Of Shiney Covers, New Publications and Blacksmithing

I’m writing this in between fliming blacksmithing projects. That’s the part time job my husband has started to do — making historically inspired brooches and torcs, sometimes axes and knives. At this moment he has two rectangular pieces that have an indeterminate form, so I don’t know what they are other than that they’re fairly big. I fell into filming tiny films for him because I have a newly-created habit of making pretty photos and I thought I’d give videographing a go.

So, what else is up?

Flipside has been published in “Brave Boy World” anthology by Pink Narcissus Press. The editor, Michael Takeda, is a fabulous person to work with and he’s put together a spellbinding collection of shorts. I’m humbled to be part of that group.

Covers for The Swift Codex are being refined and re-uploaded as progress towards printed version. Black Locust Letters ended up with one, too.

I’m branching out, too, into traditional publishing. One novel is making the rounds, another is finished pending revisions, a third is drafted. That’s what has kept me so silent, trying to complete these projects.

Personally, as far as life goes, we are bracing for post-UK life since our student visas are up next year and we’re not too confident that we can find jobs to meet Tier 2 immigration requirements. If we can, that’s fantastic. If we can’t, we’re looking into other opportunities. It’s easy to look back on life, but it’s impossible to look into the future. We’re hopeful no matter what happens, because there’s no point in being anything else.

We’re set to go to the Netherlands later this month, so I’m looking forward to kicking around on the continent to see what’s up. I’ll have to upload a few of the photos I take!

Well, that’s all I’ve got time for. Got to pop out to the forge to see what’s cooking there.

 

TTYL,

Your dearest Nicolette

 

 

Short Story Successes!

So back in October, I submitted a short story, “Flipside,” to a small literary magazine. They’re seeking out upcoming authors by publishing stores 5,000 words or less. It’s now sent out to magazine subscribers, but since The Fabler Magazine is brand-new it doesn’t have an online presence yet. Anyway, December 2016 is the issue for it, and it’s illustrated. If you’d like to see about getting a copy, email Martin Williams at thefabler (at) hotmail com . Or, hey authors–> if you’re looking to submit to a literary magazine that takes pretty much everything except erotica, email Martin. Keep it reasonable and keep it clean, without a lot of swearing and no explicit s-e-x.

I got permission to send “Flipside” to another magazine, Pink Narcissus Press, for reprint, so I did. One day after the deadline for their anthology, Pink Narc said they’d love to have it in their Brave Boy World anthology! So the Pink Narc anthology is coming out “early 2017.” http://www.pinknarc.com/

I’m so excited that the editor-in-chief thought my story was a fun read. Anyway, “Flipside” is a sci-fi noir about Dorianne Freelancer who picks up a passenger at a space station who is clearly hiding from someone, but who? And why? And what about that no-good dirty-rotten bio-hacking space pirate she can’t get over?

I’m running these under my real name. I guess I’ve reached the point where I’m comfortable with that now? The line between pen name and real identity have been blurred a lot over the years, in any case, but it is very nice to corral all the social media writerly-stuff under my pen name account. There was a time it was mainstream to have a different pen name for each genre, but I think that the lines are blurring now, and I’m far more confident than I was five years ago.

 

I just wanted to do a quick shout-out.

Best of love this season.

I’ll TTYL,

 

Your Dearest Nicolette

 

Wind Magic is out in all platforms

I braved the world and went in search of the links today. It was a little bit of  a surprise to find my B&N Feral Magic link not working–and that the reviews on it had gone! There were at least a couple when I last noticed, but the only thing I can think is that when I updated the cover and refreshed some backmatter, that gave a new ISBN number and therefore wiped clean the reviews. I’m a little annoyed, as this doesn’t happen with Amazon or other sites.

But, in better news–everything seems to be plugging along fine for Book 4. 🙂 Here I’ve hunted down the links.

I’ll TTYL

Nicolette

When bogey-buster Feraline Swift fell into a client’s trap, she uncovered a terrible secret, died, and was brought back with magic that wouldn’t do as it was told. Now defending herself and her reputation from Commandant Cole’s inquisition, she must prove that she’s sane—and that black magic exists in the highest places.

The rescue of a man from Commandant Cole’s dungeon tosses Fera into the middle of Death’s business, like it or not. Driven by insatiable curiousity, Fera decides to help him by finding an ancient rite which has long been intentionally forgotten. If she doesn’t, those who die will be doomed to wander the living real forever.

Fera’s only hope to help lies in piecing together Unwritten magic, however she finds herself exiled from the sorcerer’s community. She turns to the dragon-shifting Kragdomen Colony, but her fiance’s elder brother has come to take his place.If she fails to calm Kragdomen’s turmoil, and uncover the Unwritten rite, she’ll have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from Commandant Cole’s power.

 

Barnes and Noble    Amazon   Smashwords    Kobo    iTunes  NoiseTrade

I’m Featured on NoiseTrade!

It’s so exciting! See the newsletter here: http://noisetrade.fanbridge.com/campaigns/show.php?id=1374143

Well, to be exact, my book Feral Magic is on NoiseTrade.

Have you ever visited their site? If you want to check out a new author or find some new music, swing by and give them a shot. If you’re an author and you aren’t sure what to think about giving books away for tips, know that their fans are amazing.

Meanwhile, seeing this on their home page is really, really awesome.

 

It’s just a quick post today. I’m over at Twitter, catching people as they come. Say hello to @NicoletteJinks if you’re around.

I’d best keep plugging away at my wordcount.

Till later,

Your Dearest

Nicolette

Work, work, working on Swift Codex 4

Summer has hit, and my tomatoes are loving it. I, however, am wilting like spinach ten minutes into a steamer.

For those of you wondering, here is my UK garden. Several tomato plants in pots, a big thing of rhubarb, a sad thing of newly-planted feverfews, a rosemary with a happy happy fuschia. I love those flowers! 

At present, I have Book 4 of the Swift Codex all drafted at about 50,000 words. It’s a newish way of working on projects for me. My drafts consist of a bare minimum of description, a full roll of dialogue, and an indicator of basic emotions and so forth. If you could imagine reading the most vivid playscript ever, that’s what my drafts look like. This books has been a bear to reach this point, and I’ve seen the error of filling out scenes too early in the drafting stage.

This is something I started to do when I was working out my Blissed episodes. I found that if I tried to fill things out too soon, I was always having to go back and change things later. Another oddity is that the acting morphs over time. What will be an angry emotion upon first draft will read as sad or even defeated after a couple of weeks have gone by. Strangely, it is the second emotion which feels right in the end. I’ve given up trying to make sense of it, other than to call it “aging”. Like wart into beer. Of course the beer is better.

Today, I’m sitting at my computer with a rather long administrative to-do list in front of me. As this is the first time in a week that my computer room isn’t roasting (thank goodness it faces east not west), I’m cracking down on my list. It happens that blogging is high up on that list. 🙂

You’ll notice that I haven’t called Swift Codex Book 4 by name. I haven’t settled on a name for it yet. At first I was thinking Fire Magic, then I thought Wind Magic. This wreaks havoc on my file names, by the way. I’m sure you’re terribly surprised about that. I think I’ll stick with Wind Magic, though, it seems to be a better sum-up of the book itself.

I probably ought to do some thumbnails for Book 4’s cover soon. There. I added it to my administrative to-do list.

Looking forward to sharing with you guys the next batch of exciting news. I’ll be sure to record the cover art progress this time. 🙂

Till later,

 

Nicolette

 

Blissed Season 1 Illustrated Compilation

In a chaotic blur of anniversary, day trips, and drawings, a compilation has emerged! Instead of just putting all 10 episodes together into one book, I also included various illustrations. Think of it as bonus material and a thank-you for downloading. 🙂

Here are a few:

EPSON MFP image

EPSON MFP image

 

 

I work in pen and ink, using Japanese calligraphy ink to do washes. The ring was drawn from an Antiquities book and dates back to AD550, it’s real and it has magic runes etched inside the band. The swirly mohawk-dude is my bottle imp who runs a sweets shoppe. And last is meant to be a juxtaposition of a half-remembered scene coinciding with reality. 

When Brandy Silver stumbles into a Bliss den, she becomes entangled in magic, love, and a criminal investigation that delves into her own and others’ past-lives. Part romance, fantasy, horror, and mystery, Blissed is full of twists and surprises.

This illustrated compilation consists of all ten of the episodes from Blissed Season 1. Drawings are pen and ink done by the author, sometimes with felt pens, sometimes with calligraphy nibs, others with ink washes. Included is a list of spells and how Brandy sees them, but the author’s personal favorite is the bottle imp whose Mohawk is based on a feather.

Blissed all starts with Knock:

When Brandy Silver picks up her friend from a party, she doesn’t expect to be forcibly drugged—or pursued by a demonic wraith. Now she’s witness to a Bliss den that the police pointedly ignore and, worse, the drug can be deadly. Where can she go, and who will believe her before her time runs out?

In this compilation:
Episode 1 Knock
Episode 2 Bliss Den
Episode 3 Lady Luck
Episode 4 Bone Mine
Episode 5 Blood Oath
Episode 6 Slave Trade
Episode 7 Silent Sentinels
Episode 8 Cold Forged Iron
Episode 9 Hex-Breaker
Episode 10 Wild Hunt

 

It is all up for grabs on Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, and iBooks…and probably more than just that, but that is what I have the links for at this time.

I’ll TTYL, more exciting things happening soon.

 

Nicolette

Emerging from the piles of edits and new cover art

Hello Everybody!

First up, Blissed Season 1 is finished! Wheee! I just released Episode 10 Wild Hunt and it has been approved for distribution, so you can look for it in places other than Smashwords. At present I am gathering my rough sketches and compiling them together for an illustrated (read: paid) version of Blissed Season 1 which will include Episodes 1 – 10.

Secondly, I’m revising The Swift Codex. It started off innocently enough as another check for typo’s, and to see what I could do to strengthen Feral Magic. I have a new set of covers, and I can’t stand to release the prettiness without a solid brush-up. Trouble is, I also decided to brush-up Books 2 and 3. So, you know.

Thirdly, here are the more or less final versions of the new covers. Lost Magic is still being revised just a bit.

Fourthly (yes there is a fourthly), my new writer’s group Conch-Us has finally gotten itself settled into a routine. I’ve been devoting time to setting up a blog for it, and for all the things related to establishing a new group. Go check it out if you’d like.

Fifth, I’ve been out and about to some English Heritage places! That will take a post all to itself.

This is a short post because I want to get back to doing my usual trudge. I’ve amassed a lot of handwritten pages, since I’ve been out enjoying the sun on the days it has been shining.

TTYL,

Your Dearest Nicolette

 

I went to Wharram Percy Abandoned Medieval Village!

So the husband and I went on a short road trip. And got a little lost along the way, because we didn’t truly know where we were going and the road signs had been blown off-course by the wind.  We found ourselves in the village eventually, as Google maps wanted to take us down a very muddy road that there was no way would work with the little old Fiesta.

I doubt the infographic signs are readable, but here’s a link to the Heritage centre’s page about the village. This is the short blurb of what they say about it.

Wharram Percy is one of the largest and best preserved of Britain’s 3,000 or so known deserted medieval villages. It is also undoubtedly the most famous. For over 60 years, archaeologists have pioneered new techniques here to understand what life was like in the village and why it was eventually deserted.

Perched on the side of a remote and beautiful valley in the Yorkshire Wolds, the village was continuously occupied fr six centuries before it was abandoned soon after 1500. Today you can trace the outlines of many lost houses on a grassy plateau above the substantial remains of the church and the millpond.

from http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wharram-percy-deserted-medieval-village/ )

I will say this: it was a muddy trek. If you’re up for visiting it yourself, have good mud-slogging footwear.

And that’s all for today.

I’m planning on sharing more of my adventures this year. Let me know if you’re enjoying them vicariously!

TTYL,

Nicolette

Out Goes the First Newsletter of 2016!

Those of you who are signed up are getting the -letter part of the newsletter. 😀 You’re awesome. If you’d still like to sign up, just…Sign up now.

For everyone else, here’s the news.

Swift Codex Book 3 Lost Magic

In the Swift Codex, Book 3 Lost Magic is now available, and I’ve tracked down as many of the links as possible for you guys. Read an Excerpt here…

Available here:

Amazon Barnes & Noble  Smashwords iTunes  Kobo

Blissed Series: Episode 8 Cold Forged Iron

In the Blissed Series, Episode 8 Cold Forged Iron has recently been approved for Expanded Distribution, so here is where I’ve found it so far. Don’t worry if it hasn’t shown up somewhere just yet, it takes a couple weeks sometimes. Just nab the entire short story series for free. That’s what it’s there for.

Available here:

Barnes & Noble  Smashwords iTunes  Kobo

New Cover for Black Locust Letters

In other news, I’ve also updated the cover for Black Locust Letters, because my illustrating skills have increased to the point where I’m embarrassed about the old cover.

Scribd    Barnes & Noble   Smashwords   Amazon  Kobo  iTunes

Punk Rock Chicken

Lastly, I leave you now with a photo of my neighbor’s punk rock chicken because I’ve started a 52 Week Photography Challenge and this was my Week 3: Artistic Expression “Red” entry. The neighbors have a hobby going on selling exotic-breed chicken eggs, but it’s really an excuse to have chickens in their back garden. They love their chickens the way other people love dogs. I’ve never seen a more expensive chicken run and coop, I swear. This rooster is sporting a spikey hairdo because he enjoys being out in the rain.

This week’s challenge is Landscape, Black and White. I ought to get that one done soon.
Here’s the Facebook Challenge, still taking in new people if you’re interested.

That’s about all.

…and, oh, it’s snowing now. Not sticking to the ground, though. Perfect weather to have a pint in the pub. Looking forward to seeing more of you fine folk here in 2016!

Nicolette