SONG is Now in Paperback

I received the paperback proof yesterday.  It's very pretty and everything looks good, so I approved it for sale.  Yay.

Here's the social media release verbiage I just posted:

SONG OF STORM AND SHROUD is now available in paperback (as well as being an ebook from many fine retailers - see comments for the universal link). Sorry it's not easier on the wallet, but it's 422 pages. I made it as inexpensive as I could while still leaving a little scratch for me.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WZBBMHM

Of course, you don't have to go to comments here to get the universal link.  Click there.  And it's also available by clicking the image in the sidebar.  

It's pretty much everywhere Draft2Digital can make it be.  Except for Hoopla.  Nothing of mine has posted to Hoopla yet.  Derp.  

A quick note... I removed all the chapter-beginning wyverns.  I had a nightmare about being sued over use of a clipart image, so after I woke up, I did a bunch of research and since I was no longer 100% certain it was kosher to use those - even if I did change the original image - I ditched them when I woke up.  There are only four copies of it in its original format, and I own two of those (ebook and paperback proof).  It's all good.  I left the arrows.  They're mine.  

For the record, I get my cover images from Morguefile, and their terms state that as long as you change the image in some way and don't try to sell it as is, it's kosher.  I don't think anyone can say the images I've incorporated into my covers can ever even be recognized as the original photos.  Although, I think it would be kind of neat for the dude who owns that lizard to see his pet as a dragon on the cover of SSS.  I got the wings off a pic of a flying fox.  Cut, paste, delete on a microscopic scale, change the aspect, recolor, paste some more, add a bit of artsy so it doesn't look like a Franken-photo... tada, dragon!  Took me FOREVER, but I did it.

Anyway, the paperback is black text on cream paper and the cover has a nice matte finish.  The font size is 11pt, so it's easier on the eyes.  It's $17.99, but like I said, it's a big book, so it's about as cheap as I can make it and still make money.  Wish it could be different, but that's the way of the world right now. 

I'd really appreciate it if you could pick up a copy (print or ebook) and leave a review wherever you buy books.  Thanks.

A Snippet for You

 I'm up to my armpits this morning, so here's a snippet (the beginning of Chapter Two) for you to enjoy...

As the fiery tornado rose almost to the height of the gallery, the skin on Aryl's cheeks tightened. Not since the whole of Northunder gathered around the bonfire last Midwinter Eve had he felt such heat. He could almost smell Da’s pipe and Ma’s hot chicory tea. In his head, he could hear the townsfolk singing the song of storm and shroud to chase the blizzards and the beasts away.

Terrified screams reached him from below, jerking him out of his reverie. On the field, his potential classmates ran for their lives, scattering in every direction. 

One alone stood firm.

A boy almost as tall as Galin, but twice as wide, stood holding the largest sword Aryl had ever seen. It shimmered, but not from any kind of heat. Magic radiated from the weapon. Aryl couldn’t hear the boy, but he would swear he saw his lips move in a shouted spell. Blue light arced from the blade toward the elemental. 

And disappeared as if it were no more than mist.

The firestorm reached a hand-like tendril out and slapped downward at the human standing brazenly before it. With an audible fwoosh, the boy disappeared in a blaze, leaving only a smear of scorched earth behind. 

The elemental turned, seeking another foe, but all the other combatants had hidden behind the barricades at the edges of the field. With nothing to attack, it turned its horrible face toward the gallery. Its roar made all the watchers step back. 

Aryl looked to Master Eenan to save them, but the man had gone. “He left us?” Disbelief made his voice break. “How can fighting this thing be left to us?”

If you want to read more, head on over to Books2Read, click on your favorite retailer, and pick up a copy today.