Boycotting Amazon? You can still read my ebooks on your Kindle!

 If you want to buy my books in print format and you're boycotting Amazon, do not despair! Your friendly independent bookstore will be delighted to order them for you. Borderlands, Mysterious Galaxy, Powell's, and others do mail orders. Some of these stores carry my autographed editions. Don't forget Barnes and Noble (for both print and ebooks).

What about ebooks? Never fear, you are not restricted to buying from Amazon for your Kindle! Buy my books in epub format from one of the many other ebook vendors (Google Play, Apple, Smashwords, and many others). Side-load to your Kindle thus:

1. Download the file and place it where you can find it on your computer (I store mine in Calibre)
2. Go to your Amazon account and locate your unique Kindle email address. It's under Account & Listsà Content & Devicesà Devices. Your device should have the Kindle email listed (one that ends in “@kindle.com”).

3. Send the file as an attachment to your Kindle email. It should instantly appear on your Kindle. 

For more detailed instructions, check out this tutorial.

#StayHomeAndRead EBook Sale!

#StayHomeAndRead! I've temporarily reduced the prices of my ebook editions on Amazon. A Heat Wave in the Hellers and Other Doorways (omnibus of Jaydium and Northlight) are 2.99, everything else is 0.99. Enjoy!

I'm in the "A Matter of Time" StoryBundle!

THE SFWA TIME TRAVEL BUNDLE

A Matter of Time Bundle - Curated by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

What better way to forget about the present than by exploring the past and future? Ever since Jules Verne turned the dials on his famous machine, time travel has been a staple of science fiction, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's A Matter of Time StoryBundle continues this rich tradition by presenting fourteen temporally vibrant novels by both bestselling authors and rising stars.

SFWA is an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting science fiction and fantasy writers in the United States and elsewhere. The A Matter of Time bundle was curated by SFWA members to showcase the incredible range of thought-provoking stories that can be explored through the conceit of time travel, from adventures in the distant past to the far future.

And the bundle also includes Blue Apocalypse, the first book in a new series by New York Times bestselling author Craig Martelle, Time Trap by USA Today Bestselling author Jill Cooper, and Nairobi Jack by Monique Martin, among many others. The A Matter of Time bundle will run for three weeks only. This is a terrific way to sample a wide variety of stories and discover great new writers!

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you're feeling generous), you'll get the basic bundle of five books in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE.

            Jurassic Jail - Time Wars Book 1 by William Alan Webb

            Einstein's Secret by Irving Belateche

            Jaydium by Deborah J. Ross

            Blue Apocalypse - End Days Book 1 by E.E. Isherwood and Craig Martelle

            Marking Time - Immortal Descendants Book 1 by April White

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $15, you get all five of the regular books, plus NINE more!

            The Continuum by Wendy Nikel

            The Syndicate - Timewaves Series Book 1 by Sophie Davis

            The Redemption of Michael Hollister by Shawn Inmon

            The Lights of Time by Paul Ian Cross

            Nairobi Jack by Monique Martin

            Imposter Messiah by M.W. Davis

            Time Trap by Jill Cooper

            Supernova - The Commons Book 1 by Jessica Marting

            Millennium Crash by James Litherland

Deborah's EBooks at Your Public Library

If your public library subscribes to Overdrive, you can check out my ebooks. Here's the link to what's available, both traditionally published and through Book View Cafe. (Overdrive carries BVC's entire catalog.)

A March Gift for YOU!

Over at Book View Cafe, I'm offering a free ebook copy of Azkhantian Tales, my collection of short fiction set in the world of The Seven-Petaled Shield. (Maybe you'll enjoy it enough to post a review?)

Across the Azkhantian steppe, warrior women ride to battle against foes both human and supernatural. From the world of The Seven-Petaled Shield come four fantasy tales, originally published in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword & Sorceress.

Prophecy links a mother and daughter in an unbreakable bond.
A young woman defies tradition to become a shaman.
When twins are magically divided, the survivor searches for the other half of her soul.
A warrior woman discovers that to wield a magical blade dishonorably carries a heavy price.

The giveaway ends March 7, 2015.


Here's the link to the BVC newsletter, with all the nifty details.

What I’m Reading – The Hospice Edition

When I packed to travel out of state to help care for my best friend and her family during her final weeks of life, I had no idea how long I would be away. The ereader my daughter had passed on to me provided the ideal solution of how to carry a variety of books with me. I read at night as part of my bedtime ritual and I couldn’t anticipate what I would need at the end of each day. Horror, which has never previously appealed to me, might resonate with the depth of the grief of this entire household as we let go of hope and say goodbye. Maybe not, but should I bring some just in case? What about my favorite and unabashedly unguilty pleasures – fantasy and science fiction? Something to challenge my mind and make me think? A genre I don’t usually read? Mystery? Nonfiction?

I loaded up my ereader with a stack of books from Book View Café, picking a few from authors I’ve loved and choosing others practically at random. Here’s what I’ve been reading and why.

I started with three pieces – two novellas and a novel -- by Marie Brennan. I’d never read her work before she joined Book View Café, so when I found Midnight Never Come in a bookstore (and it looked interesting), I grabbed it. It’s the first of a series called “The Onyx Court,” set London during the reign of Elizabeth I. My husband and I had gone through a phase of watching every film biography of Elizabeth I that we could find, so that was an automatic plus. Brennan created a second, faerie court, hidden belowground but interacting in secret ways for England’s benefit. Fits right in with Sir Francis Walsingham and Dr. John Dee, and other historical characters. I enjoyed the book immensely, so the first thing I read was more Brennan, a novella set in the same world although slightly later in time. Deeds of Men is a murder mystery, with characteristic Brennan twists. I was glad I’d already read Midnight Never Come because I was already in love with the main character, but this would also make a good introduction to the series. I also picked the two “Welton” pieces, a prequel novella called Welcome To Welton and then the novel Lies and Prophecy. Both reminded me a little of Pamela Dean’s excellent Tam Lin, only set at Hogwarts if Hogwarts was a college and magic was public and widely spread. What kind of curriculum would a college offer? Dorms, room mates, cafeteria food, professors, meddling parents, the whole shebang. But Brennan doesn’t leave the story there; it turns out that the reason people have magical abilities is that they’re descended from fae who mingled with humans during a time when Faerie was closer to Earth. And now the two worlds are drawing closer again, and the Seelie and UnSeelie Courts are in deadly competition for who gets to rule, whether to enslave or ally with humans. And our college kids are caught up in it all. Brennan’s easy prose and likeable characters drew me into her world, a lovely escape at the end of each day.

Gatekeeping in the World of Ebooks

In this day, when social media are saturated with writers touting their self-published novels, it seems that anyone can write a book. Anyone with any talent or ambition, that is. Certainly, anyone willing to plug along and generate 80K or 100K words can do so.

On the other hand, so many of those who want to write never follow through, and of those, many never complete their project. To have finished a novel is an achievement, regardless of its quality or marketability. I think that's worth taking a moment to appreciate. We lose sight of how extraordinary this is, and miss out on the benefit of taking a moment to savor this accomplishment as a cause for celebration and pride in itself. Instead, we turn to publication as a source of validation. Sometimes there are intermediate steps, such as feedback from a workshop or critique group, or the search for an agent. But all too often, the next step is to format the book, slap it up on the internet, and voilà, one instantly becomes a "published author."

The very ease of self-publication removes the gatekeeper function formerly performed by editors and agents. This is not entirely a bad thing. Both have been wrong in the past, and marvelous works -- particularly those that are "too difficult" or "too controversial" or simply do not fit into current marketing niches have had a difficult time finding a publishing home. (Case in point: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle, which received 26 rejections.)

GUEST BLOG: Patricia Burroughs On Paul And Me

Book View Cafe welcomes Patricia Burroughs! Here's a delightful tale of her first novel, now available for your delectation as an ebook.

This is about the first novel I had published, La Desperada. It’s about the script adaptation I wrote that was based on that novel. It’s about Paul Newman. It’s about a lot of things.

But mainly, it’s about how (if I want to do the Hollywood stretch) I almost wrote a script for Paul.
Or if you want to do the reality check, it’s about how I maybe almost talked to him on the phone.

Mainly, it’s about my writing, my western, my attempts to get it made as a movie, and my new efforts to bring out the ebook.

And it’s about a book by Gwendon Swarthout called The Homesman.

Some years ago one of the producers on the film UNFORGIVEN read my western script, liked it a lot, and said to me, “You know, as I was reading this, I thought, this is the writer who needs to adapt THE HOMESMAN for Paul Newman.”

That is a moment. A Moment. Somebody actually tied me as a screenwriter to a project for Paul Newman. Not that he was in position to do anything about it, mind you. But still. It put an idea in my head. (Dangerous place for ideas, my head.)

I read THE HOMESMAN and loved a lot of it–except for (no spoiler here, I’m restraining myself) how the female protagonist dealt with her loss near the end. And I knew, yes, I could write the hell out of this script, but not if Paul (he was Paul in my mind by this point) wanted THAT to happen!

Brace yourself.

What's New At Book View Cafe

One of the things I most appreciate about electronic publishing is the renewed availability of the backlist (not to mention a Renaissance of midlist). It always struck me as sad that books authors worked so hard on, and that readers loved, become difficult if not impossible to find. The internet has made it easier to search for used copies, which is good. But as more readers used electronic devices, it's wonderful to find this repertoire available in this form, too.

For me as an author, it has been a special delight to hear from readers who have just discovered my novels Jaydium and Northlight through ebook editions. Later this spring, I'll be bringing out the first for a whole bunch of stand-alone short stories, perfect for when you have only a limited amount of time and want a complete story.

Some years ago, Irene Radford wrote a wonderful series of fantasy novels about the descendents of Merlin, with each generation of magical guardians in a different historical period. They've been out of print for some time, and now Irene's bringing them out as ebooks from Book View Cafe. The first one, Guardian of the Balance, is out now at a special price. (Click also for a link to a sample chapter, maps, and more!)

Caught between her beloved father, the Merlin of Britain, and Arthur Pendragon, the old ways and the new, Wren must find a way to balance the forces of Chaos with peace.  She nurtures the land and the people, creating a haven for anyone displaced by the turbulence.  And for the safety of all she must guard her heart against the deep love she shares with Arthur, a married king who holds the future of all the Britains in his hands and his sword.

And Now A Word From Our E-Publisher...

Both my out of print novels -- Jaydium and Northlight -- are available in electronic form. They're fun reads, if I do say so myself, with adventure and romance and cool nifty stuff. So if you haven't read them, you should hie yourself hence to the appropriate site and indulge yourself.

You could zip over to amazon.com...but I'd like to convince you not to. Instead, buy from Book View Cafe. There's no need to give your business to the 800-lb gorilla that seems bent on putting everyone else -- including our favorite indie brick and board bookstores -- out of business. You can download any of BVC's publications to your Kindle (or Nook) (instructions here).

First of all, it's better for the authors. We get a far greater percentage of each sale -- and the cost to you is the same. We decide on how much goes to BVC and none of that end up in the pockets of fatcat investors -- it goes right back into the site so we can pay our tech person decently and other things we decide collectively.

Second, it's much better for you. You purchase a subscription that allows you to download in as many different formats as you like. Once downloaded, the files remain on your devices -- BVC can't "pull the plug," the way they did with Orwell's 1984. If you chuck your Kindle and go for a Nook, you don't have to pay for another download.

Third, you'll find original as well as reprint books by seasoned pro authors, all professionally edited and beautifully formatted (unlike a lot of the ebooks out there!) Some of these are not available anywhere else.

Not sure? You can read sample chapters of all of them to give you a taste.

(After you've downloaded and enjoyed your copies, you could sneak over to amazon.com and leave a short review, of course.)

Here are links to Jaydium, Northlight, Other Doorways - the omnibus that includes both, and the short story, The Casket of Brass. More shorts coming in Spring 2012!

Now We're Talking Space Opera!

Once upon a time, two young people who lived in the same apartment building in Hollywood and shared a love of science fiction, Dorothy Dunnett, and The Three Stooges, went to see Star Wars, came home and said, "We can do better!" And they did.

That's the shameless promotion bit. Here's the disclosure. The result was a five volume series called Exordium by Sherwood Smith and Dave Trowbridge, who is also my husband.

I didn't meet Dave until well after the series was published (in the 1990s, by Tor) and I'd missed them when they first came out. I picked them up as part of getting to know him, slogged through a difficult opening to the first book, and then got utterly carried away by the story. Rich and complex and intelligent. And not at all predictable. Dramatic and funny (an alien race who venerate The Three Stooges?), touching and gritty and romantic and irreverent. FTL battles in space (done right, according to physicist and Navy-type fans), puns and tragedy and Dangerous Liaisons intrigue. Politics (also done right). Did I mention the tri-partite aliens? Yes, I did.

Now the series is being re-issued as ebooks and that beginning has been rewritten (so even if you've read the print books, you should read these!). The first one, The Phoenix In Flight, is just out from Book View Cafe. It's in multiple formats, including those you can download for your Kindle or Nook.

Dave holds forth on "Space Opera and The Siege of Vienna." and Sherwood tells her own story of how Exoridum came to be written.

On the Pricing of E-Books

I think I'm finally settling on what works for me in pricing my ebooks. At first, I waffled all over the place, like a bit of straw buffeted this way and that by every passing idea. And boy, people are full of ideas about this subject. Most of them, however, jump on the bandwagon to lower prices...and lower them some more... They point to phenomena like Amanda Hocking, whose ebooks sell for $2.99 on down. Sometimes, reading these opinions feels like being nibbled by extremely timid but persistent piranhas. Oh, it's just a little bite. You won't miss it. It won't hurt a bit.

Deborah's "When I'm 64" Birthday Present -- to YOU!

Will you still need me

Will you still read me

When I'm 64?

I'm turning 64 on Friday! Yes, it's tax day, so you have no excuse for not celebrating with me.

My novels, Jaydium and Northlight, will be available as multi-format ebooks FREE at Book View Cafe on April 15th. Please pass the word and enjoy the stories!

Welcome to Deborah's blog!

This is the very first post on my new blog! For the past few years, I've written on various topics in my LiveJournal and Book View Cafe (where you can also read more free fiction from me and--sales pitch alert!--buy my novels as multi-format ebooks). But this blog is mine alone, to hold forth on my own stories and my experiences writing them, on the wonderful people they've brought into my life...and anything else that strikes my fancy.

You'll notice the page, "Read A Story." Every month, I'll put up a free short story or novel chapter or snippet of work in progress for your enjoyment. At least, that's the plan. During book revisions to editorial deadline, all bets are off, but there will always be something there, a gift from me to you.