Every Wednesday ALLi will tell the world about our members' latest book launches, news, awards, freebies, workshops and updates on the writing life and take a look at the projects and businesses of our partner members.
AUTHOR MEMBERS
Joanna Penn
The Indie Author Power Pack
A box-set containing three of the bestselling books for indie authors – written by indies, for indies: Let's Get Digital by David Gaughran, How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn, and Write, Publish, Repeat by Sean Platt and Johnny B Truant.
Plus, exclusive video and audio content, only available with the box set.
Just 99c and available now on all ebook platforms:
Amazon Kobo Apple NOOK
Joan Fallon-Cook
The novel Spanish Lavender is on a special offer this week at £0.93 on Kindle.
It is a story that will interest anyone who wants to learn a little about what life was like during the Spanish Civil War. A young English woman refuses to be evacuated with her family in 1937 and soon realises that she has made a big mistake.
Alone in the war-torn city of Malaga, she meets two men, one who becomes her lover and the other her husband. Seventy years later her granddaughter returns to Spain to unravel the story of her grandmother’s past.
The offer ends on Friday 7th November.
Pam Laricchia
Pam Laricchia and translators Malika Kergoat and Edith Chabot-Laflamme have recently released Libre d'apprendre, the French translation of Pam's popular introduction to unschooling book, Free to Learn.
Un mode de vie hors des murs et de la pensée de l’école.
Vous envisagez l’école à la maison ? Le unschooling vous intrigue ?
Suivez-moi, je partage ici avec vous cinq idées ayant pour thème l’apprentissage et la vie; cinq changements de paradigme qui ont libéré ma famille du carcan scolaire. Au fil de plus de dix années d’expérience, j’ai vu ô combien ces idées étaient essentielles, et le sont toujours, dans nos vies de unschooling. Au travers d’histoires, d’exemples et d’un langage clair, Libre d’apprendre explore toute la profondeur et le potentiel du unschooling.
The book is available in both ebook and print editions.
Jackie Griffiths
Jackie Griffiths would like to reveal an exciting new cover for her book Ox Herding: A Secular Pilgrimage.
A brand new novel of philosophical literary fiction, the plot follows the main character, Jae, who battles with questions about the meaning of life and the purpose of her existence.
After the death of her agnostic grandmother, with whom she had her most fruitful philosophical discussions, she embarks on a personal journey to fulfil a mysterious note left to her in the will: ‘Seek and ye shall find.’ One spring day she walks over a bridge into a strange world on the other side of the river.
There she encounters challenging situations and unusual people offering tempting theories about the meaning of life. From then on she devotes all her energy to pursuing answers to the philosophical questions that drive her, experiencing a series of extraordinary adventures, until eventually she arrives at a completely unexpected conclusion.
Helena Halme
The paperback version of Coffee and Vodka, the novel by Finnish-born Helena Halme is now out.
Coffee and Vodka, described as ‘fascinating story of immigration’ and ‘superb piece of writing’ in 5 * reviews on Amazon, is the story of Eeva and her family and the struggle to adapt to a new life in another country. Coffee and Vodka is available in good bookshops in London and on Amazon.
Coffee and Vodka is also available to buy from the Finn-Guild office, 1A Mornington Court, Mornington Crescent, London NW1 7RD Tel 020 7387 3508 at the special price of £5 (and part of the proceeds will go to support this worthwhile charity). Please telephone to ask about postage and packing – this, I'm afraid, will be extra.
Helena Halme will also be at the Indie Author Fair at the Chorleywood Literary Festival on 19th November.
On 29th November both of Helena’s novels, Coffee and Vodka, and The Englishman, will be on sale during Finn-Guild's annual pop-up shop from 11 am to 2 pm.
Alison Morton
Alison Morton recently applied to the International Thriller Writers and was delighted to be accepted as an author member.
Even more delightful was seeing her latest book, Successio, featured in the latest copy of ‘The Big Thrill', the ITW magazine which is distributed worldwide.
“Although the Roman alternate history setting is an essential part of the story, my books are principally thrillers, so it’s gratifying to be a member of the world’s biggest thriller writers' association whose members include Lee Child, Jeffrey Deaver, Sandra Brown as well as ALLi’s own J F Penn and Keith Dixon.”
Alison is also running a special autumn thriller promotion on iTunes/Apple only for Inceptio, her first book in the series. It’s free until 14 November.
“I hope Inceptio will find new readers this way and introduce people to what historical author Simon Scarrow calls ‘the fascinating world of Roma Nova’.”
Peter Moddel
Set in everyday language, Making Sense is an adventure into philosophy that brings a coherent view of the interaction between mind, self and world.
With the reintegration of intent – shunned by classical science and philosophy – a description emerges of subjectivity, of personal freedom and of mind activity that reaches beyond the confines of consciousness.
On this journey to the source of being, everyone’s path is unique yet, deeply interconnected, we travel together.
PARTNER MEMBERS
Tahlia Newland
New Awesome Indies Website
The Awesome Indies has a new website with a focus on selling books, (rather than just listing them as we had before).
It's the first step in a new push to become well known by readers. The success of the Awesome Indies in this endeavour is good for all indie authors, not only those listed on our website, (many who are members here as well), but also for all of us, whether your book is listed or not.
This is because the aim of the Awesome Indies is to raise the profile of indie publishing among the reading public. We want to prove that indie books (or some of them anyway) are as good as mainstream books.
If you support the idea of some form of quality accreditation for indie books then pop over and share the site with your friends.
Lawston Design
Rachel Lawson is a new partner member who does creative freelance publishing and design with a friendly and flexible approach. She is experienced in designing fiction, non-fiction, children's books and YA publishing.
“I graduated from the University of Creative Arts in 2005. Right after that I was invited to present my work at the D&AD New Blood Exhibition” says Rachel.
For more about her and her designs, take a look at her website: www.lawstondesign.com.
She believes that some of her biggest accomplishments include designing books and commissioning artwork for amazing authors like Terry Pratchett, John Boyne and Malorie Blackman.
She also designed the branding and first book, in the exciting new series Ellie's Magical Bakery, for Paralympian Ellie Simmonds .
EVENTS
Dave Mc Call (Writing historical novels as David Ebsworth)
Wednesday 10th December – Wrexham Library has kindly agreed to host the local launch of Marianne Tambour at an evening event (exact start time to be confirmed), where I’ll be talking about the novel’s background, Wrexham and North Wales links to the Battle of Waterloo, and quite a bit about the incredible women who inspired the story.
Maybe we’ll even provide some light refreshments, but places will be limited so please let me know if you’re planning to be there!
Saturday 13th December – the first of many book-signing events for The Last Campaign of Marianne Tambour, 11.30 onwards at the Waterstones store in Wrexham.
Game of History Event in Bristol
Historical fantasy has never been more popular, as the success of George R R Martin’s Game of Thrones – a blending of Plantagenet history with sorcery and dragons proves.
Why do the two genres combine so successfully? Where does history end and fantasy begin? What are the challenges of writing historical fantasy?
Join Jack Wolf, Helen Hollick, Juliet McKenna and Lucienne Boyce for a lively discussion at Foyles Bookshop, 6 Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, Bristol BS1 3BU on Wednesday 12 November 2014, 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm.
Free but booking essential – contact [email protected] to reserve your place.
Jack Wolf is the author of the critically acclaimed The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones.
Helen Hollick, best-selling author in the US, author of many books including the Sea Witch Voyages (pirates and white witches).
Juliet McKenna, an Oxford classicist whose numerous fantasy books are history-based.
Lucienne Boyce, Bristol author of To The Fair Land.
Historical Novel Society Conference Registration
Registration for the Historical Novel Society's 2015 conference is now open. The conference will take place in Denver, Colorado on June 26-28, 2015.
Membership of the Historical Novel Society for one year costs $50 and gives you $50 off the conference fee, so don't forget to become a member before you register for the conference.
We hope to see you in Denver!
Martine Mcdonagh
Just wanted to let you know about a new MA in Creative Writing and Publishing for September 2015 that I'll hopefully be teaching on – I've written the course outline and if we get enough students it'll run!
It would be at West Dean College near Chichester and is awaiting validation from the University of Sussex.
The course is two years part-time, taught in intensive 3-day blocks, with accommodation available so would be suitable for people living further away.
In its second year students focus on the publishing process with a strong leaning towards independent publishing, as established by the college's founder, Edward James, a poet and patron of surrealism, through his James Press.
There's more information about the course in the 2015/16 prospectus, here:
And we have an open day this coming Saturday, 8th November.
If you are a member of The Alliance of Independent Authors and you would like to showcase your work on our ALLi Showcase, please send it to [email protected] to reach me no later than the Friday proceeding the Wednesday you would like it published.
[…] like the weekly Showcase, we will need some links (your website url and also where the books are sold), a great image and a […]