A cover reveal, a book rec, a guest post, and some news! Lots of things! So let’s dive in…

First, I’ve done a little guest post about “The Snails of Dun Nas” over on Ofelia Grand’s blog, in which I talk about sword-and-sorcery pulp influences and giant snails! You can find that over here.

Second, both Seaworthy (Character Bleed book 1) & “Frost and Raine” have received Honorable Mentions in this year’s Rainbow Book Awards! Very cool.

Third, speaking of the Character Bleed books and Jason & Colby, the bonus story “Cinnamon & Strawberries” will be part of this year’s JMS Books Top Ten Gay Romance collection, release date December 25! Thank you all for loving these characters and this world as much as I do. 

Fourth, a cover reveal – if you enjoyed “October by Candlelight,” my fluffy candles-and-emotions autumn short – Finn and Wes will be back in “December with Peppermint,” out December 8! Holiday decorations, peppermint hot chocolate, some emotional hurt/comfort, and fun with ribbon. Here’s the cover…

Fifth, a book rec, if you are in the mood for luscious lesbian historical romance! Author-friend Edale Lane has a new release out: Shadows over Milan, book five of the Night Flyer Series – here’s her description:

Murder strikes Milan, threatening the city’s future under an ominous shadow of war. Was it the Spanish, the Germans, the Milanese, or were darker forces at play? The city is thrust into a frenzy only the Night Flyer can quell, but can she halt the wheels of war?

Maddie’s greatest fears are realized when the Night Flyer incurs a serious injury that leaves her just short of dead. Florentina suffers more than physical pain as she grapples with a crisis of faith. Will she be forced to choose between continuing as the Night Flyer and staying with the woman she loves?

The final installment of the Night Flyer Series is riddled with mystery, political intrigue, danger, and heart-felt moments as the various storylines from throughout the saga come together in an exciting conclusion you don’t want to miss!

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KF53VTZ

I feel like I’m forgetting something, but I’m sure I’ll think of it later – it’s that time of the semester when thoughts are scattered and I really want to just curl up with a cozy beverage and write some words…with a cuddly cat, and gingerbread coffee, and a fire in the fireplace!

Good day! Here we are—less than three weeks from Bane of All Things’ release on Dec. 7.

It’s been a heck of a ride to get here. The pandemic delayed BoAT’s publication date by about eight months, while my ongoing contest with cancer has added fresh twists since August.

Despite all these speed bumps, it’s onward and upward!

None of it would have been possible without your patience and support. Thank you again for going on this adventure with me.

Unboxing pending 

Before Dec. 7, I will receive a box of books from my publisher, Inkshares. It will be my first time seeing the final product in its physical form. My wife, Natalie, is intent on filming this “unboxing” so that I can share it on social media. So, stay tuned for that. 

Save the date! Virtual launch event on Dec. 7

I had hoped to have a live launch event at a local bookstore or a pub. But given the continued concerns with the pandemic (and my own health), I will be foregoing that. Instead, I will host an hour-long virtual event on YouTube, at 7 p.m. EST on Dec. 7.

This event will feature me reading from BoAT, drawing for some prizes, and taking comments and questions from attendees. Details will soon follow.

Book giveaways

If you are reading this, odds are you already pre-ordered BoAT many moons ago and will have a copy or copies soon coming your way. But just so you know, my publisher is currently running a Book Giveaway on Goodreads.com with AmazonKindle.

This Giveaway runs until Nov. 29 and is open only to U.S. residents. I will, however, be doing other giveaways for my  Canadian (and overseas) supporters (also as part of the Virtual Launch Event on Dec. 7). Please stand by for more details.

Making sure you receive your print copies

Again, if you did pre-order print copies of BoAT, it was many moons ago. If you have had any change of address in the past couple of years, please log into your Inkshares account to verify the mailing address you provided with your original pre-order is still current. This may require a password reset.

If you have any issues with account access or a password reset, please contact hello@inkshares.com. And if you aren’t sure what email address you have associated with your Inkshares account, let me know and I can quickly look it up for you.

My health

Just yesterday, I had the first of my tri-weekly immunotherapy treatments, which are intended to bolster my body’s ability to target and destroy cancer cells on its own. This comes after my radiation therapy three weeks ago and follows the surgery for tumor removal that took place at the beginning of October.

Other than experiencing the same kind of fever response you may get following a flu or COVID shot, I am so far handling the immunotherapy meds well. My recovery overall continues to move along.  

That’s all for now. Stay safe and keep reading!

Cheers

Leo

News! Good news, and not-so-good news.

Let’s get the not-so-good news out of the way. I’ve received word that the release of Unnatural Ends might be delayed another two or three months, though nothing is confirmed yet. This is, apparently, down to some marketing strategy: Inkshares wants to put some extra effort into getting this book into the public eye, and there might be something to aiming for a release in the spring as opposed to the middle of winter. They’re weighing the pros and cons now, and I’m trusting them to do what’s best.

In much better news, we now have a cover!

Credit goes to Tim Barber of Dissect Designs, who’s done some amazing work on a number of other Inkshares titles. For Unnatural Ends, he’s taken the fractured family situation at the core of the story and expressed it as a jumble of mismatched pieces forced together. Brilliance, I think.

Now we just have to wait for Inkshares to work their marketing magic (consider telling your local library) and for the book to make its way to the bookstore shelves.

Dear Supporters, Readers and Followers of Wild Conviction,

Great news! 

The Inkshares Publishing Operations Manager notified me today that the editorial team has finished reading the other two winners of the 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Contest and will begin reading Wild Conviction soon, most likely this week, and hope to have editorial notes to me by mid December.

                As you know — 

because many of you have read and commented on passages from Wild Conviction on the novel’s Inkshares page, or you have heard me read passages at my pre-order campaign launches, invitations to your events or classes, open mics, and my writing group, and a few of you have been beta readers — 

               I have worked long and hard crafting this story so that it is engaging,                     well-written, sensitive and significant to historical and current issues                   of human rights, equality and freedom.

I look forward to the editorial comments and am so excited that we are on the path to having the novel published and in your hands.

Thank you for all of your ongoing support and well-wishes! Wild Conviction being published by Inkshares could not have happened without you!

Best wishes to you!!
Mary

Dear Henderson House supporters,

Happy Halloween! I’m pleased to announce that on Friday, I received my Editorial Letter from the Inkshares team:) Can you believe it’s been eight months since Henderson House won the Inkshares 2020 All-Genre Contest? I know eight months seems like a long wait, but given everything in our world that has been slowed down or discontinued due to COVID, I think Inkshares is doing a wonderful job. I’m incredibly grateful and honored to be publishing with them.  I’m also thrilled with the insightful comments and specific suggestions in the Editorial Letter and can’t wait to dive back into the manuscript and take it to the next level.

"But when is the book coming out?" everyone keeps asking. The answer is: I still don’t know, but I do know a little more about what lies ahead.

The minimum time Inkshares gives an author to respond to the Editorial Letter is two months. The recommendations in the letter are not extensive, but they’re really good and they require soak time as they are developmental. My goal is to get my revisions to the team by early January. 

Once I send the revised manuscript, the Editorial Team will read it again and we’ll see if the book needs more development or if we’re ready to move into copy editing.

When the copy-editing phase begins, Inkshares might be ready to start talking about a target publication date. Sorry, I can’t be more specific, but getting a book to press is an iterative process. If the team thinks the manuscript needs more work in January, we will continue the read-through, editorial letter, and revision cycle until we all feel the book is ready for publication.

Trust me, I’m going to do everything in my power to completely knock it out of the park on the next draft and be ready to move forward. In the meantime, I probably won’t have much news to report on Henderson House until after the holidays.

You can follow the ups and downs of my writing adventures on my professional Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CarenSimpsonMcVickerWriter/ 

Truly, I would not have a novel at this stage of publication if it were not for all of you, your pre-orders, your comments, and your engagement. We will get to hold this book in our hands and I am as excited about it as ever. Thank you again.

Cheers,

Caren

Happy Spooky Season! This is a roundup of where things are at with my participation at the World Fantasy Convention (WFC 2021) this week, Bane of All Things’ release on Dec. 7, and my health.

WFC 2021

Note, this event is live and virtual from Montreal – so all times are in the Eastern Time Zone. I am attending virtually, and you can, too. The cost to do so for the whole weekend (which starts on Thursday with the first panels at 4 p.m.) is US$75 or CDN$100. 

More information about the registration, attendance options, and how to register, can be found here.

My activities at WFC:

• Thursday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m.: I am on a panel with four others – Possession is 9/10s of the Law. We will explore the thorny question of whether a creator can possess (own, trademark, copyright, etc.) story plots that give them the sole right to a setting, a type of character, or even a name. The answer would appear to be obvious … or is it? How do you stake your claim? What happens when estates get involved? Who does the law side with? Who gets the book? Who gets the revenue?

• Friday, Nov. 5, Noon: I read from Bane of All Things! This will be my first time ever reading from my work before an audience like this, even if virtually rather than in person. 

Here is the full conference programme.

Bane of All Things’ release date is Dec. 7!

I emphasize this because the old and no-longer-relevant November release date is still displaying on a few online retail sites. This is due to a digital glitch in the global distribution machine that my publisher is working to get fixed. Don’t be fooled! The date is and remains Dec. 7.

Mustering the Street Team for that big day

In early September, I put out the casting call for kind souls who would have the time and the interest to help drive social awareness of Bane of All Things ahead of its release in December. Many of you have responded and signed up – thank you! If this includes you, we have of course already touched base, and I will be following up further through November.

If you are still looking to participate on the Street Team but haven’t connected with me about it yet, please drop me a line at leo@leovaliquette.com

Different ways that folks are participating on the Street Team include:

• Reading an advance digital copy that I have provided, so that they can then post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. for Dec. 7. The goal is a positive review of at least 4 stars. But … I do not expect anyone to provide an endorsement they don’t feel is warranted. So, if after reading the book you decide to abstain from posting that review, no worries. I much prefer fair honesty to insincere flattery! I only ask that you delay by a week after the 7th posting your honest review.

• Pushing on social media on and around Dec. 7. I will help by providing draft content which Team members can then personalize as they see fit for their channels.

• Hitting up the local library, bookstore, or book club. For any author, getting your book in the library is a big deal, too. Plus, any word-of-mouth buzz with clubs and other local venues is as vital to a new author as water is to a soul lost in the desert.

• And I am of course open to any other ideas you may have.
  

My health

Tomorrow will mark four weeks since cancer surgery. My treatment and recovery continue to go well. I told you last time that the next step would be CyberKnife radiation therapy. This treatment did take place and conclude this past week without any issues or complications.

My largest complaints at present are really little things that, too, shall pass – side effects from medications that I must remain on for a couple more weeks before starting immunotherapy (and then we will see how my system handles that).

One current side effect is that I am holding lots of water weight. Kindly bear that in mind if you do tune into my WFC sessions this week and see my rather puffy face vs. the author photo of that leaner fellow with whom you may be more familiar .

That’s all for now. Thank you again for your continued interest and support. 

Stay safe and keep reading!

We have progress, ladies and gentlemen! Cat’s Paw has always been only a working title, one I’ve wanted to change for well over a year now. And we’ve come to a decision: the book formerly known as Cat’s Paw will be published as Unnatural Ends ... a far better title, mainly because it does not conjure up pictures of cute kittens when you run it through Google.

Which also means these updates will need a new header:

If you head over to Amazon, you’ll find we also have a cover, though my understanding is that this is not final. The cover artist is still working on something much better. Still, having even a placeholder cover brings home the idea that this is really happening after all. I’m sure that, given the time this has taken some of you must have begun to give up, or cease to believe ... I know there was a sense of unreality about the whole process for me as well, towards the end.

Meanwhile, the proofs have come and gone. I heard mention of printing at the beginning of the next month, though I’m assuming that’s about the Advanced Reader copies for reviews and the like before the actual release. As I said: we have progress.