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.

What Grows From the Dead is free right now!

If you act fast, you can get a copy of my mystery, What Grows From the Dead, for free through midnight Pacific time on July 2. I've given away 30,000 copies over the last few days with the help of a BookBub promo which just blows my mind - my total downloads (free and paid) before Friday were about 48,000 over five years.

Of course, the books are all free, so I don't make any money on those downloads, but they have sent WGFTD soaring to the #2 free book download on Amazon for a few days, and there are a bunch of people reading it through Kindle Unlimited. I've also received a bunch more ratings on Amazon and GoodReads, about 40 new ratings on each. I'm happy to report maintaining strong ratings even as more people weigh in (4.6 stars average on both platforms).

The Glorious and Epic Tale will be on sale soon!

As a secret treat for newsletter subscribers, I'll let you know early that The Glorious and Epic Tale of Lady Isovar goes on sale on Wednesday, July 3, for $0.99. If you haven't tried this new epic fantasy story, here's your chance to get it for very little money - less than a candy bar. Enjoy the adventures of Izzy and Chevson as they fight miscreants and bring justice across three nations

Lady Isovar: The Video Game

Every year, the Indie Fantasy Addicts group on Facebook runs a summer reading challenge which attracts hundreds of fans. They let authors post weekly games for the participants, and because of my background in video games, I usually do a silly browser game. This year, I based the game on my recent Lady Isovar book. I even prevailed upon a friend from my improv troupe to voice Lady Isovar, and she did a wonderful job. If you'd like to give the game a try, it's here.

A whole mess of haiku

I've entered the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off competition (SPFBO) four times now with different books, and I always enjoy it. This year, the tenth annual contest (called SPFBOX by fans) there were nearly 600 books competing for the 300 spots available, and I was lucky enough to make it through the lottery to get a place in the contest. There's a lot of hoopla and community spirit surrounding the event. This year, I decided to do something very silly - I read the opening chapters of each book (mostly via the Amazon look inside feature), picked my favorite name and favorite word, and wrote a haiku about the story so far. Let me tell you, 300 books times two or three chapters, and also times two words and a haiku is a lot of activity. I did ten a day every day of June, which took me about two hours a day, but I had a lot of fun responses from the participating authors and others associated with the contest, so it was totally worth it (although still a goofy idea). If you'd like to see the haiku, they're all here on my website.

Follow me on Amazon!

If you'd like to be made aware of Amazon discounts on my books and my new releases, you can follow me on Amazon, and they'll notify you directly. If you sign up, it also helps me get a little more visibility there, so I'd be thrilled if you joined. Here's the link.

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 Rebel Slave by Richard Davis, the first in his series about, you guessed it, a rebel slave, betrayed, falsely convicted, and sold to dwarves. That's enough to ruin anybody's day.

Next, I have Sellenria by Chuck Boeheim with Daniel Elswit. This is a sci-fi tale about a future archeologist who uncovers a mysterious relic, throwing his peaceful academic life into turmoil, sending him to an alternate reality with kings, magic, and monsters.

Next, I have Call of the Siren by Scarlett Evans. This is a paranormal adventure about a timid bookshop worker who is called upon to use her hidden power to fight monsters slipping into our world from beyond the veil. Great stuff!

Finally, I have Cave of Time by Luna Fox and F. Lowberry, a free short adventure about a magic plague that seems to have a thing for druids. Check it out!

Thanks

Thanks so much for signing up for my newsletter. I hope you are able to take advantage of my free and discounted books, and I hope you enjoy the stories within!

May the Bloodmother watch over you - 

Dave