Dreamspinner Press is having a sale on all in stock paperbacks. You can get The Door Behind Us and Music Box for half price!
Tag Archives: novel
Book Giveaways
I’m going to be sharing excerpts, answering questions, and talking about my new novel MUSIC BOX, as well as THE DOOR BEHIND US and my short story VALENTINE SHOWER on the Dreamspinner Press Facebook page, Saturday at 1:00 ET.
As an incentive to join me, there will be a couple of book giveaways for people who can answer questions about one of my stories. Come join me!
Posted in Publishing
Tagged Dreamspinner Press, e-book, Facebook, giveaway, Music Box, novel, The Door Behind Us, Valentine Shower
MUSIC BOX Novel and VALENTINE SHOWER Short Story Available for Pre-Order
The rollout continues! I’ve got two projects coming out in the next few weeks. My novel Music Box will be out on January 20, 2014, and is available for pre-order now in e-book or paperback. Here’s the blurb:
When bullies chase Jonah Winfield to the front step of Avakian Music, owner Davoud Avakian intervenes and offers Jonah sanctuary among the lush chords of the Music Box’s Steinway Grand. Jonah’s sexuality isn’t a problem for Avakian, but it’s an issue the kids at school won’t allow Jonah to forget—whether he’s ready to deal with it or not. When the bullying escalates to violence, Jonah’s favorite music teacher, Mr. Gaston, wants to take the bullies to the principal.
Speaking up for his favorite student may bring Paul Gaston’s own sexuality up for debate, and with budget cuts looming, he’s already on shaky ground. Forcing Jonah to do anything will only make matters worse. Getting Jonah’s cooperation requires earning his trust and helping to preserve the sanctuary of the Music Box. But the generations old music store handed down to Davoud is on the verge of bankruptcy. If Paul and Davoud can’t figure out how to turn the business around, everyone will feel the loss.
If you want more, my short story Valentine Shower (originally titled Blue Valentine) will be out on February 12, 2014. It’s also available for pre-order now. Valentine Shower is part of a new e-book anthology from Dreamspinner Press called A Valentine Rainbow. Here’s the blurb for my story:
For Reuben, numbers are everything people are not: rational, predictable, and soothing. Outside of this family, his boss, Terry, is the one person he feels connected with. In the years they’ve worked together, listening to Terry’s jokes and stories over coffee has become a reliable part of his routine. But he’s missed having family nearby since his parents retired to Florida, and figures he’ll need a woman to correct the problem. He’s hurt and confused when Terry not only refuses to help, but announces he won’t be coming around much anymore. It’s up to Reuben’s no-nonsense sister Yaffa and his therapist, Dr. Greenberg, to help him understand Terry’s feelings—and his own.
I hope you enjoy them both!
Santa Arrives a Day Late: MUSIC BOX Available for Pre-order
Today was a great day. This morning, I walked to a nearby coffee shop and watched the passing crowd while editing one scene in my current novel, writing another, and making notes on four more.
This afternoon, my brother and I went to see Gamble House, an enchanting example of the American Arts and Crafts style designed by architects Charles and Henry Greene.
Gamble House, Pasadena, CA
While I was sitting on a bench taking in the exterior of the house, the news came through that my novel MUSIC BOX has hit the Coming Soon page on the Dreamspinner Press website. It’s available for pre-order now, in e-book or paperback form, and will be in stock on January 20.
I couldn’t ask for a better Christmas present.
Posted in Publishing, Writing
Tagged e-book, Gamble House, Greene and Greene, Music Box, novel, paperback
THE DOOR BEHIND US Available for Pre-Order at Dreamspinner Press
Available now from Dreamspinner Press
It’s 1919, and Frank Huddleston has survived the battlefields of the Great War. A serious head injury has left him with amnesia so profound he must re-learn his name every morning from a note posted on the privy door.
Gerald “Jersey” Rohn, joined the Army because he wanted to feel like a man, but he returned from the trenches minus a leg and with no goal for his life. He’s plagued by the nightmare of his best friend’s death and has nervous fits, but refuses to associate those things with battle fatigue. He can’t work his father’s farm, so he takes a job supervising Frank, who is working his grandparents’ farm despite his head injury.
When Frank recovers enough to ask about his past, he discovers his grandparents know almost nothing about him, and they’re lying about what they do know. The men set out to discover Frank’s past and get Jersey a prosthesis. They soon begin to care for each other, but they’ll need to trust their hearts and put their pasts to rest if they are to turn attraction into a loving future.
Available now for pre-order in e-book or paperback from Dreamspinner Press. Release date: October 14, 2013.
Fly Up into the Night Air
It’s a big week for me. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the completion of various approval processes so I could make my big announcement. Barnes & Noble came through last night, so here it is: the e-book release of my first novel, Fly Up into the Night Air, is now available for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Apple and other distributors are on the way. (I’ll post links when they’re available.) The novel falls roughly into the fantasy genre, although it contains elements of romance and even courtroom drama as well. All together, it’s pretty lighthearted. I certainly had fun writing it. It’s the first in a series I’m calling Canny Tales. There’s a full description on my Publications page.
My decision to go the indie route and publish the work myself, in e-book form, comes out of my concerns about legacy publishers and the way they are currently marketing e-books. To my mind, rapidly growing e-books sales, the popularity of e-readers such as the Kindle and Nook, sales of smartphones and tablet computers (which make great reading devices), all provide a clear indication of the what the future holds. E-books are going to become the primary format for popular fiction. Moreover, it’s going to happen faster than most people think. Marketing folks with access to sales figures from Barnes & Noble are predicting that the book store will sell more e-books than paper books in 2013. That’s only a year and a quarter away. Yet most of the big six publishers are still treating e-books like a pesky inconvenience they’d like to make go away. Their pricing models encourage print sales at the expense of e-book sales. I’ll admit, I also find the prospect of keeping around 70 percent of the purchase price much more appealing than keeping about 17 percent, assuming I could find an agent and publisher willing to work with me (as calculated by Barry Eiser and Joe Konrath). Which brings me to my last point: I work. Full time. In addition, I try to write every night. I find the prospect of writing query letters, synopses, and marketing blurbs for agents and editors a whole lot less fun than writing novels. If I’m going to have to market my books, I’d rather use social media such as this blog to communicate directly with my readers. Time–and my sales figures–will tell whether I have chosen appropriately where to spend my time.
Here’s hoping you’ll enjoy reading Fly Up into the Night Air as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Book II 