The Woeling Lass will be free

Well, she'll still be captured in a tragic tale of betrayal and loss, but the book will be free. The Woeling Lass is one of my Inquisitors' Guild books, the fourth one I wrote, although all of them can be read in any order and have different main characters and mysteries. This one, a semifinalist in the 9th SPFBO competition, is about the murder of a noble (and Inquisitors' Guild member) that very nearly succeeded, and the intrigue, scheming, and danger that is revealed in its wake. Plus, there's a ghost story! It will be free as part of a SPFBO promotion from November 22 to November 26, before my next newsletter comes out, so if you'd like a free copy, make sure to grab one then, just in time for some Thanksgiving reading, if you're in the U.S. All the other free fantasy books will be listed here (links are not yet live).

The book recently got a glowing review from a reader in the Indie Fantasy Addicts facebook group, so check that out if you'd like to whet your appetite!

Progress on the new project

As long-time subscribers know, I often buckle down and work hard on a new project in November, and I've been doing that this month as well (my 6th straight November writing project). It's about halfway through the month, and at 24,059 words as of last night, I'm at about halfway to my nominal 50,000 word goal for the month, so that's going OK. My books are usually around 100,000 words, so if I keep up this pace, I'll have a really good start on something new.

This book is a murder mystery in the spirit of my other two mystery/thriller books, What Grows From the Dead and Got Trouble. It tells the story of Amy Galanis, a public librarian, who arrives home from work one day ready to evict her deadbeat roommate but instead finds a dead body (not her roommate) on her sofa. I'm working through twists, clues, goofy characters, and shadowy figures to construct another mystery I hope you'll really enjoy. It will probably be ready some time in the first half of next year.

My dad's second mystery is out!

My dad has been writing stories for decades, but he's just starting to release some of them to the public now. He's put out the second in his series of mysteries set in the post-war 1920's, with an intrepid young former soldier who gets embroiled in all sorts of danger and intrigue. This one, The Body in Bancroft Hall, is set at Harvard, where Mark Blaine has returned to pursue his studies after serving in the Great War. It's free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, and he'd love it if you'd give it a look. He's got a third one in the series coming soon.

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 Gravity Girl by V.R. Friesen. I love this cover! So neat. This story is a sci fi tale about a woman who makes a living dealing with treacherous gravity anomalies. She makes an unwelcome discovery, an alien infection that will likely take her life, and all seems lost until a glimmer of hope reveals itself, but that glimmer is unreliable and needs rescuing. This is currently on sale for only $0.99, so it's a steal for something with so creative a premise.

Next, I have Splice by Z.Z. Adams. This is a military sci-fi action story, complete with aliens, kidnapping, assassins, and evil megacorporations. It's the first book in the author's Zero Point Awakening series which has eight books total, so if you enjoy it, there's a lot there to move on to.

Next, I have Out of Time by Mikhail Gladkikh, an author with no shortage of consonants. This is a full-length sci-fi mystery set on near-future Earth, where a mishap in space has sent the Moon on a collision course with Earth. Humanity's response, and an awakening of unusual powers, might just save us. This is totally free, so have a look if it sounds like your kind of thing.

Finally, I have Stone & Sky: Prelude Stories by Z.S. Diamanti. This is a set of seven stories, absolutely free, that introduce the world and people of Finlestia, where the author's Stone & Sky series takes place.

Thanks

Thanks so much for being part of my newsletter community. I'm looking forward to sharing two new books with you next year. I just need to finish them! Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see, because I'll be eager to start something new next year.

May the Bloodmother watch over you - 

Dave