The YA fantasy, Jinxers, is now in the hands of its (young) beta readers, the better to tune it for maximum satisfaction. While I was young once myself, it is always wise to consult with the current generation. Anticipated release date is sometime around March, I think.

To whet the appetite, here is a small sample …

Jin shivered and forced himself forward, stepping carefully on the charred beam. The smell of smoke was strong enough to make him cough, and he muffled it in the crook of his arm. He had to hurry—the light was fading fast in the sky, and he could barely feel his feet any more. The rags he’d tied around his feet were not enough to keep them warm. If he still had his cubby it wouldn’t matter so much, but thanks to the fire, he didn’t. He wasn’t even able to grab the ratty wool blanket he kept there, or the few pennies he’d saved. He had nothing but the clothes he wore on his back.

He stepped on what looked like a pool of ash, but was actually ice and ash mixed together, and his foot slipped. The beam shifted with a thud, and Jin froze in fear. If anyone heard, they might come nosing around. He wasn’t stealing, not really. Taking things nobody wanted anymore wasn’t stealing. Before the fire the warehouse had been empty and abandoned for years, after all. The billys might nab him anyway, though. Jin knew some of them thought he was a thief, just because he was good at finding things, and he didn’t want to give them any reason to think it harder. Besides, if nobody knew he was there they couldn’t make him leave. Continue reading →

So, I’m doing things a bit differently this time. I am trying out Gumroad to handle my direct sales, and they do things all in a bunch. So there isn’t a separate epub/mobi option, you get both when you make your purchase. If you just can’t wait for the full formal edited version of Dragonhunters (and who can blame you?) head over to Gumroad using the link below…

Dragonhunters eARC $10.00

I really did think I would have this done sooner, but such is life…some family obligations cropped up, and the characters would NOT be herded on schedule. It’s like they have their own agenda, or something.

But! It’s finally done. Now I have to wait for an opening in my superlative editor’s schedule in June, so it will be out in final form around mid-July. I hope. There will be an e-ARC before then for those who just can’t wait for proofreading. And, eventually, a print version.

Which brings me to my other bit of news. I am going to be trying Gumroad for direct sales of my ebooks. They can handle credit cards, and most importantly, are available 24/7 for any issues involving the actual download. I hope this will create a better customer service environment for my valued readers.

Now, on to planning the sequel to The Scent of Metal…

Slightly delayed, due to some good but very time-consuming family duties…but it WILL be out this year.

Now available at Audible.com.

This was quite the learning experience. While I have a smidgen of stage experience and voice/breath technique, I’ve never narrated anything before. I’ve also never done any audio processing, so a great deal of headscratching and plaintive questions to musical acquaintances went on. It was a LOT of work, so I think I will leave it to the professionals to do my full book-length audiobooks.

So if you are curious what I sound like, here’s your chance!

Update: fixed borked link. Sigh. Thanks Michael!