Life, Interrupted

Over at Mary Robinette Kowal's web site, she runs a (usually) weekly feature called My Favorite Bit. Authors drop by and talk about their new books. The point is, what do you absolutely adore about the book? What's the part that makes you all "look at this awesome thing here!" It may be a scene, or something that had to be cut, or even world building, the scaffolding behind the curtain.

So I told her about the part of Spiral Path where I thought everything changed.

What happens when your life changes in the course of a single night? When the world splits open and reveals something so dangerous, that the people who love you immediately take action to protect you from it?

This is where Spiral Path, the third book in the Night Calls saga, begins. Thirteen year old Alfreda Sorensson lives in an alternative pioneer America right on the cusp of the War of 1812. There are strong practitioners—magic users who are also gifted with knowledge of herbs and healing—who protect the communities out in the territories. An old soul, Allie has bloomed into a potential power, and that is attracting people—and entities—who would like to use her. Although she has learned the first notes of her family’s dark legacy, Wild Magic, she knows no ritual magic.

Ritual magic may be the key to her survival.

It's been fifteen years since Night Calls was available.

I've been fighting illness for fifteen years, too. I've spent my life savings...saving my life. I still cannot not work at an office job. But I can edit up a storm, and I have an Allie book to finish. That is the reason I kept going.

Today we find out how high Allie is going to soar.

This is the series of my heart, the adventures of Alfreda Sorensson. Allie is back! Night Calls is now LIVE in ebook format: http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/night-calls/ You can find her at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes/iBook, and always at Book View Cafe. Print on Demand paper versions from Create Space will follow soon. Kindred Rites appears in January, 2014, and Universe willing, the third book comes out in 2014.

Can you help me spread the word? We are already live at Book View Cafe-- http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/night-calls/
( Blurb & Review Quotes )

And it appears that Amazon has taken away the tags, which was SOMETHING for search. Dear Author points out that readers, retailers and publishers no longer speak the same language.

EDIT: This contest is now over, but I do occasionally participate in contests, so keep an eye out for more fun!

My joy is to write fiction, especially fantasy and science fiction, filled with new worlds, new technology and magic, mystery, and even a touch of romance. I love interesting characters doing interesting things. I want people to be able to escape into my worlds.

Right now, for so many, many reasons, we all need to escape. So several of my friends and I have decided to share gifts with you -- gifts of escape.

All the various eReaders -- Kindle, NOOK, etc. -- are hardware platforms. The format is generally EPUB or MOBI. NOOKs, for example, take EPUB, and Kindles MOBI. (Although *cough* DRM-free EPUB files can readily be converted to MOBI for the Kindle. We're all about choice!)

You see a lot of promotions, but friends tell me that not enough of them are for NOOKs. Today, we remedy that. Until December 31st, we're offering a meme game to those who would like a little bit of fun -- and to earn free EPUB (the Nook format) books for playing.
( Win eBooks by me, Jeff Carver, Vonda McIntyre & Jen Stevenson, just for starters! )
We believe that if we want a thriving book community, we need lots of options. We need print, we need ebook, we need CHOICE. So that's why we are doing this. We support choice! We support DRM-Free places like Book View Cafe, where you can go buy EPUB, or MOBI, or even on occasion other formats like PDF. If you go looking, you'll find lots of new choices. Go check out www.BookViewCafe.com if you don't believe me.

Be an explorer. Show us your NOOK!

Obligatory disclaimer: Copyright to these free books is retained by the authors. You may share this post in its entirety. All pictures must be posted by 11:59 PM, December 31, 2012, CST. If anyone posts any of these EPUBs to a torrent site, the portal closes and we won't have any more games. This is a gift to you, not an invitation to set the book free forever. If you post a picture that would be considered in bad taste, it will be deleted and you won't get a coupon code. Thank you for keeping things fun!

For those of you not doing Facebook (or Facebook folk on late shift) here's a link.

Writer Deborah J. Ross did an in-depth review of my Nuala series, and also a short interview. You'll find it over on her blogspot.

Happy dance!

Well, of course writers try to figure out ways to draw people's attention to their work. Reviews help the most, but there are other things. One thing people can use at Amazon.com is clicking on the tag trees at the bottom of pages, leading off to other books in a topic/subheading. This can take you to something as nebulous as "science fiction" and as specific as "lost colony" or "Liaden Universe."

Whenever you visit a page of a book you like? Take a look and see if there are tags for the book. If so, click on the ones you agree with, and add any you think should be there -- I think we're allowed 15 per book. If not, start some tags for it!

It's a small thing, but it can be a tiny help for a book you like. And unlike reviewing, you don't have to focus your mind for it. (In fact, you can even "Like" books now -- Facebook strikes!)

If you feel like tagging, start with mine and move out through the other suggested books on the page. You'll hit a lot of good books, many of which you'll have read! ;^)

Fire Sanctuary

Fires of Nuala

Hidden Fires

Night Calls

Kindred Rites

Wings of Morning

Oh -- While retrieving these links, I noticed that Pam and Jennifer each reviewed Kindred Rites and Night Calls. Short and enticing -- thank you both! When I go to try and sell Spirit Tracks, how many reviews these books have may help (or hurt. Again -- who knows? Rumor has it that once you've rolled over to 20+ reviews, your book shows up more often in "suggested" lists.)

Book View Café Announces New eBook Titles for November 2010

Four new ebooks will debut at Book View Café this month. Two are backlist fiction (GALVESTON by P.G. Nagle and HIDDEN FIRES by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel), one is original fiction (THE HANDS OF GOD by Gerald M. Weinberg), and one is original non-fiction (the long-awaited WRITING HORSES by Judith Tarr). The books range in price from $2.99 to $4.99 for DRM-free ebooks. Full details at http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/News/BVC-New-eBooks-November-2010

You can get Judith Tarr's horse book right now, I think -- wonderful stuff, if you're going to write horses, you need this eBook! Mine should be available December 1-2. Pati and Jerry's books are historical fiction and science fiction, respectively.

Yes! We have formats that work on Kindles, and all other major e-readers -- including the free Adobe Reader!

And now, I am freezing, and must see if the oil heater has the bathroom ready for a shower. Season change finally arrived!