[Free photo 109891410 © creativecommonsstockphotos – Dreamstime.com]
As I’ve already mentioned in a previous post, I’m participating in the sale this year in phases.
[Free photo 5499431 © Heysues23 – Dreamstime.com]
As usual, I’ll be participating. But this year, I’m going to be doing things a little bit differently…
…And so does the Smashwords Authors Give Back Sale! I’ve agreed to allow Smashwords to continue selling a selection of my fantasy and crime fiction titles at a 30-100% discount until the new, extended end date of May 31st. You can check out all the details in my last post.
In the meantime, I seem to have settled into a routine in this ‘new normal’ we’re all living in. Our feline warrior princess, Xena, has quickly become used to having all her humans at home to hang out with, and is even more of a sucky girl than usual. I’ve caught up on the newest season of Midsomer Murders, and watched all of My Life is Murder (with Lucy Lawless!), as well as Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, and the Miss Fisher movie, using my free trial of Acorn TV. And of course, I’m continuing to work my way through my reading pile.
I hope you’re managing to keep yourself safe and well-occupied too! Here’s some new release news that might help…
Kira Brightwell needs a change of scenery.
A few weeks have passed since her latest case. (Assuming you can call it a case without being officially hired or paid…)
A nice, relaxing, solo trip to Toronto to visit her grandparents seems like a good idea—no nosy reporters, no criminals to take down with her MMA skills, and (most importantly) no self-appointed sidekick Trevor Wright.
But the moment Kira steps off the plane from California, she realizes nothing has gone according to plan.
A quirky, short crime novel for both new and regular readers of the Kira Brightwell series. This adventure takes place between Split Decision and Black and Blue.
Available in: Ebook, Paperback (select retailers)
Retailer Links Buy Direct from the Author
Tainted magic. Deception. Betrayal.
The elves thought they had outrun all three when they started over on Lasniniar. But the new continent brings new neighbors with unknown motives of their own—along with the hidden enemy that already lurks within.
This fast-paced, epic fantasy collection contains one novel and two short stories from the World of Lasniniar series: Kinslayer, Making Waves, and Adventure Takes a Holiday. Kinslayer is the second novel in the series. All adventures in this collection take place between Light Chasers and Soul Seeker.
Available in: Ebook, Paperback (select retailers)
Retailer Links Buy Direct from the Author
Kira Brightwell needs a change of scenery.
Kira Brightwell never expects much on her birthday.
But this year promises an even more low-key day than usual, with a sick boyfriend, one of her few friends working a double shift, and her family too busy to celebrate until the weekend.
Curling up with an ice cream cake to binge-watch some movies seems like the best way to salvage things. (And so what if she had to buy the cake herself?)
…Until an anonymous birthday card containing an immediate threat ends up crashing the party.
A quirky, crime short story for both new and regular readers of the Kira Brightwell series. This adventure takes place between Split Decision and Black and Blue.
Available in: Ebook (Paperback will be added by the release date, in addition to more retailer links and a direct purchase option.)
Retailer Links
There have never been gods in Lasniniar—until now.
But most of these so-called deities are more interested in power than peace. Meanwhile, the dark creatures that roam the land are multiplying in the growing chaos…
This fast-paced, epic fantasy collection contains one novel and two short stories from the World of Lasniniar series: Godmaker, By the Light of the Moon, and Lion’s Pride. Godmaker is the sixth novel in the series. All adventures in this collection take place between Wave Runners and Void Walker.
Available in: Ebook (Paperback will be added by the release date, in addition to more retailer links and a direct purchase option.)
Retailer Links
I’ve recently added all my existing titles to my Payhip store, which means you now have the option to buy ebooks directly from me. Each purchase includes both the ePub and Kindle version of the book to give you a choice of platform options. All payments are securely processed by Paypal.
As I mentioned in my last post, I will continue to price-match the Smashwords Authors Give Back Sale discounts for my titles on my Payhip store–however long it ends up getting extended.
Your information will remain private, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
So this is a crazy time we’re living in…
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been cooped up in isolation and/or social distancing for about a week now (or maybe even more…), stewing in a steady churn of uncertainty, and eager to find some means of getting away from it all.
Indie authors from all over the world have partnered with Smashwords to put together an ebook sale for readers during this troubled time, where many of us are confined to our own homes.
The sale is on now, and will run until April 20th, with discounts ranging from 30% off to free.
I’ve added the first few titles of both my Lasniniar and Kira Brightwell series to the sale, so if you’ve been thinking about checking any of them out, this is a good time. Here are the titles that are included:
Striking Distance (Short Story): FREE
Split Decision (Novel, Book 1): 60% off
Black and Blue (Novel, Book 2): 30% off
Low Blow (Novel, Book 3): 30% off
Legends of Lasniniar: Possession (Short Story): FREE
Light Chasers (Novel, Book 1): 60% off
Kinslayer (Novel, Book 2): 30% off
Soul Seeker (Novel, Book 3): 30% off
Click the link for each title above to find it on Smashwords. The coupon code for each discount is automatically added to your basket.
Check out ALL titles included in the sale here.
Please Note:
I only have the ePub versions of my titles available on Smashwords, which work on pretty much anything except for Kindle.
If you’re a Kindle user, I’ve created a direct platform via Payhip where you can buy the Kindle version at the same discounted price, and check out using credit card or Paypal.
(And just in case you’re an ePub user and don’t want to bother with a Smashwords account, I’ve added the ePub files to this direct sales platform as well.)
Here are the links and coupon codes for direct purchase:
The Kira Brightwell Series (Crime Fiction)
Striking Distance (Short Story): FREE –> AG100DIRECT
Split Decision (Novel, Book 1): 60% off –> AG60DIRECT
Black and Blue (Novel, Book 2): 30% off –> AG30DIRECT
Low Blow (Novel, Book 3): 30% off –> AG30DIRECT
The World of Lasniniar Series (Epic Fantasy)
Legends of Lasniniar: Possession (Short Story): FREE –> AG100DIRECT
Light Chasers (Novel, Book 1): 60% off –> AG60DIRECT
Kinslayer (Novel, Book 2): 30% off –> AG30DIRECT
Soul Seeker (Novel, Book 3): 30% off –> AG30DIRECT
Remember to take care of yourself, and each other.
And now for some new release news…
Paige trusts Claire—for the most part, at least.
Claire has proven herself a valuable ally several times over, and has saved the young dwarf woman’s life besides. Now they work together, ridding the human city of Belierumar of its lingering demon scourge.
But Paige can’t help but wonder…
How far is Claire willing to go to betray her own kind?
A fast-paced, fantasy adventure for both new and regular readers of the World of Lasniniar series. This short story takes place after Harbingers.
Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer.
Rob has been Kira’s best friend for years, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been keeping secrets from her.
Now one of those secrets threatens to come out as he’s forced to take the lead on an unexpected case. (Which is a real pain in the ass, since holding down the fort and grumbling complaints from behind his laptop screen is really more his style.)
His best hope is that Kira will play along without asking too many questions.
…So, yeah. He’s definitely screwed.
A quirky, crime short story for both new and regular readers of the Kira Brightwell series. This adventure takes place between Split Decision and Black and Blue.
Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer.
Tainted magic. Deception. Betrayal.
The elves thought they had outrun all three when they started over on Lasniniar. But the new continent brings new neighbors with unknown motives of their own—along with the hidden enemy that already lurks within.
This fast-paced, epic fantasy collection contains one novel and two short stories from the World of Lasniniar series by Writers’ Journal winning author, Jacquelyn Smith: Kinslayer, Making Waves, and Adventure Takes a Holiday. Kinslayer is the second novel in the series. All adventures in this collection take place between Light Chasers and Soul Seeker.
Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer. (More retailers will be added after the release date.)
Kira Brightwell needs a change of scenery.
A few weeks have passed since her latest case. (Assuming you can call it a case without being officially hired or paid…)
A nice, relaxing, solo trip to Toronto to visit her grandparents seems like a good idea—no nosy reporters, no criminals to take down with her MMA skills, and (most importantly) no self-appointed sidekick Trevor Wright.
But the moment Kira steps off the plane from California, she realizes nothing has gone according to plan.
A quirky, short crime novel for both new and regular readers of the Kira Brightwell series by Writers’ Journal winning author, Jacquelyn Smith. This adventure takes place between Split Decision and Black and Blue.
Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer. (More retailers will be added after the release date.)
Your information will remain private, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
OK, maybe not really… But sweet click-bait title, right?
There is a story behind this, of course. It goes a little something like this:
Me: (Hands Mark the manuscript for Quicksilver.) Here’s the new Lasniniar story that’s coming out in December. Iarion and Barlo are in it. It’s about when they first meet Felara.
Mark: So it’s a Christmas story.
Me: Well… Not exactly. I mean, it takes place around Solstice, but it’s not a Solstice adventure, per se.
Mark: You mean like Die Hard.
Me: Um… yes? (Full confession: I’ve never actually seen Die Hard.)
So yeah. Quicksilver is an Iarion and Barlo, Solstice-adjacent adventure featuring Felara that might possibly be like Die Hard. (But probably isn’t. I forgot to ask Mark for a follow-up comparison after he finished reading it.) Decide for yourself! 😛
Barlo isn’t a fan of Iarion’s new friend.
The strange, unnamed woman arrives from out of nowhere, and seems to know far too much about the legendary elf for Barlo’s taste.
Iarion is more intrigued than concerned. After all, Barlo’s suspicious, dwarven nature has been proved wrong before, and the woman seems friendly enough. But Barlo can’t help but wonder…
Who is she? What does she want?
…And why is she so interested in Iarion?
A fast-paced, fantasy adventure for both new and regular readers of the World of Lasniniar series by Writers’ Journal winning author, Jacquelyn Smith. This short story takes place between Wave Runners and Godmaker. Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer.
Felara is looking for followers.
…Worshipers, to be precise. She does want to become a goddess, after all.
And why shouldn’t she? All her other Unborn cousins and siblings are doing it. Besides, Felara has big plans, assuming her glimpses of the future are accurate.
All she needs is the right group of humans—and the right circumstances—to start a new religion.
A fast-paced, fantasy adventure for both new and regular readers of the World of Lasniniar series by Writers’ Journal winning author, Jacquelyn Smith. This short story takes place between Wave Runners and Godmaker. Click the link above to find this title at your preferred retailer.
I’m going to be taking part in the Smashwords annual holiday sale, so if you’re missing any of these titles from your collection, this is your chance to get the ePub versions and save 50% with coupon code SEY50: Continue reading →
Even sharkosauruses (sharkosauri?) like to dress up for Halloween…
Just a quick update to let you know about a little promotion I’m running for the month of October…
Several of my ebooks are available for 50% off on Smashwords until October 31st. These are all darker adventures (with the exception of Under Wraps, which is just a pure fun Halloween crime story).
Smashwords is a distributor and retailer of indie ebooks. Their retail platform is available internationally, with payments completed by Paypal. They also make it possible for authors/publishers to create coupons for their books, which is awesome.
At the moment, I only have the ePub version of my books available on Smashwords. (Check out this post to find out more about why.) ePub is the most widely-used ebook format, and works for Apple, Kobo, and Nook devices, as well as their associated apps.
This is a public coupon, so it will also show up on each product page for the titles listed below. (Heads up! This site uses affiliate links.) Continue reading →
The final Vellum-created product for Legends of Lasniniar: By the Light of the Moon ePub
So this is just more of an informational post for anyone who might be checking out my books on Smashwords and wondering why I only have ePub versions available now…
First of all, this is nothing against Smashwords. (Or Kindle owners, for that matter, since I am one.) I think it’s cool that Smashwords has their own storefront for writers, with the ability to generate coupons, as well as to take part in site-wide promotions, like the Smashwords Summer Sale. All good stuff. And I’m all about having my books available as widely as possible. Readers can purchase a variety of ebook formats on Smashwords (ePub, Kindle, PDF, etc.), assuming the author/publisher has made this possible.
So why limit myself to ePub format? Continue reading →
So there was this item for GISH (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt) this year. It was something along the lines of, ‘A housecat happily sporting a mustache.’ Unless specified, these items are meant to be actual photos, no Photoshop or filters allowed. Well, when I saw this item, I thought, ‘No problem.’ I mean, I already have a cat, and a fake, stick-on mustache. (Who doesn’t?)
First, I showed the fake mustache to Xena to see how she would react to it. There was lots of sniffing involved. I trimmed it down to the right size for her and (briefly) tried sticking it below her nose.
Yeah. She wasn’t a fan of that. At all. (“You want to put something right under the place where I breathe? Hard pass.”)
So then I thought, ‘What if I put the mustache on a stick and hold it a short distance in front of her nose while I take the picture?’ I went off and made a mustache on a stick deal, believing my problem was solved.
…Turns out when you put something furry on a stick and show it to your cat, they immediately become convinced it must be a toy. Now Xena wasn’t recoiling from the mustache, she was attacking it and trying to eat it. *sigh*
Long story short, what I thought would only take a few minutes involved another round of pleading, cajoling, and distracting with catnip before I finally got the money shot. (And yes, I was laughing pretty much the whole time.)
(MUSTACHE SIDE-NOTE: My dad has always had a mustache or mustache/beard combo. Always. When I was about 2 years old, he decided to shave it off for some reason. I spent pretty much the entire day balling my eyes out and begging him to put it back on, lol. Scarred for life.) Continue reading →