blitheringpooks

 I guess I should have done this a lot sooner.

I'm a novelist and screenwriter.  My novels are all out of print. But you can learn more about me here and on my blog, and you can follow me on twitter or on facebook (although on facebook you'll have to friend me first).  I'm a lot more active in those places than I am here.

Right now I've just completed the first novel of a fantasy trilogy.  I love it.  I don't remember ever loving a project so much, and now that it is complete, I'm a bit overwhelmed.  But I have a feeling that if you're reading this, you understand.

So welcome to here. Thanks for stopping by.

Bookworm Blues » Speculative Fiction Book Reviews

When I first discovered that Bookworm Blues had the option of reading/reviewing This Crumbling Pageant as part of Mark Lawrence's Great Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off I didn't realize this was the same Sarah Chorn that also writes the Special Needs in Strange Worlds weekly column in SF Signal, which I have followed for quite awhile.

But it is, so I'm especially interested in seeing how my book measures up to the books she usually reviews. This is a cool experiment and I thank Mark and Sarah and everyone else who is involved in it.

Note: This Crumbling Pageant was not assigned originally. It was an extra 'if the blogger reads all 25 assigned books and wants to keep going' book which did not sound promising, but yay, not only did it end up in Sarah's 25, it ended up in the first batch!

Anyway, somehow I got in, and it's fun reading the other blogs and seeing what other bloggers are finding worth reviewing. In fact, my TBR is growing. Of course it is. Is anyone surprised?

SBTB/DA Bestsellers: 10-17 March 2015 - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

I never expected to show up on a Smart Bitches best seller list because it seemed like it was always big names and big books.

I guess the bit of controversy in comments about whether my book was horrible or fabulous really did make people curious, huh? I call that a win!

During the past week and for a couple of weeks forward, This Crumbling Pageant has been on sale for .99 at Amazon, BN, iBooks and Kobo. During that time it soared to the #1 spot on top of the YA Sword & Sorcery list at Amazon. It was also #2 for Romantic Fantasy in the romance genre and #3 for Epic Fantasy in SFF!

And like a dork, I forgot to get a screencap of it with the BEST SELLER label underneath.

It's too late for me to get that image but it's not too late for you to grab it at this price.

Also, for those who are going to be at the RT Booklovers Convention in Dallas, I'll be there signing books in YA Alley on Saturday, May 16.

And finally, don't forget that I can autograph your ebooks via authorgraph in the right-hand sidebar, and would be delighted to send you a signed bookplate for your print books!



 

THIS IS SO AWESOME.
It's also one of those 'well yes, maybe' things. When I submitted my book to Mark Lawrence for inclusion in the Blog-Off I explained that it's not self-pub, but it's very small/new pub with no distribution, advance or marketing, so if he thought it qualified, I'd love to be in.

No more communication after that, but I ended up on an 'extra' list if the blogger finished all 25 books on their plate and wanted moar.

[Yeah right like that will happen.]

And then... whoa. Somebody from her list withdrew and I got into that spot.

And then by luck of the Kindle draw, my book ended up in the first five.

Color me having fun with this.

Oh yeah, and if you missed it--Smart Bitches thinks my cover is gorgeous. Well, it is. But still, they singled it out and I am feeling extra happy.

Oh and did I mention I had a .99 sale on bookbub this week? And This Crumbling Pageant showed up #1 in a teen fantasy slot, #2 in regular epic fantasy, and #3 in fantasy romance?

This is what you call A Very Good Week.

I have a mailing list and I'm going to be sharing sneaks of my new fantasy trilogy [beginning with the epic-length epic fantasy, This Crumbling Pageant, May 6, 2014 in hardcover, trade and digital from Story Spring Publishing].

I'd LOVE to have you on the list.

First prize will be a wand. Mind you, nobody nice uses them. They are dangerous and unnecessary. Which is why my villain, of course, uses one. Now you might wonder why I'm giving one away, and my answer is--because I trust you.


Hand-carved of lignum vitae, it's said Merlin's wand was made of this heavy wood.

So sign up for the mailing list HERE, why doncha?

Feel free to share!

So, Gwenda is doing this and Steph Burgis is doing this and evidently a lot of others, and I thought it looked like fun.

The Meme:
1. Go to page 77 (or 7th) of your current ms
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating.

So, here is it, from my W-I-P:

Soft, cool dustings of crystalline snow shimmered in the air.

What have I done? she asked in wonder. What have I done?

It was beautiful, reflecting lamplight and candlelight. The air danced with magic, and could such magic truly be Shadows? Could anything so shimmering and bright be Dark?

Music swelled in her, music like she'd never heard, music that vibrated through her veins.

So... who is next? Leave a link!

Yes, I'm excited about several things.

One, we're closing in on launch date for La Desperada (Jan 24).

Two, I finally announced that I am a new member of the fabulous Book View Cafe.

Three, Book View Cafe is featured on Scalzi's Whatever today.

Four, I'm really unreasonably giddy about giving away "the book of your choice" in my contest, as long as Book Depository has your book and it doesn't cost over $20.

Five, I'm loving my new site and blog.

And all of this is talked about here.

I hope 2012 is a great year for ALL of us.