone demands a need for boundaries.

Time is precious for authors, as the overwhelming majority are balancing so many elements, whether it is a day job, the needs of a family, or any number of tasks relating to life in general. To be productive as a writer, time-management is critical. Obviously, there are ebbs and flows in the amount of activity going on during an author's promotional activities, hitting much more intensively when a new book is released, but I strongly advise authors to stick to their time boundaries as much as possible.

Social networks are tools, and just like a tool box has a variety of implements, it is good for authors to maintain more than one social network presence. Learn those tools, use the ones that are the most effective, and develop multiple presences. But be very careful to manage the time that you spend on social networking, or you will find it quietly invading your writing time!

-Stephen

Connect with Stephen at the following:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sgzimmer
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sgzimmer
BlogSpot: stephenzimmer.blogspot.com
and also on Google+

Pick of the Week: Frayed, by Tom Piccirilli

2011-10-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Pick of the Week (#7): Frayed, By Tom Piccirilli
(Creeping Hemlock Press)
-selection made by Rodney Carlstrom

The Book: “Are you the one who helped him kill the angel?”

Twenty years of repressed anger and memories. A bitter knot of hatred that binds and divides two friends. The dark secret that fuels and devastates them both.

“He killed it. I only helped him to bury it.”

Eddies doing his best to get by, but every day the good fight just gets harder. And now there's a new burden to shoulder. Gray – his best friend and nemesis in literature, romance, and life – has landed a bizarre mental hospital, known for its radical treatments, because Gray couldn't bear the weight of an unspeakable trauma.

The last time they met, Gray almost killed Eddie, but it seems that all is finally forgiven. Tonight, there's a wild hootenanny up at Gray's house.

The nuthouse.

And Eddie's invited.

(Synopsis from Amazon.com)

The Author: Tom Piccirilli is the author of twenty novels including THE COLD SPOT, THE COLDEST MILE, A CHOIR OF ILL CHILDREN, SHADOW SEASON, and the forthcoming THE LAST KIND WORDS (Bantam, May 2012). He's won two International Thriller Awards and four Bram Stoker Awards, as well as having been nominated for the Edgar, the World Fantasy Award, the Macavity, and Le Grand Prix de l'lmaginaire.

You can learn more about him and his works at: www.thecoldspot.blogspot.com/

The Publisher: Creeping Hemlock Press was founded in Gretna, Louisiana by the husband-and-wife creative duo R.J. And Julia Sevin. As sometimes writers, oftentime readers, they found themselves frustrated with the scarcity of generous-paying, atmospheric and bizarre short story anthologies. They took matters into their own hands in late 2004 when they began to accept submissions for their own anthology. Many months, one baby, two hurricanes, and one soggy home later, CORPSE BLOSSOMS was born to critical success and a nomination for the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker award. As their homeless wanderings carried them to Texas and back, the Sevins also produced an original limited-edition novella by Tom Piccirilli, FRAYED, to terrific reviews and enthusiastic reader sentiment.

My Comments: There's so much that I love about Piccirilli's writing, and FRAYED is one of the highlights of my personal collection, including his phenomenal EVERY SHALLOW CUT. Both of which are 'noirella's,' – a term coined by Piccirilli himself – novella length stories that always have one or more of the following bend to them: crime, mystery, noir, (and sometimes) horror.

Piccirilli is always doing something different. If he's not plucking your heartstrings, then he's making you feel every inch of pain, sorrow, anger and madness that the characters are feeling. He manages to do all of this, and more with FRAYED. Although at first I was afraid that FRAYED would be a dud, I quickly realized that Piccirilli was setting it up to be more than just a crime story, but a story of two friends who not only have to try and find their friendship again, but also – somewhere in the darkness and damp dirt – themselves.

For those willing to take a chance on something new, I'd highly recommend FRAYED. And at the novella length, it's a nice set up: a story longer than a short story, but shorter than a novel, that is as in-depth as a short story, but as complex and deep as an 80k word novel. It's intense, rich and breathtaking.

Why not take a chance?

~Rodney

So make Tom Piccirilli's Frayed, from Creeping Hemlock Press, the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up Frayed today! Direct Hardcover and eBook links below:

Hardcover:

Kindle:

The Day After You Finish Your Manuscript

2011-10-14T08:05:00.001-07:00

The Day After You Finish Your Manuscript
by Ren Garcia

THE END.

ding

You dot the last sentence and hit the carriage return. Congratulations! You just finished your killer new manuscript. The world has never experienced anything like it and will never be the same again.

So, now what?? That stack of paper in the tray, or that file on your jump drive is just sitting there, mocking you. What to do with your grand new opus, that Monster you've been slaving over?? There are many possible answers to that question, and, depending on who you are as a person, the answer will vary. The trials and tribulations of what happens to you and your manuscript the day after you finish could fill a giant-sized book and be made into a number of movies, so this will, no doubt, be the first of several blog posts covering the topic.

First of all, are You a Perpetual??

The first question you'll need to face as you consider your finished manuscript is: Are you really done??

There are many Perpetuals out there and either you are one yourself or you know someone who is. You know, a Perpetual is someone who is engaged in a never-ending pursuit: that person who's been in college for fifteen years and is nowhere close to graduating, that person who has been grouting the bathroom forever, or that person who has written a manuscript and is never quite finished. Let's face it, a manuscript is your baby and it can be tough to let go, couple that with an artist's tendency to never be satisfied, it's very easy to fall into a surreal mire of revision, re-thinking, re-editing and re-focusing, until such time that the original vision and purpose of the MS is lost. Some are perpetually "tweaking" and "fine-tuning" their MS and it will never be quite ready for Prime Time. Years pass, no progress is made, it's just not quite finished.

The Perpetual and their Manuscript shall waltz together until the proverbial music stops, and it's not going to stop anytime soon, so, for that person, the day after you finish your manuscript is the first day of the rest of your life.

Publishing: The Banana Republic

The next logical course is to attempt to publish your work-it's only natural, you've written something, now you want to share it. The road to publishing is long and difficult and there's no 1-2-3, step by step method of accomplishing it. Ask any author and they'll have all sorts of horror stories of how they got put through the wringer prior to being discovered. It's an inevitable process, and, whether you choose to seek an agent or submit directly to a publisher; it's basically the same.

First: you need to know who to submit to. Different agents and publishers represent and publish different things, so, if you've written a hardcore science fiction tome, you're not going to want to submit to a Christian, non-fiction publisher of inspirational short stories. Various publications and websites go over who does what, so it's worth your time to do a little research and target a specific list that is best suited to you.

Next comes the part that has been the bane of many writers everywhere. All agents and publishers have a lengthy list of requirements that you have to follow pretty much to the letter; any deviation, anything added or omitted will lead to your submission being summarily rejected. These people can get pretty detailed in their demands, from the line spacing, to the exact type of font to use, to the word count of the submission. It is a real Banana Republic where they make the rules and you follow them, or else. You know what they say about absolute power corrupting absolutely-well, there's the proof. They have the power and you don't. If you don't like it, complain to the President.

However, as we'll see, these days there are other ways to get to Heaven that don't involve going through Christ (But, that's a different Blog Post).

The Hell of Manuscripts

So, let's say you jump through all the required hoops and abased yourself as demanded, the final destination of your MS is a withering hell known as the "Slushpile". Lording over the Slushpile is a demon from college, paid minimum wage (if they're being paid at all) with girlfriend/boyfriend issues and a monitor sunburn who can barely see straight known as the Slush Editor. It's the Slush Editor who picks through all MS's consigned there and determines which will be forwarded on to the real editors for further consideration. Little balls of teenage angst, these editors vent their fury on the MS's in their charge, tossing them aside willy-nilly as the case might be (Yes-I was a Slush Editor, and Yes my attitude was poor. It actually felt really good having supreme power at a time in my life when I was otherwise powerless, so flushing a manuscript or two really made my day). Just remember, the next time you see some ridiculous person who's locked themselves out of their car with the engine running, that could be the person who just rejected your MS.

Thus begins the cycle of Submission and Rejection that many authors will face going the traditional route. Almost all MS's meet their demise in the Slushpile, and almost all will end up there more than just once. Writers on the lecture tour are fond of mentioning that Harry Potter was once on the Slushpile. The truth of the matter is that Harry Potter was probably on a lot of Slushpiles and drowned in the vortex of most of them. It is a real, lottery-winning moment when your MS happens to make it out of the Slush purgatory and into the hands of an editor who loves it as much as you do. But, that's a rare moment that can take years and lots and lots of rejection letters to get to.

Next, we'll go over the Promised Land of Self-Publishing, the stigma that comes with it and the Hungry Beast/Chain-Gang of Marketing

Bowl Naked
RG

Ren Garcia on Facebook

Ren Garcia on Twitter

Visit Ren's blog and website:
http://thetempleoftheexplodinghead.wordpress.com

http://www.theleagueofelder.com

Would you like to be introduced into Ren's literary world? Here's a couple of titles that will get you underway!:

Pick of the Week: The Stone Maiden and Other Tales, by Robert Krog

2011-10-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

Pick of the Week (#6): The Stone Maiden and Other Tales, by Robert Krog
(Self-Published Title)
-selection made by Stephen Zimmer

The Book:From sorcerers to space captains, from common criminals to common housewives, this collection contains the stories of a variety of characters from a diversity of genres. Fans of adventure, suspense, humor, horror, fantasy, and science fiction will all find tales to treasure. Every story invites the reader into a world where things are not always what they seem, where events do not always turn out as one expects.

Includes “The Stone Maiden”, “Acantha”, “The Hand of Darden”, “I Would Have My Bones in the Earth Facing North”, “Nothing to Lose is Nearly Enough”, “The Three Epiphanies of Seqeranc”, “Tell Me Your Dreams”.

The Author:Robert J. Krog is a native of Memphis, TN, where he still resides with his family. Mr. Krog is a devout Catholic and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He has been an assistant arborist to his father, who was a professional arborist. He has also been a grocery store clerk, a waiter for one week, an order out delivery guy for one week, a legal runner, a substitute teacher, and a high school History teacher, all in Memphis, TN. He has several degrees, mostly in History, but is putting none of them to good use, though he loves History and can still translate Middle Egyptian, if he works at it (and maybe Hieratic, if he really works at it). Currently, he works in chemical yard care and writes as much as obligations to a full-time job, the church, and family life allow. His published works include the collection, The Stone Maiden and Other Tales, Babies' Breath (a short story that was published in parABnormal Digest), several more short stories on his website, krogfiction.yolasite.com, and the novella, A Bag Full of Eyes, to come out in January 2012 from Sam's Dot Publishing. He continues to write and is working on finishing several novels.

Visit Robert's website at: http://krogfiction.yolasite.com/

The Publisher: Self-published title. The book used for this Pick of the Week is a 2nd Edition with cover art, book design, and layout by Lewis Pearson.

My Comments:Single author collections give readers a chance to experience many different facets of an author, as well as showcasing the strengths and voice of the writer. The Stone Maiden and Other Tales, by Robert Krog, certainly delivers in that regard, as there is a real range of characters and genres within this well-crafted collection. From the Lovecraftian touches of the title story, The Stone Maiden, to the chilling undercurrents of “Acantha”, which underscores the timeless adage of be careful what you wish for, to the nobility and sense of honor on full display in “I Would Have My Bones in the Earth Facing North”, the seven tales connect with the reader in many ways, and on many levels. This is a real showcase of a highly promising writer, one whose name is going to become very familiar to the reading public in the future.

-Stephen

So make Robert Krog’s The Stone Maiden and Other Tales the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up The Stone Maiden and Other Tales today! Direct Paperback and eBook links below:

Paperback:
Click here to order a paperback edition of The Stone Maiden and Other Tales, 2nd Edition.

eBook Edition:
Click here to order an eBook edition (PDF) of The Stone Maiden and Other Tales, 2nd Edition.

Four Steps to Finding Your Next Good Read

2011-10-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

Four Steps to Finding Your Next Good Read
by Rodney Carlstrom

As a reviewer, I don't have certain privileges, but as a reader I have all rights in the world. When it comes to reviewing, I usually – 95% of the time – stick to what I'm sent to read. But as a casual reader, I'm very picky about what I consume. I have the right to do so, and so do you!

You are leveraging your time for quality entertainment, unlike the average movie where you get a full story – and sometimes not even that – within an hour and a half. A book is different: you spend more time with the characters, the culture/environment; by the time you're done reading, you've invested so much time in the novel that you might as well have spent all day watching a full season of your favorite show.

For some these following four steps are going to sound very familiar, but they work. Unless you're picking up an author that you absolutely adore, or have heard good things about, chances are you're just looking for that next good read. This checklist will help you achieve that. I can't promise that it's fool-proof, but it's better than picking a book at random.

1. You've heard it before. Chances are you've probably uttered it more times than you care to admit: “Never judge a book by its cover.” It's a worn out, clichéd adage that has more validity to it than most people are willing to admit, especially in the publishing world. And here's why: depending on the publisher, whether they're small press or one of the bigger publishers, the author either has complete control of the cover, or none at all. Yes, the cover might look kick ass, but are you going to take the chance on something so trivial as a picture? Do you know for certain that the cover depicts accurately something within the pages of the book (character/scene)?

Every book has one. Covers are just eye candy for the masses. If they see something that intrigues them, they probably won't hesitate to pick it up. It's the same reason stores put all the chocolates, candies and sweets in the check-out lanes. It's an impulse buy. And unfortunately, that's how the majority of our culture reacts: on impulse. Don't be one of those people, instead go one step further...

2. Flip to the back of the book. Read the synopsis. Now granted, the sole job of the synopsis – and for that matter blurbs from other authors – is to catch your fancy. Smart writing that engages you and makes you think. Does it sound interesting? (Most times, this will be a yes...) If so, move to the next step.

3. Crack open the book. Read a little bit. Don't be afraid. I mean, isn't that why you're in the bookstore to begin with: to find a book to read? To spend quality time absorbed in a world that's not your own? If your answer is yes to either, then:

a. Start with the middle. Open the book and read. See if there's anything worth reading. Does the author's writing catch your fancy, or is there something in that brief glimpse that just doesn't sit right?

b. Now, do the same thing, only crack it open somewhere near the end...preferably three fourths of the way through it. Read. Ask yourself again: is there anything worth reading?

c. Finally, open the book to the very front, preferably the first page. Read (if you've got the time, try the first chapter). Ask yourself again: is there anything worth reading?

4. And finally, follow your gut instinct. Always. Because, somehow, somewhere, between gazing at the cover, reading the back synopsis (or blurb(s)), reading from the middle, the beginning and somewhere close to the end, you've already subconsciously decided. You might not realize it, but you have. Somewhere deep inside your mind, something snapped. Listen to your heart and gut, and one or both of them will pay off with a damn good read. Something you are not only going to remember, but something you won't be able to stop talking about, recommending and demanding your friends, loved ones, and even strangers read.

This might all seem obvious, but time and time again I'm surprised by the conversations I have with people who complain that they're picking up boring reads. Yes, you're going to pick up a book every once in a while that's going to suck big time, but those are risks that everyone takes.

Sometimes it takes the obvious to find that next good read...

~Rodney

Be sure to visit The SciFi Guys Book Review blog or add them on Twitter at the following links:
scifiguysbookreview.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/scifiguysbkrev

Rodney's personal blog and Twitter page can be found at:
The Bloody Pen
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kidstaple

Pick of the Week: Just Like Hell, by Nate Southard

2011-10-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Pick of the Week (#5): Just Like Hell, by Nate Southard
(Deadite Press)
-selection made by Rodney Carlstrom

The Book: Dillon is a popular high school football star, gay, and tied to a chair in the dark. His lover is bound and gagged next to him. Around him are his teammates – his captors. They aren't happy that they've been playing with a “faggot” and they intend to repay the disgrace. There will be humiliation, blood, and pain. But then it gets out of control. What started as black-hearted entertainment has turned into a cat-and-mouse game of gruesome justice. By the end of the night, four people will be dead. And those left alive will be forever scared. Deadite Press presents Nate Southard's modern hardcore horror classic of torture, terror, and bloody vengeance. This edition also includes four bonus stories: “A Team-Building Exercise,” “Miss Kenner and Me,” “Senorita,” and “Work Pit Four.”

The Author:Nate Southard's books include Scavengers, Red Sky, Just Like Hell, Broken Skin, This Little Light of Mine, and He Stepped Through. His short fiction has appeared in such venues as Cemetery Dance, Black Static, Thuglit, and the upcoming anthology Supernatural Noir. A graduate of The University of Texas with a degree in Radio, Television, and Film, Nate lives in Austin, Texas. You can learn more at www.natesouthard.com

The Publisher: Deadite Press publishes the very best in cult horror. Home of Brian Keene, Edward Lee, Bryan Smith, J.F. Gonzalez, Wrath James White, Robert Devereaux, Dave Brockie, David Agranoff, Andre Duza, and Carlton Mellick III. For more information check out: www.deaditepress.com

My Comments: In an age of rage and hate for being 'different,' Just Like Hell isn't just fiction, it's a horrifying reality that many are too afraid to write about. At it's worst it's an all too plausible situation, and at it's worst it's a glimpse into the real evil that we as humans can do to one another.

Although not all of the extra stories that followed Just Like Hell had the same feel or tone to them as the title novella, each story brought a different aspect of Southard's writing style to my awareness. Not only can Southard write, he can make you think too. Which isn't as common these days as most people might think.

When I originally heard about Just Like Hell, and the rave reviews that were being given to it, I had to check it out for myself. Thanks to Deadite Press for reissuing it, I had an opportunity to do so. And let me tell you, there's a reason it's considered a modern hardcore classic. It is one brutal read! Definitely worth picking up for anybody that's willing to read outside of their comfort zone for a change, and honestly think about what they're reading.

~Rodney

So make Nate Southards's Just Like Hell from Deadite Press the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up Just Like Hell today! Direct Paperback Link Below:

Paperback:

The Value of Bookstores in an Ebook Age

2011-09-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

The Value of Bookstores in an eBook Age
by Frank Hall

Ebooks are a wonderful thing to the book industry. They have increased the number of readers, and more books are being sold now then ever before. But there are still things that a bookstore can do for you that you can't get from surfing a website.

First, there is that personal touch. In our store we know our customers, and we know what they read. We can help find books that you might like, even when you are not in the store. Not every book is available as an ebook,and we can find those out of print ones for you.

Another advantage that I think we have as a physical store front is the ability to look at the book before you buy. Yes, I know nearly everyone offering ebooks now have the option of downloading a sample to read. But it is always the beginning of the book. Many of our customers flip to the middle of the book, and sometimes the end, to see what the writing is like there. Sometimes the first chapter or two of the book is not enough to decide if you want to invest your time in reading it.

Talking with people online is fine, going to a forum and using facebook to discuss the book you just read is great, but there is something about that human interaction face to face that appeals to everyone at some point in time.

What better place to talk about books than a bookstore? Well, maybe a library, but you have to be quiet there. Come in, sit down, and have a nice chat about books with us or a fellow customer. We see it happen all the time, and 9 times out of 10 you will learn of a new author you haven't read that you are going to pick up and try.

Despite naysayers, print books are not going away anytime soon. Ebooks have just helped spawn a change in the industry. For the better, in my opinion, as I stated in the opening. More books being sold more readers out there. What could be better then that?

But the smell of old books is still the best smell in the world!

-Frank Hall
Owner of That Book Place and Hydra Publications

Visit the sites for That Book Place and Hydra Publications:

www.thatbookplace.com
www.hydrapublications.com

Pick of the Week: The Sticks, by Andy Deane

2011-09-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Pick of the Week (#4): The Sticks, by Andy Deane
(Delirium Books)
-Selection made by Stephen Zimmer

The Book:Something evil is stirring in the sticks outside the small town of Jefferson, Virginia... And Brian was already having one hell of a night. After a disastrous outing at a party full of snobs on the rich side of town, his girlfriend Alicia dumps him then promptly vanishes under suspicious circumstances. Searching for her in the dark of night while working his way through a backwoods maze and the outlandish characters that inhabit it, Brian instead finds an enigmatic dark-haired beauty named Jessica and a monster he hadn't believed existed outside his beloved horror films. But before the night is through, everyone and everything Brian cares about will be threatened by a creature that is all too real, a bloodthirsty beast lurking in the woods of Jefferson. Fighting for his life, Brian tries to uncover the truth about the evil stalking him and the mystery surrounding Alicia's disappearance, but time is running out. Welcome to a night in THE STICKS.
(publisher's excerpt)

The Author:Andy has been writing stories and songs from the time he realized he could do either. Much of his first novel (THE STICKS, Delirium Books, 2009) was written while passing long miles between gigs on the road with his band Bella Morte. Since finishing THE STICKS Andy has completed a novella (THE THIRD HOUSE, Thunderstorm Books, 2010) and a second novel (ALL THE DARKNESS IN THE WORLD) which is due out this fall from Thunderstorm Books.

He is best known as the frontman and lyricist for the internationally renowned alternative rock band Bella Morte. They have released two EPs and seven full-length albums. (Bio excerpt from author's site)
http://www.andydeane.net/

The Publisher:Delirium Books, established in January 1999 by Shane Ryan Staley, is one of the leading specialty presses in the horror genre. Operating in the Midwest (Northern Indiana), Delirium Books has quickly gained the reputation of bringing to print the best new voices in horror fiction, including fan favorites Greg F. Gifune and Michael McBride as well as bestselling author Brian Keene. Delirium has also published established genre authors such as Brian Lumley, James Morrow, Douglas Clegg and David B. Silva.

Delirium Books won the Bram Stoker Award for Excellence in Specialty Press Publishing. This was presented to Delirium Books by the HWA (Horror Writer’s Association) in 2005.(bio excerpt from publisher's site).
Visit the official site of Delirium Books at:
http://www.deliriumbooks.com/

My Comments:The werewolves are primal and the action speeds along in The Sticks, a highly gratifying read that was one of my favorite horror novels of the past couple of years. An ensemble of compelling characters fill this novel, ranging from the rocker/metalhead protagonist, Brian, to Myrtle, a crazy older woman that likes to run out of her house and expose herself to those unlucky enough to be passing by, to Hank, a reclusive fellow living among heaps of odds and ends.

They are all made to contend with the terror of the lycanthropes, who are visceral and brutal. A brooding tension permeates key scenes, delivering horrific payoffs when the shapeshifters make their presence felt.

Yet what lifts this book above other novels of its subgenre is Andy's subtle and skillful touches in the relationships between characters. The developing bond between Brian and Jessica, and the nascent friendship between Brian and Nate are two examples of what elevates this book above the crowd, as characters that you rapidly come to care about are placed into dangerous situations with quite uncertain outcomes.

The Sticks delivers a hard-hitting, well-paced werewolf tale, with the appropriate depths of character development and plot construction needed to bring the horror reader a very satisfying lycanthropic adventure.

So make Andy Deane's The Sticks from Delirium Books the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up The Sticks today! Direct Paperback and Kindle Links Below:

Paperback:

Kindle Version:

Author Costs in Attending Conventions: A Brief Overview

2011-09-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Author Costs in Attending Conventions: A Brief Overview
by Stephen Zimmer

Conventions are a fantastic venue for authors to meet readers, gain exposure, and network. While containing many enjoyable moments, they do require a lot of effort and expense on the part of the author, and it is my hope that this overview of the reality of attending conventions will help give readers and others some insights into the things that authors undergo to attend these events.

Unless you are on the top of the heap on the NY Times list, it is highly unlikely that your publisher will give you much support for appearances and events. From mid-list authors at Big 6 publishers, to small press authors, to self-published authors, the burden of expense falls upon the authors themselves. It is up to the author's own initiative to decide, in most cases, what conventions will be best, and how many of them are doable financially. The author pays for the table space, travel costs, food, and hotel, in addition to any incidentals.

Things certainly haven't gotten any easier in the last year. With gas costs pushing higher (as of now ranging between $3 and $4 a gallon across the USA), the costs of simply getting to the conventions have risen considerably.

For the purposes of this overview, I will examine a mid-sized convention taking place within a reasonable range of distance. This translates to a Convention of around 1000 to 1500 in size of attendance, in a location around 3 hours from the author's home.

Taking a vehicle with modest fuel economy, the first expense is going to be roughly $50 in gas to get to the convention and back home.

Next is accommodations. If you stay at the convention site, the cost will average around a hundred bucks a night, give or take a few dollars, but many authors opt to stay at discount hotels just off-site. We will go ahead and use the cheaper hotel option, so we will estimate around $60 a night for both the Friday and Saturday of the convention weekend.

To effectively sell books at a convention, you need table/exhibit space. Small conventions will be around $30-45 for table space, whereas a mid-sized convention will be more around $60-75. We'll use the cheaper option here as well, going with the lower end $60 figure for a mid-size event.

For food, you can take advantage of the con suites at many conventions, but at larger events these are not always available. We'll estimate a per diem of $20 in food support for this simple demonstration.

The total expense, so far, with the cheaper options on hotel and table space, is $290.

This cost could go even higher if the convention does not give the author a complimentary badge for serving on panels. As most cons do give authors participating on panels a badge, for doing a certain amount of programming, the cost of a badge will be omitted from this estimation. Just know that at a few conventions, an additional $50-75 would be added to the $290.

Now, let's take a look at the books themselves. Most good publishers will allow you to purchase books at a wholesale-type rate that is just marked up very slightly from hard cost. A roughly 300 page novel will therefore run about seven bucks to an author, to round the cost to an even figure.

The author then has to decide what to sell the book for. With a book of about 250-300 pages, in trade paperback format, the price that will move the quickest to buyers is $10. However, that is only a $3 margin over hard cost, which means that one would have to sell nearly 100 books over the weekend to cover the cost of the convention and the cost of purchasing the books. At $12, a person would have to sell 58 books exactly, and at $15, they would have to sell approximately 36 books.

Now, bear in mind that most authors I have been around range between 10 and 25 books sold for a mid-sized convention. True, there are those such as Shane Moore and Nick Valentino who are amazing sellers of their work. Shane has sold over 70 books in an afternoon appearance at a 7-11, while Nick has sold stacks and stacks of books at events of moderate-larger sizes (I have witnessed this in person as a neighbor of his in the dealer room). However, sales figures like Shane's and Nick's are not the norm for most authors. Rather, they are the exception.

So, let's take the top range for most authors and add an additional five units to round sales out at 30. At the $10 price figure, this is 70 units short of a break even level, at the $12 figure, it is just over halfway to the break even level, and at the highest price, which is going to be the toughest to move books at, with the size of the book and price, it is still 6 books short of breaking even.

As you can see, even with attaining a pretty good sales weekend in terms of copies sold, all three price scenarios fall short of covering cost. It is a real challenge just to approach a break-even level at a convention for most authors, and uncommon that an author can fully make expense, and perhaps have a little money to come back with.

There are ways to further mitigate costs, such as sharing hotel rooms, sharing table space, etc, but it is nonetheless very hard to cover the spread on a convention weekend. Even WITH sharing hotel and table space, the third tier of pricing is the only likely area for most authors that cost could be adequately covered, and that third tier is a much tougher pricing to sell a book of around a 300 page count at. This is not meant to be discouraging to authors, but instead something for convention goers to keep in mind when they are browsing the dealer rooms.

Instead of picking up a New York Times best-selling novel at the convention that you can get in any bookstore, why not give a little more attention to the exhibiting small press authors and find something that appeals to you? These authors are putting a great deal on the line in attending conventions, and have a lot of time, effort and financial sacrifice invested. Give them a little support and encouragement by picking up that $12 book, and help them get a little closer to covering their trip expense in the process. At the very least, you are reducing the financial bleeding that they will likely incur over the weekend.

You will find yourself discovering quite a few literary gems, which are every bit as good as major press offerings. Take careful note that increasing numbers of independent press and even self-published authors are filling up the top end of the sales charts in the eBook world, in a market where they are not gated out from getting on the shelves like they are in the traditional distribution channels flowing into the chain stores (A sector that is rapidly decreasing in this new age of publishing).

I say this to make the point that I am not advocating acts of charity in browsing and purchasing from author tables at conventions. Rather, I am inviting those who haven't tried independent, small-press, and self-published offerings to discover what increasing thousands and thousands of readers are finding out; many authors on the small, independent, and self-published level, in this new age of publishing, have works that are every bit as good as major press offerings.

The author of today's brave new world of publishing has to wear many hats, in addition to writing. They must be travel planners, marketers, public relations representatives, sales people, office managers, and more. Conventions are a very important part of the equation, but it is not easy for authors to regularly attend them due to the financial hurdles. Hopefully,this overview of the situation facing authors who attend and exhibit at conventions has given you a better appreciation of the sacrifices involved on the author's road.

-Stephen Zimmer

Connect with Stephen at:
http://www.facebook.com/sgzimmer
http://www.twitter.com/sgzimmer
http://stephenzimmer.blogspot.com
http://www.stephenzimmer.com
and now at Google+

The Art of Procrastination

2011-09-20T07:49:00.001-07:00

The Art of Procrastination
by Rodney Carlstrom

Procrastination = Death:

Granted, the video above is hyperbole; a slippery slope on the topic, but procrastination is still a malady suffered by the majority of the world's population. Although I could point fingers, and blame certain aspects of today's culture for procrastination's rise in popularity, it's something we as humans have suffered through for as long as we have been human.

Procrastinating is a serious issue, one that we often look past because we've programmed ourselves to it's presence, and because most people hate confrontation, let alone confrontation with ourselves. Sometimes it's hard to realize your own faults. Would you rather have someone who looks up to you realize your flaws, or would you rather it be you who catches your mistakes and fixes them? It's only been recently that I've come to that conclusion, and decided to wage war against this malady; a personal crusade, if you will.

This revelation came to me one evening, when scrolling through the reviews and posts on Sci-Fi Guys. I realized there were large gaps between posts. (And for those that follow Sci-Fi Guys Book Review, yes, I know, it still only has updates posted. I'm working on it!) I thought on it for a bit, and realized the reasons for these bald patches: 1.) I don't treat it like a job, 2.) I read the book, and either it failed to blow me away, or it was so good I'm afraid of writing a review that makes the title seem like it's my new favorite book. 3.) I find other things to do, instead of reading, or writing the review (i.e. writing and posting updates).

For me, 95% of the time it's reason number three. Call it lack of personal discipline, but my habitual inclination in regards to my work ethic has always been that I work best when it comes down to the last minute; when, come hell or high water, I'm burning the midnight oil to produce a final product I can turn in the next day. Although I hate pressure, it seems to be the only real way to get me to do anything. I realized that early on, and it's the only way I've done things since. However, there's a difference between doing something last minute and procrastinating past the deadline. If the former is how you work best, then by all means don't change a thing.

It's not just Sci-Fi Guys that I've noticed this with. My writing has also suffered from procrastinating. You see, just like the writer in the video above, procrastinating could very well be the death of you, before you have even started. Not a physical death mind you, but what if you procrastinated for so long that you never got around to writing that short story, or that novel you've been wanting to write since the idea first popped into your head?

Now, let's say you did write that short story or novel, and come to find out, you weren't that bad at putting words on paper and making sentences. In fact, you're so good you've been nominated for prestigous awards within your genre. Hell, let's say you only win one out of the hundreds. Wouldn't it be worth it? You can't know what you don't know. So why waste time putting it off?

For those that do find themselves procrastinating when they should be writing, or procrastinating at anything they want to see themselves succeed in, there are three rules I would suggest following:

1.) Surround yourself with successful, like-minded people. If you're able to find a group of local writers to get plugged in with, or a reading group that reads the same genres you do, then rules two and three will naturally, over time, take care of themselves. By enveloping yourself with like-minded people, you begin to slowly pick up the same kind of habits they have.

This also includes cons. Essentially you're marketing yourself; what you write is you, whether you realize it or not. Yeah, Facebook is a great tool, but there's nothing as memorable than actually meeting a fellow writer, or lover of books, in the flesh. Those kinds of encounters tend to make a bigger impression on a person than liking their current status update.

2.) Accountability. Like anything worth doing in life, sometimes you need to be kept accountable. So, find someone who will make sure that you write those one thousand words a day, or keep resubmitting the stack of homeless stories that sit collecting digi-dust on your hard drive.

Keep in contact with them. Meet up for lunch, or set aside time to sit down and talk it out. This, most of all, will help with procrastination.

3.) Treat it as a job. If you treat your writing with as much care and seriousness as your job, you won't fail as much. For those business-oriented folks, go one step further and treat it as though it were your own business.

Make a daily schedule, where you set aside time to read or write. It could be as long as it takes to reach a thousand words, or long enough to read two chapters. But regardless of what's going on in your life, make it happen.

Although these won't immediately help you flush away the impulses to procrastinate, slowly but surely your mindset will change, and you'll want success enough to actually do something.

~Rodney

Be sure to visit The SciFi Guys Book Review blog or add them on Twitter at the following links:
scifiguysbookreview.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/scifiguysbkrev

Rodney's personal blog and Twitter page can be found at:
The Bloody Pen
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kidstaple

Pick of the Week: The Cold Ones, By Elizabeth Donald

2011-09-19T04:41:00.000-07:00

Pick of the Week (#3): The Cold Ones, by Elizabeth Donald
(Sam's Dot Publishing)
-selection made by Stephen Zimmer

The Book: How do you kill someone who's already dead?

It was an experiment. A way to create a better soldier. Efficient. Ruthless. Unclouded by conscience.

But some things shouldn't be altered. Some creatures are best left to myth. Because you shouldn't have to pray to just stay dead.

Major Harvey's team has already lost some of their comrades as they struggle to contain Its insidious influence. Now she leads the few survivors in a desperate fight to keep the Cold Ones away from the mainland. Away from us.
And the man at her side has only a little time left.

The Author: Elizabeth Donald is a writer fond of things that go chomp in the night. She is the author of the Nocturnal Urges vampire mystery series and numerous short stories and novellas in the horror, science fiction and erotica genres – and a three-time winner of the Darrell Award for speculative fiction, including one for her short-story collection, “Setting Suns.” By day, she is a reporter in the St. Louis region, which provides her with an endless source of material, and writes CultureGeek, a pop-culture newspaper column. Her latest releases include "Blackfire," a sequel to her bestselling zombie novella, "The Cold Ones."
http://www.elizabethdonald.com

The Publisher: Sam's Dot Publishing, based out of Cedar Rapid's Iowa, is an outstanding speculative fiction publisher whose catalog numbers several hundred publications, including magazines, anthologies, trade paperbacks, and chap books. For further information on Sam's Dot Publishing, you can visit their official website at http://www.samsdotpublishing.com

My Comments: Elizabeth Donald is a superb writer, who is well-known for her vampire tales in the Nocturnal Urges series. In The Cold Ones, Elizabeth explores another realm of the undead with a very engaging zombie story. The Cold Ones is a fast-paced read, with loads of action, several memorable characters, and some nice emotive touches. Readers will come to love Elizabeth's trademark wit and sharp edge, both of which are in full evidence in this story. She introduces a wonderful protagonist in Major Sara Harvey, whose tongue and no-nonsense attitude are as sharp as her fighting skills. The Cold Ones sets up what promises to be a very good series of zombie fiction, as the story continues in strong fashion in the second installment, Blackfire.

So make Elizabeth Donald's The Cold Ones from Sam's Dot Publishing the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up a copy of The Cold Ones at The Literary Underworld today!

Being the Little Guy at a Big Convention

2011-09-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thoughts: Being a Little Guy at a Big Convention
by Ren Garcia

I'm a small author. I have no illusions. I have my small but loyal fan base, and every day I add a few more, but it's a lot of work. Keeping your brand moving is like a hamster running on the wheel-as long as the hamster is moving, the wheel turns, but, the moment he gets tired, goes for lunch or-God forbid-takes a day off, the wheel refuses to turn any further. It really would be nice if the wheel turned by itself. Keep on turning, you wheel you.

A key component of spreading the plague that is my brand is showing my smiling face: craft shows, bake shows, car shows, any place I can set up a table is fair game. And, truth be told, those lowly roadside shows can be a virgin goldmine: "You wrote this??" they cry. "Really?" An author standing proud amid fresh fruits and salted meats is a real novelty, and out comes the wallet and off goes the book sitting merry in its bag. Everybody wins.

A convention, on the other hand, is a whole different sort of cat. You got mind-scanned people coming and going in droll waves, you've got costumes and flashing lights and buffets of questionable foods . and you've got authors left and right, coming out of the baseboards, reading, speaking, standing in front of their tables, hucking and shucking. Wow! At a convention, being an author isn't really a big deal. It's pretty normal.

And then, you've got the handful of "Name Brand" folks moving about, the authors who are rather Big and have an Established Following, messiah-like amid the eager faithful. Just like in Lankhmar on the Street of the Gods, the bigger gods take their place at the end of the street and all the little gods and ragged priests line up nearby, hoping to snag a wayward or drunken worshipper or two. In such an environment, being shy and coy simply will not do. You cannot simply wait for the fish to jump into your boat, you've got to trawl for them.

My good friend Pete Grondin, author of the McKinney Brothers murder-mystery series, is a master at it. People pass by and Pete fearlessly casts his: "Hey, lady! You like murder?" he asks to astonished stares and quickening paces. But, occasionally, people stop: "Yes, I do like murder," they reply and the sale is transacted. So I sigh and give it a go: "Hey! You like Science Fiction?? No? You like Fantasy? How about Romance . I got `em all!"

Oh, is it tiring.

For me, the greatest value of attending a convention is the contacts and genuine friendships I make. I walk around and talk to the authors and show genuine interest in their work. I listen to them. I support them either with a pledge to mention them at future events or with my money. I speak on panels, and occasionally people remember that. I've met some great people. I met the incredible Shandahars-Tracy Chowdery and Ted Crim, I got to know Nic and Fiona Brown of "Werewolf for Hire" fame, I met the sweet and misunderstood Elizadeth Hetherington (is she ever tall and, of course the amazing and also upbeat Stephen Zimmer. I come out of these conventions exhausted, a little soiled, but enriched-people who didn't know I existed before know me afterward and that is worth it all.

I sometimes wonder what it might be like to be the Brand Name, the Big God sitting at the end of the street entertaining throngs of followers. Does the Big God know the names of his followers, can he recall their faces?? Certainly, it can't be as fun and fulfilling as snagging that select person or two and making a real connection. Now that's a happy ending.

Bowl Naked

RG

Ren Garcia on Facebook

Ren Garcia on Twitter

Visit Ren's blog and website:
http://thetempleoftheexplodinghead.wordpress.com

http://www.theleagueofelder.com

Would you like to be introduced into Ren's literary world? Here's a couple of titles that will get you underway!:

Pick of the Week: Brine, by Adrienne Jones

2011-09-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Pick of the Week (#2): Brine, by Adrienne Jones
(Creative Guy Publishing)
– Selection made by Rodney Carlstrom

The Book:
Meet Elliot, respected Cape Cod painter. Unbeknownst to his admirers, Elliot's got some demons in his past. When he tries to paint them out of his system, his plan backfires. Now Elliot's got some demons in his present and future as well.

Spawned by a power of both mind and matter, Elliot's demons are very real, very weird, and very, very pissed off.

The people in Elliot's life called him 'closed off.' So he looked inside himself. Deep inside. What he found, he brought to the surface. Now its violent manifestations are holding him hostage at his beachside cabin. Worst of all, they know how to sing and dance. (Synopsis taken from creativeguypublishing.com)

The Author: Adrienne Jones is the author of the books Brine, Gypsies stole my Tequila, The Hoax, and editor of the collection Grimm and Grimmer. She spent her early life in the Boston area, where her parents fed her an endless menu of mystery novels to keep her quiet. Ultimately moving to Vermont, she ate cheese, tried to ski and fell down a lot, but remained in the Green Mountain State until earning a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. Thereafter she trekked back down to the flatlands where she worked various jobs as a journalist, film maker, office-grunt an copywriter. She now lives in Rhode Island and writes full time.
http://www.adriennejones.net/

The Publisher: Creative Guy Publishing is a small publisher in Vancouver Canada, which has put out a number of noteworthy titles since 2002, including Amityville House of Pancakes series, numerous chapbooks, audiobooks, and e-book novellas, Tales of Moreauvia historical SF Magazine, and many more unique publications. At CGP we bring you the unusual, but not the alienating.
http://www.creativeguypublishing.com/

My Comments: Last year when I went about narrowing down my Top 10 List of 2010, I wasn't at all surprised to find Adrienne Jones' Brine near the very top. Any book that will keep me up well past my bedtime, automatically deserves my attention. I haven't had many books like that come to my attention, but Brine did, and I managed to read it in one mindblowing sitting. With this novel, Jones does a marvelous job with keeping the pace smooth, and quick, filling it full of memorable characters, and a kick ass plot that keeps you guessing with each page. Brine reminded me of King's Duma Key, except it had been amped to twelve, and allowed to snort an arm-length line of coke. It starts out weird, and quickly goes to weirder, and ends at extremely weird. If you like fish, and author's with an imagination beyond your typical mass-market blasé mentality, then pick up a copy of Brine.

So Make Adrienne Jones' Brine from Creative Guy Publishing the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up Brine today! Direct Paperback and Kindle Links Below:

Paperback:

Kindle:

A Look at Small Press Publishing in Hydra's First Year

2011-09-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

A Look at Small Press Publishing in Hydra's First Year
by Frank Hall (Publisher, Hydra Publications, and owner of That Book Place in Madison, IN)

Over the years my family of antique dealers acquired a large number of books. After I left college I decided I would try selling them online. A little over five years ago, my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, and I decided to open a used bookstore. Last year we decided to step it up again and add a small press to the mix. Thus Hydra Publications was born.

The past year has definitely been interesting. Borders has come crashing down, e-book sales have gone wild, authors have had to boycott their own publisher when they stopped sending royalty checks. There is no doubt about it: the publishing world is in flux.

I see a lot of change coming, some voluntary, some not so much. The big houses are so entrenched in their ways it is hard for them to change. That is why this is a perfect time for Small Presses to take over. We are more willing to adapt to change. We are more willing to take a risk.

The glory of having your book published is a wonderful feeling. I see the look in authors when they are at their first signing, or when they see the copy of their book for the first time on the shelves of a store. At a store like mine, we have the advantage of being able to display local authors, or ones from a local small press. If you are lucky enough to get your title in big chain store you will be fighting for space with tens of thousands of other titles. Is that worth it? The odds of someone finding your book is pretty low. Indie bookstores are where you should be focusing. You will get more exposure there than in a chain.

That is where publishers need to focus. That and online. As a bookstore owner I really hate Amazon. As a small press owner I love Amazon. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can get your book from Amazon. It is the best venue for small presses.

We as small presses need to work on honing our online marketing skills. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook will lead to more sales in the long run then anything else we will be able to do. Through our own marketing efforts and working with our authors to make them marketing experts online, sales can only increase.

As much as it pains me as a bookseller, ebooks are the future for a publishing house. They are outselling print books around 3 to 1 currently. This doesn’t mean that physical books are going away. Sales have been steady for them. It just means that more then ever, more books are being sold, a majority of them ebooks. That is a good thing.

More people are writing, more books are selling, and more people are reading. So the outlook is good in my opinion for small presses and for indie bookstores.

Want to try out some Hydra Publication books? Here are a few to look at:

Or a Hydra eBook!

Two New Video Trailers for SSP Books

2011-09-07T15:58:00.001-07:00

We hope you are enjoying some of the new additions to The Seventh Star Press Blog, such as Rodney Carlstrom's first post, on life as a reviewer, to the new Pick of the Week segement, with Terry W. Ervin's Flank Hawk as our first selection. Much more is coming In addition to the new content, we will keep you up to speed on Seventh Star Press developments, and in that regard, we have two new video book trailers to tell you about.

The first is for Jackie Gamber's Redheart, Book One of the Leland Dragon Series. The second is for The Seventh Throne, Book Three of the Rising Dawn Saga. Please give them a look, leave a comment on the YouTube Page, and pass around the link on your blogs and FaceBook/Google+ pages.

Hope you enjoy them!

Pick of the Week: Flank Hawk, by Terry W. Ervin II

2011-09-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Editors Note: This kicks off our very first SSP Blog Pick of the Week segment, which will highlight a book, author, and publisher that we recommend for you to try out. Expect some variety in these picks, which will be made by our blogging staff. The writer making the pick of the week will be credited with the post. We feel that publishing is a unique (and quite hard) industry to be in, and we hope we can help you find some quality authors and presses in the process of these picks.

Pick of the Week (#1): Flank Hawk, by Terry W Ervin II (Gryphonwood Press)
-selection made by Stephen Zimmer

The Book:
What happens when fire-breathing dragons battle Stukas for aerial supremacy over a battlefield? Can an earth wizard's magic defeat a panzer? Krish, a farmhand turned mercenary, witnesses this and much more as he confronts the Necromancer King's new war machines resurrected from before the First Civilization's fall. Worse yet, a wounded prince tasks Krish to find the fabled Colonel of the West and barter the royal family's malevolent Blood-Sword for a weapon to thwart the Necromancer King's victory. Flank Hawk is set in the distant future where magic exists and brutish ogres are more than a child's nightmare. (Synopsis from Amazon.com listing

The Author:
Terry W. Ervin II is an English teacher who enjoys writing Fantasy and Science Fiction. He is an editor for MindFlights, a guest columnist for Fiction Factor and is the author of over two dozen short stories and articles. Flank Hawk is his debut novel. When Terry isn't writing or enjoying time with his wife and daughters, he can be found in his basement raising turtles. To contact Terry, or to learn more about his writing endeavors, visit his website at www.ervin-author.com.

The Publisher: Founded in 2004 as a fantasy print/webzine, Gryphonwood Press publishes speculative fiction novels in print, including epic and modern fantasy, sci-fi, steampunk, and adventure with a touch of the supernatural. Gryphonwood is committed to introducing talented new voices to the field of speculative fiction. The roster of Gryphonwood Press includes authors such as David Wood, Jim Bernheimer, Terry W. Ervin II, and Sherry Thompson. Visit Gryphonwood Press on the web at http://www.gryphonwoodpress.com

My Comments: I am going to be doing a full review of Flank Hawk very soon, when I get enough of a time window to do a good one, but suffice it to say that this was one of my highlight reads of the year. I'm giving it five stars. Terry takes some definite chances with this book, in crossing some genres by bringing in things like Panzers and Stukas to a fantasy-based setting with dragons and the like. A risk like this could have gone either way, descending into something very silly or soaring, and I can tell you that the latter was achieved in Flank Hawk. Terry's prose flows, his characters really shine (and the mercenary elements evoked some of the things I loved about one of my favorite fantasy authors, Glen Cook, in his Black Company series), and it is anything but predictable. I highly recommend Flank Hawk, which is the first book in a series, if you would like to indulge in a truly original fantasy read.

So Make Terry W. Ervin II's Flank Hawk from Gryphonwood Press the SSP Blog's Pick of the Week!

Pick up Flank Hawk today! Direct Paperback and Kindle Links Below:
Paperback:

Kindle:

My Life as a Reviewer: A Love Affair

2011-09-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Editorial Note: As promised, the Seventh Star Press blog is expanding! New contributors and content bringing you a look into the world of authors, publishing, and more will be gracing the blog in the future.

Today, we kick it off with a nice piece from Rodney Carlstrom, a reviewer with The Sci-Fi Guys Book Review, who gives us a look into what led him into becoming a reviewer, as well as some insight into his process of reviewing. This one should be interesting for both authors and publishers alike!
-Stephen

My Life as a Reviewer: A Love Affair
by Rodney Carlstrom

I'll be the first to admit that I love books, but I'll be the last to admit that I have a problem.

Since that fateful trip to my local library, where I managed to pick up my first 'big boy book' at the age of 12, – J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit – it's been a non-stop race to see how many books I can devour before I die. (Not that I plan on kicking the bucket anytime soon, mind you.) And within those nine years, I think I've done a damn good job of putting a dent in my ever-expanding list of Books-to-Read-Before-I-Die.

Some would call it an obsession. I tend to think of it as a love affair.

Fast forward four years: that first trip to the library has now turned into a weekly occasion, or whenever I can get there. If it meant walking, riding my bike, or catching rides from friends, I found a way to walk those isles of familiarity. For a kid of sixteen, hormones raging, testosterone pumping, that was the closest I ever thought I'd get to having a lover. And oddly enough, I was okay with that.

It was during my browsing of the new fiction shelf that I picked up two novels that would further change my life: Brian Keene's The Conqueror Worms and Gary A. Braunbeck's In Silent Graves (Stephen King's The Shining followed soon after). Although not my typical diet of Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Star Wars and Star Trek novels (I blame my father for instilling his love of science fiction in me), these two titles plucked at heartstrings I never knew existed. It was then that I decided I wanted to do the same thing they did for a living; I wanted to write my own stories,and get paid for doing it.

It was in the following years that I began to write. Two short stories later, and I had found my newest obsession, and my second love. And even though I hit a few hard spots along the way, (losing 80,000 words of outline for a fantasy trilogy thanks to a nasty virus) they didn't stop me. I got back up, brushed myself off and put my fingers to the keyboard once again.

So you see, it was only a matter of time before I realized that I could combine the two things that I loved most: writing (albeit not fiction, but a chance to exercise my thoughts and opinions) and reading. Add in a best friend, boredom to the nth degree, a bookcase of novels just waiting to be read, and all summer to read them, and thus The Sci-Fi Guys Book Review Blog was born.

Granted things change. Where at first there were two steady reviewers, now there's only one. Instead of individual podcasts for each book review, there's a single post. Since that initial post two years ago, I've changed as well. Instead of just focusing on reviewing the newest title, I'm dissecting every novel, chapter, page, paragraph and sentence I read.

And with every new review I write, I learn what works best within that novel. Whether it be the mechanics the author uses, the tone or feel the author evokes, the development of the characters, or the author's ability to allow me to escape long enough to block out the world around me, there's always something to have been learned by the last page.

One of the best pieces of writing advice ever given to me came from Horror author Brian Keene, who said that the only way to become a better writer was to read and write every day.

That's it.

It's that simple: Read and write. Every day.

Luckily enough at the time, I was already in a position where I was doing half of what he prescribed.

The other half came from wanting to be as good a storyteller as J.R.R. Tolkien. As imaginative as Stephen King. Or to have the ability to pluck the heartstrings of readers who had never known such a sensation existed, like Gary Braunbeck. Or to tell one hell of a good story like Brian Keene.

Though there are many things that happened before that piece of advice was imparted to me, the most important thing I ever did to open doors in the publishing world, and to hear Brian Keene reaffirm me that I was on the right track, was to start Sci-Fi Guys. It's been two years since I blogged the first post, and since then it has enabled me to get my foot in doors I could have never dreamed of before.

Including the words you're reading right now.

Even though I'm not yet published (I have several stories out floating around, waiting to be snagged), I consider it an honor to be allowed to share my thoughts, ideas and ramblings with readers of the Seventh Star Press Blog.

And to think it all started with a love affair...

~Rodney

Be sure to visit The SciFi Guys Book Review blog or add them on Twitter at the following links:
scifiguysbookreview.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/scifiguysbkrev

Rodney's personal blog and Twitter page can be found at:
The Bloody Pen
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kidstaple

Our Blog is Expanding!

2011-08-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Seventh Star Saints, the brand new street team, is getting underway this week and lots is happening here. Be sure to email us at seventhstaratseventhstarpress.com right away (replace the at with the @ symbol) if you would like to get in on the action.

One new thing is that the blog is getting some new contributors, so expect some great new posts that will be both entertaining and informative regarding the world of publishing, writers, and more!

It will highlight many writers and publishers, not just SSP authors, as we feel strongly that everything must be done to advance the cause of small press publishers and authors. It is important that readers everywhere come to recognize that quality writing and releases, as good as anything put out by a major press (and sometimes better), can be found in independent/small press.

Get ready for some great new developments and thank you as always for your support!

Join the Seventh Star Press street team!

2011-08-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is just a final note to invite anyone interested in participating on the Seventh Star Press street team to please message us at this email address (insert at symbol for "at"): seventhstar at seventhstarpress.com

The street team, the Seventh Star Saints, is going to be a fun one and each member's activity will be individuallly determined, so nobody will have to feel like they are going out of their way. Activities will be aligned with the kind of activities that a person already is involved in, whether that is being active online in forums, going to conventions and book fairs, or frequenting local spots like bookstores and libraries.

We are going to have some great rewards, involving exclusive memorabilia, other gifts, and a regular big discount in the SSP online store.

We have a "secret" facebook group for the Seventh Star Saints too, to protect privacy of members and discussions.

So if you like our authors, such as D.A. Adams, David Blalock, Jackie Gamber, Steven Shrewsbury, Michael West, or Stephen Zimmer, and want to help, then just drop us a note and we will explain more!

The Seventh Throne Release Week, Contests, Interviews, Events.

2011-08-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

We wanted to pass along a few things coinciding with the release week of The Seventh Throne.

Today, Evie-Bookish out of Canada has a new interview and contest for The Seventh Throne. Be sure to check it out and leave a comment. http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/2011/08/interview-giveaway-stephen-zimmer.html

Thursday, Stephen will be live on Edin Radio at 6:30 eastern, at www.edinradio.com/radio

Friday, Stephen will be at the big kickoff event for The Seventh Throne in Lexington, Kentucky at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. The event starts at 7 pm and features giveaways, a presentation, a Q and A, a collectible print, an after party, and more.

Celebrate the release of The Seventh Throne and help us spread the word!

Thrall Contest and Steven Shrewsbury Interview at Evie Bookish

2011-08-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to put up a link and reminder that you can win a nice Thrall package, AND read a great new Steven Shrewsbury interview over at Evie Bookish. Evie did a Thrall review earlier, which you can find at her blog, and now visits with Steven with a great range of questions. Check it out if you get a moment. It is very easy to enter the contest too!

Link to the Steven Shrewsbury Interview and Thrall contest:
http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/2011/08/interview-giveaway-steven-shrewsbury.html?spref=tw

New Stephen Zimmer Interview at Jess Resides Here

2011-08-06T20:42:00.001-07:00

We wanted to pass along a link to a brand new Stephen Zimmer interview, the first blog interview in support of The Seventh Throne, at the Jess Resides Here site.
Please visit and leave a comment!

http://www.frellathon.com/2011/08/stephen-zimmer-interview.html?zx=41aeb51d0a13a56d

Next week is going to be a big one, with Michael West's new novel Cinema of Shadows hitting the streets. Be sure to spread the word and get your friends who like horror to give this book a read! Some copies of the Limited Edition hardcover still remain, which you can order in the Seventh Star Press online store at www.seventhstarpress.com

Copies of Stephen Zimmer's The Seventh Throne limited hardcovers are also still available for pre-order.

Look out for interviews, reviews, and guest posts by both Stephen and Michael as Cinema of Shadows and The Seventh Throne get released.

Stephen Zimmer introduces The Seventh Throne on the Something Wicked Blog Today

2011-07-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Stephen Zimmer introduces The Seventh Throne, Book Three of the Rising Dawn Saga, on the Something Wicked Blog Site today. If you visit, please leave a comment.

And if you haven't picked one up yet, there are still some limited edition hardcovers left for pre-order of the new book as well, over in the online store.

To read Stephen's guest blog, click the link below:
http://wickedauthors.blogspot.com/2011/07/welcome-stephen-zimmer.html

New Michael West Interview

2011-07-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

We wanted to pass along a new Michael West interview just posted today on the RJ Sullivan Blog. It focuses on Cinema of Shadows, and is a really nice one. Don't forget, if you want a limited hardcover personalized, orders need to be in by Thursday evening. Michael will sign them this weekend and they will be shipping out early next week.

The Michael West interview can be found at:

http://rjsullivanfiction.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/interview-michael-west-discusses-cinema-of-shadows/

Personalization Requests for Cinema of Shadows Need to Be in by Thursday Night

2011-07-18T18:18:00.001-07:00

Personalization Requests for Limited Edition Hardcover and Softcover Versions of Cinema of Shadows Reminder!

If you would like to have Cinema of Shadows personalized by Michael West, you will need to get your order in by Thursday night. Michael will be signing them on Friday. Be sure to include a note with your personalization request when you order. They will be shipping early next week.

to order, visit:

http://seventhstarpress.com/documents/books.html

New Video Trailer Up For Michel West's Cinema of Shadows!!

2011-07-08T16:51:00.001-07:00

Michael West's video trailer for Cinema of Shadows is now up. Produced by the talented folks at Dark Rider Studios, it plays more like a short film than a book trailer. Check out the trailer, and then be sure to reserve yourselve a limited edition hardcover of Cinema of Shadows (they will ship by August 1st).

To reserve a limited edition hardcover, go to:

Seventh Star Press Online Store

Seven No-Cost Ways A Reader Can Promote Their Favorite Author

2011-07-07T13:29:00.001-07:00

Passing along a new article from one of our fantasy authors, Stephen Zimmer, on seven no-cost ways that a reader can help promote an author they like.

You can use the tips for any author you like. Stephen also encourages authors to copy and repost the article.

Want to Help Authors You Like? Here Are Seven Ways!

by Stephen Zimmer

With a fairly intensive travel schedule to conventions, book fairs, and bookstores, I engage my readers often on a personal, face to face level. I also strive to be as accessible as possible, whether through email, Facebook, or other online channels. As such, I have had the good fortune to meet and interact with a great many readers, several of whom have become very supportive towards helping me advance in my career.

Many times I have been asked what an individual reader can do to help out, in terms of raising more awareness about myself and my work. I really appreciate these kinds of offers of support, as a motivated reader spreading word about an author can be incredibly effective. Word of mouth is by far the best advertising out there.

Over the course of time I have identified some effective, no-cost methods that can be used to help not just myself, but any author out there. I thought I would write a little about this topic, so that readers of any writer can be aware of some simple things that are of immense help to independent, small press, and even mid-list authors.

Here are my seven no-cost suggestions for readers who would like to help raise awareness about a certain author:

1. Reader Reviews: Without question, one of the biggest ways that a reader can help an author they like is by sharing their thoughts about the author’s books on sites like Amazon.com (hugely important), GoodReads (another big one), Shelfari, or any online store outlet like Barnes and Noble that provides for customer generated reviews.

A review on these types of sites does not have to be formal. It can merely be a few short sentences explaining why you enjoyed a particular book. It does not have to be a perfect review either. An element that one reader did not completely like might be just the thing another reader is searching for. A range of reviews ultimately creates a solid overall perspective on the book itself, making it more likely that a reader looking for that type of book will be willing to take a chance with it.

I really believe that readers sometimes think that their reviews make little difference, but this is definitely not the case. A building list of endorsing reviews, which give some perspectives on the books and the content within them, goes a long, long way to encouraging new readers to give an author a try. If a new reader sees an author that has 5 reviews in the 3-5 star range, and another that has 65 reviews in the same range, guess which one they are more likely to be confident in going with, if the book and its genre are similar?

Furthermore, momentum flows into the design of the software used by some of the online sites like Amazon.com. The more a book is favorably reviewed, the more the site’s software will recommend a certain title to readers who buy books of a similar genre.

Online reviews and comments are perused by all sorts of individuals, from prospective new readers to industry professionals. Your review helps to build a body of responses that can really factor strongly in bringing some consideration to an author. Ultimately, the book will have to speak for itself, but it sure doesn’t hurt to draw attention to it.

With the explosion of eBooks, reader reviews are rising in importance, especially on sites like Amazon.com with its massively successful Kindle. eBooks are primed for quick responses too, with the ability to be instantly downloaded if a reader is intrigued. Your comments might be the tipping point that encourages a new reader to download a title.

Reader reviews, as you can see, are of major help to an author, so take a few minutes and put your comments one about a book you liked, and an author you support.

2. Library Requests: If you frequent libraries, enter a request that they get in a copy of your favorite author’s book or books. Some of my most dedicated readers have discovered me in libraries, and if one branch brings in a certain title that begins to be checked out, it is possible that others in a city or town may follow suit. A library is a great place for readers to try out an author, and help to start building a following of a particular series. Most libraries have request forms that take only a minute or two to fill out. Your simple request might be the thing that leads to a brushfire of word of mouth, bringing a lot of attention to your favorite author.

3. Bookstore Requests: Very similar to the library situation, if you frequent a bookstore (and especially if it is an independent bookstore), make sure that they stock a copy or two of an author you like on their shelf. If the author’s books have an industry standard discount, and are returnable (and are available through the major distributors like Ingram or Baker & Taylor), there is no real impediment to a bookstore giving an author a try.

If the store has a resident expert in the genre of your author, talk to them as well and encourage them to look into the author you like. If there is a club suited to the genre of the author based in the bookstore, suggest it as a title for them to read.

If the store begins to stock a title, and it begins to sell a little, it can really help an author progress, and create a viable situation for an author to visit the store for a signing.

4. Bookmark or Promotional Material Distribution:Most authors have some degree of promotional material, whether it is just bookmarks, or cover art postcards, or a range of materials such as I utilize for my two series (we have collectible, postcard-sized art card sets, 8X10 glossy covers, etc.). If you happen to frequent some independent bookstores, libraries, or go to fan conventions such as DragonCon, GenCon, or other genre-affiliated events, you should contact the author and ask if they can send you some promotional material to distribute. Libraries always have a need to give out bookmarks, and most conventions have “free tables” where fliers and advertising materials can be put out.

Some readers of mine have graciously done this at many events, including World Fantasy Con last year in Columbus, which I couldn’t make due to a schedule conflict. I can say with surety that having the ability to get the materials to places that I cannot personally attend does indeed help greatly.

I do have to make a special note in regard to this suggestion, though. As the cost of materials and shipping is incurred by the author in this instance, please make sure to follow through with distributing the material, if you request it. Unless the author is at the heights of the best-seller list, there is little room to maneuver with resources.

5. Social Networking/Links: Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks are at the heart of day to day interactions between people. Whether status updates, comments on walls, or commenting on the status updates of others, a reader can easily leave a comment and/or link regarding their favorite author or a specific book. The link can even be a direct one to a place to get the book, such as to the title's Kindle page on Amazon.com.

The more that the public sees a certain name, the greater the chance a few new readers may give that author a chance. Don’t underestimate the value of putting up a status update or wall post, with a link and cover art image.

Encourage others to add that author as a friend, follow them on Twitter, or follow their blogs (on popular blog sites like Blogspot or WordPress). You don’t have to overdo it, but mentioning your favorite authors from time to time, putting up some links to reviews, and highlighting your reading preferences makes a significant difference.

6. Blog Comments: There is a growing genre blog community online that reviews, interviews, and hosts guest articles with authors of all levels. A reader can reinforce an author that they like by leaving a public comment at the end of an interview, review, or other posting.

It takes only seconds to do, and it does wonders in terms of letting the blog site know that the article was read, and that they had a worthy guest. I also believe that a person visiting the site who does not know a certain author is more likely to pay attention to the interview or posting if they see a lot of comment activity
Just keep in mind that you are representing the author, in a way, when you do this kind of activity, so try to phrase your comments politely if you are in a situation such as commenting on a review or even another comment that you disagreed with.

7. Bulletin/Message Board Threads: If you are a member of an online bulletin board community, or are active on threads at places like Amazon.com, sprinkle some comments and links in regarding the authors that you like. Perhaps even start a thread dedicated to that author. Again, the more that prospective readers come across a name or title, the more likely they will give it some serious consideration.

Bulletin/message boards are well-suited for frank discussion and commentary. They are not well-suited for an author self-promoting themselves. You can be the bridge of that gap!

As you can see, none of the above recommended activities costs any money for the reader to do, and none of them involve a tremendous time commitment. The majority of them are congruent with activities that a reader is already doing.

Yet all of them can really help an author move forward on what is, without a doubt, one of the toughest roads to take in the realms of entertainment and art. I hope that these suggestions have helped give some guidance and insight to readers looking for ways to promote their favorite authors. Please feel free to spread this outward, so that authors of all genres and styles can benefit.

To find out more about Stephen Zimmer or to add him to your social network:
www.facebook.com/sgzimmer
www.twitter.com/sgzimmer
www.stephenzimmer.com
http://stephenzimmer.blogspot.com

Read an Excerpt and See an Illustration From Cinema of Shadows by Michael West

2011-06-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

Read an excerpt from Cinema of Shadows, the new horror novel from Michael West!

http://www.bymichaelwest.com/cinema-of-shadows-a-preview-of-coming-attractions

Below is a look at one of the new Matthew Perry Illustrations for Cinema of Shadows.

Reserve one of the Limited Hardcover versions shipping out by August 1st! (only 75 will be issued!) Click here to go to the online store!

3rd Rising Dawn Saga Book's Cover Art, Title, and Limited Hardcover Pre-orders Revealed!

2011-06-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce The Seventh Throne, the third book in Stephen Zimmer's ambitious, epic-scale urban fantasy series The Rising Dawn Saga.

To be released in the 2nd week of August, the book features a new collection of Matthew Perry Illustrations. A pre-order window is now open for a limited edition hardcover version of the book, at a great price (just $35.95 for one of 75 signed/numbered copies, with an array of collectibles included).

There is also a pre-order option for a softcover version, as well as special combo offers for those that need to catch up on all three titles at once, with both hardcover and softcover offerings available.

The official press release is below. If you would like to go to the online store directly to pre-order a copy (which will be shipped no later than August 16), please visit: http://www.seventhstarpress.com/documents/books.html

For Immediate Release
June 28, 2011
Stephen Zimmer's Third Rising Dawn Saga Book Unveiled With Limited Edition Hardcover Offer!

Seventh Star Press is proud to unveil the title and brand new cover art for Stephen Zimmer's third Rising Dawn Saga novel: The Seventh Throne.

A bold, ambitious series that pushes the boundaries of urban fantasy, The Rising Dawn Saga has gained a steadily growing, very dedicated following since the debut of The Exodus Gate in spring of 2009. Showing the epic-scale possibilities of urban fantasy, the series draws heavily upon mythical and supernatural lore, weaving it into a modern day tale of a world tilting swiftly towards a dystopian nightmare.

Readers who have been journeying along in the Rising Dawn Saga will need to hold on to their seat, as a conflict of cosmic scope escalates rapidly. They will join the human soul Friedrich as he accompanies the powerful Avatar Enki into the depth of the Abyss, to discover the fate of Erishkegal, who crossed the Veil to spare a horde of outcast Nephilim ages ago. It is a quest that will take them to the brink of hell itself, but it is one that may hold astounding revelations.

Elsewhere, martial law is installed across the UCAS during the outbreak of a deadly virus, and the onset of a war to the far east that threatens the stability of the entire world. The imposition of a diabolical technology looms, as centuries-old organizations in the service of Adonai race to confront the looming menace.

Gregory Andreas, an ex-marine, leads a budding resistance to the authoritarian government, as Dagian Underwood, the mastermind behind the oncoming Living ID technology, reaches out to the dark realm of Set to gain the help of an ally with a rare, formidable ability. Seth Engel and his teenaged friends venture forth once again to seek proof of spreading rumors; this time of rounded-up townspeople being herded into large detainment facilities close to Godwinton.

Even the shapeshifting An-Ki are caught in the maelstrom of uncertainty, as Godral and their others of Sargor's clan struggle to find their place in the strange modern world, and Uria leads his renegade new clan into the unknown. His path leads to an encounter with a mysterious individual possessed of supernatural powers; who expresses the desire to be his guide.

Threads intertwine as the dangers increase, and nowhere is safe as the things of the material and non-material worlds clash. The Seventh Throne will leave the reader hungry for the next installment, after a revelation of tremendous magnitude culminates the latest Rising Dawn Saga adventure.

"I am very excited about this installment, as with three books out in the Rising Dawn Saga I can really show readers how I build a series," Stephen Zimmer commented. "Everything builds, and threads that may have seemed ambiguous in the earlier books pay off in droves. For the dedicated reader, I have worked hard to bring a level of range and depth that can be explored again and again."

As with the previous Rising Dawn Saga books, readers can expect another full set of Matthew Perry illustrations, with eight brand new ones included in the regular edition of the book. The extensive Matthew Perry body of artwork produced for The Rising Dawn Saga is, without a doubt, highly unique in the publishing of fantasy works today, regardless of major press or small press classification.

A pre-ordering window is now open for readers interested in a limited edition hardcover of The Seventh Throne, which features a Matthew Perry illustration not included in the regular editon. Only 75 numbered/signed copies of the limited edition will be issued, at a price of just $35.95.

There is also a special pre-order offer for the regular trade paperback edition. Both of the pre-order offers include an array of collectibles from The Seventh Throne. Copies can be pre-ordered in the online store at http://www.seventhstarpress.com/documents/books.html and all pre-ordered packages will be shipped no later than August 16th.

The Seventh Throne will ultimately be available in trade paperback, hardcover, and a variety of eBook editions.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.stephenzimmer.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Cinema of Shadows: Cover Art Revealed and Limited Hardcovers Now Up for Pre-order!

2011-06-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

It's here! Michael West's Cinema of Shadows cover art by Matthew Perry, and the pre-order window is now open for the limited edition hardcover (only 75 to be issued, numbered and signed)! We have an array of nice collectibles for those who order the limited edition hardcover OR the special softcover pre-order offer. The Cinema of Shadows collectibles include a 14X20 poster of one of the interior illustrations, a set of four glossy, 5X7 art cards, bookmarks, a pair of buttons, and a magnet.

Visit the online store today to pre-order a copy. They will ship out on August 1st, a week ahead of the August 7th street date.

Here's the official press release from today:
>>
For Immediate Release
June 15, 2011
Michael West's Cinema of Shadows Cover Art Unveiled with Limited Edition Hardcover Offer!

(Michael West-from the set of the Cinema of Shadows book trailer)

Seventh Star Press is proud to unveil the brand new cover art by Matthew Perry created for Michael West's Cinema of Shadows, which will make Harmony, Indiana a household name with horror readers everywhere.

A pre-ordering window is now open for readers interested in a limited edition hardcover of Cinema of Shadows, which features a Matthew Perry illustration not included in the regular editon. Only 75 numbered copies of the limited edition will be issued, at a price of just $34.95.

There is also a special pre-order offer for the regular trade paperback edition. Both of the pre-order offers include an array of Cinema of Shadows collectibles, including a beautiful 14X20 poster of one of the interior illustrations (also by Matthew Perry), a set of 5X7 glossy art cards, bookmarks, a pair of buttons, and a magnet. Copies can be pre-ordered in the online store at www.seventhstarpress.com and will be shipped August 1st, to ensure arrival before the book's August 7th street date.

Cinema of Shadows welcomes you to the Woodfield Movie Palace.

The night the Titanic sank, it opened for business...and its builder died in his chair. In the 1950s, there was a fire; a balcony full of people burned to death. And years later, when it became the scene of one of Harmony, Indiana's most notorious murders, it closed for good. Abandoned, sealed, locked up tight...until now.

Tonight, Professor Geoffrey Burke and his Parapsychology students have come to the Woodfield in search of evidence, hoping to find irrefutable proof of a haunting. Instead, they will discover that, in this theater, the terrors are not confined to the screen.

Cinema of Shadows will ultimately be available in trade paperback, hardcover, and a variety of eBook editions.

Spook House, the next Harmony, Indiana novel from Michael West, is slated for 2012 release, with another title coming in 2013.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.bymichaelwest.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Seventh Star Press Welcomes H. David Blalock and His New Urban Fantasy Series Aboard!

2011-06-12T21:13:00.001-07:00

We are very proud to announce the addition of H. David Blalock to our family of authors. We are confident readers are going to embrace his exciting new urban fantasy series, The Angelkiller Triad.

The full press release is below:

>>
For Immediate Release,
June 13, 2011

Seventh Star Press Acquires H. David Blalock's New Urban Fantasy Series, The Angelkiller Triad

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the acquisition of The Angelkiller Triad, a provocative new urban fantasy series, as H. David Blalock becomes a member of the publishing company's growing family of authors.

The acquisition comes right on the heels of the addition of D.A Adams' fantasy series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, and follows a strong run of releases that has seen titles such as Jackie Gamber's Redheart (YA fantasy) and Steven Shrewsbury's Thrall (heroic fantasy) meet with a very warm reception from reviewers and readers alike. It is yet another strong testament to Seventh Star Press's committment to releasing quality titles exhibiting many facets of speculative fiction.

H. David Blalock commented on his recent partnership with SSP. "I am excited about doing the Angelkiller series with Seventh Star, and honored to be in such talented company. I just hope I can keep up with this high-energy group!"

The first book introduces Jonah Mason, the oldest, and most experienced of the Angelkillers, an elite force in the Army of Light. They are fighting an ancient war, one in which the Darkness achieved a great triumph long ago that has had profound influence on the fabric of life as we know it. It is the simple answer as to why bad things happen to good people. The great battle may have been lost, but the war continues in a modern age, pitting Jonah against the Enemy in a way even he had never faced. A provocative mixture of the supernatural and technological, Angelkiller is a very special, thought-provoking tale, one that shines forth in the upper realms of urban fantasy literature.

Based out of the Memphis area, H. David Blalock has an impressive writing career of 35 years and counting that has achieved numerous publishing credits in print and online mediums. He is most known for his fantasy novel Ascendant (Sam's Dot Publishing), which was the basis for a twenty minute short film produced in 2010 that featured former WWE wrestler Al Snow. The sequel to Ascendant, Emperor (Sam's Dot Publishing), was released in March of 2011. David is also the founder of Imagicopter, an author-driven organization that creates an array of event opportunities for small press authors and artists, while also publishing the highly-regarded Imagyro magazine.

“I was a fan of H. David Blalock since I read Ascendant, which is one of the true gems in fantasy out of the small press world,” fellow Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer commented. “Angelkiller represents something that is compelling, thought-provoking, and highly relevant. With David's mastery of narrative and character, this series is going to be a force to be reckoned with in urban fantasy.”

The projected release date window for Angelkiller is fall of 2011, in limited hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, for readers with the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other electronic reading devices.

Book 2, Traitor Angel, and Book 3, Doom Angel, will be released over the course of 2012 and early 2013.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.thrankeep.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Fantasy Author D.A. Adams Brings Dwarven Series to Seventh Star Press

2011-06-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

Seventh Star Press is excited to announce the addition of D.A. Adams to its author family, with the acquisition of the captivating fantasy series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves.

Read the full press release below:

For Immediate Release
June 2, 2011

Seventh Star Press Proudly Announces the Acquisition of Fantasy Author D.A. Adams' The Brotherhood of Dwarves Series

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the addition of fantasy author D.A. Adams to its family of writers, with the acquisition of The Brotherhood of Dwarves series.

The Brotherhood of Dwarves and Red Sky at Dawn, the first and second books of the series, were originally released by Third Axe Media. The two installments received excellent reviews, and sold very strongly on the convention circuit. Planned for five books total, the third title in the series, The Fall of Dorkuhn, will be released in its first edition by Seventh Star Press. The series is known for its fresh approach to an iconic fantasy race, blending traditional lore with all-new twists.

“With their outstanding marketing and promotional campaigns, Seventh Star can provide *The Brotherhood of Dwarves* with the exposure it deserves. I'm excited and proud to be the newest addition to their stable of talented writers, ” commented D.A. Adams, regarding his relationship with the Lexington, Kentucky-based publisher.

The Fall of Dorkuhn continues the story of the dwarf Roskin. In the newest adventure of the series, Roskin returns home to a kingdom divided by war with the ogres. On one side, his father desires to restore peace, but on the other, Master Sondious, seeking revenge for having been crippled, seeks to escalate the offensive aggression. Roskin and his friends make a desperate attempt to resolve the growing rift, but unknown to the dwarves, new and powerful menaces threaten to destroy the entire kingdom...

Living and working in East Tennessee, D. A. Adams is an established novelist, a farmer, a professor of English, and has contributed writing to literary as well as fine art publications. He also maintains an active blog, entitled "The Ramblings of D. A. Adams".

“D.A. Adams is an outstanding addition to our group of authors,” fellow Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer commented. “The Brotherhood of Dwarves series is well-crafted storytelling with compelling characters, set within a richly developed fantasy setting. It has very strong appeal to those who like character-driven stories, as well as to fans of epic fantasy. For those who love seeing dwarves in fantasy literature, it is immensely rewarding.”

The projected release date window for The Fall of Dorkuhn is late summer of 2011, in limited hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, covering owners of the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other electronic reading devices.

The Seventh Star Press editions of The Brotherhood of Dwarves and Red Sky at Dawn will receive trade paperback and eBook releases in late summer of 2011, with a hardcover edition of each to follow shortly afterwards.

Books four and five in The Brotherhood of Dwarves series are slated for tentative releases in late 2012 and 2013.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.brotherhoodofdwarves.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

3 Excellent New Redheart Reviews, a Thrall Review, and a Jackie Gamber Guest Blog

2011-05-31T12:29:00.001-07:00

We have had quite a good week with Jackie Gamber and her book Redheart, and also have a nice new Thrall review to pass along to you.

First, there's a great new post by Jackie up at My Love Affair with Books. It explores Jackie's own "love affair with books", and how it started. Check it out and leave a comment!

http://books-love-affair.blogspot.com/2011/05/guest-post-my-off-and-on-again-love.html

Then, there wasn't just one, or two, but three excellent new reviews of Redheart! We hope that you take a look at them, and don't forget that you can get Redheart for your eReader for a couple of weeks longer at just $1.99. Request it at your library or ask your favorite bookstore to carry it, and help us spread the word. It is getting a great response with reviewers and readers, and you can really be of help in making this series grow.

Here's the Redheart review at From the Bookshelf of T.B.:
http://ftbotbblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/redheart-by-jackie-gamber.html

Here's the Redheart review at The Prairie Library:
http://www.theprairielibrary.com/2011/05/review-redheart-by-jackie-gamber.html

Here's the Redheart review at Evie Bookish:
http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/2011/05/redheart-by-jackie-gamber-book-one-of.html

We also wanted to pass along this link to a fine review of Steven Shrewsbury's Thrall, on Edi's Lighthouse. Don't forget that you can get Thrall on eBook for just $1.99 on Kindle, Nook, iPad, and more as well! Thrall is great for readers that like action-heavy heroic fantasy. With the new Conan movie coming out later this summer, it is a perfect time for Thrall!

http://edisbooklighthouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/edis-spotlight-thrall-by-steven.html

Jackie Gamber visits Stuck in Books and Amberkatze's Book Blog

2011-05-16T18:47:00.001-07:00

A couple of newer visits on the online Redheart Tour to report to everyone. The first is a new interview, review, and a giveaway hosted on Stuck in Books. The second is a guest posting from Jackie on being a writer, accompanied by a contest/giveaway, on Amberkatze's Book Blog.

Every interview and blog post Jackie is doing on the Redheart Tour is unique, and you can learn something new about her on each one. This tour is a great chance for you to get acquainted with Jackie and her work, and if you buy eBooks, the $1.99 price is a pretty good way to get acquainted with Jackie's work (on Kindle, iPad, Nook, and other formats).

Here are the latest links:

Stuck In Books Interview, Review, and Giveaway:
http://www.stuckinbooks.com/2011/05/redheart-by-jackie-gamber.html

Guest Posting and Contest on AmberKatze's Book Blog:
http://amberkatze.blogspot.com/2011/05/guest-blog-contest-with-jackie-gamber.html

"The Story Behind the Story" of Redheart at YA Book Reads

2011-05-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the Google Alerts lets something slip by, and we are a couple of days in getting the link out on this, but the post by Jackie is really fantastic. It is "The Story Behind the Story", hosted over at YA Book Reads in the UK.

This worth checking out if you would like to learn some of the background and foundations of Redheart.

here's the direct link:

http://yabookreads.com/blog/2011/05/06/the-story-behind-the-story-jackie-gamber/

New Jackie Gamber BookTasting* and Interview on Jess Resides Here

2011-05-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Redheart Online Tour stops at Jess Resides Here, with not just an author interview, but also a BookTasting! We'll post the direct links here so that you can go straight to either one!

The BookTasting*

http://jess-vents.blogspot.com/2011/05/jackie-gamber-guest-post.html

and the interview:
http://jess-vents.blogspot.com/2011/05/jackie-gamber-interview.html

A new Jackie Gamber blog post, new Redheart Review, Fires in Eden Contest, AND a Crown of Vengeance Review!

2011-05-09T13:41:00.001-07:00

It has been a very active day online with Seventh Star Press! We have some links to pass along to everyone. 2 brand new reviews, a contest, and a guest blog posting.

First up, Jackie Gamber's Redheart just got a wonderful new review over at the Jess Resides Here review site:

http://jess-vents.blogspot.com/2011/05/redheart-by-jackie-gamber.html

Second, Jackie's latest online tour stop hit the UK at Books for Company, with her post "Dragons are People Too". This is a very creative, wonderful post, and you should check it out for sure. The link is at:

http://www.booksforcompany.com/2011/05/guest-post-jackie-gamber-dragons-are.html

Third, there's a brand new contest over at SciFiChick.com, in which you can receive print copies of BOTH Crown of Vengeance and Dream of Legends. This is your chance to get up to speed on the entire Fires in Eden Series from Stephen Zimmer!

Here's the direct link, for your convenience! http://scifichick.com/2011/05/09/book-giveaway-dream-of-legends-and-crown-of-vengeance/

Fourth, there's a brand new review of Crown of Vengeance at Realms and Galaxies, out of South Africa, and it's a good one! The reviewer is currently reading Dream of Legends for another review that is upcoming.

http://davidjooste.blogspot.com/2011/05/crown-of-vengeance-stephen-zimmer.html

Hope you get a chance to check one or more of these links out. As you can see, it has been an exciting day!

Jackie Gamber visits Evie Bookish with Guest Blog Post

2011-05-06T23:31:00.000-07:00

Shortly after getting the note that Jackie's interview on Reading Away the Days went live, we got a note regarding Jackie's new guest blog post on Evie Bookish. This one focuses on the things Jackie has been reading recently, and gives some good insights into what Jackie looks for in stories and literature.

Be sure to leave a comment and let Evie know you stopped by to read Jackie's new post! The Redheart online tour continues forward!

http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/2011/05/guest-post-time-what-am-i-reading-by.html

Jackie Gamber visits Reading Away the Days for an Interview

2011-05-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

The online tour for Jackie Gamber in support of Redheart visits Reading Away the Days, a blog based in the UK. Stop by and check out the new interview, as each one on the tour features different questions and answeres that help you get to know Jackie and her work that much better.

http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.com/2011/05/author-interview-jackie-gamber.html

and if you haven't gotten it yet, pick up a copy of Redheart! available now in print and eBook formats (and the eBook is available on Kindle, Nook, iPad, and other readers for just $1.99 during the Try Seventh Star Press for Two Dollars sale running through mid-June)

New Jackie Gamber Interview at Freda's Voice, and New Review at The Ranting Dragon

2011-05-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know that two new online posts went up regarding Redheart. First, there is a brand new Jackie Gamber interview, now up on Freda's Voice:

http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/2011/05/get-to-know-author-jackie-gamber.html

AND

A new review of Redheart is up at The Ranting Dragon!

http://www.rantingdragon.com/redheart-leeland-dragon-1-by-jackie-gamber/

If you get a moment, please check them out and leave a comment!

New Crown of Vengeance Review on Watch Play Read

2011-05-02T12:15:00.001-07:00

Watch Play Read reviewed Crown of Vengeance in advance of their review of Dream of Legends, the two books in Stephen Zimmer's epic fantasy Fires in Eden Series. The Crown of Vengeance review went up today. Please take a look at it here:

http://watchplayread.com/book-review-crown-of-vengeance/

Crown of Vengeance, along with Jackie Gamber's Redheart, Steven Shrewsbury's Thrall, and Stephen Zimmer's The Exodus Gate, are part of the Try Seventh Star Press for Two Dollars eBook offer running through June.

details on the sale are here:

http://www.seventhstarpress.com/documents/ebooks.html

Win a Print Copy of Jackie Gamber's Redheart at Bookworm Blues!

2011-04-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Want to win a print copy of Jackie Gamber's Redheart? Along with a set of 5X7 glossy prints from Redheart, a Redheart magnet, and bookmarks? Head on over to Bookworm Blues for a great contest they are hosting! And if you don't follow Bookworm Blues yet, we encourage you to do so!

Here is the link to the contest!

http://bookwormblues.blogspot.com/2011/04/giveaway-redheart-by-jackie-gamber.html

New Jackie Gamber Interview Up at Azure Dwarf's Horde of Fantasy and Sci-Fi

2011-04-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

The new eBook Campaign, Try Seventh Star Press for Two Dollars, has been well received so far, and we would like to thank all of the new readers who are giving our authors a try!

This campaign is centered around the release of Redheart, by Jackie Gamber, and a number of great interviews and guest blogs are coming shortly featuring Jackie. We wanted everyone to know that the first interview in this series of online appearances is up! It was conducted by William Bentrim of Azure Dwarf's Horde of Fantasy and Sci-Fi.

Be sure to leave a comment when you visit and let them know that you stopped by! Here's the direct link:
http://azuredwarf.blogspot.com/2011/04/jackie-gamber-author-of-redheart.html

eBook Offer-Try Seventh Star Press for Two Dollars!

2011-04-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Spread the word and let's get lots of readers to give Seventh Star Press a look!

Try a Seventh Star Press Title for Just Two Dollars!

What is your favorite flavor of fantasy? Do you like character-driven YA Fantasy? Do you like heroic fantasy with loads of action? Do you like epic fantasy with a wide cast of characters, lands, and lore? How about epic scale urban fantasy?

To celebrate the launch week of Jackie Gamber's Redheart, we're announcing a very special sale. The good news is that we've got a title in each of the above areas of fantasy, so that you can try Seventh Star Press eBooks out in this special sale that will be running through Mid-June.

What are you waiting for? Just two bucks and you'll be on a grand adventure. Find out what readers around the world are discovering...there's a growing constellation of quality titles at Seventh Star Press!

Click here for further information and direct links to the Kindle, Nook, and other editions of Seventh Star Press titles in this special sale!

Jackie Gamber's Redheart Cover Art and Illustrations Revealed! Limited Hardcover and First Softcover Edition Pre-Order Window Now Open!

2011-03-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

Seventh Star Press is proud to unveil the new cover art and illustrations for Redheart, Book One of the Leland Dragon Series, from Mary Shelley Award winning author Jackie Gamber.

The cover art and interior illustrations were created by Matthew Perry, who has done illustration and cover art work for other Seventh Star Press authors such as Steven Shrewsbury and Stephen Zimmer. Three brand new, full page illustrations were created for Redheart, two of which are featured in the regular edition of the novel, and one that was created especially for the limited hardcover edition.

(Kallon and Riza Illustration, by Matthew Perry)

(Fordon Blackclaw Illustratoin, by Matthew Perry)

The Pre-Ordering window is now open for Redheart, for both the softcover edition and a special, limited edition hardcover (only 75 will be issued).

The softcover pre-orders are just $15.95, and include a set of 4 5X7 prints, 2 bookmarks, and one circular magnet.

The Limited Edition Hardcovers are just $35.95, and that also includes a full-size poster of the Kallon Redheart illustration (14X20), a set of 4 5X7 prints, bookmarks, and a set of 4 Redheart circular magnets featuring images from the illustrations. Click here to visit the Seventh Star Press Online store to reserve a copy today.

Below is the text of the full press release, including a synopsis:

For Immediate Release
March 9, 2011

Jackie Gamber's Redheart Cover Art and Illustrations Revealed

Seventh Star Press is proud to unveil the cover art and illustrations to Redheart, Book One of the Leland Dragon Series, from Mary Shelley Award winning author Jackie Gamber.

The first installment of the exciting new YA fantasy series is slated for release on April 19th. The cover art and illustrations were created by Matthew Perry, whose artwork appears on the covers and interiors of other Seventh Star Press authors such as Steven Shrewsbury and Stephen Zimmer.

A pre-ordering window is now open for readers interested in a limited edition hardcover of Redheart, which features an illustration created especially for that version. There is also a pre-order offer for the regular trade paperback edition. Both of the pre-order offers include packages of bonus materials, ranging from 14X20 posters of one of the illustrations, to a set of four 5X7 glossy prints.

Redheart invites readers into the lands of Leland Province, where dragon and human societies have long dwelled side by side. Superstitions rise sharply, as a severe drought strips the land of its bounty, providing fertile ground for the darker ambitions of Fordon Blackclaw, Dragon Council Leader, who seeks to subdue humans or wipe them off the face of the land.

As the shadow of danger creeps across Leland Province, a young dragon named Kallon Redheart, who has turned his back on dragons and humans alike, comes into an unexpected friendship. Riza Diantus is a young woman whose dreams can no longer be contained by the narrow confines of her village, and when she finds herself in peril, Kallon is the only one with the power to save her. Yet to do so means he must confront his past, and embrace a future he stopped believing in.

A tale of friendship, courage, and ultimate destiny, Redheart invites readers to a wondrous journey through the Leland Dragon Series.

Redheart will ultimately be available in trade paperback, hardcover, and a variety of eBook editions.

Sela, Book Two of the series, is targeted for a third quarter release in 2011, with Book Three scheduled for mid-2012 release in all of the aforementioned formats.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.jackiegamber.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

Seventh Star Press Announces Three Book Deal with Horror Author Michael West!

2011-02-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

Seventh Star Press Proudly Welcomes Award-Winning Horror Author Michael West to Its Family of Authors!

Read the full press release below!

For Immediate Release
February 22, 2011

Seventh Star Press Proudly Announces the Addition of Award-Winning Author Michael West in a Three Book Deal

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the addition of award-winning horror author Michael West to its family of writers, with the acquisition of the novel Cinema of Shadows, and two more titles that will all have a thematic connection with the town of Harmony, Indiana.

Building upon the recent additions of Jackie Gamber, with her YA Fantasy Leland Dragon Series, and Steven Shrewsbury, with his dark-edged, heroic fantasy novel Thrall, Michael West’s Cinema of Shadows continues to demonstrate the range and quality of writing that is finding a home at Seventh Star Press.

“Seventh Star Press clearly loves its authors and has great respect for their work,” Michael said. “Not to mention the fact that they put out some of the most exciting and beautifully crafted books in the industry. I am thrilled to be a part of the family, and hope readers will be equally thrilled by what we have in store for them with these Harmony, Indiana novels.”

Cinema of Shadows welcomes readers to the Woodfield Movie Palace.

The night the Titanic sank, it opened for business...and its builder died in his chair. In the 1950s, there was a fire; a balcony full of people burned to death. And years later, when it became the scene of one of Harmony, Indiana's most notorious murders, it closed for good. Abandoned, sealed, locked up tight...until the present day.

One momentous night, Professor Geoffrey Burke and his Parapsychology students go to the Woodfield in search of evidence, hoping to find irrefutable proof of a haunting. Instead, they discover that, in this theater, the terrors are not confined to the screen.

Michael West is a fast rising force in the horror world. His work includes novels such as The Wide Game (Graveside Tales), and a single author collection, Skull Full of Kisses (Graveside Tales). He also has an array of short fiction published, spanning many magazines and anthologies, including appearances in Shroud Magazine, and the Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest.

Amanda DeBord, who is also the editor of Stephen Zimmer’s epic urban fantasy Rising Dawn Saga, will be handling editing duties on Cinema of Shadows.

“I was so excited to learn that Michael was going to be a part of the Seventh Star family,” Amanda commented. “It's been about five years since I read my first Michael West story, but I haven't forgotten the name. He's a fellow Midwestern writer, and really captures the atmosphere of where I grew up. This book was creepy from the get-go, and I think everyone is going to love it."

The first edition of the book will feature cover art and additional illustrations from acclaimed fantasy/horror artist Matthew Perry.

The projected release date window for Cinema of Shadows is late summer of 2011, with versions released in hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, covering owners of the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other compatible electronic reading devices.

The second novel, Spook House, is being planned for a summer release in 2012, with a third novel to be released in 2013. Both titles will involve the town of Harmony, Indiana, as the location grows to become synonymous with terror in the literary world.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.bymichaelwest.com

Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press Mailing Address:
3801 Dylan Place Suite 116, #7
Lexington, Ky. 40514-1062

Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky.

iBookstore and Sony eReader Versions of Thrall and Dream of Legends now available

2011-01-26T07:53:00.001-08:00

We are happy to announce that both Steven Shrewsbury's Thrall, and Stephen Zimmer's Dream of Legends, are now available in the iBookstore and at several vendors catering to users of the Sony eReader and compatible devices.

The price on both books is the same as the Kindle and Nook versions, at $3.99

For a full list of formats, and links to vendors for Sony eReader users, (links to the Kindle and Nook versions too), visit:

http://seventhstarpress.com/documents/ebooks.html

Our Friends at Third Axe Media release D.A. Adams Titles on Kindle!

2011-01-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

Seventh Star Press has always supported other small presses, as the growth of small press publishing, and the recognition of the quality available from the many excellent small presses active today, is a benefit to all in the small press world.

In this spirit, we wanted to bring you some good news that D.A. Adams, author of the popular Brotherhood of Dwarves series, is now available in Kindle editions.

You might recall that Alex was interviewed on this blog, and a review of The Brotherhood of Dwarves was posted here back in July of 2009 (click here to see the interview and review).

The series is fantastic, and those who love Dwarves in fantasy will find a treasure trove in D.A. Adams' work. We definitely encourage you to read this compelling fantasy series, the third installment of which is not too far off according to D.A.

Here are the links to get the two books today! At $2.99, it won't cost you much either:

Nick Valentino-An Interview With One of Steampunk's Star Authors!

2011-01-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

Nick Valentino is an author that has gone full steam ahead, logging one of the most impressive travel itineries while becoming one of the hottest authors within the growing steampunk genre. His own story is that of someone who believes fiercely in his work, and has walked the walk in pursuing his dream.

His novel Thomas Riley flies off of his table in droves at conventions. I know this because I've watched him go through stacks and stacks of copies in person, on more than one occassion. Dressed in his steampunk garb, and armed with a passport stamp, he maintains an infectious energy from the opening of the day to the close.

Yet despite the great progress and success, Nick remains one of the most engaging and approachable personalities out on the Con Circuit, garnering him strong popularity amongst his peers, not always an easy thing to achieve in artistic realms. The future is indeed bright with Nick, with new writing projects looming and an equally impressive touring and event schedule for 2011.

While Nick has become one of the bright lights of the genre, it is important to always recognize the great sacrfice that Nick puts in supporting his publishers and writing. You will not find authors on the New York Times best-seller lists that match Nick's event and appearance schedule from 2010 across the USA and Canada, and he did it on his own. Matching that kind of dedication with the talent and quality of writing that he brings to the table, and you have a force to be reckoned with.

He is definitely an author to watch, and an author to root for.

-Stephen Zimmer for the Seventh Star Press Blog, January 20, 2011

SZ: What inspired you to become a writer, and when did you realize that you were ready to take the next step in terms of being a published author?
NV: I’d been writing for a long time but it was all lyrics for the band I was in. I’d amassed huge binders full of lyrics and from that I ended up getting ideas for longer stories. One day I just blurted it out. “I’m going to write a book.” From there I spent the next two years still playing in the band but I was also spending the late nights writing a horror novel. When I was done with it, I did what everyone that completes their first manuscript does. I thought, “Hey, I’ll shop this and see what happens.”

SZ: Share some of your writing influences with us.
NV: My first love is Clive Barker. I devour everything he writes. My first manuscript was a horror novel and obviously inspired by Mr. Barker. I have a big thing for Weaveworld. I also have a big obsession for Richard Adams and Watership Down. I went through a huge rabbit phase that seemed to connect with my childhood. I loved the cartoon as a kid and I was intensely frightened of The Black Rabbit of Inle from the book. It still kind of creeps me out really. I’m also a big fan of A Clockwork Orange author Anthony Burgess. I actually named my rogue sky pirate, Sam Burgess in honor of him. It’s sort of shameful, but before I wrote Thomas Riley, I’d not read a single steampunk book so I can’t claim those as influences but now I read tons of the genre. Cherie Priest, Scott Westerfeld, Elizabeth Darvill, O.M. Grey, Emilie P. Bush, and dozens of other wonderful authors have now definitely made their mark on me.

SZ: How did your novel Thomas Riley come about, in terms of the idea conception to the writing of it, and what was your path to getting it published?
NV: After getting the usual 35762368 rejection slips from agents and publishers, I thought I should go to a writers conference and learn more, meet some other authors and get a sneak peek into the the publishing world in person. So what did I do? Yeah I just picked the Southern California Writers Conference in San Diego, booked a plane and off I went with manuscripts in hand. It was seriously that quick. Of course who wouldn’t want to go to San Diego every chance they got? I ended up meeting with a few agents and publishers there and finally I met Karen Syed from Echelon Press who told me these exact scary words, “If the rest of this doesn’t suck, I want it.” The rest is history. Thomas Riley came about 11 months later. It was much like winning a game show. While I sent query letters to everyone I could find I missed the writing process so I started writing a niche book (Well, I thought it was going to be just a niche book.) in the steampunk genre. Steampunk was something that I’d always had been into but I never knew there was a moniker for it. I always knew it as stories and movies from Hayao Miyazaki, who’s one of my favorite directors, producer, and story tellers of all time.

SZ: What have been your biggest surprises since Thomas Riley was released? (in terms of what you did not expect about the world of being a professional author).
NV: There are infinite paths of being an author. Many people just want to write while others have a flair for promotion and human interaction. Cutting my teeth on being in a touring band, I have an inner need to be with people and to interact with those of the same ilk. So I took off and traveled the country in support of the book. 57 events in 365 days. From Victoria, BC, to San Diego, CA, to Baltimore, MD to New Orleans, LA and so many places in between. I guess I didn’t expect that I would meet so many amazing people. That has been one of the biggest things about all of this. Fans, readers, steamunks, authors, editors, publishers... It’s really been so great meeting some of the best people in the world. I guess I always thought there would be much more adversity and that it would be much more of a painful experience marketing a book. While it isn’t easy, happily I was met with great readers, great fans, great friends and support from everywhere.

SZ: Are there any surprises about your reader base, in terms of the kinds of readers that have embraced your work?
NV: That’s actually a really great thing about writing steampunk. The genre is ageless and without boundaries. Anyone that likes adventure can get into steampunk. Now, with other genre’s coming into steampunk, literally everyone can get into it. I’ve sold the book to eight year olds and eighty eight year olds. So yeah, it’s a huge surprise that so many people embrace it. You always hear, “So what age group is this for?” My response is always, “Everyone.” Because so many different kinds of people enjoy it.

SZ: Will there be more Thomas Riley novels?
NV: Yep, there are at least two more Thomas Riley books in the works right now. Number two and three are contracted by ZOVA Books.

SZ: What drew you to steampunk, as opposed to other genres?
NV: Originally, I loved and still love everything that Hayao Miyazaki has done. Almost all of his stories have some kind of retro futuristic element in them and many of them have blatant steampunk elements. When he started this, most of the world was very unaware of the term steampunk at all. So basically I loved the technology and the ingenuity that went into Miyazaki’s movies but I had no idea that there was a term for it. It was at Dragon Con in Atlanta, GA about three years ago that I first heard the term and saw people dressed “steampunk”. At the time, I seriously thought they were dressed as Miyazaki-esque characters. I had no clue that there was a culture, literary genre and fashion movement going on. I remember leaving thinking “I’m going to write a steampunk book and that’s all there is to it. Four months later, I had the first draft of Thomas Riley done.

SZ: What are some of the trends occurring now in the steampunk world? Are there any directions that steampunk is taking that surprise you?
NV: There are wonderful themes that seem to sweep through steampunk culture. Last year it tended to take on a Wild West theme. This year it is nautical or underwater themes that seem to be talked about a lot. (Hm, does this have a correlation with Cherie Priest books?)Actually none of the trends in steampunk shock me or really surprise me at all. I’m a big fan of the genre going in a million different directions. I love that steampunk can be just about anything and that there are no limits besides what your imagination can conceive. Another really fun theme or exploration I’m seeing with the genre is multicultural and multi-national. You are seeing more and more Asian, Middle Eastern, Australian, Eastern European and well, just about any place you can think of pop up in steampunk more and more. I love Victorian England as much as the next person, but I love that we’re seeing what steampunk would be globally now. I’m actually writing a Japanese steampunk story for an anthology due out in May called, HER MAJESTY’S MYSTERIOUS CONVEYANCE which I’m quite excited about.

SZ: You are a writer who has been a part of the rise of steampunk in terms of popularity, as you have been working incredibly hard in support of Thomas Riley since its release in 2009. You don’t need to name any names, but is there a bit of a bandwagon occurring now that steampunk is now so popular at the onset of 2011? Will this help or hurt the genre, or is it a mix of both?
NV: Well, sure. Anytime you hear that every literary agent is desperate for good steampunk, every author in the world is going to start writing it. Really, it’s not a bad thing at all. It’s simply what happens when something gets popular. Personally, I’m very interested in how people write it because everyone is going to have a plethora of awesome ideas. Sure, not all of them are gold, but I’d like to see the genre as a household word. Does it sound like I’m selling out? Well, the popularity is already undeniable and it’s going to get big no matter what I say so why not enjoy everyone’s take on it? Why not bask in the culture and have fun writing books, making costumes and gadgets, gathering with good people and celebrating good times and good people? That’s what life is really about isn’t it? Will it hurt the genre? You know, it’s destined to get really popular, so if it hurts it, the popularity might make it burn out but again, that’s how everything is. Even if it does damage the scene, genre or fashion, it will always be there much like goth.

SZ: Are there any other genres that you would like to write in? If so, is there anything on the horizon in this regard?
NV: My first love as horror and my first manuscript was horror, which is my baby. It’s a trilogy of urban horror that revolves around a little girl, witches and demons. So yeah, I definitely see myself revisiting that in the future but it needs a lot of work and that may not be for several more years before I’m really able to give it the attention it needs. As of right now, Thomas Riley seems to be on the ocket for quite some time.

SZ: Give us a little peek into the kind of touring schedule that you
maintain, from your bookstore appearances to conventions and fairs.
NV: I think when it was all said and done, I was home (with no events) for only 9weekends out of the year. I did 58 events ranging from Victoria, BC, to New Orleans, to Baltimore, to San Diego and tons of places in between. It's crazy. I've never had a year like this in my life. It's a hard life and it's full of big time risk but it really paid off. Basically it's about putting fears aside and believing in your work and going out and siezing opportunity. There are things out there for everyone. It's ust a matter of making it happen.

SZ: What has been most effective for you as an author, in terms of these events? Large conventions? Bookstores? Smaller conventions? What advice would you offer an author on a limited budget in terms of deciding what kinds of appearances to make?
NV: A lot of things have been super effective. It really depends what you want to accomplish with events. For instance, large book fairs are really good. A few that I went to that were amazing were The Baltimore Book Fest, The Virginia Festival of the Book, The South Carolina Book Fest, The Austin Book Festival, and The Southern Festival of Books here in Nashville. Sales at these big book festivals are usually really good. Here's the trick though. As an author selling your book at these things, you can't sit still and wait for people to just wander to your table. You have to be genuinely excited about your work and you have to engage everyone that comes by. Sitting there will not sell books. Small cons are awesome for different reasons. You meet all types of amazing people at every event but some of the smaller ones offer an intimate environment where you get to make real friends with readers, fans and authors. These are friendships that last through the years. Like I met the amazing ladies of the Frenzy Universe at a small steampunk con in St. Louis and we've been amazing friends ever since. As big cons go, they're usually amazing. My biggest con sales wise was Fan Expo in Toronto. It was a huge few days and totally awesome fan wise. Another awesome con was CONvergence in Bloomington, MN. It was only 4500 people but it was huge and wonderfully crazy in every way. This year was a big trial and error year for me. My plan was to hit everything I possibly could and repeat the good ones for Thomas Riley 2. The thing is that most of them were awesome in their own way. Really, I would only not go to a handful and I'd probably replace them with other cons and events that I've heard good things about. For authors looking to to plan events, look for things you can afford and that you can drive to. Even if it's an eight hour drive, do it. Have no fear.

SZ: What’s coming up for Nick Valentino in 2011? (at least what you can share with us publicly or in general)
NV: Thomas Riley 2 is the big thing for 2011. With any luck, it will be out between July and September on ZOVA Books and I'm quite excited about it. I also have a few anthologies that I'll have stories in but the only one I can speak of right now is called "In Her Majestiy's Mysterious Conveyance" which is a steampunk anthology where each author picks a different part of the world to set their story. Mine is set in Japan.

SZ: How do interested readers connect with Nick Valentino online? Time for all your links to your sites, blogs, social networks!

NV: Here we go.
The book site: www.sirthomasriley.com
My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hazeltherabbit
The Book Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sirthomariley
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sirthomasriley
Steampunk Empire: http://www.thesteampunkempire.com/profile/NickValentino

Stephen's suggestion: Now that you know a little more about Nick, pick up a copy of Thomas Riley today and enter his steampunk world today!

Meet Scott Sandridge-Author and One of Small Press's Biggest Characters

2011-01-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

Truly, Scott Sandridge is one of the most colorful characters that you will encounter on the Convention Circuit. A very talented speculative fiction author, Scott has incredible endurance as a panelist, having gone into double figures before in terms of the number of panels he has participated in at a single Con. In fact, that is how I first met Scott, back in 2009, at ConText, an outstanding literary Con based in the fine city of Columbus, OH.

Having come to know Scott much more since, I can say that he is big-hearted, uninhibited, sometimes capable of controversy, and definitely the kind of guy that exercises his First Amendment rights with gusto. Without a doubt, he is very dedicated to his journey as an author, from the innovative use of podcasting for his Silverblade Prophecy, to his determination and fortitude. While it is true that he is a lively character in one sense of the word, he exhibits strong character in another sense, in an area that means more than all the flashy credentials that can be packed into a bio.

To cite just two examples, he came by bus for a convention that I was also attending. He carried his sleeping bag, changes of clothes and other essentials, with him around the Con, prepared to crash wherever he could for the night after the day's activity was done. He did all of this in order to honor his panel committments, despite being under great financial strain due to the horrid economy and an all-too-long stretch of unemployment he was dealing with. As always, he was very gracious in helping and being supportive of other writers, and he was an excellent panelist all through the weekend, in a very active panel schedule. You couldn't tell for a moment that he was wrestling with quite a few hardships at the time. He was a pro who soldiered onward with a smile on his face.

In another case during this general time, he once again came by bus, and, needless to say, without much in his pocket, to an out of town book signing that I was at. It was my first bookstore appearance in that town, and Scott came to the event just to make me feel welcome and keep me company, understanding, as a fellow small press author, how difficult and lonely it can be going into a new town and store as a small press author.

I could not be happier to have a chance to introduce this fine fellow to new potential readers, and I think that the following interview, within the responses, reflects the kind of true character that Scott Sandridge is, and a little about the kind of true character that Scott Sandridge has.

-Stephen Zimmer, for the Seventh Star Press Blog, January 13, 2011

SZ: Tell us a little about your published work as a writer.
SS: I've had over 20 short stories published in various webzines, print magazines, and anthologies ranging from Fantasy, Horror, and Science fiction. I've also been a reviewer for Tangent Online, The Fix, and Withersin. My list of Street Creds can be found here: http://smsand.wordpress.com/bibliographyor-wheres-your-street-cred

SZ: Is there a genre that you love writing in the most?
SS: I prefer Fantasy over Science Fiction, mostly because my understanding of science always seems a step behind the other SF writers. Also Fantasy allows me to incorporate my chief love of ancient history, myths, and ancient religions. But even my Fantasy tends toward the dark side (Hey! Why didn't Palpatine recruit me instead of that wussy mama's boy? Damn you, Emperor!), so most of my stories have an element of Horror in them. And when it comes to my actual Horror stories--I've been told I'm one sick puppy....

SZ: What kinds of themes do you most like to explore in your work?
SS: It varies with my mood, and the themes within my work are often a subconscious endeavor. Over the years I've tackled themes ranging from redemption to betrayal, freedom vs. enslavement, the realization that the world doesn't operate in the way you had once thought, to the pros and cons of religion, science, and philosophy.

But then my Evil Twin will come up with a sordid, macabre tale just for fun. It's a Gemini thing. ;)

SZ: You are also an editor. What was your experience like being a managing and submissions editor for Double-Edged Publishing?
SS: I've gained a ton of respect for all the hard work editors have to go through along with the understanding that rejection slips truly aren't personal. Sometimes you have to reject a story you actually like because of lack of funds, doesn't fit the theme you're gunning for, doesn't fit the particualr market niche the magazine is targeting, etc.

And just as writers must develop a thick skin to handle rejections and
bad reviews in a professional manner, editors must also develop a thick skin as well for those rare occasions when you have to deal with an asshat. As an example, any writer who gets pissed off over feedback received by an editor and his team--to the point where said writer refers to said editor's slush readers as "retards"--then said writer no longer has any right to complain about editors not giving feedback.

SZ: Are you tackling any editing projects now, in terms of anthologies or novels? And do you work as a freelance editor?
SS: No projects right now, but there might be a couple coming up in the near future. ;)

I've worked as a freelance editor off and on, plus other freelance work like SEO writing, etc. But I've yet to reach a point where I can do it full time without also needing a regular dayjob. As far as freelancing goes, I'd much rather proofread and edit freelance. Aside from an occasional nonfiction article, I'm primarily a fiction writer--it's what I love.

SZ: How has being an editor helped you as a writer? And vice-versa?
SS: I can spot my mistakes more easily now....*shudders*

It also helps you gain a better perspective on market factors, etc., which then translates into better chances of targeting the right markets with your work, which increases your chances of getting a story published. Also, the rejection slips don't hurt anywhere near as much anymore.

SZ: Tell us a little about how you came about your podcast fiction project, and how it has gone for you in terms of gaining you new readers of your print work?
SS: As far as my podcast novel projects (The Silverblade Prophecy can be found here: http://pankea.wordpress.com/the-silverblade-prophecy-book-i-of-the-messiahs-war-trilogy
and here: http://sbp.mevio.com), you can blame The Snarky Avenger, Taylor Kent(http://thesnarkyavenger.com), for making the suggestion that I podcast my novel out. Overall, it was a good idea--over a third of the novel were originally a collection of short stories, and the blend of Epic Fantasy with Dark Fantasy and Horror makes it a hard sell to begin with (after all, where do you put it on the bookstore shelf?).

Since putting it out, it's had over 15,000 downloads and counting, so people are definitely listening to it. I've even had some feedaback--ranging from "It's boring!" to so-so to "AWESOOOOMMMMEEE!!!!!". But I have no idea how many readers it's gained me. All of my published work has been in magazines and anthos,so how much my stories have contributed to those sales is unknown to me. But I'm pretty sure my 2 1/2 fans have read them. ;)

SZ: What do you think life will be like in the near future for small press and self-published authors, in terms of the state of the industry? I want to ask this answer in two parts.

SZ: First, the positives:
SS: The Internet has provided at least a competitive, if not even, playing field in regards to promotion, etc., that allows the small press and self-publisher to compete against the big boys--the first time in human history this has ever been possible. And it doesn't take much to become internet savvy enough to take advantage--just a basic understanding of Keywords and SEO.

Still, nothing beats physical face-to-face interaction with fans, other writers, and editors/publishers, so that part of the business will never change.

SZ: Second, and feel free to be candid, the negatives:
SS: Internet 2.0, need I say more?

Whatever negatives that exist with the Internet in it's current form is nothing compared to what will happen if the Telecom companies, or the government, succeed in their plans to censor and/or control the information on the Internet. While we should certainly remain vigilant to their schemes, I personally don't think they'll succeed. The People have had a taste of the freedom the Internet provides and won't let that go quietly. In short: you can't stop the Signal.

Eventually, it'll get to the point to where no government on Earth can keep secrets from their own citizens, let alone from each other, and I see that as a good thing. Only darkness need fear the light of knowledge.

SZ: I met you at ConText, where you were doing a zillion panels. What are your records for doing panels at a Con? Total and panels back to back on a single day?
SS:Not counting author signings? 11 total at MARcon in 2010 for all three days. But at 2009's Context the mass autograph signing also doubled as a panel so I did 6 panels in a row on that day, which was also the most number of panels in a single day. At 2010's Context, they probably felt I needed a break from superpaneling, so they only gave me five for all three days. I certainly don't recommend anyone to do so many panels at a single convention, it can wear you out big time. I just do it because I'm a masochist, and my Evil Twin likes to watch me suffer. ;)

SZ: What, in your opinion, are the best opportunities that good Cons offer
aspiring writers?
SS: A chance to meet others in the field, and to learn from their advice. If you go only to "advance" your career, well, good luck with that. I personally don't recommend it. Make friends with people first, and the opportunities will eventually present themselves.

And, for published writers, take a bit of time to hang out in the Gaming Room once in a while. It's fun to play board games with people who read your stuff. ;)

SZ: Will print and eBooks co-exist, or will it be a fully digital publishing realm?
SS:In the near future, they'll co-exist. While I like to be optimistic and believe that eventually all publishing will be digital, I doubt people will let go of their dead trees until after here's no more trees left to kill--and then there'll be no more us. Humans are funny like that.

But who knows? Maybe hemp will get legalized again and thus the trees can finally be saved. (hint, hint).

SZ: What are your current projects in fiction, in terms of what you are working on and what is on the horizon to be published?
SS: I put myself on a two month hiatus on fiction--something I sometimes do when I feel myself getting burned out. As much as I'd love to write all day, every day, my poor wee brain cells can't handle it. I sometimes need a vacation. That, and politics often sidetracks me (while also adding more fodder for my fiction writing--go figure).

I currently have the first two books of a trilogy to shop around to agents and publishers, and outlines for about half a dozen other novels, and ideas for a dozen or so more. I'm also running out of short stories to sell, so I need to write more of those as well. I'm also thinking about writing a short story collection of stories that take place in the same world as my current Messiahs War trilogy of podcast novels, involving characters--both major and minor--that appear in the trilogy.

And, of course, I'm still in the middle of producing The Messiahs War II: Emperor of Vangaard as a podcast novel (and try to get it finished before I move to Texas this February--erm, remind me to try and be more realistic with my self-made deadlines).

There is an anthology coming out, hopefully soon, with one of my flash fiction stories in it, featuring none other than Yavar Thain. The antho was supposed to have been released back in October,but it keeps getting delayed for some reason. It happens.

SZ: Where can people find you and your work online?

http://smsand.wordpress.com/bibliographyor-wheres-your-street-cred
See? I managed to put that link in twice. I'm a self-promotion god!MWAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!

But yeah, my blog, A Work In Progress (http://smsand.wordpress.com)
has everything you ever wanted to know about me and my

writing, but were afraid to ask. And, on occasion, a political rant
filled with expletive deleteds. ;)

The Silverblade Prophecy podcast novel
http://pankea.wordpress.com

Blog
http://smsand.wordpress.com

The Four Horsemen; Silver Moon, Bloody Bullets; Fem-Fangs, Dark Things II, & Dark Things V all available at Pill Hill Press: http://www.pillhillpress.com/shoppe-anthologies.html

David J. Guyton, Rising Fantasty Author with a Flare for Presentation

2011-01-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

One of the fun things about doing what I do is coming across talented new authors, some of whom are very innovative in the way that they raise awareness about themselves. Being published independently, or by a small press, requires some creativity to promote your work in a realm where you do not have the big end caps at the bookstores, or huge marketing campaigns backed by a New York publishing house.

An author that compelled me to stop in my tracks was David J. Guyton, creator of the Legend of Reason Series, a burgeoning fantasy opus that includes two titles at this time, Mighty Hammer Down, and Blood and Bronze. David has an outstanding book trailer on YouTube, that as of the time of this article is nearing 50,000 hits.

While the trailer is incredible in quality and design, it is clear that he is making some waves with his books as well, as numerous outstanding reviews testify. Any negative reviews that I came across tended to take issue with the message content in his books, an area that David is very upfront about. It is very clear that David is effectively building a fanbase, one that is growing steadily.

David really intrigued me, and I decided to reach out to him to find out more about his work, his approach, and his future plans. I discovered him to be a really engaging person who does not hesitate to share the insights and lessons that he has gleaned along the way. Whether you agree with the kinds of messages that he integrates into his storyline or not, it is indisputable that he is committed to putting out quality work, and presenting it in the best manner possible(and a very innovative one). I have an immense respect for that kind of committment, because it shows the depth of care that he has about his work. He's got a very healthy, winner's attitude, and his approach is something that many aspiring authors and published authors can learn a great deal from.

So now, let's introduce David J. Guyton, fantasy author, and explore his Legend of Reason Series!

-Stephen Zimmer, for the Seventh Star Press Blog, January 6, 2011

(David J. Guyton, fantasy author)

SZ: What is your background as a writer, and when did you feel that you were ready to make it your career?
DJG: I had always flirted with the idea of writing, but I wasn't serious about it until 2006. At that time I finally felt I had something to say to the world and I was ready to begin writing. It all poured out much easier than expected, and in about eight months, my first novel was written. Although I can't say that writing is my only way to make money, I can say that it is what I consider my highest achievement.

SZ: Name a few of your own writing influences, especially from the fantasy genre.
DJG: This may come as a shock to readers, but I am not much of a fantasy reader myself. But I am a huge fan of Terry Goodkind, and I have enjoyed books by Raymond E. Feist and Tracy Hickman too. Most of the books on my shelves, however, are on physics, strategy or philosophy. Some of my favorites are Paul Davies, Nick Herbert, Einstein, Sun Tzu, De Saxe, Vegetius, Robert Greene, Plato, Descartes, and Paine.

SZ: Tell us a little about what your Legend of Reason series is about, in terms of setting, plot, characters?
My series has a sort of ancient Roman or DJG: Greek feel to it, but some cultures in the series are closer to a medieval or gothic feel. The characters are flawed, ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, as is typical in epic fantasy, but I tend to solve problems with logic and reason, and not with magic. The plot follows a man who has unknowingly become the new god of war, along with his companion Alana who is actually an assassin who tried to kill his father. But the story is meant to be an allegory for the political struggles between the left and right in America, and the enemies they are forced to face together.

SZ: Tell us a little about the themes that you are exploring in this series? Are there any aspects about fantasy as a genre that are particularly of help to you in this regard?
DJG: I think the fantasy genre offers an interesting way to explore ideas and offer different views. I love that I do not have to stay within the realms of physical law, painting a more colorful picture for the reader. I try to keep this to a minimum though, because I think a world that is too dominated by magic and creatures can be confusing and cause a distance between the reader and the core characters. As for themes, I cover philosophy, politics, religious extremism, good vs. evil, capitalism vs. socialism, illegal immigration, art, perspective, and more. I try to offer several points of view on each topic, but obviously my personal views become evident through the protagonist.

SZ: How many Legend of Reason books are planned in all? Do you have all the books mapped out already?
DJG: I don't have all of the books mapped out just yet. I have ideas and themes I want to address, but I sort of let the stories play out as I write, as opposed to planning them out beforehand. I do have a way I want to end the series though, so that much is planned. I am not sure of the number of books that will be in the series, but I would like to write something like five or seven.

SZ: When did you write the first book Mighty Hammer Down, and what path did you take to getting it published?
DJG:I finished Mighty Hammer Down in November of 2006. At first I tried to jump through all the right hoops to get the attention of an agent, but I quickly found out that it was a very tough road. I got many responses telling me that they loved the premise, but they were not looking for anything in the fantasy genre at the time. Publishers refused to take submissions from fantasy writers without agents, and agents were refusing to take submissions from writers who had never been published before. For two long years I fought that impossible system, and eventually I ended up publishing independently. I didn't like the idea at first, but now I wouldn't have it any other way. I have full control over all content and cover art, and that's exactly how I want it.

SZ: Was your second book easier or more difficult in terms of writing? Did the series take any unexpected turns when you moved into book 2, Blood and Bronze?
DJG: My first book was unexpectedly easy to write. When I got around to the sequel,it wasn't as easy to find the rhythm until about half way into it. For both books I tried to focus on character development, and also to discuss political ideas that fantasy readers might not be used to seeing in their normal reading. For my second book, I took a less political approach and offered a more philosophical argument about the nature of humankind. I didn't really intend for that to happen, but as I have grown over the years, the situations that have caused that growth have found a way into my writing. I try to entertain the reader with a good story, but I also want to present a situation where they actually have to think about their own lives.

SZ: What are some things that you did not expect or surprised you about the book world, in terms of being a professional author and the world of publishing, now that you have gotten deeper into everything?
DJG: I think what surprised me most is that publishing houses are very cold to unfamiliar writers or ideas. Several author friends of mine have extraordinary talent, and yet get no attention at all from publishers because they aren't already famous or their genre is a little outside of mainstream genres. I think this is a huge mistake for the publishers. I understand that they have a lot of bad writing to sift through to find the gold, but they are missing out on all the new talent and relying on the same old guard of published authors to put out new books. Eventually the readers are going to get bored of that. Luckily there are now options for writers of all genres to have their work read by the public.

SZ: Your presentation of your series is fantastic, from your website to the book trailer. Do you have a media or design background?
DJG: I do indeed have a background in art, although I am totally self-taught. I have been an artist my whole life, focusing mainly on traditional art such as drawing and painting, but that expanded into pretty much all areas of art after a while. I do all kinds of graphic art too, as well as my latest hobby, which is film and special effects.

SZ: How did the trailer come about? It is amazing!
DJG: The book trailer sort of snowballed into what it is today. Originally, I was working on a new website design, and I wanted a picture of a sword from my book to be on the home page, so I made it from clay and then made a mold and cast it in plastic. After a while the idea came to me to take some video footage of the sword instead of using a still picture, and then ideas just exploded. I became obsessed with creating a book trailer that looked like a movie trailer and I learned how to film and do costumes and props and special effects. I shot the live footage on a green screen in my kitchen, with a few shots being out in the back yard. The whole thing cost me only about $350, and that was mostly for materials for props. For the next trailer, I will be using professional lighting gear, as opposed to the halogen lights I used last time.

SZ: With almost 50,000 hits, can you tell us a little as to how you were able to get so many views, and do you have any gauge as to how it has helped in selling copies of your work? (many writers are very curious about the effect of a book trailer)
DJG: I wish I had a better idea of how my video got so many views so fast. All I did was put it on YouTube and started reaching out to friends in the YouTube community. The friendlier you are to people, the more willing they are to subscribe to you and hopefully share your video with others. Every now and then I come across a website that has my trailer embedded, so I guess people who like it advertize it for me. I think anyone who puts together a quality video will have similar effects. One thing to remember though is to steer clear of a lot of text (tough for a writer to do). People look at videos to watch things happen, not to read. Entertain the people and they'll help make your videos big. As far as book sales go, my trailer had an effect, but not as much as I was expecting. I am guessing there was maybe a 5%-7% increase in sales, but my real increases came when I released book two. So, my advice to writers is to focus on your writing, and not worry too much with a trailer. If you have the means to do it yourself, and make it look professional, by all means make it, but don't expect your sales to double or anything.

SZ: How have eBooks worked out for you, and do you see print and eBooks co-existing, or do you see print being completely replaced?
DJG: It's been an amazing thing to watch eBooks take off over the last few years. I really can't see paper books being totally replaced, but I will say that eBooks have been my core sales since the beginning. They are much easier to advertise, and people are far more likely to buy an eBook at 99 cents than a paperback for $10-$15 plus shipping. My paperbacks do show up in a few random bookstores but mostly people have to go to Amazon to get them, so paperback sales for me are not the greatest. The latest craze is eBooks, and I am thrilled to be part of that trend. My books are generally in the top 1 or 2% of Kindle book sales, which is not bad at all for an independent author.

SZ: What is on the horizon for you in 2011, writing-wise?
DJG: I will certainly be starting book three very soon. I won't force my fans to wait 2 years between books like last time! Once I begin, it will only be four months or so until book three is released. I will be filming a trailer for Blood and Bronze first though.

SZ: How do new readers connect with you online (website address, facebook,
etc). Give us your links!www.davidjguyton.com
www.youtube.com/user/davidjguytondotcom
www.facebook.com/david.j.guyton
www.twitter.com/davidjguyton
www.facebook.com/david-j-guyton
www.myspace.com/davidjguyton

Pick up some of David J. Guyton's work today:

Kindle Editions:

Print Editions:

A Chat With Dave Mattingly of Blackwyrm Publishing

2010-12-31T09:23:00.000-08:00

I first met Dave Mattingly at the 2010 Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort, an amazing event that consistently makes the lists of many industry insiders as one of the top twenty book events in the entire country. As luck would have it, I was placed on the right side of Michael Williams, a great author (who is well-known for his DragonLance novels) who just had a new novel come out. This book, Trajan's Arch, had been released by Blackwyrm Publishing, which kept Dave in close proximity to where I was much of the day.

As I learned more about Blackwyrm, which is based out of Louisville, Kentucky, I became more and more impressed with what Dave and his group have going on. They are a very dedicated small press publisher that not only releases fiction, but also is active in the gaming market, in terms of releasing gaming-related books.

Dave is clearly the kind of publisher that is very supportive of his authors, as you can tell from his very active list of events and appearances. He is going to be attending FandomFest next summer on the Literary Track that I am doing programming for, and I wanted for everyone to have a chance to learn a little about Blackwyrm Publishing. In the course of the interview, Dave also offers some really good insights into the strange state of publishing at the current time. Very informative, and interesting, and I encourage readers to pick up a couple Blackwyrm titles in the near future...maybe download one on your Kindle or Nook after reading this! (and you can't go wrong with a Michael Williams book!)

So, without further adieu, we begin our visit with Dave Mattingly, of Blackwyrm Publishing!

-Stephen Zimmer, for the Seventh Star Press Blog, January 1, 2011

(Dave Mattingly of Blackwyrm Publishing)

SZ: When did you found BlackWyrm, and what were your goals for the company at the beginning?
DM: BlackWyrm started in 2003, founded with a group of five gaming friends. We saw all these other companies writing and publishing gaming material, and believed that we could do the same. Most of us had some industry experience, having written or illustrated for other companies, having produced some of our own material, or having published electronically.

Our initial goal was to split the creative duties somewhat evenly, so that we'd all have a chance to turn our gaming ideas into reality. But we soon fell into roles, and although we all contributed at least some idea to each project, the writing wasn't as evenly distributed as we'd imagined.

SZ: I'm really curious. What's behind the name of the company?
DM: It took us a while to decide on a name. We all had our own ideas of what we wanted to be called. Eventually, we all settled on Black Dragon. Unfortunately, it was taken. So we changed dragon to wyrm, an archaic word for dragon, and we've been BlackWyrm ever since.

SZ: Tell us a little about the types of authors that you have brought aboard Blackwyrm. What types of writers have you tended to gravitate towards,and wanted to publish, as your catalog features quite a range genre-wise?
DM On the game side, we made a name for ourselves by publishing supplements (character books, settings, and adventures) for other game companies, notably Hero Games and Green Ronin. When our audience saw our commitment to quality, other published game authors came to us about publishing some of their new material. Once we figured out how we would deal with outside authors, and we'd seen that we could make enough money for our company and for the author to be happy with the arrangement, we extended it to other game authors.

Previously, it had been taking us almost a year for each book, doing it all ourselves, since we had the research, writing, editing, proofreading, layout, artwork, production, marketing, and other aspects to work with. By opening up our publishing services to others, we were able to produce much more material. And that meant more product on shelf space, a new book at each major convention, and more presence in the eye of the customer.

After publishing game books for a while, for a variety of systems and genres, we felt that we sill wanted to diversify further. Our slice of the roleplaying audience is gradually shrinking, and although we might gain a bigger market over time, it would be sliced from a smaller pie. And while not everyone plays the types of games we support, nearly everyone reads fiction of some type.

We started off our fiction line with science fiction and fantasy, two genres that we knew well. Our theory was that our gaming audience was a great built-in market for selling this type of fiction, and for the most part, that has worked out well enough. By advertising our fiction books in roleplaying magazines and web sites, and carrying the titles at gaming conventions, we had a nice head start on breaking into the fiction market.

After establishing BlackWyrm as a small press speculative fiction company, we were able to expand into other genres. First into horror, which is not so different a market from the sci-fi and fantasy that we started with, but then into historical fiction, and soon into thrillers, biographies, and others.

SZ: In general, what types of titles have been your strongest, sales-wise, as a small press publisher?
Regardless of genre, the best selling titles are the ones in which the author takes an active role, by going to conventions, festivals, and other events.

SZ: What has surprised you the most about the publishing business, once you got deeper into it?
DM: The most surprising part for us was probably the chain stores. It wasn't the huge discount that the chain stores want, since we were used to that on the game publishing side already. But that it's so hard to get the chain stores to pay attention to one more small publisher among thousands.

SZ:Any mistakes that you've learned during your time in the business that you would care to share, which might serve as good lessons that can be of help to other small presses?
DM: We've found that it's a lot easier for us to promote local and regional authors. We certainly don't mind publishing authors from far away, but since we don't know the area book stores and events, it's harder for us to know where and how to focus our marketing efforts to best make use of our most successful marketing resource -- the author. By keeping our authors relatively close to home, it makes it a lot easier for us to arrange signings, readings, panels, and other events. Once we've established a working relationship with a book store within a hundred or two hundred miles, we can send other authors to the same spot later.

My primary advice is to work with others. Learn from those who have done what you want to do. In our case, we already knew several best-selling fantasy and science fiction authors, such as Michael Stackpole, Aaron Allston, Jim Lowder, and Margaret Weis. By getting advice from them, and from general publishing experts like Aaron Shepherd, Dan Poynter, and Brian Jud, we made sure we were well-educated about the road ahead of us before we jumped in.

SZ: Do you see more opportunities in the future for bringing aboard writers like Michael Williams, who are also published by major presses? Tell us a little about small presses can provide a compelling outlet for works by such well-known authors, perhaps using Trajan's Arch as an example.
DM: Michael Williams is best known for his Dragonlance work, and in fact his first novel sold 750,000 copies and has been translated into ten languages. Trajan's Arch, his first novel with us, is his eleventh book. After a very successful writing career in the '80s and '90s, he took a break from writing to become a university professor. Trajan's Arch is his first book in nearly fifteen years.

In the case of Trajan's Arch, it's a departure from his standard "otherworld fantasy" books, so I'm not sure the major labels knew what to do with it. Michael was shopping it around, and approached us, since he'd seen us at conventions and knew that we promoted our authors well.

The book was a bit of a stretch for us, as well. We'd been previously focusing on novellas in the 50 - 70,000 word range. We felt that novellas were underrepresented in the book stores, and the ability to read an entire book on a long flight or during a week of lunch hours was something that the reading public wanted, but could not easily get. Trajan's Arch was more than twice that big, which meant a bigger investment risk from us, and a larger marketing effort to back it up.

What BlackWyrm has been able to offer a best-selling author like Michael Williams that some of the big publishing houses cannot is the personal touch. I've chauffeured Michael to out-of-town signings myself. I can drive by his university office to drop off books, marketing materials, or just to have lunch.

We've also been able to leverage our efforts with larger publishers. Some of Michael's earlier books are just now becoming available as ebooks. That publisher is promoting Trajan's Arch along with their own efforts, and we're likewise promoting those ebooks.

SZ: Tell us a little about the game book side of Blackwyrm, and whether you have found it to be very separate from your literary publishing, or whether it has been of help to the literary publishing in some manner.
DM: Since we started off on the game side, and still do quite well there, it acts as our "base" for fiction. We already had experience, money, a presence, and an audience. By having a stable fund to start from, we launched our fiction line as an "experiment" for a year. The results from that first year were borderline, but strong enough that we continued into a second year. Now that our second year is coming to an end, we've learned enough about the fiction market that our prospects are on the rise.

Each fiction book has built on the success of those before, and although the final numbers are not in, it looks as though our most recent quarter will come close to equaling the previous three quarters combined.

SZ: Give us a few of your thoughts on the state of publishing in general, at the present moment.
DM: Chaos! Chaos, I say! The big book chains are closing stores. The independent book stores are feeling the crunch. With the adoption of ebooks, the industry in general is trying to find the best way to cope with change.

SZ: Do you see both print and eBook formats reaching a certain market share and co-existing, or do you think it will be all eBooks in the future?
DM: Last quarter, Amazon reported that ebooks outsold printed books for the first time. On Christmas day along, Barnes & Noble sold one million ebooks. They would have sold even more, but their servers were struggling to keep up with all the activity, and their website was spotty.

The publishing industry is facing the same kinds of challenges that the music industry is still recovering from. Content has been separated from delivery (physical albums and books are no longer necessary), and the channels are opening up so that authors can reach their readers directly.

My preacher recently started using an ebook reader from the pulpit. Now, instead of six differently colored ribbons to mark the places he wants to preach from, he just has his ereader programmed with the passages he wants. He can adjust the font size to whatever he wants, and he can carry as many translations, reference books, and supporting material as he wants to.

BlackWyrm offers all of our books in ebook format as well, and we're seeing a slow but steady rise in our percentage of electronic sales.

SZ: In your view, what are some areas where a publisher like Blackwyrm can make solid progress in terms of developing competitive advantages in this new age of publishing?
DM: That's a question that we're always trying to answer. And we've learned that today's answer will not be tomorrow's answer; we need to constantly adapt.

In fact, that's probably one of our strongest points -- the ability to adapt quickly. With our small operation, technical savvy (I've written computer programs for aerospace, video games, medical, financial, and several other industries), industry feelers, and guerilla marketing techniques, we reevaluate our approaches and experiment with new ways to get our product to our market.

SZ: Tell us a little about some of the new titles coming out in 2011 on Blackwyrm. Give us the scoop!
DM: In 2011, we also have several novels in the works: a cyberpunk anthology, a medical thriller, a political thriller, adult fairie tales, a young adult fantasy, a viking fantasy series, a vampire thriller, a post-apocalyptic drama, and more. Plus, we're expecting some sequels: to Branwen's Garden (young adult fantasy), Gran's Secret (werewolf fantasy), Left in the Dark (psychic thriller), and The Starcrossed (science fiction action romance).

We also have several game books planned: a Gestalt sequel, an Elvis-themed superhero adventure, a middle eastern superhero adventure, an American folklore sourcebook, an imaginary friend superhero adventure, and Project WyrmStar -- a slew of science fiction settings, likely to include ideas such as musketeers in space, space opera noir, escape from utopia, space pulpy retro history, and more.

SZ: Before we round this out, I?d like to ask you to give us some links for finding Blackwyrm online. (website/facebook, etc)
DM: You can find our web site at http://www.blackwyrm.comOur facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118208587974

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter
(http://www.blackwyrm.com/index.php?module=Newsletter). We just ran a giveaway contest by randomly drawing seven of our subscribers, and will likely do so again.

Stephen's recommendation: Dive into the realm of Blackwyrm Publishing and pick up a copy of Trajan's Arch, by Michael Williams, today!