This Time Tomorrow…

This time tomorrow all the hard work will be done as far as actually getting The Soul Conductor out there is concerned. Tonight I do the technical bit of ‘building’ the book on Kindle Direct Publishing and then waiting for it to go ‘live’. KDP states this could take up to 12 hours, but I’ve heard that it can be very quick, so any night-owls out there keeping an eye on Kindle may well see it before I do!

Tomorrow morning at 9am is the start of the Facebook online launch party, and I’m very happy that so many people are attending. Even if you just pop in and say ‘Hi’ (bring cake) it would be lovely to see you! Here is the link again:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1513629782236139/?ref_notif_type=event_mall_comment&source=1

I’m not sure if I’m just under the yoke of flu, but ‘excitement’ isn’t my top feeling at the moment. I’m nervous, but not terrified. I get like that when I’ve passed the point of no return (which was pretty much when I told the world the launch date). There’s a kind of inevitability about the whole thing: Quinn will do as well as he is going to do, and all I can do is my best as far as marketing him goes. Hopefully he will speak for himself and word-of-mouth will help!

I would like to send out a huge THANKYOU!!! to everyone I’ve received support from over the past two and a half years since I began this journey, especially in the last few months while I’ve been preparing to publish the book. It may sound like one of those things that everyone says, but I really could not have done it without the encouragement and advice that’s been freely given. I hope that in return I’ve given you a story you’ll really enjoy, and characters you’ll love as much as I do.

I’ll be quiet now, before I start sounding like I’m accepting an Oscar®.

See you tomorrow!

Official Announcement! Release of ‘The Soul Conductor’ set for December 12th 2014!

Yes, it’s finally time to let my debut novel loose on the big wide world! The Soul Conductor will be released on Kindle on Friday December 12th. That date will mark the end of two-and-a-half years of work, during which time I have eaten, slept and breathed my characters, and quite possibly driven a few of my friends around the twist in the process!

I have kept very quiet about what the novel is actually ‘about’ – that’s one of those questions I hate being asked, as it is very difficult to sum up a 124,000 word novel in a sentence or two…even writing the blurb was a challenge! But it is what some would call a ‘low fantasy’ novel, set in a fictional land based around the medieval era. So there are a few swords…

Talking of the blurb, here it is, so you can all get an idea of what has held my attention for all that time.

The Soul Conductor

 

They live among the people. Quiet, even shy, but with the ability to defend themselves with sword and dagger, and much more besides… Their purpose is to guide the souls of the dying away from their physical bodies and on to their final destiny, be that reward or punishment. Led by a powerful Archdeacon, in turn supported by the Keepers and their fearsome Guardians, these beings ensure no soul remains trapped in the realm of the living for eternity.

            Quinn is one such being. He is a Soul Conductor. And he’s one of the best.

            So, what happens when it suddenly goes disastrously wrong, leading Quinn into tragedy and changing his life forever?

            Facing attempts on his life and being dragged into the insane plans of a malevolent sheriff, Quinn must rely on the loyalty and strength of friends, new and old, if he is to discover what really happened to him and prevent innocent lives from being lost – along with their souls.

            A flawed – and reluctant – hero, Quinn wonders if he will get out of it alive…

On the day of its release, there will be a ‘Launch Party’ on Facebook, which will be a public event. Please do come along; it will be running all day so pop in and bring a drink (rum, tea, whatever) and some cake! I will post the link for it to this blog and on Twitter once the event has been created. I look forward to seeing you all there, and really hope you enjoy reading my book as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

An anxious weekend in store…

This is big for me. No, HUGE.

I started writing The Soul Conductor almost two and a half years ago, during one of my Open University writing courses. I will not even attempt to guess how many hours I have spent on what has now become a novel of 127,373 words. In all that time, I developed my characters, nurtured them, let them have their tantrums and sulks, even allowed them to send me to Coventry for several weeks at a time. I probably threw every expletive in the English language at them. Maybe even a few in Latin. But I still loved them, of course. I didn’t – couldn’t – give up on them.

Now, after a few major crises of confidence, around ten rejections of the first three chapters and a significant rewrite of the latter third of the novel, it’s done.

Finished.

I – me…little Clairbear – I wrote an actual novel. One I am happy enough with to self-publish.

It’s terrifying.

Today, emotions are mixed. TSC went off to be beta-read over the weekend, and I spent the morning trying my best not to think about it. As I said to the person who kindly offered to read it, it’s a bit like sending a beloved pet to the vet for a check-up. You know they will treat it well, but you hope that nothing nasty ends up needing to be done when you go to pick them up.

Happily (hence the stupid grin easily visible to anyone in Tescos this afternoon), I have received positive initial comments and plan to relax for the rest of the weekend and let TSC speak for itself. That’s all we can do when we start sending our ‘babies’ out into the big wide world.

I shall also savour this weekend as just the initial toe into that cold water…with a planned publishing date of December 2014, things are only going to get scarier!

But, you know what? It’s also the most exciting thing I have done with my life since the day I became a Special Constable. So I’m also going to savour every minute of the processes that will begin as soon as TSC comes back after the weekend. The publishing plan, the formatting, the marketing, the launch party, the cover art, the networking, writing the blurb, writing a bio, having an official author photo taken…ALL of it.

Because at the end of it all, my writing will be ‘out there’. People will be (hopefully!) enjoying it.

And that’s why I became a writer.

I am officially a published author!

I ought to have shouted from the rooftops about this on Thurday but I’ve been out and about for a few days. So here it is. I am now a published writer and the feeling is wonderful!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Caf%C3%A9-One-ebook/dp/B006584WHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320912171&sr=8-1

It’s doing very well so far in the ‘short stories’ sections, and hopefully will continue to do so while we all plan ahead to our second e-book, coming out in April 2012.

It’s also available via www.smashwords.com.

I’m not very good at blowing my own trumpet, but do have a look; it’s inexpensive, great for carrying around with you and grabbing a tale when you have a free few minutes, and with such a talented group of writers, there is something for everyone!

I’d like to thank everyone involved in making this ebook come to life, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with such talented people in the future.

Dreams really DO come true!