Book News

Well, I received my reply from Daw Books today regarding The Noble Fool.  It was almost exactly what I had anticipated- a rejection form letter that gave no incite in to whether or not the manuscript was actually read.  I think the hardest part of getting a rejection letter in the mail is that it offers absolutely no indication as to why the manuscript was turned away, or how much of it was looked at.  I wont lie and say that I am not incredibly disappointed, but I'm also not entirely discouraged.  I still have several avenues to pursue, and I will not give up on this project so easily.  I have poured too much of my life into these books to be turned aside by one rejection letter.

My confidence is beaten, but not abated.  I will continue to edit The Vengeful Malice, and while I do that I will work on getting The Noble Fool in the hands of a willing publisher.

Thank you for reading,

Heath

I've been working on some hardcover versions of the series, including a new 3in1 release of the novels.  I've got the demo models now, and I'll be releasing the hardcover edition of The Noble Fool in the near future.

The new 3in1 will not be available until I've finished the editing on The Vengeful Malice (which is currently in progress) and The Snow Song.  I'll post a link here when The Noble Fool goes live in hardcover.  Let me just say, the hardcover versions are the BEST of the prints I've had yet.  Everything about them is top notch.  When I have a little cash to spare, I'll be getting myself a set to keep.  As for the two books I already have, they've both been accounted for.  These are the sort of things that sell themselves.

That is all,

Fox

With the contest out of the way, some people may be wondering, "Hey, what's next?"  That's a good question.  First and foremost I'll be starting serious work on the revision of books 2 and 3 in the Hungering Saga.  I know many of you are eager to see what my next writing project will be, but since I am a one man show, I have a responsibility to clean up the Hungering Saga before moving on to something new.  The first book is at a point where I can make it no better on my own, and so I'll be leaving it where it is for the foreseeable future.  I'm happy with the way it reads, and I like to think it is worthy of every one of the glowing reviews you have given it.  I can't thank you all enough for reading, and allowing me to get some vital feedback on this series as I've brought it to completion.

I've recently submitted The Noble Fool to Daw books in an attempt to get some help in reaching a wider audience.  I'm confident that if they read it, they will want to publish it, but I'm not as confident that it will be read to begin with.  Independent submissions are not taken as seriously as agent-submitted manuscripts, but I'm at a loss for exactly how to reach a reliable agent, one that can get my book in front of the right people.  If Daw does not pan out, I will try submitting to TOR, and if that fails I will try to find an agent I can trust.

My hope was always that I might be able to publish my work and make just enough to live on, but that hasn't quite turned out as anticipated.  To date I've made $22 and spent somewhere in the realm of $500-$600 on books, contest prizes, and other expenses.   Moving forward I hope to make this whole dream profitable!

The Vengeful Malice and The Snow Song will have my attention next, and once those are finished I'll post some teasers for my next story concepts.  I've got some great ideas to write, now I just need to find the time to get them on paper!

Thanks for reading.

Heath

Alright folks, we're getting near time for another contest. This one, I promise, will have a lot more cool stuff to get for free. I'm not giving out the fine details yet, but let me just say that this one should be easy to participate in. I'll also say that this one is ONLY for those who have already read my books. ...a service to the fans, in honor of a big announcement I will be making in the very near future. BE EXCITED! I am.

Fox

It has been a while since you've seen an update.  I assure you this isn't because I've forgotten about my writing, or my books.  I have a few new things lined up.  I'm just waiting for the right time to make announcements, but I assure you they will be worth the wait.  As for new book projects, I have three strong ideas that are vying for my time.  I was going to offer a reader-vote to help decide what my next project should be, but I'm probably going to forgo that since very little interest was shown at the idea.

As for what the future holds, I will simply state that The Noble Fool is undergoing some changes, and the current edition will no longer be in print in the not so distant future.  Also, when the first edition goes out of print, The Complete Hungering Saga will also be taken down.  I may release it again eventually, but that probably wont happen until the final edits of book 2 and 3 are available.  That means if you want to own all three books in paperback for as little as possible, you better jump on the chance now.

Heath

Welcome avid readers! No need to sit down, this won't take long. I'm happy to announce that my first book, The Noble Fool, can now be found on the Amazon Market Place in addition to it's familiar home on Lulu. The book, as of this writing, is in its final edited form.  If you've been waiting on purchasing a copy, it's not going to get any better than it is right now.  However,  I might recommend that you purchase it directly from Lulu, HERE, rather than through Amazon. Our massive conglomerate friends have a nasty tendency to add a steep markup, and I assure you that I see no monetary benefit from the higher cover price.

The newest edit of The Noble Fool features over 150 additional corrections over the previous release candidate version, including some continuity patches.  Get'em while their fresh!

Heath

EDIT - - The price on the Amazon store has come down, and now is the same as that on Lulu.  Feel free to purchase from either location without the worry of price gouging!

In today's tough economy it is ever important to squeeze as much value from the dollar as possible. That, my good friends, is why I have created a NEW LOW PRICE solution for those who wish to own the entire Hungering Saga! Now you can impress your friends by possessing three books encased in the bindings of one! Imagine the looks on their faces when you show them this astounding contortion of reality.  They will say, "But how can this be possible?"  To which you shall triumphantly respond, "SCIENCE!"  It's important that you notice the ALL CAPS presentation.  You must be yelling this proclamation as loudly as possible, otherwise it will not have the desired impact.

Imagine how popular this will make you with your girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse/lover/mistress/dog/cat/guinea pig/chewbacabra.  Are you imagining that?  Feels good man.

Now, go forth and save $8.88!

The Hungering Saga Complete

Or, if for some reason you have TOO MUCH money, you can spend it on gearing up.

Cloth yourself!

Trust me, no one wants to see you naked.  Plus, every purchase goes towards paying my bills.  I hear this is a good thing.

Heath

~EDIT~Some pictures for those who wish to get an idea of how the new addition looks. Mine is the book that isn't INCREDIBLY FAMOUS.

This is just a short updated to say that all books are now released! You can buy them by clicking the links at the side of the page to add the books to your cart, or by visiting the individual page links across the top of the site. Happy buying!

Heath

Note: When clicking on the sidebar links, books are automatically added to your Lulu shopping cart in both e-book and paperback format. If you only want one or the other, simply delete the unwanted item from your cart.

Thanks to my editor, Aine Aldrich, the first novel in the Hungering Saga is nearly ready for mass market. The book is already available through Lulu for purchase, and after a final review, it will also be available via Amazon.com. I'm also planning on releasing it for the Kindle marketplace.

For those interested in contest prize details, the books have shipped from my publisher and should be arriving (hopefully) this week. I will have them in the mail as soon as they arrive at my door.

In other News, there is a description up for The Snow Song now. I'm not sure if it's the description that will end up on the final product, but for now it was the best my slightly tired brain could come up with. It's actually quite difficult to sum up an entire novel in a tiny snippet. If I'm ever rich, remind me to hire someone to do that for me...

That's all for now,

Heath

CLICK HERE FOR CONTEST ENTRY

I'm well around the 150 page mark now and just hammering out the specifics of the final parts of the story.  Those who've enjoyed the books so far are in for some big surprises, and I think will be quite pleased with the third installment of the Hungering Saga.  I know I'm excited to finish the story of Lowin Fenly and get it out there for everyone to read.

For those who have entered the contest, TIME IS TICKING DOWN!  You have a month, maybe a little more, maybe a little less.  I'm hoping to be able to post the special edition 3rd cover before it comes time to ship it out to the winner, but we'll have to see what happens.

I'm still waiting on my final edit of the 1st novel.  I apologize sincerely to those who are still waiting for it.  I didn't anticipate that it would take quite this long, and I know you've all been very patient with me so far.  Maybe someday I'll be able to polish my own writing to the point where I wont need an external editor.  I find myself wishing I'd paid just a bit more attention in English class, but then I recall that English was dull and the assets of my female classmates were far more entertaining.  What's a man to do?

Thank you all for reading.

Heath

CONTEST IS OVER, BOOK THREE IS DONE

It's time to win FABULOUS PRIZES! Here's the deal; today I'm celebrating the 100 page mark of book three by starting a fun little competition.

YOU COULD WIN

1 Grand Prize – A special edition SINGLE PRINT version of book 3, The Snow Song, with a unique cover, signed, and mailed out by me, personally. Additionally, the winner will also get to chose one other book from the trilogy to receive for absolutely nothing (also signed).

2 Runner Up Prizes – Two runners up will receive a signed book of their choosing (from those I've written, obviously), all charges on me.

1 Freebie – One free copy of The Noble Fool will be sent out to an interested individual who has not yet read any of my books. I'm just cool like that.

HOW TO WIN

The Grand Prize:

To win the grand prize you must get other people to read my book and fill out the form below. You must also fill out the form below yourself, and poke the little bubble that says you wish to enter for the grand prize.

Those you are referring need to put your name (the same one you give me) in the “referrer” section. If they bought a book (digital or paper back) at your recommendation, then you get double credit for that referral. If you lent them your book, you still get credit, but they're only counted once.

The person with the most referrals when I finish book three will be declared the winner, and I will contact you via e-mail to let you know how awesome you are. We can then revel in your victory together while mocking the losers.

Runner Up Prizes:

Everyone who submits an e-mail address and name to this competition is automatically entered to win one of the runner up prizes. If you've been referred by someone, be sure to put their name in the referrer section so they get credit for you, and to check whether or not you've bought or borrowed your copy of the book.

The Freebie:

To enter to win this you need only give a name, e-mail address, and to check the box next to “I'm here for the freebie.” Please only do this if you haven't yet read any of my books, but wouldn't mind trying one out, you know, if you didn't have to pay for it (cheapskate). Those who've already read my material don't need to enter this drawing since you've already read The Noble Fool ... hopefully. I mean, why would you start in the middle of the series? Don't be weird.

OTHER INFO

I will not use your e-mail for any purpose other than contacting you regarding the state of this particular contest.  Choosing "borrowed" as opposed to "bought" has no bearing on your odds of winning for standard runner-up drawing.  That is mainly in place so that I can give credit to those who going for the grand prize.   I want to thank you in advance for showing an interest in my work. I've put a lot of time and effort into these stories, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate my readers. This little contest is my way of thanking you as best I can with the limited resources I have at my disposal. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to add them to the “favorite character and why” section at the bottom of the form.

~Heath

I'd like to record an audio book version of my novels.  I am, sadly, not possessed of a great voice for such a task, and I certainly can't afford a professional reader.  I might give it a try anyway, once I'm done writing the series.  I've been considering distributing copies of my e-book on CD with an audio book version, and maybe some extra content as well (different versions of the cover, maybe some of my music).

I could include all three books, the audio book version, and all the extra content, and still probably sell it for $10-$15.  I'd really need to do some logistical research, and see how difficult it would be to record the the audio book.  Any thoughts on this? E-mail me, or leave a comment.

This is just a quick progress update.  I'm at page 70 today, though I still have to go back and re-read what was written.  Wrote a compelling piece of plot this morning, I believe.  I'm excited to get this project finished up so those who have been reading the series as I finish it, can give me their impressions of the work as a whole.  I know you won't be disappointed.  There are many good twists and bends left in the plot, and I believe you'll all enjoy the ride.

Still contemplating my next writing project.  I'm either starting a Marching Darkness novel, or working on a completely separate novel project called The Shadow of the Juggernaut.  I may write up a short synopsis of each, and allow my readers to decide which project they'd like to see finished first.  They're both getting written, it's just a matter of in which order.

Heath