Tag Archives: fantasy

Themes.

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My new series, the Shadow books, are based on the tarot. The first book, Shadow Over Avalon, out now on all ebook platforms, is the first one and runs with the mystic of the wand. How does magic feature in a futuristic dystopia? How does Merlin figure in all this? You will have to read it to find out. In the meantime, there are small snippets on this site and a larger helping on Amazon. The next book, Sword or Shadows, is self explanatory. This is due out in 2014 from my publishers, Kristell Ink, an imprint of Grimbold Books.

Shadow Over Avalon live for Halloween

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Shadow Over Avalon

Fortune twists in the strongest hands. This is no repeat; this is what happens next.

A man, once a legend who bound his soul to his sword as he lay dying, is now all but a boy nearing the end of his acolyte training. Stifled by life in the undersea city of Avalon, Arthur wants to fight side by side with the air-breathing Terrans, not spend his life as servant to the incorporeal sentient known as the Archive. He is determined to help the surface-dwellers defeat the predators who are determined to ensure their own survival, no matter the cost.

Ashira, War Maid princess of the surface-world, is ready to sacrifice her life to defend her kin, but when she is betrayed and cast out of the life chosen for her, she must choose whether to die with honor or become one of the creatures her kinsmen fear and loathe.

Following two threads of time, CN Lesley’s new incarnation of the Arthurian tales of old delivers the perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy.

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Over-Avalon-ebook/dp/B00GAN6HMG/ref=la_B00DJS9QP0_1_2_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383139556&sr=1-2

Shadow Over Avalon Release.

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This is coming out on Halloween and I am so excited. However, just to set some matters straight, as I can anticipate howls of outrage that someone from Canada has dared to write an Arthur book, I am owning up to holding dual Nationality. I have indeed visited all the Arthurian sites . I have also extensively travelled in the UK. All the settings, aside from those offshore,, and off planet, are places I have personally visited.

On another note, I have invested a great deal of time thoroughly investigating the legends, going right back to the original Welsh stories. It is so interesting how politics of the time flavor historical accounts. The Mallory tale comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth, who took it upon himself to discredit all women of power in order to establish the supremacy of men. Now what a chaste monk was doing, having thoughts about incestuous relationships beggars the question and blows the mind. Needless to say, none of this politically motivated bunk will appear in Shadow Over Avalon, or any of the upcoming books in this series. I stay true to the original legend.

That being said, this series is not about what has gone before. This is what happens next, when the king promised to return in their time of greatest need for his people. Nothing is as it seems. The release date is very appropriate. Prepare to be scared. Enjoy.

Needy cat.

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The VBC, (very bad cat), was extra needy today. I think it might have been the snowfall outside, which is apparently our fault. His morning excursion on his leash in the back yard came to a screeching hold at the back door. No, he did not appreciate all that cold, wet white stuff we had dumped on the deck.  No, he no longer wished to go out, and he held us responsible for this loss of freedom.

My writing time was slashed by a board cat leaping into my arms at repeated intervals. He requires his pillow to be put into place so the hard edge of my desk doesn’t distract from his comfort when he sprawls. Oh yes, he sprawls. He wriggles and kicks his human into the correct position and then rolls on his back with his hind legs over one arm and his head resting on the other. His human trying to type elicits irritated hisses as this is disturbing his sleep. Being put on the floor means he will leap up from other angles. Putting him outside my office and shutting the door will result in frantic paddling on the door and howls of anguish.

We think his previous human might have croaked on him, which is why he needs to be with us constantly. Yes, he does get booted out of my office occasionally, but then I feel like a heel. Sometimes he will curl up on a blanket and sleep while I work. Not today, though. Today, we had messed up his plans by dumping the white stuff all over.

I never comment on reviews … but

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I find I must answer one repeated question. For those who asked; yes, there will be a sequel to Darkspire Reaches. I am currently working on this book and I am taking notes of all the things readers would like to see advanced. Thank you kind folks.

If you want to see more of my worlds, my next book is a start of a new series and is entitled Shadow Over Avalon. Here is the description my publishers will be putting on the book, coming out on this Halloween. Oh, and yes there is a sequel to this already with my publishers. The second book will be released in 2014.

Beyond the mists of time, a dying warrior binds his soul to his sword with an oath to protect his people. His shade rides with the Wild Hunt while he waits for the call of greatest need, but when it comes, he doesn’t know it is a lie.

In the undersea city of Avalon, Arthur nears the end of his acolyte training. But he doesn’t want to spend his life serving the Archive, he wants to fight side by side with the air-breathing people to defeat the predators who are determined to ensure their own survival no matter the cost.

Ashira, War Maid princess of the surface-world, is ready to sacrifice her life to defend her kin, but when she is betrayed she must choose whether to die with honor or become one of the creatures her kinsmen fear and loathe.

Fortune twists in the strongest hands. This is no repeat; this is what happens next.

Following two threads of time, CN Lesley’s fresh take on the Arthurian tales of old delivers the perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy.

A typical day of work.

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Rise at 6: 30 and not because I have to, this is when I wake up naturally. First port of call is to put on my coffee. It is dark outside and I need to be fully awake. While the coffee is brewing, I pack my husband’s lunch. Retreat with aforesaid coffee to my office to start my day.

My first task is to check my mail.  Once everything has been answered I must start work. Right at the moment, I am working on edits and this will continue with short breaks for breakfast and lunch, after which, I check my mail again and answer anything needing attention. Some time is lost during the morning trying to persuade the VBC that he really does not need to leap into my arms and drape himself over me, but today I got lucky as he suddenly remembered his passion for his pillow. Eww. Anyhow, he was ‘otherwise’ engaged and I could get on with my work.

Edited until around 4:00 when my eyes fell out and I had to take a break from the screen. For anyone keeping a tally, this is now nine hours work with break and cat times deducted.  Stop to prepare supper and then continue on until the dear husband arrives home.

This evening, having gone through my mail again, and facebook, I am back at work. The file has just finished downloading and I expect to put in another three hours, or thereabouts.  Tally will stand at about twelve hours of work. This might be longer as I would like to finish this file this evening/night. All this is dependent on if I can keep my concentration level up. If not, then I will have to shelve the project for morning.

Is this a complaint? The hells no! I love what I do. This just happens to be a crunch time and so is very intensive. Once this is over, I will go back to my normal routine, which still is about twelve hours a day, only with split projects. I think I will do NANO this year because I really need to work on the sequel to Darkspire Reaches, so November is going to be fairly packed. I need about another forty to fifty k to finish the book and I need the discipline to stop me flitting between this and other works in progress. Ideally,, I would like the first draft to be finished by the end of November. No, this does not mean the book will be going out anytime soon. It will need three or four passes before it is anywhere near ready to inflict on my publishers. Oh, you might say I could send them my first draft and let them sort out the editing. Roars with laughter. Nope. Publishing is a business with time restrictions and it is courteously imperative only to submit the very best. No one gets to see anything that I am not confident will fly. That is how it is.

Now I see the download I have been impatiently waiting for in completed. Darn, I must find time to clear files from my laptop. Thirty minutes for a download is ridiculous. So, back to work.

I leave you with the thought that Shadow Over Avalon will be live in just seven days. Oh, and if you haven’t already downloaded a free copy of Darkspire Reaches, now might be the an idea. The promotion is time limited and may not be repeated. It is available on all ebook platforms. Enjoy.

Darkspire Reaches in Amazon top 100

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Shadow Over Avalon

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Shadow Over AvalonThe editing process is now complete and I am so happy with the book. Sensitive and enlightened editing makes all the difference. Actually, I got some really good suggestions for expanding the script, which I jumped on. My bad there, as I had cut it down to the bone to fit in with current marketing needs and was told to expand it again in various areas outlined in detail. Loved this!!!

The book is now out of my sticky mitts and is going through the process. Come Halloween, there will be a new kid on the block. This is about what happened next and doesn’t pull any punches. Like a fright on Halloween? Prepare to be scared.  This science fantasy is a dystopia with a profound difference. Oh, and the second book is already completed and in my publishers hands. It is due out sometime in 2014.

Want to check out my worlds for free? Darkspire Reaches, my dark romantic fantasy, is available for a limited time on all e-platforms. It is currently #12 on Amazon.com free bestsellers general list. Note, not specific – general and in among other genres and literary books. Over ten thousand books have been downloaded today. How about making it ten thousand and something? Make my millennium.

Darkspire Reaches free on all ebook platforms!

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Digital CoverThis is a rare Bookbub promoted book. They are picky and they picked mine. Today their promo went out and my publisher and I watched in awed amazement. At one point 17 books per minute were being downloaded from Amazon.com. I don’t have the figures for the other sites as we were too mesmerized by what was happening on this site. Over ten thousand people using Amazon.com are sitting down to read my book tonight. I am both humbled and very grateful.

This book reached #18 on the free bestsellers list. I would love it to stay there. Download your copy today and make my millennium.