First of Her Kind )Book one of the Darkness & Light trilogy) by WIPpet mistress K.L. Schwengel is free until December 23! Time is almost up, so grab it while you can.
Author Archives: Kate Sparkes
About Kate Sparkes
At Any Cost Chapter One Now Available!
Hey, everyone!
At Any Cost (prequel novella for the Bound trilogy) is almost ready to go. I’ll be sending it out to newsletter subscribers before Christmas as a “thank you” for everyone’s patience in waiting for Sworn. It will likely be available for purchase later, as well, but now’s a great time to sign up if you haven’t yet. Here’s the link.
Because free stuff is good, right? We like presents.
Here’s the link to chapter one, if you’d like a little sample. Enjoy!
COVER REVEAL: Dissonance by Mariella Hunt
Hey, guys! You all know how much I love doing cover reveals, right? Especially for people who are kind enough to help out with mine, as Mariella did recently for Sworn. This is actually the second reveal for this book, and I’m very excited to be able to share this gorgeous new cover with you!
Here’s all of the info you need. The book is available now, so if you’re interested, be sure to check out the purchase links.
-Kate
Fifteen-year-old singer Allie Grant lives crippled by her illness. Though kept in isolation, she’s never alone: A spirit named Song lurks in the silence of her bedroom.
When Song reveals its dark nature on the night of her recital, the show ends in tragedy. Verging on death, Allie’s taken in by an uncle she’s never met. Julian claims to be a Muse with power over music and answers that’ll heal her.
It isn’t long before Allie suspects her uncle has a secret that’ll change her very identity. But with days left to live, she might fade without learning the truth…like the finishing chord of a song.
Author bio:
Mariella Hunt writes faery tales from her bedroom/library in Boise, Idaho. She enjoys reading the classics and hopes to one day write like Charles Dickens (hey, a girl can dream.)
Her first novel, Dissonance, was published independently in June of 2015.
To Pre-Order, or Not to Pre-Order? That’s Quite the Question…
I’ve had a few people asking when Sworn will be available for pre-order on Amazon, so I thought I’d post an answer here. It’s actually a more complicated question than it seems, so I’ll post the short answer first, then the long answer for anyone interested in details.
Short answer: There probably won’t be Amazon pre-orders on Sworn. I’ll upload the file the evening before release day, and it should be available for purchase around midnight Eastern time (and definitely by the next morning on all retailers).
Long answer: This was a tough decision for me. There are distinct advantages to pre-orders. You guys would be able to buy as soon as you wanted, and the book has a longer period of time on “hot new release” best-seller lists. It’s convenient for you, and I know how exciting it is to receive the notification that a book has been delivered.
But I decided that getting the book to you as soon as possible was more important.
See, the way Amazon has things set up requires that we have the final version of the book (the one that will be delivered to you) uploaded ten days before the official release date. It makes sense on their end, as it allows them to know the product is in and properly set up well before they start charging people money.
But I needed that ten days. For me, that’s the difference between one last round of proof-reading or possibly delivering something with an extra typo or two. Or maybe it’s one week less for my beta readers, those wonderful volunteers who are currently poring over the pages looking for loose threads and errors, and who deserve as much time as I can give them.
Yes, I could have set the release date another ten days or two weeks back and pushed it into February. But you guys have waited long enough. I set the release date for the earliest day I could be sure I’d deliver my best work to you.
And in the highly unlikely event that something happens to prevent me submitting it on time (because of an act of God, alien abduction, moose-related injuries, etc.), I won’t be penalized by having my pre-order rights taken away for next year’s projects.
Is that a bit risky for me? Yep. The release date could slip people’s minds between now and the end of January. I could miss out on pre-order impulse buys. But the book will always be there, whenever you’re all ready for it. Whether you’re sitting with your finger hovering over the purchase button on the morning of the 29th, or whether you don’t remember until a week later, it’s going to be there for you.
And I can’t wait for you to see it.
Sworn Cover Reveal
Yes, the day has FINALLY arrived! I’ve had this cover (created, like the first two, by the incredibly talented Ravven) since early this past summer, but wanted to save the big reveal for a time closer to the release date.
And we now have a release date. *whee, party!*
And so much exciting stuff going on, including a SALE! Yep, to celebrate this cover reveal day, the Bound ebook is on sale for 99 cents on Amazon, Nook, Kobo, and iBooks! I don’t do this often, so if you know someone who’s been waiting for a sale to grab the book and start the series, today would be a great day to let them know about this little treat. 🙂
Visit my website here for the links.
But enough about that.
We’re here about a new book. An exciting book. A massive, twisting, thrilling, heart-pounding conclusion that some of you have been waiting rather impatiently for.
And it’s coming on Friday, January 29, 2016.
Are you ready?
Not every fairy tale ends with “happily ever after.”
The plan was simple: Find Ulric, the lost king of Tyrea, then return him to Luid to reclaim his throne from the tyrant who stole it. But though Aren, Rowan, and Nox accomplished the first part of their task, the rest is proving to be more complicated than any of them imagined.
Severn won’t give up his throne without a fight. Worse, it seems Ulric did not fare as well during his years in captivity as he’s led everyone to believe—and Rowan may not have escaped unscathed, either.
If Nox doesn’t find a cure for the king’s mysterious ailment, Aren will be forced to challenge Severn for the crown. It’s a battle Aren has little hope of winning. And if he does, it will cost him the love and the freedom he’s fought so hard to gain.
Please share this post anywhere you’d like–the more, the merrier!
Blightlore Release Party Today! With giveaways… you know you wanna…
Hey, everyone!
For anyone who might be interested, Krista Walsh is hosting her Blightlore release party on Facebook today. She’s holding giveaways for swag and signed copies, and there should be loads of cool stuff going on.
And hey, I’ll be there! I’m giving away a signed copy of Bound, plus some ebooks and I don’t even know what else. I’ll be there from 3-4PM Eastern, so pop by!
The party runs from 10-6 Eastern time TODAY (November 21). It’s the kind of thing where you can just drop in to say hello, or keep coming back throughout the day to see what’s happening and what giveaways or discussions you might want to hop in on.
Here’s the link again. Can’t wait to see you there!
COVER REVEAL INCOMING! Wanna help?
Yes, that’s right. It’s almost time.
I’ve finished my first post-editor round of revisions on Sworn, which means I’ll soon have an official release date for you. And what better way to make the announcement than by revealing the gorgeous cover? Ravven has worked her magic again, and it is AMAZING.
Maybe we’ll even throw a sale on Bound in there. Because why not? This has been a hard road for me. I’m not at the end, but pausing to celebrate in a big way will make the rest of the journey even better.*
The cover reveal will be happening FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, though newsletter subscribers will get a super-secret sneak peek the evening before. We’ll have the reveal here, and on my website…
And anywhere else people care to host it. HOORAY, PARTY!!!
If you’re interested in helping out by posting the cover, description, and details on your blog or site, I’d be ever so grateful (and you’ll be on the list for an advance review copy, if you feel so inclined and have time to read before release). Just e-mail me at kate.sparkes (at) live.ca, and we’ll get it done. I’ll have the post info ready to send out a few days ahead of time.
And if you’d like to do something fun around release time, just let me know and we’ll work something out.
If you don’t have a blog, or if cover reveals don’t fit your theme, no worries! I’d love to just have you drop by to say hello and get the information you need (and gawk/drool, of course). And if you feel like sharing via Twitter or Facebook, that’s a huge help, too.
It’s coming soon, guys… I can almost taste it.
–
*Meaning another editing pass for small changes and continuity checks, then several weeks with beta readers, then a polishing pass and proofreading. Just for anyone who’s keeping score at home. 😉
Happy Release Day to Blightlore by Krista Walsh!
Hey, everyone!
Check out this fantastic post by Krista Walsh. She took over KL Schwengel’s blog today to explain why you all should check out the Cadis Trilogy (and the Meratis Trilogy, if you haven’t yet). I can’t really add much, except to say that I had the pleasure of beta reading this book, and it’s REALLY exciting. I’m looking forward to book three (and quite frankly, I’m a little afraid… I’ll leave it to you to find out why!)
Here’s the link. Grab the book, grab book one (Bloodlore) while it’s on sale for 99 cents, cuddle up, and enjoy!
Pain in the Ass. No… Head. Not Ass. Head.
It’s a bad night for the pain.
Tonight it feels like a toothache filling my skull. It comes in waves, crushing and slashing, bringing nausea along to join the party. Light hurts. My children’s voices cut through me, and every movement of the bed makes all of it worse. All I can do is sit here with the lamp on, writing this out on paper to be typed out tomorrow, and try not to yell at the kids, cry, or throw up.
It’s not always like this. This kind of headache only hits me about once a month… at least, this hard. But the fact is that I spend a lot of time almost every day dealing with two problems. Pain is one. Either a milder version of this, or ice picks slamming into my temples, or feeling like I’ve been hit in the back of the head with a baseball bat.
I can deal with pain, though.
It’s the fog that’s really hurting me.
The fog used to only come with true migraines, in the days before and after. It’s a feeling like my skull is stuffed with sawdust instead of brains–a physical sensation, and quite unpleasant. It brings a feeling like tunnel vision, though my vision is actually fine. And it makes me slow. My thoughts come slowly, as do my reactions. I can’t think of words, and sometimes can’t understand questions right away. And working? Writing stories, untangling plot problems, clarifying character motivations, and polishing my work until it shines?
Utterly impossible.
It wasn’t so bad when it happened once in a while. But now the fog is coming down every day. I can’t think. I can’t focus. I’m drifting in a slow, too-bright haze. I’m usually just lost enough that working is impossible, but the thoughts and ideas and potential are so close that it becomes incredibly frustrating.
Until now, I’ve been pushing myself through it. I’ve told people that everything is fine. I’ve made myself work in spite of the pain and the fog, working evenings and weekends to make up for the time I spend in bed when the kids are at school and I should be writing. I put off seeing a doctor because I didn’t have time. Because I had deadlines. Because I’d made promises (or at least dropped hints). I let my life get out of balance because of this one important thing.
A few days ago, I decided that I can’t keep going like this. I’m not doing my best work when I have no joy, when every word is a struggle. And let’s face it. Putting pressure on myself to craft a beautiful story when I can’t remember the word “spoon” is probably just compounding the issue.
This is not me giving up. I’m still working on this story every day, and I’m as excited about it as I’ve ever been. As of last week, I have all of the little moving pieces in place, and just need to put the time and the work (and the focus) in to finish it.
It’s complete in all but the final execution, and far better than I ever imagined.
All I really want to do is work on it (sleep and laundry and exercise and doctor’s appointments be damned). But it’s time for me to accept that I also need to make time to take care of myself. I have to stop beating myself up over deadlines and feeling like a failure over needing a few extra weeks to get this book ready for the world.
So I don’t have a release date for you yet. It will be after Christmas, which breaks my heart. I mean, no one with an ounce of business sense wants to miss Christmas. But you guys deserve my best. I’ve never given you less than that, and I can’t start now. I’m going to find out what’s wrong with me, and I’m going to get better. And this winter, I’m going to give you the book you deserve.
Thank you all so much for your support, for your encouragement and kind words. It all means more to me than I’ll ever be able to say.
I can’t wait to show you how this story ends.
SALE ALERT: The Meratis Trilogy by Krista Walsh
Hey, guys!
Just a quick heads-up for Fantasy readers.
The Meratis trilogy by Krista Walsh (which you’ve heard me talk about here) is ON SALE. The whole trilogy.
Book one, Evensong, is free. FREE. GO GET IT.
Books two and three are on sale for 99 cents today, $1.99 tomorrow, $2.99 on Wednesday, and $3.99 on Thursday. A good deal, but acting sooner will get them for you more cheaply.
And come on. We’re all cheap.
Enjoy!
Vines and Vices (All the Queen’s Knaves book one)
Urban Fantasy (writing as Tanith Frost)
Dark, decadent, and deadly... Immortal Soulless books 1-7 (full series) available now! Visit www.katesparkes.com for details.
Bound (Bound Trilogy Book One)
Paperback, Nook, Kobo (included with your Kobo+ subscription!) iTunes, Kindle, and more
Torn (Bound Trilogy Book Two)
Into Elurien
Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, Nook, paperback. Click image for details.
At Any Cost (Bound Trilogy prequel novella)
available to newsletter subscribers or via ebook retailers
The Binding (Short Story)
Available exclusively to newsletter subscribers
Kate Sparkes
disregard the prologue 