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.

Writing update

I'm deep into revisions for my newest mystery. I've incorporated most of my wife's comments, and I've gotten extensive feedback from two other members of my early reading team, Sarah and Dan, both of whom gave me extensive feedback today. Both enjoyed the book, but they're both careful and thoughtful readers who pick up on all kinds of big and little issues, so I've got almost 200 comments to incorporate. I'm also still in search of a title, because my working title (Death Couch) isn't seeming any better the more I think about it. I have two more early readers still to hear from, but I'm going to get cracking on the suggestions I have and try to get them and any others that come in knocked out in the next week or two, and then it will be off to my editor and proofreader, Tami, and then a last pass for me, and it should be good to go. The mystery in the book here is probably the most ambitious and complicated I've tried, so it's a intricate little thing to play with. I'm excited to share it with you all, hopefully with a title worthy of the adventure.

I also have a sci-fi short story to finish and submit to an anthology, and I'm waiting to hear back on a fantasy short story I submitted to another anthology, so some other projects are ongoing.

Convention time

I'll be at ConCarolinas at the end of the month, May 30 to June 1, so if you're interested in that kind of thing, please consider going. The full program is here. I'm on five panels as follows:

Two of these are improv or comedy games (Whose Geek and Poetry for Neanderthals). I'm also doing some game design and writing stuff here too. I'm really looking forward to it - this will be the first time I've been a guest at a thing like this. I should have a time to sell and sign books too.

What I've been reading

I'm a judge for this year's SPSFC, the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition that my book Kenai won last year. The competition has moved into the semifinals, so I have two new reviews out of very different post-apocalyptic stories (well, one is kind of peri-apocalyptic). The books are Saint Elspeth by Wick Welker (a finalist in last year's SPSFC) and Eat by Jesse Brown.

I have two more semifinalists to review, and then we're off to the finals on May 31st. It's been really interesting seeing what other authors come up with.

A fun review for Lady Isovar

Ariana from Grimoire Ink Reviews posted a fun take on The Glorious and Epic Tale of Lady Isovar. If you're a fan of Izzy and Chevson, you might appreciate hearing what she thought of it.

If you like the Inquisitors' Guild series but are looking for something with even more silly humor, Lady Isovar has you covered. You can find the book here.

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 Return of the Star Lords by B.A. Gillies. This is a short story that blends fantasy and sci fi. It's won multiple awards, and it's free for you to download. There's even a God-King, so that's cool.

Next, I have Modus by Brandon Castillo. This is a free sample of Castillo's novel set in a dystopian future Earth in the year 2121, as a young man faces a crossroads as he tries to adapt to a broken, authoritarian world.

Finally, I have a set of 53 fantasy and paranormal books and series that are all absolutely free. There's a huge variety here, and they're all available at no cost, so have a look and see if there's anything that appeals.

Thanks

Thanks so much for being part of my newsletter. I hope there's something of interest every month, but if there's anything that you'd like to hear about or any question you have about my books or my other endeavors, feel free to drop me a line. I love hearing from readers!

May the Bloodmother watch over you - 

Dave