Cover Reveal! Princelings Revolution, by Jemima Pett

The long-running Princelings of the East series has reached the final book... and it's coming soon! Before we can tell you about the book, you have to see the stunning cover, by artist Danielle English (kanizo.co.uk).

Today is the Cover Reveal for the final book in the Princelings of the East series: Princelings Revolution.
Princelings Publications is also kicking off the Launch & Anniversary Giveaway, which will run until midnight on October 23rd, to cover Jemima's tenth blogoversary on 21st October! There may be additional options for entries added between now and then, so check whenever you see it.

Jemima Pett has come by to tell us about the Princelings series covers.

NL: Cover art is a challenge for author-publishers. How did you managed to get such fantastic art for yours?

JP: When I decided to publish the first three books, I needed a cover illustrator. Looking at the lists of people offering their services, I gulped. Then my niece mentioned her daughter was in her final year of art school, doing Design and Illustration. Danielle English said 'yes' when I asked her to do the first three. It was a way to get her name on something other than her college portfolio.

Little did we know it would lead to a run of ten books, and the start of her freelance illustrator career. See her Facebook page or Twitter feed for a better idea of what she's doing now - or buy cards, gifts and prints at her Etsy shop!

NL: In the interests of full transparency, we should note that Danielle has also done all of our covers. Thanks for sharing :)

So, are you going to show us the new cover?

JP: I thought you'd never ask! Here it is.

NL: (Drum roll, please!)

That is gorgeous, Jemima! Now, tell us about the book.JP: First, I have to tell everyone that Book 10 of the Princelings of the East series – Princelings Revolution – the final book in the series, is on schedule for publication 1st October 2020.

Now here's the blurb:
The planes are crashing, George appears to be blowing things up, the people are angry at the changes and shortages. King Fred puts democracy to the test and finds it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.  There’s an organised anti-monarchy group called the Causists, and they are spreading false information which the people seem to believe. Things are bad—but they are going to get worse…

Will Fred even keep his head, let alone the promise made to Lord Mariusz at the start of the whole adventure?

NL: Thanks for that teaser, and for sharing the fantastic cover art. Now we can have the banner with the whole series!

 
The Princelings Revolution ebook is now available for pre-order a very special price at iTunes, B&N, and Kobo. This special launch price is only for a few weeks. It’s also on pre-order at Amazon.

The Launch Giveaway
This giveaway is only valid in countries and states where such games are legal. Entries close 11.59 pm on 23rd October 2020.

Entry options may increase during the giveaway period - check back or when you see it on another post (including launch and guest posts on other blogs).

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 Watch for reviews, interviews and more during the launch tour!

 

IWSG and Cover Reveal!

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and that means IWSG post! But before I get to that, I have a real treat: not one, but TWO cover reveals! One is mine, one for fellow blogger and IWSG member, Jemima Pett.

The 9th book of Jemima's Princelings of the East series is coming Nov. 14, and as usual, Danielle English has made a gorgeous cover:

The book is currently on schedule for release on November 14th. Pre-order at  iTunes , Kobo, and B&N right now.

The Princelings of the East are now King Fred and Prince Engineer George. Gone are the years of innocence when they travelled for adventure and uncovered time tunnels and pirate plots. Now Fred, assisted by his queen, Kira, has the responsibility for his people, his lands, and for persuading the lords and kings of the Realms to act together for the common good. George just has to work on his inventions, always thinking of a final goal: to fulfil the promises made to Lord Mariusz so long ago.
Neither has an easy task.

Fred decides to write a history of his reign, starting with the joy of his inheritance, and documenting how technological progress is not necessarily the key to communal good.

Chronicles of Marsh is book 9 of the Princelings of the East series, and fills a gap between previous books and the final one, Princelings Revolution. It takes us from Fred’s first days as king, to the loss of the latest and most promising flying machine, a period of 8 years. The pressures of modern life will be familiar to readers, even if the princelings world doesn’t have the internet or mobile communications… yet.

Lovers of the series will enjoy these adventures, but newcomers may find it easier to start with book 1, book 5, even at book 7. It’s a fantasy sociological and technological adventure in a world not quite like ours, suitable for age 10 and upwards.

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And the second cover reveal? My own! Death By Library, Book 4 in the Pismawallops PTA series, is scheduled for release Dec. 6. My cover is also by the talented Danielle English, and I couldn't be more excited about how it turned out!

E-books available for pre-order at Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes (Apple Books, and I can't figure out how to find a link), and B&N right now. And now on Amazon, too!

JJ McGregor and the Pismawallops PTA are back in action! JJ has a new job at the library, which allows her to pay her bills. That ought to make her happy, but with all those books to shelve, the PTA to run, and a 16-year-old son to raise, there’s never enough time to spend with her sweetheart, police chief Ron Karlson. That’s especially true with Thanksgiving on the horizon and her mother coming to visit, not to mention the PTA’s Holiday Bazaar looming ahead.

The PTA has to swing into action in a hurry when a grumpy member of the school board threatens plans to build a badly-needed swimming pool on the island. His objections turn out to be nothing compared to the claims of a stranger who says the land the pool would be built on is actually hers. The board meeting dissolves into chaos, and JJ leaps into action in an effort to get to the bottom of the incipient land war.

Before JJ can find what she needs in the reference section, things turn deadly in the library stacks. Now JJ needs some answers fast, before she loses her job—or her life. She’s determined to find out everything about the victim, and for once the library doesn’t hold all the answers. JJ and Kitty may have to face the ultimate peril: a visit to Mrs. Halsey, the oldest—and crankiest—person on the island, where they may learn more than they bargained for.

Whew! Now for the IWSG post.

 

The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Posts go up the 1st Wednesday of every month. Check it out here and join if you need support with your writing. Don't forget to stop by and say hello to the co-hosts: Gwen Gardner, Doreen McGettigan, Tyrean Martinson, Chemist Ken, and Cathrina Constantiner!

This month's question is: ​If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story, where would it be and why? Remember, the question is optional!

I've been having a pretty good month as a writer. The final word-smithing on Death By Library  has been going well, and I feel like sometimes I'm even reaching a new level of quality prose :)  A release date has been set, and I've booked a blog tour. I've also kind of come to peace with not blogging as regularly as I've done for the last 5 or 6 years. I just don't have the time, and I'm not as interested in writing reviews, which was starting to feel like both a rut and a chore.

I even got the nicest note from a reader last week (she knows my Mom, but she didn't have to say anything, so I'll take it as sincere), saying that she read Death By Ice Cream in 2 days, putting it down only for the essentials of life! Now, that's praise worth having.

With one book almost done, my mind has turned (without waiting for permission) to the next book, with ideas for the story bubbling up and me scribbling notes as fast as I can. I shouldn't really start the next book in the series so soon--I have too many other projects clamoring to be started/finished. But it's the book that's yelling loudest, so it'll probably happen.

Now for the question: I am rather appreciating being able to sit at my own lovely big desk-top computer and write at home, after doing it in make-shift places all over the world for the last year. Fantastic settings don't make me want to write--they make me want to hike. So I'll say either home, or a nice coffee shop (there's a decent one around the corner from us--that'll do). 

How about you? Write at home, or head to an exotic locale to tickle your brain waves?

 
  

 

IWSG: Updates and Writing Genre Fiction

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to the IWSG page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! If it links to Google+, be sure your blog is listed there. Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG

This month's question: What do you love about the genre you write in most?

Before I get to the question of the month, time for a bit of an update. It's been exciting this last month as the IWSG anthology, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime moves forward and we work on publicity. We have a lovely cover: 

And a blog--check it for an IWSG post today: https://ticktockmysteries.blogspot.co.uk/
We have some  nice banners to tweet (if you want to tweet, we are using #ticktockmystery):

That one just happens to feature the teaser for my story :)

Okay, enough adverts (though really I am also just being very excited about this, because hey, it's exciting!). On the writing front, I have finished yet another round of edits/revisions of Death By Adverb, and have some hope that I will make my release day, March 19. The cover is ready, so I'm going to share it right here and now. Isn't it cool?

If you would like to help out with a post on release day, let me know in the comments!

What I haven't done this month (and I vow to do it in Feb) is submit any more stories--and that even though I have one ready to go. To be honest, I kind of dropped everything (except Tick Tock) in my struggle with DBA. I have a couple of possibilities, so I really will follow through this month.

Okay, now for the question.
First I had to decided what genre I write in most. Since lately it's been mysteries, I guess I'll go with that (I also write fantasy and children's fiction, and a range of genres show up in my flash fiction).

But mysteries. What is it that makes those so much fun to write? Of course, since I love to read them, that's part of it. But I also have to admit right off the top that writing genre fiction takes care of a problem that I often have when I try to write "serious" fiction: in a mystery, you never have to ask yourself what the point is. Nor does it have to have any great import. I can just kick back, enjoy playing with my characters, and let my sense of humor lead the way. What's not to love about that?

How about you? What kind of writing do you love best? Or what do you love to read, and why?

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2018
As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated!

 

Cover Reveal: Tick Tock, A Stitch in Crime

I'm a day late, but I'm excited to reveal the cover the the IWSG anthology, and announce the publication date! I'll be sure to share when it's available for pre-orders.

The clock is ticking...

Can a dead child’s cross-stitch pendant find a missing nun? Is revenge possible in just 48 minutes? Can a killer be stopped before the rescuers are engulfed by a city ablaze? Who killed what the tide brought in? Can a soliloquizing gumshoe stay out of jail?

Exploring the facets of time, eleven authors delve into mysteries and crimes that linger in both dark corners and plain sight. Featuring the talents of Gwen Gardner, Rebecca M. Douglass, Tara Tyler, S. R. Betler, C.D. Gallant-King, Jemi Fraser, J. R. Ferguson, Yolanda Renée, C. Lee McKenzie, Christine Clemetson, and Mary Aalgaard.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these eleven tales will take you on a thrilling ride into jeopardy and secrecy. Trail along, find the clues, and stay out of danger. Time is wasting...

Release date - May 1, 2018

Mystery & Detective/Crime/Thrillers

Print ISBN 9781939844545 eBook ISBN 9781939844552

What's your favorite kind of mystery? 

 

Hummus and Homicide by Tina Kashian--Cover Reveal!

HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE NOVEMBER 29

When Lucy Berberian quits her Philadelphia law firm and heads home to Ocean Crest, she knows what she’s getting—the scent of funnel cake, the sight of the wooden roller coaster, and the tastes of her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. But murder wasn’t on the menu . . .   

Things are slow in the off-season in this Jersey Shore town, but Lucy doesn’t mind. She doesn’t even mind waitressing at the Kebab Kitchen. Her parents have put in a new hummus bar, with every flavor from lemon to roasted red pepper. It’s fun to see their calico cat again, and to catch up with her old BFF, who’s married to a cop now.

She could do without Heather Banks, though. The Gucci-toting ex-cheerleader is still as nasty as she was back in high school . . . and unfortunately, she’s just taken over as the local health inspector. Just minutes after eating at the Kebab Kitchen—where she’s tallied up a whole list of bogus violations—she falls down dead in the street. Word on the grapevine is it’s homicide, and Lucy’s the number one suspect . . .

Recipes included!

  

Ready...

 

 

 

Set...

 

 

 

Reveal! 

                     

Coming February 27, 2018 from Kensington Books!!

You can pre-order your copy today!!

Amazon B&N kobo Google Play INDIEBOUND

Cover Reveal! The Problem With Peggy (Ninja Librarian 3)

We've been puttering around with this for ages, and it's time. The third book of the Ninja Librarian series is getting close, and we have a cover to share!

(Insert trumpet fanfare and a troupe of acrobats here)

And don't forget--The price for The Ninja Librarian has dropped to 99 cents for the ebook, at Amazon or Smashwords. So get a copy and discover the world of Skunk Corners for yourself!

 

 

 

Be sure to take a look at Book 2, Return to Skunk Corners, as well!

 

Cover Reveal: Pismawallops PTA #2 is coming soon!

Coming January 2016!

After months of fussing about, the second entry in the Pismawallops PTA mystery series is nearly ready...and I'm giving the first look at the new cover for....
Death By Ice Cream, by Rebecca M. Douglass (That's me)

(Cover by Danielle English)

JJ MacGregor's very bad day has just gotten a lot worse.

JJ thought starting the day without coffee was a disaster, but now there's a dead musician behind the Pismawallops High School gym. His trombone is missing, and something about the scene is off key. JJ and Police Chief Ron Karlson are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, but will they be able to work harmoniously or will discord ruin the investigation? With the music teacher as the prime suspect, JJ could be left to conduct the band, and then Graduation might truly end in a death by trombone, or at least the murder of Pomp and Circumstance!

Haven't read Book 1? Purchase links for Death By Ice Cream (and all the others) are here.
And for the rest of November, it's available at special sale prices--$.99 for the ebook (Amazon and Smashwords direct). Or use coupon code RQZLV6EA for 30% off at the Createspace store.

Cover Reveal: Halitor the Hero!

A Fair Maiden who breaks all the rules.

A would-be Hero who fails by the book.

It'll be a fantasy adventure like you never saw...

If they can survive past breakfast!

Halitor has failed at every apprenticeship under the Ice Castle. He figures it’s his last chance when his parents foist him on Bovrell the Bold as an apprentice Hero, and he pores eagerly over the Hero’s Guide to Battles, Rescues and the Slaying of Monsters. But Halitor infuriates his master when he drops his sword, and he gets hopelessly rattled around Fair Maidens. When his master abandons him at an inn in Loria, Halitor is ready to give up and just be a kitchen boy. But Melly, the young kitchen wench, has other ideas. She wants to go find her father, and soon the two are battling monsters and worse on a wild journey to her home. Before they are done, Halitor has learned more than just how to be a Hero.

Available now for pre-order from Amazon Kindle! 

Unfortunately, I am unable to use Amazon for pre-orders of paperback copies. If you would like to pre-order your real, live, concrete copy, please use the "contact me" link above or email Rebecca(dot)Douglass(at)ninjalibrarian(dot)com

Many thanks to Danielle English for the beautiful cover art, as always!

B: Bravo, Victor Cover Reveal

 

Edit May 3, 2014: Bravo, Victor is live on Amazon!

For the letter B and the Kid Lit Blog Hop, we bring you an exciting cover reveal from a favorite children's author, Jemima Pett!  How does this relate to my wilderness theme?  Well, Victor does have to cross some wild country!  And since the world of publishing often feels a bit like a wilderness, that applies too!

Coming in May, Book 6 in the Princelings of the East series: Bravo Victor.  Our young bartender, Victor, has grown up and is trying to make his way as a business guru. He encounters a shady traveller and seeks advice from King Fred, who sends him on a mission to aid the mysterious Sundance and his beautiful accomplice, and to find Fred’s brother, George, overdue after a visit to a flying festival in the Rhinelands. Victor tells how he uncovers a tangled web of lies and deceit, and an old friend from the past, or is it his future?

Author blog: Jemima Pett
Princelings of the East website: http://princelings.co.uk

Check out Jemima's cover reveal post with giveaway! Or enter the giveaway below.

And now, without further ado, the cover:

As a matter of interest, I will note that Jemima and I share the same cover artist, thanks to her generosity in letting me cut in on Dani's time!  I love her work, and the stormy mountains in the background here make me itch for the hiking season!

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And while you're on a roll with giveaways, there are only a few more days left to win a e-copy of Death By Ice Cream!
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Hang onto your socks--The Death By Ice Cream cover is here!

What can I say?  It's done, and it's beautiful!  I am delighted to reveal the cover for Death By Ice Cream, due to be released March 24.

And, since it will be released in paperback as well as an ebook, here's the whole cover, front, back and spine:

 Huge thanks to my incredible cover artist/designed, Danielle English!

Lots of cool stuff coming up this spring

I have a lot of exciting stuff coming up in the next few months, both here on the blog and in the rest of life.  Well, not so much in life, except that trip to Tucson, AZ, for the Tucson Festival of Books (find me at the Children's Tent from 2-4 on Saturday, March 15.  Not that I'm advertising or anything).

In addition to, or sometimes in place of, the usual reviews and Friday Flash Fiction for the next two months, look out for these events:

• Feb. 10: Cover Reveal for Death By Ice Cream
• Feb. 26: Blurb Reveal for Death By Ice Cream
• March 24 (give or take a little): Death By Ice Cream is released; blog-hop to celebrate the release.  We'll be adding to the fun with a Giveaway, maybe holding a party on the Internet.  Come, and bring chocolate!
• April: The A to Z Challenge.  I've picked my theme: wilderness, with a side of ice cream (guess why!), and plan to include book reviews, wilderness-themed flash fiction, and at least one day per week of pretty picture from the wilds of the Western US.  I'm still looking for kids' and adult books that fit the wilderness theme and the letters of the alphabet, but you can bet there will be more hiker narratives and some of the great adventure stories by Gary Paulsen.

In addition, in late February I'll be participating in a blog hop for The Orphan and the Thief, by M. L. LeGette, a middle grade fantasy that (based on the first two or three chapters) promises to be an exciting read!

And all the while I'm working on my next projects: major revisions for Halitor the Hero, my own middle grade fantasy (with tongue mostly in cheek), and the beginning bits of the third Ninja Librarian collection, in which we deal with the problem of Peggy, not to mention getting back to beating my NaNo novel, the sequel to Death By Ice Cream into sometime more like a book, called (at least for now), Death By Trombone.

So watch this space!

I'd like to finish with a hint at the new cover, or even some cute kittens, but I can't and won't.  Instead, I'll just use my favorite trademark, the post-hike ice cream frenzy:

Cover Reveal!

It's almost here!

Return to Skunk Corners: The Ninja Librarian, Book 2

The Ninja Librarian is back, and he's better than ever!

Release date: August 15 on Amazon, Smashwords, and right here at the Ninja Librarian's own web site.

And YOU can get a free look at the cover, right here.  Right now.  

Are you ready?  

I want to give a shout-out to Danielle English http://www.kanizo.co.uk for the cover illustrations, and to Steven Tse for the cover design.  We know we're headed back to Skunk Corners!


What's more--pop on over to goodreads.com and join the giveaway for a free copy!   

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Return to Skunk Corners

by Rebecca Douglass

Giveaway ends August 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Got a new cover!

So this is definitely exciting stuff.  Well, to me, anyway.

As part of the preparation and marketing for the sequel to The Ninja Librarian (that would be Return to Skunk Corners, coming in August), I have a new cover and format for the original NL.  As soon as I've had a chance to review the proof, it'll be available, as a "Second Edition," since that's the way CreateSpace works when you change the trim size.  It's already on Smashwords, and if you own a copy, you can download the new one free (though the only thing that's changed is the cover, and one tiny typo I finally removed).

The new book is a more standard size (CreateSpace's claims notwithstanding, 6x9" is not the most common size!) and has a cover that I think better reflects the nature of the book.  In fact. . . here's the new cover, front and back:

Wait until you see the cover for Return to Skunk Corners!