Since I caught the translation bug, you all know that 2016 has been primarily filled with posts about this new venture in the Mentalist Series. Well…drum roll, again…I have two more to share. Next on the scenes is the Spanish translation of Aversion! Like all the others, it is available both digitally and in paperback across a multitude of websites. Please spread the word to any Spanish readers you might know. The translation was carried out by the brilliant team of Eva María Medina Cabanelas and María de los Remedios Rubio Fernández. Thank you ladies for doing such a great job.
Por primera vez para Gemma Green, las cosas deberían haber sido sencillas. Encontrar a tu sujeto, sostenerle la mirada y meterle un pensamiento en la cabeza para salvarlo de un futuro desastre: aversión completa. Un proceso bastante simple, dado que el sujeto no va a tener ningún recuerdo de la experiencia. Pero Russ Tanner no parece querer olvidar. De hecho, cuanto más trata ella de evitarlo, más presiona él para llegar a conocerla. Gemma sabe que tiene un problema, pero ¿se está enfrentando a los efectos secundarios de una aversión fallida o el campeón de tenis del instituto se ha realmente enamorado de ella?
Also released in May (has it really been three months?) was the German translation of Broken Ties, which ties in neatly with the first book in the series, Die Gedankenwenderin. Eva Markert and Christina Löw, I can’t thank you enough for the amazing work you did on this story.
Zerrissene Bande: Die Vorgeschichte zur Mentalisten-Serie
Nichts war außergewöhnlich an jener Nacht, in der alles anders wurde. Es gab keine Lichter, die am Himmel aufleuchteten, kein verzehrendes Feuer in meinem Leib, kein wie auch immer geartetes Anzeichen für die Veränderung, die bevorstand. Nora Brice stellte merkwürdige Dinge mit mir an. Merkwürdige und schreckliche Dinge …
Paul Colt hat ein Problem, und es ist keins, mit dem die meisten Jungen im Teenageralter zu kämpfen haben. Ja, es gibt ein Mädchen, für das er – sollte sich jemals die Gelegenheit ergeben – Dummheiten begehen wird, da ist er sich ziemlich sicher. Aber er darf sich nicht darum bemühen, ihr Herz zu gewinnen, und auch nicht das Herz irgendeines anderen Mädchens. Das hat er davon, dass er ein Gedankenwender ist. Er ist gezwungen, sich in die Fortpflanzungslinie der Gemeinschaft einzufügen. Er weiß, einige Regeln kann man getrost vernachlässigen, andere dürften niemals gebrochen werden. Und wie lautet die wichtigste all dieser Regeln?
Verliebe dich nicht.
Niemals.
Dies ist die Geschichte, wie Paul diese Regel bricht.
Você fala Português? If the answer is yes, then I’ve got a little treat for you. Following the release of Die Gedankenwenderin, last December, a lot has gone on in the background to get a few more of my books translated into other languages. First off the mark is the Mentalist novella, Lacos Rompidos, the Brazilian Portuguese version of Broken Ties, which is now available to download from all major ebook retailers. I’ll write a bit more about other books in the pipeline in future posts but for now, I just want to thank my amazing translator, Nathalia Carvalho, for being such a star throughout the process. And if you know any avid readers who speak Portuguese, please don’t be shy about mentioning this to them. I’ll owe you one!
“Não havia nada de incomum na noite em que tudo mudou. Não haviam luzes piscando no céu, nenhum fogo abrasador em minha barriga; não havia nenhum sinal que sugerisse a mudança que estava por vir… Nora Brice conseguia fazer com que eu sentisse coisas estranhas. Coisas estranhas e terríveis…”
Paul Colt tem um problema, e não é um do tipo que a maioria dos garotos adolescentes enfrenta. Sim, ele gosta de uma garota; uma por quem ele certamente faria coisas idiotas, se tivesse a oportunidade. Mas ele não pode correr atrás dela — ou de nenhuma outra garota, para dizer a verdade. É isso o que ele ganha por ser um Dissuasor, forçado a andar na linha pelo bem da vida coletiva. Ele sabe que existem algumas regras que ele pode ignorar, assim como existem algumas que não devem jamais ser quebradas. E a mais grave de todas elas?
Não se apaixone.
Jamais.
Esta é a história de como Paul quebra esta regra.
Este prelúdio da Série dos Mentalistas pode ser lido antes ou depois de Dissuasão, Livro um da Série dos Mentalistas.
Last week was meant to be pretty uneventful. Write a few thousand words of Keepers (the last book in the Mentalist series), run a promo with ManyBooks to get some exposure for the recently updated cover of Broken Ties, help a friend beta-read her novel, do some real bill paying work (ah, the joys of being an architect), and find time to warm up my vocal chords to sing with my choir at the London Marathon. All in all, a busy week but nothing too spectacular. And then this happened.
I knew the promo ad would make a (little) difference to downloads but I was totally overwhelmed by the boost it actually gave. And it wasn’t just Amazon that yielded results – my Smashwords, iBooks and Barnes and Noble downloads had considerably increased activity as well. I was still getting over the excitement of finally seeing Broken Ties at the top of an Amazon genre list when this happened too.
Yep, I’ve been given my very own Okadabooks Author page! I was so thrilled about the news, it took me a few hours to gather my spinning thoughts before I emailed/texted my family and close friends about it. For those of you who are thinking “what the heck is that?”, Continue reading →
I occasionally get asked by my readers why some of my books are short. And by short I mean between 30 and 60,000 words. In fact only three of my books are what the industry accepts as novel length. Truth is, traditional publishers and literary agents tend to reject work that doesn’t hit the golden mark of 75,000 words (80,000 in some cases). There was even advise on a very popular agent search site for writers to shelve any novellas they have and focus on getting a few novels accepted by an agent or publisher first. Their novellas would then get a chance to see the light after they develop a strong readership. And when seeking to advertise your work, if you are self published, don’t bother trying if your book isn’t novel length. Most websites have clear rules stating they won’t accept your work. This idea baffles me. It really does.
I admit I initially started off by following these guidelines (hence the three books) but the simple fact is, not all stories need to be fleshed out to get the message across. Sometimes all a writer needs to share with the world can be conveyed in 60,000 words. Or 40,000. Maybe even 10,000. You get my drift. Don’t get me wrong, a tome is fine if it is actually written in such a way that readers feel the length is justified (one of my favourite books is the Pillars of the Earth and it’s a whooping 312,000 words). We can all relate to flicking through a few pages of a book just to realise that the only thing we got out of all those words was that it was a cold autumn’s day. And then we wish for those few minutes of our lives back, to no avail.
There is also the silent rule that books of novella length are only acceptable for children or middle grade books. Obviously this is nonesense as there are a good number of critically acclaimed works written for adults which fall very comfortably below (or just above) the 50,000 word mark. The problem being that most of these books were written over 40 years ago, which supports my theory that the rejection of novellas is a recent push by publishers and agents to appease some unknown quota. I wonder how different the world would have been if these books had been thrown into the rejection pile just based on their word count. Which brings me to the list below (yes, I actually spent some time doing research for this post). Some books on the list do in fact fall into the short novel category, but they count if we consider the modern day rejection rule of nothing less than 75,000 words. It could be a much longer list but I decided to go for books I’ve either read or have on my reading list so I can (mostly) attest to being satisfied by the completeness of the prose. A simple search engine click will throw up hundreds more and, trust me, some titles may surprise you. Here we go:
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
Roughly seventeen months after my initially post about the German translation of Aversion (I promise, I wasn’t counting the days), I am so pleased to finally announce it’s here! Well, nearly here…more like 11th December, but it can be purchased on pre-order now from a multitude of ebook sites (Amazon, iBooks, ebooks.de, Smashwords). The list of available outlets is still growing and I will post these when they become available.
Für Gemma Green hätte das erste Mal ein Kinderspiel sein sollen: Finde deine Zielperson, blicke ihnen tief in die Augen und pushe einen Gedanken in ihren Kopf, um sie vor zukünftigen Katastrophen zu bewahren – Gedankenwendung vollbracht! Ein ziemlich einfacher Prozess, wenn man bedenkt, dass die Zielperson später keine Erinnerung an die Erfahrung haben sollte. Aber Russel Tanner scheint nicht vergessen zu wollen. Im Gegenteil, je mehr sie ihm aus dem Weg geht, desto mehr drängt er darauf sie näher kennenzulernen. Gemma weiß, dass sie in Schwierigkeiten ist, aber hat sie es mit den Nebenwirkungen einer schiefgegangenen Gedankenwendung zu tun oder hat sich der Tennis-Champion der Schule wirklich in sie verliebt?
First of all, I would like to thank the amazing Jana Koebel who offered to take this task on in the first place (what do I know about translations?!) and who spent a crazy amount of time working on turning my gabbled English into fluent German. She also did a ton of other work like getting the .epub and .mobi files set up correctly and finding a cover designer, including translating all my annoying micromanaging Continue reading →
Today is World Book Day! Read a book, listen to a book, write a book, buy a book, lend a book, borrow a book. Whatever you do, pop a book into the mix and enjoy yourself!
Fairytales don’t always happen once upon a time. Fables don’t always have a happy ending. Sometimes the stories we love are too dark for nightmares. What if waking Sleeping Beauty was the worse thing the Prince could have done? What if Rapunzel wasn’t in that tower for her own protection—but for everyone else’s?
Assembled by The Bearded Scribe Press, Twice Upon A Time combines classics and modern lore in peculiar and spectacular ways. From Rapunzel to Rumpelstiltskin, this unique collection showcases childhood favorites unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Both traditionally-published and independent authors will take you on a whirlwind ride through fairytale and folklore, myth and majick. Cherished stories are revisited and remastered into newly-treasured tales of hope and heartache, of adversity and adventure.
This collection features 43 short stories ranging in length from 2K-12K words from the following cast of talented writers:
Excerpt from Fire & Ash by Joshua Allen Mercier, a dark fantasy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood:
THE cold, autumn gusts ripped across Salem’s port, stirring the angry waters, stirring the angry spectators gathered before the gallows—gallows which had not, until this day, been used since the Trials several years back. Men, women, children—all bore hateful eyes and twisted faces. All bore a deep-seeded fear of the woman before them; they watched and seethed, anger building like fire fed by the winds, waiting for answers, for closure, for justice—for the devil’s death.
Constance Archer stared at the sea of faces; she despised all of them, save two—two faces that weren’t supposed to be there. Her daughters, Rhiannon and Rowan, hid in the small grove of trees, but she could still see their watery, green eyes piercing through the shadows, their stares stabbing their fear and pain and confusion into her. They weren’t supposed to see her like this. With the gag still tightly secured about her mouth, however, her muffled pleas for them to leave went unheard.
Where was their grandmother?
Constance’s fiery locks were drenched with tears. Her heart ached. For them, for herself, for her husband, Jacob. She shouldn’t have let the rage overtake her; she knew that now, now that it was too late.
“For the crimes of witchcraft, how do you plea?”
Even though the thick rope around her neck made it difficult to escape it—to forget—the reverend’s voice jolted her back to reality.
“Not guilty,” Constance replied through the gag, unsure if her plea was understood.
“Executioner, please remove the gag from the accused.”
The reverend’s statement was cold. They had known each other since they were children, but he was but a stranger now as he stood before her. He was once so compassionate, so caring—what had changed?
The executioner approached Constance with apprehension; she soon understood why. Despite the black hood covering his face, his scent—sweet, woody, musky, like freshly-sawn wood mixed with perfume and sweat—immediately revealed his identity: William Black. He removed the gag with haste and stepped across the gallows with a speed she hadn’t witnessed him have in years.
How fitting that the town adulterer would be the one to hang her. She wondered who the woman had been, the one whose scent lingered on his clothing and skin. Surely it wasn’t his wife, Catherine.
It couldn’t be.
She had killed her, in a way, the memory of the act flooding back to her nearly causing her to faint. Seems Catherine and her husband didn’t understand the meaning of marriage; then again, neither did Jacob (apparently). Catching him with Catherine was the most heart-breaking of all.
Wyatt Thatcher cleared his throat. “Mrs. Archer—your plea, now that we can hear you.”
Constance stared at her old friend, pain and tears welling in her eyes. “Not guilty.”
“If not for witchcraft, how do account for the brutal way you murdered Catherine Black? Surely, you were possessed,” countered Reverend Thatcher.
“I didn’t murder Catherine Black. As I told you all before, she was attacked by a beast.” She wasn’t lying, but she wasn’t telling the whole truth. The truth wouldn’t save her, and she couldn’t have her daughters hearing it. They weren’t supposed to be here, but calling attention to them now would only make matters worse.
“You’re the beast!” a woman’s voice sounded from the throng.
“Witch!” said another, followed by her husband’s jibe, “You’re Satan’s whore!”
Reverend Thatcher held his hand to the crowd; without a word, they fell silent. It wasn’t their first execution; it probably wouldn’t be their last. His attention turned to the defendant, but his eyes remained downcast, staring at the rough wood of the gallows as if it were the most interesting sight he had ever beheld.
Constance knew why Wyatt Thatcher wouldn’t look at her, knew he couldn’t show a hint of weakness or compassion for her lest he be hanged, too, for sympathizing with the Devil. Satan was in Salem Village that day—no doubt about that. But it wasn’t Constance or Reverend Thatcher. The Devil stood in the crowd, reflected in the eyes of every spectator. His hunger bellowed in their calls, their taunts, their glares, and it wouldn’t be satisfied until her limp, lifeless body waved in the autumn winds like a banner for their tainted justice, a flag of their blood-stained victory over evil.
Wyatt’s hardness broke, even if for just a second, Constance the only witness to the silent tear soaking its fleshy path across his regretful face. “And please explain to us why you were covered in her blood.”
“I’ve told you all this before, Wyatt…” Using the reverend’s first name stirred a wave of gasps from the crowd, forcing her to pause. “I carried Catherine into my house to try to stop her bleeding, to prevent her death.”
That was a lie; it was what she wanted everyone to believe, but it had been all for naught. It had only sealed her fate.
“And what of your husband’s disappearance?” An icy gust of wind blew through Constance’s locks of red hair; with it, Thatcher’s own coldness returned. “Did you use witchcraft to dispose of his body?”
“My husband was attacked, too, his body dragged into the orchard by the beast.”
That was a lie, too. She couldn’t tell them the truth—that she had, in a fit of rage after seeing Jacob and Catherine naked in the orchard, cursed her husband’s appetite for flesh. The curse had gone horribly wrong…
Praise:
“Brilliant change-up on the new flood of “Fairy Tale Twists”. If you’re looking for something that can suck you in right away, this book is definitely it. The collection of short stories makes sure you never get bored with the story or writing style.” ~Jett Murdock / Amazon review
About the Publisher:
The Bearded Scribe Press, LLC is an independent publisher of quality Speculative Fiction. They aim to become a platform for emerging writers to get discovered by the mainstream and inversely, through becoming a staple in the literary community, becoming the source for readers to discover emerging talent in the Speculative Fiction realm.
He didn’t know he could hate another person so completely.
Revenge is within reach.
Then something goes wrong.
After covertly implanting a nanochip into the newly elected U.S. President, Maxwell Charles detects a glitch in the device. What was intended to be a simple electronic connection manifests into a psychic link between Maxwell and the head of state.
Maxwell soon finds himself wondering whose face he will see in the mirror the next time he looks. Can the president see him too? Is he being influenced by the subject of his own invention?
As he races to sever the psychic link, Maxwell soon discovers that he is one among many who wish to control the president. Someone close to the Commander-in-chief also has an interest in the business of mind manipulation. Now they’re tracking Maxwell, the formula for this new technology, and its potential for unlimited power.
Has Maxwell orchestrated his own demise?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cherese A. Vines is an Indie author and publisher of paranormal romance novel “Three Weeks in May” and young adult novels “Countercharm” Books 1 & 2 . She enjoys reading fantasy, magic, and science fiction. Her other pastimes include writing reviews, blogging, and discussing books with other readers. Cherese resides in Georgia with her family.
Last month I had to give up my contact details to download some CAD details from a product website (nothing is free in this world, right?). I usually don’t mind as the information I put down is my work email, but I got stuck right at the start of the process when the only salutation options open to me were “Mr” or “Mrs”. It is important to note this is not the website for a small company based in a warehouse off the M1. The site belongs to a renowned international cladding company who have delivered high profile projects all around the globe. Over the years I have become accustomed to receiving emails and letters addressed to Mr Kenechi (imagine their shock when they ring and I pick up). To be fair to them, I can almost understand their inclination to write “Mr” when they have no idea what gender this Kenechi person might be, but the fact of the matter is that a salutation is not necessary. If you don’t know someone’s gender but you know their name, doesn’t it make sense to just write their name?
Anyway, back to the offending website. I don’t understand how a company can justify leaving no other salutation options for the wide range of people who visit their site. I know the construction industry is still very male dominated and is only now catching up on realising single women can be proper member of the building workforce, not stuck at home waiting to get married before we can emerge into society, but this is a little ridiculous. The whole reason “Ms” was re-introduced to the English language in the 20th century (according to the ever-trusty people at Wikipedia) was so that people wouldn’t find themselves in said uncomfortable situation. I thought about writing to them to inform them of their “error” (because it has to be one, surely) but I don’t have the energy to follow it up. Shame on me…but I really don’t. I ended up selecting “Mr” on the website, just for fun. I’m waiting for the awkward silence when their follow up phone call comes…
In a slightly related incident, one almost as inappropriate as not being given the option to identify myself as “Miss” Continue reading →
I occasionally get asked by my readers why some of my books are short. And by short I mean between 30 and 60,000 words. In fact only three of my books are what the industry accepts as novel length. Truth is, traditional publishers and literary agents tend to reject work that doesn’t hit the golden mark of 75,000 words (80,000 in some cases). There was even advise on a very popular agent search site for writers to shelve any novellas they have and focus on getting a few novels accepted by an agent or publisher first. Their novellas would then get a chance to see the light after they develop a strong readership. And when seeking to advertise your work, if you are self published, don’t bother trying if your book isn’t novel length. Most websites have clear rules stating they won’t accept your work. This idea baffles me. It really does.
caeblogs 