Ripbrownjr liked an update for Bane of All Things

“Visceral and vivid, Bane of All Things is a gorgeously imagined ride. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and the world of monsters and magic they inhabit. A terrific read.”

These heartwarming words came just this morning from fellow Ottawa-area scribe Kate Heartfield. She is the author of Armed in Her Fashion, Alice Payne Rides, and, coming early next year from HarperVoyager UK, The Embroidered Book. 

It’s hard to believe we are just two months from Bane of All Things’ release day on Nov. 16. Even more unbelievable (and affirming) is that I have fellow authors like Kate, whom I have admired for years, sharing their enthusiasm for my work.

My publisher continues to make the rounds with the bloggers and the magazines and e-zines that might post a book review or agree to interview yours truly. In a few weeks I will be launching a giveaway on Goodreads to also drive attention to BoAT. 

World Fantasy Con

Coming up on Nov. 4 to 7 is the 2021 World Fantasy Convention. As the “World” in the name suggests, this is a big deal. The Con is hosted by a different city in Canada, the U.S. or the U.K. each year. This time, it’s in Montreal – only a few hours down the road from my house. I bought my ticket way back in 2019. It will be my first time at this event and, as a debut author to boot, it should be memorable. There will be mandatory vaccinations and masks for all.

Would you like to join my Street Team?

The call is now open for volunteers to join my “Street Team” and help spread the word about BoAT. As a Street Team member, you are agreeing to be a positive and supportive cheerleader, because any debut needs all the positive press it can get!

Your participation could take any of several forms:

  • Read and post a positive review before Nov. 16: I can hook you up (today) with a digital advance reader copy (ARC). Your mission, once accepted, is to read and post a 4- or 5-star review on Amazon, Goodreads and wherever else you might normally review books.
  • (If after reading the ARC you honestly don’t feel that BoAT warrants 4 or 5 stars, that’s OK. An author can only expect to please some of the people, some of the time. I would only ask in that case that you let me know privately and hold off on posting your honest review/rating until after release date.)
  • Take to social media: I can help set you up with social media posts/links you can publish to your social media channels of choice come November, to promote the release of the book.
  • Hit up your local library, bookstore or book club: For any author, getting your book in the library is a big deal, too. In Canada, there is even a program that gets authors paid when their books are in public libraries. And as you heard me say many times way back during the pre-order campaign for BoAT, word of mouth to friends and family is gold!

If you are interested in taking part in any way with the Street Team, or if you have other ideas for how you might like to help, don’t hesitate to email me: leo@leovaliquette.com

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

 

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    Ripbrownjr liked an update for Henderson House

    Happy Monday to all my Henderson House supporters!

    I don’t have any updates from Inkshares other than a wonderful confirmation that once my time comes, Henderson House will get all the editorial attention and support it needs to become a wonderful book. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to the editing process. In many ways, taking a long break from the book and its characters is probably a good thing as I will come to the editing process with the ability to see the work with new eyes.

    Thank you all for your patience and continued support. I have a new blog post up on working on more than one book at a time, and yes I am! You can check that out on my website at:

    https://www.carenmcvicker.com/post/more-than-one-book-at-a-time-yes

    Also, if you want to follow my author page on Facebook, you’ll find that at:

    https://www.facebook.com/CarenSimpsonMcVickerWriter/

    I’m working to get all the tools in place so I’m ready to hit the ground running once we get this book into production. 

    If you are interested in seeing draft chapters of the second book in the Henderson House series, let me know. I can set up a draft page on Inkshares and upload a few.

    Wishing you and yours a safe and healthy end to the summer or winter for my Aussie friends!

    Cheers!

    Caren
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      Ripbrownjr liked an update for Bane of All Things

      Howdy and happy Sunday! Just a quick update on Bane of All Things, as we count down toward that Nov. 16 release date.

      A few weeks back, Fantasy Hive, a British e-zine for all things fantasy, graciously featured Tim Barber’s awesome cover design. We talked about how we arrived at this design, what it represents, and what it evokes about the story. Check it out here!

      Meanwhile, the ARCs (advance reader copies in digital format) have been available for five weeks now on NetGalley. Scores of advance readers have requested the book and the reviews are slowly starting to roll in. I am glad to say the handful so far have been favourable. These reviews, most of which also post to Goodreads, are critical to draw fantasy fans to the book.

      Bane of All Things also continues to populate bookseller websites around the world. It’s something else to see yourbook with your name on it searchable on the websites for booksellers from the U.K. and various other European countries, to Brazil, Singapore and Australia.

      Lastly, I finished a few days ago my review of the final corrections by the proof-reader. Everything is well in hand for the final proof to head to the printer by the Aug. 6 deadline. It’s almost an actual real book!

      And, very important: If you have print copies coming your way in November, please ensure you have an up-to-date mailing address on file with Inkshares. It’s been a while since you originally pre-ordered (the pre-order campaign ran from October 2018 to April 2019). You will need to log-in to the Inkshares account you created back then and check your details there.

      Stay safe and keep reading!

      Cheers

      Leo


       

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        Ripbrownjr liked an update for Bane of All Things

        Hey, how’s it going! I am glad to report that the reveal of Bane of All Things’ cover last week met with widespread praise. 

        So, what’s next? Garnering advance reviews and buzz to make sure this book is a success …  and there are things you can do to help with that.

        First, if you are active on Goodreads.com, you can add BoAT to lists where it will gain more attention. There are literally thousands of existing lists, created by users like us.

        Some of the lists that may be a fit for BoAT include:

        • Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2021
        • Best Upcoming Fantasy Debuts (2021
        • Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2021
        • Sci-Fi and Fantasy Must Reads
        • Best New Fantasy Novel
        • Fantasy Books Written for Adults
        • Fantasy Books Releasing in 2021
        • The Most Beautiful Covers of 2021
        • Anticipated Books of 2021

        I could go on, but you get the idea. You can add a book to as many lists as you want.

        And you can of course add BoAT to your own Want to Read list or Fantasy or Epic Fantasy Shelf. (Creating your own Shelf for a specific genre like Fantasy or Epic Fantasy and adding a book there is also key to how Goodreads’ algorithm works to help other users find the kinds of books they want to read.)

        Second, there is NetGalley.com. Publishers post their upcoming titles here. You can sign up for free as a reviewer to get an advance digital copy of a book for free in exchange for an honest review. BoAT is available there now. Of course, if you have pre-ordered BoAT, you have already paid for a copy or copies that you will receive this fall.

        (If you do decide to sign up at NetGalley, you may want to use the NetGalley Shelf app on your mobile device for reading versus the Send to Kindle option. The Kindle-friendly file format isn’t available yet and the current PDF has some clunky formatting issues on a Kindle. You can read it on a Kindle, but it’s not pretty.)

        That’s it for now. Your continued support is so very much appreciated. It seems like only yesterday that BoAT’s release date of Nov. 16 was eight months off. Now it’s only four and change!

        Stay safe and keep reading.

        Cheers

        Leo

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          Ripbrownjr liked an update for Bane of All Things

          Howdy! It’s with great pleasure and excitement that I reveal, at long last, the real cover for Bane of All Things!

          But wait, there’s more!

          As I have noted before, Bane of All Things is meant to be the first of four books. I have finally landed on a title for the series – A Silence of Worlds. (I will dig into the meaning behind that in a future update.)

          Now, about this cover

          It’s been a long time coming, this cover reveal – decades, even. I’ve had plenty of ideas over the years of what could be the cover for this story, drifting between a particular tense action scene, or some dramatic posing of my main characters.

          When cover designer Tim Barber of Dissect Designs asked me about it a few months back, I sent him a pile of ideas and descriptions. He wanted to avoid the overused fantasy cover concepts that crowd the shelf. But still, it had to be true to the story.

          Tim further brainstormed with Inkshares CEO Adam Gomolin and Deputy Publicity Manager Noah Broyles, who will be driving the book’s launch and who has, of course, read it.

          “I was basically grilling Noah about what he would see if he was holding the book in his hands,” Tim told me. “He described rocks at the edge of water, a fortress/castle at the edge. Cold, but not snow. An unforgiving place. To me, this is how I pictured what he described. When I showed it to him his reaction was, ‘Yes, that’s it, that’s what I saw.’”

          That scene is found in Chapter Three, where our two main characters, Ryn and Josalind, arrive at their destination – Dragon’s Claw Abbey. I asked Noah why he considered this particular image so powerful. 

          It’s all about atmosphere

          “The arrival at Dragon’s Claw Abbey was potent for me in terms of both the striking imagery and what it meant for the characters,” Noah said. “I imagine the reality of being a convict is no more vivid than when you first come in sight of your prison. This place is not only the end of the world as far as civilization is concerned, but also the end of the world for Ryn and Josalind. Or so they think.”

          It’s a foggy morning in that scene, not a stormy night, but Tim’s fantastic design captures the scope and atmosphere of the story as a whole. There is a storm coming. What Ryn and Josalind don’t yet realize when they first set eyes on Dragon’s Claw is that it’s already begun.

          What’s next?

          The awesome Avalon Radys, Inkshares’ Director of Editorial and Publishing Operations, will start sending out ARCs – Advance Reader Copies. These go to reviewers and established authors to build advance buzz and net (hopefully) favourable reviews for Goodreads, Amazon and so on before Release Day. We also want to bag a strong quote from a known name in the fantasy genre to add to the cover.

          I can’t wait until November when the final product will be in your hands! 

          (P.S.: Noah has a novel of his own coming out in September, The House of Dust, a southern gothic horror described by one reviewer as being “full of nightmarish imagery wrapped in elegant prose.”)

          Cheers

          Leo

           

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            Ripbrownjr liked an update for Beyond The Code

            Hello Everyone,

            Well, the 2020 All Genre Manuscript Contest has officially come to a full close and, unfortunately, Beyond the Masquerade wasn’t chosen. Because of this and the fact that the campaign is nowhere near the pre-order goal, I have decided to end the campaign and reevaluate how I am going to move forward.

            Thank you all for your support. It didn’t turn out the way I would have liked but, I believe it was still worth it. I’m still going to keep the book page up through Inkshares to get information and my work out to you all so follow if you want to stay in touch.

            Thanks again for all the support and good will.

            Kelsey Rae Barthel

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              Ripbrownjr liked an update for Henderson House

              Dear Henderson House Supporters,

              News Flash! 

              My upcoming novel, Henderson House, is the May 2021 Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate pick at Inkshares. This group celebrates female characters who are well-crafted and multi-dimensional. I’m thrilled for Bessie, Florence, and Mrs. Henderson to be recognized! There’s a wonderful new badge on my Inkshares page.

              How’s the editing going? Thanks for asking...

              I read the entire novel as an e-book, making no notes whatsoever. I read it like a reader. Trust me, it’s hard to turn off your writer brain AND your editor brain and just read the darn story! The good news is, I really liked it!

              After the read through, I wrote notes like I would if I had read someone else’s book. Notes about weaknesses in the plot, character development, and pacing.

              Next, I printed out the entire manuscript and divided it by Point of View. I read all of Bessie’s chapters as if they were one story. Then Florence’s and then Mrs. Henderson’s. What a wonderful editing technique! This time through, I made and editing marks in the printed document and marked sections that need work.

              This week, I will begin making changes to the manuscript. Inkshares has said they won’t have time to get started on my project until the end of the summer, but my goal is to get my revised manuscript to them by the end of June. I’d love to be first in line when their work load eases up.

              In other news...

              I started the sequel to Henderson House! I shared the first chapter of the next book with my writers’ group last week, so Book Two is underway.

              Thank you again for all of your support. Here’s hoping we’re reading Henderson House on the beach next summer.

              All the best,

              Caren Simpson McVicker
              like · liked by Mary and 11 others

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