I’ve no idea why this has happened, but Amazon has cut the price of my complete Shadows trilogy. Both the ebook and paperback are currently only $4.88 (this reduction appears to only be on the US store). So if the idea of a complete trilogy of sci-fi/horror sounds appealing, grab this bargain now (click here).
Haven’s Deep (ShadowTech Book 4) is now out on all major ebook stores, with the paperback available from Amazon.
It used to be called Haven. The company said it was a simple mining operation. They said it was safe.
They said a lot of things.
Now called Haven’s Deep, the company’s expanded base holds a secret—a potential gateway to the Ancients. To the Heralds it’s a doorway to salvation. To Kaiahive it’s a portal to destruction.
And to the crew—to Brice, Deva and the others—it’s one more thing to contend with. As Haven’s Deep draws them closer, they must fight to make the right decisions. And not only for their own lives.
The fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
Haven’s Deep will rise in price in a couple of days, so get it now at the special low price of 99c/99p.
Haven’s Deep (ShadowTech Book 4) will be published on 29th April, but is now up for pre-order (at a low price of 99c or your local equivalent).
It used to be called Haven. The company said it was a simple mining operation. They said it was safe.
They said a lot of things.
Now called Haven’s Deep, the company’s expanded base holds a secret—a potential gateway to the Ancients. To the Heralds it’s a doorway to salvation. To Kaiahive it’s a portal to destruction.
And to the crew—to Brice, Deva and the others—it’s one more thing to contend with. As Haven’s Deep draws them closer, they must fight to make the right decisions. And not only for their own lives.
The fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
Smashwords is running a massive 2022 End Of Year Sale, and all my books are included in it, at 75% off.
So check out the sale at https://smashwords.com/shelves/promos/, and pick up a ton of reading to take you into the next year. And if you want to check out my books (dark Dystopian thrillers in the Dominions series, sci-fi/horror with Shadows, or sci-fi/adventure with ShadowTech), check out my page on the Smashwords store.
A quick technical note: unlike some other ebook retailers, Smashwords don’t have a dedicated reader or app (although you can read through their website). So when you buy and download an ebook from Smashwords you download it, you can read it however and wherever you want*—side-load it to an e-reader, use an app on your phone or tablet, or read it on a laptop. It’s your book, so read it your way.
* More technical note: Smashwords books are in epub format, but Kindles won’t accept epubs directly. There are ways around this, but they involve a little more work. This article (from Dave Chesson at Kindlepreneur) gives three ways to do this.
The title says it all – the third ShadowTech book, Hostile Alliances, is out now. It’s available in ebook from all the usual stores/sites, and in paperback from Amazon.
The Ancients are coming.
When Kaiahive intercepts a signal on the edge of the system, it’s no longer in doubt. Time is running out.
And that increases hostilities between the company and the Heralds, which in turn pushes the shadowy Collective into more desperate actions.
In the midst of this turmoil, the crew are divided. To survive, they must choose their sides. Staying passive is no longer an option. They must decide who they trust, and prove their allegiances.
Get Hostile Alliances before the end of the week-end, before the price goes up.
The third book in the ShadowTech series, Hostile Alliances, will be released on 24th November 2022, and is now up for pre-order.
The Ancients are coming!
There’s no doubt now, not after the signal the company intercepts. And that means the fighting between them and the Heralds will intensify. That will force the shadowy Collective to work harder, seeking a solution before the Heralds and Kaiahive doom humanity.
And in the midst of the chaos, the crew are divided. They must trust themselves, and decide who around them they can trust. They must fight—for what they believe in, and for their lives.
The second book in the sci-fi/adventure series ShadowTech, Subtle Weapon is out now.
Kaiahive is everywhere, even on the supposedly deserted island the crew escape to. So are the company’s enemies, the Heralds, and the crew are caught in the crossfire, their options dwindling fast.
Can Deva trust old enemies long enough to get her revenge on those who ruined her life? Can Brice and Ryann escape from captivity deep underground? Has Keelin found people who appreciate her for who she is, or are they only using her? And as Piran dives deep into the incredible technology of the Ancients, can he keep their secrets from the company long enough to help save his friends?
As hostilities grow, each of them must fight — for themselves, for their friends, and for their lives.
To coincide with this, I’ve put the first book, Desert Bound on sale until the end of the weekend, at the bargain price of 99c (or your local equivalent).
Earlier this week, I attended the—Self-Publishing Show Live event in London — two days of presentations from some of the best in the business, and the opportunity for a few hundred writers to get together, talk and have fun. And learn a lot. I’ve barely started processing everything, and when the videos of the presentations are released, there are many I’ll be studying in detail.
But one thing that struck me was the range of books people are writing. The event kicked off with two sisters (Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti) who, over a couple of years, have built up a seven-figure business (yes, we’re talking millions here) writing dark fantasy romance and bully romance. Bully romance? That’s fairly niche. I can’t imagine mainstream romance fans going for it, but these women have found enough readers that they’re making a very good living from their books. They’ve been at or near the top of the Amazon ebook chart since January. And they’re truly independent, doing everything themselves (or hiring others for the work they can’t do). They don’t have backing from a publisher. They’re not household names, yet they’re out-selling just about everyone else.
It would be impressive if they’d been writing in a more mainstream genre (crime or urban fantasy, for example). Bully romance doesn’t seem to be on the radar of traditional publishing. It doesn’t feature heavily in book stores. But they’ve found their readers.
Ebook sales have continued to rise, especially over the last couple of years (who would’ve thought that being stuck at home encouraged reading?). More people are reading, and people are reading more. Every reader has their own taste, their own things in books that they’re drawn to. And while the big publishers have to aim for commercial, mainstream success, the independents (smaller publishing companies and, especially, indie-publishing authors) can cater for these increasingly smaller niches.
While many of the writers at the event were working in more obvious genres (science-fiction, romance, young adult and so on), a lot were narrowing down, or coming up with interesting combinations of genres. I spoke with a few writers whose stories combined both science fiction and fantasy — a hybrid that might upset some hard-core fans from either camp, but something that is gaining popularity (Chris Fox’ MagiTech books spring to mind — well worth a read if the idea of space battles between gods appeals!). One of those on stage was making a living writing 1920s cosy mysteries. And I managed to spend a few moments talking with Heide Goody, the co-author of books that, among other things, combine comedy with Lovecraftian horror (if that sounds interesting, check out the Oddjobs series).
The list goes on.
I spoke with one writer (sorry, I can’t recall names) who wrote ‘sports fiction’. That’s both a niche term and a broad one — many ‘sports fiction’ books are also romances. His, however, are dramas, similar to Rocky — struggles against adversity set against the backdrop of sports. And while that feels specific (and the specificity means he struggles with advertising), there are readers looking for books like this.
I wish I could remember his name, because I’d definitely check those books out.
Genres can be tricky, though. Words can have many meanings, and getting the wrong ‘word’ can cause problems.
I had a conversation with a writer who thought the first book in her trilogy was romance (yes, romance crops up a lot in self-publishing — it’s a huge genre, and romance writers are incredibly business-savvy). The story focused on someone finding happiness through love, so of course it was romance. But the readers disagreed. She didn’t abide by the expected tropes. Her story might have been about love, but it wasn’t romance.
That doesn’t make sense? People hear ‘love story’ and immediately think ‘romance’, but consider a story like Romeo And Juliet. It’s all about love, but it wouldn’t qualify as a romance by today’s book genre definitions. It doesn’t have the obligatory happy ending, for one thing. It throws out important ‘romance’ tropes.
Personally, I prefer ‘love stories’ like Romeo And Juliet and Wuthering Heights to some of the other romances I’ve read. I’ve tried a few recently, and the insta-love, ‘when will they get together?’ stories bore me. I’ve got nothing against these books, or the many readers who enjoy them — they’re simply not for me. I prefer darker tales. I like books that confound my expectations, that twist or even throw out genre tropes.
I’m in a minority here, I know. I can be contrary, in my consumption of media (I’ve always gone for ‘different’ music and films), and also in the books I write.
I classify my Dominions books as dark Dystopian thrillers, but Dystopian fiction is closely tied to Young Adult, and Dominions is definitely not YA. Also, the thriller aspect is more slow-burn than many mainstream thrillers (like Jack Reacher or John Milton.) The genres fit, but they also confuse.
Then there’s my Shadows trilogy, my attempt to combine science-fiction and horror. Yes, there are very successful sci-fi/horror hybrids (and Alien was a major influence on Shadows), but why would horror fans want to read a science fiction book, and why would sci-fi fans want to scare themselves with horror?
My new series, ShadowTech, is more mainstream, but it’s still veering toward the darker side of things. I’m interested in the internal struggles of the characters, more so than the external action the stories (and the mainstream readers) demand.
But these are the types of stories I enjoy writing, and reflect the stories I enjoy reading. I might be in a minority, but I can’t be alone in this. In fact, I know there are readers who have enjoyed my books — reviews and comments tell me that.
There are millions of individual readers, and millions of books. It’s a struggle bringing compatible readers and books together. But the options are out there. No matter how obscure, no matter how niche, there are books for every reader, and readers for every book.
And when I get my head around everything from this conference, hopefully I’ll be in a better position to make those connections.
Subtle Weapon (ShadowTech Book 2) picks up where the previous book finished, throwing the crew into even more chaos. It’s out on August 18th, but is available to pre-order now from all the usual places. And, as always, the price will rise a couple of days after release, so pre-order now to get Subtle Weapon for a bargain price.
Kaiahive is everywhere, even on the supposedly deserted island the crew escape to. So are the company’s enemies, the Heralds, and the crew are caught in the crossfire, their options dwindling fast.
Can Deva trust old enemies long enough to get her revenge on those who ruined her life? Can Brice and Ryann escape from captivity deep underground? Has Keelin found people who appreciate her for who she is, or are they only using her? And as Piran dives deep into the incredible technology of the Ancients, can he keep their secrets from the company long enough to help save his friends?
As hostilities grow, each of them must fight—for themselves, for their friends, and for their lives.
I recently read Linsday Buroker’s Death Before Dragons novella The Forbidden Ground. I’ve found her other books to be a lot of fun—banter, action, fast-paced, exciting—and this one was no exception. But what struck me was the increase in tension in the climax.
This scene takes place after the antagonist falls through a hole in the ground, discovering an underground lair. She’s joined by a dragon (in human form), but he’s caught in beams coming from four mysterious orbs. Buroker has already established the relationship between the antagonist and the dragon (not a romance, but there are hints that it could become one), so it’s obvious that our hero wants to free him.
The beams are weakening the dragon, so the antagonist must act fast. Already, we have tension—a life-or-death situation and a limited time in which to act.
She attacks the first of the orbs, using her magical sword. It’s hard-going, but she manages to destroy it. The beam from the orb disappears—but the dragon is still held by the other three beams, and is now on his knees, clearly in pain. There’s no option but to attack the second orb. She does this, destroying it. The dragon is still held, growing even weaker.
Buroker could have had the antagonist destroy the final two orbs just as the dragon is about to breathe his last. That would have been satisfactory, if a little underwhelming. Instead, she adds another element to the tension.
Up to this point, the antagonist has been in no direct danger—she’s not the one slowly dying. If she fails to free the dragon, she still gets to live. But now, things become personal.
She strays too close to one of the remaining beams, and immediately feels the urge to turn her sword on the dragon. The beam—or the magical force behind it—is telling her to kill the dragon in his weakened state, and it’s taking everything she’s got to fight the compulsion.
The stakes have changed. This is no longer about life and death, but about something far stronger. If she can’t resist this urge to kill her friend, she’ll have to live with the knowledge of what she’s done for the rest of her days. She’s facing a ‘fate worse than death’, or a ‘damnation’.
This shift makes the climax far more exciting—and far more effective—but it took setting up. Throughout the short book, Buroker ensured that the reader understood the relationship between these two characters. As readers, we went into this climax knowing that, as annoying as he could be, the dragon has previously saved the antagonist’s life. They have a bond. As dismissive of ‘lesser beings’ as the dragon is, we get the impression he’d miss the antagonist if she were not around—and she’d definitely miss him if he were to go.
This increase in tension emphasises something that is at the heart of most (all?) good books, and is something that Buroker excels at—relationships are more important than plot. Without some kind of meaning for the characters, action in a story is nothing more than ‘stuff that happens’. For it to become a plot, for it to become a story we remember, we (the readers) must be engaged. We must care what happens to the characters.
This is especially true of the climax. In The Forbidden Ground, Buroker gives us physical danger and physical action, but ups the tension by making the whole battle personal. She makes things more exciting by engaging the emotions of both the characters and the reader.
It’s a solid story-tellling rule—the final climax of a story should be personal to have the most impact
TW Iain 