Welcome, new folks!

Hi, there. If you've joined the mailing list recently, I want to make sure you get your free Frosthelm book, Traitors Unseen. If you haven't gotten it, you can get it free here (the site will ask you to sign up for this newsletter, which you're already getting) or here from Smashwords. It's also on Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Please, enjoy with my compliments.

Kenai's in SPSFC 3

If you've been reading these newsletters for a while, you know I enjoy entering indie book competitions. I've entered the fantasy competition SPFBO three times, getting to the semi-finals with The Woeling Lass last year, and I'm entering its sci-fi sister SPSFC for the second time this year. Daros reached the semifinals two years ago in SPSFC 1. Whether I succeed competition-wise or not, it's a fun way to find new books and new authors. I'll find out more about my initial group of 30 books this weekend.

New writing news

I've had a fun couple of weeks. I started working more on my new fantasy story. I'm having a couple of little puzzles with it to figure out as I write. One is that I think the concept of the story (cursed magical sword with unwilling owner) lends itself to humor. However, the opening scene I wrote (which I like a lot) is pretty grim, which doesn't set up jokes coming later. I don't want to write a grimdark book, though, so I'll have to figure out how to transition to something more fun - either making it follow a pathway towards funnier situations, or tweak the tone and action early on.

Another puzzle is that I'd imagined this as a multiple narrator POV book, something I tried both in Daros and in The Woeling Lass and was happy with. It lets you tell more of the story than following just one person. I don't think I'd ever want to go the way of Game of Thrones or other big heavy fantasy works with fifteen central characters, all of whom get their own chapters, but a small number seems to work for me.

The puzzle with the POV comes from when I wrote a starting chapter from the second POV. Like most times when I start something new, I only really had a situation in mind, and it developed as I wrote it into something unexpected. I liked it, but as I finished it I realized it gives a good chunk of the mystery of the plot away. If I were to have it as Chapter 2, then it's really way too early for that much information. So, I'll need to think about the story structure, and maybe stick with one POV for a while before introducing the other one. I'm thinking I might need a third POV at some point as well for this vague hint of an idea I have of how the book might end, but that decision is way down the line, after I write some more and figure out what's actually happening.

If you want updates on my books Amazon...

...you could try following me there. You'll hear about my new releases and other news, and you'll help me a little with my numbers and relevance on the big A. Here's the link to my author page, where you can follow me if you wish or just see my stuff all in one place, including my children's book and an academic work.

Some stories to try

I'm part of several author collectives, and we share each other's work to try to help all of us reach more readers. In many cases, the books we share are are free or discounted. Sometimes, they ask that you sign up for a newsletter like this one. Here are some new books I have to share this month:

First, I have Enemy of the Crown by Paul Bennett. This is one of many fantasy books by Bennett, all highly rated and regarded. This one's got a 4.9 average across 19 reviews, which is very hard to pull off. With legions at war, mighty armies, ancient rivalries, and a cool cover, this series is worth a look.

Next, I have Defiant Space by Richard Rimington, a story about a single ship on a desperate mission to avert a planetary conquest by aliens. Great space opera stuff here!

Finally, I have Hunter by Z.Z. Adams, a free prequel to his YA supernatural thriller series, with nobles and castles and rifles and intrigue. If that sounds like you, then you can get a feel for the series for zero dollars here.

Thanks

Thanks so much for signing up for being part of my writing world, small but growing (we're up to 1300 subscribers now). I'm really grateful that you're here, and I'd love to hear from you with thoughts, feedback, ideas for new stories, or anything, even a good taco sauce recipe.

I hope you and your friends and family are having a safe and rewarding 2023!

May the Bloodmother watch over you - 

Dave