Category: Updates

Spring Break Promo

Spring is heeeeere…ish!

Cherry Blossoms
Cherry blossoms from last spring. Visiting them has become a family tradition.

First, the bookish business. For anybody looking for something to read over spring break (should you have such a thing) there is a new BookFunnel promo featuring CLEAN reads only. That means no swearing, sex or gratuitous violence. One of my favorite authors, Intisar Khanani, writes clean (more on her below). In fact, Girl of Shadow and Glass is clean (yes, a sample is available as part of the promo).

Spring Break Clean Book Promo
This spring break promo is clean as a whistle.

Moving on…

This time of year, my puppy, who may in fact be slightly allergic to grass (but only affecting her eyes…go figure), loves nothing more than to lie in the sun, on the grass, and do nothing, except maybe eat some of said grass. Being a puppy and all, she’s still got that destructive streak, and apparently spring grass tastes DELICIOUS to dogs. I had to make a call to the vet after said habit ended with some…er…messy results.

We took her on a short trip to see the cherry blossoms last year (also a messy trip, but unrelated to the grass. Pupper’s got a car ride time limit and we were SO CLOSE to making it!). Because of the pandemic, she’s had even fewer reasons to get in the car. Ohio weather has kept her close to home for the past few months, too.

I hope to be taking that trip to see the blossoms in the not too distant future. Really, there’s nothing like it.

What about you guys? Do you have any special spring traditions or things you really look forward to?

More Cherry Blossoms
More cherry blossoms...we were a little early last year.

What I’m Reading

The Road to Farringale, by Charlotte E. English. It’s getting good…!

What I’m Crafting

A fabulous model of a Japanese izakaya (drinking establishment). I just love miniatures! And making stuff. It’s the perfect marriage, really.

What I’m Looking Forward to

The Theft of Sunlight, by Intisar Khanani, is soon to be released! In two days, in fact! I’ve been following Rae’s story for quite some time, back when it was a free short story the author made available on Amazon. It’s nice to see her get the full-book treatment. It’s also notable that Rae is the rare fantasy character with a disability (she was born with a club foot).

That’s all for now!

Cheers and be well,

-CKB

Join the C.K. Beggan mailing list, read The Fishermen’s Princess

The Fishermen’s Princess Cover Reveal!

It’s cover and synopsis reveal time for my new serial novel!

(Be warned, this is a graphics-heavy post!)

The Fishermen's Princess (Cover Reveal Part 1)
Looking good so far...Looks like the title is...

The Fishermen's Princess

A Serial New Adult Fantasy Novel by C.K. Beggan

The Little Mermaid is turned upside-down and inside-out in this creative retelling about merfolk, true love, wicked and benevolent pirates and a princess trying to find her place in the world.

The Fishermen's Princess (Cover Reveal Part 2)
Drina can really rock a sleeveless gown.

Advisors tell Princess Alexandrina that fishermen are the lifeblood of their corner-of-and-island nation. Folklore says the fishermen serve the merfolk more than the crown. So why on earth are the fishermen following Drina?

When Drina sneaks out of the castle, the fishermen are there. When she plans to outsmart the meddling Cardinal and her formidable mother, they are there. And when Drina just might marry the prince she wants to (instead of the baron she’s supposed to), they are there. Just like they were there when her father, the lowly fishermen who married a future queen, was buried at sea.

As Drina fights for a love story of her own, tragedy sails ever closer to her kingdom, and its black sails carry the standard of the sea’s most terrifying pirates. Can the fishermen help Drina when she needs it most? Or do they only serve the crown beneath the sea?

The Fishermen's Princess (Cover Reveal Part 3)
Ta-da! Isn't it gorgeous? Thanks to Jesh Art Studio for this beautiful cover!

This serial fantasy novel is packed with romance, danger, adventure, pirates and of course, mermaids. Join the CK. Beggan author mailing list to receive a new chapter in your inbox each month.

Join the C.K. Beggan mailing list, read The Fishermen’s Princess

I’m so excited to begin sharing this story with you all. Please join me as we see how Drina’s story will unfold, together!

That’s all for now. The next post will be an in-depth review of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s wonderful and heartbreaking Gods of Jade and Shadow.

Cheers and be well,

-CKB

New and Awesome Promo: Women Warriors

This promo could not be more perfect!

Women Warriors Promo

Bree Yardley is hosting this BookFunnel book promo in honor of International Women’s Day (March 8th), and it’s all about women taking charge! (And maybe kicking a little butt along the way.) The Women Warriors promo has 141 participants, with titles in the categories of sci-fi, fantasy, romance, action and adventure.

It also features a free sample of Girl of Shadow and Glass, and a title highlighted in the Indie Book Spotlight on my blog, Sylvia Mercedes’ action-packed Daughter of Shades, the first book in the completed Venatrix Chronicles [find my review of Daughter of Shades here].

This promo is such a good fit for GoSG. Kith starts out unable to do just about anything without being told she can’t or shouldn’t. No matter how extraordinary a life she leads (learning from the shadows in another world and all that), she’ll always be a fragile shade-child. It’s high time Kith starts taking charge…and she’s about to do just that.

What I’m reading

The Road to Farringale (Modern Magic Book 1), by Charlotte E. English. So far this entertaining book feels like a quirky combo of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Harry Potter. Trolls and a magical house, and MC’s Cordelia Vesper’s delightful narration (and hair) are the highlights so far.

What I’ve just read

Icedancer (Pler Trilogy Book 2), by Anna Velfman. How can there only be one book left?! Icedancer was every bit as good as I was hoping, and then some. It was also refreshing in a lot of ways. The handsome emperor doesn’t get a pass just because he shows he cares and has plans to help the world. There’s so much more to powerful and cultured Ashioto, and Velfman (and formidable MC Lanna) never give in to girlish fancy. A full review is forthcoming!

But first…

What I’m reviewing next

Twelve Days of Faery (Shards of a Broken Sword Book 1). Another fun read to brighten a gloomy winter’s day! A beleaguered king gets caught up in the dangerous realm of Faery when a peculiar enchantress arrives, claiming she can break the curse on King Markon’s son.

That’s all for now!

Cheers,

CKB

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The (overwhelming) truth about releasing an indie book

The (Overwhelming) Truth About Releasing an Indie Book

It’s been a wild 9 days.

Wow. Only 9 days?!

After dipping my toes into the self-publishing world, I released my first full-length novel on January 15th. There were a few differences this time, like that I chose wide distribution (making my book available at many retailers) instead of just Amazon.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1. Mistakes will be made.

There will never be enough time for last minute read-throughs (and there will be last minute read-throughs). Typos will sneak in, details will be overlooked, and if you’re lucky, you’ll notice them before it’s too late. But guess what? It still won’t be perfect.

Authors with proofreaders, editors, beta-readers and every other professional tool still have mistakes in their books. Traditionally published books have them, too. Take a deep breath, accept it and make a note for your next update. As an indie author, you can change anything you need to.

2. Formatting will be your biggest Challenge.

Accept that the version of your manuscript you format for Amazon KDP will look different than files from other programs (if you use Amazon’s preferred Kindle Create program). Other booksellers may not allow set fonts for chapter titles and other special touches.

This is why I have different editions noted in my copyright page, depending on the bookseller. I list the differently formatted edition as Kindle Edition, Smashwords Edition and a generic digital edition for others without special formatting (Smashwords actually requires the formatting and the language both). I had to do it this way, in the end. Trying to keep my tidy chapter headings and title page only led to frustration and some emails back and forth with customer service.

File converters are not perfect. My chapter headers in particular looked weird when put through the file format converters, and in some cases had unsightly (unprofessional) indents. The end result was not at all like my KDP file. I was ultimately referred to a professional formatter by one site (not in the budget just yet, but looking more appealing all the time!).

Not simple but necessary: File converters can result in unexpected complications—and headaches.

Some file converters offer more options and instructions, though. If you choose a distributor like Smashwords, you will need to save some time to format to their style guide because of it. There is a literal style guide available for download, and while reading it (and obeying it) is very necessary, it’s not as bad as it looks on the outset.

Bonus: when I had formatting issues with another distributor, uploading a version of my file that had received the Smashwords treatment helped resolve some of the formatting issues.

3. It will take longer than you think…and you’ll Wish you could go back to just writing

Okay. Take another deep breath. I am currently in this stage myself. It will all be okay. Soon enough, you’ll be back to endless rounds of editing and trying to remember that perfect word you need, which may or may not actually exist.

The advice from, oh, everywhere, is that practically no writer gets excited about working on their platform. We’re writers. Writing is what we want to do.

Book releases are like platform-building on overdrive.

While I’m still stuck playing catch-up on the promotional whatnot of my book release, I know I’ll be writing again soon. Lack of patience is my biggest weakness as a writer. I suspect that’s true of a lot of creative people, not just writers. If you’re excited about what you do, new ideas and working on what’s next, the last thing you want bogging you down is a W9 and ads that just don’t pop.

For some strange reason, all of that is part of the job, though. And a lot of it will be an ongoing project, just like the books you write.

So take one more deep breath, think of all the skills you’ve acquired in your years of writing, and remind yourself that these are just a few more.

Cheers! And good luck to all you writers out there.

-CKB


P.S.: As proof that indie writers have more flexibility, my book has a new cover! Stay tuned for the cover reveal for the sequel to Girl of Shadow and Glass, Girl of Glass and Fury.

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Girl of Shadow and Glass release day!

You can get this (new adult dark fantasy novel)!

Girl of Shadow and Glass 99c Ad

At long last, my first novel is here! I’ll be keeping the price at 99c for a short while to celebrate and because, you know, marketing.

If you’re still not sure if this book is for you, you can now head over to Smashwords to download a free sample in your preferred file format!

Getting this novel out was a really surprising process for me in so very many ways. I never thought I’d have quite so many file conversion issues! Luckily, I got it all sorted in time and there will be even more retailer options in the days to come.

I would like to say I can relax now, but there’s always more to do. I do hope to be back at work on revisions for the next book in the series, Girl of Glass and Fury, sometime next week.

So what am I looking forward to most? Reading, of course! I barely started Elm Vince’s Tapestry of Night before crunch time started (I previously reviewed a book she co-authored with Helena Rookwood, Throne of Sand, and snatched up her debut solo book when it came out). I can’t wait to get back to it. Plus, reading before bed is one of my favorite things. (Not sure my puppy cares for it, though!)

I’ll have more news in the coming days, including about my newsletter exclusive serial novel. Till then, stay healthy, everyone!

-CKB
Author of Girl of Shadow and Glass
😊

Thanksgiving already?!

Happy Thanksgiving to all the American readers out there. I can hardly believe it’s that time…partly because I was convinced the holiday after Halloween was Christmas for a minute there.

It’s been a year. My thoughts will be with those of you who will be missing somebody, or just celebrating alone.

We’ll be having a quiet holiday, enjoying the dog show and trying to get our dog interested in the roast turkey squeaky toy we gave her last year. This is my second Thanksgiving with the delightful pupper, my first dog in almost 20 years! (Which, if you’re wondering, is waaaayyy too long!)

On to the news!

Comics – You’ll find a brand new edition of Social Isolation right here. I’d love to put more content out in this category, but with everybody home the family tablet is in VERY high demand!

Blog – For all my fellow writers out there, my 3-part series, Use Contrast to Create Depth in Your Story, concluded last week. I hope to have more posts like it soon, but right now I have a few reviews to catch up on!

Seriously.

What I’m reading – An advanced reader copy (in exchange for an honest review…you know the deal!) of Helena Rookwood’s fabulous The Thief and the Throne. A while back, I reviewed the first book in the Carnival of Fae series, The Prince and the Poisoner, and I fully expect I’ll have the same level of gushing admiration for this one. Loving it so far.

I’ve read so many books in this pandemic…way more than I ever thought I would. And that’s nearly all thanks to ebook loans from my county library. I made this little graphic to celebrate that and all the things that make such an odd and frequently awful time better. I find that on a sad day, a little WeRateDogs can still make me smile.

What I read last – Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. If you haven’t read this one yet, do NOT let anyone spoil the plot twist for you!

Till next time!

Cheers,
CKB

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New comics and reviews on the way!

Hola!

I just served up a brand new episode of Princess Disasterface, titled Bunny Slippers and Truth. (Not to be confused with the bunny slippers OF truth. Sounds like my kind of superhero accouterments.) I’ve been a bit stuck on what will happen next lately…and the answer turned out to be a plot twist! Episode 2.6 also turned out longer than most (funny how that works). I hope you all enjoy it.

Growin' Pup #5, made with Comic Draw

In other news, I’m learning to use a new comic-specific app, Comic Draw (not affiliated). It’s not as intuitive as Tayasui Sketches (still not affiliated)…except when it comes to coloring in my drawings. So I’m using Comic Draw to make a special in-color edition of Princess Disasterface, but it is taking time. I currently have no timetable for release, and my current thinking is to make it available to mailing list subscribers. It’s a lot more work this way, and there will be some exclusives in the special edition (like actually seeing the king! And not just his bunny slippers) to sweeten the deal.

You can see the polished look Comic Draw offers in my latest edition of Growin’ Pup (pictured), and in a forthcoming Social Isolation. (That’s right…I’m still working on that one, in life and in comics.)

In book review news, I just got an advanced copy of Sarah K. L. Wilson’s Sting Magic. It’s available for just a few more days for those on her mailing list. If I like it, it’ll be this month’s Indie Book Spotlight. I have her Bridge of Legends compilation on my Kindle, just waiting to be read, but for now that will wait.

And now for some book recommendations!

I’ve been fortunate to read three exceptionally well-written books in a row. The first was Anna Velfman’s Snowblind, then The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson. And right after that, a book I’ve had my eye on since it was in hardcover came up on my library waiting list: Gods of Jade and Shadow, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I loved all three, but the last two made me wish there was a bit more to the post-climax wrap up. I won’t hesitate to pick up subsequent books by any of these three authors, though (Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic is already on my Holds list).

Stay tuned for many more reviews! And in the meantime, please stay well and take excellent care of yourselves.

-CKB

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An irregular July

Hey all!

Happy Independence Day to everyone who celebrated, and Happy Canada Day to everyone who celebrated that, too!

This is shaping up to be an irregular July, not just because of the pandemic. I’ll have to transfer to a new web hosting plan soon. Who knows what updating the site will be like then? Blah!

The important thing is, Princess Disasterface Episode 2.5 is here. It’s been a long time coming, and soon I hope to get into the backstories of the Duchess and the Queen…including why she’s so afraid of a certain important guest. If you noticed the lack of navigational buttons on the new episode, that was on purpose. I’m streamlining!

I’ve recently posted reviews of Alanna: the First Adventure, by the great Tamora Pierce, and Spindle, by wonderful indie author W.R. Gingell. You can find them by clicking the links.

I’m currently bouncing between rewrites and editing on an old and dearly loved project in the fantasy genre and the sequel to A Shadow in Sundown…and putting out the spiffed up second edition of book one. I’ll try to blog a sneak peak of the new cover soon. It plays up the world-hopping side of A Shadow in Sundown. I think it matches Kith’s adventures a lot better, too!

In reading news, I just got my copy of A Song Below Water, by Bethany C. Morrow, from the library, and I can’t wait to jump in! The sample I read hooked me and I’ve been on the wait list for a few weeks. Mermaids, people! I love a book with a twist on mythology (this one’s contemporary).

As for the book reviewing side of me, next up will be reviews of the delightfully creepy Daughter of Shades, by Sylvia Mercedes, and (to be written) Intisar Khanani’s re-release of Thorn. 

Stay safe and be well!

CKB

Supporting diversity in fantasy

Supporting Diversity in Fantasy

I’m back.

I wanted to reaffirm my commitment to reading authors of diverse backgrounds, and stories featuring diversity and non-white leads (something particularly important in fantasy). I’m going to do this by making a more concentrated effort to read said books, and by making sure I review the ones I’ve already read.

We’ve all seen how fantastic books like the three in N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth series have changed fantasy. We need more. We need international authors in translation, diverse authors, diverse characters, and a broader and more authentic inclusion of other cultures in our world-building.

Just think about the way Russian mythology in Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale felt like a breath of fresh air, and you’ll realize just how narrow fantasy is. Let’s not do that anymore. Give us all the places. Show us the cultures and well-rounded characters. Support books that do that by buying or borrowing them and leaving reviews along with me.

Note: I’ve updated this post to include a few author recommendations of my own (and one new author I’m excited about!), in no particular order, below.


Authors You’ll Love

Alexis Hendersen

The Year of the Witching is all the mystery, horror and serious trouble with witches you could ask for.  Don’t expect it to wrap up too neatly: a sequel is on the way to this beautifully (and creepily) descriptive book.

Bethany C. Morrow

A Song Below Water (YA Fantasy) is as compelling as…you know (my review here). A wonderful story of found-family sisterhood, identity, protest and myth set in a version of our world with modern mythological beings. The Renaissance fair mermaids might not be real, but the sirens and elokos are. A second book in the series, A Chorus Rises, is due out this year.

Intisar Khanani

Khanani is an indie author who is now a traditionally published one, too. She writes strong, diverse heroines, like Hitomi in the Sunbolt Chronicles (read my review of Book One here.) She is also the author who changed my mind about self-publishing.

N.K. JemisIn

The queen of science fantasy, if not all of fantasy. Jemisin won three consecutive Hugo Awards for The Broken Earth Trilogy, a series that knocked my socks off and only got better. With literary-caliber writing and an original world, Jemisin broke the mold in fantasy and made a new one. And there are more highly acclaimed books and series by Jemisin, too.

Silvia Moerno-Garcia

If you don’t know her yet, you will. Mexican Gothic will soon be a series (I can’t say this enough: don’t let anyone spoil the plot twist for you). But it’s Gods of Jade and Shadow that won, and broke, my heart. A classic fantasy odyssey set in Mexico and using Mayan and other regional mythology, it’s a truly unforgettable book.

Stephanie BwaBwa

Seraphim Falling (YA Epic Fantasy) is on my TBR list! With her first book released in 2020, BwaBwa is a more recent discovery of mine, and with a series that reminds me of Sharon Shinn’s Samaria series, I can’t wait to check it out!


Read More:

Kobo: 10 must-read diverse sci-fi and fantasy novels

Book Riot: 9 Diverse Fantasy Books that will Challenge your Idea of Fantasy Fiction

BookBub: 13 Acclaimed Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels by Black Authors

Cheers and be well,

-C.K.

A quick note

Hello.

It’s been a while.

I’m well, how are you?

That’s good/I’m very sorry to hear that.

(But seriously, I hope you are all well and getting by.)

As we all go through this oddness of what some medical professionals are calling “a baby virus” (some baby!), I wanted to drop a quick note with the following orders of business:

#1. Book reviews!

Have you seen them?  The most recent ones are of Andrew Einspruch’s excellent and funny The Purple Haze (fantasy + humor) and Helena Rookwood’s The Prince and the Poisoner (fantasy + just a little romance).  These are two books I loved.  I know I could use a trip to the Carnival of Stars right about now.

Princess Disasterface, Ep. 2.4

#2. New comics!

I’ve been lagging on Princess Disasterface, but managed to complete an episode in April (Episode 2.4).  It somehow takes me hours just to do one page.  Maybe because I can’t stop putting details into areas behind walls that will just get half-covered anyway (see image at left!).  I’m working on ways to be more efficient, but not much luck so far!

#3. NEW new comics!

Social Isolation and Growin’ Pup are my latest (much faster to draw) series…es (just updated today with Social Isolation #4 and #5, and pupdated with Growin’ Pup #3).  Social Isolation will of course be a temporary comic, which I may or may not turn into something else later using the same character.

Growin’ Pup is based on my own life with my puppy, who is a big sweetie that barks at birds for not playing with her and tries to eat EVERYTHING outside.

#4. Writing!

A second edition of A Shadow in Sundown, in which I correct the formatting mistakes of the first edition, spiff it up a little with a new cover and some little graphics, and include a preview of book 2 in the series, will be coming soon.  It’s also looking like I may need more than 4 novellas, so I might have to drop the whole “Quartet” idea.  How DO authors predict these things?  (Though I guess extending a series is pretty common.)

I’m also preparing a pair of free short stories, one set in a version of our world split between magic users and not, and the other about a rather resourceful witch.  More on that later!

#5. What I’m reading:

Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce (Book One of the Numair Chronicles).  Alas, I haven’t read her work in a long time.  I’m on a library wait list for Alanna: The First Adventure and Wild Magic, both of which I want to re-read.  It’s been wonderful to try something newer (I say newer because I’m behind the times and it’s likely only new to this Tamora Pierce fan).  So far so good 3 chapters in!  (Of course.  It’s Tamora Pierce.)

That’s all for now.  Take care everyone!

-CKB