Welcome to the morning after the snowiest winter blast that we’ve seen in six years in my neck of the woods. I have some exciting news today – the release of the first ever podcast episode where I am featured as the guest author!

It still feels strange to say that out loud – “guest author” – but here we are. 

I had a great time recording an epic fantasy episode of writingbloc.com’s Indie Writer Podcast with hosts Jacqui Castle and Cari Dubiel. 

You can access the podcast episode here.

Thank you again to Jacqui and Cari for having me! We talked about what makes epic fantasy epic, getting started as a writer of this weird stuff, my creative process, and some of the interesting aspects of world-building found in Bane of All Things.

Covered in local magazine

I was also humbled to earn some great coverage earlier this month from theHumm – my local arts and culture magazine. Thank you very much to editor Kris Riendeau and writer John Pigeau for making it happen.

You can read the full article at theHumm Online.

Giveaway on Goodreads.com

My publisher Inkshares also ran a Giveaway on Goodreads.com over the past few weeks. Up for grabs were 25 copies of the trade paperback edition of BoAT. Publishers run these Giveways in the hope attracting more readers (and buyers) who then will post reviews to drive that word-of-mouth buzz that is so vital to the success of any new novel.

I can’t say how successful this Giveaway will be in that regard, but I can tell you that by the time it ended last night, 3,815 people had entered to win one of those free copies! Here is hoping that a few of those folks who did not win a copy are now inclined to purchase one.

Reviews: Your opinion matters sooo very much

As I have noted before, reviews on the big sites Amazon and Goodreads are also crucial to drive that word-of-mouth buzz and help BoAT stand out in a crowded field. 

When you have had a chance to read BoAT, please post a rating/review online. Don’t fear to give your honest opinion – I can take it. No author can expect to please everyone all the time. What matters is having a sufficient volume of ratings/reviews for BoAT to attract attention.

That’s all for now. I hope you are finding BoAT to have been worth the wait. You can reach out to me at any time with your comments. Soon it will be time to talk about what’s up with the next book in the series, The Crucible Tree.

Stay safe and keep reading!

P.S.: If you have still not received your pre-ordered copy or copies of BoAT, please contact hello@inkshares.com. And don’t hesitate to contact me if you need to confirm what you actually pre-ordered those many moons ago in terms of ebook vs. print and number of copies. 

Good day! 

I hope you have had an enjoyable holiday season so far. Here is a quick update on a few things.

YOUR COPIES

 If you did pre-order an ebook copy (or copies) of Bane of All Things those many moons ago, you should have received an email from Inkshares around Dec. 7 to download the ebook file in the format of your choice. If you did not, please reach out to hello@inkshares.com. I can also look up your original order date for you. 

Print copies, meanwhile, continue to arrive. I have received notes (and lovely social media posts) from many people who did receive their trade paperbacks over the past week. If you have not received yours yet, I expect many more are in transit for arrival this week and next. If you have received a delivery and anything is amiss (such as not having received all the copies you should have), again, please reach out to hello@inkshares.com.

GIVEAWAYS

On another note, my publisher launched this morning a Giveaway on Goodreads.com that is open to both U.S. and Canadian residents. Giveaways are intended to drive interest in a book and attract more readers who will then post reviews. Up for grabs this time is 25 trade paperback copies. The Giveaway runs until Jan. 17 and the winners will be announced then.

In January, we expect another Giveaway to run with Canada’s own 49thShelf.com

IN OTHER NEWS

I recently had a great time recording an epic fantasy episode of Writing Bloc’s Indie Writer Podcast with hosts Jacqui Castle and Cari Dubiel.

We talked about what makes epic fantasy epic, getting started as a writer of this weird stuff, my process, and some of the interesting aspects of world-building found in my novel. Plus, I did a short reading. The episode will publish on https://indiewriterpodcast.podbean.com, Jan. 18. 

WHAT’S NEXT

Reviews!

Word of mouth and piles of reviews are critical to drive attention to a new book on Amazon and elsewhere. So once you have had a chance to read your copy of BoAT, please take a few minutes to also post a rating and review – it doesn’t have to be lengthy – to Amazon, Goodreads, your favourite bookseller, and so on.

With January just around the corner, and a certain virus that keeps finding new ways to reinvent itself, we face the long dark of Moria … again. But we’ve made it through before and we will once more!

Stay safe and keep reading.